Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]DANFS, 'Embattle' entry (AM-434 paragraph), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror (Wayback capture 2012-05-11); live NHHC pages 404 at every Embattle slug tried (standing NHHC link rot, per Batch-01 notes) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block + full service narrative (mirror of the NHHC text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull: 'The second Embattle (AM-434) was launched 27 August 1953 by Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. S. R. Towne; and commissioned 16 November 1954, Lieutenant E. C. Hill in command. She was reclassified MSO-434, 7 February 1955.' Served with Mine Forces, Pacific Fleet, home port Long Beach - type training and exercises along the west coast; Far East cruises May-November 1956 and November 1958-May 1959 exercising with the 7th Fleet (Japanese ports, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines); west-coast training May 1959 through end of 1960. Spec block: dp. 620; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 74; a. 1 40mm.; cl. Agile.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1960 narrative; hull life 1951-1993
- Population
- Construction trades (Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, 1951-53); crew (design complement 74-80)
- Limitations
- Identity and service-chronology record only - the entry contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information, and its narrative ends in 1960: the entire Vietnam-era and final operational record is absent from DANFS for this hull. Laid-down date is not given in the entry (NavSource supplies 14 November 1951). Does not establish presence or absence of any material aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - 'Embattle (MSO 434) ex-AM-434' per-hull page (curated compilation of official data, photo captions, and contributor research) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02434 - specifications block, milestone list, photo captions incl. USACE SF District 10 Aug 1992
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Per-hull record: 'Aggressive Class Minesweeper'; laid down 14 November 1951 at Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, CA; launched 27 August 1953; commissioned USS Embattle (AM-434) 16 November 1954; reclassified Ocean Minesweeper MSO-434 on 7 February 1955; decommissioned 5 July 1972 at Long Beach, CA and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, WA; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1976; sold for scrap 21 December 1976 to Glen Dobkins of Miami, FL for $32,769; removed from Bremerton January 1977; abandoned at Oakland, CA; disposed of by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Photo captions document the hull resting on the bottom of the Oakland-Alameda Estuary c. June 1990 (moored Oakland side, sunken tugboat Allison at her bow) and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District photo dated 10 August 1992. Call sign November-Oscar-Oscar-Yankee. Specs: 630 t light / 755 t full, 172' x 35' x 10', 14 kts, complement 80; armament one 40mm + two .50-cal, final configuration twin 20mm bow mount; propulsion four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable-pitch propellers.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1993
- Limitations
- Secondary curated compilation, not an official record - milestones are listed without per-item primary citations. Supplies the only located laid-down date and the full post-Navy disposal chain; its decommission (5 July 1972) and strike (1 November 1976) dates conflict with NARA-index and Wikipedia-derived secondary dates (September 1972 / 15 May 1976) - flagged in the correction row, not resolved. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-02
-
[3]Stockton Record (recordnet.com), 'Stockton's ship-building lore,' 26 February 2015 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Record article, Colberg Boat Works and Lucid-tour paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Local-press shipyard history documents the builder: Colberg Boat Works, 848 W. Fremont St., Stockton, operating from the late 1890s into the early 1990s, built 'several scores of ships for the US Army and Navy, including minesweepers, launches, rescue ships, tugs and sub chasers' - among them USS Embattle (MSO-434), noted as 'scrapped in 1993,' and sisters USS Dynamic (MSO-432) and USS Engage (MSO-433). The article's tour of sister Lucid (MSO-458) describes the class build: 'built entirely with oak and fir, for the hull and entire superstructure,' bronze/brass fittings and a stainless stack - 'nothing of steel was used that could trigger mines' - powered by four V-12 Packard aluminum-block engines.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-53 construction; disposal 1993; article 2015
- Population
- Colberg Boat Works workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Press retrospective, not a primary record - corroborates builder, yard character (small wooden-vessel yard), the class's all-wood non-magnetic construction, and the 1993 scrapping endpoint only. The Lucid-based construction description is sister-ship/class evidence, not a survey of this hull. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-03
-
