Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Staunch' (AM-307) - official text verified verbatim via the losthistory/hazegray mirror (live, 200 OK) cross-checked against the Wayback capture 2024-06-20 of hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am307.htm (live NHHC page 404s - standing link rot) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Staunch' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am307.htm; Wayback 20240620121611 capture of hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am307.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull: spec block 'AM-307: dp. 945 (f.), l. 184'6", b. 33'0"; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k. (tl.); cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable'. Laid down 5 September 1943 at Seattle, Wash., by Associated Shipbuilders; launched 15 February 1944, sponsored by Miss Gwendolyn Crosson; commissioned 9 September 1944, Lt. Comdr. John C. Kettenring, USNR, in command. Shakedown and ASW training out of San Pedro and San Diego; overhaul at Long Beach; Pearl Harbor 10 December 1944; departed 22 January 1945 for the Central Pacific via Eniwetok and the Marianas; sailed 13 February with TU 52.3.18 screening Terror (CM-5); Iwo Jima from 16 February - shoreline sweep, ASW picket, shore bombardment, refueling smaller sweepers, screening Terror's nightly retirements; Bonins patrol stations to 7 March incl. rescue of sailors thrown overboard in the Logan (APA-196)/Napa (APA-157) collision; Ulithi staging; Ryukyus from 25 March - Kerama Retto sweep, assault-beach approaches 26-29 March under air attack; Hagushi D-day 1 April then patrol/ASW routine to 31 May; night surface action 16-17 May; Iheya Shima sweep 2 June; 'Zebra' offensive sweep off Sakishima Gunto to 8 July; San Pedro Bay, Leyte, 12 July - overhaul and liberty. Postwar: Okinawa 31 August, then three months sweeping the Japanese home islands - Nagasaki/Sasebo to 17 September, Bungo Suido, Tsushima Strait November-December; departed Sasebo 11 December via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor; San Diego 12 January 1946; Panama Canal night of 21-22 February; Galveston; to Orange, Texas, 11 April 1946 to join the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; redesignated MSF-307 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Navy list 1 April 1967; hulk sold 9 October 1969 to Luria Bros. Co., Inc., for scrapping. 'Staunch earned four battle stars during World War [II].'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Associated Shipbuilders construction trades (1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 104)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. The entry gives no decommissioning date (the narrative ends with the 11 April 1946 move to Orange); it names 'Long Beach' for the late-1944 overhaul without naming the facility; it does not state an ordered date; and its spec block prints the design armament (1x3", 4x40mm) rather than the documented wartime fit. Mirror transcriptions cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; the two mirrors agree verbatim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Staunch (MSF 307) ex-AM-307, file 11/02307 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02307 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO table, photo credit (Bellucci)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; call sign November-Quebec-Victor-Delta; 'Laid down 5 September 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, WA'; launched 15 February 1944; commissioned USS Staunch (AM 307) 9 September 1944; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945'; 'Decommissioned in April 1946 at Orange, TX and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Orange Group'; 'Reclassified as a Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull), MSF-307, 7 February 1955'; 'Struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1967'; 'Sold for scrap 9 October 1969 to Luria Bros. Co., Inc. of Cleveland, OH'; 'Scrapped at Southern Scrap Material, New Orleans, LA.' Specifications: 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 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: LCDR John Charles Kettenring USNR (9 Sep 1944 - 9 Oct 1945); LCDR Willard Thomas Stuart USNR (9 Oct - 8 Nov 1945); LT John Charles Dillon USNR (8 Nov 1945 - 17 Jan 1946); LTJG H. P. Hodge USNR (17 Jan 1946 - April 1946).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Associated Shipbuilders trades (1943-44); U.S. crew Sep 1944 - Apr 1946; Orange Group reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-1967); scrapping workforce (1969-70)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; the decommission month (April 1946), Orange Group layup, Luria Bros. buyer identity, and Southern Scrap Material scrap site rest on NavSource (corroborated in outline by Wikipedia/uboat.net). The NVR-of-1949 'plan' line describes intent, not an executed date. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II: Mine Vessels (less CM & DM), Patrol Vessels, Landing Ships and Craft, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (13 April 1945) - shipscribe.com scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011 Vol. II, AM machinery table (STAUNCH AM307 row, PDF p. ~53, ditto chain from SAUNTER AM295 'C. B. GSB-8 .... 