Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet r3-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: Conecuh
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-conecuh-ao110-pkt-r3-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Conecuh (AOR-110)' (1946-1956 entry; published 2016-03-15; live URL returns 404, cited via Wayback capture 2020-11-11) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Conecuh (AOR-110)', full entry text and specification line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Canonical identity and chronology: Dithmarschen, a combination oiler and supply vessel built by F. Schichau, Danzig, in 1937 for the German Navy; taken over by British authorities at Bremerhaven 1945-05-08; allocated to the U.S. Navy 1946-01-15 by the Inter-Allied Reparations Commission; placed in service 1946-05-02 as Dithmarschen (IX-301), Capt. Adolph W. Maddox USNR in charge; arrived Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1946-05-19; renamed Conecuh and redesignated AO-110 1946-10-01; placed out of service 1946-10-24 (funds); reclassified AOR-110 1952-09-04 and converted to a replenishment fleet tanker; commissioned 1953-02-16, Cmdr. M. B. Freeman; NATO Operation Mariner 1953-09-16 to 10-20; Sixth Fleet Mediterranean 1954-03-05 to 05-28; Norfolk overhaul 1954-06-30 to 1955-01-04; operations off Florida Keys 1955-10-25 to 11-07; decommissioned and transferred to the Maritime Commission, entering James River Reserve Fleet 1956-04-04; stricken 1960-06-01; sold 1960-11-23 to Southeastern Rail & Steel Co. for $136,688 and scrapped. Specs: 8,820 tons, 584 ft, beam 72 ft, draft 31 ft, 23 knots, complement 284, armament eight 40mm. DANFS: 'Conecuh proved the feasibility of the combination oiler-replenishment ship; experience gained during her operations led to the development of the fast combat support ship (AOE).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1937-1960
- Population
- USN crew, 1946 and 1953-1956 service periods; complement 284
- Limitations
- Archived capture of official DANFS entry; the live NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-25 (link rot noted in earlier batches). DANFS 'built ... in 1937' conflicts with shipscribe's launched 1937-06-12/in-German-service 1938-07-20 and MARAD's year-built 1939 - carried in gaps. DANFS transit dates (departed Bremerhaven 05-08, arrived Philadelphia 05-19) differ ~10 days from Wildenberg's account. DANFS contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-01
-
[3]Stephen S. Roberts, shipscribe.com USN auxiliaries file, 'Class: CONECUH (AO 110)' - compiled 2021-09-18 from NARA RG 19 Entry UD 1024-A Box 1 (AOR 109 and 110), RG 19 BuShips General Correspondence 1953-57 boxes 161/171/196, RG 19 BuShips Confidential Correspondence 1946-61 box 42, and Wildenberg GSBO [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux2/AO/AO110.html - class data block, construction/disposition tables, class notes narrative, ship notes, page notes (source list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA-derived design/conversion file: SCB Project No. 50 AOR conversion applied to ex-German Dithmarschen; delivered to U.S. Naval Advanced Base, Weser, 1946-01-15 by a German maintenance crew after repairs/overhaul at Hamburg under U.S./British supervision; sister Nordmark allocated to Britain (later HMS Bulawayo). IX-301 placed in service 1946-05-02 with Europa (AP-177) crew; conversion to prototype 'Tanker-Supply ship' authorized by CNO 1946-06-27, approved scope issued 08-13; BuShips recommended minimizing/canceling on cost grounds, COMSERVPAC recommended deferral pending study; conversion indefinitely postponed by 1946-10-02, ship out of service 10-24; status changed to 'in reserve' Jun 1948. AOR-110 reclassification 1952-09-04; converted Sep 1952-Feb 1953; full commission 1953-02-16; COMSERVLANT evaluation including COMHUKLANT Hunter-Killer Group support Nov 1953 and COMSERVFORSIXTHFLT evaluation Mar-May 1954; Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock availability planned Apr 1956 but canceled - inactivation ordered 1955-12-20; decommissioned 1956-04-03 to MA temporary custody; sold 1960-11-23. Ship notes add: in German service 1938-07-20; to Britain 1945-06-06 and renamed SOUTHMARK; handed over to USN 1946-01-15 at Kiel. Accommodations 18 officers, 266 enlisted; 8,820 light / 22,780 full tons; 584 ft oa; 20 knots; 22,000 hp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1938-1960
- Population
- USN crew 1946 (Europa-transferred) and 1953-56; 18 officers + 266 enlisted accommodations
