Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet zcl-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lignite-ix162-pkt-zcl-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), Lignite (IX-162) entry - NHHC (canonical URL live per Wayback capture 2024-12-20; returned 404 to scripted fetch at access time, consistent with the standing NHHC link-rot finding in Batch-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Lignite (IX-162) entry, full text; Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241220175302/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lignite.html (published 2015-07-29 per page footer)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Lignite (IX-162; dp. 5,281 lt.; l. 366'4"; b. 54'; dr. 26'; cpl. 114; a. 1 40mm., 4 20mm.; cl. Trefoil; T. B7-D1-Barge): laid down 8 December 1943 by Barrett & Hilp, Belair Shipyard, San Francisco, under a Maritime Commission contract; launched 26 February 1944; sponsored by Miss Catherine Barrett; converted for use as an Army and Marine Corps stores barge by Barrett & Hilp; acquired by the Navy 26 September 1944 and placed in service at San Francisco the same day. Assigned to Service Force, Pacific Fleet; served as a general stores and issue barge at advance bases in the Philippines and Okinawa for the remainder of World War II. Grounded at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 9 October 1945 by Typhoon Louise; refloated 16 October; towed to Hong Kong March 1946 and to Subic Bay, Luzon, in May; placed out of service at Subic Bay 6 August 1946 and returned to the WSA the following day; struck from the Naval Register 28 August 1946. Received one battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (114 per DANFS header) aboard 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Narrative history only - contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. Entry verified via Wayback Machine capture (2024-12-20) of the canonical NHHC page; the live URL returned 404 to automated fetch at access time - same standing link-rot class noted in Batch-01. DANFS 'returned to the WSA the following day' (7 Aug 1946) vs. MARAD status-card 'Basis to W.S.A. 8-6-46' one-day variance flagged in the correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - LIGNITE (IX-162), Ship History Detail 6023, including digitized MC vessel status card (two card images read directly) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 6023; status card images /cards/6023_AF.jpg (typed card) and /cards/c47568a4-d2bf-4a6f-b868-0d1d96a46c19.png (VESSEL STATUS CARD form) - local copies research/lignite-card-front.jpg, research/lignite-card-back.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD/MC record for LIGNITE: type B7-D1 concrete dry-cargo barge, MC hull 1336; built 1944 by Barrett and Hilp; dimensions 350' x 54' x 35'; gross 4,338 tons, DWT 5,687, displacement 10,970; acquisition noted 'War-built for USMC'; owner shown as WSA. Status card: 'Basis to W.S.A. 8-6-46 10:00AM FROM Navy Dept. @ Subic Bay, P.I.' marked Surplus; 'WSA DEC'L: LV#167 dated 10/7/46'; location Subic Bay P.I.; allocation 'Laid Up Fleet' Subic Bay 8-6-46; 'War Dept.' delivery under agreement BB at Subic Bay 2-4-47 2PM; remarks 'Status - On loan to Army as of 12/1/48'; stamped entries 'GROUNDED AND BADLY DAMAGED 12-47' and 'Declared C.T.L. 10-25-49'. Database fate field: 'CTL - No Further Info'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Limitations
- Authoritative for Maritime Commission custody milestones and hull data; status-card handwriting partially legible (read against both card images). The card's 'Basis to W.S.A. 8-6-46' vs. DANFS 'returned to the WSA the following day' (7 Aug) is a one-day source variance reported verbatim, not resolved. Contains no asbestos or materials information. A second MARAD detail record (id 9170, 'LIGNITE (IX162) (1944)') indexes in search but returns no detail page - treated as a database duplicate stub, flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-02
-
[4]Stephen S. Roberts, ShipScribe - USS Trefoil (IX-149) class page (B7-D1 design data, construction/disposition tables, class notes, ship notes), compiled from Navy and Maritime Commission records [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-149 class page: design block, construction/disposition tables, class notes (FY 1943 program; IX 158-164 acquisition narrative), ship notes row for IX-162
