USS General S. D. Sturgis (AP-137)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]NavSource Online, USNS/USS General S. D. Sturgis (T-AP-137/AP-137) specifications block (boilers, turbine, gearing, 9,000 shp); shipscribe.com General G. O. Squier (AP-130) class page (machinery: Westinghouse turbine, 1 screw, 9,000 HP; MC C4-S-A1 design) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 'Specifications' block (propulsion section); shipscribe https://www.usnaux.shipscribe.com/AP/AP130.html class data header

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference only: this hull's documented propulsion plant was two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi and 765 deg F superheat feeding a Westinghouse geared turbine with double Falk main reduction gear on a single screw - a high-energy steam plant of the type that era-typically carried asbestos-containing boiler and machinery insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing materials in a ship built 1943-44 to wartime Maritime Commission specifications.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1944 construction; 1944-1980 service

   Population

   Engine-room and machinery-space crew; shipyard workers at Kaiser Richmond #3 (1943-44) and Kaiser Vancouver (1944 conversion); later conversion/shipbreaking yards

   Limitations

   Machinery specifications are documented; asbestos content is not. Neither source states 'asbestos' and no hull-level insulation schedule, survey, or abatement record was located. Inference from plant type and construction era only - does not establish presence, quantity, location, exposure, or causation aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-01

2. [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 an insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II, the era and federal shipbuilding program (Maritime Commission C4-S-A1 design, Navy acquisition and operation) under which this transport was constructed at a wartime-contract yard.

   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-s-d-sturgis-ap137-02

3. [3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) Vol. III (1968), 'General S. D. Sturgis (AP-137)' - canonical NHHC page returns HTTP 404 (2026-09-25); verbatim entry text verified as reproduced in the Wikipedia article's operational-history section and corroborated in part by the istrianet.org transcription (which contains its own errors - MC '661', 'D4-S-A1' - noted in the correction row) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC canonical URL (404 - standing NHHC link-rot issue per BATCH-01); verbatim DANFS text reproduced at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_General_S._D._Sturgis operational history; partial transcription https://www.istrianet.org/istria/navigation/sea/ships/sturgis.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry: launched 12 November 1943 under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 660) by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, California, sponsored by Miss Rio Ivanhoe; acquired by the Navy 31 March 1944; ferry commission 24 April 1944 for transfer to Portland, Oregon; decommissioned 25 May 1944; converted to a transport by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington; full commission at Portland 10 July 1944, CDR Duncan S. Baker USNR. WWII: shakedown San Francisco/Los Angeles; Seattle 10 August 1944 embarkation; Honolulu 24 August; San Francisco 2 September with hospital patients; Pearl Harbor round-trips 27 September-6 November; departed San Francisco 16 November for Southwest Pacific; Eniwetok 4 December; Ulithi station receiving ship; carried part of Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet staff via Eniwetok to Pearl Harbor, reaching Seattle 19 February 1945; 6 April-2 June round trip to Langemak Bay, Hollandia, and San Pedro, Leyte; departed San Francisco 16 June for Marseilles (troops embarked 9 July) and redeployed them to Manila arriving 20 August; in camouflage measure 32 design 13T carried U.S., Australian, Canadian, Netherlands East Indies, Chinese, and Philippine officials to Tokyo Bay arriving 31 August for the 2 September surrender ceremonies; departed 26 September for Seattle (arriving 8 October); three West Coast-Japan occupation voyages; around-the-world voyage via Manila, Singapore, Calcutta, Port Said arriving New York 10 May 1946; decommissioned 24 May 1946 and delivered to the War Shipping Administration for peacetime operation as an Army transport.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Limitations

