Evidence
17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).
-
[1]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, file 09/23/23021 - 'USS APc-21' vessel page (courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USS APc-21 page 09/23/23021 - milestones, campaign table, specification block, commanding-officer table, 'no DANFS' flag
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Per-hull record for APc-21: 'Originally planned as a Coastal Minesweeper AMc-173' [sic - corrected to AMc-172 in ev-15]; 'Laid down, 24 May 1942, at Hodgdon Brothers, Goudy and Stevens, East Boothbay, ME' [dates conflict - ev-15]; 'Launched, 2 September 1942' [sic - ev-15]; 'Commissioned USS APc-21, 25 February 1943, LT. William N. Vlachos USNR in command.' Campaign table: Eastern New Guinea operation, Lae occupation, 8 to 12 September 1943; Bismarck Archipelago operation, Arawe, New Britain, 15 to 17 December 1943. 'Lost to enemy air attack at Arawe, New Georgia, 17 December 1943' [sic - New Britain, corrected in ev-15]; 'Struck from the Naval Register, 5 June 1946' [conflicts with shipscribe's 31 Dec 43 - ev-15]; 'earned two battle stars for WWII service.' Specifications: 100 t.(lt)/234 t.(fl)/258 t.(lim); 103'3" x 21'3" x 9'3"; 10 kts; 3 officers/22 enlisted; troop capacity 66; largest boom 2 t; four single 20mm AA mounts; diesel 145 bbls; one Atlas 6HM2124 diesel, two diesel-drive 30kW 120V DC generators, single propeller 400shp. CO list: LT Vlachos 25 Feb 43 - Dec 43; LTjg W. J. Bates Dec 43 - 17 Dec 43. NavSource states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for USS APc-21' and holds no image.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Commissioned crew of a 103-ft wooden coastal transport (3 officers/22 enlisted ship's company; up to 66 troops carried), Feb-Dec 1943
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (the standard per-hull reference for small Navy craft), not a primary document. Three of its entries conflict with official records and NavSource's own index and are corrected in ev-15: the planned-minesweeper number ('AMc-173' vs official 'AMc172' in the 1945 Ships' Data Vol. II cross-index), the loss location ('Arawe, New Georgia' vs New Britain in the official Navy chronology), and the strike date (5 Jun 46 vs shipscribe-compiled 31 Dec 43). Keel/launch dates conflict with shipscribe's compilation (24 May 42 / 2 Sep 42 vs 4 Apr 42 / 12 Sep 42). Campaign/star data independently confirmed by NAVPERS 15,790 (ev-04). Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-01
-
[2]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250 series), U.S. Navy Department / Bureau of Ships - 'List of Naval Vessels' cross-reference index, AMc block (shipscribe.com scan of the official publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. II, List of Naval Vessels cross-index, AMc block: 'AMc172 APc21 -sunk' (pdftotext -layout verified)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official designation-mapping for the consolidation: the Vol. II cross-index reads 'AMc172 APc21 -sunk' - the Navy's own statement that the AMc-172 contract designation and the APc-21 commissioned hull are one vessel, and that she was sunk. The same block maps the flanking Hodgdon hulls identically ('AMc170 Now APc19', 'AMc171 Now APc20', 'AMc173 Now APc22'), confirming the numbering sequence and making NavSource's 'AMc-173' on the APc-21 page an error (AMc-173 is officially mapped to APc-22).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Limitations
- Index-level mapping only - establishes the designation relationship and the sunk disposition, nothing about service detail, materials, or asbestos. The AMc-172 designation was a planning/contract designation only; no commissioned minesweeper service existed under it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-02
-
[3]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250 series), U.S. Navy Department / Bureau of Ships - 'Auxiliaries - Coastal Transports (Small), (APc)' section (shipscribe.com scan of the official publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. III: index list 'APc21 Sunk'; APc class characteristics pp. 280-281; machinery table p. 282 (APc19/APc20/APc22 rows: Atlas 6HM2124, 400, none; APc-21 absent); build table p. 283 (Hodgon Bros., Goudy & Stevens, East Boothbay block: APc19 12 Mar 42/1 Aug 42/2 Jan 43, APc20 12 Mar 42/15 Aug 42/15 Jan 43, APc22 24 Mar 42/12 Sept 42/27 Feb 43; APc-21 absent)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips data. Index/list row: 'APc21 Sunk' - the official 1945 register already treats this hull as a war loss. Consequently APc-21 is omitted from the individual-machinery table (p. 282) and the build table (p. 283), whose