Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Cache' (AO-67) entry - verbatim transcription at historycentral.com (live NHHC page returns HTTP 404 - link rot consistent with batch-01 finding) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- historycentral.com/navy/oiler/Cache.html (DANFS transcription); live NHHC danfs/c/cache.html 404 on 2026-09-24
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Cache (AO-67): launched 1942-09-07 as Stillwater by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, PA, under a Maritime Commission contract (sponsored by Mrs. J. Cook); acquired by the Navy 1942-09-28; converted at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD; commissioned 1942-11-03, LCDR P. Andersen USNR in command; reported to the Atlantic Fleet. Oil runs Gulf ports to Norfolk and Argentia 1942-12-11 to 1943-02-25; Baytown TX diesel load for Bora Bora and Noumea March 1943; San Pedro repairs May 1943; Noumea, Espiritu Santo-Guadalcanal and station-tanker duty at Efate/Espiritu Santo into December 1943. Torpedoed in the port side by a submarine while returning to Espiritu Santo 1944-01-22 - one man killed, ship severely damaged, made port under own power, temporary repairs then San Pedro for permanent repairs. Returned to duty at Eniwetok 1944-06-20; Marianas/Tinian fueling at sea July-August 1944; Manus base from 1944-08-26 for western Carolines and Philippine assaults (Leyte, Luzon); Ulithi-based support for Iwo Jima (TF 51) and Okinawa operations; sailed with 3rd Fleet in final strikes on Japan July 1945; fuel to Tokyo Bay September 1945. Decommissioned San Francisco 1946-01-14; transferred to the Maritime Commission June 1946 for NDRF layup. Reacquired 1948-02-10 for Naval Transportation Service as USNS Cache (T-AO-67), carrying oil Bahrain to Japan and the U.S. west coast; transferred to MSTS 1949-10-01; in noncommissioned service until May 1972; struck from the Navy List 1986-03-31; transferred to MARAD for disposal 1987-02-02.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- Crew (commissioned USS service 1942-1946)
- Limitations
- Official ship-history narrative; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, survey, or abatement information. Establishes hull identity, builder, conversion yard, battle damage and repair events, and custody milestones only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CACHE (AO-67/T-AOT-67), Ship History Detail 646 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail/646 - type line, milestones table, vessel name history
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for CACHE (AO-67/T-AOT-67): year built 1942; shipyard Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock; MARAD type T2-SE-A1; naval auxiliary / AOT transport oiler; length 524 ft, beam 68 ft; displacement 22,380 t summer / 7,236 t light; vessel name history CACHE (AO-67/T-AOT-67), STILLWATER; milestones - NDRF entry/acquisition 1972-05-06, disposition and withdrawal 1987-06-10 ('CUST 1946 NDRF 1946' notation); fate 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- NDRF layup and maintenance crews, Suisun Bay CA (1946-48) and Beaumont TX (1972-87)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody/layup milestones and MARAD type assignment (T2-SE-A1 - resolves NavSource's 'T2-SE-A2' typo). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information. 'Historical Narrative' section empty for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-02
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, CACHE status-card scan (ShipHistory Detail 646 document CACHE.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- CACHE.pdf card face (OCR-assisted read of JP2 scan; reverse face stamps illegible at available resolution)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD reserve-fleet custody card for CACHE (Tanker) ex STILLWATER (scanned document CACHE.pdf): records the Maritime Commission custody chain - lay up at Suisun Bay, CA reserve fleet; U.S. Maritime Commission to Pacific Tankers Co. under a General Agency Agreement; Pacific Tankers to U.S. Navy (title transfer); redelivery/delivery entries including '2-10-48 Seattle, Wash.' - consistent with the shipscribe-documented 1948-02-10 Navy reacquisition for NTS service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Population
- NDRF Suisun Bay layup crews (1946-48)
- Limitations
- Handwritten/typed scanned custody card, partially legible via OCR - the Pacific Tankers GAA entry and the Seattle 2-10-48 redelivery line are consistent with the documented timeline but individual fields are not fully confirmed. Contains no asbestos or materials information. The card's Pacific Tankers entry may reflect paperwork custody rather than an actual merchant operating period (the Navy acquired the hull on delivery in 1942).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-03
-
[4]Shipscribe (shipscribe.com), 'USS Suamico (AO-49) Class' - class data table, ship notes, and class notes compiled from Navy records [other_primary]
- Locator
