Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]Naval History Division, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'USS Firecrest II (YMS-231)' - verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Firecrest II entry, full text (terse entry - construction and designation data only)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS 'Firecrest II (YMS-231)': 'A small European kinglet.' Built at Frank L. Sample, Jr., Boothbay Harbor, Maine; keel laid 10/5/42, launched 4/3/43, completed 8/6/43; changed from YMS-231 to Firecrest (AMS-10) on 2/18/47; changed from AMS-10 to MSC(O)-10 on 2/7/55; transferred to Japan 3/15/55 as Etajima (MSC-656), retired; struck from Naval Vessel Register 3/31/67.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-1967
- Population
- Frank L. Sample yard trades (1942-43); USN crews 1943-1955; JMSDF crews 1955-1967
- Limitations
- Official identity/designation record only. Entry contains no operational history, no propulsion or complement particulars, no disposal date, and no asbestos or materials information. Live history.navy.mil DANFS pages return 404 (standing NHHC link-rot issue from BATCH-01); verbatim text read via the ibiblio HyperWar transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-01
-
[2]Naval Historical Center (NHHC) Online Library of Selected Images, 'USN Ships - USS Firecrest (AMS-10)' page incl. photo captions NH 96992, NH 96993, NH 96994, NH 68589, and the 80-G-478497 identification note [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library AMS-10 page, lead caption and photograph entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library photo-catalog entry 'USS Firecrest (AMS-10, later MSC(O)-10), 1943-1955, originally named YMS-231': a 320-ton auxiliary motor minesweeper built at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, commissioned August 1943; placed out of commission in about February 1947, the month she was reclassified AMS and renamed Firecrest (AMS-10); returned to service in the later 1940s; sent to Korea after war broke out in 1950 and operated in the combat zone until the shooting war ended July 1953; remained in the Far East; reclassified coastal minesweeper MSC(O)-10 February 1955; a month later loaned to Japan; served as JMSDF minesweeper Eta Jima until 1967; 'disposed of as a target in August 1968.' Photos: NH 96992-96994 (Japanese port, 3 September 1952, incl. ship's company); NH 68589 shows Firecrest nested with USS Gull (AMS-16), USS Condor (AMS-5), USS Merganser (AMS-26), USS Osprey (AMS-28), USS Competent (AM-316) and USS Chief (AM-315) alongside tender USS LST-735, probably a Japanese port, circa 1952-54.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Population
- USN crews 1943-1955 (incl. Korean War combat zone 1950-1953); JMSDF crews 1955-1967
- Limitations
- Official NHHC photo-catalog history summary. Establishes Korea service window and the Japan loan; its 'August 1968' target-disposal date conflicts with the 'August 1969' given by NavSource and other DANFS-derived secondary sources - carried in gaps unresolved. Contains no asbestos information. Also carries a useful correction note: photo 80-G-478497 (a mine exploding off Chinnampo, 3 March 1953) has been published in Cagle & Manson 'The Sea War in Korea' identified as Firecrest, but its original catalog identification is USS Mockingbird (AMS-27).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-02
-
[3]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Firecrest (MSC[O] 10) ex-Firecrest (AMS 10) ex-YMS-231' page (chronology, specifications block, commanding-officer list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AMS-10 page, YMS-1 Class chronology + specifications + CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive page for Firecrest (MSC[O]-10), ex-AMS-10, ex-YMS-231: laid down 5 October 1942 by Frank L. Sample, Jr., Boothbay Harbor, Maine; launched 3 April 1943; completed and commissioned USS YMS-231 6 August 1943; decommissioned February 1947 at San Diego, CA; named Firecrest and reclassified AMS-10 18 February 1947; sent to Korea 1950, combat zone until July 1953, continued Far East service; reclassified MSC(O)-10 7 February 1955; transferred to Japan 15 March 1955 as Eta Jima (MSC-656); returned to U.S. custody 1967; struck from the Naval Register 31 March 1967; 'disposed of as a target in August 1969.' Spec block: displacement 270 t, length 136 ft, beam 24 ft 6 in, draft 8 ft, speed 15 kts, complement 32; armament one 3-inch/50 mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880-bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts; call sign November-Charlie-Papa-Yankee. CO list: LT Robert Barr Smith USN (1950-Sep 1951); LT Alfred Clarence Sharp USN (Sep 1951-28 Apr 1952); LT Chester Eugene Elliott USN (to Feb 1953); LTJG Alexander Malcolm Sinclair USN (1953).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- USN crews 1943-1955; JMSDF crews 1955-1967
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page - the sole located hull-level source for the engine model (GM 8-268A, 880 bhp), complement figure (32), San Diego decommissioning location, the 'August 1969' disposal variant, and the CO list. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-03
-
[4]uboat.net, Allied Warships of WWII, 'USS YMS-231 (YMS-231)' - warship record and notable-events log [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS-231 warship page, particulars table and 5 Jun 1944 event entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS YMS-231: ordered 14 March 1942; built by Frank L. Sample, Jr., Boothbay Harbor; laid down 5 October 1942; launched 3 April 1943; commissioned 6 August 1943. Event log: 5 June 1944, YMS-231 (Lt. E.G. Weed, USNR) departed Weymouth about 1720B/5 with motor minesweepers YMS-247, YMS-304, YMS-349, patrol vessel SC-1321 and PT-71; joined the USS Augusta (flag, COMTASKFOR 122) / HMS Bellona group and arrived off the Omaha sector about 0600B/6 June 1944 - placing this hull in the Normandy invasion force.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- USN crew (Lt. E.G. Weed, USNR, commanding), June 1944
