Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]DANFS, Engage II (AM-433) (builder, dates, homeport, Far East deployments, spec block; verbatim DANFS text via the losthistory.net mirror of the hazegray transcription - the live NHHC page returns 404 at tested slugs and hazegray.org no longer resolves; standing link-rot defect per Batch-01/1335 notes) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Engage' (AM-433), specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net mirror of hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am433.htm; NHHC slugs 404 this pass)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: 'The second Engage (AM-433) was launched 18 June 1953 by Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, Calif., sponsored by Mrs. R. B. Richmond, and commissioned 29 June 1954, Lieutenant S. J. Martin in command. She was reclassified MSO-433, 7 February 1955. From her home port at Long Beach, where she first arrived 21 July 1954, Engage operated in mine warfare and general training along the west coast, preparing for her deployments to the Far East in 1955-56, 1958 and 1960. During these, she trained with minecraft of the navies of the Republics of China and the Philippines, and the Royal Thailand navy.' Spec block: 'AM-433: 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 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Colberg Boat Works (Stockton) construction trades 1951-53; crew (design complement 74 per DANFS)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, construction, and early service only - the published entry ends at the 1960 deployment and covers nothing of the hull's subsequent thirty-one years (Vietnam service, NRF duty, decommissioning, disposal). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. The spec block prints 'cl. Agile' while the Navy Ships fact file, NavSource, and NavalCoverMuseum carry Aggressive class - Agile (AM-421) was the series lead of the Agile/Aggressive block; the variance is flagged, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-01
-
[2]U.S. Navy, Navy Ships fact file (dod-101), MSO 422 Aggressive class entry - verbatim mirror at Federation of American Scientists (ship table names this hull) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navy Ships fact file MSO 422 Aggressive page - Specifications block, Builders list, and ship table 'Engage MSO-433' row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy fact file's ship table names this hull: 'Engage MSO-433, Colberg, Mayport, 29 Jun 1954, 30 Dec 1991' - confirming builder (Colberg Boatworks, listed among the class builders 'including: Colberg Boatworks, Stockton CA; Higgins Incorporated; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation; Martinolich Shipbuilding Company; Wilmington Boat Works'), NRF-era homeport (Mayport), and commission/decommission dates. The same page documents the class design: ocean minesweepers conceived in response to Korean War mining, capable of sweeping moored/bottom contact, magnetic, and acoustic mines with AN/SQQ-14 sonar; power plant '4 - Aluminum block Diesels; 2 shafts, 2,400 bhp'; complement 77 active (7 officers, 70 enlisted) / 57 NRF; and the class-disposal note that 'some units were stricken and sold, but the Contractor defaulted and the ship was repossessed by the Navy to be resold' - matching this hull's documented 1994-sale/repossession/2000-resale disposal path.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1994 (class design + this hull's dates)
- Population
- Construction trades (Colberg, 1951-53); active and NRF crews
- Limitations
- The ship-table row is ship-specific (names Engage, builder, homeport, dates); the design narrative is class-level. No asbestos or materials content anywhere on the page. The repossession sentence is generic to the class - it corroborates but does not itself document that this hull was the repossessed unit (NavSource supplies that detail).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-02
-
[3]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - entry 'Engage (AM/MSO-433)', commission June 1954 / decommission December 1991, digitized deck logs 1956-1970 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Navy deck-logs index, 'Engage (AM/MSO-433)' panel - catalog.archives.gov item links 1956-01 (id 213010601) through 1970-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official deck-log index lists 'Engage (AM/MSO-433)' (heading: Commission June 1954, Decommission December 1991) with digitized monthly deck logs in the National Archives Catalog covering 1956 through 1970 - hull-specific operational records retrievable for maintenance, overhaul, conversion, and material-work research, including the 1968-69 conversion window visible in the NavSource CO roster.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1956-1970 (digitized window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: deck logs are operational records; their existence does not speak to asbestos content, and the 1956-1970 digitized window does not cover the 1971 Market Time period documented via DPRIS in ev-06 or the NRF era. Not yet reviewed for material-bearing entries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-03
