USS Betelgeuse (AK-260)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Betelgeuse II (AK-260)', Naval History and Heritage Command (Mann; updated Cressman, 2021-10-13) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Full DANFS entry text; live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-21 (standing NHHC link-rot issue per BATCH-01) - read via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 11:07:30 UTC; 1959 DANFS Vol. 1 entry also read at hazegray.org/danfs/volume_b/vol_b_05.htm via Wayback

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official NHHC DANFS entry 'Betelgeuse II (AK-260)' (Raymond A. Mann; updated Robert J. Cressman, published 2021-10-13) documents: Colombia Victory laid down 1944-02-11 at Wilmington, Calif. by California Shipbuilding Corp. under Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. hull 10); launched 1944-04-10, sponsored by Senora G. Restrepo; delivered to Grace Line, Inc. 31 May 1944 for WSA operation under general agency agreement; WWII service with armed guard embarked incl. Iwo Jima assault/occupation (25 Feb - 6 Mar 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (27 May - Jun 1945); subsequent operators - Waterman Steamship Corp. (bareboat charters Mobile 31 Jul 1946, Tampa 17 Sep 1946), Isthmian Steamship Co. (bareboat 11 Dec 1947), Dichman, Wright & Pugh (GAA 16 Aug 1948); entered MC Reserve Fleet at Wilmington, N.C. 4 Sep 1948; Navy assumed custody 31 Jul 1951 (renamed Betelgeuse 26 Jul 1951, designated AK-260); commissioned Savannah, GA 15 Apr 1952, Comdr. Leonard A. Parker; 1952-1960 cargo service to Mediterranean/West Indies/Bermuda/Azores; Navy took title 'as is where is' 31 May 1955; summer 1960 extensive modifications converting her to FBM resupply ship; 1 Jun - 7 Sep 1962 equipment modernization incl. missile stowage; regular resupply runs to FBM submarine commands at Holy Loch, Scotland and Rota, Spain through 1969 and most of 1970; early 1967 target/torpedo retrieval for Atlantic Fleet subs; late Aug 1967 collision with USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641), repaired at Charleston Naval Shipyard until early Oct; Nov 1967 first resupply mission to west coast (arrived Bangor, WA 27 Nov) then Puget Sound Naval Shipyard boiler repairs; Nov 1968 rescue of three mariners from foundering sailboat Spirit of Love en route Holy Loch; inactivation began Charleston 15 Oct 1970; decommissioned 15 Jan 1971; towed to Philadelphia, inactive until early 1974; stricken from NVR 1 Feb 1974; sold to Luria Brothers & Co., Inc. 2 Dec 1975 for scrap. DANFS stat line: displacement 4,660; length 455'0"; beam 62'0"; draft 29'0"; speed 16.5 kts; complement 156; armament 8 40mm; class Antares; type VC2-S-AP3.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Merchant crew + Navy Armed Guard (1944-48); commissioned crew ~136-250 depending on source (1952-71)

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for identity, chronology, and service narrative. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Several stat-line and narrative figures conflict with other sources (see ev-12 correction row): complement 156 vs 250 (1959 DANFS) vs 145 (NavSource); class 'Antares' vs 'Greenville Victory'; merchant name 'Colombia Victory' vs MARAD 'COLUMBIA VICTORY'; CO 'Leonard A. Parker' vs NavSource 'Lannis A. Parker'; title date 31 May 1955 vs NARA-compiled 31 May 1956.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BETELGEUSE (AK-260) Ship History Detail 514 and COLUMBIA VICTORY Ship History Detail 7443, incl. status-card scans [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Detail 514 fields + milestones + status cards (514_949AF.jpg, 514_949BF.jpg, 514_AF.jpg); Detail 7443 fields + status card (1IE_01.png); BETELGEUSE.pdf document (/documents/3feb0b2a-af13-42a8-b8c1-8889e0000b95.pdf) is an image-only scan

