Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet l-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (DANFS) — real identity: USS Cottle — https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cottle.html
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-cottle-apa147-pkt-l-packet-md
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[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Cottle (APA-147)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live URL 404s 2026-09-25; verbatim text via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250202214624 of the live NHHC page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + stats line; Wayback capture 20250202214624
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Cottle (APA-147), named for 'a county in the state of Texas' (Cottle County): '(APA-147: displacement 6,873; length 445'0"; beam 62'0"; draft 24'0"; speed 17.7 knots; complement 536; troops 1,561; armament 1 5-inch, 12 40 millimeter, 10 20 millimeter; class Haskell; type VC2-S-AP5)'. Launched 25 November 1944 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash., under Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. Hull 812); sponsored by Mrs. B. Decker; transferred to the Navy 14 December 1944 and commissioned the same day, Cmdr. Philip S. Creasor in command. Service: Seattle 1 March 1945 with Army troops to Honolulu; Seabees to Samar, P.I., arriving 17 April; return via Ulithi and Guam with passengers, cargo, and Japanese POWs; Pearl Harbor 24 May; four underwater demolition teams to San Francisco 3 June; Manila voyage 15 June-7 August; San Pedro 24 August, Army occupation troops embarked at Pearl Harbor, landed Wakayama, Japan 27 September; homeward-bound servicemen to San Francisco 30 October; second 'Magic Carpet' voyage; departed San Francisco 12 January 1946, Norfolk 4 February; decommissioned 6 March 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission 11 March 1946; stricken from the Navy Register 20 March 1946. Interim update entry by Robert J. Cressman, published 8 March 2023.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops/Seabees/occupation forces, 1945-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy historical entry naming this hull - controlling source for identity, wartime employment, decommissioning, and disposal milestones through March 1946. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Prints launch 25 November 1944 vs 26 November in Kaiser yard records, navypedia, and NavSource (flagged in correction row); prints length 445'0" vs SDB/MARAD 455'0" oa (flagged).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-01
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[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012 series, Jan 1945), APA tables + ship index (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA section, table sequence no. 65: index/dimensions row (p. 234), personnel row (p. 235), machinery row (p. 236), armament/cargo row (p. 238), construction row (p. 239)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 3 (January 1945), attack-transport (APA) tables, carries per-hull rows for this ship at table sequence no. 65: index/dimensions 'COTTLE (ex-M.C.V. Hull 812) - APA147', length 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline, extreme beam 62'0", 17.7 knots trial speed, 14,837 tons trial displacement; personnel row limiting displacement 12,450 tons, limiting draft 24'0", ship's company 56 officers / 480 enlisted, troop capacity 86 officers / 1,475 enlisted, largest boom 35 tons; machinery row '1 Joshua-Hendy turb.', 8,500 shaft horsepower, 2 B.&W. header-type boilers, steam conditions 465 psi / 750 F; armament/cargo row 1 5"/38cal (D.P.), 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm mounts, 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated cargo, 5,800 tons total / 2,900 tons cargo deadweight; construction row builder 'Kaiser Co., Vancouver, Wash.', acquired 14 Dec 44, year built 1944-45, first commission 14 Dec 44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops (as fitted 1944-45)
- Limitations
- Official wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, ex-M.C.V. Hull 812, the machinery plant (Joshua-Hendy turbine + 2 B&W header boilers at 465 psi/750 F - not the Westinghouse unit shown in class-typical listings), builder, and acquisition/commissioning dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - COTTLE (APA-147), Ship History Detail 1114 + digitized status cards (1114_AF.jpg fleet card; 4d310547-... status card; 1114_2022AB.jpg ballast-report reverse) + Record of Ship Sales card MA-20 (PD-X-956) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1114 registry/spec block + milestones; status-card images at /cards/1114_AF.jpg, /cards/4d310547-1627-4d94-9231-90c97ea4a292.jpg, /cards/1114_2022AF.jpg, /cards/1114_2022AB.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry record and digitized vessel status cards for COTTLE (APA-147), type VC2-S-AP5, hull no. MCV-812, builder 'Kaiser-Van', completed 12-14-44, 'Basis to W.S.A. 12-14-44 9:30AM PWT @ Astoria, Ore.' delivered by builders to USMC Production Division then Navy (allocation form LB): laid up WSA Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, Va., 3-11-46 3:45 p.m. EST; card reverse carries a permanent-ballast report of 1-4-50 - poured concrete in No. 2 lower hold (60'x40'), cement blocks on deck concrete in No. 4 lower hold, concrete in evaporator room, generator room, and dry stores, 'No prints found on ship'; withdrawn 4-19-55 10:50 a.m. EST to South Atlantic Steamship Line, Inc. under a general-agent agreement '(Repair Program)' - the MARAD milestone table logs 'REPAIR PROGRAM 1955' - and returned to the James River reserve fleet 6-27-55 (11:30 a.m. EST on the custody-ledger page; 11:40 a.m. on the status card - trivial inconsistency flagged); entry fuel inventory 1,083 bbls Bunker C + 103 diesel. Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20) for disposal PD-X-956: advertised 3-5-73, opened 4-4-73, awarded 4-9-73 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. for $111,560 under condition '(2) Scrap Hull - U.S.', 24 months; physical delivery 6-4-73 2:40 p.m. EDT. Registry detail 1114: year built 1944, shipyard 'Kaiser Company', length 436.50 ft, beam 62 ft, summer displacement 14,837 / lightweight 6,873 tons, fate 'Sold - Scrap', withdrawal 6/4/1973.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- NDRF lay-up/caretaker personnel; South Atlantic Steamship Line repair workforce (1955); Union Minerals & Alloys scrapping workers (1973)
