Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Ardent II (AM-340)' - official NHHC entry text, verified verbatim from the hazegray verbatim transcription mirror; live history.navy.mil DANFS pages (ardent.html, ardent-ii.html) return 404 (standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1290) and no Wayback capture of the NHHC page was located this session (availability API returned no snapshots; CDX endpoint offline) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am340.htm - full 'Ardent' entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull: Auk-class minesweeper (spec block: dp. 1,250; l. 221'2"; b. 32'2"; dr. 10'9"; s. 18.1 k.; cpl. 105; a. 1 3", 2 40mm.; 2 dct., 1 dcp. (hh); cl. Auk). 'The second Ardent (AM-340) was originally laid down as Buffalo (BAM-8), for the Royal Navy on 20 February 1943 at Alameda Calif., by the General Engineering & Drydock Co., rescheduled for delivery to the United States Navy, renamed Ardent and redesignated AM 340 on 24 May 1943; launched on 22 June 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Bernadette Armes, the daughter-in-law of George A. Armes, President of the General Engineering & Drydock Co., and commissioned on 25 May 1944, Lt. Comdr. Allan D. Curtis in command.' Service: seven months of convoy escort between the west coast and Hawaii, ranging to Eniwetok and Tarawa; 13 Nov 1944, escorting a six-ship convoy midway Honolulu-US, sonar contact 1232, two hedgehog attacks (1241, 1246), frigate Rockford (PF-48) hedgehog barrage 1308, two more Ardent attacks and Rockford depth charges - wreckage with Japanese inscriptions indicated a 'kill'; postwar research identified the submarine as I-12, which on 30 Oct had sunk Liberty ship John A. Johnson and machine-gunned its survivors. Departed San Francisco 1 Dec 1944, Pearl Harbor 10 Dec; sailed 27 Jan 1945 with TG 51.11; Eniwetok 5 Feb; Tinian, TG 52.3, 11 Feb; sailed 13 Feb with Champion (AM-314), Devastator (AM-318), Defense (AM-317) for Iwo Jima; minesweeping off Iwo Jima 15-18 Feb under intermittent shore-battery fire, screening Estes (AGC-12) at night; towed bomb-damaged Blessman (DE-69) to the Marianas 19 Feb; Saipan 25 Feb (20 marines, 149 mail sacks embarked); back to Iwo Jima 1 Mar; escorted TU 51.29.3 to Ulithi; TG 52.4 to Okinawa, sweeping 24-31 Mar (unit destroyed 17 mines); splashed an enemy plane 26 Mar at 300 yards; four air attacks 28 Mar, and rescued 19 survivors when Skylark (AM-63) struck a mine and sank; L-day 1 Apr a suicider crashed nearby Adams (DM-27). Ordered to Saipan for engine repairs 4 Apr (arrived 10 Apr); parts unavailable forward, routed via Pearl Harbor to Seattle, arrived 30 May; engine repairs until 7 Aug; sailed 13 Aug for Pearl Harbor, at sea when the war ended; departed PH 20 Aug with Scoter (AM-381) and Redstart (AM-378); Saipan 13-17 Sep; Okinawa 21 Sep; Sasebo 27 Sep; typhoon sortie 7 Oct and survivor sweeps off Okinawa's east coast; TU 52.4.1 'Klondike' minefield (East China Sea, 100 mi SW of Kyushu) daily sweeping 27 Oct-8 Nov; Honshu-Kyushu escort of minesweeping-gear ships and demolition firing at the Kushikino Ko mine-disposal grounds into Mar 1946. Routed to Kobe 4 Mar 1946 with Defense, sailed 6 Mar via Saipan, Eniwetok, Johnston Island, Pearl Harbor; San Francisco Bay 19 Apr 1946. Lay in the San Francisco Naval Shipyard until Nov 1946; to San Diego with Vigilance (AM-24); air-sea rescue and local ops off San Clemente Island, Newport Beach, Oceanside; pier 17 Treasure Island 15 Dec 1946 for inactivation; San Diego Naval Station 22 Jan 1947; out of commission in reserve 30 Jan 1947, Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego Group; designation changed to MSF-340 7 Feb 1955; struck from the Navy list 1 Jul 1972; sold to the government of Mexico 19 Sep 1972. Four battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades (Alameda, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 105)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC URL 404s and no Wayback capture was located, so the verbatim hazegray transcription is cited; its closing line assigns the hull the Mexican name 'Ignacio de la Llave (G 08)' which actually belongs to ex-USS Spear (AM-322) - flagged as an error in correction row ev-07, not adopted. Its spec-block displacement (1,250) differs from NavSource/Wikipedia (890 t) - flagged in ev-07. The I-12 identification is postwar assessment; specialist compilation (combinedfleet TROM) frames it as 'probable destruction of a Japanese submarine, in all likelihood I-12' - hedged attribution noted. The transcription renders 'the frigate Rockford' as 'Agate Rockford' - an OCR artifact; Rockford (PF-48) carried. No laid-down discrepancy: DANFS 20 Feb 1943 agrees with NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Ardent (MSF 340) ex-AM-340, file 11/02340 (navsource.org DNS resolution failed this session - same edge condition as batches 1092/1100/1135/1290 - retrieved live from the navsource.net mirror, content identical to search-index snippets of the .org page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02340 