Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Kent Island (AG-78)' entry (NHHC history.navy.mil, published 2015-07-28; live URL returns 404 - 2024-07-14 Wayback capture of the official page cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Kent Island' entry, full text (namesake paragraph + service paragraph + data line); Wayback capture 2024-07-14
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake is the island in Chesapeake Bay, Md., where a trading post was established in 1631 by William Claiborne. Launched 1945-01-09 by New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland, Maine, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. Nan Hatch; transferred to the Navy 1945-01-19 and commissioned the same day; ferried to Todd Shipbuilding Co., Hoboken, N.J.; decommissioned 1945-01-23 for conversion to a barracks and issue ship; recommissioned 1945-08-01 (Comdr. W. C. Ball, USNR). After shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, cleared Norfolk 1945-08-31 for duty with the Service Force, Pacific Fleet; arrived Pearl Harbor 1945-10-09 via San Diego; sailed for Okinawa 1945-10-17 to receive Navy veterans for transportation to the United States; returned to San Francisco 1945-11-30; cleared San Francisco 1946-01-03, transited the Panama Canal, arrived Hampton Roads 1946-01-26; put into Orange, Tex., 1946-03-15 and placed out of commission in reserve 1946-06-22; redesignated AKS-26 on 1951-08-18; struck from the Navy List 1960-04-01; sold to Southern Scrap Material Co. 1960-11-02 to be scrapped. DANFS data line: dp. 5,766; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 23'; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 883; a. 1 5", 12 20mm.; cl. Belle Isle.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel/passengers, 1945-46; construction trades (South Portland, 1944-45); conversion-yard trades (Hoboken, 1945)
- Limitations
- Official Navy history text via Wayback capture of the NHHC page - the canonical live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-20 (same link-rot pattern logged in BATCH-01-REPORT for Hornet/Midway/Missouri). Contains no asbestos or materials information whatsoever. Conversion-yard name ('Todd Shipbuilding Co., Hoboken'), ferry-commission dates, and the 1960-11-02 sale date conflict with other standard sources - see correction row. Establishes identity and service timeline only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-01
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[2]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Kent Island (AG-78) page - chronology, specifications, awards, commanding officers, official photograph attributions [other_primary]
- Locator
- Full page: chronology, specifications block, awards block, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive page for this hull (indexed as 'Belle Isle Class Miscellaneous Auxiliary'): laid down 1944-11-19 as MC type EC2-S-C1 hull (MCE 3092) at New England Shipbuilding Corp., South Portland; launched 1945-01-09; acquired by the Navy and placed in reduced commission 1945-01-16 for transit to her conversion yard (LCDR James H. Graves Jr., USNR, Aux Ship Ferry Crew #5); decommissioned 1945-01-19 at Bethlehem Steel Co., Hoboken, N.J. for conversion as a barracks and issue ship; commissioned 1945-08-01 (CDR W. C. Ball, USNR); decommissioned 1946-06-22 at Orange, TX; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group; redesignated General Stores Issue Ship AKS-26 1951-08-18; struck from the Naval Register 1960-04-01; sold for scrapping 1960-09-15 to Southern Scrap Material Co., Inc., New Orleans, LA for $96,888.88 (PD-X-585). Specifications: 5,371 t. light / 14,350 t. full; 441'6" x 56'11" x 23' lim; 12.5 kts trial; complement 46 officers + 862 enlisted; largest boom 36 t.; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 4x40mm, 8x20mm; fuel NSFO 7,400 Bbls / diesel 1,470 Bbls; propulsion one General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers (220 psi, 450F), single propeller 2,500 shp; ship's service generators 3x350kW diesel-drive 450V AC + 2x60kW turbo-drive 120V DC. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. Official photo NH 82193 (San Francisco Bay, c. December 1945, via shipscribe).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel, 1945-46
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained compilation, not an official publication - carried as supporting because its entries transcribe official records and photo attributions cite NHHC numbers directly. Conflicts with DANFS and shipscribe on ferry-commission dates (16-19 Jan vs 19-23 Jan), conversion yard (Bethlehem Steel vs Todd Shipyards), complement (908 vs 883), light displacement (5,371 vs 5,766), 20mm count (8 vs 12), and sale price ($96,888.88 vs MARAD card's $86,888.88) - see correction row. A duplicated 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' line is a compilation artifact. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-02
