Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet l-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (DANFS) — real identity: USS Audubon — https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/audubon.html
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-audubon-apa149-pkt-l-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS entry 'Audubon', Naval History and Heritage Command; retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209185303 - live NHHC URL returns 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Audubon entry, header block and full narrative text; NH 78170 photo caption (San Francisco, September 1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (header block APA-149: dp 14,837; l. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 24'; s. 17.7k; cpl. 536; a. 1 5", 8 40mm., 10 20mm.; cl. Haskell; T. VC2-S-AP5; namesake a county in western Iowa named for the naturalist John James Audubon): Audubon (MCV hull 814) was laid down 1944-10-21 by the Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash.; launched 1944-12-03 (sponsor Mrs. Fons Hughes); acquired by the Navy 1944-12-19; designated APA-149; commissioned 1944-12-20, Capt. J. F. Goodwin in command. Shakedown at San Pedro; sailed 1945-02-24 for Pearl Harbor; departed for Eniwetok 1945-03-29 (arrived 4-06), Ulithi 4-11; embarked Army passengers and equipment for Okinawa; anchored off Hagushi Beach 1945-04-26 discharging passengers and cargo; departed Okinawa 4-30 via Saipan and Pearl Harbor to San Francisco (arrived 5-22); to Leyte via Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Ulithi (arrived 6-30); 7-09 to Guadalcanal to transport Army troops to the Philippines, fuel stop Hollandia 7-17, Leyte 7-26, Cebu 7-29, Samar 8-02; returned to the U.S.; at Japanese capitulation in vicinity of Pearl Harbor; San Francisco 8-19 voyage repairs; joined Operation Magic Carpet 8-31 for the Philippines; Leyte 9-18, Samar 9-20 where mechanical problems necessitated drydocking; ordered to California early October; availability at San Pedro from 10-22; sailed 11-11 for the Philippines, Manila 12-01, departed 36 hours later with almost 2,000 passengers, San Francisco 12-20. Early 1946: a planned Yokosuka run was cancelled; sailed 1-11 for the east coast, transited Panama Canal 1-20, Norfolk 1-27; decommissioned 1946-02-19; returned to the Maritime Commission (DANFS states 1946-03-13); placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River; sold 1973-04-09 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., of New York City, and scrapped. Earned one battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Ship's company 536 + embarked troops (up to ~1,561); shipyard workers at Kaiser Vancouver
- Limitations
- Authoritative ship biography; establishes identity, builder, service timeline, and disposal framing. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or survey statement - supports no asbestos claim. Live history.navy.mil URL 404s; content verified through the Wayback capture cited. DANFS once miscalls her an 'attack cargo ship' and its 1946-03-13 Maritime Commission return date conflicts with the MARAD custody slip (1946-02-28) - see correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - AUDUBON (APA-149), Ship History Detail 366, incl. digitized status cards (Form MA-20 sale record; two Reserve Fleet Division Vessel Data cards; custody-transfer slip 'AUDUBON.pdf') [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 366; status cards 366_AF.jpg, 366_686AF.jpg, 366_686AB.jpg, 366_686BF.jpg; document /documents/935f23f4-11e0-4760-949b-8bc2a483dfa0.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized status cards for AUDUBON (APA-149): type VC2-S-AP5, built Kaiser Co., Vancouver, Wash. 1944, MCV hull 814, displacement 6,873 lt / 14,837 fl, length 454.50 ft, beam 62.00 ft, fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Custody slip: Navy Department delivered to War Shipping Admin. 4:30 PM EST 2-28-46 at Lee Hall, Va. (marked 'Surplus'); WSA delivered to Reserve Fleet same day 2:50 PM EST (Lay Up); Reserve Fleet delivered to Blidberg Rothchild Co., Inc. 9/15/54 at James River under GAA (lay-up repair withdrawal). Vessel-data cards: entered fleet Feb. 28, 1946 (James River), 'FIRST IN UNIT 10', ownership WSA; 'Repair Prog. FY 1955 - GAA-Blid. Roth.': withdrawn Sept. 15, 1954 - 1250 hrs EST, returned to James River Nov. 7, 1954; fuel oil at entry 721 bbl Bunker C / 9 diesel; permanent ballast report of 11/30/49 documents poured cement and concrete-block ballast in #2 and #4 holds/tank tops; one card's printed '(APA 129)' is struck through and hand-corrected to 149. Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales: PD-X-956 advertised 3-5-73, bids opened 4-4-73 under two conditions (1) NTU (2) Scrap Hull - U.S. (24 months); awarded under condition (2) to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 4-9-73, purchase price $111,560.00, contract MA-6927; termination port last voyage Norfolk; withdrawn from fleet 5-29-73.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews; Blidberg Rothchild-contracted repair workers (1954); shipbreakers (1973)
- Limitations
- Government custody and sale records naming this hull; documents the 1954 Blidberg Rothchild repair withdrawal/return and the 1973 scrap-sale terms but contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information - the FY-1955 repair scope (which spaces/systems were disturbed) is not stated. Establishes no asbestos claim. Scanned card handwriting partially legible; the '(APA 129)'-struck-to-149 artifact is clerical only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (Jan 1945), APA section, AUDUBON APA-149 rows (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA tables, item row 9 (characteristics, machinery, armament, builders)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (January 1945), APA section lists AUDUBON (ex-M.C.V. Hull 814), APA-149, item 9: 455'0" oa, 436'6" pp, 62'0" beam, 17.7 knots, 14,837 tons (full); machinery 1 Joshua-Hendy geared turbine, 8,500 shp, with 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.), 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft, 2,900 dwt; troop accommodations 86 officers / 1,475 enlisted; builder Kaiser Co., Vancouver, Wash.; date 20 Dec 44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Design/engineering reference; no exposed population stated
- Limitations
