Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Elder' (YN-15) entry - verbatim transcription mirror (hazegray/losthistory.net); canonical NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-24 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Elder' entry, YN-15 statistics line and narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: Elder (YN-15) was launched 19 June 1941 by Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, W.Va.; placed in service 12 November 1941, Lt. T. D. E. Martin, USNR, in charge. She laid and tended harbor-defense nets at Boston until 15 March 1942, then served as controlling gate vessel in Hussey Sound, Portland, Maine; commissioned at Boston 15 December 1942, Lt. D. H. Morse, USNR, in command. Returned to Boston 25 June 1943, sailed 8 August for San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and Funafuti, Ellice Islands (arrived 15 November), then Tarawa from December 1943 for mooring/net operations off Tarawa, Makin, and Abemama; in February 1944 towed LCT-247 to Kwajalein and worked Marshalls nets through year's end. After west-coast overhaul she reached Manus 30 April 1945, towed the disabled tanker SS McKitterick Hills to Mangarin Bay, Mindoro in May, repaired at Subic Bay, then laid sonar-buoy moorings protecting Subic Bay, surveyed the North Channel between Corregidor and Bataan, plotted Manila Harbor wrecks in September, and salvaged Subic Bay net defenses in October. From November 1945 to May 1946 she ran diving operations in Caballo Bay, Corregidor, recovering dumped Philippine silver pesos; varied Philippine duty followed until return to the Naval Net Depot, Tiburon, 3 August 1948. Alaskan operations May-October 1949 (Adak buoy work; scientific party Great Sitkin-Adak; petty officers to Simeonoff Island weather station). En route to the western Pacific she suffered a serious engine-room fire 11 March 1950; engines damaged beyond repair, she was reached by Comstock (LSD-19) and Piedmont (AD-17) on 18 March, taken in tow by Deliver (ARS-23) 19 March, and hauled to Pearl Harbor for extensive repairs, sailing again 26 January 1951 for Yokosuka net operations during the Korean War. Returned to Tiburon 27 January 1952; occasional net/buoy cruises to Eniwetok, Kwajalein, and Guam; assigned April 1954 to the 13th Naval District for Pacific Northwest harbor-defense training duty; decommissioned 18 December 1959. One battle star for WWII service. Statistics line: dp. 560; l. 163'2"; b. 30'6"; dr. 11'8"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 48; a. 1 3"; cl. Aloe.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Limitations
- Official ship-history text via transcription mirror - NHHC canonical page 404s (standing link-rot issue, also seen in Batch 01 and the batch-1764 Holly sibling). Entry gives no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-01
-
[2]ShipScribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ship database, AN-6 (Aloe class) data sheet, AN-20 ELDER row [reputable_press]
- Locator
- AN-6 class data sheet, row AN-20 ELDER
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe Aloe-class (AN-6 design) data sheet rows for AN-20 ELDER: ordered 27 July 1940; builder Marietta Mfg; keel 2 October 1940; launched 19 June 1941; in service 12 November 1941. Notes line: 'Ex YN-15 20 Jan 44. Ex JUNIPER 16 Oct 40. Comm. 15 Dec 42. Abandoned at sea Mar 50 after engine room fire and explosion; drifting vessel found 600 miles east of Eniwetok; repaired at Pearl Harbor. To NDRF 10 Oct 60. To buyer 21 Oct 71.' Class-level data: diesel-electric, 1 screw, 800 HP; complement 46 (1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1971
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation from official records (DANFS, NVR, MARAD) - corroborative, not a primary source. '600 miles east of Eniwetok' detail and the 16 October 1940 rename date are class-sheet items not in DANFS. No asbestos or materials data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-02
-
[3]MARAD ShipHistory database, ELDER (YN-15/AN-20) record + two NDRF vessel status cards (PD-X-915 sale block, Olympia custody entries) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail/1393; status-card images /cards/1393_2564AF.jpg and /cards/20e7d8df-43cd-4d46-b3c5-136a7de3cbf2.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record 'ELDER (YN-15 / AN-20)' (Detail/1393): built 1941 by Marietta Manufacturing Company; Naval Auxiliary, AN net-laying ship; length 163 ft; MARAD acquisition 10 October 1960; disposition/withdrawal 21 October 1971; fate 'Sold -NTU.' The two scanned NDRF status cards (visually read) document: delivered to the Olympia, Washington reserve fleet under temporary Navy-reimbursable custody 10 October 1960; MARAD letter 15 April 1960 / Navy reply 22 April 1960 re preservation; permanent MARAD title 1 September 1962; sold for scrap under contract PD-X-915 to Northwest Diesel Repair, Inc. for $15,680 on 7 September 1971; physical delivery 21 October 1971. Card type field reads 'Alco Diesel'; card complement 'Off.4 Enl.44.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1960-1971
- Limitations
- Primary custodial record (scanned status cards read visually; the bundled PDF scan is low-quality). Database summary fields disagree with the card in places (e.g., 163 ft length vs spec-block 163'2"; 'Alco Diesel' vs NavSource Enterprise DSG-6) - card entries adopted where legible, discrepancies logged. Cards carry condition/draft notes but no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-03
-
