USS Gear (ARS-34)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet bn-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-gear-ars34-pkt-bn-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Gear' entry (Naval Historical Center online edition; verified via Wayback Machine capture 2012-10-11 of http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g2/gear.htm; live NHHC URLs 404 - standing link-rot issue per BATCH-01) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Gear' entry - definition paragraph, BARS-4 stats line, full service narrative; live history.navy.mil URLs (/danfs/g2/gear.htm, /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gear.html) return 404 as of 2026-09-26

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Gear, verbatim: 'An accessory mechanism or machine that performs a specific function in a complete machine, as an expansion gear or a steering gear. (BARS-4: dp. 1,530; l. 213'6"; b. 39'; dr. 14'1"; s. 14.8 k.; cpl. 120; a. 4 40mm.;) Gear (BARS-4), originally intended for the Royal Navy under terms of the Lend-Lease Program, was launched as HMS Pacific Salvor (BARS-4) on 24 October 1942 by the Basalt Rock Co., Napa, Calif.; acquired by the U.S. Navy and designated Gear (ARS-34) on 21 September 1942; and commissioned 24 September 1943, Lt. J. F. Simmons in command.' Service narrative: departed San Diego 6 December 1943 via Pearl Harbor and the Gilbert Islands to Eniwetok; salvage, towing, and repair for the fleet as a unit of Service Squadron 10 until 17 July 1944; similar services at Saipan 25 July-7 August; Apra Harbor, Guam, from 8 August 1944 (towing and sinking concrete barges on Calalan Bank as a breakwater; pulling amphibious landing ships off beaches; towing to Tinian and Saipan); returned to Pearl Harbor 6 December 1944 for overhaul; departed 29 January 1945 with an amphibious assault force for Iwo Jima; arrived 19 February 1945 and assisted the fleet 'pumping out flooded spaces, repairing mortars, making ship repairs and performing various towing assignments'; returned to Saipan 5 March; sailed with a transport assault force arriving off Okinawa 1 April; performed battle-damage repairs to Wichita (CA-45), England (DE-635), Aaron Ward (DD-483), and Ingraham (DD-694); departed Okinawa 15 May; repair service at Ulithi 21 May-12 June; via Eniwetok with two tank landing ships in tow to Pearl Harbor, arriving 6 July 1945; departed Pearl Harbor 11 July, arrived Portland, Oregon, 20 July; towing and salvage for the Alaskan Sea Frontier at Adak until 6 May 1946; returned to San Pedro 23 May; decommissioned 13 December 1946; assigned to the San Diego Group, U.S. Pacific Reserve Fleet until 24 February 1953, when 'a civilian crew of the Merritt Chapman Scott Corp. then operated her for Navy towing and salvage service at San Pedro, Calif.'; 'under contract to the Merritt Chapman Scott Corp., she continues Navy salvage and repair duties at San Pedro with occasional coast towing.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1953+

   Population

   Ship's company (complement 120 per stats line)

