USS Codington (AK-173)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - cargo ships (AK) section, per-hull rows for CODINGTON AK-173 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 AK tables pp. 76-82 (dimensions/trial, limiting/personnel/boom, machinery, auxiliaries/fuel, armament/cargo, construction rows); index 'Codington (ex-M.C. Hull 2146) - AK173'; M.C. hull index 'M.C. Hull 2146 (now Codington) - AK 173' p. 82

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012) carries per-hull rows for CODINGTON (ex-M.C. Hull 2146), AK-173, across the cargo-ship (AK) tables: dimensions - 338'6" oa / 320'0" wl, beam 50'0", trial speed 11.5 kts, trial displacement 7,125 t; limiting - 7,450 t, 32 t/in immersion, 21'1" limiting draft, personnel accommodations 15 officers + 70 enlisted, largest boom 30 t; machinery - 1 Nordberg Diesel TSM6, 1,750 shp; auxiliaries - 2 diesel-drive 250 kW 120/240 V DC ship's-service generators, 6,300 (bbls diesel fuel); armament/cargo - 1x3"/50 cal (D.P.), 227,730 cu ft non-refrigerated + 9,830 cu ft refrigerated, total cargo 5,070 t / deadweight 3,945 t; construction - Froemming Bros., Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., year built 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945

   Limitations

   Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, diesel machinery plant, manning accommodations, builder, and cargo/armament fit. OCR of the scanned columnar tables is partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS, NavSource, shipscribe, and MARAD. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. Note the machinery row is diesel - there is no steam plant on this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-01

2. [2]DANFS, 'Codington (AK-173)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20160304093135) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + stat line (Wayback capture 20160304093135 of history.navy.mil .../danfs/c/codington.html); canonical https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/codington.html returned 404 on 2026-09-21 (standing NHHC link rot, cf. BATCH-01)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'Codington' entry records: namesake 'A county in South Dakota'; stat line (AK-173: dp. 2,474; l. 338'6"; b. 50'; dr. 21'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 79; a. 1 3"; cl. Alamosa). 'Codington (AK-173) was launched 29 November 1944 by Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. W. P. Plehl; and commissioned at Galveston 23 July 1945, Lieutenant Commander A. F. Pittman in command.' Departed Galveston 11 August 1945 for Leyte, arriving 11 October; cargo operations in the Philippines with one voyage to New Guinea (1-27 December); sailed from Subic Bay 30 January 1946 for Yokosuka; decommissioned at Tokyo 27 February 1946 and transferred to the War Shipping Administration for disposal.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   USCG-manned Navy crew (commissioning to decommissioning, Jul 1945 - Feb 1946)

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for namesake, launch/sponsor, commissioning, operations chronology, decommissioning, and the WSA transfer. No keel date, no MC hull number, no stricken date in this short entry (stricken 1946-06-05 supplied by NavSource/shipscribe). Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Codington (AK-173), file 09/13/130173 (compiled reference incl. DANFS transcription, awards, CO list, specifications, merchant-service timeline) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/13/130173.htm - specifications block, commanding-officer table, awards, merchant-service timeline

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online (Service Ship Photo Archive, AK-173 page) records: 'USS Codington (AK-173) was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II'; laid down date unknown, MC hull 2146, Froemming Brothers, Inc., Milwaukee, WI; launched 29 November 1944; commissioned 23 July 1945 at Galveston, TX, LCDR A. F. Pittman USCG in command; Asiatic-Pacific Theater service; occupation service 20 January - 27 February 1946; decommissioned 27 February 1946 at Tokyo and transferred to the Maritime Commission; struck 5 June 1946; chartered to the War Department 27 February 1946. Merchant service: returned to the Maritime Commission 20 April 1950 for lay-up NDRF Olympia Group; leased by Coastwise Line for MSTS operations 21 November 1951; returned to MARAD 27 October 1955 for lay-up NDRF Suisun Bay Group, Benicia, CA; leased by Coastwise Line for MSTS operations 7 May 1956; sold by MARAD to a South Korean buyer 27 May 1956 for $693,862, reflagged South Korean, renamed MV Pohang; damaged by mine 11 November 1972 while discharging cargo at Phnom Penh, Cambodia; proceeded to Singapore for drydocking; final disposition scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, January 1974. Spec block: 2,382 t lt / 7,450 t fl; 338'6" x 50' x 29'2" (limiting - flagged, see gaps); 11.5 kts; complement 15 officers + 70 enlisted; boom 30 t; cargo 3,945 DWT (227,730 cu ft non-refrig / 9,830 cu ft reefer); armament 1x3"/50 DP + 6x20mm; fuel 6,300 bbls diesel; propulsion 1 Nordberg Diesel TSM6 + 2 diesel-drive 250 kW 120/240 V DC generators, single screw, 1,750 shp. Call sign NEIR. Awards: American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, WWII Victory, Navy Occupation Service (Asia clasp), Philippine Liberation Medal. CO table: LCDR Augustus F. Pittman USCG, 23 Jul 1945 - 27 Feb 1946.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   USCG-manned Navy crew; Coastwise Line merchant crews under MSTS charter; NDRF caretakers; Korean merchant crew (1956-1974); 1974 breaking-yard workers

