Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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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-273-yms273-pkt-1045-packet-md
-
[2]National Archives, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - numbered-vessels PDF (sl-44-ship-number.pdf), entry 'YMS-273 7/7/1943 7/18/1945', PDF page 117 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF p.117 (YMS block); online deck-logs list checked at archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds U.S. Navy deck logs for YMS-273 covering 7 July 1943 through 18 July 1945 - her commissioning day through the day before her 19 July 1945 transfer to the Soviet Union. The coverage brackets her entire U.S. commissioned career, making the undigitized logs the authoritative primary source for her 1943-45 operational history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-07-07 to 1945-07-18
- Population
- Crew and officers named in 1943-45 logs (unextracted)
- Limitations
- Deck-log coverage dates are holdings dates, not commissioning/decommissioning dates; they corroborate (do not establish) the service window. The logs themselves are not digitized - YMS-273 does not appear on NARA's online deck-log list (only redesignated ex-YMS AMS/MSCO boats appear there); the catalog is JS-rendered and could not be API-searched this session. Contents not consulted - no operational detail extracted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-273 (11/19273.htm) - timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions, 'no DANFS' statement [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19273.htm header block, specifications block, CO table, photo captions (commissioning, near Bellingham 7 July 1943)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 September 1942 by the Bellingham Marine Railway and Boat Building Co., Bellingham, WA; launched 26 December 1942; completed 7 July 1943 and commissioned USS YMS-273; transferred to the Soviet Union 19 July 1945 and reclassified T-598; assigned to the Pacific Fleet 1 August 1945; placed out of service 15 April 1955 and laid up; 'Scrapped 11 July 1956.' Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 23'4"; draft 8'7"; speed 14 kts.; complement 60; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge tracks, two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, two shafts. CO list: LT Silas C. Kivett Jr. USN (7 July 1943), LTJG William J. Lippincott Jr. USNR (1945), LTJG James F. Mracek USNR. Page states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-273.' Photographs document the 7 July 1943 commissioning ceremony near Bellingham.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Crew 1943-45 (per CO list); construction trades at Bellingham yard (1942-43)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones generally track Navy records but the complement figure (60) conflicts with commonly published YMS-1-class complements (~32) and is unverified against DANFS (none exists). 'Scrapped 11 July 1956' renders what Soviet-side compilations record as stricken/transferred to disposal - wording conflict carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-02
-
[4]Russell, Richard A., Project HULA: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan (Washington, DC: Naval Historical Center, 1997) - appendix table 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Project HULA appendix, book pp. 39-40 (PDF pp. 44-45), row 'YMS273 T-598'; sources note on same page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHHC-published appendix table, compiled from Department of the Navy Ships Data (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1 Jan 1949) and Berezhnoi's Soviet lend-lease reference, lists 'YMS 273 -> T-598' with transfer date 19 Jul. (block entry shared with 11 other YMS transferred that day) and disposition '1956-stricken.' This is the authoritative ship-specific record of the transfer, and it corrects the older misattribution of the T-598 designation to USS Caution (AM-158), which the same table lists as T-284.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1956 (table coverage)
- Limitations
- Entry is a table row - it fixes transfer date, Soviet designation, and disposition year only; it does not narrate this hull's U.S. service or Soviet operations. '1956-stricken' does not itself say scrapped (see disposition-wording gap). NHHC does not host the book as a live page - the verified-accessible copy is the HyperWar/ibiblio scan of the official NHC publication; ibiblio is a mirror, cited as such. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-03
-
[5]Russell, Project HULA (NHC 1997), program narrative: Navy Detachment 3294 at Cold Bay trained ~12,000 Soviet personnel and transferred 149 ships April-September 1945, including 31 auxiliary motor minesweepers; 'by the end of July 100 vessels out of the original 180 were in Soviet hands' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Project HULA text, book pp. 20-28, 33-34, 38-39 (PDF pp. 25-33, 39-40)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Project Hula program context for this hull's transfer: the 19 July 1945 turnover was part of the second increment of minesweepers Maxwell's detachment transferred ahead of schedule; transfers occurred at Cold Bay, Alaska, with Soviet crews trained by Detachment 3294; post-transfer convoys routed via Unimak Pass, coastwise to Adak, then north of the Komandorskii Islands to Petropavlovsk. Russell documents that under Soviet colors 'the wooden-hulled YMSs performed a variety of combat, auxiliary, and scientific tasks' but 'had short service lives, and all were decommissioned by the mid-1950s'; combat participation is documented for individual sisters (T-522 ex-YMS-143 at southern Sakhalin, 11-25 August 1945), not for T-598.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Soviet crews trained at Cold Bay (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level narrative - establishes the transfer mechanism and class-level Soviet employment, not this hull's individual operations. No consulted source documents T-598 herself in combat, despite her presence in theater (Pacific Fleet from 1 August 1945). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-04
-
[6]sewar.ru (Russian warship reference compilation), T-598 (ex-YMS-273) entry - Soviet-side service dates drawn from Soviet fleet-list data [other_primary]
- Locator
- sewar.ru tralshchiki entry for T-598 (ex-YMS-273)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Soviet-side record for this hull: 'laid down 7.09.1942 (Bellingham, USA), launched 26.12.1942, entered service 7.07.1943; accepted by Soviet crew under lend-lease 17.07.1945; arrived Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 1.08.1945 and entered the Pacific Fleet (TOF); withdrawn from combat composition and laid up 15.04.1955; disarmed and excluded from the fleet 11.07.1956 in connection with transfer to the stock-property department.' Corroborates NavSource on Pacific Fleet assignment (1 Aug 1945) and out-of-service date (15 Apr 1955); adds the arrival port and clarifies that the 11 July 1956 event was striking for transfer to the disposal agency rather than same-day scrapping.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1956
