USS Fentress (AK-180)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]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 C1-M-AV1 hull was mass-produced (Maritime Commission Design AV; first 100 ships contracted 1943-09-02, a second group of 100 ordered February 1944 - MC hull 2376 falls in the second group) - 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 or the C1-M-AV1 type 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-fentress-ak180-01

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Fentress' (AK-180) entry (Wayback capture of NHHC page; canonical NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-21) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback Machine capture 2019-08-22 of https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/fentress.html - full entry; canonical NHHC URL and the NavSource-linked variant (content/history/nhhc/... path) both returned 404 (standing NHHC link rot, same as batches 01 and 833)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'Fentress (AK-180)' entry records: namesake 'a county in Tennessee' (Fentress County); stat line (AK-180: dp. 2,474; l. 338'6"; b. 50'; dr. 21'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 85; a. 1 3"; cl. Alamosa). Launched 1945-03-10 by Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Richmond, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. G. M. Ellis; commissioned 1945-05-04, Lieutenant G. T. Malley, USNR, in command. After shakedown and availability, engaged in local operations until 1945-06-27, then departed San Francisco to transport cargo among the Philippine Islands; placed out of commission 1946-02-20 and 'returned to the Maritime Commission'; reacquired 1950-07-01 for MSTS service - entry text closes 'and continues in that capacity,' reflecting the entry's DANFS-era authorship (web edition published 2014-12-18).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-1950 (entry text)

   Population

   Navy crew (cpl. 85 per DANFS); Philippine Islands cargo transport

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, chronology, and operations. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement. The 1946-02-20 disposal line 'returned to the Maritime Commission' is imprecise - the MARAD status card and shipscribe document delivery to WSA and bareboat transfer to the War Department (SCAJAP) at Yokohama the same day; see correction row. Entry gives no laid-down date.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - FENTRESS (AK-180/T-AK-180), Ship History Detail 1548 (vessel status card scan ec646301-d21b-4888-b23a-b8d2be375f87.png; reserve-fleet particulars card 1548_2863AF.jpg; FENTRESS.pdf transfer ledger) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1548 - status-card scans read directly (cards/ec646301-d21b-4888-b23a-b8d2be375f87.png custody face; cards/1548_2863AF.jpg MA-383 reserve-fleet particulars; documents/f28509ad-ebe7-48e0-97d5-b410b459f7d4.pdf transfer ledger); milestones table Entry/Acquisition 11/21/1973, Disposition/Withdrawal 7/26/1974

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records for this hull (Detail 1548 'FENTRESS (AK-180/T-AK-180)'): MARAD type C1-M-AV1; shipyard 'Kaiser Company'; year built 1945; length 339.00 ft, beam 50.00; displacement 7,450 (summer) / 2,382 (light); fate 'Transferred - Foreign'; milestones Entry/Acquisition 1973-11-21, Disposition/Withdrawal 1974-07-26. Vessel status card reads: MC Hull No. 2376; 'Built by Kaiser Cargo at Yard #4', completed 5-4-45; 'Basis to U.S.M.C. Deld to Navy 5-4-45'; allocation rows - Navy Dept | Loan | Richmond Cal | 5-4-45; War Dept. | BB | 'Yoko, Japan' | 2-20-46; NAVY DEPT. | TITLE | 7-1-50; Maritime Administration | Custody | Suisun Bay | 11/2x/73 3:00pm (day digit partially legible, milestones fix 21 Nov); Permanent Transfer | Title | 7/20/74; DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR | Loan | 7/20/74; annotations 'Transferred to Pacific Trust Territory registry of Micronesian' and 'Permanent Transfer to the Government of Marshall Island 4/7/82'. Reserve-fleet ship-particulars card (Form MA-383): USNS FENTRESS (T-AK-180), C1-M-AV1, Suisun Bay; ex-name 'NO EX NAME'; category 'Mil. Aux.'; builder Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Richmond, Calif., 1945; service prior to lay-up 'Navy-MSC'; title 'Scrap'; draft 23'; tonnages Light 2505 / Full 8370; LOA 339', breadth 50'; entered 11-21-73 1500 PST; withdrawn 1000 PDT 7-26-74, reason 'Withdrawn and Delivered to Representatives of the Trust Territories of the Pacific (Loan)'. Transfer ledger (FENTRESS.pdf): USMC -> Dept of Army (BBC, date cell partially legible); Dept of Army -> USMC 7/1/50 (BBC); USMC -> Dept of Navy 7/1/50 (Title).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945-1982

   Population

   War Department/SCAJAP crews 1946-1951 (Japanese merchant crews under Army shipping control); MSTS civil-service crews 1951-circa 1971

