Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet s-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-harris-apa2-pkt-s-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'USS Harris (AP-8/APA-2)' entry (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division), transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror; live NHHC page 404 on access date [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Harris entry, full text; stats block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull's full naval career: built 1921 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Sparrows Point, Md.; merchant service as Pine Tree State then President Grant (American Orient Line/American Mail Line); idled by the 1936-37 maritime strike and laid up at Seattle; taken over by the Navy from the Maritime Commission 17 July 1940; converted to a troopship at Todd's Seattle yard; renamed Harris and commissioned August 1940 (transcription reads '10 August'; all other sources give 19 August), Lt. A. M. Van Eaton in command; Pearl Harbor troop runs and San Diego training; Wallis Island/New Caledonia lift May 1942; Norfolk; Southern Attack Force flagship transport for the North Africa landings 8 November 1942; redesignated APA-2; Attu 11 May 1943; Kiska 15 August 1943; Tarawa 20 November-2 December 1943; Kwajalein/Majuro 31 January-8 February 1944; Saipan 16-20 June 1944; Babelthuap diversion 15 September and Ulithi 23 September 1944; Leyte 20-28 October 1944; Lingayen Gulf 9 January 1945; Zambales-Subic Bay; Okinawa 1-6 April 1945 and a return lift 28 May 1945; occupation lifts to Tokyo Bay and Taku Bar, China; arrived Boston 2 February 1946; decommissioned 16 April 1946; sold to American Ship Breakers, Inc., 20 July 1948 and scrapped; ten battle stars. Stats block: dp 13,529 lt; l 535'2"; b 72'4"; dr 31'3"; s 17 k; cpl 628; a. 4 3", 6 40mm, 4 20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1921-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (peak ~600-700 plus embarked troops ~1,600) across 1940-1946 naval service
- Limitations
- Official Navy history but contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Transcription-level caveat: the ibiblio transcription gives 'commissioned 10 August 1940' where NavSource, the shipscribe compilation, and the batch brief give 19 August 1940 - treated as a transcription variant; commissioning carried as 1940-08-19 (in ordinary). Live NHHC URL for this DANFS entry returned 404 on 2026-09-25 (standing link-rot issue per BATCH-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-01
-
[3]Shipscribe, 'USS Harris (APA-2) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from BuShips/CNO records, compiled 2007) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-2 class page: construction table row APA-2; disposition table row APA-2; class notes (535-class acquisition narrative); ship notes APA-2
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction and disposition tables plus ship notes: HARRIS - EFC hull 2505, keel 15 Feb 1919, launch 19 Mar 1921, Bethlehem Sparrows Pt. SY; ex merc. PRESIDENT GRANT, ex PINE TREE STATE 1922, ex LEOMINSTER 1919 (ID-4577, completed 3 Nov 21); acquired 17 Jul 40; converted 23 Jul 40-15 Nov 40 by Todd Seattle DD, Seattle, Wash. (printed '15 Nov 41'; the 1941 year is inconsistent with the documented in-service record and reads as a misprint for 1940); 'Commissioned in ordinary 19 Aug 40'; ex AP-8, reclassified APA-2 effective 1 Feb 43; decommissioned 16 Apr 46; struck 19 Jul 46; to MC custody as PRESIDENT GRANT 1946 (NDRF 3 Jul 46); MA sale 2 Jan 48; 'to buyer 20 Jul 48 as HARRIS, scrapped by 7 Sep 49'. Class notes document the acquisition program (CNO direction 28 Jun 40 blocking foreign sale of the laid-up American Mail 535s at Bremerton; MC intermediary purchase), the BuC&R 1938 '535 class' mobilization conversion plans and 1940 Com-13 conversion planning, and a documented 1943 yard event: APA-2 was given additional command facilities during repairs at the Destroyer Base, San Diego, June-July 1943, to serve as a relief AGC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1919-1949
- Population
- Conversion workforce at Todd Seattle Drydock (1940); repair workforce at Destroyer Base San Diego (1943)
- Limitations
- Compilation of official records rather than the records themselves - reliable secondary structure used across this series; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information. Internal date caveat: the class table's 'Commiss. 5 Nov 41' and conversion end '15 Nov 41' are inconsistent with the documented in-service record (Pearl Harbor runs December 1940-February 1941) - read as 1940 (full commission 5 Nov 1940 per secondary sources); commissioning in ordinary 19 Aug 1940 is stated explicitly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Harris (APA-2), file 10/03/03002 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APA-2 page: specifications block; commanding officers table; campaign tables; final disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource records the hull's machinery plant and service detail: two Bethlehem Curtis-type turbines; eight Yarrow header-type boilers, 265 psi saturated; single Falk main reduction gears; three turbo-drive 200 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators; twin propellers, 12,000 shp; speed 17.2 kts; complement 37 officers + 585 enlisted; troop accommodations 126 officers + 1,557 enlisted; flag accommodations 43 officers + 108 enlisted; armament 4 single 3"/50, one twin + one quad 40mm, 10 single 20mm; fuel NSFO 29,675 bbls. Service records: commissioned AP-8 19 Aug 1940 (LCDR A. M. Van Eaton); reclassified APA-2 1 Feb 1943; full Asiatic-Pacific campaign table (Attu, Tarawa, Kwajalein/Majuro, Saipan, Palaus/Ulithi, Leyte, Lingayen, Zambales-Subic, Okinawa); decommissioned 16 Apr 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 28 Jun 1946 at Davisville, R.I.; NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, Va., 3 Jul 1946; final disposition 'sold for scrapping, 30 December 1947, to American Shipbreakers Inc. (PD-X-401 dated 10 July 1947), withdrawn 29 July 1948'; ten battle stars. Five commanding officers listed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1921-1948
