Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Conquest III (AM-488/MSO-488), Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC page returns 404 and no Wayback capture of it exists; verbatim text via hazegray.org DANFS mirror, Wayback capture 2024-05-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Conquest III', specifications block + full service narrative; Wayback web.archive.org/web/20240527093205/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/mine/mso488.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull: the third Conquest (AM-488) was launched 20 May 1954 by Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Wash.; sponsored by Mrs. C. D. Henderson; reclassified MSO-488 7 February 1955; commissioned 20 July 1955, Lieutenant E. L. Davis in command. 'One of a new type of nonmagnetic minesweepers,' she operated out of Long Beach on trials and training until 2 October 1956; Acapulco good-will visit 10-14 October; first Far East tour sailing 4 March 1957 (Chinhae, Korea; Kaohsiung, Formosa - operations with the Republic of China Navy; Hong Kong; Japan ports), returning to Long Beach 13 September 1957 for overhaul; 1958 local operations plus minesweeping exercises at Esquimalt, Nootka Sound, and Vancouver, B.C., 6 October-19 November; Far East again 17 August 1959-13 March 1960; local operations through June 1960 - where the DANFS narrative ends. Spec block: dp. 630; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 72; a. 1 x 40mm; cl. Agile.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1953-1960 (narrative window)
- Population
- Construction trades (Martinac, Tacoma, 1953-55); crew (design complement 72-78), 1955-1994
- Limitations
- Identity and service-chronology record only - the entry contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Does not establish the presence or absence of any material aboard. The narrative ends in 1960 (written mid-career): Vietnam operations, the c.1970-71 inactivation, the 1987-90 Persian Gulf deployment, decommissioning, and Taiwan transfer are all absent from DANFS and supplied by other rows. The spec block reads 'cl. Agile' while NavSource and the Naval Vessel Register read Aggressive/MSO-422 class - flagged in gaps. Live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-22; hazegray.org no longer resolves - verbatim text preserved via Wayback capture 2024-05-27.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-01
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[2]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), CONQUEST (MSO 488) ship detail record (live nvr.navy.mil redirects to a DoD login portal; verbatim record via Wayback capture 2019-09-23, record last updated 2000-06-29) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_MSO_488 record, Wayback capture 2019-09-23 (vessel status, milestone dates, program characteristics blocks)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Naval Vessel Register records this hull: CONQUEST (MSO 488), ex-AM 488, MINESWEEPER,OCEAN; Class 'MSO 422'; UIC 08146; builder 'J M MARTINAC SB CORP'; award 12/29/1952; keel 03/26/1953; launch 05/20/1954; delivery 07/07/1955; commission 07/08/1955; decommission 06/29/1994; stricken 06/29/1994; propulsion type Diesel; status 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale case number assigned' (status changed 08/03/1994); custodian TAIWAN.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-2000
- Population
- Construction trades (Martinac, 1953-55); crew 1955-1994
- Limitations
- Official register record - contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Its commission date (07/08/1955) conflicts with DANFS and NavSource (20 July 1955) - both are official/authoritative; carried unresolved in gaps. The register shows only the final decommissioning; the c.1970-71 inactivation visible in the NavSource CO list is not reflected. NVR reads class 'MSO 422' while the DANFS spec block reads 'cl. Agile'.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-02
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[3]USS Gary (FFG-51) Command Operation Report for calendar year 1988, OPNAV Report 5750-1, NHHC operational archives (live URL returns 404 on direct fetch; verbatim content via search-index excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC command-operation-reports archive, Gary FFG-51 CY1988 report, March-April 1988 chronology entries (search-indexed verbatim; PDF fetch 404)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An official Navy command operation report documents this hull's Persian Gulf minesweeping deployment during Operation Earnest Will: Gary 'Detached for rendezvous with USS CONQUEST (MSO 488)' on 9 March 1988; 'Escorted USS CONQUEST (MSO 488) from the Northern Persian Gulf to Sitrah anchorage in Bahrain' 15-23 March 1988; and the late-March/April 1988 Mobile Sea Base operational-area unit list includes 'minesweepers USS CONQUEST (MSO 488), USS INFLICT (MSO 456), USS FEARLESS (MSO 442), and USS ENHANCE (MSO 437)' alongside barges HERCULES and WIMBROWN-7, USS SIDES (FFG 14), USS SIMPSON (FFG 56), and USS TRENTON.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1988
- Population
- Crew during the Persian Gulf deployment, 1987-1990
- Limitations
- Documents operational participation only - no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Confirms presence in the Persian Gulf Earnest Will mine-clearance force in March-April 1988, consistent with the six-MSO deployment documented in secondary references and NavSource photography (Basrac Shipyard, Bahrain, 1989; USN photo DN-ST-89-03190). The archive PDF returned 404 on direct fetch 2026-09-22; content verified via verbatim search-index excerpt of the official NHHC-hosted document - a re-fetch or NHHC archive request remains an open verification step.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-03
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[4]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (alphabetized ships list, November 2015 edition verbatim; corroborated by the 1 July 2019 list reproduction at navalcovermuseum.org and the tf116.org VA-document mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- VA alphabetized ships list (Nov 2015 ed.), entry 'Conquest (MSO-488)'; verbatim PDF mirror oldbluewater.com/ShipListNOV2015.pdf; 2019-07-01 list via navalcovermuseum.org 'US Naval Forces in Vietnam'
