Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, per-hull rows for HIGHLANDS APA-119 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA tables (dimensions, personnel, machinery, armament/cargo, construction rows, hull index no. 127); alphabetical index 'Highlands (ex-M.C.V. Hull 28) APA119 - Auxiliary - Transport, Attack - 246'; M.C.V. hull cross-index 'M.C.V. Hull 28 (now Highlands) APA 119'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for HIGHLANDS APA-119 (ex-M.C.V. Hull 28): 455'0" overall / 436'6" pp; beam 62'0"; limiting draft 24'0"; limiting displacement 12,450 tons; designed speed 17.7 knots; machinery 1 Joshua-Hendy turbine, 8,500 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F, single screw; ship's company 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; largest boom 35 tons; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm (ultimate authorized); cargo 150,000 cu ft / 2,900 DWT; construction row - California S.B. Corp., Wilmington, Calif., date acquired 4 Oct 44, year built 1944, first commissioned 5 Oct 44; index rows 'Highlands (ex-M.C.V. Hull 28) APA119' and 'M.C.V. Hull 28 (now Highlands) APA 119'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning, builder, acquisition and commissioning dates. OCR of the scanned tables is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS, NavSource, and the MARAD status card. The machinery row names Joshua-Hendy as this hull's turbine maker - correcting blanket class-level attributions to Westinghouse (lead ship APA-117 carried Westinghouse). Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-01
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[2]DANFS, 'Highlands' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250202151046; hazegray DANFS transcription mirror corroborates) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20250202151046; mirror https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/apa119.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: namesake - 'A county in Florida'; 'a "Liberty ship" transport' (label conflicts with the entry's own spec block, T. VC2-S-AP5 Victory type); launched 8 Jul 1944 under Maritime Commission contract by California Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, Calif., sponsored by Mrs. G. W. D. Dashiell; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 5 Oct 1944, Captain G. D. Lyon commanding. Spec block: dp 6,873; l 455'; b 62'; dr 24'; s 17 k.; cpl 536; a 1 5", 12 40mm; cl Haskell; T VC2-S-AP5. Service: shakedown out of San Pedro to 30 Oct; embarked troops San Francisco, sailed 23 Nov; Pearl Harbor 29 Nov; amphibious training; sailed 27 Jan 1945 via Eniwetok, Saipan 11 Feb; Iwo Jima unloading on beaches from 19 Feb, 6 days unloading by day / retiring under escort at night amid heavy air attacks (Bismarck Sea lost 21 Feb, Saratoga damaged); received 150+ Bismarck Sea survivors 22 Feb plus Marine casualties; departed 25 Feb; Espiritu Santo 15 Mar; Okinawa - arrived Ryukyus 3 Apr, Kerama Retto to 11 Apr, early-morning assault on Tsugen Jima 11 Apr, casualties aboard, off Hagushi beaches 12 Apr disembarking reserve troops, 3 days under near-continuous air attack; sailed for Saipan 16 Apr; Saipan 20 Apr; Ulithi; departed 22 May for Guam and Leyte, Leyte Gulf 31 May; operating off Panay at surrender 15 Aug; sailed 21 Aug for occupation troops on Luzon; entered Tokyo Bay 2 Sep (day of the formal ceremony), landed 1st Cavalry Division; further occupation lifts; landed troops at Kure 6 Oct after Inland Sea mines cleared; sailed 11 Oct carrying returnees via Okinawa for San Diego, arrived US 2 Nov; second Japan voyage 17 Nov-26 Dec returning San Francisco; departed 11 Jan 1946 via Panama Canal, Hampton Roads 26 Jan; decommissioned 14 Feb; NDRF James River. Two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, sponsors, command, and battle-star count. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text. Internal quirks: 'Liberty ship' label vs VC2-S-AP5 Victory type in its own spec block; 'acquired ... 5 October' vs MARAD status card/SDB/shipscribe 4 Oct - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Highlands (APA-119), file 10/03/03119 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 03119.htm - construction timeline, campaign table, occupation-service table, commanding-officer table, disposal entries, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: laid down 13 Jun 1944 as Maritime Commission VC2-S-AP5 hull (MCV hull 28) at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, CA; launched 8 Jul 1944; completed and delivered to the Maritime Commission 30 Sep 1944; acquired 5 Oct 1944; commissioned 5 Oct 1944, CAPT George D. Lyon; assigned TransRon Sixteen (COMO J.B. McGovern) / TransDiv Forty-Seven (CAPT C.L. Hutton); campaign credits - Iwo Jima operation assault and occupation 19-25 Feb 1945, Okinawa Gunto operation 9-15 Apr 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 25 Sep-16 Oct 