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits (navsource.net mirror, retrieved live 2026-09-22)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record: 'Auk Class Minesweeper'; 'The second Ardent was laid down 20 February 1943 as HMS Buffalo (BAM 8) by the General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA; Renamed Ardent and redesignated AM-340, 24 May 1943; Launched 22 June 1943; Commissioned USS Ardent (AM-340), 25 May 1944; Placed out of commission, in reserve, 30 January 1947 at San Diego, CA and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group; Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1946; Reclassified as a Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull), MSF-340, 7 February 1955; Struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1972; Sold to Mexico 19 September 1972 and renamed ARM Juan N. Alvarez (G-09); Reclassified as an Ocean Patrol Vessel, PO-108; Fate unknown.' Call sign November-Delta-Foxtrot-Tango. Spec block: 890 t; 221'2"; 32'2"; 10'9" draft; 18.1 kts; complement 105; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two twin 40mm mounts, two single 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks, five depth-charge projectors; propulsion 'two 2,976shp Baldwin VO8 diesel electric drive engines, Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts.' Photo credits: NARA 19-N-82913 (5 Jun 1944, off San Francisco, Measure 32/1M camouflage); Bureau of Ships BS 67517 and BS 67518 (same date/location); NARA 19-N-89244 (8 Aug 1945, off Puget Sound Navy Yard, following a refit); Mexican Navy photos of Juan N. Alvarez (P-108). Commanding-officer list: LCDR Allan Davis Curtis USNR (25 May 1944-12 Aug 1945); LT Robert Michael Simms USNR (12 Aug 1945); LT Frank Andrew Schwab USNR (26 Oct-27 Nov 1945); LT Ralph Wilson Carson USNR (27 Nov 1945); LTJG Ralph Barton Pollack USNR (26 Jan 1946); LCDR John Robert Banks USNR (4 Feb 1946-30 Jan 1947).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1943-44); wartime crew (complement 105); San Diego reserve-fleet caretakers (1947-72)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with DANFS on all dates for this hull. Its propulsion rating (2,976 shp per engine) conflicts with the 1,988-shp figure NavSource prints for same-plant sister Gladiator (AM-319) and with HyperWar's class-generic 3,500 h.p. - flagged in ev-07; no primary machinery record located. Its displacement (890 t) conflicts with this hull's DANFS spec block (1,250) - flagged in ev-07. 'Fate unknown' is the stale-but-honest line - no Mexican disposal record located in any source. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-02
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'General Engineering, Alameda CA' yard table - hull #58 row (AM 340 Ardent) [other_primary]
- Locator
- general.htm - 'GENERAL ENGINEERING, Alameda CA' table, hull #58 row + yard history header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #58, 'AM 340 | Ardent | US Navy | Minesweeper | 1250 [tons] | Delivery 25-May-44 | Intended to be HMS Buffalo (BAM 8) but retained, to Mexico 1963 as Juan N. Alvarez (C 77), active.' The same yard block lists her contract sisters in the retained BAM (British minesweeper) program - #51 AM 314 Champion (BAM 1), #52 AM 315 Chief (BAM 2), #53 AM 316 Competent (BAM 3), #54 AM 317 Defense (BAM 4), #55 AM 318 Devastator (BAM 5), #56 AM 319 Gladiator (BAM 6), #57 AM 320 Impeccable (BAM 7) - confirming a consecutive General Engineering Lend-Lease-retention minesweeper block of which Ardent was the last hull (#58). Yard history header: the yard began as Barnes & Tibbitts (1916), renamed General Engineering & Dry Dock Company 1922; both its Alameda and Oakland (ex-Hanlon Dry Dock, bought 1928) yards closed 1948; the Clement Avenue site is now Alameda Marina.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction workforce (Alameda, CA, 1943-44)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS and NavSource on builder, the BAM-8/Buffalo identity, and the 25-May-44 delivery/commissioning, and it agrees with NavSource/Wikipedia on the Mexican name Juan N. Alvarez (against the hazegray DANFS transcription's 'Ignacio de la Llave' error - see ev-07). Its '1250' tonnage is a standard table value - same figure the DANFS spec block prints for this hull, while NavSource prints 890 t; measures differ across compilations - flagged in ev-07. Its 'to Mexico 1963' is a propagated typo across the BAM-block rows (the official record reads sold 19 September 1972) - flagged, not adopted. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-03
-
