Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Defense' (AM-317) - official NHHC entry, verified verbatim from Wayback capture 2023-05-30 (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01); verbatim mirror transcription at hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am317.htm agrees word-for-word [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Defense' entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 20230530075721 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/defense.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull: Auk-class minesweeper (dp. 890; l. 221'2"; b. 32'2"; dr. 10'9"; s. 18 k.; cpl. 105; a. 1 3"; cl. Auk). Launched 18 February 1943 by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. A. Duncanfield; commissioned 10 January 1944, Lt. Cmdr. G. Abbott, USNR, in command. Service: sailed San Francisco 24 Mar 1944, convoy escort to Majuro; minesweeping and escort off Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, 9-19 Apr; Pearl Harbor; convoy escorts to Majuro and Eniwetok 8 May-9 Jul; experimental minesweeping at Pearl Harbor to 22 Jul; San Francisco 30 Jul; Aug-Dec 1944 shakedown services off San Diego and Hawaiian exercises. Sailed Pearl Harbor 27 Jan 1945; off Iwo Jima 16 Feb as pre-invasion bombardment began; antisubmarine screen until landings 19 Feb; escorted unladen transports to Saipan; patrolled off Iwo Jima 1-7 Mar; Ulithi 10 Mar; minesweeping out of Kerama Retto for the Okinawa landings 1 Apr. During the massive suicide-plane attack 5 days after the initial landings (6 Apr 1945), Defense engaged four attackers - splashed one, drove one off, and was struck by the other two after they had been heavily damaged by her antiaircraft fire; despite her own damage she rescued 50 men from Newcomb (DD-586) and towed crippled Leutze (DD-481) to Kerama Retto. Temporary repairs completed 11 Apr 1945; occupation duty at Okinawa, Guam, and Japanese ports; served in Japan until 6 Mar 1946; cleared Kobe for San Diego, arriving 21 Apr; out of commission in reserve 31 May 1946. Recommissioned 16 Feb 1952 at Long Beach; sailed for Yokosuka 7 Jul, arriving 15 Aug; Korean-waters minesweeping at Inchon and the Wonsan-Chongjin-Songjin area until 8 Jan 1953; Long Beach 5 Feb; second Far East tour 5 Oct 1953-2 Jun 1954; Southern California ops until placed out of commission in reserve 15 Apr 1955. Reclassified MSF-317 on 7 February 1955. Two battle stars for World War II and two for the Korean War.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1955
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades (Alameda, 1942-44); wartime and Korean-era crew (design complement 105)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. No laid-down date or Lend-Lease origin is given (NavSource supplies both). The live NHHC URL returns 404 - the 2023-05-30 Wayback capture of the official page is cited, with the hazegray verbatim transcription agreeing word-for-word; the ibiblio transcription of the same entry carries multiple OCR misprints - see correction row ev-08.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Defense (MSF 317) ex-AM-317, ex-HMS Amity (BAM 4), file 11/02317 (navsource.org unreachable this session - cited via Wayback capture 2024-05-26) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02317 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO roster, photo credits (Wayback capture 20240526183558)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record: laid down 2 October 1942 as HMS Amity (BAM 4) - a Lend-Lease hull - by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA; renamed and reclassified Defense (AM-317) 23 January 1943; launched 18 February 1943; commissioned 10 January 1944. Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as April 1946. Out of commission, in reserve, 31 May 1946 at San Diego (Pacific Reserve Fleet). Recommissioned 10 February 1952 at Long Beach, CA. Reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-317, 7 February 1955. Out of commission, in reserve, 15 April 1955 at Long Beach (Pacific Reserve Fleet). Struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1972. Sold to Mexico 3 January 1973 and renamed ARM Manuel Doblado (C-73); reclassified G-05 and P-104; 'Currently in service at Manzanillo, Mexico.' Specifications: 890 t; 221'2" x 32'2" x 10'9"; 18.1 kts; complement 105; one 3"/50 DP mount, two twin 40mm mounts, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks, five depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 1,498-shp Baldwin VO8 diesel-electric engines, Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign November-Charlie-India-Victor. CO roster incl. LCDR Gordon Abbott USNR (10 Jan 1944-3 Jun 1945 and 30 Jun-7 Nov 1945) and LCDR Robert Albert Latka USN (1953). Photos include a 17 Mar 1944 NARA image, a 30 Sep 1945 view, a circa-1952 NH 96912 portrait, the 8 Oct 1952 Sasebo nesting with sisters and AR-20 (photo 80-G-63229), and Mexican-service views c. 2010-2011 at Manzanillo alongside sister ARM Mariano Escobedo (P-103, ex-Champion AM-314).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-2011
