Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet jy-packet.md (8 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Arthur L. Bristol** | Hull: **DE-281** (laid down as) → reclassified **APD-97** | Final type: **Crosley-class high-speed transport
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-pkt-jy-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Arthur L. Bristol, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol. IA pp. 407-08 (verbatim hazegray/losthistory transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Arthur L. Bristol', Vol. IA pp. 407-08, namesake biography + specifications block + full service narrative; hazegray transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake biography (Vice Admiral Arthur LeRoy Bristol, Jr., b. 15 July 1886 Charleston S.C.; USNA 1906; first commanding officer of USS Ranger CV-4; Commander Support Force Atlantic Fleet 1941; died at Argentia, Newfoundland, 27 April 1942); specifications (APD-97: dp. 2,130; l. 306'; b. 37'; dr. 12'7"; s. 23.6 k.; cpl. 204; a. 1 5", 6 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 dct.; cl. Charles Lawrence). Laid down 1 December 1943 at Charleston (S.C.) Navy Yard as DE-281; launched 19 February 1944, sponsored by Miss Ellen Wing Getty chosen by the namesake's brother; redesignated APD-97 on 17 July 1944 when the Navy decided to complete her as a fast transport instead of a destroyer escort; commissioned at builder's yard 25 June 1945, Lt. Comdr. Morris Beerman, USNR. Shakedown Guantanamo Bay 13 July-7 August 1945; post-shakedown availability at Norfolk; Naval Training Center Miami from early September 1945; operated in Florida Keys and Cuban waters as training ship for student officers for the rest of her active career. Ordered to Mobile 31 October 1945, dry-docked, then Naval Repair Base Algiers La. for pre-inactivation preservation; assigned 163d Transport Division, 18th Transport Squadron SubGroup 4, Florida Group, 16th Fleet, 1 December 1945; decommissioned at Green Cove Springs FL 29 April 1946; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 June 1964; sold for scrap summer 1965; transferred to Boston Metals Corp., Baltimore, 4 August 1965.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction/conversion trades 1943-45; commissioned crew (DANFS design complement 204); student-officer trainees 1945-46
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service history, and specifications, not materials or asbestos content - the narrative contains no asbestos-related content whatsoever. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link rot, BATCH-01). The spec block's 'cl. Charles Lawrence' is the period DANFS nomenclature for DE-conversion APDs; the canonical class is Crosley - documented in gaps, not silently corrected. Norfolk and Mobile facilities are not named in the narrative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III - Auxiliaries (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 15 April 1945), APD characteristics tables, entry 16 (shipscribe.com scan of the official publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 pp. 286-297 (APD characteristics, accommodations, machinery, armament, and construction tables; entry 16 on each table)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips characteristics record for this hull (entry 16 'BRISTOL, ARTHUR L. (ex-DE281), APD97'): length overall 306 ft 0 in, waterline 300 ft 0 in, extreme beam 37 ft 0 in, trial speed 23.6 kt, trial displacement 1,650 t; limiting displacement 2,130 t, limiting draft 12 ft 7 in; total accommodations 12 officers + 192 enlisted; troop capacity 12 officers + 150 enlisted; largest boom 10 t; machinery two propellers, G.E. turbo-electric, 12,000 shp, with two 'D' Express-type boilers at 435 psi / 750F; armament one 5-inch/38 cal. (D.P.) mount and three twin 40-mm A.A. mounts; construction table: built by Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; keel laid 1 Dec 43; launched 19 Feb 44; first-commission cell blank (volume predates the 25 June 1945 commissioning).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction/conversion trades 1943-45; crew and embarked troops (design accommodations)
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous registry/characteristics data - documents machinery, capacities, and construction dates but says nothing about insulation materials or asbestos content. Boiler manufacturer is not named for the APD table rows ('D' Exp = 'D' Express-type boiler designation). OCR extraction verified against layout-preserved text (pdftotext -layout); the construction table's commission column is empty for this hull because the 15 April 1945 volume predates commissioning.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-02
-
