Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet bj-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: PHANTOM (paper-only designation)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-feronia-arl45-pkt-bj-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-332 (build dates, sponsor, theater operations, decommission/strike/sale dates, battle-star count) - live NHHC page 404s; text verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lst-332.html [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full record (short LST-format entry); Wayback capture web.archive.org/web/20240526174355
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 29 October 1942 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched 24 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. G. W. Henderson; commissioned 6 February 1943; assigned to the European theater - Sicilian occupation (July 1943), Salerno landings (September 1943), invasion of Normandy (June 1944); decommissioned 22 May 1945; struck from the Navy list 12 March 1946; sold 17 October 1946 to the Suwannee Steamship Co., Charleston, S.C.; three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew and embarked troops
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, not materials or asbestos content. The NHHC entry does NOT mention the Feronia/ARL-45 conversion at all - the conversion narrative in secondary sources derives from NavSource and ship-register compilations, not this DANFS text. Live page returns 404; Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-332 / ARL-45 Feronia (160332) - specification block, campaign table, CO table, custodial chronology, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/16/160332: Specifications block (ONI-1945), campaign table, Commanding Officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for this hull (USS LST-332 / ARL-45 Feronia, archive 10/16/160332): call sign NXGP; awards - American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (3), WWII Victory Medal; commissioned 6 February 1943 with LT Brenton Brown USNR in command (CO table carries Brown to at least 31 December 1944); campaign dates - Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943, Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943, invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; decommissioned 22 May 1945 for conversion to Landing Craft Repair Ship Feronia (ARL-45) 'at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y.'; conversion canceled 12 September 1945; reverted to LST-332; struck 12 March 1946; sold 17 October 1946 to Suwannee Steamship Co. for conversion to merchant service. ONI-1945 specification block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328' oa x 50'; 12 kt max; endurance 24,000 mi @ 9 kt; complement 7 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; ultimate armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; propulsion 2x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3x 100 kW diesel-drive generators, twin screws 1,700 shp. NARA-sourced photos: 80-G-252348 (offloading to Rhino ferry, Slapton Sands rehearsals 1943-44); 80-G-59401 (Rhino ferry with invasion vehicles, released 6 June 1944); SC 207762 (loading vehicles with LST-209, south coast England, 10 April 1945); at anchor off Plymouth with USS Charles Carroll (APA-28) 11-12 March 1944 (Life/David Scherman); at Normandy (date unknown); with LCT aboard July 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Ship's company ~111 per spec block; embarked troops up to ~163
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources, ONI-1945 data, and NARA photo captions; consistent with DANFS where they overlap. Its 'New York Navy Yard' conversion attribution conflicts with shipscribe's Maryland Drydock/Baltimore record - see correction row ev-04. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos content stated or implied. Officer complement (7) differs from the 13-officer figure on other LST spec blocks - noted, not merged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-02
-
[4]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Coronis (ARL-10) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARL-10 class page: construction table (FERONIA row - keel 29 Oct 42, launch 24 Dec 42, NYd Philadelphia) and disposition table (FERONIA row, full conversion chronology)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-register compilation for this hull in the Coronis (ARL-10) class conversion table: 'Commissioned as LST-332 6 Feb 43. Decommissioned at Port Covington, Baltimore, Md., 22 May 45 for conversion by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. Reclas. ARL-45 28 May 45, conversion canc. 27 Aug 45, reclas. and name canc. 12 Sep 45. When cancelled her conversion was 37% complete and her anticipated recommissioning date was 2 Oct 45. Stk. as LST 12 Mar 46, sold by Navy and to buyer 17 Oct 46. Merc. CASA BLANCA 1948.' Establishes the conversion was real, substantially begun (37% complete), and administratively tracked as distinct events - reclassification (28 May), conversion cancellation (27 Aug), name/classification cancellation (12 Sep).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1948
- Population
- Conversion-yard workers at the commercial Baltimore yard (summer 1945); LST-332 decommissioning detail
- Limitations
- Compiled tabulation of Navy register/BuShips record data, not the underlying administrative instruments; most granular source available for the conversion episode. Its Baltimore/Maryland DD attribution conflicts with the 'New York Navy Yard' in NavSource and DANFS-derived text - see correction row ev-04. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-03
-
