Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 1046-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-286-yms286-pkt-1046-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-286 (live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19286.htm: timeline, specifications, commanding-officer, and photo-caption blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource identifies this hull as YMS-286, a YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweeper: laid down 16 June 1942 by the Northwestern Shipbuilding Co., South Bellingham, WA; launched 20 March 1943; completed 27 June 1943; decommissioned 1 April 1946; struck from the Navy Register 25 September 1946; transferred to the War Shipping Administration in May 1948; fate unknown. Its specification block lists 270 tons, 136 feet, 24-foot-6-inch beam, 8-foot draft, 15-knot speed, complement 32, one 3-inch/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors, and two 880-bhp General Motors 8-258A diesel engines with Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear on two shafts. Call sign Nan-George-Roger-Charlie; commanding officer LT D. L. Middleton, USNR, 1945. The page hosts a scanned crew letter describing the ship's damage in the 10 November 1944 USS Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion at Seeadler Harbor (see ev-04), and states that no DANFS history is available for YMS-286.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Northwestern Shipbuilding construction workforce (1942-43); U.S. Navy crew (1943-1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer photo-archive compilation rather than a Navy registry or archival finding aid. Its 'Completed 27 June 1943' conflicts with the Colton yard-table delivery date of 27-Jul-43 (see ev-06 and gaps); the SL44 deck-log series begins 27 July 1943, consistent with the Colton date. The Mount Hood damage itself is confirmed by the official Manus Naval Base war-diary loss statement (ev-03). The page establishes no asbestos content, material condition, individual exposure, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-01
-
[3]National Archives, Special List #44, by Ship Numbers, PDF (live source verified 2026-10-04; entries read from extracted table text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List #44, by Ship Numbers, YMS-286 entries: PDF p. 117 (table rows 'YMS-286 7/27/1943 9/30/1943' and 'YMS-286 11/1/1943 6/30/1945')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List #44 lists YMS-286 with two separate Navy deck-log coverage windows: 27 July 1943 through 30 September 1943, and 1 November 1943 through 30 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-07-27 to 1943-09-30 and 1943-11-01 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- YMS-286 crew and Navy activities represented in the deck logs
- Limitations
- This is an archival custody/index entry and establishes log coverage only; it does not by itself establish commissioning or decommissioning dates, operations on particular days, asbestos content, crew exposure, or legal eligibility. The two coverage windows leave October 1943 unexplained, and no coverage is listed after 30 June 1945 although the ship remained in U.S. service until April 1946 - later logs are not inventoried in this list. The underlying logs were not examined in this batch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-02
-
[4]U.S. Navy official documents relating to the loss of USS Mount Hood (AE-11), transcribed at HyperWar: Naval Base Navy 3205 (Manus, Admiralty Islands) correspondence and war-diary statement of losses, December 1944 (live source verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar ae11-Loss.html, war-diary 'statement of the losses' table, YMS-286 row ('Serious', 'No estimate furnished', 12 injured); companion caption NH 95405 at ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/ae11-k.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official statement of losses from the 10 November 1944 Mount Hood explosion at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, lists YMS-286 among the damaged vessels with extent of damage 'Serious' (asterisked: 'No estimate furnished' of repair man-hours), no known dead or missing entered for the ship, and 12 injured. The document records that concussion and flying missiles caused casualties and damage to ships and small craft within a 2,000-yard radius of the anchorage; thirteen other YMS-type hulls appear in the same loss statement (including YMS-293, YMS-238, YMS-49, YMS-340, and YMS-243), and a companion NHHC photo caption (NH 95405, copied from the Manus Naval Base war diary for November 1944) states that seven motor minesweepers (YMS) were moored to USS Mindanao's starboard side and damaged by the blast.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-11-10
- Population
- YMS-286 crew present in Seeadler Harbor, 10 November 1944 (12 injured per the loss statement); Mindanao and other moored-craft crews
- Limitations
- An official Navy record naming this hull's damage and injury toll in the 10 November 1944 explosion - the strongest ship-specific documentation in this record. It documents blast damage and casualties only; it contains no asbestos information and establishes no material condition, individual exposure, or legal eligibility. The HyperWar transcription is a mirror of the archival document (Naval Base Navy 3205 war diary, Manus); the 'Serious' rating carries no furnished man-hour estimate, and the injury count of 12 is a casualty report, not an exposure assessment.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-03
