USS Sibley (APA-206)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Sibley (APA-206)', Naval History and Heritage Command (entry updated by Robert J. Cressman, 30 June 2022) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry full text via Wayback capture 20250202151755 (live page 404s - standing NHHC link rot); transcription mirror historycentral.com/navy/APA/sibley.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Sibley (APA-206), VC2-S-AP5 (class Haskell), named for a county in Minnesota: built under Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. Hull 554) at Richmond, Calif., by Permanente Metals Corp. Yard No. 2; laid down 17 May 1944; launched 19 July 1944 (sponsor Mrs. Leo Gottleib); acquired from the Maritime Commission and commissioned 2 October 1944, Cmdr. Edward I. McQuiston in command. Specs block: dp. 7,109; l. 455'0"; b. 62'0"; dr. 24'0"; s. 17.7 k.; cpl. 536; troops 1,562; armament 1 5-inch, 12 40-mm, 10 20-mm. Service: NSD Oakland loading; San Pedro shakedown 20 Oct-2 Nov 1944; amphibious training Coronado 3-10 Nov; Pearl Harbor arrival 2 Dec; Maui training 6 Dec-18 Jan 1945; sailed 27 Jan for Iwo Jima via Eniwetok (5-7 Feb), Saipan (11 Feb), Tinian rehearsal (12-13 Feb); off Iwo Jima 19 Feb, debarked troops, 8 days unloading cargo by day and retiring by night while receiving casualties; departed 27 Feb carrying 194 wounded Marines; casualties discharged Guam 4 Mar; Okinawa staging via Saipan, sailed 27 Mar; task-group demonstration off southern Okinawa 1-2 Apr (transport Hinsdale APA-120 struck by suicide plane on the approach); returned to Saipan 11 Apr, on call until 4 Jun; Tulagi 12 Jun, Espiritu Santo 17 Jun, Guam 5 Jul; ordered home 14 Jul, San Francisco 28 Jul. Philippines run 9 Aug-1 Sep (Samar); embarked 33rd Infantry Division at Lingayen Gulf for occupation of Japan; Wakayama landing 25 Sep; second lift to Hiro Wan 22 Oct; Operation Magic Carpet from 25 Oct (Manus 2-4 Nov to San Francisco 19 Nov; Guam 19-22 Dec to San Francisco 4 Jan 1946). Reported to Stockton Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, 8 Apr 1946 for inactivation; decommissioned Stockton 27 Nov 1946. Transferred to permanent custody of the Maritime Administration, placed in NDRF Suisun Bay at 2:00 p.m. 10 Sep 1958; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 Oct 1958; advertised for sale 11 Mar 1975; Nicolai Joffe Corp. purchased for scrap 18 Apr 1975 and took delivery 12:45 p.m. 16 May 1975. Two battle stars: Iwo Jima (19-27 Feb 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (1-11 Apr 1945). COs: Cmdr. Edward I. McQuiston (2 Oct 1944), Lt. Donald A. McMinn (26 Aug 1946).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Ship's company (536) and embarked troops (~1,475-1,562 capacity); 194 wounded Marines carried from Iwo Jima

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction, operational history, and disposition. Live NHHC DANFS page 404s today (standing link rot) - text read via the Wayback Machine capture of the canonical URL, cross-checked against the historycentral DANFS transcription. Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sibley-apa206-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - SIBLEY (APA-206), Ship History Detail 4560, incl. digitized status cards (Vessel Status Card MC-7146a, image 5f06d34d-7d7f-4aa5-b2b8-7d69ef6566ed.png; Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars MA-383, image 4560_8403AF.jpg; Record of Ship Sales MA-20, image 4560_AF.jpg) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 4560, milestone table + status card scans at /cards/4560_8403AF.jpg, /cards/4560_AF.jpg, /cards/5f06d34d-7d7f-4aa5-b2b8-7d69ef6566ed.png

