Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet bd-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-cebu-arg6-pkt-bd-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS (NHHC), 'Cebu' entry - verbatim text via 21 May 2023 Wayback capture; canonical history.navy.mil URL returns 404 (standing NHHC link rot, same defect as Batch-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Cebu' entry, full text; canonical https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cebu.html (404 on 2026-09-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Cebu (ARG-6): launched 18 October 1943 by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, Inc., Baltimore, Md., under a Maritime Commission contract as Francis P. Duffy; sponsored by Mrs. M. C. Bird; acquired by the Navy 27 October 1943; commissioned 15 April 1944. Mission: 'providing shops and trained men for the repair of internal combustion engines,' with tasks 'ranging from the repairing of ship's clocks to major work on battleships.' Arrived Manus, Admiralty Islands, 10 September 1944, preparing small craft and larger ships for Philippine operations. On 10 November 1944 anchored only 800 yards from Mount Hood (AE-11) when the ammunition ship exploded; five of her men killed and six wounded; quick work prevented serious damage and she continued work without interruption, preparing ships for the Lingayen and Iwo Jima assaults. Stationed at Ulithi 22 January-12 February 1945, then San Pedro Bay, P.I., where work on suicide-attack damage 'continued at a furious rate'; small-craft services at Leyte until 21 September 1945, then occupation duties at Okinawa and Japan until 11 March 1946. Prepared at Pearl Harbor 29 March-11 May 1946 for Operation Crossroads at Bikini and Kwajalein summer 1946; arrived San Diego 28 September 1946; placed out of commission in reserve at Stockton, Calif., 30 June 1947. One battle star for World War II service. Stats block: dp 4,621; l 441'6"; b 56'11"; dr 23'; s 12.5 k.; cpl 583; a 1 5"; cl. Luzon.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Naval-history narrative only; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, abatement, or survey statement and supports no exposure claim. DANFS prints the commissioning CO as 'Captain G. W. Scott' - corrected to Stott per NHHC photo NH 106325 and NavSource CO list (see correction row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CEBU (ARG-6), Ship History Detail 849; Form MA-199 vessel status card (173_01.png, 849_1523AF.jpg) and Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales (849_AF.jpg); linked merchant-hull record FRANCIS P. DUFEY Detail 12758 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail/849 Status Cards + Documents tabs; card images /cards/173_01.png and /cards/849_AF.jpg; PDF /documents/72314680-6b49-4e69-b8b6-b38f88be76fd.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record (Detail 849) and digitized cards read directly: Form MA-199 Vessel Status Card - name CEBU (ARG-6), Official No. 0327847, type Cargo, design EC2, shipyard Bethlehem-Fairfield Baltimore Md., date built 10-27-43, hull no. MCE-1805, builders hull no. 2253, gross tons 7,176, 'Delivered from shipyard to U.S.M.C. (Loaned to U.S. Navy)'; original basis to WSA-MA 'Navy Dept.,' agreement Permanent, date 10-15-46. Operating history: Navy Dept. to Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, 1:30 pm PDST 8-4-61 (Custody); MarAdm Fleet Custody, 12:01 am PDST 9-1-62 (Permanent Transfer); Reserve Fleet to Zidell Explorations, Inc., 10/18/73 (Purchase, 'Scrapped'); physically delivered 11/14/73 12:00 noon PST. Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales: PD-X-964, awarded to Zidell Explorations, Inc. 10-18-73, purchase price $151,899.99, contract MA-7117, year built 1943, molded dimensions 417'8.75" x 56'10.75" x 37'4", light-ship weight 3,479 tons, location Suisun Bay Calif. reserve fleet; 'Advertised under PD-X-964 dated 9-5-73 opened 10-10-73 under two condition: (1) NTU (2) SCRAP HULL-US. Award under condition (2) SCRAP HULL - US 24 months.' Database milestones corroborate: entry/acquisition 8/4/1961, disposition/withdrawal 11/14/1973; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; vessel name history lists CEBU (ARG-6) and FRANCIS P. DUFEY.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Limitations
- Custody and disposal documentation only - contains no asbestos, hazardous-material, or pre-sale survey statement. 'SCRAP HULL - US 24 months' establishes domestic-scrapping terms but not material content. Merchant-name spelling on the card ('DUFEY') differs from DANFS ('Duffy') and NavSource ('Duffey') - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-02
-
[4]NavSource Naval History, USS Cebu (ARG-6) Service Ship Photo Archive page and 'Cebu Itinerary' subpage (secondary compilation reproducing/transcribing primary records: deck-log-derived itinerary, NHHC photos, CO list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/29/2906.htm and .../2906h.htm (itinerary)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource ARG-6 archive page and transcribed underway/arrival itinerary: commissioned at pier 7, Key Highway Yards, Bethlehem Steel Company, Baltimore, 15 April 1944; Norfolk 23 April-24 May; Balboa 1-3 June; San Diego 13-17 June; Pearl Harbor 26 June; Hutchison Creek, Florida Islands, Solomons 26 August; Seeadler Harbor, Manus 10 September 1944; Ulithi 22 January-12 February 1945; Kossol Passage, Palau 14-18 February; San Pedro Bay, Leyte from 18 February; Guiuan Harbor, Samar 20 September; Hagushi/Buckner Bay, Okinawa 25 September-October (typhoon evasions 28 Sep-1 Oct and 7-11 Oct); Sasebo 11 December; Wakanoura Wan 15 December 1945; Kobe February 1946. Conversion attribution: 'converted to an Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship at Maryland Drydock Co, Baltimore, MD.' Operation Crossroads assignment: Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.8.1 Service Group - Repair and Service Unit. Asiatic-Pacific campaign: Western Caroline Islands operation (Assaults on the Philippine Islands, 9-24 September 1944). Specifications block: 4,023 t light / 14,350 t trial; 441'6" x 56'11" x 23'; 12.5 kts; complement 31 officers + 552 enlisted; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 1x3"/50, 2 twin 40mm, 12 single 20mm; generators 3x350kW 450V AC + 2x60kW 120V DC; fuel 19,540 bbls; propulsion General Machine Corp. vertical triple expansion + 2 B&W header boilers 220 psi 450F, 2,500 shp, single screw. Commanding officers: CAPT George W. Stott 15 Apr 1944-20 Sep 1945; CDR Daniel B. Candler Jr. to 21 Mar 1946; LT Donald J. Karl to 1 May 1947; LT Walter J. Parker to 30 Sep 1947.