USS Chinquapin (AN-17)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Chinquapin' (YN-12/AN-17) - official Naval Historical Center text verified via Wayback capture (2012-10-26) of history.navy.mil/danfs/c8/chinquapin.htm (live NHHC page 404s - standing link rot, same as batches 01 and 1236) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Chinquapin' entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture of official NHC page)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: name gloss 'a dwarf chestnut tree'; spec block '(YN-12: dp. 560; l. 163'2"; b. 30'6"; dr. 11'8"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 48; a. 1 3"; cl. Aloe)'. 'Chinquapin, ex-Fir, renamed on 16 October 1940, was launched 15 July 1941 by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. J. Lane; and placed in service 29 October 1941. She was commissioned 6 January 1943, Lieutenant R. D. Abernathy, USNR, in command. Assigned to the 12th Naval District, Chinquapin conducted net, salvage, and towing operations out of Tiburon Net Depot until 31 December 1943 when she sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving 10 January 1944. On 20 January she was redesignated AN-17. Chinquapin tended nets and laid moorings at Majuro, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok from 15 February 1944 to 27 July, then supported the Marianas occupation by similar operations at Saipan and Guam until 28 October. Returning via Pearl Harbor to San Francisco as a convoy escort, Chinquapin was overhauled, and on 3 February 1945 sailed via Pearl Harbor and Ulithi for Okinawa, arriving 1 May for net, mooring and transport operations there until 30 October. She returned to Astoria, Oreg., 11 December and was placed out of commission in reserve 6 March 1946. Chinquapin received three battle stars for World War II service.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades (Alameda, 1941); in-service crew Oct 1941 - Jan 1943; commissioned crew Jan 1943 - Mar 1946

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, and battle stars - not materials or asbestos content. The entry ends at the 6 Mar 1946 decommissioning: silent on keel date, striking, and all post-Navy disposition (covered by ev-03 and corrected in ev-06). DANFS prints 'ex-Fir' without a hull number for the Fir stage; the official Navy Filing Manual and the shipscribe table both fix it at YN-12 (ev-02, ev-03).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-01

2. [2]U.S. Navy, Navy Filing Manual (1941), YA-YY district craft listing, via HyperWar/ibiblio; and ONI-51-I recognition manual (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/ONI/ONI-51-I/ONI-51-I.pdf) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Navy Filing Manual 1941, NFM-YA.html 'YN12 Chinquapin (ex-Fir)'; ONI-51-I PDF index 'Chinquapin YN 12'; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-an.html AN-17 row

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Contemporaneous official Navy publications fix the alias chain: the 1941 Navy Filing Manual lists 'YN12 Chinquapin (ex-Fir)' among district craft, and the wartime ONI-51-I recognition publication lists 'Chinquapin YN 12' - both confirming that authorized-as-Fir YN-12 and Chinquapin YN-12 are the same hull. The HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-45' table independently lists 'AN-17 Chinquapin 1941 560' in the AN block.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1941-1944

   Limitations

   Official publications hosted on a mirror (HyperWar/ibiblio) - documents the name/number lineage only; no service narrative, no materials or asbestos information. Confirms the all-tier VERIFY check: YN-12 'USS Fir' is this hull's pre-construction name, consolidated here into one record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-02

3. [3]shipscribe.com, 'USS Aloe (AN-6) Class' - Stephen S. Roberts compilation of NVR/BuShips/Maritime Commission records: construction table, disposition table, class notes, and per-ship notes [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/AN/AN06.html - construction table AN-17 row; disposition table AN-17 row (Decomm./Strike/Disposal/Fate/MA Sale columns); ship notes AN-17 entry; class notes (design history, diesel-electric plant, BuShips 40mm correspondence)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Per-hull rows for AN-17: construction table '17 CHINQUAPIN | Ord. 27 Jul 40 | General Engineering & DD | keel 29 Mar 41 | launch 15 Jul 41 | in service 29 Oct 41'; disposition table '17 CHINQUAPIN | Decomm. 6 Mar 46 | Strike 20 Mar 46 | Disposal 18 Nov 46 | Fate MC/D | MA Sale 18 Nov 46'; ship note 'Ex YN-12 20 Jan 44. Ex FIR 16 Oct 40. Comm. 6 Jan 43. Sold (delivered) by MC to N. W. Merch. Serv., Seattle, Washington.' Class-level documentation in the same compilation: FY1941 program steel-hulled net tenders derived from the British HMS BARRIER boom-defense type (General Board characteristics approved 9 Mar 1940); '1,000 SHP diesel-electric installation ... two electric units served a single propeller ... as fitted rated at only 800 SHP'; all 32 YNs reclassified AN effective 20 Jan 44. Ship-specific BuShips detail: 'In early 1944 the Bureau of Ships learned that a single 40mm gun had been installed on an interim basis in CHINQUAPIN (AN-17). On 14 Mar 44 it wrote to the ship and to Commander Service Force Pacific ... it directed that the gun be removed at the first opportunity. Ordnance records, however, indicate that she still had this gun in addition to the regular armament for her class when she was decommissioned in 1946.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1940-1946

