Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet n-packet.md (7 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-pkt-n-packet-md
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[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'J. Franklin Bell (AP-34/APA-16)', Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division - HyperWar/ibiblio transcription (live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-25) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HyperWar DANFS transcription, apa16.html; ship main page https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/APA/APA-16_JFranklinBell.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS chronology: laid down 1918 as an Army transport by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; completed 1 March 1921 as passenger/cargo ship Keystone State; to Pacific Steamship Co. 28 May 1921; renamed President McKinley 9 June 1922; to Admiral Oriental Line 21 December 1922; laid up Seattle 1938. Army purchase 26 October 1940, renamed J. Franklin Bell, converted to military transport; transferred to Navy 26 December 1941; commissioned in full at San Francisco 2 April 1942; reclassified APA-16 1 February 1943. WWII service: Adak reinforcement (Aug-Sep 1942); Attu (May 1943); Kiska (Aug 1943); Tarawa (Nov 1943); Kwajalein (Jan-Feb 1944); Saipan (Jun 1944, incl. Philippine Sea standby); Tinian (Jul 1944); Leyte/Dulag (Oct 1944); Okinawa/Hagushi (Jun 1945); postwar Western Pacific lift; arrived Suisun Bay 20 March 1946 and decommissioned same day; transferred to WSA; sold for scrap 3 April 1948 to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore. Six battle stars. DANFS characteristics: dp 13,529; l. 535'2"; b. 72'; dr. 31'6"; s. 17k; cpl. 683; a. 4 3", 8 20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1918-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (683) and embarked troops (up to ~1,840 accommodations)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, chronology, and characteristics. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey statement; supports no asbestos claim. DANFS date conflicts with NavSource on several points (laid down 1918 vs 1919; Seattle layup 1938 vs 1939; decommission 20 Mar vs 21 Mar) - see correction row and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-01
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - J. FRANKLIN BELL (APA-16 / AP-34), Ship History Detail 2344 (incl. digitized status card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2344 - dimensions block, vessel name history, milestone table, status card scan
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for J. Franklin Bell (APA-16/AP-34): U.S. Official No. 221314; built 1921 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation; USSB-type hull; length 535.16 ft, beam 72.16 ft; 14,127 GRT; displacement 21,900 t summer / 13,529 t light. Vessel name history: Keystone State 1921-1923; President McKinley 1923-1940; J. Franklin Bell (AP-34) 1940-1948. Milestones: Disposition 4/3/1948 ('ex-PRES. MCKINLEY'); Withdrawal 4/3/1948. Fate: 'Sold - No Further Info.' Digitized vessel status card on file.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1921-1948
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, dimensions, and name history. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. 'Sold - No Further Info' leaves the scrapping event itself undocumented at MARAD beyond the sale date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-02
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[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS J. Franklin Bell (APA-16) ex (AP-34)' and NavSource AP archive page 14/03016 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/10/03/03016.htm and /archives/14/03016.htm - chronology block, ship-data sheet, commanding officers list, photo caption for 30 April 1944 shakedown image
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online archive pages (amphibious 10/03/03016 and transport 14/03016) supply: USSB contract 2579; laid down 13 May 1919; launched 5 May 1920; delivered 28 May 1921; USAT rename effective 12 February 1941; ATS Pacific Fleet homeport San Francisco POE Fort Mason; struck from Naval Register 12 April 1946; transfer to Maritime Commission by War Department 12 February 1947 at Suisun Bay; commanding officers (Grassie, McGovern, Ritchie, Walker); TransRon Twelve / TransDiv Thirty-Four assignment; campaign date list; seven battle stars; ship-data sheet (8 B&W header-type boilers 265 psi/480 F, Bethlehem Curtis turbines, Falk main reduction gear, twin screw, 12,500 shp, complement 46 officers + 637 enlisted, troop accommodations 103 officers + 1,740 enlisted); photo caption documenting completion of a major overhaul and refit at L.A. Shipbuilding Yards, San Pedro, CA by late April 1944 (Measure 32/41T camouflage, SG surface-search radar).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1919-1948
- Population
- Shipyard workers at L.A. Shipbuilding Yards, San Pedro (April 1944 refit)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive, not an official repository - used for details DANFS does not carry (contract number, struck date, CO list, machinery data, 1944 refit). Internally inconsistent on some dates (Navy transfer 2 Dec vs 26 Dec 1941; decommission 21 Mar vs 20 Mar 1946; sale 2 Jan vs 3 Apr 1948); DANFS dates control where they conflict - see correction row. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-03
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[5]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 and ship conversion during WWII, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls - the era of this hull's Army conversion (1940), Navy conversion (1941-42), and San Pedro refit (1944).
