Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Gasconade (APA-85)', Naval History Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (transcribed by HyperWar Foundation; canonical NHHC page https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gasconade.html returns 404 as of 2026-09-25) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS APA-85 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Gasconade (APA-85), a Gilliam-class attack transport of Maritime Commission type S4-SE2-BD1, was laid down 7 November 1944 under Maritime Commission contract by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Wilmington, California; launched 23 January 1945 (sponsored by Mrs. Winnie Cave); acquired by the Navy 10 March 1945; commissioned 11 March 1945 at San Pedro, Lt. Comdr. Allen E. Stiff in command. After shakedown she ran troop transport voyages to the Philippines (Samar arrival 3 June 1945; Leyte Gulf 2 August), staged at Manila Bay for the occupation of Japan, entered Tokyo Bay 2 September 1945 while surrender terms were being signed aboard Missouri (BB-63), debarked troops at Yokosuka, carried occupation troops from Mindanao to Kure, and made 'Magic Carpet' voyages to Portland and Seattle. In January 1946 she carried a garrison force to Guam, then voyaged to Pearl Harbor. Assigned to Joint Task Force 1 for Operation Crossroads, she departed Pearl Harbor 18 May 1946 with Transport Division 92, reached Bikini Atoll 30 May, and her crew transferred to Bexar on 22 June. Designated a target ship, she survived the atomic blast, decommissioned in the Marshall Islands 28 August 1946, was towed from Kwajalein in December 1946, arrived San Francisco 27 January 1947, underwent structural and radioactivity tests, was redesignated a target ship in March 1948, and was sunk by torpedoes 21 July 1948 in the Pacific Ocean off lower California.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (~320 complement), embarked troops (capacity 47 officers + 802 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, service chronology, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey statement; supports no asbestos claim. Two internal defects flagged in the correction row: the '18 July' blast date matches neither Crossroads detonation (1 July Able, 25 July Baker), and 'Bexar (APA-37)' is a misprint - Bexar's actual hull number is APA-237.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-01
-
[2]National Park Service, Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, 'The Archeology of the Atomic Bomb: A Submerged Cultural Resources Assessment of the Sunken Fleet of Operation Crossroads at Bikini and Kwajalein Atoll Lagoons' (SCRC report 37), chapter 2 (test dates and target array) and appendix I (target-vessel dispositions) [nps]
- Locator
- Chapter 2 target-array table (vessel 26); Appendix I disposition table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The National Park Service Submerged Cultural Resources assessment of Operation Crossroads ('The Archeology of the Atomic Bomb', SCRU report 37) documents the test program: Test Able detonated at altitude 1 July 1946 and Test Baker detonated underwater 25 July 1946 at Bikini Atoll; Gasconade (APA-85) is enumerated in the published target-vessel array table (item 26, 'APA Gasconade'); Appendix I dispositions record 'Gasconade (APA-85): Sunk by torpedoes off California, July 21, 1948.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Limitations
- Confirms Gasconade as a Crossroads target vessel and her 1948 torpedo sinking; establishes the actual test dates (1 July Able, 25 July Baker) against which DANFS's '18 July' figure is anomalous. The array table does not distinguish which detonation(s) Gasconade rode; DTIC's Test Baker volume documents her Baker subject status. No asbestos or materials content. npshistory.com mirror blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403); content verified via search-result text and report citation - full PDF retrieval recommended for production use.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-02
-
[3]Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) bibliographic record AD0367489, 'Operation Crossroads. U.S.S. Gasconade (APA85). Test Baker. Volume 1' (1947 report date in DTIC metadata) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTIC OAI-PMH record for AD0367489, abstract text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A dedicated Bureau of Ships-era damage report exists for this hull: 'OPERATION CROSSROADS. U.S.S. GASCONADE (APA85). TEST BAKER. VOLUME 1' (DTIC accession AD0367489). The published abstract records that Gasconade 'suffered severe, but not crippling, damage' from the underwater atomic bomb explosion; that 'the hull strength was seriously reduced but was such that the ship could probably have been sailed to a repair base'; that she 'was at a range at which the most severe damage to vessels of her type began to diminish slightly'; and that shock-mounted electrical equipment of latest Navy design would have received little damage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1947
- Limitations
- Metadata/abstract verified; the report's full text (which would describe compartment-level damage and fittings) was not retrieved - DTIC apps.dtic.mil returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch and the OAI record supplies metadata only. Establishes Baker-test subject status and damage degree; contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement in the abstract. Report content is an archival lead for hull-condition detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-03
-
[4]San Francisco Public Press, 'Exposed' investigative series, Part 2 ('After Atomic Test Blunder, Government Authorized Study of Radiation in Humans', Chris Roberts, 2024-12-02), citing NARA records incl. photo nara9-18016 of USS Gasconade; NavSource APA-85 photo caption citing NARA/SF Naval Shipyard photo 1138-47-38 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article image-caption block 'Hundreds of blue-collar shipyard workers ... USS Gasconade'; NavSource APA-85 photo 100308509 caption
