Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet 1041-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-231-yms231-pkt-1041-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Firecrest II (YMS-231)' - builder, milestone dates, designation changes, transfer to Japan, striking (verbatim transcription on HyperWar; live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Firecrest II (YMS-231)' entry, milestone list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: built at Frank L. Sample, Jr., Boothbay Harbor, Maine; keel laid 10/5/42; launched 4/3/43; completed 8/6/43. 'Changed from YMS-231 to Firecrest (AMS-10) on 2/18/47, changed from AMS-10 to MSC(O)-10 on 2/7/55.' Transferred to Japan 3/15/55 as Etajima (MSC-656); struck from the Naval Vessel Register 3/31/67. The name Firecrest - 'a small European kinglet' - was the second U.S. Navy use (Firecrest II).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1967
- Population
- Frank L. Sample construction trades (1942-43); commissioned crew (1943-1947)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific identity and milestone dates only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS records 'Completed 8/6/43' rather than 'commissioned' - the commissioning wording comes from NavSource. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-10-04 (standing NHHC link-rot defect); verbatim transcription on HyperWar used. The DANFS entry gives no operational narrative - it is a milestone list only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Firecrest (AMS-10, later MSC(O)-10), 1943-1955, originally named YMS-231' (ibiblio HyperWar mirror of the NHC page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Online Library page text and photo captions (NH 96992-96994, NH 68589, USN 1045784, USN 1045509)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHC narrative for this hull: 'a 320-ton auxiliary motor minesweeper built at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, was commissioned in August 1943. Following service in World War II, she was placed out of commission in about February 1947, the month in which she was reclassified as a motor minesweeper (AMS) and renamed Firecrest (AMS-10).' Korea: 'sent to Korea after war broke out there in 1950 and operated in the combat zone until the shooting war ended in July 1953. The ship remained in the Far East afterwards.' February 1955 reclassified MSC(O)-10; a month later loaned to Japan; 'served as the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeper Eta Jima until 1967 and was disposed of as a target in August 1968.' Photograph catalog for the hull: NH 96992 (Japanese port, 3 Sep 1952), NH 96993 and NH 96994 (ship's company, 1952), NH 68589 (nested with LST-735 Dukes County and six other minesweepers, Japanese port c.1952-54), and NARA-held USN 1045784 (mid-1950s, after removal of forward gun) and USN 1045509 (c. late 1940s-early 1950s).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Crew (1943-1955); JMSDF crew as Etajima (1955-1967)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history and photograph catalog only; no asbestos or material content. The 'August 1968' disposal date conflicts with NavSource's 'August 1969' - carried in gaps. Displacement given as 320 tons vs NavSource's 270 tons - spec conflicts carried in gaps. 'In about February 1947' is the NHC's own hedge on the decommissioning date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Firecrest (MSC[O] 10) ex-Firecrest (AMS 10) ex-YMS-231 - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photo catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource archives/11/05010.htm header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 5 October 1942 by Frank L. Sample, Jr., Boothbay Harbor, Maine; launched 3 April 1943; completed and commissioned USS YMS-231, 6 August 1943; decommissioned in February 1947 at San Diego, CA; named Firecrest and reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-10 on 18 February 1947; returned to service in the later 1940s; sent to Korea in 1950 and operated in the combat zone until July 1953, then continued in the Far East; reclassified Coastal Minesweeper, Old, MSC(O)-10 on 7 February 1955; transferred to Japan 15 March 1955 as Eta Jima (MSC 656); returned to U.S. custody in 1967; struck from the Naval Register 31 March 1967; disposed of as a target in August 1969. Specifications: 270 t.; 136' x 24'6" x 8'; 15 kts.; complement 32; one 3"/50 mount, two 20mm, two depth-charge projectors; two 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign NCPY. Commanding officers 1950-1953 listed (LT Robert Barr Smith, LT Alfred Clarence Sharp, LT Chester Eugene Elliott, LTJG Alexander Malcolm Sinclair). Photo captions include the hull in dry dock at Yokosuka alongside Heron (AMS-18), circa March 1953.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- Frank L. Sample construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-1955); JMSDF crew (1955-1967)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS/NVR but 'August 1969' disposal conflicts with the NHC Online Library's 'August 1968' (carried in gaps). Complement 32 conflicts with class references at 33 (in gaps). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-03