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record (Detail 4560) and three digitized status cards document the custody chain for SIBLEY (APA-206), VC2-S-AP5, MCV hull 554, built by Permanente Metals Corp. at Richmond, Calif., completed 9-30-44, D.W.T. 5,668, gross 7,750, speed 17 (Vessel Status Card, form MC-7146a, image 5f06d34d-7d7f-4aa5-b2b8-7d69ef6566ed.png): allocations read Reserve Fleet (Permanent Transfer), Suisun Bay, delivered 9-10-58 2:00 p.m. PDST, and Nicolai Joffe Corporation (Scrap), purchase, Suisun Bay 4/18/75, delivered 5/16/75 12:45 p.m. PDT. Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars card (form MA-383, image 4560_8403AF.jpg): fleet Suisun Bay, category 'Mil.Aux. Transport, Attack,' builder 'Permanente' 1944, hull MCV-554; entered 10 Sep 1958 1400 hrs PDST; berth annotation 'N-3'; arrival draft fwd/aft 15'06"; service prior to lay-up 'Navy / Permanent Transfer'; title 'Reimbursable / USMA Perm. Layup'; damages field blank; withdrawn 5-16-75 1200 PDT; reason 'Sold scrap under PD-X-995, 4-18-75 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. for $224,489.78'; Other Data: 'Reimbursable - Navy agrees to bear costs of retention at rate of $118. per ship per month until FY 1960. Navy agrees to pay Marad for costs incurred for preservation performed during FY 1959 in amount not to exceed $16,000. per ship. See Navy letter June 13, 1958 - Marad reply June 20, 1958.' Record of Ship Sales card (form MA-20, image 4560_AF.jpg): offering PD-X-995; contract MA-7865; awarded to Nicolai Joffe Corporation 4-18-75, $224,489.78; light ship weight 5,800; LOA 455', beam 62', draft 24'; remarks 'Advertised under PD-X-988 - bids rejected. Advertised under PD-X-995 dated 3-11-75 opened 4-15-75 under two condition: (1) NTU (2) SCRAP HULL-US. Award under condition (2) SCRAP HULL.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   NDRF caretaker crews (Suisun Bay, 1958-1975); FY1959 preservation workers (scope undocumented); disposal/scrapping workers (1975)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody and disposal chain; cards read directly from scans. Withdrawal/delivery time reads 1200 PDT on the MA-383 card vs 12:45 p.m. PDT on the MC-7146a card and in DANFS - flagged, not merged. MARAD database 'General Type: Training (School)' field is inconsistent with the card-documented continuous reserve-fleet status - treated as a type-field artifact. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sibley-apa206-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Sibley (APA-206) page (navsource.org/archives/10/03/03206.htm; navsource.net mirror) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.org 10/03/03206 (navsource.net mirror fetch; .org direct failed) - construction/campaign/CO/specification blocks + photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Sibley (APA-206) corroborates and supplements DANFS: laid down 21 May 1944 (vs DANFS 17 May - discrepancy flagged) as MC type VC2-S-AP5, MC hull MCV 554, at Permanente Metals Corp. Yard Number 2, Richmond, CA; launched 19 July 1944; acquired loan-charter; commissioned 2 October 1944, CDR Edward I. McQuiston USN in command. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific, TransRon Fifteen (CAPT. W. S. Popham USN) / TransDiv Forty-Three; campaigns: Iwo Jima operation (assault and occupation, 10-27 Feb 1945) and Okinawa Gunto operation (1-11 Apr 1945); Navy Occupation service Far East 19-27 Oct 1945. Decommissioned 27 Nov 1946 at Stockton, CA; returned to Maritime Commission for layup NDRF Suisun Bay 10 Sep 1958; struck Naval Register 1 Oct 1958; sold for scrapping 18 Apr 1975 to Nicolai Joffe (PD-X-995 dated 11 Mar 1975) for $224,489.78, withdrawn/delivered 16 May 1975; two battle stars. CO table: CDR Edward Irwin McQuiston USN (USNA 1921B) 2 Oct 1944-26 Aug 1946; LT Donald Arlington McMinn USN 26 Aug-27 Nov 1946. Specs: 6,873 t lt / 14,837 t fl; 455' x 62' x 24' lim; 17.7 kt trial; complement 56 off / 480 enl; troops 87 off / 1,475 enl; largest boom 35 t; cargo 2,900 DWT / 150,000 cu ft non-refrigerated; boats 2 LCM, 1 open LCPL, 1 covered LCPL (captain's gig), 2 LCPR, 18 LCVP; armament 1x 5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40-mm, 10x 20-mm; fuel NSFO 7,780 bbls + diesel 970; propulsion 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers 465 psi 750 deg F, double Westinghouse main reduction gears, 3 turbo-drive 300 kW 120/240 V D.C. generators, single propeller 8,500 shp. Photo captions document launch at Yard No. 2 19 Jul 1944 ('Sibley took only 63 days to build'), fitting out at Pier 2 on 26 Sep 1944, and the 2 Oct 1944 commissioning ceremony (XO LCDR John E. Haukom USNR).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked troops

