USS Avocet (AVP-4)

Evidence

15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Avocet' I (Minesweeper No. 19 / AM-19 / AVP-4) - official NHHC entry text via HyperWar verbatim transcription mirror (live history.navy.mil DANFS pages return 404 across URL patterns this session - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1400) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Avocet' I entry, specifications block + full service narrative (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AVP/avp4.html; live history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/avocet.html and avocet-i.html both 404)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Lapwing-class minesweeper (spec block: dp. 950; l. 180'0"; b. 35'6"; dr. 9'9"; s. 12.4 k.; cpl. 72; a. 2 3", 1 .30-cal. Lewis mg.). Laid down 13 September 1917 at Baltimore MD by Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding Co.; named Avocet 17 November 1917; launched 9 March 1918 (sponsored by Miss Frances V. Imbach); commissioned Norfolk Navy Yard 17 September 1918, Lt. Christian Crone in command. Swept Hampton Roads approaches to December 1918; fitted out and deployed to the North Sea Mine Barrage July-October 1919 (63 days in the minefields, Kirkwall-based). Classified AM-19 17 July 1920; inactive Mare Island 1920-21; Asiatic Fleet minesweeping detachment at Cavite from November 1921; decommissioned Cavite 3 April 1922; recommissioned 8 September 1925 as auxiliary aircraft tender for the Asiatic Fleet's air squadrons. Philippine/China operations 1925-1932 (incl. typhoon grounding at Chefoo 26-29 August 1928, salvage by sister ships and fleet units); Pearl Harbor-based from August 1932; advanced-base seaplane operations at French Frigate Shoals, Midway, Johnston Island, Samoa; carried the National Geographic-U.S. Navy eclipse expedition to Canton Island May-June 1937 (HMS Wellington anchorage dispute); searched for the crashed Sikorsky S-42B Samoan Clipper January 1938; reclassified AVP-4 (transcription reads 'in March 1938' - the designation change is 22 January 1936 per Shipscribe/NavSource/DANAS App. 5, flagged). Restricted availability at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 29 November-5 December 1941; moored NAS dock Ford Island on 7 December 1941 and engaged the attack. Pearl Harbor service through May 1942; Hunters Point major refit May-July 1942; Alaskan waters supporting Fleet Air Wing 4 PBY squadrons July 1942 to war's end (Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Adak, Amchitka, Attu, Shemya, Kiska; aided torpedoed sister Casco AVP-12 at Nazan Bay 2-4 September 1942; exchanged fire with a 'Betty' bomber 19 May 1944; Puget Sound overhauls November 1942 and from July 1944; Kamchatka weather-station mission with Harry L. Corl APD-108 September 1945). Cleared Adak 7 October 1945; inspected 20 November 1945 'beyond economical repair'; decommissioned 10 December 1945; struck 3 January 1946; sold to Construction and Power Machine Co., Brooklyn NY, 12 December 1946 for use as a hulk; on ABS Record until 1950; scrapped subsequently. One WWII battle star for Pearl Harbor defense.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1946

   Population

   Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding construction workforce (1917-18); ship's company 1918-1922 and 1925-1945 (complement 72 minesweeper spec / ~85 AVP-4 config); yard workforces at Norfolk (1918-19), Cavite (1920s-30s incl. 1928 grounding repairs and 1938 conversion), Pearl Harbor (Nov-Dec 1941 restricted availability), Hunters Point (May-Jul 1942 refit), Puget Sound (Nov 1942 and Jul 1944 overhauls); hulk/scrapping workforce post-1946 (undocumented)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. The HyperWar transcription reads 'reclassified from AM-19 to AVP-4 ... in March 1938'; the designation change is 22 January 1936 in three independent compilations (Shipscribe class page, NavSource, NHHC DANAS Vol. 2 App. 5) and March 1938 likely marks completed conversion work - flagged, 22 Jan 1936 carried. Does not name the performing facility for the 1938 conversion (Pearl Harbor Navy Yard is the plausible referent for a FAB Pearl Harbor ship, unverified). Sale date 12 December 1946 (Wikipedia reads 6 December 1946 - DANFS/Shipscribe carried). Live NHHC URL 404s this session; the verbatim HyperWar mirror is cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-01