   Limitations

   Authoritative government custody record for this hull; status-card handwriting and typed fields read directly (one milestone date digit partially legible on the card face; the ledger's first-row date cell is partially legible - the 2-20-46 Army delivery is confirmed on the status card). The web detail page fields 'Net Tons 2505 / Gross Tons 8370' mislabel the card's Light/Full displacement tonnage figures - see correction row. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or machinery-manufacturer detail - supports no asbestos claim. 'Title: Scrap' on the reserve-fleet card is a custody category, not a scrapping record - the hull was withdrawn for the TTPI loan.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Fentress (AK-180) / USNS Fentress (T-AK-180) page (compiled reference incl. DANFS transcription, awards, CO list, specifications, photo captions) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/13/130180.htm - full page incl. specifications block, commanding-officer table, awards, photo captions (Suva 1983 image credit Maurice Napier via Gerhard Mueller-Debus)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online (Service Ship Photo Archive, AK-180 page) records: laid down 1944 as MC type C1-M-AV1 (MC hull 2376) at Kaiser Cargo Inc., Richmond, CA; launched 1945-03-10; commissioned USS Fentress (AK-180) 1945-05-04, LT George T. Malley USNR in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater WWII; decommissioned 1946-02-20, returned to WSA and transferred to the War Department; struck 1946-06-05; reacquired and placed in service as USNS Fentress (T-AK-180) for MSTS 1950-07-01; out of service date unknown; struck 1973-10-15; transferred 1973-11-21 to MARAD for NDRF Suisun Bay; loaned 1974-07-20 to the Government of the Pacific Trust Territories, reflagged Micronesian; permanent transfer 1982-07-04 to the Government of the Marshall Islands; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Call sign NEKQ. Ribbons: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal (no battle stars). Specs: 2,382 t (lt) / 7,450 t (fl); 338'6" x 50' x 21'1"; 11.5 kts; complement 15 officers + 70 enlisted; largest boom 30 t; cargo 3,945 DWT incl. 9,830 cu ft refrigerated / 227,730 cu ft non-refrigerated; armament 1x3"/50 DP + 6x20mm AA; fuel 6,300 bbls diesel; propulsion one Nordberg Diesel TSM 6, two 250 kW 120/240 V DC diesel-drive generators, single propeller, 1,700 shp. Photos: USNS Fentress at anchor circa 1950-70; laid up Suisun Bay circa 1973; MV Fentress underway under Marshallese ownership circa 1982+; MV Fentress moored at Suva, Fiji, 1983.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1983

   Limitations

   NavSource is a privately compiled standard reference, not a government publication; its spec block presumably derives from standard compilations - not independently corroborated. Its 'laid down 1944' conflicts with shipscribe's precise keel date 1945-01-22 (adopted; variance disclosed in correction row), its 1982-07-04 Marshall Islands transfer date conflicts with shipscribe's 7 Apr 1982 reading of the MARAD card's ambiguous '4/7/82' (variance disclosed), and its MSTS in-service date 1950-07-01 merges title transfer with the 1951-04-01 operational reassignment documented by shipscribe. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-04

5. [5]shipscribe.com, USS Alamosa (AK-156) Class page - construction/disposition tables, class notes, and ship note for AK-180 [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/AK/AK156.html - Class Notes paragraphs (Design AV origin; 1 Jul 44 CNO directive; Jun 44 hull substitutions); Construction table row AK-180; Disposition table row 180; Ship Notes row '180 | FEN | TRE | SS | 2376'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   shipscribe.com Alamosa (AK-156) class page: construction table carries AK-180 FENTRESS - acquired/commissioned 4 May 45, builder Kaiser Cargo Richmond, keel 22 Jan 45, launched 10 Mar 45; disposition table carries 1973 decommission-era entry, struck 15 Oct 73, to MA 20 Jul 74. Ship note for AK-180 (MC hull 2376) reads: 'Converted by builder. Decomm. and to WSA/Army (SCAJAP) 20 Feb 46 as FENTRESS (V-206) at Yokohama, stk. 5 Jun 46. Title from Army to Navy (MSTS) and on Navy list 1 Jul 50. Reassigned from SCAJAP to MSTS 1 Apr 51. To MA custody 21 Nov 73, to MA and Interior Department 20 Jul 74, transferred to the Government of the Marshall Islands 7 April 1982.' Class notes document: the C1-M-AV1 'Design AV' origin (1943 JCS/JMTC requirement for small steel inter-island cargo ships; diesel substituted for requested reciprocating steam; MC contracts for the first 100 approved 1943-09-02; a second group of 100 ordered February 1944 - MC hull 2376 falls in that group); the 1944-07-01 CNO-to-BuShips ammunition-tender conversion directive naming AK-156/158/160 ONLY (this hull not included); and that in June 1944 MC hulls 2374-5 and 2377 replaced cancelled hulls 2140-1 and 2207 as AK-178/179/181 (AK-180/MC 2376 not a substitution).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1982

