Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Signet (AM-302)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (live NHHC URL returns 404; verbatim transcription via HistoryCentral, which reproduces the DANFS text including the spec block) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text + spec block (HistoryCentral transcription; live https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/signet.html returns 404)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: minesweeper laid down 8 April 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders at Harbor Island, Seattle, Wash.; launched 16 August 1943, sponsored by Miss Bernice Moore; commissioned 20 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. C. L. Grabenhorst, USNR, in command. Spec block: dp 945 (f.); l. 184'6"; b. 33'0"; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k. (tl.); cpl. 104; a. 1x3", 4x40mm., 2 dct.; cl. Admirable. Summer 1944 fitting-out, minesweeping trials, shakedown, ASW training; reported to Commander Western Sea Frontier, San Francisco, 26 Aug and departed same day escorting SS Eugene Skinner to Honolulu; five months of escort voyages (two to Eniwetok, one to San Francisco; Kwajalein, Majuro). Availability at Hawaii 3 Dec 1944; sortied 22 Jan 1945 escorting a 39-ship convoy (LSTs/LSMs/LCIs) to Eniwetok, then Marianas; joined Sweep Unit 2 at Tinian; sortied with Mine Unit 1 on 13 Feb for Iwo Jima. Off Iwo Jima 16 Feb - 7 Mar 1945 sweeping mines and screening transports; rescued a downed American flier 21 Feb. Ulithi 10-19 Mar; sortied 19 Mar; arrived Kerama Retto 25 Mar; three months sweeping/patrolling/screening at Okinawa - on the evening of 7 Apr engaged a 'Betty' bomber that splashed ~1,000 yards away; night of 18 Apr illuminated a stranded LCVP crew under fire; early Jun supported Iheya Shima landings; departed Okinawa 8 Jul, Leyte Gulf 13 Jul; remained in the Philippines through 15 Aug; swept the Yellow Sea the first week of Sep supporting Korea occupation forces; swept approaches to Sasebo from 9 Sep; operated around Iki Shima, Tsushima, and the East China Sea through 5 Dec. Departed Sasebo 11 Dec 1945 with Mine Squadron 12, passing in review before Rear Admiral Struble, Commander Minecraft Pacific Fleet. Placed out of commission in reserve on return later that month; berthed Orange, Tex., for 19 years. Reclassified MSF-302 11 Feb 1955 per the DANFS body text (NavSource and secondary tables read 7 Feb 1955 - flagged in gaps); struck from the Navy list 1 Jan 1965; sold to the Dominican Republic 13 Jan 1965 under the Military Assistance Program. Four battle stars for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- Associated Shipbuilders construction trades (1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 104)
- Limitations
- Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for construction, service history, and custody chain. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the HistoryCentral transcription reproduces the DANFS text verbatim including the spec block. DANFS names the Dominican successor 'Separacion (BDM-454)' - contradicted by Wertheim's Combat Fleets and navypedia, which assign that name/pennant to ex-Skirmish (AM-303); see ev-uss-signet-am302-03 and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Signet (MSF 302) ex-AM-302, file 11/02302 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02302.htm - specifications block, timeline entries, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: call sign November-Quebec-Romeo-Uniform; laid down 8 Apr 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, WA; launched 16 Aug 1943; commissioned USS Signet (AM-302) 20 Jun 1944; decommissioned December 1945 at Orange, TX; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-302 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 January 1965; transferred to the Dominican Republic 13 January 1965. Commanding officers: LCDR Coburn Louis Grabenhorst, USNR (20 Jun 1944 - 5 Aug 1945); LT Edmond Hamilton Gentry, USNR (5 Aug 1945 - Dec 1945). Spec block consistent with DANFS (945 t. full, 184'6" x 33', complement 104).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1999
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC on USN dates. NavSource repeats the DANFS Dominican naming ('Separacion (BM 454)' then 'Prestol Botello (C 454)', out of service 1999) which describes the career later sources attribute to ex-Skirmish (AM-303) - see ev-uss-signet-am302-03 and gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-02
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[3]Wertheim, Eric (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 15th ed. (Naval Institute Press, 2007), p. 163 (Dominican Republic) + navypedia Dominican Republic escorts table 'SEPARACION corvettes (1944/1965)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wertheim 2007 p. 163 (as cited in the Wikipedia Signet article notes); https://www.navypedia.org/ships/dominicanrep/dom_es_prestol_botello.htm (SEPARACION corvettes table); https://navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_ms_pc_admirable_pce.htm (AM302/AM303 fate rows)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The post-1965 identity of this hull is mis-stated by DANFS: DANFS (and NavSource following it) rename ex-Signet 'Separacion (BDM-454)', but two independent later references agree that ex-Signet became Tortuguero (BM455) while sister ex-Skirmish (AM-303) became Separacion (BM454, renamed Prestol Botello 1976, C454 1995). Wertheim's Combat Fleets (15th ed., 2007) lists Tortuguero (BM455) acquired 13 Jan 1965, reclassified C455 in 1995, stricken and hulked 1997; navypedia's Dominican escorts table reads 'Tortuguero (ex-Signet) BM455, 1995- C455 ... hulk 1997' and 'Separacion (ex-Skirmish), early 1976- Prestol Botello BM454, 1995- C454'. DANFS's companion entry for Skirmish makes the mirror-image error, naming that ship 'Tortugero (BDM-455)' - the two entries swap the sisters' Dominican names and pennant numbers.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1965-1999
- Limitations
- Documents a source conflict rather than resolving it definitively: DANFS is the official record and errs in the same direction as NavSource, but Wertheim and navypedia are consistent on pennant numbers (BM454 = ex-Skirmish, BM455 = ex-Signet) and on the two distinct transfer dates (13 vs 14 Jan 1965). The Tortuguero attribution is carried as the better-supported reading; the DANFS variant is preserved in aliases and gaps. Neither chain documents materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-03
