Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Captivate (AM-156) (Wayback capture 2013-02-08 of history.navy.mil/danfs/c3/captivate.htm; live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2013-02-08 of NHHC DANFS entry 'Captivate' (c3 index), full entry text and specs block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for this hull: launched 1 December 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg.; commissioned 30 December 1943, Lieutenant B. J. Kocel, USNR, in command; reported to the Pacific Fleet. Stood out of San Francisco 11 March 1944 for Pearl Harbor and Majuro (arrived 10 April); harbor entrance patrol and pilot vessel at Majuro plus Marshalls convoy escort until 22 September; Marianas convoy escort and patrol off Tinian through 14 October; Palau Islands patrol/escort 23 October 1944 - 3 February 1945; Eniwetok through February 1945; Portland arrival 27 March 1945, Seattle training duty until 6 July; cleared for Cold Bay, trained a Russian crew, decommissioned 16 August 1945 at Cold Bay and 'transferred to the Soviet Union under lend lease the same day.' Specs block: dp 630; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 10'; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3"; cl. Admirable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 104); Soviet trainees at Cold Bay, August 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service history, and administrative status - not materials or asbestos content. The 'same day' transfer wording (16 Aug 1945) conflicts with the NHC Project Hula appendix's 17 August transfer date - carried in gaps rather than silently reconciled. DANFS does not record the reclassification history (AMc-133 -> AM-156; MSF-156) or the Soviet-side designation/disposition beyond 'remains in Russian custody.'
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-01
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[2]Richard A. Russell, Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan (Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997), ISBN 0-945274-35-1 - appendix 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' (p. 39), citing NAVSHIPS 250-012 Ships Data vol. II (1949) and Berezhnoi, Flot SSSR lend-lease reference (1994) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell 1997, appendix p. 39 (Captivate AM 156 -> T-338 row); program narrative pp. 34-35 (Detachment 3294, 149 ships in 142 days)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHC program history's appendix names this hull: 'Captivate (AM 156)' -> Soviet designation 'T-338', transfer date carried by ditto as 17 August 1945 (block date from Bond AM 152), disposition '1960-scrapped.' Program context documented in the same study: Navy Detachment 3294 at Cold Bay transferred 149 ships in 142 days; ~12,000 Soviet personnel trained; transferred minesweepers operated in the Soviet Far East. Wikipedia's '17 August 1945' decommission/transfer date follows this Soviet-side record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Soviet crew of T-338
- Limitations
- Transfer-date ditto resolves to 17 Aug 1945 in the printed table; DANFS reads decommissioned and transferred 'the same day' on 16 August - the one-day U.S./Soviet record discrepancy seen across Project Hula hulls is carried in gaps, not reconciled. The appendix's '1960-scrapped' corroborates the scrapping year but not NavSource's specific 18 January 1960 date or the BRN-34 berthing-ship conversion. Program-level context only for operations - the narrative names no individual minesweeper in combat.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-02
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[3]Russell, Project Hula appendix (NHC 1997) vs. secondary-source propagation: hazegray DANFS transcriber's note renders the Soviet designation 'T-596' ('allegedly scrapped in 1956'); HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' index page reads 'Transferred to U.K. under Lend-Lease, 1944' and 'Diesel-electric engines... 1,800 h.p.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell 1997 appendix p. 39 (Captivate AM 156 -> T-338; YMS 216 -> T-596) and p. 40; losthistory.net mirror of hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am156.htm transcriber's note; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-156_Captivate.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two secondary-source errors corrected against the NHC appendix and DANFS. (1) hazegray's transcriber's note identifies Captivate's Soviet designation as T-596 - but the same appendix lists T-596 as the former YMS-216, while Captivate is T-338; the 'T-596' attribution is a propagated error. (2) HyperWar's ship-index page claims 'Transferred to U.K. under Lend-Lease, 1944' - wrong recipient and year (she transferred to the USSR at Cold Bay, August 1945) - and describes 'diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' plus 'commissioned 1944,' all inconsistent with DANFS (commissioned 30 Dec 1943) and NavSource/class data (geared ALCO 539 diesels, Farrel-Birmingham reduction gear).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Limitations
- Corrects identity and service metadata only. T-338 is carried per the NHC appendix; the T-596 variant is retained solely in aliases for retrieval. The HyperWar index page is a compiled summary, not a DANFS transcription - its UK-transfer and diesel-electric claims treated as compilation errors, not a competing source. Does not speak to materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-03
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[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Captivate (MSF 156) ex-AM-156, ex-AMc-133' (volunteer-compiled naval photo/history archive; page via Wayback capture 2024-12-04 - direct fetch refused from this host) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSF-156 page (Wayback 2024-12-04): chronology block, specifications block, commanding-officer list, photo credits
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource's compiled chronology for this hull adds details not in DANFS or Russell: originally planned as Captivate (AMc 133), reclassified AM-156 on 21 February 1942; laid down 12 May 1942; decommissioned 16 August 1945 at Cold Bay and transferred to the Soviet Union as T-338; assigned to the Soviet Pacific Fleet 31 August 1945; reclassified MSF-156 on 7 February 1955; converted to a berthing ship and reclassified BRN-34 on 3 December 1956; scrapped 18 January 1960; struck from the Naval Register 1 January 1983. Commanding officer LT Benjamin Franklin Kocel, USNR (30 Dec 1943 - 16 Aug 1945). Specifications block: 650 t., 184'6" x 33' x 9'9", 14.8 kts., complement 104, one 3"/50 DP, two twin 40mm, hedgehog, two depth-charge tracks; two 1,710shp ALCO 539 diesel engines, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts. NARA photo 19-LCM-AM156-1 documents the hull in camouflage 32/21D, December 1943.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1983
