USS General W. H. Gordon (AP-117)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet cj-packet.md (5 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-pkt-cj-packet-md

2. [2]Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images: 'USN Ships - USS General W. H. Gordon (AP-117), 1944-1987, later USNS General W. H. Gordon (T-AP-117)' (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the official NHC page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Narrative text, head of page. Companion operations page (1961-1970 photos): https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-g/ap117-c.htm . Live NHHC DANFS page at history.navy.mil was unreachable from the research machine on 2026-10-05 (network errors on repeated attempts) - official NHC text taken from this mirror; see gaps.

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official Naval Historical Center ship page: General W. H. Gordon, an 11,828-ton (light) General John Pope class troop transport, was built at Kearny, NJ, by the Maritime Commission to its P2-S2-R2 design; commissioned June 1944; for more than a year moved troops between the U.S. and ports in Europe and Africa; August 1945 sailed from France to the Pacific, arriving San Francisco September 1945 via Ulithi and Manila; after two more Western Pacific voyages decommissioned March 1946 at Oakland, stricken, and transferred to WSA. One of two ships of her class (with General M. C. Meigs) chartered by WSA to American President Lines mid-1946; a P2-S2-R10 liner-conversion design was prepared but not carried out; numerous Shanghai calls - said to be the last American ship to leave Shanghai before the Communist takeover in 1949; March 1950 embarked the U.S. Consul General from Shanghai at Tientsin. Taken into MSTS November 1951 on expiration of the APL charter, reinstated on the NVR, and placed in service as civilian-manned USNS (T-AP-117); departed San Francisco December 1951 on the first of many trans-Pacific Korean War voyages; modernized at Portland, Oregon, June-December 1953 (wartime lifeboats/davits replaced; eight empty 3-inch/50 twin mount positions fitted, guns never installed); inactive October 1954-March 1955; transferred to the Atlantic late 1956; laid up in MARAD Hudson River reserve fleet June 1957; stricken a year later. Reacquired by the Navy May 1961, reinstated on the NVR, returned to MSTS; carried troops New York-Bremerhaven; to the Pacific 1965 for Vietnam War voyages; credited with Vietnamese Counteroffensive and Tet Counteroffensive participation December 1967-March 1968; laid up in MARAD James River Reserve Fleet April 1970; stricken from the NVR March 1986; sold for scrapping April 1987.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-1987

   Limitations

   Official NHC narrative content served from a mirror; the text establishes identity, construction, and service chronology but contains no asbestos, insulation-material, survey, or abatement statement - this row supports no asbestos claim. The 'last American ship to leave Shanghai' detail is the NHC's own qualified wording ('said to be'). Does not establish individual exposure or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS General Walter H. Gordon (T-AP-117) ex USS General Walter H. Gordon (AP-117) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chronology and 'Specifications' block; commanding-officer list; launch-photo caption (sponsor Mrs. Claire McNair)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource chronology and specifications: laid down 2 November 1943 as Maritime Commission type P2-S2-R2 (MC hull 675) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ; launched 7 May 1944; commissioned USS General Walter H. Gordon (AP-117) 29 June 1944, CAPT Russell E. Wood, USCG, in command (USCG-manned in WWII); Europe-Africa-Middle East and Asiatic-Pacific operation; Navy Occupation service 24 October-5 November 1945 and 11-18 January 1946; decommissioned 11 March 1946 at the U.S. Army Terminal, Oakland, CA; struck from the Naval Register 28 March 1946; WSA charter to American President Lines mid-1946; custody to the Navy Department 1 March 1950; activated and placed in service 8 November 1951 with MSTS as USNS (T-AP-117); Korean War campaign participation listed (Second Korean Winter; Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korean Summer-Fall 1953); out of service to Hudson River NDRF 20 June 1957; custody to MARAD and struck 20 June 1958; withdrawn 7 May 1958 for stripping; James River Reserve Fleet 20 June 1958; Beaumont, TX, NDRF 22 October 1958; re-acquired by the Navy May 1961 and placed in service with MSC; Vietnam campaigns Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase III (17-23 December 1967; 29 December 1967-29 January 1968) and Tet Counteroffensive (30 January-3 March 1968); placed out of service, struck, and transferred to MARAD 31 March 1968 for James River layup; sold for scrapping 6 April 1987 by MARAD for $1,005,050, scrapped in Taiwan 1987. Specification block: displacement 11,450 t (lt) / 20,175 t (fl); length 622 ft 7 in; 43 officers + 464 enlisted; troop accommodations 397 officers + 4,882 enlisted; four Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers (465 psi, 765 F), two De Laval steam turbines, twin screws, 17,000 shp, 20.6 kts; armament four single 5-inch/38, four twin 40mm, twenty 20mm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1987