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[4]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AM-302 USS Signet page (spec block compiled from official data) + navypedia Admirable-class machinery table and design note [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-302_Signet.html spec block; navypedia Admirable class page machinery/design notes; NavSource 11/02302 spec block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943-44 Admirable-class fleet minesweeper built at a wartime Seattle yard with a geared-diesel plant - two diesel engines on twin screws (ALCO 539 per NavSource/Wikipedia spec blocks; navypedia gives '2 diesels', 2,000 hp) plus a separate diesel generator for the magnetic sweep, the class having deliberately rejected the Auk class's diesel-electric mains. Small combatants of this era and type commonly carried asbestos-containing engine and exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, bulkhead/joiner insulation, deck coverings, and winch brake linings. Absence of a steam plant means the boiler/fireroom lagging pathway dominant on steam combatants does not apply to this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1999
- Population
- Associated Shipbuilders construction trades (1943-44); crew 1944-45; Orange reserve-fleet caretakers 1945-65; Dominican Navy crews 1965-97/99
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-302 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. Engine make differs across secondary sources (ALCO 539 vs '2 diesels'); HyperWar's spec block reads 'diesel-electric ... 1,800 h.p.', conflicting with the class's documented geared-diesel design - flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-04
-
[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
- 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 emergency construction program under which this Admirable-class minesweeper was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-05
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[6]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., '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
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Associated Shipbuilders was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-06
-
[7]NPS National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Hazard (AM-240), NRHP ref. 79003712 + NPS NHL page for USS Inaugural (AM-242) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS NHL nomination NHLS/79003712 (Hazard, items 7-8); https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/uss-inaugural.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS NHL documentation for two surviving Admirable-class sisters establishes what intact construction of this type looks like: Hazard is described as 'a virtual time capsule dating from 1945,' transferred to Omaha 'with all of her spare parts and equipment intact' and 'fully operational' (radio, engines, ovens, electrical systems, plumbing), retaining 'its original dishes, kitchen utensils, and stationery'; Inaugural was likewise preserved as a St. Louis museum until the 1993 flood loss. The nominations document class construction and completeness but contain no asbestos information.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- nomination circa 1979-1986; class era 1943-45
- Population
- Museum staff/visitors on sister hulls (context)
- Limitations
- Sister-ship preservation records, not this hull: Signet was transferred to the Dominican Republic and is not preserved. The NHL nominations never say 'asbestos' - they establish intactness of era materials on sister hulls only, and fiber content is not established by these sources. Useful class context for what a 1945 Admirable hull contains, nothing more.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-07
-
[8]U.S. EPA Superfund Site Profile, Harbor Island (Lead), Seattle, WA (NPL id 1000949) incl. operable-unit record and East Waterway shipyard-sediment documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Harbor Island (Lead) site profile; operable-unit and contaminant summaries
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder's site is a federal Superfund NPL site: EPA documents that Harbor Island's industrial waterways (including the East Waterway fronted by shipyards) accumulated contaminated sediments from shipyard and industrial operations, with cleanup divided among operable units covering Todd Shipyards and Lockheed Shipyard sediments, soil/groundwater, tank farms, and the East and West Waterways. Principal contaminants of concern documented are PCBs, arsenic, PAHs, mercury, and tributyltin.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- site history through 2010 five-year review
- Population
- Harbor Island shipyard workforce (era context)
- Limitations
- Site-level environmental context for the builder yard only - Associated Shipbuilders operated at Harbor Island per DANFS, but EPA documents the island's waterways generally, not this yard's parcel, and the listed COCs do not include asbestos. Does not establish asbestos conditions at the yard or aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-08
-
[9]Batch-1275 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via HistoryCentral transcription; NavSource 11/02302; HyperWar AM-302 page; navypedia Admirable class + Dominican escorts tables; Wertheim Combat Fleets (via citation); NPS NHL sister-hull records; EPA Harbor Island profile; CourtListener (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NVR; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-signet-am302-01 through sl-uss-signet-am302-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Signet / AM-302 / MSF-302 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Indexed-web checking surfaced only law-firm marketing ship lists (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table, mesotheliomahelp.org ship list, mesotheliomaveterans.org) that name the hull without primary support - an excluded source class. VA BVA index hits for 'Signet' are name collisions (signet-ring adenocarcinoma decisions); no BVA decision names the ship. CourtListener API v4 was rate-limit blocked throughout the session (HTTP 429, 2,800/day shared quota exhausted by prior work on this machine; HTML search endpoint returned 403) - the litigation sweep is logged as blocked, not as a clean negative.
- 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 combatant of any type is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and 19 years in reserve-fleet custody, Dominican Navy service to ~1997, and an undocumented final disposition are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Negative litigation coverage rests on indexed-web checking plus VA BVA index - CourtListener systematic name/hull sweeps could not be executed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 181 (Records of naval districts, shipyards, and shore establishments - incl. inactive-ship facility records); MARAD ShipHistory (no custody record expected - Navy-to-Dominican MAP transfer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Signet 1944-1945 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. the AM-302 Booklet of General Plans and any General Information Book carrying per-hull material specifications (RG 19) - the same lead type flagged for Laffey in batch-07; Atlantic Reserve Fleet / Inactive Ship Facility Orange, TX, records covering the 1945-1965 lay-up and any dehumidification/preservation work (RG 181); Dominican Navy service and final-disposition records are the least documented leg (hulked 1997 per Wertheim).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1999 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-signet-am302-10