Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 1058-packet.md (2 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: builder/dates/fate not located)
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-yms-363-yms363-pkt-1058-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-363 - construction, casualty note, disposal, specs (live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19363.htm header block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper; laid down 13 November 1942 by the Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, NY; launched 8 June 1943; completed 12 August 1943; 'Damaged by a mine 2 May 1945 north of Tarakan, Borneo'; struck from the Naval Register 19 June 1946; 'Transferred to the State Department, Foreign Liquidation Commission 21 October 1947 and sold'; fate unknown; call sign NLCB (Nan-Charlie-Love-Baker). Spec block: displacement 270 t.; length 136'; beam 24'6"; draft 8'; speed 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. Page states explicitly: 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-363.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Wheeler yard construction trades (1942-43); commissioning crew (Aug 1943); wartime crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/NHC-era data and here agree with uboat.net, the Wheeler yard table, and the official Navy chronology. No photograph of this hull exists in the NavSource archive ('No image of YMS-363 is available at this time'). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-363 (YMS-363), ship 9782 - milestones, commanding officers, and transcriptions of the CTG 78.1 action reports for Operations Oboe I (Tarakan) and Oboe VI (Brunei) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 9782, milestones table, commands table, and 'Notable events' 1 May 1945 (Oboe I / TG 78.1.5) and 10 Jun 1945 (Oboe VI / TU 78.1.52) sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net documents for this hull: ordered 13 April 1942; built by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. (Whitestone, Long Island, NY); laid down 13 November 1942; launched 8 June 1943; commissioned 12 August 1943; stricken 19 June 1946; sold 21 October 1947. Two ship-specific operational records (transcribed CTG 78.1 action-report material): (1) Operation Oboe I, Tarakan landings 1 May 1945 - YMS-363 (Lt. F.A. Struve, Jr., USNR) in Task Group 78.1.5, the minesweeping unit, alongside USS Cofer and ten other YMSs (YMS-51, -68, -73, -313, -314, -329, -334, -340, -364, -481); the group left Leyte 22 April, arrived off Tarakan 27 April, and swept approach tracks through the landings; on 3 May at 1830I YMS-363 departed Tarakan escorting CTG 78.1.92's five-LST group to Morotai (arrived ~1730I/5). (2) Operation Oboe VI, Brunei landings 10 June 1945 - YMS-363 in Task Unit 78.1.52 (Sweep Unit Two, with YMS-51, -68, -73) of the TG 78.1.5 Minesweeping Group under Lt.Cdr. T.R. Fonick, USNR; the minesweeping group swept 34 contact mines off the main Brunei Bay entrance on 7 June and operated the Miri-Lutong minefields through mid-June. The uboat.net commands table also lists James LaRoy Haslam as a wartime commanding officer (dates not stated).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947 (milestones); 1945-04-27 to 1945-06-17 (Borneo operations)
- Population
- Crew under Lt. F.A. Struve, Jr., USNR (Apr-Jun 1945 Borneo operations); CO James LaRoy Haslam (dates unstated)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a curated secondary database (Gudmundur Helgason) - the event narratives transcribe official action-report text but the page itself is not the archival original; the CTG 78.1 report excerpt ends 3 May and does not itself narrate YMS-363's 2 May mine damage (documented separately in the official chronology, ev-03). 'End service' field blank - no decommissioning date given. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-02
-
[4]Robert J. Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (Contemporary History Branch, Naval Historical Center) - Chapter VII, 2 May 1945 entry (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, live verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1945.html, Chapter VII, 2 May 1945 entry; cf. 28-30 April entries for YMS-329, YMS-51, and Jenkins (DD-447) mine damage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy chronology documents the casualty event for this hull: 'Off Tarakan, Borneo, Japanese shore batteries sink motor minesweeper YMS-481 and damage YMS-364, 03°27'N, 117°32'E, and YMS-334, 03°26'N, 117°40'E. YMS-363 is damaged by mine, 03°26'N, 117°32'E.' (2 May 1945 entry). The same chapter records sister sweeps' mine damage in the same operation - YMS-329 damaged by mine off Tarakan 28 April (03°14'N, 117°42'E) and YMS-51 damaged by mine off Tarakan 29 April (03°18'N, 117°33'E) - placing this hull's mine damage inside the Tarakan pre-landing sweep battle in which four of the task unit's ships were hit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-05-02
- Population
- Crew aboard at Tarakan (2 May 1945)
- Limitations
- Documents the fact and position of the mine damage (non-fatal - YMS-363 was underway escorting LSTs to Morotai the following day, 3 May, per the action report in ev-02); does not record extent of damage, casualties aboard, or repair location. The shore-battery sinkings/damage in the same entry are a separate mechanism from YMS-363's mine damage - do not conflate. HyperWar (ibiblio) is a respected transcription mirror of the official Naval Historical Center publication, not the archive original. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-03
