USS Success (AM-310)

Evidence

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

1. [1]DANFS, 'Success' (AM-310) - verbatim transcription at the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live history.navy.mil page returns 404 - standing link rot, same as BATCH-01/1169/1278; hazegray.org itself unreachable at fetch time) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Success' entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am310.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS record for this hull: Admirable-class minesweeper (dp. 850; l. 184'6"; b. 33'; dr. 9'9"; s. 14.8 k.; cpl. 104; a. 1 3", 4 40mm.). 'The second Success (AM-310) was laid down on 18 February 1944 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, Wash.; launched on 11 May 1944, sponsored by Mrs. J. L. McLean, and commissioned on 18 October 1944, Lt. R. N. Hall, USNR, in command.' Fitting out at Seattle; San Pedro 8 Nov 1944; shakedown Los Angeles Harbor; Pearl Harbor 19 Dec 1944. Sortied 22 Jan 1945 with TG 51, LST Flotilla One, screen of Tractor Group Able for Ulithi (3-5 Feb); Marianas staging. Detached to Mine Division 36; swept Iwo Jima 16-25 Feb 1945 with ASW patrols. Saipan; Ulithi 8 Mar; MinDiv 36 out 19 Mar for the Ryukyus; Kerama Retto sweeping from 25 Mar; Okinawa clearing before the 1 Apr assault; AA/ASW patrols. 6 Apr: Hobbs Victory kamikaze-crashed, Success picked up 78 survivors; 15 Apr splashed a 'Tony.' Departed 5 May; Ulithi 9 May. Resupply convoy screen to Okinawa (27 May); patrol to 12 Jun; East China Sea sweeps 13-20 Jun and 22-30 Jul; Formosa-China coast 4-15 Jul; with Superior (AM-311) swept near Kyushu 14-24 Aug; SW Korea coast to 7 Sep; 5th Fleet, Sasebo approaches; swept Kyushu-Korea minefields to early Dec. Departed 10 Dec 1945 via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor; San Diego 12 Jan 1946; Galveston 3 Feb for preinactivation availability; Orange, Tex.; decommissioned 9 Jul 1946, attached to the 16th Fleet; designation changed to MSF-310 on 7 Feb 1955; struck from the Navy list 1 May 1962. Four battle stars for WWII service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1962

   Population

   Associated Shipbuilders construction trades (Seattle, 1944); wartime crew (design complement 104); pre-inactivation/inactivation yard and reserve-fleet workers (Galveston, Orange 1946)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, striking - not materials or asbestos content. The entry ends at the 1962 striking and does not cover the Mexican Navy transfer or disposal. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404. Does not establish any asbestos condition aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Success (MSF 310) ex-AM-310, file 11/02310 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02310 - chronology block, specifications block, propulsion line, CO roster

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: 'Admirable Class Minesweeper'; laid down 18 February 1944 by Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, WA; launched 11 May 1944; commissioned USS Success (AM-310) 18 October 1944; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as December 1945'; decommissioned 9 July 1946 at Orange, TX; reclassified Fleet Minesweeper (Steel Hull) MSF-310 on 7 February 1955; 'Struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1962'; 'Scrapped in 1969.' Spec block: 945 t. (fl); 184'6"; 33' beam; 9'9" draft; 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 depth-charge projectors (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 NQWD. CO roster: LT Robert Neville Hall USNR (18 Oct 1944); LT William B. Baucom USNR (18 Nov 1945 - 15 May 1946); LCDR Joseph Allen Matthews USNR (15 May 1946 - 9 Jul 1946). No image of the hull archived.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Population

   Associated Shipbuilders trades (1944); wartime crew; reserve-fleet caretakers (Orange 1946-1962); disposal workforce

