USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) Vol. 4 (1969), 'Mount McKinley (AGC-7)' pp. 446-447, 472 - verbatim transcriptions via losthistory.net hazegray mirror and ibiblio HyperWar (live NHHC DANFS pages returned 404 during research - standing link rot logged since Batch-01) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS AGC-7 entry, full text + MOUNT McKINLEY Class Statistics block; parallel transcription https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AGC/agc7.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Mount McKinley (AGC-7) (1969 ed., Vol. 4, pp. 446-447, 472): laid down as Cyclone, a transport, 1943-07-31 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington NC; launched 1943-09-27, sponsored by Mrs. T. L. Lainer; renamed Mount McKinley 1943-12-27; commissioned in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1944-05-01, Capt. W. M. Graham in command. Departed Norfolk 1944-06-08 for Pearl Harbor (arr. 06-27); underway 07-20 for the Palaus with Amphibious Group 5 embarked; off Peleliu 09-15 with ComPhibGru 5 directing the 1st Marine Division landing; Ngesebus shore-bombardment coordination 09-28; departed 10-14; San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf for the Leyte/Ormoc assault under constant air attack; Mindoro invasion 12-15; Lingayen Gulf shore-bombardment direction 1945-01-09; unopposed San Narcisco landing near Subic Bay; Kerama Retto 1945-03-21, directed the 77th Infantry Division landing six days before the Okinawa assault and remained at anchor there about two months under constant air attack (the ibiblio transcription's '20 months' is a misprint - see ev-11); sailed 05-22 for Saipan, Pearl Harbor, San Francisco (arr. 06-23); two-month CONUS overhaul; deployed 08-20; Sasebo 09-23 landing occupation troops at Sasebo and Kure; returned to the U.S. 1946-02-12; flagship for Operation Crossroads at Bikini summer 1946; San Diego operations ~18 months; early 1948 command ship for the Eniwetok atomic tests (Operation Sandstone); departed 1950-05-20 for WestPac; directed reinforcement landings at Pohang from 06-26; General MacArthur aboard directing the Inchon assault September 1950; Wonsan assault; Hungnam evacuation; January 1951 refugee transfer to Cheju Island; entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard 1951-08-03 for extensive overhaul including a helicopter deck on the fantail; WestPac 1952-03-06 to 1953-01-30; third Korea-area tour 1953-10-27 to 1954-07-30; flagship for Operation Wigwam underwater atomic test spring 1955; yard overhaul summer 1955; WestPac January 1956; April 1956 press-observer ship for further nuclear tests (Operation Redwing); to Norfolk via Panama Canal 1956-09-20; Mediterranean deployments January 1957 (Greek fishing-vessel rescue), January 1958 - afloat headquarters for the Marine force landed in Lebanon July 1958 (Operation Blue Bat), returned Norfolk 08-16; third Mediterranean cruise 1959-02-20 to 08-26; February 1960 Valparaiso communications support for Eisenhower's Latin America visit; fifth Mediterranean deployment September 1961 - February 1962; Cuban missile crisis October 1962 flagship for ComPhibLant and ComPhibGru 4; Mediterranean 1963-01-10 to 08-02; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard FRAM II overhaul September 1963 - January 1964; ordered to Southeast Asia after the Tonkin Gulf incident - departed San Diego 08-25, relieved Eldorado at Subic Bay as 7th Fleet Amphibious Strike Force flagship; assisted MSTS ship Herkimer en route Bangkok; coordinated Marine reinforcement landings at Da Nang and Hue March and mid-April 1965; relieved by Estes, arrived San Diego 1965-05-15; second WestPac deployment 1966-03-15 to 09-19 as ComPhibGru 1 flagship; third WestPac deployment from 1967-07-01, Da Nang 07-28 as Commander 7th Fleet Amphibious Force flagship; relieved mid-January 1968, arrived San Diego 02-10; redesignated LCC-7 1969-01-01; flagship of ComPhibGru 3 into 1969. Closing bracket: stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1976-07-30, disposed of by Maritime Administration sale 1977-09-22. 'Four battle stars' WWII and eight Korean per the DANFS text (see ev-11 on the five-campaign conflict).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1977

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked flag staffs (1944-1970)

