Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]DANFS, USS Callisto (AGP-15) - reclassification, build/commission dates, 7th Fleet service, decommission and transfer (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full record (short auxiliary-format entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: LST-966 reclassified AGP-15 and named Callisto 14 August 1944; launched 29 November 1944 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipbuilding Co. (DANFS prints 'Baltimore, Md.' - see correction row); commissioned 12 June 1945, LCDR C. W. Brooks, USNR, in command; sailed from Yorktown, Va., 23 July 1945 for the Pacific and 7th Fleet service; delayed at Pearl Harbor by the cessation of hostilities; reported at San Pedro Bay, P.I., 15 October 1945 as tender to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 9, providing berthing, maintenance, and supply facilities; cleared for San Francisco 20 December 1945; decommissioned 9 May 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 14 May 1948. DANFS stat line: dp. 2,179; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'2"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 119; a. 8 40 mm.; cl. Portunus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1944; Maryland Drydock conversion workers 1945; wartime crew and embarked MTB Ron 9 personnel
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and summary characteristics, not materials or asbestos content. The 'Baltimore, Md.' builder location in the published DANFS text is inconsistent with the documented physical location of the Bethlehem-Hingham yard (Hingham, MA) - flagged in the correction row; likely conflation with the Baltimore conversion yard. Live NHHC page returns 404; mirror transcription cited (same for hazegray/losthistory mirror).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-01
-
[2]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Portunus (AGP-4) class page - BuShips/OpNav-derived class construction and disposition tables + Callisto ship note [other_primary]
- Locator
- AGP-4 class page, construction/disposition tables and ship note for AGP-15
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- BuShips-derived compilation for this hull: 'Ex LST-966 14 Aug 44. Ferry commission as LST-966 22 Dec 44-4 Jan 45. Converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore (begun 5 Jan 45). Approved 27 Jun 46 for lend lease to China, subsequently cancelled. Sold by MC as LST-966 for mercantile service, merc. ELENA 1949, lost as DAYTONA 20 Nov 55.' Class table: keel 31 Oct 44 at 'Bethlehem Steel, Hingham'; launch 29 Nov 44; commission 12 Jun 45; decomm. 9 May 46; strike 23 Apr 47; disposal 14 May 48 (MC/D). Class notes: all Portunus-class units converted by Maryland DD Co., Baltimore; AGP 14-18 design modified to retain bow doors, delete the 3"/50 gun, add repair-shop space and a 60-ton A-frame hoist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Population
- Maryland Drydock Co. conversion workers (Jan-Jun 1945); ferry-commission crew Dec 1944-Jan 1945
- Limitations
- Compilation of official BuShips/OpNav/NVR data by a recognized independent researcher (shipscribe.com) - not itself a government publication; treated as reliable registry data. Documents conversion events and custody chain, not materials or asbestos content. The conversion-yard detail matters to exposure pathways only as era context - conversion interior rework is plausible ACM context, not a documented ACM event.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-02
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LST-966, Ship History Detail 9576, incl. digitized vessel status card (cards/4CI_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 9576, status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/4CI_01.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for this hull (under name LST-966): fate field 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.'; digitized vessel status card reads 'Surplus from Navy Dept.', operator column 'Sold to David V Smith. / Transferred to Panamanian Flag / Renamed "ELENA"', delivered 5-14-48. Official government record of the 1948 custody transfer and merchant sale under the LST designation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1948
- Limitations
- Status card documents custody and sale only - the milestone table on the detail page is empty and the card does not record the later DAYTONA rename or the 20 Nov 1955 loss (NavSource/shipscribe supply those). Card handwriting/type partially faint but the quoted entries are legible. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-03
-
[4]NavSource Naval History, USS Callisto (AGP-15) page - service chronology, specs, commanding officers, awards; cites US National Archives RG-19-LCM photo 19-N-85774 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, AGP-15 page (chronology/specs/CO table/photo caption)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive page for this hull: authorized as LST-966; reclassified AGP 14 Aug 1944; laid down 31 Oct 1944; launched 29 Nov 1944; reduced commission 22 Dec 1944 (ENS G. A. Johnson) for transit to the fitting-out yard; full commission 12 Jun 1945 (LCDR Charles W. Brooks, USNR); decommissioned 9 May 1946 into the Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register 23 Apr 1947; transferred to the Maritime Administration 14 May 1948 for NDRF layup; sold for merchant service, renamed M/V Elena then M/V Daytona; lost, cause unknown, 20 Nov 1955. Specs: 41 officers/245 enlisted; two quad 40mm + eight single 20mm; two GM diesels, Falk reduction gear, 1,800 shp, 11.6 kt; 60-ton largest boom; 2 LCVP; gasoline capacity 62,000 gal (PT-boat fuel). Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. Photo caption documents the ship in Chesapeake Bay off Port Covington, Baltimore, 19 Jun 1945 'just after completion of conversion' (NARA RG-19-LCM photo 19-N-85774).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Population
- Wartime ship's company plus embarked Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 9 personnel
