Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet iq-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-catskill-cm6-pkt-iq-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Catskill II (LSV-1)' (NHHC; live page 404 - verified HyperWar/ibiblio transcription and 2025-12-09 Wayback capture of NHHC 'Catskill II (AP-106)' page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (full article); NHHC page 'Catskill II (AP-106)' via Wayback 20251209190417
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Second USS Catskill (namesake: Catskill Mountains, NY). Launched 19 May 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Ore., sponsored by Mrs. J. G. McPherson; commissioned 30 June 1944, Capt. R. W. Chambers, USNR. WWII Pacific service: sailed San Diego 12 Aug 1944, embarked Marines at Hawaii, joined Southern Attack Force at Manus; anchored off Dulag, Leyte Gulf 20 Oct 1944 for initial assault, retired 22 Oct; loaded at Morotai 5-10 Nov under air raids; convoy air attack 13 Nov (aided downing one aircraft); unloaded Leyte 14 Nov; Lingayen Gulf landings 9 Jan 1945 and first reinforcement 27 Jan; landed 6th Marines units in Okinawa assault 1 Apr 1945; Manila, then Wakayama Bay occupation duty 25 Sep 1945; three postwar troop-return voyages; out of commission in reserve at San Diego 30 Aug 1946. Three battle stars for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Wartime crew and embarked troops (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- Authoritative official ship history; covers 1941-1946 only - the print DANFS entry predates the 1967-1970 MCS-1/Vietnam career. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information. Establishes identity and service, not exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-01
-
[3]Shipscribe (S. S. Roberts, compiled from Bureau of Ships records), Catskill Class (LSV 1-2) class and ship notes; NHHC photo 19-N-61180 caption (Bureau of Ships photo, Willamette yard 7 Feb 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe LSV01 class page: Construction and Disposition tables, Class Notes, Ship Notes (Catskill); LSV01-p photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction/designation timeline: ordered 7 Jan 1941 under the FY1941 program (70% Expansion Program auxiliaries of 5 Aug 1940); Catskill class = LSV-1 and LSV-2 (Ozark), near-duplicates of Terror (CM-5) design, distinct from the ex-net-layer LSV-3/4/5. Laid down 12 Jul 1941, launched 19 May 1942 as CM-6; reclassified AP-106 1 May 1943 (after the 3 Apr 1943 BuShips minelayer-to-transport conversion directive) and LSV-1 21 Apr 1944 (after the 5 Jan 1944 stern-gate/ramp decision); commissioned 30 Jun 1944. Class data: 455.4 ft oa, 60.2 ft beam, 20.0 ft draft, ~5,177 t light / 9,040 t limiting, 20.3 kts, 11,000 shp, 2 GE geared turbines; armament 4x 5in/38, 4x2 40mm, 20x 20mm (LSV), 2x 5in/38 as MCS.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940-1944
- Population
- Construction trades, Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland (1941-1944)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary source working from primary BuShips records (Roberts cites internal BuShips memos); authoritative for design lineage and dates but not itself a primary document. NavSource's claim of a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 106) is unverified against these records - flagged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CATSKILL (MCS-1/LSV-1/CM-6), Ship History Detail 845 (incl. digitized custody status card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail 845 milestones + status-card scans; Shipscribe ship notes; NavSource 10/17/1701
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Postwar/disposal timeline: Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego 1946; reclassified MCS-1 18 Oct 1956 while in reserve; transferred to NDRF Suisun Bay 24 Aug 1960 (MARAD milestone entry/acquisition); stricken NVR 1 Jul 1961; full MARAD custody 1 Oct 1962; returned to Navy 11 May 1964, reinstated on NVR 1 Jun 1964; converted to MCS-1 by Boland Machine Mfg. Co., New Orleans (contract 28 Apr 1964; work 9 Jul 1964 - 8 Sep 1967); recommissioned 6 Oct 1967 at Long Beach, CDR Earle L. West USN; forward-deployed homeport NavFac Sasebo, Japan; five Vietnam campaign stars (Tet 69/Counteroffensive, Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969, Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase VII); decommissioned 1 Dec 1970 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard; back to NDRF 1971; MARAD disposition/withdrawal 19 Nov 1973 (sale to Tia Kein Industry Ltd. reported at $934,400, removal 21 Dec 1973, scrapping completed 1974). MARAD record: year built 1944, Naval Combatant / MCS type, fate 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1946-1974
- Population
- MCS-1 crew 1967-1970 (~400); Boland Machine conversion workers 1964-1967
- Limitations
- MARAD custody record is authoritative for government custody milestones and disposal. Postwar narrative details (conversion dates, homeport, campaign list, sale price) derive from NavSource/Shipscribe compilations of Navy records - secondary compilations, partially verified against MARAD and the VA ship list; strike date and NDRF re-entry dates conflict between compilations (see gaps). No asbestos content in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-03
-
[5]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (VA Compensation Service adjudication list; VA no longer posts the list publicly - verified mirrored PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- VA ships list, Category II/III ship entries, 'USS Catskill (MCS/MSC-1)'
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The VA's official ship list records: 'USS Catskill (MCS/MSC-1) entered Saigon River on March 18, 1970' - placing the hull on the federal Agent Orange presumption list (inland-waterway operation). This is ship-specific federal documentation of the vessel's Vietnam in-country operating profile.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1969-1970 service period
- Population
- MCS-1 crew aboard 1970-03-18
- Limitations
- Documents herbicide-presumption eligibility, NOT asbestos - no asbestos content. Establishes the ship's verified inland-waterway service on 1970-03-18, relevant to exposure-history context only. Individual exposure (herbicide or otherwise) still requires service records. VA removed the list from va.gov post-2019 Blue Water Navy Act; mirrored PDF cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine, 'Clean Sweeping' (June 2020, Vol. 34 No. 3) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Magazine, June 2020 issue, RH-3A/MCM platform paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- USNI history documents the MCS-1 operational role: RH-3A helicopter mine-countermeasures detachments (Helicopter Composite Squadrons 6 and 7, formed September 1966) 'flew from the MCM support ships Catskill (MCS-1) and Ozark (MCS-2), as well as from land bases' - confirming Catskill's function as an airborne/launch-craft MCM support platform during 1967-1970.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1966-1970
