Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Scuffle (AM-298) (builder, dates, full service narrative, striking and transfer; verbatim official text - live NHHC page returns 404; hazegray transcription via Wayback capture 2025-01-20; HistoryCentral mirror concurs) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Scuffle (AM-298)', specifications block + service narrative; NHHC canonical URL /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/scuffle.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 4 May 1943 by Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, Wash.; launched 8 August 1943, sponsored by Miss Marianne Baron; commissioned 2 May 1944, Lt. Comdr. Erik A. Johnson in command. WWII Pacific service: sailed San Francisco 11 Jul 1944 for Pearl Harbor; swept old American minefield at French Frigate Shoals 6-15 Aug; convoy escort to Eniwetok; arrived San Pedro Bay, Leyte, 31 Dec 1944 and joined Mine Division 34. Pre-invasion sweeps: Lingayen Gulf 6 Jan 1945; Zambales and Subic Bay 29 and 31 Jan; Manila Bay from 13 Feb - off Corregidor 14 Feb within 5,000 yards, repeatedly straddled by Japanese fire (unit earned Navy Unit Commendation); Manila Bay harbor clearance with 15 YMS's and salvage ship Cable 24 Feb-10 Apr (615 sq mi swept, harbor reopened); Sulu Sea off Palawan 22-30 Apr; Morotai staging 9 May; Brunei Bay pre-invasion sweep from 2 Jun - ran aground on a reef 6 Jun damaging a screw, completed assigned sweeps, repairs at Subic Bay 12 Jun; rejoined off Balikpapan 26 Jun supporting YMS sweeps, departed 8 Jul for Subic overhaul (task group received Presidential Unit Citation for Balikpapan). Departed Philippines 6 Sep, arrived Sasebo 20 Oct through three typhoons; swept Japanese minefields in Tsushima Strait and the Ryukyus; sailed 9 Dec; arrived Orange, Tex., 2 Apr 1946; decommissioned 19 Jun 1946 and placed in reserve; reclassified MSF-298 effective 7 Feb 1955; struck 1 May 1962; transferred to Mexico 1 Oct 1962. Five battle stars. Spec block: 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.); cl. Admirable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1962
- Population
- Winslow yard construction trades 1943-44; wartime crew (complement 104)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service, and disposition - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404 (link rot consistent with Batch-01 findings); verbatim text retrieved from the hazegray transcription via a 2025-01-20 Wayback capture, concordant with the HistoryCentral mirror. Does not establish any asbestos condition aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-scuffle-am298-01
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[2]NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Scuffle (MSF 298) - compilation citing the Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 and a commanding-officer roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 11/02298, chronology + specifications block + commanding-officer roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific registry compilation: decommissioned 19 June 1946 at Orange, TX; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-298 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1962; transferred to Mexico 1 October 1962 and renamed ARM General Felipe Xicotencatl (C 53); 'sunk in 1999 off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico.' The Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists a plan to decommission and place the ship in reserve as of December 1945. Propulsion given as two 855-shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines with National Supply Co. single-reduction gear, two shafts (1,710 shp total). Full-load displacement 945 t.; speed 14.8 kts. CO roster: LCDR Erik A. Johnson USNR (2 May 1944-24 Aug 1945) through LTJG Searcy F. Griffin USNR (17 Feb-19 Jun 1946).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2000
- Population
- Construction trades; crew; reserve-fleet caretakers, Orange TX
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary document - values transcribe NVR/registry data but the underlying registers were not independently pulled. Propulsion entry conflicts with other compilations (ALCO 539 engines; Farrel-Birmingham gear) - conflict carried in gaps, not resolved. 'Sunk in 1999' conflicts with multiple dive-industry sources dating the reef sinking June 2000 (6 June per uboat.net); reconciled as Mexican retirement 1999 / sinking June 2000 - carried in gaps. Mexican pennant history (DM-05 vs C-53, 1994 renaming) also conflicts across compilations - carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-scuffle-am298-02
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[3]DANFS specifications block (Admirable class; commissioned 1944) + Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945 class sheet (diesel plant, twin screws) + documented WWII Navy construction era [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar class sheet AM-298 (propulsion line); DANFS spec block (construction era)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a steel-hulled Admirable-class minesweeper built 1943-44 under wartime Navy specifications would have carried period-standard asbestos applications - thermal insulation on machinery and exhaust uptakes, pipe and valve packing and gaskets, electrical insulation, fireproofing, and deck/joiner materials. As a diesel-driven hull (no boilers, no steam turbines), the classic boiler-lagging exposure pathway does not apply; the residual pathways are machinery/exhaust insulation, gaskets/packing, electrical materials, and accommodation fireproofing disturbed by maintenance.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-2000
- Population
- Winslow yard construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-46; reserve-fleet caretakers, Orange TX; Mexican Navy crew 1962-1999