   Limitations

   Privately compiled standard reference, not a government publication - spec block presumably derives from standard compilations. Its 29'2" limiting-draft figure conflicts with DANFS and SDB (21'1") - near-certain typo, logged in gaps, not carried. Light displacement 2,382 conflicts with DANFS/shipscribe 2,474 - variance logged. Custody dates corroborated against MARAD status-card scans (ev-05). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-03

4. [4]shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Alamosa (AK-156) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AK-156 class page - characteristics block, construction table (AK-173 row), disposition table (AK-173 row), class notes, ship notes (AK-173 row)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, Alamosa (AK-156) class page (compiled from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files): construction table gives this hull - acquired 27 Jun 45, builder Froemming Bros., keel 5 Sep 44, launched 29 Nov 44, commissioned 23 Jul 45. Disposition table: decommissioned 27 Feb 46, struck 5 Jun 46, disposal to Army 27 Feb 46, MA sale 27 May 56. Ship note (per-hull): 'Delivered to MC in Great Lakes 26 Jan 45 and arrived at New Orleans 20 Apr 45. Reassembled by Samuelson SY, Beaumont, Texas and delivered to MC and Navy 27 Jun 45. Fitted out by Texas Coast SY, Galveston, Texas, (in service for ferrying 27-28 Jun 45). To WSA/Army (SCAJAP) 27 Feb 46 as CODINGTON (V-207). To NDRF 20 Apr 50. Operated under charter to MSTS 21 Nov 51 to 27 Oct 55. Merc. POHANG (Korean) 1956. Limpet-mined at Phnom-Penh 11 Nov 72 and scrapped 1974.' Class notes document the design's origin (JCS subcommittee Apr 1943 for South/Southwest Pacific inter-island supply; MC Design AV modeled on the Norwegian SS BERTHA BROVIG; diesel substituted for the requested reciprocating steam plant; intended Navy crew 8 officers + 67 men; contracts for 100 ships approved 2 Sep 43, MC hulls 2101-2174, 2194-2207, 2239-2250) and the Great Lakes transport process (hulls ferried down the Illinois/Mississippi in MC custody, partially dismantled for bridge clearance, then reassembled/converted at Gulf yards).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1974

   Population

   Froemming Brothers Milwaukee construction workforce (1944-45); Navy ferry crew (Great Lakes-New Orleans transit); Samuelson/Pennsylvania Beaumont reassembly workforce; Texas Coast Shipyard Galveston fit-out workforce

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD. Its per-hull 'reassembled by Samuelson SY, Beaumont' conflicts with the MARAD sale card's 'Blt: 1945 Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc. - Beaumont, Texas' - both are real Beaumont yards/operator names; the conflict is logged in gaps, not resolved. The class-level complement (69, 1944) and Design AV crew (75) conflict with SDB/DANFS figures - variance logged. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-04

