Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Reproof' (AM-290) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page /danfs/r/reproof.html returns 404 - standing link rot, same as batches 01/1254/1261; hazegray.org itself unreachable at fetch time) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Reproof' entry - one-paragraph stub for the cancelled hull (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am290.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull: name gloss 'To censure a fault, to rebuke.'; 'Reproof (AM-290) was laid down on 1 December 1944 by the General Engineering & Drydock Co., Alameda Calif. launched 8 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. E. F. Clifford and canceled on 11 November 1945. However, her hull was purchased by a merchant shipping company and she was completed in 1947 as the SS Harcourt Malcolm. She served under this name until 1953 when she was renamed Cotten Bay. She was renamed Stratford in 1960 and in 1968 renamed Anastasio under which she serves into 1970.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- General Engineering & Dry Dock construction trades (Alameda, 1943-45); merchant crews under successive names/flags 1947-1980s
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, launch, cancellation, and the merchant-name chain - not materials or asbestos content. The printed laid-down date '1 December 1944' is internally inconsistent with its own 'launched 8 August 1944' (impossible sequence) - a DANFS misprint; uboat.net and navypedia both print Dec 1943, which also fits the yard-hull sequence (see ev-07). DANFS predates the hull's later fate ('serves into 1970') - it is silent on post-1970 disposition. The purchaser is unnamed ('a merchant shipping company'). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Reproof (AM 290), file 11/02290 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/11/02290.htm - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, photo credits (NH 72389)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; call sign Nan-Queen-Item-Nan; 'Laid down 1 December 1944 as Reproof (AM 290) by the General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, CA'; launched 8 August 1944; 'Construction canceled 11 November 1945'; 'Hull purchased in 1947 and completed as Harcourt Malcolm'; renamed Cotten Bay 1953, Stratford 1960, Anastasio 1968; 'No longer on the merchant shipping lists into the 1980s. Fate unknown.' Spec block: 998 t; 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; propulsion 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' Photo credit: U.S. Navy photo NH 72389, 'c. 1945 ... Fitting out at the General Engineering and Drydock Co., Alameda, California' (NHHC source); yard thumbnail credited to wikimedia.org ('12-2-2_Gen-Engg-Alameda-25.jpg').
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1980s
- Population
- GE&DD trades (1943-45); 1946-47 commercial-completion workforce; merchant crews 1947-1980s
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; repeats DANFS's impossible '1 December 1944' laydown alongside the 8 Aug 1944 launch (see ev-07). Its '1,710shp' per-engine rating conflicts with sibling Admirable pages' 855shp-each (1,710 total) - flagged in ev-07. Its '998 t' likewise differs from class-standard 945 t full-load figures printed for commissioned sisters. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-02
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'General Engineering, Alameda CA' yard table - hull #66 row (AM 290 Reproof) + yard history header [other_primary]
- Locator
- general.htm - hull #66 row + yard history header; block sisters #59-67 (AM 283-291); cancelled #68-73 (AM 292-293, 371-374)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #66, 'AM 290 | Reproof | US Navy | Minesweeper | 998 | 1946 | Cancelled, completed as reefer Harcourt Malcolm, later Cotton Bay 1954, Stratford 1960, Anastasio 1966.' The table confirms the GE&DD 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), #66 Reproof (AM 290), #67 Risk (AM 291, likewise cancelled and completed as reefer George Gamblin) - with #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); 1943-1947 (this hull)
- Population
- GE&DD construction workforce (Alameda, CA, 1943-47)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, yard hull number (#66), the 'reefer' completion (a detail DANFS omits), and tonnage 998. Its delivery year '1946' and rename years (Cotton Bay 1954; Anastasio 1966) conflict with DANFS (1947; 1953; 1968) and its 'Cotton Bay' spelling differs from DANFS/NavSource 'Cotten Bay' - flagged in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-03
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Reproof (AM 290), ship page 5354; corroborated by navypedia.org Admirable-class table (AM290: 12.1943 / 8.8.1944 / 1947 'completed mercantile') [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5354.html - data table; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_ms_pc_admirable_pce.htm - AM290 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper AM 290; 'Built by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co. (Alameda, California, U.S.A.)'; ordered 2 May 1942; 'Laid down 1 Dec 1943'; 'Launched 8 Aug 1944'; 'Cancelled 1 November 1945.' navypedia's class table independently prints AM290 Reproof: General Engineering, Alameda - laid down 12.1943, launched 8.8.1944, '1947 ... completed mercantile'. Two independent compilations read the internally-consistent pair (laid down Dec 1943, launched Aug 1944) against DANFS/NavSource's impossible '1 December 1944' - the yard-hull sequence also favors 1943: #64 Reign laid 30 Oct 1943 and #65 Report 14 Dec 1943 (uboat), #67 Risk 15 Apr 1944 (NavSource).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations - corroborate builder, ordered date (2 May 1942, uboat only), and the 1943/1944 date pair that resolves DANFS's misprint. uboat's 'Cancelled 1 November 1945' conflicts with DANFS/NavSource '11 November 1945' - flagged in ev-07; DANFS carried for the cancel date. Neither source mentions the merchant names in detail. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-04
