Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1031-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-126-yms126-pkt-1031-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-126 - construction/milestone timeline, specifications, call sign, construction photography (page verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19126.htm header block, specifications block, and photo table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 3 July 1941 by the 'J. H. [sic - J. M.] Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.,' Tacoma, WA; launched 3 March 1942; completed 11 September 1942; struck from the Naval Register 17 April 1946; transferred to the War Shipping Administration in January 1947. Call sign Nan-Baker-Love-Item. Specifications: displacement 270 t., length 136', beam 24'6", draft 6'1", speed 13 kts., complement 33; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose gun mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks and two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Page carries five construction photographs credited to Ed Zajkowski and states 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-126.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1947
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track official records but the 'J. H. Martinac' builder name is a misprint (J. M. Martinac, per yard history and registry data; see ev-10). 'Fate unknown' is superseded by the Canadian registry record (ev-05, ev-06). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-01
-
[3]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - entry for YMS-126 (printed page 514, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations' section; scanned page image via ACPL Genealogy Center digitization of the SL44 volume) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 printed p. 514, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations' (ACPL scan image narasl44/546.jpg)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds nine logbooks for YMS-126 covering 11 September 1942 - 1 April 1946 (SL44 entry: 'YMS-126 | Sept. 11, 1942-Apr. 1, 1946 | 9'). Coverage spans the hull's entire documented Navy career - from completion/commissioning date through two weeks before striking - and constitutes the principal unmined primary source for this vessel's wartime operations, locations, crew roster, and any material/maintenance events.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- YMS-126 officers and crew, 1942-46
- Limitations
- SL44 documents that the logbooks exist and their date spans - it says nothing about their contents. The logs are not confirmed digitized on NARA's 'Navy Deck Logs Available Online' list (checked 2026-10-04); access is via NARA textual reference, Archives II, College Park. Log coverage dates are archival span, not commissioning/decommissioning documentation. The batch prompt's 'PDF page 115' locator does not match the SL44 volume's own pagination - the verified location is printed page 514 (ACPL display page 546).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-02
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation, Naval Marine Archive mirror), 'Martinac Shipbuilding, Tacoma WA' yard list - YMS 126 row and yard history; corroborated by the njscuba.net mirror 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS and BYMS)' table row [other_primary]
- Locator
- Martinac yard list table (YMS 125-128 rows); njscuba.net/us-navy-small/ym/ YMS-126 row (also verified live)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's-list corroboration for this hull: YMS 126, US Navy minesweeper, 278d tons, 136 ft, delivered 11-Sep-42, struck 1946 - one of four Martinac YMS hulls in the 125-128 sequence (YMS 125 delivered 25-Jul-42 struck 1946; YMS 127 delivered 30-Oct-42 wrecked in the Aleutians 1944; YMS 128 delivered 10-Dec-42 struck 1946). Yard context: J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. was founded 1924 by Joseph M. Martinac, sited on the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway at the foot of East 15th Street, Tacoma; it built commercial and government boats, including wartime AMc coastal minesweepers, YP patrol craft, and YMS yard minesweepers, and closed in 2014.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary compilation confirming builder identity and delivery/striking milestones; no asbestos or material content. Yard list gives displacement as 278d tons vs NavSource 270 t. - light-vs-loaded conventions differ across sources (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-03
-
[5]U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archives, item 439539.jpg - 'U.S. Navy Motor Minesweeper YMS-126, 1942' (period photograph; page verified live HTTP 200 with caption 2026-10-04) [museum_official]
- Locator
- photos.usni.org item page, caption field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USNI Photo Archives holds a period photograph captioned 'U.S. Navy Motor Minesweeper YMS-126, 1942' - contemporaneous physical-presence documentation of the completed hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - a photograph establishes existence and configuration, not work performed or materials installed. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-04
-
[6]The Nauticapedia (nauticapedia.ca, specialist vessel-history compilation drawing on Canadian registry data), vessel record 29794 'YMS-126 (U.S.S.)' and matching alias pages 15278 (Tahsis Chief), 29795 (Westwhale 4), 29796 (Lavalee II) [other_primary]
- Locator
- nauticapedia.ca vessel.php?id=29794 (+ alias pages 15278, 29795, 29796); owner/anecdote tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-Navy identity chain for this hull (single-source compilation, corroborated on registry identifiers by CLIP - ev-06): after WSA transfer the hull went to William C. Gibson, Vancouver BC (1946-47); registered in Canada as official no. 178825, call sign VXKX, 254 gross / 150 registered tons; renamed Tahsis Chief (1947) and rebuilt as a whale catcher for Western Whaling Corporation Ltd., Vancouver (1948) - employed at the Coal Harbour whaling station, west coast of Vancouver Island (1949); owned by British Columbia Packers Ltd. (1949), The Packers Steamship Co. Ltd. (1952-61), Western Canadian Whaling Co. Ltd. (1961-67) as Westwhale 4; returned to British Columbia Packers (1967-78), rebuilt as a herring seiner (1967) and renamed Lavalee II (1968), repowered with a 912bhp General Motors diesel; then Kirk Anderson Ltd., 'Curline' NL (1978-95; as spelled in source - likely Curling, NL) and 2147696 Nova Scotia Ltd., Voglers Cove NS (1995-2002). In 2002 the vessel was abandoned on a beach at Ecum Secum NS with her engine room flooded and leaking oil; contractors removed petroleum products and the vessel was broken up in situ and removed from the marine environment.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1946-2002
- Population
- Canadian commercial crews - whaling (1947-67) and fishing (1967-2002); cleanup contractors at Ecum Secum (2002)
- Limitations
