Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Grosbeak' (AMc-19) entry; verbatim transcription via Haze Gray & Underway DANFS mirror, Internet Archive Wayback capture 2024-05-26 (live NHHC DANFS URL variants returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS AMc-19 entry, full text + spec line (Wayback capture 20240526123421 of hazegray.org/danfs/mine/amc19.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull (verbatim): namesake note 'Any of several species of finches, having a thick, strong, conical bill.'; spec line '(AMc-19: dp. 185; l. 81'2"; dr. 9'8"; s. 10 k.; cpl. 16)'. Narrative: 'Grosbeak, the former wooden purse seiner Del Rio was built by J. M. Martinac, Tacoma, Wash., in 1935; and commissioned 11 November 1940, Ens. T. F. Martin in command. Following conversion to an auxiliary minesweeper at Alameda, Calif., Grosbeak joined Mine Division 1 at San Francisco Bay and nearby waters, but she was also used for training reserve and junior officers in small boat handling and minesweeping. Grosbeak decommissioned 12 September 1944. Her name was struck from the Navy List 14 October; and she was returned to her former owner at San Pedro, Calif., 2 April 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1935-1945
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (Tacoma, 1935); Alameda conversion-yard workforce (1940-41); commissioned crew of 16 (1940-44); Mine Division 1 operating area
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity/history record naming this hull; mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page 404s (standing Batch-01 link-rot note). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information - supports no asbestos claim. DANFS ends its record at the 2 April 1945 return to owner and prints no acquisition date, no beam, no armament, and no propulsion detail; it does not name the former owner. 'Commissioned' is DANFS's wording for this hull (contrast sister hulls recorded 'placed in service').
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Grosbeak (AMc 19), navsource.net/archives/11/03019.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AMc-19 page - chronology block, specifications block, call-sign line, photo table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record for Grosbeak (AMc 19): 'Built in 1935 as F/V Del Rio by J. M. Martinac, Tacoma, WA; Acquired by the Navy in 1940; Commissioned USS Grosbeak (AMc 19), 11 November 1940; Decommissioned 12 September 1944; Struck from the Naval Register 14 October 1944; Transferred to the War Shipping Administration 2 April 1945 and returned to her former owner at San Pedro, CA; Caught fire 28 October 1952 off Anacapa Island, Channel Islands, CA; F/V Sea Rover removed 11 survivors and transported them to San Pedro; Del Rio drifted up on the beach and sank between Big Anacapa Island and Little Anacapa Island at 34 deg 00' N, 119 deg 24' W.' Spec block: displacement 185 t.; length 81'2"; beam 21'5"; draft 9'8"; speed 10 kts.; complement 16; armament two .50 cal. machine guns; propulsion one diesel engine, one shaft. Call sign Nan-Uncle-Fox-Peter. One photograph dated 14 April 1941 (original photo Gunter Krebs, replacement Robert Hurst).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1935-1952
- Population
- Wartime crew of 16; fishing-vessel crews aboard Del Rio (1945-52, 11 survivors at the casualty)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against DANFS where they overlap (all shared dates agree). Sole located source for the beam (21'5"), armament (2 .50 cal), propulsion (one diesel, one shaft), call sign, the WSA transfer wording, and the entire 1952 casualty account (fire off Anacapa, Sea Rover rescue of 11 survivors, grounding/loss position); the casualty's year is independently corroborated ('sank 1952' in both Colton tables) but its detail is unverified at primary level. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II: Mine Vessels (less CM & DM), Patrol Vessels, Landing Ships and Craft, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (13 April 1945) - shipscribe.com scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011 Vol II PDF: List of Naval Vessels 'AMc19 GROSBEAK (returned)'; Stricken From The Navy List 'GROSBEAK AMc19 ... 