Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Reign (AM-288)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20250125125251; NHHC page dated 2005-09-23, published 2016-01-19) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Reign (AM-288)' entry body + specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: 'Reign (AM-288) was laid down on 30 October 1943 at Alameda, Calif., by the General Engineering & Drydock Co.; launched on 29 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. R. C. Little; and delivered to the Navy on 11 October 1946. Never commissioned, Reign remained in the Pacific Reserve Fleet until stricken from the Navy list on 1 November 1959. During that time, despite her being in an inactive status, she was redesignated as a fleet minesweeper, MSF-288, on 7 February 1955.' Spec block: displacement 650; length 184'6"; beam 33'; draft 9'9"; speed 14.8 knots; complement 104; armament 1 3-inch, 8 40-millimeter; class Admirable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction workforce (1943-1946); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946-1959)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC entry naming this hull - confirms identity, builder, build/delivery dates, never-commissioned status, reserve-fleet custody, reclassification, and striking. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information and does not state a post-strike disposition; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s; verbatim text via Wayback capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Reign (MSF-288) ex-AM-288, file 11/02288 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02288.htm - timeline block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: call sign Nan-Queen-Item-Dog; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945'; delivered 11 October 1946 and placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-288 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959; 'Reign was never commissioned'; fate unknown. Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6" x 33' x 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 DP mount, one twin 40mm, six 20mm, one hedgehog, four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 1,710 shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction workforce (1943-1946)
- Limitations
- Specialist volunteer-compiled archive, not an official publication - consistent with DANFS on all overlapping points. Propulsion fit (Cooper Bessemer GSB-8) conflicts with the Wikipedia infobox (ALCO 539) - discrepancy logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-02
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[3]uboat.net Allied Warships - USS Reign (AM 288), Admirable-class minesweeper entry (Gudmundur Helgason compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/5352 - data table (ordered/built/laid down/launched/history rows) and empty commanders list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled warship record naming this hull: ordered 2 May 1942 (a datum DANFS and NavSource do not carry); built by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda CA; laid down 30 Oct 1943; launched 29 May 1944; delivered to the Navy 11 October 1946; never commissioned; remained in the Pacific Reserve Fleet until struck 1 November 1959. No commanding officers are listed for the hull - consistent with the never-commissioned record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled database (respected reference for Allied warship data) - corroborates DANFS/NavSource on all overlapping points; 'ordered' date is unique to this source and not independently verified against the contract record. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-03
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[4]Consolidated era/design inference - NavSource spec block for this hull + Admirable-class design data (NPS NHL nomination 79003712 for sister ship USS Hazard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 02288.htm specifications block; NPS NHL nomination NRIS 79003712 (class design description)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull was a diesel-powered Admirable-class minesweeper (twin Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, single reduction gear, twin shafts - no boilers or steam turbines) built at a Navy contract yard during the peak of WWII asbestos usage in shipbuilding - the construction context for which exhaust-system and engine-room insulation, pipe lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, electrical cable insulation, bulkhead and overhead panels, deck coverings, and winch/windlass brake linings of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. The 17-month launch-to-delivery span (1944-05-29 to 1946-10-11) kept the hull under yard custody through and after V-J Day; reserve-fleet lay-up (1946-1959) and the undocumented post-strike disposal are the subsequent disturbance-phase pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1959+
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades, Alameda (1943-1946); reserve-fleet maintenance/caretaker personnel; disposal-yard workers (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant, class design, and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-288 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The absence of a steam plant narrows but does not eliminate the era-typical application set.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-04
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[5]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The 1944-45 U.S. government industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and procurement channel (a Navy contract yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; the surveyed yards are anonymized (A-D) and it does not name this vessel, class, or builder - whether General Engineering & Dry Dock was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-05
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[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), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency construction program under which this Admirable-class minesweeper was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-06