[4]Mexican-service disposition record: NavSource 11/02340 (Juan N. Alvarez G-09, PO-108) + Colton yard table (C 77) + seaforces.org Mexican Navy Valle-class roster ('C 77 / G 09 / P 108 ARM Juan N. Alvarez - ex USS Ardent / AM-340 (1944/72- )') + Wikipedia after Wertheim's Combat Fleets of the World ('in active service, as of 2007'; pennants C77 -> G09 -> P108 in 1993); corroborating roster at uswarships.jounin.jp/msf.htm (MSF-340 -> Juan N. Alvarez C-77 -> G 09 -> P 108) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02340 chronology tail; shipbuildinghistory.com general.htm hull #58; seaforces.org/marint/Mexican-Navy/ships.htm Valle class section; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Juan_N._Alvarez_(P108); uswarships.jounin.jp/msf.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Mexican-era record for this hull: sold to the government of Mexico 19 September 1972 (DANFS + NavSource + all rosters agree); renamed ARM Juan N. Alvarez, pennant sequence C77 -> G-09 -> P-108 (reclassified ocean patrol vessel PO-108/P-108, pennant change dated 1993 in the Wertheim-derived sequence). Reported still in active Mexican service as of 2007 (Wertheim's Combat Fleets, via Wikipedia). seaforces lists the Valle-class line '(1944/72- )' with no end date; NavSource closes with 'Fate unknown.' No decommissioning, scrapping, reefing, or museum record for this hull was located in any public source searched - unlike same-block sister Gladiator (AM-319), whose 2022 reef scuttling off Sonora is press-documented, Ardent's terminal disposition is undocumented.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1972-2007+
- Population
- Mexican Navy/SEMAR crews and maintenance workers (1972-c.2007+)
- Limitations
- Disposition coverage is thin and entirely secondary (NavSource, Colton, seaforces roster, Wertheim-via-Wikipedia) - no SEMAR or official Mexican Navy document located. 'In active service as of 2007' is a directory listing, not a condition report; the ship's material state, any Mexican maintenance/refit scope, and its terminal disposition are all undocumented. The hazegray DANFS transcription's 'Ignacio de la Llave (G 08)' is an error - that name/pennant belongs to ex-USS Spear (AM-322), a different hull (seaforces, Wikipedia USS Spear, and pacificwrecks all confirm); flagged in ev-07. Does not speak to asbestos content, condition, or any exposure question.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-04
-
[5]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two Baldwin VO-8 diesels with electric drive, Westinghouse reduction gear, two shafts - a diesel-electric, non-steam plant) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) + documented machinery-disturbance event (DANFS: engine repairs at Saipan attempted then Seattle/Puget Sound, Apr-Aug 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02340 propulsion line + 19-N-89244 photo caption; DANFS service narrative (Seattle repairs, SF Naval Shipyard lay-up); Colton construction dates
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943-44-built steel Auk-class minesweeper with a diesel-electric twin-screw plant - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1943-44 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, winch and windlass brake linings, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Alameda construction trades (1943-44); the wartime crew (design complement 105) across the convoy-escort, I-12 action, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and postwar Japan/Klondike sweeping periods - including the engine-repair periods at Saipan and Puget Sound (Apr-Aug 1945) and the 1946 San Francisco Naval Shipyard (Hunter's Point) lay-up and Treasure Island/San Diego inactivation work; reserve-fleet caretakers at San Diego (1947-72); and Mexican Navy crews and maintenance workers across a 35+-year second career (1972-c.2007+), whose maintenance and terminal-disposition scopes are undocumented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2007+
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1943-44); crew 1944-47 incl. repair-period populations at Saipan/Puget Sound and SFNSY/Treasure Island/San Diego inactivation workers; reserve-fleet caretakers 1947-72; Mexican Navy crews/yard workers 1972-c.2007+
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-340/MSF-340/BAM-8 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel-electric plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era. The documented Puget Sound refit (engine repairs, May-Aug 1945) and the 1946 Hunter's Point lay-up are yard events with no located materials scope - no asbestos statement exists for either.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-05
-
[6]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); and Fleischer, W.E., et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (article); PubMed PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- 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 and wartime construction program under which this hull was built at General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Alameda. The USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; articles 1946/1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding and naval-vessel construction generally; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder yard. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel-electric minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-06
-
[7]Source-discrepancy resolution - hazegray DANFS transcription vs NavSource 11/02340 vs Colton yard table vs Wikipedia/Wertheim vs seaforces.org vs combinedfleet TROM [other_primary]
