USS Chenango (CVE-28)

Evidence

6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).

1. [1]DANFS, Chenango II (CVE-28), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division - verbatim HyperWar transcription (live NHHC DANFS page not located; probed paths returned 404 on 2026-09-19) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, spec block and full service narrative (oiler service 1941-42; conversion; Torch; Solomons; Gilberts/Marshalls/Marianas; Leyte; Okinawa; Magic Carpet; reserve/disposal)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented history for this hull: launched 1939-04-01 as Esso New Orleans by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Chester, Pa. (sponsored by Mrs. Rathbone); acquired by the Navy 1941-05-31 and commissioned 1941-06-20 as fleet oiler AO-31 (Cdr. W.H. Mays); Naval Transportation Service tanker duty in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific as far as Honolulu, including presence at Aruba, N.W.I., on 1942-02-16 during the U-boat shelling of the refinery. Decommissioned at New York 1942-03-16 for conversion; recommissioned as ACV-28 1942-09-19. Carrying Army aircraft she sailed with the Operation Torch assault force 1942-10-23 and flew off her aircraft to Port Lyautey, French Morocco, on 1942-11-10; refueled 21 destroyers at Casablanca; returned to Norfolk 1942-11-30 through a hurricane that caused extensive damage. Pacific service from mid-December 1942: Noumea 1943-01-18; Solomons convoy air cover with an air group ashore at Henderson Field; air umbrella for damaged cruisers St. Louis and Honolulu after Kolombangara 1943-07-13; redesignated CVE-28 1943-07-15; Mare Island overhaul from 1943-08-18; training carrier; Tarawa 1943-11-20 to 12-08; Marshalls (Roi, Kwajalein, Eniwetok) from 1944-01-13; Palau-strike service-group cover; Aitape/Hollandia 1944-04-16 to 05-12; TG 53.7 Marianas, Pagan Island strikes and Guam photo reconnaissance, daily Guam poundings from 1944-07-08; Halmaheras neutralization for Morotai 1944-09-10 to 09-29; Leyte softening-up strikes from 1944-10-12 - Chenango and Sangamon splashed three attackers on D-day afternoon; missed the Battle for Leyte Gulf while loading aircraft at Morotai, returned 1944-10-28 with replacement aircraft; Seattle overhaul until 1945-02-09; Okinawa from 1945-03-27 (feint landings, Sakashima Gunto kamikaze-base neutralization; 1945-04-09 crash-landing fire among strike-loaded aircraft fought down by her crew); logistics force for the 3d Fleet from 1945-07-26; post-cease-fire occupation support and evacuation of ~1,900 Allied POWs and ~1,500 civilians from slave-labor camps; Tokyo Bay 1945-10-25; San Diego overhaul then 'Magic Carpet' duty; sailed San Pedro 1946-02-05 for Boston; out of commission in reserve 1946-08-14; reclassified CVHE-28 1955-06-12; stricken 1959-03-01; sold and removed from naval custody 1960-02-12. Navy Unit Commendation and 11 battle stars. DANFS spec block: dp. 11,400; l. 553'; b. 75'; ew. 114'3"; dr. 32'; s. 18 k.; cpl. 1,080; a. 2 5"; cl. Cimarron.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1939-1960

   Population

   Oiler crew 1941-42; carrier ship's company plus embarked air groups 1942-46; yard trades at Norfolk, Mare Island, Seattle, Boston

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for milestones, specs, service, and disposal; contains no asbestos or insulation-material content. The documented yard events (New York conversion; post-hurricane repairs; Mare Island, Seattle, and San Diego availabilities; Boston inactivation) establish where and when trades worked on this hull, not what materials they encountered. DANFS does not name the conversion yard (says only 'New York') and does not record the AVG-28 designation - NavSource supplies both.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chenango-cve28-01

