Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet av-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-dionysus-ar21-pkt-av-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Dionysus (AR-21)' - NHHC page via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 (live NHHC page returns 404, standing link-rot defect) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Dionysus (AR-21)' full entry; spec block in header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Launched 10 October 1944 as Faithful by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., Baltimore, Md., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. H. C. McClelland; transferred to the Navy 25 October 1944; commissioned 28 April 1945, Commander S. D. Simpson in command. Arrived Pearl Harbor 30 June 1945; underway 13 July for Eniwetok, stationed as repair ship 24 July to 8 September; entered Tokyo Bay 17 September, served until 10 November; overhaul at Bremerton, Wash., arriving 28 November; reached San Pedro 30 May 1946; out of commission in reserve 31 January 1947. Recommissioned 13 February 1952; sailed from Long Beach 8 April, joined Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk 29 April; served primarily at Norfolk except a 1953 Caribbean period repairing ships operating from Roosevelt Roads, P.R., until 16 April 1954; Newport, R.I. repair services from 11 May to 3 February 1955; New York 4 February to 11 April; placed in commission in reserve at Beaumont, Tex. 20 April; arrived Orange, Tex. 25 April; out of commission in reserve 1 July 1955. Spec block: dp. 10,920 (f.); l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 22'; s. 12 k.; cpl. 524; a. 1 5", 3 3"; cl. Xanthus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Population
- Ship's company (~524); crews of repaired vessels alongside
- Limitations
- Authoritative service history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. The documented repair-ship employment (Eniwetok, Tokyo Bay, Norfolk, Roosevelt Roads, Newport) is ship-specific operational history, not an asbestos finding. Entry is silent on keel date, stricken date, and post-1955 disposition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Dionysus (AR-21) - specification block, chronology, and photo captions including NARA photo 80-G-121493 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 09/25/2521, chronology + Specifications block + photo caption 80-G-121493
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Chronology: laid down 4 October 1944 as SS Faithful, Maritime Commission type EC2-S-C1 (MCE hull 2681) at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard; launched 10 October 1944; intended for the Royal Navy as HMS Faithful (F-177); acquired by the Navy 25 October 1944; decommissioned 31 January 1947 San Pedro; recommissioned 13 February 1952 Long Beach; decommissioned 1 July 1955 Orange, TX; custody to MARAD 28 December 1960 (NDRF Beaumont); permanent transfer 1 September 1962; temporary Navy custody 25 April to 24 September 1976, returned to NDRF James River, Lee Hall, VA; transferred to North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reefs Program 31 May 1978; sunk on AR-160 off Oregon Inlet 11 November 1978. NARA photo caption (80-G-121493): SS Faithful moved from builder's yard to conversion yard at Baltimore 25 October 1944 'officially 79.9 per cent complete.' Spec block: displacement 5,801 t. (lt) / 14,350 t. (trial); length 441'6"; beam 56'11"; draft 22'; speed 12.5 kts; complement 27 officers / 497 enlisted; armament one 5"/38, three 3"/50, two twin 40mm, twelve 20mm; propulsion one Hoover [sic: Hooven]-Owens-Rentschler triple-expansion engine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, single propeller 2,500 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1978
- Population
- Ship's company 27 officers / 497 enlisted per spec block
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with DANFS and MARAD cards where they overlap. Spec data are equipment description only - no asbestos content stated or implied. 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' - stricken date is NOT established. Boiler pressure prints as '2230psi 450 deg' - a source typo (Liberty-type plants ran ~220-240 psi class); the psi figure is not asserted in this record. Keel date 4 October 1944 conflicts with a September 1944 rendering in some secondary sources - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-02
-
[4]MARAD ShipHistory database, DIONYSUS (AR-21) vessel record + digitized custody/status cards (Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars x2; Form MA-199 Vessel Status Card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/1268; cards 1268_2312AF.jpg (Beaumont, entered 12-28-60), 1268_2312BF.jpg (James River, entered 9-24-76), MA-199 card PNG