1945 and 3-12 Dec 1945; decommissioned 14 Feb 1946 Norfolk, VA; returned to the Maritime Commission 28 Feb 1946 for lay-up NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; struck from the Naval Register 10 Mar 1946; withdrawn from James River Reserve Fleet to Farrel Lines, Inc. 21 Sep 1955 (Repair Program) General Agency Agreement; returned 23 Nov 1955; sold for scrapping 9 Apr 1973 for $111,560 to Union Minerals & Alloys Inc., withdrawn 11 Jun 1973. Spec block: 6,873 t lt / 14,837 t fl; 455' x 62'; speed 19 kts; complement 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; cargo 2,900 DWT / 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; boats 2 LCM, 1 open LCPL, 1 covered LCPL, 2 LCPR, 18 LCVP; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10x20mm; propulsion 1 Joshua Hendy geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers, 3 turbo-drive 300kW 120/240V DC ship's service generators, 1 propeller 8,500 shp. CO table: Lyon 5 Oct 44-27 Dec 44; CDR Michael Toal USNR 27 Dec 44-31 Oct 45; CAPT Clarence Earl Voegeli USN 31 Oct 45-14 Feb 46.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed and consistent with NHHC/MARAD. Data defects logged in gaps: (a) 'laid down 13 June 1944' conflicts with shipscribe class table's 28 Apr 1944; (b) 'acquired 5 Oct' conflicts with MARAD card/SDB/shipscribe 4 Oct; (c) spec-block '19 kts' conflicts with SDB designed 17.7 and DANFS 17; (d) 'Farrel' single-r spelling vs status card 'Farrell Lines'. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - HIGHLANDS (APA-119), Ship History Detail 2214, incl. scanned vessel status cards (cards 2214_4122AF.jpg, 2214_4122AB.jpg, 34D_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2214 registry block, milestone table, status-card scans (cards 2214_4122AF.jpg, 2214_4122AB.jpg, 34D_01.png)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull: Year Built 1944; Shipyard California Shipbuilding Corporation; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'APA Attack Transport'; MARAD Type VC2-S-AP5; length 455.00 ft; beam 62.00 ft; displacement 14,837 summer / 6,873 lightweight tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Disposition 6/11/1973 'REPAIR PROGRAM 1956' and Withdrawal 6/11/1973. The scanned WSA/MARAD custody card records the custody chain to the hour: hull MCV 28 built by Calif. SB Corp. at Wilmington, Cal., completed 9-30-44; 'Basis to W.S.A. 9-30-44 3:00PM PWT @ Wilmington, Del. del. by Builders to USMC'; Navy Dept. (del. by USMC), form LB, delivered Wilmington, Calif. 10-4-44 2:30PM PWT; WSA Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Va. 2-28-46 3:30PM; Farrell Lines, Inc. (Repair Program) under GAA, James River, 9-21-55 5:15pm EST; returned Reserve Fleet (Repair Program), James River, 11-23-55 12:00 noon EST; Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (Scrap), purchase 4-9-73; physical delivery 6-11-73 9:35am EDT. Reserve-fleet vessel-data card adds: entered fleet 2-28-46, James River fleet unit 9; sale PD-X-956; fuel oil on entry 1,577 bbls Bunker C, 888 bbls diesel remaining; termination port last voyage Norfolk. Ballast card: 'third in unit 9 alongside BROADWATER'; permanent cement-block ballast in holds; 'Note: No prints could be found on ship.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD registry plus handwritten status-card scans read with good confidence (entries cross-verified against NavSource chronology). The 1955 Farrell Lines repair activation (21 Sep-23 Nov 1955) is a documented disturbance-phase event of unknown materials scope; MARAD milestone label 'REPAIR PROGRAM 1956' diverges from the 1955 custody dates - logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-04
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[5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Haskell (APA-117) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-117 class page: class characteristics block, construction table (APA-119 row), machinery note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class construction table: APA-119 HIGHLANDS - acquired 4 Oct 44, builder California SB, keel 28 Apr 44, launched 8 Jul 44, commissioned 5 Oct 44. Class-level data: MC design VC2-S-AP5; 6,873 t light / 12,450 t limiting; 455.0' oa / 436.5' pp x 62.0' x 24.0'; complement 536 (1944); 17.7 kts; 8,500 hp; machinery note 'Westinghouse, Joshua-Hendy, or Allis-Chalmers turbine, 1 screw' - i.e., turbine maker varied by hull within the class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- California Shipbuilding construction workforce (1944)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; used where consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD. Its keel date (28 Apr 44) conflicts with NavSource (13 Jun 44) - logged in gaps; launch (8 Jul 44) agrees with DANFS. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-05
-
