Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Dominant II (AM-431/MSO-431), Naval Historical Center entry, history revised 2007-06-20 by Dr. Timothy L. Francis (live NHHC URL 404s; Wayback capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/d5/dominant-ii.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full DANFS Dominant II entry; spec block: dp 620; l 172'; b 36'; dr 10'; s 16 k.; cpl 74; a. 1 40mm; cl. Agile
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity and service history per the official NHHC DANFS entry: launched 1953-11-05 by C. Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co., Kingston, N.Y., sponsored by Mrs. Belle S. Hiltebrant; commissioned 1954-11-08, Lt. Samuel F. McMurray commanding; redesignated MSO-431 on 1955-02-07 during shakedown at Key West; homeported Charleston, S.C. from 1955-11-10 (Mine Force Atlantic, Mine Division 43); European/Mediterranean deployments 1956-1959; shifted to Little Creek, Va. 1959-03; towing/recovery services for BUSHIPS under COMOPTEVFOR; West Indies and Mediterranean deployments through 1967; NASA contingency services off Bermuda 1963-04; Exercise Silver Tower (Halifax) 1968-09; extensive modernization at Old Dominion Shipyard, Norfolk, starting early 1969; Mine Division 23 from 1971-04; Naval Reserve Training ship 1971-07-01 (Mine Squadron 12; later NRF), homeported St. Petersburg, Fla. from 1971-08-20; Perth Amboy, N.J. from 1977-07-01 (cross-deck transfer with Exultant MSO-441); assisted sinking yacht That Boat off Shinnecock Inlet 1979-06; Mariel boatlift operations in the Straits of Florida 1980-06-05 to 1980-06-11 (refugee rescues; refused a Cuban gunboat's demand to return a refugee); final West Indies deployment 1982-06-02 to 1982-07-20; decommissioned and stricken at Charleston 1982-10-01; sold for scrap to Wayne Hobbs of Huntington Beach, Calif. on 1983-12-07.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-1984
- Population
- Crew ~74 (DANFS); reserve-training composite crews 1971-1982
- Limitations
- Authoritative ship-specific service history, but the entry contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement whatsoever - it establishes timeline, homeports, and the 1969 Old Dominion Shipyard modernization period only. Does not establish asbestos presence, absence, quantity, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dominant-am431-01
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[2]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Dominant (MSO-431) ex-AM-431 page (contributor-compiled from official records; direct fetch blocked, Wayback capture used) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSO-431 page, specifications block and chronology
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction and propulsion data: laid down 1952-04-23 at Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co., Kingston, N.Y.; propulsion two General Motors 8-278A diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable-pitch propellers (diesel plant - no boilers or steam system); complement 78; disposal entry 'sold for scrap 26 January 1984 to Wayne Hobbs of Huntington, CA, for $22,229'; page labels the hull 'Dash Class Minesweeper.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-1984
- Population
- Hiltebrant Dry Dock construction trades (Kingston, NY, 1952-1953)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archival compilation, not an official record. Conflicts with DANFS on three points: disposal date (1984-01-26 vs DANFS 1983-12-07), complement (78 vs 74), and class label ('Dash class' vs DANFS 'Agile'). The laid-down date (1952-04-23) is not stated in DANFS and rests on this compilation. Establishes the diesel propulsion type; no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dominant-am431-02
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[3]NavSource MSO-431 specifications block (diesel propulsion) + Agile-class construction as documented in standard references (Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995, cited via class literature) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource propulsion line; Agile-class construction description (class literature)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: the Agile-class ocean minesweepers (built 1951-1957) were nonmagnetic, largely wooden-hulled vessels with diesel propulsion - no boilers, turbines, or steam piping, eliminating the highest-density asbestos systems of steam warships. Navy construction of 1952-54 nevertheless commonly used asbestos-containing materials; typical applications for the type included engine exhaust-pipe and silencer lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, joiner and bulkhead insulation panels, deck coverings, and accommodation-space insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-1954 construction; service era 1954-1982
- Population
- Construction trades (Hiltebrant, 1952-53); crew; overhaul workers incl. Old Dominion Shipyard 1969
- Limitations
- Era/design-level inference, not a hull record - no source located documents asbestos-containing material aboard this specific hull, and the largely wooden construction plausibly lowered density relative to steel steam ships without eliminating it. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Hull-material claim rests on secondary references, not an official specification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dominant-am431-03
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[4]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its insulation-removal/worker-protection policies during the period Dominant was in active service and undergoing overhaul (including the documented 1969 Old Dominion Shipyard modernization). The report establishes that asbestos was extensively used in naval vessel construction and that removal and protection programs were active Navy-wide in the ship's era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (era context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; does not name this vessel or establish what asbestos was aboard or disturbed on it. GAO fieldwork yards were Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Long Beach Naval Shipyard - Dominant's documented 1969 modernization was at Old Dominion Shipyard, a separate private yard in the same Norfolk area. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dominant-am431-04
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[5]Batch-1345 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live + Wayback); hazegray DANFS transcription; NavSource; Naval Vessel Register; NARA deck-log digitization program; DoD-published Mariel boatlift history (Larzelere); web litigation search; CourtListener API (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dominant-am431-01 through sl-uss-dominant-am431-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, donation/disposal hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Dominant (AM-431/MSO-431) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener opinion/docket sweep could not be completed - the API returned HTTP 429 (2,800/day cap exhausted); that repository is pending re-run, so the litigation picture is unverified rather than empty.
- 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 - absence here is a documentation result, not a physical finding. The blocked CourtListener sweep is the record's largest open surface; treat the litigation column as unsearched, not negative. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dominant-am431-05
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[6]NARA, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992 (deck-log series; VA/NARA digitization program progressively publishing file units - sister MSO-474's 1956 log confirmed digitized in the National Archives Catalog) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Navy deck-log portal; catalog.archives.gov/id/204732602 (MSO-474 exemplar)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: Dominant's commissioned-era deck logs (1954-1982) fall within NARA's Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations series, which is being digitized through the VA Blue Water Navy partnership; ocean-minesweeper file units are confirmed present (e.g., Vital MSO-474, March 1956, catalog id 204732602). Dominant-specific file units were not individually confirmed in this session. Deck logs would document yard periods, material condition entries, and personnel relevant to any future exposure analysis.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1954-1982 (records); digitization ongoing
- Limitations
- Lead only - the catalog record for this hull's logs was not individually confirmed (catalog search is JS-driven; no box-level or file-unit retrieval performed). Deck logs do not typically name insulation materials; they establish operational context, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dominant-am431-06