Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 515-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-donner-lsd20-pkt-515-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Donner (LSD-20) - naming origin, construction, sponsor, commissioning, and service narrative through December 1960 (live NHHC page, published 2015-07-07) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block (live NHHC page verified 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: named for Donner Pass, 'a mountain pass on the pioneer trail to California where the Donner party perished in 1846.' Launched 6 April 1945 by Boston Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. W. V. Alexander, Jr.; commissioned 31 July 1945, Lieutenant Commander P. V. McPeake, USNR, in command. Service: landing-craft transport Norfolk-New York and east-coast boat pools until 3 November 1946; Mediterranean duty to 24 December 1946; coastal duty and voyages to Argentia, Newfoundland, and Labrador; Caribbean 2d Fleet large-scale landing exercise 31 January - 10 March 1948; out of commission in reserve 12 August 1949. Recommissioned 15 September 1950; 6th Fleet Mediterranean 5 March - 6 July 1951; Greenland replenishment and cold-weather cruises; two DEW Line resupply voyages 17 July - 7 October 1956; International Naval Review, Hampton Roads, 12 June 1957; Mediterranean NATO landing exercises in Turkey from 28 August 1957, returned 8 February 1958; Lebanon-crisis deployment orders canceled 1958; Operation Inland Sea (first Navy task force into the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway) summer 1959; Mediterranean 7 January - 14 June 1960; entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul and modernization 18 June 1960 through December 1960. Spec block: LSD-20, dp. 4,490; 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
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-60)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS coverage ends December 1960 - post-1960 milestones come from other rows. NVR carries a 1 April 1945 launch date vs DANFS 6 April (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Donner (LSD-20) - milestone timeline, ONI specifications, awards ribbons, CO roster, dated service photography [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/12/1220.htm header block, ONI specifications block, awards display, photo captions, CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: launched 6 April 1945 at Boston Naval Shipyard; commissioned 31 July 1945, LCDR P. V. McPeake, USNR; decommissioned 12 August 1949 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 15 September 1950; assigned to occupation service in Europe 15 March - 27 June 1951; decommissioned 23 December 1970; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1976; laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, VA; 'Removed for the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River by towing, 10 June 2005'; final disposition scrapped at All Star Metals, Brownsville, TX. ONI specifications (as reported 7 April 1944): 4,032 t light / 7,930 t loaded; 457'9" oa; beam 72'2"; 17 kts design; 8,000 mi at 15 kts; 17 officers + 237 enlisted; troop accommodations 22 officers + 218 enlisted; propulsion two Newport News Shipbuilding steam turbines, two Babcock & Wilcox oil-fired D-type boilers (two-drum, single furnace, 250 psi), Newport News main reduction gears, two 300kW turbo-drive ship's-service generators, twin propellers 7,000 shp; portable-deck helicopter fit retrofittable on units in commission in the late 1940s-early 1950s. Ribbon display: American Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Europe clasp); National Defense Service Medal (2); Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Congo, 1-Dominican Republic). Photo captions document: New York Naval Shipyard photo # NY6-6793 off that yard 29 January 1951; underway in 1965 with UH-34D helicopters; at anchor with sister San Marcos (LSD-25) at Valletta, Malta, and Genoa, Italy (31 December 1967); underway December 1968 with deckhouse extension and enclosed-bridge modifications; CO roster of 17 entries ending with CDR Roy W. Malone, 6 May 1969 - 23 October 1970.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2005
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-49, 1950-70); yard trades at documented availabilities; NDRF caretakers (1981-2004); All Star Metals shipbreakers (2004-05)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but the '10 June 2005' NDRF removal date conflicts with MARAD's official record of a 15 November 2004 departure (see gaps; MARAD date carried). The AFEM ribbon display credits Congo and Dominican Republic awards but the underlying operations/dates were not verified against an official awards list this session. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-02
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register, ship detail 'DONNER (LSD 20)' (UIC 03120) - status, milestones, custodian, disposal comment (legacy NVR getHull interface, page last updated 2005-01-28, live 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR getHull.htm?shipId=4799, Vessel Status / Milestone Dates / Program Characteristics blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR record for this hull: class field 'LSD 16'; status 'disposed of by navy title transfer to the maritime administration' with date status changed 11/12/1993; builder 'Naval Shipyard Boston'; Award Date 07/01/1944; Commission Date 07/31/1945; Keel Date 12/01/1944; Launch Date 04/01/1945; Delivery Date 07/01/1945; Stricken Date 11/01/1976; custodian 'MARITIME ADMINISTRATION (NATIONAL DEFENSE RESERVE FLEET)'; ship comment: 'ALL STAR METALS, BROWNSVILLE, TX WAS AWARDED A CONTRACT ON 9/27/04 TO DISMANTLE THE EX-DONNER (LSD-20).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2005
- Limitations
- Official register data only; no asbestos content. Launch Date 04/01/1945 conflicts with DANFS/NavSource 6 April 1945 (see gaps - DANFS date carried in the record fields). The 11/12/1993 status-change date is the title-transfer formalization, not custody transfer - Memorial Association and MARAD records place the hull at James River NDRF from October 1981. NVR modern SHIPDETAILS page does not exist for this hull; the legacy getHull record (shipId=4799) is the NVR artifact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-03
