USS Blount (AK-163)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]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 emergency program under which this C1-M-AV1 hull was mass-produced (Maritime Commission Design AV; contracts approved 1943-09-02 for 100 ships per shipscribe class notes) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   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 or the C1-M-AV1 type and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-01

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Blount' (AK-163) entry - updated NHHC online edition by Raymond A. Mann, dated 2006-01-26 (Wayback capture of NHHC danfs/b/blount-i.html; canonical NHHC URLs returned 404 on 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Full entry via Wayback Machine capture 2015-09-24 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/blount-i.html; canonical https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/blount-i.html and .../b/blount.html both returned 404 (standing NHHC link rot, same as batches 01, 833, 834)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC DANFS 'Blount' entry (updated online edition, Raymond A. Mann, 2006-01-26) records: stat line (AK-163: dp. 7,125 (tl.); l. 338'6"; b. 50'0"; dr. 21'1" (lim.); s. 11.5 k.; cpl. 85; a. 1 3"; cl. Alamosa; T. C1-M-AV1); namesake counties in Alabama and Tennessee. Laid down 1944-08-07 at Richmond, Calif., by Kaiser Cargo Co., Inc., under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 2108); launched 1944-10-19, sponsored by Mrs. R. E. St. Clair; delivered to the Navy and commissioned 1945-01-26, Lt. William H. Leverett, USNR, in command. After modifications and shakedown she departed San Francisco 1945-03-16; arrived Manus, Admiralty Islands, 1945-04-08; provisioned staging ships at Morotai for the Tarakan assault; at Tarakan 1945-06-01 dispensed emergency rations to Australian troops; runs to Parang (Mindanao), Cebu, Iloilo, Puerto Princessa, Brunei Bay, Tawi Tawi, Balikpapan, Zamboanga, Isabela (Basilan); received word of the cessation of hostilities at Cebu on the morning of 1945-08-15; repaired at Manus July and October 1945 including minor damage from a collision with a civilian merchantman; mission changed from fleet issue ship to general cargo ship mid-November; arrived Luzon Christmas Day 1945; departed for home 1946-01-05, transited the Canal Zone 1946-02-22, reached Hampton Roads 1946-03-02; moved to Baltimore; decommissioned 1946-04-18; delivered to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration 1946-04-24; struck from the Navy list 1946-05-01; sold by spring 1948 to Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij N.V. and placed in service as SS Hecuba; later served two other lines as SS Anna and SS Panos, ending merchant service 'sometime between January 1974 and January 1975.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Navy crew (cpl. 85 per DANFS stat line); cargo/provisioning operations across the Southwest Pacific and Philippines

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, chronology, and operations. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement; the documented collision damage and Manus voyage repairs are events only, with no materials scope described. The closing merchant-service line ('between January 1974 and January 1975') is imprecise against NavSource's and shipscribe's 1973 scrapping - see correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BLOUNT (AK-163), Ship History Detail 552 (status-card scans: ede7c28f-...png custody/allocation face, 552_1018AF.jpg reserve-fleet vessel-data card, 552_1018AB.jpg tonnage/BHP fragment; BLOUNT.pdf transfer ledger) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 552 - status-card scans read directly (cards/552_1018AF.jpg, cards/552_1018AB.jpg, cards/ede7c28f-d791-4020-b150-609f35528ac3.png; documents/477188ed-d9c5-4bcb-9b1e-0aba1e85bfaf.pdf transfer ledger). 'FIRE - See corres. in Vessel File' notation in box 14 of the reserve-fleet vessel-data card