   Limitations

   Official ship history; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, survey, or hazmat statement - supports no asbestos claim. Transcription carries flag slips resolved in ev-11 ('20 months' at Kerama Retto in the ibiblio HTML version vs '2 months' in the losthistory .txt transcription of the printed page; 'summer of 1981' for the 1961 yard period in both transcriptions; 'four battle stars' vs the five-campaign accounting in NavSource).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7/LCC-7) page 10/01/0107 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource AGC-7 page - class data block, campaign and award tables, spec block, captioned photos (Mare Island yard photos Aug 1945; 1969 LCC-7 Vietnam cruise-book photos; Sasebo 1945; San Pedro Bay Dec 1944)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Mount McKinley (LCC-7, ex-AGC-7): laid down 1943-07-31 as Cyclone, Maritime Commission C2-S-AJ1 hull under MC contract 1347, North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington NC; launched 1943-09-27; 'acquired by the Navy 27 December 1943' (the rename date - Shipscribe gives acquisition 12-14 and ferry commission 12-15, see ev-11); converted at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to an Amphibious Force Command Ship; commissioned 1944-05-01, CAPT Roy W. M. Graham in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaign table: southern Palaus/Peleliu 1944-09-06 to 10-14; Leyte/Ormoc Bay 11-09 to 29; Lingayen Gulf 1945-01-09; Manila Bay-Bicol/Zambales-Subic Bay 01-29 to 31; Okinawa Gunto 03-26 to 05-22. Korean War campaign table: North Korean Aggression 1950-07-17 to 24 and 09-18 to 11-02; Inchon Landing 09-13 to 17; Communist China Aggression 1950-11-03 to 1951-01-24; First UN Counter Offensive 01-25 to 03-17; Communist China Spring Offensive 04-29 to 05-01; Second Korean Winter and Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 periods; Third Korean Winter 1952-12/1953-01. Vietnam: Vietnamese Counteroffensive 1966-06-29 to 30, Phase II 07-01 to 06, Phase III 1967-07-28 to 08-04, 08-17 to 09-04, 09-09 to 10-12, 10-26 to 11-16. Operation Crossroads participant as Joint Task Group flagship under JTF-1. Redesignated LCC-7 1969-01-01; decommissioned 1970-03-26, laid up NDRF Suisun Bay; 'Struck from the Naval Register, 23 November 1970' (conflates the NDRF transfer with the strike - NVR-derived sources give 1976-07-30, see ev-11); sold for scrapping 1977-09-22 to National Steel and Metals Corp. (PD-X-1021 dated 1977-08-15) for $565,183.92 as one of a four-ship sale, withdrawn 10-19. Spec block: 7,500 t. light / 12,580 t. full; 459'2" x 63' x 24' (lim); 16.4 kts trial; complement 54 officers + 568 enlisted plus staff accommodations 103 officers + 338 enlisted; armament two single 5"/38 DP, four twin 40mm, ten twin 20mm; propulsion one GE geared turbine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 450 psi / 750 deg F, double GE main reduction gears, single propeller 6,000 shp; three turbo-drive 300kW DC + one diesel-drive 100kW AC generators. Photo captions document Mare Island Navy Yard presence 1945-08-07 to 08-25 ('overhaul at the yard', photo nos. 5830-45, AGC 7 6181-45/6184-45) and a Mare Island overhaul 1946-02-26 to 04-09 (photo 10010741 dating analysis).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1977

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked flag staffs (1944-1970); embarked Marine lift contingents (e.g., Lebanon 1958)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - every overlapping milestone (build dates, campaigns, decommission 1970-03-26, disposal sale 1977-09-22 and withdrawal 10-19) agrees with DANFS, Shipscribe, and MARAD; the detailed machinery/complement spec block rests on this compilation and the DANFS class-statistics block. Its 'Struck 23 November 1970' line conflates the NDRF/MARAD custody date with the strike date - NVR-derived sources give 1976-07-30 (see ev-11); 'acquired 27 December 1943' is the rename date (Shipscribe: acquired 12-14). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MOUNT MCKINLEY (AGC-7/LCC-7), Ship History Detail 3513 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3513, characteristics panel, name history, milestone table; status-card scans and document PDFs under 'Status Cards'/'Documents'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for MOUNT MCKINLEY (AGC-7/LCC-7), Detail 3513: year built 1943; shipyard North Carolina Shipbuilding Company; general type Naval Auxiliary; specific type 'AGC Amphibious Force Flagship'; MARAD type C2-S-AJ1; ship length 495.00 ft, beam 63 ft, light displacement 7,500 tons; fate 'Sold -NTU'. Vessel name history: CYCLONE (linked Detail 7531), then MOUNT MCKINLEY (AGC-7/LCC-7). Milestones: Entry 1970-11-23; Acquisition 1970-11-23 annotated 'ex CYCLONE, AGC 7'; Disposition 1977-10-19 annotated 'CUST 1970 NDRF 1970'; Withdrawal 1977-10-19. Missions listed: World War II; Vietnam War. Three status-card scans and three historical-document PDFs are attached to the detail.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1977

