USS Excel (AM-439)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Excel' (MSO-439) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil DANFS pages return 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1334) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Excel' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/mso439.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: (MSO-439: dp. 620; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 74; a. 1 40mm.; cl. Agile). 'The second Excel (AM-439) was launched 25 September 1953 by Higgins Corp., New Orleans, La. sponsored by Mrs. T. G. W. Settle, wife of the Commandant, 8th Naval District, reclassified MSO-439 on 7 February 1955; and commissioned 24 February 1955 Lieutenant R. G. Sipe in command.' 'Excel arrived at Long Beach, her home port, 4 June 1955, and began operating along the west coast in training and exercises. In 1956 and again in 1959, she served in the Far East with the 7th Fleet, visiting Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan and exercising with ships of friendly navies. Through 1960 she continued to sail out of Long Beach for operations and cruises along the west coast.' DANFS does not state the keel-laying date (NavSource/Colton carry 9 February 1953) and its narrative ends at 1960.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1953-2000

   Population

   Higgins Corp. construction trades (New Orleans, 1953-55); commissioned crew (design complement 74-78), 1955-1992

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and early service - not materials or asbestos content, and the entry ends at 1960 (the hull served to 1992, so the entire Vietnam, reserve-force, and disposal record lies outside DANFS). Its spec block diverges from NavSource on displacement (620 vs 775 t), beam (36' vs 35'), draft (10' vs 12'), speed (16 vs 14 kts), complement (74 vs 78), and class label (Agile vs Aggressive) - flagged in ev-10. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; a downstream mirror (historycentral.com) corrupts three details (26 September launch, '6th Naval District,' 1969 WestPac) - flagged in ev-10.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Excel (MSO 439) ex-AM-439, file 11/02439 (chronology, spec block, CO list, photo captions); class index 11/02idx [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02439 - chronology block, spec block, propulsion line, armament note, CO list (23 COs), photo credits and captions; index 11/02idx MSO-class header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Aggressive Class Minesweeper'; laid down 9 February 1953 as AM-439 at the Higgins Corp., New Orleans, LA; launched 25 September 1953; 'Reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper (non-magnetic), MSO-439, 7 February 1955'; commissioned USS Excel (MSO-439) 24 February 1955; decommissioned 30 September 1992; 'Struck from the Navy Register 28 March 1994 and laid up in the Reserve Fleet'; 'Sold for scrap to Crowley Marine in January 2000.' Call sign NLPA. Spec block: 775 t; 172'; 35' beam; 12' draft; 14 kts; complement 78; armament 'As built, one 40mm gun mount and two .50 cal. machine guns. Final configuration, bow gun removed'; propulsion 'Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha [sic] Motors Co. diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.' CO list carries 23 commanding officers, LT Richard G. Sipe (24 Feb 1955) through LCDR James M. Rennie (to 30 Sep 1992), including LCDR Albert T. Church III (18 Aug 1979 - 24 Oct 1981, later Vice Admiral). Photo captions document: departing Long Beach c. 1956; Naval Station Treasure Island c. September 1979; NAS Alameda c. July 1980 moored forward of Gallant (MSO 489); off San Diego 14 December 1985 (U.S. Navy photo DN-ST-86-04652); Vancouver, B.C. 6 June 1990; at Mare Island Naval Shipyard c. 1999 'being stripped of useful equipment prior to scrapping'; and 'being winched out of the water at Crowley Marine' and 'hydraulic shears breaking up starboard side' c. January 2000 (U.S. Navy photos).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1953-2000

   Population

   Higgins Corp. trades (1953-55); crew 1955-1992; Naval Reserve trainees (Treasure Island era); Mare Island stripping crew c. 1999; Crowley Marine scrapping workforce Jan 2000

