Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1081-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH (RE-SCOPE: USS Chinquapin YN-12/AN-17)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-fir-yn12-pkt-1081-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Chinquapin (YN-12/AN-17) - construction, rename, commissioning, 12th Naval District and Pacific service, decommissioning, battle stars (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-05) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Chinquapin entry, service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'Chinquapin, ex-Fir, renamed on 16 October 1940, was launched 15 July 1941 by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. J. Lane; and placed in service 29 October 1941. She was commissioned 6 January 1943, Lieutenant R. D. Abernathy, USNR, in command.' Assigned to the 12th Naval District, she conducted net, salvage, and towing operations out of Tiburon Net Depot until 31 December 1943, sailed for Pearl Harbor arriving 10 January 1944, and was redesignated AN-17 on 20 January. She tended nets and laid moorings at Majuro, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok 15 February - 27 July 1944, supported the Marianas occupation at Saipan and Guam until 28 October, returned via Pearl Harbor to San Francisco as convoy escort and was overhauled, sailed 3 February 1945 via Pearl Harbor and Ulithi for Okinawa arriving 1 May for net, mooring and transport operations until 30 October, returned to Astoria, Oreg., 11 December and was placed out of commission in reserve 6 March 1946. Three battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: dp. 560; l. 163'2"; b. 30'6"; dr. 11'8"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 48; a. 1 3"; cl. Aloe.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1946
- Population
- General Engineering construction trades (1941); crew (1941-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS coverage ends at 1946 decommissioning - struck date and final disposition are not covered here. 'Renamed 16 October 1940' predates the 28 March 1941 keel-laying reported by NavSource, i.e., the rename occurred before construction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Chinquapin (AN-17) / ex Chinquapin (YN-12) - timeline, specifications, campaign table, commanding officers, crew photography (live .net page verified 2026-10-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/18/18017.htm header block, specifications block, campaign table, CO table, and photo captions (incl. engine-room and Typhoon Louise series)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 28 March 1941 at General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA (listed 'as Fir (YN-12)'); renamed Chinquapin 16 October 1940; launched 15 July 1941; placed in service as Chinquapin (YN-12) 29 October 1941; commissioned USS Chinquapin (YN-12) 6 January 1943 at Naval Net Depot, Tiburon, CA, LT. Robert D. Abernathy, USNR; redesignated AN-17 20 January 1944; decommissioned 6 March 1946 at Astoria, OR; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; struck from the Naval Register 'date unknown'; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Campaign table: Marshalls (Kwajalein/Majuro occupation 7-8 February 1944; Eniwetok 17 February - 2 March 1944), Marianas (Saipan capture/occupation 1-10 August 1944), Okinawa Gunto assault/occupation 1 May - 30 June 1945. Specs: 560 t. (805 t. fl); 163'2" x 30'6" x 11'8"; 12.5 kts; 4 officers + 44 enlisted; armament 1x3"/50, 1x40mm, 3x20mm; largest boom capacity 12 t.; diesel fuel 620 bbls; propulsion two Enterprise DSG-6 diesel engines, single Westinghouse main reduction gears, two diesel-drive 60 kW 120 V DC ship's service generators, single propeller 800 shp. Engine-room photo captions identify 'two 250 volt DC electric main propulsion drive motors' and 'two main propulsion diesel engines, which drove electric generators' - diesel-electric drive documented aboard this hull. Photo captions document Typhoon Louise damage (9-10 October 1945, Okinawa): rammed by two other ships, starboard superstructure damage, hole in port bow, ruptured stern tube; a YNg gate tender towed from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa in 1945; a 1945 San Pedro/Long Beach stateside-overhaul visit. Commanding officers: LT Robert Donald Abernathy USNR (OinC) 6 Jan 1943 - Aug 1943; LT Charles Thomas Hammons USNR Aug 1943 - Jun 1944; LT Walter Gorton Berry USNR Jun 1944 - 14 Dec 1945; ENS Donald Evan Rist USNR 14 Dec 1945 - 6 Mar 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- General Engineering construction trades (1941); crew (1941-46); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946+)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but it reports struck 'date unknown' and fate 'unknown' against secondary sources' 1962/1976 claims (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. Its own timeline shows the rename (16 Oct 1940) preceding the keel-laying (28 Mar 1941) - its 'laid down as Fir' framing is therefore ceremonial naming, not a served designation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-02
-