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for BLOUNT (AK-163), Detail 552: MARAD type C1-M-AV1; shipyard 'Kaiser Company'; year built 1945; register dimensions 321.40 ft x 50 ft x depth 29; gross 3,805 / net 2,123; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; mission World War II. The digitized status-card set reads: custody/allocation face (ede7c28f card PNG) - Name BLOUNT (AK-163), flag AMER.; MC Hull No. 2108; 'Built by Kaiser Cargo Inc.' at Richmond, Calif., yard annotation 'R4-65' (Richmond Yard No. 4, hull 65); 'Completed 1-26-45'; basis to WSA 1-26-45 2:00 PM PWT at Richmond 'del. by Builders to USMC'; 4-24-46 9:40 AM EST at Lee Hall, Va. 'from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; allocation table - Navy Dept. (Del. by USMC), agreement form 'LB,' Richmond Cal. 1-26-45; Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall Va. 4-24-46; 'Dichman[n] Wright & Pugh' under 'GAA' 2-27-48 10:15 AM; 'Deld to Koninkligke Ned[er]lad[e]sche Stoomboot Maatschappij N.V.' by 'Pur' (purchase) at Hoboken N.J. 4-5-48 6:30 PM, 'RENAMED HECUBA.' Reserve-fleet vessel-data card (552_1018AF.jpg): ownership WSA; fleet JR (James River), unit 8; DWT 4967; entered fleet 4-24-46; hull no. 2108; 'Termination port, last voyage: HAMPTON ROADS'; ships-papers notes 'Prelim alloc 584 1-30-48 Kingdom of the Netherlands / final alloc 579 2-13-48'; withdrawn from fleet 2-27-48 10:15 AM delivered to 'Operations, Norfolk.' Tonnage fragment (552_1018AB.jpg): 3805 gr / 2123 net; draft 21 5/8; 'BHP 1700'; 'Dkcy Blr.' (donkey boiler). The reserve-fleet card's box 14 'DAMAGE IN FLEET / ESTIMATED REPAIR COST' carries the handwritten note 'FIRE - See corres. in Vessel File' - a documented in-fleet casualty during the 1946-48 James River layup, with the underlying correspondence held in the MARAD vessel file (not digitized). The BLOUNT.pdf transfer ledger independently records the same custody events: Navy Department -> War Shipping Admin. 4-24-46 Lee Hall Va. 'Surplus'; WSA -> Reserve Fleet 'Lay Up'; Reserve Fleet -> Dichmann, Wright & Pugh 2-27-48 James R. Fleet 'G.A.A.'; DWP -> Koninklijke Nederlandsche 4-5-48 Hoboken N.J. 'Purchase.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-1948

   Population

   Reserve-fleet layup/maintenance personnel (James River, 1946-48); ship's papers custodians

   Limitations

   Authoritative government custody record for this hull; status-card handwriting read against typed fields (buyer name hand-lettered and partially compressed: 'Koninkligke Ned...sche Stoomboot Maatschappij N.V.'). Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or machinery detail beyond 'BHP 1700' and 'Dkcy Blr.' - supports no asbestos claim. The in-fleet FIRE notation documents a casualty event whose cause, extent, repair scope, and any insulation disturbance are unknown until the referenced vessel-file correspondence is retrieved (see archival_lead row).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Blount (AK-163) page (compiled reference incl. DANFS transcription, awards table, CO list, specifications, merchant-service chronology) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/13/130163.htm - full page incl. specifications block, commanding-officer table, merchant-service list, photo captions (ex-Blount as MV Hecuba)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online (Service Ship Photo Archive, AK-163 page) records the same Navy chronology as DANFS plus: call sign NEGA; ribbons American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Philippines Liberation Medal (no battle stars); commanding officers LT William Henry Leverett USNR (1945-01-26 to 1945-08-06), CDR Charles Buck Henriques USNR (1945-08-06 to 1945-10-05), LCDR Albert Ingham Chance USNR (1945-10-05 to 1946-04-18); specs - 2,382 t (lt) / 7,450 t (fl); 338'8" x 50' x 21'1"; 11.5 kts; complement 15 officers + 70 enlisted; largest boom 30 t; cargo capacity 3,945 DWT incl. 9,830 cu ft refrigerated / 227,730 cu ft non-refrigerated; armament 1x3"/50 DP + 6x20mm AA; fuel 6,300 bbls diesel; propulsion one Nordberg Diesel TSM 6, two diesel-drive 250 kW 120/240 V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller, 1,700 shp. Merchant service detail: sold 1948-04-05 to Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mij., Amsterdam, renamed MV Hecuba, reflagged Netherlands (Netherlands-Caribbean trade 15 consecutive years, occasional Panama Canal transits to Peruvian ports); sold 1963-11-05 to Afrodite Compania Maritima SA, Panama, renamed MV Anna; sold 1965-08 to Dakosta Compania Naviera SA, Piraeus, renamed MV Panes, reflagged Greece; sold 1970-12 to Longa Compania Naviera SA, Piraeus, name retained; final disposition - sold for scrapping to the People's Republic of China Q1 1973, departed the Singapore roadstead 1973-03-25 for the Shanghai demolition yard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1973

   Population

   Merchant crews (Dutch, Panamanian, Greek registries, 1948-1973); Shanghai demolition workforce (1973)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a privately compiled standard reference, not a government publication; its merchant-service chronology (buyer names, dates, flags) is not independently corroborated by a primary record beyond the MARAD card's 1948 KNSM sale entry. 'Panes' spelling conflicts with NHHC's 'Panos' - see correction row. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-04

