USS Cable (ARS-19)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]research packet bl-packet.md (8 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-cable-ars19-pkt-bl-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS 'Cable (ARS-19)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (entry updated by Robert J. Cressman, 2 June 2016) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS Cable (ARS-19) entry (live URL returns 404 - text via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20241210021636, dated capture 10 Dec 2024)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (NHHC) entry: Cable (ARS-19), Diver class, laid down 24 November 1942 at Napa, Calif., by Basalt Rock Co.; launched 1 April 1943, sponsored by Mrs. B. Elliott; commissioned 6 March 1944, Lt. Cmdr. H. Pond, USNR, in command. Spec line: displacement 1,441; length 213'6"; beam 39'; draft 14'8"; speed 15 knots; complement 120; armament 4 x 40mm, 6 x 20mm. War narrative: shakedown tow of water barge YW-86 from Cape San Lucas to San Diego; departed San Pedro 30 April 1944 via Kwajalein to Milne Bay, New Guinea; salvage/rescue services, then Manus and Cairns to embark firefighting and salvage teams; departed Hollandia 18 October 1944 for the Leyte landings; made the destroyer Albert W. Grant (DD-649) seaworthy in two days after she flooded from 19 shell hits received in the Battle of Surigao Strait; San Pedro Bay and Lingayen Gulf duty, then harbor clearance at Manila through spring 1945; Navy Unit Commendation for Philippines service. Departed Manila Bay 30 May 1945; Borneo invasion support at Balikpapan in July; Philippine service through 6 March 1946; towed barracks ship APL-18 from Pearl Harbor to San Diego (arrived 28 July 1946); East Coast salvage/rescue/towing in New England waters; decommissioned at Boston 15 September 1947 and 'loaned, commercially the same day.' Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 15 April 1977; 'expended in a fleet exercise on 1 September 1978.' Three battle stars plus the Navy Unit Commendation for WWII.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1978

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, chronology, and service history. Contains no asbestos or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. Its 'expended in a fleet exercise on 1 September 1978' disposition date conflicts with the 7 August 1978 sinking date carried by NavSource and shipscribe - discrepancy carried in gaps, not resolved. Live NHHC page 404s (standing NHHC link-rot); Wayback capture is a verbatim DANFS text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-01

3. [3]U.S. Navy Department, Office of Public Relations, 'History of the USS Cable (ARS-19)' (mimeographed ship history, stenciled 4 June - year reads 1948 or 1949 in the scan), digitized by Bangor Public Library Digital Collections [other_primary]

   Locator

   Bangor Public Library Digital Collections item 4970 (media 4971); full scanned text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official Navy Department ship history 'History of the USS Cable (ARS-19)' (Ships Data Section, Public Information Division, Office of Public Relations; mimeographed, stenciled 4 June, late 1940s). Day-by-day wartime record: commissioned 1400 on 6 March 1944 alongside the Southern Pacific dock, Vallejo; six-day drydocking at Tiburon; San Diego shakedown interrupted by the Cape San Lucas assist; a daylight trip to San Pedro in late April (scan reads '2_ April') to pick up a tow (YC-1039 and YF-997), then underway within 48 hours bound for Pearl Harbor (arrived 12 May; DANFS gives the San Pedro clearance as 30 April), then Kwajalein (2 June) and via Majuro, Tarawa, and Purvis Bay to Milne Bay (14 July), reporting to Service Force Seventh Fleet; New Guinea groundings (SS Mulhern off Cape Nelson) and repairs; Cairns embarked three firefighting teams; Hollandia departure 18 October in the Leyte supply convoy; aviation-gasoline barge retrieval 23 October; San Pedro Bay work - pumping out USS Grant (DD-649) alongside fleet tug Chowanoc, firefighting aboard SS Benjamin Wheeler after a crashing Japanese plane (fire out in under two hours while unexploded bombs detonated), first aid to destroyers Claxton and Killen, YT-909 retraction, LSM raising off Dulag, a 16-hour Thanksgiving fire aboard a torpedoed Liberty ship (approx. five million gallons pumped with two fleet tugs), December repairs to five Ormoc-battle destroyers (incl. Lamson and Caldwell), three LSMs, two LCTs, and eleven LSTs for propeller work; Lingayen Gulf stations 0700 on 9 January 1945; Blue Beach salvage; raising a large Japanese submarine off Damortis ('the largest enemy submarine the Navy had recovered' at that time); the Manila North Harbor clearance survey from 4 March 1945 - described as the biggest harbor-clearance job of the war with preliminary estimates of roughly 360 sunken ships - raising the first large wreck (a Japanese tanker) and underwater surveys in South Harbor; Balikpapan task group (departed Morotai 26 June, D-Day 1 July); Subic Bay arrival 12 August 1945 towing a 400-ton pontoon drydock; Philippine operations to 6 March 1946; homeward via Pearl Harbor with APL-18 in tow (San Diego ~28 July 1946); Charleston yard availability (arrived 22 March 1947, departed 10 April); East Coast operations (Newport, Boston, Portsmouth, Portland, Davisville, New London, Provincetown); decommissioned Boston 15 September 1947. Commanding-officer list and statistics block (trial displacement figure partially legible in scan; length 213'6"; beam 39'; armament two twin 40mm AA batteries; complement '120 plus'; battle stars: Leyte, Luzon/Lingayen Gulf, Borneo/Balikpapan).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1947 narrative; document ~1948

