Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Etlah' (entry published 2015-07-08; 'minor corrections, 18 July 2007') [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Entry 'I Etlah (AN-79)' following the Civil War monitor paragraph. Live NHHC URL did not complete a TLS handshake from this session on 2026-09-24; text read from Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241209114123/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/etlah.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Etlah (AN-79) was laid down 30 June 1944 at Portland, Ore., by Commercial Iron Works; launched 16 December 1944 (sponsor Mrs. Phyllis I. Kane); commissioned 16 April 1945, Lt. Harry J. Stemler, Jr., USNR, in command. 8 June-26 November 1945 operated out of San Pedro, Calif., repairing and maintaining antisubmarine nets and conducting salvage in the 11th Naval District; then served at the Net Depot, Tiburon, Calif. (experimental equipment testing; salvage in the Oakland estuary). Spring-summer 1946: Operation Crossroads at Bikini (see row 04). Overhauled at Bremerton fall 1946; placed out of commission in reserve at Astoria, Oreg., 14 March 1947. Recommissioned 10 August 1951 (Lt. Joseph K. Alexander); arrived Yokosuka 24 December 1951; maintained nets guarding Tokyo Bay and worked nets at Pusan Harbor and Cheju, Korea; post-1953 added target towing, drone launch/recovery, and target-ship duty off Japan and the Philippines. Sailed from Yokosuka 16 February 1960; decommissioned at San Diego 31 May 1960; stricken 1 July 1963 and transferred to the Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet; sold to the Dominican Republic 29 September 1976 and served as patrol corvette Cambiaso (P-201) until hulked in 1994. Two battle stars for Korean War service. DANFS header: 785 tons full load; 168'6" x 33'10" x 10'10"; 12 knots; complement 46; 1 3-inch gun, 6 20mm; Cohoes class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1994
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, dates, stations, and service. DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation, materials, or machinery statement for this hull and supports no asbestos claim. It does not mention the YN-98 designation (see row 02), the Suisun Bay reserve berth, or propulsion type. The 'P-201' pennant and '1994 hulked' end date are DANFS statements not corroborated by a Dominican official source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database, ETLAH (YN-98/AN-79), Ship History Detail 1487, including digitized Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars card (Form MA-383) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 1487: particulars block and milestones table (Entry 3/27/1962; Acquisition 3/27/1962; CUST 1963; NDRF 1962; Withdrawl/Disposition 8/30/1976); status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1487_2745AF.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD records the vessel as 'ETLAH (YN-98/AN-79)', net laying ship, 1944, length 168.50 ft, beam 33.80 ft; Korean War and WWII missions; fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag'. The digitized Reserve Fleet ship-particulars card (Form MA-383) shows: fleet Suisun Bay; entered 27 March 1962, 1110 PST, under Navy reimbursable (temporary) custody per Navy letter 15 Nov 1961 and MARAD reply 24 Nov 1961; lay-up 'Dehumidification'; arrival draft fwd 5'00" / aft 13'00"; light displacement 620 tons; LOA 168'6"; breadth 33'10"; speed 12.3 knots; 'Off.4 Enl.42'; title transferred to MARAD 1 July 1963 (Navy letter 22 July 1963); withdrawn 30 August 1976, 0900 PDT - 'Transferred to Navy/Inactive Ship Facility, for resale to Dominican Republic.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1962-1976
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and the YN-98 alias (MARAD name field). The card's crew figure (4 officers + 42 enlisted = 46) matches the DANFS complement. The card and database carry builder entries that conflict with DANFS (see correction row 03). No asbestos, insulation, hazmat, or condition-survey information appears on the card or database record; 'Dehumidification' is a lay-up preservation method, not a materials finding. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-02
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[3]Comparison of NHHC DANFS 'Etlah' entry against MARAD Vessel History Detail 1487 and its Form MA-383 status card [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS construction paragraph and header (https://web.archive.org/web/20241209114123/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/etlah.html); MARAD particulars block (https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1487); card builder/entered/withdrawn/specifications fields (https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1487_2745AF.jpg)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not resolved in the record's favor of any claim: (a) Builder - DANFS: Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Ore.; MARAD database particulars: 'Marinette Marine Corporation'; MARAD status card: 'Marietta Mfg. Co.' DANFS (the Navy's own ship history, which also names the Portland sponsor and her Portland-native late husband) is adopted as controlling; the two MARAD entries disagree with each other and are treated as MARAD transcription errors, not evidence of a second builder. (b) Displacement - the MARAD database labels 785 tons as 'Displacement, Lightweight', but DANFS gives 785 tons as full load and the MARAD card gives 620 tons light; 785 is carried as full load only. (c) Disposal date - MARAD withdrawal 30 August 1976 (transfer to Navy Inactive Ship Facility for resale) precedes the DANFS sale date 29 September 1976; both are consistent as sequential steps and both are carried. (d) Reserve custody - DANFS says transferred to MARAD reserve after striking on 1 July 1963; the card shows the hull physically entered Suisun Bay 27 March 1962 under Navy reimbursable custody, with MARAD title on 1 July 1963.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Limitations
- Builder adoption is a source-weight judgment, not a document-level resolution; no Commercial Iron Works contract record or NARA RG 19 builder file was retrieved. Nothing in this row bears on asbestos; related_shipyards is left empty because no source-verified shipyards.json slug for Commercial Iron Works was confirmed in this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-03