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1942-44); both commissions' crews (complement 105); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946-52, 1955-72); Mexican Navy crews (1973-)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; construction/registration dates agree with DANFS except its '10 February 1952' recommissioning (DANFS reads 16 February - flagged in correction row ev-08 and gaps, not merged). 'Currently in service at Manzanillo' is a status snapshot supported by c. 2010-2011 photographs, not a current-status certification. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-02
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'General Engineering, Alameda CA' yard table - hull #54 row (AM 317 Defense); yard history header [other_primary]
- Locator
- general.htm - 'GENERAL ENGINEERING, Alameda CA' table, hull #54 row + yard history header; militarymuseum.org NIRS Alameda page; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/USN-Act/CA.html (contract NObs-344)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #54, 'AM 317 | Defense | US Navy | Minesweeper | 1250 [tons] | Delivery 10-Jan-44 | Intended to be HMS Amity (BAM 4) but retained, to Mexico 1963 as Manuel Doblado (C 73), active.' The same yard block lists her consecutive sisters - #51 AM 314 Champion (intended HMS Akbar BAM 1), #52 AM 315 Chief (HMS Alice BAM 2), #53 AM 316 Competent (HMS Amelia BAM 3), #55 AM 318 Devastator (HMS Augusta BAM 5), #56 AM 319 Gladiator (HMS Blaze BAM 6) - confirming a consecutive General Engineering Lend-Lease-retained minesweeper block. Yard history header: began as Barnes & Tibbitts (1916), renamed General Engineering & Dry Dock Company 1922, bought the Hanlon Dry Dock yard in Oakland as a repair yard 1928; both yards closed 1948; the Clement Avenue site is now Alameda Marina. Separately documented: the yard worked under Navy contract NObs-344 within the Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard Alameda (California Military Department NIRS Alameda history; HyperWar 'US Naval Activities WWII - California' lists the Officer in Charge of Construction, contract NObs-344, at the yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1973
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction workforce (Alameda, CA, 1942-44)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS on builder and delivery/commissioning date. Its 'to Mexico 1963' is a propagated misprint - the hull was USN-commissioned through April 1955, in the Pacific Reserve Fleet until struck 1 July 1972, and sold to Mexico 3 January 1973 per NavSource; 1963 is impossible. Its '1250' tonnage is a standard table value differing from DANFS's 890-ton figure - DANFS carried. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-03
-
[4]Navypedia, 'LEANDRO VALLE corvettes (1942-1945/1973)' - Mexican Navy escort roster row for Manuel Doblado (ex-'Defence') + class-level service notes; corroborated by NavSource Mexican-service photographs and NavalCoverMuseum designation history [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia.org/ships/mexico/mex_es_leandro_valle.htm - Manuel Doblado table row + class notes; NavSource 11/02317 photo block; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/DEFENSE_MSF_317; seaforces.org Mexican Navy roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Mexican-service disposition for this hull: Navypedia lists 'Manuel Doblado (ex-Defence)' - General Engineering, Alameda; laid down 10.1942; launched 18.2.1943; completed 1.1944; to Mexico 2.1973; pennants G05, then P104 from 1993; 'in service (2019).' Its class note documents that the ex-Auk transfers went to Mexico without minesweeping and ASW equipment for use as patrol vessels, and that all survived 1988-2002 and were re-engined in the early 2000s with two Caterpillar diesel-generators (3,500 hp, 20 kts) - with Mariano Escobedo, Manuel Doblado, and Valentin Gomez Farias additionally receiving a helicopter deck (9 t, 26 kt, 12 m patrol craft). NavSource photographs independently document the hull at Manzanillo c. 2010-2011; NavalCoverMuseum and seaforces.org confirm the C-73 -> G-05 -> P-104 designation sequence.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-2019
- Population
- Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico) crews and refit workers, 1973-present
