USS Concise (AM-163)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Concise' (AM-163) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1148/1169; hazegray.org itself unreachable at fetch time) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Concise' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am163.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: 'Condensed, brief.' Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 x 3"; cl. Admirable). 'Concise (AMc-140) was reclassified AM-163, 21 February 1942; launched 6 February 1943 by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg.; and commissioned 25 April 1944, Lieutenant H. J. Ullmann, Jr., USNR, in command.' Sailed San Francisco 3 July 1944 for Pearl Harbor, arrived 13 July for training; swept mines at French Frigate Shoals 6-16 August; Eniwetok 28 September; convoy escort duty until 11 August 1945; arrived off Okinawa 30 August; 8 September sailed to clear mines from Japanese waters in protection of occupation shipping, sweeping off Wakayama, Osaka, and Nagoya until 20 November; returned to San Francisco 16 December 1945; placed out of commission in reserve 31 May 1946 at San Diego; reclassified MSF-163 on 7 February 1955. 'Concise received one battle star for World War II service.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1955

   Population

   Willamette Iron & Steel construction trades (1942-43); wartime crew (design complement 104)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, launch/commission dates, service narrative, battle-star credit, and MSF reclassification - not materials or asbestos content. The entry omits a laid-down date, a stricken date, and a disposal record (ends at the 1955 reclassification). Spec block variance: DANFS reads dp. 530 / 15 k. vs NavSource's 650 t / 14.8 kts - flagged in ev-07. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Concise (MSF 163) ex-AM-163 ex-AMc-140, file 11/02163 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02163 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; 'Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper Concise (AMc 140). Reclassified as a Minesweeper AM-163, 21 February 1942'; laid down 15 June 1942 by the Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR; launched 6 February 1943; commissioned USS Concise (AM 163), 25 April 1944; 'Decommissioned 31 May 1946 at San Diego, CA'; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists out of commission, in reserve as December 1945'; 'Reclassified as a Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull), MSF-163, 7 February 1955'; 'Scrapped in 1959.' Spec block: 650 t; 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two twin 40mm mounts, one depth-charge projector (hedgehog), two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 1,710shp ALCO 539 diesel engines, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO list: LT Henry James Ullmann Jr. USNR (25 Apr 1944 - 9 Nov 1945), LT John Thomas McInerny USNR (9 Nov 1945). Photo credits: NHHC photo NH 81365 (Concise returns to San Francisco Bay flying homeward-bound pennant, c. Dec 1945); National Archives photos, 3 Feb 1946, Pacific Reserve Fleet Swan Island, Portland OR (sister Compel AM-162 inboard; LSM-471 and LSM-473 alongside).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1959

   Population

   WISCO trades (1942-43); wartime crew; Pacific Reserve Fleet layup personnel (1946)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its quoted NVR line ('in reserve as December 1945') conflicts with the documented 31 May 1946 decommissioning - flagged in ev-07. Spec variance vs DANFS (650 t vs 530 dp; 14.8 vs 15 kts) flagged in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Willamette Iron & Steel (WISCO), Portland OR' yard table - hull #14 row (AM 163 Concise) + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   willamette.htm - hull #14 row + yard history header; block sisters #9-16 (AM 158-165)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #14, 'Concise | (AM 163) | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 185 | 25-Apr-44 | Scrapped 1959.' The WISCO table carries the consecutive Admirable-class block as hulls #9-16 - #9 Caution (AM 158, 'To USSR 1943 as T 598, scrapped 1954'), #10 Change (AM 159), #11 Clamor (AM 160), #12 Climax (AM 161), #13 Compel (AM 162), #14 Concise (AM 163), #15 Control (AM 164), #16 Counsel (AM 165) - followed by a PCE-891+ patrol-escort block. Yard history header: established 1865 as Willamette Iron Works, a general foundry; renamed Willamette Iron & Steel 1904; after WWII continued as a repair yard 'until closing in 1990'; yard at the foot of N.W. 17th Avenue, Portland.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1959

   Population

   WISCO construction workforce (Portland, OR, 1942-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, yard hull number (#14), delivery date (25-Apr-44 matches commissioning), type, tonnage (650d consistent with NavSource), and 'Scrapped 1959' disposition. The header's 'closing in 1990' conflicts with the Atlas yard record's year_closed 1957 - yard-level discrepancy outside this record's scope, noted in report. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-03

