Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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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-127-yms127-pkt-1031-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-127 page (archives/11/19127.htm) - construction timeline, grounding and salvage, striking, WSA transfer, Vindicator registrations, specification block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19127.htm header timeline block, specifications block, c.1944 Seattle photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 10 October 1941 by 'J. H. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.' [sic - J. M.], Tacoma, WA; launched 2 May 1942; completed 30 October 1942; 'Grounded (thrown ashore in heavy weather) 10 January 1944 on the beach of Tanaga Island, Aleutian Islands, AK. She was patched up and refloated by a salvage party from the Coast Guard manned tug Ute (ATF 76) assisted by some of the crew of YMS-127 on 13 January and towed to Adak Island. Later she sailed to Seattle, WA'; struck from the Naval Register 16 September 1944 as a constructive total loss, not worth repairing; transferred to the War Shipping Administration August 1945; registered 1947 to W. P. Lowman of Anacortes, WA as the fishing boat Vindicator; registered 1948 to Ray B. Lowman of Anacortes; fate unknown. Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 6'1"; speed 13 kts.; complement 33; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth charge tracks, two depth charge projectors; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Photo caption places the hull at Olson and Winge Marine Works, Seattle, c. 1944. Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-127.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-44); Ute salvage party (Jan 1944); Seattle repair yard population (1944); WSA transfer handlers (1945); civilian fishing crew (1947-48)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but the 'J. H. Martinac' spelling is an error (see ev-08). The 10/13 January 1944 dates rest on this compilation; DANFS (ev-02) corroborates the salvage without giving exact dates. The 'Coast Guard manned tug' characterization of Ute is NavSource's. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-01
-
[3]DANFS, Ute (AT-76) - Aleutian salvage narrative naming YMS-127; identical text carried on the U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office Ute (WMEC-76) page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Ute (AT-76) entry, Aleutians section (Scotia salvage passage); same passage at USCG Historian's Office, https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Water/All/Article/2225941/ute-1981-wmec-76/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy history of the fleet tug Ute independently names this hull: amid the grounded SS Scotia salvage (post-Christmas 1943), 'Ute was forced to shift to Tanaga Island to aid the grounded YMS-127. Three days later, the fleet tug pulled the motor minesweeper off the rocks and towed her to Adak before returning to Attu at the end of the month.' Corroborates the January 1944 grounding event, the Tanaga Island location, the refloat, and the Adak tow documented by NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-01
- Population
- Ute salvage party; YMS-127 crew assisting
- Limitations
- Ship-named event within a third-party vessel's DANFS entry; gives sequence ('three days later') rather than calendar dates - the 10/13 January dating comes from NavSource. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-02
-
[4]NARA Special List #44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (list by ship number) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf p. 115 ('Special List #44, by Ship Numbers'): 'YMS-127 10/30/1942 9/4/1944'; NARA online deck-log list (1941 and later) - absent
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds deck logs for YMS-127 covering 30 October 1942 through 4 September 1944 - the full in-service span from completion through the striking decision. The logs are not digitized: YMS-127 is absent from NARA's online deck-log catalog (navy-online list checked 2026-10-04; only converted/named YMS entries appear). The undigitized logs are the primary archival record for the Tanaga grounding and her Aleutian operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-10-30 to 1944-09-04
- Population
- crew (log coverage window 1942-1944)
- Limitations
- Establishes that logs exist and their coverage span only - the log contents were not examined and are not digitized. Coverage start/end dates are log coverage boundaries, not claimed commissioning or striking dates (she was struck 16 September 1944, after log coverage ends).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS-127 spec block (GM 8-268A diesel plant, no steam system); NavSource YMS class index ('The wood-hulled YMS proved to be one of the U.S. Navy's more durable and versatile types'); HistoryLink 22440 (Martinac's '135-foot wooden minesweepers'); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy statements (see ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block and class index; HistoryLink file 22440; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wood-hulled, diesel-powered minesweeper completed in 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small diesel craft of this period were confined to components such as engine-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation and cabling, and brake/clutch linings. She carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway that drove the largest shipboard asbestos loads does not apply, and her wooden hull carried a minimal thermal-insulation footprint relative to steam vessels.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-44); Ute salvage party (Jan 1944); Seattle repair population (1944); WSA handlers (1945); fishing crew (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or shipyard work package was located for YMS-127. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no present-day presence claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-04
