USS Incessant (AM-248)

Evidence

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

1. [1]DANFS, 'Incessant' (AM-248) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1169/1207/1212; Wayback captures of the official page exist at 20250125125115 and 20260701153145 but return only a JS application shell to automated fetch this session) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Incessant' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am248.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (AM-248: dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable). 'Incessant (AM-248) was laid down 3 July 1943 by Savannah Machine & Foundry Ga., Savannah, Ga.; launched 22 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Ralston Mingledorff; and commissioned 25 March 1944, Lt. C. H. Romig in command.' After shakedown out of Casco Bay, Maine, departed Norfolk 24 May 1944 for escort and training duty in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico; returned to Norfolk 8 July; sailed in convoy 23 July; after Mers-el-Kebir arrived off southern France. Swept the harbors of southern France 'in spite of human torpedoes and enemy shore fire'; helped clear the channel into Mentone 9-10 September 1944; minesweeping and patrol at Bizerte, the Sardinia coast, and Palermo. January 1945: transited the Dardanelles, arrived Sevastopol 26 January; took aboard a Russian pilot and interpreter for air-sea rescue work in the Black Sea; departed for Palermo 15 February; Mediterranean operations until sailing from Mers-el-Kebir 17 April. Norfolk 5 May; sailed 5 July for the western Pacific via Panama Canal and San Diego; Pearl Harbor 21 August (after war's end); Eniwetok, Saipan, Okinawa; Sasebo 25 October for occupation sweeping; November 1945 East China Sea; March 1946 at Shanghai earmarked for transfer to China; returned to Seattle, decommissioned 6 November 1946; returned to the Maritime Commission and sold to R. A. Rutherford 30 November 1948. 'Incessant received two battle stars for World War II service.' Transcriber's note: 'Incessant operated as Commercial Ohioan in merchant service.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   Savannah Machine & Foundry construction trades (1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 104)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, sponsor, dates, service narrative, awards, and disposal headline - not materials or asbestos content. The mirror transcription carries typos ('Ga.' for 'Co.', 'Southern Prance' for France, 'Sevastapol', 'lncessant', 'minesweeping mg') - flagged in ev-06. DANFS prints no laid-down discrepancy, no stricken date, and no post-sale detail; the Sevastopol deployment is described only as 'air-sea rescue work' (its coincidence with the Yalta Conference window, 4-11 February 1945, is contextual - DANFS does not link them). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 and the Wayback captures returned only a JS shell to automated fetch.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Incessant (AM 248), file 11/02248 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02248 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credit (11 Aug 1955 Commercial Ohioan on the Ohio River)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; call sign November-Fox-Zebra-William; laid down 3 July 1943 by the Savannah Machine and Foundry Co., Savannah, GA; launched 22 October 1943; commissioned USS Incessant (AM 248) 25 March 1944; decommissioned 6 November 1946 at Seattle, WA; 'Transferred to the Maritime Commission 30 November 1948 and sold to R. A. Rutherford' with boilerplate footnote 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists transfer to the Maritime Commission as December 1948'; 'Converted to river service in 1949 at Paducah Marine Ways, Paducah, KY and renamed Commercial Ohioan'; 'In service up to 1955'; 'Fate unknown.' 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 depth-charge projector (hedgehog), four depth-charge projectors (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 list: LT Charles Henry Romig USNR (25 Mar 1944 - 31 May 1945); LT George Murray Curran USNR (31 May 1945 - 6 Oct 1945); LT David William Maguire USN (6 Oct - 2 Dec 1945); LTJG George William Schelling USNR (12 Jan 1946 -); LT Richard Howard Johnston Jr. USN, USNA 1943 (27 Mar - 6 Nov 1946). Photo: Commercial Ohioan on the Ohio River, 11 August 1955.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1955

   Population

   Savannah yard trades (1943-44); wartime crew; commercial towboat/salvage crews (1949-1995)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. 'Fate unknown' is superseded by the Waterways Journal/Colton record of the 1995 Maysville sinking - flagged in ev-06. Its 1949 conversion year conflicts with the Waterways Journal's 1950 - flagged. Its 'George Murray Curran' conflicts with uboat.net's 'George Morton Curran' - flagged. '945 t. (fl)' sits on a different measurement basis than DANFS's 530 / Colton's 850d / HyperWar's 625 / Wikipedia's 650 - flagged. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Savannah Machine & Foundry, Savannah GA' yard table - Incessant (AM 248) row + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   savannah.htm - Incessant (AM 248) row + yard history header; block sisters AM 246-247, 249-254

