Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]DANFS, Cruise (AM-215) (builder, dates, service narrative, reclassification; verbatim NHHC transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio - the live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim match confirmed against the hazegray/losthistory.net transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Cruise' (AM-215), specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 21 March 1943 by Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Tampa, Fla.; completed by Charleston Navy Yard; commissioned 21 September 1945, Lieutenant S. F. Luce, USNR, in command. Visited New York 19 December 1945 - 5 January 1946; sailed via Guantanamo Bay, the Canal Zone, and Salina Cruz, Mexico, for San Pedro, Calif., arriving 3 February 1946; originally destined for Pearl Harbor, ordered back to the east coast, sailing 20 March and arriving Galveston 22 April; on to Philadelphia, placed out of commission in reserve 5 September 1946; reclassified MSF-215 on 7 February 1955. Spec block: dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3"; cl. Admirable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1955
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding and Charleston Navy Yard trades 1942-45; wartime/postwar crew (design complement 104)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not print a laid-down date (1942-12-07 rests on NAVSHIPS 250-011 and NavSource) and does not print a striking or disposal date - it predates the 1972 strike and 1973 sale. Live NHHC page 404s (standing batch-01 defect); verbatim text confirmed against the ibiblio and hazegray/losthistory transcriptions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-01
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II: Mine Vessels (less DM and CM), Patrol Vessels, Landing Ships and Craft, NAVSHIPS 250-011, 13 April 1945 (GPO 1945; scan via shipscribe.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011, Mine Vessels - Mine Sweepers (AM) tables: builder/date table (CRUISE AM215 row, Charleston-completion footnote) + propulsion/generator table (C.B. GSB-8, 1,710 shp) + AM214-311 class characteristics block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1945 BuShips register names CRUISE, official number AM215, in the mine-sweeper tables: builder Tampa S. B. Co., Inc.; keel laid 7 December 1942; launched 21 March 1943; the date-of-first-commission cell is blank (the register predates her September 1945 commissioning), and the Tampa rows carry footnote 'Transferred to Navy Yard, Charleston, for completion.' The propulsion/generator table prints engine manufacturer/model 'C. B. GSB-8' (Cooper Bessemer per the register's manufacturer legend), shaft horsepower 1,710. The AM214-311 class characteristics block prints: 2 propellers, diesel drive with single reduction gears; length 184'6" o.a., 180'0" w.l.; extreme beam 33'0"; full-load displacement 945 tons (at limiting draft); trial speed 14.8 knots; total accommodations 11 officers + 93 enlisted; armament 1 x 3"/50 cal. D.P. and 2 twin 40mm A.A. mounts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (register data as of 13 April 1945)
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding and Charleston Navy Yard trades 1942-45; wartime crew
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous official register - establishes identity, builder, construction dates, and propulsion for this hull; contains no materials or asbestos information. The class block prints 'Diesel' (geared) drive for AM214-311 - this class carried no boilers. The 1,710 figure is the register's shaft-horsepower entry and is not labeled per-engine or aggregate. The register's blank first-commission cell reflects its April 1945 data cutoff, not a missing record. OCR noise in the scanned table does not affect the row's substance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Cruise (MSF 215) ex-AM-215 (photo/data archive page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AM-215 archive page, ship history block + specifications block + CO roster + photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive record for this hull: laid down 7 December 1942 by Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa, FL; launched 21 March 1943; completed at Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, SC; commissioned USS Cruise (AM-215) 21 September 1945; decommissioned 5 September 1946 at Philadelphia, PA (the Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists her out of commission, in reserve, as March 1946); reclassified fleet minesweeper (steel hull) MSF-215 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1972; recorded 'Sold for scrap 1 March 1973' - with NavSource's own correction that she was NOT scrapped but purchased by Beaufort Fisheries, Inc., Beaufort, NC, converted to a menhaden fisherman and renamed Gregory Poole, official number 558835; sold in 2005 to the Dominion Marine Group of Norfolk, VA; sunk December 2007 as part of an artificial reef approximately 26 miles southeast of Indian River Inlet, DE. Photographed c. October 1974 at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, moored at the Schuylkill River quay wall. Spec block (945 t. fl; 184'6" x 33' x 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; one twin 40mm, six 20mm, hedgehog, K-guns, depth-charge tracks; two 1,710-shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts) is consistent with the official NAVSHIPS table where they overlap. Commanding-officer roster printed (LT Stanley F. Luce, LT Julian R. Webb Jr., LCDR Joseph B. Williams, all USNR, Sep 1945 - Sep 1946).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-2007 (compiled)
