USS Adroit (MSO-509)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]research packet 854-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-adroit-mso509-pkt-854-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Adroit II (MSO-509) '1957-1992', by Mark L. Evans (5 July 2016) - construction, sponsor, naming, commissioning, spec block, construction materials, full service narrative through Desert Storm, and disposal dates (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Adroit II entry, spec block + full service narrative + disposal paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: 'The unnamed minesweeper AM-509 was laid down on 18 November 1954 at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, by Frank L. Sample Jr., Inc.; 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. Cmdr. Joseph G. Nemetz in command.' Spec block: displacement 750; length 173'; beam 36'; draft 14'; speed 14 knots; complement 78; armament 1 40mm, 2 .50-caliber machine guns; class Acme. Construction: 'the ship was constructed primarily of wood, principally white oak, red oak, Douglas fir, and laminated plywood, and non-magnetic materials, and regulations prohibited the men from bringing magnetic materials on board.' Service narrative: Charleston homeport and ~17 years Atlantic Fleet Mine Force; Lebanon crisis/Operation Bluebat patrol with the Sixth Fleet, summer 1958 ('joined a total of 81 other vessels that sailed with the Sixth Fleet at times during the crisis'); fleet service mine test off Rhode Island (5 May-15 June 1960); Sixth Fleet deployment 27 September 1961-March 1962 (MedSweepEx 30 off Toulon; La Spezia range); overhaul and repairs at Savannah Machinery & Foundry Co. (1962); Norfolk/Hampton Roads port guard during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Marine Sulphur Queen search, Straits of Florida (6-13 March 1963); Mercury-Atlas-9 (Faith 7) recovery force (May 1963); Caribbean deployment 29 May-18 October 1963 (Guantanamo; Hurricanes Edith and Flora); restricted availability at Charleston Drydock & Ship Building Co. (16 November-3 December 1963); Fleet Service Mine Test 3-64 off Argentia, Newfoundland (46 exercise mines laid with sisters); overhaul at Key West (2 October-10 December 1964); Sixth Fleet deployment 15 June-8 November 1965; Caribbean deployment 28 March-8 September 1966 (Windward Passage patrol); Operation Plumb Bob III (July 1967); Mediterranean deployment 15 April-28 August 1968 (investigated 11 Soviet vessels 'ranging from common fish factory trawlers to a little-known satellite tracker'); overhaul at Detyens (14 March-26 August 1969) receiving AN/SQQ-14 minehunting sonar; September 1969 collision with a degaussing pylon, minimal structural damage. Reserve-training era: Newport R.I. homeport from September 1973; Munro Drydock, Inc., Chelsea, Mass. overhauls (October 1973-February 1974 - new aqueous-foam firefighting system, both shafts replaced, decks recaulked; again 1974-75, 1976, 1977); crashed HSL-34 Seasprite search off Brenton Reef Light (June 1975); Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, N.H. homeport from 1 August 1977; NAB Little Creek homeport from 1 October 1981; Golten Shipyard, Portland, Maine engine changeout (August 1980); South Portland Shipyard (20 July-18 September 1981); Allied Repair, Norfolk interim drydocking (15 July-26 August 1982); Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp. overhaul (1 August-30 November 1983); Brambleton Shipyard intermediate drydocking (13 August 1985-21 January 1986); 'changed out her main propulsion system from Packard to Waukesha main engines during an overhaul at Brambleton Shipyard (21 September 1987-29 August 1988)'; further Brambleton overhaul from 12 September 1989 into 1990. Persian Gulf: loaded aboard Super Servant 3 at Norfolk 19 August 1990 with Avenger (MCM-1), Impervious (MSO-449), and Leader (MSO-490); offloaded 5 October 1990; when Iraqi mines struck Tripoli (LPH-10) and Princeton (CG-59) on 18 February 1991, 'Adroit led salvage tug Beaufort (ATS-2) through the uncharted mines toward Princeton, which took her in tow, Adroit steaming at the "Point" marking mines'; coalition force had 'located and destroyed nearly 1,200 mines' by mid-June 1991; returned aboard Super Servant 4 to Norfolk 14 November 1991. DANFS disposal line: 'Adroit was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 April 1992 and decommissioned on 8 May 1992. The Navy sold her on 15 April 1994.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1954-1994