   Limitations

   Authoritative service history for identity, milestones, and operations. Entry was written while the ship remained in contract service - it ends mid-custody (no stricken, disposal, or post-1950s content); post-1953 custody chain rests on secondary compilations (ev-02/ev-03). Entry predates the 1981 strike and gives no keel date. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Gear (ARS-34) page 09/37/3734 - milestones, spec block, CO roster, ribbons, photo captions transcribing Navy photo numbers; page last updated 24 March 2023 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource ARS-34 page: milestone list, specifications block, CO roster, ribbon precedence, photo table (retrieved via Wayback capture 2024-12-21; live navsource.org fetch failed this session)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for USS Gear (ARS-34): milestone chain - laid down (date unknown) as HMS Pacific Salvor (BARS-4) under Lend-Lease at Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA; launched 24 Oct 1942; acquired by the U.S. Navy 21 Sep 1942, renamed Gear; commissioned 24 Sep 1943, LT. Jesse F. Simmons; Asiatic-Pacific campaigns Marianas operation (assault and occupation of Saipan, 24 Jul-8 Aug 1944), Iwo Jima operation (19-26 Feb 1945), Okinawa Gunto operation (1 Apr-16 May 1945); decommissioned 13 Dec 1946 at San Pedro; Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group; withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and leased 24 Feb 1953 to Merritt Chapman Scott Corp.; returned to U.S. Navy custody (date unknown); struck from the Naval Register 30 Apr 1981; 'earned three battle stars for World War II service'; final disposition 'sold for scrapping, 1 July 1982, by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service'. Spec block: displacement 1,897 t (trial); 213'6" x 39' x 14'1" (lim); 14.8 kts; complement 7 officers / 113 enlisted; largest boom 10 t; armament one single 3"/50 DP mount, two twin 40mm AA mounts, four .50 cal. MG; fuel 2,300 Bbls diesel + 2,450 gal gasoline; propulsion Cooper Bessemer diesel-electric engines, single Fairbanks Morse main reduction gear, ship's-service generators two 200 kW + one 60 kW 120V D.C., twin propellers 3,000 shp. Radio call sign NHTH. CO roster: LT. Simmons (24 Sep 43-15 Jun 44); LT. Raymond Leo Morrissey, USNR (Ret.) (15 Jun-25 Aug 44); LT. Jack Todd Moritz (25 Aug 44-5 Oct 45); LCDR. Perry Paul Wynn (5 Oct 45-Mar 46); LT. Edward Douglas White (Mar-13 Dec 46). Photo captions (official Navy photo numbers): underway San Francisco Bay 7 Nov 1943 after repairs at General Engineering & Drydock Co., Alameda, CA under a Mare Island contract 3 Oct-2 Nov 1943 (Mare Island photos 7495-43 through 7499-43); moored pierside at General Engineering 8 Nov 1943 (photo 7510-43); alongside USS Alpine (APA-92) off Okinawa 3 Apr 1945 undergoing repairs, Alpine hit by kamikaze two days earlier (US National Archives photo 80-G-311835); ex-Gear alongside ex-Curb at NAS Key West ca. 1982-83.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1983

   Population

   Ship's company 7 officers / 113 enlisted per spec block

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival page transcribing official Navy sources (Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, DANFS, official photo captions); milestones consistent with DANFS (through 1953) and ShipScribe (full chain). Three-battle-star credit conflicts with Naval Cover Museum's two - carried in gaps. 'Returned to US Navy custody, date unknown' and the strike/scrap-sale dates rest on NavSource/ShipScribe compilations, not a located primary document. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos content stated or implied.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-02

4. [4]ShipScribe, USS Diver (ARS-5) class page - construction table, disposition table, ship notes, and class notes (compiled from official auxiliary-vessel register and Navy/MC records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ARS-5 class page: construction table ARS-34 row; disposition table ARS-34 row; ship notes ARS-34 (GEAR) entry; class-notes paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   ShipScribe USN auxiliary-ships reference, DIVER (ARS-5) class page: construction-table row '34 GEAR, Ord. 2 Dec 41, Basalt Rock, keel 2 Mar 42, launch 24 Oct 42, commiss. 24 Sep 43'; disposition-table row 'decomm. 13 Dec 46, strike 30 Apr 81, disposal 24 Feb 53, fate MA'; ship note verbatim: 'Ex BARS-4 (British PACIFIC SALVOR) 23 Sep 42. In USN reserve 1946-53. Loaned to MA 24 Feb 53 and delivered to Merritt-Chapman & Scott for operation as replacement for VIKING (ARS-1). Inactive ca. 1975. Sold by Navy for scrapping 1 Jul 82.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1982

   Limitations

   ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts) is a compiled reference reproducing official auxiliary-ship register, BuShips, and MC/MA records - the standard published authority on USN auxiliaries, though not itself a primary document; dates match DANFS/NavSource where they overlap. Supplies the keel date (2 Mar 42), the '23 Sep 42' BARS-4 notation variant (vs DANFS 21 Sep 42 - carried in the correction row), the MA-loan/replacement-for-VIKING framing, the 'inactive ca. 1975' marker, and the 1 Jul 82 Navy scrap sale. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-03

