Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Geneva (APA-86)' (page published 2020-03-06); canonical live URL returns 404 on 2026-09-25 - cited via Wayback Machine capture 2025-02-02; hazegray.org DANFS transcription matches verbatim [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Specification line and full narrative paragraphs; canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/geneva.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: Geneva (APA-86), named for a county in Alabama (Geneva County), spec line 'dp. 4,270 (lt.); l. 426'; b. 58'; dr. 16'; s. 17 k.; cpl. 230; trp. 849; a. 1 5-inch, 8 40mm., 10 20mm.; cl. Gilliam; T. S4-SE2-BD1'. Launched under Maritime Commission contract 1945-01-31 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Wilmington, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. Leonard Firestone; acquired by the Navy 1945-03-21 and commissioned 1945-03-22, Comdr. Peter J. Neimo in command. Shakedown out of San Diego; departed 1945-05-19 with 500+ Marines and Sailors for Pearl Harbor and Majuro (arrived 6-7); embarked Marines and Japanese POWs; veterans to San Francisco 6-27; nearly 1,000 soldiers from Seattle to Buckner Bay, Okinawa (8-12); Army units landed at Inchon, Korea 9-8; 11th Artillery Regiment of the 4th Marine Battalion and cargo to Taku, China (arrived 10-5); passengers to Hong Kong 10-13; Chinese troops to Chinwangtao 10-30 and to Tsingtao 11-14; departed Tsingtao 11-23, embarked over a thousand homeward-bound veterans at Luzon, reached San Francisco 12-19. 1946-01-11 troop voyage San Francisco-Pearl Harbor, returned San Diego 2-7; Pearl Harbor 3-2 for training; departed 5-17 for Operation Crossroads at Bikini. Crew transferred to Appling (APA-58); target ship in Test Able 1946-07-01, survived; declared free of radioactivity the next day; survived Test Baker 7-25; in normal operation 4 days later; steamed to Kwajalein 8-25, then via Hawaii to San Francisco (arrived 11-5). Departed San Francisco 12-4, via San Diego and the Panama Canal to Norfolk, arrived 12-27. Decommissioned at Norfolk 1947-01-23; name struck from the Navy List 1947-02-25; returned to the Maritime Commission 'on 2 April' and entered the NDRF at James River, Va.; transferred to Wilmington, N.C., July 1955; sold for scrap by the Maritime Administration 1966-11-02.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1966
- Population
- Ship's complement (~230 per spec line) and embarked troops (~849 capacity); Crossroads-era caretaker crew of 115 (per DNA-TR-82-05-V2)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC history; establishes identity, chronology, and milestones. Internal defect: text reads 'arrived off Bikini on 30 May 1945' - a typographical error, the same entry places her in Hawaiian training until departing 1946-05-17 and Crossroads detonations were July 1946 (see correction row). 'Returned to the Maritime Commission on 2 April' carries no year - MARAD status card shows fleet entry 1948-04-02 (see correction row). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or material information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - GENEVA (APA-86), Ship History Detail 1857, incl. three digitized vessel status cards (1857_3443AF.jpg, 1857_3443BF.jpg, 2O3_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 1857 characteristics block and milestone table; status-card scans, custody table and sale annotation
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record GENEVA (APA-86), Detail 1857: year built 1945; shipyard Consolidated Steel Corporation; Naval Auxiliary / AP Transport; MARAD type S4-SE2-BD1; 426.0 ft x 58.0 ft; displacement 7,080 t (summer) / 4,247 t (light); fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Disposition 11/2/1966 and Withdrawal 11/2/1966; mission World War II. Digitized status cards read directly: hull number MC-1879; 'Basis to U.S.M.C.: NAVY SURPLUS'; custody chain - James River Reserve Fleet 1948-04-02 12:15 PM; Grace Line, Inc. (Repair Program) under General Agency Agreement at James River 1955-04-18 (nominated for the FY 1955 repair program, Group 5; withdrawn); Reserve Fleet (Repair Program) Wilmington, N.C. entry 1955-07-06; sale 'SOLD SCRAP TO UNION MINERALS & ALLOYS CORP FOR $66,300.00. PD-X-741 DTD 9-21-66 AWARDED 10-20-66'; delivered to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 1966-11-02 10:40 EST. Fuel aboard at fleet entry: 1,830 bbls Bunker C and 28 bbls diesel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1967
