Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet 1051-packet.md (5 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-yms-315-yms315-pkt-1051-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-315 - construction milestones, specifications, disposition, photograph record (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19315.htm header block, specifications block, photo table, and closing note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: YMS-1 class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper laid down 13 June 1942 by the Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island, CA; launched 14 April 1943; completed 16 August 1943; struck from the Navy Register 19 June 1946; transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission, in April 1947; 'Fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 270 t., length 136', beam 24' 6", draft 8', speed 15 kts., complement 32; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose gun 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. Call sign Nan-Peter-Uncle-Mike (NPUM). Page states verbatim: 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-315.' Photographic record includes a Harbor Boat Building Co. yard photo, NHHC completion photo NH 85464 (c. August 1943), and Australian War Memorial photo 302779 (5 December 1943).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Harbor Boat Building Co. construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but are not independently registry-verified for this hull (struck before NVR's online coverage). 'Completed' vs 'commissioned' terminology differs from uboat.net (see gaps). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-315 (YMS-315) - build dates and embedded COMTASKGROUP 78.2/78.2.9 Balikpapan after-action report (order of battle and daily narrative) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/9735 page: specification table; 'Notable events' - Operation Oboe II, TU 72.2.92 order of battle and 11 June 1945 'A' echelon list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's hull page gives: ordered 2 April 1942; laid down 13 June 1942 (Harbor Boat Building Co., Terminal Island); launched 14 April 1943; commissioned 16 August 1943; stricken 19 June 1946. Its embedded transcription of the COMTASKGROUP 78.2 and 78.2.9 Balikpapan after-action reports places YMS-315 in the minesweeping order of battle: TU 72.2.92 (YMS unit, Lt.Cdr. D.W. Blakeslee, USNR) of Minesweeping Unit TG 78.2.9 (Lt.Cdr. T.R. Fonick, USNR), with 'USS YMS-315 (Lt. E.E. Martin, Jr., USNR)' named with her commanding officer. The 'A' echelon narrative lists YMS-315 among the vessels that departed Morotai for Balikpapan on 11 June 1945; daily sweep entries 15 June - 1 July 1945 describe the unit operating under repeated shore-battery fire and exploding influence and moored mines.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (milestones); June-July 1945 (Balikpapan)
- Population
- Crew under Lt. E.E. Martin, Jr., USNR (June-July 1945)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a specialist secondary compilation; the embedded order-of-battle and narrative are transcribed from the cited after-action reports (COMTASKGROUP 78.2 and 78.2.9 reports) rather than original scholarship - attribution is to the underlying reports. The transcription prints the YMS sub-unit designator as 'TU 72.2.92' - almost certainly a typo for TU 78.2.92, since every sibling unit is 78.2.x and the force TO sheet nests the YMS unit inside TG 78.2.9. 'Commissioned 16 Aug 1943' conflicts with NavSource 'Completed' wording (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-02
-
[4]Commander Seventh Amphibious Force, 'History 10 January 1943 - 23 December 1945' (CGGS 3184) - wartime command history with assault-operation task-organization sheets; scanned PDF hosted by the 727th AAA Training Battalion veterans' site [other_primary]
- Locator
- Task Organization sheets: Lingayen (Sheet 19, 'MUSKETEER MIKE ONE', 9-16 Jan 1945); Malabang-Parang-Cotabato ('VICTOR FIVE', 17-18 Apr 1945); Digos-Santa Cruz (Sheet 40, 3 May 1945); Balikpapan (Sheet 42); minesweeping narrative Part II p. 51-52
