Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet zcm-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-kenwood-ix179-pkt-zcm-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Kenwood II (IX-179)' (NHHC, published 2015-07-28) - verbatim: built 1916 as Texas by Fore River Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy, Mass.; Texas Oil Co. operator; Maritime Commission takeover; year's charter to the Soviet Union; renamed Johren; bareboat charter to Navy at Brisbane 16 November; commissioned 6 December, Lt. Comdr. R. L. West; Service Force 7th Fleet; Hollandia, Leyte Gulf, Lingayen Gulf, Subic Bay, San Fernando Roads, Manila Bay chronology; decommissioned 10 January 1946; sold for scrap 3 March 1948 to Asia Development Corp. [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Kenwood II (IX-179) entry, full text and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy history documents this hull's full service arc: built 1916 as merchant tanker Texas; bareboat-chartered and commissioned at Brisbane Dec 1944; assigned Service Force Seventh Fleet as mobile floating fuel storage ship carrying gasoline and oil at Lingayen Gulf, Subic Bay, and San Fernando Roads (Jan 1945-Nov 1945); decommissioned Subic Bay 10 Jan 1946; sold for scrap 1948. Spec block: dp. 6,368; l. 416'8"; b. 56'; s. 10 k.; cpl. 70; a. 1-4", 2-3", 8-20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1916-1948
- Population
- Crew of ~70 (DANFS cpl. figure), 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Narrative service history only - contains no asbestos, insulation, or material-content information. The 6,368 'dp.' figure coincides with the hull's merchant gross register tonnage (NMA record: 6,368 gt) and is not a naval displacement; Shipscribe gives 4,233 t light / ~13,000 t full load. Live NHHC page returns 404 to some automated fetchers (bot filtering observed); content retrieved 2026-09-29 with browser user-agent.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels,' 1945 edition, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, effective 15 April 1945), Miscellaneous-Unclassified (IX) tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. III, IX section tables (printed pp. 458-463; scan pp. 477-482)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official wartime characteristics for this hull: 'KENWOOD (ex-Texas, Ex-Johren), IX 179', type Tanker; length 416'8" overall / 415'10" waterline; extreme beam 56'0"; one propeller; vertical triple-expansion engine, 2,800 hp; three boilers (single-ended); armament 1-4"/50 + 1-3"/50 (D.P.) with light AA per Ordnance Armament Summary; oil cargo capacity 75,000 barrels; gasoline 9,800 gallons; builder 'Fore River S. B. Corp.'; date acquired 16 Nov 1944; year built 1916; first commission 6 Dec 1944. Alphabetical index carries 'Johren (now Kenwood)' and 'Texas (now Kenwood)' cross-references.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1916-1945
- Population
- Crew (~70) 1944-1945; conversion/repair trades at Navy No. 134 and Navy No. 3115
- Limitations
- Official BuShips characteristics table - confirms machinery type (steam plant with boilers, the systems class that carried insulation) but lists no insulation or material content. Steam conditions columns for this row appear blank in the digitized scan; boiler type abbreviated 'S.E.' (single-ended, Scotch-type consistent with the 1916 tanker design). Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-02
-
[4]NavSource Online archive entry, 'USS Kenwood (IX-179)' (chronology and commanding-officer list) hosting scans of commanding-officer correspondence: (a) Conf. ltr. IX179/S15/L9-3 ser. 1-45, CO to ComSerFor 7th Fleet via CTU 77.10.1, 'Material Condition - Report of and requested repairs,' 10 Jan 1945; (b) Second endorsement to CNB Navy 3115 Conf. ltr. ser. 028 of 5 Jan 1945, 'Failure to depart on time,' 23 Feb 1945; (c) CO letter to Texas Oil Co. re Capt. R. J. Jones, 1 Mar 1945 (NavSource archive images 094617901-094617905) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-179 page, archive image set 094617901.jpg-094617905.jpg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NavSource chronology documents the merchant-custody chain (Maritime Commission acquisition at Cristobal 5 Mar 1942; Texas Oil charter same day; Lend-Lease transfer to USSR 31 Jul 1943 as Apsheron; return to MC 30 Jun 1944; War Emergency Tankers general agency as Johren; Navy acquisition Brisbane 16 Nov 1944) and the disposal (sold for scrapping 29 Jan 1948 to Asia Development Corp., Shanghai, PD-X-302, $271,000, part of a 15-ship sale). Ship-generated correspondence scans document deteriorated material condition and repeated repair work aboard this 29-year-old