Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet af-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (DANFS primary)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-dutchess-apa98-pkt-af-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, per-hull rows for DUTCHESS APA-98 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA section pp. 240-245 (dimensions p.240; personnel p.241; machinery p.242; gears/generators/fuel p.243; armament/cargo p.244; construction p.245 - row 84 throughout); alphabetical index 'APA98 DUTCHESS'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for DUTCHESS APA-98 (ex-M.C. Hull 1676): 473'1" overall / 450'0" wl; beam 66'0"; 18.6 knots trial; 8,600 tons trial displacement; limiting displacement 13,143 tons, limiting draft 25'0"; ship's company 42 officers + 434 enlisted; troops 94 officers + 1,463 enlisted; largest boom 30 t.; machinery 1 propeller, Bethlehem geared turbine, 8,000 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F; Falk main reduction gears; 3 turbo-drive 300 kW 120/240 V D.C. ship's-service generators; fuel 12,330 bbls NSFO + 675 bbls diesel; armament 2 x 5"/38 cal. (D.P.) + 4 twin 40mm A.A.; cargo 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated, 1,600 cargo DWT; built Bethlehem Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Md.; acquired/first commissioned 4 Nov 44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- 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 degraded; values cross-verified against DANFS, the MARAD registry card, and NavSource. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Dutchess (APA-98)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-25 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209185540) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block, 'Dutchess (APA-98)' (Wayback capture 20251209185540; live https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/dutchess.html returns 404; transcription cross-check https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/apa98.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: the name Dutchess was first assigned to APR-5, whose construction was canceled 12 March 1943. Dutchess (APA-98) was launched 26 August 1944 by Bethlehem-Sparrow's Point Shipyard, Inc., Sparrow's Point, Md., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Miss Dorothy Unger; transferred to the Navy 4 November 1944 and commissioned the same day, Commander A. B. Leggett in command. Arrived Newport, R.I., 8 December 1944 and served as schoolship for precommissioning crews until 27 February 1945, when she got underway from Davisville, R.I., for the Pacific; reached Pearl Harbor 19 March for training; sailed via Eniwetok to Okinawa, landing reinforcements and combat cargo 1 May 1945; sailed a week later for Saipan to debark casualties; arrived San Francisco 29 May. Sailed from Portland, Oreg., 13 June 1945 with troops for Pearl Harbor, then carried men of the IXth Corps, U.S. Army, to San Pedro, Leyte, arriving 15 July; carried troops San Francisco-Manila 21 July-12 September, then Philippine local redeployment. Arrived Wakayama, Japan, 7 October 1945; landed occupation troops at Nagoya 26-27 October; assigned to 'Magic Carpet' duty, sailed from Nagoya 1 November, embarked returning servicemen at Manila, arrived San Francisco 25 November; second such voyage 8 December 1945-25 January 1946. Departed San Francisco 1 February 1946, arrived Norfolk 19 February; decommissioned 4 April 1946 and delivered to the War Shipping Administration the next day for disposal. One battle star for World War II service. Spec block: dp. 7,970; l. 473'1"; b. 66'; dr. 25'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 554; a. 2 5"; cl. Windsor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history and the Navy custody chain. 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, identical to the hazegray DANFS transcription. Spec-block 'cpl. 554' conflicts with the BuShips per-hull personnel row (42+434=476) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Dutchess (APA-98), file 10/03/03098 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 03098.htm - timeline entries, campaign/ribbon tables, commanding-officer table, merchant-service entries, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: Windsor-class attack transport; laid down (date unknown to NavSource) as Maritime Commission type C3-S-A1 [sic - MARAD card and shipscribe give C3-S-A3] hull, MC hull 1676, at Bethlehem Steel Corp., Sparrow Point Shipyard; launched 26 August 1944; commissioned 4 November 1944, CDR Aubrey B. Leggett USNR in command; assigned TransRon Eighteen (COMO J. G. Moyer) / TransDiv Fifty-Three (CAPT W. N. Thornton); campaign table lists Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation 1-8 May 1945); Navy Occupation Service (Asia) 