USS YMS-353

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]research packet 1057-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-353-yms353-pkt-1057-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Naval History, YMS-353 page (Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive; compiled from official Navy records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   YMS-353 page - construction/service chronology, specifications block, commanding-officer roster, DANFS-availability note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity and service record for this hull: YMS-1 class auxiliary motor minesweeper; laid down 15 January 1943 by the Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, FL; launched 20 May 1943; 'Completed 9 November 1943 and commissioned USS YMS-353'; struck from the Naval Register 3 July 1946; 'Transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission 15 October 1947; sold to Thailand and named Ta Dindeng'; fate unknown. Served the Navies of the United States and Thailand. Spec block: 270 t.; 136' x 24'6" x 8'; 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-Queen-Tare-Baker. Commanding officer listed: LTJG R. V. Bovbjerg, USNR, 1945. Page states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-353'; no photograph held.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1964

   Population

   Crew (complement 32)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a private archival compilation of official Navy data, not a government publication; no DANFS entry exists for this hull (NHHC candidate URL 404s; NavSource states no history record is available), so narrative details rest on this compilation. Its '880bhp' phrasing conflicts with class references (2 x 440 bhp = 880 total) and the official BuShips 1,000 shp class figure - flagged in gaps. Page carries no awards line despite the official NAVPERS 15,790 campaign credit - noted. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-01

3. [3]U.S. Navy Department, Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Volume III, NAVSHIPS 250-012 - official publication, digitized scan at shipscribe.com [other_primary]

   Locator

   p. 541, Motor Mine Sweepers (YMS) construction table, row 'YMS353' (builder via ditto chain to 'Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, Fla.'); class footnote 'Wood construction'; text extracted via pdftotext -layout

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official Navy characteristics-register row naming this hull: BuShips 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Vol. III, Motor Mine Sweepers (YMS) construction table, p. 541, lists 'YMS353' - length 136'0", breadth 24'6", shaft horsepower 1,000, 'Where and when built or purchased': Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, Fla. (ditto chain resolving from the YMS346/YMS348 entries), Remarks: 'Diesel reduction.' The class carries the footnote '1 Wood construction.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1945 (register coverage)

   Population

   Construction trades (Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville FL, 1943)

   Limitations

   Official BuShips publication - the strongest available construction/machinery source for this hull. The 1945 register records machinery and construction data, not service history, disposal, or materials composition; its 1,000 shaft-horsepower class figure differs from NavSource's '880bhp' spec block - flagged. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-02

4. [4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), Gibbs Gas Engine Works yard table and Yard Minesweepers (YMS) type table [other_primary]

   Locator

   Gibbs yard table, row 'YMS 353' (delivery 9-Nov-43, 'To Thailand 1947 as Tadindeng'); https://shipbuildinghistory.com/us-navy-small/ym/ type table row 'YMS-353 ... to Thailand 1947, discarded'; yard-history narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Builder-yard construction/disposal corroboration: the shipbuildinghistory.com Gibbs Gas Engine Works (Jacksonville FL) yard table lists 'YMS 353 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 9-Nov-43 | To Thailand 1947 as Tadindeng'; the site's Yard Minesweepers type table lists 'YMS-353 | Gibbs Gas Engine | Jacksonville FL | 136 | 320 | 9 Nov 1943 | to Thailand 1947, discarded.' Yard history note: Gibbs Gas Engine Works founded 1911; prolific builder of small wooden and steel vessels in both World Wars (~450 hulls listed); renamed Gibbs Corporation after WWII, primarily ship repair until 1957; sold to Aerojet-General Shipyards 1964; the yard (east end of Prudential Drive) closed for good 1992.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Population

   Construction trades (Gibbs Gas Engine, Jacksonville FL, 1943)

   Limitations

   Secondary scholarly compilation of builder and Navy records, not the records themselves; corroborates the BuShips construction row (Gibbs, Jacksonville) and the 9 Nov 1943 completion. Its 'discarded' disposition is unspecific - no scrap yard, date, or buyer documented. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-03

