Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]DANFS, 'Inflict I' (AM-251) entry, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (verbatim transcriptions at ibiblio/HyperWar and hazegray/losthistory.net - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (ibiblio HyperWar transcription; hazegray mirror agrees verbatim)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC record for this hull: 'The first Inflict (AM-251)' was laid down 26 October 1943 by Savannah Machine & Foundry Co., Savannah, Ga.; launched 16 January 1944; commissioned 28 August 1944, Lt. Comdr. Sherman B. Wetmore in command. Shakedown and minesweeping exercises off the Virginia coast; Casco Bay, Maine, 30 October for antisubmarine exercises; upkeep at Norfolk; arrived Miami 1 December for duty as a training school ship (student officers) until 1 April 1945; sailed for the West Coast, arrived San Diego 5 May; sailed two days later for the Far East; convoy escort duty and minesweeping off Okinawa; after the island was secured 21 June she operated from it as a base; 13-23 August swept minefields on Kyushu clearing the way for occupation-force vessels; departed Okinawa 30 August for operations in Korea, Formosa, and Japan until January 1946; returned San Pedro 17 February 1946; summer cruise to Guam and Pearl Harbor; arrived Bremerton mid-October; decommissioned there 6 November 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 8 October 1948 and released to purchaser Ricardo Granola the same day [transcriber's note: named Manabi in mercantile service]. Three battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: dp. 530; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 dct., 3 dep.; cl. Admirable.
- 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
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for identity, service history, and disposal chain. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); verbatim transcriptions at ibiblio/HyperWar and hazegray/losthistory are word-identical. DANFS gives no stricken date, no propulsion detail beyond speed, and no fate after the 1948 sale.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Inflict (AM 251), file 11/02251 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02251.htm - header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record corroborates DANFS and adds detail: decommissioned 6 November 1946 at Bremerton, WA; 'Transferred to the Maritime Commission 8 October 1948, sold to Ricardo Granola of Ecuador the same day and renamed Manabi. Fate unknown.' Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6" x 33' x 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament 1 x 3"/50 DP, 1 twin 40mm mount, 6 x 20mm mounts, 1 hedgehog, 4 K-guns, 2 depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' Commanding-officer table lists seven officers 28 Aug 1944 - 6 Nov 1946 (LCDR Sherman B. Wetmore, USNR, commissioning; LT Franz M. Hawpe, USNR, at decommissioning). Call sign Nan-George-Mike-Able. No photograph of the hull is archived.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed and internally consistent with DANFS but non-official; the Cooper Bessemer engine attribution rests on NavSource alone (Wikipedia's infobox lists ALCO 539 with Farrel-Birmingham gear; HyperWar's recognition-derived ship page reads 'diesel-electric, twin screws, 950 shaft h.p.' - engine-make conflict carried in gaps). 'Fate unknown' conflicts with a shipbuilding-history compilation reporting Manabi sank 1953 - unverified. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-02
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[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Inflict (AM 251), Admirable-class minesweeper entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net warships/ship/5316.html - specification block and history lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net per-hull record: ordered 2 May 1942; built by 'Savannah Machinery and Foundry Co., Savannah, Georgia'; laid down 26 Oct 1943; launched 16 Jan 1944; commissioned 28 Aug 1944; end of service 6 Nov 1946; history lines - decommissioned 6 November 1946 at Bremerton, Washington; transferred to the Maritime Commission 8 October 1948 and sold to Ricardo Granola the same day, renamed Manabi. Commanding officers listed (WWII window): Sherman Bruce Wetmore, USNR (28 Aug 1944 - 4 Oct 1944); Raymond Charles Davidson, Jr., USNR (4 Oct 1944 - Nov 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary database - corroborates DANFS/NavSource on dates and disposal and adds the 2 May 1942 order date (same date uboat.net carries for sister Improve AM-247, consistent with a single Savannah contract block); spells the builder 'Savannah Machinery and Foundry' (DANFS form 'Savannah Machine & Foundry' is carried). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-03
-
[4]Naval Marine Archive / ShipbuildingHistory, 'Minesweepers, Part 1: Ocean Minesweepers (AM)' table - Savannah Machine & Foundry contract block and per-hull disposition rows [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/minesweepers1.html - AM-246 through AM-254 rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuilding-history table places AM-251 inside a nine-hull Savannah Machine & Foundry (Savannah, GA) block - AM-246 Implicit, AM-247 Improve, AM-248 Incessant, AM-249 Incredible, AM-250 Indicative, AM-251 Inflict, AM-252 Instill, AM-253 Intrigue, AM-254 Invade - all 185-ft, 945-LDT, FY1942 Admirable-class hulls. Row for AM-251: 'Sold to Ricardo Granola 1948 as Manabi, sank 1953.' Sister rows document the same buyer pattern for Improve ('Sold to Ricardo Granja 1949 as Ecuador, sunk 1953').
