Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Courser I (AMC-32)', Naval History and Heritage Command (current page published 2015-07-06); printed-DANFS transcription via hazegray.org (transcribed 1998), Wayback capture 2016-09-11 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Courser I entry (one-line entry, full text quoted); hazegray transcription https://web.archive.org/web/20160911060041/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/mine/amc32.htm; NHHC page via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 (live URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-23 - same NHHC link rot noted in BATCH-01)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry 'Courser I (AMC-32)': namesake defined ('one who moves from one point to another or pursues a quarry'); 'The first Courser (AMC-32) served in an "in service" status from 1941 to 1945' (current NHHC page, published 2015). The printed DANFS transcription gives the same one-line entry but dates the in-service period '1941 to 1947' - the two authoritative DANFS versions disagree on the end year.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941-1945/1947
- Limitations
- Establishes name meaning and in-service status period only; the DANFS entry is a single sentence with no construction, station, crew, or materiel detail and contains no asbestos information. The 1945 vs 1947 end-date discrepancy between current NHHC and printed-DANFS versions is unresolved - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-01
-
[2]U.S. Navy Department, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945 Edition, Volume II (official publication; digitized scan via shipscribe.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Vol. II: alphabetical index entry ('Courser . AMc32'); minecraft roster 'COURSER (returned)' under Mine Sweepers-Coastal (AMc); stricken-list row 'COURSER AMc32 ... 23 Sept 44'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels (1945 edition, Vol. II) indexes 'Courser' as AMc32 'Mine sweeper, coastal'; its stricken-vessel list dates the action 23 Sept 44; and the AMc roster marks COURSER 'returned' (disposed of to former owner / out of naval custody), consistent with the documented April 1945 transfer to the War Shipping Administration.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1945 edition (data as of publication)
- Limitations
- Official Navy publication establishing hull designation, type, strike date, and 'returned' disposition. Contains no construction details, station assignment, complement, or materiel/asbestos information for this hull. 'Returned' is the roster's disposition annotation; the WSA-to-private-sale chain is documented by NavSource, not by this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Courser (AMc 32)' page (compiled from Naval Vessel Register and U.S. documentation data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AMc-32 page - full ownership timeline and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Registry-timeline compilation: the vessel was built in 1938 as the fishing boat Nancy Rose by Al Larson, Los Angeles, CA, for the Nancy Rose Fishing Corp. of Long Beach, CA; placed in service as USS Courser (AMc-32) 13 November 1940; struck from the Naval Register 23 September 1944; transferred to the War Shipping Administration April 1945; then sold through a documented chain of fishing-vessel owners (1945 Marsh; 1946 Fukuzaki; 1957 Jurisich; 1963 Taft; 1966 Tillman, renamed Big Fisherman; 1977-78 Sevel; renamed Lady Pamela 1982; 1985 Gatten, renamed Old Fisherman; 1988 Sevel, renamed Lady Pamela); out of documentation 1998; fate unknown. Specifications: 148 tons displacement, 79 ft length, diesel engine, one shaft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1938-1998
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation reproducing registry/documentation data, not itself a primary document; its in-service date (1940-11-13) is more precise than DANFS's '1941' and is adopted here with the conflict logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information. Post-1945 ownership chain is merchant documentation, not a Navy record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-03
-
[4]HyperWar / ibiblio.org, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Minecraft' (transcription of official U.S. Navy vessel listings) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-dm.html, 'AMc -- Coastal Minesweepers / Converted Vessel Class' section; roster row AMc-32 Courser
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Wartime listing documentation for the type: 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' (HyperWar transcription of official listings) carries AMc-32 Courser, 1941, ex-Nancy Rose (1938), within the AMc 'Converted Vessel Class' - coastal minesweepers converted from commercial fishermen (mostly draggers and purse seiners, largely tuna clippers from west coast ports); class range 165-270 tons, 76'7"-136' length, diesel engine ~400 h.p., complement 15-47.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- Converted AMc crews, class range 15-47 (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level listing data for the heterogeneous AMc conversion group; confirms this hull's identity and acquisition type but describes the class envelope, not this vessel's materials. Contains no asbestos information. Notably, Courser's documented 148-ton displacement falls below the stated 165-270-ton class band - minor listing inconsistency noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-04
-
[5]Los Angeles Conservancy, 'Al Larson Boat Shop Complex' historic-places profile; corroborating yard history at larsonboat.com and Port of Los Angeles project documentation [reputable_press]
- Locator
