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 C. C. Ballou (T-AP-157) page - Specifications block (volunteer-maintained archival transcription; via Wayback capture 2024-12-19) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block (Propulsion section); Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241219052716/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22157.htm
- 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 boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F, 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
- 1944-1982
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Yard No. 3, Richmond, 1944-45); Navy engineering crew (1945-46); USAT and MSTS engine crews (1946-54); mothballing contractor workforce (Monti Marine, 1954); Sea-Land engine crew (1968-74); PRMSA/Liberian crews (1974-81); 1968-69 conversion-yard workers (Alabama Dry Dock; Bethlehem Steel Hoboken); ~1982 shipbreakers (Kaohsiung, 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 ~1982; no present-day material condition exists to document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-01
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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-c-c-ballou-ap157-02
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[3]Associated Press via NBC News, 'Ship to become second largest intentional reef' (2009-05); EPA/MARAD National Guidance: Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs (May 2006); FR Doc. E6-7274 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NBC/AP article (removal quantities paragraph); FR E6-7274 (71 FR, EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0003) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2006-05-12/pdf/E6-7274.pdf
- 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, yard hull 8) - 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 C. C. Ballou. 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-c-c-ballou-ap157-03
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[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'General C. C. Ballou' entry (historycentral.com verbatim transcription, Wayback capture 2025-10-16; 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 + stat block + ship history)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: General C. C. Ballou (AP-157), named for Maj. Gen. Charles Clarendon Ballou (b. 13 Jun 1862 Orange NY; USMA 1886; Silver Star, Philippines; commanded 92d Division in France, WWI; d. Spokane 23 Jul 1928), was launched 1945-03-07 under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, CA; sponsored by Mrs. Harry J. Bernat; acquired by the Navy 1945-05-20; commissioned 1945-06-30, Comdr. M. D. MacGregor in command. WWII service: shakedown San Diego; departed San Pedro 1945-07-29 for France via Panama Canal; arrived Marseilles after Japanese surrender; sailed with returning veterans 1945-08-23 for Hampton Roads; two round-trip voyages to India; around-the-world voyage departed 1946-01-13 (Calcutta, Manila, other ports), moored San Francisco 1946-03-08 with over 3,000 troops, arrived New York via San Juan 1946-05-01. Decommissioned Hoboken, NJ 1946-05-17; returned to Maritime Commission; served as Army Transportation Service transport. Reacquired by Navy 1950-03-01 for MSTS; nearly two years of Europe-US refugee voyages; from 1952 West Coast-to-Korea troop transport; post-armistice Japan/Korea rotation; out of service September 1954; reserve Orange, TX; NDRF Beaumont, TX; struck from the Navy List 1960-07-01. Five battle stars for Korean conflict service. DANFS stat block: dp. 9,960 lt; 522'10" x 71'6" x 24'; 16 k; cpl. 356; trp. 3,823; 4x5", 4x40mm, 16x20mm; cl. General G. O. Squier; T. C4-S-A1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Navy crew 356 (DANFS cpl.); embarked troops up to trp. 3,823; refugees carried (1950-52); Korean War troop lifts (1952-54)
- 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; transcription carries two OCR errors corrected against standard references ('1802' for 1862 birth year; 'Olarendon' for Clarendon).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL C. C. BALLOU (AP-157), Ship History Detail 1805, incl. digitized status card 1805_3338AF [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1805 milestone table + status card scan (/cards/1805_3338AF.jpg)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database (Detail 1805) and digitized reserve-fleet status card (Form MA-383, image 1805_3338AF) document the custody chain: builder Kaiser, built 1945, type C4-S-A1, category 'Transport', HULL NO. MC-714, fleet Beaumont; service prior to lay-up 'Navy - Permanent Layup'; title 'Reimbursable / USMA Perm. Transfer'; entered fleet 1959-11-04 1530 hrs CST (arrival draft 1959-10-27 Fwd 17'03" Aft 19'10"); withdrawn 1968-04-19 1420 CST, reason 'Exchange Program - Delivered to Sea-Land Service, Inc. Contract MA-4520'; 'Exchange ship is CANADIANA'; passengers field 'Off. 228 Enl. 3595' (=3,823 troop accommodations, matching NavSource and DANFS trp.); 'Reimbursable - Group 9 Navy Transports'; Navy preservation 'Cathodic protection estimated at not over $2500'; fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.' Milestone table: Entry/Acquisition 11/4/1959; Disposition/Withdrawal 4/19/1968 EXCHANGE PROGRAM.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1959-1968 records; custody events
