USS De Grasse (AK-223)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'De Grasse II (AP-164)', rewritten Robert J. Cressman 23 Mar 2007 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture 2024-05-26 of canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/de-grasse-ii.html — live page returns 404 as of 2026-09-21 (standing NHHC link rot first logged in BATCH-01)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry 'De Grasse II (AP-164)' (rewritten R.J. Cressman, 23 Mar 2007): Liberty ship Nathaniel J. Wyeth laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1598) 31 Jan 1943 at Portland, Ore. by Oregon Shipbuilding Co.; launched 24 Feb 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Vincent Palmer; renamed De Grasse and classified transport AP-164 27 Oct 1943; acquired by the Navy 28 Oct 1943; converted by United Engineering Co., Alameda, Calif.; commissioned at her conversion yard 8 Nov 1943 (Lt. Cmdr. William Jordon, D-M, USNR). Sailed for Hawaiian waters from Port Hueneme (printed '2 November 1943' — internally inconsistent with the 8 Nov commissioning; older DANFS text reads 22 November), arriving Pearl Harbor 2 Dec; trained assault troops in Hawaii; carried men and equipment to the Marshalls and Gilberts on two voyages Feb-Mar 1944; lay off Saipan 20-25 Jun and 2-3 Jul 1944 landing reinforcements; transported troops among Marshalls/Gilberts/Marianas through end of 1944; reclassified AK-223 effective 20 Aug 1944. Staged troops to Ulithi from 17 Jan 1945; arrived off Okinawa 26 Apr, landed men and supplies at Ie Shima 27 Apr; lifted 31st Station Hospital (Noumea) and 122nd Station Hospital (Espiritu Santo) to Okinawa via Eniwetok and Ulithi, arriving 21 Jul 1945; departed Okinawa 5 Aug for San Francisco and overhaul; Magic Carpet duty returning men from Guam and Saipan; reached San Francisco 23 Jan 1946. Decommissioned 28 Mar 1946 and delivered to the War Shipping Administration the same day at Suisun Bay; stricken from the List of Naval Vessels 17 Apr 1946; renamed Nathaniel J. Wyeth and sold in February 1970 'to a New York scrapper' and broken up. Three battle stars for WWII service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Ship's company (206 per DANFS; secondary figures differ) plus embarked troops and passengers — CB troops, assault troops, Army hospital units, Magic Carpet returnees

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for identity, construction, operations, and disposal. Contains the '2 November 1943' sailing-date inconsistency (see correction row) and compresses the 1970 buyer to 'a New York scrapper' (MARAD cards resolve the buyer). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement — supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-01

2. [2]USS De Grasse (AK-223) War Diary, May-November 1945 — NARA-origin scan (NavSource PDF 22164a.pdf, contributor Frank Gerhardt) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/22/pdf/22164a.pdf — monthly diaries May-Nov 1945 (OCR); Richmond Shipyard #3 drydock entries at Sep 12-17

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   USS De Grasse (AK-223) War Diary (NARA-origin scan hosted by NavSource, contributed by Frank Gerhardt; 25 pp. covering May-November 1945, OCR-read): May 1945 — anchored berth H-161, Hagushi anchorage, Okinawa, under repeated air-raid alerts; early 4 May an enemy plane passed over the ship releasing a stick of bombs, one landing very close aboard 'causing a considerable shock but producing no damage nor casualties.' June-July 1945 — embarked the 31st Station Hospital at Noumea and the 122nd Station Hospital at Espiritu Santo, transported both to Okinawa via Eniwetok (8-27 Jun) and Ulithi (3-15 Jul), arriving 21 Jul. September 1945 — moored Pier 7 San Francisco 12 Sep from Pearl Harbor, disembarked passengers, then shifted to Richmond Shipyard #3, Richmond, Calif.; drydocked in that yard's Drydock #5 during 12-17 Sep before moving to yard Pier #7. October-November 1945 — Magic Carpet run: San Francisco to Pearl Harbor to Saipan, then underway from Saipan to San Francisco (departed per Port Director, Saipan, orders dated 29 Oct 1945).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-05 to 1945-11

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked passengers, May-Nov 1945; Richmond Shipyard #3 drydock workforce (Sep 1945)

