Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]DANFS, Karin (AF-33), Vol. 4 (1969) - public-domain entry text; live NHHC DANFS page returns 404 on every URL pattern tried (2026-09-20); verbatim text confirmed via public-domain reproductions (the Wikipedia article incorporates the entry in full; en-academic mirrors it); archive.org Vol. IV scan is lending-restricted [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. 4 (1969), Karin entry; canonical NHHC URL (dead) https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/k/karin.html; verbatim text accessed via public-domain reproductions of the entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ship history: launched 1944-06-22 by Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc., Beaumont, Tex., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. E. M. Ratcliff; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 1945-02-03. After a brief Gulf of Mexico shakedown she loaded cargo at Mobile, Ala., transited the Panama Canal, and arrived Pearl Harbor 1945-03-23; departed 4 April with food for the Pacific Fleet, discharging at Eniwetok and Saipan, and made two further Pearl Harbor-Saipan/Ulithi cruises in the closing months of the war. Postwar she carried supplies to occupation forces in the western Pacific; in early November 1945 she steamed to the assistance of USS Bridge (AF-1) after that store ship struck a mine off Korea, salvaged Bridge's cargo and distributed it at Pusan and Jinsen, and departed 22 November for Seattle, arriving 21 December. From 1946 to 1950 she cruised from San Francisco to the mid-Pacific and Far East. She was in the Far East when Communist forces invaded South Korea (summer 1950) and remained until January 1951 provisioning U.S. and U.N. ships; returned to San Francisco 1951-02-19 for overhaul at Mare Island, then resumed provisioning cruises to the Marshalls and Pearl Harbor. On 1952-01-07 she departed San Francisco and resumed supply operations out of Japan in early February, making runs between Sasebo and Yokosuka and two cruises to Pusan and Inchon, Korea; returned to San Francisco 1952-12-18. In 1954 her home port changed from Mare Island to Pearl Harbor; she arrived Sasebo 1954-06-17 and from 25 August to mid-October participated in Operation Passage to Freedom (evacuation of more than 100,000 Vietnamese from North to South), supplying ships with fresh and frozen foods and providing refugees rice and small essentials; returned to Pearl Harbor 1954-11-10. From 1955 to 1958 she made 18 mid-Pacific cruises. She departed Pearl Harbor 1958-09-25, arrived Astoria, Ore., 1958-10-06, and decommissioned there 1958-12-15; struck from the Navy List September 1961; laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Puget Sound, Olympia, Wash.; sold by the Maritime Administration (dated 1969 in the DANFS-derived text) and converted to the drillship Typhoon; broken up at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, in 1987.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1958; disposal narrative to 1987
- Population
- Crew (~84), 1945-1958
- Limitations
- Service history only - DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials content. Accessed via public-domain reproductions: the canonical NHHC URL returned 404 on all patterns tried (2026-09-20), consistent with documented NHHC link rot; archive.org Vol. IV full text is lending-restricted. Two internal anomalies noted: the entry's 'transferred to War Shipping Administration' is an anachronism (WSA was abolished in 1946; the MARAD card documents MARAD title 1962-09-01), and its 'sold ... in 1969' conflicts with the MARAD card's 1967 sale/withdrawal - both reconciled against the primary custody record in ev-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-karin-af33-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - KARIN (AF-33) (1945), Ship History Detail 2843, incl. digitized Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars status card 2843_5285AF [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2843 milestones table; status card image /cards/2843_5285AF.jpg (read directly)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD custody record (Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars card, form MA-383): KARIN AF-33; type 'Diesel R1-M-AV3'; category 'Mil. Aux. Store Ship'; builder 'Pennsylvania'; date built 1945; hull no. MC-2197; fleet Olympia; service prior to lay-up Navy; entered 1960-06-15 1100 hrs PST; arrival draft fwd 7'6" aft 14'5"; ballast cement; title Navy with Marad Title noted 'Sept. 1, 1962 (Marad Ltr Aug. 22/62)'; damages 'Fire Damage $25. Electrical fire in main distribution panel in wheelhouse. See Olympia RF letter Jan. 31, 1961'; withdrawn 1967-11-09 1148 PST, reason 'Sold for scrap to Nicolai Joffe Corporation PD-X-777 10-24-67'. Database milestones: Entry/Acquisition 1960-06-15; MARAD TITLE 1962-09-01; Disposition/Withdrawal 1967-11-09; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; Official No. 523175.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1960-1967 record; 1945 build datum
- Population
- NDRF Olympia caretakers (1960-67); Nicolai Joffe Corp. scrapping-contract workers (1967+); drillship conversion workers (post-sale)
- Limitations
