Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1081-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-gum-tree-yn13-pkt-1081-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Gum Tree' - Naval History and Heritage Command ship-history entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Gum Tree entry, full entry text (spec block: dp. 700; l. 151'8"; b. 30'6"; dr. 10'6"; s. 15 k.)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Gum Tree (YN-13): launched 20 March 1941 by Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, W. Va.; commissioned 16 September 1941 at Algiers, LA, Lt. George H. Burrows in command. After shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River she sailed for Newfoundland 25 September 1941, reaching Argentia 25 January 1942 via Key West, New York, Newport, Boston, and Halifax; spent 17 months laying and tending nets off Newfoundland, then returned for overhaul. Casco Bay (Portland, ME) was home port for the rest of the war, tending harbor defenses. Redesignated AN-18 on 20 January 1944. September 1945: experimental net operations at Melville, RI. Ordered to Orange, TX, arriving 6 December 1945; decommissioned there 20 June 1946; struck from the Navy List 7 February 1947; transferred 27 February 1948 to the Maritime Commission at Lake Charles, LA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Crew, 1941-1946 (complement per NavSource list: 4 officers, 44 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Official narrative history; establishes identity, chronology, and stations. Contains no asbestos, insulation, materials, or crew-size statement; does not give a laid-down date. Spec block figures (700 t, 15 kts) conflict with NavSource/shipscribe (560/805 t, 12.5 kts) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Gum Tree (AN-18) ex YN-13 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- AN-18 ship page: timeline, specification list, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and specifications: Aloe-class net laying ship; launched 20 March 1941; commissioned 16 September 1941 (LCDR George H. Burrows, USNR); redesignated AN-18 20 January 1944; decommissioned 20 June 1946 at Orange, TX, and laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group; struck 7 February 1947; transferred 27 February 1948 to the Maritime Commission at Lake Charles, LA, for lay-up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications: 560/805 t, 163'2" x 30'6" x 11'8", 12.5 kts, complement 4 officers + 44 enlisted, armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose plus one 40 mm and three 20 mm AA, diesel-electric propulsion (two Enterprise DSG-6 diesels, Westinghouse reduction gear, two 60 kW 120 V DC generators, single screw, 800 shp), largest boom capacity 12 t. Commanding officers: Burrows (Sep 1941-Oct 1943), LT Robert F. Watson (Oct 1943-May 1944), LT Gordon B. Waugh (May 1944-Jun 1946). Photographic record: moored Louisville, KY, 26 August 1941 en route from builder to New Orleans (AP Wirephoto - believed first Navy vessel to sail the Ohio River); assisting K-14 blimp salvage of ZP-11, NAS South Weymouth, off Bar Harbor, ME, 6 July 1944 (U.S. National Archives photo); near Boston Navy Yard 20 September 1944 (NARA RG-19-LCM 19-N-71070).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-2016 (page last updated 15 July 2016)
- Population
- Crew, 1941-1946
- Limitations
- Compiled photo-archive reference, not an official record; consistent with DANFS on all dated milestones. 'Final Disposition, fate unknown' reflects the end of the U.S. Navy-side record - later registry sources trace the hull to Venezuelan commercial service (see ev-06). Contains no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-02
-
[4]Shipscribe.com, 'USS Aloe (AN-6) Class' - class construction, disposition, armament, and design-notes tables compiled from Navy records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table row 18 GUM TREE; disposition table row 18; ship notes row 18; class notes (FY 1941, propulsion, commissioning-status explanation)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- shipscribe Aloe (AN-6) class page: construction table gives Gum Tree ordered 27 July 1940, keel laid 19 September 1940 at Marietta Mfg., launched 20 March 1941, in service 16 September 1941; disposition table gives decommissioned 20 June 1946, struck 7 February 1947, Maritime Commission disposal 27 February 1948, MC/D 26 February 1948. Ship note: 'Ex YN-13 20 Jan 44. Comm. 19 Dec 42. Received her 3"/50 gun early, on 14 Nov 41. Sold (delivered) by MC to D. O. Wade, Houston, Texas. Merc. FALCON, ZAPARITA 1948.' Class data: FY 1941 program, steel hulls, diesel-electric plant rated 800 SHP (1,000 SHP specified), single screw, 12.5 kts, complement 46 (1944), design derived from the British boom-defense vessel HMS BARRIER via the 1939-40 Navy net-defense program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1948
- Limitations
- Secondary reference compiled from Bureau of Ships/NARA records - the most detailed source for keel and disposal dates. Its 'Comm. 19 Dec 42' reflects the class-level distinction between initial in-service status and later full fleet commissioning (class notes); DANFS and NARA treat September 1941 as the commissioning date - carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-03
-
[5]National Archives catalog: RG-24 deck logs and muster rolls; RG-38 war-history file unit; archives.gov Navy deck-logs index page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-logs index, 'Gum Tree (AN-18/YN-13)' panel; catalog.archives.gov/id/285143232, /id/125308428, /id/77646159
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holdings for Gum Tree (AN-18), all digitized and online: (a) ten deck-log file units in RG-24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' covering December 1943-June 1946 in pieces (Dec 1943-Apr 1944 NAID 285143232; May-Jun 1944 NAID 285143322; Jul-Sep 1944 NAID 285143372; Oct-Dec 1944 NAID 285143454; Jan-Feb 1945 NAID 285143556; Mar-May 1945 NAID 285143609; Jun-Jul 1945 NAID 285143684; Aug-Oct 1945 NAID 285143753; Jan-Mar 1946 NAID 285143835; Apr-Jun 1946 NAID 285143916); (b) muster rolls 'Gum Tree (AN-18), 9/24/41-6/20/46' on RG-24 roll 1804 (NAIDs 125308428 and 127432063) covering the entire commissioned life; (c) 'USS GUMTREE - War History' file unit NAID 77646159, RG-38 WWII War Diaries series, roll A2053, digitized (2 images). NARA deck-log index lists commission September 1941 / decommission June 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1946 (records); digitized
- Population
- Crew muster, 1941-1946
- Limitations
