USS Notable (AM-460)

Name
USS Notable
Hull designation
AM-460
Vessel class
Aggressive
Evidence tier
Tier 3
Evidence entries
10
Record ID
uss-notable-am460
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-notable-am460

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

  1. [1]DANFS, 'Notable' (MSO-460) - verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror, Wayback capture 2024-06-20 (live NHHC page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01; live hazegray.org does not resolve this session) [nhhc_danfs]
    Locator
    DANFS entry 'Notable' (MSO-460), specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 20240620132355 of hazegray.org/danfs/mine/mso460.htm)
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    DANFS record for this hull: Aggressive-class ocean minesweeper (dp. 780 t.; l. 172'; b. 36'; dr. 10'; sp. 15 k.; cpl. 72; a. 1 40mm). 'The second Notable (MSO-460) was laid down 8 June 1953 by Higgins Inc., New Orleans, La.; launched 15 October 1954 sponsored by Mrs. deLesseps G. Morrison, wife of the Mayor of New Orleans; and commissioned 8 June 1955, Lt. John E. Murdock in command.' Shakedown out of Charleston, S.C., then training ship for the Navy School of Mine Warfare, Norfolk; returned to Charleston 18 November 1955 and operated with the 2nd Fleet in the western Atlantic; deployed to the Mediterranean 9 January 1958 for a six-month 6th Fleet cruise (returned 23 June); Loran 'B' Experimental Development Force October-November 1958; entered Norfolk Navy Yard for overhaul 18 September 1959; Atlantic amphibious exercises early 1960 and second Med deployment; January 1961 minesweeping exercises and Caribbean cruise (Virgin Islands, British West Indies); April 1961 at Cape Canaveral supporting Project Mercury forces for Alan Shepard's flight; overhaul at Jacksonville July-October 1961; Caribbean deployment 6 January 1962, returned Charleston 1 May; patrolled during the Cuban Missile Crisis November 1962; departed Charleston 17 September 1963 with Mine Division 85 for the Mediterranean, returned 1 March 1964; overhaul then mine-warfare training; Caribbean 11 September - 6 December (1965); fourth Med deployment from 24 January 1966 - ordered at Rota into the search for the hydrogen bomb lost in the air collision off Palomares, Spain, remaining on that duty until salvage was completed 30 March 1966, then goodwill visits to Italy and France and amphibious training, returned Charleston 14 July; minesweeping exercises off New England from 19 September, then 'LantFlex66' mock invasion of Vieques, returned Charleston 15 December 1966 and operated out of Charleston thereafter. [Transcriber's note: stricken from the Navy List 1 February 1971.]
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1953-1971
    Population
    Higgins Inc. construction trades (New Orleans, 1953-55); Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul workers (1959); Jacksonville overhaul facility workers (1961); crew (design complement 72) across Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean service 1955-c.1970
    Limitations
    DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC URL 404s; the 2024-06-20 Wayback capture of the hazegray verbatim transcription is cited. The narrative ends in 1966; the stricken date is a transcriber's note, not body text, and no decommissioning date is given.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-01
  2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Notable (MSO 460) ex-AM-460, file 11/02460 - chronology, specifications, propulsion line, commanding-officer roster, photo captions [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource 11/02460 - chronology block, specifications/propulsion block, CO roster, photo captions incl. USN 1084462
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    NavSource archive record for this hull: 'laid down 8 June 1953 as AM-460 by Higgins Inc. Shipyard, New Orleans, LA; launched 15 October 1954; reclassified as an Ocean Minesweeper, MSO-460, 7 February 1955; commissioned USS Notable (MSO-460), 8 June 1955; struck from the Navy Register 1 February 1971; sold for scrap 30 August 1971 to Charles Gural of Rahway, NJ for $2,800.' Call sign November-Mike-Yankee-Delta. Spec block: 775 t.; 172' x 35' x 12'; 14 kts; complement 78; armament as built one 40mm mount and two .50 cal machine guns, final configuration bow gun replaced by one twin 20mm mount; propulsion 'Four Packard ID1700 diesel engines, replaced by four Waukasha [Waukesha] Motors Co. diesel engines, two shafts, two controllable pitch propellers.' Photo captions document a c.1963 collision with sister USS Salute (MSO-470) ('hole in hull') and the ship alongside internal-combustion-engine repair ship USS Tutuila (ARG-4) at Charleston 22 January 1964 with USS Salute and USS Observer (MSO-461) (NHHC photo USN 1084462). CO roster runs LT John E. Murdock (1955-06-08) through LTJG Larry R. Elliott (ending 14 May 1970) - the closest located proxy for the undocumented decommissioning date.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    archival_lead
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1953-1971
    Population
