Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]DANFS, 'Fomalhaut (AK-22)' entry - live NHHC URL (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/fomalhaut.html) returns 404 as of 2026-09-21 and no Wayback capture exists; text verified via hazegray transcription (Yves Hubert) of the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Fomalhaut (AK-22)', full text incl. spec header, via hazegray transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official entry documents: launched 1941-01-25 by Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc., Beaumont, Tex., as Cape Lookout; sponsored by Mrs. J. A. Boehck; acquired by the Navy 1941-05-16; commissioned 1942-03-02, Commander J. D. Alvis in command; reclassified AKA-5 on 1943-02-01; reclassified AK-22 on 1944-08-25; reclassified AE-20 on 1948-12-27. WWII service per entry: arrived Samoa 1942-05-08 with passengers and cargo from the east coast; sailed 1942-06-22 for Wellington NZ, loaded cargo 06-30 to 07-22; Fiji exercises; sortied for the initial Marine landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi 1942-08-07; anchored in position to observe the Battle of Savo Island 08-09; sailed that day for Noumea. Returned to Guadalcanal 08-23; ordered to take torpedoed Blue (DD-387) in tow; before unloading could finish an enemy submarine launched a torpedo at her and Japanese surface forces were reported approaching - two other destroyers sank Blue while Fomalhaut was ordered underway with a quarter of her cargo still aboard. Continuous southwest-Pacific cargo operations for a year and a half supporting Guadalcanal and southern Solomons campaigns; reloading voyages to New Zealand and Australia ports; often used as a transport. Returned to Pearl Harbor 1944-04-09; sailed 06-01 for the Marianas; landed troops and equipment on Charan Kanoa Beach, Saipan, 06-16 (day after the initial assault); underway 06-23 for Eniwetok, Pearl Harbor, and New York City, arriving 08-15 for overhaul. After tests and training along the Maine coast, arrived Norfolk 1944-11-07 for conversion to an underway ammunition replenishment ship; reported for duty at Ulithi 1945-01-10; at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, 02-19 to 02-28 arming amphibious ships; sailed out of Ulithi delivering ammunition at sea; returned to San Pedro Bay 03-19 to load ammunition from merchant ships for Okinawa, off which she arrived 05-11; touched Saipan 06-02; San Pedro Bay duty 06-07 to 09-19; lay at Okinawa until 12-07, then sailed with homeward-bound servicemen for Norfolk, arriving 1946-01-15. Decommissioned and placed in reserve at Philadelphia 1946-06-25. Five battle stars for WWII service. Spec header: dp. 3,890; l. 412'3"; b. 61'; dr. 23'7"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 283; a. 1 5", 4 3"; cl. Fomalhaut.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Ship's complement (283 per entry header) plus embarked troops/passengers; yard and conversion workers during documented availabilities
- Limitations
- Official Navy history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Spec-header displacement '3,890' conflicts with MARAD 7,480 lightweight and secondary 11,000-11,100 full-load figures (different conventions - unmerged). Entry gives no keel date, no strike date, and no machinery specification. Does not establish any exposure condition aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - FOMALHAUT (AK-5/AK-22/AE-20), ShipHistory Detail 1595, plus linked CAPE LOOKOUT merchant record, ShipHistory Detail 771 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1595 (naval record) and Detail 771 (merchant-name record) - particulars, milestones, status cards, documents
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD records: year built 1941; shipyard Pennsylvania Shipyards; Official Number 240954; MARAD type C1-A; length 412.25 ft, beam 61 ft, displacement lightweight 7,480 tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Fomalhaut-record milestones: Entry 1961-06-19, Acquisition 1961-06-19, Disposition 1970-05-05, Withdrawal 1970-05-05. Linked CAPE LOOKOUT record (Detail 771): gross 5,028 / net 3,000 tons, bale capacity 450,000 cu ft (card), cargo capacity field 45,000 sq ft; milestones Disposition/Withdrawal 1970-11-17 - matching the resale to Hierros Ardes S.A.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1970
- Limitations
- Milestone/custody and dimensional data only - no materials, insulation, or asbestos fields. The record's name-history label 'AK-5' is MARAD's own truncation of AKA-5, and its attached files misspell the ship 'FORMALHAUT' - quirks logged, not propagated. CAPE LOOKOUT milestone block records the 1970 resale under the merchant name record rather than the hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-02
