USS Specter (AM-306)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Specter' (AM-306) - verbatim official text via the losthistory/hazegray mirror (live NHHC page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1209/1275/1278; hazegray.org unreachable and Internet Archive offline this session, so no Wayback capture retrievable); opening spec block and partial narrative cross-confirmed by the independent HistoryCentral DANFS transcription [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Specter' entry, specifications block + full service narrative; NHHC canonical URL /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/specter.html (404 on 2026-09-22); concurrence https://www.historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/spectar.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: spec block (AM-306: dp. 850; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable). Specter (AM-306) (ex-Spector) laid down 5 September 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, Wash.; launched 15 February 1944, sponsored by Miss Carol D. Petrie; commissioned 30 August 1944, Lt. J. Chevalier, USNR, in command. Departed Seattle 16 September 1944 for San Pedro; shakedown off San Pedro/San Diego 21 September-19 October; sailed San Pedro 9 November, Pearl Harbor 18 November; training in gunnery, ASW, and minesweeping; sailed 22 January 1945 for the Volcano Islands via Eniwetok and Tinian; arrived Iwo Jima 16 February (three days before the landing) and swept mines, patrolled, and escorted until 28 February; Saipan, then Ulithi 6-19 March; arrived Okinawa 25 March for pre-invasion sweeping of sea-lanes and channels; remained in the Okinawa area until 6 August conducting antisubmarine patrols, sweeping off Okinawa and Iheya Shima, and two open-sea sweeps in the East China Sea; on patrol off Ie Shima 25 May shot down a Japanese fighter plane. Leyte Gulf 9-27 August; sailed for Japan 28 August via Buckner Bay, arriving Japanese home waters 9 September; swept mines at Nagasaki, Sasebo, Bungo Suido, and Tsushima for three months. Ordered home 11 December 1945; arrived San Diego 11 January 1946; routed onward to Orange, Tex., where she was placed in reserve, out of commission. Redesignated AM-306 to MSF-306 on 7 February 1955 while in reserve; struck from the Navy list 1 July 1972; sold to Mexico 11 April 1973, serving that country as DM-04 (ID-04). Four battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1973

   Population

   Associated Shipbuilders construction trades, Harbor Island, Seattle 1943-44; wartime crew (design complement 104); Orange TX reserve-fleet workforce

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, and awards - not materials or asbestos content. The laid-down date (5 September 1943) conflicts with the register-derived compilations (9 May 1943 - NavSource, uboat.net, NavalCoverMuseum); DANFS carried, conflict in gaps. DANFS prints no explicit decommissioning date - the narrative ends at 'placed in reserve, out of commission' at Orange after the 11 January 1946 San Diego arrival. DANFS predates the Mexican-era rename and striking. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page 404s; text cross-confirmed against the independent HistoryCentral transcription.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Specter (MSF 306) ex-Specter (AM 306) ex-Spector, file 11/02306; cross-checked against uboat.net ship/5370 and NavalCoverMuseum SPECTER AM-306 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02306 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO list, photo credits; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5370.html; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/SPECTER_AM_306

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Registry-compilation record for this hull: 'Laid down 9 May 1943 as Spector by the Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, WA' (conflicts with DANFS's 5 September 1943); launched 15 February 1944; renamed Specter 8 March 1944; commissioned USS Specter (AM 306) 30 August 1944; 'Decommissioned in December 1945 at Orange, TX' (internally impossible against DANFS - ordered home 11 December 1945, arrived San Diego 11 January 1946; NavalCoverMuseum prints decommissioned 2 July 1946); reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-306, 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1972; transferred to Mexico 11 April 1973 as ARM DM-04 (ID-04); renamed ARM General Manuel E. Rincon (C 52); fate unknown. Spec block: 945 t (fl); 184'6"; 33'; 9'9"; 14.8 kts; complement 104; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one twin 40mm mount, six 20mm mounts, one 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.' Call sign November-Quebec-Sierra-Victor. CO roster: LT J. Chevalier USNR (30 Aug 1944; uboat.net prints 'Lt. Jacques Chevalier'), LCDR Carl Carmichael USN (16 Aug 1945), LT Ernest Clayton Arbogast USN (1945-Dec 1945). uboat.net prints 'Ordered 2 May 1942' (uncorroborated secondary). Photo credit: Harold Lusk (hull number blotted for wartime security).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1942-2001

   Population

   Associated Shipbuilders trades (1943-44); wartime crew; Mexican Navy crews 1973-2001

