Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Jubilant (AM-255) (builder, dates, full service narrative, reclassification, striking, Mexican transfer; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404; hazegray.org canonical offline; HyperWar DANFS mirror lacks AM-255) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 530; 184'6" x 33' x 9'9"; 15 k.; cpl. 105; 1x3", 2x40mm, 6x20mm, 2 dcp, 2 dct) launched 20 February 1943 by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio; sponsored by Mrs. C. D. Bishop; commissioned 27 August [1943], Lt. (j.g.) W. P. Sprunt in command. Departed Lorain 13 September [1943] via Quebec and Argentia, Newfoundland for Little Creek, Va.; submarine contact 23 October with depth-charge and hedgehog attack assessed a probable hit; arrived Little Creek the 23d; four months minesweeping/escort training. Departed 1 March 1944 for South Atlantic convoy escort: Trinidad 12 March; escort to Recife, Brazil (arrived 26 March); Rio de Janeiro and Bahia; Trinidad return 30 May; escort voyages Trinidad-Brazilian ports plus coastal minesweeping. Departed Trinidad 23 March 1945; Norfolk 29 March; Chesapeake Bay minesweeping; departed 30 April for eastern-seaboard convoy duty; Norfolk return 17 May; minesweeping training ship out of Norfolk until 4 March 1946; Orange, Tex. arrival 11 March; decommissioned 18 May [1946], Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 11 May 1951 (Korean-conflict fleet bolster); Charleston, S.C. 29 May, Mine Squadron 8, Atlantic Fleet; operated out of Charleston along the Atlantic coast to Chesapeake Bay for more than 2 years (Atlantic service only - never the Korean war zone). Cleared Charleston 19 February 1954; Orange 28 February; decommissioned 27 April [1954], Atlantic Reserve Fleet; redesignated MSF-255 7 February 1955; stricken from the Navy List 1 May 1962; 'at present she serves the Mexican Navy as DM-01 (D-1).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- American Ship Building Co. construction trades 1942-43; wartime and postwar crews (design complement 105); Mexican Navy crew 1962-2000
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and characteristics, not materials or asbestos content; the entry was written while the ship remained in Mexican service (pre-2001), so it does not record the 2001 sinking. No yard availability is named anywhere in the entry - Charleston (1951-54) and Norfolk (1945-46) are operating bases, not documented repair events. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404, hazegray.org is offline, and the HyperWar DANFS mirror lacks AM-255.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-01
-
[2]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive: Jubilant (MSF-255) ex-AM-255 - class data, specifications, chronology, and commanding officer listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02255 page, specifications block + chronology + CO listing; sister cross-check https://www.navsource.net/archives/11/02257.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource specification block and chronology for this hull: laid down 22 October 1942 by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, OH; launched 20 February 1943; commissioned USS Jubilant (AM-255) 27 August 1943; Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945; decommissioned 18 May 1946 at Orange, TX; recommissioned 11 May 1951; decommissioned 27 April 1954 at Orange; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-255, 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1962; transferred to Mexico 1 October 1962 as DM-01 (D 1); renamed and reclassified ARM Riva Palacio (C 50); sunk off Veracruz, Mexico in August 2001 as an artificial reef. Specifications: displacement 945 t.(fl); 184'6" x 33' x 9'9"; 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 - diesel, no boilers and no steam distribution piping. Sister Lance (AM-257), photographed under construction alongside Jubilant at Lorain, carries the identical Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 / National Supply plant in NavSource (855 shp rating) - Lorain Admirable-class build consistency.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-2001
- Population
- Wartime and postwar engineering crews (context)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run archive reproducing official characteristics and NVR data; the propulsion row is not independently confirmed against a primary BuShips specification sheet - sister-ship consistency (Lance AM-257, same yard) supports Cooper Bessemer, while Wikipedia's infobox gives class-generic ALCO 539/Farrel-Birmingham (conflict logged in gaps). Confirms machinery type only - says nothing about materials or asbestos content. Diesel plant means the steam-system insulation pathway (the Navy's major asbestos use per GAO) is largely absent by design; residual era materials are inference, not record. 'August 2001' sinking month conflicts with contemporaneous press (La Jornada, 26 July 2001) - press date carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-02
-
[3]United Press International photo caption, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Orange, Texas, 6 December 1962 (reproduced in NavSource 02255, photo 110225508) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NavSource 02255 page, ARM DM-01 photo block, caption of image 110225508 (Bill Gonyo collection)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous UPI wire-photo caption documents the physical transfer of this hull at the Orange, Texas NDRF berth on 6 December 1962: 'the former Admirable-Class Minesweeper Jubilant (AM-255) is being transferred to the Mexican Navy as DM-01 (D-1). She is the first five out of twenty U.S. Navy minesweepers being sold to Mexico from the World War II mothball fleet. U.S. Navy Commander A.F. Holzapfel said the vessels are destined for Mexico's Yucatan patrol area to guard against Cuban infiltration. She will be renamed and reclassified as the ARM Riva Palacio (C 50).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1962
