Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet h-packet.md (9 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: **VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lanier-apa125-pkt-h-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Lanier' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (Vol. 4, 1969, pp. 48, 487; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text verified via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209185927 and the hazegray transcription mirror, which match) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Lanier' entry (APA-125), full text + spec block; mirror transcription at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/apa125.txt
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents the ship's identity and service: LANIER (APA-125), named for Lanier County in southern Georgia, was laid down 25 June 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract; launched 29 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Earl English; acquired by the Navy 22 December 1944 and commissioned the same day at Oakland, Calif., Comdr. Walter W. Rockey in command. After shakedown she departed San Francisco 23 February 1945 for Pearl Harbor; sailed 28 March with 1,485 soldiers in convoy for the Volcano Islands; discharged men and cargo at Iwo Jima 20 April; carried 1,442 troops to Okinawa 2-6 May, landing reinforcements and embarking 66 battle casualties; embarked 254 survivors of USS Little (DD-803); returned via San Francisco; at Seattle 31 May-2 June; reached Okinawa 24 July and operated off Okinawa until 6 August; carried 798 passengers to Guam, embarked over 1,300 occupation troops, and joined TF 31 for occupation landings on Japan - her landing craft put first-wave troops ashore at Yokosuka Airport 30 August; carried 2d Division Marines to Nagasaki 18-23 September; joined the Magic Carpet fleet at Manila Bay 1 October; carried 1,851 homeward-bound veterans to Seattle arriving 4 November; lifted 1,598 troops at Hollandia and 532 at Finschhafen; arrived San Pedro 6 January 1946; reached Norfolk 4 February; decommissioned at Norfolk 5 March 1946 and was turned over to WSA 8 March. One battle star for World War II service. Spec block: 6,873 t.; 455'; 62'; 24'; 17 k.; cpl. 536; armament 1 5", 12 40mm., 10 20mm.; Maritime Commission type VC2-S-AP5. DANFS class statistics allocate Joshua Hendy geared turbines to APA-125's hull group (APA 118-121,123,125-128,130,132,134-140,146-150,232-239).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for construction, service history, custody transfer, and battle-star award. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-01
-
[3]MARAD Vessel History Database, LANIER (APA-125) Ship History Detail 2951 - digitized vessel status cards (card face, card back, MA-20 Record of Ship Sales, custody-entry card) and LANIER.pdf scan [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/2951 - 'Status Cards' panel (4FQ_01.png custody card; 2951_5489AF.jpg fleet card; 2951_5489AB.jpg card back; 2951_AF.jpg MA-20 sales card) + Documents LANIER.pdf
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD custody record for this hull, read directly from the digitized status cards: vessel status card reads 'LANIER (APA-125)', type VC2-S-AP5, 'Hull No. MCV 39', 'Built by Calif. SB Corp. / Moore DD Co.' at 'Wilmington, Calif. / Oakland, Calif.', Completed field '9-4-44 incompl. / 12-22-44 Comp.'; 'Basis to W.S.A. 12-22-44 2:30PM PWT @ Oakland, Calif. del. by builders to USMC'; operator chain - Navy Dept. (del. by USMC) at Oakland 12-22-44 2:30PM PWT; WSA Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, Va. 3-8-46 1:20PM EST; American-Hawaiian S.S. Co. (Repair Program) under GAA at James River 1-20-56 12:45PM EST; Reserve Fleet (Repair Program) James River 5-9-56 12:00 Noon EST; Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (Scrap) purchase 4-9-73, physical delivery James River 8-17-73 11:40AM EDT. MA-20 'Record of Ship Sales' card: advertised under PD-X-956 dated 3-5-73, bids opened 4-4-73 under two conditions - (1) NTU [non-transportation use] and (2) Scrap Hull - U.S.; award under condition (2) 'Scrap Hull - U.S. 24 months'; contract MA-6927; purchase price $111,560.00; contract-required breaking in the United States within 24 months. Card back notes 'Outfitted at Moore' and a 1/5/49 permanent-ballast record (concrete block ballast poured at #4 lower hold, #2, evaporator room, generator room, dry stores). Fuel oil aboard at fleet entry: 1,565 bbls Bunker C + 80 bbls diesel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- NDRF lay-up and preservation crews (1946-1973); American-Hawaiian repair workforce (1956); breaking-yard workers (1973-1975)
- Limitations
- Primary federal custody/disposal record; card fields read directly from scans (handwriting partially legible). Documents custody events, sale terms, and the 'Scrap Hull - U.S.' 24-month condition only - contains no asbestos, materials-condition, or survey statement. '9-4-44 incompl.' is the incomplete-delivery milestone (not launch); the 1956 repair-program scope of work is not recorded on the card; the breaking site is not recorded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Lanier (APA-125) entry 10/03/03125 - reproduces DANFS text plus ship-data sheet, campaign/occupation tables, NDRF movement block, specifications block, commanding-officer list [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-125 entry: build/milestone block, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, specifications block, CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource amphibious archive entry corroborates DANFS and adds detail: assigned to TransRon Twenty-Three (COMO A. S. Witherspoon) / TransDiv Sixty-Seven; campaign credit 'Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 