Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet w-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-pkt-w-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC DANFS entry 'Joseph Hewes' (AP-50) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2004-02-25 of official history.navy.mil DANFS page (live NHHC page 404s - standing link rot); corroborated against the historycentral.com verbatim DANFS mirror
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC): Joseph Hewes (AP-50), formerly Excalibur, built 1930 by New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N.J.; acquired by the Navy 1942-01-08; commissioned 1942-05-01, Capt. Robert McL. Smith in command. After conversion and fitting out she sortied from Hampton Roads 1942-10-24 with the Center Attack Group of Admiral Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force for French Morocco (Operation Torch), carrying 80 officers and 1,074 men of the reinforced 3d Division, U.S. Army, plus vehicles and supplies. Arrived off Fedhala 1942-11-08, landed all troops by 0705, then unloaded ammunition and supplies; by 11 November unloading was complete and 30 casualties had been received from the beach. At 1950 on 1942-11-11 she took a torpedo hit in No. 2 hold from U-173; settled by the bow; unable to slip anchor or beach (propeller out of the water); abandoned; went down at 2032 taking Capt. Smith and several seamen. One battle star for WWII service. Spec block: dp. 14,100; l. 450' (w.l.); b. 61'6"; dr. 26'4"; cpl. 358; a. 1-5", 4-3", 8-20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1930-1942
- Population
- Ship's company (~358) and embarked troops (80 officers + 1,074 men embarked on final voyage)
- Limitations
- Service history and identity only; the entry contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or survey statement. DANFS's closing sentence misprints the attacker as 'U-113' - the War Damage Report and MARAD record establish U-173. The entry carries no stricken date and no laid-down/launched dates. It styles the ship AP-50 only; the APA-22 designation is not addressed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, War Damage Report No. 32 (NAVSHIPS 32 (424)), Joseph Hewes (APA22) section + Plate I [other_primary]
- Locator
- Joseph Hewes narrative, paragraphs 1-3; Plate I; references (a)-(b)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships War Damage Report No. 32, 'Transports Torpedoed off Fedala, 11-15 November 1942' (NAVSHIPS 32 (424), Preliminary Design Section, Navy Department, 1943-08-14): titles the ship JOSEPH HEWES (APA22), former name EXCALIBUR, year built 1931 (sic - other authorities give 1930), 450 ft w.l., beam 61'6", displacement 14,100 tons, mean draft 26'4". Hewes section: anchored off Fedala, French Morocco, 11 Nov 1942 in 26 fathoms with 75 fathoms of chain to the port anchor; material condition ABLE except doors and hatches being worked in holds 1, 2, 3, and 6. At 1950 a second torpedo struck port side in No. 2 hold near the forward bulkhead, 10-15 ft below the waterline; explosion ruptured both bulkheads of No. 2 hold, filling Nos. 1 and 2 immediately and No. 3 more slowly. Fireroom and engine room personnel secured auxiliary machinery and reduced steam pressure; abandon ship ordered; sank about 2032. Plate I diagrams probable flooding; the report attributes its narrative to CTF 34 material report 00243 (1942-11-27) and the C.O. Joseph Hewes action report dated 1942-11-16.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-11-11; report dated 1943-08-14
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops at time of loss; fireroom/engine-room personnel named in the narrative
- Limitations
- Damage/flooding analysis only - contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement ('insulation' appears in the report only for electrical insulation during sister-ship repairs). 'Fireroom'/'engine room' references document a steam plant; no machinery detail given. The (APA22) styling shows BuShips used the posthumous attack-transport designation by Aug 1943 - the ship was sunk as AP-50 before the reclassification took effect. Table header's 'Year Built 1931' conflicts with 1930 in DANFS/MARAD (completion Dec 1930 vs maiden voyage Jan 1931 may explain it). No casualty count for Hewes is given in the report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - JOSEPH HEWES (AP-50/APA-22), Detail 12579, incl. Shipwreck Information record [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 12579 vessel fields, name-history links, and Shipwreck Information tab
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for JOSEPH HEWES (AP-50/APA-22), Detail 12579: year built 1930; U.S. Official No. 230365; shipyard 'New York Shipbuilding Corporation'; general type Naval Auxiliary, specific type 'APA Attack Transport'; length 450 ft, beam 61.5 ft, displacement (lightweight) 14,100 tons; fate 'Sunk - Torpedo'. Shipwreck record: owner and operator 'United States Navy' (direct government operation, no agreement); incident date 1942-11-11; use at loss 'Troop Transportation'; cause 'Torpedoed by German submarine U-173'; conflict WWII; location 'Off Casablanca, Morocco' (accuracy 'Known'; no lat/long published). Vessel name history links EXCALIBUR (Detail 7913). No milestones, status cards, historical documents, or plans are posted for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1930-1942
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody/identity and loss data; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Official No. 230365 here conflicts with 230363 on MARAD's merchant-side EXCALIBUR record - discrepancy logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - EXCALIBUR, Detail 7913, incl. image captions and one status-card scan [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 7913 vessel fields, Documents/Images caption metadata (excalibur_7913_003-012.jpg), status-card thumbnail