- Population
- NDRF Orange, TX custodial/transfer workforce (context); Mexican Navy receiving crew
- Limitations
- Wire-caption record of the physical handover event (6 December 1962), distinct from the official transfer date (1 October 1962 per NavSource chronology) - both carried, difference noted in gaps. Establishes the sale context (one of twenty sweepers sold to Mexico) and intended duty; no asbestos, materials, or condition content. Caption text 'first five out of twenty' reproduced as printed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-03
-
[4]La Jornada (Mexico City), 'Hundiran canonero C-50 para convertirlo en arrecife artificial' (Jesus Aranda), Thursday 26 July 2001 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- La Jornada, Sociedad y Justicia section, 2001-07-26 edition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous report that the Armada de Mexico would sink the canonero (gunboat) C-50 Riva Palacio off Veracruz that day (26 July 2001) to create an artificial reef - 'la Armada dira adios al Riva Palacio en aguas veracruzanas' - in the Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, specifically the areas called Isla Verde and Anegada de adentro, under Navy ecological custody. Reports the ship entered Armada service in 1962 and was the third warship sunk in recent years 'luego de un proceso de limpieza de compuestos toxicos y corrosivos de la embarcacion, dejando solo el casco' (after a cleaning process removing toxic and corrosive compounds, leaving only the hull); each retired reef-ship was replaced by a Holzinger-class vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2001
- Population
- Mexican Navy reef-program workforce (context); recreational divers (subsequent)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous press establishes the sinking date (26 July 2001 - controls over NavSource/secondary 'August 2001'), the site zone, and that a pre-sinking cleaning stripped the hull of toxic/corrosive compounds; the report does not identify which compounds - no asbestos, insulation, or material-specific statement, so it establishes no asbestos finding in either direction (neither removal of ACM nor its prior presence).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-04
-
[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 + indexed report text (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's program review of Navy asbestos exposure records the Navy's position that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' and that thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' Era-level confirmation that WWII-built Navy hulls carried asbestos-containing components; for this diesel minesweeper the thermal-insulation pathway is largely absent by design, leaving the small-component uses (cable insulation, gaskets, clutch/brake linings, exhaust lagging) as the era-consistent candidates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1979 report; WWII-era construction context
- Population
- Navy personnel and shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; does not name this vessel, class, or builder and establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, or exposure aboard this hull. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - content via product-page description and indexed excerpt of the report text (standing issue since batch-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-05
-
[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; DVB Circular 21-88-8 / M21-1 text as recited in BVA decisions
- 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 hull was built at American Ship Building Co., Lorain, in 1942-43. VA adjudication guidance (DVB Circular 21-88-8, carried into M21-1) likewise recites that chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite 'were used extensively in military ship construction' during WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987; circular 1988
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, class, or yard and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-06
-
[7]Batch-1227 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory/hazegray mirror (live NHHC 404; HyperWar AM-255 absent); NavSource 02255 + sister cross-check 02257; UPI caption 1962; La Jornada 2001-07-26; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated); VA BVA index; shipyards.json cross-check; BGSU GLMS-0075 finding aid; NARA record-group guide [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-jubilant-am255-01 through sl-uss-jubilant-am255-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located in the repositories searched: no asbestos survey, specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Jubilant / AM-255 / MSF-255 / DM-01 / Riva Palacio (C-50) surfaced in DANFS, NavSource, contemporaneous press, the VA BVA index, or web-scale litigation mention searches (see search_ledger). The only web presences pairing this hull with asbestos are law-firm listicles that enumerate every Admirable-class minesweeper generically - excluded per source rules, not evidence. CourtListener API queries were BLOCKED this session: the shared authenticated 2,800/day quota was exhausted by parallel batch traffic (repeated 429s over ~80 minutes of spaced retries; the window reset to >10 hours as other agents consumed it), so the opinion/docket sweep is logged as blocked, not as a clean negative.
