Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Cahaba (AO-82)' - live NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-24; text verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cahaba.html [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text, 'Cahaba (AO-82) 1944-1946'; canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cahaba.html (404 at access time)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC) entry for Cahaba (AO-82): launched 19 May 1943 as Lackawapen (later changed to Lackawaxen) by Marinship Corp., Sausalito, Calif., under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1261); sponsored by Mrs. B. Bloomquist; transferred to the Navy 15 August 1943; commissioned 14 January 1944, Cmdr. E. H. Danesi USNR. Pacific Fleet service: Majuro station oiler; fueled TF 58 at sea 13 Apr-2 May 1944 (Palaus, Truk, Hollandia); Eniwetok base from 28 Jun 1944 for Marianas strikes; Ulithi station oiler 13 Oct-27 Dec; Kossol Roads 28 Dec 1944-26 Jan 1945 supporting Lingayen Gulf covering force; Iwo Jima fueling 23 Feb-4 Mar 1945; post-overhaul Kerama Retto delivery late Jun 1945; Third Fleet fueling to war's end; Shanghai reoccupation and occupation duty (Okinawa, Formosa, Hong Kong, Amoy) to 16 Mar 1946; decommissioned 15 May 1946; to Maritime Commission 8 May 1947; reacquired March 1948, MSTS 31 Jul 1950; noncommissioned until returned to Maritime Administration 20 Jan 1958; sold to Chin Tai Steel Enterprise Ltd. 4 Aug 1971 and broken up; eight battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, and service history only. DANFS contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; this row supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404 (standing link-rot issue per BATCH-01) - Wayback capture relied on.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-01
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[2]Shipscribe (shipscribe.com), 'USS Escambia (AO-80) Class' - class construction/disposition tables and per-hull ship notes compiled from Maritime Commission and Navy records (Tim Colton / NARA-derived reference work) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class construction table (AO-82 row), disposition table, class notes, ship-notes AO-82 entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe USS Escambia (AO-80) class page, Cahaba (AO-82, MC 1261) ship note: 'Ex USS LACKAWAXEN 4 Nov 43 (to avoid confusion with LACKAWANNA, AO-40, which was in the same squadron), ex USS LACKAWAPEN 23 Sep 43 (to correct a spelling error in the 13 Jan 43 naming letter). Delivered 92.1% complete, converted by Matson Navigation Co., San Francisco. Decomm. 15 May 46, stk. 19 Jul 46, to MC 8 May 47 as LACKAWAXEN. Began reactivation 17 Oct 47, from MC 5 Mar 48 as USNT, to MSTS 1 Oct 49, on list 28 Apr 50. Planned inactivation canc. 31 Jul 50. Stk. and to MA 19 Dec 55, from MA to MSTS and on list 19 Jun 56. From MA to Army 11 May 66 for use as powerfloat at Qui Nhon, Vietnam. To buyer there 30 Aug 71.' Class table: acq. 15 Aug 43, keel 20 Jan 43, launch 19 May 43, commiss. 14 Jan 44; disposition strike/disposal 20 Jan 58, MA sale 4 Aug 71.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- Authoritative secondary compilation of MC/Navy primary records - not itself a primary source. Establishes naming chain, conversion agent (Matson Navigation Co., not Mare Island - Mare Island attribution in some photos is photo provenance only), custody dates, and powerfloat transfer. Contains no asbestos statement. Date conflicts with NavSource (1956 vs 1958 custody events; strike date) noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CAHABA (AO-82), Ship History Detail 650 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail/650 vessel header, name history, milestones, status-card and document tabs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for CAHABA (AO-82): built 1943, Marinship Corporation, Naval Auxiliary / AO Oiler, MARAD type T2-SE-A2, 523.50 ft x 68.00 ft, 10,711 gross tons, displacement 21,880 (summer) / 5,782 (light); fate 'Sold - Scrap'; vessel name history lists CAHABA (AO-82) and LACKAWAPEN; milestone table records Disposition and Withdrawal events 5/11/1966 (Army transfer); digitized status cards on file (650_1216AF, 650_1216AB, 650_1216BF, 650_1216CF, 650_AF) plus CAHABA.pdf document (scanned image not text-readable via fetch).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- Official MARAD record establishes type, builder, dimensions, and fate (Sold - Scrap) but carries no asbestos, survey, or abatement content. Status-card images and CAHABA.pdf are scans not text-readable in this session - full custody timeline may hold additional detail (archival lead).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-03
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[4]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82) ex USS Cahaba (AO-82) page (archive 09/19/19082) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Full page: class header, campaign table, chronology, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USNS Cahaba (T-AO-82)/USS Cahaba (AO-82): chronology, campaign table (Hollandia; Truk/Sata/Ponape raid; Marianas incl. Saipan, Philippine Sea, Guam; Tinian; Western Carolines/Philippine Islands assaults; Iwo Jima; Okinawa Gunto; 3d Fleet ops against Japan), occupation/China service 8 Sep 1945-22 Mar 1946, eight battle stars, specification sheet (two Babcock & Wilcox D-type boilers 600 psi/825 F, GE turbo-electric single screw 10,000 shp, 15.1 kt, 22 officers + 245 enlisted, cargo 120,400 bbls oil + 575,000 gal gasoline), Army acquisition 11 May 1966 for Project Powerfloat with conversion to floating power station at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co., Mobile AL, custody return to MARAD at Qui Nhon 30 Aug 1971, scrapping sale PD-X-912 of 16 Jun 1971 to Chin Tai Steel Enterprise Co. Ltd., Taiwan, $295,150. Photos document SS Lackawaxen fitting out at Marinship 19 May 1943 and at San Francisco 6 Sep 1943 pre-conversion (Navy Yard Mare Island photos, NARA San Bruno Mare Island ship files).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Population
- Wartime crew (267 per spec sheet); Bender conversion yard workers 1966; Army/Vinnell power-station crews Qui Nhon 1966-71; shipbreakers 1971
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained official-style archive drawing on DANFS/NARA; internally inconsistent on 1956/1958 custody events and prints strike as 1 Sep 1959 vs shipscribe's 20 Jan 1958 (see gaps). Establishes events and machinery spec; contains no asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-04
