Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 1052-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-321-yms321-pkt-1052-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Grouse II (YMS-321) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, WWII Pacific service, postwar East Coast training service, 1957 decommissioning, 1958 reserve reactivation, 1963 grounding and destruction (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Grouse II (YMS-321) entry, service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched 20 February 1943 by Al Larson's Boat Shop, Terminal Island, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. H. Doty; commissioned as YMS-321 on 25 October 1943, Lt. (j.g.) Newman in command. Shakedown and patrol out of San Diego; sailed for Pearl Harbor 21 April 1944, arriving 1 May; sweeping and patrol duties in the Guam-Saipan-Tinian area plus convoy escort; in Tinian harbor during a Japanese air raid 28 November 1944; escorted a convoy to Eniwetok; swept the harbor at Maug Island, Marianas, 15 March 1945 and bombarded the beach the next day; patrolled around Iwo Jima April 1945 and exploded two floating mines; returned to Pearl Harbor 15 August 1945 and San Diego 29 August. Sailed for the East Coast 5 April 1946, arriving Charleston 29 April; reclassified AMS-15 on 25 February 1947 and named Grouse. 1947-57 East Coast service: Mine Warfare School, Yorktown, Va.; experimental work at Countermeasures School and Mine Defense Laboratory, Panama City, Fla.; Project 'Vamp' coastal survey with the Hydrographic Office 1954-55; reclassified MSC(O)-15 on 1 March 1955. Sailed to Portland, Maine 7 September 1957; decommissioned and placed in reserve 12 September 1957; placed in service, in reserve, 13 November 1958, Lt. (j.g.) K. G. Houghton in command; proceeded to Portsmouth NH for overhaul; 1st Naval District reserve training ship based at Portsmouth. Went aground off Rockport, Mass., night of 21 September 1963 with no crew injuries; all efforts to dislodge her failed; destroyed by explosives 28 September 1963 and struck from the Navy List the same day. Spec block: dp. 296; l. 136'; b. 24'6"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 33; a. 1 3". Also distinguishes the never-completed Grouse (AM-398), Defoe Shipbuilding, contract terminated 12 August 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- Al Larson Boat Shop construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-1963); Naval Reserve trainees (1958-63)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS dates conflict with NavSource on the AMS-15 naming (25 Feb vs 18 Feb 1947) and MSC(O)-15 reclassification (1 Mar vs 7 Feb 1955), and its 'destroyed by explosives' account conflicts in method/date with the MA BUAR wreck narrative (burned 29 Sep) - conflicts carried in gaps and ev-09.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Grouse (MSC[O] 15) ex-AMS-15 ex-YMS-321 - designation timeline, specifications, commanding-officer list (live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19321.htm header block, timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down as YMS-321, 29 August 1942, by the Al Larson Boat Shop Inc., Terminal Island, CA; launched 20 February 1943, sponsored by Mrs. H. Doty; completed and commissioned as USS YMS-321, 25 October 1943; named Grouse and reclassified Motor Minesweeper AMS-15, 18 February 1947; reclassified Coastal Minesweeper (Old) MSC(O)-15, 7 February 1955; decommissioned 12 September 1957 and placed in reserve at Portland, ME; placed in service 13 November 1958; ran aground 21 September 1963 at Rockport, MA on the Little Salvages at 42 deg 40'24"N, 70 deg 34'29"W; destroyed by explosives 28 September 1963 and struck from the Naval Register. Specs: 270 t.; 136'; 24'6"; 8'; 13 kts.; complement 50; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two 20mm mounts, two depth-charge projectors; two 880 bhp GM 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding-officer roster runs from LTJG James George Newman, USNR (25 Oct 1943) to LCDR Allen E. McCartney Jr., USNR (1962-28 Sep 1963).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- Construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-63); salvage crews and ship-disposal personnel (Sep 1963)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but conflict with DANFS on the AMS-15 naming (18 vs 25 Feb 1947) and MSC(O)-15 (7 Feb vs 1 Mar 1955), and its specs conflict with DANFS (displacement 270 vs 296 t; complement 50 vs 33; speed 13 vs 12 k) - all in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-02
-
