USS Caravan (AMC-134)

Evidence

7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Caravan' entry (AM-157) - official NHHC text, verbatim transcription re-verified live this session at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror; live history.navy.mil returns 404 (standing link rot, same as BATCH-01); hazegray.org unreachable this session [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Caravan' entry, specification block + service narrative + bracketed transcriber's note (losthistory.net/hazegray mirror, danfs/mine/am157.htm; NavSource 11/02157 links to the hazegray original as the DANFS entry for the hull)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this designation's hull: '(AM-157: dp. 630; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 10'; s. 15k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3"; cl. Admirable)' - 'Caravan (AM-157) was launched 27 October 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg., and commissioned 21 January 1944, Lieutenant C. E. Walden USNR, in command.' The official text carries the full service narrative (San Francisco 25 Mar 1944; Eniwetok 25 Apr; Marianas patrol/escort, Guam base from September; Ulithi/Palaus October; Portland overhaul May 1945; Cold Bay July; decommissioned and transferred to the USSR under lend-lease 16 August 1945; reclassified MSF-157 7 February 1955). The appended bracketed transcriber's note - not DANFS text - records 'Caravan was laid down as AMc-134 but redesignated AM-157 before launching': the AMc-134 contract designation was retired before the hull entered service, and no ship was ever commissioned under it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1955

   Population

   Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades (Portland, 1942-44); wartime crew (design complement 104), 1944-45

   Limitations

   DANFS documents the built hull's identity and service history - not materials or asbestos content; the entry contains no materials statement of any kind. The official text does not itself print the AMc-134 designation - the designation chain appears only in the transcriber's bracketed note (non-official appended text), whose 'laid down as AMc-134' is loose contract language: NavSource's explicit dates (reclassified 21 Feb 1942; laid down 16 May 1942) show the redesignation preceded keel-laying by about three months. The same note's 'T-597' and 'scrapped in 1956' are errors resolved in the canonical record's correction row (T-337; 1960), not re-litigated here. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 and hazegray.org was unreachable this session.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Caravan (MSF 157) ex-AM-157, ex-AMc-134, file 11/02157 (live fetch via navsource.net mirror succeeded this session; navsource.org did not resolve) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02157 - page heading 'ex-AMc-134' + chronology block ('Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper, Caravan (AMc 134). Reclassified as a Minesweeper, AM-157, 21 February 1942. Laid down 16 May 1942...') + specifications block + commanding-officers table (LT Cecil Edward Walden, USNR, 21 Jan 1944-16 Aug 1945)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull page, headed 'Admirable Class Minesweeper' and titled 'Caravan (MSF 157) ex-AM-157 ex-AMc-134': 'Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper, Caravan (AMc 134). Reclassified as a Minesweeper, AM-157, 21 February 1942. Laid down 16 May 1942 by the Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR. Launched 27 October 1942. Commissioned USS Caravan (AM 157), 21 January 1944. Decommissioned 16 August 1945 at Cold Bay, A; transferred to the Soviet Union and reclassified T-337...' The Willamette contract was thus an AMc-designated order redesignated to the Admirable-class fleet-minesweeper program about three months before keel-laying; the AMc-134 number was never carried by a ship in service.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1983

   Population

   Willamette construction trades (1942-44); wartime crew (complement 104); Soviet crew 1945-60

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival page - the sole located source pairing the exact 21 Feb 1942 redesignation date with the laid-down date (16 May 1942) that proves the redesignation preceded construction; consistent with the DANFS transcriber's note on the chain. Its Soviet-service details (Pacific Fleet 3 Sep 1945, BRN-33 on 3 Dec 1956, scrapped 17 Jan 1960) and the 1 Jan 1983 U.S. strike are uncorroborated by DANFS and only partially corroborated by Russell (1960 scrapping) - carried in the canonical record's gaps. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-02

3. [3]Atlas canonical record uss-caravan-am157.atlas.json (branch batch-1181/uss-caravan-am157, Tier 2, PRIMARY) + this record's designation-chain rows ev-01/ev-02 [other_primary]

   Locator

   uss-caravan-am157.atlas.json (canonical, branch batch-1181/uss-caravan-am157); this record's evidence rows ev-01, ev-02