2. [2]USS Avocet (AVP-4) action report, AVP4/A16-3(039), 'Offensive Measures Taken During December 7th - Report of,' Pearl Harbor T.H., 12 December 1941, Commanding Officer to Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet - verbatim HyperWar transcription (NHHC hosts this report in its Pearl Harbor action-reports digital exhibit; live NHHC URLs 404 this session; underlying document is Enclosure (E) to CINCPAC action report Serial 0479 of 15 February 1942, WWII action reports, Modern Military Branch, NARA) [other_primary]

   Locator

   HyperWar transcription ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/AVP/avp4-Pearl.html; cited there as part of CINCPAC Pearl Harbor report enclosures; NavSource deck-log scans for 6-8 December 1941 corroborate

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own official action report establishes presence and participation in the Pearl Harbor attack: 'At about 0745 Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 the U.S.S. Avocet was moored at berth FOX One Afirm, Naval Air Station Dock, in Pearl Harbor... General Quarters were sounded and fire was opened about 0752 with both 3"/50 caliber anti-aircraft guns. The first shot from the starboard gun hit a Japanese plane which had turned away after torpedoing the U.S.S. California. This plane burst into flames and crashed near the Naval Hospital.' Avocet fired 144 rounds of 3"/50 caliber ammunition and about 1,750 rounds of .30 caliber; fuse settings 2.5-5 seconds; no other known hits obtained. Four bombs from high-altitude bombers landed unexploded in the center of berth FOX TWO. 'There was no damage on board. There were no serious injuries. One man was wounded slightly in the forearm by a spent bullet.' Engineering department reported ready to get underway fifteen minutes after General Quarters. The commanding officer was Lt. William C. Jonson, Jr. (per DANFS and the NavSource CO list, LCDR William Crawford Jonson Jr., USNA 1932, in command from 1 July 1941).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1941-12-07

   Population

   Ship's company at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941 (~85 in the 1936 AVP-4 configuration)

   Limitations

   A contemporaneous official action report establishing the ship's presence, armament, ammunition expenditure, and lack of damage/casualties on 7 December 1941 - a qualifying-service document, not an asbestos or materials record. Establishes that the ship was berthed at the NAS dock Ford Island and firing two 3"/50 guns (corroborating the pre-reduction armament); contains no materials, insulation, or exposure information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Avocet (AVP 4) ex-AM-19 ex-Minesweeper No. 19, file 11/02019 (navsource.net mirror; navsource.org fetch failed this session) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource file 11/02019 (navsource.net/archives/11/02019.htm): header chronology, spec block, photo-caption entries incl. 80-G-32669, NH 97396, 80-G-32445, 19-N-63708, NNAM 1996.488.029.016, December 1941 deck-log scans, CO list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Lapwing Class Minesweeper'; laid down 13 September [19]17 by Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore MD (the page's header line prints '1918' - a typo against its own launch and commissioning dates and every other source, flagged); launched 9 March 1918; commissioned USS Avocet Minesweeper No. 19 on 17 September 1918; 'Designated AM-19, 17 February 1920' (vs DANFS '17 July 1920' - the same probable transcription error flagged in sisters Pelican/Teal/Widgeon/Sandpiper); decommissioned 3 April 1922 at Cavite; recommissioned 8 September 1925; 'Reclassified as a Small Seaplane Tender, AVP-4, 22 January 1936'; decommissioned 10 December 1945; struck 3 January 1946; 'Sold for scrap 12 December 1946.' Spec block: 950 t. (1936: 1,350 t.), 187'10", 35'6", draft 9'10" (1936: 13'1"), 14 kts. (1936: 13.5 kts.), cpl. 78 (1936: 85); armament 'Two 3" gun mounts and machine guns' / 1936 'Two 3"/50 dual purpose mounts' / 1944 'One 3"/50 dual purpose mount and two 20mm mounts'; propulsion 'Two Babcock and Wilcox boilers, triple expansion reciprocating steam engine, one shaft' / 1936 'two Babcock and Wilcox 200psi header boilers, one 1,400shp Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co. 200psi saturated steam vertical triple expansion reciprocating engine.' Photo anchors include deck-log scans for 6, 7, and 8 December 1941; 80-G-32669 (Avocet at Berth Fox-1A Ford Island before 1045 on 7 December); NH 97396 (Avocet foreground, Nevada burning); 80-G-32445 (Avocet gunners; Nevada and Shaw burning astern); 19-N-63708 (Elliott Bay Seattle 1 March 1944 - single 3"/50 in the original two-gun tub, corroborating the wartime armament reduction); CO list ends at LT Henry L. Oakes Jr. USNR (18 March 1945), with LCDR William Crawford Jonson Jr. USN (USNA 1932) in command from 1 July 1941 - the Pearl Harbor commanding officer.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1946

