USS Lassen (AE-3)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Lassen' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS Lassen' returned 5 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels

   Evidence ID

   uss-lassen-ae3-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Lassen' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS Lassen' returned 218 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels

   Evidence ID

   uss-lassen-ae3-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AE-3' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'AE-3' returned 7851 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed

   Evidence ID

   uss-lassen-ae3-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'AE-3' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'AE-3' returned 243737 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed

   Evidence ID

   uss-lassen-ae3-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]DANFS (1969) Vol. 4, pp. 62-63, 'Lassen' (AE-3) entry - verbatim transcription (live NHHC DANFS page unavailable, 404 on 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Full DANFS Vol. 4 entry text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS documents this hull: launched as Shooting Star by Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa FL, under a Maritime Commission contract on 1940-01-10 (sponsor Mrs. Fred C. Cone); acquired by the Navy 1940-11-15; commissioned four days later for transfer to Mobile, Ala. for conversion (Lt. Comdr. A. B. Kerr); commissioned in full 1941-03-27 (Comdr. R. S. Berkey). Wartime: Pearl Harbor July 1941; departed Norfolk 1941-11-22 for San Francisco homeport; Samoa/Fiji/Pearl Harbor round trips; advanced-base supply ship at Dumbea Bay, New Caledonia 1942-09-19 to 1943-01-17; San Francisco repairs with radar installation and armament change Jan-Feb 1943; Espiritu Santo, Efate, Noumea service through 1943-11-24; Majuro 1944-02-02 under 7th Force (VAdm. Calhoun); Kossol Passage 1944-09-25 to 10-02 and Ulithi 1944-10-04 to 11-18 (first battle star; severe typhoon; first air attack); western Carolines 1945-02-23 pioneering underway ammunition transfer; TG 50.8 raids 1945-03-13 to 06-14 supporting Okinawa; TG 30.8 off Japan 1945-07-08 to 08-06 (third battle star); V-J Day at San Pedro Bay, Leyte. Decommissioned 1947-01-15 into Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from Navy list 1961-07-01; three battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: 6,350 t; 459' x 63' x 25'11"; 15.5 k; complement 280; armament 1x5", 4x3", 4x40mm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1940-1961

   Population

   Crew (complement ~280); Mobile conversion-yard workers

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or abatement information - supports identity and service history only, no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page returned 404; citation is a verbatim DANFS transcription (hazegray mirror) of the printed Vol. 4 entry.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lassen-ae3-01

6. [6]Shipscribe USS Lassen (AE-3) class page - construction/disposition tables and class notes compiled from Maritime Commission and Bureau of Ships records [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table (AE-3 row); Disposition table; Class Notes paragraphs 3-4

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Class compilation names this hull: AE-3 Lassen, MC C2 (Tampa) diesel motorship, keel 1938-09-24, launched 1940-01-10, acquired 1940-11-14, commissioned 1941-03-23; decommissioned 1947-01-15, stricken 1961-07-01, disposal 1962-10-01, Maritime Administration sale 1976-03-16. Machinery: Nordberg diesel (listed as TSM219), 1 screw, 6,000 HP. Class notes document that the Navy purchased the three incomplete first-contract Tampa C2s on 1940-11-14 under the 70% Expansion Program and that Tampa delivered AE 3-4 to Mobile, Ala. for conversion by Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1938-1976

   Population

   Tampa Shipbuilding construction workforce (1938-1940); Alabama Dry Dock conversion workforce (1940-41)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of official MC/BuShips records, not the records themselves. Minor variances vs. DANFS: acquisition 11-14 vs. 11-15; full commission 03-23 vs. 03-27 - DANFS dates adopted as controlling (see correction row). Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lassen-ae3-02

7. [7]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LASSEN (AE-3), Ship History Detail 2957 (incl. milestone table and scanned status card) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 2957, milestone table; status-card scans; LASSEN.pdf document tab

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD record: U.S. Official No. 240032; type C2 naval auxiliary (AE ammunition ship); built 1939 (register convention - launched 1940-01-10) by Tampa Shipbuilding Company; 435 ft (pp) x 63 ft; 6,021 gross tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Milestones: NDRF entry/acquisition 1960-08-30; disposition and withdrawal 1976-04-26 (notation 'CUST 1960 NDRF 1960'). NavSource's transcription of the MARAD disposal action identifies the buyer as Nicolai Joffe Corp., bid request PD-X-1004 dated 1976-02-06, a four-ship group sale at $898,372.96, delivered 1976-04-26.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1939-1976

