USS Pondera (APA-191)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]NHHC, DANFS, 'Pondera' (APA-191) entry - live page via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (live URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-25); entry published 2015-08-24 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS > P > Pondera; Wayback capture 20251209184948 of the live NHHC page

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry: 'A county in Montana.' Pondera (APA-191), built under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 659), was laid down by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Vancouver, Wash., 28 April 1944; launched 27 July 1944; sponsored by Miss Elinor C. Gottlieb; delivered to the Navy and commissioned 24 September 1944, Comdr. Lawrence J. Hasse in command. After shakedown she trained APA precommissioning crews in California waters until 23 January 1945; departed San Francisco for Hawaii in February; carried the 81st Construction Battalion to Okinawa, anchoring off Hagushi 26 April; disembarked troops at Nakagusuku Wan 3-4 May and assisted Carina (AK-74), damaged by a suicide boat; departed 8 May with casualties embarked for Saipan, then San Francisco. Second troop lift to Leyte July; enroute on third transpacific run at war's end; Ulithi 25 August; Guam and Okinawa disembarkation; XXIV Corps troops to Jinsen, Korea 24 September; further Corps elements in October; joined TransRon 17 at Hong Kong 8 November to lift troops of the 8th Chinese Nationalist Army to Tsingtao, completing 16 November; Magic Carpet duty - San Diego 20 November with 5th Marine Division units; second and last Magic Carpet run completed San Francisco 9 March 1946; Norfolk 6 April, decommissioned, transferred to the Maritime Commission 6 June 1946; struck from the Navy List 19 June 1946; laid up James River berthing area, NDRF, 'where she remains into 1970.' One battle star WWII. Stats line: dp. 14,833 (f.); l. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 28'1"; s. 17 k.; cpl. 536; t. 1,562; a. 1 5", 12 40mm.; cl. Haskell; T. VC2-S-AP5.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Ship's company of 536 plus embarked troops/Seabees/occupation forces, 1944-1946

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy historical entry naming this hull - controlling source for identity, wartime employment, decommissioning, and disposal milestones through June 1946. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Stats-line displacement '14,833 (f.)' differs trivially from the SDB/NavSource 14,837; draft '28'1"' is the deep-load figure vs SDB's 24'0" limiting draft.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-01

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012 series, Jan 1945), APA tables + ship index (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 APA section, table sequence no. 200: dimensions row (p. 264), personnel row (p. 265), machinery row (p. 266), armament/cargo row (p. 268), construction row (p. 269); ship index pp. 714, 724

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 3 (January 1945), attack-transport (APA) tables, carries per-hull rows for this ship at table sequence no. 200: index/dimensions 'PONDERA (ex-M.C.V. Hull 659) - APA191', length 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline, extreme beam 62'0", 17.7 knots trial speed, 14,837 tons trial displacement; personnel row limiting displacement 12,450 tons, 49 tons per inch immersion, limiting draft 24'0", ship's company 56 officers / 480 enlisted, troop capacity 87 officers / 1,475 enlisted, largest boom 35 tons; machinery row 'A-C turb.', 8,500 shaft horsepower, 2 'C.E. hdr' (Combustion Engineering header-type) boilers, steam conditions 465 psi / 750 deg F, propeller-count cell prints '2'; armament/cargo row 1 5"/38cal (D.P.), 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm mounts, 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated cargo, 5,800 tons total / 2,900 tons cargo deadweight; construction row builder 'Kaiser S.B. Co., Vancouver, Wash.', acquired 24 Sept 44, year built 1944, first commission 24 Sept 44. Ship index lists 'M.C.V. Hull 659 (now Pondera) - APA 191' and 'Pondera (ex-M.C.V. Hull 659) - APA 191 - Auxiliary-Transport, Attack.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked troops (as fitted 1944-45)

