Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet crew-manus-b-packet.md (36 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Compass Island
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-compass-island-eag153-pkt-crew-manus-b-packet-md
-
[2]Franks Portlock (UK asbestos surveying/analytical consultancy), 'ABLE UK - TERRC SITE' case study [other_primary]
- Locator
- Case-study page, 'ABLE UK - TERRC SITE' section
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- UK-licensed asbestos consultancy Franks Portlock documents that it was 'commissioned by complex demolition specialists, ABLE UK, to survey four US vessels - USS Canisteo, USS Calossahatchee, USS Canopus and USS Compass Island - for asbestos over a period of five months' at the Teesside Environmental Reclamation & Recycling Centre (TERRC), Hartlepool; that the survey was conducted as described in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012; and that the firm then performed asbestos air testing and clearance certification during the asbestos removal and decommissioning programme.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- approx. 2008-2010 (licensed dismantling period)
- Population
- Able UK demolition/shipbreaking workforce and asbestos-removal contractors at TERRC
- Limitations
- First-party vendor case study (marketing page of the surveying firm) - acceptable here because it is the contractor's own record of work performed and corroborated by the regulatory requirement (CAR 2012; Environment Agency licence). The survey report itself is not public: establishes that a professional asbestos survey and clearance program occurred aboard this hull, not ACM quantities, locations, fiber type, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-01
-
[3]Hansard, House of Lords, 'Ship Breaking' (7 October 2003), ministerial answer on the MARAD 'ghost fleet' shipment to Able UK [other_primary]
- Locator
- Lords Hansard 2003-10-07, 'Ship Breaking' Q&A; corroboration: thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2367129 (HSE exemption for 'the former Marad ships')
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The UK Government told Parliament that 'the ships contain some toxic waste in relation to asbestos and other materials, although less than 1.5 per cent of their total bulk could be so described,' and that 'imports of asbestos are normally banned, but the HSE grants exemptions, and it did so in this case' - i.e., the Health and Safety Executive granted an asbestos-import exemption for the MARAD ship shipment of which Compass Island was part (she departed James River 16 October 2003 as the fourth of the four exported hulls). The Northern Echo reported in 2008 that 'Able already has a similar exemption for the former Marad ships, which also contain asbestos and other toxic materials.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2003 (import authorization); 2008 (exemption corroborated)
- Population
- Able UK workforce handling exempted asbestos imports
- Limitations
- Ministerial statement addresses the shipment cohort, not this hull by name; the exemption legally covered this hull's import (one of four shipped). The 1.5% figure is the minister's characterization of total bulk, not a per-hull survey result. Does not establish quantities, locations, condition, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-02
-
[4]BBC News, 'The legacy of Hartlepool's US Navy ghost ships' (11 November 2013), incl. Able UK hazardous-material inventory for the 13 ships [reputable_press]
- Locator
- BBC article sidebar 'Hazardous material on the 13 ships'; licence and completion narrative; MARAD milestones (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1080)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The disposal contractor's hazardous-material inventory for the 13-ship MARAD contract, published by the BBC with source 'Able UK', reports: material contaminated with asbestos 1,916 tonnes; material that may contain PCB 769 tonnes; heavy fuel oil 2,300 tonnes; oily water 1,881 tonnes; other oils 1,907 tonnes; mercury, cadmium, chromium and lead quantity not known. Compass Island was one of the four ships actually exported and dismantled under this contract (the four are named by BBC and Northern Echo). The Environment Agency issued the required waste management licence in June 2008; dismantling of the four ships was completed by January 2011 (this hull complete 3 June 2010 per MARAD withdrawal milestone).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2003-2011 (contract through completion)
- Population
- Shipbreaking workforce at TERRC; surrounding Hartlepool community (waste routed to Seaton Meadows landfill)
- Limitations
- Inventory covers the whole 13-ship contract and cannot be apportioned to this hull; the asbestos figure is 'material contaminated with asbestos', not pure ACM tonnage. Press-published contractor data - not itself a regulator filing - but consistent with the parliamentary record and licence conditions. Does not establish quantities aboard this hull or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-03