[4]NavSource Naval History photo archive, USS Elder (AN-20) ex-Elder (YN-15) page, .net mirror (canonical .org URL failed to fetch this session) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/18/18020 - spec block, timeline, CO roster, photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource archive page documents: authorized as Yard Net Tender Juniper (YN-15); renamed Elder; laid down as Elder (YN-15) at Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, W.Va.; launched 19 June 1941; placed in service 12 November 1941 (Lt. T. D. E. Martin, USNR); commissioned USS Elder (YN-15) 15 December 1942 (Lt. D. H. Morse, USNR); redesignated AN-20 20 January 1944; decommissioned 18 December 1959; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; final disposition listed as unknown. Spec block: displacement 700 tons full load / 805 tons light as displayed; 162'2" x 30'6" x 11'8" (limited); trial speed 12.5 kts; complement 4 officers + 44 enlisted; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose gun, two .50-cal machine guns, one Y-gun; 12-ton boom capacity; one Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric engine, single Westinghouse main reduction gear, two diesel-drive 60 kW/120 V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller, 800 shp; diesel fuel 620 bbls. Photo captions include an AP wirephoto of the March 1950 abandon-ship (26 crew in a skiff and life rafts, rescued 17 March) and a circa-1955-56 view pierside at the Harbor Defense Unit, Port Townsend, Wash. Campaign table lists the one battle star under Gilbert Islands operation, 18 November-8 December 1943. Commanding-officer roster runs through the 1959 decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1971
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive - corroborative, not authoritative; 'fate unknown' is superseded by the MARAD status cards (ev-03). Spec-block figures partly conflict with MARAD card fields (length, engine make) - logged, not merged. No asbestos or materials data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-04
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com, Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant WV yard construction list, hull 462 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Marietta yard table, hull 462 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipbuildingHistory Marietta yard list records hull no. 462 as 'Elder (AN 20),' U.S. Navy net layer, 560 tons, 151 ft, built 12-Nov-41 (delivery/in-service date), disposition 'YN 15, decommissioned 1959.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941
- Limitations
- Trade-press yard list - corroborates builder and yard hull number only; its 151-ft length conflicts with official 163'2" and its 'decommissioned 1959' carries no date precision. Not a Navy source; no asbestos data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-05
-
[6]Corn, J. K., & Starr, J. (1987). 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 11(3), 359-373 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the production program ran with minimal protective measures for shipyard workers handling asbestos-containing insulation products.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1939-1945
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship about WWII shipbuilding generally - documents industry practice, not this hull. Cannot establish asbestos aboard Elder; used only to bound the era context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-06
-
[7]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Asbestos: Production, Use, and Control in the United States' (18 Oct 1979) - product-page description; page returned HTTP 403 to automation this session (standing defect, also logged in batch-1764) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships, that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and brake linings,' and that the Navy did not begin substituting alternative materials for asbestos insulation until the early 1970s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1979
- Limitations
- Report-level government finding about the fleet, not this hull; page content not directly retrieved this session (403) - carried at index/secondary level per sibling-batch convention. Supports era context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-07
-
[8]MIL-I-2781D Interim Amendment 4 (SHIPS, January 1973), via DLA ASSIST QuickSearch index [other_primary]
- Locator
- DLA ASSIST QuickSearch, MIL-I-2781 document history
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The Navy's thermal pipe-insulation military specification was amended in January 1973 to require insulation 'composed of asbestos-free and silica-free heat-resistant materials' - evidencing the asbestos-bearing incumbent spec (MIL-I-2781 family) that governed naval pipe insulation through Elder's entire service life.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1973
- Limitations
- Specification-level evidence: proves the governing spec allowed/required asbestos-bearing insulation through 1973, not that this hull carried it. Elder decommissioned in 1959 - the 1973 amendment postdates her service; it evidences the incumbent spec era, not her outfit.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-08
-
