Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General A. W. Brewster (T-AP-155) page - Specifications block (volunteer-maintained archival transcription; via Wayback capture 2024-12-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block (Propulsion section)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The vessel's documented machinery plant is a high-pressure steam installation of the WWII emergency construction era: two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F superheat, one Westinghouse geared turbine, double main reduction gears, and three turbo-drive ship's-service generators. In this configuration and era, boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, flange gaskets, valve packing, and insulation felts were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1988
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Yard No. 3, Richmond, 1944-45); USCG/Navy engineering crews (WWII); USAT and MSTS engine crews; Sea-Land engine crew (1968-1988); 1968-69 conversion-yard workers; 1988 shipbreakers (Taiwan)
- Limitations
- Plant description comes from a volunteer-maintained secondary archive, not a Navy specification sheet, and the source does not itself state 'asbestos'; asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, exposure, or causation. Hull was scrapped in 1988; no present-day material condition exists to document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-01
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[2]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 program and era under which this C4-S-A1 hull was mass-built at Kaiser Richmond - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and 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, does not establish that asbestos was installed or remained aboard this hull, and says nothing about quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-02
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[3]Associated Press via Herald-Tribune (Sarasota), 'Crews busy preparing ship for a final journey to the sea floor,' 2009-05-26; EPA/MARAD National Guidance: Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs (May 2006); FR Doc. E6-7274 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Herald-Tribune article (removal quantities paragraph); FR E6-7274 (71 FR, EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0003)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- A sister C4-S-A1 hull built at the same Kaiser Yard No. 3 - USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (ex-USS General Harry Taylor, AP-145, MC-660) - retained asbestos aboard into the 2000s: during preparation for intentional sinking as an artificial reef off Key West (2009-05-27), cleanup crews at two Norfolk, Va., shipyards removed 81 bags (~71 cubic yards) of asbestos plus 193 tons of other potentially carcinogenic materials under the EPA/MARAD Best Management Practices framework for vessel reefing (Federal Register notice E6-7274, 2006-05-12).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2009 (abatement event); 1943-2009 (retention period documented)
- Population
- Norfolk shipyard abatement crews (2009 reef prep, sister hull)
- Limitations
- Documents asbestos aboard a same-type, same-yard sister hull - not aboard General A. W. Brewster. Establishes that C4-S-A1 construction retained asbestos decades after build, supporting era-consistency of the inference for this hull; proves nothing about this hull's own materials, exposure, or any individual claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-03
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[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'General A. W. Brewster' entry (hazegray.org transcription, Wayback capture 2022-09-10; live NHHC DANFS URL returned 404 on 2026-09-25 - link rot per Batch-01 standing issue) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (namesake paragraph + ship history)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: General A. W. Brewster (AP-155), named for Maj. Gen. Andre Walker Brewster (Medal of Honor, Tientsin 1900; Inspector General; d. Boston 1942-03-27), was laid down 1944-10-16 under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, CA; launched 1945-01-21, sponsored by Mrs. Bert Hotchkiss; acquired and commissioned 1945-04-23, Comdr. E. E. Hahn, USCG, in command. WWII service: San Pedro departure 1945-05-28; Panama Canal; Avonmouth, England 1945-06-20 (embarked troops for Pacific); Humboldt Bay, New Guinea 1945-07-27; Philippines until after capitulation; veterans home to San Francisco 1945-09-01; three further postwar Far East voyages. Decommissioned San Francisco 1946-04-10; transferred to the Maritime Commission and later to Army Transportation Service for Pacific duty. Reacquired 1950-03-01 for MSTS with civilian crew; Korea/Japan voyages carrying more than 67,000 troops over three years; Operation 'Passage to Freedom' off Indochina September and November 1954 (thousands of refugees evacuated from northern Vietnam); Reduced Operational Status 1954-12; returned to Maritime Administration 1955-07-26; NDRF Suisun Bay.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Population
