USS Endymion (ARL-9)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet bk-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-endymion-arl9-pkt-bk-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS entry 'Endymion (ARL-9)', NHHC (published 2016-06-23) - via Wayback capture 2023-05-08; live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-26 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS full entry text; Wayback https://web.archive.org/web/20230508100925/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/endymion.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (NHHC): Endymion laid down as LST-513; reclassified ARL-9 on 1943-11-03; launched 1943-12-17, sponsored by Mrs. Mary C. Hanley; commissioned 1944-05-09, Lieutenant A. Edgell in command. WWII service: shakedown Chesapeake Bay; Guantanamo Bay; convoy toward Panama Canal then independently to San Diego; Pearl Harbor; deployed with TG 32.6 to Guadalcanal, arrived 1944-08-26; repairs at Guadalcanal and Russell Islands; joined task group preparing for Palau invasion; active at Kossol Passage 1944-10-03 to 1945-02-25; convoy to Leyte 1945-02-25, one month of diving operations and landing-craft repair; proceeded with Task Unit 51.14.3 for Okinawa invasion, repair service to battle- and weather-damaged destroyers, landing craft, and patrol vessels; 1945-04-28 shrapnel-burst damage, 15 crew wounded; 1945-05-10 shifted anchorage to Buckner Bay, frequent suicide-plane attacks, uninterrupted repair service; 1945-06-07 underway with Task Unit 31.29.29 for Saipan thence Pearl Harbor; 1945-06-21 torpedoed, 11 wounded, steering-gear damage, subchaser dispatched to bring her to Eniwetok for temporary repairs, continued to Pearl Harbor. Postwar: overhaul at Astoria, OR beginning 1945-11-09; decommissioned 1946-11-30 and placed in Pacific Reserve Fleet.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history establishing identity, construction, conversion designation, service, and decommissioning. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Entry text is stale post-decommissioning ('placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet where she remains' - written before the 1972 strike and 1973 sale); omits laid-down date, builder, and stricken date - supplied by NavSource/shipscribe rows. Decommissioning date here (1946-11-30) conflicts with NavSource (1946-12-04) and shipscribe (1946-11-29) - see correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-01

3. [3]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Endymion (ARL-9) page (archives/10/19/1909.htm, maintained by Gary P. Priolo, last updated 2024-12-06) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page header data block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Endymion (ARL-9): laid down 1943-08-23 as LST-513 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; reclassified ARL 1943-11-03; launched 1943-12-17; commissioned 1944-05-09, LT Albion Edgell USNR in command. Campaigns: Western Caroline Islands operation - capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands 1944-10-06/14; Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 1945-04-01/06-30. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon (1945-04-28 and 1945-06-21); personnel entry 'Pearl Heart [sic] (15 WIA 1945-04-28, 11 WIA 1945-06-21)'; 'earned two battle stars for World War II service'. Decommissioned at Astoria, OR 1946-12-04; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria; struck from Naval Register 1972-06-01. Merchant service: sold for mercantile service 1973-09-01, renamed MV Petrola XVIII; registered to Petrola Hellas S.A., Panama, 1974; name changed to MV Petrola 18, September 1976; sold 1978 to Thetis Shipping & Trading Corp. S.A., Panama; resold (date unknown) to Sete Technical Services S.A., Panama, renamed MV Sete 50; final disposition - fate unknown. Specs: 3,900 t lt / 4,100 t fl; 328' x 50' x 11'2" lim; 11.6 kts; largest boom 60 t; complement 19 officers + 270 enlisted; armament 1x3"/50 DP, 2x quad 40mm w/ Mk 51 directors, 6x twin 20mm; diesel fuel 4,715 bbls; 2x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk main reduction gear, 2 props 1,800 shp, twin rudders; ship's service generators 3x100kW DC + 2x100kW AC. CO roster: Edgell (1944-05-09/1945-08-26), Monohan (1945-08-26/09-17), Dundon (1945-09-17/1945-12), Lindner (1945-12/1946-03-21), Leonhard (1946-03-21/1946-08), Kotsmith (1946-08/1946-12-04). Photos include ship pierside at Tongue Point Naval Station, Astoria, April 1946, serving as service vessel for Pacific Reserve Fleet small ships.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1978

   Limitations

   Secondary transcription archive (Navy-compiled data + contributed photos), not a primary document; consistent with DANFS on construction/commissioning but conflicts on decommissioning date (1946-12-04 vs 1946-11-30) and merchant-sale date (1973-09-01 vs shipscribe 1973-09-18) - see correction row. Merchant-career detail (Petrola XVIII / Petrola 18 / Sete 50) is NavSource-only, not corroborated by a primary registry this session. 'Pearl Heart' is a transcription typo for Purple Heart. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-02

4. [4]shipscribe.com, 'USS Achelous (ARL-1) Class' register page (usnaux.shipscribe.com/ARL/ARL01.html), compiled 2007 from BuShips Ships' Data and OpNav records [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table row ARL-9; Disposition table row ARL-9; Ship Notes row 'ENDYMION'; Class Notes paragraphs 1-4

