Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'General M. L. Hersey' (AP-148), Naval Historical Center - live history.navy.mil URL returns 404 (checked 2026-09-25); verbatim text retrieved via Wayback capture [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback id_ capture 20050410093541 of history.navy.mil/danfs/g3/general_m_l_hersey.htm; current NHHC slug history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/general-m-l-hersey.html 404
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry (NHHC verbatim text, retrieved via Wayback Machine capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/g3/general_m_l_hersey.htm, 2005-04-10): AP-148 launched 1 April 1944 under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. Alice Hersey Wicks; acquired by the Navy 31 May 1944; commissioned 29 July 1944, Capt. James W. Smith. WWII service: shakedown off San Pedro; San Francisco 5 Sep 1944 to Milne Bay (21 Sep), Admiralty/Russell/Solomon runs; return 19 Oct with 3,000+ veterans; four round trips 7 Nov 1944-14 Aug 1945 to New Guinea, Philippines, Palaus, Marianas incl. Leyte under frequent air attack Nov 1944; occupation lift to Yokohama 24 Sep 1945, embarked 3,052 troops for Operation Magic Carpet; further repatriation voyages to Dec 1945-Mar 1946; Calcutta/Colombo lift via Suez to New York 21 May 1946; decommissioned New York 1 Jun 1946, to WSA 6 Jun for Army Transportation Service. MSTS: reacquired 1 Mar 1950, civilian crew, IRO refugee lift to U.S.; four Far East round trips 1952-53 (Korea); out of service 11 Jun 1954, Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego; to Maritime Administration, NDRF Suisun Bay 3 Sep 1959. One battle star WWII, two battle stars Korea. DANFS stats: dp 9,950 lt; l 522'10"; b 71'6"; dr 24'; s 16k; cpl 356; trp 3,823; cl General G. O. Squier; T C4-S-A1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops 1944-1946; MSTS civilian crew 1950-1954
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history for identity, dates, and operations; contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. DANFS text ends with her 1959 Suisun Bay layup ('where she remains'); post-1959 events covered by other rows. Sponsor surname 'Wicks' as printed; NavSource-derived sources spell 'Wick'.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-01
-
[2]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive: USNS General M.L. Hersey (T-AP-148) / USS General M.L. Hersey (AP-148), page 09/22/22148 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page chronology block, campaign tables, specifications block, and image captions (incl. Napa bow photo 092214811)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive record (T-AP-148 page, last updated 2025-12-05): laid down as MC type C4-S-A1, MC hull 705, Kaiser Co. Inc. Yard No. 3, Richmond; launched 1 Apr 1944; acquired 31 May 1944; commissioned 29 Jul 1944 CAPT James W. Smith; Asiatic-Pacific campaign Leyte landings 26-29 Nov 1944; Far East occupation service 23-29 Sep 1945; decommissioned New York 1 Jun 1946; to U.S. Army Transportation Service, commissioned USAT at Hoboken NJ 6 Jun 1946; laid up James River NDRF, Lee Hall VA, 30 Jul 1947; reacquired by Navy 1 Mar 1950, MSTS as USNS T-AP-148; supported Thule Greenland air-base construction (Operation Blue Jay) 1951; collided 4 Nov 1951 in fog-bound North Sea with Argentine motorship MS Maipu, which sank - all aboard rescued; Korean War campaigns Third Korean Winter (16-18 Jan, 9-10 Mar, 15 Mar 1953) and Korean Summer-Fall 1953 (31 May-2 Jun 1953); out of service 11 Jun 1954; to Maritime Commission/NDRF Suisun Bay 3 Sep 1959. Merchant service: sold to Sea-Land Service Inc. 16 Aug 1968, renamed SS Pittsburgh; renamed SS St. Louis Sep 1969; converted to container ship 10 Jan 1970; scrapped Apr 1988. Specs incl. 2 B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/765F, Westinghouse geared turbine 9,000 shp, complement 34 officers + 391 enlisted, troop accommodations 229 officers + 3,114 enlisted. Photo caption documents the new bulbous bow for SS St. Louis at Kaiser Napa Fabricating Plant, Napa CA, 7 Mar 1970.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1988
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archive transcribing official records - not itself a primary document, but consistent with DANFS and MARAD card on all overlapping points. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL M. L. HERSEY (APA-148), Ship History Detail 1831, including digitized vessel status cards 1831_3391AF.jpg / 1831_3391BF.jpg and custody card scans [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1831, milestone table; status card images at vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1831_3391AF.jpg and 1831_3391BF.jpg plus two custody-card scans
