Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet mp-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Camel (IX-113), ex-SS William H. Carruth. — https://www.asbestos-ships.com/ships/uss-camel-ix-113 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Camel
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-camel-ix113-pkt-mp-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Camel II (IX-113) - verbatim text via Wayback capture of the NHHC page, 2024-04-14 (live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-29) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Camel II (IX-113)', body text and specifications line; hazegray DANFS transcription mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/ix/ix113.htm concurs verbatim
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records the hull's identity and naval career: launched 31 October 1943 as William H. Carruth by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. J. Low; acquired by the Navy 22 November 1943 and commissioned the same day, Lt. D. Dunham, Jr., USNR, in command. Sailed San Pedro 1 January 1944 for Tarawa (arrived 24 January, aviation gasoline for reconnaissance missions); February-August 1944 shuttle service supplying fleet units and shore installations across the Marshall and Mariana Islands; Saipan/Guam supply from Eniwetok through 27 March 1945; station tanker at Kerama Retto 2 April-8 July 1945; then Okinawa as headquarters ship for Service Division 104; on 6 April her guns took part in splashing one enemy aircraft; returned to the east coast after occupation duty; decommissioned at Norfolk, Va., 22 May 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission 24 May 1946; one battle star for WWII service. DANFS specifications: dp. 3,665; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 11 k.; cpl. 79; a. 1 x 5", 1 x 3"; cl. Armadillo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Navy crew (1943-1946)
- Limitations
- Ship-identity history only - DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Establishes dates, roles, and operating areas only; does not establish asbestos conditions aboard this hull in either direction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-01
-
[3]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts compilation of U.S. Navy auxiliary vessel register data), Armadillo (IX-111) class page - construction/disposition tables, class notes, ship notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-111 class page - construction table row IX-113 CAMEL; disposition table; class notes (Auxiliary Vessels Board 12 Oct 43; CNO 15 Oct 43); ship notes row IX-113
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled register data documents the hull's program history: Camel (IX-113) keel laid 30 September 1943 at California Shipbuilding, launched 31 October 1943, acquired/commissioned 22 November 1943; decommissioned 22 May 1946; stricken 19 June 1946; delivered to Maritime Commission disposal 24 May 1946; Maritime Administration sale 23 July 1948. Ship note: ex-merchant WILLIAM H. CARRUTH (MCE hull 1902); merchant WILLIAM H. CARRUTH (MC) 1946; sold 1948; converted to dry cargo ship under the same name 1949; to NDRF 24 May 1963 as HALCYON PIONEER; sold by MA 11 September 1963; to buyer 24 September 1963; scrapped by 9 December 1963. Class notes quote the Auxiliary Vessels Board report of 12 October 1943 and CNO instructions of 15 October 1943 directing that 20 new Liberty tankers be acquired with NO conversion of any kind - armed only and furnished 20 lengths of 4-inch and 6 lengths of 6-inch filling hose for fuel transfer - to meet urgent Pacific floating-storage requirements; class register: design MC Z-ET1-S-C3; complement 70 (1944); machinery 1 screw, vertical triple expansion, 2,500 hp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1963
- Population
- Navy crew (1943-1946); merchant crews (1946-1963); 1949 Savannah conversion yard workers
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference built on Navy register and operational records - detailed program narrative, not itself a primary document. Stricken date (19 Jun 1946) is register data NavSource lists as unknown. Contains no asbestos or materials information; the 'no conversion' directive documents acquisition policy, not insulation content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-02
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - WILLIAM H. CARRUTH, Ship History Detail 5250, and HALCYON PIONEER, Ship History Detail 2059 (same hull, Official No. 244682) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5250 and Detail 2059 - vessel data blocks, milestone tables, status-card scans
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records the same hull under its merchant names: WILLIAM H. CARRUTH (Detail 5250) and HALCYON PIONEER (Detail 2059) - Official Number 244682; year built 1943; shipyard California Shipbuilding Corporation; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; length 441.50 ft, beam 57.00 ft; 7,243 gross / 4,384 net tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Milestones: William H. Carruth custody entry and acquisition 5/24/1946 (post-Navy return); Halcyon Pioneer entry/acquisition 5/24/1963 under 'EXCHANGE PROGRAM,' disposition and withdrawal 9/24/1963. Halcyon Pioneer record lists missions World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1963
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and tonnage figures. MARAD's 'EC2-S-C1' type label and 'General Cargo / Break Bulk' classification reflect the post-1949 dry-cargo configuration and loose legacy typing - Navy and merchant references identify the as-built design as Z-ET1-S-C3 'Liberty tanker'; the conflict is logged in gaps. 'Mission' tags on the Halcyon Pioneer record (WWII/Korea/Vietnam) are fleet-era labels, not voyage documentation. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-03
-
