Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Betelgeuse I (AK-28)' - NHHC canonical page currently 404; text verified via hazegray DANFS transcription and NHHC Online Library photo-history mirror; 23 Wayback captures of the canonical URL exist (2016-2025) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS transcription, auxil/ak28.htm; canonical https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/betelgeuse-i.html (404 live); NHHC Online Library mirror https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-b/ak28.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Betelgeuse I (AK-28/AKA-11): launched 18 July 1939 by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, Pa., as Mormaclark; purchased by the Navy 29 May 1941; converted by Brewer Dry Dock Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; commissioned 14 June 1941, CDR H. D. Power. Operated Atlantic/Caribbean 1941; one voyage New York-Great Britain 19 Feb-25 Mar 1942; Tonga Islands Apr-Jun 1942; unloaded at Guadalcanal and Tulagi 30 Aug-2 Sep 1942 then South Pacific logistics runs until departing for San Pedro 25 Dec 1942; overhaul and repairs at San Pedro and Long Beach 10 Jan-17 Feb 1943; reclassified AKA-11 1 Feb 1943; arrived Charleston S.C. 8 Mar 1943; participated in the invasion of Sicily 6-12 Jul 1943; under repair at Norfolk 14 Aug 1943-Apr 1944; ferried supplies North Africa to Italy and France May-25 Oct 1944; arrived Philadelphia 10 Nov 1944; invasion of Okinawa 1-9 Apr 1945; occupation lifts to Japan (Otaru, Hokkaido, 5-7 Oct) and Tientsin, China (10 Nov); decommissioned at New York 15 Mar 1946; sold 27 Jun 1946; six battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1939-1946
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, conversion, operations, and disposition. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information whatsoever - supports no asbestos claim. DANFS is silent on laid-down date (taken from yard build table, ev-03) and gives a Navy-side sale date of 27 Jun 1946 while merchant records place the Star Betelgeuse resale in 1947 - see correction row ev-09.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-01
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[2]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive: USS Betelgeuse (AKA-11), page 10/02/02011 (contributed data, campaign tables, specifications, commanding-officer list, photo captions citing official U.S. Navy and NARA photo numbers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/02/02011 - specifications block, campaign table, disposition lines, photo captions (NARA 19-N-24239/24240; Navy Yard Charleston photos 1857-41 and 600-43)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Betelgeuse (AKA-11): Arcturus-class cargo ship, MC type C2, MC hull 31; launched 18 Jul 1939 as MV Mormaclark at Sun Shipbuilding, Chester PA; purchased 29 May 1941; converted at Brewer Dry Dock Co., Staten Island; commissioned AK-28 14 Jun 1941; redesignated attack cargo ship AKA-11 1 Feb 1943; campaign credits - Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings 7-9 Aug 1942, capture/defense of Guadalcanal and Third Savo 11-15 Nov 1942, Sicilian occupation 10-12 Jul 1943, invasion of southern France 15 Aug-25 Sep 1944, Okinawa Gunto 1-9 Apr 1945; Navy Occupation service 4-12 Oct and 20 Oct-2 Nov 1945; decommissioned 15 Mar 1946 at New York Naval Shipyard; struck from Naval Register 28 Mar 1946; six battle stars; sold for commercial service to Compania Naviera Republica, Panama, resold 24 Jul 1947 to Johnson Lines (Sweden), renamed SS Star Betelgeuse; final disposition sold for scrapping, arrived Kaohsiung, Taiwan 7 Apr 1972. Specifications: 14,225 t full load; 459'1" x 63' x 26'5"; 16.5 kts; one 2-stroke 4-cylinder single-acting Sun Doxford diesel, single propeller, 6,000 shp; complement 34 officers, 524 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1939-1972
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival site reproducing official records and photo metadata; specifications and campaign dates corroborate DANFS. Complement figure (34 officers + 524 enlisted = 558) conflicts with DANFS cpl. 267 and likely includes embarked troops - not merged into the record. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-02
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[3]shipbuildinghistory.com (T. Colton), Sun Shipbuilding Chester PA yard construction table, row hull 180 / MC 31 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Sun yard table row: hull 180, O.N. AK 28, MC# 31, Mormaclark
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Sun Shipbuilding yard build table entry for hull 180 / Maritime Commission hull 31: original name Mormaclark, owner Moore-McCormack Lines, type C2 cargo ship, 8,700 GT; keel laid 9 Mar 1939, launched 18 Jul 1939, delivered 29 Nov 1939 (131 days on ways, 134 fitting out, 265 total); disposition line: 'Later Betelgeuse (AK 28/AKA-11) 1941, Star Betelgeuse 1947, scrapped 1972.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1939
- Population
- Construction trades at Sun Shipbuilding, Chester PA (1939) - era context only
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary reference compiled from Maritime Commission/yard records, not itself a primary government record. Corroborates DANFS launch date (18 Jul 1939) against the erroneous 18 Sep 1939 date in Wikipedia-derived pages, and supplies the laid-down date DANFS omits. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-03
-
[4]U.S. National Archives photos 19-N-24239, 19-N-24240 (Bureau of Ships Collection); Navy Yard Charleston photos 1857-41 and 600-43 - captions via NavSource archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/02/02011 photo table, rows 1-2 (19-N-24239/240) and Charleston Navy Yard photo rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photographs document this hull's yard periods: NARA photos 19-N-24239 and 19-N-24240 (Bureau of Ships Collection) show MV Mormaclark at Brewer Ship Yard, Staten Island, on 6 Jun 1941 undergoing conversion to Betelgeuse (AK-28); Navy Yard Charleston photo 1857-41 shows Betelgeuse (AK-28) at Charleston 22 Dec 1941; Navy Yard Charleston photo 600-43 shows Betelgeuse (AKA-11) underway off Charleston 10 Apr 1943. These records establish documented yard availabilities - conversion (Brewer, 1941) and Navy Yard Charleston periods (1941, 1943) - during which shipboard material disturbance was plausible but whose work scope is not documented in public sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941, 1943
