Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet n-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-dickens-apa161-pkt-n-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Dickens' entry (APA-161), Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Dickens entry; live NHHC URL 404 on 2026-09-25 - text read via Wayback capture 20251209190712 (web.archive.org/web/20251209190712/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/dickens.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC) ship-data line (units normalized: 'l. 455'', 'a. 15"' etc.) - 'APA-161: dp. 6,873; l. 455 ft; b. 62 ft; dr. 24 ft; s. 17 k.; cpl. 536; a. one 5-inch gun; cl. Haskell' - named for a county in Texas; launched 8 September 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. A. M. Owens; transferred to the Navy 18 October 1944 and commissioned the same day, Captain R. M. Ingram, USNR, in command. WWII narrative: Pearl Harbor arrival 11 Dec 1944 with $150 million in occupation script; amphibious training with 5th Marines to 27 Jan 1945; Iwo Jima initial assault landings 19 Feb 1945, off Green Beach until 25 Feb, then casualties and 455 Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) survivors to Saipan; landing craft replaced at Tulagi, Espiritu Santo rehearsal, Ulithi departure 4 Apr 1945, Okinawa support landings 9-14 Apr, casualties to Saipan 18 Apr, Guam reinforcements landed on Okinawa 15-19 May, Subic Bay amphibious training from 1 Jun to war's end; occupation troops landed Tokyo Bay 2 Sep; Philippines to 20 Oct; Seattle arrival 9 Nov; Magic Carpet duty (Tacloban + Pearl Harbor voyages) until sailing east coast 4 Mar [1946]; Norfolk arrival 23 Mar; decommissioned Norfolk 21 May 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day; two battle stars for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history; verbatim text confirmed via Wayback because live NHHC page returns 404 (standing NHHC link-rot issue). DANFS carries no laid-down date, no stricken date, and no asbestos or materials statement - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - DICKENS (APA-161), Detail 1265, incl. scanned Reserve Fleet Division vessel status card (1265_2304AF/AB), custody-transfer ledger (DICKENS.pdf), and permanent-ballast card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1265; status card fields 4-22; ledger /documents/d357bae1-246c-4a63-a778-ac5d73d9ab9f.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record and scanned vessel status card for DICKENS (APA-161): type VC2-S-AP5 (APA); hull no. MCV127; built by Oregon SB Corp. at Portland, Ore., completed 10-17-44; delivered by builders to USMC 10-17-44; allocated to Navy Dept. at Portland 10-18-44 10:10 AM PWT; transferred Navy Dept. to WSA as surplus at Lee Hall, Va. 5-21-46 3:15 PM EDT and into the Reserve Fleet (James River) the same day; reason for lay-up 'High cost to convert for commercial use.' Withdrawn under Repair Program to South Atlantic S.S. Line under GAA at James River 7-22-55 12:20 PM EST; returned to Reserve Fleet 10-14-55 11:00 AM EST. Sold for scrap under PD-X-975 5-7-74 to Luria Brothers & Co., Inc. for $310,989.00; physically delivered 6-18-74 1:00 PM EDT. ShipHistory milestones: Disposition 6/18/1974, Withdrawal 6/18/1974; fate 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, hull identification, and disposal. Status-card handwriting legible in scan. The card records the 1955 repair-program withdrawal under GAA but does NOT state the scope of work performed; it contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information and supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-02
-
[4]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, 'Amphibious Attack Transport APA-161 Dickens' page (data compilation incl. DANFS text and NHHC photo references); shipbuildinghistory.com Oregon Shipbuilding yard table (hull 1111 row) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 03161: specifications block, campaign table, commanding-officer table, disposition lines; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/koregon.htm hull 1111 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource APA-161 page: stricken from the Naval Register 5 June 1946; decommissioned at Norfolk 21 May 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day; sold for scrapping 7 May 1974 to Luria Bros. & Co., delivered 18 June 1974. shipbuildinghistory.com Oregon Shipbuilding yard table: yard hull 1111 'Dickens', type VC2-S-AP5, MC# 127, keel laid 21-Jun-44, launched 8-Sep-44, delivered 18-Oct-44, disposition 'APA 161, scrapped.' NavSource spec block: 6,873 t lt / 14,837 t fl; 455' x 62'; 17 kts trial; complement 56 officers / 490 enlisted; troop accommodations 80 officers / 1,440 enlisted; propulsion 'one Westinghouse geared turbine, two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 465psi 750F, double Westinghouse main reduction gears, three turbo-drive 300kW generators, single propeller, 8,500 shp.' Campaigns per TransRon Sixteen / TransDiv Forty-Eight: Iwo Jima assault and occupation 19-25 Feb 1945; Okinawa Gunto assault and occupation 9-14 Apr and 15-19 May 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal Asia clasp periods 2-8 Sep and 5-11 Oct 1945. Commanding officers Capt. R. M. Ingram USNR (18 Oct 1944 - 15 Sep 1945) and Cdr. T. D. Jacobs USN (15 Sep 1945 - 21 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations, not official records - the stricken date (5 Jun 1946), laid-down date (21 Jun 1944), and the Combustion Engineering boiler attribution were not independently confirmed against a Navy List/NVR entry, BuShips document, or the MARAD card (shipscribe SDB1945v3 scan returns 404 as of 2026-09-25; class-level BuShips data lists B&W boilers - see gaps). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (Jan 1945), APA machinery table (shipscribe.com scan); Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' AJIM 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA machinery table (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v3.pdf - URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-25; content previously verified for the Haskell class record 2026-09-16); AJIM article
