USS Pocono (AGC-16)

Evidence

7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).

1. [1]Dumin v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 28 Cal. App. 4th 650, 33 Cal. Rptr. 2d 702 (Cal. Ct. App., 1st Dist., Div. One, Sept. 22, 1994), No. A061034 - published opinion (Strankman, P.J.; Newsom and Dossee, JJ., concurring); subsequently cited in Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (1995) and Cadlo v. Owens-Illinois, Inc. (Cal. App. 2004) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion, 28 Cal. App. 4th at 652-658 (Statement of Facts and Discussion; disposition at 658: 'The judgment is affirmed'). Full opinion text read verbatim via calculators.law reporter mirror; vLex mirror at case-law.vlex.com/vid/dumin-v-owens-corning-891242020 agrees. CourtListener API was rate-limited at session time (see search_ledger sl-06)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published appellate opinion adjudicating an asbestos personal-injury claim aboard this hull. Edward G. Dumin (U.S. Navy 1945-1965, boiler tender and electronics technician, mesothelioma) claimed exposure to Kaylo - an asbestos insulation product made by Owens-Illinois and distributed by Owens-Corning Fiberglas (OCF) April 1953-May 1958 - while aboard USS Pocono in 1953 and 1954 (he was aboard from 1951 or 1952 until 1954; his duties included making necessary boiler repairs with insulation materials). The trial court entered a partial directed verdict for OCF on the Pocono claim, ruling the evidence insufficient to show exposure to OCF Kaylo aboard any ship other than USS Agerholm (where the jury then found for OCF). The Court of Appeal AFFIRMED: 'There is simply insufficient evidence that OCF Kaylo was aboard the Pocono'; a contrary conclusion 'would require a stream of conjecture and surmise.' Evidence taken in plaintiff's best light: Pocono was homeported at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; shipyard mechanic Durham testified OCF Kaylo was 'customarily used' at Norfolk Naval Shipyard somewhere in the late 1940s or early 1950s (dating indefinite; he could not fix OCF Kaylo there in 1953-54 and never testified to materials used aboard Pocono, though he listed her among hundreds of ships he worked on); a marine engineer testified it was 'quite probable' the ship's repair supplies came from her homeport yard; Dumin testified Pocono was at the shipyard for repairs during a tender period of one to three months without fixing whether that was 1953 or 1954.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   Service period claimed 1953-1954; opinion filed 1994-09-22

   Population

   Sailor (boiler tender) aboard USS Pocono 1951/52-1954; mesothelioma; Norfolk Naval Shipyard mechanics (1942-1975 witness tenure)

   Limitations

   Litigation-stage classification: adjudicated to finality - affirmed directed verdict for the defendant, a merits-level NEGATIVE for this plaintiff's product-specific exposure claim aboard this hull, NOT affirmative proof that asbestos was or was not aboard. The opinion documents the hull in the asbestos litigation record and establishes (best-light) boiler-repair duties with insulation materials, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard homeport, Kaylo use at that yard circa early 1950s, and probable supply sourcing - it does not establish that Kaylo or any other asbestos product was installed aboard, no quantity, no exposure finding, no causation. Durham's Kaylo testimony is shipyard-level, not shipboard identification. The sister-ship claim (USS Agerholm, 1964-65) was jury-decided for the defendant on causation and is not this hull's record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pocono-agc16-01