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilations - detailed but non-official; the underlying registers were not independently pulled. Laid-down date conflicts with DANFS (9 May vs 5 September 1943) and the NavSource 'December 1945' decommissioning is internally impossible against the DANFS timeline - NavalCoverMuseum's 2 July 1946 is the plausible reading; conflicts carried in gaps. 'Ordered 2 May 1942' (uboat.net) is uncorroborated. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Lockheed Shipbuilding, Seattle WA' yard table (incorporating Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging / Associated Shipbuilders) - hull #53 row (AM 306 Spector) + block rows #49-58; and HistoryLink File 22852, 'Harbor Island (Seattle): Hub of World War II Shipwork' [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/lockheed.htm - hull #53 row (AM 306 Spector); block rows #49-58 (AM-302..AM-311); historylink.org/File/22852 (Harbor Island/Associated Shipyards passage)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: PSB&D/Associated yard hull #53, 'AM 306 | Spector | US Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 185 | Aug-44 | To Mexico 1973 as General Manuel E. Rincon (C 52), active' - the delivery month (Aug-44) matches the 30 August 1944 commissioning, and the row preserves the as-laid-down name 'Spector.' Block context: consecutive yard hulls #49-58 carry the Admirable-class block AM-302 Signet through AM-311 Superior. Builder identity resolved: 'Associated Shipbuilders' was the wartime joint venture of Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co. and Lake Union Dry Dock Co.; HistoryLink documents that PSB&D created 'Associated Shipyards' at Harbor Island - the physical yard where the venture's larger minesweepers (the Admirable-class block) were built.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1973

   Population

   PSB&D/Associated Shipbuilders construction workforce (Harbor Island, Seattle, 1943-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table and regional-history encyclopedia, both secondary - corroborate builder, yard hull number (#53), delivery month, type, tonnage class, and the 1973 Mexico transfer. Colton's 'active' disposition is stale (the hull was stricken by Mexico in 2001). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-03

4. [4]Wikipedia, 'USS Specter (AM-306)' and 'ARM DM-04' articles (Mexican-service chain) + seaforces.org Mexican Navy DM table ('DM 04 / D 4 / C 52 ARM General Manuel E. Rincon - ex USS Specter / AM 306 (1944/73-2001)') + NavalCoverMuseum [other_primary]

   Locator

   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Specter_(AM-306) + /wiki/ARM_DM-04; seaforces.org/marint/Mexican-Navy/ships.htm (DM table); navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/SPECTER_AM_306

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Mexican-service chain (secondary compilations only): acquired by the Mexican Navy 11 April 1973 and renamed ARM DM-04 - the second Admirable-class hull to wear that pennant after sister ex-Facility (AM-233), which carried DM-04 1962-c.1973; renamed ARM General Manuel E. Rincon (C-52) in 1994 (Wikipedia, namesake Gen. Manuel E. Rincon; NavalCoverMuseum prints the rename but 'date unknown'); stricken 16 July 2001 (Wikipedia); ultimate fate not reported in located secondary sources.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1973-2001

   Population

   Mexican Navy crews 1973-2001; disposal/scrapping workforce post-2001 (unverified)

   Limitations

   All secondary - no SEMAR/Armada de Mexico primary source located for the rename, the 2001 striking, or final disposition; the 1994 rename year and 16 July 2001 striking date rest on Wikipedia (Wertheim Combat Fleets-derived, per the sibling-record pattern) and are unverified against a Mexican registry. 'Serves that country as DM-04' is the closing line of the 1970s-vintage DANFS entry. No asbestos information in any of these sources; the hull's material state (extant, scrapped, sunk) is undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-04

5. [5]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, 1,710 shp, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - diesel direct drive) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; NavSource; Colton hull #53; uboat.net) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02306 propulsion line; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton lockheed.htm hull #53; uboat.net 5370

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1943-44-built steel Admirable-class minesweeper with a diesel direct-drive twin-screw plant (two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels through a National Supply single reduction gear) - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 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: Associated Shipbuilders/PSB&D construction trades (1943-44); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across shakedown, the Hawaiian training period, Iwo Jima, the Okinawa campaign (including the 25 May 1945 fighter shootdown patrol), and the postwar Japan sweeping; the Orange TX reserve-fleet workforce (1946-1972); Mexican Navy crews and maintenance workers (1973-2001); and whatever workforce disposed of the hull after the 2001 striking (undocumented).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-2001

   Population

   Associated/PSB&D trades (1943-44); U.S. crew Aug 1944 - 1946; reserve-fleet workers 1946-1972; Mexican crews 1973-2001

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-306 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. 27 years of U.S. reserve and 28 years of Mexican service with no documented abatement leaves the hull's material state undocumented at disposal.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-05

6. [6]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., 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

   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 emergency construction program under which this hull was built at Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle. 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 (whether Associated Shipbuilders was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified). Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-06

