Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Cuttyhunk Island (AG-75)' - Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (HyperWar transcription; identical text mirrored at hazegray/losthistory.net DANFS archive) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, spec line, and narrative paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: Cuttyhunk Island (AG-75), class Belle Isle; launched 26 November 1944 by New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. M. M. Dayo; acquired by the Navy 7 December 1944; outfitted at Eureka Shipbuilding Corp., Newburg [sic], N.Y.; commissioned 1 September 1945, LCDR N. G. Holeman, USNR, in command. Departed Norfolk 24 November 1945 to carry troops from Bermuda to Boston; reported Orange, Tex., 31 January 1946; placed out of commission in reserve 3 May 1946; reclassified AKS-23, 18 August 1951. Spec block: dp. 5,766; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 24'9"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 891; a. 1 5".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1951
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked repair personnel (commissioned service 1945-09-01 to 1946-05-03); ferry crew December 1944
- Limitations
- Authoritative USN historical dictionary entry, but contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or industrial-hygiene content. DANFS does not record the laid-down date, stricken date, or final disposition. 'Newburg' is a DANFS typographical error - the Eureka Shipbuilding Corp. yard was at Newburgh, N.Y. (see correction row). Live NHHC canonical URL (history.navy.mil) returned 404 on 2026-09-20; transcriptions cited - canonical link relocation is an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-01
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[2]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Cuttyhunk Island (AG-75) page - compiled chronology, specifications, commanding-officer list, and NHHC photo NH 82192 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chronology bullet list; Specifications block; Commanding Officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Chronology: laid down 16 October 1944 as MC type EC2-S-C1 hull under MC contract (MCE hull 3080) at New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, ME; launched 26 November 1944; acquired 4 December 1944 and placed in reduced commission for transit to conversion yard at Newburg, N.Y. (LCDR James H. Graves, Jr., USNR, Aux Ferry Crew #5); decommissioned pending conversion at Eureka Shipbuilding Corp.; commissioned 1 September 1945, LCDR N. G. Holeman; decommissioned 3 May 1946 at Orange, TX; laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet Texas Group; reclassified AKS-23 18 August 1951; struck date unknown (resolved 1 April 1960 by shipscribe - see ev-03); sold for scrapping 15 September 1960 to Shipwrecking Inc. (PD-X-585), removed 1 October 1960. Specs: 5,766 t. light / 14,350 t. full; 441'6" x 56'11" x 23'; 12.5 kts trial; complement 59 officers + 833 enlisted; armament one 3"/50 DP + four 40mm; propulsion one General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion engine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 220 psi/450 F, single propeller 2,500 shp; three 350 kW diesel-drive + two 60 kW turbo-drive ship's-service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked repair personnel; conversion-yard workers at Eureka Shipbuilding, Newburgh, NY (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive reproducing official data; internally consistent with DANFS except acquisition date (4 vs 7 Dec 1944) and armament (3"/50 vs 5") - discrepancies logged in correction row. A bullet reading 'Decommissioned, 7 December 1945' conflicts with the same page's commanding-officer table (Graves 4-7 Dec 1944, then decommissioned until 1 Sep 1945) and is a typographical error for 1944. No asbestos, insulation, or hazmat content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-02
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[3]shipscribe.com U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships register, Belle Isle (AG-73) class page - construction/disposition tables and ship notes compiled from BuShips and Maritime Commission records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class construction/disposition tables and AG-75 ship-note row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship note for AG-75 Cuttyhunk Island: MCE hull 3080; delivered 88.2% complete; ferry commission 7-11 December 1944; converted by Eureka SB, Newburgh, N.Y.; in USN reserve 1946-60; reclassified AKS-23 18 August 1951; struck 1 April 1960 (class disposition table); Maritime Administration sale 15 September 1960; to buyer 1 October 1960; scrapped by 3 May 1961. Class table confirms all six sisters (AG-73 through AG-78) built by New England Shipbuilding and struck 1 April 1960.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Limitations
- shipscribe is a private research register compiled from official records (BuShips, MC, NVR data) - authoritative secondary/compiled source, not a government site. Resolves stricken and scrapping-completion dates absent from DANFS and NavSource. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - CUTTYHUNK ISLAND (AG-75/AKS-23), ShipHistory Detail 5806, incl. digitized vessel status card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5806 characteristics block and Status Cards images (5806_AF.jpg et al.)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record: built 1944; shipyard New England Shipbuilding Corporation; type Naval Auxiliary / AKS General Stores Issue Ship; MARAD design type EC2-S-C1; length 441.50 ft; beam 57.00 ft; displacement lightweight 5,766 tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Scanned status card shows custody chain at Orange, Texas: Navy Department to Maritime Administration to Shipwrecking, Inc. (TIP/Purchaser, scrap).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody and disposal milestones; milestone table itself is empty - detail comes from the scanned status card (OCR-aided, handwritten entries partially legible; sale/removal dates carried from NavSource/shipscribe). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-04
-
[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
- This hull is a Maritime Commission EC2-S-C1 (Liberty) design. The USMC operating manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant 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
- 1944-1945 (construction/conversion era)
- Population
- Construction trades (New England Shipbuilding, South Portland, 1944); conversion-yard trades (Eureka Shipbuilding, Newburgh, NY, 1944-45); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual does not name this vessel and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. The manual describes the standard cargo configuration; this hull's Navy conversion altered outfitting (barracks, workshops, distiller) in ways the manual does not cover. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1960-61), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-05
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[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 program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built (1944) and converted to Navy auxiliary configuration (1944-45).