[5]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) + shipscribe Armadillo class register machinery line (1 screw, vertical triple expansion, 2,500 hp) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section; shipscribe IX-111 class page register line 'Machinery: 1 screw, vertical triple expansion' / 'Propulsion (HP): 2,500'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The documented propulsion plant - a single-screw 2,500 hp vertical triple-expansion steam engine in a wartime Liberty-hull tanker - is the same emergency-fleet machinery family covered by the USMC operating manual for the 2,500 hp triple-expansion plant, which 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-type hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between boiler room and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; insulation in accommodation spaces and around the galley; brake linings on winches and windlass.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1963
- Population
- Construction trades (California Shipbuilding, Terminal Island, 1943); Navy engine-room crew (1943-1946); merchant engine crews (1946-1963); 1949 conversion and 1963 scrapping yard workers
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation plus era inference, not a hull record - the manual was published for the EC2-S-C1 cargo type; the Z-ET1-S-C3 Liberty tanker shared the same hull lines and 2,500 hp machinery family, but no manual page or material schedule names this hull or the tanker variant specifically, and the manual text does not itself state 'asbestos' content. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-04
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[6]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 Liberty-type tanker was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- 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, its class, or its builder 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-camel-ix113-05
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[7]CourtListener API v4 opinion searches, 2026-09-29: "USS Camel" (0 opinions); "IX-113" (12 opinions, all name collisions); "William H. Carruth" (0 opinions); "Halcyon Pioneer" OR "Penn Shipper" (0 opinions) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search endpoint, type=o queries run via cl-auth-search.py
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. The exact-name search "USS Camel" returned zero opinions. The hull-number search "IX-113" returned twelve opinions, all name collisions - the string appears as a reporter-volume/page or statutory-section reference inside unrelated cases (e.g., United States v. Estate of E. Wayne Hage, 9th Cir., public-lands grazing; Klinger v. Nebraska Dept. of Correctional Services; Sincock v. Gately, D. Del. corporate law; Jane Doe v. Beaumont ISD; Susan Haines v. Liggett Group; State v. Ketchikan Gateway Borough; Emhart Industries v. New England Container; United States v. Sacco; United States v. New York City Bd. of Educ.; Harrod v. Myers; State v. Allen; Lynx Whole Loan Acquisition v. Nationstar Mortgage); none names this vessel. The merchant-name searches "William H. Carruth" and "Halcyon Pioneer" OR "Penn Shipper" each returned zero opinions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Search coverage is limited to CourtListener's opinion and docket indexes; unindexed state-court records and older dockets may not appear. A name match is not a finding of exposure, and absence of indexed litigation does not establish that no claim was ever filed - only that no qualifying opinion was located. Hull was scrapped 1963, before the asbestos-litigation era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-06
-
[8]Batch-4682 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; verbatim via Wayback 2024-04-14 capture); shipscribe compiled register; NavSource photo archive; MARAD ShipHistory (Details 5250, 2059); NARA Special List 44; CourtListener opinion index; NVR [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-camel-ix113-01 through sl-uss-camel-ix113-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull insulation survey, abatement contract, shipyard work-order disclosure, hazmat documentation, or docketed case naming USS Camel (IX-113), William H. Carruth, Penn Shipper, or Halcyon Pioneer was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 wartime hull scrapped in 1963 never passed through an asbestos-survey or abatement regime, so no documentation pathway ever existed for this hull. Era-consistent inference is reasonable but unproven for this hull; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Deck logs (extant, Special List 44) and builder records (LA Maritime Museum MC #75; CSUN) are the unexamined archival leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-07
-
[9]National Archives, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (Navy logbooks): 'Camel (IX-113) 11/22/1943 - 6/30/1945'; Los Angeles Maritime Museum Manuscript Collection #75 (Papers of California Shipbuilding Corporation) finding aid; CSUN Special Collections Calship collections [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44, 'Camel (IX-113)' row, begin 11/22/1943, end 6/30/1945; lamaritimemuseum.org MC #75 finding-aid PDF; library.csun.edu/sca Calship collections page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 named-vessel logbook index confirms deck logs for Camel (IX-113) exist covering 22 November 1943 through 30 June 1945 - commissioning through the Kerama Retto/early Okinawa period (post-June-1945 coverage is not in the list). Separately, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum holds the Papers of California Shipbuilding Corporation (Manuscript Collection #75, 1941-1945) - administrative papers, vessel construction/progress reports, and a full run of the Calship Log - and CSUN Special Collections holds two Calship collections including an engineer's file; these are the candidate repositories for hull-1902 construction and outfitting records.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log coverage); indexed 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Index/finding-aid-level confirmation only - the logs and builder papers are not digitized in the public sources searched and their contents (any materials, repair, or insulation references) are unexamined. Existence of records does not establish any asbestos fact; they are the next research step for this hull, along with NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) program files.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-camel-ix113-08