USS YMS-135

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 1032-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-135-yms135-pkt-1032-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, 'YMS-135' (live page verified via firecrawl, 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/19135.htm header block (chronology), specifications block, and photo-caption table (Dutch Harbor c. 1943-45 with YMS-130 and Phoebe AMc-57)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's live YMS-135 page identifies a YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweeper: laid down 20 May 1942 by Astoria Marine Construction Co. ('Astoria, WA' - see ev-10 correction), launched 26 December 1942, completed 20 February 1943 and commissioned USS YMS-135; transferred to the Soviet Union 6 September 1945, reclassified T-606 and assigned to the Pacific Fleet; 'Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists transfer date as May 1945'; transferred to the People's Republic of China; fate unknown. Call sign Nan-William-Roger-Mike. Specifications: 270 t displacement, 136 ft length, 24 ft 6 in beam, 8 ft draft, 15 knots, complement 32; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; two 880-bhp GM 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Photo captions place the hull at Dutch Harbor, Aleutians c. 1943-45 moored with YMS-130 near Phoebe (AMc-57). NavSource states no DANFS history exists for YMS-135; independent checks of candidate NHHC DANFS URLs returned 404.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1942-1945 (USN); 1945-1955 (Soviet); PRC period undated

   Population

   Ship's company (NavSource lists complement 32); AMCCO construction trades (1942-43)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry. Build dates are corroborated by the NPS NRHP vessel table (launch 12/26/42, delivery 2/20/43), but its '6 September 1945' transfer date conflicts with the NARA Navy Detachment 3294 war diary (hull departed Cold Bay for the USSR 28 Aug 1945) and the NHC HULA appendix (27 Aug.); its 'Astoria, WA' builder location conflicts with the NRHP-documented Astoria, Oregon yard - both conflicts carried in ev-10 and gaps. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-01

3. [3]National Park Service, NRHP Registration Form for Astoria Marine Construction Company Historic District, NRHP 13001058 (Clatsop County, Oregon; listed 2014-01-08) - full nomination PDF verified live (HTTP 200), 2026-10-04 [nps]

   Locator

   NPS Form 10-900 nomination PDF, Section 8 narrative p. 14 (March 1942 contract, YMS 135-142) and Appendix 3 'Vessel Data Tables' p. 39 (YMS 135 row: 12/26/42 launch, 2/20/43 delivery, logbooks 2/26/45-8/26/45)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The National Park Service NRHP nomination for the Astoria Marine Construction Company Historic District (Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon; NRHP 13001058, listed 8 January 2014) documents this hull's construction: 'In March of 1942 AMCCO was awarded a contract to build eight more minesweepers (YMS 135-142).' Appendix 3 vessel table (sourced to Columbia River Maritime Museum #1982.17.603) lists YMS 135 launched 12/26/42, delivered 2/20/43, with logbook span February 26-August 26, 1945 - independently corroborating NavSource's launch/completion dates and matching the SL44 deck-log coverage window. The nomination establishes the builder's location at 92134 Front Road, Astoria, Oregon (Lewis and Clark River/Jeffers Slough), the yard's WWII expansion for YMS production (AMCCO built YMS 100-103 and 135-142 among others), and notes YMS-135 as lead hull of the yard's second contract block.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1941-1943 (construction); district period of significance to 1955

   Population

   AMCCO construction trades, Astoria, Oregon, 1942-43 (yard employed over 1,500 at 1943 peak per nomination narrative)

   Limitations

   NPS nomination documents builder, contract, launch/delivery dates, and logbook span - it contains no asbestos or materials content (full-text check: zero 'asbestos' occurrences) and does not describe the ship's service. The logbook-span column corroborates SL44 custody dates but does not itself establish commissioning.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-02

4. [4]National Archives, Special List 44: Ship Number index to U.S. Navy deck logs in NARA custody (live PDF verified HTTP 200 and text-extracted, 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   PDF p. 115, entry 'YMS-135 2/26/1945 8/26/1945'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   National Archives Special List 44, the ship-number index to U.S. Navy deck logs in NARA custody, lists YMS-135 with log coverage from 26 February 1945 through 26 August 1945 (PDF page 115: 'YMS-135 2/26/1945 8/26/1945'). The indexed end date falls the day before the Project Hula transfer date in the NHC appendix (27 Aug. 1945) and two days before the hull's documented departure for the USSR on 28 August 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1945-02-26 to 1945-08-26