2. [2]DANFS, 'Pocono' (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. 5 (1970) p. 335 / Vol. 4 (1969) p. 472; verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror; live NHHC pages returned 404 on 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Pocono entry, full narrative, spec block, and Adirondack-class statistics block (transcription by Michael Hansen, citing Jane's Fighting Ships 1971-72 and 1977-78 and the Naval Vessel Register)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Pocono (AGC-16): amphibious force flagship laid down 30 November 1944 and launched 25 January 1945 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.; sponsored by Miss Mary V. Carmines of Messick, Va.; acquired by the Navy 15 February 1945; towed to Boston for fitting out; commissioned 29 December 1945, Captain H. A. Sailor in command. Spec block: displacement 13,910 t.; length 459'; beam 63'; draft 24'; speed 16 k.; complement 490; armament 2 5"; class Adirondack. Adirondack-class statistics (AGC 15-17): length 459'2"; beam 63'; limiting displacement 12,750 t.; draft 24'; accommodations 54 officers / 579 enlisted; armament (Aug 1945) 2 5"/38, 3 twin 40mm, 6 single 20mm; trial speed AGC-16/17 16.4 kts; 1 General Electric geared turbine; 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers; 1 propeller; 6,000 shp designed. Service narrative: departed Boston 18 March 1946 for Key West and Guantanamo Bay shakedown; arrived Washington, D.C. via Norfolk 7 May; operated Atlantic coast Newfoundland to Trinidad; flagship of Adm. W. H. P. Blandy, Commander Atlantic Fleet, early 1948; decommissioned Norfolk 19 June 1949, laid up Bayonne Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 18 August 1951 as flagship, Commander Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet; Caribbean/East Coast operations to 1956; CincNELM embarked 31 October-13 December 1956 during Suez Crisis; flagship of 38-ship amphibious task force, NATO exercise Deepwater off Turkey, September 1957; flagship for operation Packard X, Onslow Beach, N.C., early 1958; departed for Mediterranean 23 June 1958, diverted to Beirut where she controlled the landing (air control and command communications during three-month stay; deployment extended to nine months, returned Norfolk 20 March 1959); Mediterranean 11 January-14 June 1960 (four amphibious exercises incl. joint NATO landing Porto Scudo, Sardinia); Caribbean exercises July 1960 and February 1961; Mediterranean 11 April-12 October 1961 (joint NATO landing Saros Gulf, Turkey); extensive overhaul; departed for Caribbean 10 April 1962, Mediterranean 23 July; recalled during the Cuban Crisis, carried flag of ComPhibLant at operational readiness in Norfolk; Onslow Beach exercises early 1964; Steelpike I (helicopter assault landing, Huelva Bay, Spain) October-November 1964; departed Norfolk 21 May 1965 for Santo Domingo, platform for Vice Admiral McCain directing naval support of the Dominican Republic peacekeeping operation; Caribbean/East Coast operations through early 1968, returned Norfolk 24 February 1968.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1968

   Population

   Construction workforce, North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. (1944-45); Boston fit-out workforce (1945); ship's company and embarked flag staffs (1945-1968)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction, and service narrative through the 24 February 1968 Norfolk return - the DANFS entry predates the 1968 LCC-16 reclassification, the 16 September 1971 decommissioning, the 1976 striking, and the 1981-82 disposal (MARAD status cards cover the disposal chain, ev-03). Transcription mirror used because canonical NHHC URLs 404'd (standing NHHC link-rot, BATCH-01-REPORT). 'Towed to Boston for fitting out' does not name the Boston yard. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pocono-agc16-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - POCONO (LCC-16) Detail 3915: data block, milestone table, and two status-card scans (Form MA-383 reserve-fleet particulars; Form MA-20 record of ship sales), card images read verbatim [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Detail 3915 data block and milestones; card images /cards/3915_AF.jpg (MA-383) and /cards/3915_7226AF.jpg (MA-20); document bundle /documents/06b1365a-2f30-468e-bafd-6b799ffbbf56.pdf

