USS Verdin (AMS-38)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Verdin (AMS-38)' entry (NHHC live page 404 on 2026-09-23; verbatim text captured from Wayback capture 20221005114958 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/v/verdin.html, corroborated by the NavSource transcription on the same page's photo archive entry) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Verdin (AMS-38)' entry - ASR-17 header note, stats line, full chronology, battle-stars closing line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Verdin (AMS-38), page dated '1947-1959', updated by Robert J. Cressman 7 April 2022. Stats line: '(YMS-471: displacement 320 (full load); length 136'0"; beam 24'6"; draft 6'1"; speed 12 knots; complement 33; armament 1 3-inch, 2 20 millimeter; class YMS-1).' Text: 'PCS-1439 was laid down on 5 September 1943 at Jacksonville, Fla., by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co.; redesignated YMS-471 on 27 September 1943; launched on 23 May 1944; and commissioned on 27 October 1944, Lt. (j.g.) R. C. Battey, USNR, in command.' Narrative: Charleston coastwise convoy escort and minesweeping to April 1945; Pacific Fleet transit via Panama Canal, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Guam, Saipan; joined 3d Fleet off Okinawa June 1945; MinRon 105 sweeps at Buckner Bay, Kerama Retto, Unten Ko; East China Sea mine-disposal ops July 1945; repairs at San Pedro Bay, Leyte at capitulation; Honshu approaches sweeping 8 September 1945 - 20 February 1946; west coast April 1946, Charleston June 1946 demobilization; inactive at Charleston ('Though never actually decommissioned') to early 1947; West Indies refresher and Cuba fleet exercise; named Verdin and re-designated AMS-38 on 18 March 1947; Mine Warfare School training platform at Yorktown; Charleston Naval Shipyard repairs April 1948; Norfolk refresher training; Newfoundland cold-weather exercises November 1948; six years alternating Panama City mine-countermeasures research and Yorktown school-ship duty; Charleston flagship Mine Division 43 November 1954; redesignated MSC(O)-38 7 February 1955; reported Green Cove Springs 1 July 1955 for inactivation, into reserve 30 August 1955; struck from the Navy List 1 November 1959; 'No documents have been found as to her final disposition.' Closing line: 'Verdin (MSC(O)-38) earned three battle stars for World War II service as YMS-471.' Header note: 'Verdin (ASR-17), projected as a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel, was to be built at Savannah, Ga., by the Savannah Machine Foundry; but, because of Japan's collapse, the contract for her construction was cancelled on 12 August 1945.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1943-1959

   Population

   Gibbs Gas Engine Co. construction trades (Jacksonville FL, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 33)

   Limitations

   Authoritative identity/history record naming this hull across all designations. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s on all tested URL patterns (danfs/v/verdin.html, verdin-i.html, verdin-ams-38.html) on 2026-09-23 - the same link-rot pattern as batches 01 and the Reaper/AMc-96 session; the verbatim text is cited via the Wayback capture of the NHHC page plus NavSource's transcription. DANFS's 5 September 1943 keel date conflicts with NavSource's and uboat.net's 15 September - flagged in the correction row. Its record ends at striking; nothing on disposal.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Verdin (MSC[O] 38) ex-AMS 38 ex-YMS-471 ex-PCS-1439, navsource.net/archives/11/19471.htm [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource MSC(O)-38 page - chronology block, NVR footnote, specifications block, call sign, CO table, photo table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive entry for Verdin (MSC[O] 38) ex-Verdin (AMS 38) ex-YMS-471 ex-PCS-1439: laid down 15 September 1943 as Patrol Craft Sweeper PCS-1439 by Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville FL; reclassified Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper YMS-471 27 September 1943; launched 23 May 1944; completed and commissioned USS YMS-471 27 October 1944; named Verdin and reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-38 18 March 1947 (footnote: 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists reclassification as February 1947'); reclassified Coastal Minesweeper (Old) MSC(O)-38 7 February 1955; decommissioned 1 July 1955 at Green Cove Springs FL; struck from the Navy Register 1 November 1959; 'Fate unknown.' Call sign November-Quebec-Zulu-Golf. Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 6'1"; speed 12 kts.; complement 33; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount and two 20mm mounts; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding-officer table: LTJG William A. Steadley 1947; LTJG Daniel Devon Newton 21 Jan - 8 Aug 1951; LT Walter Rudolph Luoma 8 Aug 1951 - Sep 1952; LT Richard James McRostie Sep 1952; LT Charles Zartman Hanus (dates unknown). Two photos on file (YMS-471; 26 Feb 1953 off Norfolk VA, USN photo 483546).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1943-1959