   Limitations

   This is a custody/coverage index, not the deck logs themselves. The indexed coverage is not a commissioning or decommissioning date and does not identify asbestos, products, exposure, repair work, or causation. The logs were not examined for this record; the Feb-1945 start implies earlier log volumes exist under NARA custody outside this SL44 entry's span.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-03

5. [5]NARA National Archives Catalog, file unit 'YMS-135, 2/26/43-8/26/45' (NAID 193044174), RG 24 Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, Roll 8099 (catalog page verified live via firecrawl, 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov/id/193044174 - file-unit header (138 images, digitized via Ancestry partnership)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The NARA catalog holds a digitized file unit for this hull: 'YMS-135, 2/26/43-8/26/45' (NAID 193044174, RG 24 Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Muster Rolls series, Roll 8099, 138 images, available online). Muster-roll coverage opens six days after the 20 February 1943 completion/commissioning date and closes 26 August 1945 - the same end date as the SL44 deck-log coverage, at the Cold Bay transfer window.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-02-26 to 1945-08-26

   Population

   YMS-135 ship's company, Feb 1943 - Aug 1945 (roster source)

   Limitations

   Records exist and are digitized but page-level review was not performed - the rolls establish crew presence and are the primary personnel lead; they contain no known asbestos documentation. Digitized images hosted via NARA's Ancestry partnership.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-04

6. [6]NARA National Archives Catalog, file unit 'NAVY DETACHMENT, 3294 - War Diary, 8/1-31/45' (NAID 77492964), RG 38 World War II War Diaries, Roll A1874 (catalog page verified live and all 7 images read at page level, 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77492964, diary pp. 1-5 (7 images): p. 3 (15 Aug arrival entry 'USS YMS 135'); p. 4 (28 Aug departure entry 'YMS's 88, 135, 180, 332'); p. 1 (monthly summary, Capt. W. S. Maxwell signature p. 2)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The war diary of Navy Detachment 3294 (the unit running the Cold Bay transfer program - 'Milepost'/Project Hula), August 1945, was reviewed at page level (7 scanned pages). It documents this hull by name twice: '15 August - The USS YMS 135, YMS 332, and SC-538, arrived from Dutch Harbor at 0815 for transfer by Milepost Program'; and '28 August - The following vessels departed for Russia at 1800: USSR PF's 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51; YMS's 88, 135, 180, 332.' The diary's monthly summary records that during August '12 PF's, 10 YMS's, 11 SC's, and 6 AM's completed training and were transferred to the U.S.S.R. Command,' bringing the program total to 139 vessels; it is signed by Capt. W. S. Maxwell, the officer the NHC monograph identifies as commanding Detachment 3294.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1945-08-01 to 1945-08-31

   Population

   YMS-135 crew during transfer turnover (Aug 1945); Soviet replacement crew; Navy Detachment 3294 staff, Cold Bay

   Limitations

   Primary operational record establishing the hull's presence at Cold Bay 15-28 Aug 1945 and departure under Soviet flag on 28 Aug. It does not state a formal transfer/acceptance-signing date (the NHC appendix's 27 Aug. and NavSource's 6 Sep. are separate sources - conflict carried in ev-10/gaps). Contains no asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-05

