Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet ug-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-portunus-lsm275-pkt-ug-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Portunus II (ARC-1)" (published 2015-08-24); live URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-01, cited via Wayback Machine capture dated 2024-12-11 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Entry "Portunus II (ARC-1)", paragraphs 3-5 (1951 reactivation through Portuguese transfer)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS states LSM-275 was "[o]rdered activated in 1951" and "redesignated as a cable laying and repair ship ARC-1 on 14 December, and recommissioned 2 July 1952." She operated off California ports for 11 months, then on 1 June 1953 got underway for the east coast; "[t]he ship was named Portunus 13 July 1953." Attached to the 3rd Naval District, she laid cable off Cape May, N.J. and Bermuda, and conducted ocean-bottom surveys and cable operations off Colombia's Atlantic and Pacific coasts (13-31 Oct). After overhaul she resumed cable operations 8 March 1954 off New York, Sandy Hook, and Bermuda; from 1955 to 1959 she laid cable off Key West, Sandy Hook, Bermuda, Wood Island (Maine), Nantucket Island, the Narragansett area, and Little Creek, Va., basing at the New York Shipyard, Brooklyn, and periodically loading cable at Newington, N.H. DANFS states she "decommissioned at New York 30 April 1959, and her name was struck from the Navy List 1 May 1959," then was "transferred to Portugal under the Military Assistance Program; delivered on 16 November 1959; and commissioned 18 November as Medusa (A 5214)." DANFS adds: "Into 1970 she serves in the Portuguese Navy" and "Portunus earned one battle star for World War II service."
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1951-12-14 to 1970
- Limitations
- Official Navy history summary; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information. DANFS's own text was published 2015-08-24 and its service narrative stops at "into 1970"; it does not address any renaming, reclassification, or disposal of the ship in Portuguese service after that point. Cited via Wayback Machine archive because the live NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 at research time.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, "USS Portunus (ARC-1) ex USS LSM-275 (1944-1951)" (navsource.org is dead; navsource.net is the live mirror, verified HTTP 200 on 2026-10-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page sections: header/identity line, unit-assignment and campaign block, decommissioning/transfer timeline, "Specifications" block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource corroborates DANFS construction and WWII dates and adds detail not in the DANFS text: commissioned under "LT. Daniel D. McLeod USNR in command"; WWII unit assignments "LSM Flotilla Twelve", "LSM Group Thirty-Six", "LSM Division Seventy-One"; Okinawa Gunto assault/occupation dated 2-29 April 1945; decommissioned 21 April 1947 "at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, CA"; redesignated Cable Repair Ship 14 December 1951; "Converted at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., between 15 January and 18 August 1952"; recommissioned 2 July 1952 under "LT. Stanley A. Siebenthal, USN"; decommissioned 30 April 1959 at New York; struck 1 May 1959; transferred 16 November 1959 under the Military Assistance Program to Portugal; commissioned into the Portuguese Navy 18 November 1959 as NRP Medusa (A5214). Specifications given on this page: displacement 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; length 203'6" overall; beam 34'6"; propulsion "two General Motors (model GM 16-278A, reversible with hydraulic clutch) Diesel engines, direct drive" at 1,440 BHP each, twin screws, 2,800 shp; complement 5 officers and 54 enlisted, plus troop accommodations for 2 officers and 46 enlisted; armament one twin-mounted 40mm bow gun and four single 20mm mounts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-10-06 to 1959-11-18
- Limitations
- NavSource is a privately run enthusiast photo/history archive, not an NHHC or other official U.S. Government source; it is used here only to corroborate and supplement DANFS's official narrative with additional operational and specification detail, consistent with house practice. It states its own content derivation only in general site terms and does not cite a single attributed secondary publication on this particular page (contrast other LSM hulls' NavSource pages, which do credit a named compilation). No asbestos, insulation, or material-condition information appears on this page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-03
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, "USS Portunus (ARC-1) ex USS LSM-275 (1944-1951)" [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page section following the U.S. Navy decommissioning/transfer timeline, immediately after the NRP Medusa commissioning line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource states the ship was "Transferred, 24 September 1964 to the Arsenal do Alfeite, for modification to a Marine Support Ship"; that "[a]fter modification the ship was assigned permanently to the Guinea-Bissau Maritime Defense Command, renamed S. Rafael in July 1969"; that she was "Reclassified as a Support Ship for submarines of the 'Albacora' class"; and gives "Final Disposition, Disarmed, 2 February 1972, Decommisis[s]ioned, 7 January 1976."
