Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. I, 'Buckthorn' (YN-9) entry - Naval History Division; transcribed at hazegray DANFS Online [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray/danfs/yard/yn9.htm; canonical NHHC page (history.navy.mil/danfs/b10/buckthorn-ii.htm) dead - link rot, transcription mirror used
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS printed Vol. I entry (hazegray transcription): data line 'YN-9: dp. 560; l. 163'2"; b. 30'6"; dr. 11'8"; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 40; a. 1 3"; cl. Aloe.' Dogwood (YN-9) renamed Buckthorn 16 October 1940; launched 27 March 1941 by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif., sponsored by Mrs. Rosalie B. Day; placed in service 16 September 1941, Lt. L. Williams, USNR, in charge. Tended nets near San Pedro (Inshore Patrol, 11th Naval District) until June 1943, then reassigned to the 13th Naval District for Alaskan service; placed in commission 9 December 1942; reclassified AN-14, 15 May 1944 (printed-entry date); operated out of Dutch Harbor, Attu, and Adak tending nets, installing magnetic loops, and laying moorings; arrived Seattle 14 March 1946, repairs until 16 July, returned to Alaska arriving Kodiak 27 July; returned to Seattle 31 July 1947, reached San Diego 6 August; out of commission in reserve there 20 August 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, dimensions, and service timeline only. The printed entry's AN-14 reclassification date (15 May 1944) conflicts with the expanded DANFS narrative (1 January 1944) - see correction row. No asbestos, materials, or insulation content - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-01
-
[2]DANFS 'Buckthorn-II' expanded entry, Naval Historical Center/NHHC online edition - mirrored at NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive 09/18/18014 and en.wikipedia.org [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/18/18014 'DANFS' history section; Wikipedia article reproduces identical text citing the NHHC entry (history.navy.mil/danfs/b10/buckthorn-ii.htm, dead link)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS expanded narrative (Naval Historical Center online edition, 'Buckthorn-II'; canonical NHHC URL dead, text mirrored verbatim by NavSource and Wikipedia): arrived San Pedro 20 September 1941, 21 months of net/patrol duty; departed San Pedro 14 July 1943, Seattle 21 July, Winslow Ship Yards overhaul 22 July-15 August 1943, nets at Manchester WA; Alaska from September 1943 - Dutch Harbor (12 Sep), Adak, Attu net defenses by 5 October; fired 1x3-inch and 120x20mm at Japanese bombers 13 October 1943, apparently her only combat action; reclassified AN-14 'on 1 January 1944' (narrative date); Amchitka 25 April-28 June 1944 and 17 April-5 June 1945; Attu 25 September 1944-24 January 1945; Dutch Harbor overhaul 20 August-5 September 1945; Aleutian stations until March 1946; Seattle 14 March 1946, Todd Pacific Shipyard 1 May-16 July 1946; Kodiak 27 July 1946; inactivation orders 23 April 1947; San Diego early August; decommissioned 20 August 1947, San Diego Group Pacific Reserve Fleet; stricken 1 July 1963, transferred to MARAD, berthed Suisun Bay NDRF; scrapped 1976.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1976
- Population
- Ship's company (~40-48 officers/enlisted) during wartime Aleutian service
- Limitations
- Detailed operational chronology incl. two repair-yard periods (Winslow Ship Yards 1943; Todd Pacific Shipyard 1946) and Dutch Harbor overhaul 1945 - documented maintenance events only; the sources state no work scope, materials, or asbestos content. Narrative's reclassification date (1944-01-01) conflicts with printed Vol. I (1944-05-15) - see correction row. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-02
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BUCKTHORN (YN-9/AN-14), Ship History Detail 617, incl. digitized status card (BUCKTHORN.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 617 characteristics + milestone table; status-card scan (card face OCR-verified against image)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for BUCKTHORN (YN-9/AN-14): year built 1941; shipyard 'General Engineering and Dry Dock'; type Naval Auxiliary / 'AN Net Laying Ship'; length 163.10 ft, beam 30.50 ft; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones - Entry and Acquisition 8/29/1962, Disposition and Withdrawal 3/4/1976. Scanned vessel status card reads: Navy Dept. delivered to Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay 8-29-62 2:30 PM PDST ('Navy / LU Cust.'); Navy Dept. delivered to Maritime Admin. 7-1-63 12:01 AM PDST ('MA (Cust.) / Perm. Trans').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1962-1976
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones: NDRF Suisun Bay custody 1962-08-29, permanent MARAD transfer 1963-07-01 (same date as the Navy List strike), scrap-sale withdrawal 1976-03-04. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Buyer name/price (Zidell Explorations, $10,000) comes from NavSource only - not on the card face.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-03
-
[4]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 Aloe-class net tender was built (laid down December 1940, launched March 1941, pre-Pearl Harbor naval expansion construction at a private contract yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- 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 class 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-buckthorn-an14-04
-