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class and program record: after Congress and the Maritime Commission added concrete ships to the WWII program in late 1941, Barrett & Hilp contracted 30 Jun 42 for thirteen 366-foot B7-D1 non-self-propelled concrete barges designed to transport bauxite ore, plus thirteen more (4 Aug 42) reassigned from a cancelled MacDonald & Kahn order; the Belair Shipyard was purpose-built under MC contract; six of twenty-six cancelled, twenty built, thirteen acquired by the Navy (IX-149/150/151/152/153/154/158-164). Lignite (IX-162) = MC hull 1336: keel 8 Dec 43, launched 26 Feb 44, in service 26 Sep 44; ship note: 'Ex merc. LIGNITE. Army and Marine Corps stores issue barge. Grounded in typhoon at Okinawa 9 Oct 45 but refloated 16 Oct 45. To MC at Subic Bay 1946. To Army 4 Feb 47. Grounded and badly damaged Dec. 1947, declared constructive total loss.' GSK conversion consisted essentially of installing a 'tween deck in the holds; crews grew from 16 for the basic barge to 53 for the GSK conversion and 61 for refrigerated fit-outs; a shipyard history suggests two of the seven IX-158-164 group barges were refrigerated - Lignite not so identified.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Construction trades at Belair Shipyard (wartime-only yard); crews of 13 Navy-acquired B7-D1 barges (class context)
- Limitations
- Expert reference compilation drawn from NAVSEA ship-history records - consistent with primary documents but not itself an official publication; used for class/program structure, dates, and the ship note, not for asbestos claims. Class-table complement (53-61 range in notes; 54 in header for 1944) conflicts with DANFS's 114 for this hull - flagged in gaps. No asbestos or materials information in the class notes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-03
-
[5]Worrall Reed Carter, RAdm USN (Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1953), Chapter XXIX - official Navy logistics history, HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter XXIX, Ulithi servicing paragraph (pp. 369-370 of the GPO edition)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy logistics history names this hull in the Ulithi anchorage narrative for the first half of May 1945 (Service Squadron Ten servicing an average of slightly more than 600 ships): 'Dry provisions were issued by the concrete Lignite and other provisions ships and from three merchant ships - the Cape Ducato, Midwest Farmer, and Cape San Blas. Fresh and frozen came from the merchantman Matchless and the Lignite, while the Quartz issued general, small, and canteen stores.' Documents the hull's specific stores-issue role at Ulithi within ServRon 10, including issue of perishable provisions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945-05
- Population
- Lignite crew issuing stores to fleet units at Ulithi, May 1945
- Limitations
- Operational narrative only - establishes the hull's function and location, contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. 'Fresh and frozen' issue is service documentation, not equipment documentation: whether Lignite carried reefer spaces (sisters Asphalt IX-153 and Silica IX-151 are the documented refrigerated fit-outs; secondary specs list Lignite 'non-refrigerated') is unresolved - flagged in gaps. HyperWar transcription of the 1953 GPO volume consulted (printed original not retrieved).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-04
-
[6]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, Lignite (IX-162) page - chronology, specifications block, campaign/award table, and photo archive (volunteer-maintained compilation, secondary) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-162 page: chronology, 'Specifications' block, campaign tables, image captions 094616203-094616205
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for IX-162 corroborates the DANFS chronology and adds: call sign NAAW; campaign data - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, Okinawa Gunto operation (10-30 June 1945); Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended), both 26 October 1945 to 22 April 1946; specifications - displacement 5,678 lt / 10,960 full load, complement 52, machinery 'four Diesel-drive 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators', diesel fuel 610 bbl, cargo 3,000 DWT non-refrigerated 292,000 cu ft; photo of Lignite at anchor in Hong Kong harbor circa March-April 1946 (contributor for Leo Olah, BM2, crew); final disposition narrative - 'while under tow ex Lignite broke away during a typhoon and went aground on the fringing reef off Eli Malk in the Palau Islands (7 deg 06' 43.65"N and 134 deg 24' 13.42"E)'.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1949
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive - used for corroboration, campaign-table, and specification detail, not as sole authority; the Eli Malk position and 'broke away during a typhoon' detail are NavSource narrative not traceable to a cited primary document (the MARAD card confirms grounding/damage 12-47 but names no location). Complement 52 conflicts with DANFS 114 - flagged in correction row. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-05
