USS Mellette (APA-156)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet m-packet.md (10 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (identity confirmed — real identity: USS Mellette; hull: APA-156; designation: attack transport (APA)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-mellette-apa156-pkt-m-packet-md

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) tables, per-hull rows for MELLETTE APA-156 (indexed 'Mellette (ex-M.C.V. Hull 122) APA 156', item 167 in the APA tables) (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 APA tables (printed APA section pp. 258-260): dimensions row 'MELLETTE (01 - M.C.V. Hull 122) APA 156'; personnel row 'MELLETTE 167' (56/477, 80/1,440); machinery row '167 MELLETTE . APA 156 1 Westgh, turb .. 8,500 2 do .. 465 750'; armament row '167 MELLETTE 1 5", 38 cal. (D.P.) 4 twin, 1 quad ... 150,000'; index entry 'Mellette (ex - M.C.V. Hull 122) APA 156'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for MELLETTE APA-156 (ex-M.C.V. Hull 122, item 167) across the APA tables: 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; draft 24'0" limiting; 12,450 tons limiting displacement, 14,837 tons trial displacement, 17.7 knots trial; ship's company 56 officers + 477 enlisted with troop accommodations 80 officers + 1,440 enlisted; largest boom 35 t; machinery 1 Westinghouse turbine ('Westgh. turb.'), 8,500 shp, 2 header-type boilers ('do' ditto under B. & W. hdr.), steam conditions 465 psi / 750F, single propeller; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated, deadweight 5,800/2,900 tons; year built 1944.

   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, the Westinghouse machinery plant, manning, and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. Scan is OCR-degraded; row cells cross-checked against NavSource and DANFS spec blocks. Crew enlisted figure reads 477 in this table vs 480 in DANFS/NavSource - flagged in correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-01

3. [3]DANFS Vol. IV (L-M, GPO 1969), 'Mellette' entry + Appendix construction table 'APA-156 MELLETTE (ex-MCV Hull 122)' (Internet Archive scan dictionaryofamer04wash of the printed Navy Department publication; canonical live NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mellette.html returns 404 - standing NHHC link rot, cf. BATCH-01; verbatim transcription also at rpadden.com/156, the site NavSource links as the ship's page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Vol. IV (1969) 'Mellette' entry, alphabetical M section (archive.org item dictionaryofamer04wash, djvu full text), plus Appendix ship-list 'APA-156 MELLETTE (ex-MCV Hull 122)' construction row; canonical NHHC URL linked from NavSource 03156 returns 404

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS records: named for 'A county in southern South Dakota named for Arthur C. Mellette, the first Governor of the State'; spec block '(APA-156: dp. 6,873; l. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 24'; s. 17 k.; cpl. 536; a. 1 5", 12 40mm.; cl. Haskell; T. VC2-S-AP5)'. Launched by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, Oreg., 4 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Clarissa Bickford; acquired from the Maritime Commission on a loan-charter basis; commissioned 27 September 1944, Comdr. F. H. Spring, USNR, in command. Appendix construction row: authorized 12/17/43, MC contract 4/20/43, keel laid 6/3/44, launched 8/4/44, acquired 9/27/44, commissioned 9/27/44, Comdr. F. H. Spring commanding. Service: November 1944 San Pedro shakedown then Hawaiian Islands training off Maui into January 1945; joined TG 51.1 on 27 January for Iwo Jima with 4th Marine Division units embarked, participated in the initial assault 19 February, remained off the eastern beaches 6 days unloading supplies and taking casualties, sailed for Saipan 25 February; trained off Tinian's western beaches with TG 51.2 through March, sortied 27 March for the Ryukyus, and on 1 April commenced disembarking 2d Marine Division units in diversionary landings on Okinawa's southeastern coast, then stood by at the main assault area until ordered back to Saipan 11 April; Marianas/Solomons transport runs from 4 June; carried the Army's 24th Infantry Regiment to Kerama Retto in July; at Saipan at the 15 August capitulation, embarked 6th Marine Division troops for Honshu, disembarked them at Yokosuka Naval Base 30 August, witnessed the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay 2 September, returned to Saipan and embarked 2d Marine Division troops for Nagasaki; 'Magic Carpet' duty with two voyages western Pacific-Seattle; departed for the east coast 21 January 1946, Norfolk 3 February, decommissioned 25 June and entered the Reserve Fleet at Yorktown, Va.; reactivated for Korea, recommissioned 18 October 1950, operated 4 years along the east coast from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean and served with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean 8 September 1953 - 4 February 1954 (DANFS prints '1933' - typo flagged in correction row); decommissioned 18 June 1955, Charleston group Atlantic Reserve Fleet; transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet June 1960; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1960; 'has remained berthed with the James River group into 1969.' Two battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history text; contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Entry was current to 1969 - the 1987 sale and 1988 scrapping postdate it. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot); text verified word-for-word against the archive.org GPO scan of DANFS Vol. IV.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-02

