USS Dash (AM-428)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]DANFS, Dash II (AM-428), NHHC ship-history page (live page returns 404; Wayback capture 2022-10-04 cited; verbatim transcription confirmed identical at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am428.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Dash II entry, specifications block + full service narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: '(AM-428: dp. 620; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10; s. 15 k.; cpl. 74; a. 1 40mm; cl. Agile).' 'The second Dash (AM-428) was launched 20 September 1952 by Astoria Marine Construction Co., Astoria, Oreg.; sponsored by Mrs. D. McKay; and commissioned 14 August 1953, Lieutenant Commander R. Giamotti in command. She was reclassified MSO-428, 7 February 1955.' Sailed from San Diego 12 June 1954, arrived Charleston, S.C. 6 July; local duty and refresher training at Key West until 4 January 1956, then a Mediterranean Sixth Fleet tour returning to Charleston 11 June; Mediterranean again 1 May-2 October 1957 and 27 April-27 August 1959; 'Through 1962, she operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean in amphibious and mine warfare exercises.' The entry (DANFS Vol. II, 1963) does not cover post-1962 service, decommissioning, or disposal.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1951-1962 (DANFS coverage)

   Population

   Astoria Marine construction trades 1951-53; commissioned crew (design complement 74 per DANFS), 1953-1982

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. Its specifications block reads 'cl. Agile' while NavSource and Combat Fleets carry 'Dash class' - flagged in ev-09. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link rot); the 2022-10-04 Wayback capture is cited and its text verified identical to the hazegray/losthistory transcription.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Dash (MSO-428) ex-AM-428, file 11/02428 (chronology, spec block, propulsion line, CO list, photo captions) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02428 - chronology block, spec block, propulsion line, CO list, photo captions (La Spezia 1956; Newport c. Aug 1972)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Dash Class Minesweeper'; laid down 2 July 1951 by Astoria Marine Construction Co., Astoria, Oregon; launched 20 September 1952; commissioned USS Dash (AM-428) 14 August 1953; reclassified Ocean Minesweeper MSO-428, 7 February 1955; decommissioned 2 October 1982; 'Sold for scrap 26 January 1984 to Wayne Hobbs of Huntington, CA for $22,229.' Spec block: 775 t; 172'; 35' beam; 12' draft; 14 kts; complement 78; armament 'As built, one Mk 3 40mm gun mount. Final configuration, bow gun replaced by one twin 20mm gun mount and added two .50 cal. machine guns'; propulsion 'Two General Motors 8-278A diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers'; call sign November-Foxtrot-Whiskey-Charlie. Photo captions: La Spezia, Italy c.1956 and 21 February 1956, moored inboard of Detector (MSO-429) and Dominant (MSO-431); 'c. August 1972, Newport, RI - Approaching Pier 1 upon returning from an around-the-world Mid-East deployment that included Combat Action in Vietnam' (photo by Phillip Esposito). Eighteen commanding officers listed, LCDR Robert Giamotti (14 Aug 1953) through CDR Walter Michael Wasowski (26 Oct 1980 - 2 Oct 1982).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1951-1984

   Population

   Astoria Marine trades (1951-53); crew 1953-1982

   Limitations

   Volunteer archive - detailed but non-official; used for laid-down date (absent from DANFS), propulsion, disposition, and photo-caption service detail. Spec values conflict with DANFS (775t/35'/12'/78 vs 620t/36'/10'/74) - flagged in ev-09. The 'Combat Action in Vietnam' caption is a photographer/crew recollection, not an official record - it conflicts with the official NHHC Vietnam awards list (see ev-09) and is carried as unverified. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Astoria Marine, Astoria OR' yard table - MSO 428 Dash row + sister/Dutch-MSO block + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/astoria.htm - MSO 428/429/480/481/482 rows + yard-history header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'MSO 428 | Dash | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 780d | | 14-Aug-53 | Scrapped 1983.' Sister row: 'MSO 429 | Detector | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 780d | 26-Jan-54 | Scrapped 1983.' The same Astoria block carries three MDAP hulls for the Royal Netherlands Navy - MSO 480 Onversaagd (19-May-54), MSO 481 Onvevreesde (21-Sep-54), MSO 482 Onverschrokken (18-Jan-55) - matching the NRHP nomination's 'five MSO minesweepers built for the Korean War.' Yard history header: founded 1924 by Joe Dyer (originally Astoria Shipbuilding); fishing boats and pleasure craft; closed 2013; site on the east bank of the Lewis and Clark River at Jeffers Slough.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1951-1984