2. [2]Office of Naval Records and History, Ships' Histories Branch, Navy Department, 'History of USS Chenango (CVE 28)' (compiled 15 Oct 1947; restencilled 26 Jun 1950) - typed transcription and page images mirrored at usschenango.com (veteran/reunion site) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Booklet pp. 1-2 (construction, takeover, conversion, Torch P-40s, hurricane repairs at Portsmouth), pp. 3-4 (Air Groups 28 and 35), pp. 7-8 (Air Group 38; Seattle Navy Yard overhaul), pp. 9-11 (Air Groups 25 and 33; Boston Navy Yard arrival 1946-03-22; statistics block)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Navy Department's own 1947 ship history (Ships' Histories Branch, Office of Naval Records and History; compiled 1947-10-15, restencilled 1950-06-26) adds ship-specific yard detail beyond DANFS: Esso New Orleans was built to blueprints 'jointly approved by Standard Oil of New Jersey, the United States Maritime Commission, and United States Navy' and 'designed to go to war as a Navy Fleet Oiler whenever she was needed'; the Navy took her over 1941-04-20 for Naval Transportation Service operation; she 'returned to the States (Staten Island, New York) where she was converted into an aircraft carrier, the second of four ships in her class.' On Operation Torch the history records her ferrying 78 Army P-40 fighters to North Africa and delivering 77 (one splashed before reaching shore). After the November 1942 hurricane she reached Portsmouth, Virginia, where 'yard workmen' repaired the twisted superstructure and curled flight deck so she was 'ready for sea again by the middle of December.' Later yard periods: 'ordered back to Mare Island, California, for repairs' (1943); 'a Navy Yard overhaul' at Seattle, Washington (arriving after Leyte, departing 1945-02-09); a two-week availability at San Pedro (1945-11); arrived Boston Navy Yard 1946-03-22 for the reserve ('zipper') fleet. Embarked air groups recorded: Air Group 28 detached to Henderson Field (1943); Air Group 35 taken aboard at San Diego 1943-10-14 for the 13-month combat cruise (Air Group 38 by the Leyte campaign); Air Group 25 for the Okinawa phase; night-flying Air Group 33 embarked for the final weeks and homeward voyage. Statistics block: 12,000 tons standard, 553', 75' beam, 18 kts, complement '1000 plus', two 5"/38 dual-purpose guns, 21+ aircraft; ~218,000 miles steamed.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1938-1947

   Population

   Conversion-yard trades (Staten Island, 1942); Portsmouth yard workmen (Nov-Dec 1942); Mare Island, Seattle Navy Yard, San Pedro, and Boston Navy Yard trades; ship's company and air groups

   Limitations

   Official Navy Department morale/history publication - authoritative on events, informal in tone; contains no asbestos or insulation-material content. Confirms the conversion occurred at Staten Island but does not name the contractor (Bethlehem Steel per NavSource). The takeover date (1941-04-20) precedes DANFS's formal acquisition date (1941-05-31) - both recorded, not reconciled. Mirror host is a private reunion site; the document itself is the government publication.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chenango-cve28-02

3. [3]NavSource Online, USS Chenango (ACV-28) Escort Carrier Photo Archive (navsource.net mirror; navsource.org unreachable on direct fetch 2026-09-19) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page header designation bullets; 1942-as-converted specifications block; photo captions NS0302827 (P-40F/33rd Fighter Group Torch caption), NS03028194/468/579/609/520/402 (Mare Island 1943-09-22), January 1945 Seattle drydock caption, and NS0302802 (Todd Shipyard NJ, September 1961)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NavSource Online escort-carrier archive supplies the designation timeline DANFS omits and the conversion-yard identity: reclassified AVG-28 on 1942-03-16 (the decommissioning date), 'Converted to an aircraft carrier by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York'; ACV-28 on 1942-08-20; CVE-28 on 1943-07-15; CVHE-28 on 1955-06-12 while in reserve. Photo captions identify the Torch airlift cargo as '77 USAAF Curtiss P-40F Warhawks of the 33rd Fighter Group' flown off to Port Lyautey on 1942-11-10, and document the hull at Mare Island Navy Yard 1943-09-22 'in overhaul at the yard from 21 Aug until 25 Sep 1943' and 'dry-docked in Seattle' in January 1945, and at 'Todd Shipyard, New Jersey, September 1961. Just prior to being scrapped.' Fate line: 'Sold; scrapped in Spain in 1962.' As-converted spec block: 11,400 t standard / 24,275 t full; 4 boilers (450 psi), 2 steam turbines, 2 shafts, 13,500 shp; 18+ kts; 25 aircraft; crew 830 (ship's company + air wing). Awards block: Navy Unit Commendation; EAME 1 star; Asiatic-Pacific 10 stars; Philippine Presidential Unit Citation; Philippine Liberation 1 star; Navy Occupation 'Asia'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1938-1962

   Population

   n/a (specification/disposal documentation)

   Limitations

   Reputable secondary compiled reference, not a primary document - used for the designation timeline, conversion-yard attribution, yard-photo dates, and disposal detail that DANFS and the 1947 history do not supply. Contains no asbestos content. The Bethlehem Steel Staten Island attribution is consistent with the 1947 Navy history's 'Staten Island, New York' but is not a primary record of the contract.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chenango-cve28-03

4. [4]NHHC, United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995, Appendix 3 'Aviation Ships' (escort carrier table, CVE-28 line) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Appendix 3 Aviation Ships PDF, CVE section, hull-28 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official NHHC aviation-history appendix corroborates the designation and disposal timeline: '28 Chenango 19 Sep 1942 AO 31 20 Jun 1941 ... 14 Aug 1946 ACV 28 ... CVHE 28 12 Jun 1955 ... Stricken 1 Mar 1959. Chenango was a fleet oiler (AO 31) before being converted to an escort carrier.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1941-1959

