USS Sylvania (AFS-2)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Sylvania II (AFS-2)' - NHHC entry (entry dated 21 October 2005; published on NHHC site 25 September 2015; retrieved via Wayback capture 2024-12-09 - live history.navy.mil URL returns 404, standing NHHC link-rot) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture 20241209055836 of history.navy.mil DANFS 'Sylvania II (AFS-2)' - spec line '(AFS-2: dp. 9,200; l. 581'; b. 79'; dr. 28'; s. 20 k.; cpl. 486; a. 8 3"; cl. Mars)' and full narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 18 August 1962 by National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego; launched 10 August 1963 (DANFS date - register-derived sources print 15 August, see correction row); sponsored by Mrs. Cyrus R. Vance; commissioned 11 July 1964, Capt. Bernard A. Lienhard in command. Second of a new class of combat store ship combining the functions of AF (store ship), AKS (stores issue ship), and AVS (aviation issue ship). After sea trials she transited the Panama Canal 11 August and arrived Norfolk 16 October 1964 for post-shakedown availability; operated in the Norfolk area until spring 1965. Departed Norfolk 14 April 1965 for her first 6th Fleet tour via Rota, arriving new homeport Naples 29 April; first underway replenishment operation two days later. On 31 July (1965) completed the first vertical replenishment of an aircraft carrier using UH-46A helicopters; logged her 1,000th accident-free helicopter landing in early October. Flagship for Service Force, 6th Fleet, 5 December 1966 - 17 April 1967. Night of 8 January 1968: a 38-degree roll took water over the flight deck and parted cargo tie-downs, losing 52 pallets of provisions. 1 July 1968: awarded Battle Efficiency 'E' for her class and the Supply 'E'. Visited 19 October (1967) by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Charles A. Bowser. In drydock at Malta 29 November - 10 December 1968. 16 June 1969: lost a UH-46D helicopter in a crash during vertical replenishment in Palma de Mallorca harbor (crew rescued). Outchopped from the 6th Fleet 30 September 1969, returned to Norfolk 24 October after four and a half years. Deployed to the 6th Fleet again 28 December 1969 - 15 February 1970. First overhaul since commissioning: drydock 11 April - 13 May 1970, ready for sea 13 July; awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation 20 July 1970 for service to the 6th Fleet 25 April 1965 - 30 September 1969; CNO Admiral Zumwalt visited 21 July; refresher training Guantanamo Bay 13 August - 11 September. Departed Norfolk 18 November 1970 on a six-month 6th Fleet deployment, returned 17 May 1971; June 1971 entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a four-month restricted availability, left the yard 4 October; port call Fort Lauderdale 23-27 October; refresher training GTMO; another two-month Norfolk availability; deployed to the Mediterranean 24 February - 26 August 1972; returned to the Mediterranean 2 October - 10 November 1972 to replenish the on-station AFS; upkeep/training at Norfolk to 5 March 1973; GTMO refresher 6-16 March 1973 and a Cape Kennedy visit, home 23 March; departed Norfolk 25 May 1973, relieved Concord (AFS-5) as on-station AFS 16 June, relieved by San Diego (AFS-6) 12 November, returned Norfolk 3 December 1973. Operated out of Norfolk until early September 1974, then deployed again to the Mediterranean; DANFS entry ends 'As of 1 March 1975, she was still serving with that fleet.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1962-1975

   Population

   Ship's company (cpl. 486 per DANFS spec line); NASSCO construction trades (1962-64); Norfolk Naval Shipyard availability trades (1970, 1971); Malta drydock trades (1968)

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for construction, milestones, and the 1964-1975 service narrative; the published DANFS entry ends 1 March 1975 and covers nothing later - the 1980s-1994 record rests on award documentation and secondary compilations. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material content - documented yard availabilities (1970 drydock/overhaul; Malta drydock 1968; Norfolk Naval Shipyard restricted availability June-October 1971) are events only, their asbestos scope unverified. Live NHHC URL 404s; Wayback capture cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-01

