USS Saunter (AM-295)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Saunter' (AM-295) - official NHHC entry, verified verbatim from Wayback capture 2025-01-25 (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01); verbatim mirror transcription at hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am295.htm via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Saunter' entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 20250125125136 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/saunter.html)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 795; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 2 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 dct., 2 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.)). Laid down 23 November 1942 by Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, Wash.; launched 20 February 1943 (sponsor Mrs. Merle Black); commissioned 22 January 1944, Lt. Comdr. James R. Keefer in command. Service: shakedown, then San Francisco to Hawaii 1 Apr 1944; three months convoy duty Pearl Harbor/Majuro/Midway/Kwajalein; swept old U.S. minefield at French Frigate Shoals 6-15 Aug; Manus mid-Sep, 7th Fleet for Leyte; joined Mine Division 34 off Leyte beaches 20 Oct for four-day sweep of the main transport channel, then AA support with transports; 27-31 Oct survivor search at the Battle off Samar scene; a month of local patrols/sweeps near Leyte; pre-invasion sweeps Ormoc Bay 6 Dec, Mindoro 14 Dec (brief reef grounding, propeller damage), Lingayen Gulf 6 Jan 1945, Zambales/Subic Bay 29-31 Jan; kamikaze resistance intense - 7 Dec tried unsuccessfully to control fires aboard kamikaze victim USS Ward (APD-16); 13 Feb 1945 Manila Bay pre-invasion sweeps for Mariveles/Corregidor, straddled by Japanese fire off Corregidor on the 14th; swept Manila Bay through 19 Feb; division earned Navy Unit Commendation for 14-18 Feb; on 26 Feb struck a mine in Manila Bay that 'blew a large hole in her bottom' - damage control contained flooding; towed to Subic Bay, then towed to the U.S., arriving San Francisco 15 Aug 1945; decommissioned 27 October 1945; struck 13 November 1945; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 24 April 1946. Three battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1946

   Population

   Winslow Marine Railway construction trades (1942-43); wartime crew (design complement 104) including damage-control parties after the 26 Feb 1945 mine strike

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. It does not state the yard's city precisely ('Seattle' vs the yard's actual Eagle Harbor/Winslow, Bainbridge Island location per Colton), does not give a propulsion plant, and does not describe repair scope after the 26 Feb 1945 mine strike. Live NHHC URL 404s - the 2025-01-25 Wayback capture of the official page is cited; the hazegray mirror agrees verbatim except trivial spec-block punctuation ('dep.' vs 'dcp.').

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Saunter (AM 295), file 11/02295 (cited via Wayback capture 2025-01-25; live navsource.org fetch failed this session) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02295 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits (Wayback capture 20250125124942)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; laid down 23 November 1942 by the Winslow Marine Railway and Ship Building Co., Seattle, WA; launched 20 February 1943; commissioned USS Saunter (AM 295) 22 January 1944; 'Decommissioned 22 October 1945 at Alameda, CA'; struck from the Naval Register 13 November 1945; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 24 April 1946 with the parenthetical 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists transfer to the War Shipping Administration in April 1947'; 'Sold in April 1947 to Learner and Co. of Oakland, CA. Fate unknown.' Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6"; 33'; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; complement 104; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one twin 40mm mount, six 20mm mounts, one depth-charge projector (hedgehog), 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.' Call sign Nan-Queen-Oboe-Nan. Commanding officers: LCDR James Robert Keefer USNR (22 Jan 1944 - 14 Jun 1945); LT Dallas Walker Hunter USNR (14 Jun 1945 - 27 Oct 1945). Photo credit 'Addendum to Dictionary of American Fighting Ships' (Ron Reeves).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Winslow Marine Railway trades (1942-43); commissioned-era crew (complement 104); Alameda decommissioning crews (Oct 1945); Maritime Commission handling (1946); Learner and Co. workers (1947)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its '22 October 1945 at Alameda' decommissioning conflicts with DANFS (27 October) and with its own CO list (Hunter's tenure ends 27 October) - flagged in correction row ev-07, not silently merged; 27 October carried. The NVR-1949 parenthetical (transfer to WSA April 1947) post-dates the documented 24 Apr 1946 Maritime Commission transfer - sequence ambiguity carried as written. Minor spec variances vs DANFS (945 t fl vs 795; 14.8 kts vs 15; 9'9" vs 9'; four K-guns vs two dcp) noted in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Winslow Marine Railway' yard table - Saunter (AM 295) row (Port Blakeley WA / Winslow WA yard listing) [other_primary]

