USS Despite (AM-89)

Evidence

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

1. [1]DANFS, 'Despite' (AM-89) - official NHHC text verified via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (live history.navy.mil URL patterns despite.html / despite-i.html / despite-am-89.html return 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01 and same-day batches 1433/1434); verbatim transcription corroborated by the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture 2025-12-09 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/despite.html - specifications block + full service narrative + footnote; mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am89.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: spec block '(AM-89: dp. 295; l. 173'8"; b. 23'; dr. 11'7"; s. 17 k.; cpl. 65; a. 1 3"; cl. Adroit).' 'Despite (AM-89) was launched 28 March 1942 by Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pa.; sponsored by Miss R. Edwards; and commissioned 31 August 1942, Lieutenant H. E. Ferrill, USNR, in Command.' Service per DANFS: Port Royal Bay, Bermuda, 28 December 1942 - patrol duty and submarine exercises off Bermuda; convoy escorts to New York, Norfolk, Key West, and Jacksonville. New York 24 April 1944; Norfolk 15 May 1944; 'Her name was canceled and her classification changed to PC-1593 on 1 June.' Departed Norfolk 13 June for the Mediterranean - convoy escort into Bizerte, Tunisia, 23 July; Salerno 4 August (convoy delivered to Naples en route); Delta Task Force for the invasion of southern France 15-26 August - screening ships in convoy, acting as reference and liaison vessel, providing local escort services. Then Mediterranean duties: patrol off Palermo and the northern Italian coast; convoy escort between Palermo, Leghorn, Toulon, and Marseilles; harbor entrance control and liaison ship at Toulon; training exercises with Italian submarines at Palermo; maneuvers and landing exercises off Bizerte. Sailed from Oran 27 May 1945 for Charleston, S.C., arrived 13 June; decommissioned at Jacksonville, Fla., 17 December 1945; 'transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 16 September 1946.' 'PC-1593 received one battle star for World War II service.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   Dravo Corp. construction trades (Neville Island, 1941-42); wartime crew (design complement 65)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, launch/commission, service narrative, reclassification, disposal, and battle-star credit - not materials or asbestos content. It records no keel-laying date and no striking date for this hull (both rest on NavSource). The hazegray mirror transcription prints 'Despite (AM-59)' and 'cpl. 66' - transcription defects against the official text (AM-89, cpl. 65) flagged in ev-08. Live NHHC page 404s on every URL pattern tried; the 2025-12-09 Wayback capture of the official page is the cited text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - PC-1593 ex-Despite (AM 89), file 11/02089 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02089 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO roster (7 COs), photo captions ('Off Norfolk Navy Yard, 27 August 1943'; BuShips photo)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Laid down 24 November 1941 by the Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburg, PA; Launched 28 March 1942; Commissioned USS Despite (AM 89), 31 August 1942; Reclassified as a Submarine Chaser, PC-1593, 1 June 1944; Decommissioned 17 December 1945 at Jacksonville, FL; Struck from the Naval Register 8 January 1946; Transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 16 September 1946; Acquired in 1947 by Cornelius Kroll and Co. of Houston, TX for use as a tugboat and named Mustang; Scrapped in 1957.' Call sign Nan-Baker-Yoke-Oboe. AM-fit spec block: 295 t; 173'8"; 23' beam; 6'6" draft; 16 kts; complement 65; one 3"/50 dual-purpose gun mount, one 40mm mount, five 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks and two depth-charge projectors; 'Two 900hp Cooper Bessemer GNB8 diesel engines (Serial No. 1965 and 1966), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts.' Commanding-officer roster of seven: LT Homer Edward Ferrill, USNR (31 Aug 1942); LT Richard M. Zachariae, USN (1 May 1943); LT John Joseph Lind, USN (1 Jun 1943); LT Charles Andrew Hardy, Jr., USNR (10 Nov 1943 - 1 Mar 1944); LT Fredric Thomas Peck, Jr., USN (1 Mar - Jun 1944); LT John A. Foley, USNR (Jun 1944 - Aug 1945); LT William A. Duvall, USNR (Aug 1945 - 17 Dec 1945). Photo captions include 'Off Norfolk Navy Yard, 27 August 1943' and a Bureau of Ships photo of PC-1593.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1957