1,710 Nat. Sup.') and build table (Associated Shipbuilders chain, PDF p. ~55)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary BuShips tabulation places this hull in the Associated Shipbuilders ditto chain of the build table: 'STAUNCH .. AM307' - keel laid 5 Sept 43, launched 15 Feb 44, first commissioned 9 Sept 44, inside the Associated block running from Signet (AM 302) through Superior (AM 311). The machinery table lists AM-307 in the unbroken 'do.' (ditto) chain under 'C. B. GSB-8' (Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel) at '1,710' shaft horsepower with 'Nat. Sup.' (National Supply Co.) reduction gear - a mechanical-reduction twin-screw diesel plant, no boilers. The chain is explicitly printed at Saunter (AM 295) and runs unbroken through Superior (AM 311); the Baldwin VO8/Westinghouse diesel-electric entries begin only at Champion (AM 314).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945 (publication); 1943-44 (data)
- Population
- Wartime engineering crew (context)
- Limitations
- Establishes builder, dates, and machinery type from an official 1945 publication - the strongest non-yard source available. Says nothing about materials or asbestos content. Confirms the mechanical-drive diesel plant, contradicting HyperWar's 'diesel-electric ... 1,800 h.p.' fleet-list label (a reduction gear is mechanical drive, not diesel-electric - the same mislabel family flagged in sibling batches).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-03
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Lockheed Shipbuilding, Seattle WA' yard table - 'Built in Yard 1' block, hull #54 row (AM 307 Staunch) + yard history header [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/lockheed.htm - 'Built in Yard 1' block, hull #54 row; block rows #49-56 (AM 302-309); yard history header (Associated Shipbuilders JV paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #54, 'AM 307 | Staunch | US Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 185 | Sep-44 | Scrapped 1969' - in the 'Built in Yard 1' block of the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Harbor Island table. Block context: consecutive Yard-1 rows carry the Associated Shipbuilders Admirable block - #49 AM 302 Signet, #50 AM 303 Skirmish, #51 AM 304 Scurry, #52 AM 305 Spectacle, #53 AM 306 Spector, #54 AM 307 Staunch, #55 AM 308 Strategy, #56 AM 309 Strength - preceded by the BAM minesweeper transfers to Britain. Yard history: Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co. (founded 1898, a San Francisco Bridge Co. subsidiary) established the Harbor Island facility in 1916; it was reactivated for WWII in a joint venture with Lake Union Dry Docks Co. 'called Associated Shipbuilders' building minesweepers and yard craft - the facility later designated Yard 1; PSB&D was acquired by Lockheed in 1959.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Associated Shipbuilders / PSB&D Harbor Island construction workforce (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder identity (Associated Shipbuilders JV in PSB&D's Harbor Island Yard 1), yard hull number (#54), delivery month (Sep-44 matches the 9 Sep 1944 commissioning), type, tonnage class (650d), and the 1969 scrapping disposition. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS Staunch (AM 307), ship 5371 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5371.html - data table and CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net per-hull record: Admirable-class minesweeper AM 307; 'Built by Associated Shipbuilders (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.)'; ordered 2 May 1942; laid down 5 Sep 1943; launched 15 Feb 1944; commissioned 9 Sep 1944; end of service Apr 1946; 'Decommissioned in April 1946 at Orange, Texas'; 'Struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1967'; 'Sold for scrap 9 October 1969 to Luria Bros. Co. Inc.' CO roster: Lt. Cmdr. John Charles Kettenring, USNR (9 Sep 1944 - 9 Oct 1945) - corroborates NavSource and DANFS's 'Lt. Comdr. John C. Kettenring.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Wartime crew (secondary roster)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - corroborates the Seattle yard, dates, decommission month, striking, and disposal. The 'ordered 2 May 1942' date is secondary-only and unverified against a primary contract record - not carried into record fields (flagged in ev-07(d)). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-05
-
[6]Naval Marine Archive, Minesweepers AM Pre-War/WWII table - AM 307 row; HyperWar/ibiblio 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AM-307 stub; NavalCoverMuseum STAUNCH AM 307 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/minesweepers1.html AM 307 row; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-307_Staunch.html; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/STAUNCH_AM_307
