USS Birgit (AKA-24)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Birgit (AKA-24)' extended entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (Robert J. Cressman, updated 2016-07-01) - live page 404s; verbatim text via Wayback capture 20251209185211 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS 'Birgit (AKA-24)' full entry incl. spec block and service narrative (Wayback capture; canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/birgit-i.html returned 404 on 2026-09-20)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Extended DANFS entry (Robert J. Cressman, updated 1 July 2016) for Birgit (AKA-24): 'Minor planet No. 960'; spec block - displacement 7,000 (trial), length 426'0", beam 58'0", draft 16'0" (limiting), speed 16.9 knots, complement 302, troops 235, armament 1 5-inch / 8 40mm / 10 20mm, class Artemis, type S4-SE2-BE1. Laid down 22 February 1944 at Providence, R.I., by the Walsh-Kaiser Shipyard under Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1885); launched 18 July 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Ella A. Cunard; commissioned 28 October 1944, Cmdr. Gerald J. Burke, USNR. Fitting out at Boston; Chesapeake Bay shakedown; entered Norfolk Navy Yard 'late on 4 November' for repairs and alterations; Bayonne cargo/passenger load 30 November; sailed for the Pacific 6 December escorted by Haas (DE-424); Panama transit 12 December; Pearl Harbor Christmas Day 1944. January 1945 lift of the Army's 752nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion (235 soldiers) to the Marshalls; Eniwetok-Saipan shuttle; turbine damage forced return to Pearl Harbor Navy Yard (entered 19 February 1945); Maui amphibious training 24-29 March; cargo runs to Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam; nearly four months of interisland service for Commander, Marshalls-Gilberts Area (Eniwetok, Kwajalein, Majuro, Tarawa); V-J Day at Eniwetok. Occupation lift: 785 tons of ammunition/vehicles/gasoline/rations and 225 men of the 33rd Infantry Division from Aringay Point to the Wakayama landing 25 September 1945; second lift of 135 men of the 21st RCT and 795 tons Davao Gulf to Matsuyama, late October. Magic Carpet: 407 servicemen embarked at Buckner Bay 2 November; San Francisco 17 November; repairs at the Kaiser dockyard, Richmond; final Philippines round trip (Guiuan Roadstead 13 December) returning 478 men to San Francisco on New Year's Day 1946. Departed west coast 28 January 1946; Panama Canal 11 February; reached Orange, Tex., 10 March via New Orleans; decommissioned at Orange 15 March 1946; stricken 21 May 1946; delivered to the Maritime Commission at Mobile, Ala., 1 July 1946. Ex-Birgit and sister ex-Aurelia (AKA-23) were the first vessels moved to the Tensaw River reserve-fleet moorings 12 July 1947. Withdrawn under a general agency agreement with Lykes Brothers Steamship Co. 25 October 1954 for repairs; returned by Lykes Lines at Mobile 18 January 1955. Purchased by Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 10 January 1972 for 'non[-]transportation use'; physical delivery 8 March 1972.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1972

   Population

   Ship's company, October 1944 - March 1946 (~302 complement plus up to ~478 embarked passengers/troops on Magic Carpet lifts)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction, and service narrative. Two internal inconsistencies logged in gaps: 'sailed for the Chesapeake Bay in mid-November 1944' precedes 'entered the Norfolk Navy Yard late on 4 November' (sequence/dates inconsistent - yard entry probably December); Tensaw River move given as 12 July 1947 vs the MARAD card's handwritten 7/14/47. Transcription reached via Wayback because the canonical NHHC URL is dead (standing NHHC link-rot note, BATCH-01-REPORT). Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-01

