Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]DANFS, Elkhorn (AOG-7) - verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror (live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-25) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative; header line: (AOG-7: dp. 1,850; l. 310'9"; b. 48'6"; dr. 15'8"; s. 14 k.; cpl. 131; a. 4 3"; cl. Patapsco)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division): Elkhorn (AOG-7), named for a river in Nebraska, was launched 1943-05-15 by Cargill Inc., Savage, Minn., sponsored by Mrs. J.A. Flynn, commissioned 1944-02-12, Lt. (j.g.) T.A. Norris USNR in command. Departed New Orleans 1944-02-25; station tanker at Milne Bay, New Guinea from 1944-05-29, with reload voyages to Manus; fueled ships in the Morotai invasion September 1944; at Leyte from March 1945 and served throughout the Philippines until 1 December; returned to the U.S. West Coast for overhaul. Remained in active Pacific Fleet service through 1962, based at Pearl Harbor alternating Far East tours with South and central Pacific cruises; operated in Japanese waters and off Korea in 1951 and 1953; Arctic resupply missions to Icy Cape and Point Barrow in 1956 and 1957.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, and service history through 1962 - the DANFS text predates the Vietnam-era and transfer years. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information; supports no asbestos claim. Canonical NHHC URL (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/elkhorn.html) returned 404; mirror cited per standing NHHC link-rot issue.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, USS Elkhorn (AOG-7) photo index page (navsource.net/archives/09/20/2007.htm), incl. US Navy photo captions and compiled specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- Vessel chronology block, campaign tables, specifications block, photo captions 09200707/09200709 (Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, 1951-06-01), commanding officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photo archive (official U.S. Navy photos and compiled specifications): laid down 1942-09-08 as Maritime Commission T1-MT-M1 hull at Cargill Inc., Savage, MN; launched 1943-05-15; commissioned 1944-02-12. Propulsion: four GE 12-278A diesel engines, single Farrel-Birmingham main reduction gear, two propellers, 3,300 shp; diesel fuel capacity 2,240 bbls; cargo 7,975 bbls Navy Standard fuel oil and 410,500 gals gasoline. Awards: Korean Service Medal (1 star), Vietnam Service Medal (8 campaign stars), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation (6), Philippine Liberation Medal, Navy Occupation and China Service medals (1946-1949 periods tabulated), Antarctic Service Medal (2). Vietnam campaign table covers 1964-1970. US Navy photos document Elkhorn pierside and in drydock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, 1 June 1951. Sold to Taiwan under the Security Assistance Program 1972-05-01, renamed ROCS Hsing Lung (AOG-515); decommissioned 1972-07-01; struck from the Naval Register 1976-04-15. Twenty commanding officers listed through LCDR Steven M. Mondul (1970-09-10 to 1972-07-01).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1976
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated secondary archive reproducing official USN photography and DANFS-consistent data; the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard 1951 photo captions are official USN photo descriptions. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Award ribbon board lists Antarctic Service Medal though DANFS describes the 1956-57 missions as Arctic (Icy Cape/Point Barrow) - flag discrepancy rather than reconcile.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-02
-
[3]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (alphabetized ships list; VA/VBA document mirrored by veteran-service organizations) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Alphabetized ships list, 'Elkhorn (AOG-7)' row, Category I; additional mirrors: oldbluewater.com/ShipListNOV2015.pdf; davwebsites.dav.org Scan_Doc0034.pdf
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Elkhorn (AOG-7) appears on the Department of Veterans Affairs list 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' in Category I - 'operated primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways' - a ship-specific federal eligibility listing under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii) for Agent Orange presumptive exposure. Alphabetized list editions inspected (2012, 2015) both carry the entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1964-1970 (operations); list editions 2012-2015
- Population
- Vietnam-era crew (inland waterway operations, 1964-1970 campaigns)
- Limitations
- Federal regulatory record naming this hull, but it documents herbicide (Agent Orange) exposure presumption from inland-waterway operations - it is not an asbestos record and establishes nothing about asbestos aboard. VA's canonical publichealth.va.gov shiplist URL returned 404 on 2026-09-25; mirrors of the VA document are cited. Does not establish individual exposure, quantity, or eligibility for any asbestos-related claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-03