   Establishes identity, construction chain, and the complete WWII operational narrative through decommissioning and WSA delivery. DANFS coverage ends at turnover to the Army - USAT/MSTS detail comes from other sources. No asbestos or insulation-material content in this source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General S. D. Sturgis (T-AP-137) ex-USAT General S. D. Sturgis / USS General S. D. Sturgis (AP-137) (page manager Gary P. Priolo) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chronology bullet block; occupation/campaign tables; Merchant Service block; specifications block; NHHC-sourced photographs (Saigon 7 Apr 1975 images 092213720/092213721)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource service-ship archive page for this hull: MC hull 660 laid down 1943 under Maritime Commission contract (C4-S-A1) at Kaiser Shipbuilding Corp., Yard No. 3, Richmond, CA; launched 12 November 1943; acquired 31 March 1944; partial (ferry) commission 24 April 1944 for transit to fitting-out yard; decommissioned Portland 25 May 1944; completed as naval transport by Kaiser Co. Inc., Vancouver, WA; recommissioned in full 10 July 1944, CDR Duncan S. Baker USNR; WWII passenger transport in Asiatic-Pacific and Europe-Africa-Middle East theaters; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods in the Far East (2-26 September 1945, 1-9 November 1945, 16-24 December 1945, 1-3 February 1946); decommissioned New York 24 May 1946; struck 'date unknown'; USAT 1946-1950; reacquired 1 March 1950 and placed in service as USNS T-AP-137 with MSTS; Korean War campaigns (Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952: 28-29 September, 8 October; Third Korean Winter: 4-5 April 1953; Korean Summer-Fall 1953: 31 May-1 June); Europe occupation-clasp periods 1951-1955; reduced operational status 28 May 1955; transferred 31 July 1967 to Gulf Steamship Corp. by MARAD (trade-in); renamed SS Green Port September 1967; sold for scrapping 6 February 1980 to Kai Sheng Steel Enterprise Corp., Kaohsiung, Taiwan. U.S. Navy photographs on the page document Green Port in Saigon harbor 7 April 1975 embarking South Vietnamese refugees (cargo nets rigged; PH3 J.L. Aswegan) and at Bremerhaven August 1976 and San Francisco October 1979. Ship data block: 9,950 t light / 17,250 t full; 522'10" oa; 71'6" beam; 26'6" draft; 16.5 kts; complement 49 officers/451 enlisted; troop capacity 230 officers/3,300 enlisted; cargo 1,900 DWT, 79,000 cu ft; four single 5"/38 mounts; four twin 1.1" mounts (replaced by two twin 40mm); sixteen 20mm; two B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/765 deg F; Westinghouse geared turbine; double Falk reduction gear; three 400kW generators; single screw 9,000 shp.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1980

   Limitations

   Reputable secondary archive; reconciles with DANFS/shipscribe/MARAD on the timeline except 'struck date unknown' vs shipscribe's 19 Jun 46 (adopted) and per-source figure variances (complement, draft) flagged in correction row. Namesake photo caption depicts the 1822-1889 Civil War general - conflicts with the MARAD card's 1861-1933 biography (correction row). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-04

5. [5]Shipscribe.com, 'USS General G. O. Squier (AP-130) Class' - construction/disposition tables, class notes, and AP-137 ship note (compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from official Navy records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class data header (design, machinery, armament, complement); construction table row AP-137; disposition table row AP-137; class notes (program history, safety-at-sea conversions); ship notes AP-137 (MC 660)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe (S. S. Roberts) General G. O. Squier (AP-130) class compilation reproducing official U.S. Navy data: AP-137 = MC hull 660, keel 15 April 1943, launched 12 November 1943, Navy acquisition 31 March 1944, commissioned 10 July 1944; ship note: 'Ferry comm. 24 Apr 44 to 25 May 44, converted by Kaiser, Vancouver. Decomm, to MC, and to Army 24 May 46, stk. 19 Jun 46. Initial Army peacetime conversion by Atlantic Basin IW, Brooklyn, ca. May-August 1946. From Army to MSTS 1 Mar 50, reinst. 28 Apr 50. Inactivated (Ready Reserve) by MSTS at Orange, Texas, 27 Sep 57. To buyer 31 Jul 67. Merc. GREEN PORT, scrapped 1980.' Disposition table: inactivated Sep 57, to MA custody and title 22 Aug 58, MA sale 20 Jul 67. Class notes document the design origin (George Sharp's 1941 American Hawaiian Lines C4 study; MC takeover October 1941), the Army fifty-transport program for which Richmond Yard No. 3 received contracts for 30 C4-S-A1s, the April 1943 Army-Navy manning agreement, the 8 May 1943 Navy-MC conversion-features conference, the 1947-48 Army safety-at-sea conversions (AP-137 among ships still carrying Welin davits when delivered to the Navy in 1950 and among those later receiving the revised lifeboat arrangement), and the C4s' early post-Korea retirement and sale to commercial container/cargo operators.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1941-1980

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of official USN/MC records - values reconcile with DANFS, NavSource, and the MARAD status card (which gives the 19 Jun 46 strike context-free; 22 Aug 58 Beaumont entry; and 20 vs 31 Jul 67 allocation-vs-physical-delivery, reconciled in correction row). The underlying BuShips/MC documents are not themselves reproduced. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-05

