USS General William Mitchell (AP-114)

Evidence

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

1. [1]research packet ci-packet.md (2 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-william-mitchell-ap114-pkt-ci-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, 'General William Mitchell' (AP-114) entry (verbatim transcription by hazegray; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-25) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS records: P2-S2-R2 transport (11,450 t lt; 622'7" x 75'6" x 25'6"; 20.6 kt; cpl. 452; trp. 5,289; 4x5", 16x1.1", 20x20mm; General John Pope class), launched 1943-10-31 under Maritime Commission contract by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny NJ, sponsored by Mrs. William Mitchell (namesake's widow), acquired 1944-01-15, commissioned 1944-01-19, CAPT Henry Coyle USCG in command. WWII: five Norfolk/New York-Casablanca/Liverpool round trips 1944-03-03 to 1944-08-20; two Bombay voyages via Panama/Australia and via Tasmania (Italian POWs offloaded at Melbourne), returning San Pedro 1945-03-03; troops to Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, Manus, Leyte; Leghorn/Naples lifts redeployed to Ulithi and the Philippines; returned San Francisco 1945-12-06; Magic Carpet into spring 1946. Postwar: West Coast shuttles to Japan, China, Guam, Hawaii Apr 1946-1949; peacetime alterations at Philadelphia Navy Yard March 1947; transferred to MSTS October 1949; two New Orleans/New York-Bremerhaven round trips 1950; around-the-world cruise summer 1951 (Germany, North Africa, Ceylon, Indochina, Korea, Japan) mooring San Francisco 1951-09-26; West Coast-Japan/Korea shuttles with Formosa and Pacific Island calls until returned to Maritime Administration 1966-12-01; berthed NDRF Suisun Bay.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1966

   Population

   USCG crew (~452) and embarked troops (up to ~5,289/voyage), 1944-1946; USN crew and embarked troops, 1946-1966

   Limitations

   Establishes identity, construction, and full service history. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statements. Live NHHC DANFS page 404 - cited via Wayback capture of the verbatim hazegray transcription (standing NHHC link rot since Batch 01).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-01

3. [3]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS General William Mitchell (T-AP-114) ex USS (AP-114) - specifications block, chronology, campaign table, commanding-officer roster [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 09/22/22114: chronology list, specifications block, Korean War campaigns table, commanding officers list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource service-ship archive records: laid down 'date unknown' as MC type P2-S2-R2 (MC hull 672) at Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny NJ; launched 1943-10-31; acquired 1944-01-15; commissioned USS General William Mitchell (AP-114) 1944-01-19, CAPT Henry Coyle USCG; USCG-manned during WWII; assigned to MSTS in 1950, redesignated T-AP-114 (ship remained in commission - 19 listed commanding officers are USCG through Feb 1946, USN thereafter into the 1960s); assigned to NDRF Suisun Bay 1966-11-24; decommissioned 1966-12-01; custody to MARAD 1966-12-01; struck 'date unknown'; four Korean War battle stars (North Korean Aggression 1950-08-16/17; Communist China Aggression 1950-11-21/12-25; First UN Counter Offensive 1951-02-28/03-01; UN Summer-Fall Offensive 1951-09-11/12); sold for scrapping 1987-06-29 for $1,270,000, delivered 1987-10-01, scrapped Taiwan 1988. Full specifications block: 2 De Laval steam turbines, 4 Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers 465 psi/765 deg.F, double De Laval main reduction gears, 4x400 kW turbo-drive generators, twin screws 17,000 shp.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1988

   Population

   USCG crew 1944-1946; USN crew 1946-1966

   Limitations

   Curated secondary compilation of official Navy data, not itself a primary record; corroborated by DANFS and MARAD where they overlap. MSTS assignment given as 'in 1950' vs DANFS October 1949; NDRF entry dated 1966-11-24 here vs 1965-11-24 custody entry on the MARAD status card (see ev-04). Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-02

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENERAL WILLIAM MITCHELL (AP-114), Detail 1853 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 1853, vessel data fields + milestone table + status cards tab

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database record: GENERAL WILLIAM MITCHELL (AP-114), Detail 1853 - year built 1944; shipyard Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock; type Naval Auxiliary / AP Transport; MARAD type P2-S2-R2; 622.5 ft x 75.5 ft; 17,811 gross tons; missions World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; custody milestones Entry/Acquisition 1965-11-24, Disposition and Withdrawal 1987-10-01 with notation 'CUST 1965 NDRF 1965'; two digitized status cards on file.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1987

