Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]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; machinery-spec identity per NavSource spec block (ev-06) and class profile ec2-s-c1-liberty-ship (hull-form variant note)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant - the same machinery specification carried by this Z-EC2-S-C5 variant hull (two 220-psi boilers, 3-cylinder triple-expansion engine, 2,500 shp) - 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. Liberty-family 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
- 1945; 1962-1969
- Population
- Construction trades (New England Shipbuilding, South Portland, 1945); merchant engine crew (1945-48); Navy engineering crew (1963-69)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the EC2-S-C1 type, not this Z-EC2-S-C5 hull, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). The Z-EC2-S-C5 shares the EC2-S-C1 machinery spec but differs in hull outfitting (large hatches, heavier cargo gear); plant-level inference holds, outfitting-level inference is weaker. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1970), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-01
-
[2]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 program under which this hull was built at New England Shipbuilding, South Portland (1945) - 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 or the Z-EC2-S-C5 type and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-02
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Jamestown' (AG-166) entry - hazegray transcription mirror; NHHC canonical URL 404 on access date (link rot, standing defect since batch-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full AG-166 entry; identical verbatim text appears as the pasted DANFS clipping on the back of the MARAD reserve-fleet status card (2348_4376AB.jpg), corroborating the transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Jamestown (AG-166): third ship of the name; a converted Liberty ship launched as J. Howland Gardner under Maritime Commission contract by New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine, 10 July 1945 (sponsor Mrs. George W. Elkins of Newport, R.I.); completed 14 August 1945; chartered to Waterman Steamship Co. until 17 June 1946 (Maritime Reserve Fleet), then U.S. Navigation Co. (3 February 1947) and South Atlantic Steamship Lines (20 October 1948); returned to Maritime Reserve Fleet at Beaumont, Texas; acquired by the Navy 10 August 1962; renamed Jamestown and designated AG-166 on 6 March 1963; commissioned 13 December at Norfolk Navy Yard, Comdr. Alan J. Kaplan in command; assigned Service Squadron 8, Service Force Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk homeport; mission 'to conduct technical research operations in support of U.S. Navy electronic research projects, which include electromagnetic propagation studies and advanced communications systems such as satellite communications'; Guantanamo shakedown January-February 1964 (Castro water-cutoff standby); redesignated AGTR-3 on 1 April 1964; Atlantic/African deployments 1964-65 (Gibraltar, Malta, Aden, Capetown, Freetown, Dakar); Caribbean and Pacific South America cruises mid-1965 (Valparaiso 9 June, Callao 4 July); departed 23 October 1965 for the Far East, Subic Bay 29 December; operated in the South China Sea, 'often operating in the Vietnam war zone,' through mid-1967 (entry closes there). Spec line: dp. 11,375 (f.); l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 22'; s. 11 k.; cpl. 313; cl. Oxford; T. Z-EC2-S-C5.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1967 (DANFS entry coverage)
- Population
- Navy crew 1963-1969 (complement 313 per DANFS spec line)
- Limitations
- NHHC canonical pages for this entry 404 (three candidate slugs tried 2026-09-20); the hazegray/losthistory transcription is verified against the verbatim DANFS clipping scanned on the MARAD status-card back. Commissioning year is implied 1963 by the entry's sequence (renamed 6 March 1963; 'commissioned 13 December') and is stated explicitly by NavSource - Wikipedia's '13 December 1962' is inconsistent and not adopted (see correction row). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - JAMESTOWN (AGTR-3), Detail 5990, incl. scanned Record of Ship Sales status card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 5990 field table; status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/5990_AF.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record JAMESTOWN (AGTR-3), Detail 5990: year built 1945; New England Shipbuilding Corporation; type Z-EC2-S-C5; 441.5 ft x 59 ft; 7,176 gross / 4,380 net tons; draft 22 ft; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Scanned Record of Ship Sales (form MA-20, card 5990_AF.jpg): contract MA-5058; awarded to Mitsubishi International Corporation, 5-14-70, purchase price $252,800.00; light displacement 8,345 / full load 11,375; location Yokosuka, Japan; 'Built for MA by New England Shipbuilding Co., So. Portland, Maine'; remarks 'Advertised 4-14-70 under PD-X-866, opened 5-12-70, dismantle hull, foreign 12 months.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1970
