Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]DANFS, 'Hydrus' (AKA-28) entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live page 404 on 2026-09-20 - verbatim entry verified via Wayback capture 20250202150949; identical transcription at hazegray/losthistory mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry - spec block and narrative paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: Hydrus (AKA-28), named for the southern constellation, launched under Maritime Commission contract by Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc., Providence, R.I., 28 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Alexander Hylek; commissioned 9 December, Lt. Comdr. R. J. Wissinger in command. Shakedown Hampton Roads; Pacific via Canal Zone, Pearl Harbor 27 January 1945; Guadalcanal training 11 February-15 March; sailed with Task Force 53 via Ulithi; arrived off Okinawa 1 April 1945 and discharged troops and equipment off the Hagushi beaches under Vice Adm. Kelly Turner; remained through 9 April under frequent air attack; Guam and Pearl Harbor (arrived 26 April); San Francisco (5-11 May); inter-island Hawaiian cargo service; Christmas and Canton Islands cargo run; returned Honolulu 3 August; sailed 7 August for Ulithi/Okinawa, receiving word of war's end en route; unloaded at Okinawa 3 September; rode out the great typhoon 16-18 September; carried Marine Air Group units from Manus to Tsingtao (arrived 17 October) for the occupation of China; lifted troops Philippines to Taku 14 November; Magic Carpet duty, sailed Shanghai 6 December, arrived Seattle 23 December; New York 2 February 1946; steamed to Fort Schuyler 6 March; decommissioned 26 March 1946 and became Empire State II; 10-year training-ship career; placed in NDRF June 1956; sold April 1964 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., New York, and scrapped. Spec block: dp 4,087 light; l. 426'; b. 58'; dr. 15'6"; s. 17 k.; cpl. 303; a. 1 5"; cl. Artemis. One battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Population
- Ship's company (303 complement) and embarked troops (capacity 264), 1944-46
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history - the authoritative service narrative. DANFS twice calls Hydrus an 'attack transport' though AKA is attack cargo ship - terminology quirk carried as quoted only. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Narrative ends with the 1964 sale; scrapping-completion date comes from the specialist class record (ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Hydrus (AKA-28) page 10/02/02028.htm (direct fetch failed; retrieved via Wayback capture 20250213062053) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page 02028.htm - class bullet list, campaign/occupation tables, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record adds the technical block and unit/award detail DANFS omits: MC hull 1889, type S4-SE2-BE1, built at Walsh-Kaiser Co., Providence (page prints 'Welsh-Kaiser'); propulsion two Westinghouse turbo-electric engines, two Wickes boilers 450 psi / 750F, twin propellers, 6,000 shp, 16.9 kts; complement 27 officers + 276 enlisted; armament one single 5"/38 DP mount, four twin 40mm AA, ten single 20mm AA; cargo 980 DWT / 110,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; boats one LCP(L), twelve LCVPs, two LCMs; troop capacity 264; fuels NSFO 9,540 bbls + diesel 365 bbls; ship's service generators itemized. WWII assignment listing: TransRon Twenty (COMO H. W. Graf), TransDiv Fifty-Eight; Okinawa Gunto operation 1-15 April 1945; Navy Occupation Service 7-29 September 1945; China Service (extended) 14 October-12 December 1945. Decommissioned 26 March 1946 at Fort Schuyler N.Y. (page prints 'Fort Schulyer'); struck from Naval Register 12 April 1946; one battle star; selected by Maritime Commission as New York State Maritime Academy training ship TS Empire State II; returned to Maritime Administration June 1956 for NDRF layup; sold for scrapping April 1964 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., N.Y. Commanding officers: LCDR Richard J. Wissinger (9 Dec 1944 - 11 Jan 1946); CAPT Henry Morris Marshall (11 Jan - 26 Mar 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops, 1944-46
- Limitations
- Private archival compilation, not an official record - spec block used for propulsion, complement, boats, troops. Assignment listing (TransRon 20 / TransDiv 58) conflicts with the ship's own March 1945 operation order (TransDiv 34 / TransRon 12 / Amphibious Group 4, Transport Group Able per ev-06) - unresolved, both carried. 'Laid down, date unknown' - keel date carried from specialist class table (ev-05). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-02
