Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Courlan' entry - hazegray.org transcription read via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2024-06-24 (hazegray.org unreachable and canonical NHHC page not located 2026-09-24) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray /danfs/mine/yms114.htm, full entry text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Courlan (Vol. II, small-craft format): name-entry 'An American, tropical, long-billed, raillike bird.' and the ordinal II marking this as the second ship of the name; full narrative line: 'YMS-114 (q. v.) was reclassified and named Courlan (AMS-44) on 1 September 1947.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1947 (entry coverage)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history but minimal for this hull: the entire entry is the namesake line plus the 1947-09-01 reclassification/naming - no operational narrative, no commissioning or decommissioning dates, no disposition. The 'II' ordinal confirms a prior ship of the name (AMc-44) - see correction row ev-06. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Courlan (MSC[O] 44)' page 11/19114 (volunteer-compiled archive keyed to Navy register data and NHHC photos) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19114.htm - ship data block, specifications, commanding-officer list, NH 84968 photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive entry 'Courlan (MSC[O] 44) ex-AMS-44 ex-YMS-114': YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweeper, call sign November-Alpha-Whiskey-Echo; laid down 26 June 1941 by the San Diego Marine Construction Co., San Diego, CA; launched 13 March 1942; completed 12 August 1942 and commissioned USS YMS-114; reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-44 and named Courlan 1 September 1947, assigned Naval Reserve training vessel in the 8th Naval District (New Orleans); reclassified Coastal Minesweeper (Old) MSC(O) 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959; fate unknown. Spec block: 270 t; 136' x 24'6" x 8'; 15 kts; complement 32; one 3"/50 DP mount, two 20mm, two depth-charge projectors; two 880 bhp GM 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding-officer list runs continuously: LT Parker E. Cherry USNR (1942-05/1943), LT John E. Boyle Jr. (05-09/1943), LTJG Russell Remage Jr. (09/1943-02/1944), LT Melvin B. Griffin (02/1944-07/1945), LT R. E. Ward (07-09/1945), LTJG Clinton L. Dornbush (09/1945-02/1946), LTJG Ralph C. Kersten (02/1946), then NR-era officers through LT Lee Baggett Jr. USN (1953-1955). Photo caption: YMS-114 in San Francisco Bay c.1945, NHHC photo NH 84968.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Population
- Ship's company (complement ~32) and Naval Reserve trainees, 8th Naval District (1947-1950s)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive, not an official record - used for construction dates, designation history, NR assignment, CO roster, and the NHHC photo credit; the 1947-09-01 rename date agrees with DANFS. Page contains a typo printing the 1955 designation as 'MSC(O)-43' - every other source gives MSC(O)-44; logged in gaps. Ship-page spec block (270 t / 8' draft / 15 kts / cpl 32) differs from class-level figures (320 t / 6'1" / 12-13 kts / cpl 33); logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-02
-
[3]National Archives Catalog, file unit 'YMS-114, 8/1/42-11/1/46', NAID 193170133 (series: Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/proxy/records/search q="YMS-114" - first-ranked file unit; microfilm container 'Roll 8078'; digitalObjects JPG set via Ancestry partnership
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- National Archives Catalog file unit 'YMS-114, 8/1/42-11/1/46' (NAID 193170133) - the ship's wartime deck logs as a single archival unit, held by NARA College Park (Textual Reference), preservation microfilm Roll 8078. The catalog record carries digital objects: page-image JPG scans produced under the Ancestry-NARA digitization partnership (Ancestry collection 1143), unrestricted. Coverage runs from commissioning (12 Aug 1942) through November 1946 - the vessel's entire YMS-114 period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Ship's company Aug 1942-Nov 1946
- Limitations
- Archival record establishes continuous in-scope Navy service Aug 1942-Nov 1946 and is the retrieval path for stations, operations, and personnel - but the log pages were not read; log coverage is not treated as commissioning/decommissioning evidence. Hull does not appear on NARA's curated 'Navy Deck Logs Available' page - digitization is via the Ancestry-partnership scan set attached to the catalog record; completeness/legibility unverified. Contains no asbestos finding - deck logs record operational events, not materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-03
-
[4]National Archives Catalog, file unit 'USS YMS-114 - War Diary, 1/1-31/43', NAID 134093172 (WWII war-diaries microfilm series) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/proxy/records/search q="YMS-114" - war-diary file unit; mediaOccurrence 'Roll A237'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- National Archives Catalog file unit 'USS YMS-114 - War Diary, 1/1-31/43' (NAID 134093172) - the ship's January 1943 war diary, microfilm Roll A237, catalog scope note: 'The Micro Serial Number is listed as 46793.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-01
- Population
- Ship's company January 1943
- Limitations
- Confirms the ship submitted a war diary for January 1943 - evidence of wartime commissioned service; microfilm content not retrieved or read, so operating area remains undetermined. War diaries document operations, not materials - no asbestos content expected or asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-04