[4]NARA, Special List 44 - List of Logbooks of US Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, named-vessels list (live archives.gov page verified 2026-10-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessels table, 'Chinquapin (AN-17) | 9/27/1943 | 6/30/1945' row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA inventories deck logs for Chinquapin (AN-17) covering 9/27/1943 - 6/30/1945 in the Special List 44 named-vessels inventory. These are surviving-log dates, not commissioning/decommissioning dates; the logs are held at the National Archives at College Park, MD (post-1940 logs) and are not digitized for public download.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: establishes that deck logs for this hull exist and their date coverage; the logs' contents have not been reviewed - they may document yard availabilities, overhaul periods, or material events but cannot be asserted to. Deck logs generally record operational, not material, content; any asbestos relevance is speculative until reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-03
-
[5]NARA College Park, 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations) - 19 monthly USS CHINQUAPIN war-diary records, Feb 1944 - Dec 1945 (DPLA index of NARA catalog items; e.g., NAID 77602630 Sept 1945, NAID 101701802 May 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DPLA item set for 'USS CHINQUAPIN war diary' (19 results); Commons scan of the 9/1945 cover (DPLA 10a746b8d11860471f87493ea4e07ec3)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds 19 monthly war-diary records for USS CHINQUAPIN cataloged via DPLA: Feb, Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec 1944 and Jan, Feb, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec 1945 (gaps at Jan, May, Jun 1944 and Mar-Apr 1945 in the indexed set). The September 1945 diary cover (NAID 77602630, micro serial 153603) was reviewed directly: 'U.S.S. CHINQUAPIN at Buckner Bay, Okinawa Shima... Chinquapin engaged in maintenance of A/T net and removal of net and moorings, Buckner Bay, Okinawa,' 1-30 September 1945, signed W.G. Berry, Lieut, USNR, Commanding - consistent with the NavSource CO roster (LT Walter Gorton Berry, Jun 1944 - 14 Dec 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead: catalog records establish the diaries exist and the Sept 1945 cover establishes Okinawa A/T-net operations and the CO; interior pages of the other 18 items were not reviewed. War diaries are operational summaries - they would document availabilities and casualties but contain no inherent asbestos information. Digitization status: catalog records public; full scans not confirmed downloadable.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-04
-
[6]Crew memoir: Dempsey H. (Barney) Barnett, EM2C USN Ret., USS Chinquapin AN-17 - first-person account of Typhoon Louise and the homeward voyage (NavSource-hosted PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 18017a.pdf, pp. 1-4 (typhoon damage; stern tube; propulsion motors; homeward voyage)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific crew testimony: during Typhoon Louise at Okinawa (9 October 1945) Chinquapin 'was rammed by two other ships, (1) our sister ship the USS Snowbell AN-52, (2) and an LST which ripped a hole in our port bow, we broke off three anchors during the typhoon which wiped out our radio and radar... it ruptured Chinquapin's stern tube, sea water was gushing in the main propulsion drive motor room compartment.' Salt water contaminated the two open-type DC main propulsion drive motors ('insulation was all saturated with salt water'); the crew restored insulation resistance with megohm readings and drying over ~2 days while dead in the water mid-Pacific. She left Buckner Bay 30 October 1945 sailing solo for home; at Astoria after decommissioning she was hooked to 'ship to shore' power to keep bilge pumps running against the unrepaired stern-tube leak. The memoir confirms the diesel-electric plant: 'the Chinquapin's propulsion system employed two of these motors driving a common gear box which turned the propeller shaft,' with diesel generators supplying deck winches and propulsion, and documents his engine-room switchboard duty and 40mm GQ station.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (service recounted); undated writing
- Population
- EM2C Barnett and engine-room/switchboard watchstanders; 40mm gun crews; Okinawa-period crew
- Limitations
- Crew memoir, not an official record - a first-person retrospective hosted on NavSource; consistent with DANFS dates and NavSource photo captions on the typhoon damage. Contains no asbestos content - 'insulation' references are electrical winding insulation in the DC propulsion motors, not thermal lagging, and no fiber content is identified. Not an exposure record for Barnett or any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-05
-
[7]California Military Department / militarymuseum.org, 'Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard (NIRS) Alameda' - General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. builder documentation (contract NObs-344; WWII construction totals; site later NIRS Alameda) [other_primary]
- Locator
