Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet crew-cv-packet.md (3 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-tawasa-at92-pkt-crew-cv-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Tawasa (AT-92) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, full service narrative, spec block, battle stars, decommission/strike date (live NHHC page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block; publication stamp 25 September 2015
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 22 June 1942 at Portland, Oreg., by the Commercial Iron Works; launched 22 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan; commissioned 17 July 1943, Lt. Fred C. Clark in command. Shakedown off the lower California coast; departed San Pedro 20 October 1943 for Hawaii towing two fuel-oil barges; Pearl Harbor 4 November; assigned Service Force, Pacific Fleet. Gilbert Islands (Funafuti, Abemama, Tarawa) November 1943-January 1944; TF 52 Southern Attack Force for the Marshalls - took soundings off Kwajalein Atoll 31 January 1944 enabling Mississippi (BB-41) to close for bombardment; salvage, towing, screening through the Eniwetok assault; Pearl Harbor tender availability and radar installation April-May 1944; TF 52 Northern Attack Force transport screen for the Marianas, assisting LSTs landing Marines on Saipan June 1944; ServRon 10 (31 July-24 August 1944) then ServRon South Pacific until departing Noumea 9 May 1946. Postwar: San Pedro home port; Yokosuka tour February-October 1947; Adak (1948) and Guam alternating with west-coast duty; seven Far East deployments over the following decade; TF 92 Logistics Support Force Korea 4 June 1952-1 March 1953 (Cho Do, Sokcho, Chinhae). WestPac 13 February-3 July 1962; towed Plaice (SS-390) San Francisco-Pearl Harbor December 1962; 7th Fleet April-November 1964; Alaskan Sea Frontier June-September 1965; December 1965 towed Bunker Hill (AVT-9) San Francisco-San Diego, 'the largest operational tow made by a tug of the Pacific Fleet: 33,946 tons'; Alaska 8 February-11 April 1967. 1968 WestPac combat deployment (YFN-1126 to Hawaii; Subic Bay target services; Danang special operations; Sattahip drone services for the Royal Thai Navy); Campbell Machine Yard San Diego overhaul September 1968-21 January 1969. 1969 deployment: Yankee Station surveillance; 3 June 1969 assisted Evans (DD-754) after the Melbourne collision - 'took the section in tow and returned it to Subic Bay'; Vung Tau/Guam logistics towing; San Diego 24 September 1969. WestPac 16 March-4 October 1970 and 8 November 1972-15 June 1973; Kodiak search-and-rescue July-November 1971. 'Decommissioned and struck from the Navy list' 1 April 1975. Awards: three battle stars WWII, two Korea, seven Vietnam. Spec block: dp. 1,330; l. 205'; b. 38'6"; dr. 14'3"; s. 16.5 k.; cpl. 85; a. 1 3", 2 40mm.; cl. Bannock.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1975
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-75); combat-zone embarked/attached personnel
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history; no asbestos or material content. DANFS compresses decommissioning and striking to a single date (1 April 1975) - the ceremony booklet via NavSource dates decommissioning 31 March 1975 (see gaps). The spec block's class label 'Bannock' conflicts with NavSource ('Navajo class') and modern secondary usage ('Cherokee class') - see gaps. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, Tawasa (ATF-92) ex AT-92 - designation timeline, specifications, campaign tables, disposal, commanding-officer roster (live page, last updated 16 August 2024) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/39/39092.htm header block, campaign tables, specifications block, and photo captions; decommissioning booklet at 39092d.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and specifications for this hull ('Navajo Class Fleet Tug'): laid down 7 September 1942 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR (conflicts with DANFS 22 June 1942 - see gaps); launched 22 February 1943; commissioned USS Tawasa (AT-92) 17 July 1943, LT Fred C. Clark in command; redesignated Fleet Ocean Tug ATF-92, 15 May 1944; decommissioned 31 March 1975 at Naval Station San Diego (ceremony invitation reproduced on the linked booklet page); struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1975; final disposition sold for scrapping by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) 1 August 1976. Campaign tables: three Asiatic-Pacific operations (Gilbert Islands, Marshalls incl. Kwajalein/Majuro/Eniwetok, Marianas/Saipan); Navy Occupation and China service February-August 1947; Korean War campaigns (Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter); Vietnam campaigns (Counteroffensive Phases IV/V/VII, Tet 69/Counteroffensive, Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Consolidation II) - three WWII battle stars, two Korean, seven Vietnam campaign stars. Specifications: displacement 1,235 lt / 1,674 fl; length 205'; beam 38'6"; draft 15'4"; 16.5 knots; complement 85; armament one single 3"/50, two twin 40mm, two single 20mm; propulsion diesel-electric - four GM 12-278A diesel mains driving four GE generators and three GM 3-268A auxiliary services engines, single propeller 3,600 shp. Photo captions place the hull at San Francisco Naval Shipyard following a regular overhaul 4 November 1953 (NARA ID 7577130) and at Long Beach Naval Shipyard 14 September 1955 (NARA ID 7577136), and pierside at Naval Station Adak. International radio call sign NUXD.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1976
