Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet m-packet.md (6 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. No name collision found. — real identity: USS Latimer; hull: APA-152; designation: attack transport (APA)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-latimer-apa152-pkt-m-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, class no. 145 LATIMER row (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 printed pp. 252-257, APA tables: dimensions row, personnel row (footnote 'Ship's company'), machinery row, armament/cargo row, construction row (all class no. 145); ship index 'Latimer (ex-M.C.V. Hull 118) ... APA152 ... 252'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for LATIMER APA-152 (class no. 145, 'ex-M.C.V. Hull 118'): 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots; 14,837 tons; limiting displacement 12,450 tons, 49 tons per inch immersion, 24'0" limiting draft; machinery 1 Westinghouse turbine, 8,500 shp, with 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F; ship's-company accommodations 99 officers + 593 enlisted (versus the class-standard 56/480 carried by most sister hulls); troop capacity 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; largest boom 35 t; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft / 2,900 DWT; builder Oregon S.B. Corp., Portland, Oreg.; acquired 28 Aug 44; commissioned 28 Aug 44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, manning allowances, builder, and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Latimer (APA-152)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209090207) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block ('cpl. 536; a. 1 5", 12 40mm., 10 20mm.; cl. Haskell; T. VC2-S-AP5'); capture 20251209090207
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: launched under Maritime Commission contract 4 Jul 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg.; sponsored by Mrs. Melvin H. McCoy; acquired by the Navy 28 Aug 1944; commissioned the same day at Astoria, Oreg., Capt. John P. Dix in command. War service: TG 77.9 reinforcement transport to Lingayen Gulf (off San Fabian 11 Jan 1945); TG 55.3 at Okinawa carrying 96th Infantry Division troops - arrived off Hagushi at dawn 1 Apr 1945, first wave against beaches Brown 1 and 2, repelled a Japanese aerial attack at dawn 3 Apr, departed 5 Apr. Postwar: occupation troops to Honshu Sep 1945; three 'Magic Carpet' voyages; Norfolk 26 Mar 1946; decommissioned 26 Feb 1947 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 23 Sep 1950 at Portsmouth, Va., Capt. M. L. Catterton; Transport Squadron 2 Atlantic/Caribbean operations; 6th Fleet Mediterranean deployments Sep 1951-Jan 1952 (embarked 2d Division Marines at Morehead City; Oran 14 Sep 1951) and 6 Sep 1954-30 Jan 1955; training cruises Florida to Greenland. To Galveston Feb 1956, towed to Orange, Tex., 24-25 Feb; decommissioned 15 May 1956; Texas Group Atlantic Reserve Fleet; transferred to Maritime Administration Feb 1960, NDRF, berthed Mobile, Ala.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, custody chain, and disposal framing. 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. DANFS gives MARAD transfer as 'February 1960'; the MARAD custody record (status card) gives entry 17 Mar 1960 and permanent transfer 30 Jun 1960 - custody dates adopted from MARAD.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Latimer (APA-152), file 10/03/03152 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 03152.htm - specifications block, campaign tables, commanding-officer table, disposal entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: MCV Hull 118; TransRon Nineteen (COMO C.D. Edgar) / TransDiv Fifty-Six (CAPT G.F. Galpin); Asiatic-Pacific campaign credits - Luzon operation (Lingayen Gulf landings, 7 Jan 1945 credit) and Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation, 1-5 Apr 1945); Far East occupation service 19 Sep-2 Oct 1945; decommissioned 26 Feb 1947 at Norfolk Navy Yard; recommissioned 23 Sep 1950 at Portsmouth, Va., CAPT Max L. Catterton - first ship of the Norfolk Reserve Fleet reactivated for the Korean War; Navy Occupation Service (Europe clasp) periods 14 Sep 1951-29 Jan 1952 and 21 Sep 1954-18 Jan 1955; decommissioned 15 May 1956 at Orange, Tex., transferred to Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; returned to Maritime Administration 17 Mar 1960 for NDRF, Mobile, Ala.; permanent title transfer to MARAD 30 Jun 1960; struck from the Naval Register 1 Jul 1960; two battle stars for WWII; sold for scrapping 28 Oct 1971 to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., delivered 26 Jul 1972. Spec block: 6,873 t light / 14,837 t full; 455' x 62' x 24'; 17.7 kt; complement 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers (465 psi, 750F), double Westinghouse main reduction gears, three 300kW ship's service generators, 8,500 shp, one propeller; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 1 quad + 4 twin 40mm, 10x20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC and MARAD records (MARAD card confirms 17 Mar 1960 custody entry and 30 Jun 1960 permanent transfer). Lingayen campaign credit (7 Jan) vs DANFS arrival off San Fabian (11 Jan) reflects credit-period vs arrival-date conventions. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LATIMER (APA-152), Ship History Detail 2958, including three digitized vessel status cards (MA-199, MA-389, MA-20) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2958 registry block and milestone table; card images /cards/2958_AF.jpg (MA-389), /cards/4G4_01.png (MA-199), /cards/2958_5504AF.jpg (MA-20)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD registry and status cards document this hull's custody chain verbatim: registry - Year Built 1944, shipyard Oregon Shipbuilding Company, MARAD type VC2-S-AP5, 455.00 ft / 62.00 ft, gross 7,612 t, DWT 4,900, fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Entry/Acquisition 3/17/1960, Disposition/Withdrawal 7/26/1972. Card MA-199 (Vessel Status Card): date built 8-27-44; builder's hull no. 1102; MA hull no. MCV-118; operating history - Navy Dept to Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Ala., 12:50 pm CST 3-17-60 (custody); Fleet Custody to Maritime Adm. 12:00 Mid CST 6-30-60 (permanent transfer); Maritime Admin. to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 10-28-71 (Sold - Scrap); physical delivery Mobile 12:20 pm CDT 7-26-72. Card MA-389 (Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars): fleet Mobile, title Navy with temporary-custody/reimbursable struck through; entered 3-17-60 1250 hrs CST; arrival draft Fwd 15'05" / Aft 15'00"; withdrawn 7-26-72 1220 CDT; reason 'Sold scrap/Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 10-28-71 PD-X-918'; other data 'Marad preservation - See Navy letter Jan. 11, 1960, Marad reply Jan. 20, 1960'. Card MA-20 (Record of Ship Sales): PD-X-918; awarded to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 10-28-71; purchase price 'Lump sum for 9 [ships] $467,100.00'; contract MA-6465; light load 6,720 / full load 12,450; 'Advertised under PD-X-918 dated 9-20-71 opened 10-21-71 - Scrap Hull-US'; location Mobile, Ala., Reserve Fleet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1960-1972