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Seventh Amphibious Force command-history task-organization sheets name YMS-315 in four assault operations, three times as the flagged unit flagship: (1) LINGAYEN OPERATION ('MUSKETEER MIKE ONE'), 9-16 January 1945 - TU 78.3.6 Minesweeping Unit under Comdr. E.D. McEathron, USN: 'YMS 315 (F), 219, 329, 339, 481, 334, 336'; the narrative records the minesweeping group (10 DMS, 10 AM, 2 DM, 42 YMS, 1 APD) sweeping Lingayen Gulf from 6 January under kamikaze attack. (2) MALABANG-PARANG-COTABATO ('VICTOR FIVE'), 17-18 April 1945 - TU 78.2.10 Minesweeping Unit under Lt. W.H. Boutell, USNR: 'YMS 315(F), 9, 46, 52, 335'. (3) DIGOS-SANTA CRUZ OPERATION (continuing V-5), 3 May 1945 - TU 78.2.53 Minesweeping Unit under Lt. W.H. Boutell, USNR: 'YMS 315(F), 9, 52, 335, 339'. (4) BALIKPAPAN ('OBOE TWO') - the force-level task organization lists YMS-315 (OCR'd '315') among ~40 YMS of the TG 78.2.9 minesweeping unit under Lt.Cdr. D.W. Blakeslee's YMS sub-unit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- January 1945 - July 1945
- Population
- Crew; embarked minesweep-unit staffs (Comdr. McEathron, Jan 1945; Lt. Boutell, Apr-May 1945)
- Limitations
- Scanned primary document hosted on a third-party veterans' site (727atb.com) - the document itself is the official command history, but the scan's OCR is imperfect ('VMS' for 'YMS' in places) and page images should control over extracted text. Task-organization sheets establish assignment and flagship status, not daily activity of the individual hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-03
-
[5]Navy-Marine Corps Awards Manual (Rev. 1953), Part II 'Unit Awards', Section 1 'Presidential Unit Citation', Group II (NHHC Online Reading Room) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Awards Manual Rev. 1953, Part II, Section 1 PUC Group II, p. 14 table row 'Task Unit 78.2.9'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USS YMS-315 is a named recipient unit of the Presidential Unit Citation: the Awards Manual lists Task Unit 78.2.9 - USS Sentry (AM-299), Scout (AM-296), Scuffle (AM-298), and twenty-one YMS (-9, -10, -39, -46, -47, -49, -50, -52, -53, -95, -196, -314, -315, -335, -336, -339, -364, -365, -366, -368, -392) - cited '15 Jun-1 Jul 45 - Balikpapan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies.' The citation period matches the pre-invasion minesweeping documented in the TG 78.2.9 after-action report (sweeping under shore-battery fire; sister YMS sunk and damaged by mines).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew (15 June - 1 July 1945 award period)
- Limitations
- Unit-level award: the citation attaches to Task Unit 78.2.9 as a whole; it does not narrate YMS-315's individual conduct within the operation. The awards-manual entry is a list of recipient units - the citation text itself is a separate document. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-04
-
[6]Australian War Memorial collection item C241430 / accession 302779 - official photograph record (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AWM collection record C241430 (accession 302779), description field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Australian government photographic record of this hull in service: '1943-12-05. AERIAL STARBOARD SIDE VIEW OF THE US MINESWEEPER YMS 315. NOTE THE 3 INCH/50 AA GUN FORWARD, 20 MM AA OERLIKON GUNS JUST ABAFT THE FOREMAST AND MINESWEEPING FLOATS AMIDSHIPS. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION)' - accession 302779, dated 5 December 1943, cataloged under United States Navy ships / Minesweepers, copyright expired public domain. Documents the hull armed and fitted for sweeping within four months of completion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Crew (December 1943)
- Limitations
- The AWM caption does not state where the photograph was taken; its presence in the Australian official collection is consistent with Southwest Pacific service but does not by itself prove an Australian location. Physical-presence documentation only - no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-05
-
[7]Al Piotter (CCS, USNR), Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 16 diary/memoir - scanned typescript hosted on ptboatforum.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- Piotter RON 16 diary, p. 39 (13 December 1944 entry); corroborating event: DANFS Nashville II (NHHC)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Firsthand memoir account of YMS-315's most consequential single act: on 13 December 1944 in the Mindoro-bound invasion convoy (Sulu Sea off Negros), a kamikaze carrying two bombs crashed flagship USS Nashville (CL-43) killing 133 and wounding 190 (event corroborated by DANFS Nashville II). Piotter records: 'Nashville maneuvered radically until destroyer Stanly closed to render assistance, while Y.M.S. 315 picked up men who had been blown overboard.' Places YMS-315 inside the Mindoro attack convoy performing rescue work alongside the destroyer screen.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-12-13
- Population
- YMS-315 crew; rescued Nashville crewmen blown overboard
- Limitations
