Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 1055-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-340-yms340-pkt-1055-packet-md
-
[2]National Archives, Special List #44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, ship-number ordering [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List #44 ship-number PDF, p. 119 (YMS-340: single entry, 10/30/1943-6/30/1945); digitization status per https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 inventories ONE deck-log volume held for YMS-340: coverage 10/30/1943 - 6/30/1945 (RG 24 deck logs, National Archives at College Park). The coverage window opens on her completion/commissioning date (30 October 1943); it closes mid-service - the ship remained operational through at least October 1945 (Tubbataha Reef grounding) and was not struck until June 1947, so the 6/30/1945 cutoff is an inventory boundary, not an end-of-service marker. The same 6/30/1945 terminal date appears for dozens of YMS hulls in the list. YMS-340 does not appear on NARA's list of digitized deck logs in the National Archives Catalog (the digitized YMS entries are hulls later named under the AMS/MSC(O) program); the logs are an undigitized primary record of her commissioned career through mid-1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Crew and officers keeping the logs (1943-1945)
- Limitations
- Inventory listing only - establishes that deck logs exist and their date coverage, not their content. Log coverage is not proof of commissioning/decommissioning dates. The deck logs themselves are undigitized (not on the NARA online list); no page-level content reviewed this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-340 - construction/milestone timeline, specifications, and NH 96175 photograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19340.htm header block, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: 'Laid down 24 March 1943 by the Seattle Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Seattle, WA; Launched 26 June 1943; Completed 30 October 1943; Struck from the Naval Register 10 June 1947; Transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission 29 December 1947 and sold; Fate unknown.' Call sign Nan-Queen-Item-Queen. Specifications: 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 currently available for YMS-340.' No commanding-officer list is carried for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Construction trades at Seattle Shipbuilding (1943); crew (1943-47)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR-style data. Contains no asbestos or material content. Spec figures differ from the class index (270t/32/15 kts here vs 320t/33/12 kts class-level; see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS YMS-340 (YMS-340) - build/milestone data plus four action-report-sourced combat operations [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/9760 data block and 'Notable events' sections (24 Mar 1945, 1 May 1945, 10 Jun 1945, 20 Jun 1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net data block: built by Seattle Ship Building and Dry Dock Co. (Seattle, Washington); ordered 11 April 1942; laid down 24 March 1943; launched 26 June 1943; commissioned 30 October 1943; stricken 10 June 1947; sold 29 December 1947. Four 'notable events' transcribed from official action reports place this hull in combat minesweeping: (1) Cebu landings, Operation Victor II, 24-28 March 1945 - Task Unit 78.2.9 minesweeping unit, eight YMS under Lt. G.L. O'Neil (YMS-68); the unit swept area 'Orchestra' and the Olango Channel with negative results and swept the southern approaches to Cebu Harbour; (2) Tarakan, Operation Oboe I, 1 May 1945 - TG 78.1.5 minesweeping unit of eleven YMS; on 2 May camouflaged batteries at Cape Djoeata sank USS YMS-481 and damaged USS YMS-334 and YMS-364, while 'USS YMS-51 and USS YMS-340 which were also sweeping in the area were not hit'; at 1635 2 May YMS-340 and YMS-364 put wounded men from the YMS engagement aboard USS Rocky Mount; (3) Brunei, Operation Oboe VI, 10 June 1945 - Minesweeping Group TG 78.1.5 (Lt.Cdr. T.R. Fonick, COMMINDIV 34, USS Sentry), YMS-340 in Sweep Unit Three (TU 78.1.53) with YMS-4, YMS-39, YMS-365; (4) Lutong landings, 20 June 1945 - on 21 June TU 76.20.50 returned to Brunei Bay screened by seven minesweepers including YMS-340. Throughout, her commanding officer is listed as Lt. P. Schminke, USNR. Sources cited: action reports of COMTASKGR 74.3 and COMTASKGR 78.2 (Cebu), CTG 78.1 (Oboe VI), CTU 76/20.50 (Lutong).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Crew under Lt. P. Schminke USNR (Mar-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a specialist secondary database compiling official records - the event narratives are transcriptions of Navy action reports but the underlying reports were not independently pulled this session. The TG 78.x series places her under Seventh Fleet (VII Amphibious Force) operational control for these landings. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-03
-
[5]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Seattle Shipbuilding' yard vessel list - builder's production record; corroborated by navalmarinearchive.com YMS/BYMS builder table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/seattle.htm YMS 340 row; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/ym.html YMS 340 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's production table lists YMS 340 as a U.S. Navy minesweeper, 278 deadweight tons, delivered 30-Oct-43, disposition 'Sold 1947'. The page carries an important yard disambiguation: 'Seattle Shipbuilding & Drydocking Company, not to be confused with the big yard of a similar name which subsequently became Todd Seattle, was started by Fred Bianco in the 1930s and closed in the 1950s. The yard was at 2629 NW 54th Street, in Ballard.' The yard also built sister minesweepers YMS-334 through YMS-341 (plus BYMS-21 through -24) - YMS-340's block mates. Corroborated independently at navalmarinearchive.com's YMS/BYMS table: 'YMS 340 | Seattle [Shipbuilding] | Seattle WA | 136 | 320 | 30-Oct[-43] | Sold private 1947.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Seattle Shipbuilding construction trades, Ballard yard (1943)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary yard registers compiled from yard and government records, not primary construction files. Tonnage figures differ by convention (278d deadweight vs 320 in the other table vs 270 t. displacement on the NavSource hull page - different measures; see gaps). 'Sold private 1947' vs 'Foreign Liquidation Commission' wording varies between compilations. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-04
