Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]research packet mp-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Gemsbok (IX-117), ex-SS Carl R. Gray. — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gemsbok_(IX-117)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-gemsbok-ix117-pkt-mp-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Gemsbok' (IX-117) entry (canonical NHHC pages https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gemsbok.html and .../gemsbok-ii.html return HTTP 404 - standing NHHC link rot per Batch-01 report; text via hazegray.org DANFS transcription, corroborated by losthistory.net mirror and HyperWar/ibiblio IX-117 page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Gemsbok' entry incl. spec block (IX-117: dp. 14,500; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 11.8 k.; cpl. 110; a. 1 5"); mirrors https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/ix/ix117.htm and https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/IX/IX-117_Gemsbok.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry 'Gemsbok' (IX-117): Armadillo-class tanker, unclassified miscellaneous vessel; second Navy ship named for the gemsbok antelope; launched as Carl R. Gray 9 November 1943 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif. (sponsored by Miss E. Jeffers); acquired and simultaneously commissioned 3 December 1943, Comdr. A. H. Kooistra, USNR, in command; renamed Gemsbok upon acquisition. Sailed 12 January 1944 for the Marshall Islands; through May 1945 delivered fuel oil, aviation gasoline, and lube oil to warships in the Marshalls and Marianas, based principally at Eniwetok, also supplying Majuro and Kwajalein; at Saipan 5 July - 16 September 1944 servicing ships in the Marianas campaign. Sailed from Eniwetok 11 May 1945 for Leyte via Ulithi, arriving 25 May; departed Leyte 29 September for Okinawa and Hiro Wan, Japan, putting in 16 October; fueled at Nagoya; sailed for the U.S. 20 December, reaching Norfolk 28 February 1946 via San Diego and Mobile, Ala. Decommissioned Norfolk 30 April 1946; stricken from the Navy List 8 May 1946; sold to Maris Transportation System Inc. and renamed Alpha in 1948.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Ship's company ~110 (DANFS spec block)
- Limitations
- DANFS narrative establishes identity, construction, service history, and disposal headline; it contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. Canonical NHHC URL 404s; transcription mirrors used as controlling text. Spec block lists only '1 5"' gun; NavSource's fuller armament block (1x 5"/38, 1x 3"/50, 8x 20mm) is consistent with ShipScribe class data. Hazegray transcription contains 'acqusition' typo (marked [sic] by the transcriber).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'USS Gemsbok (IX-117)' (navsource.net/archives/09/46/46117.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block; Asiatic-Pacific campaign table; merchant-service timeline; photo captions incl. USMC Z-ET1-S-C3 design photo 094611702 and HMS Colossus fueling photo 094611703; commanding officer entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive entry for IX-117: 'Armadillo Class Mobile Station Tanker'; laid down 1943 as SS Carl R. Gray, Maritime Commission type Z-ET1-S-C3 hull under MC contract (MCE hull 1906), California Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, CA; launched 9 November 1943; acquired and commissioned 3 December 1943 at San Pedro, CDR Abbo H. Kooistra USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaign table: Marshall Islands operation - occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls 2-8 February 1944, occupation of Eniwetok Atoll 17 February - 2 March 1944. Decommissioned 30 April 1946 Norfolk, Va.; transferred to the Maritime Commission 11 May 1946 for NDRF layup, James River Group, Lee Hall, Va., name reverting to SS Carl R. Gray; struck from the Naval Register 8 May 1946; one battle star WWII. Merchant chain: sold to Maris Transportation System Inc. 20 May 1948, renamed Alpha; Strathmore Shipping Co. 13 March 1951, renamed Strathbay; converted 1953 to 7,246-gt dry cargo ship; Columbia Steamship Co. January 1955, renamed Columbia Trader; Standard Steamship Corp. September 1955; West Coast Steamship Co. March 1959; Saxis Steamship Co. 14 August 1963, renamed Pilot Rock; returned to MARAD under the MARAD Exchange program 26 February 1965; final disposition sold for scrapping 10 March 1966 to American Ship Dismantlers, Inc. Specification block: displacement 14,500 t limiting; length 441'6"; beam 56'11"; draft 28'4" limiting; speed 11.8 kts trial; cargo 8,500 DWT / oil 63,000 bbls; complement 12 officers + 98 enlisted; armament one 5"/38 DP, one 3"/50 DP, eight single 20mm AA; fuel capacity NSFO 13,900 bbls; propulsion one vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, two Babcock & Wilcox boilers 220 psi/450 deg F, three recip-drive 20 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller 2,500 shp. Radio call sign NJIC. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1); WWII Victory Medal; Philippines Liberation Medal. Photo caption (094611703): alongside HMS Colossus (R15) 0853-1825, 23 August 1945, delivering 5,523 barrels of fuel oil at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, with YO-118 and probably YO-173 alongside.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive; timeline, specs, and merchant chain are consistent with DANFS, the MARAD status card, and ShipScribe but are not themselves official documents - verification marked partial. Page contains no asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CARL R. GRAY, Ship History Detail 7200, including digitized vessel status card PDF (documents/235a0caa-79eb-4f7f-807d-1853bc3c0219.pdf, two card images, downloaded and OCR-read directly) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 7200 registry fields; status card front (delivery/transfer table) and back; milestones table empty for this record; document set 'CARL R. GRAY.pdf'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record (Detail 7200) and digitized vessel status card for CARL R. GRAY (Tanker) '(Ex. Gemsbok)': database fields - built 1943, U.S. Official No. 244729, shipyard California Shipbuilding Corporation, general type General Cargo / specific type Break Bulk, MARAD type Z-ET1-S-C3, length 441.50 ft, beam 57.00 ft, net 4,384 t, gross 7,243 t, fate 'Sold - Scrap'; mission 'World War II'. Status card custody chain (card image read directly, OCR-aided): WSA / Calif. S.B. Corp. delivered to Navy Dept. 12-3-43 at Los Angeles; Navy Dept. to Reserve Fleet 5-11-46 at Lee Hall, Va. (James River layup); Reserve Fleet to Dichman Wright & Pugh 1-29-48 James River under GAA (general agency agreement); T. J. Stevenson & Co. to Maris Trans. System Inc. 5-20-48 at Jersey City, 'Purch.' (purchase).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- NDRF James River caretakers (1946-48 layup); MARAD/GAA custody processing staff 1946-1948
- Limitations
- Government custody record only; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information and supports no asbestos claim. Card handwriting partially legible (OCR renders 'Gemsbok' as 'Gamsbuck/Gemsbuck' and garbles time-zone abbreviations); dates read from the card agree with NavSource and ShipScribe within one day on every checkable event. Database fields 'General Cargo / Break Bulk' reflect the post-1953 converted configuration, not the wartime tanker type.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-03
-
[5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Armadillo (IX-111) Class' page (class design data; construction and disposition tables; IX-117 ship note); corroborating specialist compilation: Auke Visser's Famous T-Tanker Pages, Carl R. Gray entry (aukevisser.nl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class page: design/statistical header; construction table IX-117 row ('117 GEMSBOK | 3 Dec 43 | California SB | 13 Oct 43 | 9 Nov 43 | 3 Dec 43'); disposition table row ('117 GEMSBOK | 30 Apr 46 | 8 May 46 | 2 May 46 | MC/D | 20 May 48'); ship note line for IX-117; aukevisser.nl T-tanker register Carl R. Gray entry (name chain, 'scrapped at Portland')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation naming this hull (ShipScribe USS Armadillo IX-111 class page, Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files): design 'MC Z-ET1-S-C3'; class data - displacement 3,665 light / 14,500 limiting; 441.5 ft oa x 56.9 ft x 28.3 ft limiting draft; armament 1-5"/38, 1-3"/50, 8-20mm; complement 70 (1944 class figure); 11 kts; 2,500 HP, one screw, vertical triple expansion. Construction row: GEMSBOK IX-117, California SB, keel 13 Oct 43, launched 9 Nov 43, acquired/commissioned 3 Dec 43. Disposition row: decommissioned 30 Apr 46; struck 8 May 46; disposal 2 May 46; fate 'MC/D' (Maritime Commission disposal); MA sale 20 May 48. Ship note: 'Ex merc. CARL R. GRAY. Merc. CARL R. GRAY (MC) 1946, ALPHA 1948, STRATHBAY 1951. Converted to dry cargo ship 1953. Sold by MA 25 Feb 66 as PILOT ROCK, to buyer 10 Mar 66, scrapped by 6 May 66.' The specialist T-tanker register (aukevisser.nl, whose USMC photo NavSource credits) independently carries the same name chain - CARL R. GRAY / GEMSBOK / ALPHA / STRATHBAY / COLUMBIA TRADER / PILOT ROCK - and places the scrapping at Portland.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Limitations
