Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Larch (YN-16)' - official NHHC text (R. J. Cressman, dated 21 August 2019) verified via Wayback capture 2024-06-04 of https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/larch.html (live page 404s on 2026-09-24 - standing link rot); legacy DANFS paragraph cross-checked via the losthistory.net/hazegray verbatim mirror [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Larch (YN-16)' entry, full narrative (Wayback capture); legacy mirror: https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/yard/yn16.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull (2019 revision by NHHC historian Robert J. Cressman, retrieved via Wayback capture of the canonical NHHC page; live page 404s): namesake gloss 'trees of the pine family, distinguished by their short-fascicled deciduous leaves and tough and durable wood'; spec block 'displacement 560; length 157'8"; beam 30'6"; draft 10'6"; speed 14.5 knots; complement 38; armament 1 3-inch/23 caliber, 2 .50 caliber machine guns; class Aloe'. Laid down 18 October 1940 at Point Pleasant, W.Va., by Marietta Manufacturing Co.; launched 2 July 1941; placed in service at Todd Johnson Dockyards, New Orleans, 13 December 1941 (Lt. George B. Coale). Fitting out at Key West; towed disabled transport President Adams (AP-38) 27 December 1941; sailed for New York 19 January 1942; recovered ten bodies of City of Atlanta victims en route; Tompkinsville 24 January; Eastern Sea Frontier patrols. March 1942 Gulftrade and Tolten responses (details corroborated by the ESF war-diary transcription, ev-04). Departed New York 12 April 1942 for Trinidad (arrived 28 April), Caribbean Sea Frontier. Placed in commission at Trinidad 12 December 1942 (Lt. Carl C. Dilcer). Net defense work at Trinidad, Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, Curacao, and Puerto de la Cruz; salvaged blimp K-68 at Blanquilla Island, August 1943. Redesignated AN-21 effective 20 January 1944; assigned Tenth Naval District 21 April 1944. Salvaged the crashed Pan American China Clipper (Martin M-130) off Port of Spain 10 January 1945 - raised the starboard wing, part of the fuselage, and six bodies. Net-removal work May-June 1945 (Fort de France, Puerto de la Cruz, Bullen Bay). Departed Trinidad 25 September 1945; Norfolk 12 October. Decommissioned at the Convoy Escort Piers, Norfolk, 28 June 1946 alongside YR-29. Disposal authorized 22 August 1946; contemplated Cuban purchase (March 1947) never completed; stricken 5 March 1947; earmarked for Turkey 10 October 1947; reconditioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; towed to Norfolk by Nipmuc (ATF-175), February 1948; transferred to Turkey under the Military Assistance Program, 'turnover being effected about 8 Feb[ruary] 1948'; sailed for the Mediterranean 12 June 1948 with the MAP group (ex-Alecto AGP-14, ex-Chukawan AOG-26, eight YMS, escorted by Mosopelea ATF-158) via Bermuda and Funchal. 'AG-4 served the Turkish Navy through the late 1960s.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1969
- Population
- Marietta Manufacturing construction trades (Point Pleasant, 1940-41); wartime crew (complement 38-48 by source); Turkish crew 1948+
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity/construction/service record - no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. The 2019 text prints commission date 12 December 1942 and complement 38, conflicting with the legacy DANFS paragraph (13 December 1942; cpl. 48) - flagged in ev-12. The legacy mirror prints decommissioned '28 June 1948,' an internal typo (stricken 1947-03-05, transferred early 1948). NHHC's turnover 'about 8 Feb 1948' vs the legacy 'transferred 10 May 1948' are carried as distinct recorded events.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-01
-
[2]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Larch (AN-21) page - specifications, commanding-officer roster, Turkish-service photographs, milestone list [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NavSource AN-21 page - specifications block, milestone list, CO roster, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive page documents this hull's milestones and engineering block: laid down 18 October 1940 at Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, W.Va.; launched 2 July 1941; placed in service as Larch (YN-16) 13 December 1941 (LT George B. Coale, USNR); commissioned USS Larch (YN-16) 13 December 1942 at Trinidad, BWI (LT Carl C. Dilcer, USNR); redesignated AN-21 20 January 1944; decommissioned 28 June 1946 at Norfolk, VA; struck 5 March 1947; transferred 10 May 1948 to Turkey under the Military Assistance Program as TCG AG-4 (P-304); 'final disposition, fate unknown.' Spec block: displacement 700 t.(fl) 805 t.(lim); length 162'2"; beam 30'6"; draft 11'8" (lim); speed 12.5 kts (trial); complement 4 officers + 44 enlisted; armament one single 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two .50-cal machine guns, one y-gun; largest boom capacity 12 t.; propulsion one Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric engine, single Westinghouse main reduction gear, two diesel-drive 60 kW 120V DC ship's-service generators, single propeller 800 shp, diesel fuel 620 bbls. Commanding-officer roster (Coale, Dilcer, Naulty, Kell, Kitchell) and Turkish-service photographs of AG-4 (P-304) circa 1956-1969 are also documented.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1969
