USS Hinsdale (APA-120)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]research packet h-packet.md (9 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: **VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-hinsdale-apa120-pkt-h-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Hinsdale (APA-120)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live URL 404s 2026-09-25; verbatim text via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251208195804 of the live NHHC page, published 2016; parallel transcription at ibiblio HyperWar) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + stats line; Wayback capture 20251208195804; ibiblio mirror https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa120.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Hinsdale (APA-120), named for Hinsdale County, Colorado: '(APA-120: d. 6,873 light; l. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 24'; sp. 17.7 k.; cpl. 509; a. 1 5"; cl. Haskell)'. Ex-MCV Hull-30, launched by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., 22 July 1944, sponsored by Mrs. M. B. Harper, commissioned 15 October 1944, Comdr. Edward Flood Beyer USNR. Shakedown San Diego-San Pedro; Pearl Harbor 12 December with 175 passengers; embarked ~1,200 Marines 27 December for Iwo Jima; flagship Transport Division 44; arrived off Iwo Jima at dawn on D-day 19 February 1945; served as auxiliary hospital ship; a projectile burst close aboard 25 February killing a Marine captain on deck; departed 27 February, reached Guam 3 March landing 166 casualties. Embarked ~1,500 Marines and Sailors for Okinawa; departed Saipan 27 March in the Joint Expeditionary Force. On 1 April 1945 at 0600 a kamikaze crashed into her port side just above the waterline and ripped into the engine room; three bomb explosions tore the engine room apart - only one member of the watch survived scalding steam from the exploding boilers; power and communications failed; three holes in the port side; 13-degree list; fifteen men dead, 40 missing or wounded; she still put her Marines ashore. Towed by ATR-80 at 5 knots to Kerama Retto; cargo shifted to Pitt (APA-223); served as receiving ship for kamikaze survivors. Departed Kerama Retto 14 April towed by Leo (AKA-6) in an LST convoy; reached Ulithi 23 April (ibiblio transcription prints 25 April); one month of repairs by repair ship Vulcan; sailed 20 May for the States; complete overhaul at Brooklyn Navy Yard from 2 July 1945; departed 21 November for Operation Magic Carpet via Pearl Harbor to Sasebo and Nagasaki, embarked over a thousand troops, reached San Francisco 24 January 1946; Norfolk Navy Yard 20 February; decommissioned 8 April 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission 12 April; stricken from the Navy Register 1 May 1946; placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River. Two battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked troops, Iwo Jima and Okinawa periods (Feb-Apr 1945); Brooklyn Navy Yard overhaul workforce (Jul-Nov 1945)

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy historical entry naming this hull - the controlling source for identity, combat history, damage, overhaul, and disposal milestones. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Text variants vs the ibiblio print-DANFS transcription (sponsor 'M. B. Harper' vs 'M.E. Harper'; Ulithi arrival 23 vs 25 April) flagged in the correction row; casualty figures diverge from the ship's war history and NavSource.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-01

