Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]NavSource Naval History, Wanamassa (YTB-820), service ship photo archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- Natick Class District Harbor Tug chronology, lines 17-26
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource lists Marinette Marine as builder, a 1972-10-28 keel date, 1973-05-04 launch, 1973-07-28 delivery, and placement in service at Little Creek. It lists 10th Naval District assignment at San Juan, Puerto Rico, into 1980 and reassignment to Guantanamo Bay circa 1980.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1971-1980
- Limitations
- Curated naval-history chronology rather than an original Navy record. The San Juan-into-1980/reassignment-circa-1980 account conflicts with McAfee's first-person testimony placing him on Wanamassa at Guantanamo in 1977-1980 and the 1987 Navy newspaper's claim of Guantanamo service since 1973. The early-duty sequence is unresolved; no asbestos conclusion follows from these dates or places.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-01
-
[2]U.S. Navy, Guantanamo Gazette, vol. 43 no. 209, 1987-10-29, 'YTB 820, back on line and pushing the fleet around' [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF page 1, article on front page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A 1987 U.S. Navy Guantanamo Gazette article describes Wanamassa as a harbor tug docking ships and barges and serving as a firefighting boat at Guantanamo Bay. It says the tug left for Charleston in January 1987 and returned in late September after its first major overhaul since 1973.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1973-1987
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous base newspaper supports Guantanamo operations and the 1987 overhaul. Its statement of Guantanamo service since 1973 conflicts with NavSource's assignment chronology; do not use it alone to date first arrival. It says nothing about asbestos or crew exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Guantanamo Gazette, vol. 43 no. 209, 1987-10-29, continuation of Wanamassa overhaul article [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF page 3, continuation 'Wanamassa, from page 1'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy base newspaper reports a Charleston overhaul package of 140 items, including removal of Wanamassa's main engine, new flooring, fender systems, radar, alarms, internal public-address system, and piping. It reports about 35,000 labor hours; the named engineer described prior smaller SIMA yard periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1987
- Population
- 1987 overhaul workers and crew; no asbestos-exposure population established
- Limitations
- Documents maintenance tasks, not material composition. The article does not say asbestos was installed, disturbed, removed, or abated during the overhaul, and does not identify individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-03
-
[4]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, No. 17-1104, Joint Appendix vol. II, Kenneth McAfee deposition excerpts [court_record]
- Locator
- PDF pp. 118-125, 144-158, 159-160 (deposition transcript pp. 224-231, 260-270, 49-51)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- In sworn deposition excerpts filed in the Supreme Court joint appendix, Kenneth McAfee identified Wanamassa by name and YTB-820 hull number. He said he spent most of his Guantanamo tug assignment from 1977 to October 1980 on Wanamassa, helped remove and scrape gaskets from Ingersoll Rand compressors, observed dust, and removed or observed removal of compressor packing that shed particles. He described breathing some of that dust.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1977-1980
- Population
- Kenneth McAfee, Wanamassa tug crew during 1977-1980 assignment
- Limitations
- Discovery testimony is a first-person account, not a material test or trial finding. McAfee described visible dust and his belief about inhalation; the cited passages do not themselves prove fiber identity, concentration, responsible supplier, or medical causation. He also said a short part of the assignment was on a different tug, so 1977-1980 is an assignment span, not uninterrupted Wanamassa service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-04
-
[5]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, No. 17-1104, respondents' brief in opposition to certiorari, 2018-03-23 [court_record]
- Locator
- PDF pp. 10-12, 'Kenneth E. McAfee' and procedural history, including quotation of district court order at Pet. App. 61a
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- McAfee's counsel asserted in a Supreme Court filing that he encountered asbestos dust while removing and replacing asbestos gaskets on Ingersoll Rand compressors aboard Wanamassa in 1977-1980; counsel also said McAfee could not identify the maker of the replacement parts. The filing quoted the district court as finding evidence of respirable dust from asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and insulation used with various Ingersoll compressors, while not finding that Ingersoll supplied the particular asbestos parts encountered. The quoted finding does not isolate packing fiber content on Wanamassa.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1977-1980; litigation through 2018
- Population
- Kenneth McAfee, alleged exposure during 1977-1980 Wanamassa service
- Limitations
- Party brief reports an exposure theory and quotes an earlier summary-judgment record; it is not a judicial finding that the specific Wanamassa gaskets or packing were chemically confirmed asbestos or supplied by Ingersoll. The district court's initial Ingersoll summary judgment was later vacated on the duty-to-warn rule; that reversal did not adjudicate exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-05
-
[6]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), opinion of the Court [court_record]
- Locator
- 586 U.S. at 449-451, 457-458 (PDF pp. 5-7, 13-14)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The Supreme Court's 2019 opinion identifies McAfee's Wanamassa service in 1977-1980 and describes the consolidated maritime asbestos case. The district court had granted manufacturers summary judgment; the Third Circuit vacated and remanded. The Supreme Court affirmed the remand for reconsideration under its duty-to-warn test for equipment requiring dangerous integrated parts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1977-1980 service; 2019 ruling
- Population
- Kenneth McAfee and his estate
- Limitations
- The affirmed judgment addresses a legal duty and requires reconsideration of prior summary judgments. It does not affirm a verdict that Wanamassa exposure caused McAfee's cancer, establish each product's manufacturer, or establish the final post-remand outcome. The Court's narrative summarizes the case record rather than reporting a trial finding of hull-level asbestos condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-06
-
[7]U.S. Navy / Defense Media Activity, DVIDS image 6249380, 2020-06-19 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Image caption and date taken, photo ID 6249380
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A U.S. Navy photograph caption identifies large harbor tug Wanamassa (YTB 820) guiding USS Nitze at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on 2020-06-19.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2020-06-19
- Limitations
- Confirms operation on this date only; it does not establish current status in 2026, equipment composition, asbestos condition, or any exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-07
-
[8]National Archives, Guide to Federal Records, Record Group 19, Records of the Bureau of Ships [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 19 administrative history and date range
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's guide says Bureau of Ships records end in 1972 and identifies Naval Ship Systems Command as the successor agency; this points research for Wanamassa's 1973 construction and later repair specifications to successor-agency and Navy maintenance records rather than presuming a Bureau of Ships hull file.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1973 onward
- Limitations
- Repository-level lead only. No Wanamassa-specific box, plan, overhaul package, or asbestos specification was identified or reviewed in this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wanamassa-ytb820-08