Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet crew-cw-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-pkt-crew-cw-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Hugh L. Scott (entry headed 'Hugh L. Scott (AP-13)' - NHHC page title/slug mislabels the hull AP-13; the entry text itself is AP-43) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS page, Hugh L. Scott entry (live-verified via Firecrawl render 2026-10-05; plain-UA automated fetches receive filtered responses)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: built as Hawkeye State for USSB by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., Sparrows Point, Md., in 1921; renamed President Pierce, sailed for Dollar Steamship Co. and later American President Lines as a passenger liner; taken over by the Army 31 July 1941, renamed Hugh L. Scott, made four voyages to the Far East before sailing to the East Coast July 1942; taken over by the Navy 14 August 1942, converted to an attack transport at Tietjen and Lang (later Todd Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.), Hoboken, N.J.; commissioned 7 September 1942, Capt. Harold J. Wright commanding; assigned Transport Division 3 for the North Africa landings, sailed 24 October, landed troops at Fedhala morning of 8 November 1942; cleared the invasion area and returned to anchor in the Fedhala roadstead to unload on 11 November, when U-173 slipped inside the screen to torpedo Joseph Hewes, Winooski and Hambleton; torpedoed by U-130 on the afternoon of 12 November 1942 (with Edward Rutledge and Tasker H. Bliss hit in the same attack), struck on the starboard side, burst into flames and foundered; casualties 8 officers and 51 men. Spec block: dp 12,579; l 532'; b 72'; dr 30'6"; s 16 k.; cpl 119.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1921-1942
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops, August-November 1942 (spec-block complement 119)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, acquisition, conversion, operation, and loss. Does not give the striking date, builder hull number, or propulsion detail beyond the spec block, and contains no asbestos or materials statement. Digitized entry carries OCR-era garbles ('Far Bast' = Far East; 'U-1SO' = U-130; 'U-17S' = U-173; 'Haniberton' = Hambleton) - corrected names used per NavSource/uboat.net concordance. NHHC page title says AP-13; there was no AP-13 Hugh L. Scott.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-01
-
[3]U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships, War Damage Report No. 32 - Joseph Hewes (APA22), Edward Rutledge (APA24), Hugh L. Scott (AP43), Tasker H. Bliss (AP42) & Electra (AKA4), Transports Torpedoed Off Fedala, 11-15 November 1942 (Navy Department Library digitized text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hugh L. Scott section, paragraphs 7-11 and discussion paragraphs 28-34 (live-verified via Firecrawl render 2026-10-05)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships War Damage Report No. 32 ('Transports Torpedoed off Fedala, 11-15 November 1942'), digitized full text on the NHHC site: ship data block gives former names HAWKEYE STATE and PRESIDENT PIERCE, year built 1921, length (w.l.) 535 ft, beam 72 ft, displacement 21,167 tons, mean draft 30'6". Two torpedoes hit the starboard side about 10 seconds apart at 1732 on 12 November 1942 - the first abreast No. 1 fireroom, the second probably in the engine room. All power, lighting and communication went out with the first hit. Explosions wrecked starboard Welin davits; wooden bulkheads throughout the ship collapsed; the galley and mess hall on 'D' deck above the firerooms were wrecked; cabin spaces under the bridge collapsed under the weight of 'plastic' (concrete) protection installed topside. A brief fire near the uptakes was extinguished by the second explosion. Ship abandoned; still afloat at about 2030, sank during the night. New York Navy Yard reported a metacentric height of -1.23 ft with 1,000 tons of ballast; the Bureau had instructed the ship by letter of 5 September 1942 to keep wing tanks full. Deep wing fuel-oil tanks abreast the boiler rooms (~315 tons each) and fresh-water tanks abreast the engine room (~136 tons each) are documented.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942 (report; events 11-15 November 1942)
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops aboard at loss; Navy yard personnel who installed conversion protection
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous Navy primary document describing the machinery-space layout (two firerooms, engine room, uptakes, wing tanks) where era-typical insulating materials would concentrate, and the 'plastic protection' installed during conversion - composition of that protection is not stated and is not an asbestos claim. The report contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; it documents loss mechanics only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-02
-
