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-274-yms274-pkt-1045-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-274 (11/19274) - build, commissioning, decommissioning, stricken/disposal chain, specifications; page states no DANFS history exists for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19274.htm header block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (YMS-1 class auxiliary motor minesweeper): laid down 7 September 1942 by the Bellingham Marine Railway and Boat Building Co., Bellingham, WA; launched 9 January 1943; completed and commissioned 29 July 1943 under LTJG Ernest T. Chadwell, Jr., USNR; decommissioned 1 February 1947; struck from the Naval Register 10 June 1947, transferred to the War Shipping Administration and sold to the Plaxco and Plaxco Corp. of Southport, NC, converted to a menhaden fisherman and named Plaxco; sold 1954 to the Brunswick Navigation Co. of Southport and renamed Cazart; sold 1967 to the Standard Products Co. of Kilmarnock, VA; abandoned 1978, fate unknown. Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 8'; speed 15 kts.; complement 32; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; propulsion two 880-bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Fox-William-Yoke (NFWY).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1978
- Population
- Bellingham yard construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-47); merchant crews Plaxco/Cazart (1947-78)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track official records but are uncorroborated here except where NARA/NHHC overlap. Contains no asbestos content. Spec figures conflict mildly with the NavSource class-page figures (270 t vs 320 t; 8' vs 6'1" draft; 15 vs 12 kts; 32 vs 33 complement) - ship-page figures carried, conflicts in gaps. 'Cazart' vs 'Cozart' spelling conflict in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command photographic catalog, NH 81014, 'USS YMS-274 - In San Francisco Bay, 1945-46' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH-series catalog page NH 81014 (verified live 2026-10-04; plain curl 404 is UA-filtering - page returns 200 to browser UA)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC holds cataloged photograph NH 81014 showing USS YMS-274 in San Francisco Bay, dated 1945-46, courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974. Ship-specific photographic confirmation of identity and of a San Francisco Bay presence within the stated window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Crew aboard during San Francisco Bay presence (1945-46 window)
- Limitations
- A photograph establishes presence, not activity or material condition - no asbestos content. The '1945-46' window overlaps muster-roll documentation placing the vessel in the Panama Canal Zone through at least early 1945 and quarterly rolls into 1946; precise transit dating unresolved. NHHC credit year (1974) differs from the NavSource caption (1976) - minor conflict noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-02
-
[4]National Archives, Special List #44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, by Ship Number (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel deck-log holdings, Archives II) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf p.117 (YMS section); digitized-logs list checked at archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online - YMS-274 not listed
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 records U.S. Navy deck logs for YMS-274 covering 9/29/1943 - 9/30/1945 (ship-number list, PDF page 117). These are the wartime deck logs held at the National Archives (College Park), RG 24, Entry 118. The hull does not appear on NARA's list of deck logs digitized online - the wartime logs are undigitized.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-09-29 to 1945-09-30
- Population
- Crew aboard during logged period (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Log-coverage dates are holdings information, NOT commissioning/decommissioning dates - the coverage window (beginning 9/29/1943) postdates the 7/29/1943 commissioning, so an earlier log segment is either unheld or cataloged elsewhere; the logs' actual contents were not examined page-by-page this session. No asbestos content expected or asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-03
-
[5]National Archives Catalog, file unit 'YMS-274, 7/29/43-2/28/47', NAID 193013932 - Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities (RG 24, series NAID 594996); catalog microfilm Container ID Roll 9071 (filmed reel-card header reads 'Reel No. 8116', filmed 3-3-47); digitized 226 images via Ancestry partnership [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/193013932 - file-unit page; images at catalog.archives.gov/medialz/partnerships/32863/0001/DD00483/32863_255403/
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- YMS-274's personnel muster rolls and monthly Reports of Changes are digitized: file unit NAID 193013932 spans 7/29/1943 (commissioning) through 2/28/1947 (post-decommissioning reporting), 226 scanned images (scanned under the NARA-Ancestry partnership). This is the hull's complete crew roster and personnel-transaction record - the primary population source for crew-level exposure research.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-07-29 to 1947-02-28
- Population
- All hands aboard YMS-274, 1943-1947 (named enlisted crew per roll)
- Limitations
- Muster rolls document who was aboard and personnel transactions, not operations or materials - they contain no asbestos information and establish no exposure for any individual. Image sample only (approximately a dozen of 226 images inspected).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-04
-
[6]NARA NAID 193013932 (RG 24 muster rolls), sampled pages: Report of Changes, December 1943 (image 30); Report of Changes, month ending 31 January 1945 (image 100); quarterly muster roll, period ending 7/1/46 (image 200); Report of Changes, period ending 10/2/46-1/12/47, stamped 15 APR 1947 (image 220) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 193013932 images 32863_255403-00030 (Dec 1943), -00100 (Jan 1945), -00200 (Jul 1946 roll), -00220 (Oct 1946-Jan 1947 changes)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Sampled muster-roll pages document this hull's wartime service in the Panama Canal Zone under the Panama Sea Frontier / 15th Naval District: the December 1943 Report of Changes records sailing 12 December 1943 'from BALBOA, PANAMA CANAL ZONE to COLON, PANAMA CANAL ZONE' with personnel transactions to/from Commander U.S. Naval Section Base Balboa, Local Defense & District Craft Balboa, and Section Commander Inshore Patrol Balboa; the January 1945 report records transfers via Section Commander Cristobal Section PSF and U.S. Naval Hospital Coco Solo, Canal Zone. The late-1946/January-1947 report records crew transfers involving Receiving Station Charleston and Personnel Separation Center Charleston, SC (with cross-deck moves to YMS-362, YMS-289, YMS-446, YMS-408, YMS-395, YMS-426, and the receiving ship Fraser), consistent with postwar inactivation processing on the southeast coast.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-12 to 1947-01
