Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet v-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. No phantom, no collision. — real identity: USS Mountrail (APA-213, later LPA-213); namesake: Mountrail County, North Dakota [secondary] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mountrail
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-mountrail-apa213-pkt-v-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) tables, item no. 178 MOUNTRAIL APA-213 row (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication; PDF text- and page-image-verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA alphabetical tables (scan pp. ~258-263): dimensions row, personnel row, machinery row, armament/cargo row, construction row - all item no. 178
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for MOUNTRAIL APA-213 (item no. 178, index entry 'Mountrail (ex-M.C.V. Hull 561)'): 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots trial; 14,837 tons; machinery 1 Westinghouse turbine, 8,500 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at the class-standard 465 psi / 750F (the scan's pressure cell for this row reads '405' - a degraded-print artifact; every flanking sister row reads 465); 3 x 300kW 120/240 DC turbo-drive generators; NSFO 7,780 bbls + diesel 970 bbls; accommodations 56 officers + 480 enlisted, troop capacity 87 officers + 1,475 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin and 1 quad 40mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft / 2,900 DWT; construction row: Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif.; acquired 16 Nov 44; year built 1944; first commission 16 Nov 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, builder, and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Mountrail (APA-213)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209190402) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (capture 20251209190402)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: namesake a county in North Dakota; built under Maritime Commission contract by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif.; launched 20 Sep 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Margaret H. Marshall; commissioned 16 Nov 1944, Comdr. R. R. Stevens in command. WWII: Seattle embarkation, sailed 10 Jan 1945; Leyte Gulf 21 Feb; amphibious training with 77th Infantry Division; departed San Pedro Bay 21 Mar; arrived off Kerama Retto 26 Mar; landed troops 2 Apr while gunners shot down three planes; San Francisco 22 May; Manila troop lift; San Francisco 5 Aug; Batangas, Luzon 11 Sep; occupation troops to Hakodate 4 Oct; Marines to Tsingtao; sailed for home 5 Nov; decommissioned 12 Jul 1946, Pacific Reserve Fleet Stockton. Korea: recommissioned 9 Sep 1950; Japan-Korea shuttle; San Diego 2 Aug 1951; second 7th Fleet tour 28 May 1952 (Hong Kong-Korea, 6 months); Kojo feint 14 Oct; Japan 28 Nov 1953; Operation 'Passage to Freedom' Aug 1954; Long Beach 9 Oct 1954; decommissioned 1 Oct 1955. Cold War: recommissioned 22 Nov 1961, Amphibious Squadron 12 Atlantic Fleet; Guantanamo Bay during Cuban Missile Crisis fall 1962; NATO exercises southern Spain Oct-Nov 1964; first 6th Fleet deployment 8 Feb 1965; Norway exercises Jun-Jul; annual 6th Fleet deployments into 1969. One battle star WWII, three Korean service.
- 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 through its writing date. The entry was written while the ship remained in service ('Into 1969, Mountrail has continued annual deployments') and therefore does not cover the 1969 LPA-213 redesignation, 1970 decommissioning, 1976 striking, or 1989-91 disposal - those events rest on NavSource and MARAD card evidence. 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Mountrail (LPA-213) ex (APA-213), file 10/03/03213 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 03213.htm - specifications block, campaign tables, decommissioning/disposal entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and supplies the dates DANFS lacks: laid down 24 Jun 1944 as MC hull 561 at Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 2, Richmond, CA; commissioned 16 Nov 1944, CDR Robert R. Stevens USNR; TransRon Seventeen (COMO T.B. Brittan) / TransDiv Fifty-One (CAPT J.L. Allen); Okinawa Gunto operation 26 Mar-25 Apr 1945; Navy Occupation Service and China Service (extended) 3 Oct-4 Nov 1945; decommissioned 12 Jul 1946 Stockton, Pacific Reserve Fleet Stockton Group; recommissioned 9 Sep 1950; China service 15-28 May 1951; Korean campaigns - First UN Counter Offensive 5-12 Feb 1951, Communist China Spring Offensive 11-14 May 1951, Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (1-19 Aug, 27 Aug-4 Sep, 17-18 Oct, 11-19 Nov); decommissioned 1 Oct 1955 Long Beach; transferred to NDRF Suisun Bay 7 Jun 1960; withdrawn for reactivation 5 Aug 1961; recommissioned 22 Nov 1961; redesignated Amphibious Transport (LPA-213) 1 Jan 1969; decommissioned 13 Aug 1970 and delivered to MARAD same day for NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; permanent MARAD custody 1 Sep 1971; stricken from Naval Register 