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer archive compiling official records - not itself an official source; used here to corroborate strike date, merchant names, and loss date (all consistent with shipscribe and the MARAD card). Complement (41/245) and armament differ from the DANFS stat line (cpl. 119; 8x40mm) - variances carried in gaps. Engine model printed as '12-568A' is a likely typo for an EMD model; the BuShips-derived class profile lists GM 12-278A for the LST-932-979 block - unresolved (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-04
-
[5]Shipscribe construction table ('Bethlehem Steel, Hingham') vs. DANFS/NavSource builder location ('Baltimore, Md.'); NavSource photo caption (conversion completed at Baltimore) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AGP-4 class construction table; DANFS AGP-15 entry; NavSource 0915 photo caption (RG-19-LCM 19-N-85774)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-location discrepancy resolved: DANFS and NavSource print the builder as 'Bethlehem-Hingham Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore, Md.', but the Bethlehem-Hingham yard was physically in Hingham, Massachusetts (shipscribe's BuShips-derived table reads 'Bethlehem Steel, Hingham'; merchant-registry compilations give Hingham, MA, yard no. 3436). The Baltimore association is real but belongs to the conversion yard - all Portunus-class hulls were converted by Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore (this ship's conversion begun 5 Jan 1945), and the BuShips photo places her at Baltimore in June 1945 'just after completion of conversion.' Builder location carried here as Hingham, MA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Resolves a publication-level location error propagated from DANFS into NavSource. Does not affect identity or dates. No asbestos content in any of the underlying sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-05
-
[6]DANFS + shipscribe/NavSource machinery data (diesel plant) + lst-1-class.class.json era analysis + Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' AJIM 11(3):359-373 (1987) + GAO HRD-80-2 policy context [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AGP-4 class machinery/design notes; lst-1-class.class.json (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 design groupings); AJIM 11(3):359-373; GAO HRD-80-2 product page (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered amphibious hull built at Bethlehem-Hingham in 1944 and converted at Maryland Drydock, Baltimore in 1945: NO boilers or steam plant - the steam-lagging pathway does not apply; plausible asbestos applications on this type concentrate in diesel-engine and exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing throughout the engineering spaces, electrical insulation/cable, deck coverings, accommodation-space insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches, windlass, and the 60-ton A-frame hoist. The AGP conversion added repair-shop and squadron-support interior spaces - conversion-era outfitting at a 1945 yard is an additional plausible ACM pathway. Corn & Starr document extensive asbestos use as fireproofing/insulation in WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding; GAO HRD-80-2 documents that systematic Navy asbestos substitution did not begin until the early 1970s - decades after this hull left U.S. custody (May 1948).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1944; Maryland Drydock conversion workers 1945; wartime crew and embarked MTB squadron personnel; merchant crews 1948-1955
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - no hull-level material schedule, insulation spec, or survey exists in the public record for this ship. The hull was lost at sea in 1955; no abatement or survey phase ever existed. Does not establish presence, absence, or quantity of ACM aboard, nor any individual exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-06
-
[7]NARA record-group mapping: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) incl. RG-19-LCM photo series (photo 19-N-85774 documented for this hull via NavSource); BuShips conversion/contract files for the Maryland Drydock AGP conversion; Bethlehem-Hingham construction records [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19 guide page; photo number per NavSource 0915 image table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG-19-LCM photo 19-N-85774, a BuShips photo of THIS hull off Port Covington, Baltimore, 19 Jun 1945 just after conversion - its existence is documented by NavSource. (b) RG 19 BuShips contract/conversion files may hold the Maryland Drydock conversion work package (begun 5 Jan 1945) and any material specifications for the AGP-14-18 design changes (added repair shops, A-frame hoist). (c) Bethlehem-Hingham (Bethlehem Steel) hull 3436 construction/outfitting records, if extant, would be in RG 19 or yard records collections.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1948 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. The cited photo confirms appearance/configuration only. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-07
-
[8]Batch-738 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar/ibiblio + hazegray mirrors; NavSource AGP-15 page; shipscribe Portunus-class page; MARAD ShipHistory 9576 + status card; CourtListener API sweep (blocked - throttled); web-index litigation sweep; class-profile background [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-callisto-agp15-01 through sl-uss-callisto-agp15-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Callisto/AGP-15/LST-966 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 was rate-limit blocked at query time (125/day cap already consumed on this host; ~9.4 h reset) and was NOT retried - the litigation sweep therefore rests on web-index search over the CourtListener corpus and general litigation mentions, which surfaced only non-qualifying marketing-list mentions of the vessel name.
- 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 1944-45 built/converted diesel hull is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and no survey or abatement phase ever existed for this hull (lost 1955). The blocked CourtListener index means a latent docketed case cannot be fully excluded; the web-index sweep mitigates but does not replace it. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-callisto-agp15-08