Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]DANFS, Goldcrest I (AM-80) (verbatim transcription; live NHHC pages for the entry return 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specification block + service narrative (hazegray transcription; second transcription at historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/goldcrest.html agrees verbatim)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: a steel merchant trawler built as Shawmut in 1928 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy, Mass.; acquired by the Navy from the Massachusetts Trawling Co. of Boston; commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard 15 May 1941, Lt. Conrad H. Koopman in command. After shakedown at the Mine Warfare School, Yorktown, Va., she arrived New York 10 August 1942 and based at Staten Island as an inshore patrol vessel and NROTC cadet schoolship under the 3d Naval District; on 24 August she became flagship of Division 1, Inshore Patrol Force. On patrol in Sandy Hook Bay, N.J., 11 March 1943, she sank by gunfire three mines that had drifted from defensive minefields; on 29 March she assisted a damaged merchantman off Staten Island. Patrol and schoolship duties continued until 5 August 1945, when she transferred to Charleston for minesweeping duty. Decommissioned 12 December 1945; sold 20 June 1946 to her former owner. Spec block: dp. 400; l. 122'6"; b. 23'; dr. 11'; s. 11 k.; a. 1 3".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1928-1946
- Population
- Massachusetts Trawling Co. crew 1928-1940; Navy crew ~36 (per NavSource figure) 1941-1945; construction/conversion yard trades
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service history, and characteristics - no materials or asbestos content. The narrative implies ~15 months between commissioning (May 1941) and New York arrival (August 1942) unexplained; both mirrors read 1942, carried as DANFS-stated. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link rot), mirror transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Goldcrest (AM 80) page 11/02080 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AM-80 page: chronology block, specifications, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive record for this hull: Bethlehem Quincy yard no. 1419; launched 20 September 1928; delivered 5 November 1928 to Massachusetts Trawling Co. as steel-hull trawler Shawmut (ON 228037); acquired by Navy 29 November 1940; renamed Goldcrest 12 December 1940; minesweeper conversion by Bethlehem Steel Co., East Boston, completed 28 April 1941; commissioned 15 May 1941; actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (LTJG USNR) served as executive officer in early 1942; decommissioned 12 December 1945; struck from the Naval Register 3 January 1946; sold to former owner 20 June 1946; registered under Dutch flag to NV Visscherij Mij 'Batavia' of Ijmuiden as Batavia 1947; returned to U.S. registry (Trawler Batavia, Inc., Portland, ME) 1952; renamed Minnie (Trawler Minnie, Inc., Bath, ME) 1955; renamed Newton (Trawler Newton, Inc., Portland, ME) 1960; out of documentation March 1977. Specifications: 400 tons, 122'5" x 23'1" x 10'11", 11 knots, complement 36, one 3"/50 DP mount, one 600-shp Atlas 6H M3358 diesel, no reduction gear, one shaft. Commanding-officer table lists five officers 1941-45.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1928-1977
- Population
- Crew of ~36 (1941-45); construction and conversion yard trades 1928 and 1940-41
- Limitations
- Volunteer-curated archive reproducing official Navy/registry records; acquisition/rename/conversion/striking dates and the post-Navy registry chain, complement figure, and engine detail are NavSource-only (not corroborated by DANFS). Fairbanks XO detail traces to his memoir. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-02
-
[3]Bureau of Ships camouflage drawing 80-G-174535 (Measure 32, Design 3M), via HyperWar Online Library of Selected Images (NARA-held official U.S. Navy photograph) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar picture-data page 80-G-174535 (caption and cataloging text)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships camouflage drawing 80-G-174535 (Measure 32, Design 3M), prepared for 'minesweepers of the AM-80 (Goldcrest) class', approved by Capt. Torvald A. Solberg, USN, dated 16 June 1944 - an official U.S. Navy photograph now in National Archives holdings. Establishes the Navy's official 'AM-80 (Goldcrest) class' designation and that BuShips prepared class-level plan sheets for these hulls in 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Documents the official class designation and a dated plan sheet for this hull's class; contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information. The drawing depicts the class, not this hull specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-03
-
[4]DANFS Goldcrest entries (AM-78 naming history per DANFS transcription) + NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, LCI(L)-869/Goldcrest (AMCU-24/MHC-24) page 10/15/150869 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150869 chronology block; DANFS AM-78/Goldcrest naming entry (historycentral transcription); NavSource 02080
