USS Palisade (AM-270)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Palisade' (AM-270) - official Naval Historical Center text verified via Wayback capture (2004-06-01) of history.navy.mil/danfs/p1/palisade.htm (live NHHC page 404s - standing link rot), cross-checked against the hazegray verbatim mirror (Wayback capture 2025-01-25) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Palisade' entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture of official NHC page; mirror: hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am270.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: name gloss 'A fence or obstruction used as a means of defense'; spec block 'AM-270: dp. 647 (lt.); l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; sp. 14.8 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 2 40mm., 6 20mm., 3 dcp., 2 dct., cl. Admirable'. Laid down by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Ala. 21 September 1942; launched 26 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. W. C. Ellis; commissioned 9 March 1944, Lt. Comdr. W. H. Rothwell in command. Following shakedown, conducted sweeping operations in Argentia, Newfoundland as part of MineRon 33, then fitted out as a temporary weather ship, patrolling the North Atlantic for the remainder of 1944 with occasional east coast port calls. January 1945: refitted with minesweeping equipment; after overhaul in Philadelphia deployed to the Panama Canal Zone 27 February; transited the Canal 8 March; proceeded to Seattle to prepare for Lend-Lease transfer to the Soviet navy; sailed for Kodiak 7 April, then Cold Bay; first weeks of May spent in familiarization exercises for the new crew. 'Palisade decommissioned 21 May and was transferred to the Soviet Union.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   Gulf Shipbuilding construction trades (Chickasaw, 1942-44); wartime crew (design complement 104) Mar 1944 - May 1945; Soviet trainees at Cold Bay (Apr-May 1945)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. The bracketed transcriber's note appended to the mirror transcription ('Palisade was named T-279 in the Soviet Navy... reported to have been sunk off Kham Island, Korea, 14/15 August 1945 by mines previously laid by U.S. aircraft') is not DANFS text: its pennant is correct (ev-05) but the reported sinking is refuted by the NHC monograph appendix (ev-05, ev-07(c)). DANFS's 'decommissioned 21 May' conflicts with the appendix's 22 May transfer date (ev-07(b)). The entry is silent on all post-transfer U.S. registry action - no MSF reclassification or strike date appears.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Palisade (AM 270), file 11/02270 (navsource.org 403s automated fetch; content verified via navsource.net mirror and search index) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02270 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: call sign Nan-Peter-Tare-Charlie; 'Laid down 21 September 1942 by the Gulf Shipbuilding Co., Chickasaw, AL'; launched 26 June 1943; commissioned USS Palisade (AM 270) 9 March 1944; 'Decommissioned 21 May 1945 at Cold Bay, AK'; 'Transferred to the Soviet Union 22 May 1945 and reclassified T-278'; 'Assigned to the Pacific Fleet 22 June 1945'; 'Participated in the landing in Rasin (Najin), Korea 12 August 1945'; 'Reportedly sunk off Kham Island, Korea, 14/15 August 1945 by mines previously laid by U.S. aircraft, but was only damaged'; 'Converted to a target vessel 21 September 1951 and reclassified PKZ-38'; 'Scrapped 31 July 1957.' 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 K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO roster: LCDR William Henry Rothwell II, USNR (9 Mar 1944 - '12 January 1944' [sic]) and LT Arthur Thomas Row, Jr., USN (12 Jan 1944 - 21 May 1945). Photo captions document the Chickasaw yard history (U.S. Steel's Chickasaw Shipbuilding 1917; reopened 1940 by Waterman Steamship Corp. as Gulf Shipbuilding) and a Rear Admiral Popov transfer-ceremony photo 'probably on 21 or 22 May 1945' scanned from Russell's Project Hula (p. 21); a 25 April 1944 photo shows the ship at Norfolk Navy Yard in Measure 16 (Thayer System) camouflage.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1957