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database records for this hull under both names: BETELGEUSE (AK-260) (Detail 514) - year built 1944, Official No. 245744, California Shipbuilding Corporation, Naval Auxiliary / AK Cargo Ship, MARAD type VC2-S-AP3, 455.00 ft x 62.00 ft, summer displacement 15,580 t, fate 'Sold - Scrap', milestones Entry 9/4/1948 and Acquisition 9/4/1948 'ex-COLUMBIA VICTORY', mission 'Korean War', three digitized status-card scans (image-only, not text-parsed this session); COLUMBIA VICTORY (Detail 7443) - same O.N. 245744, General Cargo / Break Bulk, VC2-S-AP3, net 4,555 t / gross 7,612 t, cargo capacity 453,210 sq ft, missions WWII + Korean War, fate 'Transferred - U.S. Govt.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Merchant operators' crews (1944-51); Navy crew (1951-71); MARAD fleet personnel (1948-51, 1974-75)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones and registry particulars; the 9/4/1948 NDRF Wilmington entry/acquisition matches DANFS. Status-card scans are image files - content not transcribed this session (card-level chronology may hold additional custody detail). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-02

3. [3]Shipscribe.com (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USNS Alcor (AK 259) (VC2-S-AP3) class' file, compiled 2021-08-07 from NARA RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 25 (SCB-86), RG 19 Entry UD 1024-A Box 1, and RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 95 (AK 260 test with AS 31) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class notes (SCB-86 program history), construction and disposition tables (AK-260 rows), ship notes (MCV 10), and class-notes paragraph on the 1971 preservation experiment and 1976 grounding/refloat

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe class file (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled 2021-08-07 from NARA records) documents the SCB-86 conversion program and this hull's Navy career: on 7 Feb 1951 SECNAV asked Commerce for six VC2-S-AP3 Victory ships incl. COLUMBIA VICTORY; Commerce agreed 14 Mar 1951; the request was reduced to four hulls (AK 257-260: Altair, Antares, Alcor, Betelgeuse) with names/designations approved 26 Jul 1951; SCB Project No. 86 characteristics promulgated 15 Jun 1951 (point-to-point general cargo; one 50-ton boom fwd + one 30-ton aft; one 5"/38 + four 40mm twins; berthing 9 officers + 136 enlisted; electronics updates 1953 and 1957). Class table for AK-260: acquired 31 Jul 1951, California SB, keel 11 Feb 1944, launched 10 Apr 1944, commissioned 15 Apr 1952; decommissioned 15 Jan 1971, stricken 1 Feb 1974, disposal 2 Dec 1975 (MA/S). BETELGEUSE was first modified to carry POLARIS missiles/components summer 1960 and further modified 1 Jun - 7 Sep 1962 with vertical stowage for fourteen POLARIS missiles in No. 3 hold (max twenty-three with container stowage); she became the prototype for AK 279-282 conversions. Class machinery data: 8,500 hp geared steam turbines, 2 boilers 465 psi/750 deg F, 1 screw, 17 kts, accommodations 9-11 officers + 136-155 enlisted. Ship note: 'Ex merc. COLOMBIA VICTORY, completed 31 May 1944. To USN custody 31 Jul 1951. Title to Navy 31 May 1956. To buyer ca. Jan 1976.' The file also documents the 1971 experimental preservation at NSY Philadelphia (single air-supported plastic structure with dehumidified air circulation), the covering torn open in a storm ca. 1973-74 after power loss and backup-diesel failure prompting the sale decision, the tow breaking free 17 Jan 1976, the hull washing onto the beach at Rodanthe NC, and refloat 'after nearly two months of round-the-clock work' completing the trip to the breakers.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1951-1976 (program record)

   Population

   Conversion-yard workers (1951-52, 1960, 1962 events); Charleston NSY and Puget Sound NSY workers (1967); Philadelphia NSY inactive-ship personnel (1971-74); Navy crew

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of primary NARA records; establishes program events and dates, not materials content. No asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material scope is stated for the SCB-86 conversion, the 1960/1962 FBM modifications, the 1967 yard repairs, or the preservation experiment - asbestos involvement at these events is inference, not record. 'Title to Navy 31 May 1956' conflicts with DANFS's 31 May 1955 (carried in correction row).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-03

