Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 1030-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-yms-120-yms120-pkt-1030-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Crossbill II (AMS-45)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (one-line entry; live-verified). Wayback-archived hazegray.org transcription corroborates identical text (hazegray.org DNS dead as of 2026-10-04): https://web.archive.org/web/2024/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/mine/yms120.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identity record: 'YMS-120 (q.v.) was reclassified and named Crossbill (AMS-45) on 19 August 1947.' This is the entire DANFS entry for the second Crossbill - numbered YMS-type minesweepers received no individual narrative, and the name-bearing AMS-45 identity carries the hull's DANFS record. Confirms the YMS-120 to Crossbill (AMS-45) identity chain and the 19 August 1947 reclassification/name date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1947
- Limitations
- DANFS gives only the reclassification/name line for this hull - no construction, service, or specification narrative exists in DANFS for YMS-120. The 19 August 1947 date conflicts with NavSource's 1 September 1947 (see correction row). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Crossbill (MSC[O] 45) ex-AMS-45 ex-YMS-120 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Timeline block, specifications block, photo captions (NH 84969; Erie PA postcard), commanding-officer table. Live-verified at navsource.net (navsource.org is dead - the .net domain is canonical). Build dates corroborated by uboat.net Allied Warships entry https://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9540.html (secondary; adds order date 1 Apr 1941 - not carried, single-source).
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction and designation timeline: 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 (NavSource dates this 1 September 1947 - see correction row) and placed in service as a Naval Reserve training ship in the 4th Naval District (Philadelphia); reclassified minesweeper coastal (old) MSC(O)-45 on 7 February 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959; fate unknown. Specifications: 270 t displacement, 136 ft length, 24 ft 6 in beam, 8 ft draft, 15 knots, complement 32; one 3-inch/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth charge projectors; two 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Photographic record: USS YMS-120 on San Francisco Bay c. 1945 (NHHC photo NH 84969); Crossbill (AMS-45) at Public Steamboat Landing, Erie, PA c. 1950, on one of at least two Great Lakes training cruises (1949, 1950). Commanding officers listed: Chief Boatswain John I. Howton USN (1950-Sep 1951); LT Thomas W. Brown USN (Sep 1951-Jun 1952); LT William James Diffley USNR (Jun 1952); LT Arthur Coday USN.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Population
- Crew (complement 32) and Naval Reserve trainees aboard 1947-1950s
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained photo/history archive, not an official record; dates and specs corroborated against DANFS, uboat.net, and the builder's production table where overlapping. Gives no WWII operational narrative beyond the c.1945 San Francisco Bay photo; 'fate unknown.' Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-02
-
[4]National Archives, Special List 44 (1978), p. 513 - YMS-120 entry; scanned page via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center SL44 digitization (image 545) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 printed page 513, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations,' YMS block (ACPL scan image 545); digitized-log absence checked at https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947) records US Navy deck logs for YMS-120 spanning August 1, 1942 - January 31, 1943 AND March 1, 1943 - June 30, 1945 - 6 logbooks total, listed under Ships with Symbol and Number Designations, YMS section. These are paper logbook holdings, not digitized images: Crossbill/YMS-120 does not appear on NARA's digitized deck-log index (sister MSCOs such as Egret, Flamingo, Ruff do appear - their digitized logs are the later, post-SL44 series). Log dates are coverage spans in NARA custody, not commissioning/decommissioning dates; the February 1943 gap between the two listed spans is unexplained in the finding aid.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (coverage spans)
- Limitations
- The finding aid proves logbooks exist in NARA custody for the stated spans; their contents were not reviewed (paper, not digitized - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized). SL44 covers only the 1801-1947 series; post-1947 AMS-45/MSC(O)-45 logs sit in a different accession not checked here. Logbook existence says nothing about asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-03
-
[5]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton, shipbuildinghistory.com), Harbor Boat Building yard construction table - hull 134 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- Yard hull table, row 134; yard-history header (founded 1919, LTV 1959, closed 1970s). Live-verified.