- 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 scholarship; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Hull construction (1919-1921) predates the WWII program the article documents; applicability to the 1921 build era is inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-04
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[6]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS (HyperWar transcription); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2344; NavSource pages 10/03/03016 and 14/03016; Wikipedia (secondary, for discrepancy flags only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Line-by-line comparison of the four source sets, chronology and characteristics sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) Navy transfer - DANFS and NavSource's transport-archive page give 26 December 1941; NavSource's amphibious page gives 2 December 1941 (adopted: 26 December, DANFS). (b) Decommission - DANFS and NavSource transport page give 20 March 1946 at Suisun Bay; NavSource amphibious page gives 21 March (adopted: 20 March, DANFS). (c) Scrap sale - DANFS and MARAD milestone give 3 April 1948; NavSource amphibious page gives 'sold 2 January 1948' plus NDRF withdrawal 2 April 1948 via NASSCO (adopted: 3 April 1948, DANFS/MARAD; the January date may reflect contract signing vs withdrawal). (d) Battle stars - DANFS records six; NavSource displays seven campaign ribbons (unresolved). (e) Seattle layup - DANFS 1938; NavSource 'returned to US Maritime Commission 1939' (unresolved). (f) Laid down - DANFS '1918'; NavSource 13 May 1919 (unresolved). (g) Launch - NavSource 5 May 1920; Wikipedia/secondary sources 15 May 1920 (unresolved). (h) Official number - MARAD 221314; a Wikipedia infobox prints 921314 (adopted: MARAD).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1918-1948 records
- Limitations
- Resolves or flags publication-level date conflicts across authoritative and secondary sources; does not materially affect identity, custody timeline, or service history. No asbestos content in any compared source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-05
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[7]Batch-2232 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar; MARAD ShipHistory 2344 + status card; NavSource archives; NARA Catalog (war diary); CourtListener name and hull-designator searches; open-web asbestos-name search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-01 through sl-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, shipyard work package, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming J. Franklin Bell (AP-34/APA-16) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-name search returned 5 opinions, all name collisions naming Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell the person (1926-1927 D.C. zoning/railroad-contract cases); hull-designator searches (APA-16, AP-34) and the name-level docket search returned only collisions - no opinion or docket names the hull. Web pages asserting asbestos aboard this ship exist only on law-firm/lead-generation marketing sites, which are excluded as sources under batch rules (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 steamship extensively converted in 1940-42 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-06
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[8]NARA Catalog, 'USS J FRANKLIN BELL - War Diary, 9/1-30/44' (id 134377489); NARA WWII deck-logs program (RG 24); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog id 134377489 (confirmed via DPLA item record); NARA merchant/navy logbook guidance; archives.gov RG 19 guide
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (existence verified; contents not retrieved): NARA Catalog holds 'USS J FRANKLIN BELL - War Diary, 9/1-30/44' (catalog.archives.gov/id/134377489, National Archives at College Park, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, WWII War Diaries, Micro Serial 90528) - monthly war diaries in this series are the likeliest public record of shipboard conditions and refits. WWII deck logs for USS J. Franklin Bell (APA-16) are in the NARA deck-logs series (RG 24), available on fold3/NARA reproduction - deck logs record drydocking and repair periods that would bound exposure-relevant events. BuShips conversion plans/work items for the 1941-42 conversion and the 1944 San Pedro refit would sit in RG 19 if surveyed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and series-level mapping only - the September 1944 war diary exists in the catalog but its pages were not retrieved and no asbestos-specific document is known to exist in it. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-franklin-bell-apa16-07