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[3]Shipscribe (T. Colton / S. S. Roberts shipbuilding reference), 'USS Belle Isle (AG-73) Class' page - construction table, disposition table, class notes, ship notes (compiled 2009 from official records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AG-73 class page: construction table AG-78 row, disposition table AG-78 row, class notes, ship notes AG-78 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship notes for AG-78 (MCE hull 3092): delivered 88.2% complete; ferry commission 19-23 Jan 45; converted by Todd Shipyards, Hoboken, N.J.; in USN reserve 1946-60; to AKS-26 18 Aug 51; to buyer 11 Oct 60, scrapped by 31 Jul 61. Class notes: the six AG-73-78 hulls were Liberty ships taken incomplete (~88%) but capable of steaming under their own power, converted and fitted out at six different New York-area repair yards under a 1944-08-21 conversion specification providing facilities for 25 officers, 81 CPOs, and 702 enlisted repair personnel in addition to ship's company, one 80,000 gal/day distiller, shops/storerooms/tool rooms for repair work aboard other vessels, limited general-stores issue facilities, radio and radar workshops, a radar antenna test platform on the main deck, and a 90-foot 1-ton boom. BuShips design agent: H. Newton Whittelsey. Machinery (class line): General Machine Corp. vertical triple expansion, 1 screw, 2,500 HP.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Conversion-yard trades at the Hoboken yard, Jan-Aug 1945; embarked repair/issue personnel
- Limitations
- Standard shipbuilding-reference compilation drawing on BuShips/official records - secondary in form, not a primary document. Its 'Todd Shipyards, Hoboken' conversion attribution agrees with DANFS and conflicts with NavSource's 'Bethlehem Steel Co., Hoboken' (see correction row). Class-note detail is class-level (AG-73-78 program), not a hull-specific material record. No asbestos content anywhere on the page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - KENT ISLAND (AKS-26), Ship History Detail 6053, including three digitized status-card images (Form MA-199 vessel status card and MARAD disposition card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 6053 field block + status-card images (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/6053_AF.jpg = disposition card; /cards/3VG_01.png = Form MA-199 custody card)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record and status cards for this hull: vessel name KENT ISLAND (AKS-26), Navy General Stores Issue Ship; vessel no. 1136285; built 1944/45 by New England Shipbuilding Corp. for MarCom; length overall 442', beam molded 57'; light displacement 5,390T; owner Navy Department; location Orange, Texas. Disposal trail per the cards: advertised under PD-X-585 1960-08-11; bids opened 1960-09-01; awarded 1960-09-15 to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd. - purchase price $86,888.88, contract MA-2378, 'Scrap Hull - USA'; delivered from Navy Dept. to Maritime Adm. at Orange, Tex., 8:50 a.m. CST 1960-10-11 ('Transferred') and same-day from Maritime Adm. to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd. ('Purchased', remarks 'Scrap'). Database fields: year built 1945; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; fate 'Sold - Scrap'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Population
- MARAD disposal/custody personnel and buyer's scrapping crews, 1960-61
- Limitations
- Primary custody/disposal document - controls the disposal timeline. The typed card reads $86,888.88; NavSource's transcription gives $96,888.88 (carried as a discrepancy, card value treated as controlling). The card's '8-45' build-date cell and the '1944/45' remark both post-date the keel (1944-11-19) - MARAD 'built' dates reflect completion, not keel. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The USMC operating manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant - the design of this hull - describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty ships were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding. Kent Island's plant (two B&W header-type boilers, General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion engine, 2,500 shp per NavSource/shipscribe) is the standard EC2-S-C1 machinery fit with per-yard vendor variation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (South Portland, 1944-45); conversion-yard trades (Hoboken, 1945); ship's engineering crew and embarked personnel
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual does not name this vessel and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. The Navy's barracks/issue-ship conversion altered accommodation and shop spaces but retained the Liberty propulsion plant; no conversion material schedule for MCE 3092 was located. Does not establish quantity, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-05
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[6]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 emergency program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built (1944-45) and converted (1945) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls and Navy auxiliaries.
- 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 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, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-06
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[7]Batch-689 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource; shipscribe; MARAD ShipHistory + status-card images; NVR; CourtListener API + web-indexed sweep; NARA catalog; HAER NJ-95 and Todd Shipyards yard histories; law-firm/aggregator pages (excluded) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kent-island-ag78-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Kent Island / AG-78 / AKS-26 / MCE hull 3092 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API v4 was rate-limited at its daily cap during research (HTTP 429, ~11h reset); a web-indexed sweep of courtlistener.com and the open web returned no opinion or docket naming the vessel - 'Kent Island' hits are name collisions with the Maryland island or generic MDL-875 MARDOC documents not naming this hull. Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com dedicated page; freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary list) list the hull but were excluded per source rules. NVR holds no record (stricken 1960, predates NVR coverage); NARA catalog API returned non-JSON responses (endpoint change).