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its spec block diverges from DANFS (775 vs 620 t; 35' vs 36' beam; 12' vs 10' draft; 14 vs 16 kts; 78 vs 74 complement) and its class label 'Aggressive' conflicts with DANFS's 'cl. Agile' - flagged in ev-10. Its Packard-to-Waukesha engine-replacement claim is contradicted for this hull by Combat Fleets, which lists MSO-439 among the Packard-retained survivors - flagged in ev-10. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim. The photo captions document disposal events (Mare Island stripping, Crowley breakup) but not hazmat handling.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Higgins Industries, New Orleans LA' yard table - MSO 439 Excel row + Higgins MSO sister block + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   higgins.htm - 'Excel (MSO 439)' row; sister MSO block (440-443, 458-462); yard-history header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Excel (MSO 439) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 780 | 172 | 24-Feb-55 | Scrapped 2000.' The Higgins table carries a block of her sisters built at the same yard: Exploit (MSO 440), Exultant (MSO 441), Fearless (MSO 442), Fidelity (MSO 443), Lucid (MSO 458 - 'To Stockton CA as museum 2010'), Nimble (MSO 459), Notable (MSO 460), Observer (MSO 461), Pinnacle (MSO 462) - all 780d, 172 ft, delivered 1954-55. Yard history header: Higgins Industries, New Orleans - seven separate plants in the New Orleans area, ~20,000 employees at peak, claimed 20,094 boats built in WWII alone; closed 1963; taken over by Equitable Equipment 1966 (renamed Equitable Shipyards; later Trinity/Halter lineage).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1953-1963

   Population

   Higgins Industries workforce (New Orleans, 1953-55)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, type, delivery date (24-Feb-55 = commissioning date), and scrapping year (2000). Its '780' displacement is a third distinct figure against DANFS's 620 and NavSource's 775 - flagged in ev-10. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-03

4. [4]Combat Fleets of the World (Wertheim naval almanac transcript, jwilliamcupp.name mirror) - MSO 439 Excel line + Agile/Aggressive class table and modernization note [other_primary]

   Locator

   CombFlt.htm - MSO 439 row; Agile/Aggressive class table and modernization paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Almanac line for this hull: 'MSO 439 EXCEL - Higgins, New Orleans - 4FEB53 - 25SEP53 - 24FEB55 - stricken before 93.' Class narrative: the 1968 modernization plan called for re-engining the Agile-class survivors with four Waukesha diesels, SQQ-14 minehunting sonar, a 40 mm gun, and a built-up bridge; thirteen hulls were re-engined, but 'the remainder of the survivors (MSO 427, 439, 440, 455, 464, 489, and 492) retained Packard lD1700 diesels, totaling 2,280 hp; those ships displace 684 tons light, 762 full load. All the survivors were given very thorough rehabilitations during early to mid-1970s, receiving semi-enclosed bridges, an enlarged superstructure abaft the bridge, SQQ-14 minehunting sonars, new communications gear, and upgraded accommodations. The SPS-53 radars were eventually replaced by SPS-64(V)9.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1953-1994

   Population

   Mid-1970s rehabilitation-yard workforce (yard unlocated for this hull)

   Limitations

   Secondary almanac transcript - corroborates builder, launch, and commission dates, but its keel date '4FEB53' conflicts with NavSource/Colton's 9 February 1953, and its 'stricken before 93' conflicts with the documented strike date 28 March 1994 - flagged in ev-10. Critically, its explicit list of Packard-retained hulls includes MSO-439, directly contradicting NavSource's 'replaced by Waukesha' line - flagged in ev-10 rather than merged. Contains no asbestos information; the mid-1970s rehabilitation it documents is a class-level program statement, and the specific yard and scope for this hull's rehab are not given.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-04

5. [5]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Agent Orange Navy/Coast Guard ship list (ships docked to Vietnam shore or pier category) - 'Excel (MSO-439) Docked to pier at Cam Ranh Bay July 31, 1967' (November 2015 VA list PDF mirrored by Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association at oldbluewater.com; identical entry in the 1 July 2019 VA list transcribed at navalcovermuseum.org and in ProPublica's reproduced VA list) [other_primary]

   Locator

   oldbluewater.com/ShipListNOV2015.pdf ('Excel (MSO-439) Docked to pier at Cam Ranh Bay July 31, 1967'); navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/US_Naval_Forces_in_Vietnam (EXCEL MSO 439 row); propublica.org reproduced VA list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The VA's Agent Orange ship list - compiled from Navy deck logs and ship histories for herbicide-exposure presumption - carries a ship-specific entry for this hull: 'Excel (MSO-439) Docked to pier at Cam Ranh Bay July 31, 1967.' This is a government-compiled, deck-log-derived record placing this hull in Vietnamese waters during the Vietnam War (consistent with the secondary-compiled WestPac deployment table - Jan-Nov 1967 WestPac - and with her documented Market Time patrol service among the MSO type).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1967-07-31