-
[6]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers from Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page and full report PDF (letter text and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Navy statements to GAO document the era: 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' while thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' Product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to asbestos-free materials, and the Navy's policy to eliminate asbestos use where alternates were designated issued in October 1975 - decades after this hull's 1941-42 construction and 1944 striking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979 (report); asbestos-use era reviewed
- Population
- Navy ships' forces and shipyard workers (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not this hull's yards. Supports era context only; does not name YMS-127, establish materials aboard, individual exposure, quantity, or present-day presence. Product page verified live; full text retrieved via Firecrawl (direct fetch returned HTTP 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com, Martinac Shipbuilding (Tacoma WA) yard production table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Martinac yard page, hull production table rows YMS 125-128
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The yard's production list carries 'YMS 127 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 278d | 136 | 30-Oct-42 | Wrecked in the Aleutians 1944' - corroborating builder, hull type, 136-ft length, 30 October 1942 completion, and the Aleutian wreck. Martinac's YMS block shows YMS-125 through -128 as the first minesweeper contract, with YMS-216 and sisters as the follow-on order.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1944
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Enthusiast-maintained secondary reference (Tim Colton's yard lists), not an official registry; displacement shown as 278 vs NavSource's 270 - conflict logged in gaps. Corroborating source only; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-06
-
[8]HistoryLink.org (Washington State encyclopedia), File 22440 - J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation (Tacoma) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- HistoryLink file 22440, WWII expansion section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documents the contract that built this hull: in summer 1941 Martinac won a Navy contract 'to build four 135-foot wooden minesweepers, worth $1,315,200,' requiring the first sweeper in 240 days and subsequent ships every 30 days; the yard launched YMS-125 on 18 December 1941 as its first minesweeper, and 'a contract for 12 more minesweepers' followed (YMS-216 first of that order, launched October 1942). Establishes the wooden construction of Martinac's YMS contract series, which includes YMS-127.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Martinac construction trades (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary encyclopedia of Washington history (nonprofit, professional-historian edited) - names the contract and program, not YMS-127 by number; hull-level linkage comes from the yard production lists (ev-01, ev-06). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-07
-
[9]Builder-name cross-check: NavSource YMS-127 page ('J. H. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.') vs HistoryLink 22440 and shipbuildinghistory Martinac page ('J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.', founder Joseph M. Martinac) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19127.htm timeline vs historylink.org/file/22440 and shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/martinac.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource prints the builder as 'J. H. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.' The yard's correct name was J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., founded 1924 by Joseph M. Martinac - as documented by HistoryLink (Washington State encyclopedia) and shipbuildinghistory's yard list. The 'J. H.' form is a NavSource transcription error, not a distinct yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941
- Limitations
- Corrects a builder-name error, not a material claim. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-08
-
[10]Batch-8805 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page + YMS class index; NHHC DANFS (no YMS-127 entry; Ute entry names the hull); NARA Special List 44 PDF + digitized-log list; USCG Historian's Office; NVR; shipbuildinghistory; HistoryLink; CourtListener (blocked - HTTP paced/throttled all session); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-127-yms127-01 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-127 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be completed this session - the authenticated helper returned a fleet-wide pacing/throttle block on every attempt; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. A secondary-web litigation sweep surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm marketing claims naming this hull.
- 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 (throttled, not run). The undigitized NARA deck logs (10/30/1942-9/4/1944), Martinac work packages, and the 1944 damage survey are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-127-yms127-09