3. [3]'History of U.S.S. Hinsdale (APA-120)', ship-prepared war history, Naval Historical Center holdings (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, Patrick Clancey) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Full text incl. characteristics paragraph, Iwo Jima and Okinawa operation narratives, casualty statement, commanding-officer table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own war history ('History of U.S.S. Hinsdale (APA-120)', prepared by the Hinsdale's yeoman at the end of WWII, Naval Historical Center holdings via HyperWar transcription): built from Maritime Commission 'Victory' type cargo-vessel plans; principal characteristics - length 455 ft 3 in, loaded displacement 11,021 tons, accommodations for a wartime crew of 532 and 1,603 passengers with equipment, 26 landing craft, division-flagship equipped; Capt. N.W. Thornton embarked as Commander Tentative Transport Division FOX 15-23 Oct 1944; ComTransDiv 44 Capt. J.H. Seyfried and staff embarked 27 October; 25th Marines support group (74 officers, 1,123 men) embarked at Kahului, Maui, 27-28 December; departed Saipan for Iwo Jima 16 February as column guide and TransDiv 44 flagship in TG 53.2; arrived transport area ~7.5 miles SSW of the eastern beaches at dawn 19 February; beach party ashore 20-24 February with seven casualties; ship lost seven boats; Marine captain killed aboard 25 February by a close projectile burst; casualties discharged to U.S. Naval Hospital No. 18 at Guam 4 March; embarked 91 officers + 1,319 men of the Support Group RCT-2, 2nd Marine Division, at Tanapag Harbor 9 March; underway 27 March with TG 51.2 for the Okinawa feint landing. At 0549 on 1 April, ~12.5 miles SSE of the southern tip of Okinawa, a low-flying suicide plane carrying three bombs hit the port side: 'all spaces between frames 65 and 95 were in free communication with each other and the sea, all machinery spaces were flooded and all machinery except emergency equipment, was dead'; 13-degree list; 'only one man on watch in the engineering spaces lived'; TransDiv 44 staff shifted to USS Pickens (APA-190); ship's company casualties 32, of which 14 killed in action, and 30 troops (one KIA, one MIA); troops transferred to LSTs; towed to Kerama Retto until 14 April; guns credited with two 'Sure Assists' against kamikazes; temporary repairs at Ulithi; voyage to the East Coast under her own power with a long availability for battle-damage repair; departed 21 November with 1,102 passengers, Pearl Harbor 13 December 1945. Commanding officers: Cmdr. (later Capt.) Edward Flood Beyer USNR 1944-10-16 to 1945-09-27; Capt. George William McCormick USNR from 1945-09-27.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Ship's company (532 accommodations), embarked Marine units (~1,200 Iwo; ~1,500 Okinawa), TransDiv 44 staff

   Limitations

   Primary ship-produced document - the richest first-party account of this hull's operations and battle damage. Ends in November 1945 (Magic Carpet embark); the disposal chain is covered only in a bracketed transcriber's note. Contains no asbestos or materials information - supports no asbestos claim. Casualty arithmetic (14 KIA ship's company + 1 troop KIA/1 MIA; '0549' hit time) differs in detail from DANFS ('fifteen men were dead; 40 missing or wounded'; '0600') - documented in the correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-02

4. [4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), APA tables + ship index (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 APA section (PDF pp. ~264-269): dimensions, personnel, machinery, construction tables, class no. 128; alphabetical index 'Hinsdale' and 'M.C.V. Hull 30 (now Hinsdale)' entries

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, January 1945), attack-transport (APA) tables, carries per-hull rows for this ship under class no. 128: ship index 'M.C.V. Hull 30 (now Hinsdale) - APA 120'; dimensions row 'HINSDALE (ex-M.C.V. Hull 30) - APA 120' at 455'0" overall / 436'6" pp, beam 62'0", 17.7 knots, 14,837 tons; personnel row prints 99 officers / 593 enlisted with troop accommodations 86 officers / 1,475 enlisted (OCR-degraded cells); machinery row '1 JoshuaHendy turb. ... 8,500 [shp], 2 B.&W. hdr. [header-type boilers], 465 [psi], 750 [F]'; construction row builder 'California S.B. Corp., Wilmington, Calif.', acquired 14 Oct 44, year built 1944, first commission 15 Oct 44.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked flag staff (as fitted 1944-45)

   Limitations

   Official wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, MC hull number, machinery plant (Joshua Hendy turbine + 2 B&W header boilers at 465 psi/750 F), builder, acquisition/commissioning dates, and a personnel figure (99/593) that differs from class-typical 56/480 - consistent with her division-flagship staffing; the 99/593 cells are OCR-degraded and flagged. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - HINSDALE (APA-120), Ship History Detail 2217 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 2217 registry/spec block, milestones table, status-cards tab

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database record for HINSDALE (APA-120), Ship History Detail 2217: 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; summer displacement 14,837 tons / lightweight 6,873 tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestone table shows Disposition 9/11/1974 and Withdrawal 9/11/1974; no historical narrative, documents, or plans attached.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD registry for identity, type, dimensions, and disposal milestones. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-04