[4]Charles, Roland W., Troopships of World War II (Washington: Army Transportation Association, April 1947), 'Hugh L. Scott' entry p.35 (80th Division Association digitized copy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hugh L. Scott vessel entry (alphabetical vessel roster, p.35); disambiguation note 'see page 97' refers to General H. L. Scott
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Army Transport Service data block and narrative: length overall 535'0", gross tons 12,579, propulsion turbines (2), speed 16.5 knots, draft 30'6", radius 10,622 miles, passengers 2,470, cargo 174,340 cu. ft.; built 1921 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Sparrows Point; former names Hawkeye State, President Pierce; operated prewar by American President Lines. Received by the War Department at San Francisco 31 July 1941 and renamed for Major General Hugh L. Scott (Chief of Staff; Secretary of War ad interim February-March 1916). Honolulu and Manila voyages, a State Department mission to Hong Kong and Shanghai under American President Lines operation, return to San Francisco Christmas Day 1941, two Australia voyages in early 1942, then New York July 1942 for outfitting as a Navy attack transport; sunk 'in port by enemy action' in the North Africa campaign.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Army Transport Service crews and embarked troops, 1941-1942
- Limitations
- Contemporary official-adjacent Army Transportation Corps compilation - the standard reference for USAT service data; resolves the NavSource 'troop accommodations unknown' field (2,470 passengers). Contains no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43) page (navsource.net/archives/09/22/22043.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chronology block, awards block, and specification block (live-verified via Firecrawl render 2026-10-05; navsource.org is dead - navsource.net is the live domain)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for AP-43: built 1921 as SS Hawkeye State under USSB contract at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., Sparrows Point; operated as SS President Pierce by Dollar Steamship Co. and American President Lines; acquired by the US Army 31 July 1941 and renamed USAT Hugh L. Scott; acquired by the US Navy 14 August 1942; converted to a Naval Transport at Tietjen and Lang (later Todd Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.), Hoboken, N.J.; commissioned 7 September 1942, CAPT Harold James Wright in command; North African occupation - Algerian-Morocco landings 8-11 November 1942; sunk by torpedo from U-130 12 November 1942 at Fedala Bay; struck from the Naval Register 7 December 1942; one battle star; propulsion 'steam turbine'; Purple Hearts 8 officers 51 enlisted 12 November 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1921-1942
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained naval-history archive, not an official source - used here for the striking date, battle star, and photo-documentary record (NARA RG-19-LCM photo references) that DANFS omits; consistent with DANFS on all overlapping facts. No asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-04
-
[6]Shipscribe.com, 'EFC Design 1029 ("535" type): Notes & Illustrations' (McKellar USSB design compendium, NARA RG-32-UB sourced); shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), Bethlehem Sparrows Point construction list [other_primary]
- Locator
- Design 1029 notes and Hawkeye State photo captions; http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/bethsparrowspoint.htm hull 4180 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Design and hull identification: the ship was EFC Design 1029, the '535' type - the large fast troopship design conceived by the U.S. Shipping Board/Emergency Fleet Corporation and the War Department, ordered under EFC contract 1917-18 and completed 1921-22 at New York Shipbuilding (Camden), Newport News, and Bethlehem (Sparrows Point and Alameda); Hawkeye State was EFC hull 1164 at Bethlehem Sparrows Point (shipscribe McKellar USSB design notes; the Sparrows Point builder list gives hull 4180, U.S. Official No. 220987, 'Berrien/Hawkeye State', delivered 28 January 1921, later President Pierce then Hugh L. Scott (AP-43)). Design 1029 particulars: 535 ft overall x 72 ft beam, ~12,000 shp, ~17 knots, designed to carry ~3,500 troops; propulsion four steam turbines with single-reduction gearing driving twin screws (Lloyd's-derived specifications as carried in secondary compilations). USSB operator chain: shipscribe captions document Pacific Mail Line then Dollar Line operation and the 1923 rename to President Pierce; the initial Matson Line allocation (1921-22), the Pacific Mail 1922-25 window, the 1925 Dollar acquisition, the 1938 American President Lines transfer, and the 1931-33 round-the-world service (five circumnavigations from November 1931) are carried only in secondary compilations (Wikipedia/The Ships List) and are context, not primary findings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1917-1921 (design and construction); USSB operators to 1941
- Population
- Construction trades, Bethlehem Sparrows Point, 1919-1921
- Limitations
