Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
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[1]DANFS, Buoyant (AM-153) (builder, dates, service narrative, disposal; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: originally designated Buoyant (AMc-130), reclassified AM-153 on 21 February 1942; launched 24 November 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg.; commissioned 30 September 1943, Lieutenant W. L. Savell, Jr., in command. Arrived Adak 30 December 1943; escort duty along the Aleutian chain (Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Sand Bay, Amchitka, Adak, Attu) until 1 July 1944; three-week availability at Treasure Island, San Francisco; convoy escort to Eniwetok 1 August 1944; assigned to Forward Area Escort and Patrol Group at Saipan 4 September 1944; six months escorting on the Saipan-Eniwetok sea lanes. Off Kiese Shima, Okinawa, 31 March 1945; participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa (31 March-31 May), including dangerous sweeping operations; returned to the United States 7 July; sailed for the Far East 17 September. Yokohama 15 December 1945; occupation support out of Sasebo until 8 March 1946; Subic Bay 13 March; demilitarized; sailed for Shanghai April 1946. Decommissioned 29 May 1946 at Shanghai and sold by the Office of Foreign Liquidation Commission the same day. One battle star for World War II service. Spec block: 630 t.; 184'6" x 33'0" x 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; 1 x 3".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 104)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not print a laid-down date for this hull (the 15 April 1942 date rests on the NavSource archive, ev-02). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404. DANFS's 630-ton displacement figure differs from the 650 t. printed by NavSource/Wikipedia - minor discrepancy logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buoyant-am153-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Buoyant (AM-153) ex-AMc-130 (photo/data archive page; read via Wayback capture 2024-05-28) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AM-153 archive page, ship history block + specifications block + CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive record for this hull: originally planned as coastal minesweeper Buoyant (AMc-130); reclassified AM-153 on 21 February 1942; laid down 15 April 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR; launched 24 November 1942; commissioned 30 September 1943; decommissioned 29 May 1946 at Shanghai, China and sold by the State Department Foreign Liquidation Commission the same day for transfer to the Republic of China - fate unknown. Spec block: 650 t.; two 1,710-shp ALCO 539 diesel engines, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts; armament 1 x 3"/50 DP, two twin 40mm, one hedgehog, two depth-charge tracks. Commanding officer roster begins with LT Walter Lee Savell, Jr., USNR (30 September 1943 - 25 June 1945). Photos document the hull at Portland (8 September 1943), Dutch Harbor (11 June 1944), and on the Whangpoo River, Shanghai (May 1946, alongside LCI-195, Elusive AM-225, and Delegate AM-217).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (compiled)
- Population
- Construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew
- Limitations
- Private photo/data archive, not an official source: the laid-down date (15 April 1942), propulsion spec, CO roster, and 'for transfer to the Republic of China' detail rest on a secondary compilation; consistent with DANFS where the two overlap but not independently corroborated by an official source. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buoyant-am153-02
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[3]Albina Engine & Machine v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010), No. 09-70592 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, 627 F.3d 1293 at 1296-1297 (Background; employment dates; stipulation)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate opinion records an LHWCA death-benefits claim by the widow of James McAllister, a shipyard carpenter who died of mesothelioma from asbestos exposure across three shipyard employers: Willamette Iron & Steel Co. ('WISCO'), Albina Engine & Machine, and Lockheed Shipbuilding. All parties stipulated the death was caused by asbestos exposure at a maritime situs; the opinion notes 'WISCO admitted that Decedent was exposed to asbestos in its employ.' WISCO is the builder of this hull (the yard dataset lists 'WISCO' as an alias of Willamette Iron & Steel Corp.). The Ninth Circuit resolved only which employer was liable for benefits under the last-employer framework, holding Lockheed liable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1956-1960 (employment); 2010 (opinion)
- Population
- Willamette Iron & Steel shipyard workers (1956 employment window documented)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context, not a hull finding: McAllister's WISCO employment was in 1956 - more than a decade after this hull's 1942-43 construction - so the documented exposure window does not overlap the build period. The opinion names the employer, not AM-153, and adjudicates an LHWCA liability-allocation question only; exposure at WISCO was stipulated/admitted, not tried. Does not establish conditions aboard any vessel or during the wartime window. CourtListener API was unavailable on 2026-09-22 (shared daily quota exhausted); opinion read via vLex.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buoyant-am153-03
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[4]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies covering the WWII-built fleet - program-level confirmation that Navy ship construction of Buoyant's era incorporated asbestos insulation and that the material was managed as a known hazard aboard Navy vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; establishes era context for WWII Navy construction, not materials aboard AM-153. Does not establish individual exposure, quantities, or present-day presence. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buoyant-am153-04
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[5]Batch-1177 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live + mirrors), Naval Vessel Register, NavSource archive, CourtListener opinion/docket indexes, case-law databases, NARA deck-log catalog, general web index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buoyant-am153-01 through sl-uss-buoyant-am153-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Buoyant under AM-153 or AMc-130 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API sweep could not be completed on 2026-09-22 (authenticated 2,800/day quota exhausted on the shared key); web-index spot checks surfaced only name collisions and law-firm marketing listicles that name the vessel without 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 - the hull was built 1942-43 at a yard later documented as an asbestos-litigation site (post-war window), and its post-1946 life in Republic of China hands is a Western-documentation blind spot. Does not establish that asbestos is or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweep remains open - logged as a gap, not a clean negative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buoyant-am153-05