-
[5]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Asbestos: Information on the Navy's Program to Remove Asbestos-Containing Materials From Its Ships' (program-level documentation that Navy ships built before the early 1970s contain asbestos; gao.gov product-page description - full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, same standing limitation as batches 01/1247/1252/1254) + documented build era and machinery type (DANFS construction dates; NavSource propulsion line; Colton yard row) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (description text); NavSource 11/02290 propulsion line; DANFS construction dates; Colton general.htm hull #66
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference with a cancelled-hull caveat: AM-290 was under Navy contract construction at GE&DD Alameda Dec 1943 - Nov 1945 (laid down, launched, and fitting out per NHHC photo NH 72389 'c. 1945'), squarely inside the period when asbestos-containing materials were standard in naval vessel construction - machinery gaskets and packing, exhaust and hot-surface insulation, electrical insulation, and interior fireproofing, joiner, and deck materials - with any insulation installed before the 11 Nov 1945 cancellation predating the Navy's early-1970s substitution of alternative insulation materials (GAO HRD-80-2 program-level finding). How far construction had advanced at cancellation, what Navy-spec materials were already aboard, and what the 1946-47 merchant reefer completion used are all undocumented - the commercial completion may have retained, removed, or substituted for naval materials. Her designed Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 geared-diesel plant carries no boilers or steam-distribution lagging, so even a completed naval fit would have been materially lighter than a steam vessel's: engine exhaust and muffler lagging, valve and flange gaskets on fuel/cooling systems, machinery packing, cable insulation, compartment and joiner insulation, deck coverings. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: GE&DD Alameda construction trades (1943-45, incl. any salvage/strip-out at cancellation); the undocumented 1946-47 reefer-completion workforce; and merchant crews aboard Harcourt Malcolm / Cotten Bay / Stratford / Anastasio (1947-1980s). No Navy crew ever served aboard - the hull never commissioned.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1980s
- Population
- GE&DD trades (1943-45); reefer-completion workforce (1946-47); merchant crews (1947-1980s)
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-290 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, and the cancelled-naval-completion status adds a second layer of uncertainty: the record cannot say which side of the 1945-47 conversion carried what materials. Merchant-era maintenance (1947-1980s) and final disposition are undocumented in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-05
-
[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., and Viles, F.J. Jr., '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 GE&DD's Alameda yard. The 1944-45 industrial-hygiene survey of pipe-covering operations at Navy and contract yards (conducted for the Maritime Commission) 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 hull than to steam vessels. Does not establish asbestos presence aboard AM-290 or its merchant conversions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-06
-
[7]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (losthistory/hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02290 vs Colton GE&DD yard table vs uboat.net 5354 vs navypedia Admirable table vs globalsecurity AM-136 unit page vs Wikipedia mine-warfare list [other_primary]
- Locator
- losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am290.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02290.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/general.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5354.html; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_ms_pc_admirable_pce.htm; globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/am-136-unit.htm; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mine_warfare_vessels_of_the_United_States_Navy
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Laid-down year - DANFS and NavSource print '1 December 1944,' impossible against the documented 8 Aug 1944 launch; uboat.net prints '1 Dec 1943' and navypedia '12.1943'; globalsecurity's AM-136 unit table prints the alternative coherent pair (12/1/1944 laid down, 8/8/1945 launched). Yard-hull sequence favors 1943 - #64 Reign laid 30 Oct 1943, #65 Report 14 Dec 1943, #67 Risk 15 Apr 1944 - and the NHHC photo shows her fitting out 'c. 1945.' Dec 1943 carried; the 1944 print treated as a DANFS misprint and globalsecurity's 1945 launch as its own variant. (b) Cancellation date - DANFS and NavSource 'canceled/cancelled 11 November 1945'; uboat 'Cancelled 1 November 1945' (the same day NavSource prints for sister hull AM-291 Risk); Wikipedia's mine-warfare list prints 'canceled December 1, 1944' - a conflation of the misprinted laydown date, not a real event. 