   Population

   Gulf Shipbuilding Chickasaw trades (1942-44); U.S. crew Mar 1944 - May 1945; Soviet Navy crews 1945-1951; PKZ-38 barracks personnel 1951-1957; 1957 scrapping workforce

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its Soviet pennant print 'T-278' is refuted by the NHC appendix (T-279; T-278 was sister Nucleus, AM-268 - ev-05, ev-07(a)); 'target vessel' mistranslates PKZ (plavkazarma = floating barracks per the Russian record - ev-06); 'only damaged' on the Kham Island strike is NavSource-only; and the '12 January 1944' CO relief date is an obvious typo for 1945 (uboat.net's commander table prints 12 Jan 1945 - ev-04). Soviet-side chain and 31 Jul 1957 scrapping are corroborated by sewar.ru (ev-06) and the NHC appendix (ev-05). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Madisonville Shipbuilding' yard table - Gulf Shipbuilding hull #14 row (AM 270 Palisade) + yard history header; sister table 'Chickasaw Shipbuilding' (shipyards/large/chickasaw.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/madisonville.htm - 'Built by Gulf Shipbuilding' table, hull #14 row (AM 270 Palisade), block rows AM 267-282; chickasaw.htm yard history header (the Chickasaw table carries only C2s, DD-550-class destroyers, and LSDs - no AM rows)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: Gulf SB yard hull #14, 'AM 270 | Palisade | U.S. Navy | Minesweeper | 890d | 221 | 9-Mar-44 | To USSR 1945 as T 279, mined and lost off Korea 1945.' Block context: consecutive Gulf SB minesweeper rows carry AM-267 Notable (to China 1946), AM-268 Nucleus (to USSR 1945), AM-269 Opponent (scrapped 1961), AM-271 Penetrate (to USSR as T-280), AM-272 Peril (to USSR as T-281), AM-273/274 (to China), AM-275 Pirate and AM-277 Pledge ('Mined and lost off Korea 1950'), AM-278 Project (to Philippines as Samar), through AM-282 Rampart (to USSR). Yard history: two adjacent Madisonville LA yards - Jahncke SB (1900-ca.1970) and Gulf SB (acquired by Waterman Steamship Lines 1941, closed after the war); the Chickasaw AL yard (founded 1917 as U.S. Steel's Chickasaw Shipbuilding, closed 1925, leased to Ingalls in the 1930s, acquired by Gulf SB/Waterman along with the Madisonville sister yard, revived as Halter Marine 1979-83, now a cargo terminal).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1957

   Population

   Gulf Shipbuilding construction workforce (1942-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder (Gulf Shipbuilding), delivery month (9-Mar-44 matches the 9 Mar 1944 commissioning), type, and the USSR-1945 path, and its 'T 279' pennant agrees with the NHC appendix against the T-278 prints in NavSource/uboat. BUT the table files the hull under the Madisonville LA page while DANFS, NavSource, uboat.net, and Wikipedia all print Chickasaw AL - a documented build-site discrepancy flagged in ev-07(d), not silently merged; and its 'mined and lost off Korea 1945' repeats the refuted sinking report (ev-05, ev-07(c)). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-03

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Palisade (AM 270), ship 5335; uboat.net Allied Warship Commanders, Lt.Cdr. William Howard Rothwell 2nd USNR (commander 6204) [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5335.html data table and history line; uboat.net/allies/commanders/6204.html (Rothwell command dates)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper AM 270; 'Built by Gulf Shipbuilding Corp. (Chickasaw, Alabama, U.S.A.)'; ordered 2 May 1942; laid down 21 Sep 1942; launched 26 Jun 1943; commissioned 9 Mar 1944; end of service 21 May 1945; 'Decommissioned 21 May 1945 at Cold Bay, Alaska and transfered to the Soviet Union the following day being renamed T-278. Reported sunk off Kham Island, Korea 14/15 August 1945 by mines previously laid by U.S. aircraft.' CO roster: Lt.Cdr. William Howard Rothwell, 2nd, USNR (9 Mar 1944 - 12 Jan 1945), then Arthur Thomas Row, Jr. (12 Jan 1945 - 21 May 1945) - resolving NavSource's '12 January 1944' typo to 12 Jan 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   Wartime crew (secondary roster)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - corroborates the Chickasaw yard, dates, the Cold Bay transfer, and the CO timeline; its 'T-278' pennant is the NavSource-chain error (NHC assigns T-279 - ev-05, ev-07(a)), and it relays the refuted sinking report without the survival correction (ev-07(c)). The 'ordered 2 May 1942' date is secondary-only and unverified against a primary contract record - not carried into record fields. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-04