- Archival leads, not asbestos records: deck logs and muster rolls document operations and crew movement, and could evidence overhaul locations and in-port periods, but are not materials documentation. Deck logs before December 1943 (the 1941-43 Argentia period) are not in the digitized series listed. No asbestos, insulation, or abatement content asserted or implied by these records' existence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-04
-
[6]East Carolina University Digital Collections, 'U.S. Navy, Net Tender, Gum Tree Hull #460' (Marietta Manufacturing Company Records, 0742-s2-ss2.2-b54-fa-1) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ECU Digital Collections item 62638 (title, description, date range, local identifier)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- East Carolina University Digital Collections holds 'U.S. Navy, Net Tender, Gum Tree Hull #460' - photographic negatives of the hull under construction at Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, W. Va., main hull complete and surrounded by scaffolding, dated October 1940-March 1941, from the Marietta Manufacturing Company Records (collection 0742). Confirms builder and yard hull number 460 independently of Navy sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1941
- Population
- Marietta Manufacturing construction workforce, 1940-1941
- Limitations
- Photographic documentation of construction only - no materials, insulation, or specification content. The archive notes its dates are 'approximated from USS Gum Tree Wikipedia article.' Establishes builder/hull identity, not shipboard materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-05
-
[7]marinamercantelatam.com, 'FALCON (2)' registry entry (IMO 6111847), compiled from Lloyd's Register and NavSource; corroborated by shipbuildinghistory.com Marietta Manufacturing yard list [other_primary]
- Locator
- FALCON (2) entry, 'Historial' section (1946-1967 entries); shipbuildinghistory.com Marietta table, hull 460 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-Navy merchant trail: after the 1948 Maritime Commission disposal the hull was sold to D. O. Wade, Houston, TX, then to Creole Petroleum Corp., Maracaibo, Venezuela; renamed FALCON (IMO 6111847); refitted 1948 as a survey vessel (43.80 m, GT 486, NT 68); renamed ZAPARITA in 1948 under the same Maracaibo owner; wrecked in Venezuelan waters January 1967 at reported position 10 deg 39'38" N, 71 deg 35'17" W. shipbuildinghistory.com's Marietta yard list independently corroborates: hull 460 'later Falcon, Zaparita (Ven.), wrecked 1967.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1947-1967
- Population
- Merchant survey-ship crew (Creole Petroleum), 1948-1967; 1967 loss
- Limitations
- Secondary registry compilations - the only located sources for the commercial and loss record; the registry entry's 1947 sale/transfer dates conflict with the documented 1948 Maritime Commission chain (DANFS, NavSource, shipscribe all give 27 Feb 1948 MC transfer) and are treated as a year-slip in that source. Wreck position and the January 1967 loss are unverified against an official casualty record. Resolves NavSource's 'fate unknown.' No asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: shipscribe class design notes (diesel-electric plant, steel hulls, FY 1941 program); NavSource specification list (diesel-electric, winch/boom capacity); GAO HRD-80-2 (program level, see ev-08); Corn & Starr 1987 (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe class notes; NavSource specifications; see ev-08 and ev-09
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Asbestos aboard this hull is a class/era inference only. She was a steel-hulled diesel-electric auxiliary built to a 1940 Bureau of Ships-derived design: with no steam plant, the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small WWII diesel auxiliary would have been limited to diesel exhaust-system lagging, machinery gaskets and valve-stem packing, electrical insulation, deck-covering compounds, and brake linings on the heavy net-handling winch/boom machinery. GAO documented Navy-wide asbestos insulation use through the early 1970s; Corn & Starr documented wartime shipbuilding asbestos policy - both program-level.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1967
- Population
- Marietta Manufacturing construction trades (1940-41); crew (1941-46); overhaul/availability yard trades; post-1948 merchant crews; any 1967 wreck-salvage workers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for this ship. Names era-standard applications for the vessel type, not confirmed installed materials; a small diesel net tender carried materially less insulation than a steam combatant. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no exposure or causation finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-07
-
[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, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-05)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1940-41) and naval service era (1941-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved - gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403); content via product-page description. Access gap, not a missing source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-08
-
[10]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 program under which this 1940-41 net tender was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- 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, its class, or its builder, 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-gum-tree-yn13-09
-
[11]Batch-9186 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource AN-18; shipscribe Aloe class; NARA catalog (deck logs, muster rolls, war history); ECU Marietta archive; Venezuelan registry compilation; shipbuildinghistory; NIOSH/OSHA yard sweep; GAO product page (blocked); CourtListener (pending); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gum-tree-yn13-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS Gum Tree (YN-13/AN-18) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced only name collisions (the literal tree) and generic shipyard-exposure literature; no law-firm listicle naming this hull was even located - unusually, not even an unsupported marketing claim exists for this vessel. CAVEAT: CourtListener base queries could not be completed this session - the fleet-wide request budget was exhausted each attempt (helper-reported pacing block); logged as pending in search_ledger, not as a negative result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1940-41 Navy auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos use, and the litigation-repository gap is a genuine open item (paced, not run). Digitized deck logs, muster rolls, and the war-history file unit are unexamined leads that could contain overhaul and repair detail. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gum-tree-yn13-10