USS Adroit (AM-509)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Adroit (MSO-509)' - official NHHC entry text, verbatim transcription via the hazegray/losthistory.net mirror; live history.navy.mil DANFS pages (adroit.html, adroit-ii.html, danfs/mso/adroit.html) all return 404 (standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1290/1298) and Wayback availability API was rate-limited this session [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   hazegray mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/mso509.htm - full 'Adroit (MSO-509)' entry, specifications block + service narrative + transcriber's note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Acme-class ocean minesweeper (spec block: dp. 750; l. 173'; b. 36'; dr. 14'; s. 14 k.; cpl. 78; a. 1 40mm., 2 .50-cal. mg.; cl. Acme). 'The second Adroit (MSO-509) was laid down on 18 November 1954 at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, by Frank L. Sample, Jr., Inc. as AM-509; redesignated MSO 509 on 7 February 1955, named Adroit on 17 May 1955; launched on 20 August 1955; sponsored by Mrs. Alice G. Olsen, the wife of Capt. Eliot Olsen, and commissioned on 4 March 1957, Lt. Comdr. J. G. Nemetz in command.' Service per DANFS: fitting out then Charleston, S.C.; shakedown in the West Indies; almost 17 years with the Atlantic Fleet Mine Force, providing services to the Naval Mine Defense Laboratory (after 1971 the Naval Coastal Systems Laboratory) at Panama City, Fla., the Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test Facility at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and the Mine Warfare School at Charleston; participated in Gordon Cooper's Project Mercury space shot May 1963; helped the Naval Oceanographic Office conduct a test March 1970; occasional Mediterranean and West Indies deployments; 6th Fleet tour summer 1958 earning the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service off strife-torn Lebanon; otherwise exercises, goodwill visits, type training, 'regular overhauls, and repair periods.' Mid-1973 reassigned to naval reserve training duty, homeport change Charleston to Newport, R.I. (departed 24 Sep, arrived 28 Sep); spent the remainder of her career training reservists along the east coast, 'most frequently independent ship's exercises and amphibious assault training'; August 1977 base change to Portsmouth, N.H. for more than four years; early October 1981 homeport change to Little Creek, Va.; 'As of December of 1987, she was still operating from the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Va.' Transcriber's note closes the entry: 'Adroit decommissioned 12 December 1991 and was stricken 8 May 1992. She was sold for scrap 15 April 1994 and scrapped at Wilmington, Del., 30 May 1995.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1954-1991 (entry written c.1988; transcriber's note adds 1991-95 events)

   Population

   Frank L. Sample, Jr., Inc. construction trades (Boothbay Harbor, 1954-57); Atlantic Fleet Mine Force crew (design complement 78); naval reservists embarked for training (1973-91)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. The entry's narrative horizon is December 1987, so the 1990-91 Persian Gulf deployment is absent from DANFS (documented via NavSource/NARA photo captions - see ev-04). The transcriber's note is not DANFS text: its 'sold for scrap 15 April 1994' conflicts with NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum's 15 August 1994, and its 'Wilmington, Del.' conflicts with the Wilmington, NC location NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, and Wikipedia all give - flagged in correction row ev-10. Live NHHC URL 404s; the verbatim hazegray transcription is the cited access path. The transcription carries OCR artifacts ('Mediterranean tea' = Sea; 'Tour years' = four) - not quoted verbatim for those phrases.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Adroit (MSO 509) ex-AM-509, file 11/02509 (navsource.org DNS resolution failed this session - same edge condition as batches 1092/1100/1135/1290/1298 - retrieved live from the navsource.net mirror, content identical to search-index snippets of the .org page) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02509 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, photo-caption credits (NARA 330-CFD-DN-ST-90-11673, DN-ST-91-03129, DN-SC-91-08119, DN-ST-88-08273), CO roster (navsource.net mirror, retrieved live 2026-09-22)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Acme Class Minesweeper: Laid down 18 November 1954 as AM-509 by Frank L. Sample, Inc., Boothbay Harbor, Maine; Launched 20 August 1953 [sic - see ev-10; the year is a typo for 1955, impossible as printed since it predates the 18 Nov 1954 laying]; Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-509, 7 February 1955; Commissioned USS Adroit (MSO-509), 4 March 1957; Decommissioned 12 December 1991 and laid up at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Portsmouth, VA; Struck from the Navy Register 8 May 1992; Sold for scrap 15 August 1994 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Wilmington Resources, Inc. of Wilmington, NC for $44,950.00; Removed from Reserve Fleet 18 August 1994; Scrapping completed in May 1995.' Call sign November-Charlie-Foxtrot-Romeo. Spec block: 633 t.(lt), 750 t.(fl); 173' length; 36' beam; 14' draft; 14 kts.; complement 78; one 40mm gun mount and two .50 cal. machine guns; propulsion 'Four General Motors diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers' (class-inconsistent - sister pages print Packard diesels for MSO-510/511; a 1983 news clipping also says Packard V12s for this hull - flagged in ev-10). Photo-documented events: c.1950/60s drydocking in Dry Dock No. 2 at Navy Yard Charleston, SC with Swerve (MSO-495) and Sturdy (MSO-494); c.1981 Wilmington, NC photo; 23 July 1988 'undergoing overhaul at the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation's Brambleton facility' (U.S. Navy photo DN-ST-88-08273); Gulf deployment photo series 1990-91 with NARA catalog numbers. Commanding-officer roster lists 26 officers, LCDR Joseph G. Nemetz (4 Mar 1957) through CDR George Jeffrey Fullerton (15 Nov-12 Dec 1991).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1954-1995

