Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1045-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-272-yms272-pkt-1045-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-272 (11/19272.htm) - construction timeline, Soviet transfer, specifications, commanding officer [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19272.htm - full page (timeline block, specifications block, commanding-officer table)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 20 July 1942 by the Bellingham Marine Railway and Boat Building Co., Bellingham, WA; launched 14 November 1942; completed 28 May 1943. 'Transferred to the Soviet Union 19 July 1945 and reclassified T-597'; 'Assigned to the Pacific Fleet 1 August 1945' (Soviet Pacific Fleet); 'Reclassified as a hydrographic vessel 28 June 1947 and named Hygrometer'; 'Sunk in the Tatar Strait between 28 - 30 June 1956 in agreement with the United States'; 'Struck from the Naval Register 29 October 1956.' Call sign Nan-Fox-Sugar-Xray; header note 'YMS-272 served the Navies of the United States and the Soviet Union.' Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 8'; speed 15 kts.; complement 32; one 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth charge projectors; two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding officer listed: LT L. U. Myers, USNR (1945). Page states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-272' and carries no photograph of the hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Bellingham construction trades (1942-43); US Navy crew (1943-45); Soviet crew (1945-56)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS practice but no primary registry entry exists for this craft. No asbestos content. 'Completed' vs 'commissioned' wording differs from uboat.net's 'Commissioned 28 May 1943' - same date, different label. Spec block's 'two 880bhp' reads ambiguously against class sources giving 440 bhp per engine - see gaps. 'Assigned to the Pacific Fleet 1 August 1945' refers to the Soviet Pacific Fleet post-transfer.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-01
-
[3]National Archives Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (Bradley, Kurtz, et al., comp., 1978) - scanned page 517 via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center mirror [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 scanned page 517 (display 549), 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations', row YMS-272
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 records 8 US Navy deck logbooks for YMS-272 covering 'May 28, 1943-July 18, 1945' (scanned book page 517 verified this session) - i.e., the complete US naval service of the hull from completion through the eve of Soviet transfer. The logs are physical NARA holdings (RG 24 logbooks series): a search-within of the digitized 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' series (NAID 594258) on 'YMS-272' and 'YMS 272' returned only fuzzy non-matches (USS Salt Lake City CL-25, Honolulu CL-48, Metha Nelson IX-74) - this hull's logs are not digitized in the online catalog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-05-28 to 1945-07-18
- Population
- US Navy officers and crew logged 28 May 1943-18 Jul 1945
- Limitations
- Documents the existence and date-span of the logbooks, not their content - the logs were not opened (undigitized; physical review at NARA required). 8 logbooks is the count NARA holds, not a claim about daily entries. The span ends one day before the documented 19 Jul 1945 transfer - consistent, but SL44 alone does not establish a decommissioning date. ACPL is a library mirror of the NARA finding aid, not NARA itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-02
-
[4]Richard A. Russell, 'Project HULA: Secret Soviet-American Naval Cooperation in the War Against Japan,' The U.S. Navy in the Modern World Series No. 4, Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington, 1997 (GPO; ISBN 0-16-049376-5) - appendix, 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell 1997, Appendix pp. 38-40, YMS section, row 'YMS272 / T-597 / 19 Jul. / 1956-destroyed'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Naval Historical Center publication's transfer appendix lists 'YMS272 -> T-597' with transfer date 19 Jul. (ditto-carried from the group's 19 Jul. header) and disposition '1956-destroyed' - independently corroborating NavSource's 19 July 1945 transfer date, T-597 designation, and 1956 sinking. Project HULA operated from Cold Bay, Territory of Alaska, where Navy Detachment 3294 trained Soviet crews and executed the transfers; YMS-272 was one of the twelve-boat 19 July group, the largest single YMS transfer group of the program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945 (transfer); 1956 (disposition)
- Population
- US Navy transfer crews; Soviet receiving crews at Cold Bay
- Limitations
