USS Lyon (AP-71)

Evidence

15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).

1. [1]NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Lyon (AP-71) specifications block (propulsion, boilers, armament, troop capacity) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Specifications block, propulsion subsection

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Documented propulsion plant (2 Foster Wheeler D-type boilers at 465 psi/765 deg F; General Electric geared steam turbine; single screw, 8,000 shp) is the standard superheated-steam plant of 1939-42 U.S. Maritime Commission C3 construction; boiler and steam-line insulation, gaskets, packing, and insulation felts of that era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1939-1972

   Population

   Ingalls construction trades (1939-42); Atlantic Basin Iron Works conversion workers (Sept 1942); ship's company and embarked troops (1942-46); merchant crews (1946-72)

   Limitations

   The spec sheet documents the steam plant, not insulation materials - the source does not say 'asbestos'. Asbestos content is era inference from 1939-42 USMC/Navy construction practice, not a hull-proven fact; the ship was built as a commercial passenger-cargo liner (SS Mormactide), so original materials reflect commercial C3 outfit. Does not establish quantity, specific products, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-01

2. [2]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 Maritime Commission C3 hull was built and converted, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S.-built hulls.

   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 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-lyon-ap71-02

3. [3]Batch-2143 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback capture; NavSource vessel page; MARAD Vessel History Database (MORMACTIDE 1941, LYON AP-71, SANTA REGINA, O.N. 240348); CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket searches by ship name and hull number; AP-71 Booklet of General Plans (maritime.org via Wayback); NARA record-group guidance [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lyon-ap71-01 through sl-uss-lyon-ap71-13

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No ship-specific asbestos technical record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation-material schedule, or hazmat disclosure naming USS Lyon (AP-71), SS Mormactide, or SS Santa Regina was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned no published asbestos opinion naming the hull or its aliases and no merits-stage asbestos litigation; the only ship-naming asbestos-litigation document found is a discovery-stage claimant exhibit that lists 'Santa Regina' among 21 candidate Grace/Prudential ships (see ev-14 - allegation, not a finding). Other hull litigation is a non-asbestos 1961 seaman-injury case (see ev-08).

   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 1939-42 steam passenger liner is era-consistent with asbestos insulation until her 1972 scrapping, and shipboard records were never public. 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-lyon-ap71-03

4. [4]NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Lyon (AP-71) vessel page - chronology, campaign listing, specification block, NARA and Army Signal Corps photo captions [other_primary]

   Locator

   Vessel page: chronology, campaign table, specifications block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource record for this hull (Elizabeth C. Stanton-class transport): laid down 21 August 1939 as SS Mormactide, MC hull 65, Ingalls Shipbuilding Co., Pascagoula, MS; launched 12 October 1940; delivered 10 March 1942 to Moore-McCormack Lines for commercial service; custody to War Department 8 August 1942; acquired by Navy and sent to Atlantic Basin Iron Works, Brooklyn, for conversion 13 September 1942; commissioned 16 September 1942 (Capt. Martin J. Gillan). Campaigns: North African occupation (Algeria-Morocco landings 8-11 November 1942), Sicilian occupation (9-15 July 1943), Salerno landings (9-21 September 1943), invasion of Southern France (15 August-25 September 1944), Okinawa Gunto (26-30 April 1945); Navy Occupation service 15 October-3 November 1945 and 6-20 January 1946; decommissioned 3 May 1946 at New York, returned to Maritime Commission then Moore-McCormack; stricken 8 May 1946; five battle stars; renamed Mormactide (1946-66), Santa Regina under Grace Lines (August 1966); sold for scrapping 18 January 1972 to Dah Yung Steel Manufacturing Co., Taiwan. Specs: 7,954 t light / 14,909 t full; 491'8"; 69'6" beam; complement 47 officers + 356 enlisted; troop capacity 1,981.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1939-1972

   Population

   Ship's company (~403); embarked troops (capacity 1,981); conversion-yard workers

   Limitations

   Volunteer-curated archive reproducing official-type spec and campaign data; consistent with DANFS on dates and complement. Contains no asbestos information. Photo captions document conversion-era configuration (seven pairs of merchant kingposts retained; stern 4"/50 platform) and troop loading at Newport News Army Port of Embarkation 20 October 1942 - identity/configuration documentation only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-04

