Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Refresh' (AM-287) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1148/1169; hazegray.org itself unreachable at fetch time) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Refresh' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am287.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 625; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 2 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 mg., 1 dcp., 2 dct.; cl. Admirable). Laid down 22 September 1943 by General Engineering & Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif.; launched 12 April 1944, sponsored by Miss Muriel Maddox of San Francisco; commissioned 10 April 1945, Lt. W. Turner in command. Shakedown out of San Pedro, Calif.; reported to CinCPac for duty 9 June 1945; departed Pearl Harbor 1 July for Okinawa via Eniwetok and Guam; arrived Buckner Bay 31 July and joined Commander, Mine Squadron 15; minesweeping operations in the Okinawa area from 13 August. Last week of August swept the approaches to Jinsen, Korea, and operated in the Yellow Sea through 7 September. Remainder of September assisted TG 52.3 minesweeping the East China Sea approaches to Nagasaki and Sasebo and the Goto Archipelago, primarily off 'Fukse' southwest of Kyushu. Arrived Sasebo 1 October; hydrographic missions - soundings in shoal waters southwest of Kagoshima, Kyushu; operated in Japanese waters through the new year. Pearl Harbor 8-26 March 1946; San Pedro 4 April. Designated for transfer to the Chinese Navy 29 April 1946; sailed for Subic Bay 17 September; decommissioned there 9 November 1946; delivered to the Chinese 30 June 1948; struck from the Navy list 13 July 1948. 'She serves in the Navy of the Republic of China as Yung Chang.' Two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades (Alameda, 1943-45); wartime crew (design complement 104)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, and transfer - not materials or asbestos content. DANFS predates the hull's 1965 loss ('She serves ... as Yung Chang'), so it is silent on the ROC rename to Lin Huai and the sinking - carried via NavSource/Wikipedia in ev-02/ev-08. 'Fukse' reads as a typographical form of Fukue in the Goto Archipelago. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Refresh (AM 287), file 11/02287 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02287 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; laid down 22 September 1943 by the General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA; launched 12 April 1944; commissioned USS Refresh (AM 287) 10 April 1945; decommissioned 9 November 1946 at Subic Bay, Philippines; 'Transferred to the Republic of China 30 June 1948 and renamed Yung Chang (AM 51)'; 'Struck from the Naval Register 13 July 1948'; 'Sunk 14 November 1965 by a People's Republic of China gunboat off South China.' 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 (hedgehogs), four depth-charge projectors (K-guns), two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO list: LT William Lewis Turner (DE) USNR (10 Apr 1945), LT Joseph Victor Pokrywka USNR (23 Oct 1945 - 12 Feb 1946), LT John Edward Lane USNR (12 Feb - 20 Jul 1946), LT Erwin Roy Stewart USN (20 Jul - 9 Nov 1946). Photo credits include the wartime shipyard image '12-2-2_Gen-Engg-Alameda-25.jpg' (wikimedia.org) and the crew-collection series of Ervin J. Hebert.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock trades (1943-45); U.S. crew Apr 1945 - Nov 1946; ROC crew 1948-1965
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its 'Sunk 14 November 1965 by a People's Republic of China gunboat' conflicts in detail with uboat.net ('sunk on 13 November 1965') and the Wikipedia battle narrative (PT-boat torpedo hit, sank ~1:06 a.m. 14 November) - flagged in ev-08; the better-detailed account is the torpedo, and 14 Nov is the best-supported sinking date. NavSource does not mention the reported post-transfer rename to Lin Huai. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-02
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'General Engineering, Alameda CA' yard table - hull #63 row (AM 287 Refresh) + yard history header [other_primary]
- Locator
- general.htm - hull #63 row + yard history header; block sisters #59-65 (AM 283-289)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #63, 'AM 287 | Refresh | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850 | 10-Apr-45 | To China 1948 as Yung Chang, to Taiwan 1949, sunk off China 1965.' The GE&DD table carries the consecutive Admirable-class block - #59 Ransom (AM 283), #60 Rebel (AM 284), #61 Recruit (AM 285), #62 Reform (AM 286), #63 Refresh (AM 287), #64 Reign (AM 288), #65 Report (AM 289) - with #66-67 (AM 290-291) cancelled and completed as reefers and #68-73 (AM 292-293, AM 371-374) cancelled outright. Yard history header: founded as Barnes & Tibbitts (1916); renamed General Engineering & Dry Dock Company after Capt. Tibbitts bought out Barnes in 1922; bought the Hanlon Dry Dock shipyard in Oakland in 1928 and ran it as a repair yard; both yards closed in 1948; site on Clement Avenue between Grand and Chestnut, now Alameda Marina.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1916-1948 (yard); 1943-1945 (this hull)
- Population
