USS Hamlin (CVE-15)

Evidence

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

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Hamlin' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS Hamlin' returned 4 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-hamlin-cve15-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Hamlin' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS Hamlin' returned 258 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-hamlin-cve15-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'CVE-15' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'CVE-15' returned 382 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-hamlin-cve15-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'CVE-15' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'CVE-15' returned 8088 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-hamlin-cve15-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]DANFS, Hamlin (CVE-15) - verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror (live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-19) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, spec block and narrative paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Hamlin (CVE-15): launched by Western Pipe & Steel Co., San Francisco, 5 March 1942 as AVG-15, sponsored by Mrs. William H. Shea; designation changed to ACV-15, 20 August 1942; 'acquired and simultaneously transferred to the United Kingdom 21 December 1942'; designation changed to CVE-15, 15 July 1943. As HMS Stalker she participated in the Salerno landings (September 1943) and southern France landings (August 1944); returned to the United States 29 December 1945; struck from the Navy List 20 March 1946; sold to Waterman Steamship Corp. of Mobile, Ala., 18 December 1946; resold to the Netherlands August 1947 and converted to merchant ship Riouw. Spec block: dp. 11,000; l. 496'; b. 69'6"; s. 18 k.; cpl. 890; cl. Bogue.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1941-1947

   Population

   Royal Navy crew (1942-1945); Western Pipe & Steel construction trades (1941-42)

   Limitations

   Authoritative U.S. Navy ship history naming this hull. Establishes acquisition, same-day transfer, and disposition milestones; contains no asbestos information and does not enumerate a U.S. commissioning ceremony (the same-day commission-decommission sequence rests on the specialist RN archive - see ev-02). Complement figure 890 conflicts with NavSource's 646 (carried in gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-01

6. [6]Royal Navy Research Archive, 'A History of HMS Stalker' - specialist account citing Admiralty war diaries and Norfolk Navy Yard war diaries (content revised 2024-10-10) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Sections: Transfer to RN and commissioning December 1942; Trials and maiden voyage; Disposal: Return to US Custody

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Specialist Royal Navy ship-history account (compiled from Admiralty war diaries and Norfolk Navy Yard war diaries): keel laid by Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco, as an 11,900-ton C3-S-A2 freighter, Maritime Commission hull no. 174, WPS hull no. 65; requisitioned by the U.S. Navy December 1941 for conversion to an auxiliary aircraft carrier; launched 5 March 1942; redesignated ACV-15 20 August 1942. Delivered to the U.S. Navy and commissioned as USS Hamlin on 21 December 1942 at San Francisco; decommissioned and transferred to the Royal Navy the same day; commissioned into the RN later that day as HMS Stalker (D91), Capt. H. S. Murray-Smith RN, carrying U.S. designation BACV-15; build officially complete 30 December 1942. After California trials she passed via the Panama Canal to Norfolk Navy Yard, where the dockyard took her in hand 17 February 1943 to install a wooden hangar-deck platform, a stack damper, a fresh-water line from condenser to tank, and an air officer's platform. Returned to Norfolk 14 December 1945, decommissioned 29 December 1945, returned to U.S. Navy custody same day; struck 20 March 1946. Disposal chain: sold to Waterman Steamship Corp. 18 December 1946; resold September 1947 to the Dutch Government for Maatschappij Nederland; converted to cargo/passenger ship by Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Mobile; commissioned SS Riouw (II) 12 November 1947; renamed SS Lobito 27 October 1967 (Atlas Enterprises, Panama); sold to Comarin Africa Line (Cote d'Ivoire) 1970; sold 2 July 1975 to Hierros Ardeste Gandia for demolition beginning mid-September 1975.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1941-1975