- 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 Liberty-hull conversion is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the barracks/issue-ship conversion added accommodation, shop, and storeroom spaces whose materials are undocumented. The CourtListener API-level sweep remains incomplete (daily cap; deferred rather than retried per batch rules) - the negative finding rests on the web-indexed sweep plus unavailable primary indexes, not an exhaustive docket search. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-07
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[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19-LCM (Bureau of Ships photo series), RG 181 (naval district/yard records); NHHC photo NH 82193 is a cataloged image of this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html and /024.html; NH 82193 attribution via NavSource
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs cover her commissioned periods (Jan 1945 ferry; Aug 1945 - Jun 1946 incl. the Okinawa transport run); RG 178 holds Maritime Commission contract/construction records for MCE hull 3092; RG 19-LCM holds the BuShips/NHHC photo set (NH 82193, San Francisco Bay c. Dec 1945, identified via NavSource attribution); conversion-contract records for the Hoboken yard work and Atlantic Reserve Fleet Texas Group (Orange) inactivation/mothballing files would sit in BuShips/RG-181-era contract and yard series.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; the NARA catalog API returned non-JSON responses to automated queries during research (logged in search_ledger). Existence of asbestos-specific documents in these series is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-08
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[9]HAER NJ-95 (Bethlehem Steel Company Shipyard, Hoboken - Library of Congress, written historical data) + Todd Shipyards corporate history (shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-comm-small/todd/; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Shipyards); DANFS entry vs NavSource AG-78 page vs shipscribe AG-73 class page - internal discrepancies recorded verbatim [haer]
- Locator
- DANFS entry data line; NavSource specifications block; shipscribe class notes/ship notes; MARAD status card (Detail 6053); HAER NJ-95 written history; Todd Shipyards history compilations
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies carried, not silently resolved: (a) Conversion yard - DANFS 'Todd Shipbuilding Co., Hoboken, N.J.' and shipscribe 'Converted by Todd Shipyards, Hoboken, N.J.' vs NavSource 'Bethlehem Steel Co., Hoboken, N.J.' Two distinct Hoboken yards operated in 1945: Bethlehem Steel's Hudson Street plant (former W. & A. Fletcher/United Dry Docks, Bethlehem-operated 1938-1983 per HAER NJ-95) and Todd's Weehawken Cove yard (former Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Co., Todd-operated from 1916). Weight of sources favors Todd's yard; unresolved. (b) Ferry commission - DANFS/shipscribe: transferred/commissioned 1945-01-19, decommissioned 1945-01-23; NavSource: reduced commission 1945-01-16, decommissioned at Hoboken 1945-01-19. (c) Disposal - MARAD card: awarded 1960-09-15 (PD-X-585, MA-2378), delivered 1960-10-11; NavSource: 'sold 15 September 1960' (award date); DANFS: 'sold 2 November 1960'; shipscribe: 'to buyer 11 Oct 60, scrapped by 31 Jul 61' - reconcilable as award vs delivery vs title/removal milestones. (d) Sale price - $86,888.88 (MARAD card, controlling) vs $96,888.88 (NavSource transcription). (e) Complement - 883 (DANFS) vs 908 = 46 officers + 862 enlisted (NavSource). (f) Light displacement - 5,766 t. (DANFS, shipscribe) vs 5,371 t. (NavSource, Wikipedia). (g) 20mm armament - 12 mounts (DANFS) vs 8 (NavSource). (h) Propulsion - 2,500 shp (NavSource, shipscribe) vs 1,950 hp (HyperWar compiled data sheet). (i) Class name - 'cl. Belle Isle' (DANFS, shipscribe, AG-73-78) vs 'Basilan class' (NavSource, Wikipedia; shipscribe restricts Basilan to AG-68-71).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Limitations
- Documents publication-level discrepancies among the standard references; none is resolved to a primary document here except the disposal trail, where the MARAD status card controls (award 9-15-60, delivery 10-11-60, price $86,888.88). None affects the asbestos posture (no asbestos content in any source). Field values carry both figures where they conflict rather than picking silently.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kent-island-ag78-09