- Personal memoir hosted on a forum site - used as an archival lead, not a finished finding: the kamikaze event, casualties, and Struble flag-shift are corroborated by DANFS Nashville II, but YMS-315's rescue role rests solely on this memoir; corroboration in the Nashville action report or YMS-315's own deck log (NARA, 8/1943-6/1945 coverage) is the open lead. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-06
-
[8]Karig, Harris & Manson, 'Battle Report: Victory in the Pacific' (Rinehart, 1949; digitized on Internet Archive) - Navy-prepared combat narrative, Chapter 21 'The Rock Regained' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Battle Report: Victory in the Pacific, Ch. 21, footnoted YMS/AM roster (digitized text, pp. ~233-234 of print edition)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Published Navy combat narrative lists 'YMS 315 (Lt Wilbur H. Boutell)' among the 15 YMS sweeps and six AMs that cleared the Manila Bay minefields ahead of the 15-16 February 1945 Mariveles and Corregidor assaults - the unit starting from the 100-fathom curve before daylight 13 February 1945, the YMS element sweeping the flanking areas ('Ruth' and 'Mable') while the large AMs swept the inner zones, under Rear Admirals Struble (attack group) and Berkey (fire support), within range of shore batteries. Consistent with the Seventh Amphibious Force history's Boutell flagship listings (April-May 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-02
- Population
- Crew; Lt. Wilbur H. Boutell and embarked staff (February 1945)
- Limitations
- The book's parenthetical names the officer associated with the vessel - whether Boutell was YMS-315's commanding officer or the embarked minesweep-unit commander using her as flagship is unresolved (the 7th Phib Force history shows him commanding sweep units flag aboard her at Victor Five and Digos; the Balikpapan report names Lt. E.E. Martin, Jr. as her CO in June 1945). Published narrative, not a log - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-07
-
[9]National Archives, Special List 44 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (ship-number edition, PDF p. 118) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 ship-number PDF, p. 118, YMS section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA inventory confirms deck logs for YMS-315 covering 18 August 1943 - 30 June 1945 exist in RG 24 holdings (entry verified verbatim on PDF p. 118 of the ship-number edition: 'YMS-315 8/18/1943 6/30/1945'). These logs are the primary open source for her 1943-45 day-to-day movements, engineering-plant references, the Nashville rescue, and any onboard material conditions - not digitized as of this record's research date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-18 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Crew (1943-1945, as recorded in logs)
- Limitations
- Inventory entry only - establishes that logbooks exist and their coverage dates, not their content; the dates are log coverage, not commissioning/decommissioning evidence. Undigitized as of 2026-10-04; retrieval requires NARA College Park pull or reproduction order. No asbestos content documented in the inventory itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-08
-
[10]NHHC photographic collection NHF-055 'Mahakian-Gaddis Collection' - 96-page crew photo album and 49 loose items (verified live 2026-10-04); also NHHC photo NH 85464 [museum_official]
- Locator
- NHF-055 collection description; NHHC NH-85000 series record NH 85464
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC holds a crew-level photographic record relevant to this hull: a 96-page album compiled by Motor Machinist's Mate 2c James W. Gaddis 'depicting his time on board a YMS (YMS-86 and/or YMS-315) in the Pacific theater during World War II' - aboard-ship and liberty scenes at Fiji, Espiritu Santo, Tonga, New Zealand, Tulagi, Okinawa, Saipan, Majuro, Pearl Harbor, and Oregon, with USS Franklin (CV-13) and USS Morris (DD-417) also pictured. The rating (MoMM2c - motor machinist's mate, an engine-room rate) makes this the located record closest to the machinery-space population. Separately, NHHC photo NH 85464 is a WWII image of USS YMS-315 (courtesy Donald M. McPherson, 1977; NavSource captions it as the c. August 1943 completion photo).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- MoMM2c James W. Gaddis and shipmates (engine-room crew rating), 1943-45
- Limitations
- Album attribution is explicitly uncertain ('YMS-86 and/or YMS-315') and the location list covers the sailor's tour, not a verified itinerary for this hull - it cannot be read as YMS-315 port calls. Not an exposure or material record; contains no asbestos documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-09
