USS Deal (AG-131)

Evidence

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

1. [1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Deal' (AG-131) entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Hazegray DANFS transcription mirror (transcribed by Yves Hubert); canonical NHHC page https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/deal.html returned 404 on 2026-09-20 - consistent with batch-01 link-rot finding; Wayback availability check also failed (429)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry 'Deal' (AG-131): namesake 'an island off the coast of Maryland'; specs dp. 520; l. 177'; b. 33'; dr. 10'; s. 13 k.; cpl. 26; cl. Camano. Built in 1944 for the Army as FS-263 by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, Long Island, N.Y.; acquired by the Navy 2 March 1947; commissioned at Guam 3 August 1947, Lieutenant (junior grade) P. G. Patton in command; reclassified AKL-2, 31 March 1949. Based at Guam, carried cargo to the small islands in the Marianas, Marshalls, and Carolines until arriving Pearl Harbor 11 August 1949; cargo operations to outlying Hawaiian islands, Palmyra, and Canton until 16 May 1950; brief Kwajalein period, returning Pearl Harbor 3 July. With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, departed Pearl Harbor 14 September 1950 for Sasebo, arriving 8 November; operated as part of the 7th Fleet under Commander, Service Squadron 3, in logistics support of UN forces in Korea, visiting ports in Japan, Formosa, the Pescadores, Okinawa, and the Philippines until departing Yokosuka 28 February 1955 for the United States; short visit Long Beach; arrived Astoria Bay 13 April to start inactivation; placed out of commission in reserve at Portland, Oreg., 8 September 1955; sold 18 December 1961.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1961

   Limitations

   Official narrative history (transcription mirror); contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement - supports identity and service history only. Ends at sale 1961; strike date not stated. Complement figure (26) conflicts with NavSource (42) and Shipscribe accommodations (4+33) - logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-01

2. [2]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Deal (AKL-2) page, custodial timeline, wartime narrative, spec block, photo captions, commanding-officer table [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 09/49/49131 page (navsource.net mirror fetched 2026-09-20; navsource.org identical); CO table courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource custodial timeline and narrative for USS Deal (AKL-2) ex-AG-131 ex-FS-263: laid down 1944 as FS-263 for the U.S. Army at Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, Long Island, N.Y.; delivered to the U.S. Army Transportation Service; Coast Guard-manned and commissioned USAV FS-263 at New York 16 August 1944, LTjg. W. G. Hill, USCGR in command; detailed wartime logbook-style narrative of Southwest Pacific operations (Serida Lagoon/Biak, Finschhafen drydocking 7-9 Aug 1945 for bottom scrape and repaint, man-overboard search, Oro Bay engine repair on cracked #3 cylinder liner of starboard engine, cargo of mail and commissary stores); 'On 12 October 1945. The Coast Guard crew was removed from the FS-263 and she was decommissioned' (narrative) vs bullet line 'Decommissioned, 12 October 1946'; acquired by the U.S. Navy 2 March 1947 at Apra, Guam; commissioned Miscellaneous Auxiliary USS Deal (AG-131) 3 August 1947, 'LTjg Peter G. Pattern' in command; reclassified AKL-2 31 March 1949; decommissioned 8 September 1955 at Portland, OR; laid up 13 April 1955 Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria, OR; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; sold 18 December 1961 to a Colombian buyer, renamed MV Don Carlos for Caribbean trade, reflagged Colombia; January 1963 still registered in Colombia (Hansen and Tidemann, Galveston; chartered by AD S. Cargo Ltd. of Miami); renamed MV Olga Patricia 11 August 1964, reflagged Panama; May 1963 in Miami/Biscayne Harbor owned by Florida Lines (ordering muddled on page); sold to Viscaya Inc. 1966; converted to a pirate radio station at Dade Drydock Corporation, Miami, March 1966; renamed MV Laissez Faire (date unknown); operated as pirate radio station off England as Olga Patricia and Laissez Faire; spec block 550 t., 177', 33', 10', 12 kts., complement 42, two 500hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl diesels, twin propellers; photo captions: USS Deal (AKL-2) entering Sasebo harbor circa 1954; Olga Patricia fitting out Biscayne Bay March 1966 and operating off England 1966; Laissez Faire off England 1967; F/V Earl J. Conrad Jr. as Omega Protein menhaden vessel at Reedville, VA; 'current disposition' lists F/V Earl J. Conrad Jr. (USCG Doc. No. 547733) operating out of Reedville, VA.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1967