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[3]MARAD Vessel History Database, custody status-card scans for 'CAPE LOOKOUT (AE-20)' (card 135_01) and 'FORMALHAUT (AE-20)' (card 1595_2940AF) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status-card scans /cards/135_01.png and /cards/1595_2940AF.jpg - five custody rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Handwritten MARAD custody cards record the full chain: 'Deld to U.S. Navy - Pur - Beaumont - 5-16-41' with 'Name changed to "FORMALHAUT" AK-22 - AKA5'; Reserve Fleet custody at Hudson River 1961-06-19 1:00 p.m. EDST (matching the MARAD milestone); Reserve Fleet '(Permanent Transfer)' at Hudson River 1962-09-01 12:01 a.m. EDST; 'Boston Metals Company (Scrap)' purchase at Hudson River dated 4-15-70 with '(Physical Delivery)' 5/5/70 12:00 noon EDT; 'Resold to Hierros Ardes, S.A. (for scrapping in Spain)' 11-17-70 10:25 a.m. EST. Card header: Official No. 240,954; D.W.T. 7,416; Gross 5,028; Net 3,000; Bale Cu. 450,000; Sp. 14; MC Hull No. 138 (yard no. 227 annotation); Built by Penna Shipyards Inc. at Beaumont Texas; Completed 5-16-41.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1970
- Limitations
- Handwritten scanned cards read visually (no OCR); fully legible on the custody rows. The 1962-09-01 'permanent transfer' row aligns with the secondary-source strike date of 1 September 1962 - the card documents custody transfer, not the NVR strike itself, so the strike remains secondary-corroborated rather than NVR-confirmed. Card misspells the ship 'FORMALHAUT' throughout. No materials, insulation, or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-03
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[4]MARAD Vessel History Database attached documents Formalhaut_1595_001.pdf and Formalhaut_1595_002.pdf - U.S. Coast Guard merchant-vessel boarding reports, declassified NARA project NW 63684 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Formalhaut_1595_001.pdf (2 pp, Savannah boarding report 1945-05-30); Formalhaut_1595_002.pdf (2 pp, New York Part B boarding 1944-05-12)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Both attached 'historical documents' on the Fomalhaut MARAD record are MISFILED records for a different, same-name vessel - the French merchant M/V FOMALHAUT (agent French Lines, radio call GMXW, master P. Mege). Document 001 is a USCG 'Merchant Vessel Boarding Report' at Savannah dated 1945-05-30: 49 crew, all French citizens; sailed Casablanca 1945-04-23, arrived New York 05-09, departed 05-15, arrived Savannah 05-18, departed 05-29 bound for Le Havre. Document 002 is a USCG Part B radio-inspection boarding report at New York (off 140th St., North River), 1700 on 1944-05-12: 60 crew incl. 13 officers, all French; arrived Ambrose 05-11 from Casablanca; armed and degaussed; speed 13. Neither document concerns USS Fomalhaut (AK-22/AKA-5), which in May 1944 was en route to the Marianas and in May 1945 was operating off Okinawa.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (documents); filed under hull record 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Documents are authentic USCG records (NARA declass project NW 63684) but attached to the wrong hull's MARAD record - a same-name collision between the Navy auxiliary and a French-flag merchantman. Logged so their contents are not propagated to this hull. Existence of a French M/V Fomalhaut is itself a litigation/collision flag for name-based searches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-04
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[5]Source discrepancies resolved across DANFS (hazegray transcription), MARAD record + custody cards, shipscribe AKA-5 compilation (S. S. Roberts, from Bureau of Ships correspondence), NavSource 02005, and shipbuildinghistory C1 tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS entry; MARAD card 135_01; shipscribe construction/disposition tables and class notes; NavSource spec block and chronology
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corrections and adopted readings: (a) acquisition date - DANFS, MARAD custody card ('Deld to U.S. Navy - Pur - Beaumont - 5-16-41'), and secondary compilations give 1941-05-16; NavSource's '16 April 1941' is a typo, not adopted. (b) AE-20 reclassification - DANFS and NavSource give 1948-12-27; shipscribe records CNO's recommendation of 27 Dec 48 with SecNav approval 4 Jan 49 - the 27 Dec 1948 date is carried with the approval trail noted. (c) class name - DANFS spec header and secondary compilations give 'Fomalhaut' (a single-ship class; the only C1-A among the AKA conversions); the project master hull list groups her under 'Arcturus' - Fomalhaut adopted per the official entry. (d) machinery - official sources are silent; shipscribe gives '2 Nordberg TSM diesels, 1 screw' while NavSource prints 'one Nordberg Diesel TSM engine' - two-diesel reading carried as secondary-only. (e) launch sponsor - DANFS gives Mrs. J. A. Boehck; a secondary account gives 'Audrey Louise Jones' - DANFS adopted. (f) keel date 1940-03-28 and the 1972 scrapping-completion year appear only in secondary compilations - flagged, not asserted as official.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1970
- Limitations
- Correction row: records discrepancies between the official entry, MARAD artifacts, and secondary compilations so downstream readers do not propagate '16 April,' 'one diesel,' or 'Arcturus class' unexamined. Bears on history only - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-05
