Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Florence Nightingale (AP-70)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published online 2014-12-18; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verified via Wayback capture) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body; canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/florence-nightingale.html returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-25
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (NHHC): Florence Nightingale (AP-70), Elizabeth C. Stanton class; dp. 7,980; l. 492'; b. 69'6"; dr. 24'; s. 18 k.; cpl. 396; armament 1 x 5", 4 x 3". Launched 28 August 1940 by Moore Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Oakland, Calif., as Mormacsun; sponsored by Miss Carlotta S. Chapman; commissioned 17 September 1942, Capt. E. D. Graves, Jr., in command. Full WWII itinerary: North Africa (Port Lyautey, 8-15 Nov 1942), Algeria shuttle voyages carrying reinforcements out and POWs back (returned New York 11 Mar 1943), Sicily (Scoglitti, 10-12 Jul 1943), Oran, Belfast, Glasgow-Iceland, Firth of Clyde troop runs, Cardiff (sailed NY 27 Feb 1944), Mediterranean troop work from 21 Mar 1944, southern France initial assault (15 Aug 1944, sortied Naples 13 Aug, casualties returned to Naples, reinforcements from Oran until 25 Oct), New York overhaul 8 Nov-18 Dec 1944, Pearl Harbor 10 Jan 1945, Marianas/Guam troop and cargo runs, Ulithi cargo voyage, Okinawa reinforcement lift 3-8 May 1945 under repeated air raids without damage, San Francisco 27 May 1945, Seabees to Okinawa, occupation duty (Eniwetok, Yokosuka, return to Portland OR 15 Nov 1945), Korea occupation troops (13 Dec 1945-16 Feb 1946), German POWs to Liverpool (sailed 26 Feb 1946), troops from Le Havre to New York (docked 8 Apr 1946); decommissioned 1 May 1946 and transferred to WSA same day; four battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1946
- Population
- Crew complement 396 (DANFS figure); embarked troops various
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, and service history. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or crew-health information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC URL currently 404s (standing NHHC link-rot issue, cf. batch-01 report); Wayback text verified verbatim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-01
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[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports (AP) section, per-hull rows for NIGHTINGALE, FLORENCE (AP-70) (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 AP tables (dimensions, machinery, armament/cargo, and construction columns, AP-70 row); AP index entries for AP-70
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945) carries per-hull rows for 'NIGHTINGALE, FLORENCE (ex-Mormacsun ex-M.C. Hull 137), AP-70': 492'0" overall / 465'0" pp; beam 69'6"; trial speed 18.4 knots; machinery - 1 De Laval steam turbine, 8,000 shp, single screw, 2 Foster-Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) and 4 x 3"/50 (D.P.); refrigerated cargo 13,149 cu ft; built by Moore D.D. Co., Oakland, Calif.; acquired 13 Sept 42; year built 1940; commissioned 17 Sept 42.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, builder, acquisition, and commissioning. OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS and NavSource. SDB 'year built 1940' is the hull/launch year; MARAD and delivery sources give 1941 completion - noted in gaps. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-02
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[3]ShipScribe (shipscribe.com), 'USS Elizabeth C. Stanton (AP-69) Class' page - compiled Naval auxiliary register data, class notes, and ship notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class construction/disposition tables, Class Notes, and AP-70 Ship Notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe auxiliary-vessel class record (S. S. Roberts compilation of official sources): AP-70 ex-mercantile MORMACSUN, MC hull 137, keel 20 Jun 1940, launched 28 Aug 1940, commissioned 17 Sep 1942; decommissioned 1 May 1946, struck 8 May 1946, returned to owner 1 May 1946. Class notes: on 1 Aug 1942 CominCh directed partial conversion of ten vessels (became AP 42-43 and 66-73) for the North Africa landings; MORMACSUN's conversion was Army-funded and performed by Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock (Todd), Hoboken, N.J., 13 Aug-20 Sep 1942; as converted she carried two Welin davits with most boats on deck. Disposition note: 'To NDRF 1966 as TEXAS. Sold by MA 2 Nov 70.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1970
- Population
- Conversion-yard workforce, Tietjen & Lang DD (Todd), Hoboken NJ, Aug-Sep 1942
- Limitations
