Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]Bowles, Oliver, 'Asbestos,' U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 403, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1937 (mirrored scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Bulletin 403, heat-insulation history section (pp. ~69-75 of the bulletin scan)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 403 documents that asbestos heat-insulation products were established decades before this hull's 1944 construction: asbestos-cement boiler covering was first tried about 1870; canvas-covered sectional magnesia pipe covering appeared in 1885; asbestos paper was used from about 1878 to protect hair-felt insulation from the heat of steam pipes. Steam-plant insulation products of the WWII era commonly contained asbestos fiber.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1870s-1937 (product history); hull 1944-1966
- Population
- WWII-era shipbuilders and engine-room crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Product-history documentation, not a hull record - does not name this vessel and does not describe shipboard installation aboard any specific hull; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-01
-
[2]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 World War II - the era covering this hull's 1944 construction at Walsh-Kaiser (an emergency Maritime Commission yard originally operated by Rheem Manufacturing, managed 1943-45 by Kaiser Shipyards) and her documented 1954-55 reserve-fleet repair period.
- 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 installed aboard, or disturbed during, any period of this hull's life - nor quantity, location, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-02
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Lacerta (AKA-29),' Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Lacerta (AKA-29)' entry; canonical NHHC URL (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lacerta*.html, all variants) returned 404 on 2026-09-20 - standing NHHC link rot, see search_ledger; verbatim transcription mirror cited
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Lacerta (AKA-29): laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 5 July 1944 by Walsh-Kaiser Shipyard, Providence, R.I.; launched 10 November 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Frank Bratley; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 19 December 1944, Lt. Comdr. Louis Funkenstein in command. After shakedown, cleared Norfolk 18 January 1945 for Pearl Harbor, loaded cargo for the Solomon Islands, arrived Guadalcanal 27 February, embarked troops for the Okinawa invasion; departed Saipan 27 March, arrived in the transport area 1 April under heavy enemy air raids, and remained off the southeast coast of Okinawa unloading supplies for Marines ashore; departed Okinawa 9 April for Saipan (until 3 June); ferried cargo among the Solomon and Mariana Islands; arrived Manila 22 August; carried occupation troops and equipment to Japan (Yokohama 13 September), then occupation troops from Okinawa to Tientsin, China; remained in the Far East until clearing Tsingtao 19 November for Seattle; arrived Norfolk 12 February 1946 and decommissioned 25 March; returned to the Maritime Commission for disposal. One battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company, 1944-46 (302-303 complement); embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative operational history naming this hull throughout; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material information whatsoever - supports no asbestos claim. Canonical NHHC URL currently dead; text verified against the public-domain DANFS transcription mirror.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LACERTA (AKA-29), Ship History Detail 2918, including digitized vessel status cards and Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2918 milestone table; status cards 2918_5427AF.jpg, 2918_5427BF.jpg, 2918_5427BB.jpg (berth note), 2918_AF.jpg (MA-20 sale record), 4EE_01.png (vessel status card, full custody chain) at vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for Lacerta (AKA-29), Detail 2918 - type S4-SE2-BE1, built 1944 by Walsh-Kaiser Company - plus its five digitized status cards document the complete custody chain: delivered by builders to the USMC at Providence 19 Dec 1944 10:00 AM EWT; delivered to the reserve fleet at Lee Hall, Va. (James River Group) 30 Jun 1946 9:30 AM EDT 'from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; allocated to South Atlantic Steamship Lines, Inc. under a General Agency Agreement at James River 15 Sep 1954 9:45 AM EST for the FY1955 reserve-fleet repair program; returned to Reserve Fleet (Repair Program), Wilmington, N.C. 5 Jan 1955 3:15 PM EST. The MA-20 Record of Ship Sales card: advertised for scrap under PD-X-586 2 Sep 1960 (bids opened 30 Sep 1960 - no bids received); re-advertised under PD-X-736 dated 22 Jul 1966 (bids opened 12 Aug 1966); awarded 16 Aug 1966 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation, contract MA-4180, $221,250 lump sum for three ships (the fleet card allocates $73,750.00 to this hull); physically delivered at Wilmington, N.C. 6 Sep 1966 12:30 PM EST. A fleet-position note records her berthed 'channel side head down alongside Veritas' and 'dead down bet. Polana & Turandot' - three Artemis-class sisters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1966