2. [2]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Sylvania (AFS-2), page 09/52/5202.htm (timeline, spec block, ribbon display, photo captions, commanding-officer table) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page 5202.htm - class header, timeline, specification block, ribbon display, photo captions (incl. JRRF 2009 and 2012, HAER Philadelphia 1995), CO table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline and spec block: 'Mars Class Combat Stores Ship' - laid down 18 August 1962 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego; launched 15 August 1963; commissioned 11 July 1964 (CAPT Bernard A. Lienhard); decommissioned 26 May 1994; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia; struck from the Naval Register 5 January 1995; title transferred to the Maritime Administration 28 July 2001 for layup in the MARAD Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; final disposition 'sold for scrapping, 1 October 2012, for $1,241,352, to All Star Metals, Brownsville, TX., removed 17 October 2012.' Specs: 9,200 t (lt) / 17,500 t (fl); 581' x 79' x 27' max; 20 kts; complement 485; aircraft two UH-46 Sea Knight helicopters; armament as built four twin 3"/50 dual-purpose mounts, upgraded two twin 3"/50 + two CIWS + four .50 cal machine guns; propulsion one De Laval turbine, three Babcock and Wilcox boilers (580 psi), single propeller. Ribbon display (awards precedence): Navy Unit Commendation; Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2); Navy 'E' Ribbon (2); Navy Expeditionary Medal (4 - Lebanon); National Defense Service Medal (2); Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1 - Lebanon); Southwest Asia Service Medal (2); Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait). Photo captions document the hull in the James River NDRF rafted with SS Cape Mendocino and ex-USS Shenandoah (AD-44) on 8 April 2009, and removal from the JRRF anchorage 17 October 2012 under tow of tug Miss-Liz-Leslie bound for Brownsville; a Library of Congress HAER photo (PA,51-PHILA,709B) documents the decommissioned hull at Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1995. Commanding-officer table runs from CAPT Lienhard (11 July 1964).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1962-2012

   Population

   Ship's company (~485 per spec block); helicopter detachment (two UH-46s); NISMF Philadelphia custody crew (1994-2000)

   Limitations

   Private archival compilation, not an official record - used for the timeline, spec block, awards rack, CO table, and NDRF photographic documentation; the awards list reflects the Navy awards file but is reproduced here without the award-window detail available for some hulls. Headline specs differ slightly from shipscribe NVR-derived class data (boiler pressure 580 vs 600 psi; complement 485 vs 42+445) and DANFS (draft 27' vs 28') - kept separate, see correction row. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-02

3. [3]shipscribe.com (S.S. Roberts, NVR-derived reference), 'Class: MARS (AFS 1)' page - construction table, disposition table, ship notes, and class design narrative (compiled 5 Aug 2021 from NARA RG 19 entries and Miller, 'Designing the U.S. Navy's Underway Replenishment System,' NSWC Port Hueneme 1996) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe AFS01.html - class characteristics block, construction table row AFS-2, disposition table row AFS-2, ship note 2, class notes paragraphs on FAST/STREAM and armament changes

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NVR-derived class record: Mars class design under SCB Project Nos. 208, 705.65, and 705.66; class characteristics 9,852 t light / 17,381 t full, 581' oa x 79' x 27' max nav, 21 kts, steam turbine / 3 boilers (600 psi) / 1 screw / 22,000 shp, accommodations 42 officers + 445 enlisted. Construction table: SYLVANIA (AFS-2) ordered 19 January 1962, builder GD/National Steel San Diego, keel 18 August 1962, launch 15 August 1963, commission 11 July 1964. Disposition table: decommissioned 26 May 1994 (D), struck 5 January 1995, disposal 28 July 2001, fate 'MA/T', MA sale/depart 17 October 2012 (D). Ship note: 'FY 1962. To MA custody 12 Sep 2000. To buyer 17 Oct 2012.' Class notes: the AFS combined AF + AKS + AVS functions on a Mariner-derived hull form with palletized cargo handling, vertical conveyors, M-frame replenishment rigs, and a helicopter platform/hangar for two helicopters; the contract design 'invoked commercial standards' for hull and machinery components with few exceptions; AFS 1 and AFS 2 received the FAST transfer system (STREAM successor evaluated 1970); AFS-2 received one Mk 25 Sea Sparrow MLS in 1969 (landed 1974) and two CIWS mounts by 1989 (positioned differently than prototype AFS-4); after 1979 all but AFS-4 lost the after 3"/50 mounts.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1961-2012

   Population

   Ship's company (accommodations 42 officers + 445 enlisted per class block)