- GE&DD construction workforce (Alameda, CA, 1943-45)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, yard hull number (#63), delivery date (10-Apr-45 matches commissioning), type, and tonnage (850 - a third tonnage figure vs DANFS 625 / NavSource 945 fl; load-state basis unstated - flagged in ev-08). Its 'sunk off China 1965' agrees with the located accounts. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-03
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Refresh (AM 287), ship page 5351 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5351.html - identity block, history block, CO listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper; built by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co. (Alameda, California); ordered 2 May 1942; laid down 22 Sep 1943; launched 12 Apr 1944; commissioned 10 Apr 1945; end service 9 Nov 1946. History block: decommissioned 9 November 1946 at Subic Bay, Philippines; transferred to the Republic of China 30 June 1948 and renamed Yung Chang (AM 51); struck from the Naval Register 13 July 1948; 'Yung Chang was sunk on 13 November 1965.' CO listing (WWII window only): William Lewis Turner, USNR, from 10 Apr 1945.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1965
- Population
- U.S. crew 1945-1946; ROC crew 1948-1965
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - corroborates builder, ordered date (2 May 1942 - unique to this source), and the chronology; its 'sunk on 13 November 1965' dates the battle's opening day rather than the documented ~1:06 a.m. 14 November sinking (Wikipedia battle narrative; NavSource '14 November') - flagged in ev-08. No mention of the Lin Huai rename. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-04
-
[5]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource per-hull spec: two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - mechanical direct drive; Wikipedia's generic class infobox reads ALCO 539s/Farrel-Birmingham and HyperWar's per-hull page reads 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - both flagged in ev-08) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02287 propulsion line; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton general.htm hull #63
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943-45-built steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel direct-drive twin-screw plant (two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels through a National Supply Co. single reduction gear, per NavSource's per-hull spec) - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1943-45 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: GE&DD Alameda-yard construction trades (1943-45); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across the Pacific transit and the post-surrender mine-clearance tour (Okinawa, Jinsen/Yellow Sea, East China Sea/Goto Archipelago, Sasebo hydrographic work - the heaviest operational machinery tempo in the hull's short U.S. career); and the ROC crew of 1948-1965.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- GE&DD trades (1943-45); U.S. crew Apr 1945 - Nov 1946; ROC crew 1948-1965
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-287 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. ROC-era maintenance (1948-1965) is undocumented in located sources, and the hull is a sunken wreck - no survey pathway exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-05
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987); and Fleischer, W.E., et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (article); PubMed PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and wartime construction program under which this hull was built at General Engineering & Dry Dock, Alameda. The USMC-commissioned 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; articles 1946/1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding and naval-vessel construction generally; neither source names this vessel, class, or builder yard. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-06
-
[7]Batch-1261 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/losthistory mirror; NavSource 11/02287; Shipbuilding History GE&DD yard table; uboat.net 5351; HyperWar AM-287 page; Wikipedia cross-checks (ship article + Battle of East Chongwu); CourtListener API v4 (authenticated - all queries throttled HTTP 429, shared daily quota exhausted by prior batch work); NVR; NARA catalog; general web search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-refresh-am287-01 through sl-uss-refresh-am287-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Refresh / AM-287 / Yung Chang (AM 51) / Lin Huai: 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 litigation sweep could not be executed - every authenticated API request returned HTTP 429 (shared 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work, ~10.5h to reset at fetch time) - so 'no litigation located' is a weaker claim here than in completed sweeps and is logged as blocked, not as a clean negative. Non-authoritative marketing rosters (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites page: 'USS Refresh | AM-287 | Admirable | 4/10/1945 | To China, 1948'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper roster) carry the name in generic ship tables - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific evidence.