6. [6]U.S. Maritime Administration, NDRF vessel status card for HINSDALE/APA-120 (digitized images 2217_4128AF.jpg front and 2217_4128AB.jpg back, MARAD ShipHistory attachments) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Status card front fields 1-22 (entry, lay-up reason, repair estimate, FY1955 program withdrawal/return, sale, withdrawal) and reverse (permanent ballast table, 'No prints' note); back image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/2217_4128AB.jpg

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD digitized Reserve Fleet vessel data card for HINSDALE (former APA-120), type VC2-S-AP5, hull no. MCV30, ownership WSA, 'where and when built: Calif. SB 1944': fleet 'JR' (James River), date entered fleet handwritten '4-12-46'; reason for lay-up 'High cost to convert vessels for commercial use'; stamped 'Repair damage over $100,000 per MarAD - Navy Planning Group 9/23/53'; 'Repair Program FY 1955 - Withdrawn May 31, 1955 - 1015 hrs EST - GAA-Stockard' with a handwritten memorandum annotation dated 4-28-55; 'Returned JR Aug. 4, 1955 - 0845 hrs ... GAA-Stockard'; fuel oil at entry 619 bbls Bunker C with 65 bbls diesel removed from vessel; 'Sold scrap under PD-X-980, 7-16-74 to B.V. Intershitra, for $731,150.00'; 'Date withdrawn from fleet 1015 EDT 9-11-74'; termination port last voyage NORFOLK. Card reverse: permanent-ballast table (concrete poured in #4 and #2 lower holds 57'x38' each; evaporator room steel siding; generator room; dry stores ship skin) and the note 'No prints could be found on ship'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1946-1974

   Population

   NDRF James River lay-up and maintenance workforce (1946-1974); Stockard Steamship repair crews (May-Aug 1955); B.V. Intershitra breaking-yard workforce, Rotterdam (1974-75)

   Limitations

   Primary custody record for the entire reserve-fleet period (1946-1974) - confirms lay-up reason, the >$100,000 repair estimate (nature of damage unexplained on the card), the 1955 Stockard repair-program withdrawal and return, and the exact scrapping sale/withdrawal. Handwritten and stamped annotations partially legible (image-read, not OCR). Contains no asbestos or materials statement - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-05

7. [7]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Hinsdale (APA-120), file 10/03/03120 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 03120.htm - chronology block, campaign table, disposition entries, specifications block, personnel-awards line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive entry for USS Hinsdale (APA-120): laid down 21 June 1944 as Maritime Commission type VC2-S-AP5 under contract (MC hull MCV 30) at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, CA; launched 22 July 1944; completed and delivered to the Maritime Commission 14 October 1944 and turned over to the Navy; commissioned 15 October 1944 CDR Edward F. Beyer USNR; Asiatic-Pacific assignments TransRon Fifteen (CAPT W.S. Popham) and TransDiv Forty-Four flagship (CAPT J.H. Seyfried); campaign credits Iwo Jima operation 19-27 February 1945 and Okinawa Gunto operation 1-14 April 1945; occupation service in the Far East 30 December 1945 - 6 January 1946; decommissioned 8 April 1946 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1946; two battle stars; returned to the Maritime Commission 12 April 1946 for NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; withdrawn 31 May 1955 to Stockard Steamship Corp. under a Repair Program General Agency Agreement; returned 4 August 1955; sold for scrapping 16 July 1974 to B.V. Intershitra, Rotterdam, Netherlands (PD-X-980) for $731,150.00, withdrawn 11 September 1974. Spec block: 6,873 t light / 14,837 t full; 455' x 62' x 24'; 17.7 kt trial; complement 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; 1 Joshua Hendy geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/750 F, double Joshua Hendy main reduction gears, three 300 kW 120/240 V DC generators, single 8,500 shp propeller; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10x20mm. Personnel awards note: 'Purple Hearts (24-KIA, 21-WIA Okinawa, 1 April 1945)'.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Wartime crew and embarked troops; 1955 repair-program workers; 1974-75 breaking crews