-
[5]Scanned letter aboard USS YMS-286 letterhead, written 13 November 1944 (hand annotation) describing the 10 November 1944 'Disaster of the Mt. Hood,' signed 'GRITZ, GM2c, USN'; NavSource caption identifies it as a letter from John Gritzmacher's father describing the impact on YMS-286 and her crew (scan verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource image 111928602.jpg, full-page letter scan; caption block on NavSource 11/19286.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A firsthand letter by a YMS-286 crew member recounts the Mount Hood explosion: a terrific blast knocked him down in the gun locker; concussion continued about 30 seconds; debris including 5-inch projectiles and 40mm/20mm/.50- and .30-caliber rounds fell on the ship ('One 5in. went through the foc'l of the ship'); 'All the bridges were blown off of all the YMS's. There were seven of us'; 'the ammunition ship 400 yards from us had blown up'; 'Many men were crushed, cut, and blown to pieces on the YMS's,' including a man on the adjacent sweeper who lost his legs; the writer estimated 'Over 1000 men had lost their lives' and noted he 'suffered from shock for three weeks.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-11-10
- Population
- YMS-286 crew, 10 November 1944
- Limitations
- A private firsthand letter hosted on NavSource, not an official record; its ship-specific details (seven YMS present, heavy casualties aboard the sweepers) are corroborated in outline by the official Manus war-diary loss statement (ev-03) and NHHC caption NH 95405. The letter's typed blast time '0012' is inconsistent with the official ~0855 timing - almost certainly a typist's error on the first digit. The writer's casualty estimate exceeds the official totals (45 dead, 327 missing, 371 injured). Contains no asbestos information; documents blast damage and injury, not exposure to any material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-04
-
[6]USS Batfish (SS-310) War Patrol #1 report transcription, USS Batfish War Memorial (ussbatfish.com), narrative entry of 11 December 1943 (live source verified 2026-10-04) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ussbatfish.com/patrol-1.html, section '(B) Narrative', 11 December 1943 entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The transcribed first war-patrol report of submarine USS Batfish (SS-310) records at 1300 on 11 December 1943: 'Departed Pearl Harbor for Midway with YMS 286 as escort. Operating in accordance with Comtaskfor 17 Secret Operation Order No. 290-43 as Task Unit 17.1.2.' YMS-286 was released at 1919 the same day. This documents YMS-286 performing escort duty between Pearl Harbor and Midway in December 1943.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-12-11
- Population
- YMS-286 crew on escort duty, December 1943
- Limitations
- A museum-site transcription of an official submarine patrol report naming this hull once, as escort; it documents a single operational assignment, not the ship's broader movements, material condition, or any asbestos content. Transcription fidelity not independently verified against the archival original.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Northwestern Shipbuilding / Fairhaven Shipyard, South Bellingham WA' yard table - YMS 286 row (live source verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- northwestern.htm - 'NORTHWESTERN SHIPBUILDING / FAIRHAVEN SHIPYARD South Bellingham WA' table, YMS 286 row + yard history header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard table lists this hull as 'YMS 286 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 278 [tons] | 27-Jul-43 | Struck 1946.' The yard history header records that Northwestern Shipbuilding Company was formed in 1942 by Seattle investors led by Jack Gilbert, closed in 1947, later reopened as Fairhaven Shipyard, Inc., and the site at 201 Harris Avenue was eventually the Fairhaven facility of Puglia Engineering (bankrupt and liquidated 2019). The same table lists sister hulls including YMS 285 (to the USSR 1945 as T-610).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Northwestern Shipbuilding construction workforce (South Bellingham, WA, 1942-43)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table, secondary - consistent with NavSource on builder and location, but its 27-Jul-43 delivery entry conflicts with NavSource's 'Completed 27 June 1943' (and uboat.net's 'Commissioned 27 Jun 1943'); the Colton date matches the start of SL44 deck-log coverage (ev-02), leaving the milestone date unresolved. Its 278-ton value differs slightly from NavSource's 270-ton specification. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-06
-
