USS Kephart (APD-61)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]DANFS, Kephart (DE-207), NHHC ship-history entry (live page serves 404; Wayback capture 2025-12-09, published 2016-04-13; HyperWar/ibiblio carries only an APD-61 spec stub without the narrative) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS 'Kephart (DE-207)' entry - spec block + namesake paragraph + full service narrative; Wayback capture 2025-12-09

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull (spec block: dp. 1,400; l. 306'; b. 36'10"; dr. 9'5"; s. 24 k.; cpl. 186; a. 3 3", 4 1.1", 8 20mm., 3 21" tt, 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (h.h.), 2 dct.; cl. Buckley). Namesake: Lt. William Perry Kephart (b. Meyersdale, Pa., 9 Sep 1915; Naval Reserve 15 Aug 1937; Ensign 1 Dec 1938; Saratoga CV-3 and Wasp CV-7; flight instructor Pensacola; Scouting Squadron 71 aboard Wasp; Lt. (j.g.) 15 Jun 1942, Lt. (temp.) 1 Oct 1942; killed in action 14 Oct 1942 over Guadalcanal). Kephart (DE-207) launched 6 September 1943 by Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; sponsored by Mrs. A. P. Kephart, mother; commissioned 7 January 1944, Lt. Comdr. I. H. Cammarn in command. Shakedown off Bermuda; departed New York 23 March for Atlantic convoy escort - three runs New York to Gibraltar and Bizerte in 3 months; returned New York 30 June for conversion to a high speed transport; reclassified APD-61 on 5 July. Departed New York 30 September; joined 7th Fleet at Hollandia, New Guinea, 10 November; TransDiv 103; convoy 17 November to Leyte Gulf (arrived 24 November); Palau run; embarked 77th Infantry at Leyte; TG 78.3 to Ormoc Bay assault 6 December; 7 December landing - her guns splashed two Japanese planes; Leyte 8 December; embarked 19th Infantry; sailed 12 December for Mindoro; landed troops at San Jose 15 December under heavy air attack; Leyte 17 December; Hollandia 20 December. Carrying 158 RCT, departed Noemfoor 4 January 1945; San Fabien, Lingayen Gulf, 11 January - landed reinforcements; Leyte 15 January for 3 months antisubmarine patrol; landings at Grande Island/Subic Bay (30 January), Puerto Princesa/Palawan (28 February), Zamboanga/Mindanao (10 March), Cebu City (26 March), Cotabato/Mindanao (17 April). Departed Leyte Gulf 4 May; Morotai 7 May; convoy to Mindanao 18-20 May; embarked Australian Army troops; sailed 4 June; Brunei Bay landing 10 June; South China Sea patrol; Morotai 19 June; sailed 26 June; Australian soldiers to eastern Borneo 1 July - Balikpapan, 'the final major amphibious operation of the war.' Morotai 16 July; Leyte; amphibious training Albay and Lagonoy Gulfs from 4 August; Leyte Gulf 29 August to Okinawa for Korea occupation troops; Jinsen 8 September; Philippines-Korea shuttle; Jinsen 29 October via Sasebo and Okinawa to Tsingtao, China, 14 November. Okinawa 22 November; embarked 147 veterans; departed 26 November via Pearl Harbor; San Diego 16 December; New York New Year's Day 1946; overhaul; departed 8 February for Green Cove Springs, Fla. (arrived 11 February); decommissioned 21 June; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Orange, Tex. Struck from the Navy List 1 May 1967; transferred under the Military Assistance Program to the Republic of Korea 16 May 1967. Five battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1967

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 186) and embarked troops through 1946

   Limitations

   DANFS documents namesake, construction, service chronology, striking, and MAP transfer - not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not print a keel-laying date (12 May 1943 carried from NVR/NavSource) and does not name the New York conversion facility; reads 'San Fabien' for San Fabian. Mirror citation because the live NHHC page returns 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-01

