USS Noble (APA-218)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet v-packet.md (9 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (with documented name collision on an unrelated — real identity: USS Noble (APA-218); namesake: counties in Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma [DANFS mirror] https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa218.html (MIRROR-SOURCED)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-noble-apa218-pkt-v-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Noble II (APA-218)' entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Canonical NHHC URL (live page 404 as of 2026-09-25); verified text via Wayback capture 2021-03-21 (web.archive.org/web/20210321075019/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/noble-ii.html) and ibiblio HyperWar transcription https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa218.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (NHHC) Noble II (APA-218): laid down as MCV hull 566, 1944-07-20, by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif., as a modified Victory ship (VC2-S-AP5), completed by the Kaiser Shipyard at Richmond; launched 1944-10-18, sponsored by Mrs. Maxine C. Jones; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 1944-11-27, Comdr. Solomon S. Isquith. Service: Okinawa campaign (Jan 1945); Allied POW repatriation Korea-to-Philippines; Operation Magic Carpet; Atlantic Fleet out of Norfolk 1946-1949; returned to San Diego 1949-09-13, in overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard when Korea began June 1950; Inchon amphibious assault Sept 1950; troop/equipment transport to and from the Korean combat zone; Operation Big Switch July 1953; Tachen Islands evacuation to Formosa 1955; Cuban missile crisis deployment 1962-10-27 with 1,400 embarked Marines; WestPac 7th Fleet Amphibious Ready Group Mar-Dec 1963; decommissioned 1964-07-01; transfer-preparation yard period at Mare Island; transferred to Spain under the Mutual Assistance Program, ceremony 1964-12-19 at San Francisco. Specs: 10,500 t (f.), 455'3" x 63'4", draft 24', 18 kt, complement 536, 1x5", 12x40mm, 24 landing craft.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1964

   Population

   Ship's company 536 plus embarked troops (~1,500-1,600 capacity)

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history; establishes identity, construction, service, and transfer - contains no asbestos or materials statement. The ibiblio transcription carries a typo ('Cuban crisis 27 October 1952'); the canonical NHHC text reads 1962, which is adopted here. DANFS narrative ends at the 1964 transfer and does not cover Spanish service or disposal.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-01

3. [3]Kummer v. Allied Signal, Inc., No. 2:05-cv-01569 (W.D. Pa. Oct. 31, 2008), Opinion and Order of Court (Docket No. 56), RECAP gov.uscourts.pawd.72326.56.0 [court_record]

   Locator

   RECAP document 56 (10 pp.), Factual Background and Analysis sections; suitNature 'P.I. : Asbestos'; IA copy https://archive.org/download/gov.uscourts.pawd.72326/gov.uscourts.pawd.72326.56.0.pdf

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Kummer v. Allied Signal, Inc., No. 2:05-cv-01569 (W.D. Pa.), Opinion and Order of Court, 2008-10-31 (Ambrose, C.J.; RECAP doc. 56). Summary-judgment-stage record naming this hull: treated as undisputed material facts that Vincent Kummer served aboard USS Noble as a machinist's mate/boiler tender 1961-1965 in the engine room (containing steam turbines, pumps, valving, adjacent to the boiler room); that Viacom f/k/a Westinghouse Electric manufactured the turbines aboard, installed on or before 1944; that 'the insulation on the Westinghouse turbine was installed, by entities unknown, during the construction of the USS Noble on or before 1944'; and that 'the Westinghouse turbines on the USS Noble required the use of asbestos-containing thermal insulation per the Navy's specifications.' A coworker affidavit (Nielsen) describes approximately 2-inch asbestos-containing insulation throughout the engine room including the turbines, with daily visible dust; an expert affidavit (Gates) states the hull's NAVSEA-incorporated contract specifications required asbestos-containing thermal insulation for the turbines. The court DENIED Viacom's summary-judgment motion (design-defect claim survives on the record), granted the unopposed Ford and GM motions, and held maritime jurisdiction satisfied because the alleged exposure occurred aboard USS Noble.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944 (insulation installation); 1961-1965 (alleged exposure); 2005-2008 (litigation)

   Population

   Vincent R. Kummer (machinist's mate/boiler tender, USS Noble 1961-1965, died of mesothelioma 2005-01-12); engine-room crew

   Limitations

   Summary-judgment-stage record - the turbine asbestos-specification facts were undisputed at that stage, while decedent's own turbine exposure and proximate causation remained genuinely disputed and were NOT adjudicated (Viacom's motion denied precisely because fact issues were genuine). Post-October-2008 disposition not located in the RECAP index (CourtListener metadata dateTerminated 2006-02-24 precedes the 2008 order - a docket-metadata anomaly); appeal, verdict, or settlement untraced. The district opinion is unpublished and does not appear in the CL opinion corpus; located via RECAP document text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-02