2. [2]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Artemis (AKA-21) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, NARA BuShips/SCB records, and Maritime Commission files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKA-21 class page: characteristics block, construction table (BIRGIT row), disposition table, class notes (S4-SE2-BE1 design history), ship notes (MC# 1885 entry)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation (shipscribe.com, compiled from Navy registers, BuShips records, and Maritime Commission files): Class ARTEMIS (AKA-21), design MC S4-SE2-BE1; class data 4,087 t light / 7,080 t limiting, 426.0' oa x 58.0' x 16.0' lim., 16.9 kts, Westinghouse turbo-electric machinery 6,000 HP, 2 screws, complement 326 (1944); original armament 1-5"/38, 4-40mmT, 10-20mm. Construction table: BIRGIT ordered 15 May 1943, Walsh-Kaiser, keel 22 Feb 44, launch 18 Jul 44, commissioned 28 Oct 44. Disposition table: decommissioned 15 Mar 46, stricken 21 May 46, disposal (MC return) 1 Jul 46, fate MC/R, MA sale 10 Jan 72. Ship note for MC hull 1885: 'To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 25 Oct 54 - 18 Jan 55. To buyer 8 Mar 72.' Class notes: the AKA-21 class was an FY 1942 program charged against the 1799 Vessels Emergency Construction Act of 6 Feb 1942; the MC produced the S4-SE2-BE1 design enlarged to accommodate the only readily obtainable main propulsion machinery, a twin-screw turbo-electric plant; the AKA-21 class used the same hull and machinery designs as the APA-57 class; 'Many ships in this class were repaired while in reserve during the mid-1950s under the Maritime Administration's Emergency Ship Repair Program.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1972

   Population

   Walsh-Kaiser construction workforce (1944); NDRF caretaker workforce (1946-1972); Lykes repair workforce (1954-55)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register and Maritime Commission design/custody records, not the registers themselves; used where consistent with DANFS and the MARAD cards (all dates cross-checked - no conflicts found). Complement figure 326 is class-level (1944) and differs from DANFS's 302/303 - logged in gaps, not merged. The Emergency Ship Repair Program framing is class-level context applied to this hull's documented 25 Oct 1954 - 18 Jan 1955 inactive-repair event. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BIRGIT (AKA-24), Ship History Detail 533 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 533: data block, milestones table, status-card and document indexes

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database record for BIRGIT (AKA-24), Ship History Detail 533: year built 1944, shipyard Walsh-Kaiser Company, General Type Naval Auxiliary, Specific Type AKA Attack Cargo Ship, MARAD Type S4-SE2-BE1, length 426.00 ft, beam 58.00 ft, displacement 6,800 t summer / 4,025 t lightweight, fate 'Sold -NTU' (non-transportation use). Milestones: Disposition 3/8/1972; Withdrawal 3/8/1972. Mission flag: World War II. The record carries five status-card images and one document (BIRGIT.pdf) - read directly.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1972

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones and disposition. 'Sold -NTU' records the non-transportation-use sale condition, not the physical breaking date or site - the scrapping location and completion are not documented in this record. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration / Maritime Commission custody records, ShipHistory Detail 533 attachments: Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales; Navy Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data cards (entry + reentry); custody-transfer ledger (BIRGIT.pdf) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Detail 533 'Status Cards' images 533_AF.jpg, 533_986AF.jpg, 533_986BF.jpg and document BIRGIT.pdf (https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/documents/c1b2561c-8676-4f38-86b2-bcc1d9ba3ec4.pdf) - card faces read visually; PDF text layer partially legible

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD custody cards and document for BIRGIT (AKA-24), read directly from scans: (a) Form MA-20 'RECORD OF SHIP SALES' (card 533_AF.jpg): PD-X-926; awarded to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 1-10-72 for $61,612.54; contract MA-6564; built by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc., Providence, R.I.; location 'Mobile, Ala., Resflt.'; remarks: 'Advertised under PD-X-909, bid rejected. Advertised under PD-X-926 dated 12-8-71 opened 1-6-72 under two condition[s]: (1) Nontransportation Use (2) Scrap Hull - U.S. Award under condition (1) Nontransportation Use.' (b) Navy 'RESERVE FLEET DIVISION - VESSEL DATA' card (533_986AF.jpg): entered fleet 7-1-46, Mobile; 'Damage under $100,000 - Recommended for Scrap. Navy estimated in Jan. 1948 that it would cost $325,000 to put ship in operable condition. Ref. Gorman memo 12/21/51'; 2,283 bbls Bunker C fuel at entry; 'TERMINATION PORT, LAST VOYAGE: Orange, Tex.'; withdrawn Oct. 25, 1954 - 1030 hrs CST, 'delivered to Repair - GAA-Lykes'; handwritten note '(Birgit & Aurelia) - first vessels to be moved to Tensaw R. (7/14/47)'. (c) Reentry card (533_986BF.jpg): reentered fleet 1-18-55 1330 hrs CST; reason 'Repair Prog. FY 1955 / GAA-Lykes'; sold for NT use to Union Minerals & Alloys under PD-X-926 1-10-72 for $61,612.54; withdrawn/delivered 1005 CST 3-8-72. (d) Custody-transfer ledger (BIRGIT.pdf): Navy Department -> War Shipping Admin. 6:00 P.M. (CST) 7-1-46 Mobile 'Surplus'; WSA -> Reserve Fleet same date 'Lay Up'; Reserve Fleet -> Lykes Bros. SS Co. 10/25/54 'GAA/layup'; Lykes -> Reserve Fleet 1:30 PM (CST) 1/18/55 Mobile 'GAA/Layup Repair Program'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1946-1972

