Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 514-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-colonial-lsd18-pkt-514-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Colonial (LSD-18) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, WWII/Korea/interwar service narrative (live NHHC page verified 2026-09-30) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: named for Colonial National Park (Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown); launched 28 February 1945 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, VA; sponsored by Mrs. L. L. Dean; commissioned 15 May 1945, LCDR J. A. Paterson, USNR, in command. Cleared Norfolk 26 July 1945 via Panama Canal/San Francisco for Pearl Harbor (arrived 5 September); ferried landing craft among Pacific islands and to Okinawa 11 September-26 December 1945; returned to Norfolk 23 January 1946. Amphibious training from Norfolk (east coast, Caribbean, Cuba/Puerto Rico to Newfoundland) until departing for Far Eastern duty 15 August 1950; landed 1st Marines at Inchon September 1950; troops and equipment at Wonsan and Iwon December; 'mother ship' for minesweepers on Korean east coast for a month; new home port San Diego from 27 August 1951; overhaul; Japan/Korea duty 17 January-4 November 1952 supporting Wonsan Harbor minesweepers. Post-Korea: Marines to Korea 5 August-9 September 1953; WestPac October 1953-July 1954; vertical-envelopment development; early-1955 tour including Tachen Islands evacuation; summer 1956 floating laboratory for balloon-launched rocket experiments; 30 May 1957 rescue of grounded Chinese freighter; 1958-59 deployment assistance to disabled tanker Wang Buccaneer (January). Seven battle stars for Korean war service. Spec block: dp. 4,960; l. 457'9"; b. 72'2"; dr. 18'; s. 15 k.; cpl. 326; a. 1 5"; cl. Casa Grande.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960 (entry coverage)
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-forward)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS entry coverage ends circa 1960 - Vietnam-era and disposal milestones come from other rows. DANFS complement figure (326) differs from ONI itemization (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Colonial (LSD-18) - timeline, ONI specifications, Korea/Vietnam campaign tables, commanding officers, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/12/1218.htm header block, campaign tables, ONI specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions 10121812/10121814/10121810
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 1 August 1944 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; launched 28 February 1945; commissioned 15 May 1945, LCDR J. A. Paterson, USNR. Korea campaigns: North Korean Aggression (21 Sep-2 Nov 1950), Communist China Aggression (3 Nov 1950-22 Jan 1951), First UN Counter Offensive (16 Feb-16 Mar 1951), Communist China Spring Offensive (1-12 May, 11-20 Jun, 24 Jul-1 Aug 1951), Second Korean Winter (25 Feb-25 Mar 1952), Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (four windows Jun-Oct). China Service 6-18 February 1955. Vietnam campaigns: Advisory (Aug-Oct, Nov 1964), Defense (4-11 Jul 1965), Counteroffensive (Mar-Jun 1966), Phase II (Jul-Aug 1966), Phase III (Dec 1967-Jan 1968), Tet Counteroffensive (Jan-Mar 1968), Phase IV (Apr-1-4 May 1968); Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Vietnam Service Medal with six campaign stars; also Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation. Decommissioned 1970 at Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Vallejo, CA; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island; struck from Naval Register 15 October 1976; transferred to MARAD 29 July 1992 for disposal; sold for scrapping 8 September 1993 for $353,725 to California Imports and Exports and towed to Shanghai, China. Specifications per Office of Naval Intelligence 7 April 1944: two Newport News Shipbuilding steam turbines; two Babcock & Wilcox oil-fired D-type boilers (two-drum, single furnace, single uptake, 250 psi); single Newport News main reduction gears; two 300 kW turbo-drive generators; twin propellers, 7,000 shp; 4,032 t light / 7,930 t loaded; 457'9" o.a.; complement 17 officers + 237 enlisted, troop berthing 22 officers + 218 enlisted. Photo captions: christening/launch photos from Newport News Shipbuilding house Bulletin dated 25 February 1945 (see gaps); decommissioning ceremony 30 June 1970, CDR Donald F. Hart accepting colors (Navy photo LSD 18 98886-6-70, Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum collection).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1993
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-70); Mare Island inactivation personnel (1970); Suisun Bay fleet caretakers (1970-93); 1993-94 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS and are corroborated here by both, but campaign-date granularity rests on its compilation. The christening-photo caption date (25 Feb 1945) conflicts with the official launch date (28 Feb 1945) - see gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-02
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register, ship detail COLONIAL (LSD 18), UIC 03118 (last updated 2001-12-28) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR getHull shipId=4798, Vessel Status and Milestone Dates blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR milestone record for this hull: award date 1 July 1943; keel 1 August 1944; launch 28 February 1945; delivery 1 May 1945; commission 15 May 1945; stricken 15 October 1976; status 'disposed of by navy title transfer to the maritime administration,' status change 29 July 1992; custodian Maritime Administration (National Defense Reserve Fleet); builder Newport News Shipbuilding; NVR class field reads 'LSD 16'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1992
