Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 1034-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-yms-158-yms158-pkt-1034-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-158 - build timeline, specifications, disposal, commanding officer (verified live) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19158.htm header block, specifications block, Commanding Officers table, and call-sign lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'Laid down 8 August 1942 by the Burger Boat Co., Manitowoc, WI; Launched 26 December 1942; Completed 28 May 1943 and commissioned USS YMS-158; Struck from the Naval Register 19 June 1946; Transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission in April 1947; Registered in 1948 to Elmer C. Jakeway, Jr. of Ketchikan, AK as the freighter El Clare; Fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 270 t. (1948 - 261 t.); length 136' (1948 - 126'); beam 24' 6" (1948 - 25'); draft 8' (1948 - 11.3'); speed 15 kts.; complement 32 (1948 - six); armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Xray-Sugar-Queen; El Clare call sign William-How-Roger-Xray. Commanding officer listed: LT R. D. Edwards, USNR (1945). Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-158.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Burger Boat construction trades (1942-43); commissioned crew (~32 design complement; 19 enlisted documented at commissioning); Foreign Liquidation Commission custodial period (1947); merchant crew of six (1948)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but are not themselves primary. Contains no asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' closes the documented record at the 1948 merchant registration; the 1948 figures are merchant-registration specs. Spec conflicts with the class index (displacement, complement, draft) are carried in gaps. Ship photograph is captioned only 'c. 1943.'
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-158 (YMS-158) - order date and milestone corroboration (verified live) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/9580.html data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilation corroborating this hull: ordered 14 March 1942; built by Burger Boat Co., Manitowoc, Wisconsin; laid down 8 August 1942; launched 26 December 1942; commissioned 28 May 1943; stricken 19 June 1946. The order date (14 March 1942) is unique to this source among those consulted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Allied Warships database) - corroborative, not primary; lists no commands or operational events for this hull ('We don't have any commands listed'). Contains no asbestos content. Order date not verified against the contract file.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-02
-
[4]NARA Special List #44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - ship-number index (verified live; PDF page 115) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 115, 'YMS-158' row (verified via pdftotext -layout extraction)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's published finding aid records logbooks for this hull: 'YMS-158 - 5/28/1943 - 6/30/1945' (Special List #44 by Ship Numbers, PDF page 115, verified by direct text extraction). The coverage window opens on the completion/commissioning date (28 May 1943) and runs through the end of the war period - the logbooks exist in the National Archives' RG 24 holdings but their contents were not reviewed in this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- crew (1943-45 coverage window)
- Limitations
- Finding-aid coverage entry only - documents that the logbooks exist and their date range, not their contents or digitization status. The SL-44 end date (6/30/1945) precedes the strike date (6/19/1946) by roughly a year; later logbook coverage for this hull is not indexed here (the separate digitized muster-roll file unit runs to 4/1/1946 - see ev-04). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-03
-
[5]NARA Catalog file unit NAID 193046782, 'YMS-158, 5/28/43-4/1/46' - digitized WWII muster rolls and Reports of Changes, Roll 8015, 166 images (Ancestry partnership digitization; verified live, frames sampled) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/193046782; Roll 8015 frames -00003 (forwarding sheet, 30 Jun 1943 roll) and -00005/-00006 (commissioning Report of Changes, pp. 1-2)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's WWII muster rolls are digitized online (166 images, Roll 8015). Sampled frames verify: (1) the forwarding sheet of the first quarterly roll, 'Muster Roll of the Crew of the U.S.S. YMS-158, on the 30th day of June, 1943,' certified by R. D. EDWARDS, Lieutenant(jg), USNR, Executive Officer, and approved by A. M. OAKES, Lieutenant(jg), USNR, Commanding Officer; (2) the commissioning Report of Changes recording 19 enlisted men 'Received May 28, 1943' from the 'U.S. Naval Rec. Sta., (Algiers), New Orleans, La.' - ratings including BM2c, S2c, MoMM2c, PhM2c, QM2c, SM3c, Y2c, F1c, MoMM1c, Cox, StM2c, GM3c, and EM3c (Ashby through Thompson, plus NOLAND James Thomas, PAYTAS Frank Michael, PEDERSEN Norall Henry, THOMPSON Carl Lester on page two).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- commissioning crew - 19 enlisted documented by name/rating plus officers; wartime crew population by quarter, 1943-46