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, but every entry is drawn from cited NARA RG 19 files - treated here as NARA-derived authoritative secondary, not a primary record itself. Internal source differences exist (handover 'at Kiel' in ship notes vs. delivery to Weser base in class narrative). Machinery line conflicts with German-source data - see ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-09. No asbestos or insulation-material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-02
-
[4]MARAD vessel-history database, 'CONECUH (AOR-110)' record 1081 + status-card scan (documents/c153a326-4d8a-4027-b718-276ff996139c.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1081 - data block, milestones table, status-card images
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record: CONECUH (AOR-110), Naval Auxiliary / AOR Replenishment Oiler, 'Foreign' MARAD type; year built 1939; shipyard Schichau GmbH Abt. Schiffswerft; length 584 ft, beam 72 ft; gross tons 12,000. Milestones: Entry and Acquisition 1956-04-04; Disposition and Withdrawal 1960-11-23; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Status-card scan confirms James River NDRF delivery 1956-04-04 and transfer to Southeastern Rail & Steel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1956-1960 (MARAD custody record)
- Limitations
- Historical narrative field empty; status-card PDF is a low-quality scan (poor OCR). MARAD 'year built 1939' conflicts with launch 1937 and German service entry 1938 - carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-03
-
[5]Thomas Wildenberg, Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912-1995 (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1996; NHHC-published history), ch. 19 'Under Two Flags,' pp. 204-216 (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GSBO ch. 19, 'The Oiler-Supply Ship Dithmarschen' section, Table 21, pp. 207-216 (HyperWar GSBO-19.html)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- German construction and design record: Dithmarschen constructed at Danzig in 1938 by F. Schichau as a specialized supply ship for German capital ships - the first multipurpose replenishment ship; carried refrigerated food, dry provisions, ammunition, general supplies plus 67,000 bbl fuel oil. As-built table (sourced to Tanker und Versorger der Deutschen Flotte, 1890-1980, p.270): 582 ft oa, beam 72'5", depth 40'5", draft 33'6", 20,850 tons displacement, 10,850 registered tons, 22,000 rated shp, 20.75 knots design speed. First of five similar ships; merchant crew under German state flag. Found in a northern Norway fjord at surrender May 1945; ordered to Bremerhaven, turned over to British authorities; allocated to USN by Inter-Allied Reparations Commission 1946-01-15; entered U.S. naval service as IX-301 at noon 1946-05-02; conversion authorized by Nimitz as prototype 'oiler supply ship'; $1M Philadelphia yard project order June 1946; project endangered by FY47 budget cuts; redesignated AO-110/renamed Conecuh 1946-10-01; conversion postponed 10-03, out of service 10-24; six years inactive; redesignated AOR-110 1952-09-04 'thereby becoming the first replenishment oiler in the U.S. Navy'; commissioned 1953-02-16; Mariner 1953; HUK sole-source support; Sixth Fleet evaluation Mar-May 1954 (~87 documented replenishments; supported Midway CVA-41, Newport News CA-148 et al.); Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul 1954-06-30 to 1955-01-04; decommissioned 1956-04-03.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1938-1956
- Population
- German merchant crew 1938-45; USN crew 1946, 1953-56
- Limitations
- Scholarly secondary history published by the Naval Institute (NHHC-affiliated author); as-built figures cite the German reference work quoted in the table source line. Wildenberg's transit dates (departed Bremerhaven 05-19, arrived Philadelphia ~05-30) conflict with DANFS (05-08/05-19) - DANFS carried as canonical, discrepancy logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-04
-
[6]Wildenberg, Gray Steel and Black Oil, ch. 19, p. 209 (HyperWar GSBO-19.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GSBO-19.html, 'Conversion to Replenishment Oiler' section, numbered work-item list, p. ~209
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- During the 1952-1953 Philadelphia Navy Yard AOR conversion the yard 'was directed to push to completion a number of items by 21 April,' including '(3) replacement of defective insulation in seven refrigerated spaces' (alongside added berthing, cargo-handling gear and ammunition-stowage facilities, telephone circuits, and 'adequate steam supply for operation of cargo pumps and cargo-handling machinery while replenishing').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1952-1953
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard workers, 1952-1953