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CODINGTON (AK-173), Ship History Detail 1060 (registry block; status-card scans 1HR_01.png duplicate custody card, 1060_1931AF.jpg Olympia data card, 1060_1931BF.jpg Suisun particulars card Form MA-283, 1060_AF.jpg sale card; document CODINGTON.pdf) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1060 - registry fields, mission block ('Korean War'), status-card scans at /cards/1060_1931AF.jpg, /cards/1060_1931BF.jpg, /cards/1060_AF.jpg, /cards/1HR_01.png, and /documents/de9fd1ed-23fc-4801-a176-b5f2c05b8e9d.pdf (handwritten custody ledger, partially legible)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records for this hull (Detail 1060 'CODINGTON (AK-173) (1945)'): registry fields - year built 1945, Official Number 263035, shipyard 'Froemming Brothers', general type Naval Auxiliary, specific type 'AK Cargo Ship', MARAD type C1-M-AV1, length 338.50 ft, beam 50.00 ft, net 2,217 t / gross 3,893 t, displacement summer 7,450 t / lightweight 2,382 t, fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.', mission tag 'Korean War'. Status-card scans read directly: (a) duplicate Vessel Status Card - 'CODINGTON / AK-173', Hull No. 2146, 'Built by Froemming #18', 'Completed 1-26-45', allocation ledger: War Department (BB) 2-27-46; Res. Fleet at Olympia 4-20-50 10:30 AM PST; Coastwise Line (M.S.T.S. Operation, GAA) at Olympia 11-21-51 10:20 AM PST; Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay 10-27-55 1:00 PM PST; Coastwise Line (MSTS Operation, GAA) at Suisun Bay 5-7-56 12:00 Noon PDST; 'Sold Foreign (Korea)' (Purch) at San Francisco 7-27-56 8:30 AM PDT, with '(Title passed 7-27-56 11:30am EDT at Washington, D.C.)'; (b) Olympia reserve-fleet data card - name 'CODINGTON (Scajap)', entered fleet 4-20-50 10:30 AM, hull MC 2146, withdrawn 11-21-51 delivered to Coastwise Line; (c) Suisun Bay reserve-fleet particulars card (Form MA-283) - entered 27 Oct 1955 1300 hrs PST, builder 'Froeming' [sic], 'Service prior to lay-up: MSTS Project 572 (Arctic)', title 'Ready Status, MSTS ltr. 10-10-55', withdrawn 7 May 1956 1200 hrs PDST, reason 'GAA-MSTS (Coastwise) for use in Arctic'; (d) sale card - 'Sold to Republic of Korea for operation - Net Sales Price - $693,862. Authority for Sale: P.L. 665, 83d Congress. Title Transferred - 5/14/56. Blt: 1945 Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc. - Beaumont, Texas. Acquisition: Built for MA. Location: Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-1956

   Population

   Coastwise Line MSTS Arctic crews (1951-55, 1956); NDRF Olympia and Suisun Bay caretakers

   Limitations

   Authoritative government custody record for this hull - card scans read directly. Internal conflicts logged, not resolved: 'Title Transferred - 5/14/56' (sale card) vs 'Title passed 7-27-56 ... at Washington, D.C.' (custody card) vs 'sold 27 May 56' (NavSource/shipscribe); builder shown as 'Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc. - Beaumont, Texas' (sale card - the completion yard) vs 'Froemming #18'/'Froeming' [sic] (custody cards) vs 'Samuelson SY' reassembly (shipscribe). 'Completed 1-26-45' on the custody card is the MC Great Lakes delivery, not the 27 Jun 45 Navy delivery. The cards document that both Coastwise charters were Arctic service ('MSTS Project 572 (Arctic)'; 'for use in Arctic') - the Project 572 operational scope beyond that label is not detailed. No asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-05

