Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Robin' entry (YMS-311) (DANFS transcription mirror, Haze Gray & Underway, via Wayback Machine capture 2025-04-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray.org/danfs/mine/yms311.htm via Wayback 20250427121206
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS full service narrative: second Robin laid down as YMS-311 on 7 May 1943 by Henry B. Nevins, Inc., City Island, N.Y.; launched 6 October 1943 (sponsor Mrs. John W. Bradbury); commissioned 6 November 1943. Caribbean Sea Frontier escort duty (Curacao-Aruba) Dec 1943-May 1944; Pacific via Panama/Pearl Harbor; Leyte Gulf sweeping and control-ship duty off Blue Beach 2-Orange Beach 1 (18-24 Oct 1944); Lingayen control ship, TG 79.9 (9 Jan 1945); Operation Iceberg - Kerama Retto/Hagushi/Keise Shima/Ie Shima sweeping from 25 Mar 1945; on 6 April 1945 attacked by 35 Vals, splashed three, one hit the forecastle and skidded across the bow killing one and wounding two; repairs at Kerama Retto and Saipan; Okinawa-area sweeping May-August; post-surrender sweeping in Japanese home islands Sep-Dec (departed Sasebo 28 Dec); Atlantic Fleet May 1946; decommissioned 31 July 1946; Naval Reserve training ship Tompkinsville, N.Y.; named Robin and redesignated AMS-53 on 1 September 1947; recommissioned February 1952; 5th Naval District, Charleston (MinRon 4, MinDiv 42) and Mine Warfare School Yorktown; redesignated MSC(O)-53 on 7 February 1955; Panama City, Fla. Apr-Oct 1957; arrived Tacoma 7 December 1957 and decommissioned on the 13th for 13th Naval District Reserve training duty; out of service summer 1961; struck 1 August 1961; five battle stars for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Ship's crew, 1943-1961
- Limitations
- Official history with a complete service narrative; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materiel-condition information. Spec block gives 380 t. full load vs NavSource's 270 t. (standard vs full-load convention - logged in gaps). Live NHHC DANFS page for this ship not locatable (NHHC link rot - standing issue since batch-01); verbatim transcription mirror used. Decommissioning date here (13 Dec 1957) conflicts with NavSource (7 Dec 1957) - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-01
-
[2]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Robin (MSC[O] 53) ex-AMS-53 ex-YMS-311' (compiled from Ships' Data/DANFS/NVR-era official records; includes NHHC photo UA 490.27 and Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum photo) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/11/19311.htm via Wayback 20250513032639 (live fetch refused); Vallejo photo caption MSC(O) 53 466X2-1-60
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource chronology: completed 5 November 1943; commissioned USS YMS-311 6 November 1943; decommissioned 31 July 1946 and placed in service as a Naval Reserve training ship (Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists the 3rd Naval District placement plan as September 1947); named Robin and reclassified AMS-53, 1 September 1947; recommissioned February 1952; reclassified MSC(O)-53, 7 February 1955; decommissioned 7 December 1957 and placed in service as a training ship at Tacoma, WA; out of service summer 1961; struck 1 August 1961; acquired in 1967 by Merle B. Parke of Fort Lauderdale, FL for use as a yacht; operated in 1968 under the Mexican flag; fate unknown. Specifications: 270 t.; 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 10'; 13 kts.; complement 29; one 40mm mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks and two depth-charge projectors; two 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Photo caption documents the ship arriving at the Naval Reserve Center, Vallejo, CA on 27 January 1960 to nest outboard of USS Sunfish (SS-281).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive presenting official Ships' Data/DANFS/NVR/NHHC-derived material - authoritative in content but secondary in form. Decommissioning date (7 Dec 1957) conflicts with DANFS (13 Dec 1957) - logged in gaps. Vallejo photo (Jan 1960) implies a 12th Naval District Reserve move the DANFS narrative does not mention - logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-02
-
[3]NARA file unit 'YMS-311, 11/6/43-6/30/46', series Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; National Archives at College Park; microfilm Roll 9102 (scanned via Ancestry partnership, 144 digital objects online) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/193031800; sampled object 32863_255545-00002.jpg (commissioning Report of Changes)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's WWII muster-roll file unit covers 6 November 1943 - 30 June 1946, the full commissioned period as YMS-311. A sampled digital object (the commissioning-day Report of Changes, dated 'the SIXTH day of NOVEMBER 1943') lists the commissioning crew by name, rate, and service number, all received 6 Nov 1943 from Receiving Station Brooklyn, N.Y. - consistent with commissioning at City Island/New York.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-11-06 to 1946-06-30