-
[5]National Archives Special List #44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (ship-number ordering), PDF page 119 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf p. 119, entry 'YMS-363 8/14/1943 - 10/31/1945'; RG 24 Entry 118 / NAID 581208 series per archives.gov logbook pages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official inventory lists one deck-log entry for YMS-363: coverage 14 August 1943 - 31 October 1945 - spanning essentially her entire commissioned wartime career from two days after completion (12 Aug 1943) through the end of the Pacific war, including the Lingayen, Manila Bay/Corregidor, Visayan, Tarakan, Brunei, and Balikpapan periods. The logs are held at NARA (Record Group 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel deck-log series).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-08-14 to 1945-10-31
- Population
- Crew (1943-1945); names and daily movements inside the undigitized log
- Limitations
- Inventory entry only - the logbook itself is not digitized on the National Archives 'Navy Deck Logs Available Online' listing (checked 2026-10-04; only named ex-YMS vessels - AMS/MSCO conversions - appear there), so its contents are an unexamined primary source. Coverage ends 31 October 1945: the inventoried volume does not cover her postwar minesweeping service (Dec 1945 - Mar 1946 per the campaign-credit compilation, ev-05), her decommissioning, or her striking (19 Jun 1946); a later logbook presumably exists but is not listed in SL-44. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-04
-
[6]Secondary reproduction of U.S. Navy WWII campaign/battle-star data (officialmilitaryribbons.com, 'Navy Ship World War 2 Campaign Battle Stars, YMS 362 to YMS 481') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page block 'YMS 363:' - eleven credit rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A secondary compilation of Navy WWII campaign-credit data lists eleven engagement/operation credits for YMS-363: P32-2 Lingayen Gulf landing (4-18 Jan 1945); P41-1 Zambales-Subic Bay (29-31 Jan 1945); P41-3 Mariveles-Corregidor (14-28 Feb 1945); P41-4 Minesweeping of Manila Bay (24 Feb-15 Apr 1945); P39-2 Visayan Island landings (17-30 Mar 1945); P37-1 Tarakan Island operation (27 Apr-6 May 1945); P37-2 Brunei Bay operation (7-17 Jun 1945); P37-3 Balikpapan operation (4-15 Jul 1945); P207 Minesweeping Operations Pacific (10-18 Dec 1945); P207-26 Yulinkan Bay Area (15 Feb-2 Mar 1946); and P207-28 Yangtze River Approaches (1-2 Mar 1946) - a continuous Luzon-to-Borneo minesweeping record followed by postwar sweeping off China.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-01-04 to 1946-03-02
- Population
- Crew (Jan 1945 - Mar 1946 operations)
- Limitations
- Commercial vendor page reproducing official Navy campaign-credit data - not itself an authoritative source; unverified against the OPNAV source document. The P37-1 Tarakan and P37-2 Brunei credits are corroborated by the action-report transcription (ev-02) and the P41-3 Mariveles-Corregidor credit by the Karig narrative (ev-06); the remaining eight credits rest on this compilation alone. The Feb-Mar 1946 credits postdate the inventoried deck log (ends 31 Oct 1945) - confirming additional logbooks exist that are not in SL-44. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-05
-
[7]Walter Karig et al., Battle Report: Victory in the Pacific (Rinehart, 1949 - Navy-sponsored history series written from official records; archive.org OCR text), Mariveles-Corregidor minesweeping chapter [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org djvu text, Corregidor/Mariveles sweeping section: 'YMS 363 (Lt. William H. ITichols)' in the 15-YMS task list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A Navy-sponsored operational history lists 'YMS 363 (Lt. William H. [N/It]ichols - OCR-unclear)' among the 15 YMS sweepers and six larger AM-type minesweepers under 'Minesweep King' Lt.Cdr. James R. Keefer assigned to clear the minefields to Mariveles ahead of the February 1945 Corregidor assault - Rear-Admiral R.S. Berkey's fire-support group could not close within range of the coastal guns until the YMS sweeps had cleared zones ahead of them, work begun before daylight 13 February 1945. This corroborates the P41-3 Mariveles-Corregidor campaign credit (ev-05) and places this hull sweeping Manila Bay under shore-battery threat.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-02-13 to 1945-02-28
- Population
- Crew under Lt. William H. [N/It]ichols (Feb 1945)
- Limitations
- Published popular history, not an archival record - useful corroboration consistent with the campaign-credit data but not itself authoritative for dates or rosters. The CO surname is OCR-corrupted in the archive.org text ('ITichols'); read as possibly 'Nichols,' not asserted. CAUTION on hull-number collision: '363' references elsewhere in this book (LCI(G)-363 at Masbate, TG 70.4 guerrilla-supply narrative; submarine Guitarro SS-363 elsewhere in the chronology) are different vessels - only the YMS-list mention names this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-06
-
[8]shipbuildinghistory.com (njscuba.net mirror), Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. Whitestone NY yard table and yard history [other_primary]
- Locator
