Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Conemaugh II (AOG-62)' - NHHC, updated 2022-06-08; live page returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-24, text recovered via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2024-05-26 of canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/conemaugh-ii.html ; full article text and Commanding Officers list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (Conemaugh II, AOG-62; updated by Robert J. Cressman, 2022-06-08): laid down 1944 at Bayonne, N.J., by East Coast Ship Yard, Inc., under Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull No. 2656); launched 1945-02-17; sponsored by Mrs. F. J. Read; acquired by the Navy 1945-03-09; converted at Brooklyn, N.Y., by Marine Basin Shipyard; commissioned 1945-03-21 at Pier 92, New York, Lt. William A. Jump Jr., (D), USNR, in command. Cleared Tompkinsville, Staten Island 1945-04-10 for NOB Norfolk; departed 1945-05-06 for Aruba to load fuel; arrived San Diego 1945-06-07. Cleared San Diego 1945-06-17 via San Francisco, Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok to Ulithi; local fueling duties plus voyages to Peleliu 1945-08-02 to 10-30; then station diesel tanker at Guam, continuing fuel runs to Peleliu until 1946-01-13; sailed for Pearl Harbor 1946-02-13 and thence the U.S. west coast. Decommissioned at San Francisco 1946-03-30, returned to the War Shipping Administration, laid up in the Maritime Commission Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay at 4:00 p.m. 1946-03-29. Navy estimate (January 1948): $300,000 to place the ship 'in operable condition' - recommended scrapping. Advertised 1963-12-11 for sale as a scrap hull; bids opened 1964-01-03; purchased by National Metal & Steel Corp., which removed her from Maritime Administration custody at 3:45 p.m. 1964-01-22 to break her up for scrap. Spec block: displacement 2,270 (limiting); length 220'6"; beam 37'0"; draft 13'1"; speed 9.5/8.5 knots; complement 62; armament 1x3-inch, 2x40mm, 3x20mm; class Mettawee; type T1-M-A2.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Population
- Crew of ~62 (DANFS complement); construction trades at East Coast Ship Yard (Bayonne) and Marine Basin Shipyard (Brooklyn) 1944-45
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy ship-history entry; establishes identity, construction, service narrative, crewing, and disposition. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information - this row supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC URL currently 404 (standing NHHC link rot); Wayback capture is the workable citation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CONEMAUGH (AOG-62), Ship History Detail 1082, incl. digitized custody status card (CONEMAUGH.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1082, Vessel Information block; Documents tab, CONEMAUGH.pdf (2-page status card scan, card nos. 342/928); Milestones tab
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for CONEMAUGH (AOG-62), Detail 1082: year built 1945; shipyard East Coast Shipyard; type T1-M-A2; Naval Auxiliary, AOG gasoline tanker; length 220.50 ft; beam 37 ft; 1,100 gross / 581 net tons; displacement 2,255 t summer / 846 t light; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Digitized MARAD custody status card (handwritten) records: Navy Dept delivered/transferred to W.S.A. at 4:00 PM PST 3-29-46 at Suisun Bay ('Surplus'); W.S.A. to laid-up fleet same day/time at Suisun Bay, Calif. ('Lay Up'); Maritime Adm. to National Metal & Steel Corp. at 3:45 PM PST 1-22-64 at Suisun Bay ('Lay Up/Pur.') - matching the database milestone 'Withdrawal 1/22/1964.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-1964
- Limitations
- Primary custody record - the handwritten card is the authoritative physical-transfer record and directly contradicts secondary-source 1951 disposal dates (see correction row). Handwriting partially legible; OCR layer in the PDF is unreliable, transcription made from the rendered image. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-02
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[3]DANFS 'Conemaugh II (AOG-62)' (controlling source) vs NavSource AOG-62 page (navsource.net/archives/09/20/2062.htm), NavalCoverMuseum CONEMAUGH AOG 62 wiki page, and HyperWar Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945 AOG-62 data block (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AOG/AOG-62_Conemaugh.html); MARAD status card Detail 1082 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS article text; NavSource page chronology/specs/CO table; NavalCoverMuseum designation-history box; HyperWar data block; MARAD status card row 3
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source conflicts resolved in favor of primary/NHHC records: (a) Decommissioning - NavSource states 1945-12-20 and NavalCoverMuseum states 1946-03-26; DANFS gives 1946-03-30 at San Francisco and its operational narrative (station diesel tanker at Guam until 1946-01-13, departing for Pearl Harbor 1946-02-13) makes a December 1945 decommissioning impossible; DANFS controls. (b) Command - NavSource lists LT Richard A. Uruquart Jr., USNR, 1945-03-21 to 12-20; DANFS (Cressman, 2022) lists Lt. William A. Jump Jr. from commissioning 1945-03-21 and Lt. (j.g.) Werner E. Klemmer from 1946-02-19; DANFS controls, and the NavSource-only name is unverified (see gaps). (c) Disposal - NavSource states 'sold for scrapping 19 September 1951 to National Metal & Steel Corp. (PD-X-505), withdrawn and delivered 3 October 1951 to agent Zidell Metal and Steel Corp.'; DANFS states advertised 1963-12-11, bids opened 1964-01-03, removed 1964-01-22 by National Metal & Steel Corp.; the MARAD custody card independently records delivery to National Metal & Steel Corp. at Suisun Bay 1964-01-22 and shows the hull in the laid-up fleet from 1946 - i.e., physically present at Suisun Bay throughout 1951. DANFS + MARAD card control. (d) Complement - DANFS 62 vs NavSource 8 officers + 50 enlisted (58); both figures carried, unresolved. (e) HyperWar's AOG-62 page lists Maritime Commission type T1-M-A1 and a blank builder; DANFS and MARAD give T1-M-A2 and East Coast Ship Yard - T1-M-A2 controls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-1964 (events); source publications 1998-2016
