USS Hooper Island (ARG-17)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

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

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced)

   Evidence ID

   uss-hooper-island-arg17-pkt-bc-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Hooper Island' (ARG-17) - NHHC official page captured 2024-05-25 (live URL 404; identical transcription mirrored at hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/arg17.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS > H > Hooper Island (ARG-17) entry text (six paragraphs + battle-star line)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry (official NHHC page via 2024-05-25 Wayback capture; live canonical URL returns 404 - standing NHHC link rot per BATCH-01; hazegray transcription verified identical except the hazegray copy misprints the CO's initials as 'F. B.' where NHHC reads 'E. B.'): Hooper Island (ARG-17), ex-Liberty ship Bert McDowell, launched 30 October 1944 by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc., Fairfield, Md., under Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. Hattie Singer, commissioned 13 July 1945, CDR E. B. Guernsey in command. Departed 1 September 1945 for the western Pacific; reached Sasebo, Japan, 9 November for Pacific Fleet repair duty until 31 October 1946; then Tsingtao, China, repair services supporting U.S. stabilization operations until deployment completed 14 August 1947; San Francisco 5 September; decommissioned Alameda 24 January 1948 into the Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 12 April 1952 (CDR Frank H. Rile); sailed Long Beach 3 December 1952; three Western Pacific deployments December 1952-December 1955 supporting the 7th Fleet, including 'Passage to Freedom' support August 1954-July 1955 (evacuation of almost 300,000 North Vietnamese to the South). Resumed repair services Long Beach 5 December 1955; shifted to San Diego 30 April 1956; overhaul at Seattle during which she repaired two icebreakers engaged in Operation Deep Freeze; resumed San Diego duties 28 October; 15 March [1958] sailed for repair operations in the Marshall Islands, returning to San Diego 19 July; decommissioned and joined the Reserve Fleet 15 July 1959; struck from the Navy List 1 July 1960. Awarded one battle star for Korean War participation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1960

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for construction milestones and operational narrative. Contains no asbestos, materials, insulation, or survey statements. 'Launched 30 October 1944' conflicts with NVR/shipscribe launch of 18 October 1944 - 30 October is the acquisition/delivery date in those records (logged in gaps). 'One battle star' conflicts with NavSource's two-campaign/two-star presentation (logged).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register, inactive fleet detail page 'HOOPER ISLAND (ARG 17)' (NAVSHIPSO/NAVSEA record, page last updated 2012-09-26; 2024-06-24 Wayback capture) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR inactive-hull detail page: vessel status block, milestone dates, physical characteristics, accommodations

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register inactive-hull record (2024-06-24 Wayback capture): HOOPER ISLAND (ARG 17) (ex-MCE 2682, BERT MCDOWELL), Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship, class ARG 2; status Stricken; builder Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Inc.; award date 06/08/1943; keel 09/16/1944; launch 10/18/1944; delivery 10/30/1944; commission 07/13/1945; decommission 07/15/1959; stricken 07/01/1960. Physical characteristics: overall length 422 ft, waterline 416 ft, extreme beam 57 ft, max navigational draft 23 ft, light displacement 5,400 tons, full displacement 9,860 tons, deadweight 4,460 tons, steel hull/superstructure, 1 propeller. Accommodations 32 officers + 527 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-2012 record

   Limitations

   Official register record for milestones and disposal status. Data-field anomalies: propulsion type listed as 'Diesel' - almost certainly an artifact of the internal-combustion-engine-repair designation, since the EC2 hull retained its triple-expansion steam plant (NavSource spec block); accommodation figures (32/527) differ from NavSource (30/471) - both logged, not merged. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-02

