USS Kopara (AG-50)

Evidence

6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Kopara' entry (AK-62/AG-50), Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Kopara' entry full text; canonical NHHC URL returned 404 - text verified via HyperWar/ibiblio DANFS transcription (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AG/ag50.html) and Wayback Machine capture 20251210023752 (https://web.archive.org/web/20251210023752/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/k/kopara.html)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS: Kopara (AK-62) was built in 1938; purchased in early August 1942 through the New Zealand Government; commissioned 21 September 1942 at Auckland, Lt. (j.g.) H. R. Greeley in command. Reclassified AG-50 on 23 September, she departed Auckland 5 October for supply runs from Noumea and Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Loaded with torpedoes and general cargo and escorted by Nicholas (DD-449), she arrived Lunga Roads during mid-watch 22 October and completed unloading that evening despite harassing fire from enemy shore batteries and a noon attack by Japanese dive bombers; departed undamaged and returned to Noumea 27 October. She unloaded at Guadalcanal and Tulagi 13-15 November while U.S. forces fought the two night naval battles off Savo Island. From 20 February to 26 June 1943 she carried cargo between Auckland, Noumea, Efate, and Espiritu Santo; 11 July to 17 September she shuttled between New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Departing Noumea 10 November she reached New Georgia 16 November and for almost 8 months ranged Melanesia from Bougainville to New Caledonia. Returning to New Caledonia 7 August 1944, she ran eastward out of Noumea; between 10 August and 21 December she made four voyages to Fiji, American Samoa, and the Ellice Islands. She departed Noumea 24 December, reached Auckland 3 January 1945 via Norfolk Island, decommissioned 12 January, and was turned over to the New Zealand Joint Purchasing Board for return to her previous owner. One battle star for WWII service. DANFS header data: dp. 679; l. 193'; b. 35'8"; dr. 13'8"; s. 12 k.; a. 4 20mm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1938-1945

   Population

   Wartime crew (complement 47 per compiled Ships' Data table, 1944); NZ charter crew on the pre-purchase Guadalcanal voyage

   Limitations

   Establishes identity, acquisition, operational history, reclassification, and disposal. The printed DANFS text transposes builder and owner ('built ... by Richardson Co., Ltd., Napier' / 'owner, Henry Robb, Ltd., Auckland') - flagged garbled by the HyperWar transcriber and contradicted by shipscribe and Lloyd's Register 1939, which agree the builder was Henry Robb Ltd., Leith, and the owner Richardson & Co. Ltd., Napier. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information - supports no asbestos claim. Canonical NHHC URL currently 404 (standing NHHC link rot documented in BATCH-01); transcription mirrors are the stable copies.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kopara-ag50-01

2. [2]Shipscribe (S. S. Roberts), USS Kopara (AG-50) class notes and construction/disposition tables - compiled verbatim from U.S. Navy Ships' Data / Naval Vessel Register and Bureau of Ships records; photos page cites NHHC photo NH 83230 [other_primary]

   Locator

   AG50.html class notes, construction and disposition tables, ship note 'Ex AK-62 23 Sep 42. Ex merc. KOPARA (completed Sep 38). Merc. KOPARA 1945, SARANG 1966, CHERRY CHEPAT 1969, SEE HAI HONG I 1984. Deleted 1988.'; AG50-p.html photo table (NH 83230, source NHHC)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Compiled BuShips/Naval Vessel Register-derived record: 679-gross-ton (950 dwt) motor coaster KOPARA delivered 1938 by Henry Robb Ltd., Leith, Scotland, to the Union Steam Ship Co. of New Zealand, apparently on behalf of registered owner/operator Richardson & Co. Ltd. of Napier, N.Z.; one of several small Robb-built motor cargo vessels with engines aft and bridge amidships, another being CUBAHAMA (later USS Kaula, AG-33). Ran NZ coastal trade; noted for heavy-lift cargo gear (big hatches, electric winches, big slings) allowing discharge of up to 1,000 tons of cargo overnight. ComServForSoPacFor needed her for supply operations in advanced areas; the New Zealand government chartered her and made her available to the USN, charging the charter to Reverse Lend-Lease; she made one Guadalcanal journey with a New Zealand crew under U.S. operational control and survived a heavy bombing attack. Because British law did not permit changing a chartered ship from British to foreign registry and a U.S. Navy crew was urgently needed, the Navy bought her using BuShips maintenance funds; ComServForSoPacFor informed VCNO by dispatch 17 Sep 42 that the ship had been purchased through the New Zealand Government for charge against Reverse Lend-Lease. Initially designated cargo ship AK-62 but quickly reclassified miscellaneous auxiliary AG-50 because of her small size (ship note: 'Ex AK-62 23 Sep 42'). Acquisition tabulated 4 Aug 42; commissioned 21 Sep 42. Decommissioned 12 Jan 45; stricken 19 Jan 45; returned to owner. Merchant Kopara 1945, SARANG 1966, CHERRY CHEPAT 1969, SEE HAI HONG I 1984; deleted 1988. Data: 679 gross / 950 dwt tons; 193.0 ft oa; complement 47 (1944); two 4-cylinder diesels, 2 screws, 12 kts; armament 4-20mm (1943). NHHC photo NH 83230 (probably pre-acquisition).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1938-1988

   Population

   NZ charter crew (pre-purchase Guadalcanal voyage, mid-1942); U.S. Navy crew (complement 47, 1944); postwar merchant crews under five flags (1945-1988)