    Crew 1955-c.1970; scrap-yard workers (post-August 1971 disposal)
    Limitations
    Private photo/data archive, not an official source - consistent with DANFS where they overlap (build dates, commissioning, stricken date). Disposal detail (buyer, price, sale date), propulsion replacement, and spec values (775t/35'/12'/14kt/78) rest on this secondary compilation alone; sale cross-confirmed by NavalCoverMuseum and Colton's 'Scrapped 1971'. Contains no asbestos information.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-02
  3. [3]Source-discrepancy reconciliation across DANFS (Wayback/hazegray), NavSource 11/02460, FAS MSO-422 class page (man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/mso-422.htm), Colton's Higgins yard table, and Wikipedia infobox [other_primary]
    Locator
    Wayback 20240620132355 hazegray DANFS mso460.htm; NavSource 11/02460 + 11/02idx.htm class index; man.fas.org mso-422.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com Higgins table row 'Notable (MSO 460)'; en.wikipedia.org USS Notable (MSO-460) infobox
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Designation - laid down AM-460 but reclassified MSO-460 effective 7 February 1955, four months before commissioning; she never served as AM-460, though secondary sources and law-firm listicles routinely print 'AM-460' as the operating designation. (b) Class name - DANFS prints 'cl. Aggressive'; NavSource's MSO index uses 'Agile/Aggressive' for hull numbers 421-507 (MSO-421 Agile being the FY50 prototype); 'Aggressive' carried per the official text. (c) Specifications - DANFS 780 t / 36' beam / 10' draft / 15 kt / cpl. 72; NavSource 775 t / 35' / 12' / 14 kt / 78; FAS class page 853 t full load / 35' / 15 kt / 77 active; Wikipedia infobox 775 t / 65. DANFS values carried. (d) Decommissioning - stated nowhere: DANFS body ends 1966 with a transcriber's stricken note (1 Feb 1971); NavSource's CO roster ends 14 May 1970; Wikipedia prints 'date unknown'. (e) Colton's Higgins yard table prints the row 'Notable (MSO 460) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 780 | 172 | 8-Jun-55 | Scrapped 1971' - consistent with DANFS on tonnage, length, and outcome.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    correction
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1953-1971
    Limitations
    Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, secondary compilations, and a class-level spec page, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-03
  4. [4]Agee v. Chesterton, No. 1:06-cv-00668-SLR (D. Del.), Complaint, ECF No. 1 (filed 2006-10-30, 99 pp.) - RECAP mirror gov.uscourts.ded.37303 (Internet Archive); transferred to MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.), D. Del. docket terminated 2007-03-20 [court_record]
    Locator
    Complaint, ECF No. 1, p.20 (para. 17, plaintiff John M. Brown); CourtListener docket 4217273 (filed 2006-10-30, terminated 2007-03-20, Nature of Suit 368 asbestos product liability); archive.org item gov.uscourts.ded.37303, file gov.uscourts.ded.37303.1.0.pdf
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    The only litigation document located naming 'the USS Notable' is this hull: the Agee v. Chesterton mass-joinder asbestos complaint (D. Del., filed 30 Oct 2006) alleges plaintiff John M. Brown of Birmingham, Alabama 'was also in the United States Navy as a mine sweeper from 1965 to 1967 on the USS Notable' (Complaint p.20, para. 17; asbestosis diagnosis 27 May 1998). During 1965-1967 the only commissioned USS Notable was this hull - MSO-460 (ex-AM-460), in commission 1955-c.1970; the first Notable (AM-267) had been transferred to the Chinese Maritime Customs at Shanghai on 29 May 1946. The case was transferred to MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.) and the D. Del. docket terminated 20 March 2007; the allegation was never adjudicated.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1965-1967 (alleged exposure); 2006-2007 (litigation)
    Population
    John M. Brown (USN minesweeper sailor 1965-67 aboard this hull; asbestosis dx 1998)
    Limitations
    Pleading-stage allegation only - classified at the least-final stage per batch discipline. The complaint lists the vessel among multiple job sites (railroad employment dominates the paragraph); it alleges exposure but identifies no product aboard, establishes no asbestos content, and produced no merits finding - the docket shows transfer to MDL-875, not adjudication. The 1965-67 service window fixes the hull as MSO-460; this row was first isolated by the batch-1239 AM-267 sweep (which logged it as a name collision against that hull) and is verified here at document level against the archive.org RECAP mirror.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-04
  5. [5]Wineland v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., 539 F. Supp. 3d 1149 (W.D. Wash. 2021), Cause No. C19-0793RSL (Lasnik, J.) - ORDER GRANTING Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment (Dkt. # 304), signed 17 May 2021 [court_record]
    Locator
