Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Fancy (AM-234) - current NHHC entry by Robert J. Cressman and Elaine Lewis (published 28 March 2016), verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-01-25 (live page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (Cressman & Lewis, 2016)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (AM-234: displacement 945 at limiting draft; length 184'6"; beam 33'0"; draft 9'9" limiting; speed 15 knots; complement 104; armament 1 3-inch, 2 40mm, 6 20mm, 1 hedgehog, 2 depth-charge tracks, 2 depth-charge projectors; class Admirable). Laid down 12 May 1944 at Seattle by Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co.; launched 4 September 1944, sponsored by Mrs. E. L. Skeel, wife of the building yard's vice-president; commissioned 13 December 1944, Lt. Frank D. Abbott commanding. Fitting out at builder's yard 14-22 Dec 1944; minesweeping trials/deperming/magnetic ranging 22-31 Dec; departure inspection 2 Jan 1945, sailed for San Pedro (struck a sunken log en route, slight port-shaft vibration); shakedown Terminal Island 7-13 Jan incl. a possible-submarine investigation off San Pedro; minesweeping instruction Santa Barbara 21-25 Jan; ASW training West Coast Sound School San Diego 31 Jan-5 Feb; post-shakedown availability San Pedro 7-14 Feb; departed 15 Feb 1945 for Hawaii as TU 16.1.1 escorting convoy SP-38T, Pearl Harbor 24 Feb; departed 7 Mar with Rampart (AM-282), YMS-38, YMS-237 as TU 18.2.8, Seattle 19 Mar; March-April transfer preparation; via Kodiak to Cold Bay; decommissioned 20 May 1945; designated a tralshik [minesweeper] T-272; reclassified MSF-234 7 February 1955; 'remained in Russian possession until scrapped in 1960.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (U.S. service); 1955 (reclassification); 1960 (scrapping)
- Population
- PSB&D construction trades (1944); USN crew Dec 1944-May 1945 (complement 104); Soviet trainee crew at Cold Bay (Apr-May 1945)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service history, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link-rot note from Batch 01); verbatim text via Wayback capture 20250125125825. The 2016 entry dates decommissioning 20 May 1945; older DANFS text and NavSource read transfer 20 May with formal decommissioning 21 May, and Russell's appendix prints 21 May - one-day spread carried in gaps. Spec-block displacement 945 t conflicts with the older DANFS transcription's 530 t and HyperWar's 625 t - conventions carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-01
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[2]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Fancy (MSF 234) ex-AM-234 page (construction chronology, Soviet-service chain, specifications, commanding-officer roster, disposition) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AM-234/MSF-234 page - Admirable Class Minesweeper chronology, specifications block, CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 12 May 1944 by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Co., Seattle, WA; launched 4 September 1944; commissioned USS Fancy (AM 234) 13 December 1944; transferred to the Soviet Union 20 May 1945 and reclassified T-272; decommissioned 21 May 1945 at Cold Bay, AK; assigned to the Soviet Pacific Fleet 17 June 1945; transferred 23 October 1947 to the Ministry of Transport, converted to a trawler and named Blizzard; transferred to 'Glavpromorrybprom' 7 August 1948; reclassified by U.S. Navy as MSF-234, 7 February 1955; scrapped in the early 1960s. Specifications: displacement 945 t.(fl); length 184'6"; beam 33'; draft 9'9"; speed 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one twin 40mm mount, six 20mm mounts, hedgehog, four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 1,710-shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single-reduction gear, two shafts. U.S. CO roster: LT Frank DeWitt Abbott USN, 13 December 1944-20 May 1945.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- USN crew Dec 1944-May 1945; Soviet Navy crew T-272 (1945-47); Soviet trawler crew of Vyuga/Blizzard (1947-1960)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page - the sole located source for the Ministry-of-Transport/Glavpromorrybprom chain, the Pacific Fleet assignment date, and the Cooper Bessemer propulsion detail. Propulsion conflicts with HyperWar ('diesel-electric, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.') - carried in gaps. Transfer/decommission ordering (20 vs 21 May) conflicts with the 2016 DANFS entry and Russell's appendix - carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-02
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[3]Russell, Richard A., Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, Naval Historical Center, Washington DC, 1997 (ISBN 0-945274-35-1) - official Navy historical monograph drawing on Soviet-era records and Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1949) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Project Hula appendix table, p. 39 ('Fancy (AM 234) - T-272 - 21 May - 1960-scrapped'); program narrative pp. 11-14, 37-39; photo caption p. 21
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHC monograph's transfer appendix (p. 39) lists this hull directly: 'Fancy (AM 234) - T-272 - 21 May - [1960-scrapped]' in the U.S./Soviet designation, transfer-date, and disposition columns (row alignment verified by pdftotext -layout extraction). Program context from the same source: planned roster of 180 vessels including 24 minesweepers (AM); 149 ships transferred at Cold Bay in 1945; about 12,000 Soviet personnel trained; Hula transfers were single-ceremony events combining U.S. decommissioning, transfer, and Soviet commissioning. A captioned photo in the volume dates an Admirable-class transfer ceremony at Cold Bay 20 May 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945 (transfer); monograph published 1997
- Population