6. [6]USS Codington (AK-173) War Diary, July-November 1945 installments (original Navy document; digitized scan hosted by NavSource, contributed by Frank Gerhardt) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource file 09/13/130173a.pdf - 11-page scan; July 1945 cover page and entries (commissioning, Galveston shakedown, gunnery), September 1945 (Coco Solo, Panama Canal transit 3 Sep), October 1945 (en route Leyte position reports)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own War Diary (July-November 1945 installments, digitized scan hosted by NavSource) is a surviving primary Navy record: 'U.S.S. CODINGTON (AK-173), c/o Fleet Post Office, New York - CONFIDENTIAL - War Diary; July 1945' signed by A. F. Pittman. It records commissioning at 1600 on 23 July 1945; release by the Assistant Industrial Manager, Galveston, at 2400 on 24 July; a three-day readiness-for-sea period under Commander, Eighth Naval District per ComEight NavDist Movement Order No. 360 of 5 July 1945; reporting for duty 0001, 28 July 1945, and shakedown under Commander Training Group, Galveston Area (CTG 23.22); gunnery training including test firing of 4 rounds 3"/50 cal AA and 3,190 rounds 20mm plus 112 rounds 3"/50 cal in training. The September installment records mooring at Pier 2, Berth 3, USN Repair Base, Coco Solo, Canal Zone (1-2 Sep) and departure 0832, 3 Sep 1945 to transit the Panama Canal en route Leyte, P.I.; the October installment records the ship en route Canal Zone to Leyte with daily position reports.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   USCG crew of USS Codington (commissioning through Leyte arrival, Jul-Oct 1945)

   Limitations

   Primary Navy record for this hull's commissioning, shakedown, and transit - the strongest kind of identity/operations source. It is an operational deck record: no materials, insulation, or asbestos content. Scan covers Jul-Nov 1945 installments only; Dec 1945-Feb 1946 installments (Philippine cargo ops, Yokosuka, Tokyo decommissioning) are not in this scan - NARA RG 24/RG 38 holds the remainder (archival lead).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-06

7. [7]U.S. Coast Guard, 'The Coast Guard at War' official history monograph (cargo vessels AK table) + USCG Historian's Office cutter/craft/manned-vessels list (uscg.mil/history, via Wayback) [other_primary]

   Locator

   HyperWar USCG at War V1 (escorts/cargo section) - 'CARGO VESSELS (AK)' table row 'USS Codington AK 173 7-23-45'; Wayback capture of www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/cutterlist.asp 'CODINGTON, USS; AK-173' (capture 20080423211315)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official U.S. Coast Guard sources confirm USCG manning of this hull: the USCG's 'Coast Guard at War' history volume (HyperWar transcription of the official monograph) lists 'USS Codington - AK - 173 - commissioned 7-23-45' in its table of Coast Guard-manned cargo vessels (AK), and the USCG Historian's Office 'Cutters, Craft & Coast Guard-Manned Army & Navy Vessels' list carries 'CODINGTON, USS; AK-173'. Consistent with NavSource's 'manned by the US Coast Guard' notation and the USCG commission of her CO, LCDR A. F. Pittman.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   U.S. Coast Guard crew (1945-1946)

   Limitations

   Official USCG historical documentation naming this hull as Coast Guard-manned from commissioning. Establishes crew service branch only - no asbestos, materials, or exposure information. The Coast Guard-manned status is the population-relevant fact: the wartime crew were Coast Guardsmen, relevant to any veteran-status framing.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-07

8. [8]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery/cargo rows for this hull + shipscribe AK-156 class page C1-M-AV1/Design AV data + MARAD custody documentation of disturbance-phase events [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 AK machinery and cargo tables (CODINGTON row); shipscribe AK-156 class page class notes (Design AV diesel substitution) and ship notes (three-yard build path, SCAJAP, MSTS charters, mine damage, scrapping); MARAD Detail 1060 cards (custody chain)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a diesel-powered C1-M-AV1 (one Nordberg TSM-6, single screw, 1,750 shp - no boilers, no steam plant, per the SDB machinery row and the Design AV substitution of diesel for steam) mass-produced in 1944-45 under a Maritime Commission emergency program. For the type, era-typical asbestos-containing products comprise engine exhaust and muffler lagging, engine-room and hold insulation, refrigeration-space insulation (9,830 cu ft reefer capacity is documented aboard this hull), joiner/accommodation insulation and fireproofing, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, and brake linings on cargo winches and windlass. The hull's documented disturbance phases - construction across three yards (Milwaukee sections, Beaumont reassembly, Galveston fit-out), Army SCAJAP service, two MSTS Arctic charters under Coastwise Line, the 1972 limpet-mine damage and Singapore drydock repair, and the 1974 Kaohsiung breaking - are the maintenance/disturbance pathways for this hull.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Construction trades at Froemming Milwaukee, the Beaumont reassembly yard, and Texas Coast Galveston (1944-45); USCG crew 1945-46; Army SCAJAP crews 1946-50; Coastwise Line crews 1951-55 and 1956; NDRF caretakers; Korean merchant crews 1956-1974; Singapore drydock workers 1972; Kaohsiung breaking-yard workers 1974