- Specialist ship-construction references drawing on NARA RG-32 (USSB) material - reliable for design/hull data but not official publications; operator-chain and Lloyd's-derived propulsion details within this row rest on secondary compilations and are flagged as such. Shipscribe captions carry an internal EFC-hull-number inconsistency (one caption says 1012, another 1164; the Sparrows Point list confirms 1164 as the EFC contract number). No asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-05
-
[7]uboat.net, 'USS Hugh L. Scott (AP 43)' ship page (Allied warships hit by U-boats database) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship page event notes and position block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Loss event detail: USS Hugh L. Scott (AP 43), troop transport, 12,479 tons, convoy UGF-1 (Hampton Roads 24 October - Fedhala 8 November), Task Group 34.9 Center Attack Group Western Naval Task Force during Operation Torch; at 18:28 (German reckoning) on 12 November 1942 U-130 (Kptlt. Ernst Kals) fired five torpedoes at three transports at anchor in the Fedhala Roads - Edward Rutledge, Hugh L. Scott and Tasker H. Bliss; all hit; position 33 deg 40 min N, 7 deg 35 min W (grid DJ 2524); complement 119 with 59 dead and 60 survivors; the ship had been chartered by the U.S. Army 31 July 1941 and made four Far East voyages before Navy commission 7 September 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- 119 complement; 59 dead, 60 survivors (uboat.net accounting)
- Limitations
- Specialist U-boat reference compiled from German and Allied records - used for attack position, convoy/task-group assignment, and U-boat attribution; its casualty accounting (59 dead = DANFS 8 officers + 51 men) is consistent with DANFS. Its stated attack time (18:28, German reckoning) differs from War Damage Report No. 32's ~1731-1732 local-time first-hit times - both carried, unresolved. Its 'laid down as Jadwin' claim conflicts with 'Berrien' in other sources (see gaps); tonnage 12,479 vs DANFS 12,579 (see gaps). No asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: Bureau of Ships War Damage Report No. 32 machinery-space layout (ship-specific); DANFS spec block (steam plant, conversion at Tietjen and Lang); EFC Design 1029 particulars (shipscribe); era literature per Corn & Starr 1987 row below [other_primary]
- Locator
- This record - synthesis of cited rows; no single source asserts asbestos aboard AP-43
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for asbestos applications aboard: this hull was a 1921 steam-turbine passenger-cargo liner (two firerooms, engine room, uptakes documented ship-specifically by War Damage Report No. 32) converted to a Navy attack transport at Tietjen and Lang, Hoboken, in August-September 1942. For steamships of this construction era and conversions of this period, asbestos-containing boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging between firerooms and engine room, turbine and machinery insulation, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation fireproofing were standard shipyard materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1919-1942
- Population
- Construction trades (Sparrows Point 1919-21); conversion-yard trades (Hoboken 1942); engine-room and damage-control crews
- Limitations
- Inference only - no construction specification, invoice, survey, or litigation document names asbestos aboard this hull. The 1921 build year predates the WWII asbestos-expansion documentation (Corn & Starr covers the 1942 conversion environment). Does not establish that asbestos was aboard, nor quantity, location, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-07
-
[9]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 program under which this hull's 1942 attack-transport conversion was performed at Tietjen and Lang (later Todd Shipbuilding & Drydock), Hoboken, N.J. - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard vessel hulls including conversions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard conversion 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 its conversion yard and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-08
-
[10]In re American President Lines, Ltd., and 102 Other Shipowner-Defendants in the Ohio Asbestos Litigation (MARDOC), 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991); docket 91-3180 [court_record]
- Locator
- 929 F.2d 226, decided 1991-03-25
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Operator-level asbestos litigation context: In re American President Lines, Ltd., and 102 Other Shipowner-Defendants in the Ohio Asbestos Litigation (MARDOC), 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991) - mass maritime asbestos litigation proceeding against shipowner/operators including American President Lines, this ship's immediate pre-war commercial operator (1938-1941 as President Pierce).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1991
- Population
- Merchant mariners and shipyard-exposed plaintiffs (class context)
- Limitations
