Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 372-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-empire-state-ix38-pkt-372-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Procyon I (AG-11), NHHC (page published 2015-08-25; fetched via Wayback capture 2024-04-14) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Procyon I (AG-11)' entry, full narrative + specifications header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull (as Procyon I, AG-11): built 1919 by American International SB Corp., Hog Island, Pa., launched as SS Shaume; taken over by the Navy 1921-11-08 from the U.S. Shipping Board under executive order of 1921-10-29; commissioned 1921-11-30, Lt. Bertram David in command; flagship of Commander Fleet Base Force, U.S. Battle Fleet until decommissioned 1931-04-01; inspected by the State Education Department of New York, renamed Empire State (IX-38) and turned over to the State of New York 1931-07-15 at the request of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt; served as academy school ship until 1940-04-11 when transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal. DANFS specifications: dp. 4,060; l. 380'; b. 54'2"; dr. 9'8"; s. 11.5 k.; cpl. 218.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1919-1940
- Population
- USN crew (Procyon era, 1921-1931); NYSMA cadets and staff (1931-1940/41)
- Limitations
- Naval-history identity record only - contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-29 (standing NHHC link-rot issue also logged in BATCH-01); Wayback capture of the canonical page cited. Complement figure 218 applies to the Procyon Navy era only, not to training-ship service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-01
-
[3]MARAD Vessel History Database, 'AMERICAN PILOT' record Detail/217 (with reserve-fleet status cards 217_406AF, 217_406AB, AMERICAN PILOT.pdf, SHAUME.pdf) and linked name records EMPIRE STATE (Detail/11865), PROCYON (AG-11) (Detail/12685), SHAUME (Detail/12686) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov ShipHistory/Detail/217; card images /cards/217_406AF.jpg and /cards/217_406AB.jpg; document PDFs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database entry for this hull (record 217, 'AMERICAN PILOT'): Year Built 1919; Official Number 218282; Shipyard 'International Shipbuilding Company'; type Training Ship; MARAD type USSB 1022; length 380 ft, beam 54 ft, gross 5,524 t, light displacement 4,060 t; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; vessel name history SHAUME -> PROCYON (AG-11) -> EMPIRE STATE -> AMERICAN PILOT. Reserve-fleet status card (217_406AF/AB + AMERICAN PILOT.pdf OCR): entered WSA Reserve Fleet (fleet noted 'Hudson River') at Tarrytown, N.Y. 1946-06-28; vessel equipment '100% per wire 7/10/47' stripped; handwritten note '112 Lockers to be removed and turned over to the New York State Maritime Academy - per wire 8-30'; ships papers PD-X 392 8-22-47; sale award 'American Shipbreakers Inc.' 10-30-47; withdrawn from fleet 1948-03-08 0930 hours, delivered to McAllister tugs for purchaser at Tomkins Cove. Linked name-record EMPIRE STATE (Detail/11865) carries a U.S. Coast Guard photograph captioned 'Empire State on December 8, 1942, at New York.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1946-1948 (record); hull 1919-1948
- Population
- WSA/USMC reserve-fleet and stripping crews (1946-48); McAllister tow crews; American Shipbreakers yard workforce (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Federal custody and disposal record - no asbestos or materials content. Status-card OCR is imperfect (e.g., 'ex Smpire State'); handwritten annotations partially legible. Card shows disposal custody chain but does not document scrapping location or methods. 'International Shipbuilding Company' is MARAD's compressed rendering of American International Shipbuilding Corp. Stripping/removal notations document equipment and fittings removal only - no hazmat statement, consistent with the pre-regulation era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-02
-
[4]SUNY Maritime College, 'Maritime Training' institutional history page (Hall of Maritime Training), Empire State I section [museum_official]
- Locator
- sunymaritime.edu/maritime-training, 'U.S.S. Empire State I (1931-1946)' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- SUNY Maritime College official 'Maritime Training' history page for this hull ('U.S.S. Empire State I (1931-1946) ex-U.S.S. Shaume, ex-U.S.S. Procyon (AG-11), ex-American Pilot'): length 390', beam 54', 5,524 gross tons; 'the 37th keel laid on July 18, 1918 on Slipway #17,' launched May 13, 1919 as the 27th Hog Islander, christened U.S.S. Shaume by Mrs. W.H. White; no service record under the name Shaume; commissioned USS Procyon 1921-11-30; decommissioned 1931-04-01 and passed to the NY State Education Department; renamed Empire State on Gov. Roosevelt's suggestion; maiden training voyage 1932 (Albany, Washington, Baltimore, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Galveston, Gravesend, Le Havre); WWII: turned over to Maritime Commission and renamed American Pilot; trained cadets of the New York, Maine, and Massachusetts academies, 'some 2,000 men,' confined to Long Island Sound for U-boat risk; post-war 'once again renamed Empire State,' replaced 1946 by Empire State II (ex-USS Hydrus AKA-28); demolished 1948 at 'the Wilmington, Delaware scrap yards of American Shipbreakers.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1918-1948
