USS Mainstay (AM-261)

Evidence

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

1. [1]DANFS, 'Mainstay' (AM-261) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil DANFS pages return 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1148/1169/1229; second mirror transcription at historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/mainstay.html used to arbitrate mirror typos) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Mainstay' entry, specifications block + full service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am261.htm; cross-check historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/mainstay.html)

   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). Laid down by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio, 10 April 1943; launched 31 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. J. A. Hughes; commissioned 24 April 1944, Lt. Henry B. Clark, Jr., in command. Shakedown Chesapeake Bay; joined Mine Division 32, 21 July 1944; departed 24 July for the Mediterranean as escort for convoy UGS-49, Oran 10 August; sailed 15 August for minesweeping supporting the Allied invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon), closed the Provence coast 20 August; two months sweeping Marseilles to San Remo; under German shore-battery fire between Menton and Ventimiglia 9-10 September, engaged with 3-inch gunfire, helped repel a submerged one-man 'human torpedo' attack on gunfire-support ships the 10th. Provence patrol until 25 October; overhaul at Bizerte; swept off Cagliari (Sardinia) and Palermo (Sicily); 3-22 March 1945 helped salvage Swerve (AM-121), mined and sunk at Anzio 9 July 1944; sweeps off Palermo; sailed 12 April for Oran, convoy GUS-84 on the 17th, Norfolk 5 May 1945. Pacific: sailed 5 July, Pearl Harbor 20 August; via Eniwetok and Saipan to Okinawa, arrived 1 October, put to sea the 7th ahead of typhoon 'Louise' (120-knot winds), searched for survivors until 15 October; Sasebo 20 October; two months destroying mines southwest of Japan, west of the Ryukyus, north of Formosa; departed Wakayama 13 January 1946 via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor, San Pedro 15 February; Bremerton 16 September; decommissioned 6 November 1946, Pacific Reserve Fleet. Placed in service 28 November 1947 (Lt. D. H. Lane per the HistoryCentral transcription and NavSource's CO list 'Don Henry Lane' - the losthistory mirror prints 'Dane', flagged in ev-06); Service Force Pacific Fleet; departed 10 January 1948 via San Francisco and Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka 28 March, out of service 16 April 1948. Recommissioned 1 March 1949 (Lt. (jg.) John S. Crow per HistoryCentral and NavSource's 'John Spence Crow' - the losthistory mirror prints 'Grow', flagged); Mine Squadron 3; Sasebo 21 April; seven months off Kyushu between Sasebo and Kokura (mirror prints 'Rokura'); Yokosuka 23 November; decommissioned 10 January 1950. Recommissioned 12 December 1950, Lt. Thomas E. Reynolds; Korea: coastal patrols and mine sweeps from 2 January 1951 for the Blockading and Escort Force; amphibious feint against Kansong-Kosong 30-31 January; 2 February rescue support after Partridge (AMS-31) struck a mine and sank off Sokcho; Pohang to Songjin; 21 February-31 May primarily off Wonsan supporting the siege and bombardment of the harbor; departed Korean waters 7 August, Long Beach 11 September 1951. California/Hawaii two years; Far East deployment 6 August 1953, patrols off South Korea from 22 September, Sasebo-based Pusan-Pohang; final patrol 10 February 1954; Long Beach 11 March 1954. Decommissioned 21 September 1954 at Long Beach; Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego; reclassified MSF-261 7 February 1955; struck 1 December 1959; sold for scrap to National Metal & Steel Corp. 8 August 1960. Awards: two battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1960

