Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet crew-co-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-kalmia-at23-pkt-crew-co-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Kalmia II (AT-23), NHHC online edition (verbatim capture 2025-02-02; live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Kalmia II (AT-23)' entry, full text incl. type line; Wayback capture 20250202031253 (live page 404 on 2026-09-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS history: second Kalmia laid down 1918-08-23 at Buffalo, NY by Ferguson Steel & Iron Co.; launched 1919-08-26 (sponsor Mrs. E. D. Bishop); commissioned 1919-11-18 (Lt.(j.g.) W. S. Burns). St. Lawrence Division of Eagle Boats towing/ice-breaking Montreal-Quebec from 1919-11-21; departed Quebec 1920-05-24, arrived Philadelphia 1920-06-18; 4th Naval District towing of barges and yard craft for fourteen years. Joined Special Service Squadron 1934-01-10 (armament transport to Guantanamo Bay); Train Squadron 1, Base Force 1 May; Norfolk 24 May; departed for West Coast 13 October, via Panama Canal, based San Diego 22 November - target towing on California coast. Sailed for Atlantic 1941-06-30, arrived Norfolk 10 August; Portland, Maine 13 October, Service Force Atlantic Fleet; three years towing gun targets in Casco Bay; assisted salvage/rescue of auxiliary-transport Wakefield (AP-21, fire-gutted off Halifax) 8-11 September 1942; redesignated ATO-23 15 May 1944; Norfolk 24 October for Chesapeake Bay target towing. Departed Norfolk 14 December, arrived Seattle 1945-02-14 towing floating dry dock AFDL-33; San Diego/Francisco-Seattle towing runs; San Diego 30 May, bomb/gun target towing off Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz Islands; San Pedro 29 March 1946; decommissioned 15 May 1946; struck 3 July 1946; sold to Bay Cities Transportation Co., San Francisco, 21 January 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1947
- Population
- Crew (design complement 44); navy-yard support personnel at documented stations (Philadelphia Navy Yard, Norfolk, San Diego, Portland ME)
- Limitations
- Official service history contains no insulation, material, or asbestos information whatsoever - it documents operations, dates, and stations only. Does not establish asbestos presence, absence, quantity, exposure, or eligibility. DANFS type line: (AT-23: dp. 1,000; l. 158'6"; b. 30'; dr. 14'7"; s. 13 k.; cpl. 44; a. 1 mg.; cl. Bagaduce) - conflicts with NavSource spec block on length, beam, draft, speed, complement (see ev-uss-kalmia-at23-02).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, USS Kalmia (ATO-23) service ship photo archive - specifications block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 09/64/64023, Specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Secondary archival compilation lists this hull's machinery as one Globe Iron Works vertical triple-expansion steam engine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers (200 psi saturated steam), one turbo-drive 25 kW 120V DC ship's service generator, single propeller, ~1,800 shp. A reciprocating steam plant of this construction era carried boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, flange and valve gaskets, and machinery packing - applications that era-typically contained asbestos fiber.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Buffalo, 1918-19); engine-room crew (boiler/machinery spaces)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a reputable secondary compilation, not a primary record; its spec block conflicts with the DANFS type line on length (156'8" vs 158'6"), beam (35'3" vs 30'), draft (15'4" vs 14'7"), speed (12.8 kts trial vs 13), and complement (5 officers/56 enlisted vs 44) - as-built/full-load vs design figures. The source does not say 'asbestos' and does not document materials aboard this hull; asbestos content is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-02
-
[4]NavSource Online, USS Kalmia (ATO-23) service ship photo archive - awards, designations, and disposition block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 09/64/64023, header/designation/awards and disposition blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary archival compilation adds detail beyond DANFS: awards - American Defense Service Medal (with bronze star in lieu of Fleet clasp), American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal; designation chain - commissioned as USS Kalmia (Fleet Tug No. 23), redesignated Fleet Tug (AT-23) 17 July 1920, reclassified Fleet Tug Old (ATO-23) 15 May 1944; decommissioned San Pedro CA 15 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register 3 July 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal and sold 21 January 1947 to Bay Cities Transportation Co., San Francisco, for $5,077.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record; sale price ($5,077) and the 'removed 21 January 1946' notation (an apparent year typo for 1947, since DANFS dates the sale 1947-01-21) rest on NavSource transcription alone. Awards list is uncorroborated by a primary awards citation. No asbestos, material, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-03
-
[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and reported the Navy's own account that all ships contain some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships - the insulation regime in force during this hull's WWII service era. Fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979 (report); WWII-era insulation regime contextualized
