Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet bd-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (with mandatory rename note)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-leyte-arg8-pkt-bd-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Leyte II (ARG-8)' entry (NHHC live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-26 - standing link-rot issue; text read verbatim from the Wayback capture of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/leyte-ii.html, capture 2024-05-26; NHHC narrative also mirrored at the NHHC Online Library page on ibiblio/HyperWar) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Leyte II (ARG-8)' entry body and stats line; mirror https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-l/arg8.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Leyte II entry): 'The second Leyte (ARG-8) was laid down by Bethlehem-Fairchild [sic - Fairfield] Shipyard, Inc., Baltimore, Md., 20 January 1944; launched 18 February 1944; sponsored by Miss Rhoda J. Braun; and commissioned 17 August 1944, Comdr. Elder P. Johnson in command. After training in Chesapeake Bay, Leyte sailed from Norfolk 3 October 1944 for Pacific duty. She reported to Commander Service Force 7th Fleet 26 November at Hollandia, New Guinea. Here she became a repair ship for LSMs, and continued this service until she departed for the Philippine Islands 25 February 1945. For the remainder of the war Leyte served in Subic Bay. Her name was changed to Maui 31 May so that the name Leyte could be assigned to a new aircraft carrier under construction. The ship departed Subic Bay in early December and arrived on the west coast with 1,108 returning war veterans before Christmas. She became inactive March 1946, and decommissioned at San Diego 30 August where she was assigned to the San Diego Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Maui was transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, San Francisco, where she remains into 1969.' DANFS stats line: dp. 4,611; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 23'; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 647; a. 1 5", 3 3", 4 40mm., 12 20mm.; T. EC2-S-C1; cl. Luzon.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1969
- Population
- Ship's company (complement ~647 per DANFS class figure); 1,108 returning veterans embarked Dec 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS volume text ends 'remains into 1969' (Volume IV, pub. 1969) - post-1969 disposition (1967 episode, 1972 sale) is covered by the MARAD record. DANFS prints the builder as 'Bethlehem-Fairchild' - a typographical error; every other source (MARAD status card, NavSource, ShipScribe) reads Bethlehem-Fairfield. DANFS says 'served in Subic Bay' for the Philippines period; a secondary awards analysis places the ship at San Pedro Bay, Leyte - see correction row. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MAUI (ARG-8), Ship History Detail 3292 (data block, milestones, digitized status cards 3292_AF.jpg and 3292_6116AF.jpg, plus MAUI.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 3292 - data block; Milestones table; Status Cards (card images read at full resolution)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized status cards for MAUI (ARG-8): year built 1944; shipyard Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard; General Type Naval Auxiliary, Specific Type 'ARG Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship'; MARAD type EC2-S-C1; gross 7,176 / net 4,380 tons; DWT 10,800; dimensions 417'8" x 56'10" x 37'4"; hull no. MCE-2595; ex-name 'Leyte'. Reserve-fleet card (Form MA-383): fleet Suisun Bay; entered June 15, 1961 1100 hrs PDST (arrival draft Fwd 11'00" / Aft 14'02" on 6-13-61); 'Marad Title Sept. 1, 1962'; 'Temporary Custody Navy Reimbursable'; withdrawn 2-9-67 0945 PST - 'delivered to Navy ... for removal of certain equipment and return to fleet'; re-entered 4-19-67 12 noon PST; 'Marad preservation: See Navy letter April 20, 1961 (FY 1962) Marad reply April 27, 1961.' Sales card (Form MA-20): awarded to Levin Metals Corp., 10-3-72, purchase price $90,388.00, contract no. MA-6785; 'Advertised under PD-X-947 dated 8-29-72 opened 9-27-72 under two condition[s]: (1) NTU (2) Scrap Hull-U.S. Award under condition (2) Scrap Hull - U.S.'; 'Delivered 0930 PST 11-2-72.' Database milestones match: Disposition 9/1/1962 (MARAD custody); Entry/Acquisition 4/19/1967 (return to NDRF); Disposition and Withdrawal 11/2/1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1961-1972
- Population
- NDRF lay-up and custody-transfer crews; Levin Metals dismantling workforce (location not documented)
- Limitations
