USS Broadwater (APA-139)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet k-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-broadwater-apa139-pkt-k-packet-md

2. [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 BROADWATER APA-139 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 pp. 228-233, APA tables: dimensions p.228, personnel p.229, machinery p.230, reduction gears/generators/fuel p.231, armament/cargo p.232, construction p.233 (BROADWATER row, item 36 in each run); ship index entry 'Broadwater (ex-M.C.V. Hull 55) APA 139'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for BROADWATER APA-139 (indexed 'Broadwater (ex-M.C.V. Hull 55)') 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 Joshua-Hendy turbine, 8,500 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F, double Joshua-Hendy main reduction gears, three 300 kW 120/240V DC ship's service generators, fuel oil 7,780 bbls + diesel 970 bbls, 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 1 Jan 1945; year built 1944; date of first commission 2 Jan 1945.

   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. The per-hull machinery row reads 'Joshua-Hendy turb.' - not the Westinghouse unit the class profile generalizes (see correction row ev-05).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-01

3. [3]DANFS, 'Broadwater I (APA-139)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (Raymond A. Mann, 1 December 2005; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20210306152131; the older print-DANFS short text corroborated via hazegray.org mirror capture 20090107042044) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Broadwater I entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20210306152131); print-DANFS mirror hazegray.org/danfs/amphib/apa139.htm via Wayback 20090107042044

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC records: named for Broadwater County, a county in west central Montana; spec block dp. 14,837 (tl.), l. 455'0", b. 62'0", dr. 24'0" (lim.), s. 17.7 k. (tl.), cpl. 536, trp. 1,561, a. 1 5" + 12 40mm, cl. Haskell, T. VC2-S-AP5. Laid down 1 Sep 1944 at Wilmington, Calif., by California Shipbuilding Corp. under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 55); launched 5 Nov 1944; sponsored by Mrs. A. E. Florer; delivered to the Navy 31 Dec 1944; commissioned at Terminal Island, Calif., 2 Jan 1945, Capt. George G. Herring, Jr., in command. Shakedown out of San Pedro from 12 Jan 1945; amphibious training San Diego 26 Jan-12 Feb; post-shakedown availability at Craig Shipbuilding Co., Long Beach; departed 23 Feb for San Francisco, loaded cargo to 2 Mar, then Hawaii - amphibious training from 8 Mar; departed Pearl Harbor 29 Mar carrying construction-battalion elements; Eniwetok 6-7 Apr; Kossol Roads, Palaus 13-15 Apr; Guiuan harbor, Samar 17 Apr; Samar-Leyte area ~2 weeks; Guam 4-7 May; San Francisco 22 May. Second voyage: departed San Francisco 29 May; Eniwetok and Ulithi; Manila 22 Jun; Hollandia, New Guinea 3-6 Jul; Manila Bay 10 Jul; Subic Bay loading 18 Jul; departed for the U.S. 20 Jul; San Pedro 8 Aug; ~2 weeks voyage repairs at California Shipbuilding Corp.; loaded occupation troops from 24 Aug; departed 25 Aug; Eniwetok 7-8 Sep; Manila 15 Sep; San Pedro Bay, Leyte 19-23 Sep; Legaspi harbor, Luzon 24 Sep-4 Oct; arrived Tokyo 13 Oct; headed back to the U.S. later that month, arriving home early November (print-DANFS: San Diego 11 Nov 1945). At Norfolk by late Jan 1946 for inactivation; decommissioned 28 Feb 1946; turned over to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration 1 Mar 1946; name struck from the Navy list 20 Mar 1946; berthed James River NDRF; 'apparently disposed of sometime late in 1974 or early in 1975.'

   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. DANFS's vague disposal sentence ('apparently disposed of sometime late in 1974 or early in 1975') is resolved to dates by the MARAD cards (ev-04); the narrative once calls her 'the attack cargo ship' - a DANFS typo (she is an APA).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-02

