Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Conflict' I (AM-85/PC-1589) entry - verbatim transcription via the Haze Gray DANFS mirror at losthistory.net; no live NHHC-hosted page located (404 at /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/conflict.html, /c/conflict-i.html, /p/pc-1589.html) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Conflict' I entry, spec block + full narrative (mine/am85.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull (spec block: dp. 295; l. 173'8"; b. 23'; dr. 11'7"; s. 17 k.; cpl. 65; a. 1 x 3"; cl. Adroit): launched 18 April 1942 by Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oreg.; commissioned 7 September 1942, Lieutenant R. W. Luther, USNR, in command. Cleared Seattle 7 December 1942; called at San Francisco and Pearl Harbor before arriving Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 29 January 1943; sailed on antisubmarine patrols in the Solomons and escorted convoys throughout the Solomons and Florida Islands until 2 July 1945. On 1 June 1944 her name was canceled and her classification changed to PC-1589. Arrived Noumea 4 July 1945; visited Auckland 10-21 July; escorted Navy crash boats to the Ellice, Wallis, Fiji, and New Hebrides Islands; served as pilot ship at New Caledonia until 7 March 1946; overhaul at Pago Pago, Samoa; arrived Pearl Harbor 1 May 1946; decommissioned 31 May 1946; transferred to the War Assets Administration for disposal 3 December 1947. PC-1589 received two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (Portland, 1942); wartime crew 1942-46 (design complement 65 as AM; 105 as PC); Pago Pago overhaul workforce (1946); Pearl Harbor inactivation workforce (1946)
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for identity, launch, service narrative, reclassification, and administrative fate. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Silent on: keel laying, striking (15 Jun 1946 per NavSource), machinery type, and post-WAA disposition. DANFS spec block spells the builder 'Commereial Iron Works' - typo for Commercial Iron Works, confirmed by NavSource and the yard's own production table. Live NHHC page 404s on all tried URL patterns; cited via the hazegray transcription mirror that NavSource links as the DANFS entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - 'PC-1589 ex-Conflict (AM 85)', files 11/02085 and 12/011589 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02085 (= 12/011589): chronology block, specifications block, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource chronology corroborates DANFS and adds construction/disposal detail plus the specification block: laid down 28 January 1942 by the Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 18 April 1942; commissioned USS Conflict (AM-85) 5 September 1942 (chronology line - the CO list dates Lt. Luther's assumption of command 7 September, matching DANFS; flagged in gaps); reclassified submarine chaser PC-1589, 1 June 1944; decommissioned 31 May 1946 at Pearl Harbor, HI; struck from the Naval Register 15 June 1946; transferred to the War Assets Administration for disposal 3 December 1947; fate unknown. Spec block: 295 t.; 173'8" x 23' x 6'6"; 16 kts; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one 40mm mount, five 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks and two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 900hp Cooper Bessemer GNB8 diesel engines, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Baker-Uncle-Fox. CO list: LT Roger Wilson Luther USNR (7 Sep 1942); LT Allan David Curtis USN (5 Aug 1943); LT James Charles Freeman USNR (21 May 1944); LT Russell Rentfro USNR (18 Aug 1944 - 9 Sep 1945); LT Charles Alphonse Biondo USNR (9 Sep 1945); LTJG John B. Costello USNR (19 Dec 1945); LTJG William T. Talcott USNR (9 Mar 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction workforce (Jan-Sep 1942); Navy crew 1942-46; Pearl Harbor inactivation workforce 1946
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed and consistent with DANFS on all overlapping points; contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. Commissioning-date conflict (5 vs 7 Sep 1942), draft figure (6'6" vs DANFS 11'7"), speed (16 vs 17 kts), and per-engine horsepower (900 hp vs Wikipedia's 1,770 bhp class figure) are flagged in gaps, not silently reconciled. 'Fate unknown' after the 1947 WAA transfer.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-02