   Population

   Wartime and postwar crew (complement 33); named commanding officers 1947-1952

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against DANFS where they overlap. Its 15 September keel date conflicts with DANFS's 5 September; its 'decommissioned 1 July 1955' compresses the DANFS-documented sequence (reported 1 July for inactivation, into reserve 30 August 1955); its 270 t is the standard-load figure where DANFS prints 320 t full load - all flagged in the correction row. Sole source for the call sign, the CO table, the NVR February-1947 footnote, and the propulsion detail (GM 8-268A, Snow and Knobstedt gear). Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-02

3. [3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton) - 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS)' table YMS-471 row + program header; 'Gibbs Gas Engine Works' yard table PC 1432-1440 / YMS 471 rows + yard history paragraph [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/ym.htm YMS-471 row and program header; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/gibbs.htm YMS-471 row, PC 1432-1440 block, yard history

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), two corroborating tables: (a) 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS)' program table - row 'YMS | 471 | Gibbs Gas Engine | Jacksonville FL | 136 | 320 | 27-Oct-44 | Reclassified as Verdin (AMS 38)'; program header documents 561 wooden-hulled minesweepers built at 35 boatyards spring 1942 - spring 1945, one design (136 ft, 13 kt), Mk. I two stacks (YMS 1-135), Mk. II one stack (YMS 135-445), Mk. III no stacks (YMS 446-481). (b) 'Gibbs Gas Engine Works, Jacksonville FL' yard table - row 'PC 1432-1440 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 245d | 136 | Completed as YMS 464-472' and row 'YMS 471 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 27-Oct-44 | Reclassified as Verdin (AMS 38/MSC(O) 38)'; yard history documents Gibbs Gas Engine Works (founded 1911), renamed Gibbs Corporation post-WWII, ship repair to 1957, sold 1964 to Aerojet-General Shipyards, consolidated into Jacksonville Shipyards (Lovett, with Rawls Brothers and Bellinger), sold to Fruehauf 1969, sold to Terex 1989, all three yards closed 1992.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   Gibbs Gas Engine Co. yard workforce (Jacksonville FL, 1943-44)

   Limitations

   Compiler's secondary tables - corroborate builder, tonnage class (320 t matching DANFS full-load), delivery month matching the DANFS commissioning date, the PCS-to-YMS conversion block (PC 1432-1440 completed as YMS 464-472 - this hull was PCS-1439), and the no-stack Mk. III design group. The yard-history paragraph is the source for the Gibbs -> Gibbs Corp -> Aerojet-General -> Jacksonville Shipyards -> Fruehauf -> Terex ownership chain - context for the builder, not for this hull's materials. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-03

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS YMS-471, ship 9888; navypedia.org 'YMS motor minesweepers (YMS1) (1942-1945)' YMS471 row + class statistics table [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9888.html data table; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_pcs_yms.htm YMS471 row and class statistics block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS YMS-471 (ship 9888) and navypedia YMS class table corroborate the designation chain and dates: uboat.net - 'Minesweeper of the YMS class', built by Gibbs Gas Engine Co. Jacksonville, ordered 16 November 1942, laid down 15 September 1943, launched 23 May 1944, commissioned 27 October 1944, end service 1 July 1955; history lines 'Named Verdin and reclassified motor minesweeper AMS-38 on 18 March 1947', 'Reclassified coastal minesweeper (old) MSC(O)-38 on 7 February 1955', 'Decommissioned on 1 July 1955', 'Stricken on 1 November 1959'; 'Former name PCS-1439'. navypedia - row 'YMS471, 3.1947- AMS38, 2.1955- MSC(O)38 | 3.1947- Verdin | Gibbs Gas Engine, Jacksonville | laid 9.1943 | launched 23.5.1944 | comm. 10.1944 | stricken 11.1959'; class table prints 270 t standard / 320 t full load - reconciling the NavSource 270 t spec figure against DANFS's 320 t full-load stats line.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1943-1959

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilations - corroborate dates, builder, designation chain, and striking. uboat.net's 'ordered 16 Nov 1942' rests on it alone - not carried into record fields. Both print 15 September keel and 1 July decommission - the conflicts with DANFS flagged in the correction row. navypedia's explicit 270 standard / 320 full split reconciles the tonnage discrepancy rather than adding a third figure. navypedia's class table prints complement 60 and 800 hp against DANFS/NavSource 33 and 880 - class-level variance noted. Neither contains asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-04