- Population
- Construction trades 1942-45; wartime crew; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-1972; fishing crew 1973-2005
- Limitations
- Private photo/data archive, not an official source: the disposal chain ('sold for scrap' then the fishing-vessel correction), the NVR 1 January 1949 reserve listing ('as March 1946' vs. the September 1946 decommission date), the 2005 sale, and the reef-sinking narrative rest on secondary compilation. The c. October 1974 Philadelphia photo post-dates the recorded March 1973 sale - disposal/removal timing unresolved (carried in gaps). No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-03
-
[4]State of Delaware / DNREC news releases: 'DNREC Sinks Ex-Navy and Army Freighter Turned Fishing Fleet Boat Reedville onto Delaware's Artificial Reef System' (2020-08-13) and 'Delaware, New Jersey partner to deploy Navy tug turned USCG cutter Zuni/Tamaroa as addition to Del-Jersey-Land artificial reef' (2017-05-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- news.delaware.gov releases 2020-08-13 and 2017-05-10 (reef inventory and clearance-regime paragraphs)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official State of Delaware releases confirm this hull's final disposition: the 2020 Reedville release lists 'the Shearwater, Gregory S. Poole and Atlantic Mist' as former menhaden boats and onetime military vessels residing on the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef, and the 2017 Zuni/Tamaroa release identifies 'the minesweeper Gregory Poole' as a Del-Jersey-Land reef vessel, stating the reef was established circa 2007 specifically for reefing former military vessels and is jointly managed by Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland. The 2017 release also documents the program's clearance regime: EPA and U.S. Coast Guard inspected the reef-bound vessel after environmental preparation (interior paneling and insulation removed; fuel and fluids emptied and cleaned), with USCG approving the ship as fit for reefing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2007 (sinking); 2017-2020 (releases)
- Population
- Reef-site environment; Dominion Marine Group prep workers (2007)
- Limitations
- Confirms the hull's presence on the reef and the program's environmental-clearance practice, but does not name AM-215 in the release text (identification via the Gregory Poole name documented by NavSource and contemporaneous press) and does not state what materials were removed from this specific hull. The EPA/USCG inspection description in the 2017 release documents the program's practice on Zuni/Tamaroa - the same regime applied to the Gregory Poole per the DNREC-derived account (see ev-06), but no hull-specific inspection manifest was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-04
-
[5]Cape Gazette (Lewes, DE), 'Former minesweeper, menhaden ship sunk to create artificial reef,' Leah Hoenen, 21 December 2007, p. 28 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Cape Gazette, 21 December 2007, p. 28 (stparchive.com scan)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous local-press coverage confirms the sinking event: DNREC sank the 175-foot Gregory Poole, a retired Navy minesweeper turned menhaden ship, in the Atlantic Ocean 26 miles off the Indian River Inlet to begin formation of the Deljerseyland Inshore Site - a location 'approved ... for the reuse of surplus Navy vessels' and to be developed jointly by Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2007
- Population
- Reef-site environment; regional fishing/diving public
- Limitations
- Press report of the sinking confirms event, location, and the site's surplus-Navy-vessel purpose; it contains no material-removal or asbestos detail and does not tie the hull number AM-215 in the article text (identification rests on the Gregory Poole name and the NavSource/state records).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-05
-
[6]New Jersey Scuba Diving (njscuba.net), 'Gregory Poole AM-215' reef-entry page (compiled dive-site record reproducing DNREC release text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- njscuba.net Gregory Poole AM-215 page (sinking data block + cleaning narrative)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Dive-archive record for this hull on the reef: sunk Monday 10 December 2007 on the DelJerseyLand Artificial Reef at 38 deg 30.910 min N, 74 deg 30.597 min W, depth ~120 ft; 'Prior to deployment to Delaware, the Gregory Poole was cleaned by Dominion Marine Group, Norfolk, Va., to remove all greases and buoyant materials that might be harmful to the marine environment. The U.S. Coast Guard inspected and approved the ship prior to transport to the reef site.' Sinking method: holes cut above the waterline, soft patches installed, then removed and interior flooded with pumps at the site. Identifies the vessel as built by Tampa Shipbuilding as AM-215 Cruise.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2007