-
[7]NavSource photo-archive caption (image 094616205, contributed by Phil Orr): 'History of ex-Lignite (IX-162) after completing Naval Service and an image of the after portion of the barge grounded on the fringe reef at Eli Malk, Palau Islands, date unknown' - credited 'WWII Wrecks of Palau pg 202, by Dan Bailey' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-162 image caption 094616205; deeperblue.com concrete-ship-wreck article (dive-site documentation and Koror misidentification note); Wikipedia USS Lignite (Bailey salvage attribution)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The wrecked hull remains on the fringing reef off Eli Malk, Palau: the NavSource archive carries a photograph of the after portion of the concrete barge on the reef (from Bailey's WWII Wrecks of Palau, p. 202). Secondary wreck literature documents the hulk as a dive site from 1974, distinguishes this reef grounding from a different Koror-harbor concrete wreck sometimes misidentified as Lignite, and describes a 59-day cargo salvage operation by Walt Simmons beginning September 1947 (specialist-secondary detail, consistent with the MARAD card's Dec-1947 'badly damaged' notation).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1947-present
- Population
- Walt Simmons salvage crew, Sept-Nov 1947 (secondary attribution); later recreational divers
- Limitations
- Establishes that the hull was abandoned in place rather than scrapped - whatever material was aboard in December 1947 was not removed by a documented breakers' yard process; the Sept-1947 salvage operation (Bailey via secondary references) removed cargo, not necessarily materials. Wreck coordinates and dive-site attribution are secondary-source; no government survey of the wreck located. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-06
-
[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 program era in which this 1943-44 Maritime Commission concrete barge was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or concrete barges, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Concrete non-self-propelled barges lacked the boiler/steam systems where most shipboard asbestos concentrated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-07
-
[9]NavSource IX-162 specifications block (B7-D1 type; machinery 'four Diesel-drive 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators'; fuel 610 bbl diesel; cargo 3,000 DWT non-refrigerated; armament 1x40mm + 4x20mm AA), corroborated by ShipScribe type data ('Non-self propelled') and DANFS class header [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-162 Specifications block; ShipScribe IX-149 class design block; DANFS class header
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Type-profile bound on asbestos-relevant systems: the B7-D1 ferrocement barge is non-self-propelled with no boilers and no steam plant; documented machinery is four diesel-drive 60 kW ship's-service generators; cargo capacity is listed non-refrigerated in secondary specifications. The asbestos-intensive systems typical of WWII steamships were therefore absent by design; residual era-typical applications aboard such craft were limited to generator exhaust lagging, gaskets/packing, electrical insulation, and interior finishes.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944 design; WWII era
- Population
- Engineering/electrical ratings aboard, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Design-boundary reasoning, not an asbestos finding: no source documents asbestos-containing materials aboard this hull, and no source documents their absence either. Specifications are hull-documented in secondary compilation; the absence of an asbestos record for these systems is noted rather than inferred content. The 'fresh and frozen' issue record (ev-04) leaves open whether limited reefer space existed aboard - unresolved, flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-08
-
[10]MARAD Vessel History Detail 6023 + status cards vs. DANFS and NavSource - custody-date and complement reconciliation [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD card front/back fields vs. DANFS paragraph 3 and NavSource chronology; ShipScribe construction table; MARAD public-search duplicate listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies reported, not resolved: (a) WSA return - MARAD card 'Basis to W.S.A. 8-6-46 10:00AM FROM Navy Dept. @ Subic Bay' vs. DANFS 'placed out of service at Subic Bay 6 August and returned to the WSA the following day' (7 Aug) vs. NavSource 'Returned to the War Shipping Administration, 7 August 1946'; the card is the contemporaneous custody record and the out-of-service date (6 Aug) is consistent across all three. (b) Complement - DANFS 114 vs. NavSource specifications 52 vs. ShipScribe class table 54 (1944) and class-note figures 53-61 for GSK/reefer fit-outs; DANFS figure adopted for the record header, alternates flagged. (c) MARAD search index carries a second record 'LIGNITE (IX162) (1944)' (id 9170) that returns no detail page - treated as a duplicate stub. (d) Wikipedia/secondary 'declined by the WSA 7 October 1946' and 'constructive total loss 25 October 1949' both trace correctly to the status card (WSA DEC'L LV#167 dated 10/7/46; Declared C.T.L. 10-25-49) - corroborated, though the card does not itself say 'declined'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1949 records