5. [5]NARA, Special List #44 by ship number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf - YMS block 'YMS-471 | 10/27/1944 | 6/30/1945'; PCS block PCS-1431 then PCS-1441, no PCS-1439); NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' list (no YMS-471/AMS-38/Verdin) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SL-44 ship-number list, YMS block (layout extraction line 5949) and PCS block (lines 3687-3700); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online digitized list

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List #44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, by ship number) indexes ONE deck-log run for this hull: 'YMS-471 | 10/27/1944 - 6/30/1945' - from commissioning through the Charleston convoy period and the Pacific transit into the Okinawa operations. No entry exists for PCS-1439 (the PCS block runs PCS-1431 then PCS-1441 - consistent with the pre-commissioning redesignation), nor for AMS-38, MSC(O)-38, or Verdin (SL-44's coverage ends in 1947; her AMS-era logs would sit in the later deck-log series). The companion NARA list of fully digitized deck logs in the National Archives Catalog contains no entry for YMS-471, AMS-38, MSC(O)-38, or Verdin - the indexed run is paper-only at Archives II (named sister hulls' logs do appear digitized under their bird names, e.g., Flamingo MSCO/AMS-11/YMS-238 and Lapwing MSCO/AMS-48/YMS-268).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1944-1945 records

   Limitations

   Verifies that a hull-level primary record exists and is indexed - the strongest archival fact in this record - but the run's contents are unsurveyed (no retrieval performed). The digitized-list check confirms the run is not online; Archives II request required. Nothing indexed under the PCS-1439, AMS-38, MSC(O)-38, or Verdin designations within SL-44's 1801-1947 window; AMS-era coverage belongs to a different series not surveyed here. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-05

6. [6]DANFS 'Verdin (AMS-38)' stats line + chronology vs NavSource MSC(O)-38 spec block and NVR footnote vs uboat.net ship/9888 vs navypedia YMS471 row and class table vs Colton ym.htm row [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Same citations as ev-01 through ev-04

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Source discrepancies documented, not reconciled: (a) laid down - 5 September 1943 (DANFS) vs 15 September 1943 (NavSource header, uboat.net); DANFS carried. (b) displacement - 320 t full load (DANFS stats line, Colton table, navypedia full-load) vs 270 t (NavSource spec block, navypedia standard-load, Wikipedia class infobox) - a standard-vs-full distinction, not a true conflict, though NavSource prints 270 without the qualifier. (c) decommission/reserve - 'Decommissioned 1 July 1955' (NavSource header, uboat.net) vs DANFS 'reported 1 July 1955 for inactivation; went into reserve 30 August 1955' (Wikipedia infobox prints 30 August) - the 1 July reporting date vs the 30 August in-reserve event; DANFS's fuller sequence carried. (d) AMS reclassification - 18 March 1947 (DANFS, NavSource, uboat.net, navypedia 3.1947) vs February 1947 (Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949, per NavSource's own footnote). (e) complement - 33 (DANFS stats, NavSource) vs 60 (navypedia class table) vs 32 (Wikipedia class infobox) - class-level variance. (f) power - NavSource 'two 880bhp GM 8-268A' vs navypedia '2 diesels, 800 hp' vs Wikipedia '2 x 440 bhp GM 8-268A' - likely aggregate-vs-per-engine print difference; per-hull installation unverified. (g) speed - 12 kts (DANFS, NavSource) vs 13-15 kts (Colton program header 13, navypedia 14, Wikipedia 15) - designed vs trial variance. (h) designation styling - 'AMS-38' (DANFS 're-designated AMS-38') vs 'AMS 38'; 'MSC(O)-38' vs 'MSCO-38' (1967 styling change per NavSource class page). (i) Mk. III boundary - Colton prints no-stack Mk. III as YMS 446-481; NavSource class page prints YMS-446 through 479 stackless with 480/481 single-stack - YMS-471 sits inside both boundaries, unaffected.

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1943-1959

   Limitations

   Resolves the tonnage conflict (standard vs full load) but nothing else - documents genuine multi-source conflicts so a future pass does not silently pick one figure. The keel-date split (5 vs 15 Sep) is real: two secondary compilations against the official entry. The 1 July vs 30 August 1955 pair is a sequence-compression artifact in the secondaries, not a true conflict. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-06

7. [7]DANFS 'Verdin' entry ASR-17 header note; shipscribe.com Chanticleer-class table ASR-17 row; master-hull-list.json 'USS Verdin | PCS-1439' row; hull-list-verify index rows 'USS Verdin | AMS-38', 'USS YMS-471', 'USS PCS-1439' [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS entry header note; shipscribe ASR07 table ASR-17 row; ships-worktrees/hull-list/master-hull-list.json and hull-list-verify/master-hull-list.json

