Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - cargo ships, attack (AKA) section, per-hull rows for DIPHDA AKA-59 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 AKA tables pp. 118-123 (dimensions, limiting/accommodations, machinery, armament/cargo, construction rows for DIPHDA AKA-59, line item 28; index entry 'Diphda (ex-M.C. Hull 211). AKA59. Auxiliary-Cargo Ship, Attack. 118')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for DIPHDA AKA-59 (ex-M.C. Hull 211): 459'2" overall / 435'0" waterline; beam 63'0"; 26'4" limiting draft; 16.5 knots trial; 13,910 tons trial displacement / 14,200 tons limiting; accommodations 48 officers + 338 enlisted; largest boom 30 tons; machinery 1 General Electric turbine, 6,000 shp, single propeller, with 2 Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin 40mm; cargo 444,000 cu ft non-refrigerated / 7,485 total cargo tons / 4,900 DWT; builder Federal S.B. & D.D. Co., Kearny, N.J.; acquired 7 Jul 1944; year built 1944; first commission 8 Jul 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, and commissioning. OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled ('DIPADA' for DIPHDA in the dimensions row); values cross-verified against DANFS, NavSource, and MARAD. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-01
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[2]DANFS, 'Diphda (AKA-59)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2014-04-02; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209104107) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text (Wayback capture 20251209104107; published timestamp 2014-04-02); spec line '(AKA-59: dp. 6,737; l. 459'2"; b. 63'; dr. 26'4"; s. 16 k.; cpl. 429; a. 1 5"; cl. Achernar)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: launched 11 May 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Anna Rosenberg; transferred to the Navy 7 July 1944; commissioned 8 July 1944, LCDR R. C. Willson, USNR, in command. Sailed from Norfolk 15 Aug 1944; Pearl Harbor cargo 4-21 Sep; New Guinea practice landings; departed Noemfoor Island 4 Jan 1945 for the Lingayen Gulf invasion; Manus 24 Jan; landing craft to Wakde Island then San Pedro Bay, Leyte 10 Feb. Philippine training to 27 Mar 1945; Okinawa assault cargo discharge 1-10 Apr; Pearl Harbor voyage repairs/alterations from 25 Apr; San Francisco 18 Jun; ammunition run to Pearl Harbor 8 Jul-5 Aug; cargo to Manus and Samar from 13 Aug; Army cargo to Wakanoura Wan, Honshu, for the occupation of Japan; homeward-bound servicemen via Okinawa to Portland, Oreg., 29 Nov. Far East cargo tours 11 Jan-22 May 1946 and 28 Nov 1946-17 May 1947 (Guam, Okinawa, Chinese ports); Second Arctic Expedition cargo to Point Barrow 9 Jul-11 Oct 1947; west-coast cargo duty with Guam/Pearl Harbor/Saipan runs; east coast 1949-1950; Whittier and Kodiak, Alaska, 26 May-20 Jun 1950. Korea: Service Force, Pacific, ammunition ship - emergency delivery at Pusan, remainder offloaded Yokosuka, San Francisco 12 Sep 1950; extended Korean tour from six days later carrying ammunition between Japan/Korea depots and combat units; replenished St. Paul (CA-73) at sea 26 Dec; San Francisco 29 Oct 1951 for overhaul. MSTS shuttle Oakland-Japanese ports 5 Feb-11 Nov 1952; station fleet issue ship Sasebo 12 May-27 Oct 1954; continued MSTS duty to 2 Dec 1955; out of commission in reserve at San Diego 11 May 1956. One battle star WWII, six battle stars Korean War.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1956
- Population
- Wartime crew (~386 accommodations per SDB row) plus embarked troops; shipyard workforces at Federal Shipbuilding Kearny (1944) and undocumented repair/overhaul facilities (Pearl Harbor Apr-May 1945; San Francisco late 1951)
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text. Internal spec-line quirks logged in gaps: 'cpl. 429' conflicts with the SDB accommodations row (48+338=386) carried here, and 'cl. Achernar' for class designation vs 'Andromeda class' in NavSource/shipscribe/MARAD usage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Diphda (AKA-59), file 10/02/02059 (page maintainer Gary P. Priolo; last updated 2025-03-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02059.htm - specifications block, campaign tables, occupation/China-service table, awards list, timeline, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: MC type C2-S-B1, MC hull 211, Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny; launched 11 May 1944; acquired 7 Jul 1944; commissioned 8 Jul 1944 (LCDR Robert C. Willson USNR). Units: TransRon Fourteen (COMO D. L. Ryan) / TransDiv Forty-One (CAPT H. J. Wright). Campaign: Okinawa Gunto 1-10 Apr 1945. Occupation/China periods: 25 Oct-15 Nov 1945; 1-13 Apr 1946; 28 Jan-24 Feb 1947. Korea campaigns (six stars): North Korean Aggression 20-28 Aug 1950; Communist China Aggression 28 Nov 1950-24 Jan 1951; First UN Counter Offensive 25 Jan-13 Mar and 17-21 Apr 1951; Communist China Spring Offensive 22 Apr-May and 5-12, 21-30 Jun 1951; US Summer-Fall Offensive 14 Jul-8 Aug, 16-18 Aug, 30 Aug-8 Sep, 26 Sep-8 Oct 1951; Korean Defense Summer-Fall 16-23 May 1952. Decommissioned 11 May 1956 San Diego; Pacific Reserve Fleet; NDRF Suisun Bay 29 Nov 1960; permanent MARAD transfer 1 Oct 1962; 'sold for scrapping, 16 March 1970, to Nicolai Joffe Corp., delivered, 13 April 1976'. Spec block: 6,556 t light / 14,200 t; 459'2" x 63' x 26'4"; 16.5 kt; 48 off + 338 enl; boom 30 t; cargo 4,900 DWT / 444,000 cu ft non-refrig; armament 1x5"/38 DP + 4 twin 40mm + 18x20mm; boats 8 LCM + 1 LCP(L) + 15 LCVP; propulsion 1 GE steam turbine, 2 Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers 450 psi/750 deg F, double GE main reduction gears, 3 turbo-drive 300kW ship's service generators, single screw 6,000 shp; fuel 1,990 bbls NSFO. CO list of eight officers 1944-1956 ending CDR W. M. Kaufman. Photo captions incl. NAS Kodiak-stamped photo 10 Jun 1950 and NHHC photo NH 61555 (Pearl Harbor arrival 3 Jul 1952 with 5,000 t emergency food supplies).