Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet i-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-st-mary-s-apa126-pkt-i-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - transports, attack (APA) section, index no. 215 [other_primary]
- Locator
- APA data tables, index no. 215 (PDF text-verified: 'ST. MARY'S (C1 - M.C.V. Hull 40) ... APA 126 ... 455 0 436 6 62 0 17.7 14,837'; machinery row '1 Joshua Hendy turb ... 8,500 2 [B.&W. hdr. - ditto] 465 750'; builder/acquired/commission row 'California S. B. Corp., Wilmington, Calif. / 14 Nov 44 / 1944 / 15 Nov 44')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries a per-hull row for ST. MARY'S APA-126 (index no. 215, 'ex-M.C.V. Hull 40'): 455'0" overall / 436'6" waterline; beam 62'0"; 17.7 knots; 14,837 tons; limiting displacement 12,450 tons with 24'0" draft; machinery 1 Joshua Hendy turbine, 8,500 shp, single screw; 2 Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, steam conditions 465 psi / 750F; 3 x 300 kW 120/240 V DC turbo-generators; fuel 7,780 bbls NSFO + 970 bbls diesel; accommodations 56 officers + 480 enlisted, troop capacity 86 + 1,475; armament 1 x 5"/38 DP, 4 twin + 1 quad 40mm; built by California S.B. Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; acquired 14 Nov 44; first commission 15 Nov 44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (as-built/first commission)
- Population
- Ship's company 536; embarked troops up to ~1,561
- Limitations
- Official 1945 machinery/dimension data naming this hull by hull number and M.C.V. hull; contains no insulation-material or asbestos statement - supports identity and the plant configuration only. The Joshua Hendy turbine attribution is per-hull data correcting the class profile's blanket 'Westinghouse' line for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'St. Mary's (APA-126)' entry, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol. VI (1976), p. 251 - verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror (losthistory.net); no live NHHC page or Wayback capture located for this hull on 2026-09-25 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. VI p. 251, full entry (spec block + narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: laid down under Maritime Commission contract (M.C.V. hull 40) 29 June 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif.; launched 4 September 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Arthur S. Tode; acquired on loan charter and delivered 14 November 1944; commissioned 15 November 1944, Capt. Edward R. Glosten, USNR. TransRon 17; departed Los Angeles 1 January 1945; Manus, Humboldt Bay, Leyte lifts; trained with 77th Division for Operation Iceberg; TG 51.1 to Okinawa - Kerama Retto landing 26 March, casualty receiving station, Hagushi 13 April, Ie Shima troops 16 April, diversionary demonstration 19 April; departed 26 April. Ulithi, Guam, Subic-Manila shuttle; 81st Division training July; Iloilo August. Occupation lift - Tokyo Bay 2 September, 1st Cavalry Division to Yokohama; Mindanao-to-Kure lift; two Magic Carpet voyages; engine trouble 3 January 1946, towed by Nashville to San Francisco (arrived 6 January). Inactivation 12 January; decommissioned 15 February 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission; struck from the Navy list 21 February 1946. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Official ship-history narrative naming this hull; contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Print-era DANFS entry; the live NHHC site has no St. Mary's APA-126 page at any slug tested (all 404), and Wayback holds no capture - citation is to the verbatim Vol. VI transcription. Does not establish any exposure condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS St. Mary's (APA-126), file 10/03/03126 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chronology bullets, campaign/occupation tables, spec block, commanding-officer list, DANFS reproduction
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: TransRon Seventeen (COMO T.B. Brittan) / TransDiv Forty-Nine assignment; campaign table - Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 26 March-26 April 1945; occupation-service periods 2-12 Sep, 23 Sep-15 Oct, 11-19 Dec 1945 and extended China service to 6 Jan 1946; commanding officers (CAPT Edward R. Glosten USNR 15 Nov 44-1 May 45; CDR Roland V. Baillie USNR 1 May-1 Nov 45; CAPT Wilfred B. Goulett USN 1 Nov 45-15 Feb 46); disposal line: withdrawn from Suisun Bay 13 Oct 1955 to Pacific Far East Lines (Repair Program) GAA, returned 12 Jan 1956; sold for scrapping 18 Apr 1975 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. (PD-X-995 dated 11 Mar 1975) for $219,489.78, withdrawn 3 Jun 1975 to NASSCO Terminal Island, CA; spec block - one Joshua Hendy geared turbine, two B&W header-type boilers 465 psi/750F, three 300 kW generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary archive (not an official repository): consistent with DANFS and MARAD cards on substance; carries two date variants against DANFS (keel 27 Jun vs 29 Jun; struck 26 Feb vs 21 Feb) handled in the correction row. