Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General Edgar T. Collins (T-AP-147) page - propulsion/specifications block; NavSource Naval History [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (Propulsion); General G. O. Squier class C4-S-A1
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The hull's documented propulsion - two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers supplying steam at 465 psi / 765 deg F to a Westinghouse geared turbine (9,000 shp, single screw) - is a high-pressure superheated-steam plant of the class and era that shipbuilding practice of 1943-44 insulated with asbestos-containing lagging on boilers, steam drums, and steam lines, plus asbestos gaskets, valve packing, and machinery packing; accommodation fireproofing in this 3,000+ troop transport followed the same era practice. Asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is era inference, not ship-proven.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1982
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Yard 3, Richmond, 1943-44); engine-room crew and troops embarked 1944-1982
- Limitations
- Propulsion specification is documented for this hull; the asbestos conclusion is inferred from the documented plant type plus era materials practice - no hull-specific insulation survey, purchase record, or abatement record located. Does not establish quantity, condition, individual exposure, or that material remained after the 1968 containership conversion; hull sank in 1982, so present-day presence cannot be surveyed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-01
-
[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 era and program under which this Maritime Commission C4-S-A1 transport was mass-produced at Kaiser Richmond - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard wartime 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 remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-02
-
[3]DANFS, General E. T. Collins (AP-147) - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page 404 on 2026-09-25) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official history: launched 22 January 1944 under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. Allison J. Garnet; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 20 July 1944, Comdr. E. J. Milner in command. Pacific troop voyages from 14 August 1944 (Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam, Kwajalein; then Fremantle-based runs to the Pacific islands and India); four 'Magic-Carpet' voyages after V-J Day, arriving San Francisco 14 May 1946; decommissioned 17 June 1946 and turned over to the Maritime Commission for the Army Transportation Service. Reacquired by the Navy 1 March 1950 for MSTS with a civil-service crew; at Pusan 12 December 1950, then to Hungnam where she took on more than 6,000 troops (three times capacity) under naval gunfire cover and returned Christmas Eve for a second load; Operation Ivy (Eniwetok atomic tests) support task unit October-November 1952; final passage to San Francisco 6 October 1954; returned to the Maritime Administration 30 June 1960 and placed in the NDRF, Suisun Bay. Five battle stars for Korean War service. Named for Maj. Gen. Edgar Thomas Collins, USA (1873-1933).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Ship's crew and embarked troops (1944-46); MSTS civil-service crew and embarked troops (1950-54)
- Limitations
- DANFS contains no asbestos or insulation-material information. Design figures cited by DANFS (complement 356; troops 2,173) conflict with NavSource and MARAD-card figures - variances logged in gaps. Entry's narrative ends in 1960 ('where she remains' predates the 1968 disposal).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-03
-
[4]MARAD Vessel History Database record 1810 + scanned Vessel Status Card and Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars card (Form MA-389) for General E. T. Collins (AP-147) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1810; status-card scans /cards/6197e22a-2f0b-480a-901e-e47ecaeefc9e.png, /cards/1810_3348AF.jpg, /cards/43a50b31-a860-4071-a85b-b23ad21bd650.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record documents the full custody chain for this hull: U.S. Official No. 516540; MC hull 704; builder's hull 11; C4-S-A1; 13,000 gross tons; built by Kaiser Co., Inc. (R3) at Richmond, Cal.; completed 1944-05-18, delivered by the builder to the U.S. Maritime Commission at Richmond the same day (WSA basis 5-18-44). Allocations: Navy Dept. (delivered by USMC) at Richmond 5-18-44; War Dept. at San Francisco 6-17-46 (transfer 8-30-46); Navy Dept. title 3-1-50; Reserve Fleet custody at Suisun Bay 3-21-60; permanent transfer to Maritime Administration 6-30-60; title to Sea-Land Service, Inc. under the Exchange Program 9-10-68 at Washington, D.C., with physical delivery at Suisun Bay 9-11-68 (exchange ship FRANK E. TAPLIN, ex-CHAS. W. KOTCHER). Renamed 'NEW ORLEANS' 9-10-68; renamed 'GUAYAMA' 2-28-72; sold to Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority 9-30-74; transferred to Panamanian flag and registry (United Southern Shipping Ltd.) 4-2-81; renamed 'EASTERN KIN' 4-28-81. Card annotated 'Scrapped 1/82.' Troop particulars: 3,173 (228 officers, 2,945 enlisted).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1982
- Population
- Custody-transfer and reserve-fleet preservation personnel; commercial crews 1968-1982
- Limitations