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official. Its 'Scrapped in 1969' conflicts with the documented Mexican Navy transfer (Wikipedia: sold October 1962, ARM DM-08; seaforces.org: DM-08 in service 1963-70) - flagged in ev-08; 1969 is consistent with post-Mexico disposal but NavSource does not document the transfer. Its 945 t. full-load displacement conflicts with DANFS's 850 t and the HyperWar class block's 625 t - flagged. The NVR-1949 note is a planned-inactivation datum, not the actual decommissioning date (actual: Jul 1946). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Lockheed Shipbuilding, Seattle WA' yard table - Associated Shipbuilders/PSB&D Harbor Island block, hull #57 row (AM 310 Success) + yard history header; companion 'Lake Union Dry Dock' yard page (Associated Shipbuilders JV note) [other_primary]

   Locator

   lockheed.htm - hull #57 row + yard history header; block sisters #56 (AM 309) and #58 (AM 311); shipyards/small/lakeunion.htm JV note ('built larger minesweepers in PSB&D's yard on Harbor Island')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table row for this hull: yard hull #57, 'AM 310 | Success | US Navy | Minesweeper | 650d | 185 | Oct-44 | Scrapped 1969.' The table's consecutive block runs #56 AM 309 Strength (Sep-44), #57 AM 310 Success (Oct-44), #58 AM 311 Superior (Nov-44). Yard history header: the facility was Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co. (founded 1898 as a San Francisco Bridge Co. subsidiary; Harbor Island facility established 1916), reactivated for WWII 'in a joint venture with Lake Union Dry Docks Co., called Associated Shipbuilders,' used to build minesweepers and yard craft for the Navy; this facility was designated Yard 1; PSB&D was acquired by Lockheed Shipbuilding in 1959 and both yards sold to the Port of Seattle (Yard 2 in 1992, Yard 1 in 1997). The companion Lake Union Dry Dock yard page states the JV 'built larger minesweepers in PSB&D's yard on Harbor Island' - i.e., this Admirable-class hull was physically built in the Harbor Island yard.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Associated Shipbuilders/PSB&D construction workforce (Harbor Island, Seattle, 1944)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder, hull number (#57), delivery date (Oct-44 consistent with 18 Oct 1944 commissioning), type, and tonnage (650d vs DANFS 850 - compiler convention). Its 'Scrapped 1969' repeats the NavSource disposition and conflicts with the documented Mexican Navy transfer (1962-63, DM-08 to c.1970) - flagged in ev-08. The joint-venture name 'Associated Shipbuilders' does not itself appear in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset; the physical yard (puget-sound-bridge-dredging, Harbor Island) does. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-03

4. [4]seaforces.org Mexican Navy fleet list - 'DM 08 / D 8 ARM (not named) - ex USS Success / AM 310 (1944/63-70)'; corroborated by Wikipedia USS Success (AM-310) article ('In October 1962, she was sold to the Mexican Navy and renamed ARM DM-08 ... her ultimate fate is not reported in secondary sources') [other_primary]

   Locator

   seaforces.org/marint/Mexican-Navy/ships.htm DM-08 line + DM-05 through DM-19 block; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Success_(AM-310)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Foreign-transfer documentation (secondary compilations): after striking 1 May 1962 the hull was sold to Mexico - Wikipedia's compiled record dates the sale October 1962 and the acquisition 1963; seaforces.org's Mexican Navy fleet list carries 'DM 08 / D 8 ARM (not named) - ex USS Success / AM 310 (1944/63-70),' i.e., Mexican service about 1963-1970. The same seaforces list documents the block of ex-Admirable-class minesweepers Mexico acquired in 1962-63: DM-05 ex-Scuffle (AM-298), DM-06 ex-Eager (AM-224), DM-07 ex-Recruit (AM-285), DM-09 ex-Scout (AM-296), DM-10 ex-Instill (AM-252), DM-11 ex-Device (AM-220), and others through DM-19 - the transfer is part of a documented bulk sale, not an isolated claim. Ultimate fate unreported in secondary sources.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1962-c.1970