   Limitations

   Compiled transcription of official Navy records by a private researcher, not itself an official publication - figures treated as reliable Navy-tabulated data but not independently re-verified against the underlying Ships' Data volumes. Establishes the charter-then-purchase acquisition path, Reverse Lend-Lease funding, the AK-62-to-AG-50 reclassification (same hull - the two numbers are designation aliases, not two vessels), diesel propulsion, and postwar merchant chain. 'Acq. 4 Aug 42' in the table predates the documented 17 Sep 42 purchase dispatch and likely reflects the takeover/charter date; DANFS says 'purchased in early August 1942'. Disposition table shows disposal 11 Jan 45, one day before the 12 Jan 45 decommissioning - order anomaly carried as tabulated. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kopara-ag50-02

3. [3]Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1939, 'Kopara' entry (Internet Archive full-text scan HECROS1939ST, OCR text layer) [other_primary]

   Locator

   1939 register full text, 'Kopara' register row (OCR line ~233134); also cited by Wikipedia (USS Kopara article, reference 'Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1939, Steamers & Motorships, KOO-KOR, via Southampton City Council plimsoll shipdata')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1939 (Steamers & Motorships, under-800-tons section) carries the register entry for KOPARA: twin-screw motorship, built 1938 by Henry Robb, Ld., Leith; owner Richardson & Co., Ld., registered Napier, N.Z.; registered dimensions ~193 x 35.8 ft; oil engines (8 cylinders total across two engines), 250 nominal horsepower. Corroborates the shipscribe/DANFS identity chain at the primary register level: Scottish-built 1938 merchant motorship in New Zealand registry, diesel-powered, owned by Richardson & Co. of Napier.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1938-1939 register year

   Population

   Construction trades (Henry Robb yard, Leith, 1938)

   Limitations

   OCR text layer of the register scan is partially garbled (e.g., 'E100A1' class characters, '8Cy.133"-227" 250NP' machinery line); core fields - name, twin-screw, 1938 build by Henry Robb Ld. Leith, owner Richardson & Co. Ld. Napier N.Z., oil engines 250 NP - are legible and consistent with shipscribe and DANFS. Establishes construction and ownership only; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kopara-ag50-03

4. [4]Batch-675 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (via HyperWar + Wayback); shipscribe compiled record; Lloyd's Register 1939 (archive.org scan); MARAD ShipHistory ShipList K-section pages 1-8; NavSource page (via search snippet); CourtListener API v4 + HTML search (blocked); general web litigation search [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-kopara-ag50-01 through sl-uss-kopara-ag50-09

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Kopara hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation screening incomplete: CourtListener API v4 returned HTTP 429 (125/day anonymous quota exhausted) and the HTML opinion/RECAP search returned HTTP 403 (Cloudflare/CloudFront block) throughout the research window; a general web search located only a law-firm marketing page (freeasbestostesting.com) listing 'USS Kopara (AG-50)' and 'USS Kopara (AK-62)' in a generic auxiliary-ships roster - non-qualifying, not evidence. No docketed case naming the hull was located in reachable sources. MARAD Vessel History Database contains no Kopara record - all 157 K-initial vessel names were paged and KOPARA is absent (the known KAULA (AG-33) stub record, Detail/12520, is present in the same listing, confirming coverage); consistent with the ship never entering U.S. maritime custody after Navy return to New Zealand.

   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. CourtListener was unreachable, so the docket check is INCOMPLETE - the ship may appear in unsearched filings or under owner/operator names (Richardson & Co., Union Steam Ship Co. of New Zealand, or the later Pacific/Asian owners) rather than the hull name; New Zealand-era claims would also sit outside U.S. docket systems. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kopara-ag50-04

5. [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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII. For this hull the era inference is weaker than even the near-sister Kaula's: Kopara was Scottish-built to merchant specification in 1938 and diesel-powered (no boiler/steam-line insulation pathway), and unlike Kaula she has NO documented U.S. shipyard work period - she was purchased through the New Zealand Government, commissioned at Auckland, served entirely in the Pacific, and decommissioned at Auckland. Residual era-consistent pathways aboard a vessel of this type and build are exhaust/machinery insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and friction materials - none documented aboard this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII-era U.S. shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in U.S. WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel. The study addresses U.S. yards - this hull was built in Scotland in 1938, before and outside the documented U.S. wartime program, and no U.S. yard period is documented for her at all (her only documented yard touchpoints are the 1938 Leith build and routine in-theater upkeep in NZ/South Pacific ports). 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-kopara-ag50-05

6. [6]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (deck logs), RG 38 (CNO records / WWII war diaries), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); NHHC photo number per shipscribe photos page; Archives New Zealand and Scottish shipbuilding archive holdings [other_primary]

   Locator

   RG 24 guide https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; RG 38 guide https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html ; RG 19 guide https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; photo number via https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/AG/AG50-p.html

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24, 'Logs of U.S. Naval Ships and Stations' (College Park) - Kopara deck logs Sep 1942-Jan 1945 would record in-port periods, drills, and material events; (b) NARA RG 38 WWII war diaries and ComServForSoPacFor records covering her Solomons/Melanesia service, including the 17 Sep 1942 purchase dispatch cited by shipscribe; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips correspondence - the 'Maintenance Bureau of Ships' purchase funding file would document acquisition condition and any refit scope; (d) NHHC photo NH 83230 (pre-acquisition view) - configuration evidence; (e) Archives New Zealand - Richardson & Co. / Union Steam Ship Co. records and New Zealand Joint Purchasing Board files for the 1942 charter/purchase and 1945 return; (f) builder's records for Henry Robb yard no. 268 via Scottish archives (National Records of Scotland / University of Glasgow shipbuilding collections) - construction/outfitting specifications are the most relevant materials document for this hull.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1938-1945 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; digitization status of Kopara's deck logs and war diaries unconfirmed (NARA catalog API requires key - not queried). NZ and Scottish archive holdings not surveyed. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kopara-ag50-06