   Population

   Ship's company across configurations (cpl. 78 as minesweeper, 85 as AVP-4); documented activity: Pearl Harbor NAS dock 7 December 1941; Elliott Bay Seattle March 1944

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; photo captions are compiler-supplied, though the NHHC/NARA photo numbers are authoritative anchors. 'Designated AM-19, 17 February 1920' conflicts with DANFS '17 July 1920' (fleet-wide date carried; February variant flagged). Header 'Laid down 13 September 1918' is an internal typo (keel is 1917 per DANFS/Shipscribe/Colton). Complement figures mix configurations (78 as-built / 85 in 1936). Spec block mixes as-built and 1936-config figures with labels. No materials or asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-03

4. [4]Shipscribe.com U.S. Navy ships data sheets - 'USS Lapwing (AVP-1) Class' class page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation): construction table, disposition table, class notes, per-ship notes incl. Avocet (AVP-4) [other_primary]

   Locator

   usnaux.shipscribe.com/AVP/AVP01.html - construction table row 4, disposition table row 4, class notes (FY1918 program, aircraft-duty assignments, AVP 1-9 reclassification 22 Jan 36, gun reinstallation and reduction notes)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipscribe class record covering this hull: construction table row '4 | AVOCET | 22 Jan 36 | Baltimore DD & SB | keel 13 Sep 17 | launch 9 Mar 18 | commiss. 17 Sep 18' (agrees with DANFS/NavSource on all three dates and the builder); disposition row 'decomm. 10 Dec 45 | strike 3 Jan 46 | disposal 12 Dec 46 | Sold' - direct sale 12 December 1946, consistent with DANFS's Construction and Power Machine Co. hulk sale. Class notes: 49 Lapwing-class minesweepers built under the FY1918 program; at end-1919 three 'Birds' assigned to aircraft duty; 'Seven others were later assigned to duty supporting aircraft: ... HERON and AVOCET in the Asiatic Fleet in 1924-5'; 'On 22 Jan 36 the nine survivors ... were reclassified with the new designator for small seaplane tenders, AVP 1-9'; authorized 2-3"/50 armament removed after WWI and reinstalled at various times - 'HERON and AVOCET embarked theirs in 1928' (consistent with DANFS's March-April 1928 Cavite installation of 'a pair of 3-inch antiaircraft guns'); class armament progression '1-3"/50 4-20mm (1943-45: AVP 4, 5, 9)' corroborated by the NARA 19-N-63708 caption (1 March 1944).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1946

   Population

   Ship's company 1918-1945

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation (S.S. Roberts) - detailed and consistent with DANFS/NavSource on the spine. Class-level machinery line reads 'vertical triple expansion, 2 screws' vs NavSource per-hull 'one shaft' (carried as a variance, same as Sandpiper/Pelican). Class displacement '888 light, 1,350 lim.' differs from DANFS 950 - convention differences flagged. The '1924-5' aircraft-duty assignment predates the 8 September 1925 recommissioning - assignment and recommissioning dates read together. No materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-04

5. [5]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Bethlehem Key Highway, Baltimore MD' yard table (covering Baltimore Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. hulls) - Avocet row [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/bethbaltimore.htm - hull-number table row '93 | AM 19 | Avocet'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: '93 | AM 19 | Avocet | US Navy | Minesweeper | 950d | 188 | Sep-18 | Later AVP 4, struck 1946' - independent corroboration of builder (Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding, hull 93 at that yard), hull type, tonnage, delivery/commissioning month, reclassification, and strike year. Adjacent rows confirm the yard's Lapwing block: AM-20 Bobolink and AM-21 Lark built in sequence at the same yard. The yard became Bethlehem Steel's Key Highway division in 1922 - a repair yard, now redeveloped.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1918

   Population

   Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding construction workforce (1917-18)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS/NavSource/Shipscribe on builder and dates; 'Delivered Sep-18' coincides with the 17 September 1918 commissioning. No keel or launch date in the row. 'Struck 1946' consistent with the 3 January 1946 strike. No materials or outfitting detail.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-05

