Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), Fillmore (APA-83) - verbatim transcription via hazegray/losthistory.net mirror; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-25 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text; NHHC canonical page 404 (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Fillmore (APA-83): launched 1945-01-04 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, CA, sponsored by Miss Mary L. Rutte; commissioned 1945-02-25, Commander L. E. Divoll in command. Wartime runs from San Francisco to Espiritu Santo, Samar, Biak, Humboldt Bay, Ulithi, and Pearl Harbor; landed troops at Leyte 1945-08-02 and served as receiving ship until the Japanese surrender; landed occupation troops at Aomori, northern Honshu, 1945-09-25; returned to San Francisco 1945-10-21 with discharge-eligible veterans; carried occupation troops to Korea Nov-Dec 1945. 'Through almost all of 1946 was engaged in preparations for, and actual tests in, Operation Crossroads'; back in San Francisco 1946-11-05; decommissioned at Norfolk 1947-01-24; transferred to the Maritime Commission 1948-04-01. Specifications block: dp 4,247; l 426'; b 58'; dr 16'; s 17 k; cpl 320; armament 1 5-inch; class Gilliam. Named for Fillmore Counties in Minnesota and Nebraska.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history, transcribed on a mirror because the live NHHC page 404s. Establishes identity, construction, service history, and Crossroads participation. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - FILLMORE (APA-83), ShipHistory Detail 1558 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1558, characteristics and milestone table; status-card image links
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record for FILLMORE (APA-83): year built 1945; shipyard Consolidated Steel Corporation; type S4-SE2-BD1 attack transport (APA); length 426 ft, beam 58 ft; displacement 4,247 t light / 7,080 t summer; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; government-custody milestones show Disposition and Withdrawal both 1966-10-05; three digitized vessel status-card scans are attached to the record (content not transcribed here).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1966
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and hull characteristics; withdrawal milestone (10/5/66) differs from NavSource's 10/10/66 - logged as conflict. Status-card scans exist but were not OCR-verified here. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-02
-
[3]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Fillmore (APA-83) page (volunteer-compiled from official Navy and Maritime Commission records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-83 page: assignment block, occupation-service table, Crossroads task-unit line, disposition paragraph, specification block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource APA-83 compilation: assigned to TransRon Twenty-Three / TransDiv Sixty-Nine in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) periods 1945-09-02 to 09-30 and 1945-11-28 to 12-08; assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.2.6 (Target Vessel Group - Merchant Type Units, Transport Division 93) for Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, July 1946; decommissioned 1947-01-24 Norfolk; struck 1947-02-25; returned to Maritime Commission 1948-04-01 for layup in NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; sold for scrapping 1966-09-13 to Horton Industries Inc. (PD-X-738 dated 1966-09-13) for $66,800; withdrawn from James River Reserve Fleet 1966-10-10; scrapping completed at Wilmington, NC 1967-09-06. Commanding officers: CDR Lawrence E. Divoll (1945-02-25 to 1946-11-01); CDR Clarence L. Foushee Sr. (1946-11-01 to 1947-01-24). Specs: complement 27 officers / 295 enlisted; troop capacity 47 / 802; cargo 85,000 cu ft / 2,600 t; two Westinghouse turboelectric drives, two Babcock & Wilcox 450-psi 750-degree boilers, twin screws, 6,000 shp.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1967
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops (1945-47); JTF-1 target-array personnel (1946)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary document - the headline facts (Crossroads participation, dates, transfer, sale) are concordant with DANFS and MARAD; task-unit detail, occupation-medal periods, sale contract number, and CO list rest on NavSource's compilation. Withdrawal (10/10/66) and scrapping-completion (9/6/67) dates conflict with MARAD/shipscribe - logged as gaps. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-03
-
[4]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Gilliam (APA-57) class page - construction and disposition tables, usnaux.shipscribe.com/APA/APA57.html [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-57 class page, construction table row 83 and per-hull disposition note (MC hull 1876)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe Gilliam-class (APA-57) construction/disposition table (compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from Navy and Maritime Commission records): APA-83 ordered 1943-05-25; keel laid 1944-10-19 at Consolidated Steel, Wilmington; launched 1945-01-04; commissioned 1945-02-25; decommissioned 1947-01-24; struck 1947-02-25; to Maritime Commission/reserve 1948-04-01; sold 1966-09-13. Per-hull note: 'At the Bikini atomic bomb tests, used as a hotel for the "Baker" (second) test and remained in service. To NDRF 1948. Repaired while inactive 18 Jan 55-23 Jun 55. To buyer 5 Oct 66, scrapped by 9 Jun 67.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1967
- Population
- Bikini berthing/hotel-ship complement during the Baker shot (July 1946)
- Limitations