- Compiled reference, but every checkable point corroborated by primary/near-primary sources this session: launch, acquisition/commissioning, decommissioning, and strike dates match DANFS and NavSource; merchant chain and scrapping sequence match NavSource and the MARAD record. Exception: the 'scrapped at Portland' location rests on the aukevisser register only - the official sources confirm the buyer (American Ship Dismantlers, Inc., a Portland firm) but do not name the yard site; treated as probable-but-compilation-sourced. The 'complement 70 (1944)' class figure conflicts with DANFS's 110 - logged in gaps and the correction row, not resolved. Provides the keel date (13 Oct 43) that DANFS omits. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-04
-
[6]USS Gemsbok (IX-117) War Diary, January 1944 (ship-generated official record; 31-page scan contributed by Frank Gerhardt, hosted on NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF p.1 (Sat 1 Jan 1944, Berth 90 San Pedro, 'U.S.S. IX-118 moored to Starboard'); pp.29-31 (29-31 Jan 1944, steaming positions ~11 deg N 176-178 deg E); image-only scan, OCR-sampled
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own war diary survives as a scanned primary document: 'UNITED STATES SHIP GEMSBOK (IX-117)' daily Operational Remarks (War Diary) forms, January 1944 - a 31-page day-by-day image scan hosted by NavSource (NAVSHIPS 100 Part II CONFIDENTIAL forms). Page 1 (Saturday 1 January 1944) records the ship 'Moored to port side of Berth #90, San Pedro, California ... Boiler #2 in use for auxiliary purposes. U.S.S. IX-118 moored to Starboard' - sister ship Giraffe alongside - signed for the navigator E. W. Smith, Lt., USNR. Pages for 29-31 January 1944 record the ship steaming on course ~248-258 deg T at 2/3 speed, 7.5 knots, positions near 11 deg N 178 deg E - the passage toward the Marshall Islands that preceded the documented February occupations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-01
- Population
- Ship's company (war-diary reporting period, ~110)
- Limitations
- Ship-generated primary record confirming identity, mooring, machinery state ('Boiler #2 in use for auxiliary purposes'), and operational transit; operational content only - contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statements. Image-only scan; pages were OCR-sampled rather than fully reviewed. Covers January 1944 only; the diary continued monthly (February 1944 onward covering Marshalls/Marianas service) but further months were not located online - the deck-log archival lead below.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-05
-
[7]LeFevra, Al, oral-history interview as published in the News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.), 12 October 2015, republished at kayleenreusser.com 'WWII Seaman Al LeFevra Served Aboard USS Gemsbok in South Pacific' (17 October 2016) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article paragraph on fresh water: 'LeFevra took loose asbestos, mixed it with water and pressed it around a jug...'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Firsthand crew account: Al LeFevra, a WWII water tender aboard USS Gemsbok who became acting chief of the fire and engine room, recounted in a published interview that he 'took loose asbestos, mixed it with water and pressed it around a jug' aboard the ship to insulate a drinking-water container ('After the solution dried, it formed an insulation'). The account was first published in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (12 October 2015) and republished by the interviewer, Kayleen Reusser, with the veteran's permission. His service narrative corroborates DANFS on the ship's movements (departure for the Marshalls 12 January 1944; six months based at Eniwetok; Saipan July 1944; Leyte September 1945; homeward via the Panama Canal to Mobile; decommissioning 30 April 1946), which supports his having served aboard this hull. A water tender/engine-room rating having access to loose asbestos fiber aboard is consistent with era practice, but the account describes a crew-improvised use, not installed material.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (account); published 2015
- Population