-
[5]National Archives Catalog, file unit 'Activity Number 0204 0044 - COURLAN (YMS-114 / AMS-44 / MSC-44) - 1952', NAID 99923455 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/proxy/records/search q="YMS-114" - activity file unit, microfilm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- National Archives Catalog file unit 'Activity Number 0204 0044 - COURLAN (YMS-114 / AMS-44 / MSC-44) - 1952' (NAID 99923455) - a single Navy activity-file record dated 1952 that consolidates all three of this hull's designations, corroborating the post-war Naval Reserve-era assignment documented by NavSource (8th Naval District, New Orleans).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1952
- Population
- Naval Reserve trainees / ship's company, 1952
- Limitations
- Catalog-level identification only: the record title authoritatively ties YMS-114 = AMS-44 = MSC-44 to one hull and dates activity to 1952 (consistent with the documented NR-training assignment). Parent series and file content not identified from the catalog response; microfilm not retrieved. No asbestos content expected or asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-05
-
[6]National Archives Catalog, 'Courlan (AMC-44)' deck-log file units (NAID 285131xxx series) vs. NavSource 11/03044 (Courlan AMc-44) and NavalCoverMuseum COURLAN MSC(O) 44 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog search 'Courlan' - fourteen AMC-44 file units dated 1941-1945; NavSource AMc-44 page; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/COURLAN_MSC(O)_44
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Name-collision control: NARA catalogs fourteen deck-log file units titled 'Courlan (AMC-44)' spanning July 1941-September 1945 (e.g., NAID 285131007 'July 1 to September 14, 1941'; NAID 285131929 'June 10 to September 30, 1945'). These belong to the FIRST USS Courlan - AMc-44, an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper built by Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, FL (laid down 1941-01-20, launched 1941-04-04, in service 1941-07-01, out of service April 1947, transferred to War Shipping Administration; NavSource 11/03044). While those logs run, this hull was still numbered YMS-114. NavalCoverMuseum confirms: 'Two ships of the US Navy have borne the name COURLAN - USS Courlan AMc-44 and USS Courlan MSC(O)-44.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1947 (other hull)
- Limitations
- Documents a different hull to prevent misattribution: NARA 'Courlan' log coverage 1941-1945 is the Accentor-class AMc-44, not this vessel (which did not carry the name until 1947-09-01). Any archival or litigation search on the bare name 'Courlan' must be filtered on hull number. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-06
-
[7]NavSource Auxiliary Minesweeper Photo Index (class specs: 561 wooden-hulled YMS, GM 8-268A diesel, 880 shp, two shafts); Lt. j.g. USNR, 'Saga of a YMS,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 74/1/539 (Jan 1948) - class power-plant description from service aboard YMS-238 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class data block; usni.org Proceedings Jan 1948 article (class-level plant narrative)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference with narrowed scope: the YMS-1 class was a wooden-hulled, all-diesel design - per NavSource's class index, 561 hulls built 1942-45 to a common 136' Nevins design at 35 yacht yards; per a serving officer's class description (USNI Proceedings, Jan 1948, 'Saga of a YMS'), the plant was two GM propulsion diesels plus a diesel generator set driving the magnetic-sweep circuit and auxiliary diesels - no boilers, no steam lines. For a 1941-42 naval craft of this configuration, era-typical asbestos applications were exhaust lagging on the diesel machinery, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, accommodation/galley outfitting, and winch/windlass brake linings - a narrower asbestos envelope than a steam vessel of the same era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1959 (hull); class built 1942-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (San Diego Marine Construction Co., 1941-42); ship's company engineering/galley spaces
- Limitations
- Inference from documented class design and construction era - NOT a hull record, and neither source names asbestos: the NavSource and USNI texts establish the wooden hull and diesel machinery (which bounds plausible ACM locations), while asbestos content of those applications is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, remaining material, individual exposure, or causation aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-07
-
[8]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 2011; Corn, J.K., and Starr, J., 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 1987 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Peer-reviewed literature (same era-level scholarship cited in batch-10xx records)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that the U.S. Navy used and had institutional knowledge of asbestos-containing shipboard materials across 1900-1970 - spanning this hull's entire 1942-1959 service period; WWII shipbuilding generally made extensive use of asbestos fireproofing and insulating materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1959 (hull service era)
- Population
- Navy shipboard personnel generally (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel, the YMS-1 class, or the San Diego Marine Construction yard, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Notably, the heavy-use applications these works describe center on steam plants and fireproofing - a diesel wooden minesweeper sits at the low end of the era's asbestos envelope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-08