   Population

   Ship's company (complement ~120), embarked shore firefighting teams

   Limitations

   Ship-specific official Navy history - the most detailed primary narrative for this hull. OCR of the scanned document is imperfect; a few vessel names in the battle-damage work list are partially illegible and were not carried (e.g., merchant ship grounded at the San Pedro Bay entrance; the Thanksgiving Liberty ship and its assisting tugs; three destroyer names in the Ormoc list partially read). Its typo 'laid 24 November 1948' is internally inconsistent with the 1 April 1943 launch - DANFS's 1942 adopted. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-02

4. [4]NavSource Online, USS Cable (ARS-19) service ship photo archive entry (archive 09/37/3719), transcribing DANFS plus curated additions [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource ARS-19 page - chronology, campaign table, commanding officers, final disposition line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Cable (ARS-19): laid down 24 November 1942 at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA; launched 1 April 1943; commissioned 6 March 1944, LCDR Hartwell Pond, USNR; Asiatic-Pacific campaigns - Leyte operation (Leyte landings 18 October-29 November 1944), Luzon operation (Lingayen Gulf landings 9-13 January 1945), Borneo operation (Balikpapan 26 June-7 July 1945); decommissioned 15 September 1947 at Boston and loaned for commercial service; struck from the Naval Register 15 April 1977; Navy Unit Commendation for service in Salvage, Fire Fighting, and Rescue Unit, Service Force 7th Fleet, Philippine Islands area 20 October 1944-10 January 1945, plus three battle stars; final disposition 'sunk as a target, 7 August 1978, by USS Valdez (FF-1096)'; commanding officer list (Pond to 29 Aug 1945; Strafford to Jan 1946; Beyer to 1 Aug 1947; Henslee to 15 Sep 1947).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1978

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archive corroborating DANFS and supplying the 7 August 1978 sinking date and USS Valdez attribution, which conflict with DANFS's '1 September 1978' fleet-exercise date - discrepancy logged in gaps, not resolved. Campaign dates differ slightly from the 1948 ship history (e.g., Lingayen landings 9-13 Jan vs the history's 4-18 Jan; NUC period vs an awards compilation's 10 Jun 1945) - metadata discrepancies logged. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-03

5. [5]Shipscribe.com 'USS Diver (ARS-5) Class' compilation - construction/disposition tables and ship notes from official Navy records [other_primary]

   Locator

   ARS-5 class page - construction table (ARS-19 row), disposition table, class notes, ship notes

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe Diver (ARS-5) class compilation (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled from official Navy records): Cable ordered 14 March 1942; keel 24 November 1942; launched 1 April 1943; commissioned 6 March 1944 - all at Basalt Rock, Napa. Class data: displacement 1,478 light / 1,940 limiting tons; 213.5 ft oa; 14.8 knots; complement 96 (1944); machinery 2 screws diesel-electric, 3,000 hp; design derived from the Navajo (AT-64) fleet-tug hull/machinery with forecastle added, main deck lowered aft, flat-bottomed hull form for beaching over wrecks, two 15-ton forward booms and 6-ton aft boom. Ship note for Cable: 'Loaned to MA and delivered 15 Sep 47 to Merritt Chapman & Scott for operation as replacement for WARBLER (ARS-11). In 1973 was under bare boat charter from the Navy's Supervisor of Salvage to Murphy Pacific Marine Salvage Co. Sunk as target 7 Aug 78 by USS VALDEZ (FF-1096).' Class note: the wartime Merritt-Chapman & Scott Navy Salvage Service contract terminated 11 May 1947; the Navy temporarily chartered Cable and Willet (ARS-12), then on 18 December 1947 chartered Cable and Curb (ARS-21) under a new contract for two salvage ships on the East Coast.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1978