- Population
- Scrapping workers, Japan 1970 (foreign dismantlement, uninstrumented)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody and disposal milestones; card scan is the primary sale record (handwriting clear). 'Dismantle hull, foreign 12 months' establishes scrapping in Japan within ~12 months of delivery - a disposal-pathway statement, not an asbestos record; no survey or materials content. NavSource transcribes the sale document number as 'PC-X-866' - the card reads 'PD-X-866' (see correction row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-04
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - J. HOWLAND GARDNER, Detail 2348, incl. four scanned status-card images [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 2348 field table; card images https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/2348_4376AF.jpg, 2348_4376AB.jpg, 2348_4376BF.jpg, 2348_4376BB.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record J. HOWLAND GARDNER, Detail 2348 (merchant-name record for the same hull), with scanned reserve-fleet status cards: card front 2348_4376BF.jpg shows entry into James River fleet 6-17-46, status S, withdrawn 2-3-47 'delivered to Oper. Dept' (matches the U.S. Navigation Co. charter date); card front 2348_4376AF.jpg (Beaumont fleet, stamped 'Airplane Transport', type Z-EC2-S-C5, MCE hull 3126) shows reentry 11-15-48, retention layup ('400 group'), 32 bbls Bunker C aboard, and 'Conversion to Technical Research Ship - See Navy letter May 1, 1962 / Marad reply (Com) May 11, 1962'; withdrawn from fleet Aug. 10, 1962, 1155 hrs CST, 'delivered to Navy - Perm. Transfer.' Card back 2348_4376AB.jpg carries a pasted verbatim DANFS clipping of the AG-166 entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-1962
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews (James River 1946-47; Beaumont 1948-62) - retention/mothballing workforce
- Limitations
- Primary custody-chain documentation (fleet entries/withdrawals to the day and hour). Two discrepancies inside MARAD's own record set: the Detail 2348 field table types the hull 'EC2-S-C1' while its own status card, the AGTR record (5990), DANFS, and NavSource all say Z-EC2-S-C5 - the stamped card and DANFS control (see correction row). '400 group' and 'Oper. Dept' handwriting is legible but interpretive. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-05
-
[6]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Jamestown (AGTR-3) ex AG-166 (page 09/60/6003, contributed A. Grazevich; last updated 2024-02-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Full page: chronology, Vietnam campaign-date table, awards list, specifications block, commanding-officer roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-ship archive entry 09/60/6003 for USS Jamestown (AGTR-3) ex-AG-166: laid down 4 May 1945 as SS J. Howland Gardner (MCE hull 3126, Z-EC2-S-C5) at New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland; launched 10 July 1945; completed 14 August 1945 (Waterman charter); NDRF James River 17 June 1946; chartered U.S. Navigation Co. 3 February 1947 and South Atlantic Steamship Lines 20 October 1948; returned to Maritime Commission 15 November 1948 (NDRF Beaumont); acquired by Navy 10 August 1962; 'Converted for Naval service as a Miscellaneous Auxiliary'; commissioned USS Jamestown (AG-166) 13 December 1963 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA., CDR Alan J. Kaplan in command; redesignated AGTR-3 1 April 1964; decommissioned on or about 19 December 1969; struck 14 January 1970; title to MARAD at Yokosuka 14 May 1970; sold for scrapping 14 May 1970 to 'Mitsubishi International Group' (transcribed 'PC-X-866'), $252,800, delivered 27 May 1970. Awards: Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (9 campaign stars), RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation, RVN Campaign Medal. Specs: 3,745 t light / 11,375 t full; 441'6" x 56'11"; draft 27'9"; 11 kts; complement 313; 4 x .50 cal MG; two 220-psi boilers, vertical 3-cyl triple-expansion engine, 2,500 shp, single 4-blade 18'6" propeller. Seven-name commanding-officer roster (Kaplan 1963 through Cagney, ending 19 December 1969).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1970
