Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]DANFS, Devastator (AM-318), NHHC (live page serves 404 - Wayback capture of 2023-12-11 cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Devastator' entry, service narrative (Wayback capture 20231211225700)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 19 April 1943 by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. D. A. Shaw; commissioned 12 January 1944 (LCDR R. C. Gloss, USNR). Pearl Harbor convoy escort from 30 March 1944; Majuro/Kwajalein escort duty to 30 July; swept off French Frigate Shoal 3-17 August; Eniwetok voyage 4-25 September; Pearl Harbor training through end of 1944. Sailed 27 January 1945 escorting transports for Iwo Jima; 3 days of preinvasion minesweeping before the 19 February landings; escorted damaged vessels to Saipan; patrolled off Iwo Jima 1-7 March. Underway from Ulithi 19 March 1945 for preinvasion minesweeping at Okinawa; patrolled during and after the invasion; splashed an enemy plane about 50 yards off her port quarter in the heavy suicide attacks of 6 April; cleared Okinawa 4 July for minesweeping in conjunction with 3d Fleet raids on the Japanese mainland; sailed 15 July for Seattle, arriving 12 August for overhaul. Postwar: west coast operations with two extended Pearl Harbor periods for experiments in hull design development; out of commission 30 January 1947. Recommissioned 26 February 1952; Far East service 8 July 1952-5 February 1953 and 5 October 1953-2 June 1954 'carrying out dangerous sweeps in Korean waters'; out of commission in reserve 15 April 1955; reclassified MSF-318, 7 February 1955. Three WWII and two Korean War battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1955
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (complement ~105 per NavSource)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, not materials or asbestos content. Entry carries no spec block (no displacement/complement/propulsion figures), no laid-down date, no BAM-5/Lend-Lease identity, and no post-1955 disposition (entry predates or was never updated for the 1973 Mexican transfer - NavSource and the NHC Online Library supply those). Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-22 - standing Batch-01 link-rot defect; Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, USS Devastator (MSF-318) ex-AM-318 ex-HMS Augusta (BAM-5) - hull chronology, specifications, commanding-officer roster, photograph archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource archive page 11/02318, chronology + specifications blocks; CO roster; photo captions NH 96911 and 80-G-632291
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Hull-specific record: 'Auk Class Minesweeper'; laid down 15 December 1942 as HMS Augusta (BAM-5) by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA (a Lend-Lease hull retained by the USN); launched 19 April 1943; renamed and reclassified Devastator (AM-318) 23 January 1943; commissioned 12 January 1944; the Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists the decommission-and-reserve plan as December 1946; decommissioned 30 January 1947 at San Diego; recommissioned 26 February 1952; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-318 on 7 February 1955; placed out of commission, in reserve, 15 April 1955 and laid up in the Reserve Fleet; sold to Mexico in 1973 and renamed ARM Sabastian [sic] Lerdo de Tejada (C-74); reclassified G-06; fate unknown. Specifications: 890 t, 221'2" x 32'2" x 10'9", 18.1 kt, complement 105; one 3"/50 DP mount, two twin 40mm, two 20mm, two depth-charge tracks, five depth-charge projectors; propulsion 'Two 1,988shp Baldwin VO8 diesel electric drive engines, Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts.' Commanding-officer roster (LCDR Gloss through LCDR Larsen) and photographs: NH 96911 (c. 1952), Long Beach Press-Telegram coverage of the 29 February 1952 joint recommissioning of Competent (AM-316), Gladiator (AM-319), and Devastator, and NARA photo 80-G-632291 (Sasebo minesweeper nest, 8 October 1952).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1973 (documented); Mexican era to c. 2004
- Population
- USN crew 1944-47 and 1952-55 (complement ~105); Mexican Navy crew 1973-c.2004
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archive aggregating official data (DANFS, NVR) with photograph documentation; construction and registry dates agree with DANFS and uboat.net. Its '1,988shp' figure conflicts with the primary NAVSHIPS 250-011 machinery table's '2,976' for this hull's Baldwin VO8 line - variance logged in gaps. It misspells the Mexican name 'Sabastian' (correct: Sebastian). The 29 February 1952 photo-caption date vs. the 26 February recommissioning date is logged. 'Fate unknown' is the last word on Mexican-era disposition. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-02
-
[3]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USN Ships - USS Devastator (AM-318, later MSF-318), 1944-1973' (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the official NHC page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHC Online Library page for AM-318 (ibiblio mirror); photo entries NH 96911, 80-G-632291, USN 1046341
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHC photo-archive record for this hull: 'USS Devastator, an 890-ton Auk class minesweeper built at Alameda, California, was commissioned in January 1944. During the remaining part of World War II, she served in the Pacific and took part in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and in raids on Japan. Following the War's end, she operated off the U.S. West Coast and in Hawaiian waters until decommissioned in January 1947. Devastator returned to active service in February 1952 and twice deployed to the Far East over the next two years. In 1952-53, during the first deployment, she was engaged in Korean War minesweeping operations. Devastator was reclassified MSF-318 in February 1955 and was again decommissioned in the following April. Transferred to Mexico in 1973, she was renamed Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada and is still in service with the Mexican Navy.' Documents NARA-held photographs of this hull (80-G-632291, the 8 October 1952 Sasebo nest with Laertes AR-20; USN 1046341, early-1950s underway aerial).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1999 (page scope)
- Population
- USN crew 1944-47 and 1952-55; Mexican Navy crew post-1973