[4]OPNAVNOTE 1650, 'Master List of Unit Awards and Campaign Medals' (Chief of Naval Operations, N09B13, as of 29 January 2001), enclosure (3) USS ships - mirrored PDF of the official notice [other_primary]
- Locator
- OPNAVNOTE 1650 encl. (3), USS ships, page 138 sequence - 'EMBATTLE MSO 434' block; MACV-referenced list via scribd/doc-180764851
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official CNO master list carries this hull ('EMBATTLE MSO 434') for: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal - 30 Mar-18 Apr 1965, 4 May-1 Jun 1965, 24 Jun-3 Jul 1965 (Vietnam-era eligibility windows); Meritorious Unit Commendation - 11 Nov 1966-6 May 1967 and 5 May-7 Sep 1968; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit citation - 6 Jan-6 Feb 1970 and 27 Feb-18 Mar 1970; Vietnam Service Medal - 4-30 Jul 1965, 6 May-6 Jun 1968, 10 Jul-25 Aug 1968, 4 Jan-10 Feb 1970, 26 Feb-21 Mar 1970. An unofficial MACV-summary-referenced ship list separately carries 'USS Embattle MSO-434 Coastal patrol unit' for November 1966 (Operation Market Time) - consistent with the official award windows but secondary.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1965-1970 (award windows); list as of 29 Jan 2001
- Population
- Crew aboard during the 1965-1970 award windows
- Limitations
- Establishes in-theater service windows and unit-level awards, not operations detail - the award list does not say what the ship did, only that the crew qualified during those periods; the Market Time 'coastal patrol unit' line is a secondary compilation citing MACV monthly summaries, not primary deck logs. The PDF is a mirror of the official notice (usscoralsea.net); text extracted verbatim. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-04
-
[5]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021), Cause No. C19-0793RSL (Judge Lasnik) - published summary-judgment orders naming sister MSOs [court_record]
- Locator
- 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021); docket 2:19-cv-00793-RSL; companion orders incl. Alfa Laval MSJ grant (Doc. 555)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Class-adjacent asbestos litigation exists for this vessel type: plaintiffs alleged decedent John Dale Wineland was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working engine rooms aboard Navy ships 1963-1984, including Agile/Aggressive-series ocean minesweepers USS Dynamic (MSO-432, aboard 1963-66), USS Pledge (MSO-492), USS Loyalty (MSO-457), and USS Esteem (MSO-438) - same-class sisters of this hull in the wooden-hulled, diesel-engined MSO design family; Dynamic MSO-432 is this hull's consecutive Colberg-built sister (Colberg built MSO-432, 433, 434). The opinions record machinery-space work on 'diesel engines, pumps, air compressors, and valves' and litigation-stage product identification (Alfa Laval purifiers, DeLaval lube-oil pumps on main propulsion reduction gears) for those hulls - with all claims resolved against the plaintiff at summary judgment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1963-1984 alleged career window; orders 2021
- Population
- Engine-room crews of same-class MSOs (context)
- Limitations
- Context only - the cited case does not name or involve USS Embattle/AM-434/MSO-434, and its sister-ship allegations never reached a merits finding on exposure (defense summary-judgment wins are merits-level negatives for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence). It establishes only that asbestos claims were litigated at the pleading/SJ stage for the same MSO type and diesel machinery spaces. Nothing about this hull's materials is established. CourtListener API was quota-blocked at session time; reporter citation verified via vLex metadata and the order PDF mirrored at brownsims.com (same treatment as sibling records uss-dynamic-am432, uss-constant-am427).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-05
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 report text (spec-revision and delivery-window passages)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos program: product specifications for thermal insulation were revised to asbestos-free in 1973, but already-purchased asbestos materials continued to be installed and 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the Navy's October 1975 policy removed only damaged or repair-necessitated insulation, modified in January 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This hull's construction (1951-53) and entire commission (1954-72) fall inside the asbestos-specification era the report documents.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-1979 (policy window); hull era 1951-1972
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy-wide program
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - names neither this hull, this class, nor her builder, and establishes nothing about what was installed or removed aboard. Report documents shipyard-worker protection, not shipboard crew exposure. gao.gov blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403, verified again this session); content verified via indexed verbatim text of the official report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-06
-
[7]Marr, W.T., 'Asbestos Exposure During Naval Vessel Overhaul,' American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal 25 (1964): 264-268 (PMID 14168424) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AIHAJ 25:264-268; study site: Long Beach Naval Shipyard insulation shop; DOI resolves to tandfonline.com