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD custody and sale record naming this hull - documents the 1960 custody entry, 1960 permanent transfer, and 1971-72 scrap sale (a disposal/disturbance event). Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-04
-
[6]Naval Historical Center (NHHC predecessor), Online Library of Selected Images - USS Latimer (APA-152) photo captions (verbatim mirror at HyperWar/ibiblio) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library USS Latimer (APA-152) page, photo captions NH 97012 and NH 97003
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy photo captions document the hull's Korean War reactivation: NH 97012 - 'Undergoing reactivation at Norfolk, Virginia, 3 August 1950. She was the first ship of the Norfolk Reserve Fleet to be removed from "mothballs" during the Korean War crisis'; NH 97003 (All Hands collection) - 'Doors marked "Sealed 11-10-48--Do Not Open" were found by Boilerman First Class J.W. Roach ... when opened aboard USS Latimer ..., first vessel of the Norfolk Reserve Fleet to be readied for recommissioning' (caption released 3 Aug 1950).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1950
- Population
- Reactivation work force and crew, Norfolk, Aug-Sep 1950
- Limitations
- Official captions documenting a ship-specific disturbance event - opening of sealed reserve-fleet compartments in Aug 1950 after ~2.75 years mothballed. Contains no asbestos or materials information; records a reactivation pathway, not exposure. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + VC2-S-AP5 type data (shipscribe Haskell-class page, APA117) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, class no. 145; https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA/APA117.html class data (Latimer construction row: keel 19 May 44, launch 4 Jul 44, commission 28 Aug 44; BuShips 5 Aug 44 flagship-radio directive covering APA-152)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Westinghouse turbine, two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F superheat) built at the peak of WWII asbestos usage - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. Troop-space outfitting (capacity 1,561) added interior insulation scope. Documented disturbance-phase pathways for this hull: the 1947-1950 Norfolk lay-up and Aug-Sep 1950 reactivation (opening compartments sealed Nov 1948); the 1956-1960 Orange/Mobile lay-up; and the 1971-72 sale and breaking.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Population
- Construction trades at Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; reserve-fleet lay-up/reactivation work forces (1947-50, 1956-60); 1972 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-152 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-06
-
[8]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 emergency construction program under which this VC2-S-AP5 attack transport was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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-latimer-apa152-07
-
[9]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., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- 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 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-latimer-apa152-08
-
[10]Batch-2224 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03152; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 2958 incl. status cards; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe Haskell-class page; CourtListener API v4 sweeps; indexed-web litigation checks; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-latimer-apa152-01 through sl-uss-latimer-apa152-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Latimer / APA-152 / M.C.V. Hull 118 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener via authenticated API: 'USS Latimer' 0 opinions and 0 dockets; 'APA-152' 4 opinion hits, all name collisions (APA = Administrative Procedure Act / docket fragments); 'Latimer asbestos' 51 opinion hits, sampled results all name collisions (law-firm names, surnames, Latimer County); 'Latimer' docket sweep dominated by surname bankruptcies with no vessel-related docket identified. Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com; gorilaw.com) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as sources per the no-law-firm-sources rule.
- 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 geared-steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her 1947-50 and 1956-60 lay-ups, the 1950 reactivation, and the 1972 breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Docket coverage limited to RECAP-indexed material; unindexed pleadings naming the ship may exist.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-latimer-apa152-09
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; status-card references per ev-uss-latimer-apa152-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Latimer 1944-1947 and 1950-1956 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records including VC2-S-AP5 contract plans, Booklets of General Plans, the 1947 Norfolk and 1956 Orange decommissioning/mothball work packages, and 1950 reactivation-availability records (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 118 at Oregon Shipbuilding (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files for the 1960-1972 Mobile lay-up - including the Navy letter of 11 Jan 1960 and MARAD reply of 20 Jan 1960 on preservation referenced on the vessel status card - and the PD-X-918 sale file under contract MA-6465 (RG 357).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1972 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-latimer-apa152-10