4. [4]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two ALCO 539 diesels, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive; HyperWar class block reads 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.') + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02163 propulsion line; HyperWar ships-dm.html Admirable-class block; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton willamette.htm

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1942-built steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel direct-drive twin-screw plant (two ALCO 539 diesels, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear) - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1942 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, winch and windlass brake linings, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: WISCO Portland-yard construction trades (1942-43); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across the Pearl Harbor work-up, French Frigate Shoals sweeping, the year-long convoy-escort tour, and the post-surrender Japanese-waters mine clearance off Wakayama, Osaka, and Nagoya (Sep-Nov 1945 - the heaviest sustained sweep-gear and deck-machinery operation of the hull's career); Pacific Reserve Fleet layup/inactivation crews (Swan Island and San Diego, 1946); and the undocumented 1959 scrapping workforce.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1959

   Population

   WISCO trades (1942-43); U.S. crew Apr 1944 - May 1946; PRF layup crews (1946); 1959 scrapping workforce

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-163 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel (non-steam) plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era. The 1946-1959 reserve-fleet period and the 1959 scrapping are undocumented for materials.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-04

5. [5]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987); and Fleischer, W.E., et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

   Locator

   AJIM 11(3):359-373 (article); PubMed PMID 21016030

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and wartime construction program under which this hull was built at Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland. The USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1940s era documented; articles 1946/1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding and naval-vessel construction generally; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder yard. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-05

6. [6]Batch-1187 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/losthistory mirror; NavSource 11/02163; Shipbuilding History WISCO yard table; uboat.net 5281; HyperWar ships-dm class block; CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated - blocked, HTTP 429, shared daily quota exhausted by prior batch work); web-search litigation proxy sweeps; NVR; NARA catalog; Wikipedia cross-check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-concise-am163-01 through sl-uss-concise-am163-11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Concise / AM-163 / AMc-140 / MSF-163: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweep could not be executed - HTTP 429 at fetch time, shared 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work, not retried per batch rules. Web-search proxy sweeps ('USS Concise' / 'AM-163' + asbestos/mesothelioma/lawsuit/courtlistener) returned no litigation signal - only generic marketing-roster mentions (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites table: 'USS Concise | AM-163 | Admirable | 4/25/1944 | Scrapped, 1959'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper name list) - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific 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 - a 1942-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull was scrapped in 1959, so no present-day survey pathway exists; reserve-fleet (1946-1959) and disposal records are undigitized. The CourtListener block means the litigation sweep is incomplete, not clean - a differently-phrased hull reference may exist; logged as a gap. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02163 vs Colton WISCO yard table vs uboat.net 5281 vs HyperWar class block vs Wikipedia infobox [other_primary]

   Locator

   losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am163.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02163.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/willamette.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5281.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-dm.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Concise_(AM-163)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Launch date - DANFS, NavSource, and uboat.net all read 6 February 1943; Wikipedia's infobox prints '6 January 1943' against its own DANFS-derived article text ('launched 6 February 1943') - 6 February carried; the infobox reading is a typo-level conflict flagged here. (b) Displacement/speed - DANFS spec block for this hull reads dp. 530 / 15 k.; NavSource reads 650 t / 14.8 kts; HyperWar class block reads 625 t / 15 kts - NavSource/DANFS agreement on beam/draft/complement; the DANFS 530 dp vs NavSource 650 t variance is unresolved (class-list vs per-hull spec blocks differ across Admirable-class records; class lead's DANFS block read 650). (c) Propulsion label - NavSource 'Two 1,710shp ALCO 539 diesel engines, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts' (direct drive) vs HyperWar class block 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - the documented reduction-gear fit contradicts 'diesel-electric'; NavSource carried (same compilation slip flagged on sister Admirable, batch-1169). (d) Reserve-entry date - DANFS decommissioned 'in reserve 31 May 1946 at San Diego'; NavSource quotes NVR 1 Jan 1949 listing 'out of commission, in reserve as December 1945' and NARA photos place her in PRF berthing at Swan Island, Portland, 3 Feb 1946 - she was clearly in reserve berthing months before the formal decommissioning date; the 'December 1945' NVR line vs 'May 1946' decommissioning is a paperwork-vs-layup variance, not an error in either source - both carried. (e) Disposal - all located sources carry only 'scrapped in 1959' (NavSource, Colton 'Scrapped 1959', Wikipedia 'Scrapped in 1959'); no stricken date, sale, or scrapping yard documented - carried as a gap. (f) Battle star - DANFS credits one battle star without campaign assignment; a commercial ribbon-vendor table (officialmilitaryribbons.com) assigns post-surrender operations P207-3 Nagoya and P207-5 Wakanoura-Kiki - non-authoritative, ledger-noted only.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1959