- USN crew + Soviet trainee crew at Cold Bay, Apr-May 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative for the transfer event and Soviet designation: Russell used Soviet-era records unavailable during the Cold War plus NAVSHIPS 250-012, and resolves the T-271/T-272 conflict toward T-272 (T-271 was sister USS Disdain AM-222). The appendix's 21 May transfer date differs by one day from the 2016 DANFS decommissioning date (20 May) - Russell documents transfers as single-ceremony events; the spread is carried in gaps. Establishes nothing about materials or asbestos aboard; the monograph is a transfer-program history, not a hull materials record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-03
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[4]2016 DANFS entry ('received the identification number T-272') + Russell/NHC appendix (T-272) + current NavSource (T-272) vs. older compilations reading T-271 (hazegray DANFS transcriber note; uboat.net ship 5299; NavalCoverMuseum FANCY AM-234 names/designations table) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20250125125825 (NHHC DANFS); Russell appendix p. 39; navsource.org/archives/11/02234.htm; hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am234.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5299.html; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/FANCY_AM_234
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Soviet designation correction: the hull became T-272 in Soviet service, not T-271 as several older compilations read. T-271 was sister USS Disdain (AM-222), transferred in the same May 1945 cycle (Russell appendix rows are adjacent: 'Fancy (AM 234) - T-272' and 'Disdain (AM 222) - T-271'). The 2016 NHHC-authored DANFS entry, Russell's Soviet-records-based appendix, and the current NavSource page all read T-272.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945 (designation); compilations 1945-2026
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-compilation error only; carries no bearing on materials or asbestos aboard. The T-271 reading persists in the hazegray DANFS transcription's transcriber note, uboat.net, and NavalCoverMuseum - cited here as the error being corrected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-04
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[5]NARA, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (finding aid to Vessel and Station Log Books at the National Archives, RG 24) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessels table, 'Fancy (AM-234)' row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 names this hull with deck-log coverage 'Fancy (AM-234) 12/13/1944-5/2/1945' - spanning commissioning through the Cold Bay Soviet-crew training period but ending 18 days short of the 20-21 May 1945 transfer ceremony; the final weeks of U.S. custody are not covered in the named-vessels finding aid.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (logbook coverage)
- Population
- USN complement aboard AM-234, Dec 1944-May 1945
- Limitations
- Deck logs are operational records - they document movements and events, not materials or asbestos aboard. Coverage ends 2 May 1945; Soviet-era logs, if any survive, are not U.S. records. Muster rolls for this hull not separately confirmed in the named-vessels finding aid.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-05
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[6]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessels up through 1961' (RG 19 research guide: hull-designation correspondence, Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books, hull-arranged Ship Engineering Drawings S39/S48/S103 filing codes) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov guided topic page, sections on Bureau of Ships correspondence, 'General Information Books,' and 'Ship Engineering Drawings'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA's official asbestos-research guide identifies the record series that would document hull-level material specifications for this ship: RG 19 Bureau of Ships general correspondence filed under hull designation 'AM234' and class correspondence under 'AM136 Class' (Admirable namesake); builder contract files under 'QM/Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging'; RG 19 Entry P-11, 'Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books' (Item S-68, 1940-1962); and the paper/microfilm Ship Engineering Drawings ('Hull Series') arranged by hull number and Ship Material Group - the guide names S103 (Booklets of General Plans), S39 (Insulation and Lagging), and S48 (Piping) as the codes most relevant to asbestos research. An AM-234-specific drawing or GIB volume, if it survives, is the realistic path to any ship-specific materials finding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (hypothetical record coverage); guide current as of 2026-09-22
- Population
- PSB&D construction trades (1944); USN crew Dec 1944-May 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the guide documents which series exist, not that AM-234 material survives in them; no hull-specific drawing, GIB, or contract file was retrieved or confirmed. Establishes a research path, not an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-06
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[7]Declaration of Peter Neushul, Ph.D., Siegfried v. Owens-Illinois, No. 2:18-cv-01575 (C.D. Cal.) (RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384.52.0) - WWII Navy/USMC fireproof-insulation requirements and Navy QPLs; plus NARA recognition of asbestos in USN materiel 1941-1961 [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP document 52-0, declaration paragraphs 6-7 (WWII shipbuilding insulation requirements; Kaylo QPL listings); NARA asbestos guided-topic page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/type inference only: the declaration documents that during WWII the U.S. Navy and U.S. Maritime Commission required fireproof insulation on military and civilian vessels, and that asbestos-containing thermal insulation products (e.g., Owens-Illinois Kaylo block and pipe insulation) appeared on Navy Qualified Products Lists under military specifications Mil-I-2819 and Mil-I-2781 (earlier Navy specs 32-I-3 and 32-P-8). Fancy was built in 1944 inside this procurement regime and inside the 1941-1961 window in which NARA officially recognizes asbestos use in U.S. Navy materiel. Era-typical applications for a diesel-powered minesweeper of this size: diesel exhaust lagging, engine-space insulation, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing, accommodation insulation, deck covering. Because the plant was diesel (two diesels on a single-reduction gear, no boilers or steam lines), the dominant WWII asbestos pathway aboard steam vessels - boiler and steam-line lagging - did not exist on this hull; expected ACM scope is smaller and differently distributed than aboard a steam vessel of the same era. The 1947-48 trawler conversion and 1960 scrapping in Soviet hands were documented disturbance events on the 1944 hull; any disturbance of era materials in that work is inference only.