USS Kalamazoo (AOG-30)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet ci-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-kalamazoo-aog30-pkt-ci-packet-md

2. [2]NHHC, DANFS, 'Kalamazoo I (AOG-30)' (updated R. J. Cressman, 2024-07-09) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Kalamazoo I (AOG-30)' entry, spec block and body text. Live-verified 2026-10-05 via firecrawl and curl GET 200 with browser user-agent; note a curl HEAD request returns 404 - method artifact, page is live.

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (updated by Robert J. Cressman, 9 July 2024) documents this hull: Mettawee-class T1-M-A2 gasoline tanker, displacement 845, length 220'6", beam 37'0", draft 13'11", speed 10.0 knots, complement 62, armament 1 x 3-inch, 2 x 40mm, 3 x 20mm. Laid down 7 July 1944 at Bayonne, N.J., by East Coast Shipyards, Inc., under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1527); launched 30 August 1944, sponsored by Miss Harriett Savage; acquired by the Navy 7 October 1944; commissioned 14 October 1944 at the New York Navy Yard, Lt. Walter Pierson, Jr., USCGR, in command. After Caribbean shakedown she cleared Norfolk 7 December 1944 for Aruba to load fuel oil, departed Aruba 21 December for the Southwest Pacific, conducted fueling operations in the Solomons, Admiralties, and Humboldt Bay (New Guinea), and reached Leyte Gulf 4 March 1945 as a unit of the Service Force, Seventh Fleet. She operated as a gasoline tanker out of San Pedro Bay until 15 April, then fueled off the southern Philippines, arriving Police Harbor, Mindanao, 20 April, and served more than seven months in the Celebes Sea transporting cargo and fuel from Borneo and Morotai to Mindanao ports. She departed Zamboanga 1 December 1945 via Manila to Subic Bay, sailed for the U.S. 11 January 1946, reached San Francisco 12 March, and departed 22 March for the Gulf Coast. On 1 April 1946 her main engine failed; the oiler Kennebago (AO-81) assisted her to Balboa (arrived 10 April), and under tow of rescue tug ATR-85 she departed Cristobal 26 April for Mobile, arriving 3 May. Decommissioned 18 May 1946 and turned over to the Maritime Commission for disposal; transferred to the Government of Colombia 26 November 1947 and renamed 'Bals de Lezo' (BT-62) [sic - see correction ev-06].

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Population

   Commissioning-era and wartime complement of 62 (USCG-manned); construction workers at East Coast Shipyards are era-context, not enumerated for this hull

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction milestones, WWII service narrative, and 1947 disposal. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or crew-health statement; supports no asbestos claim. The entry's 'Bals de Lezo' spelling is a typographical slip (see ev-06).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Kalamazoo (AOG-30), page 09/20/2030 (page maintainer Gary P. Priolo; last updated 2017-04-14) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 09/20/2030: timeline block, specifications block, awards ribbon display, commanding-officers table, ARC Blas de Lezo photos (incl. NHHC NH 45342)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for this hull: manned by the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II; Mettawee-class gasoline tanker; laid down 7 July 1944 as MC type T1-M-A2 hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1527) at East Coast Shipyards Inc., Bayonne NJ; launched 30 August 1944; acquired 7 October 1944; commissioned 14 October 1944 at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn NY, LT. Walter Pierson Jr. USCG in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater; decommissioned 18 May 1946 at Mobile AL; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal; transferred 26 November 1947 to Colombia as ARC Blas de Lezo (BT-62); 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specs: displacement 846 t light / 2,270 t full; 220'6" x 37' x 17'; 10 kts; complement 8 officers + 54 enlisted; cargo 1,365 DWT / 12,200 bbl oil; Fairbanks Morse 37E16 diesel, direct drive, single propeller 800 shp; generators 1 x 40kW + 2 x 75kW. Awards shown: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Philippine Liberation Medal. Commanding officers listed: LT Walter Pierson Jr. USCG (14 Oct 1944 - 31 Oct 1945), LT Charles Michaels USCG (31 Oct 1945 - 18 May 1946). Includes NHHC photo NH 45342 of the vessel in Colombian service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-2017

   Limitations

   Specialized photographic archive compiled from official sources; corroborates DANFS on all milestone dates. Draft 17' conflicts with DANFS/USCG 13'11" and 800 shp conflicts with USCG 720 hp - conflicts logged in gaps, neither adopted as controlling. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-02

4. [4]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS Kalamazoo, AOG-30' asset history page (published 2021-02-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   USCG Historian's Office asset page: spec block and History section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office asset page documents this hull as 'a Mettawee-class T1-M-A2 Navy gasoline tanker that was manned by a Coast Guard crew,' giving spec block (East Coast Shipyard Bayonne NJ; 220'6" x 37' x 13'11"; 845 tons; commissioned 14 October 1944; decommissioned 18 May 1946; 720 hp diesel direct drive, single propeller; 10 knots; complement 62; armament 1 x 3"/50, 2 x 40mm, 3 x 20mm) and a service history matching DANFS - Caribbean shakedown, Aruba fuel-oil run, Southwest Pacific fueling operations (Solomons, Admiralties, Humboldt Bay), Leyte Gulf arrival 4 March 1945 with Service Force 7th Fleet, Celebes Sea service out of Police Harbor Mindanao, engine failure 1 April 1946 with Kennebago (AO-81) assistance to Balboa, ATR-85 tow to Mobile, decommissioning 18 May 1946, and transfer to Colombia 26 November 1947 renamed 'Bals de Lezo' (BT-62) [sic]. Cited sources: Cutter History File, USCG Historian's Office; Scheina, U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II (1982) and 1946-1990 (1990).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   U.S. Coast Guard crew (~62 per complement figure)