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - EMPIRE STATE (II), Detail 1446 (with digitized status card 1446_2667AF.jpg) and companion stub HYDRUS (AKA-28), Detail 8544 (status card 375_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1446 + 8544 - headers, milestones, status-card scans (cards/1446_2667AF.jpg; cards/375_01.png); documents EmpireState_1446_001.pdf and custody card PDF
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD records and digitized status cards document the custody chain in primary administrative detail. Card 375_01 (Hydrus): hull no. 1889, built by Walsh-Kaiser Co. Inc. at Providence R.I., completed 12-9-44; type S4-SE2-BE1; D.W.T. 2,775, gross 5,850, net 3,288, bale 116,000 cu ft, speed 15; 'Basis to W.S.A. 3-26-46 11:00am EST @ Bronx N Y from Navy Surplus'; operator New York State Maritime Academy under LOAN, Bronx NY, delivered 3-26-46 11:00am EST, RENAMED EMPIRE STATE II; then 'Reserve Fleet (Surplus) - Hudson Riv 6-20-56 8:15am EDST'; then 'Union Mineral & Alloys Corp. (Scrap) Purchased - Hudson River 4-13-64 1:00pm EST'. Card 1446_2667AF (Empire State II, Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars): fleet Hudson River; entered 20 June 1956 0815 hrs EDST; service prior to lay-up 'On loan to N.Y. State Maritime College', title USMA; withdrawn 13 April 1964 1300 hrs EST, reason 'Sold Scrap - Purchaser-Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.'; sale detail 'PDX-660 dated March 3, 1964 / Award March 30, 1964 / Sale price $60,723.79'; other data 'Replaced by Mercy Cl-B / Withdrawn James River March 24, 1956 / Delivered to N.Y. State Mar. Academy May 23, 1956' (the successor training hull's movements).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Population
- NYS Maritime Academy cadets, faculty crew, and maintenance personnel aboard during loan, 1946-56
- Limitations
- Authoritative for MARAD/MC custody milestones. Data quirks: MARAD carries this one hull under two detail records (1446 'EMPIRE STATE (II)' typed 'Training Ship'; 8544 'HYDRUS (AKA-28)' typed 'AK Cargo Ship'); the 'EMPIRE STATE II.pdf' document attached to Detail 1446 actually images an NSP-10 index card for the EARLIER namesake EMPIRE STATE (ex-Procyon/American Pilot, 5,524 gross tons) with handwritten 1941 cruise notes - a misfiled scan, not this hull's record. 'Mercy Cl-B' denotes the replacement schoolship (ex-USS Mercy AH-8, a C1-B type = Empire State III). No asbestos, materials, or condition information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-03
-
[4]SUNY Maritime College, Stephen B. Luce Library - 'Empire State II Records' collection CA-RG1-0010 (finding aid), plus SUNY Maritime 'Maritime Training' institutional history page (Empire State II section) [museum_official]
- Locator
- sunymaritimearchives.libraryhost.com resource CA-RG1-0010 (Scope/Contents, Biographical/Historical); sunymaritime.edu/maritime-training (T.S. Empire State II section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The operating institution's archive documents the schoolship decade: the Empire State II was used by the New York State Merchant Marine Academy (now SUNY Maritime College) as its training ship 1946-1956, training young men for Merchant Marine and Naval Reserve careers; she replaced Empire State I in March 1946; during her tenure she visited the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and both coasts of the United States; per the College she is the last training ship to sail through the Panama Canal on a training cruise; after ten years she left campus for the National Defense Reserve Fleet and was sold for scrap in 1964. The College's Maritime Training page independently narrates the Hydrus-to-Empire-State-II succession and the school's training-ship lineage (St. Mary's, Newport, Empire State I ex-Procyon/American Pilot, III ex-USS Mercy AH-8, IV ex-Henry Gibbins, V ex-Barrett, VI ex-Mormactide).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-1956
- Population
- Maritime Academy cadets and faculty crew, 1946-56
- Limitations
- Institutional history and finding aid - authoritative for the Academy's custody and use of the hull, and for the Empire State serial-name lineage that disambiguates later litigation hits. Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental information. The archive's phrase 'decommissioned for the last time' in 1964 is loose framing - Navy decommissioning was 1946; the 1964 event was sale/scrapping.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-04
-
[5]shipscribe.com (Colton) - 'USS Artemis (AKA-21) Class' construction and disposition table, usnaux section [other_primary]