6. [6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL S. D. STURGIS (AP-137), Detail 1841, incl. digitized status cards (WSA/USMC custody card; MA-363 Reserve Fleet card; descriptive card) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1841 milestone table; /cards/1841_3409AF.jpg; /cards/1841_3409AB.jpg; /cards/c229b3a3-3760-429b-b6b4-f8effe7314b8.png

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database record for GENERAL S. D. STURGIS (AP-137), Ship History Detail 1841, plus three digitized status cards retrieved and read: (a) WSA/USMC 'Vessel Status Card' (O.N. 510015, MC Hull 660, Kaiser Co. Inc. #3 Richmond, completed 3-31-44) logging the custody chain with timestamps - delivered by builders to USMC at Richmond 3-31-44 7:15PM PWT; Navy Dept. delivery by USMC same day (LB basis); surplus from Navy Dept. to War Dept. at Brooklyn, NY 5-24-46 2:30PM EDT; transfer notation 8-30-46; title to Navy Dept. 3-1-50; Reserve Fleet permanent transfer at Beaumont, TX 8-22-58 1:15pm CST; Central Gulf S.S. Corp. exchange-program allocation at Washington, DC 7-20-67 12 noon EDT; physical delivery at Beaumont 7-31-67 11:00am CDT; 'Renamed GREEN PORT 9-67'; 'Sold to Kai Sheng Steel Enterprise Corporation (scrapping in Taiwan) 2/6/80.' (b) MA-363 'Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars' card (Beaumont fleet; entered Aug. 22, 1958; withdrawn 7-31-67 'Delivered to Central Gulf Steamship Corp., purchaser under Ship Exchange Contract MA-4336'; handwritten 'Later Green Port' and 'Sold to Kai Sheng Steel Enterprise Corp. for Scrap February 6, 1980'; passengers 3,343 - 229 officers/3,114 enlisted; 'Group 22 Transports'; reimbursable-for-preservation note citing MSTS letter 1 Mar 1958 and Navy letter 29 Apr 1958 with MARAD replies 6 Mar and 15 May 1958; red SCRAPPED stamp). (c) Descriptive card with dazzle-camouflage photo and namesake biography identifying the ship's namesake as MAJOR General Samuel Davis Sturgis, West Point 1884, Spanish-American War and WWI service (the 1861-1933 officer). Milestones table: Entry/Acquisition 8/22/1958 ('MC 660, War Shipping Admin'); Disposition/Withdrawal 7/31/1967 'EXCHANGE CONTRACT'; fate 'Sold - Scrap.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1980

   Limitations

   Primary government custody record - strongest source for the post-Navy disposition chain (timestamps, contract MA-4336, renaming month, scrapping sale). Status-card handwriting partially legible (manual read). The card's 'GEN. SAMUEL D. STURGIS' name form differs slightly from naval usage. Descriptive-card passenger figure (3,220) conflicts with the MA-363 card's 3,343 and NavSource's 3,300+230 - carried as a variance. No asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-06

7. [7]Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center, 'Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945' (FAQ page, dated 14 December 2004) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture of history.navy.mil/faqs/faq69-2.htm, 'Transport (AP)' section (sole entry)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Historical Center roster 'Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945' (sourced from CINCPAC/CINCPOA serial 0395 of 11 February 1946, Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan, amended per war diaries and deck logs) lists USS General Sturgis (AP-137) under Transports (AP) - the only AP-type vessel on the list, corroborating the DANFS account that she delivered the Allied officials to Tokyo Bay 31 August 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945-09-02

   Limitations

   Official NHC roster derived from the CINCPAC surrender report - establishes presence at Tokyo Bay 2 Sep 1945, not the duration of stay. Live NHHC page not located (Wayback capture cited - link-rot pattern per BATCH-01). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-07

8. [8]Alma L. Ramey v. Hershel W. Gober, Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 120 F.3d 1239 (Fed. Cir. 1997), CourtListener opinion 744592 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text, factual-background paragraphs (service aboard Sturgis; Nagasaki anchorage 2 Nov 1945)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Ramey v. Gober, 120 F.3d 1239 (Fed. Cir. 1997): widow's appeal of a denied VA dependency and indemnity claim - the veteran served aboard 'the U.S.S. General S.D. Sturgis when it departed from Seattle, Washington, on October 18, 1945, en route to Japan'; 'the Sturgis reached Nagasaki, Japan, where it anchored' 2 November 1945 and 'left Nagasaki the next day.' The claim alleged ionizing-radiation exposure at Nagasaki causing cancer; the Federal Circuit affirmed the denial. OTHER LITIGATION - not an asbestos case: the opinion names the ship only as the situs of alleged radiation exposure; it judicially confirms the hull's occupation-duty presence at Nagasaki.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945-10/11 (facts); 1997 (decision)

