USS Caswell (AKA-72)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - cargo ships, attack (AKA) section, per-hull rows for CASWELL AKA-72 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 AKA tables pp. 130-135 (dimensions, limiting/accommodations, machinery, armament/cargo, construction rows for CASWELL AKA-72, line item 21; index 'Caswell (ex-M.C. Hull 1402) - AKA 72. Auxiliary-Cargo, Attack. 130')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for CASWELL AKA-72 (ex-M.C. Hull 1402), line item 21 in the AKA tables: 459'2" overall / 435'0" waterline; beam 63'0"; 26'4" limiting draft; 16.5 knots trial; 13,910 tons trial displacement / 14,160 tons limiting; accommodations 62 officers + 333 enlisted; largest boom 35 tons; machinery 1 General Electric turbine ('do' = ditto class row), 6,000 shp, single propeller, with 2 Foster-Wheeler header-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin 40mm; cargo 380,000 cu ft non-refrigerated / 7,840 total cargo tons / 5,275 DWT; builder North Carolina S.B. Co., Wilmington, N.C.; acquired 27 Nov 1944; year built 1944; first commission 13 Dec 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945

   Limitations

   Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant (Foster-Wheeler boilers, distinguishing this hull from sister Tolland's Babcock & Wilcox fit), manning, builder, and acquisition. OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS, NavSource, and MARAD. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-01

2. [2]DANFS, 'Caswell (AKA-72)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (verbatim transcription via hazegray DANFS mirror, transcribed 1999-03-01; live NHHC URL returns 404 - standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text (hazegray mirror aka72.htm); spec line '(AKA-72: dp. 6,318 l.; l. 459'2"; b. 63'; dr. 26'4"; s. 16 k.; cpl. 395; a. 1 x 5"; cl. Tolland)'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC records: Caswell - 'a county in North Carolina' - launched 24 Oct 1944 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. W. H. Williamson; acquired by the Navy 27 Nov 1944; commissioned 13 Dec 1944, Lt. Comdr. F. M. Diffley, USNR, in command. Cleared Bayonne, N.J., 16 Jan 1945 for the Panama Canal and Guadalcanal, arriving 14 Feb; a month of training preceded her departure combat-loaded for the Okinawa beaches; sailing with the Northern Attack Force she arrived for the initial landings 1 Apr and remained off the beaches for the next week, landing cargo to support the 6th Marines in their rapid advance across the Motobu Peninsula; cleared Okinawa 9 Apr for overhaul and replenishment at Pearl Harbor. Returning to the west coast she loaded cargo for Okinawa, arrived 5 Aug, then began a series of cargo and troop movements throughout the Far East - Philippines, China, Japan - until 7 Dec, when she cleared Sasebo for San Diego. Between 23 Feb and 2 May 1946 she carried cargo from San Francisco to China, returning to Norfolk, Va., decommissioning 19 Jun 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission two days later. One battle star for WWII service. Spec line: 'dp. 6,318 l. 459'2" b. 63' dr. 26'4" s. 16 k. cpl. 395 a. 1 x 5" cl. Tolland.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Wartime crew (395 accommodations per SDB/DANFS/NavSource) plus embarked troops; shipyard workforces at North Carolina Shipbuilding Wilmington (1944), Charleston Navy Yard (Nov-Dec 1944 conversion), and Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth (Dec 1944-Jan 1945 post-shakedown availability, per war diary)

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot); the hazegray transcription is the verbatim DANFS text. The entry omits the laid-down date, the Charleston Navy Yard conversion and ferry commission (documented by shipscribe ship note and the ship's own war diary), and the Norfolk Navy Yard post-shakedown availability; its 'overhaul and replenishment at Pearl Harbor' overstates what the war diary documents (alongside-berth crew repainting and stevedore loading - see ev-07).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Caswell (AKA-72), file 10/02/02072 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 02072.htm - specifications block, campaign table, occupation/China-service table, awards ribbon list, merchant-service section, CO list (LCDR Diffley 13 Dec 1944-), photo caption NH 91139