14 Oct 44'; ship index 'Grosbeak AM397'/'Grosbeak AM019'; AMc characteristics-table footnotes (wood hulls; .50 cal AAMG; 3+14 accommodations)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary BuShips tabulation naming this hull: NAVSHIPS 250-011, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. II (13 April 1945), records 'AMc19 GROSBEAK (returned)' in the List of Naval Vessels and 'GROSBEAK - AMc19 - Mine sweeper, coastal - 14 Oct 44' in the Stricken From The Navy List table, with ship-index entries 'Grosbeak AM397' and 'Grosbeak AM019' (OCR of AMc19) - independently confirming the official strike date and the 'returned' (to owner) disposition. Class-level footnotes on the volume's AMc characteristics tables: 'All AMC's are wood hulls'; 'All AMC's except AMc203 and 204 have .50 cal. AAMG'; accommodations column for in-service AMc rows reads 3 officers + 14 enlisted. This hull does not appear in the AMc characteristics/machinery tables because it was stricken and returned before the 13 April 1945 publication.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1945 (document date); events 1940-45
- Population
- Navy custodial/disposal workforce, 1944-45
- Limitations
- Contemporary official document confirming strike date and 'returned' disposition; class footnotes apply to the AMc type, not a hull-level survey, and no per-hull machinery, complement, or materials data is tabulated for this hull (stricken pre-publication). The AM-397 index row is a different hull - the cancelled Defoe Admirable-class contract - not this vessel (see ev-08). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-03
-
[4]Naval Marine Archive mirror of Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), Martinac Shipbuilding, Tacoma WA yard table [other_primary]
- Locator
- martinac.html wartime fishing-vessel block - 'Del Rio' row; adjacent 'Vagabond', 'New Ambassador', 'New Bol' rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Martinac yard-table row for this hull's merchant identity: 'Del Rio | Fishing Vessel | 115 GT | 79 ft | 1935 | To USN 1940 as Grosbeak (AMc 19), returned to owner 1945, sank 1952.' The same table documents a Martinac-built 1935 fishing-vessel group of near-identical sisters converted into AMc coastal minesweepers in 1940: Vagabond (115 GT, 79 ft, 1935 - to USN as Bunting AMc 7, sank in collision 1942), New Ambassador (115 GT, 79 ft, 1935 - to USN as Longspur AMc 10, to NDRF 1945), and New Bol (115 GT, 79 ft, 1935 - to USN as Grouse AMc 12, to NDRF 1945). Establishes the build yard, gross tonnage, register length, and corroborates both the 1945 return-to-owner and the 1952 loss year.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1935-1952
- Population
- Martinac Shipbuilding construction workforce, Tacoma, 1935
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS/NavSource on identity and Navy transfer, and corroborates the 1952 loss year. Its 79-ft register length vs DANFS's 81'2" measured length is a normal register-vs-overall difference, not a conflict. No owner, engine, or materials data. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-04
-
[5]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), 'Coastal Minesweepers (AMc) Built or Acquired through WWII' table, AMc-19 row and program preamble (page updated 2015-04-18); HyperWar (ibiblio), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Minecraft' AMc table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/minesweepers2.htm AMc-19 row + program preamble; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-dm.html AMc table row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Corroborating type/program tables: Shipbuilding History's coastal-minesweeper table lists 'AMc-19 | Grosbeak | Martinac SB | 81 ft | 185 tons | 1935 | Ex-Del Rio, acquired 1940, returned to owner 1945, sank 1952', and the same page documents program context - 70 wooden-hulled coastal minesweepers built in 15 boatyards to the single 97-ft Accentor-class design plus 45 fishing vessels acquired and converted, placing this hull among the one-off fishing-vessel conversions, not a named class. HyperWar's 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Minecraft' table independently lists 'AMc-19 | Grosbeak | 1940 | ex-Del Rio (1935)'. The same Colton table shows 'AMc-3 | Plover | ... | Ex-Sea Rover, acquired 1940, returned to owner 1944' - identifying the F/V Sea Rover that removed this hull's 11 survivors in 1952 (NavSource, ev-02) as itself a converted-AMc sister.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1935-1952
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary tables corroborating build identity (Martinac, 1935, ex-Del Rio), Navy acquisition (1940), return to owner (1945), and loss year (1952); consistent with DANFS/NavSource/NAVSHIPS on every shared point. Wikipedia's 'Grosbeak-class' label derives from this single-hull entry and is not a documented class. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-05
