Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]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 MARAD-designated type of this hull (MCE hull 1212) - 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
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Construction trades (St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., Jacksonville, 1943); Navy 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-crux-ak115-01
-
[2]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
- 2026-09-20
- 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-crux-ak115-02
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Crux (AK-115)' entry (hazegray transcription mirror; canonical NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text; mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ak115.htm; second data table at ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AK/AK-115_Crux.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: launched 16 November 1943 as Peter Stuyvesant by Saint John's River Shipbuilding Co., Jacksonville, Fla., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. F. D. Arthur; transferred to the Navy 27 November 1943; commissioned 17 March 1944, Commander C. R. Beyer, USNR, in command. Departed Norfolk 4 May 1944, arrived Espiritu Santo 14 June; from 20 June 1944 to 10 April 1945 repeatedly loaded cargo at Brisbane, Australia for Milne Bay, Finschhafen, Langemak Bay, Port Moresby, and Hollandia (New Guinea) and Manus (Admiralty Islands); supply base shifted to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, April 1945; from 16 April to 16 October 1945 carried cargo from Subic to Humboldt Bay and Mios Woendi (New Guinea) and Nissan Atoll (Bismarck Archipelago). Embarked homeward-bound servicemen at Manila Bay, sailed 15 November 1945, arrived San Francisco 10 December; decommissioned 31 January 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal the same day. Spec line: dp. 4,224; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 24'6"; s. 13 k.; cpl. 198; a. 1 x 5"; cl. Crater. Namesake: the constellation Crux (Southern Cross).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Navy crew (~198 per DANFS); embarked homeward-bound servicemen (Nov-Dec 1945)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, chronology, and operations. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement. Does not identify where the Nov 1943 - Mar 1944 Navy conversion was performed. Complement 'cpl. 198' conflicts with NavSource's 16+190 (206) - see correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - PETER STUYVESANT, Ship History Detail 3840 (milestones table + four digitized status-card scans incl. WSA custody card and MA-20 Record of Ship Sales) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 3840; status-card scans /cards/3840_7102AF.jpg (reserve-fleet data face), /cards/3840_7102AB.jpg (redelivery-by-Navy face), /cards/5N0_01.png (WSA-era vessel status card), /cards/3840_AF.jpg (MA-20 record of ship sales); milestones Disposition/Withdrawal 12/19/1961 'CUST 1946 ex-CRUX / NDRF 1946'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for this hull (Detail 3840 'PETER STUYVESANT') plus digitized vessel status cards read directly: U.S. Official No. 244686; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; hull no. 1212; built by St. John's River Shipbuilding Corp. at Jacksonville, Fla.; completed 1943-11-27; basis to WSA 1943-11-27 3:43 PM EWT at Jacksonville, and same day/time delivered to Navy Dept. (renamed CRUX) under bareboat agreement (form 'BB') at Jacksonville - no commercial operator window. Tonnages on the cards: 7,240 gross / 4,390 net / 10,425-10,800 DWT; 'IHP 2500, 2 WTB' (two water-tube boilers); speed entries 12.5 (WSA-era card) and 11 knots (reserve-fleet card). Reserve-fleet card classifies her 'Trooper / EC2 (U)' with 'Pass. Cap. 1050' and fleet/unit 'O-21 / SUISUN 11-W', '8th Group Libertys'; preservation Section II completed 1946-01-31; 548 bbls Bunker C fuel oil at entry. Laid-up fleet entry Suisun Bay, Calif. 1946-01-31 1:45 PM PST. Disposal: advertised under PD-X-610 1961-11-03, bids opened 1961-11-24, awarded 1961-11-30 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., 45 Nassau St., New York (contract MA-2955), sale price $58,689.89; withdrawn from fleet / delivered to purchaser 1961-12-19 10:00 AM PST; fate 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody record for this hull; status-card handwriting partially legible (read against typed fields - see correction row for the reserve-card hull-number field). The '2 WTB' boiler entry and 'Trooper / Pass. Cap. 1050' notations are ship-specific but name no materials. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. ShipHistory database header classifies the record 'Training (School) / Training Ship', inconsistent with the cards' own Cargo/Trooper/Liberty coding - treated as a database artifact, not vessel history.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-04
-
