USS Diamond Head (AE-19)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Diamond Head' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS Diamond Head' returned 8 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels

   Evidence ID

   uss-diamond-head-ae19-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Diamond Head' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS Diamond Head' returned 838 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels

   Evidence ID

   uss-diamond-head-ae19-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AE-19' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'AE-19' returned 4114 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed

   Evidence ID

   uss-diamond-head-ae19-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'AE-19' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'AE-19' returned 188970 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed

   Evidence ID

   uss-diamond-head-ae19-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Diamond Head (AE-19)' - verbatim transcription via hazegray/losthistory mirror; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-19 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS AE-19 entry, full narrative and spec block (transcribed by Yves Hubert)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Diamond Head (AE-19): launched 3 February 1945 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. D. Bill; transferred to the Navy 10 March 1945; converted at Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard, Baltimore, Md.; commissioned 9 August 1945, Lt. Comdr. F. C. Snow, USNR, in command. Reported at Norfolk to Commander, Service Force, Atlantic for duty 20 September 1945; after training, used experimentally by the Bureau of Ships to test suitable markings for hospital ships. Departed Norfolk 5 April 1946 for Galveston, Tex., arriving five days later; placed out of commission in reserve there 23 August 1946. Recommissioned 9 August 1951 as part of the Korean War naval expansion; reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet; served in operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean; through 1960 made five cruises with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. Spec block: dp. 15,295 (f.); 459'2" x 63' x 28'3"; 16 k.; cpl. 267; armament 1 5", 4 3"; cl. Wrangell.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1944-1960 (entry coverage)

   Population

   Ship's company, 1945-1946 and 1951-1972

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, dates, and service narrative; transcription mirror used because the canonical NHHC page is unreachable (standing NHHC link-rot note, BATCH-01-REPORT). The entry predates the ship's 1967-68 Vietnam service and 1972-74 disposal - coverage ends ~1960. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. The spec block's 'Wrangell' class label differs from the modern 'Mount Hood class' convention for the same hull group.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-01

6. [6]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Mount Hood (AE-11) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, CominCh/JCS/MC records, and BuShips design records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AE-11 class page: characteristics, construction table, disposition table, class notes, ship notes (AE-19 rows)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation (shipscribe.com, compiled from Navy registers and BuShips/BuC&R records): Mount Hood class (AE-11) comprised AE-11 Mount Hood, AE-12 Wrangell, AE-14 Firedrake, AE-15 Vesuvius, AE-16 Mount Katmai, AE-17 Great Sitkin, AE-18 Paricutin, AE-19 Diamond Head, all built on the Maritime Commission C2-S-AJ1 design at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C. Class data: 5,604 t light / 15,295 t lim.; 459.2 ft oa x 63.0 ft x 28.25 ft; G.E. turbine, 1 screw, 6,000 hp, 16.4 kts; complement 256 (1944). Diamond Head entries: MC# 1709, keel 12 Dec 44, launched 3 Feb 45, acquired 10 Mar 45, commissioned 9 Aug 45; delivered 99.0% complete; ferry commission 10-14 Mar 45; converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md.; in USN reserve 1946-51; decommissioned 1 May 72; struck 1 Mar 73; to NDRF 28 Mar 74; MA sale 3 Oct 74; to buyer 30 Oct 74. Class notes record CominCh's 15 Apr 44 acquisition rationale (merchant vessels lacked 'refrigeration and special handling and stowing facilities' for ammunition), the November 1944 addition of underway ammunition-transfer capability to the conversion specifications, that AE 16-19 made the delivery ferry trip unarmed, and sister Mount Hood's catastrophic explosion at Manus 10 Nov 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1943-1974

   Population

   Ship's company; North Carolina Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944-45); Bethlehem Steel Key Highway conversion workforce (1945)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register and design records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with DANFS/MARAD. Names this hull with construction and disposition dates. Contains no asbestos information; the documented refrigeration/special-stowage and underway-transfer conversion features describe function, not materials. Decommission date 1 May 72 conflicts with the 'decommissioned/stricken 1 Mar 73' conflation in secondary sources (see gaps); DANFS spec block labels the class 'Wrangell' - naming discrepancy logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-02

