Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 791-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-carondelet-ix136-pkt-791-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Carondelet II (IX-136)' - hazegray transcription mirror [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS IX-136 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Carondelet (II) (IX-136): built 1921 by Societa Esercizio Bacini, Riva Trigossa, Italy, as Brennero (later renamed Gold Heels); transferred from the War Shipping Administration 24 February 1944; commissioned 4 April 1944, Lieutenant W. W. Morphew, USNR, in command. Entire wartime service as station tanker in the Southwest Pacific and Philippines: Milne Bay, New Guinea, until 26 November 1944; Leyte December 1944 to 25 May 1945; Subic Bay, Luzon, 28 May to 12 September 1945; occasional voyages to refill tanks. Returned at Mobile, Ala., 22 January 1946; decommissioned and returned to the War Shipping Administration 25 February 1946. Statistics: dp. 4,500; l. 343'; b. 59'4"; dr. 25'10"; cpl. 152; a. 1 x 5".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1921-1946
- Population
- US Navy crew (152 per DANFS), 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Canonical NHHC URL for this DANFS entry returned 404 (standing NHHC link rot first noted in Batch-01); transcription mirror cited. Armament shown as '1 x 5"' conflicts with the class compilation's 1x4"/50 + 1x3"/50 + 8x20mm for IX-136 (ev-04) - the conflict is logged in gaps. No asbestos, materials, or insulation content - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-01
-
[3]Executive Order 9935, 16 March 1948 (3 CFR, 1943-1948 Comp., p. 692); Truman Library EO facsimile and American Presidency Project text [federal_register]
- Locator
- EO 9935 paragraph 1, vessel list: 'GOLD HEELS (ex. BRENNERO)'
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Executive Order 9935 (March 16, 1948), 'Directing the Transfer of Certain Vessels to the Government of Italy,' names GOLD HEELS (ex. BRENNERO) - this hull - among fourteen vessels 'under Italian registry and flag on September 1, 1939' whose US right, title, interest, and possession were transferred to Italy under the act of August 5, 1947 (P.L. 370, 80th Cong.). The order also provided 15 surplus Liberty ships to Italy as tonnage compensation for seized vessels lost in US service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1948
- Limitations
- Names this hull by its merchant name and former name - strongest available public record tying the ex-IX-136 hull to its disposition. Establishes the transfer authority only; physical delivery followed 27 Sep 1948 (MARAD card / ship-data compilation). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GOLD HEELS, Ship History Detail 1975, incl. digitized status card and GOLD HEELS.pdf [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1975, status card images 1975_3674AF.jpg / 1975_3674AB.jpg, document downloads
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for GOLD HEELS (Detail 1975): year built 1921, shipyard Societa Esercizio Bacini, type Tanker, 343.5 ft x 59.3 ft, 4,946 gross / 2,810 net tons, cargo capacity 55,336 bbls, fate 'Transferred - Foreign'. Digitized Reserve Fleet status card (vessel data, Mobile) reads 'ex CARONDELET', 'GOLD HEELS / FORMER BRENNERO IX-136', ownership WSA, built Italy 1921, DWT 7,156, entered fleet 2-25-46, fuel oil at entry 490 bbls, 'Entry inv. rec'd' noting Italian Government captain expected to take vessel by 9-17-48, 'Public Law 370-80th Congress' and 'Exec Order 9935 / Transfer Italy 3-16-48' cited on card, withdrawn from fleet 9-27-48. Card back: '4945 gr. / 2809 net / IHP 1800 / 2 WTB / FORMELY ITALIAN / Cond. Report in File.' GOLD HEELS.pdf document repeats the Executive Order (6/6/41) takeover authority and the 2-2-42 Hoboken, N.J. general-agency assignment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- NDRF/WSA custodial crews, Mobile 1946-1948; Italian Government delivery crew 1948
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody record; status-card handwriting partially OCR-aided (a few entries illegible). Database 'Specific Type' field reads 'LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' - a cataloging artifact for a 1921 steam tanker, disregarded. Card documents a 'Cond. Report in File' (condition report) that is not itself digitized. No asbestos or materials content - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-03
-
[5]Shipscribe.com, 'USS Ex-Italian Tankers (IX-132 etc.)' class/ship notes compiled from official records (Auxiliary Vessels Board minutes, Ships' Data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class notes and Ship Notes row for IX-136 (CARONDELET)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-data compilation (shipscribe.com, 'USS Ex-Italian Tankers IX-132 etc.', drawing on Auxiliary Vessels Board minutes and Ships' Data): for IX-136 Carondelet - keel 3 May 1919, launched 28 July 1921, in service 10 October 1921 as Italian Navy oiler Brennero; taken over by the Maritime Commission 30 October 1941 at New York under the Executive Order of 6 June 1941 (EO 8771); acquired by the Navy at Brisbane, Australia; mercantile Gold Heels (MC) 1946; delivered to Italian Government 27 September 1948, to Italian Navy as Brennero; stricken by Italian Navy 1 August 1954. Specs for IX-136: 11,760t full load; 343.0' oa x 328' wl x 59.3' x 24.8' full load; 3,200 hp, 10.0 kts, 1 screw, vertical triple expansion; group armament 1-4"/50 + 1-3"/50 + 8-20mm. Class notes: on 12 Oct 43 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended acquisition of 15 old WSA tankers (over half ex-Italian) for floating storage at advanced Pacific bases with 'only minimum repairs for service ... and no conversion features'; VCNO letter 14 Oct 43 described the ships' use as mobile floating storage, not cargo transport; 19 Oct 43 VCNO directed Area 1-A merchant-practice armament and 4-inch/6-inch filling hose. Brennero was unusual: former Italian Navy ship, engines amidships, and fitted with the Pugliese underwater side-protection system visible as external bulges - the full-scale test ship for the system later built into 1930s Italian battleships.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1919-1954
- Population
- US Navy crew, 1944-1946; merchant crews under WSA, 1941-1944
- Limitations