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Broadwater (APA-139), file 10/03/03139 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 03139.htm - timeline, specifications block, awards table, occupation-service table, commanding-officer list, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: radio call sign NDPD; wartime assignment TransRon Twenty-Three (COMO A.S. Witherspoon) / TransDiv Sixty-Nine (CAPT P.R. Glutting), Asiatic-Pacific Theater; awards - American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp (occupation service in the Far East qualifying period 13-23 Oct 1945); commanding officer George Griffin Herring, Jr. (2 Jan 1945 - 28 Feb 1946 - the only CO; NavSource lists him as CDR, DANFS as CAPT); decommissioned 28 Feb 1946; returned to the Maritime Administration 1 Mar 1946 for NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; struck from the Naval Register 20 Mar 1946; withdrawn from James River 8 Jul - 7 Sep 1955 under a Repair Program General Agency Agreement (NavSource names the agent 'Atlantic Foreign Steamship Corp.' - the MARAD card reads 'Amer. Foreign SS' and the transfer card 'American Foreign SS. Corp'; see correction row); sold for scrapping to Andy International Inc. in a three-ship deal 13 Jun 1974 for $726,997.00, withdrawn from James River 1 Oct 1974 for breaking at Brownsville, TX. Contributor-donated photos document the ship in San Francisco Bay completing a Magic Carpet voyage circa Nov 1945, and in late Oct 1945 with repair ship USS Bellerophon (ARL-31) alongside performing voyage repairs during the civilian-yard strike that paralyzed San Francisco-area yards. 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 Joshua-Hendy geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/750F, double Joshua-Hendy reduction gears, 3 x 300 kW 120/240V DC generators, 8,500 shp, one propeller; 1 x 5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10 x 20mm; boats 2 LCM, 2 LCPL, 2 LCPR, 18 LCVP; NSFO 7,780 bbls + diesel 970 bbls).

   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, BuShips, and the MARAD cards on checkable points except two fields corrected in ev-05 (repair-program agent name and sale offering number). Photo captions are contributor-supplied (late-Oct vs circa-Nov 1945 San Francisco Bay framing is loose against the DANFS timeline). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BROADWATER (APA-139), Ship History Detail 608, incl. digitized Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card, redelivery/transfer card, and MA-20 Record of Ship Sales card [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 608 registry/milestone block; card scans 608_1130AF.jpg (vessel data front), 608_1130AB.jpg (back - berthing alongside ATTALA + permanent ballast report 1-4-50), 608_AF.jpg (MA-20 Record of Ship Sales); BROADWATER.pdf redelivery/transfer card (Reserve Fleet <-> American Foreign SS Corp., 7/8/55 and 9/7/55, James River, GAA)

   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 455.00 ft, beam 62.00 ft; displacement summer 14,837 t / lightweight 6,873 t; mission World War II; Fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Disposition and Withdrawal both 10/1/1974. Digitized cards document the custody chain: entered James River reserve fleet 3-1-46 (hull no. MCV-55, ownership WSA, termination port of last voyage NORFOLK, 819 bbls Bunker C fuel oil aboard at entry); berthed 'ALONGSIDE ATTALA, 2ND IN UNIT FROM SHORE TO CHANNEL'; permanent ballast report of 1-4-50 records poured concrete ballast in the generator room, evaporator room, dry stores, and #2/#4 lower holds (approx. 152 t + pig iron on tank top, 585 t in #3 lower hold, 77.4 t evap. rm., 64.8 t gen. rm., 122 t #4 tank top). Repair Program withdrawal under GAA with American Foreign Steamship Corp.: withdrawn July 8, 1955 1045 hrs EST, returned James River Sept. 7, 1955 0915 hrs EST (card stamp 'Repair Program 1956' - the FY1956 program executed in calendar 1955); sold scrap under PD-X-978, 6-13-74, to Andy International, Inc., 'Lump sum amount of $726,997.00 for 3 ships'; withdrawn and delivered 1330 EDT 10-1-74. The MA-20 Record of Ship Sales card records contract MA-7428 and remarks: 'Advertised under PD-X-970 - bid rejected. Advertised under PD-X-978 dated 4-30-74 - opened 6-4-74 under two condition: (1) NTU. (2) SCRAP HULL-US. Award under condition (2)'; molded dimensions 436'6" x 62' x 38'.

