Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 1945), mine-vessels section - per-hull rows for MEASURE AM263 across the AM214-311 construction and machinery tables (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 AM section: construction table row 'MEASURE AM263' (keel 5 Jun 43 / launched 23 Oct 43 / first commission 13 May 44, builder American Shipbuilding Co. Lorain); machinery row AM263 ('C-B GSB-8', 1,710 shp, Nat. Sup.); AM214-311 group characteristic rows; index p. 263
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. II carries per-hull rows for MEASURE AM263: construction table - built by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio; keel laid 5 Jun 1943; launched 23 Oct 1943; date of first commission 13 May 1944. Machinery table - engines 'C-B GSB-8' (Cooper Bessemer GSB-8), 1,710 shaft horsepower, National Supply Co. ('Nat. Sup.') single reduction gear; ship's service diesel generators. AM214-311 group characteristics rows: 184'6" oa / 180'0" wl; beam 33'0"; full-load (limiting) displacement 945 t, trial displacement 850 t; 14.8 knots trial; diesel drive (not diesel-electric), 2 propellers; diesel oil 1,050 bbls; accommodations 11 officers + 93 enlisted; armament 1 x 3"/50 cal DP + 2 twin 40mm AA. Index entry p. 263: 'Measure AM 263 Mine Vessel-Mine Sweeper 34'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant (Cooper Bessemer GSB-8, contra secondary summaries carrying ALCO 539 for this hull), manning, builder, and construction dates. OCR of the scanned tables is columnar and partially garbled; values cross-verified against DANFS and NavSource. Its 'date of first commission' (13 May 1944) conflicts with DANFS (3 May) and NavSource (5 May) - carried in gaps, not resolved. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-01
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[2]DANFS, 'Measure' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-08-07; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250125125204) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20250125125204)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: Measure (AM-263) laid down by American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, 5 June 1943; launched 23 October 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Richard W. Mills, Jr.; commissioned 3 May 1944, Lt. Joseph J. Summerell, Jr., USNR, in command. Shakedown in the St. Lawrence River; departed Cleveland 21 May for Boston via Halifax, arriving 2 June; to Little Creek, Va., arriving 18 June. Assigned to Mine Squadron 13 - Chesapeake Bay minesweeping exercises; reported to Service Squadron 5 on 23 July for towing duty; training and schoolship out of Little Creek from 31 July into mid-December. Norfolk 26 December; underway 3 January 1945 via Miami and the Panama Canal; San Diego 26 February. Western Sea Frontier: steamed north 1 March; Seattle 5-26 March; arrived Kodiak, Alaska, 31 March for minesweeping duty. 'After the German surrender on 8 May, Measure was leased to Russia 21 May for service in the Russian Navy. Purchased outright in the late 1950's, she saw continuous service in the Russian Navy until decommissioned in 1963.' DANFS spec block: dp. 625; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3"; 2 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 .30 cal. mg., 2 dct., 2 dcp.; cl. Admirable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1963 (entry's framing)
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for U.S.-period service history and construction. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Written without access to Soviet-era records: its Soviet-service framing ('continuous service in the Russian Navy until decommissioned in 1963') is superseded in detail by Russell's 1997 NHC history and Berezhnoi (Soviet Navy decommission 23 Oct 1947, whaler conversion, scrapped ~1960) - variance logged in gaps. Commission date (3 May) conflicts with NavSource (5 May) and SDB 1945 v2 (13 May) - logged. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Measure (AM 263) / MSF-263 file 11/02263 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02263.htm - specifications block, timeline entries, NH 46387 photo credit
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds the Soviet-service record: laid down 5 Jun 1943 by American Ship Building Co., Lorain, OH; launched 23 Oct 1943; commissioned 5 May 1944; decommissioned 20 May 1945; transferred under lend-lease to the Soviet Union 21 May 1945, reclassified T-275; assigned to the Soviet Pacific Fleet 8 June 1945; participated in landings at Seising [Seishin/Chongjin], Korea, 15 August 1945; awarded the Krasnoe Znamya order (Order of the Red Banner) 14 September 1945; decommissioned 23 October 1947, transferred to the Ministry of Transport and converted to a whale catcher; named Buran 7 August 1948; 'Scrapped in the early 1960s (U.S. Navy never notified)'; reclassified MSF-263 by the U.S. Navy 7 February 1955; struck from the Navy Register 1 January 1983. Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6" x 33' x 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; 1 x 3"/50 DP, 1 twin 40mm, 6 x 20mm, hedgehog, 4 K-guns, 2 depth-charge tracks; propulsion 2 x 1,710 shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, 2 shafts. Halftone photo NH 46387 (NHHC).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1983
