Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'USS General W.M. Black (AP-135)' (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division), transcribed at HyperWar/ibiblio [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full DANFS article text; HyperWar mirror of Naval History Division publication
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: General W. M. Black (AP-135) laid down under Maritime Commission contract 1942-11-26 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Yard 3, Richmond CA; launched 1943-07-23 (sponsor Mrs. Decatur S. Higgins); acquired by Navy 1944-01-26; converted to transport by Matson Navigation Co., San Francisco; commissioned 1944-02-24, Capt. J. P. Murray USCG in command. WWII service: SF-Pearl Harbor (3,500 troops, Mar-Apr 1944); SF-New Caledonia-Guadalcanal (Apr-May 1944); Balboa-New Orleans-Kingston-Norfolk (Jun 1944); 13 transatlantic round trips carrying troops/patients and German POWs to UK, France, North Africa, Germany (Jul 1944-Aug 1945); Boston-India via Suez and Magic-Carpet returns (Aug 1945-Jan 1946). Decommissioned New York 1946-02-28 and returned to service as an Army transport. Reacquired by Navy 1950-03-01, assigned to MSTS with civilian crew; 1950-53 transported 65,000+ troops and combat equipment to the Far East for Korea; post-armistice Japan/Korea/Alaska runs; June 1955 Bering Sea Operation 'Mona Lisa'; out of service 1955-08-26 and transferred to Maritime Administration, NDRF Suisun Bay. Six battle stars for Korean War service. Namesake: Maj. Gen. William Murray Black, U.S. Army Chief of Engineers (d. 1933).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1955
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history establishing identity, construction, and service record. Canonical NHHC DANFS URL (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/general-w-m-black.html) returned 404 on 2026-09-25, consistent with Batch-01 link-rot finding; HyperWar transcription cited. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS General W. M. Black (T-AP-135) / USS General W. M. Black (AP-135) page (accessed via 2024-12-25 Wayback capture; live navsource.org fetch failed 2026-09-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://web.archive.org/web/20241225135048/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22135.htm - timeline and merchant-service sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-ship archive timeline: fitted out at Matson Navigation Co.; Coast Guard-manned in WWII; decommissioned 1946-02-28 and transferred to U.S. Army Transportation Service; struck from Naval Register 1946-03-12; reacquired (title transfer) by Navy 1950-03-01 and placed in service as USNS T-AP-135; Korean War campaign credits enumerated (Communist China Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korean Summer-Fall 1953); declared surplus and out of service 1955-08-26; transferred 1955-08-28 to MARAD for NDRF Suisun Bay; sold for merchant service 1967-04-13 to Central Gulf Steamship Corp. under the Exchange Program; withdrawn from anchorage 1967-04-22; renamed SS Green Forest May 1967; final disposition sold for scrapping 1980-01-03 to Sing Cheng Yung Steel Co., Ltd., Taiwan.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled secondary archive drawing on official records; its timeline agrees with DANFS and MARAD on the major milestones but supplies dates DANFS lacks (stricken 1946-03-12; 1967 sale/withdrawal dates; 1980 scrapping sale). Minor conflicts with MARAD milestone dates are logged in gaps (1955-08-26 vs 08-28 transfer; 1967-04-13/22 vs 04-26 disposition). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL W. M. BLACK (AP-135), Detail 1851 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 1851: History, Milestones, Status Cards tabs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for GENERAL W. M. BLACK (AP-135): U.S. Official No. 508061; year built 1944; shipyard Kaiser Company; type AP Transport, MARAD type C4-S-A1; length 522.84 ft, beam 71.50 ft; displacement 17,250 tons (summer) / 9,950 (lightweight); missions WWII and Korean War; milestones: entry/acquisition into MARAD custody 1955-08-26 ('Built Kaiser, Richmond,CA'), disposition/withdrawal 1967-04-26 'EXCHANGE PROGRAM'; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; three status-card scans attached (not yet text-readable).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Limitations
- Authoritative for federal custody milestones and hull data. Milestone dates differ slightly from NavSource (see gaps); year built given as 1944 (delivery year) though launched 1943. No asbestos, materials, or condition information in the record; status-card scans not yet read (archival lead). Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-03
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[4]NavSource Online specifications block, AP-135 page (Wayback capture 2024-12-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications section, AP-135 page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource specifications for this hull document a high-pressure steam plant: two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 degrees F; one Westinghouse geared turbine; double Falk main reduction gear; three 400 kW 240V DC ship's-service generators; single propeller, 9,000 shp; NSFO fuel capacity 13,300 bbls; armament four single 5"/38 mounts, four twin 1.1" mounts (later two twin 40mm), sixteen single 20mm; cargo 1,900 DWT.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Population
- Engine-room and machinery-space crew (USCG-manned, 1944-46; civilian MSTS crew 1950-55; merchant crew 1967-80)
- Limitations
- Documents the machinery actually installed aboard this hull - a steam plant of the era and type whose insulation, gaskets, and packing were commonly asbestos-containing in wartime construction. The source contains NO asbestos or insulation-material statement; presence of asbestos aboard this hull is not established by this record. Quantities (9,000 shp, 465 psi) are archive-compiled figures, not from the ship's building contract.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-04
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[5]Smith v. Central Gulf Steamship Corp., 343 F. Supp. 44 (S.D. Ala. 1972), CourtListener opinion cluster 1691552 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, Findings of Fact 1-4 and Conclusions of Law (authenticated CourtListener API v4)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Smith v. Central Gulf Steamship Corporation and the S.S. GREEN FOREST, 343 F. Supp. 44 (S.D. Ala. 1972), Civ. A. No. 6502-71-T - published federal opinion naming this hull under her merchant name. The court granted the defendant shipowner's Rule 56 motion for summary judgment: a dockworker (not a Sieracki seaman) was killed Jan. 13, 1971 by an explosion - a live grenade or shell - inside an M-48 tank the S.S. Green Forest had discharged at Pier C South, Alabama State Docks, Mobile; the vessel's cargo was Vietnam-used military equipment. Claims were negligence/unseaworthiness (unsafe workplace). NON-ASBESTOS litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1971-1972