-
[4]Rear Admiral Brian McCauley, USN (Commander, Task Force 78), 'Operation End Sweep,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, March 1974, Vol. 100/3/853 (read via Wayback capture 2025-05-17 - live page is Cloudflare-blocked to automated fetch) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings March 1974 'Operation End Sweep' - TF-78 organization and 27 January/6 February passages
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The task-force commander's own published account names this hull: 'Engage (MSO-433), Force (MSO-445), Fortify (MSO-446) and Impervious (MSO-449) had been sailed from Subic for the Tonkin Gulf on 27 January [1973], coincident with the signing of the agreement. After assurance from the North Vietnamese that U.S. minesweepers would not be molested, they were ordered into North Vietnamese waters off Haiphong. Operation End Sweep actually commenced on 6 February with the four MSOs sweeping the areas in which the LPHs and LPDs were to anchor' - Engage was one of the four ocean minesweepers that opened the post-ceasefire clearance of American-laid mines from North Vietnamese waters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-01 to 1973-07
- Population
- MSO crew, TF-78 operations
- Limitations
- Operational-history record only - no asbestos or materials content. Confirms the hull's February 1973 presence in TF-78's opening sweep; does not detail which follow-on segments she swept.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-04
-
[5]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Engage (MSO 433) ex-AM-433 (photo/data archive page; read via Wayback capture 2024-12-26 - live host blocks automated fetch) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSO-433 archive page - history block, specifications block, CO roster, photo captions (Wayback capture 2024-12-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive record for this hull supplies the post-1960 spine DANFS lacks: laid down 7 November 1951 at Colberg Boat Works, Stockton CA; commissioned USS Engage (AM-433) 29 June 1954; reclassified MSO-433 7 February 1955; decommissioned 30 December 1991; struck from the Navy Register 20 April 1992; sold for scrap 15 April 1994 to NRA Acquisition, Inc. of New York, NY, subcontracted to Wilmington Resources Inc. of Wilmington, NC; 'Repossessed by the Navy after contractor defaulted due to sub-contractor being closed by state of North Carolina for environmental pollution'; resold for scrap 4 December 2000 to Baltimore Marine Industries of Baltimore, MD. Photo captions document the hull at the 1980 Mariel Boatlift with Leader (MSO-490) and Dominant (MSO-431), and moored at the Washington Navy Yard July 1983 as part of Mine Group TWO, Naval Reserve Force. The commanding-officer roster shows 'Officer-in-charge of conversion' entries November 1968 - July 1969, consistent with a mid-life conversion period (likely including the documented Packard-to-Waukesha engine change). Spec block: 775 t., 172' x 35' x 12', 14 kts., complement 78; propulsion 'Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha [sic] Motors Co. diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-2002 (compiled)
- Population
- Colberg construction trades; active crew; NRF crew; conversion workforce 1968-69; disposal workforces 1994-2002
- Limitations
- Private photo/data archive, not an official source: dates agree with DANFS and the Navy fact file where they overlap, but the conversion-period nature, the 'MSO-448 Illusive/Elusive' naming anecdote, Mariel/NRF caption details, and the engine model identifications are secondary-only. Disposal chain items (1994 sale, repossession, 2000 resale) are corroborated in pattern by the Navy fact file's generic class note and by NavalCoverMuseum; the 17 May 2002 completion date is secondary only. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-05
-
[6]VA Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr 1611167, Decision Date 03/18/16, Docket No. 11-14 109 (appeal from RO Manila) - service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, denied [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA Citation 1611167 - Findings of Fact and DPRIS-report passages