23 September-9 November 1945; decommissioned 4 April 1946 at Norfolk VA; returned to WSA 5 April 1946, James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Va.; struck from the Naval Register 14 April 1946; one battle star. Merchant service: towed by Moran Towing & Transportation Co. from Lee Hall to Brooklyn 13 November 1947; delivered to Bethlehem Steel Brooklyn 56th Street Shipyard 15 November 1947 for reconversion; sold to American Export Lines 22 September 1948, renamed SS Excalibur; operator renamed American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines 8 June 1964; resold to C. Y. Tung, Hong Kong, 17 September 1965, renamed SS Oriental Jade, reflagged Liberian; scrapped 1974. CO table: CDR Leggett (4 Nov 1944-6 Mar 1946), LCDR Raymond Stevenson USNR (6 Mar-2 Apr 1946). Specifications: 1 Bethlehem Shipbuilding geared turbine; 2 B&W header-type boilers 450 psi/750 deg F; double Falk main reduction gears; 3 turbo-drive 300 kW generators; single propeller 8,000 shp; 42 officers + 434 enlisted; troops 94 officers + 1,463 enlisted; call sign NZVQ.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC, BuShips SDB, and the MARAD registry on every shared datapoint except the MC design code (NavSource prints C3-S-A1; MARAD status card, MARAD registry, and shipscribe all give C3-S-A3 - discrepancy carried in gaps). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. One photo caption dates the ship in a convoy 'enroute to the Iwo Jima invasion, 6 February 1945' - conflicts with the DANFS timeline (schoolship duty at Newport until 27 Feb 1945); caption treated as contributor metadata, not asserted in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - DUTCHESS (APA-98), Ship History Detail 1303, incl. scanned vessel status cards (1V7_01.png, 1303_2385AF.jpg, 1303_2385AB.jpg) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1303 registry block + status-card scans https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1V7_01.png, /cards/1303_2385AF.jpg, /cards/1303_2385AB.jpg (read visually 2026-09-25)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull: Year Built 1944; Official Number 256463; Shipyard 'Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'APA Attack Transport'; MARAD Type C3-S-A3; length 473.10 ft; beam 66.00 ft; displacement summer 13,143 tons / lightweight 7,950 tons; fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.' Scanned MARAD vessel status card (read visually) confirms: MC Hull No. 1676; type C3-S-A3; built by Beth-Sparrows Pt. SY, Inc. at Sparrows Pt., Md.; completed 11-4-44; delivered by builder to USMC and transferred to Navy Dept. (LB agreement) 11-4-44 11:00 AM EWT at Sparrows Point; Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Va., 4-5-46 4:15 PM EST; delivered to Moran Towing & Transp. Co. (GAA) 11-13-47 2:30 PM EST for tow to Brooklyn, redelivered at Brooklyn 11-15-47 11 PM EST for reconversion at the Bethlehem 56th St. yard; sold (PUR.) to American Export Lines at Jersey City 9-22-48 11:45 AM EDT; 'NAME CHANGED TO EXCALIBUR'; operator renamed American Export Isbrandtsen Lines, Inc. 6-8-64; 'Sold Foreign (Liberia) 9-17-65.' Ship's-papers block notes 'PRELIM. ALLOC. 206 7/10/47' and 'Final alloc 762-B 7-16-48' with custodian 'AMER. EXPORT LINES.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1965
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD registry plus handwritten status-card scans read visually (front card and detailed custody card legible; a third card fragment carries only a next-vessel notation, no additional content). Documents custody events including the Nov 1947 Bethlehem 56th St. yard reconversion - a documented yard-period event - but contains no asbestos, materials, insulation, or condition-of-materials information and establishes nothing about asbestos content, quantity, location, exposure, or causation. Scrapped-abroad detail (Kaohsiung 1974) is from secondary shipping references, not this card.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-04
-
[6]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + MARAD-documented disturbance events (1946 James River lay-up; Nov 1947 Bethlehem 56th St. yard reconversion to combination passenger-cargo liner; 1948-65 merchant service; 1974 Taiwan-area breaking) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, APA section p.242 (DUTCHESS row 84); MARAD status-card custody entries