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed industrial-hygiene study from the Long Beach Naval Shipyard Medical Department documenting measurable asbestos exposure among insulation workers during fabrication, installation, and removal of asbestos insulation on naval vessels undergoing repair and overhaul - the era-typical process type for any yard availability this hull received. Long Beach Naval Shipyard was the shipyard complex adjacent to this hull's homeport, Long Beach Naval Station, for her entire commission.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1964 (publication); 1950s-1960s work practices
- Population
- Shipyard insulation workers (naval shipyard context, study period circa 1964)
- Limitations
- Process-level evidence only - the study does not name this hull or any ship, and no specific yard overhaul or availability for Embattle is documented in the located sources (the DANFS narrative ends in 1960 without recording one). Supports era-typical exposure conditions during yard availabilities generally, nothing hull-specific.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-07
-
[8]Era inference from documented plant and era specifications: NavSource per-hull propulsion block (4 Packard ID1700 diesels, 2 shafts, CPP) + class construction data (all-wood oak/fir hull, non-magnetic fittings - Stockton Record/Lucid; NavSource class index) + GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-insulation era to 1973/1978) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis: NavSource propulsion block + Stockton Record class construction description + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-typical asbestos applications aboard a 1950s wooden-hulled diesel-propelled ocean minesweeper, inferred rather than proven for this hull: diesel exhaust-system and muffler lagging on the four main engines and generator plant; machinery gaskets and packing; electrical-cable insulation; deck coverings and cements; brake linings on winches, windlass, and minesweeping gear. Because the documented plant is diesel with no boilers or steam distribution, the boiler-room and steam-line insulation envelope emphasized for steam combatants does not apply - the residual envelope concentrates in engine exhaust and machinery spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1993
- Population
- Construction trades (Colberg Boat Works, 1951-53); enginemen and sweep-gear operators (crew, 1954-72); scrap/derelict-removal workforce (1976-1993)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, specification, or material schedule was located. Does not establish that any listed product was installed aboard this hull, any quantity, or condition. The hull's end - abandoned, sunken, disposed by USACE as a derelict - closed any present-day survey pathway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-08
-
[9]U.S. EPA, Trash-Free Waters program case study (19 January 2017 snapshot) - Oakland Estuary abandoned-vessel removals; + EPA OSC site profile, Oakland Estuary Marine Debris Removal Site (site_id 8866); + USACE San Francisco District news story; + FAS dod-101 'Navy Ships' class page (man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/mso-422.htm, mirror of Navy ship data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Trash-Free Waters case-study text; response.epa.gov site profile 8866; spn.usace.army.mil news story on the estuary removals
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- EPA documents that 'abandoned and derelict vessels have been found containing oil, asbestos, lead based chemicals, and many other varieties of hazardous substance' and describes multi-agency removal actions in the Oakland Estuary - including the 2012-2014 CERCLA/CalRecycle removal action in which the sunken tug T/V Respect yielded almost 18,000 lbs. of asbestos. This hull's end was exactly this class of action: abandoned in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary and disposed of by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE SF District photo 10 Aug 1992; scrapped 1993 per Stockton Record). The contractor-default pathway is attested class-wide: the FAS dod-101 class data notes of the Aggressive/Agile series that 'some units were stricken and sold, but the Contractor defaulted and the ship was repossessed by the Navy to be resold' (and gives the class power figure 4 diesels, 2 shafts, ~2,400 bhp).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1976-1993 (this hull's post-Navy decay); 2012-2014 (documented actions)
- Population
- Derelict-vessel removal/disposal workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Context only - the documented EPA/USACE estuary actions are 2012-2014, roughly two decades after this hull's ~1993 disposal; no hazmat survey, abatement, or disposal record naming Embattle was located. Establishes that derelict-hazard disposal is the pathway by which any aboard asbestos would have been handled, nothing more.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-09
-
