USS AMS-59

Evidence

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

1. [1]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Coquille (PCS 1400), navsource.net/archives/12/071400.htm [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource PCS-1400 page: full chronology block, specifications block, photo table (launch-day YMS-451 photo; NH 55385, 24 Jan 1947 off Puget Sound Navy Yard), commanding-officer table, call sign

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive entry for Coquille (PCS-1400), titled 'Coquille (PCS 1400) ex-PCS-1400 ex-AMS-59 ex-PCS-1400 ex-YMS-451 / ex-PCS-1400 ex-PC-1400': originally planned as PC-1400, reclassified PCS-1400 in April 1943; laid down 22 September 1943 as PCS-1400 by South Coast Co., Newport Beach, CA; reclassified auxiliary motor minesweeper YMS-451 on 7 October 1943; launched 20 May 1944; reclassified back to PCS-1400 on 23 June 1944; completed 26 December 1944; commissioned USS PCS-1400 on 2 January 1945; reclassified motor minesweeper AMS-59 on 2 September 1947; struck from the Naval Register 16 September 1947; loaned to commercial interests 17 September 1947; returned to U.S. Navy custody 14 April 1952; reinstated on the Naval Register 4 November 1953 as PCS-1400; named Coquille 15 February 1956; struck from the Naval Register 2 July 1956; sold 28 May 1963; fate unknown. Call sign Nan-Queen-Xray-William. Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 8'7"; speed 14.1 kts.; complement 57; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose mount, one 20mm mount, four depth charge projectors, one hedgehog projector, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 800bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Photos: launch day 20 May 1944 under YMS-451 designation (sponsor Mrs. Robert Boyd); NH 55385 off Puget Sound Navy Yard 24 January 1947 (U.S. Navy photo, NHHC source). CO: LTJG R. H. Ross, USNR, 1945. 'There is no DANFS history available for Coquille (PCS 1400).'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1942-1963

   Population

   South Coast Co. construction trades (Newport Beach CA, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 57)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - but the most complete single chronology for this hull, corroborated on every overlapping point by uboat.net, shipbuilding-history, navypedia, and the jounin compilation. Sole source for: the PC-1400 planning designation and April 1943 reclassification, the exact YMS-451/PCS-1400 reclassification dates (7 Oct 1943 / 23 Jun 1944), the completion date (26 Dec 1944), the AMS-59 reclassification date (2 Sep 1947), both strike dates (16 Sep 1947 / 2 Jul 1956), the 17 Sep 1947 commercial loan and 14 Apr 1952 return to custody, the 4 Nov 1953 reinstatement, the 15 Feb 1956 naming, and the 28 May 1963 sale. Spec block is class boilerplate shared across PCS-1376 pages. The commercial loan's operator is unidentified. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-01

2. [2]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS PCS-1400 (PCS-1400), ship 9282 [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9282.html data table and commands table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS PCS-1400 (ship 9282): patrol craft of the PCS-1376 class; built by South Coast Co. (Newport Beach, California); ordered 16 November 1942; laid down 22 September 1943; launched 20 May 1944; 'Commissioned 26 Dec 1944'; stricken 2 July 1956; sold 28 May 1963; 'Former name: YMS-451'. Commander: R. H. Ross, USNR, 26 Dec 1944 to early 1946.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1942-1963

