Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Menard (APA-201)', Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division; NHHC page retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250202200946 (live NHHC URL returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (namesake line, specs block + service narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Menard (APA-201), VC2-S-AP5 (class Haskell), named for counties in central Illinois and west-central Texas: laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash., 1944-07-12; launched 1944-10-11 (sponsor Mrs. Clarence Gustaveson); acquired by the Navy 1944-10-31; commissioned same day at Astoria, Oreg., Comdr. James B. Bliss in command. Specs block: dp. 6,720; 455' x 62'; dr. 28'1"; 17 k.; cpl. 310; trp. 1,562; armament 1 5", 12 40mm., 10 20mm. Shakedown/training west coast; embarked troops and cargo Port Hueneme; sailed for Hawaiian waters 1945-01-04 (arrived 01-10); amphibious training out of Pearl Harbor to 02-22; convoy via Marshalls, Carolines, Palaus to Leyte Gulf (03-16); Transport Division 14; cleared Leyte approaches 03-27; closed Okinawa coast early 04-01, boatloaded assault troops, off-loaded cargo for a week under bombing/suicide-plane strikes; 04-06 suicide plane attacked from starboard - Menard's gunfire splashed it off the port quarter; departed Okinawa 04-09, Pearl Harbor 04-25; San Francisco 05-11 to 05-18; embarked 1,101 troop reinforcements 05-29; Samar 06-23; 300+ wounded veterans embarked, San Francisco 07-23; brief Seattle overhaul, sailed 08-08; shuttled troops Marshalls/Carolines/Marianas; departed Saipan 09-18 with 1,467 occupation troops, Nagasaki 09-23; sailed 09-28 for Magic Carpet; 1,898 troops embarked Okinawa, sailed 10-22, Portland Oreg. 11-06; west-coast veteran lifts rest of 1945; Guam round trip 1946-01-02 to 02-05 arriving Seattle with 2,057 troops; San Francisco 02-27; 19th Fleet Stockton 04-08; commission in reserve 1946-11-27; in service in reserve 1947-03-20; decommissioned 1948-06-14, Stockton Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 1950-12-02; Far East early 1951, >3 years Japan-Korea and west coast-Far East supply-line operations; post-Armistice 7th Fleet; late-1954 Passage-to-Freedom refugee/supply runs North Vietnam to South; west coast mid-1955; Pacific Reserve Fleet Long Beach 07-01 for deactivation; decommissioned 1955-10-18, berthed Long Beach; ordered transferred to Maritime Administration 1961; name struck 1961-09-01; berthed NDRF Suisun Bay. One battle star WWII, three battle stars Korea.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops (capacity ~1,475-1,562 depending on source); occupation troops and Magic Carpet passengers carried 1945-46
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, operational history, and disposition. Live NHHC DANFS page 404s (standing NHHC link rot) - Wayback capture of the NHHC page cited; HyperWar mirror has no APA-201 transcription (apa201.html absent). DANFS specs-block figures (cpl. 310, trp. 1,562, dr. 28'1", 17 k.) differ from BuShips/NavSource class-typical values - flagged in gaps, not merged. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MENARD, Ship History Detail 3319, incl. digitized status cards (card scans 3319_6169AF.jpg, 3319_AF.jpg, f877880b-4a6b-4ddb-b0a4-380d3ff6371f.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 3319 milestone table + status-card scans (all three card images read)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record (Detail 3319) and digitized Vessel Status Cards for MENARD (APA-201), MC hull 669, Kaiser Co., Vancouver, 1944, type VC2-S-AP5, 455' x 62': entered Suisun Bay NDRF custody 1960-12-20; sold under offering PD-X-997 on 1975-07-17 to American Ship Dismantlers, Inc. for $122,322.22 (contract MA-8010, sale conditions noted on card); withdrawn from the reserve fleet 1975-08-17. Milestone table: year built 1944, shipyard Kaiser Company, length 455 ft, beam 62 ft, entry/acquisition 12/20/1960, disposition/withdrawal 8/17/1975, fate Sold.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1960-1975
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews (1960-75); disposal-phase scrapping workers (1975)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for custody/disposal chronology and sale particulars. The MARAD web index labels this record 'MENARD (APA-281)' - an indexing error; the status cards themselves read APA-201 / MC hull 669 and every data point (builder, dimensions, dates, sale) matches APA-201 (see correction row ev-05). Custody entry 12/20/1960 precedes the 1961-09-01 striking - normal NDRF sequence of physical custody before formal strike/transfer completion. Cards contain no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Menard (APA-201) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APA-201 ship page - specifications block, CO list, campaign table, disposition section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive ship page for USS Menard (APA-201): repeats the DANFS narrative; adds a specifications block (455' x 62', ~14,837 t full load, 17.7 kt, 1 Allis-Chalmers geared turbine, 8,500 shp, single screw, 2 boilers; complement 56 officers / 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 87 officers / 1,475 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"/38, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10 x 20mm; cargo ~150,000 cu ft / 5,800 t), commanding-officer chronology, campaign/battle-star tables (Okinawa Gunto; Korean service), and disposition notes consistent with the MARAD card record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Ship's company (536 per NavSource) and embarked troops
