Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
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[1]DANFS-derived narrative (article incorporates public-domain DANFS text); official DANFS site returning HTTP 500 [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USS Gilliam (APA-57), named for Gilliam County, Oregon, was the lead ship of the Gilliam class of attack transports. Launched 28 March 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1850, hull type S4-SE2-BD1) by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Wilmington, Los Angeles, California, sponsored by Mrs. A. O. Williams of Wilmington; acquired by the Navy 31 July 1944 and commissioned 1 August 1944. Propulsion: Westinghouse turboelectric drive, 2 boilers, 2 propellers, 6,000 shp; 16.9 knots. WWII service: stood out of San Francisco Bay 16 October 1944 with 750 U.S. Army troops for Oro Bay, New Guinea, delivering them 4 November; embarked nearly 1,000 troops of the 11th Airborne Division and off-loaded them at Leyte, returning to Humboldt Bay, New Guinea, 22 November; got underway 29 November for Leyte Gulf to embark elements of the 6th Army Headquarters for passage to Lingayen Gulf. On 5 December 1944 her 36-ship convoy came under heavy air attack 100 miles from Leyte Gulf: at 12:18 Gilliam spotted a plane coming in low; a torpedo hit SS Antoine Saugrain, then a second torpedo hit the same merchantman; at 15:30 a kamikaze crashed into SS Marcus Daly (a second kamikaze missed and crashed into the sea); Gilliam's crew stood at General Quarters for nearly 12 hours and she reached Leyte on 6 December without damage. At Leyte she acted as receiving ship for the crews of damaged warships and undertook medical and salvage operations despite continued air alerts; after embarking over 500 soldiers at Tacloban, she sailed 7 January 1945 bringing troops to Lingayen Gulf in support of the invasion; returned to Leyte 14 January to embark elements of the 32nd Infantry Division and brought them back to Lingayen Gulf 27 January. After loading casualties for passage to Leyte, sailed 2 February to embark Marines of the III Amphibious Corps at Guadalcanal and conducted training exercises for the invasion of Okinawa. Closed Okinawa 1 April and, in the face of kamikaze attacks, debarked reconnaissance parties of the 3rd Amphibious Corps and unloaded vital cargo; sailed 5 April for the United States via Saipan and Pearl Harbor, mooring at San Francisco 27 April for drydock repairs. Subsequently embarked the 6th Seabee Battalion at Port Hueneme, California, and sailed 28 May 1945 for Okinawa via Eniwetok and Ulithi; off-loaded cargo and passengers at Okinawa and headed back to San Francisco. Arrived San Francisco 10 August; nearly 1,000 troops embarked and brought to Pearl Harbor 27 August; men of the Headquarters and Service Battalions, 5th Amphibious Corps came on board at Hawaii; sailed 1 September for Sasebo, Japan, and put occupation troops ashore about three weeks later. On 25 September got underway for Manila, and after embarking more than 450 veterans of the 33rd Infantry Division at Lingayen Gulf, carried them to Sasebo, arriving 15 October. Operation Magic Carpet: after returning to Cebu, Philippines, 29 October, sailed 2 November with 1,000 sailors and soldiers, debarking them at Portland, Oregon, 21 November 1945. Following a voyage to Samar, moored at Pearl Harbor 16 February 1946 and prepared for the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. On the morning of 1 July 1946, a target ship for Test Able, she was the first ship struck by the blast and sunk quickly in Bikini lagoon, badly damaged. She was decommissioned 5 July 1946 and struck from the Naval Register 20 July 1946. Battle-star count is disputed between the article infobox (two) and the DANFS-derived decorations text (three); no count is claimed here.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Official DANFS returning HTTP 500; identity and service history from the DANFS-derived narrative. Battle-star count conflict (infobox two vs decorations three) is unresolved, so the count is excluded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilliam-apa57-01
-
[2]U.S. government report on Operation Crossroads (1946), scanned at Wikisource - Gilliam 47 yards (43 meters) from the detonation point [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Operation Crossroads government-report scan records that USS Gilliam (APA-57) was positioned 47 yards (43 meters) from the detonation point for the Test Able shot at Bikini Atoll on 1 July 1946; the ship's crew was evacuated before the shot and she sank at Bikini Atoll.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Scanned government report hosted on Wikisource; positioning figure as reported in the scan.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilliam-apa57-02
-
[3]Negative search result across authoritative repositories (2026-09-25) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation located for USS Gilliam (APA-57) in any authoritative source searched (Navy, NARA, HAER, museum records). This is a negative finding, not an absence of exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Negative finding reflects search coverage, not proof of absence. No hull-specific asbestos survey located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilliam-apa57-03
-
[4]CourtListener authenticated search (combined ship name + hull number) not completed - helper pipe broke after authenticated request on two attempts (2026-09-25) [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated search for the combined ship name and hull number ("USS Gilliam" APA-57) could not be completed during the writing session. Two SSH attempts against the Mac Studio authenticated helper broke the pipe after the authenticated request and before any results returned; no further attempts were made to avoid tripping fleet-wide pacing limits. The search gap is logged; no litigation conclusion can be drawn and the search must be retried before any litigation finding can be claimed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Search not run; no litigation finding can be claimed. Retry required for complete coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilliam-apa57-04
-
[5]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, asbestos exposure guidance for Navy veterans [other_primary]
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Era context: the Department of Veterans Affairs states that many WWII-era Navy ships contained asbestos products, with boiler and engine rooms of particular concern because asbestos was widely used as insulation during this period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- Era context only - does not establish asbestos presence aboard this specific hull. Not a finding about this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilliam-apa57-05