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Bethlehem turbine, 8,000 shp; two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F superheat) built at the peak of WWII asbestos usage at Bethlehem-Sparrows Point - 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 were commonly asbestos-containing in 1944 Maritime Commission construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Construction trades at Bethlehem-Sparrows Point (1944); schoolship instructor/trainee crews (Dec 1944-Feb 1945); wartime crew and embarked troops (1945-46); NDRF lay-up and reconversion workforce (1946-48); merchant crews as Excalibur (1948-65) and Oriental Jade (1965-74); Taiwan breaking-yard workers (1974)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or abatement record naming APA-98 / MC hull 1676 / Excalibur / Oriental Jade was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Does not establish final condition - the hull no longer exists (scrapped Kaohsiung 1974).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-05
-
[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 Maritime Commission construction program under which this C3-type attack transport was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented exposure of shipyard workers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- 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-dutchess-apa98-06
-
[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 pipe-covering operations in naval-vessel construction (1944-45 fieldwork) found amosite asbestos 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels' and documented worker exposure during pipe-covering fabrication and installation - the construction trade whose output was installed in hulls of this type and era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- 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 Bethlehem Sparrows Point was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-07
-
[9]Fowles v. American Export Lines, 449 F.2d 1269 (2d Cir. 1971) (CourtListener opinion 299579), affirming 300 F. Supp. 1293 (S.D.N.Y. 1969) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 449 F.2d 1269 (2d Cir., filed 1971-11-03); underlying district judgment 300 F. Supp. 1293 (S.D.N.Y., entered 1969-06-16, Edelstein, J.)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Other litigation (NOT asbestos): five unlicensed crew members of 'the S/s Excalibur, a vessel owned and operated by' American Export Lines - this hull's merchant identity (the only AEL 'Excalibur' in service 1948-1965) - sued under the Shipping Commissioners' wage statute after a 5 March 1964 galley grease fire three days into a scheduled 42-day Mediterranean cruise gutted the galley and caused structural damage (buckled/fractured deck girders, fire and general alarm circuits; repaired at a cost of $227,159); the master abandoned the voyage. The Second Circuit affirmed dismissal of the crew's one-month-wage libel. The published opinions decide a wage claim only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1964 fire; opinions 1969, 1971
- Population
- Merchant crew of this hull as S/S Excalibur (1964)
- Limitations
- Classified 'other litigation' per batch litigation-stage discipline - a wage-statute dispute naming the vessel by merchant name, not an asbestos or exposure case; provides no exposure evidence. Carried because it confirms the hull's merchant identity in the court record AND documents a 1964 fire-and-repair event aboard this 1944 hull (materials-disturbance event of unknown scope; the opinion does not state whether repairs disturbed or replaced original-era materials). Merits beyond the wage claim not adjudicated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps (fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py): "USS Dutchess" type=o opinions - 0 results; "USS Dutchess" type=r dockets - 0 results; "APA-98" type=o - 4 hits, all name collisions; "APA-98" type=r - 60 dockets, all name collisions; "Dutchess" asbestos type=o - 24 hits, all collisions; "Excalibur" asbestos type=o - 6 hits, all collisions; "Oriental Jade" type=o - 3 hits, all collisions; "Fowles" "American Export Lines" type=o - 11 hits incl. the Excalibur wage case (ev-08); "American Export" asbestos vessel type=o - 36 hits, defendant-level only (ev-12) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dutchess-apa98-07 through sl-uss-dutchess-apa98-15
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweeps produced no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull: exact-phrase "USS Dutchess" returned zero opinions and zero dockets; "APA-98" returned 4 opinions and 60 dockets, all collisions on 'APA' + '98' tokens (Administrative Procedure Act citations, exhibit/paragraph numbering - e.g., Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition v. Garland 112 F.4th 507; Chan v. U.S. Dept. of Transportation; Corley v. U.S. Dept. of the Treasury - none vessel-related); "Dutchess" + asbestos returned 24 opinions, all collisions on Dutchess County, N.Y., parties/venues (incl. Dutchess Exteriors, Inc.; Bartel v. Various MDL-875 MARDOC memorandum, 965 F. Supp. 2d 612, matched only because the opinion quotes a Dutchess County order); "Excalibur" + asbestos returned 6 opinions, all collisions on non-vessel 'Excalibur' entities; "Oriental