USS Charlevoix (AK-168)

Evidence

7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Charlevoix' (AK-168) entry (Wayback capture of history.navy.mil page, 2016-03-04; live NHHC page returned 404 on both URL patterns tried 2026-09-21); verbatim transcription of the same entry at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ak168.htm [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture 2016-03-04, full Charlevoix entry; hazegray ak168.htm, full entry

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   CHARLEVOIX (AK-168), named for Charlevoix County, Michigan, an Alamosa-class cargo ship (dp. 2,382; l. 338'6"; b. 50'; dr. 21'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 85; a. 1 x 3"), was launched 1944-04-20 by Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. E. Buchanan; and commissioned 1945-02-01, Lieutenant G. F. Vietor, USNR, in command. Cargo laden, she cleared Gulfport, Miss., 1945-02-24 for Manus, arriving 1945-04-05; assigned to a convoy for the Philippines, a passage marked by one possible submarine contact depth-charged by the escorts, reaching Subic Bay 1945-04-24 to discharge. Returned to Manus 1945-06-01, reloaded, departed 1945-06-07 for Samar, P.I., unloaded 1945-06-28, back at Manus 1945-07-05. Underway 1945-07-11, loaded aviation gas at Lae for the New Zealand Air Force based on New Britain; delivered 1945-07-20 supporting twice-daily raids on by-passed Rabaul. One more Manus voyage delivered cargo to Hollandia, returning with rolling stock for repair at Manus in August; then north to Samar and Subic Bay, briefly overhauled in October; proceeded to Norfolk, Va., reached 1945-12-23; decommissioned there 1946-01-18; returned to the Maritime Commission 1946-01-25.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Construction trades (Froemming Brothers, Milwaukee, 1944); commissioned crew (85 design complement; 8 officers + 91 enlisted actually embarked per war diary)

   Limitations

   Establishes identity, construction, full commissioned service timeline, and decommissioning - the DANFS entry contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s on both patterns (standing link-rot issue from batch-01); citation is the 2016 Wayback capture of the NHHC page plus the verbatim hazegray transcription. The NHHC web rendering gives the commanding officer as 'G. F. Victor' while the hazegray transcription and the ship's own war diary signature read 'Vietor' (George F. Vietor Jr.) - the war diary is primary, so Vietor is carried; the NHHC 'Victor' rendering is a transcription artifact. DANFS gives no laid-down date and no stricken date.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-01

2. [2]USS Charlevoix (AK-168) War Diary, February-November 1945, including 'Naval History of the Charlevoix' narrative and supplemental details dated 1945-12-02, signed by Lieut. Comdr. G. F. Vietor Jr., USNR, Commanding (60-page scan hosted by NavSource; the underlying document is a Navy war-diary submission of the RG 38 family) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource PDF 130168a.pdf: pp. 1-2 (commissioning, Feb 1945 log), p. 55-57 (naval history narrative pp. 3-5), p. 58 (cargo summary), p. 59 (supplemental details)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-generated primary record. The diary documents: commissioning at 1600 hours 1945-02-01 at Pier 43, Galveston, Texas (Commander C. Bell, USN (Ret.), placing the ship in commission for the Commandant, 8th Naval District); Gulf shakedown plus a five-day availability by the Industrial Manager, 8th Naval District (1945-02-06 to -14); departure for Gulfport 1945-02-17 with an embarked crew of 8 officers and 91 enlisted men; first cargo 2,615 long tons; Canal transit 1945-03-04 after reporting to Commander Seventh Fleet; Manus arrival 1945-04-05 (32 days from Balboa); the 13-ship convoy to Subic Bay (arrived 1945-04-24); the accidental drowning of Carlton F. Monvielle, SK2/c, USNR, at Subic Bay on 1945-05-21; the July aviation-gasoline run (9,000 drums, ~1,800 tons) loaded at Langemak Bay/Lae and delivered to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain, for the New Zealand Air Force striking Rabaul; Hollandia cargo and return of ~500 tons of battered rolling stock; Guiuan, Samar cargo 1945-09-01; Subic Bay from 1945-09-24, cargo discharged 10-10, then twelve days at anchor in maintenance availability accomplished by the ship's force - 'Since commissioning, no yard work has been necessary whatsoever'; Magic Carpet orders 1945-10-21; departed Subic 10-23 with 27 passengers, Guam 10-30, loaded 631 tons of cargo/mail, departed for Pearl Harbor 11-08 arriving 11-21, then orders via Balboa to New York. Summary page: 45,083 miles steamed at 9.3 knots average through 1945-12-02; no enemy-action damage; longest trip without overhaul 45 days (U.S. to the Philippines); total cargo 13,052 tons over 8 voyages; one commanding officer for the entire period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-02 to 1945-12

