Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Corvus (AKA-26)' - hazegray transcription (losthistory.net mirror); canonical NHHC URL returns 404 (link rot, same as batch-01 standing defect) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text; NHHC canonical https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/corvus.html 404 on 2026-09-20
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Corvus (AKA-26): Artemis-class attack cargo ship; launched 1944-09-24 by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Providence, R.I. under Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. O. Parks; acquired and commissioned 1944-11-20, LCDR C. M. Gregson, USNR, in command. Departed Providence 1944-12-02 for San Francisco, loaded cargo for Leyte, arrived Philippines 1945-02-21; discharged cargo at 'Guluan' (Guiuan, Samar) for air-base establishment, transferred cargo at Dulag; Okinawa rehearsals from 1945-03-13, sailed Leyte Gulf 03-27 for the 04-01 landings, remained off Okinawa under first kamikaze attacks until 04-10, carried Army casualties to Guam arriving 04-14. After West Coast overhaul, loaded Army men/supplies at Seattle, sailed 06-15 for Tinian arriving 07-03; departed 07-07 for Guadalcanal, Russells, Samar, Manus; reported Manila 08-30; carried occupation troops to Honshu (sailed 09-18); embarked homeward-bound servicemen at Yokohama, arrived San Pedro 11-26; Guam run 12-26 to 1946-02-10; sailed 02-16 for Mobile AL and Orange TX. Decommissioned 1946-03-23; transferred to Maritime Commission 1946-10-31 for disposal. One battle star for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's crew (complement 303 per DANFS) and embarked Army troops/casualties
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history for identity, dates, and operations. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement; supports no asbestos claim. 'Guluan' is a transcription/typo rendering of Guiuan, Samar.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CORVUS (AKA-26), Ship History Detail 1111, incl. digitized vessel status cards and Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 1111 milestone table; status card images /cards/1111_AF.jpg, 1111_2016AF.jpg, 1111_2016BF.jpg (read 2026-09-20)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized vessel status cards for CORVUS (AKA-26): MARCOM type S4-SE2-BE1, MC hull no. 1887, built by Walsh-Kaiser Co. Inc. at Providence R.I., completed 11-20-44; gross 6059 / net 3288 / DWT 2997; turned over by Navy Dept. and entered NDRF at Beaumont, Texas 1946-10-31 (1:45pm CST). Nominated Repair Program FY 1955 Group 3; withdrawn at Beaumont 1955-02-01 under GAA with Mississippi Shipping Co., Inc.; reentered reserve fleet at Mobile, Ala. 1955-05-20. Sold for scrap under PD-X-680: advertised 1964-11-09, bids opened 1964-12-01, awarded to Pinto Island Metals Co. 1964-12-07 for $84,050.00, delivered/withdrawn at Mobile 1964-12-15 (0930 CST); remark 'Dismantle Hull US.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-1964
- Population
- NDRF maintenance crews (Beaumont/Mobile); Mississippi Shipping repair workforce (1955); Pinto Island Metals scrapping workers (1964-65)
- Limitations
- Primary custody/disposal record. Scope of the 1955 repair-program work is not stated on the cards. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Handwritten entries OCR-aided by visual read.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-02
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[3]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 Maritime Commission construction program under which this 1944 hull was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship on WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the Walsh-Kaiser yard specifically 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-corvus-aka26-03
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[4]ShipScribe U.S. Naval Auxiliary records, USS Artemis (AKA-21) class listing (usnaux.shipscribe.com/AKA/AKA21.html); Navypedia Artemis class technical table - secondary reference compilations [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class table, 'Propulsion (HP) 6,000 / Machinery: Westinghouse turbo-electric, 2 screws'; Navypedia machinery line
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class-level machinery specification for the S4-SE2-BE1 / Artemis design: Westinghouse turbo-electric drive (steam turbine-generators feeding electric motors), twin screw, approx. 6,000 shp, with two Babcock & Wilcox boilers. A steam plant of this design and era is consistent with asbestos-containing boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and packing as documented for WWII-era U.S. construction generally.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Walsh-Kaiser construction trades (Providence, 1944); engine/boiler-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/design specification from secondary reference compilations, not a hull record - does not name this vessel or state 'asbestos'; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-04
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[5]Veterans Memorial Hall (St. Louis County Historical Society), 'Harris Lee Stillwell' veteran account page [museum_official]
- Locator
- Veteran account text, Stillwell oral history (recorded 2011-06-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Veteran oral-history claim (single source): GM1c Harris L. Stillwell's account (Veterans Memorial Hall, Duluth, MN - St. Louis County Historical Society) describes a secret Seattle-to-Tinian cargo unloaded by a Port Battalion while Corvus's crew stood off, and recalls later being told it bore on the Hiroshima/Nagasaki missions. Secondary retellings (e.g., Wikipedia) embellish this into the ship carrying 'Fat Man assembly parts' and ~80 civilian project personnel. No official source corroborates atomic cargo aboard this hull; documented delivery of weapon components to Tinian (USS Indianapolis arriving 1945-07-26; Project Alberta airlift) postdates Corvus's July 3-7 port call, and the account's details are internally inconsistent on that timeline.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Ship's crew (recollection)
- Limitations
- Single-source veteran recollection, not corroborated by DANFS or Manhattan District/Project Alberta records; Wikipedia's 'Fat Man parts' framing exceeds what the source text itself claims. Included to document the exclusion decision - not adopted as a record fact. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-05
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[6]DANFS entry (hazegray/losthistory mirror): 'decommissioned 23 March 1946'; NavSource AKA-26 page concurs; Wikipedia USS Corvus article states 29 March 1946 citing only the MARAD page, whose milestone table does not list a decommissioning event [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS text; NavSource 10/02/02026.htm; Wikipedia rev. oldid 1327542720
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancy resolved: decommissioning date. DANFS and NavSource record decommissioning 1946-03-23 (NavSource: at Orange, TX); Wikipedia's infobox and derivative law-firm aggregator pages give 1946-03-29. The DANFS date (03-23) is adopted as controlling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946
- Limitations
- Resolves a secondary-source date discrepancy; does not affect the custody timeline (MARAD transfer 1946-10-31 unaffected). No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-06
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[7]Batch-1003 search ledger (this record): DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory 1111 + status cards; NavSource; CourtListener name/hull searches; NVR; NARA catalog; NHHC canonical-URL check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-corvus-aka26-01 through sl-uss-corvus-aka26-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Corvus (AKA-26) hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4: '"USS Corvus"' opinions 0, RECAP dockets 0; '"AKA-26"' opinions 1 hit classified a name collision (United States v. Prado, 2d Cir. 2016 - 'AKA-26' matched an a/k/a alias string, not the hull); broad 'Corvus' dockets (440) all name collisions on first-page review (companies and individuals named Corvus). NVR carries no entry (ships disposed before 1987 not yet digitized into the register).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 steam-powered MC hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener keyword-refined 'Corvus asbestos' queries remained blocked under the shared 125/day cap - logged as blocked in the ledger (sl-08d); exact-name and hull-number queries were completed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-07
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[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24, RG 178, RG 19 record-group pages; MARAD status card annotations (Mississippi Shipping GAA, repair program nomination) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/019.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel / deck logs) - WWII deck logs for Corvus (1944-46), many digitized in the National Archives Catalog; RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) construction files for MC hull 1887 / Walsh-Kaiser contract; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) plans/specifications for the S4-SE2-BE1 design; MARAD or Mississippi Shipping Co. records may hold the FY1955 Group 3 repair-program work scope.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1964 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. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-corvus-aka26-08