- Population
- Soviet crew 1945-1955
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Russian-language; cites fleet-list/Berezhnoi-type data), not a Soviet primary document - corroborative, not controlling. Its crew-acceptance date (17 July) predates the official transfer date (19 July) in Russell/NavSource by two days - unresolved variant in gaps. Disposition wording differs from NavSource's 'scrapped' - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-05
-
[7]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton), 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS BYMS)' class table and 'Bellingham Marine' yard page - class build program and per-hull row [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/ym.htm (class intro + YMS 273 row); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/bellingham.htm; portofbellingham.com/299/Squalicum-Harbor
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class context: 561 wooden-hulled yard minesweepers were built by 35 boatyards spring 1942 - spring 1945, all essentially one design (136 ft, ~13 knots); YMS 135-445 (this hull's block) were the single-stack Mk II configuration. The per-hull table lists YMS 273 built by 'Bellingham Iron Works,' completed 7-Jul-43, 'To the USSR (T-598) 1945' - corroborating milestones under a builder-name variant. The Bellingham yard history: Bellingham Marine Railway and Boatbuilding Co. merged with Bellingham Iron Works in 1941 to form Bellingham Shipyards, closed 1963; Port of Bellingham records the wartime yard employing ~1,500 and building 110 wooden-hulled vessels for the Navy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Bellingham yard workforce (~1,500 wartime, program-level)
- Limitations
- Respected secondary compilation (Colton), not a primary source - used for class corroboration only. Its builder label 'Bellingham Iron Works' conflicts with NavSource's 'Bellingham Marine Railway and Boat Building Co.' - variant carried in gaps. Its '45 to the Soviet Union in 1945' figure conflicts with Russell's documented 31 YMS via Hula - Russell is controlling on Hula counts. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block for this hull (wooden-hulled YMS-1 class; 2 x GM 8-268A diesels, 2 shafts); ShipbuildingHistory class table (wooden-hulled, 136-ft design); Corn & Starr AJIM 1987 era documentation (ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide insulation era (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19273.htm specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com YMS class table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled, diesel-powered auxiliary minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the documented WWII shipbuilding asbestos era, but its asbestos-relevant systems are materially narrower than a steam vessel's: with two GM 8-268A diesels and no boilers or steam distribution, the boiler/turbine/steam-line lagging pathway does not exist aboard this hull. Era-standard candidate applications for a craft of this type were diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, and winch brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Bellingham yard construction trades (1942-43); U.S. Navy crew (1943-45); Soviet crew (1945-55); disposal crews (1956)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-273; names plausible era applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no location. Small wooden auxiliaries carried far less insulation of any kind than steam combatants; this inference should not be read as established asbestos presence aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-07
-
[9]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulation in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency construction program under which this wooden-hulled yard minesweeper was built (1942-43).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel or the YMS type and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull. DOI verified live in prior batches (2026-09-15); doi.org currently returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (publisher bot-block) - the link is a valid DOI, not a dead page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (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). The report describes Navy-wide practice, concentrated on steam-propelled combatants; relevance to a wooden diesel craft is limited (see ev-07).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches, confirmed this session) - content via product-page description, same handling as prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-09
-
[11]Batch-8903 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 numbered-vessels PDF; NavSource; NHHC Project HULA appendix (ibiblio scan); sewar.ru; uboat.net; ShipbuildingHistory (class + yard); Port of Bellingham; NHHC DANFS index; Naval Vessel Register; Wikipedia; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-273-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming YMS-273 or T-598 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists (NavSource states; NHHC index carries no numbered-YMS entries). The Naval Vessel Register carries no record (ship disposed 1945, predating NVR coverage). CAVEAT: CourtListener was only partially searched - both 'YMS-273' base queries ran (opinion 52 hits, docket 3,880 hits; all numeric-token collisions, zero 'YMS'-bearing results); 'USS YMS-273' opinion/docket queries were blocked by fleet pacing (HTTP 429 after backoff) on repeated spaced attempts; a partial negative, not exhaustive. Secondary sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing asserting class-wide asbestos (mesotheliomaveterans.org minesweepers listicle) - excluded by source policy.
- 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 the litigation repository search is a partial negative, not exhaustive (the 'USS YMS-273' phrase queries went unrun). Deck logs, builder work packages, and any Soviet-era material records are undigitized or unsearched leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-10
-
[12]Russell, Project HULA appendix (NHC 1997), as resolution of the T-598 attribution conflict documented in secondary literature (USS Caution AM-158 Wikipedia sourcing note) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Project HULA appendix rows 'Caution (AM 158) T-284' and 'YMS273 T-598' (book pp. 39-40)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the Soviet designation T-598 was long misattributed to USS Caution (AM-158), an Admirable-class minesweeper transferred the same day - NavSource's and hazegray's Caution pages carried the wrong designation. Russell's 1997 appendix, working from Soviet-era records unavailable during the Cold War (NAVSHIPS 250-012 and Berezhnoi's lend-lease fleet reference), assigns T-284 to Caution and T-598 to YMS-273. This record follows Russell.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1997 (correction)
- Limitations
- Corrects a designation misattribution, not a material/exposure claim. The misattribution's prior circulation is documented in the USS Caution Wikipedia article's sourcing note (secondary - cited for the existence of the error only); the resolution rests on Russell's appendix itself. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-273-11