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: Tolland Class Attack Cargo Ship; MC type C2-S-AJ3, MC hull 1402, North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington; laid down 1944; launched 24 Oct 1944; acquired 27 Nov 1944; commissioned 13 Dec 1944 (LCDR F. M. Diffley USNR). Units: TransRon Twenty (COMO H. W. Graf USN) / TransDiv Sixty (CAPT A. T. Moen USN). Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation, 1-9 Apr 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal 2 Sep-12 Oct 1945 and 28 Nov-8 Dec 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 13-24 Nov 1945 and 14 Mar-3 Apr 1946. Decommissioned 19 Jun 1946 at Norfolk; returned to the Maritime Commission 21 Jun 1946; struck from the Naval Register 'date unknown'; one battle star WWII. Merchant chain: sold 23 Jun 1947 to South Atlantic SS Line (SS Southwind); sold 1955 to United States Lines; renamed SS American Surveyor 18 May 1961; returned to MARAD 7 Jun 1963 for layup NDRF James River, Lee Hall, Va.; sold 10 Aug 1973 to Northern Metal Co. (non-transportation use), presumed scrapped. Spec block: 8,635 t light / 13,910 fl / 14,160 lim; 459'2" x 63' x 26'4"; 16.5 kt; 62 off + 333 enl; boom 35 t; armament 1x5"/38 DP + 4 twin 40mm + 16 single 20mm; boats 14 LCVP + 8 LCM; cargo 5,275 DWT / 380,000 cu ft non-refrig; fuel 10,425 bbls NSFO + 805 diesel; propulsion 1 GE geared turbine, 2 Foster and Wheeler header-type boilers 450 psi/750 deg F, double GE main reduction gears, 3 ship's-service generators 300 kW 120/240 V DC, single propeller 6,000 shp. Radio call sign NHIN; photo NH 91139 (Camouflage Measure 32, Design 6AO, circa 1944).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1973