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Name-collision resolution: three U.S. Navy vessels carried the name Goldcrest. (1) AM-78 - the yacht Stella Polaris, classified AM-78 on 2 November 1940 and named Goldcrest 14 November 1940, then reclassified coastal yacht PYc-4 on 23 November and renamed Agate 19 December 1940 - she held the name barely five weeks. (2) AM-80 - this hull, the only Goldcrest in commission as a minesweeper during WWII. (3) AMCU-24 - ex-LCI(L)-869 (New Jersey Shipbuilding, 1944), named Goldcrest 7 March 1952, converted at Charleston Naval Shipyard, recommissioned 1953, redesignated coastal minehunter MHC-24 February 1955, decommissioned March 1955, struck 1 January 1960 - a different hull, builder, and era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940-1960
- Limitations
- Resolves indexing collisions for 'USS Goldcrest' in registries, litigation, and photo archives; required before attributing any hit to this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-04
-
[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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- 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 of this hull's Navy acquisition and conversion (1940-41) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-05
-
[6]NavSource specifications (diesel plant) + Atlas shipyards.json records (fore-river-shipyard, bethlehem-shipbuilding, boston-naval-shipyard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json yard records; NavSource 11/02080 specifications
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: this hull was built (1928, Bethlehem Quincy - Fore River), converted to a minesweeper (1940-41, Bethlehem Steel East Boston), and outfitted/commissioned (1941, Boston Navy Yard) at facilities documented at yard level in the Atlas shipyard dataset (fore-river-shipyard, bethlehem-shipbuilding, boston-naval-shipyard - each with tier-3 asbestos evidence including litigation and product records). For a diesel-powered trawler conversion of this era, period-consistent asbestos applications are engine/exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical and accommodation insulation, and brake linings on winches and windlass - a narrower envelope than steam hulls (no boiler, steam-line, or fireroom insulation scope).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1928-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem Quincy construction trades 1928; Bethlehem East Boston conversion trades 1940-41; Boston Navy Yard outfitters 1941; crew 1941-45
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - yard-level asbestos records describe the facilities, not this hull; no ship-specific document ties any asbestos product to AM-80. The diesel plant materially narrows the plausible asbestos envelope versus steam hulls. Establishes neither presence nor absence aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-06
-
[7]Batch-1431 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource 02080; HyperWar 80-G-174535; CourtListener API (blocked) + site-scoped indexed-web check; VA BVA index (unreachable); MARAD ShipHistory (no record/error); NARA record-group mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-goldcrest-am80-01 through sl-uss-goldcrest-am80-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, specification, or docketed case naming USS Goldcrest, AM-80, Shawmut, or ON 228037 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API sweeps were blocked by shared-quota throttling (HTTP 429 on 2026-09-22, authenticated 2,800/day quota already exhausted by prior batch work; reset ~4.5 h) - backed off per instruction and assessed residual litigation surface via indexed-web checking, which surfaced only name collisions (Goldcrest Capital LP financial-disclosure entries; non-ship exhibit text) and a law-firm marketing ship list (mesothelioma.com minesweepers table) naming the hull without primary support - an excluded source class. The hull left documentation March 1977; no surviving-hull survey is possible.
- 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 1928 trawler converted under Navy contract in 1940-41 is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials in lagging, gaskets, packing, and linings. The CourtListener block means the docket surface is unqueried via API (indexed-web check only). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-07
-
[8]NARA guidance for WWII Navy deck logs (RG 24) and Bureau of Ships records (RG 19); NARA photo holding 80-G-174535; USCG merchant-vessel documentation system [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov military logbook/deck-log research guidance; HyperWar picture-data page 80-G-174535
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for AM-80, 1941-45 (daily operations and maintenance entries - the likeliest surviving hull-level materials evidence); RG 19 Bureau of Ships records for AM-80-class conversion drawings and specifications (the BuShips camouflage drawing 80-G-174535 survives in NARA photographic holdings, so class conversion plan files plausibly exist in the same records system); U.S. Coast Guard merchant-vessel documentation for ON 228037 (Shawmut/Batavia/Minnie/Newton registry chain, 1928-1977).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1928-1977 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-goldcrest-am80-08