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary register (S.S. Roberts, compiled from BuShips/OpNav records), ARL-1 class page: construction table lists ARL-9 ENDYMION reclassified 1943-11-03, builder 'Chicago Bridge, Seneca', keel 1943-08-23, launch 1943-12-17, commission 1944-05-09. Ship note: 'Ex LST-513 3 Nov 43. Ferry commission as LST-513 3 Jan-9 Feb 44 (from reduced to full commission at New Orleans 14 Jan 44). Converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. In USN reserve 1946-72.' Disposition table: decommissioned 1946-11-29, struck 1972-06-01, disposal 1973-09-18 sold. Class notes: COMINCH directed 1942-12-03 conversion of three LSTs to landing-craft repair ships; ARL/ARB/AGP designations approved by SecNav 1943-01-13; on 1943-06-11 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended six further LST-to-ARL conversions, three for 1944 - these were ARL 7-9 (this hull among them); seven of nine ARL-1-class ships converted at Bethlehem-Key Highway, Baltimore (two at San Francisco); Gibbs & Cox design agent for all LST conversions; bow doors welded shut on U.S. units; 50-ton 'A'-frame hoist fitted; class data 2,125 t light / 4,100 t lim, 328' oa x 50' x 11.2' lim, complement 253 (1944), 11.6 kts, 1,800 HP GM diesels, original armament 1-3"/50 + 2-40mmQ + 8-20mm (ARL 1-4, 7-9 in 1943-44), postwar modification 2-40mmQ + 8-20mm (1945-48).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1973

   Limitations

   Independent authoritative register reconciling BuShips/OpNav records; adds the ferry-commission detail as LST-513 (1944-01-03 to 02-09) and the conversion yard (Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore) not in DANFS. Decommissioning 1946-11-29 conflicts with DANFS 1946-11-30 and NavSource 1946-12-04; disposal 1973-09-18 vs NavSource sale date 1973-09-01 - see correction row. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-03

5. [5]Consolidated era inference - BuShips Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST/ARL machinery and class data (shipscribe scan); NavSource spec block for this hull [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB-1945 v2 LST/ARL design tables; NavSource archives/10/19/1909.htm specifications block

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-hull auxiliary: the ship had no boilers (2x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,800 shp). Asbestos-relevant applications typical of the type and era: diesel exhaust lagging and manifold gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, machinery packing - plus ARL-specific repair-shop outfit (machine, welding, fitting shops) contemporaneously stocked with asbestos-containing consumables such as welding blankets, insulation cement, and gasket sheet stock. The construction and conversion window (Chicago Bridge-Seneca, Aug-Dec 1943; Bethlehem-Key Highway, Feb-May 1944) fell inside the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Construction workers (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca, 1943); conversion-yard workers (Bethlehem-Key Highway, Baltimore, 1944); embarked repair-ship crew and serviced landing-craft crews; undocumented merchant crews (1973 onward)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no document names this hull's materials. Diesel plant means no boiler insulation (the largest asbestos mass on steam ships); listed applications are era-typical, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence (hull left Navy custody 1973, fate unknown), individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-04

6. [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

   Abstract and article, 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 era and program under which this LST-hull conversion was built and fitted - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-05

7. [7]CourtListener API v4 opinion search q='Endymion' (type=o), 18 results screened 2026-09-26 [court_record]

   Locator

   All 18 results screened at case-name and snippet level (single page)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion-index sweep on the exact ship name 'Endymion' (2026-09-26, authenticated API v4): 18 results returned; every hit reviewed is a name collision - Krewe of Endymion Mardi Gras litigation (Citron v. Gentilly Carnival Club, Zacher v. Harrah's, Kern v. Kern, and related Louisiana Fourth Circuit matters), Louisiana cases touching 'Endymion' as street/event reference, two 19th-century cases (Yoakley v. King 1882; Bissell v. Lewis 1857), one 1820 circuit case involving a different vessel named Endymion (United States v. Andrews - a boarded merchant/slave-trade-era vessel), and Banana Services v. M/V Fleetwave (11th Cir. 1990, admiralty, no asbestos or this hull). No opinion names USS Endymion, ARL-9, or an LST-513 exposure claim. Classified: no qualifying result.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Sweep covers indexed opinions only - complaints/dockets not surfaced by case-name matching, state-court unindexed decisions, and CAVC/BVA veterans' claims are outside this index. Absence of an indexed opinion does not prove no claim was ever filed; it establishes that no qualifying ship-naming opinion is in the index.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-06

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 opinion searches q='"ARL-9"' and q='"LST-513"' (type=o), 2026-09-26 [court_record]