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1953
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official record. The 'sank 1953' fate conflicts with NavSource's 'fate unknown' and is not verified against a primary casualty record - carried in gaps. Buyer spelled 'Granola' for AM-251 but 'Granja' for AM-247 - likely the same Ecuadorian purchaser; spelling discrepancy unresolved. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-04
-
[5]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'Historic Fleets' (April 1996, Vol. 10 No. 2) - Admirable-class retrospective [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Naval History April 1996 'Historic Fleets' article text and caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USNI class-level documentation for the Admirable design this hull belongs to: 'World War II's Admirable-class minesweepers were built on the same 184-foot, 6-inch hull as the PCE-821-class convoy escorts'; hull numbers AM-136-165, 214-311, 351-366, 391-420 ordered; 'only 125 were completed for the Navy'; transfers to USSR, Nationalist China, Philippines, Burma, Mexico documented; 'At 945 tons full load, the Admirables could achieve 14.8 knots on their two 855 brake horsepower diesels.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1996
- Population
- Admirable-class crews and builders (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level retrospective, not a hull record - confirms the diesel (non-steam) propulsion type and program scale for the class Inflict belongs to. Contains no asbestos information and names no individual hull's materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-05
-
[6]Consolidated era/design inference - NavSource spec block for this hull (diesel machinery) + USNI class article + DANFS spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02251.htm specifications block; USNI Naval History Apr 1996; DANFS spec block (ibiblio/hazegray transcriptions)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference, narrowed by the documented plant: this hull was a diesel-propelled Admirable-class minesweeper built 1943-44 at the peak of wartime asbestos usage - a configuration WITHOUT the boiler, fireroom, and steam-line insulation that dominates the asbestos mass of steam warships. Era-consistent asbestos applications for a vessel of this type: diesel exhaust-system and engine-space insulation; machinery gaskets and packing throughout fuel, lube-oil, and seawater systems; electrical cable insulation; deck coverings; bulkhead and accommodation fireproofing; brake linings including the powered minesweeping-winch gear. Documented disturbance phases for this hull: construction at Savannah Machine & Foundry (1943-44), wartime service, and merchant conversion for Ecuadorian service as Manabi (1948) - plus the reported 1953 sinking if the compilation's fate entry is accurate.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1953
- Population
- Savannah Machine & Foundry construction workforce (1943-44); wartime crew (complement 104); Ecuadorian merchant crew as Manabi (1948 onward)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-251 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel configuration materially lowers (but does not eliminate) era-typical asbestos scope relative to steam vessels.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-06
-
[7]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., '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
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations in naval-vessel construction found amosite 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels' - direct era documentation that asbestos pipe covering was standard in U.S. naval construction during the period this hull was built (1943-44).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Savannah Machine & Foundry was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-07
-
[8]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 emergency construction program under which this Admirable-class minesweeper was built at Savannah Machine & Foundry - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- 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 class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-08
-
[9]United States v. Ellis, No. 98-4150 (4th Cir. Feb. 22, 1999) (unpublished per curiam; aff'g D. Md. No. CR-96-361-WMN) + EPA newsroom releases 06/06/97 (conviction) and 02/20/98 (sentencing) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text Part I (DRMS purchases; AES abatement figures) at ecases.us mirror; EPA archive releases https://www.epa.gov/archive/epapages/newsroom_archive/newsreleases/9abdca2a48017083852564ae005108a4.html and .../b95598b8f6251e70852565b100712b1f.html
