Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet crew-da-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. — real identity: USS Kalmia (ATA-184); designation ATA-184; type: Sotoyomo-class auxiliary
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-kalmia-ata184-pkt-crew-da-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS entry 'Kalmia III (AT-184)' [sic - ATA-184], Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Kalmia III' article body (Wayback capture 2024-05-26; live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS 'Kalmia III' entry: laid down as ATR-111 on 1944-07-27; redesignated ATA-184 1944-05-15; launched 1944-08-29 by Levingston Shipbuilding Co., Orange, Tex.; commissioned 1944-11-06 as ATA-184, Lt. (j.g.) W. E. Hummel in command. Stat line: dp. 835; l. 143'; b. 33'10"; dr. 13'2"; s. 13 k.; cpl. 45; a. 1 3", 2 20mm.; cl. Maricopa. WWII service: departed New Orleans 1944-12-10 with APL-9 in tow; Panama Canal 1944-12-27; added ATR-64 to towlines 1945-01-02; via Galapagos and Society Islands to Florida Island, Solomons (arrived 1945-02-16); Service Squadron 3, Manus and Hollandia towing/salvage; Philippines from 1945-03-27 (YRDH-3 and YRDM-3 in tandem tow); Subic Bay 1945-04-14; operations northern Luzon to Palawan and Mindanao incl. Brunei Bay, Borneo; Russell Islands July 1945 - minor damage 1945-07-12 when an estimated 9-26 tons of condemned dynamite exploded on Hui Island; Leyte Gulf towing; typhoon-area salvage off Luzon Oct 1945 (recovered YTB-377 and YF-512 adrift); San Fernando patrols Nov-Dec 1945 (rescued four men 1945-12-26). Departed Subic Bay 1946-04-30 with APL-19; Pearl Harbor 1946-06-07; Astoria 1946-06-23; decommissioned 1946-06-24 (DANFS date; see correction row) into Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; named Kalmia 1948-07-16; in service 1952-04-01; recommissioned San Diego 1952-05-05, Lt. T. P. Dorr; 11th Naval District Underway Training Command duties - target-sled towing in the Southern California Operating Area, hydraulic bow catapult for drone target aircraft, bomb-target servicing, torpedo/mine retrieval, San Diego/Long Beach harbor tug work - 'through 1967' per entry text.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1967
- Population
- Ship's complement ~45; shipyard workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, and service history through the entry's 1967 cutoff - the entry predates the 1971 transfer, so lease/sale details come from other rows. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Internal quirks noted in correction row (title 'AT-184' vs ATA-184; 'cl. Maricopa'; decommission date vs NavSource).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center (now NHHC), Online Library of Selected Images: 'USS Kalmia (ATA-184), 1944-1971' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page narrative and photo captions NH 102801-102804, K-77750 (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the official NHC Online Library)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHC Online Library of Selected Images page for USS Kalmia (ATA-184): 'an 835-ton auxiliary ocean tug built at Orange, Texas, was commissioned in November 1944. She towed support craft to the southwest Pacific during the last part of that year and the first several weeks of 1945, then operated in the southern and western Pacific for the rest of 1945 and into 1946, mainly executing towing and salvage missions.' Renamed Kalmia in mothballs July 1948; recommissioned May 1952 and based at San Diego on target towing, drone-aircraft launching, and tug duties; 'decommissioned and transferred to Columbia' [sic] beginning of July 1971, renamed Bahia Utria, and 'served in that nation's navy until 1986.' Page holds NHHC photos NH 102801-102804 and K-77750 (the last showing Kalmia towing ex-USS Vincennes CL-64 out of San Diego Bay 1969-10-07 for target expenditure 1969-10-28).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1986
- Limitations
- Official NHC-sourced summary covering the post-1967 period DANFS lacks (1971 transfer; Colombian service to 1986). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Mirror hosted at ibiblio.org/HyperWar; the underlying content is the Naval Historical Center's own Online Library text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-02
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register, 'Ships, Both Coasts, Disposed' index page (nvr.navy.mil via Wayback capture 2000-12-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Disposed-ships index, ATA section: 'ATA 174 ATA 184 KALMIA 08111'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register 'Ships, Both Coasts, Disposed' list (nvr.navy.mil, captured 2000-12-02) carries the line 'ATA 174 / ATA 184 / KALMIA / 08111' - i.e., hull ATA-184, name KALMIA, UIC 08111, filed under class ATA-174, listed among disposed vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1977-2000 (disposal listing era)
- Limitations
- NVR index line confirms hull number, name, UIC and disposed status only; no strike date, no asbestos content. Live NVR covers active ships only - the disposed-ships pages survive via Wayback. Class-column value 'ATA 174' differs from other sources' class-lead naming (logged in correction row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-03
-
[5]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 extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and federal shipbuilding program under which this hull was built at a Texas Gulf Coast contract yard in 1944. As a diesel-electric auxiliary tug without boilers or steam plant, era-typical asbestos applications aboard this vessel type would have been limited to exhaust-system lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, joiner insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- 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 this class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The diesel-electric application list is type-level inference from propulsion configuration, not a documented materials list for ATA-184.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-04
-
[6]Batch-2858 search ledger (this record): DANFS full text; NHHC Online Library page; NVR disposed-ships list; NARA Special List 44; CourtListener opinion/docket name and hull-number searches; open-web litigation search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kalmia-ata184-01 through sl-uss-kalmia-ata184-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, board-of-inspection report, or docketed case naming ATA-184, ATR-111, or Kalmia (this hull) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). A commercial asbestos-information site (asbestosnavy.com) lists USS Kalmia (ATA-184) among ships with exposure records, but the listing carries no underlying primary record and is excluded as an uncitable marketing-page source.
