USS AMc-165 (AMC-165)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]NavSource Naval History, USS APc-2 page (Service Ship Photo Archive; compiled from official Navy records), file 09/23/23002 [other_primary]

   Locator

   USS APc-2 page - construction/service chronology, awards block, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer list, 'no DANFS history available' flag

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity and service record for this hull: originally planned as coastal minesweeper AMc-165; laid down 1942-05-12 at Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., Bristol, RI; launched 1942-08-08; commissioned USS APc-2 on 1942-10-31 (LTjg Porter L. Fortune Jr., USNR). Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; campaign credits Bismarck Archipelago operation (Arawe, New Britain, 20-21 December 1943) and Hollandia operation (26 April 1944); two battle stars; awards line American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2), World War II Victory Medal. Decommissioned 1946-05-16 at San Diego; stricken 1946-06-05; transferred to MARAD 1947; sold 1947-04-07 to George Danches, St. Louis, MO for use as fishing boat FV Dansco; out of documentation 1967, fate unknown. Spec block: 100 t light / 234 t full / 258 t limiting, 103'3" x 21'3" x 9'3", 10 knots, one National Supply Corp. MML-6 diesel single screw 300 shp, two diesel-drive 30 kW 120 V DC generators, 145 bbls diesel, four single 20mm AA mounts, complement 3 officers + 22 enlisted, troop capacity 66, 2-ton boom. Three commanding officers listed through decommissioning (Fortune; LTjg Thomas George Fitzgerald, USNR, 1944-1945-01-15; LTjg Parnell S. Lewis, USNR, 1945-01-15 to 1946-05-16).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1967

   Population

   Crew (3 officers + 22 enlisted); embarked troops (capacity 66)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a private archival compilation of official Navy data, not a government publication; no DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource states so explicitly), so dates and specs rest on this compilation. Keel date (5/12) and engine power (300 shp) conflict with official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 (5/22, 400 shp) and decommission date (5/16) conflicts with ShipScribe (5/17) - logged in ev-09 and gaps. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-01

2. [2]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS APc-1 Class page - construction table, disposal table, class notes, ship notes (compiled from BuShips/CNO/District Craft Development Board records and Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table row 2 (Ord. 19 Feb 42, Herreshoff Mfg, keel 27 May 42, launch 8 Aug 42, commiss. 31 Oct 42); disposal table row 2 (decomm. 17 May 46, struck 5 Jun 46, disposed 7 Apr 47, MC/D, MA sale 14 Apr 47); Class Notes (procurement history); Ship Notes rows 2 and 21

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Construction-record row: APc-2 ordered 1942-02-19 under the AMc 150-199 coastal-minesweeper program; built by Herreshoff Mfg. (table gives keel 1942-05-27, launch 1942-08-08, commission 1942-10-31 - conflicting with BuShips 1945 and NavSource on keel). Disposal row: decommissioned 1946-05-17 (one day off NavSource), struck 1946-06-05, disposed 1947-04-07, fate MC/D, MA sale 1947-04-14. Class procurement history documented from CNO/BuShips records: CNO directed 50 AMc-type hulls on 1942-01-19; on 1942-04-13 CNO requested the 50 vessels be built as 'raider transports, AP'; the 'Coastal transport (small), APc' category was created 1942-04-22 on the District Craft Development Board's recommendation; the design was the wood-hulled fishing-boat-derived type lengthened to ~103 ft; AMc 150-199 became APc 1-50 'though not respectively'. Ship note for row 2: 'Ex AMc-165. Sold (delivered) by MC to George Danches, St. Louis, Miss. Merc. DANSCO 1951.' Sister note for row 21 documents the actual Arawe loss: 'Ex AMc-172. Sunk by Japanese aircraft bomb off New Britain (Arawe)' - struck 1943-12-31.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Construction trades (Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., Bristol, 1942)

   Limitations

   Secondary scholarly compilation of primary BuShips/CNO records, not the records themselves; the construction and disposal tables name this hull and the ship note confirms AMc-165 and APc-2 are one hull. Keel (5/27) and decommission (5/17) dates conflict with BuShips 1945/NavSource - unresolved, logged in ev-09 and gaps. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-02

3. [3]U.S. Navy Department, Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Volume III, NAVSHIPS 250-012 - official publication, digitized scan at shipscribe.com [other_primary]

   Locator

   p. 280-281 (APc class characteristics, incl. wood-hull and no-trials notes), p. 282 (individual machinery row 'A Pc2 (ex-AMc165)'), p. 283 (individual construction row APc2: builder, keel 22 May 42, launch 8 Aug 42, first commission 31 Oct 42); text extracted via pdftotext -layout