5. [5]Russell, Richard A., 'Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan,' Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C., 1997 (official Navy historical monograph; ISBN 0-945274-35-1) - full-text PDF via HyperWar/ibiblio, text extracted and verified this session [other_primary]

   Locator

   Project Hula (NHC 1997) Appendix p. 39 (AM table row 'Palisade (AM 270) T-279 [22 May] 1957-stricken'), pp. 38-40 (transfer list and disposition marks), pp. 24-27 printed (transfer-ceremony narrative), p. 31 printed (Shumshu losses); glossary p. 40 ('T (tralshik) - minesweeper')

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official NHC publication resolves this hull's transfer and disposition: appendix row 'Palisade (AM 270) | T-279 | [22 May ditto] | 1957-stricken' - i.e., transferred 22 May 1945 under Project Hula, Soviet designation T-279, disposition stricken 1957. The same table assigns T-271 to Disdain (AM 222, 22 May), T-273 to Indicative (AM 250, 22 May), T-272 to Fancy (AM 234, 21 May), T-274 to Marvel (AM 262), T-275 to Measure (AM 263), T-276 to Method (AM 264), T-277 to Mirth (AM 265), T-278 to Nucleus (AM 268), T-280 to Penetrate (AM 271, 22 May), T-281 to Peril (AM 272, 22 May), T-282 to Rampart (AM 282) - the correct cross-mapping that refutes the T-278 print for this hull in NavSource and uboat.net (T-278 was sister Nucleus). The appendix explicitly marks real 1945 Soviet-service losses ('1945-combat loss' for five LCI(L)s; '1945-sunk' for T-610 ex-YMS-285) - Palisade's row carries '1957-stricken' instead, refuting the reported 14/15 August 1945 sinking off Kham Island. Narrative documentation verified this session: Cold Bay/Fort Randall staging, Soviet crew familiarization, and single-ceremony flag-lowering/ensign-raising transfer mechanics (LCI(L) and Coronado photo captions). Appendix sources: NAVSHIPS 250-012 Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. II (1 Jan 1949) and Berezhnoi, Flot SSSR lendliz reference (1994).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945-1957

   Population

   Soviet Navy crews (1945-1951); Soviet trainees at Cold Bay (Apr-May 1945)

   Limitations

   Official NHC historical monograph - the strongest located source for the transfer date, Soviet pennant, and final disposition, drawing on Soviet-era records unavailable during the Cold War. The appendix tabulates transfer date and end disposition only; it does not document the intermediate Soviet career (Pacific Fleet assignment 22 Jun 1945, the Rasin landing, the reported Kham Island strike, the 1951 PKZ-38 conversion) or scrapping mechanics. '1957-stricken' is the register-level disposition; the day-level scrapping date (31 Jul 1957) rests on NavSource and sewar.ru. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-05

6. [6]sewar.ru (Russian-language naval reference), 'Tip AM (Edmirebl). T-279 (ex-AM-270 Palisade, from 21.09.1951 PKZ-38)' - Soviet-side hull record [other_primary]