Jade" returned 3 opinions (restaurant dba, immigration decision, jade-carving sale) - none vessel-related. The merchant-name sweep located the Excalibur wage case (ev-08) and the owner-level sweep located asbestos litigation against the hull's postwar owner (ev-12) - but no opinion or docket naming USS Dutchess / APA-98 / S/S Excalibur / S/S Oriental Jade in an asbestos claim was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is RECAP/opinion-indexed text only - complaint exhibits, unscanned attachments, and filings that omit the hull number under-cover ship names evade name search; 'Dutchess' collides with Dutchess County, N.Y., litigation and 'Excalibur'/'Oriental Jade' are common-word merchant names - qualified sweeps only were run, and a name absent from the index is not proof no filing ever existed. Fleet pacing limits deferred no query - all nine planned sweeps completed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-09
-
[11]Batch-2398 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1303 + status-card scans; NavSource 03098; shipscribe Windsor-class (APA-55) class page; CourtListener API v4 name/hull/merchant-name sweeps; NVR; VA BVA indexed check; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dutchess-apa98-01 through sl-uss-dutchess-apa98-19
- 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 Dutchess / APA-98 / MC hull 1676 / Excalibur / Oriental Jade was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 superheated-steam Maritime Commission hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the documented Nov 1947 Bethlehem 56th St. reconversion, 1964 galley-fire repair, reserve-fleet lay-up, 27-year merchant career, and 1974 Taiwan breaking are undocumented disturbance events whose materials scope is unknown. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-10
-
[12]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; deck-log series note https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online ; Special List 44 named-vessels coverage https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/special-list-44-named
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Dutchess 1944-1946 (RG 24, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992' / earlier RG 24 entry 118, NARA College Park - digitization for this hull not confirmed; WWII-era hulls appear in Special List 44 coverage); BuShips C3-S-A3 design and Booklet of General Plans (RG 19); Maritime Commission contract file for MC hull 1676 (RG 178); MARAD/WSA reconversion records for the Nov 1947 Bethlehem 56th Street yard work (RG 357) - the most promising yard-period materials lead for this hull.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974 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-dutchess-apa98-11
-
[13]Bartel v. Alcoa Steamship Co. / William Bartel v. American Export Isbrantsen et al. (consolidated), No. 15-30004/15-30005 (5th Cir., decided 2015-10-19) (CourtListener opinion 3132694); cf. Vaughn v. Farrell Lines, 937 F.2d 953 (3d Cir. 1991) (Farrell as successor to American Export Lines) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion cluster 3132694 (5th Cir. 2015, consolidated Nos. 15-30004/15-30005); underlying MDL-875 E.D. Pa. proceedings; Bartel ex rel. Estate of Dennis v. American Export Isbrandtsen, 64 F. Supp. 3d 856 (M.D. La. 2014)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Owner-level asbestos litigation (vessel NOT named): a consolidated Fifth Circuit proceeding resolved federal-officer-removal questions in Jones Act/unseaworthiness actions by merchant mariners Silas B. Bishop, Joseph L. Dennis, and Lawrence R. Craig alleging asbestos exposure over decades of service 'aboard vessels operated or owned by the various defendants' - defendants including American Export Lines, Inc. and American Export Isbrandtsen (with successor-in-interest Farrell Lines), this hull's owner/operator 1948-1965; decedent Dennis's alleged exposure window (1951-1993) overlaps the AEL ownership period. The published opinion names no vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- alleged service 1951-1993; opinions 2014-2015
- Population
- Merchant mariners employed by AEL and co-defendant lines (defendant-level class context)
- Limitations
- Classified down per litigation-stage discipline: the 2015 Fifth Circuit opinion decides only the removal/forum question - the asbestos-exposure allegations are unadjudicated pleadings, and no opinion located names S/S Excalibur or this hull. Establishes only that the hull's postwar owner faced asbestos claims for service within the ownership window; establishes nothing about conditions aboard this hull. See also Vaughn v. Farrell Lines (3d Cir. 1991) - asbestos litigation against AEL's successor, again naming no vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dutchess-apa98-12