- Population
- NYSMA cadets/instructors 1931-40; US Maritime Service cadets NY/Maine/Massachusetts academies 1941-45
- Limitations
- Operating-institution history - no asbestos content. Contains minor internal tensions with primary sources: 'no actual service record' for Shaume (consistent with USSB transfer), '5,524 gross tons' conflates tonnage with displacement, keel date and 390' length are institution-researched values not in DANFS; post-war 'renamed Empire State' and 'Wilmington, Delaware' demolition claims conflict with MARAD card and the Luce Library finding aid - logged in gaps. Cadet throughput ('2,000 men') is cumulative, not complement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'TS Empire State (IX-38) ex USS Procyon (AG-11)' (navsource.org/archives/09/49/49011.htm, page last updated 2024-02-02; fetched via Wayback 2024-02-21 capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chronology + specifications blocks; photo captions with NHHC/NARA photo numbers (NH 44361, NH 118008, NH 44362, 19-N-26702, NH 105258)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive chronology for this hull (TS Empire State IX-38, ex USS Procyon AG-11): laid down 1919 as SS Shaume under USSB contract at American International Ship Building Corp., Hog Island, PA; completed and turned over to USSB 1919-06-28; acquired by Navy 1921-11-08; commissioned USS Procyon (AG-11) 1921-11-30; decommissioned 1931-04-01; assigned on loan to New York Maritime Academy, renamed TS Empire State (IX-38), 1931-07-15; returned to the Maritime Commission 1940-04-11; assigned on loan to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy as TS American Pilot ca. 1941; 'transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, renamed TS Bay State II, date unknown'; laid up NDRF Tarrytown, N.Y. 1946-06-28; sold for scrapping 1948-03-03 'to American Shipwreckers Inc.' Specifications: 4,060 t (lt), 5,542 t (fl); 380' x 54' x 24'5"; 11.5 kt; complement 152; three oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers, one 2,500-shp Curtis geared steam turbine, one shaft. Photo captions document Procyon at Pearl Harbor 1922, Culebra Feb 1924 (Fleet Base Force flagship), Mare Island 1926-07-01, New York 1927-04-29; Empire State in the Potomac 1936-06-16.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1919-1948
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled transcription, not an official record - used for chronology and specifications where corroborated by DANFS/MARAD; discrepancies logged in gaps (complement 152 vs DANFS 218; sale 3 Mar vs MARAD withdrawal 8 Mar 1948; 'American Shipwreckers' vs card's 'American Shipbreakers'). The 'Bay State II' rename element and the 1938-dated Bay State II photo caption are contradicted by MARAD and the MMA schoolships roster - see ev-06. Propulsion spec is class-level transcription, not a hull document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-04
-
[6]SUNY Maritime Stephen B. Luce Library ArchivesSpace finding aids (sunymaritimearchives.libraryhost.com resources 30, 32, 40; agents/corporate_entities/31); Philadelphia Area Archives finding aid SMREP_PHM.25; Hagley finding aid 0884; NARA photo identifiers via NavSource captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- CA-RG1-0003 scope note; CA-RG1-0005 logbooks; findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/SMREP_PHM.25; findingaids.hagley.org 0884
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull located but not retrieved: SUNY Maritime Luce Library 'Empire State I Records, 1927-1979' (CA-RG1-0003: acquisition documents, administrative files, cruise itineraries, correspondence, alumni materials, rescue of a Spanish fishing boat) and 'Empire State I Logbooks, 1931-1941' (CA-RG1-0005, rough and smooth logs); Phylipp Dilloway Papers documenting USMSTS American Pilot service (NY Maritime Academy class of Oct 1946). NARA/NHHC photographs of the hull cited by NavSource: 19-N-26702 (American Pilot underway off NYC, 1940-48), NH 105258, NH 44361, NH 118008, NH 44362. Hog Island yard context: ~2,000 American International Shipbuilding Corp. photographs 1917-1920, Philadelphia History Museum (UPenn finding aid SMREP_PHM.25); Frederick W. Wood papers 1918-1923, Hagley Museum (0884).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1927-1979 (collection span)
- Limitations
- Collections exist per published finding aids but contents were not examined - no claim is made about what they contain on insulation or materials. Logbooks cover 1931-1941 (Empire State period only); no archive located for American Pilot period logs. Acquisition and administrative files are the most plausible repository for conversion-outfit or materials correspondence if any survives. NARA catalog is JS-driven and was not searched record-level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-05