   Population

   Frank L. Sample construction trades (1954-57); commissioned-era crew (complement 78); NISMF Portsmouth caretakers (1991-94)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with DANFS on all construction dates. Its 'Launched 20 August 1953' is an impossible typo (predates the November 1954 laying; DANFS and Wikipedia print 1955) - flagged in ev-10. Its GM-diesel propulsion line conflicts with its own sister pages (Packard diesels for MSO-510 and MSO-511) and with a 1983 news clipping naming Packard V12s aboard this hull - flagged in ev-10. Its 15 Aug 1994 sale date conflicts with the DANFS transcriber's/Wikipedia's 15 Apr 1994 - flagged in ev-10. CO-06 roster line carries a garbled end date ('25 August 1966 - 21 July 1968 - 21 July 1962'). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Frank L. Sample, Boothbay Harbor ME' yard table - Adroit (MSO 509) row; corroborated by globalsecurity.org MSO-508 class page ('In June 1954, Congress awarded four minesweeper contracts to Frank L. Sample Jr., Boothbay Harbor, Maine. These would become the Acme (MSO-508) class which commissioned 1956-58') [other_primary]

   Locator

   sample.htm - 'FRANK L. SAMPLE, Boothbay Harbor ME' table, MSO 508-511 rows + yard history header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Adroit (MSO 509) | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 780d | Delivery 4-Mar-57 | Scrapped 1994' - the delivery date matching the 4 March 1957 commissioning exactly. The same table lists all four Acme-class sisters as consecutive Sample builds: Acme (MSO 508, delivered 27-Sep-56, scrapped 1976), Adroit (MSO 509), Advance (MSO 510, delivered 16-Jun-58, 'Sold for scrap 1976 but still laid up in Stockton CA'), Affray (MSO 511, delivered 8-Dec-58, scrapped 2002). Yard history header: the yard was established 1840 by Cyrus McKown, later the Townsend Marine Railway and (1917) the Atlantic Coast Company; Sample acquired it 1939 and sold it 2004; the 120 Commercial Street site is now the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1954-1957

   Population

   Frank L. Sample, Jr., Inc. construction workforce (Boothbay Harbor, ME, 1954-57)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS and NavSource on builder and the 4-Mar-57 delivery/commissioning. Its 'Scrapped 1994' is shorthand - the documented chain is sold Aug 1994, removed from Reserve Fleet 18 Aug 1994, scrapping completed May 1995 (NavSource). The table prints 780d tons vs DANFS's 750 and NavSource's 633 lt/750 fl - measure variants flagged in ev-10. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-03

