Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet cj-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-pkt-cj-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, USS Admiral W.S. Benson (AP-120) - verbatim transcription at HyperWar/ibiblio [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full DANFS entry; spec block: dp. 23,500 (f.); l. 608'11"; b. 75'6"; dr. 26'6"; s. 19.0 k.; tr. 4,711; a. 4 5", 8 40mm., 28 20mm.; cl. Admiral W.S. Benson; T. P2-SE2-R1. Canonical history.navy.mil DANFS page for this hull returned 404 on 2026-10-05 (standing NHHC link-rot, same as BATCH-01)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS history for this hull: laid down 10 December 1942 at Alameda, CA by Bethlehem-Alameda Shipbuilding Corp. under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 678); named Admiral W. S. Benson 20 October 1943; launched 22 November 1943 (sponsor Dorothy Lucille Benson); accepted from the Maritime Commission and commissioned 23 August 1944, Capt. Francis H. Gardner. WWII service: two Bombay troop lifts (Nov 1944-Feb 1945; Feb-May 1945) carrying up to 4,792 troops; Le Havre run returning 5,026 passengers including repatriated Allied military prisoners; Marseilles lift of 4,828 for the Pacific; Lingayen/Manila; Okinawa receiving ship and Japan-area replacement transfers Oct-Nov 1945; Puget Sound NSY repairs/alterations (guns removed except two 20mm, personnel cut 30%). Decommissioned 3 June 1946; stricken NVR 3 July 1946; renamed General Daniel I. Sultan on transfer to the Army Transport Service; reacquired by the Navy 1 March 1950 (USNS T-AP-120, MSTS, San Francisco); Korea service incl. Sasebo-Pusan 31 July 1950 and Hungnam-Pusan 12-15 December 1950; Nov 1962 Guam Typhoon Karen relief; Vietnam lifts to Danang/Vung Tau/Qui Nhon from 2 August 1965; MARAD custody 7 November 1968 for Suisun Bay lay-up; stricken 9 October 1969; at Suisun Bay NDRF into August 1987. Two Korean War battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- Ship's complement; embarked troops (up to ~4,800/lift); yard and repair-yard workers
- Limitations
- Transcription mirror of the official DANFS text used because the canonical NHHC page is not live. Establishes identity, construction, service chronology, and custodial chain; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement and supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General Daniel I. Sultan (T-AP-120) ex USS Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120), archive 09/22/22120 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-05; defunct navsource.org domain not cited
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-ship archive for this hull (USS Admiral W. S. Benson AP-120 / USAT General Daniel I. Sultan / USNS General Daniel I. Sultan T-AP-120): laid down 10 December 1942 (MC hull 678, Bethlehem-Alameda); launched 22 November 1943; commissioned 23 August 1944; decommissioned 3 June 1946; Army Transport Service acquisition 30 August 1946; MSTS reacquisition 1 March 1950; out of service 7 November 1968; MARAD lay-up in NDRF; scrapped in Taiwan 1987. Specs: 4 Combustion Engineering D-type boilers 600 psi/840 deg F; 2 GE turbo-electric engines; 18,000 shp; complement 38 officers/361 enlisted; troop accommodations 280 officers/4,431 enlisted; 100,000 cu ft cargo; armament 4x5"/38, 4x twin 40mm, 14x twin 20mm. Campaign credits: Korean War (North Korean Offensive 30-31 Jul 1950; Communist China Aggression 8-25 Dec 1950) and Vietnam Defense (28 Aug 1965).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1987
- Population
- Navy complement; MSTS civil-service mariners
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive drawing on official records (DANFS text, NHHC/USN imagery); used for timeline, specs, and campaign tables. 'Completed/delivered 26 January 1944' line conflicts with DANFS/MARAD 23 August 1944 delivery - logged in gaps, DANFS carried. No asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-02
-
[4]MARAD ShipHistory - ADMIRAL W. S. BENSON (AP-120), Detail 6544, Historical Documents: P2-SE2-R1 Plan.pdf (8 sheets, Bethlehem Steel Co. Shipbuilding Division, Fore River Yard, Quincy MA, dated 9/8/1943) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Plan sheet 1 (capacity plan) and deck-arrangement sheets 2-3; 8-sheet set, image-only scans; linked from Detail/6544 Documents tab
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD holds the class design plan for this hull type: 'P2-SE2-R1 Plan.pdf' (approved 8 September 1943), produced by the Bethlehem Steel Company Shipbuilding Division design department, Fore River Yard, Quincy, MA (Job No. 9502, Plan No. 9502-11-20, Capacity Plan). The plan's hull table lists the ten-ship program - yard nos. 9501 W.S. BENSON, 9502 W.L. CAPPS, 9503 R.E. COONTZ, 9504 E.W. EBERLE, 9505 C.F. HUGHES, 9506 H.T. MAYO, 9507 HUGH RODMAN, 9508 W.S. SIMS, 9509 A.B. TAYLOR, 9510 W.P. BIDDLE - and data block records 'Steam: Combustion Eng'g. Co D-type express, 4 drum blrs, press 600 psi'; turbo-electric drive; design speed ~20.8 knots (image scan, partially legible).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Design/build trades (Bethlehem Fore River design; Bethlehem-Alameda construction)
