USS Serene (AM-300)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Serene' (AM-300) - verbatim official text via the HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, concordant with the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil pages /danfs/s/serene.html under both URL patterns return 404 - standing link rot, same as batches 01/1254/1261/1265/1270; hazegray.org itself unreachable at fetch time) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Serene' (AM-300) entry, specifications block + full service narrative (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AM/am300.html; mirror: losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am300.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: spec block 'AM-300: dp. 625; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 15 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 2 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 dct., 2 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.); cl. Admirable'. Laid down 8 August 1943 by the Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co., Winslow, Wash.; launched 31 October 1943, sponsored by Miss Maxine Noblett; commissioned 24 June 1944, Lt. James E. Calloway in command. Shakedown off southern California; sailed for Pearl Harbor 29 August, arrived 6 September; ocean escort duty on Hawaii-Eniwetok-San Francisco convoy runs into December; fleet and type exercises to mid-January 1945. 22 January: escorted Tractor Group Able to the Marianas for the Iwo Jima campaign; screening Terror (TG 52.3 flagship), arrived Volcano Islands 16 February; MinDiv 36 swept ~15 miles south of Iwo Jima and cleared landing-beach approaches through the 18th; anti-submarine patrols 20-28 February. Via Ulithi to Operation 'Iceberg': swept Kerama Retto 25-26 March; marker vessel and ASW patrol off Kerama Retto from 31 March; supported the 1 April Hagushi landings; picked up SS Hobbs Victory survivors 6 April; swept Kerama Retto-Okinawa sea lanes; cleared Ie Shima approaches mid-April; availability at Kerama Retto 16 April; sailed for Ulithi 4 May. Returned to the Ryukyus 28 May screening convoy UOK 16; patrolled off Nakagusuku Wan (Buckner Bay) and Kerama Retto; swept the Mayako Jima area to 23 June; escorted an LST convoy to Leyte in early July and was in overhaul there when hostilities ended mid-August. Post-war minesweeping: Yellow Sea off Korea late August-early September; group became the Sasebo Sweep Group 7 September; began clearing the entrance to Nagasaki 9 September; off west Kyushu through September; eastern Tsushima Strait in October; off Korea's east coast in the Sea of Japan early November; shallow western Tsushima waters mid-November; sailed for home 12 December. Arrived Galveston 26 January 1946; shifted to Orange 8 May; decommissioned 19 July 1946, berthed Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Reclassified MSF-300 7 February 1955; in reserve until July 1963; converted to a patrol and escort craft; transferred under the Military Assistance Program to the Republic of Vietnam 24 January 1964; struck from the Navy list 1 August 1964. 'Serene earned 3 battle stars during World War II and 3 during post-war minesweeping operations.' Transcriber's note: named Nhut Tao in Vietnamese service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1964

   Population

   Winslow yard construction trades (1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 104)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, full service narrative, reclassification, transfer, and striking - not materials or asbestos content. Silent on: the ordered date; the conversion yard for the 1963 patrol/escort-craft refit; RVN-side service detail (the transcriber's note supplies the Nhut Tao name only); and the hull's 1974 fate (the entry predates it). Live NHHC page 404s; verbatim transcription cited via HyperWar/ibiblio with the losthistory/hazegray mirror concordant.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Serene (MSF 300) ex-AM-300, file 11/02300 [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/11/02300.htm - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO roster, photo credits (19-LCM-AM300-1)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; call sign November-Quebec-Romeo-Juliet; 'Laid down 8 August 1943 by the Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co., Winslow, WA'; launched 31 October 1943; commissioned USS Serene (AM 300) 24 June 1944; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945'; 'Decommissioned 19 July 1946 at Orange, TX'; 'Reclassified as a Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull), MSF-300, 7 February 1955'; 'Transferred to South Vietnam 24 January 1964 and renamed RVN Nhut Tao (HQ 10)'; 'Struck from the Naval Register 1 August 1964'; 'Nhut Tao took part in the battle over ownership of the Paracel Islands between the Republic of South Vietnam and the People's Republic of China. On 19 January 1974 Nhut Tao was hit by a surface-to-surface missile and sank.' Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one twin 40mm mount, six 20mm mounts, one depth-charge projector (hedgehog), four K-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts.' CO roster: LT James Edward Calloway, USN (24 June 1944 - 19 July 1946) - the sole listed CO, matching DANFS 'Lt. James E. Calloway' (uboat prints USNR). Photo credit: NARA photo 19-LCM-AM300-1, camouflage 32/21D, probably Puget Sound, via the usndazzle 'Ships of the U.S. Navy in WWII' compilation; RVN-era photos credited to the VNN Coastal Group 16 website and D. T. Vu.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1974

