Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]DANFS, Puffin (AMc-29) - verbatim transcription via hazegray.org mirror, Wayback capture 2024-06-23 (live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-23) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Puffin entry, full text (2 paragraphs + spec line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents: Puffin (AMc-29) was built as wooden dragger Mary Jane by Snow Shipyard, Rockland, Maine, in 1936; acquired by the Navy 25 November 1940; commissioned 2 May 1941, Lt. O. R. McClean in command; assigned to the 1st Naval District with homeyard of Boston; operated out of Boston on inshore patrol 2 May-8 December 1941; local defense force at Portsmouth, N.H. until 11 May 1943; nine further months on the east coast; decommissioned at Boston 18 February 1944; reclassified Small Boat No. C-13546 on 12 June 1944; delivered at Norfolk to WSA and sold to her former owner 20 April 1945; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 29 July 1947. Spec line: '(AMc-29: dp. 225; l. 90'2"; b. 20'0"; dr. 10'6"; s. 9 k.; a. 4 .50 cal. mg.)'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1936-1947
- Population
- Crew (complement not stated); Boston Navy Yard/1st Naval District workforce during 1940-41 conversion and fitting (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy ship-history entry; contains no asbestos, materials, or industrial-hygiene information whatsoever. 'Sold to her former owner' indicates the Navy held title at disposal but the acquisition instrument (purchase vs. other) is not stated. Acquisition date here (25 November 1940) conflicts with NavSource's 14 November 1940 - DANFS carried, discrepancy flagged unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-01
-
[2]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships, NAVSHIPS 1851, 'Yachts Acquired Since September 1939 from Private Owners' (24 July 1946) - AMc block, pp. 2-4 (scanned official document, 300-dpi OCR) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 1851 cover note ('does not include vessels transferred from other govt. agencies') and AMc rows pp. 2-4 (PDF pp. 2-4)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips register of vessels acquired from private owners contains no entry for AMc-29 Puffin: the AMc block (pp. 2-4) lists hulls AMc-1,-2,-3,-7,-8,-9 through -17, -19,-20,-27,-28,-30,-32 through -35, and -57,-58,-59 by acquisition method/date/seller - AMc-29 is absent, along with AMc-4,-5,-6,-18,-21 through -26, and -31. The register covers charters as well as purchases (YP rows show 'BB Charter' methods), and its cover note states it excludes vessels transferred from other government agencies. Puffin's acquisition channel is therefore undocumented in this register - most consistent with an inter-agency or other non-private acquisition, though a register gap cannot be excluded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1939-1946 (record compiled 1946)
- Limitations
- Absence from this register does not prove a non-purchase acquisition - DANFS records 'sold to her former owner' (implying title held), and register completeness cannot be tested without the WSA/acquisition case file. The finding establishes only that the standard private-owner acquisition documentation for this hull was not located. Neighboring hulls AMc-27 (Frigate Bird) and AMc-28 (Mockingbird) ARE present as purchases, so the 4-6/18/21-26/29/31 gap is systematic rather than random.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945' Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011) - vessel index, coastal minesweepers (AMc) section [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ships' Data 1945 Vol. II, index line 'PUFFIN (now C-13546)'; AMc footnote 'All AMC's are wood hulls'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1945 ship index carries the hull as 'PUFFIN (now C-13546)' in the AMc block - official confirmation of the June 1944 reclassification and of the hull's continued presence on the naval list in 1945 as a small boat. The volume's class footnote reads 'All AMC's are wood hulls'. No characteristics row exists for this hull - the AMc characteristics tables cover only the retained hulls (AMc-8, -9, -14, -30, and the purpose-built AMc-36+ class).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation only - supplies identity and reclassification status, no specifications, no propulsion, no materials information. The 'wood hulls' footnote is a class-level statement corroborating the wooden construction already established by DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-03
-
[4]Penobscot Marine Museum, Elmer Montgomery Collection, item LB2008.15.311 (launching photograph of dragger Mary Grace, with exhibit label) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Penobscot Marine Museum digital collection item LB2008.15.311, exhibit label 'Everyone Loves a Launching'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The museum's exhibit label for a 1936 I. L. Snow Co. launching photograph states verbatim: 'Back in June, Snow's launched the 90' dragger MARY JANE, and in May the 65' ferry GOV. BRANN.' - a museum-archived contemporary account fixing the Mary Jane's launch at Snow's Rockland yard in June 1936 at 90 feet, matching the DANFS/NavSource dimensions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1936
