Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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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 DUPLIN AKA-87 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 AKA tables pp. 118-123 (dimensions, accommodations/personnel, machinery, reduction-gears/generators/fuel, armament/cargo, construction rows) + ship index p. 661 ('Duplin (ex-M.C. Hull 1401) AKA 87') + M.C. hull cross-index p. 703
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official wartime BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for DUPLIN (ex-M.C. Hull 1401), AKA 87: length 459'2" overall / 435'0" waterline; beam 63'0"; trial speed 16.5 knots; trial displacement 13,910 tons; limiting displacement 14,160 tons; tons-per-inch immersion 50; limiting draft 26'4"; personnel 38 officers + 387 enlisted; largest boom capacity 35 tons; machinery 1 G.E. turbine, 6,000 shp, 2 Foster Wheeler header-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin 40mm; non-refrigerated cargo column reads ~380,000 cu ft; acquired 30 Oct 1944; year built 1944; first commission 15 May 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Construction trades at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington (1944); Bethlehem Key Highway and Norfolk Navy Yard conversion workforces (1944-45); wartime crew and embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, and commissioning date. OCR of the scanned columnar tables is partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS, shipscribe, and MARAD (fuel-oil and deadweight columns only partially legible and not asserted). Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-01
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[2]DANFS, 'Duplin (AKA-87)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (rewritten by Robert J. Cressman, 2007-01-29; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209190624) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20251209190624)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC Hull 1401) 18 Aug 1944 at Wilmington, N.C., by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.; launched 17 Oct 1944, sponsored by Miss Mary Jennette; acquired 30 Oct 1944 and, 97.9% completed, placed in service same day; towed by tug Race Point 7 Nov 1944 to Bethlehem Steel Co. Key Highway Plant, Baltimore, for conversion; departed for Norfolk 16 Dec 1944, out of service 18 Dec 1944; commissioned at the Norfolk (Va.) Navy Yard 15 May 1945, CDR Herbert B. Fluck USNR in command. Spec block: displacement 6,350; 459'2" x 63' x 26'4"; 16 knots; complement 429; armament 1 x 5", 8 x 40mm, 16 x 20mm; 'class Tolland; Type C2-S-AJ3'. Service: shakedown to 6 Jun 1945; NTS; Hampton Roads 12 Jun - Marseilles 24 Jun, embarked Army troops/cargo for the Pacific with German POW labor; sailed 9 Jul; Panama Canal 24-26 Jul; Manila 23 Aug (war ended in transit); Aringay, Lingayen Gulf, embarked 33rd Division 5 Sep; convoy 20 Sep, Wakayama landing 27 Sep; Tolomo, Mindanao 10 Oct; 24th Division embarked 15 Oct, landed Matsuyama, Shikoku 22 Oct; Mitsugahama Roads; Nagoya 6-7 Nov; Magic Carpet - Port Townsend, Wash., 20 Nov; San Francisco 12 Dec; final Japan cargo run 28 Dec 1945 - 20 Feb 1946 (Sasebo 15-24 Jan, Yokosuka 26 Jan-7 Feb); Oakland departure 6 Mar; Norfolk 26 Mar 1946; decommissioned 21 May 1946; re-delivered to Maritime Commission at Lee Hall, Va., 22 May; transferred to War Shipping Administration 23 May 1946; stricken from the Navy Register 5 Jun 1946. Merchant service as Kathryn (A.H. Bull Steamship Co., New York, through the late 1950s); renamed Rio Grande; scrapped 1971.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for identity, service history, custody chain, and disposal framing. 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. Commissioning site given as Norfolk Navy Yard - conflicts with NavSource (Baltimore); logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-02
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[3]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Tolland (AKA-64) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AKA-64 class page: characteristics block, construction table, disposition table, class notes (Nov 1943/Jun 1944 MC programs; incomplete-hull conversion plan), ship notes (AKA-87 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class tables: AKA-87 DUPLIN, MC hull 1401 - acquired 30 Oct 44, keel 18 Aug 44, launched 17 Oct 44, commissioned 15 May 45; disposition row - decommissioned 21 May 46, struck 5 Jun 46, disposal 23 May 46, fate MC/D, MA sale 23 Jun 47. Ship note: 'Delivered 97.9% complete. In service for ferrying under tow 30 Oct 44 to ca. 9 Nov 44 (transit 7-9 Nov) for conversion at the Bethlehem Steel Co. Key Highway yard, Baltimore, Md. In service again for ferrying under tow 15-18 Dec 44 (transit 16-17 Dec), converted by NYd Norfolk. Merc. KATHRYN 1947. To NDRF 28 Sep 67 as RIO GRANDE. Sold by MA 6 Jan 71, to buyer 20 Jan 71.' Class-level context: design MC C2-S-AJ3; class displ. 6,318 lt / 14,160 lim; 459.2' oa x 63.0' x 26.4'; 16.5 kts; 6,000 hp G.E. turbine, 1 screw; FY 1944 program - 24 C2-S-AJ3 units from North Carolina Shipbuilding (AKA 64-87) plus 8 more (AKA 101-108); the C2-S-AJ series built exclusively at the Wilmington yard; AKA 76-87 and 105-108 acquired incomplete (main engines, auxiliary machinery and boilers aboard but not connected) and towed to repair yards in New York and Baltimore for completion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Population
