Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Fortify' entry (carried under the 'Fortify (AM-446)' heading), Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2016-10-06; live page returns 404 - verbatim text verified via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2025-01-20) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Fortify' entry - AM-237 sentence, under the 'Fortify (AM-446)' page heading
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this designation, complete entry verbatim: 'The name Fortify was assigned to AM-237 on 6 August 1942, but construction was canceled on 6 June 1944.' The entry is a single sentence with no laid-down, launch, or commissioning data - consistent with a contract cancelled before keel laying; the hull was never built, launched, commissioned, or crewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- None - never crewed
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy record naming this designation; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material information - supports no asbestos claim and instead forecloses one (no hull existed). Live NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/fortify.html returns 404 (standing NHHC link rot, same as BATCH-01); text verified verbatim against the 2025-01-20 Wayback capture. The 6 Aug 1942 name-assignment date precedes the AM-237 designation's existence (the contract was then PCE-910) - DANFS applies the later designation retroactively; see correction row ev-09.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, Patrol Craft Escort (PCE/PCE[R]) index - PCE-910 entry: 'PCE-910 Named/Reclassified Fortify (AM 237) ... Construction canceled 6 June 1944'; corroborated verbatim by the NavalCoverMuseum PCE designation list: '910 FORTIFY AM 237 ex PCE 910 Canceled 6 June 1944' [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/12/02idx.htm PCE index (PCE-905 to PCE-976 block); navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/Designation_PCE PCE 905-class table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contract-lineage record: this hull began as patrol craft escort PCE-910 (PCE-905 class), was named Fortify and reclassified as Admirable-class minesweeper AM-237, and was cancelled 6 June 1944 before construction. The same designation lists show the block context: PCE-908 became Fixity (AM 235, built), PCE-909 became Flame (AM 236, cancelled 6 June 1944), PCE-911 through PCE-915 were cancelled 1 November 1945 as PCEs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (contract record)
- Population
- None - never crewed
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled index data, secondary - corroborates the PCE-910-to-AM-237 designation chain and cancellation, consistent with DANFS and the Colton yard table. navsource.org was unresolvable and navsource.net returned 406 to automated fetch this session; index text verified via web-index snippets and the NavalCoverMuseum designation list - direct fetch pending. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-02
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Lockheed Shipbuilding (formerly Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging), Seattle WA' yard table - hull #74 row + yard history header [other_primary]
- Locator
- lockheed.htm (PSB&D table) - hull #74 row; block rows #69-78; yard history header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull's contract: PSB&D yard hull #74, 'AM 237 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 185 | (no delivery) | Cancelled' - listed in the 'Built in Yard 2' (West Seattle, Block 430) section. The table runs the consecutive ex-PCE Admirable-class block - #69 Execute (AM 232, delivered Nov-44), #70 Facility (AM 233, Nov-44), #71 Fancy (AM 234, Dec-44), #72 Fixity (AM 235, Dec-44), #73 (AM 236) Cancelled, #74 (AM 237) Cancelled, #75-78 (AM 367-370) Cancelled. Yard history header: PSB&D founded 1898 as a San Francisco Bridge Co. subsidiary; Harbor Island facility 1916; reactivated for WWII partly as the Associated Shipbuilders joint venture with Lake Union Dry Dock; acquired by Lockheed Shipbuilding & Construction 1959; yards later sold to the Port of Seattle.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (contract period)
- Population
- None aboard; PSB&D contract-period workforce (1943-44) is the only conceivable exposure population - undocumented
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder assignment, yard hull number (#74), planned type and tonnage (650d, 185 ft class figures), and cancellation. The 'Built in Yard 2' section placement conflicts with the batch-1207 sister-hull (AM-233) record's 'Yard 1, Harbor Island' characterization - flagged in ev-09; for a never-built hull the contract yard assignment (PSB&D Seattle) is the established fact. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-03
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS Fortify (AM 237) page - Admirable-class minesweeper entry; ordered 12 Aug 1943; all milestone fields blank; 'Cancelled 6 June 1944' [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/5302 specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compilation record for this hull: 'Minesweeper of the Admirable class,' pennant AM 237, ordered 12 Aug 1943; Laid down, Launched, Commissioned, and End service fields all blank; History: 'Cancelled 6 June 1944.' No commanding officers listed - consistent with a hull that never entered service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- None - never crewed
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation consistent with DANFS, NavSource, and the Colton yard table; the 'ordered 12 Aug 1943' date is the AM-series contract date (the same date uboat gives sister AM-233) - distinct from DANFS's 6 Aug 1942 name-assignment date for the antecedent PCE-910 contract; see ev-09. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-04