   Population

   NDRF Suisun Bay caretakers (1970-1977); shipbreaking workforce (National Steel and Metals Corp., 1977)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones - MARAD custody entry 1970-11-23 (NDRF Suisun Bay) and physical withdrawal 1977-10-19 corroborate the disposal chain. Caveat: the 'Ship Length 495.00 ft' figure conflicts with the 459.2 ft overall length in Shipscribe/NavSource/DANFS class statistics (likely an LOA-vs-design-length or data-entry artifact; not resolved). The attached document PDFs (MountMcKinley_3513_001/002/003.pdf) include a January 1942 Coast Guard radio-sealing form for an Alaska Steamship Co. vessel - paperwork of the EARLIER merchant SS Mount McKinley, a different ship than MC hull 1347 (laid down 1943); the scans appear misfiled or name-merged in MARAD's record and were not relied on for this hull. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-03

4. [4]Shipscribe.com, U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships - Mount McKinley class (AGC-7) class table and class notes (Stephen S. Roberts compilation of official Navy ship data, compiled 2006-01-27) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Shipscribe AGC-7 class page - Construction and Disposition tables, ship notes line for hull 7, Class Notes (acquisition directive history)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe auxiliary-vessels class table for the Mount McKinley class (compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from Navy ships' data / Naval Vessel Register records): AGC-7 MOUNT McKINLEY - MC hull 1347, ex-merc. CYCLONE; acquired 1943-12-14; keel 1943-07-31; launched 1943-09-27; commissioned 1944-05-01; delivered 98.4% complete; ferry commission 1943-12-15 (arrived Philadelphia 12-19); converted by NYd Philadelphia; to LCC-7 1969-01-01; to NDRF 1970-11-23; decommissioned 1970-03-26; strike 1976-07-30; disposal entry 1971-09-01; MA sale 1977-09-22; to buyer 1977-10-19. Class notes document the acquisition mechanism: JCS directed conversion of additional amphibious flagships 1943-11-10; CominCh directed acquisition of eight C2 hulls 1943-11-23, the first three (AGC 7-9) to be converted similar to AGC-5 as Task Force Headquarters Ships; Auxiliary Vessels Board ratified 1943-12-04; the Maritime Commission agreed to provide the first three 1943-12-02 and the remainder after a JCS letter of 1944-01-19; BuShips asked 1943-11-13 whether Philadelphia Navy Yard could undertake the AGC design work for the North Carolina Shipbuilding C2-S-AJ1s. Class data: 7,234 t. light / 12,750 t. lim; 459.2' oa / 435.0' pp x 63.0' x 24.0' lim; 16.4 kts; 6,000 HP, G.E. turbine, 1 screw; complement 544 (1944).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1977

   Population

   Philadelphia Navy Yard conversion workforce (1943-12 to 1944-05)

   Limitations

   Specialist compilation of official Navy records - its strike date 1976-07-30 agrees with the DANFS closing bracket's NVR-derived line and USNI, and is adopted as controlling over NavSource's 1970-11-23 (the NDRF custody date; see ev-11). Ferry-commission and delivered-percentage details rest on this compilation alone. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-04

5. [5]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 0512763, Decision Date 2005-05-10, Docket No. 97-32 774 (Louisville RO) [court_record]

   Locator

   BVA decision text, 'Reasons and Bases' - January 1998 hearing testimony recital ('The pipes and insulation aboard ship were covered with asbestos insulation'), benefit-of-doubt analysis, and ORDER denying service connection