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against DANFS, BuShips SDB, and the MARAD card where they overlap (the 1955 Stockard withdrawal/return, the 1974 Intershitra sale price and PD-X-980 number all match the MARAD card). Sole-source items: the 21 June 1944 keel date (conflicts with shipscribe's 12 May), the Joshua Hendy turbine fit (corroborated by SDB machinery row), and the '24-KIA, 21-WIA' Purple Heart summary (conflicts with DANFS 'fifteen dead, 40 missing or wounded' and the war history's 14 KIA + 30 troop casualties). Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-06

8. [8]Cross-source comparison: NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture) + ibiblio print-DANFS transcription + ship's war history + NavSource 03120 + shipscribe APA-117 class table + shipbuildinghistory.com Calship yard table + NHHC Online Library caption (ibiblio mirror of usnsh-h/apa120.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Same citations as ev-01 through ev-06

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies documented, not reconciled: (a) keel date - NavSource and Colton's Calship yard table print 21 June 1944 (yard hull 30, MC TR4); the shipscribe APA-117 class table prints 12 May 1944; DANFS is silent. 21 June is carried in the record as the majority print. (b) launch - DANFS, NavSource, and shipscribe agree 22 July 1944; Colton's yard table prints 28 August 1944 with delivery 31 October 1944, which would post-date the 15 October commissioning and is therefore suspect; DANFS is adopted. (c) sponsor - live NHHC text 'Mrs. M. B. Harper' vs ibiblio print-DANFS transcription 'Mrs. M.E. Harper'; NHHC adopted. (d) kamikaze-hit time - 0549 (ship's war history, tracking the deck log) vs 0600 (DANFS narrative). (e) casualties - DANFS 'fifteen men were dead; 40 missing or wounded' vs war history '32 casualties of which 14 men were killed in action, and 30 troops including one killed and one missing' vs NavSource awards line '24-KIA, 21-WIA' - the three sources count different populations (ship's company vs troops vs Purple Heart awards) and do not reconcile cleanly. (f) Ulithi arrival - 23 April (live NHHC text) vs 25 April (ibiblio transcription). (g) complement - DANFS 509 vs war-history accommodations 532+1,603 vs class-typical 536 ship's company (SDB per-hull row prints 99/593 officers/enlisted for this hull, OCR-degraded). (h) NHHC Online Library photo page caption states the ship was 'built ... at Portland, Oregon' - contradicted by DANFS, SDB, NavSource, and the MARAD card (all: California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, CA); likely confusion with the Oregon Shipbuilding-built Haskell sisters.

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Documents a genuine multi-source conflict family so a future pass does not silently pick one figure: keel 21 Jun vs 12 May; launch 22 Jul vs 28 Aug; casualties and hit time across three sources; the NHHC Online Library 'Portland, Oregon' build-location error vs every other source. None of the compared sources contains asbestos information; this row supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-07

9. [9]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery and construction rows for APA-120 (class no. 128) + shipscribe APA-117 class page machinery note ('Westinghouse, Joshua-Hendy, or Allis-Chalmers turbine' by hull) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery/construction tables class no. 128; https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA/APA117.html class data

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull carried the documented VC2-S-AP5 single-screw geared-steam plant - one Joshua Hendy turbine of 8,500 shp fed by two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi/750 F superheat (BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull row for APA-120) - 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 and flag-staff outfitting (accommodations for ~1,500-1,600 troops plus a transport-division staff) added interior insulation scope. Documented disturbance events for this hull: the 1 April 1945 kamikaze that destroyed the engine and boiler rooms (frames 65-95 open to the sea, all machinery spaces flooded), emergency repairs at Kerama Retto and by USS Vulcan at Ulithi, the July-November 1945 complete overhaul at Brooklyn Navy Yard, the 1955 Stockard repair-program withdrawal, 28 years of NDRF lay-up, and 1974-75 breaking at Rotterdam - each a plausible disturbance pathway whose materials scope is undocumented.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Construction trades at California SB, Wilmington (1944); wartime engineering crew (the 1 Apr 1945 engineering-watch loss is documented); Brooklyn Navy Yard overhaul workforce (Jul-Nov 1945); Vulcan/kerama Retto repair crews (Apr-May 1945); NDRF and Stockard repair workers; Rotterdam breaking-yard workers (1974-75)