- Authoritative primary record for government custody milestones and the 1972 sale terms; status-card handwriting read manually at full resolution (some fields illegible; 'MCE-2595' hull number, 'Temporary Custody Navy Reimbursable' title notation, and equipment-removal purpose are as written). The 1967 Navy episode is documented as temporary custody for equipment removal and return to fleet - not a recommissioning. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-02
-
[4]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Maui (ARG-8) ex USS Leyte (ARG-8) page 09/29/2908 + NHHC Online Library 'USS Leyte (ARG-8), 1944-1972' narrative/photo page (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror, NARA photos 80-G-280745/746/750) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 2908 spec block, CO list, awards; ibiblio https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-l/arg8.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive (09/29/2908) and the NHHC Online Library photo page: Luzon-class internal combustion engine repair ship; laid down 1944-01-20 as MC EC2-S-C1 hull 2595 at Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard; launched 1944-02-18; 'Acquired by the Navy in February 1944 from the Maritime Commission and converted to an Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship at Maryland Drydock Co, Baltimore, MD' (conversion-yard attribution contested - see correction row); commissioned USS Leyte (ARG-8) 1944-08-17, CDR Elder Paul Johnson; renamed USS Maui (ARG-8) 1945-05-31; decommissioned 1946-08-30 San Diego; Pacific Reserve Fleet; to MARAD 1961-06-13 for NDRF Suisun Bay; permanent MARAD custody 1962-09-01; 'Struck, 1 September 1962'; brief Navy reacquisition 1967-02-09 to 1967-04-19; sold for scrapping 1972-10-03 to Levin Metals Corp., physical delivery 1972-11-02. Spec block: 4,023 t light / 14,350 t trial; 441'6"; 56'11"; 23' draft; 12.5 kts trial; complement 31 officers + 552 enlisted; armament 1x 5"/38 DP, 1x 3"/50, 2 twin 40mm, 12 single 20mm; 3x 350kW 450V AC + 2x 60kW 120V DC generators; 19,540 bbls fuel; 1 General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion engine, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 220 psi 450 deg F, single propeller 2,500 shp; 10-t boom. Commanding officers: CDR Elder Paul Johnson (1944-08-17 - ?); LCDR Billie Barton Bullard, USN (1946-04-22 - 1946-08-30). Awards: American Campaign; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign; WWII Victory; Philippine Liberation. NARA still photos 80-G-280745/746/750 (ship underway Hampton Roads, 1944-10-01).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - used here for the spec block, CO roster, and photo references that are consistent with DANFS/MARAD on every overlapping point; its 'Maryland Drydock Co.' conversion attribution conflicts with ShipScribe's NARA-derived 'Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway' and is carried as an unresolved discrepancy (correction row), not asserted as fact. The ibiblio page reproduces the official NHHC narrative (4611-ton repair ship; Hollandia; Subic Bay; rename; 1,108 veterans; NDRF 1961; sale Oct 1972). No asbestos information in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-03
-
[5]ShipScribe (shipscribe.com, Stephen S. Roberts), 'Class: LUZON (ARG-2)' - class data, construction/disposition tables, ship notes, and class-program notes from NARA Auxiliary Vessels Board records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Luzon class page - construction table row ARG-8, disposition table row, ship note LEYTE/MCE 2595, class notes (CominCh 1943-04-01; AVB 1943-06-11; APL pairing)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe Luzon (ARG-2) class data (Stephen S. Roberts, NARA-derived): class design MC EC2-S-C1; displacement 4,621 t light / 11,500 t lim.; dimensions 441.5' oa / 416.0' pp x 56.9' e x 23.0' lim.; original armament 1-5"/38, 3-3"/50, 2-40mmT, 12-20mm (1943-45); complement 430-520 (1944); speed 12.5 kts; 2,500 HP, General Machine Corp. vertical triple-expansion, 1 screw. Construction table for ARG-8 LEYTE: acquired 1944-02-25; Bethlehem-Fairfield SYs; keel 1944-01-20; launch 1944-02-18; commissioned 1944-08-17. Disposition table: decommissioned 1946-08-30; struck 1962-09-01; disposal 1962-09-01 (MA); MA sale 1972-10-03. Ship note: 'LEYTE, MCE 2595. Renamed MAUI 31 May 45. Delivered 79.9% complete. Converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. In USN reserve 1946-61. To NDRF 13 Jun 61, to buyer 2 Nov 72.' Class program history: CominCh directive 1943-04-01 to convert EC2 Liberty ships to internal combustion engine repair ships; Auxiliary Vessels Board 1943-06-11 review directed a 12-ship EC2 conversion program (ARG 4-15) as 'the most expeditious and economical method' of forward-area repair; each EC2 repair conversion was paired with a 2,000-ton floating-barracks APL conversion (APL 2-13) to house repair-force personnel for three-shift operation of the embarked machine tools; ARG-16/-17 added 1944-07-03 'similar to the ARG 2-11 class.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Repair-force personnel (ship's repair division) operating embarked machine tools on three-shift basis (class-level program detail)