2. [2]Naval Vessel Register, KEPHART (APD 61) ex-DE 207 detail page (NAVSEA official register; live URL serves the record shell; data read via Wayback capture 2012-03-10) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR SHIPSDETAIL_APD_61 page, Wayback capture 2012-03-10 (9 captures 2004-2012)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NVR official register record for this hull: UIC 02907; class 'APD 37' (Charles Lawrence class); status 'Disposed of, hull transfered to foreign government (not SAP)' with date status changed 07/23/1967; builder 'NAV SY/CHARLESTON'; award date 08/07/1942; keel date 05/12/1943; launch date 09/06/1943; delivery date 01/28/1944; commission date 01/07/1944; decommission date printed 06/01/1946; stricken date 05/01/1967; dimensions 306 ft oa / 300 ft wl, extreme beam 37 ft, max navigational draft 9 ft; steel hull, steel superstructure; age at disposal 23.8 years.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1967

   Limitations

   Official register data fielded as disposition/status dates: the NVR decommission value (06/01/1946) conflicts with DANFS and NavSource (21 June 1946 - carried; conflict logged in gaps, not reconciled), and its 07/23/1967 status-change date postdates DANFS's 16 May 1967 MAP transfer date (both official; logged). The NVR notes pre-1987 disposals are populated incrementally - field completeness is partial. NVR documents dates/dimensions/status, not materials or asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-02

3. [3]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Kephart (APD-61) ex-DE-207 page (chronology, APD spec block, TransDiv 103, campaign/award tables, ROK disposition) + Destroyer Escort Photo Index DE-207 (navsource.org/archives/06/207.htm: keel 12 May 1943, CO list, '23 July 1967 MAP sale' line) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource APD-61 page chronology + spec block + campaign table + disposition lines; DE-207 index 'Building and Operational Data' and CO list; photo caption NH 91583

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource record for this hull: APD configuration spec block - displacement 1,400 t lt / 2,130 t fl; 306 ft oa; beam 37 ft; draft 12 ft 7 in limiting; speed 23.6 kt trial; range 6,000 nm at 12 kt; ship's company 12 officers / 192 enlisted plus troop accommodations 12 officers / 150 enlisted; 4 LCVP; armament one 5-inch/38 DP, three twin 40 mm, six single 20 mm, two depth charge tracks; propulsion 'two Combustion Engineering "D" Express boilers, 435psi 750 deg; two General Electric turbines (turbo-electric drive); two propellers, 12,000 shp'. Reclassification 5 July 1944 'converted at New York'. Campaign table credits Leyte (Leyte landings 19-29 Nov 1944, Ormoc Bay 7-8 Dec), Luzon (Mindoro/San Jose 12-18 Dec), Manila Bay-Bicol (Grande Island-Subic Bay 30-31 Jan 1945), Southern Philippines (Visayan landings 25 and 30 Mar 1945), Borneo (Brunei Bay 10 Jun; Balikpapan 26 Jun-4 Jul 1945). Occupation/China windows 2 Sep-27 Nov 1945. Decommissioned 21 June 1946 (DE index: at Green Cove Springs, Fla.); struck 1 May 1967; 'transferred (leased) to Republic of Korea 16 May 1967, renamed ROKS Kyong Puk (PF-82); redesignated APD-85 in 1972; purchased outright 15 November 1974; renumbered APD-826 in 1980; redesignated DE-826 in 1982; struck by the Republic of Korea Navy 30 April 1985; broken up for scrap.' Five battle stars. NHHC-captioned photo: 'off New York Navy Yard, 20 September 1944' (photo numbers NH 91583, NH 91582).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1985

   Population

   Crew 1944-1946 (12 officers/192 enlisted per APD spec); embarked troops (to 12 officers/150 enlisted); ROK Navy crews 1967-1985

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary archive consistent with DANFS/NVR on the carried facts; the APD spec block is its own compilation (not a cited primary doc) - boiler manufacturer agrees with navypedia's block map but both are secondary. ROK-era service detail is documented only at this level in the sources searched. The DE index's '23 July 1967' transfer line matches the NVR disposal status-change date; its 'PF-85' pennant conflicts with the APD page's 'PF-82' (logged in gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-03

