USS Inaugural (AM-242)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Inaugural' (AM-242) - official NHHC text via Wayback capture 2022-09-29 (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1148/1169/1196/1198/1200-1209); verbatim transcription cross-checked at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am242.htm (which prints two transcription variants - see ev-08) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Inaugural' entry, specifications block + service narrative (official text via web.archive.org capture 20220929172007; mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am242.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable); name 'pertaining to an inauguration.' Laid down 22 May 1944 by Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co., Winslow, Wash.; launched 1 October 1944; sponsored by Miss Jacqueline Gage; commissioned 30 December 1944, Lt. J. H. Pace in command. Shakedown off California; sailed 14 March 1945 for Pearl Harbor (arrived 8 days later); two months patrol/escort between Hawaii and the western Pacific; at Saipan 22 May, departed that day with an Okinawa-bound convoy (several attacks on suspected submarines en route), arrived Okinawa 30 May 1945; patrolled around Okinawa, often firing at enemy planes, except 19-24 July when she put to sea to ride out the great typhoon, until 30 August 1945; then minesweeping around Japan and Korea - swept approaches to Jinsen, Korea in September, cleared mines off Nagasaki and Sasebo, equipment run to Okinawa 14-24 October, then 'returned to the important minesweeping operations around the Japanese home islands.' Sailed 24 December for the U.S. via Saipan and Pearl Harbor; arrived San Pedro 7 February 1946; sailed 11 March for Galveston and decommissioned there 9 September 1946; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Texas Group until struck from the Navy List 1 March 1967 'and sold'; reclassified MSF-242 on 7 February 1955. Two battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1967

   Population

   Winslow construction trades (1944); wartime crew (design complement 104)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, and awards - not materials or asbestos content. The entry is silent on the post-1967 disposition beyond 'sold' - the museum/flood chain rests on NPS and press sources. The hazegray mirror's bracketed 'Transcriber's Note' ('It is believed that Inaugural became a museum hulk at St. Louis, Mo., in 1968') is a mirror annotation, not DANFS text - flagged in ev-08.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Inaugural (MSF 242) ex-AM-242, file 11/02242 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02242 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; laid down 22 May 1944 at Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co., Winslow, WA; launched 1 October 1944; commissioned USS Inaugural (AM-242) 30 December 1944; boilerplate footnote 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945'; decommissioned 9 September 1946 at Galveston, TX, laid up at the Orange, TX Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; reclassified MSF-242 7 February 1955; struck 1 March 1967; 'Became a museum hulk at St. Louis, MO in 1968'; 'Broke free from her moorings 1 August 1993 and floated downriver, then sank 1 September 1993 after the Coast Guard rescued her from being adrift in the Mississippi River.' Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 40mm mounts, six 20mm mounts, one hedgehog, four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO roster: LT John Henry Pace USNR (30 Dec 1944 - 31 Aug 1945). Call sign November-Foxtrot-Sierra-Delta. Photo credits include NARA BS 77483 and BS 77484 (Bureau of Ships collection, Puget Sound c. January 1945, camouflage 32/22D), a c. autumn 1945 Sasebo view, and museum-era views at St. Louis (c. 1974 aground, 3 Aug 1984, c. 1988, and a Coast Guard photo 'prior to flood').