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ST. MARY'S (APA-126), Ship History Detail 4638, incl. digitized Reserve Fleet status card and 'Record of Ship Sales' (Form MA-20) card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail page milestones + status card images 4638_8551AF.jpg (fleet card), 4638_AF.jpg (ship-sales record), 4638_8551AB.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory registry and digitized status cards for ST. MARY'S (APA-126): MARAD type VC2-S-AP5, built 1944 by California Shipbuilding Corp., hull MCV-40; NDRF custody milestones - Entry 1946-02-15, Withdrawal 1975-06-03; status card (Suisun Bay fleet): ownership WSA; entered fleet 2-15-46; fuel on entry 181 bbls diesel + 749 bbls Bunker C; Repair Program FY 1956 - withdrawn 13 Oct 1955 1130 PST under GAA-Pacific Far East Lines, returned to Suisun Bay 12 Jan 1956 0850 PST; 'Record of Ship Sales' card (Form MA-20): advertised under PD-X-985 (bids rejected), re-advertised PD-X-995 dated 3-11-75 opened 4-15-75 under two conditions (NTU or SCRAP HULL), awarded on SCRAP HULL condition to Nicolai Joffe Corporation 4-18-75 for $219,489.78 (contract MA-7865); withdrawn from fleet 1235 PDT 6-3-75; termination port San Francisco.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1946-1975
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews; Pacific Far East Lines repair crews (1955-56); NASSCO scrapping workforce (1975)
- Limitations
- Official custody/sale record for this hull from NDRF entry to breaking; contains no asbestos, hazmat, or material statement. The detail page's 'General Type: Training (School) / Specific Type: Training Ship' fields conflict with the documented continuous 1946-1975 reserve lay-up and are treated as a registry-data anomaly, not schoolship service - see correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-04
-
[6]DANFS Vol. VI p.251 vs NavSource 03126 vs BuShips SDB 1945 v3 (index no. 215) vs MARAD ShipHistory 4638 registry fields and status cards vs class-f/haskell-class.class.json member row [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Cross-source date/type comparison; SDB APA machinery row no. 215; MARAD card 4638_8551AF.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Keel date - NavSource says 27 Jun 1944; DANFS and the shipscribe construction table both say 29 Jun 1944 - 29 June adopted. (b) Stricken date - NavSource says 'Struck from the Naval Register 26 February 1946' and the shipscribe disposition table likewise carries 26 Feb 46; DANFS says 'Her name was struck from the Navy list on the 21st' (21 Feb 1946) - unresolved 21 vs 26 Feb conflict, both dates carried. (c) MARAD registry type fields 'Training (School) / Training Ship' conflict with the ship's documented continuous NDRF lay-up 1946-1975 (fleet entry 2-15-46 to withdrawal 6-3-75, one repair-program excursion) - treated as a registry-field anomaly, not evidence of training-ship service. (d) Machinery - the Haskell class profile's blanket 'single Westinghouse geared turbine' does not apply to this hull: BuShips SDB 1945 v3 per-hull row and NavSource spec block both record a Joshua Hendy geared turbine with double Joshua Hendy main reduction gears.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975 records
- Limitations
- Adjudicates record-level conflicts only; none bears on asbestos. The stricken-date conflict (21 vs 26 Feb) is carried in gaps rather than silently resolved; the MARAD 'Training Ship' label may reflect an administrative code, not an error that can be fully resolved without MARAD source records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + VC2-S-AP5 type data (shipscribe APA-117 class page) + Fleischer/Corn era documentation (rows ev-07, ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB APA machinery row no. 215; shipscribe.com/usnaux/APA/APA117.html construction/machinery table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-steam plant (one Joshua Hendy turbine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers at 465 psi/750F superheat - BuShips SDB 1945 v3) built at the peak of WWII asbestos usage - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings were commonly asbestos-containing in WWII construction. Troop-carrying arrangement added interior joiner/insulation scope; the ~29-year NDRF lay-up and final 1975 breaking shift disturbance exposure toward lay-up, repair-program (1955-56), and demolition phases.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Construction trades (CalShip Wilmington, 1944); engine-room and damage-control crew; NDRF caretakers; repair-program and scrapping workforces
- Limitations
- Design-level inference, not a hull record - no source located names asbestos aboard this specific hull. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-06
-
[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 attack transport was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in naval and merchant-type hull construction.