-
[5]NASA Life Sciences Portal, Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) mission record - recovery by helicopter from LSD Donner, 31 January 1961 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NASA NLSP mission record 'Mercury 2' Description section; NavSource 10/12/1220.htm photo captions (NASA S61-00199, 61C-0189)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NASA mission record documents this hull's role in the Mercury program: MR-2 launched 31 January 1961 carrying the chimpanzee Ham on a 16-minute-39-second suborbital flight (157 statute miles apogee, 422 nautical miles downrange); 'The MR-2 capsule touched down at 12:12 p.m., about 60 miles from the nearest recovery ship. A helicopter from the LSD Donner was dispatched, and recovered the capsule at 2:52 p.m.'; approximately 800 lbs of seawater entered the damaged capsule before recovery; 'Ham was in good condition and even shook the hand of the commander of the LSD Donner once he got on board.' NavSource-captioned NASA photography (photos S61-00199, 61C-0189) identifies the commanding officer at recovery as CDR Ralph A. Brackett and shows recovery personnel aboard Donner removing Ham from the spacecraft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1961
- Population
- Donner crew and embarked recovery detachment (January 1961)
- Limitations
- Vessel-history fact only - establishes the ship's documented role as MR-2 recovery platform; not an exposure record and makes no material claim. The Memorial Association ship-history document additionally credits Donner with recovering two January 1961 Mercury-Redstone instrumentation flights as NASA flagship - secondary sourcing, flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-04
-
[6]USS Donner Memorial Association ship-history document 'U.S.S. DONNER - L.S.D. 20' (archived via Wayback; live homestead site defunct) - post-1960 service narrative and disposal record [other_primary]
- Locator
- Archived image of ship-history print, ussdonnerlsd20.homestead.com files/USSDonnerLSD20/History_USS_Donner_LSD_20.jpg (Wayback capture 2011-07-12)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The veterans' association ship-history print (a DANFS-derived text extended through disposal) records for this hull: 'Donner operated as a Flagship with NASA recovering three Mercury Redstone suborbital nose cones. In January 1961, Donner with UDT21 and U.S. Marine helicopters, recovered two instrumentation flights. On January 31, 1961, Flagship Donner recovered NASA Mercury Redstone nose cone with chimpanzee Ham aboard. From September 17, 1961 to December 19, 1961, Donner continued as the Flagship for Admiral Reed, commander of the South Atlantic fleet. Donner led the Solant Amity Task Force to Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa and other ports along the African West Coast. Donner continued to operate in the Caribbean and Mediterranean until she was decommissioned on December 23, 1970 and placed in the Reserve Fleet. Donner was sent for disposal to Marad James River Reserve Fleet, Ft. Eustis, Virginia, on October 1981... Ex-USS Donner LSD 20 was scrapped at All Star Metals Shipyard in Brownsville, TX between December, 2004 and March, 2005.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1961-2005
- Population
- Crew (1961-70); Solant Amity III embarked staff (Sep-Dec 1961)
- Limitations
- Secondary veterans'-association document, not an official record - the Solant Amity III dates and the two additional January 1961 instrumentation-flight recoveries rest on this source alone (partial verification). The document's first-decommission date ('August 14, 1949') and International Naval Review date ('July 12, 1957') are transcription variants against DANFS (12 August 1949, 12 June 1957) - flagged in gaps, DANFS dates carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-05
-
[7]MARAD Division of Reserve Fleet monthly NDRF status reports: 30 Nov 2004 (i041130), 28 Feb 2003 (i030228), 30 Jun 2001 (i010630) - custody and disposal documentation for ex-Donner (LSD-20) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- i041130.pdf 'Status Changes and Notes' section and inventory table (p. ~10); i030228.pdf and i010630.pdf NDRF Non-Retention military-vessel tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official MARAD NDRF inventory reports document the disposal chain: the 30 June 2001 report lists 'DONNER LSD 20 1945 Navy Amphib James River, VA (RF) Ready for Disposal Non-Ret' with scrap-priority notation; the 28 February 2003 report lists her identically at James River 'Ready for Disposal Non-Ret'; the 30 November 2004 report's status-change notes record 'Non-retention vessels DONNER and MORMACWAVE departed the JRRF in route for Brownville [sic], TX scrapping facilities on 15 and 26 November respectively,' and the inventory table lists DONNER at 'Brownsville, TX - Disposal.' NVR's ship comment independently records the All Star Metals dismantling contract awarded 27 September 2004 (ev-03); the Memorial Association records scrapping December 2004 - March 2005 (ev-05).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2001-2005
- Population
- James River NDRF caretakers (to 2004); tow crew (Nov 2004); All Star Metals dismantling workforce (2004-05)
- Limitations
- Disposal-custody documentation only; the reports carry no asbestos, hazmat, or material-handling detail for this hull - scrapping-era worker exposure is plausible by era but not documented here. MARAD reports are the authoritative record of the departure date (15 Nov 2004) against NavSource's '10 June 2005' variant (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-06
-
[8]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - Donner (LSD-20) index entry (RG 24, VA Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online, collapsed panel 'Donner (LSD-20)' - monthly links 1956-1970; catalog API fileUnits e.g. NAID 219637613