   Limitations

   NavSource is a secondary photo-archive compiling official data, not itself an official source; its spine converges with DANFS and Shipscribe and is carried as the custody/timeline backbone. Internal inconsistencies logged in gaps: 1945 vs 1946 CG decommissioning; 'USAV FS-163' typo for FS-263; Patton (DANFS) vs Pattern spelling; complement 42 vs DANFS 26; Olga Patricia rename dated 11 Aug 1964 here vs 8 Jan 1963 in offshore-radio histories; 'current disposition' stale vs documented BU ~2013. Contains no asbestos or materials information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-02

3. [3]Shipscribe (S.S. Roberts / T. Colton project), 'USS Camano (AKL 1, FS Design 381 Part 1) Class' - class data, construction/disposition tables, class notes, ship note for AKL-2; special source Miramar Ship Index [other_primary]

   Locator

   Shipscribe AKL01 class page: class design block, construction row for AKL-2 DEAL, disposition row, DEAL ship note, class notes (compiled 8 Aug 2021)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe (Colton/Roberts) Camano class page 'USS Camano (AKL 1, FS Design 381 Part 1) Class': class design data - Army Design 381 (176', steel), 520 light/940 full tons, 177' oa x 33' x 10' max nav, no armament, accommodations 4 officers + 33 enlisted, 13 kts, geared diesel 2 screws 1,000 HP, all with Cleveland diesels; Army spec 'Vessel, Supply, Diesel, Steel, 176 ft' dated 1 June 1943 with eight addenda to 16 Aug 1944; Design 381 built at 10 yards with Wheeler SB Corp of Brooklyn taking the large initial order (FS 253-292); construction table for DEAL (ex AG 131): acquired 2 Mar 1947, Wheeler SB Brooklyn, contract 24 Apr 1943, completed 18 Aug 1944, commissioned 3 Aug 1947; disposition table: decommissioned Feb 1955, stricken 1 Jul 1961, disposal 11 Dec 1961, Navy sale; ship note: '(ex-AG 131 31 Mar 1949, ex-FS 263, compl. 18 Aug 1944). Relieved LSM 382 in the Marianas. In USN reserve 1955-61 (Columbia River). Sale list Jul 1961. To buyer 10 Jan 1962. Merc. DON CARLOS 1961. Reportedly became OLGA PATRICIA by 1966 when fitted as pirate radio station to operate off England, LAISSEZ FAIRE (1967), and AKUARIUS II 1970. Converted to menhaden seiner EARL J. CONRAD, JR. 1974, BU 2013.' Class notes: 12 ex-Army FS vessels classified AG 130-141 on/around 27 Feb-3 Apr 1947 for Marianas/Marshalls/Carolines inter-island service relieving LSMs; named after U.S. islands; reclassified AKL 1-14 effective 31 Mar 1949.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-2013

   Limitations

   Secondary reference compiled from official records and Miramar. Conflicts with other sources logged in gaps: builder location 'Brooklyn' vs Whitestone (DANFS/NavSource); decommission Feb 1955 vs DANFS 8 Sep 1955; disposal 11 Dec 1961 vs DANFS/NavSource 18 Dec 1961; strike 1 Jul 1961 vs NavSource 'date unknown' - Shipscribe is the only source giving a strike date. 'BU 2013' is the strongest statement that the hull no longer exists (NavSource's current-disposition line is stale). Contains no asbestos information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-03

4. [4]Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co. v. M/V 'Laissez Faire' / Continental Electronics Mfg. Co. v. S.S. M/V Laissez Faire, 421 F.2d 430 (5th Cir. 1970), Nos. 27358/27372 [court_record]

