Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet cg-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-grouse-ams15-pkt-cg-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Grouse II (YMS-321)' entry - Naval History and Heritage Command; verbatim text via Wayback capture 2016-03-24 (live NHHC page returns 404 on all candidate URLs) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Grouse II (YMS-321)', spec block + full service narrative + AM-398 footnote
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: second Grouse, launched 20 February 1943 by Al Larson's Boat Shop, Terminal Island, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. H. Doty; commissioned as YMS-321 on 25 October 1943, Lt. (j.g.) Newman in command. After shakedown and patrol out of San Diego, sailed for Pearl Harbor 21 April 1944 arriving 1 May; a month later to sweeping and patrol duties in the Guam-Saipan-Tinian area plus convoy escort; in Tinian harbor during a Japanese air raid 28 November 1944; after escorting a convoy to Eniwetok, swept the harbor at Maug Island, Marianas, 15 March 1945 and bombarded the beach the following day; patrolled around Iwo Jima April 1945 and exploded two floating mines before returning to Saipan. Returned to Pearl Harbor 15 August 1945 and San Diego 29 August; sailed for the East Coast 5 April 1946, arriving Charleston on the 29th. Reclassified AMS-15 on 25 February 1947 and named Grouse; for ten years trained students at the Mine Warfare School, Yorktown, Va., with experimental work at the Countermeasures School and Mine Defense Laboratory, Panama City, Fla.; attached to the Hydrographic Office 1954-55 for Project 'Vamp' coastal survey along the Virginia and Massachusetts shores. Reclassified MSC(O)-15 on 1 March 1955; sailed to Portland, Maine, 7 September 1957, decommissioned and placed in reserve 12 September 1957; placed in service, in reserve, 13 November 1958, Lt. (j.g.) K. G. Houghton in command, proceeded to Portsmouth, N.H., for overhaul; assigned to the 1st Naval District as reserve training ship based at Portsmouth, working the New England coast, Chesapeake Bay, and Charleston. Went aground off Rockport, Mass., night of 21 September 1963 - no injuries to the crew; all efforts to dislodge her failed; destroyed by explosives 28 September 1963 and her name struck from the Navy List the same day. Spec block: dp. 296; l. 136'; b. 24'6"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 33; a. 1 3". Footnote: Grouse (AM-398), begun at Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich., contract terminated 12 August 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- Construction trades (Al Larson Boat Shop, Terminal Island, 1942-43); crews and trainees 1943-1963 (DANFS complement 33)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, construction, service, and loss - not materials or asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim. Does not give a laid-down date (NavSource supplies 1942-08-29). Two dates conflict with NavSource and are carried in gaps: the AMS-15 rename (DANFS 25 Feb 1947 vs NavSource 18 Feb 1947) and the MSC(O)-15 reclassification (DANFS 1 Mar 1955 vs NavSource 7 Feb 1955). Live NHHC URL returns 404 on all candidate paths (grouse.html, grouse-ii.html, grouse-yms-321.html, grouse-ii-yms-321.html, g.html index) - standing NHHC link-rot defect; verbatim text taken from the 2016-03-24 Wayback capture of the canonical page, one of 10 captures spanning 2016-2025.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Grouse (MSC[O] 15) ex-AMS-15 ex-YMS-321 (contributed archive; milestone list, spec block, commanding-officer roster; NHHC photo NH 89228 referenced) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19321 - milestone list, specifications block, commanding-officers table; NHHC photo NH 89228
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull supplies construction and detail DANFS omits: 'the second Grouse was laid down as YMS-321, 29 August 1942 by the Al Larson Boat Shop Inc., Terminal Island, CA'; launched 20 February 1943 sponsored by Mrs. H. Doty; completed and commissioned as USS YMS-321 25 October 1943; named Grouse and reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-15 18 February 1947; reclassified Coastal Minesweeper (Old) MSC(O)-15 7 February 1955; decommissioned 12 September 1957 and placed in reserve at Portland, ME; placed in service 13 November 1958; ran aground 21 September 1963 at Rockport, MA on the Little Salvages at 42 deg 40'24"N, 70 deg 34'29"W; destroyed by explosives 28 September 1963 and struck from the Naval Register. Specifications: 270 t.; 136' x 24'6" x 8'; 13 kts.; complement 50; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts; call sign NQAA. Commanding-officer roster includes LTJG James George Newman USNR (25 Oct 1943 - 15 Oct 1944), LTJG Donald M. Geahry USNR, LTJG Horace Scott Powers USN (1946-47), LTJG K. G. Houghton USN (13 Nov 1958-), and LCDR Allen E. McCartney Jr. USNR (1962 - 28 September 1963).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archival compilation, not an official source - consistent with DANFS on the main milestone sequence but conflicts on several fields carried in gaps (displacement 270 vs 296 t.; complement 50 vs 33; draft 8' vs BUAR 6'1"; speed 13 vs 12 kts.; engine rating 880 bhp per engine vs ~440-500 bhp secondary compilations; rename 18 Feb 1947 and MSC(O) 7 Feb 1955 vs DANFS dates). Live .net URL verified 2026-10-05 (the legacy .org domain is dead). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-02