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record and scanned vessel status cards for GENERAL M. L. HERSEY: Official No. 515620; MC hull 705; type C4-S-A1, Naval Auxiliary/AP transport; built Kaiser Company, Richmond (R3), 1944; length 522.84 ft, beam 71.5 ft, displacement 17,250 fl / 9,950 lt. Custody chain per status card: delivered by builder to USMC and to Navy Dept. 5-31-44 1:00 PM PWT Richmond; War Dept. custody Hoboken NJ 6-6-46 2:30 PM EDT (from Navy, surplus); NDRF James River (Lee Hall) 7-30-47; withdrawn 7-1-48, delivered to operations/Army; Navy Dept. title 3-1-50; NDRF Suisun Bay (permanent transfer) 9-3-59; Sea-Land Service, Inc. under Exchange Program - title 7-16-68 noon EDST Washington, physical delivery Suisun Bay 8-16-68 11:30 AM PDST; renamed PITTSBURGH 9-13-68; renamed ST. LOUIS 9-69; converted to containership 1-10-70; scrapped 4-88. MARAD milestone table: entry/acquisition 7-30-1947; disposition/withdrawal 8-16-1968 EXCHANGE PROGRAM; fate Scrapped.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1988
- Limitations
- Primary government custody record; authoritative for dates of custody transfer, renames, conversion date and scrapping. MARAD labels the hull 'APA-148' in the header (the hull was AP-148/T-AP-148) - cosmetic DB artifact. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-03
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[4]Shipscribe.com, 'USS General G. O. Squier (AP-130) Class' - construction table, postwar table, class notes, and per-ship notes (AP-148) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table (AP-148 row: keel 11 Oct 43); postwar table (inactivated Jun 54, struck 1 Jul 60, NDRF 3 Sep 59, MA, disposal 16 Jul 68); ship note MC# 705; class notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Shipscribe reconstruction of Navy/Maritime records for the General G. O. Squier (AP-130) class: AP-148 keel laid 11 Oct 1943, launched 1 Apr 1944, acquired 31 May 1944, commissioned 29 Jul 1944; decommissioned to MC and to Army 6 Jun 1946, struck 8 Oct 1946; initial Army peacetime conversion by Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island, begun ca. June 1946; in NDRF 30 Jul 1947 to 1 Jul 1948, second conversion completed ca. Nov 1948; from Army to MSTS 1 Mar 1950, reinstated 28 Apr 1950; inactivated 11 Jun 1954, USN reserve 1954-59; struck 1 Jul 1960; to buyer 16 Aug 1968; mercantile PITTSBURGH 1968, ST. LOUIS (container ship, 685 ft oa) 1969, scrapped 1988. Class notes: C4-S-A1 design derived by George Sharp for American Hawaiian Lines; 30 C4-S-A1 transports contracted at Kaiser Richmond No. 3 under a 50-ship Army program; Navy agreed April 1943 to man all fifty on Army schedules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1988
- Limitations
- Scholarly secondary reconstruction from official records (NVR, MARAD files) - supplies keel date and strike dates absent from DANFS/NavSource but is not itself a primary document. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-04
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[5]Associated Press wire (5 Nov 1951) as carried in Athens Banner-Herald front page OCR; New York Times 'U.S. Troopship in Collision; Liner Sinks, All Hands Safe' (5 Nov 1951); corroborated by NavSource chronology and German maritime sources [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Athens Banner-Herald 1951-11-05 seq-1 OCR; NYT 1951-11-05 archives; NavSource 09/22/22148 chronology
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press documentation of the 4 Nov 1951 collision: AP wire report (Athens Banner-Herald, 5 Nov 1951, p.1) and New York Times (5 Nov 1951) - the Argentine motorship Maipu, pride of Argentina's merchant fleet on a Buenos Aires-Hamburg voyage, sank in fog in the North Sea near the Weser estuary/Wangerooge after collision with U.S. troopship General M. L. Hersey, which was carrying U.S. 43rd Division troops to Germany; Maipu remained afloat about three hours; all aboard rescued by Hersey and German rescue craft; Hersey's bow stove in, limped into Bremerhaven with survivors.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1951-11-04
- Population
- Maipu passengers/crew (~238-260) rescued; Hersey crew
- Limitations