Hodgdon Bros./Goudy & Stevens block lists only APc-19, APc-20, and APc-22. Sister-hull machinery rows (same yard, same 19 Feb 42 order): APc19 (ex-AMc170), APc20 (ex-AMc171), APc22 (ex-AMc173) all carry 'Atlas 6HM2124' diesel, 400 shp, no reduction gear - corroborating NavSource's Atlas 6HM2124/400shp for APc-21. Class table (pp. 280-281): 103'3" overall / 98'2" waterline; 21'3" extreme beam; 10 kts designed speed (footnote: 'No trial runs nor Model Basin tests were made'); limiting displacement 258 t, limiting draft 9'3"; ship's company 3 officers + 22 enlisted; troop capacity 66; largest boom 2 t; 'APC's carry only 20 mm. and smaller guns'; 1 propeller, diesel, single shaft; 2 diesel-drive 30 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators; 145 bbls diesel oil; wood hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Commissioned crew (3 officers/22 enlisted per official class table); embarked troops up to 66
- Limitations
- Primary official record (1945 BuShips publication), the strongest source in this record for type, machinery, and class characteristics. Because the edition post-dates the sinking, the per-hull rows are absent and construction dates for this specific hull are not in it - shipscribe's compilation supplies them (ev-08). Class-level characteristics apply to APc1-111 as a type. Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-03
-
[4]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (1953 rev.), Part IV, Sec. 16 - 'List of Ships and Units eligible for Engagement Stars,' Asiatic-Pacific list (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html, Asiatic-Pacific ship list, 'APc 21' entries ('8 Sep 43 - 12 Sep 43 P17-2'; '16 Dec 43 - 17 Dec 43 P22-3'); code-table definitions P17-2 'Lae occupation 4-22 Sep 43' and P22-3 'Arawe, New Britain 15 Dec 43 - 1 Mar 44'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official engagement-star record for 'APc 21': two entries - '8 Sep 43 - 12 Sep 43, P17-2' and '16 Dec 43 - 17 Dec 43, P22-3'. The manual's code table defines P17-2 as the 'Lae occupation, 4-22 Sep 43' under the Eastern New Guinea operation (P17), and P22-3 as 'Arawe, New Britain, 15 Dec 43 - 1 Mar 44' under the Bismarck Archipelago operation (P22). This is the official record of APc-21's two battle stars - and her Arawe credit window ends 17 Dec 43, the day she was sunk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943; manual 1953
- Population
- Ship's company during the Lae (Sep 1943) and Arawe (Dec 1943) operations
- Limitations
- Official awards record; establishes campaign credit and two battle stars only - not day-to-day operations, stations, or any materials information. Dates agree with NavSource's campaign table and the Bruhn compilation (ev-10).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-04
-
[5]U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945 - Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy by Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, CNO; Appendix C, 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels from all causes, 7 December 1941 - 1 October 1945' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-King-C.html, Appendix C, TROOP TRANSPORTS section: 'APc 21 | Off New Britain | 17 December 1943'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The CNO's official loss list to the Secretary of the Navy carries, under TROOP TRANSPORTS: 'APc 21 - Off New Britain - 17 December 1943.' This is the Navy's official accounting of the vessel's loss - date and location agree with the official chronology (ev-06).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-12-17; report 1945
- Population
- Ship's company at loss (3 officers/22 enlisted nominal)
- Limitations
- Official loss accounting at name/date/location level only - no cause detail, casualty count, or material information. Confirms 'New Britain' as the official loss location (against NavSource's 'New Georgia' error - ev-15).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-05
-
[6]The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II - 1943 (Robert J. Cressman, Naval Historical Center/NHHC publication; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1943.html, '17 December, Fri.' Pacific entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official chronology entry for 17 December, Fri., Pacific: 'Coastal transport APc-21 is sunk by dive bomber, 06 deg 15' S, 149 deg 01' E, and motor minesweeper YMS-50 is damaged by horizontal bomber, 06 deg 12' S, 149 deg 03' E, off New Britain.' Fixes the loss position and cause (dive bomber) and places the event off New Britain - matching the CNO loss list and NAVPERS Arawe credit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-12-17
- Population