- Custody/title record only - contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material fields. The handwritten 'Scrapped 1/82' annotation conflicts with the Lloyd's Register Casualty Return record that the vessel foundered at sea 9 January 1982 (see correction row ev-07). 'Sold to Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority 9-30-74' conflicts with NavSource's 10 September 1968 sale date - the MARAD card is controlling. Card reads 'GENERAL EDGAR T. COLLINS' with 'EDGAR' struck through - the same name variance seen across sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-04
-
[5]NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General Edgar T. Collins (T-AP-147) - designations, awards, Korean War campaign table, merchant-service notes, specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/22/22147 archive page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archive page documents the designation chain (USS AP-147 1944-46; USAT 1946-50, commissioned 30 August 1946; USNS T-AP-147 1950); Navy Occupation Service (Asia clasp) periods 29 Oct-1 Nov 1945 and 23-29 Apr 1946; Korean War campaign table (Communist China Aggression Dec 1950; First UN Counter Offensive Apr 1951; Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter Feb-Apr 1953; Korea Summer-Fall 1953); five battle stars; placed out of service circa October 1954 and laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; MARAD transfer dates consistent with the status card. Merchant service: converted into a containership in 1968 at Willamette Iron & Steel Co., Portland, OR. Specifications: one Westinghouse geared turbine; two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 465 psi 765 deg F; three 400 kW 240V DC ship's-service generators; 9,000 shp; troop accommodations 3,155.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1982
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run secondary archive, not an official source - dates and names here are used where they agree with primary records or where no primary source was located (e.g., Willamette conversion yard, detailed spec block). Its 'Final Disposition, scrapped, January 1982' is contradicted by the Lloyd's casualty record (ev-07); its claim the ship was sold to PRMSA on 10 September 1968 conflicts with the MARAD card's 9-30-74 sale.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-05
-
[6]Shipscribe U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships list, General G. O. Squier (AP-130) class table and notes (Tim Colton merchant/auxiliary ship database) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AP-130 class table row 147 + hull notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class-table and hull-note data for AP-147: MC hull 704; completed by builder (18 May 44 acquisition column); laid down 24 July 1943 at Kaiser Richmond #3; launched 22 January 1944; commissioned 20 July 1944. Notes: decommissioned, to MC, and to Army 17 June 1946; stricken 3 July 1946; initial Army peacetime conversion by Kaiser ca. June-August 1946; from Army to MSTS 1 March 1950, reinstated (on the Navy list) 28 April 1950; inactivated 8 February 1955; in USN reserve 1955-60; to NDRF 21 March 1960; to buyer 11 September 1968; merchant NEW ORLEANS (container ship) 1968, GUAYAMA 1975, EASTERN KIN 1981, foundered 9 January 1982.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1982
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary database reconciling Navy/MC custody - not an official source. Resolves NavSource's 'struck, date unknown' (stricken 3 Jul 1946, reinstated 28 Apr 1950, stricken finally 1 Jul 1960 per disposition table) and dates inactivation 8 Feb 1955 vs. NavSource's 'circa October 1954.' Its 'GUAYAMA 1975' conflicts with the MARAD card's 2-28-72 rename; 'foundered 9 Jan 82' is corroborated by Lloyd's (ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-06
-
[7]Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Casualty Return for the quarter ended 31 March 1982 - 'EASTERN KIN' entry under Foundered (scan, full text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Casualty Return Q1-1982, Foundered casualties table, 'EASTERN KIN'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Lloyd's Register records the vessel (as EASTERN KIN, built 1944, 11,500 GT, Panamanian flag, steam container ship) as a total loss under 'Foundered': on voyage New York-Mizushima carrying scrap iron she was lost 'in lat. 32 53 28N., long. 157 36 E., after developing cracks and flooding in holds, in heavy weather,' 9 January 1982. This corrects the 'scrapped' fate stated by NavSource ('Final Disposition, scrapped, January 1982'), repeated in secondary summaries, and implied by the MARAD card's 'Scrapped 1/82' annotation - the hull was never broken up in a scrapyard; it sank at sea.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1982-01-09
- Population
- Eastern Kin crew (1982 casualty; casualty record does not state loss of life in the entry read)
- Limitations
- Loss position is the reported casualty location, not a surveyed wreck position; the coordinate as scanned ('157 36 62E') carries an OCR artifact - read as approx. 157 deg 36 min E. The record establishes sinking, not the disposition of materials aboard; any asbestos-containing material present went down with the hull in deep water. Casualty-investigation documents, if any survive, are not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-07
-
