Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Chemung II (AO-30)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Chemung II (AO-30)' article body (live URL unavailable 2026-09-24; cited via Wayback capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Chemung II (AO-30): launched 9 September 1939 as Esso Annapolis by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard, Inc., Sparrows Point, Md., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Miss Howard; acquired by the Navy 5 June 1941; commissioned 3 July 1941, Commander E. T. Spellman in command. Statistics line: displacement 7,295; length 553'; beam 45' (apparent typographical error - MARAD and the hull's own status card give 75 ft); draft 32'4"; speed 18 knots; complement 304; armament 1 5-inch; class Cimarron. Narrative covers east coast-Gulf oil runs (1941), Argentia and Hvalfjordur Iceland fuel station duty (Dec 1941-Jun 1942), the 22 Aug 1942 collision with USS Ingraham (DD-444) - Ingraham sank when her depth charges exploded; Chemung, heavily damaged by the explosion and resulting fires, reached Boston 26 Aug for repairs - North African assault-force accompaniment (Oct-Nov 1942), five UK and five North Africa convoy voyages plus Bermuda/Azores station duty (Feb 1943-Jun 1945), circumnavigation to Okinawa occupation duty (Jul-Dec 1945), Sixth Fleet Mediterranean tour (Nov 1948-Apr 1949), decommissioning into the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego 3 Jul 1950, recommissioning 1 Dec 1950, three Korean-era Far East tours (1951-1953, ending at Mare Island overhaul Feb 1953), and nine Western Pacific tours 1953-1960 including fuel for the Tachen Islands evacuation force and station-tanker duty at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 'Chemung received two battle stars for World War II service, and four for service in the Korean War.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1939-1960
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, statistics, and operational history through 1960. Entry text predates the ship's 1964-1969 Vietnam service and 1970 decommissioning (NavSource campaign tables carried separately). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Internal discrepancy: statistics-line beam 45 ft conflicts with the documented 75-ft beam (MARAD) - treated as a typographical error, logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - CHEMUNG (AO-30), Detail 930 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Vessel detail page: characteristics block, milestones, imagery captions, Status Cards and Documents sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record for CHEMUNG (AO-30), detail 930: year built 1940; shipyard Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division; general type Naval Auxiliary; specific type AO Oiler; MARAD type T3-S2-A1; length overall 553 ft; beam 75 ft; displacement 7,470 light / 25,440 summer; name history ESSO ANNAPOLIS -> CHEMUNG; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Entry/Acquisition 1971-03-31 and Disposition/Withdrawal 1971-06-16. File includes 37 digitized photographs documenting the hull's Navy conversion at Bethlehem Steel Co., Hoboken, N.J. (U.S. Navy photo 1941-07-08) and availabilities at Norfolk Navy Yard (1943-04-30, 1944-12-18), Mare Island Naval Shipyard (1953-07-30), and San Francisco Naval Shipyard / Hunters Point (1955-06-28), plus digitized vessel status cards and a Navy photograph of the decommissioning ceremony at San Diego.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1939-1971
- Limitations
- Confirms builder, type, dimensions, fate, reserve-fleet entry and withdrawal dates, and documents specific Navy-yard availabilities and the Hoboken conversion. Record carries no historical narrative and no asbestos or hazmat statement. 'Year Built 1940' conflicts with the DANFS 1939-09-09 launch - completion-year convention, logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-02
-
[3]MARAD Vessel Status Cards for CHEMUNG (AO-30) - images 930_AF.jpg and 930_1690AF.jpg under Detail 930 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 930 'Status Cards' section; card images read directly (merchant-service card; MA-383 reserve-fleet particulars card; MA-20 record of ship sales)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD vessel status cards for CHEMUNG (AO-30), verified by direct image read this session. Merchant card: MC hull 9, delivered to the Navy at Hoboken, N.J., 1941-06-05 4:15 p.m. EST from Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey; renamed CHEMUNG (AO-30). Reserve Fleet particulars card (Form MA-383): entered Suisun Bay NDRF 1971-03-31 at 10:45 a.m. PST; permanent transfer 1971-05-14; title withdrawn 1971-06-16 at 09:15. Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20): sale to Levin Metals Corporation, $103,377.00, contract MA-6329; advertised under PD-X-905 dated 1971-04-20; bids opened 1971-05-11.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1971
- Limitations
