USS Platte (AO-24)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Platte' (AO-24) entry, Naval History Division (verbatim; live NHHC page 404 on 2026-09-24 - retrieved via HyperWar/ibiblio transcription mirror) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS AO-24 entry - spec block and full narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS records: Platte (AO-24) was built by Bethlehem Steel Co., Baltimore, Md.; launched 8 July 1939, sponsored by Mrs. Harold R. Stark; commissioned at Norfolk 1 December 1939, Comdr. P. L. Meadows in command. Fitted out at Philadelphia Navy Yard; departed Norfolk 27 March 1940 for Houston oil-dock voyages; supported Panama Canal Zone fleet ops and the YFD-2 tow to Pearl Harbor; based at San Pedro from 4 Sep 1940 running Pearl Harbor shuttles; at San Diego on 7 Dec 1941. WWII service: fueled Halsey's Enterprise TF-8 Samoa convoy screen (Jan 1942); Coral Sea task forces before the Salamaua-Lae strikes; Enterprise and Yorktown TFs before Midway; Solomons/Guadalcanal support; Aleutians station tanker at Kulak Bay, Adak (from Apr 1943); Service Squadron Eight roving fueling group in the Gilberts; Marshalls, Marianas (in sight of Tinian 14 Jun 1944), Palaus, Leyte/Samar and Philippines liberation; after a U.S. overhaul, Iwo Jima support and Tokyo carrier strikes; Okinawa Mar-Jun 1945; TF 38 Honshu strikes; entered Tokyo Bay 10 Sep 1945 as station tanker to 29 Sep. Postwar: Yokohama Feb 1946; twelve months shuttling Bahrain oil docks to Japan/Korea/Philippines ports; Buckner Bay and Tsingtao; Long Beach and Mare Island yard upkeep. Korea: three tours 1951-53 fueling Saint Paul, Boxer, Philippine Sea, Bon Homme Richard and the Formosa Patrol at Keelung. Six similar 7th Fleet tours by 28 Jun 1960 (Service Squadron 3); Vietnam-era WESTPAC deployments 1960-1968 including refueling the Enterprise task group during the Pueblo crisis; 'Platte still serves with the Pacific Fleet into 1970.' Awards: 11 battle stars WWII, 6 Korean War. Spec block: dp 25,440; l 553'0"; b 75'0"; dr 32'4"; s 18 k.; cpl 276; a. 4 5"; cl. Cimarron.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1939-1970

   Population

   Commissioned Navy crew, 1939-1970 (cpl 276 per spec block)

   Limitations

   Official Navy ship history (DANFS Vol. V-era text). Narrative ends 'into 1970' - contains no decommissioning/striking dates, no post-service disposition, and no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Does not establish any asbestos fact.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-01

2. [2]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Platte (AO-24) page (archives/09/19/19024.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page 19024.htm - class history bullets, campaign tables, awards block, specification block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource record extends and details the DANFS account: laid down (date unknown) as a Maritime Commission type T3-S2-A1 tanker hull under MC contract (MC hull 8) at Bethlehem Steel, Baltimore, MD, for Standard Oil of N.J.; launched 8 July 1939; commissioned USS Platte (AO-24) 10 December 1939 at Norfolk (conflicts with DANFS's 1 December - logged in gaps). Full WWII Asiatic-Pacific campaign list (Pacific Raids 1 Feb 1942; Gilberts; Marshalls incl. Kwajalein/Majuro and Eniwetok; Asiatic-Pacific Raids 1944 incl. Truk; Hollandia; Marianas incl. Saipan/Guam/Tinian; Western Carolines incl. Palaus and Philippine assault; Iwo Jima; Okinawa; 3rd Fleet ops against Japan Jul-Aug 1945); Navy Occupation and China service periods 1945-1956; Korean campaign list; Vietnam campaign list through Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 (Mar 1970). Spec block: two Bethlehem Shipbuilding geared steam turbines; four Foster and Wheeler K-type boilers, 450 psi/750F; double De Laval main reduction gears; twin propellers, 13,500 shp; complement 24 officers + 252 enlisted; armament four single 5"/38 DP, four twin 40mm, four twin 20mm; cargo 16,500 DWT (oil 123,700 bbl, gasoline 788,000 gal); NSFO fuel capacity 15,000 bbl. Disposition: decommissioned early 1970s; struck 'date unknown'; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 24 March 1971; sold for scrapping 20 April 1971 (PD-X-905) to Levin Metals Corp. for $117,577.00, withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet 14 May 1971. Photo captions document on-hull events: moored at Puget Sound Navy Yard 29 Aug 1941 (pre-armament); off Mare Island Navy Yard 26 Oct 1942 after final armament; underway 31 Oct 1944; refueling TF 58.1 (Hornet, Murray) 23 Feb 1945; Tokyo Bay Jan 1946; Operation 'Miki' Nov 1949 with Valley Forge; refueling Philippine Sea and Watts with 7th Fleet 19 Jul 1955; UNREP collision damage with USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) 16 Jun 1967. Awards block: Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (11); Korean Service Medal (6); Vietnam Service Medal (7 campaign stars); RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation (9).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1939-1971