- 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, its builder, or its conversion yard, and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-06
-
[7]shipscribe.com Belle Isle (AG-73) class notes, citing the 5 July 1944 Auxiliary Vessels Board recommendation and BuShips conversion specifications of 21 August 1944 (design agent H. Newton Whittelsey) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class Notes section, AG-73 class page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class conversion program: six EC2-S-C1 Liberty hulls delivered to the Navy ~88% complete and converted at six New York-area yards into combined barracks, issue, and distilling ships based on the AG-68 (Basilan) class design. Specified features: berthing for 25 officers, 81 CPOs, and 702 enlisted repair personnel beyond ship's company; one 80,000 gal/day distiller; shops, storerooms, and tool rooms for repair work aboard other vessels; limited general-stores issue; later enhancements added radio/radar workshops, a main-deck antenna test platform, and a 90-ft boom. This hull was converted at Eureka Shipbuilding Corp., Newburgh, N.Y.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Conversion-yard workers (Eureka Shipbuilding, Newburgh, NY); embarked repair personnel
- Limitations
- Class-level design program description; identifies conversion scope and the kind of outfitting work performed (accommodation build-out, workshop installation, distilling plant) but contains no materials list - the asbestos relevance is era-consistent inference, not documented ship-specific material use.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-07
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[8]Batch-686 source cross-check: DANFS (HyperWar/hazegray transcriptions); NavSource AG-75 page; shipscribe AG-73 class record; Wikipedia USS Cuttyhunk Island; NavalCoverMuseum; MARAD ShipHistory 5806 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cross-source comparison per citations listed; shipscribe aux yards list https://www.usnaux.shipscribe.com/auxyards1.html; HyperWar USN-Act NY page https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/NHC/USN-Act/NY.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved/flagged: (a) MCE hull number - NavSource and shipscribe give 3080; Wikipedia gives 3088 (3080 adopted). (b) Acquisition date - DANFS and shipscribe give 7 December 1944; NavSource gives 4 December 1944 (NavSource's own CO table supports the December 1944 ferry period; both dates logged). (c) NavSource bullet 'Decommissioned, 7 December 1945' contradicts its own commanding-officer table (decommissioned 7 Dec 1944 - 1 Sep 1945) and is a typo for 1944; shipscribe gives ferry commission 7-11 Dec 1944. (d) Conversion yard location - DANFS 'Newburg, N.Y.' is a typographical error; the Eureka Shipbuilding Corp. yard was at Newburgh, N.Y. (shipscribe aux-yards list; HyperWar U.S. Naval Activities NY listing 'Navy Cost Inspector, Eureka Shipbuilding Corp., Newburgh, N.Y.'). (e) Struck date - NavSource lists 'date unknown'; shipscribe class disposition table gives 1 April 1960 for all six sisters (adopted; NavalCoverMuseum 'April 1960' consistent). (f) Armament - DANFS spec line '1 x 5"' and shipscribe class '1-5"/38 4-40mm 12-20mm' vs NavSource spec 'one 3"/50 + four 40mm'; Wikipedia lists only 40mm mounts - unresolved, not material to asbestos. (g) Class name - DANFS spec 'cl. Belle Isle' and NavSource call her Belle Isle class; HyperWar and the NavSource Belle Isle page label the group 'Basilan class' (the AG-68 class the Belle Isle design was based on) - Belle Isle adopted. (h) Propulsion power - NavSource/shipscribe 2,500 shp vs HyperWar/Wikipedia 1,950 hp; 2,500 shp adopted (consistent with standard EC2 plant).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1961 (discrepancies in modern compilations)
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies across secondary compilations; no asbestos content in any of these sources. Residual uncertainty retained for armament fit and the 4 vs 7 December acquisition date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-08
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[9]Batch-686 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions; NavSource; shipscribe; MARAD ShipHistory 5806 + status card; CourtListener API v4/HTML search (rate-limited/blocked); web-indexed CourtListener results; NVR; NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-01 through sl-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Cuttyhunk Island (AG-75/AKS-23) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Direct CourtListener API and HTML searches on 2026-09-20 returned HTTP 429 (125/day limit) and 403; web-indexed CourtListener results for the name return only name-collision cases concerning the island and Woods Hole/Martha's Vineyard ferry services (e.g., Steamship Authority litigation), not the vessel. Law-firm marketing pages listing the hull (asbestos-ships.com, freeasbestostesting.com) were located but are excluded per sourcing rules - they are not evidence.
- 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 Liberty-hull conversion is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. CourtListener direct search was rate-limited, not exhausted; a later full API pass may surface additional indexed opinions. The hull was scrapped 1960-61 - no surviving structure to survey. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) for BuShips conversion specifications and design-agent (H. Newton Whittelsey) files on MCE hull 3080; RG 24 deck logs for the ferry commission (Dec 1944) and commissioned period (Sep 1945 - May 1946); Atlantic Reserve Fleet Texas Group lay-up/inactivation records [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): BuShips RG 19 records may hold the actual conversion specifications and material lists for this hull's Newburgh conversion; RG 24 deck logs document the December 1944 ferry commission and 1945-46 commissioned period including the Bermuda-Boston troop lift; reserve-fleet lay-up and MARAD custody records document the 1946-1960 inactivation period.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCE hull 3080 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cuttyhunk-island-ag75-10