- Population
- CIW construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-75); yard trades at SFNSY (1953) and LBNSY (1955); DRMS/scrapping trades (1976)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but the laid-down date conflicts with DANFS (7 September 1942 vs 22 June 1942; see gaps) and the draft figure (15'4") differs from DANFS (14'3"). Decommissioning booklet is a reproduced primary artifact. No asbestos content; the 1976 scrapping predates modern ACM-handling regulation and no hazmat record for the breakup was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-02
-
[4]Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR), 'Operation WIGWAM' fact sheet (September 2021; references report DNA 6000F 'Operation WIGWAM 1955') [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTRA NTPR fact sheet, 'Operation WIGWAM' (2021), Historical Background section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official documentation names this hull as the tow vessel for Operation Wigwam, the deep underwater nuclear test of 14 May 1955: 'Located at varying distances along the approximately 6-mile (30,000 feet) long towline between this barge and the fleet tug, USS TAWASA (ATF 92), were a variety of pressure-measuring instruments, unmanned and specially prepared submerged submarine-like hulls (called squaws) as well as instrumented and also unmanned surface boats.' A single 30-kiloton device (Mark 90 'Betty' depth bomb per secondary sources) was suspended by cable to 2,000 feet depth in 16,000 feet of water approximately 500 miles southwest of San Diego; approximately 6,800 personnel and 30 ships participated under Commander, Joint Task Force 7; ships stood 5 miles upwind except shielded YAG-39/YAG-40 stationed downwind; detonation 1 p.m. PDT 14 May 1955; personnel doses were low (highest 0.425 rem; exposure limit 3.9 rem).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1955-05-14
- Population
- Tawasa crew embarked during Wigwam (14 May 1955); ~6,800 personnel across 30 participating ships
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official documentation of a radiological-test role - NOT asbestos documentation. Establishes Tawasa's participation and her crew's membership in the atomic-veteran/NTPR population; does not establish any crew dose for Tawasa personnel specifically, and establishes nothing about construction materials or asbestos. DTRA page reached via firecrawl scrape (direct curl returned an Access Denied page - Akamai block on plain fetch).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-03
-
[5]NHHC photo catalog, K-98130 USS Tawasa (ATF-92), 19 February 1973 (NARA accession 80-G-K; photographer JOC(AC) Warren Grass) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC K-98130 catalog page (NARA accession 80-G-K series)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photograph caption: 'Fleet ocean tug USS Tawasa (ATF-92) departs Subic Bay, Philippines, for the Haiphong, North Vietnam area, to take part in Operation End Sweep. The operation will clear mines from North Vietnamese waters.' Original date 19 February 1973. Confirms this hull's participation in Operation End Sweep (post-Paris-Agreement minesweeping of North Vietnamese waters) during her 8 November 1972-15 June 1973 deployment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1973-02-19
- Population
- Tawasa crew during End Sweep deployment (February-June 1973)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific photographic record of the hull's End Sweep participation; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-04
-
[6]DANFS, Weiss (APD-135) - Typhoon Flossie grounding at Okinawa, 26-28 July 1964, documenting Tawasa's refloat attempt and tow to Sasebo [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Weiss (APD-135) entry, July 1964 passage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Weiss entry) documents for this hull: during the night of 26-27 July 1964, Typhoon 'Flossie' parted Weiss' anchor chain at Okinawa and drove her aground; 'On the 27th, tug Tawasa (ATF-92), while attempting to refloat Weiss, also grounded on an uncharted reef. Safeguard (ARS-25) then came to the aid of both stricken ships'; Tawasa 'was refloated early on the 28th and departed Okinawa that same day, bound for Sasebo with Weiss in tow.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1964-07-26/28
