USS Merrick (AKA-97)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - cargo ships, attack (AKA) section, per-hull rows for MERRICK AKA-97 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 AKA tables pp. 118-123 (dimensions p.118; limiting/accommodations p.119; machinery p.120; armament/cargo p.122; construction p.123, row 41) + ship index ('Merrick (AKA97) ... 118', p. 690) + M.C. hull cross-index ('M. C. Hull 219 (now Merrick) - AKA97', p. 696)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official wartime BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for MERRICK (ex-M.C. Hull 219), AKA 97 (table row 41): length 459'2" overall / 435'0" waterline; beam 63'0"; trial speed 16.5 knots; trial displacement 13,910 tons; limiting displacement 14,200 tons; tons-per-inch immersion 50; limiting draft 26'4"; accommodations 24 officers + 223 enlisted; largest boom capacity 30 tons; machinery 1 propeller, G.E. turbine, 6,000 shp, 2 Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin 40mm; non-refrigerated cargo 440,000 cu ft; deadweight 7,485 total / 4,900 cargo tons; builder Federal S.B. & D.D. Corp., Kearny, N.J.; acquired 30 Mar 1945; year built 1944; first commission 31 Mar 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Construction trades at Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, Kearny (1944-45); wartime crew (24 officers + 223 enlisted per accommodations row) and embarked troops

   Limitations

   Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, and commissioning date. OCR of the scanned columnar tables is partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS, shipscribe, MARAD, and NavSource. 'Year built 1944' is the SDB convention (hull laid down Oct 1944, completed/commissioned Mar 1945). Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-01

2. [2]DANFS, 'Merrick (AKA-97)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (entry published 2015-08-07; live NHHC URL not relied on - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209133745; hazegray DANFS Vol. IV p. 335 transcription cross-checked) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20251209133745); hazegray mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/aka97.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC records: named for Merrick County, Nebraska; laid down as M.C. hull 219 on 19 Oct 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.; launched 28 Jan 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Francis N. Van Riper; acquired 30 Mar and commissioned 31 Mar 1945, Lt. Comdr. Walter E. Reed, USNR, in command. Spec block: displacement 6,761; 459'3" x 63'0" x 24'; 16.5 k.; complement 247; armament 1 x 5", 4 x 3"; 'class Andromeda; T. C2-S-B1'. Service: cleared Norfolk 15 May 1945 for Pearl Harbor training and Marshalls/New Hebrides cargo duty to war's end; occupation troops Hawaii/Philippines to Japan; returned veterans including Marine war dogs to Norfolk, arriving 3 Dec 1945; nine months east coast operations; sailed Oct 1946 with TG 68.1 to Port Hueneme for Operation Highjump; Ross Sea 31 Dec; Bay of Whales and Little America IV; supply ships retired 8 Feb; rudder ice-damaged three days later, sheared off under tow by Northwind (WAGB-282); tow ended Dunedin, N.Z., 22 Feb; departed 22 Mar fighting boiler failures and fuel shortages; decommissioned at San Francisco and entered NDRF; berthed Suisun Bay until recommissioning 19 Jan 1952; Korea service incl. Yokosuka from 2 Jul 1952; second Far East tour 3 Jul 1953-22 Apr 1954 incl. two months of Operation Big Switch (6,400+ prisoners Koje Do/Choju Do to Inchon) and amphibious training in the Philippines and Iwo Jima; annual 7th Fleet WestPac deployments through 1963 except 1955 and 1957 Arctic supply runs; first South China Sea tour 1963, annually through 1969, incl. Hue and Chu Lai landings (1965) and Saigon River Delta (1966); reclassified LKA-97 1 Jan 1969.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for identity, service history, custody chain framing. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. The web entry carries two internal date typos for post-Dec-1946 events - Bay of Whales '15 January 1946' (impossible; she transited south in December 1946 - 1947 intended) and 'decommissioned 25 June 1946' (impossible; she was in Antarctic service into February 1947 - 1947 corroborated by MARAD's 6/25/1947 custody milestone, NavSource, and shipscribe). Spec-block armament '4 x 3"' reflects a post-war fit vs SDB's wartime 4 twin 40mm; length 459'3" vs SDB 459'2" - logged in gaps. hazegray mirror OCR garbles several dates (e.g., '13 May,' '23 June 1146,' '1953'); the Wayback NHHC text controls.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Merrick (LKA-97) ex-USS Merrick (AKA-97), file 10/02/02097 (navsource.net mirror; contributed by Mike Smolinski and Al Grazevich) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 02097.htm - specifications block, awards table, occupation-service and Vietnam campaign tables, commanding-officer table, photo credits, war-diaries PDF link (02097a.pdf), MARAD Detail 3334 link

