USS Garrard (APA-84)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, class no. 102 GARRARD row (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 APA tables pp. 240-246 area: dimensions (102 GARRARD APA84), personnel/troop-capacity, machinery, armament/cargo, and construction rows for class no. 102; alphabetical index 'Garrard (ex-M.C. Hull 1877) -> 240'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945) carries a per-hull row for GARRARD APA-84 (auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) tables, class no. 102, index entry 'Garrard (ex-M.C. Hull 1877) -> 240'): 426'0" overall / 400'0" waterline; extreme beam 58'0"; designed trial speed 16.9 kt; limiting displacement 7,080 t; limiting draft 16'0"; accommodations 27 officers + 293 enlisted ship's company; troop capacity 47 officers + 802 enlisted; largest boom 15 t; machinery 2 propellers, 'Westgh. turb. elec.' 6,000 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox 'D' type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (N.P.) + 4 twin (40mm); cargo 85,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; construction row: built by Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; date acquired 2 Mar 45; year built 1944-45; first commission 3 Mar 45.

   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, manning, builder, and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-01

2. [2]DANFS, 'Garrard (APA-84)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2016-08-12; retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20210304010121) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20210304010121); live history.navy.mil URL returned 404 at research time (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC DANFS 'Garrard (APA-84)' entry (published 2016-08-12; live NHHC URL 404s - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20210304010121) records: named for a county in Kentucky; laid down 28 Oct 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 1877) at Wilmington, Calif., by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd.; launched 13 Jan 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Stephen Royce; acquired by the Navy 2 Mar 1945; commissioned at San Pedro 3 Mar 1945, Lt. Cmdr. Walter Barnett, Jr., in command. Service: shakedown and amphibious training on the California coast; cleared Seattle 3 May 1945 via Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Guam; Ulithi 28 May; Okinawa Hagushi Beach 24 Jun, landing men and cargo of the 854th Aviation Engineers under Japanese air attack; departed for Leyte 28 Jun; departed 8 Jul 1945 as logistics support ship to the Third Fleet off Japan (rendezvous 17 Jul; highline transfers; Eniwetok 26 Jul; receiving ship; second Third Fleet run departing 13 Aug, rendezvous 17 Aug); embarked sailors and marines for occupation duty and sailed 20 Aug with Task Force 31; Tokyo Bay 27 Aug; debarked troops at Yokosuka 30 Aug; Sendai liberated-POW run 10-15 Sep; embarked 726 veterans; departed Yokosuka 13 Oct; arrived Portland, Ore., 25 Oct. Operation Magic Carpet: departed San Francisco 19 Nov; Manila 11 Dec; embarked 905 troops; arrived San Francisco 3 Jan 1946; Mare Island Naval Shipyard; Seattle 6 Feb; inactivation overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton; decommissioned at Bellingham 21 May 1946. Transferred by the Navy to the Maritime Commission 29 Jun 1946 at Olympia as surplus; entered the NDRF at Olympia as a War Department asset; repairs under general agency agreement with Olympic Steamship Co., Inc., 16 Jan - 27 Mar 1956; sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland, Ore., 17 May 1965; withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet at Olympia 3 Jun 1965, broken up for scrap. Two battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: displacement 4,247 (light); length 426'; beam 58'; draft 16'; speed 16.9 kt; complement 320; troops 849; armament 1 5-inch, 8 40mm, 10 20mm; class Gilliam; type S4-SE2-BD1.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1965

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history and custody chain to scrapping. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Differs from NavSource on the Naval Register strike date and the disposal-custody sequence - see correction row ev-uss-garrard-apa84-05.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GARRARD (APA-84), Ship History Detail 1793, incl. digitized vessel status card (GARRARD.pdf) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1793 registry block, Milestones tab (Entry/Acquisition 6/30/1946; Disposition/Withdrawal 6/3/1965; content tags 'OPERATED BY ARMY', 'REPAIR PROGRAM 1956'), Documents tab GARRARD.pdf status-card scan

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record and digitized primary custody document for this hull (Detail 1793): registry fields - Year Built 1945; Shipyard 'Consolidated Steel Corporation'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'APA Attack Transport'; MARAD Type S4-SE2-BD1; length 426.00 ft; beam 58.00 ft; gross 6,000 t; Fate 'Sold - Scrap'; name history GARRARD (APA-84); mission World War II. Milestones: Entry 6/30/1946 (content 'OPERATED BY ARMY'); Acquisition 6/30/1946 (content 'REPAIR PROGRAM 1956'); Disposition 6/3/1965; Withdrawal 6/3/1965. Digitized vessel status card (Documents tab, GARRARD.pdf - poor-quality scan, partially legible): Navy Dept. to W.S.A. 6/30/46, Olympia, Wash., 'Surplus'; lay-up in Reserve Fleet at Olympia; Reserve Fleet to War Dept. 10/14/46, Olympia; War Dept. to W.S.M.C. 1/30/47; Reserve Fleet lay-up; later GAA custody entry naming a steamship company at Suisun Bay.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945-1965