   Limitations

   Official wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, ex-M.C.V. Hull 659, builder, acquisition/commissioning dates, and the machinery plant (Allis-Chalmers turbine + 2 Combustion Engineering header boilers at 465 psi/750 F - NOT the Westinghouse turbine and B&W boilers the class-typical profile lists; per-hull machinery vendors varied). The '2' in the propeller-count column conflicts with the single-screw VC2-S-AP5 design and NavSource's 'one propeller' - flagged in ev-09. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - PONDERA (APA-191), Ship History Detail 3949 + digitized USMC vessel status card + reserve-fleet vessel-data card + Record of Ship Sales card (Form MA-20) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 3949 registry/spec block + milestones; card images /cards/3949_7279AF.jpg (reserve-fleet data card), /cards/3949_7279AB.jpg (card reverse carrying the DANFS text), /cards/3949_AF.jpg (MA-20 sale card), /cards/5QP_01.png (status card)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory registry record and digitized vessel status cards for PONDERA (APA-191), type VC2-S-AP5. Status card (no. 7055): hull no. 659, built by Kaiser Co., Inc. at Vancouver, Wash., completed 9-24-44; 'Basis to W.S.A. 9-24-44 9:30AM PWT @ Astoria, Ore. del. by Builders to USMC'; custody '6-6-46 4:15PM EDT @ Lee Hall, Va. from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; 'Andy International, Inc. (Scrap)' purchase James River 6/13/74; 'Physically Delivered' 7/24/74 1:25PM EDT. Reserve-fleet card: ownership WSA; fleet/unit 'JR S13'; date entered fleet 6-6-46; reason for lay-up 'High cost to convert for commercial use'; hull MCV659; handwritten field notes 'Flooding of ship reported Nov. 15, 1961' (handwriting partially legible - reads 'Nov. 4-15, 1961' or 'Nov. 15, 1961') with preservation-memo references dated 11-13-61 / 11-14-61; fuel oil at fleet entry 959 bbls Bunker C, 110 bbls diesel removed; termination port of last voyage NORFOLK; red-ink sale annotation 'Sold scrap under PD-X-978, 6-13-74 to Andy International, Inc. Lump sum amount of $726,997.00. for 3 ships'; withdrawn/delivered 1325 EDT 7-24-74. Record of Ship Sales (Form MA-20): contract MA-7428; location James River, Va. Resflt; remarks 'Advertised under PD-X-970 - bid rejected / Advertised under PD-X-978 dated 4-30-74 - opened 6-4-74 under two condition: (1) NTU (2) SCRAP HULL-US / Award under condition (2)'; handwritten light-ship weight 5,800. Registry detail 3949: year built 1944, shipyard 'Kaiser Company', type VC2-S-AP5, length 436.50 ft, beam 62 ft, fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Disposition 7/24/1974 'CUST 1946 NDRF 1946', Withdrawal 7/24/1974.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   NDRF lay-up/caretaker personnel (1946-1974); Andy International scrapping workforce (1974)

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD custody record - documents builder delivery to USMC at Astoria 9-24-44, transfer to reserve fleet at Lee Hall 6-6-46 (resolving the transfer date against NavSource's 'same day' claim), 28 years of James River lay-up, a November 1961 flooding report with associated memos, and the 1974 PD-X-978 scrap sale and 7-24-74 delivery. The cards document custody and events, not materials: no asbestos, insulation, or repair-scope content appears. The registry's 436.50-ft length is the waterline figure (SDB prints 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline). Scrapping site/breaker not named in the record. Does not establish or negate asbestos presence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-03

4. [4]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Kaiser Vancouver' yard production table (compiled from U.S. Maritime Commission records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Kaiser Vancouver table row 405 (Pondera / MC 659 / APA 191)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Kaiser Vancouver yard-record compilation (shipbuildinghistory.com, Tim Colton's table of USMC yard production) row for yard hull 405: 'Pondera', type VC2-S-AP5, MC no. 659, keel laying 28-Apr-44, launch 27-Jul-44, delivery 24-Sep-44, 90 days on ways / 59 days in water / 149 total, disposition 'APA 191, scrapped'.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Kaiser Vancouver construction workforce, Apr-Sep 1944