   Population

   Astoria Marine workforce (Astoria, OR, 1951-53)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, delivery/commissioning date, and scrapping. Its '780d' displacement and 'scrapped 1983' differ from DANFS (620 t) and NavSource (sold 26 Jan 1984) - flagged in ev-09; likely contract-sale date vs. demolition-completion spread. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-03

4. [4]NPS National Register nomination, Astoria Marine Construction Company Historic District, NRIS 13001058 (Astoria, Clatsop County, OR; HAER OR-181) [nps]

   Locator

   NRHP nomination NRIS 13001058 (npgallery.nps.gov) - significance narrative, significant-dates list, Marine Ways 3/4 resource description

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NRHP nomination for this hull's builder: 'September, 1952 - AMCCO produces the nation's first MSO Type I minesweeper AM-428'; 'In 1952 AMCCO was named the nation's lead shipyard for the MSO minesweeper'; 'Marine Ways 3 and 4 ... reconditioned in 1952 for the launching of the five MSO minesweepers built for the Korean War' (the two USN hulls MSO 428/429 plus the three Dutch MDAP hulls MSO 480-482, per the Colton table). Significance periods 1941-1945 (first Navy contract 1 April 1941) and 1950-1955 (Korean War MSO contract award through completion); 7.2-acre district, 15 contributing resources. Confirms the builder, the Korean War MSO program context, and AM-428 as the first-produced hull of the program.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1955 (significance periods); nomination circa 2013

   Population

   AMCCO shipyard workforce, Korean War production period 1950-1955

   Limitations

   The nomination documents the shipyard's significance and production program, not this hull's materials. 'First MSO Type I minesweeper' refers to AM-428's launch/production precedence (20 Sep 1952 launch, earliest in-service date 14 Aug 1953 in the Combat Fleets table) - keel dates of sisters were earlier (Aggressive laid down 25 May 1951). The nomination text was read via search-indexed excerpts; the PDF itself was not text-extracted at batch time. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-04

5. [5]Combat Fleets of the World 1984/85 (Wertheim/Couhat naval almanac transcript, jwilliamcupp.name mirror) - MSO 428 row + Dash-class table line + MSO program remarks [other_primary]

   Locator

   CombFlt.htm - MSO hull table (MSO 428 row: '1OCT82 decomm'), class table line '(4) DASH Class, 428-431', machinery remarks paragraph

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for this hull type: the 1950s MSO program (SCB-45A series) comprised ~100 wooden minesweepers built of wood with bronze and non-magnetic stainless-steel fittings to minimize magnetic signature, $3.5M/ship in 1951; designated AM and reclassified MSO February 1955. Class table line: '(4) DASH Class, 428-431, 172 ft, 35 ft, 775 tons, 10 ft, 8 and 70, 14 knots, General Motors, 1520 SHP'; remarks: '428,429,430,431 had 2 General Motors diesels at 1520 hp' - the Dash-class distinction from the four-Packard Agile/Aggressive plant. A diesel direct-drive plant with no boilers or steam system means a materially lighter insulation load than steam combatants; era-typical asbestos applications for a 1950s naval vessel of this type: machinery gaskets and packing, exhaust-system lagging, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner materials, deck coverings/floor tile, brake linings. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: AMCCO construction trades (Astoria, 1951-53); the commissioned crew (~74-78) across 1953-1982; yard workers at undocumented availabilities; the 1984 scrapping workforce (Wayne Hobbs, Huntington CA).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1951-1984

   Population

   AMCCO trades 1951-53; crew 1953-1982; scrapping workforce 1984

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-428/MSO-428 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The wooden hull and non-steam diesel plant weaken even era-level inference relative to steel steam vessels of the same era. Transcript is a secondary compilation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-05

6. [6]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (1979-80), including the Navy's 5 January 1979 letter (T.J. Bigley to Robert F. Hughes) reproduced in the report [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) - 1973 specification change; 'May 1978' delivery line; Bigley letter text with product enumeration

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Program-level documentation of the asbestos window containing this hull's entire career: the Navy's product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials, but asbestos materials already purchased were still installed - 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the Navy's elimination policy issued October 1975. The 5 January 1979 Navy letter states 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' and enumerates era applications: asbestos in Navy electronic-equipment resistors, floor tiling 'on Navy ship decks,' electric cabling and galley ranges, piping-system gaskets and packing, and equipment brakes and clutches. Dash was built 1951-53 and in commission 1953-1982 - entirely within the pre-1973 as-built asbestos era and the 1979 all-ships statement's window.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1973-1979 policy window documented; hull era 1951-1984