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for POCONO (LCC-16), Detail 3915, plus two scanned status cards read directly from the card images. Web data block: year built 1945; shipyard North Carolina Shipbuilding Company; Naval Combatant; length 459 ft; beam 63 ft; fate 'Sold -NTU'. Milestones: NDRF entry/acquisition 2/1/1972 (custody 1972, NDRF 1972); disposition/withdrawal 1/21/1982. Status card 'RESERVE FLEET - SHIP PARTICULARS' (Form MA-383): POCONO (LCC-16), type Amphibious Command ship C2-S-AJ1, category Navy, fleet James River; builder North Carolina SB, Wilmington, N.C.; draft 25'; light load 7,240 / full load 12,120 tons; LOA 459', breadth 63'; entered 2-1-72 1245 EST; WITHDRAWN 5/22/78 1002 EDT - 'Withdrawn by Navy for Stripping'; 'Sold for Nontransportation use under PD-X-1043, 12-9-81, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. for $145,000.00. Delivered to buyer 1-21-82.' Status card 'RECORD OF SHIP SALES' (Form MA-20): USS POCONO, type LCC-16; awarded to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., 380 Madison Ave., Rm. 1710, New York, N.Y. 10017, 10-26-81, purchase price $145,000.00; contract no. 10584; year built 1945; gross tons 1,242.20; net tons LSW/5,311.6; location of vessel Portsmouth, VA.; remarks 'Adv. under PD-X-1043 dated 10/26/81 opened 12/3/81. Award-Under Condition (1) NTU - Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1972-1982

   Population

   NDRF James River fleet preservation crews (1972-1978); Navy stripping workforce (1978); Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. scrapping workforce (1982)

   Limitations

   Primary government custody/disposal record - the strongest source in this file for the 1972-1982 chain. Note on record-set hygiene: the same PDF bundle also contains a status card for a DIFFERENT vessel - a merchant POCONO, official number 201,816 (Winco Tankers Inc. to Maritime Administration 4-12-68, Staten Island; MA to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 5-15-68, Wilmington N.C., purchase-scrap) - a namesake merchant hull, not this ship; only the two cards naming LCC-16/USS POCONO are carried here. The cards document custody, stripping withdrawal, and sale - no asbestos, materials, insulation, or condition-survey content; the 5/22/78 'Withdrawn by Navy for Stripping' entry is a stripping event whose materials scope is undocumented. Sale price $145,000 and buyer name resolve the NavSource 'Union Medals and Alloys' vs Wikipedia 'Union Minerals & Alloys' discrepancy in favor of Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pocono-agc16-03

4. [4]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, 'Amphibious Force Command Ship Photo Index AGC-16 Pocono' (volunteer-compiled secondary source) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource AGC-16/LCC-16 page: ship data block, chronology, designation-change postal cover image, awards table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive entry for USS Pocono (LCC-16) ex-AGC-16: Adirondack-class amphibious force flagship; laid down 30 November 1944 as Maritime Commission type C2-S-AJ1 under MC contract 1707 at North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, N.C.; launched 25 January 1945; acquired 15 February 1945; towed to Boston for completion as amphibious force flagship; commissioned 29 December 1945, CAPT H. A. Sailor in command; decommissioned 19 June 1949 at Norfolk; laid up Bayonne Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 18 August 1951; 'Reclassified Amphibious Command Ship (LCC-16), 16 November 1968' (a first-day postal cover dated 1968-11-16 for the designation change is displayed on the page); decommissioned - date shown unknown on the page but 16 September 1971 is the consistent figure across secondary sources; struck from the Naval Register 1 December 1976; transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal; sold for non-transportation use (PD-X-1043 dated 26 October 1981), delivered to buyer 21 January 1982, presumed scrapped. Call sign NWDW.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1982

   Population

   Ship's company (1945-1971)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary source, cross-check only - every NavSource date that could be checked against primary records agreed (construction dates, commission/decommission/recommission dates, sale document PD-X-1043, 1-21-82 delivery all match DANFS and the MARAD cards). The LCC-16 reclassification date is conflicted: NavSource records 16 November 1968 (supported by a dated postal cover) while NavalCoverMuseum's text reads 1 January 1969 and the Navy-wide AGC-to-LCC redesignation for sister ships is generally given as 1 January 1969 - both dates carried in gaps, neither asserted alone. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pocono-agc16-04

5. [5]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078 + DANFS Adirondack-class machinery statistics (ev-02) + MARAD stripping withdrawal (ev-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20, era analysis covering the 1940s-1960s; DANFS class statistics block

