Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Hunter Liggett' (Naval Historical Center / NHHC, DANFS Vol. III) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Hunter Liggett' (AP-27). Canonical NHHC URL returns 404 (standing NHHC link rot; cf. BATCH-01). Verbatim text verified via Wayback capture 2015-01-07 of the Naval Historical Center page: web.archive.org/web/20150107030154/history.navy.mil/danfs/h9/hunter_liggett.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Naval Historical Center) record for Hunter Liggett: built as S.S. Pan America in 1922 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Sparrows Point, Md.; transferred to the Army and renamed Hunter Liggett in February 1939; operated New York-San Francisco and West Coast-Hawaii until turned over to the Navy 27 May 1941; converted to Navy use at Brooklyn Navy Yard; commissioned as AP-27 9 June 1941, Capt. L. W. Perkins, USCG, commanding; reclassified APA-14 1 February 1943. WWII service: Pacific from April 1942; Guadalcanal-Tulagi assault 7-9 August 1942 including rescue of survivors of sunken cruisers Vincennes, Astoria, and Quincy after the Battle of Savo Island; Guadalcanal support runs into 1943; Empress Augusta Bay (Bougainville) landings 1 and 11 November 1943; San Francisco arrival 9 December 1943 for major repairs; amphibious training ship at San Diego from 3 April 1944; Operation Magic Carpet from 10 December 1945; reported to Olympia, Wash., 9 March 1946; decommissioned 18 March 1946; sold to Boston Metals Co. 30 January 1948 and scrapped. Four battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1922-1948
- Population
- U.S. Coast Guard ship's company (1941-46); embarked troops (~1,400+ Navy-era capacity)
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, manning, service chronology, and disposition for this hull. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. The stat block gives complement 824, which conflicts with NavSource's 52 officers / 673 enlisted (see correction row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-01
-
[2]McKellar, 'Steel Shipbuilding under the U.S. Shipping Board 1917-1921' - EFC Design 1029 notes (ShipScribe); NavSource APA-14 page; shipbuildinghistory.com transports list (EFC 2506, yard hull 4196); U.S. Shipping Board Tenth Annual Report (1926), pp. 89, 92 (sale price); Roland W. Charles, 'Troopships of World War II' (1947), p. 36 [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe Design 1029 notes and ship list; https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/03/03014.htm ; https://shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/1transports.htm ; Charles p.36 (CMH PDF via Wayback)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction and commercial lineage: EFC Design 1029 ('535' type) passenger-cargo liner, EFC hull 2506, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Sparrows Point, Md.; launched 4 June 1921 as Palmetto State; delivered 25 February 1922 to the Munson Steamship Line and renamed Pan America for USSB Pan America Line service (New York-Rio de Janeiro-Montevideo-Buenos Aires, with Santos on return voyages); one of four Munson-operated 535s (with American Legion, Southern Cross, Western World); Munson bought the four ships February 1926 at $1,026,000 each; returned to Maritime Commission control November 1938 (Bayonne reserve fleet). U.S. official number 221930; 13,712 gross tons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1919-1938
- Population
- Bethlehem Sparrows Point construction trades (1921-22); Munson Line civilian crews (1922-38)
- Limitations
- Establishes builder, design program, launch/delivery dates, names, and commercial career for this hull. No insulation-material or asbestos content in any cited source; supports no asbestos claim. Exact keel-laying date not located in public sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-02
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[3]Charles, Roland W., 'Troopships of World War II' (Washington: Army Transportation Association, 1947), p. 36 - 'Hunter Liggett' entry (official U.S. Army Transportation Corps vessel history) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Charles, Troopships of World War II, p. 36 (verbatim extract verified against the CMH-hosted PDF, Wayback capture 2015-04-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Army transport period and conversions, per the official Army Transportation Corps history: received by the War Department from the Maritime Commission at Bayonne, N.J., February 1939; 'initially converted at New York by Robbins [Robins] Dry Dock Repair Co.' and renamed for Maj. Gen. Hunter Liggett; first voyage April 1939 New York-Panama Canal-San Francisco, four such trips including one Honolulu call, then New York-Cristobal-Charleston service from September; combined maneuvers off Monterey January 1940; February 1940 San Francisco-Honolulu-Panama-New York round trip; June-July 1940 'further conversion for increased troop capacity and extensive repairs' at Atlantic Basin Iron Works; 1941 New York-West Coast-Honolulu service with Charleston, San Juan, Boston, and Trinidad calls; delivered to the Navy at New York in early June 1941; redelivered by the Navy to the Army at Seattle 18 March 1946, not retained in the peacetime transport fleet. Spec block: 535'0" x 72'0" x 30'6", 13,712 gross tons, 16.5 kt, 1,391 passengers, twin turbines.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1939-1946