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with DANFS/SDB/MARAD/war diary on the main chain. 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' is superseded by shipscribe's 3 Jul 1946 register strike (see ev-05). Spec-block variances logged in gaps: boats '14 LCVP + 8 LCM' vs class fitted allowance '15 LCVP + 8 LCM + 1 LCL' (shipscribe); displacement '8,635 lt' vs shipscribe class '6,318 light' - different measures/basis. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CASWELL (AKA-72) Ship History Detail 838 and AMERICAN SURVEYOR Ship History Detail 227, incl. five legible status-card scans (Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card 838_1502AF; berthing annotation 838_1502AB; Vessel Status Card 16J_01/16J_02; Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars card 227_425AF) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 838 (milestones, status cards 838_1502AF/1502AB/16J_01/16J_02/5a7ecf38) and Detail 227 (name history, milestones, card 227_425AF, documents AMERICAN SURVEYOR.pdf/SOUTHWIND.pdf)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory registry records for this hull: Year Built 1944; U.S. Official No. 252356; Shipyard 'North Carolina Shipbuilding Company'; General Type General Cargo; Specific Type Break Bulk; MARAD Type C2-S-AJ3; 459.10-459.16 ft x 63 ft; 8,258 gross tons; Displacement (Summer) 13,910 / (Lightweight) 8,635; fate 'Sold - NTU' (Detail 838) / 'Sold - Scrap' (Detail 227); name history 1944-1947 Caswell (AKA-72), 1947-1960 Southwind, 1960-1973 American Surveyor; missions listed WWII and Vietnam War. Milestones: transferred to U.S. Navy upon completion 27 Nov 1944; returned to USMC custody and entered Lee Hall (James River) reserve fleet 21 Jun 1946; removed from fleet and towed to Bath Iron Works for military-to-civilian conversion 6 Dec 1946; sold to South Atlantic Steamship Co. and renamed South Wind 23 Jun 1947; name changed South Wind -> American Surveyor 18 May 1961; deactivated and entered James River Reserve Fleet 7 Jun 1963; withdrawn following scrap sale 10 Aug 1973; delivered to Northern Metal Company to be scrapped 28 Aug 1973. Status-card detail adds: type C2-S-AJ3, MC Hull No. 1402, 'Built by N. Carolina SB Co. #147 At Wilmington, NC, Completed 11-27-44'; 'Basis to W.S.A. 11-27-44 2:00PM EWT @ Wilmington, NC del. by Builders to USMC' and '6-21-46 1:40PM EDT @ Lee Hall, Va. from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; allocation rows - Navy Dept. (del. by USMC) LB Wilmington 11-27-44 2:00PM EWT; Reserve Fleet Lee Hall 6-21-46 1:40PM EDT; Wood Towing Corp. (for towing to Hampton Roads) Spec. Towing Lee Hall 12-6-46 12:30PM EST; Moran Towing & Transp. Co. (towing to Bath, Maine) Newport News 12-26-46 1PM EST; Bath Iron Works 'Reconversion' Bath, Me. 12-31-46 4:45PM EST; Moran Towing (towing to E. Boston, Mass.) GAA Bath 6-6-47 2PM EDT; Bethlehem Steel Co. (Simpsons Yard) 'Reconversion' E. Boston 6-7-47 10:30AM EDT; South Atlantic SS Line GAA Boston 6-20-47 12:01am EDT and Purch. Boston 6-23-47 11:52AM EDT ('Title passed 6/23/47 10:52 AM EST at Savannah; NOW SOUTHWIND'); card reverse - 'Sold to United States Lines Co. 12-55'; Maritime Administration Title 'On Voyage' 9-7-60 12:00 Noon EST and U.S. Lines Co. BB(UCA) same datetime (trade-in/use-agreement transaction); 'Renamed AMERICAN SURVEYOR 5-18-61'; Reserve Fleet (Deactivated) James River 6-7-63 11:00am EDST; Northern Metal Company (Nontransportation Use) Purchase James River 8/10/73; 'Physically Delivered' 8/28/73 12:30 Pm EDT. Reserve Fleet vessel-data card: fleet/unit 'JR S-12', hull no. 1402, status 'RECON.', date entered fleet 6-21-46, date withdrawn 12-6-46 'Delivered to OPERATIONS - NORFOLK', red-pencil 'Rec'd for Recon 12/4/46' and 'Bath Iron Works'; annotation strip 'channel side head up alongside Lenoir' (moored beside sister USS Lenoir AKA-74). 1963 Reserve Fleet particulars card (Form MA-383): ex-names Southwind/Caswell, 'Turbine C2-S-AJ3', hull 'MC-1402 Blds.147', service prior to layup 'United States Lines Co. Use Agreement', title 'Trade-in & Build USMA Reimbursable', entered James River 6-7-63 1100 EDST, arrival draft fwd 5'05" aft 15'04", damages/specifications note 'Converted to C2-S-AJ1', LOA 459'1" x 63', 8,258 gross, 10,775 DWT, 15.5 knots, 12 passengers, withdrawn 8-28-73 1230 EDT - 'Sold for Nontransportation use under PD-X-961, 8-10-73 to Northern Metals Co. for $79,050.00.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1973

   Population

   James River Reserve Fleet caretakers (Jun-Dec 1946 and 1963-1973); Wood Towing Corp. and Moran Towing & Transp. Co. tow crews (Dec 1946, Jun 1947); Bath Iron Works reconversion workforce (Dec 1946-Jun 1947); Bethlehem Steel Simpsons Yard reconversion workforce (Jun 1947); merchant crews 1947-1963; Northern Metal Co. scrap workers (1973)