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation; entries cross-checked against DANFS and the MARAD card where they overlap and are consistent. Two NavSource statements conflict with primary/official records and are logged in the correction row rather than adopted: 'Decommissioned 30 September 1947' (DANFS/shipscribe: 30 June 1947) and 'Permanent transfer ... 9 January 1962' (MARAD card: 9-1-62 = 1 September 1962). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-03
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command, Online Library of Selected Images - USS Cebu (ARG-6) page (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of NH-hosted content; NH 106329, NH 106330, NH 83859, NH 106325 caption texts) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library photo captions and ship summary, mirrored at ibiblio.org/hyperwar
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Cebu (ARG-6), 1944-1973' page: photo NH 106329/NH 106330 captions place the ship underway in Chesapeake Bay off Key Highway, Baltimore, 18 April 1944, 'one day after completing her conversion,' in Camouflage Measure 31, Design 6Ax (original prints NARA photos 19-N-65151/19-N-65152, Record Group 19-LCM); photo NH 83859 shows ex-Cebu laid up at Suisun Bay 27 July 1972; page narrative describes her as a 'Luzon class internal combustion engine repair ship ... built at Baltimore, Maryland in 1943 as the Liberty type freighter Francis P. Duffy,' converted at another Baltimore shipyard, commissioned mid-April 1944; at Manus when Mount Hood blew up with five Cebu crew killed; moved to Ulithi then Leyte; occupation duty Okinawa and Japan late September 1945; supported Operation Crossroads mid-1946; decommissioned end of June 1947; transferred to MARAD and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register September 1962; sold for scrapping October 1973.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Limitations
- Photo captions and summary narrative; the conversion-yard line names no yard ('another Baltimore area shipyard') while the photo location is the Bethlehem Steel Key Highway yard and NavSource attributes conversion to Maryland Drydock Co. - ambiguity carried in gaps. No asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-04
-
[6]Shipscribe (T. Colton), 'USS Luzon (ARG-2) Class' data page - class notes and construction/disposition tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARG-2 class page, class notes and per-ship tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Luzon (ARG-2) class context (shipscribe class notes): the type originated in a 26 March 1943 request from Commander, South Pacific Area for tenders for diesel-driven ships; on 1 April 1943 CominCh directed conversion of Oglala (CM-4) and two EC2 Liberty hulls to internal combustion engine repair ships; on 11 June 1943 the Auxiliary Vessels Board directed a program of twelve EC2 conversions (six in 1944, six in 1945) designated ARG-4 through ARG-15 to relieve shore-based repair installation in forward areas; ARG-12/-13 were redirected to barracks-stores-distilling ships (AG-68/-69) and ARG-14/-15 to aircraft repair ships (ARV-1/-2); construction/disposition table gives for ARG-6 CEBU: acquired 27 Oct 43, keel 21 Sep 43, launch 18 Oct 43, commissioned 15 Apr 44, decommissioned 30 Jun 47, stricken 1 Sep 62, disposal 1 Sep 62, MA sale 18 Oct 73 - all consistent with DANFS and the MARAD card.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Limitations
- Well-regarded secondary reference compiling official shipbuilding data; per-ship dates cross-verified against DANFS and MARAD card. Class-program documentation only - no asbestos content and no hull-specific material statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-05
-
[7]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.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Construction trades (Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore, 1943; Maryland Drydock conversion yard, 1943-44); ship's engineering crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual does not name 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, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-06
-
[8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., Drinker, P., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28:9-16 (January 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Navy-contract-yard industrial-health survey published as Fleischer, Viles, Gade & Drinker (1946): 'An important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U. S. Navy vessels is amosite'; much asbestos cloth and asbestos cement were likewise in use; surveyed pipe-covering operations at two Government Navy yards and two Navy contract yards with dust counts, microscopic and chemical dust analysis, and chest X-rays of 1,074 workers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1946 survey era; article 1946
- Population
