USS Etamin (AK-93)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Etamin' (AK-93) entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Etamin entry, full text; canonical NHHC URL pattern (history.navy.mil .../danfs/e/) returns 404 as of 2026-09-21 - standing NHHC link rot (cf. BATCH-01); verbatim text obtained from the hazegray DANFS transcription mirror

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for Etamin (AK-93): namesake a star in the constellation Draco; formerly Isaac Babbitt; acquired by the Navy 1943-05-08; commissioned 1943-05-25, Lieutenant Commander G. W. Stedman, Jr., USCGR, in command. Assigned to the Naval Transportation Service, 12th Naval District, with operational control given to Commander, 7th Fleet Service Force; active in the southwest Pacific issuing stores to the fleet and making minor repairs until disabled by a torpedo hit (DANFS states 'in Milne Bay') 1944-04-27; towed to Cairns, Australia; decommissioned 1944-06-26. Placed in service as IX-173 1944-08-12 and continued while under tow to issue stores to the fleet; placed out of service 1946-07-09; stricken from the Navy List 1946-07-31. Two battle stars for World War II service. Stat line: dp 14,250 (f.); 441'6" x 56'11" x 27'9"; 12 kn; cpl 198; a. 1 5"; cl. Crater.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   USCG crew (complement 198 per stat line); construction trades at Permanente Yard No. 2

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction, Navy service narrative, and disposal dates. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement - supports no asbestos claim. The 'Milne Bay' torpedo location is contradicted by USCG and NHHC sources placing the hit at anchor in Aitape Road - see correction row ev-uss-etamin-ak93-10. Commissioning 1943-05-25 vs USCG sheet '24 May' (one-day inconsistency logged).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ISAAC BABBITT, Ship History Detail 8582 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 8582 - vessel information block, name history, fate field

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History Database record for ISAAC BABBITT (ShipHistory Detail 8582): year built 1943; U.S. Official No. 243378; shipyard Permanente Metals Corporation; general type General Cargo / specific type Break Bulk; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; length 441.50 ft; beam 56.80 ft; 7,176 gross / 4,380 net tons; cargo capacity 499,573 (as published); immersion 14,100 t; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; vessel name history lists ETAMIN (AK-93) and ISAAC BABBITT; mission 'World War II'. No milestones, status cards, documents, images, plans, or historical narrative are digitized for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, builder, type, official number, and disposal fate. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. No digitized status cards for this hull - custody milestones (Navy return 1946, 1948 sale/delivery) are not card-verified here and rest on DANFS/NHHC/secondary sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-02

3. [3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS Etamin AK-93' ship history sheet (webcutters PDF; sources: DANFS; Etamin file, USCG Historian's Office) [other_primary]

   Locator

   uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Etamin.pdf via Wayback capture 2017-04-30 (live history.uscg.mil returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch); 2-page PDF, HISTORY section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office ship sheet for USS Etamin (AK-93): 441'6" x 57' x 28'; displacement 10,500 tons; top speed 11 knots; complement 13 officers + 179 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"; builder '??'. History narrative: acquired by the Navy 1943-05-08; commissioned '24 May' 1943 under Lt. Comdr. G. W. Stedman, Jr., USCGR; assigned Naval Transportation Service, 12th Naval District, operational control Commander, 7th Fleet Service Force; 'At 2328 on the night of 27 April 1944, while at anchor in Aitape Road, New Guinea, she came under attack from one and possibly two Japanese aircraft. She was struck by a torpedo on her starboard side into the number 5 hatch. LCDR Stedman ordered the crew to abandon ship and she settled by the stern to the bottom of the harbor. Stedman and the executive officer stayed on board the Etamin.' Towed to Cairns, Australia; decommissioned 1944-06-26; Coast Guard crew returned to the United States for reassignment; placed in service as IX-173 1944-08-12, continuing while under tow to issue stores; placed out of service 1946-07-09; stricken 1946-07-31; two battle stars. Sheet's cited sources: DANFS; Etamin file, USCG Historian's Office.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   USCG crew (13 officers + 179 enlisted per sheet)