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Name and index collision surface documented: (a) DANFS itself opens this entry with 'Verdin (ASR-17), projected as a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel, was to be built at Savannah, Ga., by the Savannah Machine Foundry; but, because of Japan's collapse, the contract for her construction was cancelled on 12 August 1945' - a 1,780-ton rescue-ship project that shared this hull's name prospectively while YMS-471 was still numbered (the ASR-17 order date 11 May 1944 predates the hull's naming by nearly three years; cancellation freed the name). shipscribe.com's Chanticleer class table corroborates 'ASR 17 VERDIN - cancelled 12 Aug 45, never laid down' (Wikipedia prints 5 August - minor conflict, never-built either way). (b) The project master hull index lists this hull once - 'USS Verdin | PCS-1439 | Patrol Craft Sweeper | PCS-1376 | WWII | tier 2' - while the verification index carries the SAME hull in three rows (PCS-1439, YMS-471, AMS-38), the documented consolidation target for this record. (c) Any unqualified 'Verdin' or 'AMS-38' document, veteran claim, or docket must be hull-resolved - the bird-name collision risk is low (the only other Navy Verdin was never built), but the PCS/YMS/AMS/MSC(O) designation chain means records may name the hull under four different numbers.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1944-1959

   Limitations

   Disambiguation context only - establishes that the Navy reserved the name Verdin for a cancelled rescue ship before assigning it to this minesweeper, and that project indexes track this single hull under three different numbers. Does not evidence anything about the hull's materials.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-07

8. [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); USNI Proceedings January 1948 (Vol. 74/1/539) 'Saga of a YMS' power-plant description [other_primary]

   Locator

   AJIM 11(3):359-373 article abstract; usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1948/january/saga-yms (live page 403 to automated fetch; quoted text from indexed page preview)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era-level inference only: peer-reviewed scholarship 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 wooden-hulled minesweeper was built. Period marine diesel installations commonly used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and exhaust-system insulation; aboard a ~270-320-ton, 136-ft diesel minesweeper the plausible applications, if any, would be confined to such machinery fittings. The class's documented plant - two GM 8-268A main diesels plus a diesel-driven magnetic-sweep generator and two Hercules 30-kW auxiliary diesels (per the USNI Proceedings first-person YMS description) - bounds the machinery envelope; no boiler or steam-line insulation exists to consider. The April 1948 Charleston Naval Shipyard repair availability and documented periodic overhauls are maintenance events that would have disturbed whatever was fitted - but nothing documents the materials themselves.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-23

   Study period

   1943-1959

   Population

   Gibbs Gas Engine construction trades (Jacksonville FL, 1943-44); wartime crew (design complement 33); Charleston Naval Shipyard repair workforce (April 1948); Green Cove Springs inactivation/reserve workforce (1955)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarship and a class-level contemporaneous account only - neither names this vessel or documents its materials. Does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. No class- or design-specific material documentation for YMS-1-class minesweepers was located; the diesel/wooden-hull profile limits plausible scope relative to steam-driven vessels (no boiler-room or steam-line envelope). The machinery-fitting applications named are general era practice, not documented aboard this class; the repair/overhaul events' material scope is entirely undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-08

9. [9]Batch-1727 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback NHHC capture + NavSource transcription; NavSource; Shipbuilding History (ym.htm, gibbs.htm); uboat.net; navypedia; NARA SL-44 + digitized-log list; CourtListener API v4; MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; hazegray; master-hull-list.json + hull-list-verify; class-profile worktrees [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-verdin-ams38-01 through sl-uss-verdin-ams38-18

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming USS Verdin, YMS-471, PCS-1439, AMS-38, or MSC(O)-38 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener coverage this pass (authenticated API v4 via fleet limiter): exact-name 'USS Verdin' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; hull-number 'YMS-471' returned zero opinions - the remaining designation and qualified-name queries are logged in the search ledger with their outcomes. No qualifying case names this hull in the completed coverage.

   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 1943-44-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery fittings even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull's disposition is undocumented after the 1959 striking, so no surveyable structure is confirmed to exist. CourtListener coverage was partially constrained by the fleet-wide pacing budget this pass - completed queries show zero hits; unexecuted queries are logged honestly in the search ledger, so 'no qualifying litigation' is a real negative within completed coverage, subject to the standing caveat that RECAP indexing is incomplete for older dockets and that unindexed complaints naming the hull cannot be ruled out. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-verdin-ams38-09