-
[5]Operation Plan CTF-122 No. 2-44 (Operation Neptune), Task Organization - Allied Expeditionary Force Western Naval Task Force and Task Force 122, USS Augusta flagship, Plymouth, England, 21 April 1944 (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OpPlan-2-44-1.html Task Organization table, TG 122.1; Annex L (OpPlan-2-44-L.html) ship/call-sign table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official operation plan for the Normandy invasion assigns this hull by name: Task Group 122.1, Force Flagship group, lists 'USS AUGUSTA (TFF) YMS 231, 247, 304 SC 1321 PT 71' - YMS-231 was one of three motor minesweepers assigned to the Task Force 122 flagship group of the Western Naval Task Force for the Normandy invasion. Annex L of the same plan lists 'YMS 231' with call sign 4B7.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-04 to 1944-06
- Population
- YMS-231 crew (Lt. E.G. Weed, USNR, commanding)
- Limitations
- Assignment order, not an after-action record: the plan documents the ship's intended task-group assignment for the invasion; actual execution is corroborated separately (ev-05 movement record; ev-06 ship's own July 1944 ops report). No asbestos content. HyperWar transcription of the 21 April 1944 plan document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-231 - notable-events entry compiled from operational records [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9654.html, 'Notable events' 5 Jun 1944 entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary-compilation movement record for this hull at D-Day: on 5 June 1944, USS YMS-231 (Lt. E.G. Weed, USNR) departed Weymouth around 1720B with YMS-247, YMS-304, YMS-349, SC-1321, and PT-71; the group joined USS Augusta (flag of COMTASKFOR 122, Rear Admiral A.G. Kirk) and HMS Bellona around 1845B and arrived in the Omaha sector around 0600B on 6 June 1944.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- YMS-231 crew (Lt. E.G. Weed, USNR, commanding)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of operational-record data, not the primary document - the underlying sources are wartime movement reports; the detail is consistent with the Op Plan 2-44 task assignment (ev-04) but the page itself is not a primary record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-05
-
[7]NARA NAID 78597936, 'YMS-231 - Report of Minesweeping Operations off the North Coast of Normandy, France on 7/30/44' - RG 38, World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories; microfilm Roll A1119; 6 images digitized (Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/78597936 (File date listed 7/31/1944; Micro Serial 84188, Serial 341, File S81)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives holds this hull's own report of minesweeping operations off the north coast of Normandy, France, on 30 July 1944 - documenting continued post-invasion sweeping work after the D-Day assault phase. The catalog entry is digitized (6 images, scanned from microfilm Roll A1119 via the Fold3 partnership).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-07
- Population
- YMS-231 crew
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the catalog title and file metadata were verified; the report's content was not read page-by-page this session. It documents operations, not material composition - no asbestos content expected. Access unrestricted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-06
-
[8]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (Bradley, Kurtz, et al., 1978) - page 516 entry for YMS-231 (Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center scan, image narasl44/548.jpg) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations', printed page 516 (ACPL Genealogy Center scan, narasl44 image 548); entry line 'YMS-231 | Aug. 9, 1943-June 30, 1945 | 8'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 records U.S. Navy deck logs for YMS-231 covering 'Aug. 9, 1943-June 30, 1945', 8 logbooks - the complete commissioned wartime period from three days after commissioning through the end of the war in Europe and the Pacific war's final weeks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-09 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- YMS-231 crew (log subjects)
- Limitations
- Deck-log coverage is a records-availability finding, not an operational or material record - the logs themselves (RG 24, College Park) were not read page-by-page. The 1978 list's coverage ends 30 June 1945; the digitized personnel file unit (NAID 193019174) extends to 5/31/46, covering the post-surrender period. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-07
-