   Locator

   "ARL-9" count=0; "LST-513" count=0; unquoted ARL-9 count=1,242 screened at case-name/snippet level (noise)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener hull-number sweeps (2026-09-26, authenticated API v4): exact-phrase '"ARL-9"' opinion search returned 0 results; exact-phrase '"LST-513"' opinion search returned 0 results. An unquoted 'ARL-9' query tokenizes to 'ARL' and returns 1,242 hits dominated by E.D.N.Y. docket-number magistrate-initial suffixes '(ARL)' (e.g., '(JFB)(ARL)') - pure query noise; none of the screened results referenced the hull. Classified: no qualifying result on either exact hull designation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Exact-phrase hull-number coverage is complete for the opinion index; docket-level (RECAP type=r) coverage is separately logged. Absence of an indexed opinion does not prove no claim was ever filed or settled; MDL-875-style consolidated complaints that list vessels only in unindexed pleadings would not surface here.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-07

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 docket search q='Endymion' (type=r), all 36 results screened 2026-09-26 (helper cl-auth-search.py); supplementary web litigation + BVA searches [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-endymion-arl9-07 through -09; pages 1-2 screened

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener RECAP docket-level sweep for 'Endymion' (type=r, 2026-09-26, authenticated API v4): query returned 36 dockets; all 36 screened across both pages at case-name, party, and filing-description level - all name collisions or incidental document-level references: 'Endymion LLC' bankruptcy matters (S.D.N.Y. 2008 Esmerian/Merrill Lynch mortgage-fraud cluster), Endymion Systems creditor litigation, Louisiana cases touching 'Endymion' as street/krewe reference (Trout Point Lodge defamation, Roman Catholic Church of New Orleans bankruptcy), Deepwater Horizon MDL and consent decree, climate-nuisance suits (Chevron/BP/Exxon/King County), Celsius Network and SunPower bankruptcies, City of Detroit bankruptcy, copyright matters (Disney, OpenAI/Authors Guild), pharma patent litigation, and OCR-noise matches. No docket names USS Endymion, ARL-9, LST-513, or an asbestos claim aboard. A supplementary web litigation search ('USS Endymion' OR 'ARL-9' asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit) returned only litigation naming other hulls (USS McGinty, USS Rowan, USS Dynamic, USS Loyalty, USS Badger, USS Coral Sea, USS Worden, etc.) - no Endymion-specific claim surfaced in any consulted source. A VA Board of Veterans' Appeals search likewise returned no decision naming the ship.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Docket sweep complete - all 36 hits screened, none qualifying. RECAP coverage is limited to dockets/documents in the index; complaints never captured by RECAP, unindexed state-court filings, and settled pre-docketing claims remain outside this coverage. Absence of a docket does not prove no claim was ever filed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-endymion-arl9-08

10. [10]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS entry; NavSource archives/10/19/1909.htm; shipscribe usnaux ARL-1 class register (construction/disposition tables, class notes, ship note for ENDYMION) [other_primary]

    Locator

    As cited in ev-01/-02/-03 locators

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved/logged: (a) Decommissioning date - DANFS 1946-11-30 vs NavSource 1946-12-04 at Astoria, OR vs shipscribe register 1946-11-29; NavSource's CO roster ends LTjg Kotsmith's command on 1946-12-04, consistent with its own December date; all three carried. (b) Sale/disposal - NavSource 'sold for mercantile service 1973-09-01' vs shipscribe disposal 1973-09-18 'Sold'; both carried. (c) Complement - NavSource 19 officers + 270 enlisted (289) vs shipscribe class figure 253 (1944); DANFS silent; both carried. (d) Armament - NavSource lists 6 twin 20mm mounts (12 barrels); shipscribe class data lists 8-20mm for the original 1943-44 fit; carried unreconciled. (e) DANFS entry text is stale post-decommissioning ('placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet where she remains'), published 2016 but describing pre-1972 status - the 1972 strike and 1973 merchant sale come only from NavSource/shipscribe. (f) NavSource 'Pearl Heart' awards line is a transcription typo for Purple Heart; the underlying WIA counts (15 on 1945-04-28, 11 on 1945-06-21) match DANFS casualty figures for the shrapnel burst and torpedoing.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1943-1978

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies by recording each source's exact statement rather than merging; no single date adopted over the others in the record header framing. Does not affect identity or the asbestos posture. No asbestos content in any source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-endymion-arl9-09

11. [11]NARA logbook guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks; Special List 44 ship-number listing); shipscribe class notes (design-agent and conversion-yard attributions) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA deck-log guidance page; Special List 44 (sl-44-ship-number.pdf - ARL-2 only; no ARL-9/LST-513 entry); shipscribe ARL01.html class notes

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) Entry 118 deck logs - the digitized Special List 44 ship-number listing includes only ARL-2 among ARL hulls; neither ARL-9 nor LST-513 appears, so this hull's WWII logs are held at NARA College Park but were not located in the digitized catalog. RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds conversion plans/specifications for the LST-to-ARL program - Gibbs & Cox was design agent for all conversions and Bethlehem-Key Highway performed this hull's conversion, so design-agent files and yard work orders are the likeliest documents for any ship-specific materials schedule. Builder-side records (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca yard) would document the as-built LST material outfit.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1943-1973 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed. Whether any asbestos-specific document exists for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-endymion-arl9-10