Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]research packet crew-cp-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH — real identity: USS **Koka** (AT-31) — the hull's only commissioned name
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-koka-at31-pkt-crew-cp-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Koka (AT-31) entry (verbatim transcription via Internet Archive Wayback capture; live NHHC page 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20050211031151 of history.navy.mil/danfs/k5/koka-i.htm; cross-ref: Wayback capture 20040314001137 of danfs/o1/oconee-i.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS verbatim: 'Originally designated as Oconee, AT-31 was renamed Koka 24 February 1919; launched 11 July 1919, by the Puget Sound Navy Yard; and commissioned 18 February 1920, Lt. (j.g.) J. C. Bauman, Jr., in command. Assigned to the 11th Naval District, Koka sailed from Puget Sound to San Diego during March 1920. For almost 18 years she operated out of San Diego along the coast of southern California, performing various tug and target-towing services. While steaming off San Clemente Island, she ran aground 7 December 1937, and was officially decommissioned the same day. Declared unsalvageable, Koka was abandoned as a wreck 22 January 1938. Her name was struck from the Navy List 2 March.' Spec block: dp 1,000; l 156'8"; b 30'; dr 14'7"; s 13 k.; cpl 46; a. none; cl. Bagaduce. Namesake: phonetic spelling of Coca, formerly an Indian village in southern Arizona. Separate DANFS 'Oconee' entry cross-references 'AT-31 was originally named Oconee, renamed Koka (q.v.), 24 February 1919.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1938
- Population
- Tug crew (officers and enlisted), 1920-1937
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for identity, service history, and loss dates. DANFS gives no laid-down date (NavSource supplies 30 Nov 1918). Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC URL returns 404 (link rot noted in batch-01); verbatim text verified via Wayback capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Koka (AT-31) file 09/47/47031 - service timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer table, NHHC photo catalog numbers NH520 and NH76378 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/47/47031.htm - timeline bullets and Specifications block; CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline: name Oconee assigned 7 February 1919; renamed Koka 24 February 1919; laid down 30 November 1918 at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA; launched 11 July 1919; commissioned USS Koka (Fleet Tug No. 31) 18 February 1920; designated Fleet Tug AT-31 17 July 1920; ran aground 7 December 1937 off San Clemente Island, CA; decommissioned same day; declared unsalvageable and abandoned as a wreck 22 January 1938; struck from the Naval Register 2 March 1938. Specifications block (transcribed ship data): displacement 751 t. light / 1,192 t. full; length 156'8"; beam 30'; draft 15'8"; speed 12.8 kts; complement 5 officers + 56 enlisted; armament two machine guns; fuel capacity NSFO 1,830 bbls; propulsion one Puget Sound Navy Yard vertical triple-expansion steam engine, two Scotch single-end boilers 220 psi saturated, two diesel-drive 25 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller 1,800 shp. Commanding officers 1920-1937 tabulated (final: LT H. F. Gorski, listed 25 June 1937 - 16 June 1938, spanning the loss).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1938
- Population
- Tug crew (officers and enlisted), 1920-1937
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation transcribing official ship data sheets and Navy register entries - detailed and consistent with DANFS, but not the register itself. Conflicts with DANFS on draft (15'8" vs 14'7"), complement (61 vs 46), and armament (2 MG vs none) - figures carried separately, not merged; see gaps. Steam plant documented here is consistent with the 1937 press account's 'fireroom' (boiler room); the Wikipedia 'diesel' listing is the error. Final CO entry extending past the 1937 loss is a data anomaly noted, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-02
-
[4]Max Miller, I Cover the Waterfront (E. P. Dutton, 1932), 'Elephant Seal' chapter - serialized in the San Diego Reader, February 2004 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- San Diego Reader serialization, Chapter II 'Elephant Seal' section, 2004-02-19
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous published account naming the vessel verbatim: 'Each year we go after elephant seals for the Zoo. Sometimes we go in the Navy's tugboat, Koka, sometimes in the Navy's Eagle boat 34. We cruise to that Mexican island of Guadalupe.' - documenting Koka's recurring assignment carrying San Diego Zoo collecting expeditions to the Guadalupe Island elephant-seal herd during her San Diego service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1920s-1932
- Population
- Koka crew on zoo-expedition duty; civilian collecting party
- Limitations