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Etlah' - Operation Crossroads paragraphs [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, 1946 paragraphs ('In the spring of 1946, Etlah participated in Operation Crossroads...'); Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241209114123/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/etlah.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Etlah took part in Operation Crossroads (1946) at Bikini Atoll: arrived 1 April 1946 and joined Task Unit 1.2.7 (target vessel salvage unit); placed buoys and towed target ships into position for shot Able (1 July); afterward put boarding teams on eleven target vessels for inspections and sample collection; began buoy and mooring work for shot Baker 7 July; her launch was crushed by a 10-ton anchor slipping off target submarine Tuna (SS-203) on 23 July (no injuries); after shot Baker (25 July) carried instrumentation teams to target ships and recovered underwater instrument arrays; in early August recovered and repaired sunken buoys and raised fouled anchors; departed Bikini 27 August towing target ship Mayrant (DD-402), in company with Current (ARS-22), arriving Pearl Harbor via Kwajalein 12 September.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1946-04-01 to 1946-09-12
- Population
- Etlah crew, Joint Task Force One, 1946
- Limitations
- Documents participation in nuclear-test support operations, which is a radiological-exposure context, not an asbestos finding; it must not be read as evidence of asbestos aboard or of any individual's exposure to anything. Boarding of target vessels is documented but DANFS gives no crew names, dose data, or materials information. The DTRA/DNA radiological history (DNA 6032F) was not retrievable in this session (see archival lead row 07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-04
-
[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), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 3555021 (bibliographic data verified via NCBI E-utilities esummary); article pp. 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 World War II and describes the wartime policies and protective measures adopted for shipyard workers; Etlah was built during this program (laid down June 1944, launched December 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII U.S. shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level documentation only (classified class_or_era per the house precedent in ss-john-w-brown ev-02 and the sister Cohoes-class records); the article does not name this vessel, its class, or its builder. It does not establish that any asbestos-containing material was installed aboard Etlah, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. No Cohoes-class design or materials document was located, so no product or application is inferred for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-05
-
[6]CourtListener (Free Law Project) API v4 via authenticated connector - opinion clusters incl. Chouteau v. United States, 95 U.S. 61 (1877) (opinion 89563) and Chouteau v. United States (Ct. Cl. 1873) (opinion 8577519); RECAP documents incl. MDL No. 875 Doc. 4288 (RECAP doc 173046388) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-etlah-an79-04 through -08; collision pinpoints: opinion 89563 at char 1476; opinion 8577519 (16 matches, contract for 'iron-clad monitor Etlah'); RECAP doc 173046388 char 50905 ('an 79' fax page stamp)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located. No asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, materials specification, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the sources searched: DANFS and the MARAD database/status card contain no asbestos statement; CourtListener searches (opinions and RECAP) for 'Etlah', 'AN-79', and 'YN-98', alone and with asbestos/mesothelioma terms, returned no qualifying asbestos litigation. Every opinion hit for 'Etlah' is a name collision (the 1864-65 Civil War monitor Etlah contract cases, and a Missouri railroad station named Etlah); RECAP hits are OCR/tokenizer collisions (claims-register and service-list pages in the W.R. Grace bankruptcy, a fax-header fragment in an MDL-875 filing, unrelated dockets) with no vessel context. See search_ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- searches run 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- A negative search result, not proof of absence: CourtListener coverage of state-court asbestos dockets and of pre-PACER federal filings is incomplete, and complaints that list vessels are often not full-text indexed. The hull-number searches are degraded by tokenization (the engine splits 'AN-79' into 'AN' and '79'), so a filing citing only the hull number could be missed. Does not establish that the hull was free of asbestos-containing materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-06
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[7]NARA research guides: Navy deck logs (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy); Guide to Federal Records RG 19 (archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html); DTRA NTPR Operation Crossroads report DNA 6032F (dtra.mil, blocked from this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.dtra.mil/Portals/125/Documents/NTPR/newDocs/ANTHReport/1946%20-%20DNA%206032F.pdf
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (1) NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck logs for Etlah, 1945-1947 and 1951-1960, for yard periods and shipboard work detail (e.g., the fall 1946 Bremerton overhaul). (2) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) contract plans, booklet of general plans, and machinery specifications for the Cohoes-class/AN-78 design and for YN-98/AN-79 - the likeliest source of any insulation/lagging material specification and the way to settle the builder conflict. (3) Defense Nuclear Agency report DNA 6032F, 'Operation Crossroads 1946' (DTRA Nuclear Test Personnel Review), for Etlah's radiological-support role - not an asbestos source. (4) MARAD Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet vessel files for 1962-1976 custody and any pre-sale condition/hazmat notes. (5) Dominican Navy records for Cambiaso (P-201) service and final disposition.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1994
- Limitations
- Repository-level mapping only; no box-, file-, or page-level retrieval was performed and the existence of any asbestos-relevant document for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-etlah-an79-07