Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 373-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: Queue: USS IX-508 (placeholder name; hull IX-508) → VERIFIED (name note)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ix-508-ix508-pkt-373-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), Ship Details — NO NAME (IX 508), SHIPSDETAIL_IX_508.HTML (Wayback capture 2016-12-07; page itself last updated 05/05/2004) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2016-12-07 of nvr.navy.mil SHIPSDETAIL_IX_508.HTML — Status, Milestone Dates (Stricken 06/19/2003), Physical Characteristics, Custodian blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register detail record for IX 508 (record last updated 05/05/2004): name 'NO NAME (IX 508) (ex - LCU 1618)', UNCLASSIFIED MISCELLANEOUS, UIC 22272, class IX 508; status 'Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for reuse/conversion', status-change date 02/02/2004; stricken date 06/19/2003; builder Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corp.; delivery date 06/01/1959; overall length 135 ft, extreme beam 30 ft, max navigational draft 7 ft, light displacement 190 tons, full displacement 390 tons, dead weight 200 tons; steel hull, steel superstructure; 2 propellers; propulsion type 'Diesel Engines'; custodian 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'; age at disposal 44.7 years. Keel, launch, commission, and decommission fields all blank — consistent with an uncommissioned service craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1959-2004
- Limitations
- Official register record; establishes identity, builder, delivery, strike and disposal dates, dimensions, and diesel propulsion. Contains no asbestos, materials, or survey information. Live NVR no longer serves the page (disposed craft removed); the Wayback capture is the citable copy. Carries no name — 'Orca' is absent from the official record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), Service Craft details — NO NAME (IX 508) (ex-LCU 1618), IX508.htm (Wayback capture 2001-12-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2001-12-02 of nvr.navy.mil/nvrservicecraft/details/IX508.htm — Status block ('Active, in service', status changed 12/01/1979), Custodian, Planning Yard
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register detail record for IX 508 as captured December 2001: status 'Active, in service'; 'Date status changed: 12/01/1979' — consistent with the reclassification from LCU-1618 to IX-508 but not labeled as such in the record; custodian 'NAVAL OCEANOGRAPHIC OFFICE STENNIS SPACE CENTER, MS'; planning yard 'Puget Sound (DET) Boston, Boston, MA'; ships program manager 325; accommodations 0 officers / 0 enlisted; banner note 'No changes to this information were reported since 10/02/2000.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1979-2001
- Limitations
- Official register record of the craft while still in service; the 12/01/1979 status-change date is the best documented anchor for the LCU-1618→IX-508 reclassification (NavSource lists the reclassification 'date unknown'), but the NVR page does not state what the status event was — interpreted, not labeled. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-02
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), Service Craft index c_IX.htm (Wayback capture 2001-12-15) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2001-12-15 of nvr.navy.mil/nvrservicecraft/c_IX.htm — hull list row 'IX 508 NO NAME'; category-history note in page header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR service-craft classification index (UNCLASSIFIED MISCELLANEOUS list): the hull is carried as 'IX 508 — NO NAME' — the register's name field is literally 'NO NAME,' not 'Orca.' Index header notes: 'The "IX" classification was listed in the Auxiliary Ships Category up to September 23, 1970 when it was reassigned to the Service Craft Category by SECNAVINST 5030.1F.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1970-2001
- Limitations
- Official register index; establishes that 'NO NAME' — not 'Orca' — is the register's name field for this hull throughout its listed service, correcting the name carried by secondary compilations (GlobalSecurity, Wikipedia, photo captions). 'Orca' remains plausible as a working/yard name at NOSC but is unverified at official level. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-03
-
[5]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive — IX-508 ex LCU-1618 (navsource.net/archives/10/18/181618.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-508/LCU-1618 archive page: service-history block, specifications block, 1964 photograph caption (photo by Allen R. Hartley, RM2, USNR), 'no history record' note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive entry 'IX-508 ex LCU-1618' (LCU-1610 class): laid down and launched dates unknown at Gunderson Bros., Portland, OR; delivered 1 June 1959; placed in service (date unknown) with Assault Boat Unit 1, San Diego, CA; converted to a salvage craft with booms and winches (date unknown) for use by Navy Seabees; transferred to Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC) San Diego and reclassified Unclassified Miscellaneous IX-508 (date unknown); placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register 19 June 2003; sold by DRMS reuse/conversion 2 February 2004; National Defense Service Medal ribbon; specifications 200 t (lt) / 375 t (fl), 134'9" x 29' x 6'1", 11 kts, complement 12–14 enlisted, two .50-cal machine guns, four Detroit Diesel engines 1,000 bhp, two shafts, 3,220-gal fuel, 1,200-nm range at 8 kts; photograph shows LCU-1618 moored at a San Diego ramp with LCU-1619, late summer/early fall 1964. Page states: 'There is no history record for LCU-1618 / IX-508 available at NavSource.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1959-2004 (page last updated 2009-09-18)