to 6 May 1945'; occupation service in the Far East 2-27 September 1945; completed by Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA, 22 December 1944 and turned over to the US Navy; decommissioned 5 March 1946 at Norfolk, VA; struck from the Naval Register 20 March 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission 8 March 1946 for lay up in the NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; withdrawn 20 January 1956 to American-Hawaiian Steamship Co. (Repair Program, General Agency Agreement) and returned 9 May 1956; sold for scrapping 9 April 1973 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. (PD-X-956 dated 5 March 1973) for $111,560.00, withdrawn from the James River Reserve Fleet 17 August 1973. Specifications: one Joshua Hendy geared turbine, double Joshua Hendy main reduction gears, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 465 psi / 750 deg F, three 300kW 120V/240V DC ship's service generators, one propeller 8,500 shp, 17.7 kts; complement 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; 18 LCVPs, 2 LCMs, 2 LCPLs (one the captain's gig), 2 LCPRs; armament 1 5"/38 DP, 1 quad 40mm, 4 twin 40mm, 10 single 20mm; fuel 7,780 bbls NSFO + 970 bbls diesel. Commanding officers: CDR Walter W. Rockey 22 Dec 1944-3 Mar 1945; LCDR Hubert W. Fisher 3-6 Mar 1945; CAPT Benjamin W. Cloud 6 Mar 1945-5 Mar 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Limitations
- Tertiary volunteer archive compiling official data; its NDRF movement block matches the MARAD status card verbatim (PD-X-956, $111,560, 4-9-73 / 8-17-73). NavSource gives 'laid down 22 June 1944' - conflicts with DANFS and shipscribe (25 June 1944); DANFS/shipscribe adopted as controlling (see gaps). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-03
-
[5]shipscribe.com U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships - HASKELL (APA-117) class page, per-hull construction table (compiled from Bureau of Ships Ships' Data and Maritime Commission records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-117 class page: LANIER construction row (keel/launch/commission) and class data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation carrying a per-hull construction row for LANIER (APA-125): acquired 22 Dec 44; builder California SB; keel 25 Jun 44; launch 29 Aug 44; commission 22 Dec 44 - independently corroborates the DANFS dates (keel 25 Jun, launch 29 Aug) against the NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum '22 June 1944' variant and a third Victory-ship build table's '29 Jun-44 / 4-Sep-44' entries. Class data for HASKELL (APA-117): design MC VC2-S-AP5; displacement 6,873 light / 12,450 limiting; 455.0' oa / 436.5' pp x 62.0' x 24.0' limiting; original armament 1-5"/38, 1-40mm quad, 4-40mm twin, 10-20mm; complement 536 (1944); speed 17.7 kts; 8,500 HP; machinery 'Westinghouse, Joshua-Hendy, or Allis-Chalmers turbine, 1 screw' (hull-specific maker: Joshua Hendy per the DANFS class engine-allocation list and the NavSource ship-data sheet).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary source derived from official BuShips/MC data; the machinery field is class-level - the hull-specific engine maker comes from the DANFS allocation list and NavSource ship-data sheet. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-04
-
[6]Consolidated era/design inference - shipscribe SDB-derived APA-117 class data and NavSource APA-125 specifications block (machinery plant) + Corn & Starr 1987 era scholarship [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-117 class page machinery row; NavSource APA-125 specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull was a VC2-S-AP5 Victory-type attack transport built in 1944 at a Maritime Commission emergency yard (Calship, Wilmington) and outfitted at Moore Dry Dock, Oakland, with a single-screw geared-steam plant (two B&W header-type boilers 465 psi / 750 deg F; Joshua Hendy geared turbine; 8,500 shp) - machinery of exactly the type and era whose boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation insulation were commonly asbestos-containing in WWII construction. Troop accommodations (1,561 embarked troops plus 536 ship's company) added interior joiner/insulation scope beyond a cargo hull. Disturbance-phase pathways documented for this hull: 1944 construction and outfitting; the January-May 1956 American-Hawaiian repair-program activation (scope unrecorded); 27 years of NDRF James River lay-up; and the 1973 domestic breaking under a 'Scrap Hull - U.S. 24 months' sale condition.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Construction trades at Calship Wilmington and Moore Dry Dock Oakland (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; 1956 repair workforce; NDRF lay-up crews (1946-1973); 1973-1975 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-125 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-05
-
[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 historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and Maritime Commission emergency construction program under which this VC2-S-AP5 hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- 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 scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-06
-
[8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., amosite-asbestos pipe covering was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type (a Maritime Commission VC2-S-AP5 built under MC contract and completed at a Navy contract yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Calship Wilmington or Moore Dry Dock Oakland was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-07
-
