Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Gordonia' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Gordonia' returned 0 results (2026-10-07)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- zero-hit search; absence of hits is not proof of no litigation
- Evidence ID
- uss-gordonia-af43-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Gordonia' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Gordonia' returned 2 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-gordonia-af43-cl-name-docket
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[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AF-43' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AF-43' returned 5238 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-gordonia-af43-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AF-43' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AF-43' returned 91116 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-gordonia-af43-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Gordonia' (AF-43) - canonical live page returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-20 (both /research/ and /content/history/nhhc/ URL variants); DANFS text verified via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2024-05-26 of the canonical URL [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Gordonia' entry (AF-43); Wayback capture 20240526171719; canonical dead URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gordonia.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC) record for Gordonia (AF-43): class data line 'AF-43: dp. 7,435; l. 338'6"; b. 50; dr. 21'1"; s. 12 k. epl. 79; a. 1 3"; cl. Adria' and namesake note 'Former name retained.' A provision stores ship, launched 30 November 1944 by Pennsylvania Shipyards of Beaumont, Tex. under Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. B. S. Matthews; commissioned 14 May 1945 at Galveston, Tex., Lt. Ira V. Chapman in command. Brief shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico; loaded refrigerated cargo at Mobile, Ala.; transited the Panama Canal; arrived Pearl Harbor 1 July 1945; reloaded stores for fleet issue and steamed westward 10 July for the fleet off Okinawa via Ulithi; spent 6-23 August in the Okinawa area dispensing stores; returned to Pearl Harbor 13 September. Three more Far East voyages: first passage 23 October-27 November; second beginning January 1946 visiting Okinawa, Jinsen, and Taku in support of American Marines in China; arrived San Francisco 4 March; one more voyage to the Philippines; arrived San Francisco 13 June; decommissioned 8 July 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day; renamed Whale Knot and berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay, Calif.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, and service history; entry text ends at layup and does not cover the 1973-74 disposal. The 'Former name retained' note conflicts with the documented name sequence (MC contract name Whale Knot -> Navy Gordonia -> Whale Knot per MARAD cards and shipscribe) and is not asserted as fact. Class-line figures (s. 12 k., cpl. 79, dr. 21'1") differ from NavSource and shipscribe - variants logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-01
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[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - WHALE KNOT (ex-GORDONIA AF-43), Ship History Detail 5139 (incl. digitized status cards 5139_9480AF.jpg, 5139_9480BF.jpg, 7EX_01.png, 5139_AF.jpg and custody document WHALE KNOT.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5139 particulars and milestone table; status card scans /cards/5139_9480AF.jpg, /cards/5139_9480BF.jpg, /cards/7EX_01.png, /cards/5139_AF.jpg; custody card /documents/9d2ca2da-e5b2-48b3-99b3-08a3b3932838.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for WHALE KNOT (ex-GORDONIA, AF-43): U.S. Official No. 250191; year built 1945; Pennsylvania Shipyards, Beaumont; MARAD type R1-M-AV3; gross 3,770, net 2,104, DWT 4,279, molded dimensions 321'4" x 50' x 29', speed 11.0; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Digitized status cards document the full custody chain: delivered by builders to USMC 4-24-45 4:30 PM CWT at Beaumont and allocated to Navy Dept. (LB) the same day; returned from Navy Dept. as surplus 7-8-46 1:00 PM PST at San Francisco; Matson Navigation Co. allocations GAA 7-8-46, Int. BB 7-21-46, MC/BB Oakland 9-27-46, GAA San Francisco 3-4-48; Reserve Fleet entry Suisun Bay 3-15-48 (1210 hrs / 10:10 PM); withdrawn to War Department on bareboat basis 9-29-48 1:25 PM PST at Suisun; re-entered Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay 1-10-49 1345 hrs PST 'from Army'; 'Put into scrap July '69'; advertised under PD-X-958 (bid rejected) and PD-X-961 (bids rejected), then PD-X-965 dated 10-9-73, bids opened 11-9-73; Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales: awarded 11-19-73 to China Trade & Development Corp. for $369,060.00, contract MA-7149, 'Dismantle Hull Foreign'; withdrawn/delivered 12-17-73 9:45 AM PST (status card notes 'scrapping in Taiwan').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1974
