USS Gayety (AM-239)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Gayety' (AM-239) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1169/1212; hazegray.org itself unreachable at fetch time); casualty figure corroborated by the U.S. Navy Memorial navylog entry for Gayety (5 KIA, 27 May 1945) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Gayety' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am239.htm); navylog.navymemorial.org/gayety (casualty corroboration)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (AM-239: dp. 945 (lim.); l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable). Laid down 14 November 1943 by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co., Winslow, Wash.; launched 19 March 1944, sponsored by Miss Janice Morgan; commissioned '23 September 1945' per the printed entry - an internal impossibility corrected to 1944 by its own narrative and three independent sources (see ev-10) - Lt. Comdr. John R. Row in command. Shakedown San Pedro/San Diego; arrived Pearl Harbor 4 January 1945; sailed via Eniwetok, Saipan, Ulithi; off Okinawa 1 April 1945 for the first amphibious assault; swept mines and ran ASW patrols in the Ryukyus; 14 April torpedo-bomber attack, torpedo exploded 150 yards away; 4 May kamikaze run plus a 'Baka' rocket-bomb attack that crashed 15 yards off the port bow, shrapnel knocking out the port 40mm gun and wounding three; 27 May near-miss by a 500-pound bomb astern killed five and wounded two with a fantail fire - repaired at Kerama Retto; then swept the approaches to the Japanese home islands. Departed Japan 20 November 1945; San Diego 19 December; Panama Canal to Orange, Tex.; decommissioned June 1946, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 11 May 1951, Lt. Percy W. Rairden Jr. in command; training ship at Charleston/Norfolk; Vieques, P.R., fall 1951; returned to Orange 3 January 1954; decommissioned 1 March 1954; reclassified MSF-239 February 1955; transferred to the Republic of Vietnam 17 April 1962 as Chi Lang II (HQ-8).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1962

   Population

   Winslow Marine Railway construction trades (1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 104; 5 KIA + 3+ WIA in April-May 1945 attacks); 1951-54 training-ship crew

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, sponsor, dates, service narrative, and transfer - not materials or asbestos content. The printed commissioning year '1945' contradicts the entry's own narrative (Pearl Harbor Jan 1945; Okinawa 1 Apr 1945) and is corrected in ev-10; the same typo propagates through NavSource and PNA. The transcription ends at the 1962 transfer (DANFS era) - later RVN/PN service documented by other rows. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239, file 11/02239 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02239 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; call sign November-Foxtrot-Lima-Yankee; laid down 14 November 1943 at Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding, Winslow, Washington; launched 19 March 1944; commissioned USS Gayety (AM 239) '23 September 1945' (the DANFS typo propagated - corrected in ev-10); 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945' (register-planning quirk, same as sister Garland); decommissioned 1 March 1954 at Orange, TX; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-239, 7 February 1955; transferred to South Vietnam 17 April 1962, renamed Chi Lang II (HQ 08); escaped to the Philippines 1975 after the fall of South Vietnam; renamed RPS Magat Salamat (PS 20); decommissioned 10 December 2021. Spec block: 945 t. (fl); 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; complement 104; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one twin 40mm mount, six 20mm mounts, one hedgehog, four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO list opens LCDR John Francis Rowe, USNR, 23 September 1945 (same propagated year). Photo credits include NARA Bureau of Ships photos BS 76560, BS 76568, BS 76569 (San Pedro, 26 December 1944 / 3 January 1945, camouflage 32/22D - independent proof of commissioned status in 1944); NHHC NH 93779 (Chi Lang II, c.1960s); NARA K-47929 (Chi Lang II shelling the beach north of Nha Trang, 9 April 1968); NARA K-109092 (Subic Bay, 31 May 1975 - Chi Lang II among ex-RVN/Cambodian refugee ships); Philippine Navy photos of the 10 December 2021 decommissioning.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-2021

   Population

   Winslow yard trades (1943-44); USN crew 1944-46 and 1951-54; RVN crew 1962-75; PN crew 1976/77-2021

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; its commissioning year repeats the DANFS '1945' typo, contradicted by the page's own NARA photo credits (Dec 1944, in camouflage) - resolved in ev-10. '945 t. (fl)' sits on a different measurement basis than Colton's 850d and HyperWar's 625 t - flagged in ev-10. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Winslow Marine Railway, Port Blakeley WA / Winslow WA' yard table - Gayety (AM 239) row + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   winslow.htm - Gayety (AM 239) row + yard history header; block sisters AM 238-243 + AM 299-301

