Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, 'Conasauga (AOG-15),' Naval Historical Center ship-histories entry (text identical to the GPO print DANFS Vol. II scan, archive.org dictionaryofamer02wash) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (Conasauga, AOG-15), NHC ship histories; print DANFS Vol. II (C-F), 'Conasauga' entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records Conasauga (AOG-15), named for a river in Georgia, built in 1932 as New York Socony by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Sparrows Point, Md.; acquired by the Navy 23 March 1943; commissioned 19 April 1943, Lt. R. T. Traut, USNR, in command. Sailing from New York 1 May 1943, she arrived Oran 28 May, was attached to Commander, Naval Forces, North African Waters, and carried gasoline to various ports in the Mediterranean until decommissioned and transferred to France under lend lease 25 December 1944; returned 17 October 1945 at Palermo; equipment salvaged and hulk sold 19 December 1945. DANFS stats: l. 254'; b. 45'; dr. 13'; s. 8 k.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1932-1945
- Population
- USS Conasauga ship's company, 1943-1944
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, acquisition timeline, Mediterranean service, and disposal dates for this specific hull. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or material content - supports no asbestos claim. DANFS gives no complement, launch date, or strike date. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-24 (both legacy and current URL patterns); text cited from Wayback capture 2010-12-07 of the canonical NHC page and verified identical against the archive.org scan of the GPO print edition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-01
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[2]Stephen S. Roberts, 'USS Conasauga (AOG-15),' Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary records compilation (compiled 14 Aug 2010; drawn from CNO/VCNO/BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board and Inspection & Survey correspondence, NARA RG-19 material) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class notes, construction/disposition tables, and ship notes, AOG-15 page (cross-checked against AOG-14 and AOG-16 pages for the shared class narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe's compilation of the Navy record: the recently reopened Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. yard at Sparrows Point delivered a special-type motor tanker to the Standard Vacuum Transportation Co. of New York on 15 January 1932 - built to the owner's design for New England coastwise trade, twin screws and twin rudders for restricted waterways, wooden pilot house/chart room raised over the forecastle, crew of 18 berthed aft. On 10 Mar 1943 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended purchasing three coastwise tankers (ESSO DELIVERY #11, NEW YORK SOCONY, VEEDOL #2) for shallow-draft distribution of light petroleum products in the Mediterranean; limited Navy conversion by Marine Basin Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., 24 Mar-20 Apr 1943 (crew quarters and armament; crews kept to lowest possible minimum). AOG 14-16 then carried gasoline and diesel fuel between North African ports supporting Italy invasion operations: mid-Nov 1943 Conasauga reported machinery in bad condition and requested a replacement cylinder block and liners for the port engine; inoperative 2 Dec 1943; alongside repair ship DELTA (AR-9) at Bizerte early Mar 1944; towed to Palermo by Army tug LT-222 22 Mar 1944 for completion of repairs; resumed intense operations mid-Apr 1944 through year-end. Returned by France at Palermo 17 Oct 1945 under tow (both engines inoperative); Sub-Board of Inspection and Survey 25 Oct 1945 found heavy cargo-tank corrosion and engines in advanced disassembly - beyond economical repair; SecNav approved disposal 7 Nov 1945; BuShips recommended strike and sale 23 Nov 1945; stricken 31 Oct 1947 per the compilation's disposition table. Machinery listed as 2 McIntosh & Seymour diesels, direct drive, 700 HP.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1931-1947
- Population
- Bethlehem Sparrows Point construction trades (1931-32); Marine Basin Co. conversion workers (Mar-Apr 1943); Navy crew (1943-1944); French Navy crew (1944-45); DELTA (AR-9) repair party and Bizerte/Palermo maintenance crews (1943-44); Palermo stripping/scrapping workers (1945)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation faithfully reproducing primary Navy correspondence and record content (not itself the archival document). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or material content. Strike date 31 Oct 1947 appears only in this compilation's table - DANFS and NavSource give none; acquisition date given as 24 Mar 1943 vs DANFS 23 Mar; engine attribution conflicts with NavSource ('Bessemer') - all carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-02