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official U.S. Navy publication rows for this hull: BuShips 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012), p. 282 machinery table lists 'A Pc2 (ex-AMc165)' with a National Supply MML-6 engine, 400 shaft horsepower, no reduction gear; p. 283 construction table lists APc2 built by Herreshoff Mfg. Co., Bristol, R.I., keel laid 22 May 42, launched 8 Aug 42, date of first commission 31 Oct 42. Class characteristics (pp. 280-281): wood hulls; 103'3" overall, 98'2" waterline, 21'3" extreme beam; 10 knots design speed with the note that no trial runs or model-basin tests were made; 258 tons limiting displacement, 9'3" limiting draft; ship's company 3 officers + 22 enlisted; troop capacity 66 enlisted; largest boom capacity 2 tons; one propeller, diesel, single shaft; 2 diesel-driven 30 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators; 145 bbls diesel oil; 'APC's carry only 20 mm and smaller guns.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945 publication; data as of wartime

   Population

   Crew (3 officers + 22 enlisted); embarked troops (capacity 66)

   Limitations

   Official BuShips publication and the strongest source in this record - it names the hull, confirms the AMc-165 to APc-2 identity, and fixes builder/dates/machinery. It is a characteristics register, not an operational history: it does not cover campaigns, casualties, or postwar disposition, and the keel date it gives (5/22) conflicts with NavSource (5/12) and ShipScribe (5/27). Contains no asbestos or materials information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-03

4. [4]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List #44 (deck-log holdings by ship number, RG 24 deck-log collection index) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SL-44 ship-number index, 'APC-2 11/18/1942-6/30/1945' row (pdftotext -layout verified); no 'AMC-165' row present; digitized-logs listing at archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online (no APC-2 entry)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List #44 (Navy deck-log finding aid, indexed by ship number) lists APC-2 deck logs held at the National Archives in a single block: 11/18/1942 through 6/30/1945. No AMC-165 entry exists in the index, consistent with the minesweeper designation never being an operating identity. The NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' page lists no APC-2 among digitized logs - the logs exist as physical holdings, undigitized.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1945 (indexed coverage)

   Limitations

   Finding aid only - the deck logs themselves were not retrieved or read, and their contents (stations, operations, the December 1943 Arawe action, repairs, any material/conditions notes) are unknown. The log block ends 6/30/1945; coverage from July 1945 through the May 1946 decommissioning is unindexed. SL-44 indexes physical holdings, not digitization status. Not an asbestos record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-04

5. [5]Australian War Memorial collection, photograph 302545 (No. 23 Squadron RAAF, 1943-06-27) [museum_official]

   Locator

   AWM collection page for accession 302545 - description line, maker, date, public-domain status

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official Australian War Memorial collection record, accession 302545: '1943-06-27. AERIAL PORT SIDE VIEW OF THE COASTAL TRANSPORT VESSEL APC-2. WITH FOUR 20 MM OERLIKON AA GUNS SHE IS WELL ARMED FOR HER SIZE. NOTE THE MOTTLED CAMOUFLAGE SCHEME. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION).' Maker: No 23 Squadron RAAF; conflict WWII; public domain. An official museum record confirming the vessel in service, armed as documented, in mid-1943 - five months before the Arawe operation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-06-27

   Population

   Crew aboard at photo date

   Limitations

   Official museum catalog record for a period photograph; documents identity, in-service status, armament, and camouflage as of 1943-06-27 only. Carries no materials, machinery, or asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-05

6. [6]Herreshoff Marine Museum, Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonne - HMCo #426p APc2 (transcription of the builder's Construction Record plus cited archival items and period press) [museum_official]