- Limitations
- Class design document, not a hull file - capacity plan and deck arrangements only; no insulation or materials schedule is legible in the scanned sheets reviewed, so the plan itself documents the plant type (4 CE D-type boilers, turbo-electric) but NOT insulation content. Asbestos inference rests on era/design level, not this document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ADMIRAL W. S. BENSON (AP-120) Detail 6544 and GENERAL DANIEL I. SULTAN (AP-120) Detail 1809, incl. digitized vessel status card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 6544 milestones + status-card scan (cards/5K_01.png); Detail 1809 milestones (https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1809)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records for this hull (two database details, linked via Vessel Name History): Detail 6544 (ADMIRAL W. S. BENSON (AP-120)) - Year Built 1944, shipyard 'Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division', type P2-SE2-R1, milestones: delivered to USMC by builders under LB contract 8/23/1944; acquired by War Department under BB contract 6/3/1946; title transferred to Navy 3/1/1950; renamed General Daniel ... 3/1/1950; entered Reserve Fleet 11/7/1968; scrapped 8/9/1987. Detail 1809 (GENERAL DANIEL I. SULTAN (AP-120)) - NDRF entry 11/7/1968 ('ex ADM. W. S. BENSON'); disposition/withdrawal 8/9/1987. Vessel status card (5K_01.png, legible scan) confirms the custody chain: basis to WSA 8-23-44 Alameda delivered by builders to USMC; 6-3-46 San Francisco from Navy Dept - surplus; War Dept. delivery 8-30-46; Navy title 3-1-50; name changed to GEN. DANIEL I. SULTAN; Reserve Fleet custody Suisun Bay 11-7-68 2:00PM PST; permanent transfer (title) Suisun Bay 8/31/69; 'Scrapped 8/9/87 Per Reserve Fleet.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1987
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and disposal date; status card carries no asbestos, insulation, or hazmat notation. Does not state where scrapping occurred - Taiwan attribution for the 1987 scrapping rests on NavSource/secondary sources. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-04
-
[6]DOT Office of Inspector General, Report on the Program for Scrapping Obsolete Vessels - Maritime Administration, MA-2000-067 (March 10, 2000) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Report pp. ii-iv (executive summary) and ship-disposal discussion; live PDF verified (HTTP 200) and full text extracted 2026-10-05
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- DOT Office of Inspector General audit of MARAD's obsolete-vessel scrapping program documents that NDRF vessels awaiting disposal 'contain hazardous substances such as asbestos and solid and liquid polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),' that inspections of 'worst condition' vessels found 'asbestos hanging from pipes below deck,' and that 'of 130 vessels MARAD disposed of during the period 1987 through 1994, 128 of them were exported to China, India, Mexico and Taiwan.' This hull was a Suisun Bay NDRF vessel from 1968 until its August 1987 disposal, which NavSource and secondary records place at a Taiwan scrapping yard - inside the documented export pattern.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1987-2000 (report scope); hull lay-up 1968-1987
- Population
- NDRF maintenance personnel (1968-1987); overseas shipbreaking workers (1987)
- Limitations
- Program-level audit of the NDRF disposal pipeline; does not name this hull and does not state its asbestos content. Documents that deteriorating NDRF vessels of this era typically carried asbestos and that 1987-94 disposal went overwhelmingly to overseas breakers incl. Taiwan - establishes the disposal pathway, not hull-specific presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-05
-
[7]Online Archive of California finding aid, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (NPS), HDC0377 / SAFR 17566 [museum_official]
- Locator
- OAC finding aid, Summary/Scope and Content/Background sections (verified live HTTP 200)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park holds a document collection for this exact hull: 'General Daniel L. Sultan (built 1943; transport) document collection, 1966-1968' (HDC 377 / SAFR 17566) - thirteen deck logs, damage reports, vessel plans, recipe cards, two years of the ship's newspaper 'The Sultan Gazette,' and miscellaneous ship papers; open for research at SF Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department, Fort Mason. The finding aid confirms the vessel 'was formerly known as the ADMIRAL W.S. BENSON' and reproduces the DANFS service summary.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1966-1968 (collection dates)