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[3]Metropolitan Sand & Gravel Corp. v. Petterson Lighterage & Towing Corp., 54 F. Supp. 958 (S.D.N.Y. 1943), affirmed per curiam, 143 F.2d 599 (2d Cir. 1944) (CourtListener opinions 8878483 and 6889055) [court_record]
- Locator
- 54 F. Supp. 958 (S.D.N.Y., filed 1943-12-22, Mandelbaum, D.J.); 143 F.2d 599 (2d Cir., No. 383, filed 1944-07-06, per curiam)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Trial-level admiralty finding naming this vessel under her merchant name: the M/V New York Socony (Socony Vacuum Oil Co., owner-impleaded) collided with scow G.G. 118, in tow of the tug Bon, off Tompkinsville, Staten Island, at about 2130 on 17 February 1943 - five weeks before Navy acquisition. The district court held the New York Socony at fault: a crossing situation under Inland Rules art. 19 (33 U.S.C. 204) in which she had the tug on her starboard side and failed to keep out of the way. The Second Circuit affirmed the decree per curiam (143 F.2d 599, 6 July 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943 collision; 1943-1944 litigation
- Population
- M/V New York Socony merchant crew (Feb 1943); Petterson Lighterage tug/scow crews
- Limitations
- Classified OTHER LITIGATION, not asbestos litigation: a collision-liability case containing no asbestos, insulation, personal-injury, or exposure content. Stage discipline: trial-court merits finding on navigation fault, affirmed on appeal; establishes only the vessel's operation and fault for the 17 Feb 1943 collision - says nothing about repairs, materials, or later condition. Names the vessel pre-Navy under her merchant name.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CONASAUGA (AOG-15), Ship History Detail 5793; NEW YORK SOCONY, Ship History Detail 9968; digitized status cards (Form MA-20, front and back) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory detail page 5793 (CONASAUGA AOG-15) incl. status-card scans 5793_AF/5793_AB; linked detail 9968 (NEW YORK SOCONY)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records confirm registry identity: U.S. Official No. 231376; year built 1932; shipyard Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division; type Tanker; 255.00 ft x 43.00 ft; gross 1,540 / net 933 tons; vessel name history NEW YORK SOCONY -> CONASAUGA (AOG-15); mission World War II; fate 'Sold - U.S. Operation.' Handwritten status card (read from scan): 'CONASAUGA Ex-NEW-YORK-SOCONY / F AOG-15 / (French flag) 1539 / NAVY DEPT Transferred to France on L.L. / BETHLEM-S.B. CORP. LIM / 1-32'; card reverse: 'Navy has title / (Former owner Socony Vacuum) / Transferred to France under L.L. (This information from Bu. of Ships from Navy Files: Documents surrendered to Navy 3-27-46).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1932-1946 (registry coverage)
- Limitations
- Confirms registry identity, builder, dimensions, Lend-Lease transfer to France, and Navy title chain; adds no asbestos, insulation, or material information. 'Specific Type: LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' on the record is a database artifact - not adopted (same artifact observed on sibling record KALOLI/FLYING A). Status-card handwriting partially interpretive (read from scan). 'Documents surrendered to Navy 3-27-46' is a custody note, not a disposal date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-04
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[5]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 of this hull's 1943 Navy conversion (crew quarters and armament installed by Marine Basin Co., Brooklyn) and of the in-theater machinery repairs she underwent at Bizerte and Palermo in 1943-44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard/conversion workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Her diesel plant (no boilers or steam lines) narrows the era-typical insulation scope relative to steam auxiliaries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-05
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[6]Batch-1958 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback + print scan); shipscribe; MARAD ShipHistory; NavSource; HyperWar class index; CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes; asbestos-specific web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-conasauga-aog15-01 through sl-uss-conasauga-aog15-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Conasauga (AOG-15), M/V New York Socony, or RFS Lac Blanc was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'Conasauga' opinion index 72 hits, all name collisions (Conasauga River Lumber Co., Conasauga Radiology, Georgia/Tennessee river-region cases); 'AOG-15' opinion index 0 hits; 'Conasauga'+asbestos 0 hits; 'New York Socony' 4 hits (2 opinions of the collision case; 2 'Socony' company-name collisions); 'Conasauga' RECAP docket index 48 hits, all name collisions. The hulk was sold for scrap at Palermo in 1945, predating modern ACM survey regimes, and no preserved-hull or museum documentation exists.
