Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Crossbill II (AMS-45)' and 'Crossbill I (AMc-9)' entries [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full DANFS entry text. Live NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-23; text verified via Wayback capture 2021-09-14 (web.archive.org/web/20210914201417/.../crossbill-ii.html) and the hazegray DANFS transcription (Wayback capture 2024-05-26, hazegray.org/danfs/mine/yms120.htm and /amc9.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry 'Crossbill II (AMS-45)' (full text): 'A crossbill is a finch whose curved mandibles cross each other. II. YMS-120 (q.v.) was reclassified and named Crossbill (AMS-45) on 19 August 1947.' The same page establishes that this is the second Navy ship of the name; the first, Crossbill (AMc-9), 'operated in an in-service status attached to the 14th Naval District from 1941 to 1947' - a different hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941-08-23 to 1959-11-01
- Population
- Crew of 32 (complement) across the service period; Naval Reserve trainees (4th Naval District) from 1947
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy source establishing the designation chain (YMS-120 > Crossbill AMS-45), the 1947-08-19 naming/reclassification date, and the two-hull name history (AMc-9 vs this vessel). The DANFS entry for this hull is a designation stub only - it contains no construction, operational, decommissioning, or disposition detail and no asbestos, insulation, or materials information whatsoever.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Crossbill (MSC[O] 45) ex-AMS-45 ex-YMS-120, navsource.net/archives/11/19120.htm; shipbuildinghistory (T. Colton) 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS and BYMS)' table (Wayback 2010-04-13 capture); uboat.net Allied Warships YMS-120 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource hull page (specs, CO table, photo captions); shipbuildinghistory YM table row for YMS-120 (web.archive.org/web/20100413220221/shipbuildinghistory.com/history/smallships/yms.htm); uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9540.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive entry for Crossbill (MSC[O] 45) ex-AMS-45 ex-YMS-120: laid down 23 August 1941 by Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island CA; launched 4 April 1942; completed 1 August 1942 and commissioned USS YMS-120; reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-45 and named Crossbill 1 September 1947 (conflicts with DANFS 19 August 1947 - see correction row ev-03) and placed in service as a Naval Reserve training ship in the 4th Naval District (Philadelphia); reclassified Minesweeper Coastal (Old) MSC(O)-45 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959; 'Fate unknown.' Call sign November-Bravo-Foxtrot-Yankee. Spec block: displacement 270 t., length 136', beam 24'6", draft 8', speed 15 kts., complement 32; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880-bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Photo record: NHHC photo NH 84969, YMS-120 in San Francisco Bay c. 1945; postcard of Crossbill (AMS-45) at the Public Steamboat Landing, Erie PA, c. 1950 - 'Crossbill made at least two Great Lakes training cruises in 1949 and 1950.' Commanding-officer table: Chief Boatswain John I. Howton, USN (1950 - September 1951); LT Thomas W. Brown, USN (September 1951 - June 1952); LT William James Diffley, USNR (June 1952); LT Arthur Coday, USN. Shipbuilding History (T. Colton compilation) 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS and BYMS)' table corroborates: 'YMS 120 | Harbor Boatbuilding | Mk. I | 1-Aug-42 | Reclassified 1947 as Crossbill (AMS 45), struck 1959, disposition unknown'; uboat.net adds 'Ordered 1 Apr 1941'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1941-1942 (construction); 1942-1959 (service); 1947-1955 (reserve training)
- Population
- Wartime and postwar crew (complement 32); Naval Reserve trainees, 4th Naval District; named commanding officers 1950-1952
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation (NavSource) and reference compilations (shipbuildinghistory, uboat.net), not official records - corroborated against DANFS where they overlap. NavSource's 1 September 1947 naming date conflicts with DANFS's 19 August 1947 (carried in correction row and gaps); its 270 t displacement and 32 complement are the standard-load figures where the class index prints 320 t and 33. Sole consulted source for the laid-down date, CO list, call sign, reserve-training assignment, and Great Lakes cruise record. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-02
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[3]DANFS 'Crossbill II (AMS-45)' vs NavSource Crossbill (MSC[O] 45) hull page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry line 'reclassified and named ... on 19 August 1947'; NavSource hull chronology line '1 September 1947'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Naming/reclassification date conflict resolved in favor of DANFS: NavSource lists 'Reclassified as a Motor Minesweeper, AMS-45, named Crossbill, 1 September 1947'; DANFS states 'YMS-120 was reclassified and named Crossbill (AMS-45) on 19 August 1947.' DANFS adopted; the same 19-August-vs-1-September split appears across the AMS-renamed bird-class hulls (cf. Brambling AMS-42) and likely reflects order vs effective-date framing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1947
- Limitations
- Flags a secondary-source discrepancy, not a DANFS error: the conflict likely reflects order vs effective-date framing and remains unresolved in the sources; DANFS carried as the more authoritative reference. Neither source bears on asbestos or materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-03
