USS Conserver (ARS-39)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet bo-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-conserver-ars39-pkt-bo-packet-md

2. [2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Conserver (ARS-39),' updated by Robert J. Cressman, 2017-08-21 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry 'Conserver (ARS-39),' updated by Robert J. Cressman, 2017-08-21; live URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-26 (link rot, consistent with prior batches); text retrieved via Wayback Machine capture https://web.archive.org/web/20251212152431/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/conserver.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS: Conserver (ARS-39) was laid down 1944-08-10 at Napa, CA, by the Basalt Rock Corp.; launched 1945-01-27; sponsored by Mrs. H. Price; commissioned 1945-06-09 at South Vallejo, CA, Lt. C. H. Rocklidge, USNR, in command. Arrived Sasebo, Japan, 1945-09-21; carried out occupation-support salvage operations at Sasebo, Okinawa, Yokosuka, Aomori, and Hakodate until 1946-03-03. Served in the Marshall Islands supporting Operation Crossroads (the 1946 atomic weapons tests) until 1947-09-02, then to Manila for Philippines duty. Hawaiian and Alaskan-waters operations 1948-1950. With the outbreak of the Korean War, salvage and diving duty in Korean waters from 1950-07-15; a second Korean War deployment through 1952-05-07, and a further Sasebo/Korean-waters tour 1953-04-06 to 1953-11-09. From the close of the Korean War through 1960, alternated Hawaiian-islands operations with Far East deployments (1954, 1955, 1955-56, 1957, 1958-59, 1959, 1960), including salvage/towing service off Taiwan during the Quemoy Crisis (1958-09-20 to 1958-10-20). Ultimately decommissioned 1994-04-01 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day; disposed of as a SINKEX fleet-training-exercise target on or about 2004-11-13. Received nine battle stars for Korean War service. DANFS's own 'Wars & Conflicts' tags for this entry include both 'Korean Conflict 1950-1954' and 'Vietnam Conflict 1962-1975,' but the DANFS narrative text itself does not describe any specific Vietnam-era operation, tour date, or campaign-star count for this hull - see gaps.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-2004

   Limitations

   Official primary vessel-history source; establishes construction, commissioning, and operational-era narrative through 1960, plus the 1994 decommissioning/striking and 2004 SINKEX disposal. Does not narrate any specific Vietnam-War-era event, and does not itself state or corroborate the 1986 decommissioning / 1987 recommissioning reported by non-authoritative secondary sources (not carried as evidence - see gaps). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-01

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, National Register Eligibility Assessment, Vessel: USS Bolster (ARS-38), dated 2009-08-28, Determination: NOT ELIGIBLE [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   PDF pp. 1 (vessel history), 5 (Description/Characteristics of Vessel Type, ships-in-class roster), 7 (determination and sources)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD's official National Register Eligibility Assessment for USS Bolster (ARS-38) names USS Conserver (ARS-39) by hull number as one of six Bolster-class rescue and salvage ships (with Bolster, Hoist ARS-40, Opportune ARS-41, Reclaimer ARS-42, and Recovery ARS-43), all built by Basalt Rock Company, Napa, CA, 1944-1946. The document's 'Description/Characteristics of Vessel Type' section (presented as representative of the class via Bolster's own figures) states: length 213'6", beam 43', draft 13', displacement 1,530 tons standard / 2,045 tons full load, diesel-electric propulsion (four engines, twin screw; Cooper-Bessemer engines replaced by Caterpillar in the 1960s-1970s), 3,000 hp, 16 knots, complement 69, armament two 40mm guns. The same class characteristics (dimensions, propulsion, complement, and the six-ship roster including Conserver) are independently corroborated by the NHHC/NAVSEA-published Bartholomew salvage history (see ev-uss-conserver-ars39-04/05/06).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-2009

   Limitations

   Names this hull specifically as a Bolster-class member (ship-specific classification fact). The dimensional/propulsion/complement figures themselves are Bolster's own individual-ship data, presented by the source as representative of the class rather than independently measured for Conserver; not independently confirmed for this exact hull, and conflicts with DANFS's own data block for Conserver (see ev-uss-conserver-ars39-03). Contains no asbestos, abatement, or hazmat content; supports no asbestos claim. Document concerns Bolster's NRHP eligibility only - no NRHP determination for Conserver is stated or implied.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-02

