Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Ruff' (AMc-59); verbatim transcription via Haze Gray & Underway DANFS mirror, Internet Archive Wayback capture 2024-05-26 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Ruff' entry, full text + stats line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Ruff (AMc-59): 'A common Eurasian sandpiper.' Stats line: 'dp. 340; l. 98'6"; b. 24'; dr. 11'; s. 10 k.; cpl. 17; a. 2 dct.' The first Ruff (AMc-59), originally named Speaker, was laid down in 1940 by Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif.; acquired by the Navy 31 December 1940; named Ruff and designated AMc-59 on 5 March 1941; launched 24 April 1941; sponsored by Miss Martha Jane Shown; and placed in service 31 October 1941, Ens. W. H. Roberts, USNR, in command. Assigned the 14th Naval District, Ruff was escorted to Pearl Harbor where she arrived 11 March 1942 for duty. A coastal minesweeper equipped with acoustical, magnetic and 'O' type gear, she operated in the Hawaiian Islands throughout the war. From January 1943 through September she was stationed at the section base at Bishops' Point, Oahu, Hawaii. She remained with the Hawaiian local defense forces through September 1945. Ruff was placed out of service at San Diego 23 January 1946, was struck from the Navy list 7 February 1946, and released to the Maritime Commission for disposal 29 August 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Population
- Martinolich construction trades (San Diego CA, 1940-41); wartime crew (design complement 17)
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity/history record naming this hull. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC DANFS page for this entry not located (404 on danfs/r/ruff.html and content/history/nhhc/ prefix variants, 2026-09-23 - same link-rot pattern as batches 01, 1454, 1457, 1460); hazegray.org itself unreachable this session, so the verbatim transcription is cited via a Wayback capture of the hazegray mirror. DANFS ends its record at the 1947 Maritime Commission release - nothing on the 1949 American Belle registration. Its stats-line '340' tons conflicts with the official Ships' Data 1945 and NavSource (307 t full load); its '2 dct' armament print (depth-charge tracks) vs NavSource/SDB '.50 cal. machine guns' is flagged in the correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Ruff (AMc 59), navsource.net/archives/11/03059.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AMc-59 page, chronology block, specifications block, call signs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive entry for Ruff (AMc 59): confirms the DANFS chronology (built 1940 as Hull No. 251 by Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, CA, named Speaker; acquired 31 December 1940; renamed Ruff and designated AMc 59, 5 March 1941; launched 24 April 1941; placed in service 31 October 1941; placed out of service 23 January 1946 at San Diego; struck from the Naval Register 7 February 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 29 August 1947) and extends it past DANFS: 'Registered in 1949 to Manuel Betencourt of San Diego, CA as the fishing boat American Belle. Fate unknown.' Spec block: displacement 307 t (1949: 199 t); length 98'6" (1949: 91.3'); beam 24' (1949: 24.3'); draft 11'1" (1949: 10.9'); speed 10 kts; complement 17 (1949: 13); armament two .50 cal. machine guns; propulsion one 465 bhp Superior L. D. P. diesel engine, one shaft. Call signs Nan-Baker-Mike-How (Ruff) and King-Able-Able-Nan (American Belle).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1949+
- Population
- Wartime crew (1941-1946); fishing-boat crews (1949-?)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against DANFS where they overlap. Sole source for the post-Navy chain (1949 registration to Manuel Betencourt as fishing vessel American Belle; 'fate unknown'), the 1949 merchant-registry spec changes, and the call signs - none located in any corroborating source. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-02
-
[3]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945 edition (U.S. Navy), Vol. 2 - Coastal Minesweepers (AMc) tables, pp. 50-53; digitized scan at shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. 2, AMc tables pp. 50-53: Ruff rows (dimensions/displacement; builder/dates; machinery/generators/oil capacity); 'No. 61-110 Class' block label; .50 cal. AA M.G. footnote