   Locator

   sewar.ru T-279/PKZ-38 entry (tralschiki index) - chronology lines

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Russian-language hull record for T-279 (ex-AM-270 Palisade): laid down 21.09.1942, launched 26.06.1943, entered service 9.03.1944; joined the Pacific Fleet (TOF) 22.06.1945; participated in the landing at Rasin (Najin), Korea 12.08.1945; on 21.09.1951 withdrawn from the combat inventory, disarmed, and converted to a plavkazarma (floating barracks); on 31.07.1957 stricken from the fleet lists and handed over to the stock-property department for breaking up. The record is silent on any August 1945 sinking or mine strike - consistent with uninterrupted service into 1951.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1957

   Population

   Soviet Pacific Fleet crews 1945-1951; PKZ-38 personnel 1951-1957

   Limitations

   Russian-language specialist compilation, not an official Soviet record - but it corroborates the NHC appendix's T-279 pennant and 1957 disposition, supplies the Rasin-landing and Pacific Fleet dates matching NavSource, and correctly renders PKZ as floating barracks (plavkazarma) against NavSource's 'target vessel' mistranslation. Its silence on the Kham Island strike supports (but does not alone prove) the refuted-sinking finding; Soviet primary records remain the archival path. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution - official DANFS (Wayback NHC capture + hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02270 vs Colton Madisonville hull #14 vs uboat.net 5335 vs sewar.ru vs Wikipedia (itself citing Russell, Project Hula, NHC 1997, pp. 31, 37-40) [other_primary]

   Locator

   web.archive.org capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/p1/palisade.htm and hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am270.htm vs navsource.net/archives/11/02270.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com madisonville.htm hull #14 and chickasaw.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5335.html and /commanders/6204.html; sewar.ru T-279 entry; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/minesweepers1.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-270_Palisade.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Palisade_(AM-270); NHC Project Hula PDF pp. 38-40

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Soviet pennant - T-279 is carried per the NHC Project Hula appendix (verified this session from the monograph PDF: 'Palisade (AM 270) | T-279'), the hazegray DANFS transcriber's note, Colton ('T 279'), navalmarinearchive ('T 279'), and Wikipedia, against T-278 in NavSource and uboat.net - the appendix assigns T-278 to sister Nucleus (AM-268). (b) Decommission/transfer date - DANFS prints decommissioned 21 May 'and was transferred'; NavSource and uboat.net print decommissioned 21 May / transferred 22 May; the NHC appendix prints transfer 22 May and Russell documents single simultaneous decommission-transfer-Soviet-commissioning ceremonies, so the event was most likely a single 22 May 1945 ceremony - both dates carried, flagged. (c) Kham Island - Soviet reporting claimed T-279 sunk 14/15 Aug 1945 by a U.S. aircraft-laid mine (hazegray transcriber's note, uboat.net, Colton 'mined and lost', navalmarinearchive 'mined and sunk'); the NHC appendix records '1957-stricken' while explicitly marking real 1945 losses elsewhere, NavSource hedges to 'only damaged,' and sewar.ru shows uninterrupted service - the sinking is refuted; whether a mine strike occurred at all rests on secondary compilations. (d) Build yard - Chickasaw AL per DANFS, NavSource, uboat.net, Wikipedia vs Madisonville LA per Colton's table filing (the Gulf SB AM program is filed under his Madisonville page) - unresolved without contract records. (e) PKZ-38 role - 'target vessel' (NavSource) vs plavkazarma 'floating barracks' (sewar.ru) - floating barracks carried; PKZ is the Soviet designation for a barracks hulk. (f) Propulsion - Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 (NavSource, hull-specific; HyperWar agrees on make) vs ALCO 539 (Wikipedia's class-standard infobox) - NavSource carried; Wikipedia's is a class default, not a hull record. (g) NavSource CO-table typo '12 January 1944' - resolved to 12 Jan 1945 per uboat.net's commander table. (h) Spec variances - displacement 647 t lt (DANFS) vs 945 t fl (NavSource) vs 915 t (HyperWar) vs 650 t (Wikipedia); speed 14.8 kts (DANFS/NavSource) vs 15 (HyperWar); draft 9'9" vs 10' (HyperWar); armament design-spec (1 3", 2 40mm, 6 20mm, 3 dcp, 2 dct) vs wartime fit (twin 40mm, hedgehog, 4 K-guns, 2 dct - NavSource). (i) U.S. registry - no MSF-270 reclassification or U.S. strike date appears in any located source, unlike sisters retained nominally until 1983 (Method MSF-264, Mirth MSF-265, Indicative MSF-250) - consistent with the hull's 'reported sunk' status; documented as silence, not inferred further.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1957