   Population

   Dravo trades (1941-42); commissioned crew (65); Norfolk Navy Yard presence documented 27 August 1943 (photo caption)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with DANFS on construction, reclassification, decommissioning, and disposal dates. It alone supplies the keel-laying date (24 Nov 1941), the striking date (8 Jan 1946), and the post-Navy chain (Kroll/Mustang/scrapped 1957) - none appears in DANFS, and the fate details conflict with other secondary readings (Colton 'sold 1948'; Wikipedia 'fate unknown') - flagged in ev-08. Its 'Two 900hp' propulsion line conflicts with the NavSource class index's '1,770 bhp' - flagged in ev-08. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Dravo, Pittsburgh PA' yard table - Despite (AM 89) row + yard history header; cross-checked against the 'Ocean Minesweepers (AM)' table (smallships/minesweepers1.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/dravoboats.htm - Despite (AM 89) row + yard-history header; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/minesweepers1.htm - AM 89-93 Dravo block rows

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Despite (AM 89) | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 295 | | 31-Aug-42 | PC 1593, sold 1948 as Mustang' - the delivery date matching the 31 August 1942 commissioning exactly. The minesweeper table adds context: 'AM 89 | Despite | Dravo | Pittsburgh PA | 174 | 295 | 1941 | 31-Aug-42 | PC 1593 1944, sold 1948 as Mustang' and lists the full Dravo block - AM 89 Despite (31-Aug-42), AM 90 Direct (31-Aug-42), AM 91 Dynamic (15-Sep-42), AM 92 Effective (1-Oct-42), AM 93 Engage (22-Oct-42). Yard history header: 'Dravo's Neville Island shipyard, in Pittsburgh, was started in 1919. It was activated by the Navy for WWII, to build LSTs, with an investment of $12mm. After the war it was a ship scrapping facility for a few years and then returned to building inland river barges and towboats. It closed in 1983.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1919-1983 (yard history); 1941-1948 (this hull's row)

   Population

   Dravo workforce (Neville Island, Pittsburgh, 1941-42; yard closed 1983)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, type, delivery (31-Aug-42 = commissioning), and disposal milestone ('PC 1593, sold 1948 as Mustang'; NavSource reads acquired 1947 - conflict flagged in ev-08). A yard table does not carry keel/launch dates. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser (SC/PC) photo index - 'Submarine Chaser 173-foot Steel Hull' class narrative covering the PC-461 type and the Adroit-class minecraft variant [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/12/01idx.htm - 'Submarine Chaser 173' Steel Hull' header narrative + Adroit-class paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Class-level construction narrative: 'in addition to 403 173-foot PC-class patrol craft ordered for the U.S. Navy in 1941, eighteen 173-foot hulls were ordered for use as minesweepers, as the Adroit class' - given names AM-82 through AM-99 (Adroit, Advent, Annoy, Conflict, Constant, Daring, Dash, Despite, Direct, Dynamic, Effective, Engage, Excel, Exploit, Fidelity, Fierce, Firm, Force), 'steel hulled, twin diesel propelled,' built by five yards. 'AM 82 through 88, built at Portland, Oregon ... The other 11 operated initially either from Bermuda (AM-89 to 93) or from mainland U.S. bases' - this hull's documented first-station group, matching DANFS's Bermuda arrival. 'Only the Annoy (AM-84) is recorded as having been used to sweep for mines ... the others principally were employed as convoy escorts. ... the 11 Atlantic units were cycled through the Norfolk Navy Yard during May and June 1944 to have their mine countermeasures gear removed and additional antisubmarine and antiaircraft ordnance added' - this hull's documented conversion yard (DANFS: Norfolk 15 May 1944, reclassified 1 June). 'On 1 June 1944, all 18 lost their names and were reclassified PC-1586 through 1603. Of the 11 Atlantic units, PC-1593-1597 were sent to the Mediterranean, where they saw service during the landings in France in August 1944 and elsewhere as local escorts. They returned to Jacksonville, Florida, in June 1945, seeing no further action.' 'At 450 tons full load, the Adroit class displaced 18 tons more than did the PCs. All but the last four built were propelled by two 1,770 brake horsepower Cooper-Bessemer GNB-8 diesels; AM-96-99 were given 1,440 brake horsepower Busch-Sulzer BS 539 diesels ... able to achieve 16.8 knots at 330 tons displacement ... about 4,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, and the normal crew comprised four officers and 61 enlisted personnel.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1945

   Population

   Construction trades at the five class yards (1941-43); Norfolk Navy Yard conversion workers (May-June 1944, Atlantic units)