11 Nov 1945 carried per DANFS. (c) Tonnage - NavSource and Colton print 998 t for this hull vs class-standard 945 t full (DANFS spec block for commissioned sisters) vs 625 t (HyperWar class figure) - basis unstated; 998 may reflect the merchant/reefer configuration. (d) Merchant rename chain - DANFS/NavSource: Cotten Bay 1953, Stratford 1960, Anastasio 1968; Colton: 'Cotton Bay 1954 ... Anastasio 1966' - spelling and year variances flagged; DANFS carried. (e) Propulsion rating - this page's NavSource spec prints 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8' (per-engine reading) while sibling Admirable pages print 855shp each (1,710 total); GSB-8 rating ~855 bhp each - 1,710 total carried; flagged. (f) Buyer/completion identity - DANFS 'purchased by a merchant shipping company' (unnamed); Colton 'completed as reefer'; NavSource 'purchased in 1947'; delivery-year 1946 (Colton) vs 1947 (DANFS/NavSource/navypedia) - unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1980s
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The merchant half of the record (purchaser, completion yard, registry particulars, flags, 1970s-80s disposition) rests on thin secondary coverage - no Lloyd's/register page was located. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-07
-
[8]Archival leads - NHHC photograph NH 72389 (c. 1945 fitting-out image credited on NavSource); NARA RG 19 BuShips records and the Navy contract file for the GE&DD Admirable-class block (yard hulls #59-67, AM 283-291); merchant-registry records for SS Harcourt Malcolm / Cotten Bay / Stratford / Anastasio (Merchant Vessels of the United States, Lloyd's Register); the 1947 hull-sale documentation (surplus-property disposal of a cancelled Navy contract) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02290 photo credit (NH 72389); archives.gov RG 19 group guide; Merchant Vessels of the United States annual registers (lead)
- 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) NHHC photo NH 72389, 'c. 1945 - fitting out at the General Engineering and Drydock Co., Alameda' (U.S. Navy photo, credited on NavSource - the only located image of this hull); (b) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the GE&DD block (ordered under the 2 May 1942 program per uboat) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules and cancellation/clearance documentation; (c) merchant-registry entries - 'Merchant Vessels of the United States' and Lloyd's Register entries for Harcourt Malcolm (1947) and successors, which would carry official number, tonnage, flag, and owner - not located in digitized sources this session; (d) the surplus-sale file documenting the 1947 hull purchase - agency trail unlocated (likely WSA/MC or Navy sales records). Note: no muster rolls or deck logs exist - the hull never commissioned, so there is no crew-record series for it.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1980s records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; the NARA catalog returned its JS shell (blocked) so even index-level confirmation was not possible this session. NH 72389 exists per NavSource's NHHC photo credit; its catalog page did not resolve. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-290 is unknown until records are surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-08
-
[9]Batch-1265 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory/hazegray mirror; NavSource 11/02290; Shipbuilding History GE&DD yard table; uboat.net 5354; navypedia Admirable table; globalsecurity AM-136 unit page; Wikipedia mine-warfare list; shipscribe usnprog cancellations table; NVR SHIPSDETAIL checks (AM_290 and MSF_290); NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 (all queries throttled HTTP 429 - shared quota exhausted by prior batch work); indexed-web litigation substitute; marketing-roster exclusion check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-reproof-am290-01 through sl-uss-reproof-am290-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Reproof / AM-290 / MSF-290 / Harcourt Malcolm / Cotten Bay / Stratford / Anastasio: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull or its merchant identities was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener litigation sweep could not be executed - every authenticated API v4 request returned HTTP 429 (shared 2,800/day quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine, ~37,000s to reset at fetch time; same wall hit by sibling batches 1254/1261 today) - so 'no litigation located' is a weaker claim here than in completed sweeps and is logged as blocked, not as a clean negative. Indexed-web substitutes surfaced no case naming the hull; site:courtlistener.com queries returned only unrelated W.R. Grace bankruptcy documents and other non-vessel filings. Law-firm minesweeper rosters (mesothelioma.com, mesotheliomahope.com, mesotheliomaveterans.org, freeasbestostesting.com) carry Admirable-class names generically - the visible rosters do not even include this cancelled hull - all excluded per source rules in any case. Uniquely among sisters: no Navy crew ever served aboard (never commissioned), so the standard Navy-veteran exposure framing does not apply - the plausible populations are construction/completion yard workers and merchant crews.
- 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 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load and its incomplete naval fit. The blocked CourtListener sweep leaves residual risk that a differently-phrased hull or merchant-name reference exists - logged as a gap. The hull's merchant disposal (1947) places it outside NDRF/MARAD custody records and U.S. Navy survey regimes; its fate post-1980s is undocumented. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reproof-am290-09