Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Climax (MSF 161) ex-AM-161 ex-AMc-138, file 11/02161 (designation chronology) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02161 - designation chronology block ('Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper Climax (AMc 138). Reclassified Minesweeper AM-161, 21 February 1942')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive page for this hull, headed 'Climax (MSF 161) ex-AM-161 ex-AMc-138': 'Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper Climax (AMc 138). Reclassified Minesweeper AM-161, 21 February 1942. Laid down 26 May 1942 by the Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR. Launched 9 January 1943. Commissioned USS Climax (AM 161), 24 March 1944.' The Willamette order was thus an AMc-designated contract redesignated to the Admirable-class fleet-minesweeper program before keel-laying; the AMc-138 number was never carried by a ship in service. The +23 offset (AMc-138 -> AM-161) matches the documented pattern across the same contract blocks: AMc-113 -> AM-136, AMc-114 -> AM-137 (Adopt), AMc-115 -> AM-138 (Advocate), and the Willamette sisters AMc-136/137/139/140 -> AM-159/160/162/163.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades (1942-43); USN crew 1944-46 (complement 104)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page - the sole located primary-facing source for the AMc-138 designation and the 21 Feb 1942 redesignation date; DANFS's Climax entry (ev-02) does not mention AMc-138, unlike its Adopt entry which states the AMc-114 chain directly. Corroborated by two secondary indexes (uswarships.jounin.jp AMc table, usnavy.skyrocket.de class table) used for corroboration only, not cited as evidence. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-01
-
[2]DANFS, 'Climax' (AM-161) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1148/1180/1185) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Climax' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am161.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for the built hull this designation became: Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 x 3"; cl. Admirable). Launched 9 January 1943 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg.; commissioned 24 March 1944, Lieutenant R. E. Danielson, Jr., USNR, in command; school ship at U.S. Naval Small Craft Training Center, San Pedro, May-September 1944; convoy escort Pearl Harbor/Eniwetok/Ulithi; resupply-convoy escort to Iwo Jima 13-18 March 1945; sweeping operations off Wakayama, Honshu, 11 September - 18 October 1945 supporting the landing of Allied occupation troops; pilot vessel at Matoya Ko to 19 December 1945; San Diego arrival 16 February 1946; out of commission in reserve 31 May 1946; reclassified MSF-161, 7 February 1955; two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1955
- Population
- Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades (1942-43); wartime crew (design complement 104); occupation-duty crew, Japan waters, Sep-Dec 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents the built hull's identity and service history - not materials or asbestos content, and not the AMc-138 designation (its Climax entry, unlike its Adopt entry, opens with the launch, never mentioning the contract designation). The designation chain therefore rests on NavSource (ev-01) among located sources. Entry ends at the 1955 reclassification - no stricken or disposal record. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-02
-
[3]Atlas canonical record uss-climax-am161.atlas.json (branch batch-1185/uss-climax-am161, Tier 2) + designation-chain rows ev-01/ev-02 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uss-climax-am161.atlas.json (canonical); this record's evidence rows ev-01, ev-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- All-tier consolidation: AMc-138 and AM-161 are one contract hull, not two vessels. The batch listing 'USS Climax (AMC-138)' with 'US commissioning: 1944-03-24' carries the commissioning date of the built hull as AM-161 and resolves to the canonical record uss-climax-am161 (Tier 2), which carries the full service history (commissioned 24 Mar 1944; San Pedro school ship; Eniwetok-based convoy escort; Iwo Jima resupply escort Mar 1945; post-surrender sweeping off Wakayama Sep-Oct 1945; San Diego reserve 31 May 1946 - 1959; MSF-161 reclassification 7 Feb 1955; scrapped 1959), the NARA archival leads, and the era/type asbestos inference. 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
- 1941-1959
- Limitations
- Internal consolidation statement - asserts only the one-hull identity, itself supported by the NavSource designation chain (ev-01) and the DANFS built-hull record (ev-02); the underlying evidence chain is the canonical record's and is not duplicated here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-03
-
[4]NARA, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (finding aid to Vessel and Station Log Books, RG 24) + NARA 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessels up through 1961' (RG 19 guided-topic page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessels table, 'Climax (AM-161)' row (4/1/1944-6/30/1945); 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-161, not the AMc designation: NARA Special List 44 holds one deck-log volume as 'Climax (AM-161)' covering 4/1/1944-6/30/1945; no AMc-138 index entries exist. NARA's asbestos-research guide 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). The canonical record also maps RG 24 muster rolls, the BuShips contract file for the Willamette Admirable-class block (ordered 30 Dec 1941 per uboat.net), Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego layup/inspection files (1946-1959), and the 1959 disposal/sale file as open leads. Any researcher tracing 'AMc-138' must search the archive as AM-161.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (logbook coverage); guide current as of 2026-09-22