hull during 1944-45: leaking and patched cargo/peak tanks, a pump-room bilge leak 'temporarily repaired by a cement patch' during the conversion and pre-commissioning period at Navy #134, failed repairs at Navy #134 and Navy #3115, and the CO's conclusion that the vessel was 'unfit for carrying gasoline cargo' and usable only as floating storage absent extensive repairs. The 23 Feb 1945 endorsement documents gasoline loading alongside SS Mission San Luis Obispo at 4,000-6,000 bbl/hr with an inexperienced crew; the 1 Mar 1945 letter records former SS Texas master Capt. R. J. Jones retained aboard as advisor since commissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew (~70); repair-unit personnel at Navy #134 (conversion/pre-commissioning) and Navy #3115
- Limitations
- Primary documents (scanned from Navy records, hosted on NavSource as a secondary platform). They document hull/machinery repair activity - the kind of work that disturbs installed insulation - but never mention insulation, lagging, or asbestos; they establish repair events, not material content. FPO designators 'Navy #134' and 'Navy #3115' are not decoded in the letters themselves.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-03
-
[5]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Kenwood (IX-179) class file, compiled from Auxiliary Vessels Board reports and NARA records; companion IX-143 class page for the acquisition directive [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com IX-179 class page and ship notes; IX-143 class page class notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Acquisition context for this hull: on 3 Jul 1944 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended acquiring two operating tankers as replacements for two Liberty tankers diverted to distilling ships (AW 1-2); IX-179 was undergoing repairs at San Francisco when nominated, and on 12 Aug 1944 CNO directed she be armed and provided 26 lengths of filling hose for mobile floating storage with Service Force, Seventh Fleet. Class file identifies the design as EFC Design 1045 (431-ft Quincy tanker type) and gives launch 21 Dec 1915, acquired 16 Nov 1944, commissioned 6 Dec 1944, decommissioned 10 Jan 1946, stricken 21 Jan 1946; Maritime Administration sale approval 2 Feb 1948, delivered to buyer 3 Mar 1948 as Kenwood, scrapped at Hong Kong, 'wrecked there 24 Oct 50.' Ship note: 'Ex merc. JOHREN, ex TEXAS 1944, ex APSHERON (USSR) 1944, ex TEXAS 1943 (ID-4539, completed Feb 16).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1915-1950
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation built from official records (Auxiliary Vessels Board reports, NARA photographs RG-32/RG-80) - not the documents themselves; dates corroborate DANFS where they overlap. The 'wrecked there 24 Oct 50' parenthetical is unexplained in the source. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-04
-
[6]NavSource Online, 'USS Kenwood (IX-179)' archive entry - 'Emergency Fleet Corporation design 1047 tanker' specification line; cf. Shipscribe class file (EFC Design 1045) and Shipscribe IX-131 class notes identifying Design 1047 as the 453-ft Union Iron Works/Bethlehem San Francisco design [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-179 specifications block vs Shipscribe IX-179 and IX-131 class notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource identifies this hull as 'an Emergency Fleet Corporation design 1047 tanker.' That designation is rejected: Shipscribe's class documentation assigns the Quincy-built 431-ft Texas/Pennsylvania series to EFC Design 1045, and Design 1047 was the separate 453-ft Union Iron Works/Bethlehem San Francisco design (Acme/Abarenda type). This hull - Fore River yard no. 244, 431-ft Quincy series - is EFC Design 1045.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1916
- Limitations
- Correction applies to the design-number label only; it does not rest on a primary EFC design sheet (not located online). Confidence rests on Shipscribe's NARA-compiled class data and internal consistency of the design/dimension/yard triad. NavSource's same-line specs (6,368 t 'light' displacement, 66-ft beam, 'propulsion system unknown') are also inconsistent with DANFS/SDB and are not adopted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-05
-