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones and type/tonnage data. Milestone table's 1965-11-24 entry is the physical custody-to-fleet event - reconciled against the status cards in ev-04. 'Vietnam War' is a mission tag only; no voyage detail given. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration vessel status cards for GENERAL WILLIAM MITCHELL (AP-114): Form MA-199 (USCOMM-DC 40113-P89) and Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars (COMM-DC 26056), digitized at MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1853 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Status cards tab, images 1853_3436AF.jpg (MA-383) and 329d08be...png (MA-199); read from card images

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD digitized status cards (primary artifacts): (a) Form MA-199 Vessel Status Card - vessel no. 3000145, flag U.S., design P2-S2-R2, shipyard 'Federal S.B. & D.D. Co.', date built 1-15-44 (delivery), MC hull no. 672, builder's hull no. 272, gross 17,811 t, DWT 9,807; operating history: U.S.M.C. -> Dept. of Navy 10-15-46 'Title'; Dept. of Navy/MSTS -> Maritime Admin., Suisun Bay, 11-24-65 12 midnight 'Custody'; same -> same 12-1-66 'Permanent Transfer'; 'Sold for SCRAPPED' 10/1/87 'Per Reserve Fleet'. (b) Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars - entered Suisun Bay 'November 24, 1965, 1640 PST'; service prior to lay-up MSTS; troop capacity 5,500; displacement 11,828 standard / 20,175 full load (data source: 1957-58 Jane's Fighting Ships); ship placed under dehumidification of interior spaces, remainder conventional preservation, 'Program III - Code 50, MSTS reimbursable.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1987

   Population

   NDRF layup/preservation crews (1965-66)

   Limitations

   Primary contemporaneous custody records. Resolve the 1965-vs-1966 layup discrepancy: physical custody entry to Suisun Bay NDRF 1965-11-24, permanent title transfer 1966-12-01 (NavSource's NDRF '1966-11-24' conflates the two). Card handwriting/typing partially OCR-aided by direct image read; 'Title MSTS-T.C.' notation not fully resolved. No asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-04

6. [6]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, Historic Ships list (history.uscg.mil, Wayback capture 2019-04-21) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Historic Ships list, 'G' entries

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   USCG Historian's Office historic-ships list carries 'GENERAL WILLIAM MITCHELL, USS; AP 114' among Coast Guard-manned Navy ships, confirming the DANFS/NavSource record of a USCG crew (COs Coyle, Anderson, Rountree through 1946-02-22).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   USCG crew, 1944-1946

   Limitations

   Roster-level confirmation of manning status only; no dates, conditions, or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-05

7. [7]NavSource 09/22/22114 specifications block (machinery, ship-specific); corroborated by Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' AJIM 11(3):359-373 (1987), doi:10.1002/ajim.4700110311 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 09/22/22114 specifications block; Corn & Starr abstract

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   This hull's documented plant - four Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers (465 psi, 765 deg.F), two De Laval steam turbines, double De Laval main reduction gears, four 400 kW turbo-drive generators, twin screws, 17,000 shp - is a full WWII high-pressure steam installation built under a 1943 Maritime Commission contract. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that U.S. WWII shipbuilding used asbestos extensively as fireproofing/insulation and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard ships; the typical application set for this plant type is boiler and steam-drum insulation, turbine casing lagging, steam-line lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation insulation, and brake linings.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1943-1988

   Population

   Construction trades (Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny, 1943-44); USCG/USN engineering crews 1944-1966; Philadelphia Navy Yard trades (1947 alterations); NDRF preservation crews (1965-66); scrapping workers (1987-88)

   Limitations

   Machinery configuration is ship-specific (NavSource specs); the asbestos link is era/design inference - no insulation schedule, survey, or material sample for this hull was located. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, or present-day presence (hull scrapped Taiwan 1988).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-06

8. [8]Haket v. The 3M Company, 2:22-cv-03339-RMG (D.S.C.), MDL-2873 member case; CourtListener docket 65390651; complaint dkt. 1 (RECAP gov.uscourts.scd.274910.1.0) [court_record]

