USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39)

Evidence

15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).

1. [1]research packet dy-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Gardiners Bay. Hull: AVP-39. Designation: AVP (seaplane tender). Class: Barnegat — http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AVP/avp39.html [mirror]

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-pkt-dy-packet-md

2. [2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Gardiners Bay (AVP-39),' published 12 August 2016 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Characteristics line and opening paragraph; live page returned 404, text verified against Wayback Machine capture 2025-12-09 of the canonical NHHC URL

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Gardiners Bay (AVP-39), a Barnegat-class small seaplane tender named for a bay of Block Island Sound, N.Y., was launched on 2 December 1944 at Houghton, Washington, by the Lake Washington Shipyard, sponsored by Mrs. George L. Richard, and commissioned at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, on 11 February 1945, Cmdr. Carlton C. Lucas in command. DANFS header data: displacement 2,592 (trial); length 310'9"; beam 41'2"; draft 13'6"; speed 18.2 knots; complement 215; armament one 5-inch and eight 40-millimeter guns; class Barnegat.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Limitations

   Establishes identity, builder, launch, commissioning, and stated specifications only; the entry gives no laid-down date and no machinery type, and identifies no construction materials, insulation, or asbestos aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-01

3. [3]NHHC, DANFS, 'Gardiners Bay (AVP-39)' [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Final two narrative paragraphs and awards line; live page 404, text via Wayback capture 2025-12-09

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Gardiners Bay was decommissioned on 1 February 1958 and transferred to Norway on 17 May 1958 under the Military Assistance Program, serving the Norwegian Navy as Haakon VII (A-537). DANFS credits the ship with two battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean War service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1958

   Limitations

   Establishes decommissioning, transfer date and mechanism, Norwegian name, and awards. DANFS gives no Naval Vessel Register strike date and no disposal detail; no asbestos conclusion follows from transfer or disposal.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-05

4. [4]Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39), 1945-1958' (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Page summary text and photo captions 19-N-79691, 19-N-85074, 19-N-85076

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Naval Historical Center's Online Library ship page identifies Gardiners Bay as a 2,592-ton Barnegat-class small seaplane tender built at Houghton, Washington, and commissioned in February 1945; summarizes her Central Pacific/Ryukyus patrol and air-sea rescue support, August 1945 move to Tokyo Bay, 1946 China-coast shift, and November 1946 return; states she made ten cruises to the Central and Western Pacific through 1957 including four during the Korean War; and records decommissioning in February 1958 and transfer to Norway in May of that year, noting service until 1974 as the Norwegian Navy training ship Haakon VII. Photographs 19-N-79691 (launching, 2 December 1944), 19-N-85074 and 19-N-85076 (off the Lake Washington Shipyards, 18 February 1945, camouflage Measure 33 Design 1F) are Bureau of Ships Collection images in the U.S. National Archives.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Corroborating official NHC summary; contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-06

5. [5]Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'Norwegian Navy Ships -- Haakon VII (Training Ship, 1958-1974)' (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Page summary text and photo caption K-81807

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Naval Historical Center's Online Library page for Norwegian Navy ships identifies Haakon VII (Training Ship, 1958-1974) as a 2,800-ton training ship converted from the U.S. Navy seaplane tender Gardiners Bay (AVP-39), transferred to the Norwegian Navy in May 1958, employed as a naval cadet training ship, and disposed of in 1974. An official U.S. Navy photograph (K-81807) shows Haakon VII passing Hains Point, Washington, D.C., after a Washington Navy Yard visit on 9 March 1970.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1958-1974

   Population

   Norwegian Navy cadets and crew, 1958-1974

   Limitations

   Official NHC record of the Norwegian period; 'converted' and 'disposed of' are stated without scope, date, or process detail. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-07

6. [6]Store norske leksikon, 'KNM Haakon VII,' by Egil Norvald Sulen, updated 10 February 2025 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Entry text, 'Historie' and 'Tokt til Afrika' sections

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Store norske leksikon records that KNM Haakon VII (A537), launched in 1944 as USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39), was taken over by the Norwegian Navy (Sjoforsvaret) in 1958 and served until 1973 as the training ship for cadets of the Sjokrigsskolen (naval academy) in Bergen and constables of the Sjomilitaere korps in Horten; that she cruised to Massawa in 1960-1961 and to Murmansk in 1965; and that in 1975 she was sent to Belgium for breaking up.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1958-1975

   Limitations

   Norway's national encyclopedia (edited reference work, not a primary document); used for Norwegian-period detail and the 1975 Belgium breaking, which refine but do not contradict the NHC 'disposed of in 1974' statement - the disposal decision (1974) and physical breaking (1975) are distinct events. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-08

7. [7]National Archives, Special List 44, Named Vessels [other_primary]

   Locator

   Named-vessel table, Gardiners Bay (AVP-39) row

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List 44 indexes a single deck-log span for Gardiners Bay (AVP-39): 11 February 1945 through 31 December 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945

