Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]DANFS, Exultant II (AM-441), Naval History and Heritage Command (canonical live URL https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/exultant-ii.html returned 404 on 2026-09-22; Wayback capture 20241226062049 used; verbatim transcription corroborated via hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am441.htm Wayback capture 20241226062837) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Exultant II entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull: launched 6 June 1953 by Higgins, Inc., New Orleans, La. (sponsor Miss A. Brooks); commissioned 22 June 1954, Lt. R. T. Gregory in command; reclassified MSO-441 on 7 February 1955; homeported Charleston, S.C. from 23 July 1954 (Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet headquarters); Sixth Fleet Mediterranean deployments 1955, 1957-1958, 1959-1960; Royal Canadian Navy minesweeper exercises out of Halifax 1956; cold-weather sweeping operations out of Argentia, Newfoundland 1957; Caribbean fleet operations, North Carolina amphibious exercises, and experimental mine-warfare work through July 1960; on 12 August 1960 suffered extensive interior damage from a flash fire in her engineering spaces off the east coast - damage-control parties and USS Nimble (MSO-459) extinguished the blaze, five crew killed, ship returned to port safely. Spec block: dp 620; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 74; a. 1 40 mm.; cl. Agile.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-1960 (narrative coverage)
- Population
- Construction trades (Higgins, New Orleans, 1952-53); crew (design complement 74); five crew killed in 1960 engineering fire
- Limitations
- Identity and service-chronology record only - the entry contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information, and its narrative ends in 1960 (it is the DANFS vol. III-era text). Does not establish the presence or absence of any material aboard, the location of the 1960 fire, or the post-fire repair yard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-01
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[2]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details - EXULTANT (MSO 441), ex-AM 441, MINESWEEPER, OCEAN (shipId 1701; page last updated 12/12/2017) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR getHull shipId=1701, VESSEL STATUS + MILESTONE DATES blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official register entry: class MSO 422; UIC 07971; builder Higgins Inc.; keel 05/22/1952; launched 06/06/1953; commissioned 06/22/1954; decommissioned 06/30/1993; stricken 03/09/1994; status 'disposed of by dismantling (scrapping/recycling)', status changed 05/17/2002. NVR independently confirms the 22 June 1954 commissioning date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-2002
- Limitations
- Milestone and status record only - no materials, hazmat, or asbestos information (NVR physical-characteristics block is blanked pending public-information review). Disposal-status date (05/17/2002) is the register's status-change date, not necessarily the sale or dismantling-completion date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-02
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[3]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Exultant (MSO-441) ex-AM-441 page (contributor-compiled from official records; direct fetch blocked, Wayback capture 20241226062452 used) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSO-441 page, chronology + specifications block + photo captions + CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compilation supplies detail DANFS omits: laid down 22 May 1952 (consistent with NVR keel date); propulsion four Packard ID1700 diesel engines later replaced by four Waukesha Motors Co. diesels, two shafts, controllable-pitch propellers (diesel plant - no boilers or steam system); armament as built one 40mm mount and two .50-cal machine guns, bow gun later replaced by one twin 20mm mount; decommissioned 30 June 1993 and laid up at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Portsmouth, Va.; sold for scrap 4 December 2000 to Baltimore Marine Industries, Baltimore, Md.; photo documents the hull 'awaiting scrapping at Baltimore, MD c. December 2000'; commanding-officer list runs LT Robert Turner Gregory (22 June 1954 - 30 March 1955) through LCDR Murray Alan Hess Jr. (21 February 1992 - 30 June 1993); photos document a La Spezia, Italy departure 21 September 1971 and an official Navy photo dated 1 January 1983.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-2002
- Population
- Higgins construction trades (1952-53); crew; Baltimore Marine Industries dismantling workers (2000-2002)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archival compilation, not an official record. Contains a commissioning-date error (prints '31 March 1954' - contradicted by DANFS, NVR, and its own CO list; see correction row ev-uss-exultant-am441-04) and spec variances (775 t / 35' / 12' / 14 kts / cpl 78 vs DANFS 620 t / 36' / 10' / 16 kts / cpl 74 - likely full-load basis). The 4 December 2000 sale-to-BMI date rests on this compilation. Establishes the diesel propulsion type; no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-03
