Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Electra II (AK-21)' (NHHC publication date 2018-02-13) - live NHHC URL 404s as of 2026-09-20; text verified via Wayback capture 20251209190603 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS > E > 'Electra II (AK-21)' full entry, incl. spec header and narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official entry documents: C2-T freighter Meteor (M.C. hull 127) built by Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, Fla., under Maritime Commission contract; transferred to the Navy 1941-04-16; launched 1941-11-18 (sponsor Mrs. C. O. Andrews); commissioned 1942-03-17 as AK-21, Cmdr. James J. Hughes (former CO of gunboat Panay, PR-5) in command; reclassified AKA-4 1943-02-01. WWII service: Norfolk-Wellington NZ voyage 1942-05-10 to 1942-07-18 carrying 1st Marines troops; Chesapeake Bay training; sailed 1942-10-23 for French Morocco; Safi landings 1942-11-08 with landing boats lost; unloaded by the 14th; torpedoed on the starboard side bound for Fedhala; USS Cole (DD-155) removed all but salvage party; beached at Casablanca ('2 days later' per entry - see correction row ev-05); repaired with salvage facilities ashore; returned to Charleston 1943-04-30. Overhaul and permanent repairs, then Chesapeake Bay amphibious training; sailed for the Pacific 1943-12-11. Kwajalein/Eniwetok operations 1944-01/02; Saipan assault 1944-06-15/26; Palaus operation (Babelthuap feint 1944-09-15; control boat Angaur assault); Tacloban, Leyte landings 1944-10-20 and support landings 1944-11-23; Lingayen Gulf assault 1945-01-09/17 under air attack; Iwo Jima arrival 1945-03-18, embarked 5th Marines for Pearl Harbor (arrived 1945-04-15); West Coast overhaul; occupation troops to Wakayama and Hiro Wan; arrived San Francisco 1945-11-10. Out of commission in reserve 1946-03-19; returned to Maritime Commission 1946-07-01. Reacquired 1951-10-16; recommissioned 1952-05-03; West Coast amphibious exercises and submarine target duty; Arctic supply mission to Icy Cape with TF 9 (1953-07-10/21); Pribilof Islands supply 1954-07-10 to 1954-09-07; out of commission in reserve 1955-05-13. Six WWII battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1941-1955
- Population
- Ship's complement (267 per entry header) plus embarked troops/passengers; salvage and yard workers during documented repair periods
- Limitations
- Official Navy history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. The published entry's 'beached at Casablanca 2 days later' is inconsistent with the primary war-damage report (beached 0400 on 16 November, under 24 hours after the hit) - see correction row ev-05. Header displacement '4,780' conflicts with MARAD figures. Does not establish any exposure condition aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-01
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[2]Bureau of Ships, Navy Department, War Damage Report No. 32 (NAVSHIPS 32 (424)), 'Transports Torpedoed off Fedala, 11-15 November 1942,' dated 1943-08-14 - HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- WDR No. 32, ELECTRA section, paragraphs 17-27 + discussion paragraphs 35-37; references (h) C.O. ELECTRA serial 048 (1942-11-17) and (j) C.O. ELECTRA A7-3/AKA/L11-1/(017) (1943-06-22)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary BuShips report names this hull: at about 0640 on 1942-11-15, proceeding to Fedala about 17 miles off the coast, ELECTRA was struck by a torpedo on the starboard side in way of No. 3 hold; the explosion blew hatch covers off and was followed by two smaller explosions probably from bangalore torpedoes in the cargo. The hit opened a ~43 ft x 19 ft hole; fragment attack on bulkheads 80 and 113 and the port shell; flooding reached No. 3 hold, No. 2 deep tanks (loaded ~79% with gasoline in 5-gallon tins), engine room, shaft alley (through a leaky door and unpacked cable glands), and after magazines. USS Cole took off all but the salvage party at 0720; Cherokee (AT-66), Stansbury (DMS-8), and Raven (AM-55) towed/pumped; beached in Casablanca Harbor at 0400 on 1942-11-16 with two French tugs. Salvage: divers patched, engine room reconditioned in three continuous shifts (machinery dismantled and overhauled; 'the diesels for the two main generators were badly damaged'; 80 motors/generators restored incl. one 150 kW and two 300 kW generators); a large patch fabricated from No. 3 hold hatch steel was placed 1942-12-12; the ship returned to the U.S. under her own power. Report table: former name METEOR, year built 1940, displacement 13,876 tons, w.l. length 435 ft, beam 63 ft. Photos 1-4 are Charleston Navy Yard drydock views of the patched torpedo damage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-11-15 to 1943-04-30