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Post-Crossroads radiological decontamination of this hull at a U.S. naval shipyard is documented: a U.S. National Archives-held San Francisco Naval Shipyard photograph (1138-47-38) shows ex-USS Gasconade drydocked at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, on 28 April 1947 for radioactive decontamination. Investigative reporting drawing on NARA records states that shipyard workers 'were exposed to potentially dangerous amounts of radiation while attempting to decontaminate the USS Gasconade and other vessels' brought to San Francisco after the 1946 tests; decontamination methods for the Crossroads fleet at Hunters Point included scraping and sandblasting fission products off paint, metal, and wood, conducted within the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1947
- Population
- Hunters Point shipyard decontamination workers (hundreds, per investigation); no ship's company aboard - hull unmanned
- Limitations
- Documents RADIOLOGICAL exposure and decontamination work on this hull - not asbestos. Sandblasting/scraping described for the Hunters Point decon program would disturb hull coatings generally, but no source consulted identifies asbestos-containing material aboard Gasconade or asbestos abatement in this work. Establishes a documented shipyard-worker exposure event (radiological) at Hunters Point, April 1947. Journalistic source anchored to NARA photography; photo captions are the primary element.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-04
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 search, queries '"USS Gasconade"' (o), '"APA-85"' (o), 'Gasconade' (o), 'Gasconade' (r) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gasconade-apa85-06 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep, 2026-09-25 (authenticated API v4, fleet-limited helper): opinion search 'USS Gasconade' returned 0 results; opinion search 'APA-85' returned 7 results, all text-fragment collisions (e.g., corporate/tax/environmental dockets containing the token); opinion search 'Gasconade' returned 510 results dominated by Gasconade County, Missouri litigation (county government, school district, criminal appeals); docket search 'Gasconade' returned 321 results, all county/corporate collisions including the county's opioid-MDL participation. No qualifying asbestos litigation and no litigation of any kind naming the vessel USS Gasconade (APA-85) was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- sweep date 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Negative result: absence of a docketed opinion or docket naming this hull does not prove no claim was ever filed - MDL-875 pleading lists, state-court filings not in CourtListener, and VA/BVA claims were not separately searched. 'Gasconade' is a high-collision name (Missouri county); every inspected hit was classified a name collision, not a vessel case.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-05
-
[6]Batch-2384 search ledger (this record): DANFS/HyperWar; NPS SCRC 37; DTIC AD0367489; NavSource APA-85; SF Public Press 'Exposed'; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener name and hull-number sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gasconade-apa85-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Gasconade (APA-85): no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials specification, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS contains no asbestos statement; the NPS Crossroads SCRC report contains none; the DTIC Baker-report abstract describes structural/radiological damage only; NavSource ship-data and photo captions contain no asbestos statement; the Hunters Point decontamination documentation concerns radioactivity; CourtListener returned no vessel case (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-plant attack transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The hull was sunk intact in 1948, so no abatement-era or scrapping documentation is expected to exist.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-06
-
[7]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Gasconade (APA-85) ship-data block (specifications compiled from ship's data); Shipscribe (usnaux.shipscribe.com) Gilliam class data sheet, design MC S4-SE2-BD1, machinery 'Westinghouse turbo-electric, 2 screws,' 6,000 HP [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APA-85 specifications block; https://usnaux.shipscribe.com/APA/APA57.html class table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: Gasconade's S4-SE2-BD1 plant comprised two Babcock & Wilcox boilers (450 psi, 750 deg.F) driving a Westinghouse turbo-electric transmission on twin screws at 6,000 design shp, with ship's-service turbo-generators (250 kW and 150 kW 450 V A.C., 100 kW D.C.) - a high-pressure steam plant of 1944-45 emergency construction. Steam systems of this specification and era were commonly insulated with asbestos-containing lagging, block, felt, gasket, and packing materials; typical applications on the type would include boiler and drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation-space insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Construction trades (Consolidated Steel, Wilmington, 1944-45); engine-room crew; Hunters Point decontamination workers (1947)
- Limitations
- Establishes the machinery fit of this design, not asbestos content - the presence of asbestos in this hull's insulation, gaskets, or packing is inference from era and plant type, not ship-proven. NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive (values consistent with DANFS class line and Shipscribe); the asbestos-application wording is generic to 1940s steam plants and does not establish quantity, location, individual exposure, or present condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-07