- Limitations
- Ship-specific record of insulation removal/replacement aboard this hull, but the source does NOT state fiber composition - 'insulation' here cannot be assumed asbestos. Does not establish asbestos content, quantity, or exposure; does establish a documented disturbance event in a material category where era-typical products sometimes contained asbestos. Underlying NARA conversion files (ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-11) would carry the material specification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-05
-
[7]Wildenberg, Gray Steel and Black Oil, ch. 19, pp. 212-213 (HyperWar GSBO-19.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GSBO-19.html, Sixth Fleet cruise narrative, pp. ~212-213
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- During the 1954 Sixth Fleet evaluation deployment 'the ship experienced a continuous series of breakdowns'; recorded material problems included 'continued deterioration of the original insulation installed in cold-storage spaces, ruptured boiler tubes, and loss of the ship's evaporator in midocean.' The crew kept the ship at sea with patchwork repairs aided by a fleet repair ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1954
- Population
- USN crew during 1954 Mediterranean deployment (~284 complement)
- Limitations
- Confirms original (German-era, prewar) insulation remained aboard in cold-storage spaces and was actively deteriorating in 1954 - a ship-specific exposure-relevant fact pattern - but fiber composition is again unstated and must not be read as asbestos. 'Ruptured boiler tubes' confirms boiler plant aboard during USN service (relevant to the machinery-source conflict, ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-09).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-06
-
[8]Wildenberg, Gray Steel and Black Oil, Appendix D 'Fleet Oilers Commissioned in the U.S. Navy, 1915-1993,' p. 276+ (HyperWar GSBO-D.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GSBO-D.html, Appendix D table, AO-103 and AO-110 rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's oiler list carries two separate Conecuh entries that must not be conflated: 'AO-103 | Conecuh | Marinship | 1945 | Cohocton | Canceled' (a projected T3-type tanker never built) versus 'AO-110 | Conecuh, ex-Dithmarschen | F. Schichau | 1939 | N/A | first commissioned 2-May-46' (this hull). This record covers AO-110 only; nothing about the AO-110 hull may be inferred from the canceled AO-103 project.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Limitations
- Identity-disambiguation row. The AO-103 entry exists only as a canceled contract line; no ship-specific details attach to it. Appendix D's '1939' year-launched column for AO-110 reflects the completion-year convention also used by MARAD.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-07
-
[9]Wildenberg, Gray Steel and Black Oil, ch. 21 'The Fast Combat-support Ship and Improved Techniques for Transfer at Sea,' pp. 227-229+ (HyperWar GSBO-21.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GSBO-21.html, pp. ~228-229
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Significance record: 'the simultaneous transfer of liquid fuels and other stores demonstrated by the Conecuh in the spring of 1954 helped to overcome the persistent skepticism of the one-stop replenishment ship thereby leading to the recommendation to build a new type - one that would become known as the fast combat-support ship - in lieu of converting AOs to AORs.' Sixth Fleet officers' multiproduct-ship work product circulated from aboard Conecuh fed the BuShips design studies that produced the AOE (Sacramento AOE-1, commissioned 1964).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1954-1964
- Limitations
- Establishes historical significance and context only; no asbestos or materials content. Included so the prose significance statement maps to a structured row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-08
-
[10]shipscribe.com CONECUH (AO 110) machinery line (NARA RG 19-derived), cross-read against Wildenberg GSBO ch. 19 service narrative [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AO110.html machinery field; GSBO-19.html pp. ~209, 212-213
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Machinery per shipscribe's NARA-derived file: geared Schichau steam turbines, 2 Wagner boilers (662 psi/815 degF), 2 screws, 22,000 hp. Indirect corroboration of boiler plant aboard: Wildenberg records 'ruptured boiler tubes' and evaporator loss during the 1954 deployment, and the 1952 work list included added steam supply for cargo pumps.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1938-1956
- Population