- Locator
- losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am340.htm closing line + spec block; NavSource 11/02340; shipbuildinghistory.com general.htm hull #58; seaforces.org Valle-class roster; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Spear and /wiki/ARM_Juan_N._Alvarez_(P108); combinedfleet.com/I-12.htm; uswarships.jounin.jp/msf.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Mexican name - the hazegray DANFS transcription closes 'She later served in the Mexican Navy as Ignacio de la Llave (G 08),' but that name and pennant belong to ex-USS Spear (AM-322), a different hull (confirmed by seaforces.org 'C 76 / G 08 / P 107 ARM Ignacio de la Llave - ex USS Spear / AM-322', the USS Spear article, and the pacificwrecks Valle-class roster); NavSource ('ARM Juan N. Alvarez (G-09)' -> PO-108), Colton ('Juan N. Alvarez (C 77)'), Wikipedia/Wertheim (C77 -> G09 -> P108, 1993), seaforces ('C 77 / G 09 / P 108 ... ex USS Ardent / AM-340'), and uswarships.jounin.jp all agree on Juan N. Alvarez - carried; the DANFS-mirror line flagged as an error, whether it originates in the printed DANFS edition or the transcription is undetermined (no Wayback capture of the NHHC page was available to compare). (b) Displacement - this hull's DANFS spec block prints 'dp. 1,250' and Colton prints 1250, while NavSource prints 890 t and Wikipedia 890 tons (the Auk-class standard figure) - variance flagged; the class-standard 890-t figure noted but no measurement basis resolved. (c) Propulsion rating - NavSource prints 2 x 2,976 shp Baldwin VO-8 for this hull but 2 x 1,988 shp for same-plant sister Gladiator (AM-319); HyperWar's class-generic line reads 3,500 h.p. - NavSource carried with the internal inconsistency flagged; no primary machinery record located. (d) Complement - DANFS spec block and NavSource read 105; Wikipedia prints 100 - 105 carried. (e) Submarine attribution - DANFS states postwar research identified the 13 Nov 1944 kill as I-12; combinedfleet's TROM frames it as 'probable destruction of a Japanese submarine, in all likelihood I-12' and secondary coverage notes reports placing I-12's loss later - official attribution carried with the hedge noted. (f) Sale date - DANFS/NavSource 'sold Mexico 19 September 1972' carried; Colton's 'to Mexico 1963' is a propagated typo across its BAM-block rows (sister rows show the same '1963'). (g) Armament - DANFS abbreviates 'a. 1 3", 2 40mm.; 2 dct., 1 dcp. (hh)' (hh = hedgehog thrower, consistent with the documented 13 Nov 1944 hedgehog attacks); NavSource lists 1x3"/50 + two twin 40mm + two single 20mm + 2 dct + 5 dcp - NavSource detail carried as supplemental. (h) hazegray transcription renders 'the frigate Rockford' as 'Agate Rockford' - OCR artifact; Rockford (PF-48) carried. (i) Name collision - USS Ardent (MCM-12, Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, 1994-2020) is a different hull; its 'USS ARDENT' fire-safety event appears in the Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) fire-review exhibits (S.D. Cal. docket gov.uscourts.casd.734013) - not this vessel.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2007+
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the DANFS transcription, secondary compilations, and rosters, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-07
-
[8]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 4601080; storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.casd.734013.52.8.pdf and .66.2.pdf (BHR fire-review exhibits referencing 'USS ARDENT event' - MCM-12)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from WWII-era Navy-vessel asbestos exposure ran under maritime law against equipment manufacturers, and the Supreme Court's DeVries decision settled the 'bare-metal defense' framework - manufacturers that supplied bare equipment had a duty to warn where their products required asbestos-containing parts. It illustrates the litigation posture claims arising from service aboard a WWII diesel-electric minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Ardent was located. The only CourtListener-indexed 'USS ARDENT' material is a name collision: a fire-safety event aboard the different USS Ardent (MCM-12) reviewed in exhibits filed in the Bonhomme Richard arson prosecution (S.D. Cal. docket gov.uscourts.casd.734013).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2019 decision; 2022-24 collision exhibits
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the cited case does not name or involve this hull, and DeVries addressed manufacturers' duty to warn for asbestos-containing components on Navy vessels generally. Classification note: a complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; no pleading naming this hull was located. The MCM-12 collision is classified as name collision, not litigation for this hull. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-08
-
