Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet m-packet.md (12 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced; direct DANFS unreachable). — real identity: USS Napa (the third USS Napa — DANFS styles her "Napa II");
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced; direct DANFS unreachable).
- Evidence ID
- uss-napa-apa157-pkt-m-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Napa II (APA-157)', Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (DANFS vol. 5); HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (specs block + service narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Napa (APA-157), MCV hull 123, VC2-S-AP5: laid down 1944-06-07 under Maritime Commission contract by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland, OR; launched 1944-08-12 (sponsor Mrs. Cranston Williams); acquired on loan-charter basis and commissioned 1944-10-01, Capt. Francis J. Firth. Shakedown off California; embarked Seabees at Port Hueneme; Pearl Harbor 1944-12-02; TransDiv 44, Amphibious Forces Pacific; trained with 4th Marine Division; sailed with TF 51 1945-01-27. Off Iwo Jima from 1945-02-19, lowered boats for H-hour, received casualties; rammed by USS Logan (APA-196) ~0445 on 1945-02-21 - 15-ft hole frames 88-102 extending 10 ft beyond turn of bilge; flooding confined to No. 4 hold; no casualties. Remained until 02-24; repairs at Guam, then Pearl Harbor (Capt. F. Kent Loomis assumed command 1945-04-14). Sailed from Seattle 1945-06-20 with Army units to Okinawa (Machinato 08-05); Saipan 08-14; Philippines mid-September; occupation lifts: 8th Army to Yokohama, 6th Marine Division to Tsingtao, Chinese 62d Army Haiphong to Takao; Magic Carpet duty from 1945-11-24; San Francisco 12-16; second China run 1946-01-04 to 02-24; departed San Diego 03-01, Norfolk 03-16; decommissioned Baltimore 1946-05-24; returned to Maritime Commission 05-30; MARAD Reserve Fleet James River. One battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (~536) and embarked troops (~1,520 capacity); casualty evacuees aboard 1945-02
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, operational history, and casualty/repair narrative. Live NHHC DANFS page 404s (standing NHHC link rot) - transcription mirror cited. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - NAPA (LPA-157), Ship History Detail 3539, incl. digitized status cards (Vessel Status Card AF face; Record of Ship Sales form MA-20; card backs) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 3539, milestone table + status card scans 3539_AF.jpg, 3539_6549AF.jpg, 3539_6549AB.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record (Detail 3539) and digitized status cards document full custody chain for NAPA (APA-157), hull 123, VC2-S-AP5, built Oregon SB Corp. Portland, completed 1944-09-30: delivered to Navy Dept. at Astoria, OR 1944-10-01 (11:24 AM PWT); Reserve Fleet at Lee Hall, VA 1946-05-30 (2:00 PM EDT); withdrawn 1956-02-08 under General Agency Agreement to American-Hawaiian SS Co. for the 1956 Repair Program; returned James River 1956-05-10; card notes her moored 'channel side head down alongside Haskell'; trade-out scrap ship for SS CONNECTICUT - awarded to Connecticut Transport, Inc. (c/o Ogden Marine, Inc., 280 Park Ave., NY) under MARAD contracts MA-11429 and MA-11433 dated 1983-09-17; withdrawn from fleet and delivered to Filia Oil N.V. (Netherlands Antilles) 1983-12-16 12:30 PM EST. Fuel oil on fleet entry: 852 bbls Bunker C, 154 diesel. Termination port last voyage: Norfolk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews; 1956 repair-program yard workers (American-Hawaiian GAA); 1983 disposal/scrapping workers
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody, repair-program withdrawal, and disposal chain; handwritten card entries partially legible (image read). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Wikipedia's 'sold for scrap 17 May 1983' conflicts with card-documented 1983-09-17 award and 1983-12-16 withdrawal - card dates adopted; see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Napa (LPA-157) ex APA-157 page (DANFS-derived history + specifications block + CO roster) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org 10/03/03157, specifications block and commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource APA/LPA-157 page corroborates the DANFS record and adds the ship-specific specification block: one Westinghouse geared turbine; two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 465 psi / 750 deg F; double Westinghouse main reduction gears; three 300 kW 120/240 V DC ship's service generators; single propeller 8,500 shp; complement 56 officers / 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 80 officers / 1,440 enlisted; boats 2 LCM, 1 LCPL(open), 1 LCPL(gig), 2 LCPR, 18 LCVP; armament 1x 5"/38, 4x twin 40mm, 1x quad 40mm, 10x 20mm. Commanding officers: CAPT F. J. Firth (1944-10-01 to 1945-04-14), CAPT F. K. Loomis (to 1945-12-15), CDR G. F. Forster (to 1946-05-24). Campaign: Iwo Jima operation 18-25 Feb 1945. Struck from Naval Register 1946-06-17; redesignated LPA-157 1969-01-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troop complement
- Limitations
- Unofficial but standard Navy-vessel compilation consistent with DANFS/BuShips; troop-berthing figures differ slightly from BuShips SDB v3 (80/1,440 vs 87/1,475) - source-level variance noted, not merged. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. III (April 1945, NAVSHIPS 250-012), shipscribe.com scan (Google digitization) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v3 APA characteristics table p.179, NAPA/APA-157 row; index p.~179/333 ff.