5. [5]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List #44 (deck-log holdings by ship number) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SL-44 ship-number index, PDF p. 119, YMS-353 row (11/10/1943-6/30/1945); verified by pdftotext extraction of p. 119

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List #44 (Navy deck-log finding aid, indexed by ship number) lists YMS-353 deck logs held at the National Archives covering 11/10/1943 through 6/30/1945 - the day after commissioning through mid-1945. The 10 Nov 1943 log-start date is consistent with the documented 9 Nov 1943 commissioning.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Limitations

   Finding aid only - the deck logs themselves were not retrieved or read, and their contents (stations, operations, any repair/material events) are unknown. Coverage in this index ends 1945-06-30 although the ship served to mid-1946; later log segments, if extant, may sit in other NARA accretions. Not an asbestos record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-04

6. [6]SeaFarer (thaiseafarer.com) Thai naval-museum compilation, HTMS Tadindeng (I) page; sister pages Ladya and Bangkaeo [other_primary]

   Locator

   Tadindang page - identity note ('เดิมชื่อ YMS-353'), characteristics block (hull no. 4, laid down 15 Jan 1943 B.E. 2486, launched 20 May 1943, RTN commission B.E. 2490, RTN decommission B.E. 2507, builder Gibbs Gas Engine Co.); Ladya page (ex-YMS-138); page's own cited sources: Wikipedia, NavSource, Shipbucket

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Thai-service identity and disposition: the SeaFarer Thai naval-museum compilation identifies HTMS Tadindeng (เรือหลวงท่าดินแดง, 'first of the name,' hull number 4) as the former U.S. Navy YMS-353, a YMS-1-class minesweeper - one of three YMS-class boats the Royal Thai Navy received circa 1947 (B.E. 2490). Thai-side dates: commissioned into the RTN 1947 (B.E. 2490), decommissioned 1964 (B.E. 2507). Thai-era fit listed as one QF 12-pounder, two 20 mm guns, two depth-charge rails; two GM 8-268A diesels, 880 hp, twin screws; 41 m x 7.47 m x 2.40 m, 270 t, 15 kts, complement 32. Sister pages identify the other two: YMS-138 became Ladya (hull 2) and YMS-334 became Bangkaeo.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1947-1964

   Population

   Royal Thai Navy crew (1947-1964)

   Limitations

   Thai-language naval-history compilation whose own citation line lists Wikipedia/NavSource/Shipbucket - a corroborating secondary, not a Royal Thai Navy official record. Build data and the 1947 three-boat transfer are internally consistent with NavSource/shipbuildinghistory/klueser; the 1964 decommission (B.E. 2507) and pennant 4 are not verified against an RTN primary record. Post-1964 disposition undocumented. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-05

7. [7]Richard V. Bovbjerg, 'Steaming as Before,' Hamilton Books (24 Mar 2004), ISBN 9780761828501 - publisher page (Bloomsbury) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Publisher page - description and table of contents (chapters on Mayport arrival, Atlantic-coast sweeping/ASW patrols, Charleston-Miami-Havana transit, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, South Pacific, Philippines, Palau liberation)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A published first-person memoir of this specific hull exists: Richard V. Bovbjerg (the LTJG R. V. Bovbjerg, USNR, listed as 1945 commanding officer), 'Steaming as Before,' Hamilton Books, paperback published 24 March 2004, 274 pp., ISBN 9780761828501. Publisher description: the author 'chronicles ... the lives of men aboard a minesweeper, the YMS 353' from Mayport/Jacksonville through Charleston, Miami, Havana, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and 'through the South Pacific to the Philippines in the closing year of World War II,' including the Palau operation, minesweeping and anti-submarine patrols on the Atlantic coast, kamikaze attacks, typhoons, and 'their survival without casualty.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Crew (complement 32)

   Limitations

   A first-person memoir published ~60 years after the events - vivid ship-specific narrative but subject to memory limits; specific dates/positions in it are unverified against the ship's deck logs (NARA SL-44 lead, unretrieved). Establishes Pacific operations including Palau and the Philippines consistent with the official NAVPERS campaign credit. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-06