- Published 1932 memoir/journalism by a working San Diego waterfront reporter - a contemporaneous non-official source naming the hull; documents an operating pattern, not a Navy record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-03
-
[5]The Washington Daily News (Washington, D.C.), December 8, 1937, page 30 - 'Crew Rescued Off Tug' wire story; Library of Congress NDNP digitized page, full OCR text retrieved [reputable_press]
- Locator
- loc.gov/resource/sn82016181/1937-12-08/ed-1/?sp=30, page OCR, 'Crew Rescued Off Tug' item
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous wire report of the grounding, verbatim from page OCR: 'SAN DIEGO, Calif., Dec. 8 - The Navy tug Koka was abandoned on the rocks of San Clemente Island today, her 54 men safely removed in launches to the destroyer Conyngham. Groping thru the fog, the tug missed the mouth of the island harbor and struck a ledge yesterday. Rocks stove in her hull and the fireroom was flooded.' Documents: crew evacuated by launch to USS Conyngham (DD-371); fog navigation error; hull breach and fireroom flooding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1937-12-07/08
- Population
- 54 crewmen evacuated to USS Conyngham
- Limitations
- Day-after wire coverage - '54 men' is a press figure differing from both the DANFS complement (46) and the NavSource manning figure (61); 'abandoned' here means the crew was taken off, not the formal abandonment declared 22 Jan 1938. 'Fireroom' (boiler room) is consistent with the steam plant in the NavSource data sheet - corroborates steam propulsion, contradicting the 'diesel' claim in secondary listings. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-04
-
[6]Flynn, S. E., 'The History of San Clemente Island,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 68(476):1417-1426, October 1942 [other_primary]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings October 1942 issue, island-history article; quoted passage verified at usni.org and via Islapedia transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous naval-journal account of the wreck site, verbatim: 'Off the lower end of Northwest Harbor lies the remains of the U.S.S. Koka, that went aground in a dense fog, mistaking the harbor for Wilson Cove, in the fall of 1936.' Documents wreck location (lower/south end of Northwest Harbor) and the causal confusion between Northwest Harbor and Wilson Cove entrances.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1937-1942 (article written); grounding event 1937
- Limitations
- Written 1942 in the professional journal of the U.S. Naval Institute - near-primary for wreck presence and location, but it misdates the grounding to 'the fall of 1936'; the Navy record (DANFS) and the 8 Dec 1937 press report control the date at 7 December 1937. San Clemente Island histories repeat the 1936 error. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-05
-
[7]Universal Ship Cancellation Society, 'USS Constitution (IX-21)' cruise history; corroborated by Richard L. Miller, 'Old Ironsides in San Diego' (sandiegoyesterday.com) and HistoryLink file 10269 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- uscs.org/constitution-ix-21/; sandiegoyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Old-Ironsides-in-San-Diego.pdf; historylink.org/File/10269
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary historical sources document that on 20 March 1934 Koka towed USS Constitution out of San Diego harbor (departure 9:15 a.m.) on the homeward leg of the frigate's 1930s national tour - the ocean tow then passed to submarine tender USS Bushnell (AS-2), with USS Grebe taking over for the Panama Canal leg. Miller's account also places Koka eight miles south of Point Loma on 21 January 1933 carrying newsreel men and reporters to meet the arriving Constitution.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1933-1934
- Population
- Koka crew
- Limitations
- Philatelic-society and local-history secondary sources; the precise 'Koka towed her out of the harbor at 9:15 AM' detail rests on the USCS account - no official Navy document located for the harbor tow, though Constitution's 20 Mar 1934 San Diego departure under tow is corroborated by HistoryLink. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-06
-
[8]Hedley-Whyte, John, and Debra R. Milamed, 'Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences,' Ulster Medical Journal 77(3):191-200 (2008) [other_primary]
- Locator
- UMJ 77(3):191-200, 'Shipbuilding' section; full text via Harvard DASH repository (nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:22490517)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed medical-history scholarship documents the Navy's asbestos-specification era spanning this hull's construction and service: 'In 1922 the US Navy specified asbestos use in new submarines. South African chrysotile asbestos was specified for gaskets, insulation, packing and tape. Transvaal amosite asbestos was essential for light-weight and high insulation. In 1939 the US classified asbestos as a critical material and stockpiling began as world-wide demand exceeded supply.' Also documents the 20 January 1942 Asbestos Conservation Order restricting asbestos to military/shipbuilding use.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1922-1945 documented; article 2008
