Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Alacrity' entry for the third Alacrity (MSO-520) - canonical NHHC URL history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/alacrity-iii.html returns 404 as of 2026-09-22; cited via hazegray transcription mirror (Wayback capture) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (hazegray mirror of DANFS vol. entry for MSO-520)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Third Alacrity (MSO-520): laid down 5 March 1956 at Sturgeon Bay, WI by Peterson Builders, Inc.; launched 8 June 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Henry J. Armstrong; ferried to Boston via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River; fitted out at Boston Naval Shipyard; commissioned 1 October 1958, Lt. Theodore W. Pstrak in command. Atlantic Fleet Mine Force out of Charleston, SC: first Mediterranean deployment late 1960-spring 1961; second Feb-summer 1964; West Indies tour Feb-May 1965; Dominican Republic crisis duty (evacuation of foreign nationals, support of inter-American force) most of May 1966; test support for Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test Facility, Fort Lauderdale; training platform for Mine Warfare School; Mediterranean May-Oct 1969; regular overhaul at Avondale Shipyards, Inc. (New Orleans) 17 Jun-1 Dec 1970; Mediterranean Aug-Oct 1971; Apollo 16 support April 1972; Apollo 17 data gathering off Port Canaveral Dec 1972; redesignated AG-520 1 June 1973; modifications at Detyen's Shipyard, Mt. Pleasant, SC 10 May-23 Jul 1973, further alterations Atlantic Drydock Co., Jacksonville 7 Aug-19 Oct 1973; final Mediterranean deployment Jul-Nov 1974; western Atlantic/West Indies training and test-and-evaluation through Sep 1977; decommissioned and stricken 30 September 1977; sold to Ampol Corp. for scrapping December 1979.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1956-1979
- Population
- Ship's company (~83 complement), Atlantic Fleet, 1958-1977
- Limitations
- Official narrative history; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material content. Two transcriptions of the same DANFS text (hazegray, HistoryCentral) differ by one day on the August 1973 Charleston departure (5 vs 6 August); Atlantic Drydock work dates (7 Aug-19 Oct) agree. DANFS disposal wording ('December of 1979... sold to the Ampol Corp.') conflicts with register-derived Navy-sale date of 1 July 1978 - see ev-02. Predecessor identities (SP-206 WWI patrol yacht; PG-87 WWII Action-class patrol gunboat, ex-HMS Cornel) come from the companion DANFS Alacrity entries (NHHC a4/alacrity-ii.htm via Wayback), which this single-hull page does not carry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-01
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[2]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Alacrity (AG 520, ex MSO) Class' - register-compiled class data: SCB Project 45B design, construction/disposition tables, class notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class data table, class notes, and ship notes on AG-520 page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register-derived data: Alacrity built to SCB Project 45B, an Ocean Minesweeper of the new 182-foot wooden-hull type (characteristics promulgated 16 March 1955); three MSOs ordered to this design from Peterson Builders 26 October 1955; a fourth (MSO-522) ordered 25 June 1958 under foreign assistance became Belgian Van Haverbeke. CNO reclassified MSO-520 to AG-520 on 18 January 1973, effective 1 June 1973, retaining the MSO hull number. AG conversion (per class notes, documented in detail for sister Assurance and stated as similar for Alacrity): minesweeping gear removed; converted as trials ship for the AN/SQR-15 tactical towed array sonar (TASS); fuel tanks modified; habitability improved; minesweep cable reels aft of stack replaced by a deck van for TASS electronics. Disposition: decommissioned and stricken 30 Sep 1977; disposal 1 Jul 1978 by Navy sale; ship note reads '(ex-MSO 520, ex-AM 520, comm 1 Oct 1958). Reportedly resold 28 Dec 1979.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1955-1979
- Population
- Ship's company; shipyard workers at Detyen's Shipyard (Mt. Pleasant, SC) and Atlantic Drydock Co. (Jacksonville, FL), 1973
- Limitations
- Authoritative register compilation (Roberts) but not itself an official record. Its construction table gives keel '3 May 1956,' conflicting with DANFS's 5 March 1956 (DANFS used - probable transposition in the register table). 'Reportedly resold' is flagged by the compiler himself as unconfirmed. Conversion detail is written primarily for sister ship Assurance; Alacrity's is described as 'similar modifications' at different yards.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-02
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[3]Designation chain: DANFS and NavSource carry the hull as MSO-520 throughout, reclassified AG-520; shipscribe ship notes list 'ex-AM 520'; NavSource header 'Alacrity (AG 520) ex-Alacrity (MSO 520)'; fleet-wide AM-to-MSO type reclassification effective 7 February 1955 (per DANFS entry for sister-type MSO Sagacity, 'Redesignated MSO-469 on 7 February' [1955]) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AG-520 ship notes; NavSource page header; DANFS MSO-520 entry; DANFS Sagacity (AM/MSO-469) entry for the Feb 1955 type change
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Designation consolidation for this hull: ordered 26 October 1955 as an ocean minesweeper under SCB 45B - after the 7 February 1955 AM-to-MSO type reclassification - and commissioned 1 October 1958 as MSO-520; reclassified AG-520 effective 1 June 1973. 'AM-520' survives only as a register ex-designation in shipscribe's ship notes and as secondary-site label (a Wikipedia redirect); she never served under an AM designation. The batch filename's 'am520' component is retained for file stability, but the authoritative designation sequence is MSO-520 then AG-520.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1955-1958
- Limitations
- The 'ex-AM 520' note appears in shipscribe's ship-notes column but is uncorroborated by DANFS or NavSource, and the same notes column contains a copy error (sister Assurance AG-521 is also listed 'ex-AM 520' instead of ex-AM 521), so the AM notation may reflect the hull-number program sequence rather than an assigned type designation. No document was located showing AM-520 applied to this hull in service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-03
-