   Population

   Mexican Navy crew of DM-08 (c. 1963-1970); disposal workforce

   Limitations

   Specialist and encyclopedia compilations, secondary - no Mexican government or U.S. transfer instrument was located. Conflicts with NavSource/Colton 'scrapped 1969' - read as consistent with a c.1969-70 post-Mexico disposal, but no source directly reconciles them; flagged in ev-08 rather than resolved. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-04

5. [5]Consolidated era/design inference - documented propulsion plant (NavSource spec block: two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesels, National Supply single-reduction gear, two shafts - direct drive; HyperWar class block reads 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.') + documented builder and construction era (DANFS; Colton) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/02310 propulsion line; HyperWar ships-dm.html Admirable-class block; DANFS construction/service dates; Colton lockheed.htm

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1944-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 1944 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, deck compositions, and fireproofing of the period. Exposure-relevant populations if any material was present: Associated Shipbuilders Harbor Island construction trades (1944); the wartime U.S. crew (design complement ~104) across shakedown, the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns (including damage-control and machinery-space activity around the April 1945 kamikaze raids), and the 1945 postwar sweeping tour; Galveston pre-inactivation and Orange inactivation crews (1946); the Mexican Navy crew of DM-08 (c.1963-1970); and the undocumented disposal workforce.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-c.1970

   Population

   Associated Shipbuilders trades (1944); U.S. crew Oct 1944 - Jul 1946; Mexican Navy crew c.1963-1970

   Limitations

   Inference from documented design, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AM-310 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. Mexican-service maintenance and the disposal process are undocumented in located sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-05

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., 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 (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 wartime construction program under which this hull was built at Associated Shipbuilders (Harbor Island), 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. 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-success-am310-06

7. [7]Batch-1283 search ledger (this record): DANFS via losthistory.net/hazegray mirror; NavSource 11/02310; Shipbuilding History Lockheed/Associated yard table; uboat.net 5374; HyperWar ships-dm class block + AM-310 hull page; seaforces.org Mexican Navy list; Wikipedia; CourtListener API v4 (blocked - shared daily quota exhausted) + two inadvertent anonymous probes; CourtListener web interface (HTTP 403); web-index litigation queries; NVR; NARA catalog; shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-success-am310-01 through sl-uss-success-am310-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for USS Success / AM-310 / MSF-310 / ARM DM-08: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, preservation record, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener sweep is INCOMPLETE: the authenticated API returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in 34972 seconds' - shared quota exhausted by concurrent batch work) and the web interface returned HTTP 403; two anonymous probe queries ran inadvertently ('USS Success' + 'AM-310' type=o returned 0 opinions) and the remaining variant/RECAP queries were deferred per batch rules rather than retried into a ban. Web-index litigation queries returned only law-firm marketing roster pages (mesothelioma.com minesweeper table: 'USS Success | AM-310 | Admirable | 10/18/1944 | To Mexico, 1963'; mesotheliomahelp.org minesweeper list) - non-qualifying, excluded per source rules; they carry 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 1944-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull was sold abroad in 1962 and disposed after Mexican service, so no present-day survey pathway exists; Mexican-service records are inaccessible. The litigation picture is incomplete rather than affirmatively empty: RECAP docket-index sweeps and variant opinion queries were not executed (HTTP 429/403). Collision risk is high - 'success' is a ubiquitous common noun in opinion text; only hull-number-qualified queries carry signal, and the one that ran returned 0. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-07

8. [8]Source-discrepancy resolution - DANFS (hazegray mirror) vs NavSource 11/02310 vs Colton Lockheed/Associated yard table vs uboat.net 5374 vs HyperWar class block/hull page vs seaforces.org vs Wikipedia [other_primary]