   Limitations

   Ship-specific documentation of the SCAJAP/War Department phase (V-206 at Yokohama), the 1950-07-01 title transfer vs 1951-04-01 operational reassignment distinction, and the 1982 Marshall Islands transfer read as 7 April. shipscribe is a compiled reference (Tim Colton, coltoncompany lineage), not a primary document; the underlying Navy/MC records are paraphrased, not quoted verbatim. The 'converted by builder' note states a conversion occurred during construction but gives no scope or materials detail - NOT an insulation or asbestos record. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-05

6. [6]NavalCoverMuseum (navalcovermuseum.org) - FENTRESS T-AK 180 page (designation history, postmark/cover record, awards) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/FENTRESS_T-AK_180 - Ship Name and Designation History, Postmarks (Locy 7z, 13608 Branch Adak AK, 1971-07-09), Other Information; the separate FENTRESS_AK_180 page exists but is empty

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavalCoverMuseum FENTRESS T-AK 180 page records the designation chronology (keel laid 1944; launched 10 Mar 1945; USS FENTRESS AK-180 commissioned 4 May 1945, decommissioned 20 Feb 1946; struck 5 Jun 1946; USNS FENTRESS T-AK-180 in service 1 Jul 1950; out of service date unknown; struck 15 Oct 1973; loaned 20 Jul 1974 to Government of the Pacific Trust Territories, reflagged Micronesian; permanent transfer 4 Jul 1982 to Government of the Marshall Islands; fate unknown), awards (American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal), and namesake ('a county in Tennessee'). Its postmark table lists a Locy Type 7z postmark from '13608 Branch Adak, AK U.S. Naval Station' dated 1971-07-09 associated with the ship's cover - noting 'the ship had no postal facilities' - placing the hull in documented naval service as late as mid-1971.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1982

   Limitations

   Compiled collector reference - corroborates custody dates and supplies the only located datum for MSTS-era operations (an Adak naval-station postmark on a ship's cover, July 1971). The postmark is a naval-station cancel associated with the ship's cover, not a shipboard post office ('the ship had no postal facilities'). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-06

7. [7]shipbuildinghistory.com - Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard page (compiled yard table and history); C1 cargo ships table row for MC 2376 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Kaiser Richmond No. 4 page - yard history paragraph and row for hull 72 / MC 2376; shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/2c1cargoships.htm row '2376 | Kaiser Corp. | Richmond CA | 72 | Fentress | C1-M-AV1 | 5,032 | May-45'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-yard context: Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 was an emergency yard developed by Kaiser Cargo, Inc., with three ways in the fifth wave of shipbuilding expansion; originally intended as an expansion of Richmond #3 (designated Richmond #3A), it was assigned separate management, renamed Richmond #4, located on the south side of the inner end of the channel at Wharf Street, and closed at the end of the war. The yard table carries this hull as yard no. 72, name Fentress, type C1-M-AV1, MC no. 2376, delivered May-45, 'To USN as AK 180, to US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands 1973' (year off by one from the documented 1974 withdrawal - disclosed in correction row).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 construction workforce (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Yard-level context for the builder of this hull; documents the facility's emergency-yard nature and the hull's yard number, but contains no asbestos or materials information and establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. The Atlas shipyards.json slug 'kaiser-shipyards' covers the Richmond complex generally, not Yard No. 4 specifically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-07

8. [8]Batch-856 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 1548 + status cards + transfer ledger; NavSource; shipscribe; shipbuildinghistory (Kaiser Richmond #4, C1 cargo table); NavalCoverMuseum; NVR hull check; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) opinion+docket sweeps; web-wide litigation search; NARA catalog; Wikipedia/mirror fate check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-fentress-ak180-01 through sl-uss-fentress-ak180-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Fentress / AK-180 / T-AK-180 / MC hull 2376 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweeps (opinion and docket level) returned zero hull-naming results. The hull left U.S. jurisdiction July 1974 on loan to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands - before the Navy's late-1970s asbestos-control programs and NESHAP demolition rules - and any final dismantling occurred under foreign flag, so no U.S.-regulated abatement record was ever expected to exist for this hull. The ship appears on bulk law-firm marketing lists of Navy hulls (freeasbestostesting.com, asbestosnavy.com, mesotheliomaasbestoshelpcenter.com); those lists enumerate every Navy ship and carry no ship-specific evidence - classified non-qualifying and not cited.