   Limitations

   Holdings index only; the deck logs were not retrieved or reviewed. The indexed span ends 31 December 1945, leaving the January 1946 - February 1958 period (including the 1946-47 overhaul and all Korean-era cruises) unindexed in this list, and NARA notes deck logs do not directly establish asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-09

8. [8]National Archives, Ship Plan Index (Cartographic Research Room) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship Plan Index, GARDINERS BAY rows (NAIDs 153714274, 175669183)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA's Ship Plan Index lists two Gardiners Bay (AVP-39) entries, both in RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships): Hull Series of Ship Engineering Drawings (NAID 153714274) and Microfilm (NAID 175669183).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1958 record groups

   Limitations

   Series-level index rows, not retrieved documents; the index does not state that insulation or lagging (S39) drawings exist for this hull, and no plan or general information book was examined. Whether these holdings contain asbestos information is unknown.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-10

9. [9]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]

   Locator

   Bureau of Ships correspondence instructions (hull/class/type filing codes); Cartographic Branch drawing series description

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA's asbestos research guide identifies Bureau of Ships records as the research path for shipboard asbestos: RG 19 general correspondence filed by hull designation (file code AVP39, with Barnegat-class correspondence filed under AVP10), RG 19 S39 insulation and lagging drawings, auxiliary-vessel general information books, and RG 38 inspection reports.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1940-1961 record coverage

   Limitations

   A records-locator guide, not a retrieved Gardiners Bay document. It does not establish that any asbestos record exists for this hull, and its stated scope (U.S. naval vessels through 1961) does not reach the 1958-1974 Norwegian period.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-11

10. [10]U.S. GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979), enclosure I: Department of the Navy response dated 1979-01-05 [gao]

    Locator

    PDF pp. 11-12 (enclosure I, Navy response); gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch in prior batch work, report description and sibling-batch extraction used

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    A 1979 Navy response reproduced by GAO describes asbestos-containing materials on then-serving Navy ships, including thermal insulation for machinery, equipment, and piping, plus gaskets, packing, deck materials, and cabling.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1979

    Population

    Navy fleet and shipyard workers generally, 1979

    Limitations

    Navy-wide program description concerning ships in Navy service in 1979; it does not name AVP-39, postdates her 1958 U.S. decommissioning, and does not cover the Norwegian Navy period. The listed product categories are context only and are not entered as documented products aboard this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-12

11. [11]Batch 3071 public-source search ledger: NHHC DANFS; NHC Online Library; NARA Special List 44 and Ship Plan Index; NARA asbestos research guide; GAO HRD-80-2; NAVSEA asbestos reading room; Store norske leksikon [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger sl-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-01 through -08

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos material schedule, survey, abatement record, conversion hazmat record for the 1958 transfer, breaking-yard document for the 1975 scrapping, or other asbestos statement naming AVP-39 or KNM Haakon VII was located in the reviewed public sources: NHHC DANFS, NHC Online Library ship and Norwegian-ships pages, NARA logbook and ship-plan indexes, NARA asbestos research guide, GAO HRD-80-2, Store norske leksikon, and the NAVSEA asbestos reading room (which returned HTTP 403).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    A bounded negative finding from the sources reviewed, not proof that asbestos was absent. Archival holdings were indexed but not retrieved, the NAVSEA reading room was unreachable, and the CourtListener sweep is incomplete. Presence, materials, quantities, Norwegian-era maintenance scope, and individual exposure remain unknown.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-13

12. [12]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py, 26 September 2026 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion search q="Gardiners Bay", count 9, all results reviewed; q="AVP-39", count 0; search_ledger sl-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-09 through -12

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    The authenticated CourtListener opinion search for exact phrase 'Gardiners Bay' returned 9 results, all classified as name collisions involving the geographic feature Gardiners Bay (Block Island Sound / eastern Long Island, N.Y.): Marshall v. Villar (N.Y. App. Div. 2003, fraud/conversion); MGD Horticultural Services, Inc. v. Hahn (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2013, construction/lien); Clempner v. Town of Southold (N.Y. App. Div. 1989, municipal resolution); In re County of Suffolk (N.Y. 1975, eminent domain on underwater land); People v. Nissen (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1979, criminal possession found aboard a foreign sailboat); American Home Assurance Co. v. L & L Marine Service, Inc. (E.D. Mo. 1988, marine insurance); The Spare Time II (E.D.N.Y. 1941, limitation of liability after a yacht explosion at Greenport, L.I.); MacRum v. Hawkins (N.Y. 1933, Suffolk County board resolution); Town of Southold v. Parks (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1903, title to land under Peconic and Gardiners bays). The exact-phrase opinion search for hull number 'AVP-39' returned count 0. No opinion naming the vessel or stating asbestos was found. The 'USS Gardiners Bay' and 'Haakon VII' opinion searches and all docket searches remained unexecuted when the required fleet pacing helper reported its shared request budget spent.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    The sweep is incomplete: the 'USS Gardiners Bay' and 'Haakon VII' opinion queries and all docket searches are pending. The completed name and hull-number opinion searches yield no qualifying asbestos litigation, but no absence of litigation is inferred from the unexecuted portions.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-14