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary transcriptions; the underlying conflict (why NavSource carries a 1951 PD-X-505 sale/delivery entry to 'Zidell' when the custody card shows continuous Suisun Bay lay-up through 1964) is unexplained - possibly a sale contract not completed, or a transposed card entry; flagged in gaps. None of the sources contains asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-03
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[4]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 program (Maritime Commission wartime construction, MC hull 2656, built 1944-45) under which this vessel was produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government-constructed hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard 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 installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. This hull is diesel-powered (no steam boilers), so steam-specific insulation inferences applied to contemporaries do not transfer; the ship-specific product set is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-04
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[5]GAO-05-264, 'Maritime Administration: Improved Program Management Needed to Address Timely Disposal of Obsolete Ships' (Apr 2005); GAO NSIAD-99-18, 'Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal' (Dec 1998); DOT OIG report MA-2000-067 (maritime.dot.gov OIG audit of the MARAD scrapping program) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO-05-264 product page + highlights; NSIAD-99-18 full text, ship-scrapping hazard discussion; OIG ma2000067.pdf
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- GAO and DOT OIG reports on National Defense Reserve Fleet disposal document that NDRF vessels - the fleet in which ex-Conemaugh lay at Suisun Bay from 1946-03-29 to 1964-01-22 - typically contain hazardous materials: GAO-05-264 states many obsolete NDRF ships 'contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and residual oils and fuels that are typically found on older ships,' and GAO NSIAD-99-18 (citing MARAD's July 1997 Environmental Assessment of NDRF vessel sales for scrapping) states ships 'typically contain environmentally hazardous materials such as asbestos, PCBs, lead, mercury, and cadmium.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Reports 1997-2005; fleet period relevant to hull 1946-1964
- Population
- NDRF/Suisun Bay fleet personnel and 1960s scrap workers (context); era fleet crews
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation of hazardous materials on NDRF vessels as a class - does not name this hull, does not establish asbestos aboard it, and postdates this vessel's 1964 scrapping by decades. Conemaugh left the fleet before modern hazmat-removal and survey regimes existed; whether asbestos was abated, disturbed, or present during her 1946-1964 lay-up or 1964 dismantling is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-05
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[6]Batch-2009 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1082 + status card; NavSource; HyperWar; NavalCoverMuseum; CourtListener opinion/docket searches; NARA catalog; GAO/DOT-OIG program reports [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-conemaugh-aog62-01 through sl-uss-conemaugh-aog62-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, crew-exposure claim, or docketed case naming USS Conemaugh or hull AOG-62 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion searches: '"USS Conemaugh"' = 0 hits; '"AOG-62"' = 0 hits; '"Conemaugh" asbestos' = 2 hits, both name collisions (Keystone-Conemaugh Projects LLC v. EPA, 3d Cir. 2024 - the Pennsylvania coal-fired power station; E. Rockhill Twp. v. Richard E. Pierson Materials Corp., E.D. Pa. 2019 - township/quarry litigation), classified non-qualifying. The 577-hit raw '"Conemaugh"' opinion index is dominated by the power station, Conemaugh Township/river litigation, and unrelated surnames. The DANFS entry, MARAD record, and status card contain no asbestos or materials statements (see search_ledger).
- 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 - the hull was built and laid up during the era when asbestos was standard in naval/merchant construction. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. RECAP docket-level CourtListener search was throttled by fleet pacing at batch time - opinion-level result stands; docket pass logged as pending.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-06
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[7]NARA guidance pages: '1941-1959 Deck Logs, including World War 2 and the Korean War'; 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' (RG 24 Entry 118 / NAID 581208, Special List #44); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 178 / RG 248 group pages [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-1941-1959 ; https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/248.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no paid reproduction authorized): (a) Deck logs - Conemaugh's 1945-46 commissioned-service logs exist within NARA Record Group 24, Entry A1 118 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1959' (National Archives Identifier 581208 covers the parent WWII-era logbook series; Special List #44 itemizes ship logbooks 1801-1947); the ship's monthly logs are not located in the digitized catalog as of search date, consistent with the program's ongoing partial digitization. (b) Construction/conversion records - RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) holds MC Hull 2656 contract and East Coast Ship Yard construction records and may hold the Marine Basin Shipyard naval-conversion specifications (Brooklyn, 1945); RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) holds the 1946-51 vessel custody files; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds conversion/outfitting specifications where insulation materials could be specified.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1951 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 2656 / AOG-62 is unknown until surveyed in person or via digitization updates. Deck-log remarks sheets of the period record machinery casualties and maintenance events but are not asbestos surveys. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conemaugh-aog62-07