7. [7]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - DIAMOND HEAD (AE-19), Ship History Detail 1260, including digitized MA-383 vessel status card [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1260 data block; status card scan https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1260_2297AF.jpg (card read directly)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for DIAMOND HEAD (AE-19), Detail 1260: year built 1945, shipyard North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Naval Auxiliary / AE Ammunition Ship, MARAD type C2-S-AJ1, 459.16 ft x 63.00 ft, displacement lightweight 15,296 t, fate 'Sold - Scrap'; mission tags World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War; milestones Disposition 10/30/1974 and Withdrawal 10/30/1974. The digitized MA-383 'Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars' status card adds: MC hull 1709, type C2-S-AJ1, fleet James River, category scrap, builder 'North Carolina SB Corp.' Wilmington N.C., date built 1945, service prior to lay-up Navy; ENTERED 3-28-74 1215 EDT; WITHDRAWN 10-30-74 1100 EST; reason 'Sold scrap under PD-X-984, 10-3-74 to Ships, Inc. for $273,678.00.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1945-1974

   Population

   Shipbreaking workforce handling the hull after 30 Oct 1974 (yard unidentified in primary record)

   Limitations

   Primary government custody record; the status card is fully legible and names the purchaser (Ships, Inc.), sale contract (PD-X-984), price ($273,678.00), and entry/withdrawal timestamps directly. Controls over NavSource's 'custody transferred 24 March 1974' - the card shows James River entry 28 Mar 1974. No asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; the card does not name the downstream scrapping yard. Supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-03

8. [8]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'In Contact' - firsthand account by the former XO of USS Diamond Head (AE-19), Vol. 25 No. 5 (October 2011) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   USNI Naval History 'In Contact' column, Diamond Head/Independence account

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Firsthand retrospective account by the ship's executive officer (published in U.S. Naval Institute's Naval History magazine 'In Contact' column, Oct 2011): in early April 1961, while conducting a two-week cruise off the Virginia Capes with some 50 Reservists aboard for annual training, the ship received classified orders to proceed 'South'; after contradictory cancellations she was directed to transfer the Reservists to a fleet tug, proceed to Guantanamo Bay, and change operational control to Commander, 2d Fleet; ordered to station south of Cuba joining a task group 'in support of ongoing exercises' - the Bay of Pigs operation period. Around 0200 (recalled as 15 or 16 April), in replenishment formation preparing to rearm USS Independence (CV-62) - which had just refueled from USS Waccamaw (AO-109) - Independence cut across Diamond Head's starboard bow and her port quarter collided with Diamond Head's starboard side slightly aft of No. 1 hold and forward of No. 2 (where, per the account, nuclear weapons were stored). Diamond Head rolled about 35 degrees to port, a fire broke out at No. 1 hold, and she sustained a hole 'about the size of a large truck' above the waterline; the fire was contained and Independence suffered a dent in her port-quarter gun blister.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1961-04

   Population

   Ship's company 1961 (~267 complement plus ~50 embarked Reservists per the account)

   Limitations

   Firsthand participant account published in a reputable professional journal 50 years after the event; internally vivid but a retrospective recollection. Date recall ('15 or 16 April') conflicts with the contemporaneous Associated Press report's 27 April 1961 (as carried in secondary references); the conflict is logged in gaps, not adjudicated. The nuclear-weapons stowage remark is the author's statement of stowage location, not an official manifest. No asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim; the collision repair at Guantanamo is a documented hull-disturbance event only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-04

9. [9]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Diamond Head (AE-19), page 09/05/0519 (compiled by Al Grazevich; Vietnam campaign dates per official CNO campaign list) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource page 09/05/0519: chronology, campaign table, CO list, photo captions, spec block, awards rack