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Incessant | AM 248 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 25-Mar-44 | Sold private 1948, sunk in Mayville KY in 1995.' The Savannah table's Admirable-class block for this hull runs AM-246 Implicit (delivered 20-Jan-44, 'To China 1948 as Yung Chia, to Taiwan 1949'), AM-247 Improve (29-Feb-44, 'Sold private 1949, sunk 1953'), AM-248 Incessant, AM-249 Incredible (17-Apr-44, 'Scrapped 1960'), AM-250 Indicative (26-Jun-44, 'To USSR 1945 as T 278'), AM-251 Inflict (28-Aug-44, 'Sold private 1948, sunk 1953'), AM-252 Instill (22-May-44, 'To Mexico 1962 as DM 10'), AM-253 Intrigue (31-Jul-44, 'To Mexico 1962 as Cadete Vicente Suarez'), AM-254 Invade (18-Sep-44, 'To Mexico 1962 as General Ignacio Zaragoza'). Yard history header: founded 1912 by Walter Lee Mingledorff; sold 1968 to Aegis Corp.; Saylor Marine 1984; Intermarine USA 1987; Bernie Ebbers 1999; forfeited to WorldCom 2002; Palmer Johnson 2004; Global Ship Systems; failed 2007; sold in bankruptcy 2010 for $10 million to neighboring Colonial Terminals.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1995

   Population

   Savannah Machine & Foundry construction workforce (Savannah, GA, 1943-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, delivery date (25-Mar-44 matches commissioning), type, tonnage (850d consistent with NavSource's 945 t fl on a different basis), and the post-sale fate. 'Mayville' is Colton's spelling; the Ohio River Mile 409.5 site is Maysville, KY per the Waterways Journal - flagged in ev-06. The hull# column is blank for the WWII minesweeper rows (no yard hull number printed). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-03

4. [4]The Waterways Journal, 'World War II Minesweepers Repurposed,' Old Boat Column, Capt. David Smith, 1 Nov 2024 (citing the Inland River Record) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   waterwaysjournal.net 2024-11-01 Old Boat Column - Incessant paragraphs and Commercial Ohioan disposal chain

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Trade-press account resolving this hull's commercial career and fate, naming this hull throughout: 'The USS Incessant (AM-248) was built by Savannah Machine and Foundry Company, Savannah, Ga., and was commissioned on March 25, 1944... 184 feet by 33 feet and had 1800 hp. from two Cooper-Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines that turned 750 rpm. The gears had a 2:1 reduction.' 'Commercial Barge Line acquired both the Fixity and Incessant from the Maritime Commission. The Fixity was converted to river towing at Paducah Marine Ways, Paducah, Ky., in 1949 and renamed Commercial Dixie. The Incessant was converted at the same shipyard in 1950 and renamed Commercial Ohioan. The conversion included the removal of tall masts and the uppermost superstructure and the addition of a traditional towboat-type pilothouse. To allow the ships to connect to barges, a large double stage platform was affixed to the sharp bows.' Commercial used the pair in auto transport until the early-1960s merger with American Barge Line (American Commercial Barge Line); 'According to the Inland River Record, the Commercial Dixie was sold in May 1961 to Beatty Inc. of Cincinnati, and in January 1963, they bought the Commercial Ohioan as well.' Capt. John Beatty used the two ex-minesweepers as the keystone of his salvage fleet, positioning them over sunken vessels so wrecks could be raised between the hulls; Beatty died in 1994 at 80 and 'Beatty's Navy' was sold to a successor salvage firm; 'while on a project at Maysville, Ky., near Ohio River Mile 409.5 in 1995 a crane barge sank, followed by first one and then the other minesweeper hull' - i.e., both Commercial Ohioan (this hull) and Commercial Dixie (ex-Fixity, AM-235) sank at the site.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1948-1995

