USS Centaurus (AKA-17)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Centaurus I (AKA-17)' - canonical NHHC page (404 on 2026-09-21, standing link-rot defect); text verified via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 and hazegray transcription mirror (losthistory.net) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry text; Wayback http://web.archive.org/web/20251209185031/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/centaurus-i.html ; mirror https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/aka17.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Centaurus (AKA-17): Andromeda-class attack cargo ship (dp 6,556; l. 459'3"; b. 63'; dr. 26'4"; s. 16 k.; cpl. 247; a. 1 x 5"; cl. Andromeda), named for the southern constellation. Launched 1943-09-03 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Wilson; acquired by the Navy 1943-10-20; commissioned the next day, Captain G. E. McCabe, USCG, in command. Sailed from Norfolk 1943-12-11 for Pearl Harbor (arrived 12-30); cleared 1944-01-22 with the Southern Attack Force for Kwajalein, arriving off the atoll 01-31 - during the initial assault she landed four waves of cargo-laden craft under the protective fire of Pennsylvania (BB-38), remaining off the atoll until 02-05. Noumea training/cargo until 03-31; Tulagi to Manus and Langemak Bay, New Guinea; second assault echelon for Aitape, landing 04-23 (unopposed ashore, difficult surf); reinforcement runs to Hollandia; amphibious exercises in the Solomons. At sea 06-03 to 06-30 with the reserve force standing by during the Marianas invasion; sailed 07-17 in the Southern Attack Force for Guam, landing combat cargo on the Agat beaches from 07-21 for a week while embarking casualties. Brief overhaul at Espiritu Santo; Peleliu from 09-15, landing cargo under heavy opposition until clearing 10-04 with casualties and prisoners of war (passengers disembarked in the Russells). San Francisco overhaul 10-25 to 12-22. Returned via Guam; rehearsal landings in the Solomons; Northern Attack Force for Okinawa, sailing from Ulithi 1945-03-27, discharging from 04-01 in support of the 6th Marines - her guns helped splash two kamikazes; cleared 04-09, returned with additional cargo 06-03, offloaded, sailed 06-14. After overhaul at Seattle 07-19 to 08-23 she returned to the Far East for troop redeployment; reached Seattle 1946-01-31, proceeded to New York (arrived 03-23), decommissioned 04-30, returned to the Maritime Commission 09-11. Six battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Ship's company (USCG-manned; complement 247 per DANFS) and embarked troops/casualties/prisoners of war

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for identity, dates, and operations. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement; supports no asbestos claim. Records launch and acquisition/commissioning but no keel date (ShipScribe supplies 1943-06-07 - single secondary source); records striking only indirectly (no strike date; ShipScribe supplies 1946-07-19). Characteristic line gives cpl. 247 and abbreviated armament '1 x 5"' - the BuShips Ships' Data rows (ev-03) give the fuller fit.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CENTAURUS (AKA-17) Detail 853, AMERICAN GUNNER Detail 208, PIONEER BAY Detail 12668, incl. digitized vessel status cards, reserve-fleet particulars cards (Form MA-383), and redelivery/transfer card PDFs [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Detail 853 (cards 853_1532AF.jpg, 17G_01.png, 17G_02.png; document /documents/af5e5973-4099-401a-a7f9-974caedd1aa8.pdf); Detail 208 (cards 208_391AF.jpg, 208_391AB.jpg, 208_391BF.jpg; document /documents/60535647-c8cf-48bd-8830-de3dc74edd7a.pdf); Detail 12668 - all read visually 2026-09-21