- Government-published historical work, not a contemporaneous registry - the appendix is compiled from program records. Confirms US-to-Soviet designation pairing, date, and disposition category only; contains no asbestos content, no construction detail, and no US-service itinerary. The '1956-destroyed' disposition is corroborated at hull level by NavSource's Tatar Strait dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-03
-
[5]Russell, 'Project HULA' (NHC 1997) - program narrative: Cold Bay operations, wooden-hulled YMS cohort, Lend-Lease Article V return obligation, 'witnessed destruction' settlement [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell 1997, pp. 12 (roster), 18 (hull damage), photo captions pp. 33-34 (Soviet service), pp. 36-38 (return negotiations, witnessed destruction)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Program context for the YMS cohort this hull belonged to: the planned HULA roster included '36 wooden-hulled motor minesweepers (YMS)'; 'the wooden-hulled vessels, such as the motor minesweepers and subchasers, frequently suffered hull damage from the rough seas' en route to Cold Bay; 'Under Soviet colors, the wooden-hulled YMSs performed a variety of combat, auxiliary, and scientific tasks. But they had short service lives, and all were decommissioned by the mid-1950s.' On disposal: Article V of the 11 June 1942 Master Lend-Lease Agreement obligated return; 'The Navy eventually accepted the Soviet idea of "witnessed destruction," whereby the Soviets deliberately sank the ships in full view of American naval authorities. In 1956, the Soviet navy destroyed 59 vessels in the Barents Sea near Murmansk and 20 at Nakhodka near Vladivostok'; of 149 vessels received at Cold Bay the Soviets returned 27 frigates and 15 LCI(L)s; final settlement concluded 18 October 1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1956 (program); settlement to 1972
- Population
- Soviet and US naval personnel, Project HULA (Apr-Sep 1945); crews of transferred YMS cohort
- Limitations
- Program-level narrative naming no individual hull in these passages - the hull-specific pairing is the appendix row (ev-03). Russell's narrative locates the 20 Pacific-side witnessed destructions 'at Nakhodka near Vladivostok'; NavSource places this hull's sinking in the Tatar Strait - same Far East 1956 destruction program, different stated locale (see gaps). Wooden-hull characterization is class-level; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-04
-
[6]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), 'Bellingham Shipyards' yard table and company history [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/bellingham.htm - YMS rows and 'Bellingham Marine' narrative paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Colton's yard table lists for this hull: type 'Minesweeper', Navy type YMS, hull '272', 278 tons, 136 ft, delivery '28-May-43', disposition 'To the USSR 1945 as T 597' - corroborating the 28 May 1943 completion and T-597 pairing on an independent compiled reference. Company history: 'Bellingham Marine Railway Co. ... became Bellingham Marine Railway and Boatbuilding Co. in 1921 ... In 1941, it became Bellingham Shipyards when it merged with Bellingham Iron Works, and after the war it was renamed Bellingham Marine. It closed in 1963.' The same yard delivered sisters YMS-269 through YMS-276 plus later YMS-342-345 and YMS-410-413.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (build); 1945 (transfer)
- Population
- Bellingham construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Private compiled reference (Colton's shipbuildinghistory.com) - the standard expert yard table, but a secondary compilation from official lists, not a primary document. Yard naming: the table head says 'Bellingham Shipyards' while NavSource carries the pre-merger name 'Bellingham Marine Railway and Boat Building Co.' for this 1942 contract - same yard, successive names (see gaps). Tonnage 278 vs NavSource spec block 270 - see gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-05
-
[7]uboat.net Allied Warships, 'USS YMS-272 (YMS-272)' warship record [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/9694 specification table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Corroborating milestone record: built by 'Bellingham Marine Railway and Boatbuilding Co. (Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A.)'; ordered 14 Mar 1942; laid down 20 Jul 1942; launched 14 Nov 1942; 'Commissioned 28 May 1943'; end of service 19 Jul 1945; 'Transferred to the USSR on 19 July 1945.' All dates match NavSource and the NHC HULA appendix.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (uboat.net Allied Warships database) - corroboration only, not a primary registry. Uses 'Commissioned' where NavSource says 'Completed' - the date is consistent, the label variant noted (see gaps). 'Ordered 14 Mar 1942' has no independent corroboration located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-06