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   All-tier consolidation: AMc-134 and AM-157 are one contract hull, not two vessels. The batch listing 'USS Caravan (AMC-134)' resolves to the canonical record uss-caravan-am157 (Tier 2, batch-1181, researched same day 2026-09-22), which carries the full service history (commissioned 21 Jan 1944; San Francisco departure 25 Mar; Eniwetok/Marianas patrol, aviator lifeguard, and convoy escort; Guam base from Sep 1944; Ulithi/Palaus from October; Portland overhaul May 1945; Cold Bay Soviet-crew training July; decommissioned and transferred to the USSR under Project Hula - 16 Aug 1945 per DANFS/NavSource, 17 Aug per Russell's official NHHC appendix), the Soviet-era designation T-337 (with the DANFS transcriber's-note 'T-597' resolved as ex-USS YMS-272's designation via Russell's own table), the 1960 scrapping (vs the note's 1956), the NavSource-only Soviet details (Pacific Fleet 3 Sep 1945; BRN-33 3 Dec 1956; scrapped 17 Jan 1960), the 7 Feb 1955 administrative reclassification to MSF-157, and the 1 Jan 1983 U.S. Naval Register strike. This record exists so the former designation resolves to the canonical hull rather than reading as a second vessel.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1983

   Limitations

   Internal consolidation statement - asserts only the one-hull identity, itself supported by the DANFS-mirror and NavSource rows ev-01/ev-02; the underlying evidence chain (6 evidence rows, 9-ledger search trail) is the canonical record's and is not duplicated here.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-03

4. [4]NARA, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (finding aid to Vessel and Station Log Books, RG 24) + NARA 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (RG 19 guided-topic page) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Special List 44 named-vessels table, 'Caravan (AM-157)' row (1/22/1944-8/16/1945); archives.gov asbestos guided topic, 'General Information Books' and 'Ship Engineering Drawings' sections

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   All federal archival records for this hull are indexed under AM-157, not the AMc designation: NARA Special List 44 (re-verified live this session) holds one deck-log volume as 'Caravan (AM-157)' covering 1/22/1944-8/16/1945 - the entire commissioned period; no AMc-134 index entries exist. NARA's asbestos-research guide (live 200 this session) identifies the series that would hold hull-level material specifications - RG 19 Entry P-11 Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books (Item S-68, 1940-1962) and the hull-number-arranged Ship Engineering Drawings (S39 Insulation and Lagging, S48 Piping, S103 Booklets of General Plans). Any researcher tracing 'AMc-134'/'AMC-134' must search the archive as AM-157.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1945 (logbook coverage); guides current as of 2026-09-22

   Population

   USN complement aboard the built hull, 1944-1945

   Limitations

   Archival lead only - documents which series exist and under which hull number, not that hull-specific material survives in them; no drawing or GIB was retrieved or confirmed. Deck logs are operational records, not materials documentation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-04

5. [5]CourtListener searches 2026-09-22: public web opinion index (type=o) and RECAP docket index (type=r) this session; authenticated REST API v4 attempted and throttled (HTTP 429, shared 2800/day batch quota) [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-caravan-amc134-06 through sl-uss-caravan-amc134-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull under any designation located this session: 'USS Caravan' returned 0 opinions and 0 RECAP dockets (the RECAP sweep is new - the canonical record's entire CourtListener pass was quota-blocked); 'AMC-134' and 'AMC 134' each returned 0 opinions (no American Maritime Cases reporter collision at this page number, unlike sister-hull AMc pages); 'AM-157' returned 80 opinions, all collisions on page-1 review (20 of 20) - docket/case/record-number strings in unrelated cases (Williams v. Wilson, Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1982 - 'Nos. AM-2, AM-3 and AM-157'; Ohio Industrial Commission mandamus line: State ex rel. Bowman 2022, Kreitzer 2025, Cogan 2023, Harris 2022; Washington insurance/contract appeals: Jevne, Mony Life v. Cissne, Kappelman, Hoff v. Safeco, James v. McDonald; Davis v. State Farm; Point Energy v. MRC Permian; Blizzard v. Lilith Games; Karageorgious v. Ashcroft; Monumental Life v. Puckett; State v. Rafay). The authenticated API v4 returned HTTP 429 'Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day' (expected available ~10,295s) on first call - shared batch quota consumed by same-day parallel runs; 'AM-157' pages 2-4, 'Caravan minesweeper asbestos', 'MSF-157', 'T-337', 'AM-157' type=r and bare-'Caravan' type=r queries were not run - a CloudFront/WAF challenge (HTTP 403, then HTTP 202 empty body on a spaced retry) ended the session after five successful queries; all logged blocked, not retried into a ban.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2026-09-22