   Locator

   Particulars block (HMCo Construction Record); Bristol Phoenix items 1942-07-17 and 1942-08-11; quoted Greg H. Williams 'World War II Vessels in Private Hands' (2013, p. 12-13) for the Arawe action and Danches/Dansco registration (ON 261830); archival-documents and drawings lists (HH.6.009, HH.4.082, HH.5.01978, HH.5.04804)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Builder's own construction record for this hull, transcribed in the Herreshoff Marine Museum's Catalogue Raisonne: HMCo #426p 'APc2,' Navy Coastal Transport designed by McInnis, Eldredge; contract dated 1942-02-19; launch 1942-08-08; wood construction; LOA 103' 2.5", LWL 98' 6", beam 21' 2.5", draft 8' 3.625"; displacement 112.0 short tons; 'Diesel, Superior, 400 h.p.'; one 3-blade propeller; built for the U.S. Navy; contract amount $145,000; later name Dansco (1951-). Contemporary Bristol Phoenix coverage carried in the record: Mrs. Sidney Herreshoff sponsored the launch, witnessed by Lt. Cmdr. C. H. Paulsen of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding office, Quincy. Supporting archival documents identified: Navy Contract worksheets for hull 426p (HH.6.009), offset booklet HH.4.082, castings list HH.5.01978, and steering-gear drawing HH.5.04804 - all in the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum. The catalogue's own 'final disposition' line repeats a 'possibly bombed and sunk off Arawe 1943-12-21' claim but flags it as conflicting information - corrected in ev-09.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1967

   Population

   Construction trades (Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., Bristol, 1942)

   Limitations

   Museum-published transcription of the builder's primary construction record - authoritative for contract, dimensions, engine make, and cost as built; engine description ('Superior') reconciles with BuShips 'National Supply MML-6' (National Supply's Superior line). The page also aggregates secondary sources of mixed reliability (a wikimapia wreck story it itself flags as conflicting; Williams' secondary account of the Arawe action) - the erroneous sinking claim is corrected in ev-09, not carried. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-06

7. [7]BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III APc class block (wood hull, diesel, single shaft, 103 ft) + Herreshoff construction record #426p (wood construction, Superior diesel) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB 1945 v3 pp. 280-281 (class block, wood-hull footnote, machinery row); herreshoff.info P00426 particulars

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Design-level asbestos-relevance inference for this hull type: the APc-1 class was a wood-hulled craft of ~103 ft powered by a single diesel on one screw with no boilers and no steam plant (BuShips Ships' Data 1945: wood hulls, one propeller, diesel, single shaft; no trial runs), so the dominant WWII naval-asbestos pathways (boiler insulation, turbine lagging, steam-line lagging) do not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications for a 1942 naval auxiliary of this type are limited to era-typical items: diesel exhaust-system lagging, engine gaskets and packing, electrical insulation/switchboard backing, deck-covering and non-skid compounds, adhesives/mastics, and friction linings on deck machinery.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1946 Navy service; 1947-1967 commercial life unexamined for materials

   Population

   Construction trades (Herreshoff, Bristol, 1942); engine-room crew; any later repair/refit workers (1947-1967 commercial life undocumented for materials)

   Limitations

   The wood-hull diesel platform is documented for this hull; the list of asbestos-relevant applications is era inference, not documentation - no material survey, specification, or maintenance record names asbestos aboard this hull. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, or individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-07

8. [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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this 1942 wooden auxiliary was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across naval and merchant construction.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, does not address small wooden auxiliaries specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-08

9. [9]Source-conflict reconciliation across BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III, NavSource APc-2 page, ShipScribe APc-1 class table/notes, shipbuildinghistory APc table, Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonne, NavSource AM-165 Counsel page, and the wikimapia entry quoted within the Herreshoff record [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB 1945 v3 pp. 282-283 (APc2 ex-AMc165 row); navsource.net 09/23/23002; shipscribe.com/usnaux/APC/APC01.html (ship notes rows 2 and 21, disposal table); shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxapc.htm (APc 21 'Lost to air attack off New Britain 1943'); herreshoff.info P00426 ('conflicting information' flag, wikimapia quote); navsource.org 11/02165 (Counsel AM-165 ex-AMc-142)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Identity, collision, and source-error reconciliation: (a) ONE HULL, TWO DESIGNATIONS - AMc-165 was the ordered-as designation under the AMc 150-199 program; the April 1942 CNO/District Craft Development Board redirect completed her as APc-2, and she never served as a minesweeper. BuShips 1945 prints 'A Pc2 (ex-AMc165)' and ShipScribe's ship note reads 'Ex AMc-165' - this record consolidates both designations; they are not two vessels. (b) NAME COLLISION - AMc-165 must not be conflated with USS Counsel (AM-165, record uss-counsel-am165), an Admirable-class steel minesweeper built by Willamette Iron & Steel Corp., Portland OR (originally planned as AMc-142, reclassified AM-165 1942-02-21, laid down 1942-06-15, commissioned 1944-05-27) - a completely different hull sharing only the numeral. (c) PUBLISHED ERROR - a widely mirrored wikimapia entry ('Wreck of USS APc-2') describes APc-2 sunk by a Japanese dive bomber off Arawe on 1943-12-21; every official-source-derived record documents decommissioning 1946-05, striking 1946-06-05, Maritime Commission disposal 1947-04, and a documented fishing-vessel career to 1967. The hull actually lost off Arawe is APc-21 (ex-AMc-172, Hodgdon Bros.): ShipScribe 'Sunk by Japanese aircraft bomb off New Britain (Arawe),' struck 1943-12-31; shipbuildinghistory 'Lost to air attack off New Britain 1943.' The Herreshoff catalogue repeats the sunk claim but flags it 'conflicting information' - resolved against. (d) DATE CONFLICTS - keel 5/12 (NavSource) vs 5/22 (BuShips Ships' Data 1945, official) vs 5/27 (ShipScribe); decommission 5/16 (NavSource, Williams) vs 5/17 (ShipScribe) - unresolved; official-source dates carried. (e) POWER-FIGURE CONFLICTS - BuShips and the Herreshoff record say 400 hp (National Supply MML-6 / 'Superior'); NavSource's spec block reads 300 shp. (f) DISPLACEMENT VARIANTS - 100 t light (NavSource) vs 112 short tons (Herreshoff) vs 161 t light (ShipScribe class); 258 t limiting consistent.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1967 records

