Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 1056-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-346-yms346-pkt-1056-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images - U.S. Navy Ships: 'USS YMS-346 (1943-1948)' (page dated 31 December 2003; ibiblio/HyperWar verbatim mirror of the official NHC page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Online Library of Selected Images, USN Ships X-Y-Z section, page yms346.htm (NHC page dated 31 December 2003)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHC narrative for this hull, verbatim: 'USS YMS-346, a 245-ton auxiliary motor minesweeper built at Jacksonville, Florida, was commissioned in August 1943. She crossed the Atlantic late in the year and spent all of 1944 operating in the English Channel area. After returning to the U.S. in early 1945, the minesweeper went to the Pacific in mid-year, then voyaged onward to Okinawa, where she arrived well after Japan's surrender. She served briefly in Japanese and Philippine waters before being placed out of commission at the beginning of May 1946. YMS-346 was stricken from the Navy register in June 1946. Though considered for transfer to China, this was not carried out and she was sold in October 1948.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Gibbs construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. The entry is the NHC's single-page ship entry (this page features 'our only view of USS YMS-346'); it gives no yard name, no squadron assignment, and no day-level dates for commissioning/stricken/sale - those come from other rows. NHC's '245-ton' figure conflicts with the 270 t design and 320-ton full-load figures elsewhere - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, NH Series photograph NH 98999 - 'USS YMS-346' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC NH Series, NH 98999 catalog entry (live)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NHHC collections database holds one published photograph of this hull (the NHC ship entry notes it is 'our only view of USS YMS-346'): 'USS YMS-346 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, 14 November 1943. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command.' Places this hull at the Norfolk Navy Yard during her work-up period between commissioning (16 Aug 1943) and the late-1943 Atlantic crossing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-11-14
- Population
- Crew and any yard trades during the November 1943 Norfolk availability/visit
- Limitations
- Physical-presence documentation only: a photo dated 14 November 1943 at the Norfolk Navy Yard establishes presence, not what work (if any) was performed there - it is not an availability or overhaul record. No asbestos content. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-04.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-346 (page 11/19346) - milestone timeline, specifications, call sign NQMX, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19346.htm header block, specifications block, and NH 98999 caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and specifications for this hull: laid down 24 August 1942 by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, FL; launched 5 January 1943; completed and commissioned 16 August 1943; decommissioned May 1946; struck from the Naval Register 19 June 1946; 'Transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission in October 1948 and sold. Fate unknown.' Call sign Nan-Queen-Mike-Xray. Specs: 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 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Page states explicitly: 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-346.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Gibbs construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46); post-sale private owner (1948-?, fate unknown)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates track NVR/NHC practice and the day-level stricken date (19 June 1946) is consistent with NHC's 'June 1946'. Spec conflicts with the official 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' class block (draft 8' vs 6'1"; speed 15 vs 13 kts; complement 32 vs 33; engine hp 2x880 bhp vs 500 h.p.) are carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos content. Live page verified on .net 2026-10-04 (navsource.org is dead).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-03
-
[5]National Archives, Special List 44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (ship-number edition PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 119, row 'YMS-346 8/20/1943 7/31/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 (ship-number edition, PDF page 119) inventories one U.S. Navy logbook span for YMS-346: begin 8/20/1943, end 7/31/1945 - documenting WWII Navy deck logs for this hull inside the 1930-1986 study window. The row carries no other-name and no notes. The coverage start (20 Aug 1943) is four days after NavSource's commissioning date (16 Aug 1943) and matches the crew-family site's date for the crew's departure from Jacksonville.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-20 to 1945-07-31
- Population
- Crew (deck-log period)
- Limitations
- Log-coverage dates, not commissioning/decommissioning milestones: the inventory documents that logbooks exist covering 8/20/1943-7/31/1945. No logs are inventoried for the fitting-out period before 20 Aug 1943 or for the Aug 1945-May 1946 post-surrender Pacific period. The logs are physical records (Special List 44 covers holdings through 1947); a National Archives Catalog search surfaced no digitized item for this hull - digitization status unverified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-04
-
