USS YMS-179

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet 1036-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-179-yms179-pkt-1036-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Cardinal III (AMS-4) - 'YMS-179 (q.v.) was reclassified AMS-4 and assigned the name Cardinal on 18 February 1947'; third ship of the name [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Cardinal III (AMS-4) page, body text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC DANFS confirms the identity chain of this hull: YMS-179 was reclassified AMS-4 and assigned the name Cardinal on 18 February 1947, and was the third U.S. Navy ship named for the cardinal. No operational narrative is carried on this page; the detailed YMS-179 entry referenced by 'q.v.' is not present at a public NHHC URL.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1947

   Limitations

   Single-sentence stub entry; covers the 1947 reclassification/name only. Does not document construction, service, disposal, or anything about materials or asbestos aboard. The cited date consolidates reclassification and naming to 18 February 1947, while NavSource's timeline separates them (reclassified 17 February, named 18 February) - noted in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Cardinal (MSC[O] 4) ex-Cardinal (AMS 4) ex-YMS-179 - construction timeline, designation history, specifications, unofficial service history, NHHC photo credits [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource page header timeline, specifications block, and 'Unofficial History of USS YMS-179' section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource records this hull's full timeline: laid down as YMS-179 on 27 October 1942 by Henry C. Grebe and Co., Chicago, Illinois; launched 8 May 1943; completed 31 July 1943; commissioned USS YMS-179 on 28 August 1943 at New Orleans; out of commission in reserve at San Diego 6 August 1946; reclassified AMS-4 on 17 February 1947 and named Cardinal the next day; recommissioned 22 September 1950; reclassified MSC(O)-4 on 7 February 1955; out of commission in reserve 18 November 1957 at Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown; stricken 1 November 1959; transferred to Brazil 15 August 1960 and renamed Javari (M 11), later reclassified U-18; scrapped 1970. Service narrative includes Gulf Sea Frontier convoy escort from Key West (Oct 1943-Apr 1944), Northern Group Eastern Sea Frontier patrol off Boston (May 1944), convoy to Mers El Kebir (Aug 1944), Operation Dragoon minesweeping with Mine Division 32, Squadron 11, Eighth Amphibious Force off Frejus/St. Raphael and Nice (Aug-Sep 1944, including a shore-battery engagement on 14 September 1944 that wounded one man), Palermo/Cagliari-area sweeping to June 1945, postwar Pacific cruise, Naval Reserve training under the Eleventh Naval District from 1 December 1948, and post-1954 Charleston-based duty including Naval Mine Warfare School (Yorktown) school-ship periods and Norfolk Navy Yard upkeep.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1942-1970

   Limitations

   NavSource is a high-quality privately maintained archive, not an official record; its unofficial history appears consistent with DANFS-derived text and is corroborated at key points by NHHC (Cardinal III stub; photo captions) and NARA custody listings, but the narrative itself is uncorroborated in detail. Contains no asbestos information. Specification block (405 t., 144', complement 40) conflicts with secondary-source standard-class figures (see gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-02

4. [4]NHHC photo catalog NH 79689, 'USS YMS-179. In San Francisco Bay, 1945-1946. This ship became USS CARDINAL (AMS/MSCO-4) in 1947'; also NH 89226, 'USS CARDINAL (MSCO-4) (ex: YMS-179)' [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC photo catalog, NH 79689 and NH 89226 caption text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC's own photo catalog independently corroborates the hull identity chain: catalog entry NH 79689 captions USS YMS-179 in San Francisco Bay, 1945-1946, noting she became USS Cardinal (AMS/MSCO-4) in 1947; catalog entry NH 89226 captions USS Cardinal (MSCO-4) ex-YMS-179.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1945-1947

   Limitations

   Photo-catalog corroboration of identity and location only; no asbestos, materials, or condition information. NH 79689 places the hull in San Francisco Bay 1945-46 consistent with the documented postwar Pacific cruise and San Pedro operations.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-03

5. [5]NARA Special List #44, by Ship Numbers (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947), RG 24 Entry 118 custody listing [other_primary]

   Locator

   sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p.116 of 137, row 'YMS-179 8/28/1943 6/30/1945'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List 44 (ship-number edition, PDF page 116) records U.S. Navy deck logs for YMS-179 covering 28 August 1943 - 30 June 1945. The coverage window matches the documented service era: it begins the day of her New Orleans commissioning and ends the day she arrived back in New York from Mediterranean minesweeping duty.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1945 (log coverage); listing published 1978

   Limitations

   The listing establishes custody and date coverage of the logbooks, not their content; no claim of commissioning/decommissioning dates is made from the listing itself. Whether the logbooks contain asbestos-relevant material is unknown; the logs are a research lead, not an exposure record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-04

6. [6]NARA catalog digitized records for this hull: muster rolls file unit 'YMS-179, 8/28/43-6/1/46' (NAID 193045257, 201 images, RG 24 Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships); WWII war diaries in RG 38 (e.g., NAID 83551234, 'USS YMS-179 - War Diary, 8/1-31/45'); personnel diary file unit NAID 99920639 ('CARDINAL (YMS-179 / AMS-4 / MSCO-4) - 1952', 78 images) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov/id/193045257; catalog.archives.gov/id/83551234; catalog.archives.gov/id/99920639