-
[9]Batch-1733 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 opinion+docket sweeps across all aliases via authenticated helper; VA BVA index check; NavSource/DANFS/NARA surfaces [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-courlan-ams44-06 and sl-uss-courlan-ams44-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Courlan / YMS-114 / AMS-44 / MSC(O)-44 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation sweep (authenticated CourtListener API v4, 2026-09-24): opinions - 'Courlan' 0, 'Courlan minesweeper' 0, 'YMS-114' 0, 'AMS-44' 15 (all name collisions - 'AMS-44' appears as a form/exhibit number in Florida foreclosure opinions and a trade case, none maritime or asbestos); dockets - 'Courlan' 4 (name collisions: criminal, civil-rights, patent, agriculture cases), 'YMS-114' 0, 'AMS-44' 20 (all collisions: bankruptcy, civil rights, insurance, trademark, MDL dockets). VA BVA index check: no decision naming the 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 1942 naval craft is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials in the applications described in ev-07, and her unknown post-1959 disposition is an undocumented disturbance phase. CourtListener coverage is indexed opinions and RECAP dockets - it does not exhaust state trial courts, settled/undocketed claims, or PACER-only dockets; absence here establishes only that no qualifying case is indexed under her names or hull numbers.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-09
-
[10]City of San Diego, official digital archives - 'Aerial View of San Diego Marine Construction Co. in 1941' (sandiego.gov); corroborated by shipbuildinghistory.com yard table listing this hull (YMS-114, completed 12-Aug-42) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sandiego.gov digital archives photo caption; shipbuildinghistory.com/us-comm-small/sandiego yard table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder history from an official municipal source: San Diego Marine Construction Company was established in 1915 by Capt. Oakley J. Hall; during WWII the yard built YMS-1-class minesweepers (including this hull's sisters YMS-113 through YMS-116 and YMS-143/146/281/284), PCS-1376-class patrol craft sweepers, and YP patrol craft; sold to Campbell Industries 1972, renamed Southwest Marine 1979, became a repair facility, later the San Diego division of BAE Systems Ship Repair (adjacent to NASSCO).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1915-2005 (yard); hull built 1941-42
- Population
- San Diego Marine Construction workforce (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history establishing the builder's identity, wartime output, and corporate lineage - the corporate succession (Campbell Industries 1972; Southwest Marine 1979; BAE 2005) is the path for any builder-side records or claims. The yard is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry - logged in gaps. No asbestos information in these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-10
-
[11]California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region - San Diego Bay Shipyard Sediment Site program page incl. CAO R9-2012-0024 and technical report; designated-party briefing on SDMCC successor status (Opper & Varco, hosted on waterboards.ca.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- waterboards.ca.gov/sandiego shipyard sediment program page; star_crescent.pdf party briefing citing TCAO and Draft Technical Report findings on SDMCC (yard operations 1914-1972)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder's former site is a named facility in the San Diego Bay Shipyard Sediment cleanup proceeding: Cleanup and Abatement Order R9-2012-0024 (San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, adopted 2012-03-14) addressed shipyard-source sediment contamination along the San Diego Bay waterfront; proceedings record the former San Diego Marine Construction facility and a successor-in-interest dispute over Star & Crescent Boat Co. (S&C contested discharger designation as alleged corporate successor to SDMCC).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2010-2016 (proceeding); yard operated 1914-1972
- Limitations
- Regulatory record concerns the builder's SITE and sediment contamination (metals/organics), not this vessel and not asbestos - included solely to document the builder yard's regulatory status and corporate-successor posture for any future builder-side inquiry. The successor-in-interest designation was contested; the briefing is a party filing hosted on the official site, not the Board's finding. No asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-11
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 24 (deck logs) record-group pages; NARA catalog search results described in ev-03/04/05 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA record-group guide pages; catalog file units NAID 193170133, 134093172, 99923455
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Additional archival leads (located, unretrieved): BuShips contract plans/specifications for the YMS-1 design and the San Diego Marine Construction construction contract (RG 19, Records of the Bureau of Ships) - the most promising lead for any materials/insulation schedule; wartime war diaries beyond January 1943 may exist in the same microfilm series; postwar status/decommissioning and disposition files would be in Naval Register/NAVSEA records (RG 19) and Naval Reserve activity files.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Record-group and file mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-courlan-ams44-12