- Limitations
- ShipScribe is a NARA-derived secondary compilation (agrees with DANFS and MARAD on all overlapping points for this hull). Its conversion-yard attribution (Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway) conflicts with NavSource (Maryland Drydock Co.) - unresolved, carried in correction row and gaps; both were Baltimore yards and both conversion pathways involved installation of a repair-shop outfit aboard a completed Liberty hull. Program-level APL-barge pairing is class context, not a hull-specific assignment for ARG-8 (paired barge number not documented). No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-04
-
[6]ShipScribe Luzon-class ship note (Bethlehem Steel Key Highway) vs NavSource 09/29/2908 (Maryland Drydock Co.); DANFS Leyte II entry (Fairchild spelling; Subic Bay); NavSource-contributed awards analysis PDF 2908a (San Pedro Bay); MARAD status card (1967 temporary custody) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe ship-note table ARG-8 row; NavSource 2908 + PDF 2908a; DANFS Leyte II entry; MARAD card 'DAMAGES'/'WITHDRAWN' fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or carried: (a) Conversion yard - ShipScribe's NARA-derived ship note records 'Converted by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md.' while NavSource states 'converted ... at Maryland Drydock Co, Baltimore, MD'; DANFS does not name a conversion yard. ShipScribe (per-ship, NARA-derived notes) is treated as the better-supported attribution - NavSource repeats 'Maryland Drydock' for class hulls that ShipScribe assigns to Bethlehem Key Highway - but the conflict is unresolved and carried in gaps. (b) Builder name - DANFS prints 'Bethlehem-Fairchild Shipyard' (typographical error); MARAD status card 'Beth-Fairfield' and all other sources read Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Inc. (c) Complement - 647 (DANFS) vs 583 (NavSource 31+552) vs 430-520 (ShipScribe class data, 1944); DANFS adopted per convention; all figures carried. (d) Strike date - NavSource/ShipScribe record struck 1962-09-01 with MARAD custody; Wikipedia renders 'Stricken April 1967' - the 1967 episode was Navy temporary custody for equipment removal per the MARAD card; 'April 1967' treated as the administrative close of that episode, not a second strike. (e) Philippine station - DANFS says 'For the remainder of the war Leyte served in Subic Bay'; a NavSource-contributed awards analysis (Roger Tyrrell, 2011) places the ship at 'San Pedro Bay, Leyte, Philippine Islands 15 Feb 1945 - Dec 1945' for Philippine Liberation Medal service - carried as a minor discrepancy (both are Philippine anchorages).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Limitations
- Resolves or carries publication-level discrepancies between secondary compilations and primary records; none affects identity, the service timeline, or the disposal record. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-05
-
[7]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); ShipScribe class data (retained propulsion: Gen. Mach. Corp. vertical triple expansion, 2,500 HP) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Design-level documentation for the EC2-S-C1 plant - the hull type this vessel was built on (MC hull 2595) before Navy conversion: the U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant 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. The 1944 Navy conversion to an internal combustion engine repair ship retained the steam propulsion plant and added a repair-shop outfit (machine tools, welding equipment, auxiliary machinery) of the same era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Construction trades (Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore, 1944); conversion-yard trades (Baltimore, 1944); ship's company and repair-force personnel
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual does not name this vessel and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. The repair-ship conversion outfit's materials are undocumented. Does not establish quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-06
-