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD custody record - documents lay-up at Lee Hall/James River (1946-1973), a mid-life repair-program availability under South Atlantic Steamship Line GAA (April 19 - June 27, 1955), and the 1973 scrap sale and delivery. The cards document custody and events, not materials: no asbestos, insulation, or repair-scope content appears. The 1955 availability is a documented period of work aboard the hull whose industrial scope is unknown from this source. Does not establish or negate asbestos presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-03
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[5]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Kaiser Vancouver' yard production table (compiled from U.S. Maritime Commission records) + navypedia.org Haskell-class member table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Kaiser Vancouver table row 428; navypedia us_aws_haskell member table row APA147
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Kaiser Vancouver yard-record compilation (shipbuildinghistory.com, Tim Colton's table of USMC yard production) row for yard hull 428: 'Cottle', type VC2-S-AP5, MC no. 812, keel laying 15-Oct-44, launch 26-Nov-44, delivery 14-Dec-44, 42 days on ways / 18 days in water / 60 total, disposition 'APA 147, scrapped'. Navypedia Haskell-class member table corroborates: APA-147, yard no. 428, Kaiser Vancouver, laid 10.1944, launched 26.11.1944, commissioned 12.1944, stricken 3.1946.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction workforce, Oct-Dec 1944
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations of Maritime Commission yard records - the only located source for the keel-laying date (15-Oct-44) and the hull's yard number (428, corroborated by the MARAD status card's 'KV-428' annotation). Launch date 26-Nov-44 conflicts with DANFS's 25-Nov-44 (flagged in correction row). Not a materials or asbestos source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-04
-
[6]Cross-source reconciliation note (this record): DANFS vs Kaiser yard table/navypedia/NavSource (launch); DANFS vs BuShips SDB/MARAD (length) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-01 through -04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Cross-source date/dimension conflicts for this hull: (a) launch date - DANFS prints 25 November 1944; Kaiser yard table, navypedia, and NavSource print 26 November 1944; unresolved. (b) Length - DANFS stats line prints 445'0"; BuShips SDB prints 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline and the MARAD registry prints 436.50 ft; the DANFS figure sits between the two BuShips values and is likely a transcription error, unresolved. Decommission (1946-03-06), transfer to Maritime Commission (1946-03-11), and stricken (1946-03-20) agree across DANFS and NavSource.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Documents conflicts rather than resolving them. The launch-date discrepancy is one day between a primary Navy source and three yard-record-derived compilations; the length discrepancy is DANFS stats line vs the official BuShips dimension table. No asbestos relevance; carried for record integrity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-05
-
[7]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull machinery row (ev-uss-cottle-apa147-02) plus the documented Haskell/VC2 class plant [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA machinery table, COTTLE row (seq. 65)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the documented VC2-S-AP5 plant aboard this hull - single Joshua-Hendy geared turbine at 8,500 shp fed by two B&W header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 F superheat - is a WWII emergency-construction superheated-steam installation built at the peak of wartime asbestos use. Typical applications for the type: boiler and fireroom insulation; steam-line and turbine lagging between boiler room and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation and troop-berthing insulation. Asbestos presence aboard this hull specifically is inference from type and era, not a ship-proven finding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); 1955 repair-program workforce; NDRF caretakers; 1973 scrapping workers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific materials schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos record located for APA-147. Establishes no quantities, no product identifications, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-06
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[8]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403; content via product-page description)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Program-level context for the era; this hull was in MARAD reserve-fleet custody (1946-1973) rather than Navy custody during the policy window, so the record's relevance is background only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not ship-specific; the hull left Navy custody in March 1946, before the documented policy period. Establishes nothing about materials aboard APA-147.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-07
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[9]Batch-2218 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; MARAD ShipHistory detail 1114 + status cards; Kaiser yard table + navypedia; NavSource (blocked to fetch, index snippet); CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket searches; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NARA catalog (JS-gated, archival lead only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cottle-apa147-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Cottle / APA-147 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener: '"USS Cottle"' opinions 0, dockets 0; '"APA-147"' opinions 3 and dockets 23 - all name collisions (Administrative Procedure Act / contract-section references; no vessel naming); '"Cottle" asbestos' opinions 44 - all pages reviewed, surname and attorney-name collisions only (e.g., defense counsel Eric R.I. Cottle in NYCAL dockets; Cottle v. Superior Court toxic-tort plaintiffs), none naming the ship. MARAD status cards carry no asbestos or materials annotation.
- 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 superheated-steam WWII hull that saw a documented 1955 repair availability and 1973 breaking is era-consistent with retained ACMs; the finding is that no ship-specific asbestos documentation was located, not that none exists. CourtListener coverage is RECAP-indexed text; county-name hulls under-cover filings that omit the hull number. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cottle-apa147-08