Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, 'Caelum (AK-106)' - verbatim NHHC page text (NHHC page published 2016-06-02; live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-20; text verified against Wayback capture 2024-12-09 and the hazegray transcription of DANFS) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Caelum (AK-106)' entry, full text; mirror https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ak106.htm; spec corroboration https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AK/AK-106_Caelum.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Caelum (AK-106): 'A southern constellation.' Launched 25 July 1943 as Wyatt Earp by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract (MCE Hull No. 1860); sponsored by Mrs. H. N. MacKusick; transferred to the Navy 10 August 1943; commissioned 22 October 1943, Lt. Cmdr. E. Johnson in command; reported to the Pacific Fleet. Spec block: dp. 4,356; 441'6" x 56'11" x 28'4" (limiting); 12.5 k.; cpl. 198; a. 1x 5-inch, 1x 3-inch; cl. Crater. Service narrative: first-year cargo runs between Pearl Harbor and Tarawa, Majuro, Eniwetok, Kwajalein, and Ulithi; participation in the occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro February 1944; assigned to Service Squadron 10 June-October 1944; San Francisco overhaul late 1944; station ship at Ulithi from 20 January 1945 and at Guam from 8 May, controlling and issuing cargo and provisions supporting the Palaus, Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa operations; stateside overhaul June-July 1945; towed YF-741 to Ulithi August 1945; supported the occupation of Korea September 1945; logistic services at Shanghai early October; based at Samar from 9 November 1945, sailing Philippine and Chinese ports until clearing for the United States 15 April 1946; decommissioned at Seattle 30 July 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the next day; one battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Wartime crew (complement 198 per spec block); embarked troops (capacity ~1,050 per MARAD card)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction milestones, service chronology, and disposal outline; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Does not state the laid-down date, the Navy strike date, or where the Navy conversion/fitting-out between delivery (1943-08-10 per MARAD card) and commissioning (1943-10-22) occurred. One battle star stated without naming the campaign; NavSource's Marshall Islands attribution (Kwajalein/Majuro, 3-8 Feb 1944) matches the DANFS narrative dates but is a secondary identification. Hazegray transcription reads '12 k.' vs NHHC '12.5 knots' - trivial transcription difference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - WYATT EARP Ship History Detail 5397 (incl. digitized vessel status card 7OV_01.png, record-of-sale card 5397_AF.jpg, reserve-fleet vessel-data card 5397_9933AF.jpg, card-edge fragment 5397_9933AB.jpg); CAELUM (AK-106) Detail 12547 (empty stub) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5397 milestone table + status-card scans (cards/7OV_01.png, cards/5397_AF.jpg, cards/5397_9933AF.jpg, cards/5397_9933AB.jpg); Detail 12547
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records: WYATT EARP Detail 5397 carries the full record - U.S. Official No. 244008, built 1943 by California Shipbuilding Corp., type EC2-S-C1, 7,176 gross / 4,380 net tons, bale capacity 499,573 cu ft (web) / 499,576 (card); milestones Entry 1946-07-31, Withdrawal 1961-10-26 'Departed fleet; scrap sale'. Digitized status cards document: MCE hull no. 1860; completed 1943-08-10 at Los Angeles and delivered 'Basis to W.S.A. 8-10-43 1:30PM PWT'; same-time allocation to 'Navy Dept. (Renamed Caelum)' on form of agreement 'BB' (bareboat charter); main card type 'CARGO EC2' with speed 12.5; reserve-fleet card type 'Trooper EC2 (U)' with passenger capacity 1050, fleet 'Olympia', termination port last voyage 'Seattle', fuel on entry 514 bbls Bunker C. Custody chain ends at USMC Reserve Fleet Olympia, Wash. 1946-07-31 5:00PM PST; advertised as 'Scrap Hull-US' under PD-X-608 dated 1961-09-15, bids opened 1961-10-17, awarded 1961-10-19 to Hyman-Michaels Co., 108 North State St., Chicago 2, Ill., for $82,011.11 (sale contract MA-2897, MA-20 record-of-sale card), withdrawn/delivered to purchaser 1961-10-26 at 1545 hrs PST; main card carries handwritten 'Scrapped 10-26-61'. CAELUM (AK-106) Detail 12547 is a stub (labels 'Naval Auxiliary / AK Cargo Ship', EC2-S-C1, 441.5 ft, displacement 14,550/4,023; no milestones or cards).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, hull identity (ON 244008 = MCE 1860 = ex-AK-106, printed on the card), the WSA->Navy bareboat structure, and the 1961 scrap sale; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information and supports no asbestos claim. Card-handwriting caveat: the 'Scrapped 10-26-61' note records disposal intent/date, not the breaking yard or completion. Sale-card figures carry 'approx.' qualifiers (417'8" x 56'10" x 37'4", DWT 10,800, draft 47'8") and differ from the status card (DWT ~10,573) - treated as sale-advertising approximations, not specs.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-02
-
