Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, 'Auk II (AM-57)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-06-19; verbatim via Wayback capture 20251209191316 - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Auk II (AM-57)' entry - spec block + full service narrative (Wayback capture 2025-12-09)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 15 April 1941 at Portsmouth, Va., by the Norfolk Navy Yard; launched 26 August 1941 (sponsor Miss Priscilla Alden Hague, daughter of Comdr. Wesley M. Hague); commissioned 15 January 1942, Lt. Comdr. George W. Allen in command. Atlantic coast ops to October 1942, then Operation Torch - sortied Norfolk 23 October with the Center Attack Group for Fedhala; on 8 November placed a prize crew aboard the French trawler Victoria after Hogan (DMS-6) stopped her, and with Tillman (DD-641) captured the Vichy patrol vessel W-43 plus three other ships while screening Miantonomah (CMc-5). Casablanca-based escort/screen/harbor patrol to 11 April 1943; home via convoy to Charleston 30 April; Norfolk drydocking and overhaul; June 1943-April 1944 convoy escort Norfolk/New York to Caribbean and Gulf ports. Sailed 19 April 1944 for Overlord prep via Azores and Milford Haven to Plymouth (arrived 29th); MinRon 21 practice sweeping; 4 June swept Baie de la Seine for Utah Beach (sister Osprey AM-56 mined and sunk); off the beaches through 19 June; 25 June cleared a lane off Cherbourg ahead of the Arkansas/Texas/Nevada bombardment force and was straddled by shore-battery salvos; Baie de la Seine sweeping to 24 July. MinRon 21 to Gibraltar 1 August, Oran 6 August, Naples staging; Operation Dragoon 15 August off Provence with Hewitt's Control Force; sweeping Baie de Cavalaire, Baie de Briande, Baie de Bon Porte, Marseille harbor, and off Toulon under intermittent coastal-battery fire to 26 September; Mediterranean sweeping/patrol to 31 May 1945. Norfolk 15 June, Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul to 25 August; Panama Canal; San Pedro 9 October; ordered to inactivation; Portland 10 December (crowded), returned to San Diego 31 December 1945. Decommissioned 1 July 1946, berthed reserve fleet San Diego; reclassified MSF-57 in the general reclassification dated 7 February 1955; struck from the Navy list 1 August 1956; 'No record of her disposal has been found.' Three WWII battle stars. Spec block: dp. 890; l. 221'2"; b. 32'2"; dr. 10'9"; s. 18.1 k.; cpl. 105; a. 1 3", 2 40mm., 8 20mm.; cl. Auk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (design complement 105); Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul workforces 1943 and 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, dates, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. Two documented yard availabilities at Norfolk Navy Yard (1943 drydock/overhaul; June-August 1945 overhaul) are events whose materials scope is not described by the source. Mirror capture cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Auk (MSF 57) ex-AM-57, file 11/02057 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02057.htm - specifications block, propulsion line, date chronology, commanding-officer table, photo credits
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource file for this hull corroborates DANFS and adds detail: laid down 15 April 1941 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA; launched 26 August 1941; commissioned USS Auk (AM-57) 15 January 1942; decommissioned 15 July 1946 at San Diego and laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group - with the explicit note that the Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists the decommissioning/placed-in-reserve date as December 1945; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel-hulled) MSF-57 on 7 March 1955 (DANFS reads 7 February 1955 - conflict in gaps); struck from the Navy Register 1 August 1956; 'Fate unknown.' Spec block adds armament detail (1x 3"/50 DP, 2x single 40mm, 8x 20mm, 2 depth-charge tracks, 5 depth-charge projectors) and the machinery line: two 1,559 shp ALCO 539 diesel-electric engines, Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Able-Charlie-William; partial commanding-officer table (Allen, Ryan, Rucker, Schwartz, Brantley et al.).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1941-42; wartime and reserve-fleet-period crew
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive quoting official records (DANFS, NVR, Navy photos 19-N-30945, NH 84027) - corroborating source, not the official record itself. Documents machinery and chronology, not materials or asbestos content. Decommission and reclassification dates conflict with DANFS - carried unreconciled in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-02
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[3]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' per-hull page AM-57 USS Auk (Patrick Clancey compilation of official data) + USN Minecraft 1940-1945 class table + Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual 1953 transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-57_Auk.html (per-hull page); hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-dm.html (Raven/Auk class table); hyperwar/USN/ref/Awards/Awards-IV-17.html (Auk AM 57 awards row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- HyperWar per-hull page corroborates: Raven/Auk-class minesweeper, 890 tons, 220'6" x 32' x 9'6", 18 knots, 1x 3"/50, complement 105, 'diesel engine with electric drive, twin screws, 3,500 h.p.', built at Norfolk Navy Yard, commissioned 1942. The 1953 Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual transcription lists 'Auk (AM 57)' with an 8-31 May 1945 period - consistent with the DANFS Mediterranean-until-31-May-1945 chronology.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary mirror of official data, not the primary record; the 3,500 hp figure differs from NavSource's 2x1,559 shp (3,118 shp) - variance carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content. The awards-manual letter column for the 8-31 May 1945 period is transcribed as 'E' but its column header context is not reproduced on the per-ship page - medal interpretation not asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-03
