USS Broadbill (AM-58)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Broadbill II (AM-58)' - official NHHC entry (Mary P. Walker, 1 December 2005; published 29 June 2015), verified verbatim from Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 under broadbill.html, broadbill-i.html, broadbill-ii.html and content/... path variants - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01); verbatim older-edition mirror transcription at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am58.htm with differences flagged in ev-07 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Broadbill II (AM-58)' entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 20251209191240 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/broadbill-ii.html)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Auk-class minesweeper (displacement 890; length 221'2"; beam 32'2"; draft 10'9"; speed 18.1 knots; complement 105; armament 2 3", 4 20mm, 2 depth-charge tracks, 2 depth-charge projectors; class Auk). Laid down 23 July 1941 at Bay City, Mich., by the Defoe Boat and Marine Works; launched 21 May 1942, sponsored by Mrs. A. Loring Swasey; commissioned 13 October 1942, Lt. Comdr. John B. Cleland, Jr., in command. Service: steamed the Great Lakes to the Boston Navy Yard for outfitting; early January 1943 convoy escort between east coast ports, Cuba, and Aruba; 11 April 1944 to England via a Bermuda convoy of 14 ships including six other minesweepers (24 days to Milford Haven, then Torquay); practice sweeps off southern England; stood out with Mine Squadron 7 before dawn 4 June 1944 for Operation Overlord (weather postponed 24 hours); 5 June cleared Fire Support Channel I with ten other sweepers (Osprey (AM-56) mined and sunk at 1757); 6 June at 0322 swept the actual support area under German shore-battery fire, no casualties; 25 June with the British 9th Minesweeping Flotilla swept the lane for the Cherbourg bombardment group and led the battleships to about five miles offshore, then retired to Portland; 26-29 June in port, then Seine Bay shipping-channel sweeps (about 12 days) and 15 July port-clearance work; departed England 1 August 1944 with five minesweepers and several destroyers for Oran (arrived 6 August), then Naples-based sweeping in the Ligurian Sea, Strait of Bonifacio, and Sardinia-Corsica waters - swept 26 mines in Italian waters before clearing Toulon and Marseilles approaches; MineRon 7 arrived Cavalaire Bay 23 August 1944 clearing French harbors for the southern-France invasion, Broadbill also patrolling, sinking floating mines, escorting convoys, and aiding ships in distress; departed 28 May 1945 with Mine Division 21 for Norfolk; repairs, alterations, and modifications including antiaircraft additions 15 June-30 August 1945; Chesapeake Bay shakedown 1-17 September; via the Panama Canal to San Pedro, ordered to Newport Beach 10 October for voyage repairs, then ordered to Astoria, Oregon (departed San Pedro 4 December, arrived 7 December) for pre-inactivation overhaul; decommissioned 3 June 1946. Recommissioned 19 March 1952 in the small auxiliary floating dry dock AFDL-6 at U.S. Naval Station San Diego, Lt. Comdr. John L. Brown in command; trained off California to 27 June; Panama Canal to Guantanamo refresher training; arrived new home port Charleston, S.C., 15 July 1952; one West Indies and one Mediterranean cruise before August 1953, when she began her second inactivation overhaul; decommissioned 25 June 1954 (but see ev-07 - NavSource, the older DANFS transcription, uboat.net, and Wikipedia read 25 January 1954) and berthed in the Reserve Fleet at Orange, Tex.; redesignated MSF-58 7 February 1955; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 July 1972; sold to International Bulk Carriers of Miami, Fla. Two battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1973

   Population

   Defoe construction trades (Bay City, 1941-42); Boston Navy Yard outfitting workers (1942-43); wartime and postwar crew (design complement 105) across Atlantic convoy, Normandy, Mediterranean, and 1952-54 service; Norfolk refit workers (Jun-Aug 1945, yard unnamed); Astoria pre-inactivation workers (1945-46); second inactivation overhaul workers (Aug 1953-1954, yard unnamed); Orange reserve-fleet caretakers (1954-72)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. The live NHHC URL 404s across tested path variants; the 2025-12-09 Wayback capture of the official page is cited. Differences vs the older DANFS transcription and secondary compilations - builder name (Defoe Boat and Marine Works vs Defoe Shipbuilding Co.), final decommissioning date (25 June 1954 vs 25 January 1954), buyer (International Bulk Carriers of Miami vs NavSource's yacht-conversion chain), and armament spec block (2 3"/4 20mm/2 dct/2 dcp vs NavSource 1 3"/50, 2 40mm, 8 20mm, 5 dcp) - are resolved or flagged in correction row ev-07.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Broadbill (MSF-58) ex-AM-58, file 11/02058 (volunteer specialist archive; navsource.org unreachable this session - cited via navsource.net mirror serving identical content) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02058 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, Girard Point photo caption