- Population
- Wartime crew (4 officers + 44 enlisted per spec block); Turkish Navy crew 1948+
- Limitations
- Volunteer-run archive compiling official Navy/NARA data and photo captions - reputable but not an official site. Spec block mixes measurement bases (700 t full / 805 t limiting vs NHHC's 560 light; 162'2" overall vs NHHC's 157'8") - carried as documented variance, not reconciled. Prints the later wartime fit (3"/50) where NHHC's spec block prints the original 3"/23; commission date 13 December 1942 conflicts with NHHC's 12 December (flagged in ev-12); transfer date 10 May 1948 vs NHHC's 'about 8 Feb 1948' turnover (flagged in ev-12). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-02
-
[3]ShipScribe (compiled by S. S. Roberts), USS Aloe (AN-6) class data sheet - construction/disposal tables and class design notes [reputable_press]
- Locator
- AN-6 class page - construction table row for AN-21 LARCH; ship notes; class notes paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe's Aloe (AN-6) class data sheet - compiled from official Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels / Naval Vessel Register records - documents for AN-21 LARCH: ordered 27 July 1940; builder Marietta Mfg; keel 18 October 1940; launched 2 July 1941; in service 13 December 1941; ship note 'Ex YN-16 20 Jan 44. Comm. 12 Dec 42. To Turkey 1948 as AG-4. Scrapped 1997.' Class-level data: FY 1941 steel-hulled design; General Board March 1940 characteristics specified a ~1,000 shp diesel-electric plant in deliberate contrast to the steam-reciprocating machinery of the British prototype (HMS Barrier); class figures 560 t light / 805 t limiting, 163.2' oa / 146.0' wl x 30.5' x 11.7', 12.5 kts, complement 46 (1944), original armament 1-3"/23 superseded by 1-3"/50 from April 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1997
- Population
- Construction trades (Marietta yard); wartime complement (class figure 46 for 1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official Navy data sheets, not the primary sheets themselves. 'Comm. 12 Dec 42' agrees with the 2019 NHHC text against the legacy 13 December print. 'Scrapped 1997' resolves NavSource's 'fate unknown' but rests on register-compiled data, not a scrapping certificate - flagged accordingly. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-03
-
[4]Eastern Sea Frontier War Diary, March 1942, Enemy Action Diary appendices IV-V (Serial 42) - verbatim transcription at uboatarchive.net of NARA-held war-diary records [other_primary]
- Locator
- ESF War Diary March 1942, Appendix IV entries for 10 and 13 March; Appendix V patrol-area tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Transcription of the Eastern Sea Frontier 'Enemy Action Diary' for March 1942 (official Navy operational records) names Larch in her documented station and rescue work: assigned patrol areas (Shrewsbury Rocks to Manasquan; Barnegat sector); 10 March - Larch with seven known survivors from the torpedoed tanker Gulftrade alongside Antietam with nine; Larch arrived Section Base, Tompkinsville, at 2100 on 13 March with 1 survivor and 6 dead from the Tolten search area. Corroborates the DANFS narrative of the Gulftrade stern-boarding rescue and the Tolten response.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-03
- Population
- Larch crew; Gulftrade and Tolten survivors/victims
- Limitations
- Transcription of a primary official record, not the document image itself - fidelity relies on the transcriber. Documents operations only; no asbestos or materials information. Survivor counts in the diary (Larch 'with 7 known survivors') match the DANFS rescue narrative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-04
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com (T. Colton), Marietta Manufacturing yard hull list (hull 463) and Net Layers and Tenders index [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Marietta yard list hull 463 row; http://shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/yn.htm YN/AN index row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Colton's Marietta Manufacturing yard hull list records yard hull no. 463 as 'Larch (AN 21),' U.S. Navy net layer, 560d tons, 151 ft, built/in service 13-Dec-41, disposition 'YN 16, to Turkey 1948 as AG 4, scrapped 1997.' Sister net tenders Gum Tree, Holly, and Elder were Marietta hulls 460, 461, and 462 respectively. The net-layers index page corroborates: 'YN 16 / AN 21 / Larch / Marietta SB / Point Pleasant WV / 162 / 700 / 13-Dec-41 / To Turkey 1948 as AG 4, scrapped 1997.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1941 (construction); 1997 (reported scrapping)
- Population
- Marietta Manufacturing yard workforce (WWII peak ~3,000 per shipbuildinghistory; ~2,200 per e-WV - yard-level variance noted)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary shipbuilding reference, not an official register; hull-number attribution corroborates builder and delivery date. The '151 ft' figure is the yard list's own dimension convention (official class length is 163.2' oa). 'Scrapped 1997' is a secondary-source disposition claim - consistent with ShipScribe's compiled register disposition but not confirmed by a Turkish or U.S. primary document. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-05