5. [5]DANFS, Lyon (AP-71) (verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-02-02 of the NHHC page; live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing NHHC link-rot) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specification line + full service narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS service history: built as Mormactide under Maritime Commission contract by Ingalls Shipbuilding Co., Pascagoula; laid down 21 August 1939; launched 12 October 1940 (sponsor Miss Gloria McGehee); renamed Lyon 20 August 1942; acquired by the Navy and transferred to Atlantic Basin Iron Works, Brooklyn, for conversion 13 September 1942; commissioned 16 September 1942 (Capt. M. J. Gillan). Operated commercially with Moore-McCormack Steamship Co. before Navy turnover; completed conversion to an AP in September 1942 (DANFS text reads '20 September 1942'). Departed Newport News 22 October 1942 for French Morocco; arrived off Safi 7 November; sailed for the U.S. 15 November, Norfolk 24 November. Two New York-Oran reinforcement voyages 13 December 1942-11 March 1943; Amphibious Force, Atlantic duty; North Africa 23 May-28 June training. Gela, Sicily assault with 1st Infantry Division units (departed Mers el Kebir 6 July, debarked 10 July). Salerno (Avalanche) 9 September; Naples-area reinforcement to November; New York overhaul from 21 November 1943. January 1944: 2,000 Army Air and Medical Corps personnel to Scotland. Southern France (St. Tropez) landings from Naples 13 August - fourth battle star; reinforcement to 24 October. Pacific duty from 26 December 1944; embarked combat forces San Francisco January 1945; Okinawa invasion; returned San Francisco 21 May; second Okinawa run via Honolulu/Eniwetok/Ulithi, off Okinawa 14 July (typhoon; submarine/kamikaze threat), marines embarked 21 July for Guam; west coast 14 August. Occupation-troop and returning-veteran voyages August-November; San Francisco 3 February 1946; 1,000 German POWs Oakland to Liverpool departing 2 March; New York 12 April; decommissioned 3 May 1946; returned to Moore-McCormack Lines. Mormactide under Moore-McCormack until 1966, then Grace Lines as Santa Regina. Five battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1939-1946

   Population

   Ship's company (403); embarked troops (capacity 1,981); 1,000 German POWs (March 1946 lift)

   Limitations

   Official naval history (Wayback capture of the live NHHC page; live page returns 404 as of 2026-09-25, consistent with known NHHC link-rot). Documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The DANFS sentence 'completed conversion to an AP-20 September 1942' reads as a typographical dash; carried as '20 September 1942'. DANFS sequence dates the Okinawa operation within 'departed for the invasion of Okinawa' framing; NavSource's campaign table gives 26-30 April 1945 - consistent, not a conflict.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-05

6. [6]San Francisco Maritime Park Association, USS Lyon (AP-71) Booklet of General Plans PDF (maritime.org/doc/plans/ap71.pdf, via Wayback capture 2016-02-22); NARA photos 19-N-35854-35856 and NH 77393; Library of Virginia Army Signal Corps photo C1:2/01/025 (all as captioned on the NavSource vessel page) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AP-71 plans booklet sheets 1-7; NavSource photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Digitized primary artifacts for this hull: (a) Bureau of Ships Booklet of General Plans for USS Lyon (AP-71), drawing series H-149-01030-1, 7 sheets marked RESTRICTED ACCOUNTABLE, scanned by the San Francisco Maritime Park Association - cover page, general dimensions/data, outboard and inboard profiles, cabin/boat/bridge deck, second deck, shelter deck, and third deck arrangements showing conversion-era troop spaces, engineer's workshop, life-raft fit, 20mm AA gun platforms, deep tanks, and ammunition magazines; OCR spot-check found no materials or insulation schedule. (b) NARA Bureau of Ships photos 19-N-35854/35855/35856 (ship off Norfolk Navy Yard, 7 October 1942, conversion configuration) and NH 77393 (San Francisco Bay, circa February 1946, armament and kingposts removed); (c) U.S. Army Signal Corps photo of the ship loading troops at the Army Port of Embarkation, Newport News, 20 October 1942 (Library of Virginia C1:2/01/025).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1942-1946

   Population

   Conversion-yard and ship's company personnel (context of plans)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific primary artifacts documenting the hull's conversion-era general arrangement - the booklet is a plan set, not a materials schedule; OCR spot-check of all 7 sheets found no insulation or asbestos callouts, which is expected for a general-arrangement booklet and does not establish materials content. NARA/LoV photos document exterior configuration only. None of these sources establishes asbestos presence or absence aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-06

7. [7]MARAD Vessel History Database - MORMACTIDE (1941) Detail 12574 and LYON (AP-71) Detail 12587; builder yard ledger, shipbuildinghistory.com Ingalls table, hull 255 row [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 12574 and Detail/12587 (stub pages); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/ingalls.htm hull 255