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD registry plus legible status-card scans (pencil annotations partially interpretive). Registry 'fate' fields differ between the two detail records ('Sold - NTU' vs 'Sold - Scrap') - both describe the same 1973 Northern Metal non-transportation sale; the MA-383 card supplies the price and program authority. Name-history year '1960' for American Surveyor vs milestone rename 5-18-1961 - milestone controls. 'Converted to C2-S-AJ1' on the particulars card records a post-conversion type re-rating, not a second hull. Vietnam War mission listing is unexplained registry data (the hull was in merchant service through 1963 and NDRF 1963-1973; no reactivation documented). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-04

5. [5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Tolland (AKA-64) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKA-64 class page: characteristics block, class notes (JCS/MC program history, Charleston vs. New York/Baltimore completion split, landing-craft allowance), construction table (AKA-72 row: acq. 27 Nov 44, keel 25 Aug 44, launch 24 Oct 44, comm. 13 Dec 44), disposition table (AKA-72 row: decomm. 19 Jun 46, strike 3 Jul 46, disp. 21 Jun 46, MA sale 23 Jun 47), ship notes (AKA-72: ferry comm. 27-29 Nov 44; NYd Charleston conversion; Southwind; NDRF 1963; MA sale 1973)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class tables and ship notes: CASWELL AKA-72 (MC hull 1402) acquired 27 Nov 44, North Carolina SB, keel 25 Aug 44, launched 24 Oct 44, commissioned 13 Dec 44; ship note 'Ferry comm. 27-29 Nov 44. Converted by NYd Charleston (S.C.). Merc. SOUTHWIND 1947. To NDRF 7 Jun 63 as AMERICAN SURVEYOR. Sold by MA 10 Aug 73, to buyer 28 Aug 73.' Disposition row: decommissioned 19 Jun 46, strike 3 Jul 46, disposal 21 Jun 46 'MC/D' (Maritime Commission disposal), MA Sale 23 Jun 47. Class-level context: the 24 C2-S-AJ3 AKAs (AKA 64-87) were ordered under the 9 Nov 43 JCS request for 30 standard AKAs, plus eight more (AKA 101-108) under the 6 Jun 44 program modification; AKA 64-75 and 101-104 were acquired substantially complete and ferried under their own power to the Charleston Navy Yard for conversion, while AKA 76-87 and 105-108 were acquired incomplete and towed to New York/Baltimore repair yards for completion; class landing-craft allowance as fitted 8 LCMs, 15 LCVPs, 1 LCL launch; class data - 6,318 t light / 14,160 t lim, 459.2' oa x 63.0' x 26.4' lim, 16.5 kts, 6,000 HP GE turbine 1 screw.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1973

   Population

   North Carolina Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944); Charleston Navy Yard conversion workforce (Nov-Dec 1944)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with DANFS/SDB/MARAD. Its class-level light displacement (6,318 t) differs from NavSource's 8,635 t light - different measures/basis, logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-05

6. [6]USS Caswell (AKA-72) War Diary / History and Action Reports, December 1944 to December 1945 (70-page scan hosted by NavSource, courtesy Frank Gerhardt): monthly war diaries to Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet, an 'Outline History' narrative, and Okinawa anti-aircraft action report forms - the ship's own contemporaneous records (NARA RG 38 content in private-custody scan form) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource-hosted 70-page PDF 02072a.pdf: Dec 1944 war diary (commissioning, Charleston yard work, grounding); Jan 1945 diary (Norfolk Navy Yard availability 2-7 Jan; Bayonne cargo); Feb-Mar 1945 (Guadalcanal, Ulithi staging, typhoon boat loss); Apr 1945 (Okinawa day-by-day; Pearl Harbor arrival 24 Apr); May 1945 (PH repaint/load, SF/Seattle); Jun 1945 (Seattle #2-hold fire 16 Jun); Jul-Aug 1945 (Eniwetok/Ulithi/Okinawa); Sep 1945 (Jinsen; Taku Bar); Oct 1945 (Manila, Subic, Hong Kong-Chinwangtao lift, boiler tube casualty 28 Oct); Nov 1945 (Kowloon-Tsingtao lift; 22 Nov departure; mines; 26 Nov reversal to Sasebo); Dec 1945 (boat-pool transfer, 7 Dec departure, San Diego/San Francisco); Outline History pp.; Okinawa AA action report forms 5-6 Apr 1945

