Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. 5 (1970), pp. 319-320, 'Piscataqua' (AOG-70) - hazegray transcription (NHHC online page for this hull not located 2026-09-25) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. 5, pp. 319-320; hazegray mirror danfs/auxil/aog70.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Vol. 5, 1970, pp. 319-320) entry for Piscataqua (AOG-70): 'Piscataqua, a T-1 tanker, [was] laid down under Maritime Commission contract 24 March 1945 by St. John's River Shipbuilding Corporation, Jacksonville, Fla.; launched 26 May 1945; but naval acquisition of the ship was cancelled 27 August 1945. [T]he oiler was delivered to the Maritime Commission 18 September 1945, and entered the merchant marine service under the name Louden.' Design data given: displacement 1,988; length 325'2"; beam 48'2"; draft 19'; speed 10 kts; complement 80; armament 1 x 3-inch, 2 x 40mm, 8 x 20mm; class Klickitat.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Shipyard construction workforce (St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville, 1945)
- Limitations
- DANFS design figures (complement 80, armament, displacement 1,988) describe the intended Navy configuration - the ship was never acquired, commissioned, armed, or crewed by the Navy. Cancellation date 27 Aug 1945 vs MARAD 'work suspended 8-26-45' - likely distinct events (suspension vs formal cancellation), both recorded. DANFS says she entered merchant service 'under the name Louden'; MARAD name history shows Piscataqua held to 1948 - see correction row. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-louden-aog70-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LOUDEN (Detail 3068) and PISCATAQUA (Detail 6266), incl. digitized vessel status cards (Reserve Fleet Division - Vessel Data card; MC hulls 2629-2635 group card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 3068 (https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/3068) and Detail 6266; status card images /cards/3068_5705AF.jpg, /cards/d7597eea-*.png, /cards/5P3_01.png
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records for MC hull 2630 (LOUDEN detail 3068 and PISCATAQUA detail 6266, sharing digitized vessel status cards): T1-M-BT1 tanker built by St. John's River Shipbuilding Co.; construction 'work suspended 8-26-45' at '80.3% complete'; 'USMC accepted 9-18-45' (incomplete hull, Jacksonville fleet); 'SOLD TO INTERNATIONAL TANKERS' under Merchant Marine Act 1936 authority (card note 'act 1936'), dated 7-16-47 with physical delivery 7-19-47 ('dated back to 7/16/47'); MARAD narrative: completed at Maryland Drydock as Piscataqua; name history Louden (1945), Piscataqua (1945-48), Transwel (1948-50), Salamanca (1950-72); fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.' A group status card for MC hulls 2629-2635 records the St. John's River T1 block as 'Incompleted hulls. Sold to International Tankers. 7-16-47.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1972
- Population
- Shipyard completion workforce (Maryland Drydock, Baltimore, 1947-48); merchant tanker crews (1947-1972)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for MC custody, condition-at-suspension (80.3%), and disposal milestones; status-card handwriting partially legible and was read directly from the scans ('LOUDON' spelling appears in the card's Former Name field; PD-X docket notations not fully resolved). Merchant completion date is stated in the narrative but not dated on the card - secondary registries give June 1948 (Miramar). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-louden-aog70-02
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[3]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 Maritime Commission emergency-contract program under which this T1-M-BT1 hull was constructed at the St. John's River yard, Jacksonville, in 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- 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 type. Two factors narrow any inference for this hull: it is a diesel tanker (no boiler or steam-line insulation - the heaviest shipboard asbestos applications of the era), and construction was suspended at 80.3% completion, so outfitting-stage materials (joiner/accommodation insulation, wiring) may never have been fully installed by the MC-contract workforce. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard, nor quantity, location, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-louden-aog70-03
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[4]Batch-2018 search ledger (this record): DANFS Vol. 5; MARAD ShipHistory 3068/6266 + status cards; CourtListener name/hull searches (opinions and dockets); NavSource/shipbuildinghistory/Miramar secondary cross-checks [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-louden-aog70-01 through sl-uss-louden-aog70-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, NDRF layup record, or docketed case naming this hull under any documented name (Louden/Loudon, Piscataqua AOG-70, Transwel, Salamanca, MC 2630) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener: 'AOG-70' returned zero opinions; 'Piscataqua'+asbestos returned one name collision (a Virgin Islands insurance case); 'Louden'+asbestos returned 13 surname/company collisions (incl. the Louden v. A.W. Chesterton line and Louden Machinery-related references); 'Louden' and 'Piscataqua' docket searches returned only personal/regional name collisions. See search_ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945-built MC hull completed 1947-48 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull was scrapped (Mexico) in 1972, so no extant-fabric survey is possible; and with no naval service period, no Navy-generated documentation chain (deck logs, yard availabilities, NDRF preservation records) exists for this hull. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-louden-aog70-04
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[5]MARAD ShipHistory records/cards (Details 3068, 6266); DANFS Vol. 5 pp. 319-320 (AOG-70) and Piscataqua IV entry (T-AOG-80, ex-Taveta/Cisne) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status card 'Former Name' field; MARAD name-history table; hazegray DANFS aog70.htm and aog80.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Nomenclature corrections: (a) the Navy-assigned name for AOG-70 was Piscataqua (DANFS), not 'Louden' - Louden/Loudon was the Maritime Commission contract and merchant name, and the hull never carried a USS prefix because it was never commissioned; the batch-list label 'USS Louden' is therefore a bookkeeping name only. (b) Spelling: MARAD's status card gives former name 'LOUDON' while the MARAD narrative, DANFS, and MC hull tabulations use 'Louden' - both spellings appear in authoritative records. (c) Collision risk: a second, distinct hull bore the name Piscataqua - T-AOG-80 (ex-Taveta/Cisne, Todd Houston-built), which served MSTS in Korea - so name-based searches must be hull-screened. (d) The MARAD record's 'MARAD Type' field reads 'T1-M-BT2' while the MARAD narrative, the status card's Type field, DANFS ('T-1'), and all secondary registries give T1-M-BT1 - flagged, unresolved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1972
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level naming discrepancies across authoritative and secondary sources; does not affect custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-louden-aog70-05
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[6]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 construction and disposal records; PD-X docket notations on vessel status card
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) holds construction-contract records for the St. John's River T1-M-BT1 block (MCc 30837, MC hulls 2624-2635) and postwar disposal/sale files - the status card's 'PD-X 357' and 'PD-X 2650' notations are the Commission's disposal-docket anchors for hull 2630. No Navy deck logs exist (never commissioned). Merchant-service records (1947-72, incl. International Tankers and Petroleos Mexicanos periods) and Maryland Drydock completion records would be business/port archives rather than federal custody.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1972 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 2630 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-louden-aog70-06