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones. The attached status card and LASSEN.pdf are scanned images not text-readable in this session - unreviewed for materials/condition notes (archival lead). Buyer/bid detail is via NavSource's secondary transcription of the MARAD action, not the primary document. MARAD 'Year Built 1939' conflicts with the documented 1940-01-10 launch - noted, not resolved. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lassen-ae3-03

8. [8]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 of the WWII mobilization era, with wartime demand driving unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government and merchant-type hulls - the construction/conversion era (keel 1938; Navy conversion to ammunition ship completed March 1941) into which this hull falls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1938-1945 era; article 1987

   Population

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

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel. The article's focus is wartime (post-1941) programs - this hull was built under a 1938 prewar Maritime Commission contract, so coverage is era-adjacent rather than direct. 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-lassen-ae3-04

9. [9]Batch-497 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; MARAD ShipHistory 2957 + scanned status card; NavSource AE-3 index; shipscribe class compilation; NARA catalog/DPLA; supplementary web searches; CourtListener API v4 (blocked - daily cap) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lassen-ae3-01 through sl-uss-lassen-ae3-08

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Lassen (AE-3) or MS Shooting Star (MC hull 23) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Supplementary web searches for 'USS Lassen'/'AE-3' asbestos litigation surfaced only non-qualifying law-firm ship-list pages (excluded-source class), not cases.

   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 1938-41 C2 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and gasket materials. CourtListener opinion/docket search could not be completed this session (daily rate cap, HTTP 429) - litigation coverage is a gap, so this negative finding does not extend to a verified 'no case' statement. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lassen-ae3-05

10. [10]NavSource USS Lassen (AE-3) photo index page - prose dates vs. its own commanding-officer table and DANFS [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource page header + CO table; DANFS entry; shipscribe construction table; MARAD detail page

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved: (a) NavSource prose dates the special commission '19 November 1941' and full commission '27 November 1941'; its own commanding-officer table gives Kerr from 19 November 1940 and Berkey from 27 March 1941, matching DANFS (1940-11-19 and 1941-03-27) - the NavSource prose years are typographical errors and DANFS is adopted. (b) Acquisition date: shipscribe 1940-11-14 vs. DANFS 1940-11-15 - DANFS adopted; shipscribe's class notes indicate the purchase instrument was executed 11-14 with Navy acquisition recorded 11-15, consistent rather than contradictory. (c) MARAD 'Year Built 1939' vs. launch 1940-01-10 - register convention, noted. (d) Length: DANFS 459 ft (oa) vs. MARAD 435 ft (pp) - different measures per shipscribe (459.0 oa / 435.0 pp), not a defect.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1940-1976

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary compilations against the controlling primary history (DANFS). No asbestos content in any source cited here.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lassen-ae3-06

11. [11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies - an era boundary relevant to this hull: Lassen spent 1947-1976 in Pacific Reserve Fleet/NDRF custody and was sold for scrap in 1976, so her Navy service and disposal substantially predate the Navy's documented asbestos-control program; no Navy abatement program record would be expected for this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1975-1979 (policy era); hull custody 1947-1976

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation; does not name this vessel or any ammunition ship. Establishes era context only - explains why no Navy abatement record exists, not whether asbestos was aboard. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lassen-ae3-07

12. [12]NARA catalog record via DPLA: 'Lassen (AE-3), 11/29/40-1/15/47,' Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships (id 125303451); plus RG 19-LCM photo 19-N-25823, Mare Island NYd ship files (NARA San Francisco), RG 178 MC contract files, MARAD PD-X-1004 disposal file [other_primary]

    Locator

    catalog.archives.gov id 125303451 (via DPLA mirror); NavSource photo credits; archives.gov record-group guides RG 24/19/178

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA holds BuPers muster rolls for Lassen (AE-3) covering 1940-11-29 to 1947-01-15 (catalog.archives.gov id 125303451, NARA College Park); WWII deck logs (RG 24); Bureau of Ships photo series RG 19-LCM (photo 19-N-25823, off Norfolk Navy Yard 1941-10-24, per NavSource credit); Mare Island Navy Yard ship files (NARA San Francisco; photo 1329-43 dated 1943-02-18); Maritime Commission contract/construction records for MC hull 23 (RG 178); MARAD disposal file PD-X-1004 and the scanned NDRF status card for this hull.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1940-1976 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping and existence-verified catalog entries only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether any of these contain asbestos-specific documentation for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lassen-ae3-08