Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]Nelson, Stewart B., 'Oceanographic Ships, Fore and Aft,' Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971, pp. 111, 116 (ship caption) - LCCN 71614043 [other_primary]
- Locator
- p. 116 ship caption (photo courtesy T. F. Gundlach); p. 111 wartime survey-fleet listing naming Chauvenet among the 136-foot converted motor minesweepers
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy oceanographer's history (Nelson 1971, Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, GPO) documents: 'Originally built as a motor minesweeper (YMS 195) in 1943 by C. Hiltebrant Drydock Company of Kingston, New York, she underwent conversion to a surveying ship in 1945 receiving the name Chauvenet and the designation AGS 11 and departed for duty in the Pacific. Decommissioned in 1946 she was sold the following year and became the British mercantile Zipper. In 1963 she foundered 100 miles off Georgetown, British Guinea.' Length 136 ft, displacement 215 tons per this source.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- Afloat crews 1943-1946 (context)
- Limitations
- Authoritative official U.S. government publication naming this hull; establishes identity chain, conversion year, Pacific duty, decommission, sale, and 1963 foundering. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim. Its 215-ton displacement figure conflicts with NavSource (340 t) and Shipscribe (252 light/340 limiting) - see correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-01
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[2]Roberts, Stephen S., 'USS Chauvenet (AGS-11) Class,' Shipscribe (shipscribe.com), compiled 2008 - class data transcribed from official U.S. Navy records (Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels / BuShips and CNO records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class notes, construction and disposition tables, and ship note for AGS-11
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts) class table compiled from official Navy records documents: AGS-11 ex-YMS-195 reclassified 20 Mar 1945; built by Hiltebrant DD (keel 3 Apr 42, launched 10 Aug 42, commissioned 22 Mar 43); converted by Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island, Calif., Jan-Apr 1945; on disposal list Mar 1946 and not reclassified AGSC; decommissioned 23 Apr 46; struck 3 Jul 46; sold (delivered) by the Maritime Commission 5 Feb 47 to Arthur H. Monroe; mercantile ZIPPER 1947. Class notes document the conversion directive chain: CinCPac recommended conversion of YMS 195/242/262/263 on 9 Jan 45, CominCh authorized 16 Jan 45, CNO directive 18 Jan 45, reclassified AGS 26 Feb 45 effective 20 Mar 45, names assigned 23 Mar 45; all four ships were from the 150 wooden-hulled minesweepers (YMS 135-284) whose construction was directed 17 Jan 42; minesweeping gear removed, gun armament retained, outfit modeled on the four earlier PCS survey conversions (PCS 1388, 1396, 1404, 1457).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- Conversion-yard trades, Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island, Jan-Apr 1945; afloat crew 1945-46
- Limitations
- Private scholarly compilation transcribing official Navy records - the strongest ship-specific timeline available; not itself a primary document. Establishes conversion yard, directive chain, and disposal details. Commissioned date (22 Mar 43) conflicts with NavSource (23 Mar) - see correction row. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Chauvenet (AGS 11) ex-YMS-195' (citing U.S. Navy photo NH 74261, Naval History and Heritage Command) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page specification block and NH 74261 photo caption; Wayback capture http://web.archive.org/web/20250406145755/http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/19195.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photo archive entry (accessed via Wayback capture 2025-04-06; live DNS unreachable from research host) documents: laid down 3 Apr 1942 by Hiltebrant Dock Co., Kingston NY; launched 10 Aug 1942; completed 20 Mar 1943; commissioned USS YMS-195 23 Mar 1943; named Chauvenet and reclassified survey ship AGS-11 20 Mar 1945; decommissioned 1946; struck 3 Jul 1946; transferred to War Shipping Administration Feb 1947; sold 1947 as British mercantile Zipper; foundered 1963, 100 miles off Georgetown, British Guinea. Specifications: 340 t, 136 ft, beam 23'4", draft 8'7", 14.5 kts, complement 32; armament 1 x 3"/50 DP, 2 x 20mm, 2 depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 1,000 bhp GM 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Page states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for Chauvenet (AGS 11).' NHHC photo NH 74261 depicts YMS-195 during WWII (courtesy T. F. Gundlach, 1971). NavSource namesake caption documents William Chauvenet (1820-1870), mathematician instrumental in founding the U.S. Naval Academy (Chauvenet Hall).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Limitations
- Private archival aggregator reproducing an official NHHC photo and standard specifications - used here for specs, dates, and the explicit statement that no DANFS entry exists. Dates/specs corroborated against Nelson 1971 and Shipscribe where overlapping; commissioned date (23 Mar 43) differs from Shipscribe (22 Mar) - see correction row. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-03
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[4]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953) ship participation list, as transcribed at officialmilitaryribbons.com (YMS 1-200 page and P29 operation page); star-count rule per the official battle-stars list (HyperWar transcription of the Cominch/NDB list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS 195 entry listing P29-7 (Guam, 21 Jul-6 Aug 44) and P29-2 (Saipan, 7-10 Aug 44); P29 single-star rule on the P29 operation page and HyperWar DANFS BattleStars document
