Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet w-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-pitt-apa223-pkt-w-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 row for PITT APA-223 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 printed pp. 264-269, APA tables (PDF pp. 282-288): alphabetical list p. 264; machinery table p. 266; gears/generators p. 267; construction table p. 269; dimensions p. 270
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for PITT APA-223 (index entry 'Pitt (ex-M.C.V. Hull 571)'): machinery '1 Westgh. turb. 8,500 - 2 C.E. hdr - 465 - 750' (one Westinghouse geared turbine, 8,500 shp; two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750F); construction row records year built 1944 and first commission 11 Dec 44; tabulated dimensions row reads 459'3" overall / 435'0" waterline / 63'0" beam / 16.5 knots trial / 13,910 tons trial displacement (scanned-table OCR; DANFS spec block carries 455'0" x 62'0" x 24'0", 14,837 tons full, 18 knots).
- 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 Combustion Engineering boiler fit, which differs from the Babcock & Wilcox attribution generalized in the internal class profile), and key dates. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. Scanned-table OCR is imperfect; dimension row values should be re-read against the page image before republication.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pitt-apa223-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Pitt (APA-223)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250202222850) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body + spec block (dp. 14,837; l. 455'0"; b. 62'0"; dr. 24'0"; s. 18 k.; cpl. 536; a. 1 5", 12 40mm.; cl. Haskell; T. VC2-S-AP5)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: laid down 8 Sep 1944 by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, Calif., as MCV hull 571; launched 10 Nov 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Gwin Fallis; commissioned 11 Dec 1944, Capt. Walter S. Mayer, Jr., in command. Departed 10 Feb 1945 via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok for Ulithi; unloaded ammunition cargo there and at Leyte; after loading Army troops from the damaged Samuel Chase (APA-26), steamed for Kerama Retto, where her troops cleaned out Zamami Shima; became 'receiving ship' for the Kerama Retto Naval Base, caring for several hundred survivors of Japanese suicide attacks, and shot down one suicide plane 6 April. Steamed to Saipan, Tulagi, Noumea, and Guam before returning with passengers to San Francisco. On 19 Aug sailed via Ulithi to Mindanao and Leyte and loaded troops to occupy Aomori, northern Honshu, 25 Sep; then Magic Carpet assignments returning men from Saipan, Tinian, Manila, and Nagoya. Decommissioned and transferred to the Maritime Commission 9 Apr 1947; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 23 Apr 1947; placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, berthed at Suisun Bay. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, custody transfer, and strike date. 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-pitt-apa223-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Pitt (LPA-223) ex-USS Pitt (APA-223), file 10/03/03223 (timeline, spec block, campaign and occupation medal tables, commanding officer, disposal detail) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource file 10/03/03223: timeline bullets, campaign/medal tables, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource records: TransRon Thirteen / TransDiv Thirty-Nine; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign - Okinawa Gunto operation 26 Mar-12 Apr 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 15-29 Sep 1945 and 3-11 Jan 1946; China Service Medal (extended) 29 Jun-2 Jul 1946; single commanding officer CAPT Walter Scott Mayer Jr. USN 11 Dec 1944-9 Apr 1947; redesignated LPA-223 14 Aug 1968; sold for scrapping 15 Feb 1980 under the MARAD trade-in exchange program to 'Carrol Shipping and Trading Co., Monrovia, Liberia, via A. L. Burbank & Co. Ltd., for $957,174.74,' removed 14 Apr 1980. Spec block: 6,873 t light / 14,837 t full; 455' x 62' x 24'; 17.7 kts; complement 56 officers + 480 enlisted; troop accommodations 87 officers + 1,475 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"/38 DP, 1 quad + 4 twin 40mm, 10 x 20mm; propulsion 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers 465 psi/750F, double Westinghouse main reduction gears, 3 x 300kW turbo-drive generators, 1 propeller, 8,500 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation consistent with DANFS and MARAD records; NavSource names the breaking firm as 'Kang Hiva Enterprises, Ltd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan,' which conflicts with the MARAD vessel status card's primary entry 'Fwa Ling Enterprise Co., Ltd.' - the MARAD card controls. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pitt-apa223-03
-
[5]MARAD Vessel History Database, PITT (APA-223) Detail 3901 - milestones table plus seven digitized vessel status-card images (Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data cards and Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales, contract MA-9514), retrieved and read 2026-09-25 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/3901 milestones tab; status cards /cards/3901_AF.jpg, 3901_AB.jpg, 3901_7205AF.jpg, 3901_7205AB.jpg, 3901_7205BF.jpg, 3901_7205BB.jpg, and card PNG 8d4db804-52ff-4d28-8079-653d63f1b0f1
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record and digitized vessel status cards establish the full federal custody chain for this hull: PITT (APA-223), type VC2-S-AP5, hull no. MCV-571, built Permanente Yard #2, 1944; custody to U.S.M.C. 4-9-47 11:30 AM PST at Suisun Bay 'from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; fleet SUISUN N-16. Allocated to Pope & Talbot under a General Agency Agreement, withdrawn Suisun Bay 13 Sep 1954 12:10 hrs PDST for the Repair Program FY1955, returned to Reserve Fleet 22 Oct 1954 11:15 AM PST. Withdrawn and delivered to representatives of A. L. Burbank & Company, Ltd. pursuant to Trade-In Exchange (Public Law 95-177), 1145 PST 14 Apr 1980. Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20): awarded 2/15/80 under contract MA-9514, 'Pursuant to sec. 510(i) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended'; Moore McCormack Lines, Inc. traded in MORMACCAPE (O.N. 284184) and MORMACTRADE (O.N. 287900) in exchange for this vessel plus Pickaway, Magoffin, and Sevier; Moore McCormack then sold the vessels, with MarAd approval, to Carol Shipping & Trading Corp., a Liberian corporation, for scrapping in Taiwan or South Korea; Carol Shipping resold this vessel to Fwa Ling Enterprise Co., Ltd., 68 Ta An Street, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping in Taiwan.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1947-1980