- Locator
- usnaux.shipscribe.com/AKA/AKA21.html - class header block, construction table row 28 HYDRUS, disposition column
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Specialist class record: all 32 Artemis-class AKAs (AKA-21 through AKA-52) were Maritime Commission type S4-SE2-BE1 ordered 15 May 1943 and built by Walsh-Kaiser at Providence. Per-hull row for HYDRUS (AKA-28): keel 19 June 1944, launched 28 October 1944, commissioned 9 December 1944; postwar line: 'Merc. training ship EMPIRE STATE II 26 Mar 46 - 20 Jun 56, when to NDRF as EMPIRE STATE II. To buyer 13 Apr 64, scrapped by 24 Sep 65.' Class block: 4,087 lt / 7,080 lim tons, 426' oa x 58' x 16' lim; armament 1-5"/38, 4-40mmT, 10-20mm; complement 326 (1944); 16.9 kts; 6,000 HP Westinghouse turbo-electric, 2 screws.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation (shipbuilding-history reference) - the only located source stating the keel date (19 Jun 1944); DANFS and NavSource state none. Its class complement figure (326) conflicts with DANFS/NavSource's 303 - both carried, unresolved. 'Scrapped by 24 Sep 65' is the only completion date located for the 1964 sale. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-05
-
[6]USS Hydrus (AKA-28), 'Regulations and Instructions for Coming Operation' - ship's own operation order for the Okinawa landings (undated, almost certainly March 1945); HyperWar transcription of the surviving ship document [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/AKA/AKA-28_Okinawa.html - para. 2 (attachment) and shore-movement details
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A surviving ship-issued document: Hydrus's own operation plan for the Okinawa landings states 'The USS HYDRUS is attached to transport Division 34, Transport Squadron 12 and Amphibious Group 4. She is tactically (only) under Transport Division 11. She is part of Transport Group Able for this operation,' and details boat-lowering, general-quarters, and beach-discharge procedures for 'Love Day' (1 April 1945). The same document's group table lists Hydrus (AKA-28) alongside Sumter (APA-52), Circe (AKA-25), and other transports.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-03/04 (document and operation)
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked landing force, March-April 1945
- Limitations
- Primary ship document (transcribed) - it fixes her tactical organization FOR THIS OPERATION, which differs from NavSource's assignment listing (TransRon 20 / TransDiv 58); both carried, unresolved (likely different echelons or a transfer between listing and operation). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-06
-
[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 a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and Maritime Commission emergency-construction program under which this 1944 S4-SE2-BE1 attack cargo ship was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- 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, 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-hydrus-aka28-07
-
[8]Fleischer, W.E., Drinker, P., et al., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28(1):9-16 (1946) - U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial hygiene survey [other_primary]
- Locator
- J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28(1):9-16 (1946), PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial hygiene survey of WWII shipyard pipe-covering operations documented amosite asbestos pipe covering and boiler-block insulation being cut and fitted at contract shipyards - the documented product environment at wartime MC contract yards of the type at which this hull was built (Walsh-Kaiser, Providence, 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (survey era); published 1946
- Population
- Construction trades at WWII MC contract yards, including Walsh-Kaiser workers on this hull's build (Jun-Dec 1944)
- Limitations
- Yard/era-level documentation - the survey covered contract yards as a group and names neither Walsh-Kaiser nor this hull; it establishes the documented product environment for construction-period workers at such yards, not asbestos presence on this vessel. Note: PMC article page returned a JS-shell to automated fetch on 2026-09-20 - citation carried on the same verified basis used in batch-129.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-08
-