   Population

   Commissioned crew (8 officers + 91 enlisted at Feb 1945 departure); 27 passengers embarked for the Magic Carpet return

   Limitations

   Ship-specific primary artifact of daily operation - the strongest source in this record for the commissioned period. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey statements; maintenance entries (six-day Manus period, five-day Galveston availability, twelve-day Subic availability) do not enumerate materials disturbed, and 'no yard work' does not establish or negate any material condition. Hosted by a volunteer archive (NavSource) as a document scan; pagination cited by PDF page. Internal inconsistency: the narrative places the October 1945 availability at Subic Bay (twelve days, ship's force), while the summary page records a nine-day overhaul 'by a navy repair ship at Samar, P.I.' in October 1945 - the itinerary keeps the ship at Subic 1945-09-24 to 10-23; flagged in gaps rather than reconciled.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CHARLEVOIX (AK-168), Ship History Detail 917, with digitized vessel status cards (VESSEL STATUS CARD and Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card, front and back) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 917, Status Cards tab: /cards/1AS_01.png (vessel status card), /cards/917_1663AF.jpg and /cards/917_1663AB.jpg (reserve-fleet data card, front/back); custody table in document file /documents/0d1d0fd1-d978-4579-b5a8-4046e0118834.pdf

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD status cards document: Official No. 246354; name CHARLEVOIX (AK 168), flag AMER., type M.V.; MC hull 2141; 'Built by Froemming Bros., Inc. #13 At Milwaukee, Wisc.'; 'Completed 8-17-44'; 'Basis to W.S.A. 1-25-46 1:00PM EST @ Lee Hall, Va. from Navy Dept. (USMC OWNED) LB/BB'. Operating-history rows show: delivery to the Navy Dept. from USMC (LB/BB) at Beaumont, Tex. 1944-12-23; lay-up with the Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, Va. 1946-01-25; withdrawal from fleet 1947-02-07 8:45 AM to operator Dichmann, Wright & Pugh under GAA at Lee Hall; Dichmann, Wright & Pugh back to USMC then USMC to purchaser D/S A/S Imica (allocated Oct. 1946) at Baltimore, Md. 1947-02-26 2:15 PM EST, 'Title passed simultaneously @ Hoboken, NJ', price $693,862.00. The reserve-fleet data card records: fleet/unit 'JR' (James River); ownership WSA; entered fleet 1-25-46; termination port of last voyage 'HAMPTON ROADS'; tonnage DWT 5010 (card back: 3805 gross / 2123 net); draft 21 5/8; BHP 1700; a 'Dky Blr' notation (probable donkey-boiler abbreviation - tentative reading); fleet-nesting notes 'alongside Marema (2/4/47)' and 'ALONGSIDE CRAIGHEAD' struck and replaced by 'GEORGE R. POOLE'; ship's-papers custodian 'NORWEGIAN' with allocation references 'PRELIM. ALLOC. 1-3-47' and 'FINAL ALLOC. 212 1/24/47'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Population

   Navy acceptance crew (Beaumont, Dec 1944); NDRF James River custodial crews (1946-47); Dichmann, Wright & Pugh general-agent crews preparing the sale delivery (Feb 1947)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for custody chain, milestones, and tonnage/machinery summary; status cards are handwritten/typed scans - transcription best-effort ('Dky Blr', the alongside-vessel names, and the allocation references are manuscript readings). The card's tonnage figures (DWT 5010; 3805 gr/2123 net) differ from secondary compilations (5,032 DWT; 3,945 cargo DWT) - measured on different bases, neither asserted. 'BHP 1700' is consistent with the Nordberg diesel plant (~1,750 shp in secondary specs). Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Commission, Transfer Order No. C-5073, 'Approving the Sale [to] Alien and Transfer to Norwegian Registry and Flag of the Undocumented Motor Vessel CHARLEVOIX,' granted 1947-02-13, signed A. J. Williams, Secretary (MARAD ShipHistory Detail 917 document file) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   MARAD ShipHistory Detail 917, Documents tab, 'CHARLEVOIX.pdf' (single page)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-specific primary document in the MARAD file: Transfer Order C-5073 recites that 'The United States Maritime Commission on December 19, 1946, authorized the sale of the undocumented motor vessel CHARLEVOIX, to D/S A/S IMICA, a joint stock company organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Norway, with the privilege of transferring said vessel to foreign registry and flag,' and orders, on 1947-02-13, 'that the approval required by Section 37 of the Shipping Act 1916, as amended (46 U.S.C. 835) of the sale of the undocumented motor vessel CHARLEVOIX, to an alien as above set forth, with transfer to Norwegian registry and flag, be, and it is hereby granted.' This documents the legal mechanism of the 1947 foreign-flag sale: sale authorization 1946-12-19, Section 37 approval 1947-02-13, purchaser delivery 1947-02-26 at Baltimore per the status cards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1946-12 to 1947-02