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-level material specification, survey, or shipyard work package was located for AM-298. The inference describes what was typical for the type and era, not what is proven aboard this hull; establishes neither presence nor absence of asbestos aboard, no quantities, and no individual exposure. NARA RG19 General Information Books (per-vessel material specs) are the archival lead for upgrading this row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-scuffle-am298-03
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[4]California Diver Magazine, 'Diving the Felipe Xicotencatl C-53 Wreck' (reef project account quoting Eco Divers Cozumel) + PADI dive-site entry 'C-53 Wreck Felipe Xicotencatl' + uboat.net warship entry (sunk 6 June 2000, upright in 80 ft) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- californiadiver.com feature article (reef-project history); padi.com/dive-site/mexico/c-53-wreck-felipe-xicotencatl (depth, coordinates); uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5362.html (6 June 2000 date)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented end state for this hull: after transfer to Mexico in 1962 and ~37 years of Mexican Navy service, the ship was retired in 1999 and sunk in June 2000 (6 June per uboat.net) as an artificial reef off Chankanaab Park, Cozumel. The sinking was a deliberate project of ANOAAT (Cozumel watersports/tourism association) with local dive shops and the Parque Marino Arrecifes de Cozumel federal marine authority; the vessel was 'cleaned and prepared' before sinking, and large holes were cut into her sides and interior for diver entry/exit. She lies upright on a sand bar at ~80 ft (~24 m) at approximately 20.4454 N, 86.9987 W.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1999-2000 (retirement, prep, sinking); 2000-present (dive site)
- Population
- Mexican Navy crew 1962-1999; reef-prep workers ~1999-2000; recreational divers 2000-present
- Limitations
- Disposition and reef-site details verified across independent dive-industry sources (PADI, California Diver, uboat.net, dive-site registries). 'Cleaned and prepared' is documented at narrative level only - no pre-sinking hazmat manifest or ACM-removal record was located, so whether asbestos-containing material was removed before sinking is unknown. Present-day exposure pathway is limited to recreational divers on a submerged wreck. NavSource's 'sunk in 1999' conflicts with the June 2000 sinking date; reconciliation (retired 1999 / sunk June 2000) carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-scuffle-am298-04
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[5]Batch-1270 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live and Wayback; hazegray transcription; NavSource; CourtListener API v4 (blocked - daily quota exhausted); CourtListener web index (HTTP 403); web index litigation queries; NVR ship-detail lookup; shipyards.json cross-check; LoC/UNT archival leads [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-scuffle-am298-01 through sl-uss-scuffle-am298-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, government report, or published court opinion naming USS Scuffle (AM-298) was found in the public sources searched. Web-index litigation queries returned only law-firm marketing list pages (mesothelioma.com, mesotheliomahelp.org, mesotheliomaveterans.org) naming the ship in generic minesweeper lists - non-qualifying, excluded per source rules. The CourtListener API sweep could not be executed - authenticated daily quota (2,800/day) exhausted, HTTP 429, ~10-hour reset - and the web interface returned HTTP 403, so the litigation picture is incomplete rather than affirmatively empty.
- 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 or of exposure; a 1943-44 steel warship is era-consistent with retained asbestos materials. The CourtListener gap is material but collision risk is low - only one U.S. Navy ship has borne the name Scuffle. A docket-level sweep ('USS Scuffle', 'AM-298', 'MSF-298', 'DM-05', 'Xicotencatl') is still required before 'no litigation' can be asserted. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-scuffle-am298-05
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[6]Library of Congress Veterans History Project, Robert McMunn Napier collection (AFC/2001/001/50895): Motor Machinist's Mate Third Class, service 1943-1945, units 'USS Surfbird (AM 383); USS Scuffle (AM 29[8])' - 40:55 oral history; plus UNT Portal to Texas History oral-history interview with Searcy Griffin (20 Jul 2006), Scuffle's last commanding officer (Feb-Jun 1946); NARA archival leads (deck logs; RG19 General Information Books) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LoC VHP item AFC/2001/001/50895; texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1605004 (Griffin interview)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named crew records confirm personnel served aboard this hull: a motor machinist's mate 1943-1945 (LoC VHP catalog entry; the 'AM 29' unit string truncates AM-298 - only one USS Scuffle existed) and an oral history from the officer who commissioned her and took her out of commission. Archival leads not yet pursued: NARA deck logs for AM-298 and RG19 General Information Books (per-vessel material specifications) - the GIB in particular is the standard path to hull-level material specs for WWII construction.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (service); leads open
- Population
- Wartime crew members (motor machinist's mate 1943-45; commanding officer 1946)
- Limitations
- The catalog/oral-history entries document service only - they contain no asbestos, health, or materials information. The Griffin interview misremembers the builder as 'the Bremerton Ship Yard' (the ship was built by Winslow Marine Railway, Winslow/Seattle per DANFS) - oral-history caveat noted in gaps. NARA holdings are not digitized in the sources reviewed; retrieval not performed. None of these leads has been confirmed to contain asbestos-relevant material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-scuffle-am298-06