   Limitations

   Private archival compilation of register/secondary data - commissioning (10 Dec 1939) and sale date (20 Apr 1971, actually the PD-X-905 advertisement date per the MARAD status card) conflict with primary sources; DANFS and MARAD control. 'Struck, date unknown' conflicts with NavalCoverMuseum's 25 Sep 1970 - carried as secondary-source concurrence only. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - PLATTE (AO-24), Ship History Detail 3907, incl. digitized Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales (status card image 3907_AF.jpg) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 3907 milestone table; status card /cards/3907_AF.jpg (retrieved and read)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized status card (Form MA-20, Record of Ship Sales) for PLATTE (AO-24): Year Built 1939; Shipyard 'Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard'; MARAD Type T3-S2-A1; LOA 553', beam (ext.) 75', depth 34'; light load 7,470 tons, full load 25,450, DWT 14,800; status 'Sold - Scrap.' Milestones: Entry 3/24/1971 'Vessel entered Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet'; Acquisition and Withdrawal both 5/14/1971 - 'MARAD took title from US Navy' and 'Sold for scrap to Levin Metals Corp.' Status card adds: awarded to Levin Metals Corporation 5-14-71, purchase price $117,577.00, contract no. MA-6329, 'Built by Bethlehem/Sparrows Point Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland,' location 'Suisun Bay, California, Reserve Fleet,' remarks 'Advertised under PD-X-905 dated 4-20-71 opened 5-11-71.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1971

   Limitations

   Authoritative for MARAD custody milestones and sale terms; reconciles NavSource's 'sold 20 April 1971' (the advertisement date, not the award/withdrawal date 14 May 1971). Database 'Specific Type' field reads 'LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' - a coding artifact for a 1939-built oiler, logged in gaps. No asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-03

4. [4]NHHC Command Operation Reports collection - USS PLATTE (AO-24), 'USS PLATTE History of 1968,' OPNAV Report 5750-1, letter of 17 Mar 1969 (digitized PDF, history.navy.mil) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   PDF retrieved and text-extracted: letter of transmittal, Chronology of Events, Basic Narrative (command organization, operations)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship's own 1968 command history (OPNAV Report 5750-1, digitized in NHHC's command-operation-reports collection): 24 Jan 1968 'Enroute Sea of Japan to replenish the USS ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)-65) and Task Group... during the first stages of the USS PUEBLO (AGER-2) crisis' - Platte 'raced to the Sea of Japan to become the first oiler on station' and replenished Enterprise and her task group; homeport Long Beach; 2 Apr 1968 'moved into Bethlehem Steel Shipyard' at San Pedro for a ten-week restricted availability, departing 14 June; Capt. W. W. McKenzie Jr. relieved Capt. H. F. Snowden 28 June; deployed to WESTPAC 23 Aug, assigned CTG 73.5 for Vietnam logistics from Subic Bay, averaging ~35 ships alongside per line trip; 'On 30 September 1968, upon the decommissioning of the USS CIMARRON (AO-22), PLATTE received the honor of becoming the oldest Ship in the U.S. Navy in active service... known as the "Fleet's First Lady"'; mission profile as fleet oiler transferring NSFO black oil, JP-5, and aviation gasoline plus freight/mail/personnel.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1968

   Population

   1968 crew under Captains Snowden and McKenzie; Bethlehem Steel San Pedro yard workforce (Apr-Jun 1968 availability)

   Limitations

   Primary source - the ship's own command report to CNO. Documents the 1968 Bethlehem Steel Shipyard (San Pedro) restricted availability - a documented yard period on this hull - and the 'oldest ship in active service' distinction; contains no asbestos or materials information. Only the 1968 report is digitized in this collection for this hull (1965-67, 1969-70 not found).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-04

5. [5]Oneal v. Crane Co. (Alfa Laval, Inc., et al.), No. 0:13-cv-61510-JIC (S.D. Fla.) - Order on Defendants' Motions for Summary Judgment, DE 238 (filed 2014-10-19), Judge James I. Cohn; RECAP docket 5692620 [court_record]

