Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet crew-cm-packet.md (6 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced). Only USN vessel to bear the name (Wikipedia
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced). Only USN vessel to bear the name (Wikipedia
- Evidence ID
- uss-chawasha-at151-pkt-crew-cm-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Chawasha (ATF-151) - verbatim hazegray.org transcription via Wayback capture 2022-09-10 (live NHHC page not located) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, Chawasha (ATF-151), specifications block and narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: Chawasha (name = Indian tribe of Louisiana), Cherokee-class fleet tug; launched 1944-09-15 by Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston, S.C., sponsored by Mrs. R. H. Grantham, commissioned 1945-02-06 (LT H. K. Smith). Departed Philadelphia 1945-03-24 towing two dump scows via Panama Canal to Samar (arrived 1945-06-16); joined Third Fleet logistic support group at Ulithi 1945-06-27; towed disabled Sioux (ATF-76) to Saipan 1945-07-08; Tokyo Bay 1945-09-05 clearing wrecked shipping at Yokosuka and Yokohama; occupation duty until clearing Kobe 1946-02-19; towed ARD-18 to Pearl Harbor then a tow to Balboa; arrived San Pedro 1946-06-04; placed out of commission in reserve 1946-09-30. One battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew (~85 per DANFS statistics block); LT H. K. Smith commanding
- Limitations
- Authoritative for service history; transcription mirror used because the live NHHC DANFS page was not located (HTTP 404 on history.navy.mil, consistent with Batch-01 link-rot finding). Commissioning and decommissioning dates here conflict with NVR-derived sources (5 Feb 1945 / 7 Nov 1946) - logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Chawasha (ATF-151) - chronology, campaign/medal periods, and specifications block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 09/39/39151 - chronology bullets and specifications block; commissioning crew photo dated 1945-02-07
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource records: laid down as Chawasha (AT-151) at Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston, S.C.; redesignated fleet ocean tug ATF-151 1944-05-15; launched 1944-09-15; commissioned 1945-02-05 (LT Howard K. Smith); Asiatic-Pacific Campaign '3rd Fleet operations against Japan' 1945-07-12 to 1945-08-15; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 1945-09-02 to 09-09 and 1945-10-23 to 1946-02-19; decommissioned 1946-12-01; laid up U.S. Pacific Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benicia, CA, 1962-10-25; struck from Naval Register 1963-07-01 and transferred to Maritime Administration; released from MARAD to Navy for use as target 1978-08-14; towed to Subic Bay with ex-Sciota (ATA-205) November 1978; sunk as part of a fleet training exercise in late 1978 or early 1979. Specifications: 1,240 t light / 1,675 t full; 205 ft; diesel-electric plant of four GM 12-278A 750 hp engines, single propeller, 3,000 shp; armament 1 x 3"/50, 2 x 40mm, 2 x 20mm, 2 depth charge tracks; complement 5 officers + 80 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1979
- Population
- Crew (5 officers + 80 enlisted per NavSource specifications)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival site documenting this specific hull; commissioning (5 Feb 1945) and decommissioning (1 Dec 1946) dates conflict with DANFS and with the Shipscribe NVR compilation - unresolved, logged in gaps. Page header styles the class 'Cherokee'; other references group the ATF-148 series as Achomawi class - class naming variance logged. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-02
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CHAWASHA (AT-151/ATF-151), Ship History Detail 926 (milestones + digitized status card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 926 - milestones table and status card images (926_1681AF.jpg, 1B6_01.png)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for Chawasha: year built 1945; shipyard Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock; type ATF Fleet Ocean Tug; length 205 ft, beam 38.5 ft, displacement 1,675 t (summer) / 1,240 t (light); milestones: NDRF entry/acquisition 1962-10-25; disposition 1978-08-14 'NAVY TARGET PRACTICE'; withdrawal 1978-08-14. Fate field: 'Transferred - U.S. Govt.' (returned to Navy custody).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1962-1978
- Population
- NDRF/Suisun Bay custody period (1962-1978): maintenance/boarding personnel unknown
- Limitations
- Documents NDRF custody period and Navy-target disposition of this hull. No historical narrative and no asbestos, hazmat, or survey content in the MARAD record. Disposition date records transfer for target use, not the sinking event itself - sinking date is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-03