- Population
- Ship's company 622 (37 officers + 585 enlisted) plus embarked troops; flag accommodations indicate embarked staff
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive drawing on official records (status cards, NVR-type data) - treated as reliable secondary; contains no asbestos or materials information. Disposal dates differ slightly from the MARAD status card and shipscribe (sold 30 Dec 1947 = the award date; withdrawal '29 July 1948' vs MARAD card's 20 Jul 1948); carried as reconciled chain with variances noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - HARRIS (APA-2), Detail 2096, incl. scanned vessel status cards (2096_3895AF.jpg, 2096_3895AB.jpg, 04f51072-a8b3-4490-b023-6491dd698cdd.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2096 registry block, milestones table, name history; status-card scans fields 1-22 (front) and typed WSA card (back)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official MARAD registry plus scanned custody cards for this exact hull: registry block records Year Built 1921; Official Number 221633; Shipyard 'Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'APA Attack Transport'; length 535.00 ft; beam 72.00 ft; 14,119 gross tons; name history Pine Tree State 1921-1923 / President Grant 1923-1940 / Harris (APA-2) 1940-1948; milestones Disposition 7/20/1948 ('ex-PRES GRANT') and Withdrawl 7/20/1948; fate 'Sold - No Further Info'. The scanned status cards add: O.N. 221633, Hull No 2505, 'Built by Beth. SB Corp. At Sparrows Pt., Md., Completed 1921', 'Basis to W.S.A. 6-28-46 8:15PM EDT @ Davisville, R.I. from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; Reserve Fleet allocation Lee Hall, Va., delivered 7-3-46 9:30AM EDT (fleet J.R. unit S-6); termination port of last voyage Boston; sale-line 'Sold to American Shipbreakers Inc.' delivered at James River 7-20-48 12:30PM; ship's-papers notes 'PD-X-401 10-7-47', 'award 12-30-47 American Shipbreakers Inc.', and an earlier 'PD-X-258 4/6 no bids received'; speed 16 kt; DWT 11,952.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1948 custody records; registry compiled later
- Population
- NDRF lay-up/custody workforce (Lee Hall, James River, 1946-48); breaking-yard workforce at American Shipbreakers (1948-49)
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody record with handwritten entries - transcription confidence is high on the custody chain (dates, PD-X numbers, buyer) and lower on a few marginal pencil notes. Cards document custody, not materials: they contain no asbestos, insulation, or condition information and support no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-04
-
[6]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), 'Transports and Troopships' table - Pine Tree State row; EFC Design 1029 program data [other_primary]
- Locator
- Transports and Troopships table, Pine Tree State row (EFC 2505, yard no. 4195)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent merchant-fleet compilation corroborating hull identity: 'Pine Tree State - Troopship - Design 1029 - Bethlehem Steel - Sparrows Point MD - hull no. 4195 - Nov-21 - Later President Grant 1923, Harris (AP 8/APA 2) 1940, scrapped 1948'. EFC hull 2505 within the six-ship Sparrows Point Design 1029 order (EFC hulls 2505-2510, contract of 15 July 1918).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1919-1948
- Limitations
- Compiled merchant-vessel database - corroborating secondary, no primary document attached; 'President Grant 1923' rename year conflicts with DANFS's 1922 (noted in gaps). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - documented machinery plant (NavSource/shipscribe: 8 Yarrow header-type boilers 265 psi sat., 2 Curtis turbines, 12,000 shp) + 1919-21 EFC construction era + documented disturbance events (1940 Todd Seattle conversion; wartime repairs; 1946-48 NDRF; 1948-49 breaking) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (machinery); shipscribe ship notes (conversion period and 1943 AGC-fit); MARAD status card (lay-up and sale dates)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull's plant - eight Yarrow water-tube boilers at 265 psi saturated steam feeding twin Curtis turbines with a 200 kW turbo-generator set - is a WWI-program (EFC) marine steam installation of the configuration whose boiler casings, steam drums, main and auxiliary steam lines, valves, flanges, and machinery of the period were commonly insulated with asbestos-containing lagging, gaskets, and packing; accommodation fireproofing/joiner insulation and winch/davit brake linings of the period likewise commonly contained asbestos. The 1940 Navy conversion at Todd Seattle (documented 23 Jul-Nov 1940) added troop berthing, boats/davits, armament, and military systems - a documented disturbance event whose insulation scope is inferred from era practice, not from a located specification. Further documented disturbance phases: 1942 collision drydocking; Destroyer Base San Diego command-facility installation June-July 1943; San Pedro repairs 1944; NDRF lay-up 1946-48; breaking at American Shipbreakers 1948-49.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1919-1949
- Population
- Bethlehem Sparrows Point construction trades (1919-21); merchant marine crew (1921-40); Todd Seattle conversion workforce (1940); Navy ship's company and embarked troops (1940-46); NDRF lay-up crews (1946-48); American Shipbreakers breaking workforce (1948-49)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction/conversion era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming this hull was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. 1921 commercial-liner insulation practice is inferred; whether the 1940 conversion replaced or retained original insulation is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-06