4. [4]Persian Gulf deployment documentation: NavSource 11/02509 photo captions carrying NARA catalog numbers (330-CFD-DN-ST-90-11673; 330-CFD-DN-ST-91-03129; 330-CFD-DN-SC-91-08119; DN-ST Super Servant 4 unloading series, 14 Nov 1991) + Wikipedia USS_Adroit_(MSO-509) narrative (secondary, tagged 'lacking in-text citations') [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02509 photo-caption block (1990-91); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Adroit_(MSO-509) 'Operation Desert Storm' paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   This hull deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm - beyond the DANFS narrative horizon. NavSource-hosted official photo captions document: loading aboard Dutch heavy-lift ship Super Servant 3 at Norfolk on 19 August 1990 with ocean minesweepers Leader (MSO-490) and Impervious (MSO-449) and the MCM ship Avenger (MCM-1) (photo by JO2 Oscar Sosa, NARA 330-CFD-DN-ST-90-11673); 'Seen here off Kuwait during operation Desert Storm'; 'During Gulf I ... 1 February 1991' (photo by JO2 Joe Gawlowicz, NARA 330-CFD-DN-SC-91-08119); in-theater during Operation Desert Shield 1 December 1990 (photo by PH2 Burge, NARA 330-CFD-DN-ST-91-03129); and unloading from Super Servant 4 at Norfolk on 14 November 1991 - 'carried her to Norfolk from the Persian Gulf region, where she was deployed for 14 months in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm' (DVIC caption, photo by PH3 Paul A. Hawthorne). Wikipedia's narrative adds (unverified secondary): she operated with the Multinational Coalition Mine Countermeasure Force that located roughly 1,300 Iraqi-laid mines; swept ahead of the amphibious-feint diversion; and on 18 February 1991, after mines hit Tripoli (LPH-10) and Princeton (CG-59), 'Adroit led the salvage tug USS Beaufort (ATS 2) toward Princeton to tow her to safety.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1990-1991

   Population

   Crew aboard during the 14-month Gulf deployment (Aug 1990-Nov 1991)

   Limitations

   Photo-caption documentation of the deployment itself is solid (NARA-numbered official images); the operational narrative beyond the captions rests on Wikipedia, whose article carries an inline-citation deficiency tag - the Beaufort/Princeton detail is plausible and consistent with the documented MCM-group assignment but is not verified against a primary source. DANFS (entry horizon Dec 1987) does not cover this deployment at all. No asbestos information in any source for this event.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-04

5. [5]Disposal chain: NavSource 11/02509 (DRMS sale to Wilmington Resources, Inc., Wilmington NC, $44,950; removed from Reserve Fleet 18 Aug 1994; scrapping completed May 1995) + NavalCoverMuseum ADROIT MSO 509 designation history ('Sold August 15 1994 to Wilmington Resources, Inc. of Wilmington, NC for scrap; Removed from Reserve Fleet August 18 1994; Scrapping completed May 1995') + Wikipedia ('Wilmington Resources, Inc., and Sigma Recycling, LLC, operated the facility. The USS ADROIT MSO 509 was dismantled and scrapped at this facility') [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02509 chronology tail; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/ADROIT_MSO_509 designation history; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Adroit_(MSO-509) fate paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented terminal disposition for this hull: decommissioned 12 December 1991 and laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Portsmouth, VA; stricken from the Navy Register 8 May 1992; sold for scrap through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Wilmington Resources, Inc. of Wilmington, NC for $44,950.00 (NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum both give 15 August 1994; the hazegray DANFS transcriber's note and Wikipedia give 15 April 1994 - conflict flagged in ev-10); removed from the Reserve Fleet 18 August 1994; dismantled at the Wilmington Resources/Sigma Recycling scrapping facility at Wilmington, NC; scrapping completed May 1995 (NavSource) - Wikipedia pins completion to 30 May 1995.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1991-1995

   Population

   NISMF Portsmouth lay-up caretakers (1991-94); Wilmington Resources/Sigma Recycling scrapping workforce (1994-95)

   Limitations

   All secondary compilations (NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, Wikipedia) - no DRMS sales contract or NAVSEA disposal record retrieved; the $44,950 price and the August-vs-April date conflict rest on NavSource/NCM vs the DANFS transcriber's note. The scrapping site's identity (Wilmington Resources, Inc. and Sigma Recycling, LLC, 26 acres off U.S. 421 on the Northeast Cape Fear River) is confirmed by contemporaneous press (see ev-06). No asbestos statement exists in any disposal-chain source - what the contract disclosed or what was removed from this hull is undocumented (archival lead in ev-13).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-05

6. [6]Wilmington Star-News, 'Million-Dollar Job / After five years, Sigma Recycling cleanup nears OK by state' (Brian Feagans, 2001-08-30); U.S. DOL/OSHA enforcement record for Sigma Recycling LLC, 2200 U.S. Hwy 421 N., Wilmington NC (inspection opened 1996-02-07: 28 citations including 29 CFR 1915.1001 asbestos and 1915.1025 lead standards, $260,840 proposed penalties, via DOL enforcement data mirrored at svepnavigator.com) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   starnewsonline.com 2001-08-30 article (paragraphs on operations, violations, cleanup); svepnavigator.com/facility/sigma-recycling-llc-wilmington-nc.html (DOL enforcement mirror)