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[6]The New York Times, 'Bananas to be Used at Launching of Ship,' 1941-01-23 (period report; citation metadata verified via Wikipedia's USS Fomalhaut footnote) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NYT 1941-01-23 item as cited by Wikipedia ref 1; NavSource photo 100200513 (George Strock, LIFE)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Period press reported that Cape Lookout's 1941-01-25 launch at Beaumont used roughly 7,000 lb of ripe bananas as launching-grease substitute - which the Maritime Commission called an 'efficient substitute' under wartime grease shortage - making her the largest vessel then launched on bananas. LIFE magazine photographer George Strock covered the launch (his 1941 image of Cape Lookout at the Beaumont yard survives in the NavSource archive).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-01
- Population
- Pennsylvania Shipyards launch crews (context)
- Limitations
- Color/history detail from period press; the NYT article itself was not retrieved (paywalled archive) - citation metadata verified, claim carried at press-reliability level. Launch weight figures (7,000 lb / '3.5 tons') come from the period report as relayed in secondary compilations. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-06
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[7]shipscribe.com, 'USS Fomalhaut (AKA-5)' class notes and construction/disposition tables (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled 2002-2006 from Bureau of Ships/CNO correspondence and Maritime Commission records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AKA05 class notes paragraphs 1-4, ship notes block, construction/disposition tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compilation from official correspondence documents the conversion history: acquisition directed by SecNav 1940-08-05 under the 70% Expansion Program; the Navy sought the steam C1-B John Lykes but the Maritime Commission supplied the diesel C1-A Cape Lookout (just launched, due for delivery 1941-07-12). The yard bought the incomplete ship from the Commission 1941-05-15 and sold it to the Navy under a purchase contract the next day - MC records show turnover 1941-05-16 at 68.4 percent complete. Conversion managed by design agent Eads Johnson; schedule slips, standstill for lack of plans, and a 1941-10-20 discovery of buckling steel structure above main-deck frames 86-105 from detail-design errors; completed 1942-02-28, commissioned 03-02; final outfitting at Charleston Navy Yard 03-12 to 03-24. Boat loadout reported Feb 1943 and Mar 1944 as 2 LCM(3), 8 LCVP, 2 LCPL, served by one 30-ton, four 10-ton, and six 5-ton booms. Her shortcomings (could not carry the standard AKA landing-craft allocation; trial speed 14.8 kt vs 16.5 of most AKAs) drove the 1944 reclassification: BuShips suspected overloaded Nordberg diesels, the propeller was reduced during the New York overhaul, and Rockland standardization trials ran 1944-11-04. BuShips directed Norfolk Navy Yard 1944-10-26 to plan her conversion to carry aircraft bombs and AA ammunition with at-sea transfer gear (towing gear like AO astern-fueling); work done 11-11 to 11-25 with some 20mm mounts removed. On 1945-06-25 the ship reported no underway replenishments performed but extensive rearmament of combatants and attack transports in ports and objective areas, including 14- and 16-inch battleship projectiles. CNO recommended AE-20 reclassification 1948-12-27; SecNav approved 1949-01-04; she never returned to active service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1940-1949
- Population
- Conversion and overhaul trades (Beaumont 1941-42; Charleston NY 1942; New York 1944; Norfolk NY 1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - detailed and consistent with the official artifacts it cites, but not itself an official record; used for narrative detail (design-agent saga, boat loadout, machinery-overload correspondence, conversion dates) that DANFS does not carry. Its '2 Nordberg TSM diesels' conflicts with NavSource's 'one'; its keel date 1940-03-28 has no official corroboration located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-07
-
[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
- Journal article DOI landing page
- 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 Maritime Commission construction program under which this C1-A hull was built at Pennsylvania Shipyards, Beaumont (1940-1941), and the Navy-yard system in which she was outfitted, overhauled, and converted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and ship crews (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level scholarship; does not name this hull, the C1-A type, or Pennsylvania Shipyards specifically. Supports era context only - not evidence that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and establishes nothing about quantities, locations, or condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-08