- Official BuShips data naming this hull; establishes machinery type and steam conditions but contains no insulation-material or asbestos statement - superheated-steam plant implies insulation demand in general terms only. The Joshua-Hendy turbine maker is hull-specific (most Haskell rows list Westinghouse); Joshua Hendy Iron Works built turbines for the VC2 program. Scan is OCR-degraded in places; row values cross-checked against DANFS and NavSource figures. Armament count (4 twin + 1 quad = 12 barrels) differs from the DANFS header's '8 40mm' - variance noted, not adjudicated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-03
-
[5]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); machinery basis per BuShips SDB 1945 v3 APA-149 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; SDB1945v3 APA-149 machinery row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference only: the ship's VC2-S-AP5 geared-steam plant (2 superheated B&W boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F feeding a Joshua-Hendy geared turbine) belongs to the steam-plant type for which WWII-era specifications called for thermal insulation - boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, gaskets and packing - and peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive asbestos use in U.S. WWII shipbuilding, the program under which this hull was built (keel Oct 1944) at Kaiser Company's Vancouver, Washington yard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Vancouver, 1944); ship's company engineering ratings
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no source located states that asbestos-containing material was installed aboard this hull, nor its location, quantity, or condition. Does not establish individual exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-04
-
[6]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images - 'USS Audubon (APA-149), 1944-1973' (page made 2003-08-12; HyperWar mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Online Library page text and NH 98704 photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Historical Center Online Library ship page: 'USS Audubon (APA-149), 1944-1973' - one of 117 Haskell-class attack transports, built to a modified Victory ship design at Vancouver, Washington, commissioned December 1944; training on the West Coast, operations from Hawaii, Ulithi arrival April, Army troops and supplies delivered to Okinawa at end of month; San Francisco late May, Leyte late June, July troop lift Guadalcanal to Leyte; at Japanese surrender en route to San Francisco for maintenance; Magic Carpet from end of August, mechanical problems requiring drydocking then repairs at San Pedro; November-December Philippines run returning almost 2,000 passengers to San Francisco; East Coast January 1946, out of commission in reserve February; transferred to the Maritime Commission in February for reserve-fleet retention; stricken from the Navy List in March 1946; MARAD sold her for scrapping April 1973. Page features photo NH 98704 (San Francisco Bay, between October 1945 and January 1946; donation of BM1 Robert G. Tippins, USN Ret., 2003).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973 (page published 2003)
- Population
- Ship's company 536 + embarked troops
- Limitations
- Official NHC image-library page; its February-1946 transfer / March-1946 striking sequence independently corroborates the MARAD custody slip over DANFS's 13-March MC-return date. The page's own caption line contains a typo ('APA-128' for APA-149) - clerical only. No asbestos, insulation, or survey content - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-05
-
[7]MARAD custody-transfer slip and Form MA-20 (ShipHistory Detail 366) vs. DANFS narrative and NavSource timeline [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Custody slip image (AUDUBON.pdf) rows 1-2; MA-20 'Awarded to' field; NavSource APA-149 timeline; DANFS closing paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Maritime Commission custody date - DANFS states 'returned to the Maritime Commission on 13 March 1946,' but the MARAD custody slip documents Navy Department delivery to the War Shipping Administration at Lee Hall, Va. at 4:30 PM EST on 2-28-46 with same-day Reserve Fleet lay-up (2:50 PM EST); NavSource ('returned to the Maritime Commission, 28 February 1946') and the NHC Online Library page ('transferred to the Maritime Commission in February... stricken from the Navy List in March 1946') corroborate February; the 2-28-46 custody date is adopted and the strike date 3-12-46 (NavSource) carried. (b) Purchaser name - NavSource states 'Union Metals and Alloys Corp.'; the Form MA-20 sale record and both vessel-data cards read 'Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.', matching DANFS - 'Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.' is adopted. (c) MARAD vessel-data card printed '(APA 129)' was hand-corrected to 149 - a clerical artifact; all other card data matches APA-149.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1973
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies using the primary custody/sale documents; does not affect identity or service timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-06
-
[8]Batch-2220 search ledger (this record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-audubon-apa149-01 through sl-uss-audubon-apa149-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Audubon or APA-149 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener sweeps by exact name and hull number returned only collisions ('APA' = Administrative Procedure Act record/exhibit cites; Audubon Indemnity insurance litigation; Audubon Society environmental cases; place/surname matches).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 superheated-steam hull is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and reserve-fleet layup (1946-1973) plus the 1954 Blidberg Rothchild repair withdrawal and the 1945 Samar drydocking would have been disturbance opportunities. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-07
-
[9]NARA record-group guidance for WWII-era Navy deck logs (RG 24) and MARAD reserve-fleet/GAA files; NavSource photo caption documenting ABSD-5 drydocking at Guiuan, Samar [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA 'Logbooks of the US Navy' finding aid page; NavSource APA-149 photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs and muster rolls for APA-149 (1944-46) expected at College Park (specific catalog entry not verified; catalog.archives.gov returned an automated-access challenge 2026-09-25); MARAD reserve-fleet file for the FY-1955 Blidberg Rothchild repair GAA would document the repair scope; the ship's war diary and any damage/repair reports for the September-October 1945 Samar drydocking (USS ABSD-5) would document machinery work performed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCV hull 814 / APA-149 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-audubon-apa149-08