Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Bulwark II (AM-425), NHHC ship-history page (live page returns 404; Wayback capture 2025-01-20 cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Bulwark II entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 12 December 1951 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; launched 14 March 1953, sponsored by Mrs. Edna R. Maloney; commissioned 12 November 1953, Lt. James A. Paulick in command; specifications block gives displacement 775, length 172'0", beam 35'0", draft 10'0", speed 14.0 knots, complement 70, armament 1 40mm + 2 .50-caliber machine guns, class Aggressive. Experimental design occupied her first year; Atlantic Fleet Mine Force, Charleston; redesignated MSO-425 on 7 February 1955; six Mediterranean/Sixth Fleet deployments (1955, 1957, 1958-59, 1961, 1964, 1967); Operation Springboard 1956; Operation Sweep Clear V 1960; Mine Warfare School ship; Gemini shot support April 1964. Documented yard periods: Charleston Naval Shipyard overhauls (June 1956; April-July 1958), Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul (February 1960), Detyens Shipyard Wando S.C. (November 1963), Savannah Machine & Foundry repairs (February 1965), Jacksonville Shipyard Charleston (January 1966; drydock February 1967; May-August 1968; drydock September-November 1969), main-engine repairs (January-June 1969). Decommissioned 2 July 1971 at Charleston; in reserve until stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 28 February 1975; sold to R. E. Williams in April 1980.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1980
- Population
- Norfolk Naval Shipyard construction trades 1951-53; crew 1953-1971 (design complement 70); overhaul-yard workers at Charleston NSY, Norfolk NSY, Detyens, Savannah Machine & Foundry, Jacksonville Shipyard
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service history, and yard periods - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404; the 2025-01-20 Wayback capture of the canonical URL is cited. Sale date reads 'April 1980' here versus NavSource's 1 May 1980 - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bulwark-am425-01
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[2]NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, MSO-425 Bulwark (specifications incl. 4 Packard ID1700 diesels, 2 shafts, controllable-pitch propellers; disposition detail) + Combat Fleets of the World 1984/85 class entry (SCB-45A: wooden non-magnetic construction, 4 Packard or Waukesha L-1616 diesels, 2,280/2,400 hp for MSO-422-427) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSO-425 page, specifications block; Combat Fleets of the World 1984/85 excerpt (mirrored), SCB-45A/Aggressive class entry
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: the SCB-45A (Agile/Aggressive) ocean minesweepers were built of plywood/wood with bronze and non-magnetic stainless fittings to minimize magnetic signature, powered by four Packard diesel engines - a diesel plant with no boilers or steam system. A 1951-53 naval-shipyard build nonetheless falls in the peak asbestos era; period-standard asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, machinery and pipe insulation, electrical insulation, and deck coverings would be expected aboard, and the hull's dense record of overhauls and drydockings (see ev-01) is the disturbance pathway for any retained ACM.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1980
- Population
- Crew 1953-1971; shipyard workers across documented availabilities
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no source names asbestos aboard this hull, and the wooden-hulled diesel MSO design likely carried a smaller ACM load than steam combatants (also inference). NavSource is a volunteer archive, not an official record; it is used for specifications/disposition corroboration, and the Combat Fleets class data is a secondary compilation. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or location aboard AM-425.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bulwark-am425-02
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[3]Batch-1338 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live + Wayback); NavSource; NVR ship detail; VA BVA corpus; CourtListener (web-indexed + API); general web for surveys/abatement/disposal disclosures [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bulwark-am425-01 through sl-uss-bulwark-am425-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, or government study naming USS Bulwark (AM-425/MSO-425) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship was scrapped in 1980 with no museum or memorial disposition, so no steward-organization disclosure exists.
- 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 1951-53 naval build with documented overhaul history is era-consistent with ACM use. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bulwark-am425-03
-
[4]CourtListener litigation sweep + VA Board of Veterans' Appeals corpus search (see search_ledger sl-04, sl-05) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bulwark-am425-04 and sl-uss-bulwark-am425-05
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Bulwark (AM-425/MSO-425) was located. Web-indexed searches of the CourtListener corpus returned only name collisions (Bulwark Exterminating LLC employment cases; 'bulwark' as a ship-structure term in maritime pleadings; HMS Bulwark). A VA BVA decision surfaced by a 'Bulwark' query was checked full-text and names USS Intrepid (CV-11), not this hull. The authenticated CourtListener API was throttled at batch time (2,800/day quota already exhausted; reset ~7.8h out) and was not queried further per batch throttling rules - the docket-level API re-run is an open gap, not a completed negative.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- The negative is provisional: the API-level CourtListener sweep was blocked by throttling and the result rests on web-indexed coverage of the corpus, which does not exhaustively index docket text. No allegation, finding, or judgment regarding asbestos aboard this hull was located; nothing here establishes exposure or non-exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bulwark-am425-04
-
[5]Atlas shipyards dataset (shipyard-exposure-map): norfolk-naval-shipyard record (evidence_tier 2; EPA Superfund VA1170024813; NAVFAC site descriptions document asbestos among disposed wastes) and charleston-naval-shipyard record (evidence_tier 2; documented asbestos product list and litigation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json records 'norfolk-naval-shipyard' and 'charleston-naval-shipyard'; NAVFAC Norfolk NSY site descriptions
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Builder/overhaul-yard context: this hull was built at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (1951-53) and overhauled twice at Charleston Naval Shipyard (1956, 1958) plus once at Norfolk (1960). Both yards are Atlas-documented asbestos sites - Norfolk NSY is a listed EPA Superfund site (VA1170024813) whose NAVFAC site descriptions document asbestos disposal, and the Charleston NSY record documents asbestos products including pipe insulation, boiler coatings, gaskets, and packing used at the yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1960 (construction + naval-yard overhauls); yard documentation 1979-1999
- Population
- Norfolk NSY and Charleston NSY shipyard workers during this hull's construction and overhaul periods
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation only - it establishes asbestos conditions at the facilities where this hull was built and overhauled, not that asbestos was installed in or removed from this specific hull. Yard exposure is a worker-population context, not a vessel finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bulwark-am425-05
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[6]NARA archival leads: deck logs (RG 24) for AM/MSO-425, 1953-1971; overhaul work packages from Norfolk NSY, Charleston NSY, Detyens Shipyard, Jacksonville Shipyard; RG 19 General Information Books / SCB-45A contract plans [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24 deck logs; RG 19 ship records; yard work-package archives (unretrieved)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Unretrieved primary records that could resolve the asbestos question for this hull: NARA-housed deck logs covering 1953-1971; yard work packages for the eight documented availabilities (Charleston NSY 1956 and 1958, Norfolk NSY 1960, Detyens 1963, Savannah Machine & Foundry 1965, Jacksonville 1966/1967/1968/1969); and RG 19 General Information Books / SCB-45A design documentation that would give hull-level material specifications.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1971 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Lead only - none of these records were retrieved or reviewed; their existence is inferred from standard NARA holdings for Navy hulls of this era. They may or may not contain material or insulation specifications.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bulwark-am425-06