Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet j-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bandera-apa131-pkt-j-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) tables, per-hull rows for BANDERA APA-131 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 pp. 222-227, APA tables: dimensions p.222, personnel p.223, machinery p.224, armament/cargo p.226, construction p.227 (BANDERA row, item 10 in each run); ship index entries 'Bandera (ex-M.C.V. Hull 47) APA 131' and 'M.C.V. Hull 47 (now Bandera) APA131'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for BANDERA APA-131 (indexed 'Bandera (ex-M.C.V. Hull 47)') across the APA tables: 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots trial speed; 14,837 tons trial displacement; ship's company 56 officers + 480 enlisted with troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; machinery 1 Westinghouse turbine, 8,500 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F, single propeller; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated, deadweight 5,800/2,900 tons; builder California S.B. Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; date acquired 5 Dec 1944; year built 1944; date of first commission 6 Dec 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. Scan is OCR-degraded; row cells cross-checked against NavSource and DANFS spec blocks.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Bandera I (APA-131)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (Mary P. Walker, 6 March 2006; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20210331145539; the older print-DANFS short text corroborated via hazegray.org mirror capture 20090107045646) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Bandera I entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20210331145539); print-DANFS mirror hazegray.org/danfs/amphib/apa131.htm via Wayback 20090107045646
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: named for Bandera County, Texas (county organized 1856); spec block dp. 14,837, l. 455', b. 62', dr. 24', s. 17.7 k., cpl. 536, a. 1 5"/8 40mm, cl. Haskell, T. VC2-S-AP5. Laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 47) 23 Jul 1944 at Wilmington, Calif., by California Shipbuilding Co.; launched 6 Oct 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Elmer P. Abernethy; acquired 5 Dec 1944; commissioned 6 Dec 1944, Capt. George C. Miller in command. Shakedown off San Pedro, amphibious training at San Diego, post-shakedown availability at Terminal Island, Calif.; sailed San Francisco 28 Jan-1 Feb 1945 for Hawaii, Pearl Harbor shuttle service to the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands from 9 Feb 1945 - reinforcements and supplies out, wounded men back. Tactical and amphibious training off Maui 3 Apr-31 May 1945; never participated in landing operations. Departed 19 Jun 1945 with Army troops to San Francisco, then Everett, Wash., for upkeep; returned to Pearl Harbor ferry service end of June. At Ulithi at Japanese capitulation; steamed to Jinsen, Korea, in October; assigned to 'Magic Carpet' fleet; one Shanghai trip Jan-Feb 1946. Arrived San Francisco 15 Feb 1946, then Norfolk 11 Mar for inactivation; decommissioned 7 May 1946; returned to Maritime Commission 14 May; name struck from Navy list 21 May; berthed James River NDRF until sold to Consolidated Steel Corp. and scrapped in January 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, custody chain, and disposal. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Bandera (APA-131), file 10/03/03131 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 03131.htm - timeline, specifications block, awards table, occupation/China service table, commanding-officer list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: radio call sign NDNK; wartime assignment TransRon Twenty (COMO H.W. Graf) / TransDiv Sixty (CAPT. A.T. Moen), Asiatic-Pacific Theater; awards - China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp (periods 2-12 Sep 1945 and 30 Sep-3 Oct 1945) and China Service Medal extended period 13-28 Jan 1946; commanding officers CAPT George C. Miller (6 Dec 1944 - 5 Apr 1945), CAPT Alexander C. Thorington (5 Apr 1945 - 15 Mar 1946), LCDR Reginald H. Bell (15 Mar - 7 May 1946); decommissioned 7 May 1946 at Norfolk, VA; returned to Maritime Commission 14 May 1946 for NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; struck from Naval Register 21 May 1946; withdrawn from James River Reserve Fleet 15 Sep - 10 Nov 1954 to A.H. Bull Co., Inc. under Repair Program General Agency Agreement; final disposition sold for scrapping 23 Jan 1974 in a five-ship deal to Consolidated Steel Corp., Brownsville, TX (sale PD-X-970 dated 14 Dec 1973), withdrawn from the fleet 1 Apr 1974. Spec block matches BuShips/DANFS (6,873 t light / 14,837 t full; 455' x 62' x 24'; 17.7 kt; 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troops 86 + 1,475; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/750F, double Westinghouse reduction gears, 8,500 shp, one propeller; 1 x 5"/38 DP, 1 quad + 4 twin 40mm, 10 x 20mm). NHHC photo credits NH 98705 (San Francisco Bay, Magic Carpet return, Dec 1945-Feb 1946) and 80-G-338668 (V-J Day announcement aboard, Ulithi, 15 Aug 1945); contributor-donated photo of the ship at anchor on the Whangpoo River, Shanghai, China, 19 Jan 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with DANFS and the MARAD status card on all checkable points (including the 1954 - not 1955 - repair-program withdrawal). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BANDERA (APA-131), Ship History Detail 398, incl. digitized Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data cards and MA-20 Record of Ship Sales card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 398 registry/milestone block; card scans 398_745AF.jpg (vessel data front), 398_745BF.jpg (vessel data incl. FY1955 repair withdrawal and sale), 398_745AB.jpg (back - permanent ballast report, ~8,000 cement blocks in #2/#4 lower holds), 398_AF.jpg (MA-20 Record of Ship Sales); BANDERA.pdf status-card bundle
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD registry record for this hull: Year Built 1944; Shipyard 'California Shipbuilding Corporation'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'APA Attack Transport'; MARAD Type VC2-S-AP5; length 436.50 ft, beam 62.00 ft; displacement summer 14,837 t / lightweight 6,873 t; Fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Disposition and Withdrawal both 4/1/1974. Digitized status cards document the custody chain: entered James River reserve fleet 5-14-46 (hull no. MCV-47, termination port of last voyage NORFOLK); Repair Program FY1955 under GAA with A.H. Bull - withdrawn Sept. 15, 1954 (1200 hrs EST), returned James River Nov. 10, 1954 (1410 hrs EST); sold for scrap under PD-X-970, 1-23-74, to Consolidated Steel Corporation for $191,799.80; withdrawn and delivered 0900 EDT 4-1-74. The MA-20 Record of Ship Sales card records PD-X-970 awarded to Consolidated Steel Corp. 1-23-74, 'Lump Sum for 5 - $958,999.00', contract MA-7241, advertised 12-14-73 and opened 1-16-74 under two conditions ((1) NTU, (2) SCRAP HULL-US) with award under condition (2).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody record - the primary source for reserve-fleet and disposal history. Handwritten/stamped card entries partially legible (OCR-aided); the MA-20 card's name line is typed 'BANDERA (APA-134)' - an apparent clerical slip (APA-134 was sister USS Bland) since every substantive field (VC2-S-AP5, built Calif. S.B. 1944, James River, PD-X-970 terms, MA-7241) is this hull's. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-04
