Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-368 - construction, Balikpapan mine damage, PUC, transfer and sale, specs (live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19368.htm header block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper; laid down 31 December 1942 by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, NY; launched 17 July 1943; completed 27 September 1943; damaged by mine at Balikpapan, Borneo 20 June 1945; awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the 15 June - 1 July 1945 invasion of Balikpapan; struck from the Naval Register 10 June 1947; transferred to the State Department Foreign Liquidation Commission October 1947; sold 22 October 1948; fate unknown; call sign NCTA (Nan-Charlie-Tare-Able). 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 no DANFS history exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Wheeler yard construction trades (1942-43); commissioning crew (Sep 1943); wartime crew (1943-45); postwar caretaker crews (1945-48)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track NVR/DANFS-era data and agree with uboat.net and the Wheeler yard table here, but the page is not itself a primary document. The strike-date conflict with the Wheeler yard table ('struck 1946') is carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-01
-
[2]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-368 (YMS-368) - milestones table and Operation Oboe II action-report transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 9787, milestones table and 'Notable events - 1 Jul 1945 - Operation Oboe II' narrative (TG 78.2.9/TU 72.2.92 composition; 1322I/20 and 1310I/23 entries)
- 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 31 December 1942; launched 17 July 1943; commissioned 27 September 1943; stricken 10 June 1947; sold 22 October 1948. Operation Oboe II (Balikpapan landings) task-organization transcription places USS YMS-368 (Lt.(jg) C.D. Drago, USNR) in Task Unit 72.2.92, the YMS unit of the TG 78.2.9 Minesweeping Unit under Lt.Cdr. T.R. Fonick, USNR; she sailed from Morotai in the 'A' echelon (~11 June 1945) with 15 other YMSs. Per the same action-report transcription: at 1322I/20 June 'USS YMS-368 exploded an Allied influence mine near her stern causing severe structural damage. USS Cofer effected temporary repairs and the vessel remained afloat'; wounded men from YMS-368 were put aboard USS Denver for treatment that afternoon; at 1310I/23 June 'USS YMS-368 was damaged by a mine explosion. She was taken in tow by USS YMS-335 and they departed for Tawi Tawi.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1948 (milestones); 1945-06-11 to 1945-07-01 (Oboe II events)
- Population
- Crew under Lt.(jg) C.D. Drago, USNR (Balikpapan operation, Jun-Jul 1945); wounded transferred to USS Denver (20 Jun 1945); USS Cofer repair party (temporary repairs); USS YMS-335 tow crew (23 Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a curated secondary database (Gudmundur Helgason) compiled from operational records; the Balikpapan narrative is a transcription of the TG 78.2 action report but is not itself the archive original - the deck logs (see ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-03) would be the primary record. The 23 June second mine-damage event appears in this transcription but not in the official chronology or NHHC summaries, which record only the 20 June damage - flagged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-02
-
[3]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-368 9/28/1943 - 6/30/1945'; 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-368: coverage 28 September 1943 - 30 June 1945 - spanning her U.S. Navy service from the day after completion (27 Sep 1943) through the Balikpapan minesweeping operation (the logbook closes 30 June 1945, seven days after she was towed toward Tawi Tawi on 23 June per the action-report transcription). 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
- 1943-09-28 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Crew (1943-1945); names, daily movements, and the Balikpapan damage record inside the undigitized log
- Limitations
- Inventory entry only - the logbooks themselves are not digitized on the National Archives 'Navy Deck Logs Available Online' listing (checked 2026-10-04; only named ex-YMS vessels appear there), so their contents are an unexamined primary source. Coverage dates are log-coverage dates, not asserted commissioning or decommissioning dates; NARA's inventory lists no YMS-368 logbook covering the period after 30 June 1945. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-03
-
[4]NHHC (Naval Historical Center), The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, 1945 chapter, 20 June entry - HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1945.html, '20 June, Wed. --' section, entry 'Motor minesweeper YMS-368 is damaged by mine off Balikpapan, Borneo, 01 deg 19'S, 116 deg 58'E'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (Robert J. Cressman, Naval Historical Center, 1999; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) records under 20 June 1945: 'Motor minesweeper YMS-368 is damaged by mine off Balikpapan, Borneo, 01 deg 19'S, 116 deg 58'E.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-06-20
- Population
- Crew aboard at Balikpapan (20 Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical chronology accessed via the HyperWar/ibiblio transcription mirror, not the archive original; the entry records the damage event and position only - it does not record damage extent, casualties, or the mine's origin (the TG 78.2 action-report transcription identifies an Allied influence mine - see ev-02). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-04