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- PSB&D construction trades (1944); USN crew Dec 1944-May 1945; Soviet Navy and trawler crews (1945-1960); Soviet scrapping workers (1960)
- Limitations
- Inference from era, builder, and vessel type only - no ship-specific document names any asbestos product aboard this hull. The Neushul declaration is a plaintiff-side expert filing in asbestos litigation, not a court finding, and never names this vessel. No material schedule for AM-234 was located (NARA RG 19 series are the lead, ev-06). Diesel propulsion reduces expected ACM scope relative to steam vessels but does not establish absence. The very short U.S. career (~5 months) limits the U.S.-service exposure window; Soviet-era disturbance events are undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-07
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[8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (1946); PubMed PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned wartime industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and Navy-contract shipyards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - asbestos insulation was standard material in naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (survey era)
- Population
- Navy and Navy-contract shipyard pipe-covering trades (wartime)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging yard was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, quantities, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-08
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[9]Lockwood v. AC & S, Inc., 109 Wash. 2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987) (Washington Supreme Court; jury verdict for plaintiff affirmed) - Raymark asbestos products documented in use at Puget Sound Bridge & Dredge [court_record]
- Locator
- 109 Wash. 2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987); shipyards.json 'puget-sound-bridge-dredging' ev-puget-bridge-01
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- The Washington Supreme Court's opinion documents that Albert Lockwood was exposed to asbestos products while working at various Seattle shipyards and ties petitioner Raymark Industries' asbestos products (asbestos insulation on pipes and steam turbines) to work at Puget Sound Bridge & Dredge on a large liner conversion in 1947-1948 - a merits-affirmed record that the hull's builder yard used asbestos-containing products in the same era the ship was built. Recorded in the Atlas shipyard dataset as yard 'puget-sound-bridge-dredging' (evidence_tier 3 at yard level).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1947-1948 (documented exposure); 1987 (opinion)
- Population
- Puget Sound Bridge & Dredge shipyard workers (1947-48 documented; era context for 1944 construction)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard context only: the opinion documents asbestos product use at the yard on a 1947-48 liner conversion - it does not name this hull (built 1944), does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard AM-234, and says nothing about quantities or any individual's exposure aboard. The affirmed jury verdict is merits-level for Lockwood's yard exposure, not a finding about this vessel. Justia URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; citation verified against the reporter (109 Wn.2d 235, 744 P.2d 605) and subsequent Washington opinions citing it (Van Hout v. Celotex, 1993; Allen v. Asbestos Corp., 2007).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-09
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[10]Batch-1208 search ledger (this record): 2016 NHHC DANFS via Wayback; NavSource mine-warfare archive; Russell/NHC Project Hula monograph; NARA Special List 44 + asbestos guide; uboat.net; NavalCoverMuseum; HyperWar per-hull page; shipyards.json lookup; CourtListener API (blocked, 429) + Google-indexed fallback; VA BVA index; general web for litigation/abatement naming AM-234 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fancy-am234-01 through sl-uss-fancy-am234-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Fancy / AM-234 / MSF-234 / T-272 / Vyuga was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) was rate-limited (HTTP 429, shared 2,800/day cap) at time of research; Google-indexed site:courtlistener.com and VA BVA searches returned no qualifying hit naming the vessel. Law-firm list pages name the ship (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table lists 'USS Fancy | AM-234'; mesotheliomaveterans.org lists USS Fancy) but carry no ship-specific content - excluded per batch source rules.
- 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 - a 1944 diesel minesweeper is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull left U.S. custody in May 1945 and was scrapped in the USSR in 1960, so no U.S. late-life record chain (reserve fleet, museum, domestic scrapping) exists to generate documentation; Soviet/Russian shipyard and fleet records were not searched (language/access barrier). The CourtListener API query itself was blocked by the shared daily cap - the litigation check rests on the indexed fallback plus the implausibility of a U.S. docket naming a 5-month lend-lease hull; an authenticated API re-run remains an open item.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fancy-am234-10