Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General W. C. Langfitt (T-AP-151) page - Specifications block (volunteer-maintained archival transcription; via Wayback capture 2024-12-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block (Propulsion section)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The vessel's documented machinery plant is a high-pressure steam installation of the WWII emergency construction era: two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F superheat, one Westinghouse geared turbine, double main reduction gears, and three turbo-drive ship's-service generators. In this configuration and era, boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, flange gaskets, valve packing, and insulation felts were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Yard No. 3, Richmond, 1944); Navy/USAT/MSTS engineering crews; Seatrain-era engine crew; 1983 shipbreakers (Brownsville)
- Limitations
- Plant description comes from a volunteer-maintained secondary archive, not a Navy specification sheet, and the source does not itself state 'asbestos'; asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is era/design inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, exposure, or causation. Hull was scrapped in 1983; no present-day material condition exists to document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-01
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[2]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this C4-S-A1 hull was mass-built at Kaiser Richmond - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and auxiliary hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, does not establish that asbestos was installed or remained aboard this hull, and says nothing about quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-02
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[3]Associated Press via Herald-Tribune (Sarasota), 'Crews busy preparing ship for a final journey to the sea floor,' 2009-05-26; EPA/MARAD National Guidance: Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs (May 2006); FR Doc. E6-7274 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Herald-Tribune article (removal quantities paragraph); FR E6-7274 (71 FR, EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0003)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- A sister C4-S-A1 hull built at the same Kaiser Yard No. 3 - USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (ex-USS General Harry Taylor, AP-145, MC-660) - retained asbestos aboard into the 2000s: during preparation for intentional sinking as an artificial reef off Key West (2009-05-27), cleanup crews at two Norfolk, Va., shipyards removed 81 bags (~71 cubic yards) of asbestos plus 193 tons of other potentially carcinogenic materials under the EPA/MARAD Best Management Practices framework for vessel reefing (Federal Register notice E6-7274, 2006-05-12).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2009 (abatement event); 1943-2009 (retention period documented)
- Population
- Norfolk shipyard abatement crews (2009 reef prep, sister hull)
- Limitations
- Documents asbestos aboard a same-type, same-yard sister hull - not aboard General W. C. Langfitt. Establishes that C4-S-A1 construction retained asbestos decades after build, supporting era-consistency of the inference for this hull; proves nothing about this hull's own materials, exposure, or any individual claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-03
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[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'General W. C. Langfitt' entry (hazegray.org transcription, Wayback capture 2022-09-10; live NHHC DANFS URL returned 404 on 2026-09-25 - link rot per Batch-01 standing issue) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (namesake paragraph + ship history)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: General W. C. Langfitt (AP-151), named for Maj. Gen. William Campbell Langfitt (USMA 1883, Corps of Engineers), was launched under Maritime Commission contract 1944-07-17 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond, CA; sponsored by Mrs. William E. Lynd; acquired and commissioned 1944-09-30, CAPT Kenneth O. Ekelund. WWII service: troop transport to Eniwetok, Saipan, Finschhafen, Hollandia, Leyte, Ulithi, Kossol Roads, Admiralties, Marshalls (1944-11 to 1945-06); Marseilles redeployment embarkation 1945-07; Magic-Carpet voyages incl. occupation troops to Nagoya; decommissioned New York 1946-06-06 and returned to the Maritime Commission for the Army Transport Service. Reacquired 1950-03-01 for MSTS; round-the-world voyages 1952-53; 32 New York-Bremerhaven voyages 1954-11-24 to 1957-04-30 carrying European refugees under the Refugee Relief Act; with General Harry Taylor carried 45,000+ Hungarian refugees to the U.S. after the 1956 revolution; Europe-Australia refugee voyages May-Jun 1957; inactivated 1957-09-30; transferred to MARAD 1958-05-13, NDRF James River.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Crew 356; embarked troops up to 3,343; transported refugees