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Marine Archive row: 'AM 307 | Staunch | Associated SB | Seattle WA | 185 | 945 | 1942 | 9-Sep-44 | MSF 307 1955, scrapped 1969' - corroborates the Seattle yard, FY1942 program, dates, MSF reclassification, and scrapping. The HyperWar compilation stub reproduces the standard spec line (Admirable class, 625 t, 184'6", 15 kts, complement 104) but mislabels the plant 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - contradicted by the NAVSHIPS-documented National Supply reduction gear (ev-03); flagged in ev-07(b). NavalCoverMuseum's STAUNCH AM 307 page carries designation history, a 1946 cover, a Locy 2z postmark (earliest 1946-03-01), four battle stars, the namesake gloss 'firm and steadfast' - and prints the decommissioning as 'June 29 1946,' a month-variant against NavSource's April 1946 flagged in ev-07(a).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations - corroborate dates, yard, reclassification, and disposal only; none contains asbestos information. The HyperWar diesel-electric print is a compilation error carried here only as a flagged defect; the NCM June-1946 decommission date is a source variant logged, not adopted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-06
-
[7]Source-discrepancy resolution - official DANFS (losthistory/hazegray mirror + Wayback hazegray capture) vs NavSource 11/02307 vs NAVSHIPS 250-011 vs Colton Yard-1 #54 vs uboat.net 5371 vs navalmarinearchive vs NavalCoverMuseum vs HyperWar stub vs Wikipedia [other_primary]
- Locator
- losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am307.htm vs navsource.net/archives/11/02307.htm vs shipscribe.com SDB1945v2.pdf vs shipbuildinghistory.com lockheed.htm #54 vs uboat.net 5371 vs navalmarinearchive.com minesweepers1.html vs navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/STAUNCH_AM_307 vs ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AM/AM-307_Staunch.html vs en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Staunch
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Decommissioning date - April 1946 carried per NavSource ('Decommissioned in April 1946 at Orange, TX'), uboat.net, and Wikipedia; NavalCoverMuseum prints 'June 29 1946'; the NavSource-cited NVR of 1 January 1949 lists a decommission/reserve plan of December 1945 - a plan line, not the executed date. The CO roster's last entry (LTJG H. P. Hodge, '17 January 1946 - April 1946') is consistent with April. (b) Propulsion label - HyperWar's stub prints 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.'; NAVSHIPS 250-011 documents a National Supply reduction gear in the C-B GSB-8 chain - mechanical drive, not diesel-electric (same mislabel family flagged in sibling AM batches). (c) Spec variances - displacement 945 t full load (DANFS/NavSource/navalmarinearchive) vs 650d (Colton) vs 625 t (HyperWar class block); speed 14.8 kts (DANFS/NavSource) vs 15 (HyperWar); draft 9'9" vs 10' (HyperWar); armament design-spec (1x3", 4x40mm - DANFS) vs wartime fit (twin 40mm, hedgehog, 4 K-guns, 2 dct - NavSource). (d) 'Ordered 2 May 1942' rests on uboat.net alone - secondary-only, plausible against the Sep 1943 laydown; not carried into record fields.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, the primary BuShips tabulation, and secondary compilations, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-07
-
[8]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NAVSHIPS 250-011 machinery table: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, 1,710 shp, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive) + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; NavSource; Colton; uboat.net; navalmarinearchive) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-011 machinery table (AM-307 ditto chain); NavSource 11/02307 propulsion line; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton Yard-1 hull #54
- 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, 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: diesel 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 Harbor Island Yard 1) construction trades (Sep 1943 - Sep 1944); the U.S. wartime crew (design complement ~104) across shakedown, the Long Beach overhaul window, Iwo Jima/Okinawa operations, the postwar Japan sweeps, and deactivation (Sep 1944 - Apr 1946); Orange Group reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-1967); and the 1969-70 scrapping workforce at Southern Scrap Material, New Orleans.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Associated/PSB&D Yard-1 trades (1943-44); U.S. crew Sep 1944 - Apr 1946; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-1967; scrapping workforce 1969-70
- Limitations
- Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-307 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 scrapping-phase material record is entirely undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-08
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 + indexed report text (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's program review of Navy asbestos exposure records the Navy's position that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' and that thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' Era-level confirmation that WWII-built Navy hulls carried asbestos-containing components; for this diesel minesweeper the thermal-insulation pathway is largely absent by design, leaving the small-component uses (cable insulation, gaskets, clutch/brake linings, exhaust lagging) as the era-consistent candidates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1979 report; WWII-era construction context
