Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. IV, p. 125, 'Littlehales' (YF-854) entry (verbatim transcription mirror; live NHHC DANFS page 404s as of 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. IV, p. 125, 'Littlehales' (YF-854) paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The second Littlehales (AGSC-15) was laid down as YF-854 on 1945-05-31 by Erie Concrete & Steel Co., Erie, PA; launched 1945-08-28; commissioned 1952-12-17. From 1953 to 1958 she conducted surveys and collected data along the west coast from Alaska to Panama. On 1959-02-14 she was named Littlehales and redesignated AGSC-15, then surveyed the east coast from Mayport, FL to Argentia, Newfoundland for three years. In February 1962 she joined Project AUTEC for open-ocean research in TOTO (Tongue of the Ocean) off the Bahamas, operating there 1962-1968 with occasional visits to home port at Little Creek, VA. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1968-02-20 and decommissioned 1968-04-01 - over a month after being struck, 'an event rare in Naval History' per DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1968
- Population
- Crew complement 19; hydrographic/survey personnel
- Limitations
- DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information - establishes identity and operations only. The hazegray transcription carries OCR defects ('AGSC-16' for AGSC-15, 'commissioning in 1962' for 1952, 'cl. YF-52' for YF-852); verified values follow every official-derived source (Shipscribe, NavSource, NVR-derived data). Does not establish individual exposure, causation, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-01
-
[2]Stephen S. Roberts, Shipscribe, 'USS Littlehales (AGSC 15, ex YF) Class' - compiled from official Navy records (NVR, CNO correspondence, ship characteristics files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe AGSC class page - Construction/Disposition tables and Class Notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- YF-854 was a standard WWII 132-foot self-propelled covered lighter (Navy YF-257 design; geared diesel, 2 screws, ~1,000 hp; 300 t light / 650 t full; accommodations for 11). Completed 1945-10-28, delivered 1945-10-31, laid up without service; sister contract hulls YF-853 and YF-855 through YF-860 cancelled 1945-08-29. A 1958-08-25 letter from the Commanding Officer of USS YF-854 to CNO documented that the ship had been placed in commission in 1952 at the request of the Hydrographic Office and had since surveyed Panama, Alaska, and nearly every port on the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts; the CO requested a name or AGSC redesignation. CNO approved YF-854 to AGSC-15 on 1959-01-14 effective 1959-02-14; the name LITTLEHALES (honoring George Washington Littlehales, Principal Scientist of the Hydrographic Office 1885-1932) was assigned 1959-03-03 effective 1959-02-14. Disposition table: decommissioned 1968-04-01, struck 1968-02-20, disposal 1969-04-03, fate 'Target.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1969
- Population
- Crew complement 19 (DANFS figure); accommodations 11 (class data)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation from official records, not itself an official publication; Roberts's sourcing is primary-grade but the page is private scholarship. 'Target' fate (1969-04-03) conflicts with NavSource's 'fate unknown'; screw count (2) conflicts with NavSource 'single propeller.' Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-02
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[3]Ostericher, Charles Jr., 'Bottom and subbottom investigation of Penobscot Bay, Maine, 1959,' U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, Washington, 1965 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Report, Survey Observations / Sonoprobe sections (BHL/HathiTrust scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office report documenting that Sonoprobe subbottom-profiler runs were made aboard USS LITTLEHALES (AGSC-15) during the August-October 1959 inshore survey of Penobscot Bay, Maine - 11 runs totaling 70 miles of tracks plus short runs at coring sites, corroborating the DANFS east-coast survey period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1959-08 to 1959-10 (survey); report published 1965
- Population
- Survey crew and embarked technical personnel, 1959
- Limitations
- Names this hull and documents a specific 1959 survey operation; contains no asbestos, materials, crew-health, or ship-condition information. Does not establish exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-03
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[4]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 program under which this 1945-built hull was produced at an emergency wartime yard. Era-typical applications on a small diesel auxiliary would center on engine-exhaust insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, and interior coverings rather than boiler/steam-plant insulation.
- 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 scholarship; does not name this vessel or its class and establishes nothing about whether asbestos was or remains aboard this hull - nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The diesel plant implies lower asbestos density than steam hulls; that too is inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-04
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[5]NERC/ICES Platform Codes entry SDN:C17::31LI 'Littlehales' - registry record: built 1945, mothballed; commissioned as self-propelled lighter USS YF-854 in 1952; redesignated coastal survey ship 1959; decommissioned 1968-04-01; pennant AGSC-15; callsign NHPM; WOD identifier 1754 with data 1959-1965 [other_primary]
- Locator
- vocab.nerc.ac.uk collection C17, identifier 31LI (version 3)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The international ICES platform registry (maintained by NERC) records USS Littlehales (AGSC-15) as the platform of origin for oceanographic observations contributed to the World Ocean Database covering 1959-1965 - independent confirmation of the hull's survey career under its own identity.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1959-1965 (data coverage); registry current 2016
- Limitations
- Data-registry metadata about the ship as an instrument platform; contains no asbestos, condition, or crew information. Confirms operations and hull identity only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-05
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[6]Edward Arthur v. Maersk, Inc. d/b/a Maersk Line Ltd., Dyn Corp. Technical Services d/b/a Dyn Marine Services, and United States, 437 F.3d 389 (3d Cir. 2006); companion district ruling Arthur v. United States, E.D. Pa. 2003 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 792913 (3d Cir. 2006) - facts section; opinion 2577959 (E.D. Pa. 2003)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener 'Littlehales' hits include the Arthur litigation, which names U.S.N.S. Littlehales - i.e., USNS Littlehales (T-AGS-52), a Hayes-class oceanographic survey ship operated for the Navy by Dyn Marine Services - on which plaintiff Arthur alleged a 2000-05-02 knee injury. That is a different hull from USS Littlehales (AGSC-15) and a non-asbestos (orthopedic injury/unseaworthiness) claim. Logged to prevent misattribution of the name-collision dockets to this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2000-2006
- Limitations
- The Arthur opinions do not mention AGSC-15 at all; they concern a different vessel and different cause of action. Presence of these cases in name searches is a collision artifact, not exposure evidence for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-06
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[7]Batch-776 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket searches for 'Littlehales', 'AGSC-15', 'YF-854', and 'Littlehales asbestos'; NHHC/DANFS; Shipscribe; NAVOCEANO report; ICES/NERC registry; MARAD ShipHistory; NavSource; ECONSTEEL corporate history [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-littlehales-agsc15-01 through sl-uss-littlehales-agsc15-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Littlehales (AGSC-15) or YF-854 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned 73 'Littlehales' hits - all person-name collisions (criminal, bankruptcy, patent, military-review defendants) except the Arthur cases, which name USNS Littlehales (T-AGS-52), a different hull, in non-asbestos claims. Hull-number searches returned zero.
- 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 1945 Navy-built hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-littlehales-agsc15-07