USS Embattle (AM-226)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Embattle' (AM-226) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (all live history.navy.mil URL variants return 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1148/1169/1177/1194/1198) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Embattle' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am226.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: 'The first Embattle (AM-226)' - Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3"; cl. Admirable). Launched 17 September 1944 by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio; commissioned 25 April 1945, Lieutenant P. A. Dulaney, USNR, in command. Sailed from Cleveland 30 April 1945 via the St. Lawrence Waterway; after voyage repairs at Boston and shakedown exercises at Norfolk, was en route to the Pacific when the war ended. After calling at San Pedro, Calif., continued to Okinawa, arriving 6 November 1945 to aid in postwar minesweeping operations there and in Japanese waters. Reported to Subic Bay, P.I., 21 March 1946; demilitarized and departed for Shanghai, China. Decommissioned there 29 May 1946 and turned over the same day to the Chinese Maritime Commission via the Foreign Liquidation Commission of the State Department. Embattle received one battle star for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   American Shipbuilding Lorain construction trades (1944); wartime/occupation crew (design complement 104), Apr 1945 - May 1946

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. It prints no laid-down date (1944-04-06 per NavSource/uboat.net/Colton context), names the CO only as 'P. A. Dulaney' (NavSource/uboat.net print 'Paul Sidney Dulaney' - flagged in ev-07), and its record ends at the 1946 transfer - it does not cover the Yung Hsing (A-7) career or fate. Mirror transcription cited because all live NHHC URL variants return 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Embattle (AM 226), file 11/02226 (chronology compiled from Naval Vessel Register and official sources; read via Wayback capture 2025-01-25, live navsource.org unreachable from this host) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02226 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO roster, photo captions (Wayback capture 2025-01-25 of navsource.org/archives/11/02226.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper; call sign Nan-Dog-Baker-Love; laid down 6 April 1944 by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, OH; launched 17 September 1944; commissioned USS Embattle (AM 226) 25 April 1945; decommissioned 29 May 1946 at Shanghai, China, 'turned over to the U.S. State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission for transfer to the Chinese Maritime Commission and renamed Yung Hsing (A 7)'; 'Fate unknown.' Header line: 'Embattle served the Navies of the United States and the Republic of China.' Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6"; 33'; 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 DP mount, one twin 40mm mount, six 20mm mounts, one hedgehog, four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO roster: LT Paul Sidney Dulaney, USNR, 25 April 1945 - 29 May 1946 (sole CO). Photos include the precommissioning crew c.1944, US Navy photo NH 81366 (Naval Historical Center, 1945-46), the decommissioning crew at Shanghai 1946, and a 'Chinese Navy photo' of Yung Hsing (A 7) from Jane's Fighting Ships 1958/59.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1946+ (compiled)

   Population

   AmShip Lorain construction trades (1944); U.S. crew 1945-46; Chinese-service crew 1946+

   Limitations

   Private photo/data archive, not an official source: laid-down date, propulsion spec, CO roster, and transfer particulars rest on a secondary compilation, though its chronology matches DANFS verbatim where the two overlap. Its 'served the Navies ... of the Republic of China' header conflicts with Wikipedia's 'Chinese Maritime Customs Service' assignment - the receiving-service question is flagged in ev-07. 'Fate unknown' is superseded in part by Colton's 'to Taiwan 1949, struck 1986' (secondary). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'AmShip Lorain - Lorain OH and Cleveland OH' yard table - hull #860 row (AM 226 Embattle) + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   amshiplorain.htm - hull #860 row + yard history header; block sisters #856-#859 (AM 222-225) and #854-855 (AM 385-386)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #860, 'Embattle (AM 226) | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 184 | Nov-45 | Transferred from Tampa SB, to China 1946 as Yung Hsing, to Taiwan 1949, struck 1986.' The table carries the consecutive AmShip Lorain Admirable-class block around her - #856 Disdain (AM 222, Dec-44, to USSR 1945), #857 Dour (AM 223, Nov-44, to Mexico 1962 as DM-16, struck 1986), #858 Eager (AM 224, Nov-44, to Mexico 1962 as DM-06, struck 1986), #859 Elusive (AM 225, Apr-45, to China 1946 as Yung Kang, to Taiwan 1949, scrapped 1964) - then AM 227-229 cancelled June 1944; the block was reallocated from Tampa Shipbuilding (TASCO) after TASCO's AM-222..AM-231 contract was cancelled. Yard history header: founded 1886 as Cleveland Shipbuilding (Coffinberry & Wallace); new yard at Lorain 1897; acquired 1899 by The American Ship Building Company as its Lorain Division; leading laker builder into the late 1970s; closed 1983.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1986