- Engineering crew
- Limitations
- DISPUTED - documented source conflict. German-side references (Gröner-derived technical data) describe Dithmarschen with four MAN double-acting diesels and assign Wagner turbines to sister ships; shipscribe's U.S.-side NARA file describes turbines + Wagner boilers. Both sides agree on ~22,000 hp and twin screws. Not resolved to a primary machinery record in this pass; secondary German sources were consulted but are not cited as evidence rows (below source bar). Carried in gaps; propulsion_summary carries the conflict explicitly rather than choosing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-09
-
[11]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 1987;11(3):359-373. PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 1987;11(3):359-373, doi:10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed era record: asbestos was extensively used in 1940s U.S. shipbuilding as fireproofing and insulating material at unprecedented scale, with exposures affecting shipyard workers during WWII and the postwar period. Conecuh's U.S. service period (1946 IX-301 transit/refit work; 1952-53 SCB-50 conversion at Philadelphia Navy Yard; 1954-55 Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul) falls inside this documented practice era for American yards.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940s-1950s (context)
- Population
- Shipyard workers and crews, WWII and postwar era (context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level literature, not a hull record: it does not name this vessel, does not itemize materials aboard her, and documents U.S. practice - the ship's original construction was German (1937-38). Class/era context for research prioritization only; no ship-specific asbestos presence is established or implied by this row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-10
-
[12]NARA Record Group 19 (Bureau of Ships) holdings identified in shipscribe page notes: Entry UD 1024-A Box 1 (AOR 109 and 110); BuShips General Correspondence 1953-57, boxes 161, 171, 196; BuShips Confidential Correspondence 1946-61, box 42 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AO110.html 'Page Notes' / special-sources line citing NARA RG 19 entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The undigitized NARA RG 19 files underlying the shipscribe class file are the most likely primary repositories to hold the SCB-50 conversion specifications - including material identification for the documented refrigerated-space insulation replacement - plus inactivation/disposal documentation. Not consulted at NARA; identified here as the next research lead.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1961 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - these records were located by citation, not pulled. Whether they contain asbestos-relevant specifications is unknown; absence of asbestos content in them would also be a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-11
-
[13]Batch-1847 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS, shipscribe NARA file, MARAD vesselhistory + status card, Wildenberg GSBO ch.19/21/App.D, NavSource mirror, NARA deck-log index (SL-44) and digitized deck-log list, CourtListener API v4 opinion + RECAP docket indexes (exact name, German name, all three designations), shipyard dataset lookup [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-conecuh-ao110-01 through sl-uss-conecuh-ao110-19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, product identification, or hazmat disclosure naming this hull (under any alias) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero qualifying litigation: exact 'USS Conecuh' searches produced no opinions and no dockets; 'Dithmarschen' produced no opinions and no dockets; all positive hits for 'Conecuh', 'AO-110', 'AOR-110', and 'IX-301' are name/designation collisions (Conecuh County, Alabama entities; AO-110 federal subpoena form numbers; IX-301 exhibit/page references). One indeterminate docket hit (Agee v. Chesterton, D. Del., 1:06-cv-00668) contains the string 'Conecuh' in a 97-page asbestos complaint but could not be resolved to this vessel - 'USS Conecuh' is absent from the docket index.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1937-38 German-built naval auxiliary with documented insulation replacement is consistent with era material practice, and the undigitized NARA files (ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-11) may hold material specifications. This row records what was searched and not found; it establishes no exposure, no absence, and no legal eligibility either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conecuh-ao110-12