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   The documented destination where this hull was dismantled was a facility with contemporaneously documented asbestos handling and violations: Sigma Recycling 'dismantled old Navy ships and sold the parts from 1994 to 1996' at the 26-acre site off U.S. 421 on the Northeast Cape Fear River near Wilmington; 'Workers flushed hydraulic fluids out of pipes, stripped fire-retardant asbestos from walls and sandblasted lead paint from metal scraps,' leaving soil contaminated with petroleum, lead, and asbestos. More than a dozen environmental and worker-safety violations forced shutdown circa 1996; 'the federal government said it violated asbestos standards' and fined the company $232,400; the state-supervised cleanup approaching approval in 2001 contemplated hauling off 560 tons of lead/asbestos-laced soil and molding 17,000 cubic yards of petroleum-stained dirt into biopiles. OSHA's enforcement record for the facility (inspection opened 7 Feb 1996) shows 28 citations including citations under the asbestos standard 29 CFR 1915.1001 and lead standard 1915.1025. This hull's documented scrapping window (removed from Reserve Fleet 18 Aug 1994; scrapping completed May 1995) falls inside the site's documented 1994-96 operating period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1994-2001

   Population

   Wilmington Resources/Sigma Recycling scrapping workforce, 1994-96 (the period covering this hull's dismantling)

   Limitations

   Facility-level documentation, not a hull materials record: the press and OSHA sources document the site's asbestos-stripping practice and violations during the window in which this hull was dismantled there, but no source states that asbestos was removed from, or present aboard, MSO-509 itself. Does not establish what, if any, asbestos was aboard, whether any NESHAP notification was filed for this hull, or exposure for any individual worker. The OSHA inspection opened Feb 1996 - after this hull's scrapping was complete - but the press-documented asbestos-stripping practice describes the whole 1994-96 operation. The hull's presence at the facility is documented by NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, and Wikipedia (ev-05).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-06

7. [7]United States v. Ellis / Seawitch Salvage Inc., 172 F.3d 864 (4th Cir. 1999) (Table) (per curiam), affirming D. Md. convictions (30 May 1997) and sentence (13 Feb 1998, Ellis 30 months + $50,000); EPA press releases R-89 (1997-06-06) and R-22 (1998-02-20); opinion text via ecases.us mirror; companion contract dispute N.R. Acquisition Corp. v. United States, 52 Fed. Cl. 490 (2002) [court_record]

   Locator

   ecases.us/case/ca4/c52639/united-states-v-kerry-ellis (opinion factual recital); epa.gov newsroom archive releases R-89 and R-22; 52 Fed. Cl. 490 (2002) via cetient.com

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Disposal-program asbestos documentation for the same DRMS surplus-sales channel through which this hull was sold in August 1994: the affirmed Ellis/Seawitch convictions record that DRMS invitations for bids 'clearly indicated that several compartments on each of the four decommissioned ships contained asbestos,' that the Navy marked each asbestos-containing compartment with a large warning sign before sale, and that purchasers contractually agreed to dispose of all asbestos in accordance with applicable regulations. The four adjudicated hulls included three Agile-class MSO sistership-types of this hull - USS Inflict (MSO-456), USS Fearless (MSO-442), USS Illusive (MSO-448) - plus carrier Coral Sea; certified abatement on Inflict and Fearless removed approximately 1,200 linear meters of pipe insulation and 800 square meters of stack insulation. Seawitch directed unlicensed asbestos removal (May 1993-Sep 1995), failed to file required NESHAP notices, and Ellis submitted a false statement to DRMS concerning asbestos removal - the enforcement backdrop for the era's surplus-MSO scrapping.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1993-2002

   Population

   Shipbreaking workers at Seawitch Salvage, Baltimore, 1993-95 (program context); buyers/caretakers of surplus MSOs

   Limitations

   Adjudicated program documentation that does not name this hull: it establishes that contemporaneous DRMS minesweeper sales carried asbestos-compartment disclosures and that sistership-type MSOs had quantified ACM aboard, but whether the IFB/sales contract for MSO-509's 1994 sale carried the same marked-compartment disclosures is unverified (archival lead: DRMS sales contract file - ev-13). Unpublished Table disposition cited for its factual recital of the trial record, not as precedent. Different buyer than this hull's (Seawitch/Camden/NRAC at Baltimore vs Wilmington Resources at Wilmington, NC).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-07

