Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 842 F. Supp. 2d 791 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 1, 2012) (Robreno, J.) - MDL-875; includes Prange v. Alfa Laval, Civil Action No. 2:09-cv-91848-ER; E.D. Pa. docket RECAP 4964766 (SJ order, entry 294, 2012-02-01) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text at *794-*795 (plaintiffs' allegations; Prange aboard USS Pollux and USS Delta), *796-*803 (product-identification and bare-metal analysis), Conclusion + Order granting SJ to all Prange defendants (IMO, GE, Buffalo Pumps, Foster Wheeler, Warren, Crane). CourtListener cluster 8712975, sub-opinion 8696165 (verified verbatim 2026-09-22). Note: CL's opinion-level API id 8712975 resolves to an unrelated record (Dunn v. Killingsworth) - the canonical URL is the cluster URL as cited.
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Docketed asbestos personal-injury action naming this hull in a published federal MDL-875 summary-judgment opinion: Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 842 F. Supp. 2d 791 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 1, 2012) (Robreno, J.), consolidating Prange v. Alfa Laval, Inc., Civil Action No. 2:09-cv-91848-ER. The opinion records plaintiff Jane Prange's allegation that 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 from 1965 to 1969 aboard the U.S.S. Pollux and U.S.S. 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 had previously denied summary judgment on product identification (plaintiffs raised a genuine issue of material fact on substantial-contributing-factor exposure), and by this opinion and order granted all defendants' motions for summary judgment 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
- 2026-09-22
- 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 bright-line ruling was later vacated on negligence grounds by the Third Circuit in the same MDL (873 F.3d 232, appellants DeVries and McAfee - not this plaintiff) and the Supreme Court settled the issue in DeVries (586 U.S. 446, 2019); the post-2012 disposition of the Prange claims was not located beyond a docket termination date of 2012-09-18. 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-aks4-01
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[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 fire-room service, boiler maintenance; international waters); maritime-law application at *466-*469. CourtListener opinion 2176736; Harvard scan https://storage.courtlistener.com/harvard_pdf/2176736.pdf. Text verified verbatim 2026-09-22.
- 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 and transported items to other vessels at sea. The opinion further records that 'whilst aboard the USS Pollux, Mr. Prange served in the fire room, where he was responsible for cleaning and maintaining the boilers in addition to the machinery associated with running the boiler aboard the ship,' and that he then spent one year aboard USS Delta as a boiler tender. 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
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1965-1969 (alleged exposure period); 2011 (opinion)
- Population
- James H. Prange (Navy service 1965-1969; USS Pollux fire room 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; T-AKR-290 entered service in the 1980s), so the reference is unambiguous.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-aks4-02
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[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; aff'd as modified, Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 873 F.3d 232 - appellants DeVries and McAfee identified at Part I; foreseeability holding and special-solicitude discussion verified in opinion text 2026-09-22. SCOTUS: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4601080/air-liquid-systems-corp-v-devries/
- 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 not available as a bright-line rule - negligence liability turns on a fact-specific foreseeability standard informed by maritime law's '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. The Supreme Court subsequently settled the issue in Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), adopting a foreseeability-based duty-to-warn standard under maritime law.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2017-2019 (opinions)
- 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-aks4-03
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[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Pollux III (AKS-4), 1942-1969' entry - Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2023-12-07 of history.navy.mil DANFS Pollux III page (live page returns 404 - standing NHHC link-rot issue); characteristics block and full service narrative verified verbatim 2026-09-22
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS ship history: the third Pollux (AKS-4) was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J. as Nancy Lykes on 2 October 1941; launched 5 February 1942; acquired by the Navy 19 March 1942; transferred to Robins Dry Dock & Repair Co., Brooklyn, N.Y. for conversion; commissioned 27 April 1942 (Capt. Edmund J. Kidder). Service Force, Atlantic Fleet supply runs 1942-43 (Guantanamo, St. Thomas, San Juan, Trinidad, Jamaica, Colon, Recife, Bahia, Bermuda; out of New York, Bayonne, Baltimore, Norfolk); Pacific duty from 24 August 1943 (Eastern/Western New Guinea and Admiralty Islands campaigns; Philippine liberation shuttle service - Leyte Gulf, Mindoro, Lingayen Gulf, Subic Bay, Tawitawi, Morotai, Davao Gulf, Zamboanga, Palawan, Iloilo, Cebu, Manila); evacuated 124 repatriated POWs from Lingayen Gulf 18 February 1945 - the first POWs freed in the Manila area; 136,152 wartime miles, generally unescorted, no battle stars; postwar Service Squadron 1, Navy Occupation Service Medal 9 October-12 November 1945, Bikini atomic tests, China Service Medal periods 1947-49; in commission in reserve 3 April 1950, recommissioned 5 August 1950; Korea 13 October 1950-19 July 1953 (DANFS: four battle stars); West Coast-Far East logistics 1953-57; extensive overhaul and modernization 1958, homeport Yokosuka with Service Group 3; near-continuous South China Sea support of Seventh Fleet task groups 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
