Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet crew-ck-packet.md (3 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-william-s-sims-ap127-pkt-crew-ck-packet-md
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[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127)' (updated by Robert J. Cressman, 6 May 2026) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS A-index entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127): laid down 1944-06-15 at Alameda, CA by Bethlehem-Alameda Shipbuilding Corp. under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 685), type P2-SE2-R1, Admiral W. S. Benson class; launched 1945-06-04, sponsored by Mrs. Anne Hitchcock Sims; delivered and commissioned 1945-09-27. Shakedown out of San Pedro, post-shakedown availability at Todd shipyards, Wilmington, CA. Two Magic Carpet round-trips to Manila (Oct 1945-Jan 1946, returning 4,980 and 4,973 passengers), one troop lift from Okinawa (4,988 Army troops to Seattle 1946-03-06), and one final Far East voyage to Jinsen (Inchon), Okinawa, and Manila returning to San Francisco 1946-05-07. Decommissioned at San Francisco 1946-06-21 and simultaneously transferred to the War Shipping Administration; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1946-07-03. Header data: displacement 20,120 (limiting); length 608'11"; beam 75'6"; draft 26'6" (limiting); speed 19.0 knots; complement 495; troop capacity 4,985; no armament installed at commissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, and Navy service 1945-1946. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-01
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[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'General William O. Darby (T-AP-127)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS G-index entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for General William O. Darby (T-AP-127): Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127) was renamed General William O. Darby under the Army Transport Service (honoring Brig. Gen. William O. Darby, USA, 1911-1945); reacquired by the Navy 1950-03-01 and reinstated on the Naval Vessel Register 1950-04-28 as USNS General William O. Darby (T-AP-127), civilian-crewed under MSTS. 1950-1953: 20+ round-trips New York-Bremerhaven; November 1951 Bay of Biscay rescue of a burned German sailor. 1953-1954: Korean-veteran trooplift voyages to Japan. 1954-1965: 135 runs to Bremerhaven plus nine Mediterranean deployments; autumn 1961 Berlin-crisis lift of 50,000 troops to Cherbourg and Bremerhaven (largest MSTS trooplift since 1953); February 1963 carried the Louvre paintings 'Whistler's Mother' and 'La Madeleine' from Bremerhaven to New York. 1965-1967: Vietnam trooplift duty, including (with sister General Alexander M. Patch) the longest point-to-point trooplift in MSTS history (Boston to Vung Tau, 12,358 miles, arriving 1965-08-13 with 3,124 troops between the two ships). Ready reserve at Caven Point Army Depot from 1967/1968; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1969-01-09 and transferred to the Maritime Commission reserve fleet; name canceled 1976-07-06 after Maryland prison-ship proposal objections; reclassified IX-510 October 1981 and placed in service at Norfolk Naval Shipyard 1982-07-01 as a barracks/accommodation ship (still so serving in 1987). Awarded one battle star for Vietnam War service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1946-1987
- Limitations
- Authoritative for Army/MSTS/IX-510 career 1946-1987. DANFS gives the stricken date as 1969-01-09 while NavSource gives 1993-10-26 - reconciled in this record as the T-AP-127 strike (1969) vs the IX-510 strike (1993), not confirmed directly against the NVR (see gaps). Contains no asbestos or hazardous-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-02
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ADMIRAL W. S. SIMS (AP-127), Detail 38, and GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY (AP-127/T-AP-127), Detail 1854 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 38 milestone table and vessel data; companion https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1854
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for ADMIRAL W. S. SIMS (AP-127) (Detail 38): year built 1945; shipyard Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard; type P2-SE2-R1, AP transport, naval auxiliary; length 608.80 ft, beam 75.50 ft, 16,039 gross / 8,528 net tons; fate 'Scrapped'. Milestones: entered Navy Department 1945-09-27; title transferred to War Department 1946-06-21; title transferred to Navy Department 1950-03-01; title transferred to MARAD 1971-07-01 (renamed 'AP-127'); acquired by Navy and reclassified IX-510 ('Barrack ship for Navy crews') 1981-10-01. The companion record for GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY (AP-127/T-AP-127) (Detail 1854) carries the same physical data and lists Korean War and Vietnam War missions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-2006
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and registered dimensions. Detail 38 also contains a milestone 'Renamed 6/21/1945 to General William O. Darby' that conflicts with DANFS (Army-era rename, 1946) - treated as a data-entry error, see correction row ev-04. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-03