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - HOOPER ISLAND (ARG-17), Ship History Detail 2233, incl. digitized Form MA-389 Reserve Fleet ship-particulars status card (/cards/2233_4155AF.jpg) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 2233 milestone table; status-card image fields (ENTERED/WITHDRAWN/SOLD SCRAP/OTHER DATA)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for HOOPER ISLAND (ARG-17), Ship History Detail 2233: year built 1944; shipyard Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; specific type 'ARG Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship'; length 441.50 ft, beam 56.80 ft, gross 7,200 tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones entry/acquisition 5/2/1960 ('MARAD TITLE 6/30/60'), disposition/withdrawal 11/5/1970. Digitized MA-389 Reserve Fleet status card adds: entered Suisun Bay fleet 5/2/1960 (0820 PDST, arrival draft Fwd 13'06" Aft 17'06"); builder annotation 'Del. Incomplete to Navy'; title history 'Marad Title 6-30-60'; temporary Navy withdrawal 10/13/1961 'for removal of equipment and return to Fleet', returned 11/1/1961 'after removal of equipment'; handwritten note of a collision with 'Shigahara Maru' March 19, 1961; 'SOLD SCRAP on PD-X-888 [sic] dated 11-2-70 to Zidell Explorations'; 'LEFT FLEET 11-5-70 1500 PST'; preservation correspondence references Navy letter Nov 17, 1959 (15 ships) and MARAD reply Nov 30, 1959.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1959-1970

   Limitations

   Authoritative custody record. Status-card handwriting partially legible (OCR-aided human reading): sale-contract number reads 'PD-X-888' where NavSource transcribes 'PD-X-886' - ambiguous final digit; collision-note year and a 1961 memo reference are partially legible. Card contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; 'removal of equipment' in Oct-Nov 1961 is documented as an event, its scope (and any insulation disturbance) is not described.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-03

5. [5]NavSource Naval History, USS Hooper Island (ARG-17) photo archive file (09/29/2917), last updated 2024-11-15 - timeline, spec block, CO list, awards/campaigns, crew-contributed photographs [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource file 2917: Luzon-class header, timeline bullets, Korean War campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive file 09/29/2917 (auxiliary photo archive): laid down 16 September 1944 as SS Bert McDowell, Maritime Commission EC2-S-C1 hull (MC hull 2682), Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore MD; launched 30 October 1944; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission and converted to an Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship at 'Bethlehem Key Highway Plant, Baltimore, MD'; commissioned USS Hooper Island (ARG-17) 13 July 1945, CDR Elmon B. Guernsey; Asiatic-Pacific theater WWII; Navy Occupation Service Medal period 5 Nov 1945-2 Nov 1946 and China Service Medal (extended) 3 Nov 1946-15 Aug 1947; decommissioned 24 Jan 1948 Alameda; Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 12 Apr 1952 CDR Frank H. Rile Jr.; Korean War campaigns Third Korean Winter (28-29 Mar, 30 Mar-1 Apr, 14-15 Apr 1953) and Korean Summer-Fall 1953 (16-18 May 1953); decommissioned 15 Jul 1959 San Diego; to MARAD 2 May 1960 (NDRF Suisun Bay); struck 1 Jul 1960; 'two battle stars' for Korean service; sold for scrapping '2 November 1960 [sic - status card and milestones show 1970], Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland OR, (PD-X-886) removed from Suisun Bay 5 November 1970'. Spec block: 5,159 t light / 14,350 t limiting; 441'6" x 56'11" x 23'; 12.5 kt trial; complement 30 officers + 471 enlisted; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 3x3"/50 DP, 2x twin 40mm, 12x single 20mm; fuel 20,690 bbls; 1 General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion engine, 2 B&W header-type boilers 220 psi 450 deg, generators 3x350kW AC + 2x60kW DC, single propeller 2,500 shp; call sign NKFP. CO list: Guernsey 13 Jul 1945-12 Aug 1946; Thompson 12 Aug 1946-24 Jan 1948; Rile 12 Apr 1952-?; Oliver 1955-7 Nov 1956; Rubinow 7 Nov 1956-28 Jul 1958; Mullins 28 Jul 1958-15 Jul 1959. Period photos include at anchor Sasebo 1945; at Cheju-do, South Korea assisting salvage of SS San Mateo (All Hands photo 17 Nov 1954); San Diego 1958 with LSTs alongside and USS Hector (AR-7) astern.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1970