- Ship's company at loss (3 officers/22 enlisted nominal)
- Limitations
- Official chronology; no casualty count or damage detail beyond 'sunk by dive bomber.' The coordinates place the wreck in the Arawe area on the south coast of New Britain - NavSource's 'Arawe, New Georgia' is an error (ev-15). No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-06
-
[7]History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II, Vol. II: Isolation of Rabaul (Historical Branch, HQMC; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) - Arawe operation narrative [other_primary]
- Locator
- USMC-II-IV-3.html, Arawe/Backhander narrative - Japanese air-attacks paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USMC operational history of the Arawe (BACKHANDER) operation records that during the mid-December Japanese air attacks on the Arawe reinforcement echelons 'an escort coastal transport sunk, and an escort minesweeper and seven LCTs badly damaged' - the same attack series in which the official chronology identifies APc-21 as sunk (17 Dec 43) and YMS-50 as damaged. Corroborates the operational context: APc-21 was escorting the supply echelon when Japanese strike aircraft from Rabaul hit the convoy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-12
- Population
- Arawe reinforcement convoy crews (context)
- Limitations
- Corroborating operational context only - the USMC narrative does not name APc-21 (identification comes from the Navy chronology and CNO loss list). No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-07
-
[8]Shipscribe (S. Roberts), 'USS APc-1 Class' - construction, disposition, ship-note, and class-note tables compiled from official Navy/Maritime Commission records [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/APC/APC01.html - construction table row 21, disposition table row 21, ship note 21 ('Ex AMc-172. Sunk by Japanese aircraft bomb off New Britain (Arawe).'), class notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent per-hull table rows: construction table - APc-21, ordered 19 Feb 42, Hodgdon Bros, keel 4 Apr 42, launched 12 Sep 42, commissioned 25 Feb 43; disposition table - stricken 31 Dec 43, fate 'Lost' 17 Dec 43; ship note - 'Ex AMc-172. Sunk by Japanese aircraft bomb off New Britain (Arawe).' Class notes document the procurement history: CNO directive 19 Jan 42 for AMc 150-199; BuShips modified-design specifications Feb 42; CNO request 13 Apr 42 to complete the 50 as 'raider transports, AP'; District Craft Development Board recommendation 20 Apr 42; the 'Coastal transport (small), APc' category created 22 Apr 42; 'AMc 150-199 thus became APc 1-50, though not respectively.' This is the documentary basis of the AMc-172 -> APc-21 consolidation: the hull was redirected to transport configuration before commissioning and never operated as a minesweeper.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Commissioned crew, Feb-Dec 1943; construction trades at the Hodgdon/Goudy & Stevens yard, 1942
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official records - the keel/launch dates (4 Apr 42 / 12 Sep 42) conflict with NavSource's (24 May 42 / 2 Sep 42) and no primary build record was located for this specific hull (the 1945 SDB omits it as a war loss; the 1943 edition is image-scan only, not text-verified). The 31 Dec 43 strike date conflicts with NavSource's 5 Jun 46 - unresolved (ev-15). Ship-note 'Ex AMc-172' agrees with the official SDB Vol. II cross-index. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-08
-
[9]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton), 'Goudy & Stevens' yard table, East Boothbay ME - Navy contract hull rows [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/yachtsmall/goudy.htm - hull 87 row ('AMC 172/APc 21 ... Lost to air attack off New Britain 1943'); hulls 85/86/88 flanking rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard delivery table lists yard hull 87 as 'AMC 172/APc 21,' type 'Coastal Transport,' 100 GT, 103 ft, 1942, disposition 'Lost to air attack off New Britain 1943' - independently confirming from the builder's side that contract hull AMC 172 was delivered as APc-21 and was lost to air attack off New Britain in 1943. Sister rows confirm the sequence: hull 85 = AMC 170/APc 19, hull 86 = AMC 171/APc 20, hull 88 = AMC 173/APc 22. Page notes Hodgdon Bros. and Goudy & Stevens worked joint Navy contracts during WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Goudy & Stevens yard workforce, 1942 (builder context)
- Limitations
- Private shipyard-data compilation (the standard industry-side reference for small yards), not a primary document; agrees with the official SDB cross-index, shipscribe, and the NavSource index on the AMc-172 -> APc-21 mapping. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-09
