Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Private John R. Towle, printed p. 389, scan hosted by MARAD [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Printed p. 389: characteristics line and opening paragraph; local marad-card-3.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Built as Appleton Victory, MCV hull 162, by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oregon. Laid down 1944-12-09, launched 1945-01-19, delivered 1945-03-23. DANFS identifies Greenville Victory class, VC2-S-AP3, and complement 24.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- NHHC live page returned 404; MARAD-hosted DANFS scan visually verified. Complement is the published figure without a dated crew breakdown, not a count of exposed people. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-01
-
[2]DANFS, Private John R. Towle, printed p. 389, MARAD scan [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Printed p. 389, service paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- American Mail Line operated Appleton Victory before the June 1946 Army Transportation Service transfer. DANFS records Navy transfer and AK-240 designation in March 1950, followed by MSTS Pacific cargo service in 1950-1955 with a civil service crew. Antarctic McMurdo resupply seasons listed include 1956-57, 1957-58, 1959-60 and 1960-61.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Scan ends mid-history. March 1, 1950 is the task-supplied acquisition date; this source verifies only March 1950. Service entry is not Navy commissioning. No material, maintenance or exposure claim follows from this history.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-02
-
[3]MARAD Appleton Victory record 6747 and reserve-fleet ship particulars card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Identity fields; status card ce2878f2-96af-40ae-bc31-26bd0cea4072.jpg (local marad-card.jpg)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD lists official number 247293, year built 1945 and type VC2-S-AP3. Its reserve-fleet card identifies T-AK-240, former Appleton Victory, MCV-162, with James River entry on 1980-08-25 and withdrawal for scrapping on 1982-06-04.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Withdrawal for scrapping does not establish actual demolition date, final location, asbestos removal, or recycling conditions. Disposal transaction details conflict with the sales card; see row 05.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-03
-
[4]MARAD record 6747, Milestones; DANFS scan p. 389 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Milestones Renamed row; MARAD card dcfa41c9-fddc-4738-89fc-f56be661ae42.jpg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Renaming dates conflict: DANFS printed p. 389 gives 1947-10-31; MARAD record 6747 gives 1946-08-30. Both identify the former Appleton Victory as Private John R. Towle.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Neither date is silently preferred. Identity is corroborated; the renaming date needs an original order. No asbestos inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-04
-
[5]MARAD MA-20 Record of Ship Sales; MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars; record 6747 milestones [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MA-20 Awarded To, Date, Acquisition and Remarks; local marad-card-4.jpg; compare marad-card.jpg and marad.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD web milestones state a 1982-06-04 scrap sale to Andy Machinery Co. The MA-20 sales card instead records a 1982-05-26 trade-out to Keystone Shipping for Chancellorsville, handwritten delivery 1982-06-03, and immediate resale to C.W. Enterprises & Investment Inc. The reserve-fleet card records withdrawal 1982-06-04 and an overtyped trade-in recipient with a Keystone annotation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- These may describe different transaction stages; the complete chain is unresolved. The sales card permits resale to breakers in several locations, not proof of the eventual breaking yard. No abatement or completed-scrapping claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-05
-
[6]Washington Courts, Woo v. General Electric Company, official slip opinion [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion pp. 2-3, 9, 17-19 (PDF pages 3-4, 10, 18-20)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Woo v. General Electric Company, No. 74458-5-I (Washington Court of Appeals, April 3, 2017), names Towle among Woo's vessels and describes GE turbines aboard it. The court reversed GE's summary-judgment dismissal and remanded for trial because material factual disputes remained.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Qualifying asbestos litigation; exposure evidence remains discovery/summary-judgment record, not a trial finding or affirmed exposure judgment. Slip opinion was later revised for publication; revised text and post-remand outcome not verified. Verification applies to the reported record and disposition, not truth of disputed exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-06
-
[7]Woo slip opinion p. 2; DANFS p. 389 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion p. 2 (PDF page 3); compare MARAD-hosted DANFS scan
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Woo's opinion places his third-assistant-engineer service aboard Towle in December 1949-February 1950 while using a USNS designation. Those dates precede DANFS's March 1950 Navy transfer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Preserve the court's service account without using its retrospective prefix to redetermine Navy acquisition. Original employment records were not retrieved; this temporal mismatch does not prove the service account wrong.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-07
-
[8]Woo slip opinion, testimony and summary-judgment discussion [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion pp. 6-8, 18-19
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Woo opinion recounts Cooper's general testimony about asbestos insulation, gaskets and packing around Navy/MSTS turbines and possible dust during deterioration or maintenance.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Era testimony is not a Towle material survey, ship-specific product list or eyewitness maintenance record. MacKenzie-specific original-gasket reasoning on opinion p. 16 is not transferred to Towle. Physical asbestos inventory aboard Towle remains unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-08
-
[9]Batch 9567 source review and search ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger; research/batch-9567/RESEARCH.md; cl-name-opinion.stderr
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No Towle-specific asbestos survey, abatement record or material inventory was located in the official sources reviewed and searches recorded here. A qualifying ship-naming asbestos opinion was found (row 06); the CourtListener sweep is incomplete.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Bounded research finding only. This is not a no-litigation finding and does not prove asbestos absence. Fleet pacing prevented CourtListener results; unsearched or inaccessible records may contain further evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-09
-
[10]NARA, Military Sea Transportation Service and Military Sealift Command Deck Logs, 1946-81 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Description of log coverage, recorded information and Archives II reference contact
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA describes MSTS/MSC deck logs covering 1946-1981 and directs inquiries to Archives II. Logs may establish movements and routine ship activities.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Repository-level lead, not verification of a Towle log volume or asbestos record. No box, log or repair file retrieved; no inquiry sent.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-private-john-r-towle-10