   Locator

   Complaint dkt. 1, paras. 103-106 (pp. 24-26); docket metadata (NOS 365, MDL No. 2873, terminated 2024-07-12)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Haket v. The 3M Company, No. 2:22-cv-03339-RMG (D.S.C., Charleston Div.), filed 2022-09-28, terminated 2024-07-12 - complaint in MDL No. 2873 (In re AFFF Products Liability Litigation) alleges plaintiff Ronald Haket, USN approx. 1959-1983, was exposed to PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foam while stationed aboard USS General William Mitchell 1959-1961 (complaint paras. 103-106), in addition to Naval Base San Diego and six other ships; plaintiff diagnosed with prostate cancer approx. 2020.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   2022-2024 (litigation); 1959-1961 (alleged exposure window)

   Population

   USN firefighting/training personnel aboard 1959-1961 (as alleged)

   Limitations

   OTHER LITIGATION, NOT ASBESTOS: a PFAS/AFFF products-liability pleading naming this hull. Allegation-stage only - the complaint's ship list is a pleading allegation, not a finding; no merits adjudication of shipboard exposure is documented (case terminated 2024-07-12, disposition detail not reviewed). Carries no asbestos implication and does not support an asbestos-exposure finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-07

9. [9]GAO-05-264, Maritime Administration: Improved Program Management Needed to Address Timely Disposal of Obsolete Ships (Feb 2005); GAO NSIAD-99-18, Federal Surplus Ships (Oct 1998), citing MARAD 'Environmental Assessment of the Sale of NDRF Vessels for Scrapping' (Jul 1997) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO-05-264 product page and PDF summary text; NSIAD-99-18 PDF

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that the more than 100 deteriorating obsolete ships then in the National Defense Reserve Fleet - the fleet where this hull lay at Suisun Bay 1965-1987 - 'contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and residual oils and fuels that are typically found on older ships,' and that MARAD ship disposal must comply with federal hazardous-material and worker-safety statutes; a related GAO review (NSIAD-99-18) records MARAD's July 1997 environmental assessment of NDRF scrapping sales.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1997-2005 (publication); 1965-1987 (this hull's layup window)

   Population

   Ship scrapping and NDRF preservation workers (program-level)

   Limitations

   Fleet/program-level documentation post-dating this hull's 1987 sale - it establishes that NDRF hulls of this vintage typically contained asbestos and that disposal implicates hazmat law, but says nothing about this specific hull, its materials, or the terms of its 1987 Taiwan scrapping sale (which predates the 1997 MARAD environmental assessment era).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-08

10. [10]Batch-2045 search ledger (this record): DANFS/hazegray, NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory + status cards, USCG Historian, CourtListener API v4 opinions + RECAP dockets, web index [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-01 through -10

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, or docketed asbestos case naming General William Mitchell (AP-114 / T-AP-114) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) returned: 'General William Mitchell' opinions - 4 hits, all name collisions (incl. Trophy Productions v. Sperling, 17 F.R.D. 416 (S.D. Cal. 1955), film rights to the general's biography); 'AP-114' - 21 hits, all non-vessel noise; 'T-AP-114' - 0; 'Sirdhana' - 3 hits, all concerning the different BI liner sunk by a mine in 1944; 'General William Mitchell' dockets - 3 hits (Haket v. 3M PFAS pleading, carried as ev-07; two unrelated collisions). 'General William Mitchell' + asbestos docket query returned 0. Law-firm marketing pages listing the ship among 'asbestos Navy vessels' exist but carry no primary support and are excluded by rule.

    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 - a 1944 steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and the hull was scrapped abroad (Taiwan 1988) without a documented materials inventory. Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-09

11. [11]NARA record-group guidance: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA Guide to Federal Records, RG 24 / RG 19 / RG 178 group descriptions

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no paid reproduction authorized): NARA WWII-era deck logs for AP-114 (RG 24, National Archives at College Park) would document 1944-45 voyages incl. the Nov 1944 Pavuvu embarkation; postwar/MSTS-era deck logs 1946-1966 continue in the same series; Bureau of Ships construction/correspondence records (RG 19) and Maritime Commission records for MC hull 672 (RG 178) may hold outfitting/insulation specifications; Philadelphia Naval Shipyard job files for the March 1947 alterations would document any insulation disturbance.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1943-1966 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 672 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-general-william-mitchell-ap114-10