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC/MARAD on the main chain. Data defects logged in gaps: (a) Korea-section header mislabels her 'AKA-54' (that hull is Algol); (b) 'sold ... 16 March 1970' conflicts with shipscribe MA Sale '16 Mar 76' - the 1976 date aligns with the 13 Apr 1976 MARAD withdrawal one month later; (c) 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' vs shipscribe 1 Jul 1961; (d) fuel '1,990 Bbls' vs class-sibling Achernar's 10,900 bbls - plausible typo, unverified; (e) keel 'date unknown' vs shipscribe 27 Jan 1944. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - DIPHDA (AKA-59), Ship History Detail 1269, incl. scanned vessel status card (DIPHDA.pdf) and three USCG-donor radar-array photos [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1269 registry block, milestone table, documents tab (DIPHDA.pdf status-card scan); images tab (three USCG radar-array photos)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull: Year Built 1944; Shipyard 'Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'AKA Attack Cargo Ship'; MARAD Type C2-S-B1; length 459.20 ft; beam 63.00 ft; gross 6,181 tons; displacement 14,200 t summer / 6,556 t lightweight; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; missions WWII, Korean War. Milestones: Entry 29 Nov 1960; Acquisition 29 Nov 1960; Disposition 13 Apr 1976 ('CUST 1960 NDRF 1960'); Withdrawal 13 Apr 1976. The scanned status card (DIPHDA.pdf, handwritten, partially legible) corroborates: 29 Nov 1960 Navy Dept -> Reserve Fleet custody at Suisun Bay (Navy layup), and a second 'Navy Dept. (MA Cust.) -> Mar. Admin. Res. Fleet' transfer row.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- NDRF Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet caretakers (1960-1976)
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD registry plus a handwritten status-card scan whose OCR/palaeography is only partially legible. The registry's own milestone table records no event between the 29 Nov 1960 entry/acquisition and the 13 Apr 1976 disposition/withdrawal - the 1 Oct 1962 permanent-transfer date and the sale date come from NavSource/shipscribe respectively (sale-year conflict logged in gaps). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-04
-
[5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Andromeda (AKA-15) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AKA-15 class page: characteristics block, armament table, construction table (AKA-59 row), disposition table (AKA-59 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class tables: DIPHDA AKA-59 acquired 7 Jul 44, Federal SB & DD Kearny, keel 27 Jan 44, launched 11 May 44, commissioned 8 Jul 44; disposition row - decommissioned 11 May 56, strike 1 Jul 61, disposal 1 Oct 62 'MA/T' (Maritime Administration transfer), MA Sale 16 Mar 76. Class-level context: all ships of the class built to the MC C2-S-B1 design; AKA-59 was in the FY1944-era increment of the class. Armament tables list configurations whose hull ranges include AKA-59 (1-5"/38 + 4-40mmT + 18-20mm in 1944-46 covering AKA 53-54, 57-63, 88-100; 1-5"/38 + 4-40mmT + 4<14-20mmT in 1946-57 covering AKA-15, 54-61, 88-98, 100).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD. Its class-level complement (249, 1944) conflicts with the SDB accommodations row (386) and DANFS (429) - discrepancy logged in gaps. The 'MA Sale 16 Mar 76' entry conflicts with NavSource's 'sold ... 16 March 1970' - same month/day, different year; logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-05
-
[6]Op-03 memorandum to Op-02, 19 Aug 1954, 'Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953); recommendations for changes to' - Division of Naval History awards-verification memo, Enclosure (7) 'Ships and UDT units reported by Commander, SEVENTH Fleet, as having participated in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, 4-18 January 1945, who did not receive battle stars' (HyperWar scan/transcription of the official memo) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar transcription, Enclosure (7) ship list ('USS Diphda (AKA 59)' row); memo header Op-03 to Op-02, 19 Aug 1954
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official 1954 Navy awards-verification memo names USS Diphda (AKA 59) in Enclosure (7): ships and UDT units reported by Commander, SEVENTH Fleet, as having participated in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, 4-18 January 1945, who did not receive battle stars. This independently corroborates the DANFS narrative of her Lingayen service (departed Noemfoor 4 Jan 1945 'for the invasion at Lingayen Gulf') and is consistent with her single WWII battle star being for Okinawa Gunto rather than Lingayen.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1945 (operation); 1954 (memo)
- Population
- Wartime crew during the Lingayen operation (Jan 1945)
- Limitations