   Population

   Winslow trades (1943-44); U.S. crew 1944-46; Orange reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-63; RVN crews 1964-1974

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. The NVR-1949 'plan ... as December 1945' note is a planning datum, not an event - the documented decommissioning is 19 July 1946 (flagged in ev-07). The 1974 sinking line is consistent with the veteran-site account (ev-06) and Wikipedia; the 'surface-to-surface missile' mechanism is one side of a documented dispute (China claims an RPG - flagged in ev-07). Its '1,710shp' per-engine print conflicts with sibling Admirable pages' 855shp-each (1,710 total) reading and with Wikipedia's ALCO 539/Farrel-Birmingham infobox - flagged in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Winslow Marine Railway, Port Blakeley WA / Winslow WA' yard table - Serene (AM 300) row + yard history header [other_primary]

   Locator

   winslow.htm - Serene (AM 300) row; Admirable block AM 238-245 and AM 294-301; Auk-class rows AM 108-111; yard history header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull (no yard hull number - 'na'): 'Serene (AM 300) | US Navy | Minesweeper | 850d | 24-Jun-44 | To Vietnam 1963 as Nhut Tao (HQ 10), scrapped.' Block context - the Winslow Admirable sequence in the table: AM 238 Garland, AM 239 Gayety, AM 240 Hazard (the sole preserved class exemplar, museum at Omaha since 1971), AM 241 Hilarity, AM 242 Inaugural, AM 243-245 Illusive/Imbue/Impervious (cancelled 1945), and AM 294 Salute (mined off Labuan, lost 1945), AM 295 Saunter, AM 296 Scout, AM 297 Scrimmage, AM 298 Scuffle, AM 299 Sentry, AM 300 Serene, AM 301 Shelter - all printed 850d. Earlier Winslow Navy construction: Auk-class AM 108-111 (Pursuit, Requisite, Revenge, Sage, printed 1250d). Yard history header: Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co. founded by Henry Hall 1878 at Port Blakely; in 1903 outgrew the site and Hall developed a larger 77-acre yard at Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island, near the village of Madrone - later renamed Winslow for Hall's deceased brother; Hall sold 1916 to Capt. James Griffiths, who renamed it Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company and leased it 1917 to D. W. Hartzel, Inc. for USSB machinery-installation work; Griffiths ran it post-WWI primarily as a repair facility for ferry operators; during WWII 'he built steel minesweepers, reaching a peak workforce of 2,300'; yard sold 1948 and renamed Commercial Ship Repair of Winslow; gradually shrank and closed 1959; property split among a marina, an apartment complex, and a Washington State Ferries maintenance facility.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1878-1959 (yard); 1943-1944 (this hull)

   Population

   Winslow construction workforce (peak ~2,300 per Colton header)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, delivery month (24-Jun-44 matches the 24 Jun 1944 commissioning), tonnage class (850d), and the Vietnam transfer path. Its 'To Vietnam 1963' predates the documented 24 Jan 1964 transfer by months (the conversion began July 1963 per DANFS - a probable conflation) and its disposition 'scrapped' is contradicted by the documented combat loss 19 Jan 1974 (ev-02, ev-06) - both flagged in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-03