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource corroborates DANFS and adds the awards, campaign-period, command, photo, and disposal record: call sign NHKL; awards incl. Combat Action Ribbon (28 Feb-11 Mar 1967), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp; periods 2-27 Sep and 20-23 Oct 1945), National Defense Service Medal (2), Korean Service Medal, Antarctic Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba, Vietnam), Vietnam Service Medal (7 campaign stars), RVN Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (10), UN Service Medal, RVN Campaign Medal, ROK War Service Medal (retroactive). Timeline: decommissioned 25 Jun 1947 at San Francisco; recommissioned 19 Jan 1952; redesignated LKA-97 1 Jan 1969; decommissioned 17 Sep 1969; struck 1 Sep 1976; transferred to MARAD 15 Dec 1969 for lay-up NDRF Suisun Bay; withdrawn from reserve 19 Dec 1979, trade-in and exchange States Marine Lines (SS Santa Ana), delivered to Apolina Ltd., Hong Kong; scrapped by Fubian Steel Enterprises Corp., Taiwan, 13 Mar 1980. CO table: LCDR Walter E. Reed USNR (31 Mar 45-15 Mar 46) through LCDR Thomas Shine Jr. USN (13 Jun-17 Sep 69), incl. CAPT James H. Howard USN (three tours 1946-53, later RADM). Spec block consistent with SDB 1945 v3 (24 officers + 223 enlisted; 30-t boom; 440,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; NSFO 11,190 bbls; 1 G.E. geared turbine, 2 Foster & Wheeler D-type boilers 450 psi/750 deg F, double G.E. reduction gear, 3 x 300 kW generators, 6,000 shp single screw). Photos incl. ship off New York City 10 Apr 1945 (NAS New York aircraft), entering San Francisco Bay 22 Apr 1946, Antarctica circa 1947, and with USS Yancey (AKA-93) following USCGC Northwind through ice floes circa 13 Feb 1947.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1980

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD on all overlapping points. Transfer-to-MARAD date (15 Dec 1969) conflicts with shipscribe's 'To NDRF 2 Dec 69' - logged in gaps. Photo captions carry no materials information. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MERRICK (AKA-97), Ship History Detail 3334, incl. status-card scans 3334_6197AF.jpg / 3334_6197BF.jpg / 4VR_01.png [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 3334 registry block + milestone table + status-card tab (3334_6197AF.jpg, 3334_6197BF.jpg, 4VR_01.png)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull: MERRICK (AKA-97) - Year Built 1945; Shipyard 'Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock'; General Type Dry Bulk; Specific Type Dry Bulk; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Milestones: Entry 6/25/1947; Acquisition 6/25/1947 (MARAD/MC custody at decommissioning). No historical narrative. Three status-card scans and eleven ship images listed, not individually retrieved.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945-1980

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD registry for government-custody milestones; the 6/25/1947 entry/acquisition corroborates the 25 Jun 1947 decommissioning against DANFS's '1946' typo. The milestones table shows only the 1947 entry - the 1969 NDRF re-entry and 1979-80 disposal do not appear in the milestone list shown (custody detail may sit on the unretrieved status cards). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-04

5. [5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Andromeda (AKA-15) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKA-15 class page: characteristics block, construction table (AKA-97 row), disposition table (AKA-97 row), class notes (22 Jun 44 MC program; AKA-58 duplicates; quadrupod mast), ship notes (AKA-97 row, MC# 219)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class tables: AKA-97 MERRICK, MC hull 219 - acquired 30 Mar 45, keel 19 Oct 44, launched 28 Jan 45, commissioned 31 Mar 45, builder Federal SB & DD, Kearny; disposition row - decommissioned 17 Sep 69, struck 1 Sep 76, disposal 1 Jul 71, fate MA/T, MA sale 15 Nov 79. Ship note: 'Stk. 1 Aug 47, to MC 25 Jun 47. From MC 9 Jul 51, reinst. 17 Jul 51. To LKA-97 1 Jan 69. To NDRF 2 Dec 69, to buyer 19 Dec 79, scrapped by 13 Mar 80.' Class-level context: design MC C2-S-B1; class displ. 7,132 lt / 14,200 lim; 459.25' oa x 63.0' x 26.3' lim; 16.5 kts; 6,000 hp G.E. turbine, 1 screw; AKA 94-100 were seven hulls supplied by Federal under the MC's 22 Jun 44 agreement as duplicates of AKA-58; class complement figure 249 (1944); quadrupod mast was the class design innovation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1980

