Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet crew-cu-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Chickasaw | Hull: AT-83, later ATF-83 (15 May 1944)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-chickasaw-at83-pkt-crew-cu-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Chickasaw III (AT-83),' NHHC ship-histories page (updated by Robert J. Cressman, 15 June 2020) - live page verified 2026-10-06 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block and opening paragraphs, chickasaw-iii.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identity record: the third Chickasaw (AT-83); spec block - displacement 1,240; length 205'; beam 38'6"; draft 15'4"; speed 16 knots; complement 85; armament 1x3-inch, 2x40mm, 2x20mm; class Cherokee. Laid down 14 February 1942 at Alameda, Calif., by United Engineering Co., Ltd.; launched 23 July 1942; sponsored by Mrs. R. Fairbanks; commissioned 4 February 1943, Lt.(j.g.) John F. King in command.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (construction); page updated 2020
- Population
- Ship's company, 1943 commissioning (complement 85)
- Limitations
- Authoritative official history for identity, construction, specifications, and milestones. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Chickasaw III (AT-83),' NHHC ship-histories page - wartime and postwar narrative, awards list [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative paragraphs 2-6 and awards paragraph, chickasaw-iii.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS operational narrative: departed Seattle 11 March 1943 towing floating dry dock YFD-21 to Pearl Harbor (arrived 30 March); station tug at Espiritu Santo to 27 June; Pearl Harbor salvage duty, target tows, buoy laying, and Midway tows to 21 January 1944; supported occupation of Kwajalein, Majuro, and Eniwetok to 19 March 1944; reclassified fleet tug ATF-83 on 15 May 1944; tug duties, patrol, and salvage off Saipan 16 June-24 July and off Tinian from 24 July; continued Marianas salvage; Leyte Gulf salvage and rescue 20 October-22 November 1944 including aid to the burning freighter Gilbert Stuart on 18 November after a kamikaze crash; Lingayen Gulf salvage from 9 January 1945 and Lingayen/Subic Bay/San Pedro Bay duty to 4 March; Ulithi overhaul; off Okinawa 9-22 June; arrived Pearl Harbor 24 July 1945 for yard overhaul. Postwar based at San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and the Marianas; Korean-conflict-era operations and 1953 Sasebo-based direct support (cleared Pearl 3 March 1953, returned San Diego 17 October); Alaskan operations 1954-55 and 1957; Far East deployments 1957-58, 1959, 1960. Awards: Navy Unit Commendation as part of Ship Salvage, Fire Fighting and Rescue Unit, Service Force, Seventh Fleet (17 October 1944-10 June 1945), her award covering 6 January-15 February 1945; six battle stars for WWII service; two battle stars for Korean War service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1943-1960 narrative
- Population
- Ship's company during combat salvage/firefighting operations, 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Operational history only. Establishes combat salvage and firefighting duty aboard and around damaged ships (including a kamikaze-struck freighter) - an occupational context, not an exposure finding; the source contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat statement and supports no asbestos claim for this hull or any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-02
-
[4]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Chickasaw (ATF-83) ex AT-83 page (09/39/39083) - timeline, specifications, campaign tables, awards, commanding-officer roster, NARA-captioned photography - live page verified 2026-10-06 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/39/39083 page body - timeline, specifications block, campaign tables, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: 'Navajo Class Fleet Tug' timeline consistent with DANFS - laid down 14 February 1942 at United Engineering Co., Alameda; launched 23 July 1942; commissioned USS Chickasaw (AT-83) 4 February 1943, LTjg. John F. King USN in command; redesignated Fleet Ocean Tug (ATF-83) 15 May 1944; decommissioned 30 June 1965 at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo; transferred (loaned) to Taiwan 5 January 1966 as ROCS Ta Tung (A-548); struck from the Naval Register 15 April 1976; sold to the Republic of China under the Security Assistance Program 1 May 1976; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 1,235 t. light / 1,675 t. full; 205' x 38'6" x 15'4"; 16.5 kts trial; complement 5 officers + 80 enlisted; boom capacity 20 t.; fuel diesel 2,265 bbls; propulsion - four General Motors 12-278 diesel-electric main engines, single Fairbanks Morse main