Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 1017-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-independence-sp3676-pkt-1017-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Neville (AP-16/APA-9) - full hull narrative and spec block (verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio; live NHHC page 404 on all candidate URLs 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Neville (AP-16/APA-9) entry - construction paragraph, service narrative, spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: built originally as the 3-masted, 440' screw steamer Independence in 1918 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Alameda, Calif., for the U.S. Shipping Board; commissioned 18 November 1918, Lt. Comdr. O. P. Rankin in command; WW I service in N.O.T.S.; decommissioned 20 March 1919 and returned to the USSB; rebuilt and renamed City of Norfolk in 1930, run by the Baltimore Mail Steamship Company until reacquired by the Navy 14 December 1940; converted by the Willamette Steel and Iron Co., Portland, Ore.; recommissioned as Neville (AP-16) 14 May 1941, Capt. C. A. Bailey in command (namesake Maj. Gen. Wendell Cushing Neville, USMC). Service: Atlantic Fleet 18 June 1941; first trans-oceanic run 19 February 1942 (Belfast round trip completed 25 March at New York); Norfolk voyage repairs with 20mm and modern landing craft; Panama transit 18 April 1942; TransDiv 8, ServRon 4, Pacific Fleet; Tulagi landings 7-9 August 1942; Noumea, Wellington reinforcements, Aola Bay 4 November, Guadalcanal resupply; San Diego availability from 4 January 1943; redesignated APA-9 effective 1 February 1943; Norfolk 10 March, Chesapeake amphibious training, sailed 8 June for North Africa; Sicily - off Scoglitti with 'Cent' Force 10 July 1943, 45th Division to Red beach; Newport News 3 August, returned to Pacific; Makin operation 20 November 1943 (Marines to Katubam, Army waves to beach Yellow, Butaritari; Liscome Bay survivors 24 November); Bremerton repairs then San Diego 31 December 1943; Kwajalein reserve (TG 51.1) and Eniwetok assault 17-23 February 1944 (Engebi, Eniwetok Island, Parry Island); Saipan 15-23 June 1944 (feint off Mutcho Point, Charan Kanoa 'Green Two' landings, cargo offload); amphibious training ship TU 13.1.1/TransDiv 1 from July 1944; APA crew training ship 3 January - 15 August 1945; post-war troop ferrying. Departed California 15 January 1946, arrived Boston 5 February for inactivation, decommissioned 30 April; transferred to WSA 16 July; struck from the Navy List 15 August 1946. Spec block (AP-16): dp. 7,475; l. 507'; b. 56'; dr. 24' (mean); s. 16 k.; cpl. 57i; trp. 1,150; a. 4 3", 4 40mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1918-1946
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops (1941-46); construction and conversion trades at each listed yard period
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history only - contains no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page 404s (standing NHHC link-rot defect; verbatim HyperWar transcription and losthistory hazegray mirror both verified live 2026-10-04). Spec-block complement '57i' is OCR-garbled (NavSource itemizes 50 officers + 524 enlisted = 574).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-01
-
[3]DANFS, Independence III (Cargo vessel) - WWI-era entry for this hull, updated/corrected by Robert J. Cressman, 20 April 2020 (archived Wayback copy; live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Independence III (Cargo vessel) entry - body and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull's WWI identity: the third Independence was built in 1918 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Alameda, Calif., for the United States Shipping Board; delivered to the Navy and commissioned on 16 November 1918, Lt. O. P. Rankin in command; assigned to the Army account of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service; sailed with a cargo of foodstuffs on 6 December 1918, arrived at New York 1 January [1919 - entry prints '1918' in error], and continued on to England; on return to New York decommissioned 20 March 1919 and returned to the USSB. Later extensively rebuilt, sold on 7 August 1930 to the Baltimore Mail Steamship Co. and renamed City of Norfolk; in 1940 reacquired by the Navy and served in World War II as troop transport Neville. WWI spec block: Cargo vessel: 4,980 tons; length 440'2"; beam 56'; draft 28'8"; speed 11 knots; armament two 5-inch.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1918-1940
- Population
- WWI NOTS crew (1918-19)
- Limitations