   Population

   Federal Shipbuilding Kearny construction workforce (1944-45); NDRF Suisun Bay caretakers (1947-51 and 1969-79); 1979-80 disposal/scrapping chain (States Marine trade-in, Apolina Ltd., Fubian Steel Taiwan)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD. Ship note's 'Stk. 1 Aug 47, to MC 25 Jun 47' records a strike date AFTER the MC transfer - the same custody-sequence pattern as sister hulls (NDRF/MC custody at decommissioning, strike during lay-up). 'To NDRF 2 Dec 69' conflicts with NavSource's 15 Dec 1969 MARAD transfer; disposition-column 'Disposal 1 Jul 71' and 'MA Sale 15 Nov 79' vs the note's 'to buyer 19 Dec 79' are reconciled as category-vs-delivery events and logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-05

6. [6]USS Merrick (AKA-97) War Diaries March 1945 to November 1945, History and Action Report - digitized scan hosted by NavSource (contributed by Frank Gerhardt; image-only scan, OCR-sampled this session) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource-hosted PDF 02097a.pdf (4.8 MB, 41 pp); sampled pages: war-diary cover/serial-021 entry (5 May 1945), Apr-May 1945 shakedown/Norfolk Navy Yard entries, Oct 1945 entry

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own war diary (serial 021, first entry dated 5 May 1945 covering from 31 Mar 1945) records: 'the U.S.S. MERRICK was placed in commission at Pier 10-7, Navy Yard, New York' on 31 Mar 1945, Capt. H.V. McKittrick, U.S.N., ordering the ship placed in commission and Lt. Comdr. Walter E. Reed, USNR, assuming command by authority of BuPers dispatch of 31 Dec 1944; moored at Pier 10-7 'making alteration repairs and receiving supplies'; deperming at Navy Yard Annex, Bayonne, N.J., and Gravesend Bay anchorage 9 Apr; underway to Hampton Roads 11 Apr; shakedown in Chesapeake Bay 13-22 Apr per ComPhibTraLant TSG-319 schedule; Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, availability for alterations and repairs to 26 Apr; early-May extended availability at Norfolk Navy Yard 'to replace defective throttle valve on main engine' followed by full-power trial runs north of Horseshoe Buoy 2-T; departed Norfolk 15 May 1945 for the Canal Zone in company with USS Catamount (LSD-17) and escort; October 1945 diary forwarded from San Francisco (postmarked 8 Oct 1945).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Ship's company (Mar-Nov 1945 diary period); New York Navy Yard and Norfolk Navy Yard trades working her 1945 availabilities

   Limitations

   Primary contemporaneous ship record, but an image-only scan - OCR-sampled on four pages (covering the Mar-May 1945 commissioning/shakedown entries and the Oct 1945 San Francisco entry); the full 41-page document was not read end-to-end and the 'History and Action Report' appendix was not examined. The commissioning officer's name OCRs inconsistently ('McKettrick'/'McKittrick'). An operational log - contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-06

7. [7]Utterback v. Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., No. 3:08-cv-00983-JCS (N.D. Cal.) - Complaint for Asbestos Personal Injury/Products Liability (Dkt. 1, filed 2008-02-15) with Exhibit A (Dkt. 1-2, 106 pp.); MDL transfer order 2008-05-20; JPML Transfer Order No. 338 (2009-02-27) transferring the case to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (MDL-875, In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation). RECAP document gov.uscourts.cand.200540.1.0.pdf. [court_record]

