Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 628-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-brontes-lst1125-pkt-628-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC DANFS, 'Brontes (AGP-17) 1945-1946' - expanded entry by Robert J. Cressman, 23 November 2021, drawn from the ship's war diaries and action reports [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Brontes (AGP-17)' entry, full narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: originally projected as LST-1125; reclassified AGP-17 14 August 1944 and named Brontes 11 September 1944 (Brontes, 'a one-eyed giant whose employment was forging thunderbolts for Zeus'). Laid down 15 November 1944 at Seneca, Ill., by Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 6 February 1945; sponsored by Mrs. June Elizabeth Reimer; placed in reduced commission 17 February 1945 for the voyage to Baltimore, Md.; decommissioned 10 March 1945 and converted to a motor torpedo boat tender by Maryland Drydock Co.; placed in full commission 14 August 1945, Lt. William B. Rearden, Jr., D, USNR, in command - 4.5 hours before the announcement that the war with Japan had ended. Fitting out Port Covington, Baltimore (15-22 Aug); NOB Norfolk (22-23 Aug); shakedown Hampton Roads/Chesapeake under Auxiliary Vessels Shakedown Group (24 Aug-5 Sep); post-shakedown availability Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth (5-12 Sep); Homestead Hurricane evasion into central Chesapeake Bay (17-18 Sep); departed for New Orleans in TG 22.5/TU 22.5.2 (26 Sep); Quarantine Anchorage 3 Oct; Navy Day at Toulouse Street Dock - hoisted PT-793 (78-ft Higgins boat) on her port A-frame as a 'public demonstration of tender repair facilities' 26 Oct; 6,505 visitors (25-28 Oct); serviced MTBRon 41 boats at New Orleans through late Nov; Miami Pier 3 (5-8 Dec); sailed for Washington DC in company with sister Chiron (AGP-18), detaching off Cape Hatteras 11 Dec; Coast Guard Pier, Washington Channel (12-20 Dec) - 'Parade of PT's', Treasury Victory Bond events tied to the premiere of 'They Were Expendable', approx. $800,000 in bonds sold; Pier 80 North River NYC (21 Dec); NAD Earle NJ ammunition offload (27-28 Dec); 33rd Street Pier Brooklyn from 8 Jan 1946 unloading tender spares; decommissioned New York 14 March 1946; stricken from the List of Naval Vessels 17 April 1946; sold 28 March 1947 to Cushing & Co.; merchant names GP-17, Barbara (1947), Diane (Mineral Transport Corp., Liberia, 1948), Xalapa (Transportes Maritimes, Mexico, 1956); hurricane drove Xalapa aground at Manzanilla, Mexico, 27 October 1959 - 'constructive total loss.' Spec block: dp. 3,960 (trial); l. 328'0"; b. 50'0"; dr. 11'2" (limiting); s. 11.6 k. (trial); cpl. 290; a. 8 40mm., 8 20mm.; cl. Portunus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944-45); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (Mar-Aug 1945); commissioned crew (Aug 1945-Mar 1946); Norfolk Navy Yard availability trades (Sep 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. This expanded 2021 entry supersedes the older DANFS text where they conflict (disposal date, complement, CO name spelling - see ev-08). Does not establish materials aboard, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Brontes (AGP-17) ex USS LST-1125 - designation timeline, specifications, merchant service, disposal (live .net page verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/0917.htm header block, timeline, merchant service block, specifications block, commanding officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down as LST-1125, 15 November 1944, at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 6 February 1945; placed in reduced commission 17 February 1945 at Algiers, LA; decommissioned 10 March 1945 at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD, for conversion to a Motor Torpedo Boat Tender; recommissioned 14 August 1945 as USS Brontes (AGP-17), LT. William B. Rearden, Jr., USNR, in command; decommissioned 14 March 1946; struck from the Naval Register 17 April 1946. Merchant service: sold 28 March 1947, renamed MV GP-17, later the same year renamed MV Barbara; resold 1948 to Mineral Transport Corp., Liberia, renamed MV Diane, reflagged Liberian; resold 1956 to Transportes Marimes, Mexico, renamed MV Xalapa, reflagged Mexican; driven aground 27 October 1959 at Manzanilla, Mexico, by hurricane - constructive total loss. Awards: American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Specifications: displacement 4,100 t.; length 328'; beam 50'; draft 11'2"; speed 11.6 kts.; complement 41 officers + 245 enlisted; armament two quad 40mm AA mounts, eight single 20mm AA mounts; propulsion two General Motors 12-568A diesel engines, single Falk main reduction gears, two propellers 1,800 shp, twin rudders; ship's service generators three 100kW 120V/240V DC + two 100kW 450V AC diesel-drive; 2 LCVP; call sign NJYW. Commanding officer listed: LT. William Benedict Rearden, Jr., USNR (14 Aug 1945 - 14 Mar 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944-45); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1945); commissioned crew 41 officers + 245 enlisted (1945-46); merchant crews under three flags (1947-59)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track NVR/DANFS where they overlap and the merchant-name sequence matches DANFS; complement itemization (286) conflicts modestly with the DANFS spec block (290) - see gaps. Contains no asbestos content. No hazmat or material record for the 1959 wreck was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-02
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[4]NARA catalog: RG 24 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' (series NAID 594996) file unit 'Brontes (AGP-17), 8/14/45-3/14/46' (NAID 125520514, 136 images digitized via NARA-Ancestry partnership, NARA College Park); plus RG 38 war diary file units 'USS BRONTES - War Diary' for 8/45 (NAID 83575921), 9/45 (NAID 77529701), 10/45 (NAID 77557372), 11/45 (NAID 77588030), 12/45 (NAID 77602375) and 'USS BRONTES - War History' (NAID 77622933) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 125520514 (RG 24 muster rolls, microfilm roll 832); NAIDs 77622933, 83575921, 77529701, 77557372, 77588030, 77602375 (RG 38 war diaries/history)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific primary records exist at NARA for this hull: the muster-roll file unit covering her entire commissioned career (14 August 1945 - 14 March 1946, digitized as 136 images) and monthly war diary file units August-December 1945 plus a compiled war history - the same records underlying the NHHC DANFS narrative. These document crew rosters and daily activity; they are the open archival leads for any future crew-population or aboard-work detail.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-08-14 to 1946-03-14