   Locator

   DE 238 order, pp. 2-6 (material facts incl. 'USS Platte from about 1960 to 1961' at p.2), pp. 10-14 (rulings); docket metadata (cause 28:1441 asbestos; nature P.I.: Asbestos; filed 2013-07-12, terminated 2014-11-13)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Docketed asbestos action naming this hull: Oneal v. Crane Co. (S.D. Fla., No. 0:13-cv-61510-JIC), 'P.I.: Asbestos' - plaintiff James A. Oneal, a ~20-year Navy veteran (1958-1980) diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2010, testified he worked aboard USS Platte from about 1960 to 1961, mainly in the boiler ('fire') rooms servicing equipment associated with the boilers including steam pipes, valves, gaskets, pumps and doors; the court's order recites as material facts (deemed admitted under S.D. Fla. L.R. 56.1(b)) that '[m]uch of this work included removing and replacing packing or insulation materials that contained asbestos.' The order lists USS Platte first among ships carrying Foster Wheeler boilers on which Oneal worked. He also testified to hands-on work with 'Cranite' sheet gasket material - cutting it with a ball-peen hammer, 'dust flying everywhere,' which he breathed - on every ship he served aboard ('he was always there with it'), which includes Platte. Disposition (Order, DE 238, 2014-10-19): Foster Wheeler summary judgment GRANTED (no triable evidence Oneal was exposed to Foster Wheeler asbestos products; bare-metal defense applied - shipbuilders, not Foster Wheeler, supplied exterior boiler insulation, and any original asbestos gaskets/packing were consumed before his service); Crane Co. summary judgment GRANTED as to Crane valves but DENIED as to Cranite sheet gaskets (genuine fact dispute on substantial exposure for the jury). The docket terminated 2014-11-13 without trial adjudication.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1960-1961 (exposure period claimed); litigation 2013-2014

   Population

   Plaintiff James A. Oneal, boiler-room service aboard USS Platte ~1960-1961

   Limitations

   Discovery/summary-judgment-stage record - NOT an adjudicated exposure finding. The asbestos-work recitation entered the record via plaintiff deposition testimony and defendants' fact statements deemed admitted for SJ purposes; the court found no triable issue tying Foster Wheeler or Crane valve products to his exposure, and the surviving Cranite claim was never tried (docket terminated ~3 weeks later). Documents that asbestos insulation/packing/gasket work aboard this hull was claimed and uncontroverted at the SJ record level; does not establish causation, product identity responsibility, or any other individual's exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-05

6. [6]H-10 Water Taxi Company, Ltd. v. United States, 379 F.2d 963 (9th Cir. 1967), No. 21261, Barnes, J. (reh'g denied 1967-08-02); CourtListener opinion 276507 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text (OpenJurist/vLex mirrors): admiralty facts paragraph - Craig Shipbuilding repair contract 1961-07-01; injury 1962-03-07

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Non-asbestos litigation naming this hull: H-10 Water Taxi Company, Ltd. v. United States, 379 F.2d 963 (9th Cir. 1967) - an admiralty maintenance-and-cure indemnity case. The opinion records that 'the USS PLATTE is a public vessel owned by the... United States and operated by the Navy,' that on 1 July 1961 the United States contracted with Craig Shipbuilding Company to repair the Platte (the contract requiring Craig to dispose of the vessel's garbage), and that on 7 March 1962 a steel garbage drum being transferred from Platte to H-10's barge Ramona fell and injured seaman Jack Cosgrove - a ship-specific documentation of a 1961-62 repair period at Craig Shipbuilding, Long Beach.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1961-1967

   Population

   Craig Shipbuilding and H-10 Water Taxi workers alongside/aboard during the 1961-62 repair period

   Limitations

   NOT asbestos litigation - a garbage-drum injury and maintenance-and-cure indemnity dispute. Included as the only other court record naming the hull and as documentation of a 1961-62 private-yard repair period (Craig Shipbuilding, Long Beach); the opinion contains no asbestos content. Craig Shipbuilding is not a shipyards.json entry - logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-06

7. [7]NavSource AO-24 specification block (plant: 4 Foster Wheeler K-type boilers 450psi/750F, Bethlehem geared turbines, twin screws, 13,500 shp); T3-S2-A1 design particulars per Maritime Commission contract documentation summarized in specialist T3 references (aukevisser.nl; t2tanker.org) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 'Propulsion' spec block; aukevisser.nl T3-S2-A1 contract/design particulars

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The ship carried a 1939 steam plant - four Foster Wheeler K-type boilers (450 psi, 750F) feeding two geared steam turbines on twin screws - built at a commercial yard to Maritime Commission T3-S2-A1 specifications with naval defense features. Machinery of this type and era era-typically carried asbestos-containing boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and fireproofing; insulation, gasket and packing products of this period commonly contained asbestos fiber. The litigation record (ev-05) independently recites asbestos-containing packing and insulation work in this hull's boiler rooms circa 1960-61.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1938-1971