4. [4]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'California Shipbuilding, Los Angeles CA' emergency-yard production table (compiled MC/yard data) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Calship Victory-ships table row: hull 10 / Colombia Victory / MC V10; yard profile paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipbuildinghistory.com's California Shipbuilding (Calship) production table documents the hull's build entry: yard hull V10, original name 'Colombia Victory', type VC2-S-AP3, MC #V10, keel laid 11-Feb-44, launched 10-Apr-44, delivered 31-May-44 - 59 days on the ways, 51 days in the water, 110 total days; disposition column: 'To USN 1951 as Betelgeuse (AK 260), scrapped.' The yard profile records Calship as one of the original nine emergency yards, built with 8 ways in 1940 by Todd and Kaiser with USMC funding (Kaiser bought Todd out in 1942), expanded to 14 ways, peak employment 40,000, liquidated postwar.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Calship Wilmington construction trades (1944)

   Limitations

   Compiled production table (independent compiler), consistent with DANFS and MARAD dates. Uses the 'Colombia' spelling; MARAD registry and 1959 DANFS use 'Columbia' - variant carried in correction row. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-04

5. [5]Garand, George W., and Truman R. Strowbridge, Western Pacific Operations (History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II, Vol. IV), pp. 602-603 (HyperWar transcription, ibiblio.org); NavSource ribbon tabulation for campaign credit [other_primary]

   Locator

   USMC-IV-VI-8.html pp. 602-603, 'ammunition resupply ship, the Columbia Victory' passage; NavSource page 130260 campaign table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   USMC official history documents this hull's wartime service: on 1 March 1945 at Iwo Jima, 'an ammunition resupply ship, the Columbia Victory, was approaching the west coast with a cargo of artillery ammunition when mortar fire from Kama and Kangoku Rocks, as well as northwestern Iwo, bracketed the vessel. One shell exploded so close to the ship that it wounded one man and caused light damage to the vessel' - Generals Holland Smith and Schmidt watched from VAC headquarters; the ship reversed course and 'miraculously evading additional near misses, headed back out to the open sea.' NavSource's campaign tabulation credits SS Columbia Victory with the Iwo Jima operation (25 Feb - 6 Mar 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (27 May - 4 Jun 1945), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2), and WWII Victory Medal.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-03-01

   Population

   Merchant crew + embarked Naval Armed Guard (1945)

   Limitations

   Primary official history naming the hull in a combat-logistics incident; establishes wartime service and one wounding/light damage event. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-05

6. [6]Documented plant and work-period facts per NHHC DANFS, Shipscribe SCB-86 class file, and NavSource (rows ev-01, ev-03, ev-10); material-class framing per the WWII-shipbuilding asbestos record (Corn & Starr, row ev-07) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Shipscribe class table (machinery) + DANFS/Shipscribe yard-work dates; inference framed per house convention

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design-level asbestos inference anchored to documented facts: this hull is a VC2-S-AP3 steam cargo ship (geared turbine, 2 header-type boilers, single screw) built February-May 1944 - squarely inside the documented peak of WWII shipbuilding asbestos use - and her documented Navy work periods include the 1951-52 SCB-86 reactivation conversion, the summer 1960 FBM resupply conversion, the 1 Jun - 7 Sep 1962 modernization (vertical Polaris missile stowage), the Aug-Oct 1967 collision repairs at Charleston Naval Shipyard, the Nov-Dec 1967 boiler repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the 1970-71 inactivation, and the 1971-74 Philadelphia preservation experiment. Steam cargo hulls and auxiliaries of this era were commonly fitted with asbestos-containing boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation-space insulation, and yard conversion/repair work of the period is era-consistent with both installation of and disturbance to such materials.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1976

   Population

   Calship construction trades (1944); merchant crew + Armed Guard (1944-48); Navy crew (1952-71); conversion/repair yard workers at undocumented 1951-52 and 1960/1962 conversion sites, Charleston NSY (1967, 1970-71), Puget Sound NSY (1967), Philadelphia NSY (1971-74); Luria Brothers scrapping workers (1976)