   Limitations

   Genuine ship-specific primary record (commanding officer's war diary), but this scan covers May-Nov 1945 only — NavSource's header describes holdings as Sep 1944-Nov 1945; earlier months (including the 1944 Marianas period) unlocated in digitized form. Operational log format: documents events (including the Richmond #3 drydock) without stating work scope or materials. No asbestos or insulation content anywhere in the OCR'd text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database — NATHANIEL J. WYETH, Ship History Detail 3557, incl. digitized status cards (Reserve Fleet vessel-data card; Record of Ship Sales, Form MA-20) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 3557 milestone table; card scans /cards/3557_6578AF.jpg (fleet data card), /cards/3557_AF.jpg (Record of Ship Sales MA-20), /cards/3557_6578AB.jpg (tonnage/machinery reverse)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for NATHANIEL J. WYETH (Detail 3557): U.S. Official No. 243005; type EC2-S-C1; built 1943 by Oregon Shipbuilding Company; milestones — fleet entry/acquisition 28 Mar 1946 'ex-DE GRASSE AK-223,' disposition/withdrawal 17 Mar 1970; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Digitized status cards add: annotated 'TROOP + CARGO'; entered fleet 3-28-46 at Suisun; 10,844 DWT, 7,176 gr./4,380 net/14,269 disp.; 'Pass. Cap. 1050'; IHP 2500, 2 WTB (water-tube boilers); 'SOLD SCRAP/PD-X-856 dated 2-10-70 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. Contract MA-4948 for $44,200' — the Record of Ship Sales card (Form MA-20) gives the exact price $44,200.54, 'Advertised 1-15-70 under PD-X-856, opened 2-5-70, scrap hull, U.S. 24 months,' location Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet; delivered to Union Minerals & Alloys 3-17-70; and notes 'Cond. report in file' (not digitized).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Population

   NDRF custodial/maintenance crews, Suisun Bay (1946-1970); scrapping workforce (1970)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones and the 1970 sale — the cards name Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. and control over NavSource's 'Zidell Explorations' attribution (see correction row). Database 'General Type: Training (School)' is a data artifact inconsistent with the vessel's cargo/troop service; not adopted. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; the referenced 'Cond. report' is not digitized. Supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive — USS De Grasse (AK-223) ex AP-164 (navsource.net/archives/09/22/22164.htm; canonical navsource.org/archives/09/22/22164.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/22/22164.htm — specs block, campaign table, CO roster, disposition line; fetched via navsource.net mirror (navsource.org refused automated fetch)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS De Grasse (AK-223) page (last updated 24 May 2024): compiled specifications — displacement 4,023 t (lt)/12,350 t (fl); 441'6" x 56'11" x 28'4"; speed 12.8 kts (trial); complement 256; total accommodations 81 officers + 1,095 enlisted; armament one 5"/38 + four 3"/50 DP mounts; propulsion one Iron Fireman vertical triple-expansion engine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 250 psi 450°F, double Westinghouse reduction gears, single propeller 2,500 shp; campaign table — Marshall Islands (Kwajalein/Majuro, 3-8 Feb and Mar 1944), Marianas (Saipan 20 Jun-3 Jul 1944, Guam 15 Aug 1944), Okinawa Gunto (28 Apr-5 May 1945); ribbons — American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific (3 stars), WWII Victory, Navy Occupation (Asia clasp); commanding-officer roster of five LCDRs (Wayne Jordan; Frank William Schultz; W. G. Hartmann; Jack Robinson Gilbert; William Clarence Lyons); final disposition 'sold for scrapping, 10 February 1970, (PC-X-856) (MA-4948 for $44,200) to Zidell Explorations, Portland, OR., withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet, 17 March 1970.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970 (compiled)

   Limitations

   Reputable secondary compilation (DANFS/shipscribe-derived), not a government publication — carried for the specs/campaign/CO detail it aggregates, with conflicts logged in the correction row: complement 256 vs DANFS 206, CO 'Wayne Jordan' vs DANFS 'William Jordon,' buyer 'Zidell Explorations' vs the MARAD cards' Union Minerals & Alloys (cards control). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-04