[8]United States v. Garcia (Rudolph G. Garcia, Merchant Seaman), 5 C.M.A. 88, 17 C.M.R. 88 (U.S. Court of Military Appeals, No. 3086, decided Nov. 5, 1954) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 8594877 (5 C.M.A. 88, No. 3086); Robertson discussion via legal-database reprint
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published USCMA opinion arising from the Army general court-martial in Japan of a civilian seaman employed by the Military Sea Transportation Service - identified in the later USCMA decision United States v. Robertson (1955) as 'a civil service employee of the United States serving aboard a United States Naval ship, the General Collins.' Garcia became the leading case on UCMJ Article 2(11) court-martial jurisdiction over civilian mariners accompanying the armed forces; the Court dismissed for want of jurisdiction over the appeal while indicating that a civil-service MSTS seaman aboard a naval vessel on the high seas was within Article 2(11). Ship-specific in that this hull is the accused's vessel of service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1954 (opinion); offenses aboard c. 1953-54
- Population
- MSTS civil-service seaman (Korean War era)
- Limitations
- Classified OTHER LITIGATION - a criminal/jurisdictional opinion with no asbestos, exposure, or injury content; it evidences that civil-service mariners served aboard this hull in MSTS service. The Garcia opinion's own text does not name the ship; the 'General Collins' identification comes from Robertson's restatement, read via legal-database reprints (CourtListener API record for Garcia carries metadata but stub-level text). No asbestos classification attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-08
-
[9]Complaint for Survival, Wrongful Death - Asbestos, McCue v. General Electric Company et al., No. 3:08-cv-03181-EMC (N.D. Cal. filed 2008-07-02), RECAP document 1 (complaint + work-history exhibit, pp. 19-20) [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP complaint doc 1 (gov.uscourts.cand.204821.1.0.pdf), work-history table + narrative at pp. 19-20; docket 4174531; IA mirror www.archive.org/download/gov.uscourts.cand.204821
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Wrongful-death/survival asbestos complaint names this hull in decedent Stanley McCue's work/exposure history: the pleading's exposure-site table lists his U.S. Marine Corps service 10/1950-8/1951 with locations including 'MSNS GENERAL E.T. COLLINS (AP-147),' and the narrative states he 'sailed aboard the MSNS GENERAL E.T. COLLINS to Korea,' returning aboard USS Montrose (APA-212) and USS Montrail (APA-213) - aboard which he recalled asbestos-covered pipe with torn canvas above his bunk; plaintiff 'contends that decedent may have been exposed to asbestos during this employment.' The hull is named within the alleged exposure window; the specific asbestos-product recollection attaches to the other two vessels. Filed 2008-07-02 N.D. Cal.; MDL-875 conditional transfer order 2008-10-27 (E.D. Pa.); conditional remand to N.D. Cal. 2012-08-13; dismissed without prejudice 2013-12-19 (order as to plaintiff Marcus Lindsey); docket terminated 2016-06-13.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1950-1951 (service/exposure window); 2008-2016 (litigation)
- Population
- U.S. Marine Corps infantryman/truck driver (troop passenger to Korea aboard this hull, 1950-51); decedent - asbestos-related lung disease per complaint, d. 2007-07-05
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, never adjudicated - a complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding. The ship is named in the alleged exposure window (Marine Corps service including the Korea transport voyage), but the pleading recites no asbestos-containing product or condition aboard General E. T. Collins itself - the specific ACM recollection (torn pipe covering above the bunk) is aboard USS Montrose and USS Montrail. 'MSNS' is the pleading's rendering of USNS. Case ended dismissed without prejudice; no discovery finding, trial finding, or judgment addresses exposure aboard this hull. Does not establish asbestos aboard, individual exposure, causation, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-09
-
[10]U.S. Coast Guard boarding report re: USS GENERAL E. T. COLLINS discharge of oil into coastal navigable waters (July 1946) - NARA-declassified scan (Project NW 63684) attached to MARAD ShipHistory record 1810 [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory 1810 Documents tab, second upload (2 pp.); NARA Project NW 63684
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- USCG boarding report: about 12 July 1946 a Coast Guard inspecting party found oil on the water and shoreline at Kaiser Yard #3, Richmond, where the vessel lay; the yard's labor superintendent stated the ship had spilled about 50 barrels of oil on 12 July 1946 while the crew - 'not familiar with the valves as they had just taken the ship over' (the new Army crew) - was transferring fuel oil from settlers to the No. 1 tank. Documents the hull's mid-1946 Army conversion period at Kaiser Yard 3 (cf. shipscribe note of Kaiser conversion ca. June-August 1946) and a ship-specific pollution incident under the Oil Pollution Act.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-07
- Population
- Army Transport Service crew; Kaiser Yard 3 workers; USCG inspectors (1946)
- Limitations
- An oil-discharge record, not an asbestos record - it evidences yard work aboard this hull during the 1946 Army conversion, not asbestos-containing-material handling. OCR transcription of a typewritten scan; names/quantities as transcribed may carry minor errors.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-10
