USS YMS-383

Name
USS YMS-383
Hull designation
YMS-383
Vessel class
YMS-1
Evidence tier
Tier 2
Evidence entries
11
Record ID
uss-yms-383-yms383
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-yms-383-yms383

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

  1. [1]research packet 1061-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-383-yms383-pkt-1061-packet-md
  2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-383 (11/19383) - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers (verified live 200 OK 2026-10-04); uboat.net warship record ship/9802 corroborates milestones and adds 'ordered 11 April 1942' [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource 11/19383 header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officers table; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9802
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 29 April 1942 by the Colberg Boat Works, Stockton, CA; launched 29 September 1942; completed 24 February 1943; 'Foundered in Typhoon Louise off of Okinawa 9 October 1945'; struck from the Naval Register 24 October 1945. Call sign Nan-Fox-Roger-Yoke. Specifications: 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. Commanding officer: LT H. C. May, USNR (1945). NavSource states there is no DANFS history for YMS-383 and carries no image of this hull. The uboat.net warship record (ship/9802) corroborates the milestones and adds 'ordered 11 Apr 1942' and 'commissioned 24 Feb 1943.'
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1942-1945
    Population
    Colberg Boat Works trades (1942-43); wartime crew, cpl. 32 (1943-45)
    Limitations
    NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS-type data. 'Completed 24 February 1943' is the in-service date; no separate commissioning ceremony is documented. Page contains no asbestos content. Specification figures conflict slightly with the class index block (see gaps). No wreck-survey or salvage record is carried.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-01
  3. [3]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - ship-number ordering, YMS-383 entry (PDF page 120; verified live and downloaded 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
    Locator
    SL-44 ship-number PDF, page 120, YMS section; RG 24 Entry 118, NAID 581208
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    NARA inventories one logbook coverage period for this hull: 'YMS-383 2/24/1943 9/30/1945' (verbatim entry, PDF page 120, ship-number ordering). The window begins on her documented in-service date and ends nine days before her loss in Typhoon Louise - the inventory records no surviving logbook covering the sinking itself. Logbooks of this era are RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118 (NAID 581208), held at the National Archives at College Park.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    archival_lead
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1943-1945 (inventoried coverage); list compiled 1978
    Population
    wartime crew (1943-45 coverage window)
    Limitations
    This is an inventory record, not the logs themselves: the logbooks are not digitized, and their contents (locations, availability periods, machinery notes, casualties) were not examined. Coverage dates are logbook custody dates, not assertions of commissioning/loss; whether a final logbook or loss report was ever created for October 1945 is unknown.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-02
  4. [4]NHHC Online Reading Room, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (fleet organization listing; via Wayback capture 20250201211955 - direct fetch from this network returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
    Locator
    PacFlt 1 May 1945 organization, MINECRAFT PACIFIC FLEET > MINE SQUADRON TWENTY > YMS roster ('YMS 383 Lt. H. C. May (USNR)')
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    The official U.S. Pacific Fleet organization for 1 May 1945 lists 'YMS 383, Lt. H. C. May (USNR)' in the motor-minesweeper roster of the Mine Squadron TWENTY organization (Commander Mine Squadron Twenty, Capt. R. A. Larkin), under Commander Minecraft, Pacific Fleet (R. Adm. A. Sharp). This places the hull in the Pacific Fleet mine force during the Okinawa end-war window, four-plus months before her loss at Buckner Bay, and corroborates NavSource's commanding-officer entry of LT H. C. May, USNR (1945).
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1945-05-01
    Population
    wartime crew (May 1945); Lt. H. C. May USNR
    Limitations
    Organizational listing only - establishes administrative assignment and the commanding officer as of 1 May 1945, not day-to-day operations or locations. The flat YMS roster does not state a Mine Division assignment for this hull. No asbestos or material content. Live NHHC content verified via Wayback capture; direct curl from this network returned HTTP 404 (NHHC host filtering, not link rot - content served normally).
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-03
  5. [5]NHHC, 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' - narrative and vessel-by-vessel casualty listing incorporating the CinCPac report annex (archived copy; live history.navy.mil URL returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
    Locator
    NHHC faq102-6.htm, CinCPac report Annex A narrative + vessel casualty listing, YMS section
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    NHHC documents the loss of this hull: on 9 October 1945 Typhoon Louise struck Okinawa after veering unexpectedly into the fleet anchorage at Buckner Bay (Nakagusuku Wan), with sustained winds of 100 knots gusting to 120, barometer 968.5 mb, and 30-35-foot seas. The official vessel listing records 'YMS 383 ... Grounded - Sunk, strike from register.' Overall losses: 12 ships and craft sunk, 222 grounded, 32 severely damaged; 36 killed, 47 missing, 100 seriously injured. The same listing shows YMS-383 was one of seven YMS-class losses in the storm (with YMS-146, YMS-151, YMS-275, YMS-384, YMS-424, YMS-454 recorded as grounded-beyond-salvage, abandoned, or sunk).