- USCG-manned crew 356 (DANFS cpl.); embarked troops up to trp. 3,823; transported refugees (1954)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, and service history; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey statement - supports no asbestos claim. Cited via transcription mirror because the canonical NHHC URL is not retrievable.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL A. W. BREWSTER (AP-155), Ship History Detail 1800, incl. digitized status cards 1800_3332AF/AB and WSA-era allocation card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1800 milestone table + status card scans (/cards/1800_3332AF.jpg, /cards/1800_3332AB.jpg, /cards/4115c7e5-33da-4269-8bb8-94509c077475.png)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database (Detail 1800) and digitized status cards (Form MA-383 plus WSA-era allocation card) document the custody chain: delivered by builders to USMC/WSA at Richmond 1945-04-23 1:30 PM PWT (Navy Dept. allocation, LB); War Dept. bareboat charter at San Francisco 1946-04-10 11:00 AM PST; War Dept. transfer 1946-08-30; Navy Dept. title 1950-03-01; Reserve Fleet surplus, entered Suisun Bay 1955-07-26 5:00 PM PDST (arrival draft Fwd 20'00" Aft 18'00"); withdrawn 1968-09-10 under the Exchange Program - title to Sea-Land Service, Inc. at Washington, D.C. 12:00 noon EDST, physical delivery Suisun Bay 2:35 PM PDST, 'to be converted to a containership. ALAMAR, a Liberty, is the exchange ship'; renamed 'PHILADELPHIA' 9/10/68; 'Sold for Scrap 5/88.' Cards record builder Kaiser-Richmond, built 1945, type C4-S-A1 'Trooper', HULL NO. MC-712, O.N. 516541; handwritten annotation notes return to Maritime Administration from Navy custody under an MSTS re-agreement (July 1954/55, partially legible).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1988 records; custody events 1945-1968
- Population
- Sea-Land conversion-yard workforce (1968-69); NDRF caretakers Suisun Bay (1955-1968)
- Limitations
- Primary government custody/disposal record; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Handwritten annotations partially legible (troop figure ~3,147; re-agreement date 1954 or 1955). Milestone table labels the 1968 withdrawal 'EXCHANGE PROGRAM' consistent with the card narrative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-05
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[6]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General A. W. Brewster (T-AP-155) - chronology, campaign table, merchant service, and commanding-officer blocks (via Wayback capture 2024-12-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chronology block; Korean War Campaigns table; Merchant Service paragraph; Commanding Officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive: USS General A. W. Brewster (AP-155) 'was manned by the US Coast Guard during WWII'; commissioned 1945-04-23 under CDR Edward E. Hahn Jr., USCG (sole listed commanding officer, to 1946-04-10); decommissioned 1946-04-10 at San Francisco; struck from the Naval Register and delivered to the Maritime Commission 1946-06-15; transferred to the Army Transportation Service 1946-04-30 and commissioned USAT General A. W. Brewster; reacquired 1950-03-01 for MSTS as USNS T-AP-155; Korean War campaigns (Communist China Spring Offensive; Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korean Summer-Fall 1953) - 'earned four battle stars for Korean War service'; reduced operational status 1954-12; returned to Maritime Administration 1955-07-26, NDRF Suisun Bay; second strike 'date unknown'; sold for commercial service 1968, renamed SS Philadelphia, converted to a container ship (merchant section heading 'Sea-Land Corp.', photo caption: Sea-Land Service's SS Philadelphia arriving San Francisco September 1978); final disposition sold for scrapping 1988 to Taiwan breakers.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1988
- Population
- USCG crew (1945-46); USAT/MSTS civilian crews; Sea-Land crew; 1988 Taiwan shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary archive. Custody milestones, MC hull 712, the Sea-Land exchange, Philadelphia renaming, and 5/88 scrap sale are corroborated by the MARAD status cards, and USCG manning by the USCG historian list - but the 1946-04-30 ATS-transfer and 1946-06-15 strike dates sit between the card's 1946-04-10 War Dept. delivery and 1946-08-30 transfer dates and are not independently verified. 'MC hull 713' contradicts both status cards and the build list (see correction row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-06
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[7]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office - 'A Complete List of Coast Guard Cutters & Craft' and 'Historic Ships' index (uscg.mil / history.uscg.mil, via Wayback; live history.uscg.mil returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cutter list 'B' section; Historic Ships index 'G' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office listings carry this vessel among Coast Guard-manned Navy craft: 'A. W. BREWSTER, USS; AP-155' (Complete List of Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, Wayback capture 2008-04-23) and 'GENERAL A. W. BREWSTER, USS; AP 155' (Historic Ships list, Wayback capture 2019-04-21). Corroborates the NavSource statement that the transport was USCG-manned during WWII and its commissioning under a USCG commanding officer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- USCG crew (1945-1946)