13. [13]NHHC, DANFS, 'Gardiners Bay (AVP-39)' [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    Narrative paragraphs covering March 1945 - August 1946; live page 404, text via Wayback capture 2025-12-09

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Gardiners Bay departed Seattle 1 March 1945 for shakedown out of San Diego until 20 April, then proceeded via Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok to tend aircraft of Patrol Bombing Squadron (VPB) 19 in a 10-day training period, thence via Saipan and Guam to Kerama Retto, Okinawa, arriving 7 June with provisions and cargo for Fleet Air Wing 1. She tended patrol bombing squadrons at Kerama Retto, then served 30 June-17 July as flagship of an Air-Sea Rescue Unit employing Rescue Squadrons (VR) 3 and 4, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 4, and three other small seaplane tenders; eighteen rescue missions were accomplished with her men at general quarters for 100 hours. Relieved by Pine Island (AV-12) on 17 July, she tended VR-6 planes at Chimi Wan, Okinawa, until 15 August, then joined the Third Fleet screen en route to Japan, entering Sagami Bay 28 August and shifting to Tokyo Bay 30 August as part of the Seaplane Base Group of the Japan Occupation Forces. From 1 September she was flagship of the Air-Sea Rescue Unit for the Third Fleet with VR-4 based aboard, helped set up the Tokyo Seadrome off the Yokohama Air Station, then served at Nagoya as tender for courier and transient seaplanes until departing 29 January 1946 for Shanghai; she departed Hong Kong 9 August 1946 for the United States.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1945-1946

    Population

    Ship's company, complement 215 (DANFS); embarked VR-4 personnel during flagship periods

    Limitations

    Documents operating areas, duties, and embarked-squadron flagship roles only. It identifies no material aboard the hull and no exposure; seaplane-tending and rescue-flagship duties cannot be attributed to asbestos on this ship.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-02

14. [14]NHHC, DANFS, 'Gardiners Bay (AVP-39)' [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    Narrative paragraph covering November 1946 - December 1949; live page 404, text via Wayback capture 2025-12-09

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Gardiners Bay arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 28 November 1946 for overhaul, then conducted fleet exercises along the western seaboard. She departed San Diego 7 April 1947 for tender duties in the Carolines, Marianas, Okinawa, Tsingtao, and Yokosuka; returned to Seattle 4 October 1947; cruised to Eniwetok (15 January-5 June 1948); and made a Far East cruise (15 March-14 December 1949) that included tender operations at Guam, Yokohama, Sasebo, Okinawa, and Manila.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1946-1949

    Population

    Ship's company; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers during the 1946-1947 overhaul

    Limitations

    Establishes a documented overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in late 1946; the material and insulation scope of that yard work is not described. No asbestos finding follows from a documented yard event alone.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-03

15. [15]NHHC, DANFS, 'Gardiners Bay (AVP-39)' [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    Narrative paragraphs covering 1950-1957; live page 404, text via Wayback capture 2025-12-09

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Departing San Diego 27 June 1950, Gardiners Bay began the first of four Korean War tours supporting United Nations forces: she established a seadrome at Iwakuni tending 17 Mariner and 8 Royal Air Force Sunderland flying boats on search and reconnaissance in the Tsushima Strait and Yellow Sea, shifted in September 1950 to Inchon to establish an advance base for seaplanes making mine reconnaissance runs off the northwest Korean coast, and in October established a seadrome at Chinhae tending Seventh Fleet reconnaissance aircraft until 16 April 1951. Her second tour (12 September 1951-9 April 1952) supported Far East aviation patrol units at Okinawa, Iwakuni, and Manila; her third (10 July 1952-26 January 1953) was spent largely as station ship off the Pescadores and at Okinawa, with October 1952 participation in Exercise Surprise off Indochina; her fourth (3 April-12 December 1953) tended amphibious patrol planes at Chinhae and on stations in the Pescadores, the Philippines, Okinawa, and Japan. After hostilities she made three Seventh Fleet support cruises (7 July-22 November 1954; 28 August 1956-14 February 1957; 10 June-16 November 1957) on seaplane tending stations at Okinawa, Manila, Iwakuni, Sasebo, and Yokohama, returning to Alameda, California, 16 November 1957.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1950-1957

    Population

    Ship's company, complement 215 (DANFS); supported squadron personnel tended alongside

    Limitations

    Documents deployments and duties only; identifies no material aboard the hull, no yard work, and no exposure.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gardiners-bay-avp39-04