   Population

   Excel crew during the July 1967 Cam Ranh Bay docking

   Limitations

   A herbicide-presumption record, not an asbestos record - it establishes a ship-specific 1967 pier docking at Cam Ranh Bay and nothing about materials, asbestos content, or exposure to asbestos. Cited via mirrored transcriptions of the VA list (oldbluewater.com PDF of the November 2015 list; navalcovermuseum.org 'US Naval Forces in Vietnam' page transcribing the 1 July 2019 VA list; ProPublica's reproduced list) because the live VA ship-list page no longer serves a per-ship text list to automated fetch; three independent transcriptions agree verbatim on the entry.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-05

6. [6]Secondary career synthesis for the post-DANFS period - hullnumber.com deployment table; ussguidemso447.com Mine Division 93 history page; NavalCoverMuseum EXCEL MSO 439 page and postmark record; Naval Historical Foundation/Bruhn article; vpnavy.com DeConto service record; Wikipedia (DANFS+NVR-derived) [other_primary]

   Locator

   hullnumber.com/MSO-439 deployment table; ussguidemso447.com/rosters/minediv-93-ships/uss-excel-mso-439; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/EXCEL_MSO_439 (postmark 96290 Branch Kaohsiung 1969-09-19); navyhistory.org/2012/04 Bruhn article; vpnavy.com shipmates DeConto entry; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Excel_(AM-439)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Post-1960 career from mutually consistent secondary compilations: WestPac/Vietnam deployments per hullnumber - Mar 1963-Apr 1964, Jan 1965-Jan 1966, Jan-Nov 1967 (consistent with the VA Cam Ranh Bay entry, ev-05), Sep 1969-Jun 1970 (consistent with a NavalCoverMuseum-recorded Army-Air Force postmark at the Kaohsiung, Taiwan branch dated 1969-09-19), Apr-Aug 1971; RIMPAC May-Aug 1984. On 27 August 1961 Commander Mine Division 93 with USS Leader (MSO-490) and USS Excel (MSO-439) made the first official U.S. Navy ship visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia (ussguidemso447.com; repeated by Wikipedia). Vietnam War service included Operation Market Time coastal-interdiction patrols (ussguidemso447; the DocsLib 'On Station Yankee Team and Market Time' compilation lists Excel among Market Time MSOs; navysite.de crew recollections describe 1970-71 WestPac/Vung Tau operations and a late-1970/early-1971 drydock refit at Long Beach). By the late 1970s she was reassigned to Naval Reserve Force training duty homeported at Naval Station Treasure Island, San Francisco Bay (photo-documented there c. September 1979; at NAS Alameda c. July 1980), remaining in commission - the 'reserve fleet' phrasing in some sources is imprecise, she was an in-commission reserve-training ship. Notable officers: LCDR Albert T. Church III commanded 18 Aug 1979-24 Oct 1981 (later Vice Admiral); ENS-later-CAPT Gerald F. DeConto served aboard as Engineering Officer Nov 1979-Feb 1982 (his duty record: USS Excel 11/79-02/82) and was killed at the Pentagon on 11 September 2001; LCDR David Bruhn served aboard as a junior officer and later wrote the 'Wooden Ships and Iron Men' minesweeper history trilogy (Naval Historical Foundation). After decommissioning she lay in the Suisun Bay reserve anchorage (Bruhn/NHF) before stripping at Mare Island c. 1999 and scrapping at Crowley Marine, January 2000.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1961-2000

   Population

   Excel crew on Vietnam-era deployments (1963-1971); Naval Reserve trainees and reduced active crew at Treasure Island (c. late 1970s-1992)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilations, not official records - the deployment table, Phnom Penh visit, Market Time participation, NRF transition date, and Suisun Bay layup are documented only by veterans'-association and enthusiast sources plus Wikipedia (which itself incorporates DANFS and Naval Vessel Register text). None of these sources bears on asbestos. The exact date Excel shifted homeport from Long Beach to Treasure Island is undocumented. Crew recollections (navysite.de) of a 1970-71 Long Beach drydock refit are anecdotal - noted as a lead, not carried as a documented yard event. Wikipedia's awards list (Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, SECNAV Letter of Commendation, SECNAV Energy Conservation Award, Navy Reserve Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Minesweeping 'M' Excellence Award) is unverified against an official awards register.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-06