4. [4]NARA Special List 44, named-vessel logbook inventory + NARA RG 181 Sixth Naval District ship commissioning-files finding aid (Charleston Navy Yard WWII), archives.gov [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov SL44 'Kephart (DE-207)' row; archives.gov/atlanta/finding-aids/rg181-charleston-2694599.html container list

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Two NARA holdings name this hull: (1) Special List 44 named-vessel logbook inventory lists 'Kephart (DE-207)' with coverage 1/7/1944-6/30/1945 - deck logs spanning commissioning through the Balikpapan operation; (2) the RG 181 Sixth Naval District ship commissioning-files finding aid (Charleston, NARA Atlanta, 2694599) contains a container row 'Destroyer Escort | DE-207 | USS KEPHART | 1/7/1944' - a builder-yard commissioning file for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1945 (logbook coverage); 1944 (commissioning file)

   Limitations

   Archival leads only - holdings are undigitized/unpulled; contents may include commissioning correspondence and yard paperwork relevant to materials but nothing is asserted from them. Retrieval not performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-04

5. [5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan) + NavSource APD-61 spec block + Atlas class file buckley-class.class.json (background) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table; NavSource APD-61 spec block; buckley-class.class.json ev-buckley-class-01/-02/-04 (background)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943 Charleston-built Buckley-class (TE) destroyer escort with a full steam plant - BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3 document the type at 2 'D' express-type boilers (435 psi/750 F superheat) feeding GE turbine-generators/electric motors, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts; NavSource's APD-61 spec block reads 2 Combustion Engineering 'D' Express boilers and the navypedia block map assigns Combustion Engineering to the DE-199-213 block including DE-207 (both secondary). Steam escorts of the 1942-43 DE program carried era-standard asbestos in boiler and machinery insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and brake linings; the 1944 APD conversion added troop berthing/messing and four LCVP davits (work that disturbs existing insulation and adds new lagging/coverings).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-44; conversion yard workers New York 1944; crew and embarked troops 1944-46

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record supports 'documented aboard this hull' wording; establishes no quantities, no locations, and no individual exposure. Boiler manufacturer is secondary-sourced (NavSource spec block; navypedia block map), unverified against contract documents.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-05

6. [6]In re Brooklyn Navy Yard Asbestos Litigation, 971 F.2d 831 (2d Cir. 1992) + Atlas shipyards.json records for charleston-naval-shipyard (tier 2) and brooklyn-navy-yard (tier 3) [court_record]

   Locator

   971 F.2d 831 (2d Cir. 1992); shipyards.json yard_id charleston-naval-shipyard and brooklyn-navy-yard; NavSource photo caption NH 91583

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Yard-level context for the two Navy yards tied to this hull: builder Charleston Naval Shipyard is a tier-2 yard in the Atlas dataset (documented asbestos-product list incl. pipe insulation 5-50% asbestos, boiler coatings 15% asbestos, spray-on insulation, gaskets/packing; yard-level litigation incl. Whalen v. John Crane 2014 and Twidwell v. Aerco 2018; OSHA 1988 inspection 100361849 with an asbestos-standard citation). Conversion-window presence at New York Naval Shipyard (Brooklyn Navy Yard) is documented by an NHHC-captioned photo (NH 91583, 20 September 1944); that yard is tier-3 in the dataset with Kaylo pipe insulation use established in In re Brooklyn Navy Yard Asbestos Litigation, 971 F.2d 831 (2d Cir. 1992) ('proof showed that Owens-Illinois supplied Kaylo to Owens-Corning Fiberglas').