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled source - used for corroboration and for spec/table details not in DANFS (per-hull complement, campaign table); DANFS and MARAD/BuShips carry the authoritative claims. NavSource's complement figures (56/480 + 87/1,475) conflict with DANFS's specs block (cpl. 310 / trp. 1,562) - flagged in gaps, not merged. Page unreachable on one later access attempt (transient DNS); content captured earlier this session. Contains no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-03
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. III (1945, NAVSHIPS 250-012), shipscribe.com scan (Google digitization) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA characteristics tables - dimensions row (PDF p. 276), personnel row (p. 277), machinery row (pp. 278-279), armament row (p. 280), construction row (p. 281); alphabetical index (p. 706) and MCV-hull index (p. 730), all list no. 168
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. III (1 Nov 1945, NAVSHIPS 250-012), APA characteristics tables, list no. 168 MENARD APA-201 (MC hull 669, Kaiser Co. Vancouver): dimensions 455' oa x 62' beam, 14,837 t full-load, 17.7 kt; machinery 1 Allis-Chalmers geared turbine ('1 A. turb.'), 8,500 shp, 2 boilers ('do.' cell), 465 psi / 750 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 (D.P.), 40mm (4 twin, 1 quad), 10 x 20mm; cargo ~150,000 cu ft / 5,800 t deadweight; construction row builder Kaiser Co., Vancouver, Wash.; index rows confirm MENARD = list 168 = APA-201 = MCV hull 669.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops
- Limitations
- Primary wartime technical source - ship-specific per-hull rows, not class-level boilerplate; rows matched by list no. 168 / APA-201 / MCV 669. OCR of the scan misreads MENARD as 'MEXARD' in the personnel table and misaligns that row's cells (shows C3-type figures inconsistent with the hull's own index/dimensions rows) - personnel cells not relied on; dimensions/machinery/armament cells verified in place. Boiler-manufacturer cell is a 'do.' ditto whose anchor cannot be cleanly resolved in the OCR - maker not asserted. Contains no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-04
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - search result label 'MENARD (APA-281)' vs Detail 3319 status-card contents [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipList result label vs Detail 3319 card scans (APA-201 / MCV-669 printed on cards)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database indexes the Detail-3319 record under the label 'MENARD (APA-281)'. The hull number in that label is an indexing error: the record's own status cards read APA-201 and MC hull 669, and the milestone data (1944 build, Kaiser Company Vancouver, VC2-S-AP5, 455' x 62', 12/20/1960 Suisun Bay entry, 1975 sale/withdrawal) all correspond to USS Menard APA-201. No vessel designated APA-281 ever existed in the Navy's APA hull-number sequence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Correction row: documents an official-database labeling error so downstream consumers do not propagate 'APA-281'. The underlying record is sound; only the index label is wrong. Researchers searching MARAD by hull number will not find this hull under 'APA-201' - search by name required.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-05
-
[6]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + DANFS service/repair chronology + MARAD custody and disposal card record [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull machinery row (ev-04); service/custody chronology (ev-01, ev-02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the VC2-S-AP5 attack transport is a geared-steam ship built 1944 at Kaiser Vancouver - this hull's documented plant is 1 Allis-Chalmers turbine, 8,500 shp, fed by 2 boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F superheated - built at a Kaiser-system yard at the peak of wartime asbestos application. Typical applications for the type: boiler and fireroom insulation; steam-line and turbine lagging; valve/flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation and joiner insulation for troop berthing; winch/windlass brake linings. Documented disturbance events on this hull that would have contacted machinery and insulation: the 1945 Seattle overhaul, the 1946-48 inactivation and 1950 reactivation work periods, ~15 years of NDRF lay-up at Suisun Bay (1960-1975), and the 1975 disposal scrapping. The 6 April 1945 kamikaze engagement ended with the aircraft splashed and no recorded damage to the ship.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Co., Vancouver, 1944); ship's company/embarked troops (1944-46, 1950-55); overhaul/reactivation shipyard crews (1945, 1946-48, 1950-51); NDRF caretaker crews (1960-75); disposal-phase scrapping workers (1975)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-level asbestos record exists for this hull. Establishes no quantities, no locations, no condition, and no exposure for any individual aboard. Repair, lay-up, and disposal events are documented as events; their materials scope is not documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-06
-
[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 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11:3 (1987), WWII shipbuilding asbestos policy/practice discussion
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era context for wartime shipbuilding asbestos use: Corn & Starr document that World War II-era U.S. shipbuilding applied asbestos extensively in insulation, lagging, and related shipboard applications, with wartime production pressures outpacing protective measures - the industrial environment in which VC2-S-AP5 hulls were built at Kaiser Vancouver in 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- U.S. wartime shipbuilding workforce (1941-1945 era)