8. [8]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project, Ray L. Olson Collection, AFC/2001/001/7309 [other_primary]

   Locator

   VHP service summary block (branch Navy; unit YMS 353; location Pacific; 1944; Ensign); collection contents not digitized for review - catalog record only

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Library of Congress Veterans History Project collection naming this hull: the Ray L. Olson Collection (AFC/2001/001/7309) - service summary lists Navy, service unit/ship 'YMS 353,' location of service Pacific, dates of service 1944, highest rank Ensign. An archival personal-narrative collection documenting a named crewman aboard this hull in the Pacific.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Crew member (Ray L. Olson, Ensign, 1944)

   Limitations

   Catalog/finding-aid level record - the collection's contents (memoir, photos, papers) were not reviewed; it independently corroborates Pacific service aboard this hull in 1944 but adds no operational detail. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-07

9. [9]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS YMS-353 page (compiled warship database) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship data table (ordered/laid down/launched/commissioned/history rows); 'Notable events' entry 'Decommissioned in Subic Bay, Philippines' with source footnote '(1) Personal communication'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Compilation chronology: ordered 13 April 1942; laid down 15 January 1943 by Gibbs Gas Engine Co. (Jacksonville, Florida); launched 20 May 1943; commissioned 9 November 1943; 'Stricken on 3 July 1946. Sold on 15 October 1947.' Notable events list carries '1946 - Decommissioned in Subic Bay, Philippines' with source cited as 'Personal communication.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Crew

   Limitations

   Private compiled database; the construction/stricken dates concur with NavSource and shipbuildinghistory. The order date (13 Apr 1942) and especially the Subic Bay decommissioning rest on weaker sourcing - the latter is expressly 'Personal communication,' not a record. Carried as unverified detail; consistent with Pacific service but not documented. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-08

10. [10]U.S. Department of the Navy, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV sec. 2(16) - digitized at HyperWar/ibiblio [other_primary]

    Locator

    Part IV sec. 2(16) ship-list entry 'YMS 353:' (P32-2 4-18 Jan 45; P41-1 29-31 Jan 45); Part III authorized-operations table entries 'Lingayen Gulf landing' (P32-2) and 'Zambales-Subic Bay' (P41-1); caveat memo noted at the Part III header re Lingayen-area listing errors

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Official campaign-credit listing naming this hull: the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV Area Campaign Medals ship list, credits 'YMS 353' with two Asiatic-Pacific operations - 'Lingayen Gulf landing' 4-18 Jan 45 (code P32-2, under the Luzon operation P32, one star for one or more of the listed sub-operations) and 'Zambales-Subic Bay' 29-31 Jan 45 (code P41-1, under Manila Bay-Bicol operations P41). The same Part III list defines the operation names and dates.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1945

    Population

    Crew (complement 32)

    Limitations

    Official awards manual as published in 1953 - primary for the credit listing itself, but the manual has documented errata: the Naval History Division memo attached to the Part III header records discrepancies in the Leyte Gulf/Lingayen Gulf/Mindoro listings and recommends checking against action reports and war diaries. The Lingayen-area credit for this hull is therefore officially listed but not corroborated line-by-line by action reports; consistent with the CO memoir's Philippines narrative. Contains no asbestos information and supports no asbestos claim.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-09

11. [11]BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III YMS construction table (wood hull, diesel, 136 ft) + NavSource YMS-353 specifications block [other_primary]

    Locator

    SDB 1945 v3 p. 536-541 (YMS class table, wood-hull footnote, diesel-reduction remarks); NavSource spec block (GM 8-268A diesels)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Design-level asbestos-relevance inference for this hull type: the YMS-1 class was a wood-hulled craft of 136 ft powered by twin diesel engines with no boilers and no steam plant (documented in the official BuShips Ships' Data 1945: class footnote 'Wood construction,' 'Diesel reduction,' 136' x 24'6"), so the dominant WWII naval-asbestos pathways (boiler insulation, turbine lagging, steam-line lagging) do not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications for a 1943 wooden motor minesweeper of this type are limited to era-typical items: diesel exhaust-system lagging, engine gaskets and packing, electrical insulation/switchboard backing, deck-covering and non-skid compounds, adhesives/mastics, and friction linings on deck machinery.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1943-1964