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels,' 1945 ed., Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012) carries a named NAPA (APA-157) row in the auxiliary characteristics tables (p. 179): M.C.V. Hull 123, 455 ft 0 in oa / 436 ft 6 in, beam 62 ft 0 in, 17.7 kt, 14,837 t - wartime official data confirming the hull's principal characteristics within the APA tables.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Official wartime BuShips publication; OCR of scanned table is degraded - row read confirms identity/dimensions/speed/displacement; per-cell machinery values for this hull could not be reliably re-extracted from OCR (class machinery figures per NavSource block). No asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-04
-
[6]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery data for the VC2-S-AP5 type + NavSource ship spec block + DANFS repair history [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class/type technical data; this record's ev-01/ev-02 repair chronology
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the VC2-S-AP5 attack transport is a single-screw geared-steam ship (Westinghouse turbine, two superheated B&W boilers at 465 psi/750 deg F, 8,500 shp) built 1944 at Oregon Shipbuilding - 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. The hull's documented repair events (1945 collision repair at Guam/Pearl Harbor; 1956 NDRF repair program under American-Hawaiian GAA) are the disturbance pathways where such materials would have been handled.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1984
- Population
- Construction trades (Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland, 1944); ship's company/embarked troops (1944-46); Guam/Pearl Harbor repair workers (1945); NDRF repair-program workers (1956); disposal-phase scrapping workers (1983-84)
- 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 events are documented as events; their materials scope is not documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-05
-
[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):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 built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and auxiliary hulls.
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-06
-
[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, summary p. ii and 'Obsolete Vessels Pose Environmental Risks' section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- DOT Office of Inspector General audit of MARAD's obsolete-vessel scrapping program documents that the deteriorating National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels awaiting disposal 'contain hazardous substances such as asbestos and solid and liquid polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),' and that inspection of 'worst condition' vessels found 'asbestos hanging from pipes below deck,' lead-based paint, and PCBs - the fleet environment (James River Reserve Fleet) in which this hull lay for 37 years (1946-1983).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- audit published 2000; fleet conditions described 1990s
- Population
- NDRF maintenance and disposal workers (fleet-level)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level audit documentation of asbestos in obsolete NDRF vessels generally; the report postdates this hull's 1983 withdrawal by 17 years and does not name her. Establishes that the reserve-fleet environment and disposal pathway handled asbestos-containing ships; establishes nothing about materials aboard this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-07
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records / logbook guidance: RG 24 Entry 118 deck logs; RG 19 BuShips; RG 178 USMC construction records [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-log guidance page; RG 19/178 record-group guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118 (NAID 581208) holds WWII deck logs - APA-157 logs 1944-46 would record daily operations, underway repairs, and materiel casualties incl. the 1945-02-21 Logan collision aftermath; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds construction and repair records that may include the Guam collision-repair work package; NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) holds contract/construction records for MCV hull 123 at Oregon Shipbuilding. A 1944-1946 USS Napa cruise book exists (NavSource-anchored copy) and may detail shipyard/repair periods.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1983 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCV 123 / APA-157 is unknown until surveyed in person. WWII deck-log digitization is partial (NAID 581208). Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated), opinion and docket indexes - this record's search ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-napa-apa157-05 through sl-uss-napa-apa157-07c
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener searches returned no qualifying result: opinion searches '"USS Napa"', '"USS Napa" asbestos', and '"APA-157"' returned zero; docket-index search '"USS Napa"' (type=r) returned zero; '"LPA-157"' returned one hit - Boardwalk Pipeline v. Bandera Master Fund LP (Del. 2022), a corporate pipeline dispute, classified name collision and not the vessel (see search_ledger). A prior class-wide sweep found no asbestos docket naming any Haskell-class member; attack-transport asbestos filings on record resolve to other APA classes (e.g., Bayfield class).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- RECAP-indexed text only; county-name 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-napa-apa157-09
-
[11]Batch-2229 search ledger (this record): DANFS/HyperWar; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3539 + 4 status-card scans; NavSource 10/03/03157; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 (shipscribe scan); DOT OIG MA-2000-067; CourtListener name/hull searches; NARA path mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-napa-apa157-01 through sl-uss-napa-apa157-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, shipyard work package, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Napa (APA-157) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, MARAD ShipHistory + status cards, NavSource, BuShips SDB 1945 v3, and CourtListener (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 hull retained in NDRF custody 37 years is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the 1956 repair program plus final scrapping are undocumented disturbance points. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-napa-apa157-10