- Population
- Dominion Marine Group cleaning/prep workers; USCG inspectors (2007)
- Limitations
- Private dive-site compilation, not an official record: the quoted cleaning/inspection text reproduces DNREC release wording, but the original December 2007 DNREC release is not indexed on news.delaware.gov and could not be directly verified. The cleaning description names greases and buoyant materials only - it does NOT state whether asbestos was present aboard or removed. Date/GPS are consistent with Cape Gazette coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-06
-
[7]EPA/MARAD, 'National Guidance: Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs,' EPA-842-B-06-002 (May 2006); Federal Register notice of availability E6-7274 (12 May 2006) [federal_register]
- Locator
- Federal Register E6-7274 (notice); EPA-842-B-06-002 guidance text (materials-of-concern list); EPA vessel-reef-projects page
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The joint EPA/MARAD national guidance - developed under section 3516 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act and issued May 2006, the year the Del-Jersey-Land site was permitted specifically for surplus Navy vessels - identifies materials of environmental concern that reefing preparation must address, expressly including asbestos alongside fuels/oil, PCBs, paints, and debris, and provides clean-up performance goals and pre-sinking methods. The Gregory Poole's documented 2007 cleaning and USCG approval occurred under this regime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2006-2007
- Population
- Vessel-reefing preparation workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Regulatory context, not a hull record: the guidance names no vessel. The statutory Navy-prep mandate covers vessels stricken from the Naval Vessel Register; this hull was stricken in 1972 and privately owned by 2007, so the BMPs governed her sinking as state/EPA practice guidance rather than by statute. No hull-specific record documents whether asbestos was present aboard or removed from the Gregory Poole during preparation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-07
-
[8]O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion factual background section (Bureau of Ships specifications; gaskets and packing discussion)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Published California Supreme Court opinion reviewing WWII-era Navy practice: the Bureau of Ships issued detailed material specifications for shipboard equipment, and during the early 1940s Navy specifications required that internal gaskets and packing materials in valves contain asbestos - 'at that time, asbestos was the only' material meeting the specification. Establishes that era Navy specifications mandated asbestos-containing gaskets/packing aboard warships of Cruise's construction period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (specification era); 2012 (opinion)
- Population
- WWII-era Navy crews and shipyard workers (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/era context only. The opinion describes the steam propulsion system of 'a typical warship' (hundreds of valves controlling steam flow); Cruise was diesel-driven with no steam plant, so the steam-valve population described does not map directly onto this hull. Establishes era specification practice, not the presence, quantity, or condition of asbestos aboard this specific ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-08
-
[9]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946 Jan;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed citation record PMID 21016030; J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946;28:9-16
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The wartime federal industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations in naval vessel construction (conducted during WWII naval shipbuilding, published January 1946) documents that insulation work on ships under construction used asbestos-containing materials - the standard practice environment in which this hull was built at Tampa in 1942-43 and completed at Charleston Navy Yard through 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (survey/publication)
- Population
- WWII naval-vessel pipe coverers and insulators (class context)
- Limitations
- Industry-wide wartime survey, not a hull record - does not name this vessel, the Tampa or Charleston yards, or the Admirable class; its reassuring conclusion ('not a dangerous occupation') is itself now criticized as deeply flawed (Kelly, New Solut 2026;36:138-150, PMID 42307414). Establishes era context only - that asbestos insulation work was performed in WWII naval vessel construction - not materials aboard AM-215.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-09
-
[10]Marr WT, 'Asbestos exposure during naval vessel overhaul,' Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1964 May-Jun;25:264-8 (PMID 14168424) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed citation record PMID 14168424; Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1964;25:264-8
