Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 383-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced; primary DANFS page — real identity: USS Ronaki | Hull: IX-94 | Designation: Unclassified
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced; primary DANFS page
- Evidence ID
- uss-ronaki-ix94-pkt-383-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Ronaki' (IX-94), NHHC online edition (entry dated 20 October 2005; published 2015) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS > R > Ronaki; full entry (5 lines)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC) entry for Ronaki: '(IX-94: displacement 255; length 112-; beam 27-; draft 8-) Acquired through the New Zealand Government, Ronaki (IX-94) began her service as an auxiliary schooner 26 November 1942. Grounded on a reef 18 June 1943, and not salvaged, she was struck from the Navy list 15 July.' Canonical identity record: displacement 255, dimensions 112 x 27 x 8 ft, acquisition channel, service start, loss date, strike date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-11-26 to 1943-07-15
- Limitations
- Terse DANFS entry - does not name the reef or island, gives no builder, complement, armament, or cargo detail, and no materials information. Strike year unstated but 1943 by context (vessel lost June 1943). Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-01
-
[3]Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database (AUCHD), shipwreck record 7955 'Ronaki', Australian Government jurisdiction (DCCEEW) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AUCHD wreck.do?key=7955 - General History, Wrecking Event sections; map center -29.02138889, 167.971111
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- AUCHD wreck record 7955 (Australian Government register): Ronaki - sailing vessel, schooner rig, 255 gross tons, wrecked 1943 at Norfolk Island. Owned by Northern Steam Ship Company pre-WWII, coastal cement trade; transferred to the U.S. government 21 October 1942 and began service as USS Ronaki (IX-94) 26 November 1942; wrecked at Norfolk Island 18 June 1943; struck from the U.S. Navy list 15 July 1943; visited Auckland six times in the first six months of 1943. Includes the Wellington Naval Board salvage officer's cable (Lt. Motter): 'bar keel broken two places, numerous holes in planking, flooding both theoretical compartments, 85% cargo removed... blades off screws and rudder carried away... Successful tow to Auckland doubtful. Suggest salving useful machinery here.' Records that the hull was winched close in, unloaded, cut up, and much of it dumped over the cliff near Bloody Bridge; crew escaped along a rope, no loss of life; wartime censorship suppressed newspaper reporting of the incident.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1922-1943
- Limitations
- Government heritage register compiled from secondary and oral sources; the phrase 'Lend-Leased to the American War Administration' is loose (OpNav records show Reverse Lend-Lease via the New Zealand Government, and shipscribe lists a 4 Nov 1942 acquisition vs AUCHD's 21 Oct transfer). Contains no asbestos or materials-condition information; documents wreck fate, not construction fabric.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-02
-
[4]Cosmos Archaeology Pty Ltd, 'Kingston Pier Channel Construction Project - Underwater Cultural Heritage Statement of Heritage Impact' (Job J20_03, June 2020), prepared for the Commonwealth Dept of Infrastructure, section 3.3.6 (citing DANFS Vol. VI p.154; RAN Naval History Section merchant-ship movement records; AUCHD 7955) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SoHI sections 3.2 (history), 3.3.6 (Ronaki), 4.1-4.2 (site inspections); footnotes 54-56
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Commonwealth-commissioned underwater cultural heritage assessment (Cosmos Archaeology for the Department of Infrastructure, Kingston Pier Channel Construction Project, June 2020), section 3.3.6: Ronaki was a 255-ton, timber-hulled, twin-diesel-engine, three-masted auxiliary schooner built in Auckland in 1922; owned by the Northern Steam Ship Company before WWII in the coastal cement trade; transferred to the U.S. government as a store ship for U.S. troops in the Pacific War Zone and redesignated IX-94; carried war supplies including munitions and a large quantity of electrical goods for Allied forces on Norfolk Island. On 18 June 1943 she foundered in a violent storm and washed onto the reef south-east of Kingston Pier; a line to shore hauled her high onto the reef 50 m east of the pier; an access was cut through the sea wall and the vessel was salvaged over several days; the wooden hull was burned and structural iron removed to the cliff base near Bloody Bridge. Artefacts are held by the Norfolk Island Museum; surviving remains may be protected under the U.S. Sunken Military Craft Act 2004.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943 (loss/salvage); survey work 1985-2020
- Limitations