-
[6]U.S. Navy Photo NH 96175 (Naval Historical Center), hosted with caption on NavSource 11/19340 - 'Copied from the War Diary, Manus Naval Base, November 1944' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19340.htm photo block, NH 96175 caption; uswarships.jounin.jp/yms2.htm YMS-340 row (damage-date corroboration)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An official Navy photograph documents this hull damaged by the Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands: 'Four motor minesweepers (YMS) alongside the starboard side of USS Mindanao (ARG-3) shortly after Mount Hood [AE 11] blew up about 350 yards away from Mindanao's port side. These wooden minesweepers were protected from most of the direct force of the blast by Mindanao's hull, but received some damage. USS YMS-340 is second from the left. Note that her open bridge bulwarks have been blown down. Also note differing types of retracting accoustic [sic] "hammer box" mountings on the bows of these ships.' Mount Hood blew up on 10 November 1944; the photo was copied into the War Diary, Manus Naval Base, November 1944, and is credited to the Naval Historical Center.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-11
- Population
- Crew aboard during the Seeadler Harbor explosion (10 Nov 1944); any repair trades at Manus Naval Base
- Limitations
- Caption-level documentation: establishes presence at Manus and blast damage (blown-down bulwarks) on/about 10 November 1944, not the extent of repair work. The NHHC numerical photo page (NH-96175) returned 404 on live check 2026-10-04 - NHHC link rot; the caption as transcribed by NavSource is the accessible text. The 10 Nov 1944 damage date is corroborated by a secondary compilation (uswarships.jounin.jp). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-05
-
[7]Glendale News-Press / Los Angeles Times, obituary of Robert L. Harrington (d. 22 May 2013), naval officer aboard YMS-340 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Glendale News-Press via latimes.com, 'Robert L. Harrington May 22, 2013' (published 24 May 2013)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A published obituary documents a named officer aboard this hull: Robert L. 'Bob' Harrington 'served as a naval officer aboard a minesweeper, the YMS 340, in World War II, primarily engaged in action in the South Pacific,' and 'was awarded a Navy Medal of Commendation for his participation in the rescue of survivors of the YMS 481 that sank during the invasion of Tarakan Island, in May of 1944, in Borneo.' The Tarakan rescue detail independently corroborates the action-report record: YMS-481 was sunk by the Cape Djoeata batteries on 2 May 1945 and YMS-340 transferred wounded survivors to USS Rocky Mount that afternoon (see ev-03).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Lt.(jg)/Ens. Robert L. Harrington and shipmates (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Family-supplied obituary. The printed year 'May of 1944' is wrong by one year - the Tarakan invasion and YMS-481 sinking occurred 1-2 May 1945, not 1944; the underlying event is real, the obituary date is a typo (flagged in gaps). Establishes one individual's service aboard and the award, not material content. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-06
-
[8]USS Gillette (DE-681) veterans' archive ('The Fighting Blade' Archive), 'Rescue at Sea' - firsthand photographs and narrative of the October 1945 Tubbataha Reef grounding [other_primary]
- Locator
- ussgillette.wordpress.com 'Rescue at Sea' (5 Jan 2010) - narrative and photo set rescue1-4.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A destroyer-escort veterans' site documents a post-war-coverage incident for this hull: 'In October of 1945, the Gillette received an urgent call from the USS Thomas (DE-420), standing by the YMS-340 (Motor Minesweeper) which ran hard aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea.' Crew-taken photographs show YMS-340 listing and hard aground ('wading knee deep in the water'); after the rescue 'the Gillette escorted the YMS-340 and Navy Tug Vireo to Manila.' This is the latest documented operational event located for this hull - she remained in service months after her deck-log coverage ends (30 June 1945).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-10
- Population
- YMS-340 crew during the grounding and tow to Manila (Oct 1945); USS Thomas (DE-420) and USS Gillette (DE-681) crews
- Limitations
- Veterans' association blog publishing crew photographs - firsthand images but informal narrative, not an official record; the grounding date is given only as 'October of 1945' and no casualty, refloating, or repair record was located. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-07
-