- Population
- U.S. Navy ship crews and construction trades, WWI-interwar era (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level documentation. The 1922 Navy asbestos specification is for new submarine construction and POSTDATES this hull's 1918-19 construction - it establishes when Navy specification formally began, not that this hull carried asbestos; use as era context only. Does not name this vessel or class; establishes no hull-level fact, quantity, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-07
-
[9]NavSource ship data-sheet transcription for AT-31 (machinery block) + Hedley-Whyte & Milamed 2008 (era specification record) - inference synthesis [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block, 09/47/47031; UMJ 77(3):191-200
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried an oil-fired steam plant (two 220-psi Scotch single-ended boilers; one vertical triple-expansion steam engine; 1,800 shp) built at a Navy yard under the WWI shipbuilding program - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom lagging, steam-line insulation, valve/flange gaskets, and machinery packing were the standard insulating materials of the era, and period insulation products were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber; Navy formal asbestos specification began with 1922 submarine construction, essentially contemporaneous with this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1937
- Population
- Construction workforce (Puget Sound Navy Yard, 1918-19); engine-room crew (1920-37)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No specification, survey, work package, or material schedule naming AT-31 was located; establishes no asbestos content aboard this hull, no quantity, and no exposure event. Whether the ship's original lagging contained asbestos is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-08
-
[10]Batch-2798 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Wayback captures koka-i/oconee-i); NavSource 47031; LOC newspaper archive 1937-38 hits; USNI Proceedings; CourtListener name/hull sweeps; VA BVA index; NVR; NARA record-group guides; NOAA wreck database [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-koka-at31-01 through sl-uss-koka-at31-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Koka, AT-31, Fleet Tug No. 31, or the assigned-name variant 'Oconee' AT-31 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull's 1937 total loss forecloses any survey/abatement documentation trail; the wreck lies in Navy-controlled waters.
- 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 steam tug is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation materials, and the intact-buried wreck retains whatever materials were fitted. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-09
-
[11]NARA record-group mapping: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) Entry 118 / Special List 44 (NAID 581208) deck logs at Archives I DC; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships / BuC&R) construction records; RG 125 (JAG Navy) investigation records; RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) - verified against archives.gov guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy (RG 24 Entry 118, NAID 581208, SL 44; pre-1941 logs at Archives I DC); archives.gov/dc/research/navy-maritime (RG 19/24/125/181 holdings)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) Koka deck logs 1920-1937, RG 24 Entry 118 at NARA Archives I (pre-1941 logs held in Washington, DC; Special List 44 is the finding aid) - would document the grounding event timeline and crew; (b) RG 19 BuC&R/BuShips design and construction records for the Bagaduce-class contract incl. insulation/material specifications and the Booklet of General Plans; (c) RG 125 JAG(Navy) board-of-investigation or court-of-inquiry record on the 7 Dec 1937 grounding (routine for a vessel lost in service); (d) RG 181 11th Naval District files at NARA Pacific (Riverside) and Puget Sound Navy Yard records at NARA Pacific (Seattle).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1938 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-koka-at31-10
-
[12]The American Surveyor, 'Some Notes from Lieutenant Charles Pierce, Part 1: The California Coast 1932-1933' (August 2016), quoting Pierce's published USC&GS field notes [reputable_press]
- Locator
- amerisurv.com 2016-08-20 article, San Clemente Island June 1933 section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Published field-note account of the June 1933 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey triangulation work on San Clemente Island: the survey party's trip out 'was made on a Navy tug USS KOKA,' the whaleboat landing party capsized in the surf returning to 'the anchored KOKA' (only casualty a broken oar). Documents the hull's utility supporting civilian federal survey work in her operating area - including to the island where she was lost four years later.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1933-06