-
[4]Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources (BUAR) - 'USS Grouse' exempted shipwreck-site page (vessel details, loss narrative quoting The Boston Globe and The Boston Sunday Globe, wreck coordinates, dive-site status) [other_primary]
- Locator
- mass.gov BUAR exempted-shipwreck page 'USS Grouse' - Vessel Details, The Shipwreck, Historical Background, Salvage, Sources sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official state underwater-archaeology record of the loss and the wreck: 'Minesweeper, wood'; 136 ft x 24'6" x 6'1" draft; displacement 320; diesel, two propellers, 1000 shaft horsepower geared diesels; armament one 3"/50 and two 20mm; crew 36; masters listed including Lt. Cmdr. Allen E. McCartney (-1963); home port Portsmouth, N.H. Around 2 a.m. Saturday 21 September 1963, departing Portsmouth on a two-week Naval Reserve training cruise attached to the First Naval District, Grouse struck the Little Salvages shoals off Rockport near high water and went high and dry as the tide fell; refloat attempts failed, all but a skeleton crew were removed, and on the next day 30-mph winds and heavy seas forced a helicopter evacuation of the remaining 11 crewmen. Salvage was directed by Capt. Alfred S. Cleaves from the tug Keywadin dispatched from Boston; five tow attempts failed on parted cables or weather; the last salvage crewman was lifted off 26 September. On Saturday 28 September the Navy announced plans to burn the ship; The Boston Sunday Globe (29 September) recorded that at low tide she was doused with gasoline and ignited about 2 p.m., burning to the waterline - navigational and electronic equipment and other materials of value had been stripped, and plans were to dynamite the remaining hull fragments and two diesel engines and haul the rubble out to sea. The wreck is a BUAR 'Exempted Site' - recreational diving and casual artifact collection require no BUAR permit; major disruption prohibited. 'Date Sunk: September 21, 1963. Cause: Grounded (then burned). Location: Rockport, on the Little Salvages. Coordinates: 42 deg 40'24"N; 70 deg 34'29"W.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1963 (loss and disposal); BUAR listing current
- Population
- Crew evacuated (11 by helicopter 22 Sep 1963); salvage parties aboard Keywadin and on the wreck (21-28 Sep 1963); recreational divers (BUAR exempted site, ongoing)
- Limitations
- State-government page sourcing its loss narrative from DANFS Vols. III and V plus contemporaneous Boston Globe coverage (Sept 21-29, 1963); contains no asbestos or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. Reconciles the DANFS 'destroyed by explosives 28 September' wording with the press-observed gasoline burn on Sunday 29 September: stripping, explosives, and burning all belong to the same disposal; exact sequence and the struck-vs-destroyed dates are carried in gaps. Page's 'Former Name(s) and date(s): YMS-321 (1940 - 1947)' is a typo (the hull was laid down 1942) - flagged, not propagated. BUAR 'Exempted Site' status concerns dive permitting, not materials survey - no hazmat survey of the wreck was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-03
-
[5]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' page - entry 'Grouse (MSCO/AMS-15/YMS-321)' with per-month catalog links (series 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978', Identifier 594258) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online - 'Grouse (MSCO/AMS-15/YMS-321)' panel; per-month links catalog.archives.gov/id/217583100 ... 219675334
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's digitized deck-log index lists this hull - 'Grouse (MSCO/AMS-15/YMS-321)' - with commission blocks October 1943 to September 1957 and November 1958 to September 1963, and provides catalog links for approximately 80 digitized monthly deck logs spanning January 1956 through September 1963 (e.g., NAID 217583100 January 1956; NAID 219675334 September 1963 - the month of the grounding - verified resolving live). The September 1963 file is the contemporaneous event record of the Little Salvages grounding and salvage period. Wartime logs (commissioning October 1943 through 1945) are NOT on the digitized list; per NARA guidance those volumes exist in the physical series at Archives II, College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1956-1963 digitized coverage; 1943-45 physical logs at Archives II
- Population
- Crew and reservist trainees aboard, 1956-1963 (log coverage window)
- Limitations