- 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 1932-built, 1943-converted hull is era-consistent with asbestos use. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-06
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[7]NARA guidance and record groups: RG-24 (muster rolls of U.S. Navy ships 1939-1949, digitized via Ancestry partnership; deck logs 1941+ at College Park); RG-19 (BuShips records - Auxiliary Vessels Board reports, conversion directives, Inspection & Survey material underlying the shipscribe compilation); NHHC photo NH 85468 (overhead view of M/T New York Socony, 1 Mar 1943, credited on NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG-24 muster-roll series (ship-name file units; cf. naId 120173201 for sibling Kaloli); NARA RG-24 deck logs, College Park; RG-19 BuShips; NHHC photo NH 85468
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved (no research-room pull performed): (a) ship-name file unit in the WWII Navy muster-roll series (RG-24) - sibling vessel Kaloli (AOG-13) has a digitized 'Muster Rolls' file unit (naId 120173201), so a Conasauga unit plausibly exists in the same series but was not confirmed via the catalog API (JS-blocked this session); (b) WWII deck logs (RG-24, College Park) for Apr 1943-Dec 1944; (c) RG-19 BuShips material the shipscribe compilation was drawn from - Auxiliary Vessels Board 10 Mar 1943 report, Marine Basin conversion directives, DELTA (AR-9) repair correspondence, and the 25 Oct 1945 Sub-Board of Inspection and Survey report; (d) NHHC photo NH 85468.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1932-1947 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. Personnel/maintenance records establish who served and what was repaired, not what materials they contacted. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-07
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[8]Source-conflict reconciliation across DANFS, shipscribe, NavSource, MARAD, and shipbuildinghistory (constructions/disposition tables and spec sheets as cited in search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AOG-15 construction/disposition/machinery lines vs NavSource AOG-15 specs block vs DANFS stat line vs MARAD detail 5793; shipbuildinghistory AOG table (njscuba.net mirror) cross-check
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies on this hull, resolved or carried: (a) propulsion - shipscribe '2 McIntosh & Seymour diesels, direct drive, 700 HP' vs NavSource 'two Bessemer Diesel engines, twin propellers, 1,000 shp' (McIntosh & Seymour adopted as primary per the record compilation; conflict carried); (b) displacement - shipscribe 3,100 t full load vs NavSource 3,650 t (fl) vs MARAD 1,540 GRT registry tons - different measures, both retained in context; (c) strike date - shipscribe 31 Oct 1947 vs 'date unknown' (NavSource, DANFS-sourced compilations); (d) acquisition - DANFS 23 Mar 1943 vs shipscribe table 24 Mar 1943 (24 Mar is also the documented conversion-start date); (e) return to U.S. custody - DANFS/shipscribe 17 Oct 1945 vs NavSource 19 Oct 1945; (f) length/beam - DANFS 254'x45', shipscribe 263.2' oa / 254.6' wl x 45.5', NavSource/MARAD 255'x43' - measure-basis differences.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1931-1947
- Limitations
- Resolves or carries publication-level discrepancies among DANFS, compilations, and registry data; none affects identity or the service timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conasauga-aog15-08