- WWI-era history only - no asbestos or material content. Cited URL is an archived Wayback capture (30 March 2025): the live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-04 - archive labeled, not presented as live. Commissioning date in this entry (16 November) conflicts with the DANFS Neville entry and NavSource (18 November) - carried in gaps. Entry is a 2020 'updated and corrected' revision superseding older print text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Neville (APA-9) ex AP-16 / USS Independence (ID # 3676) - designation timeline, campaign credits, specifications, commanding officers, disposition, NARA-captioned photography [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/03/03009.htm - timeline block, campaign tables, specifications, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down as the three-masted screw steamer SS War Harbour for the British Admiralty at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Alameda, CA ('Heywood Class Transport'); completed as SS Independence 16 November 1918; commissioned USS Independence (ID # 3676) 18 November 1918, LCDR O. P. Rankin; NOTS; decommissioned 20 March 1919 to USSB; converted to turbo-electric drive 1921; acquired by Baltimore Mail SS Co. 1930, renamed City of Norfolk; rebuilt 1931 to an 8,424 g.t. passenger/cargo ship; transferred 1938 to the Panama Pacific Line; reacquired by the Navy 14 December 1940; converted at Willamette Steel and Iron Co., Portland OR; commissioned USS Neville (AP-16) 14 May 1941; reclassified APA-9 1 February 1943. Campaign credits: Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings 7-9 August 1942; Sicilian occupation Scoglitti 9-15 July 1943; Gilbert Islands operation 20-24 November 1943; Marshall Islands operation - Kwajalein and Majuro 31 January - 8 February 1944 and Eniwetok 17 February - 2 March 1944; Marianas operation Saipan 15-24 June 1944. Awards: WWI Victory Medal (as Independence); American Defense (Fleet clasp), American Campaign, EAME (1), Asiatic-Pacific (4), WWII Victory Medal - 'earned 5 battle stars'. Disposition: decommissioned and struck 30 April 1946 (per NavSource text - conflicts with DANFS's 15 August 1946 strike, see gaps); towed New York City to Davisville, R.I., 16 July 1946; returned to WSA at Davisville 16 July 1946; James River NDRF, Lee Hall, Va., berthed 19 July 1946; sold for scrapping 26 March 1957 to North American Smelting Corp., Fieldsboro, N.J. (PD-X-532, $256,188); withdrawn 10 April 1957. Specs: displacement 7,475 t. lt / 14,450 t.; 507' x 56' x 24' mean; 16 kts.; complement officers 50 + enlisted 524; troops 1,150; armament (1945) 4 x single 3"/50, 2 x twin 40mm, 16 x single 20mm; propulsion 4 x Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 1 x De Laval steam turbine geared drive, single propeller, 9,500 shp. Photo captions (NARA/Naval Historical Center images) further document: SS Independence at the builder's yard 24 October 1918 (RG-32-S; caption says 'Union Plant, Potrero Works, San Francisco' - see gaps); convoy out of Brooklyn February 1942 (80-G-2408, 80-G-2411); BGen W. H. Rupertus aboard at Tulagi 7-8 August 1942 (80-G-31372); off the Norfolk Navy Yard 17 April 1943 after armament/radar modifications (RG-19-LCM 19-N-45752); San Diego Harbor 19 February 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1918-1957
- Population
- Crew (1941-46) and embarked troops; WWI NOTS crew; merchant crews 1919-40; yard trades at each documented availability
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but this page conflicts with DANFS on the strike date (30 April vs 15 August 1946) and gives 1921 for the turboelectric conversion vs 1920 elsewhere (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. Photo-caption builder's-yard wording ('Potrero Works, San Francisco') conflicts with the Alameda build attribution in DANFS/MARAD/McKellar (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-03
-
[5]MARAD Vessel History Database, NEVILLE (APA-16/APA-9), detail 6138 - vessel data fields and scanned NDRF status cards (cards read directly as images) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD detail 6138 vessel data block; status cards (6 scans) - 'CITY OF NORFOLK' merchant card and 'NEVILLE APA-9' reserve-fleet card, entries quoted in finding
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD vessel record and status cards for this hull: Official No. 217172; year built 1918 (companion record 'INDEPENDENCE (ID 3676)', detail 12812, prints 1919 - see gaps); shipyard 'Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division' / card shows 'Beth. S.B. Corp., Alameda, Cal., completed 11-1918'; 507' x 56' x depth 38'; draft 24'6"; 5,147 gross tons; 14,450 t. summer displacement; type PASS./Mil. Aux., 16 knots, DWT 7,580, James River fleet berth S4. Status-card entries: transferred to WSA 7-16-46 11:55 a.m. EDT at Davisville, R.I., from Navy Dept.; entered reserve fleet Lee Hall, Va., 7-19-46 4:30 p.m. EDT; stripping of deck and engine equipment reported 100% complete per wire 8-4-47; 'Aground Hurricane Oct. 15, 1954' while in the James River fleet (the date Hurricane Hazel swept Virginia - storm not named on the card; see gaps); refloated 6 May 1955 at 1130 hrs (Fallon wire); Gorman memo 28 April 1955 re: deterioration of hull; 225 bbls Bunker C fuel oil aboard; sea chest filled; scrapping contract PD-X-532 dated 25 February 1957 - 'Sold scrap North American Smelting Co., sales price $256,188'; withdrawn from fleet 10 April 1957 at 1500 hrs, delivered to purchaser North American Smelting Co. Prior MARAD actions PD-X #282 (12/19/46), PD-X-395 (9/5/47), PD-X-434 (1/29/48). Fate: 'Sold - Scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1946-1957