- Specialist compilation from official sources (AVB minutes, Ships' Data, NARA-derived), not itself a government publication - hence partial. Launch date conflicts with Italian archival register (28 Jul vs Aug 1921); armament conflicts with DANFS '1 x 5"' - both conflicts logged in gaps. 'Acquired at Brisbane' is the custody location per this source; DANFS does not state the commissioning location. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-04
-
[6]FRUS 1941 vol. I (State Dept. Office of the Historian, Acting Secretary to Ambassador Phillips, 30 Mar 1941, and related notes); naviearmatori.net Brennero registry entry (Archivio P. Berti); United States v. the San Leonardo, 51 F. Supp. 107 (E.D.N.Y. 1942) for class-of-event context [other_primary]
- Locator
- FRUS telegram 218 (30 Mar 1941); https://www.naviearmatori.net/ita/foto-43862-4.html registry block; 51 F. Supp. 107 seizure narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Seizure record: FRUS documents that on 30 March 1941 the US Coast Guard placed 28 Italian merchant vessels in US ports under protective control after receiving reports of ordered crew sabotage. An Italian shipping archival register (naviearmatori.net, Archivio P. Berti) records Brennero confiscated at New York 30 March 1941, crew of 36 men and 6 officers interned; prior register entries: Regia Marina 1921-1926, Soc. Naz. Olii Minerali di Milano 1926-1929, Garibaldi cooperative Genoa (matricola Ge 1588) 1929-1941; renamed Gold Heels under Panamanian flag 1941. Federal seizure proceedings context appears in United States v. the San Leonardo, 51 F. Supp. 107 (E.D.N.Y. 1942), describing protective custody followed by Maritime Commission requisition under the Act of June 6, 1941.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Italian merchant crew (42 interned); USCG boarding teams
- Limitations
- FRUS establishes the 28-vessel seizure event but does not name Brennero; the hull-specific detail (New York, 30 Mar 1941, crew interned) rests on a specialist Italian archival register - hence partial. San Leonardo describes the seizure machinery for the vessel class, not this hull. Whether Brennero was among the sabotaged ships is not documented - crews were interned either way. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-05
-
[7]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; AVB policy per ev-04
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/context inference only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulating material in US WWII shipbuilding and aboard wartime government-operated vessels, the program under which this hull (as Gold Heels, WSA/Keystone 1941-44, then USS Carondelet IX-136, 1944-46) was operated, crewed, and minimally repaired. A 1921 steam tanker with vertical triple-expansion machinery and water-tube boilers falls inside the era when marine boiler, steam-line, gasket, and packing materials commonly contained asbestos; the Auxiliary Vessels Board's 'minimum repairs, no conversion' policy means this hull saw less wartime yard rework than a typical combatant.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1941-1946 (US operation); construction era 1919-1921 undocumented
- Population
- Shipboard crews and repair workers, 1941-1946 (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The cited scholarship addresses US WWII shipbuilding; the hull's 1921 Italian construction practice is undocumented in consulted sources (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-06
-
[8]Batch-4706 search ledger (this record): DANFS/hazegray; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1975 + status card + documents; shipscribe IX-132-class compilation; FRUS; EO 8771/EO 9935; naviearmatori registry; NavSource capture; CourtListener name/hull/asbestos queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-carondelet-ix136-01 through sl-uss-carondelet-ix136-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition-report materials statement, or docketed asbestos case naming Brennero, Gold Heels, or USS Carondelet (IX-136) 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 1921 steam tanker is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull's 1948 departure from US custody predates asbestos-survey practice. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-07
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs), RG 178, RG 248; MARAD status-card annotation; Marina Militare historical office [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24/178/248 guides; MARAD card field notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS Carondelet (IX-136), Apr 1944-Feb 1946, may document repairs/material disturbance; (b) NARA RG 178 (US Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) vessel files covering the 1941 takeover and the Keystone Shipping GAA; (c) MARAD vessel file - the status card annotates 'Cond. Report in File,' indicating a 1946-48 condition survey exists in the undigitized jacket; (d) Marina Militare Ufficio Storico records for Brennero (1921-26 oiler service and 1948-54 second commission).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1919-1954 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 opinion/docket search, queries 'USS Carondelet', 'Carondelet', 'IX-136', 'Gold Heels' tanker, 'Carondelet' asbestos [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-carondelet-ix136-07, -08, -09, -13, -14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener search (API v4, authenticated, 2026-09-29): opinion search 'USS Carondelet' returned 0 results; opinion search 'Carondelet' returned 1,512 results, all name collisions - Carondelet Health Network / Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital (Arizona medical/hospital litigation) and Carondelet Savings & Loan / Carondelet Foundation (Missouri financial litigation); opinion search 'IX-136' returned 3 token-level collisions (Guzman v. Boeing; Mallouf v. Fontenot; Hart v. O'Brien) with no vessel reference; 'Carondelet' asbestos queries returned 3 opinions and 144 dockets, all incidental 'Carondelet Ave.' counsel addresses (Clayton/St. Louis, MO) or unrelated party names (e.g., Carondelet Court Partners LP) - none names the vessel. One merchant-name query ('Gold Heels' tanker) was blocked by fleet pacing budget (sl-14). No qualifying asbestos litigation located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - absence of a docketed opinion does not exclude unfiled, settled, sealed, or non-digitized claims (e.g., state asbestos dockets not captured, or trust claims). 'Carondelet' is a high-collision name (hospital network, savings bank); classification applied collision review.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-carondelet-ix136-09