- Limitations
- Industry-wide era context, not a hull record. Establishes the wartime asbestos-use environment only; says nothing about this specific vessel's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-07
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[8]DOT Office of Inspector General, 'Report on the Program for Scrapping Obsolete Vessels, Maritime Administration,' MA-2000-067 (2000-03-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MA-2000-067, asbestos/hazardous-substance discussion in obsolete-NDRF-vessel context
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- DOT Office of Inspector General audit of MARAD's obsolete-vessel scrapping program documents that deteriorating NDRF reserve-fleet vessels awaiting disposal contain hazardous substances including asbestos, and that their condition complicates and delays disposal - the reserve-fleet environment at Suisun Bay in which this hull lay 1960-1975.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2000
- Population
- NDRF reserve-fleet disposal workforce (fleet-wide context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-context document: discusses asbestos as a standard constituent of obsolete NDRF vessels generally; does not name Menard and postdates her 1975 withdrawal. Cannot be read as a ship-specific asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records / logbook guidance: RG 24 Entry 118 deck logs; RG 19 BuShips; RG 178 USMC construction records; MARAD card-document references [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA record-group guidance pages; MARAD status-card document references
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved: NARA RG 24 Entry 118 deck logs for APA-201 (both commission periods, 1944-48 and 1950-55); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) construction/repair records; NARA RG 178 (Maritime Commission) contract and construction records for MCV hull 669 at Kaiser Vancouver; MARAD internal documents referenced by the status cards (PD-X-997 offering file; contract MA-8010; 1960 transfer-custody memoranda).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these files was retrieved; no spend authorized this batch. Whether any of them contains asbestos-relevant material is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py), opinion and RECAP docket indexes - this record's search ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-menard-apa201-05 through sl-uss-menard-apa201-09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated searches returned no qualifying result for this hull: opinion search '"USS Menard"' returned zero; docket-index search '"APA-201"' (type=r) returned 13 hits, all name collisions on review - docket-number and statutory/string matches with no vessel reference; broad bare-name 'Menard' opinion sweep returned 109 hits dominated by surname and name-collision results (Menard County, Menard Correctional Center, Menard Inc. retail litigation), no ship-context result on reviewed pages. The refined ship-context query ('Menard' + vessel/USS/asbestos terms), the '"USS Menard"' docket-index query, and the '"APA-201"' opinion query could not be run to completion - the fleet-shared CourtListener pacing budget was exhausted for this session. A prior class-wide sweep (Haskell-class profile, class-f) found no asbestos docket naming any Haskell-class member.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Sweep incomplete by design of the fleet limiter: exact-name opinion and hull-number docket queries completed clean, but the refined ship-context opinion query, the '"USS Menard"' docket query, and the '"APA-201"' opinion query were blocked by fleet-wide pacing and are logged as gaps, not results. RECAP-indexed text only in any case; county-named hulls under-cover filings that omit hull numbers, and asbestos litigation often names shipbuilders/operators rather than hulls. Absence of a docketed case does not establish absence of exposure; no exposure finding made.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-10
-
[11]Batch-2273 search ledger (this record): DANFS/Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3319 + 3 status-card scans; NavSource 10/03/03201; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 list no. 168 rows; Kaiser Vancouver yard table (corroboration only); DOT OIG MA-2000-067; NARA guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-menard-apa201-01 through sl-uss-menard-apa201-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documentation sweep for this hull found no ship-specific asbestos record: DANFS narrative and specs block (no materials content); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3319 and all three status-card scans (custody/sale chronology only, no asbestos or hazmat statement); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v3 per-hull rows (machinery/dimensions/armament only, no insulation-materials schedule); NavSource ship page (no asbestos reference). No asbestos survey, abatement contract, work package, or hazmat disclosure naming this hull was located in any source searched.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof of absence of asbestos aboard the hull. WWII-era VC2-S-AP5 construction is era-suggestive (see ev-06), but no source searched documents asbestos aboard Menard specifically; hull-level status remains unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menard-apa201-11