-
[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 a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this 1940-41 Navy net tender was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization, with the federal government reserving asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- 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 scholarship; does not name this vessel, class, or builder, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-06
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page and highlights (full text blocked to automated fetch - HTTP 403, standing issue from Batch 01)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships, that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' and that the Navy did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing this 1940-41 naval auxiliary entirely inside the documented asbestos-use era. Fieldwork for the report covered Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1979 review; documents pre-1970s practice
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level review; 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. Fieldwork yards (Long Beach, Norfolk) are not this ship's builder or documented overhaul yard. Product-page description used because gao.gov returns 403 to automated fetches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-07
-
[8]MIL-I-2781D (SHIPS), Insulation, Pipe, Thermal - Interim Amendment 4, 9 January 1973 (Naval Ship Engineering Center), per DLA ASSIST/quicksearch spec index [other_primary]
- Locator
- DLA ASSIST/quicksearch entry for MIL-I-2781D Interim Amendment 4 (SHIPS), 9 Jan 1973
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The Navy's thermal pipe-insulation military specification was amended in January 1973 to require insulation 'composed of asbestos-free and silica-free heat-resisting compounds' - evidencing that the incumbent Navy specification for thermal pipe insulation had permitted asbestos-bearing product through the era of this ship's construction, service, and disposal (85% magnesia pipe covering of the era is documented as roughly 15% asbestos fiber for strength and bond).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1973 amendment; documents pre-1973 spec practice
- Population
- Navy ships and shipyard workers (spec-era context)
- Limitations
- Specification-level, not hull-level: documents that asbestos-bearing insulation was standard under Navy spec until 1973, long after this ship's 1946 decommissioning and 1948 transfer. Does not establish what was installed aboard this hull; as a diesel-electric vessel it had no steam-plant piping of the type this spec principally governed. Spec content per index listing; full text not re-pulled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-08
-
[9]Rushworth, Denis H., 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2):35-48 (April 2005) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract, NEJ 117(2):35-48
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed engineering-history article documents that asbestos was once used in U.S. Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation and many other shipboard products, describes the evolution of thermal insulation systems in WWII and post-WWII ships, and notes that plaintiffs in Navy asbestos litigation include many exposed while serving aboard ships built during and following WWII - the era in which this hull was built and operated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- WWII-postwar era documented; article 2005
- Population
- WWII/post-WWII Navy ship crews and shipyard workers (class context)
- Limitations
- Navy-wide era documentation; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Applies principally to thermal-insulation systems; a diesel-electric net tender carried a lighter insulation load than the steam combatants the article chiefly addresses.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-09
-
[10]NARA guided topic, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - official research path for hull-specific asbestos documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided topic page - RG 19 correspondence entries, cartographic/engineering-drawing series, RG 38 inspection-report series
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA officially treats 'the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941-1961' as a documented research subject and prescribes the research path for this hull: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) general/confidential correspondence 1940-1946 and 1947-1961, filed by hull designation ('AN21'/'YN16') and by class correspondence under the class namesake ('AN6' Aloe class); builder correspondence under Navy Filing Manual private-yard code 'QM/Marietta Manufacturing'; RG 19 ship engineering drawings - paper series 19-Hull (1874-1976) and microfilm series 19-Micro (1945-1955) - with S-codes S103 (Booklets of General Plans), S39 (Insulation and Lagging), and S48 (Piping) most relevant to materials; RG 38 Entry P 1-I (Auxiliary and Yardcraft Material Inspection Reports, 1940-1978) for inspection/survey files. Deck logs for the 1941-1948 U.S. period sit in the Navy deck-log series at Archives II (RG 24 lineage).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1978 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. NARA's guide acknowledges asbestos in Navy materiel at the program level; it does not assert asbestos aboard any particular hull. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-10