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1964-09-24 to 1976-01-07
- Limitations
- This post-1964 Portuguese-service and final-disposition detail is sourced to NavSource only; it is not corroborated by DANFS (whose published text stops at "into 1970") or by any Portuguese-government or other official primary source reviewed this session. NavSource is a privately run enthusiast archive, not an official U.S. or Portuguese government source. No asbestos or material-condition information is stated for this later period.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-04
-
[5]National Archives, "Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961" (page last reviewed 2022-03-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Sections "Cartographic Branch (Includes Blueprints & Engineering Drawings)" and "Other Records and their usefulness"
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives guide directs asbestos researchers to Record Group 19 (Bureau of Ships) correspondence filed by hull designation, and to RG 19 Ship Engineering Drawings ("Hull Series") and microfilm drawings, specifically flagging "S39-Insulation and Lagging" and "S48-Piping" material-group codes as among the most frequently reviewed for asbestos research, while noting these codes are "relatively rare among the paper Ship Engineering Drawings." The guide separately states that Navy Deck Logs and Muster Rolls (Record Group 24) "do not provide any information on the use of or presence of asbestos in Navy ships or ship components and therefore provide no direct evidence of asbestos," though deck logs can help narrow dates of major shipboard work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- Guide covers Navy records through 1961
- Limitations
- This is a research-methodology guide, not a finding about USS Portunus / LSM-275 / ARC-1. No RG 19 correspondence file, S39/S48 engineering drawing, or ship information book for this hull was requested or reviewed this session; the guide's RG 19 "Hull Series" filing is keyed to hull designation (e.g., LSM275, or ARC1 after conversion), and either or both filing codes would need to be checked to be exhaustive.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-05
-
[6]National Archives, Ship Plan Index, online index search [other_primary]
- Locator
- Full page text searched for the six exact variants listed; no matches
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The live National Archives online Ship Plan Index page text contains no entry matching any of "LSM-275", "LSM 275", "LSM275", "Portunus", "ARC-1", or "ARC 1".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- Index accessed 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- This is a negative result in the public online index page text only. It does not establish that no plans, drawings, or related material exist in other NARA finding aids, series, or unindexed holdings (the index may also be partly dynamically loaded and not fully represented in a single static page fetch).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-06
-
[7]U.S. General Accounting Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct. 18, 1979), product-page highlights; live gao.gov page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-10-01, cited via Wayback Machine capture dated 2025-04-02 [gao]
- Locator
- "Highlights" section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO states it "reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards," covering use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs. It describes the Navy's 1975 policy of replacing 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 expected to need repair during a ship's next operating cycle.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1975 and 1979 policies; report published 1979-10-18
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and Navy ships, program-wide (fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards)
- Limitations
- This is Navy-wide shipyard policy context only; the report's own fieldwork sites (Long Beach and Norfolk) are not among the yards documented for this hull (Federal Shipbuilding/Newark for construction; Mare Island for 1952 conversion; New York Shipyard, Brooklyn for later basing/overhaul). The report does not identify USS Portunus, LSM-275, ARC-1, or any LSM-1-class hull, and does not establish materials, repairs, or asbestos status aboard this ship. The live gao.gov product page returned HTTP 403 to direct automated retrieval; this row relies on a Wayback Machine capture of the same product-page highlights, labeled as archived.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-07
-
[8]Owens-Illinois, Inc., Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (30 Aug-2 Sep 1944), introduced as Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County, TX (1990); document hosted on ToxicDocs (Columbia University / City University of New York), verified HTTP 200 on 2026-10-01 [other_primary]
- Locator
- ToxicDocs document 4ayjMMY2q6pqomB4eDk5Nq9op
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Yard-level documentation of this hull's builder: an Owens-Illinois industrial-hygiene survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ, conducted 30 Aug-2 Sep 1944, documented insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville "Superex", amosite-based, approx. 15% amosite) and boiler/pipe insulation (Owens-Illinois "Kaylo", 13-20% chrysotile/amosite) in confined shipyard spaces during the yard's wartime peak production, with dust counts measured during cutting and fitting operations. LSM-275 was laid down at this yard 1 August 1944 and launched 11 September 1944, so the survey window (30 Aug-2 Sep 1944) falls within this hull's own construction period at the yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944 (survey conducted 30 Aug-2 Sep 1944; this hull's construction/launch Aug-Sep 1944)
- Population
- Shipyard insulators and pipefitters at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny, NJ (surveyed week, Aug-Sep 1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level survey, not a hull record: LSM-275 is not named in the survey, which documents general shipyard conditions and practices rather than work performed on any specific hull, including this one. The survey was conducted by Owens-Illinois, a manufacturer with a commercial interest in the findings, and was introduced decades later as a litigation exhibit; it is a product-use/dust-count survey, not a worker health-outcome study, and does not establish that these specific products were installed aboard LSM-275, nor any individual exposure or quantity. The temporal overlap with this hull's construction window is noted as a relevant coincidence, not as proof that insulators documented in the survey worked on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-08
-
[9]National Archives, Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961, source-review result for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- Source-review scope recorded in search_ledger entries sl-uss-portunus-lsm275-01 through -14