[9]NARA NAID 193019174, file unit 'YMS-231, 8/9/43-5/31/46' - RG 24, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; microfilm Roll 9047; 196 images digitized (Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/193019174 (196 images; media: microfilm Roll 9047)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives holds this hull's muster rolls/personnel diaries spanning 8/9/43-5/31/46 - the complete commissioned career from three days after commissioning through the post-surrender occupation-minesweeping window, digitized as 196 images. These are the crew-of-record documents for every individual who served aboard in that period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-09 to 1946-05-31
- Population
- All crew of record aboard YMS-231, Aug 1943-May 1946
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the file unit was verified in the catalog but images were not read page-by-page. Muster rolls document personnel aboard, not material conditions - no asbestos content. The 5/31/46 end date extends beyond SL44's deck-log coverage (to 6/30/45) and is consistent with post-surrender service before the February 1947 decommissioning.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-08
-
[10]NARA NAID 99921147, file unit 'Activity Number 0204 0010 - FIRECREST (YMS-231 / AMS-10) - 1952' - RG 24, Muster Rolls and Personnel Diaries of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities (1949-1970); digitized [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/99921147 (file unit title: 'Activity Number 0204 0010 - FIRECREST (YMS-231 / AMS-10) - 1952')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives holds this hull's 1952 personnel-diary/muster-roll file unit under her Firecrest (AMS-10) identity - the crew-of-record documents for her Korean combat-zone year (she operated in the combat zone 1950-July 1953 per NHC/NavSource).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1952
- Population
- Firecrest (AMS-10) crew of record, 1952 (Korean combat-zone period)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: verified at the catalog level; images not read page-by-page. Personnel rosters, not material or medical records - no asbestos content. The file covers calendar year 1952 only; 1950, 1951, and 1953 personnel-diary units were not individually verified this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-09
-
[11]Naval Historical Center, 'U.S. Navy Ships: Sunk & Damaged in Action during the Korean Conflict' (official NHC list; live page dead - Wayback capture of the official page, 2007-12-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2007-12-16 of history.navy.mil/faqs/faq82-4.htm; entries dated 5 October 1951 and 30 May 1952
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Naval Historical Center list documents this hull twice in Korean combat: 'USS Firecrest (AMS-10) slight damage after being hit by a shore battery at Hungnam, North Korea, no casualties, 5 October 1951' and 'USS Firecrest (AMS-10) minor damage after hits from machine gun mounts. No casualties, 30 May 1952.' - corroborating combat-zone minesweeping/operations off North Korea during her 1950-1953 combat-zone service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1951-10-05; 1952-05-30
- Population
- Firecrest (AMS-10) crew, Korean combat zone 1950-1953
- Limitations
- Combat-damage entries only; the list does not narrate operations and contains no asbestos content. Source is the archived capture of the official NHC page (live page dead; labeled archived per citation policy). A veteran memoir (kilroywashere.org, Gilliland) independently describes Firecrest as lead ship of Mine Division 54 with Heron (AMS-18) and Waxbill (AMS-39) sweeping Wonsan harbor 1951-52 - firsthand but self-published, used as corroborating context only, not cited as a record source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-10
-
[12]NARA catalog, COM 'Y' Squadrons unit records naming YMS-231: NAID 78588769 'Rep of Ops, 6/3/44 to 7/14/44, Invasion of Normandy'; NAID 78539960 'Rep of Minesweeping Opers for the period 6/3-17/44 - Invasion of Normandy'; war diaries Aug 1944 (139734928), Sep 1944 (633387690), Nov 1944 (78711848), Feb 1945 (139898099) - RG 38 WWII War Diaries series [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "YMS-231": file units on microfilm Rolls A1119, A1067, A1293, A1155, A1182, A1436
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives holds the war diaries and operations reports of Commander 'Y' Squadrons - the YMS squadron organization to which this hull belonged during European operations - covering June 1944 through February 1945, digitized. 'YMS-231' surfaces in these records' indexed text, making them the unit-level primary documentation of her Normandy and post-Normandy minesweeping service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-06 to 1945-02
- Population
- YMS-231 crew within Commander 'Y' Squadrons organization