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   VA Board of Veterans' Appeals merits decision naming this hull expressly in asbestos-exposure testimony: Citation Nr. 0512763 (decided 2005-05-10, Docket No. 97-32 774, on appeal from the Louisville RO; Veterans Law Judge Warren W. Rice, Jr.). A Marine Corps veteran (active duty 1957-02 to 1960-02) testified at the January 1998 RO hearing that after transfer to New River NC in August 1958 'he went aboard the U.S.S. Mount McKinley to go to Lebanon for the Lebanon crisis' and that 'the pipes and insulation aboard ship were covered with asbestos insulation'; his credited service also included stripping asbestos-covered wiring as a lineman at 29 Palms and New River (1957-06 to 1958-11). The Board resolved reasonable doubt in the veteran's favor that he was exposed to asbestos in service (a May 2002 VA memorandum indicated mechanics, technicians, and radiomen had probable in-service exposure; the Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program registry postdates his service), then DENIED service connection: no current asbestosis was shown (March 1996 CT disclosed no pleural plaques, thickening, or calcification) and no medical opinion linked his restrictive lung disease to in-service exposure. Procedural posture: prior March 2003 Board denial vacated and remanded by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims on a January 2004 joint motion; denial entered on readjudication.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1958 (alleged exposure); 1997-2005 (claim adjudication)

   Population

   Marine Corps veteran embarked aboard for the Lebanon transit, August 1958

   Limitations

   Administrative benefits adjudication, not tort litigation - non-precedential, binding only on the instant claim (38 C.F.R. 20.1303). Classified at pleading-allegation equivalent (least-final stage): the asbestos statement is recited sworn lay testimony; the Board deemed in-service asbestos exposure on a benefit-of-doubt basis spanning the veteran's whole service (base wiring work plus the shipboard transit), made NO finding that asbestos was aboard this hull or that any exposure occurred aboard it, and denied the claim on the current-disability and nexus elements. The veteran was an embarked Marine passenger for the 1958 Lebanon lift, not ship's company - his shipboard window was days to weeks. Establishes that a docketed claims record attributes asbestos conditions aboard this hull; does not establish quantity, condition, causation, or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-05

6. [6]VA Agent Orange ships list entries for USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7) - via transcriptions of the VA list (vetshq.com category pages; oldbluewater.com 2015-11 VA ship list PDF); ProPublica/gCaptain reporting on the 2013 listing [other_primary]

   Locator

   VA list entries as transcribed at vetshq.com ('Ships With Smaller Craft Going Ashore' and 'Ships With Crew Members Going Ashore'); oldbluewater.com ShipListNOV2015.pdf; ProPublica article (Kirkwood claim and July 2013 listing)

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   The hull is on the Department of Veterans Affairs' Agent Orange presumptive-exposure ship list: 'USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7) [Amphibious Force Flagship] conducted troop and supply beach landings at Da Nang and elsewhere during March-May 1965, June-July 1966, and July-November 1967' and 'Command ship for 7th Fleet Amphibious Force operated out of Da Nang during 1969 with evidence that crew members went ashore.' ProPublica/Virginian-Pilot reporting documents how the ship was added in July 2013 after a crew member (John Kirkwood) assembled cruise-book and shipmate evidence of Da Nang Harbor anchorage on the 1969 WestPac cruise when deck logs could not be located from NARA or the Navy.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1965-1969; listing added 2013

   Population

   Crew embarked 1965-1969 Vietnam deployments; embarked landing forces

   Limitations

   Herbicide-exposure regulatory record, NOT an asbestos finding - carried to document the hull's federal claims-record surface and to corroborate in-country operations in 1965-67 and the 1969 Da Nang deployment (post-DANFS narrative gap). VA list content carried via transcription sites because the live va.gov list page was not re-located in-session; entry text agrees across two independent transcriptions. Establishes no asbestos fact and no eligibility conclusion.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-06

7. [7]Joint Task Force One, 'Operation Crossroads: Atomic Bomb Tests Able and Baker, Bikini Atoll, 1 July and 25 July 1946,' Vol. 1 operational report (DTIC AD0473986) - indexed text; USCS USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7) Crossroads unit history; DANFS entry (ev-01) for the 1948/1955/1956 test roles [other_primary]

   Locator

   DTIC AD0473986 Vol. 1 narrative (quoted text via search index - direct PDF fetch returned HTTP 403); https://uscs.org/uss-mount-mckinley-agc-7/ (fully retrieved)