- Engine-room/fire-room ratings (water tenders) aboard IX-117, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Single uncorroborated firsthand account given ~70 years after the fact; published in a newspaper human-interest feature, not an official record. It establishes that loose asbestos fiber was accessible aboard this hull to an engine-room sailor - the strongest ship-specific evidence in this file - but it does not document builder-installed asbestos systems, quantity, or where the loose asbestos came from (ship's stores, salvaged lagging, or shore supply are all plausible). It does not establish any individual's exposure level, disease, or causation. Judged insufficient alone to elevate the record's asbestos_documentation_level above class_or_era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-06
-
[8]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS spec block vs. NavSource/ShipScribe armament and complement figures; Wikipedia infobox stricken date vs. DANFS/NavSource/ShipScribe; ShipScribe keel date vs. DANFS '1943'; ShipScribe disposal date vs. NavSource/MARAD card transfer date; veteran memoir vs. documented design history [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS ix117.htm spec line and closing paragraph; NavSource 46117.htm spec block and timeline; ShipScribe IX-111 class table rows; MARAD status card 5-11-46 transfer entry; kayleenreusser.com interview
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Stricken date - some secondary summaries (e.g., Wikipedia infobox) print 'Stricken 10 March 1966'; DANFS, NavSource, and the ShipScribe disposition table all give 8 May 1946, and the MARAD card shows Navy-to-Reserve-Fleet transfer 11 May 1946. The 1966 date is the MARAD scrap-sale delivery (ShipScribe: 'Sold by MA 25 Feb 66 as PILOT ROCK, to buyer 10 Mar 66'); 8 May 1946 controls. (b) Complement - DANFS 'cpl. 110' and NavSource itemization (12 officers + 98 enlisted) agree; ShipScribe class-design figure is 70 (1944); the oral-history account says 'approximately 100.' All carried; the wartime figure likely varied. (c) 'Laid down' - DANFS and NavSource give only '1943'; ShipScribe gives keel 13 Oct 43, consistent with the class build sequence (keel-to-launch 27 days; sisters ran 22-26 days). (d) Armament - DANFS spec line 'a. 1 5"' understates; NavSource/ShipScribe armament block (1x5"/38, 1x3"/50, 8x20mm) adopted. (e) Veteran account calls her 'a supply ship converted to a tanker ... to fool the Japanese' - not supported by the documentary record (purpose-built Z-ET1-S-C3 tanker design); treated as memoir color, not asserted. (f) Disposal date - ShipScribe gives 'disposal 2 May 46' (delivery to MC custody) while DANFS-context sources give the MC transfer as 11 May 46; both dates recorded, deed-form vs. card-form difference noted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among authoritative and secondary sources; none affects identity or the custody timeline materially. None of the underlying sources except the oral-history row contains asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-07
-
[9]Consolidated era/design inference - NavSource per-hull propulsion block + ShipScribe Armadillo-class machinery line + shipbuildinghistory.com CalShip yard history (one of the original nine emergency yards, ~40,000 peak employment) + HyperWar IX list 'Liberty Tanker' designation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 46117.htm propulsion block; ShipScribe IX111.html class machinery ('1 screw, vertical triple expansion, 2,500 HP'); shipbuildinghistory.com CalShip page header; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-ix.html IX-117 row ('Maritime Commission Z-ET1-S-C3 "Liberty Tanker" type')
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw triple-expansion steam plant - two Babcock & Wilcox boilers at 220 psi/450 deg F feeding one vertical triple-expansion engine (2,500 shp), documented in the compiled per-hull specification record - built October-December 1943 at the peak of WWII asbestos usage at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, one of the nine original U.S. Maritime Commission emergency yards, on the Z-ET1-S-C3 'Liberty Tanker' design - the tanker variant of the EC2 emergency program built at CalShip and Delta Shipbuilding. The machinery configuration is the one for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation and galley insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings of the era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- Construction trades (California Shipbuilding, Wilmington, Oct-Dec 1943); ship's company Dec 1943 - Apr 1946; merchant crews 1946-1965 incl. the 1953 dry-cargo conversion workforce; NDRF James River caretakers 1946-48 and 1965-66