- Population
- Navy crew incl. Naval Security Group detachment (1963-69); Vietnam-theater operations 1966-69
- Limitations
- NavSource is a private archival compilation, not an official publication - but every date checked against DANFS or MARAD primary records agrees, and its campaign table and CO roster supply detail DANFS lacks (the DANFS entry stops at mid-1967). Transcription variances vs the primary sale card ('PC-X-866' for PD-X-866; 3,745 t light for card's 8,345; draft 27'9" for DANFS's 22') are flagged in the correction row - where they conflict, MARAD/DANFS control. Contains no asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-06
-
[7]'Cold War Warriors Created at NNS' (Newport News Shipbuilding historical article, mirrored as https://www.explorermagazin.de/boote/nsahist.pdf), citing the NSA's 2010-declassified 'A Review of the Technical Research Ship Program 1961-1969'; corroborated by Al Grobmeier, 'The Special Project Fleet' (coldwar-c4i.net/SpecialProjectFleet/history.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- nsahist.pdf pp.1-5 (conversion narrative, NNS contract value and scope); coldwar-c4i.net JAMESTOWN (AGTR 3) entry - 'converted by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Conversion event documented by a Newport News Shipbuilding-associated historical article ('Cold War Warriors Created at NNS', mirrored as nsahist.pdf) and corroborated by Al Grobmeier's Special Project Fleet compilation (coldwar-c4i.net): in early August 1962 the Navy took title of J. Howland Gardner and Robert W. Hart and contracted with Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. for conversion - 'a little over $9 million' for both hulls, 15 months allotted; Gardner was towed from the Texas reserve fleet to Newport News. The conversion stripped most Liberty-ship features internally and externally, installed two entirely new air-conditioned decks below the main weather deck running almost the full length of the ship, expanded accommodations from ~43 merchant crew to a complement over 250, removed nearly all cargo gear, added a large stern deckhouse and two 90-foot antenna masts - while the original 2,500-hp reciprocating steam plant was retained and underwater hull lines unchanged. Commissioning followed at Norfolk Navy Yard (Jamestown 13 December 1963).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1962-1963
- Population
- Newport News Shipbuilding conversion workforce (1962-63)
- Limitations
- Both sources are secondary compilations (the NNS article explicitly draws on the redacted NSA review plus crew postings; neither is a government record) - conversion at NNS is nonetheless consistent across them and with the MARAD card's 'Conversion to Technical Research Ship' annotation, and is adopted as the best-documented account. One internal inconsistency: nsahist.pdf describes Gardner's reserve anchorage as 'near Galveston' while the MARAD card and DANFS say Beaumont - adjacent Texas NDRF sites, likely loose phrasing; the card controls. Critically, the conversion is a documented major industrial reworking of a 1945 hull (interior strip-out, two new decks, retained steam plant) - a plausible ACM-disturbance event, but no material schedule or abatement record was located; asbestos scope is inference, not finding. Does not establish asbestos presence or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-07
-
[8]Charles Ornstein and Terry Parris Jr., 'Ailing Vietnam Vets Hunt Through Ships' Logs to Prove They Should Get Benefits,' ProPublica co-published with The Virginian-Pilot, 2016-03-04 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body - Jamestown/Oxford courier-run passages and 2011 VA-list addition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ProPublica / Virginian-Pilot investigation (Ornstein and Parris, 4 March 2016) names this hull: Jamestown, with USS Oxford, 'intercepted enemy radio traffic and frequently sent crew members ashore to deliver sensitive information to commanders on the ground' during Vietnam service; because the missions were classified, veterans could not readily prove where they served until 'declassified command reports that included details about the trips ashore... helped get both ships added to the VA's list in 2011' - the VA's working list of ships qualifying crew for Agent Orange (herbicide) presumption.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1966-1969 service; 2011 VA-list addition; article 2016