- Verifies the existence and online availability of 1956-1963 logs only - coverage begins January 1956, so the wartime Pacific service period is not digitally accessible via this index (physical logs at Archives II are the lead; prompt-level claim that NARA 'lists wartime deck logs under that YMS number' was confirmed for the vessel's listing but digitized coverage is 1956-63, not wartime). Log image content was not reviewed this session; deck logs are chronological event records and are not expected to name materials or asbestos. Commission/decommission header dates on the NARA page are index metadata, not new milestones.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 74/1/539 (January 1948), 'Saga of a YMS' by Hobart Hughes - first-person account of YMS-class machinery and habitability by a YMS-238 officer (full text extracted via firecrawl 2026-10-05; page returns 403 to plain scripted fetch) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Proceedings 74/1 (Jan 1948), p.539 - power-plant and internal-arrangement passages
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- YMS-class machinery fit documented by a serving officer: wooden hull ('a wooden one at that... 135 feet long, with a 24 foot beam', ~7.5 ft draft, 30 enlisted men and 4 officers); 'The power plant consisted of two General Motors Diesels for main propulsion... There was a similar Diesel direct-connected to a generator for magnetic minesweeping, while two Hercules 30-KW Diesels furnished electric power for the galley, for ventilating, and for other auxiliary equipment.' No boilers and no steam distribution aboard the class - the plant type that carried the era's dominant asbestos application (thermal insulation of boilers and steam piping) is absent from this class, including this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- YMS-class crews; construction trades at the type's yacht/boat yards (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference, not a hull record: describes sister ship YMS-238 and the type generally; never mentions asbestos. The conclusion that this hull lacked steam-plant insulation is structural inference from the documented plant; does not establish presence or absence of residual ACM (clutch facings, gaskets, cable insulation, exhaust lagging) aboard YMS-321. Page returns HTTP 403 to plain scripted fetch; full text extracted via firecrawl MCP tooling 2026-10-05.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979); U.S. Dept. of the Navy / DOE, Final EIS/OEIS for Disposal of Decommissioned, Defueled Ex-Enterprise (CVN 65), DOE/EIS-0524 (June 2023), Section 3.2.2.1.1; Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), doi:10.1002/ajim.4700110311 [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 highlights and letter text; EIS-0524 Section 3.2.2.1.1; AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/program context: the Navy told GAO (HRD-80-2) that all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, while thermal insulation was the Navy's major shipboard use of asbestos; the Navy's own disposal EIS states asbestos-containing material 'is found throughout Navy ships in insulating materials on piping systems, in electrical cables, and on ship structures' - era-generic statements covering a 1942-43 Navy build; Corn & Starr document extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulation in WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding. For this diesel-powered wooden minesweeper the residual documented categories - clutch facings, electric-cable insulation, gaskets, packing, exhaust lagging - are the relevant era-typical applications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1963 (service); 1979/1987/2023 (documentation)
- Population
- Construction trades (Terminal Island, 1942-43) and crews/reservists 1943-1963 (class context)
- Limitations
- Program-level and era-generic statements plus class-design inference only - prioritizes research; NOT a ship-specific finding. GAO fieldwork covered Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards and postdates this hull's 1963 striking. No material list, survey, or hull record for this vessel exists in located sources. Does not establish presence, quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation aboard this hull. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to scripted fetch (standing defect since Batch 01); the quoted statements were verified against retrieved full text in sibling fleet batches (uss-hawk-ams17 evidence); the DOE EIS and AJIM DOI references are carried as verified by that work.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-06
-
[8]DANFS Grouse II Portsmouth-period narrative + Atlas shipyard dataset, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard record (yard_id portsmouth-naval-shipyard, Kittery ME: documented product list incl. thermal insulation, asbestos cement, pipe covering, millboard, gaskets, seals, packing, block insulation, asbestos cloth, friction materials, Kaylo insulation; delisted Superfund ME7170022019) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative (in service 13 Nov 1958; 'proceeded to Portsmouth, N.H., for overhaul'; 1st Naval District reserve training ship); shipyards.json 'portsmouth-naval-shipyard' record