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archival compilation, not a government publication; dates here are adopted where they agree with the NHC narrative, and conflicts (final layup/strike 1968 vs 1970/1986; sale date 6 April vs 4 June 1987; light displacement 11,450 vs 11,828 t) are logged in the correction row and gaps. The specification block is class-level data; complement figures are NOT verified against DANFS/NHHC (see gaps). No asbestos or insulation-material statement - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-02

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL W. H. GORDON (AP-117), Ship History Detail 1850 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1850, property table and milestone list; digitized status card and 'GENERAL W.H. GORDON.pdf' document attached to the record but not reviewed this session (archival lead)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database record for GENERAL W. H. GORDON (AP-117): year built 1944; U.S. Official No. 249954; shipyard Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock; type Naval Auxiliary / AP Transport; MARAD type P2-S2-R2; length 622.50 ft; beam 75.50 ft; gross 17,833 tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Milestones: Entry 1957-06-20 and Acquisition 1957-06-20 ('Built@Kearney,NJ,Fed SB'); Acquisition 1958-05-07 'W/D for stripping' and Withdrawal same date; Entry 1958-06-20 and Acquisition 'Long term lay-up'; Acquisition 1961-05-03 'Reactivated to MSTS' and Withdrawal same date; Disposition 1987-06-04 'Sold for scrap, Taiwan' and Withdrawal same date. Missions listed: World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944-1987

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones and sale. The milestone list shows no 1968 or 1970 re-entry, so it does not resolve the NavSource-vs-DANFS layup/strike discrepancy (see correction row and gaps). Sale recorded 4 June 1987 vs NavSource 6 April 1987 - contract-vs-delivery distinction unverified. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-03

5. [5]Mayo v. United States, 139 F. Supp. 46, No. 27188 (N.D. Cal., decided 1956-03-05, Roche, C.J.); CourtListener opinion 8739063 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text, opening recital and closing paragraph (dismissal)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Mayo v. United States, 139 F. Supp. 46 (N.D. Cal. 1956) - NON-ASBESTOS litigation naming the hull. A Civil Service crew member (waiter) joined USNS General W. H. Gordon on 1 December 1951; during that employment he became ill and was treated for pulmonary tuberculosis at the Marine Hospital, San Francisco (8 January 1952 - 31 August 1953, then out-patient care). His Public Vessels Act libel for maintenance was DISMISSED: under Johansen v. United States, 343 U.S. 427, the Federal Employees' Compensation Act is the exclusive remedy for civilian seamen on public vessels, so the court lacked jurisdiction over the libel.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1951-1956

   Population

   Civilian (Civil Service) crew member, MSTS era

   Limitations

   Other litigation, NOT asbestos: a tuberculosis maintenance claim with no asbestos allegation, product identification, or exposure finding. Classified as non-qualifying for asbestos purposes; its value here is documentary proof of civilian crew service aboard this hull in 1951-1953 and of the ship's MSTS operation. The dismissal is a jurisdiction/exclusive-remedy ruling, not a finding about shipboard conditions.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-04

6. [6]Davis v. American President Lines, Ltd., 106 F. Supp. 729 (N.D. Cal., decided 1952-04-11, Goodman, D.J.); CourtListener opinion 1649393 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text, opening recital and closing ruling

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Davis v. American President Lines, Ltd., 106 F. Supp. 729 (N.D. Cal. 1952) - NON-ASBESTOS litigation naming the hull. Two seamen (Davis and Mattison) sued APL under the Jones Act for injuries suffered when the gangway of the S.S. General W. H. Gordon slipped off a wharf at Guam; APL filed third-party complaints against the United States (whose employees allegedly controlled the wharf); APL settled with the seamen and their suits were dismissed; the court reserved ruling on the U.S. motion to dismiss the third-party indemnity complaints until trial.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   circa 1946-1952