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[7]National Park Service, National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Hazard (AM-240), NRIS 79003712 (Admirable-class sister ship) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS NRIS 79003712 + NHL nomination text, description/classification sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NPS documentation of the Admirable class via the sole surviving example: 'Admirable class minesweepers were basic minesweepers similar to the British Bangor class designed to meet minimum requirements for size, speed, and endurance. They were fitted for both wire and acoustic sweeping and could also double as anti submarine warfare and antiaircraft ships. Admirable class minesweepers formed the majority of American minesweepers built during World War II.' The nomination records sister ship Hazard as retaining essentially all original 1945 equipment - 'a virtual time capsule dating from 1945' - evidencing that the class's as-built WWII fabric survives on a sister hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- nomination 1979; class era 1943-1945
- Population
- Admirable-class crews and builders (class context)
- Limitations
- Documents a different hull (AM-240, built at Winslow Marine Railway, WA - a different yard) and the class design generally; contains no asbestos or materials content and establishes nothing about AM-288 itself. The class-context value is the as-built configuration and era, not any asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-07
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[8]City of Alameda, Alameda Marina Historic Resources Evaluation (final, 2017-03-30) - site history of the General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. yard [other_primary]
- Locator
- Alameda Marina Final HRE, site-history section (Barnes & Tibbitts / General Engineering / Pacific Shops narrative)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official municipal planning document recording the builder site's history: a portion of the property was developed in 1917 as the Barnes & Tibbitts shipyard; 'In 1922, General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. of San Francisco bought and subsequently expanded the yard, adding several new piers, shops, and slipways. In 1940, with financial assistance from the U.S. Maritime Commission, General Engineering entirely rebuilt the yard, adding a dry dock and approximately 30 new shops, warehouses, and offices buildings, many of which still exist. General Engineering & Dry Dock kept the yard open until 1948' - after which the WWII shipbuilding infrastructure was progressively demolished for marina/industrial reuse.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1917-1962
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock workforce (yard-level context)
- Limitations
- Site-level history of the builder yard, not a vessel record; documents that the yard that built AM-288 was a real WWII Navy/USMC-supported facility and dates its closure. Contains no asbestos survey or abatement finding for the site and nothing about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-08
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[9]Batch-1262 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 02288; uboat.net ship/5352; NPS NHL nomination 79003712; City of Alameda Marina HRE; PubMed/DOI citation verification; CourtListener API + web UI (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; MARAD ShipHistory [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-reign-am288-01 through sl-uss-reign-am288-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Reign / AM-288 / MSF-288 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion and docket sweeps could not be executed this session - the shared API key returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day') on the first query and the public web UI returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; negative litigation coverage rests on indexed-web checking. Law-firm marketing pages name the hull in generic minesweeper ship lists (mesothelioma.com lists 'USS Reign | AM-288 | Admirable' with fate 'Unknown'; mesotheliomahelp.org and mesotheliomaveterans.org include it in list pages) without primary support - excluded as a source class per the no-law-firm-sources rule.
- 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 1943-46 contract-yard minesweeper is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the undocumented post-1959 disposal is an unexamined disturbance phase. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is weaker than usual this session because the CourtListener API quota was already exhausted and the web UI blocks automation - a residual-unqueried surface remains; classify as a search limitation, not a clean negative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-09
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[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - 12th Naval District / Pacific Reserve Fleet), RG 24 (deck logs - not applicable: no commissioned service, no logs exist); DSA/DLA surplus-disposal records for the post-1959 strike [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; /groups/181.html ; /groups/024.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): BuShips construction-contract and specifications records covering General Engineering & Dry Dock's minesweeper program (RG 19, incl. the Booklet of General Plans for the Admirable class and any hull-specific material schedules for AM-288); 12th Naval District / Pacific Reserve Fleet inactivation, berthing, and custody records (RG 181); pre-commissioning fitting-out records for the 1944-1946 yard period; and Defense Supply Agency / disposal records for the post-1959-11-01 strike - the disposal file is the most promising lead for the unknown final disposition and any sale-era hazmat or as-is condition language.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1959+ records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. No deck logs exist because the ship was never commissioned. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reign-am288-10