Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]C.E. Thurston & Sons, Inc. Asbestos Related Claims and Demands Trust - Approved Site List (CRMC-published Google spreadsheet linked from the trust's official Documents page), row for site 281; Trust Distribution Procedures sec. 7.7(b)(3); 'Procedure for Adding a Site to the Approved Site List' (12/04/07); 'History of C.E. Thurston & Sons' (Chapter 11 filed 2003-08-18, E.D. Va.; plan confirmed and Trust established 2006) [court_record]
- Locator
- Approved Site List row: '281,USS Vermillion AKA-107 / LKA-107,,4/28/1964,1/1/1977,25996'; documents page https://www.claimsres.com/documents/c-e-thurston/ ; procedure PDF https://www.claimsres.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Procedure-for-adding-a-site-to-the-approved-site-list.pdf
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The trust's Approved Site List names 'USS Vermillion AKA-107 / LKA-107' (site no. 281, CET tracking ID 25996) with a stated presence window of 4/28/1964 to 1/1/1977. Under the trust's published procedure, the Approved Site List comprises sites 'where it has been established that Thurston Asbestos products were used,' and 'meaningful and credible evidence that Thurston Asbestos was used at a site must be furnished in order for a site to be added.' 'Thurston Asbestos' is defined in TDP sec. 7.7(b)(3) as asbestos-containing products installed, sold, supplied, distributed, marketed or removed by C.E. Thurston & Sons, Inc., an insulation materials and contracting firm that worked primarily along the eastern seaboard and in Virginia shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1964-04-28 to 1977-01-01 (trust-stated window); trust formed 2006, list published thereafter
- Population
- Ship's crew and shipyard/contractor workers aboard or working on the ship during Thurston insulation work, 1964-1977 window
- Limitations
- Bankruptcy-trust claims-administration record, not an adjudicated finding: site approval rests on evidence reviewed by the trust under its TDP, not on trial testimony or a judicial finding. Establishes that the trust treats this hull as a Thurston-asbestos exposure site for the stated window; does not identify specific products, locations aboard, quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Trust spells the ship 'Vermillion'; Navy spelling is 'Vermilion.' The window close date (1/1/1977) coincides with the Navy strike date; the basis for the 4/28/1964 open date is not stated in the public list.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-01
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[2]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 Maritime Commission emergency-construction program under which this 1944 C2-S-AJ3 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction and repair.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or its design type 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-vermilion-aka107-02
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[3]ShipScribe, 'USS Tolland (AKA-64) Class' data page - BuShips-derived design data for the Tolland class / MC design C2-S-AJ3 (compiled from official records; secondary compilation, not a document scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe AKA-64 class page, 'Class: TOLLAND (AKA-64), Design: MC C2-S-AJ3' data block and class notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class design data for the Tolland (AKA-64) class / C2-S-AJ3 type, which includes this hull: displacement 6,318 light / 14,160 lim tons; 459.2 ft oa x 435.0 pp x 63.0 e x 26.4 lim ft; speed 16.5 kts; propulsion 6,000 HP, machinery 'G.E. turbine, 1 screw'; original armament 1-5"/38, 4-40mmT, 16-20mm (1944-45 all); later armament listed for AKA-103 and AKA-107 (1946-56) as 1-5"/38, 4-40mmT, 18>6-20mm. Class notes: the C2-S-AJ series was built exclusively at North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington - a yard built and managed by Newport News Shipbuilding for the emergency merchant program; AKA-101 through -108 were the second group of eight C2-S-AJ3 AKAs authorized under the 6 Jun 1944 JCS program modification.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1945 design/construction
- Limitations
- Class-level design data compiled from official BuShips/MC records, not a hull record: as-built outfitting of any one hull could vary, and this row establishes only the type's steam-turbine plant and general characteristics - nothing about materials or asbestos aboard this specific hull. GE-turbine attribution is class data; DANFS does not list machinery.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-03
-
