Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet n-packet.md (7 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-eastland-apa163-pkt-n-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Eastland (APA-163)' - via Internet Archive Wayback capture dated 2025-12-09 (live NHHC page currently returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text and characteristics block (wayback snapshot of official NHHC page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: Eastland (APA-163), Haskell class, was launched 19 September 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg., for the Maritime Commission; sponsored by Mrs. Allan Hunger; transferred to the Navy and commissioned 26 October 1944, Commander G. L. Harriss in command. Characteristics: displacement 6,700 tons; length 455 ft; beam 62 ft; draft 24 ft; speed 18 knots; complement 546; armament one 5-inch gun. Service: departed San Pedro 26 Dec 1944 carrying 64 naval aviators to Pearl Harbor; transported personnel to Eniwetok, Kossol Roads, Peleliu, and Leyte; sailed from Leyte 21 Mar 1945 for Kerama Retto, arrived 26 Mar and landed troops on Yakabi Shima; remained in the archipelago until 26 Apr, firing on attacking aircraft and reportedly splashing at least three; returned to San Francisco Bay 11 Jun 1945 via Ulithi, Eniwetok, San Pedro Bay, and Leyte; later lifted replacement soldiers and occupation troops (Hakodate, Taku Bar, Inchon, Portland, Seattle); Magic Carpet voyage Seattle-Yokosuka 17 Dec 1945 - 28 Jan 1946; arrived Norfolk 24 Feb 1946; decommissioned 15 Apr 1946 and delivered to the War Shipping Administration the next day; one battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction dates, characteristics (including complement 546 - supersedes secondary-source 536 and 19-knot figures), and service narrative. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim. Keel-laying date 1944-07-04 derives from secondary compilations consistent with the launch/commissioning sequence; DANFS text itself records launch and commissioning only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - EASTLAND (APA-163), Ship History Detail 1320, incl. digitized status card faces [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1320 fields and milestone table; status card scans 1320_2419AF.jpg / 1320_2419AB.jpg / 1WK_01.png (visually inspected)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record EASTLAND (APA-163): year built 1944; Oregon Shipbuilding Company; MARAD type VC2-S-AP5; Naval Auxiliary / APA Attack Transport; length 455 ft, beam 62 ft; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Digitized status card records the custody chain: delivered by builder to U.S. Maritime Commission at Portland 10-25-44 (MCV hull 129, yard hull 1113); Navy custody; entered James River Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, VA 4-16-46; withdrawn 3-5-55 under nominated FY1955 repair program (Group 4) to Shepard Steamship Co. under General Agency Agreement; returned to fleet 5-4-55; sold for scrap under contract PD-X-970 on 1-23-74 to Consolidated Steel Corp., Brownsville, Texas, for $191,799.80; physically delivered 4-1-74.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Authoritative for custody, reserve-fleet movements, and disposal milestones. Status card is a handwritten scan read by visual inspection, not OCR-verified; the linked EASTLAND.pdf is an image-only scan with no extractable text layer. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. The 1955 withdrawal was a repair-program custody move, not reactivation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (January 1945), APA section (shipscribe.com scan of the official publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA machinery table, Haskell-class row (APA-117)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 (auxiliaries), APA section, lead-ship row (APA-117 Haskell): 455 ft overall/waterline, single Westinghouse geared turbine 8,500 shp, two Babcock & Wilcox boilers, steam conditions 465 psi / 750F - official Navy machinery confirmation of the VC2-S-AP5 type's superheated geared-steam plant; the type-level specification applies to APA-163 as a class member.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945 publication covering 1944-built class
- Limitations
- Official BuShips design data read at class level (lead-ship row); documents the type's plant configuration, not this hull's as-built materials. No asbestos or insulation-material statement; does not establish that any specific material was or remains aboard APA-163.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-03
-
[5]Historic American Engineering Record VA-133, 'USS Gage, James River Reserve Fleet, Newport News, VA' (NPS/HAER; survey compiled after 1968, field notes N1399) [haer]
- Locator
- HAER VA-133 written historical and descriptive data; LOC catalog hhh.va2041 (loc.gov/pictures/item/va2041/)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- HAER VA-133 documents USS Gage (APA-168) - a same-type (VC2-S-AP5), same-yard (Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland) sister hull - including the class design history (Maritime Commission VC2-S-AP5 adaptation of the Victory ship to the attack-transport role, 117 completed), Oregon Shipbuilding's production of 34 VC2-S-AP5 hulls, and Gage's machinery (Westinghouse geared turbine 8,500 shp; two oil-fired water-tube boilers at 465 psi/750F recorded as Combustion Engineering for that hull).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-2009 (survey documentation)
- Limitations
- Sister-ship engineering documentation only - Gage is not Eastland; boiler-vendor difference (Combustion Engineering vs. BuShips' Babcock & Wilcox class entry) shows fit-out varied within the type. The HAER narrative contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim for APA-163.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-04
-
[6]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 World War II - the era and program under which this VC2-S-AP5 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. hulls (typical applications: boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, accommodation insulation).