[9]DANFS/Wayback (25 Jun 1944); NavSource APA-125 page (22 Jun 1944); navalmarinearchive Victory-ship table (29 Jun 1944); MARAD status card 'Completed' field (9-4-44 incompl. / 12-22-44 Comp.); MARAD custody entries (3-8-46 WSA Reserve Fleet) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail/2951 status-card images; NavSource 10/03/03125 milestone block; losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/apa125.txt
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) laid-down date - DANFS and the shipscribe per-hull row give 25 June 1944; NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum give 22 June 1944; a Victory-ship build table (navalmarinearchive) gives 29 June 1944. The NHHC/BuShips-derived 25 June 1944 is adopted as controlling; the 22/29 June variants are minority-source errors. (b) The MARAD status card's 'Completed' field reads '9-4-44 incompl. / 12-22-44 Comp.' - the September 4 date is the incomplete-delivery milestone associated with the move to Moore Dry Dock for outfitting, NOT the launch; it likely explains the Haskell-class profile's erroneous 'launched 1944-09-04' for this hull. (c) Transfer-agency framing - DANFS says 'turned over to WSA 8 March' (1946); NavSource says 'Returned to the Maritime Commission 8 March 1946'; the status card records 'WSA Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Va. 3-8-46' - WSA was the Maritime Commission's wartime operating agency, so all three describe the same custody event.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among secondary sources against primary/official records; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-08
-
[10]Batch-2194 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback + hazegray; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2951 + status-card scans; NavSource 03125; shipscribe APA-117 class page; NARA catalog; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket types) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lanier-apa125-01 through sl-uss-lanier-apa125-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement or repair-scope record, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Lanier / APA-125 / MCV hull 39 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener screens: 'USS Lanier' opinions count=0; 'USS Lanier' dockets count=0; 'APA-125' opinions count=3 and 'APA-125' dockets count=33 - all name collisions (APA = Administrative Procedure Act / rule citations in non-ship contexts: Dept. of Corrections v. McNeil N.J. Super. 1986; Novipax Holdings v. Sealed Air Del. Super. 2017; Global Fitness v. Federal Recovery D. Utah 2015; docket hits dominated by 05:551 APA-judicial-review and contract causes); 'Lanier asbestos ship' opinions returned 26 hits, all surname/party-name collisions (e.g., plaintiffs or counsel named Lanier), none naming the hull. Lanier left Navy custody in March 1946 - decades before the era of public asbestos litigation - and spent 1946-1973 in MARAD NDRF custody.
- 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 1944 Victory-type steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the undocumented 1956 repair activation, 27-year lay-up, and 1973 breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Hull-number sweeps are precise; bare-name sweeps under-cover filings that omit hull numbers ('Lanier' is a common surname).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-09
-
[11]NARA National Archives Catalog records for USS LANIER (RG 38 war diaries/history, digitized via Fold3 partnership); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 24 / RG 178 / RG 357; NavSource-hosted ComTransRon 12 action report PDF [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov naIds 77660312, 77504447, 101712278, 77559565, 139852494, 633435270, 77477654, 77532002, 140028263, 139955177, 139917405, 139792977, 633454769; https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/03/pdf/03138a.pdf
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads: (a) USS LANIER war diaries and war history are CATALOGED AND DIGITIZED at NARA - RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' (naId 4697018), College Park: War History naId 77660312 (6 images online); monthly war diaries 12/22-31/44 naId 139792977; 1/45 naId 139852494; 2/45 naId 139917405; 3/45 naId 139955177; 4/45 naId 633435270; 5/45 naId 140028263; 6/45 naId 101712278; 7/45 naId 77477654; 8/45 naId 77504447; 9/45 naId 77532002; 10/45 naId 77559565; 11-12/45 naId 633454769 - none reviewed for materials content. (b) Navy deck logs for USS Lanier 1944-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park) - not located in catalog search this session. (c) USMC construction-contract records for MCV hull 39 at Calship and Moore Dry Dock outfitting files (RG 178). (d) MARAD/NDRF custody files covering 1946-1973 James River lay-up, the 1956 repair-program activation, and the PD-X-956/MA-6927 sale file (RG 357) - the sale contract file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead; the advertised sale's 'Scrap Hull - U.S.' condition is documented on the status card. (e) Commander Transport Squadron Twelve action report, 'Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki Japan, September 1945' (ComNAGASAKIGroup / CTG 34.3) - 52-page squadron-level primary document mirrored at NavSource (10/03/pdf/03138a.pdf); covers the operation Lanier's boats supported, names no hull materials. (f) 1944-46 Lanier cruise book exists (NavSource photo provenance; NHHC Navy Department Library cruise-book collection is the institutional repository).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1973 records
- Limitations
- Catalog-level verification only - the war-diary/history records are confirmed digitized at NARA but their image contents were not reviewed for asbestos or materials references; deck-log and contract-file existence for this hull is mapped but unretrieved. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lanier-apa125-10