Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'General G. G. Morton (APA-138)' [sic - spec line AP-138] (NHHC ship-history entry; DANFS Vol. III transcription), via Wayback capture of the NHHC page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2024-05-25 of canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/general-g-g-morton-apa-138.html - live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-25; HyperWar DANFS AP-index has ap135.html but no ap138 transcription (checked same date)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for this hull (spec line: AP-138; the NHHC page is headed and filed 'General G. G. Morton (APA-138)' - a label error addressed in the correction row): built by Kaiser Co. of Richmond, Calif., in 1943-44; acquired by the Navy 1944-05-18; commissioned 1944-07-07, Comdr. S. K. Hall in command; class General G. O. Squier, type C4-S-A1; dp 9,950 lt; l 522'10"; b 71'6"; dr 26'6"; cpl 494; trp 4,766; a. 4x5", 8x1.1", 16x20mm. WWII itinerary: shakedown San Pedro; Guadalcanal Aug 1944; Russell Is., Espiritu Santo, Noumea Sep-Oct 1944; Pearl Harbor-Guadalcanal Nov 1944, return via New Guinea/Manus/Noumea arriving 1944-12-31; Long Beach-Calcutta via Melbourne Jan-Feb 1945, return via Manus/Ulithi/Tinian/Saipan to San Francisco 1945-04-25; SW Pacific (Hollandia, Leyte, Manila) May-Jul 1945; Panama Canal 1945-07-17, Boston 1945-07-23; Marseille Aug 1945 to Newport News 1945-09-02; Karachi via Suez; around-the-world via Singapore/Manila Jan-Mar 1946; delivered to War Department for Army use May 1946; reinstated on Navy List March 1950 and assigned to MSTS Reserve; struck from Navy List 1958-05-29; three battle stars for Korean conflict service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history; establishes identity, chronology, and operations. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement - supports no asbestos claim. The entry's own heading and URL mislabel the name and hull type (see correction row ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-11).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'USNS General C. G. Morton (T-AP-138) ex USAT General C. G. Morton (1946-1950) ex USS General C. G. Morton (AP-138) (1944-1946)' page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Accessed via Wayback capture 2024-12-25 (https://web.archive.org/web/20241225134743/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22138.htm); live navsource.org unreachable (DNS/connection failure) on 2026-09-25. Timeline and merchant-service sections.
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline: laid down date unknown, Maritime Commission type C4-S-A1 under MC contract (MC hull 661) at Kaiser Shipbuilding Corp., Yard No. 3, Richmond, CA; acquired by Navy 1944-05-18; commissioned USS General C. G. Morton (AP-138) 1944-07-08, CDR Stephen Ketcham Hall in command; WWII passenger transport in Asiatic-Pacific and Europe-Africa-Middle East theaters; decommissioned 1946-05-15; struck from Naval Register 1946-06-05; transferred to US Army Transportation Service (USAT) May 1946; reacquired by Navy 1950-03-01, assigned to MSTS as USNS General C. G. Morton (T-AP-138); Korean War campaigns - North Korean Aggression (1950-08-01/02 and 1952-10-08), Communist China Aggression (1950-12-21/28), First UN Counter Offensive (1951-02-10/11); struck 1958-05-29 and transferred to Maritime Commission for layup in NDRF Suisun Bay, Benicia, CA; three battle stars for Korean War service; sold to Central Gulf Lines 1967-04-14 (MARAD Exchange Program); renamed SS Green Wave May 1967; sold for scrapping 1980-03-19 to Sing Cheng Yuag Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., Taiwan.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archival compilation keyed to official records; corroborates the DANFS/MARAD custody spine but dates commissioning 1944-07-08 (one day after DANFS) and lists differing crew/troop figures - both conflicts logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-02
-
[3]Shipscribe (T. Colton / C. B. Colton shipbuilding reference), 'USS GENERAL G. O. SQUIER (AP-130) Class' - construction table row AP-138 and ship-notes row MC 661 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table (AP 138 row: keel 1943-09-20, launch 1944-03-15); ship-notes row '138 / GENERAL C. G. MORTON / 661'; class-notes paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe class record (GENERAL G. O. SQUIER AP-130 class page): AP-138 / MC hull 661 - keel laid 1943-09-20, launched 1944-03-15 at Kaiser, Richmond #3; acquired 1944-05-18; commissioned 1944-07-07; decommissioned, to Maritime Commission and to Army 1946-05-15, struck 1946-06-05; initial Army peacetime conversion by Kaiser, Richmond, ca. May-August 1946; Army to MSTS 1950-03-01, reinstated 1950-04-28; to buyer 1967-04; merchant GREEN WAVE 1967; scrapped 1980. Class notes: 30 C4-S-A1 transports contracted at Richmond Yard 3 between January and March 1942 as part of an Army program (future AP 110-159); the Navy manned/operated them on Army schedules; class machinery Westinghouse turbine, one screw, 9,000 HP, 16.5 knots.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1980
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference drawing on Maritime Commission/NVR data; it is the sole source located for keel and launch dates (DANFS and NavSource record neither) and carries an internal one-day variance on the buyer date (summary table 1967-04-13 vs notes 1967-04-14; MARAD records 1967-04-14). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL C. G. MORTON (AP-138), Ship History Detail 1806 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1806 - vessel particulars block, Mission table, and Milestones table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for GENERAL C. G. MORTON (AP-138), Detail 1806: year built 1944; official number 508060; shipyard Kaiser Company; general type Naval Auxiliary; specific type AP Transport; MARAD type C4-S-A1; length 522.84 ft; beam 71.50 ft; gross 13,000 tons; displacement 17,250 t (summer) / 9,950 t (lightweight); fate 'Sold - Scrap'; mission listed: Korean War. Milestones: NDRF entry 1958-05-29; acquisition 1958-05-29; disposition 1967-04-14 'EXCHANGE PROGRAM'; withdrawal 1967-04-14.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1967