-
[11]Headquarters 8th District, 1st CIC Detachment, Summary of Information, 2 June 1951 - 'ALLEGED AGITATION ABOARD USNS GENERAL E. T. COLLINS' - NARA-declassified scan (Project NW 63684) attached to MARAD ShipHistory record 1810 [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory 1810 Documents tab, first upload (1 p.); NARA Project NW 63684
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Army Counter Intelligence Corps summary reporting an able seaman (Deck Maintenance Department) aboard USNS General E. T. Collins allegedly 'attempting to agitate' during the May 1951 United States-to-Japan voyage - union talk, demands beyond his position, 'red' suspicion - while sailing on one year's probation pending a loyalty clearance initiated 9 May 1951. Names the vessel, department, voyage period, and the shipboard informant (the chief steward). A primary record of the loyalty-screening environment aboard this MSTS transport during the Korean War.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1951-05/06
- Population
- MSTS civil-service crew (1951)
- Limitations
- A personnel/security investigation record with no asbestos or material content; evidences civil-service crew composition aboard this hull in Korean War MSTS service only. OCR transcription of a typewritten scan; the accused seaman's name and service details are transcribed but unverified beyond the document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-11
-
[12]National Park Service, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front NHP General Management Plan/Environmental Assessment - Richmond shipyards site documentation (incl. HAER No. CA-326-L, Kaiser Shipyards) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS parkplanning GMP/EA file; HAER CA-326-L (Kaiser Shipyards) written historical data
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- NPS documents that Shipyard No. 3 - the yard that built this hull - is the only surviving of the four Kaiser Richmond shipyards and part of the national historical park, and that wartime shipbuilding, ship repair, ship scrapping, and metal recycling contaminated waterfront soils; detected contaminants include asbestos, PCBs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, with ACM survey and Bay Area AQMD notification required before rehabilitation of park structures.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940s construction era; EA contemporary
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond yard workers (1941-46, site context); park remediation workers (contemporary)
- Limitations
- Builder-site environmental documentation, not a hull record: it establishes that the Kaiser Richmond yard complex carries documented asbestos contamination in soils and that wartime shipbuilding was among the contaminating activities. It does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor individual exposure of yard workers on this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-12
-
[13]Batch-2074 search ledger (this record): DANFS (ibiblio transcription; live NHHC 404); NavSource 22147; MARAD ShipHistory 1810 + status cards + NARA-scanned documents; shipscribe AP-130 class; Lloyd's Register Casualty Return Q1-1982; NPS Rosie the Riveter GMP/EA + HAER CA-326-L; CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-01 through sl-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located beyond the pleading-stage naming in ev-09: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, MARAD exchange-condition disclosure, or adjudicated asbestos finding names this hull in the public sources searched. The McCue complaint (ev-09) is an unadjudicated pleading naming the ship inside an exposure window without reciting any asbestos condition aboard; the only other litigation hit is non-asbestos (Garcia, ev-08); the only ship-specific environmental record is a 1946 oil discharge (ev-10). 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 1944 steam transport is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and the hull sank in 1982 foreclosing any present-day 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-e-t-collins-ap147-13
-
[14]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); related: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and MSTS/NDRF-era records [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html ; Reserve Fleet particulars card 'OTHER DATA' note
- 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/contract records for MC hull 704 and C4-S-A1 outfitting specifications may document insulation materials; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds Navy acquisition/conversion files; the Navy letter of 17 Nov 1959 and MARAD reply of 30 Nov 1959 referenced on the Reserve Fleet particulars card (Marad preservation correspondence) may survive in MARAD/NDRF files; MSTS civil-service crew records and the 1951 CIC file's parent series are further leads; casualty-investigation files for the 1982 foundering (flag-state Panama inquiry, if any) would settle the loss narrative.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1982 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. Two NARA-scanned documents already attached to the MARAD record were retrieved and read (ev-10, ev-11).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-e-t-collins-ap147-14