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Auk Class Minesweeper'; built by Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, MI; laid down 23 July 1941; launched 21 May 1942; commissioned USS Broadbill (AM-58) 13 October 1942; decommissioned at San Diego 3 June 1946 (parenthetical: 'Naval Vessel Register of 01 January 1949 lists decommissioning and placed in reserve date as December 1945'); recommissioned 19 March 1952; decommissioned at Orange, TX, 25 January 1954; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-58, 07 February 1955; struck from the Navy Register 01 July 1972; sold 01 December 1973. Post-Navy chain (NavSource only): 'Converted to yacht by shipbroker David A. Hahn, Key West, FL, renamed Anaconda (ON 560079); Out of documentation, 1976; Later converted to a floating restaurant, reverting to Broadbill; Drifted about from port to port on Delaware river and Upper Chesapeake Bay; Final disposition, believe broken up at Girard Point, Philadelphia, about 1996' - with a 30 August 1996 photo captioned as the last record of her known. Spec block: 890 t; 221'2"; 32'2"; 10'9"; 18.1 kts; complement 105; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 40mm mounts, eight 20mm guns, two depth-charge tracks, five depth-charge projectors; propulsion 'Two 1,559shp ALCO 539 diesel electric engines, Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts.' Call sign November-Bravo-Delta-Foxtrot. Commanding-officer list includes LCDR John Belton Cleland, Jr. (13 Oct 1942-1 Apr 1943) through LT Martin B. Greenberg (12 Nov 1945-3 Jun 1946) and LCDR John L. Brown (19 Mar 1952).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1996

   Population

   Defoe construction trades (1941-42); wartime and postwar crew (complement 105); Orange reserve-fleet caretakers (1954-72); civilian conversion/restaurant workers (1973-~1996, undocumented)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; the entire post-1973 civilian chain (Anaconda yacht conversion, ON 560079, restaurant conversion, Girard Point ~1996 breakup) rests on NavSource alone and is unverified against a registry or disposal record. Its 25 January 1954 decommissioning conflicts with the official current DANFS '25 June 1954' - flagged in ev-07. The NVR-1949 parenthetical ('in reserve as December 1945') conflicts with the documented 1946 decommissioning date - carried as written, not adopted. Armament spec differs from the DANFS spec block (1 3"/50 + 40mm + 8 20mm + 5 dcp vs DANFS 2 3" + 4 20mm + 2 dcp) - flagged in ev-07. Builder printed 'Defoe Shipbuilding Co.' vs official DANFS 'Defoe Boat and Marine Works' - same yard, flagged in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Defoe Shipbuilding, Bay City MI' yard table - hull #171 Broadbill row + yard corporate history [other_primary]

   Locator

   defoe.htm - 'DEFOE SHIPBUILDING, Bay City MI' table, hull #171 row + yard history header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: hull # 171 | Broadbill | US Navy | Minesweeper | 890d | 221 ft | delivered 13-Oct-42 | 'Later MSF 58, scrapped 1973.' The consecutive Defoe hull block lists her sisters: #172 Chickadee (AM 59, delivered 9-Nov-42, to Uruguay 1966), #173 Nuthatch (AM 60, delivered 19-Nov-42, later MSF 60, sunk as target 1966), #174 Pheasant (AM 61, delivered 12-Dec-42, later MSF 61, sunk as target 1966). Yard history header: 'Defoe Boat & Motor Works was started in 1905... The name was changed to Defoe Shipbuilding Company at the beginning of WWII. The shipyard closed in 1976 and the site is now a scrapyard.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1973