-
[5]Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 285 F. Supp. 2d 58 (D.D.C. Oct. 2, 2003) (TRO); Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 370 F. Supp. 2d 57 (D.D.C. Mar. 2, 2005) (summary judgment, Collyer, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- 285 F. Supp. 2d 58 at 59-60 (TRO background); 370 F. Supp. 2d 57 (memorandum opinion, CIV.A. 03-2000(RMC))
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Federal environmental-export litigation over the MARAD ghost-fleet program: plaintiffs (BAN, Sierra Club, Earthjustice) alleged TSCA/NEPA/NMHA violations in exporting 13 NDRF vessels to Able UK. The TRO opinion recounts that 'MARAD has informed officials in the United Kingdom that the 13 ships contain up to 100 tons of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as significant quantities of asbestos and fuel oil,' and records EPA's May 2003 'enforcement discretion' letter declining to enforce the TSCA PCB export ban. The court allowed the four congressionally-authorized pilot-program ships - which MARAD milestones and contemporaneous press identify as Caloosahatchee, Canisteo, Canopus, and this hull - to depart while restraining nine others; the complaint was dismissed on summary judgment in 2005.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2003-2005
- Limitations
- Environmental-export litigation, not asbestos-exposure litigation: it documents the export program and the government's hazmat characterization of the fleet, and finds no exposure and no per-hull quantities. The opinions name only the two imminent departures (Canisteo, Caloosahatchee); this hull's membership in the exported four is established by MARAD milestones and contemporaneous press, not by the court text. Classified context_only accordingly. CourtListener opinion URLs pending - reporter citations verified via published text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-04
-
[6]BBC News, 'Green group wins ghost fleet rule' (8 December 2003); Northern Echo, 'Able will bid for new licences' (December 2003) - UK High Court judicial review coverage [reputable_press]
- Locator
- BBC Tees, 8 Dec 2003; thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7007012 (Dec 2003)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- UK judicial review: on 8 December 2003 the High Court (Sullivan J) held that the Environment Agency's modification of Able UK's waste management licence 'cannot stand' - the agency conceded its decision was fatally flawed - and that the ship-dismantling project engaged the Habitats Directive. Friends of the Earth argued the ships 'contained significant amounts of hazardous substances, such as asbestos and PCBs' and required the most rigorous environmental impact assessment. A second High Court action by three Hartlepool residents addressed planning permission. The four ships at Graythorp were named in coverage: Canisteo, Caloosahatchee, Canopus, Compass Island. The rulings blocked all work until a fresh licence issued (June 2008).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2003
- Limitations
- UK proceedings are press-documented - the judgment text was not retrieved and no UK case citation is carried. The rulings voided licensing on procedural/environmental grounds and made no finding about asbestos aboard any hull; the asbestos quantities quoted are the campaigners' characterizations. Classified context_only as program-level litigation context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-05
-
[7]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Compass Island (EAG 153, C4-S-1a) class page - machinery data compiled from official BuShips/NARA records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe machinery/construction data block; conversion notes (NSY New York)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The hull's era and plant type place original outfitting and the 1956 conversion squarely in the peak marine-asbestos period: a 1953 C4-S-1a Mariner-class merchant build with geared steam turbines, two boilers (600 psi/875 F), single screw, 17,500 shp - followed by conversion to a naval auxiliary at New York Naval Shipyard in 1956. Typical applications for this plant type and era include boiler and steam-line insulation, pipe lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and insulation felts - asbestos-containing throughout U.S. marine construction of the early 1950s.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1952-1956
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades (1952-53); NSY New York conversion workforce (1956)
- Limitations
- Era/type inference only - the disposal-era records (rows 01-03) confirm asbestos was aboard in 2003-2010 but cannot attribute material to the 1953 build, the 1956 conversion, or later work. No construction-era itemization located. Does not establish quantity or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-06