   Population

   General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1941); wartime crew; MC disposal workforce (1946)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation built from NVR, BuShips, and Maritime Commission records - the strongest located source for striking (20 Mar 1946) and disposal (MC sale delivered 18 Nov 1946 to N. W. Merch. Serv., Seattle). This contradicts widely-printed secondary claims of a 1 Sep 1962 strike and 1976 scrapping (ev-06). The keel date it prints (29 Mar 41) differs by one day from NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum (28 Mar) - flagged, not resolved. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Chinquapin (AN-17) ex YN-12, file 09/18/18017 (chronology, specifications, machinery, CO roster, crew photo archive) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/18/18017.htm - chronology block, campaign table, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Aloe Class Net Laying Ship'; call sign NBJH; 'Laid down, 28 March 1941, as Fir (YN-12), at General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA'; 'Renamed Chinquapin, 16 October 1940'; 'Launched, 15 July 1941'; 'Placed in service as Chinquapin (YN-12), 29 October 1941'; 'Commissioned, USS Chinquapin (YN-12), 6 January 1943, at Naval Net Depot, Tiburon, CA., LT. Robert D. Abernathy, USNR, in command'; 'Redesignated (AN-17), 20 January 1944'; campaigns - Marshall Islands (Kwajalein/Majuro 7-8 Feb 1944, Eniwetok 17 Feb-2 Mar 1944), Marianas (Saipan 1-10 Aug 1944), Okinawa Gunto (1 May-30 Jun 1945); 'Decommissioned, 6 March 1946, at Astoria, OR. Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria'; 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; three battle stars. Spec block: 560 t / 805 t (fl); 163'2" x 30'6" x 11'8"; 12.5 kts; complement 4 officers + 44 enlisted; armament one 3"/50 DP, one 40mm AA, three 20mm AA; propulsion 'two Enterprise DSG-6 Diesel engine, single Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears, two Diesel-drive 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators, single propeller, 800shp' - and crew-contributed machinery photos identify 'two 250 volt DC electric main propulsion drive motors' and 'two main propulsion diesel engines, which drove electric generators' (diesel-electric drive). CO roster: LT R. D. Abernathy (Jan 1943-Aug 1943), LT C. T. Hammons (Aug 1943-Jun 1944), LT W. G. Berry (Jun 1944-14 Dec 1945), ENS D. E. Rist (14 Dec 1945-6 Mar 1946).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   In-service and commissioned crew (Oct 1941 - Mar 1946)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary archive - detailed but non-official. Its strike 'date unknown' and 'fate unknown' are superseded by the shipscribe NVR/MC compilation (ev-03): struck 20 Mar 1946, MC sale delivered 18 Nov 1946. Spec-block 'Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears' and the photo-captioned 250V DC propulsion motors are reconciled as diesel-electric drive (generators feeding electric motors; the reduction gear sits in the train) - consistent with shipscribe's class note 'diesel-electric ... 800 SHP' and Wikipedia's 'diesel-electric, single screw.' Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-04