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Mellette (APA-156), file 10/03/03156 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 03156.htm - timeline, specifications block, awards table, commanding-officer list, photo captions (incl. BuShips 80-G-344295, NHHC NH 66829)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: radio call sign NQKG; laid down 3 June 1944 as Maritime Commission type VC2-S-AP5 hull (MCV hull 122) at Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, OR; launched 4 August 1944; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission and commissioned 27 September 1944, CDR F. H. Spring USNR in command; wartime assignment Asiatic-Pacific Theater, TransRon Fifteen (CAPT W. S. Popham USN) / TransDiv Forty-Three (flagship); campaigns: Iwo Jima operation (assault and occupation 19-25 February 1945) and Okinawa Gunto operation (1-11 April 1945); Navy Occupation Service Medal windows 2-27 September 1945 and 2-11 December 1945 (Asia) plus 20 September 1953 - 24 January 1954 (Europe); 'Decommissioned, 31 July 1946, at Norfolk, VA. Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Yorktown, VA. Recommissioned, 18 October 1950 ... Decommissioned, 18 June 1955, at Charleston S.C.'; returned to MARAD 17 March 1960 for lay up in NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; permanent transfer to MARAD 30 June 1960; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1960; 'Sold, 29 June 1987, to C.J.W. Shipping and Trading Co., San Francisco, CA., for $528,000'; 'Final Disposition, resold, 3 June 1988, to Chi Shun Hua Steel Co. Ltd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping.' Spec block: 6,873 t light / 12,450 t full; 455' x 62'; 17.7 kts trial; 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 80 officers + 1,440 enlisted; 1 x 5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10 x 20mm; boats 2 LCM, 18 LCVP, 2 LCPR, 2 LCPL (one covered captain's gig); cargo 150,000 cu ft / 2,900 DWT; fuel 7,780 bbl NSFO + 970 diesel; propulsion 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/750F, double Westinghouse main reduction gears, three 300kW turbo-generators, single propeller 8,500 shp; largest boom 35 t. CO list: CDR Francis H. Spring 27 Sep 1944 - 5 Sep 1945; CAPT Charles Black Beasley (later RADM) 5 Sep 1945 - 3 Feb 1946; LCDR David Thomas Breault 3 Feb 1946 - 31 Jul 1946; decommissioned interval 31 Jul 1946 - 18 Oct 1950; CAPT Duncan Calvin MacMillan (later RADM) 18 Oct 1950 - Sep 1951; CAPT Richard Stottke Andrews (later RADM) Sep 1951 - Aug 1952; CAPT John Frank Harper Jr. (later RADM) Aug 1952 - 13 Sep 1953; CAPT Marshall Edgar 'Skinny' Dornin (later RADM) 13 Sep 1953 - 1954. Photo captions include BuShips photo 80-G-344295 (11 May 1945, Camouflage Measure 32 Design 4T), NHHC NH 66829 (New York, 7 May 1951, Mariners Museum/Ted Stone collection), a bow collision-damage photo circa 1950s, and a James River Group NDRF mooring photo showing Mellette alongside USS Crockett (APA-148), USS Deuel (APA-160), and USS Clinton (APA-144).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1988