   Limitations

   Official USCG historical-office page establishing the all-Coast-Guard crew - the population aboard this Navy-owned hull was USCG personnel. Machinery figure (720 hp) conflicts with NavSource's 800 shp for the same Fairbanks-Morse engine - conflict logged in gaps. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, vessel status card image for Kalamazoo (AOG-30), MC hull 1527 (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/3UD_01.png), linked from ShipHistory Detail/2834 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Status card scan: header fields (Name KALAMAZOO AOG-30; Hull No. 1527; builder East Coast Shipyards Bayonne NJ) and operator line 'Deld to Navy Dept.'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel Status Card for this hull (digitized image, cards/3UD_01.png): Name 'KALAMAZOO / AOG-30'; 'Hull No. 1527 Built by East Coast Shipyards At Bayonne NJ'; operator line reads 'Deld to Navy Dept.' (delivered to Navy Department) on a 'Basis to U.S.M.C.' card - a primary custody document confirming MC hull 1527, builder, and Navy delivery.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-1947

   Limitations

   Primary custody record confirming hull identity and Navy delivery; handwriting on lower portion only partially legible. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim. The parent web record (Detail/2834) is contaminated with AOR-6 data - see ev-05.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-04

6. [6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - KALAMAZOO (AOG-30), Detail/2834 (dimension fields and milestone table) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail/2834: specification fields (Ship Length 659 ft, Beam 96 ft, Gross Tons 37,360) and Milestones table (2000-08-03 acquisition for disposal; 2008-08-11 Esco Marine contract; 2008-09-30 withdrawal)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTION: MARAD ShipHistory web record Detail/2834 for 'KALAMAZOO (AOG-30)' mixes this hull's identity fields (Year Built 1944; Shipyard East Coast Shipyard; Specific Type 'AOG Gasoline Tanker'; MARAD Type T1-M-A2; Fate 'Transferred - U.S. Govt.') with data belonging to a different, much larger ship - dimensions 659.00 ft x 96.00 ft, 37,360 gross tons, and a milestone table showing MARAD title-for-disposal 2000-08-03 and an Esco Marine (Brownsville TX) dismantling contract awarded 2008-08-11 with withdrawal 2008-09-30. Those dimension and milestone values match USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6), the Wichita-class replenishment oiler scrapped at ESCO Marine in 2008-09, and cannot apply to a 220-ft hull transferred to Colombia in 1947. AOG-30 end-states per official sources are: transferred to Colombia 26 November 1947 (DANFS/NavSource/USCG); the authentic AOG-30 data in this record is the status-card image (ev-04).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   2000-2008 milestones (wrong hull); 1944 identity fields (correct hull)

   Limitations

   Documents a database-integrity defect in an authoritative source: the AOR-6 disposal record (2000 title, 2008 Esco Marine scrapping) is asserted on the AOG-30 record page. Do not cite Detail/2834 milestones for this hull's fate; only the status-card image and the 1944/T1-M-A2/East-Coast-Shipyard identity fields are clean. No asbestos content in the record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-05

7. [7]NavSource 09/20/2030 ('Blas de Lezo'); Naval Marine Archive (shipbuildinghistory successor) East Coast Shipyards Bayonne yard table, hull 12 row [other_primary]

   Locator

   navalmarinearchive.com East Coast Shipyards Bayonne NJ table, row '12 | Kalamazoo | T1-M-A2 | MC 1527 ... 14-Oct-44 | Reclassified AOG 30, to Colombia 1947 as Blas de Lezo, stretched 1949, scrapped 1966'; NavSource 09/20/2030 disposition line

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTION + post-transfer fate (secondary sourcing): DANFS and the USCG Historian's Office print the Colombian name 'Bals de Lezo (BT-62)'; NavSource and the shipbuilding-history yard table give 'Blas de Lezo' (after the Spanish admiral, consistent with Colombian Navy naming). The navalmarinearchive.com East Coast Shipyards table lists yard hull 12 = Kalamazoo, T1-M-A2, MC hull 1527, delivered 14-Oct-44, 'Reclassified AOG 30, to Colombia 1947 as Blas de Lezo, stretched 1949, scrapped 1966' - conflicting with NavSource's 'fate unknown' on final disposition.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1947-1966

   Limitations

   The name correction is solid (two-source agreement vs DANFS/USCG typo). The 'stretched 1949, scrapped 1966' fate is a secondary compilation not corroborated by any primary or Colombian source - carried as an unresolved conflict with NavSource's 'fate unknown', not as fact. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-06