- LA Conservancy historic-places profile; yard history page https://www.larsonboat.com/historical/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder verified: the Al Larson Boat Shop (est. 1903) at Fish Harbor, Terminal Island, Port of Los Angeles, is documented by the Los Angeles Conservancy as a builder and repairer of wooden fishing vessels that during WWII built approximately ten military craft (YMS-class motor minesweepers) and converted fishing vessels for coastal patrol - the same yard that built this hull as Nancy Rose in 1938.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1903-1960s
- Population
- Yard construction/repair trades (1930s-1940s)
- Limitations
- Documents the builder's existence, location, trade (wooden fishing vessels), and wartime Navy small-craft work - context for the hull's construction type. Contains no asbestos, materials, or hull-specific construction detail for Nancy Rose/Courser. The yard is not in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-05
-
[6]DANFS, 'Firecrest (AMc-33)' printed entry (hazegray.org transcription, Wayback capture 2016); secondary expanded account (Wikipedia, itself derived from detailed DANFS-era material) for the joint-operations detail [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS amc33.htm transcription; joint-operations detail via en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Firecrest_(AMc-33) (secondary, not independently primary-verified)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Operating station not documented for this hull in DANFS, the 1945 Ships' Data Book, or NavSource. Indirect evidence: the printed DANFS entry for consort Firecrest (AMc-33) records her 'operating in the 11th Naval District out of San Diego, Calif.' from April 1941, and expanded secondary accounts describe Firecrest and Courser conducting daily minesweeping operations in San Diego harbor in concert from late April 1941.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941-1944
- Population
- AMc crews (ship complement not documented)
- Limitations
- Courser's own DANFS entry does not state her station; 11th Naval District / San Diego service is inferred from the documented station of her conversion consort Firecrest and from secondary accounts that name Courser explicitly but are not themselves authoritative sources. A conflicting secondary claim (East Coast / Caribbean service) could not be traced to any authoritative source and is rejected - see report and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-06
-
[7]NavSource AMc-32 specifications block (diesel, one shaft, 148 t, 79 ft) + HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AMc Converted Vessel Class data (wooden fishing-boat conversions, diesel ~400 h.p.) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications; HyperWar ships-dm.html AMc class header
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No asbestos-specific document exists for this hull or for the Accentor conversion class. The documented configuration - a wooden-hulled, diesel-powered, 148-ton fishing boat with one shaft and no steam plant - bounds the plausible asbestos-relevant product set far below that of steam naval vessels: plausible era-typical applications aboard a small diesel conversion would be limited to diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, electrical wiring insulation, asbestos-cement sheet, and winch machinery friction linings. None is verified aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1938 construction; 1940-41 naval conversion; 1940-1944 service
- Population
- Navy conversion-yard workers (1940-41); in-service crew 1940/41-1944
- Limitations
- Era-typical inference conditioned on documented vessel configuration, not a product record. No document states that asbestos was installed, abated, or present aboard this hull; equally, no document establishes its absence. Does not establish exposure, quantity, location, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-07
-
[8]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
- Era baseline only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively for insulation and fireproofing in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the period in which this vessel was acquired and converted (1940-41). The literature addresses wartime naval and merchant shipbuilding programs for steam-powered vessels; no located source applies it to small wooden fishing-vessel conversions like this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of WWII shipbuilding asbestos use generally; does not name this vessel, this class, or fishing-vessel conversions, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull. Applicability to a pre-war civilian diesel fishing boat is weaker than to the steam vessels the article principally describes - carried as baseline context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-08
-
[9]Batch-1568 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (live + printed transcription); official Ships' Data Book 1945; NavSource registry archive; HyperWar official-listing transcription; LA Conservancy/Port of LA builder records; CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket searches; MARAD ShipHistory (blocked); NARA catalog (API blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-courser-amc32-01 through sl-uss-courser-amc32-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Courser (AMc-32) or the fishing vessel Nancy Rose was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero opinion and zero docket hits for 'USS Courser' and zero hits for 'AMc-32'/'AMC-32'; the single 'Courser' + asbestos hit is a name collision (a citation to Courser v. Darby School District, a Montana workers'-compensation precedent, inside Whittington v. Ramsey Construction, Mont. 1987) - not this vessel.
- 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 aboard or absence of exposure; a 148-ton wooden diesel craft simply generated a thin documentary trail, and she left naval custody in 1945, decades before asbestos documentation regimes existed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courser-amc32-09