Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, Harlequin (AM-365) - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Harlequin', complete text (short entry - minimal DANFS coverage)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull, verbatim: 'Harlequin - A sea duck, found chiefly in North America, Iceland and Siberia. (AM-365: dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s.15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable) Harlequin (AM-365) was launched 3 June 1944 by Willamette Iron & Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg.; sponsored by Mrs. Mary M. Doig, whose husband and son were reported missing in action and who also had another son, a brother, and nine nephews in the Navy. She commissioned 28 September 1945, Lt. Henry R. Darling, USNR, in command. Reporting to San Pedro, Calif., for shakedown 19 October, Harlequin remained there until 29 November, when she sailed south, reaching New Orleans 15 December. Harlequin sailed to Orange, Tex., 2 April 1946 and decommissioned there 27 May. She was reclassified MSF-365, 7 February 1955. Harlequin was struck from the Navy List 1 May 1962, and later [2 October 1962] sold to Mexico. [Extractor's Note: Served in Mexican Navy as DM-20]' The record establishes an eight-month U.S. commission that began 26 days after the formal Japanese surrender - shakedown at San Pedro, a southbound transit to New Orleans, then inactivation at Orange, Tex.; she never deployed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1962 (record coverage); U.S. commission 1945-1946
- Population
- Willamette Iron & Steel construction trades, Portland, 1943-45; U.S. Navy crew Sep 1945 - May 1946 (complement 104); reserve-fleet caretakers Orange, TX 1946-1962
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity and service dates, not materials or asbestos content. The entry is silent on the laid-down date (3 Aug 1943 comes from NavSource/uboat.net) and on the hull's PCE-909 origin (the yard table and sibling pattern supply that). Its spec block 'dp. 530' conflicts with NavSource's 945 t and the ~650-ton class-typical figure - logged in gaps; the Atlas schema has no displacement field. Live NHHC page returns 404 on all URL patterns tried (standing Batch-01 link-rot); verbatim mirror transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-01
-
[2]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Harlequin (MSF 365) ex-AM-365 - ship page with specification block, register notes, commanding-officer list, and hosted wreck photograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/11/02365.htm - vessel page, spec block, register notes, CO list, hosted wreck photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 3 August 1943 by the Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR; launched 3 June 1944; 'Commissioned USS Harlequin (AM 365), 31 August 1945'; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945'; decommissioned 27 May 1946 at Orange, TX; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-365 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1962; sold 2 October 1962 to Mexico and renamed ARM DM-20; converted to an oceanographic research vessel in 1978 and renamed ARM Oceanográfico (H 02); renamed/reclassified ARM General Pedro María Anaya (A 08) in 1993; converted to a school ship in 1999, renamed/reclassified ARM Aldebaran (BE 02); 'Still active as of 2007.' Commanding officers: LT Henry Robert Darling USNR (28 Sep 1945 - 1 Nov 1945), LT Glen Charles Wilkinson USNR (1 Nov - 17 Dec 1945), LTJG Thomas Kenneth Hendrick USNR (17 Dec 1945 - 27 May 1946). Spec block: 945 t, 184'6" x 33' x 9'9", 14.8 kts, complement 104; armament one 3"/50 DP, two twin 40mm, six 20mm, hedgehog, four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 1,710-shp Busch-Sulzer 539 diesels, Farrel-Birmingham single-reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign November-Hotel-Zulu-Juliet. The page also hosts a photograph captioned 'Wreck of the Harlequin (AM-365) after her transfer to the Mexican Navy and renamed ARM DM-20' (ahascubadiving.com) - NavSource's own hosted imagery contradicts its 'still active as of 2007' line.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2007 (page coverage)
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew Sep 1945 - May 1946 (three named COs, complement 104); Orange, TX reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-1962; Mexican Navy crews and conversion/repair workforces 1962-2000
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled secondary archive drawing on NVR entries and contributor material; its register notes quote the NVR of 1 January 1949 secondhand. No materials or asbestos information. Two internal/external conflicts: (1) the '31 August 1945' commissioning line contradicts DANFS's 28 September 1945, uboat.net, skyrocket.de, and NavSource's own CO table (Darling from 28 Sep) - it matches sister Graylag AM-364's actual date and is likely grafted sibling data; DANFS carried. (2) 'Still active as of 2007' plus a c. 2006 Veracruz 'Aldabaran (BE 02)' photo contradict the contemporaneously documented May 2000 reef sinking (see ev-uss-harlequin-am365-04) - the surviving BE-02 identity likely belongs to a different hull. Engine attribution (Busch-Sulzer 539) conflicts with Wikipedia's class-generic ALCO 539 infobox entry - same 539 family; logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-02
-
[3]shipbuildinghistory.com yard production table: Willamette Iron & Steel (WISCO), Portland OR - yard hull 35 'Harlequin (PCE 909), U.S. Navy, Patrol Escort, 795d, 176 ft, delivered 31-May-45, Later MSF 365, to Mexico 1962' [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com willamette.htm yard table, hull row 35 (also mirrored at shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-comm-small/willamette/); hazegray/losthistory DANFS am363.htm (Gavia PCE-907 precedent); uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5380.html; usnavy.skyrocket.de/data/am-136__admirable.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's yard production table places this hull at Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland, as yard hull no. 35, carrying the identity 'Harlequin (PCE 909)' - corroborating at yard level that the hull was ordered and begun as PCE-905-class patrol craft escort PCE-909 and completed as Admirable-class minesweeper Harlequin (AM-365), delivered 31 May 1945 (four months before commissioning). Disposition column: 'Later MSF 365, to Mexico 1962.' The PCE-origin pattern is documented across the whole Willamette bird-name block - yard hulls 31-36 (PCE 905-910) completed as minesweepers Dunlin AM-361 through Harrier AM-366 - and DANFS itself documents the sibling precedent: Gavia 'was laid down as PCE-907 on 8 July 1943 ... reclassified as AM-363 on 27 September 1943.' uboat.net corroborates the Willamette build and core dates (ordered 26 Jun 1943, laid down 3 Aug 1943, launched 3 Jun 1944, commissioned 28 Sep 1945, end service 27 May 1946); skyrocket.de's class table independently concurs on launched 03.06.1944 / commissioned 28.09.1945 / decommissioned 27.05.1946 / stricken 01.05.1962 at yard 'Will' (Willamette).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (build); 1962 (transfer note)