[6]'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' minecraft section (Naval Historical Division publication; ibiblio/HyperWar transcription) - YMS type description and class spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-dm.html, 'YMS -- Motor Minesweepers' section and class spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class/type documentation: 'The wood-hulled YMS proved to be one of the U.S. Navy's more durable and versatile types through a quarter-century of service, filling a variety of roles for a number of navies. All 481 ships of this type had the same general characteristics. The only significant variation within the type was one of appearance; YM-1 through 134 had two stacks, YMS-135 through 445, 480, and 481 had one, while YMS-446 through 479 had none. Originally rated as service craft, they were used during World War II for inshore sweeping to prepare the way for amphibious assaults.' YMS-346 falls in the one-stack subclass (YMS-135 through -445). Class spec block: displacement 320 tons (full); length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 6'1"; speed 13 knots; armament 1 3"/50, 2 20mm, 2 depth charge tracks + 2 extensions, 2 depth charge projectors; complement 4 officers + 29 crew; diesel engines, twin screws, 500 h.p.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1969 (type service life)
- Population
- YMS-type construction trades and crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Type/class-level documentation, not a hull record - confirms the wood-hulled construction, the diesel propulsion type, the subclass (one stack) covering this hull, and the WWII inshore-sweeping role for amphibious assaults; does not name this vessel. Its figures are class nominal figures: draft 6'1", speed 13 kts, complement 33, and 500 h.p. conflict with NavSource's per-hull spec block - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-05
-
[7]MCDOA (Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officers' Association), 'The Minesweeping Operation June 5-6 1944' - Operation NEPTUNE order of battle of the MS flotillas [other_primary]
- Locator
- MCDOA Operation Neptune minesweeping page, 'Order of Battle of the MS Flotillas' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Flotilla-level order of battle for the Normandy assault minesweeping: alongside the Fleet Minesweeping Flotillas, BYMS flotillas and MMS flotillas, the 'YMS Flotillas (US) - Y1 and Y2' swept the inshore assault channels under Operation NEPTUNE on 5-6 June 1944; 'the British YMS, YMS (US) and British Motor Minesweepers ... were given the role to sweep the inshore areas, especially the boat lanes between the transport ... areas'. Combined with the NHC entry ('all of 1944 operating in the English Channel area') and the crew-family account placing this hull in 'Yoke Squadron Y2', this is the operational context for her 1944 service - but no source consulted names YMS-346 in an assault-wave role.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- US YMS flotilla crews (class/flotilla context)
- Limitations
- Order-of-battle context only: the OOB names flotillas (Y1, Y2), not individual hulls; this row does not establish that YMS-346 swept on D-Day itself. The squadron assignment comes from a family compilation (see ev-07), and the NHC entry documents only 'English Channel area' operations for 1944. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-06
-
[8]Crew-family archive site minesweeperyms346.com - wartime letters, crew photographs, and posts compiled from a YMS-346 crewman's letters home and a family-written book ('We Have Been') [other_primary]
- Locator
- minesweeperyms346.com home, /letters, /crew, and post 'Sinking of the YMS-350 and YMS-304'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Family-compiled primary-material archive for this hull: the site reproduces a crewman's wartime letters (1942-1945), crew photographs (naming Chester Wisniewski, Jack Whiteman, Oscar Bond, Clarence Hansen, Fred White, Clyde Kelly, Mike Macura), and narrative posts. It places YMS-346 in 'Yoke Squadron Y2': sweeping in the Bay of Seine, then the Cherbourg approaches after the port's capture, where on 2 July 1944 'while Dad was sweeping mines outside Cherbourg' squadron sister YMS-350 (also built at Gibbs, four hull numbers later) was mined and sunk; 'two days later the remaining YMSs in the squadron would enter Cherbourg and would have the distinction of being the first US ships to do so.' It also marks 20 August 1943 as the date the crew left Jacksonville - matching the Special List 44 log-coverage start.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- YMS-346 crew (1943-45); Y2 squadron crews
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: a non-official Wix-hosted family site built on a crewman's letters and a family-written book - the underlying letters are primary material but were not independently inspected; squadron and Normandy-detail claims are carried as leads consistent with (not establishing beyond) the official 'English Channel area' narrative. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NHC/NavSource vessel record (wood-hulled YMS-1-class motor minesweeper, GM diesel plant, 1942-43 construction at Gibbs Gas Engine, Jacksonville); official 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' class block (diesel engines, twin screws); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHC Online Library entry; NavSource specifications; 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' class block; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wood-hulled, diesel-driven auxiliary motor minesweeper built in 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel minesweeper of this period were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined machinery spaces. As a diesel-driven wooden vessel she carried no steam plant and no boiler lagging - the boiler/turbine insulation pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and her wood-hulled construction reduced (but did not eliminate) insulation scope relative to steel steam vessels of the era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Gibbs construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46); maintenance trades at Norfolk/yard visits; post-sale civilian crew (1948-?)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-346. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The reduced-insulation framing for a wooden diesel craft is itself inference in the conservative direction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-08
-
[10]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 service era (1943-46).