6. [6]HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' - dedicated page 'AVP-4 USS Avocet' and the AVP index row 'AVP-4 | Avocet | 1936 | 904 | Converted from Minesweeper AM-19' [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AVP/AVP-4_Avocet.html + ships-av.html index row 'AVP-4'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Wartime-era official publication data for this hull: 'Seaplane Tender - Small (ex-Lapwing/Bird Class Minesweeper): Displacement 840 tons; Length 187'10"; Beam 35'5"; Draft 15'; Speed 14 knots; Armament 2 3"/50; Complement 75; Reciprocating engine; Built at Baltimore Drydock & Shipbuilding, and commissioned 17 September 1918 as AM-19; Converted to Seaplane Tender AVP-4 1936.' The index row adds a third displacement variant (904 t. index vs 840 on the page vs 950 DANFS as-built vs 888 light/1,350 lim Shipscribe class).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1936-1945

   Limitations

   Wartime publication data via transcription host - period figures, not modern corrected specs; displacement variants (840 page / 904 index / 950 DANFS / 888 lt-1,350 lim Shipscribe / 840 long tons Wikipedia infobox) are convention/edition differences carried, not merged. No materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-06

7. [7]NHHC Online Library photo captions (via HyperWar mirror) - Pearl Harbor attack photographs showing this hull: NH 97397, NH 97396, 80-G-32443, 80-G-32445 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/ph-nv.htm caption text; NavSource file 11/02019 photo entries

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official U.S. Navy photographs place and show this hull during the 7 December 1941 attack: 80-G-32669 shows Avocet at Berth Fox-1A Ford Island before 1045, when she shifted to avoid burning oil drifting southward; NH 97396 and NH 97397 show USS Nevada (BB-36) mid-sortie with Avocet in the foreground/off her berth; 80-G-32445 shows Avocet's gunners scanning for aircraft near raid's end with Nevada (bow afire) and the burning Shaw (DD-373) astern, photographed from atop a NAS Ford Island building. Visual corroboration of the action-report narrative.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1941-12-07

   Population

   Ship's company at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941

   Limitations

   Official photographs with NHHC catalog numbers (NH 97396/97397) and NARA numbers (80-G-32443/32445/32669) - they document position and activity only; no insulation, material, or condition-survey information is recoverable from them. Live NHHC photo pages return 404 across URL patterns this session; captions carried via the HyperWar Online Library mirror and NavSource photo credits.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-07

8. [8]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, Appendix 5 'Seaplane Tender Listings' - AVP-4 Avocet row [other_primary]

   Locator

   history.navy.mil .../dictionary-of-american-naval-aviation-squadrons-volume-2/pdfs/Appen5.pdf - seaplane tender listing row 4 'Avocet' (live URL 404s; indexed content used)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC aviation-history tabulation for this hull: '4 | Avocet | 17 Sep 1918 | AM 19 | [10 Dec 1945] | Stricken 3 Jan 1946' with 'AVP 4 | 22 Jan 1936' in the designation-change column - an official NHHC source confirming the AVP-4 designation date of 22 January 1936 (against the DANFS transcription's 'in March 1938' phrasing), the 17 September 1918 commissioning, 10 December 1945 decommissioning, and 3 January 1946 strike.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1918-1946

   Limitations

   Appendix table row - designation and disposition dates only, no narrative; retrieved via search-index excerpt this session because the live history.navy.mil PDF returns 404 (standing link rot). Row content as indexed is consistent with Shipscribe/NavSource/DANFS on every shared field. No materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-08

9. [9]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource 1936-config spec block: 2x Babcock & Wilcox 200-psi saturated-steam header boilers + one 1,400-shp Baltimore Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co. vertical triple-expansion engine, one shaft) applied to WWI-era marine insulation practice; same construction era and class as sister records uss-sandpiper-am51 (batch-1400), uss-teal-am23 (batch-1205), uss-pelican-am27 (batch-1242), uss-quail-am15 (batch-1173), uss-eider-am17 (batch-1190), uss-widgeon-am22 (batch-1197) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource spec block (propulsion); DANFS (1938 conversion, Nov-Dec 1941 restricted availability, 1942 Hunters Point refit, Nov 1942 + Jul 1944 Puget Sound overhauls); NARA 19-N-63708 (Elliott Bay, March 1944)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1917-18-built steel Lapwing-class minesweeper with a full steam plant - two boilers and a triple-expansion engine, unlike the diesel-electric minesweepers of WWII - so its insulation load was that of a steam vessel, not a diesel one. Machinery and construction materials of the WWI era were commonly asbestos-containing: boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, compartment and joiner insulation, and brake linings. Her documented service adds exposure-relevant events: the March 1938 conversion to a seaplane tender; the November-December 1941 Pearl Harbor Navy Yard restricted availability; the May-July 1942 Hunters Point major refit; and the November 1942 and July-September 1944 Puget Sound Navy Yard overhauls - but no work-order or material-schedule documentation was located for any of them.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1946