   Limitations

   NavSource is unofficial but standard Navy-vessel compilation consistent with DANFS/MARAD; discrepancy flagged not merged: laid down 21 May 1944 vs DANFS 17 May (DANFS adopted - consistent with the yard's 63-days-on-ways figure and the shipbuildinghistory yard table). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sibley-apa206-03

4. [4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. III (1945, NAVSHIPS 250-012), shipscribe.com scan (Google digitization) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB 1945 v3 APA characteristics tables, list no. 224 SIBLEY/APA-206 - dimensions table, complement/draft table, machinery table, generators/fuel table, armament/cargo table, builder/dates table (volume pp. ~258-270, scan pp. ~276-290)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels,' 1945 ed., Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012) carries named SIBLEY (APA-206) rows in the APA characteristics tables (list no. 224): 'SIBLEY (ex- M.C.V. Hull 554) APA 206'; 455 ft 0 in OA / 436 ft 6 in; beam 62 ft; 17.7 kt; 14,837 tons full load; limiting displacement 12,450 tons; limiting draft 24 ft 0 in; ship's company 56 officers / 480 enlisted; troop capacity 87 officers / 1,475 enlisted; machinery '1 Westgh. turb.' 8,500 shp, '2 C.E. hdr.' boilers, 465 psi / 750 deg F, single screw - the Combustion Engineering header-type boiler variation (vs the class-standard B&W plant); main reduction gears double Westinghouse; 3 turbo-drive 300 kW 120/240 V D.C. ship's-service generators; fuel oil 7,780 bbls / diesel 970 bbls; armament 1x 5"/38 cal. (D.P.), 4 twin + 1 quad 40-mm; cargo 150,000 cu ft / 5,800 t / 2,900 DWT; built Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond; acquired 2 Oct 44; year built 1944; date of first commission 2 Oct 44.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1945

   Limitations

   Official wartime BuShips publication naming this hull; OCR of scanned tables is degraded but the row is legible and internally consistent across tables. No asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sibley-apa206-04

5. [5]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + DANFS history + MARAD custody card record [other_primary]

   Locator

   Hull machinery row (ev-04); construction/custody chronology (ev-01, ev-02)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: the VC2-S-AP5 attack transport is a geared-steam ship built 1944 at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2, Richmond - this hull's documented plant is 1 Westinghouse turbine, 8,500 shp, fed by 2 Combustion Engineering header-type boilers at 465 psi / 750 deg F superheated - 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 events where such materials would have been handled are limited: card-documented FY 1959 preservation work under the reimbursable lay-up agreement (up to $16,000 - scope unknown), ~12 years of Navy reserve-fleet lay-up at Stockton (1946-1958), 17 years of NDRF lay-up at Suisun Bay (1958-1975), and the 1975 disposal scrapping. Unlike class siblings (e.g., Marathon APA-200), Sibley has no documented battle damage or major repair event - her card's damages field is blank.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Construction trades (Permanente Metals Yard No. 2, Richmond, 1944); ship's company/embarked troops (1944-46); reserve-fleet caretaker and preservation crews (1946-1975); disposal-phase scrapping workers (1975)

   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. Preservation, lay-up, and disposal events are documented as events; their materials scope is not documented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sibley-apa206-05

6. [6]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; DOI resolves to the article record

   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-sibley-apa206-06

7. [7]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 NDRF fleet environment (Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet) in which this hull lay for 17 years (1958-1975).