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-04) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-09
-
[11]Batch-8977 search ledger (this record): NHC Online Library entry (ibiblio mirror); NHHC NH 98999 live photo page; NavSource 11/19346; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' minecraft section; MCDOA NEPTUNE OOB; crew-family archive site; CourtListener (1 of 4 base queries run; opinion query 0 hits; remaining queries blocked by fleet pacing); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-346-01 through -12
- 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-346 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could only be partially searched this session - the exact-name opinion query ('"YMS-346"', type=o) returned 0 hits; the docket query and the unhyphenated-variant queries could not be run because the helper reported the fleet-wide pacing budget momentarily spent on every attempt (six tries over ~45 minutes); logged as blocked/pending in the search ledger, not as a negative result. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource states none available) and NVR carries no entry (disposed 1948, pre-1987 coverage). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no post-sale identity; 'fate unknown' stands.
- 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 (partially blocked, not fully run). The 8/20/1943-7/31/1945 deck logs, any Gibbs yard work packages, and the Foreign Liquidation Commission sale file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-10
-
[12]Designation cross-check: ibiblio 'USN Ships - X-Y-Z Names' index line 'YMS-346 (1943-1948) later renamed Chatterer (AMS-40 and MSC(O)-40)'; NavSource Chatterer (MSC(O) 40) page 11/05040 (ex-YMS-415); NHC YMS-346 entry (sold 1948, no rename) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usnsh-xz.htm index line; NavSource 11/05040.htm designation line and timeline; NHC yms346.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the ibiblio 'USN Ships' index attaches a postwar rename to this hull - 'YMS-346 (1943-1948) later renamed Chatterer (AMS-40 and MSC(O)-40)'. That is a misattribution: USS Chatterer (AMS-40, later MSC(O)-40) was originally YMS-415 - laid down 5 October 1943 by Stadium Yacht Basin Inc., Cleveland, Ohio; commissioned USS YMS-415 1 October 1944; named Chatterer and reclassified AMS-40 on 11 March 1947 (NavSource, verified live 2026-10-04). YMS-346 was never named and never reclassified - the NHC entry has her sold October 1948, fate unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1955 (misattribution window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating index-level misattribution, not a material claim - the underlying NHC YMS-346 page itself makes no Chatterer claim; only the index's link annotation does. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-11
-
[13]shipbuildinghistory.com (T. Colton), Gibbs Gas Engine / Aerojet-General yard table, Jacksonville FL - YMS-346 build row and disposition claim; NHC YMS-346 entry (controlling disposition) [other_primary]
- Locator
- gibbs.htm row 'YMS 346 ... 16-Aug-43 ... To China 1948, struck 1976'; NHC yms346.htm final sentence; NavSource disposal line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the shipbuildinghistory.com Gibbs yard table corroborates the build facts - YMS-346, US Navy minesweeper, 320d GT, 136 ft, delivered 16-Aug-43, lead hull of the yard's YMS-346 to YMS-357 block - but gives her disposition as 'To China 1948, struck 1976'. The Naval Historical Center entry for this hull states the opposite: 'Though considered for transfer to China, this was not carried out and she was sold in October 1948' (via the State Department Foreign Liquidation Commission, per NavSource). The China transfer was planned, not executed; 'struck 1976' has no documented referent for this hull and is not carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1948 (disposition window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-table disposition error against the official NHC narrative. The yard table is secondary compilation (valuable for build data, fallible on dispositions - compare the YMS-350 row's 'Mined off Normandy and lost 1944', which IS consistent with other sources). What became of the hull after the October 1948 FLC sale remains undocumented - 'fate unknown' stands. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-346-12