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1993

   Population

   Winslow trades (1944); wartime crew; St. Louis museum staff/visitors (1968-1993); Coast Guard/river-response personnel (1993)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; the propulsion spec, CO roster, and photo credits rest on NavSource alone or NavSource plus other secondary listings. 'Sank 1 September 1993' conflicts with the Post-Dispatch and Missourinet (NPS historian Bob Moore), which date the sinking to 23 September 1993 - flagged in ev-08; 'the Coast Guard rescued her' compresses the documented interim step of securing the hull to a barge. The NVR-1949 'plan' note describes a December 1945 plan that did not occur (actual decommissioning 9 Sep 1946). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Winslow Marine Railway, Port Blakeley WA / Winslow WA' yard table - AM 242 row + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/winslow.htm - AM 242 row; block rows AM 238-245; yard history header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Inaugural (AM 242) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 30-Dec-44 | To St. Louis MO 1968 as museum, swept from moorings and sank 1993.' Block context: consecutive Winslow Admirable-class deliveries - Garland (AM 238, 26-Aug-44, scrapped 1960), Gayety (AM 239, 23-Sep-44, to Vietnam 1962), Hazard (AM 240, 31-Oct-44, sold 1968 and to Omaha NB 1971 as museum), Hilarity (AM 241, 27-Nov-44, to Mexico 1962 as D-2), Inaugural (AM 242, 30-Dec-44), then Illusive (AM 243), Imbue (AM 244), and Impervious (AM 245) cancelled 1945. Yard history header: founded 1878 as Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding at Port Blakely; relocated to a 77-acre Eagle Harbor site near Madrone (renamed Winslow) in 1903; sold 1916 to Capt. James Griffiths and renamed Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co.; built steel minesweepers during WWII reaching a peak workforce of 2,300; sold 1948 and renamed Commercial Ship Repair of Winslow; shrank and closed 1959.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1993

   Population

   Winslow construction workforce (Bainbridge Island, 1944)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, delivery date (30-Dec-44 matches commissioning), type, tonnage class (850d), and the St. Louis museum/flood disposition. Prints no laid-down/launch dates (DANFS supplies those) and no yard hull number ('na'). Contains no asbestos information; the 'peak workforce 2,300' yard-history figure describes the wartime yard, not this hull's build crew.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-03

4. [4]National Park Service, National Historic Landmarks program - 'U.S.S. Inaugural (AM-242)' (live page) + withdrawn-designation entry (Wayback capture 2017-07-10 of nps.gov/nhl/find/withdrawn/inaugural.htm) [nps]

   Locator

   nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/uss-inaugural.htm (live, accessed 2026-09-22); Wayback 20170710171236 of the withdrawn-designations page

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official NPS NHL record for this hull: 'Designated an NHL: January 14, 1986 / Designation withdrawn: August 7, 2001.' The fleet minesweeper was launched 1 October 1944 and commissioned 30 December 1944, built by the Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Corporation of Winslow, Washington; Admirable class 'the largest and one of the most successful classes of US minesweepers ordered during World War II.' Service summary: participated in the invasion of Okinawa, served as a patrol ship in additional South Pacific battles, escorted between Hawaii and the Western Pacific, and after the war conducted minesweeping around Japan and Korea; 'By the end of its career, the vessel had cleared 82 mines and was awarded two battle stars.' Decommissioned 1946; Atlantic Reserve Fleet; 'finally disposed of by the Navy in 1967'; by 1968 relocated to St. Louis as a floating museum; designated NHL 14 January 1986 'as one of two surviving Admirable-class minesweepers used in the Pacific during World War II.' In August 1993, during Mississippi River flooding, Inaugural broke loose from its moorings at the Gateway Arch, suffered a hull breach, took on water, and rolled on its side, remaining partially submerged; salvage of the wreck in one piece was not feasible; the ship was determined a total loss, 'and will be salvaged for scrap metal and museum exhibition purposes'; the Landmark designation was withdrawn 7 August 2001 'because it had ceased to meet the criteria.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-2001

   Population

   Museum visitors/staff (1968-1993); NPS historic-resource evaluators

   Limitations

   Official designation record and service summary - documents the NHL award, its basis (type-representativeness, WWII service), the flood loss, and the withdrawal. Compresses the 1993 casualty to 'August 1993' and does not print the breakaway/sinking date pair (1 Aug / 23 Sep per press record - see ev-08); the 'will be salvaged' line reflects the withdrawal-era plan, not an outcome. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-04

5. [5]NPS Form 10-800, 'War in the Pacific Ship Study' - National Register Inventory/Nomination Form for USS Inaugural (AM-242), prepared by Harry A. Butowsky, NPS Division of History, May 1985 (scan hosted by Missouri State Parks) [nps]

   Locator

   mostateparks.com PDF scan - nomination items 4, 5, 7, 8, 11 (owner, NAVSEA repository, description, significance, preparer) + museum brochure page + photo sheets