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, the NHC monograph, secondary compilations, and reference tables, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The build-site split (Chickasaw vs Madisonville) and the Kham Island strike detail remain genuinely unresolved at primary level - Navy contract records and Soviet archival files are the resolution paths. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-07

8. [8]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; NavSource; Colton; uboat.net) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02270 propulsion line; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton madisonville.htm hull #14; NHC Project Hula appendix

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1942-44-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: Gulf Shipbuilding construction trades (Sep 1942 - Mar 1944); the U.S. wartime crew (design complement ~104) across shakedown, Argentia/MineRon 33 sweeping, North Atlantic weather-ship patrols, the Philadelphia overhaul and refit, the Panama transit, and the Cold Bay transfer detail (Mar 1944 - May 1945); the Soviet trainees embarked for familiarization (Apr-May 1945); Soviet Navy crews of T-279 in the Pacific Fleet (1945-1951), including the reported August 1945 mine-strike damage event; the PKZ-38 disarmament/conversion workforce (1951) and barracks personnel (1951-1957); and the 1957 scrapping workforce.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1957

   Population

   Gulf Shipbuilding trades (1942-44); U.S. crew Mar 1944 - May 1945; Soviet trainees Apr-May 1945; Soviet Navy crews 1945-1951; PKZ-38 personnel 1951-1957; scrapping workforce 1957

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-270 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. The entire Soviet-period material history (1945-1957, including the reported mine damage and the PKZ-38 barracks conversion) is undocumented in located sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-palisade-am270-08

9. [9]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. Palisade was laid down in September 1942 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-270 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-palisade-am270-09

10. [10]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; J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16

    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 Gulf Shipbuilding. 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

    1941-1946 (survey era)

    Population

    WWII shipbuilding workforce (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. Does not establish asbestos presence aboard AM-270.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-palisade-am270-10

11. [11]NPS National Register/National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Hazard (AM-240), NRHP ref. 79003712 - class-exemplar cross-check [nps]

    Locator

    NPS NRHP/NHL nomination form 79003712, items 4-7 (condition, description); NRIS asset page

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    The sole surviving Admirable-class hull is a documented unaltered museum ship and a class sister of this hull: the NHL nomination for USS Hazard (AM-240) - Winslow-built, delivered 31 October 1944 - records her as 'completely equipped and intact as it was during its years of active service' with 'the superstructure ... unaltered,' moved from the Orange, Texas U.S. Naval Inactive Ship Facility to Omaha in 1971. For materials purposes the class's only preserved exemplar survives essentially as-built, but no public asbestos survey or hazmat disclosure for Hazard was located either.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1944; nomination circa 1979

    Population

    Museum staff/visitors at the surviving sister (class context)

    Limitations

    Class-level context only - the nomination documents the sister hull's significance and condition circa 1979, not materials or asbestos content, and says nothing about AM-270. 'Unaltered' is the nomination's characterization; no ACM survey of Hazard is public. Hazard is a Winslow-built sister, not a Gulf Shipbuilding one - same class, different yard.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-palisade-am270-11

