Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]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 construction program under which this T1-MT-M1 gasoline tanker was built at Cargill's wartime Port Savage yard, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S.-built hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-01
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[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Chewaucan' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live page 404s 2026-09-24; text retrieved from Wayback capture 2019-09-15 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/chewaucan.html) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Chewaucan entry, full text (NHHC page via Wayback); canonical NHHC URL currently 404 - same link-rot pattern logged in BATCH-01 report
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (NHHC): 'Chewaucan (AOG-50) was launched 22 July 1944 by Cargill, Inc., Savage, Minn.; sponsored by Mrs. O. K. Greathouse; and commissioned 19 February 1945, Lieutenant J. M. Price, USNR, in command.' She cleared Baytown, Texas, 22 March 1945, reached Pearl Harbor 6 May, and carried oil among the Hawaiian Islands, Midway, Johnston, Canton, and Christmas Islands to June 1946; operated out of Seattle on cargo duty to Alaskan ports 1946-09-23 to 1947-07-04; entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1948-02-04 'for conversion to a combination oiler-tanker'; then deployed from Norfolk 1948-07-07 as one of the original 12 ships of the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, homeported at Naples, Italy, through 1960; on 1957-08-02 she was transferred from the 6th Fleet to Commander, Naval Activities, Italy, for operational control. DANFS header data: dp. 1,850; l. 310'9"; b. 48'6"; dr. 15'8"; s. 14 k.; cpl. 131; a. 4 3"; cl. Patapsco.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Crew ~131 (DANFS header figure); Philadelphia Naval Shipyard workers during Feb-Jun 1948 conversion
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, WWII-Pacific and Mediterranean service, and the 1948 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard conversion event. The entry contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or abatement statement and ends its narrative at 1960 - post-1960 history is not covered. Supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC URL unreachable; text verified from a 2019 Wayback capture of the official page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Chewaucan (AOG-50) page (contributed by Al Grazevich; compiled from Naval Vessel Register-type data and contributor records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AOG-50 page: history block, specification block, commanding officers table (Wayback capture 2023-11-29; live navsource.org fetch failed 2026-09-24)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource Online compilation record for USS Chewaucan (AOG-50): struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1975; sold under the Security Assistance Program to Colombia 1 January 1976 and renamed ARC Tumaco (BT-7); final disposition 'fate unknown.' Specification block lists displacement 1,850 lt / 4,570 fl tons, 310'9" length, complement 8 officers + 116 enlisted, cargo capacity 2,040 DWT (oil 7,975 bbls, gasoline 410,500 gals), and propulsion of four 980-hp General Motors 6-278A diesel engines with Fairbanks-Morse main reduction gear and diesel-drive ship's-service generators - i.e., a diesel-electric plant, twin screws, 3,300 shp. Commanding-officer list runs continuously to LT F. J. McCaffery, USN, tour ending 7 July 1975. Page reproduces NHHC photo NH 66873 (side launching at Cargill, 22 July 1944).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1976
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation, not an official record - its strike/sale dates transcribe Naval Vessel Register-type data but the underlying NVR entry is not publicly retrievable for verification. Decommissioning date is not stated ('date unknown'). No asbestos, insulation, or materials content anywhere on the page; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-03
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[4]Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com), 'Cargill, Port Savage MN' construction table, updated 2022-01-04 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cargill Port Savage hull table, row for hull #15 (AOG 50 Chewaucan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Shipbuildinghistory.com Cargill/Port Savage yard table lists: hull 15, AOG-50 'Chewaucan,' original owner U.S. Navy, type T1-MT-M1, 311 ft, delivered Jan-45, disposition 'To Colombia 1976 as Tumaco (BT 7).' The same table documents Port Savage as a purpose-built wartime yard (14 miles from the Mississippi, ~3,500 peak employees) and places Chewaucan between sisters Chehalis (AOG-48, hull 13), Chestatee (AOG-49, hull 14), and Maquoketa (AOG-51, hull 16), all T1-MT-M1.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1976
- Population
- Cargill Port Savage yard workforce (~3,500 at peak, per same source)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (well-regarded industry reference), not an official record; corroborates builder, yard-hull number, USMC design type T1-MT-M1, Jan-1945 delivery (consistent with 19 Feb 1945 commissioning), and Colombian transfer. Contains no asbestos or materials data; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-04
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[5]DANFS header data (cpl. 131); NavSource AOG-50 spec block and crew account; Wikipedia infobox (GE attribution); cyber-corredera.de ARC Tumaco page (BT-160) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS header; NavSource spec block + Larry Bohn quoted account; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Chewaucan_(AOG-50); cyber-corredera.de/buques/ARC_Tumaco.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Complement - DANFS header gives cpl. 131; NavSource spec block gives 124 (8 officers + 116 enlisted); a crew account on the NavSource page reports the complement varied between 136 and 68 during 1953-57. DANFS 131 adopted as the authoritative nominal figure; variants logged. (b) Propulsion attribution - Wikipedia infobox states '4 x General Electric diesel engines, electric drive,' while NavSource's spec block lists four General Motors 6-278A diesels with diesel-drive generators; diesel-electric drive with twin screws is consistent across NavSource, HyperWar, and Wikipedia - engine-manufacturer attribution remains conflicting in secondary sources. (c) Colombian pennant - NavSource and shipbuildinghistory give ARC Tumaco (BT-7); a secondary merchant-ship reference (cyber-corredera.de) gives BT-160; BT-7 adopted, conflict flagged.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among secondary sources using DANFS as controlling; residual conflicts (engine maker, pennant number) rest on secondary sources and are carried in gaps. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-05
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[6]Batch-1996 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback), NavSource, shipbuildinghistory, MARAD ShipHistory, CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chewaucan-aog50-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Chewaucan/AOG-50 hull was found in the public sources searched - the DANFS entry contains no materials statement; the NavSource page contains none; the shipbuildinghistory yard table contains none; MARAD ShipHistory keyword searches (CHEWAUCAN, TUMACO) located no vessel record; CourtListener opinion searches returned only name collisions - 'Chewaucan' (35 hits, all Oregon Chewaucan River water/land litigation) and 'AOG-50' (1 hit, an Arkansas Oklahoma Gas utility-rate case); zero vessel or asbestos relevance in either sweep (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 USMC-type tanker is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull was transferred to Colombia in 1976 rather than scrapped under U.S. regulation, so no NESHAP/disposal record trail exists; Colombian Navy service and final disposition are undocumented. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-06
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[7]NARA 'Vessel and Station Log Books at the National Archives' guidance page; NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); NHHC photo catalog (NH 66873 via NavSource credit line) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA logbooks guidance page; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA holds U.S. Navy deck logs (Chewaucan's 1945-1975 logs fall across the pre-1956 and 1956-1978 series; the latter were subject to closure during the VA scanning project per NARA notice). RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds design/construction records potentially covering the T1-MT-M1 outfitting specification and the ship's 1948 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard conversion work package - the likeliest repositories for any materials-level detail. NHHC photo NH 66873 (launching view) exists in the Navy photo collection.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1976 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. Deck-log closures during the 1956-1978 scanning project may further limit access. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chewaucan-aog50-07