- Population
- Tommie Lee Smith (Alabama State Docks employee, deceased); Gulf Stevedoring longshoremen
- Limitations
- Ship-specific litigation that is NOT an asbestos case - classified 'other litigation' under batch rules. Shows the hull in commercial military-cargo service through 1971 and documents a workplace-fatality claim resolved for the shipowner on seaworthiness/negligence grounds. A secondary database listing notes a July 31, 1972 order vacating the judgment and dismissing the cause (likely settlement); that post-opinion disposition is not pulled and does not bear on exposure. No asbestos allegation, finding, or product identification anywhere in the opinion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-05
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[6]Vallot v. Central Gulf Lines, Inc., 641 F.2d 347 (5th Cir. 1981), CourtListener opinion 387241 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, per curiam statement of facts (authenticated CourtListener API v4)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Vallot v. Central Gulf Lines, Inc. and S.S. GREEN FOREST, in Rem, 641 F.2d 347 (5th Cir. 1981) - published per curiam opinion naming this hull under her merchant name. Jones Act negligence and unseaworthiness suit by a bosun who alleged toxic paint-fume exposure in the ship's paint locker and an unprovoked fire-ax attack by a crewmate at Chittagong, Bangladesh, followed by thrombocytopenia purpura; jury returned a defense verdict and the Fifth Circuit affirmed. NON-ASBESTOS litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1979-1981
- Population
- James Vallot (bosun, Central Gulf crew)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific litigation that is NOT an asbestos case - classified 'other litigation.' The claimed exposure pathway was paint/solvent fumes in a paint locker aboard the merchant-configuration hull in the late 1970s, not asbestos; the outcome was a defense verdict affirmed on appeal. Confirms the hull still operating for Central Gulf circa 1979-80 near end of service. No asbestos allegation or finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-06
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[7]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 era and construction window (1942-44 Kaiser C4-S-A1) of this vessel - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant and auxiliary-type 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 is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. DOI landing page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-25; citation verified via the same source used in Batch-05 records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-07
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[8]National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet / nomination, Richmond Shipyard Number Three (Kaiser Shipyard Richmond Number Three), Contra Costa County, CA, NRIS 00000364 [nps]
- Locator
- NRHP nomination (5 pp. continuation sheet, OCR-read): Statement of Significance and Description sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS National Register nomination for Richmond Shipyard Number Three (NRIS 00000364, listed 2000-04-28) documents this hull's builder yard: the Maritime Commission hired Kaiser Company in January 1942 to build Richmond No. 3 at Potrero Point specifically to build 'the huge C-4 troop transport ships'; Yard Three produced 35 C4 troop transports designed by George G. Sharp of New York, described as 'massive floating hostelries' of ~4,300-person capacity; the yard plant included a dedicated 'Brick and Insulation Storage Building' among its assembly/support structures. Postwar, Yard Three was one of only four U.S. yards reconverted for repair work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-2000
- Population
- Kaiser Yard 3 construction trades and shipfitters, 1942-1945
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation of the facility that built this hull; the nomination does not name AP-135 and contains no asbestos statement (full-text search of the nomination found zero 'asbestos' hits). The insulation storage building documents that insulation materials were handled and stocked at the yard - it does not establish their composition. Supports construction-context claims only; supports no asbestos claim for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-08
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[9]Batch-2064 search ledger (this record): DANFS/HyperWar; NavSource (Wayback); MARAD ShipHistory 1851; NPS NRHP 00000364; CourtListener opinion+docket name/hull/merchant-name searches; VA BVA decision search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming General W. M. Black / AP-135 / T-AP-135 / SS Green Forest was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion AND docket searches on the ship name, hull numbers, and merchant name returned no asbestos proceeding; the only vessel-captioned cases located are non-asbestos (Smith, 1972; Vallot, 1981). A mesothelioma-marketing site publishes a generic asbestos-Navy-vessel page for this ship but is an excluded law-firm-marketing source with no ship-specific record behind it.
- 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 WWII-era steam auxiliary scrapped in 1980 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing construction. The hull was scrapped in Taiwan and cannot be surveyed retroactively. This finding establishes only that no public ship-specific asbestos record was located; it neither establishes nor defeats any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-09
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[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 26 / RG 178; NARA WWII deck-log digitization program; MARAD ShipHistory status-card attachment list (detail 1851) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 Construction Division; RG 26 Coast Guard logs; MARAD status-card images
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room work or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 26 U.S. Coast Guard deck logs - this was a USCG-manned hull in WWII and Coast Guard deck logs of the period are in the NARA digitization program; (b) NARA RG 178 Maritime Commission Construction Division records for MC hull 658 and Kaiser Yard 3 contract/outfitting files; (c) MARAD ShipHistory detail 1851 includes three status-card scans (1851_3431AF.jpg, 1851_3431AB.jpg, plus one PNG) whose handwriting may carry lay-up/condition details not yet read; (d) Matson Navigation Co. conversion records (Jan-Feb 1944 transport conversion, San Francisco).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1980 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and attachment mapping only - no box-level retrieval or image OCR performed; whether any asbestos-specific document exists for MC hull 658 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-general-w-m-black-ap135-10