-
[6]National Archives, Special List #44, Vessel and Station Log Books, by ship number [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 PDF page 3 (zero-based page 2), 'AMC-19 (Grosbeak) 1/1/1941 12/31/1943' row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 (Vessel and Station Log Books at the National Archives, by ship number) lists deck logs for 'AMC-19 (Grosbeak)' covering 1 January 1941 through 31 December 1943 - the finding aid's coverage begins after the 11 November 1940 commissioning and ends nine months before the 12 September 1944 decommissioning. The underlying logs are the primary operational record for the Alameda conversion aftermath and Mine Division 1 service period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941-1943 (coverage window)
- Limitations
- Finding aid inspected, not the underlying logs - logbook coverage dates are not service dates and contain no materials information. Whether logs exist for Nov-Dec 1940 or Jan-Sep 1944 is undetermined. No asbestos documentation follows from a log listing; digitized-log availability for this hull was not verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-06
-
[7]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; propulsion facts per DANFS/NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (article); PubMed PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this hull was converted for naval service (1940-41); the USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented amosite as an important ingredient of pipe covering on U.S. Navy vessels. For this specific hull the inference surface is narrow: DANFS/NavSource/the yard table document a wooden-hulled, diesel-powered vessel with no boilers or steam distribution, so the dominant steam-ship asbestos vectors were absent. Candidate period applications aboard a small diesel conversion, if any, would be limited to engine exhaust lagging, gaskets/packing, electrical insulation, and friction linings - none documented aboard this hull. The 1940-41 Alameda conversion is a documented modification event that would have disturbed or installed whatever materials were fitted, but nothing documents the materials themselves.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1935-1952 era documented; articles 1946/1987
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (Tacoma, 1935); Alameda conversion workforce (1940-41); commissioned crew of 16 (1940-44); disposal/return workforce (1944-45); merchant fishing crews aboard Del Rio (1945-52)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship plus documented platform facts; no design, specification, survey, or product document names this hull. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a small wood-hull converted fishing vessel with no steam distribution than to steel steam vessels. Asbestos presence aboard this vessel is unproven; establishes nothing about quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-07
-
[8]NAVSHIPS 250-011 List of Naval Vessels + ship index (AM397/AMc19 dual rows); NavSource 11/19317 (YMS-317/AMS-14 'the fourth Grosbeak'); NavSource 09/86/86934 (Grosbeak I, ex-Fanny); globalsecurity.org AM-136 unit list ('AM 397 GROSBEAK - Cancelled 12 Aug 1945 prior to start of construction') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011 List of Naval Vessels AM391-402 block and ship index; navsource.net/archives/11/19317.htm; navsource.net/archives/09/86/86934.htm; globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/am-136-unit.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Name-lineage disambiguation: this hull is the third U.S. Navy Grosbeak. (a) USS Grosbeak (1865), ex-Fanny, a Civil War sidewheel gunboat of the Mississippi Squadron - sold 17 August 1865. (b) USS Grosbeak (SP-566), a World War I patrol boat. (c) This hull, AMc-19. (d) Grosbeak (AM-397): the name was next assigned to an Admirable-class minesweeper contracted to Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City MI - NAVSHIPS 250-011 (April 1945) carries 'AM397 GROSBEAK' in the List of Naval Vessels and indexes both 'Grosbeak AM397' and 'Grosbeak AM019'; the contract was cancelled in August 1945 before construction began, so AM-397 was never a completed vessel. (e) USS Grosbeak (AMS-14), the fourth commissioned ship of the name, ex-YMS-317 (South Coast Co., Newport Beach, 1943), named Grosbeak 18 February 1947 - NavSource's 'the fourth Grosbeak' - later MSC(O)-14, stricken 1 November 1959.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1865-1959
