Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, 'Strength (AM-309)' 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/strength.html returns 404)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records: minesweeper laid down 4 October 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, Wash.; launched 28 March 1944, sponsored by Mrs. H. W. McCurdy; commissioned 30 September 1944, Lt. Comdr. W. D. White, USNR, in command. Spec block: dp. 850; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1x3", 4 40mm.; cl. Admirable. Fitting out at Seattle; sailed with Strategy (AM-308) 20 Oct for San Pedro; shakedown in Los Angeles Harbor; Sound School, San Diego; departed 3 Dec, arrived Pearl Harbor 10 Dec 1944; assigned Mine Division 36, training at Lahaina Roads, Maui for Iwo Jima. 22 Jan 1945 underway for Ulithi with TG 51, LST Flotilla One, screening Tractor Group Able; Ulithi 3-5 Feb; Marianas staging; departed for the Volcanoes 13 Feb. Off Iwo Jima 16 Feb - end of month, sweeping and ASW patrols; Saipan; Ulithi. Sortied for the Ryukyus 19 Mar; sweeping from Kerama Retto 25 Mar; 26 Mar a partially surfaced midget submarine fired four torpedoes at Strength - two passed underneath, two astern; she returned fire, no damage ascertained. Cleared beach approaches for the 1 Apr Okinawa assault; on 6 Apr, during the heaviest suicide-plane attack, a kamikaze chose Strength - her gunners set it afire and it splashed several hundred yards astern. Off Okinawa until retiring to Ulithi for repairs 24 May, a month awaiting parts, then ASW patrol around Ulithi. Post-surrender: Okinawa 4 Sep; Sasebo; swept minefields between Kyushu and Korea until early Dec; sailed Sasebo 10 Dec; Pearl Harbor 28 Dec 1945; San Diego 12 Jan 1946; Galveston 10 Feb for pre-inactivation overhaul; Orange, TX 16 May, 16th Fleet; out of commission in reserve 19 Jul 1946; reclassified MSF-309 7 Feb 1955; struck from the Navy list 1 Apr 1967. Three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1967
- 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 body text ends at striking (1 Apr 1967) and does not state the post-striking disposal chain - the training-hulk and reef phases are documented by NavSource and Florida state records (ev-02, ev-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-strength-am309-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Strength (MSF 309) ex-AM-309, file 11/02309 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/02309.htm - specifications block, timeline entries, photo captions (Oxon Hill Cove 1969/1978, scuttling 1987), commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and documents the post-striking chain: call sign November-Quebec-Xray-Zulu; contracted 2 May 1942 (NOBS 130); laid down 4 Oct 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders, Harbor Island, Seattle, WA; launched 28 Mar 1944; commissioned USS Strength (AM 309) 30 Sep 1944; decommissioned at Orange, TX, 19 Jul 1946 (a note cites the Naval Vessel Register of 1 Jan 1949 listing a planned December 1945 decommissioning - superseded); reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-309 on 7 Feb 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 Apr 1967. Post-striking: used as a training hulk at the U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage School, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC in the late 1960s - photo captions document the hull in salvage exercises at Oxon Hill Run Cove, Oxon Hill, MD (All Hands magazine, Sept 1969; eight views as salvage training hulk, Nov 1978); moved to Panama City, FL when the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) relocated there in 1980; intentionally scuttled as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico off Panama City, FL (30 deg 01.960' N, 85 deg 42.554' W) on 19 May 1987. Spec block: 945 t. full, 184'6" x 33' x 9'9", 14.8 kts, complement 104; armament 1x3"/50 DP, one twin 40mm, six 20mm, one hedgehog, four K-guns, two DC tracks; propulsion two 1,710-shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts. CO table: LCDR William D. White USNR (30 Sep 1944); LT Robert John Lyman USNR (16 Nov 1945); LTJG John Charles McLeod USNR (24 Jan 1946); LTJG Grant Eric Nelson USNR (15 Apr 1946); ENS James William Whit USNR (17 May 1946); LT George Paul Hoenninger USNR (10 Jun - 19 Jul 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1987
- Population
- U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage School / NDSTC salvage trainees and staff (late 1960s-1980s); Orange reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-67
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC on USN dates and corroborated on the disposal chain by the Florida Dept. of State trail page and the UF/IFAS reef record. The salvage-training-hulk phase is documented by dated photo captions (1969, 1978), not by a retrieved Navy institutional record. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-strength-am309-02
-
[3]Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail, USS Strength site page (Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Bureau of Archaeological Research) + UF/IFAS Extension Bay County artificial reef record for USS Strength [other_primary]
- Locator