[7]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946 Jan;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030) [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946;28:9-16; PubMed record 21016030 (metadata verified via NCBI E-utilities 2026-09-29)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Era context for the Navy period: the Navy's 1946 industrial-health survey of pipe-covering operations in naval-vessel construction documented amosite asbestos felt as an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels. For this hull the inference applies to the 1944-45 conversion and repair periods (armament/hose fitting-out per CNO direction and ongoing machinery/hull repairs documented in the CO correspondence), work performed in the era when Navy-standard pipe covering contained asbestos.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Conversion and repair trades (1944-45); ship's engineering crew
- Limitations
- Era-level epidemiology, not a hull record - the survey examined pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards and names no individual vessel. It establishes period Navy insulation practice only; it does not establish that asbestos was installed, disturbed, or present aboard this hull. No quantities, no product identification aboard this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-06
-
[8]McMillan LB, 'The Heat Insulating Properties of Commercial Steam Pipe Coverings,' Transactions ASME 37:921-969 (1915) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Trans. ASME vol. 37 (1915), pp. 921-969; DOI 10.1115/1.4059800
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era context for original construction: published the year this hull was launched (December 1915), this ASME transactions paper tested the standard commercial steam-pipe coverings of the period, including asbestos-fiber coverings and 85% magnesia - the latter typically bound with roughly 15% asbestos fiber in period formulations. A 1916 tanker steam plant (three boilers feeding a vertical triple-expansion engine with steam auxiliaries and cargo-heating lines) is the equipment class these coverings served: boiler lagging, steam-line covering, cylinder lagging, gaskets and packing.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1915-1916
- Population
- Fore River construction trades (1915-16); merchant marine engineering crews (1916-1944)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous engineering literature, not a hull record - the paper addresses stationary/marine steam-pipe coverings generically and names no vessel, shipyard, or marine application. It establishes that asbestos-bearing coverings were standard commercial practice at this hull's construction date; whether they were installed aboard this hull, and whether they survived later repairs and the 1948-50 scrapping, is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-07
-
[9]Atlas shipyards.json entries: fore-river-shipyard (Quincy, MA; litigation_documented row: Oliver v. General Electric Co. et al., D. Md. Civ. No. 1:16-cv-01057, pipefitter's/drafting apprentice 1967-1970) and bethlehem-shipbuilding (parent organization; documented asbestos product list for yard operations) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json, yard_id fore-river-shipyard / bethlehem-shipbuilding
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: the Fore River yard at Quincy that built this hull in 1915-16 (operated under Bethlehem ownership from 1913) is a documented asbestos-exposure site in the project shipyard dataset, which carries a litigation record and a documented asbestos product list (insulation, gaskets, packing) for yard operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1915-1916 (construction); 1967-1970 (documented litigation period)
- Population
- Yard construction trades (1915-16, undated in documentation)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation only - the cited yard litigation covers 1967-1970, five decades after this hull's 1915-16 construction; it does not document asbestos conditions during this build, and no yard record specific to hull 244 was located. Included to flag the builder's documented ACM profile, not as evidence about this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-08
-
[10]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (No. 1547, docket 89-6109); CourtListener 533004
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Fleet-level litigation posture relevant to this hull's merchant-service periods: the ship operated under Maritime Commission / War Shipping Administration control from March 1942 through November 1944 (Texas Oil charter, Soviet Lend-Lease as Apsheron, War Emergency Tankers general agency as Johren). The Second Circuit held that personal-injury asbestos claims against the United States arising from the WWII government merchant fleet were barred on discretionary-function grounds.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); 1942-1944 (exposure period it covers)
- Population
- WWII merchant mariners on WSA-controlled tonnage (fleet context)
- Limitations