   Locator

   Docket 4171946 entries: Dkt. 1 complaint + 1-2 Exhibit A (Ross work-history ship list at exhibit pp. 22-24 incl. 'MERRICK (AKA-97)'; 'Plaintiff: Robert Ross' header at exhibit p. 12); Dkt. 7 MDL tag-along notice; MDL transfer order entry 10 (2008-05-20); Transfer Order No. 338 entry (2009-02-27)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Docketed asbestos personal-injury litigation names this hull by hull number: the complaint's Exhibit A contains the itemized work history of co-plaintiff Robert Ross (diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural disease on or about May 2006), which lists 'MERRICK (AKA-97)' among roughly fifteen named vessels (alongside USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD-850, Mathews AKA-96, Twining DD-540, General W.A. Mann AP-112, Bland APA-134, and others) at which he alleges he worked as an insulator for Western Asbestos of San Francisco during July-October 1961 and July 1962-May 1965 - the listed exposure locations spanning Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding (San Francisco), Triple A Machine Shop (Pier 64), Willamette Shipyard (Richmond), Pacific Ship Repair (Pier 36), Todd Shipyard (Oakland), Matson Navigation (Pier 30), and Naval Air Station Alameda. Pleaded duties for that employer block: 'Plaintiff insulated pipes, turbines, valves, and boilers. Plaintiff removed and repaired insulation. Plaintiff used asbestos cloth to wrap around the valves and boilers,' worked near pipefitters installing Garlock gaskets and cutting gaskets from sheet, and near welders using asbestos cloth; products recalled include POWERHOUSE cement and 352 BLUE MUD cement.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   alleged exposure windows 1961-1965; litigation 2008-2009 (N.D. Cal. stage)

   Population

   Robert Ross (Western Asbestos insulator, alleged shipboard work 1961-1965); plaintiff Betty Utterback (para-occupational claim via husband Russell Utterback - separate alleged exposure chain)

   Limitations

   Stage discipline: this is a PLEADING-stage allegation - the least-final litigation posture. The vessel list in a complaint exhibit is an allegation, not a finding; no discovery, product-identification record, or merits adjudication for this hull occurred in the N.D. Cal. docket, which was transferred to MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.) effective 2008-05-20/2009-02-27 before any defense resolution - the Ross exposure claim aboard this hull was never adjudicated. The docketed complaint PDF's cover pages carry a caption naming a different plaintiff (Donald Cantlin, Jr.) while docket certificates and the exhibit itself name plaintiffs Betty Utterback and Robert Ross - a form-filing artifact; the ship list sits in the section headed 'Plaintiff: Robert Ross.' The pleading does not date the Merrick work within the 1961-65 windows or name the yard where the ship was encountered, and the hull's presence at a listed Bay Area yard in those windows is not independently verified here. Does not establish asbestos content, quantity, exposure causation, or outcome.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-07

8. [8]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + C2-S-B1 type data (shipscribe AKA-15 class page) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery table, AKA section (MERRICK row 41, p. 120); https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/AKA/AKA15.html class data and ship notes

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-turbine steam plant (one G.E. turbine, two Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F) built in 1944-45 at a Maritime Commission program yard (Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, Kearny, N.J.) during the peak of WWII asbestos usage - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. The hull then accumulated documented disturbance phases with potential to work era materials: New York Navy Yard commissioning alterations (Mar-Apr 1945), Norfolk Navy Yard availabilities including a main-engine throttle-valve replacement (Apr-May 1945), wartime/occupation operations, the 1947 Antarctic ice damage and Dunedin rudder repairs followed by a boiler-troubled return passage, Suisun Bay lay-up (1947-51), 1951-52 reactivation and Korea-era service, annual WestPac deployments with west-coast overhauls, Vietnam-era operations to 1969, NDRF lay-up (1969-79), and 1980 scrapping in Taiwan.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1980

   Population

   Construction workforce at Federal Kearny (1944-45); New York Navy Yard and Norfolk Navy Yard trades (1945); wartime crew and embarked troops (1945-47); NDRF Suisun caretakers (1947-51, 1969-79); Cold War-era crew (1952-69); 1979-80 disposal/scrapping workforce

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AKA-97 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The 1980 scrapping means no present-day survey or abatement record can exist for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-08

9. [9]Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s Supplemental Answers to Second Interrogatories, Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., No. 87-C-1934 (Dist. Ct. Brazoria County, Tex., 23d Jud. Dist., 1990), exhibit list incl. Dube-case admitted documents (Toxic Docs archive scan) [court_record]

   Locator

   Interrogatory answer Q.9, document list item 20 ('Industrial Health Survey of the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey, at 14 (August 30-31, September 1-2, 1944)')

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Builder-yard documentation: Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s supplemental answers to interrogatories in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. (Brazoria County, Tex., 23d Judicial District, No. 87-C-1934, served 1990) list, among documents admitted in Rene A. Dube v. Eagle-Picher Industries (D. Me. 83-0224-P), item 20: 'Industrial Health Survey of the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey, at 14 (August 30-31, September 1-2, 1944).' The survey documents industrial-hygiene conditions at this hull's builder yard during the wartime construction program - and its window (Aug 30-Sep 2, 1944) falls roughly seven weeks before this hull's keel was laid at the same yard (19 Oct 1944), overlapping her material-staging and early-fabrication period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944 (survey); hull build 1944-45

