Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945 ed.), 'Auxiliaries - Transports, Attack (APA)' tables, per-hull rows for ELKHART APA80 (printed pp. 240-245; digitized scan pp. 259-264) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v3, APA section, row 88 'ELKHART (ex-M.C. Hull 1873) APA80' across pp. 240-245 (dimensions/displacement; accommodations; machinery; armament/cargo; construction/acquisition)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips per-hull data for ELKHART (ex-M.C. Hull 1873), APA80: length 426'0" overall / 400'0" waterline; extreme beam 58'0"; limiting draft 16'0"; trial speed 16.9 knots; trial displacement 7,000 tons, limiting displacement 7,080 tons; ship's company accommodations 27 officers + 293 enlisted; troop capacity 47 officers + 802 enlisted; largest boom 15 tons; machinery 2 propellers, Westinghouse turbo-electric engines, 6,000 shaft horsepower; boilers: 2, Babcock & Wilcox 'D' type, 450 p.s.i. / 750 deg F full-power steam conditions; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal dual-purpose, four twin 40mm AA mounts (ultimate authorized); cargo 85,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; built by Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; date acquired 7 Feb 45; year built 1944; date of first commission 8 Feb 45.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945 (publication date; characteristics as authorized)
- Population
- Ship's company 320 (27 officers + 293 enlisted) plus embarked troops up to 849
- Limitations
- Wartime characteristics table - reflects authorized/design values as of the 1945 edition, not a survey of as-found material condition. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material information; establishes machinery plant, dimensions, and personnel only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-01
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Elkhart (APA-80)' entry (verbatim transcription on hazegray DANFS mirror; live NHHC page not located) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- losthistory.net/hazegray DANFS mirror, amphib/apa80.htm (transcribed by Y. Hubert); DANFS print Vol. III (G-K)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: Elkhart (APA-80), named for a county in Indiana, class Gilliam (dp 4,247; l. 426'; b. 58'; dr. 16'; s. 17 k.; cpl. 320; a. 1 5") - launched 5 December 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. B. Bonny; transferred to the Navy 7 February 1945; commissioned the following day, Lt. Cmdr. C. R. Frazier, USNR, in command. War service: sailed from San Diego 3 April 1945 carrying cargo to/from Eniwetok, Ulithi, Leyte, Peleliu, Guam, and Okinawa; July 1945 supported occupation of Kume Shima, Okinawa Gunto; post-hostilities one trip to Tokyo Bay with occupation cargo; carried 6th Division Marines from Guam to reoccupy Tsingtao; at Haiphong November 1945 embarked Chinese troops for Chinwangtao; then Jinsen (Inchon) to embark servicemen eligible for discharge; reached the Golden Gate 3 January 1946; decommissioned at Seattle 12 April 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission 28 June 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Wartime ship's company and embarked troops
- Limitations
- DANFS text ends at return to the Maritime Commission - no stricken date, reserve-fleet, or disposal detail (carry those from MARAD/NavSource/shipscribe rows). Live NHHC DANFS URL not located for this hull (NHHC has not published an 'Elkhart' entry on history.navy.mil); hazegray transcription used as access copy. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Elkhart (APA-80), file 10/03/03080 (compiled from DANFS, NVR, MARAD, and contributed records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource file 10/03/03080, spec block, service/award table, commanding-officer table, final-disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource adds detail absent from DANFS: Gilliam-class attack transport, MC type S4-SE2-BD1, MC hull 1873; wartime assignment TransRon Twenty-Three / TransDiv Sixty-Seven (COMO A. S. Witherspoon); Navy Occupation Service Medal period 7 Sep-28 Dec 1945 and China Service Medal (extended) 7 Sep-29 Dec 1945; struck from the Naval Register 21 May 1946; returned to Maritime Commission 28 June 1946 for lay-up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Olympia, WA; sold for scrapping 7 January 1964 to Zidell Explorations Inc. for $103,811.81, withdrawn from Olympia reserve fleet 12 February 1964, scrapping completed 15 June 1964; commanding-officer table (Frazier 8 Feb 45-5 Dec 45; Oden 5 Dec 45-2 Apr 46; Schooler 2 Apr-12 Apr 46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive, not an official record - used for corroboration and as a lead index; its spec block is confirmed against the official BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull row (ev-01). Its sale-contract citation 'PD-X-652' conflicts with the MARAD status card's 'PDX-653' - MARAD card carried as authoritative (see gaps). NavSource lists keel date as unknown; keel date supplied by shipscribe class table (ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ELKHART (APA-80), Ship History Detail 1413, including scanned NDRF vessel status cards (cards 1413_2603AF.jpg / 1413_2603AB.jpg / 5674c244-cbcf-4b3b-81c7-2cb663b57877.png) and ELKHART.pdf [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1413 (milestones table; Status Cards: vessel-data card 'RESERVE FLEET DIVISION - VESSEL DATA' and custody/allocation card)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD registry and scanned custody card document the post-Navy chain: MC hull 1873, S4-SE2-BD1, built by Consolidated Steel Corp. Ltd., Wilmington, Cal., completed 2-7-45; delivered to War Shipping Administration custody (NDRF) at Olympia, Wash., 6-28-46 0600 PST from Navy Dept (surplus). Card annotations: title transferred to Army 11-8-46, 'vessel never withdrawn from fleet by Army.' FY1956 repair program under General Agency Agreement with Olympic Steamship Co., Inc.: withdrawn Olympia 12-12-55 1135 hrs PST, returned 2-3-56 1250 hrs PST. Sale: 'PDX-653 dated Dec. 11, 1963, Award Jan. 7, 1964, Zidell Explorations, Inc., sale price $103,811.81'; liquidated damages collected Jan 28-Feb 12 1964; withdrawn from fleet 2-12-64 0900 hrs PST, delivered to purchaser Zidell Explorations, Inc. Registry milestones: Entry/Acquisition 6-28-46; Disposition and Withdrawal 2-12-64; fate 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1964