- Population
- Ship's commissioning and wartime crew, 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Muster rolls are personnel records: they document the crew roster and reporting source, not ship operations detail or material condition. Coverage ends 30 June 1946, one month before the 31 July decommissioning - the decommissioning event itself is outside this file unit. No asbestos or materiel content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-03
-
[4]NARA file unit 'USS YMS-311 - Rep of A A Action off Western Coast of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Island, 4/6/45', Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories; microfilm Roll A1716 (scanned via Fold3 partnership, 9 digital objects online) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/101715815; objects A_1716/images/0116.jpg-0118.jpg (forwarding letter, report face, damage/summary page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own anti-aircraft action report (USS YMS-311, Serial 03-45, forwarded 10 June 1945 under CONFIDENTIAL cover via Commander Minecraft Pacific chain) records: location of ship 'Western Coast of Okinawa Jima, two miles south of Ie Shima', date April 6, 1945; surprise daylight attack; 35 planes observed (type Vals); 3 attacking own ship; 5 taken under fire; ship strafed by approximately 7.7 mm fire; 'Suicide attack hitting ship on bow'; three planes shot down sure. This is the primary-source record behind DANFS's narrative of the 6 April 1945 kamikaze attack that killed one crewman and wounded two.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-04-06
- Population
- Ship's crew, April 1945 (1 killed, 2 wounded per DANFS)
- Limitations
- First three of nine pages sampled and read; remaining pages (including any casualty/damage annex) not transcribed this pass. Report's guns-firing line lists '2 - 50 Cal., 1 - 30 Cal.' with ammunition 500 rds .50 cal / 200 rds .30 cal, while item 27 credits '20 MM & 50 Cal.' for kills - a minor internal inconsistency against the published 40mm/20mm armament fit, noted but not resolved. Documents combat events and casualties, not material condition. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-04
-
[5]NARA file units: 'USS YMS-311 - Rep of opers in the invasion and occupation of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 3/25/45-6/23/45' (naId 101771074, Roll A1786); war diaries for May (101709795), June (77472689), July (83572473), Aug-Sep (77546036, Roll A1931), Oct (77556647, Roll A1942), and Nov (77572601) 1945; 'Activity Number 0204 0053 - ROBIN (YMS-311 / AMS-53 / MSCO-53) - 1952' (naId 99924031, microfilm USNMR_0269, post-1949 muster rolls, digitized objects show Jan-Mar 1951 monthly rolls). All RG 38 / College Park; scanned via Fold3 partnership, digital objects online. [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/101771074, /id/101709795, /id/77472689, /id/83572473, /id/77546036, /id/77556647, /id/77572601, /id/99924031
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A digitized run of ship-specific operational records exists: the ship's Okinawa Gunto operations report covering 25 March - 23 June 1945 (the Kerama Retto/Hagushi/Keise Shima/Ie Shima and Saki Shima sweeping period) and six monthly war diaries spanning May through November 1945 - the period covering the Okinawa aftermath, post-surrender home-island minesweeping (Nagoya, Wakanoura-Kii, Fukuoka operating areas), and the December departure from Sasebo. Post-1949 muster rolls under consolidated activity 'ROBIN (YMS-311 / AMS-53 / MSCO-53)' confirm continued Navy-list service in the Korean era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945-05 to 1945-11; 1951-1952
- Population
- Ship's crew, 1945; Naval Reserve training personnel 1951-1952
- Limitations
- Catalog-level descriptions reviewed plus object listings; report and diary contents not transcribed this pass. These are operational/personnel records, not materiel or asbestos documentation. War-diary coverage located for May-Nov 1945 only in this search; earlier diaries (Leyte/Lingayen period, late 1944 - Apr 1945) not surfaced - may exist undigitized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-05
-
[6]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Robin I' entry (AM-3) (DANFS transcription mirror, Haze Gray & Underway, via Wayback Machine capture 2024-06-24) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray.org/danfs/mine/am3.htm via Wayback 20240624004323
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The first Robin (Minesweeper No. 3, later AM-3, AT-140, ATO-140) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper laid down 4 March 1918 by Todd Shipyard Corp., New York, commissioned 29 August 1918; cleared the North Sea Mine Barrage in 1919; served through WWII on towing/salvage duty in the Pacific; decommissioned 9 November 1945 and struck 28 November 1945 - a different vessel from this hull, relevant only as a name-collision check for records and litigation searches.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Limitations