- Limitations
- Official inventory milestones only; no asbestos or material content. Decommission-date field is blank on this record (NVR excludes/never backfilled it) - the 30 June 1970 date rests on the Navy photo caption via NavSource. NVR's 'Class: LSD 16' field conflicts with the standard Casa Grande class designation - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-03
-
[5]MARAD ShipHistory database - COLONIAL (LSD-18), Detail 1069, incl. digitized status cards (MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars; MA-20 Record of Ship Sales) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1069 milestone table plus cards 1069_1947AF.jpg (MA-20 sale record) and 1069_AF.jpg (MA-383 particulars)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD custody and disposal record for this hull: ship particulars card (Form MA-383) records fleet 'Suisun Bay', Navy service prior to layup, builder Newport News SB&DD Co., entered 9-2-70 (1300 PDT), withdrawn 9/22/93 (0920) with reason 'Sold for scrap to California Import/Export Inc.'; handwritten particulars 7000 SHP twin screw, 18' draft, 4,960 light / 8,700 full-load displacement. Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20): contract MA-12807, awarded to California Import & Export Inc., date 8-9-93, purchase price $353,725.00, year built 1945, gross tons 4,210, location of vessel Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, sale pursuant to Section 510(i) of the Merchant Marine Act 1916 as amended by P.L. 101-595 (enacted Nov. 16, 1990).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1970-1993
- Population
- Suisun Bay NDRF caretakers (1970-93); scrapping-contract personnel (1993-94)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody and disposal milestones. The sale card's award date (9 August 1993) differs from NavSource's 'sold for scrapping 8 September 1993' - the card's 22 September withdrawal is the fleet-exit date; see gaps. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-04
-
[6]DANFS, Cleveland III (LPD-7) - 1969 WestPac deployment narrative naming Colonial (LSD-18) of PhibRon 3 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Cleveland III entry, 1969 deployment paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC corroboration of this hull's late-service operations: 'On 1 May 1969, Cleveland stood out with Iwo Jima, amphibious cargo ship Washburn (LKA-108), and dock landing ship Colonial (LSD-18) of PhibRon 3 to begin her second deployment to the western Pacific' - placing LSD-18 in Amphibious Squadron 3 and Amphibious Ready Group Alfa during her final operational year.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1969
- Population
- Crew, PhibRon 3 (1969)
- Limitations
- Sister-ship DANFS entry used as corroboration of this hull's unit assignment and deployment window; no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-05
-
[7]Benefits for Illinois Veterans handbook, Office of the Illinois Attorney General Military and Veterans Rights' Bureau / Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs - republication of the federal herbicide-exposure ship list [other_primary]
- Locator
- Benefits for Illinois Veterans manual, exposure-ship list section (LSD series entries)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- A state-government veterans-benefits publication republishing the federal exposure-ship list documents for this hull: 'USS Colonial (LSD-18) travelled up Saigon River to Nha Be during April 1966 and June and September 1969' and 'USS Colonial (LSD-18) conducted numerous troop, supply, and equipment landings at Da Nang, Chu Lai, and Vung Tau from March 1966 to September 1969.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1966-1969
- Population
- Crew and embarked personnel during Vietnam inland/landings service (1966-1969)
- Limitations
- This entry is on the herbicide (Agent Orange) presumptive-exposure ship list - it documents Vietnam inland-waterway service, NOT asbestos. It is carried as service-history evidence and must not be read as asbestos exposure documentation. The manual itself disclaims responsibility for veracity of summarized records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: ONI specifications via NavSource (2 B&W oil-fired D-type boilers 250 psi, 2 Newport News steam turbines, twin screw 7,000 shp); class/era asbestos-use documentation (Corn & Starr 1987; GAO HRD-80-2); yard-labor-market documentation (Tagnon/Blot 1980) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource ONI specifications block; ev-08/09/10 source rows
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steam-powered dock landing ship built 1944-45 at Newport News Shipbuilding sits inside the documented WWII-era asbestos shipbuilding program and the Navy's asbestos-insulation era (through the early 1970s, covering her entire 1945-1970 service life). Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a steam vessel of this type: boiler casings and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between machinery spaces; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation/mess-space insulation; brake linings on winches and windlass.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1994
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-70); overhaul/availabilities personnel (Norfolk, San Diego, WestPac yards); Mare Island inactivation and Suisun Bay caretakers; 1993-94 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSD-18. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-07