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and builder - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or abatement contract naming IX-117 or MC hull 1906 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Every listed application is 'typical of the type/era,' not 'installed on this hull.' The 1946-1966 merchant career (including a 1953 conversion to dry cargo) is outside the wartime-era inference; no merchant-era or conversion-yard materials documentation was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-08
-
[10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at Navy yards and Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- Survey wartime; article 1946
- Population
- WWII shipyard pipe coverers and nearby trades (class context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether California Shipbuilding was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. Per the Atlas shipyards record, C&EN (July 2026) reported a retraction call for this paper alleging understatement of asbestos hazards - noted for transparency; the amosite-standard finding is corroborated independently by the Corn & Starr scholarship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-09
-
[11]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 Maritime Commission emergency construction program under which this Z-ET1-S-C3 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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 or class 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-gemsbok-ix117-10
-
[12]Regulatory timeline: Clean Air Act NESHAP asbestos standard (38 FR 8820, 1973); OSHA asbestos standard (29 CFR 1910.1001, 1971); Basel Convention (1989/1992); EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU) No 1257/2013; IMO Hong Kong Convention (2009, in force 2025) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Basel Convention overview (adoption/entry-into-force); IMO HKC status; EPA/OSHA asbestos-rule timelines
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Disposal-context record: the hull was sold by MARAD on 25 February 1966 (as Pilot Rock), delivered to American Ship Dismantlers, Inc. 10 March 1966, and scrapped by 6 May 1966 (Portland, Oregon, per the specialist tanker register) - predating every modern regime governing hazardous materials in end-of-life vessels: the Clean Air Act NESHAP asbestos standard (1973), OSHA asbestos standards (1971/1972), the Basel Convention (adopted 1989, in force 1992), the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (2013), and the IMO Hong Kong Convention (adopted 2009, in force 26 June 2025). No pre-scrapping hazardous-materials survey or abatement record for this hull was located in the sources searched; none would have been required at the time.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1966 scrapping; 1971-2025 regimes
- Population
- American Ship Dismantlers workforce, Portland, Ore. (1966, class context)
- Limitations
- Regulatory timeline only - no source documents what materials were aboard or removed before this hull's 1966 scrapping. The absence of a contemporaneous inventory regime means any asbestos-containing material aboard was most plausibly handled under mid-1960s Pacific-coast shipbreaking practice with no surviving public record located; nothing in this row establishes that asbestos was present or that any exposure occurred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-11
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 searches: q="Gemsbok" type=o (2 hits, both name collisions); q="Gemsbok" type=r (16 dockets, all collisions/unrelated); q="IX-117" type=r (61 dockets, all document-text artifact matches); q="IX-117" type=o and "Carl R. Gray" type=o BLOCKED by fleet pacing; per-hit classification in search_ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- CL opinions 1539004 (In re Osterwalder, Bankr. N.D. Ohio 2008) and 8651864 (The Gondar, S.D.N.Y. 1862); docket-search responses q="Gemsbok" type=r (count=16) and q="IX-117" type=r (count=61), each case caption reviewed