- Population
- Construction trades, I. L. Snow Co., Rockland ME, 1936 (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Launch-month documentation only; the label's design attribution (Albert E. Condon, designer/master builder) applies to sister seiner MARY GRACE, not explicitly to MARY JANE - no designer claim is made here for this hull. Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-04
-
[5]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Puffin (AMc 29) page - spec block, timeline, and NARA photo identifiers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AMc-29 page, timeline block and photo caption table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource corroborates and extends the DANFS record: built 1936 as Mary Jane by I. L. Snow and Co., Rockland ME for the Mary Jane Co. of New Bedford MA; commissioned 2 May 1941 under LTJG Odber R. McClean, Jr., USN; decommissioned 18 February 1944; reclassified Small Boat C-13546 12 June 1944; 'Removed from service 18 February 1945 at Norfolk, VA'; delivered to WSA 20 April 1945 and sold to her former owner; acquired later in 1945 by the Savannah Bar Pilots of Savannah, GA; struck 29 July 1947; acquired 26 November 1952 by John Lawson of Hampton, VA and renamed Sea Hawk; acquired 1972 by Sea Hawk, Inc. of Hampton; fate unknown. Identifies three NARA photographs (19-N-24208, 19-N-24209, 19-N-24210) dated 26 May 1941 off the Boston Navy Yard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1936-1972
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive; its 'acquired 14 November 1940' conflicts with DANFS's 25 November 1940 (DANFS carried; discrepancy flagged). The 18 February 1945 removal-from-service date is a NavSource-only datum consistent with the small-boat phase but not in DANFS. Post-Navy ownership chain is compilation-level - no primary transfer document located. Photo identifiers are NARA-sourced.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-05
-
[6]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton compilation), Snow Shipyard/Rockland Marine yard table, O.N. 235386 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Snow yard table, O.N. 235386 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Snow yard table records the hull as '235386 | Mary Jane | Mary Jane Co. | Fishboat | 118d | 90 | 1936 | To USN 1941 as Puffin (AMc 29), to Savannah Pilots 1945, sold 1952 as Sea Hawk' - supplying U.S. official number 235386, the 118-ton fishboat figure with the 'd' (diesel) notation used in this compilation, and corroboration of the post-Navy owner chain.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1936-1952
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary register - carried for the official-number and diesel-notation data; 'To USN 1941' conflicts with DANFS's 25 November 1940 acquisition (the hull may have been delivered/converted into 1941). The '118d' diesel reading follows the compiler's tonnage-suffix convention; the MVUS entry for O.N. 235386 (the primary source) was not located online.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-06
-
[7]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) - era documentation of asbestos use in naval vessel insulation, gasketing, packing, and deck materials [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- GAO-era documentation establishes that asbestos was standard in Navy ship construction and overhaul materials of the period (thermal insulation, gaskets, packing, deck tile). For a wooden-hulled fishing-dragger conversion with no documented steam plant, the plausible subset on this hull type is confined to machinery-exhaust lagging, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, and deck materials - a materially smaller asbestos profile than steam-powered combatants.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1936-1945
- Population
- Conversion yard workers (undocumented yard, 1940-41); wartime crew
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only - the GAO report does not name this hull, the AMc type, or small diesel conversions, and its fieldwork concerned naval shipyards, not district-craft conversions. No application aboard this hull is established; equally, absence of the steam-plant pathway is an inference from the documented wooden-dragger type and diesel notation, not a certification that no asbestos was present. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description, same limitation as Batch 01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-07
-