5. [5]DANFS 'Gear' entry (operations narrative); US National Archives photo 80-G-311835 via NavSource caption; USS Gear September 1944 war diary, Service Squadron TWELVE letterhead (transcribed excerpt hosted at tracesofwar.com - secondary host, NARA RG 38 is the record home) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS narrative paragraphs 2-4; NavSource photo table, 80-G-311835 caption; September 1944 war-diary transcription (25-30 Sep entries, Apra Harbor)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented aboard-damaged-ship repair workscope: DANFS records that at Iwo Jima (from 19 Feb 1945) Gear assisted the fleet 'pumping out flooded spaces, repairing mortars, making ship repairs and performing various towing assignments,' and at Okinawa (from 1 Apr 1945) performed 'battle damage repairs to such gallant fighting ships as Wichita (CA-45), England (DE-635), Aaron Ward (DD-483), Ingraham (DD-694)' plus USS Alpine (APA-92) on 2-3 Apr per the NavSource photo-caption record. U.S. National Archives photo 80-G-311835 documents Gear alongside Alpine off Okinawa 3 April 1945 'while undergoing repairs.' Her September 1944 war diary (transcription surviving at a secondary host) documents salvage parties working breakwater units at Apra Harbor, including recovery diving in 20 fathoms for pumps, winches, and tackle lost aboard a sunken concrete barge.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-08-1945-05 (Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa)

   Population

   Salvage parties and ship's company (~120 complement)

   Limitations

   Documents the workscope of Navy crew working inside damaged and flooded vessels and around a sunken barge - the documented activity is real; any asbestos implication is inferential, since the disturbed ships' insulation content is not itself documented here. This row asserts no asbestos aboard any hull; it fixes what Gear's crew physically did.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-04

6. [6]ShipScribe, USS Diver (ARS-5) class page - class notes (compiled from General Board/SecNav directives, Auxiliary Vessels records, BuShips contract records) and ARS-34 ship note [other_primary]

   Locator

   ARS-5 class page, class-notes paragraphs (NAVAJO-derived design; UK requisition 750; Munitions Assignment Board allocation 25 Aug 42; Gear CO's 23 May 45 kingpost-modification request; NObs-36 termination and the single-West-Coast-ship contract lineage VIKING-then-GEAR)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   ShipScribe class notes for the DIVER (ARS-5) class: the design derived from the NAVAJO (AT-64) fleet-tug hull/machinery, with characteristics shaped 1941 by the Salvage Section of BuShips working from parameters obtained from officials of Merritt-Chapman & Scott - the same firm that later operated this hull on Navy contract; four steel-hulled salvage ships were requested by the British under Lend-Lease requisition UK 750 of 6 Jun 41 (the BARS type built to this same ARS-5 design); ARS 33-34 (the retained BARS 3-4) were formally allocated to the U.S. Navy by the Munitions Assignment Board 25 Aug 42 and both commissioned before ARS 5-9 entered service; on 23 May 45 the Commanding Officer of GEAR (ARS-34, ex BARS-4) urgently requested the single-kingpost aft modification then being applied to later units, explaining the twin booms could only be swung outboard by outriggers and that inability to rig them 'had impeded efforts to lift the heavy weights needed to save some battle damaged vessels from sinking' - postwar photographs indicate ARS-34 (and probably ARS-33 and ARS-5) soon received the modification, probably 1945-1946. The wartime Naval Salvage Service contract NObs-36 with Merritt-Chapman & Scott was terminated 11 May 47 and the reduced contract covered a single West Coast salvage ship - initially VIKING (ARS-1) and later GEAR.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1941-1953

   Population

   WWII construction trades at Basalt Rock Co. (Napa); later civilian salvage crews under Navy/MA charter

   Limitations

   Class/design-program documentation plus a ship-specific contract-lineage record, not a hull materials record - establishes the design lineage, the Lend-Lease-to-USN allocation chain, and the contract framework Gear operated under (which is why the exposure population includes civilian salvage crews). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-05

7. [7]ShipScribe DIVER class page (Navy ARS-5 design and machinery data) consolidated with era diesel/steel-hull auxiliary construction practice; no ship-level materials document located [other_primary]

   Locator

   ARS-5 class page spec block and class notes; inference framed on the documented diesel-electric, steel-hulled design

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Design-level inference for this hull: a steel-hulled, diesel-electric Diver-class salvage vessel (four Cooper Bessemer diesel-electric engines, diesel-driven ship's-service generators, twin screws ~3,000 shp - no boilers, no steam lines). For a 1942-43 steel-hulled diesel auxiliary, era-consistent asbestos applications concentrate in diesel exhaust/muffler lagging and flange gaskets, machinery piping gaskets and packing, electrical insulation and arc-resistant sheet (e.g., switchboard backing), accommodation and galley fireproofing/joiner panels, and winch/windlass, boom, and beach-gear brake linings on the salvage outfit (10-ton booms, towing winch, beach gear). The diesel plant removes the boiler and steam-line lagging applications typical of contemporaneous steamships but does not eliminate machinery-space and outfit asbestos uses.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1982