- Population
- NDRF lay-up and maintenance crews (Olympia, 1946-1964); Olympic Steamship Co. repair-period trades (1955-56); Zidell shipbreaking workers (1964)
- Limitations
- Primary custodial record (handwritten card, partially legible - read via image inspection, moderate-to-high confidence on entries quoted). Documents custody and disposal events only: no machinery, materials, asbestos, or hazmat content. 'Repaired while inactive' scope of work undocumented (1955-56 withdrawal). Status card's PDX-653 number differs from NavSource's PD-X-652 rendering; card carried as primary.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-04
-
[5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Gilliam (APA-57) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from official registers and MARAD sale records), construction and disposition tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA/APA57.html, construction table row APA-80 and disposition table row APA-80
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class-page per-hull rows for ELKHART (APA-80): ordered 25 May 43 under the 25 May 1943 MC contract for the class; Consolidated Steel, Wilmington; keel laid 13 Sep 44; launched 5 Dec 44; commissioned 8 Feb 45; decommissioned 12 Apr 46; struck 21 May 46; disposal to MC 28 Jun 46; Maritime Administration sale 7 Jan 64. Narrative line: 'Selected 11 Sep 45 for eventual conversion to surveying ship (AGS), conversion cancelled ca. Jan 46. To NDRF 1946. Repaired while inactive 12 Dec 55-3 Feb 56. To buyer 12 Feb 64, scrapped by 15 Jun 64.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1964
- Limitations
- Expert secondary compilation (Roberts' shipscribe data sheets, assembled from Navy registers/MARAD records) - not itself an official document. Supplies keel date (13 Sep 1944) and the cancelled AGS-conversion selection, neither present in DANFS, SDB, or the MARAD card; class-level complement '326 (1944)' conflicts with SDB per-hull 320 - SDB/DANFS carried (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-05
-
[6]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull (2 x B&W 'D' boilers, 450 psi/750 deg F; 2 Westinghouse turbo-electric engines; 6,000 shp; twin screws) + MC S4-SE2-BD1 type data (shipscribe APA-57 class page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v3 p. 242 (machinery row 88); shipscribe APA-57 class spec block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The documented S4-SE2-BD1 plant is a 450 psi / 750 deg F superheated-steam turbo-electric installation: machinery of this type in WWII construction was insulated - boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbo-generator lagging, gaskets, packing, and accommodation insulation were commonly asbestos-containing aboard steam auxiliaries of the era. Hull built under Maritime Commission contract at a contract shipyard (Consolidated Steel, Wilmington) during the period when joint Navy-USMC rules expressly governed asbestos work in contract yards (see ev-07).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (construction era)
- Population
- Construction trades at Consolidated Steel Wilmington (1944-45); ship's engineering crew (1945-46)
- Limitations
- INFERENCE ONLY - the machinery row establishes a steam plant type, not materials; no hull-specific insulation schedule, material test, or survey located for APA-80. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, location, or any individual exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-06
-
[7]U.S. Navy Department & U.S. Maritime Commission, Minimum Requirements for Safety and Industrial Health in Contract Shipyards (U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1943; Navy approval 1943-01-20, USMC approval 1943-02-09) - archive.org scan minimumrequireme00unit [other_primary]
- Locator
- Sec. 11.1 dust table and Sec. 13.7 'Asbestosis' (scanned pp. 8-9 of the microfilm text)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The joint Navy-USMC minimum requirements in force at contract shipyards during this hull's construction expressly regulated asbestos work: Sec. 11.1 respiratory-protection table lists 'Asbestos (as in covering pipes)' with air-line or dust respirators as required protective devices; Sec. 13.7 'Asbestosis' identifies as hazard sources 'any job in which asbestos dust is breathed' including 'Handling. Asbestos / Sawing. Asbestos mixtures. / Cutting. / Molding.' and prescribes segregation of dusty work plus enclosed-hood ventilation (100 fpm at openings) or special respirators, and periodic medical examinations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Contract-shipyard workers nationally, including insulation/pipe-covering trades
- Limitations
- Era-level regulatory context, not a hull record: the document proves asbestos-handling operations were standard, recognized, and regulated across contract shipyards in 1943-45 (Consolidated Steel Wilmington was an MC contract yard) - it does not place asbestos aboard APA-80 or document conditions on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-07
-
[8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946) - PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28(1):9-16 (1946); PubMed PMID 21016030 (bibliographic record; article text not openly digitized - finding quoted as carried in standard citations of the paper)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- USMC-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey (1944-45, Harvard School of Public Health team) of pipe-covering operations in naval vessel construction: found amosite asbestos 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels' and measured asbestos dust exposures in the pipe-covering trade during wartime shipbuilding - the era/operation-level documentation for the insulation pathway applicable to steam auxiliaries built under MC contract, including the S4-SE2-BD1 hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (survey); 1946 (publication)
