Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet cg-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-endurance-amc77-pkt-cg-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Endurance I (AMc-77), 1941-1946 (Robert J. Cressman, rev. 2013; live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-05) - construction, service narrative, Esso Bolivar rescue, disposal, spec block [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Endurance I (AMc-77), 1941-1946' - spec block, service narrative, photo captions, disposal paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: the unnamed wooden-hulled coastal minesweeper AMc 77 was laid down 14 April 1941 at Jacksonville, Fla., by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co. (BuShips photo caption: hull 'takes shape' 25 April 1941, 'eleven days after keel-laying'). Named Endurance (AMc-77) 17 May 1941; launched 19 June 1941; builders' trials 7 October; sailed 8 October for Charleston, S.C., accepted by the Navy 9 October; placed in service 11 October 1941, Lt. (j.g.) Horace G. Stevens, D-V(S), USNR, officer-in-charge. Ordered to ComFive for training at the Mine Warfare School, Yorktown, Va.; emergency availability at the Norfolk Navy Yard 10-17 November 1941 for repairs to her main engine reversing gear and damaged hull planking; training completed 5 December. CNO dispatch of 9 December 1941 ordered her to ComSix to join Courier (AMc 72), Defiance (AMc 73), Caracara (AMc 40), and Chachalaca (AMc 41); equipped with acoustic minesweeping gear and two .50 caliber machine guns (replacing interim .30 caliber weapons), she departed Charleston 24 January 1942 escorted by tug Montcalm (AT 39), arriving San Juan, P.R., 28 January for Tenth Naval District duty - equipped with acoustic, magnetic, and Oropesa-type minesweeping gear. On 8 March 1942 she rescued survivors of the Panamanian-flag tanker Esso Bolivar, shelled and torpedoed by U-126 some 30 miles southeast of Guantanamo Bay; seven named crewmen received special thanks and the survivors sent a silver plaque (replaced by Chief Engineer McTaggart when the first was lost). Assigned Caribbean Sea Frontier 1 July 1942; reassigned Tenth Naval District 21 April 1944; reassigned ComSix for disposal 27 June 1945. Arrived Sea Frontier Base, Charleston, 7 September 1945; placed out of service 6 December 1945; assessed 'surplus to naval needs' and made available for delivery to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration. Stricken from the Navy Register 3 January 1946; accepted by the Maritime Commission 7 July 1947 and 'physically delivered' the same day at Charleston to purchaser Helen Leona Johnson of Dallas, Texas. Renamed Carmelita (1947), then Capitan (1951); fishing trade out of Houston, Port Isabel, and Brownsville, Texas, ultimately with Hunter Flores; dismantled 1969. Spec block: dp. 200 (full load); l. 97'0"; b. 21'0"; dr. 9'0"; s. 10 k.; cpl. 17; a. 2 .50 cal. MG, 4 rifles, 1 Thompson .45 SMG; cl. Acme.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- Gibbs Gas Engine construction trades (1941); Norfolk Navy Yard repair trades (Nov 1941); crew ~17 (1941-45); Maritime Commission/fishing-trade crew (1947-68)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history only - the DANFS entry contains no asbestos or material-content information. Spec block says 'cl. Acme'; NavSource indexes this hull as Accentor class (conflict in gaps). Civilian-era dates differ from NavSource's owner-by-owner timeline (in gaps). Narrative ends at dismantling; no hazmat record for the breakup.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Endurance (AMc 77) - designation timeline, specifications, officers, post-Navy owners, photo captions with NARA-credited photo numbers (live page, verified 2026-10-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/03077.htm header block, class line, specifications block, Commanding Officers table, post-Navy owner list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: 'Accentor Class Coastal Minesweeper'; laid down 14 April 1941 by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, FL; launched 19 June 1941; placed in service 11 October 1941; placed out of service 6 December 1945; struck from the Naval Register 3 January 1946; transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal 7 July 1947; operated under the Mexican flag in 1948 as Carmelita; acquired 12 December 1949 by Carlelita Brands, Inc. of Houston, TX for use as a fishing boat; acquired 