[6]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + VC2-S-AP5 type data (MARAD registry; shipscribe APA-117 class page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, APA section (HIGHLANDS row); https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA/APA117.html class data; MARAD Detail 2214
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Joshua-Hendy turbine, 8,500 shp; two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F) built at the peak of WWII asbestos usage at a Maritime Commission emergency yard - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. Troop-space outfitting (accommodations for 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted) added interior insulation scope. Post-Navy custody (NDRF James River lay-up 1946-1973, incl. the documented 1955 Farrell Lines repair activation under GAA) and the 1973 breaking are the disturbance-phase pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Construction trades at California Shipbuilding, Wilmington (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; 1955 Farrell Lines repair workforce; NDRF James River lay-up and 1973 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-119 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-06
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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 era and emergency construction program under which this VC2-S-AP5 attack transport was mass-produced - 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-07
-
[8]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 wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- 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 yard (whether California Shipbuilding Wilmington was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) 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 the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-08
-
[9]Batch-2187 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03119; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2214 + status-card scans; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe APA-117 class page; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket sweeps); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-highlands-apa119-01 through sl-uss-highlands-apa119-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Highlands / APA-119 / MCV hull 28 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-phrase '"USS Highlands"' opinion search returned count 0; '"APA-119"' opinion search returned 2 opinions that are term collisions, not the ship (AssuredPartners of Virginia v. Sheehan, Del. Super. N19C-02-175 AML CCLD - insurance parties; Contini v. Bd. of Educ. of Newark, N.J. Super. 1995 - education law); the combined docket search returned 29 dockets, all collisions - the single asbestos-docket hit (Koog v. A.W. Chesterton Co., S.D. Tex. 4:25-cv-01879) matches on the string 'APA-119' inside a scanned SF-57 employment exhibit, verified by local OCR to reference USS Magoffin (APA-199), not this hull. Law-firm marketing pages (simmonsfirm.com, freeasbestostesting.com, mesotheliomaasbestoshelpcenter.com ship lists) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as a source 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 1944 geared-steam attack transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her ~27 years in NDRF custody, the undocumented-scope 1955 repair activation, and the 1973 breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweeps run under the shared fleet pacing budget: exact-phrase name 0; hull-number 2 collisions; combined docket sweep 29 hits all classified collisions (one asbestos-docket collision verified by local OCR of the matched 66-page exhibit - USS Magoffin APA-199, not this hull); broad '"Highlands" asbestos' opinion sweep returned 203 hits, top 60 reviewed in full - all Highlands Insurance Co./place-name collisions, residual tail unreviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-highlands-apa119-09
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[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); MARAD ShipHistory documents/status-card section for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/2214 (status-card scans)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Highlands 1944-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and the Booklet of General Plans for this design (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MCV hull 28 at California Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-1973 James River lay-up, the 1955 Farrell Lines GAA repair activation, and the 1973 Union Minerals & Alloys sale under PD-X-956 (RG 357) - the sale file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead. The MARAD ballast card's 'No prints could be found on ship' notation signals thin surviving plan documentation for this hull.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973 records
- Limitations
- Record-group 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-highlands-apa119-10