   Locator

   421 F.2d 430 (5th Cir. 1970); Justia opinion page. Justia direct fetch returned 403 and CourtListener was unreachable (API 429 / HTML 403); citation, court, date, docket numbers, and holding verified via the Justia search record plus independent mirrors (cetient.com, exa.ai) carrying identical text

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Ship-named admiralty litigation (NON-asbestos - 'other litigation' classification): Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co. v. M/V 'Laissez Faire' etc., consolidated with Continental Electronics Manufacturing Co. v. Steamship M/V Laissez Faire etc., 421 F.2d 430 (5th Cir., decided 21 January 1970). The litigated vessel is this hull under its post-Navy name: the opinion records that on 10 February 1966 Continental installed $315,000 of radio equipment aboard the vessel 'Olga Patricia,' 'now known as the Laissez Faire.' Merrill-Stevens held a maritime lien for 1966 labor/material/services; a default Marshal's foreclosure sale followed; Pierce Langford III purchased the vessel for $65,000 on 18 July 1968 and separately settled Merrill-Stevens' claims. The Fifth Circuit modified the district order to protect Continental's retained-title interest in the radio equipment (No. 27358 reversed/remanded; No. 27372 mooted).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1966-1970

   Population

   Radio-ship and shipyard personnel aboard Olga Patricia/Laissez Faire 1966-1968 (commercial period; not an exposure finding)

   Limitations

   Vessel-named admiralty foreclosure/conditional-sale dispute - commercial lien litigation, NOT an asbestos or personal-injury case; classified as other litigation. It establishes only that this hull was litigated in rem under its Laissez Faire name in 1967-1970. Contains no asbestos, condition, or exposure findings. Opinion text not fetched first-hand (Justia/CL blocked); holding summarized from corroborating mirrors.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-04

5. [5]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-shipbuilding program under which this Design 381 hull was built at Wheeler Shipbuilding in 1944 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls, including in insulation, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing.

   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 its design, and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-05

6. [6]Shipscribe Camano-class design data (machinery and design spec, this record ev-03) + Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3):359-373 era documentation (ev-05) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Shipscribe class design block (geared diesel, 2 screws, Cleveland diesels; Design 381 spec 1 Jun 1943) + era literature - inference row grounded in the ship's own documented plant

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for this hull's documented plant: a 1944 steel-hulled Army 'Vessel, Supply, Diesel, Steel, 176 ft' (Design 381) with two 500-hp GM Cleveland diesels on twin screws carried no boilers or steam distribution system - the period-standard asbestos package on such a vessel would instead concentrate in exhaust/muffler and engine-space insulation, engine gaskets and packing, accommodation and joiner insulation panels, deck coverings, electrical cable insulation, and winch brake linings. No hull-specific materials schedule, insulation spec, survey, or abatement record for FS-263 / AG-131 / AKL-2 was located.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-2013

   Population

   Wheeler Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); USCG crew (1944-45); Navy crew (1947-55); reserve-fleet caretakers (1955-61); commercial conversion and fishing crews (1961-2013) - populations only if asbestos present, which is unestablished

   Limitations

   Inference from documented plant + era practice - NOT a ship-specific finding. Diesel plant eliminates the boiler/steam-lagging pathway that dominates steam-hull inference; residual applications listed are typical-of-era only. No insulation schedule, survey, or abatement record exists for this hull in the sources searched; quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, and causation are all unestablished, and the hull was broken up ca. 2011-2013 and cannot be surveyed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-06

7. [7]Batch-629 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404 + hazegray mirror); NavSource; Shipscribe; CourtListener (429/403) + site: web-index screening; MARAD ShipHistory (site error); NVR (not in register); ship-name asbestos web sweep [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-deal-ag131-01 through sl-uss-deal-ag131-13

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull under any of its identities (FS-263; Deal AG-131/AKL-2; Don Carlos; Olga Patricia; Laissez Faire; Akuarius II; Earl J. Conrad Jr.) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, and Shipscribe contain no asbestos statement; MARAD ShipHistory errored at query time and the hull was never in MARAD custody (direct Navy sale); the only asbestos-adjacent ship-name hits are law-firm marketing list pages (freeasbestostesting.com, mesotheliomaasbestoshelpcenter.com), excluded as non-evidence. The one court case naming the hull (421 F.2d 430, ev-04) is commercial lien litigation, not asbestos.