   Population

   NDRF Mobile/Tensaw River caretaker workforce (1946-1972); Lykes GAA repair workforce (1954-55); Union Minerals & Alloys delivery/scrapping workforce (1972)

   Limitations

   Primary government custody records read directly from card scans - strongest source in this record. The 'Damage under $100,000 / recommended for scrap / $325,000 repair estimate (Jan. 1948)' note describes material condition, not hazardous-materials content. The Tensaw River move handwriting (7/14/47) conflicts slightly with DANFS's 12 July 1947 - logged in gaps. No asbestos, insulation, or materials content appears on any card; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-04

5. [5]MARAD ShipHistory Detail 533 cards (controlling) vs. printed DANFS (hazegray mirror), extended DANFS (NHHC/Wayback), NavSource transcription, HistoryCentral transcription, Wikipedia article text [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Card 533_986AF field 20 ('TERMINATION PORT, LAST VOYAGE: Orange, Tex.'); card 533_AF.jpg sale record; extended DANFS disposal paragraph; printed DANFS final paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved against primary records: (a) Decommissioning location - the printed DANFS entry (hazegray mirror) reads 'arrived at New Orleans 18 February. Decommissioned there 15 March 1946,' which parses 'there' as New Orleans; the extended NHHC entry states she 'finally reached Orange, Tex., on 10 March via New Orleans' and was 'placed out of commission at Orange on 15 March 1946,' and the Navy reserve-fleet card gives 'TERMINATION PORT, LAST VOYAGE: Orange, Tex.' - Orange, Texas is adopted as controlling (New Orleans was a transit stop; HistoryCentral's transcription even prints '16 February'). (b) Scrapping year - Wikipedia infobox reads 'Broken up 1971' and its text 'broken up during 1971 at New York'; the MARAD sale card documents advertisement PD-X-926 dated 12-8-71, bids opened 1-6-72, award 1-10-72, delivery 3-8-72 - the hull cannot have been broken up in 1971; 'sold January 1972, delivered March 1972' is adopted; the breaking site is unverified (gap). (c) Tensaw River move - DANFS 12 July 1947 vs card handwriting 7/14/47 (unresolved, logged).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1946-1972 records

   Limitations

   Resolves secondary-source wording conflicts against the primary custody cards; does not affect identity or the asbestos posture. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-05

6. [6]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; machinery spec per shipscribe AKA-21 class page and NavSource 02024 spec block

   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 Maritime Commission emergency construction program under which this S4-SE2-BE1 hull was built in 1944 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government hulls. The ship's documented plant (Westinghouse turbo-electric drive, two Wickes boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F, twin screws, per shipscribe class data and the NavSource spec block) is a WWII steam auxiliary plant of the type for which asbestos boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and packing were standard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   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 or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The machinery description is a specification, not a materials schedule - insulation content is inference; the Wickes-boiler detail rests on the volunteer-compiled NavSource spec block (cross-check source class, corroborated only as to the turbo-electric plant by shipscribe).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-06

7. [7]CourtListener API v4 searches 2026-09-20: q='"USS Birgit"' type=o -> 0; q='"USS Birgit"' type=r -> 0; q='"AKA-24"' type=o -> 2 collisions (U.S. v. McIntosh, 2d Cir. 2022, opinion 6246786; U.S. v. Gabinskaya, 2d Cir. 2016, opinion 4237585); q='Birgit' type=o -> HTTP 429 throttled [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener search API responses; McIntosh opinion cluster 6246786; Gabinskaya opinion cluster 4237585

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Litigation surface check (CourtListener API v4, 2026-09-20): exact-name opinion search '"USS Birgit"' returned count 0; RECAP docket/document search '"USS Birgit"' (type=r) returned count 0. Hull-number search '"AKA-24"' returned 2 hits, both Second Circuit criminal appeals - United States v. McIntosh, 58 F.4th 606 (2d Cir. 2022), and United States v. Gabinskaya (2d Cir. 2016) - classified as NAME COLLISIONS: criminal opinions matching on 'a/k/a' (alias) syntax adjacent to numerals, not maritime or asbestos matters (full text not retrievable this session - web UI returned HTTP 202/empty; match basis logged). Bare-name 'Birgit' opinion query was rate-limit blocked (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota exhausted) and not retried into a ban. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2026-09-20