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own war diaries and outline history document: commission 0900 13 Dec 1944 at dock 24, Charleston Navy Yard, Capt. G. E. Baker (Captain of the Yard) commissioning officer, LCDR F. M. Diffley USNR assuming command; prospective CO/department heads/key ratings assembled at the building yard, main crew ~2 months at Newport, R.I. training station, boat group at Ft. Pierce, Fla.; outfitting at Charleston Navy Yard through 15 Dec and stores at Clyde Mallory Docks; deperming and structural test firing 18-19 Dec (640 rds 20mm, 64 rds 40mm, 8 rds 5"/38); yard workers completing installations and alterations through 26 Dec; moored port side to sister USS Lenoir (AKA-74) at pier 24; departed Charleston 26 Dec for Norfolk (ComPhibTraLant); shakedown Chesapeake Bay incl. soft-grounding off Cape Charles City 30 Dec (no damage, tug Acushnet assisted); returned to Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, berth 1A, yard workers completing installations and alterations 2-7 Jan 1945; NOB Norfolk 7-8 Jan; NSD Bayonne 9-16 Jan loading 2,498 tons dry stores/beer/general stores (monthly diary; outline history says 2,408 - variance flagged); departed 16 Jan TU 29.6.8 with USS M. J. Manuel (DE-351); Canal transit 21-22 Jan, Balboa; departed 24 Jan alone for Guadalcanal; anchored off Lunga Point 14 Feb, assigned TransDiv 35/TransRon 12, Fifth Fleet; Tulagi unloading; combat load completed 28 Feb (2,185 tons for the Sixth Marine Division); maneuvers TG 53.1; TG 51.11 to Ulithi 15-21 Mar; departed Ulithi 27 Mar TU 53.1.2 for Okinawa (attack order ComPhibGroup 4 A405-45, OTC USS Panamint AGC-13); typhoon-edge roll 30-35 deg night of 30-31 Mar carried away boat skids at #5 hatch (faulty welding) - one LCM(3) and one nested LCVP lost overboard, one Marine injured; transport area 0500 1 Apr - a twin-engine bomber passed <50 yds to starboard; unloading 1-9 Apr amid daily air alerts, smoke screens, and the 6 Apr mass kamikaze raid (~600 planes estimated) - ship fired on a Zeke believed hit (crashed ~1 mile south), her LCM(3) #4 credited with downing a Val that barely missed a hospital ship, and a small boat recovered a dead Val pilot; ammo expended 6 Apr: 230 rds 20mm, 152 rds 40mm, 4 rds 5"/38; shifted berth ~7 miles up-beach with USS Aquarius (AKA-16) 7 Apr; unloading complete 0155 9 Apr; departed TU 51.29.11 for Saipan, routed to Pearl Harbor arriving 24 Apr (berth X-15; crew repainting the entire ship; stevedores loading 10-14 May - no yard overhaul documented); departed 14 May for San Francisco (arrived ~20 May, unloaded to 28 May); Seattle 31 May pier 37, then Smith Cove A-12 and pier 88; loading garrison cargo when fire broke out in #2 hold lower tween deck 16 Jun 1050 - Seattle Fire Department and Coast Guard fire boats assisted; access holes cut in the starboard shell, watertight bulkhead frame #66, and lower-tween-deck overhead to lead hoses; extinguished 1335, cause undetermined, no casualties, slight material damage; departed Seattle 20 Jun; Eniwetok 3 Jul; Ulithi 17-29 Jul; Okinawa K-16 Machinata 5 Aug unloading; departed 8 Aug for Saipan; Saipan 8-29 Aug; convoy SOK-32 to Okinawa; loaded at Naha through 10 Sep; Jinsen, Korea 13-15 Sep; Okinawa loading at Hagushi and Nago Wan 18-26 Sep (fuel from USS Saranac AO-74 alongside); departed 26 Sep TG 78.1/TransRon 17/TransDiv 69 (OTC USS Chilton APA-38) for Taku Bar off Tientsin; anchored 30 Sep, unloaded 4-6 Oct; departed 9 Oct TU 78.13.9 for Manila; Manila Bay 15 Oct; Subic Bay boat-pool exchange 18 Oct (received three LCM(6)s, delivered one LCVP); departed Manila 20 Oct for Hong Kong (OTC USS Randall APA-224); Holt's Wharf #2 Kowloon 23 Oct - embarked Chinese Army troops/equipment; departed 24 Oct for Chinwangtao; ruptured tube in #2 (port) boiler 28 Oct - dropped out of formation on #1 boiler, #2 relit and back on line 29 Oct; Chinwangtao Road 30 Oct - moored to breakwater, debarked Chinese Army; departed 31 Oct for Kowloon; Junk Bay/Holt's Wharf 6-8 Nov - embarked 1,022 troops and officers; departed 8 Nov for Tsingtao; anchored Tsingtao Outer Harbor 14-21 Nov; embarked 69 officers and men for CONUS transport 21 Nov; departed Tsingtao 22 Nov for Seattle via Guam; sank three floating mines by gunfire 23 Nov; reversed course 26 Nov per ComWesSeaFron orders to Sasebo via Okinawa Shima (fueled alongside USS Kangaroo IX-121 at Naha 28 Nov); anchored Sasebo berth #19 30 Nov; transferred 12 LCVPs and 8 LCMs to the Sasebo boat pool 1-2 Dec; departed Sasebo 7 Dec for San Diego; sank a net buoy by gunfire 16 Dec; San Diego 22 Dec; San Francisco Bay 27 Dec 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Ship's wartime crew and embarked troops; Charleston Navy Yard outfitting/conversion workforce (Nov-Dec 1944); Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth workforce (Dec 1944-Jan 1945); NSD Bayonne stevedores (Jan 1945); Pearl Harbor berth-side work party (Apr-May 1945); Seattle stevedores and Seattle FD/Coast Guard fire-response personnel (Jun 1945); Sasebo boat-pool personnel (Dec 1945)