-
[10]Bruhn, David D. (CDR USN Ret.), 'Pacific Island Hoppers Hall of Valor - Navy Small Coastal Transports (APc) & Army Freight Vessels,' summary of battle stars earned during World War II (compiled from official award records; live URL 404s - Wayback capture 2021-10-19 used) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback PDF (21 pp.), 'Summary of Battle Stars Earned During World War II' - Lae occupation table ('USS APc-21 8-12 Sep 43 Lt. (jg) W. J. Bates') and Arawe table ('USS APc-21 16-17 Dec 43 Lt. (jg) W. J. Bates')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent compilation corroborating the official awards record: 'USS APc-21 | 8-12 Sep 43 | Lt. (jg) W. J. Bates, USNR' under the Eastern New Guinea operation (Lae occupation), and 'USS APc-21 | 16-17 Dec 43 | Lt. (jg) W. J. Bates, USNR' under the Bismarck Archipelago operation (Arawe, New Britain). Dates match NAVPERS 15,790 exactly. The compilation attributes both engagements to Bates as commanding officer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Ship's company under Bates (Lae, Sep 1943; Arawe, Dec 1943)
- Limitations
- Secondary scholarly compilation (Bruhn's Wooden Ships and Iron Men series is the standard reference for these craft), not the underlying NAVPERS record itself - though its entries agree with NAVPERS on dates and codes. CO attribution (Bates for the Sep 43 star) conflicts with NavSource's roster (Vlachos to Dec 43, Bates from Dec 43) - minor discrepancy logged in ev-15; Bates's presence aboard from fitting out is independently established by his UNT oral history (ev-11). No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-10
-
[11]University of North Texas Oral History Collection, interview OH 1420 - William J. Bates (b. 1916), U.S. Navy WWII veteran, APc-21 and ATA-182; WWII Pacific Theater Oral History Project, interviewed 7 February 2001 [other_primary]
- Locator
- oralhistory.unt.edu/oh-1420 interview description; digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc306824 (project metadata)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- First-person account by APc-21's last commanding officer (LTjg William J. Bates, USNR, per NavSource roster Dec 43 - 17 Dec 43): 'assignment to APc-21, East Boothbay, Maine, 1942; voyage of APc-21 from Maine to Brisbane, Australia; operations off the coast of New Guinea with the VII Amphibious Force, 1943; providing escort duty for LCTs during assaults along the coast of New Guinea; the sinking of APc-21 by Japanese planes off New Britain Island, December, 1943; recuperation in New Guinea' before reassignment. Confirms the East Boothbay fitting-out, the Maine-to-Brisbane transit, Seventh Fleet amphibious escort duty, and the loss by Japanese air attack off New Britain - and documents that Bates survived the sinking and recuperated ashore.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943 service; interview 2001
- Population
- Ship's company at loss (LTjg Bates and ~24 others nominal)
- Limitations
- Survivor oral history recorded in 2001 - a primary personal account held by a university archive, subject to memory limits; the catalog description summarizes rather than transcribes. Establishes that the CO survived (crew-level casualty count not stated - the 42 killed/wounded figure in secondary accounts of the attack is an aggregate across all ships hit). No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-11
-
[12]NARA, Special List #44 (by ship number), index to U.S. Navy deck logs 1801-1947 held in the National Archives - 'APC-21' entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf (pdftotext verified), 'APC-21 2/25/1943 9/30/1943' row; no AMC-172 entry in the AMC block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List #44 indexes this hull's deck logs under 'APC-21' in a single range: 2/25/1943 - 9/30/1943 (RG 24 deck-log collection) - i.e., from commissioning day through the end of September 1943. The October-December 1943 logs (through the sinking) are not indexed - consistent with loss of the record copies with the ship. There is NO 'AMC-172' entry anywhere in the index - consistent with the AMc designation being a planning/contract designation only, under which no log series was ever kept.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943 (indexed coverage)
- Limitations
- Index-level finding only - the logs were not retrieved (no paid reproduction authorized) and their contents, including stations, operations, repairs, and any material events, are unknown. SL-44 indexes physical holdings, not digitization status; the NARA digitized-logs listing shows no APC-21 (or any APc craft) online. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-12