- Population
- Army Transport Service crews; embarked Army personnel (1939-41); Robins Dry Dock and Atlantic Basin Iron Works civilian trades (1939-40)
- Limitations
- Primary official source for the Army era and the two pre-Navy conversions (Robins Dry Dock 1939; Atlantic Basin Iron Works 1940) - asbestos-relevant work windows documented as events, not as materials records. Contains no asbestos or insulation statement; supports no asbestos claim. 'Robbins' in the text is the Robins Dry Dock & Repair Co., Brooklyn.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-03
-
[4]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office - Historic Ships list ('HUNTER LIGGETT, USS; APA 14') and Complete Time Line 1900-2000 (Savo Island rescue entry); DANFS [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.uscg.mil Historic Ships list (Hunter Liggett APA-14 entry); Time Line 1900-2000, August 1942 entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- U.S. Coast Guard manning: the ship commissioned into the Navy with a U.S. Coast Guard crew (DANFS: 'Hunter Liggett and her Coast Guard crew were ordered to the Pacific in April 1942'); the USCG Historian's cutter/craft list enters her as 'HUNTER LIGGETT, USS; APA 14'; the USCG history timeline records that 'the Coast Guard-manned transport USS Hunter Liggett rescued the survivors of the heavy cruisers USS Vincennes, Astoria, and Quincy and the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra' after the Battle of Savo Island. Hunter Liggett Avenue at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is named for the ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- U.S. Coast Guard officers and enlisted, 1941-1946
- Limitations
- Establishes that the wartime crew population aboard this hull was Coast Guard, not Navy - relevant to any veteran-exposure population description. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. The USCG 'Coast Guard at War' escorts table shows '6-6-41' against APA-14 - treated as a commission-date typo vs the 9 June 1941 date in DANFS/NavSource (see correction row).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-04
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - HUNTER LIGGETT (AP-27 / APA-14), Ship History Detail 2278 (spec block, milestone table, vessel status cards, photo captions) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2278 - Milestones table (Entry/Acquisition 9/6/1946; Disposition/Withdrawal 1/30/1948), status-card images, photo caption metadata
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for 'HUNTER LIGGETT (AP-27 / APA-14)' (Detail 2278): Year Built 1922; Official Number 221930; Shipyard 'Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division'; MARAD Type 'USSB 1029'; Specific Type 'APA Attack Transport'; 14,730 gross / 7,666 net tons; 21,900 t full-load displacement. Custody milestones: MARAD Entry and Acquisition 1946-09-06 (NDRF Olympia, Wash., after Army return); Disposition and Withdrawal 1948-01-30, card annotation 'CUST 46ex-PAN AMER.' - confirming the ex-Pan America identity. The record hosts U.S. Navy photographs of the ship at San Francisco 1944-03-29 and at Mare Island Navy Yard 1944-04-01 'white circles show alterations.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Population
- NDRF Olympia layup/custody personnel (1946-48)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for federal custody milestones and confirms the 6 September 1946 NDRF Olympia layup and 30 January 1948 sale/withdrawal. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Status-card scans exist but are only partially legible online; full transcription is an archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-05
-
[6]Charles, 'Troopships of World War II' p.36; DANFS 'Hunter Liggett'; NavSource APA-14; MARAD ShipHistory 2278 photo captions (Mare Island 1944-04-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Charles p.36; DANFS narrative; NavSource chronology; MARAD 2278 photo metadata
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented yard/conversion events on this hull: (a) 1939 Army conversion at New York by Robins Dry Dock & Repair Co.; (b) June-July 1940 troop-capacity conversion and 'extensive repairs' at Atlantic Basin Iron Works, Brooklyn; (c) 1941 conversion to Navy use at Brooklyn Navy Yard (commissioned there 9 June 1941); (d) 'period of repair at Wellington,' New Zealand, autumn 1942; (e) 'major repairs' at San Francisco December 1943-spring 1944, with U.S. Navy photos documenting alterations at Mare Island Navy Yard 1 April 1944. Each is a disturbance-and-materials event on a steam plant of this era; no work order, specification, or materials list for any of these events was located in public sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1939-1944
- Population
- Civilian yard workers - Robins DD (1939), Atlantic Basin (1940), Brooklyn Navy Yard (1941), Wellington NZ (1942), San Francisco/Mare Island (1944)
