USS Carina (AK-74)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]DANFS, Carina (AK-74) - verbatim transcription (hazegray DANFS mirror at losthistory.net; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS auxiliaries section, AK-74 Carina entry

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Carina (AK-74): named for a star of the southern constellation Argo; Crater class. Spec block: dp. 4,023; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 198; a. 1 5", 1 3". Launched 6 November 1942 by Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No. 1, Richmond, Calif., as David Davis; sponsored by Mrs. A. R. Olds; transferred to the Navy 20 November 1942; commissioned 1 December 1942, Lt. Comdr. J. I. MacPherson, USNR, in command. Service narrative: stood out of San Francisco 14 Dec 1942 laden for Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal; discharged cargo there 23 Jan-4 Feb 1943 during the last phases of the Guadalcanal campaign; ran between Espiritu Santo and Purvis Bay, Tagoma Point, and Tongatabu; on 3 Mar 1943 in Tulagi Harbor underwent two air attacks - near misses sprayed the ship with shrapnel, wounding six crew; repaired at Espiritu Santo; cargo runs until arriving Australia 30 May 1943 for engine repairs and replenishment at Townsville, Sydney, and Melbourne; carried cargo for Marine units training in New Zealand to Auckland in Aug 1943; added Fiji, the Russells, Florida, New Guinea, and the Admiralties to her itinerary, basing at Espiritu Santo until 12 Jul 1944, when she sailed for San Francisco; after stateside overhaul carried pontoons from Pearl Harbor to Ulithi 2 Oct-31 Dec 1944 in distant support of the Philippines operation; further repairs and alterations at San Francisco; underway again 9 Mar 1945, arrived in the action waters off Okinawa 26 Apr; on 4 May 1945 fell victim to a Japanese suicide boat - the ramming produced a violent explosion on her port side, knocked out one of her boilers, and flooded one hold; six crew injured; skillful damage control saved ship and cargo; completed unloading before clearing for repairs at Ulithi; returned to the United States for overhaul in July 1945; decommissioned at Suisun Bay, Calif., 16 Oct 1945 and delivered to the War Shipping Administration. Three battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   Navy crew (1942-45, complement 198 per spec block)

   Limitations

   Verbatim DANFS transcription on a mirror - the live NHHC DANFS page for Carina returned 404 (consistent with batch-01 link-rot precedent). Establishes identity, construction, service narrative, and decommissioning. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CARINA (AK-74) Detail 5742 (status-card scan 5742_AF.jpg) and DAVID DAVIS Detail 7566 (card 1PO_01.png) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 5742 and Detail 7566; card images read directly at /cards/5742_AF.jpg and /cards/1PO_01.png

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records and digitized status cards for this hull (CARINA (AK-74), Detail 5742; DAVID DAVIS, Detail 7566). WSA-era vessel status card: DAVID DAVIS, flag American, type cargo, DWT 10,695, gross 7,181, net 4,384, bale 499,573 cu ft, grain 562,608 cu ft, MCE hull no. 502, built by Perm. Metals Corp. at Richmond, completed 1942-11; 'Basis to W.S.A. (Owners) 11-20-42 11:30AM PWT'. Custody table: Navy Dept. (renamed Carina) under bareboat agreement (BB) at Richmond 11-20-42 11:30AM; Laid Up Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif. 10-17-45 1:00PM PST (hand-annotated 'Now CARINA'); NATIONAL METAL & STEEL CORP (SCRAPPED), purchase (PURCH) at Suisun 4-7-52 10:10AM PST. Reserve-fleet/sales card (header CARINA ex-DAVID DAVIS, off. no. 242,536, type Liberty, PDX-NO-509 opened 2/1/52): 'Sold to National Metal & Steel Corp. under PD-X-509 for complete scrapping of the hull - $171,711.17 - $53.33 per LWT/ton'; built 1942, registered dimensions 422' x 57' x 34', gross 7,181, displ. 14,550, LWT 3,280; 'Delivered to Navy Department under bareboat charter in 1942 - Re-delivered by Navy in October 1945'; location Suisun Bay (Calif.) Reserve Fleet. Database fields: year built 1942, official no. 242536, shipyard Permanente Metals Corporation, MARAD type EC2-S-C1, AK cargo ship, length 441.50, beam 57.00, gross 7,181, displ. summer 14,550 / lightweight 4,023; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; vessel name history lists both CARINA (AK-74) and DAVID DAVIS.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1952

   Population

   Navy crew (1942-45); NDRF custody/maintenance personnel (1945-52); shipbreaking workers at National Metal & Steel Corp. (1952-53) - exposure at breaking is era-consistent but undocumented

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones, tonnage, and the 1952 disposal chain; card handwriting read directly from scans (partially legible). The card header keeps the Navy name (CARINA ex-DAVID DAVIS) into NDRF custody and sale - unlike some class sisters that reverted to merchant names. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-02

3. [3]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 of this vessel's hull) 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. The Navy's November 1942 AK conversion by Matson Co., San Francisco added naval outfitting (armament, communications, berthing for a ~200-man complement, landing boats) whose insulation scope is undocumented; the ship's 1944-45 pontoon-assembly fit-out (Shipscribe class record names VEGA and CARINA as the pontoon assembly ships) likewise has no public material scope.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942; conversion 1942; pontoon fit 1944-45