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records and digitized vessel cards for this hull under three names. CENTAURUS (AKA-17), Detail 853: MARCOM type C2-S-B1, MC hull no. 206, built 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock (yard hull no. 248), completed 10-20-43; U.S. Official No. 252,677; 'Basis to W.S.A. 9-11-46 12Noon EDT @ Hudson River, NY from Navy Dept. - Surplus.' Custody chain per vessel status card: Reserve Fleet (Hudson River, Jones Point) 9-11-46; U.S. Lines Co. (pending sale, GAA) at Jones Point 2-24-47 Noon EST - the reserve-fleet card records withdrawal 2-24-47 1715 hrs, delivered to U.S. Lines, with stripping of vessel by 'U.S. Shfbldg + J K Welding Co.' and ships papers 'PREL. ALLOC. 263 2/3/47'; U.S. S.B. Corp., Yonkers, NY, for reconversion 5-28-47 9:35 AM EDT; U.S. Lines purchase under 'Act 1946' (Merchant Ship Sales Act) 2-27-48 3:30 PM; renamed 'PIONEER BAY'; renamed 'AMERICAN GUNNER' 10-56; title to Maritime Administration 'On Voyage' 9-7-60 noon EST with same-day bareboat/use agreement (BB(UCA)) back to United States Lines Co.; Reserve Fleet (deactivated), Hudson River, 9-21-62 8:00 AM EDST; temporary withdrawal to U.S. Lines Co., Inc. 5-25-66 10:00 AM EDT 'for removal of equipment - To be placed on "American Trapper"'; returned to Reserve Fleet 5-28-66 8:00 AM EDST. AMERICAN GUNNER, Detail 208 (Form MA-383 cards): ex-name Centaurus, type Turbine C2-S-B1, hull MC-206, builder Federal 1943; title 'Trade-in & Build / USMA Reimbursable' (contracts MA-2190 and UCA MA-21-91); withdrawn 7-11-70 06:25 EDT, reason 'SOLD SCRAP on PD-X-873 dated 7-1-70 to Aguilar Y Peris, S.L. c/o Boston Metals Co.. Contract No. MA-6000'; allocation card shows 'Aguilar Y. Peris, S.L. (Scrapping in Spain) - Purchase - Hudson River - 7/1/70; (Physical Delivery) 7/11/70 6:25Am EDT.' PIONEER BAY, Detail 12668: same C2-S-B1 hull, fate Sold - Scrap. Web milestones corroborate: fleet entry/acquisition 1946-09-11, disposition/withdrawal 1947-02-24 (Centaurus record); entry/acquisition 1962-09-21, disposition/withdrawal 1970-07-11 (American Gunner record).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Population

   U.S. Lines merchant crews (1947-1962); Yonkers reconversion workers (1947); NDRF Hudson River layup/caretaker crews (1946-47, 1962-70); U.S. Lines yard crews removing machinery (1966); Aguilar Y. Peris scrapping workers, Spain (1970)

   Limitations

   Primary custody/disposal record chain across all three names. 'Completed 10-20-43' is the delivery/acceptance date; commissioning was 10-21-43 (DANFS). Detail 208's web 'Official Number' field reads 252667 - a data-entry typo; the status card and both redelivery cards read O.N. 252,677 (see ev-08). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. The 1966 parts-removal entry documents disturbance of machinery (LP turbine and generator rotors) aboard this hull during reserve-fleet layup - a maintenance event, not a materials statement.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-02

3. [3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (January 1945), AKA tables pp. 112-117 (shipscribe.com scan, OCR-read) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3.pdf pp. 112-117, AKA tables, row 22 CENTAURUS across dimensions, limiting conditions/accommodations, machinery, armament, and construction tables; index p. 48147/51574 'Centaurus (ex-M.C. Hull 206) AKA17 Auxiliary - Cargo Ship, Attack'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (Jan 1945), AUXILIARIES - CARGO ATTACK (AKA) section, per-hull rows for CENTAURUS (AKA-17, table no. 22, official no. column): dimensions row - 'CENTAURUS (ex-AK66, ex-M.C. Hull 206) AKA 17 - 459'3" oa / 435'0" pp' (beam 63'0", 16.5 knots, 13,910 t trial displacement per class line); limiting-condition row - 14,200 t limiting displacement, 50 tons/inch, 26'4" limiting draft, accommodations 44 officers + 360 enlisted, 30 (largest boom, tons); machinery row - '1 De Laval turb. 6,000 2 C.E. "D" 465 765' (one De Laval geared turbine, 6,000 shp, two Combustion Engineering 'D'-type boilers at 465 psi/765 deg F, single propeller); armament row - '1 5", 38 cal. (D.P.); 4 3", 50 cal. (D.P.)' with fuel-capacity columns 420,000 / 7,445 / 4,895; construction row - 'Federal S.B. & D.D. Co., Kearny, N.J. - 20 Oct 43 / 1943 / 21 Oct 43' (date acquired, year built, date of first commission).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945 (data edition); reflects 1943 fit

