Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. I (A-B), U.S. Government Printing Office, 1959 - 'Blackford' entry (verbatim text from the public-domain GPO scan on Internet Archive; live NHHC page blackford-i.html returns 404 - standing NHHC link rot, cf. BATCH-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. I (1959) 'Blackford' entry, alphabetically after 'Blackfish' - OCR text of the GPO scan verified; NHHC canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/blackford-i.html 404s on 2026-09-22
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS Vol. I (1959) entry for Blackford: named for Blackford County, Indiana. Spec block: APB-45, dp. 2,189; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'2"; s. 10 k.; cpl. 123; a. 8 40mm.; cl. Benewah. 'LST-1111 was reclassified AKS-16, 8 December 1944 and renamed Blackford. On 6 March 1945 she was again reclassified, becoming APB-45. Blackford (APB-45) was launched 9 April 1945 by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, Ind.; sponsored by Mrs. Henry E. Russell, wife of Lieutenant Commander Russell, USNR; fitted out by Naval Supply Depot, New Orleans, La.; and commissioned 9 June 1945, Lieutenant A. E. Lorance, Jr., USNR, in command. Arriving at Pearl Harbor 19 August 1945 Blackford joined the 3rd Amphibious Force. During the next eight months she served at Eniwetok, Ulithi, Leyte, and Tokyo Bay as a floating barracks. She departed Yokosuka, Japan, 7 April and arrived at New Orleans 14 May 1946. Moving to Orange, Tex., 10 June, she went out of commission in reserve there 26 April 1947.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for identity, designation chain, construction, and service narrative through 1947 decommissioning. Vol. I was published 1959 and predates the 1960 striking and sale, so disposal is not covered here. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-01
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), List of Naval Vessels LST roster + ship index + LST design table (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 List of Naval Vessels p. 28 ('LST1111 Now APB45'); ship index p. 316 ('Blackford(ex-LST1111) AKS16'); LST design table (propulsion section)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945) carries this hull in the official List of Naval Vessels: 'LST1111 Now APB45' in the LST roster, and the ship index carries 'Blackford (ex-LST1111) AKS16' - the official BuShips record of the designation chain LST-1111 to AKS-16 to APB-45 while still on the ways. The same volume's LST design table documents the LST-542-group machinery arrangement this hull was built on: twin GM 12-567A diesels, ~1,700-1,800 shp, Falk reduction gears, twin screws - a diesel plant with no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Official wartime BuShips publication naming this hull in roster and index - confirms the designation chain and the diesel machinery type. The index lists the ship under AKS-16 because the volume was compiled while the APB reclassification was new. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. OCR of the scanned tables is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS and shipscribe.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-02
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[3]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Blackford (APB-45) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from official registers and design records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APB-45 class page: characteristics block, construction table, disposition table, class notes, ship notes (BLACKFORD row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, USS Blackford (APB-45) class page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records): class table for the four purpose-built APBs - BLACKFORD APB-45 keel 2 Jan 45, launch 9 Apr 45, commission 9 Jun 45; disposition row - decommissioned 26 Apr 47, struck 1 Apr 60, disposal 3 Aug 60 'Sold'. Ship note: 'Ex AKS-16 31 Mar 45, ex LST-1111 14 Dec 44. Converted by builder. In reduced commission 1-9 Jun 45 for transit to New Orleans. In USN reserve 1946-60.' Class data: design Navy LST; 2,189 t light / 4,080 t limiting; 328.0' oa / 316.0' pp x 50.0' x 11.2' limiting; original armament 2-40mmQ + 6-20mmT; speed 10 kts; G.M. diesels, 2 screws (1,800 HP in APB 45-48). Class notes describe the August-September 1944 ComPhibPac/CinCPac requirement for LST conversions into 'mother ships' for YMS/PC/PCS/SC/LCI/LCT types, reclassified Stores Issue Ships (AKS) in December before keels were laid and then APB while on the ways, with accommodations for ~300 men in a new deckhouse and 5-ton booms for resupplying other ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction workforce (1945); commissioning crew; Orange reserve-fleet caretakers (1947-1960)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; used where consistent with DANFS/BuShips. Two date discrepancies vs DANFS logged in gaps (AKS-16 reclass 14 Dec 44 vs 8 Dec 44; APB-45 reclass 31 Mar 45 vs 6 Mar 45). Contains no asbestos information; documents events, not materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-03
