Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Curlew III (AM-69) (verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror - live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full entry, Curlew III (AM-69)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS-documented identity and service: built 1938 by Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston SC, as the trawler Kittiwake; purchased by the Navy 1940-08-06; commissioned 1940-11-07 (LTJG W. T. Patrick, USNR). Cleared Boston 1941-05-10; swept mines off Staten Island, NY, until 1941-10-04, then deployed to Cristobal, C.Z.; served in the 15th Naval District until 1944-02-10, then reported to Section Base, Little Creek, VA, for patrol and minesweeping through war's end. Reclassified IX-170 on 1944-06-01; arrived Newport, RI, 1945-11-14; decommissioned there 1945-12-05; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 1946-09-27. Specs in entry header: 570 t., 147'10" x 28'8" x 12', 10 kts, one 3" gun.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1938-1946
- Population
- Commissioned crew (1940-1945)
- Limitations
- DANFS is a summary operational history - it contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information and does not state propulsion type. Live NHHC DANFS page 404'd on 2026-09-22; transcription mirror cited (same standing issue as Batch 01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curlew-am69-01
-
[2]NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Curlew (IX-170) ex-AM-69 (Catbird-class block, specifications, conversion record, commanding officers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Catbird Class Minesweeper block; specifications; commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Curated archive record establishes details DANFS omits: built 1938 as steel-hull trawler M/V Kittiwake for Atlantic Fisheries Co. of Charleston; renamed Curlew 1940-08-14; conversion to a minesweeper ran 1940-09-06 to 1941-05-10 at Quincy Dry Dock and Yacht Corp., Quincy, MA; propulsion one 575 shp Fairbanks Morse diesel engine, one shaft (diesel - no boilers or steam plant); stricken from the Naval Register 1945-12-19; reclassified IX-170 1944-06-01 for servicing outlying stations; rescued the crew of the foundering fishing vessel Spring Chicken off Cape Hatteras, NC, 1944-04-05.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1938-1945
- Population
- Conversion yard workers (Quincy, 1940-41); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated non-official archive - used as lead-level documentation for the diesel propulsion spec, conversion yard, and stricken date that DANFS omits; consistent with DANFS and Wikipedia. Its armament line (3"/50 DP + two .30 cal) conflicts with DANFS (one 3") and Wikipedia (3"/23); conflict logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curlew-am69-02
-
[3]NavSource specifications block (diesel propulsion, conversion period) + DANFS-documented build/conversion era - inference anchored to documented machinery type [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AM-69 specifications block; DANFS build/conversion dates
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-consistent inference for a 1938 steel fishing trawler converted to a Navy minesweeper in 1940-41: asbestos-containing products typical of the type and period - diesel exhaust lagging; engine and piping gaskets; valve and pump packing; joiner, bulkhead and galley-area insulation; electrical cable insulation; brake linings on winches and windlass. Because the documented plant is a single diesel engine with no boilers or steam system, the boiler and steam-pipe insulation classes that dominate asbestos inventories on steam warships are absent on this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1938-1941 (build/conversion); 1940-1945 (Navy service)
- Population
- Conversion yard workers (1940-41); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Era/type inference only - no product-level document (spec sheet, manual, survey) located for this hull or the Catbird class. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard, does not quantify, and does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curlew-am69-03
-
[4]Cusumano v. The Curlew, 105 F. Supp. 428 (D. Mass. 1952) - cross libels in admiralty over the 1950-11-08 collision of fishing vessels California and Curlew in Gloucester Harbor [court_record]
- Locator
- 105 F. Supp. 428, opinion text (collision facts)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The only published opinion located naming a vessel 'Curlew' is an admiralty collision case, not asbestos litigation. It names a diesel-engined Gloucester fishing vessel Curlew sunk 1950-11-08. Identity with ex-AM-69 is unestablished and doubtful: crowd-sourced registries report ex-AM-69 renamed Ragan by 1946-47, and the opinion describes a three-man Gloucester trawler. Classified as other litigation / probable name collision.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1950-1952
- Limitations
- Does not name USS Curlew, AM-69, or IX-170; contains no asbestos content. Vessel identity with this hull is unverified and probably negative - logged so the hit is not re-attached as hull litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curlew-am69-04
-
[5]Batch-1420 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC and transcription mirrors; NavSource AM-69 and AM-68; MARAD Vessel History Database name searches; CourtListener API v4 (blocked - quota); general legal index (Justia); EPA Superfund record for builder-yard vicinity; class-profile check across ships-worktrees/class-a..f [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-curlew-am69-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Curlew, AM-69, or IX-170 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). PROVISIONAL: the CourtListener litigation sweep is blocked by an exhausted API quota (reset pending at research time), so the docket-level negative is incomplete.
- 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 - era-consistent materials may well have been present on a 1938/1941 hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation negative is provisional pending an unthrottled CourtListener pass.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curlew-am69-05
-
[6]NARA record-group mapping for this hull's unresearched records (no retrieval performed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA military/naval records guidance; RG 24/19/181/26
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Unresearched archival path for any ship-specific materials record: RG 24 Navy deck logs for USS Curlew AM-69/IX-170 (commissioned naval vessel 1940-1945, NARA College Park); RG 19 Bureau of Ships records for the Quincy Dry Dock and Yacht Corp. conversion and outfit; RG 181 15th Naval District records (Canal Zone service 1941-1944); RG 26 merchant logbooks for the Kittiwake era (1938-1940) and post-1946 commercial fishing service. Holdings are not digitized; no box-level retrieval performed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- records dated 1938-1946 (holdings unsurveyed)
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - identifies where hull-specific documentation may exist; it is not evidence about this hull. No NARA retrieval was performed or authorized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curlew-am69-06