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder production record corroboration: Harbor Boat Building Co. (Terminal Island, CA) yard hull no. 134 = YMS 120, type Minesweeper, 278 displacement tons, 136 ft, delivered 1 August 1942; disposition column reads 'Later Crossbill (AMS 45) 1947, struck 1959.' The yard - founded 1919 by Romolo Rados - built YMS 117-120 plus later YMS and PCS hulls for the US Navy alongside fishing boats, yachts, Coast Guard patrol boats, and Army mine layers; sold to LTV in 1959, to Omega-Alpha in 1971, closed in the 1970s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Harbor Boat Building yard workforce (construction trades, 1941-1942)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary compilation (Colton's Shipbuilding History, built partly from builder/Rados-family records) - not an official record; tonnage reads 278d vs NavSource's 270 t (carried as a spec variant). Establishes builder identity and delivery date only; no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-04
-
[6]DANFS Crossbill II entry (19 Aug 1947) vs NavSource Crossbill (MSC[O] 45) page (1 Sep 1947) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry line; NavSource timeline block at https://www.navsource.net/archives/11/19120.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancy on the reclassification/name date: DANFS states YMS-120 'was reclassified and named Crossbill (AMS-45) on 19 August 1947'; NavSource states the reclassification and naming occurred 1 September 1947 (Wikipedia repeats NavSource's date). The DANFS date (19 August 1947) is adopted as controlling for this record; the 1 September variant is retained here as the documented conflict.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1947
- Limitations
- A 13-day publication-level discrepancy; likely reflects order-date vs effective-date or a transcription slip, but no primary directive was located to resolve which. Does not affect hull identity. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-05
-
[7]NavSource Online, Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) class index page - class history and characteristics [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS class history paragraphs (wood hull, 561 hulls/481 USN + 80 BYMS, 35 yacht yards, stack-count variation, 1947/1955/1967 reclassifications). Live-verified.
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class-level configuration bearing on asbestos assessment: the YMS-1 class were wood-hulled auxiliary motor minesweepers - 'the first wooden minesweeper of this class' per NavSource's class history - built at 35 yacht yards rather than larger shipyards (481 hulls for the US Navy plus 80 BYMS hulls for Lend-Lease transfer); all ships of the type shared the same general characteristics, with YMS-1 through YMS-134 (this hull among them) built with two stacks. Diesel propulsion meant no boiler or steam-line insulation aboard; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications for the type were confined to diesel engine/exhaust insulation, machinery gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and friction materials (winch/windlass brake linings).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1945 era
- Population
- Construction trades at 35 small yacht yards (incl. Harbor Boat Building, 1941-1942); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation - establishes the platform type (wooden hull, diesel plant, yacht-yard construction) and the era-typical application set; it does not name YMS-120 and does not itself state that asbestos products were installed on this hull. Asbestos presence aboard is era inference, not ship-proven; quantity, location, and present-day presence unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-06
-
[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 World War II - the era and program under which this 1941-42 wooden minesweeper was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, does not address wooden-hulled small craft specifically, 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-yms-120-07
-
[9]Batch-8798 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource 11/19120 + YMS class index; NARA SL44 p.513 + digitized-log index; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; shipbuildinghistory.com Harbor Boat table; CourtListener (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-120-01 through sl-uss-yms-120-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming YMS-120, Crossbill, AMS-45, or MSC(O)-45 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was struck in 1959 with fate unknown - post-service survey or disposal documentation, if any, was not located. CourtListener was unreachable this session (fleet pacing limit) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1941-42 wooden minesweeper is era-consistent with limited asbestos-containing components (gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, friction materials). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation search incomplete (blocked) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-08
-
[10]NARA guidance: Special List 44 entry (logs held); NARA deck-log digitization index (Crossbill absent); RG 19/RG 181 record-group structure [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 p.513 (ACPL img 545); digitized index checked for Crossbill/YMS-120 - absent (sister MSCOs Egret, Flamingo, Fulmar, Ruff present); https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) the six YMS-120 deck logs in NARA custody (SL44 coverage Aug 1942-Jan 1943, Mar 1943-Jun 1945) hold the wartime operational record - ports, yard availabilities, and any recorded material work - but exist only on paper; (b) post-1947 AMS-45/MSC(O)-45 logs (4th Naval District, Great Lakes cruises, 1955-1959) sit in the later deck-log accession - sister MSCOs' later logs are digitized in the NARA catalog but Crossbill's are absent from the digitized index; (c) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) or RG 181 (naval district/yard records) may hold the hull's construction, Booklet of General Plans, or inactivation survey - no box-level retrieval performed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1959 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and holding-level mapping only - no box-level retrieval; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-120-09