27 February 1950 by John L. Eppler of Houston and renamed Capitan; acquired 1953 by Henry Cateora dba Brazos Fisheries of Port Isabel, TX; acquired 1967 by Hunter Flores of Brownsville, TX; scrapped 1968. Specifications: displacement 205 t.; length 97'1"; beam 22'; draft 9'1"; speed 10 kts.; complement 17; armament two .30 cal. machine guns; propulsion one 400 bhp Superior K.N.B. diesel engine, one shaft. Call sign NUBE (Nan-Uncle-Baker-Easy). Officers-in-charge listed: LTJG Horace G. Stevens, USNR (11 October 1941 - March 1942; awarded Letter of Commendation 1944); ENS Donald L. Edwards, USNR (1943); LT Fletcher Harold Herrald, III, USNR (dates unlisted). Photo captions credit BuShips photographs 19-LCM-25829 (trials, 7 October 1941), 19-LCM-25728 (fitting-out Charleston, 27 October 1941), and 80-G-68666/-68667 and 80-CF-1053 (Esso Bolivar rescue and plaque, 1942-43) in the National Archives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1968
- Population
- Gibbs construction trades (1941); officers-in-charge and ~17-man crew (1941-45); civilian fishing-trade crew (1947-68)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but its specs and civilian-owner dates conflict with DANFS on several points (all in gaps). 'Accentor' class label conflicts with the DANFS spec block's 'Acme'. Armament listed as two .30 cal. MG reflects the pre-December 1941 interim fit - DANFS documents the later .50 cal. replacement. Contains no asbestos content; the 1968 scrapping predates modern ACM-handling regulation and no hazmat record was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-02
-
[4]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (wooden-hulled diesel coastal minesweeper, cl. Acme); NavSource specifications (one 400 bhp Superior K.N.B. diesel, one shaft); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (see ev-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-04)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled, single-diesel coastal minesweeper built April-October 1941 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type and period: engine and exhaust lagging/insulation in the machinery space, gaskets and flange packing in engine and sweep-gear piping, valve packing, and electrical insulation. She carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - and her wooden hull and ~200-ton displacement give a materially smaller insulation footprint than steel combatants of the era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- Gibbs construction trades (1941); Norfolk Navy Yard repair trades (Nov 1941); ~17-man crew (1941-45); Maritime Commission/WSA handling crews (1946-47); dismantling labor (1968-69)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for AMc-77. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-03
-
[5]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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1941) and naval service era (1941-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-05) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-04
-
[6]Hickman v. CBS Corporation, No. 1:16-cv-00308 (D. Del., In re: Asbestos Litigation), Reports and Recommendations docs 202 (filed 2017-10-02) and 253 (filed 2019-07-15), RECAP gov.uscourts.ded.59332 - full text extracted from storage.courtlistener.com PACER copies; corroborating identity check: DANFS, Endurance II (AM-435) [court_record]
- Locator
- CL docket 4221110 recap docs 202 and 253 (storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ded.59332/...); service-history recital and Clayton Industries sections; DANFS 'Endurance II (AM-435)' (history.navy.mil/.../endurance-ii.html)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the only CourtListener hit for 'USS Endurance' in a docketed asbestos case refers to a different hull. In Hickman v. CBS Corporation (D. Del., asbestos personal-injury removal; filed 2016-04-27, terminated 2019-08-19), the R&R recites that plaintiff Gerald L. Hickman joined USS Impervious at Long Beach in ~1965 as an engineman, and 'after two years aboard the USS Impervious, Mr. Hickman was stationed on the USS Endurance, a minesweeper, in Long Beach,' repairing diesel engines, pumps, valves, boilers, and air-conditioning equipment; he testified Endurance and Impervious were 'identical sister ships' and 'thinks' he worked on alleged Clayton boilers aboard both. Impervious is MSO-449 (Agile class); DANFS confirms Endurance II (AM-435, Agile class, commissioned 19 May 1954, reclassified MSO-435 7 February 1955) homeported at Long Beach from 21 April 1954 - matching the litigation's 'identical sister ship' pairing and the 1965-68 window. AMc-77 was out of Navy service in December 1945 and in civilian fishing trade during the 1960s; she cannot be the vessel named.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1965-1968 (alleged exposure, different hull); 2016-2019 (litigation)