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (NAVPERS 15,790, Rev. 1953) participation list - via a private transcription site (officialmilitaryribbons.com, which states its source as NAVPERS 15,790 Rev. 1953) - credits YMS-195 with Marianas operation participation: Capture and occupation of Guam, 21 Jul-6 Aug 1944 (code P29-7), and Capture and occupation of Saipan, 7-10 Aug 1944 (code P29-2). Under the P29 rule ('only 1 star for participation in 1 or more' sub-operations), this constitutes one battle star for the Asiatic-Pacific campaign.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- YMS-195 crew, Marianas operation Jul-Aug 1944
- Limitations
- Underlying document is an official Navy awards manual, but this row was verified only against a private transcription - the primary manual page for YMS-195 was not inspected. Establishes Marianas-area presence Jul-Aug 1944; detailed minesweeping itinerary 1943-44 remains undocumented. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-04
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[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 under which this hull was built (1942-43) and converted (1945). Application to this hull is design-narrowed inference: a wooden-hulled motor minesweeper with diesel propulsion lacked the boiler and steam-line insulation that dominated asbestos loading aboard steam-era combatants; plausible applications on the type are secondary items (exhaust lagging, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, fireproof joiner material, brake linings).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship on WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the YMS class specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The design-narrowing reasoning (wood hull, diesel, no steam plant) is this record's analytic inference, not a statement in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-05
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[6]Batch-763 search ledger (this record): Nelson 1971; Shipscribe AGS-11 class page; NavSource 19195; NHHC DANFS (no entry); NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener (blocked); Google-indexed CourtListener hits; NARA catalog API; uboat.net [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chauvenet-ags11-01 through sl-uss-chauvenet-ags11-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Chauvenet/AGS-11 or YMS-195 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation coverage is INCOMPLETE: the CourtListener API was rate-limited (125/day shared cap exceeded) on 2026-09-20 and could not be queried; Google-indexed CourtListener hits for 'Chauvenet' are surname collisions (Sullivan v. Chauvenet, 282 Mo. 649, 1920; a person named Christina Chauvenet in a N.D. Cal. filing exhibit), not ship cases. A law-firm marketing listicle (freeasbestostesting.com) includes 'USS Chauvenet (AGS-11)' in a boilerplate auxiliary-ships page - a banned competitor source carrying no ship-specific claim; excluded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era materials could have been present in secondary applications. Litigation coverage is partial: the direct CourtListener search was blocked by rate limiting, so a docketed case naming this hull cannot be ruled out from this pass; classified down accordingly. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-06
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[7]Cross-source comparison: NavSource 19195; Shipscribe AGS-11 class page; Nelson 1971 p.116; Wikipedia USS Chauvenet (AGS-11); uboat.net YMS-195 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Comparison across the five cited sources; see per-row locators
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, none affecting identity: (a) Commissioning as YMS-195 - 23 Mar 1943 (NavSource, adopted), 22 Mar 1943 (Shipscribe), 20 Mar 1943 (Wikipedia and uboat.net; NavSource lists 20 Mar 1943 as the completion date - the 20 Mar figure in secondary sources likely conflates completion and commissioning). (b) Displacement - 215 t (Nelson 1971 caption), 252 light / 340 limiting (Shipscribe class data), 340 t (NavSource), 320 t (Wikipedia). (c) Complement - 32 (NavSource), 33 (Wikipedia). (d) Class naming - 'Chauvenet class' for the four ex-YMS conversions (Shipscribe) vs. 'Derickson class' grouping with the five ex-PCS conversions (NavSource, HyperWar). (e) Reclassification administrative chain - reclassified AGS 26 Feb 1945 effective 20 Mar 1945, name assigned 23 Mar 1945 (Shipscribe); NavSource collapses naming+reclassification to 20 Mar 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary/compiled sources; identity, conversion, and disposal chain are uncontested across sources. No asbestos content in any cited source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-07
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[8]NARA guidance for U.S. Navy deck logs and records of the Bureau of Ships (RG 19) and U.S. Maritime Commission (RG 178); NARA WWII deck-log digitization program [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-log research guidance; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 178 (Maritime Commission) record-group guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA deck logs for YMS-195 (1943-45) and Chauvenet AGS-11 (1945-46), RG 24 Logs of U.S. Naval Ships and Stations - would document operations between commissioning and the Jan 1945 San Pedro overhaul. (b) BuShips/CNO conversion files for the Jan-Apr 1945 Harbor Boat Building job - may include outfitting/materials schedules. (c) Maritime Commission disposal file for the 5 Feb 1947 sale to Arthur H. Monroe and the vessel's WSA custody transfer. (d) Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co. construction records (Kingston NY) for hull materials documentation.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. The NARA catalog API returned only the application shell to automated queries on 2026-09-20, so digitization status of this hull's logs is unconfirmed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chauvenet-ags11-08