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - corroborates builder, laid-down and launch dates, the YMS-451 former designation, the 2 Jul 1956 strike, and the 28 May 1963 sale. 'Ordered 16 Nov 1942' rests on uboat.net alone. Its 'Commissioned 26 Dec 1944' conflicts with the 2 Jan 1945 commissioning printed by NavSource, shipbuilding-history, and jounin - it has collapsed NavSource's completion date into the commissioning field; flagged in the correction row. Omits the AMS-59 interval entirely. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton) - Minesweepers MSO/MSC/AMS table (AMS-59 row); South Coast Shipyard table (PCS-1400/YMS-451 row) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/minesweepers3.htm - AMS-59 row under 'Minesweepers Coastal (YMS/AMS/MSC(O))'; shipbuildinghistory South Coast yard table - PCS-1400/YMS-451 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation): (a) 'Minesweepers MSO MSC MSI MHC MCM Post-War' table row: 'AMS | 59 | PCS | 1400 | Coquille | South Coast | 270 | 136 | 2-Jan-45 | U.S. Navy | Sold 1963' - the AMS-59 designation listed in sequence immediately after the 58 ex-YMS AMS hulls, with the PCS-1400 hull number and Coquille name in the same row, i.e. the compiler treats AMS-59 and Coquille/PCS-1400 as one hull. (b) South Coast Shipyard table row: 'PCS-1400/YMS-451 | US Navy | minesweeper | 278 | 136 | 26 Dec 1944 | completion cancelled, named Coquille 1956, sold 1963' - the same hull carried under its dual PCS/YMS build designation with the builder's delivery date (26 Dec 1944 = NavSource's completion date).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1943-1963

   Population

   South Coast Co. yard workforce (Newport Beach CA, 1943-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard/type tables, secondary - corroborates builder (South Coast), the AMS-59 = PCS-1400 = Coquille hull identity, the 2-Jan-45 delivery/commissioning, and the 1963 sale. The South Coast row's 'completion cancelled' note is contradicted by the hull's documented completion and 2 Jan 1945 commissioning - likely refers to contract-structure language (delivery taken over by the Navy) and is flagged as an anomaly, not adopted. Yard-table tonnage 278 conflicts with NavSource's 270 - flagged. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-03

4. [4]NavSource AMS/MSC/MSI index (navsource.net/archives/11/05idx.htm) - AMS program preamble + AMS-59 row; navypedia 'PCS submarine-chasers (PCS1376)' table PCS-1400 row; uswarships.jounin.jp pcs.htm PCS-1400 row [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource AMS index: program preamble and AMS-59 line item; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_pcs.htm PCS-1400 row; uswarships.jounin.jp/pcs.htm PCS-1400 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's AMS/MSC photo index documents the program context: 'On 18 February 1947, 39 Auxiliary Motor Minesweepers (YMS) were given names and redesignated AMS-1 through 39. Thus began the Motor Minesweeper (AMS) classification. The first 39 were followed in short order by 19 more former YMS' to make a total of 58.' The index then lists 'AMS-59 ex-PCS-1400, Named/Reclassified Coquille (PCS-1400)' - making this hull the 59th AMS number and the only hull in the AMS-1 through AMS-59 sequence that was not a former YMS. Corroborating compilers: navypedia's PCS-1376 table prints 'PCS1400, 9.1947- AMS59 | 2/1956- Coquille | South Coast, Newport Beach | 9.1943 | 20.5.1944 | 1.1945 | minesweeper 9.1947, stricken 7.1956'; the uswarships.jounin.jp PCS list prints the same designation chain with dates matching NavSource (laid down 22 Sep 1943; to YMS-451 7 Oct 1943; back to PCS-1400 23 Jun 1944; to AMS-59 2 Sep 1947; reinstated 4 Nov 1953; named Coquille Feb 1956; stricken 2 Jul 1956; sold 28 May 1963).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1947-1956

   Limitations

   Secondary compilations - establishes that AMS-59 was a genuine (if fourteen-day) designation on this hull and that no other hull carried AMS-59: important for alias resolution, since the designation sits inside a sequence otherwise composed entirely of named ex-YMS minesweepers. Does not establish any materials or asbestos content. NavSource's index phrasing 'Named/Reclassified Coquille (PCS-1400)' compresses the 1947 strike/loan and 1953 reinstatement that the ship page documents.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-04

5. [5]U.S. Navy photo NH 55385 as cataloged in NavSource (NHHC-credited); NavSource explicit no-DANFS statement; PCSA Collection & Archives index (bchsmuseum.org PCSACollectionArchives.pdf), 'PATROL CRAFT SWEEPER (WOOD HULL) - PCS' section, entry '1400 USS Coquille' [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NavSource photo table (NH 55385 caption); PCSA index PDF p. section 'PATROL CRAFT SWEEPER (WOOD HULL)'; NHHC danfs/c/coquille.html 404; hazegray curl 000