- Population
- Reserve-fleet and repair-program workers (1954-55); scrapping-yard workers (1966)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, the documented 1954-55 repair availability, and disposal; the repair scope and materials are not recorded on the cards, and the record contains no asbestos, insulation, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-04
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'Attack Cargo Ship AKA-29 Lacerta' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/02/02029 spec table, campaign/medal tables, and commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Lacerta (AKA-29): spec sheet lists propulsion of two Westinghouse turbo-electric engines with two Wickes boilers (450 psi, 750 deg F), twin propellers, 6,000 shp; complement 27 officers + 276 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"/38 DP, 4 twin 40mm, 10 single 20mm; cargo 980 DWT / 110,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; troop capacity 264; boats 1 LCP(L), 12 LCVP, 2 LCM. Assignment data: TransRon Twenty (COMO H.W. Graf), TransDiv Fifty-Nine (CAPT J.K. Davis); campaign table - Okinawa Gunto operation 1-9 April 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal 13-29 Sep and 25-26 Nov 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 1-12 Oct and 24 Oct-19 Nov 1945. CO list: LCDR Louis Funkenstein Jr. (19 Dec 1944 - 1 Jan 1946), CDR DeWitt Clinton McIver Jr. (1 Jan - 17 Jan 1946), CDR David Lewis Parker USNR (17 Jan - 25 Mar 1946). Radio call sign NKUE.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1966
- Population
- Ship's company, 1944-46
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive transcribing official Navy/MC data; the page contains no asbestos or insulation-material information - supports no asbestos claim. Its 'Welsh-Kaiser' spelling, 'struck date unknown,' and PD-X-736 '22 July 1955' date are transcription errors corrected in the correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-05
-
[6]Shipscribe, 'USS Artemis (AKA-21) Class' - compiled construction/disposition tables, class notes, and ship notes from Navy Ship's Data records [other_primary]
- Locator
- AKA-21 class page: construction table row 29, disposition table row 29, ship note MC 1890, class notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe Artemis (AKA-21) class compilation (S.S. Roberts, from Navy Ship's Data / NavData records): construction table - Lacerta ordered 15 May 1943, keel 5 Jul 1944, launched 10 Nov 1944, commissioned 19 Dec 1944; disposition table - decommissioned 25 Mar 1946, struck 1 May 1946, to MC custody 30 Jun 1946 (MC/R), MA sale 16 Aug 1966; ship note for MC hull 1890 - 'To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 15 Sep 54 - 5 Jan 55. To buyer 6 Sep 66, scrapped by 9 Dec 66.' Class notes: the S4-SE2-BE1 design was enlarged to accommodate the only main propulsion machinery readily available (a twin-screw turbo-electric plant), used the same hull and machinery designs as the APA-57 class, and all 32 hulls were built by Walsh-Kaiser; many ships of the class were repaired while in reserve during the mid-1950s under the Maritime Administration's Emergency Ship Repair Program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of primary Navy/MC records; corroborates the MARAD card dates independently and supplies the strike date and scrapped-by date; contains no insulation-material itemization or asbestos information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-06
-
[7]U.S. Navy Department, 'United States Naval Chronology, World War II' (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1955), April 1945 vessel-damage list (ibiblio HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- April 1945 chronology, 'United States naval vessels damaged' section, Okinawa-area entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy Department's wartime chronology records attack cargo ship LACERTA (AKA-29) damaged in the Okinawa area in April 1945 'accidentally by United States naval gunfire,' at position 26-21N 127-43E - during her documented 1-9 April 1945 Okinawa Gunto unloading period. The DANFS entry does not mention this event.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-04
- Population
- Ship's company at Okinawa, April 1945
- Limitations
- Single-line chronology entry; damage extent, casualties, and any repair scope are not stated. Battle damage and repair are the kinds of events that disturbed installed materials aboard, but this record contains no asbestos or material information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-07