-
[7]MARAD Vessel History name chain (Detail/217 vs 'BAY STATE (II)' Detail/427); Massachusetts Maritime Academy 'Schoolships' roster (weh.maritime.edu/campus/schoolships); SUNY Maritime Luce Library finding aid CA-RG1-0003 historical note; NavSource IX-38 page; SUNY Maritime 'Maritime Training' page [other_primary]
- Locator
- MMA schoolships list 'American Pilot, 1943-1945' and 'Bay State II, 1957-1973'; MARAD name history; Luce Library finding aid 'Historical Note'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Post-war naming conflict documented and classified: for this hull, MARAD's official name chain is SHAUME -> PROCYON (AG-11) -> EMPIRE STATE -> AMERICAN PILOT with no later name, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy's own schoolships roster carries this hull only as 'American Pilot, 1943-1945' (the page assigns 'Bay State II, 1957-1973' to a different hull, ex-USS Doyen APA-1, Ingalls 1943 - MARAD record 427). Against these, the SUNY Luce Library finding aid states the American Pilot 'was given to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy ... and the name was changed to the Bay State II,' and NavSource repeats 'transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, renamed TS Bay State II, date unknown' with a photo captioned 'TS Bay State II returning to the Hyannis ... campus ... in 1938' - a caption impossible for this hull under any scenario. SUNY Maritime's public history page instead says the ship 'was once again renamed Empire State' post-war. No primary document for a Bay State II rename was located.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945-1948
- Limitations
- Cannot fully exclude a brief undocumented post-war MMA assignment - a ~10-month window exists between war's end and the 1946-06-28 fleet entry. But the controlling federal record (MARAD name chain + status card, which carries 'AMERICAN PILOT' through disposal) and the academy's own roster weigh against the 'Bay State II' identification; NavSource's 1938-dated photo caption is internally impossible. Treated as disputed/unverified; reported as an alias with the caveat, not as fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-06
-
[8]Rushworth, 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2):35-48 (2005), doi:10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x (EPA HERO 3584926); Franke & Paustenbach, 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: a state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23 Suppl 3:1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Naval Engineers Journal 117(2):35-48 (hero.epa.gov/reference/3584926); Inhal. Toxicol. 23 Suppl 3:1-20 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22200078)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: peer-reviewed reviews of U.S. Navy asbestos practice document shipboard asbestos thermal insulation as standard Navy material across this hull's government-service era - Rushworth's Naval Engineers Journal review (2005) covers Navy asbestos insulation practice and litigation history; Franke & Paustenbach's state-of-the-science evaluation (Inhalation Toxicology 2011) explicitly covers Government and Navy asbestos-hazard knowledge 1900-1970, spanning this hull's 1918-19 construction, 1921-31 Navy commission, and 1931-46 loaned/federal training service. A Hog Island Type A steamer with three B&W boilers and a geared turbine would have carried period-standard asbestos-containing boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1918-1948 (vessel); 2005-2011 (era reviews)
- Population
- Hog Island construction trades 1918-19; USN crews 1921-31; NYSMA/US Maritime Service cadets and ship staff 1931-46; NDRF/stripping and scrapping workforces 1946-48
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The cited reviews are era/state-of-science literature that do not name this hull; no insulation specification, survey, or material test for this hull was located, and none can be (hull scrapped 1948). Nothing quantifies material or establishes any individual's exposure aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-07
-
[9]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol. 1946 Jan;28:9-16. PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PMID 21016030; article text 'PIPE COVERING MATERIAL' section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Contemporaneous primary documentation of the era's practice: the U.S. Navy-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels' (Fleischer, Viles, Gade, Drinker; J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28:9-16, Jan 1946) states 'An important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U. S. Navy vessels is amosite' - an asbestos mineral - and documents dust exposure in pipe-covering work at Navy and contract yards. The survey was conducted while this hull was itself in federal government service as a Maritime Service training ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (survey); vessel era 1918-1948