- Reputable compiled secondary source (Roberts, from official records) - keel date 1944-10-19, the Bikini 'hotel' role for the Baker shot, the Jan-Jun 1955 inactive-repair period, and the 1967-06-09 scrapping date rest on this compilation and are not independently verified against primary documents. Dates otherwise concordant with DANFS/MARAD/NavSource. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-04
-
[5]Naval Sea Systems Command, FOIA Reading Room - Asbestos Related Files index (navsea.navy.mil), document list as surfaced in search indexing [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSEA asbestos reading-room index (page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch 2026-09-25; document list reviewed via search index)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-standard asbestos applications in a 1945-built Navy attack transport: the NAVSEA FOIA reading-room asbestos index lists Navy-specified products including 'Insulation Felt, Thermal, Asbestos Fiber' (QPL-15091-5), 'Gaskets, Metallic-Asbestos, Spiral-Wound (Symbol 2410) for Boilers' (QPL-1534), and 'Packing, Material, Asbestos, Rod, High Pressure (Symbol 1100)' (QPL-17340 / 33-P-16) - the product classes used for boiler insulation, steam-line covering, flange gaskets, and machinery packing aboard steam auxiliaries of the period. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; magnesia-section pipe covering; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; fireproofing in accommodation spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1967
- Population
- Construction trades (Consolidated Steel, Wilmington, 1944-45); ship's company and embarked troops (1945-47); NDRF layup and 1955 inactive-repair crews; scrapping workers (Wilmington, NC, 1966-67)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - the index demonstrates that asbestos versions of these insulation, gasket, and packing product classes were Navy-specified products, but the listed QPL spec dates (1950s-1970s) largely postdate this hull's 1944-45 construction; it does not name this vessel, does not establish that any asbestos product was installed aboard, and gives no quantity, location, or condition. The 403 block means the full document list was reviewed only via its indexed description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-05
-
[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 WWII - the era and emergency-construction program under which this S4-SE2-BD1 attack transport was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- 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 aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-06
-
[7]CourtListener API v4, opinion (type=o) and RECAP docket (type=r) searches, exact name and hull number [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fillmore-apa83-07, -08, -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener API v4 sweep (2026-09-25): opinion search '"USS Fillmore" OR "Fillmore (APA-83)" OR "APA-83"' returned 3 hits, all name collisions (a Delaware contract case, a Ninth Circuit animal-welfare case, a Texas bankruptcy adversary - 'Fillmore' as person/place/entity); opinion search '"Fillmore" asbestos ship' returned 7 hits, all name collisions (Texas appellate matters, a W.D. Va. vermiculite case); docket search '"Fillmore" "APA-83"' returned 0 hits. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- A clean litigation sweep is a negative finding, not proof that no claim was ever filed - PACER-level dockets and settled/unreported matters are not fully indexed by CourtListener. Absence of hull-specific litigation does not bear on whether asbestos was aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-07
-
[8]Batch-2382 search ledger (this record): DANFS (hazegray transcription); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1558; NavSource APA-83; shipscribe APA-57 class page; CourtListener name/hull/asbestos searches; NARA asbestos research guide [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fillmore-apa83-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, NRHP/HAER recordation, or docketed case naming the Fillmore hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, MARAD ShipHistory (Detail 1558), NavSource, and shipscribe class records contain none (see search_ledger).
- 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 1945 steam attack transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing as built. The hull was scrapped in 1967, so no present-day ACM question applies. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-08
-
[9]National Archives and Records Administration, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (RG 19 filing-path guidance); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1558 status-card images [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA asbestos guided-topic page (RG 19 correspondence series, Navy Filing Manual codes); https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1558 status-card section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room work or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA's guided topic 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' directs hull-level research to RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) correspondence filed by ship designation - hull code APA83 for this vessel, class code APA57 (Gilliam-class namesake), type code APA, and builder code QM/Consolidated Steel - plus Navy deck logs for 1945-47 (which would cover the Bikini assignment) and Joint Task Force 1 / Operation Crossroads records (radiological surveys and any decontamination of merchant-type target-group units). Three MARAD vessel status-card scans exist at ShipHistory Detail 1558 but their content was not transcribed in this pass.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1967 records
- Limitations
- Record-path mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether asbestos-specific documents for hull 1876 / APA-83 exist is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fillmore-apa83-09