8. [8]Acme-class construction and plant: MSO veterans' association site (mso509.tripod.com, the 'USS ADROIT Website' linked from NavSource - Wayback captures exist; live site currently unreachable) describes the 1950s-era MSOs as 'built primarily of wood, with bronze and stainless (non-magnetic) steel fittings to minimize their magnetic signature'; NavSource spec block documents four diesel engines, two shafts (non-steam plant); CDR David D. Bruhn USN (Ret.), 'Wooden Ships and Iron Men: The U.S. Navy's Ocean Minesweepers, 1953-1994' (Heritage Books, ISBN 9780788443251), is the standard published history of the type (author a former MSO CO/Mine Group Commander per Naval Historical Foundation) [other_primary]

   Locator

   mso509.tripod.com/mso508/ class description (via Wayback CDX index of the site, captures 2011-2019); NavSource 11/02509 propulsion line; davidbruhn.com + navyhistory.org bibliographic records for the Bruhn history

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1954-57-built Acme-class ocean minesweeper - laminated-wood hull with bronze/stainless non-magnetic fittings and a four-diesel, twin-screw plant (no boilers, no steam distribution, materially lighter insulation load than a steam vessel). Construction fell squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era (substitution did not begin until the early 1970s), so era-typical asbestos applications for a diesel MSO were: engine and exhaust-system lagging; pipe lagging; machinery gaskets and packing; electrical-cable insulation; joiner/accommodation insulation; deck coverings; winch and windlass brake linings. Exposure-relevant populations if any such material was present: Sample yard construction trades (1954-57); the commissioned-era crew (design complement 78) across the 1957-73 Atlantic Fleet Mine Force years, 1990-91 Gulf deployment, and 1973-91 reserve-training years - including documented yard events (Charleston Naval Shipyard drydocking, c.1950s-60s photo; Norfolk Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Brambleton overhauls, 1983 and 1988); and the Wilmington Resources/Sigma scrapping workforce (1994-95).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1954-1995

   Population

   Sample yard trades (1954-57); crews 1957-91 incl. Gulf deployment; overhaul yard workers (Charleston NSY; Norfolk Shipbuilding Brambleton); scrapping workforce 1994-95

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-509/MSO-509 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The wooden hull and diesel plant make the inference weaker than for steel steam ships of the same era - but 'wooden hull' does not imply asbestos-free (fittings, machinery, wiring, and joiner materials could still contain it). The association-site wording is secondary/veteran-compiled; Bruhn's published history is the better-cited anchor but was not directly consulted this session (referenced via its bibliographic record and Naval Historical Foundation description).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-08

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product-page description (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing condition since Batch 01); OSHA/Navy/MARAD/EPA Memorandum of Understanding on Coordination and Information Sharing of Domestic Ship Recycling Operations (2015-07-30, reaffirming the 16 Nov 1999 MOA) - 'In the 1990s, the Department of Defense (DoD) and MARAD became concerned that some contractors participating in their ship recycling and disposal programs were violating or potentially violating environmental and worker safety and health laws'; GAO NSIAD-99-18, Federal Surplus Ships (1998) - surplus-ship hazmat/PCB/asbestos disposal backlog [gao]

   Locator

   gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2 product page; osha.gov/laws-regs/mou/2015-07-30 MOU text section A; gao.gov/assets/nsiad-99-18.pdf

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Program-level federal documentation: GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos extensively in ship construction and overhaul and that worker-protection practices at naval shipyards were deficient (HRD-80-2, 1979) - the era backdrop for this 1954-57-built hull and its documented overhaul periods. The 2015 interagency MOU documents that 1990s DoD/MARAD ship-recycling contractors were found violating environmental and worker safety laws - the program context in which this hull was sold to the Wilmington Resources/Sigma site (documented violations, ev-06) and sistership-type MSOs were scrapped with marked asbestos compartments (Ellis, ev-07). GAO NSIAD-99-18 documents the surplus-ship disposal backlog and the hazmat (asbestos/PCB/lead) remediation obligations of the scrapping program.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1979-2015 (reports); 1954-57 construction era; 1994-95 disposal window

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers and ship-scrapping workforce (program context)