[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. VII (1981), p. 485 - 'Vermilion (AKA-107)' entry (hazegray/losthistory transcription; live NHHC page 404 on access date) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. VII p. 485, Vermilion (AKA-107) entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: Vermilion (AKA-107), Tolland class, Type C2-S-AJ3 - laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1700) 1944-10-17 at Wilmington, NC by North Carolina Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched 1944-12-12; delivered incomplete 1944-12-23; completed at Todd Shipyard, Brooklyn; commissioned 1945-06-23. Atlantic Fleet service out of Norfolk: shakedown/refresher training through 1946, South American cruise Nov 1946, amphibious/midshipman/reserve training 1947-1949; decommissioned 1949-08-26 at Orange, TX; recommissioned 1950-10-16; Operation 'Bluejay' supply lift to Thule, Greenland 1951 and second Thule mission 1952; Caribbean/West Indies operations; six-month 6th Fleet Mediterranean deployment 1958; Cuban missile crisis quarantine support 1962; Mediterranean deployment 1963; Jan-Mar 1968 lift to Okinawa via Panama Canal/Pearl Harbor; six-month Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul 1968 during which she was redesignated LKA-107 on 14 August; decommissioned 1971-04-13 at Norfolk; transferred to MARAD 1971-07-27 for James River NDRF; stricken 1977-01-01. Specs: dp. 13,910 (tl.); l. 459'2"; b. 63'0"; dr. 26'4"; s. 16.5 k.; cpl. 425; 1 x 5", 8 x 40mm, 16 x 20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1977
- Limitations
- Authoritative naval reference for identity, service history, and characteristics; contains no asbestos or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. Transcription mirror cited because the live NHHC DANFS page returns 404 (standing NHHC link-rot issue noted in Batch-01 report). NavSource's uncorroborated claims of a WWII Asiatic-Pacific assignment and of 'Occupation service in Europe' 1 Mar-1 May 1948 are NOT in DANFS and are not carried. DANFS dates the LKA-107 redesignation to 14 August (1968, during the Norfolk overhaul); NavSource gives 1 January 1969 (the fleet-wide AKA>LKA date) - conflict logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-04
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - VERMILLION (LKA-107), Detail 5006: milestone table plus digitized vessel status cards (MA-383 reserve-fleet particulars card; MA-199 vessel status card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5006 milestone table; status card scans /cards/5006_9231AF.jpg and /cards/752_01.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD custody record: entered James River Reserve Fleet 1971-07-27; title transferred permanently to MARAD 7/1/73; withdrawn 4/18/1984 'by Navy for stripping,' returned 9/4-5/1984; withdrawn 3/4/1988 to be sunk as an artificial reef (card reads 'going to be sunk as an artificial wreath' [sic]). The MA-199 status card lists the shipyard as 'North Carolina S.B. Co., Wilmington, N.C.' (builders hull no. 191, MC hull 1700, delivered 12-23-44 from shipyard to USMC, 'loaned to U.S. Navy'), 8,258 gross tons - correcting the ShipHistory web page's 'Permanente Metals Corporation' shipyard field, which is contradicted by both the status card and DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1988
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews (1971-1988); Navy stripping crews (Apr-Sep 1984)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and builder confirmation; status-card handwriting read manually from scans. The 1984 'withdrawn by Navy for stripping' entry records a parts/salvage stripping availability - its scope (reusable-equipment salvage vs reef preparation) is not stated. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. MARAD spells the ship 'Vermillion.' The frequently repeated date of a 1988-02-19 custody transfer to SCDNR circulates via NavSource (aggregator citing NVR) - no primary record for that specific date was located; the MARAD card's controlling entries are the 3/4/1988 withdrawal and 'sunk as arti reef, SC' disposition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-05
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[6]Bureau of Ships, 'Booklet of General Plans for U.S.S. AKA-107,' plan no. AKA107-S0103-613058 (12 sheets; Cox & Stevens design dwg M 893 F S0103-24; superseding BuShips plan AKA101-S0103-609187 for AKA101-108) - digitized from NARA RG 19, Records of the Bureau of Ships, via Internet Archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- Internet Archive item aka107bogp1968, files '01 - cover page, general dimensions & data.jpg' et seq.; file-unit citation: Plans for the Attack Cargo Ship U.S.S. Vermilion (AKA-107), Ship Engineering Drawings, RG 19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A ship-specific Bureau of Ships Booklet of General Plans exists for this hull and is digitized at Internet Archive item aka107bogp1968: the title block reads 