Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]National Park Service, American Victory NRHP Registration Form, NRHP 01001533 (nomination text) [nps]
- Locator
- NRHP nomination sections 7-8 (description and sailing-history narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The 1945 VC2-S-AP2 Victory ship American Victory (MC hull designation No. 792, the 442nd ship built by Calship, Official No. 248005) was delivered to the WSA at Terminal Island 1945-06-20; named for American University. Maiden voyage Long Beach to Manila 1945-07-03 with military cargo; postwar American Export Lines Marshall-Plan service (Trieste, Constanza, Piraeus, Odessa, Antwerp) 1946-1947; Hudson River Reserve Fleet 1947-1951; U.S. Navigation Co. (1951-52) and Dichmann, Wright & Pugh (1952-53) charters supporting Korea; Sabine River Reserve Fleet 1954-1966; chartered to Hudson Waterways Corp. under MSTS for Vietnam service 1966-1969 (Cam Ranh Bay, Qui Nhon, Sattahip); de-activated to James River Reserve Fleet 1969-10-24; reactivated for the 1985 Victory Ship Validation Program; conveyed to Victory Ship, Inc. under congressional title-transfer legislation, towed to Tampa 1999-09.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1945-2002
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, operator chain, operational history, and preservation timeline. The nomination contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; this row supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - AMERICAN VICTORY, Ship History Detail 231 (incl. digitized status card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 231, mission list and milestone table; status card scan
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for American Victory: U.S. Official No. 248005; type VC2-S-AP2; built 1945 by California Shipbuilding Corp.; missions listed as World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War; milestones include entry 1947-12-19 (Hudson River Reserve Fleet), 1985 activation (Victory Ship Validation Program), and disposition to memorial, Tampa, 1999-09-08. Dimensions 436.50 ft x 62 ft; 7,607 gross / 4,561 net tons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1945-1999
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and missions; handwritten card entries partially legible (OCR-aided). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-02
-
[3]Florida Senate, Committee staff analysis for SB 220 (2004 session) re: SS American Victory conveyance/preservation [other_primary]
- Locator
- Florida Senate staff analysis PDF, 2004-02-20
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Florida Senate official staff analysis (2004 session, bill 220) documents the ship's 1985 Victory Ship Validation Program reactivation including sea trials of approximately 26 hours, its reserve-fleet status, the congressional conveyance authorizing transfer to Victory Ship, Inc., and the Tampa restoration program - an official state legislative record corroborating the museum-era timeline.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1985-2004
- Limitations
- Official legislative analysis confirming conveyance/validation history; contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-03
-
[4]American Victory Ship Mariners Museum official site (americanvictory.org) - Mission and History pages [museum_official]
- Locator
- americanvictory.org mission-and-history page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Museum record: American Victory is a museum ship and mariner's memorial in Tampa's Channelside District; museum history documents WWII, Korea, and Vietnam service, the 1985 validation reactivation, and arrival in Tampa 1999. Museum page states delivery to WSA on May 24, 1945 - that date corresponds to launch; the NRHP nomination documents WSA delivery 1945-06-20 (see correction row).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1945-present
- Limitations
- Museum-published history corroborating service eras and preservation; the May 24 'delivery' framing conflicts with the nomination's June 20 delivery record (see correction row). No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-04
-
[5]Erdman v. Hudson Waterways Corp., 713 F. Supp. 706, 1989 A.M.C. 2208 (S.D.N.Y. 1989); In re APL (MARDOC), 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991) [court_record]
- Locator
- Erdman opinion (service/jurisdiction ruling on asbestos claim vs. Hudson Waterways); MARDOC 929 F.2d 226
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Operator-level asbestos litigation context: Erdman v. Hudson Waterways Corp., 713 F. Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) - a seaman's claim for illness from asbestos exposure aboard government-owned vessels operated under charter, against Hudson Waterways Corp., this ship's MSTS charter operator 1966-1969. Also relevant at class level: In re American President Lines et al. (MARDOC), 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991), the consolidated maritime-asbestos proceeding against 103 shipowner/operators of government-type merchant tonnage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1989-1991
- Population
- Merchant mariners on government-owned vessels (class context)
- Limitations
- Litigation names the ship's charterer/operator and the government-fleet context, not this hull; no opinion found making an asbestos finding aboard American Victory itself. Merchant-ship asbestos litigation typically proceeded under owner/operator names, so ship-name searches undercount the true litigation surface.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-05
-
[6]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 program under which this VC2-S-AP2 Victory ship was built, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- 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 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-ss-american-victory-06
-
[7]NRHP nomination 01001533 (delivery date) vs. museum history page; Johnstone v. American Oil Co., 7 F.3d 1217 (5th Cir. 1993); Spell v. American Oilfield Divers, 722 So. 2d 399 (La. Ct. App. 1998) [court_record]
- Locator
- Nomination sailing-history section; Fifth Circuit Johnstone opinion; Louisiana Court of Appeal Spell opinion
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source corrections and false-positive litigation resolved: (a) museum history states delivery to WSA on May 24, 1945 - the NRHP nomination documents WSA delivery June 20, 1945; May 24 corresponds to launch, so 1945-06-20 is adopted as the delivery date. (b) Johnstone v. American Oil Co., 7 F.3d 1217 (5th Cir. 1993) is an asbestos mesothelioma case, but its 'American victory' reference is a historical phrase, not this hull - classified false name match. (c) Spell v. American Oilfield Divers, 722 So. 2d 399 (La. Ct. App. 1998) concerns an unrelated commercial M/V American Victory in Louisiana oilfield service - classified false name match and excluded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1945; 1993; 1998
- Limitations
- Prevents false attribution of asbestos litigation to this hull and corrects the delivery date. Neither excluded case documents anything about this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-07
-
[8]Batch-05 search ledger (this record): NRHP nomination 01001533 full text; MARAD ShipHistory 231 + status card; americanvictory.org; Florida Senate SB 220 analysis; CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-ss-american-victory-01 through sl-ss-american-victory-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: the NRHP nomination (full OCR text) contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; MARAD record, Florida Senate analysis, and museum site contain none; CourtListener ship-name and hull-number searches produced only false name matches and operator-level context - no hull-specific asbestos case.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 2026-09-15
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the ship retains original machinery per the nomination, consistent with retained era materials, but that remains inference. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration), and NARA merchant-vessel logbook guidance (RG 26 regional distribution) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 Construction Division + regional directors; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/248.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/merchant-vessels-pl.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) - Construction Division 1942-46 and West Coast Director for Construction files (San Francisco) may hold Calship contract and MC hull 792 construction/outfitting records; RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) vessel files; RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard) merchant vessel logbooks 1939+ distributed regionally by port of submission - this ship's logs would follow Long Beach/LA, Jersey City, and later operating ports.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-15
- Study period
- 1945-1999 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for hull 792 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-ss-american-victory-09