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC holds U.S. Navy photo NH 55385 of this hull: 'USS PCS-1400 off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, 24 January 1947' (caption per NavSource's photo table, source credited to Naval History and Heritage Command) - placing the ship in the Pacific Northwest in early 1947, seven months before the AMS-59 reclassification. No DANFS entry exists for the hull under any name: NavSource states 'There is no DANFS history available for Coquille (PCS 1400),' the live NHHC DANFS path for Coquille returned 404, and hazegray's DANFS mirror is DNS-dead this session. The Patrol Craft Sailors Association collection index lists holdings under '1400 USS Coquille' (contents unexamined).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1947

   Limitations

   Establishes an official NHHC photographic record of this hull (Jan 1947, Puget Sound) and the absence of a DANFS narrative - meaning no official service history exists to corroborate the secondary chronology. The PCSA index entry proves the archive holds some hull-indexed material but does not disclose its contents. None of this is asbestos documentation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-05

6. [6]NavSource PCS-1400 page vs uboat.net ship/9282 vs shipbuilding-history AMS table and South Coast yard table vs navypedia/jounin vs NavSource AMS index and PCS-1376 class spec [other_primary]

   Locator

   Same citations as ev-01 through ev-05

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Source discrepancies documented, not reconciled: (a) commissioning - 2 January 1945 (NavSource chronology, shipbuilding-history AMS table '2-Jan-45', jounin '1945/1/2') vs 26 December 1944 (uboat.net 'Commissioned'; NavSource prints the same date as 'Completed' - uboat appears to have collapsed completion into commissioning). (b) displacement - 270 t (NavSource spec block, shipbuilding-history AMS table) vs 278 t (shipbuilding-history South Coast yard table) vs 245 t light/338 t full (NavSource PCS-1376 class standard; uboat class page 245 BRT; PCSA class figure 251 t). (c) propulsion rating - two 800 bhp GM 8-268A diesels (NavSource spec block) vs 2x440 bhp (Wikipedia YMS-1 class infobox) vs two 900-bhp geared diesels / 1800 HP (PCSA class page; uboat class page). (d) 'completion cancelled' note in the shipbuilding-history South Coast row vs the hull's documented completion and commissioning. (e) naming date - 15 February 1956 (NavSource) vs '1956/2/1 (1956/2/15?)' (jounin prints both). (f) NavSource's dual class heading 'PCS-1376 Class Patrol Craft Sweeper/YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper' - a design-family label, not a class assignment; the hull's operative class is PCS-1376.

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1942-1963

   Limitations

   Resolves nothing - documents genuine multi-source conflicts so a future pass does not silently pick one figure. The record adopts 2 Jan 1945 commissioning (majority plus NavSource's separate 'Completed 26 Dec 1944' line makes uboat's print explicable) and NavSource's 270 t displacement (consistent with the AMS table; class-standard range 245-278 noted). No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-06

7. [7]NavSource dual class heading (PCS-1400 page); PCSA Collection & Archives index 'PATROL CRAFT SWEEPER (WOOD HULL) - PCS' section header; shipbuilding-history 'Yard Minesweepers' program note (561 wooden-hulled 136-ft hulls, 35 boatyards); navypedia PCS class history (1942 order for submarine chasers in YMS hulls) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/ym.htm program header; PCSA index PDF section header; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_pcs.htm class history paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Class/design context: the PCS-1376 class was the Navy's wooden-hulled 136-ft patrol craft sweeper series built on the same hull design family as the YMS-1-class motor minesweeper - NavSource carries the dual class heading on this hull's page; the Patrol Craft Sailors Association collection index files the type under 'PATROL CRAFT SWEEPER (WOOD HULL)'; shipbuilding-history documents 561 wooden-hulled 136-ft YMS-type hulls built by 35 boatyards 1942-1945; and navypedia's class history describes the June 1942 order for submarine chasers built in YMS-class minesweeper hulls. This hull's own designation sequence (planned PC-1400 -> PCS-1400 -> YMS-451 -> PCS-1400) is the program's procurement churn expressed on one hull: contracted as a patrol craft, administratively shifted into the YMS number block for seven months of construction, then shifted back before completion.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation only - establishes why 'YMS-1 class' metadata attaches to this hull in generic databases (shared wooden 136-ft design family; construction-phase YMS-451 designation) and why it is wrong as a class assignment: the hull was built, commissioned, and operated as a PCS-1376-class patrol craft sweeper. Nothing here evidences materials aboard this specific hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-07

8. [8]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

   Era-level inference only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this wooden-hulled patrol craft sweeper was built. Period marine diesel installations and auxiliary machinery commonly used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and exhaust-system insulation; aboard a ~270-ton, 136-ft diesel-driven PCS the plausible applications, if any, would be confined to such machinery fittings plus brake linings on winch/sweep gear - the class carried no boilers and no steam distribution, so the boiler-room and steam-line insulation envelope typical of larger combatants is absent by design.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1943-1963

   Population

   South Coast Co. construction trades (Newport Beach CA, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 57); commercial-loan crews (1947-52); reserve-period caretakers and any 1963 disposal workforce

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarship only - does not name this vessel or the PCS-1376 class and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. No class- or design-specific material documentation for the PCS/YMS family was located; the diesel/wooden-hull profile limits plausible scope relative to steam-driven vessels. The machinery-fitting applications named are general era practice, not documented aboard this class.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-08

9. [9]NARA, Special List #44 by ship number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PCS block); NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' list [other_primary]

   Locator

   SL-44 ship-number list, PCS block: 'PCS-1400 1/2/1945 6/30/1945' (verified by direct PDF text extraction); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online digitized list (PCS-1393, PCS-1401, PCS-1465 present; PCS-1400 absent)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List #44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, by ship number) indexes ONE deck-log run for this hull: 'PCS-1400 | 1/2/1945 - 6/30/1945' - the commissioning-to-June-1945 window only. The companion NARA list of fully digitized deck logs in the National Archives Catalog contains PCS-1393, PCS-1401, and PCS-1465 but no PCS-1400 and no Coquille - the indexed run is paper-only at Archives II. Whether logs covering July 1945 through the September 1947 strike, the 1947-52 loan period, or the 1953-56 reinstatement exist in later logbook series is undocumented.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1945 records

   Limitations

   Verifies one paper log run exists for the first half of 1945 - the realistic hull-level archival path for this ship's wartime employment, which no located source documents. Does not prove later logs do not exist - post-1945 runs fall outside SL-44's indexing and were not surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-09

10. [10]Batch-1749 search ledger (this record): NavSource; uboat.net; shipbuilding-history; navypedia; jounin; NARA SL-44 + digitized-log list; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; PCSA collection index; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py); master-hull-list.json [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-ams-59-ams59-01 through sl-uss-ams-59-ams59-17

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material specification, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming this hull under any designation (PC-1400, PCS-1400, YMS-451, AMS-59, Coquille) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener sweep: 'USS Coquille' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'PCS-1400' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'YMS-451' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'Coquille' + asbestos returned zero opinions and 37 dockets - all name collisions (Louisiana coastal/oil-and-gas suits naming defendant Bay Coquille Inc.; mass-tort bankruptcy claim schedules - Purdue Pharma, W.R. Grace, Boy Scouts-era NOLA Archdiocese, Sears, PG&E et al. - carrying 'Coquille' creditor/address strings); 'AMS-59' returned three opinions and eight dockets - all name collisions (military-justice citation strings, 'AMS' corporate abbreviations, exhibit/document numbers). No qualifying case names this vessel.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    2026-09-24

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery fittings even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull was sold in 1963 and its fate is unknown, so no surveyable structure can be assumed to exist. CourtListener coverage was complete this pass (authenticated; intermittent fleet pacing absorbed by retries): 'USS Coquille' (o/r), 'PCS-1400' (o/r), 'YMS-451' (o/r), 'AMS-59' (o/r), and 'Coquille'+asbestos (o/r, both pages) all executed - clean negatives or collisions only; RECAP indexing of older dockets is incomplete in any case. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ams-59-ams59-10