Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]DANFS, Fortify II (AM-446), NHHC ship-history entry (verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-01-20 - the live NHHC URL returns 404 at tested slugs, standing link-rot defect per Batch-01/1347 notes) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Fortify (AM-446)' - name-history note + full service narrative (Wayback capture 2025-01-20 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/fortify.html; NHHC live slugs 404 this pass)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull, verbatim: 'The name Fortify was assigned to AM-237 on 6 August 1942, but construction was canceled on 6 June 1944. Fortify (AM-446) was launched 14 February 1953 by Seattle Shipbuilding and Drydocking Co., Seattle, Wash.; sponsored by Mrs. Donald Scobie; and commissioned 16 July 1954, Lieutenant R. Juarez in command. Fortify first arrived at Long Beach, Calif., her home port, 3 August 1954, and in December became flagship of Mine Division 92. Fortify was reclassified MSO-446 on 7 February 1955. During her first tour of duty in the Far East, from 1 July 1955 to 17 February 1956, Fortify took part in exercises with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese minesweepers, as well as fleet operations in Japanese waters. Her training activities and participation in exercises along the west coast prepared her for additional tours of duty in the Far East in 1958 and 1960.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-1960 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Seattle Shipbuilding and Drydocking construction trades 1951-53; crew (complement varies by source - see record)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, construction, and early service only - the published entry ends at the 1960 deployment and covers nothing of the hull's subsequent thirty-two years (Vietnam service, Guam and Little Creek homeports, decommissioning, disposal). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. No spec block is printed in this entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-01
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register, FORTIFY (MSO 446) ex-AM 446, MINESWEEPER, OCEAN detail page (UIC 07976; class MSO 422) - NAVSEA official register via Wayback capture 2001-05-05 (detail page data static since 2001-01-18) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail page MSO446 - data table (status/stricken/build fields, hull material)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR record for this hull: keel date 11/30/1951; launch date 02/14/1953; commission date 07/16/1954; decommission date 08/31/1992; stricken date 03/09/1994; status as of capture 'The Navy awarded a contract for the dismantling of this ship, but it is not characterized as disposed of until the contractor completes and certifies completion of the dismantling' (status changed 12/12/2000; planned disposition TO BE SCRAPPED); overall length 173 ft; light displacement 780 tons; hull material 'Wood hull, (except engines and equipment)'; number of propellers 2.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-2001 (register record)
- Population
- Construction trades (Seattle Shipbuilding, 1951-54); disposal/dismantling workforce 2000-01
- Limitations
- NVR confirms the register spine (dates, wood hull, scrapping disposition) and independently corroborates the DANFS 14 February 1953 launch date against NavSource's 19 February. Contains no asbestos or materials content beyond the hull-material field. The live NVR detail system no longer carries this stricken/disposed hull - cited via Wayback capture of the legacy NVRSHIPS detail page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Navy Ships fact file (dod-101), MSO 422 Aggressive class entry - verbatim mirror at Federation of American Scientists (ship table names this hull) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navy Ships fact file MSO 422 Aggressive page - Specifications block and ship table 'Fortify MSO-446' row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy fact file's ship table names this hull: 'Fortify MSO-446, (builder blank), Little Creek, 16 Jul 1954, 31 Aug 1992' - confirming the NRF-era homeport (Little Creek, VA) and commission/decommission dates matching DANFS and NVR. The same page documents the class design: ocean minesweepers conceived in response to Korean War mining, capable of sweeping moored/bottom contact, magnetic, and acoustic mines with AN/SQQ-14 sonar; power plant '4 - Aluminum block Diesels; 2 shafts, 2,400 bhp'; complement 77 active (7 officers, 70 enlisted) / 57 NRF; and the class-disposal note that 'some units were stricken and sold, but the Contractor defaulted and the ship was repossessed by the Navy to be resold.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-2000 (class design + this hull's dates)
- Population
- Active and NRF crews (Little Creek era)
- Limitations
- The ship-table row is ship-specific (names Fortify, homeport, dates); the design narrative is class-level. No asbestos or materials content anywhere on the page. The builder cell for this hull's row is blank in the table - builder rests on DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-03
-