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog-level verification; individual pages naming this hull were not read. Unit-level records - they document squadron operations and the hull's presence/assignments, not material composition. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-11
-
[13]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two 880 bhp GM 8-268A diesels, two shafts - no steam plant); class documentation that YMS boats were wooden-hulled motor minesweepers built in yacht yards (561 built by 35 yards, 1942-45); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-era context (ev-13) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (propulsion); class-level construction record (561 wooden-hulled YMS built by 35 boatyards 1942-45); GAO HRD-80-2 context
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled, diesel-driven auxiliary motor minesweeper built 1942-43 carries no steam plant - the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway that dominates asbestos exposure on steam vessels does not apply. The era-consistent asbestos applications aboard a 136-foot diesel small combatant were confined to: engine/muffler exhaust lagging; machinery gaskets and valve packing; electrical insulation; brake and clutch linings on winch/windlass and boat-handling gear; and minor interior insulation products. Wooden hull construction (non-magnetic sweeping requirement) eliminates the large steel-hull pipe-lagging footprint.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- Frank L. Sample construction trades (1942-43); engine-room and deck crews (1943-1967); JMSDF crew (1955-1967)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-231. Names era-standard applications for the type, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. The narrow application set reflects diesel propulsion and wooden construction - it is a smaller inferred footprint than a steam ship, not a claim of zero asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-12
-
[14]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 (1943-1955).
- 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 - the report's fieldwork concerned major shipyards and steam-plant insulation, not wooden minesweepers. 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-231-yms231-13
-
[15]Batch-8873 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (HyperWar); NHHC Online Library (ibiblio); NavSource; Operation Plan 2-44 (HyperWar); uboat.net; NARA Special List 44 scan; NARA catalog NAIDs; archived NHC Korea damaged-ships list; CourtListener base queries; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-231-yms231-01 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 YMS-231 / Firecrest (AMS-10 / MSC(O)-10) was found in the public sources searched. The hull was sunk as a target in August 1969 - no surviving museum, abatement-disclosure, or donation-condition pathway exists. CourtListener: 'Firecrest' opinion search returned 2 hits, both the same name collision (Farris v. Seabrook, 9th Cir. 2012 - 'Firecrest, WA' is counsel's city, a Washington locality, in a campaign-finance case); 'Firecrest' docket search returned 31 dockets / 129 documents, all address collisions ('Firecrest, WA' and 'Firecrest Dr., Charlotte, NC' in certificates of service and creditor mailing matrices) - zero ship-related or asbestos dockets. The two 'YMS-231' base queries (opinion and docket) were blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget and are logged as such in the search ledger.
- 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 - a sunken target hulk can carry no present-day survey, and era inference applies to its service period. Two of four CourtListener base queries remained pacing-blocked at session end - litigation status under the hull number is open, not a clean negative. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-14
-
[16]Naval Historical Center Online Library photo catalog note on 80-G-478497 (Korean War minesweeping photo, 3 March 1953, Chinnampo area) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library ams10.htm, caption note on photo 80-G-478497
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: official photo 80-G-478497 (a minesweeper exploding an enemy mine in the Chinnampo area off North Korea's Yellow Sea coast, 3 March 1953) is cataloged at the National Archives as USS Mockingbird (AMS-27), but was published identifying this hull - 'This photo has also been published with the ship identified as USS Firecrest (AMS-10). See Cagle and Manson: The Sea War in Korea, photo spread between pages 108 & 109.' The NHC catalog retains the Mockingbird identification.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1953-03-03
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating photo-identification conflict, not a material claim: the widely reproduced 'Firecrest explodes a mine at Chinnampo' image is officially cataloged as a different hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-231-yms231-15