[5]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Buckthorn (AN-14) specifications block (volunteer-compiled, BuShips-derived); Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels 1945 Vol. II (shipscribe.com scan) - index confirms Buckthorn AN14 listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/18/18014 'Specifications' block; shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf ship index (AN14 = Buckthorn)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Propulsion/design context shaping the inference: NavSource's compiled specifications for this hull (consistent with the BuShips 'Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels' series, whose 1945 Vol. II index lists Buckthorn as AN14) give two Enterprise DSG-6 diesel engines on a single screw through Westinghouse reduction gears at ~800 shp - a geared diesel plant with no boilers and no steam distribution. The era-typical candidate ACM applications aboard a small diesel-drive auxiliary are therefore the generic list (machinery/exhaust insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, winch and crane brake linings, deck coverings, accommodation insulation/paint), not the heavy boiler and steam-line lagging profile of steam auxiliaries.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1941
- Population
- Construction trades (General Engineering & Dry Dock, Alameda, 1940-41); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Era/design inference only - the propulsion spec is from a volunteer-compiled archive (consistent with official Ships' Data listings but not itself a primary document; the SDB1945 machinery table row for this hull was not legible in the OCR scan). No source documents asbestos aboard this hull. 'Diesel-electric' in some secondary summaries conflicts with the geared-diesel description - logged in gaps. Establishes neither presence nor absence of ACM.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-05
-
[6]Batch-1759 search ledger (this record): DANFS Vol. I + expanded narrative; MARAD ShipHistory 617 + status card; NavSource; NARA logbook guidance; CourtListener opinion/docket name and hull-number searches; shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buckthorn-an14-01 through sl-uss-buckthorn-an14-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Buckthorn hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search on the name returned 46 hits, all name collisions (the shipping corporation 'Buckthorn, Ltd.'; the invasive plant in environmental/property cases; street addresses); '"USS Buckthorn"' and '"Buckthorn" asbestos' returned zero opinions; 'YN-9' returned one unrelated insurance appeal; the RECAP docket index returned 281 'Buckthorn' hits, all property-forfeiture/corporate collisions. Hull-number string 'AN-14' is unmanageably generic (1,072 opinion hits dominated by non-vessel matches) - see search_ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1941 hull is era-consistent with era materials during construction and her 1943/1945/1946 repair events. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The 'AN-14' asbestos-narrowed query was not completed inside the fleet pacing window (logged as blocked in ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-06
-
[7]NARA research guidance: 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' (RG 24, Entry 118 / NAID 581208; Special List #44) and 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy ; https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online ; https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/digitized-logs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 U.S. Navy ship deck logs - Special List #44 covers 1801-1947, spanning this ship's entire service; WWII logs held at Archives II, College Park, digitization ongoing. RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) construction/contract files may hold General Engineering & Dry Dock records for the YN-9 contract; WWII war diaries (RG 38) were filed by some small auxiliaries; NHHC ship-history source files are the standard companion lead.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether deck logs or contract files for this hull contain any materials/asbestos statement is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-07
-
[8]DANFS Vol. I 'Buckthorn' and 'Boxwood' (YN-3) entries (hazegray transcriptions); DANFS 'Buckthorn-II' expanded narrative (NavSource/Wikipedia mirror); NavSource 09/18/18014 and 09/18/18008; en.wikipedia.org USS Buckthorn (AN-14) and USS Boxwood [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray/danfs/yard/yn9.htm and /yard/yn3.htm; navsource 09/18/18014 and 09/18/18008
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) AN-14 reclassification - expanded DANFS narrative gives 1 January 1944 while printed DANFS Vol. I gives 15 May 1944; unresolved - sister ships of the class were reclassified in a January 1944 block (e.g., Boxwood YN-3 to AN-8 on 20 January 1944), consistent with the narrative date, but Buckthorn's official date is not confirmed. (b) Pre-construction name - printed DANFS says 'Dogwood (YN-9)'; Wikipedia's infobox shows 'Dogwood (YN-3)', which collides with Boxwood's actual hull number (YN-3, ex-Birch) - the DANFS YN-9 designation is adopted. (c) Displacement - DANFS 560 tons vs NavSource 660 lt/905 fl vs 700-850 in other secondary summaries; DANFS figure carried. (d) Complement - DANFS cpl. 40 vs NavSource 4 officers + 44 enlisted; DANFS figure carried. (e) Propulsion - NavSource compiled spec (two Enterprise DSG-6 diesels, geared, single screw, ~800 shp) vs 'diesel-electric' in Wikipedia's infobox; geared-diesel carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1976
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings and between DANFS's own two versions; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buckthorn-an14-08