USS Comet (AP-166)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. II, 'Comet III' entry (verbatim transcription mirror; canonical NHHC page not located) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   HistoryCentral 'Comet AP-166' mirror page, full DANFS text incl. characteristic line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'Comet III' entry: launched 21 December 1942 by Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. E. Warren; commissioned 15 February 1944, Commander V. F. Stieglitz, USNR, in command. Pacific service: San Diego to Pearl Harbor with Marines (26 April 1944); Saipan initial assault 15 June 1944, troops and cargo unloaded under heavy fire; Guam reinforcements 23-29 July; Leyte landings 20-22 October; New Guinea reinforcements November; Lingayen reinforcement arrival 11 January 1945; hospital patients Pearl Harbor to San Francisco; after overhaul cleared Port Hueneme 4 June 1945 with Seabees and equipment for Okinawa (arrived 12 July); seven postwar transpacific voyages to Pacific, Alaskan and west-coast ports; decommissioned Seattle 14 August 1946, transferred to the War Shipping Administration for disposal; 'Comet received two battle stars for World War II service.' Characteristic line: (AP-166: dp. 6,556; l. 459'2"; b. 63'; dr. 23'; s. 17; cpl. 276; a. 1 5", 4 3"; cl. La Salle).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1942-1946

   Population

   Ship's complement of 276 (DANFS); embarked troops up to ~1,575 per voyage (secondary)

   Limitations

   Names this hull and documents construction, service history, and complement (276), but contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazards content of any kind. Cited via a third-party transcription mirror: the canonical NHHC DANFS page for this entry could not be located - history.navy.mil DANFS URLs for Comet returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-25 (same link-rot pattern noted in the BATCH-01 report). 'Two battle stars' conflicts with secondary compilations enumerating three campaign credits (Marianas, Leyte, Luzon) - unresolved, logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-01

2. [2]MARAD Vessel History Database, COMET record (ShipHistory/Detail/1075), incl. vessel status card images and attached documents (USCG radio sealing report, San Francisco) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Detail page fields plus vessel status cards 54fd56cc-79a1-434f-88d1-1ec55dc58bf6.PNG and a711ae80-b73b-4902-8e1a-0a725367f2af.PNG (card images read directly)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History Database entry for COMET (U.S. Official No. 244020; shipyard field 'Moore Shipbuilding Company'; MARAD type C2; gross 6,221; fate 'Sold - Scrap') and its attached vessel status card (read directly from scan): built by Moore Drydock Co. at Oakland, MC hull 293, completed 8-17-43, basis to USMC same day; delivered to Mississippi Shipping Co. Inc. under GAA at Oakland 8-17-43; delivered to Navy Department under bareboat (BB) charter at San Francisco 2-15-44 noon - the commissioning day; redelivered at Seattle 8-14-46 2 PM; entered Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay 11-8-46; delivered to U.S. Lines '(Pending Sale)' under GAA 2-12-48; purchased by United States Lines at San Francisco 8-26-48 1 PM, title transferred at Jersey City same day 4 PM EDST; renamed 'PIONEER REEF'; sold to Farrell Lines, Inc. 6-29-65 and renamed 'AUSTRALIAN REEF'; sold to Keun Hwa Iron Steel Works & Enterprises, Ltd. for scrapping in Taiwan.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Population

   Merchant crews (Mississippi Shipping 1943-44; U.S. Lines/American Pioneer 1948-65; Farrell Lines 1965-70); NDRF custodial staff; shipbreakers, Taiwan 1970

   Limitations

   Hand-written mid-century administrative custody card; the final scrapping-sale line is undated (May 1970 rests on secondary sources). Database field names the builder 'Moore Shipbuilding Company' while the card reads 'Moore Drydock Co' - name variants of the same Oakland yard (Moore Shipbuilding renamed Moore Dry Dock Co. in 1922). A 'War Department' custody label between the Navy Department and Reserve Fleet rows is ambiguous as written and not interpreted. Documents ownership and custody only - no asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-02

3. [3]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28(1):9-16 (1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

   Locator

   PubMed record 21016030; J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28(1):9-16 (January 1946)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   USMC-commissioned industrial health survey (Fleischer, Viles, Gade & Drinker, 1946) documented amosite asbestos as 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels,' measured dust counts during layout, cutting, band-saw cutting, cement mixing and installation operations at two Government Navy yards and two Navy contract yards, and noted asbestos cloth and asbestos cement in naval work - the construction environment and material set under which this Maritime Commission-contract C2-S-B1 steam transport was built at a wartime Oakland yard in 1942-43.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   WWII construction era; survey published January 1946

   Population

   Pipe coverers/insulators at WWII Government and contract yards (survey population); by inference, construction trades on this hull at Moore Dry Dock 1942-43

   Limitations

   Era/program-level survey: the four yards are anonymized (A-D) and Moore Dry Dock is not identified as a surveyed site; neither this vessel nor its class is named. The paper's infamous conclusion that insulation work was 'not a dangerous occupation' is now discredited - a 2026 published critique documents the study's flaws and calls for retraction (New Solutions, doi:10.1177/10482911261446696); it is cited here ONLY for its documentation that asbestos products were standard in naval-vessel construction, not for its safety finding. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, quantities, locations, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-03

4. [4]National Archives and Records Administration holdings, cataloged via DPLA item 6a6a59df9c109ecc44ca2804d1d4d4b0 and DigitalPasifik items 809657 and 378667 [other_primary]

