USS Gordius (ARL-36)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet bi-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (date discrepancy flagged)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-gordius-arl36-pkt-bi-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS entry 'Gordius' (ARL-36), NHHC (published 2015-07-13; classic short DANFS entry ending at the 1961 transfer) - via Wayback capture 2024-05-25; live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-26 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS full entry text; Wayback https://web.archive.org/web/20240525214253/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gordius.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (NHHC): originally LST-1145, redesignated ARL-36 and named 1944-10-27 while building at Chicago Bridge & Iron Works, Seneca, Ill.; launched 1945-05-07, sponsored by Mrs. Helen H. Davis; placed in reduced commission 1945-05-18 and steamed to Baltimore, Md., decommissioning 1945-06-11; converted to landing craft repair vessel at Key Shipyard, Bethlehem Steel Co.; placed in full commission 1945-09-14 at Baltimore, Lt. Roy L. Guy commanding. Service: operated out of Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Va.; regular exercises in Chesapeake Bay and along the Virginia-North Carolina coast supporting landing craft; winter maneuvers in the Caribbean; training exercises off Argentia, Newfoundland, and Labrador in 1948 and 1949; member of the annual resupply convoy to Thule, Greenland, 1952-06-11 to 08-27, drawing special praise for her repair of LST-938 during adverse weather. Steamed into Green Cove Springs, Fla., 1955-11-10; decommissioned 1955-12-21, placed in reserve; taken out of reserve early 1961, stricken from the Navy List 1961-02-01 and loaned to Iran under the Military Assistance Program 1961-09-07, where she serves as Sohrab. Namesake: mythological first king of Phrygia (Gordian Knot). Header data: dp. 2,125; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'; s. 12 k.; cpl. 262; a. 1 3-inch; cl. Achelous.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1961

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history establishing identity, construction, conversion, service, and disposition. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Entry ends at the 1961 loan - Iranian-service fate rests on shipscribe and Naval Cover Museum rows. Its 1961-09-07 loan date conflicts with NavSource's '7 September 1968' - see correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-01

3. [3]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Gordius (ARL-36) page (archives/10/19/1936.htm, last updated 2023-07-14) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page header data block, awards/ribbons list, specifications block, CO roster, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Gordius (ARL-36): laid down 1945-02-05 as LST-1145 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Works, Seneca IL; redesignated landing craft repair ship ARL-36; launched 1945-05-07; placed in reduced commission 1945-05-18 for transit to her conversion yard at Baltimore, MD, LT Roy L. Guy in command; decommissioned 1945-06-11 at Bethlehem Steel Co., Key Highway Plant, Baltimore MD; recommissioned USS Gordius (ARL-36) 1945-09-14, LT Guy in command; decommissioned 1955-12-21 at Green Cove Springs, FL; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs; struck from the Naval Register 1961-02-01; 'Loaned under the Military Assistance Program to Iran, 7 September 1968, renamed Sohrab'; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Specs: 2,220 lt / 4,100 fl t; 328' x 50'; 11.6 kts; complement 21 officers + 232 enlisted; armament 1x 3"/50 DP mount, 2x quad 40mm AA w/ Mk 51 directors, 6x twin 20mm AA; diesel fuel 4,715 bbls; propulsion 2x GM 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, 3x diesel-drive 100 kW 120/240 V DC + 2x diesel-drive 60 kW 450 V AC generators, 2 propellers 1,800 shp, twin rudders. Awards: American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal - no battle stars. CO roster: LT Guy 1945-05-18/06-11 and 1945-09-14/1946-01-08; LTjg Bohannon 1946-01-08; LCDR Jergens USNR 1949; LT Gray 1950-07/1951-06; LCDR Easley 1953; LCDR Gleason 1955-12-21. Photo credit: NARA photo 80-G-359351 (Hampton Roads, 1945-10-04).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1974

   Limitations

   Secondary transcription archive (Navy-compiled data + contributed photos), not a primary document; consistent with DANFS on construction and service but conflicts on the Iran loan year ('7 September 1968' vs DANFS/shipscribe 7 Sep 1961 - see correction row) and lists final disposition 'fate unknown' where shipscribe and Naval Cover Museum record sunk-as-target 1974. Displacement 2,220 lt vs DANFS 2,125; complement 253 vs DANFS 262 - minor variances logged. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-02