8. [8]Era inference keyed to DANFS construction milestones (1944, MC contract) and NavSource propulsion spec (Fairbanks-Morse 37E16 diesel, direct drive) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Derived from ev-01 (DANFS) and ev-02 (NavSource spec block); no independent product documentation

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era inference only: a T1-M-A2 gasoline tanker built in the July-October 1944 window at a U.S. Maritime Commission yard falls inside the WWII wartime-construction program during which asbestos-containing insulation, gasket, and packing materials were standard in U.S. shipbuilding. This hull was diesel-powered (Fairbanks-Morse direct-drive, no steam plant), so the dominant boiler/turbine-lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and exhaust-system lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Construction trades at East Coast Shipyards (1944); USCG engine-room crew (1944-1946) - era framing only

   Limitations

   Class/era inference, NOT a ship-proven finding: no document names this hull's insulation or gasket materials. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The absence of a steam plant removes the most exposure-intensive asbestos pathway typical of steam-driven auxiliaries.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-07

9. [9]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

   AJIM 11(3):359-373; DOI verified live 2026-10-05 (302 to Wiley Online Library)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the era and emergency-construction program under which this T1-M-A2 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across Navy and merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   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-kalamazoo-aog30-08

10. [10]GAO, 'Asbestos: Navy's Handling Of Asbestos Contamination Problem' (HRD-80-2, 1979) - product page [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2; full text not retrievable - gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (confirmed this session)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire U.S. service window (1944-1946).

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    report 1979; described era through early 1970s

    Population

    Navy ships program-wide (context)

    Limitations

    Navy-program-level context only; does not name this vessel or its class and does not establish asbestos aboard this hull. Full text unreachable (HTTP 403); characterization rests on the product-page description, same limitation as BATCH-01/BATCH-98.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-09

11. [11]Batch-1975 search ledger (this record): DANFS, USCG Historian's Office, NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory + status card, CourtListener API v4 (authenticated), NARA digitized-logs index, secondary web sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-01 through sl-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NEGATIVE FINDING: no qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Kalamazoo (AOG-30). No asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener authenticated sweep completed this session (4 base queries + 1 opinion fetch): 'USS Kalamazoo' opinions returned 1 hit classified as a name collision on a different hull (see ev-12); 'USS Kalamazoo' dockets returned 0; 'AOG-30' opinions returned 0; 'AOG-30' dockets returned 7 hits, all name collisions (AOG-30 as exhibit/part-number strings in patent, bankruptcy, ERISA, and civil-rights cases). Secondary web sweep surfaced only law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com listicle et al., banned-source class, excluded) and a veteran forum post about AOR-6's 1996 decommissioning - a different hull and not a citable source.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    2026-10-05

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 Maritime Commission hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and gasket materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-10

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs) and RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); NARA digitized deck-logs index page [other_primary]

    Locator

    Digitized-logs alphabetical index (no Kalamazoo entry); RG 24/RG 178 finding aids at archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    ARCHIVAL LEAD (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs - this hull's commissioned-period logs (Oct 1944 - May 1946) are not in the published digitized-deck-logs index (Kalamazoo absent from the alphabetical list); the catalog is JS-rendered and could not be fully queried this session. (b) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records may hold MC hull 1527 contract and outfitting specifications for East Coast Shipyards. (c) USCG Historian's Office Cutter History File (cited on the USCG page) may hold crew-era records for this Coast-Guard-manned hull.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1944-1947 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 1527 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-11

13. [13]Camrex Contractors (Marine) Ltd. v. Reliance Marine Applicators, Inc., 579 F. Supp. 1420 (E.D.N.Y. 1984-02-03), CourtListener opinion 1819173 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion text: 7 'Kalamazoo' mentions in the 1978 Coastal overhaul subcontract narrative (PX 47-48, PX 60-63); 0 asbestos mentions, 0 insulation mentions (full-text count)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation hit classified DOWN as name collision on a different hull: Camrex Contractors (Marine) Ltd. v. Reliance Marine Applicators, Inc., 579 F. Supp. 1420 (E.D.N.Y. 1984), CourtListener opinion 1819173. The opinion's 'U.S.S. Kalamazoo' appears 7 times as a grit-blasting/coating subcontract object in a 1978 Navy overhaul job order alongside USS Caloosahatchee - in 1978 the only USS Kalamazoo was AOR-6 (in commission 1973-1996); this hull had been Colombian property since 1947. The opinion is a commercial contract dispute containing zero asbestos references. Classification: other litigation / name collision - NOT qualifying asbestos litigation for AOG-30.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1978-1984 litigation on a different hull

    Limitations

    This row prevents future misattribution: the only CourtListener 'USS Kalamazoo' opinion names the AOR-6, not AOG-30, and is commercial-contract litigation (pleading-stage facts resolved at trial on contract grounds), not exposure evidence. Any later citation of 'USS Kalamazoo' in marine-coating litigation belongs to AOR-6's file.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-kalamazoo-aog30-12