-
[8]USS YMS-75 History Project (private research blog quoting NARA deck logs obtained for YMS-75, July 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- yms75.wordpress.com - July 2022 post on received deck logs (Cold Bay mooring entries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A researcher who obtained YMS-75's own July 1945 deck logs from NARA reports that during the ship's last eighteen days in US service she was moored at Cold Bay, Alaska, 'moored to other minesweepers - YMS-42, YMS-139, YMS-178, YMS-237, and YMS-272, all of which were to be handed over to the USSR at the same time.' Places this hull physically at Cold Bay in July 1945 alongside five other boats of the 19 July transfer group, and corroborates the Cold Bay transfer mechanism for this specific hull. YMS-75's logs show the identical SL44 pattern (coverage ending 18 Jul 1945; decommissioned 18 Jul, transferred 19 Jul 1945 as T-590).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-07
- Population
- US Navy crews of the 19 Jul 1945 transfer group at Cold Bay
- Limitations
- Private blog transcribing primary deck logs the author received from NARA - the underlying record is primary (RG 24 logs) but the citation is a secondary transcription; YMS-272's own logs were not consulted (undigitized - see ev-02). Mooring-adjacency detail establishes presence at Cold Bay, not the transfer ceremony itself. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-07
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[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 construction era (1942-43) and entire service life (1943-45 US; to 1956 Soviet).
- 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-272-yms272-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (2 x GM 8-268A diesels, wooden-hulled YMS-1 class); Russell HULA ('wooden-hulled motor minesweepers'); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos era) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; Russell 1997 wooden-hull passages; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel motor minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but the exposure-relevant systems aboard a craft of this type and period were limited to era-standard diesel-auxiliary applications: engine-exhaust lagging around the exhaust run and muffler, machinery-space thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a diesel-engined wooden vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and the wooden hull limits inorganic insulation surface relative to steel combatants. Complement of 32 bounds the wartime aboard-population.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Bellingham construction trades (1942-43); US crew of 32 (1943-45); Soviet crew (1945-56)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-272. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Soviet-era (1945-56) material condition is undocumented in any located source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-09
-
[11]Batch-8902 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NARA Special List 44 scan + NARA catalog digitization check; NHC Russell HULA full text; Colton yard table; uboat.net; YMS-75 deck-log blog; NHHC/DANFS lookup; NVR lookup; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-272-yms272-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation material list, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming YMS-272 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener base queries (authenticated, fleet-paced): 'USS YMS-272' opinion returned 1 result (in Re Albert Ortiz, Tex. App. 14th Dist. 2015 - contains no 'YMS' or 'asbestos' text; name collision); 'USS YMS-272' docket returned 708 results, all of the first page name collisions on generic dockets (United States v. Keith, Monster Energy v. Beastup, DIVX v. Hulu, etc.) with no vessel or asbestos content (full-result blob: zero 'asbestos' strings); 'YMS-272' opinion returned 54 results, first page all name collisions (generic civil/criminal/family cases; blob scan: zero 'asbestos', zero 'minesweeper'). Secondary web sweep surfaced no asbestos listicle naming this hull - cleaner than typical US hulls, consistent with a craft transferred to the USSR in 1945.
- 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 - era inference remains that a 1942-43 naval auxiliary carried era-standard materials. One of the four mandated base queries ('YMS-272' docket) remained pending at write time under the fleet pacing limit - logged honestly in search_ledger; the three completed queries show only collisions, and the hull-number queries are subsets of the exact-name results. No exposure claim is made or defeated for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-272-yms272-10