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD merchant-side record for EXCALIBUR, Detail 7913: year built 1930; U.S. Official No. 230363; shipyard field reads 'New York Naval Yard' (anomalous - DANFS, NavSource, the yard-historical list, and MARAD's own Navy record all say New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden); general type Passenger, specific type 'Express Liner'; 9,359 gross tons; 450 ft x 61.5 ft; fate 'CTL - No Further Info' (constructive total loss). Image captions on the file include USCG photos dated 1941-05-05, 1941-09-27, and 1941-11-17 ('Excalibur... location unknown'), 'Excalibur after conversion to Joseph Hewes (AP-50),' and USN photos captioned 'Joseph Hewes (AP-50) looking forward from the bridge at Portsmouth, Virginia, on May 2, 1942' (plus aft/stern views same date/place) - documenting the converted ship at Portsmouth, Virginia the day after her 1942-05-01 commissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1930-1942
- Population
- Merchant crew (1931-1942 passenger service); Navy crew after 1942-01-08 acquisition
- Limitations
- Merchant-registry fields contain anomalies (shipyard 'New York Naval Yard'; official no. 230363 vs 230365 on the Navy record) - flagged in gaps rather than resolved. Photo captions establish Portsmouth, VA presence at commissioning (consistent with Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth) but do not state the conversion yard or scope; contains no asbestos or materials information. 'CTL - No Further Info' is the fate-field shorthand for the war loss.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-04
-
[6]Documented facts: DANFS entry (1930 NY Shipbuilding construction; 1942 acquisition; conversion and fitting out; steam-era service); BuShips War Damage Report No. 32 (fireroom/engine room machinery narrative) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS identity/service narrative; WDR-32 paragraphs 1-3
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the hull was a steam-propelled passenger-cargo liner (firerooms and engine room documented in War Damage Report No. 32; 'steam turbines' per secondary compilations) built 1930 at New York Shipbuilding and converted by the Navy into troop transport AP-50 between her 1942-01-08 acquisition and 1942-05-01 commissioning. Era-typical asbestos applications for a 1930 steam liner plus wartime conversion: boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation/joiner fireproofing and insulation; conversion-era disturbance of existing insulation by removal trades is the dominant exposure pathway documented for the type. The ship sank in action in November 1942 - there is no postwar overhaul, reserve-fleet, abatement, or disposal phase; any era materials aboard remain on the wreck site.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1929-1942
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades (1929-1930); Navy conversion/fitting-out workers (1942, yard undocumented); ship's company and embarked troops (1942)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no material schedule, conversion work package, survey, or abatement record for this hull was located; the documented facts are construction date/type, the 1942 conversion, and a steam plant. Does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, in what quantity or location, or that any individual was exposed. Present-day presence is moot for salvage purposes - the wreck lies in Moroccan waters and has never been salvaged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-05
-
[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 program under which this 1930 liner was taken over and converted for naval service, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard both new construction and conversions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- 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 aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, exposure, or causation. Covers the 1942 conversion window, not the 1930 merchant build.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-06
-
[8]MARAD ShipHistory Detail 12579 Shipwreck Information (owner 'United States Navy'); 32 CFR 767.5 (NHHC sunken military craft stewardship policy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail 12579 Shipwreck tab; eCFR 32 CFR 767.5 (NHHC management-in-place policy)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Wreck status: MARAD's shipwreck record lists the hull's owner and operator as 'United States Navy' with incident 'Off Casablanca, Morocco,' 1942-11-11 - i.e., the wreck remains federal property and was never salvaged. DON policy (32 CFR part 767; NHHC stewardship program for sunken military craft) manages such wrecksites in place as sunken military craft; the site is also a maritime grave (Capt. Smith and crew lost with the ship). Practical consequence for this record: no salvage, scrapping, or post-sinking disturbance phase exists, and no wreck-site survey is public.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-present (wreck status)
- Limitations
- Documents custody and management posture of the wreck, not materials aboard. The CFR policy is program-level (context), not a hull-specific finding; MARAD publishes no wreck coordinates or condition survey. Establishes only that the hull was lost in place and remains Navy property - no asbestos inference beyond that.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-07
-
[9]New York Shipbuilding Historical Society liner list (yorkship.org/HTML/liners.htm - contract nos., fates); BuShips War Damage Report No. 32 (Rutledge/Scott/Bliss sections); MARAD name-history links [other_primary]
- Locator
- yorkship.org passenger-liner table, '4 Aces' rows; WDR-32 sections 4-16