- Custody/status record only - contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials data (the 'Condition Report' categories present on other cards are not filled with materials information here; the documented casualty is an electrical fire, not a materials event). Establishes the authoritative disposal chronology: the DANFS-derived 'sold in 1969' is superseded by the card's sale contract dated 1967-10-24 and withdrawal 1967-11-09; 1969 is consistent with the subsequent resale/drillship-conversion date in secondary compilations. Does not document what materials the scrapping or conversion crews encountered.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-karin-af33-02
-
[3]ShipScribe 'U.S. Navy Ships' class page, ADRIA (AF-30) class - S. S. Roberts compilation from official records (Auxiliary Vessels Board minutes, BuShips/NARA, MARAD data), compiled 2004-06-24 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class data block; Construction and Disposition tables; Class Notes; Ship Note AF-33
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled official-record data: KARIN (AF-33), MC hull 2197 - keel 1944-04-17, launched 1944-06-22, acquired by Navy 1945-01-08, commissioned 1945-02-03, built by Pennsylvania Shipyards, Beaumont, Tex.; converted by Todd Galveston Dry Dock, Galveston, Tex. (in service for ferrying 1945-01-08 to 01-10). Disposition: decommissioned 1958-12-15; stricken 1961-09-01; disposal to MA custody 1962-09-01; fate MA/T; MA sale 1967-10-24. Ship note: 'In USN reserve 1958-60. To NDRF 15 Jun 60. Sold by MA for scrap (to buyer 9 Nov 67) but resold and converted to drilling rig TYPHOON 1967. Was BEN OCEAN TYPHOON in 1976.' Class data (Adria class, MC design R1-M-AV3): 3,139 t. light / 7,435 t. lim.; 338.5' oa x 50.0' x 21.1' lim.; speed 11.5 kts; 1 Nordberg diesel, 1 screw, 1,700 HP; complement 69 (1944); original armament 1-3"/50 + 6-20mm. Class notes document the R1-M-AV3 program: a refrigerated variant of the C1-M-AV1 developed under the 1943 emergency small-freighter program; AF 30-39 were MC hulls 2194-2203 built at Pennsylvania Shipyards and completed by the builder as reefers; the Navy supplied refrigerating machinery of its own design for AF 30-39, installed in fitting-out yards, after Maritime Commission machinery deliveries slipped ~3 months.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1976
- Population
- Pennsylvania Shipyards construction trades (1944); Todd Galveston DD conversion workers (Jan-Feb 1945); Navy crew 1945-58
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference drawing on official records (Auxiliary Vessels Board, BuShips, MARAD) - not itself an official publication; treated here as an authoritative compilation, consistent with house practice for transcribed primary material. The Todd Galveston conversion and the Navy-furnished refrigerating-machinery program are documented events; whether that work installed or disturbed asbestos materials is NOT established by this source - any materials scope is inference. The 'Acq. 8 Jan 45' date (MC transfer for ferrying to conversion) differs from DANFS's 'acquired and commissioned 3 Feb 45' framing; both carried. Complement 69 is class-level compiled data (1944).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-karin-af33-03
-
[4]Documented plant and service basis: ShipScribe class data (R1-M-AV3 design; 1 Nordberg diesel, 1 screw, 1,700 HP; refrigerated store ship) + NavSource compiled specs (refrigerated cargo 114,580 cu ft; 3 diesel-drive 250 kW ship's-service generators; diesel fuel 6,300 bbls) + MARAD card ('Diesel R1-M-AV3', 'Mil. Aux. Store Ship') [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe AF-30 class data block and class notes; NavSource 09/06/0633 specifications; MARAD card 2843_5285AF (type field)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Inference from documented plant and era practice: a 1944-45 diesel-powered refrigerated store ship carried era-typical insulation - engine and generator exhaust insulation, refrigerated-hold and refrigeration-machinery insulation, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation-area insulation, and brake linings on winches and windlass - products of the period commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber. Her construction at Pennsylvania Shipyards (1944) and Navy conversion at Todd Galveston Dry Dock (Jan-Feb 1945, including Navy-furnished refrigerating machinery per class notes) are documented events during the period when the federal government reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945; service 1945-1958; disposal 1967-1987
- Population
- Construction trades (Beaumont 1944); conversion-yard workers (Galveston 1945); engine-room and refrigeration crew; later repair-yard workers (Mare Island 1949, 1951); scrapping/conversion/breaking crews (1967-1987)
- Limitations
- Era/design-level inference, not a hull record - no insulation schedule, survey, or materials list for this vessel was located; the cited data documents machinery, capacity, and conversion events, not materials. Diesel propulsion means no boiler/steam-line plant (unlike steam auxiliaries) - the inferred application set is accordingly different and smaller. Does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, exposure, or causation. Refrigerated-space insulation type (asbestos vs. cork/mineral alternatives used in reefers) is undocumented for this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-karin-af33-04
-
[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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed documentation that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the program and era under which this R1-M-AV3 hull was built (1944) and Navy-converted (1945), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in American yards.