- 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 1942-43 combatant hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing components, and the hull's undocumented maintenance history (no named yard availability in DANFS) means the phases where such records would exist are simply unmapped. The 2001 pre-sinking cleaning ('toxic and corrosive compounds removed, only the hull left') is the closest the public record comes to a hazmat event, and it does not name asbestos. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-07
-
[8]La Jornada 2001-07-26 (name at sinking: 'canonero C-50 Riva Palacio') + NavSource 02255 chronology ('renamed and reclassified ARM Riva Palacio (C 50)') vs Wikipedia USS Jubilant lead ('In 1994 she was renamed ARM General Miguel Negrete (C50)') [reputable_press]
- Locator
- La Jornada 2001-07-26; NavSource 02255; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5320.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jubilant (lead vs body inconsistency)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source conflict resolved: Wikipedia's lead names the Mexican rename 'ARM General Miguel Negrete (C50),' but Wikipedia's own body text, NavSource, uboat.net, the 1962 UPI caption ('she will be renamed... ARM Riva Palacio (C 50)'), and contemporaneous La Jornada reporting at the 2001 sinking all identify this hull as Riva Palacio (C-50). Riva Palacio carried; the Negrete variant is not adopted - it likely reflects confusion with a different Mexican hull (several Mexican warships have carried both names). Sinking-date variant likewise resolved: NavSource and secondary listings say 'August 2001,' while La Jornada, published the day of the sinking, fixes 26 July 2001.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1962-2001
- Limitations
- Resolves secondary-source naming/date discrepancies for the post-Navy career; the 1994 rename date itself rests on secondary accounts only (no Mexican official registry consulted). No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships - design and construction records), RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - war diaries), RG 181 (naval district/shipyard records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/038.html ; /groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Jubilant, 1943-46 and 1951-54 (RG 24, NARA College Park - WWII deck logs for this period are in the digitized series but hull-level retrieval not performed); Mine Squadron 8 war diaries and operational records for the 1951-54 Atlantic service (RG 38); BuShips design records and Booklet of General Plans material for AM-255 / the Admirable class (RG 19) - the design records are the only realistic path to a materials schedule for this hull; 1962 foreign-transfer documentation (MAP sales records, RG 181/Orange NDRF or State/Defense records as applicable).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1962 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. NARA catalog API returned HTML, not queryable records, in-session (same limitation as batch-1154).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-09
-
[10]Bowling Green State University, Center for Archival Collections / Historical Collections of the Great Lakes: American Ship Building Company and Predecessors records, GLMS-0075 (1867-1989; 569 cubic feet + 60 reels microfilm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BGSU University Libraries finding aid, GLMS-0075 resource page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's surviving corporate archive: BGSU holds the American Ship Building Company and Predecessors records (GLMS-0075), whose primary component is naval architectural drawings covering Great Lakes-built vessels including warships, plus corporate records such as minutes, correspondence, specifications, reports, and financials. The Lorain yard built this hull and her sister Lance (AM-257) in adjacent ways; a hull-level drawing or specification set for AM-255, if present in the collection, could resolve the materials questions the public record does not.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-43 construction records
- Limitations
- Finding-aid level confirmation only - the collection is unindexed to hull in public description; whether AM-255 drawings or specs survive is unverified until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jubilant-am255-10