   Population

   Commercial Barge Line / ACBL towboat crews (1950-1963); Beatty Inc. salvage crews (1963-1994); successor salvage firm crews (1994-1995)

   Limitations

   Trade press (the inland-marine industry paper of record, citing the Inland River Record) - authoritative for the commercial/disposal chain, but the conversion year (1950) conflicts with NavSource (1949), and the MARCOM-to-Rutherford-to-Commercial-Barge-Line intermediate step is not itemized (WJ compresses it to 'acquired ... from the Maritime Commission'). The 1,800-hp/750-rpm GSB-8 description corroborates NavSource's Cooper Bessemer fit against Wikipedia's class-generic ALCO infobox - flagged in ev-06. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-04

5. [5]The Waterways Journal, 'Another Dravo Porthole Towboat,' Old Boat Column, Capt. David Smith, 20 Sep 2024; and Cincinnati Post, 'Proud armada rusts in river's graveyard,' Monica Dias, 16 Sep 1998 (referenced via batch-1209 sourcing) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   waterwaysjournal.net 2024-09-20 Old Boat Column - Maysville paragraphs; waterwaysjournal.net 2024-11-01

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The sinking narrative and the wreck's persistence: at a project just below Maysville, Ky., near Ohio River Mile 409.5, 'a barge that was to be embedded into the bank for a dock sank. Soon after, the crane barge and both minesweeper hulls that Beatty had used to successfully raise sunken boats and barges were sunk there as well' - the 'both minesweeper hulls' are this hull (Commercial Ohioan) and sister Commercial Dixie (ex-Fixity), named in the companion Nov 2024 column; the towboat Clare E. Beatty 'settled to the bottom' there on 29 October 1995. The site persists in the river ('It remains there these 29 years later'). Per batch-1209 sourcing, a USACE spokesperson described the site to the Cincinnati Post (1998) as the 'Bermuda Triangle of the Ohio River.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1994-2024

   Population

   Successor salvage-firm crews at the Maysville site (1994-1995); present-day river users (submerged wreck)

   Limitations

   The Sept 2024 column does not name the two minesweeper hulls in the sinking paragraph - hull attribution to Incessant/Commercial Ohioan comes via the named companion column of 1 Nov 2024 and Colton's per-hull row. Exact per-hull sinking dates within 1994-1995 are not printed (Colton: 'sunk ... in 1995'; WJ: 'in 1995'). Trade-press sourcing; the Cincinnati Post quote is carried via batch-1209's verified citation of the beattyproject.org mirror, not re-verified this session. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-05

6. [6]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (losthistory/hazegray mirror; NHHC Wayback captures 20250125125115 + 20260701153145 exist but return a JS shell) vs NavSource 11/02248 vs Colton Savannah yard table vs uboat.net 5313 vs Waterways Journal x2 vs NavalCoverMuseum vs HyperWar per-hull page + class block vs Wikipedia vs globalsecurity.org AM-136 unit table vs navalmarinearchive.com [other_primary]

   Locator

   losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am248.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02248.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/savannah.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5313.html; waterwaysjournal.net 2024-11-01 + 2024-09-20; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/INCESSANT_AM_248; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-248_Incessant.html + ships-dm.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Incessant; globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/am-136-unit.htm; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/minesweepers1.html