7. [7]Richard A. Russell, 'Project HULA: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan' (Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington, 1997; U.S. Navy in the Modern World Series No. 4), Appendix transfer table - verbatim reproduction at generalstaff.org (live via firecrawl) and official-edition PDF mirror at ibiblio HyperWar (HTTP 200 verified, 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Appendix 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA,' p. 40 of the printed monograph (PDF p. 45): row 'YMS 135 / T-606 / 27 Aug. / 1955-stricken*'; narrative pp. 15-16 (Cold Bay program) and p. 39 (Soviet-service YMS summary)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Naval Historical Center monograph 'Project HULA' (Russell, 1997) appendix 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the [USSR] May-September 1945' lists this hull: 'YMS 135 - T-606 - 27 Aug. - 1955-stricken*' where the asterisk denotes 'subsequently transferred to the Peoples Republic of China.' The monograph (a Department of the Navy publication drawing on NAVSHIPS 250-012 'Ships Data: U.S. Naval Vessels' 1 January 1949 and Berezhnoi's Soviet lend-lease reference) establishes that Cold Bay, Alaska was the single transfer point, that the roster included 36 wooden-hulled motor minesweepers (YMS), and that under Soviet colors 'the wooden-hulled YMSs performed a variety of combat, auxiliary, and scientific tasks... all were decommissioned by the mid-1950s.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1945-1955

   Population

   U.S. crew to Aug 1945; Soviet T-606 crew 1945-1955; PRC crew thereafter (undocumented)

   Limitations

   The appendix names the hull, Soviet designation, 27 Aug. transfer date, and '1955-stricken*' (PRC) disposition. In the printed table the T-606 row's date and disposition cells are ditto marks resolved against the YMS 88/T-608 '27 Aug.' row and the '1955-stricken*' disposition; the generalstaff.org reproduction expands the same values inline ('YMS 135 | T-606 | 27 Aug. | 1955-stricken*'). Soviet-side service detail for this specific hull (bases, employment, PRC name) is not covered. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-06

8. [8]NARA catalog full-text search results for 'YMS-135' and 'USS YMS-135' (138 and 35 file-unit hits; catalog verified live via firecrawl, 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov search results for quoted 'YMS-135' and 'USS YMS-135' (RG 38 WWII War Diaries; RG 181 installation war diaries; RG 24 muster rolls)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA catalog full-text search returns 'YMS-135' OCR hits inside Aleutian-area and stateside command war diaries consistent with a North Pacific operating area: MINESWEEPING OFFICER, NOB ADAK report of minesweeping operations in Arm Bay/Bay of Waterfalls/Beyer Bay/Little Tanaga Strait areas, Adak, Alaska, 3-13 and 18-28 July 1944 (NAID 78594929, RG 38); Naval Operating Base/NAS Kodiak war diaries (e.g., May 1943 NAID 318279847; Feb 1945 NAID 318280646, RG 181); COMNOWESTSEAFRON war diary Apr-Oct 1943 (NAID 135970852); COM 13 (Thirteenth Naval District) war diaries Dec 1944 and Jan 1945 (NAIDs 139822695, 139892006); and NAV STA ASTORIA war diary 7-20 March 1943 (NAID 134120967). The pattern - Astoria completion period, then Kodiak/Adak/Dutch Harbor Aleutian service through 1945 - is consistent with the NavSource Dutch Harbor photo caption and the Aug 1945 arrival 'from Dutch Harbor' at Cold Bay.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Limitations

   OCR-level hits establish only that the string 'YMS-135' appears in those volumes - each mention needs page-level review to confirm it denotes this hull in an operational capacity (the Adak minesweeping-operations report is the strongest candidate). Operating-area sequence is suggested, not confirmed. Not examined page-level except the Det. 3294 diary (ev-05). Contains no known asbestos documentation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-07

9. [9]Class-level inference based on NavSource YMS-135 specifications (diesel plant) and the NHC HULA monograph's class description (wooden hull) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Derived from ev-01 specifications block and ev-06 class description

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era inference: a wooden-hulled motor minesweeper completed in February 1943, inside the Navy's asbestos-era construction window, with a diesel plant (two GM 8-268A diesels - no boilers, no steam system) would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a small diesel craft - engine exhaust insulation and lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and deck coverings - rather than the boiler/steam-line lagging that dominated steam-vessel asbestos loads. Official class description (NHC HULA monograph): 'wooden-hulled motor minesweepers (YMS)'.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1942-1955

   Population

   AMCCO construction trades (Astoria, 1942-43); YMS-135 crew 1943-45; Soviet T-606 crew 1945-55