-
[8]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Compass Island' entry (hazegray transcription mirror; canonical NHHC page 404 on access date) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, EAG-153
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: Compass Island (EAG-153) was launched 24 October 1953 as Garden Mariner by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; sponsored by Mrs. H. A. Smith; acquired by the Navy 29 March 1956; commissioned 3 December 1956, Commander J. A. Dare in command. First mission: development and evaluation of a navigation system independent of shore-based and celestial aids for the ballistic missile program. East coast operations; Mediterranean experimental cruise 13 March - 17 April 1958; SINS tested aboard enabled USS Nautilus's 3 August 1958 North Pole transit; entered New York Naval Shipyard 10 September 1958 for overhaul and additional navigation equipment; east coast and Caribbean cruising through 1960. DANFS figures: 18,000 t (full), 563 ft, 76 ft beam, 26 ft draft, 20 knots, complement 214.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1953-1960
- Population
- Ship's company (complement 214 per DANFS) during test operations 1956-1960
- Limitations
- Authoritative NHHC history. DANFS's 'launched 24 October 1953' conflates launch with delivery/completion - keel 17 Mar 1952, launch 12 Mar 1953 per official construction data (see correction row). Narrative coverage ends 1960. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim by itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-07
-
[9]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - COMPASS ISLAND (E-AG-153), Detail 1080, with vessel status card scans (Form MC-7146a as GARDEN MARINER; Forms MA-383); GARDEN MARINER Detail 8204 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1080 status cards 1080_RS10435AF/BF.jpg; Detail 8204 cards 2M3_01/02.png; milestone table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD status cards document the custody chain to the hour. Merchant era (GARDEN MARINER card): completed and delivered to Dept. of Commerce Maritime Administration at Camden 10-24-53 11:00 AM EST; American Hawaiian SS Co. (GAA) 10-24-53; NDRF Hudson River 5-5-54; American Hawaiian SS Co. (GAA) 8-30-54; NDRF Hudson River 9-16-54; Moore-McCormack Lines (GAA, 'Interim Repairs') 5-12-55; Reserve Fleet repair program 5-17-55; Navy Department title 3-29-56. Navy/disposal era (COMPASS ISLAND cards): renamed Compass Island (EAG-153); MARAD custody James River 9-4-80 1345 EDT; withdrawn by Navy for stripping 11-17-81; MARAD custody (temporary) 7-15-82 'In from Navy/Held for Special purpose'; Navy Retention 7-31-84; category 'scrap'; database milestones: scrap services contract to Able UK 10-16-2003; withdrawal 6-3-2010; fate 'Scrapped'. Card fields: C4-S-1a, MA hull 26, bldrs. hull 492, built 1953, LOA 564 ft, 9,214 gross, 'Navy-MSC' service prior to lay-up, name field annotated 'T-AG-153'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1953-2010
- Population
- NDRF caretaker/maintenance personnel (1980-2003)
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody record. The 'T-AG-153'/'Navy-MSC' notations are unverified as to any MSC service - she held commissioned USN commanding officers through her career; the annotation may be administrative. Database milestone 'Entry 9/4/1989' is a transcription error (card reads 9/4/80). Status-card handwriting partially legible; no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information on the cards.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-08
-
[10]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Compass Island (EAG 153, C4-S-1a) class page - compiled from NARA RG 19 BuShips design records (Entries UD 1024-AD Box 1, UD 1024-M S1) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe construction/disposition tables; MARAD status cards; NavSource timeline
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) 'launched 24 October 1953' in DANFS and derived sources conflates launch with delivery - official construction data: keel laid 17 March 1952, launched 12 March 1953, completed/delivered 24 October 1953. (b) MARAD ShipHistory database shows Entry/Disposition '9/4/1989' - the vessel status card reads 9/4/80 (1345 EDT), consistent with the September 1980 post-decommissioning transfer; the database entry is a transcription error. (c) NavSource and derivative pages give the merchant name as 'Garden State Mariner' - the MARAD status card, ShipHistory name history, DANFS, and Shipscribe all give GARDEN MARINER (one status card even misspells 'GARDNER MARINER'). (d) Wikipedia infobox 'Stricken 31 March 1986' conflicts with NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, and Shipscribe 1 October 1981 - 1981 is adopted as consistent with the 17 November 1981 Navy withdrawal for stripping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1952-2010