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   Mount McKinley served as flagship of Joint Task Force One for Operation Crossroads, the July 1946 Bikini Atoll atomic tests (Able air burst 07-01; Baker underwater burst 07-25): the official JTF-1 operational report records that Commander JTF-1 Vice Admiral W. H. P. Blandy 'hoisted his flag in the U.S.S. MT. McKINLEY (AGC-7), then at Pearl Harbor,' and that after the tests 'the Task Force Commander departed from Bikini in the MT McKINLEY for Pearl Harbor... hauled down his flag on 18 August.' The Universal Ship Cancellation Society's Crossroads unit history independently identifies 'the USS McKinley' as the JTF-1 flagship within a ~42,000-man, 150+-ship support fleet (the ship was a support-fleet flagship, not a target vessel). DANFS separately records flagship roles for the 1948 Eniwetok atomic tests (Operation Sandstone), the 1955 Operation Wigwam underwater test, and April 1956 press-observer duty at further nuclear tests.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1946 (Crossroads); 1948 (Sandstone); 1955 (Wigwam); 1956 (Redwing observer)

   Population

   JTF-1 staff and ship's company (~42,000-man task force; support fleet, not target array)

   Limitations

   Documents the ship's radiological-event participation as support-fleet flagship - an environmental/exposure context record, not an asbestos finding; no asbestos content in these sources. Crossroads radiological exposure of JTF-1 personnel is separately documented in the literature (e.g., the IOM/National Academies mortality study of Crossroads participants) but not evaluated here. DTIC full text not retrievable in-session (HTTP 403 to automated fetch) - report content carried via indexed excerpt; USCS corroboration fully retrieved. As a flagship the hull lay outside the target array; whether any radiological survey of THIS hull exists was not established.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-07

8. [8]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28:9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030; contemporaneous abstract in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (Br J Ind Med) 3(3):196 [other_primary]

   Locator

   PubMed record PMID 21016030; OEM abstract doi:10.1136/oem.3.3.196

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   The U.S. Navy's own WWII-era industrial-hygiene literature documents the asbestos product environment of the construction program that built this hull: Fleischer, Viles, Gade & Drinker, 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels' (J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28:9-16, January 1946) examined pipe coverers at two Government Navy yards and two Navy contract yards, recording amosite asbestos as the important ingredient of pipe covering used on U.S. Navy vessels, with much asbestos cloth and asbestos cement likewise used, and documenting the dust-producing operations (layout and cutting, band-saw cutting, cement mixing, installation).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1946 (survey window)

   Population

   WWII Navy-yard and contract-yard pipe coverers (survey population)

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not a hull record - the surveyed yards are anonymized in the paper (Navy yards 'A' and 'B', contract yards 'C' and 'D'), so the study cannot be tied to North Carolina Shipbuilding or Philadelphia Navy Yard specifically, and it names no vessel. It establishes the standard Navy pipe-covering product environment of the era, not installation aboard AGC-7. Establishes no quantity, exposure, or causation for any individual. The study's 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion is now considered deeply flawed (Kelly, New Solutions 36(2):138-150, 2026, PMID 42307414) - that critique does not affect the material-identification facts carried here.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-08

9. [9]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 emergency-construction program under which this Maritime Commission C2-S-AJ1 hull was built (1943) and naval-converted at a Navy yard (1943-44) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and naval hulls.

   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 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-mount-mckinley-agc7-09

10. [10]Consolidated era inference - NavSource/DANFS-documented steam plant for this hull + DANFS/Shipscribe-documented construction, conversion, and overhaul timeline + Fleischer 1946 Navy pipe-covering survey + Corn & Starr era scholarship (see ev-01, ev-02, ev-04, ev-08, ev-09 rows) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Type technical data; DANFS service history and yard periods for this hull

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era/design inference for this hull's documented configuration: a steam-turbine, single-screw amphibious flagship on a merchant-type C2-S-AJ1 hull, delivered 98.4% complete (December 1943) and converted at Philadelphia Navy Yard (1943-12 to 1944-05) entirely within the WWII asbestos-era construction program - two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers feeding a GE geared turbine (NavSource spec block; DANFS class statistics) - implies boiler and steam-line lagging, turbine and machinery insulation, valve and flange gaskets, packing, and accommodation and flag-space insulation typical of Navy conversion practice of the period, products commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber. The Philadelphia Navy Yard conversion (fitting out a task-force headquarters ship with extensive communications, combat-information, and flag accommodations), the documented yard periods - Mare Island refit/overhaul (August 1945, photos 5830-45 and 6181/6184-45; further overhaul 1946-02-26 to 04-09), the Mare Island extensive overhaul (1951-08-03 into 1952, helicopter deck installed), the summer 1955 yard overhaul, the summer 1961 yard period, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard FRAM II (1963-09 to 1964-01) - are machinery- and outfit-disturbance events consistent with insulation work; material scope of all of them is undocumented.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-1977