5. [5]NavSource crew-memoir PDF 'Net Tender Stories' (file 18017a.pdf) + dated photo captions on the AN-17 page - Typhoon Louise damage, Okinawa, 9-10 Oct 1945 [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/18/pdf/18017a.pdf (memoir text); navsource.net/archives/09/18/18017.htm photo captions (Typhoon Louise 9-10 Oct 1945 damage; Buckner Bay wreckage; YNg tow)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Firsthand crew narrative (NavSource-hosted) records that during Typhoon Louise at Buckner Bay, Okinawa (9-10 Oct 1945), Chinquapin 'was rammed by two other ships, (1) our sister ship the USS Snowbell AN-52, (2) and an LST which ripped a hole in our port bow, we broke off three anchors ... it ruptured Chinquapin's stern [tube]' - and that on the postwar voyage home she suffered a total propulsion casualty attributed to the typhoon damage, drifting dead in the water. NavSource photo captions independently document 'USS Chinquapin underway during Typhoon Louise off Okinawa, 10 October 1945' and 'damage to the starboard superstructure ... after being rammed by two other ships during the typhoon ... a hole in the port bow and a ruptured stern tube which allowed water to pour into the ship,' plus her clearing wreckage in Buckner Bay and towing a non-self-propelled gate tender (YNg) from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   Commissioned crew at Okinawa (Oct 1945)

   Limitations

   Crew memoir and photo captions - firsthand but unofficial, not an official casualty report; treated as partial corroboration (two independent in-archive records agree). The typhoon-damage record is consistent with - but does not prove - the prompt 1946 strike-and-sale disposal path documented in ev-03 (the disposal decision's rationale is not documented). No asbestos content; no claim supported.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-05

6. [6]Source-discrepancy resolution - official DANFS (Wayback NHC capture) + Navy Filing Manual + shipscribe NVR/MC compilation vs NavSource 09/18/18017 vs Wikipedia and its derivatives (en-academic, Grokipedia) [other_primary]

   Locator

   web.archive.org capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/c8/chinquapin.htm; ibiblio.org NFM-YA + ONI-51-I; shipscribe.com/usnaux/AN/AN06.html; navsource.net/archives/09/18/18017.htm; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Chinquapin; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov CHIN* listing (5 names, no Chinquapin)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Disposal path - shipscribe's NVR/MC-based record (struck 20 Mar 1946; MC sale delivered 18 Nov 1946 to N. W. Merch. Serv., Seattle) is carried over Wikipedia's 'stricken 1 September 1962 / placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet / sold for scrapping in 1976' - the 1962 strike and 1971-76 sale pattern is the class-typical track printed for sister ships (e.g., Locust 'Stk. and to MA 1 Sep 62'; six sisters 'to buyer' 1971-76), and NavSource's 'date unknown / fate unknown' concedes it lacked the data; the MARAD Vessel History Database returns no Chinquapin card, consistent with a 1946 MC sale that predates MARAD and never entered NDRF custody. (b) Hull numbers - Wikipedia's infobox prints 'Fir (YN-2)' and 'renamed ... (YN-11)'; YN-2 was sister Ash and YN-11 sister Eucalyptus (shipscribe construction table); the Navy Filing Manual, ONI-51-I, NavSource, and shipscribe all fix this hull at YN-12. (c) Keel date - NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum print 28 Mar 1941; shipscribe prints 29 Mar 41 - one-day variance flagged. (d) Complement - 48 (DANFS; NavSource 4+44) vs 46 (shipscribe, 1944 fit). (e) Armament - NavSource prints three 20mm mounts; shipscribe's 1944 AN-17 fit line prints 4-20mm plus the retained interim 40mm. (f) NavSource's chronology prints 'Renamed Chinquapin, 16 October 1940' after the 28 Mar 1941 keel line - the rename predated construction (DANFS and shipscribe agree); ordering artifact only.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1940-1976 (claims reviewed)

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, contemporaneous Navy publications, the shipscribe compilation, NavSource, and Wikipedia-family pages, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The 1946 MC-sale record is compiler-level (Roberts); the underlying NVR/MC card was not independently retrieved - the correction is well-supported but rests on one serious compilation against unsourced Wikipedia claims. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-06

7. [7]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (shipscribe class note: '1,000 SHP diesel-electric installation ... two electric units served a single propeller ... as fitted rated at only 800 SHP'; NavSource machinery block and photos: two Enterprise DSG-6 diesels, generators, two 250V DC propulsion motors, single screw) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; shipscribe; Navy Filing Manual) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe AN-6 class notes (design history, propulsion spec); NavSource 09/18/18017 propulsion block and machinery photo captions; DANFS construction/service dates

