USS Colbert (APA-145)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

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

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (DANFS) — real identity: USS Colbert — https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/colbert.html

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-colbert-apa145-pkt-l-packet-md

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, APA-145 row (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 PDF pp. 252-257 (book pp. 234-239), APA tables row 62: dimensions, personnel, machinery, armament/cargo, construction; index 'Colbert (ex-M.C.V. Hull 61)'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for COLBERT APA-145 (APA table row 62, index entry 'Colbert (ex-M.C.V. Hull 61)'): 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots trial speed; 14,837 tons trial displacement; machinery 1 Westinghouse turbine, 8,500 shp, 1 propeller, with 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F; accommodations 56 officers + 480 enlisted, troop capacity 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted, largest boom 35 t; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated, 2,900 DWT cargo / 5,800 DWT total; builder California S.B. Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; year built 1944-45; acquired 7 Feb 45; first commissioned 7 Feb 45.

   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.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-colbert-apa145-01

3. [3]DANFS, 'Colbert (APA-145)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250202214957) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20250202214957); identical print-derived text corroborated at hazegray mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/apa145.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC DANFS entry: named for a county in Alabama (Colbert County); launched 1 Dec 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. L. G. Miller; acquired 7 Feb 1945 and commissioned the same day, Captain L. Jeffrey in command. Sailed San Francisco 15 Apr 1945 for Honolulu (21 Apr-20 May), reinforcements to Okinawa arriving 7 Jun; Ulithi to embark Japanese and Korean POWs, returned Pearl Harbor 28 Jun; brief stateside overhaul then put to sea 21 Jul 1945 for Ulithi and Okinawa, lying there until 5 Sep; voyaged to Jinsen, Korea, and Dairen, Manchuria, embarking Allied soldiers and sailors formerly held prisoner at Mukden, returning to Okinawa 16 Sep; next day put to sea to evade a typhoon and struck a floating mine - three men killed, ship damaged extensively; towed to Okinawa 18 Sep, then to Guam, Pearl Harbor, and San Francisco for repairs, reaching the west coast 30 Jan 1946; decommissioned 26 Feb 1946 and transferred to the War Shipping Administration at Suisan Bay, Calif.; one battle star for WWII service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, custody chain, and disposal. Spec block carries older print figures (dp. 6,720; l. 445'; s. 18 k.; cpl. 536) vs BuShips trial data (455' oa, 17.7 kt) - both carried, not adjudicated. 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-colbert-apa145-02

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Colbert (APA-145), file 10/03/03145 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 03145.htm - timeline, specifications block, awards, commanding-officer table, disposal entries, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource file 10/03/03145 corroborates DANFS and adds detail: call sign NDQE; wartime assignment TransRon Twenty-Four (COMO E.L. Short USN) / TransDiv Seventy-Two (CAPT H.Y. McCown USN); campaign 'Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation, 7 to 11 June 1945'; occupation service in the Far East 2 Sep - 18 Oct 1945; awards American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 star), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); commanding officer CAPT Leander Jeffrey USNR (7 Feb 1945 - 28 Feb 1946); 'Decommissioned, 28 February 1946, at San Francisco' and returned to WSA for lay-up at NDRF Suisun Bay; struck 12 Mar 1946; sold for scrapping 21 Aug 1974 to Nicolai Joffe Corp., Beverly Hills, CA, delivered 18 Sep 1974. Spec block: 6,873 t light / 14,837 t full; 455' x 62' x 24'; 17.7 kt trial; complement 99 officers + 593 enlisted (conflicts with this hull's BuShips row 56/480 and DANFS cpl. 536 - see gaps); troop accommodations 86 + 1,465; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers (465 psi, 750F), 'double Joshua-Hendy Main Reduction Gear', three 300 kW DC generators, 8,500 shp, one propeller; armament 1 x 5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10 x 20mm; boats 2 LCM + 2 LCPL (one open, one covered captain's gig) + 2 LCPR + 18 LCVP. Photo captions include a dry-dock image (NARA NAID 7574952) describing the mine strike as 16 Sep 1945 - conflicts with DANFS/war-history 17 Sep (see gaps).