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton), Commercial Iron Works yard table, Portland OR - hull no. 37 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- Commercial Iron Works yard table, hull nos. 34-40 (Adroit-class rows), hull 37 'AM 85 Conflict' row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's-yard production record for this hull: yard hull no. 37, 'AM 85 Conflict', US Navy minesweeper, delivered 7 September 1942, disposition 'Later PC 1589, struck 1946' - corroborating the DANFS commissioning date and the PC reclassification/strike year. Yard context: Commercial Iron Works was started November 1916 by William T. Casey, Otto J. Hoak and Robert Boogs on a 30-acre site just south of the Ross Island Bridge, Portland; built 188 boats during WWII; closed 1946; the site was sold to Zidell Marine as a ship dismantling facility. Sister Adroit hulls at adjacent numbers (hulls 34-40 = AM-82 through AM-88).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works shipyard workforce (Portland, 1942; yard built 188 WWII hulls)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference compiled from builder/register data (yard hull number and delivery date are register-type data) but not itself an official record; the table's LDT column reads '1,250' for the Adroit rows, inconsistent with the documented 295-ton displacement - the LDT value is not carried. 'Struck 1946' corroborates but does not give the NavSource-reported 15 June date. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-03
-
[4]HyperWar, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' - PC-1589 register page; Adroit-class minecraft register (ships-dm.html); PC-1586-class sub-chaser register (ships-sc.html) - compiled from official U.S. Navy Ships' Data [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar PC/PC-1589.html register block; ships-dm.html Adroit-class table; ships-sc.html PC-1586-class table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official-derived register corroboration: the PC-1589 register entry reads 'PC-1586 class Submarine Chaser (ex Adroit Class Minesweeper): Displacement 450 tons; Length 173'8"; Beam 23'; Draft 11'7"; Speed 17 knots; Armament 1 3"/50, 1 40mm; Complement 105; Cooper Bessemer diesel engine, twin screws, 1,770 shaft hp. Built at Commercial Iron Works, and commissioned as AM-85 1942; Converted to Sub Chaser (PC-1589) 1944.' The minecraft register lists all 18 Adroit-class hulls (AM-82 through AM-99) with the note 'All converted to Submarine Chasers (PC)' in 1944 - this hull's reclassification was a class-wide administrative redesignation, not a unique refit. The sub-chaser register records sister PC-1603 (ex-Force, AM-99) sunk by kamikaze off Okinawa 21 May 1945 - the class's only war loss.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew 1944-46 (PC configuration, register complement 105)
- Limitations
- Compilation of official Ships' Data hosted by HyperWar - one transcription layer from the primary register. The PC-configuration figures (450 t, 105 complement, 11'7" draft, 17 kts) describe the PC-1589 fit and differ from the AM-configuration figures (295 t, 65, 6'6", 16 kts) - configuration variance, not error; both documented. The '1,770 shaft hp' reads as a total; NavSource's 'two 900hp' engines (1,800 total) and Wikipedia's '2 x 1,770 bhp' class figure diverge - flagged in gaps. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-04
-
[5]Consolidated era/design inference - NavSource spec block (two Cooper Bessemer GNB8 diesels, Farrel-Birmingham gear, two shafts) and the documented construction timeline (laid down 28 Jan 1942, launched 18 Apr 1942, commissioned 7 Sep 1942, Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR), with era literature (Fleischer et al. 1946; Corn & Starr 1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02085 spec block (propulsion line); DANFS construction/service chronology; HyperWar PC-1589 register; PMID 21016030; DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is diesel-powered - two Cooper Bessemer GNB8 engines, two shafts - so the boiler/fireroom steam pathway documented for steam vessels does NOT apply. Asbestos-relevant phases for this hull are: (1) 1942 new construction at Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR (a PC-461-derived steel hull completed as a minesweeper); and (2) wartime maintenance/repair periods not individually documented, incl. the March-May 1946 overhaul at Pago Pago and May 1946 inactivation at Pearl Harbor. The documented construction window falls within the era when insulation in naval construction was asbestos-standard (Fleischer et al. 1946). Period-typical asbestos applications for a small diesel combatant of this design concentrate in: diesel exhaust and muffler lagging; valve and flange gaskets on engine and auxiliary systems; machinery packing; bulkhead and accommodation insulation/fireproofing; electrical cable insulation; deck coverings; winch/windlass brake linings; and paints/cements. The 1 June 1944 PC-1589 reclassification is documented as a designation change (name canceled) effected while on station in the Solomons - no conversion yard period is documented in the located sources, though some fitting-out work is plausible and undocumented. Disposal-era disturbance undocumented: transferred to the War Assets Administration 3 Dec 1947 with subsequent fate unknown - breaking or conversion, if any, unrecorded in located sources.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1947+