- 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-st-mary-s-apa126-07
-
[9]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28(1):9-16 (1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (1946); PubMed record 21016030 (verified identifier - an earlier batch's PMC1525949 citation resolved to an unrelated article)
- 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., amosite asbestos in Navy ship pipe covering during the period this hull was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945 survey; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and shipyard insulation workers (class context)
- Limitations
- 1944-45 USMC-commissioned survey of pipe-covering operations at four yards (not CalShip Wilmington); documents asbestos content of period Navy pipe covering generally - does not name this vessel and does not establish presence aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-08
-
[10]Pruitt v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., C.A. No. 18-1101-MN-SRF (D. Del., In re Asbestos Litigation / MDL-875 track) - Report and Recommendation; plus this record's CourtListener search ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- R&R opinion PDF, ded.uscourts.gov; CourtListener sweeps sl-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-06/07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The located attack-transport asbestos docket resolves to other hulls/classes: plaintiff John W. Pruitt Sr. alleged mesothelioma from asbestos exposure as a machinist mate stationed in 1958 on 'the USS Bayfield, an attack transport' (APA-33, Bayfield class) and in 1959-60 on USS Tolovana (AO-64, Cimarron class). No asbestos docket naming USS St. Mary's or APA-126 was located; a 'St. Mary's' + asbestos docket sweep returned 120 hits dominated by name collisions - the two asbestos-docket documents surfaced by the sweep were verified at document level to be collisions: a Suoja v. Owens-Illinois exhibit list entry 'Suoja Group I Medical Records - St Marys' (hospital records; the plaintiff's exposure theory was a 40-year union asbestos worker at Badger Ordnance Works, WI, no naval-service nexus) and a Siegfried v. 3M expert declaration citing 'St. Marys Country Club, St. Marys, Pennsylvania' (conference venue in the expert's CV). Neither names this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2018-2021 litigation; alleged exposure 1958-1960 (other hulls)
- Population
- Asbestos-plaintiff naval veterans (litigation context)
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: Pruitt is a pleading-stage plaintiff allegation about other vessels (Bayfield-class APA, Cimarron-class AO), carried only to show where the 'attack transport' docket surface resolves - it names neither this hull nor this class. The two 'St. Mary's' document mentions were verified at document level as name collisions (hospital records; a Pennsylvania country club) and are not hull-specific litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-09
-
[11]Batch-2195 search ledger (this record): DANFS Vol. VI via hazegray/losthistory mirror; NavSource 03126; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 4638 + status cards; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipscribe APA-117 class page; NVR; CourtListener name/hull-number sweeps; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-01 through sl-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-10
- 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 St. Mary's / APA-126 / M.C.V. Hull 40 was found in the public sources searched (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 VC2-S-AP5 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials installed at construction. 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-st-mary-s-apa126-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Maritime Administration), RG 38 (Chief of Naval Operations - war diaries) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 24 deck-log guidance; /groups/019.html; /groups/178.html; /groups/357.html; /groups/038.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS St. Mary's Nov 1944-Feb 1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. VC2-S-AP5 contract plans and Booklet of General Plans for M.C.V. Hull 40 (RG 19); USMC construction-contract records for M.C.V. Hull 40 (RG 178); MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1946-1975 Suisun Bay lay-up, the 1955-56 Pacific Far East Lines Repair Program work scope, and the 1975 PD-X-995 disposal (RG 357); WWII war diary (RG 38).
- 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 M.C.V. Hull 40 / APA-126 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-st-mary-s-apa126-11