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull proceeding 'to Portsmouth, N.H., for overhaul' after being placed in service in reserve 13 November 1958, then based at Portsmouth as the 1st Naval District reserve training ship 1958-1963 - co-located with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Kittery, ME), the Navy yard at Portsmouth and an Atlas-documented asbestos yard (products documented including Kaylo insulation, pipe covering/lagging, thermal and block insulation, gaskets, packing, asbestos cloth, friction materials; EPA site ME7170022019, delisted Superfund).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1958-1963
- Population
- Crew and reservist trainees (1958-1963); any Portsmouth yard trades who serviced the hull - unverified
- Limitations
- The Portsmouth base and the November 1958 overhaul are ship-specific (DANFS); the asbestos dimension is entirely contextual - DANFS names the place, not the performing yard, and no document ties a Portsmouth Naval Shipyard availability, asbestos product, or exposure to this hull. PNSY is the only naval shipyard at Portsmouth and the likely overhaul situs for a First Naval District craft, but 'likely' is inference, not record. This row exists to cross-link a documented base/overhaul period with a documented asbestos yard; it supports no shipboard finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-07
-
[9]Batch-1687 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource live; Mass.gov BUAR live; NARA digitized deck-log index live; CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket searches (all designations); VA BVA indexed sweep; shipyards.json slug lookup; USNI Proceedings full text via firecrawl; GAO product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-grouse-ams15-01 through sl-uss-grouse-ams15-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, docketed case, or VA decision naming YMS-321, AMS-15, MSC(O)-15, or USS Grouse was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener (2026-10-05, authenticated helper): 'USS Grouse' returned zero opinion and zero docket hits; '"YMS-321" OR "AMS-15"' returned zero opinion hits and 66 docket hits - all 66 inspected and classified as name-collision token noise (matches on 'AMS' inside party names and docket text, e.g., AMS Servicing, Aeromechanical Services, Amarillo Medical Specialists; none names the vessel). Asbestos-qualified intersected variants confirm the negative: '"YMS-321" asbestos' returned zero docket hits, and '"AMS-15" asbestos' returned two docket hits that are also name collisions (Anthony Oliver v. Scram of California - party 'Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.'; Nabi v. Hudson News Company - defendant 'Airport Management Services, LLC'; neither names the vessel). A VA BVA indexed web sweep surfaced no decision naming this hull. Generic law-firm minesweeper-asbestos listicles exist (e.g., mesothelioma.com 'Asbestos Exposure on Minesweepers') but do not name this hull under any designation - excluded under batch source rules, not cited.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era materials in a 1942-43 diesel minesweeper remain consistent with class inference. The hull's 1963 destruction forecloses any present-day survey of an intact hull. CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive for unreported or settled matters; undocketed litigation naming this hull could exist. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-08
-
[10]Archival leads (not yet retrieved): NARA physical deck logs for YMS-321 wartime period (Oct 1943 - Dec 1945, Archives II College Park per NARA deck-log guidance); Navy court-of-inquiry / investigation file for the 21 September 1963 grounding (a vessel loss of this kind generates a board-of-investigation record); Bureau of Ships RG 19 design/construction files for the YMS-1 type and the Al Larson Boat Shop contract; Navy disposal file for the on-site destruction [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog series 594258; RG 19 Bureau of Ships records; Navy investigation/disposal records
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads where a hull-level material or event record would live: the wartime deck logs (NARA series 594258 / RG 24) covering commissioning through the 1944-45 Pacific deployment - not on the digitized list, physical volumes at Archives II; the Navy investigation file for the 1963 grounding and the September 1963 digitized deck log (NAID 219675334) which is the contemporaneous record of the loss; Bureau of Ships contract/design files (RG 19) for the YMS-1 type and the Al Larson Boat Shop build at Terminal Island - the record class most likely to hold a materials specification for this hull; and the Navy disposal/salvage file for the September 1963 on-site destruction.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1963 records
- Limitations
- Leads only - existence of these record classes is standard NARA/agency practice for the period, but no hull-specific document beyond the digitized-log index was located, retrieved, or verified this session. Deck logs and inquiry records are event records and would not themselves identify asbestos content; the BuShips contract file is the only lead plausibly bearing a material specification. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grouse-ams15-09