4. [4]DANFS 'Conserver (ARS-39)' characteristics data block; cross-checked against HyperWar/ibiblio 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' data block for USS Bolster (ARS-38), compiled by Patrick Clancey, last updated 2006-12-12 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS characteristics parenthetical (top of entry); HyperWar ARS-38 Bolster data block

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Unresolved cross-source conflict on class/dimensional data for this hull. DANFS's own characteristics data block for Conserver reads: '(ARS-39: displacement 1,441; length 213'6"; beam 39'; draft 14'8"; speed 15 knots; complement 120; armament 2 40 millimeter; class Diver).' This beam (39') and complement (120) figure match the WWII-era 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' reference data block for sister ship Bolster (displacement 1,950 tons full load; beam 39'; complement 120; 'Diver class'), mirrored at ibiblio.org/HyperWar - i.e., DANFS's class-Diver data block for Conserver is internally consistent with an equivalent legacy data block used for Bolster elsewhere. This conflicts with the MARAD NRHP assessment's and Bartholomew's Bolster-class figures (beam 43', complement 69, displacement 1,530/2,045 tons - see ev-uss-conserver-ars39-02/04), both of which describe the wider 43' beam as the defining feature that distinguishes the six-ship Bolster class from the narrower 16-ship Diver class. The conflict is not resolved in this batch: it is presented as an unreconciled discrepancy between DANFS's/HyperWar's legacy WWII-era recognition-manual-style data block and the more specific class-history treatment in MARAD's and Bartholomew's later, class-focused documents.

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-2006 (source compilation dates); ship built 1944-1945

   Limitations

   This row does not resolve which figure set (DANFS/HyperWar-legacy vs. MARAD/Bartholomew-class-specific) is correct for Conserver's actual as-built dimensions; both are official or authoritative-adjacent sources and neither has been independently checked against original builder's plans or a class-specific NVR record in this batch. Carried forward as an open discrepancy, not resolved by strike-through of either figure. No asbestos content in either source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-03

5. [5]Bartholomew, Capt. Charles A. (with William I. Milwee, Jr.), 'Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy,' Naval Historical Center and Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C., 1990 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Full-text scan (djvu OCR), p. 210 (Korean War salvage-actions list)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The same official Navy salvage history's Korean War chapter lists, among a series of bulleted salvage actions during the Korean War (1950-1953): 'Conserver, Safeguard, and Current refloated USNS LST-623, hard aground at Sokcho-do.' No specific date narrower than the general Korean War period is given for this particular action in the source.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1950-1953

   Limitations

   Confirms hull-specific participation in a Korean-War-era salvage action; the source does not narrow the date beyond the Korean War period generally, so this is not merged with the specific DANFS-dated Korean tours in ev-uss-conserver-ars39-01. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-06

6. [6]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L.), Document 4825 (docket 1245688), filed 2006-05-24 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener RECAP search, exact phrase '"USS Conserver"', type=docket; pacer_doc_id 850039871; retrieved via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py per batch protocol

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   A CourtListener RECAP exact-phrase search for "USS Conserver" matched one document: 'SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION -- (CTO-258) (re: pldg. 4758) Filed by pltfs. in Alix, etc., WAW 2:05-2144 and Seymour, WAW 2:05-2145 - w/Declaration of Glenn S. Draper, Exhibits 1-2, cert of serv & disk,' Document 4825, filed 2006-05-24, in the federal MDL docket In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875, J.P.M.L. (docket 1245688), tied to Seymour v. Saberhagen Holdings, Inc., et al., W.D. Wash. Civil Action No. C05-2145. The retrieved search snippet confirms the document's docket caption, filing date, case identity, and defendant (Saberhagen Holdings, Inc.), but the specific sentence in which "USS Conserver" appears was not surfaced by the snippet and the full 53-page document was not independently retrieved in this session.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   Filing dated 2006-05-24; underlying exposure period not established in the retrieved snippet

   Population

   Named plaintiffs Alix and Lewis A. Seymour and/or declarant Glenn S. Draper (occupational asbestos-exposure claim context; relationship of declarant to Conserver's crew not established in the retrieved snippet)

