Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 846-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bunting-mhc45-pkt-846-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Bunting II (YMS-170) - construction, spec block, full service narrative 1943-1960 (Mann; updated Cressman, published 4 Aug 2022) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Bunting II (YMS-170) entry, narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 1 October 1942 at Benton Harbor, Mich., by Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 29 May 1943; commissioned 23 July 1943 at Algiers, La., Lt. James H. Hawkins, D-V(G), USNR, in command. Spec block: displacement 320 (full load); length 136'0"; beam 24'6"; draft 6'1"; speed 12.0 knots; complement 33; armament 1 3-inch, 2 20-millimeter; class YMS-1. Service: fitting out/trials Eighth Naval District; Little Creek 11 Aug 1943, Chesapeake shakedown; Key West 12 Sep 1943; San Juan 4 Oct 1943; 22 months southeastern Caribbean minesweeping, escort, and antisubmarine patrol; departed Caribbean 20 Aug 1945 for the Pacific; Samar, Leyte, 17 Jan 1946; swept Lamon Bay off southeastern Luzon Feb-Mar 1946; San Diego 17 Jun 1946; out of commission San Pedro 30 Jul 1946. Named Bunting and redesignated AMS-3 18 Feb 1947 in reserve; in commission, in reserve, 18 Jul 1950, Eleventh Naval District; Hawaii with MinDiv 51 and 71, ~3 years; Long Beach 12 Sep 1953; Charleston via Panama Canal 15 Feb 1954; Sixth Naval District, based Key West - mine hunting exercises and Fleet Sonar School training platform; redesignated MHC-45 7 Feb 1955; decommissioned Key West 6 May 1960; stricken 1 Jun 1960; sunk as a target between July-September 1962.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Dachel-Carter construction trades (1942-43); commissioned crew (1943-46, 1950-60); reserve/Naval Reserve training population (1947-50)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live page verified reachable via firecrawl 2026-10-03; a direct curl fetch returned 404 (bot/edge blocking) - the page is live but not curl-accessible. DANFS does not itemize propulsion machinery; it dates the 'sunk as a target' disposal only to July-September 1962 with no location.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-01
-
[3]DANFS Vol. V, Appendix II - Minecraft, Part P (Motor Minesweepers/YMS), Bunting entry (verbatim transcription, losthistory.net/hazegray; Bunting was omitted from DANFS Vol. I and carries only this appendix entry) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hazegray transcription, Part P Motor Minesweepers (YMS), YMS-170/Bunting entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS Vol. V appendix data for this hull: built at Dachel-Carter SB Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich.; keel laid 10/1/42; completed 7/10/43; changed from YMS-170 to BUNTING (AMS-3) 2/18/47; authorized for conversion to MHC in FY 1955; changed AMS-3 to MHC-45 2/7/55; converted at Charleston Naval Shipyard, conversion begun 3/22/55, conversion completed 8/23/55; struck from Naval Vessel Register 6/1/60.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1960
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard conversion trades (Mar-Aug 1955)
- Limitations
- Milestone register data only; no asbestos content. The printed appendix entry carries a self-evident launch-date misprint ('5/29/42' - before the keel was laid); the DANFS main entry and NavSource give 29 May 1943 (see ev-10 and gaps). Transcription mirror used because the appendix is not republished as a live NHHC page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Bunting (MHC 45) ex-AMS-3 ex-YMS-170 - designation timeline, specifications, Naval Reserve training assignment, commanding officers, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19170.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officers list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 1 October 1942 by Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding Corp., Benton Harbor, MI; launched 29 May 1943; completed 10 July 1943; commissioned USS YMS-170 23 July 1943 at Algiers, LA; decommissioned 30 July 1946 at San Pedro, CA; named Bunting and reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-3, 18 February 1947; assigned as a Naval Reserve Training vessel in November 1948 at San Diego, CA; placed in commission, in reserve, 18 July 1950; reclassified Coastal Minehunter MHC-45, 7 February 1955; conversion began 22 March 1955 at Charleston Naval Shipyard, completed 23 August 1955; decommissioned 6 May 1960 at Key West, FL; struck from the Naval Register 1 June 1960; sunk as a target sometime between July-September 1962. Page carries period photography and a partial commanding-officer roster (LT James H. Hawkins 1943-45; LT William J. Longhi Jul 1954-Aug 1956, later Captain; LT Henry C. Mustin 1958, later Vice Admiral).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Crew (1943-46, 1950-60); Naval Reserve trainees embarked at San Diego (1948-50); Charleston Naval Shipyard conversion trades (1955)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates here track DANFS and the DANFS Vol. V appendix. Contains no asbestos content. Spec block conflicts with DANFS on displacement (270 vs 320 t), draft (8' vs 6'1"), speed (15 vs 12 kts), and complement (32 vs 33) - DANFS carried, variants in gaps. The November 1948 Naval Reserve training-vessel assignment is NavSource-only (not in DANFS).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-03