- Population
- Soviet crew of T-338
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive, not a government record; its Soviet-service particulars (Pacific Fleet assignment 31 Aug 1945, BRN-34 berthing-ship conversion 3 Dec 1956, 18 Jan 1960 scrapping date) are carried as unverified context - Russell corroborates the designation (T-338) and scrapping year (1960) only. NavSource expands the CO's name as 'Benjamin Franklin Kocel' vs. DANFS's 'B. J. Kocel' - initial mismatch flagged in gaps. Spec block differs from DANFS (650t/9'9"/14.8k vs 630t/10'/15k) - minor drift, carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-04
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[5]Atlas shipyard dataset record 'willamette-iron-steel' (shipyards.json; tier 3 - single product row: Pabco/Fibreboard fill-in insulation 'used only as fill-in at Willamette in the 1960s and 1970s' per Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (1995), verification_status 'disputed' - the opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard' with no corporate name or state) + Admirable-class specifications (steel hull; ALCO 539 diesel propulsion, no boilers) per DANFS specs block and NavSource class data [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record 'willamette-iron-steel' (ev-willamette-01); DANFS/NavSource Admirable-class specification blocks
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a steel-hulled Admirable-class minesweeper built 1942-43 would have carried period-standard asbestos materials typical of WWII combatant construction - exhaust and engine-room thermal lagging, machinery-space acoustic and fire insulation, joiner/bulkhead fireproof panels, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, winch and windlass brake linings, deck coverings. Her diesel propulsion (ALCO 539, no boilers) narrows the profile versus steam-driven vessels. Builder Willamette Iron & Steel resolves in the Atlas yard dataset at tier 3, but its only product row is disputed and describes 1960s-70s repair-era fill-in insulation - it does not document asbestos use during this hull's 1942-43 construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1960
- Population
- Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew 1943-45; Soviet crew 1945-60
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no source names asbestos aboard this specific hull. No boiler or steam-line insulation inference applies (diesel plant). The yard-level row is weaker than most: the product identification itself is 'disputed' in the dataset and the documented period (1960s-70s repairs) postdates this hull's construction and even her existence as a U.S. asset. Does not establish quantity, location, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-05
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[6]Batch-1180 search ledger (this record): DANFS entry (Wayback/NHHC); hazegray mirror (via losthistory.net) and NavSource (via Wayback); Russell, Project Hula (NHC 1997) full text incl. appendix; Naval Vessel Register site; CourtListener API v4 ship-name and hull-number queries (blocked - quota); web litigation sweep including VA/BVA-name queries; mesothelioma marketing-list review [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-captivate-am156-01 through sl-uss-captivate-am156-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, museum hazmat disclosure, government report, or docketed case naming USS Captivate / AM-156 / MSF-156 / T-338 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only web mentions pairing 'Captivate' with asbestos are name-in-list entries on law-firm marketing pages (mesothelioma.com minesweepers table, mesotheliomahelp.org ship list) - list placement, not a ship-specific claim. No VA/BVA decision naming the hull surfaced. Structural note: the vessel's entire post-USN life was in Soviet custody (1945-1960) ending in scrapping in the USSR, so the U.S.-side custodial record types that generate asbestos documentation for preserved or NDRF-laid hulls (surveys, abatement contracts, donation-condition disclosures) never arose for this hull.
- 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 - era construction makes period ACM plausible at inference level only. The CourtListener structured pass is incomplete (shared API key quota exhausted, HTTP 429; logged blocked, not failed-by-omission) - litigation status is 'no qualifying case found' on the web sweep, with the structured docket search deferred. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-06
-
[7]NARA archival leads (unretrieved): RG 24 deck logs for AM-156 (Dec 1943-Aug 1945); BuShips contract plans and material specifications for the Admirable class / Willamette hulls (RG 19); Navy Detachment 3294 (Cold Bay) Project Hula records; still-photo file incl. 19-LCM-AM156-1 (camouflage 32/21D, Dec 1943) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24 / RG 19 series descriptions; Russell 1997 bibliography; NavSource photo credit line (NARA photo 19-LCM-AM156-1)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-specific paper records exist at NARA but were not retrieved (no spend authorized): deck logs for AM-156's ~20-month U.S. commission (RG 24); Admirable-class contract drawings/specifications and any Willamette construction records (RG 19); Cold Bay transfer-program records for Navy Detachment 3294. These are the plausible repositories for any ship-specific material or maintenance documentation. The NARA still-photo file holds at least one dated image of this hull (19-LCM-AM156-1).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1960 (records); unretrieved 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Leads only - none retrieved or confirmed to contain asbestos-relevant material. Soviet-era service records for T-338/BRN-34 are outside U.S. holdings; Berezhnoi's Flot SSSR reference (cited by Russell) is the published Soviet-side source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captivate-am156-07