-
[8]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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the program and era under which all 32 Gilliam-class S4-SE2-BD1 hulls were mass-produced under Maritime Commission contract at Consolidated Steel, Wilmington - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type 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 or class and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-08
-
[9]DANFS 'Gasconade (APA-85)' vs DANFS 'Bexar (APA-237)' (HyperWar mirrors apa85.html, apa237.html); NHHC Operation Crossroads fact sheet (archived: history.navy.mil faqs/faq76-1); NPS SCRC 37; NavSource APA-85 page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Gasconade entry final paragraph; DANFS Bexar entry header line; NHHC fact sheet test-date section; NavSource service-history block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies identified: (a) Blast-date - DANFS states Gasconade 'survived an atomic blast 18 July'; the Operation Crossroads detonations occurred 1 July 1946 (Able) and 25 July 1946 (Baker) per NHHC's Crossroads fact sheet and the NPS SCRC report, so '18 July' matches neither detonation and is presumed a DANFS printing error; the DTIC report series confirms her as a Test Baker subject. (b) Hull-number misprint - DANFS's Gasconade entry prints the crew-transfer ship as 'Bexar (APA-37)'; Bexar's own DANFS entry establishes USS Bexar as APA-237, a Haskell-class attack transport that served at Bikini as an equipment supply center (JTF-1 TU 1.3.1). (c) Strike sequence - NavSource records 'Struck from the Naval Register, 12 August 1948,' three weeks after the documented 21 July 1948 sinking; the post-sinking administrative strike is retained with the flag.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in the official record; none affect identity, service chronology, or disposal materially. The '18 July' figure is carried verbatim in the prose with the correction flagged rather than silently normalized. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-09
-
[10]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Gasconade (APA-85) page - service history, awards, specifications blocks and NARA/US Navy photo captions (photos credited to US National Archives / Naval History and Heritage Command collections) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-85 page: service-history list, awards table, specifications block, photo-caption table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive service-history and ship-data compilation for APA-85: wartime assignment TransRon Twenty-four / TransDiv Seventy-one; Operation Crossroads assignment Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.2.6 (Target Vessel Group - Merchant Type Units - TRANSDIV 94); Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 2-4 September 1945 and 28 September-11 October 1945; complement 27 officers + 295 enlisted and troop capacity 47 officers + 802 enlisted; cargo capacity 85,000 cu. ft. / 2,600 t.; armament one 5"/38 dual-purpose mount, four twin 40mm AA mounts, ten single 20mm AA mounts; struck from the Naval Register 12 August 1948; final disposition sunk by torpedoes off the California coast 21 July 1948; radio call sign NZSP. NARA photo captions on the page document Gasconade at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 27 February 1946 being readied for target service (guns and boats removed) alongside sisters Appling (APA-58), Barrow (APA-61), and Brule (APA-66) (80-G-361724, -361731, -361735, -361747), and ex-Gasconade drydocked at San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, 28 April 1947 for radioactive decontamination (photo 1138-47-38).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled online archive - used here for the compiled unit/task-unit, medal-period, specifications, and strike-date data and for its captioned NARA-sourced photographs; values are consistent with DANFS where they overlap. The 12 August 1948 strike date post-dates the documented sinking and is flagged in the correction row and gaps. No asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-10
-
[11]Internet Archive ship-design-drawings collection (Consolidated Steel Booklet of General Plans, APA-57); NARA 80-G photo numbers cited in NavSource APA-85 captions; DTIC AD0367489; NARA record groups 19/80/181/374 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org item apa57ga1945; NavSource APA-85 photo table; DTIC citation page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) 'USA - APA-57 USS Gilliam General Arrangement (1945),' the Consolidated Steel Booklet of General Plans for the class lead ship (digitized on archive.org, identifier apa57ga1945, file units S4-SE2-BD1 S1-3-1A to S40-0-1) - booklets of general plans of this era can carry insulation and deck-covering schedules; (b) NARA still-picture series 80-G holds dated photographs of Gasconade at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 27 February 1946 during Crossroads preparation with guns and boats removed (80-G-361724, -361731, -361735, -361747) and San Francisco Naval Shipyard photo 1138-47-38 of her 28 April 1947 decontamination drydocking; (c) the full DTIC AD0367489 report volume(s) hold compartment-level Test Baker damage detail; (d) NARA RG 181 San Francisco Naval Shipyard records and RG 374/NRDL records document the Hunters Point decontamination program for this hull.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1948 records
- Limitations
- Record-source mapping only - the APA-57 general-arrangement booklet is a sister-ship (class-lead) plan set, not Gasconade's own hull documents; whether any sheet specifies insulation materials is unknown until reviewed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gasconade-apa85-11