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[4]Date correction: NavSource prints 'Commissioned ... 31 March 1954'; official records establish 22 June 1954 (NVR commission date 06/22/1954; DANFS 'commissioned 22 June 1954'; NavSource's own CO list begins LT R. T. Gregory 22 June 1954). The 31 March date belongs to sister USS Exploit (AM-440). [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology line vs NVR milestone block and DANFS paragraph 1; NavSource CO list row 01
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NavSource chronology's '31 March 1954' commissioning date is a transcription error - the date is sister minesweeper Exploit (AM-440)'s commissioning day (Exploit: commissioned 31 March 1954 per its DANFS entry). Exultant commissioned 22 June 1954, confirmed by three sources including two official records; NavalCoverMuseum repeats the erroneous 31 March date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1954
- Limitations
- Correction applies to the compilation error only; the carried commissioning date (1954-06-22) is doubly verified by NVR and DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-04
-
[5]Era inference from documented plant and era specifications: U.S. Navy Ships fact file MSO 422 Aggressive class entry (diesel plant, class design) - verbatim mirror at Federation of American Scientists, retrieved via Wayback capture 20210820042801 - + GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-insulation era) + class construction literature [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis: Navy Ships fact file propulsion block + NavSource propulsion line + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation + DANFS fire event
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-typical asbestos applications aboard a 1952-54 diesel-propelled 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; joiner/bulkhead insulation panels; 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 documented 12 August 1960 engineering-spaces flash fire and subsequent reconstruction is the plausible largest material-disturbance event: post-fire repair would have removed and renewed insulation and finishes in the affected spaces (event documented; asbestos scope is inference).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1952-2002
- Population
- Construction trades (Higgins, 1952-54); post-fire repair yard workers (1960, yard unidentified); enginemen and sweep-gear operators (crew); dismantling workers (2000-2002)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, specification, or material schedule was located; the wood/nonmagnetic hull claim rests on class literature (Conway's et al.), not an official specification. Does not establish that any listed product was installed aboard this hull, any quantity, or presence at any date; the hull was dismantled 2000-2002, so no present-day survey pathway exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-05
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[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 (1952-54) and essentially her entire commissioned career (1954-1993) fall inside the asbestos-specification and removal-policy 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 1952-1993
- 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, disturbed, or removed aboard. Report addresses shipyard-worker protection, not shipboard crew exposure. gao.gov blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403); content verified via indexed verbatim text of the official report - same limitation carried in Batch-01 and prior MSO records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-06
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[7]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 (companion orders granted to Warren Pumps, Alfa Laval, Anchor/Darling, and others) [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), USS Loyalty (MSO-457), and USS Esteem (MSO-438) - the same wood-hulled diesel MSO type as this hull - plus USS Pledge (MSO-492) and USS Tuscaloosa, between 1963 and 1984; Wineland developed mesothelioma and died in 2018. The court granted summary judgment to Crane Co. (and, in companion orders, other defendants) for failure to show substantial-factor exposure from their products.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1963-1984 (alleged); 2021 (orders)
- 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 Exultant is established or implied by this record. Citation verified via published reporter text on vLex; CourtListener opinion-level confirmation pending (API quota-blocked this session).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-07
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[8]Joint Chiefs of Staff / OP-03C2, 'Status of CBR-Defense Outfitting - Near Term Deployers to Persian Gulf OPAREA,' battle-groups status document dated 15 Oct 1990 (declassified 17 Nov 1995; DoD GulfLink/FHPR declassified-documents collection) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Document f_0001, 'LANTMINEWARFARE' section (ETA P.G.-28 SEP)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official declassified JCS document lists USS EXULTANT (MSO 441) under 'LANTMINEWARFARE (ETA P.G.-28 SEP)' among near-term deployers to the Persian Gulf operating area during Operation Desert Shield - alongside USS Avenger (MCM-1), USS Adroit (MSO-509), USS Impervious (MSO-449), USS Leader (MSO-490), USS Fortify (MSO-446), and USS Engage (MSO-433). The document separately notes the four hulls physically transported on MV Super Servant 3 (Avenger, Adroit, Impervious, Leader); Exultant's entry does not state physical deployment of the hull and is consistent with the era's documented practice of cross-decking MSO crews onto deployed hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1990-10-15 (document date); deployment window 1990-1991