[9]Rhode Island Supreme Court workmen's-compensation decisions naming builder Walsh-Kaiser Co., 1945-1951 (cluster): Campbell v. Walsh-Kaiser Co., 73 A.2d 239 / 77 R.I. 67 (1950), earlier 51 A.2d 530 (1947), later 81 A.2d 684 / 78 R.I. 290 (1951); Rigo v. Walsh-Kaiser Co., 55 A.2d 858 (1947); Walsh-Kaiser Co. v. Kooharian, 51 A.2d 832 (1947); Walsh-Kaiser Co. v. D'Ambra, 73 R.I. 37 (1947); Walsh-Kaiser Co. v. Yeager (1947); plus Lindia (1950), Egan (1948), Della Morte (1949), Branch (1946), Champness (1947), Duffy (1949), Recchia (1945) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion index query "Walsh-Kaiser" type=o (12 hits, R.I. 1945-51); Campbell 77 R.I. 67 via openjurist.org/77/ri/67
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A cluster of roughly a dozen docketed Rhode Island Supreme Court workmen's-compensation decisions (1945-51) names the builder of this hull, documenting the yard's wartime labor-litigation footprint - all sampled cases are traumatic-injury claims by yard tradesmen (a gate guard lifting an iron gate April 1943; a laborer who fell into a ship's afterpeak April 1943; a pipe fitter's lifting hernia 1945; a burner's back strain 1944; a rigger's head injury April 1945). None involves asbestos or occupational disease.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1951
- Population
- Walsh-Kaiser shipyard workforce, 1943-45 (construction era of this hull)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard context only - these cases name Walsh-Kaiser Co., not this hull; none is asbestos litigation or occupational-disease litigation. Establishes that wartime traumatic-injury claims at this yard were litigated under R.I. comp law; establishes nothing about asbestos exposure at the yard or aboard any hull. CourtListener HTML index returned the cluster on 2026-09-20; representative opinion texts verified via OpenJurist/cetient/HallApproved mirrors.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-09
-
[10]Batch-1005 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback + hazegray mirror; NavSource via Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory Details 1446/8544 incl. digitized status cards; SUNY Maritime archive + institutional page; shipscribe class record; HyperWar ship document; CourtListener name/hull sweeps; indexed-web litigation sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hydrus-aka28-01 through sl-uss-hydrus-aka28-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull under any designation (Hydrus, AKA-28, Empire State II, MC hull 1889) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener hits were non-qualifying: 'Hydrus' returned only Norton v. Integral Corp., 584 S.W.2d 932 (Tex. Civ. App. 1979) - a name collision (Hydrus Corporation, an irrigation-equipment entity); 'AKA-28' returned no results; Tsaropoulos v. State (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dept., filed 13 Apr 2004, Ct. Cl. No. 93902) involves a later training ship named 'Empire State' at SUNY Maritime - chronology places it aboard a successor hull decades after this hull's 1964 scrapping (name collision). Marketing pages listing 'USS Hydrus' on law-firm ship lists (asbestos-ships.com; simmonsfirm.com) are non-authoritative and 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 steam attack cargo ship is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and no abatement record was located either. Coverage caveat: CourtListener queries for 'Empire State II' and '"Empire State" + maritime' returned empty/rate-limit responses (HTTP 202/403) across spaced attempts on 2026-09-20 - the schoolship-name docket sweep is incomplete and remains an open item; negative schoolship-era coverage rests on indexed-web checking only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrus-aka28-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), WWII-era deck logs (RG 24); SUNY Maritime College Empire State II Records (CA-RG1-0010); MARAD NDRF Hudson River custody file [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 178 / RG 19 / deck-log guides; sunymaritimearchives.libraryhost.com resource CA-RG1-0010
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 Construction Division records may hold Walsh-Kaiser contract/outfitting specifications for MC hull 1889; RG 19 Bureau of Ships records may hold Navy acceptance/alteration files for AKA-28; Hydrus deck logs (Dec 1944-Mar 1946) are at NARA; the SUNY Maritime College Empire State II Records (CA-RG1-0010, 3.6 linear ft: administrative documents, cruise itineraries, Capt. Alfred Olivet correspondence, news articles) cover the schoolship decade and may hold maintenance/refit documentation; MARAD's NDRF Hudson River file beyond the digitized status cards may hold lay-up condition surveys.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1964 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/collection 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-hydrus-aka28-11