- Population
- Commissioned crew Aug 1945 - Mar 1946 (muster rolls document names/ratings by period)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog metadata verified live; page-level contents were not read in this pass. Muster rolls and war diaries contain personnel and activity records, not material surveys - no asbestos content is claimed or expected from these sources by title alone.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-03
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[5]Era inference built on: NHHC DANFS construction/conversion record (LST hull laid down Nov 1944, converted to AGP Mar-Aug 1945); NavSource specifications (GM 12-568A diesel plant, no steam plant); NavSource Type II LST index (LST-1125 in the wartime LST build series, reclassified AGP-17); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos program documentation (see ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block + narrative (ev-01); NavSource specifications (ev-02); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-05)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship hull built Nov 1944-Feb 1945 and converted Mar-Aug 1945 to a motor torpedo boat tender sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation; the AGP conversion added tender workshop, storage, and accommodation spaces fitted to then-standard practice. As a diesel plant she carried no boilers - the boiler/turbine steam-lagging pathway does not apply to this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944-45); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1945); commissioned crew (1945-46); merchant crews (1947-59); any yard/base trades during Norfolk availability (Sep 1945) and New York inactivation (Jan-Mar 1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, conversion work package, or abatement record located for LST-1125/AGP-17. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. No authoritative yard-level asbestos documentation located for either the builder (CB&I Seneca) or the conversion yard (Maryland Drydock).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-04
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[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944-45) and Navy service era (1945-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing defect noted in Batch-01/Batch-98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-05
-
[7]Batch-6614 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live entry; hazegray DANFS transcription; NavSource 09/0917.htm and Type II LST index; NARA catalog; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket indexes); secondary web litigation sweep; shipyard registry check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-brontes-lst1125-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record (hull wrecked 1959, never preserved), or docketed case naming LST-1125 / Brontes (AGP-17) / her merchant names was found in the public sources searched. The only 'asbestos aboard' material located is law-firm marketing listicle content (e.g., freeasbestostesting.com lists AGP-17 among auxiliary ships) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-45 Navy auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the absence likely reflects a short (7-month) commissioned career plus early disposal rather than any material fact. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-06
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[8]CourtListener API v4 searches, authenticated, 2026-10-02: opinion index queries '"Brontes"', '"USS Brontes"', '"LST-1125"', '"AGP-17"' (all count 0); RECAP docket index queries '"Brontes"' and '"LST-1125"' (two non-qualifying hits - both name collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search endpoint (type=o and type=r), queries logged in search_ledger
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CourtListener returned no qualifying litigation for this hull: zero opinion-index hits for 'Brontes', 'USS Brontes', 'LST-1125', and 'AGP-17'. Both RECAP docket hits are name collisions - 'Brontes' occurs inside an exhibit corpus of New York Times articles attached to the copyright complaint in New York Times Co. v. Microsoft Corp., S.D.N.Y. No. 1:23-cv-11195 (docket gov.uscourts.nysd.612697, suit nature 820 Copyright), and 'LST-1125' occurs inside the consolidated creditor list in the Big Lots, Inc. chapter 11 bankruptcy, Bankr. D. Del. No. 24-11967 (docket gov.uscourts.deb.194105). The vessel is not a party in either; no asbestos exposure claim appears. No asbestos litigation naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes a subset of state and federal dockets; a zero-hit index search does not prove no case was ever filed (e.g., unindexed state filings or settled claims would not appear). Both docket hits were classified at face value from returned metadata (copyright exhibit corpus; bankruptcy creditor list) - the terms appear inside attached documents, not in case captions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-07
-
[9]DANFS older-entry transcription (hazegray/losthistory.net mirror of the original DANFS vol. text) versus current NHHC entry (ev-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS transcription (live-verified) vs NHHC brontes-i.html (ev-01) and NavSource (ev-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the older DANFS text (mirrored at hazegray/losthistory) differs from the current NHHC entry on three points - (1) disposal: old entry says 'decommissioned 14 March 1946 and sold 1 April 1946'; the current NHHC entry and NavSource both carry stricken 17 April 1946 and sold 28 March 1947 to Cushing & Co., which is the carried sequence; (2) complement: old spec block 'cpl. 119' vs current NHHC spec block 'complement 290' and NavSource's itemized 41+245; (3) commanding officer name: old entry 'Lieutenant W. B. Reanden, Jr.' vs 'Lt. William B. Rearden, Jr., D, USNR' in the current entry and NavSource's 'William Benedict Rearden, Jr.' - 'Reanden' is a transcription error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Limitations
- Corrects conflicts between DANFS editions, not a material claim. The expanded 2021 NHHC entry is drawn from the ship's war diaries and is the preferred authority; NavSource agrees with it on disposal. The 'sold 1 April 1946' and 'cpl. 119' readings are retained here only to document the conflict. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-brontes-lst1125-08