Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 842 F. Supp. 2d 791 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 1, 2012) (Robreno, J.) - MDL-875 consolidated asbestos products liability litigation; includes Prange v. Alfa Laval (Civil Action No. 2:09-cv-91848-ER) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion at 794-795 (plaintiffs' allegations; Prange aboard USS Pollux and USS Delta), 795-803 (product-identification and bare-metal analysis). Opinion text verified via the Federal Supplement reporter text across multiple legal research services; CourtListener canonical URL pending - authenticated CL API was throttled (shared 2,800/day key exhausted) at research date
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Published federal MDL-875 summary-judgment opinion records that plaintiff alleged James H. Prange was exposed to asbestos used with products manufactured by IMO Industries, GE, Buffalo Pumps, Foster Wheeler, Warren Pumps, and Crane Co. while serving in the U.S. Navy 1965-1969 aboard USS Pollux and USS Delta; defendants manufactured turbines, pumps, boilers, and valves that used and in some cases were originally distributed with asbestos-containing insulation, packing, gaskets, and other products. The court held plaintiffs raised a genuine issue of material fact on product identification / substantial-contribution exposure, then granted summary judgment to defendants under the maritime-law 'bare-metal defense' (a manufacturer is not liable for asbestos products it did not manufacture or distribute).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1965-1969 (alleged exposure period); 2012 (opinion)
- Population
- James H. Prange (U.S. Navy service 1965-1969; aboard USS Pollux 1965-1968 per the 2011 opinion); mesothelioma decedent; plaintiff Jane Prange (successor in interest)
- Limitations
- Summary-judgment-stage disposition, not a trial finding: the exposure allegations were never tried to a fact-finder, causation for this decedent was never adjudicated, and the opinion does not allocate alleged exposure between USS Pollux and USS Delta. The bare-metal ruling was later vacated on negligence grounds and remanded by the Third Circuit in the same MDL (873 F.3d 232, appellants DeVries and McAfee - not this plaintiff); the post-2012 disposition of the Prange claims was not located. Names this hull in a published federal opinion but establishes litigation posture, not the presence or quantity of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-01
-
[2]Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 799 F. Supp. 2d 455 (E.D. Pa. July 22, 2011) (Robreno, J.) - MDL-875 maritime-law applicability memorandum; includes Prange v. Alfa Laval [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion at 459-460 (Background, section 'Prange v. Alfa Laval, Inc.' - 1965-68 USS Pollux service, international waters); maritime-law application at 466-469
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal MDL-875 memorandum records that plaintiff Jane Prange alleged James H. Prange contracted mesothelioma and died as a result of asbestos exposure during U.S. Navy service 1965-1969, including service aboard USS Pollux from 1965 to 1968 while the ship sailed international waters. The court applied the locality and connection tests and held maritime law governs the sea-based Navy exposure claims (Conner, Prange, Stone).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1965-1969 (alleged exposure period); 2011 (opinion)
- Population
- James H. Prange (Navy service 1965-1969; USS Pollux 1965-1968); mesothelioma decedent
- Limitations
- Governing-law ruling only: it establishes that the sea-service claims proceed under maritime law and recites the plaintiff's allegations; the alleged exposure aboard this hull was never adjudicated on the merits. 'USS Pollux' in a 1965-1968 service window can only be AKS-4 (AKS-2 was wrecked in 1942), so the reference is unambiguous.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-02
-
[3]In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (VI), 873 F.3d 232 (3d Cir. Oct. 3, 2017) (Vanaskie, J.), Nos. 16-2602, 16-2669 - MDL-875 bare-metal-defense appeal [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 873 F.3d 232 - holding at syllabus and concluding sections; text verified via reporter citation across legal research services; CourtListener canonical URL pending (API throttled at research date)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Third Circuit resolved the maritime-law 'bare-metal defense' question raised by the same MDL-875 line of decisions that produced the Pollux-naming opinions: the defense is available under maritime law but not as a bright-line rule - negligence liability turns on a fact-specific foreseeability standard informed by 'special solicitude for the safety and protection of sailors.' The court vacated summary judgment on the negligence claims, affirmed on the abandoned product-liability claims, and remanded. Appellants were DeVries and McAfee, different plaintiffs within the same MDL.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2017 (opinion)
- Population
- MDL-875 Navy asbestos plaintiffs (class context)
- Limitations
- Does not name USS Pollux - doctrinal context for the Pollux-naming district-court decisions only. Confirms the exposure allegations in this litigation line were resolved at the legal-duty level and were never tried on the facts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-03
-
[4]DANFS, Pollux III (AKS-4), 1942-1969 (NHHC; live page returns 404 - verbatim text verified via Wayback capture dated 2023-12-07) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, characteristics block and full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents the third Pollux (AKS-4): laid down by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearney, N.J. as Nancy Lykes on 2 October 1941; launched 5 February 1942; acquired by the Navy 19 March 1942; converted at Robins Dry Dock & Repair Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.; commissioned 27 April 1942 (Capt. Edmund J. Kidder). Service Force, Atlantic Fleet supply runs 1942-43; Pacific duty from 24 August 1943 (New Guinea and Admiralty Islands campaigns; Philippine liberation shuttle service); evacuated 124 repatriated POWs from Lingayen Gulf 18 February 1945; 136,152 wartime miles, generally unescorted, no battle stars; postwar Service Squadron 1, Bikini atomic tests, China service 1947-49; in commission in reserve 3 April 1950, recommissioned 5 August 1950; Korea 1950-53 (DANFS: four battle stars); overhaul and modernization 1958, homeport Yokosuka with Service Group 3; near-continuous South China Sea support of Seventh Fleet in the Vietnam era; decommissioned at Yokosuka 31 December 1968; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 January 1969. Specs per DANFS header: displacement 13,910; length 459'2"; beam 63'0"; draft 26'5"; 17.0 knots; complement 199; armament 1 5-inch, 4 3-inch; class Castor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- Crew (complement 199 per DANFS); shipyard workers at conversion and overhauls
