Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 372-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-freedom-ix43-pkt-372-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Freedom II (IX-43)' (live page; hazegray/losthistory transcription verified identical) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Freedom II (IX-43)' entry, full text; mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/ix/ix43.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC, 'Freedom II (IX-43)', live page published 2015-07-09): 'The second Freedom (IX-43), an auxiliary schooner, was acquired by the Navy in 1940, and assigned to the Naval Academy where she has served in a noncommissioned status through 1962.' Former name retained.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940-1962
- Population
- Midshipmen trainees and caretaker crew at U.S. Naval Academy, 1940-1962
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, 1940 acquisition, Naval Academy assignment, and noncommissioned status through 1962. The web entry is terse - no ship-data line, no builder, launch, complement, propulsion, or disposition detail, and no asbestos or materials content. 'Through 1962' is the last DANFS revision year, not a documented disposal date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-01
-
[3]Act of June 6, 1940, ch. 251, 54 Stat. 241 (76th Cong., H.R. 8983) + U.S. Senate Report No. 1657, 76th Cong., 3d sess. (May 23, 1940), 'Authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to accept ... a gift of the yacht Freedom from Sterling Morton' [other_primary]
- Locator
- 54 Stat. 241 via govinfo statute link (https://www.govinfo.gov/link/statute/54/241); S. Rept. 76-1657 full text (Serial Set 10430)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Act of June 6, 1940 (ch. 251, 54 Stat. 241, H.R. 8983, 76th Cong.) authorized the Secretary of the Navy to accept, 'without expense to the Government, the yacht Freedom and her equipment as a gift from her owner, Sterling Morton, to the United States Naval Academy.' The accompanying Senate report (S. Rept. 76-1657, May 23, 1940) describes the vessel ship-specifically: about 90 feet long, sail-equipped 'in addition to ... a gasoline motor installed for auxiliary power'; Morton's description (via Acting Secretary H. R. Stark's April 4, 1940 letter) gives length overall 89 ft, waterline 66 ft, beam 20 ft, draft 10 ft, 175-hp gasoline motor, speed under power 8-9 knots, then in storage at City Island, N.Y.; donor Sterling Morton of Chicago was nephew of former Secretary of the Navy Paul Morton; estimated annual upkeep $1,800.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940
- Population
- None directly; describes vessel pre-transfer
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous federal statute and committee report naming this vessel - strongest primary documentation of the gift and of the propulsion type (sail + 175-hp gasoline auxiliary, no steam plant). Documents the vessel as built and stored, not any later alterations. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or manning information; dimensions are pre-acquisition owner values.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-02
-
[4]Stephen S. Roberts, 'USS Small IX: Naval Academy Yachts,' shipscribe.com (compiled from Navy records incl. BuShips designations and congressional act), compiled 2010-12-22 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/IX3/IX043.html - class spec block, construction/disposition tables, IX-43 class note and ship note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe 'Small IX: Naval Academy Yachts' class notes (S. S. Roberts compilation of official Navy records): gift of the 88-foot 2-masted schooner Freedom and equipment from Sterling Morton under Act of 6 Jun 40; designed by John G. Alden; built at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; delivered to the Navy 10 Sep 40 at the Henry B. Nevins shipyard, City Island, NY, arriving at the Naval Academy two days later; CNO assigned class designation 'Unclassified' 24 Oct 40 with name retained; SecNav approved BuShips adoption of the IX symbol 8 Jan 41 and BuShips assigned IX-43; 'proved to be an excellent boat for ocean cruising and for teaching midshipmen how to handle a large sailing rig'; sold in 1968 following the Fales Committee's mid-1960s investigation of the faltering Academy sailing program; purchased by the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, Annapolis, becoming miscellaneous-function training vessel Freedom, still in service 1972. Ship data: 60 light / 72 gross tons, 88.7' oa x 66.5' wl x 20.0' x 10.0', Hall-Scott gas engine 175 HP, wood hull, no armament, no listed complement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1931-1972
- Population
- Midshipmen and caretaker crew, U.S. Naval Academy, 1940-1962
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference, not an official page - but its checkable points corroborate: the Act (54 Stat. 241), the S. Rept. description, and DANFS's 1940 acquisition/1962 status all agree. 'Built at Milwaukee' conflicts with the builder yard-history table (Chicago) - logged in correction row and gaps. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or manning figure (complement field blank in source).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'Freedom (IX-43)' page (09/46/46043), citing DANFS and NHHC photo numbers [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/46/46043.htm - chronology block, specifications, awards; navsource.org DNS fails (use .net mirror)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, 'Freedom (IX-43)' page: built 1931 as schooner Freedom by Great Lakes Boat Building Co. for Sterling Morton; launched date unknown; acquired by the Navy and placed in service as Freedom (IX-43) 10 September 1940; served at the US Naval Academy; placed out of service 1962; struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1968; sold 12 August 1968 to the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Annapolis, MD for use as a miscellaneous-function (training) vessel; registered 1976 by Sea Hippies, Ltd., Wilmington, DE as yacht Freedom; out of documentation by 1989; final disposition/fate unknown. Specifications: 88'8" length, 20' beam, sail + one Hall-Scott gasoline auxiliary, single propeller, 175 shp. Radio call sign NACY. Awards listed: American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Hosts NHHC photo references (NHHC #84193; US Navy #80-G-654830).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1931-1989
- Population
- Post-Navy: training-school crew/students (Lundeberg School, 1968-1970s); private owners after 1976
- Limitations
- Volunteer compilation, not an official source. Strike (1 Apr 1968) and sale (12 Aug 1968) dates corroborate Shipscribe's disposition table; the Sea Hippies Ltd. 1976 registration and out-of-documentation-by-1989 lines are uncorroborated single-source statements carried as such. Awards list is ribbon-level with no citation text. No asbestos, insulation, or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-04