[3]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Caelum (AK-106) index page (volunteer-compiled index citing BuShips/DANFS figures), via Wayback capture 20241209062458 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AK-106 page (Wayback 2024-12-09), specifications block, awards/campaign table, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-ship archive page for Caelum (AK-106), via Wayback capture 2024-12-09 (live navsource.org unresolvable this session - DNS SERVFAIL): Crater-class cargo ship; laid down as SS Wyatt Earp (EC2-S-C1, MCE hull 1860) at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, CA; 'Launched, 30 June 1943' [mislabel - see correction row]; acquired by the Navy 1943-08-10; commissioned 1943-10-22 (LCDR Edgar Johnson). Spec block: displacement 4,023 t. (lt) / 14,550 t. (fl); 441'6" x 56'11" x 28'4"; 12.5 kts trial; complement 25 officers + 196 enlisted; largest boom 50 t.; cargo 7,750 DWT, 417,330 cu ft non-refrigerated; armament 1x 5"/38 DP, 1x 3"/50 DP, 2x 40mm, 6x 20mm; fuel 7,285 bbls NSFO; propulsion one Joshua-Hendy vertical triple-expansion engine, two Combustion Engineering boilers (220 psi, 450 deg), three 60 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller, 2,500 shp. Campaign attribution: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, Marshall Islands operation - occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro, 3-8 February 1944 (consistent with the DANFS narrative dates). Post-war windows: Navy Occupation Service Medal 1945-09-10 to 1945-11-06 and 1946-02-09 to 1946-03-29; China Service Medal (extended) 1946-04-01 to 1946-04-26. Decommissioned 1946-07-30 at Seattle; delivered to MARCOM 1946-07-31, NDRF Olympia, WA; struck from the Naval Register 1946-08-15; sold for scrapping 1961-10-19 to Hyman-Michaels Co., removed 1961-10-26, 'scrapping completed 2 January 1962 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co (NASSCO), Terminal Island, CA.' Call sign NHLT. CO list: Johnson (to 1944-12-23), LCDR James John Dineen (to decommissioning). Photo index includes NHHC photo NH 84657.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1962
- Population
- Ship's company (221 per NavSource breakout); embarked troops (capacity ~1,050 per MARAD card)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official publication - consistent with DANFS and the MARAD cards where they overlap (dates, hull identity, Olympia disposal). Discrepancies logged in gaps: 'Launched 30 June 1943' mislabels the laid-down date (DANFS launch 25 July controls); strike date 1946-08-15, NASSCO scrapping-completion detail (1962-01-02), boiler manufacturer (Combustion Engineering), and CO-date table are NavSource-only, not confirmed by a primary source. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant (the design type documented for this hull by DANFS spec block 'cl. Crater' / type EC2-S-C1 and the MARAD record 'EC2-S-C1') describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Construction trades (Calship Terminal Island, 1943); Navy engine-room and maintenance crew; conversion workers
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). The Navy AK conversion added armament and troop spaces whose material scope is undocumented. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1961-62), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-04
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[5]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 EC2-S-C1 hull was mass-produced at Calship (one of the nine original USMC emergency yards) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- 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 scholarship; does not name this vessel or the EC2-S-C1 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-caelum-ak106-05
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[6]O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012), CourtListener opinion 844228 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 53 Cal. 4th 335 (No. S177401); cluster verified in batch-01
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012): California Supreme Court 'bare metal' decision arising from a sailor's asbestos exposure aboard USS Oriskany (CV-34) - holds that a product manufacturer is not liable for harm caused by another manufacturer's asbestos-containing product used with its equipment. Establishes the doctrinal posture under which WWII-era Navy-ship asbestos product claims are litigated; for this hull the governing structure is the WSA-owned/Navy-operated bareboat arrangement documented on the MARAD status card (sailors' claims proceed against product suppliers, not the government).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2012 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII-era Navy sailors (class context)
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the opinion does not name this hull, finds no asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and establishes legal framework rather than exposure. No docketed case naming Caelum, AK-106, or Wyatt Earp was located (see negative-finding row and search ledger). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-06
-
[7]Batch-794 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback + hazegray/HyperWar mirrors; MARAD ShipHistory details 5397/12547 + four digitized status cards; NavSource via Wayback; CourtListener API/HTML (blocked) + Google site check; usmm.org Calship yard table; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-caelum-ak106-01 through sl-uss-caelum-ak106-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Caelum, AK-106, or Wyatt Earp was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Direct CourtListener API and HTML searches were blocked by rate limiting on 2026-09-20 (shared machine quota); a Google site:courtlistener.com check returned only name collisions (Caelum Research Corporation government-contract litigation; Caelum Biosciences patent litigation) - no vessel match. The hull appears on a law-firm SEO ship list (freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships list) - marketing compilations excluded per source rules; list presence is not documentation.
