Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Cetus (AK-77) - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cetus.html returns 404; mirror cited per batch-01 link-rot precedent) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Cetus entry (losthistory.net/hazegray auxil/ak77.htm transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Cetus (AK-77) - an equatorial constellation, the only Navy ship of the name - was launched 26 December 1942 by Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No. 2, Richmond, Calif., as George B. Cortelyou under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. N. F. Potter; acquired by the Navy 4 January 1943; commissioned 17 January 1943, LCDR N. T. Gansa, USNR, in command. Service narrative: sailed from San Francisco 1 February 1943 carrying cargo among South Pacific bases and New Zealand ports; arrived Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 24 February 1943 and joined the buildup of Solomon and Society Islands bases; sailed from Guadalcanal 12 July 1944 for Eniwetok to prepare for the Guam invasion; arrived off Guam 27 July 1944, six days after the initial assault, and offloaded cargo over reefs and beaches while fighting continued ashore; September-October 1944 carried cargo from Espiritu Santo to Ulithi and Manus for the Philippines liberation; lay just outside Manus Harbor 10 November 1944 when ammunition ship USS Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded, escaping injury; loaded cargo at Auckland and Wellington after a brief overhaul; arrived Guam 18 March 1945 in Okinawa-invasion preparation, then carried cargo to Saipan and Ulithi; arrived off Okinawa 26 April 1945 and unloaded under constant enemy air and surface suicide-attack hazard without injury; sailed for San Francisco arriving 12 June 1945 for a major overhaul that kept her there until after the war; proceeded to Norfolk, decommissioned 20 November 1945, returned to the Maritime Commission the following day. Two battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1945 service; entry compiled post-war
- Population
- Ship's complement (~198-210) during WWII Pacific service; embarked personnel on cargo lifts
- Limitations
- DANFS is the authoritative Navy service history but contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information - this row documents identity, operations, and dates only. Specifications block: dp. 4,023 l. 441'6" b. 56'11" dr. 28'4" s. 12 k. cpl. 198 a. 1x5", 1x3" cl. Crater. Campaign-name note: DANFS places the ship off Guam 27 July 1944; NavSource's campaign table labels the same 27 July - 9 August window 'Capture and occupation of Saipan' - carried verbatim there, flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GEORGE B. CORTELYOU, Detail 1864, with three digitized status cards (1864_3457AF/AB reserve-fleet vessel data cards; 2OD_01 typed vessel status card); companion stub CETUS (AK-77), Detail 13021 (no events or cards) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1864 milestone table; status cards 1864_3457AF (Reserve Fleet Division - Vessel Data), 1864_3457AB (Navy-data reverse), 2OD_01 (typed Vessel Status Card, O.N. 242729)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record documents: hull MCE/yard 445, type EC2-S-C1, U.S. Official No. 242729, built by Permanente Metals Corp. at Richmond, Calif., completed 4 January 1943 ('Basis to W.S.A. 1-4-43 3:30PM PWT @ Richmond, Cal.'); delivered the same hour to the Navy Department under bareboat agreement ('BB'), 'Now Cetus (AK-77)'; delivered to WSA Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Va., 21 November 1945 11:30 AM EST; renamed George B. Cortelyou; sold for scrap under PD-X-919 for $71,520.00 on 26 October 1971 to Hierros Ardes S.A., Spain; physically delivered from the fleet at James River 6 January 1972 12:45 PM EST. Card data: 7,181 gross / 4,380-4,384 net tons, DWT 10,500-10,861, bale capacity 499,573 cu ft / grain 562,608 cu ft, 2,500 IHP, 2 water-tube boilers, speed 11-12.5 knots, draft 27'8-7/8", dimensions 422.8' x 57.0' x 34.8' (data card), fuel aboard at fleet entry 865 bbls Bunker C + 1,498 bbls diesel, termination port of last voyage Norfolk. Milestones: Entry and Acquisition (ex-Cetus) 11/21/1945; Disposition (ex-Cetus) and Withdrawal 1/6/1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- NDRF custodial crews (Lee Hall, James River, 1945-1972); Hierros Ardes towing/scrapping personnel 1971-72
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and scrapping-sale chain; status cards are handwritten/stamped and partially legible (OCR-aided reading; one custody-table row is struck through and unreadable; an unexplained 'MOTHERSHIP' annotation appears at the head of the reserve-fleet data card - see gaps). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-02
-
[3]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Cetus (AK-77) page (created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo, last updated 2017-01-13); mariners-l.co.uk Liberty-ship register (LibShipsG) entry for hull 445 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/13/130077.htm - full page incl. specifications block, campaign table, commanding-officer list, photo captions; contributed crew raid-log scan at navsource.net/archives/09/13/pdf/130077a.pdf (2 pages, image scan read visually); mariners-l.co.uk/LibShipsG.html hull-445 register line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiles: laid down (date unknown) as SS George B. Cortelyou, Maritime Commission type EC2-S-C1, MCE hull 445, at Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 2, Richmond; launched 26 December 1942; acquired 4 January 1943; commissioned 17 January 1943, LCDR Nicolas T. Gansa, USNR; campaign table credits Marianas operation - 'Capture and occupation of Saipan, 27 July to 9 August 1944' - and Okinawa Gunto operation - 'Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 April to 5 May 1945' - two battle stars; Combat Action Ribbon retroactive for Guadalcanal 16 June 1943; decommissioned Norfolk 20 November 1945; returned to the Maritime Commission 21 November 1945 for layup NDRF James River, Lee Hall, name reverting to SS George B. Cortelyou; struck from the Naval Register 5 December 1945; sold for scrapping 26 October 1971 to Hierros Ardes S.A., Spain; withdrawn from reserve and delivered to purchaser 6 January 1972. Specifications: displacement 4,023 t light / 14,250 t full; 441'6" x 56'11" x 28'4"; one Joshua-Hendy vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers (220 psi, 450 deg F), single propeller 2,500 shp; complement 21 officers + 189 enlisted; troop accommodation 52 officers + 991 enlisted; largest boom 50 t; cargo 7,500 DWT, 400,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; armament 1x5"/38, 1x3"/50, 2x40mm, 6x20mm; fuel NSFO 7,285 bbls; call sign NYMF. CO list: LCDR Nicholas T. Gansa (17 Jan 1943 - 1 May 1943), LCDR Ernest J. Grey (to 1 Jun 1944), LT Charles B. Johnson (from 1 Jun 1944), LCDR Harold L. Martin Jr. (to 20 Nov 1945). Photo caption records her at anchor in San Francisco Bay 25 August 1945 with after-position 20mm mounts replaced by 40mm (NARA photo 19-N-90243). Contributed crew artifact: a scanned day-by-day log of air raids 'while on Ie Shima' kept by crewman James T. Cavanaugh, SC3/c (signature reads 'James Thomas Cavanaugh'; contribution header spells 'Kavenaugh'), covering 15 June - 15 July 1945 - daily raid counts with remarks ('Japs were over for 7 hours,' 'Direct hit on AA Gun Battery' 24 June), totaling '156 raid[s] in 110 days' with 'an alert every night for 34 consecutive days, a total of 81 alerts'; a second contributed image shows a life-saving leaflet dropped over Japanese-held Okinawa. The mariners-l.co.uk Liberty-ship register corroborates the chain: '1943 CETUS (AK77), US Navy cargo ship. 1945 GEORGE B. CORTELYOU, WSA laid up James River. 1972 Scrapped Bilbao.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Limitations
- NavSource is a private reference compilation, not a government publication - but its commissioned/decommissioned/stricken/disposal dates agree with DANFS, ShipScribe, and the MARAD status cards. Its 'Capture and occupation of Saipan' campaign label conflicts with DANFS's narrative placing the ship off Guam for the same 27 July 1944 window - carried verbatim, flagged in gaps. The contributed crew raid log is a personal document, not an official record: its 15 June - 15 July 1945 Ie Shima dates conflict with DANFS's statement that the ship arrived San Francisco 12 June 1945 - the log's span may cover a crewman's forward-area experience beyond this hull's presence, or a DANFS compression; unresolved, flagged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-03
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation), Kaiser Permanente Metals Yard No. 2 (Richmond CA) production table, yard hull 445 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- kperm2.htm table, yard-hull-445 row (MC# 445, way 11)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Kaiser Yard No. 2 production table records yard hull 445 / MC# 445 'George B. Cortelyou,' EC2-S-C1, way 11: keel laid 21 November 1942, launched 26 December 1942, delivered 4 January 1943 - 35 days on the ways, 9 days fitting out, 44 days total. Disposition column: 'To USN as Cetus (AK 77), scrapped 1972.' The keel and delivery dates corroborate the ShipScribe class table and the MARAD custody card ('Completed 1-4-43'); the launch date matches DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Construction trades (Permanente Metals Yard No. 2, Richmond, Nov 1942 - Jan 1943)
- Limitations
- Independent compilation built from Kaiser/USMC production records - a secondary source, but its three dates agree with DANFS (launch), MARAD (delivery/completion), and ShipScribe (all three). NavSource lists the laid-down date as unknown; the Kaiser table supplies it. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-04
-
[5]ShipScribe (naval auxiliary ship data compilation), AK-70 class page covering the Crater-class cargo-ship conversions, AK-77 table rows and class notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/AK/AK70.html - AK-77 rows in both tables, class notes (pontoon-assembly conversion paragraph), ship notes ('77 CETUS 445')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe class data documents for AK-77 specifically: ex-merchant GEORGE B. CORTELYOU (MC hull 445), 'Converted by Matson Co., San Francisco' (the Navy cargo-ship conversion, between the 4 January 1943 acquisition and the 17 January 1943 commissioning); acquired 4 January 1943; keel 21 November 1942 / launch 26 December 1942 / commission 17 January 1943 at Permanente Metals #2; decommissioned 20 November 1945, struck 5 December 1945, to Maritime Commission 21 November 1945 (reserve fleet), disposal 26 October 1971. Class notes name AK-77 individually: 'AK-77 was listed as 14,250 tons at 27.75'' in the 1945 limiting-displacement list, and 'BuShips authorized the conversion of CASSIOPEIA (AK-75) and CETUS (AK-77) to pontoon assembly ships on 11 Jun 45, but the war ended before the alterations to AK-75 and probably AK-77 was completed.' Class acquisition context: on 3 October 1942 Cominch directed the Auxiliary Vessels Board to consider ComSoPac's 2 October 1942 dispatch urgently requesting that 10 Liberty (EC2) type ships be acquired, given a minimum conversion, and Navy-manned for logistic support - the directive under which AK 70-79 were taken up.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1945; class notes compiled from official records
- Population
- Matson Co. San Francisco conversion yard workers (Jan 1943); ship's crew during 1943-45 operations
- Limitations