-
[6]Patrick Clancey (comp.), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945: IX - Unclassified Vessels,' HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of official ship lists [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-ix.html table row 'IX-43 Freedom'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Wartime-style official listing (HyperWar transcription, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - IX Unclassified Vessels'): 'IX-43 | Freedom | 1940 | 60 | Converted Yacht' - corroborating the wartime IX listing, 1940 acquisition year, 60-ton displacement figure, and converted-yacht characterization.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940-1945 listing era
- Limitations
- Transcription of official-era listings, not a primary scan; 60-ton figure matches Shipscribe's light displacement. No asbestos, materials, crew, or propulsion content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-05
-
[7]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 during which this hull served at the Naval Academy (1940-1962) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization, concentrated in machinery and piping insulation of steam-driven vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- 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, does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, and its emphasis on steam-machinery insulation is only weakly transferable to a wooden sailing schooner with a gasoline auxiliary. The hull was also built in 1931, pre-dating the documented wartime expansion. Establishes no quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-06
-
[8]ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton), 'Henry C. Grebe & Company, Chicago IL' yard table (O.N. 230766 Freedom row, under 'Built in Chicago, at first by Great Lakes Boat Building') vs. Shipscribe/NavSource 'built at Milwaukee' [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/yachtsmall/grebe.htm - row '230766 Freedom ... Aux. Schooner 72 88 1931 To the USNA 1940, sold 1968'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Build-location discrepancy: Navy-derived sources (Shipscribe class notes; NavSource) state 'built at Milwaukee, Wisconsin' by Great Lakes Boat Building Co., while the ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton) yard table for Henry C. Grebe & Co./Great Lakes Boat Building places hull O.N. 230766 'Freedom' (auxiliary schooner, 72 GT, 88 ft, 1931, 'To the USNA 1940, sold 1968') in the yard's Chicago-built section - the firm had moved from Milwaukee to the Chicago River in 1921 and was the Grebe predecessor. The discrepancy is unresolved: Navy records may reflect the corporate home city rather than the physical build yard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1931
- Population
- Great Lakes Boat Building / Grebe construction workforce (builder context)
- Limitations
- Reputable shipbuilding compiler's yard table vs. Navy-derived compilations - neither side is a build-contract primary scan; location is recorded as disputed, not resolved. The U.S. Official Number 230766 is corroborated only by this table. Builder identity (GLBB vs. successor Grebe name in 1931) is likewise unresolved. No asbestos content either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-07
-
[9]Batch-4809 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (live + hazegray mirror), GovInfo/LOC statute and S. Rept., Shipscribe, NavSource, HyperWar ship lists, ShipbuildingHistory, MARAD ShipHistory, NVR coverage check, CourtListener opinion and docket queries, general-web asbestos-mention check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-freedom-ix43-01 through sl-uss-freedom-ix43-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court opinion, or docketed case naming the yacht Freedom, USS Freedom (IX-43), IX-43, or O.N. 230766 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1931 yacht could carry era-typical gasket, packing, electrical-insulation, or domestic-heat materials even without a steam plant, and 22 years of Navy custody could have introduced materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search (opinion type=o, docket type=r), authenticated, 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-freedom-ix43-12 through sl-uss-freedom-ix43-15
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener searches (authenticated API v4) on the vessel name and pennant number: '"USS Freedom" asbestos' (type=o) returned 0 hits; '"IX-43"' (type=o) returned 34 hits, all name collisions - the tokenizer splits 'IX-43' into 'IX' + '43', so hits are state docket-number tokens (Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania formats) and unrelated numbers, none naming a vessel or asbestos; '"USS Freedom"' bare-name (type=o) returned 4 hits, all FastShip LLC v. United States (Court of Federal Claims, docket 12-484C, 2015-2021) - patent litigation over a high-speed hull design whose text references the later USS Freedom (LCS-1) context, not this hull, and no asbestos. The RECAP docket (type=r) sweep could not be completed - the shared fleet pacing budget was exhausted repeatedly this session; logged as blocked in the search_ledger. No qualifying hull-specific asbestos case located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive - state trial courts, settled/undocketed claims, and pre-digital-era filings are absent; a null result limits to 'no qualifying case located in this index,' not 'no litigation ever existed.' 'USS Freedom' is a high-collision name (LCS-1 littoral combat ship, 2008-2021; ID-3024 WWI transport); matches were inspected for this hull. Fleet pacing limited query volume this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-09
-
[11]NARA 'Vessel and Station Log Books' research guidance + RG 24/RG 405/RG 19/RG 26 Guide entries (record-group mapping only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy; archives.gov Guide to Federal Records RG 24, RG 405, RG 19, RG 26 entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (College Park) covers 1940-1962 Navy custody for IX-43; NARA RG 405 (Records of the U.S. Naval Academy) holds Academy craft and sailing-program files including Fales Committee-era material; BuShips records (RG 19) may document the 1940-41 unclassified/IX designation actions; USCG merchant-vessel documentation files for O.N. 230766 (RG 26 / NARA merchant documentation) cover the 1931-1940 private and 1976-~1989 post-Navy yacht periods.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1931-1989 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether any asbestos-relevant document exists for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-freedom-ix43-10