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History Database holds stub records for this hull under two names - MORMACTIDE (1941), ShipHistory Detail 12574, and LYON (AP-71), Detail 12587 - both records confirm the vessel identity in the federal registry but contain no milestones, status cards, dimensions, or documents. A separate MORMACTIDE (1962), Detail 5582, is the later Ingalls-built replacement ship (became EMPIRE STATE VI). Builder-ledger corroboration: the shipbuildinghistory.com Ingalls yard table lists hull 255 as Official No. 240348, contract name Excelsior/Mormactide, C3/MC hull 65, 9,300 GT, 492 ft, contract award 15 March 1939, keel 21 August 1939, launched 12 October 1940, delivered 10 March 1942, 'To USN 1942 as Lyon (AP 71), Mormactide 1946, Santa Regina 1966, scrapped 1972.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1939-1972 (registry coverage)

   Limitations

   MARAD stubs confirm federal registry identity only - no custody milestones, no status cards, no survey or hazmat data digitized for this hull. The builder ledger is an expert-compiled secondary table (Tim Colton's yard lists), used as corroboration for dates and the Excelsior contract name; it is not a government record. Neither source contains asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-07

8. [8]Vincent Unto v. Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., 293 F.2d 26 (3d Cir. 1961) (rehearing denied 1961-08-29) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion, per curiam / combined opinion text (F.2d reprint), CourtListener cluster 254696

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published federal opinion naming this hull in her merchant identity: a seaman (Vincent Unto) sued Moore-McCormack Lines for injuries sustained while serving aboard the S.S. Mormactide, on unseaworthiness and negligence theories; the jury returned a verdict for the defendant shipowner and the Third Circuit affirmed judgment for the defendant.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1961 (opinion)

   Population

   Merchant seaman aboard S.S. Mormactide (Moore-McCormack era, 1946-1966 window)

   Limitations

   Non-asbestos personal-injury litigation. Names this hull (the only Moore-McCormack Mormactide in service at the time of the 1950s-era claim); establishes only that a published opinion exists involving this vessel - no asbestos, materials, or exposure content. Verdict was for the defendant; nothing adjudicated about vessel conditions. The 1940 Hopkins v. Moore-McCormack Lines opinion (175 Misc. 109) referencing 'Mormactide' is classified a name collision with the earlier ship of that name (ex-Sagaporack, renamed Midosi 1940) - it predates this hull's March 1942 delivery.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-08

9. [9]Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 727 F.2d 506 (5th Cir. 1984) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion, Facts section (Ingalls employment and exposure findings)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published Fifth Circuit record documenting asbestos exposure at this hull's builder yard: James Jackson, employed at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, 1953-1971 (sheet-metal mechanic, later work leaderman/supervisor), 'testified that he was exposed to asbestos dust every day for the full time of his employment at Ingalls'; diagnosed with asbestosis; his suit against manufacturers of asbestos products allegedly used in shipbuilding at Ingalls produced a jury verdict affirmed in part on strict liability (punitive-damages and cancer-fear rulings reversed and remanded).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1984 (opinion); 1953-1971 exposure

   Population

   Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard worker (1953-1971); asbestosis

   Limitations

   Builder-yard context only: documents asbestos exposure at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, in the postwar period (1953-1971), not during this hull's 1939-42 construction, and does not name this vessel. Establishes the yard as a documented asbestos-exposure site; establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lyon-ap71-09

10. [10]Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc. v. Asbestos Health Claimants, 17 F.3d 130 (5th Cir. 1994), No. 93-7077 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion, Facts and Procedural History (official Fifth Circuit PDF)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Published Fifth Circuit record documenting the scale of asbestos claims from this hull's builder yard: Ingalls Shipbuilding sought mandamus to compel transfer of 'the asbestos claims of approximately 3,100 former Ingalls' shipyard workers' to the Office of Administrative Law Judges after the Fifth Circuit's Cowart ruling on LHWCA section 33(g) settlement-approval forfeiture; mandamus affirmed.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1994 (opinion); claims accrued over yard's operating history

    Population

    ~3,100 former Ingalls shipyard workers (LHWCA asbestos claimants)

    Limitations

    Builder-yard context only: the ~3,100 figure is a count of LHWCA claims by former Ingalls workers aggregated by the employer, not adjudicated exposure findings; the opinion resolves a procedural/mandamus question only. Claims span the yard's postwar workforce; does not isolate the 1939-42 construction era and does not name this vessel.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lyon-ap71-10