- Disambiguation row only - the AM-3 vessel shares only the name; any 'USS Robin' record predating the 1947 naming (or concerning a 1918-45 minesweeper/tug) belongs to that hull, not this one. Nothing here bears on asbestos aboard AMS-53.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-06
-
[7]NavSource Online Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'Robin (MHC-54)' (Osprey-class coastal minehunter chronology compiled from official records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/11/0454.htm via Wayback 20240528002114
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The third Robin (MHC-54) was an Osprey-class coastal minehunter laid down 1 June 1992 at Avondale Industries Inc., Gulfport, MS; launched 11 September 1993; commissioned 11 May 1996; decommissioned 15 June 2006, struck, and laid up in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet - a different vessel from this hull, relevant only as a name-collision check for post-1990 records and litigation searches.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1992-2006
- Limitations
- Disambiguation row only - the MHC-54 vessel shares only the name; any 'USS Robin' record dated 1992-2014 belongs to that hull, not this one. Nothing here bears on asbestos aboard AMS-53.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-07
-
[8]NavSource YMS-1 class specifications (270 t., 136', GM 8-268A diesels, two shafts; class lead also built by Henry B. Nevins Inc., City Island) + The SHIPS Project, 'The First Ones In - The Story of YMS-378' (class construction account: wooden hull, non-magnetic copper fastenings, diesel propulsion for magnetic-mine sweeping) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/11/19001.htm via Wayback 20250517223201; shipsproject.org/downloads/TheFirstOnesIn-theStoryofYMS-378_SHIPSProject.pdf
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The YMS-1 class (including the YMS-135 subclass to which this hull belongs) was a wooden-hulled, deliberately non-magnetic design - wood construction with non-magnetic fastenings - powered by twin General Motors diesel engines rather than steam. The boilers, steam drums, and steam-distribution lagging that carried most of the era-typical asbestos load aboard steam vessels were absent by design. Residual era-typical asbestos applications aboard small diesel craft of the period - diesel exhaust insulation, machinery gaskets and packing, winch brake linings, electrical insulation - remain class inference, not ship-proven.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1945 construction era
- Population
- Construction trades (Henry B. Nevins Inc., City Island, 1943); minesweeper crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design-level documentation; no YMS-class materials schedule, specification, or asbestos itemization was located. Absence of a steam plant materially reduces (does not eliminate) the expected asbestos footprint vs. era steam tonnage; residual applications listed are plausible-by-era inference only and may be wrong for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-08
-
[9]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 hull was mass-produced at a small New York yard (Henry B. Nevins, Inc., City Island) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across vessel construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull - in particular it speaks chiefly to conventional steel/steam construction, not wooden-hulled diesel minesweepers. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI fetch returned 403 (publisher block); citation verified via prior batches' use.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-09
-
[10]Batch-1743 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket searches for 'USS Robin', 'Robin' asbestos/minesweeper, 'YMS-311', 'YMS 311', 'AMS-53', 'AMS 53', 'MSC 53', 'MSC(O)-53'/'MSCO-53'; NARA catalog ship-name search; NavSource/DANFS/secondary-source sweep [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-robin-ams53-01 through sl-uss-robin-ams53-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming this hull under any designation (YMS-311 / AMS-53 / MSC(O)-53) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). All 355 CourtListener opinion hits on 'MSC 53' were corporate-name collisions (MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co., MSC Industrial Direct, et al.), and all 7 'AMS-53' docket hits were fragment collisions in unrelated civil/bankruptcy matters, not 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 - era construction is consistent with residual asbestos applications even on wooden diesel craft. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener indexes opinions/RECAP dockets - state trial filings and asbestos MDL sub-docket material not naming the hull would not surface.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robin-ams53-10