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[5]MARAD ShipHistory Details 38 and 2333 (IX-510); NHHC DANFS 'Admiral W. S. Sims' and 'General William O. Darby'; NavSource AP-127 archive page [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 2333 name history; Detail 38 milestones; DANFS entries; https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/22/22127.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) MARAD ShipHistory Detail 38 records 'Renamed 6/21/1945 - Renamed to General William O. Darby,' but DANFS documents the ship as USS Admiral W. S. Sims in Navy commission until 1946-06-21 and renamed only under the Army Transport Service in 1946; the 1945 MARAD milestone is treated as a data-entry error (the DANFS sequence is adopted as controlling). (b) MARAD name history (Detail 2333, IX-510) shows '1991-2005: General William O. Darby' although DANFS records the name as canceled 1976-07-06; the conflict is unresolved and logged. (c) DANFS records the ship stricken 1969-01-09; NavSource records 'Struck from the Naval Register, 26 October 1993' - reconciled as the T-AP-127 strike (1969, DANFS) versus the IX-510 strike (1993, NavSource), not confirmed directly against the NVR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-2005
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary/database framings; does not affect identity or the custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-04
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[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, NDRF Reserve Fleet Inventory as of March 31, 2004 (MARAD Automated Vessel Information System), p. 9 row GEN WILLIAM O. DARBY [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Page 9, 'NDRF (Non-Retention)-Passenger Ship' table, STATUS REMARKS column. Live URL content verified via server-side extraction; direct download returned Akamai 403, and the full text was additionally confirmed against a Wayback Machine capture (https://web.archive.org/web/2024id_/https://www.maritime.dot.gov/sites/marad.dot.gov/files/docs/data-reports/data-statistics/8631/i040331.pdf) - cited URL is the live source.
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- MARAD National Defense Reserve Fleet Inventory as of 2004-03-31 (memorandum of 2004-04-14, Eugene J. Magee, Chief, Division of Reserve Fleet) lists, under 'NDRF (Non-Retention)-Passenger Ship': 'GEN WILLIAM O. DARBY | IX 510 | 1945 | P2-SE2-R1 | James River, VA (RF) | Ready for Disposal Non-Ret | Barracks barge '89; no PCBs, Asbestos' (verbatim row). The remark is the only ship-specific government hazardous-material statement located for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2004
- Population
- Ship-breaking workers (Marine Metals, Brownsville, TX, 2005-2006) and prior barracks-ship occupants, IF asbestos was present - population linkage itself is not established by the source
- Limitations
- Polarity unresolvable from the document: 'no PCBs, Asbestos' reads either as two negated items (no PCBs, no asbestos) or as 'no PCBs' plus 'Asbestos' noted as present; the inventory defines no legend for the remarks column and no other row in the document uses either term. Read as a hazmat remark in a disposal inventory, 'no PCBs; Asbestos [present]' is the more consistent parse, but this is inference and is NOT asserted. The remark establishes neither presence nor absence of asbestos aboard, let alone quantity, condition, exposure, or causation. 'Barracks barge '89' also conflicts with the 1991 out-of-service date in other sources (see gaps). Because verification_status is partial, this row does not determine the evidence tier.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-05
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[7]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY (AP-127/T-AP-127), Detail 1854, milestone table; NavSource AP-127 archive page (contract date) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 1854 milestones (Departure 2/16/2005; Destruction via scrapping 9/11/2006); https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/22/22127.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for GENERAL WILLIAM O. DARBY (AP-127/T-AP-127) (Detail 1854) final-disposition milestones: 'Ship departed the JRRF under contract on 2/16/2005 for scrapping in Brownsville, TX'; 'Ship destroyed on this date in Brownsville, TX' 2006-09-11 (withdrawal same date). NavSource adds, citing the MARAD Vessel History Database: sold for scrapping under contract signed 2004-09-13 to Marine Metals Inc., Brownsville, TX.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2004-2006
- Limitations
- Authoritative for final disposition. MARAD scrapping milestones do not include asbestos-abatement or hazardous-material detail; the 2004 disposal-inventory remark (ev-05) is the only hazmat statement located. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-06