   Limitations

   Class-level description that names this hull's design family, first-station group (AM-89..93 Bermuda), conversion yard (Norfolk Navy Yard, May-June 1944), and Mediterranean assignment (PC-1593..1597) - but carries no hull-specific materials information. Its 'two 1,770 bhp Cooper-Bessemer GNB-8 diesels' conflicts with the per-hull NavSource spec block's 'Two 900hp' - flagged in ev-08; carried unreconciled. Its 450-ton full-load figure reconciles HyperWar's 450 t vs DANFS's 295 (standard vs full-load conventions). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-04

5. [5]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' - PC-1593 (USS Despite) specification page (Patrick Clancey compilation, sourced from official-type references per its methodology note) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/PC/PC-1593.html - specification block (compiled 1997)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   PC-configuration spec block for this hull: 'PC-1568 class Submarine Chaser (ex Adroit class Minesweeper): Displacement: 450 tons; Length: 173'8"; Beam: 23'; Draft: 11'7"; Speed: 17 knots; Armament: 1 3"/50, 1 40mm; Complement: 105; Cooper Bessemer diesel engine, twin screws, 1,770 shaft hp. Built at Commercial Iron Works and commissioned as AM-89 1942; Converted to Sub Chaser (PC-1593) 1944.' The 450-ton figure matches the NavSource class index's full-load displacement ('At 450 tons full load, the Adroit class displaced 18 tons more than did the PCs'); DANFS's 295 is the standard/design displacement.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1945 (PC configuration)

   Population

   n/a (specification record)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation with a confirmed defect: 'Built at Commercial Iron Works' is wrong for this hull - Commercial Iron Works built AM-82 through AM-88 at Portland; AM-89 was built by Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh PA per DANFS, NavSource, Colton, and uboat.net (flagged in ev-08). Its complement (105) conflicts with DANFS/NavSource (65) - likely PC-fit vs AM-fit figures, unresolved. Its '1,770 shaft hp' is a total-plant reading between NavSource's 900-hp-per-engine (1,800) and the class index's 1,770-bhp-per-engine (3,540) - flagged in ev-08. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-05

6. [6]Consolidated era/design inference - documented construction and machinery (NavSource class index: steel-hulled, twin-diesel PC-461-type hull; 'two 1,770 bhp Cooper-Bessemer GNB-8 diesels'; NavSource per-hull spec block: 'Two 900hp Cooper Bessemer GNB8 ... two shafts') + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton Dravo and minesweeper tables, 1941-42) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/01idx class narrative (steel hull, machinery, class conversion) + 11/02089 propulsion line; DANFS AM-89 entry; Colton dravoboats.htm + minesweepers1.htm rows

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1941-42-built, steel-hulled, twin-diesel vessel - a PC-461-type hull completed as a minesweeper - with no boilers and no steam distribution, so its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's but not negligible: a steel hull still carried accommodation joiner work, electrical systems, and machinery requiring lagging and gasketing, and construction fell squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era (substitution did not begin until the early 1970s). Era-typical asbestos applications for a vessel of this type and period: engine and exhaust-system lagging on the two diesels and generator sets; machinery gaskets and packing; electrical-cable insulation; joiner/accommodation insulation; deck coverings/floor tile of the period; winch and windlass brake linings. Exposure-relevant populations if any such material was present: Dravo Corporation construction trades (Neville Island, Pittsburgh, 1941-42); the commissioned crew (~65) across the 1942-45 Bermuda, Norfolk, and Mediterranean service; Norfolk Navy Yard workers during the documented May-June 1944 conversion; Jacksonville decommissioning workers (1945); the Maritime Commission disposal workforce (1946); and - per secondary fate accounts - Cornelius Kroll tug crews (~1947/48 onward) and the 1957 scrapping workforce.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1957

   Population

   Dravo trades 1941-42; crew 1942-45; Norfolk Navy Yard workers May-June 1944; Jacksonville decommissioning workers 1945; MC disposal workforce 1946; Kroll/scrapping workforce ~1947-1957 (secondary)

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-89/PC-1593 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel (non-steam) plant weakens the inference relative to steam vessels of the same era, though the steel hull and 1941-42 construction keep it within the asbestos-era window. Post-Navy populations rest on secondary fate accounts (conflicts flagged in ev-08).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-06

7. [7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product-page description (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing condition since BATCH-01); and T.J. Bigley (Navy) letter to GAO, 5 Jan 1979, as quoted in 'The Asbestos Health Hazards Compensation Act,' Journal of Legislation (Notre Dame) 10(1) [gao]

   Locator

   gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2 product page; Notre Dame J. Legislation 10(1), 'The Asbestos Health Hazards Compensation Act' (scholarship.law.nd.edu/jleg/vol10/iss1/3) quoting Bigley letter of 5 Jan 1979