- Procedural ruling in operator-level maritime asbestos litigation; names the ship's former operator, not the hull, and makes no finding about asbestos aboard this vessel. Merchant-ship asbestos litigation typically proceeded under owner/operator names, so ship-name searches undercount the true litigation surface.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-09
-
[11]Batch-2123 search ledger (this record): DANFS; Bureau of Ships War Damage Report No. 32; NavSource; Charles Troopships of WWII; shipscribe EFC Design 1029; shipbuildinghistory Sparrows Point hull list; uboat.net; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener name/hull queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-01 through sl-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, construction materials list, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming AP-43 (or its merchant names Hawkeye State / President Pierce as a vessel) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener litigation sweep (4 base queries + 2 overflow-authorized asbestos variants): exact-name opinion 12 hits (all person-name collisions), exact-name docket 6 hits (all party-level collisions), 'AP-43' opinion 32 hits and 'AP-43' docket 392 hits (all reporter-citation and docket-number collisions), 'AP-43' asbestos variant zero opinions and 8 dockets (all claim/docket-number collisions incl. inside W.R. Grace's asbestos bankruptcy). Zero cases naming the vessel. The hull was a total loss in November 1942, so no postwar survey, museum, or abatement record can exist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1921 turbine liner is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull sank in November 1942, foreclosing postwar survey or abatement documentation; the wartime loss may itself have suppressed the litigation surface (sailor exposure claims name employers/operators, rarely sunk hulls). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-10
-
[12]Cross-source collation: NHHC DANFS page title vs entry text; shipbuildinghistory.com hull 4180 row; uboat.net 'Jadwin' claim; Wikipedia USS Hugh L. Scott construction section; NHHC DANFS General H. L. Scott (AP-136) entry; Charles p.35 note [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS AP-136 entry (namesake biography identical); see individual cited rows for component sources
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Identification corrections and disambiguation: (a) the NHHC DANFS page for this ship is titled/slugged 'Hugh L. Scott (AP-13)' - a labeling error; no AP-13 Hugh L. Scott existed and the entry text is AP-43. (b) Laid-down name conflict: 'Berrien' (shipbuildinghistory.com hull list; Wikipedia citing The Ships List) vs 'Jadwin' (uboat.net). (c) Launch date conflict: 17 April 1920 vs 17 April 1921 within secondary sourcing; the Sparrows Point delivery date of 28 January 1921 favors the 1920 launch. (d) USS General H. L. Scott (AP-136), a Kaiser-built C4-S-A1 transport commissioned April 1944, was a different ship named for the same Army Chief of Staff and is a name-collision risk in docket, photo, and index searches (Charles flags it explicitly: 'see page 97 for description of another vessel having a similar name').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1920-1944
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level labeling and naming discrepancies; the underlying identity (hull 4180, EFC 1164, Official No. 220987) is unaffected. Berrien-vs-Jadwin and launch-year conflicts are logged unresolved in gaps rather than guessed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-11
-
[13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 32 (U.S. Shipping Board), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships incl. 19-LCM photo series), RG 38 (Chief of Naval Operations WWII records/action reports), RG 26 merchant-vessel logbook guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 32 group description; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html ; WDR No. 32 reference list item (e)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 32 (Records of the U.S. Shipping Board) holds EFC construction records - Design 1029 specification books and the Hawkeye State contract file for EFC hull 1164 / Bethlehem hull 4180 are the most plausible sources of ship-specific materials documentation (NavSource's construction photo is already credited RG-32-UB); RG 19-LCM holds Bureau of Ships photos 19-N-34581 and 19-N-34583 of the ship near New York Navy Yard 14 September 1942; RG 38 (WWII action reports) should hold the Commanding Officer's action report cited in War Damage Report No. 32 as reference (e), 'C.O. HUGH L. SCOTT - AP77/A16-3 of 16 November 1942'; merchant logbooks for the USSB/APL period are in RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard) distributed by port of submission (San Francisco home port).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1917-1942 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether any asbestos-specific document exists for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. The 1921 USSB specification book, if it survives, is the single most promising primary source for a materials finding. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hugh-l-scott-ap43-12