- wheelerw yard table row 'YMS-363 ... 12 Aug 1943 ... struck 1946'; yard-history narrative paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder corroboration: the shipbuildinghistory.com Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. (Whitestone NY) yard table lists 'YMS-363 | US Navy | minesweeper | 278 LDT | 136 ft | delivered 12 Aug 1943 | struck 1946' - matching NavSource and uboat.net on builder, delivery/completion date, and striking year. The yard-history narrative describes Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, as the second yard of the Wheeler Yacht Company (founded Brooklyn, NY), which 'started out building minesweepers but went on to build tugs and coastal freighters' and closed in 1948.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (build); yard closed 1948
- Population
- Wheeler Whitestone construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Secondary yard compilation (Tim Colton) - valuable for build data, fallible on dispositions (its neighboring row claims sister YMS-365 'mined off Borneo and lost 1945' - consistent with other sources, but yard tables elsewhere in this series have carried disposition errors). Delivered date corroborates the 12 Aug 1943 completion/commissioning. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-07
-
[9]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 U.S. 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-363-yms363-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (2 x GM 8-268A diesels, 880 bhp; wooden YMS-1-class hull per class description on the NavSource YMS/BYMS index - built at 35 yacht yards); uboat.net class page; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19363.htm spec block and 11/19idx.htm class description; uboat.net YMS class data
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel-powered motor minesweeper built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were exhaust-system lagging, machinery and engine gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and brake linings on winch and sweep gear. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - and her wooden hull lacked the pipe runs and hull insulation typical of steel steam ships, narrowing (not eliminating) the era-typical asbestos applications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Wheeler construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46); unknown post-sale owners (1947-?)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-363. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-09
-
[11]Number-collision cross-check: officialmilitaryribbons YMS-363 block vs Karig 'Battle Report' LCI(G)-363 narrative (TG 70.4 guerrilla-supply force; 'the 363' at Masbate City pier 29 Mar 1945); Cressman chronology Guitarro (SS-363) entries (20 Apr 1945 Berhala Strait mining and attributed sinkings) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Karig djvu text TG 70.4 passage (LCI(G)-363, Lt.(jg) Kemmerer); USN-Chron-1945 Guitarro (SS-363) entries; officialmilitaryribbons YMS 363 block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CAUTION - NUMBER COLLISION: at least three different U.S. hulls carried '363' in the same theater and window: this minesweeper YMS-363; the gunboat infantry landing craft LCI(G)-363 (Lt.(jg) Ralph H. Kemmerer) which appears repeatedly in Karig's TG 70.4 Philippines guerrilla-supply narrative (including 'up to the pier went the 363' at Masbate City, 29 Mar 1945); and submarine Guitarro (SS-363), whose mine-laying appears in the same official chronology that records this hull's mine damage. The Masbate and Sumatra '363' events are NOT this vessel. YMS-363's own contemporaneous operations are the Manila Bay/Corregidor sweep, Tarakan (TG 78.1.5), and Brunei (TU 78.1.52).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Prevents a misreading of the shared hull number rather than asserting a new fact; all three identifications verified against the same sources cited in this record (ev-02, ev-03, ev-05, ev-06). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-363-yms363-10
-
[12]Batch-8996 search ledger (this record): NavSource; uboat.net; Cressman official chronology (HyperWar); NARA Special List 44 PDF; NARA digitized-deck-log listing; NHHC DANFS probe; NHC Online Library index; NVR live probe; NavalCoverMuseum probe; officialmilitaryribbons battle-star compilation; shipbuildinghistory Wheeler yard table; Karig Battle Report (archive.org); GAO product page; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener (status per search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-363-yms363-01 through -14
- 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-363 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the fleet-wide pacing budget momentarily spent on repeated attempts; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only generic mesothelioma law-firm content (asbestos.com, mesotheliomahope.com, and similar) not specific to this hull - excluded by source policy. No DANFS entry exists (NHHC URL 404 confirmed; NavSource states none available); NVR carries no entry (disposed 1946-47, pre-1987 coverage); no NHC Online Library page exists (index lists only 12 YMS hulls); no Wheeler-yard asbestos documentation was located.
- 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 (blocked this session, not run). The 8/14/1943-10/31/1945 deck log, Wheeler work packages, the mine-damage repair record (likely Subic/Leyte or a forward base), 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-363-yms363-11