   Limitations

   The ship's own contemporaneous records - the strongest available service source for this hull, independently expanding on DANFS (Charleston conversion period detail, Norfolk Navy Yard post-shakedown availability, day-by-day Okinawa narrative, China lifts, the Seattle hold fire, the at-sea boiler casualty, the Sasebo boat-pool transfer, and the course reversal that explains the homeward routing). Scan is hosted on NavSource (private-custody courtesy scan, not the NARA original); OCR used for review is imperfect (names and some figures garbled - e.g., the alongside ship at Pearl Harbor berth X-15 renders 'ALCAZAR'; 2,498 vs 2,408 tons internal variance flagged). Scan covers Dec 1944-Dec 1945 only; Jan-Jun 1946 movements known only from DANFS. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - war diaries do not record hull materials; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution: DANFS (hazegray mirror transcription) and NavSource vs. the ship's own war diaries/outline history (NavSource-hosted scan 02072a.pdf), shipscribe disposition table, and MARAD status-card scans [other_primary]

   Locator

   War diary Dec 1944 pp. (Charleston yard work, pier 24 alongside Lenoir); Jan 1945 pp. (Norfolk Navy Yard 2-7 Jan; Bayonne 2,498 t); Outline History pp. II-III (2,408 t; Pearl Harbor repaint); Apr-May 1945 pp. (berth X-15); Oct-Nov 1945 pp.; shipscribe disposition table (AKA-72 row); MARAD cards; HyperWar ships/AKA/AKA-72 page