- Population
- Pipe coverers and insulators at surveyed Navy yards (1942-1944 survey period)
- Limitations
- Period practice documentation, not a hull record - surveyed WWII-era naval construction yards (a government yard A-B and contract yards C-D), does not name this vessel, does not cover 1919 merchant-design construction, and its exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion was later discredited (Kelly, New Solut. 2026, PMID 42307414). Establishes that asbestos pipe covering was standard Navy material in the era; does not establish presence aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 sweeps, 2026-09-29 (authenticated, fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py); representative classified collisions: California Packing Corp. v. The Empire State, N.D. Cal. 1960 (opinion 8746858); The Empire State, N.D. Ill. 1870 (opinion 8651058); Santa Maria v. Owens-Illinois, 808 F.2d 848 (1st Cir. 1986, opinion 481316) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-empire-state-ix38-13 through sl-uss-empire-state-ix38-16
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. Opinion index (type=o) fully swept 2026-09-29 for all name/designator variants: 'Empire State' + ship/vessel (73 hits) and + asbestos (5) - every hit a name collision: in rem actions against DIFFERENT vessels named Empire State (California Packing Corp. v. The Empire State, N.D. Cal. 1960 - the 1945 States Marine C2 cargo ship still trading; The Empire State, N.D. Ill. 1870 - a 19th-century vessel), New York-entity matches (Empire State Surety, MetLife demutualization), and asbestos-litigation opinions matching the 'Empire'-named product manufacturers (Santa Maria v. Owens-Illinois, 1st Cir. 1986 - Empire Asbestos Products/Empire Ace Insulation, not a ship) or venue text (In re New York Asbestos Litigation MDL procedural opinions). 'IX-38' opinion sweep (19 hits) - all designator collisions (docket, exhibit, and form-number strings incl. a Navy-Marine Corps CCA docket string). 'Procyon' (2 hits - produce-industry collisions). 'American Pilot' + ship/vessel (14 hits - pilotage, pilot-certification, and the 'American Pilot' nautical publication). 'Shaume' (0). 'New York State Maritime Academy' + asbestos (0). 'Bay State' + ship + asbestos (9 hits - asbestos-manufacturer and entity collisions). Docket index (type=r): 'Empire State' + vessel (211), 'IX-38' (130), 'Bay State' + asbestos (66), 'Procyon' (67), 'Shaume' (0) - first-page hits all entity/designator collisions; no caption named a vessel matching this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Residual coverage gap honestly logged: two alias docket-type sweeps ('American Pilot', 'New York State Maritime Academy') remained blocked by fleet pacing at session end; both alias opinion sweeps completed clean (14 collisions / 0). The opinion index - the index that surfaces published decisions naming vessels - is fully swept for every name and designator this hull carried. Collision detail: 'Empire State' is a high-collision name (NY entities, insurers, a 1945-built cargo sister-name still trading into 1960, and 'Empire'-named asbestos manufacturers) - each returned hit was individually classified, none touches this hull's 1919-1948 service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-09
-
[11]Batch-4807 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS Procyon I page; MARAD Vessel History DB 217/11865 + status cards; SUNY Maritime Maritime Training page; Luce Library finding aids; MMA schoolships roster; NavSource IX-38 page; Mariners' Museum catalog CL6694; Atlas shipyards.json builder check; Naval Vessel Register; CourtListener name/designator sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-empire-state-ix38-01 through sl-uss-empire-state-ix38-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey exists or was generated (the hull was sold to American Shipbreakers Inc. and withdrawn from the reserve fleet in 1948 and broken up decades before shipbreaking asbestos documentation), no abatement contract or hazmat disclosure exists, and no asbestos-materials statement appears in the DANFS record, MARAD vessel history, academy institutional histories, or located archival finding aids. The hull left federal custody in 1948 - before the era that produced asbestos documentation or litigation - so the usual exposure-record pathways (postwar yard abatement records, museum hazmat disclosures, veteran litigation naming this hull) do not exist for it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1918-19-built steam cargo hull consistent with era practice would have carried insulated steam-plant materials, and the 1931-40/41 training conversion and wartime service are the type of periods during which such material would have been installed, operated, and disturbed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-empire-state-ix38-10