   Population

   Construction trades (Bethlehem Sparrows Point, 1938-39); fireroom/engine-room crew; yard workers at documented repair periods (Philadelphia NY 1939-40; Puget Sound NY 1941; Mare Island 1942; Craig Shipbuilding 1961-62; Bethlehem San Pedro 1968)

   Limitations

   Era/design inference only - the plant description is ship-specific, but no hull-specific insulation survey, bill of materials, or build-specification asbestos statement was located. The 1960-61 litigation recitation (ev-05) is the only hull-level asbestos statement; it is deposition-stage, not an engineering survey. Does not establish quantity, condition, or present-day status (hull scrapped 1971).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-07

8. [8]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 and that Maritime Commission construction was conducted amid reserved-asbestos supply policy - the program and era immediately following this hull's 1938-39 national-defense-tanker construction under the same Commission's contracts.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   Shipyard construction workers and crews (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in U.S. shipbuilding; this hull predates the wartime program slightly (built 1938-39 under the MC's prewar national-defense tanker program) - the same era insulation practice applies but is not hull-proven. Does not name this vessel; establishes no quantity, location, exposure, or causation aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-08

9. [9]Fleischer, W.E., Drinker, P., et al., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28(1):9-16 (1946), PMID 21016030; Selikoff IJ, Nicholson WJ, Lilis R, 'Radiological evidence of asbestos disease among ship repair workers,' Am J Ind Med (1980), PMID 7342758; EPA CERCLIS MD0000605049 (Sparrows Point) [other_primary]

   Locator

   J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28(1):9-16 (1946); PMID 7342758 (title/venue verified via PubMed); EPA CERCLIS record via companion shipyard dataset entry

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   A U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial hygiene survey of WWII shipyard pipe-covering operations documented amosite asbestos pipe covering and boiler-block insulation being cut and fitted at contract shipyards - the documented product environment at commission-contract yards of the era at which this hull was built (Bethlehem Sparrows Point, 1938-39). The builder yard is documented in the companion shipyard dataset as an asbestos-exposure site (bethlehem-shipbuilding: Selikoff et al. 1980 Baltimore ship-repair-worker cohort, PMID 7342758; Sparrows Point EPA CERCLIS MD0000605049 lists asbestos among site contaminants of concern).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1938-1945 construction era; surveys 1946/1980

   Population

   Construction trades at commission-contract yards incl. Bethlehem Sparrows Point workers on this hull's build (1938-39)

   Limitations

   Yard/era-level documentation - the 1946 survey covered multiple contract yards as a group and names neither Sparrows Point nor this hull; the Selikoff cohort studied Baltimore ship-repair workers (postwar repair-era exposure); the EPA record documents site contamination, not aboard-ship material. Establishes the documented product environment for the construction yard, not asbestos presence on this vessel.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-platte-ao24-09

10. [10]Batch-1873 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 opinion+docket sweeps; DANFS/NavSource/MARAD full-text review; NHHC command-reports collection; NPS/HAER (no record for this hull) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-platte-ao24-01 through sl-uss-platte-ao24-11

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Coverage summary: systematic CourtListener sweeps (opinion and RECAP docket indexes, ship name and hull number) returned exactly one qualifying asbestos docket naming the hull (Oneal, ev-05) and one non-asbestos admiralty opinion (H-10, ev-06); all other hits were name collisions ('Platte' as surname/place; 'AO-24' as Administrative Office form number). No asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or shipbreaking materials record for this hull was located in any public source searched - consistent with her 1971 scrapping predating OSHA-era documentation regimes.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    2026-09-24

    Limitations

    Absence of a located survey/abatement record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1939 steam plant plus the ev-05 deposition record make era materials plausible; equally, no adjudicated exposure finding exists. Does not establish or defeat any individual claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-platte-ao24-10

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records and deck-log guidance (RG 24; Vietnam-era digitization program); NARA RG 178 record-group guide; NHHC command-operation-reports collection (vietnam folder) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov deck-log research pages; RG 178 guide; NHHC content/dam command-operation-reports path

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck logs for USS Platte 1939-1970 - the Vietnam-era subset is within the VA Blue Water Navy digitization now being released to the National Archives Catalog; NHHC command-operation-reports collection holds the 1968 command history (retrieved) but 1965-67 and 1969-70 reports are not digitized (404) and may exist in archival custody; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) may hold work packages for the documented yard periods (Philadelphia NY fitting-out 1939-40; the unnamed 1944-45 U.S. overhaul; Long Beach/Mare Island upkeep; Bethlehem San Pedro 1968 RA); RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) holds the 3 Jan 1938 national-defense tanker contract files under which MC hull 8 was built; NHHC photo archive holds hull-specific construction/service imagery (e.g., 80-G-12235, NH 70272-74, USN-1108573).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1939-1971 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-platte-ao24-11