   Population

   Construction trades (Permanente Metals Yard No. 1, Richmond, Sep-Nov 1942); conversion workers (Matson Co., San Francisco, Nov 1942); Navy crew (~195-198, 1942-45); NDRF caretakers (1945-52); shipbreakers (1952-53)

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1952-53), individual exposure, or causation. Conversion and pontoon-assembly material scope are open archival leads, not findings.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-03

4. [4]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 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   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 type and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-04

5. [5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Carina (AK-74) page (navsource.net/archives/09/13/130074.htm); Shipscribe USS Crater (AK-70) class page incl. AK-74 rows (shipscribe.com/usnaux/AK/AK70.html); corroborated by shipbuildinghistory AK and Liberty tables and Combinedfleet EMB chronology [other_primary]

   Locator

   Shipscribe AK-70 class page (construction/disposition/notes rows for AK-74; class notes - pontoon assembly ships paragraph); NavSource AK-74 page; shipbuildinghistory.com/navalships/ak.htm row AK-74 and Liberty table row 502; combinedfleet.com/OkinawaEMB.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Carina (AK-74) confirms the construction/commissioning chain (laid down 30 Sep 1942 as SS David Davis, MCE hull 502, Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 1 Richmond; launched 6 Nov 1942; acquired 20 Nov 1942; commissioned 1 Dec 1942, LCDR James I. MacPherson USNR; decommissioned 16 Oct 1945 at Suisun Bay; returned to the Maritime Commission 17 Oct 1945; struck 1 Nov 1945; sold for scrapping 1 Feb 1952 to National Metal and Steel Corp., removed 7 Apr 1952, scrapping completed 20 Mar 1953), adds call sign NYJY, three battle stars, a campaign table (capture/defense of Guadalcanal 1 Feb 1943; consolidation of southern Solomons 11 Mar 1943; Okinawa Gunto assault/occupation 26 Apr-3 May 1945), a commanding-officer list (LCDR James I. MacPherson 1 Dec 42-1 Dec 43; LCDR Ben Koerner 1 Dec 43-30 Jul 45; LT Paul Bensen Archibald 30 Jul 45-16 Oct 45), and a fuller spec block incl. complement 15 officers/180 enlisted, one Hoover, Owens, Rentschler Co. VTE engine and two B&W header-type boilers (220 psi/450F), armament 1-5"/38 DP, 1-3"/50 DP, 2-40mm, 6-20mm. A NavSource photo caption sourced to the USS Granville (APA-171) cruise book dates the Okinawa suicide-boat attack 4 May 1945. Shipscribe's BuShips-derived class record (shipscribe.com/usnaux/AK/AK70.html) adds: MCE hull 502; ex merc. DAVID DAVIS; 'Converted by Matson Co., San Francisco. Badly damaged by Japanese suicide boat off Okinawa 31 May 45 and repairs not completed. To buyer 7 Apr 52, scrapped by 20 Mar 53'; construction table (acq. 20 Nov 42; keel 30 Sep 42; launch 6 Nov 42; commiss. 1 Dec 42); disposition table (decomm. 17 Oct 45; strike 1 Nov 45; disposal 17 Oct 45; MC/D; MA Sale 11 Feb 52); and class-program notes identifying the wartime pontoon assembly ships as VEGA and CARINA (AK-74). shipbuildinghistory's AK and Liberty tables corroborate: AK-74, David Davis, Permanente No. 1, hull 502, EC2-S-C1, delivered as AK 1 Dec 42, scrapped 1952; yard build metrics 37 days on the ways, 14 fitting out, 51 total, way no. 7. The Combinedfleet explosive-motor-boat chronology places the EMB ramming at 26-13N, 127-50E (Nakagusuku Wan) on 4 May 1945, during the same night's EMB action engaged by USCG-manned PC-469.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1953

   Population

   Conversion workers (Matson Co., Nov 1942); Navy crew; Ulithi repair crews (May-Jul 1945); NDRF layup crews

   Limitations

   NavSource, Shipscribe, shipbuildinghistory, and Combinedfleet are compiled references (Shipscribe derives from BuShips and Auxiliary Vessels Board records), not government publications - the Matson Co. conversion, the 'repairs not completed' statement, and the pontoon-assembly identification rest on Shipscribe's notes; the sale/delivery chain is independently confirmed by MARAD primary cards. Shipscribe's '31 May 45' attack date conflicts with DANFS, the cruise-book caption, and the EMB chronology - see ev-06. No asbestos information in any of these sources; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-05

6. [6]DANFS Carina (AK-74) entry vs MARAD ShipHistory status cards/fields (Details 5742, 7566), Shipscribe AK-70 class tables and ship note, NavSource AK-74 page (incl. USS Granville cruise-book caption), Combinedfleet EMB chronology, mariners-l listing [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   MARAD status cards (bareboat delivery 11-20-42 11:30AM PWT; fleet entry 10-17-45 1:00PM PST; PURCH delivery 4-7-52 10:10AM PST; PDX-NO-509 opened 2/1/52); Shipscribe disposition table row AK-74 and ship note; DANFS spec block; NavSource spec/awards blocks