- Documents the collision event and rescue, not asbestos. Reported aboard-figures vary by outlet (238 vs 260 persons on Maipu); no casualty litigation opinion naming the hull was located in searches performed (see search_ledger for CourtListener status).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-05
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[6]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 (canonical DOI; publisher returns 403 to automated fetch - citation verified via indexing)
- 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 Kaiser-built C4-S-A1 transport was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government and merchant 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-m-l-hersey-ap148-06
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[7]NavSource AP-148 specifications block (plant data); California DTSC Kaiser Richmond Shipyard site record (Site ID 400137001) and EPA CERCLA CAD980637557 for the builder-yard complex [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/22/22148 specifications; DTSC Kaiser Richmond Shipyard project page (Site ID 400137001; returns 403 to automated fetch); EPA CERCLA record CAD980637557
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- This hull's documented plant - two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi/765 deg F driving a Westinghouse geared turbine (9,000 shp) with 400-kW DC generators - is a mid-war marine steam installation of the type for which boiler/drum insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and machinery-space fireproofing of the period were commonly asbestos-containing; the builder, Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 3, is within the documented WWII Kaiser yard complex where asbestos-containing shipyard materials are on record (DTSC/EPA site documentation for former Kaiser Richmond yards).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Richmond Yard 3, 1943-44); engineering/crewing personnel 1944-1970
- Limitations
- Era- and plant-type inference, not a hull record: no document located states asbestos content of this vessel's insulation or outfit. Yard environmental records document the Richmond site, not this hull's construction materials. Does not establish quantity, locations, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1988), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-07
-
[8]Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild, 'USAT General Hersey, Naples to Melbourne, arr. 6 Dec 1949' - transcribed IRO passenger manifest [other_primary]
- Locator
- Passenger-list page, voyage header (departure/arrival ports and dates, IRO Group Resettlement banner)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Voyage-level primary transcription: surviving passenger list for USAT General M. L. Hersey departing Naples 16 Nov 1949, arriving Melbourne, Australia 6 Dec 1949, under International Refugee Organisation Group Resettlement to Australia - displaced persons and families from Germany, Hungary, USSR, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania and others; ~1,800+ names transcribed. Corroborates the Army-period IRO resettlement service (Australia-bound voyages nicknamed the 'Fifth Fleet' run).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1949-11-16 to 1949-12-06
- Population
- IRO refugees aboard (Dec 1949 voyage)
- Limitations
- Volunteer transcription of an original manifest - voyage documented but names/date details not verified against the underlying primary document image. No asbestos content; the Australian IRO run complements DANFS's statement that she carried refugees 'to the United States' - service was broader.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-08
-
[9]Benet v. Hersey, 113 F. Supp. 826, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2660 (E.D.N.Y. 1953), Adm. No. 19641 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion cluster 8734672 (search hit verified via authenticated API); disposition sentence verified in opinion text mirror: 'The Johansen case is controlling. The motion is granted and the libel dismissed.'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Benet v. The General M. L. Hersey, 113 F. Supp. 826 (E.D.N.Y. 1953), Adm. No. 19641, Judge Bruchhausen, filed 1953-06-29: Antonio Pedro Benet, a civilian employee aboard the U.S. Naval Transport General M. L. Hersey, was injured aboard and libeled the United States under the Public Vessels Act (46 U.S.C.A.). The government moved to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, contending the Federal Employees' Compensation Act was the exclusive remedy. The court held 'The Johansen case is controlling' (Johansen v. United States, 343 U.S. 427 (1952): FECA exclusive for civilian seamen on public vessels) - 'The motion is granted and the libel dismissed.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1953