- Population
- Ship's complement, embarked wounded passengers, salvage parties (USS Cole/Cherokee/Stansbury/Raven), Casablanca salvage facilities, Charleston Navy Yard repair trades
- Limitations
- Primary Navy engineering record of the 1942 torpedoing and repair; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or abatement information - the documented generator 'diesels' corroborate diesel auxiliaries aboard but the report does not specify main-engine type. Report's 'year built 1940' conflicts with the 1941 launch in DANFS and MARAD's 'year built 1942' (keel/contract vs completion convention - unmerged). Does not establish any exposure condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - ELECTRA (AKA-4), ShipHistory Detail 1397 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1397 - vessel particulars, milestones, status cards, documents
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD record: year built 1942; shipyard Tampa Shipbuilding Company; MARAD type C2-T; length 459.08 ft, beam 63 ft; gross 8,051 / net 4,840 tons; summer displacement 14,100 tons, lightweight 7,480 tons; fate 'Transferred - U.S. Govt.'; milestones: Entry 1946-06-30, Acquisition 1946-06-30, Disposition 1974-06-07, Withdrawal 1974-06-07. Vessel name history lists METEOR. Photographs include a USN image captioned 'Starboard side looking forward on Electra (AK-21). Photo was taken on April 1, 1942 at the Charlestown Navy Yard.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Limitations
- Milestone/custody and dimensional data only - no materials, insulation, or asbestos fields. 'Year built 1942' conflicts with the 1941-11-18 launch in DANFS (MARAD convention appears to be completion year). One attached 'historical document' (Electra_1397_001.pdf) is a 1942-03-07 Coast Guard radio-sealing form for a Seattle fishing boat named ELECTRA - a different vessel misfiled against this hull's record; contents not attributed to AKA-4.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-03
-
[4]MARAD Vessel History Database, custody status-card scan for 'ELECTRA O/N AKA-4' (attached document 3402f3e9) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status-card scan, four custody rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Handwritten MARAD custody card records: 1951-10-16 11:41 a.m. PDST - Reserve Fleet to Navy Department at Suisun Bay ('LU - custody'), matching DANFS reacquisition; 1956-05-31 - Navy Department custody event at a partially legible port entry; 1960-07-21 11:25 a.m. PDST - Navy to Reserve Fleet at Olympia ('Navy - LU'); 1962-10-01 12:01 a.m. PDST - Suisun Bay ('custody - LU'), the permanent transfer to Maritime Commission custody.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1951-1962
- Limitations
- Handwritten scanned card; partially legible - the 1956-05-31 row's port and the exact nature of that custody event are not fully readable; dates transcribed with OCR-free visual reading, not independently corroborated. No materials, insulation, or asbestos content. Card does not show the 1974 sale; final disposition rests on the milestone table.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-04
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[5]Source discrepancies resolved against primary record: BuShips War Damage Report No. 32 vs DANFS narrative and secondary compilations (NavSource awards annotation; uboat.net U-173 page; Wikipedia text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- WDR No. 32 paragraphs 17 and 21; DANFS entry narrative; secondary annotations cross-checked, not cited
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corrections adopted from the primary war-damage report: (a) torpedoing date is 1942-11-15 ~0640 - a secondary compilation's awards annotation reads 'torpedoed, 14 November 1942,' and DANFS gives no date; (b) beaching is 0400 on 1942-11-16 per the report - DANFS's 'beached at Casablanca 2 days later' is inconsistent with the primary source and not adopted; (c) attribution of the torpedo to U-173 rests on secondary sources (Wikipedia, uboat.net), not on the cited Navy documents - carried as secondary only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-11-15 to 1942-11-16
- Limitations
- Correction row: records discrepancies between the primary report, the official narrative, and secondary compilations so downstream readers do not propagate '14 November' or '2 days later.' Bears on history only - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-05
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[6]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
- Journal article DOI landing page