5. [5]shipscribe.com, USS Alamosa (AK-156) Class page - construction and disposition tables, class notes (Design AV development history), ship note for AK-163/MC hull 2108 [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/AK/AK156.html - Construction table row 163|BLOUNT; Disposition table row 163|BLOUNT (18 Apr 46 | 1 May 46 | 24 Apr 46 | MC/D | 3 Apr 48); Ship Notes '163 BLOUNT 2108 Converted by builder. Merc. HECUBA (Dutch) 1947. Scrapped 1973 as PANOS.'; Class Notes paragraphs

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Class register and design documentation: shipscribe's USS Alamosa (AK-156) Class page (compiled from official Navy ship registers) lists AK-163 Blount acquired/commissioned 1945-01-26, built by Kaiser Cargo, Richmond, keel 1944-08-07, launched 1944-10-19; decommissioned 1946-04-18, struck 1946-05-01, disposal 1946-04-24, fate MC/D (Maritime Commission / disposal), MA sale 1948-04-03. Ship note for AK-163 (MC hull 2108): 'Converted by builder. Merc. HECUBA (Dutch) 1947. Scrapped 1973 as PANOS.' Class notes document the design origin: on 1943-04-02 the JCS Joint Military Transportation Committee convened a subcommittee that recommended small steel cargo vessels for South/Southwest Pacific local and inter-island supply; the Maritime Commission developed 'Design AV' (320' length, 50' beam, 6,000 DWT, 11 kts) which 'used diesel instead of the requested reciprocating steam engines'; MC approved contracts for 100 ships 1943-09-02 (MC hulls 2101-2174, 2194-2207, 2239-2250); the Army later asked the Navy to man 25 of the Army's 50, giving the Navy 75 ships including 10 completed as reefers.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1973

   Limitations

   shipscribe is a compiled reference (Tim Colton lineage), not a primary document; its tables derive from official registers but are paraphrased. 'Merc. HECUBA (Dutch) 1947' conflicts with the MARAD status card's 1948-04-05 Hoboken purchase/delivery - the card controls; '1947' may reflect the sale-allocation paperwork year (preliminary allocation 584 dated 1-30-48 argues against 1947) or a registry-year convention - logged in correction row. 'Converted by builder' indicates Navy outfitting completed during construction - unlike class lead AK-156 this hull had no separate post-delivery conversion yard event. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-05

6. [6]shipbuildinghistory.com - Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard page (compiled yard table and history) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Kaiser Richmond No. 4 page - yard history paragraph and row for hull 65 / MC 2108 (Blount)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-yard context: Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 was an emergency yard developed by Kaiser Cargo, Inc., with three ways in the fifth wave of shipbuilding expansion; originally intended as an expansion of Richmond #3 (designated Richmond #3A), it was assigned separate management, renamed Richmond #4, located on the south side of the inner end of the channel at Wharf Street, and closed at the end of the war. The yard table carries this hull as yard hull no. 65, original name Blount, type C1-M-AV1, MC no. 2108, delivered Jan-45, disposition 'To USN as AK 163, sold private 1947, scrapped 1974' (disposition values conflict with the MARAD card and NavSource - see correction row).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 construction workforce (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Yard-level context for the builder of this hull; documents the facility's emergency-yard nature and the hull's yard number, but contains no asbestos or materials information and establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. The Atlas shipyards.json slug 'kaiser-shipyards' covers the Richmond complex generally, not Yard No. 4 specifically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-06

7. [7]Rogers v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 922 F.2d 1426 (9th Cir. 1991), CourtListener opinion 553891 (citation confirmed via vLex/OpenJurist/Leagle secondary indexes 2026-09-20; CourtListener direct access rate-limited during this batch - opinion ID cross-confirmed against batch-834 sibling record verified same day) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text, 922 F.2d 1426 - facts section (Rogers employment at Kaiser Shipyard No. 1, Richmond, 1942-45; asbestos exposure description); disposition: affirmed defense verdict

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Rogers v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 922 F.2d 1426 (9th Cir. 1991): published appellate opinion describing the asbestos exposure of Clinton Rogers, a welder employed 1942-1945 at Kaiser Shipyard No. 1, Richmond, California - the same Kaiser Richmond yard complex where this hull was built (Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Yard No. 4). The opinion records that Rogers used asbestos cloth to shield himself and ships from welding sparks, worked alongside insulators who stirred up asbestos dust covering pipes, and trained workers in applying and removing asbestos from pipes. The Ninth Circuit affirmed a defense verdict on causation - the exposure was described in the record but the plaintiff's lung-cancer claim failed at trial on evidentiary grounds.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1942-1945 exposure; opinion filed 1991