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies across primary and secondary sources; does not affect identity or the custody timeline materially. The stricken-date conflict is retained in gaps since the NVR page for the ship is not accessible (disposed pre-1987).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-09
-
[11]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Compass Island (EAG 153, C4-S-1a) class notes - conversion program and service history compiled from NARA RG 19 records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe class notes and ship notes, EAG 153
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA-sourced detail: conversion design job order 20 December 1955 ('Mariner No. 1' navigational development ship for the IRBM/FBM program); tentatively YAG 56 Feb-May 1956; EAG-153 classification and name COMPASS ISLAND approved by SecNav 25 June 1956; conversion at NSY New York began 1 July 1956 using AKA 112 conversion documentation; November 1956 builder's trials logged 22.8 knots; commissioned 3 December 1956. Navigation tower forward of the bridge and Navigational Instrumentation Space housed the SINS and instrument platform; experimental Sperry fin stabilizer fitted. Reclassified AG-153 effective 1 April 1968. Continued submarine-force projects through the 1960s-70s including Transit satellite system development; participated in the 1968 search for USS Scorpion (SSN-589); flight-deck periscope fitted 1976-78 for star-tracker experiments. Replaced in the FBM role in 1980 by AG-194 (ex-AGM-19, USNS Vanguard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1955-1980
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked test personnel 1956-1980
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation drawing directly on BuShips official records (NARA RG 19 entries cited by the compiler) - treated as authoritative unofficial detail; no asbestos content and supports no asbestos claim. The exact 25 January 1980 end-of-FBM-support date in a check-six.com history piece is single-source secondary and not asserted here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-10
-
[12]Batch-4592 search ledger (this record): MARAD ShipHistory + status cards; DANFS (hazegray mirror); Shipscribe; UK Hansard; BBC/Northern Echo; Franks Portlock; BAN v. MARAD opinions; CourtListener name/hull sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-compass-island-eag153-01 through sl-uss-compass-island-eag153-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No service-era ship-specific asbestos documentation located: no Navy survey, crew exposure record, or abatement contract for the 1953 merchant build or 1956-1980 commissioned period was found in the public sources searched; the Franks Portlock survey report (the document that would quantify ACM aboard this hull) is not public; and no asbestos personal-injury litigation naming Compass Island was located - the only litigation found is the environmental-export litigation carried in rows 04-05. CourtListener ship-name sweep status recorded in search_ledger sl-08.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located service-era record does not prove absence of exposure - a hull documented to carry asbestos at disposal also carried it during decades of operation and yard periods, but no public source quantifies crew exposure or assigns it to any period. The 1956 NSY New York conversion and periodic overhauls are undocumented as to asbestos disturbance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-11
-
[13]NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) entries identified by Shipscribe as its special sources: UD 1024-AD Box 1 and UD 1024-M S1 (design/conversion documentation for this vessel); plus non-public disposition files (Franks Portlock survey; HSE exemption; EA licence file; Hartlepool BC planning file) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19 entry listings; Shipscribe page notes ('Special sources: NARA: RG 19 Entries UD 1024-AD Box 1 and UD 1024-M S1 (Design of vessel)')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 19 Entries UD 1024-AD Box 1 and UD 1024-M S1 hold the BuShips design/conversion files Shipscribe used for this class - the most likely source of 1956 conversion-era material specifications; (b) the five-month Franks Portlock asbestos survey report for this hull exists in the Able UK / Environment Agency licence file but is not public; (c) the HSE asbestos-import exemption file and (d) Hartlepool Borough Council planning/environmental-impact files document the disposal-phase asbestos handling.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1955-2010 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and file-level mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents inside them is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-compass-island-eag153-12