[8]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-286 (YMS-286) page (live source verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9706.html, ship data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The specialist Allied Warships database lists YMS-286, YMS class, built by Northwestern Shipbuilding Co., South Bellingham, WA; ordered 27 March 1942; laid down 16 June 1942; launched 20 March 1943; commissioned 27 June 1943; stricken 25 September 1946. It is the only located source giving the contract/order date of 27 March 1942 and corroborates the NavSource milestones.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Specialist volunteer-compiled secondary database; corroborates NavSource's milestones and adds the order date, but shares the 27 June 1943 completion/commissioning value that conflicts with the Colton delivery entry of 27-Jul-43 (see ev-06 and gaps). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-07
-
[9]NavSource Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) Photo Index, class description (live page verified 2026-10-04) + documented propulsion from the YMS-286 hull page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class description ('wood-hulled YMS', 35 yacht yards, 561 built); NavSource 11/19286.htm propulsion line
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the NavSource class index describes 'the wood-hulled YMS,' 561 built at 35 yacht yards; this hull's documented plant is two 880-bhp General Motors 8-258A diesels on two shafts - no boilers, no steam distribution. Its insulation load was materially lighter than a steam combatant's, but machinery and construction materials of the 1942-43 wartime era were commonly asbestos-containing: possible era-standard applications include diesel exhaust-system lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, and insulation board in accommodation spaces. Exposure-relevant populations if any such material was present: Northwestern Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-43); the wartime crew (complement 32), including the November 1944 blast-damage repair period; decommissioning and disposal-handling personnel (1946-48).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948+
- Population
- Northwestern Shipbuilding trades (1942-43); U.S. crew 1943-46; disposal handlers 1946-48 (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Inference from documented class characteristics, machinery type, and construction era - NOT a hull materials record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming YMS-286 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The wooden hull and diesel plant make even era-level inference weaker than for steam vessels of the same era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-08
-
[10]National Archives, Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961 (live source verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided-topic page, RG 19 correspondence-series discussion for ship- and shipyard-specific asbestos research
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- NARA's research guide identifies RG 19 Bureau of Ships general, confidential, and secret correspondence (1940-1961, filed by hull designation under the Navy Filing Manual), ship information books, specifications, and engineering drawings as the archival pathway for determining asbestos in Navy vessels built or operated through 1961, including files for the private shipyard that built the hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940-1961
- Population
- Navy ship construction and maintenance records, 1940-1961
- Limitations
- This is a research pathway, not a YMS-286 material record. The cited guide does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, remained aboard, was disturbed, or exposed any person. The identified RG 19 records were not examined in this batch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-09
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2; direct retrieval blocked HTTP 403 (product page and asset PDF)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The GAO product description records that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships, that all ships contained some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and that the Navy did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - Navy-wide era context that includes YMS-286's 1942-1948 life span.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979 review; historical Navy-use context through the early 1970s
- Population
- Navy ships and Navy workers covered by the program review
- Limitations
- Program-level context only, not a hull-specific finding. The GAO product page and PDF both returned HTTP 403 to direct retrieval on 2026-10-04; the indexed product description was used. It does not establish any material aboard YMS-286, quantity, remaining material, exposure, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-10
-
[12]Batch 8911 source review and litigation sweep ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-286-yms286-01 through sl-uss-yms-286-yms286-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material specification, or docketed case naming YMS-286 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). All four base CourtListener queries (exact-name and hull-number, opinion and docket) returned zero hits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04 research cutoff
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era construction makes some asbestos-containing components plausible but unproven for this hull. A zero CourtListener result does not establish that no claim was ever filed; it records that no indexed opinion or docket names this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-286-yms286-11
