Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 1069-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED (thin sourcing)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERDICT: VERIFIED (thin sourcing)
- Evidence ID
- uss-yms-431-yms431-pkt-1069-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-431 page (timeline, specifications, call sign) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/19431.htm header block, timeline, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: YMS-1 class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper laid down 10 January 1944 by the Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Tacoma, WA; launched 20 May 1944; completed 13 November 1944; struck from the Naval Register 15 August 1946; transferred to the War Assets Administration 1 April 1947 and sold; 'Fate unknown.' Call sign Nan-Queen-Sugar-Able. 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. Page notes 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-431.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Tacoma Boatbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but no primary source underlies the page. 'Fate unknown' conflicts with the yard-table merchant trail (see ev-06). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-01
-
[3]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List #44, by Ship Numbers - 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units' (RG 24, Entry 118 deck-log inventory) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List #44, by Ship Numbers, PDF page 121, line 'YMS-431 11/13/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives inventory of U.S. Navy deck logs lists this hull: 'YMS-431 11/13/1944 6/30/1945' - i.e., logs held covering 13 November 1944 (her completion/commissioning date) through 30 June 1945 (the end of the Okinawa Gunto operation). The coverage window corroborates in-service status for that span and brackets the Okinawa campaign engagement-star eligibility listed in the awards manual (ev-04).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-11-13 to 1945-06-30 (inventory coverage)
- Population
- Crew of record November 1944 - June 1945 (deck-log coverage period)
- Limitations
- Dates are deck-log coverage, not commissioning/decommissioning dates - the inventory documents which logs NARA holds, not vessel milestones. Logs for this hull's post-30-June-1945 service (Japan post-surrender sweeps and the Eniwetok operation documented in ev-03) are NOT covered by this inventory line; whether later logs were accessioned separately is unresolved. Verified live 2026-10-04: PDF page 121, file identical to the canonical NARA copy (MD5 match). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-02
-
[4]DANFS, Quest (AM-281) - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Quest (AM-281) service narrative, post-surrender paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS names this hull in the service narrative of USS Quest (AM-281): 'Quest participated in minesweeping operations in Japan until 20 February 1946, when she began a voyage to Eniwetok Atoll, acting as escort for YMS-431 and YMS-439. Arriving at Eniwetok 12 March, Quest served as a logistics support vessel for the two YMSs as they swept mines around Eniwetok in preparation for operation "Crossroads".' Quest then departed for Subic Bay 23 March 1946. This documents YMS-431 sweeping mines at Eniwetok Atoll in February-March 1946 in preparation for the Operation Crossroads atomic test series.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1946-02-20 to 1946-03-23
- Population
- YMS-431 and YMS-439 crews; Quest (AM-281) escort/support crew
- Limitations
- Ship-specific for the stated event only: documents presence and mine-sweeping at Eniwetok Feb-Mar 1946 under escort/support of AM-281; does not document the hull's movements before or after that window, and contains no asbestos or material content. Cited via verbatim DANFS transcription - live NHHC DANFS page for Quest returned 404 on 2026-10-04.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-03
-
[5]U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV, Section 2, subsection 16 - 'List of Ships and Units eligible for Engagement Stars' (HyperWar transcription of the official manual) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html, Part IV eligible-units listing under 'YMS 431'; P34-1/P207 operation labels cross-referenced to Part III authorized-operations list on the same page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Navy awards manual names 'YMS 431' eligible for engagement stars for five operations: P34-1 Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 25 Mar 45 - 30 Jun 45; P207-5 Wakanoura-Kiki (Honshu Area), 12 Sep 45 - 24 Sep 45; P207-7 Bungo-Suido (Honshu Area), 22 Sep 45 - 30 Oct 45; P207-10 Kure-Hiroshima (Honshu Area), 6 Dec 45 - 10 Feb 46; and P207-18 Fukuoka (Kyushu-Korea Area), 14 Nov 45 - 24 Nov 45. The P207 operations fall under 'Minesweeping Operations Pacific (23 Jun 45 - 2 Mar 46)' - post-surrender clearance of minefields in Japanese home waters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-03-25 to 1946-02-10