   Limitations

   NVR-derived register data plus the compiler's class design history from NARA RG 19 design files - authoritative for construction/disposition milestones and class design intent; contains no asbestos or insulation-material information. The 'commercial standards' note in the contract design is documented class history, not a materials statement. Launch date (15 Aug 1963) conflicts with DANFS (10 Aug 1963) - flagged in the correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - SYLVANIA (AFS-2), Ship History Detail 4736 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 4736 - vessel header, characteristics block, milestones table, (empty) status-cards and documents tabs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record for this hull: Year Built 1963; Shipyard 'National Steel and Shipbuilding'; General Type 'General Cargo' / Specific Type 'Break Bulk'; MARAD Type 'Military'; length 581.00 ft; beam 79.00 ft; displacement summer 17,382 t / lightweight 9,852 t; Fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Milestones: Entry 9/12/2000; Acquisition 9/12/2000 ('Refrig&BB;title f/dispose'); Interim Movement 7/28/2001; Disposition 7/28/2001 ('MARAD accepted title 07-28-01'); an undated entry 5/24/2005; Withdrawal 10/17/2012 ('Vessel departed under domestic sale'). No historical narrative, no status cards, no documents posted. Resolves the two-date disposal trail: MARAD custody entry/acquisition 12 September 2000 (shipscribe 'To MA custody 12 Sep 2000') is distinct from title acceptance 28 July 2001 (NavSource 'title transferred').

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2000-2012

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones only: JRRF custody entry 2000, MARAD title acceptance 2001, physical withdrawal under domestic sale 17 October 2012. The milestone table does not name the buyer or contract terms - buyer (All Star Metals) and price ($1,241,352, sale date 1 Oct 2012) come from the NavSource timeline; hazmat/abatement scope of the disposal sale is not public in this record. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-04

5. [5]Ellis v. Pneumo Abex Corp., 798 F. Supp. 2d 985 (C.D. Ill. June 20, 2011), No. 11-cv-1128 (Mihm, J.) - CourtListener cluster 2113936; and Ellis v. Pneumo Abex Corp., 62 F. Supp. 3d 833 (C.D. Ill. July 31, 2014), No. 11-cv-1128 - CourtListener cluster 7310136 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion 2113936 (798 F. Supp. 2d 985, 'BACKGROUND' section: complaint recites 'service aboard the USS Voglegsang and USS Sylvania'); opinion 7310136 (62 F. Supp. 3d 833: exposure windows 1969-1971 aboard USS Sylvania / 1971-1973 USS Vogelsang; MDL-875 docket No. 11-66774-ER; concession and exclusion holdings)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Two published federal orders in an asbestos wrongful-death action name this hull as an alleged exposure site. The complaint (filed 16 February 2010 in the Circuit Court of McLean County, Illinois; plaintiff Linda Ellis, special administrator for the estate of Walter Tom) alleged Tom developed asbestos-related lung cancer from exposure (1) during Navy service aboard USS Sylvania (1969-1971) and USS 'Voglegsang'/'Vogelsang' [sic - USS Vogelgesang, DD-862] (1971-1973), (2) during employment as a boilerman at NASA (1973-1979), and (3) doing automotive brake work with Bendix linings. Westinghouse removed the case to the C.D. Ill. under 28 U.S.C. 1442(a)(1) (government-contractor defense); the 20 June 2011 order denied remand and granted a stay pending transfer to MDL-875 (the 2014 opinion references the MDL docket as Ellis v. Pneumo Abex Corp., No. 11-66774-ER, E.D. Pa., filed 3 Jan 2013). The 31 July 2014 order granted defendant Pneumo Abex's motion to exclude the expert opinion testimony of Dr. Arthur Frank - the plaintiff's causation/conspiracy expert - the plaintiff having conceded she had no evidence Tom was exposed to any product manufactured or supplied by Pneumo Abex, leaving only an Illinois civil-conspiracy claim (the Saranac/Gardner mouse-study suppression theory). Hull attribution: the 1969-1971 service window eliminates the earlier namesake - USS Sylvania (AKA-44) was scrapped in 1964 - so the named hull is AFS-2.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1969-1971 (alleged exposure window); 2010-2014 (litigation)

   Population

   Crew member Walter Tom (aboard 1969-1971, per the complaint)