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled warship database; the Normandy movement entry is consistent with the NAVPERS-derived campaign credit (ev-05) but is not itself an official record. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-04
-
[5]U.S. Navy WWII ship campaign/battle-star listing for YMS-231, stated as transcribed from NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS-207 to YMS-361 table, 'YMS 231' rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- WWII campaign participation for YMS-231 as transcribed from the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953): Convoy UGS-38, 20 April 1944 (code E219); Invasion of Normandy including bombardment of Cherbourg, 6-25 June 1944 (code E5); Kobe (Honshu Area) post-surrender minesweeping, 28 November 1945 - 2 March 1946 (code P207-9). Establishes Atlantic/Mediterranean service in 1944 followed by redeployment for postwar Japanese-waters minesweeping.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1944-04 to 1946-03
- Population
- USN crew 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Vendor-site transcription of the official NAVPERS awards manual; the underlying NAVPERS 15,790 table was not directly inspected this pass. Consistent with uboat.net's Normandy event entry. An Iwo Jima credit appearing in adjacent rows of web-index snippets belongs to YMS-235/YMS-361, not YMS-231 - verified against the source table directly. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-05
-
[6]Gilliland, Burl E., CAPT USNR-Ret., 'North Korean Shore Batteries: Hazardous to the Health of U.S. Minesweep Sailors - Perilous Duty in Wonsan Bay in 1951-1952' and companion pages 'Minesweeping in Wonsan Harbor 1950-1952' and 'Sabotage of Minesweepers in Wonsan Bay' (kilroywashere.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShoreBatteries page (hit account, MinDiv 54 roster); Minesweeping page (division composition, photo captions); Sabotage page (LT Al Smith / OTC detail)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Participant memoir of CAPT Burl E. Gilliland, USNR-Ret. (then engineering officer of sister ship USS Heron, AMS-18): Mine Division 54 in 1951 comprised USS Firecrest (AMS-10, lead ship, CO 'LT Al Smith' serving as OTC in the division commander's absence), USS Heron (AMS-18), and USS Waxbill (AMS-39), sweeping Wonsan harbor by day and patrolling by night. On one 1951 morning Firecrest led a line of sweepers close into Wonsan's inner harbor when North Korean shore batteries on Kalma Gak Point opened fire; Firecrest was hit by an approximately 75mm shell that did not explode but 'bored all the way through the ship at the main deck level ... through the plywood deck of the galley, out the port side hull'; Heron was also hit; no personnel were injured on either ship, and tender shipfitters (USS Comstock, LSD-19, believed) patched both ships within about an hour. Photo caption: 'Moored type mine cut by USS Firecrest AMS 10, May 1951.' Memoir describes Firecrest as 'wood hulled.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1951 (events); memoir published postwar
- Population
- MinDiv 54 crews (Firecrest, Heron, Waxbill), 1951
- Limitations
- First-person participant account hosted on a veteran-history site - not an official Navy record; single-witness sourcing for the shell-hit incident and division composition, though consistent with NHHC's Korea-service summary and NavSource's CO list (LT Robert Barr Smith, 1950-Sep 1951). Official MinDiv 54 war diaries/action reports at NARA are the verification path. Contains no asbestos information; the 'wood hulled' descriptor corroborates class-level construction data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-06
-
[7]Navypedia, 'YMS motor minesweepers (YMS1) (1942-1945)' class technical data and project history + HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945: Minecraft' 136-ft class spec block (diesel engines, twin screws) + shipbuildinghistory Frank L. Sample yard table (YMS-231 row: 'reclassified 1947 as Firecrest (AMS-10), to Japan 1955 as Etajima (MSCO 10), sunk as target 1968') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navypedia YMS1 class page, technical-data block and project-history paragraph; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/YMS/YMS-231.html spec block; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-comm-small/sample/ yard table YMS-231 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- YMS-1-class configuration: wooden-hulled motor minesweepers ('wood was chosen as construction material'), ~136 ft, diesel-powered - two diesels on two shafts, no boilers or steam plant; NavSource's per-hull spec gives this ship two 880-bhp GM 8-268A diesels. The class was built in large numbers by small yards (Frank L. Sample built YMS-104-106 and YMS-226-234 among others). A wooden hull with diesel propulsion removes the boiler/steam-lagging category most associated with documented WWII-era shipboard asbestos, without excluding other era-typical materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (construction era)
- Population
- Construction trades at small yards incl. Frank L. Sample (1941-45); class crews
- Limitations