   Population

   Western Pipe & Steel construction trades (1941-42); Norfolk Navy Yard dockyard workforce (Feb 1943); Royal Navy crew (1942-45)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary archive, not an official publication - its sourcing (Admiralty/Norfolk Navy Yard war diaries) is declared but the underlying records were not independently inspected. Its 'April 7th 1941' keel date is internally inconsistent with its own '161 days on the ways' figure and conflicts with the 6 October 1941 consensus (carried in gaps). Contains no asbestos information; the February 1943 Norfolk dockyard period is a documented material-disturbance event whose insulation scope is unrecorded.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-02

7. [7]NavSource Online: Escort Carrier Photo Archive, Hamlin (ACV-15) / HMS Stalker (D91) (later CVE-15) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Milestone table, bulleted chronology, specifications block (as converted 1942), fate note

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NavSource escort-carrier photo archive entry for Hamlin (ACV-15) / HMS Stalker (D91): milestone table - laid down 6 October 1941, launched 5 March 1942, commissioned 21 December 1942, returned to U.S. 29 December 1945, stricken 20 March 1946; builder Western Pipe & Steel Corporation, San Francisco; laid down under Maritime Commission contract (hull no. 174); transferred to the RN and commissioned as HMS Stalker (D91) 21 December 1942, completed 30 December 1942; redesignated CVE-15 15 July 1943; stricken for disposal 20 March 1946 citing Navy Dept. Bulletin 46-629, p. 16. Spec block (as converted, 1942): 7,800 tons standard / 14,170 full load; 2 boilers (285 psi), 1 steam turbine, 1 shaft, 8,500 shp, 18+ knots; crew 646. Fate: converted to cargo ship by Gulf SB Co., Mobile, renamed Riouw (Dutch flag) 1947, renamed Lobito (1967), scrapped at Gandia, Spain, starting September 1975. Battle honours: Atlantic 1943-44, Salerno 1943, South France 1944, Aegean 1944, Burma 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1941-1975

   Population

   Royal Navy crew (1942-45); Western Pipe & Steel construction trades

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival index, not an official Navy publication - its milestone and spec data corroborate DANFS and the RN archive, and its stricken date is tied to a cited Navy Dept. Bulletin page. Contains no asbestos information. Crew figure 646 conflicts with DANFS spec block 890; an internal caption typo gives the namesake sound as 'North Carolina' (South Carolina per DANFS).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-03

8. [8]NHHC, United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995, Appendix 3 'Aviation Ships' (official U.S. Navy publication, history.navy.mil PDF) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Appendix 3, 'Escort Carriers (AVG, ACV and CVE)' section pp. 427-428 (class list, hull-number footnote); AV listing p. ~9 for the distinct Hamlin AV-15

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official Naval Aviation ship index (NHHC, United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995, Appendix 3 'Aviation Ships'): the escort-carrier section records the designation history - AVG assigned 31 March 1941, changed to ACV 20 August 1942 and to CVE 15 July 1943 - and lists the Bogue class as 11 ships (hulls 9, 11-13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 31). Hull 15 does not appear in the CVE carrier listing; it is accounted for in the footnote 'Hull numbers not listed above are accounted for as follows: ... 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 32-54 transferred to the Royal Navy.' This hull is retained in the official U.S. index on that transfer accounting; the same appendix separately lists the distinct USS Hamlin (AV-15) seaplane tender (commissioned 26 June 1944, stricken 1 July 1963).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1995 (publication); describes 1941-1943 designations

   Population

   n/a (official index)

   Limitations

   Official index treatment: credits the hull to the U.S. inventory via the Royal Navy transfer footnote only - it does not enumerate U.S. commission/decommission dates for this hull. Confirms the designation series (AVG/ACV/CVE) and that hull 15's career ran under the RN; contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-04

9. [9]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960, page date 15 April 1959) + NavSource spec block for this hull's steam plant [other_primary]

   Locator

   BuShips TM ch.39, sections 39-11 through 39-13 (materials); NavSource specifications block