- Limitations
- Finding-aid level only - collection contents not examined. The vessel plans and damage reports could contain insulation/materials information, but nothing is asserted from them. Finding aid titles the collection 'General Daniel L. Sultan' (variant middle initial); the ship's name was General Daniel I. Sultan. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-06
-
[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
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical scholarship 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 P2-SE2-R1 steam troop transport was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context); embarked troop passengers
- 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-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979); propulsion plant per NavSource spec block and MARAD P2-SE2-R1 plan data [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product-page description (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing access defect, same as BATCH-01); NavSource 09/22120 specs; MARAD plan data block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: a 1942-44 steam turbo-electric transport (4 Combustion Engineering D-type boilers at 600 psi/840 deg F superheat, GE turbo-electric drive, 18,000 shp) built under a wartime Maritime Commission contract. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a steam vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation on boilers, steam drums and steam lines; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; galley/accommodation insulation; winch and windlass brake linings; and fire-resistant paneling. GAO HRD-80-2 documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire service life (1944-1968).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1968
- Population
- Construction trades (Bethlehem-Alameda 1942-44); Navy engine-room crew; MSTS engineers; repair-yard workers (Todd-Wilmington, Puget Sound NSY, Terminal Island)
- Limitations
- Era/design inference, not a hull record - no ship-specific survey, spec book, or abatement record confirms which products were installed aboard AP-120. GAO is a program-level report; the inference combines documented plant type with documented era practice. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-08
-
[10]Maritime Administration, MARAD '87 Annual Report (FY1987), chapter 10: Asbestos Control (p. 50) and pending-claims paragraph (p. 49-50) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- pp. 49-50 'Asbestos Control' section and administrative-claims paragraph. Live maritime.dot.gov PDF returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; text extracted from Wayback capture 20260228134020 (label: accessed via archived copy)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- MARAD's own FY1987 annual report - the year of this hull's disposal - documents: (a) an agency 'Action Plan for the Control of Asbestos Exposures and Uses in MARAD Programs' seeking to 'eliminate asbestos materials from MARAD programs, repair or replace asbestos materials already installed'; (b) an Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program and 'Asbestos Safety Course' for employees assigned to MARAD HQ and the Beaumont, James River, and Suisun Bay NDRF sites - this hull's lay-up site named; and (c) 'approximately 9,200 administrative claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Suits in Admiralty Act, and 4,000 lawsuits pending as of September 1987' against MARAD relating to occupational asbestos exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- FY1987 (report); hull lay-up 1968-1987
- Population
- MARAD NDRF employees (Suisun Bay, Beaumont, James River) - industrial-hygiene surveillance population
- Limitations
- Program/agency-level documentation for the disposal year; does not name this hull. Establishes that MARAD itself treated NDRF sites incl. Suisun Bay as asbestos-exposure workplaces in 1987 and the contemporaneous volume of asbestos claims against the agency. Not a finding that this hull contained asbestos or that any claimant served aboard it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-09
-