   Population

   Baltimore Drydock and Shipbuilding trades (1917-18); Cavite Navy Yard workforces (interwar incl. 1928 post-grounding repairs); Pearl Harbor Navy Yard workforce (Mar 1938 conversion and Nov-Dec 1941 restricted availability - performing facility unverified for 1938); Hunters Point refit workforce (May-Jul 1942); Puget Sound Navy Yard overhaul workforces (Nov 1942, Jul-Sep 1944); ship's company 1918-1922 and 1925-1945; hulk/scrapping workforce (post-Dec 1946, undocumented)

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, construction era, and documented activities - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming Minesweeper No. 19/AM-19/AVP-4 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, or individual exposure. The repair, conversion, and overhaul events are documented activities, not documented material disturbances. Does not establish or defeat any claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-avocet-avp4-09

10. [10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - meaning every insulation installation aboard this hull (1917-18 construction, interwar Cavite work, 1938 conversion, November-December 1941 Pearl Harbor availability, May-July 1942 Hunters Point refit, November 1942 and 1944 Puget Sound overhauls) predates the substitution era.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1979 report on earlier practice

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers and crews (program-level context)

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation; GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards decades after this hull was disposed of. Supports era context for insulation practice at build and repair, not any fact specific to this hull; full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns 403 to automated fetches - product-page description used, same as BATCH-01/1400).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-avocet-avp4-10

11. [11]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Exposure to Asbestos (Veterans Health Library) [other_primary]

    Locator

    VA Veterans Health Library, 'Veteran Exposure to Asbestos' encyclopedia entry - sources of asbestos exposure in the military section

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    VA states that asbestos-containing materials were used in Navy ships built before the mid-1970s, including engine and boiler rooms and other below-deck areas, and identifies gaskets, floor and pipe coverings, and related products as general military uses. Avocet was built in 1917-1918 and served to 1945, within that period.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    Pre-mid-1970s Navy ships

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers and shipboard personnel generally

    Limitations

    VA describes Navy ships by era, not Avocet or the Lapwing class. No named product is verified aboard this hull. Does not establish asbestos presence, location, quantity, exposure, or causation on this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-avocet-avp4-11

12. [12]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py, 26 September 2026: '"USS Avocet"' (opinion), '"Avocet" asbestos' (opinion), '"AVP-4"' (opinion); docket-type sweeps pending [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-avocet-avp4-08 through sl-uss-avocet-avp4-10

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Authenticated CourtListener opinion-index results for this vessel: '"USS Avocet"' returned zero opinions; '"Avocet" asbestos' returned two opinions, both naming the corporate defendant Avocet Enterprises (successor to Vent Fabrics, Inc.) - Anderson v. A.J. Friedman Supply, 416 N.J. Super. 46, 3 A.3d 545 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2010, cluster 2444051) and Amato v. Bell & Gossett / Vinciguerra, 116 A.3d 607 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2015, cluster 2794708) - name collisions, no ship involvement; '"AVP-4"' returned two coincidental string matches unrelated to the vessel (Payano v. Cruz, P.R. Supreme Court 2022; Trevarthen v. Nationstar, Tex. App. 2015). No qualifying asbestos opinion naming the ship was found in the executed searches.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    The sweep is incomplete: the RECAP docket searches ('USS Avocet'; 'Avocet' variants) and a bare-name 'Avocet' opinion review were not executed because the fleet pacing helper reported its shared request budget spent (exit 2 on two attempts). The executed opinion queries yield no qualifying asbestos litigation, but no absence of litigation is inferred from the unexecuted portions. A bare-name sweep would be noisy regardless - 'Avocet' collides with the corporate defendant Avocet Enterprises and the second USS Avocet (AMCU-16/MHC-16).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-avocet-avp4-12