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of Maritime Commission yard records - the located source for the yard hull number (405) and build-duration figures (90/59/149 days). All three dates corroborate DANFS and the MARAD status card. Not a materials or asbestos source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-04

5. [5]NavSource Online, USS Pondera (APA-191) archive page (secondary compilation; last updated 2017-05-05) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/10/03/03191.htm - chronology, campaign tables, CO list, specifications block, disposal line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online APA-191 archive page (Gary P. Priolo, Amphibious Photo Archive): unit assignments TransRon Fourteen (COMO. D. L. Ryan USN) / TransDiv Forty-One (CAPT. H. J. Wright USN); campaign table 'Okinawa Gunto operation - Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 25 April to 8 May 1945'; postwar assignment table Navy Occupation Service Medal 9 Sep-25 Oct 1945, 1-9 Dec 1945, '25 to 29 January 1945' [sic - print error for 1946], and China Service Medal (extended) 7-28 Nov 1945; commanding officers CAPT. Lawrence J. Hasse USNR 1944-09-24 to 1945-08-02, CAPT. Morris Seavey USNR 1945-08-02 to 1945-12-24, CAPT. Edwin J. Taylor Jr. USN 1945-12-24 to 1946-04-06; specifications block including 'one Allis-Chalmers geared turbine; two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 465psi 750; double Falk Main Reduction Gears; three turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ships' Service Generators; one propeller, 8,500shp'; decommissioned 6 April 1946 at Norfolk; struck 19 June 1946; sold for scrapping 13 June 1974 to Andy International Inc. (PD-X-978 dated 30 April 1974, three-ship sale) $726,997.00, delivered 24 July 1974.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Crew and embarked troops (1944-1946)

   Limitations

   Secondary volunteer compilation - the only located public source for the CO list, unit assignments, and the machinery detail (Falk gears, generators). Propulsion and sale data corroborate the BuShips SDB row and MARAD cards. Errors flagged in ev-09: 'Returned to the Maritime Commission the same day' (contradicts DANFS and the status card's 6-6-46) and the occupation-service period printed '25 to 29 January 1945' (postwar service - should read 1946). Not a materials or asbestos source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-05

6. [6]Consolidated era inference - BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v3 per-hull machinery row (ev-uss-pondera-apa191-02) + Corn & Starr AJIM 1987 (WWII shipbuilding asbestos documentation) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 APA machinery table, PONDERA row (seq. 200); AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   No ship-specific material record exists; era/design inference only. Pondera is a VC2-S-AP5 Victory-derived attack transport with a superheated geared-steam plant (2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers, 465 psi/750 deg F; Allis-Chalmers geared turbine, 8,500 shp) built April-September 1944 at Kaiser Vancouver - the peak period of asbestos consumption in U.S. shipbuilding. Typical applications for this machinery arrangement in the era: boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation and troop-berthing insulation, winch/windlass brake linings.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Construction trades (Kaiser Vancouver, 1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); NDRF caretakers (1946-74); scrapping workers (1974)

   Limitations

   Class/design and era inference, not a hull record - no source searched names this vessel's materials. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-06

7. [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 program under which this VC2-S-AP5 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type and naval 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 or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-07

8. [8]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 - standing issue since batch-01; 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. Program-level context for the era; this hull was in Maritime Commission/MARAD reserve-fleet custody (1946-1974) rather than Navy custody during the policy window, so the record's relevance is background only.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not ship-specific; the hull left Navy custody in June 1946, decades before the documented policy period. Establishes nothing about materials aboard APA-191.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-08

9. [9]Cross-source reconciliation note (this record): NavSource vs DANFS + MARAD status card (transfer date); NavSource occupation table (year print); BuShips SDB machinery cell vs NavSource/design (propeller count); DANFS vs SDB/MARAD (displacement, length) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-01 through -05