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (1979-10-18) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its insulation-removal policies with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - program-level context for Navy-yard availabilities. Norfolk Navy Yard is this hull's documented November 1944 ammunition-conversion yard (BuShips direction of 1944-10-26, work 11-11 to 11-25), but Fomalhaut's yard periods predate the report's 1970s policy window while falling within the era of shipboard asbestos use it describes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1979 (report); covers policies 1975-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level report; only one of its two fieldwork yards was ever a Fomalhaut yard, and the report postdates her entire Navy service (scrapped 1970-72). gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - product-page description used; full text not retrieved this pass. Establishes nothing about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) searches run 2026-09-21: all planned queries blocked - 'USS Fomalhaut', 'Fomalhaut', 'AK-22', 'AKA-5', 'AE-20' opinion-index and RECAP docket sweeps [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 throttle response (429; 'Expected available in 3685 seconds'); search_ledger sl-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No litigation sweep could be completed this pass: the authenticated daily quota (2,800/day, shared across batch work on this machine) was already consumed when the queries were attempted; the API returned HTTP 429 with a ~61-minute reset window. Name-collision risk noted for a future pass: a French-flag merchant M/V Fomalhaut existed contemporaneously (the misfiled MARAD documents), plus the star name appears in unrelated contexts; hull-number tokens 'AK-22', 'AKA-5', and 'AE-20' will produce 'a/k/a' artifacts and unrelated hits requiring per-hit classification.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- attempted 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Search-stage status, not a result: absence of completed searches is recorded honestly rather than as a negative finding. No located hit names this hull or involves asbestos; equivalently, no coverage is claimed. Retry recommended next pass.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-10
-
[11]Batch-1029 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; hazegray transcription used); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1595 + Detail 771 + two custody-card scans + two attached-document scans; shipscribe AKA-5 compilation; NavSource 02005; Wikipedia/shipbuildinghistory cross-checks; CourtListener (blocked); NARA Catalog (SPA, pending) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-01 through sl-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Fomalhaut (AK-22/AKA-5/AE-20) or SS Cape Lookout was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The located primary materials - DANFS entry, MARAD custody cards, shipscribe's BuShips-correspondence compilation - contain no asbestos or insulation-material statements.
- 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 - WWII Maritime Commission construction plus four Navy-yard availabilities are consistent with era-typical materials, but nothing ship-specific was located. The litigation sweep was quota-blocked this pass (see ev-10), so the docket-level negative is also narrower than usual. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-11
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs and war diaries), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 181 (naval districts and shore establishments), RG 26 (Coast Guard boarding-report origin records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guide pages (024, 019, 178, 181, 026); NavSource war-diary index lines on archive page 10/02/02005
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs and the two indexed war diaries (AK-22: 1942-04-01 to 1943-01-31; AKA-5: 1943-02-01 to 1945-10-31, per NavSource index); RG 19 Bureau of Ships records holding the correspondence shipscribe cites (CNO/BuShips reclassification letters of Jun-Aug 1944, the quadrupod-mast shipalt cancellation of 1944-07-15, the 1944-10-26 Norfolk conversion direction, and the BuShips diesel-overload analysis) plus Norfolk Navy Yard conversion work packages (1944-11-11 to 11-25); RG 178 Maritime Commission Construction Division files that may hold MC hull 138 (Cape Lookout) construction and outfitting papers, including the 68.4-percent-complete turnover documentation; RG 181 records for the Charleston, New York, Norfolk, and Philadelphia availabilities; BuShips photo series 19-N-96742/96743 (1944-11-24 off Norfolk Navy Yard) already digitized at NARA. The misfiled USCG boarding reports (ev-04) trace to declass project NW 63684 - likely RG 26 port-security files for the French M/V Fomalhaut.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - not evidence about this hull. NARA Catalog returned SPA HTML with no machine-readable results this pass; digitization status of the Fomalhaut deck logs/war diaries is unverified; no box-level retrieval performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fomalhaut-aka5-12