- Population
- NDRF Suisun Bay reserve-fleet maintenance crews (1948-1973); Matson merchant crews (1946-1948); War Department/Army custodial crews (Sep 1948-Jan 1949); shipbreaking crews at China Trade & Development Corp., Taiwan (1973-74)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, vessel particulars, and the 1973 scrapping-sale record; cards are text-legible scans read directly. Sale date layering: 11-9-73 is the bid-opening date carried on the status card (and NavSource/shipscribe 'sold 9 Nov 73'), while the MA-20 sale record shows award 11-19-73 - both stated, not merged. First NDRF entry 3-15-48 on the card vs shipscribe 'to NDRF 4 Mar 48' - the card shows 3-4-48 was the Matson GAA redelivery date and 3-15-48 the fleet entry; MARAD carried as controlling. Cards carry no asbestos, materials, hazmat, or condition-survey information (pre-NSMV hazmat-inventory era). Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-02
-
[7]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Gordonia (AF-43) page (navsource.net/archives/09/06/0643.htm) - non-official archive compiling official register data, NHHC photo NH 82185, contributor photos, and DANFS [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AF-43 page, chronology, medal-period table, specifications, and commanding-officer sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive compilation for USS Gordonia (AF-43): laid down September 1944 as MV Whale Knot, Maritime Commission type R1-M-AV3 hull under MC contract (MC 2205) at Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc., Beaumont, TX; launched 30 November 1944; commissioned 14 May 1945 at Galveston, TX, Lt. Irv V. Chapman Jr. in command; Asiatic-Pacific Theater WWII; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended) both for the period 2 January-11 February 1946; also American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. Postwar: decommissioned at San Francisco and returned to the Maritime Commission; renamed MV Whale Knot, laid up NDRF Suisun Bay; operated commercially by Matson Navigation Company 1946-1948; transferred to the U.S. Army Transportation Command; returned to MARAD for layup at Suisun Bay in early 1949; sold for scrapping in Taiwan to China Trade and Development Corp., delivered 17 December 1973, scrapped 1974. Specifications: displacement 3,139 t (lt) / 7,435 t (fl); length 338'6"; beam 50'; draft 18'; speed 11.5 kts (trial); complement 10 officers + 74 enlisted; largest boom 10 t; cargo 3,170 DWT (non-refrigerated 47,610 cu ft, refrigerated 114,580 cu ft); armament one single 3"/50 cal DP mount, six single 20mm AA mounts; diesel fuel 6,300 bbls; propulsion one Nordberg Diesel TSM engine, three 250 kW 120V/240V DC ship's service generators, single propeller 1,700 shp. CO list: LT Ira V. Chapman Jr. USNR 14 May 1945-30 Nov 1945; LTjg Thomas Livingston USNR (temporary) 30 Nov-4 Dec 1945; LCDR Charles R. Gibson USNR to 1 July 1946.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Ship's crew (NavSource class figure: 10 officers, 74 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation reproducing official register/status-card data with transcription errors: 'decommissioned 1 July 1946' conflicts with DANFS and the MARAD status card (8 July 1946), and 'struck from the Naval Register 8 January 1946' is internally impossible (precedes commissioning-era service) and matches sister Athanasia AF-41's strike date - both treated as errors, shipscribe's 31 Jul 46 carried. 'Laid down September 1944' vs shipscribe keel 5 Oct 44 - logged. Specifications are descriptive only - they do not state or imply asbestos content. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-03
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[8]Shipscribe.com, 'USS Adria (AF-30) Class' page (usnaux/AF/AF30.html), S. S. Roberts 2004 - secondary compilation from Naval Vessel Register / Bureau of Ships / Maritime Commission records [other_primary]
- Locator