-
[8]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 era of this hull's 1940 naval conversion and its entire 1940-46 commissioned service - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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 or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Covers the hull's WWII naval phase; her 1919-21 commercial construction predates the study's focus.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-07
-
[9]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in naval-vessel construction and conversion work of this hull's service era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder/conversion yard (Todd Seattle was not among the surveyed yards) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches 2026-09-25: q='"USS Harris"' type=o -> 1 hit; q='"USS Harris"' type=r -> 0; q='"APA-2"' type=o -> 622 hits (top-20 BM25 reviewed); q='"APA-2" asbestos' -> 8; q='"AP-8" asbestos' -> 4; q='"Pine Tree State"' type=o -> 19; q='"President Grant" asbestos' -> 1 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search API responses 2026-09-25 (all queries authenticated via fleet helper)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation surface check (CourtListener API v4, authenticated, 2026-09-25): no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. Exact-name opinion search '"USS Harris"' returned 1 hit - Harris v. United States Fire Insurance, 162 B.R. 466 (E.D. Va. 1994), a bankruptcy/insurance matter, NAME COLLISION; RECAP docket search '"USS Harris"' returned 0. Hull-number searches: '"APA-2"' returned 622 hits - the unqualified token collides on docket-number and Administrative Procedure Act citations; top-20 BM25-ranked hits all non-maritime (agency, tax, insurance, parole matters); '"APA-2" asbestos' returned 8 hits, all collisions (e.g., Nichols v. Asbestos Workers Local 24 Pension Plan; Pulaski v. Cal. OSHA Standards Board); '"AP-8" asbestos' returned 4 hits, all collisions (e.g., Saloom v. Holder, Ind. App. 1974). Merchant names: '"Pine Tree State"' returned 19 hits, all collisions on Maine entities (Pine Tree State Mutual Fire Insurance; Nature Conservancy of Pine Tree State); '"President Grant" asbestos' returned 1 hit - Perez v. Cucci, 725 F. Supp. 209 (D.N.J. 1989), a civil-rights matter with an incidental 'President Grant' reference, NAME COLLISION. No hit names the vessel or hull number in an asbestos or maritime-injury context.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of located dockets does not prove no suit was ever filed - unindexed state-court filings, settled/unreported matters, and MDL-875 complaint schedules naming ships are not fully searchable at opinion level. The unqualified 'APA-2' corpus (622 hits) was reviewed only at top-20 BM25 rank; asbestos-qualified subsets were fully reviewed. A crew-era claim could still exist in unindexed filings; this sweep establishes only that no indexed opinion or docket names the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-09
-
[11]Batch-2270 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar/ibiblio (live NHHC 404); NavSource 10/03/03002; shipscribe APA-2 class page; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2096 + three status-card scans; shipbuildinghistory transports table; CourtListener authenticated sweeps; VA BVA index via web search; general web index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-harris-apa2-01 through sl-uss-harris-apa2-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation/material specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Harris, AP-8, APA-2, Pine Tree State, President Grant, EFC hull 2505, or official no. 221633 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The MARAD status cards - the most granular government record retrieved - document custody only. A law-firm marketing page (asbestos-ships.com) maintains a dedicated hull page asserting era-typical asbestos content with factual errors (strike date, complement) and no primary support - excluded per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report.
- 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 1919-21 steam liner converted for naval service in 1940 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the hull was scrapped in 1948-49, before any modern survey regime existed. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships / Bureau of Construction and Repair), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Maritime Administration); Baltimore Museum of Industry Bethlehem Steel Collection; Hagley Museum and Library accession 1699 [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://bmiarchives.libraryhost.com/repositories/3/resources/2 ; https://findingaids.hagley.org/repositories/3/resources/895
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Harris 1940-46 (RG 24, NARA); BuShips/BuC&R records including the 5 Jan 1938 '535 class' mobilization conversion plans and the 1940 Com-13 conversion-planning correspondence documented in the shipscribe class notes (RG 19); USMC acquisition file for the 17 Jul 1940 transfer (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files including the PD-X-258 (no-bid) and PD-X-401 (award to American Shipbreakers) sale files - the disposal file is the most promising hazmat lead (RG 357); Baltimore Museum of Industry, Bethlehem Steel Collection - a 10,000+-blueprint ship-plan collection from the Sparrows Point yard that may hold EFC 2505 / yard no. 4195 material; Hagley Museum and Library accession 1699 (Bethlehem Steel Corporation records, fragmentary).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1919-1949 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and repository mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harris-apa2-11