   Limitations

   Program-level reports; none names this vessel or class and none establishes asbestos aboard this hull. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch (standing since Batch 01) - HRD-80-2 product-page description relied on; full text remains an open lead. This hull's diesel plant removes the steam-boiler lagging pathway; residual era inference is limited to ancillary gaskets, packing, exhaust lagging, wiring, joiner materials, brake linings, and deck coverings.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-am509-09

10. [10]Source-discrepancy resolution - hazegray DANFS transcription/transcriber's note vs NavSource 11/02509 vs NavalCoverMuseum vs Colton yard table vs Wikipedia vs FAS dod-101 vs 1983 Manning Monitor news clipping (davidkusel.com mirror) [other_primary]

    Locator

    losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/mso509.htm (incl. transcriber's note); NavSource 11/02509; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/ADROIT_MSO_509; shipbuildinghistory.com sample.htm; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Adroit_(MSO-509) infobox; man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/mso-508.htm; davidkusel.com/veteran/v-graner.htm (1983 clipping)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Launch year - NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum print 'Launched 20 August 1953,' impossible as printed (predates the 18 Nov 1954 laying and the 7 Feb 1955 reclassification); DANFS and Wikipedia print 20 August 1955 - 1955 carried. (b) Sale date - NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum print 'sold 15 August 1994'; the hazegray DANFS transcriber's note and Wikipedia print 'sold for scrap 15 April 1994' - both flagged; NavSource's 'removed from Reserve Fleet 18 August 1994' supports the August sequence but no contract record resolved it. (c) Scrapping location - the DANFS transcriber's note says 'Wilmington, Del.'; NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, and Wikipedia all say Wilmington, NC (Wilmington Resources, Inc. of Wilmington NC; Sigma Recycling site on U.S. 421) - NC carried; 'Del.' flagged as an error. (d) Displacement - DANFS spec block 750; NavSource 633 lt / 750 fl; Colton 780d; FAS 818 fl; Wikipedia infobox 775 fl - measures differ across compilations, flagged without resolution. (e) Dimensions/speed - DANFS/NavSource 173' x 36' x 14' dr, 14 kts; Wikipedia infobox 172'11.5" x 35'1.25" x 10'4" dr, 15 kts - DANFS carried, Wikipedia variant flagged. (f) Propulsion - NavSource prints 'Four General Motors diesel engines' for this hull and MSO-508 but 'Packard' diesels for sisters MSO-510/511; the 1983 clipping reporting this hull's CO change says 'four Packard V12 engines' - internal inconsistency flagged; NavSource carried with the Packard claim noted as likely class-correct. (g) Armament - DANFS/NavSource one 40mm + two .50-cal; Wikipedia infobox says the 40mm mount was removed prior to 1969 with .50 cal after - flagged. (h) CO roster - NavSource's entry for CO-06 (LCDR John Deal Holland) garbles the tenure end ('25 August 1966 - 21 July 1968 - 21 July 1962'). (i) FAS class table lists Adroit's 'Decommissioned' as 08 May 1992 - the striking date, not the 12 Dec 1991 decommissioning; flagged.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1954-1995

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the DANFS transcription, secondary compilations, and rosters, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-am509-10

11. [11]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener opinion 4601080; CourtListener/Google-indexed sweeps for 'USS Adroit,' 'MSO-509,' 'AM-509' (search_ledger sl-09, sl-10)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row ev-12 and search_ledger). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from Navy-vessel asbestos exposure ran under maritime law against equipment manufacturers, and the Supreme Court's DeVries decision settled the 'bare-metal defense' framework - manufacturers that supplied bare equipment had a duty to warn where their products required asbestos-containing parts. It illustrates the litigation posture a claim arising from service aboard a Cold War diesel minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Adroit was located. CourtListener name collisions checked and classified: 'Adroit' hits are Adroit Health Group LLC (TCPA, W.D. Mich. 1:24-cv-00547) and Adroit Children LLC business disputes - not the ship; the same-name WWII hull USS Adroit (AM-82/PC-1586) is a different vessel.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2019 decision; sweeps 2026-09-22

    Limitations

    Doctrinal context only - the cited case does not name or involve this hull, and DeVries addressed manufacturers' duty to warn for asbestos-containing components on Navy vessels generally. A complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; no pleading naming this hull was located. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-am509-11