11. [11]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (docket 89-6109)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Second Circuit ruling addressing the litigation posture for WWII War Shipping Administration merchant-fleet asbestos claims: mariners' personal-injury claims against the United States for asbestos exposure aboard WSA-operated vessels were barred on discretionary-function grounds. This hull operated under Moore-McCormack for the WSA under an Army Transportation Corps agreement for roughly five months (March-August 1942) before Navy acquisition.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period

    Population

    WWII merchant mariners (class context)

    Limitations

    Fleet-level jurisdictional ruling; does not name this hull, does not find asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and covers the WSA merchant period only - the hull's Navy service (1942-46) and postwar commercial service (1946-72) are outside its posture. Establishes only the litigation landscape for WWII government-fleet claims.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lyon-ap71-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 logbook series guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks); RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); RG 178 (US Maritime Commission); RG 26 (USCG) [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 24 Entry 118 (NAID 581208); archives.gov record-group guides 19, 178, 26

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room access or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 Entry 118 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978' (NAID 581208) at Archives II, College Park - USS Lyon deck logs September 1942-May 1946, which would carry daily entries on work, damage, and materials aboard; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) conversion/contract records for the September 1942 Atlantic Basin Iron Works work; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division files for MC hull 65 including the original C3 outfitting specifications; RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard) merchant-vessel documentation for Official No. 240348.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1939-1972 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. Whether the Lyon deck logs are digitized in the National Archives Catalog is unverified. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lyon-ap71-12

13. [13]Shipscribe, U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ship listing - USS Lyon (AP-71) class page (compiled from Navy administrative records incl. CominCh directive of 1942-08-01 and Auxiliary Vessels Board recommendations of 1942-08-03) [other_primary]

    Locator

    AP-71 class page - class notes, construction table, ship notes

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Shipscribe compiled record (Stephen S. Roberts, drawing on Navy administrative records): class listed as singleton 'LYON (AP-71)', design MC C3-Cargo (Ingalls); displacement 7,741 t light / 16,120 t limiting; original armament 1942: one 4"/50, four 3"/50, eight 20mm; later 1943: four 3"/50, two twin 40mm, fourteen 20mm; complement 397 (1944); Navy acquisition 13 September 1942; decommissioned 3 May 1946; strike 21 May 1946 (conflicts with NavSource's 8 May - logged in gaps). Class notes document the acquisition mechanism: CominCh directed 1 August 1942 the partial conversion and Navy manning of ten vessels (AP 42-43, 66-73) for the North Africa landings; MORMACTIDE was substituted for the Army-contracted GOETHALS (Bataan); the Auxiliary Vessels Board (3 August 1942) recommended acquiring three ships from the Army and seven including MORMACTIDE from WSA, with conversions to run within 30 days of arrival at the conversion yards. MORMACTIDE was one of four WSA ships (AP-67 and AP-69 through AP-71) whose conversion was accomplished by and paid for by the Army - the Army took custody from the Maritime Commission at New York 8 August 1942; conversion by Atlantic Basin Iron Works, Brooklyn, ran 13 August-20 September 1942; her merchant armament (one 4"/50, one 3"/50) had been installed February-March 1942 by Cramp Shipbuilding, Philadelphia.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1941-1946

    Population

    Army-funded conversion workforce at Atlantic Basin Iron Works (Aug-Sep 1942); Cramp Shipbuilding workers (Feb-Mar 1942)

    Limitations

    Expert-compiled secondary source reproducing Navy administrative records - authoritative for the acquisition/conversion sequence and yard periods, but it is a compilation, not the underlying document; the BuShips/NavSec records it digests are the archival lead (RG 19). Documents two additional yard periods on this hull (Cramp armament install Feb-Mar 1942; Atlantic Basin conversion Aug-Sep 1942) without identifying materials worked. Ship-note 'possibly ex SEA STAR (ID-5010B)' is a record-identity ambiguity noted but not adopted. Strike date (21 May 1946) conflicts with NavSource (8 May 1946) - carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lyon-ap71-13

14. [14]In re W.R. Grace & Co., No. 01-01139-AMC (Bankr. D. Del.), Doc 13705-15 (exhibit to Motion to Compel asbestos PI claimants' responses to the W.R. Grace Asbestos Personal Injury Questionnaire), p. 3 - RECAP gov.uscourts.deb.31472.13705.15 [court_record]