-
[5]NHHC online reading room, Seventh Amphibious Force - Command History 1945, Balikpapan minesweeping section (page II-54/II-55) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Command history, Balikpapan paragraph naming 'YMS 368' (pp. II-54-II-55)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Seventh Amphibious Force Command History 1945 (NHHC online reading room) names this hull in its Balikpapan minesweeping narrative: 'the wooden hulled YMSs were selected to do the magnetic minesweeping, and were carefully readied by a degaussing officer. Moored mine sweeping was started by 16 YMSs on 15 June 1945... No mines were uncovered until 18 June when YMS 50 was sunk by exploding a magnetic mine. On 19 June shore batteries opened upon the minesweepers... On three successive days commencing 20 June, YMS 368 was damaged by mine explosion, and YMS 335 and YMS 10 were hit by enemy shell fire.' The history calls the Balikpapan minesweeping 'the most difficult in the Southwest Pacific Area and perhaps in the whole war' and notes roughly 100 Allied magnetic mines in the area.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-06
- Population
- Crew aboard during the Balikpapan minesweeping (15 Jun - 1 Jul 1945)
- Limitations
- Official command history - the phrasing 'on three successive days commencing 20 June' distributes three events across 20-22 June (YMS-368's mine damage on the 20th, YMS-335's shell hit on the 21st, YMS-10's shell hit on the 22nd) and does not itself resolve whether YMS-368 took a second mine hit on 23 June (the action-report transcription records one - see ev-02 and gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-05
-
[6]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (rev. 1953), Part 2 - Unit Awards, Presidential Unit Citation section, Task Unit 78.2.9 entry (NHHC-hosted) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Pt. 2 Unit Awards page, PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION table row 'Task Unit 78.2.9 ... USS YMS-368 ... 15 Jun-1 Jul 45 - Balikpapan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (1953 revision), Part 2 - Unit Awards, lists Task Unit 78.2.9 under PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION for '15 Jun-1 Jul 45 - Balikpapan, Borneo, Netherlands East Indies,' with the unit roster including USS Sentry (AM-299), USS Scout (AM-296), USS 'Scuffie' (AM-298) [sic - Scuffle], and twenty-two YMS hulls: YMS-9, -10, -39, -46, -47, -49, -50, -52, -53, -95, -196, -314, -315, -335, -336, -339, -364, -365, -366, -368, -392. USS YMS-368 is named in the award roster.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-06-15 to 1945-07-01 (award period)
- Population
- Officers and men of TU 78.2.9 (15 Jun - 1 Jul 1945)
- Limitations
- Official awards manual hosted by NHHC; it documents the award to the unit roster including this hull but carries no operational detail. The manual's roster includes YMS-52 and YMS-196 and omits several YMSs in the action-report task organization (YMS-51, -65, -73, -84, -224, -269, -367) - award rosters and underway task organizations are different snapshots; the difference is noted, not resolved. 'Scuffie' is the manual's spelling. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-06
-
[7]NHHC, H-Gram H-051-1 'The Last Sacrifices' (Director's Corner) - Balikpapan minesweeping narrative [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- H-051-1, Balikpapan section: 'On 20 June 1945, YMS-368 was damaged by a mine' and the influence-mine context paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC Director's Corner H-Gram H-051-1 ('The Last Sacrifices') narrates the Balikpapan minesweeping: 93 Allied air-dropped acoustic/magnetic influence mines had been sown in the area with ship counters set as high as seven and none set to deactivate; 'On 20 June 1945, YMS-368 was damaged by a mine.' The H-gram records the sister-hull losses around her - YMS-50 sunk 18 June, YMS-39 and YMS-365 sunk 26 June, YMS-84 sunk 8 July - and states the minesweeping force grew to three AM-type minesweepers and 38 YMS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-06 to 1945-07
- Population
- Crew aboard at Balikpapan (Jun-Jul 1945)
- Limitations
- NHHC-authored historical retrospective (secondary narration by the Naval History and Heritage Command director), consistent with the official chronology and the action-report transcription; the 93-Allied-influence-mine context explains how an Allied mine could damage this hull but does not itself attribute the specific mine that hit YMS-368. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-07
-
[8]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 368:' - six credit rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A secondary compilation of Navy WWII campaign-credit data lists six engagements for YMS-368: P32-2 Lingayen Gulf landing (4 Jan - 18 Jan 1945); P41-2 Nasugbu (31 Jan 1945); P39-5 supporting mine sweeping operations (1-5 Mar 1945 and 1-3 Apr 1945); P39-3 Mindanao Island landings (10-18 May 1945); and P37-3 Balikpapan operation (15-23 Jun 1945) - the last ending on the date the action-report transcription has her towed out of the operation for Tawi Tawi (23 June).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-01-04 to 1945-06-23
- Population
- Crew (Jan-Jun 1945 Philippine/Borneo operations)
- Limitations
- Commercial vendor page reproducing official Navy battle-star data - not itself an authoritative source; the underlying campaign-credit list is official but the reproduction is unverified against the OPNAV source document. The P37-3 Balikpapan credit (15-23 Jun) is corroborated by the command history, awards manual, and action-report transcription (ev-02/05/06); the Lingayen, Nasugbu, and Mindanao credits have no independent corroboration located - the undigitized deck logs would resolve.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-08