   Population

   Construction trades (Basalt Rock Co., Napa, 1942-43); ship's company ~120; civilian salvage crews 1953-ca.1975

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no survey, specification, or material list naming BARS-4/ARS-34 was located; the BuShips Navy ARS-5 spec package and the UK requisition 750 build file (RG 19) that would settle materials are an unretrieved archival lead. Establishes no quantities, no present-day presence (hull scrapped 1982), no individual exposure, and no causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-06

8. [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), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   historical_record

   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 program under which this hull was built (British Lend-Lease requisition UK 750 of 6 Jun 41; ShipScribe construction-table order date 2 Dec 41; built 1942-43 at a California yard working Navy auxiliary contracts) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   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 class and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The study's emphasis on steam-plant insulation applies only in reduced degree to this diesel-electric design.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-07

9. [9]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403; content via product-page description - same limitation as batch-01)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This hull's civilian-contract operation (to ca. 1975) and final reserve/Navy-custody years (to the 30 Apr 1981 strike) overlap the policy era's start, but no hull-specific Navy survey or abatement record is located for her; she was stricken April 1981 and sold for scrapping by DRMS 1 July 1982, before any systematic fleetwide ACM-inventory documentation would have applied to a long-inactive hulk.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1975-1982

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not ship- or class-specific; carried to frame what Navy asbestos-management policy existed during this hull's late contract/reserve years and why no hull-specific survey is expected to surface. Full-text pull remains an open lead. The 1982 disposal handling and scrap-prep condition of this hull are undocumented in public sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gear-ars34-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search results (opinion index type=o; RECAP docket index type=r), queries executed 2026-09-26 via the fleet cl-auth-search helper [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-gear-ars34-08 through sl-uss-gear-ars34-12

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener authenticated sweep (API v4 via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-26): 'USS Gear' opinion search returned count 0 - no opinion names the ship; 'ARS-34' opinion search returned count 0 - no opinion carries the hull number; 'Pacific Salvor' opinion search returned count 0 - no opinion carries the Lend-Lease name; 'USS Gear' RECAP docket-index (type=r) search returned count 0 - no docketed case names the ship. The 'ARS-34' docket-index sweep remained queued behind the fleet-wide pacing limiter at write time (helper exit 2 - documented residual coverage gap, not clearance). 'Gear' unqualified was not run bare - a common-word collision risk (gear/pinions, gearing ratios, surnames, sports equipment) that produces non-qualifying noise.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Opinion index cleared on exact ship-name, hull-number, and Lend-Lease-name queries; docket index cleared on the ship name. The 'ARS-34' docket-index sweep was not completed at write time (fleet pacing) - residual coverage gap logged, not a full clearance. Unreported complaints, state-court asbestos filings by vessel name, and MDL-875 member-case ship lists exist beyond index reach in any case.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gear-ars34-09

11. [11]NARA record-group framework (RG 24 deck logs, RG 38 war diaries, RG 19 BuShips records); NARA online deck-log index (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online) checked for Gear/ARS-34 - absent; USS Gear September 1944 war diary transcription hosted at tracesofwar.com [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA digitized deck-log index, 'G' ship list (Gear/ARS-34 not listed; index covers selected hulls by year); catalog.archives.gov returned only the JS application shell to automated fetch - no NAID retrieved

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads confirmed at series level, unretrieved: NARA RG 24 Entry 118 deck logs for ARS-34 (Sep 1943-Dec 1946 commission; the NARA online digitized deck-log index lists no Gear/ARS-34 - physical holding only, digitization unverified; post-1946 contract-operation logs, if any survive, sit with the operator's records rather than RG 24); NARA RG 38 WWII war diaries for ARS-34 - existence verified by a surviving September 1944 monthly war diary transcribed at a secondary host (Service Squadron TWELVE letterhead, Apra Harbor breakwater operations); BuShips RG 19 records for the Navy ARS-5 design plans/specifications, the UK requisition 750 / BARS-4 construction file, and the salvage-service contract files (wartime NObs-36; the postwar Maritime Administration loan instrument of 24 Feb 53; the Merritt-Chapman & Scott operation contracts; the DRMS scrap-sale file of 1 Jul 82) - the document sets that would carry any materials or insulation specification for this design and any condition certification before disposal; Mare Island Navy Yard correspondence file for the Oct-Nov 1943 repair availability at General Engineering & Drydock (the contract under which the photographed work proceeded).