[5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Crux (AK-115) page (compiled reference incl. DANFS transcription, ribbon table, CO list, specifications) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/09/13/130115.htm via Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241209051732/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/130115.htm - full page incl. specifications block, CO table, disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online (Service Ship Photo Archive, AK-115 page; retrieved via Wayback capture 2024-12-09) records: laid down 27 September 1943 as SS Peter Stuyvesant (MCE 1212) at St. John's River Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Jacksonville, FL; launched 16 November 1943; acquired by Navy 27 November 1943; commissioned 17 March 1944; Asiatic-Pacific Theater service; decommissioned 31 January 1946 and delivered to the Maritime Commission same day; struck 25 February 1946; sold for scrapping 30 November 1961 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., removed 19 December 1961, scrapping completed 13 August 1962 by Learner Corp. Commanding officers: CDR Charles Robert Beyer USNR (1944-03-17 to 1945-01-16); LCDR Paul Herman Paulsen USNR (1945-01-16 to 1945-02-20); LCDR Allen Leason Steele (1945-02-20 to 1946-01-31). Specs: complement 16 officers + 190 enlisted; troop accommodations 47 officers + 1,017 enlisted; 1x5"/38 DP, 4x40mm, 6x20mm; one General Machinery vertical triple-expansion engine, two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers (220 psi, 450 deg F), three 60kW turbo-drive ship's service generators, single screw 2,500 shp, 12.5 kt trial; cargo 4,520 DWT / 417,330 cu ft non-refrigerated; largest boom 37 t. Photo credit identifies NHHC catalog no. NH 78556.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1962
- Limitations
- NavSource is a privately compiled standard reference, not a government publication; its spec block presumably derives from standard compilations and its CO table from Navy registers - not independently corroborated here. Direct navsource.org fetch failed (DNS unresolvable from research environment); content verified via Wayback capture 2024-12-09. Complement 206 and troop figure 1,064 conflict with DANFS 'cpl. 198' and MARAD card '1050' - see correction row. 'Scrapping completed 13 Aug 1962 by Learner Corp.' and the Oakland breaking site (secondary compilations) rest on this class of source, not MARAD. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-05
-
[6]usmaritimecommission.de MC hull-record query for MCE-1212 'Peter Stuyvesant'; St. Johns River yard production table (shipbuildinghistory.com data via navalmarinearchive.com mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usmaritimecommission.de MCE-1212 query result; https://navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencylarge/stjohnsriver.html row 20
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Maritime Commission construction-record compilation (usmaritimecommission.de query of MC hull records): EC2-S-C1, MCE-1212 'Peter Stuyvesant'; U.S. Official No. 244686; call sign KUYK; contract MCc-2427 dated 1942-03-04; keel laid 1943-09-27; launched 1943-11-16; delivered 1943-11-27; sponsor Mrs. Frank D. Arthur of Miami; recorded cost $1,412,652; 61 days on ways/delivery span. Companion yard table (shipbuildinghistory.com data, navalmarinearchive.com mirror) lists St. Johns River yard no. 20, way 2: laid 1943-09-27, launched 1943-11-16 (50 days on ways), delivered 1943-11-27 (11 days fitting out, 61 total), 'To USN as Crux (AK 115), later Peter Stuyvesant, scrapped 1962.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Limitations
- Private compilations of Maritime Commission construction records, not government publications; contract number MCc-2427, award date 1942-03-04, and cost $1,412,652 rest on this source (consistent with the Wikipedia infobox citing the same MARCOM record). Hull dates agree with DANFS and the MARAD cards. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-06
-
[7]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (No. 1547, docket 89-6109)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Fleet-level litigation posture for WWII government-operated hulls: In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989), addressed mesothelioma claims by a mariner aboard War Shipping Administration vessels; claims against the government were barred on discretionary-function grounds. This hull spent her entire career under government operation - delivered to WSA and bareboat-chartered to the Navy the day she was completed, with no commercial operator window - so the government-side posture is the relevant class context; Navy-service claims additionally follow the distinct Feres/product-defendant posture not addressed by this opinion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII government-fleet mariners and Navy crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level jurisdictional ruling; does not name this hull or find asbestos conditions aboard any vessel, and establishes only the litigation posture for WWII government-fleet claims. This hull had no merchant operating window (WSA basis and Navy bareboat delivery the same day), so the mariner/Jones-Act channel the case addresses is narrower here than for WSA-operated hulls; Navy-service exposure claims would follow Feres/product-defendant lines. Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-07
-
[8]Batch-804 search ledger (this record): DANFS mirror; MARAD ShipHistory 3840 + four status cards; NavSource via Wayback; usmaritimecommission.de; CourtListener (API throttled; Google-indexed check); web-wide litigation search; NARA catalog guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-crux-ak115-01 through sl-uss-crux-ak115-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Crux / SS Peter Stuyvesant was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold for scrap in California in December 1961 (breaking completed August 1962 per secondary compilations) - predating the Navy's asbestos-control programs of the late 1970s and NESHAP demolition rules - so no U.S.-regulated abatement record was ever expected to exist for this hull. The ship appears on bulk law-firm marketing lists of Navy hulls (e.g., freeasbestostesting.com, duboselawfirm.com, gorilaw.com); those lists enumerate every Navy ship and carry no ship-specific evidence - classified non-qualifying and not cited.