    Population

    North Carolina Shipbuilding Wilmington construction trades (1943); Philadelphia Navy Yard conversion workforce (1943-44); ship's company and embarked flag staffs (1944-1970); Mare Island overhaul workforces (1945, 1946, 1951-52); Portsmouth Naval Shipyard FRAM II workforce (1963-64); NDRF Suisun Bay caretakers (1970-1977); National Steel and Metals shipbreakers (1977)

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or abatement record located. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era- and program-consistent inference (corroborated at allegation level by the BVA-recorded testimony in ev-05), not ship-proven as a materials finding: the sources document the Navy's product environment and the era's practice, not this hull's bill of materials. Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-10

11. [11]DANFS AGC-7 transcriptions (losthistory .txt vs ibiblio HTML) vs NavSource 10/01/0107, MARAD ShipHistory 3513 milestone table, Shipscribe AGC class table, USNI Naval History Aug 2025 [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS commissioning/closing paragraphs and class-statistics block; NavSource timeline and spec block; MARAD milestone table; Shipscribe construction/disposition tables

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Strike date - NavSource prints 'Struck from the Naval Register, 23 November 1970,' but that date is the NDRF/MARAD custody entry (MARAD milestone table, same day); the DANFS closing bracket ('Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 July 1976... disposed of by Maritime Administration Sale on 22 September 1977'), the Shipscribe class table (Strike 1976-07-30), USNI Naval History (Aug 2025), and secondary compilations (Wikipedia, MaritimeQuest) all carry 1976-07-30 - adopted as controlling; the ship decommissioned 1970-03-26 and lay on the register in reserve custody until the 1976 strike (sister Estes AGC-12 struck the same day). (b) Kerama Retto anchorage duration - the ibiblio HTML transcription reads 'the next 20 months,' impossible between 1945-03-21 arrival and 05-22 departure; the losthistory .txt transcription of the printed 1969 page reads '2 months' - '2 months' adopted (about nine weeks). (c) 'Summer of 1981' yard period in both DANFS transcriptions is a typographical slip for 1961 - the following fifth Mediterranean deployment ran September 1961 - February 1962 and the ship was stricken 1976; adopted 1961. (d) WWII battle stars - DANFS text says 'four battle stars' while NavSource's campaign table lists five Asiatic-Pacific campaigns (Peleliu, Ormoc Bay, Lingayen, Manila Bay-Bicol, Okinawa) with five stars and USNI likewise says five - both carried; the DANFS entry was compiled while the ship was in service. (e) Complement - DANFS spec line 664; DANFS class statistics + NavSource 54 officers + 568 enlisted plus 103/338 flag-staff accommodations; Shipscribe 544 (1944) - all carried, unresolved. (f) Acquisition date - NavSource 'acquired 27 December 1943' equals the rename date; Shipscribe records acquisition 1943-12-14, ferry commission 12-15, arrival Philadelphia 12-19 - Shipscribe adopted. (g) Commanding officer - DANFS 'Capt. W. M. Graham' vs NavSource 'CAPT Roy W. M. Graham' - same officer; full name per NavSource. (h) Propellers - DANFS class-statistics line 'Propellers: 2' conflicts with single-screw in NavSource and Shipscribe ('1 screw'); single screw adopted. (i) MARAD 'Ship Length 495.00 ft' conflicts with 459.2 ft oa (Shipscribe/NavSource/DANFS) - noted as a MARAD data artifact, not resolved. (j) USNI's 'In 1953... helipad replaced the 5-inch gun mount' differs in framing from DANFS's helicopter deck installed during the 1951-52 Mare Island overhaul - carried as a framing variant, not resolved.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-1977

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among official, specialist, and secondary sources; does not affect identity or the disposal chain materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-11