- 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 1943 EC2-S-C1 hull operated to 1961 scrapping is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is partial: CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket searches were not run to completion due to the 125/day shared rate limit; the site: check is not a substitute.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-07
-
[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); LA Maritime Museum Calship collection; OAC finding aid ark:/13030/c8v126j1 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides 178/248 + deck-log guidance; https://oac4.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8v126j1/entire_text/ ; photo number via NavSource index
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for USS Caelum (Oct 1943 - Jul 1946); NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) files for MCE hull 1860 and the 1943-08-10 WSA->Navy bareboat ('BB') allocation; NHHC photo NH 84657 (indexed via NavSource); Los Angeles Maritime Museum, Papers of California Shipbuilding Corporation (1941-1945, incl. CalShip Log run) and the OAC finding aid - the builder's own archive for yard hull 231/MCE 1860 construction and outfitting records.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1961 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and collection 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-caelum-ak106-08
-
[9]MARAD status cards (Detail 5397) + DANFS (NHHC/Wayback) vs NavSource and HyperWar spec blocks; usmm.org Calship Liberty table; Wikipedia infobox (CalShip-sourced yard data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usmm.org/l/calship.html row 1860; NavSource Wayback 20241209062458 spec block; HyperWar AK-106 spec page; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Caelum infobox; MARAD Detail 5397 cards
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Cross-source reconciliation: (a) Launch date - NavSource prints 'Launched, 30 June 1943' while DANFS records 'launched 25 July 1943'; the Wikipedia infobox (citing CalShip yard data) shows laid down 30 June 1943 / launched 25 July 1943, resolving NavSource's 30 June as the mislabeled keel date. DANFS's 25 July launch is carried as controlling; the 30 June laid-down date is carried flagged secondary. (b) usmm.org's Calship yard table lists MCE 1860 'Wyatt Earp - AK 106 Caelum,' confirming the hull mapping; Calship yard no. 231 / way 5 comes from the same secondary line (CalShip table via Wikipedia). (c) Spec conflicts across sources - displacement DANFS 4,356 vs NavSource 4,023 lt / 14,550 fl vs HyperWar 11,565; speed 11 / 11.5 / 12 / 12.5 across reserve card, HyperWar, hazegray transcription, and NHHC; complement 198 (DANFS/HyperWar) vs 221 (NavSource 25+196); DWT 7,220 (HyperWar) vs 7,750 (NavSource) vs ~10,573 (status card) vs 10,800 (sale card, 'approx.') - figures not reconciled, carried separately. (d) Boiler manufacturer (Combustion Engineering) and engine output (2,500 shp vs HyperWar 1,950 hp) are NavSource/secondary-only for this hull - unlike sister AK-108, the MARAD card reverse carries no engine note. (e) 'Caelum' is a single-hull name; DANFS 'A southern constellation' - the constellation Caelum (the chisel).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1962
- Limitations
- Resolves the launch-date mislabel and maps the hull identity across primary and secondary sources; does not affect the custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caelum-ak106-09