Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 641-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Phaon (ARB-3) — ex-USS LST-15, Aristaeus-class battle-damage repair ship
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-phaon-lst15-pkt-641-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Phaon (ARB-3) - construction, conversion description, WWII Pacific service narrative, disposal (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Phaon entry, full narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: 'a battle damage repair ship, was laid down by the Tampa (Florida) Shipbuilding Co. in September 1942; launched 30 January 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Marion D. Calabreeze; and commissioned 5 August 1943, Lt. George Fay Watson, USNR, in command.' Conversion description: 'ARB-3, an ex-LST, had heavier armament, greater deck facilities for cargo handling, a much longer superstructure deck, and last and most important, the tank deck was covered with lathes, grinders, drills, metal cutters, welding machines and other shop equipment not found on an LST.' Service: shakedown New Orleans; Pago Pago 13 Oct 1943; Funafuti after 18 Oct 1943 (repaired LCTs, pontoon barges, PT boats; restored Tarawa-invasion craft); Majuro 6 Feb 1944; Eniwetok 23 Mar 1944; Saipan from 15 Jun 1944 (repaired USS Phelps D+3; 24 Jun air-raid near-miss, 2 killed and 11 wounded; 24 Jul patched USS Norman Scott during Tinian invasion); Saipan base for Iwo Jima/Okinawa/Philippines support (96 different ships in the month between the Iwo Jima and Okinawa invasions); ordered home 28 Dec 1945; approximately 2,000 repair jobs in 29 months. Reserve January 1947 at San Diego; struck 1 July 1961; sold 8 July 1962 to Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland, Ore. Three battle stars. Spec block: dp. 3,960; l. 328'0"; b. 30'0"; dr. 11'2"; s. 11 k.; cpl. 251; a. 1 3", 8 40mm.; cl. Aristaeus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1942-43); Tampa Shipbuilding conversion trades (1943); crew 1943-47; alongside repair populations aboard serviced ships
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS's 'laid down by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co.' conflicts with NavSource and the LST builder-block registry (Dravo Corp., Neville Island) - Tampa performed the conversion; corrected at ev-10. DANFS spec-block beam (30'0") conflicts with NavSource/LST-1-class design beam (50 ft); not carried. Specs list the ARB displacement (3,960), not light/full breakdown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Phaon (ARB-3) - designation timeline, specifications, campaign list, awards block, commanding officers, post-Navy registration (live navsource.net page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/26/2603.htm header block, awards block, specifications block, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 17 September 1942 as LST-15 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA; reclassified Battle Damage Repair Ship 25 January 1943; launched 30 January 1943; delivered and placed in reduced commission for transit to conversion yard Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, FL; decommissioned at Tampa (date unknown); commissioned USS Phaon (ARB-3) 5 August 1943, Lt. George Fay Watson, USNR. Campaigns: Gilbert Islands operation 20 Nov-8 Dec 1943; Marianas operation/capture and occupation of Saipan 19 Jun-10 Aug 1944; Tinian capture and occupation 24 Jul-1 Aug 1944. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon (24 Jun 1944, Saipan); American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3 stars); WWII Victory Medal; Purple Heart annotations (2 KIA, 11 WIA, 24 Jun 1944). Assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.8.1 Service Group - Repair and Service Unit for Operation Crossroads, Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Decommissioned January 1947 at San Diego; Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1961; sold 8 July 1962 to Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland, OR; registered 1966 by DeLong Corp., New York, as freight barge DeLong 103; out of documentation by 1989; final disposition fate unknown. Specifications: 1,781 t light / 4,100 t full; 328 ft; beam 50 ft; draft 11'2"; 11.6 kt; complement 20 officers + 234 enlisted; one 3"/50 DP, two quad 40mm, eight single 20mm; largest boom 50 t; four 100kW 120/240V DC + two 100kW 450V AC ship's-service generators; fuel 4,480 bbls diesel; two General Motors 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, two propellers, 1,800 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1989
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1942-43); Tampa conversion trades; crew 1943-47; reserve-fleet and post-Navy handling populations
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS/NVR conventions but some rest on uncited sourcing (post-Navy barge registration). Contains no asbestos content. The conversion-yard decommissioning date is undocumented even here ('date unknown').