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and registry particulars; contains no asbestos, materials, condition-survey, or environmental information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-04
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, digitized vessel status card (Form MA-389), GENERAL C. G. MORTON (AP-138), ShipHistory Detail 1806 attachment [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status-card scan read directly from the card image attached to Detail 1806
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD Form MA-389 'Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars' status card for General C. G. Morton, AP-138: type C4-S-A1; category Transport; fleet Suisun Bay; entered 1958-05-29 at 1420 hrs PDST; builder Kaiser, date built 1944, hull no. MC-661; service prior to lay-up 'Navy - Permanent Transfer'; title 'Perm. Layup USMA (Reimbursable)'; arrival draft Fwd 19'02" / Aft 19'04"; Group 22 Transports; passengers 4,766 (Off. 371 / Enlisted 4,395); withdrawn 1967-04-14 at 1245 PST, reason 'EXCHANGE PROGRAM - Delivered by Marad to Central Gulf Steamship Corporation, Contract MA-4284, dtd. 4/13/67. Exchange ship is NEW BEDFORD.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1958-1967
- Limitations
- Primary government custody document for layup and disposal; records the buyer (Central Gulf Steamship Corp.), disposal contract MA-4284, and passenger capacity. Contains no asbestos, hazardous-material, or condition annotation - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-05
-
[6]NavSource Online specifications block, AP-138 page (accessed via Wayback capture 2024-12-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block, lower page, Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241225134743/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22138.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource specifications block documents the installed plant: one Westinghouse geared turbine; two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F; double Falk main reduction gear; three 400 kW 240V DC ship's-service generators; single propeller, 9,000 shp; speed 16.5 knots; armament four single 5"/38 mounts, four twin 1.1" mounts (replaced by two twin 40mm AA), sixteen single 20mm AA; fuel NSFO 13,300 bbls; cargo 1,900 DWT non-refrigerated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Engineering crew (boiler/engine-room watchstanders)
- Limitations
- Documents the hull's installed machinery - a high-pressure steam plant of WWII U.S. construction. The source itself makes no insulation or asbestos statement; machinery type supports era-level asbestos inference only and does not establish asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-06
-
[7]McKenney v. United States, 99 F. Supp. 121, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4052 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 7, 1951), CourtListener opinion cluster 8754230 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text opening paragraphs (ROCHE, Chief Judge); found via CourtListener authenticated opinion search on ship name
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- McKenney v. United States, 99 F. Supp. 121 (N.D. Cal. 1951): libelant was employed in a civilian capacity as junior third mate aboard USAT General C. G. Morton, a public vessel owned and operated by the United States; on 1948-07-17, en route in the Pacific Ocean, the master ordered an emergency lifeboat drill under the libelant's command during which he was injured. Trial-level admiralty decision on negligence and seaworthiness theories.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1948-1951
- Population
- Civilian junior third mate (single claimant)
- Limitations
- Classified OTHER LITIGATION (non-asbestos), ship-specific: the opinion names this hull but concerns a lifeboat-drill personal injury under general maritime law - no asbestos, occupational-disease, or exposure question presented or decided. A merits decision for its own issues only; establishes nothing about shipboard materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-07
-
[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; DOI landing page returns 403 to automated fetch (same standing issue as Batch-01's GAO 403) - citation verified via Batch-05/2064 precedent
- 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 C4-S-A1 transport was mass-produced at Kaiser Richmond Yard 3 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard 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 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-general-c-g-morton-ap138-08
-
[9]National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet / nomination, Richmond Shipyard Number Three (Kaiser Shipyard, Richmond Number Three), NRIS 00000364 [nps]
- Locator
- NRHP nomination Section 7 pp. 3-8 (building inventory incl. Brick and Insulation Storage Building; shipbuilding process) and Section 8 (yard history; C4 transport production)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS National Register of Historic Places nomination for Richmond Shipyard Number Three (NRIS 00000364, listed 2000-04-28) documents this hull's actual builder yard: the Maritime Commission hired Kaiser in January 1942 to build the yard specifically for 'the huge C-4 troop transport ships'; Yard Three produced 35 C4 troop transports to George G. Sharp designs; the yard's period-of-significance plant (32 buildings) included a dedicated 'Brick and Insulation Storage Building' alongside the Boiler Assembly building, Pipe Shop, and Machine Shop. Full text pulled and searched: zero 'asbestos' occurrences.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (period of significance); nomination 2000