   Locator

   winslow.htm - 'WINSLOW MARINE RAILWAY' table, Saunter (AM 295) row + yard history header (update of 30 Aug 2016)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: 'Saunter (AM 295) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d [tons] | Delivery 22-Jan-44 | Scrapped 1946.' The table places her in a consecutive Winslow minesweeper block: Salute (AM 294, 'Mined off Labuan and lost 1945'), Saunter (AM 295), Scout (AM 296, to Mexico 1963), Scrimmage (AM 297, sold 1962 - later cable ship Giant II / research vessel Mahi, reefed Hawaii 1982), Scuffle (AM 298, to Mexico 1963), Sentry (AM 299, to Vietnam 1962), Serene (AM 300, to Vietnam 1963) - and an earlier Auk-type block (Pursuit AM 108, Requisite AM 109, Revenge AM 110, Sage AM 111) at the heavier 1250d table value. Yard history header: founded as Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding (1878, Port Blakely); moved to a 77-acre Eagle Harbor site near Madrone (renamed Winslow); renamed Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding under Capt. James Griffiths 1916; built steel minesweepers during WWII at a peak workforce of 2,300; sold 1948 as Commercial Ship Repair of Winslow; closed 1959; site later split between a marina, apartments, and a Washington State Ferries maintenance facility.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1946

   Population

   Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding construction workforce (Eagle Harbor, Winslow WA, 1942-43; WWII peak about 2,300)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with DANFS on builder and the 22-Jan-44 delivery/commissioning. Its '850d' tonnage is a table value differing from DANFS's 795 and NavSource's 945 fl - measures differ across compilations; DANFS carried. 'Scrapped 1946' conflicts with NavSource's documented April 1947 sale to Learner and Co. - flagged in correction row ev-07, not merged; both carried. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-03

4. [4]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource 11/02295 spec block; HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AM-295 page: 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.') + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02295 propulsion line (Wayback 20250125124942); HyperWar AM-295_Saunter page spec list; DANFS construction/service dates

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1942-43-built steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel twin-screw plant (two 855-shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels through a National Supply single reduction gear per NavSource - geared drive, not steam). No boilers, no steam distribution - the insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1942-43 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: Winslow construction trades (Eagle Harbor, 1942-43); the wartime crew (design complement 104) across the Hawaii convoy runs and the Leyte/Philippines sweep campaign - including the damage-control parties working inside the ruptured hull after the 26 Feb 1945 Manila Bay mine strike; tow/disposal-chain workers (Subic Bay, San Francisco, Alameda, 1945); Maritime Commission handling (1946); and Learner and Co. acquisition/scrapping workers (1946-47, undocumented).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Winslow trades (1942-43); crew 1944-45; post-strike damage-control and tow crews (1945); disposal workers (1946-47, undocumented)

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-295 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel plant makes even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era. Propulsion sourcing: NavSource hull-specific block carried; HyperWar's 'diesel-electric, 1,800 h.p.' and Wikipedia's 'ALCO 539 / Farrel-Birmingham' conflict - see ev-07.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-04

5. [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); 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 Winslow Marine Railway, Eagle Harbor. 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-powered minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-05

6. [6]Batch-1267 search ledger (this record): DANFS via NHHC Wayback capture + hazegray mirror; NavSource 11/02295 via Wayback; HyperWar ships compilation; Shipbuilding History Winslow yard table; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, attempted - throttled); MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; NARA catalog/DPLA; Shipscribe; derivative pages (NavalCoverMuseum, HistoryCentral, Wikipedia, uboat.net) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-saunter-am295-01 through sl-uss-saunter-am295-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Saunter / AM-295: 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). Non-authoritative marketing listicles (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsite table: 'USS Saunter | AM-295 | Admirable | 1/22/1944 | To Maritime Commission, 1946'; mesotheliomahelp.org generic minesweeper roster) carry name-list mentions only - excluded per source rules; they hold no hull-specific evidence. IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION: the authenticated CourtListener sweep could not be executed this session - API v4 returned HTTP 429 on every query (2,800/day account quota exhausted; ~10-hour backoff) and the public Atom feed was CloudFront-blocked (403) - so the litigation surface is unresolved, not verified-clear.