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels (1945), Vol. 2, Mine Sweepers (Coastal) (AMc) tables - official Navy data book, digitized on shipscribe.com. Ruff row (entry 27, 'RUFF (ex - Hull # 251)', AM059): length overall 98'6", waterline 92'6", extreme beam 24'0", full-load displacement 307 tons, 4 tons per inch immersion, trial speed 10.0 knots. Dates block: 'Date acquired 31 Dec 40; year built 1941; placed in service 31 Oct 41.' Machinery block: 1 propeller; Superior Diesel L.D.P. engine, 465 shaft horsepower; 2 diesel-drive ship's-service generators, 15 kW each, 120 V DC; diesel oil capacity 280 bbls. Armament footnote for the type: 'All AMc's except AMc 203 and 264 have .50 cal. AA M.G.' The SDB lists AMc-56 Kingbird (ex-Governor Saltonstall), AMc-57 Phoebe (ex-Western Robin), AMc-58 Rhea (ex-Hull #250), AMc-59 Ruff, and AMc-60 Chanticleer as individual acquired craft - differing builders, dimensions, tonnages, and engines - ahead of the standard-design block labeled 'No. 61-110 Class' beginning at AMc-61 Acme.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1945 (data as of publication); 1940-41 construction
- Population
- Wartime crew; engineering ratings (diesel plant, 2 ship's-service generators)
- Limitations
- Official Navy publication naming this hull with contemporaneous machinery and dimension data - the strongest source on the plant: single Superior diesel, no boilers or steam system, which constrains asbestos-relevant machinery scope to machinery fittings. Builder column prints 'Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., Tacoma, Wash.' for Rhea with 'do' (ditto) for Ruff - conflicting with DANFS's San Diego; carried in the correction row. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-03
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton) - Martinolich Shipbuilding yard table (hulls 250/251, ON 256152, owner A. C. Martinolich) and Lynch Shipbuilding yard page (San Diego, foot of 28th St; 'Built by Martinolich Shipbuilding' block); Coastal Minesweepers table AMc-59 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory Martinolich yard table rows 250/251; Lynch yard page 'Built by Martinolich Shipbuilding' block; minesweepers2 table 'AMc-59 | Ruff | Martinolich SB | 98 | 307 | 15 Oct 1941 | ex-Speaker (Hull 251, acquired 1940, to MARAD 1946'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), Martinolich yard table and Lynch Shipbuilding yard page: hull 251, official number 256152, 'Speaker', owner A. C. Martinolich, type fishing vessel/trawler, 307 tons, 98 ft, 1941, 'to USN 1942 as Ruff (AMc 59), sold 1946 as American Belle'; hull 250 same owner 'to USN 1942 as Rhea (AMc-58)'. The Lynch yard page documents that the San Diego yard at the foot of 28th Street 'had been idle for years when it was acquired and reactivated in 1940 by Martinolich Shipbuilding. Martinolich got into difficulties early, however, and Frank Lynch ... took over the yard in 1941' - placing hulls 250/251 at the San Diego yard under 'Built by Martinolich Shipbuilding.' Lynch Shipbuilding was a wooden-shipbuilding company; San Diego fishing clippers of the period were diesel-powered wooden boats, consistent with the coastal-minesweeper acquisition pattern.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1949
- Population
- Martinolich/Lynch yard workforce (San Diego CA, 1940-41)
- Limitations
- Scholarly compiler's yard tables built from official register data, secondary in character - corroborates builder yard identity, the trawler/fishing-vessel origin, official number 256152, tonnage (307 vs DANFS 340), and the sister-hull pairing with Rhea. Its 'to USN 1942' shorthand conflicts with the DANFS-documented 31 Dec 1940 acquisition, and 'sold 1946' compresses the 1947 MARAD release and 1949 registration - flagged in the correction row. 'Wooden-hulled' for this specific hull is inferred from the builder's documented wooden-boat practice and the AMc type, not from a hull-specific construction record. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-04
-
[5]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-level inference only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this hull was built. Period marine diesel installations and auxiliary machinery commonly used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and exhaust-system insulation; aboard a ~307-ton, 98-ft wooden-hulled diesel craft with no boilers and no steam plant the plausible applications, if any, would be confined to such machinery fittings - a materially smaller profile than steam-driven vessels.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1946
- Population
- Martinolich construction trades (San Diego CA, 1940-41); wartime crew (design complement 17)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship only - does not name this vessel or the AMc type and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. No class- or design-specific material documentation for AMc coastal minesweepers was located; the wooden-hulled diesel profile limits plausible scope relative to steam-driven vessels. The machinery-fitting applications named are general era practice, not documented aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-05
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[6]DANFS 'Ruff' stats line (dp. 340; a. 2 dct; cpl. 17) vs SDB 1945 AMc tables (307 t; Superior Diesel 465 shp; 'Martinolich ... Tacoma, Wash.'; 'No. 61-110 Class' grouping) vs NavSource spec block (307 t; two .50 cal) vs shipbuilding-history rows (Martinolich SB; 15 Oct 1941; 'to USN 1942'/'sold 1946') [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Same citations as ev-01 through ev-04