- 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 1943 EC2-S-C1 hull with a Navy conversion is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Direct CourtListener API queries were rate-limited (125/day quota exhausted, ~1.8h backoff; site fetch 403); the Google-indexed CourtListener check returned only unrelated 'Crux'/'Stuyvesant' collisions, but an exhaustive opinion/docket sweep was not completed - residual litigation-discovery risk is noted rather than resolved. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-08
-
[9]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS (hazegray mirror); NavSource AK-115 page via Wayback; MARAD status cards (3840_7102AF/AB, 5N0_01, 3840_AF) and Detail 3840 header; usmaritimecommission.de MCE-1212 record; Wikipedia USS Crux article [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS entry; NavSource spec block + CO table; MARAD card fields 4/5/8/12 and MA-20 sale card; MARAD Detail 3840 header block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not merged: (a) Complement - DANFS 'cpl. 198' vs NavSource '16 officers + 190 enlisted' (206). DANFS adopted. (b) Troop/passenger capacity - MARAD reserve-fleet card 'Pass. Cap. 1050' vs NavSource troop accommodations 47 officers + 1,017 enlisted (1,064); both carried as source-stated. (c) Speed - DANFS 13 k.; MARAD WSA-era card 12.5; NavSource 12.5 kt trial; MARAD reserve-fleet card 11 knots; variants reflect different measurement contexts, not resolved. (d) Hull-number field on the MARAD reserve-fleet card (7102AF field 12) is handwritten and reads 'MCE-1664' or similar - inconsistent with 'Hull No. 1212' typed on the WSA-era card and MCE 1212 in all other sources; treated as a handwriting-reading artifact, MCE 1212 stands. (e) Tonnage figures vary across cards (DWT 10,425 / 10,500 / 10,800; gross 7,176 / 7,240) - different measurement contexts, carried separately. (f) MARAD ShipHistory database header classifies the record 'Training (School) / Training Ship' - inconsistent with the cards' own Cargo/Trooper/Liberty coding; treated as a database artifact. (g) Wikipedia's DANFS-derived text reads '16 April to 15 October 1945' for the Subic Bay shuttle vs DANFS '16 October' - transcription variant, DANFS adopted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1962 (dates reconciled 2026-09-20)
- Limitations
- Resolves nothing by fiat - records which source says what so downstream consumers inherit the conflict honestly. No asbestos content in any reconciled source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crux-ak115-09
-
[10]NARA record-group guidance: RG 24 deck logs (post-1941 at Archives II, College Park); RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); MARAD sale documentation (PD-X-610 / MA-2955 referenced on status cards) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks (post-1941 Navy deck logs at College Park); archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html; MARAD card remarks 'Advertised under PD-X-610, opened 11-24-61 - Scrap Hull-US' and contract field 'MA-2955'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for AK-115 (1944-46) at Archives II, College Park - would log the Nov 1943 - Mar 1944 Navy conversion window and the troop-carrying voyages; (b) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division and regional construction-director files may hold the MCE hull 1212 / MCc-2427 contract and outfitting specifications and St. Johns River yard records; (c) Bureau of Ships (RG 19) conversion records - the likeliest surviving source of any materials description for the Navy outfitting (location of conversion unknown from public sources); (d) MARAD sale file PD-X-610 / contract MA-2955 (1961) for any condition statements attached to the scrap sale.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1961 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-crux-ak115-10