-
[9]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 program under which this hull was mass-produced at Newport News in 1944-45, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard Navy and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-08
-
[10]Tagnon I, Blot WJ, Stroube RB, Day NE, Morris LE, Peace BB, Fraumeni JF Jr, 'Mesothelioma associated with the shipbuilding industry in coastal Virginia,' Cancer Research 40(11):3875-3879 (1980), PMID 7471040 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cancer Res 40(11):3875-9; PubMed abstract PMID 7471040 (verified via NCBI E-utilities 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed NCI case-control study of 61 mesothelioma cases among white males in coastal Tidewater, Virginia, 1972-1978: the four-fold regional excess was linked to employment in area shipyards; three-fourths of cases had been employed in the shipbuilding industry, nearly all beginning before 1950, and increased risk was found also among temporary wartime workers reportedly exposed to asbestos. Newport News Shipbuilding - builder of this hull - is the dominant shipyard in the Tidewater labor market the study covers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- cases 1972-1978; exposures pre-1950-era onward
- Population
- Tidewater VA shipyard workforce incl. WWII-era temporary workers
- Limitations
- Yard-labor-market documentation, not a hull record: the study covers 'area shipyards' in Tidewater Virginia and does not name Newport News Shipbuilding specifically or this hull. Documents workforce exposure conditions during the period this hull was built; does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-09
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure, specifically the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos, and compensation programs; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace asbestos insulation only when damaged or removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - documenting Navy-wide asbestos insulation use aboard ships through the early 1970s, spanning this hull's entire 1945-1970 service life.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 report on earlier-era use
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - Colonial decommissioned June 1970, before the 1975/1979 removal policies. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Newport News or Mare Island. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov PDF blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-10
-
[12]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (guided-topic page): RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence filed by hull designation and Navy Filing Manual codes; RG 24 deck logs; research-path guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessel table, Colonial (LSD-18) row; Ship Plan Index NAID 153715288; NARA asbestos guided-topic page RG 19 filing-code guidance; MARAD MA-20 card contract no. MA-12807
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads: (a) NARA Special List 44 named-vessel table lists Navy logbooks for Colonial (LSD-18) covering 15 May 1945 through 31 December 1945 among logbooks available online - the commissioning-year logs are digitized; (b) the NARA Ship Plan Index carries a Colonial (LSD-18) 'Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings' file unit under catalog identifier 153715288 (row-level index entry reported by the prior batch-5806 session; the index table is JS-paginated and the specific row was not re-rendered this session); (c) per NARA's asbestos research guide, ship-specific BuShips correspondence for this hull files under 'LSD18', class correspondence under 'LSD13 Class' (namesake USS Casa Grande), and the builder's yard correspondence under 'QM/Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.' - covering construction 1944-45 and overhaul periods through 1970; (d) MARAD contract MA-12807 sale file may hold pre-sale condition/survey material. None of these collections was retrieved or inspected.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1993 records
- Limitations
- Finding-aid and record-group mapping only - the logbooks, drawings, and correspondence were not opened; existence of asbestos-specific documents for LSD-18 is unknown until the collections are surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-11
-
[13]Batch-5806 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource archive; NVR ship detail; MARAD ShipHistory + status cards; NHHC Cleveland III DANFS; Illinois AG/IDVA veterans manual; Corn & Starr DOI; Tagnon PMID 7471040; GAO product page (full text blocked); NARA asbestos guide; CourtListener (partially throttled); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-colonial-lsd18-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Colonial (LSD-18) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener coverage is partial - 'LSD-18' asbestos and 'USS Colonial' opinion queries each returned zero results, but docket-type queries were throttled by the fleet-wide request budget mid-session and remain open (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (a DuBose Law Firm asbestos job-site list naming 'LSD-18, VALLEJO, CA' and similar listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is partially open (docket queries throttled, not run). BuShips correspondence, deck logs, engineering drawings, and the MARAD sale file are archival leads (see ev-11). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-colonial-lsd18-12