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Disposal - NavSource 'In service up to 1955. Fate unknown.' is superseded by the Waterways Journal (Nov + Sep 2024, citing the Inland River Record), Colton ('sunk in Mayville KY in 1995'), and navalmarinearchive.com ('sank in Mayville KY 1995'): the hull became M/V Commercial Ohioan and sank at Maysville, KY near Ohio River Mile 409.5 in 1994-1995. Press record carried; 'fate unknown' rejected. (b) Sale year - DANFS/NavSource/uboat.net/globalsecurity all print 30 Nov 1948 (transfer to Maritime Commission and sale to R. A. Rutherford); Wikipedia's infobox prints 'Sold 30 November 1949' while its own body text says 30 Nov 1948 - infobox typo, 1948 carried; mesothelioma.com's roster prints 'Sold, 1949' - same error, and the source is excluded per rules anyway. (c) Conversion year - NavSource 1949 vs Waterways Journal 1950 - unmerged; both flagged (Paducah Marine Ways work could span late 1949 into 1950). (d) Propulsion - NavSource per-hull 'two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear' corroborated by the Waterways Journal's per-hull description ('two Cooper-Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines that turned 750 rpm ... gears had a 2:1 reduction', 1800 hp) vs Wikipedia class-generic infobox '2 x ALCO 539 ... Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear' 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/WJ carried. (e) Displacement - DANFS 530; NavSource 945 t (fl); Colton 850d; HyperWar 625 t; Wikipedia 650 t - different measurement bases, unmerged. (f) Draft - DANFS/NavSource 9'9" vs HyperWar 10' - flagged. (g) Speed - DANFS/HyperWar 15 kts vs NavSource/Wikipedia 14.8 kts - flagged. (h) Armament - DANFS '1 3", 4 40mm.' vs NavSource 'one 3"/50 DP + two 40mm mounts + six 20mm + hedgehog + 4 K-guns + 2 DC tracks' vs Wikipedia '1 x 3"/50 + 2 twin Bofors 40mm + hedgehog + 2 DC tracks' - design-spec vs wartime-fit unresolved. (i) CO name - NavSource 'George Murray Curran' vs uboat.net 'George Morton Curran' - flagged, unmerged. (j) Builder name - DANFS mirror 'Savannah Machine & Foundry Ga.' (typo for 'Co.'), uboat.net 'Savannah Machinery and Foundry Co.', NavSource/Colton/WJ 'Savannah Machine (&) Foundry Co.' - carried per majority. (k) Stricken - no source prints a strike date; the 30 Nov 1948 Maritime Commission transfer implies it but is not itself a strike record - carried as unverified. (l) NVR quirk - NavSource footnote: the NVR of 1 Jan 1949 lists the transfer as December 1948 vs actual 30 Nov 1948 - register-planning quirk, same pattern as batch-1212. (m) Mirror typos - 'Ga.' for 'Co.', 'Southern Prance' for France, 'Sevastapol' for Sevastopol, 'lncessant', 'minesweeping mg' - transcription artifacts, corrected silently in prose.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-2024

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. NavSource's per-hull propulsion spec is preferred over the class-generic infobox values because it names this hull's engine and gear, and the Waterways Journal independently describes this hull's GSB-8s. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-06

7. [7]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive; corroborated for this hull by the Waterways Journal's 'two Cooper-Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines ... 2:1 reduction'; HyperWar class block reads 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - flagged in ev-06) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02248 propulsion line; Waterways Journal 2024-11-01 engine description; HyperWar ships-dm.html Admirable-class block; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton savannah.htm; DANFS/waterwaysjournal disposal chain

   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 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: Savannah Machine & Foundry construction trades (Savannah, GA, 1943-44); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across the Casco Bay shakedown, the Caribbean/Gulf escort-training tour, the southern France harbor sweeps under fire (Mentone channel 9-10 Sep 1944), the Bizerte/Sardinia/Palermo patrol circuit, the January-February 1945 Sevastopol/Black Sea air-sea rescue deployment (in the Yalta Conference window), the Pacific occupation sweeping (Sasebo, East China Sea), the aborted Shanghai transfer, and the 1946 inactivation at Seattle; the Paducah Marine Ways conversion workforce (1949-50 - masts and upper superstructure removed, towboat pilothouse added, bow stage platform fitted - a heavy hot-work disturbance of the as-built fabric); Commercial Barge Line/ACBL towboat crews (1950-1963); Beatty Inc. salvage crews working the twin-hull lift rig (1963-1994); successor salvage-firm crews at the Maysville sinking (1994-1995); and any present-day wreck interaction at the persisting Ohio River site.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1995

   Population

   Savannah yard trades (1943-44); U.S. crew Mar 1944 - Nov 1946; Paducah conversion workers 1949-50; commercial crews 1950-1995

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-248 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 ~46-year commercial career (towboat conversion, then salvage rig) almost certainly disturbed or replaced original fabric - and the hull sank in place in 1994-1995, so whatever era materials remained likely went down with her; no survey exists.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-07