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record (status cards read directly from digitized scans): design EC2-S-C1, category 'Mil. Aux. Repair Ship'; hull no. MCE-2681; builder's hull no. 2413; gross tons 7,176; DWT 10,800; 'Date (Built) 10-25-44' (delivery to USMC); builder 'Del. incomplete to Navy / Beth.-Fairfield, Balto., Md.'; 'Delivered from shipyard to: U.S.M.C. (Loaned to U.S. Navy)'; original basis to WSA-MA: Navy Dept., permanent agreement dated 10-15-46. Custody chain on Form MA-199 operating history: Navy Dept. to Maritime Adm., Beaumont, 12-28-60 14:50 CST (custody); MA fleet custody to permanent transfer 9-1-62; Maritime Admin. to Department of the Navy, Beaumont, 4/25/76 11:35 CST 'Temporary Transfer'; Department of the Navy to Maritime Admin., James River, 9/24/76 'Returned'; Maritime Administration to State of North Carolina, James River, 5/31/78 'Artificial Fish Reef Program.' MA-383 (Beaumont) withdrawal reason: 'Withdrawn by Navy/Equipment removal.' Web record fate: 'Sunk as a Reef' - Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1960-1978
- Population
- NDRF custodial crews; Navy equipment-removal party (1976); reef-preparation workers (1978)
- Limitations
- Primary custodial record for the post-Navy disposition; contains no asbestos or hazmat information - the 1976 'equipment removal' and the 1978 reef transfer are recorded as custody events only, with no scope or material detail. Minor internal discrepancy: MA-383 Beaumont card shows withdrawal 4-15-76 while MA-199 shows the temporary transfer 4/25/76 (NavSource also gives 25 April). Keel date is not on the cards; 'Date (Built)' is the delivery date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-03
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), Bethlehem-Fairfield production table, hull 2413 / MCE 2681 'Faithful' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Bethlehem-Fairfield yard table, row hull 2413 (way 12)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Production-table row for builder's hull 2413 'Faithful', type EC2-S-C1, MC no. 2681, way 12: keel laid 4-Oct-44, launched 10-Oct-44, delivered 25-Oct-44 - 6 days on the ways, 15 days in the water, 21 days total; disposition 'To USN as AR-21, intended for Britain as HMS Faithful (F 177) but retained.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Bethlehem-Fairfield construction workforce, Baltimore, 1944
- Limitations
- Respected secondary compilation of USMC production data, not a scanned primary record; the 6-day keel-to-launch figure is extraordinary but corroborated by NavSource's independent 4-Oct-44 keel date. A September-1944 keel rendering exists in Wikipedia's class table - adopted 1944-10-04 here per the two compilations; conflict logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-04
-
[6]The Mariners' Museum and Park, 'October Artifact of the Month - USS Dionysus Engine' (4 October 2013), with museum photographs of the engine removal [museum_official]
- Locator
- marinersmuseum.org artifact-of-the-month post, 2013-10-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's main triple-expansion steam engine - approximately 271,000 pounds assembled - was removed in 1978, donated to The Mariners' Museum, and retained/displayed there (shed-stored macro artifact). The hull was sunk off North Carolina later that year, about five miles south of Oregon Inlet - the fourth Liberty ship sunk on the state artificial-reef sites since 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1978-present (artifact)
- Population
- Reef-preparation/engine-removal workers (1978); museum collections staff
- Limitations
- Museum blog post by a collections intern; artifact facts (engine removal 1978, museum donation) are the reliable core and match the MARAD reef disposition. Contains no asbestos or hazardous-material information - does not establish whether lagging/gasket material on the preserved engine contains asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-05
-
[7]N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (NC DEQ), Artificial Reef Guide - AR-160 Oregon Inlet reef entry; reef designation at 15A N.C. Admin. Code 03R .0119 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DEQ DMF reef guide, AR-160 entry no. 1; sunken-vessel page AR-160 table; 15A NCAC 03R .0119
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official state reef record: '440-Foot Liberty Ship Dionysus' deployed 11/1978 on AR-160 (Oregon Inlet reef), 136.5 deg magnetic / 5.7 nautical miles from the Oregon Inlet sea buoy, 66 feet average depth, at 35 deg 44.023' N, 75 deg 26.741' W. AR-160 is a state-designated Ocean Artificial Reef centered at 35 deg 43.8880' N, 75 deg 26.7710' W (15A NCAC 03R .0119).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1978 (deployment); designation current
- Population
- Recreational divers (post-1978)
- Limitations
- Deployment metadata only - the state sources contain no hazmat, abatement, or pre-sinking remediation documentation. Source defect noted: NC DEQ's 'Sunken Vessel History' table carries Dionysus's service-history bullets under the neighboring 'Zane Grey' row and a US Army Reserve LCU line under Dionysus - only the vessel/reef/date/coordinate fields are used here. 1978 reefing predates modern hazardous-materials removal requirements; nothing is asserted about pre-sinking condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-06
-
