Evidence
4 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-4).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), entry covering LCI(L)-882 / Shearwater (AMCU-40) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Same DANFS entry as ev-uss-shearwater-amcu40-01; see that row's locator note on live-page access failure
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Shearwater (AMCU-40) identity was a designation only: on 7 March 1952 the Navy earmarked reserve hull LSI(L)-882 for conversion to a coastal minesweeper (underwater locator), but the conversion program was canceled in January 1954 before any shipyard work converted the hull, and LSI(L)-882 reverted to that designation on 1 July 1954 'having never served in that capacity.' The vessel was never commissioned, crewed, or operated as Shearwater or as AMCU-40, and no minesweeping/minehunting service, deployment, or occupational history exists for that identity.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1952-1954
- Limitations
- This row exists specifically to prevent misreading the batch consolidation alias 'Shearwater (AMCU-40)' as evidence of operational coastal-minesweeper/minehunter service. It is a correction of that potential inference, not an independent finding: no minehunter service occurred, so there is no minehunter-era occupational population or exposure record to document for this hull under any name.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shearwater-amcu40-02
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[2]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
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material across U.S. shipbuilding generally during WWII, the era in which this LCI(L) hull was built (1944), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across naval and merchant construction programs of the period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (program-wide context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, the LCI(L) type, or any specific material aboard this hull. This class was diesel-propelled with no shipboard boiler/steam plant, so the boiler- and steam-line-lagging applications this article's era generally implies for larger steam vessels are not established for this hull type by this source; at most, era-typical gaskets, packing, and engine-space insulation would be a class/era inference, and none of that is documented ship-specifically or class-specifically here. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, or causation for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shearwater-amcu40-03
-
[3]Batch-1671 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 case-law search; NHHC/DANFS-derived search results; Wikipedia LCI(L)/AMCU cross-reference; National Archives Catalog search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-shearwater-amcu40-01 through sl-uss-shearwater-amcu40-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record and no qualifying asbestos litigation were located in the sources searched. CourtListener API v4 searches for "AMCU-40", "LSI(L)-882", "USS Shearwater" + mesothelioma, and "Shearwater" + AMCU + asbestos each returned zero results; a broad "Shearwater" opinion search returned 36 hits, all confirmed name collisions (a Massachusetts land-covenant case, a Maryland sailing-club dispute, an unrelated excursion schooner named Shearwater, etc.) with no connection to this hull, the U.S. Navy, or asbestos. No museum, hull-survey, or abatement record exists because the ship never entered preserved/museum status. No NHHC or other official source consulted mentions asbestos in connection with this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove the absence of asbestos aboard this hull during its 1944-1954 active/reserve life; it establishes only that no qualifying documentary or litigation record was found in the repositories searched. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure, presence, quantity, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shearwater-amcu40-04
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), entry covering LCI(L)-882 / Shearwater (AMCU-40) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Exact page slug/URL not confirmed this session; candidate NHHC paths (danfs/s/shearwater-iii.html; danfs/l/lci-l-882.html; danfs/s/shearwater-amcu-40.html) all returned HTTP 503, as did a known-valid control DANFS URL (danfs/l/lci-l-513.html) and the previously-published danfs/s/shearwater-ii.html, indicating a session-wide access failure to history.navy.mil rather than a missing page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LCI(L)-882 was laid down 22 September 1944 by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation, Barber, NJ; launched 18 October 1944; and commissioned 25 October 1944. She conducted shakedown from 31 October 1944 and remained in the United States. Placed out of commission, in reserve, 15 May 1947, and berthed with the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, FL. Reclassified LSI(L)-882 on 28 February 1949. Nominated in October 1950 for conversion to a coastal minesweeper equipped with underwater object-locating equipment. Designated Shearwater (AMCU-40) on 7 March 1952. The conversion was canceled in January 1954, and the hull reverted to LSIL-882 effective 1 July 1954, having never served in that capacity.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1944-1954
- Limitations
- Establishes construction, service, lay-up, reclassification, and the planned-but-canceled AMCU-40 conversion timeline. The live NHHC page could not be independently fetched this session (HTTP 503 throughout), so this text was not read directly from the primary source; it is reconstructed from three independent search-engine query results that returned mutually consistent dates and phrasing evidently drawn from the DANFS entry. Should be re-verified against the live page, a Wayback Machine capture, or a NARA record before production use. Establishes no asbestos content whatsoever.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shearwater-amcu40-01