- Population
- Engineman second class aboard USS Endurance (MSO-435), ~1967-68 - different hull
- Limitations
- Discovery-stage record: the R&R recites deposition allegations - the exposure claims were not adjudicated on the merits, and the 2017/2019 R&Rs recommended summary judgment for defendants (a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence for any hull). The collision resolution itself is verified: MSO-435 (Agile class, Long Beach, sister of MSO-449) is the vessel named; no claim in this case attaches to AMc-77. Docket page is bot-blocked to direct fetch (HTTP 403); the two R&R PDFs were fetched live from storage.courtlistener.com and text-extracted 2026-10-05.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-05
-
[7]Batch-1615 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS Endurance I; NavSource 11/03077; NHHC DANFS Endurance II (collision check); CourtListener 4 base queries (opinion + docket x 'USS Endurance' + 'AMC-77'); NVR; GAO; Florida Memory; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-endurance-amc77-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for AMc-77: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned 6 total hits across the 4 base queries; ALL are name collisions - 1 'USS Endurance' docket resolved to AM-435/MSO-435 (ev-05), and 5 'AMC-77' token collisions (Owen Electric Steel v. Browner, 4th Cir. 1994, EPA slag case; Thomas v. Turner, D.D.C., civil-rights; McCoy v. AMC Networks, S.D.N.Y.; NRA v. Ackerman McQueen, N.D. Tex.; Willis v. Aron, E.D. Tex., FTX/AMC-securities). The only 'asbestos aboard' material found is law-firm marketing content (e.g., asbestos-ships.com 'Gibbs Shipyard' page) asserting exposure at the builder without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - deck logs (RG 24), Gibbs Gas Engine work packages, and Maritime Commission disposal files are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-06
-
[8]NARA Still Pictures holdings credited in DANFS/NavSource captions (BuShips 19-LCM-25829 builders' trials 7 Oct 1941; 19-LCM-25728 fitting-out Charleston 27 Oct 1941; 80-G-222614; 80-G-68666/-68667 and 80-CF-1053 Esso Bolivar rescue/plaque 1942-43); State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory - Gibbs Corporation shipyard photograph series, Jacksonville [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS photo captions (19-LCM-25728, 19-LCM-25829, 80-G-222614, 80-G-68666, 80-G-68667, 80-CF-1053); NavSource photo credits; floridamemory.com/items/show/166955
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photographic archival record for this hull and its builder: DANFS and NavSource captions credit Bureau of Ships photographs 19-LCM-25829 (builders' trials, 7 October 1941) and 19-LCM-25728 (fitting-out at Charleston, 27 October 1941) plus 80-G series coverage of the Esso Bolivar rescue and plaque presentation, all held by the NARA Still Pictures Branch, College Park. For the builder: the State Archives of Florida's Florida Memory collection holds a documented series of Gibbs Gas Engine/Gibbs Corporation shipyard photographs - verified live: item 166955, 'Aerial view overlooking the Gibbs Corporation shipyard - Jacksonville, Florida,' photographed 3 September 1947 (also items 142069, 66725 cited in secondary compilations). These are construction-era and yard-presence documentation, not material or work records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1947 (photo coverage)
- Population
- Gibbs yard construction trades (construction-era photos); crew and Esso Bolivar survivors (rescue photography)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: photographs establish physical presence and appearance, not insulation or material content. NARA catalog records for the individual photo numbers were not fetched this session (NAID-level verification open). Florida Memory item 166955 verified live 2026-10-05; items 142069 and 66725 were surfaced via a secondary history compilation and are not individually verified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-endurance-amc77-07