   Limitations

   Documents publication-level discrepancies so the record is auditable; prevents three real indexing errors (treating AMc-165/APc-2 as separate hulls; merging this record with USS Counsel AM-165; carrying the false Arawe sinking). None of the conflicting figures bear on asbestos documentation. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-09

10. [10]Batch-1513 search ledger (this record): NavSource APc-2 page; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; ShipScribe APc-1 class page; NHHC/DANFS check; NARA SL-44 + digitized-logs page; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonne; AWM 302545; shipbuildinghistory APc table; NavalCoverMuseum; Wikipedia; CourtListener API v4 (blocked) + web-index fallback; builder-litigation check [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-amc-165-amc165-01 through sl-uss-amc-165-amc165-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or museum record names this hull; no DANFS entry exists (NHHC returns no ship-history page; NavSource states so explicitly); no verified docketed case naming AMc-165, APc-2, or the fishing vessel Dansco was found in the public sources searched. The vessel does not appear in the Naval Vessel Register (NVR covers only modern dispositions; struck 1946) and MARAD ShipHistory holds no record for this small naval craft. The hull does not survive in custody - there is no structure, museum file, or reserve-fleet record from which a survey could be expected. CourtListener litigation searches were attempted but blocked by API rate-limit on the research date (search_ledger sl-06) - litigation status is therefore unverified rather than confirmed negative; a web-index fallback returned no vessel hits, and no qualifying asbestos docket names builder Herreshoff Mfg. (sl-13).

    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 - WWII-era construction practices leave residual uncertainty for gaskets, packing, electrical and engine-adjacent insulation even in a small wooden diesel craft, and the 1947-1967 commercial life is entirely undocumented for materials. Litigation coverage is incomplete because CourtListener was throttled (2,800/day shared quota exhausted); re-run is a documented gap. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-10

11. [11]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (deck logs), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); MIT Museum Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection (HH.4.082, HH.5.01978, HH.5.04804, HH.6.009); USCG vessel documentation system (ON 261830 via Williams/Greg H. Williams, WWII Vessels in Private Hands) [other_primary]

    Locator

    SL-44 'APC-2' row; herreshoff.info P00426 drawings/archival-documents sections (HH item identifiers); Williams quote in Herreshoff record ('ON 261830')

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA deck logs for APC-2 covering 11/18/1942-6/30/1945 (SL-44 indexed, RG 24 - the likeliest primary for stations, the December 1943 Arawe action and any repairs, and any material events; July 1945-May 1946 unindexed); (b) Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum - offset booklet HH.4.082 ('No 425 Class Amc Coastal Transports' sheets), castings list HH.5.01978, steering-gear drawing HH.5.04804, and hull-426p estimate/displacement worksheets HH.6.009 (restricted access; cited in the Herreshoff catalogue); (c) the Maritime Commission disposal file for the April 1947 sale to George Danches (RG 178); (d) the U.S. Coast Guard merchant-vessel documentation file for official number 261830 (the likeliest primary for the 1947-1967 Dansco fishing career and final disposition).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1942-1967 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and identifier mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. The MIT items are documented to exist via the museum catalogue's drawing and document lists; the ON 261830 documentation file is inferred from the official number published in secondary literature. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-amc-165-amc165-11