- Privately compiled secondary reference consistent with official records (keel and launch dates corroborate DANFS; NDRF 1966 date corroborates the reported 1966 trade-in). No asbestos or materials content. Underlying CominCh/Auxiliary Vessels Board directives and BuShips conversion records reside at NARA (see archival-lead row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MORMACSUN Detail 11890 and FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE (AP-70) Detail 12586 (incl. digitized status cards) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 11890 (name history, particulars, status-card images) and Detail 12586; status-card scan set (4 images) not text-readable via public interface
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records: MORMACSUN (ShipHistory Detail 11890) - year built 1941, official no. 240541, shipyard 'Moore Shipbuilding Company,' MARAD type C3, length 465.25 ft, beam 69.5 ft, 7,773 gross / 4,585 net tons, fate 'Sold - Scrap'; vessel name history Mormacsun 1941-42, 'Florence Nightengale' [sic] 1942-53, Japan Transport 1953-59, Texas 1959-70. Separate Navy-period record FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE (AP-70) (ShipHistory Detail 12586) lists same official number and shipyard ('Moore Drydock Company'), specific type 'AP Transport,' same fate. Four digitized vessel status-card images exist on Detail 11890 but are not text-readable in the public interface.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-1970
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody and merchant-phase identity. Milestone tables empty; detail-level dates (1966 trade-in vs 1969 formal return) unresolved between sources - logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-04
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[5]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Florence Nightingale (AP-70) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page header chronology, campaign table, Merchant Service block, and Specifications block; live site refused automated fetch 2026-09-25 - content verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-29 (web.archive.org/web/20240529054711/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22070.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photo-archive entry (archived capture): laid down 1940 as SS Mormacsun, MC type C3 hull (MC hull 137) at Moore Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Oakland CA; delivered to Moore-McCormack May 1941; acquired by WSA 20 December 1941; turned over to Navy 13 September 1942; commissioned 17 September 1942, CAPT Edwin D. Graves, Jr.; campaigns listed: Port Lyautey Morocco 8-11 Nov [1943 per NavSource table - year is a typo, see limitations], Sicily 9-15 Jul 1943, southern France 15 Aug-25 Sep 1944, Okinawa 3-8 May 1945; Far East occupation service 29 Sep-5 Nov 1945; decommissioned and returned to Moore-McCormack 1 May 1946; struck 8 May 1946; four battle stars. Merchant service: sold by Moore-McCormack July 1953 to Pacific Transport Lines (renamed Japan Transport); sold to States Steamship Co. Aug 1957 (renamed Texas); returned to MARAD 25 July 1969 for NDRF Olympia WA; final disposition sold for scrapping 2 November 1970 to Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland OR (PD-X-886, $433,899.99, six-ship deal). Spec block: 7,980 t light / 14,400 t full; 492' x 69'6" x 24'; De Laval turbine, 2 Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers 465 psi/765 F, 8,500 hp single screw; complement 40 officers + 356 enlisted; troops 110 officers + 2,017 enlisted; cargo 336,582 cu ft non-refrigerated + 13,149 refrigerated; 30-ton boom.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1970
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Milestone spine corroborated by DANFS, SDB 1945, and MARAD. Two internal errors flagged: launch '28 April 1940' conflicts with DANFS/ShipScribe 28 Aug 1940 (DANFS adopted); Port Lyautey 'November 1943' is a typo for 1942 (DANFS adopted). NDRF return '25 Jul 1969' conflicts with ShipScribe/reported 1966 trade-in - both logged, unresolved. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-05
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[6]Morton, Louis, 'The Fall of the Philippines' (United States Army in World War II, Center of Military History), ch. 22; Morton, 'The War in the Pacific - Strategy and Command: The First Two Years' (USAWWII, CMH), ch. 8 (HyperWar transcriptions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USA-P-PI ch. 22 (Brisbane blockade-running paragraph naming Mormacsun); ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Strategy/Strategy-8.html ch. 8 (same)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official U.S. Army in WWII histories name this hull in her WSA/Army-allocated merchant identity: 'The Fall of the Philippines' (Morton, CMH) records MORMACSUN loading at Brisbane in January-February 1942 with ~6,000 tons of balanced rations and ammunition for the attempted relief of the Philippines, under Washington orders to go no farther north than the Netherlands Indies, where the cargo would transfer to smaller blockade-running vessels; 'Strategy and Command: The First Two Years' records the same Brisbane loading and Indies-transshipment orders. This corroborates the ship's documented WSA-agent (Moore-McCormack) role in early Southwest Pacific supply before Navy transfer in September 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-12 to 1942-02