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond Yard 3 workforce (construction period)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation for the facility where this hull was built - establishes that insulation materials were stored/handled on site at the yard that produced this ship, but the nomination contains no asbestos statement and nothing specific to hull 661. Does not establish asbestos aboard the vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-09
-
[10]New York Times 1948-09-12 'U.S. ARMY SHIPS AID PHILIPPINE RESCUE' (AP); Washington Post 1951-02-16 'All 47 on Ship Rescued Off Japanese Coast'; Los Angeles Times 1952-08-12 'Three Troop Ships Arrive From Orient' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NYT Timesmachine archive page (abstract verified live); WP and LAT items verified through citations and archive-index snippets - full texts paywalled
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press documents Army/MSTS-era operations: (a) New York Times, 1948-09-12, p. 59 (AP dispatch, Manila Sept. 11): 'U.S. ARMY SHIPS AID PHILIPPINE RESCUE' - one U.S. Army transport removing ~8,000 refugees from volcano-ravaged Camiguin after the Mount Hibok-Hibok eruption, another en route; secondary accounts identify the on-scene transport as USAT General C. G. Morton, embarked from Manila, with refugees boarding from small craft for lack of wharves. (b) Washington Post, 1951-02-16: Swedish tanker MV Christer Galen broke off part of her bow on a submerged rock ~200 nmi east of Tokyo; General C. G. Morton and SS Marine Phoenix rescued all 47 aboard. (c) Los Angeles Times, 1952-08-12: three troop ships arrived from the Orient; Morton reached San Francisco with 526 Army and Navy Korean War veterans and 284 civilians from Hawaii.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1948-1952
- Limitations
- Articles verified to exist via live abstract/citations; full texts paywalled and not read in full. The NYT abstract does not itself name the vessel - the identification of the on-scene transport as this hull rests on secondary sources citing the same article. None contains asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-10
-
[11]NHHC DANFS 'General G. G. Morton (APA-138)' [sic] entry vs its AP-138 specification line; DANFS 'Braxton (APA-138)' entry for the other hull [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Entry heading and specification line of the Morton DANFS page (Wayback capture); Braxton DANFS transcription (losthistory.net/hazegray mirror, amphib/apa138.htm; NavSource 10/03/03138 corroborates)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Identity correction: the NHHC DANFS entry for this vessel is headed and URL-filed 'General G. G. Morton (APA-138)' - mislabeling both the name (G. G. for C. G.) and the hull type (APA attack transport for AP transport); the entry's own specification line reads AP-138 and its text names Maj. Gen. Charles Gould Morton. Correct identity: General C. G. Morton (AP-138), transport. APA-138 is a different hull - USS Braxton, a Haskell-class attack transport (VC2-S-AP5, MCV hull 54, California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington), launched 1944-11-03 and commissioned 1944-12-29 per the DANFS Braxton entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-present (label history)
- Limitations
- Corrects a publication-level source error that propagates verbatim into secondary sources (e.g., Wikipedia's quotation of the mislabeled heading). Does not change the custody chronology; resolves only identity and hull-type labeling.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-11
-
[12]Batch-2067 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (archived); NavSource (Wayback); shipscribe AP-130 class page; MARAD ShipHistory 1806 + status card; NPS NRHP 00000364; CourtListener opinion queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition survey, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched - the DANFS entry, MARAD ShipHistory record and Form MA-389 status card, NavSource page, shipscribe class record, and the NPS builder-yard nomination (zero 'asbestos' occurrences) are all silent on asbestos, and CourtListener searches produced one non-asbestos ship-specific case and no asbestos filings (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 1943-44 Kaiser steam transport is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials until demonstrated otherwise, and the hull was scrapped in 1980 leaving nothing to survey. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-12
-
[13]NARA deck-log program guidance (archives.gov); MARAD ShipHistory attachment/metadata; Internet Archive ship-design-drawings collection item ap130ga1944 [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1806 ; archive.org item metadata
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA WWII Navy deck logs (RG 24) for AP-138, July 1944-May 1946 - NARA digitization is ongoing and hull-level catalog coverage unconfirmed; post-1946 records follow Army Transport Service and MSTS documentation. (b) MARAD contract file MA-4284 (1967 Exchange-Program delivery to Central Gulf Steamship Corp.) and the NDRF vessel folder may hold condition or inventory documents from layup and disposal. (c) Digitized C4-S-A1 'Booklet of General Plans' - 'USA - AP-130 USS General G O Squier General Arrangement (1944),' Kaiser Co. Inc., Permanente Yard 3, dated 1944-08-31 (archive.org item ap130ga1944) - a class-level primary artifact that may carry machinery-space, accommodation, and insulation notation for the design this hull was built to.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980 records
- Limitations
- Record-location mapping only - no box-level or page-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 661 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-c-g-morton-ap138-13