-
[11]Batch-1767 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (canonical 404 + 2024 Wayback capture + hazegray mirror); NavSource AN-21; ShipScribe AN-6 class sheet; shipbuildinghistory Marietta list and net-layer index; uboat.net event log; uboatarchive ESF war-diary transcription; NARA asbestos guided topic; MARAD ShipHistory search (endpoint error; hull never in MARAD custody); NVR (pre-1987 disposal, out of coverage); CourtListener opinion/docket searches; e-WV builder history; DLA/GAO spec and report indexes [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-larch-an21-01 through -18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition report, or docketed case naming the Larch hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (all queries authenticated via the fleet helper): 'USS Larch'+asbestos opinions returned zero; 'USS Larch' dockets returned zero; 'Larch'+'AN-21' opinions returned zero; 'Larch'+asbestos opinions returned six hits, all name collisions (street-name and surname text - Washington v. Dept. of Pub. Welfare, Estate of Strametz, Ferber, Woodside Mgt., WRB Corp., TMX Finance); 'Larch'+ship opinions returned 73 hits, all collisions (S.S. Irish Larch - a different vessel; 19th-century admiralty 'The Larch' cases; lumber-commodity and surname text); 'Larch'+asbestos dockets returned 787 hits, all collisions (e.g., plaintiff surnamed Larch in Larch v. A Best Products; OCR-mangled 'March' text in W.R. Grace filings). See search_ledger.
- 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 - a 1940-41 naval auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and disposal abroad (Turkey 1948) leaves no U.S. museum/abatement documentation trail. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-11
-
[12]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS 2019 (Wayback) vs legacy DANFS (hazegray mirror) vs NavSource AN-21 vs ShipScribe AN-6 class sheet vs shipbuildinghistory vs uboat.net [other_primary]
- Locator
- All sources as cited in rows ev-01 through ev-05
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Cross-source reconciliations recorded: (a) Commission date - the current NHHC DANFS text (Cressman, 2019) and ShipScribe print 12 December 1942; the legacy DANFS paragraph, NavSource, and derivative works print 13 December 1942; the 2019 NHHC text is adopted as controlling and the variance is flagged rather than merged. (b) Decommission year - legacy DANFS transcription prints '28 June 1948,' an internal impossibility (stricken 5 March 1947, in Turkish hands by mid-1948); NavSource, ShipScribe, uboat.net, and the NHHC narrative all give 28 June 1946. (c) Turkey transfer - NHHC documents physical turnover 'about 8 Feb[ruary] 1948' at Norfolk after reconditioning at Philadelphia NSY and tow by Nipmuc (ATF-175), with the MAP group sailing 12 June 1948; legacy DANFS and NavSource print 'transferred 10 May 1948' - carried as distinct recorded milestones (turnover vs. formal transfer date), not silently reconciled. (d) Complement - NHHC 38; legacy DANFS 48; NavSource 4+44; ShipScribe class figure 46 (1944); unresolved. (e) Final disposition - NHHC 'through the late 1960s'; ShipScribe and shipbuildinghistory 'scrapped 1997'; NavSource 'fate unknown'; reported-scrapped adopted with conflict flagged. (f) Armament - NHHC spec block prints the original 3"/23 + two .50-cal fit; NavSource prints the later 3"/50 + .50-cal + y-gun fit; ShipScribe dates the 3"/50 change to April 1942 and NHHC's narrative records removal of the .50-cal battery on 22 June 1944 - consistent with armament evolving over service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940-1997
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among official text revisions and secondary compilations; underlying primary BuShips/deck-log records were not themselves retrieved. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-12
-
[13]e-WV (West Virginia Encyclopedia), 'Marietta Manufacturing Company' - builder history and wartime production [reputable_press]
- Locator
- e-WV Marietta Manufacturing Company entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Marietta Manufacturing Company operated a shipyard at Point Pleasant, WV from 1916/1917 to 1970; during WWII it built four Navy net tenders (yard hulls 460-463, of which this vessel was 463), 16 Army mine planters, and 53 Army landing tugs, employing as many as about 2,200 workers including wartime hires, and received the Army-Navy 'E' Award in 1944. The company's records (1899-2006) are held by the East Carolina University library.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1917-1970; WWII production 1940-1945
- Population
- Marietta Manufacturing workforce (yard-level, ~2,200-3,000 peak)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history - employment and production figures are yard-wide, not allocated to this hull; supports construction-workforce context only. shipbuildinghistory.com gives peak employment as 3,000 vs e-WV's 2,200 - yard-level figure variance noted. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-larch-an21-13