Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet o-packet.md (9 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Fond du Lac. Hull: APA-166. Designation: attack transport (APA). Class: Haskell.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-pkt-o-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, APA-166 row 95 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA tables row 95 (dimensions/accommodations/machinery/armament/builder spreads); index entry 'APA166 FOND DU LAC (ex-M.C.V. Hull 132)'; machinery table prints '2 C.E. hdr.' boilers for this hull while some neighboring rows print 'B. & W. hdr.' - boiler make is per-hull, not class-uniform
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for FOND DU LAC APA-166 (APA table row 95, index entry 'APA 166 FOND DU LAC'): 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots trial speed; 14,837 tons trial displacement; limiting displacement 12,450 tons; limiting draft 24'0"; accommodations 56 officers + 480 enlisted (ship's company 536); troop capacity 80 officers + 1,440 enlisted; largest boom 35 t; machinery 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 8,500 shp, 1 propeller, with 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F; double Westinghouse main reduction gear; 3 turbo-drive 300 kW 120/240 V D.C. ship's service generators; fuel 7,780 Bbls NSFO + 970 Bbls diesel; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm AA; cargo 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated, 5,800 DWT total / 2,900 DWT cargo; builder Oregon S.B. Corp., Portland, Oreg.; acquired and first commissioned 6 Nov 44; year built 1944; index gives ex-M.C.V. Hull 132.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (Oregon SB Portland, 1944); crew of 536 plus up to ~1,520 embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant (incl. Combustion Engineering boilers, correcting class-generic B&W descriptions), manning, builder, and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-01
-
[3]NHHC, DANFS, 'Fond du Lac (APA-166)' entry (live page 404 as of 2026-09-25; verified full text recovered via Wayback capture 2025-12-09; page published 2018-01-28) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS > F > Fond du Lac (APA-166); live URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/fond-du-lac.html returns 404 (standing NHHC link-rot issue per batch-01); ibiblio NHC photo page gives a consistent narrative but misstates the build site as 'Vancouver, Washington' - see correction row ev-09
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC DANFS entry: a county in Wisconsin is the namesake; launched 5 October 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg.; sponsored by Mrs. Giles French; acquired and commissioned 6 November 1944, Captain E. P. Creehan in command. Service: sailed San Francisco 11 Jan 1945 with troops and cargo for Leyte Gulf, landed as reinforcements 17 Feb; stood out of Leyte Gulf 27 Mar after Okinawa assault training; landed troops and equipment on the assault beaches 1-5 Apr; sailed with casualties for Guam; continued to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco to reload; brought troops to the Philippines 10 Jun; transferred men from New Guinea to the Philippines; sailed 14 Jul 1945 for San Francisco; returned to the Far East at Sasebo 22 Sep with Marine occupation troops; one voyage to the Philippines for additional occupation forces to Japan; sailed home from Guam with servicemen eligible for discharge; Far East transport duty again in December; last Pearl Harbor voyage January 1946; sailed San Francisco 8 Feb for Norfolk; decommissioned 11 April 1946; returned to her owner two days later. One battle star for World War II service. Spec block: dp. 6,873; l. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 24'; s. 18 k.; cpl. 536; a. 1 5"; cl. Haskell.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew of 536 plus embarked troops during 1944-1946 operations
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, wartime service chronology, decommissioning (11 Apr 1946 - NavSource prints 12 Apr; see gaps), and custody return two days later. DANFS text predates final disposal and gives no stricken date. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-02
-
[4]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Fond Du Lac (APA-166) file (secondary compilation of NVR/DANFS/award data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/03/03166.htm - chronology, awards, campaign table, CO list, spec block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource file 10/03/03166 corroborates DANFS and adds detail: call sign NDTG; laid down 25 Jul 1944 as VC2-S-AP5 MCV hull 132 at Oregon Shipbuilding Group, Portland, OR; delivered to the Maritime Commission 5 Nov 1944; wartime assignment TransRon Eighteen (COMO J.G. Moyer USN) / TransDiv Fifty-Three (CAPT W.N. Thornton USN); Asiatic-Pacific campaign table lists the Okinawa Gunto operation 1-5 Apr 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 5-27 Sep and 19-24 Oct 1945; awards include American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), Philippine Liberation Medal; decommissioned 12 Apr 1946 at Norfolk, VA (one day later than DANFS); returned to the Maritime Commission 13 Apr 1946 for lay-up NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1946; sold for scrapping 17 May 1974 to M. V. Intershitra for scrapping in the Netherlands, delivered 21 Jun 1974; sole commanding officer CAPT Edward Patrick Creehan USN (USNA 1924), 6 Nov 1944 - 12 Apr 1946; spec block concurs with the SDB per-hull row incl. 