- North Carolina Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944); Bethlehem Key Highway (Baltimore) and Norfolk Navy Yard conversion workforces (1944-45); NDRF James River (1946-47) and Suisun Bay (1967-71) caretakers; 1971 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD. Documents the two-stage incomplete-hull tow (Baltimore, then Norfolk) that resolves the commissioning-site question toward Norfolk - but NavSource still records Baltimore; logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - DUPLIN (AKA-87), Ship History Detail 1301, and linked record RIO GRANDE, Detail 4152 (same hull, merchant name), incl. scanned vessel status cards [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1301 registry block + status-card tab (1301_2381AF.jpg, 1301_2381AB.jpg, 1V3_01.png, 1V3_02.png); Detail 4152 registry block, milestone table, documents tab (RIO GRANDE 01-07.pdf status-card scans)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry records for this hull (two linked entries, Navy name and last merchant name): DUPLIN (AKA-87) - Year Built 1944; Official Number 252479; Shipyard 'North Carolina Shipbuilding Company'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'AKA Attack Cargo Ship'; MARAD Type C2-S-AJ3; length 459.16 ft; beam 63.00 ft; displacement 14,100 t summer / 6,556 t lightweight; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. RIO GRANDE record (Detail 4152): type Break Bulk / C2-S-AJ3; gross 8,159 t / net 4,808 t; vessel name history DUPLIN (AKA-87) -> RIO GRANDE; missions World War II and Vietnam War; milestones - Entry/Acquisition 9/28/1967 (NDRF Suisun Bay); Disposition 1/20/1971 'CUST 1967'; Withdrawal 1/20/1971.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD registry for government-custody milestones and characteristics; the merchant-era intermediate sales (Bull, National Maritime Leasing, Dearborn, Rio Grande Transport, Bulk Transport GAA) are not itemized in the registry fields - those names come from NavSource. Status-card scans exist on both records (7 document PDFs + card images) but were not individually retrieved/legibility-checked. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-04
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Duplin (AKA-87), file 10/02/02087 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02087.htm - specifications block, awards/occupation table, merchant-service entries, commanding-officer table, photo credits
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds the merchant-custody chain and campaign/occupation detail: NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, Va., from 23 May 1946; sold 23 Jun 1947 to A.H. Bull and Co., renamed SS Kathryn; sold 18 Sep 1962 (U.S. Marshal's sale) to National Maritime Leasing Co.; sold 11 Apr 1963 to Dearborn Shipping Corp., renamed SS Dearborn; sold 18 Sep 1963 to Rio Grande Transport Inc., renamed SS Rio Grande; Maritime Administration title exchange 27 Oct 1964; chartered by Bulk Transport Inc. 27 Oct 1964; General Agency Agreement 20 Oct 1965 to Bulk Transport (MSC operations); laid up 28 Sep 1967 NDRF Suisun Bay; sold for scrapping 6 Jan 1971 to American Ship Dismantlers, delivered 20 Jan 1971. Occupation-service periods: 1-10 Nov 1945 and 13 Jan-8 Feb 1946. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). CO: CDR Herbert B. Fluck USNR, 15 May 1945 - 21 May 1946. NHHC photos NH 107743 (under way 11 Jun 1945) and NH 78560.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD on all overlapping points. Data defects logged in gaps: (a) records commissioning at Baltimore, Md., vs DANFS/shipscribe Norfolk Navy Yard; (b) groups the class as 'Achernar' vs DANFS 2007 spec block/shipscribe 'Tolland'. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-05
-
[6]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + C2-S-AJ3 type data (shipscribe AKA-64 class page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, AKA section (DUPLIN row); https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/AKA/AKA64.html class data