8. [8]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 Qualified Products Lists (as verified in batch-1209) [court_record]

   Locator

   RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384.52.0 (Neushul declaration; verified batch-1209 ev-08)

   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. Incessant was laid down in July 1943 inside the covered era; the Navy specification framework applied to her construction at Savannah Machine & Foundry.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1941-1945 era documented; declaration filed 2018

   Population

   WWII Navy construction trades (era context)

   Limitations

   Era/specification-level documentation - the declaration describes the regulatory regime, not this hull's bill of materials; no material schedule naming AM-248 is attached or located. Establishes only that asbestos-containing products were specified/qualified for Navy construction in the period, not that any particular product was installed aboard this hull. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-incessant-am248-08

9. [9]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 Savannah Machine & Foundry, Savannah. 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-incessant-am248-09

10. [10]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 Incessant 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-incessant-am248-10

11. [11]Batch-1220 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory/hazegray mirror (NHHC live 404; Wayback captures exist but return JS shell); NavSource 11/02248; Shipbuilding History Savannah yard table; uboat.net 5313; Waterways Journal 2024-11-01 + 2024-09-20; NavalCoverMuseum; HyperWar per-hull page + ships-dm class block; NVR; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - blocked, HTTP 429); indexed-web substitute search; Wikipedia cross-check; globalsecurity.org unit table; navalmarinearchive.com table [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-incessant-am248-01 through sl-uss-incessant-am248-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Incessant / AM-248 / M/V Commercial Ohioan: 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. Expected available in 4967 seconds') on the first attempt and on a spaced retry; 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 1207/1209/1212). Indexed-web substitute queries ('USS Incessant'/'AM-248' + asbestos/mesothelioma/lawsuit; 'Commercial Ohioan' + asbestos/BVA) surfaced only marketing-roster name mentions - mesothelioma.com's minesweeper jobsites page lists 'USS Incessant | AM-248 | Admirable | 3/25/1944 | Sold, 1949' in a generic table (and even gets the sale year wrong - the documented date is 30 Nov 1948); mesotheliomahelp.org carries the name in a bare list - all excluded per source rules, no hull-specific evidence.

    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 ('Incessant' is a low-collision ship name, so a future phrase + hull-number sweep should be clean). The hull's 1994-1995 sinking in place means no present-day survey pathway exists short of wreck documentation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-incessant-am248-11

12. [12]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's March 1944 - November 1946 commission (Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Pacific deployment records); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Savannah Machine & Foundry Admirable-class block (AM-246-254 plus the earlier/later Savannah rows per Colton); Maritime Commission disposal file for the 30 November 1948 sale to R. A. Rutherford and the Commercial Barge Line acquisition; Paducah Marine Ways conversion records (1949-50); Inland River Record entries for M/V Commercial Ohioan; USACE Ohio River records for the Maysville (~Mile 409.5) wreck site [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02248; Colton savannah.htm; waterwaysjournal.net 2024-11-01 + 2024-09-20

    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 Mar 1944 - Nov 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed (batch-1148 noted Heed AM-100 via a DPLA item), so coverage for AM-248 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Mar 1944 - Nov 1946 - the Sevastopol/Black Sea deployment (26 Jan - 15 Feb 1945) and the March 1946 Shanghai earmarking are the highest-value operational documentation; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Savannah Machine & Foundry Admirable block - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) the Maritime Commission disposal file for the 30 Nov 1948 sale (R. A. Rutherford) and whatever papers document the Commercial Barge Line acquisition - the intermediate buyer chain is unresolved in located sources; (e) Paducah Marine Ways conversion records (1949-50) - the heavy hot-work conversion is the likeliest documented disturbance of as-built fabric; (f) Inland River Record entries for Commercial Ohioan (the WJ columns cite it) - per-hull commercial specs and disposition detail; (g) USACE Louisville District records for the Maysville wreck site - the hull is physically present in the river at ~Mile 409.5; a submerged wreck survey is the only conceivable materials-verification pathway, and none is known to exist.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1943-1995 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-248 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, sale files, and conversion records are personnel/operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. The Inland River Record is a subscription data product - its Commercial Ohioan entry was not directly read. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-incessant-am248-12