reduction gears, three GM 3-268A auxiliary service engines, single propeller 3,000 shp. Campaigns: Marshalls (Kwajalein/Majuro 31 Jan-8 Feb 1944; Eniwetok 17 Feb-2 Mar 1944), Saipan 16 Jun-10 Aug, Tinian 24 Jul-1 Aug, Leyte 17 Oct-22 Nov 1944, Lingayen 9-18 Jan 1945, Okinawa 10-22 Jun 1945; China Service 31 Oct 1947-14 Mar 1948; Korean campaigns (Third Korean Winter 4-30 Apr 1953; Summer-Fall 1953, 1-3 May and 26 Jun-25 Jul 1953). NARA-captioned photographs: 80-G-319420 (Chickasaw laying smoke cover over USS Ross DD-563 and USS Fremont APA-44 during air raids, San Pedro Bay, 21 Oct-18 Nov 1944) and 80-G-325818 (Chickasaw and LCI(L)-72 fighting fires aboard USS Sonoma ATO-12 after a kamikaze hit, 24 Oct 1944). Commanding officer roster through LT John L. Curlee (10 Nov 1964-30 Jun 1965).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1976 (US record span)
- Population
- Ship's company; shipyard workers at United Engineering, Martinolich, and Mare Island (inactivation)
- Limitations
- Photo-archive compilation corroborating DANFS on identity, milestones, and specifications, and adding the diesel-electric plant details (no steam plant aboard). Its 'fate unknown' line is superseded by the ROC government reef publication (ev-07). No asbestos, insulation, or hazmat content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-03
-
[5]NHHC, 'Composition of Joint Task Force One' (Operation Crossroads, Bikini Atoll, July 1946), online reading room - live page verified 2026-10-06 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- JTF-1 composition page, 'Task Unit 1.2.7 (Salvage Unit)' roster; TG 1.2 functions paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's Operation Crossroads order of battle lists USS Chickasaw (ATF-83) in Task Unit 1.2.7 (Salvage Unit), a nontarget unit supporting the preparation, placement, and salvage of target vessels at the July 1946 Bikini atomic-bomb tests; Task Group 1.2's documented functions included salvaging and providing rescue assistance to damaged or distressed vessels, evacuating ships at test time, and furnishing boats from target vessels for radsafe reconnaissance and transport of initial inspection parties. DANFS corroborates: 'During 1946, Chickasaw, assigned to Task Unit (TU) 1.2.7 (Salvage Unit) of Joint Task Force 1, thus participated in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, supporting the preparation, placement, and salvage of target vessels.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Ship's company during Operation Crossroads (July 1946)
- Limitations
- Documents this hull's unit-level assignment at the 1946 atomic tests - a radiological-exposure context, NOT an asbestos record. Unit membership does not establish any specific contaminated-vessel boarding, radiological dose, or contamination event for this hull or any individual aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-04
-
[6]USS Chickasaw (ATF-83) 'Operations Summary (1965)' - the ship's own year summary (ship document, NavSource-hosted PDF) - live URL verified 2026-10-06 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PDF 39083d.pdf, Operations Summary pages 1-2
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's 1965 Operations Summary documents her final in-commission year: local operations from US Naval Station San Diego; 19-25 February search for and recovery of the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory submersible test unit STU(1-1) off Port Hueneme using a grapple designed by Capt. John Curlee; target-raft towing evolutions; underway 26 April to San Francisco; into dry dock at Martinolich Ship Repair facility, Oakland, on 6 May in preparation for decommissioning; towed 26 May to the Mare Island Pacific Reserve Fleet (pier 53); preparations completed 27-29 June; at 0900 on 30 June 1965 hauled down the commission pennant and was placed out of commission in reserve (OCIR).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1965-01-01 to 1965-06-30
- Population
- Ship's company and inactivation/drydock yard workers, 1965
- Limitations
- Ship-generated chronology documenting the inactivation pathway (commercial drydock at Martinolich, then the Mare Island reserve-fleet pier). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazmat statement - the drydock and inactivation work scope is not described. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-05
-
[7]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Navajo (AT-64) Class' construction and disposition tables and ship notes - live page verified 2026-10-06 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe ATF064.html - construction table row 83, disposition table row 83, ship note 83