4. [4]Bell v. Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., No. 2:15-cv-06394 (E.D. La.), Complaint para. 3 (Doc. 1-1) and Order and Reasons Doc. 436 (Mar. 6, 2017) [court_record]

   Locator

   RECAP documents 5149549 (Doc. 1-1, complaint, 29 pp.) and 18478731 (Doc. 436, Order and Reasons, 19 pp.); docket 4270707

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Bell v. Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., No. 2:15-cv-06394 (E.D. La., filed 2015-12-01, '368 P.I. : Asbestos'). The complaint (attachment to the Notice of Removal, Doc. 1-1, para. 3) alleges: 'William Bell served in the United States Navy from approximately 1960 through 1968. While in the United States Navy, he served aboard various vessels, including the USS NOBLE, the USS GRAPPLE, the USS BAINBRIDGE, and the USS SAMUEL N. MOORE. During his Navy service, William Bell was exposed to asbestos manufactured, sold, and distributed by the "asbestos defendants."' A later Order and Reasons (Doc. 436, 2017-03-06, Africk, J.) resolved defendant-specific summary-judgment motions (denied for GE, Crane, Buffalo, Aurora, Atwood & Morrill, CBS, IMO Industries, Warren Pumps; granted for York International and Foster Wheeler, dismissed with prejudice) without adjudicating the Noble-specific allegation; the docket terminated 2017-03-24.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1960-1968 (alleged exposure period); 2015-2017 (litigation)

   Population

   William C. Bell et al. (plaintiffs); alleged Navy service aboard Noble ~1960-1968

   Limitations

   PLEADING-STAGE allegation only: the complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding - no court tested the Noble-specific exposure claim. The 2017-03-06 order resolves defendant-specific motions only; whether the Bell/Noble allegation survived, settled, or was abandoned is not documented in the located record. Names the hull but establishes no adjudicated exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-03

5. [5]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - NOBLE (APA-218), ShipHistory Detail 12710; ARAGON (TA-11), ShipHistory Detail 5672 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Detail 12710 (characteristics, name history, missions) and Detail 5672 (milestones) https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/5672

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History Database records: NOBLE (APA-218) detail page (ShipHistory Detail 12710) lists year built 1944, shipyard Permanente Metals Corporation, type Naval Auxiliary / APA Attack Transport, MARAD type VC2-S-AP5, length 455 ft, beam 62 ft, displacement 14,837 t (full) / 6,873 t (light), missions World War II / Korean War / Vietnam War, fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.'; the linked ARAGON (TA-11) detail page (ShipHistory Detail 5672) lists the same 1944 Permanente hull under Spanish identity, fate 'Sold - Scrap,' with milestones 'Disposition 5/13/1982' and 'Withdrawal 5/13/1982.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1982

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody characteristics and disposition milestones; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information and supports no asbestos claim. The ARAGON record's 'General Type: Training (School)' and 'Specific Type: Training Ship' labels are MARAD cataloging artifacts, not an operational description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-04

6. [6]MARAD Vessel Status Cards (Forms MA-199 and MA-20) for ARAGON (ex-USS Noble APA-218), digitized on ShipHistory Detail 5672 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   Card images https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/5672_AF.jpg (MA-20 sale record) and https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/HT_01.png (MA-199 status card)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD status cards for the ex-Noble hull (as ARAGON, type VC2-S-AP5): Form MA-20 'Record of Ship Sales' documents the vessel awarded to Isaac Manuel Varela c/o Jacq. Pierot Jr. & Sons, Inc. on May 13, 1982, purchase price $221,000, contract no. MA-10866, year built 1944, dimensions 455'3" length / 24' draft, light-ship weight 6,720 tons, vessel located at Arsenal de La Carraca, San Fernando, Spain, remarks 'under Condition 2 - Scrap Foreign' (handwritten ref. PD-Y-1049). Form MA-199 'Vessel Status Card' shows the hull delivered from the Department of the Navy to the Maritime Administration and from Maritime Admin. to Isaac Manuel Varela, both dated 5/13/82, remark 'Purchase for Nontransportation Use.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1982

   Population

   Foreign scrapyard workers (San Fernando, Spain area) - disposal phase

   Limitations

   Primary record of the disposal transaction (sale for foreign scrap, 1982-05-13), not of demolition completion - secondary compilations claim 'scrapped 1987,' so the hull may have lingered post-sale; whether physical breakup occurred in 1982 or later is undocumented here. Buyer is a ship broker (Pierot) typical of scrap intermediaries. Contains no asbestos or environmental-condition statement; scrapping abroad is the disposal-phase disturbance marker for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-05