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Diamond Head (AE-19): Mount Hood class ammunition ship, MC hull 1709, laid down date unknown at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.; launched 3 Feb 1945; acquired 10 Mar 1945; converted at Bethlehem Steel Key Highway Shipyard, Baltimore, Md.; commissioned 9 Aug 1945, LCDR F. C. Snow USNR in command; decommissioned 23 Aug 1946 at Galveston and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group; recommissioned 9 Aug 1951. Vietnam War campaigns credited: Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase II 5-23 May 1967; Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase III 5-28 Jun, 18-31 Jul, 17-31 Aug, 25 Sep-17 Oct, 24-31 Oct, and 6-8 Dec 1967; Tet Counteroffensive 27-28 Mar 1968 - three campaign stars. Struck from the Naval Register 1 Mar 1973; custody transferred to MARAD for disposal (stated 24 Mar 1974 - conflicts with the MARAD card's 28 Mar 1974 entry); sold for scrapping by MARAD 3 Oct 1974 to Ships, Inc. for $273,678; removed from the Reserve Fleet 30 Oct 1974 to Camden, N.J. (old New York Shipbuilding site). Commanding-officer list begins LT Elmer Edward Guyon, USNR (Ferry Command Crew No. 1, 10-14 Mar 1945). Photo captions document the ship alongside USS Amphion (AR-13) for repairs at the 'Army Piers' (Norfolk International Terminal), January 1967. Spec block: 15,296 t (lim), 459'2" x 63' x 28'3", 16.4 kts, 23 officers + 244 enlisted, largest boom 36 tons, cargo 7,700 DWT, armament one 5"/38, four 3"/50, two twin 40mm, ten single 20mm; awards ribbon rack includes Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and Navy Expeditionary Medal (3-Cuba).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1945-1974

   Population

   Ship's company; January 1967 repair-period workforce (Norfolk International Terminal alongside USS Amphion AR-13)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; campaign dates and the strike date are consistent with official lists and the MARAD card. Its 'custody transferred 24 March 1974' conflicts with the MARAD status card's 28 Mar 1974 1215 EDT entry - the card controls. The Camden, N.J. breaking destination is single-source here and not corroborated by the primary record (logged in gaps). Award ribbons are as compiled by NavSource, not independently verified. No asbestos content stated or implied.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-05

10. [10]Cross-source reconciliation: shipscribe disposition table vs Wikipedia/navysite.de framing; MARAD MA-383 card vs NavSource custody line; USNI firsthand account vs AP report; DANFS spec block vs modern class convention [other_primary]

    Locator

    MARAD status card (custody dates); shipscribe AE-11 disposition table; USNI 'In Contact' Oct 2011; NavSource 0519

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) Decommissioning - the shipscribe register compilation gives 1 May 1972; Wikipedia and navysite.de carry 'decommissioned/out of service 1 March 1973,' which conflates decommissioning with the documented 1 Mar 1973 strike date; NavSource says 'date unknown.' The shipscribe 1 May 72 figure is adopted pending register confirmation. (b) MARAD custody - NavSource states 24 Mar 1974; the MARAD MA-383 status card itself shows James River entry 28 Mar 1974 1215 EDT - the card controls. (c) Independence collision - the XO's 2011 firsthand account recalls 15-16 April 1961; the contemporaneous AP report carried in secondary references dates it 27 April 1961 - both retained, unadjudicated. (d) Class naming - DANFS spec block 'cl. Wrangell' vs the modern 'Mount Hood class' convention (NavSource, shipscribe, master hull list); same hull group (AE-11/12/14-19). (e) Keel date - shipscribe table 12 Dec 44 (corroborated by navysite.de); DANFS and NavSource give no keel date - carried flagged as compilation-sourced.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    1945-1974

    Limitations

    Resolves or flags publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings; none affects identity or the custody timeline materially (sale 3 Oct 74 and withdrawal 30 Oct 74 are card-verified). No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-06