   Population

   U.S. Army soldier embarked aboard, October-November 1945

   Limitations

   Classified 'other litigation,' not qualifying asbestos litigation - the exposure theory was ionizing radiation, not asbestos, and the court reached no findings about shipboard materials. Value to this record is the court-documented Nagasaki port call consistent with NavSource occupation-service periods. Establishes nothing about asbestos aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-08

9. [9]Earnest H. Neveaux v. Central Gulf Steamship Corp. (United States, third-party defendant), 503 F.2d 961 (5th Cir. 1974), CourtListener opinion 8894733 [court_record]

   Locator

   Per curiam opinion, opening paragraph (vessel named; Qui Nhon situs) and affirmance

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Neveaux v. Central Gulf Steamship Corp., 503 F.2d 961 (5th Cir. 1974): seaman's admiralty suit (negligence/unseaworthiness) for injuries sustained while employed as an electrician aboard defendant's vessel SS GREEN PORT - this hull in its merchant period - while at Qui Nhon, South Vietnam. Jury verdict for the defendant; affirmed per curiam (charge, evidentiary, and juror-challenge assignments rejected). The United States appears as third-party defendant in the caption. OTHER LITIGATION - not an asbestos case: personal-injury claim with no asbestos allegation in the opinion.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   ca. 1969-1972 (facts); 1974 (decision)

   Population

   Merchant seaman electrician aboard SS Green Port, Qui Nhon

   Limitations

   Classified 'other litigation,' not qualifying asbestos litigation - Jones Act/unseaworthiness injury claim; merits-level defense win. Confirms this hull's merchant-period identity and Vietnam-era service. Establishes nothing about materials or asbestos aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-09

10. [10]Batch-2066 search ledger (this record): DANFS (NHHC canonical 404; verbatim reproduction), NavSource 22137, shipscribe AP-130 class page, MARAD ShipHistory 1841 + status cards, NHHC Tokyo Bay roster, CourtListener API v4 (5 searches), NYT archive, VA BVA index (blocked), open-web litigation surface [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-01 through -15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum remediation record, or docketed asbestos case naming 'General S. D. Sturgis,' AP-137, T-AP-137, MC hull 660, USCG ON 510015, IMO 6810691, or this hull's 'Green Port' period was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener authenticated API searches (2026-09-25): 'General S. D. Sturgis' 1 opinion hit (Ramey - radiation, other litigation); 'AP-137' 18 hits (all docket-number/form-number collisions); 'Sturgis' + asbestos 31 hits (all surname/business collisions); 'Green Port' + vessel terms 16 hits (Neveaux - this hull, non-asbestos; Hurricane Betsy limitation cluster and Sammon - an earlier different Green Port, collisions by temporal impossibility); 'T-AP-137' 0 hits. DANFS, NavSource, shipscribe, MARAD record/cards, and the NHHC Tokyo Bay roster contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. VA BVA search index was under maintenance this session (blocked). Two mesothelioma marketing pages naming the ship exist - excluded as banned source types (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 steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and outfit, and scrapping in Taiwan in 1980 leaves no hull to survey. The VA BVA index outage leaves the veteran-claims surface incompletely checked - stated follow-up. 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-s-d-sturgis-ap137-10

11. [11]shipscribe class page (stk. 19 Jun 46); NavalCoverMuseum AP-137 page; NavSource 22137; MARAD status cards (namesake bio, custody, figures); Wikipedia/istrianet secondary texts; CourtListener opinions 425 F.2d 991 / Sammon 1971 / Neveaux 1974 [other_primary]

    Locator

    shipscribe AP-137 ship note; navalcovermuseum.org AP-137 dates block; MARAD cards (as cited in ev-06); CourtListener records as cited in ev-08/ev-09 and the search ledger