- 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 scholarship; does not name this vessel or class 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-karin-af33-05
-
[6]NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Karin (AF-33) page 09/06/0633 - compiled timeline, specifications, commanding-officer roster, ribbon display, and photo captions citing official photo numbers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/06/0633 page sections (timeline, specs, CO list, photo captions); MARAD card letter references
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource's compiled page contributes detail absent from DANFS: a commanding-officer roster (LT Richard C. Mallon 1945-02-03 through LCDR Ralph Edward Fowler to 1958-12-15); compiled specifications (officers 10 / enlisted 74; refrigerated cargo 114,580 cu ft vs non-refrigerated 47,510 cu ft; 3,170 DWT; 1 Nordberg Diesel TSM engine; three diesel-drive 250 kW 120/240 V D.C. ship's-service generators; diesel fuel 6,300 bbls; boom capacity 10 t.); an occupation/China-service date list (1945-1950); Korean War campaign credits matching the two battle stars (Communist China Aggression 1950-12-22 to 12-31; Third Korean Winter 1952-05-21 to 05-24 and 08-14 to 08-15); and commercial-service chain (sold by MA 1969 per NavSource to Strom Drilling Co., Corpus Christi - drillship MV Typhoon; 1975 Ocean Drilling & Exploration - MV Ocean Typhoon; 1976 Canam Offshore/Ben Line - MV Ben Ocean Typhoon, Panama flag; broken up Gadani Beach 1987). Photo captions index official images: BuShips 19-N-78305 (Feb 1945, near Galveston, on completion of naval conversion); NH 82220 (San Francisco Bay c.1945-46); Mare Island Naval Shipyard photos 4911/4913/4915-11-49 dated 1949-11-28 documenting repairs at Mare Island 1949-09-30 to 12-10; an Along Bay, North Vietnam, Operation Passage to Freedom photo captioned 1955 with USS Faribault (AK-179); drillship Typhoon and Ben Ocean Typhoon commercial photos. Archival leads not retrieved: WWII deck logs (RG 24), the Auxiliary Vessels Board and fitting-out/conversion contract records cited in the class notes (Navy-furnished refrigerating machinery), and the Olympia RF letters referenced on the MARAD card (1960-04-15/22 preservation; 1961-01-31 fire damage).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1987
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive used as an index/lead, not as a finding source - its spec sheet and captions are compiled, not official documents (complement 84 conflicts with class-compiled 69; the Along Bay photo is captioned 1955 while DANFS dates Karin's Passage to Freedom participation 1954-08-25 to mid-Oct - logged in gaps; its 'sold 1969' tracks the resale/operator chain, not the MARAD sale which the card dates 1967). Direct fetch succeeded via navsource.net (navsource.org unreachable - same as batch-515). NARA record groups and the MARAD-referenced letters are leads, not hull evidence; contents unverified and not digitized (no retrieval authorized).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-karin-af33-06
-
[7]Batch-531 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (404 all patterns), DANFS Vol. 4 text via public-domain reproductions, archive.org Vol. IV (lending-restricted), ShipScribe ADRIA class data, MARAD ShipHistory 2843 + status card 2843_5285AF, NavSource 09/06/0633, CourtListener opinion and docket searches, NVR scope check, class-profile check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-karin-af33-01 through sl-uss-karin-af33-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials schedule, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming Karin / AF-33 / MC hull 2197 / Official No. 523175 / drillship Typhoon was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener produced no opinion naming the vessel in any context - every 'Karin' and 'AF-33' hit is a name or identifier collision.
- 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 1944-45 reefer broken up in 1987 at Gadani Beach largely predates and postdates asbestos documentation practice, and era-consistent inference is recorded separately. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-karin-af33-07