   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 wartime steel hull is era-consistent with era-standard asbestos materials in the applications listed in ev-06. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener direct querying was blocked, so hull-name litigation screening ran via web index (weaker coverage - a direct CourtListener query remains an open lead).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-07

8. [8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard), RG 336 (Army Transportation Corps); NARA court-records guidance for S.D. Fla. admiralty files [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov RG guides 24/26/336; record-path mapping only

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room work; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 - Navy deck logs for AG-131/AKL-2, 1947-1955 (accensioned Navy deck logs); (b) NARA RG 26 - U.S. Coast Guard records, including records of Coast Guard-manned Army FS vessels such as FS-263 (1944-1945) and any surviving war diary/logbook material underlying the NavSource narrative; (c) NARA RG 336 - U.S. Army Transportation Corps records for FS-vessel operation; (d) Wheeler Shipbuilding contract records for the 24 Apr 1943 Design 381 order (FS 253-292 block) - yard records disposition unknown; (e) in-rem case file for Merrill-Stevens v. M/V Laissez Faire (S.D. Fla., pre-1970) via NARA regional archives - vessel condition inventories sometimes appear in marshal's-sale records.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1970 records

   Limitations

   Record-path mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-08

9. [9]Shipscribe DEAL ship note (ev-03); Robin des Bois shipbreaking bulletin #33 (shipbreaking33.pdf); Offshore Radio Museum page447 (stations/fate table); Bay Weekly lead story vol. xvi no. 7 (2008); NavSource timeline (ev-02) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Shipscribe ship note 'BU 2013'; robindesbois.org shipbreaking33.pdf Martinsen inquiry ('scrapped early 2013'); offshoreradiomuseum.co.uk/page447.html ('Scrapped in June 2011'); Bay Weekly 2008 (Omega Protein/Reedville; 'Bremerton' error)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Secondary-source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) FINAL FATE - NavSource lists 'current disposition' as F/V Earl J. Conrad Jr. operating out of Reedville, VA, but Shipscribe (compiled Aug 2021) records 'Converted to menhaden seiner EARL J. CONRAD, JR. 1974, BU 2013'; the Robin des Bois shipbreaking bulletin (citing radio historian Svenn Martinsen's sources) reports the vessel 'sold by its previous owner [Omega Protein Inc.] and scrapped early 2013'; the Offshore Radio Museum and Wikipedia report scrapped 2011 (June 2011). The hull is treated as broken up ca. 2011-2013; exact date/yard unverified. (b) Bay Weekly (2008) documents the Omega Protein menhaden identity and Reedville operation but places the reserve layup at 'Puget Sound (Bremerton)' - inconsistent with DANFS/NavSource/Shipscribe's Columbia River Group (Astoria/Portland); Bremerton rejected. (c) Builder location: Whitestone, Long Island (DANFS, NavSource, Wikipedia) vs 'Wheeler SB, Brooklyn' (Shipscribe) - Whitestone carried; Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. was a Queens, N.Y. yard, both descriptions approximate. (d) First CO spelled 'P. G. Patton' in DANFS vs 'Peter G. Pattern'/'Pattern Peter Gause' on NavSource - unresolved. (e) Olga Patricia rename: NavSource 11 Aug 1964 (reflagged Panama) vs offshoreradio.info 8 Jan 1963 (registered Colombia) - unresolved; the 1963 date may conflate the 'January 1963 registered in Colombia' datum.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1961-2013

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level framing errors (stale 'current disposition,' Bremerton layup error, name/date conflicts); does not add any asbestos information. The scrapping year itself is secondary-only and internally inconsistent (2011 vs 2013) - carried as ca. 2011-2013 in gaps rather than resolved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-deal-ag131-09