[11]Batch-2050 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource 09/22120; MARAD Details 6544+1809 + status card + plan set; NPS; OAC HDC0377; NARA RG 24/178 guidance; CourtListener API v4 (exact-name and hull-number opinion/docket queries; 'General Daniel I. Sultan' dockets 0; renamed-hull opinion query pending) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-01 through -19 (incl. -09a/-09b/-09c)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, donation/museum documentation, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory (both detail records, status card, P2-SE2-R1 plan set), NPS (Alameda Works / Union Iron Works Powerhouse), OAC/SFMNHP finding aid, NARA record-group guides, and authenticated CourtListener searches. CourtListener coverage: exact-name opinions returned 3 non-qualifying hits (all classified - veterans-benefits appeal and pre-war tax cases), exact-name dockets zero, hull-number opinions 20 non-vessel collisions (full result set), hull-number dockets 293 adversary-proceeding docket-number collisions, renamed-hull ('General Daniel I. Sultan') dockets 0 results; still pending under fleet pace throttling: the authorized 'AP-120 asbestos' docket variant and the 'General Daniel I. Sultan' opinion query - logged pending in the search_ledger, not as negatives (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 steam transport that served 24 years without a documented abatement and was scrapped overseas in 1987 is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials; the SFMNHP vessel plans are the highest-value unexamined lead. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-10
-
[12]NARA Special List 44 - List of Logbooks of US Navy Ships (named-vessel list, entry 'Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120) 8/23/1944-12/31/1945'); RG 24 series NAID 594952; NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 178 [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/special-list-44-named (named-vessel index, live HTTP 200); https://catalog.archives.gov/id/594952 (post-1945 series); https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA Special List 44 itemizes deck logs for this hull, 'Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120), 8/23/1944 - 12/31/1945' - covering the commissioned period from commissioning through the final Okinawa lift (the Jan-Jun 1946 remainder falls in the post-1945 RG 24 logbook series, NAID 594952). The commissioned-era logs document yard periods (Todd-Wilmington, Puget Sound NSY, Terminal Island drydock) whose repair scopes could carry insulation/abatement detail. Maritime Commission construction records for MC hull 678 are in RG 178 (US Maritime Commission); Army Transport Service and MSTS-era logs follow separate record-group custody.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1946 logbook coverage; 1942-1968 records
- Limitations
- Confirmed coverage only - Special List 44 verifies the commissioned-period logs exist for this hull, but no box-level retrieval was performed and digitization status was not confirmed; whether the logs or MC specs carry insulation detail is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-11
-
[13]ODU Special Collections and University Archives, archivesguides.lib.odu.edu item record, Heflin & Williams Naval Engineering Reference Collection (MG 138), Binder 15 Vol. 01 [other_primary]
- Locator
- ArchivesSpace item record (verified live HTTP 200)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A second hull-specific plan source exists off-NARA: Old Dominion University Special Collections holds 'Volume 01: P2-SE2-R1 (Maritime Administration Passenger Ships) - U.S.S. Adm. W.S. Benson (AP-120), undated' (Binder 15, Volume 01) in the Heflin & Williams Naval Engineering Reference Collection (MG 138) - a collection whose 29 binders 'contain detailed design plans obtained from the National Archives for specific Naval and Commercial ships'; open to researchers without restrictions at ODU, Norfolk, VA.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- undated (P2-SE2-R1 design era, 1943-44)
- Limitations
- Catalog-level record only - the binder's contents were not examined. Design plans for this hull could document insulation materials; nothing is asserted from them. Together with SFMNHP HDC 377 this makes two unexamined hull-specific plan sources. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-13
-
[14]DANFS USS Admiral W.S. Benson (AP-120) entry (typo) vs DANFS USS Hinsdale (APA-120) entry (correct designation) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Benson entry, shakedown/training paragraph; Hinsdale entry spec block '(APA-120: d. 6,873 ... cl. Haskell)'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source defect documented: the DANFS entry for this ship prints 'Hinsdale (AP-120)' in the Terminal Island training-ship list. Hinsdale was APA-120, a Haskell-class attack transport (DANFS APA-120 entry confirms the designation throughout) - 'AP-120' there is a typo in the source. Practical consequence: hull-number strings 'AP-120' and 'APA-120' appear interchangeably in some secondary material, so hull-number litigation searches for this ship are collision-prone and were classified accordingly.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Resolves a printed source defect and records the search-collision hazard it creates; no asbestos content in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-w-s-benson-ap120-12