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The NHL nomination - the closest thing to a condition survey of this hull in the located public record: category 'object,' ownership 'private,' condition 'fair / altered'; owner of property 'St. Louis Concessions, 400 Mansion House Center, Suite 2510, St. Louis'; legal-description repository 'Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington DC 20362' (the Navy still held title records via NAVSEA). Description: 'USS Inaugural is in fair condition. The ship has been neglected for many years and has lost a substantial amount of her World War II integrity. Many parts of the interior of the ship are missing equipment and fittings. The exterior of the ship is in better condition but many of the original guns are in need of restoration. USS Inaugural retains her minesweeping cable.' Berthed 'in the Mississippi river at the North leg of the Gateway Arch'; 'recently transferred to St. Louis Concessions ... and is being restored to her World War II condition.' Data block: length 185 ft, displacement 900 tons loaded, beam 33 ft, draft 10 ft loaded, speed 15 knots, crew 104 (wartime), armament one 3"/50, one rocket launcher, two depth-charge racks, various AA. Reproduces the 'U.S.S. INAUGURAL EDUCATIONAL MUSEUM' brochure: berthed 'in the Mississippi River at the North Leg of the Gateway Arch, 300 North Wharf Street'; crew of 'one hundred enlisted men and ten officers'; nickname 'the Augie'; 'eighty-two deadly mines were cleared'; open 9:00-6:00 Mon-Sun April-October, $1.75 adults/$1.25 children. Significance statement: represents Admirable-class fleet minesweepers in the Pacific war; 'two battle stars.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1968-1986 (nomination May 1985; designation Jan 1986)

   Population

   St. Louis Concessions museum staff; restoration workers (c. 1985); museum visitors

   Limitations

   Primary federal documentation of the hull's c.1985 condition and ownership - but it is a significance/integrity nomination, not a materials or hazmat survey: it contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information whatsoever, and 'lost integrity' refers to missing equipment/fittings, not material hazards. The documented 'being restored to her World War II condition' is a disturbance event whose scope and materials handling are not described. The brochure's crew figure (100 enlisted + 10 officers = 110) varies the 104 design complement - flagged in ev-08. No NRHP reference number is legible on the scanned form.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-05

6. [6]St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 'In 1967 a minesweeper on the Mississippi was supposed to be a real slick thing. It sank just like a riverboat' (Look Back retrospective, stltoday.com archives) + Post-Dispatch photo collection; Missourinet, 'WWII minesweeper sunk at St. Louis 20 years ago today,' 1 Aug 2013 (quoting NPS Jefferson National Expansion Memorial historian Bob Moore); Sea History no. 68 (Winter 1993-94) shipnotes column [reputable_press]

   Locator

   stltoday.com look-back article + photo captions (Robert C. Holt Jr., Larry Williams, Renyold Ferguson photos); missourinet.com 2013-08-01; issuu.com/seahistory sh_068 winter-1993-94 shipnotes

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Regional-press record resolving the museum acquisition and the 1993 casualty: Robert E. O'Brien of Webster Groves - a former teacher who wanted to bring a warship to the riverfront - bought the ship from the Navy mothball fleet in Texas and brought her to St. Louis in 1968, where she opened as a floating museum in June 1968; local oilman Floyd Warmann owned the minesweeper when she sank. The Inaugural was tied alongside a Burger King barge when the flood crest of 1 August 1993 (historic St. Louis crest 49.58 ft, per FOX2) tore them from their moorings and into the Poplar Street Bridge; she 'was rescued and tied temporarily to a barge south of downtown,' then 'suddenly rolled and sank on Sept. 23, 1993' (Post-Dispatch). Missourinet, quoting NPS historian Bob Moore: 'On the morning of September 23 she was reported to be listing to her port (left) and by that afternoon she was on the bottom of the Mississippi where she remains today.' Sea History (Winter 1993-94): 'the WWII Admirable-class minesweeper USS Inaugural was swept away from her berth at the Gateway Arch and sank. Her owners, St. Louis Concessions, plan to raise and restore her.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1968-1994

   Population

   Museum staff/visitors (1968-1993); Coast Guard/river-response and barge crews (Aug-Sep 1993)