[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Fortify (MSO-446) ex-AM-446 (photo/data archive page with commanding-officer roster and photo captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource MSO-446 archive page - history block, specifications block, CO roster, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive record for this hull supplies the post-1960 spine DANFS lacks: laid down 30 November 1951 at Seattle Shipbuilding and Drydocking Co., Seattle, WA; launched 19 February 1953 (conflicts with the DANFS/NVR 14 February - flagged); commissioned USS Fortify (AM-446) 16 July 1954; reclassified MSO-446 7 February 1955; decommissioned 31 August 1992; struck from the Naval Register 9 March 1994 and laid up in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Portsmouth, VA; sold for scrap 4 December 2000 to Baltimore Marine Industries of Baltimore, MD. The commanding-officer roster begins LT Robert Juarez (16 July 1954), matching DANFS, and runs through the ship's active life. Photo captions document the hull with sisters Engage (MSO-433) and Impervious (MSO-449), a Mine Division 71 'Welcome Home' pamphlet dated 13 December 1966, Atlantic operations 1981, and the hull in the Portsmouth mothball basin 18 October 1994. Spec block: 775 t., 172' x 35' x 12', 14 kts., complement 78; propulsion 'Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha [sic] Motors Co. diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-2001 (compiled)
- Population
- Seattle Shipbuilding construction trades; active crew; NISMF layup workforce 1994-2000; disposal workforce 2000-01
- Limitations
- Private photo/data archive, not an official source: dates agree with DANFS and NVR where they overlap EXCEPT the launch date (19 February vs official 14 February - flagged in gaps, not resolved). Disposal chain items (1994 strike/NISMF layup, 2000 sale to Baltimore Marine Industries) corroborate the NVR scrapping record; engine model identifications are secondary-only. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-04
-
[5]Rear Admiral Brian McCauley, USN (Commander, Task Force 78), 'Operation End Sweep,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, March 1974, Vol. 100/3/853 (read via Wayback capture 2025-05-17 - live page is Cloudflare-blocked to automated fetch) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings March 1974 'Operation End Sweep' - TF-78 organization and 27 January/6 February passages
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The task-force commander's own published account names this hull: 'Engage (MSO-433), Force (MSO-445), Fortify (MSO-446) and Impervious (MSO-449) had been sailed from Subic for the Tonkin Gulf on 27 January [1973], coincident with the signing of the agreement. After assurance from the North Vietnamese that U.S. minesweepers would not be molested, they were ordered into North Vietnamese waters off Haiphong. Operation End Sweep actually commenced on 6 February with the four MSOs sweeping the areas in which the LPHs and LPDs were to anchor' - Fortify was one of the four ocean minesweepers that opened the post-ceasefire clearance of American-laid mines from North Vietnamese waters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-01 to 1973-07
- Population
- MSO crew, TF-78 operations
- Limitations
- Operational-history record only - no asbestos or materials content. Confirms the hull's February 1973 presence in TF-78's opening sweep; does not detail which follow-on segments she swept.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-05
-
[6]Maryland Public Television / Thinkport, Vietnam oral-history interview transcript - Commander 'Chip' Seymour, USN, commanding officer of USS Fortify (MSO-446) 1972-1973 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Thinkport/MPT 'Chip Seymour, USN: '72-'73 Op. End Sweep' interview transcript - passages on assuming command, Guam-to-Subic staging, and sweep dates
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Firsthand account by this hull's commanding officer: Seymour states he became CO of USS Fortify on 10 May 1972 - the day the U.S. mined Haiphong Harbor; that the five Guam-homeported minesweepers were moved to Subic Bay in anticipation of the Paris Peace Accords; that Fortify 'headed over to Haiphong on the 27th of January [1973], and we started minesweeping on the 6th of February'; and that the crew numbered 'about 6 officers and 75 enlisted.' Corroborates the Guam homeport period and the End Sweep participation documented by the TF-78 commander (ev-05).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1972-1973
- Population
- MSO crew 1972-1973 ('about 6 officers and 75 enlisted' per the CO)
- Limitations
- Oral-history transcript - firsthand but retrospective, and uncorrected for memory error; dates agree with McCauley's published account where they overlap. No asbestos or materials content. Guam homeport timing ('home port of Guam' in 1972) is consistent with secondary accounts of a 1971 homeport shift but the shift date itself is not officially documented in retrieved sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-06
-
[7]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' - the VA regional-office ship list (verbatim mirror PDFs; current va.gov hosting not directly retrievable this pass) [other_primary]