[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 during World War II - the era and program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was built and converted (1944) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- 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-leyte-arg8-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion searches: '"ARG-8"' (140 hits - all collisions); '"USS Leyte"' (1 hit - Kirks v. GE, names CV-32); '"Leyte" asbestos' (2 hits - Kirks collision + Patterson POW/MIA collision); '"Leyte" "ARG-8"' (0); docket-index queries blocked (HTTP 429) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener v4 search, queries listed in search_ledger sl-uss-leyte-arg8-08 through -11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated API sweep (opinion index, 2026-09-26): '"ARG-8"' returned 140 hits - all reviewed results are name collisions on the string (argument/docket/part numbers: Fisher v. University of Texas, Incyte Corp. v. Sun Pharmaceutical, In re Hawk Systems, etc.). '"USS Leyte"' returned 1 hit - Kirks v. General Electric Co., 654 F. Supp. 2d 220 (D. Del. 2009), a remand-stage asbestos opinion reciting that Wilbert Kirks 'served aboard the USS Leyte between 1953 and 1957' - that service window postdates this hull's 1946 decommissioning; the opinion names the carrier USS Leyte (CV-32) and is a name collision for ARG-8. '"Leyte" asbestos' returned 2 hits - Kirks (same collision) and Patterson v. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 343 F. Supp. 3d 637 (W.D. Tex. 2018), a WWII remains-recovery case where 'Leyte' denotes the Philippine island/campaign (collision, no asbestos or vessel content). '"Leyte" "ARG-8"' returned 0 hits. No opinion naming this hull as a vessel - and no asbestos opinion naming any ARG - was located in the completed searches. RECAP docket-index queries ('Leyte', 'Maui') and a '"Maui" "ARG-8"' opinion query remained blocked at research time by the shared fleet CourtListener rate budget (HTTP 429 pacing, ~114/hr across sessions).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Opinion-index coverage substantially complete; RECAP docket-index coverage incomplete (fleet quota spent mid-session). The one asbestos opinion located names the carrier CV-32, not this hull - pleading-stage allegation in that case (removal/remand posture), never an exposure finding, and not about ARG-8 at all. Absence of a located opinion is not proof no litigation naming this hull exists; docket-level name sweep is still owed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-08
-
[10]Batch-2597 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback + ibiblio mirror; MARAD ShipHistory 3292 incl. status cards; ShipScribe Luzon class page; NavSource 09/29/2908 + PDF 2908a; CourtListener (partial); web searches for hull-specific asbestos/abatement/survey records [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-leyte-arg8-01 through sl-uss-leyte-arg8-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Leyte (ARG-8), Maui (ARG-8), or MC hull 2595 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). DANFS, the MARAD ShipHistory data block and status cards, ShipScribe class tables/ship notes, NavSource, and the NHHC Online Library narrative contain no asbestos statement for this hull. Marketing sites (e.g., asbestos-ships.com) publish generic asbestos language for this ship but are non-qualifying commercial sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 EC2-S-C1 steam hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and friction materials. The 1972 scrapping under a 'Scrap Hull - U.S.' condition predates routine documented abatement. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-09
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (deck logs, College Park), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 38 (OCNO war diaries); standard WWII deck-log/war-diary coverage for commissioned auxiliaries [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA record-group guide pages; hull-level retrieval not performed
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for Leyte (ARG-8) Aug 1944-May 1945 and Maui (ARG-8) May 1945-Aug 1946 - repair activity logs would show materials and shop work actually performed; (b) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) conversion plans/specifications and correspondence for the ARG 4-15 EC2 conversion program - the documents that would settle the Maryland Drydock vs Bethlehem Key Highway attribution and describe the installed repair outfit; (c) conversion-yard contract records (Maryland Drydock Co. and Bethlehem Steel Key Highway, Baltimore) - business records not systematically digitized; (d) WWII war diary for ARG-8 (RG 38, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations war diaries - digitized subsets exist on Fold3; coverage for this hull unverified).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leyte-arg8-10