Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[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-clearfield-apa142-pkt-k-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Clearfield' entry (NHHC page, modernized entry by Mark L. Evans published 2020-10-28, via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2025-02-02; live NHHC page returned HTTP 404 at time of access - known NHHC link rot, consistent with Batch-01 standing note) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Clearfield' entry (APA-142), full text; NHHC page published 2020-10-28
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents the ship's identity and service: named for Clearfield County, Pennsylvania; laid down 15 September 1944 at Wilmington, Calif., by California Shipbuilding Corp. under Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. Hull 58); launched 21 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. F. L. Chambers; acquired by the Navy 11 January 1945; commissioned 12 January 1945 (Capt. Frederick C. Stelter, Jr.). Carried Seabee NCB 106 Section 1 from Port Hueneme to Pearl Harbor (9-15 March 1945), then convoyed via Eniwetok and Ulithi to Okinawa (Hagushi Anchorage, 17 April); landed Seabee garrison beach parties at Ie Shima under repeated air raids; Okinawa Gunto operation 17-28 April 1945. Sailed 26 April for Army replacements at San Francisco; Manila 23 June; departed Manila 27 August for Tokyo Bay (anchored Yokohama District 2 September 1945); landed 112th Cavalry RCT and attached units at Tateyama Naval Air Station 3-4 September. China service September-November 1945: Marines to Taku/Tientsin; Chinese Nationalist troops Hong Kong to Chinwangtao and Tsingtao. Tacoma 2 December; overhaul; Norfolk 4 February 1946; decommissioned 4 March 1946; returned to War Shipping Administration 6 March 1946, NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, Va.; stricken 20 March 1946; Polarus Steamship repair work under GAA 2 September-27 October 1955; sold 9 April 1973 for $111,560 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.; withdrawn 7 September 1973 for the breaker's yard via River Terminal Development Co., Kearny, N.J. One battle star. DANFS header: dp. 6,720; l. 445'; b. 62'; dr. 24'; s. 17.7 k.; cpl. 536; troop accommodation 1,561; a. 1 5-inch, 12 40mm, 10 20mm; cl. Haskell.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history text; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or survey statement. The header length figure (445') conflicts with NavSource/MARAD (455') - logged in gaps. The older ibiblio DANFS transcription reads 'departed 9 March 1946,' a typo for 1945 confirmed by this modernized entry (Pearl Harbor voyage 9-15 March 1945). Does not establish any asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearfield-apa142-01
-
[3]MARAD Vessel History Database, CLEARFIELD (APA-142) detail page (vessel ID 1001) with digitized vessel status cards: custody card (1FI_01.png), Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card front and reverse (1001_1821AF.jpg / 1001_1821AB.jpg), and Record of Ship Sales Form MA-20 (1001_AF.jpg) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/1001 - 'Status Cards' panel (4 images) and Milestones (Disposition/Withdrawal 9/7/1973)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD primary custody record for this hull, read directly from the digitized cards: hull MCV 58, type VC2-S-AP5, built by Calif. S.B. Corp. at Wilmington, completed 12-31-44; 'Basis to W.S.A. 12-31-44 4:00PM PWT @ Wilmington, Cal. del. by Builders to USMC'; delivered to Navy Dept. (del. by USMC, form LB) at Wilmington 1-11-45 9:30AM PWT; to WSA Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, Va. 3-6-46 12Noon EST; withdrawn to Polarus Steamship Co., Inc. (Repair Program, GAA) James River 9-2-55 12:50PM EST and returned to Reserve Fleet 10-27-55 11:30AM EST; sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (Scrap) 4-9-73, physical delivery 9-7-73 2:40PM EDT. Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales: PD-X-956, awarded to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 4-9-73 for $111,560.00, contract MA-6927, 'Advertised under PD-X-956 dated 3-5-73 opened 4-4-73 under two condition: (1) NTU (2) Scrap Hull - U. S. Award under condition (2) Scrap Hull - U. S. 24 months.' Card reverse carries a 1-4-50 permanent-ballast record (pig iron in #4 lower hold; poured concrete in evaporator room, generator room, dry stores, and lower hold); fuel oil at fleet entry 1343 bbls Bunker C / 20 diesel; termination port Norfolk. Stripping-of-vessel fields (deck/engine/steward equipment) are blank.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- NDRF caretakers, Lee Hall/James River (1946-1973); Polarus Steamship repair-program workforce (Sept-Oct 1955); Union Minerals & Alloys / River Terminal Development shipbreaking workforce (1973)
- Limitations
- Authoritative custody/disposal record; no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material field or annotation appears anywhere on the four cards. The stripping-equipment fields are blank - records no stripping scope, not proof none occurred. The 1955 repair-program withdrawal is documented as an event only; its work scope is not recorded on the card. The MA-20 card prints year built '1945' - a completion/delivery-year convention at odds with the 1944 construction dates (logged in gaps). The vessel-data card's 'date withdrawn from fleet' appears to read 1140 EDT while the custody card and DANFS record 1440 (2:40PM) EDT - time-of-day discrepancy noted, date unaffected. Does not establish any asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearfield-apa142-02
-
