Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, 'Indian Island' (AG-77), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division - verbatim HyperWar transcription (transcribed Patrick Clancey); live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-20 (standing NHHC link rot) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org HyperWar DANFS mirror, AG section, ag77.html; canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/indian-island.html (404)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Indian Island (AG-77): EC2-S-C1 hull launched under Maritime Commission contract by New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine, 1944-12-19 (sponsor Mrs. Mary H. Flaherty); acquired by the Navy 1944-12-30; converted to an AG by Bethlehem Steel Co., Brooklyn, NY; commissioned 1945-07-27, Lt. Comdr. J. M. O'Toole. After Chesapeake Bay shakedown she transited via the Canal Zone to San Diego (arrived 1945-09-19), then sailed 1945-09-27 for Shanghai, China and Sasebo, Japan, where she embarked veterans for return to the United States; returned to San Francisco 1945-12-04; departed 1945-12-14 for Orange, TX (arrived 1946-01-02); decommissioned 1947-05-11 and joined the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; reclassified AKS-25 on 1951-08-18; remained in reserve until sold for scrapping in August 1960. Stat line: dp 5,766; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 23'; s. 12 k.; cpl. 908; a. 1 5", 4 40mm, 12 20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Ship's company (cpl. 908 per stat line); embarked veterans repatriated 1945-11
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history of this hull. Establishes identity, construction, service, reclassification, and disposal summary. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Acquisition date '30 December 1944' differs from NavSource's 1944-12-27 (see correction row). 'Sold for scrapping in August 1960' is reconciled by the MARAD status card: advertised 1960-08-11, awarded 1960-09-15, delivered 1960-10-08.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - INDIAN ISLAND (AKS-25/AG-77), Ship History Detail 5970, including scanned vessel status cards (5970_AF.jpg; 386_01.png, Form MA-199) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5970 header record + Status Cards tab images (https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/5970_AF.jpg and /cards/386_01.png), OCR-read this session
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized vessel status cards (Form MA-199) for INDIAN ISLAND (AKS-25/AG-77): U.S. Official No. 0930633; type EC2-S-C1, naval auxiliary/AK cargo; length 442 ft, molded beam 57 ft, molded depth 37 ft; light displacement 5,390 t; 'Built 1944/45 by New England Shipbuilding Corp. for MarCom'; owner Navy Department; location Orange, Texas. Disposal per card: advertised under PD-X-585 on 1960-08-11 ('Scrap - USA'), bids opened 1960-09-01, awarded 1960-09-15 to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., purchase price $96,888.88 (MA-2378, 'Scrap Hull-USA'); operating history shows Navy Dept. to Maritime Adm. transfer at Orange, Tex., 7:35 am CST 1960-10-08, and Maritime Adm. to Southern Scrap Material Co. same date/place ('Purchased... Scrap'). Structured record 'Fate: Sold - Scrap'; year built field '1945'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Authoritative custody/disposal record; the status card is a primary government document reconciling the Aug/Sep/Oct 1960 disposal dates. Note: the record's structured 'Shipyard' field reads 'Oregon Shipbuilding Company' - contradicted by MARAD's own status card ('Built 1944/45 by New England Shipbuilding Corp.') and by DANFS; treated as a data-entry error (see correction row). Card 'Date (Built) 9-45' reflects completion/conversion, not the 1944-12-19 launch. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-02
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[3]HyperWar, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945: Miscellaneous Auxiliaries' - AG-77 page and Basilan class list (compiled Patrick Clancey) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AG-77_IndianIsland.html; class table at ships-ag.html#basilan
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Wartime fleet-list entry 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' (HyperWar): AG-77 USS Indian Island - Basilan class Miscellaneous Auxiliary; displacement 14,200 t (full load); length 441'6"; beam 57'; draft 30'; speed 11.5 kt max / 10 kt econ; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 4x40mm, 12x20mm; reciprocating engines, single screw, 1,950 hp; built at New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine; commissioned 1945-07-27. Class listing confirms AG-77 Indian Island (comm. 1945) among the ten EC2-S-C1 Basilan-class hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Independently compiled wartime fleet list (transcription of official data), consistent with DANFS on builder and commissioning but differing on some specs (draft 30 ft vs DANFS 23 ft; power 1,950 hp vs NavSource 2,500 shp) - discrepancies logged in the correction row rather than reconciled. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-03
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[4]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 design of this vessel's hull) 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 hulls 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
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (New England Shipbuilding, South Portland, 1944; Bethlehem Steel conversion yard, Brooklyn, 1944-45); ship's company 1945-47
- Limitations
- Design/type 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. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation. Applies to the unconverted merchant plant; the AG conversion's material schedule is undocumented in public sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-04