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond shipyard workforce (1942-45, class context)

   Limitations

   Yard-level litigation context, NOT hull evidence: Rogers worked at Kaiser Yard No. 1 building Liberty ships, not Yard No. 4 building C1-M-AV1s, and no vessel is named. The case resolved for defendants on causation - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence for any hull. Per litigation-stage discipline the disposition is described exactly: trial defense verdict, affirmed on evidentiary (FRE 403/demonstrative-evidence) grounds, not an asbestos-presence finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-07

8. [8]Historic American Engineering Record, 'Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park, Kaiser Shipyards,' HAER No. CA-326-L, written historical and descriptive data (NPS/LOC) [haer]

   Locator

   loc.gov/item/ca3393/ item record (item page returned 403 to automated fetch 2026-09-20; record metadata and the ca3393data.pdf data-pages file on tile.loc.gov verified via search) - survey HAER CA-326-L, Richmond, Contra Costa County, CA

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NPS Historic American Engineering Record documentation of the Kaiser shipyards at Richmond (HAER CA-326-L and related CA-326 surveys, written historical and descriptive data) records the wartime construction operations of the four-yard complex - including Yard No. 4, where this hull was built - covering steel fabrication, prefab-plant production, and outfitting at the most technologically innovative and productive U.S. shipbuilding facilities of WWII. The HAER written history contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement for any of the four yards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1940-1945 (yard operations); HAER documentation compiled post-1968

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 construction workforce (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Yard-level engineering history for the builder complex; documents wartime construction operations and the yard's significance but no asbestos or insulation-material statement - establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. The Atlas shipyards.json slug 'kaiser-shipyards' covers the Richmond complex generally, not Yard No. 4 specifically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-08

9. [9]Batch-841 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS canonical + Wayback capture; hazegray DANFS mirror; MARAD ShipHistory 552 + status cards + transfer ledger; NavSource; shipscribe class register; shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Richmond No. 4; NVR hull check; CourtListener (API + HTML, both blocked); web-wide litigation search; NARA catalog; LOC/HAER; Internet Archive [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-blount-ak163-01 through sl-uss-blount-ak163-14

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Blount / AK-163 / MC hull 2108 / merchant names Hecuba-Anna-Panes was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold into foreign merchant service in 1948 and scrapped at Shanghai in 1973 - predating NESHAP demolition rules and outside U.S. jurisdiction - so no U.S.-regulated abatement record was ever expected to exist for this hull. The ship appears on bulk law-firm marketing lists of Navy hulls (e.g., freeasbestostesting.com, duboselawfirm.com); those lists enumerate every Navy ship and carry no ship-specific evidence - classified non-qualifying and not cited.

   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 1944-45 C1-M-AV1 hull built to wartime emergency specifications is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Direct CourtListener API queries were rate-limited (125/day quota exhausted; HTTP 429, ~4h backoff) and the HTML search returned 403; 'Blount' is a high-collision surname (counties, companies, individuals) so the litigation sweep is a logged gap, not a resolved negative. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-blount-ak163-09

10. [10]Cross-source reconciliation: print DANFS via hazegray mirror (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ak163.htm); NHHC updated DANFS (Wayback 2015-09-24); NavSource AK-163 page; MARAD Detail 552 status cards; shipscribe AK-156 class page; shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Richmond No. 4 table; NavalCoverMuseum BLOUNT AK 163 page; Wikipedia ship page (secondary, for variance documentation only) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Per-item: MARAD card 552_1018AF/AB + PNG custody card vs NavSource merchant-service list vs NHHC online closing paragraph; stat lines and spec blocks across sources; shipbuildinghistory krichmond.htm row 65