- Population
- Yard workers at Brewer Dry Dock (1941 conversion) and Charleston Navy Yard (1941, 1943) - period context only
- Limitations
- Photographs and captions establish the ship's presence at named yards on given dates only; they contain no work-package scope, no materials information, and no asbestos statement. Conversion/overhaul asbestos scope is inference, not documentation. Brewer Dry Dock Co. (Staten Island) is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-04
-
[5]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 the WWII era - the construction (1939 Maritime Commission contract) and naval conversion (1941) window within which this hull was built and militarized - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in U.S. shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or was not installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-05
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[6]Lilley v. Johns-Manville Corp., 408 Pa. Super. 83, 596 A.2d 203 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991) [court_record]
- Locator
- Pa. Super. Ct. 1991 published opinion, 408 Pa. Super. 83 (Justia mirror); Atlas shipyards.json row ev-sun-shipbuilding-chester-lilley-1991
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard litigation context: in Lilley v. Johns-Manville Corp., 408 Pa. Super. 83, 596 A.2d 203 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991), a published intermediate-appellate decision reviewing a jury verdict, a Sun Shipbuilding pipefitter (employed 1959-1976) identified multiple asbestos product brands by label at the Chester yard that built this hull; the jury awarded $250,000 compensatory plus $100,000 loss of consortium, with Fibreboard liable for a fractional share on Caltemp/Pabco claims.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1959-1976 exposure period; 1991 opinion
- Population
- Fred Lilley, pipefitter/superintendent, Sun Shipbuilding 1959-1976; co-worker Samuel Wasson
- Limitations
- Yard-level, not hull-level: documents asbestos product presence and worker exposure at Sun Shipbuilding during 1959-1976 - two decades after this hull was built there in 1939 - and establishes nothing about materials aboard this vessel. Litigation stage described exactly: jury verdict reviewed and sustained at intermediate appellate level (affirmed in relevant part); not a finding about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-06
-
[7]Batch-983 search ledger (this record): DANFS/mirrors; NavSource archive page + NARA-origin war diary scans; shipbuildinghistory yard table; MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; CourtListener; ship-name asbestos web search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-01 through sl-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, government materials inventory, or docketed court record naming the Betelgeuse AK-28/AKA-11 hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only asbestos-content web page naming this ship is a law-firm marketing content-farm page (asbestos-ships.com) asserting generic boiler-room/piping claims with no primary citation - excluded under batch source rules; its claims are not adopted. CourtListener API check could not be completed at research time (authenticated API throttled - see sl-07).
- 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 - 1939 construction and 1941 Navy conversion sit squarely inside the documented era of shipboard asbestos use, and the hull was scrapped in 1972 with no surviving fabric to survey. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation surface check is incomplete: CourtListener was rate-limited (authenticated 2,800/day cap reached before this hull's turn); a name-collision risk exists with USS Betelgeuse AK-260 (postwar hull) in any future docket search.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-07
-
[8]NARA-origin war diary scans hosted by NavSource (02011a.pdf, 02011b.pdf); NARA record groups RG 19, RG 24, RG 178 (record-group mapping) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource war-diary links on page 10/02/02011; RG 178 guide https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archival leads (located but not box-level retrieved; no spend authorized): (a) the ship's digitized war diaries are publicly posted as NARA-origin scans - AK-28 war diary 14 Jun 1941-31 Jan 1943 and AKA-11 war diary 1 Feb 1943-31 Dec 1945 (NavSource PDFs 02011a/02011b; the latter is a ~97 MB image-only scan with no text layer, requiring manual page review); (b) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records (the 19-N photo series confirms conversion-period documentation exists); (c) deck logs (RG 24) for yard-availability detail; (d) RG 178 U.S. Maritime Commission construction records for hull 31 (1939 contract specifications, outfitting).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1945 records
- Limitations
- Lead mapping only - the war diary scans are image-only and were not manually reviewed; existence of asbestos-specific or repair-scope documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-08
-
[9]DANFS (hazegray transcription); NavSource 10/02/02011; shipbuildinghistory Sun yard table hull 180; Wikipedia USS Betelgeuse (AKA-11) infobox (conflicting value, not adopted) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Yard table hull 180 row; DANFS Betelgeuse I entry; NavSource specifications block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) launch date - Wikipedia and derivative pages state 18 Sep 1939, but DANFS, NavSource, and the Sun yard build table (hull 180) all give 18 Jul 1939; the yard table plus DANFS control and 18 Jul 1939 is adopted. (b) Complement - DANFS lists 267; NavSource specifications list 34 officers + 524 enlisted (558, likely including embarked troops); DANFS adopted, NavSource figure logged unmerged. (c) Post-Navy sale chain - DANFS states 'sold 27 June 1946'; merchant records (NavSource, yard table) place the Star Betelgeuse resale/renaming in 1947 (resold 24 Jul 1947 to Johnson Lines); the sequence Navy sale 1946 then merchant resale 1947 reconciles the sources, but Wikipedia's 'sold into merchant service 27 June 1947' year conflicts with DANFS - logged, not resolved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1939-1972
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings in favor of DANFS and the yard build record; does not affect identity or service timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-betelgeuse-aka11-09