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Program-level documentation of the asbestos window containing this hull's entire construction and commission: GAO HRD-80-2 records that 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. A Navy letter to GAO dated 5 January 1979 (T.J. Bigley to Robert F. Hughes, quoted in the Notre Dame Journal of Legislation) states: 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos.' AM-89/PC-1593 was built 1941-42 and in commission 1942-45 - entirely inside the pre-1973 as-built asbestos era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1973-1979 policy window documented; hull era 1941-1946

   Population

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

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder. GAO's fieldwork concerned shipyard workers (Long Beach, Norfolk). The 'all ships' statement is quoted from a primary letter via a law-review source - the letter itself was not retrieved. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch (standing since Batch 01); the product-page description was relied on. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure - and for a diesel-plant vessel the proposition applies with materially reduced scope.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-07

8. [8]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS official text (Wayback capture) vs hazegray mirror vs NavSource 11/02089 + 12/01idx class index vs HyperWar PC-1593 spec block vs Colton yard tables vs Wikipedia/uboat.net/NavalCoverMuseum secondary readings [other_primary]

   Locator

   Wayback NHHC capture + losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am89.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02089.htm + 12/01idx.htm; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/PC/PC-1593.html; shipbuildinghistory.com dravoboats.htm + minesweepers1.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/9252.html; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/PC_1593; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Despite

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Mirror transcription defects - the losthistory/hazegray DANFS mirror prints 'Despite (AM-59)' (typo for AM-89; the official NHHC text via the 2025-12-09 Wayback capture reads AM-89) and 'cpl. 66' (official reads 65). (b) Builder defect - HyperWar's PC-1593 page prints 'Built at Commercial Iron Works,' wrong for this hull: Commercial Iron Works built AM-82-88 at Portland; AM-89 was Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh PA per DANFS, NavSource, Colton, and uboat.net. (c) Displacement - DANFS/NavSource '295' vs HyperWar '450 tons' vs class index 'At 450 tons full load ... 18 tons more than did the PCs' - resolved as standard/design (295) vs full-load (450) conventions. (d) Draft - DANFS spec block and HyperWar '11'7"' vs NavSource AM-fit '6'6"' - likely PC-fit vs AM-fit; unresolved. (e) Speed - DANFS/HyperWar '17 k' vs NavSource '16 kts' vs class index '16.8 knots at 330 tons' - consistent range, variants flagged. (f) Complement - DANFS/NavSource '65' and class index 'four officers and 61 enlisted' (=65) vs HyperWar '105' vs hazegray mirror '66' - likely PC-fit crew vs print variant; unresolved. (g) Propulsion - NavSource per-hull 'Two 900hp Cooper Bessemer GNB8' (=1,800 total; serials 1965 and 1966) vs class index 'two 1,770 brake horsepower' (=3,540 total) vs HyperWar '1,770 shaft hp' (total) vs Wikipedia '2 x 1,770 bhp' - engine type (Cooper-Bessemer GNB-8, two, twin screw) consistent; rating unresolved. (h) Armament - DANFS 'a. 1 3"' vs NavSource 'one 3"/50 DP, one 40mm, five 20mm, two DCT, two DCP' vs HyperWar '1 3"/50, 1 40mm' - likely spec-block brevity vs fit at different dates; unresolved. (i) Dates DANFS omits - keel laying (24 Nov 1941) and striking (8 Jan 1946) rest on NavSource (keel corroborated by uboat.net and NavalCoverMuseum; Colton's FY column reads 1941). (j) Post-1946 fate - NavSource 'Acquired in 1947 by Cornelius Kroll and Co. of Houston, TX ... named Mustang ... Scrapped in 1957' vs Colton 'sold 1948 as Mustang' vs NavalCoverMuseum 'Sold 1948 ... Scrapped in 1957' vs Wikipedia 'Named M/V Mustang from 1948 to 1950. Fate unknown' - sale year (1947 vs 1948) and ultimate disposition (scrapped 1957 vs unknown) unresolved.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1957

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. None of the sources bears on asbestos; the spec conflicts are documented so no downstream user silently merges incompatible figures.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-08

9. [9]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion 4601080; Google-indexed sweeps for 'USS Despite,' 'PC-1593,' 'AM-89' (search_ledger sl-09, sl-10, sl-11)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row ev-10 and search_ledger). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from 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 a claim arising from service aboard a WWII diesel minesweeper/subchaser would have faced; no such claim naming Despite, AM-89, or PC-1593 was located. Search-term note: 'despite' is a common English word - unqualified name searches are unreliable; all sweeps ran on 'USS Despite,' 'PC-1593,' and 'AM-89' as the qualifying strings.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2019 decision; sweeps 2026-09-22