   Limitations

   Litigation-stage discipline: the hull naming is a COMPLAINT ALLEGATION recited in two published orders - never adjudicated. The 2011 order is procedural only (remand denial / stay pending MDL transfer); the 2014 order is a discovery-stage evidentiary exclusion ADVERSE to the plaintiff (her sole causation/conspiracy expert excluded after she conceded no product-identification evidence against the moving defendant) - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not affirmative evidence about the ship. No opinion finds asbestos aboard this hull, and no exposure or causation was ever tried. The 'USS Sylvania' allegation is nonetheless a verified, docketed, hull-naming asbestos claim - the only ship-specific asbestos-litigation record located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-05

6. [6]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960, page date 15 April 1959) - specification-level document for Navy shipboard insulation materials; plus NavSource/shipscribe spec data for this hull's plant (3 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 1 De Laval geared turbine, 1 screw, 22,000 shp) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAVSHIPS 250-000 ch. 39 (1960) insulation specification suite; shipscribe AFS01 class notes; DANFS yard-period entries

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era inference: this hull was laid down 18 August 1962 and delivered into commission July 1964 - squarely inside the documented Navy asbestos-insulation era. The 1960 BuShips Technical Manual ch. 39 suite - the governing specification set when her contract design (approved January 1961, SCB Project 208) was built - enumerates 85%-magnesia and amosite pipe covering, asbestos felt, asbestos cloth/tape lagging, asbestos millboard, finishing cement, and molded block as the era-standard insulation set for steam plants. Era-standard applications for a three-boiler single-turbine auxiliary: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between fireroom and machinery spaces; turbine and machinery insulation; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation/galley insulation. Documented disturbance events on this hull with unrecorded asbestos scope: Malta drydock November-December 1968 (hull scraping and painting per photo caption), 1970 drydock/overhaul (11 April-13 May) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard four-month restricted availability June-October 1971, a 1985 Norfolk overhaul reported in secondary sources, the May 1994 inactivation, 1994-2000 Philadelphia NISMF layup, 2000-2012 James River Reserve Fleet layup, and the 2012-13 Brownsville dismantlement.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1962-2013

   Population

   NASSCO construction trades (1962-64); engineering/snipes and repair crew (1964-94); Norfolk Naval Shipyard availability trades (1971; 1985 per secondary); Philadelphia NISMF and JRRF custody crews; All Star Metals dismantlement trades (2012-13)

   Limitations

   Class/era specification and event inference only - no insulation schedule, survey, or materials document for this hull was located; this row must not be read as establishing that asbestos products were or remained aboard. The shipscribe contract-design history notes 'commercial standards were invoked' for hull and machinery components - whether that altered insulation practice on this class is undocumented. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (the hull is scrapped), individual exposure, or causation. The Ellis litigation row (ev-05) is a pleading allegation, not confirmation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-06

7. [7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its insulation-removal policies as of 1979 - the midpoint of this hull's commissioned service (1964-1994). The Navy's standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - the documented program context for her 1970s-80s availabilities and for any asbestos remaining aboard at her 1994 inactivation and 2012 dismantlement.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1979 (report); applicability 1964-2013

   Population

   Navy shipyard and maintenance-era workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; GAO fieldwork covered shipyard asbestos practices generally (Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards) and the report does not name this hull or establish what materials were installed in or removed from her. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing defect since BATCH-01) - content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-07

