Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[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-347-yms347-pkt-1056-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-347 page - construction milestones, specifications, commanding officers, disposal and 1949 merchant registry (verified live) [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS-347 photo archive page - milestone block, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 1 September 1942 by Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, FL; launched 7 January 1943; completed 24 August 1943; commissioned 25 August 1943; struck from the Naval Register 19 June 1946; transferred to the War Shipping Administration 14 February 1948 and sold; registered in 1949 to Gulf Coast Sea Foods, Inc. of Houston, TX as the miscellaneous vessel 'Texas E' out of Houston; fate unknown. Specifications: 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 General Motors 8-268A diesel engines (880 bhp), Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding officers: LT Charles L. Rich USNR (25 Aug 1943 - 22 Jan 1945); LTJG Marvin Bernard Solomon USNR (22 Jan - Aug 1945); LT Emery Lyle Burgess USNR (Aug - Dec 1945); LTJG Malcolm S. Weir USNR (Dec 1945 - 19 Jun 1946). Page states no DANFS history exists for this hull; a photo places YMS-347 at Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 23 May 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1949
- Population
- Gibbs Jacksonville construction trades (1942-43); wartime crew (~32)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track official records but carry no document citations; the 'Texas E' registry and 'fate unknown' statements are unverified against Merchant Vessels of the United States. Commissioning date corroborated independently by the ship's own commissioning record (ev-02); the related secondary compilation uboat.net gives 'commissioned 24 August 1943' - the one-day discrepancy (completion vs. commissioning) is noted. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-01
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[3]USS YMS-347 ship document, 'Deployment summary and operation of YMS-347, 14 December 1943 - 30 March 1945' (crew-compiled voyage and port-of-call record preserved via NavSource, contributor Boyce Sherrill) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource-hosted scan, image 6 on the YMS-347 page (deployment summary, transcribed in full)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own summary documents: placed in commission at USN Receiving Station, Morse St., Jacksonville, FL, 25 August 1943; constructed at the Gibbs Shipbuilding yard, Jacksonville. Departed Norfolk, VA 14 December 1943; arrived Horta, Fayal, Azores 27 December 1943; departed 30 December; arrived Falmouth, England 5 January 1944 (voyage 3,565 n.mi.). Homeward: departed Cherbourg, France 13 February 1945; via Plymouth, Falmouth, and Gibraltar to Norfolk, VA, arriving 30 March 1945 (4,930 n.mi.). Foreign ports called include Rosneath (Scotland), Londonderry (Northern Ireland), Milford Haven (Wales), Falmouth/Saltash/Portsmouth/Portland/Plymouth (England), and on the French coast 'Omaha Beachhead "D" Day June 6, 1944' and 'Utah Beachhead "D" Day June 6, 1944' plus Cherbourg, St. Vaast, St. Brieuc, Paimpol, St. Malo, Granville, Dinard, Le Havre, and Gibraltar. U.S. ports: Jacksonville, Mayport, Charleston, Little Creek, Norfolk, Key West.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-25 to 1945-03-30 (document coverage)
- Population
- Wartime crew (~32 officers and enlisted)
- Limitations
- A crew-compiled summary document preserved by a former crewmember, not an official action report: it establishes presence at both Omaha and Utah beachheads on D-Day but does not itemize the ship's unit assignment, sweep lanes, or tasking - official squadron records would be needed to confirm specific sweeping duties. Post-March-1945 operations are outside the document's stated coverage window and are not documented by it. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-02
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[4]National Archives, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, p. 520 ('Ships with Symbol and Number Designations') - YMS-347 logbook inventory (scan verified via ACPL Genealogy Center mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 printed page 520 (ACPL Genealogy Center scan image 552 of the narasl44 series)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 inventories FOUR logbooks for YMS-347 covering two date spans: Aug. 27 - Oct. 29, 1943 AND Dec. 14, 1943 - June 30, 1945. The first span opens two days after commissioning (fitting-out/shakedown period in home waters); the second opens on the documented departure date from Norfolk for the transatlantic crossing (14 Dec 1943). The period Oct. 30 - Dec. 13, 1943 is NOT inventoried - a log gap in the NARA-held series.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-27 to 1945-06-30 (inventoried coverage)
- Population
- Wartime crew during the logged periods
- Limitations
- This is a logbook inventory, not the logs themselves: no log page was examined in this session, and the inventory alone establishes only that NARA held these logbooks as of the 1978 compilation. The Oct. 30 - Dec. 13, 1943 gap may reflect a lost logbook or a period logged elsewhere - unresolved. The batch assignment described the coverage as '8/27/1943-10/29/1943' only; the verified entry carries both spans. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-03
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[5]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11:3 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3), 1987
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used pervasively across U.S. shipyards during WWII - including the small craft yards that built the 561 wood-hulled YMS-type minesweepers - for insulation, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing, with federal recognition of asbestos hazards but limited protective controls in practice.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- WWII shipyard trades and crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Era- and industry-level scholarship, not a hull record: the article does not name YMS-347, Gibbs Gas Engine Co., or the YMS type, and does not itemize which asbestos products (if any) were fitted aboard this class. Wood-hulled diesel minecraft carried no boilers or steam plant, so their asbestos-relevant footprint was materially smaller than steam-driven types - class/era inference only. Does not establish presence, quantity, individual exposure, or causation aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-04