12. [12]Batch-1399 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray verbatim mirror (live NHHC 404s across all URL patterns; Wayback availability API rate-limited); NavSource 11/02509 via navsource.net mirror; NavalCoverMuseum; Shipbuilding History Sample yard table; FAS dod-101; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - throttled) + Google-indexed CourtListener content; VA BVA vetapp index via Google; Wikipedia (secondary lead) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-adroit-am509-01 through sl-uss-adroit-am509-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Adroit / AM-509 / MSO-509: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, NESHAP notification, court finding, docketed asbestos case, or VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decision naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage caveat: the authenticated API was rate-limited this session (shared key exhausted its 2,800/day cap; 'Expected available in 20403 seconds' - ~5.7h to reset), so the litigation sweep ran through Google-indexed CourtListener content; the only 'Adroit' hits are name collisions (Adroit Health Group LLC, Adroit Children LLC litigants) and generic Navy asbestos-specification filings naming no hull. A fully authenticated re-sweep of opinions and RECAP dockets remains an open verification step. Marketing rosters (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table lists 'USS Adroit | AM-509 | 3/4/1957 | Scrapped, 1995'; asbestos.com lists MSO-509 in its Acme-class section; mesotheliomahelp.org and freeasbestostesting.com rosters name 'USS Adroit') name the ship in generic lists - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific evidence.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2026-09-22

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1954-57-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its wooden hull and lighter diesel (non-steam) insulation load. The hull's documented dismantling at a site with documented asbestos-stripping practice and OSHA asbestos citations (ev-06) is a ship-specific disposal event with facility-level asbestos documentation - it does not establish what was aboard this hull. The CourtListener throttle means the litigation sweep, while negative across the indexed material reached, was not exhaustive - logged honestly rather than claimed complete. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-am509-12

13. [13]Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog API returns a JS SPA shell to automated fetch this session): NARA still-picture items credited on NavSource 11/02509 (330-CFD-DN-ST-90-11673, Super Servant 3 loading 19 Aug 1990; 330-CFD-DN-ST-91-03129, 1 Dec 1990; 330-CFD-DN-SC-91-08119, 1 Feb 1991; DN-ST-88-08273, 23 Jul 1988 Brambleton overhaul); DRMS sales contract file for the August 1994 sale to Wilmington Resources ($44,950) - the resolution path for whether this hull's sale carried the marked-compartment asbestos disclosures documented in Ellis; NC DEQ site files and NESHAP notifications for the Wilmington Resources/Sigma Recycling site (U.S. 421, New Hanover County); OSHA inspection case file 1996 (28 citations, incl. 1915.1001); NARA RG 24 deck logs 1957-91; Frank L. Sample yard construction records; NHHC DANFS-II revised entry if one exists; the archived 'USS ADROIT Website' (mso509.tripod.com, Wayback captures 2011-2019); Bruhn, 'Wooden Ships and Iron Men' (Heritage Books 2019, ISBN 9780788443251) ship chapter [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 11/02509 photo-credit block; archives.gov RG 24 group guide; NCDEQ edocs.deq.nc.gov site-file index; OSHA establishment search (Sigma Recycling LLC, Wilmington NC); web.archive.org CDX for mso509.tripod.com

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads mapped for follow-up: (a) the DRMS sales contract file for this hull's 1994 sale is the single most important unretrieved record - the Ellis record (ev-07) shows DRMS minesweeper-sale IFBs of this era disclosed asbestos-containing compartments, so the contract would document whether ACM was disclosed aboard this hull; (b) NC DEQ/NCDENR files for the Wilmington Resources/Sigma site (26 acres off U.S. 421) - state regulators supervised a ~$1M cleanup with documented asbestos-in-soil disputes; site files may include vessel inventories or NESHAP demolition notifications naming hulls; (c) the Feb 1996 OSHA inspection case file (28 citations incl. asbestos-standard violations) - inspection narratives sometimes name the vessels being worked; (d) NARA still-picture items identified by number on the NavSource page; (e) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the full commissioned period; (f) Frank L. Sample yard records (yard sold 2004, now Boothbay Harbor Shipyard; builder construction files); (g) the archived USS Adroit association website (mso509.tripod.com) - reunion/crew materials; (h) Bruhn's published MSO history for a citable class-construction passage.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1954-1996 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-509/MSO-509 is unknown until surveyed. Deck logs and photos are operations/imagery records, not materials documentation; the DRMS contract file and NESHAP notifications are the leads most likely to resolve the hull-level asbestos question. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-am509-13