8. [8]NavSource awards rack and photo captions (this hull's page) + National Endowment for the Humanities feature 'King Tut: A Classic Blockbuster Museum Exhibition' (corroborated by Vanity Fair, April 2013, 'The King of New York,' and Aramco World 1977) + U.S. Navy All Hands photograph (April 1991, p. 33, UNREP with USNS Southern Cross 'during the 1991 Gulf War') [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 5202.htm ribbon display and photo captions; neh.gov King Tut feature (Sept/Oct 2015); archive.vanityfair.com 'The King of New York' (Apr 2013); All Hands April 1991 p. 33 via NavSource photo caption; history.state.gov FRUS 1964-68 v19 docs 219 and 284 (Liberty fleet-level record); hullnumber.com/AFS-2 (unverified event table)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Post-DANFS record (1975-1994) - the published DANFS entry ends 1 March 1975. Documented for this hull: (a) September 1976 - returning from a routine deployment, Sylvania transported the 'Treasures of Tutankhamun' exhibition artifacts to America: the objects were lifted at Alexandria by USS Milwaukee (AOR-2) and handed off at Naples to Sylvania, which delivered them to Norfolk in early September 1976 (NEH; Vanity Fair). (b) Awards rack (NavSource, reflecting the Navy awards file): Navy Expeditionary Medal (4 awards - Lebanon) and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1 - Lebanon), consistent with Sixth Fleet Lebanon-crisis service of the 1982-84 period; Southwest Asia Service Medal (2) and Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), consistent with Desert Shield/Desert Storm service - corroborated by the Navy All Hands photograph (April 1991) of Sylvania conducting underway replenishment with USNS Southern Cross during the 1991 Gulf War. (c) Service Squadron Four / Service Group Two assignment and the Mediterranean on-station AFS rotation through the 1980s are described in secondary compilations (deployment dates there are unverified). Also located in secondary text: a claim that as part of TF-60 Sylvania 'came to the assistance of USS Liberty' on 8 June 1967, citing a 1537Z08 June 1967 COMSIXTHFLT drafted message - the fleet-level response is documented (FRUS records TF-60 directed to proceed toward the scene, and the Sixth Fleet Service Force commander held a logistics-support role for Liberty) but the ship-specific role is unverified in located primary sources. A 1968 Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet is likewise secondary-sourced only. hullnumber.com's event table includes an August-September 1992 'Hurricane Andrew Support' entry - unverified secondary, not carried as fact.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1967-1994

   Population

   Ship's company during Lebanon (1982-84 era) and Southwest Asia (1990-91) qualifying service

   Limitations

   Mixed-provenance row: the awards rack and Navy photographs are verified documentation; the King Tut transport is verified by a federal source (NEH) plus contemporaneous press; the Liberty-assist detail, the Sterrett award, the 1985 overhaul, and specific 1980s-90s deployment dates are secondary-source claims consistent with - but not confirmed by - the award record, and are flagged accordingly. None of this material contains asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-08

9. [9]Batch-618 search ledger (this record): NavSource vessel archive; shipscribe NVR-derived class page; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 4736; DANFS via Wayback NHHC capture; CourtListener API v4 exact-name search (completed) and hull-number search (blocked); web-level litigation and list-site sweeps [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-sylvania-afs2-01 through sl-uss-sylvania-afs2-14

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, insulation-material schedule, or adjudicated exposure finding names this hull in the public sources searched - DANFS contains no materials statement; NavSource, shipscribe, and MARAD ShipHistory contain none; the 2012 MARAD disposal-sale terms are not public. The one ship-specific litigation record (Ellis, ev-05) is a pleading/discovery-stage allegation only. CourtListener coverage is PARTIAL: the exact-name opinion search completed ('USS Sylvania' - 2 hits, both Ellis v. Pneumo Abex; qualifying), but the hull-number query '"AFS-2"' could not be run (API HTTP 429 on four attempts this session) - logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Builder-yard context located but not carried as hull evidence: NASSCO San Diego is a recurring named defendant in asbestos litigation concerning yard work on other hulls and contractor exposures (e.g., Pizarro v. Astra Flooring Co., No. C 19-08425 WHA, N.D. Cal.; Ollerton v. National Steel & Shipbuilding, No. CV 23-1267-MWF, C.D. Cal.; Freeman v. BAE Systems et al., No. 22-cv-0934-L-KSC, S.D. Cal.) - none names AFS-2. Competitor/marketing list pages explicitly carry this hull - asbestos-ships.com hosts a dedicated 'USS Sylvania (AFS-2)' page and sokolovelaw.com and simmonsfirm.com list 'USS Sylvania' on generic Navy-ship asbestos lists - unverified claims, excluded as sources.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2026-09-20

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a steam auxiliary built 1962-64 is era-consistent with specified asbestos insulation, and the hull was demolished in 2012-13 without any located hazmat survey. The Ellis complaint's allegation remains an allegation. CourtListener hull-number coverage is incomplete (throttled), so an additional hull-naming case could exist that this session could not check. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos, individual exposure, or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-09