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-turbine steam plant (one G.E. turbine, two Foster Wheeler header-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F) built in 1944 at a Maritime Commission emergency yard during the peak of WWII asbestos usage - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. The ship was completed for naval service at two yard conversions (Bethlehem Key Highway, Baltimore; Norfolk Navy Yard) - insulation and outfit work at both. Post-Navy phases with disturbance potential: merchant operation as Kathryn/Dearborn/Rio Grande (1947-1967, incl. the 1964-65 Bulk Transport/MSC period), NDRF lay-up at James River (1946-47) and Suisun Bay (1967-71), and the 1971 breaking.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1971
- Population
- Construction trades at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington (1944); Bethlehem Key Highway and Norfolk Navy Yard conversion workforces (1944-45); wartime crew and embarked troops; merchant crews (1947-1967); NDRF caretakers; 1971 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AKA-87 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-06
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[7]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 construction program under which this C2-S-AJ3 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
- 2026-09-22
- 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-duplin-aka87-07
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[8]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; 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
- 2026-09-22
- 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 North Carolina Shipbuilding Wilmington or the Bethlehem Key Highway conversion yard was among the surveyed contract yards 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-duplin-aka87-08
-
[9]Batch-1070 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 02087; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1301 + Detail 4152; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe AKA-64 class page; CourtListener API v4 (four sweeps); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-duplin-aka87-01 through sl-uss-duplin-aka87-13
- 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 Duplin / AKA-87 / MC hull 1401 / SS Kathryn / SS Dearborn / SS Rio Grande was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener results: 'Duplin' type=o returned 816 opinions - all reviewed hits are name collisions (Duplin County, N.C. government entities and school boards; Duplin Land Development; Duplin Medical Ass'n; Duplin Manufacturing; Louisiana/Connecticut litigants surnamed Duplin) with no vessel reference; '"Duplin" AND asbestos' returned 5 opinions, all collisions (McKiver v. Murphy-Brown, 4th Cir. 2020 - Duplin County hog-farm nuisance context; Williams v. Camp Mfg., N.C. 1919; Miller v. Caudle, N.C. 1941; Hercules Inc. v. EPA, D.C. Cir. 1978, two consolidated entries - geographic/industrial mentions, none maritime); '"AKA-87" OR "AKA 87"' returned 0; exact-phrase '"USS Duplin"' returned 0. Law-firm marketing pages (simmonsfirm.com generic navy-ship list, which includes 'USS Duplin') 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.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 C2-S-AJ3 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her merchant service (1947-1967), two NDRF lay-ups, undocumented MSC-period operations, and 1971 breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener opinion coverage (type=o) does not index district dockets/RECAP filings comprehensively - a pleading-stage case naming the hull could exist outside the opinion corpus.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duplin-aka87-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); NavSource-linked USS Duplin (AKA-87) War Diaries May-November 1945; MARAD ShipHistory documents sections for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1301 and /Detail/4152 (status-card scans)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): USS Duplin war diaries May-Nov 1945 plus ship's history and action report (NavSource links a 'War Diaries' entry for this hull - NARA/fold3 holdings); Navy deck logs 1945-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. C2-S-AJ3 contract plans and Booklet of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 1401 at North Carolina Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-47 James River lay-up, the 1947 Bull Line sale, the 1964 title exchange and 1965 GAA to Bulk Transport, the 1967-71 Suisun Bay lay-up, and the 1971 American Ship Dismantlers sale (RG 357) - the sale file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead; the unreviewed MARAD status-card scans on Details 1301/4152 may carry additional custody entries.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1971 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-duplin-aka87-10