- Establishes the Navy acquisition delivery event, exact NDRF entry/withdrawal timestamps, buyer, price, and sale contract. Cards contain no asbestos, insulation, or hazmat-condition information. Secondary compilations give $103,372 - card image shows $103,377.00, carried as card-verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-03
-
[4]Dench & Hardy Co. v. The Esso Annapolis, 42 F. Supp. 930 (D. Mass. 1942), No. 882 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion search 'Esso Annapolis'; opinion reported at 42 F. Supp. 930
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Dench & Hardy Co. v. The Esso Annapolis, 42 F. Supp. 930 (D. Mass. 1942), No. 882: admiralty opinion describing the tank steamship Esso Annapolis (553 ft, 6,613.7 net tons) colliding with and sinking the fishing vessel Angie & Vence off Chesapeake Lightship on 7 February 1940 - this hull in its merchant period before Navy acquisition. No asbestos or exposure content.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1942
- Limitations
- Ship-specific federal court record for the merchant period (ship dimensions in the opinion match the hull). Collision litigation only - establishes merchant operation, no asbestos content. The other 'Esso Annapolis' hit, Lamon v. Standard Oil Co. (E.D. La. 1954, crew injury 1951), postdates Navy acquisition and concerns a successor merchant tanker of the same name - name collision, non-qualifying.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-04
-
[5]Baker v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., S.D. Ill. 3:11-cv-00008-JPG-DGW (docket 5045262); MDL-875 JPML docket 1245688 docs. 6590-2 (complaint), 6742 (CTO-355 vacated); Madison County, Ill. 10-L-1168 [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 JPML docket doc. 6590-2 (Baker complaint - 'USS Chemung' in pleading text, verified by OCR of RECAP PDF); S.D. Ill. docket entries 1, 15 (remand order)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Baker v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al. - Madison County, Ill. Circuit Court 10-L-1168 (filed by Saville & Flint), removed to S.D. Ill. as 3:11-cv-00008-JPG-DGW on 2011-01-05. Complaint alleges plaintiff Thomas Franklin Baker Jr. was 'employed by the United States Navy from 1952 to 1956 located in Great Lakes, Illinois, Long Beach, California and the USS Chemung,' was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers emanating from defendants' products, and developed lung cancer. District court granted plaintiff's motion to remand under 28 U.S.C. s. 1447(c) on 2011-02-07 (docket doc. 15); the JPML had issued conditional transfer order CTO-355 as to the action but vacated it on 2011-02-16 (MDL-875 docket doc. 6742). Action returned to Madison County state court.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Alleged exposure 1952-1956; litigation 2010-2011
- Population
- One named plaintiff (Thomas Franklin Baker Jr., USN 1952-1956, alleged aboard USS Chemung; lung cancer)
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, classified at the less-final stage per batch discipline: a complaint's site list is an allegation, not a finding. The case was remanded to state court ~1 month after removal with no merits adjudication; the Madison County disposition is not in the searched sources. Does not establish that asbestos was aboard, that plaintiff was exposed aboard, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-05
-
[6]Miller v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., N.D. Cal. 3:11-cv-02814 (docket 5916367) and 4:11-cv-02685-DMR; MDL-875 JPML docket 1245688 docs. 7328-3, 7359-3 (complaint/Exhibit A attachments); E.D. Pa. member dockets 12865943 (2:11-cv-02378) and 12974547 (2:11-cv-66755) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 JPML docket docs. 7328-3 and 7359-3 (Miller complaint Exhibit A - 'Chemung (AO-30)' verified by OCR of RECAP PDF); E.D. Pa. member docket headers
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Miller et al v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al. - San Francisco Superior Court CGC-11-275825, removed to N.D. Cal. (4:11-cv-02685-DMR filed 2011-06-03; re-docketed 3:11-cv-02814, terminated 2011-06-28 on MDL transfer); MDL-875 member dockets E.D. Pa. 2:11-cv-02378 (terminated 2012-08-06) and 2:11-cv-66755 (terminated 2013-04-17), before Judge Robreno. Complaint Exhibit A lists plaintiff Richard Miller - U.S. Navy Oct 1957-1978, Machinist Mate (Senior Chief)/Naval Advisor - with exposure sites including 'Chemung (AO-30)' among several named ships and shore locations; diseases alleged include lung cancer and asbestosis.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Alleged exposure 1957-1978; litigation 2011-2013
- Population
- One named plaintiff (Richard Miller, Senior Chief Machinist's Mate, USN 1957-1978; Chemung one of several alleged sites; lung cancer/asbestosis alleged)