- Population
- NDRF caretaker and stripping crews (1946-57); refloat/salvage crews (1954-55); scrapping-yard trades (1957)
- Limitations
- Primary federal record of custody/disposition, read from the scanned status cards themselves - no asbestos or material content. Cards document lay-up maintenance events (stripping, hurricane grounding, refloat, deterioration memo) that are asbestos-relevant as disturbance events only in a general sense; nothing on the cards addresses ACM. The reserve-fleet 'stripping' entry does not itemize material removed. The hurricane is not named on the card; the Hazel identification is date-consistency inference only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-04
-
[6]McKellar, Norman L., 'Steel Shipbuilding under the U.S. Shipping Board, 1917-1921 - Requisitioned Steel Ships, Part II', The Belgian Shiplover No. 88 (July/August 1962), pp. 394-395 (ShipScribe facsimile PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Requisition2.pdf, p. 394 (Independence entry under Union Iron Works section B) and p. 395 (Archer/Steadfast entries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Register entry (Union Iron Works, Alameda & San Francisco - later Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co.; 'A' yard-number suffix denotes the Alameda yard): '(WAR HARBOUR), yard no 162 (A), compl 11.1918 as INDEPENDENCE, 217172. (USSB 18-31)/ CITY OF NORFOLK (Baltimore Mail, US, 31-40)/ NEVILLE (US Navy, as AP 16, later APA 9 - 1940-46)/ Re-registered under USMC 1946, first as CITY OF NORFOLK (1946), then as INDEPENDENCE (1948), but was BU as NEVILLE by North American Smelting, Wilmington, Del., 1957.' Section context: one of eight 11,800 dwt ships building for the British Shipping Controller (the 'War' series); documented sisters include yard 163 (War Haven -> Victorious -> George F. Elliott AP-13, lost off Guadalcanal 8.8.1942), 165 (War Rock -> Invincible -> Empire Porpoise), 166 (War Sea -> Courageous, sunk as Normandy blockship 6.1944), 167 (War Cape -> Triumph -> Pan Massachusetts, sunk 19.2.1942), 168 (War Surf -> Eclipse -> William P. Biddle AP-15/APA-8), 169 (War Wave -> Archer -> Fuller AP-14/APA-7), 170 (Steadfast -> Heywood AP-12/APA-6).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1918-1957
- Limitations
- Published register compiled 1962 - authoritative for names, yard numbers, owners and fates; no asbestos or material content. Resolves the post-Navy name sequence (City of Norfolk 1946, then Independence 1948, broken up as Neville) that bare fleet-card names obscure. Scrapping location given as 'Wilmington, Del.' vs NavSource 'Fieldsboro, N.J.' - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource/DANFS construction and conversion chronology (1918 steam plant -> turboelectric conversion 1920-21 -> complete re-engining at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock, Kearny NJ, in the 1930-31 Baltimore Mail rebuild: 4 x Babcock & Wilcox header-type water-tube boilers + De Laval compound double-reduction geared turbine, 9,500 shp, per NavSource specs and Heywood-class secondary literature); Willamette Iron & Steel Portland conversion to AP-16 (1940-41); documented wartime availabilities (San Diego Jan 1943; Norfolk Navy Yard Mar-Apr 1943; Bremerton late 1943); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for federal-shipbuilding-kearny, willamette-iron-steel, norfolk-naval-shipyard, puget-sound-naval-shipyard [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json product lists for federal-shipbuilding-kearny, willamette-iron-steel, norfolk-naval-shipyard, puget-sound-naval-shipyard; NavSource specifications block; Heywood-class literature (re-engining detail)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A geared-turbine steam transport re-engined in 1930-31 and converted to Navy use in 1940-41 sits squarely inside the peak shipboard asbestos era; era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and configuration were boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging between boiler and engine spaces, turbine and machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, fireproofing/deck coverings, and accommodation/joiner insulation. The four documented work yards for this hull's 1930-31 rebuild, 1940-41 conversion, and wartime availabilities (Federal Kearny; Willamette Portland; Norfolk Navy Yard; Puget Sound/Bremerton) all have documented asbestos-era product use in the shipyards dataset. Unlike a diesel-electric vessel, this hull carried a live steam plant continuously from 1931 through scrapping.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1918-1957