   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 NHHC and MARAD on custody dates except decommissioning (28 Feb vs DANFS/card 26 Feb) and mine-strike photo caption (16 Sep vs war history/DANFS 17 Sep). Spec block's 99/593 complement is the class flagship-fit figure, not this hull's BuShips row (56/480). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-colbert-apa145-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - COLBERT (APA-145), Ship History Detail 1064, incl. digitized vessel status cards (1064_1939AF/AB, 1064_AF sale card, 1I1_01 delivery card) and COLBERT.pdf [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1064 registry block, milestone table, documents tab (COLBERT.pdf) and status-card scans (card images read directly)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull plus four digitized status-card scans and COLBERT.pdf: Year Built 1945; Shipyard 'California Shipbuilding Corporation'; MARAD Type VC2-S-AP5; 455.00 ft x 62.00 ft; displacement 14,837 t summer / 6,873 t light; gross 7,600 / net 4,600; Hull No. MCV-61. Status-card custody chain (verified from card images): delivered to WSA agent Pope & Talbot, Inc. (GAA) at Wilmington, Calif. 12-6-44 12:20 PM PWT; '(Redel. at Vancouver, Wash. 12-12-44)'; Navy Dept. (LB) at Vancouver, Wash. 2-7-45 10:00 AM PWT; WSA Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Calif. 2-26-46 2:00 PM PST; withdrawn to Coastwise Line (Repair Program) GAA 10-21-55 10:30 AM PST; returned Reserve Fleet (Repair Program) Suisun Bay 1-6-56 6:00 PM PST; sold Nicolai Joffe Corporation (Scrap) purchase 8-21-74; physically delivered 9-18-74 7:55 AM PDT. Front card: reason for lay-up 'Badly damaged - mine explosion'; est. engine repair cost $300,000; 'Recommended for scrapping after removal of machinery. Ref. Gorman memo 12/21/51'; 'Repair damage over $100,000 per MarAD - Navy Planning Group Sept. 23, 1953'; fuel removed at fleet entry 428 bbls diesel + 552 bbls Bunker C; '60 k.w. 120/240 VDC diesel generator to be transferred to PB-63. Approved Champagne memo 2-13-62'; 'Sold scrap under PD-X-981, 8-21-74 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for $352,310.00'; card back documents the reversed machinery-swap plan ('Useable machinery from Marathon to be used on Colbert - Marathon to be scrapped', then McMullen memo 11-18-55: 'Colbert to be returned to fleet without repair. Marathon to be repaired', 'No changes made ... drydocked'). Sale card (MA-20): PD-X-981, contract MA-7530, advertised 7-10-74, bids opened 8-14-74, two conditions (NTU / Scrap hull), awarded under condition (2); light-ship weight 5,800.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD registry and custody documents. Status-card handwriting OCR-degraded in places; values read from card images directly. The delivery card's built-by block is clerically anomalous: 'Calif. SB Corp. TR-29 / Wilmington, Calif. / 12-6-44' is struck through and replaced by 'Kaiser Co., Inc. #435 / Vancouver, Wash. / completed 2-6-45' with a handwritten '(machy)' annotation - consistent with documented wartime transfer of incomplete Calship VC2-S-AP5 hulls to Kaiser Vancouver for completion (navalmarinearchive yard table lists Calship TR31-34 'Transferred to Kaiser Vancouver'), but builder attribution remains California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington per DANFS, BuShips, and the MARAD registry. Card documents continuous Suisun Bay NDRF custody 1946-1974 except the reversed 10/55-1/56 repair-program withdrawal. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-colbert-apa145-04

6. [6]U.S.S. Colbert (APA-145), 'History of U.S.S. COLBERT (APA-145) - Submission of,' Serial 061, 17 October 1945 - NARA-held U.S. Navy record digitized as NAID 77635590 (4 pages; public domain U.S. Navy work) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA NAID 77635590 via Wikimedia Commons file pages 'USS Colbert (APA-145) 1944-1945 war history, page 1-4 of 4' (images read directly); related dry-dock photo NAID 7574952