[4]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, APD/LPR hull-number index (HyperWar mirror of history.navy.mil page) + NavSource Online Destroyer Escort/Amphibious Photo Archives (compiled operational data; navsource.org unreachable from this environment - DNS/mod-security; content via search-index excerpts) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/shusn-no/apd-no.htm (APD-97 index line); navsource.org/archives/06/281.htm and /archives/10/04/04097.htm (compiled blocks via search excerpts)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Registry corroboration for this hull: NHHC Online Library APD index reads 'APD-97: Arthur L. Bristol (1945-1965). Begun as DE-281' - official index span consistent with DANFS and BuShips. NavSource compiled operational data (DE-281 index and APD-97 amphibious page): laid down Charleston Navy Yard 1 December 1943; launched 19 February 1944; reclassified APD-97 and converted while under construction (amphibious page prints 17 June 1944 vs DANFS 17 July); commissioned USS Arthur L. Bristol (APD-97) 25 June 1945, LCDR Morris Beerman USNR; decommissioned 29 April 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Atlantic Reserve Fleet Florida Group; struck from the Naval Register 1 June 1964 (the DE index page prints 'April 1 1964' - internal NavSource conflict, DANFS carried); sold summer 1965 to Boston Metals Corp., Baltimore, transferred 4 August 1965. Commanding officers: LCDR Morris Beerman (25 Jun-Dec 1945); LT Thomas Robert Stumpf (Dec 1945-Apr 1946); LTjg Carl Claude Senter (Apr-29 Apr 1946). U.S. Navy Yard Charleston photo #132-46 dated 10 January 1945 documents the hull fitting out.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- NHHC index text is official; NavSource is a secondary compilation quoting official Navy photos and registry data - navsource.org is unreachable from this environment (DNS/mod-security failure), so its figures were captured via search-index excerpts and not re-verified against the live pages this pass. The NavSource reclassification (17 June) and strike (1 April) variants conflict with DANFS (17 July 1944; 1 June 1964) - DANFS carried, conflicts in gaps. No asbestos content in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 15 Apr 1945), APD machinery table, entry 16 (shipscribe.com scan) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Charleston Naval Shipyard record (tier 2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 p. 294 APD machinery table (entry 16 row); shipyards.json record 'charleston-naval-shipyard' (product list + ev-charleston-naval-shipyard-osha-1988-100361849)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era propulsion and builder-yard documentation: the Crosley class were Rudderow-class destroyer-escort hulls completed as high-speed transports, retaining the TE/TEV-family turbo-electric plant - BuShips Ships' Data records for this hull two 'D' Express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F feeding G.E. turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp on two shafts. This is the steam-plant escort design group, the most asbestos-relevant DE/APD machinery family: a 1943-45 steam-plant hull completed at a Navy yard at the height of wartime asbestos use would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation on boilers and steam lines, turbine insulation, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Charleston Naval Shipyard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2): named products include magnesia pipe insulation (5-50% asbestos), boiler external coatings (15% asbestos), spray-on insulation, asbestos cement, gaskets, packing, and brake linings, plus a verified 1988 OSHA inspection citing the asbestos standard (29 CFR 1910.1001) at Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction/conversion trades 1943-45; crew 1945-46; reserve-fleet maintenance and 1965 scrapping workforce
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a ship-specific finding. The BuShips table documents this hull's machinery type but names no insulation material; the Charleston yard record documents the construction environment, not installation aboard this hull. No hull material schedule located (NARA RG19 General Information Books are the archival lead). Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-04
-
[6]Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyards.json): charleston-naval-shipyard record (tier 2 - documented asbestos product list and verified 1988 OSHA asbestos citation); norfolk-naval-shipyard and alabama-dry-dock records exist as the probable (unverified) facilities for the hull's documented 1945 availability/dry-docking [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json records 'charleston-naval-shipyard', 'norfolk-naval-shipyard', 'alabama-dry-dock'; DANFS narrative ('availability at Norfolk'; 'dry-docked' at Mobile)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder/repair/disposal-yard context: the hull was built and converted at Charleston Navy Yard (Atlas yard record 'charleston-naval-shipyard', tier 2). DANFS documents a post-shakedown availability 'at Norfolk' in August 1945 and a dry-docking 'at Mobile, Ala.' in October-November 1945 without naming the facilities - the Navy's yard at Norfolk is Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth, Va.; Atlas tier 2) and Mobile's principal Naval dry-dock facility was Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding (Atlas 'alabama-dry-dock'), but hull-level facility attribution is inference. The Naval Repair Base, Algiers, La. (pre-inactivation preservation) and the Green Cove Springs reserve basin (1946-1964 layup) are not Atlas yard entries. Boston Metals Corp., Baltimore (1965 scrapping) is likewise not an Atlas yard entry.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction/conversion trades 1943-45; Norfolk availability workforce Aug 1945; Mobile drydock workforce Oct-Nov 1945; Algiers preservation and Green Cove Springs layup personnel 1945-1964; Boston Metals scrapping workforce 1965
- Limitations
- Yard-level records only - no yard record names this hull or any hull-specific work order, and the Norfolk/Mobile facilities are inferred from city names in DANFS, not documented. Yard asbestos documentation does not establish that a particular product was installed on or disturbed aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-05