   Limitations

   Negative finding from index search, not proof no claim was ever filed - CourtListener coverage skews to digitized federal opinions and RECAP dockets; state-court filings and non-digitized dockets are underrepresented. The 'AM-157' opinion sweep reviewed only page 1 (20/80) before the WAF block - the reviewed hits' uniform collision pattern (docket/record numbers) makes a qualifying hit on later pages unlikely but is not ruled out; 'MSF-157', 'T-337', and the RECAP hull-number sweeps remain unrun. A pleading naming this hull would be an allegation, not a finding - none was located. Establishes only that no qualifying case was located in the queries completed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-05

6. [6]DANFS AM-157 entry (vessel type, builder, 1942-44 construction window) + NavSource propulsion data (diesel plant: 'Two 1,710shp ALCO 539 diesel engines, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts') - full assessment maintained at uss-caravan-am157 [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS AM-157 entry (construction record); NavSource 11/02157 specifications block; canonical record (uss-caravan-am157, branch batch-1181)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/type inference for the physical hull - built as AM-157, a steel Admirable-class fleet minesweeper at Willamette Iron and Steel, launched 1942, during the period when asbestos supply was federally reserved for shipbuilding - plausibly carried period-standard asbestos-containing materials in applications typical for a small diesel combatant: engine and exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, electrical-cable insulation, fireproofing, and deck covering (application set per the canonical record). Because the plant was diesel direct-drive (two ALCO 539 engines, no boilers or steam lines), the dominant WWII asbestos pathway aboard steam vessels - boiler and steam-line lagging - did not exist on this hull, and the inference is correspondingly weaker. This inference applies identically here because AMc-134 is the same hull's pre-construction designation.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1960

   Population

   Willamette construction trades (1942-44); USN crew 1944-45; Cold Bay transfer personnel; Soviet Navy crew 1945-60

   Limitations

   Inference from era, builder, and vessel type only - no ship-specific document names any asbestos product aboard this hull under any designation; no material schedule located (the NARA RG 19 series in ev-04 are the lead). Applies to the built hull AM-157; the AMc-134 designation itself carried no ship and so has no asbestos history of its own.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-06

7. [7]Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409, 37 Cal. Rptr. 2d 902 (1995) - underpinning the Atlas shipyards.json record 'willamette-iron-steel' (re-resolved this session: yard_id resolves, tier 3, Pabco product record marked disputed) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text, 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (Pabco fill-in use at Willamette, 1960s-70s); shipyards.json record 'willamette-iron-steel' (yard_id, disputed-identification limitations_note)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published California appellate opinion in an asbestos product-identification case records that 'Pabco was used only as fill-in at Willamette in the 1960s and 1970s' - litigation-documented asbestos insulation use at a 'Willamette' shipyard, but limited to a window two decades after this hull's 1942-44 construction and fitting-out. The Atlas shipyard dataset carries the Willamette Iron & Steel record (Portland, OR - the AMc-134 contract holder and builder of the hull as AM-157) at evidence tier 3 on the strength of this opinion while flagging the yard identification itself as disputed (the opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard').

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1960s-1970s (documented use); 1995 (opinion)

   Population

   Willamette shipyard insulators (1960s-1970s)

   Limitations

   Yard-level context, not a hull finding: the opinion does not name AM-157 or any vessel, does not document the 1942-44 construction window, and adjudicates product identification rather than exposure aboard any vessel. The 'Willamette Shipyard' in the opinion is not further identified - linking it to Willamette Iron & Steel Corp. of Portland is the dataset's inference, marked disputed there. Included to record that the builder-yard asbestos record does NOT reach this hull's build period.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-caravan-amc134-07