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC and with Russell (1997). Data variances logged in gaps: commission 5 May (vs DANFS 3 May, SDB 13 May); U.S. decommission 20 May (vs Russell-sourced 21 May simultaneous decommission/transfer); 'Seising' is a spelling variant of Seishin (Chongjin), northern Korea; 'early 1960s' scrapping vs Russell's '1960-scrapped' and DANFS's 'decommissioned in 1963'. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-03
-
[4]Russell, Richard A., 'Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan' (Naval Historical Center, Dept. of the Navy, Washington 1997; U.S. Navy in the Modern World Series no. 4, ISBN 0-945274-35-1) - ibiblio/HyperWar scan of the official NHC publication [other_primary]
- Locator
- Project Hula (NHC 1997): Appendix pp. 38-39 (transfer table); p. 33 photo caption (T-275 at Vladivostok); pp. 24-27 transfer-process narrative (Coronado passage); pp. 20-21 photo caption (20 May 1945 AM transfer ceremony; two-column scan, caption sits in the 20-21 spread); ibiblio PDF scan
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Naval Historical Center monograph names this hull twice: (1) Appendix table p. 39, 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' - 'Measure (AM 263) | T-275 | 21 May | 1960-scrapped' - in the first group of seven Admirable-class minesweepers transferred 21 May 1945 (with Fancy AM-234/T-272, Marvel AM-262/T-274, Method AM-264/T-276, Mirth AM-265/T-277, Nucleus AM-268/T-278, Rampart AM-282/T-282); (2) photo caption p. 33 - 'Soviet minesweeper T-275, the ex-USS Measure (AM 263), at Vladivostok in 1945, following operations against Japanese forces in northern Korea. This ship served in the navy and later with the fishing fleet, and was scrapped in 1960.' Russell documents that Project Hula ships were decommissioned by the U.S. Navy simultaneously with transfer/commissioning into the Soviet Navy at Cold Bay, Alaska (transfer-process narrative, Coronado PF-38 passage pp. 24-27; flag-lowering/Soviet-ensign-raising photo caption p. 24).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- U.S. crew (to 21 May 1945); Soviet receiving/trainee crew at Cold Bay; Soviet Pacific Fleet crew 1945-47
- Limitations
- Official NHC historical monograph drawing on post-Cold-War Soviet-era records (incl. Berezhnoi's lend-lease reference and the 1949 BuShips Ships' Data) - the most authoritative available source for the transfer date, Soviet designation, and disposal year. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Establishes the hull's departure from U.S. custody 21 May 1945 and scrapping 1960 - narrowing the U.S.-documented exposure-relevant window to construction plus a ~12-month commission.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-04
-
[5]Russell, 'Project Hula' (NHC 1997) epilogue - lend-lease return negotiations and settlement; plus NavSource 11/02263 (MSF-263 reclassification and 1983 striking entries) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Project Hula epilogue pp. 36-37 (return negotiations, 1972 settlement); NavSource 11/02263 timeline (MSF-263 7 Feb 1955; struck 1 Jan 1983); DANFS 'purchased outright in the late 1950s'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The hull was never returned to U.S. custody and her fate was never reported to the U.S. Navy - the reason she remained on the Naval Vessel Register for ~38 years after transfer. Russell documents the settlement arc: the U.S. first raised the issue in February 1946; on 8 May 1947 SecNav Forrestal told State the Navy wanted 480 of the 585 combatants in Soviet hands returned; the Navy spent ~$250,000 recovering 89 ships in summer 1955 (sold as scrap for $6,537); 'witnessed destruction' was accepted for some hulls (59 vessels destroyed near Murmansk and 20 near Vladivostok in 1956); a mid-1950s ONI report found only nine Admirable-class minesweepers among Project Hula ships still serviceable; and the 'Settlement of Lend Lease, Reciprocal Aid and Claims' was concluded 18 October 1972 with a cash settlement on the remaining 242 vessels. For this hull specifically: DANFS records she was 'purchased outright in the late 1950s'; NavSource records U.S. reclassification to MSF-263 on 7 February 1955 (while in Soviet civilian service) and striking from the Navy Register 1 January 1983 - the mass administrative striking of unreturned lend-lease hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1946-1983
- Limitations
- Ship-specific in that the named hull is the subject of the non-return/striking chain (NavSource per-hull entries; Russell's appendix disposition '1960-scrapped'); the settlement narrative itself is program-level context. The 1 January 1983 striking date rests on NavSource (consistent across all unreturned Hula AMs); no separate official striking document for this hull was located - flagged in gaps. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-05