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- NAME COLLISION - the only asbestos-litigation surface under the name 'USS Inflict' belongs to a different hull. United States v. Ellis is a federal criminal prosecution (Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Refuse Act, false statement) of shipbreaker Kerry Ellis / Seawitch Salvage for asbestos handling during the breaking of Navy surplus vessels at Baltimore. Per the opinion, Ellis purchased two decommissioned minesweepers - 'the USS Inflict and the USS Fearless' - through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service; AES abated Inflict and Fearless, 'removing approximately 1200 linear meters of pipe insulation and 800 square meters of stack insulation from the ships.' That Inflict is the SECOND ship of the name - AM-456/MSO-456 (Aggressive class), sold by the Navy for scrap 1 December 1992 - not this hull: AM-251 was released to Ecuadorian purchaser Ricardo Granola on 8 October 1948, more than four decades before the DRMS sale. The opinion prints no hull number; the attribution to MSO-456 follows from the DRMS-sale timeline and is corroborated by the Navy-sale record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1992-1999 (breaking and prosecution)
- Population
- Seawitch Salvage breakers and AES abatement workers (1993-95, Baltimore) - MSO-456, not this hull
- Limitations
- Correction/disambiguation row: documents asbestos aboard a ship NAMED Inflict (MSO-456), not aboard AM-251. Nothing in Ellis establishes or bears on materials aboard this hull - the two ships shared only a name. Convictions were affirmed on appeal (Feb 22, 1999); the opinion is unpublished (4th Cir. Local Rule 36(c)) and is cited via the ecases.us full-text mirror - a canonical CourtListener page could not be located this session (API throttled, site fetch 403). The opinion's 1,200-lm/800-sqm abatement figures cover Inflict (MSO-456) AND Fearless (MSO-442) combined and are not attributed per-hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-09
-
[10]Batch-1223 search ledger (this record): DANFS via ibiblio HyperWar and hazegray mirrors; NavSource 11/02251; uboat.net 5316; navalmarinearchive minesweeper table; USNI Historic Fleets Apr 1996; Naval Vessel Register; VA BVA index; CourtListener (shared-quota blocked); site:courtlistener mitigation; MARAD ShipHistory (endpoint error); NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-inflict-am251-01 through sl-uss-inflict-am251-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for AM-251: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming the 1944 Admirable-class hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The one litigation hit under the name 'USS Inflict' - United States v. Ellis (4th Cir. 1999) - is a verified name collision on the second Inflict, MSO-456 (ev-09). Law-firm marketing pages do name this hull: mesothelioma.com's minesweeper page lists 'USS Inflict | AM-251 | Admirable | 8/28/1944 | Sold, 1948' and mesotheliomahelp.org's minesweeper list includes 'USS Inflict' - both assert era-typical asbestos content without primary support and are excluded per the no-law-firm-sources rule. CourtListener API querying on 2026-09-22 was rate-limit blocked at the shared-quota level (HTTP 429, 'Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day' - authenticated key, not the anonymous cap); residual litigation surface was assessed via indexed-web checking, which surfaced no qualifying docketed case for AM-251. NVR carries no AM-251/MSF-251 record (pre-1987 disposal; the hull was sold before the 1955 MSF reclassification and never carried MSF-251). No VA BVA decision naming the ship was located in indexed searches.
- 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 combatant is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the undocumented merchant-conversion and disposal phases (1948 sale; reported 1953 sinking) leave the material history unresolvable from public sources. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is incomplete: the systematic CourtListener name/hull sweeps could not be run this session - a re-check was attempted before commit (still HTTP 429, ~4,250s reset); the gap stands per the batch backoff rule.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-10
-
[11]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (RG 19 research guide) + Guide to Federal Records entries for RG 24 (deck logs), RG 19 (BuShips), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (MARAD); MARAD ShipHistory database [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov asbestos guided-topic page (live, HTTP 200, 2026-09-22) + /research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html, /019.html, /178.html, /357.html; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Inflict 1944-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. the Admirable-class Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books (RG 19, Entry P-11, Item S-68, 1940-1962) and hull-arranged Ship Engineering Drawings under codes S103 (Booklets of General Plans), S39 (Insulation and Lagging), and S48 (Piping); USMC/MARAD disposal-custody records for the 8 Oct 1948 Maritime Commission transfer and same-day sale to Ricardo Granola (RG 178/357) - the disposal file is the most promising lead for any material-condition documentation; MARAD vessel status card for this hull/Manabi (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov - endpoints returned errors during this pass).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1953 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inflict-am251-11