-
[4]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 by Ship Number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf); NARA 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' and 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' research pages [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 ship-number PDF, YMS-120 rows ('8/1/1942 - 1/31/1943' and '3/1/1943 - 6/30/1945'); https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy and /navy-online (digitized list, no YMS-120 entry)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 ('List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947'), ship-number list, catalogs two runs of YMS-120 deck logs: 1942-08-01 to 1943-01-31 and 1943-03-01 to 1945-06-30 (February 1943 is absent from the listed runs). These wartime logs are the definitive hull-specific primary source for the 1942-1945 commissioned period; postwar logs fall in the U.S. Navy Ship Deck Logs series, RG 24, Entry 118 (NAID 581208), at Archives II, College Park. YMS-120/Crossbill does not appear on NARA's 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' digitized-online list (checked 2026-09-23).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-08-01 to 1945-06-30 (cataloged wartime log runs)
- Limitations
- Catalog-level confirmation that wartime deck logs for this hull exist in NARA custody - not a retrieved record: the log text was not pulled or reviewed. Deck logs record daily ship activity and would document operations and availabilities, not necessarily materials; retrieval is a lead, not a finding. Does not establish any asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-04
-
[5]NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) class index ('561 were built ... Built at 35 yacht yards'; 'wood-hulled YMS'; per-class spec block: GM 8-268A diesels, two shafts) + shipbuildinghistory (T. Colton), 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS and BYMS)' ('561 wooden-hulled minesweepers ... all of essentially the same design') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource YMS/BYMS class index narrative and spec block; shipbuildinghistory YM program table header (Wayback 2010-04-13 capture)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class-design documentation: the YMS-1 class comprised 561 wood-hulled auxiliary motor minesweepers built at 35 yacht yards to one design - 136 ft, ~270-320 tons, twin General Motors 8-268A diesel engines on two shafts - for coastal sweeping of acoustic and magnetic mines ('Surviving YMS's were reclassified as AMS in 1947, given names'; shipbuildinghistory: '561 wooden-hulled minesweepers ... all of essentially the same design'). Because the class is wood-hulled and diesel-powered, the dominant WWII-era shipboard asbestos pathway (boiler and steam-line lagging insulation) does not apply to this design. Any asbestos aboard would be limited to era-typical small-craft applications (engine gaskets and packing, diesel exhaust insulation, electrical materials, winch/windlass brake linings); none of these is verified for the class or this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (class production era)
- Population
- Construction trades at Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island (1941-1942); crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference works, not a hull record: they establish the class design (wood hull, diesel plant, no boilers or steam system) but contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement for the class and none for this hull. The absence of the steam-lagging pathway is a design-level inference from the documented machinery type; residual era-typical applications are possibilities only and are not established as installed, present, or absent aboard this hull. Does not establish individual exposure or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-05
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[6]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 and program under which this 1941-1942 naval vessel was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally, focused on production workers at major shipyards; does not name this vessel or class, does not address wood-hulled small-craft construction, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-06
-
[7]Batch-1734 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource hull and class pages; shipbuildinghistory yard/class tables; uboat.net; NARA Special List 44 and deck-log guidance; CourtListener opinion/docket searches by name and hull number [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-crossbill-ams45-01 through sl-uss-crossbill-ams45-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat or demolition disclosure, litigation naming the hull, or official materials documentation was found for this vessel under any designation (YMS-120, Crossbill AMS-45, MSC(O)-45) in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener coverage: 'YMS-120' 0 opinions/0 dockets; 'USS Crossbill' 0 opinions/0 dockets; 'Crossbill' + asbestos 2 opinion hits - both name collisions on the legal pleading term 'cross-bill' (H.W. Johns-Manville Co. of Texas v. Appelgate, Tex. App. 1914; Cook v. Smith, Tex. App. 1936); 'AMS-45' 1 opinion hit (Automated Merchandising Systems v. Lee, Fed. Cir. 2015 - 'AMS' is a corporate name) and 17 docket hits, all name collisions on exhibit/form identifiers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 2026-09-23
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-typical small-craft materials are unverified either way, and the hull's final disposition is undocumented so no demolition/disposal disclosure was expected or found. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crossbill-ams45-07