Evidence
4 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-4).
-
[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Courier III (AMC-72)" (published 2015-07-06) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full page text (stub entry, single paragraph)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Full entry text: "A messenger or traveling attendant. The third Courier (AMC-72) served in an 'in service' status in the 1st Naval District from 1941 to 1947." No builder, no launch/commission narrative, no machinery description, and no asbestos-related content of any kind.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941-1947
- Limitations
- This is the entirety of the official DANFS record for this hull - a two-sentence stub, among the thinnest possible official entries. Contains no information capable of supporting or refuting any asbestos claim. Its "1941 to 1947" end date conflicts with NavSource's reported 1945-12-19 strike date; the conflict is unresolved and carried in gaps rather than silently picking one figure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courier-amc72-01
-
[2]National Archives and Records Administration, research guide "Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel[s] up through 1961" [other_primary]
- Locator
- Guide page, "Record Groups" and "Specific Vessel Types" sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA confirms that Bureau of Ships (Record Group 19) General/Confidential/Secret Correspondence (1940-1961) is organized by ship hull designation and could include an AMc-72-specific file, and that RG 19 Special Media holds ship engineering drawings including series "S39 - Insulation and Lagging" and "S48 - Piping" that in principle could exist for this hull. The guide also references Board of Inspection and Survey reports (RG 38) and General Information Books covering minesweepers among other vessel types.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1961 (records coverage)
- Limitations
- This is a finding aid, not a records disclosure - NARA's own guide explicitly states it 'is not comprehensive and only demonstrates how to get started,' and makes no claim that asbestos material is or is not documented for any specific vessel or vessel type. No AMc-72-specific RG 19 correspondence file or S39/S48 drawing was located in digitized public sources; an in-person NARA pull remains the open lead. Establishes only that such records could exist, not that they do for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courier-amc72-02
-
[3]U.S. General Accounting Office, HRD-80-2, "Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure" (published 1979-10-18, released 1979-10-22) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page description (full PDF text not retrieved - see limitations)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO product-page summary: the Navy's 1975 policy was to replace damaged asbestos insulation only when repairs required its removal; this was revised in 1979 to also selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas ahead of expected repairs. Establishes that asbestos-containing insulation was standard, longstanding Navy shipboard material prior to 1975.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period); report issued 1979-10-18
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers, Long Beach and Norfolk (1975-1979 policy period)
- Limitations
- Program-level report; GAO's fieldwork was conducted at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, neither of which serviced Courier (a 1st Naval District vessel disposed of by 1947, roughly three decades before this report). Does not name minesweepers, AMc-designated craft, or diesel-powered small auxiliaries. Full report text could not be retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); only the public product-page description was used. Included solely as general historical background on Navy asbestos practice in this era, not as evidence of any material aboard this hull. Report postdates this vessel's entire Navy service and its 1965 loss.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courier-amc72-03
-
[4]Batch-1610 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; National Archives asbestos research guide; GAO HRD-80-2; Naval Vessel Register (NVR) coverage statement; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, via fleet helper) name and hull-number searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-courier-amc72-01 through sl-uss-courier-amc72-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located: no hull survey, no abatement contract, no museum or hazmat disclosure (none is possible - the vessel has not existed since it burned at sea in 1965), and no docketed case or opinion naming this vessel by name ("USS Courier") or hull designator ("AMc-72"/"AMC-72") in CourtListener's opinion or RECAP/docket indexes. The Naval Vessel Register does not carry a record for this hull, consistent with the NVR's own published scope statement that vessels disposed of prior to 1987 are not included (Courier was disposed of by 1945-1947).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 2026-09-23
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos-containing material having been aboard during Navy or civilian service - it establishes only that no qualifying documentation was found in the sources searched. CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive of all state-court and unreported federal filings; a name/hull-number miss there does not rule out an unindexed or unpublished filing. See search_ledger for the specific queries run.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courier-amc72-04