   Limitations

   Inference only - no ship-specific insulation schedule, survey, abatement record, or exposure documentation exists in the sources searched. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The hull was scrapped in 1976.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-06

7. [7]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and program under which this VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship was built (1944, California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Hull scrapped 1976.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-07

8. [8]U.S. Government Accountability Office, HRD-80-2 product page [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page (title/description); full-text PDF blocked HTTP 403

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO report HRD-80-2 ('Asbestos: Need for Better Controls Over Shipyard Workers,' 1979) documents at program level the extent of asbestos use and control deficiencies in U.S. shipbuilding and ship repair through the wartime and postwar decades covering this hull's construction and Navy work periods. Full text unreachable at fetch time (gao.gov HTTP 403 to automated fetches); product-page description used - standing defect since batch-01.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   report 1979; coverage era WWII-postwar

   Population

   U.S. shipyard workers generally (program context)

   Limitations

   Program-level context only - the report does not name this vessel or its builder/conversion yards and establishes nothing ship-specific. Full text not retrieved (403); reliance is on the product-page description only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-08

9. [9]In re Waterman Steamship Corp., 157 B.R. 220 (S.D.N.Y. 1993); Waterman Steamship Corp. v. Aguiar, 200 B.R. 770 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 1996); Swogger v. Waterman Steamship Corp., 151 A.D.2d 100 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989); Hannon v. Waterman Steamship et al., No. 92-3063 (5th Cir. 1993); Midgett salvage claim per local-press accounts (Island Free Press 2008 via villagecraftsmen; WOBR news-director account on ussbetelgeuse.org) [court_record]

   Locator

   ca5.uscourts.gov opinion caption 'John HANNON, et al., Plaintiffs, v. WATERMAN STEAMSHIP CORPORATION, et al.'; Swogger 151 A.D.2d 100; 157 B.R. 220; 200 B.R. 770; salvage claim per secondary local accounts only

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Operator-level asbestos litigation context: Waterman Steamship Corp., this ship's WSA bareboat charterer in 1946 (per DANFS custody chain), appears as a defendant/debtor in maritime asbestos litigation - In re Waterman Steamship Corp., 157 B.R. 220 (S.D.N.Y. 1993) and Waterman Steamship Corp. v. Aguiar, 200 B.R. 770 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 1996), addressing asbestos-related claims by seamen formerly employed on Waterman merchant vessels; Swogger v. Waterman Steamship Corp., 151 A.D.2d 100 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989), a Jones Act seaman mesothelioma action against shipowners (main action settled; the published opinion addresses third-party contribution/indemnity under admiralty law, not an exposure finding); and Hannon v. Waterman Steamship Corp. (consolidated caption in Johnstone v. American Oil/Keene, No. 92-3063, 5th Cir. 1993), a seaman asbestos case. Merchant-ship asbestos claims typically proceeded under owner/operator names, so hull-name searches undercount the true litigation surface. Separately, the 1976 grounding produced a private maritime-salvage claim by two Rodanthe men (Mac and Steve Midgett) that settled for an undisclosed sum paid to 'guard' the vessel - no docketed opinion located; the claim concerned salvage rights, not asbestos.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   cases 1989-1996; alleged exposure era 1940s-1970s

   Population

   Waterman Steamship merchant mariners (operator-level context)

   Limitations

   Names the ship's wartime bareboat operator, not the hull; makes no finding about asbestos aboard Colombia Victory/Betelgeuse and no exposure finding for any individual aboard this hull. Swogger's published opinion is a contribution/indemnity ruling after the main action settled - classified at the settled-pleading level, not as an adjudicated exposure finding. The Midgett salvage claim is documented only by local press/eyewitness accounts and settled out of court - no opinion exists to cite. CourtListener API ship-name docket search was blocked at time of writing (see search_ledger sl-05, sl-06); operator-level cases located via secondary search, not exhaustive.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-09

10. [10]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'USS Betelgeuse (AK-260)' (page 130260), incl. All Hands magazine (Sept 1972) captions, reunion-association contributions, and commanding-officer list [other_primary]