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level 1979 review published 33 years after this hull's disposal; not hull-specific and does not establish conditions aboard this vessel. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description and search excerpt. Does not establish quantity, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-04
-
[6]U.S. Navy Filing Manual, 1941, AB-AZ Auxiliary Ships section (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navy Filing Manual 1941, AT (fleet tug) listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The 1941 Navy Filing Manual's auxiliary-ship index lists 'AT23 Kalmia' among active fleet tugs - official corroboration that this hull was in commissioned service on the eve of U.S. entry into WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941
- Limitations
- Administrative index entry only - confirms hull existence and in-service status in 1941; carries no operational, material, or exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-05
-
[7]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USN Ships--USS Kalmia (AT-23)' page (HyperWar mirror of Naval Historical Center page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Online Library photo captions NH 51164, NH 52220, NH 102782, NH 84668
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC photo-caption record corroborates stations: NH 51164 - USS L-1 (SS-40) alongside Kalmia (AT-23) off Lewes, Delaware, 5 February 1921; NH 52220 - Kalmia (AT-23) at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 3 June 1926; NH 102782 - Kalmia in the foreground as USS California (BB-44) leaves San Diego, 23 May 1938; NH 84668 - Naval Operating Base Portland, Maine waterfront aerial circa 1944-45 with USS Kalmia (ATO-23) and USS Iuka (ATO-37) among the tugs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1921-1945
- Population
- Crew and station personnel at documented ports (Lewes DE, Philadelphia Navy Yard, San Diego, NOB Portland ME)
- Limitations
- Photo captions document presence at named stations on named dates; they contain no insulation, material, or asbestos information. Page is a verbatim mirror of the defunct Naval Historical Center Online Library page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py): q="Kalmia" type=o attempted repeatedly across session, all fleet-paced stand-down; VA vetapp index for 'Kalmia' = no decision located; indexed-web litigation checks [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kalmia-at23-04 through sl-uss-kalmia-at23-06, sl-uss-kalmia-at23-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep 2026-09-26: CourtListener API v4 via the authenticated fleet-paced helper (cl-auth-search.py) was attempted repeatedly across the session ('Kalmia' opinion search attempted multiple times) and returned the fleet pacing stand-down message each time - the shared ~114/hr budget was spent; no opinion or docket results were obtained in this window (see search_ledger). VA BVA index search returned no decision naming Kalmia. Indexed-web checks located no court verdict, settlement, or opinion naming the hull - only an excluded law-firm marketing list mention of the second hull (ATA-184).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- INCOMPLETE SWEEP - CourtListener opinion/docket coverage could not be executed within the fleet pacing budget during this session; absence of a CourtListener result must not be read as absence of litigation. The VA BVA check and indexed-web checks bound the litigation surface, but a repeat authenticated sweep is the standing gap. Plausible name collisions on any future sweep: USS Kalmia (ATA-184, second hull, 1944-1977); Kalmia the botanical genus (mountain laurel); Kalmia street/property addresses.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-07
-
[9]Batch-2790 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture used); NHHC Online Library photo page (HyperWar mirror); NavSource; 1941 Navy Filing Manual; CourtListener API v4 (attempted, fleet-paced); VA BVA index; NARA catalog; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; indexed web [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kalmia-at23-01 through sl-uss-kalmia-at23-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, government report, or docketed case naming USS Kalmia (AT-23/ATO-23) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only 'Kalmia' asbestos-surface coverage located names the second hull (ATA-184) - a name collision, not this ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1919 reciprocating-steam tug's insulation regime is era-consistent with asbestos use. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present, and establishes or defeats no claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-08
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs) and RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); U.S. Maritime Commission disposal records [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 24/RG 19 record-group descriptions; no box-level retrieval performed
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction-order material; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for Fleet Tug No. 23/AT-23/ATO-23 - pre-1941 logs in textual Entry 118 (Washington, DC), 1941-46 logs in the College Park deck-log series (none digitized for this hull as of this search); RG 19 Bureau of Ships construction/contract records for the Ferguson Steel & Iron hull (Buffalo, 1918-19); U.S. Maritime Commission disposal/sale file for the 1946 transfer and 1947-01-21 sale to Bay Cities Transportation Co.; ship plans and specifications if retained.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-at23-09