- 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-T hull was built (Tampa Shipbuilding, 1941) and the Navy-yard system in which she was repaired after torpedo damage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and ship crews (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level scholarship; does not name this hull, the C2-T type, or Tampa Shipbuilding specifically. Supports era context only - not evidence that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and establishes nothing about quantities, locations, or condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-06
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[7]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (1979-10-18) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its insulation-removal policies with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - program-level context for Navy-yard availabilities. Electra's documented yard periods (Charlestown Navy Yard April 1942 photograph; Charleston 1943 permanent repairs; a 1945 West Coast overhaul whose yard is unnamed in official sources) predate the report's 1970s policy window but fall within the era of shipboard asbestos use it describes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1979 (report); covers policies 1975-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level report; fieldwork yards were not Electra yards and the report postdates her Navy service. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - product-page description used; full text not retrieved this pass. Establishes nothing about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-07
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 opinion-index searches run 2026-09-20: 'USS Electra' (0 hits), 'AK-21' (0 hits), 'AKA-4' (2 hits) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search results; classification detail in search_ledger sl-uss-electra-aka4-05 and -06
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in the opinion index. The two 'AKA-4' hits are name collisions on the 'a/k/a' artifact, classified: Chen v. Garland (2d Cir. 2023) - immigration matter; State of Tennessee v. Tony Thomas and Laronda Turner (Tenn. Crim. App. 2021) - criminal matter; neither names the vessel. 'USS Electra' and 'AK-21' returned zero hits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- opinion index; search date 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Opinion-index coverage only and incomplete: the broad 'Electra' + asbestos query and the RECAP docket-level sweep were rate-limit blocked (HTTP 429; the documented 125/day cap was already consumed on this machine, with the rolling window repeatedly re-consumed over ~90 minutes of spaced retries) and logged as blocked in search_ledger. No located hit names hull AK-21/AKA-4 or involves asbestos; no finding of exposure exists in any located record. Search-stage classification, not an adjudicated result.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-08
-
[9]Batch-1018 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404 + Wayback capture); BuShips War Damage Report No. 32 (HyperWar); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1397 + custody-card scan + attached documents; CourtListener name/hull queries; NARA Catalog; NavSource (lead only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-electra-aka4-01 through sl-uss-electra-aka4-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Electra (AK-21/AKA-4) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - WWII-era construction, battle-damage repair, and Navy-yard availabilities are consistent with era-typical materials, but nothing ship-specific was located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 181 (naval districts and shore establishments) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guide pages (024, 019, 178, 181)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for AK-21/AKA-4 covering 1942-1955 service (NavSource indexes surviving war diaries for 1942-05-10 to 1943-01-29 and 1943-02-01 to 1945-12-31); RG 19 Bureau of Ships records holding the War Damage Report No. 32 originals and its cited correspondence (C.O. Electra serial 048 of 1942-11-17; A7-3/AKA/L11-1/(017) of 1943-06-22) plus Charleston Navy Yard permanent-repair work packages; RG 178 Maritime Commission Construction Division files that may hold M.C. hull 127 (Meteor) construction and outfitting papers; RG 181 records for the documented Charlestown and Charleston Navy Yard availabilities.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - not evidence about this hull. NARA Catalog did not return machine-readable results this pass; digitization status of the AKA-4 deck logs is unverified; no box-level retrieval performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-electra-aka4-10