- Population
- ACU-1 landing-craft crews; Seabee salvage users; NOSC test-support users (12–14 enlisted complement era)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not an official record — but the standard photographic/spec reference for unnamed service craft, and its strike/disposal dates and builder agree with the NVR detail record. The Seabee salvage-craft conversion and NOSC transfer are unattributed here ('date unknown') and corroborated only by GlobalSecurity's role note. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-04
-
[6]Tim Colton, ShipbuildingHistory.com — Gunderson Marine, Portland OR yard hull list + U.S. Navy Landing Craft Utility (LCU) list [other_primary]
- Locator
- Gunderson yard table, LCU 1618 row; LCU class table FY56/Gunderson rows for LCU-1613–1619
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Colton's ShipbuildingHistory.com hull list for Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corp. (Gunderson Marine), Portland OR: 'LCU 1618 | U.S. Navy | Landing Craft | 200d | 135 | 1959 | Later Orca (IX 508), sold 2007 as Seabridge (St. Kitts), active.' Sister rows show an identical Gunderson run of Navy LCUs — LCU-1613 through LCU-1619 all listed as 200d-ton, 135-ft, 1959-delivery landing craft. The companion LCU table (shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lcu/) lists the craft under FY56 program, 1959.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1959 construction; post-sale report 2007/2008
- Population
- Gunderson Bros construction workforce (Portland, 1958-59)
- Limitations
- Industry reference compilation, not an official record; corroborates NVR on builder, size, and 1959 delivery, and is one of the 'Orca' name attestations. The post-sale disposition ('sold 2007 as Seabridge (St. Kitts), active') is unverified — another compilation says 2008 and 'Seabridge 2'; DRMS official record ends at the 02/02/2004 sale. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-05
-
[7]GlobalSecurity.org IX service-craft table (globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ix.htm); Wikipedia 'List of unclassified miscellaneous vessels of the United States Navy'; shipphotos.co.uk 'USNS Orca (IX508)' caption [other_primary]
- Locator
- GlobalSecurity IX table row 'IX 508 Orca LCU-1618 support ROV/AUV test at Naval Ocean Systems Center in San Diego'; Wikipedia IX section; shipphotos.co.uk/ship/?ship=orca59
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilations attest the 'Orca' name and the research-support role: GlobalSecurity's IX table reads 'IX 508, Orca, LCU-1618, support ROV/AUV test at Naval Ocean Systems Center in San Diego' (the table is stale — its Stricken column is blank for IX-508, predating the 2003 strike); the Wikipedia list of unclassified miscellaneous vessels reads 'Orca (IX-508), ex-LCU-1618, ROV/AUV test support' (uncited); a ship-photo site captions the craft 'USNS Orca (IX508) pictured at San Diego on 16th September 1994 ... ex LCU 1618-79, built by Gunderson Bros., Portland, Or.' — the '-79' consistent with the NVR's 12/01/1979 status-change date.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- ca. 1979-2003 role period
- Population
- NOSC test-support crews/technicians (reported)
- Limitations
- Unsourced secondary compilations — usable for the working name and role statement only, not as findings of record: the NVR carries 'NO NAME' for this hull, and no primary/official document for the NOSC ROV-AUV support role was retrievable (DTIC report ADA203356, the NOSC ROV/AUV program history, was unreachable — site under maintenance; logged as archival lead). The 'USNS' prefix in the photo caption is also unverified — service craft are carried 'in service,' not USNS-crewed, on the register.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-06
-
[8]U.S. General Accounting Office, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2, published 1979-10-18 (product page + indexed full text) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page Highlights + indexed report text (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf); PDF blocked to automated fetch (HTTP 403) — passages verified via indexed search text