   Limitations

   Authoritative government custody chain with a digitized primary document. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Status-card scan quality is poor (OCR largely unusable; entries read visually where legible). Milestone 'content' tags attach oddly to the milestone rows and are corroborated by shipscribe class notes (Army custody 1946-47; 1956 repair program).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Garrard (APA-84), file 10/03/03084 (last updated 2023-03-24) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 03084.htm - specifications block, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, disposal entries, commanding-officer table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive file 10/03/03084 corroborates DANFS and adds operational and disposal detail: Maritime Commission type S4-SE2-BD1 hull under MC contract (MC hull 1877) at Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, CA; wartime assignments TransRon Twenty-Four (COMO E. L. Short, USNR) and TransDiv Seventy; campaign table - Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation, 27-30 Jun 1945) and 3rd Fleet operations against Japan (10-22 Jul and 13-15 Aug 1945); occupation service in the Far East 2 Sep - Oct 1945; decommissioned 21 May 1946 at Bellingham, WA; struck from the Naval Register 30 May 1946; 'Returned to the Maritime Commission, 1 April 1948, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Olympia, WA' (conflicts with DANFS/MARAD 29-30 Jun 1946 - see correction row); final disposition sold for scrapping 3 Jun 1965 in a two-ship deal (PD-X-692) to Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland, OR, for $137,000.00, withdrawn from the Olympia Reserve Fleet 3 Jun 1965, 'scrapping completed at Bellingham WA., 29 September 1965'. Spec block matches BuShips SDB: 4,247 t light / 7,080 t full; 426' x 58' x 16.9'; 16.9 kt; 27 officers + 295 enlisted; troops 47 + 802; 85,000 cu ft cargo; 1 x 5"/38 DP + 4 twin 40mm + 10 single 20mm; 2 Westinghouse turbo-electric drives, 2 B&W boilers 450 psi / 750 deg F, 6,000 shp, 2 propellers. Commanding officers: LCDR Walter Barnett, Jr., USNR (3 Mar 1945 - 2 Apr 1946); CDR Otto John Stein, USNR (2 Apr - 21 May 1946).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1965

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed and mostly consistent with NHHC/MARAD but non-official; its 'Returned to the Maritime Commission, 1 April 1948' line conflicts with the DANFS/MARAD-documented 29-30 Jun 1946 transfer (see correction row). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-04

5. [5]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS 'Garrard (APA-84)' (Wayback 20210304010121) vs NavSource 03084, shipscribe Gilliam-class construction/disposition tables and class notes, MARAD Detail 1793 + status card, Wikipedia derivatives [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC entry service paragraphs and spec block; NavSource timeline and spec block; shipscribe APA57 class page (construction/disposition tables, class notes); MARAD status-card image and milestones; Wikipedia infobox (excluded errors)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Transfer to the Maritime Commission - NHHC DANFS reads 29 Jun 1946 'as surplus'; MARAD status card records Navy Dept. to W.S.A. delivery 6/30/46 at Olympia and MARAD registry milestone Entry 6/30/1946; shipscribe disposition table reads 30 Jun 46 disposal; NavSource reads 'Returned to the Maritime Commission, 1 April 1948' - the 1948 figure is rejected (contradicts DANFS + MARAD primary card) and 29-30 Jun 1946 carried. (b) Strike date - NavSource records 30 May 1946 from the Naval Register; shipscribe's disposition-table columns for this hull are ambiguous (the row shows 16 Apr 46 / 21 May 46 / 30 Jun 46, where 21 May equals the DANFS decommissioning date); DANFS gives no strike date - NavSource's 30 May 1946 carried with flag. (c) Sale vs withdrawal - DANFS and shipscribe record the sale to Zidell Explorations, Inc. on 17 May 1965; NavSource labels 3 Jun 1965 'sold for scrapping' while also recording withdrawal from the Olympia Reserve Fleet 3 Jun 1965; MARAD Disposition/Withdrawal milestones read 6/3/1965 - the consistent reading is sale contract 17 May 1965, fleet withdrawal/delivery 3 Jun 1965. (d) Wikipedia infobox errors excluded - 'Acquired 2 March 1944' (year typo; 1945 correct), 'sold for scrap 3 June 1963' (two-year error), and a 'metal used to build several large barges for exploration uses' claim that no authoritative source supports - MARAD fate is 'Sold - Scrap' and NavSource records scrapping completed at Bellingham 29 Sep 1965. (e) Cancelled conversion - shipscribe class notes record Garrard selected 11 Sep 1945 for eventual conversion to surveying ship (AGS), cancelled ca. Jan 1946 - never reclassified; no conversion work is documented. (f) Army custody interlude - shipscribe notes 'Transferred by MC to Army 30 Aug 46, out of NDRF 14 Oct 46, returned to NDRF by Army 31 Jan 47', matching the MARAD status card (Reserve Fleet to War Dept. 10/14/46; War Dept. to W.S.M.C. 1/30/47) and the MARAD 'OPERATED BY ARMY' milestone tag.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1965

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level conflicts in dates, custody chain, and disposal; the NavSource '1 April 1948' MC-return line and Wikipedia '1963' sale/'barges' claims are rejected against primary records. None of the compared sources contains asbestos information; this row supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-05