    Locator

    Specifications block; disposition line; photo captions 0913026008/09 (preservation covering, aground at Cape Hatteras); CO table; campaign ribbon tabulations

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    NavSource photo-archive page for USS Betelgeuse (AK-260) (compiled chronology with Navy-photo captions and reunion-association contributions) documents: radio call sign NXIA; specifications - displacement 15,580 t full load, 455 ft, beam 62 ft, draft 29'2", 15.5 kts, complement 145, eight 40mm AA guns, 50-t boom, 7,800 DWT cargo / 453,210 cu ft non-refrigerated, one Westinghouse turbine with two Foster Wheeler header-type boilers 525psi/750degF, double Westinghouse main reduction gears, two 300 kW turbo-drive generators, 6,000 shp; decommissioned 15 Jan 1971 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; struck 1 Feb 1974; sold for scrapping 2 Dec 1975 (PDX-1001) to Luria Brothers; ran aground 17 Jan 1976 off Cape Hatteras ~25 miles north of Rodanthe NC while towed to Brownsville TX. Photo captions document the experimental preservation covering at Philadelphia NSY c.1971 (All Hands magazine Sept 1972, pp. 20-21) and the hull aground; a reunion-association/eyewitness contribution (Bill Toohey, Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility Philadelphia) recounts the covering tearing open in a storm after facility power loss and backup-diesel failure, NAVSEA-directed stripping of needed materials, and hull numbers painted out before tow. A former Outer Banks radio news director's account and Island Free Press reporting (via villagecraftsmen blog) document local men Mac and Steve Midgett boarding the beached ship under maritime salvage practice and being paid an undisclosed sum to 'guard' her; the ship sat on the beach roughly one to two months before refloat.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1944-1976

    Population

    Navy crew (1952-71); Philadelphia NSY inactive-ship personnel (1971-74); Outer Banks locals and salvors (1976)

    Limitations

    Curated secondary archive with primary-source captions - strongest where it reproduces official material (All Hands magazine, USN photos, DANFS CO list) and weakest on compiler-typed specifications. Complement 145 conflicts with DANFS figures (156 updated / 250 in 1959); machinery figures (6,000 shp, 525psi) conflict with the NARA-compiled class table (8,500 hp, 465psi) - both carried, neither merged. The grounding/refloat facts are corroborated by Shipscribe's NARA-compiled class note (refloat 'after nearly two months'). No asbestos content in the page; supports no asbestos claim.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-10

11. [11]Batch-913 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; MARAD Details 514/7443 + status cards; Shipscribe AK-259 class file; shipbuildinghistory Calship table; HyperWar USMC-IV; CourtListener API + website (blocked); web-index litigation screen; GAO (blocked) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-01 through sl-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Betelgeuse (AK-260) or SS Columbia/Colombia Victory was found in the public sources searched. NHHC DANFS (2021 and 1959 texts), MARAD ShipHistory + status-card scans, the Shipscribe NARA-compiled class file, the Calship production table, and the USMC operational history contain zero asbestos or insulation-material statements. The direct CourtListener API ship-name/hull query was blocked by rate-limiting (HTTP 429, shared 2,800/day quota exhausted before this batch); the CourtListener public website returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch; a web-index litigation screen surfaced operator-level Waterman Steamship cases (ev-09), the private Midgett salvage claim (non-asbestos, settled), and law-firm marketing ship lists (excluded source class) - no qualifying asbestos case naming this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    2026-09-21

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 steam cargo hull with documented 1951-52, 1960, and 1962 Navy conversion work and multiple 1967-71 yard periods is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The direct CourtListener pass remains an open lead (see ledger).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-11

12. [12]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS 2021 and 1959 entries; MARAD ShipHistory 514/7443; Shipscribe AK-259 class file; shipbuildinghistory Calship table; NavSource 130260 [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS stat lines (both editions) and narrative; MARAD field values; Shipscribe construction/disposition tables + ship note + class notes; NavSource specifications block and CO table