   Limitations

   Ship-photo archive layer, not an official record - timeline mirrors DANFS while spec block, CO table, campaign table, and captions are contributor-compiled. 'Sold for scrapping 2 November 1960' is a year typo (MARAD card and milestones show sale dated 11-2-70, withdrawal 11-5-70). 'Two battle stars' conflicts with DANFS 'one battle star' - logged, not resolved. Converter attribution (Bethlehem Key Highway) conflicts with shipscribe per-hull note (Maryland Drydock) - logged. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-04

6. [6]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Luzon (ARG-2) Class' data page - per-hull construction/disposition/ship-note rows and class notes compiled from NVR/BuShips and Maritime Commission records [other_primary]

   Locator

   ARG-2 class page: Construction table row 17; Disposition table row 17; Ship Notes row 17; Class Notes paragraphs 1-5

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe USS Luzon (ARG-2) class page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation of official register/MC data) per-hull rows: construction table - ARG-17 HOOPER ISLAND, acquired 30 Oct 44, Bethlehem-Fairfield SYs, keel 16 Sep 44, launch 18 Oct 44, commission 13 Jul 45; disposition table - decommissioned 15 Jul 59, stricken 1 Jul 60, disposal 30 Jun 60, fate MA, MARAD sale 2 Nov 70; ship note - MCE 2682, 'Ex merc. BERT McDOWELL. Delivered 79.9% complete. Converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. In USN reserve 1946-51 [sic - recommissioned 12 Apr 52 per all other sources]. To NDRF 2 May 60, to buyer 5 Nov 70.' Class notes: on 3 Jul 44 the Auxiliary Vessels Board directed acquisition of 54 ships from the Maritime Commission including two Liberty ships for conversion to ARG 16-17 similar to the ARG 2-11 class, 'the hulls were to be taken over incomplete but capable of steaming under their own power for conversion by the Navy.' Class data: design MC EC2-S-C1; 4,621 t light / 11,500 t limiting; 441.5' oa x 56.9' e x 23.0' lim; 12.5 kt; 2,500 hp; Gen. Mach. Corp. vertical triple expansion, 1 screw; complement 430-520 (1944); original armament 1-5"/38, 3-3"/50, 2-40mmT, 12-20mm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of official data - the launch date (18 Oct 44) matches NVR and corrects the DANFS 'launched 30 October' wording (30 Oct = Navy acquisition). Converter attribution 'Maryland DD' conflicts with NavSource 'Bethlehem Key Highway' - unresolved, both logged. Ship-note 'In USN reserve 1946-51' is a compression error against the documented 1948 decommissioning and 1952 recommissioning - not adopted. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-05

7. [7]USS Hooper Island (ARG-17) commanding officer's operational report to CTG 7.3, serial ARG17:lJ:jes, dated 13 June 1958 - declassified document scan, nuclearsecrecy.com document mirror (Alex Wellerstein / Restricted Data collection) [other_primary]

   Locator

   5-page memo PDF, esp. sections 5 'Operations' (mooring, radiological safety), 6-9 (stores, materiel, personnel, communications)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Declassified ship's report: 'Report of Operational Phase of Operation Hardtack,' Commanding Officer USS Hooper Island (ARG-17) to Commander Task Group 7.3, 13 June 1958. Documents the ship's participation in the Operation Hardtack nuclear test series in the Marshall Islands (the 'repair operations in the Marshall Islands' DANFS records beginning 15 March 1958): mooring-buoy operations at the Eniwetok-area anchorage with four ships alongside; radiological-safety section - washdown system 'activated only one day when actual fallout reached ~7 mR/hr,' assessed ~90% effective, with 'minor difficulties in control of run-off and decontamination'; target ships alongside after the UMBRELLA shot could not have crews aboard while civilian technicians worked them; the ship fueled and watered array and other TG 7.3 ships, tugs, and boats (166,255 gals diesel transferred); berthing of civilian technicians and target-ship crews; communications load 20 April-8 June (1,372 messages).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1958