-
[5]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987); Fleischer, W.E., et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030; Admirable-class plant per NavSource sister-hull record (AM-233) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; PubMed PMID 21016030; NavSource AM-233 propulsion line (sister-hull class plant)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design context only: asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in WWII U.S. shipbuilding (Corn & Starr 1987), and the USMC-commissioned Fleischer et al. 1946 survey found amosite 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels.' The contract for this hull was an Admirable-class diesel direct-drive minesweeper (documented sister-hull plant: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, twin screws - no boilers, no steam distribution), whose intended insulation load would have been materially lighter than a steam vessel's. Era-typical asbestos applications for the type: exhaust-system and muffler lagging; machinery gaskets and packing; electrical-cable insulation; accommodation/galley joiner insulation; winch/windlass brake linings; deck composition.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; articles 1946/1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context only); none aboard this hull
- Limitations
- Doubly attenuated inference: (1) program/era-level documentation - neither source names this vessel, class, or yard; (2) the hull was never laid down, so even design/era inference attaches only to contract intent - no material was installed in or procured for a hull that was never constructed. Establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-05
-
[6]Lockwood v. AC & S, Inc., 109 Wn.2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987) - per Atlas shipyards.json ev-puget-bridge-01 and as quoted in Anjeski v. Keene Building & Development Co., 727 F. Supp. 331 (E.D.N.Y. 1989); and Hoyt v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 13-35573 (9th Cir. Sep. 10, 2013) (memorandum) [court_record]
- Locator
- Atlas shipyards.json ev-puget-bridge-01; Anjeski v. Keene, 727 F. Supp. 331, 335 (E.D.N.Y. 1989) reciting Lockwood facts; cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2013/09/10/13-35573.pdf
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level asbestos litigation for this hull's assigned builder: in Lockwood, coworkers placed Raymark asbestos cloth in use during the 1947-48 overhaul of the ship George Washington at the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredge shipyard (as recited in Anjeski, 727 F. Supp. at 335); in Hoyt, Lockheed litigated as successor-in-interest to Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company over alleged take-home asbestos exposure from yard employment in 1948-1958 (summary judgment for the defendant affirmed on foreseeability). Both confirm the builder yard's documented asbestos milieu in the era this hull's contract ran.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1947-1958 (exposure windows); 1987/2013 (decisions)
- Population
- PSB&D yard workforce (1947-1958 litigation window); workers' household contacts (Hoyt)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not hull evidence - neither case names AM-237, and both postdate the hull's June 1944 cancellation. Hoyt is an unpublished Ninth Circuit memorandum affirming a defense summary judgment - a merits-stage negative for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence. Establishes asbestos products were litigated at the yard in the era; establishes nothing about this hull (which was never constructed) or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-06
-
[7]Jacob et al v. Plastics Engineering Company (PLENCO) et al., No. 1:2019-cv-00108 (D. Guam, filed 2019-06-20; Nature of Suit: P.I. Asbestos) - Justia docket mirror; complaint vessel list per Pacific Daily News/postguam.com coverage (2019-06/07) [court_record]
- Locator
- Justia docket 1:2019cv00108 (D. Guam) - case metadata; postguam.com article (complaint ship list verbatim); guampdn.com corroboration
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Name-collision documentation: a real, docketed asbestos personal-injury complaint names 'USS Fortify' among ten vessels on which plaintiff Eusebio V. Jacob, a journeyman electrician at the Navy Ship Repair Facility, Guam (1962-1985), allegedly installed asbestos gaskets (USS Asheville, Banner, Brister, Engage, Fortify, Grasp, Haverfield, Impervious, Inflict, Ponchatoula). The alleged exposure window 1962-1985 falls entirely inside the service life of the second Fortify - USS Fortify (AM-446/MSO-446), in commission 1954-1992 - and two decades after this hull's 1944 cancellation. The reference is a name collision: it attaches to MSO-446, not to AM-237.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1962-1985 (alleged exposure); 2019 (filing)
- Population
- Guam Navy Ship Repair Facility electrician (1962-85) - as to MSO-446
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation resolved as to a different hull - this row documents why 'USS Fortify' litigation hits must NOT be attributed to AM-237, not an exposure record for this hull. Complaint is an allegation, unadjudicated; does not establish exposure aboard either hull. Hull attribution by service-window analysis: AM-237 never existed (cancelled 1944); only AM-446/MSO-446 was extant 1962-85.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-07
-