   Limitations

   Official USCG source for the USCG-manning fact and the torpedoing narrative - the only official source specifying the anchorage ('Aitape Road'), time (2328), hit location (starboard, No. 5 hatch), and abandon-ship/settling sequence. Variances vs DANFS (commissioning 24 vs 25 May; complement 13+179 vs 198; displacement 10,500 vs 14,250 f.) are logged in correction row ev-uss-etamin-ak93-10. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-03

4. [4]Naval Historical Center (NHHC), Online Library of Selected Images - USN Ships: USS Etamin (AK-93, later IX-173), photo NH 84961 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Online Library page for photo NH 84961 (ibiblio/HyperWar transcription of the Naval Historical Center page)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USN Ships - USS Etamin (AK-93, later IX-173), 1943-1946' page (built around photo NH 84961): 'a 14,254-ton (displacement) Crater class cargo ship, originally built at Richmond, California, as the Liberty ship Isaac Babbitt. Taken over by the Navy upon completion in early May 1943... For most her career, Etamin operated in the southwestern Pacific, carrying and issuing supplies for units of the Seventh Fleet. She also participated in the late 1943 invasion of New Britain, the March 1944 landings in the Admiralty Islands and the assault on Aitape, New Guinea. On 27 April 1944, while off Aitape, she was hit by a Japanese aircraft-launched torpedo, suffering extensive damage. Towed to Australia, Etamin was decommissioned two months later. In August 1944 she was redesignated IX-173 and entered service as a non-self-propelled stores issue vessel. Etamin was placed out of service in July 1946 and laid up at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. Soon transferred to Maritime Commission custody, she was sold in March 1948.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   USCG crew; Seventh Fleet units supplied

   Limitations

   Official NHHC history content - corroborates the Aitape location of the torpedo hit and gives the operation-level campaign list (New Britain late 1943; Admiralty Islands March 1944; Aitape assault). 'Sold in March 1948' vs NavSource 'sold 2 February 1948, removed 3 March 1948' reconciled in correction row. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-04

5. [5]U.S. Coast Guard, 'The Coast Guard at War, Vol. VI: The Pacific' (historical monograph), Hollandia/Aitape section [other_primary]

   Locator

   HyperWar transcription, 'COAST GUARD AT AITAPE' subsection (pp. 94-96)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   U.S. Coast Guard official historical monograph 'The Coast Guard at War, Vol. VI: The Pacific' records Etamin's part in the Aitape assault: 'The night before the landing at Aitape a Coast Guard manned supply ship, USS Etamin (AK) was part of a convoy which broke off from the main body for the Aitape assault. Lt. Comdr. George Stedman, USCG, told his men exactly where they were headed and what might be in store for them. A hit on the ship, with her 6,000 tons of high explosives would probably be fatal.' The ship entered Aitape Harbor at 0545 on D-Day (22 April 1944); her combat team hit the beach about 0800 and cargo was going over the side within 40 minutes, still discharging twelve hours later - she was thus anchored at Aitape discharging an explosives/gasoline cargo when torpedoed on the night of 27 April.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-04

   Population

   USCG crew; embarked combat troops put ashore

   Limitations

   Contemporaneous official operational history; establishes the ship's presence and cargo-discharge activity at Aitape on D-Day through the torpedoing window, and the hazardous cargo (6,000 tons high explosives/gasoline). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-05

6. [6]U.S. Coast Guard, 'The Long Blue Line: "Offense on Defense" - football legend Emlen Tunnell was a Coast Guard hero' (PA2 Matthew J. Thieme) [other_primary]