   Verification

   partial

   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 1942-43-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull's 1946-47 disposal forecloses any present-day survey pathway. The incomplete CourtListener sweep means a docketed case naming the hull cannot be ruled out this session - the sweep is logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution - official NHHC DANFS text (Wayback 2025-01-25) vs hazegray mirror transcription vs NavSource 11/02295 vs Colton Winslow yard table vs HistoryCentral/NavalCoverMuseum/uboat.net derivative pages vs Wikipedia infobox vs HyperWar compilation [other_primary]

   Locator

   Wayback 20250125125136 NHHC DANFS 'Saunter' entry; hazegray am295.htm (Wayback 20240526125131); NavSource 11/02295 (Wayback 20250125124942); shipbuildinghistory.com winslow.htm; historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/saunter.html; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/SAUNTER_AM_295; uboat.net/allies/warships/5359.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saunter_(AM-295)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Decommissioning - DANFS reads 27 October 1945; NavSource reads '22 October 1945 at Alameda' but its own CO list ends LT Hunter's tenure 27 October 1945, internally consistent with DANFS; NavalCoverMuseum, HistoryCentral, Wikipedia, and uboat.net all read 27 October - DANFS's 27 October carried, the NavSource 22-October variant flagged. (b) Disposal path - NavSource: sold April 1947 to Learner and Co. of Oakland, 'fate unknown' (plus NVR-1949 note of an April 1947 transfer to WSA); Colton yard table: 'Scrapped 1946'; Wikipedia: 'fate not known' - a 1946 scrapping vs a 1947 commercial sale conflict; both carried, Maritime Commission disposal file is the resolution path. (c) Propulsion - NavSource hull-specific 'two 855shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply single reduction gear' (geared) vs HyperWar 'diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' vs Wikipedia infobox '2 x ALCO 539, 1,710 shp, Farrel-Birmingham reduction gear' - Admirable-class plants varied by builder block; NavSource carried for this hull, the 'diesel-electric' label treated as a class-compilation mislabel. (d) Displacement - DANFS 795 vs NavSource 945 fl vs HyperWar 625 vs Colton 850d vs Wikipedia 650 - DANFS carried. (e) Minor spec variance - draft DANFS 9' vs NavSource/HyperWar 9'9"/10'; speed 15 vs 14.8 kts; armament DANFS '2 dcp' vs NavSource 'four depth charge projectors (K-guns)'; DANFS '2 40mm' vs NavSource 'one twin 40mm' - DANFS carried, variances noted. (f) Builder location - DANFS/NavSource 'Seattle, Wash.' vs Colton/uboat.net 'Winslow (Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island), WA' - the physical yard was at Eagle Harbor, Winslow; 'Seattle' is the loose reference; carried with note.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The decommissioning conflict is resolved in favor of DANFS corroborated by NavSource's own CO list; the disposal-path conflict is unresolved (documented, not hidden). No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-07

8. [8]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 (see negative_finding row and search_ledger - and note the CourtListener sweep itself was throttled this session, so absence is partial). 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 Saunter 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; no pleading naming this hull was located (CourtListener sweep incomplete - throttled). Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-08

9. [9]Archival leads - NARA RG 24 deck logs (Jan 1944 - Oct 1945); NARA WWII muster rolls for AM-295 (series demonstrably covers sister AM hulls via DPLA-indexed items - e.g., 'Heed (AM-100), 2/26/43-1/15/47'); NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Winslow minesweeper block; the BuShips war-damage report expected for the 26 Feb 1945 mine strike; Maritime Commission / WSA disposal file for the Apr 1946 transfer and Apr 1947 Learner sale [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; DPLA aggregator precedent (Heed AM-100 muster-roll item 45cd45a127ee9ac388b276064b48a54f); Maritime Commission disposal records

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized; NARA catalog API requires a key this session; DPLA API returned 403): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the commissioned period (Jan 1944-Oct 1945) - operations record, includes the 26 Feb 1945 mine strike and damage-control entries; (b) NARA WWII muster rolls for this hull - the series demonstrably covers sister AM hulls via DPLA-indexed items, though no Saunter-specific item was surfaced this session; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Winslow Marine Railway minesweeper block (AM-294 through AM-300 and the earlier Auk-type block) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) the Bureau of Ships war-damage report expected for the 26 February 1945 mine strike - formally surveyed mined ships generated damage reports describing structure, flooding boundaries, and disturbed materials - the single most promising hull-level materials document for this vessel; (e) the Maritime Commission / War Shipping Administration disposal file for the 24 Apr 1946 transfer and April 1947 Learner sale - the resolution path for the 'scrapped 1946' vs 'sold 1947' conflict.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1947 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-295 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls and deck logs are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation; a war-damage report would document structural and insulation disturbance around the mine hole but is unretrieved. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-saunter-am295-09