- ShipScribe is a specialist compilation from official sources, not itself a government publication; its AK-77 rows agree with DANFS/MARAD/NavSource on dates. 'Probably AK-77 was completed' is the source's own hedge - the pontoon-assembly conversion's actual completion is undocumented and carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-05
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[6]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 USMC operating manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant - this hull's documented MARAD type - 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. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between boiler room and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; insulation in accommodation spaces and around the galley; brake linings on winches and windlass.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Construction trades (Permanente Metals Yard No. 2, Richmond, 1942-43); Matson Co. conversion workers (Jan 1943); Navy engine-room crew (1943-45); NDRF custodial and scrapping workers
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1971-72), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-06
-
[7]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- 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 program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was mass-produced at a Kaiser yard and converted for Navy cargo service - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- 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 scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the EC2-S-C1 type and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-07
-
[8]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (No. 1547, docket 89-6109)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Second Circuit ruling addressing mesothelioma claims by a mariner aboard War Shipping Administration vessels; the court considered jurisdiction over a personal-injury claim against the United States for asbestos exposure aboard the WWII government merchant fleet - the same owning agency (WSA) that held title to this hull throughout its Navy and reserve-fleet career (MARAD card: 'OWNERSHIP: WSA'; Navy custody by bareboat charter). Claims against the government were barred on discretionary-function grounds - the characteristic litigation posture for WSA-fleet exposure claims.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII merchant mariners and naval crews of WSA-owned hulls (class context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level jurisdictional ruling; does not name this hull, does not find asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and establishes only the litigation posture for WWII WSA-fleet claims. Reporter citation confirmed by prior batch verification: 891 F.2d 31.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-08
-
[9]Batch-952 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory mirror; MARAD ShipHistory 1864 + status-card scans + stub 13021; NavSource AK-77 page; Kaiser Permanente #2 production table (shipbuildinghistory.com); ShipScribe AK-70 class page; HyperWar AK-77 data sheet; CourtListener API + web UI (both blocked after one partial UI result); web-search litigation fallback; VA BVA web-search fallback; usmm.org rosters [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cetus-ak77-01 through sl-uss-cetus-ak77-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Cetus or SS George B. Cortelyou was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation sweep incomplete - CourtListener API v4 returned HTTP 429 (authenticated 2,800/day quota already consumed) and the web UI began serving AWS WAF challenges after one successful fetch; that single pre-block fetch returned zero published opinions for the exact query "USS Cetus" (server-rendered result count). Web-search fallback over court-indexed material surfaced only name collisions - Cetus Corporation (Emeryville biotech) patent litigation including Erbamont Inc. v. Cetus Corp., 720 F. Supp. 387 (D. Del. 1989) - and law-firm marketing listicles naming AK-77, which are excluded sources. VA BVA decisions: site blocked to automated access; web-search fallback surfaced no decision naming the hull.
- 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 1942-43 EC2-S-C1 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and this hull was scrapped abroad in 1972 without any surviving-fabric survey. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The CourtListener gap means docket-level litigation naming the hull cannot be ruled out this pass; the single captured UI count covers published opinions only, not RECAP dockets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); NARA still image unit (photo 19-N-90243, BuShips, via NavSource caption) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html and /248.html; NARA deck-log guidance (RG 24); NARA photo 19-N-90243
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds WWII Navy deck logs for AK-77 (1943-45) - the richest prospective source for hull-specific work, repair, and conversion detail; RG 178 Construction Division records and West Coast construction-director files (San Francisco) may hold Permanente Yard No. 2 contract / MCE hull 445 construction and outfitting specifications, plus any Matson Co. conversion file; RG 248 holds WSA vessel acquisition and bareboat-charter files including the 4 January 1943 same-hour WSA-to-Navy delivery; BuShips records may document the authorized 11 June 1945 pontoon-assembly conversion of AK-77; MARAD NDRF Lee Hall berthing/mothballing records may document preservation materials behind the status-card annotations.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1972 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for hull 445 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cetus-ak77-10