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Serene (AM 300), ship page 5364; corroborated by navypedia.org Admirable-class table (AM300: 'Commercial Ship Repair, Winslow' - laid 8.1943, launched 31.10.1943, comm 6.1944, 'to South Vietnam 1.1964 (Nhut Tảo)') [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5364.html - data table and CO list; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_ms_pc_admirable_pce.htm - AM300 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper AM 300; 'Built by Winslow Marine Railways & Ship Building Corp. (Winslow, Washington, U.S.A.)'; ordered 2 May 1942; laid down 8 Aug 1943; launched 31 Oct 1943; commissioned 24 Jun 1944; end of service 19 Jul 1946; 'Decommissioned 19 July 1946 at Orange, Texas. Transferred to South Vietnam 24 January 1964 and renamed Nhut Tao (HQ 10). Struck from the Naval Register 1 August 1964.' CO roster: T/Lt. James Edward Calloway, USNR (24 Jun 1944 - 19 Jul 1946) - corroborates NavSource's sole-CO listing and DANFS's 'Lt. James E. Calloway.' navypedia's class table independently prints AM300 Serene - builder 'Commercial Ship Repair, Winslow' (the yard's post-1948 name applied anachronistically - flagged in ev-07), laid 8.1943, launched 31.10.1943, commissioned 6.1944, 'to South Vietnam 1.1964 (Nhut Tảo)' - dates all consistent with DANFS.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1964

   Population

   Wartime crew (secondary roster)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilations - corroborate builder, dates, CO, and the transfer path; neither carries RVN-service or sinking detail beyond NavSource's level. The 'ordered 2 May 1942' date is secondary-only (uboat), unverified against a primary contract record - not carried into record fields. navypedia's builder print 'Commercial Ship Repair, Winslow' is the yard's 1948-59 name, anachronistic for a 1943-44 hull - flagged in ev-07. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-04

5. [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 01/1247/1252/1254/1265) + 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 11/02300 propulsion line; DANFS construction dates; Colton winslow.htm AM-300 row

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference: AM-300 was built at Winslow Marine Railway's Eagle Harbor yard Aug 1943 - Jun 1944 (laid down, launched, and delivered per DANFS/Colton), 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 - all installed decades before the Navy's early-1970s substitution of alternative insulation materials (GAO HRD-80-2 program-level finding). Her designed Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 geared-diesel plant carries no boilers or steam-distribution lagging, so even a full 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, brake linings, deck coverings. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Winslow construction trades (1943-44; yard peak ~2,300); her U.S. crew Jun 1944 - Jul 1946 (design complement 104); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers at Orange TX (1946-63); the undocumented 1963-64 patrol/escort-craft conversion workforce; and RVN crews (1964-1974). The hull was sunk in combat 19 Jan 1974 and remains on the bottom - no abatement, disposal, or hazmat regime ever applied; whatever material was aboard went down with her.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1974

   Population

   Winslow trades (1943-44); U.S. crew 1944-46; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-63; conversion workforce 1963-64; RVN crews 1964-74

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-300 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. The 1963 conversion scope and RVN-era maintenance (1964-74) are undocumented in located sources. The sunk-in-combat disposition means no later survey opportunity exists.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-05

6. [6]VNN Coastal Group 16 veteran-maintained page (pcf45.com): excerpts from Thomas J. Cutler, 'Brown Water, Black Berets' (Naval Institute Press, 1988) on the 7-8 Aug 1967 Sông Trà Khúc River battle, plus a post-script account of the January 1974 Battle of the Paracel Islands (the page attributes the later narrative to 'a Vietnamese language article published in 1998'); corroborated by NavSource 11/02300 and the Wikipedia USS Serene article [other_primary]