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1945-10-09
    Population
    wartime crew at loss (Oct 1945); Buckner Bay fleet anchorage population
    Limitations
    Establishes the loss event and disposition for this hull, not the site detail: the listing says 'Grounded - Sunk' (driven onto the reef/beach and sank), while NavSource says 'foundered' - both describe a total loss at Buckner Bay. The entry does not state whether any of her crew were among the casualties, or whether the wreck was later raised or remains. No asbestos content. Cited via Wayback capture of the Naval Historical Center FAQ page (faq102-6.htm); no equivalent live NHHC URL located.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-04
  6. [6]WWII Asiatic-Pacific campaign participation listing for YMS-383 (secondary compilation reproducing the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual NAVPERS 15,790 Rev. 1953), corroborated by the Operation Flintlock and Operation Catchpole naval orders of battle [other_primary]
    Locator
    officialmilitaryribbons.com YMS-362-to-YMS-481 table, YMS-383 block; Flintlock naval OOB (TG 52.18); Catchpole OOB (TG 51.15)
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Campaign-credit data for this hull: P26-2 Marshall Islands operation - Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 Jan-8 Feb 1944; P26-3 Occupation of Eniwetok Atoll, 17 Feb-2 Mar 1944. Corroboration: the Operation Flintlock naval order of battle lists YMS-383 in the TG 52.18 minesweeping element (with YMS-90, YMS-91, YMS-388) for the Kwajalein southern attack force; the Operation Catchpole order of battle lists YMS-383 in TG 51.15 (Minesweeping Group, with YMS-262) for Eniwetok. No other campaign or post-war minesweeping credits are listed for this hull.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1944-01-31 to 1944-03-02
    Population
    wartime crew (Jan-Mar 1944 operations)
    Limitations
    Accessed via a private compilation site that reproduces the official NAVPERS 15,790 campaign-participation tables - not independently verified against the primary awards manual this session; partial verification only. Participation windows denote eligibility for campaign credit, not a continuous-deployment narrative. The absence of a P34-1 Okinawa-campaign credit is consistent with a later arrival (administrative assignment to MinRon 20 documented 1 May 1945). No asbestos content.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-05
  7. [7]The Kwajalein Hourglass (official newspaper, U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll / Reagan Test Site), 'WWII vets to visit Kwaj for 70th anniversary of Operation Flintlock,' 25 January 2014, pp. 3-4 (PDF downloaded and text-extracted 2026-10-04) [reputable_press]
    Locator
    Hourglass 25 Jan 2014 issue, pp. 3-4 ('WWII vets to visit Kwaj...' and 'VETERANS' continuation)
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    Named enlisted crew members are documented aboard this hull at Kwajalein: Burl Sousa and Ted Sonner 'served as crew members on the USS YMS-383.' Per their account: on 31 January 1944 YMS-383 entered Kwajalein lagoon through Gea Pass just after 8 a.m., among the first American ships into the lagoon; engaged a small Japanese ship off Gea Island; shelled islet targets; swept the south end of the lagoon for mines; and stood anti-submarine patrol outside the lagoon at night. That afternoon she rescued aviation radioman Harrison Miller from a capsized USS New Mexico Kingfisher scout plane (pilot Lt. Forney O. Fuqua mortally wounded): Sonner swam to Miller in gasoline-covered water and Sousa pulled him aboard the fantail; the crew briefly towed the plane before enemy fire forced them to cut it loose. She continued lagoon duties and night patrol until 14 February, then departed to join forces staging for the 17 February Eniwetok landings. The caption states the accompanying photograph 'is the only known image of the YMS-383 available today' and that 'the ship was sunk by a typhoon off Okinawa Oct. 9, 1945.'