4. [4]shipscribe.com, 'USS Coronis (ARL-10) Class' register page (usnaux.shipscribe.com/ARL/ARL10.html), compiled from BuShips Ships' Data and OpNav records [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table row ARL-36; Disposition table row ARL-36; Ship Notes row 'GORDIUS'; Class Notes paragraphs (1944-05-02 AVB program, conversion yards); class armament table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary register (compiled from BuShips/OpNav records), ARL-10 (Coronis) class page covering ARL 10-39 and 42-47: construction table lists '36 GORDIUS | 14 Aug 44 | Chicago Bridge, Seneca | 5 Feb 45 | 7 May 45 | 14 Sep 45'; disposition table lists '36 GORDIUS | 21 Dec 55 | 1 Feb 61 | 7 Sep 61 | Trf.' Ship note: 'Ex LST-1145 14 Aug 44. Ferry commission as LST-1145 18 May-11 Jun 45 (arrived at New Orleans 27 May 45). Converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. In USN reserve 1955-61. Trf. to Iran as SOHRAB. Sunk as target 1974.' Class notes: ARL 25-39 (incl. this hull) trace to the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommendation of 1944-05-02 for 15 LST-type ARLs plus 15 APLs under the additional 1945 landing craft program; Gibbs & Cox was design agent for all LST conversions; many ARL 10-39 hulls were converted at Bethlehem-Key Highway, Baltimore; the ARL-10 group retained operational bow doors and added LVT embark/repair facilities; class table gives complement 253 (1944) and lists ARL-36 armament fits as 2-40mmQ 2-40mmT 8-20mm (1945), 2-40mmQ 8-20mm (1948), 2-40mmQ 6-20mmT (1947-55).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Independent authoritative register reconciling BuShips/OpNav records; supplies the New Orleans transit waypoint, the 1961-09-07 transfer date (corroborating DANFS against NavSource's 1968), and the only sourced final fate (sunk as target 1974). Its '14 Aug 44' reclassification is the class-group authorization date vs DANFS's 1944-10-27 naming/redesignation for this hull - logged, not merged. Its armament fits omit the 3-inch gun that DANFS and NavSource list - minor variance. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-03

5. [5]Naval Cover Museum (navalcovermuseum.org), 'GORDIUS ARL 36' ship page (last edited 2025-06-30) [museum_official]

   Locator

   Ship Name and Designation History section; Postmarks table; Other Information (awards, namesake)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Cover Museum ship page for GORDIUS ARL-36: designation history lists ferry commission 1945-05-18 to 06-11; full commission 1945-09-14 to decommissioning 1955-12-21; struck from the Naval Register 1961-02-01; then 'SOHRAB (Iranian Naval Service) - Loaned to Iran 7 September 1961 and renamed; Struck by Iran 1974; Sunk as target.' Awards list matches NavSource (American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal). Covers/postmarks document postal service aboard from 1945-09-22 (first day of postal service postmarks, Baltimore, branch #16079) through 1947-09-08.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1974

   Limitations

   Collector-maintained museum wiki, a secondary source - value here is corroboration: it independently confirms the 1961-09-07 Iran loan (matching DANFS and shipscribe against NavSource's 1968) and the 1974 Iranian strike + sunk-as-target fate (matching shipscribe against NavSource's 'fate unknown'). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-04

6. [6]Consolidated era inference - BuShips Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST/ARL machinery and class data (shipscribe scan); NavSource spec block for this hull [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB-1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource archives/10/19/1936.htm specifications block; class profile class-f/lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-hull auxiliary: the ship had no boilers (2x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,800 shp). Asbestos-relevant applications typical of the type and era: diesel exhaust lagging and manifold gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, machinery packing - plus ARL-specific repair-shop outfit (machine, welding, fitting, electrical, wood shops) contemporaneously stocked with asbestos-containing consumables such as welding blankets, insulation cement, and gasket sheet stock. The conversion period (Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Jun-Sep 1945) fell inside the window when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-1974

   Population

   Construction and conversion yard workers (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca; Bethlehem Steel Key Highway, Baltimore, 1945); embarked repair-ship crew and serviced landing-craft crews; Iranian Navy crew 1961-1974

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no document names this hull's materials. Diesel plant means no boiler insulation (the largest asbestos mass on steam ships); listed applications are era-typical, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence (hull sunk 1974), individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-05

7. [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 fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LST-hull conversion was built and fitted - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.

   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 scholarship; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-06

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 opinion searches q='Gordius' (40 results screened), q='ARL-36' (0), q='LST-1145' (0), type=o, run 2026-09-26 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion search result sets; all 40 'Gordius' results screened at case-name and snippet level

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion-index sweeps (2026-09-26, authenticated API v4 via helper cl-auth-search.py): 'Gordius' returned 40 results - every screened result is a name collision (the Maine surname appearing in Jenna Gordius v. Randall G. Kelley, 2016 ME 77; State v. Gordius; and citing references in unrelated Maine opinions) with zero vessel references; 'ARL-36' returned 0 results; 'LST-1145' returned 0 results. No opinion names USS Gordius, ARL-36, LST-1145, or an exposure claim tied to this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Sweep covers indexed opinions only - complaints/dockets not surfaced by case-name matching, state-court unindexed decisions, and CAVC/BVA veterans' claims are outside this index. Absence of an indexed opinion does not prove no claim was ever filed; it establishes that no qualifying ship-naming opinion is in the index. RECAP docket-level query was pacing-blocked - see ev-08.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-07