   Population

   Frank L. Sample construction trades (1954-57); crew (1957-91); shipyard workers at the nine named yards during documented availabilities (1958-90); NISMF Portsmouth caretakers (1991-94); Gulf War embarked EOD teams (1990-91)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history and specifications only; DANFS contains no asbestos or material content beyond the wood/non-magnetic construction description. Two internal date defects: the Gulf War paragraphs misprint '18 January 1990', '24 January 1990', and '18 February 1990' for events that occurred in 1991 (the Tripoli/Princeton mine strikes are historically 18 February 1991, consistent with the page's own photo captions dated 1 December 1990 and 1 February 1991) - year-1991 carried, misprint noted in gaps. DANFS's disposal sequence (stricken 8 April 1992, decommissioned 8 May 1992, sold 15 April 1994) conflicts with the NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum/Wikipedia trio (decommissioned 12 December 1991, struck 8 May 1992) - majority dates carried in headline fields, variant in gaps. Yard names are stated but no work-scope or material detail is given for any availability.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Adroit (MSO 509) ex-AM-509 - designation timeline, specifications, DRMS disposal, commanding-officer list, official photo captions (live .net page, verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02509.htm header timeline block, specifications block, photo captions, CO table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 18 November 1954 as AM-509 by Frank L. Sample, Inc., Boothbay Harbor, Maine; 'Launched 20 August 1953' [sic - impossible misprint, DANFS 1955 carried; see ev-13]; reclassified 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.' Specifications: 633 t. (lt) / 750 t. (fl); 173' x 36' x 14'; 14 kts; complement 78; armament one 40mm mount + two .50 cal; 'Four General Motors diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.' Call sign NCFR. Twenty-six commanding officers listed, LCDR Joseph G. Nemetz (4 March 1957) through CDR George Jeffrey Fullerton (to 12 December 1991). Photo captions document: the hull in Dry Dock No. 2 at Navy Yard Charleston, SC alongside Swerve (MSO-495) and Sturdy (MSO-494) c. late 1950s-60s; overhaul at Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation's Brambleton facility, Elizabeth River, 23 July 1988 (U.S. Navy photo DN-ST-88-08273); loading onto Dutch heavy lift ship Super Servant 3 for the Persian Gulf, 19 August 1990 (NARA photo 330-CFD-DN-ST-90-11673); Operation Desert Shield, 1 December 1990 (NARA photo 330-CFD-DN-ST-91-03129); Gulf service wear, 1 February 1991 (NARA photo 330-CFD-DN-SC-91-08119); unloading from Super Servant 4 at Norfolk, 14 November 1991 (PH3 Paul A. Hawthorne).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1954-1995

   Population

   Frank L. Sample construction trades (1954-57); crew (1957-91); NISMF Portsmouth caretakers (1991-94); DRMS/Wilmington Resources-Sigma Recycling scrapping workers (1994-95)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates here match the NavalCoverMuseum and Wikipedia trio and the launch-year misprint ('1953') is flagged as a defect, not propagated. Spec figures differ from DANFS and secondary sources (displacement 633 lt/750 fl vs DANFS 750 vs 775 fl secondary; speed 14 vs 15 kts) - carried in gaps. 'Four General Motors diesel engines' conflicts with DANFS's hull-documented 'Packard to Waukesha' repowering - engine-maker conflict in gaps, neither maker asserted as as-built fact beyond DANFS's event record. The DRMS 1994 sale detail is NavSource-sourced and not independently verified against a DRMS record. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-02

4. [4]NHHC photo-catalog record, NARA series USN 1056262 - 'USS Adroit (MSO-509) underway during task force exercises', black-and-white photograph, original date 18 June 1961 (live page, verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC NARA-series catalog item page USN 1056262 (title, caption, accession, catalog #, original date fields)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official NHHC photo-catalog record for this hull: 'USS Adroit (MSO-509) underway during task force exercises', catalog number USN 1056262, accession USN, copyright owner National Archives, original date 18 June 1961, black and white - the same image used as the DANFS entry's lead photograph.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1961-06-18

   Population

   Crew during the 18 June 1961 underway period

   Limitations

   Photograph catalog record only - establishes the hull's documented appearance in commissioned service; no material or asbestos content. NHHC states caption, accession, catalog number, and date; no location is given for the exercise.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-03

5. [5]NHHC Gulf War art exhibit, 'Adroit Marks the Way for Princeton' - oil painting by John Charles Roach, 1991, accession 92-007-X, with official caption (live page, verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC exhibit page 'Adroit Marks the Way for Princeton' (caption, accession 92-007-X, artist/date fields)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official NHHC exhibit documentation naming this hull in the February 1991 minefield extraction: 'With the use of hand flares, USS Adroit (MSO-509) marks possible mines in an effort to extract the already damaged USS Princeton (GG-59) from a minefield. USS Beaufort (ATS-2) stands by to assist.' The 1991 oil-on-canvas painting by John Charles Roach is accession 92-007-X in the NHHC art collection, exhibited under 'The Gulf War 1990-1991 (Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm)'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1991-02