   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; resolves DANFS's vague 'late 1974 or early 1975' disposal sentence to exact dates. Handwritten/stamped card entries partially legible (read as images). Contains no asbestos or materials information; the 1950 ballast report documents concrete/pig-iron ballast only, not insulation; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-04

6. [6]MARAD vessel-data card 608_1130AF.jpg + MA-20 sale card 608_AF.jpg + redelivery card BROADWATER.pdf vs NavSource 03139 timeline; DANFS (Wayback capture 20210306152131); BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery and construction rows [other_primary]

   Locator

   MARAD cards 608_1130AF (items 13/15 stamp + GAA entries), 608_AF (PD-X-970 rejection / PD-X-978 award remarks), BROADWATER.pdf redelivery card; NavSource 03139 disposal line; SDB1945v3 pp.230-233 machinery + construction rows; DANFS entry; hazegray apa139.htm spec block

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Repair-program agent - NavSource names 'Atlantic Foreign Steamship Corp.'; the MARAD vessel-data card reads 'GAA-Amer. Foreign SS' and the redelivery card spells 'American Foreign SS. Corp' - American Foreign Steamship Corp. (the documented New York GAA operator) is adopted. (b) Sale offering number - NavSource states '(PD-X-970 dated 30 April 1974)'; the MA-20 card shows the PD-X-970 offering's bid was rejected and the hull was re-advertised under PD-X-978 dated 4-30-74, opened 6-4-74, awarded 6-13-74 - PD-X-978 adopted. (c) Delivery/acquisition - DANFS records delivery to the Navy 31 Dec 1944 while the BuShips construction row and NavSource record acquisition 1 Jan 1945; the delivered-31-Dec/acquired-1-Jan pair is carried as a one-day administrative distinction. (d) Repair-program year - the card's 'Repair Program 1956' stamp denotes the FY1956 program executed in calendar 1955 (withdrawn 7/8/55, returned 9/7/55); calendar 1955 adopted. (e) Machinery type - the class profile generalizes a Westinghouse turbine for the class, but the BuShips per-hull machinery row for APA-139 reads 'Joshua-Hendy turb.' with double Joshua-Hendy reduction gears, matching NavSource's spec block - Joshua-Hendy adopted for this hull. (f) Commanding officer rank - DANFS 'Captain G. G. Herring, Jr.' vs NavSource CO list 'CDR Herring'; noted, unresolved. (g) hazegray print-DANFS mirror carries beam 'b. 82'' - OCR typo for 62' (BuShips/DANFS/NavSource/MARAD all 62').

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974 (sources 1945-2026)

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level conflicts between official records and secondary compilations; none of the compared sources contains asbestos information; this row supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-05

7. [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.230 (BROADWATER 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 Joshua-Hendy 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 July-Sept 1955 Repair Program GAA withdrawal to American Foreign Steamship Corp., and the documented Oct 1945 voyage repairs by USS Bellerophon during the San Francisco yard strike) 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-139 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-06

8. [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-broadwater-apa139-07

9. [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-broadwater-apa139-08

10. [10]Pruitt v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation, C.A. No. 1:18-cv-01101 (D. Del., In re Asbestos Litigation / MDL-875 track), filed 2018-07-26, suit nature 'P.I.: Asbestos' - CourtListener RECAP docket verified 2026-09-25; Report and Recommendation and Memorandum Opinion as documented in the batch-2201 (USS Bandera APA-131) record [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener RECAP docket 1:18-cv-01101 (D. Del.); CourtListener sweeps sl-uss-broadwater-apa139-08 through -12

    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 or docket naming USS Broadwater or APA-139 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 Broadwater-specific docket was found. Deposition-stage exposure descriptions in Pruitt are allegations, not findings. 'Broadwater' is a high-collision name (surname, Montana county, Maryland/West Virginia place names, a 4th Circuit judge); all opinion-level and docket-level hits reviewed were name collisions (see search_ledger). The D. Del. opinion PDF cited by the batch-2201 record (ded.uscourts.gov 18-1101_0.pdf) returned 404 at this session's re-check; the underlying docket is verified in the CourtListener index.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-broadwater-apa139-09

11. [11]Batch-2209 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03139; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 608 + status-card scans + redelivery card + 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-broadwater-apa139-01 through sl-uss-broadwater-apa139-14

    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 Broadwater / APA-139 / M.C.V. Hull 55 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com vessel list; simmonsfirm.com Navy-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-broadwater-apa139-10

12. [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 Broadwater Jan 1945 - Feb 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 55 at California Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-1974 lay-up, the FY1956 Repair Program GAA work scope (American Foreign Steamship Corp.), and the PD-X-970/PD-X-978 offering files and MA-7428 sale contract (RG 357); Craig Shipbuilding Co. post-shakedown availability records (Feb 1945, Long Beach) and the Oct 1945 Bellerophon voyage-repair period would be partial in deck logs and yard records.

    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-broadwater-apa139-11