   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 1945 C1-M-AV1 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Unlike the class lead ship, this hull lacks even a documented materials event (the 1944 ammunition-tender conversion directive covered only AK-156/158/160; AK-180's ship note states only 'converted by builder' with no scope). The CourtListener sweep was completed with authentication - a clean negative at opinion and docket level, though dockets not yet digitized and non-CourtListener jurisdictions are outside coverage. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-08

9. [9]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS (Wayback mirror); NavSource AK-180 page; MARAD Detail 1548 status cards and FENTRESS.pdf ledger; shipscribe AK-156 class page; NavalCoverMuseum FENTRESS T-AK 180; shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Richmond #4 and C1 cargo tables; Wikipedia USS Fentress (lead index only) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Per-item: shipscribe construction/disposition/ship-note rows vs NavSource chronology vs MARAD card faces (ec646301-...png custody face; 1548_2863AF.jpg MA-383) and milestones; DANFS entry disposal line; shipbuildinghistory hull-72 disposition column; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Fentress_(AK-180) infobox and uncited fate line

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not merged: (a) Keel date - shipscribe carries 22 Jan 1945; NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum carry only 'laid down 1944'; shipscribe's precise date adopted (consistent with sibling cadence: AK-178 keel 4 Dec 44, AK-179 keel 27 Dec 44), variant disclosed. (b) Complement - DANFS cpl. 85 and NavSource 15 officers + 70 enlisted (85) agree; shipscribe class table carries 69 (1944) and the MC Design AV intent was 8 officers + 67 men (75) - DANFS adopted. (c) Marshall Islands permanent-transfer date - MARAD card notation '4/7/82' is date-format ambiguous: shipscribe reads 7 April 1982, NavSource and Wikipedia carry 4 July 1982 - disclosed unresolved, both readings stated. (d) MSTS start - NavSource/NCM place 'in service 1 Jul 1950' (the title-transfer date); shipscribe distinguishes title Army->Navy 1 Jul 50 from operational reassignment SCAJAP->MSTS 1 Apr 51 - the shipscribe distinction adopted, NavSource framing disclosed. (e) 1946 disposal destination - DANFS 'returned to the Maritime Commission' vs MARAD card 'War Dept. BB Yoko, Japan 2-20-46' and shipscribe 'to WSA/Army (SCAJAP) ... at Yokohama' - MARAD/shipscribe adopted as the precise chain (Navy decommissioned; WSA held title; Army bareboat for SCAJAP), DANFS gloss disclosed. (f) Tonnage fields - MARAD detail page 'Net 2505 / Gross 8370' restates the reserve card's 'Light 2505 / Full 8370' displacement figures under register-tonnage labels - card values adopted, page labels treated as mislabeled fields. (g) Spec variances - displacement 2,474 (DANFS/shipscribe light) vs 2,382 (NavSource/MARAD); length 338'6" (DANFS/NavSource) vs 338.5' oa (shipscribe) vs 339' (MARAD); speed 12 k (DANFS) vs 11.5 (NavSource/shipscribe); power 1,700 shp (NavSource) vs 1,750 HP (shipscribe); draft 21'1" (DANFS/NavSource) vs 23' on the reserve-fleet card (lay-up condition, not necessarily a conflict). (h) Disposal year - shipbuildinghistory 'to US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands 1973' vs documented withdrawal 26 Jul 1974 - MARAD adopted. (i) Wikipedia figures - '388 ft 8 in' treated as a typo for 338'8"-class figures; 'scrapped 1985' uncited and unverified; IMO 7619783 unverified against register.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944-1985 (dates reconciled 2026-09-21)

   Limitations

   Resolves nothing by fiat - records which source says what so downstream consumers inherit the conflicts honestly. Where a primary record and a compiled reference disagree, the primary record (MARAD card, DANFS) is adopted and the variant disclosed. No asbestos content in any reconciled source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-fentress-ak180-09

10. [10]NARA record-group guidance: RG 24 deck logs (post-1941 at Archives II, College Park); RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records; SCAJAP/War Department shipping records; RMI maritime registry [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov/research/military/logbooks (post-1941 Navy deck logs at College Park); archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html; catalog.archives.gov returned only its JS application shell to automated query on 2026-09-21 - no digitized AK-180 log confirmed

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for AK-180 (1945-46) at Archives II, College Park - the Philippine cargo runs (departed San Francisco 1945-06-27) and the Yokohama turnover (1946-02-20) would be logged there; (b) MSTS-era records for T-AK-180 (1950/51-circa 1971) - the thin public record for the MSTS period means deck logs and MSTS movement reports are the likeliest sources for her actual employment; (c) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records may hold the MC hull 2376 contract and C1-M-AV1 outfitting specifications for Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 hull 72 - the likeliest surviving source for the 'converted by builder' scope; (d) Army/SCAJAP records for FENTRESS (V-206), 1946-1951 - Japanese-crewed repatriation and occupation-support service under War Department bareboat; (e) Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands / Republic of the Marshall Islands registry and disposal records for IMO 7619783 - the likeliest source for the post-1982 disposition ('scrapped 1985' is asserted only by Wikipedia, unsourced).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1945-1985 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-fentress-ak180-10