Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 380-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (secondary-sourced) — real identity: Liberty Belle; hull IX-72; unclassified miscellaneous vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (secondary-sourced)
- Evidence ID
- uss-liberty-belle-ix72-pkt-380-packet-md
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[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Liberty Belle (IX-72),' Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-07-29) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS IX-72 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Liberty Belle (IX-72): built 1910 by Harlan & Hollingworth, Wilmington, Del.; acquired by the Navy 23 April 1942 from the Wilson Line on bareboat charter; placed in service 1 January 1943 for duty in the 5th Naval District; assigned to experimental duty, operated out of the Naval Mine Warfare Test Station, Solomons, Md., until early May 1944; placed out of service 18 May 1944 at Philadelphia; returned to the Maritime Commission 10 April 1947; subsequently sold to Jersey Shore Lines of Atlantic Highlands, N.J., and renamed Asbury Park. Naval figures: 622 t., l. 198', b. 44', dr. 12'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1910-1947
- Limitations
- Official Navy history; establishes identity, acquisition, in-service dates, station, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, materials, crew-size, or conversion-detail information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-01
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[3]Shipscribe.com, 'USS Small IX: Miscellaneous Types (2)' class page covering IX-68, IX-71, IX-72, IX-80 - construction/disposition tables and ship notes compiled from BuShips and CNO correspondence [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction and Disposition tables; Class Notes IX-72 paragraph; Ship Notes row IX-72
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe 'Small IX: Miscellaneous Types (2)' compilation (Stephen S. Roberts, from BuShips/CNO records): on 22 Apr 1942 CNO asked the Maritime Commission to acquire the steamer Liberty Belle and authorized BuShips representatives to accept her; built 1910 as CITY OF PHILADELPHIA for the Wilmington Steamboat Co. (the Wilson Line), renamed LIBERTY BELLE in 1938; chartered for experimental purposes under BuShips; 8 Sep 1942 BuShips requested armed-guard equipment, noting confidential experimental work, merchant-crew operation with Naval personnel under an Officer in Charge; 17 Apr 1943 reassigned to the Naval Mine Warfare Test Station, Solomons, Md., for training and experimental operations with ATLANTIDA (IX-108) on the Mark 29 mine (towed acoustic sensor plus two explosive-filled hoses up to 400 ft streamed from paravane gear); released from Mk-29 duty April 1944; conversion completed 22 May 1942; decommissioned 18 May 1944; stricken 29 Jul 1944; sold April 1947 to Andrew Richard of Atlantic Highlands, N.J.; renamed Asbury Park 1947, Tolchester 1949, hulked 1957 as Freestone, renamed Potomac 1961, scrapped 1974. Ship notes: ferry boat, 749 tons gross, 192.75' oa x 32' x 11.25', steel hull, 1 triple-expansion engine, 1550 hp, 15 kts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1910-1974
- Population
- Merchant crew and embarked Navy experimental personnel (1942-1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of primary Navy records (not itself an official publication); the detailed chronology, crewing arrangement, and Mk-29 test detail trace to BuShips/CNO correspondence but were not independently pulled from NARA. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-02
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[4]NavSource Naval History, IX-72 Liberty Belle photo index page (photo captions transcribing NHHC Ships Histories files and BuShips photos 19-N-32719/19-N-32720; registration notes; page updated 2024-01-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-72 page: chronology block, specifications block, photo captions 19-N-32719/19-N-32720 and merchant-service cards
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Miscellaneous Photo Index page for IX-72, transcribing NHHC/BuShips photo records: BuShips photo 19-N-32720 shows Liberty Belle (IX-72) moored at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 21 May 1942 'after completing conversion for use as an experimental vessel for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory,' then a chartered vessel with an officer in charge supervising a civilian crew; a WWI-era Navy data card on her as SS City of Philadelphia records the Navy considered her 'unsuitable for Naval use' and assigned no identification number; merchant-service photo record shows her as a Wilson Lines excursion boat modernized in the 1930s. Postwar registration sequence: Asbury Park (Jersey Shore Lines); Tolchester 1949 (Tolchester Lines, Baltimore); Freestone 1957 (Willis Development Corp.); Potomac 1961 (Potomac River Line); Tolchester 1964; Potomac 1972; out of documentation 1981; fate unknown. Propulsion listed as steam; complement and armament unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1910-1981
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archive; captions transcribe official NHHC/BuShips photo records but the underlying photos were not independently pulled from NHHC. Fate conflicts with Shipscribe ('scrapped 1974' vs 'out of documentation 1981, fate unknown') - carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-03
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[5]Maryland Department of the Environment, 'Naval Recreation Center Solomons (MD-058)' site history/environmental file [other_primary]
- Locator
- MDE MD-058 document, 'Site History' section
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Maryland Department of the Environment Brownfield/VCP federal-facility file for the NDW Solomons Complex (MD-058): the Naval Ordnance Laboratory was the first occupant of the Solomons Complex in early 1941 (then 'Solomons Annex') and established the Naval Mine Warfare Test Station there for research, development, testing, and evaluation of the Navy's mine warfare and countermeasures program - the station this vessel operated out of April 1943-May 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1941-present (facility)
- Limitations
- State environmental file for the shore facility, not the vessel - it documents the station's mission and postwar disposal/sandblast areas on land; it contains no information about the ship or about asbestos aboard her, and no asbestos statement about the station itself appears in the sections reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-04