   Population

   Adroit crew embarked during the minefield extraction, February 1991

   Limitations

   Vessel-history documentation only; no material or asbestos content. The caption prints 'GG-59' - a caption typo for Princeton's actual designation CG-59 (the DANFS text and all other sources read CG-59). Corroborates the DANFS account of Adroit marking mines while Beaufort towed the damaged cruiser.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-04

6. [6]NARA Catalog, RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (series NAID 594258) - monthly deck-log file units for Adroit (MSO-509), representative NAID 80695845 'Adroit (MSO-509) - November 1968'; catalog search returns 1,224 loose-match results including 1,178 file units, 45 photographs, and 18 sound recordings [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov search 'Adroit MSO-509'; representative NAID 80695845 (November 1968, RG 24, series 594258)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA holds digitized deck logs for this hull: a catalog search for 'Adroit MSO-509' returns monthly file units including January/March/July 1966, April/June/October 1967, September/November 1968, and March/May/August/October/November 1969 on the first results page (coverage extends beyond the visible page; the loose query also returns non-deck-log material). The November 1968 file unit (NAID 80695845, container 28) is representative. Deck logs record daily positions, movements, personnel transactions, and availabilities - the open source for verifying the nine DANFS-named yard periods, the 1987-88 repowering chronology, and the 1990-91 Gulf deployment.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1966-1969 (first-page-verified months; wider coverage not enumerated)

   Population

   Crew of record across the logged months (deck-log names)

   Limitations

   Archival lead: the file units are scanned but unindexed - no individual page was reviewed for this record, so no deck-log fact is carried here. The 1,224-result count is loose-match and includes other hulls' material; verified hits visible on page one are this hull's monthly units. Logs do not themselves document asbestos.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-05

7. [7]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), 'Frank L. Sample, Boothbay Harbor ME' yard build list and yard history [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com Frank L. Sample page, build-list table rows for Acme/Adroit/Advance/Affray and yard-history paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-yard record naming this hull: Frank L. Sample's Boothbay Harbor build list includes 'Adroit (MSO 509), U.S. Navy, Minesweeper, 780d, 4-Mar-57' - matching the DANFS commissioning date - among all four Acme-class MSOs built at the yard (Acme MSO-508 delivered 27-Sep-56; Adroit MSO-509 4-Mar-57; Advance MSO-510 16-Jun-58; Affray MSO-511 8-Dec-58). Yard history: the yard was originally established in 1840 by Cyrus McKown, later the Townsend Marine Railway and Atlantic Coast Co., and operated as Frank L. Sample's yard - a long-running small builder famous for building more than 35 naval minesweepers.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1954-1957

   Population

   Frank L. Sample trades (1954-57 build period for this hull)

   Limitations

   Respected secondary yard reference (Tim Colton's Shipbuilding History), not an official registry. Its disposition column reads 'Scrapped 1994' for Adroit - year-consistent with the 1994-95 documented disposal; the 'more than 35 naval minesweepers' figure is the publisher's yard-history description. The yard has no asbestos-exposure documentation located; presence in this row is construction record only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-06

8. [8]NavSource Minesweeper Photo Index (AM/MSF/MSO/BAM) - 1950s-MSO construction description and class organization; plus DANFS spec block (cl. Acme), shipbuildinghistory Sample build list, and the navyhistory.org Aggressive-class engineering account (see ev-08) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02idx.htm index header text and Acme Class block; DANFS spec block; shipbuildinghistory Sample build list

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference: the 1950s ocean-minesweeper program built sixty-five MSOs 'primarily of wood, with bronze and stainless (non-magnetic) steel fittings to minimize their magnetic signature' (NavSource index), of which the Acme class comprises hulls 508-511 - four ships built by Frank L. Sample Jr. Inc. (DANFS spec block 'cl. Acme'; shipbuildinghistory build list). Built 1954-57 inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era (GAO HRD-80-2, ev-09), a diesel-plant MSO of this type and period would have carried era-standard applications: diesel exhaust lagging, machinery and piping insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation - in a small wooden hull volume. There is no steam propulsion plant, so the boiler/turbine main-propulsion lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1954-1995

   Population

   Sample construction trades (1954-57); crew (1957-91); yard workers across the documented availabilities; NISMF caretakers; 1994-95 shipbreakers

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for MSO-509. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Auxiliary oil-fired heating boilers are documented on an Aggressive-class sister design (ev-08) but are not verified for the Acme class and are excluded from the product list. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-07