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Published industrial-hygiene study documenting asbestos exposure during naval vessel overhauls - the exposure pathway relevant to this hull's 25-year reserve-fleet lay-up at Philadelphia (1946-1972), during which preservation and maintenance work aboard inactive ships was routine.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1964 (publication)
- Population
- Naval shipyard insulation workers; reserve-fleet maintenance personnel (class context)
- Limitations
- Study period (early 1960s) and setting (overhaul work) do not name AM-215 or any vessel; no overhaul is documented for this hull, whose post-commission life was eleven months of service followed by reserve lay-up. Documents that insulation disturbance during naval-vessel maintenance was an asbestos-exposure pathway generally - era/yard context only, not materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-10
-
[11]Atlas shipyards.json records: tampa-bay-shipbuilding (Tampa Shipbuilding Co./TASCO; evidence_tier 3), charleston-naval-shipyard (evidence_tier 2, incl. OSHA inspection 100361849 asbestos-standard citation), philadelphia-naval-shipyard (evidence_tier 3, incl. named product identifications and OSHA inspection data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json, yard_id tampa-bay-shipbuilding, charleston-naval-shipyard, philadelphia-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder/completion/lay-up yard context: this hull was built at Tampa Shipbuilding Co. (TASCO) - a tier-3 yard-level record in the Atlas dataset (documented asbestos product categories incl. insulation, gaskets, valve packing, fireproofing) - completed at Charleston Naval Shipyard (tier-2 record including a 1988 OSHA citation under the asbestos standard, 29 CFR 1910.1001), and lay in reserve at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard / Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for 26 years (tier-3 record with litigation-derived product identifications incl. Unibestos, Garlock packing/gaskets, Johns-Manville insulation). Construction, completion, and long lay-up all occurred inside documented asbestos-use environments.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1972 (hull windows); 1988-1989 (OSHA citations)
- Population
- Tampa Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; Charleston Navy Yard completion trades 1943-45; Philadelphia reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-72
- Limitations
- Yard-level findings describe the workplaces, not this hull's materials; they do not establish that asbestos was installed aboard AM-215, nor in what quantity or locations. No hull-level record exists. Yard dataset entries cited as cross-links only; the OSHA citation (1988) and Philadelphia product identifications post-date this hull's yard windows.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-11
-
[12]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 and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies covering the WWII-built fleet - program-level confirmation that Navy ship construction of Cruise's era incorporated asbestos insulation and that the material was managed as a known hazard aboard Navy vessels.
- 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, not hull-specific; establishes era context for WWII Navy construction, not materials aboard AM-215 - which was struck in 1972 and sold in 1973, before the Navy's documented asbestos-management program existed. Does not establish individual exposure, quantities, or presence at any time. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-12
-
[13]Batch-1192 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page + verbatim transcriptions (ibiblio, hazegray/losthistory), NAVSHIPS 250-011 Ships' Data 1945, Naval Vessel Register, NavSource archive, MARAD Vessel History Database, CourtListener API/web, VA BVA decision index, NARA catalog, Delaware state releases, contemporaneous press, EPA/Federal Register, PubMed, GAO, general web index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cruise-am215-01 through sl-uss-cruise-am215-19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Cruise under AM-215, MSF-215, or the Gregory Poole identity was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API sweep could not be completed on 2026-09-22 (authenticated 2,800/day quota exhausted - HTTP 429 on three attempts across ~50 minutes; the web UI returned 403 to automated fetch); web-index and VA BVA spot checks surfaced no vessel-related litigation, only marketing listicles that name the vessel without evidence.
- 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 hull was built 1942-45 at yards documented as asbestos-use environments, then fished commercially for 32 years and was reef-sunk after a documented cleaning whose scope (greases/buoyant materials) does not mention asbestos. Does not establish that asbestos is or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweep remains open - logged as a gap, not a clean negative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cruise-am215-13