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[6]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v2 machinery row for this hull (2 x Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel, 1,710 shp, twin screws) + Admirable-class design data (SDB AM214-311 group rows; NavSource spec block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 machinery table, AM section (MEASURE AM263 row); AM214-311 group rows; NavSource 11/02263 spec block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull carried a twin-screw diesel plant (two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 engines of 1,710 shp, National Supply Co. reduction gear - SDB per-hull machinery row), not a steam plant, so boiler and steam-line insulation - the largest asbestos mass on steam hulls - does not apply. For a steel-hulled 1943-44 diesel minesweeper built at a wartime contract yard, the era-consistent asbestos-relevant materials are: engine exhaust and muffler lagging; machinery gaskets and packing; accommodation, joiner, and mess-deck insulation; electrical cable insulation; deck coverings/tile; and winch and windlass brake linings - all commonly asbestos-containing in WWII naval construction. Documented disturbance-phase events for this hull: construction at American Ship Building Lorain (1943-44); Project Hula familiarization and transfer at Cold Bay (spring-21 May 1945); Soviet Navy service including northern Korea operations (1945-47); conversion to a Ministry of Transport whale catcher (1947-48); and scrapping in the USSR circa 1960.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- American Ship Building construction workforce, Lorain (1943-44); U.S. crew May 1944-May 1945; Soviet crews at Cold Bay and 1945-47; Soviet whaler-conversion yard workers 1947-48; scrapping-yard workers ~1960
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or shipyard work record naming AM-263 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. All disturbance events after May 1945 occurred in Soviet custody outside U.S. documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-06
-
[7]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 the American Ship Building Co. contract yard in Lorain, Ohio.
- 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, class, or builder yard 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-measure-am263-07
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[8]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 industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era.
- 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 American Ship Building Lorain was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. Note the survey centered on steam-plant pipe covering; this diesel-driven hull had no boilers, so the survey's application here is era context, not plant-specific documentation. (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-measure-am263-08
-
[9]Batch-1235 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 11/02263; BuShips SDB 1945 v2 (NAVSHIPS 250-011); NHC 'Project Hula' (1997); CourtListener (throttled); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; MARAD ShipHistory (site error); NVR (no record); NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-measure-am263-01 through sl-uss-measure-am263-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Measure / AM-263 / MSF-263 / T-275 / Buran was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API querying was throttled during this session (HTTP 429, authenticated 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine; two spaced attempts ~40 min apart both blocked) - litigation coverage rests on indexed-web checking, which surfaced no qualifying case and only name-collision-free results. Law-firm marketing pages (mesothelioma.com minesweeper list names this hull with commission date and 'To Soviet Union, 1945') assert era-typical asbestos content without primary support - excluded as a source per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report.
- 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 steel diesel minesweeper is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her post-May-1945 life (Soviet Navy service, 1947-48 whaler conversion, ~1960 scrapping) is entirely outside U.S. documentation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener systematic sweeps could not run (quota) - see search_ledger sl-uss-measure-am263-05 and batch report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - incl. Project Hula / Cold Bay transfer detachment records); NHHC photographic collection (NH 46387) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/038.html ; NHHC photo NH 46387 via NavSource 11/02263
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Measure covering the full U.S. commission May 1944-May 1945 (RG 24, NARA); BuShips construction and contract records for the American Ship Building Co. Lorain hull (RG 19) - the likeliest source of a hull-specific materials/specification trail; CNO/17th Naval District and Navy Detachment 3294 records of Project Hula transfers at Cold Bay (RG 38) documenting the 21 May 1945 turnover; NHHC photo record NH 46387 (halftone reproduced on NavSource). Soviet-side documentation exists primarily via Berezhnoi, 'Flot SSSR: Korabli i suda lendliza' (1994) - the source behind NavSource's T-275/Buran timeline.
- 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 this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-measure-am263-10