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe class tables for hull 83 CHICKASAW: authorized 20 August 1941; builder United Engineering; laid down 14 February 1942; launched 23 July 1942; commissioned 4 February 1943; decommissioned 30 June 1965; stricken 15 April 1976; transferred January 1966 ('Trf.'). Ship note: 'To ATF-83 15 May 44. Loaned to Taiwan 1966 as TA TUNG, sold to Taiwan May 1976, stricken 16 Jul 99.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1941-1999 (register span)
- Limitations
- Scholarly ship register corroborating DANFS/NavSource milestones and adding the authorization date (20 August 1941) and the ROC strike date (16 July 1999). No asbestos, insulation, or hazmat content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-06
-
[8]Fisheries Agency, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan (Republic of China), 'Blue Years: Warship Reef Achievement Album' (GPN 1009301043, first edition May 2004), pp. 42-45 - mirrored scan on a U.S. ship-association site; document verified 2026-10-06 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF pp. 42-45 (大同艦 ATF-548 chapter) and reef-chronology table (11月10日 entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ROC government reef program publication documents the post-transfer career and disposition: Ta Tung (ATF-548) was the ex-USS Chickasaw (ATF-83), built by United Engineering, Alameda, launched 23 July 1942, commissioned 4 February 1943; the first of her class received by the ROC Navy. ROC custody signed 9 January 1966 at Treasure Island, San Francisco (LCDR Chang Hui-yen); entered ROC service 1 July 1966; 33 years' service under 22 commanding officers, 35,459 steaming hours and 249,923 nautical miles, principally towing, rescue, and salvage missions - including the December 1966 Bashi Channel tow-rescue of the drifting merchant ship Chung Ping (a ROC Navy ocean-rescue precedent), U.S.-to-Taiwan delivery tows of transferred ships, Saigon logistics missions in October 1972 and March 1973, and torpedo-recovery support in 1998. Decommissioned 16 July 1999. Towed from Kaohsiung 9 November 2002 and demolition-sunk 10 November 2002 as a warship reef at the Qilaibi artificial reef area off Hualien - the 8th decommissioned ROC warship sunk as a reef and the 2nd at Qilaibi after ROCS Yue Yang.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1966-2002
- Population
- ROC Navy crew (1966-1999); reef-sinking preparation crews (2002)
- Limitations
- Authoritative ROC source for post-1966 identity, service, and final disposition; Chinese-language official publication accessed via a third-party scan (ussmullany.org mirror - verified retrievable 2026-10-06). Its U.S.-era detail is secondary and contains a U.S. decommission date (1965-05-04) inconsistent with DANFS - see correction row. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or pre-sinking hazmat-remediation statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-07
-
[9]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS vs NavSource campaign tables vs ROC Fisheries Agency album vs Shipscribe register [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block/awards list; NavSource specs + campaign table; ROC album pp. 42-45; Shipscribe ATF064 tables
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source conflicts on record: (a) Class name - the DANFS spec block styles the design 'class Cherokee,' while NavSource and Shipscribe title it 'Navajo class' (the class is also widely known as Cherokee class); the Navajo-class styling is carried in ship_class with the Cherokee alias noted in aliases. (b) U.S. decommission date - DANFS and the ship's own 1965 Operations Summary state 30 June 1965 (OCIR at Mare Island); the ROC album lists the U.S. decommission as '1965.05.04' - the U.S. sources control. (c) Taiwan transfer date - DANFS 'transferred, on loan, to the Government of Taiwan, on 5 January 1966' vs the ROC album's custody signing of 9 January 1966 at Treasure Island - both carried with the discrepancy noted. (d) Tinian capture-and-occupation campaign dates - DANFS battle-star list '24 July-10 August 1944' vs NavSource campaign table '24 July to 1 August 1944.' (e) Displacement - DANFS 1,240 t. vs NavSource 1,235 t. light / 1,675 t. full vs ROC album 1,653 t. standard / 3,774 t. full (the ROC figures likely reflect post-1966 additions or a different measurement basis - unreconciled).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-2002 source span
- Limitations
- Publication-level discrepancy resolution; none affects the identity or the custody chain of the hull. None of the conflicting sources contains asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-08
-