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The contemporaneous record sharpens or corrects the secondary narrative for this hull: (a) DANFS omits the Charleston Navy Yard conversion entirely - the war diary places the ship at the yard from commissioning through 26 Dec 1944 with yard workers 'completing installations and alterations,' matching shipscribe's 'Converted by NYd Charleston (S.C.)' and the 27-29 Nov ferry commission; (b) DANFS 'cleared Bayonne, N.J., 16 January 1945' compresses a Norfolk Navy Yard post-shakedown availability - the diary documents yard workers aboard at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, 2-7 Jan 1945, before the Bayonne cargo load; (c) DANFS 'overhaul and replenishment at Pearl Harbor' overstates what the diary documents - moored at berth X-15 24 Apr-14 May with the crew repainting the entire ship and stevedores loading cargo, no yard overhaul recorded; (d) internal scan variance - the monthly war diary reports 2,498 tons loaded at Bayonne while the ship's own outline history says 2,408 tons (both figures logged); (e) NavSource 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' is resolved by shipscribe's disposition table (strike 3 Jul 1946) consistent with the class register pattern; (f) HyperWar's compilation labels this hull 'Andromeda class Attack Cargo Ship' - wrong class (she is Tolland class per DANFS spec line, NavSource, shipscribe, MARAD, and SDB); (g) NavSource 'boats 14 LCVP + 8 LCM' vs shipscribe class fitted allowance '8 LCM, 15 LCVP, 1 LCL' - hull-level fit unverified, though the diary documents 12 LCVPs + 8 LCMs transferred to the Sasebo boat pool Dec 1945; (h) MARAD name-history '1947-1960 Southwind' vs milestone rename 18 May 1961 - milestone controls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies in the secondary narrative against the ship's own records; the OCR'd figures carry residual scan-ambiguity and are flagged, not silently harmonized. None of these variances affects identity or the custody chain. No asbestos content in any source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-07

8. [8]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + MC C2-S-AJ3 type data (MARAD registry; shipscribe AKA-64 class page) + documented repair/conversion/layup events (war diary; MARAD status cards) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery table, AKA section (CASWELL row); MARAD Detail 227/838 + status-card scans (reconversion and custody rows); war-diary entries for the documented events; DANFS disposal narrative

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The documented machinery plant of this hull - one GE geared steam turbine (6,000 shp, single screw) on two Foster-Wheeler header-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F, with three 300 kW ship's-service generators - is of the type whose boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine and turbo-generator lagging, gaskets, packing, and accommodation insulation were commonly asbestos-containing in WWII naval and Maritime Commission construction. Documented disturbance windows aboard this hull: 1944 construction at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington; Charleston Navy Yard AKA conversion and outfitting (Nov-Dec 1944); Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth post-shakedown availability (2-7 Jan 1945); Pearl Harbor alongside-berth repaint/load (Apr-May 1945); Seattle #2-hold fire and structural access-cutting repair (16 Jun 1945); at-sea #2-boiler tube rupture and relight (28-29 Oct 1945); Sasebo landing-craft transfer (Dec 1945); James River reserve-fleet layup at Lee Hall (Jun-Dec 1946, berthed alongside sister Lenoir); Bath Iron Works military-to-civilian reconversion (Dec 1946-Jun 1947); Bethlehem Steel Simpsons Yard reconversion, East Boston (Jun 1947); ~16 years merchant service as Southwind/American Surveyor incl. the documented C2-S-AJ1 re-rating (1947-1963); James River NDRF layup (1963-1973); scrapping by Northern Metal Co. (1973).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1973

   Population

   Construction trades at North Carolina Shipbuilding Wilmington (1944); Charleston Navy Yard conversion workforce (Nov-Dec 1944); Norfolk Navy Yard workforce (Jan 1945); Pearl Harbor berth-side workers (Apr-May 1945); wartime crew and embarked troops; Seattle fire/repair responders (Jun 1945); ship's engineering crew during the Oct 1945 boiler casualty; James River Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946, 1963-1973); Bath Iron Works and Bethlehem Simpsons Yard reconversion workforces (1946-47); merchant crews (1947-1963); Northern Metal scrap workers (1973)

