Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 1021-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-league-island-yfb20-pkt-1021-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Machigonne (S.P. 1043)' (updated Robert J. Cressman, 2022-01-11) - consolidated entry covering the full name chain Dida/Machigonne/Hook Mountain/Block Island/League Island YFB-20/Yankee [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full text, 'Machigonne (S.P. 1043) 1917-1919' entry; spec block in parentheses under title
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Steel-hulled, single-screw passenger steamer Dida built 1907 by Neafie, Levy & Co., Philadelphia, for the Casco Bay & Harpswell Line; acquired 1913 by Boston, Nahant & Pines Steamship Co. and renamed Machigonne; chartered by the Navy 2 October 1917 for section patrol and supply duties, designated S.P. 1043, commissioned 15 May 1918, transported men and supplies between Boston and Bumpkin Island Training Station during WWI; re-acquired by owner 29 May 1919; 1921 John E. Moore & Co. then U.S. Immigration Service Ellis Island ferry; 1929 Capt. Daniel F. McAllister renamed Hook Mountain (Statue of Liberty tour boat); 1939 sold to H. Reynolds Palmer and Raymond H. Abell of Gales Ferry, CT, renamed Block Island; acquired by the Navy 24 February 1941, classified ferryboat YFB-20, renamed League Island and placed in service 7 March 1941; Fourth Naval District ferry between the Philadelphia Navy Yard and National Park, NJ, throughout WWII; out of service 6 June 1946; turned over to WSA for disposal. Spec block: 425 gross tons, 136'6" x 29'0" x 8'6" mean, 12.0 knots, complement 34, armament two 1-pounders.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1907-1947
- Population
- Navy crew and passengers (WWI section patrol/supply); shipyard personnel ferried Philadelphia Navy Yard - National Park NJ (WWII)
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity/service history; contains no asbestos information whatsoever. DANFS spec block reflects the WWI configuration (complement 34); NavSource gives complement 20 for 1941 - figures are not interchangeable. 'Placed in service' is an in-service craft status, not a ship commissioning.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive, 'League Island (YFB 20) ex-USS Machigonne (SP 1043)' - timeline, specifications, and NHHC-sourced photograph index (NH 99581, NH 57481) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block ('Propulsion: One 450ihp triple-expansion steam engine, one shaft / 1947 - Steam engine replaced with one General Motors 12-567A diesel engine'); timeline bullets
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Timeline confirms full alias chain and adds propulsion detail: one 450-ihp triple-expansion steam engine, one shaft (1907-1947); 'Steam engine replaced with one General Motors 12-567A diesel engine' in 1947. Complement 20 (1941). Transferred 9 January 1947 to the War Shipping Administration for disposal. Post-Navy: renamed Yankee 1947; laid up Montville, CT 1983; sold 1990 to Jim Gallagher (restoration begun); sold 2003 to Richard and Victoria MacKenzie-Childs; moved to Pier 25, Hoboken, NJ; restored and moored at South Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1907-present
- Population
- Private owners/restorers (1947-present)
- Limitations
- Secondary archive compiling official and contributor material; propulsion/diesel-conversion line is presented without a cited primary source and is corroborated only by the vessel's post-Navy history - it does not itself document asbestos removal or any hazmat scope. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-02
-
[4]shipscribe.com, 'SP/ID: Harbor and Service Craft' register (compiled from official Navy registers): ID 1043 MACHIGONNE, FERRY, later YFB - 425 tons, 136.4 ft, built 1907, acquired 2.10.1917, disposed 29.5.1919 (sold); 'Ex merc. MACHIGONNE. Coastal ferry.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Table row 'ID | 1043 | MACHIGONNE'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent register corroboration of WWI acquisition/disposal dates, tonnage (425), length (136.4 ft), build year (1907), and classification path (FERRY -> YFB).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1917-1919
- Limitations
- Compilation from Navy registers; gives service dates and dimensions only - no propulsion, complement, or material content. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-03
-
[5]National Park Service, National Register Information System (NRIS) record 92001610, 'MACHIGONNE (ferry)' - listed 1992-12-03; criteria: event, architecture/engineering; areas of significance: engineering, maritime history; periods 1900-1924 and 1925-1949; significant year 1907; architect/builder 'Neafie & Levy'; resource type: structure (vessel at Pier 25, New York County, NY at listing) [nps]
- Locator
- NRIS asset metadata page, NRIS ID 92001610
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull survives as an NRHP-listed historic structure - federal recognition that a 1907-built vessel retains historically significant fabric. The listing itself identifies the same hull this record covers (Machigonne/SP-1043/YFB-20).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1992 (listing); significance periods 1900-1949
- Population
- Restoration trades and owners (1990-present, context)
- Limitations
- NRIS metadata only: the nomination form text is not digitized in NPGallery ('The PDF file for this National Register record has not yet been digitized'), so what original fabric survives and whether any asbestos/hazmat condition was noted at nomination is not established by this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-04
-
[6]Gothamist (WNYC), 'See inside the last Ellis Island ferry at Open House NY. It could be yours for $1.25M' (Hannah Frishberg, 2025-09-24) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body, paragraphs on Staten Island docking and sale
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporary status: the vessel (as Yankee) is Ellis Island's last surviving passenger ferry, has served in the Navy in both world wars, has not been seaworthy since the MacKenzie-Childses bought her in 2003, is docked at a shipbuilding and repair facility off Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, and is listed for sale at $1.25M.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2025