   Population

   Navy personnel and shipyard workers, service-wide (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder. GAO fieldwork concerned shipyard workers. For a wooden-hulled diesel minesweeper the proposition applies with materially reduced scope - no boilers or steam plant aboard. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-06

7. [7]Batch-1341 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live + Wayback + hazegray mirror); NavSource; Colton yard tables; NPS NRHP nomination NRIS 13001058; Combat Fleets transcript; NVR; CourtListener (API + web-indexed); VA BVA corpus; NHHC Vietnam awards list; general web for surveys/abatement/disposal disclosures; NARA catalog [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-dash-am428-01 through sl-uss-dash-am428-13

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Dash / AM-428 / MSO-428: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in the U.S. in 1984 by a commercial buyer with no museum or memorial disposition, so no steward-organization disclosure exists. Non-authoritative marketing rosters (mesothelioma.com minesweepers table: 'USS Dash | AM-428 | Agile | 8/14/1953 | Scrapped, 1984'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper list; a dedicated navyshipexposure.com page asserting named-maker equipment 'allegedly contained asbestos') carry the name in generic ship tables or template prose - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific 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 - a 1951-53 naval vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its wooden hull and lighter diesel insulation load. The CourtListener API-level sweep is incomplete (quota) - residual risk of a differently-phrased hull reference is logged as a gap. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-07

8. [8]CourtListener litigation sweep + VA Board of Veterans' Appeals corpus search (see search_ledger sl-07, sl-08) [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-dash-am428-07 and sl-uss-dash-am428-08

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Dash (AM-428/MSO-428) was located. The authenticated CourtListener API v4 returned HTTP 429 at batch time ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in ~27,400 seconds' - the shared quota was exhausted by prior batch work) and was not retried per batch throttling rules. Web-indexed searches of the CourtListener corpus surfaced only name collisions: Damon Dash / Roc-A-Fella entertainment litigation (S.D.N.Y.); 'Dash Computers, Inc.' in the CRT-antitrust MDL (N.D. Cal. MDL 1917); asbestos opinions and RECAP documents naming other ships (USS Barney, Oriskany, Midway, Rushmore). Site-scoped VA BVA searches surfaced decisions naming other vessels (William V. Pratt, America, Sacramento, Hornet, Oriskany) - no hit for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2026-09-22

   Limitations

   The negative is provisional: the API-level CourtListener sweep was blocked by throttling and the result rests on web-indexed coverage of the corpus, which does not exhaustively index docket text. 'Dash' is a high-collision search term (common English word, namesake businesses, a public figure); an API re-run is the open lead. No allegation, finding, or judgment regarding asbestos aboard this hull was located; nothing here establishes exposure or non-exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-08

9. [9]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (Wayback capture + hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02428 vs Colton Astoria table vs Combat Fleets transcript vs NHHC 2010 Vietnam awards list vs Wikipedia/NavalCoverMuseum [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS dash-ii (Wayback 2022-10-04); hazegray am428.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02428.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/astoria.htm; jwilliamcupp.name/Story/CombFlt.htm; Secretary of the Navy letter to Sen. Akaka, 17 June 2010, Enclosure (1) 713-ship VSM/AFEM list (mirrored at oldbluewater.com/legion46annarbor.org); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Dash_(AM-428)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Class naming - DANFS spec block 'cl. Agile'; NavSource page header 'Dash Class Minesweeper'; Combat Fleets class table '(4) DASH Class, 428-431'; Wikipedia 'Agile-class' - Dash class carried per the most granular source (Combat Fleets) with NavSource concurring. (b) Specifications - DANFS 620t/36' beam/10' draft/15k/74 vs NavSource 775t/35'/12'/14kts/78 vs Colton 780d; Combat Fleets class figures 775t/35'/10'/8+70/14kt - DANFS carried in prose, all recorded. (c) Decommissioning - 2 October 1982 (NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, Wikipedia) vs 1 October 1982 (Combat Fleets) - 2 October carried, conflict flagged. (d) Disposal - 'Sold for scrap 26 January 1984 to Wayne Hobbs of Huntington, CA for $22,229' (NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum/Wikipedia) vs 'Scrapped 1983' (Colton) - the 26 Jan 1984 sale carried; likely sale-contract vs demolition-completion spread. (e) Propulsion - 'Two General Motors 8-278A diesel engines' (NavSource; Combat Fleets '2 General Motors diesels at 1520 hp' for 428-431; Wikipedia '2 x GM 8278A') vs eastport4th's 'Four General Motors diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha diesels' - the two-GM fit carried; the four-engine text reads as generic Agile/Aggressive carryover and conflicts with the class table. (f) Stricken date - no source gives one (eastport 'Stricken (?)'; Wikipedia field blank; NVR page absent); carried in gaps. (g) Vietnam claim - NavSource photo caption 'c. August 1972 ... returning from an around-the-world Mid-East deployment that included Combat Action in Vietnam' vs the official NHHC-compiled list of 713 ships earning VSM/AFEM Vietnam credit (2010, for the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee) in which Dash does not appear (D-section verified by OCR: DAMATO -> DAVIDSON, no DASH; sister MSOs Dynamic MSO-432 and Loyalty MSO-457 do appear) - the deployment is carried as a NavSource-caption claim, verification partial, conflict logged. (h) Homeport - Charleston 1954 (DANFS); Newport RI 1972 (NavSource photo); Little Creek VA (Wikipedia infobox, uncited) - sequence undocumented, flagged.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1951-1984