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant, reefer capacity, construction era, and documented custody/disturbance events - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AK-173 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Diesel plant note: unlike steam auxiliaries, there is no boiler or main-steam-line lagging pathway aboard this hull - the inference set is deliberately narrower.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-codington-ak173-08

9. [9]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 Maritime Commission emergency construction program under which this C1-M-AV1 hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type 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 or the C1-M-AV1 type 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-codington-ak173-09

10. [10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., '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

    PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of this hull's era.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    survey ~1944-45; published 1946

    Population

    WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

    Limitations

    Era-level documentation of asbestos in naval construction; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Froemming Milwaukee or the Gulf reassembly yards were among surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. The study's pipe-covering finding attaches primarily to steam plants - this hull is diesel-powered, so the inference is attenuated to whatever limited hot-surface/exhaust lagging and reefer/joiner insulation the type carried. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-codington-ak173-10

11. [11]Batch-851 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 130173 incl. war diary scan; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1060 + four status-card scans + CODINGTON.pdf; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe AK-156 class page; USCG at War + USCG Historian list; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated); VA BVA index; Naval Vessel Register; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-codington-ak173-01 through sl-uss-codington-ak173-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Codington / AK-173 / MC hull 2146 / MV Pohang was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 sweeps run authenticated on 2026-09-21, all clean HTTP 200: '"USS Codington"' 0 opinions; '"Codington" asbestos' 1 hit - Culhane v. Thovson (S.D. 2026), a Codington County name collision whose sole 'asbestos' token is a string citation to Faircy L. Firm, P.A. v. API, Inc. Asbestos Settlement Tr.; '"Codington" mesothelioma' 0; '"AK-173"' 1 hit - Harris v. State (Fla. DCA 1991), a citation-fragment collision, not this hull; '"Pohang" asbestos ship' 0 and '"Pohang"' 110 hits - all Pohang Iron & Steel Co. trade litigation (POSCO), not this hull; '"Froemming Brothers"' - wartime Court of Claims contract litigation only (Froemming Brothers, Inc. v. United States, 70 F. Supp. 126 (Ct. Cl.), cited in Ottinger v. United States, 88 F. Supp. 881 (Ct. Cl. 1950) - sovereign-acts doctrine, not asbestos). Law-firm marketing pages naming the hull (freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships list; duboselawfirm.com and gorilaw.com cargo-ship lists) assert era-typical asbestos content without primary support - excluded source class per the no-law-firm-sources rule.

    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 1944-45 C1-M-AV1 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her multi-yard construction, Army/MSTS service, 1972 mine repair, and 1974 breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage was complete for opinion text (authenticated quota); RECAP docket-level coverage and Korean-flag-era litigation are outside this sweep.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-codington-ak173-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); MARAD ShipHistory documents section for this hull [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1060 (status-card scans)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Codington 1945-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park) plus the war-diary installments not in the NavSource scan (Dec 1945-Feb 1946 covering Philippine ops, Subic Bay-Yokosuka, and the Tokyo decommissioning); BuShips records incl. C1-M-AV1 contract plans and the Booklet of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 2146 at Froemming Brothers and the reassembly/fit-out contract files for the Beaumont yard ('Samuelson SY' per shipscribe / 'Pennsylvania Shipyards Inc.' per the MARAD sale card) and Texas Coast Shipyard, Galveston (RG 178); War Department/Army SCAJAP operating records for V-207, 1946-1950 (Army transport records); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1950-51 Olympia lay-up, the two Coastwise Line MSTS charters (card-identified 'MSTS Project 572 (Arctic)'), the 1955-56 Suisun lay-up, and the 1956 P.L. 665 sale to the Republic of Korea (RG 357) - the sale file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead; Korean merchant registry/survey records 1956-1974; and the Froemming Brothers wartime contract files surfaced by the yard's Court of Claims litigation (Froemming Brothers, Inc. v. United States and Froemming Bros., Inc., of Texas v. United States - contract records, not asbestos).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1944-1974 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-codington-ak173-12