- Limitations
- Official service-branch listing confirms USCG manning of the hull as an institutional fact; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition statement - supports no asbestos claim. Index lists only; no dedicated USCG vessel-history page located (Wayback CDX shows no Brewster webcutters capture).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-07
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[8]MARAD status cards 1800_3332AF and WSA-era allocation card (field 'HULL NO. MC-712') vs. NavSource archive ('MC hull 713'); shipbuildinghistory.com Kaiser Permanente No. 3 build table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Status card scans (MARAD Detail 1800); Permanente No. 3 yard table row 26
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Hull-number discrepancy resolved: MARAD records this hull as MC-712 on BOTH digitized status cards (Form MA-383 'HULL NO. MC-712'; WSA-era card 'MC Hull No. 712' with handwritten '#3 #26' = Yard 3, hull 26), and shipbuildinghistory.com's Kaiser Permanente No. 3 table lists 'General A. W. Brewster | C4-S-A1 | 712 | Apr-45 | To USN as AP 155' as yard hull 26, listing MC-713 as General D. E. Aultman (AP-156). NavSource's 'MC hull 713' is therefore a transcription error. MC-712 adopted as correct.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Resolves a secondary-source error against primary cards plus an independent build list (the erroneous digits map to the next named hull). Does not affect custody dates or any other recorded fact. Build-list source is a specialist secondary reference; primary card already carries the correct number.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-08
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[9]Batch-2083 search ledger (this record): DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory 1800 + status cards; NavSource 22155; CourtListener name/hull/surname/commercial/docket searches; USCG historian lists; shipbuildinghistory yard lists; Vandenberg reefing coverage; NARA RG mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat or disposal disclosure, NDRF materials declaration, or asbestos pleading/opinion naming this hull under any of its identities (USS/USAT/USNS General A. W. Brewster, AP-155, T-AP-155, SS Philadelphia, ON 516541, IMO 6903204) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage: exact-name opinion search returned zero; RECAP exact-name docket search returned zero; hull-number search returned only docket-number collisions; surname searches returned only person-name collisions (including asbestos-worker benefits and talc plaintiffs named Brewster, plus an asbestos-litigation attorney and law firm named Brewster); 'General Brewster' returned only 19th-century official-name collisions; 'Philadelphia + Sea-Land + asbestos' returned 20 hits of which the only operator-relevant case (Holbrook v. Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., 80 F.3d 777, 3d Cir. 1996 - a merchant-seaman mesothelioma case naming Sea-Land Service as co-defendant) names no vessels on full-text review; all 'Philadelphia' tokens are attorney locations, 'Philadelphia Asbestos Company', or a cited case name.
- 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 Kaiser-built steam transport is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and a same-type sister hull retained documented asbestos until 2009. Equally, era inference does not establish presence aboard this hull, quantity, exposure of any individual, or legal eligibility. Operator-level asbestos litigation against Sea-Land exists but names no vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation), RG 26 (US Coast Guard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 Construction Division; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/336.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/026.html ; NARA deck-log guidance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) - Construction Division records may hold the MC hull 712 contract and outfitting specifications for the Kaiser Yard 3 build; WWII Navy deck logs for AP-155 are in RG 24 at College Park (machinery/insulation work would appear in engineering remarks only incidentally); USAT-period operation records are under RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation); because the ship was USCG-manned, USCG administrative/engineering records (RG 26) are an additional lead; MSTS-period records fall under Naval Transportation Service/MSTS files. The 1968 Sea-Land container conversion yard (reported as Bethlehem Steel, Baltimore - unverified) would sit in corporate/yard collections, not federal RG files.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1988 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 712 / AP-155 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-a-w-brewster-ap155-10