   Population

   AmShip Lorain construction trades (1943-44); wartime and Korean-era crews (design complement 104)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, awards, and the service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. Cited via transcription mirrors because the live NHHC pages return 404; the two mirrors differ on four tokens (Dane/Lane, Grow/Crow, Rokura/Kokura, and 28 vs 29 March 1948 Yokosuka arrival) - the losthistory mirror's readings ('Dane', 'Grow', 'Rokura') are contradicted by HistoryCentral's transcription and NavSource's CO list (Don Henry Lane; John Spence Crow) and are treated as transcription errors in ev-06. Establishes no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Mainstay (MSF 261) ex-AM-261, file 11/02261 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02261 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; call sign November-Golf-Whiskey-Lima; 'Laid down 10 April 1943 by the American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, OH'; launched 31 July 1943; commissioned USS Mainstay (AM 261) 24 April 1944; decommissioned 6 November 1946 at Bremerton, WA; 'Placed in service, caretaker status in July 1947 at Yokosuka, Japan' (chronologically inconsistent with DANFS - flagged in ev-06); 'Placed "in service" 28 November 1947'; 'Placed "out of service" 16 April 1948'; recommissioned 1 March 1949; decommissioned 10 January 1950 at Yokosuka; recommissioned 12 December 1950; decommissioned 21 September 1954 at Long Beach, CA, entering the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego; reclassified MSF-261 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 December 1959; 'Sold for scrap 8 August 1960 to National Metal and Steel Corp. of Terminal Island, CA.' Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one twin 40mm mount, 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: LCDR Henry Boyle Clark Jr. USNR (24 Apr 1944 - 9 Dec 1945); LT Hendrik William Turgo 'Hank' Nyland USN (9 Dec 1945 - 24 Jul 1946); LT William Kenneth Bickenbach USNR (24 Jul 1946 - 6 Nov 1946); LT Frank Mason Smith Jr. USNR (6 Nov 1946); LT Don Henry Lane USNR (28 Nov 1947); LT William Bryan Patterson USNR (15 Feb 1948 - 17 Apr 1948); LT John Spence Crow USN (1 Mar 1949 - Jun 1949); LT Edward W. Linton USN (Jun 1949 - Jan 1950); LT Thomas Emmett Reynolds USN (12 Dec 1950); LCDR Claude Denis Gilcrist USNR (Dec 1951 - Nov 1952); LCDR John Hobson Wagner USNR (Nov 1952 - 21 Sep 1954). Photo credits include a Historical Collections of the Great Lakes image of Method (AM-264) and Mainstay under construction at Lorain.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1960

   Population

   AmShip Lorain trades (1943-44); U.S. crews 1944-1954

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its 'caretaker status in July 1947 at Yokosuka' line conflicts with the DANFS sequence (Pacific Reserve Fleet at Bremerton until the 10 Jan 1948 departure for the Far East) - flagged in ev-06, not merged. Its per-hull propulsion line (Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 + National Supply gear) is the Lorain-block fit - contradicts Wikipedia's ALCO 539/Farrel-Birmingham infobox (Tampa-block boilerplate) and HyperWar's 'diesel-electric' class stub, both flagged in ev-06. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'AmShip Lorain, Lorain OH and Cleveland OH' yard table - hull #836 row (AM 261 Mainstay) + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   amshiplorain.htm - hull #836 row + yard history header; block sisters #830-841

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #836, 'Mainstay (AM 261) | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 184 | Apr-44 | Scrapped 1960.' Block context: consecutive Lorain minesweeper rows #830-841 - Jubilant (AM 255, to Mexico), Knave (AM 256, to Mexico), Lance (AM 257, to China), Logic (AM 258, to China), Lucid (AM 259, to China), Magnet (AM 260, to China), Mainstay (AM 261), Marvel (AM 262, to USSR 1945), Measure (AM 263, to USSR), Method (AM 264, to USSR), Mirth (AM 265, to USSR), Nimble (AM 266, to China) - the AmShip Lorain Admirable block was split between retention and the Mexico/China/USSR transfer programs; Mainstay is the one hull in the immediate block retained and scrapped domestically. Yard history header: began as Cleveland Shipbuilding, founded 1886 by Henry Coffinberry and Robert Wallace on the Cuyahoga Steam Furnace site on the Cleveland waterfront; built a new yard at Lorain 1897 and relocated; acquired by The American Ship Building Company 1899 as its Lorain Division; a leading builder of lakers into the late 1970s; closed 1983; site sold to Spitzers as a steel-scrap facility, now a marina.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   AmShip Lorain construction workforce (Lorain, OH, 1943-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, yard hull number (#836), delivery month (Apr-44, consistent with the 24 Apr 1944 commissioning), type, tonnage class (650d), and scrapping year (1960). The delivery column is month-level, not a keel-to-delivery date record. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-03

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Mainstay (AM 261) ship page 5326 [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net ship/5326 - data table (ordered/laid down/launched/commissioned/end service), history block, WWII CO list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper AM 261; 'Built by American Shipbuilding Co. (Lorain, Ohio, U.S.A.)'; ordered 2 May 1942; laid down 10 Apr 1943; launched 31 Jul 1943; 'Commissioned 21 Apr 1944' (conflicts with the 24 April in DANFS/NavSource/Wikipedia - flagged in ev-06); end service 21 Sep 1954. History block matches NavSource's chronology verbatim through 'Sold for scrap 8 August 1960 to National Metal and Steel Corp.' CO list covers WWII only (per site policy): Lt. Henry Boyle Clark, Jr., USNR, 21 Apr 1944 - 9 Dec 1945.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1954