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[5]Consolidated era inference - NavSource AO-82 specification sheet + shipscribe Escambia-class design notes + MARAD type designation (T2-SE-A2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec sheet; shipscribe class notes (crowded machinery spaces, HP/HT boilers); MARAD Detail/650 type field
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the T2-SE-A2 was a 1942-45 emergency-construction tanker type with a high-pressure turbo-electric steam plant (two 600 psi / 825 F boilers, GE turbine-generator, electric propulsion motor). Class notes document unusually crowded engineering spaces. Boiler/steam-line/turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, and accommodation insulation of this era commonly contained asbestos; construction, the 1943 Matson naval conversion, wartime operation, NDRF layups/reactivations, the 1966 Bender power-station conversion, and 1971 shipbreaking are the plausible disturbance pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Population
- Marinship construction trades (1943); Matson conversion workers (1943); wartime/MSTS crews; San Pedro overhaul yard (1945); reactivation yards (1947-48); Bender Shipbuilding conversion workers (1966); Army power-station crews Qui Nhon (1966-71); Chin Tai Steel shipbreakers (1971)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or abatement record located for this hull. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Scrapped 1971, so present-day presence is moot; exposure relevance is historical (crews, conversion/repair yard workers, power-station crews, shipbreakers).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-05
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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 fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this Marinship-built T2-SE-A2 was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- 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 or class and 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-lackawaxen-ao82-06
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[7]City of Sausalito, historic resources survey of the former Marinship yard (official municipal document) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Survey narrative, Marinship history section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder, Marinship (Sausalito), is documented by an official City of Sausalito historic-resources survey as a U.S. Maritime Commission emergency shipyard established March 1942, designed/built/operated by W.A. Bechtel Corp., which produced 93 vessels including 78 T-2 tankers and oilers in about three years and ceased production September 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Marinship workforce (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard context only - documents the yard's production record, not this hull's materials and not asbestos conditions. Yard-level asbestos documentation exists in litigation literature (excluded - non-authoritative sources); the official survey contains no asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-07
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[8]NavSource AO-82 chronology + shipscribe AO-82 ship note + shipscribe class notes (powerfloat conversions) + rjsmith.com T2 Tanker Generator Ships program description [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology lines for 1966/1971; shipscribe ship-notes AO-82 row; class notes powerfloat mentions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- U.S. Army Project Powerfloat: the Army acquired Cahaba from MARAD on 11 May 1966 and converted her at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co., Mobile, AL, to a floating power station for Vietnam service; she operated at Qui Nhon and was returned to MARAD custody there 30 August 1971. Sister Escambia/Suamico-class oilers (Escambia, Kennebago, Anacostia, Tamalpais, and the T2 'tanker/generator' ships) were converted under the same program, some by Vinnell Corporation, and anchored at Cam Ranh Bay, Qui Nhon, Vung Tau, and Nha Trang.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1966-1971
- Population
- Bender Shipbuilding conversion workers (1966); Army/Vinnell operators at Qui Nhon (1966-71)
- Limitations
- Documents the machinery-intensive 1966 conversion event and 1966-71 Vietnam operating period - a documented disturbance pathway on a 1943 hull. No asbestos statement exists for this conversion; whether Bender's work disturbed or removed era insulation is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-08
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[9]Batch-1930 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (via Wayback), MARAD ShipHistory Detail/650, NavSource 19082, shipscribe AO-80 class, aukevisser id353, City of Sausalito Marinship survey, CourtListener name/hull sweeps, NARA record-group check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-01 through sl-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed asbestos case naming Cahaba, Lackawaxen, Lackawapen, Lackawapan, or AO-82/T-AO-82 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener sweeps returned only name collisions - 'Cahaba' hits are Alabama river/business entities, 'Lackawaxen' hits are Pennsylvania township litigation; hull-number queries returned zero.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1943 construction plus documented conversion/overhaul/reactivation events are consistent with retained era materials, and the hull was scrapped in 1971 (pre-regulation-era shipbreaking). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-09
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[10]NARA record-path identification via NavSource photo credits (NARA San Francisco, Mare Island Naval Shipyard Ship Files) + MARAD ShipHistory status-card/document tabs [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo-caption credits; MARAD Detail/650 status cards (scanned images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: NARA San Bruno holds Mare Island Naval Shipyard ship files containing pre-conversion photographs of SS Lackawaxen (photo nos. 6367-43, 6368-43, 6369-43, 6 Sep 1943); WWII deck logs for AO-82 (RG 24), BuShips/MC construction and conversion records (RG 19/RG 178), and MARAD custody documents (status cards, CAHABA.pdf scan at Detail/650) are the documentary path for any hull-level material or insulation records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- Lead only - the photographs' existence documents that hull-specific NARA files exist; their contents (any insulation/material references) are unsurveyed and undigitized. No reproduction spend authorized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lackawaxen-ao82-10