-
[13]Design-bounded assessment compiled from the official 1945 Ships' Data APc tables (ev-03) and the documented APc program pattern (ev-08, ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. III APc tables (sister-hull machinery rows 'Atlas 6HM2124', wood-hull note, single-shaft/diesel propulsion line); shipscribe APc-1 class notes; NavSource specification block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Design-level assessment of the asbestos-relevant profile: this craft carried a single ~400-shp diesel on one shaft with no reduction gear in a ~103-ft wooden hull - no boilers, no steam distribution system, no turbines. The principal asbestos vectors documented aboard steam-era naval vessels - boiler and steam-drum lagging, steam-line insulation, turbine and condenser insulation - are absent by design in this type. Residual era-typical applications remain plausible but are undocumented for this hull: diesel exhaust and muffler insulation, engine gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, joiner/accommodation materials, and brake linings on winch/windlass gear. The builder was a small wooden-boat yard (yachts, fishing boats, wooden minesweeper hulls) rather than a steel steamship yard, which further bounds - but does not eliminate - the likelihood of naval insulation-specification materials aboard. The hull sank in December 1943, so no postwar abatement or survey record exists.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Ship's company (3 officers/22 enlisted official); embarked troops up to 66; construction trades at the Hodgdon/Goudy & Stevens yard, 1942
- Limitations
- Class/design inference, not a ship-specific finding: the absence of a steam plant removes the dominant asbestos vectors but does not prove the absence of asbestos aboard - WWII-era gaskets, packing, electrical components, and interior materials could still contain asbestos, and the vessel's conversion-outfit details are undocumented. Nothing in the cited sources names an asbestos product installed on this hull. Does not establish presence, absence, exposure, or causation for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-13
-
[14]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era under which this small wooden diesel transport was built (1942) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship 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 scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, its class, or the East Boothbay yards and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Its ship-construction framing applies most strongly to the construction trades at the builder's yard rather than to the crew, and applies with reduced force to small wooden-boat yards building diesel craft.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-14
-
[15]Source-conflict and coverage reconciliation across official Ships' Data 1945 Vols. II-III, the CNO official loss list, the official Navy chronology, NAVPERS 15,790, NARA SL-44, NavSource, shipscribe, the shipbuildinghistory Goudy & Stevens yard table, Bruhn Hall of Valor, and the UNT oral-history archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/23/23021.htm and /09/23/23idx.htm and /11/03idx.htm; SDB1945v2.pdf AMc cross-index; SDB1945v3.pdf pp. 280-283; USN-King-C.html; USN-Chron-1943.html; Awards-IV-16.html; shipscribe.com/usnaux/APC/APC01.html; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/yachtsmall/goudy.htm; davidbruhn.com APc/FS Hall of Valor (Wayback); oralhistory.unt.edu/oh-1420; sl-44-ship-number.pdf
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Publication-level discrepancies reconciled or logged: (a) Planned designation - NavSource's APc-21 page says 'AMc-173,' but the official SDB Vol. II cross-index reads 'AMc172 APc21 -sunk,' NavSource's own APc index and AMc index map AMc-172 -> APc-21 and AMc-173 -> APc-22, the shipscribe ship note says 'Ex AMc-172,' and the Goudy & Stevens yard table lists hull 87 as 'AMC 172/APc 21' with hull 88 as 'AMC 173/APc 22' - the page figure is erroneous; AMc-172 is carried. (b) Loss location - NavSource says 'Arawe, New Georgia'; Arawe is on New Britain, and the official Navy chronology, CNO loss list, NAVPERS code P22-3 ('Arawe, New Britain'), shipscribe, the yard table, and NavSource's own campaign table all say New Britain - New Britain carried. (c) Strike date - shipscribe's compilation gives 31 Dec 43; NavSource gives 5 Jun 46 (the mass-strike date of surviving sisters, e.g., APc-2, though NavSource does distinguish prompt loss-strikes elsewhere, e.g., APc-35 on 26 Oct 43) - unresolved; both cited. (d) Keel/launch - shipscribe 4 Apr 42 / 12 Sep 42 vs NavSource 24 May 42 / 2 Sep 