'two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 465psi 750deg'; photographs show the ship in Measure 32/4T camouflage at Naval Station Astoria, OR in Nov 1944 (US Naval Station Astoria photos, NARA Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle)) and in San Francisco Bay late 1945/early 1946 during Magic Carpet operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - used for chronology detail (laid-down date, TransRon/TransDiv assignment, occupation medal periods, strike date, disposal dates) corroborated against DANFS and the MARAD cards where overlapping. The 12 Apr 1946 decommission date and 1 May 1946 strike date are NavSource-compiled; no live NVR page exists to verify. Its troop-enlisted figure '1,4450' is a typo the SDB row resolves to 1,440. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - FOND DU LAC (APA-166), Ship History Detail 1596, incl. digitized USMC Vessel Status Card, Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card, and permanent-ballast card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1596 milestone table; card scans /cards/2DL_01.png (USMC Vessel Status Card), /cards/1596_2942AF.jpg (vessel-data card), /cards/1596_2942AB.jpg (permanent ballast, 12-29-49) - all read directly
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for FOND DU LAC (APA-166) plus digitized USMC Vessel Status Card, Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card, and permanent-ballast card: type VC2-S-AP5, built 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Company at Portland, Ore., MCV hull 132, completed 11-5-44; 455.00 ft length, 62.00 ft beam, 12,450 t displacement; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Custody chain on the status card: delivered by builders to USMC 11-5-44 12:05 PM PWT at Portland; Navy Dept. (LB form of agreement); delivered by Navy Dept.-Surplus to the Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, Va. 4-13-46 4:10 PM EST; allocated to American Foreign SS. Corp. (Repair Program) under a General Agency Agreement at James River 12-2-55 12:00 noon EST; returned to Reserve Fleet (Repair Program), James River, 2-3-56 1:00 PM EST; sold to N.V. Intershitra for scrapping in the Netherlands 5-17-74; physically delivered 6-21-74 10:00 AM EDT. Vessel-data card adds: fleet JR unit 9, WSA ownership, lay-up reason 'High Cost to convert for commercial use,' 1956 Repair Program annotation 'Withdrawn Dec. 2, 1955 - 1200 hrs EST / Returned JR Feb. 3, 1956 - 1300 hrs EST,' fuel oil at entry 472 Bbls Bunker C + 30 Diesel, termination port Norfolk, sale 'Sold scrap under PD-X-976, 5-17-74 to N.V. Intershitra, Netherlands for $771,500.00,' withdrawn/delivered 1000 EDT 6-21-74. Permanent-ballast card (12-29-49): poured concrete ballast in #4 lower hold, #2 hold, evaporator room (steel siding sheathing), generator room, dry stores (ship skin sheathing) - 'No prints found on ship.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- NDRF James River caretakers (1946-1974); repair-program yard workforce (1955-56); scrapping workforce (1974)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, the documented 1955-12-02 to 1956-02-03 repair-program withdrawal under American Foreign SS. Corp. GAA (an uncharacterized ~9-week disturbance event - scope and work site not stated on the card), and the 1974 sale terms (PD-X-976, $771,500, N.V. Intershitra, Netherlands). The status card's 'Oregon SB Corp. #116' hull annotation coexists with typed 'MC Hull No. 132' - likely a builder's yard number, unresolved. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-04
-
[6]Consolidated era inference - BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v3 per-hull APA-166 row (machinery spec) + Corn & Starr AJIM 1987 (WWII shipbuilding asbestos documentation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA machinery table, row 95; AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No ship-specific material record exists; era/design inference only. Fond du Lac is a VC2-S-AP5 Victory-derived attack transport with a superheated geared-steam plant (2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 465 psi/750 deg F, Westinghouse turbine) built July-November 1944 at Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland - the peak period of asbestos consumption in U.S. shipbuilding. Typical applications for this machinery arrangement in the era: boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation insulation, winch/windlass brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944 (construction); 1944-1946 (active service)
- Population
- Construction trades (Oregon SB Portland, 1944); embarked troops and crew under way
- Limitations
- Class/design and era inference, not a hull record - no source searched names this vessel's materials. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-05
-
[7]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 program under which this VC2-S-AP5 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and naval auxiliary hulls.