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1944 (yard events); litigation 1992/2014/2018

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard trades 1943-44; New York Naval Shipyard trades 1944

   Limitations

   Yard-level records only - they document conditions/litigation at the builder and probable conversion yard, not aboard this hull. Conversion facility attribution to New York Navy Yard is probable (NHHC photo, conversion window in New York, DANFS departure from New York) but the facility is not named in the sources searched - logged in gaps. No element of this row is evidence of asbestos aboard DE-207/APD-61.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-06

7. [7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - program-level context via class file [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 (Oct 1979); class file ev-buckley-class-06

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy's standing asbestos-removal policy dates from 1975 (remove asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). This hull left U.S. custody by MAP transfer in May-July 1967 - before any standing Navy asbestos-control program and before disposal hazmat documentation practices - so the hull is consistent with era materials retained in place through its U.S. service life and transfer; no U.S.-custody abatement or disposal material record is expected to exist.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1975-1979 policy era vs. 1943-1967 U.S. custody of this hull

   Limitations

   Program-level context only - GAO HRD-80-2 does not name this hull or class; it bounds what documentation could exist, it does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard. gao.gov returns 403 to automated fetches; product-page description relied on per BATCH-01 standing note.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-07

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Kephart' / 'Kephart' / 'DE-207' / 'APD-61' (authenticated, cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener type=o result sets ('USS Kephart' 0; 'U.S.S. Kephart' 0; 'aboard the Kephart' 0; 'APD-61' 0; 'DE-207' 30 collisions; 'Kephart' 10,410 surname); type=r ('USS Kephart' 0; 'Kephart asbestos' 58 surname/bankruptcy-list collisions)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener sweeps complete - no qualifying vessel litigation located. Opinion index: '"USS Kephart"' = 0 hits; '"U.S.S. Kephart"' = 0 hits; '"aboard the Kephart"' = 0 hits; '"APD-61"' = 0 hits; '"DE-207"' = 30 hits, all docket-number/citation artifacts in unrelated litigation (Puerto Rico courts, S.D. Fla., misc. - no vessel or asbestos context; name collisions, non-qualifying); bare '"Kephart"' = 10,410 hits, person-surname collisions (Kephart v. Kephart, State v. Kephart, etc.). Docket index: '"USS Kephart"' type=r = 0 hits; 'Kephart asbestos' type=r = 58 hits, surname matches including Kephart v. AC&S (E.D. Pa. 2:08-cv-83313, asbestos personal injury - plaintiff surname, not the vessel) and bankruptcy mass-docket/service-list noise (W.R. Grace 01-01139, Motors Liquidation, Westinghouse, Energy Future Holdings) - all non-qualifying, no docket names the vessel. Open-web sweep located a law-firm marketing listicle (asbx.org) naming 'USS Kephart (DE-207, APD-6)' in a boilerplate at-risk-ships list - banned source type, logged as an excluded hit in the search ledger, carrying no evidence value.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   sweep run 2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Opinion-index coverage complete for both name stylings, aboard-the-ship phrasing, and both hull numbers; docket coverage complete for exact name and surname+asbestos. A negative sweep does not exclude unindexed dockets, unreported settlements, or state-court matters outside RECAP. 'Kephart' is a person surname - all non-vessel matches are classified collisions, not assumed vessel references.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-08

9. [9]Batch-2447 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback-verified), Naval Vessel Register APD-61 detail page, NavSource DE/APD archives, HyperWar/ibiblio spec page, NARA Special List 44, NARA RG 181 Charleston finding aid, CourtListener sweep attempts, marketing-list sweep [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-kephart-apd61-01 through sl-uss-kephart-apd61-11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-207/APD-61: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or docketed asbestos case naming the vessel was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger; CourtListener sweeps complete - ev-08). The hull transferred to the Republic of Korea in May-July 1967 - before the Navy's documented asbestos-control program era (GAO HRD-80-2: standing removal policy dates from 1975) and before disposal hazmat documentation practices - so no U.S.-custody abatement or disposal-phase material record is expected to exist; the 1985 ROK scrapping is undocumented in the sources searched.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 steam-plant hull is consistent with retained era materials through its U.S. service life and foreign transfer. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kephart-apd61-09