- Population
- Merchant crew (Moore-McCormack under WSA/Army allocation), Dec 1941-Feb 1942
- Limitations
- Official Army history naming the hull - establishes the WSA-era Southwest Pacific role. Exact sailing dates and cargo quantities beyond the ~6,000-ton figure (e.g., the 67 crated P-40s reported by secondary sources) are not stated in this source - carried in gaps, not asserted. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-06
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[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull (De Laval turbine + 2 Foster-Wheeler 'D' boilers, 465 psi / 765 deg F) + ShipScribe class data and conversion notes + Corn & Starr 1987 era documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, AP section (NIGHTINGALE row); shipscribe.com/usnaux/AP/AP69.html class data and conversion notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-turbine steam plant (one De Laval turbine, 8,000 shp per BuShips SDB row, on two Foster-Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F) completed June 1941 and converted August-September 1942 to a combat-loaded transport (two Welin davits, ~20 landing boats, troop berthing/messing for ~2,127 per NavSource spec block) at Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock (Todd), Hoboken NJ - machinery and outfitting of exactly the configuration whose boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, accommodation insulation, and winch brake linings were commonly asbestos-containing in this construction/conversion era. Disturbance-phase events for this hull include the 1942 conversion, wartime overhauls (New York Nov-Dec 1944 per DANFS; Chesapeake Bay refit 1943), 1946 reactivation to merchant service, 1953 and 1957 resale/refit events, and the 1970-71 Portland breaking.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1971
- Population
- Moore Dry Dock construction trades (1940-41); Tietjen & Lang conversion workforce (Aug-Sep 1942); wartime crew and embarked troops; New York overhaul workforces (1944); postwar merchant crews; 1970-71 Zidell breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and documented yard events - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming this hull was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. 1940-41 merchant construction falls within the era when asbestos was standard marine steam-plant insulation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-07
-
[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 (1946); W.A. Simons Asbestos Trust California Site List (Sep 2020) - as carried in shipyards.json record 'moore-dry-dock-oakland' (evidence_tier 2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed 21016030 (Fleischer-Drinker); shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json entry moore-dry-dock-oakland
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The builder yard is independently documented for asbestos use: the U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned Fleischer-Drinker 1946 survey ('A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28(1):9-16) documented amosite pipe covering and boiler block insulation use in confined spaces at Navy contract yards of the type Moore Dry Dock operated during WWII; the W.A. Simons Asbestos Trust California Site List (Sep 2020) independently lists MOORE DRY DOCK-OAKLAND, CA (Adeline St) at Exposure Level H (High). This hull was built at that yard 1940-41.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- Moore Dry Dock construction workforce, Oakland, 1940-41 (yard-level)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation of asbestos materials and exposure conditions during the construction era; does not document materials installed in this specific hull and does not establish individual exposure. C&EN (Jul 2026) reported a retraction call for the Fleischer-Drinker paper; the Simons Trust site rating is independent corroboration.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-08
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[9]Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 'Zidell Waterfront Property Cleanup' community advisory document (oregon.gov/deq) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DEQ cleanup advisory: site history (336 ships dismantled) and contaminants list (asbestos; abatement project description)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The hull's scrapping site is a documented asbestos-contaminated shipbreaking yard: Oregon DEQ records for the Zidell waterfront cleanup (former Commercial Iron Works shipyard purchased by Zidell 1946) state that 336 ships were dismantled there over ~30 years, list asbestos among site contaminants, and describe a completed asbestos abatement project with certified workers, air monitoring, and bulk ACM disposal. This hull was sold to Zidell Explorations, Portland, on 2 November 1970 and dismantled there.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1976 site history; hull scrapped 1970-71