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[5]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 under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built (1944) and converted to a Navy auxiliary (1944-45) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and naval 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 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-indian-island-ag77-05
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[6]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine, 'Not Glamorous, But They Had a Job to Do' (June 2007, Vol. 21 No. 3) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Indexed excerpt via search; full text returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch (paywall/anti-bot) - description-level reliance only
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Basilan-class program: with Liberty-hull production in full swing, the Maritime Commission allocated ten EC2 hulls building at East Coast shipyards to the Navy for conversion to combination electronics-repair, electronics-stores, repair-personnel barracks, provision-carrying, and fresh-water distilling ships under classification AG - hull numbers AG-68 through AG-71 and AG-73 through AG-78 (AG-72 went to the personnel ferry Parris Island, ex-PCE-901). Indian Island (AG-77) is one of this group; the ships were not uniform - sister Basilan (AG-68) had herself been intended as internal-combustion-engine repair ship ARG-12.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945 program
- Limitations
- Scholarly secondary source establishing the class conversion program and this hull's place in it; the hulls' individual conversion scopes differed (per the article itself) and no hull-specific conversion material schedule is given. Fetch of full text was blocked (403); reliance is on the indexed excerpt. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-06
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[7]Batch-688 search ledger (this record): DANFS/HyperWar; MARAD ShipHistory 5970 + status cards; NavSource 09/49/49077; HyperWar fleet list; USNI excerpt; CourtListener (blocked); NVR; open-web asbestos-source sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-indian-island-ag77-01 through sl-uss-indian-island-ag77-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. DANFS and the MARAD status card contain no materials information. The vessel appears on law-firm marketing listicles (e.g., asbestos-ships.com, freeasbestostesting.com) - excluded under source rules as non-authoritative; their existence indicates marketing categorization, not documented exposure. CourtListener sweep is incomplete: API throttled (HTTP 429, 125/day exhausted at session time, retry-after ~11 h) and web UI returned 403; queries were not retried per throttle policy (see search_ledger).
- 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 EC2-S-C1 hull with a documented 1945 Navy conversion is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials. The litigation sweep is a documented gap, not a negative result: CourtListener could not be queried this session. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-07
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[8]DANFS (ibiblio mirror); MARAD ShipHistory 5970 + status cards; NavSource 09/49/49077; HyperWar fleet list [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD status card 5970_AF.jpg + 386_01.png; DANFS ag77.html; NavSource 49077.htm specifications table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Navy acquisition date - DANFS 1944-12-30 vs NavSource 1944-12-27 (NavSource's date coincides with reduced-commission placement for transit to the conversion yard; the 12-30 date coincides with NavSource's decommissioning-for-conversion entry - both cited, not merged). (b) Builder - MARAD structured record 'Oregon Shipbuilding Company' contradicted by MARAD's own status card ('Built 1944/45 by New England Shipbuilding Corp.') and by DANFS and NavSource (NESCO, South Portland); the structured field is treated as a data-entry error and NESCO adopted. (c) Disposal - DANFS 'sold for scrapping in August 1960' vs status-card timeline (advertised 8/11/60, opened 9/1/60, awarded 9/15/60, delivered 10/8/60) vs secondary 'scrapped at New Orleans in 1961' (Wikipedia): August 1960 = advertisement month; the card dates are adopted. (d) Specs: 20mm armament 12 (DANFS/fleet list) vs 8 (NavSource); power 1,950 hp (fleet list) vs 2,500 shp (NavSource); draft 23 ft (DANFS) vs 30 ft (fleet list); displacement 5,766 (DANFS) vs 5,371 lt / 14,350 fl (NavSource) vs 14,200 fl (fleet list) vs 5,390 t light (MARAD card) - different conditions/ratings partly explain the spread; all logged, none silently reconciled.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies against the MARAD primary card; none affects identity or the disposal outcome. No asbestos content in any cited source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-08
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[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Navy deck logs - this was a commissioned ship 1945-07-27 to 1947-05-11, so WWII-era deck logs at College Park apply, including the reduced-commission transit and Magic Carpet voyage periods); RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) conversion-plan and correspondence files for the Bethlehem Steel Brooklyn AG conversion; RG 178 (Maritime Commission) construction records for MCE hull 3088 at New England Shipbuilding; NHHC photograph NH 77381 (ship in San Francisco Bay, Dec 1945) referenced via NavSource/Shipscribe.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indian-island-ag77-09