   Locator

   pcf45.com/cosgrp16/cosgrp16.html - 'HQ-10 Was Lost But Not Forgotten' post-script; Cutler 'Brown Water, Black Berets' excerpts; flotilla table '{ex-USS Serene AM-300}'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   RVN-phase detail for this hull not in U.S. records: (a) identification - the page states 'the Patrol Craft Escort vessel PCE-10 described above - known more appropriately in the South Vietnamese Navy as Nhat-Tao HQ-10,' and its Paracel flotilla table lists 'Patrol Craft Nhat-Tao HQ-10 {ex-USS Serene AM-300}' - a direct veteran-source identification tying the hull to both names; (b) 1967 - in the 7-8 August 1967 assault on Coastal Group 16's base at the Sông Trà Khúc River (~70 miles southeast of Da Nang), 'the VNN PCE-10 joined the fray' alongside PCF-20, PCF-75, and later USS Camp (DER-251), USS Gallup (PG-85), PCFs 15 and 54, and a USAF 'Dragon Ship' (Cutler excerpt); the base was overrun by a roughly two-battalion force and retaken after U.S./ARVN counterattack; Lt. William C. Fitzgerald was killed calling a strike on his own position; (c) 1974 - HQ-10, 'proceeding to Da Nang for repair of one of her engines,' was diverted to join the VNN flotilla (HQ-16 ex-USCGC Chincoteague, HQ-5 ex-USCGC Castle Rock, HQ-4 ex-USS Forster) converging on the Paracels (~200 nm east of Da Nang); on 19 January she 'took a direct hit from a surface-to-surface missle,' went dead in the water, and sank after a ~35-minute engagement (10:25-11:00 AM); commanding officer Nguy-Van-Tha was killed by the missile hit on the bridge; 37 of the 82 sailors aboard were pulled from the South China Sea days later by a Dutch tanker and a Vietnamese fishing boat; the crewman who cleared the jammed 40mm and resumed firing, Seaman (Ha Si) Tay, 'went down fighting.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1967-08-07/08; 1974-01-19

   Population

   RVN crews (1964-1974); Coastal Group 16 defenders (Aug 1967); HQ-10 crew at loss (19 Jan 1974, 82 aboard)

   Limitations

   Veteran-maintained site quoting a Naval Institute Press book (Cutler 1988) for 1967 and an unnamed 1998 Vietnamese-language article for 1974 - the strongest located source for RVN-phase detail, but not an official record. The missile mechanism is contested (China claims an RPG per Wikipedia's sourcing note) - flagged in ev-07. Casualty/survivor figures (82 aboard, 37 rescued) rest on this single secondary account. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-06

7. [7]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (HyperWar/ibiblio + losthistory/hazegray mirrors) vs NavSource 11/02300 vs Colton Winslow yard table vs uboat.net 5364 vs navypedia Admirable table vs Wikipedia USS Serene article vs pcf45 veteran account [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AM/am300.html; losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am300.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02300.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/winslow.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5364.html; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_ms_pc_admirable_pce.htm; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Serene; pcf45.com/cosgrp16/cosgrp16.html

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Builder name/location - DANFS 'Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Co., Winslow, Wash.'; NavSource 'Winslow, WA'; uboat 'Winslow Marine Railways & Ship Building Corp. (Winslow, Washington)'; Wikipedia infobox 'Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company, Seattle'; navypedia 'Commercial Ship Repair, Winslow' (the yard's post-1948 name, anachronistic). DANFS name and Winslow location carried; yard physically at Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island (Colton header). (b) Propulsion - NavSource ship-specific spec prints 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts' (sibling Admirable pages print 855shp each / 1,710 total - a NavSource print ambiguity); Wikipedia infobox prints '2 x ALCO 539 diesel engines, 1,710 shp, Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear' (likely class-generic); HyperWar class sheet reads 'diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' Diesel plant confirmed by all; engine make and drive arrangement unresolved - NavSource carried with flag. (c) Disposition - Colton yard table 'scrapped' contradicts the documented combat loss 19 Jan 1974 (NavSource, pcf45, Wikipedia) - Colton flagged wrong. (d) Transfer year - Colton 'To Vietnam 1963' vs the documented 24 Jan 1964 transfer (DANFS/NavSource/uboat/navypedia '1.1964') - probable conflation with the July 1963 conversion start; 24 Jan 1964 carried. (e) Hit mechanism - NavSource and pcf45 'surface-to-surface missile'; Wikipedia notes China claims the weapon was an RPG - flagged, not resolved. (f) NVR-1949 plan note - NavSource quotes the 1 Jan 1949 Naval Vessel Register listing a 'plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945' - a planning datum contradicted by the documented 12 Dec 1945 departure for home and 19 Jul 1946 decommissioning; carried as a register-plan artifact. (g) MSF-300 - applied 7 Feb 1955 while the hull remained U.S.-owned in reserve (a real reclassification, unlike the register-only marks on Soviet-held sisters).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-1974