[5]Cross-source check: NavSource 10/16/160332 vs shipscribe ARL-10 class table vs navalcovermuseum.org LST 332 chronology [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology block; shipscribe ARL-10 disposition table; Naval Cover Museum 'Ship Name and Designation History' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies documented, unresolved: (a) Conversion yard - NavSource and DANFS-derived secondary text place the Feronia conversion at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn; shipscribe's Navy-register compilation records decommissioning at Port Covington, Baltimore, and conversion by Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore. (b) Cancellation chronology - NavSource/DANFS-derived text carry a single 'conversion canceled 12 September 1945'; shipscribe splits the administrative events (conversion canceled 27 August 1945; reclassification and name canceled 12 September 1945); the Naval Cover Museum's ship chronology prints a third variant (planned conversion 25 May 1945; conversion cancelled 11 August 1945). Shipscribe's granular record is carried as controlling for the event sequence; no source was located that reconciles the yard conflict.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Documents publication-level disagreement among secondary compilations of Navy record data; the underlying conversion order, yard contract, and cancellation instruments were not located. Either attribution - New York Navy Yard or Maryland Drydock Baltimore - places a real partial refit on this hull in mid-1945. No asbestos content in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) - consolidated with class-profile era analysis and this hull's documented conversion/disturbance events [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; lst-1-class.class.json class analysis (BuShips design grouping LST1-490); ARL conversion configuration per HAER row ev-uss-feronia-arl45-11
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered amphibious ship built at Philadelphia Navy Yard in the peak asbestos year 1942 and partially refit at a commercial yard in 1945: NO boilers or steam plant - the steam-lagging pathway does not apply; plausible asbestos applications on this type concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and packing throughout the engineering spaces, electrical insulation/cable, deck coverings (incl. tank-deck surfaces), accommodation-space insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches and the stern-anchor windlass. Documented disturbance-phase events on this hull: the partially executed ARL conversion May-August 1945 (37% complete when canceled - per the Achelous-type design documented in HAER row ev-11, the conversion installed machinery shops, storerooms, and repair spaces on the third deck, meaning removal/refit of original-era material was in progress; yard attribution itself disputed - see ev-04); the 1946-48 Suwannee merchant conversion; and undocumented postwar merchant service.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1948+
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; conversion-yard workers 1945 and 1946-48; wartime crew and embarked troops; merchant crews
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - no hull-level material schedule, insulation spec, or survey exists in the public record for this ship; the 1945 partial conversion, the 1946-48 merchant conversion, and postwar merchant service are undocumented for material scope and could have removed or disturbed original material. Does not establish presence, absence, or quantity of ACM aboard, nor any individual exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-05
-
[7]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700120402
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and gaskets in naval and merchant construction - the era and program context in which this hull was built (1942, Philadelphia Navy Yard, itself a yard with litigation-documented asbestos product use 1941-1984 in the Atlas yard dataset).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope); applied 1942-1948
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship only; the source does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. The diesel plant (no boilers) narrows the exposure-relevant scope relative to steam vessels. Yard-level litigation documentation (Taylor, Junge, Gross - PA appellate opinions identifying products used 'throughout the shipyard and on ships' 1941-1974) describes the building yard, not this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403); content via product-page description, consistent with prior batches
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place on active Navy hulls for decades. For this hull the finding is negative in character: she was sold out of Navy custody on 17 October 1946, roughly three decades before either policy era, so no Navy asbestos-management program ever surveyed or abated her; any material disturbance occurred in private commercial and merchant hands (1945 ARL conversion at Baltimore; 1946-48 Suwannee conversion) outside Navy record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979 (program era vs. hull custody ending 1946)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (not this hull)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy documentation that never governed this hull - she left Navy custody in 1946. Included to fix the boundary: no Navy asbestos survey, abatement, or materials record was ever generated for this hull because the relevant programs postdate her service entirely. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-07
-