[9]NARA guided topic 'Asbestos' (archives.gov) + NARA RG 24 deck-log series NAID 594258 + East Carolina University Marietta Manufacturing Company Records finding aid [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA asbestos guided topic; NARA II RG 24 series 594258; ECU Manuscript Collection (Marietta records)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA officially treats 'the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941-1961' as a documented research subject and prescribes the research path for this hull: DANFS first, then Bureau of Ships records (RG 19) general/confidential correspondence under hull designations AN20/YN15 and the Aloe-class namesake hull (AN6), builder correspondence under Navy Filing Manual code QM/Marietta Manufacturing, General/Ship Information Books for machinery and piping layouts, and deck logs. Elder's WWII-and-after deck logs sit in RG 24 at NARA II, College Park (series NAID 594258, deck logs 1941-1978); digitization status unverified (catalog API is JS-gated). The Marietta Manufacturing Company Records (1899-2006) at East Carolina University hold the builder's drawings, blueprints, contracts, and production files for this yard.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: points to where hull-level asbestos evidence would live if it exists. No underlying records were retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required, no spend authorized. The lead's existence is not evidence of asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-09
-
[10]Batch-1766 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (canonical 404 + hazegray mirror); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1393 + status cards; ShipScribe AN-6 class sheet; shipbuildinghistory Marietta list; NavSource AN-20; NARA asbestos guided topic; NVR AN-20 detail (pre-1987 disposal exclusion); CourtListener opinion/docket searches; e-WV/ECU builder history; DLA/GAO spec and report indexes [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-elder-an20-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, NDRF condition record, or docketed case naming the Elder hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (all queries authenticated via the fleet helper cl-auth-search.py): 'USS Elder' opinions returned zero; 'Elder'+'AN-20' returned twelve hits, all name collisions ('Elder' surnames, unrelated 'AN-20' statute/exhibit/serial fragments - verified in hit metadata); 'Elder'+'YN-15', 'Juniper'+'YN-15', 'Elder'+'net tender'+asbestos, and 'Marietta Manufacturing'+asbestos each returned zero; 'Elder'+asbestos+'Navy' returned nine hits, all collisions (Elder surnames and 'elder' text in asbestos opinions, none naming the ship); 'Elder'+asbestos+ship returned twenty hits, all collisions (three total 'Elder'/'Elders' matches across the set, all surnames; 'ship' matched 'shipyard'/'shipping' text); 'USS Elder' dockets returned four hits, all an unrelated FTC action against 'USS Elder Enterprises Inc.' and companion FTC/Amazon telemarketing cases - name collisions, not vessel litigation. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull, its designations, or its builder was located. See search_ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1941 naval auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and scrapping in 1971 leaves no museum/abatement documentation trail. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-10
-
[11]Cross-source reconciliation: NavSource AN-20 timeline; ShipScribe AN-6 class sheet; DANFS (hazegray mirror); MARAD status cards Detail/1393; NavalCoverMuseum line via NavSource page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cross-row reconciliation of ev-01 through ev-05
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies and corrections recorded: (a) Naming - VERIFY source-lists 'USS Juniper (YN-15)'; NavSource records the hull authorized as Juniper (YN-15) and renamed Elder before service, and ShipScribe dates the rename 16 October 1940; Juniper was never borne in service - one hull, consolidated here, not an absent vessel. (b) Disposition - NavSource and Wikipedia carry 'fate unknown'; MARAD status cards supersede: sold for scrap PD-X-915 (7 Sep 1971, Northwest Diesel Repair Inc., $15,680), delivered 21 Oct 1971. (c) Decommissioning - DANFS/NavSource main text 18 December 1959 vs a NavalCoverMuseum-sourced 1 December 1959 line; DANFS adopted. (d) Propulsion - NavSource Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric vs MARAD card 'Alco Diesel'; carried unresolved. (e) Keel-vs-rename ordering - ShipScribe keel 2 Oct 1940 precedes rename 16 Oct 1940 while NavSource summarizes 'laid down as Elder'; NavSource's ordering is summary-level, explicit dates adopted. (f) Stricken date unknown - not in DANFS or NavSource; shipbuildinghistory 'struck 1959' unverified; MARAD permanent title 1 Sep 1962 is the documented custody transition.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1971
- Limitations
- Correction row documents - and preserves - the discrepancies rather than silently harmonizing them. Adopted values are stated; the losing variants remain visible for audit. None of the discrepancies concerns asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-11
-
[12]e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, 'Marietta Manufacturing Company' entry; corroborated by the ECU Marietta Manufacturing Company Records finding aid [reputable_press]
- Locator
- e-WV Marietta Manufacturing Company entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Marietta Manufacturing Company operated a shipyard at Point Pleasant, WV from 1916/1917 to 1970; during WWII it built four Navy net tenders - Gum Tree, Holly, Elder, and Larch - among its wartime output. The company's surviving records (drawings, blueprints, contracts, production files) are held at East Carolina University.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1917-1970
- Limitations
- Builder-history context only - documents the yard's wartime production, not materials aboard this hull. Yard absent from the project's shipyards.json dataset (no slug) - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elder-an20-12