   Population

   Wartime crew (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation. The '21 Apr 1944' commissioning date - also printed as Clark's assumption-of-command date - conflicts with DANFS, NavSource, HistoryCentral, and Wikipedia (all 24 April) and is treated as a uboat.net typo in ev-06. The 'ordered 2 May 1942' date is uncorroborated by the other located sources but plausible (the Admirable program's mass orders ran spring 1942). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-04

5. [5]HyperWar/ibiblio 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' (Patrick Clancey compilation) - per-hull stub AM-261 USS Mainstay + Admirable-class block (ships-dm.html) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-261_Mainstay.html stub; ships-dm.html Admirable-class block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   HyperWar per-hull stub: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper: Displacement 915 tons (full load); Length 184'6"; Beam 33'; Draft 10'; Speed 15 knots; Armament 1 3"/50 DP, 2 40mm, 6 20mm; Complement 104; Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.; Built at American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Oh., and commissioned 24 April 1944.' Links to the DANFS transcription at ../dafs/AM/am261.html. Confirms builder city (Lorain), commissioning date (24 April - against uboat's 21 April), and complement.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Limitations

   Tertiary compilation stub repeating the class-level spec block - its 'diesel-electric, 1,800 h.p.' is contradicted by NavSource's per-hull documented reduction-gear fit (diesel direct-drive) and its 915 t/10' draft figures differ from DANFS (530 t/9'9") and NavSource (945 t fl/9'9") - variances flagged in ev-06. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-05

6. [6]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS via two mirrors (losthistory/hazegray + HistoryCentral) vs NavSource 11/02261 vs uboat.net 5326 vs HyperWar stub vs Colton AmShip Lorain table vs Wikipedia infobox [other_primary]

   Locator

   losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am261.htm; historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/mainstay.html; navsource.net/archives/11/02261.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5326.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-261_Mainstay.html; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/amshiplorain.htm; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mainstay

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Commissioning day - uboat.net '21 Apr 1944' (also printed as Clark's start) vs '24 April 1944' in DANFS (both mirrors), NavSource, HyperWar, and Wikipedia - 24 April carried; uboat treated as typo. (b) Propulsion - NavSource per-hull 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts' (diesel direct-drive; the Lorain-block fit, matching sister Lance AM-257's record) vs Wikipedia infobox '2 x ALCO 539 diesel engines, 1,710 shp, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear' (the Tampa-built AM-136-block machinery - class boilerplate applied to a Lorain hull) vs HyperWar stub 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' (contradicted by the documented reduction gear) - NavSource carried; both mislabels flagged. (c) Displacement - DANFS 530 t vs NavSource '945 t (fl)' vs HyperWar 915 t (fl) vs Wikipedia 650 long tons vs Colton '650d' - sources are mixing light/standard/full-load figures; no reconciliation asserted. (d) Speed - DANFS 15 k vs NavSource 14.8 kts vs HyperWar 15 k. (e) Armament - DANFS '1 3", 4 40mm' vs NavSource 'one 3"/50 DP + one twin 40mm + six 20mm + hedgehog + four K-guns + two DC tracks' vs HyperWar '1 3"/50 DP + 2 40mm + 6 20mm' vs Wikipedia '1x3"/50, 2x twin 40mm, 1 hedgehog, 2 DC tracks' - design-spec vs wartime-fit variance unresolved. (f) DANFS-mirror transcription typos - losthistory mirror prints 'Lt. D. H. Dane' and 'Lt. (jg.) John S. Grow' where HistoryCentral's transcription and NavSource's CO list read Lane (Don Henry Lane) and Crow (John Spence Crow); mirror also prints 'Rokura' where HistoryCentral reads 'Kokura' (the real Kyushu port). (g) Yokosuka arrival March 1948 - losthistory '28 March' vs HistoryCentral '29 March' - minor. (h) NavSource 'caretaker status in July 1947 at Yokosuka' - inconsistent with DANFS's sequence (reserve fleet at Bremerton; departed for the Far East 10 Jan 1948) - flagged, not asserted. (i) Draft - DANFS/NavSource 9'9" vs HyperWar 10'.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1960