[4]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Clearfield (APA-142) entry - reproduces DANFS text plus ship-data sheet, commanding-officer list, campaign/award tables, and MARAD/NDRF status-card movements [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-142 entry: build/milestone block, campaign and occupation-service tables, NDRF movement block, specifications block, CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Status-card-derived milestones for this hull consistent with the MARAD cards: laid down 15 September 1944 as Maritime Commission type VC2-S-AP5 (MCV hull 58) at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington; launched 21 November 1944; acquired by the Navy 11 January 1945; commissioned 12 January 1945 (CAPT. Frederick C. Stelter, Jr. USN, sole CO listed, to decommissioning); TransRon Twenty-Four / TransDiv Seventy; Okinawa Gunto operation 17-28 April 1945; decommissioned Norfolk 4 March 1946; returned to Maritime Commission 6 March 1946 for NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall; struck 20 March 1946; Polarus repair-program withdrawal 2 September 1955, return 27 October 1955; sold for scrapping 9 April 1973 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (PD-X-956 dated 5 March 1973) for $111,560.00, withdrawn 7 September 1973, delivered to River Development Corp., Kearny, N.J. Ship-data sheet: 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers (465psi/750F), double Westinghouse main reduction gears, three 300kW ship's service generators, single propeller, 8,500 shp, 17.7 kts trial; complement 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troops 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; call sign NDPP; armament 1x5"/38, four twin + one quad 40mm, ten single 20mm; boats 2 LCM, 18 LCVP, 2 LCPR, 2 LCPL.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Ship's company 536 + embarked troops (WWII)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive transcribing official sources; transcription confirmed against the actual MARAD status cards for this batch (all dated entries matched). Contains no asbestos statement. Names the disposal site 'River Development Corp.' where DANFS says 'River Terminal Development Company' - minor name variant recorded, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearfield-apa142-03
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[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 data per NavSource ship-data sheet and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 class figures [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; NavSource APA-142 specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The ship was a VC2-S-AP5 Victory-type hull built in 1944 with a geared-steam plant (two B&W header-type boilers at 465 psi/750F, single Westinghouse geared turbine, 8,500 shp) - machinery of the exact type and era that peer-reviewed scholarship documents as extensively asbestos-insulated in WWII U.S. shipbuilding (boiler/turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, accommodation insulation, brake linings). The class was built at peak wartime asbestos consumption.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973; article 1987
- Population
- Construction trades (California Shipbuilding, Wilmington, 1944); ship's company 1945-46; NDRF caretakers 1946-73; 1955 repair-program workforce; 1973 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no source names this hull's materials; the Corn & Starr article documents the WWII shipbuilding program generally, not this vessel. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearfield-apa142-04
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[6]Batch-2213 search ledger (this record): DANFS via NHHC Wayback capture and ibiblio HyperWar transcription, MARAD Vessel History Database (status cards read directly), NavSource, NARA catalog, CourtListener opinion and docket searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-clearfield-apa142-01 through sl-uss-clearfield-apa142-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement or repair-scope record, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Clearfield or APA-142 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener screens: 'USS Clearfield' opinions count=0; 'APA-142' opinions count=0; 'USS Clearfield' dockets count=0; '"Clearfield" "APA-142"' dockets count=0; loose-term 'Clearfield asbestos ship' opinions count=13, no 'Clearfield' string in any result snippet - non-qualifying collisions; bare 'Clearfield' opinions count=3,628, page-1 screen (20 results) all name collisions - Clearfield County PA and Clearfield City UT entities, person surnames, Clearfield & Mahoning Railway; zero ship or asbestos references.
- 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 - 1944 construction era and steam plant are consistent with era-typical materials. The bare-name screen covered the first results page; deeper pages were not exhaustively reviewed, but no page-1 hit referenced the vessel or asbestos. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearfield-apa142-05
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[7]NARA records for the hull (RG 24 WWII-era deck logs; RG 19 Bureau of Ships and RG 178 Maritime Commission construction files); MARAD disposal-contract file PD-X-956 / MA-6927 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-clearfield-apa142-07, sl-uss-clearfield-apa142-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Unretrieved primary records that could hold hull-level material detail: NARA deck logs and construction records for APA-142 (catalog.archives.gov returned a JS application shell rather than JSON records from this session - not reached); and the PD-X-956/MA-6927 scrapping-contract file (sales terms recorded on the status card, full contract not retrieved).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - nothing retrieved beyond the MARAD cards; these records may contain no asbestos information at all.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearfield-apa142-06