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1941-built steel Aloe-class net tender with a diesel-electric single-screw plant - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam auxiliary's, but machinery and construction materials of the wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable and switchboard insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, brake linings on the heavy net-handling winches that were this type's working machinery, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades (Alameda, Mar-Oct 1941); the in-service district-craft crew (Oct 1941 - Jan 1943); the commissioned crew (~48 design complement) across Tiburon net-depot work, the Marshalls/Marianas/Okinawa deployments, and the San Francisco overhaul (Jan 1943 - Mar 1946); and the Maritime Commission sale handling workforce (1946).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   Alameda construction trades (1941); in-service crew 1941-43; commissioned crew 1943-46; disposal/sale workforce 1946

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming YN-12/AN-17 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel-electric (non-steam) plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era. Post-1946 material history is undocumented end to end.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-07

8. [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); and Fleischer, W.E., et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

   Locator

   AJIM 11(3):359-373; J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   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 wartime construction program under which this hull was built at General Engineering & Dry Dock's Alameda yard. The USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1941-1946 (survey era)

   Population

   WWII shipbuilding workforce (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding and naval-vessel construction generally; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder yard. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel-electric (non-steam) net tender than to steam vessels - the hull had no boilers or steam distribution to lag. Does not establish asbestos presence aboard AN-17.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-08

9. [9]Batch-1762 search ledger (this record): official DANFS via Wayback NHC capture; Navy Filing Manual 1941 + ONI-51-I + HyperWar ships-an table; shipscribe AN-6 class compilation; NavSource 09/18/18017 + memoir PDF 18017a; NavalCoverMuseum CHINQUAPIN AN 17 page; MARAD Vessel History Database CHIN* listing; CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps (name, hull numbers, alias, builder) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-chinquapin-an17-01 through sl-uss-chinquapin-an17-14

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Chinquapin / Fir YN-12 / Chinquapin YN-12 / AN-17: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener (authenticated API v4, ran clean this session): 'Chinquapin' opinions returned 47 hits, all name collisions (Chinquapin Hollow Inc. and other Southern property disputes, Chinquapin Pkwy/Rd address cases, a litigant named Tom Chinquapin Vincent) - none vessel- or asbestos-related; 'Chinquapin' RECAP dockets returned 188 hits, all address/entity collisions (Chinquapin Properties LLC bankruptcy, Baltimore Chinquapin Parkway mail-search dockets); 'USS Chinquapin,' 'Chinquapin asbestos,' 'YN-12,' and 'USS Fir' each returned zero; bare 'AN-17' returned 796 hits of pure token noise (report/ID fragments) with no vessel reference; builder queries 'General Engineering and Dry Dock' asbestos returned zero, and 'General Engineering' 'Dry Dock' Alameda returned only two non-asbestos cases (a 1932 contract dispute; a 2014 N.D. Cal. opinion). MARAD Vessel History Database lists no CHINQUAPIN card (consistent with the 1946 MC sale, which predates MARAD).

   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 1941-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The CourtListener sweep DID run (authenticated, paced): 'searched and empty,' not unsearched. Post-1946 disposition and any conversion/scrapping materials record are undocumented in located sources, so no survey pathway exists. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-09

10. [10]Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs and WWII muster rolls for the Oct 1941 - Mar 1946 run (in-service and commissioned periods); (b) NARA RG 19 BuShips records / General Information Book for YN-12/AN-17 - the shipscribe class note proves hull-level BuShips correspondence survives for this ship (the 14 Mar 1944 interim-40mm-gun letter), making RG 19 the plausible home of any material schedules; (c) the Maritime Commission disposal file for the 18 Nov 1946 sale to 'N. W. Merch. Serv., Seattle, Washington' - the likeliest primary record of the hull's final disposition (merchant conversion vs. scrapping); (d) General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. (Alameda) yard records / successor archives; (e) NARA still-photo holdings for the credited Navy coverage of AN-17 (NavSource credits include contributed prints; no NARA 80-G number was located for this hull). [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; shipscribe AN-6 class notes (BuShips correspondence reference); NavSource 09/18/18017 photo credits

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Record-group mapping only: the archival repositories most likely to hold hull-level material or disposal-condition documentation for YN-12/AN-17, keyed to the documented events of her career (Alameda construction 1941; in-service district craft 1941-43; commission and Pacific deployments 1943-45; Typhoon Louise damage Oct 1945; decommission/strike Mar 1946; MC sale Nov 1946).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1941-1946 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 logs, muster rolls, ordnance correspondence, and disposal files are operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-chinquapin-an17-10