-
[5]NavalCoverMuseum, BUNTING MHC 45 - designation history and postal-cover documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum BUNTING_MHC_45 page, Postmarks table (1958-01-29 Key West Naval Station)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Postal documentation of this hull's MHC era: a USPO machine postmark of 29 January 1958 from Key West, FL Naval Station is cataloged 'As MHC-45,' with the note 'the ship had no postal facilities' - mail was handled ashore at the naval station. YMS-170-era covers exist from 1945. The museum's designation table reproduces the DANFS/NavSource milestone sequence (YMS-170 to AMS-3 to MHC-45, stricken 1 June 1960, sunk as target July-September 1962).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Crew at Key West homeport period (1954-60)
- Limitations
- Volunteer philatelic museum wiki; postmark artifacts are primary ephemera but the summary table is secondary and carries a lay-down misprint ('October 1 1941') contradicted by DANFS (1 October 1942) - not relied on for dates. Establishes presence at Key West under the MHC-45 designation in 1958; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-04
-
[6]NARA file units: 'YMS-170, 7/23/43-7/10/46' (NAID 193048070, RG 24 Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities 1939-1949, 108 images) and 'BUNTING (YMS-170 / AMS-3 / MHC-45) - 1952' (NAID 99920558, post-1949 Navy Muster Rolls, 80 images) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/193048070 and catalog.archives.gov/id/99920558 file-unit pages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized muster rolls exist for this hull covering its entire WWII commissioned period (23 Jul 1943 - 10 Jul 1946) and its 1952 Hawaiian-deployment period - name/rate/service-number rosters for every attached crew member. These are the population records for the wartime and Korean-era crews: the individuals who manned a wooden diesel minesweeper built and operated inside the Navy's asbestos era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1952
- Population
- YMS-170 wartime crew (1943-46); Bunting AMS-3 Hawaiian-deployment crew (1952)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: muster rolls document who was aboard, not what materials they worked around - they are not exposure records and carry no asbestos information. Digitized images verified present in the NARA catalog 2026-10-03 (Ancestry/Fold3 partner scans); individual rolls not transcribed. Deck logs for this hull were not located among digitized records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS-1 class index ('The wood-hulled YMS...'; 561 built at 35 yacht yards; class spec block GM 8-268A diesels, 2 shafts); DANFS spec block; shipyards.json documented asbestos product list for Charleston Naval Shipyard (conversion yard, 1955); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class index text and spec block; DANFS spec block; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled motor minesweeper built 1942-43 and converted 1955 at a naval shipyard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel-driven small combatant of this type and period were diesel exhaust lagging, machinery and engine-room gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a direct diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine/pipe-lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and the wooden hull carried none of the structural fireproofing of steel combatants, narrowing but not eliminating the era pathway.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Dachel-Carter construction trades (1942-43); engine-room crew (1943-46, 1950-60); Charleston Naval Shipyard conversion trades (1955)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for YMS-170/AMS-3/MHC-45. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The wooden hull makes this materially narrower than a steel steam ship - the residual pathway is machinery-space materials, not systemwide lagging.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-06
-
[8]Pace v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, No. 14-2416 (decided 30 March 2016); Charleston Naval Shipyard asbestos-product documentation as itemized in shipyards.json (gaskets, packing, thermal insulation on pumps/valves; Shops 31 and 38; ~1971-mid-1980s) [court_record]
- Locator
- Pace v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 4th Cir. No. 14-2416 (2016), via Justia; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard products_documented
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation documentation of asbestos-product work at this hull's 1955 conversion yard: the Pace record documents asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and thermal insulation in Charleston Naval Shipyard machine shops (Shop 31 needle-gun removal of pump insulation; Shop 38 assembly work), with the yard's documented asbestos-product applications including pipe insulation, gaskets in pumps and valves, packing for rotating equipment, thermal insulation, fireproofing, and electrical insulation aboard vessels. Bunting's MHC-45 conversion at this yard ran 22 March - 23 August 1955.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1971-1986 (documented); conversion event 1955
