Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet mu-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-silica-ix151-pkt-mu-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Silica (IX-151)' (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 as of 2026-09-29 - verified via 2024-05-26 Wayback capture) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Silica' entry, full text + ship-data line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC, 'Silica'): laid down as SS Bauxite B7-D1 (MC hull 1331) 5 December 1943 by Barrett, Hilp, & Belair Shipyard, San Francisco, Calif.; launched 31 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. William O'Neill; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 8 June 1944, Lt. Ormond A. Seavey, USNR, in command. A concrete barge acquired for use as a store ship issuing general supplies at advance bases, assigned to Service Squadron 8, Service Force, Pacific Fleet: towed by Gulf Star from San Francisco 30 June 1944, arriving Pearl Harbor 13 July; towed to Eniwetok three days later; Megrez (AK-126) towed her to Ulithi, on station 16 October 1944 to 7 May 1945; Serrano (ATF-112) towed her to the Philippine Islands until August 1945, then towed to Okinawa. Driven aground in Buckner Bay 9 October by a typhoon; a Board of Inquiry found her damaged beyond economical repair and recommended she be destroyed or sunk in deep water; decommissioned 30 November 1945, struck from the Navy list 3 January 1946. Ship-data line: dp. 5,636; l. 366'4"; b. 54'; dr. 26'; non-self-propelled; cpl. 52; a. 1 40mm; cl. Silica.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Crew of 52 (naval service, 1944-1945)
- Limitations
- Authoritative service-history record containing no asbestos, materials, or industrial-hygiene information. Names the typhoon only as 'a typhoon' (the 9 October 1945 storm is Typhoon Louise per NHHC storm history). The 'cl. Silica' class designator differs from the Trefoil-class name used by NavSource/Shipscribe - a naming-source variant, not a discrepancy in the hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-01
-
[3]Shipscribe.com, 'USS Trefoil (IX-149) Class' - Stephen S. Roberts compilation of Bureau of Ships/NARA vessel registers, MC contract records, and Auxiliary Vessels Board records [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-149 class page: construction table (IX-151 row), disposition table, class notes, ship notes (MC 1331 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe Trefoil (IX-149) class page (BuShips/NARA-derived construction and disposition tables plus program notes): Silica is MC hull 1331, 'Ex USS BAUXITE (IX-154, ex merc. BAUXITE) 15 Feb 44. Reefer and provision issue barge (refrigerated). Grounded (submerged on coral reef) in typhoon at Okinawa 9 Oct 45, stripping and abandonment recommended 6 Nov 45. Refloated, towed to sea, and scuttled.' Program context: Barrett & Hilp won a 30 Jun 1942 MC contract for 13 non-self-propelled concrete barges designed to transport bauxite ore, plus 13 more ex-MacDonald & Kahn hulls added 4 Aug 42 (26 total, 6 cancelled, 13 acquired by the Navy); the firm also contracted to build the Belair Shipyard facility itself. On CinCPac's 4 Oct 43 request, six early barges were converted during construction with 'tween decks for general-stores (GSK) issue; two of them - Asphalt and Silica - were refrigerated provision-issue barges whose completion slipped while awaiting refrigeration equipment. Crews ran 16 (basic barge), 53 (GSK conversion), 61 (refrigerated conversion). The 15 Feb 1944 CNO correction re-paired names to hulls so names retained intended order across changed completion order. Class note: 'All were placed in service, not in commission.' Disposition table: Silica out of service 30 Nov 45, struck 3 Jan 46, fate 'Lost.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Belair Shipyard construction workforce (1943-44); Navy crew (~52-61)
- Limitations