- Limitations
- Prevents misattribution of post-1944 'USS Grosbeak' references to this hull. Cancellation date prints as 11 Aug 1945 in some compilations (stamps.org USCS article; Wikipedia list) and 12 Aug 1945 in others (globalsecurity, skyrocket) - unresolved at primary level; neither date is asserted as fact. 'Fourth Grosbeak' per NavSource counts commissioned hulls and excludes the cancelled AM-397 contract. No asbestos content; lineage documentation only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-08
-
[9]Batch-1540 search ledger (this record): DANFS/hazegray-Wayback; NavSource 11/03019; NAVSHIPS 250-011 (shipscribe scan); Martinac yard table (navalmarinearchive); Shipbuilding History minesweepers2; HyperWar minecraft table; NARA SL-44; NARA asbestos guide; CourtListener API v4 via cl-auth-search.py [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-grosbeak-amc19-01 through sl-uss-grosbeak-amc19-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or court record naming this hull (as Grosbeak, AMc-19/AMC-19, or Del Rio) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, fleet-paced) on 2026-09-23: 'Grosbeak' opinions returned 6 hits - all apparent name collisions (bird/habitat in Sierra Club v. USFS D.S.D. 1993; street/place names in Champions Retreat Golf 11th Cir. 2020 and Evans v. Plan & Zoning Conn. App. 2002; Grosbeck surname in Krolik v. Maxwell Mich. 1896 and Solomon v. Grosbeck Mich. 1887; mineral-contract text in Gray v. Spring La. 1911). '"Grosbeak" AND asbestos' opinions returned 0. '"USS Grosbeak" OR "AMC-19" OR "AMc-19"' opinions returned 7 - all collisions (Anchorage Municipal Code 'AMC' citations in Fink 2018, L Street Investments 2013, West, and Anchorage v. Sandberg 1993; 'AMC' acronyms in ASARCO v. Americas Mining S.D. Tex. 2009 and Mason & Hanger Ct. Cl. 1975; OCR text in Alvarado Tex. App. 2015). Docket index: 'Grosbeak' 78 matches (20 returned - all RECAP filing-text collisions: Emiabata pro se series, LATAM bankruptcy, Deepwater Horizon joinders, criminal and ESA dockets); the focused OR query 219 matches (20 returned - all E.D. Pa. bankruptcy filings matching 'AMC-19' in filing text). Remaining unreturned pages unreviewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 2026-09-23
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1940s naval conversions of even small craft are not documented material-by-material in public sources, and the hull is unrecoverable (lost 1952). Docket-hit classifications are provisional from metadata/snippets; unreturned pages (58 of 78 'Grosbeak' docket matches, 199 of 219 focused-query matches) are unreviewed and not presumed irrelevant. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-09
-
[10]NavSource AMc-19 photo block; Los Angeles Maritime Museum, Waddingham collection print (pastperfectonline catalog); NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' guide [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/11/03019.htm photo table (14 April 1941 image); lamaritimemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/photo/74089ADB-B309-432D-A830-679595661968; archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos (RG 19 correspondence; Entry P 11)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads: (a) NavSource republishes one photograph of this vessel dated 14 April 1941 - the conversion/early-service period. (b) The Los Angeles Maritime Museum's Francis Waddingham collection holds a photographic print cataloged 'ca. 1955' depicting the fishing boats Western Star, Sea Rose, Sea Rover and Del Rio docked in Los Angeles Harbor - an image of this hull's merchant identity. (c) NARA's asbestos research guide recommends Bureau of Ships RG 19 correspondence and ship information books for vessel asbestos research, listing Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books, 1940-1962 (Entry P 11); whether an information book exists for this acquired fishing vessel is undetermined.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941 photo; c.1955 photo; located 2026-09-23
- Limitations
- Leads only - item-level content not inspected. The museum catalog's 'ca. 1955' date either is approximate or shows Del Rio present after NavSource's October 1952 loss date - flagged as a wrinkle, not resolved (a later same-named fishing boat is possible). No asbestos content is implied by the existence of these records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grosbeak-amc19-10