- Population
- Reserve-fleet caretaker and transfer crews; shipbreaking workforce at Union Minerals & Alloys (1966-67)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones; status-card handwriting partially legible - a builder's-hull annotation read as 'Consolidated -479' is unresolved (MC hull 1879 is typed). Cards show James River fleet entry 1948-04-02, one year after the 1947 striking - the card is controlling for the custody date (see correction row). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-02
-
[3]Kaman Tempo (for the Defense Nuclear Agency), 'Operation Crossroads 1946' - Nuclear Test Personnel Review report; public-domain scan at Wikisource, ship entry pp. 331-332 (scan pages 336-337) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Report pp. 331-332 (Wikisource scan pages 336-337), USS Geneva (APA-86) summary block and chronology
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Operation Crossroads report (Nuclear Test Personnel Review volume prepared by Kaman Tempo for the Defense Nuclear Agency), ship entry for USS Geneva (APA-86), pp. 331-332: Geneva was a target vessel assigned to Transportation Division 93 of Task Unit 1.2.6 (Merchant Type Unit) and carried Geiger counters and radio transmitters for the Electronics Group. Crew size 115; Bikini arrival May 1946; departure 1946-08-24. Shot ABLE position 3,062 yards (2.8 km) SW of the detonation point; Shot BAKER position 2,780 yards (2.5 km) S. Crew aboard USS Appling (APA-58) for both shots. Chronology: 1 July 1552 USS Burleson (APA-67) removed test animals from Geneva's topside; 1610 Geneva declared radiologically safe; 2 July captain and radiological monitor reboarded, monitoring teams returned, radsafe monitor declared her free of all radioactivity, shifted to berth 244; before BAKER the crew again evacuated to Appling, and on 25 July the commanding officer, Geiger monitor, and Teams A, B, and C reboarded - 'Geneva declared Geiger sweet' and returned to normal operation; departed Bikini 24 August, Kwajalein 25 August, Pearl Harbor October, San Francisco 4 November 1946. Decontamination location: San Francisco. Disposition line: 'Scrapped on 2 November 1966.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-05 to 1946-11
- Population
- Crossroads-assigned crew of 115; radiological-safety monitoring teams; test-animal recovery crews (USS Burleson)
- Limitations
- Accessed via the Wikisource community transcription of the public-domain government report; OCR is imperfect (renders 'APA-66', 'May 1956' in places) - figures quoted were cross-checked against the independent DNA-TR-82-05-V2 participation summary (crew 115, departure 24 Aug 1946, remanned status all consistent). The report's internal report number was not verified from the scanned cover pages. Radiological documentation, not asbestos documentation; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-03
-
[4]Weitz, Thomas, Klemm, Stuart, Knowles, Goetz, Muller, Landay (Science Applications, Inc.), 'Analysis of Radiation Exposure for Naval Units of Operation Crossroads, Volume II (Appendix A) Target Ships,' DNA-TR-82-05-V2, Defense Nuclear Agency, 3 March 1982 (OSTI 6354996) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Volume II, Appendix A-3, USS Geneva (APA-86) participation summary, report p. 153 (PDF pp. 152-155)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Defense Nuclear Agency technical report DNA-TR-82-05-V2, Appendix A-3 'Remanned Target Ship Participation Summaries,' dedicated entry for USS Geneva (APA-86): crew size 115; 'a CROSSROADS target ship that was remanned and sailed away after the nuclear test detonations on July 1 and July 25, 1946'; arrived Bikini May 1946 and anchored in the lagoon as one of the 84 target ships; departed Bikini 1946-08-24 en route to Norfolk via Kwajalein, San Francisco, San Diego, and the Panama Canal. Reconstructed dose history: evacuated aboard Appling (APA-58) for Able (observed at 12 miles) and for Baker (observed at 5 miles), with recorded reboarding intervals; 'Total calculated dose received while at Bikini: 0.230 REM'; ship contamination factor when departing Bikini: 3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-05 to 1946-08 (exposure window); report 1982
- Population
- Geneva's Crossroads-assigned crew of 115
- Limitations