-
[4]NHHC archives, USS Henderson (DD-785) Command History for 1971 (OPNAV Report 5750-1), declassified scan, Hong Kong port-visit narrative [other_primary]
- Locator
- Henderson 1971 command history, Hong Kong in-port narrative ('15 June USS ELKHORN (AOG-7) relieved HENDERSON...')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC-hosted official command history (OPNAV Report 5750-1) for USS Henderson (DD-785), calendar 1971: 'Then on 15 June USS ELKHORN (AOG-7) relieved HENDERSON of duties as SOPA Admin Hong Kong, and the ship left the harbor enroute to SAR/PIRAZ station in the Gulf of Tonkin.' Ship-specific contemporaneous Navy record placing Elkhorn at Hong Kong in SOPA administrative duty in June 1971 during her final Western Pacific deployment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1971
- Limitations
- A third-party ship's command history mentioning Elkhorn by name - confirms assignment and location in June 1971. Contains no asbestos or materials information. No Elkhorn-authored command history was located in the digitized NHHC command-operation-reports collection (logged as archival lead).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-04
-
[5]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); NavSource specifications (diesel-electric plant) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; NavSource specifications block (four GE 12-278A diesels, Farrel-Birmingham gear, twin screws)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference, qualified: Elkhorn is a 1942-43 Maritime Commission T1-MT-M1 tanker hull with diesel-electric propulsion - no boilers and no steam distribution system, so the boiler-casing, fireroom-insulation, and steam-line-lagging applications documented for steam-era combatants do not apply to this hull. WWII-era shipbuilding practice nonetheless used asbestos widely in non-steam applications: electrical cable insulation, machinery exhaust lagging, valve and flange gaskets and packing, bulkhead and joiner panels, deck tile, and brake linings. Peer-reviewed historical study documents extensive asbestos use in U.S. shipbuilding during the WWII period when this hull was built.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Construction trades (Cargill Inc., Savage MN, 1942-43); crew (1944-1972); ROC Navy crew (1972-2005 reported)
- Limitations
- Program/era documentation plus design-type inference - no hull-specific insulation record exists. The diesel-electric plant narrows but does not eliminate era-standard applications; nothing establishes that asbestos was or was not installed, its quantity, condition, remaining presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-05
-
[6]Batch-2017 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NavSource/NHHC archives; VA ships list; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener API v4 opinion search; web sweep for abatement/shipbreaking records [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-elkhorn-aog7-01 through sl-uss-elkhorn-aog7-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court opinion, or docketed case naming Elkhorn (AOG-7) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches for 'USS Elkhorn' and 'AOG-7' each returned zero results; the 'Elkhorn asbestos' opinion sweep (43 ranked hits) and 'Elkhorn'/'AOG-7' RECAP docket sweeps (3,884 / 15 hits) returned only name collisions - Elkhorn toponym entities, coal-mine and corporate debtors, unrelated exhibits - none naming the vessel.
- 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 1943-built hull that remained in ROC Navy service to ~2005 would have carried era-standard materials unless removed. CourtListener coverage was briefly interrupted by fleet pacing but completed on retry: both opinion queries returned zero and the docket sweeps returned only collisions; RECAP coverage is not exhaustive of state or non-digitized federal filings. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-06
-
[7]Minnesota Public Radio NewsCut, 'The ships of Savage' (2015) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NewsCut feature, text passage on Elkhorn/Hsing Lung
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Minnesota Public Radio (NewsCut, 2015), on the Cargill yard at Savage: 'The last Savage-built ship - the Elkhorn - was sold to Taiwan in 1972, was renamed Hsing Lung and was last seen steaming around as late as 2008.' Reputable-press confirmation that the hull survived in ROC service decades past transfer; consistent with secondary reports of ROC decommissioning 2005-04-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1972-2008
- Limitations
- Press feature documenting post-transfer survival, not a disposal or materials record. Contains no asbestos information; does not establish final disposition, scrapping location, or any shipbreaking exposure pathway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhorn-aog7-07