- AF-30 class page: Construction and Disposition tables (AF-43 rows), Class Notes, Ship Notes (AF-43)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts) class compilation for the ADRIA (AF-30) class, from official records: design MC R1-M-AV3, a refrigerated variant of the C1-M-AV1 developed 1943 for the south/southwest Pacific supply problem; 17 ships AF-30 through AF-39 and AF-41 through AF-47, all built Pennsylvania Shipyards, Beaumont. Ship note AF-43: MC hull 2205, ex merc. WHALE KNOT; keel 5 Oct 44; converted by Todd Galveston DD, Galveston, Tex. (in service for ferrying 24-25 Apr 45); operated as merc. WHALE KNOT under charter from MC 1946-48; to NDRF 4 Mar 48; to Army 29 Sep 48; to NDRF 10 Jan 49; to buyer 17 Dec 73. Disposition table: decommissioned 8 Jul 46; struck 31 Jul 46; disposal 8 Jul 46 (MC/R); MA sale 9 Nov 73. Class notes document that second-group hulls MC 2204-07 and 2332 were designated R1-M-AV3s to simplify the MC building program, and that the Auxiliary Vessels Board (22 Sep 44) recommended Navy acquisition of MC 2332 and 2204-07 plus two later hulls (2338-39) to be completed in the same manner as AF 30-39.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation; identifies the conversion yard as Todd Galveston Dry Docks and resolves the post-Navy custody chain in agreement with the MARAD status cards (NDRF entry shown there as 15 Mar 48, not shipscribe's 4 Mar 48 - the latter is the Matson redelivery date on the same card). Strike date 31 Jul 46 carried (NavSource's '8 January 1946' impossible). 'MA sale 9 Nov 73' is the bid-opening date; MA-20 award was 11-19-73. Class complement figure 69 (1944) conflicts with DANFS cpl. 79 and NavSource 84 - discrepancy logged in gaps. No asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-04
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[9]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Gordonia (AF-43), 1945-1946' (photo NH 82185 page), mirrored at HyperWar/ibiblio [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHC Online Library photo page NH 82185 and vessel summary (page made 8 April 2005)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images page for USS Gordonia (AF-43), 1945-1946 (mirrored on HyperWar/ibiblio): 'a 7435-ton (limiting displacement) Adria class store ship, built at Beaumont, Texas, as a Maritime Commission R1-M-AV3 type refrigerator ship. Acquired by the Navy upon completion, she was commissioned in mid-May 1945 ... arrived at Pearl Harbor at the beginning of July, then voyaged onward to Okinawa, where she arrived just as World War II ended. Gordonia made three more trips to the western Pacific, Korea and China, between September 1945 and June 1946. She was decommissioned in early July 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission at that time. Renamed Whale Knot, she was operated commercially by the Matson Navigation Company during 1946-1948, then served as a U.S. Army vessel until early 1949. Laid up thereafter at Suisun Bay, California, she was sold for scrapping in November 1973.' Photo NH 82185 (USS Gordonia underway in San Francisco Bay, circa 1945-1946, U.S. Naval Historical Center photograph).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1973
- Limitations
- Official NHC photo-page summary corroborating identity, service outline, and post-Navy chain; 'early July 1946' decommissioning is loose (DANFS and MARAD card give 8 July). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-05
-
[10]Ship's company, 'History of the U.S.S. Gordonia (AF-43) - First Anniversary' (May 1946), scanned document hosted on NavSource (navsource.net/archives/09/06/pdf/0643a.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource-hosted scan, 7 pages (image-only; text read from rendered pages 1-2)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-produced anniversary booklet 'History of the U.S.S. Gordonia (AF-43) - First Anniversary' (7-page mimeographed scan, contributed to NavSource by James Thomas): commemorates the 14 May 1945 commissioning; recounts a ten-day shakedown; departure from Galveston 31 May; Mobile, Alabama first port, three days loading '1624 tons of fresh, frozen and dry provisions'; departure ~5 June; Panama Canal transit (Pacific waters morning of 12 June); Diamond Head sighted 1 July; immediate unload and reload for fleet issue; departed Pearl Harbor 10 July for Okinawa via Ulithi; 'convoyed for the first time' to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, pulling out 30 July.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Ship's crew (May 1946)
- Limitations
- Contemporary ship-produced pamphlet - a primary artifact but contributor-scanned and hosted on a secondary site; content is consistent with DANFS dates (Pearl Harbor 1 July, depart 10 July, Okinawa period). Adds color (tonnage of first cargo, convoy detail) not in DANFS. Contains no asbestos or materials information. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-06
-