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[5]Shipscribe, USS Achomawi (ATF-148) class compilation (NVR/BuShips-derived construction and disposition tables, class machinery data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ATF/ATF148.html - construction table row AT 151, disposition table row, and vessel footnote
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe's ATF-148-class table records for hull 151 (Chawasha): ordered 1943-10-13 from Charleston Shipbuilding & Dry Dock; keel 1944-04-07; launched 1944-09-15; commissioned 1945-02-05; decommissioned 1946-11-07; struck 1963-07-01; disposal 1978-08-14; fate 'Hulk' (target). Vessel note: originally ordered from United Engineering Co., Alameda, CA 1943-07-29, cancelled there 1943-09-24; to ATF-151 1944-05-15; USN reserve 1946-62; to NDRF 1962-10-25; title to Maritime Administration 1963-07-01; from MA to Navy 1978-08-14 for use as target. Class data (ATF-148 group): 205 ft oa; complement 89 (1944); machinery 1 screw, G.M. or Busch-Sulzer diesel-electric (4 diesel generators), 3,000 hp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1978
- Population
- Class complement 89 (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of NVR/BuShips source data; decommissioning date (1946-11-07) conflicts with DANFS (1946-09-30) and NavSource (1946-12-01) - unresolved, logged in gaps. Class-level complement (89) differs from DANFS statistics block (85). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-04
-
[6]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 1944-45 fleet ocean tug was built. The hull's diesel-electric plant (no boilers or steam mains) narrows the classic steam-plant lagging pathway; era-typical applications on auxiliary hulls of this period included exhaust lagging, gaskets, packing, electrical and bulkhead insulation, and deck coverings.
- 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 scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Diesel-electric propulsion means boiler/steam-line lagging - the highest-concentration WWII application - is not applicable to this plant; other era applications remain plausible but unproven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-05
-
[7]Batch-2764 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page (404) + hazegray/Wayback transcription; NavSource 09/39/39151; MARAD ShipHistory 926 + status card; Shipscribe ATF-148 class table; CourtListener name and hull-number searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chawasha-at151-01 through sl-uss-chawasha-at151-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/museum-quality record, or docketed case naming the Chawasha hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship was stricken 1963-07-01 and expended as a target in 1978-79, before the Navy's formal asbestos-abatement era, so no abatement documentation is expected to exist.
- 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 1944-45 Navy hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing construction materials, and as a sunk target the hull was never subject to disposal surveys. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated): opinion search 'Chawasha' returned 0 results; opinion search '"ATF-151"' and docket search 'Chawasha' blocked by sustained fleet-wide pacing saturation - see search_ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py --query 'Chawasha' --type opinion: count=0, 2026-09-26
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search for the ship name 'Chawasha' returned zero results on 2026-09-26 - no docketed opinion names this vessel. Name is unique enough that a hit would be attributable; absence of any hit is a clean litigation-sweep negative.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Opinion-level sweep only. RECAP docket-level search for 'Chawasha' and opinion search for 'ATF-151' were attempted repeatedly (~30 min, spaced retries) on 2026-09-26 and blocked by sustained fleet-wide pacing saturation; the helper's stand-down guidance was obeyed and results were NOT fabricated - those two queries are logged 'blocked', not 'no result'. Zero opinion hits does not rule out unindexed state-court or trial-level filings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-07
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[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships); RG 24 (deck logs); NHHC photo archive (image 093915104, Suisun Bay 1975) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html; NavSource image caption citing NHHC photo 093915104
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records may hold ATF-program contract plans and machinery specifications for the Charleston SB&DD contract; NARA WWII deck logs (RG 24) for Chawasha's 1945-46 service; NHHC photographic holdings (photo 093915104 shows the hull laid up at Suisun Bay, 11 September 1975). Contract plans would establish specified insulation materials if retrieved.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1978 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chawasha-at151-08