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (April 15, 1945) - ship index and LST roster entries for this hull (Google-digitized text layer; shipscribe.com scan URL returned HTTP 404 at access time 2026-10-02, previously live 2026-09-16 per class-f research) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. II: LST roster section (LST15 entry) and alphabetical ship index (Phaon entry, p. ~379)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official contemporaneous BuShips roster documents the hull consolidation: under LANDING SHIP-TANK (LST), 'LST15 - Now ARB3'; and in the alphabetical ship index, 'Phaon (ex-LST15) - ARB3 - Auxiliary-Repair ship, Battle damage.' This is contemporaneous Bureau of Ships documentation that LST-15 and USS Phaon (ARB-3) are the same hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Identity/designation documentation only - contains no material or asbestos content. Source text layer was extracted from the Google-digitized NAVSHIPS 250-011 Vol. II scan; the shipscribe.com PDF URL returned 404 on 2026-10-02 (no Wayback capture exists for that URL), so the row cites the document itself with provenance disclosed rather than a live link.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-03
-
[5]NHHC, Composition of Joint Task Force One (Operation Crossroads) - TU 1.8.1 Repair and Service Unit roster listing USS Phaon (ARB-3) (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- JTF-1 composition page, TG 1.8 / TU 1.8.1 (Repair and Service Unit) vessel list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's official JTF-1 organization document lists USS Phaon (ARB-3) under Task Unit 1.8.1 (Repair and Service Unit) for Operation Crossroads, the July 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll - placing this hull in the repair/service contingent at the tests, alongside USS Telamon (ARB-8) and other auxiliaries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew assigned during Crossroads participation (mid-1946)
- Limitations
- Service-record fact only: documents assignment to the Crossroads task organization. This is a radiological-context event, not an asbestos record - it establishes presence and role, not exposure of any kind; no material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-04
-
[6]Congressional Record - Senate, 145 Cong. Rec. S988 (daily ed. January 25, 1999), remarks of Sen. Boxer, 'U.S.S. "PHAON"' (GovInfo; Congressional Record Index CRI-1999 also lists House tribute at E368, 9 Mar 1999, and Senate S46, 7 Jan 1999) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 145 Cong. Rec. S987-S988 (25 Jan 1999), 'U.S.S. PHAON' remarks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal primary-source corroboration of the ship's wartime repair role: Phaon 'was an important part of mobile Service Squadron Ten, whose battle role was to remain within the battle area and conduct repairs - keeping fighting vessels in action.' At Majuro she performed 'restoration of all types of craft from the invasion of Tarawa and repairs to the battleships Washington and Indiana.' At Saipan she tied bow-to-stern with USS Phelps, repairing her damage and replenishing ammunition while Phelps continued bombarding, 'and had alongside for repairs a tank landing craft, a minesweeper, and the destroyer U.S.S. Shaw.' At Tinian she repaired USS Norman Scott and the battleship Colorado. She 'was subject to more than sixty air raids while working,' and 'by the war's end ... had repaired at least 96 ships and more than 2,000 vessels and crafts of all types.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (events described); 1999 (record)
- Population
- Crew (1943-45); crews of ships she repaired alongside
- Limitations
- Ceremonial tribute on the official record - details loosely restate DANFS (the '96 ships / 2,000 vessels and crafts' framing compresses DANFS's 96-different-ships-in-one-month and ~2,000-repair-jobs-total figures; carried here as the tribute states it, with the distinction noted). Individual repairs to Washington, Indiana, Shaw, and Colorado appear in this record but not in DANFS. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-05
-
[7]NHHC photograph NH 83812, USS Phaon (ARB-3) 'Off the Mare Island Navy Yard on 18 March 1946' (live catalog page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC NH 83812 catalog page; NavSource 09/26/2603 photo 09260318 (Mare Island 1152-46, 20 Mar 1946)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An official NHHC cataloged photograph documents this hull off the Mare Island Navy Yard on 18 March 1946 - a dated physical-presence record at a documented naval shipyard during the post-Crossroads inactivation window. NavSource captions a second Mare Island photo (Navy Yard Mare Island #1152-46, 20 March 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew; Mare Island yard personnel during any March 1946 availability (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs establish presence at Mare Island, not what work (if any) was performed there - a harbor photo is not an availability or overhaul record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (GM 12-567A diesel plant); DANFS ARB conversion description (tank deck covered with machine-shop equipment); Atlas shipyards.json records for the conversion yard (tampa-bay-shipbuilding) and documented yards visited (mare-island-naval-shipyard); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/26/2603 specifications; DANFS conversion paragraph; shipyards.json tampa-bay-shipbuilding product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank-landing-ship hull built 1942-43 and converted into a battle damage repair ship sits inside the documented Navy asbestos era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve packing, fireproof panels, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, brake linings on cargo-handling equipment (documented 50-ton boom), and electrical insulation. The ARB conversion reworked the entire tank deck into shops and the accommodation for a larger complement - an interior-refit event at a yard with documented asbestos products. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the steam boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1942-43); Tampa Shipbuilding conversion trades (1943); crew 1943-47; repair crews working in the converted shop spaces