   Limitations

   Pleading/discovery-stage litigation record only, classified at the least-final stage per litigation-stage discipline: this is a plaintiff-side supplemental exposure-history filing (a declaration and exhibits) in support of a personal-injury complaint, not a trial finding, verdict, or adjudicated opinion. No merits determination is present in this docket entry. Establishes only that this hull's name surfaces in an asbestos-litigation filing tied to defendant Saberhagen Holdings, Inc. - it does NOT establish what asbestos-containing product (if any) was alleged aboard Conserver specifically, does not establish quantity, location, individual causation, or legal eligibility, and the exact sentence naming the ship was not independently confirmed in this session. Because verification is partial rather than full, this row does not raise evidence_tier or set flagship_evidence_id per house rule (only fully verified supporting rows may do so).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-07

7. [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; cross-confirmed via PubMed 3555021

   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 World War II, the era and wartime shipbuilding program under which this vessel was laid down (1944) and launched (1945), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across the U.S. shipbuilding industry generally.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article published 1987

   Population

   WWII-era U.S. shipyard workers generally (class/era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, this vessel's builder (Basalt Rock Co.), or its shipbuilding contract, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this specific hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-08

8. [8]U.S. General Accounting Office, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2, published 1979-10-18, publicly released 1979-10-22 [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page highlights; live gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-26 (as in prior batches) - text retrieved via Wayback Machine capture https://web.archive.org/web/20250402135701/https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2; full 26-page report text not independently retrieved

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs. The Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with non-asbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs; this policy was modified in 1979 to include selectively replacing asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas expected to need repair during a ship's next operating cycle.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1975-1979 policy period; report published 1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers, Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards (program-level context, not this hull's yard)

   Limitations

   Program-level Navy policy document; GAO's fieldwork was conducted specifically at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, neither of which is documented in this batch as a builder, overhaul, or repair yard for Conserver (her builder was Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA; specific overhaul-yard history for this hull was not established). Does not name this vessel or establish that its asbestos-removal policy was applied to this specific hull; context on fleet-wide Navy policy only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-09

9. [9]Batch-2674 search ledger (this record): DANFS; MARAD NRHP assessment for USS Bolster (ARS-38); Bartholomew 'Mud, Muscle, and Miracles' full-text search; CourtListener opinion and RECAP searches [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-conserver-ars39-01 through sl-uss-conserver-ars39-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located for USS Conserver in the public sources searched: DANFS contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey statement; the MARAD NRHP eligibility assessment for sister ship Bolster contains none; a full-text keyword search of the 505-page official Navy salvage history 'Mud, Muscle, and Miracles' (Bartholomew, 1990) for the term 'asbestos' returned zero hits despite extensive Conserver-specific operational detail elsewhere in the same book; a CourtListener opinion-type search for the exact phrases "USS Conserver" and "ARS-39" each returned zero results; and the one CourtListener RECAP/docket hit found (see ev-uss-conserver-ars39-07) is a pleading-stage exposure-history filing, not an asbestos-content finding for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard this hull - a 1944-1945-built Navy auxiliary that served through 1994 is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials at some point in her service life. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos, and does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. A CourtListener docket search of MDL 875 (see ev-uss-conserver-ars39-07) did surface one pleading-stage litigation document naming the ship; that finding is carried separately and does not change this negative finding regarding ship-specific asbestos-content documentation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-conserver-ars39-10

10. [10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 19 record-group guide

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) likely holds Basalt Rock Co. construction/contract and outfitting-specification records for the six-ship Bolster class, including Conserver (hull laid down 1944-08-10); NARA RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel) would hold muster rolls and deck logs; and any asbestos survey, abatement contract, or hazmat disclosure generated during Conserver's 1945-1994 active-service decades (including any overhaul-yard history and the reported but unconfirmed 1986/1987 decommissioning-recommissioning cycle) would most likely reside in ship's-force or shipyard maintenance records not yet located in digitized public sources.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1994 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-conserver-ars39-11

11. [11]Bartholomew, Capt. Charles A. (with William I. Milwee, Jr.), 'Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy,' Naval Historical Center and Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C., 1990 [other_primary]