[8]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 USMC operating manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant - the exact propulsion design this hull was built on - 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
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (Baltimore, 1944-45); engine-room and repair-shop crews
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual does not name this vessel and does not itself state 'asbestos' content. The repair-ship conversion materially altered internal fit and added shop spaces, so cargo-ship manual coverage of this hull is partial. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven; does not establish quantity or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-07
-
[9]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700120402
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and gaskets in naval construction - the era in which this hull was built (1944). Repair ships additionally carried industrial shop spaces whose work outputs (pipe lagging, gaskets, refractory repairs performed for fleet customers) were asbestos-relevant era materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope)
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard and repair-ship workers (class context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship; does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. The asbestos-material inference aboard this hull remains era-level, not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-08
-
[10]Batch-2527 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 opinion sweeps via authenticated fleet helper [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dionysus-ar21-07 through -09b
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep complete on the public indexes: CourtListener opinion search '"USS Dionysus"' returned zero results; 'Dionysus ship OR "repair ship"' returned 13 opinions, all name collisions (surnamed parties and unrelated text; no maritime, Navy, or asbestos matter naming the vessel); hull-number '"AR-21" asbestos' returned one hit - Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. v. United States (Fed. Cl. 2022), a government-contract dispute whose 'AR-21' string is unrelated to the vessel (name collision, not asbestos); the RECAP docket index '"Dionysus"' returned 332 dockets, all name collisions (bankruptcy debtors and unrelated businesses bearing the name - e.g., Dionysus Hospitality Management, Dionysus Enterprises; no maritime or asbestos filing).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Index-level coverage only: filings that omit the hull name, spell it differently, or index only a party name would not surface; RECAP docket coverage is not exhaustive of state-court and non-digitized federal filings. The single 'AR-21' collision hit was classified from docket/case metadata; its full text was not pulled under fleet pacing limits. Absence of located litigation does not establish that no claim was ever brought.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-09
-
[11]Batch-2527 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback/NHHC; NavSource 2521; MARAD vesselhistory Detail/1268 + status cards; NC DEQ reef records; Mariners' Museum; NARA guides; CourtListener sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dionysus-ar21-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS Dionysus (AR-21) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm marketing pages naming the hull exist (asbestos-ships.com, mesobook.com) - an excluded source class offering only generic repair-ship assertions with no primary citation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. A 1944-built EC2-S-C1 hull converted to a floating repair plant is an archetypal asbestos-relevant platform, but documentation at ship level was not located. The 1976 Navy equipment removal and the 1978 reef preparation would have disturbed machinery spaces; no hazmat documentation for either event was located (1978 predates modern reef-prep disclosure practice). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records - RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) + Vessel and Station Log Books page (Navy deck logs); NARA still-photo record 80-G-121493 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 19 overview; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks; NavSource caption for photo 80-G-121493
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival path for hull-specific records: RG 19 Bureau of Ships records cover design, conversion, procurement, and repair (the AR-21 conversion contract and repair-ship outfit records would sit in BuShips series); Navy deck logs (RG 24/24-series and post-1941 log program) cover the commissioned periods 1945-47 and 1952-55; NARA photo 80-G-121493 (RG 80-G) documents the 25 October 1944 move to the conversion yard at 79.9% completion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1955 records
- Limitations
- Repository-level guidance only - no hull-specific construction, conversion, or deck-log file was retrieved or confirmed digitized for this vessel; cited as a research path, not evidence of any condition aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dionysus-ar21-11