7. [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 form NRHP 79003712 (Hazard); nps.gov NHL page for Inaugural

   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,' retaining original fittings and machinery - i.e., Admirable-class hulls that were never stripped or modernized preserve their complete 1940s material fit.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   NHL nominations 1979-1986 era

   Population

   Preserved sister-hull visitors/staff (class context)

   Limitations

   Sister-ship preservation records, not this hull: Specter was sold to Mexico in 1973 and is not preserved; her material state after 28 years of Mexican service is undocumented. The NHL nominations never say 'asbestos' - they establish intactness of era materials on sister hulls only; fiber content is not established by these sources. Class context only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-07

8. [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 Superfund site profile, NPL id 1000949 (operable units list)

   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 the Todd and Lockheed (ex-PSB&D) shipyard sediments and the East and West Waterways. This is site-level context for the yard where this hull was built in 1943-44 - not a hull record.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   site listing and cleanup, contemporary

   Population

   Harbor Island yard/industrial workforce (era context)

   Limitations

   Site-level environmental context for the builder yard only - Associated Shipbuilders operated at Harbor Island per DANFS/HistoryLink, but EPA documents the island's waterways generally, not this yard's parcel, and the listed contaminants of concern do not include asbestos. Does not establish asbestos conditions at the yard or aboard the hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-08

9. [9]Batch-1279 search ledger (this record): losthistory/hazegray DANFS mirror + HistoryCentral transcription; NavSource 11/02306; uboat.net 5370; NavalCoverMuseum; Shipbuilding History PSB&D/Lockheed yard table (hull #53); HistoryLink 22852; Wikipedia USS Specter + ARM DM-04; seaforces.org Mexican Navy table; NVR; NARA catalog; archive.org; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) + web interface; Google-indexed site:courtlistener.com and site:va.gov queries [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-specter-am306-01 through sl-uss-specter-am306-15

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Specter / Spector / AM-306 / MSF-306 / ARM DM-04 / General Manuel E. Rincon: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Non-authoritative marketing rosters carry the name in generic minesweeper lists (mesothelioma.com minesweeper jobsites table row 'USS Specter | AM-306 | Admirable | 8/30/1944 | To Mexico, 1973'; mesotheliomahelp.org and mesotheliomahope.com name lists) - excluded per source rules; they carry no hull-specific evidence. Litigation sweep partially degraded: the authenticated CourtListener API returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day', ~35,309s remaining - shared-key exhaustion, same wall as sibling batches 1177-1278 today); the CourtListener web interface answered one query ('USS Specter', type=o) with 0 results before returning empty responses to follow-on queries ('AM-306', 'USS Spector', 'Specter' + minesweeper/asbestos) - deferred per batch rules; Google-indexed site:courtlistener.com queries returned only name collisions (the Spectre Corporation v. United States NASA contract line, Court of Federal Claims No. 16-932 - not the vessel, not asbestos) and site:va.gov returned no BVA decision naming the hull.

   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 vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load, and the hull was never documented as abated before its 1973 foreign transfer. IMPORTANT: the CourtListener API sweep did not run (throttled, shared quota) and only one web-interface query completed - 'no qualifying case located' reflects that single verified query plus degraded Google-indexed queries; a differently-phrased hull reference may exist in the opinion/docket indexes. Name-collision risk is real: 'Spectre Corporation' litigation and 'specter'/'spectre' as nouns require 'USS Specter'/'AM-306' precision strings. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-specter-am306-09

10. [10]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's Aug 1944 - 1946 commission; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Associated Shipbuilders block (yard hull #53); Navy foreign-transfer / MARAD disposal file for the 1973 sale to Mexico; SEMAR / Armada de Mexico service and disposal records for DM-04 / General Manuel E. Rincon (C-52); NHHC Ships' History Branch source files [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02306 (no NARA 19-LCM photo credit shown for this hull); NARA catalog SPA shell on 2026-09-22

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    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's WWII muster-rolls series should cover this hull for her Aug 1944 - 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed, so coverage for AM-306 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Aug 1944 - decommissioning; (c) NARA RG 19 BuShips records / General Information Books and the contract file for the Associated Shipbuilders block (yard hull #53) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) the Navy foreign-transfer/MARAD disposal file for the 11 April 1973 sale to Mexico - the plausible home of any as-is/materials clause; (e) SEMAR/Armada de Mexico records for DM-04 (ID-04) and General Manuel E. Rincon (C-52), including the 2001 striking and disposal - the resolution path for the hull's final fate; (f) NHHC Ships' History Branch source files underlying the DANFS entry.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1943-2001 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-306 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, register entries, transfer files, and foreign-navy records are personnel/status/disposal records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-specter-am306-10