[8]Batch-1211 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback capture of the live NHHC page; NavSource PCE index; NavalCoverMuseum PCE designation list; Shipbuilding History (Colton) PSB&D/Lockheed yard table; uboat.net ship/5302; navalmarinearchive minesweepers table; navypedia Admirable list; globalsecurity AM-136 unit list; CourtListener API v4 (blocked - shared 2,800/day quota exhausted, HTTP 429); indexed-web litigation substitute; PubMed esearch [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fortify-am237-01 through sl-uss-fortify-am237-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located - and none can exist in the conventional record types: the hull was cancelled before keel laying, was never launched, commissioned, or crewed, so no crew exposure record, hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or NVR entry exists. No docketed case naming AM-237 was found; the only real litigation naming 'USS Fortify' (Jacob v. PLENCO, D. Guam 2019) resolves to MSO-446 by service-window analysis (see ev-07). CourtListener systematic sweeps could not be run - the authenticated API returned HTTP 429 on both attempts this session (shared 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine, ~1.7-1.8h backoff) and was not retried further per batch rules; coverage beyond the web-indexed sweep is an open item, not a completed negative. Web-indexed sweeps surfaced only law-firm roster mentions (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table lists 'USS Fortify | AM-446' - the correct later hull; mesotheliomahelp.org generic list) - name-list mentions only, excluded per source rules. PubMed esearch returned no literature naming this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence of asbestos - but for this hull the record universe is inherently empty: no hull existed, so no shipboard exposure population can exist. The only conceivable exposure window is PSB&D yard work during the contract period, and no documentation of procurement or fabrication against yard hull #74 was located. The blocked CourtListener sweep means unindexed dockets could exist - but any 'USS Fortify' hit would still require hull attribution (only MSO-446 was ever in service). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-08
-
[9]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (Wayback of live NHHC page) vs NavSource PCE index vs NavalCoverMuseum PCE designation list vs Colton lockheed.htm yard table vs uboat.net ship/5302 vs navalmarinearchive minesweepers1 table vs navypedia vs globalsecurity vs sister-batch record (batch-1207 AM-233) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-01 through ev-04 locators; batch-1207 uss-facility-am233.atlas.json builder field; globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/am-136-unit.htm; historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/Fortify.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies flagged, none smoothed: (a) Date sequence - DANFS records the name 'Fortify' assigned to AM-237 on 6 Aug 1942, predating the AM-237 designation itself (the contract was then PCE-910); uboat.net records the AM-series order 12 Aug 1943 (the same date it gives sister AM-233). These are different events - name assignment vs minesweeper-conversion order - kept separate, not merged. (b) Yard facility - Colton's table lists hulls #63-78 (incl. AM-232-237) under 'Built in Yard 2' (West Seattle, Block 430); the batch-1207 sister-hull record characterizes the same block as 'Yard 1, Harbor Island.' Colton's own section header carried; the conflict is flagged, not resolved. (c) Tonnage/dimensions in compilations (650d, 185 ft per Colton; 945 LDT per navalmarinearchive) are Admirable-class design figures for a hull never built - class figures, not realized measurements. (d) globalsecurity.org glosses the cancellation 'after Normandy landings' - the 6 Jun 1944 date does coincide with D-Day, but no source documents a causal link; carried as cancellation date only. (e) HistoryCentral's DANFS mirror garbles the AM-446 launch date ('14 February 1968' for 1953) - mirror transcription error in the other-hull half of the entry; irrelevant to AM-237 but noted because the same page carries the AM-237 line.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Limitations
- Publication-level discrepancy flagging among cited sources; the yard-section conflict is unresolved pending contract-file retrieval (NARA RG 19). Secondary compilations appear here only as conflicting claims, not as an evidence basis. No asbestos content in any underlying source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-09
-
[10]NARA record-group mapping for this hull: RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) - contract and cancellation records for the PSB&D ex-PCE Admirable block (yard hulls #69-78), incl. the PCE-910-to-AM-237 conversion and the 6 June 1944 cancellation authority; RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - 13th Naval District) contract-administration records [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 19/181 group guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized; NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch): NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records should hold the PSB&D contract file covering yard hulls #69-78 - the likeliest primary source to document the PCE-910-to-AM-237 conversion, the 6 June 1944 cancellation authority, and whether any material was procured or fabricated against hull #74; RG 181 records of the 13th Naval District (Seattle) may hold contract-administration correspondence. No muster rolls or deck logs exist to seek - the hull was never crewed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1945 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether any asbestos-relevant procurement documents exist for hull #74 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am237-10