   Population

   Federal Shipbuilding Kearny workforce (Aug-Sep 1944 survey window; this hull's build period Oct 1944-Mar 1945)

   Limitations

   Builder-yard documentation located via a litigation exhibit list - the survey itself is characterized in a sibling batch record (uss-andromeda-aka15) as documenting insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation at the Kearny yard; that product-level characterization was not re-verified page-by-page this session. A yard survey, not a hull record - it does not name this vessel and cannot establish what went aboard her, though its window is time-adjacent to her keel-laying at the surveyed yard. Does not establish asbestos content, quantity, location, exposure, or causation for AKA-97.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-merrick-aka97-09

10. [10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

    Locator

    PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    survey ~1944-45; published 1946

    Population

    WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

    Limitations

    Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Federal Kearny was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-merrick-aka97-10

11. [11]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 construction program under which this C2-S-B1 attack cargo ship was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    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 class 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-merrick-aka97-11

12. [12]Batch-1081 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback + hazegray mirror; NavSource 02097 + hosted war-diary scan; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3334; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe AKA-15 class page; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated sweeps, opinions and RECAP dockets); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index check [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-merrick-aka97-01 through sl-uss-merrick-aka97-16

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated finding naming USS Merrick / AKA-97 / LKA-97 / MC hull 219 was located in the public sources searched (see search_ledger); the only qualifying litigation record is the pleading-stage Utterback allegation (ev-uss-merrick-aka97-07). CourtListener results: '"Merrick" AND asbestos' type=o returned 65 opinions - all name collisions (Merrick-surnamed litigants, Merrick Garland citations, case-name authorities); exact-phrase '"USS Merrick"' returned 1 opinion - Zion v. Stockfieth, 616 So. 2d 1373 (La. App. 1993), a NON-asbestos personal-injury case naming the ship as the plaintiff's former vessel (1959 engine-room injury); '"AKA-97" OR "AKA 97"' and '"LKA-97" OR "LKA 97"' returned 0 opinions; RECAP docket search on hull numbers returned 7 hits - 6 collisions and the qualifying Utterback docket. Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com dedicated hull page and news page; gorilaw.com cargo-ships list; asbestosnavy.com list) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as sources per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2026-09-22

    Limitations

    Absence of a located survey/abatement record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-45 C2-S-B1 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull was scrapped in Taiwan in 1980, so no present-day survey or abatement record can exist. CourtListener opinion coverage (type=o) does not index all district dockets/RECAP filings comprehensively - additional pleading-stage allegations naming the hull may exist beyond the sweeps run. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-merrick-aka97-12

13. [13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - Third Naval District / New York Navy Yard; Fourth Naval District / Norfolk Navy Yard; Twelfth Naval District / San Francisco), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); NavSource-hosted USS Merrick war diaries Mar-Nov 1945; MARAD ShipHistory status-card scans for this hull; MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.) post-transfer Utterback docket [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/181.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/3334 (status-card tab); https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/02/pdf/02097a.pdf

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs 1945-1969 (RG 24, NARA College Park) - would fix the hull's yard-presence windows relevant to the Utterback/Ross allegation; BuShips records incl. C2-S-B1 contract plans and Booklet of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 219 at Federal Kearny (RG 178); Third Naval District / New York Navy Yard records covering the Mar-Apr 1945 commissioning availability and Fourth Naval District / Norfolk Navy Yard records covering the Apr-May 1945 availabilities incl. the throttle-valve work order (RG 181); Twelfth Naval District records for west-coast overhauls (RG 181, NARA San Bruno); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1947 and 1969 Suisun Bay entries and the 1979-80 States Marine trade-in/Apolina disposal file (RG 357) - the disposal file is the most promising scrapping-era lead; the unreviewed MARAD status-card scans (3334_6197AF.jpg, 3334_6197BF.jpg, 4VR_01.png) may carry additional custody entries; the Utterback docket's post-transfer history at MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.) is the lead for any adjudication of the Ross ship-list allegation. The NavSource-hosted war-diary scan (Mar-Nov 1945, contributed by Frank Gerhardt) is already digitized; the underlying originals are NARA holdings.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1944-1980 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-merrick-aka97-13