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and documented repair/conversion/layup events - NOT a hull record: no source located states that asbestos was installed, remained, or was disturbed aboard this specific hull. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caswell-aka72-08

9. [9]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 Maritime Commission construction program under which this C2-S-AJ3 attack cargo ship was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   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 class 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-caswell-aka72-09

10. [10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

    Locator

    PubMed record PMID 21016030 (verified via NCBI eutils esummary); article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    survey ~1944-45; published 1946

    Population

    WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

    Limitations

    Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether North Carolina Shipbuilding or the Charleston/Norfolk Navy Yards were among the surveyed sites is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-caswell-aka72-10

11. [11]Batch-1054 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray mirror (live NHHC 404); NavSource 02072 + hosted war-diary/action-report scan 02072a.pdf; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 838 + 227 with five legible status-card scans; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe AKA-64 class page; CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps; indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NVR; NARA record-group guides; HyperWar compilation [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-caswell-aka72-01 through sl-uss-caswell-aka72-17

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Caswell / AKA-72 / MC hull 1402 / SS Southwind / SS American Surveyor was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API sweeps (2026-09-22): 'USS Caswell' 0 opinions and 0 dockets; 'AKA-72' and 'AKA 72' 0; 'Caswell' + asbestos returned 33 opinions and 140 dockets, all name collisions - Caswell Center (a North Carolina state facility) premises-exposure cases (Stroud, Austin, Mauldin, Pope v. Manville), plaintiff-surname Caswell asbestos dockets (e.g., CASWELL v. FIBREBOARD CORPORATION, CASWELL v. A-C PRODUCT LIABILITY TRUST), and county/person-name references; 'Southwind' asbestos hits are a different vessel (Westwind Africa Line M/S Southwind litigation incl. the 1977 MR-GO collision) and Loeber v. United States (a non-asbestos admiralty personal-injury case); 'American Surveyor' hits unrelated; 'South Atlantic Steamship' hits are operator-level labor cases, not vessel asbestos. The VA BVA index surfaced no decision naming the ship via indexed-web checking. Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com dedicated hull page - which even misstates the CO's initials and claims every crewman inhaled asbestos; simmonsfirm.com navy-ships list entry) name the hull without primary support - excluded as a source class per the no-law-firm-sources rule. The ship's own war diaries/action reports (retrieved, 70 pp.) contain no asbestos or insulation-material statements.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2026-09-22

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 geared-turbine steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the documented conversion, yard availability, fire repair, boiler casualty, reconversion, layup, merchant-service, and disposal phases are undocumented disturbance windows. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-caswell-aka72-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - war diaries/action reports), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); MARAD ShipHistory documents section for this hull [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/038.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/838 and /Detail/227 (status-card and document scans)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Caswell 1944-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); the ship's war diaries and action reports (RG 38 - the NavSource-hosted 70-page scan covers Dec 1944-Dec 1945; archival originals may carry Jan-Jun 1946 months covering the documented Feb-May 1946 San Francisco-China cargo run and the Norfolk decommissioning); BuShips records incl. C2-S-AJ3 contract plans and outfitting specifications (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 1402 at North Carolina Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946 Lee Hall entry, the documented towing chain (Wood Towing to Hampton Roads; Moran to Newport News and to Bath), the Bath Iron Works and Bethlehem Simpsons Yard reconversion work packages, the 1947 South Atlantic purchase, the Dec 1955 United States Lines sale, the Sep 1960 'Trade-in & Build USMA Reimbursable' title transaction, the 1963 NDRF entry and the documented 'Converted to C2-S-AJ1' re-rating, and the 1973 PD-X-961 non-transportation sale file (RG 357) - the two reconversion work packages and the C2-S-AJ1 conversion file are the most promising materials-relevant leads; the MARAD document scans CASWELL.pdf, SOUTHWIND.pdf, and AMERICAN SURVEYOR.pdf are linked on the detail pages and unexamined.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1944-1973 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. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-caswell-aka72-12