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An official adjudication naming this hull: a veteran quartermaster served aboard USS Engage 5 Dec 1969 - 6 Mar 1970, 26 Mar - 26 Aug 1970, and 3 Sep 1970 - 30 Sep 1971. DPRIS reviewed the ship's 1971 command history and deck logs (July-September 1971 logs) and reported: Engage was in Southern California 1 January - 12 July 1971; conducted Market Time patrols in the coastal waters of the Republic of Vietnam 12 September - 1 October and 2 November - 2 December 1971; and was at Cam Ranh Bay on six occasions of no more than nine hours each between September and November 1971 for replenishment/refueling - offshore waters under VBA Manual M21-1, not inland waterways; the herbicide-presumption claim was denied.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1969-1971 (service); 2016 (decision)
- Population
- One quartermaster claimant (service aboard 1969-1971)
- Limitations
- Not asbestos litigation - an Agent Orange/diabetes claim resolved on Vietnam-service-status grounds. Its evidentiary value here is that an official records-research agency (DPRIS) reviewed this hull's command history and deck logs and produced a documented service window; it also demonstrates the deck-log research pathway. Establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-06
-
[7]Jacob et al. v. Plastics Engineering Company (PLENCO) et al., No. 1:19-cv-00108, U.S. District Court for the District of Guam (filed 20 June 2019; nature of suit P.I.: Asbestos; defendants PLENCO and Rockwell Automation, Inc., individually and as successor to Allen-Bradley Co. LLC and Rostone Corp.) - complaint allegations per the docket and contemporaneous Guam Daily Post / Pacific Daily News reporting [court_record]
- Locator
- Justia docket mirror 1:2019cv00108 (D. Guam) filings 1-8; complaint allegations as reported by postguam.com and guampdn.com, June 2019
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Docketed federal asbestos complaint naming this hull with work-specific allegations: plaintiffs Eusebio V. Jacob and Marta A. Jacob allege that Jacob, a journeyman electrician at the Navy Ship Repair Facility, Guam, c. 1962-1985, was 'repeatedly exposed to great quantities of asbestos, asbestos dust and fibers when he installed asbestos gaskets in their respective equipment on the USS Asheville, USS Banner, USS Brister, USS Engage, USS Fortify, USS Grasp, USS Haverfield, USS Impervious, USS Inflict and USS Ponchatoula' (vessel list per Guam Daily Post's report of the complaint). Alleged products identified in the complaint per the reporting: PLENCO's asbestos-containing thermostat plastic molding materials and Rockwell's controllers, circuit breakers, switches and other electrical equipment containing asbestos parts, supplied to the U.S. Navy and the Guam Navy Ship Repair Facility. Jacob was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in August 2018. The docket shows complaint filed 20 June 2019 (Filing 1, with Exhibit A and jury demand); PLENCO answered 6 August 2019 - the last docket entry retrieved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1962-1985 (alleged exposure window); 2019 (complaint filed)
- Population
- Guam Navy Ship Repair Facility journeyman electrician (shipyard repair workforce), c.1962-1985
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, never an adjudicated finding: under batch litigation-stage discipline a complaint's vessel list and product allegations are assertions, not exposure findings - nothing about this hull was proven, and no discovery record, trial finding, or judgment naming this hull was located. The docket was retrievable only through August 2019 (Justia snapshot); the case's later disposition is unlocated and carried in gaps. The complaint text itself was not retrieved (PACER/Justia fetch-blocked); the vessel list and product descriptions rest on the docket record plus two independent reputable Guam press reports of the complaint's contents. The exposure theory is yard-side repair work aboard the vessel at Guam SRF - not service aboard as crew - and does not speak to what materials were originally installed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-07
-
[8]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 early commission fall inside the asbestos-specification era the report documents; her long commission (to 1991) also spans the 1975-79 management-policy window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-1979 (policy window); hull era 1951-1991
- 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); content via indexed verbatim text of the official report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-08
-
[9]Era inference from documented plant and era specifications: U.S. Navy Ships fact file (class diesel plant) + GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-insulation era to 1973/1978) + NavSource propulsion block [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis: fact-file propulsion block + NavSource propulsion entry + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-typical asbestos applications aboard a 1950s diesel-propelled wooden ocean minesweeper, inferred rather than proven for this hull: diesel exhaust-system and muffler lagging on the four main engines; 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. The complaint in ev-07 alleges asbestos gaskets specifically - consistent with this envelope but unadjudicated.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-2002