- Appellate jurisdictional ruling that names no vessel and finds no asbestos conditions aboard any ship; it establishes only the litigation posture for claims against the United States over the WWII merchant fleet. It does not touch the Navy period (Dec 1944-Jan 1946), does not establish or defeat any exposure claim, and does not bear on claims against private parties (operators, yards, product manufacturers).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-09
-
[11]Batch-4742 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III; NavSource archive entry and scanned correspondence; Shipscribe class files IX-179/IX-143/IX-131; MARAD vessel-history detail pages; NARA deck-log availability; class-profile worktrees; CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kenwood-ix179-01 through sl-uss-kenwood-ix179-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, donation/museum record, or identified docketed case naming this hull under any of its names (Kenwood, Texas, Apsheron, Johren) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped at Hong Kong in 1948-50, so no present-day survey record can exist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the 1916 machinery class and documented wartime repair activity are consistent with era insulation practice, but that is inference only. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced): opinion and docket sweeps attempted for vessel name and hull number, 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py: '"USS Kenwood"' type=opinion HTTP 200 count 0 (12:30 local, /tmp/kenwood/cl4.json); exit 2 (pacing) on all other attempts 2026-09-29 ~12:05-12:37; search_ledger sl-uss-kenwood-ix179-08 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Partially completed sweep. Executed: opinion search '"USS Kenwood"' returned count 0 - no qualifying asbestos litigation, other litigation, or name collision located under the exact vessel name in CourtListener opinion coverage. Blocked: the remaining queries ('"IX-179"', '"Kenwood" asbestos', '"Johren" tanker', '"Apsheron"', plus five earlier broad attempts including '"USS Kenwood" OR "IX-179"') all returned the fleet pacing response 'budget momentarily spent' across ~90 minutes on 2026-09-29 (shared ~114/hr hourly budget consumed by concurrent sessions, not the daily quota). RECAP docket sweeps were not attempted. The single completed query establishes absence of opinion hits for the exact phrase only; the hull-number and alias-name surfaces remain unsearched.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Partial sweep - one executed query with a clean zero-result, remainder pacing-blocked. 'Kenwood' is a high-collision name (an unrelated 1863 gunboat, USS Kenwood I; a town; a consumer brand) and the hull served under three other names, so the unexecuted queries cannot be treated as negative; a completed sweep remains an open task. CourtListener coverage is in any case not exhaustive of all state/federal dockets, and no inference about asbestos exposure follows either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-11
-
[13]NARA RG 24 Entry 118 (WWII deck logs, 1944-46); Navy correspondence records underlying the NavSource scans (material-condition and operational correspondence); MARAD vessel-history detail records Detail/6055 and Detail/8813 linked from the NavSource entry; NHHC photo NH 89881 (SS Apsheron, San Francisco c. 1943); print DANFS Vol. III entry (archive.org scan access-restricted) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24 E118 (deck logs); marad.dot.gov/sh/ShipHistory/Detail/6055 and /8813 (HTTP 403, 2026-09-29); NHHC NH 89881; NavSource 094617901-905 scans
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Unretrieved records that could hold hull-specific detail: (a) deck logs for IX-179's commissioned period (Dec 1944-Jan 1946) exist in RG 24 Entry 118 but digitization status was not confirmed - the NARA catalog search is JavaScript-rendered and returned no API result; (b) MARAD vessel-history detail pages 6055 and 8813 (probably the Maritime Commission status card chain for Texas/Apsheron/Johren/Kenwood) return HTTP 403 to automated fetches; (c) the original Navy correspondence file behind the NavSource scans (Conf. ser. 1-45; IX179/A3-4 ser. 2-45) sits in wartime files, likely RG 38/RG 313; (d) NHHC photo NH 89881 documents the hull as Apsheron c. 1943.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Leads only - there is no indication any of these records contain asbestos-relevant content; deck logs record navigation and personnel events, not material condition. The MARAD status card is the most likely lead for disposal mechanics, not materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kenwood-ix179-12