- Population
- Koka crew; USC&GS survey party
- Limitations
- Trade/professional magazine reprinting a surveyor's published field notes - secondary transcription of a primary account; documents operating duties, not materials. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-11
-
[13]California Wreck Divers, 'Koka' wreck file; California Diving News, 'San Clemente: Island of Diving Diversity'; San Clemente Island Foundation history (scisland.org 1930s + SCI-History.pdf) - specialist dive and island-history literature on the wreck site [reputable_press]
- Locator
- cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Koka.htm; cadivingnews.com/dive-spots/san-clemente-island-of-diving-diversity/; scisland.org/aboutsci/history/1930s.html and SCI-History.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Specialist dive and island-history literature document the wreck's post-loss history: divers discovered the wreckage in 1962 with identity initially unknown; salvor Pete Greenwood recovered the propeller (maker's records traced it to a different vessel, 'Tioga' - a red herring); identity confirmed when divers recovered a brass bearing block and the engraved brass Station Watch Bill naming USS Koka; the remains lie scattered in shallow water (roughly 10-30 ft) and the literature reports the wreck was used for Navy practice demolition. Island histories add that she was towing a barge when she grounded.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1938-present (wreck site)
- Limitations
- Hobbyist/regional dive publications - non-official secondary sources carried only for wreck-site status; identification chain (bearing block, watch bill) is plausible and consistent but not documented in an official record located. 'Tioga' in dive sources is a propeller-provenance artifact, NOT a former name of this vessel (see gaps). No asbestos or materials-survey content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-12
-
[14]U.S. Coast Guard safety zones, Federal Register (e.g., E9-28714, Dec 1, 2009; E9-15885, Jul 7, 2009; E9-9158, Apr 22, 2009) - Northwest Harbor, San Clemente Island naval training incl. underwater detonation [federal_register]
- Locator
- FR E9-28714 (74 FR 62799); E9-15885; E9-9158 - 33 CFR temporary safety zones, Northwest Harbor
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Federal Register safety-zone rules document recurring Navy training in Northwest Harbor including 'Naval Underwater Detonation' training (Apr-Jun 2009 rule and Dec 2009-Jan 2010 rule), establishing the harbor's long-standing use as a Navy demolitions/training area - the regulatory context consistent with dive-literature reports that the Koka wreck was scattered by practice demolition. The harbor waters are periodically closed to non-authorized personnel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2009 (rules); corroborates earlier practice
- Limitations
- Regulatory records about the training area generally - they do not name the Koka wreck or document its condition; carried as corroborating context for the wreck's reported disturbance history only. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-13
-
[15]CourtListener API v4 opinion sweeps (authenticated, fleet-paced helper): "Koka" type=o [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener v4 search API, q="Koka" type=o count=29; q="AT-31" type=o count=49,655 (string collisions); q="Oconee" asbestos type=o count=5 (place-name collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion sweeps returned no qualifying case: "Koka" (type=o) produced 29 hits, all surname collisions (e.g., Koka v. Gonzales immigration appeal; Dalrymple v. Koka family matter; medical-malpractice and criminal opinions naming individuals surnamed Koka) - no opinion names the vessel, and no asbestos case is associated with this hull. "AT-31" (type=o) produced ~49,655 hits consisting of docket-number and incidental-string collisions; top-ranked results manually reviewed, none name the tug. "Oconee"+asbestos (type=o) produced 5 hits, all place-name collisions - Carolinas/Texas cases involving Oconee County, SC or Duke's Oconee Nuclear Station (e.g., Jolly v. GE/Fisher Controls, S.C. - verified against the court's own opinion PDF) - none name a vessel. Indexed-web check (courtlistener.com, justia.com, casetext.com) surfaced no qualifying hull-specific asbestos litigation; no law-firm ship list names this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage: CourtListener opinion index (type=o) only; RECAP docket-level filings and state-court records not exhaustively searchable; intermittent fleet pacing during the session spaced the queries out but all three completed 2026-09-26. A name match is not automatically a case or an asbestos opinion; nothing here was elevated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-koka-at31-14