- Population
- Jamestown/Oxford veterans filing VA claims (post-1975; list addition 2011)
- Limitations
- Documents a different exposure pathway entirely - herbicide (Agent Orange) presumption via shore courier runs, not asbestos - carried as exposure-history context and as evidence that this hull's mission records were classified and partially declassified. The 2011 VA-list addition is reported, not independently confirmed against the current VA ship list. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-08
-
[9]MARAD status cards 5990_AF.jpg and 2348_4376AF/BF.jpg (primary); DANFS entry (ag166); NavSource 09/60/6003; MARAD Detail 2348/5990 field tables [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Cross-check of the five fields across the four sources listed
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved for this record: (a) Commissioning year - Wikipedia's infobox reads 13 December 1962, but DANFS sequencing (acquired 10 August 1962; renamed/designated 6 March 1963; 'commissioned 13 December') and NavSource's explicit 13 December 1963 control; 1963 adopted. (b) Hull type - MARAD's merchant-name record (Detail 2348) field table says EC2-S-C1, while its own stamped status card, the AGTR record (Detail 5990), DANFS, and NavSource all say Z-EC2-S-C5; Z-EC2-S-C5 adopted (the card is the primary document). (c) Disposal document number - NavSource transcribes 'PC-X-866'; the scanned Record of Ship Sales reads 'PD-X-866'; card controls. (d) Light displacement - NavSource prints 3,745 t; the sale card reads 8,345 (matching sister-ship figures); card controls. (e) Beam - DANFS/NavSource 56'11" vs MARAD field table and card LOA x 59'; both carried where used, no resolution attempted (schema has no dimension field).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1970 records
- Limitations
- Resolves publication/transcription-level discrepancies; none affects identity, custody timeline, or asbestos posture. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-09
-
[10]Batch-652 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC mirror; MARAD ShipHistory 2348/5990 + status cards; NavSource 6003; NNS conversion-history article + Grobmeier compilation; ProPublica; CourtListener API v4 (blocked); general web litigation search (no qualifying result) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-jamestown-ag166-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Jamestown (AG-166/AGTR-3) or J. Howland Gardner (MCE 3126) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener opinion/docket sweep (planned queries: "USS Jamestown", "AG-166"/"AGTR-3", "J. Howland Gardner", Jamestown + asbestos) was rate-limit blocked (HTTP 429, 125/day quota exhausted for this IP; expected availability ~46,085 s out) and is logged blocked, not negative - the litigation surface for this hull is therefore unchecked at docket level. A general web litigation search returned only law-firm listicle pages (uncitable under batch rules) and no qualifying case.
- 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 1945 steam hull retaining its original reciprocating plant through a 1962-63 interior-strip conversion is era-consistent with both original ACM and conversion-era disturbance. The CourtListener block leaves the docketed-litigation check incomplete (rerun pending). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jamestown-ag166-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19, RG 24/RG-derived deck-log guidance, RG 26 merchant logbooks, RG 178 USMC; NSA declassified-review reference per nsahist.pdf [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/merchant-vessels-pl.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships / ship-conversion records) may hold the 1962-63 AG-166 conversion specifications for the NNS contract (~$9M for two hulls); deck logs 1963-69 and command histories for AG-166/AGTR-3 sit in NARA's modern military records (RG 24-derived series) - the ProPublica-documented declassified command reports are the same corpus; merchant logbooks 1945-48 are in RG 26 distributed by port; RG 178 USMC Construction Division records may cover MCE hull 3126 outfitting; the NSA's 'A Review of the Technical Research Ship Program 1961-1969' (declassified 2010, heavily redacted) is FOIA-retrievable.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1969 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-jamestown-ag166-11