- Population
- Tawasa crew; embarked salvage personnel (July 1964)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific salvage-service event recorded in a sister entry; fills a gap in Tawasa's own DANFS narrative (which only summarizes '7th Fleet April-November 1964'). Establishes a grounding/salvage incident and a Sasebo yard delivery, not an availability or repair record for Tawasa herself. No asbestos content. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-05
-
[7]DANFS, Frank E. Evans (DD-754) - Melbourne-Evans collision aftermath; Tawasa's tow of the stern section to Subic Bay, 3-9 June 1969 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) entry, post-collision tow passages (3-9 June 1969)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Frank E. Evans entry) documents this hull's collision-recovery service in operational detail: Tawasa (ATF-92), Lt. Cmdr. Willis D. Bender commanding, was underway Hong Kong to Singapore when diverted to the collision scene, reaching it at 1140 on 3 June 1969; she moored to Evans' stern section overnight and took it in tow at 1405 on 4 June for Subic Bay, averaging six knots with salvage ship Deliver (ARS-23) in company; the 1-1/8-inch stud-link tow chain parted on the night of the 8th and was restored at sea; Tawasa brought the stern section into Subic Bay on 9 June 1969 where harbor tugs Wauwatosa, Wallacut, and Windigo took custody at Pontoon Pier, Naval Magazine.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1969-06-03/09
- Population
- Tawasa crew (CO Lt. Cmdr. Willis D. Bender); Deliver (ARS-23) salvage personnel (June 1969)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational detail from a sibling DANFS entry, richer than Tawasa's own compressed DANFS narrative for the same event (which dates the assist 3 June and summarizes the tow). Salvage/towing event documentation - not an availability or material record. No asbestos content. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-06
-
[8]DANFS, Waddell (DDG-24) - January 1975 dead-ship tow by Tawasa to Long Beach Naval Shipyard [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Waddell (DDG-24) entry, January 1975 passage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Waddell entry) documents this hull's final-months service: 'Remaining at San Diego until 22 January 1975, she [Waddell] was towed by the fleet tug Tawasa (ATF-92) to the Long Beach [Calif.] Naval Shipyard' - Tawasa towed the decommissioning guided-missile destroyer from San Diego to LBNSY roughly ten weeks before her own decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1975-01-22
- Population
- Tawasa crew (January 1975); LBNSY receiving trades for the towed hull
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational detail from a sister entry. Documents a tow terminating at Long Beach Naval Shipyard - a destination for the towed ship, not evidence of yard work performed on Tawasa herself. No asbestos content. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-07
-
[9]Dudash v. Alstom Power, Inc., et al. (L.A. Super. Ct. BC392242; removed C.D. Cal. 2:08-cv-07434-R-JTL), First Amended Complaint Exhibit A, reproduced in MDL-875 docket entry 6475-15 (J.P.M.L. docket 1245688, 'Notice of Related Action' filed 13 December 2010) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 docket 1245688, entry 6475 attachment 15 (RECAP gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6475.15.pdf) - civil docket for 2:08-cv-07434 and FAC with Exhibit 'A' jobsite table (PDF pp. 62-63)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage allegation naming this hull: Exhibit A to the First Amended Complaint in Dudash v. Alstom Power, Inc., et al. alleges decedent Jimmie J. Dudash 'was exposed to asbestos and asbestos-containing thermal insulation materials' while working as 'a laborer, boilertender, boilermaker and custodian' at jobsites including 'USS TAWASA (STF-92)' [sic - designation ATF-92], U.S. Navy, 2/25/1957-3/30/1958 (one of roughly twenty listed jobsites/ships incl. USS Oriskany CVA-34, USS Mispillion, USS Mount Baker, USS Inflict, USS Dash MSO-458, and Naval Training Center San Diego); the complaint alleges decedent died of mesothelioma 9 December 2007. The action was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court (BC392242), removed to C.D. Cal. (2:08-cv-07434-R-JTL); plaintiffs' motion to remand was denied 8 January 2009, but on stipulation defendant Viad Corp. was dismissed with prejudice and the case was remanded to Los Angeles Superior Court 23 January 2009; the MDL conditional transfer order (CTO-318) was vacated as to this action 5 February 2009.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1957-1958 (alleged exposure window); 2008-2009 (litigation)