13. [13]Batch-3072 source review documented in search_ledger: DANFS (HyperWar verbatim transcription); official 12 Dec 1941 action report (HyperWar; NARA Enclosure (E) to CINCPAC Serial 0479); NavSource file 11/02019 (navsource.net); Shipscribe AVP-1 class page; Colton Bethlehem Key Highway yard table; HyperWar ships-1940-45 AVP-4 page; NHHC/NARA photo captions; NHHC DANAS Vol. 2 App. 5; NARA Ship Plan Index; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener API v4 (partial); general web-index sweep; HAER AK-52 (LOC) for second-hull disambiguation [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-avocet-avp4-01 through sl-uss-avocet-avp4-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, specification, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Avocet / Minesweeper No. 19 / AM-19 / AVP-4 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener opinion sweep executed this session returned zero exact-name opinions and only name-collision or string-noise hits; docket sweeps remain an open gap. A general web-index sweep surfaced only generic roster listings on mesothelioma marketing pages (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table lists 'USS Avocet | AM-19 | 9/17/1918 | Sold, 1946'; mesotheliomahelp.org carries 'USS Avocet' in its minesweeper roster and 'USS Avocet (AVP-4)' in its seaplane-tender roster) - name-list mentions only, no hull-specific evidence, excluded as non-authoritative per batch rules.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull was sold for use as a hulk in December 1946 and scrapped with her material content undocumented. The litigation negative is partial: opinion index verified (exact name) but the docket index and bare-name opinion review were never reached. 'Avocet' is a moderate-collision name - a second USS Avocet (AMCU-16/MHC-16, ex-LCI(L)-653) plus the Avocet Enterprises corporate defendant confound bare-name hits. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-avocet-avp4-13

14. [14]National Archives, Ship Plan Index - AVOCET rows; NARA 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' research guide [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index rows 'AVOCET AM-19' (NAID 175668328) and 'AVOCET AMCU-16' (NAID 153713732); archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA's Ship Plan Index identifies an 'AVOCET | AM-19' entry in RG 19 'Microfilm' (NAID 175668328) - Bureau of Ships plan records for this hull - and a separate 'AVOCET | AMCU-16' RG 19 Hull Series entry (NAID 153713732) for the second, unrelated hull. NARA's naval asbestos research guide directs researchers to RG 19 ship engineering drawings, including S39 insulation and lagging and S48 piping drawings, and to auxiliary-vessel General Information Books; it states that deck logs and muster rolls do not directly document asbestos in ship components.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1917-1946 records

    Limitations

    Index metadata only; the microfilm/drawings were not inspected, and their insulation content and whether any item identifies asbestos are unknown. The AM-19 microfilm entry is this hull; the AMCU-16 hull-series entry is the ex-LCI(L)-653 second Avocet and is excluded from this record's scope. Repository guidance is not a material record; no ship-specific asbestos conclusion follows.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-avocet-avp4-14

15. [15]Historic American Engineering Record, HAER AK-52 - M/V Husky II (LCI(L)-653 / USS Avocet AMCU-16/MHC-16), Library of Congress [haer]

    Locator

    loc.gov/item/ak0557/ - HAER AK-52 data pages (tile.loc.gov ak0557data.pdf); NavSource 11/0416 second-Avocet chronology

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Disambiguation record: a SECOND USS Avocet existed - LCI(L)-653, laid down 14 June 1944 by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber NJ; named Avocet and reclassified coastal minesweeper (underwater locator) AMCU-16 on 7 March 1952; converted at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and recommissioned 9 December 1953; reclassified coastal minehunter MHC-16 on 7 February 1955; decommissioned 20 May 1955; struck 1 January 1960; sold into civilian service (pilot boat Keystone, then fisheries tender Husky II at Seldovia, Alaska); cleaned of hazardous materials in a USCG-headed project and broken up at Homer in 2010. This hull shares only the name; any bare-'Avocet' litigation or record hit must be checked against this second hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-2010

    Limitations

    Documents a different vessel entirely - no information about AM-19/AVP-4. Carried for name-collision control in litigation sweeps and ship-name searches. The Husky II's documented 2010 hazmat cleanup belongs to the AMCU-16 hull's history, not this record.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-avocet-avp4-15