[9]Batch-2638 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 160332; shipscribe ARL-10 table; Naval Cover Museum; MARAD ShipHistory (no record located - hull never in MARAD/NDRF custody); CourtListener name/hull sweeps; web index sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-feronia-arl45-01 through sl-uss-feronia-arl45-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-332, Feronia, ARL-45, or merchant Casa Blanca was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull left Navy custody in 1946 - before any systematic asbestos documentation regime - and passed directly into private merchant conversion, so no NDRF preservation card, museum disclosure, or NRHP nomination exists for her.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942 hull is era-consistent with original ACM, and the documented 1945 partial conversion and 1946-48 merchant conversion are undocumented for material scope. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage is subject to the fleet pacing constraint noted in the ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-08
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - Philadelphia Navy Yard records), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 24 (Navy deck logs) - record-group mapping only [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/181.html ; .../groups/019.html ; .../groups/024.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) holds Philadelphia Navy Yard construction/shop records for hulls built there 1942-43, which could contain LST-332 outfitting and insulation specifications; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) contract and specification files cover the LST program and would hold the ARL-45 conversion contract file - which would also resolve the New York Navy Yard vs Maryland Drydock conflict; RG 24 deck logs document wartime and conversion-period operation; NARA photo records 80-G-252348, 80-G-59401, and SC 207762 document this hull specifically; Suwannee Steamship merchant conversion documentation and Casa Blanca (Honduras-flag) registry records would establish the postwar material history.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1948 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-feronia-arl45-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket search via authenticated fleet helper (cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-feronia-arl45-07 through sl-uss-feronia-arl45-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep via authenticated fleet helper: opinion index - 'Feronia' returned 11 hits, every one a name collision (19th-century admiralty cases - The Kate Tremaine 1871, The Avon 1873, The De Smet 1881, The Brig Wexford 1881, The Frank G. Fowler 1881; a 1927 N.Y. Appellate Division case naming 'Feronia Holding Co.' - Lileol Corp. v. Feronia Holding Co.; a 2024 Delaware Chancery financial dispute - Kuramo Capital Management v. Seruma; criminal/civil text-match noise), no hit naming the ship, an asbestos claim, or maritime parties connected to this hull; 'LST-332', 'ARL-45', and 'LST 332' each returned zero opinion hits. RECAP docket index - 'LST-332' returned zero hits; 'Feronia' returned only document-level name collisions (e.g., a 'Feronia' creditor entity inside a 2,677-page bankruptcy List of Creditors, Wren Connecticut Inc., E.D. Pa. bankr. docket 201057) with no ship or asbestos content in the reviewed results. 'ARL-45' docket query not completed - fleet pacing budget momentarily spent on final attempts; coverage otherwise complete.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Opinion index cleared for all identifier forms (Feronia / LST-332 / ARL-45 / 'LST 332'); RECAP docket index cleared for 'LST-332' and 'Feronia' (collisions only). 'ARL-45' docket query uncovered due to fleet pacing - residual gap logged. A name-match search cannot prove no filing exists - pleadings that omit the hull name or index only a party name would not surface.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-10
-
[12]Historic American Engineering Record, SPHINX (ARL-24) (LST-963), HAER No. VA-130 (NPS, historian Brian Clayton, 2008; hosted by MARAD vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov) [haer]
- Locator
- HAER VA-130, Description section (third-deck shop arrangement, booms/derrick, 253-person berthing); full-text extraction verified zero asbestos/insulation mentions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS Historic American Engineering Record for a sister Achelous-class ARL (Sphinx, ARL-24, ex-LST-963) documents what the LST-to-ARL conversion installed: 'a majority of the space onboard' devoted to manufacturing/refurbishing - the former tank-deck level carrying a metals machine shop, electrical repair equipment, metals shaping equipment, a welding area, and a wood shop, with stores, repair shops, and offices off the main room; heavy booms and a 60-ton derrick for hoisting damaged landing craft; crew ~253 (21 officers/232 enlisted). The full 1,600+-line extracted text of the HAER report contains zero asbestos or insulation-material mentions - the conversion scope is documented, its material composition is not.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2008 (documentation of 1944-45 ARL configuration)
- Population
- Conversion-yard workers performing this class of refit (context)
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation of the ARL conversion type aboard a sister hull (ARL-24 was completed as an ARL from the ways, a later design block than LST-332's conversion order) - establishes what the aborted Feronia conversion was installing, not what material was cut or added aboard this specific hull. Contains no asbestos finding for any hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-feronia-arl45-11