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Gayety (AM 239) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 23-Sep-44 | To Vietnam 1962 as Chi Lang II (HQ 08), to the Philippines 1975 as Magat Salamat (PS 20).' The 23-Sep-44 delivery/commissioning date is independent confirmation of the 1944 commissioning against the DANFS '1945' typo (see ev-10). The Winslow table places this hull in the Admirable-class block Garland (AM 238), Gayety (AM 239), Hazard (AM 240 - to Omaha 1971 as museum), Hilarity (AM 241 - to Mexico 1962), Inaugural (AM 242 - to St. Louis 1968 as museum, sank 1993), Illusive (AM 243 - cancelled), and the later block Sentry (AM 299), Serene (AM 300), Shelter (AM 301 - to Vietnam 1963 as Chi Linh HQ-11, the sister photographed alongside Chi Lang II at Subic Bay 31 May 1975). Yard history header: founded as Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co. by Henry Hall in 1878 at Port Blakely; moved 1903 to a 77-acre Eagle Harbor site on Bainbridge Island near the village of Madrone, later renamed Winslow; sold 1916 to Captain James Griffiths and renamed Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company; built steel minesweepers during WWII reaching a peak workforce of 2,300; sold 1948 as Commercial Ship Repair of Winslow; closed 1959; site now a marina, apartments, and a Washington State Ferries maintenance facility.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1975

   Population

   Winslow Marine Railway construction workforce (Eagle Harbor, Winslow, WA, 1943-44; peak ~2,300)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, delivery date, type, tonnage basis (850d), and both foreign transfers. Hull# column is blank for the WWII minesweeper rows (no yard hull number printed). 'To Vietnam 1962' aligns with DANFS/NavSource (17 Apr 1962) against Manila Bulletin's '1966' error (flagged in ev-10). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-03

4. [4]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive; HyperWar class block reads 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - flagged in ev-10) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02239 propulsion line; HyperWar AM-239 page + ships-dm.html Admirable-class block; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton winslow.htm

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943-44-built steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel direct-drive twin-screw plant (two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear) - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1943-44 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, winch/windlass and minesweep-gear brake linings, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Winslow Eagle Harbor construction trades (1943-44, peak ~2,300); the wartime crew (~104) across shakedown, the Okinawa sweep/ASW tour including three battle-damage events in April-May 1945 (damage and repair both disturb installed materials) and Kerama Retto repairs; the 1951-54 training-ship crew; RVN crew (1962-75) and Philippine Navy crew (1976/77-2021) across undocumented foreign-service refits; and any personnel involved in the 2021-2026 lay-up, brief Odette-relief reactivation, and pre-sinking preparation.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-2026

   Population

   Winslow yard trades (1943-44); USN crew 1944-46/1951-54; RVN crew 1962-75; PN crew 1976/77-2021; 2021-26 lay-up/strike-prep personnel

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-239 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel (non-steam) plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era. RVN/PN refit scope and pre-sinking hazmat preparation are undocumented in located sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-04

5. [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); and 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 [other_primary]

   Locator

   AJIM 11(3):359-373 (article); PubMed PMID 21016030

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and wartime construction program under which this hull was built at Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding, Eagle Harbor. The USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite.'

   Verification

   verified

   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)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding and naval-vessel construction generally; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder yard. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-05

6. [6]NPS National Register/National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Hazard (AM-240), NRHP ref. 79003712 (nomination PDF, NPS NPGallery) [nps]

   Locator

   NPS NRHP/NHL nomination form 79003712, items 4-7 (condition, description); NRIS asset page

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The sole surviving Admirable-class hull is a documented unaltered museum ship - and the immediate Winslow-built sister of this hull: the NHL nomination for USS Hazard (AM-240), delivered from the same Eagle Harbor yard 31 October 1944 (Colton, one month after Gayety), records her as 'completely equipped and intact as it was during its years of active service' with 'the superstructure ... unaltered,' moved from the Orange, Texas U.S. Naval Inactive Ship Facility - the same Texas Group reserve-fleet complex where Gayety decommissioned in June 1946 and again in March 1954 - to Omaha in 1971. For materials purposes the class's only preserved exemplar survives essentially as-built, while Gayety instead served two foreign navies for six decades and was expended as a target - the divergent fates bound what can be documented for this hull. No public asbestos survey or hazmat disclosure for Hazard was located either.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944; nomination circa 1979