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with DANFS, BuShips, and the MARAD cards on all checkable points except the first decommissioning date (31 July 1946 here vs 25 June 1946 in DANFS - flagged in correction row; the CO list agrees with 31 July). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MELLETTE (APA-156), Ship History Detail 3312, incl. digitized status-card scans read directly (3312_AF.jpg Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales; 3312_6155AF.jpg archive-record card; 3312_6155AB.jpg Form MA-989 Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 3312 registry block + status-card scans: 3312_6155AB.jpg (Form MA-989 particulars, entry/withdrawal columns), 3312_6155AF.jpg (archive record card, ARC entries + memo), 3312_AF.jpg (Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD primary custody record for this hull, read directly from the digitized cards: type VC2-S-AP5, category 'Mil. / Transport, attack', fleet James River, hull no. MCV-122, service prior to lay-up Navy, builder Oregon 1944; entered fleet 17 March 1960 at 1500 hrs EST (arrival draft fwd 15'04" / aft 16'00"), title initially 'Temp. Custody Navy' with 'Title Transfer Marad 6-30-60' annotation and 'Prog IV Budget memo 2-1-60'; archive card ARC entries: 03/17/60 custody entry ('Oregon SB, MCV 122'), 06/30/60 'Title x'fer to MARAD'; 'Marad preservation - See Navy letter Jan. 11, 1960 / Marad reply Jan. 20, 1960.' Withdrawn 11-18-82 (1420 EST) 'for defueling', re-entered 12-2-82 (0950 EST); withdrawn 7/16/86 (0900 EDT) 'Navy Stripping', re-entered 1/8/87 (1230 EST); archive memo adds '01/08/87. Returned to JRRF. 07/16/86. Departed to NISMF for stripping. 12/02/82. returned to JRRF. 11/18/82. Departed JRRF for defueling.' Withdrawn 9/18/87 (0900 EDT) 'Sold for Scrapping'; Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales: awarded to C.J.W. Shipping & Trading Co., San Francisco, date 6/29/87, purchase price $528,000, contract no. MA-12117 dtd 7/10/87, remarks '510(i) exchange w/American Heavy Lift Shipping Company trade-in of PRIDE II, solicitation no. EXC-8607, as amended'; archive memo '06/25/87. MELLETTE, APA 156, awarded to C.J.W. Shipping & Trading, Inc. of San Francisco. 03/06/88. Scrapped by Chi Shun Hua Steel Co, Ltd., Taiwan.' Registry fields: Year Built 1944; Shipyard 'Oregon Shipbuilding Company'; General Type 'Training (School)', Specific Type 'Training Ship' (dataset values carried as printed - see correction row and gaps); MARAD Type VC2-S-AP5; Fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Entry/Acquisition 3/17/1960, Disposition/Withdrawal 9/18/1987 'CUST 1944 NDRF 1960'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1960-1988

   Population

   NDRF caretakers, Fort Eustis/Lee Hall, James River (1960-1987); defueling workforce (Nov-Dec 1982); Navy stripping workforce at NISMF (Jul 1986 - Jan 1987); C.J.W./Chi Shun Hua shipbreaking workforce, Taiwan (1987-1988)

   Limitations

   Authoritative government custody record - the primary source for the 27-year NDRF lay-up, the 1982 defueling and 1986 'Navy Stripping' withdrawals, and the 1987-88 sale/scrapping chain. Handwritten entries partially legible (read at full resolution). No asbestos, insulation, or hazmat annotation appears on any card scan - an absence of a record entry, not evidence nothing was stripped or abated; the scope of the 1986 'Navy Stripping' withdrawal and the 1982 defueling is not recorded on the cards. Award date reads 06/25/87 in the archive memo vs 6/29/87 on the MA-20 header (contract dated 7/10/87) - carried as 'June 1987' with both dates noted.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-04

6. [6]Commander Transport Squadron Twelve (ComNAGASAKIGroup), 'Action Report - Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki, Japan, September 1945' (52-page scanned Navy action report, hosted on NavSource; contributed by Douglas Gritzinger) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource-hosted PDF 03138a.pdf, Part II Preliminaries loading table ~p.6 (TransDiv 60 (Temp.) ship list, MELLETTE row) and Part III chronology ~p.16 ('MELLETTE and McINTYRE ordered to leave one LCP(L) each')

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Primary Navy action report for the Nagasaki occupation landing names this hull: in the group's loading table under TRANSPORT DIVISION SIXTY (Temp.), 'MELLETTE' is listed with 781 personnel, 57 vehicles, and 626 short tons of cargo embarked for the landing; the report records that the NAGASAKI Group under ComTransRon 12 loaded the 2d Marine Division at Saipan and conducted the peaceful occupation landing in the Nagasaki harbor area commencing 23 September 1945; the Part III chronology records 'MELLETTE and McINTYRE ordered to leave one LCP(L) each' during the landing phase. Corroborates DANFS's statement that Mellette 'took on men of the 2d Marine Division for transportation to Nagasaki.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   September 1945