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, classified at the less-final stage per batch discipline: an exposure-site list in a complaint is an allegation, not a finding. The hull is one of several listed sites for a 21-year career; no court adjudicated exposure aboard Chemung, and the member-case terminations show no merits finding (outcome terms not public). Does not establish that asbestos was aboard, that plaintiff was exposed aboard, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-06
-
[7]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation No. 9911351 (1999-04-28) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision text, Citation 9911351 - 'USS Chemung,' Johnston Island, May-June 1962
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, Citation No. 9911351 (Apr. 28, 1999): veteran sought service connection on a claim of ionizing-radiation exposure aboard USS Chemung at Johnston Island during atomic testing in May-June 1962; claim denied. Confirms a ship-named federal adjudication exists, and places the vessel (at allegation level) at Johnston Island during Operation Dominic-era testing. Non-asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1962 service claim; 1999 adjudication
- Population
- One named veteran claimant
- Limitations
- Radiation claim, not asbestos; the veteran's claimed presence aboard is a claim-level fact and the claim was denied - carried only to document that the hull is named in a federal adjudication and as an archival datapoint for 1962 operations. Establishes no asbestos condition or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-07
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[8]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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- 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 of the World War II era, the industrial period in which this 1939-40 Maritime Commission steam tanker was designed and built. Typical applications in steam plants of the era included boiler and steam-line insulation (lagging), machinery packing, and valve/flange gaskets.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1930s-1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- Shipyard construction workers (Bethlehem-Sparrows Point, 1939-40); Navy engine-room and maintenance crews 1941-1970 (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship on WWII-era shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the T3-S2-A1 type and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Hull predates the war (launched 1939) though built under the same Maritime Commission industrial regime the paper describes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-08
-
[9]Batch-1878 search ledger (this record): DANFS, MARAD ShipHistory detail 930 + status cards, CourtListener opinion + docket searches, NARA catalog, VA BVA, NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-chemung-ao30-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials inventory, hazmat disclosure, or published opinion naming AO-30 located in searched authoritative sources. The ship was sold for scrap 1971-05-14 and delivered 1971-06-16 (MARAD cards) - before OSHA's asbestos standards (1971-72) and before documented ship-scrapping abatement regimes (NESHAP asbestos rules began 1973), so absence of an abatement record is expected rather than probative of a clean hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1939-1971
- Limitations
- Records a negative result, not proof of absence: pre-regulation scrapping means no abatement paper trail would be expected even if the ship carried substantial asbestos. The 1971 breaking-up at Levin Metals (San Jose) has no surveyed hazmat documentation located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-09
-
[10]NARA Catalog records: naId 212643682 (Chemung AO-30 deck log, March 1961, RG 24); naId 7573474/7573476 (RG 19 ship photographs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog search '"AO-30" deck logs' and 'chemung' - record-group hits above
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads confirmed in the NARA catalog: digitized deck logs exist for this hull - e.g., 'Chemung (AO-30) - March 1961,' NARA ID 212643682, RG 24, Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project (VA-provided scan set, batch NDL-0018), series naId 594258 - and Bureau of Ships photographs 'AO-30 Chemung' (RG 19, IDs 7573474 and 7573476, local identifier 19-NN-AO-30 Chemung-153278, Box 1564 Folder 226, series 513052). Bureau of Ships construction/maintenance records (RG 19) and Maritime Commission construction files for MC hull 9 (RG 178) are the likeliest repositories for any original insulation/material specification.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1939-1971
- Limitations
- Lead only - deck-log images exist digitally but were not individually reviewed; no factual claim in this record rests on them. No hull-level construction specification or insulation schedule was pulled; no paid reproduction authorized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chemung-ao30-10