[9]NavSource Online: Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) / British Motor Minesweeper (BYMS) Index - class description and class-level specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class narrative and 'Auxiliary Motor Minesweepers (YMS-1 to YMS-481)' specification block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- 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' - 561 yard minesweepers were built at 35 U.S. yacht yards (12 East Coast, 19 West Coast, 4 Great Lakes) beginning with YMS-1, laid down 4 March 1941 at Henry B. Nevins, Inc., City Island, NY. YMS-135 through -445, 480 and 481 (which includes this hull) carried one stack. Class-level specifications on the index: length overall 136', extreme beam 24'6", displacement 320 tons, max draft 6'1", complement 33, one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount and two 20mm mounts, designed speed 12 knots, General Motors 8-268A diesel engines on two shafts, designed shaft horsepower 880. Surviving YMS were reclassified as AMS and given bird names in 1947 - YMS-340, struck in June 1947 and disposed overseas via the FLC that December, never received one.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1947
- Population
- Class-wide construction and crew populations (1941-1969)
- Limitations
- Class-level description only - names the type's shared characteristics, not anything specific to hull 340 beyond her place in the single-stack production group. Spec figures differ from the hull-page values (320t/33/12 kts here vs 270t/32/15 kts on the hull page; see gaps). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource class index (wood-hulled YMS type); NavSource/uboat.net hull data (two GM 8-268A diesels, reduction gear, two shafts - no steam plant); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-use documentation (ev-10); NARA asbestos research guide record-pathway (ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19idx.htm class description; NavSource 11/19340.htm propulsion spec; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NARA asbestos guided-topic page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wood-hulled, diesel-driven minesweeper delivered in October 1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications on a small wooden diesel combatant of this type and period were diesel-exhaust and muffler lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, machinery gaskets and valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - and her wood hull and small machinery spaces imply a substantially smaller insulation footprint than a steam combatant.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Seattle Shipbuilding construction trades (1943); engine-room and maintenance crew (1943-47); any yard/base trades during availabilities (Manus Naval Base blast-damage repair, Nov 1944; post-grounding repair after Oct 1945 Tubbataha event); unknown post-sale handlers (1947+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-340. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no ship-proven presence. The small craft's reduced systems footprint makes the inference weaker than for steam-powered hulls of the same era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-09
-
[11]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 (1943) and service era (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, re-confirmed 2026-10-04 - same standing defect as Batches 01/98/8941/8949) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-10
-
[12]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - official NARA research guide to Navy asbestos records [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos - 'Beginning Research' and RG 19 correspondence sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official asbestos research guide identifies the record series where hull-specific asbestos material would be documented: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) general/confidential/secret correspondence 1940-1961, filed by hull designation - for this hull, 'YMS340' - with ship-class correspondence under the namesake's code and type-level correspondence under 'YMS'; plus private-yard correspondence filed 'QM/<yard name>' - for this hull's builder, QM/Seattle Shipbuilding and Dry Dock - which 'should include the correspondence between the Bureau of Ships and the particular yard.' These series are undigitized physical holdings; none were retrieved or reviewed this session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940-1961 (coverage of cited series)
- Limitations
- A research pathway, not a finding - the guide documents where hull-level BuShips material records would live; it does not state that any asbestos document exists for YMS-340. RG 19/YMS340 and QM/Seattle Shipbuilding files unreviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-11
-
[13]Batch-8971 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 and digitized-log list; NHHC DANFS (no entry exists); NavSource hull page and class index; uboat.net action-report transcriptions; shipbuildinghistory and navalmarinearchive yard tables; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization roster (Wayback; hull absent - Seventh Fleet service); NHHC NH-96175 photo page (404); NARA asbestos research guide; NVR; VA/BVA search; CourtListener base queries (partial - fleet pacing); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-340-01 through sl-uss-yms-340-19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, VA/BVA decision, or docketed case naming YMS-340 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener status is PARTIAL: two of four base queries completed - exact-name opinion returned zero hits and exact-name docket returned zero hits; the hull-number opinion and hull-number docket base queries remained blocked by fleet pacing at session end - logged blocked, not negative. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case or law-firm listicle content naming 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 - it is consistent with both genuinely light insulation fit and simple non-digitization of small-craft records. CourtListener coverage is incomplete this session (fleet pacing); undigitized deck logs (RG 24, coverage ends mid-service 6/30/1945), RG 19 BuShips hull/class correspondence, and QM/Seattle Shipbuilding yard files remain open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-340-12