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Blackford (APB-45), file 10/13/1345 (timeline reproduces DANFS; spec block and CO table compiled from official sources; 1963 Beaumont conversion and South African sinking are contributor-documented with photographs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/13/1345 - chronology block, APB specifications block, photo captions (Jim Moore contributor), commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive file for USS Blackford (APB-45) corroborates the DANFS chronology (authorized as LST-1111; AKS-16 redesignation 8 Dec 1944; laid down 2 Jan 1945 Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville; APB-45 6 Mar 1945; launched 9 Apr 1945; commissioned 9 Jun 1945 Navy Supply Depot New Orleans, LT Archie E. Lorance Jr. USNR; Asiatic-Pacific Theater; occupation service 5-30 Oct 1945; decommissioned 26 Apr 1947 Orange TX; Atlantic Reserve Fleet Texas Group; struck 1 Apr 1960) and adds the post-Navy trail: 'Sold for commercial service to Collins Submarine Pipeline (Marine Diamond) in 1963, apparently not scrapped as reported by DANFS' - with contributor photos showing the ex-ship towed from Orange to Beaumont TX in 1963, drydocked and retrofitted for commercial diamond-dredging service off the southwest coast of Africa, then donated to the South African military c. 1968-70, used for bombing practice, and sunk. Spec block: 4,000 t; 328' x 50' x 11'2"; 12 kts; 12 officers + 125 enlisted plus troop accommodation 28 officers + 275 enlisted; 2 quad 40mm + 20 .50/.30 cal MG; 4,485 bbl diesel; 2 GM 12-567A diesels, Falk main reduction gear, five 100 kW diesel ship's-service generators, twin rudders, twin screws, 1,600 shp. CO table: Lorance 9 Jun 45-28 Sep 45; Mauthe 28 Sep 45-20 Jan 46; Burns 20 Jan 46-10 Aug 46; Hammond 10 Aug 46-1 Feb 47.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-c.1970
- Population
- Wartime crew and embarked transients (1945-46); reserve-fleet caretakers; commercial conversion and dredging crews (1963-c.1968)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; the wartime chronology reproduces DANFS verbatim and cross-verifies, but the 1963-70 commercial and sinking details rest on contributor-supplied photo captions rather than a registry record and are treated as verified-to-photo-evidence only. Complement block (137 ship's company) conflicts with DANFS 'cpl. 123' - discrepancy logged in gaps, not merged. Speed 12 kts conflicts with DANFS/shipscribe 10 kts. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-04
-
[5]U.S. Naval Technical Mission to Japan, mission report (1946), 'Headquarters in Tokyo' section - verbatim text via HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavTechJap report, 'Headquarters in Tokyo' section ('the entire complement of officers and men was billeted aboard Blackford')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official report of the U.S. Naval Technical Mission to Japan (NavTechJap) records that when the Mission's headquarters relocated to Tokyo in late 1945, 'the entire complement of officers and men was billeted aboard Blackford' until personnel growth required allocation of a second barracks ship (APL-46) - a primary-source record of this hull performing its documented floating-barracks function for occupation personnel in Tokyo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- NavTechJap mission personnel billeted aboard (c. Nov 1945 onward); ship's company
- Limitations
- Primary Navy document naming this hull in its barracks role in Tokyo - corroborates the DANFS service narrative and documents sustained occupancy by mission personnel aboard the ship. Contains no asbestos or materials information; occupancy aboard a ship is not itself evidence of exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-05
-
[6]U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships / Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Booklet of General Plans, USS Blackford APB-45 (ex-AKS-16, ex-LST-1111), c. 1945 (Robert Churchill Collection scan, Internet Archive ship-design-drawings collection) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org item apb45bogp194x - sheets 00-07; inboard profile (plate 4, BU. OF SHIPS NO. AKS16-B045-515430) and hold (plate 9, AKS16-S0103-515435) reviewed at overview scale
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's Booklet of General Plans for APB-45 (ex-AKS-16, ex-LST-1111) survives in scanned form in the Robert Churchill Collection / ship-design-drawings collection on Internet Archive: an incomplete set of eight Bureau of Ships drawing sheets (cover photo dated 1963; outboard profile; inboard profile; superstructure deck/navigating bridge/house top; main deck; second deck; third deck; hold). Sheets are titled 'APB 45 (EX-AKS16)' and carry BuShips plan numbers (e.g., AKS16-S0103-515435 on the hold sheet). Sheet-level review shows compartment designations consistent with the barracks/stores mission - crew berthing, clothing & small stores, main issue room, bos'n stores, refrigerated spaces, paints & inflammable liquids, 40mm ammunition stowage - and machinery-space layout for the diesel plant.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945 (1963 cover photo)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific primary document - the builder's plan set for this exact hull. Reviewed at reduced resolution: no insulation, lagging, or other material callouts were legible at overview scale, and the set is incomplete (8 of the typical ~20+ sheets). A full-resolution read of the sheets or the builder's material schedules could carry materials detail; nothing in the retrieved sheets is an asbestos finding either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-06