5. [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 hull (MCE hull 1598) — 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-derived hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between boiler room and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; insulation in accommodation spaces and around the galley; brake linings on winches and windlass.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943

   Population

   Construction trades (Oregon Shipbuilding, 1943); conversion-yard workers (United Engineering Co., Alameda, Oct-Nov 1943); engine-room crew

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation, not a hull record — the manual names the 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). The Navy's AP-164 conversion at United Engineering Co. is undocumented at materials level. 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-de-grasse-ak223-05

6. [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 built (Oregon Shipbuilding, 1943) and converted for Navy service — 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 aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-06

7. [7]MARAD Record of Ship Sales card (Form MA-20) + reserve-fleet vessel-data card (controlling) vs NHHC DANFS 'De Grasse II' vs NavSource AK-223 compilation [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   MARAD card scans /cards/3557_AF.jpg and /cards/3557_6578AF.jpg; DANFS entry para. 2 (sail date); NavSource specs/disposition lines

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Port Hueneme departure — the 2007 DANFS rewrite prints '2 November 1943,' five days before her 8 Nov commissioning; the older DANFS text (carried by HistoryCentral/Wikipedia) and NavSource read 22 November 1943, adopted as the consistent date. (b) Complement — DANFS 206 adopted; NavSource 256 and HyperWar 198 are unresolved secondary figures, carried in gaps not merged. (c) First commanding officer — DANFS 'Lieutenant Commander William Jordon, D-M, USNR' vs NavSource roster 'LCDR. Wayne Jordan, USNR'; unresolved, both logged. (d) 1970 buyer — MARAD Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20) and reserve-fleet card name Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation (contract MA-4948, $44,200.54, advertised 1-15-70 under PD-X-856, delivered 3-17-70); the cards control. DANFS's 'a New York scrapper' is consistent (UM&A was New York-based); NavSource's 'Zidell Explorations, Portland, OR' is plausibly the downstream breaker — plausible but unverified. (e) MARAD 'General Type: Training (School)' is a database artifact inconsistent with the ship's documented cargo/troop service — not adopted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among official and compiled sources; does not affect identity or the custody timeline materially. The Zidell breaking-yard attribution remains unverified at primary level. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-07

8. [8]Batch-894 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; NavSource AK-223 page + war-diary scan; MARAD ShipHistory 3557 + cards; NVR scope statement; CourtListener API v4 (blocked — throttled); open-web litigation check (one excluded marketing hit) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-de-grasse-ak223-01 through sl-uss-de-grasse-ak223-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the De Grasse / Nathaniel J. Wyeth hull was found in the public sources searched — DANFS (NHHC), MARAD ShipHistory + status cards, the digitized war diary (May-Nov 1945), NVR scope check (vessels disposed before 1987 are out of NVR coverage), and an open-web litigation check. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: the mandated CourtListener name-and-hull-number sweep could not be executed — the authenticated API returned a shared-quota throttle (2,800/day, ~7.7 h backoff) on 2026-09-21. Litigation is therefore an open check, not a null result.

   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 hull with documented conversion (United Engineering, 1943), drydock/overhaul (Richmond #3, Sep 1945), layup (1946-70), and breaking (1970) events is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation sweep remains an open task (CourtListener throttled — see ledger).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-08

9. [9]NARA record-group guidance (RG 24 deck logs; WWII war diaries); MARAD status-card 'Cond. report in file' annotation; NavSource war-diary holdings note [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov deck-log guidance; MARAD card scan /cards/3557_6578AB.jpg ('Cond. report in file'); navsource.net AK-223 page (war-diary link description)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved — require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for the commissioned period (Nov 1943-Mar 1946); remaining war-diary months — NavSource describes holdings as Sep 1944-Nov 1945 while the located scan covers May-Nov 1945 (earlier months would cover the 1944 Marianas/Saipan operations); the vessel condition report the MARAD status card annotates as 'Cond. report in file'; United Engineering Co. conversion work orders for the 1943 AP-164 naval outfit (yard records, if surviving); MARAD sale file MA-4948/PD-X-856 for the 1970 disposal (would confirm the breaking chain behind the UM&A-vs-Zidell discrepancy).

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1970 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only — no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents in these series is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-de-grasse-ak223-09