[10]Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: decommission (Jul vs Sep 1972), strike (May vs Nov 1976), sale date (Dec 1976 vs impossible Jan 1976), spec variances, class-name split [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource milestone list vs NARA deck-log index header vs Wikipedia/NavalCoverMuseum infoboxes vs Grokipedia; DANFS spec block vs NavSource spec block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- (a) Decommission: NavSource lists 5 July 1972 at Long Beach; the NARA deck-log index header reads 'Decommission: September 1972' and Wikipedia carries September 1972 (Grokipedia 22 September) - carried as 'September 1972' with the July date flagged unresolved (a plausible reading is inactivation mid-1972 then formal decommissioning, but no source reconciles it). (b) Strike: NavSource 1 November 1976 vs Wikipedia/NavalCoverMuseum 15 May 1976 - unresolved, '1976' carried. (c) Sale: NavSource 21 December 1976 (Dobkins, $32,769); Wikipedia reads 11 January 1976 - internally inconsistent (predates both strike dates), rejected; Grokipedia 16 November 1976 is a third variant. (d) Class name: DANFS spec block 'cl. Agile' vs NavSource 'Aggressive Class Minesweeper' - both carried ('Agile/Aggressive'), not adjudicated. (e) Specs: complement 74 (DANFS) vs 80 (NavSource); displacement 620 (DANFS) vs 630 lt/755 fl (NavSource); speed 16 kts (DANFS) vs 14 kts (NavSource); beam 36' vs 35'.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1993
- Limitations
- Resolves or flags publication-level discrepancies; none affects identity or the custody timeline materially. Launch (27 Aug 1953), commission (16 Nov 1954), and MSO redesignation (7 Feb 1955) are consistent across DANFS and NavSource. No asbestos content in any source cited here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-10
-
[11]Batch-1348 search ledger (this record): DANFS (hazegray mirror via Wayback; live NHHC 404); NavSource per-hull page; NARA deck-log index; OPNAVNOTE 1650 master list; Naval Vessel Register; Stockton Record; EPA/USACE Oakland Estuary program; GAO HRD-80-2; Marr 1964 AIHAJ; shipyards.json; CourtListener API; mesothelioma.com/mesotheliomahelp.org exclusions [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-embattle-am434-01 through sl-uss-embattle-am434-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material specification, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos litigation naming USS Embattle / AM-434 / MSO-434 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The authenticated CourtListener API sweep was quota-blocked (HTTP 429; authenticated 2,800/day pool exhausted, ~7.4h to reset) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative - the web-index litigation fallback returned only a corporate name collision (Mt. Hawley Insurance Co. v. Embattle Protective Services, Inc., S.D.N.Y. 1:25-cv-05614) and no docketed case naming the vessel. mesothelioma.com and mesotheliomahelp.org list this hull on generic minesweeper pages - non-authoritative marketing sources citing no docket, excluded from 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 - the ship was built and served entirely inside the Navy's asbestos era. Equally, era inference does not establish ship-specific presence. The CourtListener block means a systematic docket-level sweep remains pending - additional unindexed pleadings naming this hull may exist. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-11
-
[12]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - entry 'Embattle (AM/MSO-434)', digitized deck logs 1956-1970 (index header: commission November 1954, decommission September 1972); + NARA asbestos guided-topic record-group mapping (RG 19/24/181); + USACE SF District and DRMS disposal files [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log index entry 'Embattle (AM/MSO-434)' (1956-1970); archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - deck logs digitized but unreviewed; other items require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA digitized deck logs for 'Embattle (AM/MSO-434)' covering 1956-1970 - the documentary base for the Vietnam-era record and any machinery-space entries; (b) muster rolls for the 1954-1972 commission; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records - hull files 'AM434'/'MSO434,' class correspondence under 'AM421 Class,' 'QM/Colberg Boat Works' contract files, Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books, and hull-arranged Ship Engineering Drawings (S39 Insulation and Lagging, S48 Piping, S103 Booklets of General Plans) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) the DRMS/sale file for the 21 December 1976 Dobkins contract and default; (e) the USACE San Francisco District case file for the derelict removal - the single most promising location for any hazmat finding on this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1993 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping and index-level verification only - the deck-log index entry and its commission/decommission metadata were verified in the published NARA index; log images were not individually reviewed, and no box-level retrieval was performed for RG 19 or USACE files. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-434/MSO-434 is unknown until surveyed. Deck logs and muster rolls are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation; the BuShips design file and the USACE removal file are the best candidates. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-embattle-am434-12