Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 640-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-varuna-lst14-pkt-640-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Varuna II (AGP-5) - construction, ferry commission, Tampa conversion, full WWII service narrative, decommissioning and disposal (live NHHC page verified this session) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Varuna II (AGP-5) entry, full text incl. spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LST-14 laid down 23 August 1942 at Neville Island, Pa., by the Dravo Shipbuilding Yard; launched 9 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. R. J. Mitchell; renamed Varuna and designated AGP-5 on 13 January 1943; completed as an LST by Dravo on 26 March 1943 and placed in reduced commission; towed to Tampa, Fla., and converted to a motor torpedo boat tender; commissioned 31 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. L. W. Borst, USNR, in command. Pacific transit Oct-Dec 1943 (collision with LST-219 on 27 October, repairs at Balboa); Solomons PT-boat base support at Tulagi/Rendova/Blanche Harbor then Green Island (Feb-Jul 1944, five MTB squadrons); Manus and Mios Woendi (Aug-Sep 1944); Kossol Roads, Palaus (Oct-Dec 1944, 'Sally' air attack repelled 30 Oct); San Pedro Bay, Leyte, then Olongapo/Subic Bay (Dec 1944-May 1945); Tawi Tawi and Balikpapan, Borneo (Jun-Aug 1945); PT decommissioning support at Samar to Nov 1945; returned to New York. Decommissioned 4 January 1946; struck from the Navy list 1 May 1946; 'sold to Stavenger Tankrederi for scrap soon thereafter.' Four battle stars. Spec block: dp. 3,960; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 13'6"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 283; a. 1 3", 8 40mm., 8 20mm.; cl. Portunus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1942-43); Tampa conversion-yard trades (Apr-Aug 1943); crew (1943-46); tended MTB squadron personnel alongside (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content anywhere in the entry. The 'sold for scrap' disposal statement conflicts with shipscribe and NavSource, which document a mercantile sale (see ev-03). Minor transcription variants exist between the live page and the HyperWar transcription of the same DANFS text (collision partner LST-219 vs 'LST-19'; ceasefire 15 vs 16 August; Leyte departure 25 vs 26 January) - live-page values carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Varuna (AGP-5) - designation timeline, specifications, campaign credits, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/09/0905.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 23 August 1942 at Dravo Shipbuilding Yard, Neville Island, PA; launched 9 December 1942; redesignated a Motor Torpedo Boat Tender 13 January 1943; placed in reduced commission 26 March 1943 for towing to Tampa, FL; decommissioned at Tampa and converted to a Portunus-class motor torpedo boat tender; recommissioned USS Varuna (AGP-5) 31 August 1943, LCDR L. W. Borst, USNR. Campaigns credited in the Asiatic-Pacific campaign table: Bismarck Archipelago operation (designated duty in connection with motor torpedo boat operations, February to May 1944); Manila Bay-Bicol operations, Zambales-Subic Bay (29-31 January 1945); Western Caroline Islands operation, capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands; Borneo operation, Balikpapan (1-20 July 1945). Decommissioned 4 January 1946; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1946; 'Sold to Stavenger Tankrederi, 31 July 1947, renamed MV Guaralina, reflagged Norway. Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications: 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, twin screws, 1,800 shp; ships-service generators 3 x 100kW DC + 2 x 100kW AC diesel-drive; complement 19 officers/240 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Dravo and Tampa yard trades; crew (1943-46); postwar merchant crew if the mercantile sale proceeded (1948-)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation tracking NVR/DANFS milestones; used for timeline/spec/disposal cross-check. Its merchant-renaming 'Guaralina' conflicts in spelling with shipscribe's 'GUARAUNA' (ev-03); the sale date (31 Jul 1947) and mercantile disposition agree with shipscribe, contradicting DANFS's 'for scrap' characterization. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-02
-
[4]shipscribe.com, USS Portunus (AGP-4) class page (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled from BuShips/OpNav records and Maritime Commission disposal data) - class roster, conversion yards, ship notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AGP-4 class page, construction and disposition tables, class notes, ship note for AGP-5
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific ship note for AGP-5: 'Ex LST-14 13 Jan 43. Ferry commission as LST-14 26 Mar-16 Apr 43. Converted by Tampa SB, Tampa, Fla. (contract signed 4 Feb 43). Sold by MC as LST-14 for mercantile service, became merc. GUARAUNA 1948.' CORRECTION: DANFS's 'sold to Stavenger Tankrederi for scrap soon thereafter' is contradicted - the Maritime Commission sale (MA Sale 31 Jul 47) was for mercantile service and the hull entered merchant service as GUARAUNA in 1948; NavSource independently carries 'renamed MV Guaralina, reflagged Norway' with the same 31 Jul 47 date. The hull was therefore not scrapped in 1946-47 but survived into merchant service. Class context: all other class units were converted by Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore - AGP-5 alone went to Tampa Shipbuilding; Gibbs and Cox was design agent for the LST-to-AGP conversion, which fitted shops and equipment to maintain one MTB squadron and added a 50-ton 'A' frame hoist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding conversion trades (Feb-Aug 1943); merchant crews aboard GUARAUNA (1948-)
- Limitations
- shipscribe is a private reference compiled by S. S. Roberts from BuShips/OpNav/MC records - authoritative secondary, not a primary scan. The merchant-name spelling (GUARAUNA vs NavSource 'Guaralina') and the decommission date in its class table (1 Apr 46 vs DANFS 4 Jan 46) are unresolved variants. Norwegian-registry merchant career details (owners, trades, scrapping date) not traced.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-03
-
[5]DANFS, LST-14 (stub entry, live NHHC page verified this session) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-14 stub entry; shipscribe AGP-4 class notes (reclassification mechanics)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The DANFS LST-14 stub states: 'LST-14 was redesignated AGP-5 and named Varuna (q.v.) on 25 January 1943' - twelve days later than the 13 January 1943 date carried by the Varuna II entry itself, NavSource, shipscribe, and NavalCoverMuseum. Shipscribe's class notes resolve the mechanics: SecNav approved the new hull-type designations and the LST-to-AGP assignments on 13 Jan 43, while 25 Jan 43 is the date BuShips records carry for the related LST 326-328 to 328-330 number shuffle - likely the source of the stub's date. The 13 January 1943 date is carried in this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- An internal NHHC date conflict, documented as found; the 25 January date appears in the official stub but is unsupported by the fuller entry and all secondary sources. The shipscribe explanation is a reasonable reconstruction, not a stated BuShips correction. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-04