- http://www.floridapanhandledivetrail.com/Ships/Strength (site table + narrative); https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/bayco/reef_198/ (reef record: deployed 5/19/1987, steel ship 184')
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Florida state records document this hull's final disposition: the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail page (Florida Dept. of State / Division of Historical Resources) lists USS Strength as trail site no. 10 - sunk 19 May 1987, 80 ft depth, 184.5 ft length, at 30 deg 01.936' N / 085 deg 42.413' W off Panama City; the wreck 'lay on her side for years before being righted by a hurricane in 1995' and the hull is in two sections with the bow separated. The UF/IFAS Extension Bay County artificial-reef database entry records the deployment: 'Ship - steel, 184 ft', deployed 5/19/1987, depth 77 ft, 30 deg 01.943' N / 085 deg 42.512' W, 5.5 nm from pass. The trail page corroborates the salvage-diver training-hulk phase ('training hulk for Navy salvage divers in Washington, D.C., and then Panama City').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1987-present
- Population
- Reef-deployment contractors/agency staff (1987); recreational divers (1987-present)
- Limitations
- Official state reef/trail documentation of the sinking event and site; neither state page records any pre-sinking hazmat or materials-removal scope, and neither mentions asbestos. Artificial-reef deployments of this era generally involved fuel/oil removal and permitting, but the specific preparation scope for this hull is undocumented in the public sources found. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-strength-am309-03
-
[4]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AM-309 USS Strength 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-309_Strength.html spec block; navypedia Admirable class page machinery/design notes; NavSource 11/02309 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 Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels (1,710 shp each per the NavSource spec block; navypedia gives '2 diesels', 2,000 hp class-wide) on twin screws through a National Supply Co. single reduction gear, 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
- 1943-1987
- Population
- Associated Shipbuilders construction trades (1943-44); crew 1944-46; Orange reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-67; salvage-school trainees 1967-1987
- Limitations
- Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-309 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. HyperWar's spec block reads 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' and 'commissioned 1945' - both conflict with the documented geared-diesel design and the 30 Sep 1944 commissioning date; flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-strength-am309-04
-
[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-strength-am309-05
-
[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-strength-am309-06
-
[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: Strength was expended as a training hulk and scuttled as a reef, 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-strength-am309-07
-
[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-strength-am309-08
-
[9]Batch-1282 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via HistoryCentral transcription; NavSource 11/02309; HyperWar AM-309 page; navypedia Admirable class table; Florida Dept. of State Panhandle Shipwreck Trail page; UF/IFAS Bay County reef record; uboat.net Allied Warships entry; CourtListener (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-strength-am309-01 through sl-uss-strength-am309-11
- 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 Strength / AM-309 / MSF-309 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Indexed-web checking surfaced only law-firm marketing ship lists (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table naming the hull) without primary support - an excluded source class. VA BVA index hits are other ships' 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; reset ~9.7 h) - 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 21 years in reserve-fleet custody, roughly two decades as a salvage training hulk (a deliberately disturbance-heavy use: repeated sinking, raising, patching, and cutting exercises), and undocumented pre-scuttling preparation 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-strength-am309-09
-
[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 and Washington Navy Yard records); Florida DEP/FWC artificial-reef permit file for the 1987 deployment (state records lead) [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 Strength 1944-1946 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. the AM-309 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 1946-1967 lay-up (RG 181); Washington Navy Yard / Naval Diving and Salvage School records covering the ca. 1967-1980 training-hulk use and the 1980 NDSTC move to Panama City (RG 181 / NDSTC institutional records); the Florida DEP/FWC or Bay County artificial-reef permit file for the 19 May 1987 deployment, which would record any documented pre-sinking materials remediation.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1987 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-strength-am309-10