- Reputable specialist compilation of primary government data, not the primary records themselves. Its construction-table dates for this hull (keel 5 Oct 43, launch 18 Dec 43) conflict with DANFS (5 Dec / 31 Dec 1943) - DANFS adopted; discrepancy logged in gaps. Its 'placed in service, not in commission' class note conflicts with DANFS 'commissioned' wording for this hull - variant logged. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-02
-
[4]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, 'USS Silica (IX-151)' page (archival capture 2024-05-27; live navsource.org fetch failed 2026-09-29) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/46/46151.htm vessel page (Wayback capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Silica (IX-151): 'Non-self propelled Storage Barge' laid down 5 December 1943 as Bauxite, MC type B7-D1 concrete-hulled barge, MC hull 1331, Barrett, Hilp & Belair Shipyard; launched 31 December 1943; acquired and commissioned 8 June 1944, Lt. Ormond A. Seavey USNR in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater; damaged beyond economical repair by typhoon at Buckner Bay 9 October 1945; out of service 30 November 1945; struck 3 January 1946. Specifications: displacement 5,678 t. light / 10,960 t. full; length 366'4"; beam 54'; draft 26'; complement 52; cargo 3,000 DWT, 292,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; armament one single 40mm AA mount + four single 20mm AA mounts; fuel diesel 610 bbls; machinery four diesel-drive 60 kW 120V DC ship's service generators. Awards: American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, WWII Victory, Philippines Liberation medals. Cites NARA photo 80-G-325591 (vessel at anchor as floating warehouse, Western Pacific, 1944-45). Call sign NAAA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Crew of 52; ServRon 8 supported-fleet transient workers alongside
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive of official registry data - a reputable secondary compilation, not a primary record; corroborates DANFS dates and adds the machinery/armament specification block (the four diesel gensets and added 20mm mounts are NavSource-only details not in DANFS). Its 5,678 t light displacement differs from DANFS 5,636 - minor variant. No asbestos or materials content; the generator and reefer details bound the exposure-relevant machinery envelope but identify no materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-03
-
[5]Naval Historical Center/NHHC, 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' (faq102-6) incl. 'Annex A. Typhoon "Louise" The 9 October 1945 Storm at Okinawa' from the CinCPac/CincPOA surrender-and-occupation report [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- faq102-6.htm, storm narrative + Annex A extract + Appendix III damage listing (Wayback capture 2000-12-04)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' (Naval Historical Center FAQ, including the CinCPac/CincPOA report Annex A extract): the storm that grounded Silica - Typhoon Louise - developed 4 October north of Rota, veered unexpectedly toward Okinawa, and struck Buckner Bay 9 October 1945 with sustained winds of 80-100 knots, gusts to 120 knots, and 30-35 ft seas inside the bay; fleet toll: 12 ships and craft sunk, 222 grounded, 32 severely damaged; 36 killed, 47 missing, ~100 seriously injured; ComServDiv 104 conducted salvage, refloating 79 ships by 19 November, with 53 badly damaged vessels decommissioned, stripped, and abandoned - the disposal pathway Silica followed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945-10-09 to 1945-11-19
- Population
- Fleet anchorage crews, Buckner Bay, 9 October 1945
- Limitations
- Fleet-level storm record: it documents the event that destroyed this vessel but does not name Silica - she does not appear in the Appendix III damage listing (progress reports to 19 Nov), a noted gap consistent with her early strip/abandon recommendation (6 Nov). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-04
-
[6]DANFS 'Silica' entry vs Shipscribe IX-149 class page (construction table, class notes, ship notes) vs NavSource registry entry vs NavalCoverMuseum designation history [other_primary]
- Locator