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved or carried: (a) Merchant name - 'Columbia Victory' per MARAD registry (both detail pages), NavSource, and 1959 DANFS vs 'Colombia Victory' per the 2021 NHHC DANFS entry, the Shipscribe ship note, and the Calship production table; the ship honored the Republic of Colombia, so 'Colombia' is the semantically consistent spelling, but 'Columbia' dominates the registry record - both spellings carried in aliases. (b) Complement - 9-11 officers + 136-155 enlisted (Shipscribe SCB-86), 156 (2021 DANFS stat line), 250 (1959 DANFS stat line), 145 (NavSource specs) - unreconciled; SCB-86 berthing data and the 2021 DANFS figure cluster near each other; the 1959 '250' looks like an early-fit figure. (c) Class label - 'Antares' (2021 DANFS stat line) vs 'Greenville Victory' (1959 DANFS, NavSource, Wikipedia) vs 'Alcor (AK 259) class' (Shipscribe, grouping all four SCB-86 hulls); all three carried in ship_class. (d) Commanding officer - 'Leonard A. Parker' (2021 DANFS) vs 'CDR. Parker, Lannis A., USN Ret.' (NavSource CO list); 1959 DANFS gives only 'L. A. Parker' - unresolved. (e) Navy acquisition - custody 31 Jul 1951 9:20 a.m. (2021 DANFS; Shipscribe table 'Acq 31 Jul 1951' and ship note 'To USN custody 31 Jul 1951') vs 'Acquired 3 August 1951' (1959 DANFS, NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum); names/designations approved 26 Jul 1951 (Shipscribe class notes; matches DANFS 'renamed Betelgeuse on 26 July 1951'); 31 Jul custody adopted as primary. (f) Navy title - 'as is where is' 31 May 1955 (2021 DANFS) vs 31 May 1956 (Shipscribe ship note for AK-260; identical 1956 date given for sisters Antares and Alcor) - carried as discrepancy. (g) Statistics - displacement 4,660 (2021 DANFS, Shipscribe light) vs 4,960 (1959 DANFS) vs 15,580 full (MARAD, NavSource); draft 29'0" (2021 DANFS) vs 28'6" (1959) vs 29'2" (NavSource); power 8,500 hp (Shipscribe) vs 6,000 shp (NavSource) - all carried separately.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1944-1976 records

    Limitations

    Reconciles publication-level discrepancies across primary and secondary sources; residual conflicts (complement, CO first name, title-transfer year, powerplant rating) are carried in the record fields and gaps rather than silently resolved. None of the reconciled sources contains asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-12

13. [13]NARA record-group citations compiled in the Shipscribe AK-259 class file page notes + NARA Guide to Federal Records (RG 19, RG 24, RG 26, RG 178, RG 181, RG 248) [other_primary]

    Locator

    shipscribe.com/usnaux2/AK/AK259.html 'Special sources' note (RG 19 P 62 Box 25, UD 1024-A Box 1, P 62 Box 95); archives.gov record-group guides

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) files cited by Shipscribe for this program - Entry P 62 Box 25 (SCB Project 86, the 1951-52 reactivation conversion), Entry UD 1024-A Box 1, and Entry P 62 Box 95 (an AK-260-specific file: 'AK 260 test with AS 31') - the likeliest repositories of any conversion-scope or materials detail; Navy deck logs for AK-260's commissioned period 1952-1971 (NARA, by hull); RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) vessel files for MC hull V10 incl. outfitting specifications and the Grace/Waterman/Isthmian/Dichman-Wright-Pugh agency and bareboat files; RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard) merchant-vessel documentation for O.N. 245744; RG 181 (naval district/shipyard records) for Charleston NSY 1967 collision repairs and 1970-71 inactivation, Puget Sound NSY 1967 boiler repairs, and Philadelphia NSY 1971-74 inactive-ship/preservation-experiment files; NDRF Wilmington reserve-fleet records for the 1948-51 layup; MARAD status-card scans (digitized, image-only) for card-level custody chronology.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1944-1976 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and box-level mapping only - no retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-betelgeuse-ak260-13