Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet v-packet.md (7 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. No phantom, no collision. — real identity: USS Natrona (APA-214); namesake: a county in Wyoming [DANFS mirror] http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa214.html (MIRROR-SOURCED)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-natrona-apa214-pkt-v-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Natrona (APA-214)' entry, updated by Robert J. Cressman; live NHHC page returns 404 to direct fetch - 2025-12-09 Wayback capture cited. Corroborating NHHC Online Library photo page (NHC photo NH 98740) at ibiblio.org mirror; older DANFS transcription at ibiblio HyperWar [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (ship-data line + paragraphs); NHHC Online Library photo page https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-n/apa214.htm ; older transcription https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa214.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: Natrona (APA-214; dp. 6,873; 455' x 62' x 28'1"; 17.0 k; cpl. 536; trp. 1,561; 1 5-in., 12 40mm, 10 20mm; cl. Haskell; type VC2-S-AP5), named for a county in Wyoming, was laid down 1944-06-30 under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. Hull 562) at Richmond, Calif., by Permanente Metals Corp.; launched 1944-09-27, sponsored by Mrs. Anna Louise Spigler; acquired and commissioned by the Navy 1944-11-08, Capt. Eric E. Winquist in command. After shakedown off Southern California she sailed for Hawaii 1945-01-03 as a unit of Transport Squadron 17; Pearl Harbor (debarked Marines, loaded 806th Engineering Battalion, departed 1/16); Saipan 2/1; Ulithi (took on Marine night fighters); Leyte for Operation Iceberg. Departed Dulag 3/21 in TG 51.1; arrived off Kerama Retto early 3/26; discharged fuel and ammunition into small craft amid repeated kamikaze attacks (first unassisted kill 4/6); completed unloading 77th Div. cargo 4/7; debarked the night fighters at Hagushi 4/8 and ferried Gen. Bruce + 77th Div. staff back to Kerama Retto. From 4/14 to 7/10 anchored at Kerama Retto as station and receiving ship - Fleet Post Office, ComDesRon 2 and ComRepDesPac headquarters, Fleet Replacement Center, Fog Oil coordinator and distributor, and subsistence center for crews of damaged and sunken ships; shifted to Buckner Bay 7/10 and departed for the U.S. 7/15 - 16 weeks and 208 air attacks in Okinawan waters. Arrived San Francisco 1945-08-05; two trans-Pacific runs (replacement troops forward, occupation troops to Japan, returning veterans) completed 1946-01-13 at San Pedro; inactivation overhaul at Mare Island; decommissioned 1946-07-29 into the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton; transferred to MARAD Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay 1500 1958-08-26; stricken from the Navy Register 1958-10-01; sold to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for scrap 1975-03-05; delivered and removed from the Reserve Fleet 1230 1975-04-01. One battle star for the Okinawa Gunto operation (1945-03-26 to 06-30).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Wartime ship's company 536 plus embarked troops up to ~1,561 (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- Official ship-history narrative; establishes identity, construction, operations, and disposal chain. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or health-hazard content; supports no asbestos claim. Older ibiblio transcription carries two transcription defects: 'APA-211' in the opening line and '0339' for the boat-lowering time (current NHHC text: 0539) - neither is carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-01
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - NATRONA (APA-214), Ship History Detail 3561: milestone table plus three digitized status cards (USMC MC-7146a vessel status card, Bureau of Government Aids; MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars card, Suisun Bay; MA-20 Record of Ship Sales) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status-card images /cards/3561_AF.jpg (MA-383 Suisun particulars), /cards/3561_6587AF.jpg (MA-20 sale record), /cards/886b0798-60b9-4bde-b4b0-6ea51eaa9859.png (MC-7146a); milestone table (Entry/Acquisition 8/26/1958; Disposition/Withdrawl 4/1/1975)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD custody chain for MCV-562: MC-7146a card records - type VC2-S-AP5, flag U.S. Navy, former name APA-214, hull no. MCV-562, built by Permanente Metals Corp. at Richmond, Calif., completed 11-8-44, D.W.T. 5,914, gross 7,750, speed 17; allocated to Reserve Fleet (Permanent Transfer) Suisun Bay 8-26-58 3:00pm PDST; Nicolai Joffe Corporation (Scrap) purchase 3/5/75; physically delivered 4/1/75 12:30pm PDT. MA-383 particulars card records - category Mil.Aux., fleet Suisun Bay, entered Aug. 26, 1958 1500 hrs PDST, title 'Reimbursable USMA Perm. Layup,' hull no. MCV-562, draft fwd 15'03" aft 16'00"; damages note: release of two generators to Navy per Davidson wire 8-22-61; withdrawn 4-1-75 1230 PDT, reason 'Sold for scrap under PD-X-993, 3-5-75 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for $178,789.40'; reimbursable terms: Navy to bear costs of retention at $118 per ship per month until FY 1960 and to pay MARAD for FY-1959 preservation not to exceed $16,000 per ship (Navy letter 1958-06-13, MARAD reply 1958-06-20). MA-20 sale record (PD-X-993): awarded to Nicolai Joffe Corporation, date 3-5-75, purchase price $178,789.40, contract no. MA-7766, location Suisun Bay Resflt.; remarks: advertised under PD-X-993 dated 1-24-75, opened 2-27-75, under two conditions - (1) NTU, (2) SCRAP HULL - 'Award under condition (2) SCRAP HULL.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1958-1975