[11]Inference row keyed to this record's own documentation: DANFS class data (T. R1-M-AV3 via ship class; dp. 7,435; s. 12 k.; cpl. 79); NavSource plant and cargo specs (Nordberg Diesel TSM; 114,580 cu ft refrigerated capacity; 10 t booms); shipscribe design notes (R1-M-AV3 refrigerated variant of C1-M-AV1; Navy-furnished refrigerating machinery for the class) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-01, -03, -04 (design, plant, and refrigerated-capacity documentation)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: the hull was built October 1944-April 1945 as a Maritime Commission R1-M-AV3 refrigerated stores ship (a refrigerated variant of the C1-M-AV1 design) at Pennsylvania Shipyards, Beaumont, with a diesel plant (one Nordberg Diesel TSM, 1,700 shp - no boilers or steam lines) and two of three main holds refrigerated (114,580 cu ft refrigerated capacity) - construction period and ship type for which era-typical asbestos applications included machinery and exhaust insulation, pipe lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, electrical cable insulation, refrigeration-space and cold-room insulation, winch and windlass brake linings, and accommodation fireproofing/deck coverings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945 construction/conversion; service and layup to 1973
- Population
- Construction trades (Pennsylvania Shipyards, Beaumont, 1944-45); conversion trades (Todd Galveston Dry Docks, Apr-May 1945); ship's crew (1945-46); Matson merchant crews (1946-48); Army custodial crews (1948-49); NDRF Suisun Bay maintenance crews (1948-73)
- Limitations
- Era/design inference only - no source names asbestos aboard this hull, and no R1-M-AV3 material specification was located. Diesel plant means the classic boiler/steam-line lagging inference does not apply; refrigerated-cargo insulation of the era was variously cork, mineral, or asbestos-containing - material is unknown for this design. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-07
-
[12]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 R1-M-AV3 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- 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 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-gordonia-af43-08
-
[13]Batch-541 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC via Wayback capture and HyperWar NHC mirror; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 5139 + status cards + WHALE KNOT.pdf; NavSource AF-43 incl. anniversary-pamphlet scan; shipscribe AF-30 class page; NARA Special List 44; NVR coverage; CourtListener 'USS Gordonia' / 'Gordonia' / 'Gordonia'+asbestos / 'AF-43'+asbestos / 'AF-43' / 'Whale Knot' searches; BVA/veteran-claims and abatement web searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gordonia-af43-01 through sl-uss-gordonia-af43-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed case naming the Gordonia AF-43 hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches: 'USS Gordonia' 0; 'Gordonia' 2 opinions - both name collisions (State v. Carr, La. Ct. App. 2018, 'Gordonia Drive' street name; Bennett & Co. v. Gray, Ga. 1889, sawmill at Gordonia on the Brunswick & Western railroad); 'Gordonia' + asbestos 0; 'AF-43' + asbestos 0; 'AF-43' 4 opinions - all collisions (United States v. Gladue CAAF 2009 and United States v. Johnson CAAF 2005 - '/AF' Air Force docket suffixes adjacent to '43 M.J.' reporter pages; George W. Hoggatt v. Ray H. Page 10th Cir. 1970 - 'af *43 firmed' page-break artifact; Chavez v. Colorado Department of Education D. Colo. 2017 - paragraph/footnote artifact); 'Whale Knot' 0; combined 'Gordonia' + 'AF-43' query blocked by throttling (both constituent searches independently negative). Naval Vessel Register carries no record (ships disposed before 1987 outside coverage). MARAD status cards carry no hazmat notation. A marketing list site (freeasbestostesting.com) enumerates the hull among all AF ships but is a non-authoritative law-firm-adjacent source and is excluded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-45 wartime auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-09
-
[14]NARA Special List 44 (Named Vessels), Gordonia (AF-43) entry 5/14/1945-11/30/1945; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 5139 status-card references [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Special List 44 named-vessel table, 'Gordonia (AF-43)'; MARAD Detail 5139 status cards
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA Special List 44 (Named Vessels) lists deck logs for Gordonia (AF-43) covering 14 May 1945-30 November 1945; the January-July 1946 logs sit in later RG 24 deck-log series. Further leads: Bureau of Ships and Maritime Commission contract records for MC hull 2205 / R1-M-AV3 (including the Navy-furnished refrigerating machinery noted in shipscribe class notes); Todd Galveston Dry Docks conversion records (April-May 1945); MARAD NDRF Suisun Bay custody files (the War Department bareboat transfer and 1949 re-entry correspondence referenced on the status cards) and the PD-X-965 / MA-7149 scrapping-contract file may hold hazmat declarations for the 1973-74 Taiwan dismantling.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1974 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and list mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 2205 / AF-43 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gordonia-af43-10