[4]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'MSO-520 Alacrity' - specifications block and photo captions incl. Naval Historical Center photo NH 96626 ('Off Charleston Naval Shipyard, 17 April 1959') and All Hands July 1961 photo with Mine Division 45 in the Corinth Canal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSO-520 page, specifications block and photo caption list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Specifications transcribed by NavSource: displacement 934 t; length 190'; beam 36'; draft 12'; speed 15 kts; complement 83; armament one 40mm mount and two .50-cal machine guns; propulsion 'four General Motors diesel engines, two shafts, controllable pitch propellers.' Photo record documents the ship off Charleston Naval Shipyard 17 April 1959 (NHC photo NH 96626) and with Mine Division 45 in 1961. Also records 'Sold for scrap 1 July 1978.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1958-1978
- Population
- Ship's company ~83
- Limitations
- NavSource is an unofficial volunteer archive transcribing official figures; propulsion line (four GM diesels, CPP) is consistent with shipscribe's 'geared diesel, 2 screws, 2,700 HP' class data but is not itself an official record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-04
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[5]OPNAVINST 5100.19F, Navy Safety and Occupational Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat, Chapter B-1 'Asbestos Management' (May 2019), p. B1-3 - text quoted via secondary study-guide transcription; official PDF not directly retrievable in this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- OPNAVINST 5100.19F Ch. B-1, p. B1-3 (EART requirement; keel-laid-before-1980 rule)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Navy policy presumption covering this hull's era: 'Any ship whose keel was laid prior to 1980 will be considered to contain friable asbestos thermal systems insulation (TSI), and must therefore maintain an EART [Emergency Asbestos Response Team].' Alacrity's keel was laid in 1956, so under current Navy safety doctrine a hull of her vintage is presumed to contain friable asbestos TSI. The same chapter treats ships that received TSI repair in non-Navy-regulated facilities as presumed asbestos-containing absent documentation - relevant to her 1973 commercial-yard conversion at Detyen's/Atlantic Drydock.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2019 (instruction revision); presumption applied to pre-1980 hulls
- Population
- Crews of Navy ships with keels laid before 1980 (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level presumption, not a survey of this hull; the presumption exists so crews treat legacy material as ACM pending sampling, and does not establish quantity, location, or crew-era exposure. The instruction post-dates Alacrity's 1977 decommissioning - she was never herself required to maintain an EART; the row documents only how the Navy categorizes hulls of her construction era. Source text is a secondary transcription; pinpoint is OPNAVINST 5100.19F Ch. B-1 p. B1-3.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-05
-
[6]Levine, M.S., and Schott, D., 'Walk-through survey report, Peterson Builders, Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin,' NIOSH Industry Wide Field Studies IWS 74-48 (Nov 1979; survey date 15 Dec 1978), CDC Stacks cdc:233468, NTIS PB82150905 [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record cdc:233468 (abstract + PDF link)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- NIOSH surveyed Alacrity's builder yard on 15 December 1978 as a candidate site for a painting-trades health study: approximately 731 employees in the boat production yard, no industrial hygiene program, poor ventilation in painting areas, personal respirators in use. Documents the builder as a NIOSH-evaluated shipbuilding worksite (SIC-3731) during the yard's later MCM-era operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1978
- Population
- Peterson Builders workforce (~731 employees, 1978)
- Limitations
- Builder-facility record, not a hull record: the survey covers paint hazards in December 1978, twenty-two years after Alacrity's 1956 keel; its abstract documents no asbestos findings and says nothing about 1956-58 construction practices. Establishes the yard's documented industrial-hygiene context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-06
-
[7]CourtListener opinion-index searches (2026-09-22): "USS Alacrity" 0 results; "MSO-520" 0 results; "MSO 520" 0 results; "AG-520" 4 results, all name collisions - Gross v. Waywell, 628 F. Supp. 2d 475 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) and AFSCME Dist. Council 37 opinion match reporter-citation text ('Adoption Ag., 520 F.3d 178'); Martinez v. INS and Mondal v. Gonzales are immigration appeals matching agency/attorney-general references [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search results pages, type=o, queries as listed
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Alacrity / MSO-520 / AG-520 was located in the CourtListener opinion index. All four 'AG-520' hits are collisions on reporter citations or immigration-agency text; none references a vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Opinion index only; the RECAP docket-level search could not be completed - CourtListener throttled this session (API 429, quota exhausted; HTML search returned HTTP 202), so an undocketed-complaint or unindexed-docket naming the ship cannot be ruled out. Absence of an indexed opinion is not proof that no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-07
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[8]Batch-1404 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (canonical 404, mirror used); NavSource; shipscribe register data; CourtListener opinion index; Naval Vessel Register (pre-1987 disposals excluded by site policy); CDC Stacks/NIOSH; NHHC unit-awards lookups [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-alacrity-am520-01 through sl-uss-alacrity-am520-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, donation/museum condition report, or docketed case naming USS Alacrity (MSO-520/AG-520) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The vessel was scrapped 1978-1979 with no preservation body generating modern survey records.
- 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 - the Navy's own pre-1980-keel presumption (ev-05) treats a hull of her vintage as ACM-bearing, and the 1973 commercial-yard conversion would have disturbed whatever era materials existed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alacrity-am520-08