- Class-level specification; documents the type's plant and hull form, not materials aboard this hull. Absence of a steam plant removes the most commonly documented WWII asbestos pathway but does not establish that no asbestos-containing material was aboard (gaskets, exhaust lagging, electrical insulation, fireproofing, brake linings remain undocumented either way). shipbuildinghistory's 'sunk as target 1968' agrees with the NHHC caption date and conflicts with NavSource's 1969.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-07
-
[8]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 context in which this 1942-43 wooden-hulled minesweeper was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across naval construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship on WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the YMS-1 class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-08
-
[9]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (RG 19 research guide: hull-designation correspondence, class and shipyard QM filing conventions, minesweeper General Information Books, Ship Engineering Drawings S39/S48/S103 filing codes) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov guided topic page, sections on Bureau of Ships correspondence filing conventions, shipyard (QM) files, and Ship Engineering Drawings (URL resolves verified 2026-09-23)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA's official asbestos-research guide identifies the record series that would document hull-level material specifications for this ship: RG 19 Bureau of Ships general correspondence filed under hull designation 'YMS-231' (and 'AMS-10'), class correspondence under the YMS-1 class namesake file, builder contract files for Frank L. Sample, Jr. under the Navy Filing Manual 'QM' private-yard designation, minesweeper General Information Books, and Ship Engineering Drawings arranged by hull number - the guide names S103 (Booklets of General Plans), S39 (Insulation and Lagging), and S48 (Piping) as the codes most relevant to asbestos research. The guide covers Navy materiel 1941-1961, spanning this hull's entire U.S. career.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1942-1955 (hypothetical record coverage); guide current as of 2026-09-23
- Population
- Frank L. Sample yard trades (1942-43); USN crews 1943-1955
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the guide documents which series exist, not that YMS-231/AMS-10 material survives in them; no hull-specific drawing, GIB, or contract file was retrieved or confirmed. Establishes a research path, not an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-09
-
[10]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (digitized-log index, checked for Firecrest/YMS-231/AMS-10) + shipindex.org vessel entry 'Firecrest (AMS 10)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov digitized deck-log index (F section: only 'Firecrest (AMC-33)' listed); shipindex.org/ships/firecrest
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA deck-log coverage: the Navy deck logs for this hull (as YMS-231, 1943-1947, and as Firecrest/AMS-10 through 1955) are held by the National Archives (Archives II, College Park; RG 24/RG 19-derived deck-log series), but the hull does not appear in NARA's published list of fully digitized deck logs as of 2026-09-23 - the only 'Firecrest' entry in the digitized list is the different ship Firecrest (AMc-33), 1941-1944. Shipindex.org lists catalog entries for 'Firecrest (AMS 10)' consistent with undigitized NARA holdings. Deck logs are the realistic primary source for daily Korean War operations, tender availabilities, and any recorded maintenance disturbing era materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-23
- Study period
- 1943-1955 (record coverage); index checked 2026-09-23
- Population
- USN crews 1943-1955
- Limitations
- Holdings-level finding only - the logs exist as a series but are not digitized; nothing from them was read. No asbestos content is established or implied; deck logs occasionally note overhaul/maintenance activity relevant to material-disturbance research.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-10
-
[11]Batch-1681 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar/ibiblio; NHHC Online Library photo catalog; NavSource AMS-10; uboat.net; NAVPERS-derived campaign table; Gilliland memoir pages; Navypedia/shipbuildinghistory class and yard tables; NARA asbestos guided topic; NARA digitized deck-log index; MARAD ShipHistory (endpoint error); CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) opinion + docket sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-firecrest-ams10-01 through sl-uss-firecrest-ams10-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming YMS-231, USS Firecrest, AMS-10, MSC(O)-10, or JDS Etajima was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches: '"YMS-231"' exact-phrase returned zero results (the unquoted 'YMS-231' search returned 56 fuzzy hits, all reviewed top-ranked results unrelated term matches); '"USS Firecrest"' returned zero; '"Etajima" OR "MSC-656"' returned zero; unquoted 'Firecrest' returned 2 opinions, both Farris v. Seabrook (9th Cir. 2012) campaign-finance cases matching the counsel location 'Firerest, WA' - name collision, not this vessel. CourtListener docket search '"Firecrest"' returned 31 hits, all unrelated (Firecrest as a street/creditor/party string in bankruptcy, consumer, and other civil dockets - none referencing a vessel or asbestos).
- 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 - a 1942-43 diesel minesweeper is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials - and the hull was sunk as a target (1968 or 1969), leaving nothing to survey. The CourtListener sweep (exact name + hull numbers + Japanese-service name, opinion and docket/RECAP collections) completed in full. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-firecrest-ams10-11