-
[9]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton yard compilation, njscuba.net mirror), Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. (Whitestone NY) yard table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wheeler yard table row for YMS-368
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Wheeler Shipbuilding yard table lists the build row 'YMS-368 | US Navy | minesweeper | 278 | 136 | 27 Sep 1943 | struck 1946' - corroborating the completion date (27 Sep 1943) and Wheeler builder/tonnage, but giving 'struck 1946' where NavSource and uboat.net give 'struck from the Naval Register 10 June 1947.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Wheeler yard construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Secondary yard compilation - corroborates builder, tonnage (278 t), length (136 ft), and the 27 Sep 1943 completion/commissioning date, but conflicts with NavSource/uboat.net on the strike year (1946 vs 10 Jun 1947); the NVR-derived date is carried and the conflict is logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-09
-
[10]Navy League of the U.S., West CT Council - 'The Baseball Beaches of Borneo,' ch. 7 of the USS YMS-339 history (M.E. Fitzgerald), built on NARA deck-log research [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter 7 PDF, 'YMS 368 was damaged by a mine in "Senators"' passage and the quoted TG 78.2 action-report text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A unit history of Wheeler-built sister YMS-339 (hosted by a U.S. Navy League council, based on the author's National Archives deck-log research and a crew diary) states of 20 June 1945 at Balikpapan: 'YMS 368 was damaged by a mine in "Senators"' - identifying the specific sweep area (baseball-named areas: 'Pirates,' 'Dodgers,' 'Senators,' 'Bears,' 'Braves') where the mine damage occurred, and quoting the TG 78.2 Commander's action report (declassified 1964) on sustained enemy efforts against the sweepers.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-06
- Population
- Crew aboard at Balikpapan (20 Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Privately produced unit history hosted on a Navy League council site - secondary narration, not an official document; the 'Senators' sweep-area detail and the quoted TG 78.2 action-report language are consistent with the official command history and the uboat.net transcription but are unverified against the primary action report itself. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-10
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product-page highlights [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships'; the product-page highlights document that the Navy's 1975 policy was to 'remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed to accomplish necessary repairs,' modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - i.e., asbestos insulation was present and managed (not systematically removed) aboard Navy ships through the era covering this hull's construction (1942-43) and U.S. service (1943-47/48).
- 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 from the product-page highlights; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - the reviewed fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Wheeler. Direct fetch of gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated clients (confirmed 2026-10-04); highlights verified via Firecrawl render. Full report PDF not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-11
-
[12]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 YMS class data; NHHC command history noting 'the wooden hulled YMSs were selected to do the magnetic minesweeping'; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19368.htm spec block and 11/19idx.htm class description; uboat.net YMS class data; Seventh Amphibious Force Command History 'wooden hulled YMSs' passage
- 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
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Wheeler construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-47/48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-368. 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-368-yms368-12
-
[13]Batch-9001 search ledger (this record): NavSource; uboat.net; NARA Special List 44 PDF; NARA digitized-deck-log listing; NHHC Seventh Amphibious Force Command History; NHHC Navy-MC Awards Manual Pt. 2; NHHC H-gram H-051-1; NHHC official chronology via HyperWar; NHHC DANFS probe; NVR live probe; NavalCoverMuseum; battle-star compilation; shipbuildinghistory Wheeler table; GAO HRD-80-2; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener (status per search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-368-yms368-01 through -16
- 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-368 was found in the public sources searched. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content (generic mesothelioma-attorney pages) and no hull-specific asbestos assertion with primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. No asbestos documentation was located for the builder yard (Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone NY) either.
- 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. CourtListener status this session is recorded in search_ledger; the undigitized deck log (NARA), Wheeler work packages, and Foreign Liquidation Commission disposal files are open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-368-yms368-13