   Population

   AmShip Lorain construction workforce (Lorain, OH, 1944)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, yard hull number (#860), type, tonnage (650d), and the China-1946/Yung Hsing disposition, and adds the fullest secondary disposition located ('to Taiwan 1949, struck 1986'). Its 'Nov-45' delivery column conflicts with the documented 25 Apr 1945 commissioning (delivery-vs-commissioning column inconsistency seen elsewhere in Colton's tables - flagged in ev-07). 'Transferred from Tampa SB' refers to the contract reallocation, not a physical move of the hull. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-03

4. [4]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 American Shipbuilding's Lorain yard. 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 (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-04

5. [5]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - diesel, no boilers or steam distribution) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton; uboat.net) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02226 propulsion line; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton amshiplorain.htm; uboat.net ship/5296

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1944-launched, 1945-commissioned steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel twin-screw plant (NavSource: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels through a National Supply Co. 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 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: AmShip Lorain construction trades (1944); the U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across the single 1945-46 commission (post-surrender mine clearance at Okinawa and in Japanese waters - machinery-space and sweep-gear work); and the Chinese-service crew of 1946 onward - a population effectively invisible to U.S. claimant channels.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1986

   Population

   AmShip Lorain trades (1944); U.S. crew Apr 1945 - May 1946; Chinese-service crew 1946+

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-226 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel (non-steam) plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era. Chinese-service maintenance (1946+) and disposal are undocumented in located sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-05

6. [6]HyperWar/ibiblio - 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' compilation, per-hull page 'AM-226 USS Embattle' (Patrick Clancey, compiled from official sources) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-226_Embattle.html - specifications block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   HyperWar per-hull record for this hull (present in the compilation, unlike some Admirable-class siblings): 'Admirable Class Minesweeper: Displacement: 625 tons; Length: 184'6"; Beam: 33'; Draft: 10'; Speed: 15 knots; Armament: 1 3"/50; Complement: 104; Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.; Built at American Shipbuilding Co. and commissioned 1945.' Corroborates builder, class, dimensions, complement, and the diesel twin-screw plant type.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1946 (compiled)

   Population

   AmShip Lorain trades (1944); U.S. crew 1945-46

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation - its propulsion line ('diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.') conflicts with NavSource's hull-specific 'two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. reduction gear' and Wikipedia's 'ALCO 539'; the three-way spec conflict is flagged in ev-07 rather than reconciled. Displacement 625 t is a third variant (DANFS 530; NavSource 945 fl; Colton/Wikipedia 650d). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02226 vs Colton AmShip Lorain yard table vs uboat.net 5296 vs HyperWar AM-226 page vs Wikipedia article/infobox/navbox vs Jane's Fighting Ships 1958/59 (as captioned by NavSource) [other_primary]

   Locator

   losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am226.htm; navsource.org/archives/11/02226.htm (Wayback 2025-01-25); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/amshiplorain.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5296.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-226_Embattle.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Embattle_(AM-226) + /wiki/USS_Embattle set index

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Battle stars - DANFS and Wikipedia's own awards field/career section read ONE battle star; Wikipedia's intro sentence reads 'two battle stars' - internal Wikipedia error; DANFS's one carried. (b) CO initials - DANFS 'Lieutenant P. A. Dulaney, USNR' vs NavSource and uboat.net 'LT Paul Sidney Dulaney, USNR' - both variants documented; the middle initial is unresolvable from located sources. (c) Propulsion - NavSource hull-specific 'two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels + National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts' vs Wikipedia infobox '2 x ALCO 539 diesel engines, 1,710 shp' vs HyperWar 'diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - NavSource's Cooper Bessemer fit carried (hull-specific entry, consistent with the class machinery pattern for the later Admirable blocks); ALCO 539 is the class's AM-136..AM-165 machinery block; 'diesel-electric' reflects the class's diesel-electric drive lineage - all three documented. (d) Receiving service - DANFS/NavSource 'Chinese Maritime Commission' (state shipping board) vs Wikipedia infobox/navbox 'Chinese Maritime Customs Service' (civilian customs fleet) vs NavSource header 'served the Navies of ... the Republic of China' + Jane's 1958/59 'Chinese Navy photo' - unresolved; the FLC transfer mechanism is documented, the receiving service is not. (e) Delivery vs commissioning - Colton 'Nov-45' delivery vs DANFS/NavSource/uboat.net 25 Apr 1945 commissioning - the Apr-45 date is multiply attested and carried. (f) Disposition - Colton 'to Taiwan 1949, struck 1986' vs NavSource/Wikipedia 'fate unknown' - Colton carried as the fuller secondary disposition with the reservation flagged. (g) Name twin - USS Embattle (AM-434), a fleet minesweeper commissioned 16 November 1954 (Wikipedia set index), is a distinct hull; both names appear on marketing rosters and any litigation or service record must be attributed by hull number/dates, not name alone. (h) Displacement variants - 530 t (DANFS), 945 t fl (NavSource), 625 t (HyperWar), 650 long tons (Wikipedia/Colton 650d) - design-spec vs full-load vs tonnage-convention variance, unresolved.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1986