7. [7]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (Jan 1945), APA section (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 APA machinery table, Haskell-class plant data

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/design record: BuShips Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (Jan 1945) lists the Haskell-class plant as 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 8,500 shp, 2 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, steam conditions 465 psi/750 deg F - a late-war superheated-steam plant of the peak-asbestos construction era, implying boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, gaskets and packing for hulls of this type.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Construction trades (Permanente Metals/Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 2, 1944); engine-room crew

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the table does not name APA-218 and does not state 'asbestos.' The ship-specific litigation record (ev-02) independently documents asbestos-containing thermal insulation on this hull's turbines per Navy specifications; this row's remaining content (boiler lagging, piping, gaskets, packing) stays class/era inference. Does not establish quantity, condition, or individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-06

8. [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 hull was built at Kaiser Richmond in 1944, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard ship 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 (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not itself establish materials aboard this hull, nor quantity, condition, exposure, or causation. Complements (not substitutes for) the ship-specific litigation record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403; content via product-page description)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (program context)

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific - and this hull left Navy custody (1964) a decade before the documented policy period, so the policies' relevance is to sister hulls that remained in Navy/MARAD custody, not to Noble herself. Noble's exposure-relevant phases are construction (1944), in-service (1944-1964), Spanish operation (1964-1982), and foreign scrapping (1982+).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-noble-apa218-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 search ledger for this record (opinion and docket sweeps, exact-name and hull-number queries); NVR and NPS/NRHP checks [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-noble-apa218-03 through sl-uss-noble-apa218-08

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation/registry sweep result: CourtListener opinion searches returned zero hits for 'USS Noble APA-218', 'APA-218', and 'APA 218', and one hit for 'USS Noble' - United States v. Schneiderman (U.S. Court of Military Appeals, 1961-11-03), a military appellate opinion in which the 'USS Noble' phrase does not appear in the lead opinion text (cluster/companion-document index match; non-asbestos, classified name collision). Docket searches returned two qualifying asbestos dockets naming the hull (Kummer, W.D. Pa. 2:05-cv-01569; Bell, E.D. La. 2:15-cv-06394 - carried as ev-02 and ev-03) and twelve non-qualifying 'APA-218' hits resolving to Administrative Procedure Act document codes or unrelated political cases. No asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or additional docket naming the hull was located in the public sources searched.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    2026-09-25

    Limitations

    Absence of additional located records is a coverage statement, not a proof of absence: RECAP indexes only docketed federal material, and county-named Haskell hulls can be under-covered by name sweeps that omit hull numbers; Spanish-service and foreign-scrapping records are outside U.S. docket coverage. The 'Noble' + asbestos docket sweep could not be executed within the fleet pacing budget (see ledger sl-08) - a residual coverage gap.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-noble-apa218-09

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html (RG 24 logs/musters); companion groups 19, 181, 178

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - record-group mapping only, no reproduction orders): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) holds Navy ship logs through 1961 and ship muster rolls through 1971 covering this hull's commission; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds VC2-S-AP5 design and NAVSEA contract specifications - the same specification chain quoted by the Kummer plaintiffs' exhibits for this hull's turbine insulation; RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) covers Mare Island Naval Shipyard records for the 1949-50 overhaul and the 1964 transfer-preparation yard periods; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) covers the MCV hull 566 construction contract file with Permanente Metals.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1944-1964 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of additional asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. The Kummer record (ev-02) indicates hull-specific NAVSEA contract specifications were produced in litigation - a concrete pointer into RG 19/178. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-noble-apa218-10

12. [12]Cross-check: NHHC DANFS (canonical, via Wayback) vs ibiblio transcription vs MARAD status cards vs secondary compilations (NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, Wikipedia) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS Noble II entry; MARAD MA-20/MA-199 cards on Detail 5672; NavSource APA-218 page (lead only); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Noble_(APA-218) (lead only)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) decommission - DANFS states 1964-07-01; NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum state 1964-07-20; DANFS adopted as controlling. (b) Disposal - secondary compilations report 'scrapped 1987' and a Spanish Navy List strike of 1982-01-01; the MARAD Record of Ship Sales (primary) documents the hull sold for foreign scrap 1982-05-13 - the sale is verified, demolition timing is not. (c) ibiblio HyperWar transcription reads 'Cuban crisis 27 October 1952'; the canonical NHHC text reads 1962 (verified via Wayback capture) - a transcription typo, not a source conflict. (d) Wikipedia infobox variants (stricken 1964; Spanish strike 1983-01-01) diverge from its own article text (1982) - secondary compilation noise; MARAD controls the disposal record.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1964-1987

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among primary and secondary sources; secondary compilations used only as leads, never as evidence. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-noble-apa218-11