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4, helper-paced): opinion search "Gemsbok" returned 2 hits, both name collisions - In re Osterwalder (Bankr. N.D. Ohio 2008, 407 B.R. 291, CL opinion 1539004; bankruptcy turnover order, the string does not denote the vessel in the opinion text) and The Gondar (S.D.N.Y. 1862, 10 F. Cas. 573, CL opinion 8651864; admiralty/prize-era opinion predating IX-117 by 80 years - any 'Gemsbok' reference belongs to the Civil War-era first USS Gemsbok or unrelated text). Docket search "Gemsbok" returned 16 dockets, all name collisions or unrelated litigation - including Bayou Marine v. The M/V GEMSBOK (S.D. Miss. 1990), a different merchant vessel (IX-117 was scrapped in 1966); gemsbok-antelope wildlife/hunting cases (Safari Club International, Humane Society, NM Cattle Growers); criminal cases mentioning game trophies; and bankruptcy/asset-name matches. Docket search "IX-117" returned 61 dockets, none verified to concern this vessel: the token matched inside attached-document text across unrelated matter types (patent, consumer-credit, habeas, bankruptcy), indicating a Bates/exhibit/numbering artifact; a cluster of identically-filed asbestos PI complaints (v. 3M Company, D.S.C. 2025) matched on the same token but the matched text could not be retrieved within the pacing budget - classified as non-qualifying document-text match, not asbestos litigation naming the vessel. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Gemsbok, IX-117, or any merchant identity was located. The "IX-117" opinion sweep and "Carl R. Gray" opinion sweep never executed - fleet pacing budget spent; logged as BLOCKED, not silently dropped.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1862-2026 (index coverage)
- Limitations
- Litigation sweep only - absence of a docketed opinion does not establish that no claim was ever brought (most asbestos filings settle without published opinions, and PACER/state-court dockets are only partially indexed by CourtListener). No hit is verified to concern this vessel; the "IX-117" docket matches are token artifacts inside document text, classified below the pleading-allegation stage. The "IX-117" opinion and "Carl R. Gray" opinion sweeps were never executed - fleet pacing budget spent; logged as BLOCKED, not as no-result. No litigation finding is asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-12
-
[14]Batch-4686 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/losthistory/HyperWar mirrors (NHHC canonical 404); NavSource IX-117 + war-diary scan; MARAD ShipHistory 7200 + status card; ShipScribe IX-111 class page; shipbuildinghistory.com CalShip yard page; NVR register check; WAST California Site List April 2018 PDF (yard check); CourtListener name/hull/merchant-name searches; general-web asbestos-mention check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gemsbok-ix117-01 through sl-uss-gemsbok-ix117-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific institutional asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Gemsbok, IX-117, MC hull 1906, or the merchant identities Carl R. Gray / Alpha / Strathbay / Columbia Trader / Pilot Rock was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The Western Asbestos Settlement Trust California Land Site List (April 2018) was checked for the builder yard and carries no California Shipbuilding / CalShip / Wilmington / Terminal Island entry. The strongest ship-specific evidence is the firsthand oral-history account of loose asbestos aboard (ev-06), which is anecdotal.
- 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 1943 MC-contract emergency steam tanker is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and a firsthand crew account reports loose asbestos aboard. Does not establish presence or absence beyond that account; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-13
-
[15]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); NHHC photographic archives [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS Gemsbok's commissioned period, December 1943 - April 1946, series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978' at Archives II, College Park; (b) the ship's war diary continuation - the NavSource-hosted scan covers January 1944 only; monthly diaries February 1944 onward (Marshalls/Eniwetok/Saipan/Leyte/Japan service) would be in the same NHHC/NARA series or ship's files; (c) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records incl. Z-ET1-S-C3 plans and the Navy outfitting/conversion specifications for the Armadillo-class mobile-station-tanker acquisition program; (d) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) construction/contract files for MC hull 1906; (e) NHHC photographic records (the dated 23 August 1945 HMS Colossus fueling image series, NavSource numbers 094611701-094611703).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1966 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 1906 / IX-117 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gemsbok-ix117-14