- Population
- Willamette Iron & Steel construction trades, Portland, 1943-45
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary sources; the PCE-909 identity is absent from the DANFS entry, which begins at launch. No source located gives Harlequin's own PCE-to-AM reclassification date (sibling Gavia's is documented as 27 September 1943). The yard table's 'delivered 31-May-45' date is identical across several block hulls and may reflect contract-lot reporting rather than per-hull delivery. The Bureau of Ships contract file (NARA RG 19) is the unretrieved primary source that would confirm the conversion order and date. None of these sources contains materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-03
-
[4]Global Underwater Explorers, 'Artificial Reefs' expedition account - documents the C-58 Anaya and C-55 Juan de la Barrera donated by the Secretaría de Marina-Armada de México to the National Marine Park of Isla Mujeres and sunk 28 May 2000 and 25 October 2000 respectively; GUE dived the Anaya two months after sinking [reputable_press]
- Locator
- gue.com/artificial-reefs (Isla Mujeres park section, exact dates); pacificwrecks.com/ship/usn/AM-365.html; scubago/scubatotal/thescubadirectory C-58 Anaya entries (position ~21.10244, -86.70273); NavSource-hosted wreck photo (ahascubadiving.com credit)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ex-Harlequin hull's endpoint is documented as a sunken artificial reef: the C-58 'General Anaya' - identified across dive-industry and wreck databases and by NavSource's own hosted wreck photograph as the ex-USS Harlequin (AM-365), Mexican ARM DM-20 / General Pedro María Anaya - was donated by SEMAR to the National Marine Park of Isla Mujeres (Cancun-Isla Mujeres-Puerto Morelos park) and sunk 28 May 2000 at ~25-26 m depth. GUE's account is contemporaneous (they dived the wreck two months post-sinking). Pacific Wrecks records the wreck upright on sand at ~80 ft and documents that Hurricane Wilma (21-22 Oct 2005, Category 4) broke it into two sections. Dive databases publish the position at approximately 21.10 N, 86.70 W.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2000-2005 (sinking and Wilma breakup); reef extant
- Population
- Mexican Navy reef-prep/scuttling workforce (2000); recreational wreck divers (2000-present)
- Limitations
- GUE is a reputable technical-diving organization and its account is contemporaneous, but it is not an official SEMAR record - no Mexican naval disposal document was retrieved. The exact-day figure (28 May) rests on GUE; a dive blog gives 13 May 2000 and some operators say only 'May 2000' or incorrectly 'the 1980s'. Pacific Wrecks mislocates the sinking off Cozumel - the wreck is off Cancun/Isla Mujeres per GUE and all dive databases. The sinking's identity as ex-Harlequin is consistent across GUE, NavSource's hosted wreck photo, Pacific Wrecks, and multiple dive databases but is not confirmed by an official hull-disposal record. The sinking date directly contradicts NavSource/Wikipedia's 'active as of 2007 (Aldebarán BE-02)' claim - logged in gaps. Dive-blog claims that the hull was 'stripped of hazardous materials per Mexican environmental regulation' before sinking are unverified and name no asbestos-specific scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-04
-
[5]Najolia v. Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Inc., 883 F. Supp. 2d 646 (E.D. La. 2012) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text at *654 (S39-1 '85 per cent magnesia' passage; Gate affidavit on enforced specs); CourtListener cluster 8718087 (cluster-level URL cited; a same-numbered stub opinion in the index is a mismatched immigration case - data defect logged in batch-1136)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Published federal opinion reviewing record evidence in an asbestos case documents the Navy specification regime applicable to construction of this era: the Navy's General Specifications for Machinery, subsection S39-1 'Heat insulation and lagging for piping and machinery,' required insulation of '85 per cent magnesia' for the stated temperature ranges - a pipe covering and block-form insulation documented in that record as containing 12-18% asbestos fiber - and Chapter 39 of the Bureau of Ships Manual required thermal insulation on machinery and encouraged asbestos use; record evidence states military specifications 'affirmatively required the use of asbestos-containing thermal insulation.' This hull was built under U.S. Navy contract (PCE-905/Admirable program), so the spec regime is the applicable construction context.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- WWII-era specifications; opinion 2012
- Population
- Navy construction-era shipyard workers; engine-room and machinery crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Documents the Navy specification regime, not this hull: the opinion's record evidence concerned a different vessel, the spec edition applicable to the PCE-909/AM-365 contract (laid down Aug 1943) is not itself quoted here, and a diesel minesweeper had no boiler or turbine plant (the S41-1 turbine context is steam-specific; S39-1 piping/machinery insulation is the applicable scope). Establishes that asbestos insulation was spec-required in Navy construction of the era - not that it was installed on or remained aboard this hull, nor causation or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-05
-
[6]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 and program (Navy-contract steel-hulled minesweeper construction at Willamette Iron & Steel, 1943-45) under which this hull was built.