   Population

   Ship's company and berthed target-ship crews/civilian technicians during Hardtack (Apr-Jun 1958)

   Limitations

   Primary ship-authored document, but the scan is heavily degraded carbon-copy quality (figures like the ~7 mR/hr fallout reading and 166,255-gal transfer are legible but marginally). Documents a radiological-hazard environment aboard this hull in 1958 - not an asbestos record; no materials or insulation statements. Hosted on a researcher mirror, not an official archive - content is a verbatim declassified Navy document.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-06

8. [8]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project - Richard Jackson Collection, AFC 2001/001/81183 [other_primary]

   Locator

   LOC item record: service_history block (unit_of_service 'USS Hooper Island (ARG 17)', dates 1951-1957); subjects include 'uss hooper island (arg 17)'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Library of Congress Veterans History Project catalog record: Richard Jackson Collection (AFC 2001/001/81183) - U.S. Navy veteran, service unit/ship 'USS Hooper Island (ARG 17),' Cold War period, service dates 1951-1957, locations United States and Japan; video oral-history interview collected 2011-11-04 (Missouri Veterans History Project interview).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1951-1957 service; record 2011

   Population

   One veteran (Richard Jackson), service 1951-1957

   Limitations

   Documents a named veteran's service aboard this hull 1951-1957 (spanning pre- and post-Korean-War recommissioning). Catalog metadata only - interview content not reviewed; contains no asbestos, materials, or exposure statements.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-07

9. [9]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant (the exact hull type and machinery design this vessel was built on and retained through conversion - NavSource spec block confirms the General Machine Corp. triple-expansion engine and twin B&W boilers) describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. EC2-hulled ships were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period 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

   1944-1945

   Population

   Construction trades (Bethlehem-Fairfield, 1944) and conversion-yard workers (Baltimore, 1944-45); engine-room and machinery crews

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual does not name this vessel and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. The 1944-45 conversion replaced cargo arrangements with repair machinery whose insulation schedule is undocumented; the EC2 power plant, however, was retained. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1970-71), individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-08

10. [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 emergency construction program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built and converted to a repair ship at Baltimore in 1944-45 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and converted naval 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 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-hooper-island-arg17-09

11. [11]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

    PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two 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 and conversion of exactly this hull's era and program type (Maritime Commission hull, Navy conversion, Baltimore, 1944-45).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    survey ~1944-45; published 1946

    Population

    WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

    Limitations

    Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or the conversion yard (whether the Baltimore conversion facility was among the surveyed yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-10

12. [12]Batch-2589 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NVR inactive list via Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 2233 + status card; NavSource 2917; shipscribe ARG-2 class page; declassified Hardtack report; LOC Veterans History Project; NARA Special List #44; CourtListener API v4 sweeps; indexed-web litigation checks [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-hooper-island-arg17-01 through sl-uss-hooper-island-arg17-12

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record or litigation located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Hooper Island / ARG-17 / Bert McDowell was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweeps: exact-phrase 'USS Hooper Island' opinion search returned count 0 (clean HTTP 200 - no opinion names the ship); 'Bert McDowell' opinion search returned 2 hits - both name collisions (a 1920 Kentucky case predating the 1944 ship, and a 1961 California criminal appeal naming a person; no maritime/asbestos content). 'Hooper Island' and 'ARG-17' sweeps were intermittently blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget at research time (helper-enforced ~114/hr shared) and are logged as blocked, not negative. Indexed-web checks surfaced no qualifying result.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 EC2-hull repair-ship conversion is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her construction/conversion (1944-45), two commission periods, 1956-58 overhaul and Hardtack operations, 1960-70 reserve-fleet lay-up, October-November 1961 equipment-removal withdrawal, and 1970-71 Zidell breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The blocked 'Hooper Island'/'ARG-17' sweeps are a residual: 'USS Hooper Island' (count 0) and 'Bert McDowell' cover the most likely naming strings but the hull-number sweep was not completed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-11