-
[8]Internet Archive item aka21td1944 (AKA-21 Booklet of General Plans, 1944); NARA record-group structure RG 24 / RG 19 / RG 178 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org/details/aka21td1944 (item page confirms the 1944 AKA-21 plan set); NARA catalog search for hull-specific Lacerta records returned no digitized item
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (existence confirmed at collection level, not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) the Internet Archive holds 'USA - AKA-21 USS Artemis Technical Drawings (1944)' - the Booklet of General Plans for the class name ship, same MC S4-SE2-BE1 design (file unit S4-SE2-BE1 S5-0-1 to S17-2-6, USMC West Coast Regional Office, Oakland) - a class-level design set that may carry insulation/material callouts; (b) NARA College Park holds WWII Navy deck logs (RG 24 series) and Bureau of Ships technical records (RG 19) that may include the MC hull 1890 construction/equipment file - holdings for this specific hull not confirmed; (c) the class's Walsh-Kaiser builder files, if extant, would sit with RG 178-era Maritime Commission records.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946 records
- Limitations
- Item-level existence confirmed only for the AKA-21 plan set (a sister hull, not this ship); contents unsurveyed and any insulation callouts would be class-level. Deck-log and BuShips holdings for MC 1890 are unconfirmed - nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-08
-
[9]Batch-1006 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC canonical URL (404) and hazegray mirror; NavSource; shipscribe; MARAD ShipHistory 2918 + status cards; ibiblio Naval Chronology; CourtListener API v4 opinion search; web-indexed court records; NVR; NARA catalog; HAER/LOC; Internet Archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lacerta-aka29-01 through sl-uss-lacerta-aka29-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, specification itemization, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Lacerta / AKA-29 / MC hull 1890 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger); the hull was scrapped by December 1966 so no present-day hull survey exists. CourtListener opinion search completed before quota exhaustion: 'Lacerta' returned 9 opinions, all name collisions (Lacerta Group patent litigation; financial/CDO cases; an 1810 case; M/V LACERTA citations - a different commercial vessel); 'AKA-29' returned 3 opinions, all text collisions on 'a/k/a' or '29 U.S.C.' phrasing; the 'USS Lacerta' query and RECAP docket-level sweep were throttled before returning - that portion of the pass is incomplete.
- 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 steam auxiliary insulated to era practice is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery-space materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The docket-level (RECAP) litigation sweep remains incomplete pending CourtListener quota.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-09
-
[10]MARAD status cards / MA-20 sale record (primary); NavSource 10/02/02029; shipscribe AKA-21 class page; DANFS (hazegray mirror); Wikipedia (secondary, corrected) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD cards 2918_5427AF.jpg / 2918_AF.jpg / 4EE_01.png; NavSource spec table and disposition line; shipscribe disposition table row 29 and ship note
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies noted and resolved: (a) scrapping sale - NavSource reports 'sold for scrapping, 16 August 1966, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (PD-X-736 dated 22 July 1955) for $221,200.00, in a three ship deal'; the MARAD MA-20 card shows PD-X-736 dated 7-22-66, bids opened 8-12-66, awarded 8-16-66, $221,250 lump sum for three ships with $73,750.00 allocated to this hull - NavSource's '1955' is a transcription error for 1966, its price figure differs from the card by $50, and Wikipedia's '18 August 1966' differs from the card's 16 August award date. (b) stricken - shipscribe's disposition table gives 1 May 1946; NavSource lists the strike date as unknown. (c) complement - DANFS 302 (troops 303); NavSource spec sheet 27 officers + 276 enlisted (303) with troop capacity 264; shipscribe class data 326 (1944); no single figure verifiable to a primary source. (d) builder spelling - NavSource's 'Welsh-Kaiser Co.' is a typo; DANFS, MARAD cards, and shipscribe all give Walsh-Kaiser. (e) layup location - NavSource states James River Group, Lee Hall, Va. (true for 1946-54); the status cards place the hull at the Wilmington, N.C. reserve fleet from January 1955 through sale and delivery in September 1966.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1966
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings against the primary MARAD record; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lacerta-aka29-10