- cross-source comparison of the four cited registry entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged and resolved. (a) Build dates: Shipscribe's construction table lists keel 5 Oct 43 and launch 18 Dec 43 for this hull; DANFS, NavSource, and the NavalCoverMuseum registry entry all give keel 5 Dec 1943 and launch 31 Dec 1943 - the DANFS dates are adopted (Shipscribe's row likely reflects a different milestone convention or transcription). (b) Status wording: DANFS and NavSource say 'commissioned 8 June 1944' with a lieutenant 'in command'; Shipscribe's class note states all B7-D1 barges were 'placed in service, not in commission' - consistent with the sister-hull record for IX-149 describing a placing-in-service with an officer-in-charge; 'commissioned' is adopted per DANFS with the variant logged. (c) Complement: 52 (DANFS, NavSource) vs 54 (Shipscribe class table, 1944) vs 61 (Shipscribe class notes for refrigerated conversions) - 52 adopted, variants logged. (d) Merchant-name chain: this hull was merc. BAUXITE (MC 1331), briefly the intended USS BAUXITE (IX-154) until the 15 Feb 44 CNO correction; the merc. SILICA was a different hull (MC 1328 = IX-152 Carmita) - cross-indexing caution carried in aliases.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary compilations against the authoritative DANFS text; does not affect identity or service chronology materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-05
-
[7]Maes v. Barrett & Hilp, 27 BRBS 128 (1993), BRB Nos. 90-881/90-881A, aff'g ALJ A. Karst, 89-LHC-900 (U.S. Dept. of Labor BRB published decision PDF) [court_record]
- Locator
- DOL BRB published decision 90-0881.pdf - statement of facts (MC contract, Asbestos Co. of California subcontract 11 Aug 1943, credited insulation-installation testimony) and affirmance
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Maes v. Barrett & Hilp, 27 BRBS 128 (1993) (BRB Nos. 90-881 and 90-881A; DOL Benefits Review Board, published): affirmed the ALJ's award of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act death benefits to the widow of Joseph Maes, who died 22 December 1986 of pulmonary asbestosis after a two-week 1943 employment stint at Barrett & Hilp (his 1939-1969 career was at non-maritime asbestos employers). The affirmed record reflects: in June 1942 Barrett & Hilp contracted with the U.S. Maritime Commission to construct a shipyard on federal land in South San Francisco and to build 26 concrete barges there; on 11 August 1943 the employer 'subcontracted with Asbestos Company of California to supply insulation containing asbestos for installation on the barges'; and the ALJ credited testimony that the decedent 'worked installing asbestos insulation on concrete barges which were being built on dry docks in the shipyard.' The documented insulation-supply subcontract and installation work fall within the 1943-44 program window in which this hull (MC 1331) was built at that yard - keel laid October-December 1943, launched December 1943, delivered to the Navy June 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1944 construction window; decision 1993
- Population
- Barrett & Hilp construction workforce incl. subcontracted insulation installers, South San Francisco dry docks (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Affirmed adjudicated finding (ALJ findings affirmed by the Board) - the strongest evidence class available for this hull, but program/yard-level only: the decision does not name MC hull 1331, does not identify which barges received the insulation, and addresses a construction worker's yard exposure, not crew exposure aboard the finished vessel. It establishes that asbestos-containing insulation was supplied for installation on these barges during this hull's construction window; it does not establish that material was installed aboard, or remained aboard, this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-06
-
[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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this B7-D1 concrete barge was built and converted for Navy issue - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization, concentrated in machinery and piping insulation of steam-driven vessels.