- Limitations
- Reconciles publication-level discrepancies between contemporaneous custody records and secondary compilations; does not affect identity or the service timeline materially. No asbestos content in any source reconciled here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 via fleet authenticated helper (cl-auth-search.py), 2026-09-29: planned queries - opinion search exact phrase "USS Lignite"; opinion and docket searches "IX-162"; bare 'Lignite' screened out as high-collision term (lignite-coal mining, power-plant, and royalty litigation) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lignite-ix162-CL1, CL2 (result: blocked)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep attempted but not completed: the authenticated helper returned the fleet-wide pacing stand-down (exit 2) on five spaced attempts across the session, so zero CourtListener queries executed. No qualifying asbestos-litigation opinion or docket naming USS Lignite or IX-162 could be confirmed or ruled out; the litigation surface for this hull is undocumented, not cleared.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- A blocked sweep records the attempt, not a negative result - no opinion or docket data was returned. Even a completed null result would not be proof of non-existence: opinion/docket coverage varies by court and era, unindexed or state-court matters would not appear, and WWII naval personnel asbestos claims typically proceeded against manufacturers and the government rather than being styled to a vessel name. Open item for a later CourtListener backfill pass (fleet runs dedicated clbackfill batches).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-10
-
[12]Batch-4732 search ledger (this record): DANFS via NHHC/Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 6023 + status cards; ShipScribe IX-149 class file; shipbuildinghistory MC hull list; Carter 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil' ch. XXIX (HyperWar); NavSource IX-162 archive; Corn & Starr 1987; NARA catalog; shipyards.json cross-check; CourtListener sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lignite-ix162-01 through -10 and CL rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Lignite (IX-162) hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The wrecked hull has never had a published materials survey; the December 1947 grounding and 1949 constructive-total-loss declaration ended custody without a documented disposal or dismantling process.
- 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 - an un-surveyed 1943-built hull is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials in habitability/machinery finishes, while its non-steam concrete design bounds the likely scope. 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-lignite-ix162-11
-
[13]NARA record-group mapping: RG 24 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978' (NAID 594258) and Special List 44; RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) construction/contract files - leads only, no box-level retrieval [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy; /research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html; NARA catalog search attempted 2026-09-29 (catalog API returns SPA shell to scripted access - manual catalog review required)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved (no spend authorized): (a) IX-162 deck logs 1944-1946 within the RG 24 logbook series - digitization of the 1941-1978 series is partial and IX-162 logs were not located in the digitized public catalog at access time; (b) RG 178 MC Construction Division records may hold the B7-D1 contract specification and hull 1336 outfitting documentation (the likeliest surviving materials/insulation spec for the type); (c) War Department/Army Transportation Corps records for the post-Navy Army period (Feb-Dec 1947) may document the tow and loss event - the grounding that wrote off the hull occurred under Army custody.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1949 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for hull 1336 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lignite-ix162-12