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical-center publication (ibiblio mirror, page dated 6 September 1999); its 'still in service' statement is a circa-1999 snapshot, not a current-status certification - secondary sourcing reports the ship retired by 2004. Contains no materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-03
-
[4]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II: Mine Vessels (less CM & DM), Patrol Vessels, Landing Ships and Craft, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (13 April 1945) - shipscribe.com scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011 Vol. II (shipscribe.com PDF): machinery table book p. 38 (PDF p. 54, DEVASTATOR AM318 row) and build table book p. 39 (PDF p. 55, General Eng. & D. D. Co. chain); index pp. 18, 332
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary BuShips tabulation for this hull. Build table (book p. 39): 'DEVASTATOR ..... AM318' in the unbroken 'General Eng. & D. D. Co.' ditto chain (block runs Champion AM-314 through Impeccable AM-320) - keel laid 15 Dec 42, launched 19 Apr 43, first commissioned 12 Jan 44. Machinery table (book p. 38): 'DEVASTATOR .... AM318 ..do 2,976 do' in the ditto chain begun at Champion AM-314 ('Baldwin V08 ... 2,976 Westgh ...') - a Baldwin VO8 diesel-electric plant at 2,976 shaft horsepower through a Westinghouse reduction gear, twin screws, no boilers. The table boundary confirms the two class blocks: Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 direct-drive Admirable hulls (Saunter AM-295 through Superior AM-311) end before the Baldwin VO8/Westinghouse diesel-electric Auk block begins at Champion AM-314.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (document coverage)
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades 1942-43
- Limitations
- Primary contemporary source for build dates and machinery plant; documents the plant type and printed horsepower, not materials or asbestos content. The '2,976' shaft-horsepower figure conflicts with NavSource's '1,988shp' for the same plant - the primary figure is carried and the variance logged in gaps. Scan OCR renders 'VO8' as 'V08' and 'A.C.' as 'A.O.' - read accordingly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Devastator (AM 318), ship 5248 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 5248, history block + commands table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborating hull record: 'Minesweeper of the Auk class'; 'Built by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co. (Alameda, California, U.S.A.)'; 'Laid down, 1942 as HMS Augusta (BAM 5) but was retained by the USN'; laid down 15 Dec 1942, launched 19 Apr 1943, commissioned 12 Jan 1944, end service 15 Apr 1955; decommissioned 30 January 1947; recommissioned 26 February 1952; reclassified MSF-318 on 7 February 1955; placed out of commission in reserve 15 April 1955; 'Sold to Mexico in 1973 and renamed Sabastian [sic] Lerdo de Tejada (C-74).' Wartime CO roster matches NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1973
- Population
- USN crew 1944-47 and 1952-55
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained reference consistent with DANFS, NavSource, and NAVSHIPS 250-011 on all carried facts; same 'Sabastian' misspelling as NavSource. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-05
-
[6]California Military Department, 'Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard, Alameda' history (militarymuseum.org), citing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District History (2005) [other_primary]
- Locator
- militarymuseum.org NIRS Alameda page (USACE LA District History 2005 text: GE&DD contract NObs-344, ways/piers, output counts, 1946 termination)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: the General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. yard at Alameda built small warships for the U.S. Navy under Contract NObs-344; the yard had four shipbuilding ways and seven fitting-out piers with two marine railways and a floating dry dock. 'By the end of World War II, General Engineering and Dry Dock Company built 16 1,250-ton minesweepers, 11 850-ton minesweepers, and four 560-ton anti-submarine net layers at the Site' (per the cited Colton yard table); the Navy terminated its contract in 1946. This is the yard that built AM-318 per DANFS and NAVSHIPS 250-011.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1917-1948 (site scope)
- Population
- Shipyard construction and repair workforce, Alameda, 1940-46
- Limitations
- Documents the builder yard and its WWII Navy contract role - does not name this hull and contains no asbestos or material-content information. General Engineering & Dry Dock is not represented in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset (37 yards); carried in gaps. The GE&DD site is distinct from the NAS Alameda/Alameda Point Superfund site and from Todd Shipyards' Alameda facility - do not conflate. The companion City of Alameda Alameda Marina HRE (2017) returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch at research time (see ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-06
-
[7]NAVSHIPS 250-011 machinery table (documented plant for this hull) + era construction practice for USN small combatants; NARA RG 19 General Information Books as archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011 machinery table (AM-318 line); era-practice synthesis per house model
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/type inference: a U.S. Navy diesel-electric minesweeper built 1942-43 under contract at a California yard would have carried period-standard asbestos applications - diesel exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical cable insulation (heavy on a diesel-electric plant with minesweep cable gear), deck coverings, bulkhead/joiner panels, and brake linings on winch, windlass, and minesweep machinery. The Auk-class plant was diesel-electric (for this hull, twin Baldwin VO8 drives per NAVSHIPS 250-011), so the steam-ship boiler/turbine insulation inventory does not apply; expected asbestos mass aboard is correspondingly smaller than on a steam combatant of the same era but not zero. NARA RG 19 General Information Books hold per-vessel material specifications and are the archival lead for hull-level confirmation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-c.2004
- Population
- GE&DD construction trades 1942-43; USN crew 1944-47 and 1952-55; Mexican Navy crew and yard workers 1973-c.2004
