Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant (the hull type of this vessel, built as MCE hull 512) describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty-type hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Construction trades (Permanente/Kaiser Yard No. 1, Richmond, 1942); merchant crew and Navy Armed Guard; Navy crew post-conversion
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-01
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[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 WWII - the era and emergency program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built at a Kaiser emergency yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- 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 or the EC2-S-C1 type 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-leonis-ak128-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - KEY PITTMAN, Ship History Detail 2871, incl. digitized NDRF vessel status card (front/back scans) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2871; status card images /cards/2871_5337AF.jpg (front) and /cards/2871_5337AB.jpg (back)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized vessel status card for KEY PITTMAN (ex-LEONIS): U.S. Official No. 242718; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; 'WHERE AND WHEN BUILT: PERMANENTE #1, 1942'; 'HULL NO. 512'; owner WSA; entered NDRF James River fleet 12-9-45; 'SOLD SCRAP PD-X-778 dated 11-2-67 to North American Smelting Co.'; withdrawn/delivered 11-21-67; termination port of last voyage Norfolk; dimensions 422.8 x 57 x 34.8; tonnage 7181 gross / 4384 net (card hand entries; database fields read 7176/4380); IHP 2500, '2 WTB' (water-tube boilers). Card reverse notes troop-carrying fit: 'No. 3 T'ween deck has living qtrs, stbd side has extra heads, washrooms, + laundry. Extra hospital + mess rooms main deck amidships.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1967
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody record for this hull - resolves the builder attribution (Permanente #1, not the Poole, McGonigle & Jennings of DANFS). Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. The accommodation notes document that a troop fit existed, not when or by whom it was installed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-03
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[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Leonis' entry (AK-128); live NHHC page 404 on 2026-09-20, text confirmed identical between 1969 print ed. (Vol. 4, p. 91, via hazegray transcription) and NHHC web version via Wayback capture 2024-12-11 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text; Wayback capture of NHHC page; hazegray transcription at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ak128.txt
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC) service narrative: Leonis (AK-128) acquired by the Navy 6 October 1943; renamed Leonis 11 October; commissioned 25 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. A. J. Barkowsky in command. Departed San Pedro 6 December 1943; Pago Pago arrival 22 December; Funafuti from 1 January 1944; January-April cargo shuttle among Marshall, Gilbert, and Ellice Islands; to Pearl Harbor 19 April. Assigned 5th Amphibious Force; loaded troops at Pearl Harbor, departed 29 May; off Saipan with reinforcements and cargo 20 June-3 July 1944; returned Pearl Harbor 27 July. Departed 20 August for the Palau campaign; Kossol Passage 20 September; off Peleliu until mid-November. Embarked Marines and passengers at Peleliu, Russell Islands, Tulagi, Guadalcanal; arrived San Francisco 18 December. Departed 11 January 1945 as fleet issue ship; arrived San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, 28 February; remained in the Philippines issuing dry stores and medical provisions for the rest of the war. Departed Leyte 4 September 1945; San Pedro about a month later; Norfolk 6 November; decommissioned 5 December 1945; returned to WSA 9 December. Two battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Navy crew (~234 per DANFS complement figure); embarked troops (5th Amphibious Force lift, 1944)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy service narrative; contains no asbestos, materials, or conversion-yard information. DANFS's builder line ('Poole, McGonigle & Jennings, Portland, Oreg.') is contradicted by the MARAD status card - see correction row ev-05. Decommissioning location reads Norfolk in DANFS vs Baltimore in NavSource - discrepancy logged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-04
-
[5]MARAD status card fields 7 and 12 ('PERMANENTE #1 1942', 'HULL NO. 512') vs DANFS/NHHC Leonis entry; shipbuildinghistory.com Liberty ship table row for MC hull 512; NavSource USS Leonis (AK-128) page [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status card front fields 7/12; shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/2libertyships2.htm hull-512 row; navsource.org/archives/09/13/130128.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source conflict resolved on builder and dates: DANFS (1969 print and current NHHC web text alike) says the ship 'was built as Key Pittman by Poole, McGonigle & Jennings, Portland, Oreg., under a Maritime Commission contract in 1943.' The MARAD status card - the government's own custody record - reads 'PERMANENTE #1, 1942' with hull no. 512; the standard public yard production table (shipbuildinghistory.com Liberty list) records MCE hull 512 = Key Pittman at Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 1, Richmond, laid down 21-Nov-42, launched 22-Dec-42, delivered 31-Dec-42; NavSource independently lists Kaiser Permanente Yard No. 1, Richmond. The MARAD card and yard table control; the DANFS builder attribution is treated as a DANFS error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Limitations
- Resolves the builder/location/date discrepancy against the primary custody record. shipbuildinghistory.com is a private but standard compilation; the MARAD card alone is sufficient to control the point. Secondary infoboxes also differ on acquisition date (6 vs 10 October 1943) - DANFS's 6 October is adopted. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-05