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-07

8. [8]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion 4601080

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger - and note the authenticated CourtListener sweep itself is logged blocked, not clean). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from WWII-era Navy-vessel asbestos exposure ran under maritime law against equipment manufacturers, and the Supreme Court's DeVries decision settled the 'bare-metal defense' framework - manufacturers that supplied bare equipment had a duty to warn where their products required asbestos-containing parts. It illustrates the litigation posture claims arising from service aboard a WWII diesel minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Concise was located.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2019 decision

   Limitations

   Doctrinal context only - the cited case does not name or involve this hull, and DeVries addressed manufacturers' duty to warn for asbestos-containing components on Navy vessels generally. Classification note: a complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; no pleading naming this hull was located. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-08

9. [9]Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409, 37 Cal. Rptr. 2d 902 (1995) - as carried in the Atlas yard record for willamette-iron-steel [court_record]

   Locator

   shipyards.json yard_id willamette-iron-steel (ev-willamette-01); Lineaweaver opinion at Justia

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Yard-level context only: the Atlas shipyards.json record for Willamette Iron & Steel (yard_id willamette-iron-steel, evidence_tier 3) carries a litigation product identification - Pabco (Fibreboard) used as fill-in insulation 'at Willamette' in the 1960s-1970s, per the Lineaweaver appellate opinion. The builder of this hull therefore has its own yard-level asbestos documentation - but the documented product use is repair-era, roughly two decades after this hull's 1942-43 construction, and the yard record itself marks the identification 'disputed' (the opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard' - no corporate name or state).

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1966-1968 documented use; opinion 1995

   Population

   WISCO repair-yard insulators (1960s-70s, yard-level context)

   Limitations

   Yard-level record cited as context, not hull evidence: (a) the documented use period (1960s-70s repair work) post-dates this hull's construction by ~20 years; (b) the opinion's 'Willamette Shipyard' identification is marked disputed in the yard record; (c) yard-level documentation can never establish ship-specific content - a hull built at a documented-asbestos yard is not thereby documented. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-concise-am163-09

10. [10]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's April 1944 - May 1946 commission; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the WISCO Admirable-class block (yard hulls #9-16 / AM 158-165); NHHC/NARA photographs (NH 81365; 3 Feb 1946 Swan Island PRF series); the 1959 disposal file (sale/scrapping contract) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02163 photo credits; nvr.navy.mil SHIPSDETAIL redirects

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch): (a) NARA's WWII muster-rolls series should cover this hull for her Apr 1944 - May 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed (batch-1148 noted Heed AM-100 via a DPLA item), so coverage for AM-163 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Apr 1944 - May 1946; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the WISCO Admirable-class block (yard hulls #9-16) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) NHHC/NARA photographs - NH 81365 (Dec 1945 SF Bay return) and the 3 Feb 1946 NARA series showing Concise in Pacific Reserve Fleet berthing at Swan Island, Portland, nested with sister Compel (AM-162) (per NavSource credits); (e) the 1959 disposal record - stricken date, sale, scrapping contract - not located in any digitized source; NVR detail pages for AM-163 and MSF-163 both 302-redirect to index (pre-digital coverage); (f) the NVR-1949 'in reserve as December 1945' vs 31 May 1946 decommissioning reconciliation - a paper-trail check worth a records pull.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1941-1959 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-163 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, and contract files are personnel/operations/procurement records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-concise-am163-10