   Population

   2d Marine Division troops embarked aboard APA-156; ship's crew (occupation-lift context only)

   Limitations

   Squadron-level operational document naming the hull as an embarked lift - confirms the ship's assignment and loading for the Nagasaki occupation landing; contains no materials, maintenance, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. Image-only scan partially OCR'd (table row 'MELLETTE ... 781 ... 57 ... 626' and chronology line read at 300 dpi).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-05

7. [7]Source cross-check - DANFS Vol. IV (archive.org scan dictionaryofamer04wash) vs NavSource 03156 vs MARAD status cards (Detail 3312) vs BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull rows (item 167) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS Vol. IV Mellette entry vs NavSource 03156 timeline/CO table vs MARAD card memos (3312_6155AF.jpg, 3312_AF.jpg) vs SDB1945v3 personnel row vs shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA/APA117.html APA-156 rows (construction '156 MELLETTE 27 Sep 44 Oregon SB'; disposal '17 Jun 55 / 1 Jul 60'; hull note 'decommissioned 31 Jul 46 ... To NDRF 17 Mar 60. To buyer 18 Jul 87.')

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) First decommissioning date - DANFS records 'she decommissioned 25 June' [1946] after arriving Norfolk 3 February; NavSource's timeline prints 'Decommissioned, 31 July 1946, at Norfolk, VA' and its CO table shows LCDR David T. Breault in command 3 Feb - 31 Jul 1946 then a decommissioned interval from 31 Jul 1946; shipscribe's class-page hull note independently concurs with 31 July ('decommissioned 31 Jul 46, recommissioned 18 Oct 50'); Wikipedia's infobox follows DANFS ('Out of service 25 June 1946'). Adopted 25 June 1946 per DANFS; the 31 July alternative is recorded here with two secondary concurring sources, not resolved (plausibly an inactivation-completion vs formal-decommission distinction). (b) Mediterranean deployment - DANFS prints 'served with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean 8 September 1933 to 4 February 1954'; '1933' is a DANFS typographical error for 1953 (consistent with NavSource's Europe clasp window 20 Sep 1953 - 24 Jan 1954 and the 1953-54 Med cruise book). (c) Crew enlisted figure - BuShips SDB row reads 56 officers + 477 enlisted (533) for this hull vs DANFS spec block cpl. 536 and NavSource 56 + 480; adopted 536 per DANFS/NavSource, SDB variant noted. (d) Sale dates - archive memo '06/25/87 awarded to C.J.W.' vs MA-20 header '6/29/87' vs NavSource 'Sold, 29 June 1987'; contract MA-12117 dated 7/10/87; shipscribe hull note 'To buyer 18 Jul 87' likely transposes the 9/18/87 fleet-withdrawal date; carried as 'awarded June 1987.' (e) Resale/scrapping - NavSource 'resold 3 June 1988 to Chi Shun Hua Steel' vs archive memo '03/06/88 Scrapped by Chi Shun Hua Steel Co.'; month/day order ambiguous in the memo; carried as 'scrapped 1988.' (f) MARAD registry fields print General Type 'Training (School)' / Specific Type 'Training Ship' - no training-ship service appears in DANFS or NavSource for this hull; carried as printed and flagged in gaps. (g) Machinery - this hull's BuShips machinery row prints 'Westgh, turb ..' (Westinghouse), consistent with shipscribe's turbine-assignment list placing APA-151 through APA-180 in the Westinghouse supplier group.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1988 (sources 1945-2026)

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level conflicts across official and secondary sources; none of the compared sources contains asbestos information; this row supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-06

8. [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); machinery data per BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull row for APA-156 and NavSource ship-data sheet [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery table (MELLETTE row, item 167); NavSource 03156 spec block + collision-damage photo caption; MARAD status cards (1982 defueling, 1986 Navy stripping withdrawals); haskell-class.class.json (class-f worktree) for class context; AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Westinghouse turbine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F superheat) built and fitted out at peak 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 (accommodations for ~1,520) added interior insulation scope. Documented ship-level disturbance/repair phases for this hull: construction at Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland (Jun-Sep 1944); a wartime career with bow collision damage photographed circa the 1950s (implying repair activity); 27 years in NDRF custody with a November-December 1982 defueling withdrawal and a July 1986 - January 1987 'Navy Stripping' withdrawal to NISMF of unrecorded scope; and the 1987-88 breaking at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1988