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard machine-shop and shipboard trades (documented ~1971-mid-1980s); by era extension, 1955 conversion trades
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - Bunting is not named in Pace and no conversion work package was located. CRITICAL DATE LIMITATION: the Pace-documented period (~1971-mid-1980s) and the yard dataset's verified product entries postdate this hull's 1955 conversion by ~16+ years; the row documents that the yard performed asbestos work, not that it did so during this conversion. Pace affirmed summary judgment for Crane Co. on insufficient proximity/frequency proof - a merits disposition for that defendant, not a yard-wide exposure finding. Opinion verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03 (Justia returns 403 to curl).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, highlights text
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and only moved to remove/replace it under policies of the mid-to-late 1970s - its 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. This spans the hull's entire construction (1942-43), reserve, reactivation, conversion (1955), and disposal (1962) window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - neither is documented to have worked this hull. Verified via live product page and highlights (firecrawl 2026-10-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-08
-
[10]Batch-7551 search ledger (this record): live DANFS Bunting II; DANFS Vol. V appendix transcription; NavSource vessel and class index pages; NavalCoverMuseum; NARA catalog (muster rolls); Pace v. Air & Liquid (4th Cir.); GAO product page; NVR check; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation/asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bunting-mhc45-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, conversion work package, or verified litigation naming YMS-170 / USS Bunting (AMS-3) / Bunting (MHC-45) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the daily quota exhausted with ~5.8 h to reset; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no ship-named asbestos content at all - the only 'asbestos aboard' material is generic law-firm ship-list marketing (simmonsfirm.com, asbestos.com, elslaw.com, navyshipexposure.com, mesothelioma-funds-administration.org) that lists no primary sourcing for this hull - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). The 1955 Charleston conversion work package, builder records (Dachel-Carter is not in the Atlas yard dataset), and any target-sinking hazmat documentation are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-09
-
[11]Cross-source date check: DANFS Vol. V appendix (hazegray transcription) 'Launched 5/29/42' vs DANFS Bunting II main entry 'launched on 29 May 1943' vs NavSource 'Launched 29 May 1943'; NavalCoverMuseum table 'Laid down October 1 1941' vs DANFS '1 October 1942' [other_primary]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS appendix transcription vs history.navy.mil Bunting II entry vs NavSource 11/19170.htm vs NavalCoverMuseum table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the printed DANFS Vol. V Appendix II entry gives this hull's launch as '5/29/42' - a self-evident misprint, since it predates her 1 October 1942 keel laying; the DANFS main entry (revised Cressman edition) and NavSource both give 29 May 1943, which is carried. NavalCoverMuseum's designation table separately misprints her lay-down as 'October 1 1941'; DANFS and NavSource give 1 October 1942, which is carried. No source conflict survives on the corrected values.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (dates at issue)
- Limitations
- Corrects documentary misprints, not a material claim. The corrected dates rest on the DANFS main entry (NHHC, verified live via firecrawl) corroborated by NavSource - the appendix misprint is in the printed DANFS itself, faithfully reproduced by the transcription. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-10
-
[12]NavSource Online: AMCU/MHC index (archive 11/04idx) - Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator)/Coastal Minehunter index, reclassification context and MHC hull list [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/04idx.htm index narrative and MHC-44..50 list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Reclassification context for this hull's MHC designation: all AMCUs on the U.S. Naval Vessel Register were reclassified Coastal Minehunters (MHC) on 7 February 1955 - the same effective date as this hull's AMS-3 to MHC-45 change. The index groups MHC-44 through MHC-50 as the seven ex-AMS (former YMS) hulls of the group: Bobolink (MHC-44, ex-AMS-2), Bunting (MHC-45, ex-AMS-3), Gull (MHC-46, ex-AMS-16), Merganser (MHC-47, ex-AMS-26), Redhead (MHC-48, ex-AMS-34), Sanderling (MHC-49, ex-AMS-35), Waxbill (MHC-50, ex-AMS-39). The type was designed to locate mines and other underwater obstacles rather than to sweep them; Bunting's DANFS entry documents post-conversion mine-hunting exercises and Fleet Sonar School platform duty.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1955
- Population
- Mine warfare community, 1955 reclassification
- Limitations
- Type/index-level context for the designation - establishes the reclassification frame and the seven-hull conversion group, not anything about materials or work aboard this hull. Volunteer secondary compilation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bunting-mhc45-11