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO HRD-80-2 (October 1979) documents Navy asbestos policy timing: product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials; the Navy's policy to eliminate asbestos where suitable alternates existed issued October 1975; and because pre-purchased asbestos stock was already installed in ships under construction, 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' A craft delivered in June 1959 predates all of these controls — era-consistent with asbestos-containing outfit materials — though as a diesel-powered landing craft with no boilers or steam plant, the shipboard thermal-insulation pathway the report addresses is largely absent on this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1973-1979 policy period documented; report 1979
- Population
- Navy shipbuilding/repair workforce (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation of Navy asbestos policy timing — does not name this hull or any craft; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk naval shipyards. Establishes only that 1959 construction predated asbestos-elimination controls; a landing craft's outfit (engine exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, accommodation finishes, winch brake linings) is not the shipboard thermal-insulation subject of the report. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 via fleet authenticated helper (cl-auth-search.py) — opinion and docket (RECAP) indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ix-508-08 and sl-uss-ix-508-09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull: searches run on exact designation strings ('IX-508', 'IX 508') and 'LCU-1618' across the opinion index, and 'IX-508'/'LCU-1618'/'Orca' asbestos-context across the docket index. Result: PENDING — fleet-wide CourtListener pacing blocked all authenticated requests during the session; sweep could not be completed. Residual risk of a qualifying hit is low: the craft is unnamed in the official record (case-name search has no vessel name to match beyond the reported 'Orca') and had a 12–14-man complement.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Sweep BLOCKED, not negative: the helper returned fleet-pacing stand-down on every attempt; no CourtListener result was actually obtained. Recorded as a gap, not a cleared litigation surface. Any asbestos-litigation hit would in any case be an allegation-stage record requiring stage classification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-08
-
[10]Batch-4819 search ledger (this record): NVR detail + service-craft index (Wayback); NavSource IX-508/LCU-1618; ShipbuildingHistory Gunderson + LCU lists; GlobalSecurity/Wikipedia/shipphotos attestations; NHHC/DANFS check; NARA catalog 'LCU-1618'/'IX-508'; firecrawl asbestos sweep; DTIC (blocked); GAO HRD-80-2 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ix-508-01 through sl-uss-ix-508-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, environmental report, or docketed case names this craft in the public sources searched; no DANFS entry exists for IX-508 or an Orca of this hull; the only web presence tying the hull to asbestos is its appearance ('USS Orca (IX-508)') on an asbestos-marketing auxiliary-ships list (freeasbestostesting.com), a non-qualifying source not carried as evidence (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard — a 1959-built craft predates the Navy's asbestos-elimination controls and its outfit materials are undocumented. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-09
-
[11]NARA Catalog (catalog.archives.gov) 'LCU-1618'/'IX-508' searches; NARA research guide 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (archives.gov); DTIC report ADA203356 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog search results (LCU-1618: 82 hits incl. Thomaston LSD-28 1969-06 NAID 7349162, Comstock LSD-19 1967-05 NAID 174581100); archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos; apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA203356.pdf (maintenance page)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA catalog returns 82 hits for 'LCU-1618' — almost all mentions of the craft inside other ships' deck logs (e.g., Thomaston LSD-28, June 1969; Comstock LSD-19, May 1967) plus one Marine Corps film record; 'IX-508' returns 14 coincidental string hits (microfilm reel/serial numbers), no craft records; an uncommissioned service craft keeps no deck-log series of its own. (b) NARA's asbestos-aboard-naval-vessels research guide maps RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence through 1961 — a window that does cover this hull's 1959 construction; BuShips contract/outfit records for Gunderson-built LCU-1618 are the plausible primary source and were unsurveyed. (c) DTIC report ADA203356 (NOSC ROV/AUV program history) is the lead for the craft's test-support role — unreachable, site under maintenance.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1959-present records
- Limitations
- Record-location leads only: deck-log mentions establish that LCU-1618 operated alongside amphibious ships in the 1960s but were not examined for asbestos-relevant content (deck logs do not address materials); RG 19 BuShips correspondence coverage ends 1961 — the 1959 construction file would sit inside that window but its existence/content is unverified; DTIC document unretrieved. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ix-508-10