9. [9]Web litigation search + va.gov/vetapp BVA search + CourtListener RECAP attempt (helper cl-auth-search.py, exit-2 pacing response); class profile lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-04 [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-gordius-arl36-07, -08, -09

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Supplementary litigation searches (2026-09-26): web search for asbestos/mesothelioma litigation naming the ship ('USS Gordius' OR 'ARL-36' OR 'LST-1145' asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit) surfaced only litigation naming other hulls (USS Kilauea, USS Badger) and encyclopedic ship pages - no Gordius-specific claim. VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decision search (va.gov/vetapp) returned generic asbestos decisions naming other ships - zero decisions mention Gordius. A CourtListener RECAP docket-index query for 'Gordius' was attempted twice but blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget (helper exit 2) - logged as an incomplete sweep, not a completed negative. The class-level 'USS LST' sweep (class profile lst-1-class, 2026-09-16) likewise located no asbestos docket naming a specific LST hull.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Incomplete sweep - the RECAP docket-index query did not execute (fleet pacing budget exhausted; exit 2, not results). The completed opinion sweeps (ev-07) and web/BVA searches found nothing ship-specific, but docket-level coverage is a logged gap, not a completed negative finding. Re-running the RECAP query is the documented next pass.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gordius-arl36-08

10. [10]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS entry; NavSource archives/10/19/1936.htm; shipscribe usnaux ARL-10 class register; Naval Cover Museum ship page [other_primary]

    Locator

    As cited in ev-01/-02/-03/-04 locators

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved/logged: (a) Iran loan year - DANFS 'loaned to Iran under the Military Assistance Program 7 September 1961', shipscribe disposition '7 Sep 61', and Naval Cover Museum 'Loaned to Iran 7 September 1961' agree; NavSource reads '7 September 1968' and Wikipedia is self-contradictory (narrative 'early 1968' / '7 September 1961' in the same sentence; infobox 1968). The 1961-09-07 consensus of the Navy-derived sources is carried; NavSource's 1968 treated as a typo. (b) Naming/redesignation - DANFS gives 1944-10-27 for 'redesignated ARL-36 and named'; shipscribe's construction table lists '14 Aug 44', the class-group reclassification date; both carried in their own roles. (c) Complement - DANFS header 262 vs NavSource/shipscribe 253; both carried. (d) Displacement - DANFS 2,125 vs NavSource 2,220 lt / shipscribe class 2,125 light; minor variance. (e) Armament - DANFS 'a. 1 3-inch' and NavSource '1x 3"/50 + 2 quad 40mm + 6 twin 20mm' vs shipscribe class table listing 40mm/20mm-only fits for ARL-36 and a class design note that the ARL-10 group eliminated the 3"/50 DP gun - carried as stated, unresolved. (f) Final fate - shipscribe 'Sunk as target 1974' and Naval Cover Museum 'Struck by Iran 1974 / Sunk as target' vs NavSource 'fate unknown'; the corroborated 1974 target sinking is carried with the NavSource reservation noted.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1974

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies by recording each source's exact statement rather than merging. The 1961 loan date is adopted on DANFS+shipscribe+Naval Cover Museum agreement (three sources, two independent compilations) against NavSource's singleton 1968. Does not affect identity or the asbestos posture. No asbestos content in any source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gordius-arl36-09

11. [11]NARA logbook guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy; Special List 44 ship-number listing); NavSource photo credit (80-G-359351 = NARA RG 80 still photos) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA deck-log guidance page; Special List 44 ARL entries; NavSource photo caption

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck logs for ARL-36, 1945-1955 - WWII-era logs for ARL hulls appear in NARA Special List 44; this ship's logs are held at NARA College Park and were not located in digitized sets (the catalog.archives.gov web app is JavaScript-only and returned no machine-readable result to automated query this session). RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds LST-to-ARL conversion plans/specifications - Gibbs & Cox was design agent and Bethlehem Steel's Key Highway yard performed this hull's conversion, so design-agent files and yard work orders are the likeliest documents for any ship-specific materials schedule. Chicago Bridge & Iron/Seneca construction records would cover pre-conversion material state. NARA still photo 80-G-359351 (Hampton Roads, 1945-10-04, credited on the NavSource page) documents the as-converted configuration.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1945-1955

    Limitations

    Points to repositories; establishes nothing about the hull. Holdings inferred from NARA record-group guidance, not from a catalog hit for this hull - the online catalog did not return data to automated query this session (ledger sl-10).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gordius-arl36-10