- Limitations
- Archival lead with partial verification: a handful of frames were inspected (reel target, roll cover, first forwarding sheet, two-page commissioning Report of Changes, plus sampled later frames) - the full 166-image set was not transcribed. Muster rolls document crew by name/rating at dates; they do not record operations, stations, or materials. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-04
-
[6]Shenandoah County Library digital archives (Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society), 'George Edward Morrison, III's Separation of Naval Service' - digitized Notice of Separation from U.S. Naval Service dated 11 May 1946 (verified live) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.countylib.org/items/show/56840 - item description and scanned form
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized official Navy separation notice documents a named crew member: George Edward Morrison III (enlisted February 1944) 'served in Bainbridge, Maryland, Norfolk, Virginia, and in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He also served aboard the USS YMS 158 and the USS YMS 444,' separated 11 May 1946. The station list is consistent with a western-Atlantic/Caribbean operating area for the 10th Naval District - a theater lead for this otherwise undocumented hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- George Edward Morrison III (crew member, 1944-46)
- Limitations
- The notice associates duty stations with the veteran's whole enlistment, not with specific vessels - it does not establish that San Juan, Puerto Rico (or any listed station) was served during his YMS-158 period aboard. A single-source biographical record hosted by a county library; the underlying form is an official Navy document but was not independently verified. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-05
-
[7]McDonough Funeral Home (Lowell, MA), obituary of Edmund T. 'Sonny' Graham (1925-2015 era page) - Navy service aboard USS YMS-158 (verified live) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- mcdonoughfuneralhome.com/EdmundTSonnyGraham.htm, obituary narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A second named crew member is documented: the obituary of Edmund T. Graham (born 12 February 1925) records that he 'enlisted in the United States Navy, serving aboard the minesweeper USS YMS-158 during WWII as a Signalman, 3rd Class, until 1945.' Consistent with the NARA muster-roll crew record - a Signalman (SM3c) rating appears on the commissioning Report of Changes.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Edmund T. Graham, SM3c (crew member, ~1943-45)
- Limitations
- Funeral-home-published family obituary - secondary-grade biographical sourcing, not an official record; Graham does not appear on the commissioning Report of Changes (he would have joined later). Vessel-history corroboration only; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-06
-
[8]NavSource Online: Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) index - class design history and standard characteristics (verified live) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class narrative and characteristics sidebar
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class context for this hull: the YMS-1 class was designed by Henry B. Nevins, Inc. of City Island, NY (first keel 4 March 1941); wooden-hulled motor minesweepers - 'the first wooden minesweeper of this class was to gain prominence in all theaters during World War II.' 481 U.S. Navy ships of the type were built at 35 yacht yards (12 East Coast, 19 West Coast, four Great Lakes), plus 80 BYMS built for transfer to Britain. Standard characteristics: length overall 136', extreme beam 24' 6", displacement 320 tons, maximum draft 6' 1", complement 33, designed speed 12 knots, General Motors 8-268A diesel engines on two shafts, designed 880 shaft horsepower, one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount and two 20mm mounts. YMS-135 through -445, -480, and -481 had a single stack (this hull's group). Surviving YMS hulls were reclassified AMS in 1947, given names, and rerated as mine-warfare ships (MSC(O) in 1955).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- class-wide construction and crew populations
- Limitations
- Class-level description - characteristics are type-standard, not measured aboard this hull; the ship-page specs conflict on displacement (270 vs 320 t.), complement (32 vs 33), and draft (8' vs 6' 1") - see gaps. NavSource is a secondary compilation. The 1947 AMS renaming program does not apply to this hull - she was stricken June 1946. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-07
-
[9]USNI Proceedings, 'Saga of a YMS' by Hobart Hughes, January 1948, Vol. 74/1/539 - firsthand class description of plant and habitability (retrieved via Firecrawl; direct fetch returned HTTP 403) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings Vol. 74, No. 1, Issue 539 (January 1948), 'Saga of a YMS,' power-plant and berthing passages