- 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-fond-du-lac-apa166-06
-
[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,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-07
-
[9]Batch-2239 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03166; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1596 + status card/ballast card scans; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull row; CourtListener authenticated API sweeps; NARA record-group guides and catalog (war diary NAID 139991855); NVR; Haskell-class profile member sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-01 through sl-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material schedule, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or adjudicated exposure record naming USS Fond du Lac / APA-166 / M.C.V. Hull 132 was found in the public sources searched - NHHC DANFS contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; MARAD record, status cards, and permanent-ballast card contain none; NavSource contains none; CourtListener 'USS Fond du Lac' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'APA-166' returned zero opinions and 15 docket hits all classified Administrative Procedure Act / agency-review token collisions; 'Fond du Lac' + asbestos sweeps (14 opinions, 169 dockets) are all name collisions - Wisconsin localities and venues (including Wisconsin asbestos cases where Fond du Lac is a place, e.g. the Mohn v. CBS construction-jobsite appeal and Northwestern Asbestos & Cork Co. 1963), Fond du Lac County/city entities, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and attorney 'of Fond du Lac' signature lines - none maritime or vessel-naming (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 1944 geared-steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her 28 years in NDRF custody (incl. a documented 1955-56 repair-program withdrawal) plus 1974 scrapping are undocumented disturbance phases; construction-phase documentation would sit in NARA record groups not yet pulled. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-08
-
[10]ibiblio HyperWar / Naval Historical Center Online Library photo page 'USN Ships - USS Fond du Lac (APA-166)' (build-site and photo-caption errors); controlling sources: NHHC DANFS, MARAD USMC Vessel Status Card, BuShips SDB 1945 v3 row 95, NavSource; asbestos-ships.com USS Fond du Lac page (competitor site - examined for collision/accuracy screening only, not cited for any fact) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio photo page narrative ('built ... at Vancouver, Washington'; caption 'Astoria, Washington' for 80-G-290537); controlling: DANFS 'Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg.'; status card 'Portland, Ore.'; asbestos-ships.com/ships/uss-fond-du-lac-apa-166
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Correction/disambiguation: (a) the Naval Historical Center photo page (ibiblio HyperWar mirror, USN Ships - USS Fond du Lac) states the ship 'was built to a modified Victory ship design at Vancouver, Washington' - contradicted by DANFS itself ('Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg.'), the USMC status card ('Portland, Ore.'), the BuShips per-hull row ('Oregon S.B. Corp., Portland, Oreg.'), and NavSource (Portland, OR); the Vancouver statement is an error, probably confusion with Kaiser Vancouver-built sisters, and Portland is adopted. (b) The same page captions NARA photo 80-G-290537 as taken at 'Astoria, Washington' - Astoria is in Oregon (NavSource's captions say Naval Station Astoria, OR); minor caption error logged. (c) Name-collision screening: the hull is named for Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin; 'Fond du Lac' in litigation text resolves overwhelmingly to the Wisconsin city/county (incl. Fond du Lac County government litigation) and to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, a frequent litigation party - any 'Fond du Lac' hit must be resolved to a party/context before attribution to APA-166. (d) Competitor marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com USS Fond du Lac page; Simmons Firm and freeasbestostesting.com ship lists) carry era-generic asbestos claims for this hull with no hull-specific evidence - non-qualifying sources, examined for collision/accuracy screening only; the asbestos-ships.com page's stated dates and complement happen to be consistent with DANFS, no correction needed beyond its non-evidentiary status.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Correction of official-mirror narrative errors and a collision map for name-only search hits; the corrected facts rest on DANFS, the MARAD card, and BuShips. The competitor pages are not evidence of anything about the hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-09
-
[11]NARA Catalog record NAID 139991855 (via DPLA item 5b6d775a218b8099caee35ce122b088a); NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Maritime Administration); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1596 Status Cards as the on-point lead; ibiblio NHC photo page listing NARA photo numbers [other_primary]
- Locator
- dp.la/item/5b6d775a218b8099caee35ce122b088a (NARA partner record, WWII War Diaries series); archives.gov record-group pages 024/019/178/357; MARAD Detail 1596 status-card annotations
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (partly cataloged, none retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): a cataloged NARA record exists for this hull - 'USS FOND DU LAC - War Diary, 4/1-30/45,' NAID 139991855, WWII War Diaries series (Office of Naval Records and Library, National Archives at College Park; micro serial 120150 no. 0127), confirmed via DPLA aggregation - a ship-specific operational record covering the Okinawa assault month; Navy deck logs for USS Fond du Lac 1944-1946 (RG 24); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklets of General Plans (RG 19); USMC/WSA construction and custody records for M.C.V. Hull 132 at Oregon Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-1974 James River lay-up incl. the 1955-56 American Foreign SS. Corp. GAA repair-program records (would fix the repair scope and work site) and the PD-X-976 sale file (would name the scrapping site and any subcontractor). NARA photographic holdings include 80-G-290537 (16 Nov 1944, Astoria) and 80-G-352561 (on or before 7 Nov 1945); NH 98719 (San Francisco Bay, late 1945/early 1946) is in the Naval Historical Center collection.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1974 records
- Limitations
- Record-level and record-group mapping only - the war diary's catalog existence is confirmed but its contents were not read, and no box-level retrieval was performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCV-132 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fond-du-lac-apa166-10