   Population

   Construction trades at Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; NDRF lay-up/defueling/stripping workforces (1982, 1986-87); Chi Shun Hua shipbreakers, Kaohsiung (1988)

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-156 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-07

9. [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

   J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16; PubMed PMID 21016030

   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

   1944-1945 survey; published 1946

   Population

   WWII pipe coverers and naval-vessel construction trades (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.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mellette-apa156-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated opinion/docket sweeps, 2026-09-25 (via fleet-paced cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener sweeps sl-uss-mellette-apa156-09 through -13

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Authenticated CourtListener sweeps returned no qualifying case for this hull: 'USS Mellette' opinions count=0 and dockets count=0; 'APA-156' opinions count=2 - both name collisions: Bradley E. Julius v. Accurus Aerospace Corporation (Del. Ch., opinion filed 2019-10-31) and The SCO Group, Inc. v. Novell, Inc. (D. Utah, 2010-06-10), where 'APA' denotes asset-purchase-agreement references, not a vessel; 'Mellette' opinions count=389 - the screened top results are all name collisions (Mellette County, SD government cases; persons named Mellette incl. military criminal appeals) with no vessel reference; '"Mellette" AND asbestos' opinions count=1 - S.D. Wheat Growers Ass'n v. Chief Indus., Inc. (D.S.D., 2018-08-28), an asbestos-in-a-grain-facility dispute at Mellette, South Dakota - a town-name collision, not the ship; 'Mellette' dockets count=23 - case-name screen shows collisions and unrelated matters (incl. a RECAP text match inside the W.R. Grace bankruptcy); no hull naming appears.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    sweeps run 2026-09-25

    Limitations

    Zero qualifying hits at any litigation stage for exact-name and hull-number queries; 'APA-156' and 'Mellette' hits are name collisions, and 'Mellette asbestos' resolves to a South Dakota town facility dispute. RECAP text-index matches were screened by case name - filings that mention the hull without naming it in the caption would not surface. A name match is not a finding: no complaint, discovery record, trial finding, or judgment names this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mellette-apa156-09

11. [11]Batch-2228 search ledger (this record): DANFS Vol. IV GPO scan via archive.org + verbatim transcription (rpadden.com/156); NHHC live DANFS URL (404); NavSource 03156 + ComTransRon 12 Nagasaki action report PDF; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3312 + three status-card scans read directly; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull rows (item 167); CourtListener authenticated opinion/docket sweeps; NVR; VA BVA index; NARA catalog [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-mellette-apa156-01 through sl-uss-mellette-apa156-16

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, repair-scope record, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Mellette / APA-156 / M.C.V. Hull 122 was found in the public sources searched (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 1944 geared-steam transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her 27 years in NDRF custody, the 1982 defueling withdrawal, the 1986-87 'Navy Stripping' withdrawal to NISMF, and the 1987-88 Taiwan breaking are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mellette-apa156-10

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - WWII action reports), 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/038.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; NavSource 03156 photo captions (NHHC NH 66829; BuShips 80-G-344295)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Mellette Sep 1944 - Jun 1946 and Oct 1950 - Jun 1955 plus the ship's war diary (RG 24, NARA College Park; WWII deck logs are also digitized via the NARA catalog partner program); the ship's own Iwo Jima and Okinawa action reports and the ComTransRon 12 Nagasaki action report series (RG 38 - the Nagasaki report scanned on NavSource originates from this series); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklets of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 122 covering the Oregon Shipbuilding build (RG 178); and MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1960-1987 lay-up, the 1982 defueling and 1986 'Navy Stripping' (NISMF) work scopes, and the MA-12117 sale file incl. the EXC-8607 510(i) exchange documentation (RG 357). Non-NARA leads: NHHC photo catalog item NH 66829 (live NHHC pages currently 404) and BuShips photo 80-G-344295; a 1953-54 Mediterranean cruise book exists in private circulation.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1944-1988 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-mellette-apa156-11