1 Dec 1976; final disposition 28 Sep 1989 trade-out to Exxon Shipping Co., resold to Rivson International then Eckhart Marine GmbH for scrapping in India or Bangladesh; removed from Reserve Fleet 1 Jul 1990; scrapping completed 21 May 1991. Spec block: 6,873 t light / 14,837 t full; 455' x 62' x 24'; 17.7 kt; 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers + 1,475 enlisted; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 B&W header-type boilers (465 psi, 750F), double Westinghouse main reduction gears, three 300kW turbo-drive generators, 8,500 shp, single propeller; armament 1x5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm, 10x20mm; call sign NPPT; awards incl. Navy Battle 'E' Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuba), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1991
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC and the MARAD cards. Minor variances vs SDB: troop officer accommodations 86 (NavSource) vs 87 (SDB scan); NavSource disposal narrative says 'resold to Rivson International, Inc., resold to Eckhart Marine GmbH' - the MARAD MA-20 card supplies the fuller chain (Gulfmar Shipping C.V. nominee; Bomar Resources resale 1990-03-15). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - MOUNTRAIL (LPA-213), Ship History Detail 3522, incl. digitized vessel status cards (Forms MA-199, MA-383) and Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 3522 milestone table + status card scans (cards/3522_6516BF.jpg Suisun card; cards/3522_6516AF.jpg James River card; cards/6942c617-...png MA-199 status card; cards/3522_AF.jpg + 3522_AB.jpg MA-20 sale record front/back)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD custody record for this hull (card images read directly): MA-383 card - entered Suisun Bay NDRF 7 Jun 1960 under temporary Navy custody (reimbursable), withdrawn 5 Aug 1961 'Navy - Perm. Transfer (Berlin Emergency)'. MA-199 card - Navy to Reserve Fleet James River 13 Aug 1970 (1:10 p.m. EDT); permanent transfer to Maritime Admin. 1 Sep 1971; 'Taken out for stripping' James River 19 Sep 1984; returned 14 Aug 1985; sold for scrap. MA-20 Record of Ship Sales - contract MA-12464 dated 28 Sep 1989: per s510(i) Merchant Marine Act 1936, MOUNTRAIL (LPA-213) traded out with SANTA BARBARA, BESSEMER VICTORY and HALAULA VICTORY to Exxon Shipping Company as partial exchange for EXXON LEXINGTON; immediately resold to Rivson International Inc. (Delaware, non-U.S.-citizen, nominee of Gulfmar Shipping C.V., Netherlands) for scrapping India/Thailand/Pakistan; resold by Bomar Resources Inc. (formerly Rivson) to Eckhardt Marine GmbH (FRG) for scrapping India or Bangladesh 15 Mar 1990; 'Vessel scrapped 5-21-91. Contractor & surety released.' LSW 6,489.4 tons. Registry page: Year Built 1944; Shipyard Permanente Metals Corporation; MARAD Type VC2-S-AP5; Fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Entry/Acquisition 8/13/1970.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1960-1991
- Population
- NDRF preservation/stripping crews (1960-61, 1970-90); ship-breaking workers (India or Bangladesh, 1990-91)
- Limitations
- Authoritative MARAD custody and disposal records naming this hull - the primary-source chain for reserve-fleet lay-ups, the 1984-85 stripping withdrawal (a documented disturbance event), and final scrapping. The stripping card entry documents removal work but does not specify materials; asbestos scope is not stated and remains inference. Registry 'General Type: Training (School) / Specific Type: Training Ship' is a MARAD cataloging quirk inconsistent with this hull's attack-transport record - flagged in the correction row. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-04
-
[6]NHHC DANFS 'Mountrail (APA-213)' (Wayback capture 20251209190402) vs HyperWar/ibiblio print-DANFS transcription, NavSource, MARAD cards, and haskell-class.class.json member row [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Okinawa/occupation paragraphs; https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa213.html; NavSource spec block; MARAD Detail 3522 registry fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) HyperWar transcription of print DANFS reads 'Returning San Francisco 6 August' and 'sailing for home 6 November'; the current NHHC entry reads 5 August and 5 November - NHHC adopted. (b) NHHC prints 'returned to Long Reach 9 October 1954' - evident typo for Long Beach (HyperWar transcription reads Long Beach). (c) Troop officer accommodations: SDB row 87 vs NavSource 86 - unresolved, flagged in gaps. (d) DANFS spec block 'cpl. 567' vs SDB 56+480=536 ship's company - the 567 figure likely counts a different manning basis; unresolved, flagged in gaps. (e) MARAD registry labels this hull 'Training Ship' - inconsistent with all primary sources; treated as a cataloging error. (f) haskell-class.class.json member row spells the builder 'Permanent Metals' - corrected to Permanente Metals Corporation per DANFS, SDB, and MARAD.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1991
- Limitations