   Locator

   DPLA item record; digitalpasifik.org/items/809657 and /items/378667 (NARA contributing institution)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA (College Park, Textual Reference) holds ship-specific WWII records for this hull: 'USS COMET - War Diary, 3/1-31/44' (micro serial 69537, file A12-1); 'USS Comet - Narrative Rep of AA Acts off Saipan Is, Marianas, 6/15/44 & 6/16/44'; 'USS COMET - Rep of Ops in the Invasion of Guam Is, Marianas, 7/17-23/44' (micro serial 88579, file A12) - in the Records of the Office of the CNO WWII War Diaries / Other Operational Records series.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944

   Limitations

   Existence of records verified via NARA catalog entries surfaced through DPLA/DigitalPasifik aggregators; contents not retrieved or reviewed. These are operational and action reports - asbestos or insulation content is neither documented nor expected in them. Ship-specific material documentation would more plausibly sit in NARA RG 178 (Maritime Commission) construction and conversion-contract files - not retrieved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-04

5. [5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Comet (AP-166), file 09/22/22166 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource Comet AP-166 page (content obtained via search-index snippets; direct page fetch unreachable from this network on 2026-09-25)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource photo-archive entry for USS Comet (AP-166): laid down 1942 as SS Comet, MC type C2-S-B1, MC hull 293, Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, CA; 'Converted for the WSA by Matson Navigation, San Francisco, CA., 11 November 1943 to 16 February 1944'; transferred to Mississippi Shipping Co. under General Agency Agreement 14 August 1943; commissioned 15 February 1944, CDR Vard F. Stieglitz USNR; commanding-officer roster (Stieglitz 2/15/44-7/9/44; Fonda 7/9/44-12/23/44; Blee 12/23/44-2/6/45; Fonda 2/6/45-1946; Flanagan to 8/14/46); Asiatic-Pacific campaign table (Marianas: Saipan 15-22 June, Guam 23-29 July; Leyte landings 30 October and 18 November); Navy Occupation Service Medal 10-17 March 1946 and China Service Medal (extended) periods 8-11 February, 18-23 March, 27 March-15 April, 5-15 May 1946; decommissioned 14 August 1946 at Seattle; struck from Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to Maritime Commission 8 November 1946 for NDRF Suisun Bay; sold 26 August 1948 to U.S. Lines subsidiary American Pioneer Lines, renamed SS Pioneer Reef; sold 29 June 1965 to Farrell Lines, renamed SS Australian Reef; sold for scrapping to Keun Hwa Iron Steel Works & Enterprises, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 1970; call sign NKWP; NARA photo identifier 205584445 / 26-G-2149.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1942-1970

   Population

   Ship's officers and crew 1944-46 (CO roster)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled photo archive, not an official source; used only for details the primary record does not carry (conversion yard and dates, CO roster, medal periods, scrapping date, laid-down year). Its GAA transfer date (14 August 1943) conflicts with the MARAD status card's delivery date (17 August 1943) - the primary card is favored. Where NavSource dates overlap the MARAD card they agree exactly (11-8-46 NDRF entry, 8-26-48 sale, 6-29-65 sale), which supports crediting its non-overlapping items (Matson conversion window, May 1970 scrapping).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-05

6. [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

   AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article

   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 World War II - the era and emergency construction program under which this Maritime Commission C2-S-B1 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipyards and aboard hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   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 class 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-comet-ap166-06

7. [7]W.A. Simons Asbestos Trust, California Site List (September 2020): MOORE DRY DOCK-OAKLAND, CA (ADELINE ST), Exposure Level H [other_primary]

   Locator

   WAST California Site List PDF (September 2020), Moore Dry Dock-Oakland site entry

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   The W.A. Simons Asbestos Trust's California Site List (September 2020) designates MOORE DRY DOCK-OAKLAND, CA (ADELINE ST) as Exposure Level H (High) - the trust's claims-administration determination that asbestos exposure occurred at the yard site where this hull was built in 1942-43.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   Trust list published September 2020; site exposure window spans the WWII era and post-war repair operations

   Population

   Moore Dry Dock site workers (trust-recognized exposure window, including the 1942-43 construction window for this hull)

   Limitations

   Claims-administration list from an asbestos bankruptcy trust - reflects the trust's own evidence review of the worksite, not a court finding, industrial survey, or hull record. Documents exposure conditions at the builder's site during the period this hull was under construction there, but says nothing about this vessel, its installed materials, or any crew exposure. Not ship-specific under the house model.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-07

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search ledger (queries itemized in this record's search_ledger) [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-comet-ap166-06 through sl-uss-comet-ap166-11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific litigation located. Authenticated CourtListener API v4 searches (2026-09-25): opinion index (type=o) 'USS Comet' - 0 results; '"Comet" asbestos' - 43 results, all name collisions (Comet cleanser, surnames, unrelated matters; zero vessel-related); '"AP-166"' - 19 results, all docket-number collisions (e.g., '00AP-166', '6:06-ap-00166', '49 Oh Ap 166'); '"Pioneer Reef" asbestos' - 0; '"Australian Reef" asbestos' - 0; '"Moore Dry Dock" asbestos' - 3 results, all NLRB labor-relations cases (other litigation, not asbestos); RECAP docket index (type=r) '"USS Comet" OR "Pioneer Reef" OR "Australian Reef"' - 0 results.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   2026-09-25

   Limitations

   Absence of located public dockets does not prove absence of claims: asbestos personal-injury suits typically name defendants (manufacturers, shipowners, the government), not hulls, and state-court coverage in CourtListener is thin. One unpublished California appellate matter against the builder is known from secondary legal-press coverage (Foglia v. Moore Dry Dock Co., A142125, 2018 - take-home exposure claim against the yard; affirmed summary judgment FOR THE DEFENDANT; unpublished and uncitable under Cal. R. Ct. 8.1115; not located in the CourtListener opinion index) - a yard-level, defense-disposed matter logged in gaps, not hull evidence. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-comet-ap166-08