- militarymuseum.org NIRS Alameda page (contract NObs-344; WWII build totals); Alameda Marina Historic Resource Evaluation (alamedaca.gov, 2017) for yard history corroboration
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder documentation: General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Alameda (yard at 1725-2025 Clement Ave; founded as Barnes & Tibbitts, renamed 1922) built small warships for the Navy under contract NObs-344 - '16 1,250-ton minesweepers, 11 850-ton minesweepers, and four 560-ton anti-submarine net layers' by war's end; the four net layers are AN-14 through AN-17 (Dogwood, Ebony, Eucalyptus, Fir/Chinquapin) per the shipbuilding tables. The Navy terminated the contract in 1946; the yard closed in 1948 and the site was acquired by the Navy in 1950 as NIRS Alameda.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1916-1948
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1941)
- Limitations
- Builder/site context only - establishes the yard's WWII product mix and confirms this hull was one of its four net layers; contains no asbestos, material, or exposure information for the yard or this hull. General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Alameda is NOT an Atlas shipyards.json yard_id - related_shipyards is empty and the yard is carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Aloe-class net layer, 1941 build); NavSource specifications (diesel-electric plant); shipbuildinghistory.com YN/AN table (Aloe-class YN-1..YN-32 build pattern); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; shipbuildinghistory.com YN/AN table; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-08)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1941-built Navy diesel-electric auxiliary sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small net layer of this period were thermal insulation around machinery and diesel exhausts, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing/deck materials in the hull volume. As a diesel-electric vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1976
- Population
- General Engineering construction trades (1941); crew incl. engine-room watchstanders (1941-46); Pacific Reserve Fleet/NDRF caretakers (1946-1976)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YN-12/AN-17. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text not fetched)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1941) and service era (1941-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved this session (gao.gov has historically blocked automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description, same treatment as prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-08
-
[10]Designation cross-check: NavSource designation history (Fir (YN-12) -> Chinquapin (YN-12) -> AN-17); shipbuildinghistory.com YN/AN table (YN-2 = Ash, YN-11 = Eucalyptus, YN-12 = Fir/Chinquapin); Wikipedia Chinquapin article (prose 'Fir (YN-2)', infobox 'Chinquapin (YN-11)'); NavalCoverMuseum CHINQUAPIN AN-17 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS Chinquapin (AN-17) article vs NavSource 18017 timeline and shipbuildinghistory.com YN/AN table rows YN-2/YN-11/YN-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary sources misnumber this hull - Wikipedia carries 'originally ordered as USS Fir (YN-2)' in prose and 'renamed USS Chinquapin (YN-11)' in the infobox. Both numbers are wrong: YN-2 was Ash (AN-7) and YN-11 was Eucalyptus (AN-16) per the YN/AN construction table; this hull was Fir (YN-12), renamed Chinquapin (YN-12) on 16 October 1940 before construction began, and redesignated AN-17 on 20 January 1944. The YN-12 sequence is corroborated by DANFS (entry filed under Chinquapin (YN-12)), NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, and shipbuildinghistory.com.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1944 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating designation error, not a material claim. DANFS itself states only 'ex-Fir' without a number; the pre-construction 'as Fir (YN-12)' keel-laying framing is NavSource's and is ceremonial (rename predates the laying down).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-09
-
[11]Batch-9185 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS page; NavSource 18017 + memoir PDF; NARA Special List 44; NARA war diaries via DPLA; shipbuildinghistory.com; militarymuseum.org; NVR check; secondary web litigation/marketing sweep; CourtListener (pacing-blocked this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fir-yn12-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or verified litigation naming USS Fir (YN-12) / USS Chinquapin (YN-12/AN-17) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide pacing budget returned 'momentarily spent' on three spaced attempts (authenticated helper, exit 2); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no hull-specific law-firm listicle for this ship - only generic era claims ('every class built 1930s-1980s') that name no hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (pacing-blocked, not run). Deck logs (9/27/43-6/30/45) and the 19 war diaries are undigitized leads; builder work packages (NObs-344) and NDRF/scrapping records are open. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fir-yn12-10