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text (via two mirrors), NavSource's per-hull compilation, and tertiary stubs, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. For the machinery question NavSource's per-hull line is preferred because it is hull-specific and matches the documented Lorain-block Cooper Bessemer fit on sister AM-257; Wikipedia's infobox repeats class boilerplate. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-06

7. [7]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource per-hull spec block: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive; no boilers, no steam distribution) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton; uboat.net) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02261 propulsion line; HyperWar AM-261 stub + ships-dm.html class block; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton amshiplorain.htm

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943-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: AmShip Lorain construction trades (1943-44); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across the Chesapeake shakedown, Mediterranean minesweeping/Dragoon tour, and Pacific transit - with the documented disturbance episodes (Bizerte overhaul late 1944; the 3-22 March 1945 salvage of the mined Swerve AM-121 wreck at Anzio; Typhoon Louise damage October 1945) as the heaviest machinery/structure disturbance periods; the 1947-48 Yokosuka service and 1949-50 Kyushu-tour crews; the full 1950-54 Korean War commission; and the National Metal & Steel Corp. shipbreaking workforce at Terminal Island (1960).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1960

   Population

   AmShip Lorain trades (1943-44); U.S. crews Apr 1944 - Sep 1954; National Metal & Steel shipbreakers (1960)

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-261 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. Salvage work aboard the sunken Swerve would bear on Swerve's materials, not necessarily Mainstay's own; and the 1960 shipbreaking workforce exposure concerns whatever materials were actually aboard - undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mainstay-am261-07

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 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. Mainstay was laid down in April 1943 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-261 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-mainstay-am261-08

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 American Shipbuilding's Lorain yard. 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-mainstay-am261-09

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 in the repositories searched (see negative_finding row 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; no such claim naming Mainstay 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-mainstay-am261-10

11. [11]Batch-1233 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory/hazegray + HistoryCentral mirrors (live NHHC 404); NavSource 11/02261; Shipbuilding History AmShip Lorain yard table (hull #836); uboat.net 5326; HyperWar AM-261 stub + ships-dm class block; Wikipedia cross-check; NVR; NARA catalog; archive.org; hullnumber.com; NavalCoverMuseum; site:va.gov degraded BVA query; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-mainstay-am261-01 through sl-uss-mainstay-am261-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Mainstay / AM-261 / MSF-261: 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). Non-authoritative marketing rosters carry the name in generic ship tables (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites page: 'USS Mainstay | AM-261 | Admirable | 4/24/1944 | Scrapped, 1960'; mesotheliomaveterans.org minesweeper and navy-ships lists) - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific evidence. The CourtListener authenticated sweep could not run this session: the shared API key returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day'), and a single post-window retry ~52 min later again returned 429 with a ~10.7h daily-window reset - abandoned per batch rules. The litigation surface is therefore unsearched at API depth, not searched-and-empty. Degraded Google-indexed queries run while the API quota was exhausted returned no decision naming the hull: site:courtlistener.com 'Mainstay' hits are all name collisions (MainStay Funds/NY Life, Mainstay Academy GNETS, Mainstays Walmart-brand candles class action); the site:va.gov BVA query returned only common-word 'mainstay' collisions.

    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-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull was scrapped at Terminal Island in 1960, so no present-day survey pathway exists. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mainstay-am261-11

12. [12]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's April 1944 - November 1946 commission plus the 1949-50 and 1950-54 recommission periods; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the AmShip Lorain Admirable-class block (yard hulls #830-841); NHHC/NARA photographs and the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes construction series (Method AM-264 and Mainstay under construction at Lorain, per NavSource credits); National Metal & Steel Corp. Terminal Island disposal records (1960) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02261 photo credits

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog returns a non-JSON application shell to automated fetch, HTTP 200 with empty/SPA body): (a) NARA's WWII muster-rolls series should cover this hull for her Apr 1944 - Nov 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed, so coverage for AM-261 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Apr 1944 - Sep 1954 across the three commission periods; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records / General Information Books and the contract file for the AmShip Lorain Admirable block - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) photographs - the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes construction series (Mainstay and Method AM-264 on the ways at Lorain) and the theshipyards.com image credited by NavSource; (e) National Metal & Steel Corp. disposal records, Terminal Island CA (1960 scrapping) - commercial shipbreaking records, where any exist, are the only post-Navy materials documentation pathway.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1943-1960 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-261 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, and contract files are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-mainstay-am261-12