- AO49.html construction/disposition tables + ship-note row for AO-67 + class machinery note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe SUAMICO (AO-49) class compilation (Stephen S. Roberts, from Navy records): AO-67 CACHE = MC hull 328, ex-merc. STILLWATER; keel 1942-05-25, launch 1942-09-07, acquired 1942-09-28, commissioned 1942-11-03; converted by Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore. Decommissioned 1946-01-14; stricken 1946-02-07; to Maritime Commission 1946-06-30 (merc. STILLWATER). Reactivation began 1947-10-22; from MC 1948-02-10 as USNT; to MSTS 1949-10-01; restored to the Naval Register list 1950-04-28. FRAM II overhaul 1964. To NDRF 1972-05-09. Reclassified AOT-67 1978-09-30. Final strike 1986-03-31; MA sale 1987-02-02. Class machinery note: 'G.E. turbo-electric (Westinghouse in AO 65, 67, 74, 75, 77)' - assigns the Westinghouse turbo-electric plant to AO-67.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1942); FRAM II overhaul yard workers (1964)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation consistent with DANFS and MARAD on every overlapping milestone; supplies the first strike date (1946-02-07) and the FRAM II 1964 yard period not in DANFS. FRAM II overhaul location not given. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-04
-
[5]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive 09/19/19067 - USNS Cache (T-AOT-67) ex USS Cache (AO-67) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 19067 - specifications block, campaign table, photo captions, final disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for USNS Cache (T-AOT-67) ex USS Cache (AO-67): specifications - 1 Westinghouse turbine (turbo-electric drive), 2 Babcock and Wilcox header-type boilers 450 psi 730 deg F, single propeller 6,000 shp, complement 22 officers / 245 enlisted; Asiatic-Pacific campaign table (8 battle stars); individual award notation Purple Heart (1 KIA, 1944-01-22) matching the DANFS torpedo event; commanding officer roster; photo caption documenting the ship moored at Pier 3, Kaiser Shipyard No. 2, Richmond, CA, circa 1945-11-30 to 1946-01-14 undergoing preparations for decommissioning; final disposition chain - sold for scrapping to Goodwils USA Inc. 1985-11-18, resold to Eastern Overseas Inc., resold to First Copper & Iron Industrial Co. Ltd., Taiwan, for scrapping 1987-06-10.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- Crew; Kaiser Richmond No. 2 decommissioning-prep workers (Nov 1945-Jan 1946); shipbreakers (1987)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation consistent with DANFS/MARAD/shipscribe on overlapping facts. Two NavSource errors noted: 'MC type T2-SE-A2' contradicts MARAD's T2-SE-A1 (A1 adopted), and 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' is resolved by shipscribe (1946-02-07 first strike). The Kaiser Shipyard No. 2 mooring is a photo caption - secondary-level but ship-specific and dated. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-05
-
[6]Edward L. Evans v. Blidberg Rothchild Company, Incorporated, 382 F.2d 637 (4th Cir. 1967), CourtListener opinion 277126 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, service-history recitation ('On October 29, 1962, Evans signed aboard the USNS CACHE. He served only until November 6, 1962...')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Evans v. Blidberg Rothchild Co., 382 F.2d 637 (4th Cir. 1967): maintenance-and-cure appeal in which the seaman's service history includes signing aboard USNS CACHE on 1962-10-29 and leaving the vessel 1962-11-06 - the ship named is this hull's USNS incarnation during its MSTS period (the suit itself concerned a later ship, SS Wellesley Victory). Classified 'other litigation': the vessel appears in the opinion's employment-history recitation only; the case contains no asbestos allegation and reaches no exposure finding (judgment for the seaman reversed on concealment grounds).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1962-1967
- Population
- MSTS civil-service mariner (service aboard 1962-10-29 to 1962-11-06)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific name mention in litigation but NOT an asbestos case - a maintenance-and-cure dispute where this vessel appears only in the plaintiff's prior service history. Recorded so the litigation surface is honestly documented; supports no exposure finding for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-06
-
[7]Consolidated era inference - NavSource-documented T2-SE-A1/Westinghouse plant for this hull (ev-05) + USMC wartime construction practice (ev-08, ev-09) + t2-se-a1-tanker class profile (internal class-profiles work) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Type technical data; NavSource 19067 specifications block; shipscribe AO49 machinery note