- Population
- Embarked helicopter MCM detachments and MSL crews
- Limitations
- Reputable professional-journal history, not an official record; confirms operational role but carries no asbestos, materials, or refit-scope information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-05
-
[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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (abstract/article); machinery spec per Shipscribe class data and NavSource (compiled)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference only: Catskill is a steam-driven auxiliary (two GE geared turbines, 11,000 shp; four Combustion Engineering boilers per compiled class data) built at a commercial yard 1941-1944, the peak period of asbestos use in U.S. shipbuilding. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing/insulation in WWII shipbuilding. Asbestos-relevant applications typical of such a plant: boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation insulation, deck coverings, winch brake linings. The 1964-1967 Boland Machine MCS conversion reworked a wartime hull - an era-consistent insulation-disturbance pathway for conversion workers and crew.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1944; 1964-1967
- Population
- Willamette construction trades (1941-44); engine-room crew; Boland Machine conversion workers (1964-67)
- Limitations
- Era- and design-level inference, not a hull record: the AJIM article does not name this vessel, and no conversion work package, survey, or manifest for this hull has been located. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-06
-
[8]Source discrepancy documented across DANFS editions: print DANFS (HyperWar transcription) - 'The second Catskill (CM-6) was reclassified to AP-106, 1 May 1943'; live NHHC web page 'Catskill II (AP-106)' - 'The second Catskill (AP-106) was reclassified to CM-6, 1 May 1943' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC 'Catskill II (AP-106)' page (Wayback 20251209190417) vs HyperWar DANFS lsv1.html; Shipscribe class notes; BuShips photo 19-N-61180 caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The two authoritative renderings of DANFS disagree on the first redesignation order: the print edition and BuShips-derived class data (Shipscribe) have the hull built as minelayer CM-6 and reclassified to AP-106 on 1 May 1943, matching the documented BuShips conversion directive of 3 Apr 1943 and the 7 Feb 1944 BuShips photo showing her 'being completed as a transport... the mine ports in the stern plated over'; the live NHHC web page reverses it (AP-106 to CM-6 on 1 May 1943). The CM-6-first sequence is adopted here as the internally consistent reading; a February 1944 photo of the hull with plated-over mine ports corroborates minelayer construction. Either way, all designations are pre-service and refer to one hull. Minor date conflict also noted: Morotai loading given as 5-10 Nov (NHHC page) vs 6-10 Nov (print transcription).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1944
- Limitations
- Resolves a documentation-level discrepancy in the official record; the underlying Navy redesignation orders (OpNav/BuShips correspondence) would settle the original contract designation - archival lead. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-07
-
[9]Batch-3103 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 845 + status cards; VA herbicide ship list; Shipscribe/NavSource compilations; NVR (pre-1987 disposals excluded); NHHC digitized command reports; CourtListener name/hull sweeps; competitor content excluded [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-catskill-cm6-01 through sl-uss-catskill-cm6-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition report, or docketed asbestos case naming the Catskill hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The 1964-1967 Boland conversion scope is documented only as an event - its work packages were not surveyed for asbestos content. Competitor/lead-gen pages asserting asbestos aboard (navyshipexposure.com 'equipment manifest'; asbestos-products.com 'BUSHIPS records' claim) carry no primary documentation and were excluded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1941-44 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing original materials, and the 1964-67 conversion is a plausible disturbance event. This row establishes only that no public ship-specific asbestos record was located; it neither establishes nor defeats any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated opinion search: '"USS Catskill"' returned 0 hits [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-catskill-cm6-08, -09, -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion-index sweep for the exact ship name returned no opinions naming USS Catskill. Bare-'Catskill' queries are high-collision (the New York town, Catskill Mountains, and unrelated entities dominate) - qualifying asbestos litigation naming the hull was not located in the queries the fleet pacing budget allowed; see search_ledger for the completed vs. deferred queries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- A zero-hit opinion search does not prove no litigation exists - district-level dockets, state-court filings, and settled cases are largely outside the opinion index. Sweep coverage was constrained by the shared fleet CourtListener pacing budget this session; the deferred query list is in the search ledger for a follow-up pass.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-09
-
[11]NARA/NHHC repository map: NARA College Park holds Navy records through the Vietnam era (deck logs 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978,' NAC series 594258); NHHC holds Ships' Command Histories/Command Operation Reports from 1947; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds design/conversion records incl. RG-19-LCM photo series (Catskill photos 19-N-61180, 19-N-69091/92/95) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Navy repository guide; NAC series 594258; NHHC command-operation-reports collection structure
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved (no spend authorized): (a) BuShips conversion files for the 1943 AP conversion and the SCB 123.64 MCS conversion contract to Boland Machine (contract 28 Apr 1964) - the likeliest primary record of material scope; (b) Catskill LSV-1 deck logs 1944-46 and MCS-1 deck logs 1967-70 in NARA/NHHC custody; (c) NHHC Ships' Command Histories for MCS-1, 1967-1970 - held in archives, not found in NHHC's digitized command-operation-reports collection (URL probes for catskill-* 1967-1970 returned 404); (d) RG-19-LCM Bureau of Ships photo series documenting the 1944 yard period.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1974 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/repository mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed. Whether any of these files contain asbestos-specific material statements is unknown until surveyed; nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catskill-cm6-10