- Limitations
- The events themselves are verified; any asbestos scope within them is inference from era shipyard practice, not from a materials record. Does not establish that asbestos was added, removed, or present aboard this hull in any of these periods.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-06
-
[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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, that the federal government reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding, and that Navy specifications drove asbestos use aboard naval vessels - the era covering this hull's 1940-1944 conversions, wartime repairs, and continuous high-tempo operation of a steam plant fitted in that period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1945 era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII U.S. shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Covers the 1940s era - the ship's original 1921-22 construction predates the documented period.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-07
-
[8]Batch-2112 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; MARAD ShipHistory 2278 + status cards; NavSource APA-14; USCG Historian; ShipScribe/McKellar; shipbuildinghistory; Charles 1947; CourtListener API v4 name/hull/asbestos-qualified searches; NVR coverage note (pre-1987 disposals excluded) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-01 through sl-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: the hull was sold for scrapping in 1948, before asbestos surveys, abatement contracts, hazmat disclosures, or asbestos litigation existed; no survey, abatement, donation-condition, museum, or materials document naming this hull was found in the public sources searched; CourtListener returned zero opinions combining 'Hunter Liggett' with 'asbestos', zero opinions under 'USS Hunter Liggett', and all 20 opinion hits and 82 docket hits on the bare name are Fort Hunter Liggett (Army installation, Calif.) name collisions or unrelated initials matches - not vessel litigation (see search_ledger).
- 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 1921-22 steam liner worked repeatedly in 1939-44 U.S. yards is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The commercial-era 'Pan America' alias was also searched (zero qualifying hits).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-08
-
[9]DANFS (handover/decommission dates, complement); NavSource APA-14 (variant dates, specs); Charles p.36 (redelivery at Seattle 18 Mar 1946); USCG 'Coast Guard at War' escorts table; shipbuildinghistory/ShipScribe Design 1029 table; MARAD 2278 status card annotation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology and specs; DANFS text; Charles p.36; HyperWar CG-at-War escorts table; MARAD 2278
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Navy handover - 27 May 1941 per DANFS, the ShipScribe Design 1029 table, and shipbuildinghistory vs 'Transferred to the US Navy, 3 June 1941' per NavSource and 'early June' per Charles; 27 May adopted (majority and DANFS). (b) Decommissioning - 18 March 1946 per DANFS and Charles ('redelivered...at Seattle on 18 March 1946') vs 'Decommissioned, 19 March 1946, at Olympia, WA' per NavSource; 18 March adopted, one-day variance logged. (c) Complement - DANFS stat block 824 vs NavSource 52 officers/673 enlisted (725); both carried unmerged. (d) Commissioning - 9 June 1941 per DANFS/NavSource/shipbuilding references vs '6-6-41' in the USCG 'Coast Guard at War' escorts table; 9 June adopted, CG figure treated as typo. (e) Turbine builder - 'Bath Iron Works Curtiss-type' (NavSource) vs 'Bethlehem Steel Curtis type' (shipbuilding references); unresolved, noted in propulsion_summary. (f) NavSource renders the liner name 'Pan American'; all other sources including the MARAD status card ('ex-PAN AMER.') and DANFS give 'Pan America.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary/archival framings; none affects identity or the asbestos posture. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunter-liggett-ap27-09
-
[10]NARA record-group mapping: RG 24 (ship deck logs), RG 181 (naval shipyard records - Mare Island), RG 19 (BuShips), RG 336 (Army Transportation Corps); MARAD ShipHistory 2278 status cards [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG guides; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/2278 (Status Cards tab)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (deck logs - WWII-era logs for AP-27/APA-14 at NARA Washington/RG 24 reference); RG 181 (Mare Island Navy Yard records incl. ship repair/alteration work orders, relevant to the April 1944 alterations photographed by the Navy); RG 19 (Bureau of Ships correspondence/plans, relevant to the 1941 Brooklyn Navy Yard conversion); Army Transport Service vessel records (RG 336 transportation records) for the 1939-41 period; MARAD NDRF Olympia custody file and the Boston Metals Co. sales/scrapping contract (1948). The MARAD status-card scans at Detail 2278 are digitized but only partially legible online.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1921-1948 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-hunter-liggett-ap27-10