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, official-derivative lists, and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. None of the sources bears on asbestos. OCR of the scanned NHHC list is a best-effort check - scan quality is mediocre but the alphabetical D-section is legible and internally consistent across two extraction passes.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dash-am428-09

10. [10]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021), Cause No. C19-0793RSL - order granting Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment; companion orders grant other defendants' MSJs [other_primary]

    Locator

    539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021); docket 2:19-cv-00793-RSL (W.D. Wash.)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Class-adjacent asbestos litigation exists for this vessel type: plaintiffs alleged decedent John Dale Wineland was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working engine rooms aboard Navy ships 1963-1984, including Agile/Aggressive-series ocean minesweepers USS Dynamic (MSO-432, 1963-66), USS Pledge (MSO-492, 1966-67), USS Loyalty (MSO-457, 1970-72), and USS Esteem (MSO-438, 1978-80) - wooden-hulled diesel MSO sisters of this hull in the same SCB-45A design family. The opinions record machinery-space work on 'diesel engines, pumps, air compressors, and valves.' Disposition per litigation-stage discipline: the located rulings are summary-judgment-stage defense wins (Crane Co. MSJ granted, 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149; companion MSJs granted) - merits-level negatives for that plaintiff, not exposure findings; the vessel/product allegations are pleadings and motion-stage record assertions, not adjudicated facts. No appellate disposition was located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2019-2021 litigation; exposure period alleged 1963-1980

    Population

    MSO engine-room sailors (class context), 1963-1980

    Limitations

    Context only - the cited case does not name or involve USS Dash/AM-428/MSO-428, and its sister-ship allegations never reached a merits finding on exposure. It establishes only that asbestos claims were litigated at the pleading/SJ stage for the same MSO type and diesel machinery spaces. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility for this hull. CourtListener API was quota-blocked at session time; the reporter citation and docket are verified via vLex metadata and defense-firm order mirrors; a CourtListener opinion URL was not resolved.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-dash-am428-10

11. [11]NARA archival leads: deck logs (RG 24) for AM/MSO-428, 1953-1982; Astoria Marine Construction contract file; RG 19 BuShips General Information Books / Dash-class contract plans; MARAD vessel status/disposal file for the 1984 sale [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA RG 24 deck logs; RG 19 ship records; MARAD disposal files (unretrieved)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Unretrieved primary records that could resolve the asbestos question and the open service-history gaps for this hull: NARA-housed deck logs covering 1953-1982 (these would document the disputed 1971-72 deployment itinerary, homeport sequence, and every yard availability); the Astoria Marine Construction contract file and RG 19 BuShips General Information Books / Dash-class (SCB-45A) contract plans, the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; the MARAD vessel status/disposal file for the 26 January 1984 sale to Wayne Hobbs; and NARA still photography of the hull under construction at Astoria (NavSource credits construction photos to Astoria Marine Construction Co. itself).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1951-1984 (record coverage)

    Limitations

    Lead only - none of these records were retrieved or reviewed; their existence is inferred from standard NARA holdings for Navy hulls of this era. They may or may not contain material or insulation specifications. NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch (same as prior batches).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-dash-am428-11