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class context ('4 Aces' conversions): Excalibur was one of four American Export Lines passenger-cargo liners built by New York Shipbuilding (yard contract nos. 394-397 series per the yard-historical list) and taken over for naval transport service - Excalibur became Joseph Hewes (AP-50/APA-22); Excambion became John Penn (AP-51/APA-23); Exeter became Edward Rutledge (AP-52/APA-24); Exochorda became Harry Lee (AP-17/APA-10). Of the four, Hewes was torpedoed by U-173 at Fedala 1942-11-11, Rutledge was torpedoed in the same anchorage on 1942-11-12 (War Damage Report No. 32 covers both), John Penn was sunk by air attack off Guadalcanal 1943-08-13, and Harry Lee alone survived the war (later Turkish Tarsus; destroyed by collision/fire 1960-12-14).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1929-1960
- Population
- Crews of the four converted '4 Aces' transports
- Limitations
- Documents the sister-ship cohort and fates for cross-reference only; sister-hull exposure data cannot be attributed to this hull. yorkship.org is the builder's-yard historical association - a competent secondary compilation, not an official record; sister fates are independently confirmed by WDR-32 (Rutledge) and standard references. None of this establishes asbestos content aboard Joseph Hewes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 opinion + RECAP docket searches (see search_ledger sl-05 through sl-08) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-05..08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4, 2026-09-25): no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located or confirmed. Opinion search '"Joseph Hewes"' returned 7 hits - all name collisions (attorney 'Joseph Hewes Reinhardt'; military-review party 'Hewes'; North Carolina opinions referencing the historical figure/Edenton; DOJ OLC memo citing the signer). Docket search '"Joseph Hewes"' returned 21 dockets - person-name collisions (e.g., an FLSA opt-in plaintiff list) plus two unresolved document-level matches inside asbestos dockets: MDL-875 tag-along notices for N.D. Cal. case 3:11-cv-05154 and an exhibit set in Savoie v. Pennsylvania General Insurance (E.D. La. 2:15-cv-01220, doc 137-1) where the matched string sits inside filed attachment PDFs whose text is not shown in search snippets. Opinion search '"APA-22" asbestos' returned 2 hits - identifier collisions (Amoco Oil Co. v. EPA, D.C. Cir. 1974, fuel-regulation litigation).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Classified down per batch discipline: the MDL-875/Savoie matches are document-level hits inside filed exhibits; whether 'Joseph Hewes' there names this hull, the later Knox-class frigate FF-1078 (Avondale-built, 1971 - a plausible subject in an E.D. Louisiana shipyard-worker case), or a person could not be determined from snippets, and even a confirmed mention would be at most a pleading/discovery-stage reference, not an exposure finding. RECAP-indexed text only; complaints naming the vessel in unscanned exhibits would not surface. Name-collision risk with FF-1078 is real and flagged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-09
-
[11]Batch-2293 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture + mirrors); BuShips War Damage Report No. 32 (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription); MARAD ShipHistory Details 12579 and 7913; CourtListener opinion/docket sweeps; NARA record-group guides; Navy communique loss list (ibiblio PHA series); NavSource AP-50 page (secondary lead only); yorkship.org yard list (secondary lead only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-01 through sl-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey, abatement contract, conversion work package, hazmat disclosure, salvage report, or confirmed docketed asbestos case naming USS Joseph Hewes / AP-50 / APA-22 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship's loss in action in 1942 foreclosed all postwar documentation phases.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1930 steam liner converted for naval service in 1942 is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and the unrecovered wreck retains whatever materials were aboard. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records - RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel: ship logs, muster rolls), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) (collection-level, not item-verified for this hull); primary references enumerated inside War Damage Report No. 32 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG guide pages; WDR-32 reference list (a)-(b); catalog.archives.gov item-level retrieval outstanding
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (unretrieved): NARA holds USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50) deck logs within RG 24 (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, covering the ship's entire ~10-month commissioned life, May-November 1942) and muster rolls on microfilm; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds the acquisition/conversion correspondence and the primary sources War Damage Report No. 32 cites (CTF 34 material report 00243 of 1942-11-27; C.O. Joseph Hewes action report of 1942-11-16), which may include machinery/conversion detail; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) may hold EXCALIBUR documentation. NHHC photo and records collections hold additional imagery (the MARAD file reproduces USN/USCG photos).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Collection-level lead only; no item-level pull performed (no spend authorized; catalog API returned no usable response). The ship's ~6-month commissioned life and wartime loss mean a thin documentary base; deck logs rarely record insulation materials. The conversion-file and CTF-34 material-report records are the most promising targets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-hewes-apa22-11