42 - shipscribe's compilation carried (it is consistent with the official build-table sequencing of sister hulls); both logged. (e) Commissioning - 25 Feb 43 (NavSource, shipscribe, batch intake) vs Wikipedia's 27 Feb 43 - 25 Feb carried; note the official SDB build table prints 27 Feb 43 for sister APc-22, the likely origin of the confusion. (f) CO at Lae - Bruhn lists Bates for the Sep 43 star while NavSource's roster runs Vlachos to Dec 43 - minor variance logged; Bates's presence aboard from fitting out is confirmed by his oral history. (g) DANFS - none exists; NavSource flags 'no DANFS history,' consistent with the craft being unnamed. (h) Deck-log indexing - logs exist only under 'APC-21' (25 Feb - 30 Sep 1943); no 'AMC-172' entry exists anywhere in SL-44. (i) Name collision - 'AMC-172' queries were screened against AM-172/AMc-name entries; no commissioned minesweeper ever bore the AMc-172 designation in service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943 records
- Limitations
- Documents publication-level discrepancies so the record is auditable; does not alter identity or the service timeline, which is anchored by the official SDB Vol. II cross-index ('AMc172 APc21 -sunk'), the CNO loss list, and the NAVPERS engagement-star entries rather than by any single compilation. None of the conflicting figures bear on asbestos documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-15
-
[16]Batch-1521 search ledger (this record): official Ships' Data 1945 Vols. II-III; CNO 'U.S. Navy at War' Appendix C loss list; official Navy chronology (Cressman); USMC Operations Vol. II; NAVPERS 15,790 awards manual; NARA SL-44 index and digitized-logs listing; NavSource 09/23/23021 and index pages; shipscribe APC01; shipbuildinghistory Goudy yard table; Bruhn Hall of Valor (Wayback); UNT oral history OH 1420; NHHC/DANFS; NVR; CourtListener (blocked); general web asbestos queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-amc-172-amc172-01 through sl-uss-amc-172-amc172-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified docketed case naming AMc-172 or APc-21 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The vessel sank in combat on 17 December 1943 and has no postwar existence - no decommissioning, disposal, sale, museumization, or remediation event exists that could generate an asbestos record. The vessel does not appear in the Naval Vessel Register (NVR excludes vessels stricken decades before digitization) and has no DANFS entry (unnamed craft). As an unnamed hull she appears on no asbestos-marketing ship list - those lists key on ship names. The CourtListener API check could not be executed - authenticated daily quota (2800/day) exhausted at research time, the same shared-quota exhaustion reported by sibling batches on 2026-09-22 - so the litigation surface is incompletely searched.
- 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 and outfitting practices leave residual uncertainty for gaskets, packing, electrical and engine-adjacent insulation even in a small wooden diesel craft. The litigation check is incomplete because CourtListener was throttled (2800/day shared quota exhausted); re-run is a documented gap. Does not establish presence, absence, exposure, causation, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-16
-
[17]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs), RG 38 (Chief of Naval Operations - WWII war diaries and action reports), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); NARA SL-44 deck-log index for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/038.html ; /groups/019.html ; sl-44-ship-number.pdf 'APC-21' row; shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1943v2.pdf (image scan, unverified)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for APC-21 covering 2/25/1943 - 9/30/1943 (SL-44 indexed, RG 24 - the likeliest primary for stations, operations, repairs, and material events during her seven months of commissioned service before the Solomons/New Guinea campaigns); war-diary installments for this hull (RG 38, Apr-Dec 1943 - including the December installment or loss report covering the sinking); Seventh Amphibious Force action reports for the Arawe/BACKHANDER operation (RG 38 - the loss narrative and any casualty accounting); BuShips contract, design, and conversion records for the AMc 150-199 -> APc 1-50 redirection (RG 19 - could hold material specifications for the transport conversion, the only documents that could establish outfit materials for this hull); the 1943 Ships' Data edition (Navy Department Library microfilm / shipscribe image scan) for a per-hull row compiled while she was in service.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-172-amc172-17