13. [13]Woodruff v. Zidell Explorations, Inc. (Wash. Ct. App. Div. II, No. 56257-0-II, unpublished op. filed 2023-01-24; Pierce County jury verdict 2021-08-05; Wash. Sup. Ct. pet. for review No. 101864-9) [court_record]

    Locator

    Division II unpublished opinion sections I-II (facts of shipbreaking exposure, Zidell Explorations as ship owner); WA Supreme Court petition record for posture

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    The entity that bought this hull for scrapping (Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland, OR - MARAD sale PD-X-886 dated 1970-11-02) is documented in litigation as an owner of Navy ships dismantled for scrap during 1970-73 at Tacoma: in Woodruff v. Zidell Explorations (Pierce County Superior Court; Division II Court of Appeals No. 56257-0-II; Washington Supreme Court No. 101864-9), a jury found in August 2021 that Dennis Woodruff's mesothelioma resulted from asbestos exposure while dismantling decommissioned Navy ships for the Zidell companies in 1970-73 and awarded $11,216,056; Division II (unpublished, January 24, 2023) held Zidell Explorations owed a duty as owner of at least one ship Woodruff worked but reversed the judgment for new trial because the spoliation adverse-inference instruction rested on an erroneous spoliation finding; review was petitioned to the Washington Supreme Court. The ships dismantled in that operation were MARAD-sold surplus hulls of exactly this type and window.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1970-2023

    Population

    Zidell shipbreaking workforce, Tacoma/Portland, 1970-73 (context)

    Limitations

    Context for the disposal pathway only - the record does not name Hooper Island or any specific hull dismantled in the Woodruff case (USS Philippine Sea is named among ships Woodruff worked); the physical breaking site of this hull (Zidell's Portland yard vs the affiliated Tacoma operation) is not stated in sources reviewed; whether this hull carried asbestos when broken is unproven. Litigation posture at research time: verdict reversed and remanded by unpublished intermediate appellate decision; Supreme Court review petitioned - described at its actual stage, not final judgment. The COA opinion is unpublished (not citable as authority under WA GR 14.1) - cited here as factual record of the litigation's existence and holdings, not as precedent.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-12

14. [14]NARA record-path mapping for this hull: Special List #44 ship-number index (ARG-17 absent); RG 24 deck logs; CNO war-diary series; RG 19/178 conversion and contract records; JTF-7/NTPR Hardtack radiological records; RG 357 MARAD disposal file (PD-X-886) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Special List #44 ship-number index (ARG section lists ARG-5, ARG-10, ARG-18 only); archives.gov RG guides

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Hooper Island (ARG-17), 1945-48 and 1952-59 (RG 24 - ARG-17 does not appear in the Special List #44 ship-number index, which lists ARG-5, ARG-10, and ARG-18; coverage unconfirmed via that index, NARA catalog inquiry is the path); the ship's WWII-era war diary if filed (CNO/ONRL series); BuShips/BuSandA conversion plans and the Navy-MC acquisition file for MCE-2682 (RG 19/RG 178); Bethlehem-Fairfield and conversion-yard contract records (RG 178); JTF-7 / TG 7.3 Operation Hardtack records including radiological-exposure (film-badge) documentation for the crew (RG 374/DOE holdings; DNA/NTPR compilations); MARAD sale file for PD-X-886 and the Suisun Bay lay-up/preservation records (RG 357).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1971 records

    Limitations

    Record-path mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hooper-island-arg17-13