Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
-
[1]DANFS-derived narrative (article incorporates public-domain DANFS text); official DANFS site returning HTTP 500 [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USS Leedstown (APA-56), Windsor-class attack transport, named for Leedstown, Virginia. Laid down as Exchequer by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Baltimore, Maryland, on 26 August 1942; classified AP-101 and renamed Wood on 5 October 1942; reclassified APA-56 on 1 February 1943; launched 13 February 1943; renamed Leedstown on 17 March 1943; commissioned 16 July 1943. She is not the earlier USS Leedstown (AP-73), which was sunk near Algiers in November 1942. Propulsion: Bethlehem geared turbine drive, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, single propeller, 8,000 shp; 18 knots. WWII service: arrived at Norfolk 16 July 1943 for amphibious training in Chesapeake Bay with Army units; departed Norfolk 11 December for the Pacific, arriving Honolulu New Year's Eve 1943. Invasion of the Marshall Islands: sailed from Honolulu 22 January 1944 bringing troops to Kwajalein 31 January; after the Marshalls were secured, departed Kwajalein 5 February and spent the next three months transporting supplies and reinforcements to the Solomon and Marshall Islands. Invasion of Guam: at Tulagi 10-28 May training for the amphibious assault; sailed 12 June and debarked troops in the assault on Guam 21 July; cared for 270 battle casualties; departed 5 August for Guadalcanal, returning many wounded for hospitalization. Invasion of Peleliu: rehearsed, then departed Guadalcanal 8 September for the invasion of Peleliu 15-20 September 1944; repaired numerous landing craft and cared for a total of 326 casualties. Invasion of Leyte: sailed 13 October as a unit of TF 78, Central Philippine Attack Force, for the attack on Leyte Island 20 October; on 14 November brought reinforcements to the battle zone; departed for New Guinea 29 November. (A deck-log correction from a crew veteran notes she actually sailed from Humboldt Bay, New Guinea - not Honolulu - as part of TF 78.) Invasions of Luzon and Iwo Jima: participated in the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, 9 January 1945, and at Iwo Jima 22 February 1945; spent the remainder of the war in training operations and transportation duties in the Pacific. After hostilities: participated in two Operation Magic Carpet missions - the first from Long Beach to the Philippines, taking soldiers from the Philippines to Japan, then picking up Seabees at Okinawa for transport home to Seattle; the second from Seattle to Yokohama, Japan, picking up soldiers, then returning to Long Beach. Then traveled via the Panama Canal to Norfolk. Decommissioned 7 March 1946 (last entered Seattle in March 1946); transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 1 July 1946. Commercial service: sold to the Shepard Steam Ship Company in 1947 and renamed Minute Man; later sold to American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines and renamed Exilona. In February 1964 the Exilona, captained by Edward L. Jungerheld, delivered the first 6,642-ton installment on the million-ton sale of U.S. grain to the Soviet Union - the first since the end of the Second World War. Scrapped in April 1970. Six battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Official DANFS returning HTTP 500; identity and service history from the DANFS-derived narrative. Launch date year is ambiguous: the article infobox lists 13 February 1942, which is impossible against a 26 August 1942 laid-down date; the narrative gives 'launched 13 February' with no year, and the DANFS-derived mirror gives 1943, which is used here. The Leyte sailing point is disputed (Honolulu per narrative vs Humboldt Bay per deck-log correction); both are recorded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leedstown-apa56-01
-
[2]New York Times, 30 January 1964 (as cited in the DANFS-derived narrative) [reputable_press]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Commercial service detail: in February 1964 the Exilona (ex-USS Leedstown), captained by Edward L. Jungerheld, delivered the first 6,642-ton installment on the million-ton sale of U.S. grain to the Soviet Union, the first since the conclusion of the Second World War.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Secondary citation via the DANFS-derived narrative; the underlying NYT report was not independently retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leedstown-apa56-02
-
[3]Negative search result across authoritative repositories (2026-09-25) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation located for USS Leedstown (APA-56) in any authoritative source searched (Navy, NARA, HAER, museum records). This is a negative finding, not an absence of exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Negative finding reflects search coverage, not proof of absence. No hull-specific asbestos survey located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leedstown-apa56-03
-
[4]CourtListener authenticated search (combined ship name + hull number) not completed - helper pipe broke after authenticated request on two attempts (2026-09-25) [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated search for the combined ship name and hull number ("USS Leedstown" APA-56) could not be completed during the writing session. Two SSH attempts against the Mac Studio authenticated helper broke the pipe after the authenticated request and before any results returned; no further attempts were made to avoid tripping fleet-wide pacing limits. The search gap is logged; no litigation conclusion can be drawn and the search must be retried before any litigation finding can be claimed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- Search not run; no litigation finding can be claimed. Retry required for complete coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leedstown-apa56-04
-
[5]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, asbestos exposure guidance for Navy veterans [other_primary]
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Era context: the Department of Veterans Affairs states that many WWII-era Navy ships contained asbestos products, with boiler and engine rooms of particular concern because asbestos was widely used as insulation during this period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- Era context only - does not establish asbestos presence aboard this specific hull. Not a finding about this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-leedstown-apa56-05