- Heritage-impact assessment for pier works, not a materials survey; the Sunken Military Craft Act note is a possibility statement ('there is a possibility'), not a determination. Its '21st October 1942' transfer date cites DANFS itself. No asbestos or fabric-composition content; establishes that the wreck was largely destroyed and dispersed in 1943.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-03
-
[5]New Zealand Maritime Museum (Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa) collection record 78762 (Wharton collection, accession 2021.30.516); Auckland Libraries Kura Heritage Collections record 390828 / DigitalNZ record 60170971 [museum_official]
- Locator
- NZMM object detail description field; DigitalNZ record https://digitalnz.org/records/60170971 (Auckland Libraries content partner)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- New Zealand institutional records establish merchant identity: NZ Maritime Museum collection record describes 'three masted auxiliary schooner RONAKI (b.1922 by GT Niccol, Auckland owned NSSCo 1929-1943, ON: 151360)'. Auckland Libraries (Kura Heritage Collections, NZ Herald 1929 photograph, via DigitalNZ) records that Ronaki was built in 1922 by George Niccol for Wilson Portland Cement, acquired by the Northern Steam Ship Company in 1929, traded from Onehunga to Raglan, Kawhia, New Plymouth and Hokianga, was 'taken over by the NZ Government in 1943 for use as a storeship by the US Army', and was 'driven ashore and wrecked at Norfolk Island on 17 June 1943'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1922-1943
- Limitations
- Museum caption-level data: Auckland Libraries gives the wreck date as 17 June 1943 (vs 18 June in DANFS/AUCHD/SoHI) and frames the transfer as 'NZ Government in 1943' for 'US Army' use (vs USN Reverse Lend-Lease Oct-Nov 1942 in naval records) - cataloger's compression logged as discrepancy; NZMM and ON 151360 are authoritative for identity. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-04
-
[6]Auckland Star, Vol. LIII, Issue 153, 30 June 1922, Page 4, 'A NEW SCHOONER - Ronaki's trial on Monday' (Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Auckland Star 1922-06-30 p.4; OCR text (Papers Past permanent link AS19220630.2.48)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous launch report (Auckland Star, 30 June 1922, p.4, via Papers Past / National Library of New Zealand): 'The new auxiliary schooner Ronaki built for Wilsons Portland Cement Company by Mr. George Niccol' was 'an auxiliary crude oil burning vessel of the following dimensions: 112 ft length, 27 ft breadth, and 8 ft 6 in depth, fitted with twin 135 horsepower Bolinder engines... capable of developing a speed of about nine knots', built on the diagonal principle for the coastal cement trade, capacity 150 tons, 'crew of ten, including the master (Captain Fred. Kasper) and the engineer and his assistant. Electric light is used throughout.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1922
- Population
- Merchant crew of 10 (1922 configuration)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous press report is the only located primary description of machinery and crewing; OCR-degraded text verified against the article image thumbnails. Establishes twin crude-oil engines (no steam plant) and a crew of ten in merchant service - the mechanical profile relevant to what asbestos-bearing systems could even exist aboard. No asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-05
-
[7]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
- Era context only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII. Applicability to this hull is materially weaker than for steam tonnage: Ronaki was a wooden-hulled sailing schooner with crude-oil engines - no boilers, steam drums, steam lines, or turbines - so the dominant shipboard asbestos vectors (thermal insulation of steam systems) were absent by design. Any asbestos aboard would have been confined to era-typical ancillary items (engine exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical fittings); none is documented.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context only)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship on U.S. wartime shipbuilding (largely shipyard-built steel steam tonnage); does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard. The wood/diesel auxiliary construction profile makes even era-inference weak; presence, quantity, exposure, and causation are all unestablished.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-06
-
[8]Kingston & Arthur's Vale Historic Area (KAVHA), 'Douwn a touwn Digest' Issue 05, March 2026 (Norfolk Island / Commonwealth infrastructure program publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Digest p.2, 'Exploring Norfolk's maritime heritage' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Norfolk Island government publication (Kingston 'Douwn a touwn' Digest, Issue 05, March 2026, Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area / infrastructure.gov.au): the wreck of the Ronaki (USS IX-94), 'scuttled at Duffy's Whale after striking the Kingston reef in 1943', is scheduled to be recorded by underwater cultural heritage experts later in 2026; no loss of life was recorded, although much of the electrical equipment aboard was lost; all underwater cultural heritage is protected by law.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943 loss; 2026 planned recording
