Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Cor Caroli (AK-91)', Naval History and Heritage Command - live history.navy.mil page returned 404 on 2026-09-21; text verified via the hazegray DANFS transcription mirror and the HyperWar AK-91 page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray mirror danfs/auxil/ak91.htm; HyperWar http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AK/AK-91_CorCaroli.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Cor Caroli (AK-91): launched 19 March 1943 as Betsy Ross by Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No. 2, Richmond, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. F. Modglin; acquired by the Navy 31 March 1943; commissioned 16 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. A. Lewis, USCGR, in command - Coast Guard-manned. Service: coastwise cargo ops, then San Diego to Auckland (June-July 1943); South Pacific shuttle among Auckland, Noumea, Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, Suva, Efate, and Tulagi into January 1944; Bougainville invasion 8-17 February 1944 (splashed a Japanese plane); second Bougainville run 6-11 March; Emirau landings 9-16 April; Solomons until 12 June, then Eniwetok and the Guam assault 27 July-15 August 1944; Southwest Pacific cargo runs into January 1945; Auckland-Eniwetok-Guam cargo, New Zealand repairs, Pearl Harbor 8 June 1945, Philippine ports 13 July-4 August; then Guadalcanal, Espiritu Santo, Pearl Harbor, San Pedro overhaul, Norfolk arrival 17 November; decommissioned 30 November 1945 and returned to the War Shipping Administration 2 December 1945. One battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- USCG crew complement (198 per DANFS spec block)
- Limitations
- Official Navy history but a compressed secondary narrative: it does not record the keel date, the strike date, or final disposition, and gives the sponsor as 'Mrs. F. Modglin' where NavSource/Wikipedia read 'Mrs. B.F. Hodglin' (logged in gaps). The 23 January 1944 'until' clause sits oddly beside the 8/28 January sailing dates it narrates; itinerary carried as written. Contains no asbestos or materials information - supports identity and history only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BETSY ROSS, ShipHistory Detail 516 (data block, milestone table, wreck/incident record, five status-card scans, COR CAROLI cross-reference card at Detail 12741) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 516 milestones + status cards 516_953AF/516_953AB/516_AF/516_AB/T8_01.png (cards read at 300dpi); documents BETSY ROSS.pdf and COR CAROLI.pdf ('See BETSY ROSS' cross-reference)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for BETSY ROSS (ex Cor Caroli AK-91): U.S. Official No. 243156; type EC2-S-C1; MCE hull 476; built 1943 by Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, Cal.; completed 3-31-43. Status-card custody chain: Permanente Metals to U.S. Maritime Commission 3-31-43 (Richmond, new); WSA to U.S. Navy Department on bareboat charter 3-31-43 11:15AM PWT; Navy Department to WSA 12-2-45 1:10PM EST at Lee Hall, Va., renamed BETSY ROSS; WSA to Reserve Fleet (lay-up, James River); reserve-fleet card verso notes the hull 'ALONGSIDE JOHN M. PALMER' during layup. Card remarks: 'Withdrawn from list of scrap candidates by Phillips memo of 7-14-72. This ship to be retained as a museum' - museum plan not executed. Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20): 'Ship transferred to State of S. Carolina for fish reef. (PL 92-402)'; Certificate of Transfer 4/19/78; Delivered 5/26/78. Vessel Status Card operator row: 'State of South Carolina (Artificial Fish Reef Program) - Purchase - James River - 5/26/78 10:45AM EDT'. Fate: Sunk as a Reef.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1978
- Population
- Reserve-fleet and reef-preparation crews (1945-1978)
- Limitations
- Primary custody record - the strongest documentation of the disposal chain. Internal inconsistency carried openly: the milestone table reads Disposition/Withdrawal '5/26/1978 - Sunk as arti reef, NC' while the page's own wreck/incident record gives Incident Date 'May 26, 1975' at '16 miles off Hilton Head, S.C.'; the status card's documented delivery is 5/26/78, so 1975 is likely a data-entry error and 'NC' conflicts with the SC reef location. The card's 'Sunk:' field is blank - the actual sinking date is not recorded in the custody record. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-02
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[3]NavSource Naval History photo archive, USS Cor Caroli (AK-91) page - DANFS transcription, commanding-officer table, campaign/awards list, strike date [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/13/130091.htm - full page incl. CO table and awards block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource AK-91 page corroborates the build/commission chain and adds: struck from the Naval Register 19 December 1945; name reverted to SS Betsy Ross on return to the Maritime Commission 2 December 1945; four commanding officers, all Coast Guard (LCDR James A. Lewis, USCGR 16 Apr 1943-Apr 1944; CDR Oscar C. B. Wev, USCG Apr 1944-1 Sep 1944; LCDR Fred E. Morton, USCGR 1 Sep 1944-6 Oct 1945; LCDR Chester S. Hoag, USCG 6 Oct-30 Nov 1945); campaign credit - Marianas operation, capture and occupation of Guam 27 July-15 August 1944; one battle star; awards American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific (1 star), WWII Victory, Philippine Liberation; call sign NKGG; 'manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1978
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary reference used for cross-check; the strike date (1945-12-19), CO table, and awards list rest on NavSource's transcription of official sources (DANFS does not give the strike date) - single-source items flagged. Its '26 May 1975' reef-transfer line repeats the MARAD wreck-record date that conflicts with the MARAD custody card's documented 5/26/78 delivery. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-03
-