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   As completed (1945), Pocono's plant was a Maritime Commission C2-S-AJ1 geared-turbine steam installation - 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers feeding 1 General Electric geared turbine on a single shaft, 6,000 shp - machinery of a type and era for which the U.S. Navy and Maritime Commission specified asbestos-containing thermal insulation, gaskets, and packing. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that the Navy required and used asbestos-containing shipboard materials across the era spanning this hull's construction (1944-45) and naval service (1945-1971). Documented disturbance events whose materials scope is unrecorded: the Boston fit-out/conversion (1945), an 'extensive overhaul' circa 1961-62 (DANFS), a Norfolk Naval Shipyard tender/repair period of one to three months during 1953-54 (Dumin trial record, ev-01), Navy stripping withdrawal from the James River fleet 5/22/1978, and final scrapping by Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (1982).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1982

   Population

   North Carolina Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944-45); Boston fit-out workforce (1945); ship's company and embarked staffs (1945-1971); Norfolk Naval Shipyard mechanics (1953-54 tender period and other availabilities); NDRF preservation crews (1972-78); Navy stripping crew (1978); scrapping workforce (1982)

   Limitations

   Era/program-level scholarship combined with this hull's documented steam plant - establishes that asbestos-containing insulation was Navy/MC-standard practice in Pocono's construction and service era, NOT that any survey or record confirms asbestos aboard this specific hull. The one adjudicated attempt to place a specific asbestos product aboard (OCF Kaylo, 1953-54) FAILED at the directed-verdict stage and was affirmed on appeal. The Boston fit-out, 1961-62 overhaul, 1953-54 tender repair, and 1978 stripping events are documented availabilities whose asbestos scope is inference, not record. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pocono-agc16-05

6. [6]Batch-707 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; hazegray mirror used); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3915 incl. status-card images read verbatim; NavSource (search-index capture); CourtListener API v4 (throttled 125/day - backed off per batch rule); CourtListener via web index; VA appeals index; Atlas shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-pocono-agc16-01 through sl-uss-pocono-agc16-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Beyond the Dumin opinion (ev-01), no qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, or second adjudicated finding naming USS Pocono, AGC-16, or LCC-16 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation surface: one qualifying case (Dumin) ending in an affirmed defense directed verdict on the Pocono exposure claim; web-level CourtListener name searches surfaced only Pennsylvania 'Pocono' entity name collisions (school districts, raceway, whitewater company); the CourtListener API itself was rate-limited at session time and its opinion/docket/RECAP surfaces could not be queried directly. The VA appeals surface returned no asbestos decision naming this hull (a VA publication memoir by a veteran describing a 1967 USS Pocono cruise is a narrative account, not a claims decision, and is logged in the ledger). Law-firm marketing pages that list Pocono generically (gorilaw.com command-ships page; navyshipexposure.com class page) are an excluded source class and are not carried as evidence.

   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 1945 Maritime Commission steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the Dumin record documents boiler-repair work with insulation materials aboard. Conversely the one litigated product claim failed for insufficient proof - the honest posture is 'litigated, unproven,' not 'documented' and not 'clean.' Scrapping (1982) and Navy stripping (1978) predate hazmat-conditioned disposal documentation; no scrapping-side survey is known to exist. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pocono-agc16-06

7. [7]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 and RG 19 record-group descriptions; MARAD status-card sale-document reference PD-X-1043 (ev-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   RG 24 / RG 19 record-group guides (archives.gov); MARAD MA-20/MA-383 card annotations (PD-X-1043)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds the hull's deck logs across both commission periods (1945-1949, 1951-1971) - the highest-value lead for crew-level repair and underway detail; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and Maritime Commission records hold MC hull 1707 / C2-S-AJ1 contract design and construction files potentially including insulation schedules and the Boston fit-out specification; Norfolk Naval Shipyard work-order records cover the documented 1953-54 tender/repair period and any other availabilities at the homeport yard; the MARAD PD-X-1043 sale file (advertised 10/26/81, opened 12/3/81) and the James River NDRF custody correspondence cover the stripping-withdrawal (1978) and disposal; NPRC holds Dumin-era personnel records. These are the plausible repositories for any surviving hull-specific material or insulation specification.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1982 records

   Limitations

   Record-group and file 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-pocono-agc16-07