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, and service history; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey statement - supports no asbestos claim. Cited via transcription mirror because the canonical NHHC URL is not retrievable.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL W. C. LANGFITT (AP-151), Ship History Detail 1847, incl. digitized status cards 1847_3420AF/BF/BB [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1847 milestone table + status card scans (/cards/1847_3420AF.jpg, /cards/1847_3420BF.jpg, /cards/1847_3420BB.jpg)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database (Detail 1847) and digitized reserve-fleet status cards (Form MA-383) document the custody chain: entered Hudson River reserve fleet 1957-09-30 (Navy-owned, MSTS Ready Status); withdrawn 1958-04-03 for complete inactivation; entered James River fleet 1958-05-13 under permanent MARAD transfer; withdrawn 1968-05-16 under the Exchange Program - delivered to Hudson Waterways Corp. in exchange for the converted Liberty ship TEXAS GULF SULPHUR (Application #345). Cards record builder Kaiser, built 1944, type C4-S-A1 turbine 'Trooper - Transport,' troop capacity 229 officers + 3,114 enlisted; printed profile notes the vessel was altered at Bethlehem's Hoboken yard 1946-06-12 to 1946-08-02 as a peacetime transport. MARAD detail: U.S. Official No. 513582, gross 13,000 t, fate 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1983 records; custody events 1957-1968
- Limitations
- Primary government custody/disposal record; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Hull-number field on both cards shows MC-708, a clerical error (see correction row). Handwritten annotations partially OCR-aided.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-05
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[6]Flohr v. United States, 160 F. Supp. 745 (N.D.N.Y. 1957), CourtListener opinion 8742744 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text (Brennan, C.J.); CourtListener API v4 authenticated search 'General W. C. Langfitt' type=o
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Flohr v. United States, 160 F. Supp. 745 (N.D.N.Y. 1957), Civ. No. 6372: plaintiff Toni Flohr, a Polish citizen, alleged bodily injuries through negligence while a passenger aboard 'the vessel known as the General W. C. Langfitt' on 1955-12-09, while the vessel was en route from Europe to New York City. The opinion addresses only whether jurisdiction lay under the Federal Tort Claims Act or the Public Vessels Act (the court held the claim must proceed under the public-vessel/admiralty framework). Classification: OTHER LITIGATION (personal-injury negligence) - not asbestos litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1955-12-09 incident; 1957 opinion
- Population
- Passengers/refugees aboard MSTS transport
- Limitations
- Negligence/jurisdictional ruling, not an asbestos case - no asbestos, occupational-disease, or exposure finding of any kind. Independently confirms the vessel operated as a public vessel carrying a European-refugee-era passenger complement in December 1955 (mid-Refugee Relief Act service).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-06
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[7]American Foreign Insurance Association v. Seatrain Lines of Puerto Rico, Inc., 689 F.2d 295 (1st Cir. 1982), CourtListener opinion 409211 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text para. 7 ('Seatrain's ship, the Transindiana'); CourtListener API v4 authenticated search 'Transindiana' type=o
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- American Foreign Insurance Assn. v. Seatrain Lines of Puerto Rico, Inc., 689 F.2d 295 (1st Cir. 1982), No. 81-1825: inter-carrier indemnity dispute over cargo damaged in Puerto Rico after ocean carriage; the opinion names 'Seatrain's ship, the Transindiana' as the carrying vessel, affirming Seatrain's liability for improper loading on heavy-lift platforms. Confirms the hull's post-1969 commercial identity as the Seatrain Lines containership SS Transindiana. Classification: OTHER LITIGATION (commercial carriage) - not asbestos litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- cargo event ~1978-1982; opinion 1982
- Limitations
- Commercial cargo-negligence case with no asbestos or occupational-health content; its value here is documentary - it fixes the hull's commercial operator (Seatrain, resolving NavSource's internal 'Sealand' vs 'Seatrain' inconsistency) and dates container-ship service to at least 1982.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-07
-
[8]MARAD status cards 1847_3420AF/BF (field 'HULL NO. MC-708') vs. shipbuildinghistory.com Kaiser Permanente No. 3 build table and NavSource archive (MC-703) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Status card scans (MARAD Detail 1847); Permanente No. 3 yard table row 17