    Locator

    Doc 13705-15, PDF p.3 (OCR-verified): claimant job-site list, 'Prudential Lines (Grace Lines)' entry naming Santa Regina

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Discovery-stage asbestos-litigation document names this hull's merchant alias: in W.R. Grace & Co. bankruptcy (Bankr. D. Del., Case 01-01139), Exhibit K (RECAP Doc 13705-15, filed 2006-11-17) reproduces a deceased claimant's questionnaire response - 'Employers/Job Sites of Decedent' lists a Marine Electric Co. (San Francisco) electrician/shop foreman, 1956-1976, who 'performed work on one or more of the following ships,' including 'Santa Regina' in a 21-ship Prudential Lines (Grace Lines) list (Santa Adela, Santa Alicia, Santa Ana, Santa Anita, Santa Cruz, Santa Eliana, Santa Fe, Santa Flavia, Santa Inez, Santa Juana, Santa Juanita, Santa Leonor, Santa Magdelena, Santa Malta, Santa Maria, Santa Mariana, Santa Mariani, Santa Mercedes, Santa Monica, Santa Regina, Santa Victoria). The list header's operator attribution (Prudential Lines / Grace Lines) matches this hull's 1966-1972 Santa Regina identity.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1956-1976 (claimed work window); 2006 (filing)

    Population

    Single deceased claimant - Marine Electric Co. (San Francisco) electrician/shop foreman, employed 1956-1976

    Limitations

    Discovery-record-stage allegation, not a finding, with unresolved name ambiguity: a claimant questionnaire lists 'Santa Regina' as one of 21 candidate ships the decedent 'performed work on one or more of' - the response does not confirm he set foot aboard her, names no asbestos product, gives no aboard-dates, and was never adjudicated; the document is a creditor-exposure worksheet filed in a bankruptcy proceeding, not an exposure adjudication. VESSEL-IDENTITY AMBIGUITY: the list does not distinguish which Grace/Prudential 'Santa Regina' - an earlier Grace Line ship of that name existed and is documented loading cargo at Mollendo/Matarani, Peru in October 1957 (Hochschild v. United States, 176 Ct. Cl. 808 (1966)), during this hull's Mormactide years; alignment to this hull (Grace/Prudential Santa Regina 1966-72) is plausible but not established by the document. Exposure asserted is commercial-period, not naval.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lyon-ap71-14

15. [15]Nitkowski v. Prudential-Grace Lines, Inc., 469 F.2d 93 (9th Cir. 1972); Bates v. Prudential-Grace Lines, Inc., 375 F. Supp. 774 (W.D. Wash. 1972), aff'd 497 F.2d 900 (9th Cir. 1974) [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion texts - Nitkowski (unseaworthiness affirmed, 1972); Bates (375 F.Supp. JNOV affirmed 9th Cir. 1974)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Two published federal opinions name this hull in her Santa Regina identity (Prudential-Grace Lines did not exist before the 1969 merger, so these 1970 events unambiguously concern this hull): (a) Nitkowski v. Prudential-Grace Lines, Inc., 469 F.2d 93 (9th Cir. 1972) - Chief Officer Nitkowski was seriously injured when a spring line parted during docking port-side at Fischer's Dock No. 2, Seattle; the trial court found the vessel unseaworthy and awarded $104,000; the Ninth Circuit AFFIRMED - a merits finding of unseaworthiness (defective mooring line) aboard this hull. (b) Bates v. Prudential-Grace Lines, Inc., 375 F. Supp. 774 (W.D. Wash. 1972), aff'd per curiam, 497 F.2d 900 (9th Cir. 1974) - seaman Bates injured stepping into a hole on the Chilean-government pier at Antofagasta ~580 ft from the gangway during shore leave, 8 August 1970; jury awarded $85,500 after contributory-negligence reduction; district court granted judgment n.o.v. for the shipowner (duty does not extend beyond premises under owner control, per Todahl); affirmed.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1970 (incidents); 1972-1974 (adjudication)

    Population

    Merchant seamen aboard SS Santa Regina (Chief Officer Nitkowski; deck seaman Bates), 1970

    Limitations

    Non-asbestos litigation. Nitkowski is an affirmed merits unseaworthiness finding aboard this hull (parted mooring line - rigging, not insulation or materials); Bates is an affirmed defense judgment (JNOV) on a shore-side pier injury. Neither involves asbestos, insulation, or materials aboard; they establish only the litigation history for this hull's merchant period. Together with Unto (Mormactide identity) they show the hull generated ordinary seaman-litigation traffic in both merchant-service eras.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lyon-ap71-15