-
[11]NavSource Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) index - class description and construction-program summary (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm, 'Auxiliary Motor Minesweepers (YMS)' descriptive paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class context for this hull: 'The wood-hulled YMS proved to be one of the U.S. Navy's more durable and versatile types' - 481 ships of the type built at 35 yacht yards (12 East Coast, 19 West Coast, four Great Lakes) rather than larger shipyards; designed for inshore sweeping ahead of amphibious assaults; the only significant variation was external - YMS-1 through -134 had two stacks, YMS-135 through -445, -480, -481 (the subclass containing this hull) had one, YMS-446 through -479 none. Surviving YMS were reclassified AMS in 1947 and given names - YMS-315 was not among them, having been struck in 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1947
- Population
- YMS-class crews and 35 builder yards (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level description only - establishes type, construction material (wood), builder-yard pattern, and role, not any fact specific to YMS-315. NavSource is a secondary compilation. No asbestos content; wooden construction bounds, but does not establish, the material set aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-10
-
[12]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two GM 8-268A diesel engines; 136' wooden craft); NavSource YMS class index (wood-hulled type, 35 yacht yards); absence of steam plant per spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19315.htm specifications; NavSource 11/19idx.htm class description
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wood-hulled diesel motor minesweeper of WWII construction carried a materially narrower asbestos-relevant set than a steam vessel: era-standard applications aboard diesel motor craft of this period were thermal insulation and lagging around the diesel engines and exhaust lines in the confined machinery space, flange and valve gaskets, machinery packing, and electrical insulation; the galley and magazine areas of wooden combat craft also commonly received heat/fire insulation products of the era. There is no boiler or turbine plant, so the dominant steam-vessel lagging pathway does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Harbor Boat Building construction trades (1942-43); engine-room crew (1943-46); FLC handling parties (1947)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for YMS-315, and wooden-hull construction bounds rather than eliminates the question. Names era-standard application types, not confirmed installed products or manufacturers. No quantity. Does not establish exposure to any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-11
-
[13]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 during the era spanning this hull's construction (1942-43) and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - decades after her disposal.
- 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 or to wooden minesweeper construction. Full text not retrieved this session (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-04) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-12
-
[14]Batch-8943 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page and YMS class index; uboat.net hull page with embedded Balikpapan after-action reports; Seventh Amphibious Force command history (TO sheets); NHHC awards manual (PUC list); NHHC NH 85464 and NHF-055 collection; AWM 302779; NARA Special List 44; NVR detail-page check; Piotter memoir; CourtListener (4 base queries, all zero); secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-315-yms315-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material list, abatement or hazmat disclosure, and no litigation naming YMS-315 was found in the public sources searched - all four CourtListener base queries (exact-name and hull-number, opinion and docket indexes) returned zero results. The only 'asbestos aboard' framing found anywhere is the generic boilerplate some law-firm ship lists apply to every WWII hull - no claim specific to this vessel was located and none is made here. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource note; NHHC candidate URLs 404, verified 2026-10-04).
- 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 - the undigitized deck logs, Harbor Boat Building work records, and FLC disposal file are open archival leads. CourtListener coverage was complete for the four required base queries (all zero); deeper RECAP full-text sweeps were not run. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-315-yms315-13