12. [12]Batch-715 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions (losthistory + ibiblio); NavSource 10/01/0107; MARAD ShipHistory 3513; Shipscribe AGC-7 table; VA vetapp05 + VA list transcriptions; DTIC AD0473986; USCS; USNI; CourtListener API + site-scoped sweeps [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-01 through sl-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos-MATERIALS record located: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, or hazmat disclosure naming Mount McKinley under AGC-7, LCC-7, ex-Cyclone, or MC hull 1347 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The DANFS entry, NavSource page, MARAD ShipHistory record, and Shipscribe class data all lack any asbestos or insulation-material statement. The single ship-specific claims record is the BVA adjudication (ev-05) - allegation-stage testimony, claim denied on medical elements, no finding on asbestos aboard. No tort-litigation opinion naming this hull was located: the CourtListener API v4 was rate-limited (HTTP 429, 125/day shared quota, ~9.5-hour reset quoted - backed off per batch rules), and site-scoped sweeps of courtlistener.com for 'Mount McKinley' + asbestos and 'AGC-7'/'LCC-7' returned only name collisions (the 2025 Associated Press v. Budowich litigation over renaming Denali to Mount McKinley; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard worker cases not naming the hull; AGC corporate litigation). A VA site-scoped sweep surfaced the one BVA decision plus the Agent Orange list entries; no additional BVA asbestos decision naming the ship was located. Law-firm marketing pages listing AGC-7/Mount McKinley-class among asbestos-exposure ships exist (navyshipexposure.com, mesotheliomasymptoms.com, simmonsfirm.com, mesotheliomalawyercenter.org) but are excluded as non-authoritative.

    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 hull built and converted in 1943-44 within the Navy's documented amosite pipe-covering program, then repeatedly overhauled at Navy yards through 1964, is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her reserve-fleet and shipbreaking material records are not public. The BVA testimony (ev-05) is affirmative-but-allegation-stage; the CourtListener API sweep is INCOMPLETE (throttled) - an API re-run before release is recommended. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-12

13. [13]NARA guidance - Navy deck logs RG 24 (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks); RG 19 Bureau of Ships; RG 178 U.S. Maritime Commission; MARAD ShipHistory 3513 status-card/document scans; ProPublica deck-log custody reporting [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA logbook guidance pages; NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19 / RG 178; MARAD Detail 3513; ProPublica article

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck logs covering this hull's 1944-1970 commissioned service - the ProPublica-documented Kirkwood episode shows deck-log custody gaps for the 1969 cruise, so digitization/custody status should be verified before reliance. (b) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records may hold the C2-S-AJ1-to-AGC conversion specifications/work packages for the Philadelphia Navy Yard conversion (BuShips asked Philadelphia NY to undertake AGC design work for the NC Shipbuilding hulls on 1943-11-13 per Shipscribe class notes) - the likeliest repository of hull-specific outfitting-material data; likewise FRAM II work packages for the Portsmouth NSY availability (1963-64). (c) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records may hold MC hull 1347 contract and construction records for North Carolina Shipbuilding Wilmington. (d) MARAD status-card scans on Detail 3513 (three images + three document PDFs) exist but were not OCR-verified line-by-line, and the attached documents include scans belonging to the earlier merchant namesake - misfiled-material caveat applies. (e) The 1969 WestPac cruise book (navysite.de mirror) is a crew-published primary-artifact lead for the post-DANFS period.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-1977 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-mount-mckinley-agc7-13

14. [14]U.S. Marine Corps, 'Marines in Lebanon 1958,' Historical Division, HQMC (PCN 19000318500) - mirrored PDF [other_primary]

    Locator

    USMC monograph text - May 1958 headquarters establishment aboard Mount McKinley off Crete/Cyprus, BLUEBAT planning conferences

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The official U.S. Marine Corps monograph 'Marines in Lebanon 1958' (History and Museums Division, HQMC; PCN 19000318500) documents this hull as the amphibious task-force headquarters ship for Operation Blue Bat planning: on 1958-05-18 General Wade and Rear Admiral Robert W. Cavenagh, the amphibious task-force commander, established their headquarters on Mount McKinley off Crete and drafted the Lebanon landing plan; Anglo-American planning conferences were held aboard off Cyprus 1958-05-21/22 under CinCNELM Operation Plan 1-58 (BLUEBAT). The ship then served as afloat headquarters for the Marine force landed in Lebanon during the July 1958 crisis (per DANFS, ev-01) - the embarked-headquarters context consistent with the BVA veteran's account (ev-05) of boarding the ship at New River for the Lebanon transit.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1958

    Population

    Embarked amphibious task-force headquarters staff (May-August 1958)

    Limitations

    Official service monograph accessed via a third-party mirror (ussmuliphen.com); content is the published HQMC text. Documents the embarked command function, not any material condition - contains no asbestos or insulation statement; supports no asbestos claim.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mount-mckinley-agc7-14