- Population
- NDRF caretakers Beaumont, TX (1959-1968); Sea-Land conversion-yard workforce (1968-69)
- Limitations
- Primary government custody/disposal record; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Card records custody from NDRF entry only; earlier Navy/Army/MSTS custody is covered by DANFS/NavSource. Card handwritten red annotations legible.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-05
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[6]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General C. C. Ballou (T-AP-157) - chronology, campaign table, merchant service, specifications, awards, and commanding-officer blocks (via Wayback capture 2024-12-19) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chronology block; Korean War Campaigns table; Merchant Service paragraph; Specifications block; Awards/Campaign Ribbons block; Commanding Officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive chronology: laid down date unknown as MC type C4-S-A1 hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 714) at Kaiser Shipbuilding Inc., Yard No. 3, Richmond, CA; launched 1945-03-07; acquired by the Navy 1945-05-20; commissioned 1945-06-30, CDR. Malcolm D. MacGregor in command; decommissioned 1946-05-17 at Hoboken, N.J., delivered to the Maritime Commission for transfer to the Army Transportation Service; commissioned USAT General C. C. Ballou; struck from the Naval Register 1946-06-05; reacquired 1950-03-01, assigned MSTS as USNS T-AP-157; Korean War campaigns (First UN Counter Offensive 6-18 Mar 1951; UN Summer-Fall Offensive 8/17-18/25-26 Sep 1951; Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 18-19 Oct 1952; Third Korean Winter 16 Dec 1952 / 31 Jan-1 Feb 1953 / 24-25 Mar 1953; Korean Summer-Fall 1953 9 May / 21-23 Jun / 28 Jun / 4-5 Jul 1953) - 'earned five battle stars'; out of service September 1954; second strike 'date unknown'; returned to Maritime Administration 1959-11-04, NDRF Beaumont, TX. Merchant service: transferred (Exchange Program) for commercial service 1968-04-20 to Sea-Land Service Lines, converted to a container ship, renamed SS Brooklyn; sold to Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority 1974-09-30; renamed SS Humacao 1975-02-19; sold to a Liberian corp. 1981-06-02, renamed SS Eastern Light, reflagged Panamanian; final disposition scrapped, date unknown. Awards: American Campaign Medal; EAME Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Korean Service Medal (5); UN Service Medal; ROK War Service Medal (retroactive).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1981
- Population
- Navy crew (1945-46); USAT/MSTS crews (1946-54); Sea-Land/PRMSA/Liberian crews (1968-81); shipbreakers Taiwan
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary archive. Core chronology, MC hull 714, NDRF entry, Exchange Program withdrawal, and battle stars are corroborated by DANFS and the MARAD status card; merchant-service name/date detail (Sea-Land delivery 4/20 vs card 4/19; PRMSA 9/30/74; Humacao rename 2/19/75; Liberian sale 6/2/81) and the 1946-06-05 first-strike date rest on this archive plus secondary compilations and are not independently verified against primary documents. Second-strike 'date unknown' resolved to 1960-07-01 by DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-06
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[7]Bishop v. United States, 173 F. Supp. 273 (E.D.N.Y. 1958) - CourtListener opinion 8745434 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text (lead opinion, E.D.N.Y. No. 20616, filed 1958-10-10)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Ship-specific litigation, classified OTHER LITIGATION (non-asbestos): Bishop v. United States, 173 F. Supp. 273 (E.D.N.Y. 1958), No. 20616, Judge Abruzzo - an admiralty personal-injury libel. Libelant John Bishop, employed by Monti Marine Corporation, was injured aboard 'the U. S. Naval Ship, General C. C. Ballou' on 1954-05-30; Monti 'was deactivating the vessel pursuant to an agreement with the United States of America.' Libelant claimed unseaworthiness and failure to provide a safe place to work; the United States impleaded Monti under an indemnification clause in the deactivation agreement. The court held the unseaworthiness warranty inapplicable to this work: '"Mothballing" of a ship is not traditionally the task of a crew and there is no warranty of seaworthiness.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1954 (injury); 1958 (opinion)
- Population
- Monti Marine Corp. mothballing workforce (1954)
- Limitations