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[4]Consolidated era/design inference - NavSource machinery line for this hull (2x ALCO 539 diesel-electric, Westinghouse single reduction gear, twin shafts) + DANFS-documented Norfolk Navy Yard build and availabilities + GAO HRD-80-2 policy context [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (machinery line); DANFS yard-availability entries; GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text historically blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - product-page description relied on)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-electric minesweeper built at Norfolk Navy Yard 1941-42: NO boilers or steam plant - the steam-ship boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply to this hull. Plausible period asbestos applications on this type concentrate in diesel-engine and exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing throughout the engineering spaces, electrical insulation and cable, deck coverings, accommodation-space insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches and sweep-gear handling machinery. GAO HRD-80-2 documents that the Navy did not begin systematic asbestos substitution until the early 1970s - decades after this hull left service. Documented disturbance events for this hull: 1941-42 construction, the 1943 Norfolk drydocking/overhaul, the June-August 1945 Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul, ~10 years of Pacific Reserve Fleet lay-up at San Diego, and unrecorded post-1956 disposal.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1956+
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1941-42 and overhaul workforces 1943/1945; wartime crew; reserve-fleet maintenance personnel 1946-56; unknown disposal-phase workers
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - no hull-level material schedule, insulation spec, or survey exists in the located public record for this ship. Establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation; the unrecorded disposal leaves even the hull's breaking/sale pathway undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-04
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[5]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 and program under which this Norfolk Navy Yard-built minesweeper was constructed - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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 (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-05
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[6]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., '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
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of this hull's era, including at government yards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel or class, and whether Norfolk Navy Yard was among the surveyed Navy yards is unverified - establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-06
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[7]Batch-1408 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 02057; HyperWar per-hull and class pages; CourtListener API v4 (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-auk-am57-01 through sl-uss-auk-am57-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Auk, AM-57, or MSF-57 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 queries were rate-limit blocked on 2026-09-22 (HTTP 429; authenticated 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine - backed off per batch instruction rather than retrying); residual litigation surface was assessed via indexed-web checking, which surfaced only name collisions - 'Auk Ta Shaa Discovery, LLC' (Lil' Man in the Boat v. Auk Ta Shaa Discovery, 9th Cir. 16-17299, an Alaska-corporation name) and 'AUK' as defined term for Amelco UK Ltd in Internet Sports International v. Amelco (D. Nev. 2:23-cv-00893) - and law-firm marketing ship lists (mesothelioma.com, mesotheliomaveterans.org, mesotheliomahelp.org, freeasbestostesting.com) that name the hull without primary support, an excluded source class. The VA BVA index returned no decision naming the ship. MARAD ShipHistory indexes no AUK record (consistent with DANFS 'no record of disposal').
- 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 1941-42 hull with undocumented disposal is consistent with retained era materials, but nothing here establishes presence, absence, quantity, exposure, or legal eligibility. The litigation negative is partial: direct CourtListener API search was blocked mid-session, so unindexed or very recent filings naming the hull cannot be ruled out.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-auk-am57-07
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[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - Norfolk Navy Yard); Naval Vessel Register historical editions (1949, 1955-56) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Auk 1942-1946 (RG 24, NARA); BuShips Auk-class design/construction records and this hull's Booklet of General Plans (RG 19) - the most promising hull-level material-schedule lead; Norfolk Navy Yard production/work-package records for the 1941-42 build and the 1943 and 1945 availabilities (RG 181); the Naval Vessel Register 1949 edition NavSource quotes (December 1945 decommissioning date) and 1955-56 editions for the MSF-57 reclassification and striking; and Navy surplus/disposal-sale records for the unrecorded post-1956 disposition - the lead that could resolve the open disposal question and any disposal-era hazmat record.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1956 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-auk-am57-08