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The official VA Agent Orange ship list enters this hull verbatim: 'Conquest (MSO-488) Operated on Saigon River during 1962. Entered inland waterway of Qui Nhon Bay on January 29 and February 7-9, 1969.' Placement on the list is a documentary determination (from official ship histories, deck logs, cruise books, or similar records) that this hull operated inside Vietnam's inland waterways on dated occasions - qualifying its crews for the herbicide-exposure presumption under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1962; 1969; list editions 2015-2019
- Population
- Crew during the 1962 Saigon River operation and Jan-Feb 1969 Qui Nhon Bay entries
- Limitations
- Vietnam herbicide-exposure record, not an asbestos record - it establishes ship-specific inland-waterway service dates only and contains no materials information. Precision note: under VA's post-Gray v. McDonald policy (2016), Qui Nhon Bay is treated as a deep-water offshore anchorage; the hull's qualifying inland-waterway service rests on the 1962 Saigon River operation. Entry verbatim per the November 2015 alphabetized list; the hull remains listed in the 1 July 2019 reproduction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-04
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[5]U.S. Navy, Navy Ships fact file (dod-101), MSO 422 Aggressive class entry - verbatim mirror at Federation of American Scientists; NavSource MSO-488 hull page for the Packard/Waukesha engine identification [other_primary]
- Locator
- Fact-file specifications block (Power Plant, Complement) + class narrative; navsource.net/archives/11/02488.htm propulsion line; NVR propulsion-type field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy fact file documents the MSO-422 (Aggressive) class design to which this hull belongs (NVR assigns this hull class 'MSO 422'): ocean minesweepers conceived in response to Korean War mining, capable of sweeping moored and bottom contact, magnetic, and acoustic mines with AN/SQQ-14 mine-countermeasures sonar; power plant 4 aluminum-block diesel engines, 2 shafts, 2,400 bhp; complement 77 active (7 officers, 70 enlisted). The NavSource hull page identifies this hull's engines as four Packard ID1700 diesels later replaced by four Waukesha Motors diesels, two controllable-pitch propellers. Documents a diesel propulsion plant - no boilers and no steam distribution system; NVR independently records propulsion type 'Diesel'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1950s design era
- Population
- Crew and yard workers (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level fact file plus a secondary hull page, not a hull materials record; names no materials and no asbestos. Establishes propulsion type only - it narrows the era-typical asbestos envelope (no boiler or steam-line insulation) but does not enumerate what insulation, gasket, or packing materials were installed aboard this hull. The Packard ID1700 and Waukesha engine identifications are secondary-source (NavSource), not in the official texts retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-05
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[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 report text (spec-revision, delivery-window, and 'all ships contain some asbestos' passages)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos program: product specifications for thermal insulation were revised to asbestos-free in 1973, but already-purchased asbestos materials continued to be installed and 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; per the report the Navy stated that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' and that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships. This hull's construction (1953-55) and first commission period fall inside the asbestos-specification era the report documents; uniquely among sister hulls surveyed this batch era, her commission ran to 1994 - two decades past the 1973 spec change - so the report bounds what was likely installed at build but not what was removed or retained across later overhauls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-1979 (policy window); hull era 1953-1994
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy-wide program
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - names neither this hull, this class, nor her builder, and establishes nothing about what was installed or removed aboard. Report documents shipyard-worker protection, not shipboard crew exposure. gao.gov blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403 on both product page and PDF asset); content verified via indexed verbatim text of the official report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-06
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[7]Era inference from documented plant and era specifications: U.S. Navy Ships fact file (diesel plant) + GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-insulation era to 1973/1978) + NVR (propulsion type Diesel) + class wood-hull/non-magnetic documentation (DANFS 'nonmagnetic minesweepers') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis: fact-file propulsion block + NVR propulsion type + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation + DANFS nonmagnetic description + NavSource class index
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-typical asbestos applications aboard a 1950s diesel-propelled ocean minesweeper, inferred rather than proven for this hull: diesel exhaust-system and muffler lagging on the four main engines; machinery gaskets and packing; electrical-cable insulation; deck coverings and cements; brake linings on winches, windlass, and minesweeping gear. Because the documented plant is diesel with no boilers or steam distribution, the boiler-room and steam-line insulation envelope emphasized for steam combatants does not apply - the residual envelope concentrates in engine exhaust and machinery spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1953-1994
- Population