6. [6]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + shipscribe Gilliam-class notes (S4-SE2-BD1, MC Military Program, turbo-electric plant) + MARAD custody-card/milestone events [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery table class no. 102; shipscribe APA57 class notes (design history); MARAD status-card/milestone repair and disposal entries

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull carried a twin-screw turbo-electric plant (two Westinghouse turbo-electric drives, two Babcock & Wilcox 'D' type boilers at 450 psi / 750 deg F) built 1944-45 to Maritime Commission design S4-SE2-BD1 under the MC Military Program - the only propulsion plant readily obtainable for the class per shipscribe class notes. This is the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation/joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. Documented disturbance-phase pathways for this hull: the 1956 Repair Program withdrawal under Olympic Steamship Co. GAA (16 Jan - 27 Mar 1956) and the 1965 sale/withdrawal/scrapping at Bellingham, WA (scrapping completed 29 Sep 1965 per NavSource).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1965

   Population

   Construction trades at Consolidated Steel, Wilmington (1944-45); wartime crew and embarked troops (incl. occupation passengers and liberated POWs transported); NDRF lay-up/1956 repair-program workers; 1965 disposal-yard workers at Bellingham

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction program, and custody events - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or abatement record naming APA-84 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-06

7. [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 Maritime Commission military construction program under which this S4-SE2-BD1 attack transport was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

   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 or class 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-garrard-apa84-07

8. [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-garrard-apa84-08

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 searches via authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-25 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener type=o queries '"USS Garrard"' (0), 'Garrard asbestos' (38, all first-page hits surname/judge collisions), '"APA-84"' (14, all statutory/docket-fragment collisions); type=r 'Garrard' docket sweep blocked by fleet pacing (sl-08b); see search_ledger rows sl-uss-garrard-apa84-07/08/08b

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener API v4 sweeps returned no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull: '"USS Garrard"' opinion search count=0; 'Garrard asbestos' opinion search count=38 with first-page triage showing only surname collisions - attorney Henry G. Garrard III / firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard, Bryant (Athens, GA) appearing as defense counsel in asbestos appeals (e.g., Cimino v. Raymark Industries, 151 F.3d 297 (5th Cir. 1998); Pittsburgh Corning Corp. v. Walters, 1 S.W.3d 759 (Tex. App. 1999)) and Indiana appellate Judge Garrard panel assignments (e.g., Bunker v. National Gypsum Co., 406 N.E.2d 1239 (Ind. App. 1980)) - no hit names the vessel; '"APA-84"' opinion search count=14, all statutory/docket-fragment collisions in unrelated cases (DOJ OLC opinion, Delaware Chancery contract disputes, FERC appeals, Tax Court) - none names the vessel. Docket-level 'Garrard' sweep (type=r) attempted four times across the session but blocked each time by the shared fleet pacing budget - the docket surface is unscreened (search_ledger sl-uss-garrard-apa84-08b).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   search 2026-09-25

   Population

   Navy veterans of APA-type auxiliaries (type context)

   Limitations

   Collision-screened negative result: 'Garrard' is a high-collision surname (a Georgia asbestos-defense firm name and an Indiana appellate judge dominate the corpus); first-page triage plus exact-name and asbestos-qualified queries rather than exhaustive paging - a vessel-named case absent from those surfaces would remain undetected. Negative finding reflects search coverage, not proof that no litigation ever named the hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-garrard-apa84-09

10. [10]Batch-2383 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03084; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1793 + status card; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe APA57 class page; CourtListener opinion/docket sweeps (all collisions); indexed-web checks; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-garrard-apa84-01 through sl-uss-garrard-apa84-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Garrard/APA-84 hull was found in the public sources searched - the NHHC DANFS entry, BuShips SDB 1945 v3 row, NavSource page, MARAD registry and digitized status card, and shipscribe class page all contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; CourtListener sweeps returned no qualifying asbestos litigation naming the hull (all hits surname/judge collisions); indexed-web checking surfaced only excluded law-firm marketing surfaces (asbestos-ships.com carries a dedicated USS Garrard (APA-84) page asserting era-typical asbestos without primary support; simmonsfirm.com lists 'USS Garrard' on its navy-ships page) - excluded per the no-law-firm-sources rule.

    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 MC-type steam hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the documented 1956 repair and 1965 scrapping events are plausible disturbance pathways. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-garrard-apa84-10

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19, RG 24, RG 178, RG 357 [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG guides 19/24/178/357 at archives.gov; shipscribe class notes (cancelled AGS conversion); MARAD milestones (1956 repair program; Army custody)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) - S4-SE2-BD1 design files and any APA-84 inactivation/cancelled-AGS-conversion specifications; RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) - deck logs Mar 1945 - May 1946; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) - construction-contract and inspection records for MC hull 1877; RG 357 (MARAD NDRF custody files) - Olympia Group lay-up, FY1956 repair program work scope under the Olympic Steamship GAA, Army-custody interlude paperwork (1946-47), and the PD-X-692 sale file.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1944-1965 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-garrard-apa84-11