   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 1975 withdrawal by 25 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-sibley-apa206-07

8. [8]NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) file-unit records for APA-206: deck logs (Ancestry collection 1143) and RG 38 war diaries/operation reports (Fold3 scans); NARA logbook guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy); MARAD card-document references [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA catalog search 'APA-206' file-unit results (deck logs, war diaries, operation reports - titles quoted); Fold3 image IDs 292239529 / 295379646 / 302042597 / 300792178

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads identified at catalog level (contents unretrieved - digitized copies reside behind Ancestry/Fold3 access; no spend authorized): NARA file unit 'Sibley (APA-206), 10/2/44-11/25/46' - WWII deck logs spanning her commissioned life, scanned under the NARA-Ancestry partnership (catalog note; Ancestry collection 1143); RG 38 WWII war diaries/action reports digitized on Fold3 - 'USS SIBLEY - War Diary, 10/2-31/44' (image 292239529), 'USS SIBLEY - Rep of ops in the invasion of Iwo Jima, Bonin Is, 2/19-27/45' (image 295379646), 'USS Sibley - Rep of ops in the invasion of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Is, 4/1-11/45', 'USS SIBIEY - War History' (image 302042597), and COMTASKUNIT 54.6.13 report on the Wakayama occupation 9/25-26/45 (image 300792178); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) construction records and RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) contract/construction records for MCV hull 554 at Permanente Metals Yard No. 2; and the MARAD internal documents cited on the status cards (Navy letter 6-13-58; Marad reply 6-20-58; PD-X-988/PD-X-995 bid files; contract MA-7865).

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   1944-1975 records

   Limitations

   Catalog-level identification only - file contents not retrieved (digitized copies sit behind Ancestry/Fold3 access); whether deck logs or reports contain materials/repair detail bearing on asbestos is unknown until reviewed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sibley-apa206-08

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py), opinion and RECAP docket indexes - this record's search ledger [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-sibley-apa206-05 through sl-uss-sibley-apa206-09

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener authenticated searches returned no qualifying result for this hull: opinion search '"USS Sibley"' returned zero; '"APA-206"' returned zero; '"USS Sibley" asbestos' returned zero; docket-index search '"USS Sibley"' (type=r) returned zero; broad '"Sibley" asbestos' opinion sweep returned 76 hits, all name collisions on page-1 review - surname cases (Sibley v. Sprint Nextel Corp., D. Kan.) and entity names (Sibley Nursing Personnel Services, Inc. in Genesee Hospital v. Allied Office Products, N.Y. Sup. Ct.), none naming the vessel. A prior class-wide sweep (class-f profile, 2026-09-16) found no asbestos docket naming any Haskell-class member.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-25

   Study period

   2026-09-25

   Limitations

   RECAP-indexed text only; county-named 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-sibley-apa206-09

10. [10]Batch-2278 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC-Wayback + historycentral; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 4560 + 3 card scans; NavSource 10/03/03206; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 (shipscribe scan); NARA catalog; Navy Memorial Navy Log; DOT OIG MA-2000-067; CourtListener name/hull/docket/asbestos searches [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-sibley-apa206-01 through sl-uss-sibley-apa206-14

    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 Sibley (APA-206) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS (NHHC via Wayback + historycentral transcription), MARAD ShipHistory Detail 4560 + 3 status-card scans, NavSource, BuShips SDB 1945 v3, NARA catalog file units, U.S. Navy Memorial Navy Log (no page), 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 reserve fleets ~29 years is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the FY1959 preservation work, lay-up maintenance, and 1975 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-sibley-apa206-10