   Limitations

   Absence of located dockets does not prove no suit was ever filed - unindexed state-court filings and settled/unreported matters are outside this surface. The two 'AKA-24' hits were classified as collisions on metadata (criminal appeals, alias syntax) without full-text confirmation - if either were re-reviewed, pull the opinion text. The bare 'Birgit' query (personal-name collisions likely) remains unqueried due to rate limiting. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-07

8. [8]Batch-1001 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture used); printed DANFS via hazegray mirror; shipscribe AKA-21 class page; MARAD ShipHistory 533 incl. cards/documents; CourtListener name/hull searches; VA BVA index; general web index [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-birgit-aka24-01 through sl-uss-birgit-aka24-16

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation/material specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Birgit hull was found in the public sources searched - the extended and printed DANFS entries contain none; the MARAD ShipHistory record, both reserve-fleet cards, and the custody ledger contain none; the shipscribe compilation contains none; CourtListener returned no qualifying hit (see ev-07 and search_ledger). A law-firm marketing page claims the Walsh-Kaiser Providence yard as a 'potential asbestos exposure site' - excluded source class, yard-level rather than hull-level, and not carried as evidence.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2026-09-20

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 Maritime Commission steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the hull was scrapped rather than preserved, so no modern survey was ever expected. The 1954-55 Emergency Ship Repair Program availability is documented but its work scope is not itemized publicly. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-08

9. [9]Extended DANFS 'Birgit (AKA-24)' (yard availabilities); MARAD reserve-fleet cards 533_986AF/533_986BF ('Repair Prog. FY 1955', GAA-Lykes dates); shipscribe AKA-21 class notes (Emergency Ship Repair Program) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS narrative paragraphs 2, 4, 8; MARAD Detail 533 card faces; shipscribe class notes final paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Documented repair/alteration and material-availability events on this hull (disturbance events): (1) Norfolk Navy Yard, entered 'late on 4 November' 1944 for post-shakedown repairs and alterations, complete end of month (extended DANFS - internal date inconsistency logged); (2) Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, entered 19 February 1945 for turbine-damage repairs, after which she trained off Maui 24-29 March (extended DANFS); (3) Kaiser dockyard, Richmond, Calif., repairs after her first Magic Carpet return, November 1945 (extended DANFS); (4) Lykes Brothers Steamship Co. general-agency repair, Mobile, 25 October 1954 - 18 January 1955, under the MARAD Emergency Ship Repair Program ('Repair Prog. FY 1955' per the reserve-fleet card; shipscribe class note confirms the program context). The 1948 Navy estimate of $325,000 to restore operable condition (reserve-fleet card) documents her material state at lay-up.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1955

   Population

   Norfolk Navy Yard workforce (1944); Pearl Harbor Navy Yard workforce (1945); Kaiser Richmond workforce (1945); Lykes/contract repair workforce, Mobile (1954-55)

   Limitations

   These are documented work events on the hull; their asbestos scope is inference, not record - no work order, specification, or materials schedule was located for any of them. Yard work of this era commonly disturbed insulation, but nothing in the cited sources states what materials were present or disturbed aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-birgit-aka24-09

10. [10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24, RG 19, RG 178 record-group descriptions; Rhode Island State Archives, Walsh Kaiser Company Inc. corporate-entity record (ArchivesSpace agent 767) [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 178 / RG 19 / RG 24 record-group guides (archives.gov); https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/agents/corporate_entities/767

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) holds the ship's deck logs for her October 1944 - March 1946 commission; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds S4-SE2-BE1 contract design records and MC hull 1885 construction files where any insulation or lagging schedule would appear; NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) holds the Walsh-Kaiser contract and construction records; the MARAD PD-X-926 / contract MA-6564 sale file (buyer delivery terms, tow destination, any condition survey) is the lead for disposal-era documentation; Rhode Island State Archives holds Walsh Kaiser Company Inc. records including a shipbuilding-division photograph collection (catalog.sos.ri.gov corporate entity 767).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1942-1972 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and collection mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 1885 is unknown until surveyed in person. The RI State Archives holding is a photograph collection - evidence of records surviving, not of asbestos content. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-birgit-aka24-10