-
[6]Consolidated era inference - Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); shipscribe AGP-4 class design notes; batch lst-1-class class profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; shipscribe AGP-4 class notes (conversion scope); lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST converted to an MTB tender: the LST-1-class plant was 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (~1,700-1,800 shp) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway does not apply; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard this type were diesel-exhaust and engine-room lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and winch/hoist brake linings. The AGP conversion (design agent Gibbs and Cox) fitted the tank deck with repair shops, workspaces, stores, and squadron support spaces - an interior rework scope of the era's standard materials - plus a 50-ton 'A'-frame boat hoist.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1942-43); Tampa conversion trades (1943); crew and embarked MTB-squadron personnel (1943-46); merchant crew (1948-)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LST-14/AGP-5. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no present-day presence. Does not establish exposure or causation for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-05
-
[7]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json entry 'tampa-bay-shipbuilding' (Tampa Bay Shipbuilding Company, aliases incl. Tampa Shipbuilding Company): documented asbestos products - asbestos insulation on steam systems, asbestos-wrapped turbines and pipes, gaskets, valve packing, brake linings, fireproof panels, pipe insulation; evidence_tier 3; WWII peak employment ~16,000 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json tampa-bay-shipbuilding entry (asbestos_products_documented, product_normalized, employment)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The conversion yard is a documented-asbestos yard: LST-14 spent April-August 1943 at Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, FL, undergoing the interior-heavy LST-to-AGP conversion (repair shops, stores, squadron support spaces, hoist installation), while Tampa Bay Shipbuilding's Atlas yard record documents asbestos insulation and related products in its wartime work. Dravo Corporation's Neville Island yard (builder, 1942-43) is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry - carried in gaps.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding conversion trades (1943)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - establishes that asbestos products were in documented use at the conversion yard during the conversion period, not that specific materials went aboard this hull. No work package or material schedule for the AGP-5 conversion was located. Does not establish exposure or causation for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-06
-
[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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- 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 hull was built (1942-43, Dravo) and converted (1943, Tampa).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- 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, conversion, and service era (1942-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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 - the hull left Navy custody in 1946, decades before the documented substitution effort. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 pattern confirmed in prior batches); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-08
-
[10]NARA Catalog records for this hull: 'USS VARUNA - War History' (NAID 77693851) and monthly 'USS VARUNA - War Diary' files spanning 1943-11 through 1945-08 (sample NAIDs 134353712, 78364252, 78620018, 78298320, 78246666, 78414677, 78449357, 78342629, 78501427, 78558331, 78684344, 134372816, 77513834, 139861451, 139905706, 139971394, 139992732, 140045924) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'varuna' - War History NAID 77693851 + War Diary monthly files
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA catalogs a 'USS VARUNA - War History' file and nineteen monthly war-diary records for this hull covering the entire commissioned Pacific career (November 1943 - August 1945). These are the primary ship-authored records of her repair, tending, and underway operations - the lead corpus for any future ship-specific maintenance/material finding.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Crew and embarked squadron personnel (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog entries verified via the NARA catalog API; whether digital objects are attached was not confirmed (catalog response was truncated before object-level inspection), and no content from the diaries was read this session. Existence of records is not evidence of any asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-09
-
[11]Batch-6710 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS Varuna II and LST-14 pages (live); NavSource AGP-5 (live); shipscribe AGP-4 class page; NARA catalog; MARAD Vessel History DB; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (opinion sweep complete, hull-number/docket sweeps blocked by fleet pacing); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-varuna-lst14-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Varuna / LST-14 / AGP-5 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'Varuna' opinions 11 hits, all name collisions; 'LST-14' opinions 1 OCR-noise hit; 'AGP-5' opinions 3 non-ship hits; 'Varuna' dockets 121 hits (first page all person/company collisions); 'Varuna asbestos' dockets 3 mega-bankruptcy collisions; 'LST-14' dockets 42 hits (first page all docket-text noise). Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles (freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships list) asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - construction and conversion at documented-era yards make era-consistent asbestos plausible, and the hull's post-1947 merchant career is undocumented for materials. CourtListener residual gap: the 'AGP-5' docket sweep was blocked by fleet pacing and deep pagination of the larger docket sets was not exhaustive - narrow residual, not a full-coverage claim. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varuna-lst14-10