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporary firsthand account of the class (describing YMS-238, a sister): 'a wooden one' of 135 feet and ~7.5-foot draft; crew of 'thirty enlisted men and four officers' in 'cramped and uncomfortable' quarters with a 'wholly inadequate ventilating system'; 'two General Motors Diesels for main propulsion which were electro-pneumatically controlled from the bridge. There was a similar Diesel direct-connected to a generator for magnetic minesweeping, while two Hercules 30-KW Diesels furnished electric power' for auxiliary equipment. Confirms the type carried an all-diesel plant - no steam machinery aboard - and documents the confined, poorly ventilated berthing spaces characteristic of the type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (described service)
- Population
- class crew (~34: 30 enlisted + 4 officers per this account)
- Limitations
- Describes a sister hull (YMS-238) and one officer's experience - class-representative detail, not a survey of this vessel. A memoir account (January 1948), not a technical specification. Contains no asbestos content - its relevance is the all-diesel plant (no steam lagging pathway) and crew-space ventilation conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (direct fetch HTTP 403; retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-04)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documentation of the Navy asbestos era: the report reviewed Navy efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure (fieldwork at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards), the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs - recording that Navy policy as of 1975 was to remove and replace only damaged or repair-forced insulation, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation that post-dates this hull's entire existence (stricken 1946; disposed 1947) by three decades - era context only, establishing Navy-wide asbestos usage and 1970s policy, not materials aboard a WWII wooden minesweeper. Fieldwork covered naval shipyards, not small-craft builders. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct fetch; product-page description retrieved via Firecrawl).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-09
-
[11]Era inference built on: NavSource ship page and class index (all-diesel plant, wooden hull, class characteristics); USNI Proceedings class account (all-diesel plant, cramped poorly ventilated crew spaces); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era documentation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource propulsion specs (ev-01, ev-07); USNI class account (ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel-driven minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era, but the highest-yield pathways of steam vessels do not apply: this type carried no boilers, turbines, or steam piping - no lagging pathway. Era-standard small-craft applications possible aboard this type were engine and diesel-exhaust insulation, machinery gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch brake linings; the type's wooden hull further narrows hull-structure insulation scope relative to steel vessels. The class account's 'wholly inadequate ventilating system' and cramped belowdecks spaces describe the confined-space dynamic that amplifies any material hazard once installed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Burger Boat construction trades (1942-43); crew (~32 design complement; documented populations in ev-04/-05/-06); Foreign Liquidation Commission custodial period (1947); merchant crew (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-158. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; wooden construction and diesel plant substantially limit the plausible asbestos inventory compared with steel steam vessels, but presence is neither confirmed nor excluded. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-10
-
[12]Batch-8827 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page and class index; uboat.net; Shipbuilding History production table; NARA Special List 44; NARA Catalog NAID 193046782 (muster rolls, sampled); Shenandoah County Library separation notice; funeral-home obituary; USNI Proceedings; GAO HRD-80-2; NHHC DANFS search; NVR; CourtListener base queries (4); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-158-yms158-01 through -17
- 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-158 (YMS-158) was found in the public sources searched. The exact-name CourtListener opinion query ("USS YMS-158", type=o) returned zero results; the three remaining base queries (exact-name docket, hull-number opinion, hull-number docket) could not be executed this session - the fleet-wide request pacer returned stand-down on every attempt and they are logged as blocked, not negative results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no law-firm vessel list naming this hull and no qualifying case - only crew-service records and the source set cited in this record.
- 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 three of the four prescribed CourtListener base queries remain unexecuted (blocked by fleet pacing, not run): the docket-index and hull-number litigation record is an open gap, not a negative result. The digitized muster rolls (166 images) were only sampled, and the SL-44-indexed logbooks (5/28/43-6/30/45) were not reviewed - both remain open archival leads. Foreign Liquidation Commission disposal records and any 1948 merchant-survey documentation for El Clare were not located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-158-yms158-11