   Limitations

   Regional/national trade-press accounts - the strongest sinking-date and ownership-chain sources located, all secondary. The Post-Dispatch's Sept. 23 date (corroborated by the NPS historian via Missourinet) is carried over NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum/uboat.net's '1 September 1993' - flagged in ev-08. Sea History names 'St. Louis Concessions' as owners in late 1993 while the Post-Dispatch names Floyd Warmann - the O'Brien -> Concessions -> Warmann chain is reconstructed from press accounts and not reconciled in a primary record. No asbestos, hazmat, or environmental content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-06

7. [7]FOX 2 St. Louis (KTVI), 'Low Mississippi River levels expose sunken WWII ship,' 19 Oct 2021; FOX 2, 'Low Mississippi River Reveals Sunken WWII Ship' (earlier low-water piece); St. Louis Public Radio, 'USS Inaugural To Finally Emerge From Her Watery Grave,' Adam Allington, 8 Jan 2013 [reputable_press]

   Locator

   fox2now.com 2021-10-19 article body; fox2now.com low-water piece (witness Norman James); stlpr.org 2013-01-08 (Allington) - Patzius/Fleshman quotes

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Aftermath record: FOX2 (Oct 2021) documents the wreck still in place - broke free 1 August 1993 as the river hit its historic 49.58 ft crest, drifted downstream, turned on its side, and sank south of the Poplar Street Bridge; river at 3.85 ft and falling when the ship was spotted; low water also exposed the hull in 2012 and 2015; NPS 'total loss' determination reiterated, scrap/exhibition salvage 'has not yet happened.' StLPR (Jan 2013) documents the near-scrapping: low water left the hull 'nearly high and dry for the first time since it was ripped from its mooring during the 1993 flood'; salvage title held by John Patzius, an associate of the late City Museum founder Bob Cassilly; Jim Fleshman of Fleshman and Son Excavators hired to cut the ~530-ton wreck into pieces for the scrap yard (estimated north of $100,000 in scrap value; compartments 'full of sand and dirt'), with a bulldozed makeshift road down the 100-ft embankment - the work stopped when river levels rose, and only a few pieces of metal were removed (Wikipedia's account consistent). A second FOX2 piece adds a witness account of the hull 'crashing' into the Poplar Street Bridge and notes the wreck lies south of the MacArthur Bridge.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2013; 2021

   Population

   Salvage workers (Fleshman and Son Excavators, Jan 2013); river traffic and St. Louis riverfront (1993-present)

   Limitations

   Local broadcast/press accounts - secondary but mutually consistent and corroborated by the NPS record. Documents wreck persistence, the aborted 2013 salvage, and ownership of the salvage title; the two FOX2 pieces differ slightly on landmark phrasing ('south of the Poplar Street Bridge' vs 'south of the MacArthur Bridge' - consistent with the half-mile spacing between the two bridges). No asbestos, hazmat, or environmental-assessment content; the 2013 torch-cutting would have disturbed whatever materials remained, but no source documents materials handling.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-07

8. [8]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS official text (NHHC Wayback capture 20220929172007 + losthistory/hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02242 vs NavalCoverMuseum vs uboat.net 5307 vs HyperWar stub vs Colton Winslow table vs NPS NHL page/nomination vs Post-Dispatch/Missourinet/Sea History/FOX2/StLPR vs Wikipedia [other_primary]

   Locator

   losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am242.htm vs web.archive.org capture 20220929172007; navsource.net/archives/11/02242.htm; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/INAUGURAL_AM_242; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5307.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-242_Inaugural.html; shipbuildinghistory.com winslow.htm; nps.gov NHL page + nomination scan; stltoday.com; missourinet.com; issuu Sea History 68; fox2now.com; stlpr.org; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Inaugural