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST design table and per-hull roster row (diesel machinery, LST-542 group) + shipscribe APB-45 class data (deckhouse conversion scope) + NavSource/shipscribe disposal data [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + p. 28 roster row; https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/APB/APB45.html class notes and ship notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull was built in early 1945 at an inland 'cornfield yard' on the LST-542 design - a twin-screw diesel plant (GM 12-567A mains plus five diesel-driven ship's-service generators) with no boilers, which removes the steam-lagging pathway dominant on steam auxiliaries - and the APB conversion added a full-length deckhouse with berthing/messing for roughly 300 troops, refrigerated stores, and issue rooms fitted under wartime Navy specifications. For ships of this type and era, asbestos-containing material concentrated in engine-exhaust and muffler lagging, machinery-space insulation, valve and flange gaskets, packing, deck coverings and tile underlay, accommodation and refrigerated-space insulation, and friction materials (winch/capstan brake linings). Documented disturbance-phase events for this hull: the 1945 build-time conversion on the ways, the 1963 Beaumont drydock conversion to a commercial diamond dredge, and final use as a bombing target and sinking c. 1968-70.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-c.1970
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1945); wartime crew and ~300-berth transient population; 1963 Beaumont conversion workforce; commercial dredging crew (1963-c.1968)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, conversion scope, and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming this hull was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel plant narrows but does not eliminate asbestos pathways relative to steam auxiliaries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-07
-
[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 LST-derived barracks ship was built at a contract inland yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- 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-blackford-aks16-08
-
[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
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- 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
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Evansville was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blackford-aks16-09
-
[10]Batch-1123 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) opinion + RECAP sweeps; NHHC/DANFS Vol. I scan; NavSource 1345; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; shipscribe APB-45 class page; NavTechJap report; Internet Archive BoGP apb45bogp194x; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; VA BVA index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-blackford-aks16-01 through sl-uss-blackford-aks16-11
- 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 Blackford, APB-45, AKS-16, or LST-1111 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 sweeps on 2026-09-22: 'USS Blackford' 0 opinions; 'APB-45' 0; 'LST-1111' 0; 'Blackford' + asbestos 11 opinions and 83 RECAP dockets - all verified name collisions (plaintiffs surnamed Blackford suing Owens-Corning/Owens-Illinois in asbestos PI dockets, Blackford County references, company names); 'Collins Submarine Pipeline' returned one opinion (Gulf Coast Marine, Inc. v. Cheramie, E.D. La. 1969) - a non-asbestos maritime injury case matched on the company name, not this vessel; 'Marine Diamond' + ship returned 4 unrelated dockets. NVR carries no record (vessels disposed before 1987 are not in the current register). MARAD ShipHistory holds no record for this hull (Navy reserve-fleet custody and Navy sale, never MARAD/NDRF custody). VA BVA index search surfaced no decision naming this ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945 wartime auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the ship's commercial conversion and sinking 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-blackford-aks16-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs) and RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships); NVR disposal/1960 sale records; South African Navy archival holdings [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; NVR pre-1987 disposal records (not online); SA Navy records not digitized
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS Blackford/APB-45 (1945-1947); RG 19 Bureau of Ships records for the LST-to-AKS-to-APB conversion (design and contract files for the four purpose-built APBs) and the complete Booklet of General Plans (the Internet Archive set is partial); the Navy's 3 Aug 1960 sale file for this hull (buyer identity - reported as Sampson Iron Supply Co. for scrap - vs the documented 1963 commercial resale to Collins Submarine Pipeline/Marine Diamond is a chain-of-custody question a sale file could resolve); South African Navy records of the target sinking c. 1968-70. The surviving scanned BoGP set (ev-06) is already retrieved at overview scale and remains the best immediately available hull-specific technical record.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-c.1970 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-blackford-aks16-11