- Population
- Navy personnel and shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; does not name this vessel, class, or builder and establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, or exposure aboard this hull. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - content via product-page description and indexed excerpt of the report text (standing issue since batch-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-09
-
[10]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., et al., '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; J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16
- 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 Associated Shipbuilders Harbor Island yard in 1943-44. 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
- 1941-1946 (survey era)
- Population
- WWII shipbuilding workforce (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 than to steam vessels. Does not establish asbestos presence aboard AM-307.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-10
-
[11]Declaration of Peter Neushul, Ph.D., Siegfried v. Owens-Illinois, No. 2:18-cv-01575 (C.D. Cal.) (RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384.52.0) - WWII Navy/USMC fireproof-insulation requirements and Navy QPLs [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP document 52-0, declaration paragraphs on WWII shipbuilding insulation requirements and Kaylo QPL listings
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Expert declaration documents that during WWII the U.S. Navy and U.S. Maritime Commission required fireproof insulation on military and civilian vessels, and that asbestos-containing thermal insulation products (e.g., Owens-Illinois Kaylo block and pipe insulation) appeared on Navy Qualified Products Lists under military specifications Mil-I-2819 and Mil-I-2781. Staunch was laid down in September 1943 inside this procurement regime.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (era); 2018 (filing)
- Population
- WWII Navy construction trades and crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Plaintiff-side expert declaration in asbestos litigation, not a court finding; describes Navy-wide procurement requirements and never names this hull. Pipe-covering findings are less applicable to a diesel (non-steam) minesweeper than to steam vessels. Asbestos presence aboard AM-307 is era inference only - does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard, nor quantity, nor any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-11
-
[12]Lockwood v. AC & S, Inc., 109 Wn.2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987) - per Atlas shipyards.json ev-puget-bridge-01 and as quoted in Anjeski v. Keene Building & Development Co., 727 F. Supp. 331 (E.D.N.Y. 1989); and Hoyt v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 13-35573 (9th Cir. Sep. 10, 2013) (memorandum) [court_record]
- Locator
- Atlas shipyards.json ev-puget-bridge-01; Anjeski v. Keene, 727 F. Supp. 331, 335 (E.D.N.Y. 1989) reciting Lockwood facts; cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2013/09/10/13-35573.pdf
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level asbestos litigation for this hull's builder facility: in Lockwood, coworkers placed Raymark asbestos cloth in use during the 1947-48 overhaul of the ship George Washington at the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredge shipyard (as recited in Anjeski, 727 F. Supp. at 335); in Hoyt, Lockheed litigated as successor-in-interest to Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company over alleged take-home asbestos exposure from yard employment in 1948-1958 (summary judgment for the defendant affirmed on foreseeability). Both confirm the builder yard's asbestos milieu in the era this hull was built - the Harbor Island Yard 1 where Associated Shipbuilders ran its minesweeper block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1947-1958 (exposure windows); 1987/2013 (decisions)
- Population
- PSB&D yard workforce (1947-1958 litigation window); workers' household contacts (Hoyt)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not hull evidence - neither case names AM-307, and Lockwood's work dates (1947-48) postdate this hull's September 1944 delivery by three years. Hoyt is an unpublished Ninth Circuit memorandum affirming a defense summary judgment - a merits-stage negative for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence. Establishes asbestos products were litigated at the yard in the era; establishes nothing about this hull's materials or any individual exposure. Justia opinion page blocks automated fetch (Cloudflare 403); Lockwood facts verified via the quoting passage in Anjeski and the Atlas shipyard record (per sibling batch-1207).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-12
-
[13]NPS National Register/National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Hazard (AM-240), NRHP ref. 79003712 - class-exemplar cross-check [nps]
- Locator