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-05
-
[7]Batch-2236 search ledger (this record): archived NHHC DANFS entry; MARAD ShipHistory 1320 + status card + document scan; CourtListener name/hull/asbestos searches; NARA path mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-eastland-apa163-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: the archived DANFS entry contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; the MARAD record, digitized status card, and EASTLAND.pdf scan contain none; no museum or NDRF hazmat disclosure exists for this hull (scrapped 1974); and no adjudicated asbestos claim naming APA-163 was found.
- 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 superheated-steam plant is consistent with era asbestos insulation practice, but that remains inference. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-06
-
[8]SAIF Corp./Oregon Ship v. Johnson, 908 F.2d 1434 (9th Cir. 1990); CourtListener opinion 8989348 [court_record]
- Locator
- 908 F.2d 1434 (9th Cir. 1990), decided 1990-07-13; facts section (building-ways asbestos exposure, 1941-42)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Construction-yard litigation context: SAIF Corp./Oregon Ship v. Johnson, 908 F.2d 1434 (9th Cir. 1990) - the Ninth Circuit recorded that claimant Grover Johnson was 'unquestionably exposed to asbestos in 1942 while constructing ships' for Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation on building ways along the Willamette River; the court nonetheless reversed the award on statutory coverage grounds (a building way was not covered under the pre-1972 LHWCA). Exposure finding undisputed; reversal was jurisdictional, not merits-based on exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-1942 exposure; opinion 1990
- Population
- Oregon Shipbuilding construction workers (yard context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level finding only: documents the builder's construction environment in 1942 (two years before this hull's July 1944 keel), not materials aboard APA-163. Disposition classified exactly: appellate reversal on LHWCA coverage grounds leaves the underlying exposure finding undisturbed, but no finding attaches to this hull. Establishes no exposure, quantity, or legal eligibility for anyone aboard Eastland.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-07
-
[9]Ingram v. ACandS, Inc.; Becker v. Owens-Illinois, Inc., 977 F.2d 1332 (9th Cir. 1992); CourtListener opinion 593257 [court_record]
- Locator
- 977 F.2d 1332 (9th Cir. 1992), decided 1992-10-21; Facts section B (Becker - Oregon Shipbuilding marine machinist WWII-1946)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Construction-yard litigation context: Ingram v. ACandS, Inc. (consolidated with Becker v. Owens-Illinois), 977 F.2d 1332 (9th Cir. 1992) - affirmed jury verdicts including that of Beulah Becker, whose decedent worked as a marine machinist at Oregon Shipbuilding in Portland 'during World War II until 1946' and was exposed to numerous asbestos products (trial evidence placed O-I's Kaylo insulation products in the yard); the court declined to impose a stricter 'frequency, regularity, proximity' exposure test under Oregon cause-in-fact law.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- WWII-1946 exposure; opinion 1992
- Population
- Oregon Shipbuilding construction workers (yard context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level affirmed judgment covering the yard during the exact period this hull was built (WWII-1946) - the strongest construction-environment indicator located, but still not hull-level: no finding names APA-163 or materials aboard it. Establishes no exposure, quantity, or legal eligibility for anyone aboard Eastland.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py (opinion search, 2026-09-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-eastland-apa163-08 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation surface for this hull: exact-name opinion search '"USS Eastland"' returned 0 results; hull-number opinion search 'APA-163' returned 3 hits, all name collisions (En Fuego Tobacco Shop LLC v. FDA, D.C. Cir. and D.D.C., 2019; Pilot Air Freight v. Manna Freight Systems, Del. Ch., 2020 - 'APA' acronym/address collisions); broad 'Eastland asbestos' opinion search returned 164 hits, all name collisions dominated by Texas 11th Court of Appeals district cases (district seat: Eastland, Texas), Eastland Construction Co. v. Keasbey & Mattison, and surname matches - none names the vessel. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming the hull was found.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- RECAP/opinion-indexed text only: ship-name searches under-cover filings that omit the hull number or use only 'USS' without name; complaints naming the ship could exist in PACER/dockets not fully mirrored. No-hit result means no qualifying litigation was located, not that none exists. Name collisions were classified down, never upward.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-09
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs) and RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); MARAD vessel file (Detail 1320 documents) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 24/RG 19 record-group descriptions; MARAD Detail 1320 document tab (EASTLAND.pdf image scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for APA-163 (1944-46, College Park); RG 19 BuShips records and Maritime Commission contract plans for MCV hull 129; MARAD disposal file for sale contract PD-X-970 (1974) and the FY1955 repair-program work scope, which would document what repair work Shepard Steamship Co. performed in 1955.
- 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 MCV 129/APA-163 is unknown until surveyed in person. The 1955 repair-program scope is a genuine open question (repair work could have disturbed or documented insulation). Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-eastland-apa163-10