Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]DANFS, 'Esteem' (MSO-438) - official Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships text via verbatim hazegray.org transcription (live NHHC DANFS page 404s - standing link rot), verified against Wayback capture 2024-12-26 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- specification block + narrative paragraphs + transcriber's note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS text: name gloss ('one who enjoys high regard'); specification block '(MSO-438: dp. 620; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 74; a. 1 40mm.; cl. Agile)'; launched 20 December 1952 by Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., sponsored by Mrs. C. H. Davis; reclassified MSO-438, 7 February 1955; commissioned 10 September 1955, Lieutenant G. W. Bird in command. Service narrative: West Coast mine-warfare exercises from Long Beach; departed 4 March 1957 for first Far East tour with the 7th Fleet (Japanese and Korean ports, Hong Kong; exercises with Republic of China and Republic of Korea navies); returned to Long Beach September 1957; sailed 6 October 1958 for exercises with the Royal Canadian Navy off Nootka Sound, circumnavigated Vancouver Island, visited Canadian ports, back 5 November; second Far East tour 1959-1960 incl. Bangkok and Royal Thai Navy training; entered overhaul 27 June 1960, continuing most of the remainder of the year. Transcriber's note on the archived page: 'Decommissioned and stricken 20 September 1991.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-1960 (narrative coverage); transcriber note to 1991
- Population
- Martinolich San Diego construction trades 1952-55; crew (DANFS design complement 74)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, specifications, and the 1955-1960 service narrative; it contains no materials or asbestos information, ends in 1960, and its transcriber's 20 Sep 1991 decommission/strike date conflicts with NavSource/NVR-derived 30 Sep 1991 strike date (see ev-07 correction row and gaps). Mirror cited because the live NHHC page is dead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Esteem (MSO 438) ex-AM-438, file 11/02438 [other_primary]
- Locator
- chronology table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Per-hull chronology and photo archive: 'Aggressive Class Minesweeper'; laid down 1 September 1952 as Esteem (AM-438) by Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego; launched 20 December 1952; reclassified MSO-438 7 February 1955; commissioned 10 September 1955; decommissioned 30 September 1970; recommissioned 27 August 1971; decommissioned and struck 30 September 1991, laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet Bremerton WA Group; disposed of through the Maritime Administration 6 March 2000; sold for scrap to Crowley Marine Services of Long Beach CA (photo-documented under scrapping 26 June 2000). Specifications printed: 775 t; 172 ft; 35 ft beam; 12 ft draft; 14 kts; complement 78; armament as built one 40mm + two .50 cal, final fit one twin 20mm replacing the bow gun; propulsion four Packard ID1700 diesels later replaced by four Waukesha Motors Co. diesels, two shafts, two controllable-pitch propellers. Photo-documented events: March 1956 alterations at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (whaleboat boom removed, Wellin davit installed); Mine Division photo out of Long Beach August 1965 (All Hands caption: Illusive, Conquest, Esteem, Gallant, Pledge); c. spring 1973 underway refueling from USS Guadalupe (AO-32) off Vietnam during Operation End Sweep; c. 1978 at Pier 90 Seattle; 9 July 1986 Vancouver BC; 1 March 1988 official USN photo DN-ST-89-02594; fall 1989 drydocking at Basrac Shipyard, Bahrain, alongside Conquest and Enhance near the end of Operation Earnest Will; c. April 1990 Esteem, Enhance and Conquest lifted home to Seattle aboard heavy-lift ship Super Servant 3; summer/fall 1990 maintenance availability at Lake Union Drydock Co., Seattle. CO roster 1955-1991; final CO tour ends 20 September 1991.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-2000
- Population
- construction trades 1952-55; crews 1955-1991 including NRF reserve-training complement; yard workers at documented availabilities (LBNSY 1956; 1960 overhaul; Basrac Shipyard Bahrain fall 1989; Lake Union Drydock Seattle 1990); Crowley Marine Services scrapping workforce 2000
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation hosting primary photo artifacts - detailed and photo-corroborated but non-official; specifications differ from DANFS (775 t vs 620 t; 78 vs 74 complement; 14 vs 16 kts) and are carried as source-specific values rather than merged; contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy official biography, Rear Admiral Stewart O'Bryan (navy.mil) [other_primary]
- Locator