9. [9]Naval Historical Foundation / USNI-hosted navyhistory.org, 'Minesweeper USS Force (MSO 445) Experiences' by Capt. George W. Stewart, USN (Ret.) - engineering-plant and construction account for the 1950s-MSO design family by a sister-ship XO [other_primary]

   Locator

   navyhistory.org article, specifications bullet block and engineering-plant paragraphs

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Participant account of the 1950s-MSO design family (Force is Aggressive class, MSO-445): 'Force was of wooden hull construction with non magnetic diesel engines and other equipment'; nine non-magnetic diesel engines in two engine rooms (four Packard 1D1700 mains in paired packages driving twin controllable-pitch propellers through reduction gears and hydraulic clutches; five diesel-driven generators including 185 kW ship-service and 300 kW variable-frequency units); 'ship's heating was from a pair of oil fired auxiliary boilers located on a flat above the engine room'; class repowering - 'the original Packard engines aboard Force were later replaced by Waukesha engines as part of a major re-powering program in the 1960s'; class fire history - 'at least 8 ships of the class suffered significant damage due to machinery spaces fires and three of these, including Force itself in 1972, were lost for this reason.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1959-1973 (author's tour 1959-61; class history through Force's 1973 loss)

   Population

   1950s-MSO crews generally (sister-design account)

   Limitations

   Aggressive-class memoir applied only as design-family context - the Acme class (MSO-508 to -511) is a separate class, and this account does not name this hull. It is consistent with, and partially corroborated by, DANFS's own documentation that this hull 'changed out her main propulsion system from Packard to Waukesha main engines' at Brambleton 1987-88 (the memoir's '1960s' program dating vs. this hull's 1987-88 event suggests the repowering ran long or reached this hull late - unresolved). The auxiliary-heating-boiler detail is Aggressive-class-specific and not verified aboard MSO-509. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-adroit-mso509-08

10. [10]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, HTTP 403)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1954-57) and nearly all of her service era (1957-91).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1979

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - a standing access gap since Batch 01) - content via product-page description.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-mso509-09

11. [11]U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing, 'Ship Scrapping Activities of the United States Government' (105th Congress, hearing hpw105-59, 1998) - testimony on the Wilmington, NC scrapping operation that dismantled this hull [other_primary]

    Locator

    Hearing transcript hpw105-59_0.htm - Heeter testimony (speaker index pp. 19-46) and DLA ship-sales-halt statement

    Finding type

    environmental_record

    Finding

    Congressional documentation of asbestos conditions at the facility that scrapped this hull: North Carolina Assistant Attorney General David Heeter testified to 'my involvement in closing a ship scrapping operation in Wilmington, North Carolina, because of serious environmental problems' - the operation 'run on a daily basis by a Wilmington Resources, Incorporated and then a Sigma Recycling Limited Liability Corporation' scrapping 'some 20 Navy ships, and one Maritime Administration ship.' The record documents a consent judgment and unresolved remediation of 'some three acres of soil that is contaminated with asbestos and petroleum products,' testimony that torch-cutting dispersed asbestos and pollutants into the air contrary to OSHA rules, and that 'the Defense Logistics Agency halted ship sales in January of 1996 in response to environmental violations at the scrapping site in Wilmington, North Carolina.' NavSource documents this hull's scrapping at this same Wilmington Resources/Sigma facility (sold August 1994; scrapping completed May 1995) inside the documented violation window.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1994-1998 (site operation through hearing)

    Population

    Wilmington Resources/Sigma Recycling shipbreaking workforce and site neighbors (1994-96); ~20 Navy ships + 1 MARAD ship dismantled at the site

    Limitations

    Facility-level record, not a hull survey: the hearing does not name MSO-509 or itemize which materials came from which of the ~21 government vessels scrapped there. It documents the operating environment and enforcement history of the yard where this hull was broken - exposure-relevant to the 1994-95 scrapping population, not proof of asbestos content aboard this hull. No quantity, no causation, no individual-exposure findings.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-mso509-10

12. [12]Wilmington Star-News, 'MILLION-DOLLAR JOB / After five years, Sigma Recycling cleanup nears OK by state' (Brian Feagans, 30 Aug 2001 - live, verified); corroborated by Baltimore Sun, 'Scrapping ships, sacrificing men' (Gary Cohn and Will Englund, 7 Dec 1997 - archived copy) [reputable_press]

    Locator

    StarNews 2001 article paragraphs 5-8 and enforcement paragraphs; Baltimore Sun 1997 investigation, Wilmington paragraphs (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240523022252/https://www.baltimoresun.com/1997/12/07/scrapping-ships-sacrificing-men/)