[4]South Carolina Department of Natural Resources - 'Locations of Artificial Reefs and Wrecks' (dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/reefloc.html) and PA-44 reef survey sheet (dnr.sc.gov/artificialreefs/docs/PA-44.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- reefloc.html 'Betsy Ross Reef' block; PA-44.pdf material list item 2 '430' Liberty ship (Betsy Ross)'
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- South Carolina DNR artificial-reef records confirm the hull's present state: Betsy Ross Reef (site PA-44) holds a '430' Liberty ship (Betsy Ross)' at 32 03.285 N / 080 24.996 W, bearing 105 deg / 8.4 nm from the Port Royal channel entrance buoy, water depth ~90 ft; SC reef program materials describe it as the largest single piece of material on any South Carolina artificial reef. The MARAD wreck/incident record concurs on location ('16 miles off Hilton Head, S.C.') though its date field conflicts with the custody record (see ev-02).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1978-present (reef listing current)
- Population
- 1978 reef-preparation/tow crews (undocumented); contemporary divers and fishing use
- Limitations
- Confirms reef location and identity only - the DNR listings carry no sinking date, no condition survey, and no materials/hazmat information. Whether the 1978 reef preparation included any asbestos removal or environmental remediation is undocumented (the transfer predates modern ACM-disposal practice; era reef-prep standards are unknown). The hull remaining submerged means there is no breaking-yard exposure pathway for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant (the design of this vessel) describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty-type hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Construction trades at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2 (1943); USCG engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the EC2-S-C1 type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-05
-
[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
- 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 emergency program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- 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 the EC2-S-C1 type 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-cor-caroli-ak91-06
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[7]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1940s survey; article 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe-covering trades at surveyed yards (class context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Permanente/Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 2 was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-07
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[8]Batch-963 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via hazegray + HyperWar mirrors; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 516 + status cards + custody documents; NavSource AK-91; SC DNR reef records; usmaritimecommission.de MCE-476; shipbuildinghistory.com Kaiser Yard 2 table; CourtListener API + site: web-index sweep; VA BVA index; NARA USCG logbook index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-01 through sl-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Cor Caroli / AK-91 / Betsy Ross (O.N. 243156) / MCE hull 476 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 queries for 'Cor Caroli' and 'AK-91' were rate-limit blocked at cutoff (HTTP 429, shared 2800/day quota exhausted); supplemental site:courtlistener.com web-index searches surfaced only name collisions (judges named Carol/Carroll; AK-series rifle litigation), not this hull. VA BVA index returned no decision naming the hull. Law-firm marketing pages that name Cor Caroli (asbestos-ships.com dedicated hull page; freeasbestostesting.com and duboselawfirm.com list entries) are an excluded source class per the no-law-firm-sources rule and are logged, not cited.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 EC2-S-C1 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her construction, wartime operation, San Pedro overhaul, 32.5-year layup, and 1978 reef prep are undocumented disturbance phases. CourtListener ship-name and hull-number surface remains unqueried due to API rate limits - the litigation sweep is incomplete, not negative-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-08
-
[9]NARA USCG logbook finding aids (archives.gov/files/research/military/logbooks/uscg-logs-1944.pdf and uscg-logs-1945.pdf, 'Cor Caroli' entries) + NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 26 (USCG), RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration), RG 357 (Maritime Administration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uscg-logs-1944.pdf 'Cor-Caroli' box entries; uscg-logs-1945.pdf 'Cor Caroli' box entries; archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/026.html, /024.html, /019.html, /178.html, /248.html, /357.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA's published USCG logbook finding aids explicitly index Cor Caroli deck logs - 1944 series (Jan., Feb.-May, June-Sept., Oct.-Dec., boxes ~172-175) and 1945 series (Jan.-Apr., May-Sept., Oct., boxes ~58-60), RG 26 (Records of the U.S. Coast Guard) - the wartime deck-log run for a USCG-manned hull, the most promising ship-specific operational lead. Also: Navy deck-log series (RG 24) for any Navy-kept logs; Bureau of Ships records incl. conversion/outfitting files for MCE hull 476 (RG 19); Maritime Commission construction-contract records for MCc-2215 at Permanente Yard No. 2 (RG 178); WSA vessel files and NDRF/Reserve Fleet custody records incl. the 1972 museum-retention memo and the PL 92-402 disposal file (RG 248/RG 357) - the disposal file is the most promising reef-prep hazmat lead.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1978 records
- Limitations
- Finding-aid mapping only - the USCG logbook index confirms the logs exist and names their boxes, but no page-level retrieval was performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cor-caroli-ak91-09