- Limitations
- Official ship history; contains no asbestos information whatsoever. DANFS gives four Korean battle stars vs. NavSource's five-campaign list (discrepancy carried in gaps). Acquisition date 19 March 1942 conflicts with NavSource/ShipScribe's 23 March 1942 (both noted in gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-04
-
[5]MARAD Vessel History Database, POLLUX (AKS-4), vessel ID 6185 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/6185 - summary fields, vessel name history, status cards tab
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD vessel-history record for this hull: built 1942 at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock as Maritime Commission C2-F type; general cargo / break-bulk; 459 ft length, 63 ft beam; 6,177 gross tons; vessel name history Nancy Lykes (1942) then Pollux (AKS-4) (1942-1969); fate: sold - scrap.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Limitations
- Confirms hull identity, builder, MC type (C2-F), and scrapping fate; contains no asbestos content, survey, or abatement data. Status-card scans are posted on the record but were not machine-readable in this pass (archival lead). A separate MARAD record (Detail/3538, NANCY LYKES, 1960 NDRF entry) is a different, later vessel of the same merchant name - do not conflate.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-05
-
[6]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Castor (AKS-1) class register - construction, disposition, class notes, ship notes for POLLUX (2), MC hull 131 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/AKS/AKS01.html - class notes paragraph ('MC hull 131 was to have been acquired as AK-54...') and ship-note row for POLLUX (2), MC 131
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register compiled from official records documents the designation history that produced this hull: MC hull 131 was to have been acquired as AK-54, but that acquisition was cancelled 13 February 1942 and MC hull 133 substituted (as AK-56); five days later AKS-2 Pollux was wrecked off Newfoundland, and the Navy acquired hull 131 as the replacement, designated AKS-4 - the ship never bore AK-54 in service. Also documents: conversion by Robins Dry Dock and Repair Co. (Todd), Brooklyn, N.Y., initially limited to what could be accomplished during installation of defense items; in USN reserve 1949-50 (decommissioned 3 April 1950, recommissioned 5 August 1950); delivered to buyer at Sasebo, Japan, 2 September 1969; scrapped by 30 January 1970. Class data: G.E. turbine, one screw, 6,000 HP; complement 207 (1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1970
- Limitations
- Secondary register compiled from official records (not itself a government publication). Its 'in USN reserve 1949-50' phrasing conflicts slightly with DANFS's 3 April 1950 in-reserve date (carried in gaps). Confirms the AK-54 designation was cancelled before acquisition - the slug key reflects the planned designation, the operating hull was AKS-4.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-06
-
[7]NHHC, 'Composition of Joint Task Force One' (Operation Crossroads, Bikini Atoll, 1946) - live page returns 404, verified via Wayback capture dated 2023-10-31 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC JTF-1 composition page, 'TU 1.8.1 (Repair and Service Unit)' roster - 'USS Pollux (AKS-4)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's official Operation Crossroads task-organization roster lists USS Pollux (AKS-4) in Task Unit 1.8.1 (Repair and Service Unit), Task Group 1.8 (Service Group) - the logistics echelon supporting the 1946 atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew at Bikini Atoll, July 1946
- Limitations
- Documents support-unit participation in the atomic tests - a radiological-context event, not an asbestos record. Pollux was a service/support vessel in TG 1.8, not a target ship in the array. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-07
-
[8]ShipScribe Castor (AKS-1) class machinery data (G.E. turbine, 1 screw, 6,000 HP); NavSource AKS-4 spec block corroboration (two Foster Wheeler D-type boilers, 465 psi/765 deg F, GE-Curtis turbine, double reduction gears) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe class header machinery line; NavSource AKS-4 archive page specifications block (wayback capture 2025-05-13) - boiler detail unverified against a primary source
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a 1942-built, steam-powered stores-issue conversion (geared G.E. turbine, single screw, 6,000 shp). Steam auxiliaries of this period carried asbestos-containing insulation on boilers and steam lines, flange and valve gaskets, machinery packing, and compartment fireproofing; the machinery categories identified in the Pollux litigation (turbines, pumps, boilers, valves requiring asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing) match this era application profile.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1941-1942 (build/convert); 1942-1968 (service)
- Population
- Construction/conversion yard workers (Kearny 1941-42; Brooklyn 1942); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific insulation manifest, construction spec, or survey located; the litigation product list is allegation-level, not a survey. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present in any quantity aboard this hull; hull scrapped 1969-70 so no present-day material exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-08
-
[9]Batch-936 search ledger (this record): MARAD vessel history + status-card images; DANFS/NHHC; ShipScribe register; NHHC JTF-1 roster; CourtListener/web legal research; NARA holdings review [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pollux-ak54-01 through sl-uss-pollux-ak54-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation manifest, or hazmat record for this hull was located in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship was sold for scrap in 1969 and scrapped at Sasebo, Japan, by 30 January 1970 - pre-dating modern hazmat documentation. The only ship-specific asbestos records located are the litigation documents above (allegation-stage, resolved on legal grounds).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942 steam conversion is era-consistent with asbestos use, and the litigation allegations, while untried, name this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-ak54-09