   Population

   Museum staff/visitors at the surviving sister (class context)

   Limitations

   Class-level context only - the nomination documents the sister hull's significance and condition circa 1979, not materials or asbestos content, and says nothing about AM-239. 'Unaltered' is the nomination's characterization; no ACM survey of Hazard is public. The shared Orange, TX layup is documented for both hulls.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-06

7. [7]Inquirer (Philippine Daily Inquirer), 'PH Navy retires 2 ships in service for 44 years,' 10 Dec 2021; Manila Bulletin, 'Navy retires 2 WWII-era vessels after 44 years in service,' 11 Dec 2021; Philippine News Agency (state wire), 'WW2 corvette to serve as command post in Dinagat relief ops,' 28 Dec 2021 [reputable_press]

   Locator

   newsinfo.inquirer.net/1526341 (10 Dec 2021); mb.com.ph/2021/12/11/navy-retires-2-wwii-era-vessels; pna.gov.ph/articles/1163878 (28 Dec 2021)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   End-of-service record for this hull: the Philippine Navy decommissioned BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) - ex-USS Gayety (AM-239) - alongside sister BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19, ex-USS Brattleboro PCE-852) in a sunset ceremony at Captain Salvo Pier, Naval Base Heracleo Alano, Sangley Point, Cavite on 10 December 2021; both ships had served the PN for 44 years and 10 months and had been in service for 77 years total across the U.S., South Vietnamese, and Philippine navies - described in coverage as among the oldest fighting ships in the world. On 28 December 2021 the Philippine News Agency reported the just-retired ship would serve as a temporary floating command post and mother ship for Typhoon Odette relief operations off the Dinagat Islands, crewed by a volunteer force composed mainly of her last crew.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2021-2022

   Population

   PN crew and volunteer force (2021); relief personnel embarked for Odette operations (Dec 2021-Jan 2022)

   Limitations

   Reputable-press (Inquirer, Manila Bulletin) and state-wire (PNA) documentation of retirement and brief relief reactivation. PNA prints 'commissioned in the US Navy ... in 1945' - the propagated DANFS typo corrected in ev-10; Manila Bulletin prints 'transferred to Vietnam in 1966' - the DANFS/NVR date is 17 Apr 1962 (flagged in ev-10). Neither contains asbestos, hazmat, or materials information; the Odette reactivation documents continued habitability, not materials condition.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-07

8. [8]DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, official U.S. DoD), 'Multinational forces sink decommissioned ships in Maritime Strike during Balikatan 2026,' posted 7 May 2026; plus DVIDS video 1005926 caption (B-roll) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DVIDS story 564625 (posted 05.07.2026); DVIDS video 1005926 caption

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DoD record of this hull's destruction: during the two-day Joint Task Force Maritime Strike culminating event of Exercise Balikatan 2026 off the western coast of Northern Luzon (near Paoay Sand Dunes), 'on the second day, Philippine Air Force FA-50PH Fighting Eagles and A-29 Super Tucanos engaged with and sank the BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20), a second decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel' - i.e., sunk 7 May 2026. The companion video caption identifies 'Philippine Navy BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20), a decommissioned vessel serving as a designated target, ... struck by AGM-65 Maverick missiles from an FA-50PH Fighting Eagle aircraft and MK-82 general purpose bombs from a ... A-29 Super Tucano aircraft ... near Paoay Sand Dunes, Philippines, May 7, 2026.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2026

   Population

   Philippine/U.S./partner exercise personnel (2026); any pre-sinking preparation crews (scope undocumented)

   Limitations

   Documents the sinking event only; no pre-sinking environmental/hazmat preparation (including any asbestos survey or removal) is described in the release - that scope is undocumented and flagged in gaps. Wikipedia prints 8 May 2026 and a Navy Times summary names 'BRP Rajah Sulayman' as the second target - both conflict with the official DVIDS text and video caption naming PS-20 on 7 May (flagged in ev-10). Sinking ends any future survey pathway for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-08