- Population
- Divers/archaeologists (2026 planned survey)
- Limitations
- Community-newsletter framing: 'scuttled' is loose wording for a storm grounding followed by stripping/burning; 'Duffy's Whale' is the local site name. Confirms surviving remains are a scheduled recording target and legally protected - meaning the wreck still exists in some form as of 2026. No materials/asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion searches (authenticated, 2026-09-29): "Ronaki" count=2, both non-qualifying name collisions; "IX-94" count=13, all incidental string matches in unrelated matters [court_record]
- Locator
- 'Ronaki': opinions 2714917 (Wash.) and cluster 4292693 (Tex. App.) - person names, not the vessel; 'IX-94': 13 unrelated opinions (e.g., Charles Mack v. Warden Loretto FCI, 3d Cir. 2016) - string collisions only
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener v4 authenticated searches, opinion index (2026-09-29): exact phrase 'Ronaki' returned 2 hits, both name collisions - Rekhter v. Dep't of Soc. & Health Servs. (Wash. 2014, opinion 2714917; 'Ronaki R. Carper' appears as a person's name) and James Poe and Senior Retirement Planners LLC v. Espinosa (Tex. App. 2015, opinion cluster 4292693; 'Ronaki' appears as a personal name in body text). Exact phrase 'IX-94' returned 13 hits, all non-qualifying noise - incidental exhibit/docket strings in unrelated matters (prison, bankruptcy, product liability, education, tax, environmental). Zero results naming the vessel; no asbestos or maritime content in any hit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Opinion-index sweep only; RECAP docket full-text not separately swept for the bare hull string. A name match is not a case: the 'Ronaki' hits are persons named Ronaki and the 'IX-94' hits are incidental strings. Absence of litigation is a negative finding, not proof no exposure occurred; a tiny WWII-era crew and 1943 total loss leave minimal litigation surface.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-08
-
[10]Batch-4888 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; AUCHD 7955; DITRDC/KAVHA heritage documents; NZ Maritime Museum; Auckland Libraries/DigitalNZ; Papers Past; Shipscribe/Ships' Data compilation; NARA catalog; NVR; CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ronaki-ix94-01 through sl-uss-ronaki-ix94-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Ronaki/IX-94 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The configuration is consistent with minimal asbestos relevance - wood hull, sail plus crude-oil engines, no steam plant - and the hull was destroyed by burning and cutting in 1943, foreclosing any modern survey pathway.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - undocumented era-typical items (gaskets, packing, exhaust lagging, electrical fittings) cannot be ruled out by any source. Equally, no source supports their presence. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-09
-
[11]NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) 'Ronaki' search; Ships' Data US Naval Vessels 1943 listing via shipscribe.com IX compilation (S.S. Roberts); RAN Naval History Section movement-records PDF (link dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog search results page 1 (NAIDs 78217563, 134271596, 134133641, 134110747); shipscribe.com/usnaux/IX3/IX091.html ship-notes table; SoHI footnote 55 (dead URL confirmed)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (located but page-level content not retrieved): NARA catalog full-text search on 'Ronaki' index-hits WWII war diaries in RG 38 including NAID 78217563 (NOB Auckland NZ war diary, Jan-Oct 1943, Roll A680), NAID 134271596 (COMSERRON SOPACFOR war diary, June 1943 - the loss month, Roll A423), and CINCPAC war diaries for Feb-Mar 1943 (NAIDs 134110747, 134133641) - operational mentions likely; the same search returns name collisions (naturalization and census records). Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels 1943 lists 'IX-94, ex RONAKI, no data' - the Navy itself held minimal records. The RAN Naval History Section 'WWII Merchant Ship Movement Records: Ronaki to Samuel Heintzelman' PDF cited by the 2020 heritage assessment is dead-linked at navy.gov.au (404 at retrieval).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1943 records
- Limitations
- Index-level hits only - war-diary page text not retrieved or read; the mentions are expected to be operational (movements, loss report), not materials records. No asbestos finding here; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull in any archive is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ronaki-ix94-10