- Confirms Seventh-Fleet-reported participation in the Lingayen operation and the absence of a battle star for it; the memo is an awards audit, not an operational history - it does not detail her movements day-by-day and makes no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-06
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + MC C2-S-B1 type data (MARAD registry; shipscribe AKA-15 class page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, AKA section (DIPHDA row); MARAD Detail 1269 (C2-S-B1 type); shipscribe AKA-15 class page; DANFS repair/layup narrative
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The documented machinery plant of this hull - one GE geared steam turbine (6,000 shp, single screw) on two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F, with three turbo-drive 300 kW ship's-service generators - is of the type whose boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine and turbo-generator lagging, gaskets, packing, and accommodation insulation were commonly asbestos-containing in WWII naval and Maritime Commission construction. Documented disturbance windows aboard this hull: 1944 construction and fitting out (Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny), Pearl Harbor voyage repairs and alterations (Apr-May 1945), San Francisco overhaul (from 29 Oct 1951), Pacific Reserve Fleet layup (1956-1960), Suisun Bay NDRF custody (1960-1976), and post-sale scrapping (1976).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Construction trades at Federal Shipbuilding Kearny (1944); repair workforces at Pearl Harbor (Apr-May 1945) and San Francisco (1951-52 overhaul); wartime crew and embarked troops; Pacific Reserve Fleet and NDRF Suisun Bay caretakers (1956-1976); scrap-yard workers (1976)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and documented repair/layup events - NOT a hull record: no source located states that asbestos was installed, remained, or was disturbed aboard this specific hull. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-07
-
[8]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 Maritime Commission construction program under which this C2-S-B1 attack cargo ship was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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 class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-08
-
[9]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030 (verified via NCBI eutils esummary 2026-09-21); article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Federal Shipbuilding Kearny was among the surveyed sites is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-09
-
[10]Batch-1039 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 02059; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1269 + DIPHDA.pdf status card; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe AKA-15 class page; 1954 Op-03 awards memo (HyperWar); CourtListener (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides; NVR [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-diphda-aka59-01 through sl-uss-diphda-aka59-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Diphda / AKA-59 / MC hull 211 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The VA BVA index returned no decision naming the ship (only 'diphtheria' term collisions). Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com dedicated hull page) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as a source per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report. A GlobalSecurity AKA-59 page describes a materially different ship (Moore Drydock construction, Forrestal sponsorship, LKA-59 redesignation, Vietnam-era service, 1970 decommissioning) - wholesale erroneous for this hull; excluded and logged.
- 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 1944 geared-turbine steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the documented repair, overhaul, layup, and disposal phases are undocumented disturbance windows. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Systematic CourtListener name/hull sweeps were blocked: API attempts on 2026-09-21 returned HTTP 429 'Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day' (shared key quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine) - backed off per batch instruction rather than retrying into a ban; negative litigation coverage rests on indexed-web checking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - war diaries), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); MARAD ShipHistory documents section for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/038.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1269 (status-card scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Diphda 1944-1956 (RG 24, NARA College Park); the ship's WWII/Korea war diaries (RG 38); BuShips records incl. C2-S-B1 contract plans and outfitting specifications (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 211 at Federal Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1960 Suisun Bay entry, the 1962 permanent transfer, the 1970/1976 sale to Nicolai Joffe Corp., and the 1976 withdrawal/scrapping (RG 357) - the sale/disposal file is the most promising disposition-era lead; post-retrieval, the remaining MARAD Detail 1269 status-card scans may carry additional custody entries.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1976 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-diphda-aka59-11