-
[6]NHHC Online Library photo page NH 98705 (ibiblio mirror of the Naval Historical Center 2003 page) vs DANFS (Wayback capture 20210331145539), MARAD vessel-data card 398_745BF.jpg, and BuShips SDB 1945 v3 construction row [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- ibiblio Online Library apa131.htm caption paragraph 1; MARAD card 398_745BF fields 10/13/22; SDB1945v3 p.227 construction row; DANFS entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Builder/place - the NHHC Online Library photo caption states Bandera 'was built to a modified Victory ship design at Vancouver, Washington'; DANFS, MARAD, and the BuShips construction row all give California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif. (Kaiser, Vancouver, Wash. built other Haskell-class hulls - APA-147 through APA-150 series). The Vancouver claim appears in no primary source and is treated here as an NHHC caption error; Wilmington is adopted. (b) Repair-program year - secondary compilations (e.g., Wikipedia's MARAD-derived text) state the ship was withdrawn 'in 1955' under the repair program; the MARAD vessel-data card shows the FY1955 program executed in calendar 1954 (withdrawn Sept. 15, 1954 1200 EST; returned Nov. 10, 1954 1410 EST) - calendar 1954 adopted, reconciling NavSource's '15 September to 10 November 1954.' (c) Namesake - DANFS records Bandera County, Texas; consistent across sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974 (sources 2003-2026)
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level conflicts in official and secondary sources; none of the compared sources contains asbestos information; this row supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + VC2-S-AP5 type data (shipscribe APA class pages; haskell-class.class.json background) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table p.224 (BANDERA row); shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA class data; haskell-class.class.json (class-f worktree) for class context
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Westinghouse turbine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F superheat) built at the peak of WWII asbestos usage - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. Troop-space outfitting (accommodations for 1,561) added interior insulation scope. Post-Navy custody (NDRF lay-up 1946-1974, including the Sept-Nov 1954 Repair Program withdrawal to A.H. Bull) and the 1974 breaking at Brownsville, TX are the disturbance-phase pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Construction trades at California SB, Wilmington (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; NDRF lay-up/repair and 1974 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-131 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-06
-
[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 study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency construction program under which this VC2-S-AP5 attack transport was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- 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 remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-07
-
[9]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16; PubMed PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945 survey; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and naval-vessel construction trades (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's contemporaneous 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - cf. the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696 carried in the batch-155 class-mate record.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-08
-
[10]Pruitt v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., C.A. No. 18-1101-MN-SRF (D. Del., In re Asbestos Litigation / MDL-875 track) - Report and Recommendation (2020-07-30) and Memorandum Opinion, verified via ded.uscourts.gov opinion PDF [court_record]
- Locator
- ded.uscourts.gov opinion 18-1101_0.pdf; CourtListener sweeps sl-uss-bandera-apa131-08 through -11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The located attack-transport asbestos docket resolves to another class: plaintiff John W. Pruitt Sr. alleged mesothelioma from asbestos exposure as a machinist mate stationed in 1958 on 'the USS Bayfield, an attack transport' (APA-33, Bayfield class) and in 1959 on USS Tolovana (AO-64, Cimarron-class oiler). Authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweeps for this hull (opinion and docket) returned no qualifying case - see search_ledger. No docketed asbestos opinion naming USS Bandera or APA-131 was located in indexed sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2018-2020 (docket); sweeps run 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Different hull and class - carried only to document that the APA-type litigation surface exists while no Bandera-specific docket was found. Deposition-stage exposure descriptions in Pruitt are allegations, not findings. County-name hulls like 'Bandera' collide with Texas place-name and surname litigation; all 13 opinion-level 'Bandera'/'APA-131' hits reviewed were name collisions (see search_ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-09
-
[11]Batch-2201 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03131; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 398 + status-card scans + MA-20 sale card; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull rows; CourtListener authenticated opinion/docket sweeps; NVR; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides; indexed-web asbestos-claim sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bandera-apa131-01 through sl-uss-bandera-apa131-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Bandera / APA-131 / M.C.V. Hull 47 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com vessel page; simmonsfirm.com ship list) assert or imply era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as sources per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report.
- 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 geared-steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her ~28 years in NDRF custody plus 1974 breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Bandera Dec 1944 - May 1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park; WWII deck logs are also digitized via the NARA catalog partner program); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklets of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 47 at California Shipbuilding (RG 178); and MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-1974 lay-up, the FY1955 Repair Program GAA work scope (A.H. Bull), and the PD-X-970/MA-7241 five-ship sale file (RG 357).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bandera-apa131-11