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull's documented plant and build: the T2-SE-A1 turbo-electric steam plant (2 B&W header-type boilers, 450 psi/730 deg F steam, Westinghouse turbine-generator, turbo-driven ship's-service generators - NavSource/shipscribe-documented for AO-67) plus wartime accommodation insulation implies boiler and steam-line lagging, turbine/generator insulation, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and bulkhead/overhead insulation typical of 1942 emergency tanker construction. Insulation products of this period were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and the type was mass-built while the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding. Documented disturbance/repair events aboard this hull - 1944 torpedo battle-damage permanent repairs at San Pedro, the 1945-46 decommissioning prep at Kaiser Richmond No. 2, and the 1964 FRAM II overhaul - are machinery/structure-disturbance events consistent with insulation disturbance.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- Sun Ship construction trades (1942); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1942); commissioned crew (1942-46); San Pedro repair yard (1944); Kaiser Richmond decomm workers (1945-46); MSTS civil-service mariners (1948-72); FRAM II yard workers (1964); NDRF layup crews; Taiwan shipbreakers (1987)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or abatement record located. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era-consistent inference, not ship-proven. Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual; repair/overhaul events disturb but do not document asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-07
-
[8]Lilley v. Johns-Manville Corp., 408 Pa. Super. 83, 596 A.2d 203 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991); Atlas shipyards.json sun-shipbuilding-chester evidence row ev-sun-shipbuilding-chester-lilley-1991 [court_record]
- Locator
- Pa. Super. opinion, product-identification testimony sections
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard litigation context: Lilley v. Johns-Manville Corp., 408 Pa. Super. 83, 596 A.2d 203 (1991) - Pennsylvania Superior Court opinion documenting product-identification testimony by pipefitter Fred Lilley of asbestos product brands (Unibestos, Caltemp, Pabco, Kaylo, Garlock gaskets, and others) in use at 'the Sun Ship Company' during his 1959-1976 employment at the Chester, PA yard that built this hull in 1942. Jury verdict for plaintiff affirmed in part.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1959-1991
- Population
- Sun Shipbuilding workers (insulators, pipefitters), 1959-1976 window
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - the documented exposure window (1959-1976) postdates this hull's 1942 construction by nearly two decades and does not establish what materials were used aboard MC-328/AO-67. Establishes the builder yard as a documented asbestos-exposure site only; no quantity, exposure, or causation for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-08
-
[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
- historical_record
- 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 T2-SE-A1 tanker was mass-produced at Sun Ship - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and naval-auxiliary hulls.
- 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 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-cache-ao67-09
-
[10]Batch-1915 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; MARAD ShipHistory + status card; shipscribe AO-49 class page; NavSource 19067; aukevisser T2 tables; CourtListener API v4 opinion + docket searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cache-ao67-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming the Cache hull (or its merchant name Stillwater, or designations AO-67/T-AO-67/T-AOT-67/MC-328) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The DANFS entry, MARAD ShipHistory record and custody card, shipscribe class notes, NavSource archive page, and aukevisser T-2 table all lack any asbestos or insulation-material statement. The single CourtListener name hit (Evans v. Blidberg Rothchild) is a non-asbestos maintenance-and-cure case; the single docket hit (Fishbeck v. Iran, D.D.C.) is a name collision.
- 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 - the hull's documented steam turbo-electric plant, builder yard, and wartime build window are era-consistent with asbestos insulation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 24/178/248 guide entries; deck-log guidance at archives.gov/research/military/logbooks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds USS Cache (AO-67) deck logs for the commissioned period (1942-11-03 to 1946-01-14), which may record the January 1944 torpedo damage and repair scope; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) holds MC-328 contract/outfitting records and any yard-level material specifications; RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) holds vessel files for the MC-custody periods including the Pacific Tankers GAA entries on the status card; MSTS-era ship files and the 1964 FRAM II overhaul work package are unlocated in digitized sources (likely NARA RG 313/181 shore-activity records by overhaul yard once identified).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1987 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC-328/AO-67 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cache-ao67-11