- Population
- Zidell shipbreaking workforce, Portland (site-level, 1946-1970s)
- Limitations
- Documents site-level contamination and site history at the scrapping facility; does not document that asbestos was aboard or removed from this specific hull, and does not establish any individual exposure. Dismantling of this hull (post-Nov 1970) falls within the documented shipbreaking period.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-09
-
[10]Buckholtz as Personal Representative for the Estate of Woodruff v. Zidell Explorations, Inc., et al., No. 56257-0-II (Wash. Ct. App. Div. II, Jan. 24, 2023) (unpublished) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text: Zidell corporate structure, ship-dismantling asbestos removal (burner/laborer testimony), Gobel testimony re asbestos on Zidell-owned Navy ships, USS Philippine Sea dismantling timeline (Apr-Jul 1971), disposition (vacate and remand)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Buckholtz (Estate of Woodruff) v. Zidell Explorations, Inc., et al., No. 56257-0-II (Wash. Ct. App. Div. II, filed Jan. 24, 2023, unpublished): the appellate opinion describes Zidell's early-1970s ship-dismantling operations - a burner/laborer at the Tacoma sister operation (Zidell Dismantling, May 1970-Jul 1973) removed asbestos insulation material from ships being scrapped, and trial testimony (Gobel) was that Zidell Explorations knew there was asbestos on the Navy ships it owned. The Court of Appeals reversed: the $11.2M verdict was vacated and the case remanded for a new trial on duty/spoliation grounds. The record documents contemporaneous asbestos insulation on, and removal from, Zidell-owned WWII-era ships - the same period and corporate family in which this hull was dismantled at Portland.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1970-1973 operations; opinion filed 2023-01-24
- Population
- Zidell dismantling workforce, Tacoma/Portland (site-level)
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: this is an UNPUBLISHED appellate opinion that VACATED the trial judgment and remanded for a new trial - the trial record it describes (testimony about asbestos removal and Zidell's knowledge of asbestos on owned ships) is a factual record of conditions, not an adjudicated exposure finding. The plaintiff worked at the Tacoma sister yard, not on this hull at Portland; this hull is not named in the opinion. Any retrial outcome not located. Yard-level context only; establishes no finding about this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-10
-
[11]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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this C3-M hull was built (1940-41, MC contract) and converted to Navy service (1942).
- 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-11
-
[12]Batch-2142 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; NavSource; ShipScribe; MARAD ShipHistory Details 11890/12586; CourtListener name/hull searches; NARA record-group guides; Oregon DEQ; Washington Courts [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-01 through -18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Florence Nightingale (AP-70), Mormacsun, Japan Transport, Texas (this hull), or official no. 240541 was found in the public sources searched (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 1941 C3-M steamship is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and both the builder yard and scrapping yard are asbestos-documented. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The four unscanned-text MARAD status-card images remain unreviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-12
-
[13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24, RG 19, RG 178, RG 248; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 11890 status-card images [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov status-card image set (4 images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room work or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Navy deck logs for commissioned periods, Sep 1942-May 1946); RG 178 USMC Construction Division / West Coast Director for Construction files (MC hull 137 construction and outfitting records, Moore Dry Dock contract); Army-funded conversion contract files for Tietjen & Lang DD, Hoboken (Aug-Sep 1942); RG 248 WSA vessel operation files (Dec 1941-Sep 1942 and post-1946); RG 19 Bureau of Ships plans/records; plus the four unscanned-text MARAD vessel status-card images on ShipHistory Detail 11890.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1970 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 137 / AP-70 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-florence-nightingale-ap70-13