   Population

   Two merchant seamen, APL charter era

   Limitations

   Other litigation, NOT asbestos: a gangway personal-injury/indemnity dispute with no asbestos content. Classified as non-qualifying for asbestos purposes; its value here is documentary proof of the ship's APL-charter-era operation as S.S. General W. H. Gordon calling at Guam. The indemnity question was left unresolved at the pleading stage; no merits finding on shipboard conditions.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-05

7. [7]Batch-2047 search ledger (this record): CourtListener authenticated searches (5 requests via fleet helper); NHC narrative; NavSource 22117; MARAD Detail 1850 [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-04 through -08

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener: exact-name opinion search returned 2 hits (both non-asbestos - Mayo and Davis, above); exact-name docket search returned 0; 'AP-117' opinion search returned 15 hits, all name collisions (bankruptcy adversary-proceeding numbers and unrelated docket citations); 'AP-117' docket search returned 271 hits, all bankruptcy adversary-proceeding collisions; the permitted 'AP-117' + asbestos docket variant returned 1 hit (Deepwater Horizon MDL, E.D. La. - collision, non-qualifying). Neither the NHC narrative, the NavSource page, nor the MARAD record contains any asbestos or insulation-material statement.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   2026-10-05

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard: a 1944 steam transport with four boilers is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and two in-service modernizations (1953 Portland; 1961 reactivation) and 1987 overseas scrapping are the kind of events where ACM disturbance typically occurred. 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-w-h-gordon-ap117-06

8. [8]NavSource specification block (propulsion plant, class-level data); era documentation per Corn & Starr 1987 (separate row) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Specifications block, Propulsion section

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference only: the NavSource specification block records a high-pressure steam plant for this P2-S2-R2 transport - four Foster Wheeler 'D'-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 F with De Laval geared turbines. Steam plants of this type and era were insulated with asbestos-containing materials as standard practice (boiler and drum insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing); WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding used asbestos extensively as fireproofing and insulation.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1987

   Population

   Construction trades (Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny, 1943-44); USCG crew 1944-46; civilian MSTS/MSC crews; 1953 modernization yard workers (Portland, OR); 1987 scrapping workers (Taiwan)

   Limitations

   The specification block documents the plant type, not insulation materials; it never says 'asbestos.' Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era/type inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, present-day presence (ship scrapped 1987), individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-07

9. [9]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373 (DOI resolves but returns 403 to automated fetches - publisher bot-blocking; citation carried from verified batch-05 use)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   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 P2-S2-R2 transport was built (laid down November 1943) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   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 aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-08

10. [10]NavSource 22117 chronology vs NHC narrative (HyperWar mirror) vs MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1850 milestones [other_primary]

    Locator

    Chronology blocks and milestone lists of the three sources

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies identified and carried unresolved: (a) Final layup/strike - NavSource records out of service, struck, and transferred to MARAD 31 March 1968 for James River layup, while the NHC narrative records James River layup April 1970 and stricken March 1986; MARAD milestones show neither a 1968 nor a 1970 re-entry, so custody records do not resolve it. (b) Sale date - MARAD milestone records disposition 4 June 1987 ('Sold for scrap, Taiwan'); NavSource records sold 6 April 1987 for $1,005,050; a contract-vs-delivery distinction is plausible but unverified. (c) Light displacement - NHC narrative 11,828 tons vs NavSource 11,450 t (lt). (d) Second CO tour end-date on NavSource reads '11 March 1942,' an evident typo for 1946 (matches decommissioning).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1968-1987

    Limitations

    Publication-level discrepancies between two reputable compilations and the government custody record; logged rather than resolved because no primary document (status card, NVR entry) was retrieved this session. The discrepancy does not affect identity, construction, or the negative asbestos finding. No asbestos content in any of the three sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-09

11. [11]MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1850 (Documents/Status Cards tabs); NARA guidance on Navy deck logs (RG 24) [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1850 (Documents and Status Cards tabs, unreviewed); NARA logbook guidance page

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved): the MARAD ShipHistory record carries a digitized status card and a 'GENERAL W.H. GORDON.pdf' document that may resolve the 1968/1970 custody discrepancy and could contain condition notes; U.S. Navy deck logs (NARA RG 24) for 1944-46 and MSTS-era logbooks would document operation; 1953 Portland modernization yard records (yard unidentified in consulted sources) could contain work specifications with insulation scope.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1943-1987 records

    Limitations

    Lead mapping only - no retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until the attachments and logbooks are surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-w-h-gordon-ap117-10