   Locator

   mycg.uscg.mil article (returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch); verbatim text verified via the identical Coast Guard article republished by the Foundation for Coast Guard History at fcgh.org ('previously published as part of the United States Coast Guard's The Long Blue Line Series')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   USCG 'The Long Blue Line' article (PA2 Matthew J. Thieme, U.S. Coast Guard): 'On April 27, 1944, the Coast Guard-manned cargo ship USS Etamin was unloading 6,000 tons of explosives and gasoline while at anchor at Aitape Harbor, Papua New Guinea. Without warning, Etamin was attacked by Japanese aircraft, and a torpedo blew a hole nearly 30 feet across on the ship's starboard side. With the shell plating and shaft alley of Etamin ruptured, gasoline sprayed all over the ship and caused an explosion in the engine room.' Machinist's Mate First Class Fred Shaver - the only machinist to survive - was rescued by Steward's Mate Emlen Tunnell, who beat out the flames with his hands; Tunnell, later the first African American inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, received a posthumous Silver Lifesaving Medal (2011).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   USCG crew (incl. engineering watch below decks)

   Limitations

   Official USCG historical article; documents the torpedo damage sequence (shell plating and shaft alley ruptured, gasoline spray, engine-room explosion/fire) - a major fire/flood disturbance event aboard the hull, relevant as repair-era context only. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; not an asbestos record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-06

7. [7]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant - the design type of this hull - describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty-type hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between boiler room and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; insulation in accommodation spaces and around the galley; brake linings on winches and windlass.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943

   Population

   Construction trades (Permanente Yard No. 2, Richmond, 1943); Navy-conversion yard workers (May 1943, yard undocumented); USCG engine crew 1943-44; Navy crew IX-173 1944-46; Cairns salvage/repair crews 1944; Shanghai breakers 1948-49

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-07

8. [8]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 a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built at a Kaiser-managed Richmond yard and converted for Navy service in 1943 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-08

9. [9]usmm.org, 'World War II Liberty Ships' index, MCE hull 1106 row [other_primary]

   Locator

   usmm.org/libertyships.html - I-surname section, row '1106 - Isaac Babbitt - AK 93 Etamin'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   usmm.org (American Merchant Marine at War memorial reference) WWII Liberty ship index records '1106 - Isaac Babbitt - AK 93 Etamin,' corroborating the MCE hull-number-to-Navy-hull identity chain documented by DANFS and MARAD.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943

   Limitations

   Private merchant-marine memorial compilation, not a government publication - used here only as identity corroboration independently verified by DANFS and MARAD records. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-etamin-ak93-09

10. [10]DANFS vs USCG Historian's Office ship sheet vs NHHC Online Library vs MARAD ShipHistory vs NavSource (secondary lead) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    Comparison across DANFS (hazegray mirror), USCG webcutters Etamin.pdf (Wayback), NHHC NH 84961 page, MARAD Detail 8582, NavSource (secondary)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Torpedo location - DANFS and NavSource state the 1944-04-27 torpedo hit occurred 'in Milne Bay'; the USCG Historian's Office ship sheet states 'while at anchor in Aitape Road, New Guinea'; the official USCG at-war monograph places the ship in the Aitape assault convoy and discharging cargo at Aitape from D-Day; the NHHC photo history says 'while off Aitape'; the USCG Long Blue Line article specifies 'at anchor at Aitape Harbor' - Milne Bay (eastern tip of New Guinea) is inconsistent with the documented Aitape anchorage and is treated as a DANFS error; Aitape adopted. (b) Commissioning - USCG sheet '24 May' vs DANFS/NavSource 1943-05-25: DANFS adopted, one-day inconsistency logged. (c) Complement - DANFS stat line 198 vs USCG sheet 13 officers + 179 enlisted (192): both recorded, not merged. (d) Sale date - NHHC photo history 'sold in March 1948' vs NavSource 'sold 2 February 1948, removed 3 March 1948': consistent if sale executed 1948-02-02 and delivery/removal 1948-03-03; both recorded (MARAD fate field only: 'Sold - Scrap'). (e) Displacement - DANFS 14,250 (f.) vs NHHC 14,254 t vs USCG 10,500 t vs MARAD immersion 14,100 t: reported range noted, none adopted beyond DANFS. (f) Armament - DANFS/USCG 1x5" only vs NavSource fuller fit (1x5"/38, 1x3"/50, 2x40mm, 6x20mm): DANFS adopted. (g) Construction dates - laid down 1943-03-28 and launched 1943-04-25 appear only in secondary compilations (NavSource AK-93 page; shipbuildinghistory.com Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 2 table); consistent with MARAD year-built 1943 and the documented Navy acquisition 1943-05-08; recorded, not card-verified. (h) Scrapping - 'scrapped 1949 at Shanghai' rests on secondary compilations (NavalCoverMuseum) only; official record ends at the 1948 sale for scrap.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1943-1949