- Radiological dose reconstruction for veteran-exposure accounting - this is ionizing-radiation documentation, NOT asbestos documentation; it establishes Crossroads participation and remanning, not asbestos conditions aboard. Text states decommissioning 'January 1, 1947' vs DANFS 23 January 1947 - discrepancy logged (DANFS date carried). 84-target-ship count vs DANFS's '75 target ships' - figures differ by source definition, both recorded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-04
-
[5]Director of Ship Material, Joint Task Force One, Bureau of Ships Group, 'Technical Inspection Report: Radiological Decontamination of Target and Non-Target Vessels,' Vol. I (DTIC accession AD0473906; NTIS copy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Volume I, decontamination narrative for lightly contaminated target APAs (author abstract)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Joint Task Force One technical inspection report 'Operation Crossroads: Radiological Decontamination of Target and Non-Target Vessels, Volume I' names this hull directly: after Test Baker, radioactive fission products lodged in marine growth and rust on target-ship shells; 'Upon return to port, GENEVA wire-dragged the entire bottom using hogging lines and walking them down the length of the ship. This operation resulted in reducing the radiation levels inside the ship in the vicinity of the shell to tolerance limits for continuous occupancy.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Geneva crew performing bottom wire-dragging decontamination (1946)
- Limitations
- Hull-named operational detail in an official JTF-1 technical report - documents post-Baker radiological decontamination work performed by the crew, not asbestos. DTIC OAI record page could not be fetched live on 2026-09-25 (connection failure); bibliographic identity and the quoted Geneva passage are drawn from the indexed OAI abstract. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-05
-
[6]ShipScribe, U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships - Gilliam (APA-57) class page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation of official BuShips auxiliary ship data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class header block (Design, Displacement, Dimensions, Complement, Speed, Propulsion, Machinery) and Class Notes construction program
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Gilliam-class design and production record: 32 attack transports of Maritime Commission type S4-SE2-BD1, all built by Consolidated Steel Corp. at Wilmington, Calif.; design developed from BuShips preliminary design (1942-11-01) for small combat-loaded transports after the George F. Elliot (AP-13) loss; class figures 4,247 t light / 7,080 t limiting; 426.0 ft oa x 58.0 ft x 16.0 ft; complement 326 (1944 class figure); 16.9 knots; 6,000 HP Westinghouse turbo-electric plant, two screws. Geneva (APA-86) is a member of this class per DANFS ('cl. Gilliam; T. S4-SE2-BD1').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (design/build era)
- Population
- Gilliam-class crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Compiled transcription of official Navy auxiliary records, not the underlying documents; class-level figures are not hull-specific measurements of APA-86 (DANFS's own spec line gives cpl. 230 and 17 kts - differences recorded, not merged). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-06
-
[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 World War II - the era and Maritime Commission construction program under which this S4-SE2-BD1 hull was built in 1944-45 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. 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 remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-07
-
[8]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture); MARAD status cards (Detail 1857); 'Operation Crossroads 1946' report chronology (pp. 331-332); DNA-TR-82-05-V2 p. 153; NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum compilations (secondary) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-01 through ev-05 locators as listed
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Bikini arrival year - DANFS text reads 'arrived off Bikini on 30 May 1945,' an internal typographical error: the same entry places her in Hawaiian-area training until departing 1946-05-17, and both DNA reports record a May 1946 arrival; 1946 adopted. (b) Maritime Commission return date - DANFS narrates 'returned to the Maritime Commission on 2 April' without a year, in context implying 1947; the MARAD status card records James River fleet entry 1948-04-02 12:15 PM, and secondary compilations (NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum) concur with April 1948; 1948 carried for the custody event. (c) San Francisco arrival after Crossroads - DANFS 11-5 vs the official Crossroads report chronology 11-4-1946; DANFS retained. (d) Decommissioning - DANFS 1947-01-23 vs DNA-TR-82-05-V2 'January 1, 1947'; DANFS retained. (e) Wikipedia infobox 'Acquired 21 March 1944' is a typographical error; DANFS gives 1945-03-21.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1948