- Population
- Decedent Jimmie J. Dudash (alleged shipboard exposure 1957-58); crew contemporaries
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - a complaint's jobsite list is an allegation, not a finding; no discovery record, trial finding, or judgment on the Tawasa allegation was located, and post-remand state-court disposition is unknown to this record. The complaint prints 'STF-92' - a typographical error; no STF designation exists and 'USS TAWASA' identifies this hull unambiguously. Allegation of exposure aboard is not proof of asbestos aboard, nor of individual exposure, quantity, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (diesel-electric plant - four GM 12-278A mains + four GE generators + three GM 3-268A auxiliaries, 3,600 shp); DANFS construction date and builder (Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR, 1942-43); GAO HRD-80-2 program-era documentation (see ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; DANFS construction line; GAO HRD-80-2 product page (ev-10)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1942-43 diesel-electric fleet tug sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard an auxiliary of this type and period were thermal insulation on hot machinery and exhaust runs, diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation/galley insulation, with the confined-space exposure dynamic of a small hull. As a diesel-electric ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler and steam-turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1976
- Population
- CIW construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-75); yard trades at SFNSY, LBNSY, and Campbell Machine Yard availabilities; DRMS scrapping trades (1976)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for AT-92/ATF-92. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-09
-
[11]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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and service era (1943-75).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed this session) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-10
-
[12]NARA photographs, NAID 7577130 (local ID 19-NN-ATF 92 Tawasa-145203) and NAID 7577136 (local ID 19-NN-ATF 92-154372), RG 19 'Photographs of U.S. and Foreign Naval Vessels' (Bureau of Ships), Still Pictures College Park; yard dates via NavSource captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 7577130 and NAID 7577136 (RG 19, Bureau of Ships); NavSource 39092.htm photo captions (SFNSY 1953, LBNSY 1955)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held Bureau of Ships photographs document this hull: NAID 7577130 'ATF 92 Tawasa' (negative in Box 1576 Folder 315, Still Pictures College Park; NavSource caption dates it 4 November 1953 at San Francisco Naval Shipyard following a regular overhaul) and NAID 7577136 'ATF 92' (NavSource caption dates it 14 September 1955 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard showing radar arrangement). These are archival leads for her 1953-55 yard availabilities - physical-presence documentation, not work records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1953-1955
- Population
- Crew and yard trades during SFNSY (1953) and LBNSY (1955) yard periods
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs establish presence at the yards, not what work (if any) was performed on the hull - a yard photo is not an availability or overhaul record. NARA catalog records verified live 2026-10-06; the yard/date context is supplied by NavSource captions (secondary). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-11
-
[13]Batch-2831 search ledger (this record): live DANFS/NHHC (Tawasa, Weiss, Waddell entries; K-98130 photo); NavSource 39092 + decommissioning booklet; DTRA/NTPR Wigwam fact sheet; NARA catalog NAIDs; CourtListener API (name queries complete; hull-number queries blocked by fleet pacing); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-tawasa-at92-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated finding naming USS Tawasa (AT-92/ATF-92) was found in the public sources searched. The single court record naming the hull is the Dudash pleading-stage jobsite allegation (ev-08) - an allegation, not a finding. CAVEAT: CourtListener hull-number queries ('AT-92' opinion and docket) were blocked all session by the fleet-wide pace limiter - logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles (mesotheliomabook.com et al.) asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 2026-10-06
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the hull-number litigation search is a genuine open gap (pace-limited, not run to completion). NARA deck logs (RG 24) and any Commercial Iron Works build/contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tawasa-at92-12