Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Claiborne' entry (AK-171), via hazegray transcription mirror [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (two paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: Claiborne (AK-171), Alamosa class, was launched 3 September 1944 by Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., under a Maritime Commission contract (sponsored by Miss L. Kapczynski) and commissioned 19 April 1945 at New Orleans, Lieutenant R. B. Johnston in command. She departed Gulfport, Miss., 20 May 1945, arrived Hollandia, New Guinea, 5 July, and for six months operated in the Philippines and New Guinea areas carrying food and supplies and redeploying troops among the islands. She sailed from Manila 6 January 1946 for Yokosuka, anchoring 13 January, and was decommissioned and transferred to the War Shipping Administration at Tokyo 7 February 1946. DANFS characteristic line: dp. 2,474; l. 338'6"; b. 50'; dr. 21'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 79; a. 1 x 3".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's crew (cpl. 79 per DANFS), 1945-1946
- Limitations
- Short-form official entry; contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-21 (standing NHHC link-rot condition per BATCH-01); hazegray transcription mirror cited. Hollandia arrival given as 5 July (historycentral transcription variant reads 6 July - mirror adopted).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-01
-
[2]USS Claiborne (AK-171) War Diary, May-November 1945, including 'Ship's History' letter signed R.B. Johnston (Lieut., USNR) dated 24 October 1945 - NARA RG 38 war-diary series, digitized scan hosted by NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource scan 130171a.pdf, 27 pp; cover submission serial AK171/A9 dated 1 June 1945; July 1945 section; 'Ship's History' letter dated 24 October 1945
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own submitted war diary and signed history letter document: commissioning 19 April 1945 at New Orleans; fitting out, then shakedown at Galveston 2-7 May 1945; four days post-shakedown availability at Brown Shipyard, Houston; arrival Gulfport 15 May 1945 to load cargo (including 25,000 cases of beer) for Hollandia; departure 20 May; Panama Canal transit 26 May; Balboa 27 May; arrival Hollandia 5 July 1945 after ~45 days at sea. On arrival she reported to Service Force Seventh Fleet and was assigned to Army Forces Western Pacific operational control: Milne Bay to Oro Bay/Lae troop movements (275 troops/officers of the 903rd Air Base Security Battalion, 15-24 July); general cargo Lae to Manila (arrived 8 August); fresh-meat run to the 41st Division at Iloilo, Panay (22 August); Manila anchorage to 8 October; Finschhafen cargo run; embarked 495 high-point Army personnel for demobilization return at Hollandia (24 October); Manila-Samar (Guiuan/San Pedro Bay/Tacloban) operations through 30 November 1945 under Army Forces Western Pacific Port Command APO-75 orders.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1945-04 to 1945-11
- Population
- Ship's crew; embarked Army passengers (up to ~495 on the demobilization lift)
- Limitations
- Operational log and commanding officer's narrative - a primary record of movements and cargo, containing no insulation, materials, or asbestos content (not a war-diary subject matter). Reviewed pages: May submission cover letter, July operations section, October 'Ship's History' letter (pages 25-26 of scan), November operations section; not all 27 pages transcribed line-by-line. Scan hosted by NavSource; the underlying document is the Navy record (RG 38).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-02
-
[3]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships - ALAMOSA (AK-156) class page, construction and disposition tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- ALAMOSA (AK-156) class page: header data block, construction table row AK-171, disposition table row AK-171, notes column for hull 2144
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class compilation from official Navy/MC data: AK-171 CLAIBORNE, MC hull 2144, keel laid 17 May 1944 at Froemming Brothers; launched 3 September 1944; delivered to the Maritime Commission in the Great Lakes 20 November 1944 and arrived New Orleans 17 January 1945; reassembled by Pendleton Shipyard, New Orleans, and delivered to MC and Navy 27 March 1945; commissioned 19 April 1945. Disposition: decommissioned 7 February 1946; struck 5 June 1946; disposed from Navy 7 February 1946 to the Army - 'To WSA/Army (SCAJAP) 7 Feb 46 as CLAIBORNE (V-204)'; to NDRF 5 May 1950; to buyer 1 February 1971. Class data (C1-M-AV1): 2,474 t light / 7,450 t limiting; 338.5 ft oa x 50.0 ft x 21.1 ft; complement 69 (1944); 11.5 kts; Nordberg TSM6 diesel, 1,750 hp, single screw; armament 1-3"/50 + 6-20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Population
- Construction trades (Froemming Brothers, Milwaukee; Pendleton Shipyard, New Orleans), 1944-45
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation reproducing official construction/disposal data - keel date (17 May 44), Pendleton reassembly, SCAJAP 'V-204' designation, and the 1 Feb 71 buyer date are shipscribe-only details not in DANFS; treated as authoritative-compiled, not independently verified to the underlying MC file. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CLAIBORNE (AK-171), Detail 981, incl. digitized vessel status cards [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 981 characteristics block, milestones table, status-card scans 981_1787AF.jpg / 981_AF.jpg / 1ET_01.png and documents CLAIBORNE.pdf, CLAIBORNE-1.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record: CLAIBORNE (AK-171), built 1944 by Froemming Brothers, MARAD type C1-M-AV1, length 338.50 ft, beam 50.00 ft, gross 3,805 / net 2,123 tons, displacement 2,383 light / 7,450 summer, fate 'Sold - Scrap', milestones Disposition and Withdrawal 2/7/1971. The digitized status card (annotated 'C1-MA-V1' in red) records custody: NAVY DEPT. to WAR DEPT., 2-7-46 midnight, Yokohama (bareboat); WAR DEPT. to RESERVE FLEET, 5/5/50 10 AM, Olympia (Army bareboat lay-up) - matching this hull's documented decommission/transfer and NDRF lay-up.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones; handwritten card entries OCR-aided and partially legible. The same digitized file carries custody rows for a same-named C2 merchant ship (see correction row ev-05). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-04