- Specialist volunteer compilation - not a primary registry; the hull's entry point (Gibson purchase) is asserted without a bill of sale citation. Live page is bot-protected (Cloudflare challenge) and could not be fetched directly - content verified through the site's own search-indexed vessel pages (four alias entries all corroborate the same chain) plus independent registry corroboration at ev-06. The compilation loosely types the vessel 'submarine chaser' and lists a Cooper-Bessemer 1200hp engine conflicting with NavSource's GM 8-268A (see gaps). No asbestos content; the 2002 disposal was an oil-leak cleanup, not a documented ACM remediation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-05
-
[7]Crew List Index Project (CLIP), Appropriation Books dataset for the port of Vancouver BC - entry 'TAHSIS CHIEF | 178825 | 172/1947, Motor, 254 tons' (transcription of the official Appropriation Books held at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen, Cardiff) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CLIP Vancouver BC Appropriation Books list, T-sorted entries (TAHSIS CHIEF row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Independent official-registry corroboration of the post-Navy identity: TAHSIS CHIEF, official number 178825, registration entry 172 of 1947, motor vessel, 254 tons, port of Vancouver BC - matching Nauticapedia's registry identifiers (official no. 178825, 254 GT) for the ex-YMS-126 hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1947
- Limitations
- Registry transcription confirms the vessel's Canadian official number, name, year of registration, rig, and tonnage - it does not state the hull's prior identity; the YMS-126 linkage comes from Nauticapedia (ev-05). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (wooden-hulled YMS-1 class; 2 x GM 8-268A diesels, 2 shafts); YMS class overview (NavSource YMS index - 'wood-hulled YMS,' 561 built at 35 yacht yards); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications and YMS index page; GAO HRD-80-2 full text
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered, wood-hulled motor minesweeper completed September 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, which for thermal insulation ran until specification changes in 1971-73. Era-standard asbestos applications relevant to a vessel of this type were limited rather than absent: diesel engine exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable/component insulation, and clutch components. As a wooden-hulled diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler and steam-line lagging that dominated asbestos tonnage on larger combatants does not apply here.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-2002
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-46); Canadian conversion/rebuild workers (1948, 1967); 2002 breakup contractors
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-126. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The wooden construction and small diesel plant imply materially less asbestos than a steam-driven steel combatant of the same era - this record does not quantify the difference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) - full text via gao.gov PDF asset [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page and full report PDF (pp. 1-2 transmittal; 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos era that fully spans this hull's construction and service: 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation, which was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; 'product specifications for thermal insulation had been changed in 1973 to specify the use of asbestos-free materials, [but] asbestos materials had already been purchased and in some cases installed in ships under construction. Therefore, some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; and non-insulation shipboard applications included 'pipe hanger liners, gaskets, etc.' A 1942-built hull predates the entire substitution era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979 (report); addresses practices through the late 1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; shipboard asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The report's fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Martinac; its 'thermal insulation' findings describe steam-era combatants more than 136-ft wooden minesweepers. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-08
-
[10]Batch-8804 search ledger (this record): NavSource; shipbuildinghistory.com (Naval Marine Archive + njscuba mirrors); NARA SL44 scan; USNI Photo Archives; Nauticapedia; CLIP Appropriation Books; NVR; NARA navy-online digitized-logs list; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; CourtListener (paced); secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-126-01 through -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-126 was found in the public sources searched. No DANFS entry exists (NavSource, confirmed). The vessel's 2002 Canadian disposal was an oil-leak cleanup documented by a compilation source, not a hazmat/ACM record. The only 'asbestos aboard YMS' material surfaced is law-firm and SEO marketing content listing YMS-class hulls generically without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the fleet-wide request budget momentarily spent on eight spaced attempts over ~75 minutes; logged as blocked in search_ledger, 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced, not run). The nine deck logbooks (SL44) and any Martinac construction records are unmined leads; the WSA transfer/sale file (January 1947) and Canadian registry file 178825 are additional open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-09
-
[11]Cross-source date/name check: NavSource milestone block vs shipbuildinghistory yard list vs uboat.net warship entry vs NARA SL44 log span vs Nauticapedia/CLIP registry data [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-01 through ev-06, side-by-side
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTIONS carried in this record: (1) NavSource's builder line reads 'J. H. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.' - the yard was the J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (founded by Joseph M. Martinac, 1924), confirmed by the yard's shipbuildinghistory list, uboat.net, Nauticapedia, and CLIP. (2) NavSource labels 11 September 1942 'Completed' while uboat.net labels the same date 'Commissioned'; YMS boats were delivered to service on completion and the NARA log span opens the same day - the record carries the date with both labels rather than adjudicating. (3) NavSource ends with 'Fate unknown' - superseded: the hull was Canadian-registered as Tahsis Chief (1947, ON 178825) and ultimately broken up at Ecum Secum NS in 2002.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-2002
- Limitations
- Corrects attribution/labeling slips, not material claims. 'Commissioned' vs 'completed/placed in service' is a real nomenclature ambiguity for numbered YMS craft; no commissioning ceremony record was located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-126-10