- Population
- Owners/residents (2003-present); Open House NY tour visitors (Oct 2025)
- Limitations
- Feature journalism documenting location, habitability, and sale status; contains no hazmat, survey, or asbestos information. 'Served in the Navy during both world wars' is the article's characterization - consistent with the documented 1918-1919 and 1941-1946 service periods.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-05
-
[7]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS League Island (AKS-30) ex-USS League Island (AG-149) (1949-1951) ex-USS LST-1097 (1945-1949)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Timeline bullets on NavSource LST-1097/AG-149/AKS-30 page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Disambiguation: the name 'League Island' was separately borne by ex-USS LST-1097, named and redesignated League Island (AG-149) on 27 January 1949, redesignated AKS-30 on 18 August 1951, decommissioned 14 December 1956 at Astoria, OR, and stricken 1 April 1960 - a distinct vessel with no relationship to YFB-20. Name reuse began after YFB-20's hull had already left Navy custody (WSA disposal 1947-01-09).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1949-1960
- Limitations
- Corrects identity conflation only; establishes nothing about either hull's material condition. Timeline fields rely on NavSource compilation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (single-screw steam passenger steamer, 1907); NavSource propulsion line (450-ihp triple-expansion steam engine, one shaft, removed 1947); general marine-engineering history of early-20th-century steam plants [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications propulsion line
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1907-build steam passenger steamer would era-typically have carried insulating lagging on the boiler(s) and steam lines, machinery insulation, and gaskets and valve/steam-line packing of the period, in which asbestos was a standard constituent of marine insulation products.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1907-1947
- Population
- Ferry engineering crews and passengers (1907-1947 steam era)
- Limitations
- Design-era inference, not a hull record: no source documents asbestos products aboard this vessel. The documented 1947 removal of the original steam plant in the post-Navy diesel conversion means the highest-likelihood asbestos-bearing system left the hull outside the Navy service period - but no record establishes what was installed, removed, or remains. Does not establish quantity, exposure, or any individual outcome.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-07
-
[9]Atlas shipyards registry (shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json): philadelphia-naval-shipyard - a documented asbestos-litigated yard (evidence_tier 3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json, yard_id 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The vessel's sole documented WWII duty was ferrying personnel between Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and National Park, NJ - her embarked population was drawn from a yard the Atlas registry documents as asbestos-litigated (e.g., Merwitz shipfitter litigation; named asbestos products identified in appellate opinions at that yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Shipyard personnel and naval personnel ferried (1941-1946)
- Limitations
- Documents the exposure context of the passenger population and destination, not the ferry's own fabric: nothing here establishes asbestos aboard this hull, and yard-site findings do not transfer to the vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-08
-
[10]Batch-8732 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; NavSource SP and LST archives; shipscribe SP/ID register; NPS NRIS/NPGallery; NVR check; contemporary press; CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-league-island-yfb20-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming League Island YFB-20, Machigonne SP-1043, or any commercial alias (Dida, Hook Mountain, Block Island, Yankee) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The one CourtListener base query that completed ('"League Island"' opinions, 85 hits) returned only place/organization name collisions - no asbestos litigation and no case naming the vessel in the returned page; the three remaining base queries stayed budget-blocked.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the vessel survives, so a present-day survey could exist outside public view. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweep is partial: 1 of 4 base queries completed (see search_ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-09
-
[11]Navy Filing Manual, 1941 (HyperWar transcription), 'YA-YY District Craft' index - line item 'YFB20 League Island' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NFM-YA.html, YFB subsection, 'YFB20 League Island'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Period official document corroboration: the 1941 Navy Filing Manual indexes 'YFB20 League Island' under district craft - confirming the hull number/name pairing in service at that date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941
- Limitations
- Index line only - establishes designation, nothing about vessel condition or materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-11
-
[12]NPS NPGallery asset for NRIS 92001610 nomination form - returns placeholder PDF: 'The PDF file for this National Register record has not yet been digitized' [nps]
- Locator
- NPGallery asset e8d108ec-0c8b-4ccd-843b-f5cc5d12ae8f (digitization placeholder)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The 1992 NRHP nomination for 'MACHIGONNE (ferry)' (prepared at the start of the modern restoration) would describe original and surviving fabric - machinery, joiner work, insulation - and is the most promising located lead for hull-material detail; it is undigitized and unexamined.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1992
- Limitations
- Lead only: nomination not yet reviewed; it may or may not discuss insulation or hazmat. NARA RG-79 nomination copies are retrievable on request.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-league-island-yfb20-10