   Population

   Commercial salvage crews (Merritt-Chapman & Scott 1947+; Murphy Pacific ~1973-1977)

   Limitations

   Professional compilation from official records - the only located source naming the commercial operators (Merritt-Chapman & Scott; Murphy Pacific Marine Salvage) and the charter mechanism (MA loan; SUPSALV bareboat charter). Sinking 7 Aug 1978 conflicts with DANFS's 1 September 1978 - logged. Complement 96 (1944) vs DANFS's 120 - logged. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-04

6. [6]Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, 'Murphy Pacific's VP Captain Madeo Awarded U.S. Navy Citation,' June 1977 issue [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Maritime Reporter June 1977, personnel/profile item

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Maritime Reporter & Engineering News (June 1977) reports Capt. Joseph F. Madeo Jr. of Murphy Pacific Marine Salvage Company awarded the Navy Meritorious Public Service Citation for managing the 1974 Suez Canal clearance; the profile records that on retiring from the Navy in October 1970 Madeo 'came to Murphy Pacific as a salvage master assigned to the company's salvage vessel M/V Cable in Key West, Fla., became operations manager in July 1973,' and was elected a vice president in September 1975.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1970-1977

   Population

   Murphy Pacific commercial salvage crew (M/V Cable, Key West, early 1970s)

   Limitations

   Contemporaneous trade-press confirmation that ex-Cable operated commercially as M/V Cable under Murphy Pacific Marine Salvage, based Key West, FL, in the early 1970s. Establishes commercial identity/homeport only - no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-05

7. [7]Eloy Pedro Garcia v. Murphy Pacific Marine Salvaging Company, 476 F.2d 303 (5th Cir. 1973) - affirmed jury verdict for defendant; CourtListener cluster 310110 [court_record]

   Locator

   476 F.2d 303; No. 72-3516; decided 9 April 1973; per Dyer, J. (Brown, C.J., Dyer, Simpson, JJ.)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Garcia v. Murphy Pacific Marine Salvaging Co., 476 F.2d 303 (5th Cir. 1973): Garcia, a crew member of the M/V Cable (this hull in commercial service), sued the vessel's operator under the Jones Act and general-maritime unseaworthiness for a slip injury sustained while splicing wire cable aboard in port (diesel oil used to clean cable ends had dripped onto the steel deck; canvas, burlap, and sawdust had been spread as a safety measure). Jury verdict for Murphy Pacific; district court denied new trial and judgment N.O.V.; Fifth Circuit affirmed. Not an asbestos case - carried as the ship-specific litigation record for this hull's commercial period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1973 opinion; injury aboard in port under Murphy Pacific charter

   Population

   M/V Cable commercial crew member (Jones Act seaman)

   Limitations

   NON-ASBESTOS litigation: Jones Act/unseaworthiness slip injury - merits-level result is a defense verdict affirmed, with no asbestos, materials, or exposure finding. Recorded as vessel-identity documentation for the commercial era (M/V Cable, Murphy Pacific operator) and as a classified non-qualifying hit in the litigation sweep - it establishes no exposure and defeats no claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-06

8. [8]Consolidated era/design inference - shipscribe Diver-class machinery row (diesel-electric, twin screws) + DANFS spec line + documented salvage mission profile [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe ARS-5 class page machinery/design fields; DANFS spec line

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull was built 1942-44 at Basalt Rock, Napa, CA, at the peak of WWII asbestos usage, but carried a twin-screw diesel-electric plant (shipscribe class data: 2 screws diesel-electric, 3,000 hp) rather than a steam plant - eliminating the boiler/fireroom and main steam-line insulation scope typical of steam-powered hulls of the era. Era-typical asbestos applications for a 1940s naval salvage ship of this type remain plausible class/era inference only: pipe covering/lagging on auxiliary hot piping; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; electrical cable and joiner insulation; and friction materials including winch and towing-machinery brake linings - a significant application on a vessel whose documented work was winch-and-pump intensive salvage.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1978

   Population

   Construction trades at Basalt Rock, Napa (1942-44); wartime crew; commercial salvage crews (1947-1977); 1978 target-prep personnel (if any)