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction workforce (Portland, 1942); Navy crew incl. engine-room personnel (1942-46); undocumented wartime repair workforces; Pago Pago overhaul workforce (1946); Pearl Harbor inactivation workforce (1946); any post-1947 breaking/conversion workers (fate unknown)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, work package, or docketed case naming this hull was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. A 295-ton diesel minesweeper/sub-chaser carried a less asbestos-intensive machinery plant than steam vessels of the era, but the material scope of her 1942 build and any wartime repairs is undocumented; whether asbestos materials were installed, removed, or remained at disposal is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-05
-
[6]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., '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
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction, the same program under which this hull was built (1942) at a civilian contract yard (Commercial Iron Works, Portland).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in wartime naval construction generally; does not name this vessel or the builder yard, and the survey's fieldwork postdates this hull's construction window - it establishes program-level practice, not this contract's materials. The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-06
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[7]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- 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 program under which this hull was built in 1942 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull (fate unknown after 1947), nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-07
-
[8]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: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.
- 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; GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not this vessel's yards, and the report postdates this hull's naval service (disposed 1947) by three decades. Supports era context for Navy asbestos practice generally, not any fact specific to this hull; full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - description via product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-08
-
[9]Batch-1436 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory.net/hazegray mirror + NHHC live check (3 URL patterns); NavSource 11/02085 and 12/011589; ShipbuildingHistory CIW yard table; HyperWar registers (PC-1589, ships-dm Adroit, ships-sc PC-1586 class); NVR hull pages; shipscribe; CourtListener (blocked - API 429); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; shipyards.json cross-check; DANFS Conflict II (AM-426) disambiguation entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-conflict-am85-01 through sl-uss-conflict-am85-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Conflict / AM-85 / PC-1589 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Indexed CourtListener hits for 'USS Conflict' return no vessel reference - only name-collision noise (e.g., Conflict Kinetics, Inc. v. Goldfus, E.D. Va. trade-secrets case) and unrelated documents containing the phrase 'conflict minerals' or other ships' names. The hull appears on mesothelioma.com's minesweeper marketing table ('USS Conflict | AM-85 | Adroit | 9/7/1942 | Transferred, 1947') and mesotheliomahope.com's generic ship list - banned sources, checked only for exclusion logging, cited nowhere. Disambiguation: the second USS Conflict (AM-426/MSO-426, Agile class, 1954-1970s) is a separate hull; no qualifying record for either ship was located.
- Verification
- partial
- 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 steel naval combatant is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her construction, undocumented wartime repairs, 1946 Pago Pago overhaul, and unknown post-1947 disposition are all uncharacterized disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is incomplete this session: the CourtListener API returned HTTP 429 (2,800/day shared quota exhausted; retry-after ~15,670 s) - the mandated exact-name + hull-number API sweep is logged as blocked, not as a completed negative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships - ship plans, Booklets of General Plans, contract records); War Assets Administration disposal records for PC-1589 (1947) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Conflict (AM-85, 1942-44) and PC-1589 (1944-46) at NARA RG 24 - would document any wartime repair yard periods and the circumstances of the 1 Jun 1944 reclassification; Bureau of Ships records for the 1942 Commercial Iron Works construction contract and Adroit/PC-461-class plan sets (RG 19) - the operative documents for as-built material scope; the War Assets Administration disposal file for PC-1589 (Dec 1947) - the most promising lead for post-Navy disposition (buyer, scrapping vs resale); and any Pearl Harbor inactivation or Pago Pago overhaul work packages (RG 181/shipyard records).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1947+ records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conflict-am85-10