- 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 or its class and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-06
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and asbestos-removal policies applicable to the World War II-built fleet - the construction era in which this hull was built - including fieldwork at naval shipyards that overhauled WWII-era vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program scope)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; establishes era context only and does not identify materials aboard AM-365 or any minesweeper. Full text not retrieved - gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-07
-
[8]Batch-1308 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS live pages and verbatim mirror, NavSource, shipbuildinghistory Willamette yard table, uboat.net, skyrocket.de, HyperWar spec page, GUE reef documentation and dive-database corroboration, SEMAR 2004 fleet listing, Mexican-era name-conflict sources, NARA catalog, maritime.org plan index (blocked), Naval Vessel Register, CourtListener (blocked), engine-level web searches on all name variants [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-harlequin-am365-01 through sl-uss-harlequin-am365-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Harlequin, AM-365, MSF-365, PCE-909, or any Mexican identity (DM-20, Oceanográfico H-02, General Anaya A-08/C-58, Aldebarán BE-02) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The litigation sweep is INCOMPLETE: the authenticated CourtListener API v4 was exhausted at its 2,800/day shared cap at research time (reset ~8.8h out) and could not be queried - per batch instructions the search was not retried into a ban; engine-level web searches on all name variants returned no qualifying litigation (the only ship-name litigation-adjacent hit was a mesothelioma.com minesweeper list page, a law-firm marketing page excluded per source rules).
- 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 - WWII Navy construction specifications made asbestos insulation near-universal in ships of this program, and the hull's material history through 38 years of Mexican service (including the 1976-78 oceanographic conversion, an undocumented disturbance event) is unknown. The CourtListener re-run (all name and hull-number variants) remains an open item; 'Harlequin' is a common English word with heavy non-naval collision (publisher, comic-book character, etc.) - future hits require careful classification. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-08
-
[9]Archival-lead mapping: NARA RG 24 deck logs for the hull's eight-month U.S. commission (Sep 1945 - May 1946); NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships contract/construction records for the PCE-909 contract (would confirm the PCE-to-AM reclassification date and carry material specifications); the Atlantic Reserve Fleet (Orange, TX) custody and disposal file behind the 1 May 1962 striking and 2 October 1962 sale to Mexico; SEMAR records for the 1962 acquisition, the 1976-78 oceanographic conversion, the 1993/1999 renames, and the 2000 reef donation and pre-sinking hazmat preparation; maritime.org digitized Booklet of General Plans index (PCE-874 BOGP is the nearest PCE-family document; Raven AM-55 BOGP for the mine-warfare design family) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov - API returns SPA shell, not headless-queryable); maritime.org/doc/plans index (HTTP 403 at access time) - both unsurveyed for materials statements
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Unretrieved archival path: this vessel was in U.S. commission for roughly eight months (28 Sep 1945 - 27 May 1946), so NARA RG 24 deck logs exist for the full window - they would document shakedown at San Pedro, the Nov-Dec 1945 transit to New Orleans, and the Apr 1946 shift to Orange, Tex. The BuShips contract file (RG 19) for PCE-909 would carry the conversion order and material specifications. The disposal file behind the 1962 sale to Mexico would document the transfer scope. Mexican-side records - the 1976-78 oceanographic conversion (a material-disturbance event), the 2000 reef donation and pre-sinking hazmat stripping (a potential abatement-adjacent event; artificial-reef preparation normally requires pollutant removal, but any asbestos-specific scope is undocumented) - are the unexplored foreign-language path.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2000 (records); unsurveyed
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping is not evidence about this hull; no box-level retrieval performed and no spend authorized. Whether any of these holdings contain materials specifications or disturbance/abatement records for this hull is unknown. The maritime.org plans index returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch at research time - unsurveyed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harlequin-am365-09