-
[6]NARA-declassified documents (Project NW 63684) filed under MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2871: AmConGen Melbourne despatch (1943-08-28) and USCG COTP San Francisco sealing report (1943-10-01); Lilliput detail per Masterson, U.S. Army Transportation in the Southwest Pacific Area 1941-1947 (1949), p. 589, as cited by secondary compilations [other_primary]
- Locator
- KeyPittman_2871_001.pdf (consular despatch, 5 pp.) and KeyPittman_2871_002.pdf (USCG sealing report); Masterson monograph via Open Library OL6701753W
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two declassified U.S. government documents filed in the MARAD vessel record document the pre-Navy merchant phase: (a) U.S. Consulate General, Melbourne, despatch of 28 August 1943 (with enclosures): SS Key Pittman 'was owned by the War Shipping Administration, was operated by Coastwise (Far East) Service, and was loading army supplies'; a U.S. Army board convened aboard removed the chief officer and first assistant engineer into Army custody on discipline charges; the ship cleared Melbourne for New Zealand with a full Army cargo 22 August 1943. (b) U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, San Francisco, radio-sealing report dated 10/1/43 for SS Key Pittman - placing the ship in San Francisco Bay five days before Navy acquisition. Separately, secondary sources drawing on the Army's official transportation monograph (Masterson 1949, p. 589) describe Key Pittman as the first Liberty ship through the Milne Bay-Oro Bay route (arrived Oro Bay 11 June 1943), her return to Milne Bay 17 June closing Operation Lilliput.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Merchant crew under Coastwise (Far East) Service; U.S. Army Transport Service personnel
- Limitations
- The consular despatch and USCG report are primary documents naming this hull (verification: verified for the merchant-operation facts they state). The Operation Lilliput 'first Liberty ship' framing is marked partial - the cited page (Masterson p. 589) was not directly read; the claim is consistent with the consular record placing the ship in Army supply service in Australian waters in August 1943. No asbestos or materials content in either document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-06
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[7]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (No. 1547, docket 89-6109)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Second Circuit ruling addressing mesothelioma claims by a mariner aboard War Shipping Administration vessels; the court considered jurisdiction over a personal-injury claim against the United States for asbestos exposure aboard the WWII government merchant fleet - the same operating agency (WSA) that ran this hull as SS Key Pittman during its merchant-service periods (Dec 1942-Oct 1943 and post-Dec 1945 lay-up). Claims against the government were barred on discretionary-function grounds - the characteristic litigation posture for the vessel's WSA periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII merchant mariners (class context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level jurisdictional ruling; does not name this hull, does not find asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and establishes only the litigation posture for WSA-period claims. The ship's Navy period (Oct 1943-Dec 1945) follows the naval-auxiliary pattern instead. Reporter citation confirmed in prior batch work: 891 F.2d 31.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-07
-
[8]Batch-818 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 2871 + status card + filed NARA documents; shipbuildinghistory hull-512 row; NavSource vessel page (via search index); CourtListener API attempt (blocked) + web-search fallback [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-leonis-ak128-01 through sl-uss-leonis-ak128-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Leonis, AK-128, or SS Key Pittman was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The MARAD status card, both NARA-filed documents, DANFS, and the yard production table contain no asbestos or insulation-material statements. CourtListener API was rate-limit-blocked during this pass (HTTP 429, daily cap) - the ship-name litigation sweep is an open item rather than a completed negative.
- 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 1942 emergency-built steam cargo hull with a documented interior conversion and a 1967-68 scrapping is era-consistent with asbestos use and with undocumented disturbance events. The CourtListener block leaves the litigation sweep incomplete; hull-name searches on web indexes returned only name collisions (Leoni AG antitrust et al.). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (BuShips), RG 24 (deck logs), RG 26 (merchant logbooks), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html and /248.html; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/merchant-vessels-pl.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records may hold the October 1943 Navy conversion specification and the yard that performed the AK-128 outfitting (conversion yard is undocumented in all sources consulted); RG 24 deck logs cover USS Leonis 1943-45; merchant logbooks for SS Key Pittman are in RG 26 distributed by port of submission (Richmond/San Francisco/Australian ports); RG 178 (US Maritime Commission) Construction Division and regional files may hold the hull-512 outfitting specification; RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) holds the vessel acquisition/operation file; MARAD/NDRF James River custody and PD-X-778 disposal file documents the scrapping transaction.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1968 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for hull 512 / AK-128 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leonis-ak128-09