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Sinking date - NavSource 'sank 1 September 1993,' NavalCoverMuseum 'Sunk by river flooding September 1 1993,' and uboat.net 'Sunk by river flooding 1 September 1993' vs the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ('rescued and tied temporarily to a barge south of downtown ... sank on Sept. 23, 1993') and Missourinet quoting NPS JEFF historian Bob Moore (listing to port the morning of September 23, on the bottom by afternoon) - the better-sourced 23 September date is carried; the compilations' 1 September print is rejected. The official NPS NHL page compresses the casualty to 'August 1993.' (b) DANFS mirror variants - hazegray prints 'then resumed to the important minesweeping operations' where the official text reads 'then returned to'; hazegray's bracketed 'Transcriber's Note' ('It is believed that Inaugural became a museum hulk at St. Louis, Mo., in 1968') is a mirror annotation, not DANFS text; a 'sup port' line-break typo also appears in the mirror. (c) Propulsion - NavSource 'two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels + National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts' (direct drive) vs HyperWar stub 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' (contradicted by the documented reduction gear) - NavSource carried, consistent with the sibling-series treatment. (d) Complement - 104 (DANFS/NavSource/HyperWar) vs the 1985 museum brochure's 'one hundred enlisted men and ten officers' (110) - design figure carried; brochure figure flagged as museum-marketing text. (e) Spec variances - displacement 530 t (DANFS) vs 945 t full load (NavSource) vs 625 t (HyperWar) vs 850d (Colton) vs 900 t loaded (NHL nomination); draft 9'9" vs 10'; speed 15 vs 14.8 kts; armament design-spec vs wartime fit - unresolved, standard for the class. (f) Reserve-fleet plan - NavSource's boilerplate 'NVR of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945' describes a plan superseded by the documented 9 September 1946 decommissioning. (g) uboat.net 'Ordered 14 Mar 1942' - plausible contract date, secondary-only, not carried. (h) Disposal - DANFS 'struck ... 1 March 1967 and sold'; Post-Dispatch has O'Brien buying 'from a Navy mothball fleet in Texas' and bringing her to St. Louis in 1968; the 1967 sale vs 1968 delivery sequence is not reconciled in a primary document.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-2021

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, the NHL nomination/record, secondary compilations, and regional press, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. For the ownership chain and the sinking-day detail, all sources are secondary - the Navy disposal/sale file (1967-68), USCG/USACE casualty file, and St. Louis city records are the archival resolution path. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-08

9. [9]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; NavSource; Colton; NHL nomination) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02242 propulsion line; HyperWar AM-242 stub; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton winslow.htm AM 242 row; NHL nomination description

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1944-built steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel direct-drive twin-screw plant (two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply 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 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, winch and windlass brake linings, and deck compositions of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Winslow construction trades (1944); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across shakedown, the Hawaii training/patrol tour, the Okinawa screen, and the postwar Korea/Japan sweeping; the Galveston inactivation and Orange TX reserve-fleet workforce (1946); the museum workforce and visitors (1968-1993 - including the documented c.1985 restoration to WWII configuration); the 1993 river-response and barge crews; the January 2013 Fleshman torch-cutting crew - the one documented modern disturbance event on the hull - and the river environment where the un-surveyed wreck persists.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-2013

   Population

   Winslow trades (1944); U.S. crew Dec 1944 - Sep 1946; museum staff/visitors 1968-1993; river-response crews 1993; salvage crew Jan 2013

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-242 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. The hull's in-situ sinking means present-day material state is undocumented - the wreck's persistence is documented, its contents are not.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-inaugural-am242-09

10. [10]Declaration of Peter Neushul, Ph.D., Siegfried v. Owens-Illinois, No. 2:18-cv-01575 (C.D. Cal.) (RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384.52.0) - WWII Navy/USMC fireproof-insulation requirements and Navy QPLs [court_record]

    Locator

    RECAP document 52-0, declaration paragraphs on WWII shipbuilding insulation requirements and Kaylo QPL listings

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Expert declaration documents that during WWII the U.S. Navy and U.S. Maritime Commission required fireproof insulation on military and civilian vessels, and that asbestos-containing thermal insulation products (e.g., Owens-Illinois Kaylo block and pipe insulation) appeared on Navy Qualified Products Lists under military specifications Mil-I-2819 and Mil-I-2781. Inaugural was laid down in May 1944 inside this procurement regime.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1941-1945 (era); 2018 (filing)

    Population

    WWII Navy construction trades and crew (class context)

    Limitations

    Plaintiff-side expert declaration in asbestos litigation, not a court finding; describes Navy-wide procurement requirements and never names this hull. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Asbestos presence aboard AM-242 is era inference only - does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard, nor quantity, nor any individual exposure.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-inaugural-am242-10

11. [11]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, Winslow. 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-inaugural-am242-11

12. [12]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 in the non-litigation repositories searched; the authenticated CourtListener sweep itself could not run (API throttle, shared quota - see ev-13 and search_ledger). 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; whether any such claim naming Inaugural exists is unverified this session.