[10]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); propulsion-type detail per NavSource specs (ev-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (abstract/article); NavSource 09/39/39083 specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel diesel-electric fleet tug built 1942-43 sits inside the documented Navy/shipbuilding asbestos-use era. Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding, the era and program under which this hull was built. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard vessels of this type and period were engine/exhaust thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation insulation. This hull had a diesel-electric plant (four GM diesels on generators, single screw, per NavSource specs) - no boilers or steam turbines aboard, so the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway documented for steam-powered ships does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1943 build era
- Population
- Construction trades (United Engineering, Alameda, 1942-43); engine-room crew (era context)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - neither source names this hull. Asbestos presence aboard this tug is era-consistent inference, not a ship-proven fact; no quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or present-day presence is established.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-09
-
[11]GAO report HRD-80-2, 'Cost of Removing Asbestos Insulation and Replacing It With Substitute Material in Navy Ships and Shipyards' (published 18 October 1979) - product page verified live 2026-10-06 [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page highlights, hrd-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-insulation use and removal policy: the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas where repairs were expected in a ship's next operating cycle; GAO's fieldwork covered the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy window; asbestos-use era documented
- Population
- Navy shipyard and shipboard workers (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation of the Navy's asbestos-use era and removal policy; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk NSY - not this hull and not her builder or decommissioning yards. Establishes era context only, not asbestos presence aboard this tug.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py (2026-10-06): "USS Chickasaw" opinions and dockets; "ATF-83" opinions and dockets [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chickasaw-at83-07 and sl-uss-chickasaw-at83-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS Chickasaw (AT-83/ATF-83) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener sweep results (authenticated, 2026-10-06): "USS Chickasaw" opinions 0, "USS Chickasaw" dockets 0; "ATF-83" opinions 1 (Gun Owners of America v. Barr, W.D. Mich. 2019), "ATF-83" dockets 9 - all ten hull-number hits are Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (and Explosives) name collisions (Mahler, Rare Breed Triggers, Guedes v. ATF, Gun Owners v. Garland, Hardin v. ATF, SEC v. PlexCorps, East v. Dooley, Wilber v. Hepp); none vessel-related.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 2026-10-06
- Limitations
- Negative finding is session- and query-scoped: absence of located records does not prove absence of asbestos aboard (a 1942-43 U.S. Navy tug is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials), nor does it prove absence of litigation in unindexed state, non-RECAP, or sealed dockets. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-11
-
[13]NARA leads: still photographs 80-G-319420 and 80-G-325818 (NARA-captioned via NavSource); RG 24 deck logs; RG 38 war diaries/action reports; NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) is JS-gated to automated fetch [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo captions 093908305 (80-G-319420) and Sonoma caption (80-G-325818); catalog.archives.gov (JS shell)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved at record level: NARA holds the referenced still photographs (80-G-319420: Chickasaw laying smoke cover over USS Ross and USS Fremont during San Pedro Bay air raids, Oct-Nov 1944; 80-G-325818: Chickasaw and LCI(L)-72 fighting fires aboard USS Sonoma ATO-12, 24 October 1944 - captions transcribed via NavSource). RG 24 deck logs for Chickasaw (1943-1965) and RG 38 war diaries/action reports exist in NARA holdings by record group but were not located in digitized public sources this session; the NARA catalog returned only its JS application shell to automated fetch.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1943-1965 record span
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping plus NavSource-transcribed photo captions only - no box-level or catalog-level verification performed (catalog JS-gated); whether the digitized photo records or any asbestos-specific documents for this hull exist is unknown until surveyed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chickasaw-at83-12