- Population
- Pipe coverers and adjacent trades in WWII naval construction
- Limitations
- Survey covered pipe-covering operations in naval construction generally, not this hull or this yard specifically; establishes the era-level exposure pathway (asbestos pipe covering in Navy shipbuilding), not ship-proven presence aboard APA-80.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-08
-
[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
- Am. J. Ind. Med. 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed history documenting extensive use of asbestos as fireproofing and insulating material in 1940s shipbuilding, the Navy/USMC's contemporaneous knowledge of asbestosis hazard (including the 1943 Minimum Requirements and the BuShips supervisor memoranda), and postwar manifestation of disease among shipyard workers - the scholarly era-level basis for treating any 1944-45 MC-contract steam auxiliary as constructed within the asbestos-shipbuilding regime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940s (subject period); 1987 (publication)
- Population
- WWII shipbuilding workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Secondary scholarship, era-level only: documents policy and practice across WWII shipbuilding; does not document materials aboard this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps, 2026-09-25: type=o '"USS Elkhart"' (0 results); type=r '"USS Elkhart"' (0 dockets); type=o '"APA-80"' (6 hits, all name collisions - reporter/appendix citation fragments, e.g. Noble Energy v. ConocoPhillips, Bennett v. Spear); type=r '"APA-80"' (74 hits, all name collisions - filing/appendix pagination fragments in unrelated dockets); type=o 'Elkhart asbestos Navy' (2 hits - In re BFW Liquidation (Bankr. N.D. Ala. 2011), Carson Harbor Village v. Unocal (C.D. Cal. 2003), both 'Elkhart'-as-place/company collisions); type=o '"Elkhart" asbestos' (30 hits, all name collisions - City of Elkhart, Elkhart Products Corp., Elkhart Community Schools and other Indiana entities; no vessel mention in returned snippets) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-elkhart-apa80-07 through sl-uss-elkhart-apa80-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located on CourtListener naming USS Elkhart or APA-80: exact-phrase name searches returned zero opinions and zero dockets; every hull-number and name+asbestos hit was classified a name collision on snippet review (high-collision name: Elkhart is an Indiana city/county and an asbestos-era products defendant, Elkhart Products Corp.).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25 (search date); corpus coverage varies
- Limitations
- Sweep covers CourtListener's opinion corpus and RECAP docket index only; state-court trial filings, settled/undocketed claims, bankruptcy-trust claims, and non-digitized federal filings are out of scope. Absence of a located case is not proof no claim was ever filed. Fleet pacing interrupted the session once (hourly budget); all sweep cells completed on retry - no queries abandoned.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-10
-
[11]Batch-2379 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live page absent); hazegray DANFS transcription; NavSource 10/03/03080; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1413 + status-card scans; BuShips SDB 1945 v2 index + v3 per-hull tables (shipscribe scans); shipscribe APA-57 class page; CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps; indexed-web litigation check; NARA catalog check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-elkhart-apa80-01 through sl-uss-elkhart-apa80-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials list, or docketed case naming USS Elkhart / APA-80 / MC hull 1873 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Ship-specific asbestos documentation is therefore recorded as unknown, with class/era inference carried separately and labelled.
- 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 1944-45 contract-yard steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and the 1964 commercial breaking predates routine hazmat documentation. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present, nor establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-11
-
[12]NARA record-group path for hull records: RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1983' (NAID 594258) deck logs for ELKHART (APA-80), expected file units Feb 1945-Apr 1946; RG 19 BuShips S4-SE2-BD1 design records / Booklet of General Plans; RG 178 USMC construction-contract file for MC hull 1873; RG 357 MARAD/NDRF custody incl. the 1955-56 repair-program file and PDX-653 sale file [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov series NAID 594258 (RG 24); RG 19 (BuShips); RG 178 (USMC); RG 357 (MARAD)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads mapped but unretrieved this session: NARA catalog is JS-rendered and its API did not return records to machine queries from this environment, so Elkhart-specific deck-log file units within series 594258 were not individually confirmed; WWII deck-log scan coverage in the catalog is broad but per-hull completeness varies. The MARAD PDX-653 sale file and RG 178 MC contract file are the most promising materials/disposal-era leads.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1964 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Lead-level only - no archival content reviewed; existence of Elkhart file units within each series is probable but unverified. RG 357 citations follow standard MARAD custody-records mapping.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-elkhart-apa80-12