11. [11]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078; Corn, J.K., and Starr, J., 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' AJIM 11(3):359-373 (1987); shipscribe AE-11 class machinery data (ev-02) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20, 1930-1959 and 1960-1970 analysis blocks; AJIM 11(3):359-373

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    As completed (1945), Diamond Head's propulsion was a G.E. geared steam turbine plant (6,000 hp, single screw) with boilers and associated steam piping - machinery of a type and era for which the U.S. Navy specified asbestos-containing thermal insulation, gaskets, and packing. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that the Navy required and used asbestos-containing materials aboard ships throughout the period spanning this hull's construction, conversion, and entire service life (analysis blocks 1930-1959 and 1960-1970), and that naval ships carried amosite and chrysotile insulating materials extensively from the late nineteenth century well into the 1950s; a second peer-reviewed study documents extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulation across WWII U.S. shipbuilding, the program under which MC hull 1709 was built.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    1944-1974

    Population

    North Carolina Shipbuilding and Bethlehem Key Highway construction/conversion workforces (1944-45); ship's company and repair/overhaul workforces (1945-1972); NDRF and shipbreaking personnel (1974)

    Limitations

    Era/program-level scholarship combined with this hull's documented steam plant - establishes that asbestos-containing insulation was Navy-standard practice in Diamond Head's construction and service era, NOT that a survey or record confirms asbestos aboard this specific hull. No hull-specific insulation specification, survey, or removal record was located. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-07

12. [12]Batch-486 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; mirror used); shipscribe class data; MARAD ShipHistory + status card; NavSource 0519; shipbuildinghistory MC table; USNI Naval History; CourtListener API/web (rate-limited); general web index litigation search; VA BVA decisions index; VA herbicide ship list; NVR; NARA record groups [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-diamond-head-ae19-01 through sl-uss-diamond-head-ae19-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Diamond Head or hull AE-19 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1974-75, before documentation-era survey practices, so no such artifact was expected to exist. Direct CourtListener API searching on 2026-09-19 was rate-limit blocked (HTTP 429, 125/day quota) and the web UI returned 403; secondary web-index searches returned only name collisions (Diamond Head Oil Refining Co. - a New Jersey waste-oil defendant in a successor-liability case; an 1929 Ninth Circuit admiralty case over a collision off the Diamond Head headland; an unrelated 1918 merchant freighter Diamond Head ex-West Erral) and law-firm marketing ship lists (excluded source class). The VA BVA decisions index surfaced no decision naming this hull, and the VA herbicide-exposure ship list carries no activities for it.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    2026-09-19

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-45 steam auxiliary in service to 1972 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation. The litigation check is partial: CourtListener's index could not be queried directly (throttled) and the negative litigation result rests on secondary web indexes and the VA BVA index only; a re-run of the CourtListener 'USS Diamond Head' and 'AE-19' queries remains an open step. 'Diamond Head' is a moderate-collision search term (Hawaii landmark, NJ waste-oil firm, 1918 freighter) - name matches were classified individually; none qualify. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-08

13. [13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24, RG 19, and RG 178 record-group descriptions; NHHC Command Operation Reports collection (searched - no Diamond Head year located); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1260 [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 24 / RG 19 / RG 178 record-group guides; NHHC command-operation-reports collection listing

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel) holds the hull's deck logs - the 1967-68 WestPac deployment logs would be the plausible primary source for the unverified deployment narrative and for any recorded yard/repair events; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds C2-S-AJ1 conversion specifications and Bethlehem Steel Key Highway conversion files potentially including insulation schedules; NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records may hold the MC hull 1709 contract file; NHHC Command Operation Reports collection was checked and no Diamond Head command-history year was located in the digitized set (the collection's AE holdings are sparse); NHHC and MARAD photo collections hold imagery of this hull. These are the plausible repositories for any surviving hull-specific material or insulation specification.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    1944-1974 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 1709 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-diamond-head-ae19-09