- Resolves secondary-source conflicts against NHHC, SDB, and MARAD card text; items (c) and (d) remain unresolved variances. None of the compared sources contains asbestos information; this row supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + VC2-S-AP5 type data (shipscribe APA class pages) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, item no. 178; MARAD status cards (stripping entry)
- 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 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 ~1,560) added interior insulation scope. Three commissionings (1944-46, 1950-55, 1961-70) across three decades, two reserve-fleet lay-ups (Stockton 1946-50; Suisun Bay 1960-61), the documented 1984-85 James River stripping withdrawal, and 1990-91 overseas breaking are the disturbance-phase pathways for this hull. Builder Permanente Metals Yard No. 2 is within the Kaiser Richmond complex - a documented asbestos-cluster yard (see related_shipyards).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1991
- Population
- Construction trades at Permanente Metals, Richmond (1944); wartime and Cold War crews and embarked troops; NDRF lay-up/stripping crews; 1990-91 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and builder - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-213 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-06
-
[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-mountrail-apa213-07
-
[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-mountrail-apa213-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 sweeps (authenticated, 2026-09-25): opinions '"Mountrail" asbestos' = 0; '"USS Mountrail"' = 0; '"LPA-213"' = 0; '"APA-213"' = 1 (collision); '"Mountrail"' = 337 (all collisions); dockets '"Mountrail" asbestos OR mesothelioma OR ship' = 227 (all collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- Search-ledger rows sl-uss-mountrail-apa213-06 and -07 (queries, counts, classification)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located: the only '"APA-213"' opinion hit is State of Texas v. United States (5th Cir. 2022, opinion 8246834), a collision on an administrative-record page cite ('APA' = Administrative Procedure Act context), not the vessel. All 'Mountrail' opinion hits resolve to Mountrail County, North Dakota litigation (county government, Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative, oil-bakken disputes); all 'Mountrail' docket hits resolve to the same North Dakota entities. No docketed asbestos case naming USS Mountrail / APA-213 / LPA-213 / M.C.V. Hull 561 was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexing is not exhaustive - RECAP coverage of state courts and un-digitized filings is partial, and a vessel name absent from indexed opinions can still appear in unindexed pleadings. One planned docket query ('"Mountrail" asbestos', type=r) was attempted three times and refused each time by the fleet-wide pacing limiter (2026-09-25) - logged as blocked in the search ledger; coverage rests on the completed sweeps. A negative litigation result establishes only that no indexed case was located, not that no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-09
-
[11]Batch-2286 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03213; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3522 + status cards; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; CourtListener API v4 sweeps; NVR; indexed-web litigation checks; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mountrail-apa213-01 through sl-uss-mountrail-apa213-09
- 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 Mountrail / APA-213 / LPA-213 / M.C.V. Hull 561 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com; asbestosnavy.com list) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as sources 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 transport is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her three commissionings, two lay-ups, the 1984-85 stripping event, and 1990-91 overseas breaking are undocumented disturbance phases for this hull. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mountrail-apa213-10
-
[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); MARAD ShipHistory status cards for this hull (retrieved) [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/3522 (documents tab: 'No documents for this vessel')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Mountrail spanning all three commissionings - 1944-1946, 1950-1955, and 1961-1970 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklets of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 561 at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2 (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the Suisun Bay lay-up (1960-61), James River lay-up (1970-90), the 1984-85 stripping work, and sale contract MA-12464 (RG 357). The MARAD ShipHistory status-card set for this hull was retrieved this session (unlike the batch-155 Haskell page, whose detail fetch 502'd); no documents tab entries exist for this hull.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1991 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-mountrail-apa213-11