    539 F. Supp. 3d 1149, order caption + Part A 'Causation'; docket C19-0793RSL (W.D. Wash.); companion orders Dkt. ## 302, 309, 311, 427 (excerpted)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Published federal asbestos opinion adjudicating exposure allegations aboard three Aggressive-class sister ships of this hull: plaintiffs alleged John Dale Wineland (USN 1963-1984, engine-room work 'repairing and maintaining machinery and equipment such as diesel engines, pumps, air compressors, and valves') was exposed to asbestos contained in Crane Co. products aboard USS DYNAMIC (MSO-432), USS LOYALTY (MSO-457), USS TUSCALOOSA, and/or USS ESTEEM (MSO-438); he developed mesothelioma and died in 2018. The court applied maritime-law substantial-factor causation (McIndoe v. Huntington Ingalls) and GRANTED Crane's summary judgment - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not an exposure finding. Documents the litigation posture for the Aggressive-class engine-room pathway (diesel machinery, pumps, valves) that this hull shared.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1963-1984 (alleged exposure, other hulls); 2021 (opinion)
    Population
    USN engine-room sailors on Aggressive-class minesweepers (class context); plaintiff's decedent John D. Wineland (1963-1984 service, mesothelioma dx; d. 2018)
    Limitations
    Sister-ship litigation, not this hull - MSO-460 is not named in the opinion. A defense summary-judgment win is a merits-level negative for that plaintiff under batch discipline, not evidence of asbestos aboard any vessel; the allegations themselves were never adjudicated as exposure findings. Full opinion text behind vLex paywall - disposition and analysis verified from the published caption and the reviewed causation section; companion MSJ orders in the same case (Anchor/Darling, Robertshaw, Carrier, Puget Sound Commerce Center fka Todd Shipyards) seen in excerpts only. Published opinion appears unindexed on CourtListener (public-UI lookup returned no result); vLex case page cited as the access path.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-05
  6. [6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
    Locator
    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
    Finding type
    gov_survey
    Finding
    GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - the latter being the 'Norfolk Navy Yard' where DANFS places this hull's overhaul beginning 18 September 1959. The report establishes that asbestos insulation work and worker exposure were recognized Navy-yard problems through the era in which this minesweeper was built and overhauled.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1979 (report); fieldwork-era context for 1959 yard period
    Population
    Navy shipyard workers incl. Norfolk Naval Shipyard (program context)
    Limitations
    Yard/program-level documentation, not hull-specific; supports era context for the documented 1959 Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul, not materials aboard this hull or what was removed or installed. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing block since BATCH-01) - content via product-page description.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-06
  7. [7]Marr WT, 'Asbestos exposure during naval vessel overhaul,' Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1964 May-Jun;25:264-8 (PMID 14168424) [other_primary]
    Locator
    PubMed citation record PMID 14168424; Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1964;25:264-8
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    Published industrial-hygiene study documenting asbestos exposure during naval vessel overhauls - the era pathway relevant to shipyard-side repair work generally; this hull had two documented stateside overhaul periods (Norfolk Navy Yard from 18 September 1959; Jacksonville July-October 1961, facility unnamed) plus a post-1964-deployment overhaul per DANFS.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1964 (publication); hull yard periods 1959-1964
    Population
    Naval shipyard insulation workers (class context)
    Limitations
    Era study does not name this hull, the Aggressive class, or either facility; documents the overhaul-exposure pathway at naval yards of the period only, not work on or materials aboard MSO-460.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-07
  8. [8]Consolidated era/design inference - NavSource MSO index (65 wooden-hulled ocean minesweepers built 1950s; Agile/Aggressive hull numbers 421-507; 'built primarily of wood, with bronze and stainless (non-magnetic) steel fittings to minimize their magnetic signature') + FAS MSO-422 class page (4 aluminum-block diesels, 2 shafts, 2,400 bhp) + DANFS build record (ev-01) + NavSource propulsion line (ev-02) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource 11/02idx.htm class index paragraph + 11/02460 propulsion line; man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/mso-422.htm spec block; DANFS spec block