7. [7]Consolidated era/design inference - documented construction and machinery (DANFS 'cl. Agile'; NavSource 'Aggressive Class' spec block: four Packard ID1700 diesels, two shafts, two CPPs; NavSource class index: MSOs 'built primarily of wood, with bronze and stainless (non-magnetic) steel fittings'; Combat Fleets class table: MSO-439 among Packard-retained hulls at 684 t light/762 full; mid-1970s rehab program) + documented builder and era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02idx class header; NavSource 11/02439 spec block; Combat Fleets class modernization paragraph; Colton higgins.htm

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1953-55-built wooden-hulled non-magnetic ocean minesweeper with a diesel plant - no steel hull to insulate, no boilers, no steam distribution - so her insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's and lighter even than a steel-hulled diesel minesweeper's. Era-typical asbestos applications for a 1950s naval vessel of this type: exhaust-system and muffler lagging on the diesels and generators; machinery gaskets and packing; electrical-cable insulation; accommodation and galley joiner materials; deck coverings/floor tile of the period; winch, windlass, and mine-sweep-gear brake linings. Her unusually long commission (1955-1992) straddles the Navy's 1973 asbestos-free insulation-spec transition, and Combat Fleets documents a class-wide early-to-mid-1970s rehabilitation (semi-enclosed bridge, enlarged superstructure, SQQ-14 sonar, new communications gear, upgraded accommodations) that Excel received - a disturbance/replacement episode whose material scope is undocumented. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Higgins Corp. construction trades (New Orleans, 1953-55); the commissioned crew (design complement 74-78) across a 37-year commission including six-plus WestPac deployments; Naval Reserve trainees cycling through Treasure Island duty; workers at undocumented maintenance availabilities (including the class rehab and a crew-recalled Long Beach drydock refit c. 1970-71); the Mare Island stripping crew (c. 1999); and the Crowley Marine scrapping workforce (January 2000).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1953-2000

   Population

   Higgins trades (1953-55); crew 1955-1992 incl. WestPac deployments; NRF reserve trainees; rehabilitation-yard and scrapping workforces

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-439/MSO-439 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The wooden hull and diesel (non-steam) plant make even era-level inference weaker than for steel or steam vessels of the same era, and her late-era service means post-1973 repairs may have substituted asbestos-free materials - net effect on retained material is unknowable from the located record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-07

8. [8]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (1979-80); and T.J. Bigley (Navy) letter to GAO, 5 Jan 1979, as quoted in 'The Asbestos Health Hazards Compensation Act,' Journal of Legislation (Notre Dame) 10(1) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 product/PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf); Notre Dame J. Legislation 10(1), 'The Asbestos Health Hazards Compensation Act' (scholarship.law.nd.edu/jleg/vol10/iss1/3) quoting Bigley letter of 5 Jan 1979

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Program-level documentation of the asbestos window covering this hull's construction and most of her commission: GAO HRD-80-2 records that the Navy's product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials, but asbestos materials already purchased were still installed - 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the Navy's elimination policy issued October 1975. A Navy letter to GAO dated 5 January 1979 (T.J. Bigley to Robert F. Hughes, quoted in the Notre Dame Journal of Legislation) states: 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos.' Excel was built 1953-55 and in commission 1955-1992 - built squarely in the pre-1973 as-built asbestos era, and in service through the 1979 all-ships statement's window and beyond.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1973-1979 policy window documented; hull era 1953-1992

   Population

   Navy personnel and shipyard workers, service-wide (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder. GAO's fieldwork concerned shipyard workers (Long Beach, Norfolk). The 'all ships ... contain some quantity of asbestos' statement is quoted from a primary letter via a law-review source - the letter itself was not retrieved. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (standing, same as BATCH-01/1334); the PDF text was confirmed via search-snippet extraction, not full-text pull. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure - and for a wooden-hulled diesel ship the proposition applies with materially reduced scope.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-08