-
[7]NARA, Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations (RG 24, Entry 118 / Special List #44 coverage to 1947; National Archives Identifier 594258) + RG 19 General Information Books [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-logs research page; NARA Identifier 594258 series; Special List #44; RG19 GIB series
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: APD-97's 1945-1946 deck logs fall within NARA RG 24 / Special List #44 coverage of Navy logbooks (1801-1947) and the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1978 series (NAID 594258); WWII War Diaries series holds ship-submitted operational histories. Deck logs would document the shakedown, Miami training-ship operations, Mobile dry-docking, Algiers preservation, and Green Cove Springs decommissioning - not material schedules. NARA RG19 General Information Books (per-vessel material specifications) are the open lead for hull-level insulation/materials data.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Crew 1945-1946
- Limitations
- Lead only - no retrieval performed; deck logs and war diaries document operations and events, not asbestos content. The NARA online catalog is JavaScript-rendered and returned no text-verifiable hull-level result in this environment; no hull-specific NAID located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page (title, issue date, program description)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Navy program-level context: GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection posture - standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Relevant here only as era policy context: this hull was stricken 1 June 1964 and scrapped in 1965, more than a decade before the documented policy window, so no Navy abatement record was ever generated for this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy); hull context 1943-1965
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Program-level finding, not ship-specific: the 1975-79 policy window postdates the hull's disposal; carried strictly as Navy asbestos-policy context explaining why no abatement record type exists for this hull. gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403) - product-page description used (standing limitation, BATCH-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep (this record's search ledger): "Arthur L. Bristol" type=o returned 1 opinion - Bristol v. United States, 76 Ct. Cl. 286 (1932); "Arthur L. Bristol" type=r returned 0 dockets; hull-number sweeps blocked by fleet pacing (see limitations) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-06 through sl-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-10; opinion cluster 8609363 (Bristol v. United States)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep result: the only CourtListener hit on the vessel name is a name collision, not the ship - Bristol v. United States, 76 Ct. Cl. 286 (No. M-330, filed 1932-11-14) is the namesake's own case: Captain Arthur L. Bristol, USN (the future vice admiral), sued for rental and subsistence allowances for a dependent mother under the act of June 10, 1922. No asbestos, no vessel, no maritime exposure content - classified non-qualifying name collision. The exact-name RECAP docket query returned zero. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Coverage partial: "Arthur L. Bristol" opinion (1 hit, collision) and docket (0) queries completed; "USS Arthur L. Bristol" opinion and the "DE-281"/"APD-97" hull-number sweeps were blocked by fleet-wide pacing contention across spaced attempts this session - residual unreviewed docket-text references cannot be excluded (see search_ledger). Records verified results for completed queries and honest incompletion for the rest; does not establish that no litigation exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-08
-
[10]Batch-4204 search ledger (this record): verbatim DANFS transcription (hazegray/losthistory mirror); official BuShips Ships' Data Vol. III NAVSHIPS 250-012 (shipscribe scan, entry 16); NHHC Online Library APD index (HyperWar mirror); NavSource registry compilations (search-index excerpts); Atlas shipyard dataset; CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweep (partial); NARA series identification; GAO HRD-80-2; general web search (law-firm boilerplate excluded) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-01 through sl-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-281/APD-97: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no hazmat disclosure, and no qualifying asbestos litigation naming the vessel (CourtListener exact-name queries returned a single name-collision opinion and zero dockets - see ev-08). Museum/drydock/abatement categories cannot apply because the ship was scrapped in 1965 and is not preserved; her 10-month active career (all stateside training) and 18-year reserve layup generated no documented yard asbestos event. Law-firm/mesothelioma-marketing pages publish templated 'asbestos exposure' content for this hull name/number (e.g., shepardlawfirm.com, asbestos-ships.com, mesotheliomaveterans.org-style aggregators); reviewed and excluded as non-authoritative advertising content per the hard sourcing rule.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard during the 1945-46 commission or the 1943-45 build - era materials aboard a Navy-yard-built steam-plant escort are plausible but ship-unproven. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-l-bristol-de281-09