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Hull-number discrepancy resolved: MARAD reserve-fleet status cards (both Hudson River and James River cards) record 'MC-708' in the HULL NO. field; independent yard build lists record this vessel as MC-703 - shipbuildinghistory.com's Kaiser Permanente No. 3 table lists 'General W. C. Langfitt | C4-S-A1 | 703 | Sep-44 | To USN as AP 151' and lists MC-708 as General A. W. Greely (AP-141), matching NavSource's 'MC hull 703.' MC-703 adopted as correct; card treated as clerical error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Resolves a primary-vs-secondary record conflict in favor of the build lists (two independent lists agree; the erroneous digits map to a different named hull). Does not affect custody dates or any other recorded fact. Build-list source is a specialist secondary reference, not an official register.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-08
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[9]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General W. C. Langfitt (T-AP-151) - merchant service, campaign, and commanding-officer blocks (via Wayback capture 2024-12-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Merchant Service paragraph; Korean War Campaigns table; awards ribbons
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Merchant and final-disposition record (NavSource archive): sold 1968 to Hudson Waterways Corporation, New York; rebuilt as a 13,489-ton, 633-ft container vessel by Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Baltimore; entered merchant service December 1969 as container ship SS Transindiana; laid up at New York November 1978; sold 1983-05-02 to Andy Inc. for scrapping at Brownsville, TX. Awards/campaign record per same archive: four battle stars for Korean War service (four named campaigns 1951-52); occupation service Far East 1945-11-10 to 1945-11-15 and Europe periods 1953-1955.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1968-1983
- Population
- Shipbreakers at Brownsville yard (1983); rebuild-yard workers (Baltimore, 1968-69)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary archive; the 1968 Hudson Waterways exchange and Seatrain operation are corroborated by the MARAD status card and the 1982 First Circuit opinion respectively, but rebuild specifics (tonnage, length, yard) and the 1983 sale/scrapping details are not independently verified against official records. 'Sealand Corp.' in the merchant-service line is contradicted by 'Seatrain Corp.' photo caption and the court opinion - Seatrain adopted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-09
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[10]Batch-2079 search ledger (this record): DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory 1847 + status cards; NavSource 22151; CourtListener name/hull/commercial/docket searches; HAER CA-326-L; DTSC EnviroStor (blocked); shipbuildinghistory yard lists; Vandenberg reefing coverage; NARA RG mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat or disposal disclosure, NDRF materials declaration, or asbestos pleading/opinion naming this hull under any of its identities (USS/USAT/USNS General W. C. Langfitt, AP-151, T-AP-151, SS Transindiana, IMO 6904844) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage: exact-name opinion search returned only a personal-injury case; hull-number search returned only appellate docket-number collisions; surname searches returned only person-name collisions (including a plaintiffs'-bar attorney named Langfitt appearing in MDL-875 asbestos opinions); commercial-name search returned one cargo case; exact-name RECAP docket search returned zero.
- 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 Kaiser-built steam transport is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and a same-type sister hull retained documented asbestos until 2009. Equally, era inference does not establish presence aboard this hull, quantity, exposure of any individual, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-10
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[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 Construction Division; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/336.html ; NARA deck-log guidance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) - Construction Division records may hold the MC hull 703 contract and outfitting specifications for the Kaiser Yard 3 build; WWII Navy deck logs for AP-151 are in RG 24 at College Park (machinery/insulation work would appear in engineering remarks only incidentally); USAT-period operation records are under RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation); MSTS-period records fall under Naval Transportation Service/MSTS files. Shipyard records for the 1968-69 container rebuild (Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock, Baltimore) and 1946 alteration (Bethlehem Hoboken) would sit in corporate/yard collections, not federal RG files.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1969 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 703 / AP-151 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-c-langfitt-ap151-11