   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 (its facts post-date this hull's era). A complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; no pleading naming this hull was located. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-despite-am89-09

10. [10]Batch-1440 search ledger (this record): DANFS official text via verified Wayback capture + hazegray/losthistory mirror; NavSource 11/02089 + 12/01idx class index; HyperWar Ships of the U.S. Navy PC-1593 page; Shipbuilding History Dravo + minesweeper tables; uboat.net; NavalCoverMuseum; Naval Vessel Register probe; MARAD vessel history database; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - throttled) + Google-indexed sweeps; VA BVA index via Google; DPLA/NARA war-diary probe; Wikipedia (secondary lead) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-despite-am89-01 through sl-uss-despite-am89-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Despite / AM-89 / PC-1593: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, 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). CourtListener coverage caveat: the authenticated API returned HTTP 429 ('Request was throttled. Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in 15226 seconds' - the shared quota was exhausted by earlier same-day batch work; no unauthenticated queries were run). The litigation sweep therefore ran through Google-indexed CourtListener content and general web: 'PC-1593' surfaced only document-number collisions ('Doc 1593 Filed...' in unrelated dockets) and 'USS Despite'/'AM-89' surfaced no vessel-naming hit in any opinion or docket index reachable. Non-authoritative marketing rosters carry the name in generic ship tables - mesothelioma.com's minesweepers page lists 'USS Despite | AM-89 | Adroit | 8/31/1942 | To Maritime Commission, 1946' - excluded per source rules; it carries 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 1941-42 steel-hulled naval vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull was disposed of via the Maritime Commission in 1946 and scrapped in 1957 per secondary accounts, so no present-day survey pathway exists. The CourtListener sweep is incomplete (shared-cap exhaustion) - a fully authenticated re-sweep of opinions and RECAP dockets remains an open verification step. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-despite-am89-10

11. [11]Archival leads - NARA RG 24 deck logs for this hull's August 1942 - December 1945 commission; WWII muster rolls; war-diary microfilm series (DPLA-indexed sibling example: 'USS ADVENT - War Diary, 6/1-30/43,' Micro Serial 53523, NARA ID 135908264 - a parallel Despite item plausible but unverified); NHC photo S-511-13 ('Mine Sweeper - Adaptation of PC 452 Type,' 6 January 1941 - class design record credited on NavSource class pages); NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records per the asbestos guided-topic page - hull files 'AM89'/'PC1593,' PC-461/Adroit-class correspondence, 'QM/Dravo' contract files, Entry P-11 minesweeper General Information Books (Item S-68), S39/S48/S103 hull-series drawings; RG 181 Norfolk Naval Shipyard job files (May-June 1944 conversion); U.S. Maritime Commission disposal file for the 16 September 1946 transfer + Cornelius Kroll sale record [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24/181 group guides + asbestos guided-topic page (archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos); NavSource 11/02089 + class-page photo credit (NHC S-511-13); DPLA item for sibling Advent war diary (batch-1434 record)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Aug 1942 - Dec 1945 - the documentary base for the Bermuda, Norfolk, and Mediterranean operations; (b) muster rolls for the commission period; (c) war diaries in the NARA microfilm series where sibling hull Advent's 'USS ADVENT - War Diary, 6/1-30/43' is indexed (DPLA item, NARA ID 135908264 - a parallel Despite item is plausible but unverified); (d) NHC photo S-511-13, the 6 January 1941 'Adaptation of PC 452 Type' design plan credited on NavSource's class pages - the closest existing thing to a class design record; (e) NARA RG 19 BuShips records per the asbestos guided-topic page - hull files 'AM89'/'PC1593,' PC-461/Adroit-class correspondence, 'QM/Dravo' contract files, P-11 minesweeper GIBs, and S39/S48/S103 hull-series drawings - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (f) RG 181 Norfolk Naval Shipyard job files for the May-June 1944 conversion (the Atlantic units' documented conversion yard per the class index; the hull is also photographed off Norfolk Navy Yard 27 August 1943 per NavSource); (g) the U.S. Maritime Commission disposal file for the 16 September 1946 transfer and any Cornelius Kroll sale record - the documentary path to the hull's post-Navy fate.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1941-1948 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-89/PC-1593 is unknown until surveyed in person. Deck logs, muster rolls, war diaries, and contract files are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation; the BuShips design file is the best candidate for a material schedule. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-despite-am89-11