- biography paragraph, navy.mil flag-officer bio (URL path varies by site reorganization)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy biography records that O'Bryan served as 'commanding officer of USS Esteem (MSO 438) forward-deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Earnest Will' - official confirmation of this hull's Earnest Will service. NavSource photo set independently documents Esteem, Enhance, and Conquest drydocked at Basrac Shipyard, Bahrain, c. fall 1989 near the end of Earnest Will, and their April 1990 return to Seattle aboard Super Servant 3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- c. 1987-1990
- Population
- crew, Earnest Will forward-deployment window (1987-1990 per NavSource/USNI context)
- Limitations
- Biography confirms the deployment and mission but gives no command-tour dates; no materials content. Establishes Gulf service, not asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-03
-
[4]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (VBA ships list; verbatim mirror consulted at tf116.org/pdf/Vietnam_Ship_List.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- alphabetical 'E' section of the ships list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The VA ship list records for this hull: 'USS Esteem (MSO-438) crewmembers painted a Vietnamese orphanage while docked at inland waterway Qui Nhon Bay/Harbor during December 1967 and again during March 1969' - official acknowledgment of documented Vietnam in-country presence (two dockings at Qui Nhon) used for Agent Orange exposure presumption.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1967-1969
- Population
- crewmembers ashore/docked at Qui Nhon, Dec 1967 and Mar 1969
- Limitations
- VA document records qualifying ship operations for herbicide presumption; it is a service-location record, not a materials or asbestos record. Underlying evidence was ship histories/deck logs.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-04
-
[5]NHHC command operation reports archive - USS Passumpsic (AO-107) 1968 command history PDF (declassified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Passumpsic 1968 command history, operations chronology
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A contemporaneous 1968 Navy command history held in the NHHC digitized archives records underway replenishment of USS ESTEEM (MSO 438) alongside USS Endurance (MSO-435), USS Whetstone (LSD-27), USS Higbee (DD-806), and USS Hector (AR-7) in the Southern California operating area - an official contemporaneous mention of this hull's 1968 operations. The same archive demonstrates the command-operation-report record group where per-hull Esteem command histories exist for later years (see ev-11 archival lead).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1968
- Population
- crew, 1968 Southern California operations
- Limitations
- Names the hull in an underway-replenishment line only; contains no materials or asbestos content; Esteem's own command histories were not individually retrieved this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-05
-
[6]Booklet of General Plans, USS Esteem (MSO-438), Navy Yard Long Beach, February 1958 (11 sheets; Internet Archive identifier mso438bogp1958) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org item mso438bogp1958, sheet list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A ship-specific 1958 Booklet of General Plans produced by Navy Yard Long Beach for this hull survives digitized: 11 sheets covering the title plate, general dimensions and data, outboard and inboard profiles, navigating bridge and 03-04 levels, upper deck and 01-02 levels, main deck, platform, hold, and midship/type sections - the most detailed technical record of the hull's as-built arrangement located. Plan legends of this type commonly carry material callouts (insulation, deck coverings, joiner work).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1958
- Population
- none established - technical drawing set
- Limitations
- Archival lead, not an asbestos finding: the sheets are scan images not text-extracted this session; whether the drawings carry asbestos-specific material callouts is unverified. Sheet-level materials review is a stated next step.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-06
-
[7]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021) (No. C19-0793RSL) - Order Granting Crane Co.'s Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. 304, May 17, 2021, Lasnik, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149; Dkt. 304; W.D. Wash. cause no. C19-0793RSL
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal opinion in an asbestos wrongful-death action names this hull: plaintiffs alleged decedent John Dale Wineland (USN 1963-1984) was exposed to asbestos contained in Crane Co. products while aboard USS Dynamic, USS Loyalty, USS Tuscaloosa, and/or USS Esteem; he worked primarily in the ships' engine rooms maintaining and repairing diesel engines, pumps, air compressors, and valves; he developed mesothelioma and died in 2018. The court held maritime law governs and granted Crane's motion: while acknowledging 'there is evidence that various Crane Co. products were installed on the DYNAMIC, LOYALTY, ESTEEM, and TUSCALOOSA ... and that Mr. Wineland was exposed to significant levels of asbestos dust while working in the engine rooms of those vessels,' plaintiffs produced no evidence from which a jury could conclude substantial exposure to asbestos dust from Crane products specifically (e.g., where Crane globe, check, and swing valves were installed on ESTEEM and whether original asbestos-containing components were involved).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1978-1980 (alleged Esteem exposure window); 2019-2021 (litigation)