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations, mutually consistent on disposition; Navypedia's '2.1973' acquisition month vs NavSource's 'sold 3 January 1973' likely reflects sale-vs-delivery - both carried, not merged. 'In service (2019)' is a listing snapshot; a Wikipedia body claim of active service 'as of December 2025' footnotes only Wertheim's 2007 Combat Fleets edition - a 2007 source cannot verify a 2025 status; current status is unverified in official sources. Mexican-era re-engining and helicopter-deck work are documented at class-note level; their effect on any original-era materials aboard is undocumented. No asbestos information in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-04
-
[5]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two 1,498-shp Baldwin VO8 diesel-electric engines; HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AM-317 page: 'Diesel engine or diesel engine with electric drive, twin screws, 3,500 h.p.') + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton; contract NObs-344) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02317 propulsion line (Wayback 20240526183558); HyperWar AM-317_Defense page spec list; DANFS construction/service dates
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is a 1942-43-built steel Auk-class minesweeper with a diesel-electric twin-screw plant (two Baldwin VO8 diesels, Westinghouse reduction gear) - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1942-43 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, winch and windlass brake linings, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Alameda construction trades (1942-44); the wartime crew (design complement 105) across the Gilberts, Marshalls, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa campaigns - including repair work after the ship took two kamikaze hits on 6 April 1945; the 1952-55 second-commission crew (Korean-waters minesweeping); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946-52, 1955-72); and Mexican Navy crews and refit workers (1973-present) including the undocumented early-2000s re-engining and helicopter-deck installation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-present
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1942-44); crew 1944-46 and 1952-55; battle-damage repair workers (Apr 1945); reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-72; Mexican Navy crews/refit workers 1973-present
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-317/MSF-317 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel-electric plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-05
-
[6]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); and Fleischer, W.E., et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (article); PubMed PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and wartime construction program under which this hull was built at General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Alameda (Navy contract NObs-344, NIRS Alameda). The USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; articles 1946/1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding and naval-vessel construction generally; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder yard. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel-electric minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-06
-
[7]Batch-1288 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC via Wayback + hazegray mirror; NavSource via Wayback; Colton yard table; uboat.net; Navypedia/NavalCoverMuseum/seaforces Mexican disposition; CourtListener API v4; web-level litigation and BVA sweeps; NARA/DPLA aggregators [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-defense-am317-01 through sl-uss-defense-am317-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Defense / AM-317 / MSF-317 / ARM Manuel Doblado: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, docketed asbestos case, or VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decision naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Web-level litigation sweeps (general search + site:courtlistener.com + site:va.gov) returned only non-qualifying material: every CourtListener-surface hit is a 'defense' common-word collision (federal defense, government-contractor defense); the single BVA hit (Citation Nr. 1225576, 2012) concerns USS Diachenko (APD-123), not this hull. Non-authoritative marketing listicles (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table lists 'USS Defense | AM-317 | Auk | 1/10/1944 | To Mexico, 1973'; mesotheliomahope.com generic minesweeper roster) - name-list mentions only, excluded per source rules. The hull survives in Mexican service, so no U.S. disposal/scrapping hazmat documentation exists.