- Population
- MSO crew (Desert Shield-era)
- Limitations
- Documents a planned/assigned deployment listing, not the hull's physical presence in the Gulf - the transport note explicitly covers only four of the listed minesweepers. The crew-rotation interpretation (e.g., Exultant crew manning a deployed sister) is plausible but not stated in the document; secondary claims of a 'Desert Storm deployment' for this hull are not carried as hull-presence facts. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-08
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[9]GAO, Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal, NSIAD-99-18 (Oct 1998); corroborated by Maritime Reporter (July 2000) coverage of the Navy's Sept 1999 four-yard paid-scrapping pilot (Baltimore Marine Industries among the awardees) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO NSIAD-99-18 report text (hazmat/remediation passages); Maritime Reporter & Marine Logistics, July 2000, 'Heightened Scrutiny on Ship Scrapping'
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the federal ship-disposal program inside which this hull was scrapped: ~200 surplus Navy/MARAD vessels awaiting disposal; the Navy relied on domestic scrapping; surplus ships of this era 'contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), lead, mercury, and cadmium,' with remediation taking place prior to and during dismantling; improper scrapping risks polluting the site and endangering workers. Exultant's sale for scrap (4 Dec 2000, Baltimore Marine Industries per NavSource) and dismantling (NVR status 'disposed of by dismantling' effective 17 May 2002) ran inside this documented program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1998-2002
- Population
- Domestic shipbreaking workers (program-level; Baltimore Marine Industries dismantling crew, this hull, 2000-2002)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - establishes that hazmat remediation including asbestos was a required, documented part of the Navy domestic-scrapping pathway this hull followed, but does not name this hull and does not establish quantities present aboard or the specific remediation performed on her. gao.gov blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403); content verified via indexed verbatim text of the official report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-09
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[10]Batch-1356 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404 + Wayback + hazegray transcription); Naval Vessel Register; NavSource; U.S. Navy Ships fact file; declassified JCS GulfLink document; GAO HRD-80-2 and NSIAD-99-18; web litigation index; CourtListener API (blocked); VA BVA index (web index); NARA deck-log series [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-exultant-am441-01 through sl-uss-exultant-am441-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material specification, disposal hazmat disclosure, VA BVA decision, or confirmed docketed case naming USS Exultant / AM-441 / MSO-441 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener opinion/docket sweep could not be completed - the authenticated API returned HTTP 429 (2,800/day cap exhausted by prior batch traffic) - so the litigation picture is unverified rather than empty; a web-index CourtListener proxy returned only name collisions (a docket-number 'AM-441' insurance-recovery case; MAO-MSO Recovery Medicare suits) and non-authoritative marketing pages.
- 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 hull was dismantled in the United States 2000-2002, so no present-day survey pathway exists. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-10
-
[11]NARA, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992 (deck-log series; VA Blue Water Navy digitization program progressively publishing file units - sister MSO-474's 1956 log confirmed digitized in the National Archives Catalog) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Navy deck-log portal; catalog.archives.gov/id/204732602 (MSO-474 exemplar)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: Exultant's commissioned-era deck logs (1954-1992) fall within NARA's Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations series, which is being digitized through the VA Blue Water Navy partnership; ocean-minesweeper file units are confirmed present (e.g., Vital MSO-474, March 1956, catalog id 204732602). Exultant-specific file units were not individually confirmed in this session. Deck logs would document yard periods (including the undocumented post-August-1960 fire-repair availability), material-condition entries, and personnel relevant to any future exposure analysis.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1954-1992 (records); digitization ongoing
- Limitations
- Lead only - the catalog record for this hull's logs was not individually confirmed (catalog search is JS-driven; no box-level or file-unit retrieval performed). Deck logs do not typically name insulation materials; they establish operational context, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-exultant-am441-11