   Population

   Ship's engineering crew (USCG); later U.S. Lines engine crews

   Limitations

   Official BuShips data naming this hull - the strongest equipment record in this file. Confirms De Laval turbine (not the ShipScribe class-generic 'G.E. turbine') and C.E. 'D'-type boilers at 465 psi/765 deg F. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim. Accommodations (44+360) are design berthing, not the wartime complement (DANFS: 247). OCR-degraded cells read against the page image.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-03

4. [4]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'Coast Guard-Manned Naval Vessels in World War II' (media.defense.gov CGMANNELVESSELS.PDF - access-denied to automated fetch 2026-09-21; Wayback capture 2025-12-07 retrieved and OCR'd, pp. 6-7); 'The Coast Guard at War - VI: The Pacific,' Appendix B (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription); NavSource AKA-17 commanding-officer table (secondary corroboration) [other_primary]

   Locator

   CGMANNEDVESSELS.PDF pp. 6-7 (Wayback http://web.archive.org/web/20251207162648/); https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USCG/VI-Pacific/USCG-VI-B.html landing-force tables; NavSource https://navsource.org/archives/10/02/02017.htm CO table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office publication 'Coast Guard-Manned Naval Vessels in World War II' (Robert Erwin Johnson) documents: 'Beginning in 1943, five of the somewhat smaller C-2 type vessels were commissioned as attack cargo ships (AKA) with Coast Guard crews'; 'The first two, the USSs Aquarius and Centaurus, began together at Kwajalein; the latter then helped to seize Aitape in New Guinea... Both took part in the Saipan, Guam and Pelelieu [sic] invasions, and while the Centaurus returned to the United States for overhaul, the Aquarius went on to Leyte and Lingayen Gulf. Both the Aquarius and the Centaurus were in the Okinawa assault force, as were their sisters: the USS Cepheus - a veteran of the Southern France invasion - and the USSs Sheliak and Theenim, for both of which Okinawa was the first combat operation.' The companion official history 'The Coast Guard at War - VI: The Pacific,' Appendix B landing-force tables, lists Centaurus (AKA-17) under six operations: Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (P26-2), Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll (P26-3), Hollandia Operation (P28-2), Capture and Occupation of Guam (P29-7), Capture and Occupation of Southern Palau Islands (P30-2), and Assault and Occupation of Okinawa (P34-1). NavSource's commanding-officer table (secondary) lists an all-USCG wardroom: CAPT George Evans McCabe USCG (1943-10-20 to 1944-10-28), CDR John Paul Gray USCG (to Jun 1945), CAPT Kenneth Paul Maley USCG (1945-07-21 to 1946-01-10), CAPT Clarence C. Paden USCG (to 1946-04-30).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   USCG ship's company (five CG-manned AKAs: Aquarius, Centaurus, Cepheus, Sheliak, Theenim)

   Limitations

   Official service-history documentation establishing Coast Guard manning and campaign participation. The CG-at-War appendix lists her under Eniwetok (P26-3); NavSource's campaign table instead lists 'Bismarck Archipelago - Admiralty Island landings 5-9 Apr 44' among the six star-eligible operations (consistent with the DANFS-documented Manus cargo run) - variant campaign accounting noted in ev-08, both derived from official records. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-04

5. [5]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 Maritime Commission construction program under which this 1943 hull was built.

   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 scholarship on WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the Federal Kearny yard specifically 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-centaurus-aka17-05

6. [6]ShipScribe U.S. Naval Auxiliary records, USS Andromeda (AKA-15) class listing (shipscribe.com/usnaux/AKA/AKA15.html); HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Maritime Commission Types' C2-S-B1 entry (ibiblio.org mirror of USN data) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ShipScribe class spec/construction/disposition tables and ship note for AKA-17 + class notes; HyperWar ships-mc.html C2-S-B1 section ('Turbine engines, 6,000 HP, 15.5 knots')