    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 in the searches performed. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-inaugural-am242-12

13. [13]Batch-1217 search ledger (this record): DANFS official text via NHHC Wayback capture 20220929172007 + losthistory/hazegray mirror; NavSource 11/02242; Shipbuilding History Winslow yard table (AM 242 row); uboat.net 5307; HyperWar AM-242 stub; NavalCoverMuseum INAUGURAL AM 242; NPS NHL live page + withdrawn page (Wayback 20170710171236); NHL nomination scan (mostateparks.com PDF); stltoday.com look-back + photo collection; missourinet.com 2013; Sea History 68 (issuu); fox2now.com x2; stlpr.org 2013; NVR; NARA catalog; archive.org; site:courtlistener.com and site:va.gov queries; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-inaugural-am242-01 through sl-uss-inaugural-am242-18

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Inaugural / AM-242 / MSF-242: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials section in the NHL nomination, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Non-authoritative marketing rosters carry the name in generic ship tables (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites page: 'USS Inaugural | AM-242 | Admirable | 12/30/1944 | Sunk, 1993'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper name list) - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific evidence. CourtListener authenticated sweeps could not be completed this session: queries on the shared API key returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day', ~5,400s remaining on check) - the sweep was abandoned per batch rules (back off, log honestly, never retry into a ban). The litigation surface of this hull is therefore unsearched at API depth, not searched-and-empty; Google-indexed site:courtlistener.com and site:va.gov queries returned no decisions naming the hull.

    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 1944-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load, and the hull was never abated or scrapped: it sank in the Mississippi River in 1993 with its material state undocumented. IMPORTANT: the CourtListener sweep did not run (throttled, shared quota) - 'no qualifying case located' reflects the non-litigation repositories and degraded Google-indexed queries only; a differently-phrased hull reference may exist in the opinion/docket indexes. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-inaugural-am242-13

14. [14]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's Dec 1944 - Sep 1946 commission; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Winslow Admirable block (uboat.net prints 'ordered 14 Mar 1942'); NARA still-photo holdings BS 77483 and BS 77484 (Jan 1945 Puget Sound views in camouflage 32/22D, credited via NavSource); the Navy 1967-68 disposal/sale file (DANFS 'struck ... and sold'; Post-Dispatch 'bought it from a Navy mothball fleet in Texas'); St. Louis Concessions museum operating records and the c.1985 WWII-configuration restoration scope; USCG casualty/river-response file for the 1 Aug - 23 Sep 1993 breakaway, bridge strike, barge tie-up, and sinking; USACE St. Louis District wreck/navigation-hazard records; the NPS NHL designation file (1985-86) and withdrawal file (2001); salvage-title and any demolition-permit records for the 2013 Patzius/Fleshman attempt; Missouri SHPO files (the nomination scan is hosted by Missouri State Parks) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02242 photo credits; NHL nomination scan (mostateparks.com); stltoday.com / missourinet.com / stlpr.org for the press-level chain

    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's WWII muster-rolls series should cover this hull for her Dec 1944 - Sep 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed, so coverage for AM-242 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Dec 1944 - Sep 1946; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records / General Information Books and the contract file for the Winslow block - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) NARA still photos BS 77483/BS 77484; (e) the Navy disposal/sale file for the 1967 strike-and-sale and the 1968 transfer to O'Brien; (f) St. Louis Concessions museum records, including the c.1985 restoration scope (a documented disturbance event whose materials handling is unknown); (g) USCG and USACE St. Louis District records for the 1993 casualty and the wreck's status as a navigation/obstruction matter; (h) NPS NHL designation and withdrawal files; (i) salvage-title/permits for the 2013 scrapping attempt (Patzius/Fleshman).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1944-2013 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-242 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, register entries, photo files, casualty files, and designation files are personnel/status/imagery/history records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-inaugural-am242-14