    Finding type

    environmental_record

    Finding

    Press documentation of asbestos handling at the facility that scrapped this hull: the Star-News reports Sigma Recycling 'left behind giant stains of petroleum, lead and asbestos at the 26-acre site off U.S. 421 where the company dismantled old Navy ships and sold the parts from 1994 to 1996. Workers flushed hydraulic fluids out of pipes, stripped fire-retardant asbestos from walls and sandblasted lead paint from metal scraps'; that 'Sigma Recycling was fined $232,400 after the federal government said it violated asbestos standards'; and that a roughly $1 million state-supervised cleanup (560 tons of lead/asbestos soil removal plus biopile treatment) followed. The Baltimore Sun's investigative series reported, per OSHA records, that 'Sigma Recycling failed to train workers in proper asbestos removal methods, supply protective suits or provide medical screening,' that 'workers shoveled asbestos debris into storage bins, which is prohibited by federal law, and did not wet down asbestos to limit dust,' and that the site was contaminated by asbestos, oil and lead before state officials shut it down.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1994-2001

    Population

    Sigma Recycling shipbreaking workforce (1994-96); N.C. DENR/site-cleanup personnel (1996-2001)

    Limitations

    Facility-level documentation: neither article names MSO-509 or ties specific asbestos to this hull; they document that the workforce dismantling the ~21 government vessels there (1994-96, covering this hull's breakup window) worked with and disturbed asbestos under conditions that drew federal fines and state enforcement. Press sourcing, not a government survey - the OSHA-violation and fine facts are reported by the papers against OSHA/state records. Baltimore Sun full text verified via Wayback capture (23 May 2024); live Sun page blocks automated fetch.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-mso509-11

13. [13]Batch-7611 search ledger (this record): live DANFS; NavSource; NHHC photo catalog + Gulf War exhibit; NARA digitized deck logs; shipbuildinghistory build list; NavalCoverMuseum; navyhistory.org class account; GAO product page; House hearing transcript; Wilmington Star-News + archived Baltimore Sun; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-adroit-mso509-01 through -14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Adroit (MSO-509 / AM-509) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-shared daily quota was exhausted (server-requested wait ~4.4 hours); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content - asbestos.com, simmonsfirm.com, sokolovelaw.com, mesothelioma.com (listing 'USS Adroit, AM-509, 3/4/1957, Scrapped, 1995'), elslaw.com, freeasbestostesting.com - all asserting asbestos without primary sourcing, excluded by source policy.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    2026-10-03

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). NARA deck logs are digitized but unreviewed at page level. The Wilmington facility documentation is exposure-relevant to the scrapping population but does not establish hull materials. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Name-collision note for any future litigation run: 'USS Adroit' also denotes SP-248 (never commissioned) and AM-82/PC-1586 (name cancelled 1944); exposure-window attribution to MSO-509 must be verified per hit.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-mso509-12

14. [14]Cross-source date reconciliation: DANFS (live); NavSource 11/02509 (live); NavalCoverMuseum ADROIT MSO 509 (live); Wikipedia (secondary cross-check only) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 11/02509.htm timeline vs DANFS Adroit II disposal paragraph; DANFS Gulf-War paragraphs vs photo captions; NavalCoverMuseum ADROIT MSO 509 designation-history table

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTIONS carried for three source defects: (1) Launch-year misprint - NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum print 'Launched 20 August 1953,' impossible for a hull laid down 18 November 1954; DANFS's 20 August 1955 is internally consistent and carried. (2) Disposal-sequence conflict - DANFS prints 'stricken ... on 8 April 1992 and decommissioned on 8 May 1992 ... sold her on 15 April 1994'; NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum/Wikipedia carry decommissioned 12 December 1991, struck 8 May 1992. The majority trio is carried; the DANFS sequence reads as a month/day swap, unresolved. (3) Gulf-War year misprints - DANFS body text prints '18 January 1990,' '24 January 1990,' and '18 February 1990' for Desert Storm events that occurred in 1991 (the Tripoli/Princeton mine strikes are historically 18 February 1991; the page's own photo captions date Desert Shield imagery December 1990 - February 1991). Year-1991 carried.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1955-1995 (record dates), 2026-10-03 (review date)

    Limitations

    Corrects circulating date errors, not material claims. The 1994 sale date itself also conflicts (DANFS/Wikipedia 15 April vs NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum 15 August) and is carried in gaps unresolved - neither variant is independently verified against a DRMS record.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-adroit-mso509-13