- Population
- Crew aboard during Canal Zone service and postwar processing (1943-47)
- Limitations
- Sampled pages only - not an exhaustive itinerary; the full movement record is in the undigitized deck logs (SL44) and the remaining roll pages. Personnel-transaction ports are not proof of the vessel's decommissioning location: Charleston RS/PSC references show where crew were processed, and the decommissioning site itself is not stated on the sampled pages. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton data, njscuba.net mirror), 'Bellingham Marine, Bellingham WA' builder table and yard history [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-comm-small/bellingham/ - yard history paragraph and hull table rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-table row for this hull: YMS-274, U.S. official number 253418, minesweeper, 278 tons, 136 ft, delivered 29 July 1943, disposition noted 'sold 1946 as Plaxco'. Yard lineage per the same source: Bellingham Marine Railway Co. (early 20th century boat-repair business) became Bellingham Marine Railway and Boatbuilding Co. in 1921 (Squalicum Creek facility, Bellingham); merged with Bellingham Iron Works in 1941 to become Bellingham Shipyards; renamed Bellingham Marine after the war; closed 1963. Sister-hull rows: YMS-272 and YMS-273 delivered 28 May and 7 July 1943, transferred to the USSR 1945 (T-597, T-598 - Project Hula); YMS-275 delivered 20 August 1943, lost 1945; YMS-276 delivered 22 September 1943, sold 1946 as Wolf IV.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Bellingham yard trades (1942-43 build)
- Limitations
- Shipbuilding-history compilation, not a primary registry; 'sold 1946 as Plaxco' conflicts with NavSource's struck-10-June-1947-then-WSA-sale sequence (conflict in gaps). No asbestos content; no yard asbestos-survey data located for this builder.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS-274 spec block (two GM 8-268A diesels, wooden-hulled YMS-1 class) and NavSource YMS/AMS class index (yacht-yard construction, inshore sweeping role); GAO-era program documentation for Navy asbestos use generally (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19274.htm specifications; NavSource YMS/AMS index class description
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wood-hulled, diesel-powered motor minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but the asbestos-relevant envelope aboard this type is small: no boilers, turbines, or steam piping. Era-standard applications aboard diesel craft of this size and period were exhaust manifold and muffler/exhaust-line lagging, engine and piping gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and brake linings on deck machinery (sweep winches, windlass). Wooden-hull yacht-yard construction further limited the thermal-insulation scope relative to steel steam tonnage.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1978
- Population
- Bellingham yard trades (1942-43); engine-room and deck-force crew (1943-47); later merchant crews and any scrappers (1947-78)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, or work package located for YMS-274. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The absence of a steam plant removes the dominant steam-vessel exposure pathway but does not prove absence of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-07
-
[9]NavSource Online: Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) / British Motor Minesweeper (BYMS) index - class history and characteristics [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class narrative; AMS renaming paragraph on the AMS/MSC index (11/05idx.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class context: the wood-hulled YMS type was designed for sweeping acoustic and magnetic mines in coastal/inshore waters; first of class YMS-1 laid down 4 March 1941 at Henry B. Nevins, Inc., City Island, NY; 561 built at 35 yacht yards (12 East Coast, 19 West Coast, 4 Great Lakes); the 'Yard' prefix reflected intended operation near the home naval yard/base. Single-funnel silhouette applies to YMS-135 through YMS-445 (covers this hull). Surviving YMS hulls were reclassified AMS and given names beginning 18 February 1947 - seventeen days after this hull's 1 February 1947 decommissioning, which is why YMS-274 was never named. Seven YMS were sunk in Typhoon Louise off Okinawa 9 October 1945, including same-yard sister YMS-275.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Limitations
- Secondary class-level compilation; documents the type, not this hull's materials. Typhoon losses and the AMS renaming program are class context only. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-08
-
[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 entire construction (1942-43) and naval service (1943-47).
- 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 - same standing defect as Batch-98) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-09
-
[11]Batch-8904 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page and class index; NHHC photo catalog NH 81014; NARA Special List 44 + catalog file unit NAID 193013932; shipbuildinghistory builder table; CourtListener opinion and docket search; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-274-yms274-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed/published case naming USS YMS-274 (YMS-274) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull and no NVR entry exists (disposed 1947, pre-dating NVR coverage). All four CourtListener base queries (exact-name and hull-number, opinion and docket) returned zero results - no qualifying asbestos litigation located (sl-uss-yms-274-yms274-09).
- 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 - wooden diesel craft of the era still carried era-standard gasket/lagging/packing materials. The undigitized deck logs, BuShips plans, and WSA disposal file are open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-274-yms274-10