- Locator
- VA ship list, MSO entries - 'Fortify (MSO-446) travelled up the Saigon River to Saigon September 19-22, 1964'; vetshq.com mirror of the updated list for the 1971 Cam Ranh Bay pier dockings
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The official VA ship list names this hull: 'USS Fortify (MSO-446) travelled up the Saigon River to Saigon September 19-22, 1964' - placing the ship on Vietnam's inland waterways within the meaning of 38 C.F.R. 3.307(a)(6)(iii) for Agent Orange presumption purposes; placement on the list is made on documentary evidence such as deck logs. Later list versions add 'USS Fortify (MSO-446) docked to pier at Cam Ranh Bay on September 30 and November 29, 1971' (vetshq mirror). These are official government determinations of this hull's Vietnam service windows.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1964; 1971 (listed windows)
- Population
- Crew aboard during the 1964 and 1971 Vietnam windows
- Limitations
- Herbicide-exposure documentation, not asbestos documentation - evidentiary value here is that VA records research (deck-log level) fixes this hull at specific Vietnam dates. Establishes nothing about materials aboard. The Saigon River transit corroborates a 1964 Tonkin-era presence but does not itself confirm the electronic-surveillance deployment described in secondary sources (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-07
-
[8]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - entry 'Fortify (AM/MSO-446)', commission July 1954 / decommission August 1992, digitized deck logs 1956-1970 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Navy deck-logs index, 'Fortify (AM/MSO-446)' panel - catalog.archives.gov item links 1956-01 (id 214889384) through 1970-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official deck-log index lists 'Fortify (AM/MSO-446)' (heading: Commission July 1954, Decommission August 1992) with digitized monthly deck logs in the National Archives Catalog covering 1956 through 1970 - hull-specific operational records retrievable for maintenance, overhaul, and material-work research, and covering the September 1964 Saigon River window documented on the VA ship list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1956-1970 (digitized window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: deck logs are operational records; their existence does not speak to asbestos content, and the 1956-1970 digitized window does not cover the 1971-73 Guam/End Sweep period or the Atlantic Fleet era. Not yet reviewed for material-bearing entries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-08
-
[9]Jacob et al. v. Plastics Engineering Company (PLENCO) et al., No. 1:19-cv-00108, U.S. District Court for the District of Guam (filed 20 June 2019; nature of suit P.I.: Asbestos; defendants PLENCO and Rockwell Automation, Inc., individually and as successor to Allen-Bradley Co. LLC and Rostone Corp.) - complaint allegations per the docket and contemporaneous Guam Daily Post / Pacific Daily News reporting [court_record]
- Locator
- Justia docket mirror 1:2019cv00108 (D. Guam) filings 1-8; complaint allegations as reported by postguam.com (2019-06) and guampdn.com (2019-06)
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Docketed federal asbestos complaint naming this hull with work-specific allegations: plaintiffs Eusebio V. Jacob and Marta A. Jacob allege that Jacob, a journeyman electrician at the Navy Ship Repair Facility, Guam, c. 1962-1985, was 'repeatedly exposed to great quantities of asbestos, asbestos dust and fibers when he installed asbestos gaskets in their respective equipment on the USS Asheville, USS Banner, USS Brister, USS Engage, USS Fortify, USS Grasp, USS Haverfield, USS Impervious, USS Inflict and USS Ponchatoula' (vessel list per Guam Daily Post's report of the complaint). Alleged products identified in the complaint per the reporting: PLENCO's asbestos-containing thermostat plastic molding materials and Rockwell's controllers, circuit breakers, switches and other electrical equipment containing asbestos parts, supplied to the U.S. Navy and the Guam Navy Ship Repair Facility. Jacob was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in August 2018. The docket shows complaint filed 20 June 2019 (Filing 1, with Exhibit A and jury demand); PLENCO answered 6 August 2019 - the last docket entry retrieved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1962-1985 (alleged exposure window); 2019 (complaint filed)
- Population
- Guam Navy Ship Repair Facility journeyman electrician (shipyard repair workforce), c.1962-1985
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, never an adjudicated finding: under batch litigation-stage discipline a complaint's vessel list and product allegations are assertions, not exposure findings - nothing about this hull was proven, and no discovery record, trial finding, or judgment naming this hull was located. The docket was retrievable only through August 2019 (Justia snapshot); the case's later disposition is unlocated and carried in gaps. The complaint text itself was not retrieved (PACER not queried; CourtListener API quota-blocked); the vessel list and product descriptions rest on the docket record plus two independent reputable Guam press reports of the complaint's contents. The exposure theory is yard-side repair work aboard the vessel at Guam SRF - not service aboard as crew - and does not speak to what materials were originally installed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-09