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    Era/design inference: this hull is a 1953-55-built wooden-hulled Aggressive-class ocean minesweeper with a geared-diesel twin-screw plant (four Packard ID1700 diesels, later Waukesha units; two controllable-pitch propellers) - no boilers, no steam distribution, no steam turbines. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the mid-1950s naval-building era were commonly asbestos-containing: diesel exhaust-system and muffler lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, valve stem packing, electrical-cable insulation, accommodation/galley joiner insulation, deck compositions and coverings, and winch/windlass brake linings. Exposure-relevant populations if any such material was present: Higgins Inc. construction trades (New Orleans, 1953-55); Norfolk Navy Yard overhaul workers (1959-60); the unnamed Jacksonville overhaul facility (1961); post-1964 overhaul workers (facility unrecorded); the crew (design complement 72) across 1955-c.1970 Atlantic/Caribbean/Mediterranean service; and the 1971 disposal workforce.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1953-1971
    Population
    Higgins construction trades (1953-55); Norfolk Navy Yard workers (1959); Jacksonville facility workers (1961); crew 1955-c.1970; scrappers 1971
    Limitations
    Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming MSO-460 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The wooden hull and geared-diesel plant make even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-08
  9. [9]Batch-1371 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live site + hazegray/Wayback mirror; NavSource; Naval Vessel Register; CourtListener (authenticated API throttled HTTP 429 - shared-key daily quota; public UI and prior-batch verified sweep used instead); archive.org RECAP mirror gov.uscourts.ded.37303; vLex published-opinion page; Google Scholar; GAO product page; FAS class page; Colton shipbuildinghistory yard table; NAVSHIPS 250-641 front-matter scan; NARA catalog; Atlas shipyards.json; class-profile worktrees [other_primary]
    Locator
    search_ledger rows sl-uss-notable-am460-01 through sl-uss-notable-am460-13
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Notable / MSO-460 / AM-460: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or adjudicated case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation located: exactly one pleading-stage allegation (Agee v. Chesterton, ev-04 - verified at document level; the sole 'USS Notable' hit in the CourtListener index per the batch-1239 verified sweep, re-checked this session) and one published sister-ship opinion (Wineland, ev-05 - class-level context). General web sweep surfaced only commercial law-firm 'ship list' entries (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table; mesotheliomahelp.org) - excluded as sources per batch rules and noted only as evidence the hull circulates on marketing lists. The hull was scrapped in 1971 - no museum or preservation pathway exists for post-service documentation.
    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 1953-55-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter geared-diesel insulation load. CourtListener coverage: the authenticated API was throttled the entire session (HTTP 429, ~6.6h reset), so direct API sweeps were not run; relied on the batch-1239 verified sweep results (same ship name, intersecting queries) plus document-level verification of the sole hit. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-09
  10. [10]Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for MSO-460 (1955-c.1970), 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1978' series (NAID 594258); NARA RG 19 BuShips records and the NAVSHIPS 250-641 'Ship Contracts Awarded 1 Jan 1934 - 1 Jul 1955' register (Higgins section - contract number and award date for the AM-460 order); disposal/sale file for the 30 Aug 1971 Gural purchase (Defense Property Disposal / Navy sale record); NHHC photo file incl. USN 1084462; Fleet Training Center / Mine Warfare school records for the 1955 training-ship assignment [other_primary]
    Locator
    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NARA deck-log series NAID 594258; shipscribe.com/pubs/contracts_a-i.pdf (front-matter scan only); NHHC photo catalog
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs, series NAID 594258, for the June 1955 - c.1970 commission - the resolution path for exact operating, port-call, availability, and decommissioning dates (the Vietnam-era digitization program covers part of this hull's late-career window; digitization status for MSO-460 unconfirmed); (b) the NAVSHIPS 250-641 contract register, Higgins Inc. section - the plausible source for the contract number/award date of the AM-460 order (shipscribe scan covers front matter only); (c) the Navy disposal/sale record for the 30 August 1971 Charles Gural purchase - the primary-source path to verify buyer, price, and disposition; (d) NHHC photographic records incl. USN 1084462 (Charleston, 22 Jan 1964).
    Verification
    unverified
    Role
    archival_lead
    Documentation level
    context_only
    Accessed
    2026-09-22
    Study period
    1953-1971 records
    Limitations
    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MSO-460 is unknown until surveyed in person. Deck logs and contract registers are operations/procurement records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-notable-am460-10

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned