Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1049-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (thin sourcing
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (thin sourcing
- Evidence ID
- uss-yms-305-yms305-pkt-1049-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-305 - construction, milestones, transfer, stricken, specifications (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19305.htm header block, milestone list, specifications block, photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 18 July 1942 by Rice Brothers Corp., East Boothbay, ME; launched 30 September 1943; completed 17 November 1943 and commissioned USS YMS-305; 'Participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944, continued serving in France until May 1945'; 'Damaged by shore battery 9 June 1944 off Normandy'; decommissioned May 1945; transferred to Norway 18 May 1945, reclassified NYMS-305 and later named Gaula (M 318); transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission 7 June 1948 and sold to Norway; struck from the Naval Register 12 August 1948; '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 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Page states there is no DANFS history for YMS-305 and shows a photograph of YMS-305 with YMS-406 and YMS-380 in a French port after D-Day.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Rice Brothers construction trades (1942-43); US Navy crew (1943-45); Royal Norwegian Navy crew (1945 onward)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates track the usual Navy sources but are not themselves primary. Norwegian-side detail is thin ('Fate unknown'). Contains no asbestos content. The 880bhp-per-engine propulsion figure conflicts with the class-standard ~440 bhp per 8-268A (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-01
-
[3]NARA, Special List 44 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (printed p. 518: 'YMS-305 ... Nov. 20, 1943-May 18, 1945 ... 5' logbooks); NARA Catalog file unit NAID 193035202 'YMS-305, 11/20/43-4/30/45' (microfilm Roll 9096, National Archives at College Park; scanned via Ancestry collaboration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44, Ships by Symbol and Number Designations, printed page 518 (ACPL Genealogy Center digitization, display image 550); catalog.archives.gov/id/193035202
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds US Navy deck logs for YMS-305 covering 20 November 1943 - 18 May 1945 (five logbooks per Special List 44) - spanning the hull's entire US Navy career from three days after commissioning through transfer to Norway. The NARA Catalog's scanned microfilm file unit (NAID 193035202, Roll 9096) covers 11/20/43-4/30/45; the closing May 1945 entries presumably continue in a following unit or segment. Deck logs document daily position, operations, personnel, and machinery events - the richest primary record for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log coverage); inventory verified 2026-10-04
- Population
- US Navy crew, Nov 1943 - May 1945
- Limitations
- Inventory/catalog records only: they establish that the deck logs exist and their date coverage - the logs themselves were not read this session. Digital surrogate is on the partner site (Ancestry, subscription/registration-gated; direct fetch blocked, HTTP 403). End-date coverage differs: Special List 44 shows through 18 May 1945 while the cataloged microfilm unit ends 30 April 1945. No asbestos information is established by an inventory record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-02
-
[4]NARA Catalog file unit NAID 78599862, 'USS YMS-305 - Rep Of Ops, 6/3-17/44, of Normandy, France' (microfilm Roll A1121; Micro Serial 84379; Serial 000112; Navy file A16-3; document dated 27 June 1944; scanned via Fold3 collaboration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/78599862 (file unit metadata incl. serial/file designations); Fold3 image 279756404
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives holds YMS-305's own wartime report of operations covering 3-17 June 1944 off Normandy - the period bracketing the D-Day assault sweep and the 9 June shore-battery damage. The file is cataloged under Navy subject file A16-3 (reports of operations), serial 000112, dated 27 June 1944. This is the ship's primary account of her Normandy operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 3-17 June 1944 (report period); catalog verified 2026-10-04
- Population
- US Navy crew aboard during the Normandy assault, June 1944
- Limitations
- Catalog description only - the report's text was not read this session. Digital surrogate on Fold3 is access-gated (direct fetch blocked, HTTP 403). Whether the report details the 9 June damage, casualties, or materiel state is unverified. No asbestos information is established by a catalog record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-03
-
[5]Operation Plan 2-44 (ONWEST TWO), Operation Neptune - Western Naval Task Force, Task Organization (section 125, Assault Force 'U'): YMS-305 listed in 'Y1 Flotilla' of eleven YMS (305, 356, 358, 375, 377, 378, 379, 360, 381, 382, 406(F)); Annex L Communications Plan assigns YMS 305 call sign 6B3 (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OpPlan-2-44, Task Organization sheet VI of IX (Assault Force 'U' mine forces block); Annex L section 4 call-sign tables (6B3)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Operation Neptune (Western Naval Task Force) operation plan's task organization assigns this hull to Assault Force 'U' (Rear Admiral Moon, USN) - the Utah Beach assault force - as a unit of the 'Y1 Flotilla' of eleven US YMS motor minesweepers: 305, 356, 358, 375, 377, 378, 379, 360, 381, 382, and 406(F), alongside the 'Y2 Flotilla' of seven YMS (346-352). Annex L (Communications Plan) assigns YMS 305 the radio call sign 6B3. This places the vessel inside the D-Day assault order of battle as a Utah-force minesweeper.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- May-June 1944 (plan); assault 6 June 1944
- Population
- YMS crews of the Utah assault force, June 1944
- Limitations
- Assignment, not action: the plan documents YMS-305's place in the assault order of battle; the ship's actual work is documented separately (shore-battery damage 9 June; engagement-star credit for the Normandy window). 'Y1/Y2 Flotilla' is the plan's own unit designator - other accounts style the YMS group 'Squadron Y' of Assault Force U. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-04
-