9. [9]Batch-1353 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/losthistory mirror; NavSource 11/02439 + 11/02idx class index; Shipbuilding History Higgins yard table; Combat Fleets transcript; VA Agent Orange ship list (mirrored transcriptions); hullnumber/ussguidemso447/NavalCoverMuseum/vpnavy/NHF secondary compilations; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (throttled) + site-scoped web search; NARA catalog; MARAD [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-excel-am439-01 through sl-uss-excel-am439-13

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum condition report, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Excel / AM-439 / MSO-439 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Site-scoped CourtListener web searches returned only unrelated asbestos cases (Shelly, Taylor, Salisbury) and substring collisions ('Engineering E for excellence' in the Siegfried expert report); the authenticated CourtListener API was quota-blocked at session time (HTTP 429, ~26,000 s to reset), so the opinion/docket sweep is incomplete rather than empty-verified.

   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 hull's construction era and documented mid-1970s rehabilitation are consistent with era-typical materials and disturbance. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The CourtListener sweep is quota-limited this session; residual risk of a differently-phrased hull reference remains.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-excel-am439-09

10. [10]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02439 vs Colton Higgins yard table vs Combat Fleets transcript vs NavalCoverMuseum vs historycentral.com DANFS mirror vs Wikipedia infobox [other_primary]

    Locator

    losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/mso439.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02439.htm + 11/02idx.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/higgins.htm; jwilliamcupp.name/Story/CombFlt.htm; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/EXCEL_MSO_439; historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/Excel1.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Excel_(AM-439)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Keel date - 9 February 1953 (NavSource, Colton, Wikipedia, hullnumber) vs '4FEB53' (Combat Fleets) - 9 February carried. (b) Launch date - 25 September 1953 (DANFS, NavSource, all) vs historycentral.com's '26 September 1953' - the historycentral transcription corrupts three DANFS details (launch 26 Sep, '6th Naval District' for the sponsor's husband vs DANFS's 8th, and '1969' for the second WestPac year vs DANFS's 1959) - DANFS carried; mirror treated as corrupted. (c) Displacement - DANFS 620 dp vs NavSource 775 t vs Colton '780' vs Combat Fleets '684 tons light, 762 full load' for the Packard-retained survivors - likely light-vs-full-load distinctions; none merged, flagged. (d) Beam - 36' (DANFS, Wikipedia) vs 35' (NavSource, Lucid-museum figures for the type) - flagged. (e) Draft - 10' (DANFS, Wikipedia) vs 12' (NavSource) - flagged. (f) Speed - 16 k (DANFS) vs 14 kts (NavSource, Wikipedia) - flagged. (g) Complement - 74 (DANFS, Wikipedia) vs 78 (NavSource) - flagged. (h) Propulsion - NavSource 'Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha [sic] Motors Co. diesel engines' vs Combat Fleets' explicit statement that MSO-439 was among seven survivors that 'retained Packard lD1700 diesels, totaling 2,280 hp' - direct conflict; Combat Fleets' hull-specific list carried as the better-supported account, NavSource claim flagged unverified. (i) Class label - 'cl. Agile' (DANFS), 'Agile-class' (Wikipedia) vs 'Aggressive Class' (NavSource, Colton, hullnumber, NavalCoverMuseum) - the series-naming ambiguity from the Agile record applies (MSO-439 falls inside Combat Fleets' Aggressive block 432-449); Aggressive carried with the ambiguity flagged. (j) Strike - 28 March 1994 (NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, Wikipedia/NVR-derived) vs Combat Fleets 'stricken before 93' - 28 March 1994 carried. (k) 'Sent to the reserve fleet in the 1970s' (Wikipedia) is imprecise - she remained in commission as a Naval Reserve Force training ship homeported at Treasure Island (photo-documented there Sep 1979; DeConto service 11/79-02/82); exact reassignment date undocumented.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1953-2000

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. None of the sources bears on asbestos. The propulsion conflict is notable because it changes the machinery-disturbance picture: if Combat Fleets is right, this hull never received the Waukesha re-engining the NavSource line asserts.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-excel-am439-10