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies between official sources and flags a secondary-source typo; does not materially affect identity, service record, or custody outcome. None of these sources contains asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py): exact-name, hull-number, and asbestos-qualified opinion and docket queries [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-geneva-apa86-08 through sl-uss-geneva-apa86-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweep (2026-09-25): opinion search '"USS Geneva"' = 0 results; '"USS Geneva" asbestos' = 0; '"APA-86"' = 7 hits, all name collisions (APA = Administrative Procedure Act, IRS Advance Pricing Agreement, Allied Pilots Association references); '"Geneva" asbestos' = 142 hits, all name collisions (plaintiff first names e.g. Geneva Eileen Mau, Geneva Fischer; Geneva, Illinois firms; Geneva Pharmaceuticals; Geneva Steel-related parties) - none reference the vessel; RECAP docket search '"USS Geneva"' = 0; docket '"USS Geneva" OR "APA-86"' = 58 hits, all 'APA-86' term matches in unrelated dockets (environmental, fisheries, health-insurance cases). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Sweep covers CourtListener's opinion and RECAP docket indexes only - PACER dockets not mirrored, state-court dockets, and non-digitized MDL-875 complaint exhibits are outside coverage. Absence of a located case does not prove no claim was ever filed; WWII naval asbestos claims were typically pleaded against manufacturers/government, not hulls. Classified at pleading-or-less stage throughout; no merits finding exists to describe.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-09
-
[10]Batch-2385 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 1857 + status cards; 'Operation Crossroads 1946' (Wikisource scan); DNA-TR-82-05-V2 (OSTI); JTF-1 AD0473906; NVR; CourtListener opinion/docket sweeps; secondary compilations [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-geneva-apa86-01 through sl-uss-geneva-apa86-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Geneva (APA-86) hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS narrative (no asbestos content), MARAD ShipHistory record and three status-card scans (no materials content), two government Operation Crossroads reports and the JTF-1 decontamination report (radiological only), Naval Vessel Register (hull absent - disposed pre-1987), and CourtListener (all hits name collisions). 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 1945 steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the hull was scrapped before survey-era documentation existed. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-10
-
[11]NARA record-group mapping (RG 24 logbooks; RG 178 U.S. Maritime Commission; RG 357 Maritime Administration) + JTF-1 report bibliography (Operational Archives serials) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog series 594258; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html ; JTF-1 report bibliography via NPS SCRC bibliography listing
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992' (NAID 594258, RG 24) - Geneva's 1945-1947 deck logs, including the Crossroads period, would document machinery spaces and shipboard conditions; digitization status for this hull not confirmed (Catalog is JS-rendered). (b) NARA RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission) - construction records for MC hull 1879 at Consolidated Steel, Wilmington, incl. outfitting specifications. (c) RG 357 (Maritime Administration) / NDRF custody files for the James River and Wilmington fleet periods and the 1955 Grace Line repair-program withdrawal. (d) NHHC Operational Archives hold the 1947 CNO serials on handling radiologically contaminated Crossroads material cited in the JTF-1 report bibliography.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-1966 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 1879 / APA-86 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-geneva-apa86-11