[6]Robert J. Cressman, Contemporary History Branch, Naval Historical Center, 'The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II' (1999), chapter 1944 - entry for 9 June (Atlantic): 'motor minesweeper YMS-305 is damaged by shore battery, 49 deg. 31' N, 00 deg. 50' W' (HyperWar transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1944.html, '9 June, Fri.' Atlantic section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Naval Historical Center's official WWII chronology records that on 9 June 1944 motor minesweeper YMS-305 was damaged by shore battery fire in the Atlantic (Normandy) area at position 49 deg. 31' N, 00 deg. 50' W - three days after D-Day, during the post-assault clearance sweeping documented in the ship's own report-of-operations window (3-17 June 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 9 June 1944
- Population
- YMS-305 crew, 9 June 1944
- Limitations
- Records damage event only - no casualty, materiel, or repair detail; the NHHC chronology does not name the shore battery or state severity. The same entry appears in the Pearl Harbor Attack hearings chronology (US government compilation, ibiblio /pha/chr/chr44-06). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-05
-
[7]Department of the Navy, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV sec. 2(16) Area Campaign Medals, World War II - ship engagement-star credit list (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html, engagement-code definitions (E5, E219) and ship credit list entry 'YMS 305'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's official awards manual credits YMS 305 with two European-African-Middle Eastern area engagements: code E5 'Invasion of Normandy (including bombardment of Cherbourg),' 6-25 June 1944, and code E219 'Convoy UGS-38,' 20 April 1944. The E219 credit places the hull in the Mediterranean-bound convoy battle of 20 April 1944 in which German torpedo bombers sank USS Lansdale (DD-462) and the troop-laden freighter Paul Hamilton - consistent with an Atlantic-to-Mediterranean crossing before staging to the UK for Normandy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 20 April 1944; 6-25 June 1944
- Population
- YMS-305 crew, April-June 1944
- Limitations
- Award-credit list: establishes qualifying participation in both engagements, not the ship's role or casualties within them. The UGS-38 escort role is documented only by this credit; the official chronology's UGS-38 narrative does not name YMS-305. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource/shipbuildinghistory specs (wooden hull; 2 x GM 8-268A diesels, single-reduction gear, 2 shafts); shipbuildinghistory YMS production table (Rice Brothers, East Boothbay ME; 561 wooden-hulled minesweepers built at 35 small yacht/boat yards 1942-45); GAO Navy asbestos-era context (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19305.htm spec block; shipbuildinghistory njscuba YMS table (Rice Brothers rows)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled, diesel-driven motor minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but the wood-boat material profile is materially thinner than a steel steam vessel's: no boilers or steam piping, so the dominant lagging pathway is absent. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on the sweep winch, and galley/heating insulation in the small accommodation volume.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Rice Brothers construction trades (1942-43); US Navy crew (1943-45); Norwegian crew (1945 onward); any disposal workers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or construction specification located for YMS-305. Wooden-hull construction (chosen for non-magnetic minesweeping) reduces - does not eliminate - expected asbestos application. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-07
-
[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 entire construction (1942-43) and US service era (1943-45).
- 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 - same standing defect as BATCH-01/BATCH-98) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-08
-
[10]Batch-8932 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NARA Special List 44 + catalog NAIDs 193035202 and 78599862; Operation Neptune Op Plan 2-44 (task org + Annex L); NHHC official chronology; NAVPERS 15,790; NVR; shipbuildinghistory; uboat.net; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-305-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS YMS-305 (NYMS-305 / Gaula M 318) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage is partial: the hull-number opinion query ('YMS-305', type=o) ran and returned 0 hits; the remaining base queries (hull docket; exact-name opinion and docket) were blocked by the fleet pacing limiter this session - logged as blocked in search_ledger, not folded into the negative. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing-source claims specific to this hull.
- 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 genuine open gap (paced out, not run). The deck logs (NAID 193035202) and the ship's own 3-17 June 1944 operations report (NAID 78599862) are unscanned-by-this-session leads that could contain materiel-state detail. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-09
-
[11]Designation cross-check: NavSource designation line (USS YMS-305 -> NYMS-305 -> Gaula M 318); shipbuildinghistory Rice Brothers yard table ('To Norway 1945 as Gaula (M 318)'; YMS 306 -> 'Goldfinch (AMS 12) 1947, to Maine 1960'); warsailors.com forum research note listing NYMS.305 in the second Norwegian transfer group (18 May 1945); Wikipedia-derived 'List of Royal Norwegian Navy ships' carrying 'NYMS 306/Gaula (M 318)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19305.htm designation line; shipbuildinghistory riceme.htm yard table; warsailors.com forum post 13881 (Norwegian YMS, 2004); en.wikipedia.org 'List of Royal Norwegian Navy ships' minesweeper section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: a Wikipedia-derived list of Royal Norwegian Navy ships attributes Gaula (M 318) to 'NYMS 306' - a misattribution. YMS-306 remained in US service and was reclassified USS Goldfinch (AMS-12) in 1947; it was never transferred to Norway. NavSource, the Rice Brothers yard table, uboat.net, and Norwegian-side research all place YMS-305 -> NYMS-305 -> Gaula (M 318). Norwegian-side research further records that Norway received eight YMS in 1945 (commissioned into the Royal Norwegian Navy in two groups: 22 March and 18 May 1945), all ex-Normandy boats, with YMS-305 in the second group as NYMS-305.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1948
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating hull-number error in secondary compilations, not a material claim. Norwegian-service detail (commissioning dates inside Norway, Gaula's disposal) remains thin - 'fate unknown' per NavSource. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-305-10