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or conversion specification was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-07
-
[9]Asbestos Atlas shipyards.json record, yard_id tampa-bay-shipbuilding (aliases: TASCO; Tampa Shipbuilding Company; Tampa Shipbuilding & Engineering Company) - evidence_tier 3 yard with documented asbestos products [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json, yard_id tampa-bay-shipbuilding (asbestos_products_documented field)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Atlas yard record for this hull's conversion yard documents asbestos products at Tampa Shipbuilding: asbestos insulation on steam systems; asbestos-wrapped turbines and pipes; gaskets; valve packing; brake linings; fireproof panels; pipe insulation. Phaon's LST hull was delivered to this yard in early 1943 and underwent a months-long conversion - the heaviest concentrated yard-exposure window in the hull's history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943 (conversion window)
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding conversion trades (spring-summer 1943)
- Limitations
- Yard-level dataset summary, not a hull record: documents asbestos products at the yard generally - this hull's conversion is not specifically tied to those products. The yard record's product list is summary-level (its evidence array is unpopulated in the shipped dataset). Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) - product-page Highlights verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-02 [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's review of 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities' documents the Navy's shipboard asbestos program: the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - confirming shipboard asbestos insulation remained standard through this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and service (1943-47) era. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); covers Navy asbestos policy era through 1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full-report PDF could not be retrieved (gao.gov returned an HTML error page to direct download, 2026-10-02 - standing gao.gov fetch block noted since Batch 01); content via live product-page Highlights.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-09
-
[11]Builder cross-check: NavSource designation timeline (laid down 17 Sep 1942 as LST-15, Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA); lst-1-class Atlas class-profile builder-block registry (LST-15 = Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh PA, NPS-derived list cross-checked vs BuShips roster); Wikipedia USS Phaon infobox (Dravo, Neville Island) citing NavSource; vs DANFS text ('laid down by the Tampa (Florida) Shipbuilding Co. in September 1942') [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Phaon first paragraph vs NavSource 09/26/2603 header block; class-f lst-1-class.class.json member row for LST-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the DANFS entry states this hull 'was laid down by the Tampa (Florida) Shipbuilding Co. in September 1942.' The weight of sources says otherwise: NavSource records her laid down 17 September 1942 as LST-15 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA, with Tampa Shipbuilding as the CONVERSION yard (delivered in reduced commission, decommissioned at Tampa, converted, recommissioned ARB-3); the LST-1-class builder-block registry places LST-15 in the Dravo Pittsburgh block; Wikipedia concurs with Dravo. Tampa Shipbuilding laid down the CONVERSION, not the hull - or the DANFS line is simply erroneous. This record carries Dravo as builder of the hull and Tampa as conversion yard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Limitations
- Corrects a documented source conflict, not a material/exposure claim. The Dravo attribution rests on NavSource plus the registry-level builder-block data (and Wikipedia, which itself cites NavSource); the original contract documents were not directly inspected. Marked partial rather than verified for that reason.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-10
-
[12]Batch-6713 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource ARB-3 page and ARB index; BuShips SDB 1945 v2 ship index; NHHC JTF-1 composition; NHHC NH-83812 photo page; GovInfo Congressional Record; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated fleet helper); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-phaon-lst15-01 through sl-uss-phaon-lst15-20
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS Phaon, ARB-3, or LST-15 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener: 'USS Phaon' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'Phaon' returned six opinions and 113 dockets, all inspected results person-name collisions (Roderick Phaon Galimore, Phaon W. Mantz, Phaon Payne, et al.); 'ARB-3' returned 28 opinions, all term collisions (arbitration/appraisal references); 'LST-15' returned one opinion (Wisconsin Central Ltd v. Soo Line Railroad, 7th Cir. 2021 - railroad trackage identifier, not the ship) and 49 dockets, all inspected results term collisions. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com and similar listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942-43 hull converted at a documented asbestos-using yard sits squarely in the exposure era. CourtListener docket result sets were inspected at top-ranked page depth only; deep-result review for 'Phaon' (113) and 'LST-15' (49) dockets was bounded by fleet quota pacing. Deck logs, conversion work packages, and MARAD disposal documentation are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-phaon-lst15-11