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming ARS-19 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Diesel-electric configuration distinguishes this hull from steam-plant ships but does not itself rule asbestos in or out.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-07

9. [9]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 construction program under which this Diver-class salvage ship was built at a small West Coast contract yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   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 (hull sunk 1978), nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cable-ars19-08

10. [10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

    Locator

    PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    survey ~1944-45; published 1946

    Population

    WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

    Limitations

    Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Basalt Rock was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cable-ars19-09

11. [11]CourtListener API v4 searches: "USS Cable" (type=o) count=0; "ARS-19" (type=o) count=1 name collision; "M/V Cable" (type=o) count=1 (Garcia); "USS Cable" (type=r dockets) count=7, all name collisions [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-cable-ars19-07 through sl-uss-cable-ars19-10

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation sweep (CourtListener API v4, 2026-09-26): exact-phrase "USS Cable" opinion search returned zero results; "ARS-19" returned a single name collision (Holly's, Inc. v. County of Greensville, 458 S.E.2d 454 (Va. 1995) - a Virginia Public Procurement Act dispute citing a code section, not the ship); "M/V Cable" returned the one ship-specific case, Garcia v. Murphy Pacific Marine Salvaging Co. (476 F.2d 303, 5th Cir. 1973 - non-asbestos Jones Act suit); "USS Cable" docket search returned 7 hits, all name collisions (antitrust, patent, and counterfeit-goods dockets matching 'cable' as a product or party name - none naming the vessel). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming the hull located. Indexed-web check surfaced only law-firm marketing ship lists naming the hull without primary support (excluded source class).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Sweeps cover indexed opinion and docket text only; state-court filings, MDL-875 pleading lists, bankruptcy-trust exposure forms, and PACER dockets not fully indexed by CourtListener may name the hull without appearing here. Absence of a located case is not proof no claim was ever filed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cable-ars19-10

12. [12]Batch-2654 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback); Bangor PL official Navy ship history PDF; shipscribe ARS-5 class page; NavSource 3719; MARAD ShipHistory (no record); NVR (pre-1987 disposal - not listed); CourtListener name/hull/commercial-name sweeps; EPA SINKEX permit framework [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-cable-ars19-01 through sl-uss-cable-ars19-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Cable, ARS-19, or M/V Cable was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull's disposal mode bears on the record's expected completeness: she was expended as a target in 1978 - sunk, not scrapped - so no breaking-yard or abatement record exists, and whatever era materials were aboard went down with the hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942-44-built salvage ship is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and her sinking without breakup foreclosed the survey/disposal documentation that scrapped hulls sometimes generate. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cable-ars19-11

13. [13]40 C.F.R. 229.2 (Transport of target vessels - Navy SINKEX general permit) and EPA 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' program page; cited as era context for a 1978 pre-permit-regime sinking [federal_register]

    Locator

    EPA marine-protection permitting page; 40 C.F.R. 229.2

    Finding type

    regulatory

    Finding

    The 1978 target sinking predates the modern SINKEX environmental-preparation regime: EPA's MPRSA general permit for Navy target vessels (40 C.F.R. 229.2) and the later EPA-Navy agreement on removal of materials that may contain PCBs postdate this hull's disposal. No environmental preparation, hazmat removal, or permit record for this hull's sinking was located - none is expected under the era's practice.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1978 vs post-1980s regime

    Population

    1978 target-tow/sinking personnel (potential, undocumented)

    Limitations

    Regulatory context only - explains why no disposal-era hazmat record for this hull should be expected; does not establish what materials were aboard at sinking, that any preparation occurred, or anything about exposure. Modern SINKEX prep standards did not govern a 1978 sinking.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cable-ars19-12

14. [14]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178/248 (Maritime Commission/WSA); Navy SUPSALV records; no retrieval performed [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA record-group mapping; SUPSALV records disposition unverified

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS Cable (1944-1947, incl. the Leyte/Lingayen salvage work records); RG 19 BuShips Diver-class (ARS-5 design) records and the ship's Booklet of General Plans - the likeliest primary source for a materials specification; Maritime Administration/Maritime Commission custody and charter files for the 15 September 1947 loan to Merritt-Chapman & Scott and successor contracts; Navy Supervisor of Salvage records for the 1970s Murphy Pacific bareboat charter and the 1977-78 target-sinking preparation file (the only plausible disposal-era hazmat/materials lead for this hull).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1942-1978 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cable-ars19-13