- Population
- Crew during the five listed operation windows (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Official eligibility listing, not an operational narrative: it establishes the periods for which this hull qualified for engagement stars, consistent with but independent of the deck-log coverage (which ends 30 Jun 45) and the DANFS-Quest account (Feb-Mar 1946 Eniwetok). Cited via HyperWar's transcription of the official NAVPERS 15,790 text - transcription, not the scanned original. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS YMS-431 (YMS-431) page (build milestones and disposition) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9850.html data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net corroborates the milestone sequence and adds an order date: ordered 25 July 1943; laid down 10 January 1944; launched 20 May 1944; commissioned 13 November 1944; history line 'Stricken on 15 August 1946; Sold on 1 April 1947.' Built by Tacoma Boat Building Co. (Tacoma, Washington).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (uboat.net), consistent with NavSource on every overlapping date; the 'ordered 25 Jul 1943' date and the 'commissioned' (vs 'completed') wording have no primary confirmation located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History / Naval Marine Archive, 'Tacoma Boat' production table (yard hull list); corroborated for the official number by NARA Atlanta finding aid, RG 26/36/41 Vessel Documentation Case Files (Morehead City, NC), and the International Maritime Library record for ON 251713 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/large/tacoma.html table row 'YMS 431'; archives.gov/atlanta/finding-aids/rg26-vesseldoc-moreheadcity entry 'Ingram Bay 251713'; internationalmaritimelibrary.org/pcs-1451-aleutian-mail
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's production table gives a merchant trail for this hull: 'YMS 431 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 278 | 136 | 13-Nov-44 | Sold 1947 as Aleutian Mail, later Ingram Bay, now Sea Harvester I (ON 251713).' Official corroboration of the number chain: the National Archives (Atlanta) finding aid to RG 26/36/41 vessel documentation case files indexes 'Ingram Bay | 251713 | 1967' - a Coast Guard documentation file for that official number. The International Maritime Library record for ON 251713 independently lists 'Aleutian Mail' as an oil-screw fishing vessel, 256 gross / 174 net tons, 126.0 x 25.0 x 11.3 ft, built Tacoma WA 1944, documented at Beaufort NC in 1960, owner Beaufort By-Products Co., Inc.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1947-1967 (documented window)
- Population
- Civilian fishing crews and owners (1947-forward)
- Limitations
- The yard table is a secondary compilation; NARA's finding aid confirms only that a 1967 documentation case file exists for 'Ingram Bay' ON 251713 - it does not state the hull's prior naval identity. IML's entry for the same ON titles the hull 'PCS-1451' (conflict detailed in ev-11 and gaps). Present-day status of Sea Harvester I unverified - no current USCG/NOAA documentation hit located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-06
-
[8]Kennedy v. Saberhagen Holdings, Inc. - Washington Supreme Court petition-stage briefing (No. 90792-7); Court of Appeals Div. II unpublished reversal, 2014 WL 3611327 (July 22, 2014) [court_record]
- Locator
- courts.wa.gov petition file 90792-7 (COA Appellants' Brief; Answer to Amicus WDTL quoting the COA holding)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Washington appellate filings document plaintiff's evidence that 'Tacoma Asbestos supplied the asbestos' used at Tacoma waterfront worksites and that Saberhagen's predecessors 'were the exclusive supplier of asbestos products to Tacoma Boat in the 1960s and the exclusive asbestos insulator used by Tacoma Boat during those years.' The trial court granted summary judgment to Saberhagen (Pierce County No. 12-2-05289-7); the Court of Appeals reversed in an unpublished opinion, holding the circumstantial evidence 'sufficient to raise an inference that Saberhagen's products were used by Tacoma Boat and at their worksites during the 1960s' and sufficient to raise an inference of exposure - a sufficiency-of-evidence ruling remanding for trial, not a finding of fact.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1960s (exposure window alleged); 2012-2014 (litigation)