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or abatement record naming APA-120 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The disturbance events are real and documented, but their asbestos scope is itself undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-08

10. [10]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 (the hull was broken up in 1974-75 regardless), nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-09

11. [11]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 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-hinsdale-apa120-10

12. [12]Pruitt v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., C.A. No. 18-1101-MN-SRF (D. Del., MDL-875 track) - Report and Recommendation (2020-07-30) and Memorandum Opinion, verified via ded.uscourts.gov opinion PDFs [court_record]

    Locator

    Report & Recommendation, Facts section (plaintiff's ship assignments); https://www.ded.uscourts.gov/sites/ded/files/opinions/18-1101_1.pdf

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    The located attack-transport asbestos docket resolves to another class: in Pruitt v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (D. Del. C.A. 18-1101-MN-SRF, In re Asbestos Litigation / MDL-875 track), the plaintiff's naval service was aboard USS Bayfield (APA-33, Bayfield-class attack transport) in 1958 and USS Tolovana (AO-64, Cimarron-class oiler) in 1959 - the plaintiff's ship assignment allegations are pleading-stage content, not findings. No docketed asbestos opinion or case naming USS Hinsdale or APA-120 was located in indexed sources (see search_ledger for the CourtListener sweep detail).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    opinions 2020; service 1958-1963

    Population

    Navy veterans of APA-type auxiliaries (type context)

    Limitations

    Different hull and class - carried only to document that the APA-type litigation surface exists while no Hinsdale-specific docket was found. Deposition/pleading-stage exposure descriptions in that case are allegations, not adjudicated exposure findings, and they concern other vessels entirely.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-11

13. [13]NARA record-group path: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 181 (naval shipyard records incl. New York Naval Shipyard), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357/RG 248 (MARAD/WSA custody) - mapping only [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov record-group guides + navy-online digitized deck-log list + sl-44-ship-number.pdf (no APA coverage)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction requests; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs - the ship's April 1945 deck log was the source of the 0549 hit-time and damage description carried in the ship-produced war history; a secondary-source quotation of 'deck-log page 215' for this hull circulates in derivative texts; NARA's digitized deck-log catalog contains no APA-120 and the SL-44 ship-number index contains no APA-prefix entries at all, so indexed coverage cannot be read from it - logs, if held, are paper-only at Archives II, College Park. (b) RG 19 Bureau of Ships records incl. war-damage and repair documentation for the April 1945 kamikaze damage and the July-November 1945 Brooklyn Navy Yard overhaul work packages (RG 181, New York Naval Shipyard records). (c) USMC/MCV construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 30 / Calship yard hull 30 (RG 178). (d) MARAD/WSA custody files for the 1946-1974 James River lay-up, the 1955 Stockard repair program, and the PD-X-980 sale (RG 357 / RG 248). Whether any of these hold materials or asbestos-relevant records is unknown until surveyed.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1944-1974 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-hinsdale-apa120-12

14. [14]Batch-2189 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback + ibiblio; ship's war history; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2217 + status cards; NavSource; shipscribe class table; shipbuildinghistory Calship table; NARA lists; NVR; CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps via cl-auth-search.py [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-hinsdale-apa120-01 through sl-uss-hinsdale-apa120-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming USS Hinsdale or APA-120 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener exact-name 'USS Hinsdale' opinion sweep returned zero results; the hull-number 'APA-120' sweep returned 13 hits, all statute/form/reporter name collisions, none involving the vessel or asbestos; name-plus-asbestos conjunction and docket sweeps are logged in the ledger. No materials statement exists in DANFS, the ship's war history, BuShips SDB, the MARAD registry or its digitized status card, or NavSource. The hull no longer exists - broken at Rotterdam in 1974-75 - so no surveyable structure remains and no museum-era hazmat disclosure can arise.

    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 VC2-S-AP5 steam plant is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and fittings, and the documented boiler-room destruction and 1945 rebuild would have disturbed whatever was fitted. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. RECAP indexing is incomplete for older dockets; unindexed complaints naming the hull cannot be ruled out.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hinsdale-apa120-13