- Population
- NDRF caretaker personnel (Suisun Bay, 1958-1975); Nicolai Joffe Corp. disposal workers
- Limitations
- Government custody and disposal record - primary source for reserve-fleet and disposal dates, sale terms, and the SCRAP HULL award condition. The card's sale price $178,789.40 controls over NavSource's '$78,789,30' transcription (see correction row ev-03). No asbestos, material-condition, or hazardous-substance content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-02
-
[4]MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3561 status cards (MC-7146a; MA-383 Suisun particulars; MA-20 sale record) vs. NavSource APA-214 page and ibiblio DANFS transcription [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MA-20 card purchase-price field '$178,789.40'; MA-383 withdrawn reason line; MC-7146a delivery rows; NavSource 'Final Disposition' line; ibiblio apa214.html opening line and 3/26 paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corrects secondary-source transcription defects against the primary card record. (a) Sale price: the MA-20 sale card and MA-383 withdrawal note both read $178,789.40; NavSource's disposition line carries '$78,789,30' - a digit-dropping mistyped figure; the card controls. (b) Older DANFS transcription (ibiblio HyperWar) opens 'Natrona (APA-211)' - a typo; the hull is APA-214, correct in the current NHHC entry and on all three MARAD cards. (c) Same transcription gives '0339' for the wave-guide-boat lowering on 1945-03-26; the current NHHC text reads 0539. (d) The old DANFS text conflates MARAD custody transfer with striking ('transferred ... 1 October 1958'); the cards and current NHHC text separate custody entry 1958-08-26 (1500 PDST) from striking 1958-10-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Corrects the public-record timeline and sale figure only. The cards document disposal, not materials. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-03
-
[5]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Natrona (APA-214) page (call sign NPQF; specifications; campaign and service tables; commanding officers; photo catalog incl. NH 98740) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block; campaign/awards tables; disposition lines; commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiles: laid down 1944-06-30 as MC type VC2-S-AP5 (MCV hull 562) at Permanente Metals Corp., Yard No. 2, Richmond; launched 1944-09-27; commissioned 1944-11-08; Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment TransRon 17 / TransDiv 50; Okinawa Gunto operation 1945-03-26 to 06-30; Navy Occupation Service periods 1945-10-12 to 11-05 and 12-23 to 12-30; decommissioned 1946-07-29 at Mare Island, laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet Stockton Group; custody to MARAD 1958-08-26 for Suisun Bay NDRF; struck 1958-10-01; one battle star; final disposition sold for scrapping 1975-03-05 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. (PD-X-993 dated 1975-01-24), withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet 1975-04-01. Specifications: 6,873 t lt / 14,837 t fl; 455' x 62'; draft 24' (lim); 17.7 kt trial; complement 56 officers / 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 86 officers / 1,475 enlisted; armament one 5-in/38, four twin 40mm, one quad 40mm, ten single 20mm; boats two LCM, one open LCPL, one covered LCPL (captain's gig), two LCPR, eighteen LCVP; cargo 2,900 DWT / 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; fuel NSFO 7,780 bbl + diesel 970 bbl; propulsion one Westinghouse geared turbine, double Westinghouse main reduction gear, three 300 kW 120/240 V DC turbo ship's-service generators, single propeller 8,500 shp. COs: CAPT Eric E. Winquist USNR (to 1945-08-27), LCDR Carl R. Bower USNR (to 1946-05-25), LCDR George Paris USN (to decommissioning).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive, not a primary document; carried because its specifications reconcile with DANFS published figures (536/1,561; 12 40mm barrels = 4 twin + 1 quad) and its disposition data reproduces the MARAD cards. Two defects on this page: sale price '$78,789,30' vs card value $178,789.40 (correction row ev-03), and a boiler-maker line 'two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers' where BuShips Ships' Data 1945 lists Babcock & Wilcox for the type - unresolved, logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (Jan 1945), APA section - VC2-S-AP5 type machinery data (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 APA machinery table (Haskell row read for the type); NavSource specifications corroborate the plant for this hull
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull: Natrona is a VC2-S-AP5 Victory-derived attack transport built 1944 with a single-screw geared-steam plant - two superheated boilers at 465 psi/750 F feeding a Westinghouse turbine (8,500 shp). Vessels of this plant type and construction era were built with asbestos-containing boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings; troop-carrying outfitting added interior joiner and insulation scope. The hull's commissioned career ran only 1944-1946, so disturbance exposure concentrates in wartime construction/maintenance, 12 years of Pacific Reserve Fleet lay-up (Stockton), 17 years of NDRF custody (Suisun Bay), and the 1975 disposal.