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1944-01-31 to 1944-02-17
    Population
    Burl Sousa; Ted Sonner; rescued airman Harrison Miller; wartime crew (1944)
    Limitations
    A base-newspaper feature built on veteran recollection 68-70 years after the events - granular tactical details are eyewitness narrative, not action-report records; dates and the operation framework track the documented Flintlock timeline. Population documentation only - no exposure claim for these or any individuals. No asbestos content.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-06
  8. [8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (wooden-hulled YMS-1 class; 2 x GM 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt gear, 2 shafts); NavSource YMS class index (481 USN hulls built at ~35 yacht yards; wood-hulled for non-magnetic inshore sweeping); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-08) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource 11/19383 specifications block; NavSource 11/19idx YMS class index; GAO HRD-80-2
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    A diesel-powered wooden-hulled minesweeper completed in February 1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and compartment finishes in the confined hull volume. As a wooden-hulled diesel craft she carried no steam plant and no boiler/turbine lagging - the thermal-insulation application that GAO identifies as the Navy's major asbestos use aboard ships was present at materially smaller scale here than aboard steam vessels.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1942-1945
    Population
    Colberg Boat Works trades (1942-43); crew (1943-45)
    Limitations
    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-383. 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-383-07
  9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
    Locator
    GAO HRD-80-2 product page highlights; report text 'Navy's policy on use of asbestos' section
    Finding type
    gov_survey
    Finding
    GAO documented the Navy's shipboard asbestos era: thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; insulation specifications were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials, yet 'ships were being delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; asbestos appeared in components such as clutches and electric cables; and 'other Navy ships contain large quantities of asbestos.' This hull's entire construction and service period (1942-45) sits inside that documented use era.
    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. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not Colberg Boat Works. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct curl from this network; product page and full report PDF (hrd-80-2.pdf) extracted via Firecrawl 2026-10-04 - all quoted language verified in report text.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-08
  10. [10]U.S. EPA Superfund (CERCLA) site profile, COLBERG BOAT WORKS, EPA ID CAN000906010 (verified live 200 OK 2026-10-04); yard employment/output detail from California Military Museum, 'Shipbuilding in Stockton' [other_primary]
    Locator
    EPA CERCLA site profile CAN000906010 'Site Info' tab; militarymuseum.org 'Shipbuilding in Stockton' (Justin Ruhge)
    Finding type
    environmental_record
    Finding
    The builder's yard is a documented federal cleanup site: EPA lists COLBERG BOAT WORKS at 848 W. Fremont Street / 401 N. Stockton Street, Stockton, CA 95203 (EPA ID CAN000906010, Region 9) with Non-NPL status 'Other Cleanup Activity: State-Lead Cleanup.' The yard built roughly 45 vessels under more than $20 million of WWII contracts (minesweepers at ~$322,000 each, sub chasers at ~$332,000, plus salvage/patrol/rescue craft) and employed 1,205 workers by 1945. This documents a contaminated WWII-era boatyard site where this hull was built - population-scale context for construction-era exposure potential.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    context_only
    Accessed
    2026-10-04
    Study period
    1940s-1990s (yard operation); 2016+ (cleanup program)
    Population
    Colberg Boat Works workforce (peak 1,205 by 1945)
    Limitations
    Yard-level environmental record, not a hull record: the EPA profile does not itemize contaminants on the summary page (asbestos is not specifically named there), does not name this vessel, and addresses the site - not materials installed aboard hulls built there. State-lead cleanup status is current as of the live profile view; City of Stockton took an Environmental Oversight Agreement lead role in February 2016. Does not establish asbestos exposure to any worker or crew member.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-09
  11. [11]Batch-9018 search ledger (this record): NARA SL44 ship-number PDF (direct download, verified live); NavSource 11/19383 and YMS class index; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945 (via Wayback); NHHC Typhoon Louise casualty listing faq102-6 (archived); NAVPERS-derived campaign table + Flintlock/Catchpole OOBs; Kwajalein Hourglass PDF; uboat.net; EPA CERCLA profile; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener authenticated API v4; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
    Locator
    search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-383-01 through sl-uss-yms-383-10
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS YMS-383 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API v4 base queries returned: 'USS YMS-383' opinions 0, 'USS YMS-383' dockets 0, 'YMS-383' opinions 0, 'YMS-383' dockets 0 - zero litigation of any kind naming this hull in the CourtListener corpus. Secondary web sweep surfaced no asbestos claim naming this hull; unusually, no law-firm marketing listicle names it 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 - a wooden-hulled diesel sweeper completed 1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era; the inference is era-consistent but not ship-proven. CourtListener coverage is limited to its indexed corpus - state-court and unindexed federal matters are outside it. Deck logs (RG 24 E-118), Colberg builder records, and any BuShips/BuSandA contract file are undigitized leads; the hull is a sunken wreck, so no physical survey is possible. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-yms-383-10

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned