Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Bunting II (YMS-170) - NHHC ship-history entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Bunting II entry: specification block and full service narrative (live page returned HTTP 503 on 2026-09-24; content verified from search-engine indexed text of the official NHHC page; Wayback capture 2025-04-06 exists but connection was reset from this environment)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity and service: laid down 1942-10-01 at Benton Harbor, MI by Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 1943-05-29; commissioned 1943-07-23 at Algiers, LA as YMS-170. Specification block: displacement 320 tons (full load); length 136 ft; beam 24 ft 6 in; draft 6 ft 1 in; speed 12.0 knots; complement 33. Arrived Key West 1943-09-12 and San Juan 1943-10-04; for the next 22 months operated in the southeastern Caribbean (minesweeping, escort, antisubmarine patrol). Left the Caribbean 1945-08-20; arrived San Pedro, CA 1945-09-07; departed 1945-10-22 for the western Pacific via Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok and Saipan; arrived Samar, Philippines 1946-01-17; reached San Diego 1946-06-17, moved to San Pedro under tow in July, and was placed out of commission at San Pedro 1946-07-30. Named Bunting and redesignated AMS-3 on 1947-02-18 while in the reserve fleet. Placed in commission, in reserve, 1950-07-18, Eleventh Naval District; minesweeping exercises out of San Diego to 1950-11-18, then almost three years in Hawaii with MinDiv 51 and 71; returned to Long Beach 1953-09-12; departed Long Beach 1954-01-15, transited the Panama Canal, reached Charleston, SC 1954-02-15; remainder of active career assigned to the Sixth Naval District but based at Key West, FL (mine-hunting exercises; periodic training platform for Fleet Sonar School students). Reclassified MHC-45 on 1955-02-07. Decommissioned at Key West 1960-05-06; stricken 1960-06-01; sunk as a target sometime between July and September 1962.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Crew of 33 (DANFS); Caribbean, Pacific and Key West-based service; Fleet Sonar School students (1950s)
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity/history source for this hull, but verbatim page text could not be retrieved this session (NHHC 503; Wayback unreachable) - facts taken from search-index extracts of the official page and should be re-checked against the live entry. DANFS contains no asbestos, materials, or hazmat statement; this row supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-ams3-01
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[2]DANFS, Bunting II (YMS-170) and Bunting I (AMc-7) - NHHC ship-history entries [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Bunting II redesignation passages (1947-02-18, 1955-02-07); Bunting I entry https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/bunting-i.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Designation consolidation: YMS-170 (1943), Bunting AMS-3 (1947-02-18) and MHC-45 (1955-02-07) are one hull per DANFS. This record is the consolidation target for the existing PRIMARY record 'USS Bunting [MHC-45, tier 2]' and the YMS-170 alias. No AMCU designation for this hull appears in the DANFS entry. Distinct same-name hull: USS Bunting (AMc-7), ex-purse seiner Vagabond, a coastal minesweeper lost in 1942 (DANFS Bunting I) - a different vessel, carried separately (batch-1607 record uss-bunting-amc7), not merged.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Limitations
- Identity/deduplication row only. The absence of an AMCU designation reflects the DANFS text as indexed, not an exhaustive search of Navy classification records. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-ams3-02
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[3]U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 74/1/539 (January 1948), 'Saga of a YMS' - first-person account of YMS-class machinery by a YMS-238 officer [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Proceedings 74/1 (Jan 1948), power-plant and internal-arrangement passages (as verified for batch-1680; not re-fetched this session)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- YMS-class machinery fit documented by a serving officer: wooden hull; two General Motors diesels for main propulsion; a similar diesel direct-connected to a generator for magnetic minesweeping; two 30-kW diesel generators for auxiliary power. No boilers and no steam distribution - the plant type that carried the era's dominant shipboard asbestos application (thermal insulation of boilers and steam piping) is absent from the class.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- YMS-class crews; construction trades at small-craft yards
- Limitations
- Class/era inference, not a hull record: describes sister YMS-238 and the type generally, never mentions asbestos, and does not name YMS-170. This hull's own engine make/model was not verified this session. Does not establish presence or absence of residual asbestos-containing components aboard YMS-170/Bunting.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-ams3-03
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[4]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 highlights and letter text (full text retrieved for batch-1680 from gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf; not re-fetched this session)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Navy told GAO that all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, while thermal insulation was the Navy's major shipboard use of asbestos. For a diesel-powered wooden minesweeper, the residual era-typical categories are clutch facings, electric-cable insulation, and engine gaskets and packing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era-wide statement
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; crews fleet-wide (context)
- Limitations
- Program-level context, not a hull record: GAO fieldwork covered Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards and postdates this hull's 1960 decommissioning. Does not establish what was installed aboard YMS-170/Bunting, in what quantity, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-ams3-04
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[5]Batch-1719 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 (authenticated connector) opinion and RECAP searches by name and every designation; DANFS; NHHC photo index; NARA series 594258 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bunting-ams3-01 through sl-uss-bunting-ams3-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: CourtListener opinion and RECAP searches for "USS Bunting", "U.S.S. Bunting", "YMS-170", "MHC-45" and "AMS-3" returned no case naming this vessel (all hits were token noise or surname collisions); no asbestos survey, abatement contract, or hazmat disclosure for this hull was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger).
- 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. 'Bunting' is a common surname and bird name - high collision risk; the name-only sweep was classified hit-by-hit. The hull was sunk as a target in 1962, so no surviving fabric can be surveyed. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-ams3-05
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[6]NARA series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978' (National Archives Identifier 594258) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog series 594258 (series-level; no file unit for this hull located this session)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull's deck logs for its commissioned service (1943-1946 as YMS-170; 1950-1960 as AMS-3/MHC-45) fall within NARA series 594258, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978 - the primary source most likely to document yard periods and maintenance events aboard.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1960 (coverage)
- Limitations
- Series-level lead only; this hull's file units and digitization status were not confirmed. Deck logs are chronological event records and would not themselves identify asbestos content. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-ams3-06