[4]Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources (BUAR), USS Grouse exempted-shipwreck-site page - vessel details, grounding and salvage narrative, dive-site management (live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- mass.gov BUAR 'USS Grouse' page - Vessel Details, The Shipwreck, Historical Background, Salvage sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Massachusetts BUAR documents the loss and present state of this hull: Grouse (ex-YMS-321), a wooden minesweeper serving as a Naval Reserve training ship attached to the First Naval District, departed Portsmouth NH in September 1963 on a two-week reserve training cruise and struck the Little Salvages reef off Rockport, MA about 2 a.m. on 21 September 1963 near high water, drying out with the tide. Salvage directed by Capt. Alfred S. Cleaves from the tug Keywadin; repeated refloat attempts failed (towlines parted, weather); last salvage crewman removed by helicopter 26 September; Navy announced plans to burn 28 September; burned to the waterline 29 September per the Boston Sunday Globe, with plans to dynamite remaining hull fragments and the two diesel engines; 'all navigational and electronic equipment and other materials of value were stripped from the craft' before burning. Vessel details: 136 ft, 24'6" beam, 320 displacement tons, geared diesels 1,000 shp, armament 1 x 3in/50 + 2 x 20mm, crew 36. The wreck remains a BUAR-managed 'exempted site' recreational dive site at 42 deg 40'24"N, 70 deg 34'29"W.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1963-present (site); narrative focused Sep 1963
- Population
- Salvage crews aboard tug Keywadin and helicopter units (Sep 1963); recreational divers (present)
- Limitations
- State-government wreck/dive-site file; its burning account (29 Sep, per the Boston Sunday Globe) conflicts with DANFS/NavSource 'destroyed by explosives 28 September' - both carried, conflict in gaps/ev-09. BUAR 'Other Comments' repeats DANFS-derived dates with two typos (AMS-15 as 'February 25, 1947' matches DANFS; 'MSC (0)-15' 1 March 1955 matches DANFS). No asbestos or hazmat content; nothing on pre-burn material stripping beyond the equipment line quoted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-03
-
[5]National Archives Special List 44, List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - printed page 519, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations' section (scan verified via ACPL Genealogy Center mirror, 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 printed p. 519 (ACPL display page 551, scan narasl44/551.jpg), YMS-321 line item
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 inventories four logbooks for YMS-321 spanning 25 October 1943 - 30 June 1945 (entry reads 'YMS-321 | Oct. 25, 1943-June 30, 1945 | 4'). Coverage begins at commissioning and ends mid-1945 - the WWII deck-log record for this hull exists in NARA custody (RG 24, College Park).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Crew of YMS-321, Oct 1943-Jun 1945 (personnel named in logs)
- Limitations
- Inventory entry only - establishes that four logbooks exist covering the stated span, not their contents and not post-1945 logs (SL44 covers through 1947; this hull's listed coverage stops at 30 June 1945). The logbooks are physical holdings, not digitized; no page-level examination performed. ACPL mirror is a scan of the published NARA finding aid, not an archives.gov URL.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-04
-
[6]NARA Catalog digitized records for this hull: 'YMS-321' muster rolls, NAID 193035756 (RG 24, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1939-1949 - 202 scanned images via Ancestry collaboration); 'USS YMS-321 - War Diary, 10/1-31/44', NAID 139765309 (RG 38, WWII War Diaries - 31 scans via Fold3, Micro Serial 98585); 'Activity Number 0204 0015 - GROUSE (YMS-321 / AMS-15 / MSCO-15) - 1952', NAID 99921482 (RG 24, Muster Rolls and Personnel Diaries - 67 scans via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAIDs 193035756, 139765309, 99921482
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized NARA holdings for this hull located in the Catalog: the WWII muster-roll file for YMS-321 (crew rosters by reporting period); the ship's October 1944 war diary (covers the Guam-Saipan-Tinian operations period); and a 1952 personnel-diary/activity file filed under all three designations (YMS-321 / AMS-15 / MSCO-15) for the Grouse era. These name individual crew members and describe operations - the population documentation for any later exposure research.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945; 1952
- Population
- YMS-321/Grouse crew members named in rosters (1943-45; 1952)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - muster rolls and war diaries are personnel/operational records, not material or asbestos documentation; contents not examined page-by-page. Muster/war-diary scans are hosted via Ancestry/Fold3 collaboration; catalog.naIds given for direct retrieval. No asbestos content expected or asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - full text extracted via firecrawl (gao.gov blocks direct curl with HTTP 403) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 report body - Navy asbestos-use narrative, applications list, 1973 specification-change discussion
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documents Navy-wide shipboard asbestos use spanning this hull's era: 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' (1979); thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping was 'the major application of asbestos'; and even after thermal-insulation substitution, asbestos remained in shipboard applications including electrical resistors in Navy electronic equipment, deck tiling, electric cabling in Navy galley ranges, piping-system gaskets and packing, and 'brakes and clutches' in Navy ship equipment. Product specifications for asbestos-free thermal insulation were not complete until late 1973, and insulated ships already under construction continued to delivery with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979 (report); covers pre-1973 materials era