-
[5]MARAD ShipHistory Detail 981 status cards (conflated rows) cross-checked against Detail 933 (CHERUBIM, O/N 242378) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status-card scans and documents under Detail 981; O/N search result resolving 242378 to Detail 933 (CHERUBIM)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The MARAD digitized file for 'CLAIBORNE (AK-171)' conflates two hulls. The card annotated 'C1-MA-V1' carries this hull's two custody events (Navy to War Dept, Yokohama, 2-7-46; War Dept to Reserve Fleet, Olympia, 5/5/50) and then rows belonging to a different ship: Waterman Steamship to Sea-Land Service 11/10/66 'At Sea,' Sea-Land to Maritime Admin. 11/9/67 New Orleans, and Maritime Admin. to Sea-Land 11/9/67 (exchange-program entries). A second card in the same file is marked '(C2)' with identical Official No. 242,378 and Waterman Steamship / Maritime Administration 11/10/64 entries. MARAD's own index resolves O/N 242378 to CHERUBIM (Detail 933) - a C2-S-B1 built 1942 by Federal Shipbuilding, the Waterman/Sea-Land merchant SS Claiborne. The 1964-67 Waterman/Sea-Land rows are that hull's events, not AK-171's; AK-171 remained in NDRF Olympia from 5 May 1950 until its 1971 scrap sale. Separately, secondary sources (Wikipedia) list this hull's length as 388 ft 8 in; every authoritative source - DANFS (338'6"), MARAD (338.50 ft), shipscribe (338.5 ft oa) - gives ~338.5 ft; the 388-ft figure is erroneous and not carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1946-1971 (card entries); 2026-09-21 (cross-check)
- Limitations
- Correction is documentary, not inferential: O/N 242378 resolves in MARAD's own search index to the C2 hull. Residual uncertainty is limited to which card lines a MARAD clerk intended for which hull - immaterial to AK-171's custody timeline, which all sources agree ended in continuous NDRF Olympia lay-up 1950-1971.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-05
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[6]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 shipbuilding program under which this C1-M-AV1 Maritime Commission hull was built in 1944, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S.-built hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- 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, does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, and does not establish quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Note this hull's diesel propulsion removes the steam-plant boiler-insulation inference applied to steam hulls.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-06
-
[7]Batch-849 search ledger (this record): DANFS entry; ship's war diary and history letter; Shipscribe class compilation; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 981 + status cards; CourtListener name/hull searches (opinions and RECAP); NVR check; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-claiborne-ak171-01 through sl-uss-claiborne-ak171-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, government claim, or docketed case naming USS Claiborne (AK-171), MC hull 2144, or 'V-204' was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'USS Claiborne' = 0 results; 'AK-171' = one name collision; 'S.S. Claiborne' vessel-named cases (United States v. S.S. Claiborne, S.D.N.Y. 1964 and 252 F. Supp. 897 S.D. Ala. 1966; Andino v. The SS Claiborne, 148 F. Supp. 701 S.D.N.Y. 1957; the Gaudet/Sea-Land line) all involve the same-named Waterman Steamship C2 merchant hull (O/N 242378, later CHERUBIM) - name collisions, non-asbestos, not this vessel; 'Claiborne' + asbestos (67 opinion hits) = all county/surname collisions with no vessel reference.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 Maritime Commission hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials in construction, and no survey was located either way. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-07
-
[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - war diaries/deck records), RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 336 (Transportation Corps - Army/SCAJAP period) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Guide to Federal Records: RG 38, RG 24, RG 178, RG 336 group pages; NDRF custody records under MARAD successor files
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) RG 38 WWII war diaries - this hull's May-November 1945 war diary exists and was reviewed via the NavSource scan; the December 1945-February 1946 submission covering the Manila-Yokosuka leg and decommissioning was not located in digitized form. (b) RG 24 Navy deck logs for the April 1945-February 1946 commission period (NARA, College Park). (c) RG 178 USMC Construction Division records for MC hull 2144 / Froemming Brothers contract, incl. outfitting specifications - the likeliest source for any materials itemization. (d) RG 336 Transportation Corps records for the War Department/SCAJAP (V-204) employment period 1946-1950. (e) MARAD/NDRF Olympia custody and disposal files for the 1950-1971 lay-up and PD-X-892 sale.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1971 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. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claiborne-ak171-08