- Pipe coverers and shipyard workers at surveyed Navy/contract yards
- Limitations
- Documents asbestos materials and exposure in naval-vessel CONSTRUCTION at yards - not shipboard conditions on this hull and not this hull's construction yard specifically. Program/era context only; establishes no exposure aboard Cebu.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-07
-
[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 program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was mass-produced and converted, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard Navy and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel 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-cebu-arg6-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced via cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cebu-arg6-07 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated API v4 opinion sweeps (2026-09-26): exact-name query '"USS Cebu" OR "Cebu (ARG-6)"' returned zero results; broad 'Cebu' query returned 89 hits of which the first-page 20 were inspected - all name collisions referencing Cebu, Philippines (e.g., Cebu Ass'n of California v. Santo Nino De Cebu USA, Cal. App. 1979; immigration, custody, and real-estate matters naming the Philippine island/city), none vessel- or asbestos-related. Remaining 69 broad hits unreviewed; hull-number ('ARG-6'), vessel-qualified ('Cebu AND repair ship/USS/vessel'), and merchant-name ('Francis P. Duffy'/'Duffey'/'Dufey') sweeps were blocked by the shared fleet pacing limit at session time - status logged in search_ledger; no qualifying asbestos litigation located.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Exact-name query returned zero. The broad 'Cebu' sweep is dominated by Philippine place-name collisions; 20 of 89 hits inspected and classified, all non-qualifying - the uninspected remainder is low-likelihood but unverified. Hull-number and merchant-name sweeps incomplete under fleet pacing (logged pending, not negative). Absence of a docketed opinion is not proof no claim was ever filed - most asbestos cases plead shipboard exposure without naming the hull in published opinions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-09
-
[11]Batch-2595 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NHHC Online Library; MARAD Detail 849 + MA-199/MA-20 cards; NavSource page + itinerary; shipscribe ARG-2 class page; CourtListener sweeps; general web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cebu-arg6-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming Cebu, ARG-6, or the Francis P. Duffy/Duffey merchant hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; the MARAD status card and Record of Ship Sales contain none; the NHHC photo page contains none; a general web sweep for asbestos litigation naming the ship returned no qualifying result (see search_ledger).
- 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 1943 EC2 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials in insulation, gaskets, packing, and machinery. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-10
-
[12]Cross-source reconciliation: MARAD MA-199 card vs NavSource page; DANFS vs NavSource CO list vs NHHC photo NH 106325 caption [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD card operating-history rows; NavSource 2906.htm text; DANFS entry; NHHC photo page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Corrections logged against secondary-source readings: (a) NavSource 'Permanent transfer to the Maritime Administration, 9 January 1962' is a day-month misread of the MARAD card's 9-1-62 = 1 September 1962 12:01 am PDST permanent transfer, the same date as the Naval Register strike; (b) NavSource 'Decommissioned, 30 September 1947' conflicts with DANFS and shipscribe (placed out of commission in reserve 30 June 1947) - 30 September is consistent with the final CO's tour end and the Pacific Reserve Fleet layup date; DANFS date adopted; (c) DANFS prints the commissioning CO as 'Captain G. W. Scott' - NHHC photo NH 106325 caption and the NavSource CO list give Captain George W. Stott; (d) the merchant hull name is spelled 'Duffy' (DANFS/NHHC), 'Duffey' (NavSource), and 'DUFEY' (MARAD card and vessel-history record).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Limitations
- Corrects date-format misreads and name spellings in secondary/transcription sources against the primary custody record and NHHC captions. Affects administrative dates only; no asbestos significance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cebu-arg6-11
-
[13]NARA record-group guides (RG 24 deck logs; RG 19 Bureau of Ships; RG 178 Maritime Commission); NHHC photo collections (Dunn album); MARAD ShipHistory document tab [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 24/19/178 guides; NHHC Online Library Cebu page; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/849
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS Cebu covering the commission (April 1944-June 1947), the apparent basis of the NavSource itinerary; RG 19 Bureau of Ships records for the MCE-1805 ARG conversion and the Maryland Drydock Co. conversion contract (NARA photos 19-N-65151/65152 are already in RG 19-LCM); RG 178 U.S. Maritime Commission records for the MCE-1805 contract and Bethlehem-Fairfield hull 2253 construction; the Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion court of inquiry and Cebu's war damage report, which would scope the November 1944 material disturbance and repair; the George H. Dunn USS Cebu photo album (NHHC NH 106323-106330 series, donated 2008); and MARAD sale file PD-X-964 / contract MA-7117, which may document pre-sale condition or stripping instructions for the scrap purchaser.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1973 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-cebu-arg6-12