   Locator

   losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/mine/am310.htm; navsource.net/archives/11/02310.htm; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/lockheed.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/5374.html; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-dm.html + /USN/ships/AM/AM-310_Success.html; seaforces.org/marint/Mexican-Navy/ships.htm; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Success_(AM-310)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies logged, not silently merged: (a) Disposition - NavSource 'Scrapped in 1969' and Colton 'Scrapped 1969' vs Wikipedia 'sold to the Mexican Navy October 1962 ... ARM DM-08 ... ultimate fate not reported' and seaforces 'DM 08 ... ex USS Success / AM 310 (1944/63-70)' - the Mexican transfer is carried (documented bulk 1962-63 sale of ex-Admirable-class hulls); 'scrapped 1969' is consistent with post-Mexico disposal but no source reconciles them directly. (b) Displacement - DANFS 850 t vs NavSource '945 t.(fl)' (full load) vs HyperWar class block 625 t vs Colton/Wikipedia 650 - DANFS carried. (c) Propulsion label - NavSource 'Two 1,710shp Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, National Supply Co. single reduction gear, two shafts' (direct drive) vs HyperWar class block 'Diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 1,800 h.p.' - the documented reduction-gear fit contradicts 'diesel-electric'; NavSource carried. (d) Commissioned date - DANFS/NavSource/uboat '18 October 1944' vs HyperWar AM-310 hull page 'commissioned 1945' (a stub error; the same page's class block also mislabels the plant) - 18 Oct 1944 carried. (e) Armament - DANFS '1 3", 4 40mm'; NavSource 'one 3"/50 + one twin 40mm + six 20mm + hedgehog + four K-guns + two DC tracks'; HyperWar class block '1 3"/50 DP, 2 40mm, 6 20mm'; Wikipedia '1x 3"/50, 2x twin 40mm, 1 hedgehog, 2 DC tracks' - design-spec vs wartime-fit unresolved. (f) Speed/draft - 14.8 kts/9'9" (DANFS/NavSource) vs 15 kts/10' (HyperWar class block, Wikipedia) - DANFS carried.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-c.1970

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among the official DANFS text, specialist compilations, and the class-block stub, adopting the better-supported values and flagging the rest. The HyperWar per-hull page is a class-block stub with two demonstrable errors (commissioning year, propulsion label). For the disposition, secondary sources agree the hull is gone; only the pathway detail conflicts. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-08

9. [9]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 446 (2019), CourtListener 4601080 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion 4601080

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No case located names this hull (see negative_finding row and search_ledger; the CourtListener sweep is incomplete). 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 Success 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 (sweep incomplete - see ev-07). Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-success-am310-09

10. [10]Archival leads - NARA WWII muster rolls and RG 24 deck logs for this hull's October 1944 - July 1946 commission; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Associated Shipbuilders Admirable-class block (yard hull #57); inactivation/reserve-fleet records for the Orange, TX 16th Fleet berth (1946-1962); 1962 foreign-sale documentation; Mexican Navy records for DM-08 [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 19/24 group guides; NavSource 11/02310 NVR-1949 note; seaforces.org DM-08 line

    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 Oct 1944 - Jul 1946 commission - sibling Admirable-class hulls are demonstrably indexed, so coverage for AM-310 is expected but unconfirmed this session; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs, Oct 1944 - Jul 1946; (c) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records / General Information Books and the Navy contract file for the Associated Shipbuilders block (yard hulls #56-58 covered AM-309/310/311) - the plausible home of hull-level material schedules; (d) inactivation and Atlantic Reserve Fleet (16th Fleet, Orange TX berth) records, 1946-1962, incl. the NVR-1949 planned-inactivation datum NavSource cites; (e) the 1962 foreign-sale instrument (Navy disposal/DISAM records) - the transfer to Mexico is documented only in secondary compilations; (f) Mexican Navy records for DM-08 (c.1963-1970 service file and disposal) - not held in U.S. archives, inaccessible this session.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-22

    Study period

    1944-c.1970 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for AM-310 is unknown until surveyed in person. Muster rolls, deck logs, and transfer files are personnel/operations records, not materials documentation. The Mexican half of this hull's life is undocumented in U.S. sources. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-success-am310-10