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, product inventory, abatement record, or material-condition report for USS Portunus, USS LSM-275, or USS ARC-1 was located in the official, publicly searchable sources reviewed for this record. Ship-specific asbestos documentation and asbestos presence aboard remain unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- Public-source review through 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- This is a bounded search result, not proof that asbestos was absent or that no records exist. The National Archives guide points to unreviewed RG 19 ship correspondence and S39/S48 engineering drawings as possible sources; no hull-specific archival file was requested under either the LSM275 or ARC1 filing designation. No class, era, or propulsion information was used to infer asbestos aboard this ship; the Kearny-yard 1944 survey (ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-08) is carried as class/era context only, not as a ship-specific finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search result, exact-name docket query [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper exact-name docket query; API response count 0
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener API v4 docket search for the exact query “USS Portunus” returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 search
- Limitations
- A zero-result exact-name docket query does not establish that no qualifying asbestos case exists. This result covers only the exact query and indexed docket records. No case or asbestos exposure finding is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-10
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search result, exact-name opinion query [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper exact-name opinion query; API response count 0
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener API v4 opinion search for the exact query “USS Portunus” returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 search
- Limitations
- A zero-result exact-name opinion query does not establish that no qualifying asbestos case exists. This result covers only the exact query and indexed opinions. No case or asbestos exposure finding is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-11
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search result, exact hull-number docket query [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper exact quoted hull-number docket query; API response count 0
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener API v4 docket search for the exact query “LSM-275” returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 search
- Limitations
- A zero-result exact hull-number docket query does not establish that no qualifying asbestos case exists. This result covers only the exact query and indexed docket records. No case or asbestos exposure finding is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-12
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search result, exact hull-number opinion query [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper exact quoted hull-number opinion query; API response count 0
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener API v4 opinion search for the exact query “LSM-275” returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 search
- Limitations
- A zero-result exact hull-number opinion query does not establish that no qualifying asbestos case exists. This result covers only the exact query and indexed opinions. No case or asbestos exposure finding is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-13
-
[14]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search result, exact-phrase docket query for the ship's post-conversion hull designation [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper exact quoted phrase docket query; API response count 0
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener API v4 docket search for the exact query “USS ARC-1” returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 search
- Limitations
- A zero-result exact-phrase docket query does not establish that no qualifying asbestos case exists. The bare designator “ARC-1” was not queried alone because it collides heavily with unrelated acronym usage outside Navy hull designations; the exact phrase “USS ARC-1” was used instead to bound the query to this ship's post-conversion identity. No case or asbestos exposure finding is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-14
-
[15]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search result, exact-phrase opinion query for the ship's post-conversion hull designation [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper exact quoted phrase opinion query; API response count 0
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener API v4 opinion search for the exact query “USS ARC-1” returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 search
- Limitations
- A zero-result exact-phrase opinion query does not establish that no qualifying asbestos case exists. The bare designator “ARC-1” was not queried alone because it collides heavily with unrelated acronym usage outside Navy hull designations; the exact phrase “USS ARC-1” was used instead to bound the query to this ship's post-conversion identity. No case or asbestos exposure finding is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-15
-
[16]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Portunus II (ARC-1)" (published 2015-08-24); live URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-01, cited via Wayback Machine capture dated 2024-12-11 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Entry "Portunus II (ARC-1)", paragraphs 1-3 (laid down through 1947 decommissioning)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS states: "The second Portunus (ARC-1) was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newark, N.J., as LSM-275 1 August 1944; launched 11 September 1944; and commissioned 6 October 1944." Characteristics line gives (ARC-1 configuration): displacement 1,095 tons full load; length 203'6"; beam 34'6"; draft 7'4"; speed 12 kts; complement 59; armament one 40mm and four 20mm guns; class LSM-1. DANFS records WWII service: transit via Key West, the Panama Canal, and San Diego to Pearl Harbor (28 Jan 1945); onward via Eniwetok and Saipan to Okinawa, landing troops and supplies during the Okinawa Gunto operation; departure 25 April 1945 (while the battle was ongoing) via Saipan to Ulithi (arrived 5 May); then via Tulagi, the Russells, Eniwetok, Guam, and Saipan to Pearl Harbor (19 Aug 1945, five days after the war's end); departure for San Diego 4 Dec 1945; operation between San Diego, San Pedro, and San Francisco in early 1946; and decommissioning 21 April 1947 at San Pedro following inactivation overhaul.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-08-01 to 1947-04-21
- Limitations
- This is an official Navy history summary, not a deck log, personnel record, or material/condition survey. It establishes dates, builder, specifications, and movements only; it contains no mention of asbestos, ship materials, insulation, or any health/safety condition aboard. The live NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 at research time; this citation uses an archived (Wayback Machine) capture and is labeled as such, per house citation-hygiene practice.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-portunus-lsm275-01