12. [12]Batch-1243 search ledger (this record): official DANFS via Wayback NHC capture + hazegray mirror; NavSource 11/02270; Colton Madisonville hull #14 + Chickasaw yard table; uboat.net 5335 + commander table; NHC Project Hula PDF (text-extracted, verified firsthand); sewar.ru T-279; navalmarinearchive; HyperWar stub; NVR SHIPSDETAIL_AM_270 (302); NARA catalog; archive.org advancedsearch; NavalCoverMuseum; hullnumber.com; indexed site:courtlistener.com and site:va.gov queries; Atlas shipyards.json; class-profile worktrees [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-palisade-am270-01 through sl-uss-palisade-am270-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Palisade / AM-270 / T-279 / PKZ-38: 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). The CourtListener opinion index returned 0 results for the exact phrase 'USS Palisade' via the public search UI (2026-09-22, verified before throttling); the authenticated API v4 sweep and RECAP/docket-level queries could not run - shared-key daily quota exhausted (HTTP 429, 2,800/day rolling window) and the anonymous web UI then per-IP throttled - so docket-depth coverage is incomplete (sl-10). Law-firm marketing rosters (mesothelioma.com's minesweeper jobsites table lists 'USS Palisade | AM-270 | Admirable | 3/9/1944 | To Soviet Union, 1945'; mesotheliomahelp.org repeats the name in a generic list) are name-level mentions only, excluded per source rules. The hull left U.S. custody in May 1945 and was scrapped in Soviet custody in 1957 - no U.S. museum, reserve-fleet, or abatement record can post-date that disposal.

    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 1942-44-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. IMPORTANT: litigation coverage is partial - the opinion-index exact-name query returned 0 results, but the RECAP docket index and variant queries ('AM-270', 'U.S.S. Palisade', 'Palisade'+asbestos) were not executable under throttle; a differently-phrased hull reference may exist in the docket indexes. The hull's entire Soviet career (1945-1957) and scrapping are undocumented at materials level, so no survey pathway exists in located sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-palisade-am270-12

13. [13]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener opinion 4601080 - bare-metal-defense doctrinal context [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener opinion 4601080

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    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; whether any case names this hull is keyed to the search-ledger result (ev-12).

    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 in the searches performed. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-palisade-am270-13

14. [14]Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog returns only its JS application shell to automated fetch): (a) NARA's WWII muster-rolls series should cover this hull for her Mar 1944 - May 1945 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed, so coverage for AM-270 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Mar 1944 - May 1945 (a short ~14-month run - shakedown, Argentia, North Atlantic weather patrols, Philadelphia overhaul, Panama transit, Cold Bay); (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Gulf Shipbuilding Admirable block (yard hull #14; block AM-267..282) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules AND the authoritative resolution of the Chickasaw-vs-Madisonville build-site split; (d) NARA still-photo holdings incl. the 25 April 1944 Norfolk Navy Yard Measure-16 view credited via NavSource/Floating Drydock and the catalog.archives.gov yard-scene inserts; (e) Project Hula Cold Bay transfer records for the 22 May 1945 group (NHC 1997 cites operational files) - the authoritative resolution of the 21-vs-22-May date split; (f) Soviet-side records for T-279's Pacific Fleet service (1945-1951) including the reported Kham Island mine strike, the 1951 PKZ-38 conversion, and the 1957 scrapping - sewar.ru is the hobbyist-level lead, not an authoritative source; (g) Gulf Shipbuilding / Waterman Steamship yard records (the Chickasaw yard closed after WWII and the site is now a cargo terminal). [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; Colton madisonville.htm/chickasaw.htm; NHC Project Hula (1997) source apparatus; NavSource 11/02270 photo credits

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Record-group mapping only: the archival repositories most likely to hold hull-level material or transfer-condition documentation for AM-270, keyed to the documented events of her career (Chickasaw construction 1942-44; U.S. commission Mar 1944 - May 1945 incl. weather-ship conversion; Project Hula transfer 21/22 May 1945; Soviet tralshik T-279 service 1945-1951 incl. the Rasin landing and reported Kham Island strike; PKZ-38 floating-barracks conversion 1951; Soviet striking and scrapping 1957).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1942-1957 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-270 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, contract files, photo files, transfer files, and disposal records are personnel/operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-palisade-am270-14