- Limitations
- Class/era and construction-type inference only - no primary source names asbestos aboard this hull. No asbestos survey, ship's material list, or specification document for AM-318 was located. Mexican-era service (1973-c.2004) and any re-engining or modification may have removed original machinery-space materials; undocumented either way. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-07
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 + indexed report text (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's program review of Navy asbestos exposure records the Navy's position that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' and that thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' Era-level confirmation that WWII-built Navy hulls carried asbestos-containing components; for this diesel-electric minesweeper the thermal-insulation pathway is largely absent by design, leaving the small-component uses (cable insulation, gaskets, clutch/brake linings, exhaust lagging) as the era-consistent candidates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1979 (report); WWII-era construction program
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews, WWII-1970s (program scope)
- Limitations
- Program-level finding, not hull documentation - the GAO report does not name this vessel or class. gao.gov full-text PDF returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (standing Batch-01 defect); product page and indexed report text used. Does not establish what was installed aboard AM-318.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-08
-
[9]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; J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- 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 the General Engineering & Dry Dock Alameda yard in 1942-43. 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
- 1941-1945 (studied era); 1987/1946 (publication)
- Population
- WWII shipbuilding trades (program scope)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level documentation - neither study names this hull, this class, or this yard. Supports the expectation of period-standard asbestos applications, not their confirmed presence aboard AM-318.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-09
-
[10]Declaration of Peter Neushul, Ph.D., Siegfried v. Owens-Illinois, No. 2:18-cv-01575 (C.D. Cal.) (RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384.52.0) - WWII Navy/USMC fireproof-insulation requirements and Navy QPLs [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP document 52-0, declaration paragraphs on WWII shipbuilding insulation requirements and Kaylo QPL listings
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Expert declaration documents that during WWII the U.S. Navy and U.S. Maritime Commission required fireproof insulation on military and civilian vessels, and that asbestos-containing thermal insulation products (e.g., Owens-Illinois Kaylo block and pipe insulation) appeared on Navy Qualified Products Lists under military specifications Mil-I-2819 and Mil-I-2781. Devastator was laid down in December 1942 inside this procurement regime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (described regime)
- Population
- WWII shipbuilding workforce (regime scope)
- Limitations
- Expert testimony filed in litigation - advocacy context, not a court finding; the declaration describes the procurement regime, not this hull. Does not establish that any specific asbestos product was installed aboard AM-318.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-10
-
[11]Batch-1289 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback); NHC Online Library (ibiblio); NavSource; NAVSHIPS 250-011 (shipscribe); uboat.net; CourtListener API v4; web-level litigation and BVA sweeps; militarymuseum.org NIRS Alameda; Atlas shipyards.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-devastator-am318-01 through sl-uss-devastator-am318-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, docketed asbestos litigation, or VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decision naming USS Devastator AM-318/MSF-318 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only web-level 'USS Devastator (AM-318)' asbestos hits are law-firm marketing pages listing the hull in minesweeper tables (mesotheliomahope.com, mesotheliomaveterans.org, lungcancergroup.com) - a banned source category, excluded. The hull passed to Mexico in 1973, 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 - era inference (ev-07) stands separately. Material limitation on this negative finding: the CourtListener API was quota-blocked at research time (authenticated request returned HTTP 429, daily cap exhausted, ~34,061s to reset), so the litigation sweep was performed at web level only (general search + site:courtlistener.com + site:va.gov); a full-text RECAP/docket re-run is pending and logged in the ledger. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-11
-
[12]NARA RG 19 General Information Books / Booklet of General Plans for AM-318; NARA RG 24 deck logs (1944-47 and 1952-55 commissions); 1945 Seattle overhaul yard records (yard unnamed in DANFS); SEMAR records for ARM Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada; NARA photos 80-G-632291 and USN 1046341 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) GIB series; NARA RG 24 deck-log holdings; NARA still-picture holdings; SEMAR historical archive
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved: NARA RG 19 General Information Books and the Booklet of General Plans for AM-318 would hold hull-level material specifications; NARA RG 24 deck logs for both commissions would document operations, availabilities, and the two Pearl Harbor 'hull design development' experiment periods (scope of any material work unknown); Bureau of Ships/yard records would identify the August 1945 Seattle overhaul facility; SEMAR records would document Mexican-era modifications and final disposition (retired by 2004 per secondary sourcing).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-c.2004 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Leads only - no retrieval performed. Nothing here is evidence of asbestos aboard this hull; the records may confirm, narrow, or fail to address the era-inference product list.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-devastator-am318-12