[9]Batch-1298 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray verbatim mirror (live NHHC 404s; no Wayback capture located); NavSource 11/02340 via navsource.net mirror; Shipbuilding History General Engineering yard table; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - throttled) + Google-indexed CourtListener content; seaforces.org/uswarships.jounin.jp/pacificwrecks Valle-class rosters; combinedfleet TROM I-12; NVR; HyperWar; Shipscribe; NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ardent-am340-01 through sl-uss-ardent-am340-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Ardent / AM-340 / MSF-340 / BAM-8 Buffalo / ARM Juan N. Alvarez: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage caveat: the authenticated API was rate-limited this session (shared key exhausted its 2,800/day cap; ~9.2h to reset - 'Expected available in 32973 seconds'), so the litigation sweep ran through Google-indexed CourtListener content - the only 'USS ARDENT' hits are a name collision (fire-safety event aboard USS Ardent MCM-12, a different hull, in Bonhomme Richard fire-review exhibits, S.D. Cal. gov.uscourts.casd.734013) plus generic Navy asbestos-specification filings naming no hull. A fully authenticated re-sweep of opinions and RECAP dockets remains an open verification step. Non-authoritative marketing listicles (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table lists 'USS Ardent | AM-340 | Auk | 5/25/1944 | To Mexico, 1972'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper roster names 'USS Ardent') name the ship in generic rosters - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific evidence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel-electric insulation load. The hull's terminal disposition is undocumented (Mexican service to at least 2007; NavSource 'Fate unknown'), so whether any survey or abatement pathway was ever performed is unknown - unlike reefed sister Gladiator, no disposal event was located at all. The CourtListener throttle means the litigation sweep, while negative across the indexed material reached, was not exhaustive - logged honestly rather than claimed complete. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-09
-
[10]Archival leads - NARA photo items credited on NavSource 11/02340 (19-N-82913; Bureau of Ships BS 67517 and BS 67518; 19-N-89244, 8 Aug 1945 off Puget Sound Navy Yard after refit); DPLA-indexed NARA RG 19 item 'AM 318 Booklet of General Plans' (the adjacent same-yard sister Devastator, hull #55 - demonstrating the series); NARA RG 24 deck logs; NARA RG 19 General Information Books / Navy contract file for the General Engineering BAM block (yard hulls 51-58); Puget Sound Navy Yard 1945 repair/refit records (DANFS-documented engine repairs May-Aug 1945); San Francisco Naval Shipyard (Hunter's Point) 1946 lay-up records; Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego custody records (1947-72); the 19 Sep 1972 Navy foreign-sale file; SEMAR service and disposition file for Juan N. Alvarez P-108 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02340 photo-credit block; dp.la item 36b116f11e565c093115978dfab466e2 ('AM 318 Booklet of General Plans', Bureau of Ships Ship Engineering Drawings series); archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog API returns a JS SPA shell to automated fetch this session): (a) NARA still-picture items for this hull are identified by number on the NavSource page - 19-N-82913 (5 Jun 1944, off San Francisco, Measure 32/1M), BS 67517/BS 67518 (Bureau of Ships, same date/location), and 19-N-89244 (8 Aug 1945, off Puget Sound Navy Yard, following a refit) - direct evidence of the documented Seattle/Puget Sound repair period; (b) NARA RG 19 'Ship Engineering Drawings' demonstrably holds a digitized 'Booklet of General Plans' for the adjacent same-yard sister USS Devastator (AM-318, General Engineering hull #55) via the DPLA aggregator - an Ardent (AM-340, hull #58) booklet plausibly exists in the same series, and such booklets are the standard home of a hull's insulation/material schedule; (c) NARA WWII muster-rolls series covers same-class hulls (items for Heed AM-100 and Dipper AM-357 are indexed); (d) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the commissioned period (1944-47); (e) the Navy contract file for the General Engineering BAM program; (f) Puget Sound Navy Yard 1945 repair records and San Francisco Naval Shipyard 1946 lay-up records - the resolution path for the undocumented materials scope of the hull's two documented stateside yard events; (g) Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego custody records (1947-72) and the 19 Sep 1972 foreign-sale file; (h) SEMAR documentation of Juan N. Alvarez P-108 service and disposition - the resolution path for the undocumented Mexican-era terminal fate.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2007+ records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-340/MSF-340 is unknown until surveyed. Muster rolls, deck logs, and photos are personnel/operations/imagery records, not materials documentation; a Booklet of General Plans could carry insulation schedules but the AM-340 copy's existence is unconfirmed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ardent-am340-10