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, secondary compilations, and the veteran-site account, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The propulsion split (Cooper Bessemer vs ALCO vs 'diesel-electric') is a standing Admirable-class documentation defect across the sibling records - unresolved absent a BuShips data sheet. The missile-vs-RPG dispute is a primary-account-level conflict not resolvable from secondary sources. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-07

8. [8]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 the Winslow Eagle Harbor 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-300 or aboard Nhật Tảo in RVN service.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-08

9. [9]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener opinion 4601080 - bare-metal-defense doctrinal context [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion 4601080

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger - CourtListener sweep blocked this session). 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 Serene 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 in the searches performed. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-serene-am300-09

10. [10]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) NARA RG 24 deck logs for AM-300, Jun 1944 - Jul 1946 (shakedown through Orange inactivation); (b) NARA WWII muster-rolls series for this hull's single-commission crew; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Winslow Admirable block (AM 294-301 + AM 238-242 per the Colton table) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules and of the propulsion-plant resolution (Cooper Bessemer vs ALCO); (d) NARA still-photo holding 19-LCM-AM300-1 (camouflage 32/21D, probably Puget Sound - credited via NavSource/usndazzle); (e) the 1963-64 patrol/escort-craft conversion file and MAP transfer documentation (conversion yard unstated in every located source - the undocumented maintenance event most relevant to material disturbance); (f) RVN-side records for Nhật Tảo HQ-10 service 1964-1974 (the Cutler account and the 1998 Vietnamese-language article excerpted at pcf45 are the leads); (g) Battle of the Paracel Islands action reports and the PLAN-side record of the 19 Jan 1974 sinking. [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 11/02300 photo credit (19-LCM-AM300-1); archives.gov RG 19/RG 24 group guides; Colton winslow.htm Winslow block

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Record-group mapping only: the archival repositories most likely to hold hull-level material or transfer-condition documentation for AM-300, keyed to the documented events of her career (Winslow construction 1943-44; U.S. commission Jun 1944 - Jul 1946; Orange reserve 1946-63; patrol-craft conversion 1963-64; RVN service 1964-74; sunk 19 Jan 1974).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1943-1974 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; the NARA catalog returned only its JS application shell to automated fetch this session, so even index-level confirmation was not possible. Muster rolls, deck logs, contract files, photo files, and transfer files are personnel/operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-300 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-serene-am300-10

11. [11]Batch-1273 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar/ibiblio and losthistory/hazegray mirrors; NavSource 11/02300; Shipbuilding History Winslow yard table; uboat.net 5364; navypedia Admirable table; globalsecurity AM-136 unit page; pcf45.com VNN Coastal Group 16 page; CourtListener API v4 (all queries throttled HTTP 429 - shared quota exhausted by prior batch work); indexed-web litigation substitutes; va.gov BVA index; NVR SHIPSDETAIL (SSO wall); NARA catalog; marketing-roster exclusion check [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-serene-am300-01 through sl-uss-serene-am300-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Serene / AM-300 / MSF-300 / Nhut Tao / HQ-10 / PCE-10: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull under any of its 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, ~36,300s to reset at fetch time; same wall hit by sibling batches 1254/1261/1265/1270 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 hits were all unrelated name collisions (a 'Serene Avenue' property bankruptcy, 'Serene Creek Run' HOA litigation, 'Serene Dudhi,' 'Crystal Serenity' admiralty filings); va.gov/BVA queries surfaced no decision naming Serene. Law-firm minesweeper rosters do carry her - mesothelioma.com prints a full roster row ('USS Serene | AM-300 | Admirable | 6/24/1944 | To Vietnam, 1964') and mesotheliomahelp.org lists 'USS Serene' generically - excluded per source rules in any case.

    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 1943-44-built hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The blocked CourtListener sweep leaves residual risk that a differently-phrased hull or Vietnamese-name reference exists - logged as a gap; the unusual second search surface (RVN name, HQ-10, PCE-10) widens what a re-run must cover. The 1974 sinking ends any modern survey/abatement pathway - unlike reefed or scrapped sisters, no disposition-phase hazmat record could ever have been generated. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-serene-am300-11