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA holds digitized ship-specific records for this hull: the 1943-46 muster rolls naming every attached crew member (201 scans via the Ancestry partnership), monthly WWII war diaries covering her Mediterranean minesweeping period, and a 1952 personnel-diary file whose title carries all three designations (YMS-179 / AMS-4 / MSCO-4).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1943-1952

   Population

   Crew listed on wartime muster rolls (complement ~40)

   Limitations

   Archival-lead rows document that ship-specific primary records exist and are viewable online; no asbestos content was identified in the record descriptions, and the image scans were not individually reviewed for materials mentions. Muster rolls document personnel, not shipboard materials.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-05

7. [7]NavSource Online: Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) / British Motor Minesweeper (BYMS) Index - class history and characteristics [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource YMS/BYMS index page, class-history paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Class context for this hull: the YMS type was wood-hulled ('the wood-hulled YMS proved to be one of the U.S. Navy's more durable and versatile types'), built at 35 yacht yards rather than larger shipyards - 12 on the East Coast, 19 on the West Coast, and four in the Great Lakes (Grebe's Chicago yard being one); 561 were built. Surviving YMS hulls were reclassified AMS and given names in 1947, and reclassified MSC(O) in 1955 - the documented path this hull followed (AMS-4 in 1947, MSC(O)-4 in 1955).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1941-1969

   Limitations

   Class-level description; it establishes wooden-hull construction and the reclassification policy for the type but says nothing about this individual hull's materials, and nothing about asbestos specifically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-06

8. [8]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS-179 spec block (two 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow-Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts); NavSource YMS class page (wood-hulled type); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-insulation era through the early 1970s) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 11/19179 spec block and service narrative; NavSource 11/19idx class page; gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   As built (1942-43), this hull had no steam plant - propulsion was twin GM diesel engines. The asbestos-relevant applications aboard a WWII-era wooden auxiliary motor minesweeper were the era-standard small-craft uses: diesel engine/exhaust insulation and lagging, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation and wiring, deck coverings and interior finishes, and brake linings on winch and minesweeping-gear machinery. Her documented Navy Yard periods - Norfolk Navy Yard final alterations (1943), New York Navy Yard voyage repairs (April 1944), Norfolk Navy Yard distant-service preparation (July 1944) and recurring upkeep periods (1954-57), Boston Navy Yard inactivation (1957) - are the maintenance windows where any era insulation materials would have been installed, disturbed, or removed.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1942-1957

   Population

   Construction trades (Grebe yard, Chicago, 1942-43); crew (~40); Navy Yard workers at Norfolk, New York, and Boston availability periods

   Limitations

   Inferred from documented propulsion type, wood-hull class construction, Navy-yard availability windows, and the Navy's documented asbestos era - not from any hull-specific materials record. No insulation survey, work package, or abatement record for this hull was located; does not establish presence, quantity, individual exposure, or present-day condition (hull scrapped 1970).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)

   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 - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and U.S. service era (1943-57).

   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; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-04) - content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-08

10. [10]Navios de Guerra Brasileiros (NGB / naval.com.br), 'NV/NAux Javari - M 11/U 18' - Brazilian-service record for ex-USS Cardinal (MSC-4); navypedia Javari-class page [other_primary]

    Locator

    naval.com.br/ngb/J/J027/J027.htm; navypedia.org/ships/brazil/br_ms_javari.htm

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Brazilian-reference corroboration of the foreign-service disposition: NGB records the Navio Varredor Javari (M 11), ex-USS Cardinal (MSC-4), built by Henry C. Grebe and Company of Chicago, launched 8 May 1943, taken into U.S. Navy service at New Orleans 28 August 1943, and incorporated into the Marinha do Brasil on 15 August 1960 as the sixth Brazilian ship of that name; she ended her operational life as an auxiliary (U 18). Navypedia's Javari-class table lists the hull as 'discarded 1969' against NavSource's 'scrapped 1970.'

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1960-1970

    Limitations

    Secondary Brazilian reference works, not official Marina do Brasil records; corroborates the transfer/renaming chain and flags a disposal-date variant (1969 vs 1970 - carried in gaps). No asbestos or materials content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-09

11. [11]Batch-8841 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS Cardinal III; NHHC photo catalog NH 79689/NH 89226; NARA Special List 44 PDF; NARA catalog file units; NavSource ship and class pages; NVR hull-detail shells; GAO product page; Brazilian NGB/navypedia references; CourtListener (see ledger); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-179-yms179-01 through -12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming YMS-179 / Cardinal (AMS-4 / MSC(O)-4) / Javari (M 11) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). All four mandated CourtListener base queries ran - 'USS Cardinal' opinion (24 hits) and docket (598 hits), 'YMS-179' opinion (74 hits) and docket (4,819 hits); every inspected hit is a name/term collision (Cardinal Glennon Hospital citations, Cardinal Health litigation, '179' numeric noise) and none names this hull or either earlier Cardinal (AM-6, AM-67). The asbestos-qualified opinion variant returned 0 results; the asbestos docket variant was blocked by fleet pacing (10 retries). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case.

    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. One CourtListener axis (asbestos-qualified docket subset) was never queried - logged blocked in the ledger, not a negative result. Digitized deck logs, muster rolls, and war diaries exist and were identified as archival leads but their page-level content was not exhaustively reviewed for materials mentions. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-179-yms179-10