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class-level machinery and construction specification for the Andromeda (AKA-15) class, MC design C2-S-B1: 'G.E. turbine, 1 screw,' 6,000 HP, 16.5 knots; 7,132 t light / 14,200 t limiting; 459.25' oa x 63' x 26.3' lim; complement 249 (1944). Construction table confirms CENTAURUS (AKA-17): Federal SB & DD Kearny, keel 1943-06-07, launch 1943-09-03, acquired 1943-10-20, commissioned 1943-10-21; disposition table: decommissioned 1946-04-30, struck 1946-07-19, disposal 1946-09-11 (MC/D), MA sale 1948-02-27. Ship note: 'MC hull 206. Ex AK-66 1 Feb 43. Merc. PIONEER BAY 1948. In NDRF 1962-70 as AMERICAN GUNNER. Sold by MA 1 Jul 70, to buyer 11 Jul 70, scrapped by 30 Oct 70.' Class notes document the quadrupod-mast design innovation fabricated at New York Navy Yard for installation by Federal on AKA 15-20, and MC-hull reallocations placing MC 206 as AKA-17. A steam plant of this design and era is consistent with asbestos-containing boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and packing as documented for WWII-era U.S. construction generally.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Population

   Federal Kearny construction trades (1943); engine/boiler-room crew (USCG)

   Limitations

   Class/design specification from a secondary reference compilation, not a hull record - the class-generic 'G.E. turbine' is superseded for this hull by the BuShips SDB row (De Laval, ev-03). Does not state 'asbestos' content and does not prove materials aboard this hull; asbestos presence is era/design inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-06

7. [7]Owens-Illinois, Inc., Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 1944); Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County TX (1990) - scan via Toxic Documents archive [other_primary]

   Locator

   Survey document (toxicdocs.org scan); Atlas shipyards.json entry federal-shipbuilding-kearny flagship evidence ev-federal-kearny-ihs-1944 (verified 2026-09-21)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Owens-Illinois conducted an Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ, August 30-September 2, 1944 - the same builder yard where this hull was constructed (keel 1943-06-07, launched 1943-09-03), though the survey postdates her launch by about eleven months and falls during the construction of her later sisters (AKA-53 through AKA-100 hulls then on the Kearny ways). The survey documented insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation in confined shipyard spaces, with dust counts measured during cutting and fitting operations. The survey was later introduced as Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in asbestos litigation (Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County TX, 1990).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944 (survey conducted Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 1944)

   Population

   Shipyard insulators and pipefitters at Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (1944)

   Limitations

   Builder-yard documentation, not a hull record - documents asbestos products in use at the Kearny yard during the wartime construction peak, but the survey was conducted about eleven months AFTER this hull's launch, so it cannot be read even indirectly onto her construction period with the same proximity it carries for later-built sisters (cf. uss-oglethorpe-aka100, keel four months post-survey). Does not name this vessel, does not establish that these products went aboard this hull, and establishes nothing about quantity, location, or exposure. Survey conducted by Owens-Illinois, a manufacturer with commercial interest in the findings.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-07

8. [8]ShipScribe AKA-15 disposition table (striking 1946-07-19, sale 1948-02-27); MARAD status card O.N. field vs Detail 208 web field; NavSource AKA-17 campaign/CO tables; CG at War Appendix B; DANFS; GlobalSecurity AKA-17 page [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/AKA/AKA15.html disposition row 17; MARAD cards 17G_01.png / 208_391BF.jpg vs Detail 208 field; https://navsource.org/archives/10/02/02017.htm (via search cache + Wayback 2024-12-10); https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/aka-17.htm

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Cross-source reconciliation: (a) Striking date - ShipScribe disposition table gives 1946-07-19; NavSource lists 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; DANFS records only the 09-11 return to the Maritime Commission - 07-19 adopted (ShipScribe), conflict logged. (b) Official number - MARAD Detail 208 web field '252667' is a data-entry typo; the vessel status card and both redelivery cards read O.N. 252,677 - 252677 adopted. (c) Keel date - 1943-06-07 rests on the ShipScribe construction table alone (DANFS and NavSource begin at launch) - carried as single-source. (d) Complement - DANFS cpl. 247 vs BuShips SDB accommodations 44+360 (design berthing) vs ShipScribe class 249 (1944) - different measures, DANFS adopted for the record, others noted not merged. (e) Campaign accounting - NavSource's six-campaign table (Marshalls; Bismarck Archipelago - Admiralty landings 4/5-9; Hollandia - Aitape/Humboldt Bay/Tanahmerah Bay; Marianas - Guam; Western Carolines - Peleliu; Okinawa Gunto) vs the CG-at-War appendix's six landing-force listings (Kwajalein/Majuro, Eniwetok, Hollandia, Guam, Southern Palaus, Okinawa): NavSource substitutes Bismarck-Admiralties for Eniwetok - consistent with the DANFS-documented Manus run but a variant official accounting; both recorded. (f) Merchant rename year - MARAD name history '1947-1956: Pioneer Bay' vs ShipScribe 'Merc. PIONEER BAY 1948': she was allocated to U.S. Lines pending sale Feb 1947 and renamed during the 1947-48 reconversion/purchase sequence - both framings recorded. (g) GlobalSecurity's AKA-17 page adds unsourced color (Panama Canal transit Dec 1943; overhaul 'repairing damage and fatigue') and lists only four of the six campaigns in its legacy paragraph - not adopted, minor embellishments logged. (h) NavSource CO table gap Jun-Jul 1945 between CDR Gray and CAPT Maley - unreconciled, likely an interim CO the table omits.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies and logs unresolved variances; the underlying sources contain no asbestos information. Does not affect identity or the custody timeline materially.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-08

