Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet u-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. No phantom, no collision. — real identity: USS Mifflin (APA-207); namesake: a county in central Pennsylvania [DANFS mirror] http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa207.html (MIRROR-SOURCED)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-mifflin-apa207-pkt-u-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, per-hull rows for MIFFLIN APA-207 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA tables - dimensions/personnel/machinery/armament/construction rows (scanned pp. ~277-282 of the shipscribe PDF); vessel list index (APA-207 MIFFLIN)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for MIFFLIN APA-207 (ex-M.C. hull): 455'0" overall / 436'6" wl; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots trial; 14,837 tons trial displacement; 12,450 tons limiting displacement at 24'0" limiting draft; personnel 56 officers + 480 enlisted ship's company with troop accommodations 87 officers + 1,475 enlisted; machinery 1 Westinghouse turbine, 2 'C. E. hdr' (Combustion Engineering header-type) boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F, 8,500 shp, single screw; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm; builder Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif.; commissioned/acquired 11 Oct 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, machinery plant (including the per-hull boiler make), manning, builder, and commissioning. OCR of the scanned tables is columnar and partially garbled; values were cross-verified against DANFS, MARAD card data, NavSource, and the shipscribe class table. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'USS Mifflin (APA-207)' entry, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (live NHHC URL returns 404 - standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01; verbatim text via HyperWar/ibiblio transcription mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: named for a county in central Pennsylvania; laid down 15 May 1944 by Permanente Metals Corp., Shipyard No. 2, Richmond, Calif.; launched 7 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Alma De Brettville Sprecies [sic in transcription]; accepted by the Navy on a loan basis; commissioned 11 October 1944, Comdr. L. J. Modave in command. Spec block: dp. 6,270; l. 455'3"; b. 62'; dr. 24'; s. 19.2 k.; cpl. 494; armament 1 x 5", 12 x 40mm, 10 x 20mm; cl. Haskell. After shakedown she embarked 1,100 troops to Pearl Harbor, then carried 4th Division Marines in exercises off Maui; ordered to Saipan 27 Jan 1945; on 19 Feb her boats landed 4th Marines on Iwo Jima; remained almost a week offloading and receiving casualties - her beach party suffered 14 wounded and 3 missing, and the ship took a shell hit on her 40mm gun director; retired to Saipan 28 Feb. Sailed 16 Mar to Tinian for Okinawa rehearsal; 1-2 Apr her boats feinted a 2d Division landing on the southeastern shore; returned Marines to Saipan until early June; New Hebrides stores discharged at Guam 30 Jun; sailed 4 Jul for San Francisco with a small passenger list 'and a need for repairs.' Two months later she returned to the western Pacific: 1,600 Army replacement troops to Manila; 33d Infantry Division occupation troops to Wakayama (arrived 25 Sep); over 1,000 24th Infantry Division troops Mindanao to Okajima in October; Magic Carpet duty from Okinawa Nov 1945-Mar 1946 returning veterans to San Francisco. Placed out of service in reserve 6 July 1946 [sic - see gaps], 19th Fleet, Stockton, Calif.; struck from the Navy Register 1 October 1958 and returned to the Maritime Commission; NDRF Suisun Bay into 1969. Two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1969
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history and specification block. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Two documented conflicts flagged in gaps: decommission date (DANFS 6 Jul vs NavSource/shipscribe 5 Jul 1946) and MARCOM return date (DANFS 'same date' as 1 Oct 1958 striking vs MARAD status card physical fleet entry 5 Aug 1958). Live NHHC page 404s; the ibiblio transcription is the verbatim DANFS text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - MIFFLIN (APA-207), Ship History Detail 3369, incl. three scanned status cards (Form MC-7146a vessel status card; Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars; Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 3369 registry block and milestones; status-card images 3369_AF.jpg (MA-20 Record of Ship Sales), 3369_6253AF.jpg (MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars), 99ba6cee-10c5-4f32-afdb-38cf7cc29fd2.png (MC-7146a vessel status card)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD registry and scanned status cards document the custody chain for this hull: Type VC2-S-AP5, hull no. 555, D.W.T. 5,914, gross 7,750, built by Permanente Metals Corp. at Richmond, Calif., completed 10-10-44; 'Reserve Fleet (Permanent Transfer)' delivered Suisun Bay 8-5-58 3:00 PM PDST (MA-383 entered Aug. 5, 1958, 1500 hrs PDST; service prior to lay-up 'Navy - Permanent Transfer'; title 'Reimbursable USMA Perm. Layup'; reimbursable $118 per ship per month until FY 1960; costs for preservation during FY 1959 not to exceed $16,000 per ship). Sold under PD-X-997 (advertised 6-9-75, opened 7-11-75, under two conditions: (1) NTU, (2) SCRAP HULL-US; award under condition (1) NTU) to West Waterway Lumber Company 7-17-75 for $128,009.00, contract MA-8016; physically delivered/withdrawn 8-6-75 1:30 PM PDT. Registry milestones: Entry/Acquisition 8/5/1958; Disposition/Withdrawal 8/6/1975 ('CUST 1958').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1958-1975