   Population

   Defoe construction workforce (Bay City, MI, 1941-42)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS on builder, launch-to-delivery chronology (delivered 13-Oct-42 = commissioning date), and the 1973 sale-year disposition ('scrapped 1973' compresses the post-sale yacht/restaurant decade NavSource describes - resolved as the Navy-sale year, not a verified scrapping date, in ev-07). Confirms the Defoe name change that reconciles the 'Defoe Boat and Marine Works' vs 'Defoe Shipbuilding Co.' printings. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-03

4. [4]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion type (NavSource spec block: two 1,559-shp ALCO 539 diesel-electric engines, Westinghouse single-reduction gear, twin shafts; HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AM-58 page: 'Diesel engine with electric drive, twin screws, 3,500 h.p.') + documented builder and construction era (official DANFS; Colton Defoe table hull #171) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02058 propulsion line; HyperWar AM-58 ship page spec list; DANFS construction/service dates

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1941-42-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 1941-42 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, winch and minesweep-gear brake linings, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Defoe construction trades (Bay City, 1941-42); Boston Navy Yard outfitting workers (1942-43); the wartime crew (design complement 105) across Atlantic convoy, Normandy, and Mediterranean minesweeping; Norfolk refit workers (June-August 1945, performing yard unnamed in DANFS); Astoria pre-inactivation workers (1945-46); 1952 recommissioning and 1953-54 inactivation-overhaul yard workers (yards unnamed); Orange reserve-fleet caretakers (1954-72); and post-1973 civilian conversion and disposal workers (yacht conversion, restaurant conversion, ~1996 breakup - all NavSource-documented but unverified).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1996

   Population

   Defoe trades (1941-42); Boston Navy Yard outfitters (1942-43); crew 1942-54; Norfolk refit workers (1945, yard unnamed); Astoria and inactivation-overhaul workers (1945-46, 1953-54, yards unnamed); reserve-fleet caretakers 1954-72; civilian conversion/disposal workers 1973-~1996

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-58/MSF-58 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. Whether era materials survived the 1945 refit, two inactivation overhauls, 18 years of reserve-fleet layup, and post-1973 civilian conversion is unknown.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-04

5. [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); 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 Defoe, Bay City. 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-broadbill-am58-05

6. [6]Batch-1409 search ledger (this record): official NHHC DANFS via Wayback capture; NavSource per-hull archive; Colton yard table; uboat.net; HyperWar ship page; CourtListener API v4 (blocked - shared daily quota); web-surface litigation sweeps; NARA catalog (SPA shell); MARAD ShipHistory (error page); NVR hull pages (302) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-broadbill-am58-08 through sl-uss-broadbill-am58-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or museum record exists for this hull in the public sources searched, and no docketed case naming USS Broadbill / AM-58 / MSF-58 was found. CourtListener exact-name and hull-number queries could not be executed this session - the authenticated API returned HTTP 429 throughout (shared 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work; reset ~5 hours out) - so the litigation check rests on web-surface sweeps only: 'Broadbill' court hits are name collisions (Broadbill Investment Corp. v. Washington Mutual, 442 B.R. 308 (Bankr. D. Del. 2011) - a hedge-fund adversary proceeding; People v. Weeren, 26 Cal. 3d 654 (1980) - broadbill swordfish fishery), not the vessel. Law-firm sites listing the hull among asbestos-exposure minesweepers (mesothelioma.com minesweepers table; mesotheliomahelp.org) carry no underlying documentation and were excluded per source rules. The negative finding is honestly weaker than sister-hull records (Threat/Tide) whose CourtListener sweeps completed: re-run the API queries when the quota resets.

   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 combat-built 1941-42 minesweeper served through 1954 and survived in civilian hands to ~1996, and no materials record either way was located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The CourtListener block means docket-level and unpublished-opinion coverage is incomplete - the residual risk of an unlocated pleading-stage case is real and is flagged for re-verification.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution - official NHHC DANFS text (Wayback 2025-12-09) vs older DANFS transcription (losthistory.net/hazegray) vs NavSource 11/02058 vs Colton Defoe table vs uboat.net vs Wikipedia (article text vs infobox) vs dday-overlord.com derivative page [other_primary]

   Locator

   ev-01/ev-02/ev-03 citation texts; Wikipedia 'USS Broadbill (AM-58)' article-vs-infobox split; dday-overlord.com warship page; uboat.net AM-58 page