- 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 vessel crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or type, and its emphasis on steam-machinery insulation transfers only partially to a non-self-propelled barge whose only machinery was diesel generator sets and refrigeration equipment. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 search (opinion type=o), authenticated via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-silica-ix151-07 and -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener searches (authenticated API v4) on the vessel name and pennant: '"USS Silica"' opinion query returned 0 hits; '"IX-151"' opinion query returned 4 hits, all name collisions - Ortiz Santiago v. International Medical Services (P.R. App. 2025, docket-number string), United States v. Union Corp. (E.D. Pa. 2003, environmental), Emhart Industries v. New England Container (D.R.I. 2015, CERCLA), and State of Alabama v. United States (5th Cir. 1962, civil rights) - none naming the vessel. Remaining queries (docket-type 'USS Silica', 'Silica'+asbestos variants) were deferred under the shared fleet pacing budget; final disposition itemized in the search ledger. No qualifying hull-specific asbestos case located in the completed queries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Sweep incomplete at write time under fleet pacing - 'Silica' is a high-collision term (silicosis/silica-product litigation) and 'Bauxite' collides with mining litigation; unqualified name searches are not probative and only hits identifying the vessel or hull number were counted. CourtListener indexes opinions/dockets, not trial filings or the DOL administrative docket that produced Maes v. Barrett & Hilp (a yard-level compensation case, not vessel litigation).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-08
-
[10]Batch-4721 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback), NavSource (Wayback), Shipscribe IX-149 class page, ShipbuildingHistory merchant-ship tables, NHHC Typhoon Louise FAQ, DOL BRB decisions (Maes), MARAD ShipHistory search, NVR scope check, CourtListener opinion queries, NARA photo reference [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-silica-ix151-01 through sl-uss-silica-ix151-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, materials list, court opinion, or docketed case naming MC hull 1331, SS/USS Bauxite (this hull), or USS Silica (IX-151) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The vessel was wrecked and scuttled in 1945 with no post-Navy custody, survey, or reuse window in which such records would typically be generated.
- 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 - and here the program-level record (Maes) documents asbestos insulation supplied for installation on this barge program during this hull's construction. Does not establish presence or absence aboard the finished hull; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-09
-
[11]NARA 80-G photo series (via NavSource citation); NARA RG 24 deck-log series and BoI records; NARA RG 178 (US Maritime Commission); San Mateo County Historical Association online catalog, Barrett & Hilp items (incl. Pacific Marine Review Nov 1943 reprint, cat. 2018.075.007; Belair Cargoman newsletters, cat. 2018.075.009-.023) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo credit line for 80-G-325591; historysmc.pastperfectonline.com catalog entries 2018.075.007 and .009-.023
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no reproduction order authorized): (a) NARA photo 80-G-325591 - USS Silica at anchor serving as a floating warehouse at a Western Pacific mobile supply/repair advance base, 1944-45 (cited by NavSource from US National Archives via Shipscribe). (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs for IX-151, June 1944 - November 1945, including the typhoon-grounding period at Buckner Bay. (c) The Board of Inquiry report on Silica's 9 October 1945 grounding/damage survey (naval board records; cited by DANFS's outcome language). (d) NARA RG 178 Maritime Commission records for the Barrett & Hilp 26-barge contract and MC hull 1331 construction/refrigerated-conversion specifications. (e) San Mateo County Historical Association, Barrett & Hilp/Belair collection: 'Belair Cargoman' yard newsletters (1943-44 issues) and the November 1943 Pacific Marine Review reprint 'Concrete Construction for Ship-Shaped Barges' - program-level construction detail that may describe insulation work.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and collection mapping only - no retrieval performed; whether any of these contain asbestos-specific information for hull 1331 is unknown. The deck logs and BoI report document operations and casualty sequence, unlikely to carry materials data; the MC contract/specification files are the most plausible source of a materials callout. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-10
-
[12]ShipbuildingHistory.com, 'B Type Misc Ships' - Maritime Commission merchant/auxiliary-type output table, concrete ship section [other_primary]
- Locator
- 2btypeships.htm, B7-D1 concrete barge rows (MC hulls 1319-1338), hull 1331 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton) merchant-ship tables, B-type/concrete section: MC hull 1331, Barrett & Hilp, San Francisco - 'Bauxite/Silica', type B7-D1, concrete, 5,687 (tons), delivered Jun-44, 'Later IX 151, scuttled 1945' - corroborating MC hull identity, builder, delivery month, and the scuttling disposition.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation (yard/MC output table), not a primary document; consistent with DANFS and Shipscribe on identity and disposition. 'Delivered Jun-44' aligns with the 8 June 1944 Navy acquisition. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-silica-ix151-11