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Cross-source discrepancies reconciled or flagged: (a) Transfer to Maritime Commission - NavSource prints 'Returned to the Maritime Commission the same day' (6 April 1946), but DANFS records transfer 6 June 1946 and the MARAD status card documents custody '6-6-46 4:15PM EDT @ Lee Hall, Va. from Navy Dept. - Surplus' - resolved: 6-6-46; NavalCoverMuseum's 'Decommissioned June 6 1946' conflates the two events. (b) NavSource's occupation-service table prints '25 to 29 January 1945' - the ship was in California waters in January 1945 per DANFS, and the medal was for postwar occupation service, so 1946 is indicated - print error flagged, not asserted. (c) BuShips SDB machinery row prints '2' in the propeller-count column for this hull (and for the four preceding consecutive Kaiser Vancouver MCV-655-658 hulls with Allis-Chalmers plants) - conflicts with the single-screw VC2-S-AP5 design and NavSource's 'one propeller'; treated as a table anomaly, single screw carried. (d) Displacement - DANFS stats line prints 14,833 (f.) vs SDB/MARAD/NavSource 14,837 - trivial variance flagged. (e) Length - DANFS/NavSource print 455 ft (overall per SDB), MARAD registry prints 436.50 ft (waterline per SDB) - reconciled as overall vs waterline, not an error.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Documents and where possible resolves conflicts between primary sources and secondary compilations. The transfer-date resolution rests on two primary documents (DANFS text and the status card's timed custody entry). The SDB propeller cell remains an unexplained print anomaly - reported verbatim, not silently corrected. No asbestos relevance; carried for record integrity.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pondera-apa191-09

10. [10]Batch-2261 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; MARAD ShipHistory 3949 + cards; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull rows; CourtListener API v4 name/hull searches, opinions and RECAP dockets [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-pondera-apa191-10 through sl-uss-pondera-apa191-13

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Pondera / APA-191 was found in the public sources searched - the DANFS entry, MARAD registry record, and all four digitized status/sale cards contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. CourtListener (authenticated API v4 via cl-auth-search.py): '"USS Pondera"' opinions 0, dockets 0; '"APA-191"' opinions 2 - Sofregen Medical, Inc. v. Allergan Sales, LLC (Del. Super. N20C-03-319, 2024) and Pilot Air Freight, LLC v. Manna Freight Systems, Inc. (Del. Ch. C.A. 2019-0992-JRS, 2020), both commercial disputes where 'APA' reads as asset-purchase-agreement context - classified name collisions; '"APA-191"' dockets count 11 - all name collisions: Administrative Procedure Act dockets (State of Connecticut v. DOI, California v. Dept. of Education, City of Chicago v. DOJ, CEHE v. King, Washington v. HUD, California v. EPA, Tahirih Justice Center v. Mayorkas, Ammon Edward Bundy), a trademark matter (Blessing Investment Group v. CoolFrames), a diversity contract dispute (Schwartz v. Gubin), and Meadows v. Allied Pilots Association ('APA' = Allied Pilots Association). No asbestos, maritime, or vessel-naming result in any return.

    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 auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the hull was scrapped in 1974, before MARAD's systematic NDRF asbestos-survey/disposal-documentation era. RECAP coverage is docket-name-level; the supplementary '"Pondera" asbestos' opinion sweep (sl-14) returned one hit - Harwood v. Glacier Electric Cooperative (Mont. 1997), a Pondera County geographic collision. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-pondera-apa191-10

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); MARAD ShipHistory disposal record as lead [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 24 / RG 19 / RG 178 record-group pages; MARAD Detail 3949 cards/documents

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs) holds APA-191 deck logs for 1944-1946; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds APA/VC2-S-AP5 outfitting and machinery specifications; RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) construction records may hold the MCV-659 Kaiser Vancouver contract file; the MARAD vessel disposal/sale file for PD-X-978 (contract MA-7428) would name the breaking yard and sale terms - the sale card shows condition 'SCRAP HULL-US' but not the breaking location; James River NDRF lay-up records cover the 1946-1974 custody phase including the November 1961 flooding report referenced on the fleet card.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-25

    Study period

    1944-1974 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCV-659 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-pondera-apa191-11