- Population
- Pope & Talbot GAA personnel and Suisun Bay fleet workers (1954 withdrawal); tow/disposal personnel (1980)
- Limitations
- Primary federal custody and disposal record naming this hull - documents 33 years of NDRF lay-up at Suisun Bay, the FY1955 repair-program withdrawal (work scope not stated), and the 1980 trade-out/scrapping chain. Contains no asbestos, materials, or hazmat information; establishes no exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pitt-apa223-04
-
[6]Era/design inference anchored on the documented machinery plant - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull row for APA-223 and NavSource spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 machinery table, APA-223 row (printed p. 266); NavSource 03223 spec block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Westinghouse turbine, two Combustion Engineering 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 ~1,562) added interior insulation scope. Post-Navy custody (NDRF lay-up 1947-1980, including the FY1955 Repair Program withdrawal under Pope & Talbot) and the 1980 breaking at Kaohsiung, Taiwan are the disturbance-phase pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Population
- Construction trades at Permanente Metals/Kaiser Yard No. 2, Richmond (1944); wartime crew and embarked troops; NDRF lay-up/repair and 1980 breaking-yard workers
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming APA-223 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pitt-apa223-05
-
[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 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-pitt-apa223-06
-
[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 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-pitt-apa223-07
-
[9]Historic American Engineering Record, Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park, Kaiser Shipyards, HAER No. CA-326-L (Library of Congress); NPS, 'Historic Richmond Shipyards' (Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front NHP) [haer]
- Locator
- HAER CA-326-L data pages (loc.gov/item/ca3393/; tile.loc.gov ca3393data.pdf); nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/historic-richmond-shipyards.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- HAER documentation establishes that the four Kaiser shipyards at Richmond - operated by Kaiser subsidiaries including the Permanente Metals Corporation - were the most productive wartime shipbuilding complex on the West Coast; Yard No. 2, where this hull was built as MCV-571, grew from nine to twelve shipways and was the largest of the Richmond facilities. This confirms the builder-yard setting of this hull's 1944 construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1941-1946 yard operation; HAER documentation 2001ff
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond yard workforce (1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record; confirms where and how the hull was built but contains no asbestos or materials information and establishes nothing about this hull's insulation content or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pitt-apa223-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 sweep, 2026-09-25 (authenticated, fleet-paced helper): opinion index queried for "USS Pitt", "USS Pitt" + asbestos, and "APA-223"; RECAP docket index queried for "APA-223" and "USS Pitt" [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search, type=o and type=r, queries run via cl-auth-search.py on 2026-09-25
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Pitt or APA-223 located in CourtListener opinion or RECAP docket indexes. Results: "USS Pitt" opinions - 0; "USS Pitt" + asbestos opinions - 0; "USS Pitt" dockets - 0. "APA-223" opinions - 4 hits, all name collisions (W.Va. Employers' Mutual Ins. v. Bunch Co., 745 S.E.2d 212 (W. Va. 2013); Sherrod v. Lingle, 7th Cir.; Hahn v. Walsh, 762 F.3d 617 (7th Cir. 2014); Pilot Air Freight v. Manna Freight, Del. Ch. 2020 - matches are citation/pagination strings such as '223 F.3d', not the vessel). "APA-223" dockets - 10 hits, all unrelated federal administrative-law matters (e.g., Missouri v. Biden, Audubon Society v. Jewell, Tennessee v. McMahon) matching 'APA' statute/appendix strings, not the vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Negative sweep result - absence of a docketed case in indexed sources does not prove no asbestos claim was ever filed; state-court dockets and settled cases are outside CourtListener coverage. Search terms covered the ship name and hull number; the vessel was not identifiable under other names.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pitt-apa223-09
-
[11]Batch-2297 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 03223; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3901 + status cards; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; CourtListener API v4 sweeps; indexed-web litigation checks; NARA record-group guides; HAER CA-326-L [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pitt-apa223-01 through sl-uss-pitt-apa223-10
- 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 Pitt / APA-223 / LPA-223 / M.C.V. Hull 571 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm marketing pages exist for this hull - asbestos-ships.com asserts era-typical exposure and duboselawfirm.com lists 'PITT APA-223' on a California job-site list - both are banned source classes asserting nothing beyond generic era claims; excluded 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 33 years in NDRF custody plus the FY1955 repair withdrawal and 1980 Taiwan 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-pitt-apa223-10
-
[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); digitized Navy deck logs availability note (archives.gov deck-log digitization program) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Pitt 1944-1947 (RG 24, NARA College Park - 1941-and-later logs reside at Archives II; digitization status for this hull not verified); BuShips records including VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklets of General Plans (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 571 at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2 (RG 178); and MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1947-1980 Suisun Bay lay-up, the FY1955 Pope & Talbot repair withdrawal, and the 1980 MA-9514 trade-out (RG 357) - the hull's summary status cards are digitized and were retrieved (ev-uss-pitt-apa223-04), but underlying work-order/correspondence files were not surveyed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1980 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-pitt-apa223-11