    Locator

    Full-text scan (djvu OCR), pp. 255-258 (Frank Knox/Pratas Reef), p. 260 (Norwich Victory/Triton Island), pp. 281-283 (R.C. Stoner/Wake Island, Tiru/Frederick Reef); index entry 'Conserver (ARS 39), 210, 255, 258, 260, 281-283, 401, 402, 424, 425, 450'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Official NHHC/NAVSEA-published Navy salvage history documents Conserver-specific Vietnam-War-era rescue and salvage operations: (1) Frank Knox (DDR-742) grounded on Pratas Reef, South China Sea, 1965-07-18; Conserver was one of the salvage ships (with Grapple, Sioux, Greenlet, Cocopa, and others) that worked the 40-day salvage effort, providing beach-gear pulling power and later towing the freed destroyer toward Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in late August 1965. (2) The Standard Oil tanker R.C. Stoner ran aground at Wake Island in September 1967 leaking aviation gasoline cargo; Conserver and Grapple got underway from Pearl Harbor to assist before the wreck broke up and was flattened by explosives. (3) The submarine Tiru (SS-416) grounded on Frederick Reef, off Queensland, Australia, 1967-11-19; Conserver got underway from Subic Bay as part of the multi-national response (Florikan, HMAS Sydney, HMAS Vendetta, and the Australian tug Carlock, which ultimately freed the submarine). (4) The merchant ship Norwich Victory grounded on Triton Island, South China Sea, September 1969; under Lieutenant Commander James J. Goodwin, Conserver, Grasp, Grapple, Chowanoc, and small craft successfully salvaged the ship.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1965-1969

    Limitations

    Official government-published operational history naming this hull directly in multiple discrete salvage operations; OCR quality is imperfect (e.g., 'Conserver' renders as 'Consewer' in one instance) but the ship identity is unambiguous from surrounding context and the book's own index. Contains no asbestos, materials-condition, or hazmat information anywhere in its 505 pages (full-text keyword search for 'asbestos' returned zero hits - see negative-finding row); supports no asbestos claim, only operational/vessel history.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-conserver-ars39-04

12. [12]Bartholomew, Capt. Charles A. (with William I. Milwee, Jr.), 'Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy,' Naval Historical Center and Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C., 1990 [other_primary]

    Locator

    Full-text scan (djvu OCR), pp. 400-402 (OTEC-1 cold water pipe), pp. 424-425 (KAL 007 search), p. 450 (UH-46 recovery search); bibliography entry: 'Commanding Officer, USS Conserver (ARS 39). "Salvage Operation OTEC-1 Cold Water Pipe (CWP); report of." Letter, ARS39/RJV:my 3000 serial 227 to Commander Naval Sea Systems Command. 15 December 1982.'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The same official Navy salvage history documents Conserver-specific deep-ocean salvage operations in the 1980s-1990s: (1) In December 1982, Conserver (Lieutenant Commander Robert J. Ventgen commanding) recovered a NOAA/Department of Energy Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC-1) cold-water intake pipe bundle (three 4-foot-diameter pipes, 2,250 feet long) abandoned in about 4,000 feet of water off the island of Hawaii, working with the submersible Turtle (DSV-3) and lift barge YC-1525, and towing the recovered pipe into Kawaihae harbor; the ship's own after-action report is cited in the book's bibliography. (2) In fall 1983, Conserver participated for nearly two months (with USNS Narragansett and USCGC Munro) in the search for the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in the Sea of Japan after it was shot down by Soviet forces, an operation repeatedly disrupted by harassment from Soviet vessels; the book includes a photograph captioned 'A Soviet harasser crosses the bow of Conserver.' (3) In September 1991, Conserver carried the Navy's ORION deep-search system to the crash site of a Navy UH-46 helicopter lost in over 17,000 feet of water near Wake Island, located the wreckage by grid search, and marked it with seafloor pingers for a later recovery by USS Salvor (ARS-52).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1982-1991

    Limitations

    Official government-published operational history with a bibliography entry to the ship's own after-action report; the underlying primary letter (ARS39/RJV:my 3000 serial 227) was not itself retrieved in this session, only the book's secondary narrative of it. Contains no asbestos, materials-condition, or hazmat information; supports no asbestos claim, only operational/vessel history.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-conserver-ars39-05