10. [10]NARA record-group mapping for this hull + NHHC command-operation-report holdings + LOC HAER Philadelphia Naval Shipyard documentation + Ellis docket materials (PACER/RECAP) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 24 guide page; NHHC command-operation-reports program; Ellis v. Pneumo Abex dockets (C.D. Ill. 11-cv-1128; E.D. Pa. MDL-875 member case); LOC HAER PA,51-PHILA,709B (photo caption via NavSource); MARAD Detail 4736 (no documents posted)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 Navy deck logs cover this hull's 1964-1994 commission - the engine-room and repair-party entries would be the primary-source route to any ship-specific materials or casualty record; (b) NHHC command operation reports (OPNAVINST 5750-series) exist for this era - Sylvania's annual CORs (1964-1994) would document deployments, yard periods, and any industrial hygiene events; the NHHC COR index page was not retrieved this session; (c) Ellis docket materials - the C.D. Ill. 11-cv-1128 file and the MDL-875 E.D. Pa. member case (No. 11-66774-ER per the 2014 opinion) - hold the complaint and work-history exhibits that would show what, if anything, was alleged about products aboard this hull (PACER/RECAP; not pulled); (d) LOC HAER documentation of Philadelphia Naval Shipyard includes a 1995 photograph of the decommissioned hull (HAER PA,51-PHILA,709B per NavSource caption); the HAER written report, if any, was not retrieved; (e) NASSCO San Diego construction/outfitting records for AFS-2 (contract of 19 January 1962) and the 2012 MARAD-All Star Metals sale contract terms (hazmat scope) are not located in public indexes.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1962-2014 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and docket mapping only - no box-level or PACER retrieval performed; whether asbestos-specific documents exist for this hull (construction specs, availability work packages, disposal hazmat files, or the Ellis complaint exhibits) is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-10

11. [11]DANFS (Wayback NHHC capture) vs NavSource timeline/spec block vs shipscribe NVR-derived tables vs MARAD milestones vs secondary compilations (Wikipedia, hullnumber.com) [other_primary]

    Locator

    DANFS Wayback capture spec line + narrative; NavSource 5202.htm timeline and spec block; shipscribe AFS01 construction/disposition tables; MARAD Detail 4736 milestones; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sylvania_(AFS-2) infobox (conflicting claims only)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) Launch date - DANFS prints 'launched on 10 August 1963' while NavSource, the shipscribe NVR-derived construction table, and Wikipedia's infobox print 15 August 1963; both dates carried attributed, unresolved (DANFS is the official history; the register-derived tables are the construction record). (b) Stricken date - NavSource and shipscribe print 5 January 1995 (consistent with the MARAD custody chronology); Wikipedia's infobox prints 'Stricken 26 May 1994,' conflating the strike with the decommissioning date. NVR-derived sources control: stricken 5 January 1995. (c) Disposal - Wikipedia's 'Sold for scrapping, 28 July 2001' conflates MARAD's title acceptance (28 July 2001, per MARAD milestones and NavSource) with the sale; the actual sale was 1 October 2012 to All Star Metals for $1,241,352 and the hull departed the James River 17 October 2012. (d) Namesake - Wikipedia's infobox prints 'Sylvania, Ohio'; DANFS states the namesake is 'an astronomical body' (the asteroid 519 Sylvania, per the earlier namesake AKA-44's entry). DANFS controls. (e) Malta drydock - DANFS prints 29 November - 10 December 1968; a NavSource photo caption prints 27 November - 11 December 1968 ('hull scraping and painting'); DANFS adopted, flagged. (f) Complement - DANFS 486 vs NavSource 485 vs shipscribe accommodations 42 officers + 445 enlisted - kept separate. (g) Boiler pressure - NavSource 580 psi vs shipscribe class data 600 psi - kept separate, unresolved. (h) Displacement - DANFS/NavSource 9,200 lt / 17,500 fl vs shipscribe/MARAD 9,852 lt / 17,381-17,382 fl - the register/MARAD figures adopted as design displacements, both carried.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1962-2012

    Limitations

    Publication-level discrepancy resolution among the cited sources; secondary sources (Wikipedia, hullnumber.com) appear here only as the conflicting claims, not as an evidence basis. Wikipedia's stricken-date, fate, and namesake errors are traceable to decommissioning/title-transfer conflation and to confusing the ship with the Ohio city. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-sylvania-afs2-11