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. For the receiving-service and disposition questions, no Chinese/Taiwanese official record was located - the post-1946 half of this hull's career is documented only in secondary fleet listings (Colton, Jane's via NavSource, Wikipedia). No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-07

8. [8]Batch-1204 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/losthistory mirror; NavSource 11/02226 (Wayback 2025-01-25); Shipbuilding History AmShip Lorain yard table; uboat.net 5296; HyperWar per-hull page; Wikipedia article + set-index (AM-226 vs AM-434); CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - blocked by quota); Google-indexed courtlistener.com and va.gov searches; NVR; NARA catalog [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-embattle-am226-01 through sl-uss-embattle-am226-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Embattle / AM-226 / Yung Hsing (A-7): no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The authenticated CourtListener API v4 pass was blocked by daily-quota throttling (HTTP 429, shared 2,800/day key exhausted by prior same-day batch work; expected reset ~2h out) and not retried into a ban per batch rules; Google-indexed site:courtlistener.com results for 'USS Embattle'/'AM-226' returned only unrelated asbestos dockets - no qualifying litigation located via indexed results. VA BVA indexed decisions naming this hull: none located. Non-authoritative marketing rosters (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites page: 'USS Embattle | AM-226 | Admirable | 4/25/1945 | To China, 1946' plus the AM-434 name twin 'USS Embattle | AM-434 | 11/16/1954 | Scrapped, 1976'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper name list) carry the name in generic ship tables - 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 1944-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull left U.S. custody in 1946 and spent ~40 years in Chinese/Taiwanese service, so the survey/abatement paper trail that produces ship-specific records for museum or scrapped-in-US hulls was never generated in accessible channels. The blocked CourtListener API pass means the litigation negative finding rests on indexed web results only - residual risk 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-embattle-am226-08

9. [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 minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Embattle 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. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-embattle-am226-09

10. [10]Archival leads - NARA RG 24 deck logs and WWII muster rolls for this hull's single U.S. commission (Apr 1945 - May 1946); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the AmShip Lorain Admirable-class block (ordered 12 Aug 1943 per uboat.net; reallocated from the cancelled TASCO AM-222..AM-231 contract per Colton); Foreign Liquidation Commission transfer records for the 29 May 1946 Shanghai turnover; Republic of China Navy / Chinese Maritime Customs records for Yung Hsing (A-7), 1946-1986; NHHC photo NH 81366 [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02226 (photo credits); DANFS service narrative; uboat.net 5296 (order date)

    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's WWII muster-rolls series and RG 24 deck logs should cover this hull's single commission (Apr 1945 - May 1946) - sibling Admirable/Auk-class hulls are demonstrably indexed (batch-1148 noted Heed AM-100 via a DPLA item), so coverage for AM-226 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the AmShip Lorain block - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (c) Foreign Liquidation Commission records for the 29 May 1946 Shanghai transfer - the official paper trail for the Chinese custody handoff; (d) ROC Navy / Maritime Customs records for Yung Hsing (A-7), 1946 to Colton's 'struck 1986' - held in Taiwanese archives, inaccessible this session; (e) NHHC photographic holdings (NH 81366 is the catalogued 1945-46 image).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1944-1986 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-226 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, and FLC transfer records are personnel/operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. The Chinese/Taiwanese half of this hull's life (1946-1986) is doubly undocumented in U.S. sources. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-embattle-am226-10