    Limitations

    Discrepancies between official and secondary sources are logged, not silently resolved; none affects identity or the service record materially. NavSource used only as comparison lead, not carried as a citation-type source. No asbestos content in any compared source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-etamin-ak93-10

11. [11]Batch-965 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (transcription mirror), NHHC Online Library NH 84961, MARAD Detail 8582, USCG ship sheet + USCG at War VI + Long Blue Line, usmm.org, asbestos-term sweeps, CourtListener (blocked) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-etamin-ak93-01 through sl-uss-etamin-ak93-12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case names this hull under any name (Isaac Babbitt / Etamin / AK-93 / IX-173); the ship was scrapped 1948-49 so no preservation-era record category exists; official sources searched (DANFS, NHHC Online Library, MARAD ShipHistory, USCG Historian's Office ship sheet + at-war monograph + Long Blue Line article, usmm.org) contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; asbestos-term web sweeps returned only law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com ship page asserting everyone who served aboard 'inhaled the asbestos fibers' - unsupported boilerplate, excluded; duboselawfirm.com cargo-ship list page, excluded) and no official record; CourtListener ship-name and hull searches were throttled (HTTP 429, authenticated daily quota exhausted) at research time - classification pending, logged as blocked in the search ledger.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    2026-09-21

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 EC2-S-C1 hull with a Navy conversion, torpedo damage, wartime hulk service, and Shanghai breaking is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials throughout her service life and demolition. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener litigation classification is incomplete - the repository was rate-limited; retry logged.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-etamin-ak93-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 38 (CNO records), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 26 (USCG); USCG Historian's Office Etamin file (cited within ship sheet); Mare Island photo #3509-43 (per secondary caption - lead only) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html, /248.html; RG 24 deck-log holdings (College Park); RG 38 action/damage reports; RG 26 USCG records; Mare Island photo number per NavSource caption (lead only)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): multi-path record trail because this hull was a USCG-manned commissioned Navy ship built on a Maritime Commission contract - (a) USS Etamin (AK-93) and IX-173 deck logs and war diaries 1943-46 are in NARA RG 24 (Navy deck logs, College Park) and the 1944-04-27 torpedoing plus Cairns salvage likely generated damage reports in RG 38 (WWII action/damage report files); (b) construction records for MCE hull 1106 and the May 1943 Navy-conversion work may be in RG 178 (USMC Construction Division; West Coast Director for Construction files, San Francisco) - the conversion site is undocumented in official sources located, though a Mare Island Navy Yard photo (#3509-43, dated 1943-05-11 per NavSource caption) places the ship at the Vallejo yard inside the acquisition-to-commissioning window; (c) the 'Etamin file, USCG Historian's Office' cited as the ship sheet's source, plus USCG-manned ship records in RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard); (d) Cairns salvage/repair and IX-173 conversion records 1944 (7th Fleet Service Force files); (e) the Maritime Commission disposal file for the 1948 Asia Development Corp. sale (RG 178).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1943-1948 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCE 1106/AK-93/IX-173 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-etamin-ak93-12