- Population
- Navy shipboard crews and yard workers, pre-1973 materials era
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - YMS-321 is not named, and the shipyards studied were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards (builder Al Larson Boat Shop is not covered). The report postdates this hull's 1963 destruction; it documents the era's materials environment in which a 1942-43 minesweeper was built and maintained. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (wooden minesweeper, 296 t, 136'); NavSource specifications (2 x GM 8-268A diesels, reduction gear, 2 shafts); MA BUAR vessel details (wood hull, geared diesels, 1,000 shp); GAO HRD-80-2 shipboard applications list (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; MA BUAR vessel details; GAO HRD-80-2 applications list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel-powered motor minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, but her non-steam plant narrows the plausible applications: no boilers or steam turbines means no boiler/turbine lagging pathway. Era-standard asbestos uses consistent with her documented equipment are thermal/acoustic insulation and exhaust lagging around the GM diesels and machinery spaces; piping-system gaskets and packing; brake and clutch linings in deck machinery including the minesweeping winches; electrical insulation and resistors; and interior finish materials such as deck tile and galley cabling. The confined 136-ft hull and small crew spaces are consistent with the close-quarters exposure pattern documented for era small craft.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- Al Larson construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-63); reserve-training populations (1958-63); September 1963 salvage/disposal personnel
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for YMS-321/Grouse. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The hull burned to the waterline in 1963 - any combustible ACM would not survive aboard the wreck.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-07
-
[9]Batch-8950 search ledger (this record): DANFS live; NavSource live; MA BUAR; NARA Special List 44 scan; NARA Catalog API (3 file units); NVR; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; CourtListener per protocol; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-321-yms321-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming YMS-321 / USS Grouse (AMS-15 / MSC(O)-15) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener sweep completed: 'YMS-321' returned 0 opinion and 0 docket hits; 'Grouse' base queries overflowed on name collisions (675 opinions, 1,458 dockets - surnames, place names, sage-grouse wildlife cases) and asbestos-qualified variants (7 opinions, 70 dockets) were all verified name collisions - including a corporation 'Grouse (Bermuda) Limited' in the Lykes Bros. bankruptcy and a different vessel, M/V Grouse Arrow. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced in secondary sweeps is law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - 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 - a wooden 136-ft sweeper still carried era-standard gasketed, packed, and electrically-insulated equipment. Deck logs exist (SL44: 4 logbooks, Oct 1943-Jun 1945) but are undigitized; builder records for Al Larson Boat Shop are unlocated. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-08
-
[10]Destruction-account cross-check: DANFS ('destroyed by explosives 28 September 1963'); NavSource (repeats explosives 28 Sep); MA BUAR quoting the Boston Sunday Globe (Navy announced burn plans 28 Sep; burned to the waterline 29 Sep; plans to dynamite remaining hull fragments and two diesel engines); Wikipedia infobox variant 'destroyed by explosives 23 September' [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Grouse II; NavSource 11/19321.htm; mass.gov BUAR 'The Shipwreck'/'Salvage' sections; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Grouse_(AMS-15) infobox
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/CONFLICT: sources disagree on how and when this hull was destroyed. DANFS and NavSource record 'destroyed by explosives 28 September 1963'; the MA BUAR file - quoting contemporaneous Boston Globe reporting - records that the Navy announced burning plans on 28 September and the ship burned to the waterline on 29 September, with dynamiting of the remaining hull planned afterward. The Wikipedia infobox variant 'destroyed by explosives 23 September' is contradicted by the dated BUAR/Globe sequence - salvage crews were still aboard and refloat attempts continued through 26 September. Striking date 28 September is consistent across DANFS and NavSource and is carried; the destruction-method conflict is unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1963-09
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating date error and discloses a source conflict, not a material/asbestos claim. Likely reconciliation (burning followed by dynamiting of remnants) is plausible but not confirmed by a single source; attributed exactly as each source states.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-321-yms321-09