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own war history (Serial 061, 17 Oct 1945, CONFIDENTIAL, to SecNav, cc CinCPac Pearl; signed Capt. Leander Jeffrey) is a digitized NARA primary record covering 7 Feb - 30 Sep 1945: commissioned 7 Feb 1945 at U.S. Naval Station, Astoria, Oregon, complement 49 officers and 454 men; structural firing test off Bremerton 18 Feb; deperming + ammunition at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton 19 Feb; Vashon Island measured mile 20 Feb; Seattle compass compensation 21 Feb; San Francisco landing craft 25 Feb; San Pedro shakedown 27 Feb-19 Mar; Oceanside landing exercises 21-27 Mar; Naval Repair Base San Diego availability 28 Mar-8 Apr; Pearl Harbor/Honolulu, Eniwetok, Ulithi, Hagushi Okinawa arrivals per DANFS chronology; Todd Drydock drydocking 12 Jul and Todd Shipyard, Seattle berth 14 Jul; Jinsen 8-9 Sep; Dairen 12 Sep embarking 625 Mukden prison-camp repatriates (33 Army off, 2 Navy off, 1 Marine off, 7 British off, 364 Army / 89 Navy / 77 Marine / 52 British enlisted); 16 Sep arrived Okinawa and sortied with TransDiv 59 to ride out typhoon; '17 September - Enemy mine exploded on port beam flooding engine room, killing two of ship's company, fatally injuring 1 passenger. Shored bulkheads held; taken in tow when seas calmed down by BUTTE (APA-68)'; 18 Sep ATF-104 finished towing ship to Buckner Bay; 19 Sep repatriates disembarked and USS VULCAN (AR-5) alongside reinforcing bulkheads fore and aft of flooded engine room; 25 Sep towed within Buckner Bay; 30 Sep awaiting tow orders, second typhoon approaching.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945-02-07 to 1945-09-30

   Population

   Ship's company (49 officers + 454 enlisted at commissioning) and embarked troops/repatriates

   Limitations

   Ship-originated primary document - authoritative for commissioning location (Astoria, OR - corroborating the MARAD card's Vancouver, WA Navy delivery), work-up chronology, and the mine strike's damage profile (engine room flooded; bulkheads shored by VULCAN). Resolves the strike date as 17 Sep 1945 against NavSource's 16 Sep photo caption. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information - the engine-room flooding and subsequent unrepaired status are the exposure-relevant facts; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-colbert-apa145-05

7. [7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + VC2-S-AP5 type data [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery table, APA-145 row (PDF p. 254)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Westinghouse turbine per her BuShips SDB row, 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 (capacity 1,561) added interior insulation scope. Hull-specific disturbance profile: engine room flooded by mine explosion 17 Sep 1945 and never repaired; 28-year Suisun Bay NDRF lay-up 1946-1974; one repair-program withdrawal (Coastwise Line, 10/55-1/56) reversed without work; 1974 breaking under 'Scrap hull' sale condition.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Construction trades at California SB Wilmington and Kaiser Vancouver (1944-45); wartime crew and embarked troops; NDRF lay-up/caretaker crews; 1974 breaking-yard workers

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record of asbestos. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-145 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-colbert-apa145-06

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-colbert-apa145-07

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

   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

   2026-09-25

   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 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-colbert-apa145-08

10. [10]Batch-2216 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; hazegray DANFS mirror; NavSource 03145; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1064 + status cards; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; NARA NAID 77635590; CourtListener authenticated API sweeps; NARA record-group guides; NVR [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-colbert-apa145-01 through sl-uss-colbert-apa145-12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material schedule, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or adjudicated exposure record naming USS Colbert / APA-145 / M.C.V. Hull 61 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener sweeps found no vessel-naming litigation at any stage - 'USS Colbert' dockets 0; 'APA-145' opinion/docket hits are all Administrative Procedure Act token collisions; 'APA-145' + asbestos dockets 0; 'Colbert' + asbestos sweeps return only plaintiff-surname and Colbert County, Alabama collisions.

    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 1944-45 geared-steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her unrepaired mine damage, ~28 years in NDRF custody, and 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-colbert-apa145-09

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 38 (CNO), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Maritime Administration) [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/038.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 Colbert 1945-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); post-mine-strike damage/repair and towing reports beyond the digitized war history (RG 38/RG 19); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklets of General Plans (RG 19); USMC/WSA construction and custody records for M.C.V. Hull 61, incl. the Pope & Talbot GAA delivery and Kaiser Vancouver completion file (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-1974 Suisun Bay lay-up, the 1955-56 Coastwise Line Repair Program GAA file, and the PD-X-981/MA-7530 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-colbert-apa145-10