- Population
- John Dale Wineland (USN 1963-1984; aboard Esteem c. 1978-1980 per companion orders); mesothelioma decedent
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: classified at its actual stage - recited allegations and plaintiffs' evidentiary showing resolved adversely at summary judgment for this defendant. The opinion does not adjudicate that asbestos was aboard Esteem, that Crane products specifically exposed the decedent, or causation; the ship appears in the recital of the parties' record. CourtListener API sweep was quota-blocked this session (ev-10); opinion verified via reporter citation and full order text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-07
-
[8]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. C19-0793RSL (W.D. Wash.) - Order Granting Robertshaw Controls Company's Amended Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. 311) and Order Granting Alfa Laval Inc.'s Amended Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. 313), May 17, 2021 [court_record]
- Locator
- Dkt. 311 (Robertshaw) at 1-2; Dkt. 313 (Alfa Laval) at 1-2; W.D. Wash. C19-0793RSL
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Companion orders pin the hull attribution and recite product-level record evidence for this ship. Robertshaw order: 'Plaintiffs allege that Mr. Wineland was exposed to asbestos contained in Robertshaw Controls products while aboard the USS ESTEEM, the USS PLEDGE, and the USS TUSCALOOSA'; 'There is evidence that Fulton Sylphon temperature regulating valves were installed on the ESTEEM during or before 1955 (Dkt. 396-8 at 47-48)'; 'the Fulton Sylphon valves the Navy tested and approved for use on its vessels contained asbestos gaskets and packing (Dkt. 396-14 at 2-3)'; repair of these products 'would invariably create asbestos dust'; 'ample evidence to support a finding that Mr. Wineland was exposed to significant levels of asbestos dust while working in the engine rooms of the ESTEEM.' Alfa Laval order: allegations tie Esteem to the 1978-1980 service window (Dynamic 1963-66, Pledge 1966-67, Loyalty 1970-72, Tuscaloosa 1972-74, Esteem 1978-80); 'There is evidence that Alfa Laval purifiers were installed in the aft engine rooms of the DYNAMIC, LOYALTY, ESTEEM, PLEDGE, and TUSCALOOSA (Dkt. 394-8 at 67)' and 'that DeLaval lube oil pumps serviced the main propulsion reduction gears installed on DYNAMIC, LOYALTY, ESTEEM, and PLEDGE.' All three defendants' summary-judgment motions were granted - the claims failed on product-attribution/causation grounds despite the recited evidence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1978-1980 (Esteem window); orders May 17, 2021
- Population
- John Dale Wineland; by extension engine-room personnel on the named hulls
- Limitations
- Unpublished orders; verbatim text reviewed from counsel's posted PDF copies - authoritative locators are the docket entries (Dkt. 311, 313). The product/installation statements are the court's recital of plaintiffs' record evidence viewed at summary judgment, not findings of fact: every Esteem-naming claim was resolved adversely to plaintiffs (attribution of exposure to each defendant's original asbestos components not shown). Documents a litigated product record, not an adjudicated materials finding for the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-08
-
[9]Consolidated era/design inference - documented construction (wooden hull, non-magnetic fittings, Agile/Aggressive-class SCB-45A ocean minesweeper per DANFS spec block and NavSource) and propulsion (NavSource: four Packard ID1700 diesels, later Waukesha diesels, twin controllable-pitch shafts - no boilers, no steam distribution) [other_primary]
- Locator
- n/a - analytical row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a 1952-laid wooden-hulled non-magnetic ocean minesweeper with diesel propulsion carried a materially lighter insulation load than steam combatants - no boilers, no steam-line lagging. Era-typical asbestos applications for the type, if present, would concentrate in: diesel exhaust/muffler lagging; machinery gaskets and packing (the litigation record independently recites asbestos gaskets/packing in Fulton Sylphon-type regulating valves); electrical-cable insulation; accommodation/joiner insulation and fireproofing; winch/windlass brake linings; deck composition/tile. Exposure-relevant populations: Martinolich San Diego construction trades 1952-55; ships' crews 1955-1991 including the NRF era; yard workers at documented availabilities (Long Beach NSY 1956; 1960 overhaul; Basrac Shipyard Bahrain fall 1989; Lake Union Drydock Seattle 1990); Crowley Marine Services scrapping workforce 2000.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-2000
- Population
- as listed in finding_value
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design and era - NOT a hull materials record; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, or location aboard this hull beyond what the litigation record recites; the diesel plant weakens even era inference relative to steam vessels.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-09
-
[10]Batch-1352 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS live + Wayback/mirror; NVR SHIPSDETAIL_MSO_438; NavSource 11/02438; VA ships list; NHHC command-operation-report archive; archive.org BOGP; CourtListener API v4; indexed site:courtlistener.com and general legal-web queries; MARAD disposal compilers; marketing-roster exclusions [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-01 through sl-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No affirmative ship-specific asbestos materials record located for USS Esteem / AM-438 / MSO-438 outside litigation: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, NESHAP notification for the 2000 scrapping, or museum record was found in the public sources searched. The litigation sweep produced one qualifying action naming the hull - Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (W.D. Wash. C19-0793RSL), in which all Esteem-naming claims were resolved adversely to plaintiffs at summary judgment - and one name-collision cluster, the 'Esteem' background-check database litigated in Goode v. First Advantage (E.D. Pa. No. 2:11-cv-02950) and related FTC-reporting cases, unrelated to the vessel. The authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweep did not run: the first query returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in 26224 seconds') - the shared daily quota was exhausted by prior batch work on this machine (same wall hit by sibling batches the same day, e.g. batch-1236); the sweep is logged blocked per batch rules. Indexed-web queries surfaced no additional decisions naming the hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1952-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for the lighter diesel/wood-hull insulation load, and the litigation record separately recites product-level evidence. The CourtListener API sweep is UNSEARCHED at API depth, not searched-and-empty; a re-run after quota reset is the stated next step.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-10
-
[11]Department of the Navy FOIA disclosure log (DONCIO exports page id=4501) - entry reflecting a requester seeking 'Command History records for USS Minesweeping Ocean going MSO 438 USS ESTEEM on the straits of Hormuz during Desert Shield 1990-1991' [other_primary]
- Locator
- DONCIO FOIA disclosure log export, Esteem entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival-lead mapping: (a) NHHC command histories for USS Esteem (MSO-438) - the FOIA log entry shows a researcher sought Esteem command-history filings for the 1990-91 period, indicating such records exist at NHHC (note tension: NavSource photos place the hull back in Seattle from April 1990 and at Lake Union Drydock summer/fall 1990, so the requester's 'Desert Shield 1990-1991' characterization is unverified); (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs 1955-1991; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records incl. General Information Books for the Martinolich San Diego MSO block; (d) the 1958 Navy Yard Long Beach Booklet of General Plans (ev-06) for material callouts; (e) MARAD/PMARS disposal file for the 6 March 2000 transfer and Crowley scrapping (hazmat documentation, if any, would live there); (f) Martinolich/NASSCO successor yard records, foot of 28th St., San Diego.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- n/a
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only; no records retrieved; not an asbestos finding. The Desert Shield framing in the requester's description conflicts with photo-documented Seattle presence in 1990 and is carried as unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-11
-
[12]Class nomenclature reconciliation - DANFS specification block 'cl. Agile' vs NavSource 'Aggressive Class Minesweeper' vs standard references (Conway's/Combat Fleets split Agile AM-421 / Aggressive AM-422-449, placing this hull in Aggressive) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource header
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The SCB-45A ocean-minesweeper family is styled 'Agile-class' in the DANFS specification block for this hull and 'Aggressive-class' by NavSource and most compilations; standard references (Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships; Combat Fleets of the World) split the family as Agile (AM-421) / Aggressive (AM-422 through AM-449), which places Esteem in Aggressive. Sibling batch records adopt the dual label 'Agile/Aggressive-class'; this record does the same rather than silently picking one.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- n/a
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Nomenclature only - does not affect hull identity or any materials claim; the two labels describe the same SCB-45A design family.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-esteem-am438-12