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No drawing, manual, survey, or material list for YMS-135 was located; the diesel plant means the largest asbestos categories of steam ships are not expected aboard, but it does not exclude asbestos in the applications listed. Does not establish quantity, location, or present-day relevance (hull transferred out of U.S. custody 1945; Soviet-stricken 1955).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-08

10. [10]U.S. Government Accountability Office, HRD-80-2, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure (18 Oct. 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - product-page description used)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO reported in 1979 that it reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including use of asbestos in Navy ships and the cost of removal. It describes the Navy's 1975 policy of replacing damaged or repair-affected asbestos insulation with nonasbestos material and its 1979 selective-replacement policy for high-maintenance areas - confirming the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships through the era that covers this hull's 1942-43 construction.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1975-1979 policy period; report published 1979

    Population

    Workers at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; Navy ships discussed at program level

    Limitations

    Navy-wide, later-era program evidence, not a survey or material record for YMS-135. It does not establish that asbestos was installed, remained aboard, was disturbed, or exposed anyone on this hull. Full text not retrieved this session (HTTP 403).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-09

11. [11]Cross-source designation/date check: NavSource 11/19135.htm vs NPS NRHP 13001058 nomination vs NARA NAID 77492964 (page-level) vs NHC HULA appendix vs NARA SL44/muster-roll coverage [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource chronology lines; NRHP nomination pp. 1, 14, 39; NAID 77492964 diary entries 15 and 28 Aug 1945; HULA appendix p. 40; SL44 PDF p. 115; NAID 193044174 span

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTIONS: (1) NavSource prints the builder's location as 'Astoria, WA' - the Astoria Marine Construction yard is documented at Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon by the NPS NRHP nomination (92134 Front Road; NRHP 13001058), the Oregon SHPO site record, and LoC HAER OR-181; 'WA' is a NavSource error. (2) Transfer-date conflict: NavSource reads 'transferred to the Soviet Union 6 September 1945' and notes the Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists May 1945, while the NHC HULA appendix prints 27 August 1945 and the primary Det-3294 war diary records the hull arriving Cold Bay 15 Aug and departing for the USSR 28 Aug 1945. The May-1945 NVR figure is inconsistent with U.S. deck-log and muster-roll coverage running to 26 Aug 1945 and is treated as a register artifact; the operational record best supports a late-August 1945 transfer (27 Aug. signing, 28 Aug. departure).

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1942-1945

    Limitations

    Corrects a geographic error and isolates a transfer-date conflict; it does not adjudicate which Soviet-side milestone (acceptance signing vs. departure vs. flag-raising) each source recorded. The NVR 'May 1945' note is reported as NavSource states it and was not independently verified against the register itself (hull predates the online NVR; the 1949 print register was not fetched). No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-10

12. [12]Batch-8814 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NPS NRHP 13001058 nomination; NARA SL44 ship-number index, muster rolls NAID 193044174, Det-3294 war diary NAID 77492964, war-diary full-text hits; NHC Project HULA monograph; NHHC DANFS (no entry); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization roster 1 May 1945 (not listed); NVR (no record); GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener (partial) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-135-yms135-01 through -13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for YMS-135: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, product identification, or materials specification naming this hull was found in the retained authoritative sources, and the hull left U.S. custody in August 1945 (pre-dating modern ACM disclosure regimes). CourtListener status: the exact-name opinion query ('USS YMS-135', type=o, limit 20) ran and returned 3 results, all Texas criminal/habeas full-text collisions unrelated to the vessel - no qualifying asbestos litigation and no litigation of any kind naming the hull; the exact-name docket and both hull-number ('YMS-135') base queries were blocked by the fleet-wide pacing limiter and remain pending, so the litigation negative is partial, not complete. The AMCCO builder's NRHP nomination contains zero 'asbestos' occurrences.

    Verification

    partial

    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 - era-consistent materials would be expected in the candidate applications listed under ev-08. The litigation surface is incompletely searched (3 of 4 base queries pacing-blocked at write time), and unexamined deck logs/muster rolls or Soviet/Russian-language records may contain relevant information. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-135-yms135-11