- Population
- Civilian crew employees, MSTS period
- Limitations
- Classified OTHER LITIGATION, not qualifying asbestos litigation: a personal-injury suit by one civilian crew employee, decided on a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction (FECA exclusivity) - a jurisdictional/remedy disposition containing no finding on shipboard conditions, materials, or exposure. Nothing in the opinion is an asbestos finding; it establishes only that a civilian employee sued over an aboard injury and that the PVA suit was dismissed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-09
-
[10]Batch-2075 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 09/22/22148; MARAD ShipHistory 1831 + 4 status-card scans; Shipscribe AP-130 class page; archive.org ap148ga1943 booklet; asbestos/survey/abatement keyword searches; CourtListener status per ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-01 through sl-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming the General M. L. Hersey / AP-148 / T-AP-148 / Pittsburgh / St. Louis hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory detail and status cards, Shipscribe, and the digitized Booklet of General Plans contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; the only litigation naming the hull located (Benet v. Hersey, E.D.N.Y. 1953) is a non-asbestos injury suit; no asbestos case naming this hull was located in the searches performed (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 asbestos-containing construction, and the 1969-70 containership conversion plus 1988 scrapping left no public materials record. 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-m-l-hersey-ap148-10
-
[11]Internet Archive item ap148ga1943, 'USA - AP-148 USS General M L Hersey General Arrangement (1943)' - digitized Kaiser Yard 3 drawings (third-party scan compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org item page and PDF (title block: Kaiser Company Inc., Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No. 3, Richmond, Calif.; SSS Plan No. V-1490)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-specific archival artifact publicly digitized: 'USA - AP-148 USS General M L Hersey General Arrangement (1943)' - a Booklet of General Plans scan of Kaiser Co. Inc., Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No. 3, Richmond drawings (SSS Plan No. V-1490, 'OUTBOARD PROFILE - C4-S-A1 TROOPSHIPS' among the plates), posted to the Internet Archive (identifier ap148ga1943). Plate-level review could support ship-specific outfitting/materials research not achievable from narrative sources.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1944 drawings; scan posted 2023
- Limitations
- Existence and AP-148 attribution verified from the scan's title block; the drawings were not examined at plate level for insulation/materials notation, and general-arrangement booklets typically do not specify insulation materials. Modern third-party scan, not an official repository copy. No asbestos content located in the visible sheets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-11
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel/logs), RG 336 (Chief of Transportation), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); MARAD ShipHistory status-card set for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 Construction Division/contract files; NARA deck-log guidance; MARAD status-card annotations ('see Navy ltr Dec. 12, 1958 / Marad reply Dec. 23, 1958' re custody costs)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for AP-148 (1944-46 commissioning period) and WWII war diaries; RG 336 Office of the Chief of Transportation records covering USAT operations incl. 1946 Bethlehem Staten Island and ca.-1948 conversions and IRO voyages; MSTS records for T-AP-148 (1950-54 incl. Thule support, Maipu collision report, Korea lift); RG 178 Maritime Commission contract files for MC hull 705 and the 1968 Sea-Land exchange file behind the scanned MARAD status cards; MARAD vessel file may hold the containership-conversion documentation (Todd San Pedro attribution is secondary-source only).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1988 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-m-l-hersey-ap148-12