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Date/figure conflicts resolved or flagged. (a) Suicide-boat attack date: DANFS reads 4 May 1945; a NavSource photo caption sourced to the USS Granville (APA-171) cruise book reads 4 May 1945; the Combinedfleet explosive-motor-boat chronology places the ramming at 26-13N, 127-50E on 4 May 1945 during the same night's EMB action engaged by PC-469; Shipscribe's ship note prints '31 May 45' - carried as 4 May 1945, the Shipscribe date treated as an apparent transcription error (a mariners-l.co.uk entry prints '3.5.45', format-ambiguous). (b) Decommission date: DANFS and NavSource 16 Oct 1945 vs Shipscribe disposition table 17 Oct 1945; the primary MARAD card records physical delivery to the Laid Up Fleet at Suisun Bay 17 Oct 1945 1:00PM PST - consistent with decommissioning 16 Oct and custody transfer 17 Oct; carried as 1945-10-16 with the conflict documented. (c) Sale chain: PD-X-509 solicitation opened 1 Feb 1952 (MARAD sales card; NavSource 'sold for scrapping, 1 February 1952'); Shipscribe 'MA Sale' column prints 11 Feb 52 (award stage); MARAD card records physical delivery to National Metal & Steel Corp. at Suisun 7 Apr 1952 10:10AM PST; Shipscribe and NavSource record scrapping completed 20 Mar 1953 - the dates are sequential stages (solicitation/award/delivery/completion), not contradictions. (d) Complement: DANFS 198 vs NavSource 15 officers + 180 enlisted (195) vs Shipscribe class figures (133 in 1944; range 133-207) - DANFS carried. (e) Tulagi attack date: DANFS dates the Tulagi Harbor air attacks 3 Mar 1943 with six wounded; NavSource's awards block lists a Combat Action Ribbon for 'Tulagi, 23JAN43' and Purple Hearts '6-Tulagi, 23JAN44' - internally inconsistent dates flagged rather than reconciled (the six-wounded figure agrees with DANFS). (f) Speed: DANFS 12 k.; NavSource 12.5 kts (trial); HyperWar class data 11.5; MARAD card handwriting ambiguous (~11-12.5) - DANFS carried in spec context. (g) Armament: DANFS abbreviated spec '1 5", 1 3"' vs NavSource documented fit 1-5"/38, 1-3"/50, 2-40mm, 6-20mm - the DANFS block is an abbreviation, not a contradiction.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1952; 2026-09-21 (reconciliation)

   Limitations

   Corrects and reconciles conflicting secondary-source dates; does not itself bear on asbestos. Primary custody documents (MARAD cards) control the 17 Oct 1945 physical-delivery and 7 Apr 1952 sale-delivery dates; DANFS 16 Oct decommissioning is retained with its scope stated.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-06

7. [7]Batch-949 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; MARAD ShipHistory + status cards; Shipscribe; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory; Combinedfleet; CourtListener API (throttled) + Google-indexed CL corpus; NVR; marketing-page check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-carina-ak74-01 through sl-uss-carina-ak74-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Carina, SS David Davis, or AK-74 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Live CourtListener API v4 was rate-limited during research (HTTP 429 - shared authenticated 2,800/day quota exhausted, ~8,200 s retry-after; not retried to avoid a ban); Google-indexed CourtListener content for the ship's names and hull number shows only unrelated collisions (opinions involving other hulls - O'Neil v. Crane Co. re USS Oriskany; In re All Maine Asbestos Litigation (PNS Cases); Henderson/USS Barney DDG-6 removal notice; Holczer/USS Midway MDL-875 filings; Horton/USS Cascade AD-16 filing) and no vessel-related hit for Carina. Marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com, freeasbestostesting.com, duboselawfirm.com, gorilaw.com) list the ship with boilerplate claims and were excluded as non-authoritative - asbestos-ships.com asserts 'Everyone who served on the USS Carina (AK-74) inhaled the asbestos fibers and is at risk for developing cancers and lung diseases.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   2026-09-21

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942 emergency-built steamship is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The litigation check is a partial negative: CourtListener's own index was unreachable under rate limit, and only the Google-indexed subset of CL content was swept. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-07

8. [8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 24 (naval deck logs), RG 38 (war diaries), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov record-group guides

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds WWII conversion specifications and contract records that may document the November 1942 Matson Co. AK-conversion material scope for this hull (the class program called for deliberately minimal conversion) and the BuShips war-damage report series may hold the post-attack survey for the 4 May 1945 suicide-boat damage; RG 24 holds USS Carina deck logs and RG 38 holds WWII war diaries (operational detail - would also resolve the Tulagi attack-date conflict - not materials); RG 178 (USMC Construction Division) and RG 248 (WSA) hold MCE hull 502 construction/acquisition files; NDRF Suisun Bay Group records may hold layup condition surveys for the unrepaired hull.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1953 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for hull 502/AK-74 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-carina-ak74-08