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies documented, not reconciled: (a) displacement - DANFS stats line prints 340; the official Ships' Data 1945, NavSource, and shipbuilding-history all print 307 (full load) - the official data-book figure is the stronger source. (b) builder location - SDB 1945 prints 'Martinolich Shipbuilding Co., Tacoma, Wash.' (Rhea row, 'do' ditto for Ruff) vs DANFS 'San Diego, Calif.', NavSource 'San Diego, CA', and shipbuilding-history's Lynch-yard table placing hulls 250/251 at the San Diego yard; Tacoma was the firm's home yard, San Diego the branch - both prints retained. (c) in-service date - DANFS/NavSource/SDB print 31 Oct 1941; shipbuilding-history's minesweeper table prints 15 Oct 1941 (matching sister Rhea's in-service date - possible transposition). (d) acquisition/disposal shorthand - shipbuilding-history yard table prints 'to USN 1942' (vs DANFS 31 Dec 1940) and 'sold 1946' (vs 1947 MARAD release, 1949 registration per NavSource). (e) armament - DANFS stats line 'a. 2 dct' (two depth-charge tracks); NavSource 'two .50 cal. machine guns'; SDB footnote '.50 cal. AA M.G.' for the type. (f) class membership - AMc-56..60 are individual acquired craft, not the standard 'No. 61-110' design, per SDB's own grouping and per-builder rows; any 'Accentor-class' or 'Ruff-class' styling for this hull is secondary-source shorthand. (g) command - Ens. W. H. Roberts, USNR, rests on DANFS alone.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940-1949
- Limitations
- Resolves nothing - documents genuine multi-source conflicts so a future pass does not silently pick one figure. The 307 t full-load figure (official data book, two corroborating compilations) is preferred over DANFS's 340; San Diego is preferred for build location (DANFS + shipbuilding-history yard table) with SDB's Tacoma print retained. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-06
-
[7]NARA, Special List #44 by ship number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf, 'AMC-59 (Ruff) 4/1/1942 9/30/1945'); NARA 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' guidance page; NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' list [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number list, AMC block, line 'AMC-59 (Ruff) 4/1/1942 9/30/1945' (verified by direct PDF text extraction); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online digitized list - 'Ruff (MSCO/AMS-54/YMS-327)' only
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, by ship number) indexes one deck-log run for this hull under 'AMC-59 (Ruff)': 4/1/1942 - 9/30/1945 - covering essentially the entire Hawaiian wartime career (arrival at Pearl Harbor was 11 March 1942; she remained with Hawaiian local defense forces through September 1945). The logs are held in Record Group 24 at the National Archives at College Park. This hull does not appear on NARA's published list of digitized deck logs in the National Archives Catalog - the 'Ruff' on that list is MSCO/AMS-54/YMS-327, the other USS Ruff, a different ship - so the run is retrievable only via Archives II textual reference. Coverage limitation: nothing is indexed for October 1941 - March 1942 (in-service, fitting out, transit to Pearl Harbor) or October 1945 - January 1946 (return to San Diego, out of service).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-1945 records
- Limitations
- Verifies that NARA indexes a log run for this specific hull and its date coverage - not the logs' content, which is unsurveyed (no box-level retrieval performed; no spend authorized). Whether unindexed runs exist for Oct 1941 - Mar 1942 and Oct 1945 - Jan 1946 is unknown. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-07
-
[8]Batch-1595 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Wayback/hazegray mirror); NavSource; Ships' Data Book 1945 (shipscribe); shipbuilding-history; NARA SL-44 + digitized-log list; CourtListener API v4; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; master-hull-list.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ruff-amc59-01 through sl-uss-ruff-amc59-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming USS Ruff, AMc-59, Speaker, or American Belle was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener coverage (authenticated API v4): 'USS Ruff' opinion search returned zero hits; 'USS Ruff' docket search returned zero hits; 'AMc-59'/'AMC-59' opinion search returned five hits, all name collisions on 'A.M.C.' (American Maritime Cases) reporter citations in unrelated maritime cases - no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 2026-09-23
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1940-41-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery fittings 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ruff-amc59-08