- 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 1942-43-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel-electric insulation load. Material limitation: the CourtListener API was quota-blocked at research time (authenticated request returned HTTP 429, 2800/day shared cap exhausted, ~9.5h reset), so the litigation sweep was performed at web level only; a full-text RECAP/docket re-run is pending and logged in the ledger. 'Defense' is an extremely high-collision name - every court opinion contains the word as a legal term, so any future sweep must rely on hull-number queries ('AM-317', 'MSF-317'). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-07
-
[8]Source-discrepancy resolution - official NHHC DANFS text (Wayback 2023-05-30) vs ibiblio DANFS transcription vs hazegray mirror vs NavSource 11/02317 vs uboat.net vs Colton vs Wikipedia infobox [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback 20230530075721 NHHC DANFS 'Defense' entry; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AM/am317.html; hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am317.htm (Wayback 20240620114937); NavSource 11/02317 (Wayback 20240526183558); uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5247.html; historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/Defense.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Defense
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged. (a) The ibiblio/HyperWar DANFS transcription (transcriber P. Clancey) carries a cluster of OCR misprints against the official text: 'cpl. 106' (official 105); 'reclassified MSF 317, 7 February 1966' (official 1955 - the fleet-wide AM-to-MSF date); '27 January 1946' for the Iwo Jima departure (official 1945 - the landings were February 1945); '6 days after the initial landings' (official 5 days - the 6 April 1945 Kikusui attack); 'rescuing 60 men from Newcomb (DD-686)' (official 50 men from DD-586 - DD-686 was Halsey Powell, a different destroyer); 'arriving 16 August' (official 15 August); '6 October 1953' second-tour start (official 5 October); 'placed out of commission in reserve 16 April 1956' (official 15 April 1955). HistoryCentral repeats the same misprints - a derivative of the flawed transcription. The hazegray transcription (Y. Hubert) agrees verbatim with the official text. (b) Recommissioning date: DANFS and Wikipedia read 16 February 1952; NavSource and uboat.net read 10 February 1952 - carried as DANFS per official priority, conflict flagged. (c) Colton yard table prints 'to Mexico 1963' - impossible (hull in USN commission/reserve through 1972); sold 3 January 1973 per NavSource is carried. (d) Navypedia prints the prior name as 'Defence' (British spelling) - the USN hull was 'Defense'; carried as written, not adopted. (e) Propulsion horsepower: NavSource 2 x 1,498 shp Baldwin VO8 vs HyperWar '3,500 h.p.' vs Wikipedia '2 x 2,976 shp' (a combined figure mislabeled per-engine) - NavSource carried. (f) Wikipedia body text claims Manuel Doblado 'in active service with the Mexican Navy' as of December 2025 citing only Wertheim 2007 - the source cannot support the date; unverified.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-2025
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, mirror transcriptions, and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The ibiblio misprint cluster is documented so downstream consumers do not inherit wrong values. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-08
-
[9]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 4601080
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from WWII-era Navy-vessel asbestos exposure ran under maritime law against equipment manufacturers, and the Supreme Court's DeVries decision settled the 'bare-metal defense' framework - manufacturers that supplied bare equipment had a duty to warn where their products required asbestos-containing parts. It illustrates the litigation posture claims arising from service aboard a WWII diesel-electric minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Defense was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2019 decision
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the cited case does not name or involve this hull, and DeVries addressed manufacturers' duty to warn for asbestos-containing components on Navy vessels generally. Classification note: a complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; no pleading naming this hull was located (litigation sweep incomplete - CourtListener quota-blocked, web-level only). Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-09
-
[10]Archival leads - DPLA-indexed NARA item 'AM 318 Booklet of General Plans' (Records of the Bureau of Ships Ship Engineering Drawings - Plans for the Minesweeper USS Devastator AM-318, the adjacent hull in this construction block); NARA RG 24 deck logs; NARA RG 19 General Information Books and the contract NObs-344 construction file; muster-rolls series coverage probable but unconfirmed for this hull; SEMAR (Mexican Navy) service and refit records for Manuel Doblado [other_primary]
- Locator
- dp.la item 36b116f11e565c093115978dfab466e2 ('AM 318 Booklet of General Plans', Bureau of Ships Ship Engineering Drawings); archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; SEMAR historical archive
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog API requires a key this session): (a) the DPLA aggregator indexes a NARA Bureau of Ships 'Booklet of General Plans' for USS Devastator (AM-318) - the next hull in the same General Engineering block (yard #55) built to the same design; the booklet is design-level documentation that would show the material arrangements of this hull's class block, and a hull-labeled AM-317 booklet may exist in the same series; (b) NARA's WWII muster-rolls series demonstrably covers sister hulls (indexed items exist for Heed AM-100 and Dipper AM-357) - a 'Defense (AM-317)' item for 1944-46 is probable but no hull-labeled item was located via the aggregator this session; (c) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the commissioned periods (1944-46, 1952-55), including the April 1945 battle-damage and repair entries; (d) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the contract NObs-344 file for the General Engineering minesweeper block (yard hulls 51-56) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (e) SEMAR historical records for ARM Manuel Doblado, including the early-2000s re-engining and helicopter-deck refit - the resolution path for whether original-era materials were removed or remain aboard.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-present records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-317/MSF-317 is unknown until surveyed in person. The AM-318 booklet documents the sister/design, not this hull. Muster rolls and deck logs are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-defense-am317-10