Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[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-121-yms121-pkt-1030-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-121 (navsource.net - live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull entry page; specification block; NH 85824 photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 15 May 1941 by the builder at North Bend, OR (NavSource spells the yard 'Krause and Banks' - see correction row ev-07); launched 14 March 1942; completed and commissioned USS YMS-121 on 22 July 1942; struck from the Naval Register 3 July 1946; transferred to the War Shipping Administration March 1947; registered in 1948 to Wilbur J. Smith of Rainier, OR as the towboat Dragon; fate unknown. NHHC photo NH 85824 shows the hull off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 21 August 1942. NavSource states no DANFS history exists for this hull. Specifications per the same page: 270 t., 136 ft, 24 ft 6 in, 8 ft draft, 15 kts, complement 32, one 3"/50 DP mount, two 20 mm, two depth-charge projectors, two GM 8-268A diesels on two shafts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Crew (complement ~32)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-edited photo archive used here as the authoritative-compilation source for this hull's timeline and specs; its 'Krause and Banks' spelling is a typographical error (correct firm name Kruse & Banks - ev-07). Establishes identity, milestones, and disposition only - contains no asbestos information and does not establish exposure conditions aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-01
-
[3]National Archives, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (Bradley, Kurtz, et al., comps., 1978) - 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations' section, printed page 513 (scan verified via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center mirror, display image 545) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations,' printed p. 513 (ACPL Genealogy Center mirror, display image 545; verified live 2026-10-04)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 records nine logbooks for YMS-121 spanning 22 July 1942 through 31 July 1945 - deck-log coverage running from the day of commissioning through three weeks before the end of the war in the Pacific. The logbooks are held at the National Archives (RG 24) and are not digitized.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-07-22 to 1945-07-31 (coverage)
- Population
- Crew recorded in logs (names, transfers, muster entries)
- Limitations
- The list establishes log coverage only - it does not summarize log contents and establishes no port, operation, or exposure fact. It is a finding aid entry, not evidence about asbestos. Date coverage is not a commissioning or decommissioning record. Post-July-1945 logs are outside this list's span; later coverage, if any, is unresolved here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History yard table (mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com): 'Kruse & Banks Shipbuilding, North Bend OR' - output table and yard history (page verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Yard table rows YMS 121-YMS 124, YMS 265-268; yard-history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's output table lists 'YMS 121 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 278 t | 136 ft | 22-Jul-42 | Struck 1946' - corroborating builder, tonnage, delivery date, and striking year from the yard side. Yard history: Kruse & Banks Shipbuilding founded 1902 by Knut V. Kruse, joined by Robert Banks 1905, moved from Marshfield to North Bend about 1909, closed 1946. The same table shows sisters YMS-122 through YMS-124 and YMS-265 through YMS-268 built at the same yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Yard construction workforce (Kruse & Banks, North Bend, 1941-42)
- Limitations
- Shipbuilding History is a reputable compiled reference, not a primary document; it corroborates NavSource on builder and dates but is itself the source of a conflicting film attribution (see ev-04). Documents the hull as a yard product - establishes no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-03
-
[5]Conflicting secondary attributions for the hull used in the 1943 feature 'Minesweeper': Wikipedia film article citing Koppes & Black, 'Hollywood Goes to War' (1987), pp. 69, 115 (identifies YMS-121) vs. Shipbuilding History yard table (identifies YMS-124); production record per AFI Catalog film 567 (production 3 May-late May 1943; Navy cooperation acknowledged via NOB Terminal Island) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AFI Catalog film 567 'Minesweeper' production notes; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minesweeper_(film) ref 8; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/small/kruse.html row YMS 124
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two secondary sources disagree on which Kruse & Banks-built YMS starred in the 1943 Pine-Thomas/Paramount feature 'Minesweeper': the Wikipedia film article (citing Koppes & Black 1987, pp. 69, 115) identifies YMS-121, while the Shipbuilding History yard table identifies YMS-124. The AFI Catalog confirms the production (3 May-late May 1943, Pine-Thomas for Paramount, Navy cooperation through the Naval Operating Base, Terminal Island) but does not name the vessel. This record asserts the identification for neither hull.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943 (production); attribution published later
- Limitations
- DISPUTED attribution: neither claim has been traced to a primary record (production records or the ship's own logs). Koppes & Black is a reputable academic source but the page citations are unverified here; the yard-table attribution to YMS-124 is likewise unverified. A vessel-history fact only - irrelevant to asbestos status.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS class index (wood-hulled type, 481 completed at 35 yacht yards; GM 8-268A diesels, 880 designed shaft horsepower, two shafts) + NavSource hull spec block (ev-01) + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource YMS/BYMS class index page (type description and class spec block), verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel-powered yard minesweeper built 1941-42 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but carries no steam plant: the era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a boat of this type would have been confined to small-craft systems - engine exhaust lagging, machinery and flange gaskets, valve stem packing, and electrical insulation - a materially smaller installed-insulation inventory than aboard steam vessels.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1946 (construction and naval service)
- Population
- Construction trades (Kruse & Banks, 1941-42); engine-room crew (complement ~32)
- Limitations
- Class/design-level inference, not a hull record: no survey, material list, or work order names this hull. Establishes what would be typical aboard the type, not what was installed on YMS-121; does not establish quantity, fiber content, remaining material, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page only; gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (standing block, same as Batch-98) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov product page HRD-80-2 (403-blocked full text)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - the program-level context that places this hull's 1941-42 construction inside the asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- through 1979 (report scope); era context 1941-42
- Population
- Navy shipyard and shipboard workforce (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level context only: GAO's fieldwork concerned Navy shipyards and large-ship insulation, not wooden 270-ton yard minesweepers; it does not name this hull or this class and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard it. Full text unreachable (403) - row relies on the product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-06
-
[8]Designation/name cross-check: Shipbuilding History yard table and uboat.net give 'Kruse & Banks Shipbuilding Co. Inc., North Bend OR'; NavSource hull page spells 'Krause and Banks Shipbuilding Co., Inc.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/small/kruse.html; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9541.html; navsource.net/archives/11/19121.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's spelling 'Krause and Banks' is a typographical error. The documented firm is Kruse & Banks Shipbuilding Co., Inc. of North Bend, Oregon - founded 1902 by Knut V. Kruse, joined by Robert Banks 1905, closed 1946 - corroborated independently by the Shipbuilding History yard table and uboat.net's warship entry. Same yard either way; this record uses the correct 'Kruse & Banks' form.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Spelling correction only - no substantive discrepancy between sources on the yard's identity or location.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-07
-
[9]Batch-8799 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page and class index; NARA Special List 44 (ACPL mirror); Kruse & Banks yard table; AFI Catalog; CourtListener API v4 base queries (1 of 4 completed at report time); GAO product page; DANFS/NVR availability checks [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-121-yms121-01 through sl-uss-yms-121-yms121-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS YMS-121 (YMS-121) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The two completed CourtListener base queries (exact-name opinion and docket) returned zero hits; the two hull-number base queries remained blocked by the fleet pacing budget through repeated retries and are logged blocked, not negative.
- 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 naval vessel sits inside the asbestos-use era regardless of documentation. Litigation status is only partially resolved: two of four mandated base queries completed (zero results each); both hull-number queries remained blocked by fleet pacing at report time. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-121-yms121-08