- Population
- NDRF Suisun Bay lay-up/preservation workforce (1958-1975); 1975 purchaser's breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD custody records naming this hull - primary documentation of the reserve-fleet and disposal phases, including a documented FY 1959 preservation expenditure (scope of preservation work not itemized) and the NTU/scrap sale terms. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Mifflin (APA-207), file 10/03/03207 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 03207.htm - specifications block, campaign table, occupation-service table, commanding-officer table, disposal entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource file corroborates DANFS and adds detail: laid down 15 May 1944 as MC type VC2-S-AP5 hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 555) at Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 2, Richmond, CA; launched 7 Aug 1944; commissioned 11 Oct 1944, CDR Louis J. Modave USNR in command; call sign NPOH (November-Papa-Oscar-Hotel); campaign credit - Iwo Jima operation, assault and occupation 19-25 Feb 1945, and Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 1-11 Apr 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 15-30 Oct 1945 and 7-18 Dec 1945; decommissioned 5 Jul 1946 at Stockton CA and laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet Stockton Group; returned to the Maritime Commission 8 Aug 1958 [card reads 5 Aug - see gaps] for NDRF Suisun Bay lay-up; struck 1 Oct 1958; sold 17 Jul 1975 to West Waterway Lumber Co. for non-transportation use (PD-X-997 dated 9 Jun 1975) $128,009.00, withdrawn from Suisun Bay 6 Aug 1975. CO table: Modave 11 Oct 44-16 May 45; Thibault 16 May-1 Jun 45; Healy 1 Jun 45-15 May 46; Waldron to decommissioning 5 Jul 46. Two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed, consistent with NHHC/MARAD, non-official; content verified via the indexed page text (direct fetch of navsource.org/.net failed in this environment - see search_ledger). CO-table endpoint supports the 5 Jul 1946 decommissioning vs DANFS's 6 Jul. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-04
-
[6]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Haskell (APA-117) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA-117 class page: characteristics block, construction table (APA-207 row), disposition table (APA-207 row), ship notes (APA-207 note)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-design compilation naming this hull in the class tables: MIFFLIN APA-207, acquired 11 Oct 44, builder 'Permanente Metals #2', keel 15 May 44, launch 7 Aug 44, commissioned 11 Oct 44; disposition row - decommissioned 5 Jul 46, struck 1 Oct 58, to NDRF 5 Aug 58, sold 17 Jul 75; ship note - 'In USN reserve 1946-58. To buyer 6 Aug 75', MC hull 555. Class-level context: MC design VC2-S-AP5; 6,873 t light / 12,450 t limiting; 455.0' oa / 436.5' pp x 62.0' x 24.0' lim; complement 536 (1944); 17.7 kts; 8,500 HP, turbine (Westinghouse, Joshua-Hendy, or Allis-Chalmers) 1 screw; original armament 1-5"/38 + 1-40mmQ + 4-40mmT + 10-20mm (1944-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; values consistent with SDB 1945 v3, DANFS, and the MARAD cards. Confirms the 5 Aug 1958 NDRF entry against DANFS's simplified 'same date' as the 1 Oct 1958 striking. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull machinery row for APA-207 + VC2-S-AP5 type data [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, APA section (MIFFLIN row); class profile haskell-class.class.json ev-01/02
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Westinghouse geared turbine, two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F, 8,500 shp) built at the peak of WWII asbestos usage at a Maritime Commission Kaiser-system yard - 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 (SDB capacity ~1,560) added interior insulation scope. Documented disturbance-phase events for this hull are the July-September 1945 San Francisco repair period ('a need for repairs' per DANFS), ~17 years of NDRF Suisun Bay lay-up with a documented FY 1959 preservation expenditure, and the 1975 NTU sale and breaking - the asbestos scope of each is inference, not record.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Construction trades at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2, Richmond (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; 1945 repair workforce; NDRF lay-up/preservation crews (1958-1975); 1975 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull asbestos record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-207 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-06