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era context: this hull is a 1941-42 C3-S-A2 conversion with a documented steam plant (2 boilers, 1 geared steam turbine, 8,500 shp - NavSource spec block) built in the peak years of Navy asbestos use. The 1960 BuShips Technical Manual insulation chapter enumerates the era-standard asbestos suite specified for Navy ships: MIL-I-2781 pipe covering including 85% magnesia 'formed from a combination of 85 percent magnesium carbonate with about 15 percent asbestos fiber' and a class 'formed from a uniform mixture of amosite asbestos fibers'; roll asbestos felt MIL-I-15091; asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466 (80-95% chrysotile) as lagging; asbestos millboard HH-M-351; asbestos finishing cement; molded asbestos block for high-temperature service. Boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, valve and flange gaskets and packing, deck tile, bulkhead fireproofing, and cable insulation are the application classes these specifications address.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1941-1945 service window; 1960 manual describes era-standard specifications

   Population

   Western Pipe & Steel construction trades (1941-42); Norfolk Navy Yard dockyard workforce (Feb 1943); Royal Navy crew (1942-45)

   Limitations

   Specification-level documentation of materials the Navy specified, NOT a ship-specific installation record - establishes the era insulation suite only; it does not confirm installed materials on this hull, quantities, or present-day remnants. Retrieved PDF is a government-manual scan hosted in the Garlock bankruptcy Daubert-appendix repository (verified legible in prior batch work).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-05

10. [10]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (Cal. Ct. App. 2001), CourtListener opinion 2287235 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion, factual-background and corporate-history sections (Maritime Commission contract recital; 1942-1945 parental employment; secondhand-exposure account; successor-liability holding)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Published California appellate opinion recording trial-court record facts about this hull's builder: when World War II broke out, Western Pipe & Steel 'entered into a contract with the United States Maritime Commission to again build ships for use in the war. The contract required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos.' Both of plaintiff Jeannette Franklin's parents worked at the WPS yard in South San Francisco from 1942 to 1945 - a window overlapping the final year of this hull's October 1941-December 1942 construction - in areas where asbestos was present, with exposure to airborne dust 'during the mixing of mud, during insulation work, and when workers swept up debris.' Franklin was diagnosed in 1996 with peritoneal mesothelioma attributed to childhood secondhand exposure carried home on her parents' clothing and in their car. The published appeal decided a successor-liability question only: the court reversed, holding USX had not assumed WPS's tort liabilities.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    1942-1945 exposure window; opinion filed 2001-03-02

    Population

    Western Pipe & Steel shipyard workforce and household contacts, South San Francisco, WWII era

    Limitations

    Builder-yard-level litigation evidence: documents that asbestos-containing shipbuilding materials were contract-required at the yard that built this hull during this hull's construction period, but the opinion does NOT name this hull and does not establish what was installed aboard. The appellate disposition is a reversal on successor-liability grounds - the exposure recitals are trial-record background, not an adjudicated finding about this vessel; describe the outcome as decided, not as exposure evidence against any defendant.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-06

11. [11]Batch-240 search ledger (this record): DANFS/hazegray mirror; NavSource; Royal Navy Research Archive; NHHC Naval Aviation Appendix 3; CourtListener API v4 exact-name, hull-number, and keyword sweeps; NVR; shipyards.json yard record [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-hamlin-cve15-01 through sl-uss-hamlin-cve15-08

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation specification, abatement contract, operator/merchant hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Hamlin (AVG-15/ACV-15/CVE-15) or HMS Stalker (D91) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion sweeps returned zero hits for 'USS Hamlin,' 'HMS Stalker,' and 'CVE-15'; the 81-hit 'Hamlin asbestos' sweep resolves entirely to name collisions (law firm Hamlin & Sasser; C. Judson Hamlin, legal representative for future asbestos claimants in the G-I Holdings bankruptcy). The Naval Vessel Register carries no entry (hull stricken 1946, predating the modern register).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    2026-09-19

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1941-42 steam conversion built under a Maritime Commission contract at a litigation-documented asbestos yard sits inside the asbestos-specification era; the negative reflects record availability, not hull condition. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hamlin-cve15-07