- Population
- Tacoma Boatbuilding and Tacoma waterfront workers, 1960s (litigation window)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation context only: concerns Tacoma Boatbuilding worksites in the 1960s - two decades after this hull's 1944 construction. The 'exclusive supplier' characterization is plaintiff's evidence described in briefing and ruled sufficient to survive summary judgment (unpublished, non-precedential opinion); it is not a judicial finding and does not name this vessel. A defense summary-judgment win was reversed - disposition described exactly, no upward classification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (wooden-hulled YMS-1 class; 2 x GM 8-268A diesels, 2 shafts); shipbuilding-history yard data (Tacoma WA 1944); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-09); Kennedy v. Saberhagen yard-level context (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json (Tacoma Boatbuilding not a listed yard); ev-07/ev-09 context rows
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled, diesel-powered motor minesweeper built in 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel minecraft of this type were machinery and exhaust insulation/lagging in the engine spaces, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and the wooden hull carried less structural fireproofing than steel combatants.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Tacoma Boatbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); merchant maintenance crews (1947-forward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YMS-431. 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-431-08
-
[10]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 (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- 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) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-09
-
[11]Batch-9072 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 PDF (live, page 121); NAVPERS 15,790 awards manual via HyperWar; DANFS-Quest transcription; NavSource 11/19431; uboat.net; shipbuilding-history yard table; NARA Atlanta RG 26/36/41 finding aid; International Maritime Library; Washington courts petition file 90792-7; CourtListener API v4 (4 base queries + variants); GAO HRD-80-2 product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-431-01 through sl-uss-yms-431-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS YMS-431 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-name opinion search returned two name collisions only - United States v. Standard Oil Co. (S.D.N.Y. 1948, an admiralty collision case involving YMS-12, not this hull) and Tyrone Berry v. State (Tex. App. 2015, unrelated). Exact-name and hull-number searches on the RECAP docket and opinion indexes otherwise returned loose token-match noise (650 / 70 / 3,913 results) with no qualifying case identified on review. The asbestos-qualified opinion variant 'YMS-431 asbestos' returned zero; the matching docket variant was cut short by the fleet pace limiter (see sl-11).
- 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 - deck logs, builder work packages, WAA sale documents, and the ON 251713 Coast Guard documentation case file (NARA Atlanta) are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-10
-
[12]Conflict check: International Maritime Library entry 'PCS-1451 > ALEUTIAN MAIL' (ON 251713) vs Shipbuilding History Tacoma yard table 'YMS 431 ... sold 1947 as Aleutian Mail ... (ON 251713)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- internationalmaritimelibrary.org/pcs-1451-aleutian-mail header line; navalmarinearchive.com Tacoma table rows for YMS 431 and PCS 1451
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- UNRESOLVED CONFLICT documented, not asserted: two secondary compilations agree on the official number and merchant names for this hull's post-naval trail (ON 251713 = Aleutian Mail / Ingram Bay / Sea Harvester I) but disagree on which ex-Navy hull it was - the Tacoma yard table attributes it to YMS-431, while the International Maritime Library titles the same official-number record 'PCS-1451' (a sister-type patrol craft sweeper built at the same Tacoma yard, whose disposition that same yard table lists only as 'disposition unknown'). The NARA Atlanta RG 26/36/41 documentation case file for 'Ingram Bay' ON 251713 is the official record that would resolve the conflict; it is indexed but not digitized.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1947-forward (documentation chain)
- Limitations
- Documents a documentary conflict without resolving it - no primary record was located that ties ON 251713 to a specific hull number. Carried so downstream consumers do not read the merchant trail as settled fact. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-431-11