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's digitized deck-log index lists USS Donner (LSD-20), commission July 1945 / decommission December 1970, with complete monthly digitized deck logs for every month of 1956 through 1970 (individual month fileUnits in RG 24, imaged under the Veterans Benefits Administration / Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project - e.g., 'Donner (LSD-20) - May 1962' fileUnit 219637613 with full page scans). These logs are the open archival lead for ship-specific availability, port-call, and yard-period reconstruction, including the June-December 1960 Norfolk Naval Shipyard modernization and the operating areas behind the AFEM Congo/Dominican Republic ribbon credits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1956-1970
- Population
- Crew of record per log month (1956-70)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - deck logs are contemporaneous administrative records, not asbestos documentation; they record locations, moorings, and events, not materials. Logs for 1945-1955 are not in the digitized set. Log content was not transcribed this session; index-level verification only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Casa Grande-class LSD, 1945); NavSource ONI specification (two Newport News Shipbuilding steam turbines; two Babcock & Wilcox oil-fired D-type boilers, 250 psi); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for Boston Naval Shipyard (John Crane gaskets and sealing materials, litigation-sourced); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos program documentation (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource ONI specifications; shipyards.json record for boston-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steam-powered dock landing ship built 1944-45 at Boston Navy Yard sits inside both the Navy's documented asbestos-use era and that yard's wartime peak-production asbestos-exposure window. Era-standard applications aboard a steam amphibious ship of this type and period were boiler and steam-line lagging for the B&W D-type plant, turbine and machinery insulation, flange and valve gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation; amphibious-ship well decks and troop spaces add accommodation-area insulation to the era list. Unlike the diesel-electric Barracuda pattern, this hull carried a full steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2005
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-49, 1950-70); Norfolk Naval Shipyard trades during the June-December 1960 overhaul/modernization and any other yard availabilities; NDRF caretakers; All Star Metals dismantling workforce (2004-05)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSD-20. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-08
-
[10]Atlas shipyards.json record for boston-naval-shipyard (evidence_tier 3): In re John Crane, Inc., No. 01-03-00698-CV (Tex. App. 1st Dist. 2003) - worker alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials at Boston Naval Shipyard; yard WWII peak employment 50,128 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json boston-naval-shipyard evidence row ev-boston-naval-shipyar-02; opinion via Justia mirror (court_record)
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Yard-level documentation for this hull's builder: the Atlas shipyards record for Boston Naval Shipyard carries a verified litigation-sourced product identification - a worker alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials at Boston Naval Shipyard (In re John Crane, Inc., Tex. App. 1st Dist. 2003) - and WWII peak employment of 50,128, the workforce scale at which LSD-20 was built in 1944-45.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-45 (construction window); 2003 (opinion)
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard workforce (WWII peak 50,128; this hull built Dec 1944 - Jul 1945)
- Limitations
- Yard-level and pleading-stage material: the Texas appellate opinion records an allegation of gasket exposure at the yard - not a trial finding of exposure, not a hull record, and it does not name LSD-20 or establish materials aboard her. Carried as construction-site context only; establishes that asbestos-product exposure claims are documented against the builder yard, not aboard this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-09
-
[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 documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944-45) and service era (1945-49, 1950-70).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - same standing defect as BATCH-01/BATCH-98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-10
-
[12]Batch-5809 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS; NVR getHull shipId 4799; NavSource 10/12/1220; NASA NLSP; MARAD monthly NDRF reports; NARA deck-log index; Memorial Association archive; GAO product page; CourtListener (see ledger); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-donner-lsd20-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/NDRF condition report, or verified litigation naming USS Donner (LSD-20) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion and docket searches for '"USS Donner"' each returned zero hits (authenticated API v4, 2026-09-30, across the two sessions that worked this branch); a broad 'LSD-20' opinion search returned 2,961 acronym-collision results with no qualifying litigation; the distinct 'LSD-20' docket query was fleet-paced (helper-enforced stand-down) and is logged as blocked in the search ledger, not a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com et al.) asserting 'asbestos aboard LSD-20' 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. The zero-hit results cover the exact ship name (opinions and dockets) only; hull-number docket coverage is an open gap (see ledger). Digitized NARA deck logs (1956-70), NNSY overhaul work packages (June-December 1960), and any MARAD pre-disposal hazmat survey for the 2004 tow are undigitized or unlocated leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-donner-lsd20-11