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies logged, not merged: (a) Final disposition - NavSource records sale for scrapping to the PRC Q1 1973, departing Singapore 1973-03-25 for the Shanghai demolition yard, and shipscribe's ship note says 'Scrapped 1973 as PANOS'; NHHC DANFS says merchant service ended 'sometime between January 1974 and January 1975'; shipbuildinghistory's yard table says 'scrapped 1974'; Wikipedia states 'scrapped April 1973.' The 1973 Shanghai scrapping (NavSource/shipscribe) is adopted; 1974/1975 variants disclosed. (b) Merchant name spelling - 'Panes' (NavSource) vs 'Panos' (NHHC DANFS, shipscribe, Wikipedia); both carried, neither resolved to a registry document. (c) Prefix convention - diesel-powered hull was technically a motor vessel (NavSource 'MV Hecuba/Anna/Panes'); NHHC DANFS writes 'SS Hecuba/Anna/Panos' - NavSource's MV adopted for merchant names, SS variant disclosed. (d) Dutch-service entry - shipscribe 'Merc. HECUBA (Dutch) 1947' and shipbuildinghistory 'sold private 1947' vs MARAD card purchase at Hoboken 1948-04-05 6:30 PM and NHHC 'by the spring of 1948'; MARAD card controls. (e) Sponsor - print DANFS 'Mrs. R. E. St. Claire' vs NHHC online/NavSource 'St. Clair.' (f) Length - 338'8" (print DANFS, NavSource) vs 338'6" (NHHC online stat line) vs 338.5' oa / 320.0' wl (shipscribe) vs 321.4' register length (MARAD card) vs 388'8" (Wikipedia infobox, likely a transposed digit carried from a secondary compilation). (g) Displacement - 2,382 lt (print DANFS, NavSource) vs 7,125 tl (NHHC online stat line) vs 7,450 fl (NavSource, shipscribe, Wikipedia) vs 2,474 light (shipscribe); MARAD carries gross 3,805 / net 2,123 / DWT 4967 on the reserve-fleet card vs 5,032 DWT in secondary infoboxes vs 3,945 cargo DWT (NavSource) vs ~6,000 design intent (shipscribe class notes). (h) Power - 1,700 shp (NavSource spec block; 'BHP 1700' on MARAD card fragment; HyperWar MC-type table) vs 1,750 (shipscribe class table, Wikipedia). (i) Complement - 85 (DANFS stat line; NavSource 15+70) vs 69 (shipscribe class register, 1944) vs 75 design intent (8 officers + 67 men, shipscribe class notes). (j) Year built - 1944 (laid down/launched) vs MARAD 'Year Built 1945' and status card 'Completed 1-26-45' (delivery year). (k) Return date - DANFS print says 'returned to the Maritime Commission six days later' (i.e., 4-24-46); NHHC online, NavSource, and the MARAD card all carry WSA delivery 4-24-46 - consistent.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1975 (dates reconciled 2026-09-20)

    Limitations

    Resolves nothing by fiat - records which source says what so downstream consumers inherit the conflicts honestly. Where a primary record and a compiled reference disagree, the primary record (MARAD card, DANFS) is adopted and the variant disclosed. No asbestos content in any reconciled source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-blount-ak163-10

11. [11]NARA record-group guidance: RG 24 deck logs (post-1941 at Archives II, College Park); RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records; MARAD vessel-file correspondence (referenced on status card); Internet Archive item ak170bogp1949 (Navy Yard Long Beach, Booklet of General Plans, USS Chicot AK-170, 1949) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov/research/military/logbooks (post-1941 Navy deck logs at College Park); archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html; catalog.archives.gov returned only its JS application shell to automated query on 2026-09-20 - no digitized AK-163 log confirmed; archive.org/details/ak170bogp1949 resolves (HTTP 200)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): (a) MARAD vessel file for MC hull 2108 - the status card's 'FIRE - See corres. in Vessel File' notation (reserve-fleet card box 14) points to correspondence documenting a fire aboard during the 1946-48 James River layup, its cause, extent, and repair scope - the likeliest surviving record of materials disturbance aboard this hull; (b) NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for AK-163 (1945-46) at Archives II, College Park - the shakedown, Manus collision repairs (July and October 1945), and port runs would be logged there; (c) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records may hold the MC hull 2108 contract and C1-M-AV1 outfitting specifications for Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 hull 65; (d) an official Navy Booklet of General Plans for a sister ship of identical design - USS Chicot (AK-170), Alamosa class / C1-M-AV1, dated 1949-01-14 - is digitized at the Internet Archive (identifier ak170bogp1949, ~110 MB image scan, no OCR text layer) and could establish design-level spaces/insulation callouts if reviewed; (e) Bureau of Ships 'converted by builder' outfitting records for the Kaiser Richmond AKs would document what Navy-fit insulation was installed during construction.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1973 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and item mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. The sister-ship general-plans booklet is design-level, not hull-level, even if reviewed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-blount-ak163-11