9. [9]Batch-1213 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory/hazegray mirror; NavSource 11/02239; Shipbuilding History Winslow yard table; uboat.net 5304; HyperWar per-hull page + ships-dm class block; NVR; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - blocked, HTTP 429); indexed-web substitute search; PNA/Inquirer/Manila Bulletin; DVIDS; NavalCoverMuseum; Wikipedia cross-check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-gayety-am239-01 through sl-uss-gayety-am239-15

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Gayety / AM-239 / MSF-239 / Chi Lang II / Magat Salamat: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener API v4 sweep could not run this session - authenticated requests returned HTTP 429 ('Request was throttled. Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day') on the first attempt and on two spaced retries; the shared daily quota was exhausted by prior batch work on this machine, so the opinion/docket sweep is logged as blocked, not retried, per batch rules (same as batches 1207/1212). Indexed-web substitute queries (site:courtlistener.com 'Gayety'; 'USS Gayety'/'AM-239' + asbestos/mesothelioma/lawsuit) surfaced only name collisions - the Gayety Theatre/Books/Bar litigation family (Louisville Gayety Theater Co. v. Ragan, Ky. 1920; Gayety Books v. Mayor of Baltimore, Md. 1977; Gayety Bar liquor-license case, Pa. Super. 1962; Gayety Theatres v. City of Miami, 11th Cir. 1983) - and marketing-roster name mentions (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites table lists 'USS Gayety | AM-239 | Admirable | 9/23/1944 | To Vietnam, 1962'; mesotheliomahelp.org and asbx.org rosters) - all excluded per source rules, none hull-specific.

   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 1943-44-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The CourtListener sweep is genuinely unrun - residual risk that a hull-naming docket or opinion exists is real and is flagged in gaps ('Gayety' is a high-collision word - a common noun and a historic theater name - so a future sweep needs phrase queries plus hull-number queries to cut noise). The hull's sinking in May 2026 ends any future survey pathway. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-gayety-am239-09

10. [10]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (losthistory/hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02239 vs Colton Winslow yard table vs uboat.net 5304 vs HyperWar per-hull page vs Wikipedia infobox vs PNA/Manila Bulletin vs DVIDS vs NavalCoverMuseum [other_primary]

    Locator

    All sources cited in this record's search_ledger; discrepant values quoted verbatim in finding_value

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Commissioning year - DANFS prints 'commissioned 23 September 1945' yet the same entry places the ship at Pearl Harbor 4 January 1945 and off Okinawa 1 April 1945, an internal impossibility; uboat.net ('23 Sep 1944'), the Colton yard table ('23-Sep-44'), the Wikipedia infobox ('23 September 1944'), HyperWar ('commissioned 1944'), and NARA BuShips photos of the commissioned camouflaged ship at San Pedro 26 Dec 1944 / 3 Jan 1945 all establish 1944 - carried; NavSource's chronology and CO list, PNA, and Wikipedia body text propagate the typo. (b) CO surname - DANFS 'John R. Row' vs NavSource 'John Francis Rowe' - spelling variance, flagged. (c) Philippine pennant - PS-20 (NavSource, Colton, Inquirer, DVIDS) vs 'PS 19' (uboat.net history line, NavalCoverMuseum) - PS-19 was sister ex-USS Brattleboro/Miguel Malvar; PS-20 carried. (d) PN acquisition - 'escaped to the Philippines 1975' (NavSource, NARA photo K-109092 at Subic 31 May 1975) vs formal acquisition 5 April 1976 and commissioning 7 February 1977 (Wikipedia) vs NavalCoverMuseum 'transferred 1 November 1975' - escape April/May 1975, formal PN acquisition April 1976 carried; the 44y10m PN service figure (Feb 1977 - Dec 2021) is consistent. (e) RVN transfer - 17 April 1962 (DANFS, NavSource, Colton) vs Manila Bulletin '1966' - 1962 carried. (f) Sinking date - DVIDS official: day two of the 6-7 May 2026 MARSTRIKE, video caption 7 May; Wikipedia prints 8 May; Navy Times names the second target 'BRP Rajah Sulayman' contrary to DVIDS text/video naming BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) - DVIDS carried. (g) Displacement - DANFS '945 (lim.)' / NavSource '945 t. (fl)' vs Colton '850d' vs HyperWar 625 t vs Wikipedia class infobox 650 t - different measurement bases, unmerged; NavSource carried where a figure is needed. (h) Draft - DANFS 9'9" vs HyperWar 10' - flagged. (i) Speed - DANFS/NavSource 14.8 kts vs HyperWar 15 kts - flagged. (j) Propulsion - NavSource per-hull 'two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear' (direct drive) vs Wikipedia class-generic infobox 'ALCO 539 / Farrel-Birmingham' vs HyperWar 'diesel-electric ... 1,800 h.p.' - a reduction gear is mechanical drive, so 'diesel-electric' is a compilation slip (same slip flagged in batches 1169/1207/1212); NavSource's per-hull spec carried. (k) Armament - DANFS '1 3", 4 40mm.' vs NavSource 'one 3"/50 DP + one twin 40mm + six 20mm + hedgehog + 4 K-guns + 2 DC tracks' - design-spec vs wartime-fit unresolved. (l) Battle stars - no awards line appears in the located DANFS transcription (sister Garland's DANFS entry prints 'two battle stars'); NAVPERS 15,790-derived secondary listings credit Okinawa Gunto (P34-1) and postwar Tsugaru/Skagway minesweeping ops - unverified against an official source. (m) First decommissioning - DANFS gives only 'June 1946'; NavSource's NVR-1-Jan-1949 quotation lists a planned December 1945 inactivation - register-planning quirk, same as Garland. (n) U.S. stricken date - not stated in DANFS or NavSource; unlocated.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1943-2026