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Final decommissioning - official current DANFS reads 'decommissioned on 25 June 1954' while NavSource ('Decommissioned at Orange, TX, 25 January 1954'), the older DANFS transcription ('placed out of commission in reserve 25 January 1954'), uboat.net, and Wikipedia article text all read 25 January 1954; Wikipedia's infobox prints a third value, 24 January 1954. Not resolvable from public sources - carried as '1954' with both dates flagged. (b) Wikipedia infobox errors - 'Commissioned 21 July 1943,' 'Laid down 1942,' 'Reclassified MSF-58, 7 February 1965' all contradict its own article text and every official/secondary source (13 October 1942; 23 July 1941; 7 February 1955) - the 21 July 1943 commissioning date also propagates onto law-firm minesweeper tables (mesothelioma.com prints '7/21/1943') and a dday-overlord.com derivative ('entered service on 21 June 1943'); none adopted. (c) Builder name - official current DANFS prints 'Defoe Boat and Marine Works,' the older DANFS transcription and NavSource print 'Defoe Shipbuilding Co.,' and uboat.net prints 'Defoe Boat and Marine Works'; Colton's yard history resolves it - the Bay City yard was renamed Defoe Shipbuilding Company at the start of WWII, so both printings denote the same builder. (d) Armament spec block - official DANFS '2 3", 4 20mm, 2 dct, 2 dcp' vs NavSource '1 3"/50, 2 40mm, 8 20mm, 2 dct, 5 dcp'; DANFS itself documents antiaircraft additions during the June-August 1945 Norfolk refit, so the difference plausibly reflects as-built vs post-refit fits - both left as printed. (e) Buyer/disposition - official DANFS 'sold to International Bulk Carriers of Miami, Fla.' vs NavSource's yacht-conversion chain (shipbroker David A. Hahn, Key West; Anaconda ON 560079); Colton prints 'scrapped 1973.' Reconcilable as Navy sale to International Bulk Carriers followed by resale/conversion - but the post-sale chain is NavSource-only and unverified.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   records consulted 2026-09-22

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting better-supported values and flagging the rest. The 1954 decommissioning split is a genuine official-vs-secondary conflict with no public tiebreaker located; the Wikipedia infobox is simply wrong on three fields. No discrepancy affects identity, class, builder, or the 1972 striking/1973 sale.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-07

8. [8]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion 4601080

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger; CourtListener API was quota-blocked this session so docket-level coverage is incomplete). 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 Broadbill was located.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2019 decision

   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. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-08

9. [9]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster-rolls coverage presumed for this hull (the DPLA aggregator previously indexed NARA muster-roll items for sister hulls; DPLA API requires a key this session and the Broadbill item could not be confirmed); NARA RG 24 deck logs (1942-46 and 1952-54 commissionings); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Defoe minesweeper block (hulls #171-174: Broadbill AM-58, Chickadee AM-59, Nuthatch AM-60, Pheasant AM-61); Atlantic Reserve Fleet Orange Group custody records 1954-72; the 1973 sale file (buyer International Bulk Carriers per DANFS); USCG merchant-vessel documentation records for Anaconda ON 560079; Philadelphia-area scrapping records for the ~1996 Girard Point breakup [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov returns SPA shell to automated fetch; api.dp.la returns invalid_api_key without a key; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov returns admin error page; 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 returns only the SPA shell to automated fetch; DPLA API returned 'invalid_api_key' this session; MARAD ShipHistory search returned an admin error page): (a) NARA's WWII muster-rolls series very likely covers this hull (commissioned 1942-46 window matches the digitized series) but the specific Broadbill item could not be confirmed - personnel records, not materials; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs for both commissioned periods (1942-46, 1952-54); (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Defoe minesweeper block (yard hulls #171-174 = AM-58 through AM-61) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) Atlantic Reserve Fleet Orange Group custody records 1954-72 (Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Texas Group) - the preservation/mothballing record; (e) the 1973 Navy sale file naming International Bulk Carriers of Miami and any resale paper to shipbroker David A. Hahn - the resolution path for the post-Navy chain; (f) USCG documentation file for yacht Anaconda ON 560079 (out of documentation 1976) and Philadelphia/Girard Point scrapping records ~1996 - the resolution path for the 'believed broken up' disposition.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1996 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-58/MSF-58 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls and deck logs are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-broadbill-am58-09