-
[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., 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 (whether Permanente Metals Richmond 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 - DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-07
-
[9]Atlas shipyards.json entry 'kaiser-shipyards' (Kaiser Richmond shipyards, Richmond, CA): California DTSC site record documenting asbestos-containing materials in soils/structures at the former Kaiser Richmond yard; builder of 747 vessels 1940-1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json 'kaiser-shipyards' record (DTSC Site ID 400137001; Richmond Harbor Restoration Project)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The hull's builder - Permanente Metals Corp. Shipyard No. 2, Richmond - is part of the Kaiser Richmond yard complex, which carries independent Atlas documentation (shipyards.json 'kaiser-shipyards', evidence_tier 3) of asbestos-containing materials in the shipyard environment: insulation, fireproofing, hull insulation, boiler components, pipe coverings, turbine insulation, electrical wiring, deck materials, adhesives, and brake systems associated with wartime construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1945 construction era; site documentation later
- Population
- Permanente Metals / Kaiser Richmond construction workforce (1940-1945)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation for the builder site - context for the construction-phase exposure environment only. Does not document materials installed aboard this hull and establishes nothing about asbestos content, condition, or individual exposure aboard APA-207.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches (helper cl-auth-search.py), 2026-09-25 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mifflin-apa207-05 through sl-uss-mifflin-apa207-08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep results: '"USS Mifflin"' opinions count=0; '"USS Mifflin"' dockets count=0; '"APA-207"' opinions count=2, both name collisions - Destefano v. United States (Fed. Cl. 2002, IRS-reward/tax case) and Pilot Air Freight v. Manna Freight Systems (Del. Ch. 2020, fiduciary case) where 'APA' is not this hull; '"Mifflin" asbestos' opinions count=45, all reviewed hits are name collisions (Mifflin County/Township PA venues, attorney and party surnames, Philadelphia street references) - no opinion names USS Mifflin or APA-207 as a vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- RECAP-indexed text only; pleadings that name the ship by county name alone without 'USS' or the hull number under-resolve against 'Mifflin' (a Pennsylvania county name), so county-name under-coverage is possible. Classified at sweep level - a name match is not a case. Absence of docketed text does not prove no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mifflin-apa207-09
-
[11]Batch-2279 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar mirror (live NHHC 404); MARAD Vessel History Database Detail 3369 + three status-card scans; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull rows; NavSource 03207; shipscribe APA-117 class page; CourtListener authenticated API sweeps; indexed-web litigation check; VA BVA index check; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mifflin-apa207-01 through sl-uss-mifflin-apa207-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, VA decision, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Mifflin / APA-207 / MC hull 555 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com dedicated hull page; simmonsfirm.com navy ship list; mesotheliomaasbestoshelpcenter.com list) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as a source per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report.
- 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 auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her ~17 years in NDRF custody (with a documented FY 1959 preservation spend), the undocumented July-September 1945 San Francisco repair period, and the 1975 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-mifflin-apa207-10
-
[12]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 ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/3369 (status-card scans retrieved)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Mifflin 1944-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park - WWII-era logs are not part of the Vietnam-era digitization tranche); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and the Booklet of General Plans for this design (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 555 at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2 (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1958-1975 Suisun Bay lay-up (incl. the FY 1959 preservation work capped at $16,000 noted on the status card) and the PD-X-997 / MA-8016 sale file (RG 357) - the sale file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead; MARAD card also references 'Navy letter June 15, 1958 (2 enclosures)' and 'Marad reply June 20, 1958' transfer correspondence.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975 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-mifflin-apa207-11