9. [9]Batch-993 search ledger (this record): DANFS (canonical + Wayback + mirror); MARAD ShipHistory Details 853/208/12668 + status cards + redelivery PDFs; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; ShipScribe class table; HyperWar USMC type table; USCG Historian publications; NavSource; CourtListener site-index + API v4; NVR; NARA catalog [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-centaurus-aka17-01 through sl-uss-centaurus-aka17-16

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Centaurus (AKA-17), Pioneer Bay, or American Gunner hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener site-index fallback (Google site:courtlistener.com) surfaced only name collisions - Centaurus Unity LP / Centaurus Ashley LP / Centaurus GF Cove LLC v. Lexington Insurance (S.D. Tex. commercial insurance litigation), Centaurus Capital L.P. (HSH Nordbank-related litigation), and Centauri Transport LLC v. MMS Americas (an unrelated 'Centauri' trucking dispute) - none maritime or ship-related; the authenticated API v4 sweep ("Centaurus", "USS Centaurus", "AKA-17", opinions + RECAP dockets) remained blocked at commit time under the shared 2800/day machine quota (HTTP 429 'Expected available in 7441 seconds'). NVR carries no entry (ships disposed before 1987 not yet digitized). No asbestos content appears in DANFS, the MARAD cards, the BuShips SDB rows, or the USCG publications reviewed.

   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 1943 steam-powered MC hull built at a yard with documented asbestos-product use is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull's 1947 merchant reconversion, 24 years of merchant service, 1962-70 layup, and 1970 scrapping each represent disturbance contexts with no surviving materials disclosure located. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The CourtListener API sweep is a residual gap - exact-name and hull-number API queries could not be completed this session (logged blocked); the site-index fallback found collisions only, not qualifying litigation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-09

10. [10]NavSource AKA-17 page (NARA identifier citation); Library of Congress Veterans History Project records (loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76051 + related search results); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 178 / RG 19 pages; USCG Historian's Office photo item [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76051/ ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html ; /groups/019.html ; https://www.history.uscg.mil/Our-Collections/Photos/igphoto/2001759112/ ; NavSource 10/02/02017 identifier block

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA deck logs for Centaurus (AKA-17) - NavSource cites National Archives Identifier 205585588 for this hull's logs (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations series); the catalog SPA front-end blocked scripted enumeration this session; (b) Library of Congress Veterans History Project holds at least two Coast Guard collections naming this ship - the Stanley Maltzman Collection (AFC/2001/001/76051; service unit 'USS Centaurus (AKA 17)', Pacific Theater, oral history recorded 2009-02-08) and the John P. Snodgrass Collection (memoir MS02 naming USS Centaurus) - firsthand USCG crew accounts; (c) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) construction/contract files for MC hull 206 at Federal Kearny; (d) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) machinery records - sister-hull manifests have been claimed to exist in this record group (see batch-974 Oglethorpe report, decision 6); (e) USCG Historian's Office photo archive holds ship-specific imagery (history.uscg.mil item: 'Chief Petty Officers, USS Centauraus (AKA-17), somewhere in the South Pacific, circa 1944,' donated by CGM Michael K. Opsitnik - page returned 403 to automated fetch; caption text via search index); (f) WWII war diaries for this hull if filed (pattern per sister ships; none located in digitized sources).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1943-1970 records

    Limitations

    Index and finding-aid mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. The NARA identifier rests on NavSource's citation (not independently verified in the catalog this session). Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-centaurus-aka17-10