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[6]NLRB v. Wilson Line, Inc., 122 F.2d 809 (3d Cir. 1941), CourtListener opinion 1542203 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, fleet-description paragraph (page *810)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- National Labor Relations Board v. Wilson Line, Inc., 122 F.2d 809 (3d Cir. 1941): a reported federal appellate opinion enforcing an NLRB unfair-labor-practices order against the vessel's owner, in which the court names the hull - Wilson Line 'owned and operated seven steamers, the "State of Pennsylvania," "City of Wilmington," "City of Camden," "City of Philadelphia" (renamed the "Liberty Belle"), "State of Delaware," "Dixie" and "City of Washington,"' the last three being the excursion steamers. The case concerned discriminatory discharges after the December 1937 seasonal layup.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1937-1941
- Population
- Wilson Line licensed and unlicensed marine employees (1937-1938 dispute period)
- Limitations
- Classified OTHER LITIGATION, not qualifying asbestos litigation: a 1941 labor case that names the hull in the owner's fleet list. Establishes vessel identity and excursion service only; contains nothing about asbestos, exposure, or condition. Decided while the ship was still in merchant service, before Navy acquisition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-05
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[7]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
- Class/era inference only: the vessel carried a 1910-vintage marine steam plant (triple-expansion engine per Shipscribe ship notes) of a type whose boilers, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and packing were commonly asbestos-containing, and her May 1942 conversion at the Philadelphia Navy Yard fell in the period when peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive use of asbestos as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. wartime shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1910-1944 era; article 1987
- Population
- Wilmington Steamboat Co. crews (1910-1942); Philadelphia Navy Yard conversion workers (1942); embarked Navy/merchant personnel (1942-1944)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level scholarship; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull at any period - neither her 1910 fit-out, 1930s modernization, nor May 1942 Navy-yard conversion has a located materials record. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-06
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[8]Batch-4865 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource IX-72 page; Shipscribe IX-068; MARAD ShipHistory search; NVR; MDE Solomons file; CourtListener name/hull sweeps; web sweep for asbestos pairings [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-01 through sl-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull (under any of its names: City of Philadelphia, Liberty Belle, Asbury Park, Tolchester, Freestone, Potomac) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull does not survive - scrapped per Shipscribe 1974 / out of documentation 1981 per NavSource - so no present-day survey pathway exists.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1910 steam vessel converted at a wartime Navy yard is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and no materials survey was ever located or likely exists. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-07
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[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket indexes, exact-name and hull-number queries [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-06 and sl-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4, fleet-paced): query '"Liberty Belle" asbestos' (type=o) returned 0 opinions; query '"IX-72"' (type=o) returned 13 opinions, all name collisions (exhibit-number/date token matches in unrelated commercial, insurance, criminal, and administrative cases); query '"Liberty Belle"' (type=o) returned 6 opinions - one vessel-related non-asbestos hit (NLRB v. Wilson Line, 122 F.2d 809 (3d Cir. 1941), labor case naming the hull in the owner's fleet list - see ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-05) and five name collisions: Gourley v. Dept. of Workforce Services (Utah App. 2014, employment), In re Restaurant Liquor License No. R14575 (Pa. Commw. 1976, tavern license), B&B Schiffahrts v. American Diesel & Ship Repairs (E.D. La. 2001, citing unrelated 'Liberty Belle Limited Partnership' admiralty case), Shailer v. Touraine Co. (D.C. Cir. 1923, candy trademark), Carson v. Harris (Tex. App. 1951, restaurant name). Docket-index (type=r) sweep of 'Liberty Belle' was attempted but remained blocked by fleet-wide pacing budget at session close.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Search-negative, not an adjudicated absence: RECAP docket coverage and opinion full-text coverage are incomplete for pre-2000 state/federal matters, and a docket-index sweep remained unexecuted at session close (fleet pacing budget). No qualifying asbestos litigation was located; this does not prove no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-08
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[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 74 (Bureau of Ordnance), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); NHHC research guide 'Navy Records at NARA' [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 74 overview; RG 19 overview https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; NHHC guide https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/bibliographies-and-research-guides/research-guides/navy-records-at-nara.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) may hold the 1942 Philadelphia Navy Yard conversion file, acceptance/charter correspondence, and the 8 Sep 1942 confidential-work/armed-guard correspondence quoted in the Shipscribe compilation; RG 74 (Records of the Bureau of Ordnance, incl. Naval Ordnance Laboratory records) may hold NMWTS Solomons Mark 29 trial records and vessel outfitting details for 1943-1944; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) may hold the bareboat-charter acquisition and 1947 return/disposal files; merchant logbooks (RG 26, U.S. Coast Guard, distributed regionally by port) may survive for the Wilson Line years and the charter period.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1947 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. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-liberty-belle-ix72-09