- Population
- USN complement aboard the built hull, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - documents which series exist and under which hull number, not that hull-specific material survives in them; no drawing, GIB, or disposal file was retrieved or confirmed. Deck logs are operational records, not materials documentation. NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch (canonical record's finding) - coverage beyond Special List 44 unconfirmed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-04
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) searches: designation-string queries 'AMC-138'/'AMc-138'/'AMC 138' attempted this session - blocked by shared throttle (HTTP 429); canonical record's commissioned-name structured sweep likewise blocked same day (uss-climax-am161 sl-05); web litigation sweep negative [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-climax-amc138-05 through sl-uss-climax-amc138-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull under any designation was located. This-session authenticated CourtListener queries for the designation strings 'AMC-138', 'AMc-138', and 'AMC 138' (type=o) all returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in 9792 seconds') - the shared key was exhausted by same-day batch agents; per batch rules, backed off rather than retrying into a ban. The canonical record's same-day structured pass for the commissioned name was likewise blocked (its sl-05), leaving the structured docket search an open re-run item for both records. A web-based litigation sweep ('USS Climax' + asbestos/mesothelioma/lawsuit; 'aboard USS Climax'; VA/BVA queries) found no qualifying case - only name-in-list placement on law-firm marketing pages (mesothelioma.com minesweepers table row 'USS Climax | AM-161 | Admirable | 3/24/1944 | Scrapped, 1959'; mesotheliomahelp.org and freeasbestostesting.com ship lists) - list placement, not a ship-specific claim, excluded per batch rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Negative finding from index search and web sweep, not proof no claim was ever filed - CourtListener coverage skews to digitized federal opinions and RECAP dockets, and the structured designation-string and commissioned-name searches remain unrun (HTTP 429, both records). State-court filings and non-digitized dockets are underrepresented. Establishes only that no qualifying case was located in the sources searched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-05
-
[6]DANFS AM-161 entry (vessel type, builder, 1942-43 construction window) + NavSource propulsion data (diesel plant) - assessment maintained at uss-climax-am161 ev-05 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS AM-161 entry (construction record); NavSource AM-161 specifications block; canonical row ev-uss-climax-am161-05
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/type inference for the physical hull - built as AM-161, a steel Admirable-class fleet minesweeper at Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland, 1942-43, during the period when asbestos supply was federally reserved for shipbuilding - plausibly carried period-standard asbestos-containing materials in applications typical for the type: exhaust and engine-room thermal lagging, machinery-space acoustic/fire insulation, joiner/bulkhead fireproof panels, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and deck coverings. Because the plant was diesel (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. This inference applies identically here because AMc-138 is the same hull's pre-construction designation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- Willamette Iron & Steel construction trades 1942-43; USN crew 1944-46; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-59; scrapping workers 1959
- 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 (NARA RG 19 series, ev-04, are the lead). Applies to the built hull AM-161; the AMc-138 designation itself carried no ship and so has no asbestos history of its own. Does not establish quantity, location, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-06
-
[7]Atlas shipyard dataset record 'willamette-iron-steel' (shipyards.json): Willamette Iron & Steel Corporation, Portland, OR (aliases WISCO, Willamette Shipyard), WWII peak employment 12,000, evidence_tier 3, flagship ev-willamette-01 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record 'willamette-iron-steel' (yard_id, ev-willamette-01, asbestos_products_documented, employment fields)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: the Atlas shipyards dataset carries Willamette Iron & Steel Corporation - the contract holder for the AMc-138 order and builder of the hull as AM-161 - at evidence_tier 3. Its single product row is a litigation product identification: 'Pabco (Fibreboard) used as fill-in insulation on ships at Willamette in the 1960s and 1970s' per Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (1995) - verification_status 'disputed' because the opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard' with no corporate name or state.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (this hull's construction window, as AM-161)
- Population
- Willamette Iron & Steel trades, 1941-1945 peak
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - asbestos products documented at a yard do not establish installation aboard this hull. Weaker than most yard rows: the product identification is itself 'disputed' in the dataset, and the documented period (1960s-70s repair-era fill-in) postdates this hull's 1942-43 construction - though this hull did survive in U.S. custody into the 1959 scrapping window, so the yard's postwar repair-era row is temporally adjacent to her custodial tail. Not a WWII-construction asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-climax-amc138-07