- Population
- Bethlehem Alameda/Union Iron Works trades (1918); turboelectric-conversion trades (1920-21); Federal Shipbuilding Kearny rebuild trades (1930-31); Baltimore Mail and Panama Pacific merchant crews (1931-40); Willamette Iron & Steel conversion trades (1940-41); Navy crew and embarked troops (1941-46); availability trades San Diego/Norfolk Navy Yard/Bremerton (1943); NDRF caretaker/stripping crews (1946-57); North American Smelting shipbreakers (1957)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or boiler/lagging record located for this ship. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. Yard product lists have period caveats: documented Federal Kearny products are 1940-48 (post-dates the 1930-31 rebuild) and documented Willamette products are 1960s-70s (post-dates the 1940-41 conversion) - the yard evidence is contextual, not period-exact. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's Navy conversion (1940-41) and entire second service era (1941-46), as well as the era in which her 1930-31 steam plant and insulation were installed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved - gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-04); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-07
-
[9]Batch-8704 search ledger (this record): DANFS Neville and Independence III entries; NavSource 10/03/03009; MARAD vessel-history 6138 (status cards read directly) and 12812; McKellar register pp. 394-395; shipscribe/WWI auxiliary pages; Heywood-class secondary literature; CourtListener (4 queries, completed); GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-independence-sp3676-01 through sl-uss-independence-sp3676-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or verified litigation naming this hull (as Independence ID-3676, City of Norfolk, or Neville AP-16/APA-9) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated, fleet-paced, run 2026-10-04): 'USS Neville' opinion and docket each returned zero results; 'APA-9' opinion returned 148 hits with the first page 20/20 name collisions on non-ship tokens (statute/docket-code matches); 'USS Independence' opinion returned 16 hits, all name collisions on the carriers CVL-22/CV-62 - nine courts-martial of carrier crewmen (1984-2001), a 1986 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard harbor-worker injury suit (Spearman v. United States, non-asbestos), the Cochran v. duPont toxic-tort carrier case, Baranek v. American Optical (asbestos litigation naming the carrier), and Pace v. Air & Liquid Systems (asbestos litigation naming other hulls - Lake Champlain, Constellation). The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com USS Neville page; duboselawfirm.com 'asbestos job sites' listing 'NEVILLE APA-9 San Francisco CA') asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a hull re-engined in 1930-31, Navy-converted in 1940-41, and repeatedly modified through 1945 is era-consistent with substantial installed insulation; it is simply undocumented ship-specifically. Deck logs (RG 24), conversion work packages (Willamette 1940-41; Federal 1930-31; Norfolk Navy Yard 1943), and the 1957 scrapping contract file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-08
-
[10]Designation cross-check: DANFS entries and NavSource header ('ID # 3676'); MARAD record label 'INDEPENDENCE (ID 3676)'; NHHC Online Library caption 'USS Independence (ID # 3676)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Independence III entry; NavSource page header; MARAD detail 12812 label; NHHC Online Library usnsh-i/id3676.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: this record is filed under the legacy designation 'SP-3676'; the hull's correct WWI designation is ID-3676 (Id. No. 3676), the Id-number series used for WWI auxiliary cargo vessels. Every authoritative source examined - both DANFS entries, the NHHC Online Library, NavSource, and the MARAD register - styles the ship 'ID # 3676' or 'ID 3676'; no source found using 'SP-3676' for this hull. The SP prefix is a genericization applied to WWI patrol/section numbers in later lists; this ship was a cargo vessel, not a section patrol craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1918-1919 (designation era)
- Limitations
- Corrects a filing/designation label, not a material claim. Does not affect the hull identity - one hull throughout. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-independence-sp3676-09