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[8]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, AP-127 / T-AP-127 / IX-510 page (maintained by Gary P. Priolo; last updated 2025-01-17) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Full page: chronology, specifications, photo captions, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for AP-127 (compiled from official sources incl. DANFS, NHHC photos, MARAD): name/designation sequence USS Admiral William S. Sims (AP-127) 1945-1946; USAT Admiral William S. Sims 1946; USAT General William O. Darby 1946-1950 (christened 1949-07-08 at San Francisco Port of Embarkation); USNS General William O. Darby (T-AP-127) 1950-1967 (reacquired 1950-03-01, in service 1950-04-28); out of service 1967 at Caven Point Army Depot; to MARAD NDRF James River July 1971; name canceled 1976-07-06; redesignated IX-510 October 1981; in service at Norfolk Naval Shipyard 1982-07-01 providing berthing and messing (including as barracks ship for USS Nimitz (CVN-68) during her 1983-84 Newport News refit); out of service April 1991; struck 1993-10-26; title to MARAD 1999-05-01; sold for scrapping (contract 2004-09-13, Marine Metals Inc.); removed from James River 2005-02-16; scrapping completed 2006-09-11. Specifications: displacement 9,676 t (lt) / 20,120 t (fl); length 608'11"; beam 75'6"; draft 26'6" (lim); speed 19 kts; complement 33 officers + 462 enlisted; troop accommodations 270 officers + 4,715 enlisted; cargo 100,006 cu ft; armament authorized but never installed (4x1 5"/38, 4x2 40mm, 14x2 20mm); propulsion two GE turbines, four Combustion Engineering D-type boilers 600 psi 840 deg F, two propellers 18,000 shp. Commanding officers: Capt. Edward C. Holden Jr., USNR (1945-09-27 to 1945-11-28); Capt. Charles C. Phleger (1945-11-28 to 1946-06-21).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-2006
- Limitations
- Reputable compiled archive, not a primary document; chronology cross-checked against DANFS and MARAD (concordant except the 1993 strike date - see correction row ev-04). Propulsion and complement figures are carried in the record from this source and are not independently verified against a primary design document (MARAD P2-SE2-R1 plan PDF is an unretrieved lead). Contains no asbestos statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-07
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[9]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 P2-SE2-R1 steam-turbine transport was built (laid down 1944, delivered 1945), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval 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)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-08
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[10]Batch-2057 search ledger (this record): CourtListener authenticated searches via cl-auth-search.py (6 requests); NHHC DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory; NavSource; MARAD NDRF inventory [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-05 through sl-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos litigation or survey located: CourtListener exact-name searches ('Admiral W. S. Sims', opinion and docket) returned zero; hull-number searches ('AP-127', opinion count 29, docket count 277) returned only reporter-citation and bankruptcy-docket collisions, none ship-related; the permitted asbestos-qualified variants ('AP-127' asbestos, run only because both base queries overflowed their 20-result pages) returned zero opinions and one docket (B.T. v. Silver Diner Development, Inc., E.D. Va. 2022 - a restaurant premises case, classified as a name collision on the caption). No asbestos survey, abatement contract, or hazmat disclosure naming the hull was found in DANFS, MARAD ShipHistory, or NavSource; the sole hazmat statement located is the ambiguous 2004 MARAD inventory remark (ev-05).
- 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 1945 steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the ship's 2005-2006 scrapping would have required hazmat handling whose documentation is not public in the sources searched. The later name (General William O. Darby) was not run as a CourtListener base query under the batch spec; a case naming only that name would not be caught by the queries run. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-09
-
[11]MARAD ShipHistory Documents tab (P2-SE2-R1 Plan.pdf, Details 38/1854); NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 and RG 178 [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail 38/1854 'Documents' section; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) MARAD hosts a digitized 'P2-SE2-R1 Plan.pdf' (dated 1943-09-08) on both ShipHistory detail pages for this hull - a design-plan document that may include insulation schedules relevant to asbestos; not downloaded this session. (b) NARA WWII deck logs (RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel) cover the ship's 1945-1946 Navy commission. (c) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records may hold the MC hull 685 construction/outfitting contract file for Bethlehem-Alameda.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943-1946 records
- Limitations
- Lead mapping only - no document-level retrieval performed; whether any of these hold asbestos-specific information for MC hull 685 is unknown. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-admiral-william-s-sims-ap127-10