- 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 1943-45-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull was transferred to the ROC Navy in 1948 and sunk in action in 1965, so no present-day survey pathway exists; ROC-era maintenance records are inaccessible. The blocked CourtListener sweep leaves residual risk that a differently-phrased hull reference exists - logged as a gap. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-07
-
[8]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02287 vs Colton GE&DD yard table vs uboat.net 5351 vs HyperWar AM-287 page vs Wikipedia (ship article + Battle of East Chongwu article) [other_primary]
- Locator
- losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am287.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02287.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/general.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5351.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-287_Refresh.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Refresh_(AM-287); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_East_Chongwu
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) ROC name - NavSource/uboat/DANFS carry 'Yung Chang (AM 51)' through loss; Wikipedia ship article reports she was 'sometime later renamed Lin Huai' and the Battle of East Chongwu article identifies the sunken minesweeper as 'Lin Huai (originally named Yung Chang)' - rename carried as reported (secondary, uncorroborated by located official sources). (b) Sinking date - NavSource 'Sunk 14 November 1965'; uboat 'sunk on 13 November 1965'; Wikipedia ship article '14 November 1965'; battle-article infobox '3-4 November 1965' but its own narrative dates the action 13-14 November with Lin Huai sinking ~1:06 a.m. 14 November - 14 November carried as best-supported; the infobox '3-4 Nov' treated as an internal inconsistency. (c) Agent of sinking - NavSource 'PRC gunboat'; Wikipedia battle narrative describes patrol boats slowing the ship and a PT boat delivering the torpedo hit - torpedo carried as the better-detailed account. (d) Displacement - DANFS 625 t vs NavSource 945 t (fl) vs Wikipedia infobox 650 t vs Colton 850 - load-state variance vs compilation variance unresolved; DANFS carried. (e) Speed - DANFS/HyperWar 15 kts vs NavSource/Wikipedia 14.8 kts - DANFS carried. (f) Propulsion - NavSource per-hull 'Two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear' (direct drive) vs Wikipedia generic class infobox '2 x ALCO 539, 1,710 shp, Farrel-Birmingham' vs HyperWar 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - NavSource per-hull carried; a documented reduction gear contradicts 'diesel-electric'. (g) Armament - DANFS '1 3", 2 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 mg., 1 dcp., 2 dct.' vs NavSource '3"/50 + one twin 40mm + six 20mm + hedgehog + four K-guns + two DC tracks' vs Wikipedia '3"/50 + 2 twin 40mm + hedgehog + 2 DC tracks' - variances flagged, design-spec vs wartime-fit unresolved. (h) Builder name - all authoritative and secondary sources read General Engineering & Dry Dock Co.; HyperWar's per-hull page misreads 'General Shipbuilding Co.' and 'commissioned 1944' (she was launched 12 Apr 1944, commissioned 10 Apr 1945) - compilation errors flagged. (i) Draft - DANFS/NavSource 9'9" vs HyperWar 10' - DANFS carried.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The ROC-service half of the record (rename, loss particulars) rests on secondary sources only - no located official source covers 1948-1965. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-08
-
[9]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 4601080
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No case located names this hull - and the CourtListener sweep itself could not run this session (HTTP 429, shared daily quota exhausted; see negative_finding row and search_ledger). Doctrinal context only for the vessel's type: claims arising from WWII-era Navy-vessel asbestos exposure ran under maritime law against equipment manufacturers, and the Supreme Court's DeVries decision settled the 'bare-metal defense' framework - manufacturers that supplied bare equipment had a duty to warn where their products required asbestos-containing parts. It illustrates the litigation posture claims arising from service aboard a WWII diesel minesweeper would have faced; no such claim naming Refresh was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2019 decision
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the cited case does not name or involve this hull, and DeVries addressed manufacturers' duty to warn for asbestos-containing components on Navy vessels generally. Classification note: a complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation, not a finding; the hull-name sweep itself is incomplete (blocked), so 'no case located' is provisional pending a re-run. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-09
-
[10]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's April 1945 - November 1946 commission; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the GE&DD Admirable-class block (yard hulls #59-65, AM 283-289); NHHC/NARA photographs (NavSource credits a wartime GE&DD yard image, '12-2-2_Gen-Engg-Alameda-25.jpg' at wikimedia.org, and the Ervin J. Hebert crew collection); Republic of China Navy records for Yung Chang (AM 51) / Lin Huai (1948-1965) and the Battle of East Chongwu action reports - held in ROC/Taiwan archives, inaccessible this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02287 photo credits; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_East_Chongwu (location data)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- 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 Apr 1945 - Nov 1946 commission - coverage expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Apr 1945 - Nov 1946; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the GE&DD Admirable-class block (yard hulls #59-65) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) NHHC/NARA photographs - the wartime GE&DD yard image and the Ervin J. Hebert crew-collection series credited on NavSource; (e) post-transfer records - ROC Navy service file for Yung Chang (AM 51) / Lin Huai, 1948-1965, and Battle of East Chongwu action reports, held in ROC archives and inaccessible; the wreck itself (Taiwan Strait, ~24.82N 119.46E) is a war grave not subject to survey.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1965 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-287 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, and action reports are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation. The ROC half of this hull's life (1948-1965) is doubly undocumented in U.S. sources. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-refresh-am287-10