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official record, specialist compilations, state wire, and press - no underlying primary document was re-examined beyond the quoted sources. Where a corrected value is carried (commissioning 1944; pennant PS-20; transfer 1962; sinking 7 May 2026) the rejected value remains quoted above for auditability. None of these items bears on asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gayety-am239-10

11. [11]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener opinion 4601080

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger - CourtListener sweep blocked this session). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from WWII-era Navy-vessel asbestos exposure ran under maritime law against equipment manufacturers, and the Supreme Court's DeVries decision settled the 'bare-metal defense' framework - manufacturers that supplied bare equipment had a duty to warn where their products required asbestos-containing parts. It illustrates the litigation posture claims arising from service aboard a WWII diesel minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Gayety was located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    2019 decision

    Limitations

    Doctrinal context only - the cited case does not name or involve this hull, and DeVries addressed manufacturers' duty to warn for asbestos-containing components on Navy vessels generally. Classification note: a complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; no pleading naming this hull was located. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gayety-am239-11

12. [12]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's September 1944 - June 1946 and May 1951 - March 1954 commissions; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Winslow Admirable-class block (AM-238-AM-243, AM-299-AM-301 per Colton); NARA still photographs BS 76560/76568/76569 (BuShips collection, San Pedro Dec 1944/Jan 1945), NH 93779 (NHHC, RVN era), K-47929 (NARA, 9 Apr 1968), K-109092 (NARA, Subic Bay 31 May 1975); MAP/transfer documentation for the 17 Apr 1962 RVN handover; Philippine Navy records for the 1976 acquisition, 1977 commissioning, and any pre-SINKEX material-removal documentation (2026) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02239 photo credits; Colton winslow.htm

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch): (a) NARA WWII muster-rolls series should cover this hull's two commissions (Sep 1944-Jun 1946; May 1951-Mar 1954) - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed (batch-1148 noted Heed AM-100 via a DPLA item), so coverage for AM-239 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs for both commissions; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Winslow Admirable block - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) the NARA/NHHC still photographs credited on NavSource (BS 76560/76568/76569; NH 93779; K-47929; K-109092); (e) Military Assistance Program transfer file for the 1962 RVN handover - the plausible home of a stricken date and any material declarations; (f) Philippine Navy records - 5 Apr 1976 acquisition, 7 Feb 1977 commissioning, refit history, and any pre-sinking hazmat/environmental work-up for the Balikatan 2026 target use.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1943-2026 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-239 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, transfer files, and photo captions are personnel/operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. RVN (1962-75) and PN (1976-2021) era records are held outside U.S. archives. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-gayety-am239-12