'Sheet 1 of 12' but the digitized set contains 8 sheets - cover/data sheet, outboard profile, inboard profile, main deck and above, second and third deck, platform and hold plan, inner bottom plan, and cross sections. The data sheet examined records principal dimensions (length overall 459'0 3/8", LBP 435'0", moulded beam 63'0"), boat complement, life-raft and locker schedules, fire-plug schedule, and an accommodations table (38 ship's officers, 18 CPOs, 268 crew, 9 troop officers; total 333). Alteration stamps document plan revisions at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 4/26/1962, Coast Engineering Co. (Norfolk) 5/27/1964, and Waltz Engineering Co. (Newport News) 11/4/1968 - the last consistent with the 1968 Norfolk overhaul period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1946 (examination stamp) - 1968 (last alteration)
- Limitations
- General-arrangement booklet, and only 8 of the 12 sheets are digitized in this item (sheets 9-12 absent - possibly piping/machinery diagrams, which are the sheets most likely to carry insulation specifications). The cover/data sheet was examined in full; the remaining drawings were reviewed by index only. Insulation material specifications, if present anywhere in this plan set, are unverified. The booklet itself is a positive ship-specific archival lead for any future insulation/material review. No asbestos statement appears on the sheets examined; this row makes no asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-06
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[7]South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources, Marine Resources - 'Locations of Artificial Reefs and Wrecks' (Vermilion Reef entry); SCDNR Guide to South Carolina Marine Artificial Reefs (ReefGuide2015.pdf); SCDNR news release 'Tugboat added to Vermilion Reef off Georgetown' (July 2019) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SCDNR reefloc.html Vermilion Reef block; ReefGuide2015 PA-17 table; https://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/2019/july/july3_tugboat.php
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- SCDNR records the ex-Navy ship Vermilion as the namesake structure of Vermilion Reef, artificial reef site PA-17: a 460-ft ship at GPS 32 57.548 N / 078 40.051 W, approx. 27.5-30 nm off Georgetown/Winyah Bay, in ~110-120 ft of water (dive sources report 130-140 ft), the deepest of SCDNR's permitted public fishing reefs. MARAD records the 1988 reef sinking ('sunk as arti reef, SC'); NavSource and derivative secondary sources report the specific dates 1988-02-19 custody transfer to SCDNR and sinking on 1988-08-24. The site has since received NYCT subway cars and the tug Susan Richards (2019).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1988-present
- Population
- Recreational divers/fishers (present day); reef-preparation crews (1988, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Establishes reef location, depth, and program context; contains no asbestos, hazmat, or materials statement. The 2019 SCDNR article's statement that reef structures 'undergo a long and rigorous cleaning process' describes current-program practice and cannot be attributed to the 1988 Vermilion preparation. SCDNR's 2019 article loosely calls her a 'troop transport' - the authoritative type is attack cargo ship (AKA).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-07
-
[8]Batch-981 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; MARAD ShipHistory + status cards; SCDNR reef records; NARA RG19 general-plans booklet (Internet Archive); C.E. Thurston trust documents incl. Approved Site List; shipyards.json cross-check; CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-vermilion-aka107-01 through sl-uss-vermilion-aka107-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Beyond the Thurston trust site listing (ev-01), no asbestos survey, Navy or yard abatement contract, reef-preparation hazmat disclosure, or docketed court opinion naming this hull was located in the public sources searched. The CourtListener ship-name opinion search could not be completed this session - the authenticated daily API quota was already consumed by concurrent batch activity on the shared key and the API returned a 2800/day throttle with a multi-hour reset; that check is logged as an open item, not as a negative result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Absence of located survey/abatement records does not bear on the trust site-list finding and does not prove absence of further documentation - NDRF stripping records (1984) and 1988 reef-prep files were not retrievable in public sources. CourtListener litigation check remains pending; no claim about the existence or nonexistence of a docketed case is made.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vermilion-aka107-08