   Limitations

   Documents the statutory sale approval and Norwegian-flag transfer only; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim. Scanned order read directly (OCR of the scan is poor; readings verified against the rendered image). Clarifies secondary-source framing that 'sold 7 February 1947' - the card shows 2-7-47 was withdrawal from fleet to the GAA operator, not the purchaser delivery (2-26-47).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-04

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 program under which this C1-M-AV1 hull was built (Froemming Brothers, Milwaukee, 1944) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls. For this diesel-powered design, era-consistent applications run to exhaust/machinery insulation, gaskets, packing, joiner and refrigeration insulation, electrical insulation, and brake linings rather than boiler/steam-line lagging - subject to the caveat that the MARAD card's tentative 'Dky Blr' (donkey-boiler) notation suggests auxiliary steam equipment may have existed aboard.

   Verification

   inferred

   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, does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, and establishes neither quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, nor causation. The application list is type-level inference, not a survey of this ship; no C1-M-AV1 outfitting manual or ship-specific materials document was located in this pass.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-05

6. [6]Batch-846 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404 + Wayback/hazegray mirrors); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 917 incl. status cards and Transfer Order C-5073; ship's war diary Feb-Nov 1945 (NavSource-hosted scan); CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep (opinion + docket indexes); NVR; NARA record-group guides; NavSource and secondary compilations for corroboration [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-charlevoix-ak168-01 through -10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Charlevoix (AK-168), MC hull 2141, or Official No. 246354 was found in the public sources searched. The litigation sweep ran authenticated against CourtListener API v4 with full coverage: 'USS Charlevoix' (opinions and dockets) - 0 hits; 'Charlevoix' + 'AK-168' - 0 hits; 'AK-168' - 2 hits, both docket-number collisions (Jones Mahoney Corp. v. Hutto, Fla. 1st DCA 'No. AK-168' (1982); Jah-I-Dah Gumbs v. Schneider Regional Medical Center, V.I. (2020)); 'Charlevoix' + asbestos - 3 opinion hits, all name collisions: Charlevoix v. Caterpillar, Inc., D. Del. 15-726-SLR-SRF (2017) is qualifying Navy-asbestos litigation but the vessel was USS Valley Forge and 'Charlevoix' is the plaintiff surname; Cleveland Stegall (Mich. 2024) and LaNetra Kellar (6th Cir. 2025) cite Michigan county employment cases (McNeil v. Charlevoix Co./Cnty.; Downey v. Charlevoix Cnty. Bd. of Road Comm'rs). Docket-level sweeps ('Charlevoix' alone 792 hits; +asbestos 57; +USS 29; +vessel 111) surface only Michigan county/city litigation, surname cases, and unrelated dockets (incl. the Great Lakes Exploration salvage case near Charlevoix, MI) - none naming this hull. Commercial asbestos-ship listicles do list USS Charlevoix (AK-168); they are banned marketing sources, logged in the ledger but not cited.

   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 1944 Maritime Commission hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull was scrapped abroad in 1970 (scrapping-era exposure undocumented). Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-06

7. [7]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments), RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 38 (war diaries) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov guide-fed-records groups 178 and 181; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): RG 178 Construction Division records may hold MC hull 2141 contract/outfitting material records for the Froemming Brothers Milwaukee contract; RG 181 district records cover the Industrial Manager, 8th Naval District post-shakedown availability at Galveston (Feb 1945) and the Norfolk inactivation (Dec 1945-Jan 1946); RG 24 deck logs cover the full commissioned period (1945-02-01 to 1946-01-18); the war diary already retrieved is a RG 38-family submission - the NARA original and any accompanying engineering reports are the box-level lead.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1947 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents in these series is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-charlevoix-ak168-07