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) Strike date - NavSource 'date unknown' vs shipscribe ship note 'stk. 19 Jun 46' and NavalCoverMuseum 'June 19 1946'; 19 June 1946 adopted. (b) Namesake - MARAD descriptive card biography describes MG Samuel D. Sturgis (West Point 1884, Spanish-American War, WWI divisions; 1861-1933) and Wikipedia links Samuel D. Sturgis Jr. (1861-1933), while NavSource's namesake photograph and the istrianet mirror show his father BG Samuel D. Sturgis (1822-1889); the MARAD card (a government ship-specific document) adopted, conflict logged rather than silently resolved. (c) istrianet mirror errors - 'MC hull 661' (all other sources: 660) and 'D4-S-A1' (correct: C4-S-A1); istrianet not relied on as a citation. (d) Merchant-name collisions - the 'Green Port' in the Hurricane Betsy limitation proceedings (425 F.2d 991, 5th Cir. 1970; casualty 9 Sep 1965) and in Sammon v. Central Gulf (2d Cir. 1971; employment October 1964) is a different, earlier Central Gulf vessel: this hull remained USNS Sturgis in the Beaumont NDRF until July 1967 and was renamed Green Port only in September 1967, so neither matter can concern this hull - classified name collisions and excluded from evidence. (e) Wikipedia statement that 'USNS General S. D. Sturgis arrived at Boston 8 July 1949 with 841 displaced persons' uses a designation that did not exist until 1 March 1950 and conflicts in detail with the NYT-documented Boston arrival 14 August 1949 with 843 DPs - flagged as a probable date/designation garble, not carried as fact. (f) Figure variances carried unmerged: complement 356 (DANFS-derived) vs 49+451 (NavSource) vs 340 (shipscribe class); troop capacity 3,343 (status card; NavSource 230+3,300) vs 3,220 (MARAD descriptive card) vs ~3,485 design (istrianet note); draft 24'0" (cards) vs 26'6" (NavSource) vs 30' (HyperWar stats); speed 16.5-18 kts across sources.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1943-1980 (sources 1944-2026)

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among official and secondary framings; unresolved residue (true strike date basis, namesake intent, the 1949 Boston voyage details, exact figure bases) is carried in gaps. The Green Port collision ruling is a classification decision - it excludes two litigation clusters from this hull on temporal impossibility, not on any doubt that they name 'Green Port.' No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records (RG 24 Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs; RG 178 U.S. Maritime Commission; RG 248 War Shipping Administration); MARAD status-card annotations (MA-4336; 1958 letters); navysite.de AP-137 cruise-book listing [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG guides (178/248); NARA deck-log guidance; MARAD status card 'OTHER DATA' block; https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/ap137-45/index.html

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA deck logs and ship's history files for AP-137/T-AP-137 (RG 24); U.S. Maritime Commission construction/contract records for MC hull 660 and War Shipping Administration operation files (RG 178, RG 248); the 1958 correspondence specifically cited on the status card - MSTS letter 1 March 1958, Navy letter 29 April 1958, MARAD replies 6 March and 15 May 1958, plus the permanent-transfer/reimbursable-title file (likely MARAD records); Atlantic Basin Iron Works (Brooklyn) job records for the May-August 1946 Army peacetime conversion; the yard that performed the 1967-68 Central Gulf cargo rebuild (not named in consulted sources); MARAD Ship Exchange Contract MA-4336 file, which for exchange-program hulls can carry condition or material documentation; and the ship's 1944-45 WWII cruise book (scan hosted at navysite.de cruise-book index; originals typically ship-printed, held privately or in service archives).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1943-1980 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and artifact mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 660 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-12

13. [13]The New York Times, '843 DP's Land at Boston; Arrive on Transport Gen. S. D. Sturgis From Germany,' 15 August 1949 (archive); supplementary detail per compiled secondary accounts citing Australian immigration records [reputable_press]

    Locator

    NYT archive item (dateline Boston, 14 August 1949); compiled figures cross-checked against Wikipedia footnoted sources (The Ships List; NYT 1949-10-02; Australian records)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    USAT displaced-persons service documented in contemporaneous press: New York Times, 15 August 1949 - 'Army transport Gen. S. D. Sturgis arrived [Boston] today from Bremerhaven, Germany, with 843 displaced persons, bringing to 59,600 the number of Europeans who have entered the United States under the Displaced Persons Act.' Compiled secondary accounts (Wikipedia citing NYT and Australian immigration records) credit the ship with 21 Germany-U.S. displaced-persons voyages and liftings to Australia (Genoa departure, 860 DPs, Sydney 14 May 1948; Sydney 843 on 21 May 1949 and 1,309 on 17 April 1950), Argentina (Buenos Aires 17 January 1949), Brazil, Canada, and Venezuela.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1946-1950

    Population

    Displaced persons embarked at Bremerhaven/Genoa, 1946-1950

    Limitations

    The single Boston arrival is directly documented by the NYT item; the 21-voyage total and the Australia/Argentina/Brazil/Venezuela liftings rest on secondary compilations whose underlying sources (Australian Department of Immigration 'Fifth Fleet' records, further NYT items) were identified but not individually retrieved - carried as partially verified, not as ship-log fact. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-s-d-sturgis-ap137-13