- 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); crew 536 + embarked troops (1944-46); reserve-fleet/NDRF caretakers (1946-1975); disposal workers (1975)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - BuShips data documents the type's machinery, not materials, and does not name this hull. No asbestos itemization exists for this ship; presence is inference from design and era, not ship-proven. Establishes no quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Boiler maker for this hull specifically is unresolved (BuShips type data reads Babcock & Wilcox; NavSource's per-hull block reads Combustion Engineering).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-05
-
[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
- historical_record
- 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 program under which this VC2-S-AP5 hull was mass-produced under Maritime Commission contract - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard 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-natrona-apa214-06
-
[8]California DTSC, Richmond Harbor Restoration Project / Kaiser Richmond Shipyard (Site ID 400137001); EPA CERCLA record CAD980637557 (Kaiser Alum & Chem Co Shipyard #2, NFRAP determination) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTSC Kaiser Richmond Shipyard project page; EPA Superfund site profile CAD980637557
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder yard - Permanente Metals Corporation Yard No. 2, one of the Kaiser Richmond shipyards - is a documented asbestos site in government environmental records: DTSC documents asbestos-containing materials in soils and structures at the former Kaiser shipyard site within the Richmond Harbor Restoration Project, and EPA carries Kaiser Alum & Chem Co Shipyard #2 under CERCLA ID CAD980637557 (NFRAP). Wartime construction at this yard is the relevant exposure pathway for the hull's 1944 build.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1940-1945 operations; remediation documentation 1990s-2010s
- Population
- Permanente Metals / Kaiser Richmond construction workforce (1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental record only - documents the construction site, not materials installed aboard this hull. CERCLA record is NFRAP (site did not qualify for NPL). Establishes no shipboard asbestos, no quantity, and no individual exposure. DTSC page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session; content verified per the same-day sister-batch record (batch-2281) and public site index.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweeps, 2026-09-25 (authenticated via fleet helper): q='Natrona' type=o (1,704 opinions - sampled top 30 all Natrona County, Wyoming name collisions: county commissioners, school district, detention center, hospital board litigation); q='"USS Natrona" OR "APA-214"' type=o (0 opinions - no opinion text contains either exact phrase). Docket-index sweep (type=r) throttled by fleet pacing - incomplete this session [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-natrona-apa214-05 through sl-uss-natrona-apa214-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation located naming USS Natrona or APA-214 - no asbestos opinion and no litigation of any kind naming the hull across the opinion index searched; the exact-phrase opinion sweep returned zero hits. All bare-name hits classify as Natrona County, Wyoming name collisions (the ship's namesake county generates substantial litigation volume). RECAP docket-index sweep incomplete (throttled); logged in the search ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Opinion and RECAP indexes under-cover unreported state-court filings and settled MDL-875 claims; a county-name vessel sweep cannot retrieve filings that name only 'Natrona' without 'USS' or a hull number - coverage is limited to digitized text containing a qualifying string. The type=r docket sweep did not complete under fleet pacing; absence of a located docket does not prove no claim was ever filed; it establishes only that no indexed opinion naming the hull was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-08
-
[10]Batch-2287 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture 2025-12-09 + Google-indexed current text); NHHC Online Library photo page (ibiblio); NavSource APA-214; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3561 + three status-card scans; CourtListener opinion sweeps; NVR (no entry expected); Haskell-class profile cross-check; NARA record-group guides; rpadden.com private archive listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-natrona-apa214-01 through sl-uss-natrona-apa214-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, industrial-hygiene file, or docketed case naming the Natrona hull was found in the public sources searched. DANFS, the MARAD status cards and sale record, and the NavSource page contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement (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 combat transport is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and the hull was scrapped in 1975 before asbestos documentation practices modernized. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-09
-
[11]NARA record-group path for this hull: RG 24 deck logs (the 1944-1946 commission falls in the 1942-1961 series held by Textual Reference, College Park); WWII war diaries and action reports (RG 38); BuShips general plans for stricken vessels (Bureau of Ships collection); RG 178 US Maritime Commission contract files for MCV hull 562 outfitting specifications; a privately hosted ship-history transcription (rpadden.com 'HISTORY OF THE USS NATRONA (APA 214) FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION PURPOSES') and a listed-but-unlinked 'Action Report' entry on the same site's cruise-book index [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24/RG 38/RG 178 guides; NavSource 'Sources for Individual Ship Study' FAQ (deck-log custody 1942-1961); rpadden.com/docs/apa214.htm and rpadden.com/cruisebooks.htm listing
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved (no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs 1944-11 to 1946-07 - machinery-maintenance entries could document insulation work aboard; (b) RG 38 war diaries/action reports incl. the Okinawa operation and the Kerama Retto station-ship period; (c) BuShips Booklet of General Plans / drawings for APA-214 - stricken-ship plans are held for most hulls stricken from the register; (d) Permanente Metals/Kaiser Richmond contract records under NARA RG 178 (US Maritime Commission) for MC hull 562 outfitting specifications; (e) the rpadden.com privately hosted transcription of the ship's public-information history and its referenced action report - crew/ship-document artifacts that may describe shipboard spaces and maintenance.
- 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. The private-site artifacts are unverified transcriptions. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-natrona-apa214-10