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: Dickens is a VC2-S-AP5 Victory-derived hull with a geared-steam plant - one Westinghouse turbine, two superheated header-type boilers at 465 psi/750F, 8,500 shp - built at an emergency yard (Oregon SB, Portland) at the peak of WWII asbestos use. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 (auxiliaries) confirms the APA-117-class machinery plant; peer-reviewed scholarship (Corn & Starr 1987) documents extensive asbestos fireproofing/insulation use throughout WWII U.S. shipbuilding. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line and turbine lagging; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation and galley insulation; winch/windlass brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Construction trades (Oregon SB, Portland, 1944); ship's company and embarked troops; NDRF lay-up/preservation workers (James River, 1946-1974); breaker's-yard workers (1974)
- Limitations
- Design/era documentation only - no cited source names this hull and none itself states asbestos content for this ship. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Establishes no quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-04
-
[6]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. The program postdates this hull's Navy custody (ended 21 May 1946); for the 1946-1974 MARAD custody period no equivalent abatement documentation was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy documentation; the ship was in MARAD custody throughout the documented period, so the policy never applied to this hull. MARAD-era lay-up, repair-program, and disposal records for Dickens contain no asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-05
-
[7]Batch-2234 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1265 + status-card scans; NavSource 03161; CourtListener API v4 ship-name and hull-number sweeps (authenticated, fleet-paced helper); shipbuildinghistory.com Oregon SB yard list; Haskell class profile (background) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dickens-apa161-01 through sl-uss-dickens-apa161-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Dickens / APA-161 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'USS Dickens' - 0 opinions, 0 dockets; 'APA-161' - 1 opinion (Otter Creek Solar LLC v. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, 2022 VT 60 - name collision, Vermont environmental/APA docket reference, not the vessel) and 20 dockets (all name collisions - predominantly Administrative Procedure Act litigation where the string matches agency-record references; none asbestos, none maritime).
- 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 hull retained in NDRF custody for 28 years and scrapped in 1974 is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials. 'Dickens' is a high-collision surname (novelist, county, surname plaintiffs); RECAP name sweeps under-cover filings that omit hull numbers. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-06
-
[8]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json, yard_id 'oregon-shipbuilding' (internal dataset row incl. attribution_warning); EPA Portland Harbor RI/FS, EPA Document 100004575 (cited therein) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json oregon-shipbuilding record, identity_note and attribution_warning fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: the Atlas shipyard dataset resolves 'oregon-shipbuilding' (Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, St. Johns, Portland - a Kaiser-era emergency yard, 1941-1946, ~30,000 peak employment), which is Dickens's documented builder. The dataset entry's own flagship asbestos evidence carries an attribution warning: the cited EPA Portland Harbor Superfund RI/FS documents the separate Kaiser Swan Island facility, not the Oregonship site where this hull was built.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Oregon SB construction workforce (Portland, 1944)
- Limitations
- Establishes the builder relationship (ship-specific fact, corroborated by DANFS and the MARAD card) but NOT yard-specific asbestos documentation - the ACM evidence attached to this yard in the dataset covers a different Kaiser Portland facility (Swan Island). Construction-phase asbestos use at Oregonship (St. Johns) specifically is unverified in this record; flagged as a dataset-reconciliation item.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-07
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs) and RG 178 (US Maritime Commission); MARAD/NDRF James River reserve-fleet records [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 24 deck-log guidance (archives.gov/research/military); RG 178 guide; NARA catalog API unqueryable in this session (JS-only catalog)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs (USS Dickens, Oct 1944 - May 1946) for operational/repair detail; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) construction/outfitting records for MC hull 127 at Oregon SB; MARAD/NDRF James River lay-up and preservation records for the 1946-74 custody period, including the workscope of the 1955 GAA repair-program withdrawal to South Atlantic Steamship Line.
- 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 MC hull 127 / APA-161 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dickens-apa161-08