[8]Sea History No. 130 (Spring 2010), National Maritime Historical Society - Charles Eliot Winslow profile (Issuu-hosted scan) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Sea History No. 130 (Spring 2010), p. 32 (Issuu scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A published profile of maritime artist Charles Eliot Winslow records that in 1941, at age thirty-one, Winslow was called to active duty as seaman second-class and 'served out of Boston aboard USS Puffin (AMc-29), a former fishing vessel that had been converted into a minesweeper,' before resigning in December 1941 for a Coast Guard Reserve ensign commission - a named crew-member datum corroborating the 1941 Boston inshore-patrol service in DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941
- Population
- Wartime crew (one named member: Charles Eliot Winslow, 1941)
- Limitations
- Biographical sketch in a maritime-history magazine - crew-presence evidence only; contains no shipboard materials, work practices, or asbestos information. Not an official record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-08
-
[9]Northern Commercial Co. v. The Puffin, 170 F. Supp. 28 (D. Alaska, First Division, Ketchikan, No. 3783-KA, Feb. 4, 1959) - CourtListener opinion 8744686 [court_record]
- Locator
- 170 F. Supp. 28; CourtListener opinion 8744686 (D. Alaska 1959)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Vessel-name litigation match, NON-ASBESTOS: a published admiralty opinion in foreclosure of a preferred marine mortgage against the 'Oil Screw Vessel Puffin' (mortgage executed 1954-06-10, recorded with Customs officials at Ketchikan, Alaska 1954-07-11; ~$14,996 balance; contest between libelant and Intervenor Machine Works under the Ship Mortgage Act). The vessel was 'used as a towboat,' under 200 gross tons, documented for 'fishing and freight.' The court decided the preferred-mortgage question on the merits after trial.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1954-1959
- Limitations
- Hull identity UNVERIFIED and in tension: the Alaska vessel's diesel type, under-200-gross-ton class, and fishing/freight service are consistent with this hull, but NavSource records this hull renamed 'Sea Hawk' at Hampton, VA in November 1952 - a vessel documented 'Puffin' mortgaged at Ketchikan in June 1954 may be a different small diesel vessel of the same name. Classified as other litigation (admiralty/commercial), not asbestos; trial-level merits ruling on mortgage priority. Carried as a name-match disclosure, not as a record about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-09
-
[10]Batch-1564 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; NAVSHIPS 1851; Ships' Data 1945; NavSource; Penobscot Marine Museum; CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket indexes; MARAD vesselhistory; NVR; open-web index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-puffin-amc29-01 through sl-uss-puffin-amc29-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Puffin (AMc-29 / C-13546) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero hits for 'USS Puffin'; the bare 'Puffin' opinion index returned 90 hits - the top ~20 screened contained one genuine vessel-name match, Northern Commercial Co. v. The Puffin (non-asbestos admiralty; ev-09), with the remainder name collisions (surnames, businesses, a seabird). The vessel left federal custody in 1945, before the Navy's asbestos-control era and before the exposure-litigation era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 2026-09-23
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof asbestos was absent aboard - era materials on small diesel craft are plausible but undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Hull-number and docket-index CourtListener queries remained blocked at session end (fleet pace budget) - see sl-08; the completed name sweeps found no asbestos litigation of any stage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-10
-
[11]NARA photos 19-N-24208, 19-N-24209, 19-N-24210 (identified via NavSource, sourced to NHHC); NARA RG-19 (BuShips) conversion/alteration files, RG-181 (1st Naval District) records, MVUS entry for O.N. 235386, and the WSA disposal case file for the 20 April 1945 Norfolk delivery [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AMc-29 photo captions (19-N-24208/9/10); NARA RG-19/RG-181 series (not digitized); MVUS (not located online); WSA disposal files (not digitized)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Identified archival leads not yet digitized: three NHHC/NARA photographs of the vessel off the Boston Navy Yard, 26 May 1941 (three weeks after commissioning - plausibly post-conversion condition); BuShips/1st Naval District records of the 1940-41 conversion; the Merchant Vessels of the United States entry for official no. 235386 (engine particulars); and the WSA disposal file for the Norfolk hand-off and resale to the former owner - the most promising lead for the post-1945 civilian record.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1936-1946
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these files was examined; catalog.archives.gov record pages render as a JS application and could not be machine-read in session. The photo set is small and pre-service; no asbestos content is expected or implied by these leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffin-amc29-11