-
[10]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 (1951-53) and commissioning (1954) fall inside the asbestos-specification era the report documents; her long commission (to 1992) also spans the 1975-79 management-policy window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1973-1979 (policy window); hull era 1951-1992
- 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 or removed aboard. Report documents shipyard-worker protection, not shipboard crew exposure. gao.gov blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403); content via indexed verbatim text of the official report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-10
-
[11]Era inference from documented plant and era specifications: U.S. Navy Ships fact file (class diesel plant, wood hull) + NVR hull-material field ('Wood hull') + GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-insulation era to 1973/1978) + NavSource propulsion block [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis: fact-file propulsion block + NVR hull-material field + NavSource propulsion entry + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation + navyhistory.org Stewart memoir (sister-ship plant description)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-typical asbestos applications aboard a 1950s diesel-propelled wooden 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; brake linings on winches, windlass, and minesweeping gear. Because the documented plant is diesel with no propulsion 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 complaint in ev-09 alleges asbestos gaskets specifically - consistent with this envelope but unadjudicated. A firsthand account of sister Force (MSO-445) by a former XO describes the class plant as '9 diesel engines plus two oil fired boilers' - small auxiliary boilers, if present aboard this hull, would add their own lagging/gasket envelope (unverified; flagged).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1951-2001
- Population
- Construction trades (Seattle Shipbuilding, 1951-53); enginemen and deck/sweep-gear operators (crew); repair-facility trades during availabilities (incl. Guam SRF per ev-09); disposal workforce
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, specification, or material schedule was located. Does not establish that any listed product was installed aboard this hull, any quantity, or presence at any time (the hull was scrapped in 2000-01). The auxiliary-boiler detail comes from a memoir about a sister ship and is unverified for this class fit.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-11
-
[12]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 [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 Tuscaloosa, between 1963 and 1984; Wineland developed mesothelioma and died in 2018. The 2021 order GRANTED Crane Co. summary judgment for failure to show substantial-factor exposure from its products.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1963-1984 (alleged); 2021 (order)
- 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 Fortify is established or implied by this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-12
-
[13]Batch-1361 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture 2025-01-20); Naval Vessel Register (legacy detail via Wayback; live detail system does not carry the stricken hull); U.S. Navy Ships fact file via FAS mirror; NARA deck-log index; USNI Proceedings via Wayback; Thinkport/MPT oral history; VA ship list (mirrors); CourtListener API (blocked); Justia/Guam press docket coverage; shipyards.json; MARAD/NDRF [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fortify-am446-01 through sl-uss-fortify-am446-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No adjudicated or survey-level ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, specification, hazmat disclosure, or merits-stage litigation record naming USS Fortify / AM-446 / MSO-446 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The one qualifying hit is the Jacob complaint (ev-09) - a pleading-stage allegation. The CourtListener API sweep was quota-blocked (HTTP 429; authenticated 2,800/day pool exhausted by prior batch work) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative; the web-index fallback located the Jacob docket via Justia + Guam press and no other docketed case.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located adjudicated record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the ship was built inside the Navy's asbestos era and served 38 years; equally, the Jacob pleading does not prove presence. The hull was scrapped in the United States in 2000-01, so no present-day survey pathway exists. The negative is provisional on the litigation side because the docket-level CourtListener sweep could not be executed this pass. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fortify-am446-13