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- 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). Armament '1 5-inch' conflicts with ShipScribe's class table (AKS-4 carried the merchant-fitted 4"/50, never a 5"/38) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-aks4-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - POLLUX (AKS-4), Detail 6185 (incl. status-card scans) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/6185 - summary fields, vessel name history, status cards tab (verified live 2026-09-22; 'Milestones' and 'Historical Documents' sections are empty for this hull)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record for this hull (Detail 6185): built 1942 at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock; Maritime Commission type C2-F; 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. Three status-card scans are posted on the record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- 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 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-aks4-05
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[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...'), construction/disposition tables, and ship-note row for POLLUX (2), MC 131 (verified verbatim 2026-09-22)
- 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 this was cancelled on 13 Feb 42 and MC hull 133 (AK-56, later AKA-14) was substituted. Five days later AKS-2 was wrecked on the coast of Newfoundland, and the Navy soon acquired MC hull 131 as a replacement.' On 23 March 1942 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended acquisition and recommended only a limited AKS conversion accomplished during installation of defense items. Ship note for POLLUX (2), MC 131: 'Ex merc. NANCY LYKES. Acquisition as AK-54 cancelled 13 Feb 42. Converted by Robins Dry Dock and Repair Co. (Todd), Brooklyn, N.Y. In USN reserve 1949-50 (decommissioned 3 Apr 50, recommissioned 5 Aug 50). To buyer at Sasebo, Japan, 2 Sep 69, scrapped by 30 Jan 70.' Construction table: keel 2 Oct 41, launch 5 Feb 42, commissioned 27 Apr 42; disposition table: decommissioned 31 Dec 68, stricken 1 Jan 69, MA sale 25 Jul 69. Class data: G.E. turbine, one screw, 6,000 HP; complement 207 (1944); AKS-4 armament 1-4"/50, 4-3"/50, 8>4-20mm (1942-49).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- 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 operating hull was always AKS-4. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-aks4-06
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[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 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC JTF-1 composition page, 'TU 1.8.1 (Repair and Service Unit)' roster - 'USS Pollux (AKS-4)' verified verbatim in capture 2026-09-22
- 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
- 2026-09-22
- 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-aks4-07
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[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); ShipScribe Castor (AKS-1) class machinery data (G.E. turbine, 1 screw, 6,000 HP) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract via PubMed PMID 3548627; ShipScribe class header machinery line
- 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). Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding of the World War II era; 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
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1942 (build/convert); 1942-1968 (service)
- Population
- Construction/conversion yard workers (Kearny 1941-42; Brooklyn 1942); engine-room and fire-room crew (Prange's alleged billet per the 2011 opinion)
- 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-aks4-08
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[9]Batch-1126 search ledger (this record): MARAD vessel history + status-card images; DANFS/NHHC via Wayback; ShipScribe register; NHHC JTF-1 roster; CourtListener API v4 authenticated opinion and RECAP sweeps; NARA holdings review [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pollux-aks4-01 through sl-uss-pollux-aks4-10
- 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). CourtListener exact-name and hull-number sweeps completed 2026-09-22 returned no additional qualifying litigation naming this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- 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-aks4-09
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[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel); MARAD Detail 6185 status-cards tab; CourtListener RECAP docket 4964766 [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html; https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4964766/prange-v-alfa-laval-inc/
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) - AKS-4 deck logs 1942-1968 and Robins Dry Dock conversion records may hold outfitting/insulation detail; WWII deck logs are at NARA College Park, postwar logs distributed by period. (b) MARAD status-card scans on Detail 6185 exist but are image-only (not machine-readable in this pass) - visual review may confirm acquisition/sale-date detail. (c) Prange v. Alfa Laval case file (E.D. Pa. 2:09-cv-91848, RECAP docket 4964766) - plaintiff's interrogatory answers (cited at doc. 212, Ex. A in the 2011 opinion) are the source of the ship-specific exposure allegations and may itemize products aboard Pollux.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1970 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping and docket identification only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pollux-aks4-10