- Trial-level (district court) admiralty opinion naming this hull; classified DOWN to 'other litigation' - it is an acute-injury case (1954 ladder incident during mothballing), contains no asbestos allegation, product identification, or finding, and predates asbestos litigation by decades. Corroborates one operational fact - the vessel was under contractor deactivation in May 1954, consistent with the September 1954 out-of-service date. Full opinion text not captured at drafting (snippet and published synopsis reviewed); final decree detail beyond the seaworthiness holding not reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-07
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[8]Historic American Engineering Record CA-326, 'Richmond Shipyard Number Three' (Fredric L. Quivik, 2001), prepared for Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front NHP; Library of Congress HAER CA-326-L [haer]
- Locator
- HAER CA-326 written narrative, pp. 15-16 (Yard 3 construction for the C4 contract) and pp. 43-44 (SQUIER turbine/outfitting difficulties)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- HAER documents the construction context of this hull's class and builder: Henry J. Kaiser accepted a contract to build giant C4 troop transports for the U.S. Army and erected Yard No. 3 at Richmond (begun January 1942, 156 acres, five 590'x100' graving docks) specifically for C4 construction. The yard's first C4, lead ship GENERAL GEORGE O. SQUIER, took six months to launch and nine months at the outfitting dock; the Maritime Commission put its own chief inspector in charge of the engine crew and imported 'best gear men' from engine manufacturer Westinghouse to install 'the C4's complex and powerful turbine engine,' followed by another nine months on 'the ocean-liner complexity of the ship's interior spaces.' The four Kaiser Richmond yards produced 745 vessels, 12 percent of national merchant shipyard output.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (events); report 2001
- Population
- Kaiser Yard 3 construction workforce (1942-1945); Westinghouse engine specialists; USMC inspectors
- Limitations
- Documents the builder yard and the class's construction/engineering program - yard-level and lead-ship detail, not this specific hull (which launched two years after the Squier learning curve). The report contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports construction-context inference only, not any claim of materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-08
-
[9]Batch-2085 search ledger (this record): DANFS via historycentral/Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 1805 + status card; NavSource 22157 via Wayback; CourtListener name/hull/surname searches (cl-auth-search.py); HAER CA-326; shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Permanente No. 3 table; usmaritimecommission.de C4 conversion list; NARA RG mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-01 through -12
- 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 C. C. Ballou, AP-157, T-AP-157, SS Brooklyn, SS Humacao, SS Eastern Light, ON 513557, IMO 6903149) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage (authenticated API): exact-name opinion search 'General C. C. Ballou' returned 1 hit - Bishop v. United States (E.D.N.Y. 1958), classified other litigation (non-asbestos personal injury during mothballing); 'General Ballou' returned 0; 'AP-157'/'T-AP-157' returned 18 hits, all docket-number collisions; 'Ballou asbestos' returned 23 hits, all person-name collisions (attorney Ellyn Ballou; plaintiffs Ronald/Leroy Ballou; law firm Stich Angell Kriedler Brownson & Ballou; Crilly v. Ballou; Garriepy v. Ballou & Nagle).
- 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 Kaiser-built steam transport is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and a same-type, same-yard 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 24 (Navy deck logs 1941-1959), RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation); NARA deck-log guidance pages [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 Construction Division; https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-1941-1959 ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/336.html
- 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 714 contract and outfitting specifications for the Kaiser Yard 3 build; WWII Navy deck logs for AP-157 (Jun 1945 - May 1946) are in RG 24, U.S. Navy Ship Deck Logs 1941-1959, at Archives II College Park (machinery/insulation work would appear in engineering remarks only incidentally); USAT-period operation records fall under RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation); MSTS-period records under Naval Transportation Service/MSTS files; the 1968 Sea-Land conversion (Alabama Dry Dock gutting; Bethlehem Steel Hoboken rebuild) would sit in corporate/yard collections, not federal record groups.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1981 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 714 / AP-157 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-c-ballou-ap157-10