- Population
- Construction trades (Colberg, 1951-53); enginemen and deck/sweep-gear operators (crew); repair-facility trades during availabilities; disposal workforce
- 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 presence at any time (the hull was scrapped in 2002).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-09
-
[10]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021), Cause No. C19-0793RSL - order granting Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment [court_record]
- Locator
- 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 at 1151-52 (alleged vessel list; procedural posture)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published litigation of the same class surface: plaintiffs alleged that John Dale Wineland was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working engine rooms aboard sister ocean minesweepers USS Dynamic (MSO-432 - this hull's immediate Colberg sister, the preceding hull number), USS Loyalty (MSO-457), and USS Esteem (MSO-438) - the same wood-hulled diesel MSO type as this hull - plus USS Tuscaloosa, between 1963 and 1984; Wineland developed mesothelioma and died in 2018. The 2021 order GRANTED Crane Co. summary judgment for failure to show substantial-factor exposure from its products.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1963-1984 (alleged); 2021 (order)
- Population
- MSO engine-room crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level litigation context only - this hull is not named in the action. Allegations are pleading-stage assertions resolved against plaintiffs at summary judgment; they are not findings of exposure aboard any vessel. Nothing about Engage is established or implied by this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-10
-
[11]U.S. EPA Superfund Site Profile, COLBERG BOAT WORKS, EPA ID CAN000906010, 848 W Fremont Street / 401 N Stockton Street, Stockton, CA 95203 - 'Not on the NPL'; 'Other Cleanup Activity: State-Lead Cleanup'; not a federal facility [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Superfund site profile CAN000906010
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder's yard itself is an EPA-registered cleanup site: Colberg Boat Works (founded 1896, survived into the 1990s) at 848 W. Fremont St., Stockton is listed in EPA's Superfund site-information system as an active state-lead cleanup (not NPL). The site profile documents environmental contamination at the yard that built this hull - site-level, not vessel-level information.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- site status as of 2026-09-22
- Population
- Yard-site context (construction workforce, historical)
- Limitations
- Yard-site record only - says nothing about asbestos aboard this hull or any vessel built there, and does not enumerate contaminants in the retrieved profile. Included because the builder yard is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry and this is the only official environmental record located for it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-11
-
[12]Batch-1347 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; hazegray transcription via losthistory.net mirror); U.S. Navy Ships fact file via FAS mirror; NARA deck-log index; USNI Proceedings via Wayback; VA BVA index; CourtListener API (blocked); Justia/Guam press docket coverage; EPA Superfund site profiles; shipyards.json; NVR; MARAD/NDRF [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-engage-am433-01 through sl-uss-engage-am433-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No adjudicated or survey-level ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, specification, hazmat disclosure, or merits-stage litigation record naming USS Engage / AM-433 / MSO-433 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The one qualifying hit is the Jacob complaint (ev-07) - a pleading-stage allegation. The CourtListener API sweep was quota-blocked (HTTP 429; authenticated 2,800/day pool exhausted by prior batch work) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative; the web-index fallback located the Jacob docket via Justia + Guam press and no other docketed case.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located adjudicated record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the ship was built inside the Navy's asbestos era and served 37 years; equally, the Jacob pleading does not prove presence. The hull was scrapped in the United States in 2002, so no present-day survey pathway exists. The negative is provisional on the litigation side because the docket-level CourtListener sweep could not be executed this pass. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engage-am433-12