11. [11]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021), Cause No. C19-0793RSL (Judge Lasnik) - order granting Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment (Dkt. #304); companion orders grant other defendants' MSJs (e.g., Alfa Laval Dkt. #313; Anchor/Darling Dkt. #309; Carrier Dkt. #427) [court_record]

    Locator

    539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021); docket 2:19-cv-00793-RSL (W.D. Wash.); order PDF mirrors brownsims.com (Dkts. 302, 304, 309, 313, 427, 550)

    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, 1963-66), USS Pledge (MSO-492, 1966-67), USS Loyalty (MSO-457, 1970-72), and USS Esteem (MSO-438, 1978-80) - sisters of this hull in the same wooden-hulled, diesel-engined MSO design family; Esteem (MSO-438) is the adjacent hull number, built at Martinolich San Diego. The opinions record machinery-space work on 'diesel engines, pumps, air compressors, and valves' and litigation-stage product-identification evidence. Disposition per litigation-stage discipline: the located rulings are summary-judgment-stage defense wins (Crane Co. MSJ granted, 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149; companion MSJs granted) - merits-level negatives for that plaintiff, not exposure findings; the vessel/product allegations are pleadings and motion-stage record assertions, not adjudicated facts. No appellate disposition was located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2019-2021 litigation; exposure period alleged 1963-1984

    Population

    MSO engine-room sailors (class context), 1963-1984

    Limitations

    Context only - the cited case does not name or involve USS Excel/AM-439/MSO-439, and its sister-ship allegations never reached a merits finding on exposure. It establishes only that asbestos claims were litigated at the pleading/SJ stage for the same MSO type and diesel machinery spaces. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility for this hull. CourtListener API was quota-blocked at session time; the reporter citation and docket are verified via vLex metadata and the order PDFs mirrored at brownsims.com (defense firm); a CourtListener opinion URL was not resolved.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-excel-am439-11

12. [12]Archival leads - NARA RG 24 deck logs for this hull's February 1955 - September 1992 commission (an unusually long 37-year span); Vietnam-era deck logs specifically underlying the VA's 'docked to pier at Cam Ranh Bay July 31, 1967' list entry; NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Higgins MSO block (MSO 439-443, 458-462); yard records for the documented early-to-mid-1970s class rehabilitation (yard unlocated for this hull); Long Beach-area availability records (crew recollection of a 1970-71 drydock refit); Treasure Island NRF assignment orders; Mare Island Naval Shipyard pre-disposal stripping record (c. 1999); MARAD vessel status/disposal file for the 1994 strike and January 2000 Crowley Marine sale; USS Lucid (MSO-458) museum restoration records at Stockton Maritime Museum - the only surviving Agile/Aggressive hull, whose restoration is the closest extant physical analog for this hull's material construction [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; catalog.archives.gov (JS shell response logged); NavSource 11/02439 photo captions (Mare Island c. 1999; Crowley Marine Jan 2000); stocktonmaritimemuseum.org/lucid (MSO-458 restoration)

    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, 5,454-byte response confirmed 2026-09-22; maritime.dot.gov returns HTTP 403): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Feb 1955 - Sep 1992 - the deck logs already underpin the VA's Cam Ranh Bay entry, so a digitized/paper series for this hull demonstrably exists; (b) muster rolls for the 37-year commission, including the NRF-era selected-reserve crew structure; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records and the Navy contract file for the Higgins MSO block - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules for this hull; (d) the shipyard record of her mid-1970s rehabilitation (per the Combat Fleets class statement) - yard and scope unlocated; (e) Mare Island Naval Shipyard pre-disposal stripping record c. 1999 and the Crowley Marine demolition file (photo-documented January 2000) - the terminal-phase hazmat/abatement paper trail, if any exists publicly; (f) MARAD vessel status card for the 1994-2000 disposal chain; (g) Stockton Maritime Museum's USS Lucid (MSO-458) restoration documentation - same Higgins-built design family, the only surviving example, whose material findings (if published) would be the best available analog for this class's construction materials.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1953-2000 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MSO-439 is unknown until surveyed in person. Deck logs, muster rolls, and contract files are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation; the BuShips design file and any rehab/abatement work package are the best candidates for a material record. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-excel-am439-12