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Roster-level confirmation of designation and stricken dates; no narrative, specs, or material content. Confirms the oiler-to-carrier conversion sequence as official record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chenango-cve28-04

5. [5]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960; page date 15 April 1959) - government manual; retrieved as a scan hosted in the Garlock bankruptcy Daubert-appendix repository [other_primary]

   Locator

   BuShips TM ch. 39, sections 39-11 through 39-13 (materials); DANFS/1947-history yard-event timeline per ev-01/ev-02

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference for this hull's two material phases. Phase 1: constructed 1938-39 as Maritime Commission-contract T3-S2-A1 tanker Esso New Orleans at Sun Shipbuilding - commercial marine steam plants of the era carried insulated boilers, steam lines, and machinery where asbestos-containing block, lagging, felt, gaskets, and packing were standard practice. Phase 2: converted March-September 1942 under Navy specifications - the Navy's era insulation suite is enumerated in the BuShips Technical Manual (NAVSHIPS 250-000, ch. 39 'Thermal Insulation'): MIL-P-2781 pipe covering including 85% magnesia 'formed from a combination of 85 percent magnesium carbonate with about 15 percent asbestos fiber' and a class 'formed from a uniform mixture of amosite asbestos fibers'; roll asbestos felt MIL-I-15091; asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466 (80-95% chrysotile) as lagging; asbestos millboard HH-M-351; asbestos finishing cement; molded asbestos block for high-temperature service. Her 4-boiler, 2-turbine steam plant and the conversion-added carrier systems are the equipment classes these specifications cover, and her documented yard events (Portsmouth repairs Dec 1942, Mare Island 1943, Seattle Navy Yard 1944-45, Boston inactivation 1946) are the points where such materials would be disturbed and renewed.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1938-1946 (construction/conversion/overhaul era); manual published 1960 describing era-standard specifications

   Population

   Sun Shipbuilding construction trades (1938-39); Bethlehem Staten Island conversion trades (1942); Navy-yard overhaul trades (1942-46); ship's company and air groups (1941-46)

   Limitations

   Specification-level documentation of what the Navy and commercial era specified - NOT a ship-specific installation record. Establishes what the era insulation suite contained, not what was installed aboard this hull; the 1960 manual postdates the ship by a decade and is used as era-spec evidence only. No source separates the surviving 1938-39 commercial-tanker insulation from the 1942 Navy conversion layer. No quantity, no individual exposure, no present-day material (hull scrapped 1962).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chenango-cve28-05

6. [6]This record's search ledger: CourtListener API v4 queries; NHHC DANFS via HyperWar transcription; 1947 Navy Department ship history; NHHC aviation appendix; NavSource; general-web sweep; class-level ledger corroboration 2026-09-16 [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-chenango-cve28-05 through sl-uss-chenango-cve28-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no hull insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming Chenango/CVE-28 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener on 2026-09-19: 'CVE-28' returned zero hits; 'Chenango' + asbestos returned 18 hits all classed as name collisions or unrelated matters (the hull shares its name with a New York county/river/town - the one asbestos-proximate hit, ACandS v. Abate (Md. App. 1998), was verified via the official opinion PDF to cite 'Chenango Ind. Dev. Agency v. Lockwood Greene Eng'rs', a New York case - not the ship); 'Chenango' + Navy ship returned 4 hits, all collisions; 'Esso New Orleans' returned 2 hits, both verified non-qualifying collisions - Estate of Kauzlarich v. Exxon, 405 F. Supp. 332 (D.S.C. 1975), is a Jones Act/DOHSA wrongful-death limitations ruling for a seaman who died 1971-02-12 aboard the LATER Exxon tanker S/S Esso New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico (this hull was already scrapped in 1962 - name reuse, not this vessel), and New Jersey Bell Telephone v. Standard Oil (S.D.N.Y. 1949) is a non-asbestos commercial matter. 'USS Chenango' and 'ACV-28' queries could not be completed - CourtListener throttled (HTTP 429, 125/day and 5/min caps) and further retries were suspended per batch rules rather than risk a ban; an independent class-level CourtListener sweep of this name and the oiler-era names on 2026-09-16 likewise located no qualifying opinion. General-web sweeps located only law-firm/marketing and SEO-aggregator pages listing CVE-28 generically as an 'asbestos ship' - excluded per source rules, none traced to a primary source.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   2026-09-19

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a two-phase hull with 1938-39 commercial construction plus a 1942 Navy conversion is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation in both layers, and the hull was scrapped abroad (1962) with no survey regime. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos aboard; does not bear on any individual claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Two CourtListener queries remained unrun at cutoff due to throttling - see gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chenango-cve28-06