- Construction trades (Martinac, Tacoma, 1953-55); enginemen and sweep-gear operators (crew, 1955-1994); overhaul/availability yard workforces (Long Beach 1957; Basrac Shipyard Bahrain 1989); Taiwan pre-delivery yard workforce (1995, secondary); post-2020 disposition workforce (unknown)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, specification, or material schedule was located. Does not establish that any listed product was installed aboard this hull, any quantity, or present-day presence (the hull transferred to Taiwan in 1995 and its post-2020 disposition is unknown). Wood-hull/non-magnetic construction is attested by DANFS ('nonmagnetic minesweepers'), contemporaneous press on the class, and secondary indices rather than an official class material specification retrieved this pass.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-07
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[8]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021), Cause No. C19-0793RSL - order granting Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment [court_record]
- Locator
- 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 at 1151-52 (alleged vessel list; procedural posture)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published litigation of the same class surface: plaintiffs alleged that John Dale Wineland was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working engine rooms aboard sister ocean minesweepers USS Dynamic (MSO-432), USS Loyalty (MSO-457), and USS Esteem (MSO-438) - the same wood-hulled diesel MSO type as this hull; Esteem was Conquest's Mine Division 72 division-mate and Persian Gulf deployment partner - plus USS Pledge and USS Tuscaloosa, between 1963 and 1984; Wineland developed mesothelioma and died in 2018. The 2021 order GRANTED Crane Co. summary judgment for failure to show substantial-factor exposure from its products.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1963-1984 (alleged); 2021 (order)
- Population
- MSO engine-room crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level litigation context only - this hull is not named in the action. Allegations are pleading-stage assertions resolved against plaintiffs at summary judgment; they are not findings of exposure aboard any vessel. Nothing about Conquest is established or implied by this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-08
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[9]Batch-1388 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (hazegray Wayback); Naval Vessel Register (Wayback); NHHC command-operation-report archive; VA ships list; U.S. Navy Ships fact file; NARA deck-log catalog; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener API; VA BVA index; shipyards.json; MARAD/NDRF [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-conquest-am488-01 through sl-uss-conquest-am488-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, specification, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Conquest / AM-488 / MSO-488 / Yung Tzu (MSO-1307) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener API sweep was quota-blocked (HTTP 429; authenticated 2,800/day pool exhausted by prior batch work, ~6h to reset at first attempt) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative; a web-index litigation fallback returned only unrelated matters (Shelly v. Huntington Ingalls, MDL-875, names Enterprise and Ranger; Smargisso v. Air & Liquid names Hollister; Edmonds, M.D. Fla., names Saratoga - all name collisions) and non-authoritative marketing pages (navyshipexposure.com, asbestos.com) that list the hull in bulk minesweeper rosters without citing any docket.
- 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 - the ship was built inside the Navy's asbestos era even though her commission extended two decades past the 1973 spec change. Equally, era inference does not establish ship-specific presence. The hull survives in Taiwan (disposition after the 2020 ROCN decommissioning unknown), so a survey pathway may exist abroad. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-09
-
[10]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, MSO-488 Conquest (ex-AM-488) hull page - chronology, specifications, propulsion, commanding-officer list, disposal line, and photo captions including official U.S. Navy imagery [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/11/02488.htm - hull chronology block, specifications, CO list, photo captions (1965 MinDiv 72; 1988-89 Persian Gulf/Bahrain; 1990 Super Servant 3; 2007 Keelung)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NavSource hull page corroborates the DANFS/NVR chronology and adds details the official texts lack: the commanding-officer list runs LT Elbert L. Davis (20 July 1955) through LCDR Timothy J. Howington (to 29 June 1994) and includes LT/LCDR Stansfield Turner (Dec 1956-Jun 1958, later Admiral and Director of Central Intelligence); it marks CO #9 Rowe ending 30 October 1970 '(Decommissioned)' and CO #10 Tsukalas beginning 21 October 1971 '(Recommissioned)' - an inactivation/recommissioning bracket no official source retrieved confirms. Photo captions document: MinDiv 72 steaming with Illusive (MSO-448), Esteem (MSO-438), Gallant (MSO-489), and Pledge (MSO-492) out of Long Beach (All Hands, Aug 1965); a diesel fuel bladder carried on a WestPac transit c. Feb-Mar 1973; Pier 90 Seattle c. 1978 with Esteem and Implicit; official USN photo DN-ST-89-03190 (1 April 1988, Persian Gulf mine-detection console); Esteem/Conquest/Enhance at Basrac Shipyard, Bahrain fall-winter 1989; return to Seattle aboard heavy-lift Super Servant 3 c. April 1990; Columbia River May 1991; Seattle summer 1992; and Yung Tzu at Keelung May 2007 with 'Conquest' still legible on the stern. Specs: 775 t., 172' x 35' x 12', 14 kts., complement 78. Disposal line: 'Sold to Taiwan 1 March 1995 through the Security Assistance Program for $742,779 and renamed Yung Tzu (MSO 1307).'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1953-2020
- Population
- Crew 1955-1994; Basrac Shipyard workforce (1989 availability); Taiwan pre-delivery and ROCN service
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation hosting official photographs - the decommission/recommission annotations, spec values, and sale details are secondary-source, not confirmed against official records (the 1970-71 inactivation is flagged in gaps). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conquest-am488-10