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1942-1982 records

    Limitations

    Archival lead, not an asbestos finding: deck-log, design-record, contract-file, and disposal-file existence is asserted at series level; no hull-specific NAID or file was retrieved (catalog.archives.gov JS-only response to automated fetch this session). These are the document sets that would carry any asbestos-specific record for this hull - whether any exists is unknown until surveyed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gear-ars34-10

12. [12]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS entry vs NavSource milestones/spec block vs ShipScribe construction/disposition tables, ship note and class notes vs HyperWar compiled listing vs shipbuildinghistory.com yard table vs Naval Cover Museum transcription vs Wikipedia infobox [other_primary]

    Locator

    DANFS 'Gear' entry; NavSource 09/37/3734; ShipScribe ARS-5 class page; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ARS/ARS-34_Gear.html; shipbuildinghistory.com Basalt Rock table; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/GEAR_ARS_34; Wikipedia USS Gear infobox

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies mapped: (a) acquisition/designation date - DANFS 'acquired by the U.S. Navy and designated Gear (ARS-34) on 21 September 1942' vs ShipScribe ship note 'Ex BARS-4 (British PACIFIC SALVOR) 23 Sep 42' vs ShipScribe class notes' Munitions Assignment Board formal allocation 25 Aug 42 - all three carried; DANFS preferred in the identity block. (b) Keel date - no official source states one; ShipScribe construction table prints 2 Mar 42 - carried with attribution. (c) Commissioned date - DANFS/NavSource/uboat.net 24 Sep 1943 vs HyperWar compiled listing 'commissioned 23 September 1943' (typo; DANFS carried). (d) Displacement - DANFS stats line 1,530 vs NavSource spec 1,897 t (trial) vs ShipScribe class data 1,478 light / 1,940 lim vs HyperWar compiled listing 1,950 full load - condition-of-loading spread; DANFS figure carried in the identity block. (e) Draft - DANFS stats 14'1" vs Wikipedia infobox 14'4". (f) Complement - DANFS stats line cpl. 120 and NavSource 7 officers + 113 enlisted vs ShipScribe class data 'Complement 96 (1944)'. (g) Battle stars - NavSource credits three (Marianas/Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa Gunto) vs Naval Cover Museum transcription and Wikipedia crediting two (Iwo Jima, Okinawa Gunto) - no official awards list located this pass. (h) Armament - DANFS stats '4 40mm' vs NavSource spec block one 3"/50 DP + two twin 40mm + four .50 cal (ShipScribe class data show period armament varied across units - both carried as printed). (i) Speed - DANFS/ShipScribe 14.8 kts vs HyperWar listing 13 kts. (j) Post-1953 custody chain - 'returned to US Navy custody, date unknown' and 'inactive ca. 1975' rest on secondary compilations only; DRMS sale records are not in public sources.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1942-1982

    Limitations

    Correction row reconciling publication-level discrepancies; DANFS is preferred for service-period facts, ShipScribe for construction/disposition detail, with both sides of each conflict documented rather than resolved by assertion. No asbestos content in any reconciled source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gear-ars34-11

13. [13]Batch-2669 search ledger (this record): NHHC live site and DANFS Wayback transcription; NavSource; ShipScribe class data; shipbuildinghistory.com yard table; Naval Vessel Register; NARA digitized deck-log index; CourtListener opinion index; VA BVA public index; OSHA IMIS establishment search (Basalt Rock) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-gear-ars34-01 through sl-uss-gear-ars34-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, Navy materials list naming BARS-4/ARS-34, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or asbestos-injury case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).

    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 1942-43-built steel-hulled diesel auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing outfit materials, and her scrapping predates modern hazmat-disclosure regimes. Does not establish or defeat any individual claim of exposure or legal eligibility. VA BVA check was index-based (public web index), not an exhaustive BVA database query - a decision naming the ship may exist unlocated.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gear-ars34-12