    Population

    Construction trades (Gibbs Gas Engine, Jacksonville FL, 1943); engine-room crew; any repair crews

    Limitations

    The wood-hull diesel platform is officially documented for the type and for this hull specifically; the list of asbestos-relevant applications is era inference, not documentation - no material survey, specification, or maintenance record names asbestos aboard this hull. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, or individual exposure.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-10

12. [12]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):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this 1943 wooden minesweeper was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across naval and merchant construction.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1940s era documented; article 1987

    Population

    WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, does not address small wooden minecraft specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, condition, exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-11

13. [13]NavSource MSC-301 page (Tadindeng MSC-7); shipbuildinghistory YM table (YMS-63 to France as Tiare D-353); NavSource YMS-353 spec block; BuShips SDB 1945 v3 class row; uboat.net YMS-353 notable-events entry [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource MSC-301 page ('transferred to Thailand and named HTMS Tadindeng (MSC 7). Struck from the Navy Register in 1992'); shipbuildinghistory ym table row YMS-63 ('to France 1944 as Tiare (D 353/D 16/M 656/P 656)'); uboat.net YMS-353 sources footnote

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Identity correction and collision notes: (a) The Royal Thai Navy reused the name Tadindeng - MSC-301, a U.S.-built Bluebird-class (MSC-294 class) coastal minesweeper (Tacoma Boat Building Co., Sturgeon Bay, WI; launched 11 Apr 1964, completed 17 Aug 1965), transferred to Thailand in 1965 as HTMS Tadindeng (MSC-7), struck 1992 - a different, later hull succeeding the ex-YMS-353 Tadindeng (hull 4), which decommissioned in 1964. Same Thai name, different ships. (b) YMS-63, a Gibbs-built sister, went to France in 1944 as Tiare and carried French pennants including D-353 - a '353' appearing as a French pennant resolves to YMS-63, not this hull. (c) Specification conflicts: NavSource 'Two 880bhp' vs class references 2 x 440 bhp (880 total) vs official BuShips class figure 1,000 shaft horsepower; NavSource speed 15 kts vs class references 12-13 kts - flagged, not reconciled. (d) The uboat.net 'decommissioned in Subic Bay, Philippines' (1946) claim is sourced to personal communication only.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1944-1992

    Limitations

    Prevents real indexing errors: merging the two Thai Tadindengs (ex-YMS-353 hull 4 vs MSC-301/MSC-7), or resolving French pennant D-353 to this hull (it is ex-YMS-63 Tiare). No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-12

14. [14]Batch-8985 search ledger (this record): NavSource YMS-353 page; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; shipbuildinghistory Gibbs yard + YM tables; NHHC/DANFS URL check; NARA SL-44 p.119; NAVPERS 15,790 (1953) ship list; uboat.net; thaiseafarer Tadindeng page; LoC VHP; Bloomsbury memoir page; NVR; NavalCoverMuseum; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener API v4 (paced, not executed); web-index litigation fallback [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-353-yms353-01 through sl-uss-yms-353-yms353-16

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or museum record names this hull, and no DANFS entry exists. The hull was sold to Thailand via the Foreign Liquidation Commission in 1947, served the RTN as Tadindeng until 1964, and was discarded - there is no surviving structure, museum custody, or reserve-fleet record from which a survey could be expected. CourtListener litigation searches were attempted but blocked by the fleet-wide request pacing on the research date (see search_ledger); a web-index fallback found no case naming this hull. Litigation status is therefore unverified rather than confirmed negative.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    2026-10-05

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-consistent materials could have been present before the 1947 foreign sale. Litigation coverage is incomplete: the CourtListener opinion/docket base queries could not be executed on 2026-10-05 due to fleet-wide request pacing (~58/hr shared budget momentarily spent on six attempts across ~50 minutes) and remain an open check; the web-index fallback is a weaker instrument than a docket search. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-353-yms353-13