-
[6]NavSource Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) / British Motor Minesweeper (BYMS) index - class design data and service narrative; plus Hobart Hughes, 'Saga of a YMS,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, January 1948 (YMS-238 machinery account) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource YMS/BYMS index narrative and class data block; USNI Proceedings Vol. 74/1/539 (Jan 1948), 'power plant' passage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class design context: the YMS-1 type was a 136-foot wooden-hulled auxiliary motor minesweeper; 561 were built at 35 U.S. yacht yards (not major shipyards) between 1941-45 for inshore sweeping to prepare amphibious assaults. Main propulsion was two General Motors 8-268A diesel engines on two shafts (design 880 shp); a period first-person account of sister ship YMS-238 describes the type's plant as two GM main diesels, a third diesel direct-connected to the LL magnetic-sweep generator, and two Hercules 30-kW auxiliary diesels - an all-diesel craft with no boilers or steam system. Designed for 'adjacent waters,' the type nevertheless made transatlantic and transpacific passages under its own power.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (design/build era)
- Population
- Class-wide crews and yacht-yard construction trades (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design-level context, not a hull record: it supports the design conclusion that YMS-347 carried no steam plant or boiler insulation (the largest asbestos-relevant systems of the era), but says nothing about what materials were actually fitted aboard this specific hull. The USNI account describes YMS-238 specifically; the class was built to a common design, but builder-level variations are possible. NavSource index figures (320 t, complement 33) differ slightly from the ship-page figures - unmerged, noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-05
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[7]The National WWII Museum, 'The First Ships of Operation Neptune' (June 4, 2021) - Operation Neptune minesweeping force account, including the YMS LL-magnetic-gear role (NHHC-credited photography) [museum_official]
- Locator
- National WWII Museum article, Operation Neptune minesweeping-force section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Operational context for the ship-documented D-Day presence: Operation Neptune relied on a force of over 300 Allied minesweepers to clear 10 approach channels from England to France ahead of the assault; YMS-type craft trailed LL magnetic sweep gear against bottom mines and swept ahead of the invasion fleet. The crew-documented presence of YMS-347 at both Omaha and Utah beachheads on 6 June 1944 is consistent with the documented role of YMS sweeping groups covering the fire-support channels between the two American beaches.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-06-05/06 (Operation Neptune)
- Population
- Minesweeper crews of the Neptune force (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/era context only: the article does not name YMS-347 and does not document her specific unit, lanes, or tasking on D-Day - it establishes the operational setting into which the ship's own port list places her. Does not establish any asbestos-relevant fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-06
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[8]United States v. Gibbs Corp., 204 F. Supp. 705 (S.D. Fla. 1962, Civ. No. 4622) - DOL Bureau of Labor Standards safety-violation inspections of the Gibbs ship-repair facility, foot of Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville (1960-61) [court_record]
- Locator
- 204 F. Supp. 705, findings 4-7 (CourtListener opinion 8752576)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A 1962 federal decision documents that the Gibbs Corporation operated a ship-repairing facility at the foot of Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, and that Department of Labor safety consultants conducted repeated inspections of the facility in 1960-61, reporting 121 violations of the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act safety regulations. The Gibbs builder yard therefore has a documented federal inspection file - an archival lead for builder-level working conditions nearly two decades after this hull was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1960-1962
- Population
- Gibbs Jacksonville repair-yard workforce, 1960-61 (builder context)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard context only, nearly 20 years post-construction: the case concerns 1960-61 ship-REPAIR safety conditions, not the 1942-43 construction of this hull, and contains no asbestos finding. Does not establish anything about materials aboard YMS-347. OSHA asbestos citations surfaced for 'Jacksonville Shipyards Inc.' (750 E. Bay St.) belong to a DIFFERENT company and were excluded as a name collision - not evidence about this builder.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-07
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[9]Batch-8978 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (no entry exists - NavSource states 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-347'; NHHC site search confirms no page); Naval Vessel Register (hull disposed 1948, pre-1987 exclusion - no entry exists); NARA Special List 44 (hit, p.520); NARA Catalog deck-log digital objects (JS-rendered, unreachable this session); CourtListener API v4 (exact-name opinion query completed count=0; remaining 3 base queries fleet-blocked - see sl-07 through sl-10); shipyards.json yard dataset (no Gibbs/Jacksonville yard entry exists) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-347-01 through sl-uss-yms-347-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or asbestos opinion naming YMS-347 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger); the CourtListener opinion index returned zero hits for the exact-name base query while the docket index went unchecked this session (fleet-blocked - not a negative result). No DANFS entry exists for this hull; NVR carries no entry (pre-1987 disposal); Special List 44 is the authoritative log inventory and it contains no materials content.
- 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 1943 wooden diesel craft still carried era-consistent gaskets, packing, and insulation materials whose content is undocumented for this hull. Litigation coverage is partial: one of four CourtListener base queries completed (zero opinion hits); RECAP docket coverage is a logged gap, not a negative result. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-347-08