- NPS NRHP/NHL nomination form 79003712, items 4-7 (condition, description); NRIS asset page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The sole surviving Admirable-class hull is a documented unaltered museum ship and a class sister of this hull: the NHL nomination for USS Hazard (AM-240) records her as 'completely equipped and intact as it was during its years of active service' with 'the superstructure ... unaltered,' moved from the Orange, Texas U.S. Naval Inactive Ship Facility to Omaha in 1971 - the same Orange Group reserve facility where Staunch lay up from April 1946 to scrapping. For materials purposes the class's only preserved exemplar survives essentially as-built, but no public asbestos survey or hazmat disclosure for Hazard was located either.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944; nomination circa 1979
- Population
- Museum staff/visitors at the surviving sister (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level context only - the nomination documents the sister hull's significance and condition circa 1979, not materials or asbestos content, and says nothing about AM-307. 'Unaltered' is the nomination's characterization; no ACM survey of Hazard is public. Hazard is a Winslow-built sister, not an Associated/PSB&D-built one - same class, different yard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-13
-
[14]Batch-1280 search ledger (this record): official DANFS via losthistory/hazegray mirror + Wayback capture (live NHHC 404); NavSource 11/02307; NAVSHIPS 250-011 via shipscribe; Colton lockheed.htm Yard-1 #54; uboat.net 5371; navalmarinearchive; NavalCoverMuseum; HyperWar stub; NVR SHIPSDETAIL_AM_307; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated); site:courtlistener.com and site:va.gov indexed queries; archive.org advancedsearch; hullnumber.com; shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-staunch-am307-01 through sl-uss-staunch-am307-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Staunch / AM-307 / MSF-307: no asbestos survey, specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener API v4 sweep could not run this session - the authenticated request returned HTTP 429 ('Request was throttled. Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in 35220 seconds') on the first attempt; the shared daily quota was exhausted by prior batch work on this machine, so the opinion/docket sweep is logged as blocked, not retried, per batch rules (same wall hit by sibling batches today incl. batches-1231/1236). Degraded indexed-web substitute queries (site:courtlistener.com 'Staunch' variants; site:va.gov) surfaced only English-adjective collisions ('staunch' in seaworthiness boilerplate) and BVA decisions naming other hulls - no hit naming this vessel. Marketing-roster name mentions (mesothelioma.com's minesweeper jobsites page lists 'USS Staunch | AM-307 | Admirable | 9/9/1944 | Scrapped, 1969'; mesotheliomahelp.org name-list) are excluded per source rules - generic tables, no hull-specific evidence.
- 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. IMPORTANT: the CourtListener sweep did not run (throttled, shared quota) - 'no qualifying case located' reflects the non-litigation repositories and degraded indexed queries only; a differently-phrased hull reference may exist in the opinion/docket indexes. The hull's entire maintenance and scrapping history is undocumented at materials level, so no survey pathway exists in located sources. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-14
-
[15]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 Staunch 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-staunch-am307-15
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[16]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships - design and construction records), RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations - war diaries and operational records), RG 181 (naval district/shipyard records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 19/24/38/181 group guides; Colton lockheed.htm Yard-1 table; NavSource 11/02307
- 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 Sep 1944 - Apr 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed, so coverage for AM-307 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Sep 1944 - Apr 1946 (~20 months - shakedown, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, postwar Japan sweeps, deactivation transit); (c) NARA RG 38 operational records for TU 52.3.18 (Iwo Jima), the Okinawa mine-force assignments, and the 1945 Japan sweep operations; (d) NARA RG 19 BuShips design records / Booklet of General Plans material for AM-307 / the Admirable class plus the Navy contract file for the Associated Shipbuilders Harbor Island block (yard hull #54; block AM-302..311) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (e) RG 181 district/yard records that could identify the unnamed late-1944 Long Beach overhaul facility and document the Orange, Texas inactive-ship layup (1946-1967); (f) MARAD/disposal records for the 9 Oct 1969 Luria Bros. sale and any Southern Scrap Material (New Orleans) yard records - the scrapping-phase material picture.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1970 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-307 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, contract files, photo files, and disposal records are personnel/operations/disposal records, not materials documentation. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-staunch-am307-16