- 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 1944 steel-hulled tug of this type is era-consistent with retained materials, but that remains inference. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4: q="Kalmia" type=o (count=59, all collisions); q="ATA-184" type=o (count=1, collision: Donaho v. FMC, opinion 711184) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion search result sets; per-hit classification in BATCH-2858-REPORT.md
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener API v4 sweep 2026-09-26: opinion search "Kalmia" returned 59 hits - all reviewed page-1 results are name collisions (Kalmia Realty & Insurance Co. litigation 1925-1950; Shannon v. Kalmia Corp. 1925; Kalmia Apartments in Houdaille Industries v. United Bonding 1972; personal name 'Kalmia K. Barron' 1978; street/property references; Treworgy v. Richards 1926 naming vessels THE NARMADA, THE DUCHESS and THE KALMIA - a different 1926-vintage vessel, not this hull, and not an asbestos case). Opinion search "ATA-184" returned exactly 1 hit: Donaho v. FMC Corp., 74 F.3d 894 (8th Cir. 1996), an ERISA disability-plan case bearing no relation to the ship. No opinion naming this vessel, and no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Sweep covers CourtListener opinion index; a same-name docket query was rate-limited and remains pending (see search_ledger sl-uss-kalmia-ata184-07). Collision volume for 'Kalmia' is driven by realty/corporate and personal-name matches - none vessel-related. Absence from the opinion index does not exclude unindexed filings, state-court matters, or settled claims.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-06
-
[8]Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez, 312 F. App'x 711 (5th Cir. 2009) (unpublished; No. 07-40730) [court_record]
- Locator
- 312 F. App'x 711 (unpublished per curiam affirmance; reporter citation - CourtListener ID pending, fleet pacing blocked the lookup)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard context only: Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez, 312 F. App'x 711 (5th Cir. 2009) - unpublished Fifth Circuit decision in a Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act death-benefits claim by the widow of a Levingston ship fitter whose 1960s-1970s asbestos exposure at the Orange, Texas yard was found compensable (TPCIGA liable as insurer of the defunct builder). Documents that the builder yard had later-era asbestos exposure litigation, not anything about this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1960s-2009 (claimant era to opinion)
- Population
- Levingston yard workforce, 1960s-1970s
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation record for a worker employed in the 1960s-70s - TWO DECADES after this hull's 1944 construction; establishes nothing about ATA-184's materials or crew exposure. Carried only as builder-context for the construction environment claim in the asbestos-products field. Unpublished F. App'x opinion; cited for factual context, not precedent. Verified via case summary text; full opinion not yet pulled (CourtListener ID pending).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-07
-
[9]U.S. EPA Superfund/CERCLA Site Information, Levingston Shipbuilding Co. (TXD008065302) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA CERCLIS site profile, site-information block
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- EPA CERCLA inventory record: LEVINGSTON SHIPBUILDING CO., 96 Front Street, Orange, TX 77630, EPA ID TXD008065302 - 'NFRAP - Site does not qualify for the NPL based on existing information'; not a federal facility; no contaminants tab populated on the public page.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- CERCLA inventory era (site record as displayed 2026)
- Limitations
- Environmental-site record for the builder yard only; contains no vessel-specific or asbestos-specific finding and does not establish that asbestos was or was not present at the yard in 1944. NFRAP is a screening disposition, not a clean bill. Supports no hull claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-08
-
[10]National Archives, Special List No. 44: Logbooks and Deck Logs of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, by Ship Numbers (archives.gov PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number index, ATA block: 'ATA-184 11/6/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - paper holdings, no reproduction order placed): NARA Special List No. 44 (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations) indexes ATA-184 deck-log holdings covering 1944-11-06 through 1945-06-30 - the commissioning and first-deployment period. Post-war logs fall under RG 24 deck-log holdings at College Park; construction-period records would sit in Bureau of Ships contract files (RG 19) and builder corporate archives, not yet surveyed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945 holdings indexed
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation that WWII-era deck logs exist for this hull; no retrieval performed and no asbestos content is implied - deck logs rarely name materials. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-09
-
[11]DANFS 'Kalmia III' vs NavSource ATA-184 page vs NVR disposed-ships list vs NHC Online Library page - cross-source comparison [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS article body and stat line; navsource.net/archives/09/38/38184.htm (secondary lead only); NVR disposed index line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently resolved: (a) decommissioning - DANFS records 'decommissioned 24 June' 1946 after arriving Astoria 1946-06-23, while NavSource records 1946-08-23 at Astoria; DANFS wording carried, conflict logged. (b) Class-lead naming - DANFS stat line 'cl. Maricopa', NVR disposed list files her under class ATA-174, NavSource calls her Sotoyomo class; 'Sotoyomo class (ATA)' carried as the common modern designation with the disagreement logged. (c) First CO rank - DANFS 'Lt. (j.g.) W. E. Hummel' vs NavSource 'LT. William Earl Hummel'; DANFS carried. (d) Colombian end-of-service - NHC photo page 'until 1986' vs NavSource 'fate unknown' after the 1977 sale; both carried. (e) NavSource-only postwar detail - the fall-1967 Panama Canal-to-Long Beach/Port Hueneme tow of two barracks ships (described there as the longest tow to depart the Canal), the full CO roster, and the 1977-10-31 strike/sale date (consistent across NavSource and the Wikipedia class table but not directly verified against a live NVR detail page - the disposed-index line confirms only disposed status) are uncorroborated by the official pages consulted; carried in prose as flagged secondary-sourced detail, not asserted by any official-source row.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1986
- Limitations
- Minor discrepancies between official and secondary sources are logged, not resolved; none affects identity or the asbestos conclusion. NavSource used only as a comparison lead, not carried as a citation-type source for affirmative claims.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kalmia-ata184-10