Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 1071-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-445-yms445-pkt-1071-packet-md
-
[2]National Archives, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (NARA, 1978), 'Ships by Signal Number Designation' T-Y section, typeset ship-number PDF [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 typeset ship-number PDF p. 121 area - YMS-444 and YMS-446 rows present, YMS-445 absent (pdftotext extraction verified); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online index searched
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NEGATIVE-ARCHIVAL: YMS-445 does not appear in Special List 44's ship-number section - the inventory lists neighboring hulls YMS-444 (12/26/1944-6/30/1945) and YMS-446 (6/9/1944-6/30/1945) but skips YMS-445 entirely. No deck logs for this hull were inventoried in the 1978 SL44 accession. YMS-445 is likewise absent from NARA's online digitized Navy deck-log index (archives.gov navy-online page, ~19 numbered YMS hulls listed including YMS-444 and YMS-446; searched 2026-10-05). Whether her logs exist at all in federal custody is undetermined - they may never have reached the RG 24 accession SL44 catalogs, or may rest in a separate accession.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-1947 (expected coverage); inventory published 1978
- Population
- YMS-445 crew, 1945-1947 (log coverage would span commissioning 21 Mar 1945 through decommissioning 1 Jan 1947 if logs exist)
- Limitations
- The absence is an inventory-level finding only: SL44's non-listing does not prove the logs were lost or never kept - logs for 1945-1947 could exist outside the accession SL44 covers (most SL44 YMS entries end 6/30/1945 regardless of later service). It does mean the standard deck-log research lead for this hull is weaker than for sister hulls: neither inventoried nor digitized. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-445 page (build/disposal chronology compiled from Navy Register data; post-Navy merchant registration chain; spec block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS-445 chronology block, specifications block, La Busca call-sign header, merchant registration lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (call sign Nan-Charlie-Queen-Xray): laid down 25 March 1944 by Hiltebrant Dry Dock, Kingston, NY; launched 28 September 1944; completed 20 March 1945; commissioned USS YMS-445, 21 March 1945 under the command of LTJG John E. Boyd, USNR; decommissioned 1 January 1947; struck from the Naval Register 5 March 1947; transferred to the War Shipping Administration 13 May 1947. Post-Navy merchant chain: registered 1948 to Macco Corp. of Clearwater, CA as the miscellaneous vessel La Busca out of Los Angeles; registered 1955 to the Smith-Rice Barge No. 3 Co. of Long Beach, CA as La Busca; registered 1956 to the Submarex Corp. of Santa Barbara, CA as La Busca; sold 1961 and operated under the Panamanian flag; fate unknown. La Busca call sign King-Queen-Item-King. Spec block: displacement 270 t. (250 t. 1948); length 136' (126.5' 1948); beam 24' 6"; draft 8' (11.5' 1948); speed 15 kts.; complement 32 (eight in 1948); armament one 3"/50 dual purpose 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: 'There is no DANFS History currently available for YMS-445'; no image of the hull is available.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Hiltebrant construction trades (1944-45); YMS-445 crew (1945-47); merchant crews (1948-61)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a compiled secondary archive of official data, not the underlying registers; its commissioning date conflicts with uboat.net's by one day (21 vs 20 March 1945 - see gaps). Contains no asbestos information. Wartime stations between commissioning and the September 1945 occupation window are not listed - operational service detail is undocumented in located sources except the official awards-manual eligibility listings (ev-03, ev-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-02
-
[4]Department of the Navy, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV Section 2(18) - Navy Occupation Service Medal, 'II. UNITS ELIGIBLE (A) SHIPS' table (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-17.html, Section 2(18) (A) SHIPS table, printed p. 213: 'YMS 445 | 14 Sep 45 - 24 Feb 46 | A'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy awards manual's occupation-service ship table lists this hull verbatim: 'YMS 445 | 14 Sep 45 - 24 Feb 46 | A' - Navy Occupation Service Medal eligibility for Asiatic-Pacific occupation duty (clasp 'A') from 14 September 1945 to 24 February 1946. This is an official ship-specific operational record: the ship performed credited occupation service in the Asiatic-Pacific area during that window. Neighboring hulls in the same listing carry distinct windows (YMS 444: 5 Nov 45 - 24 Feb 46; YMS 446: 20 Oct 45 - 24 Feb 46), so the listing is hull-resolved, not a squadron-level carryover.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (eligibility window); manual published 1953
- Population
- YMS-445 crew during Asiatic occupation duty (Sep 1945 - Feb 1946)
- Limitations
- Establishes officially credited occupation-service eligibility window - presence on qualifying duty in the Asiatic-Pacific area - but not day-by-day stations or tasks within it. Eligibility windows are award determinations, not continuous presence proofs. No asbestos content. HyperWar/ibiblio is a faithful transcription mirror of the published Navy manual; the underlying document is NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953). The NHHC-hosted Part IV page returned 404 this session (standing NHHC link rot) - HyperWar is the working access path.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-03
-
[5]Department of the Navy, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV 'List of Ships and Units eligible for Engagement Stars,' (A) United States Ships (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription); Part III operation definitions on Awards-IV-2-16.html [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html Part IV (A) United States Ships, YMS block: 'YMS 445: 8 Jan 46 - 20 Feb 46 P207-10; 24 Dec 45 - 28 Dec 45 P207-17; 20 Nov 45 - 29 Nov 45 P207-18'; Awards-IV-2-16.html Part III P207 operation definitions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy awards manual credits this hull with three post-surrender minesweeping operation windows under P207 'Minesweeping Operations Pacific': 'YMS 445: 8 Jan 46 - 20 Feb 46, P207-10; 24 Dec 45 - 28 Dec 45, P207-17; 20 Nov 45 - 29 Nov 45, P207-18.' The manual's Part III operation list defines these as P207-10 'Kure-Hiroshima (Honshu Area)' (authorized window 27Oct45-26Feb46), P207-17 'Tsushima Straits (Kyushu-Korea Area)' (12Oct45-14Apr46), and P207-18 'Fukuoka (Kyushu-Korea Area)' (13Oct45-11Jan46). P207 instructs 'Only 1 star for participation in 1 or more of the following' sub-operations, so these credits collectively qualify the ship for one engagement star. This is an official ship-specific operational record: post-surrender mine clearance around Kyushu and the Korea Strait in late 1945, then the Kure-Hiroshima (Inland Sea) area into February 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (eligibility windows); manual published 1953
- Population
- YMS-445 crew during post-surrender minesweeping (Nov 1945 - Feb 1946)
- Limitations
- Establishes officially credited participation windows in post-surrender minesweeping operations - presence and participation in those areas - but not day-by-day stations or specific sweeps. The three windows yield a single engagement star under the P207 rule. No combat engagement stars are listed for this hull (commissioned March 1945, she reached the forward area too late for combat operations). No asbestos content. HyperWar/ibiblio is a faithful transcription mirror of NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-04
-
[6]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official CINCPOA fleet organization roster, Navy Department Library Online Reading Room) - via Wayback Machine capture 2025-12-08; live NHHC URL returned 404 this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, Mine Squadron TWENTY YMS block, printed p. 137 (between --136-- and --137-- markers): 'YMS 445 | (1) | ..........'; Wayback capture 20251208110431
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization roster lists 'YMS 445' under Mine Squadron TWENTY, within the forces of Commander Minecraft, Pacific Fleet - six weeks after her 21 March 1945 commissioning at Kingston, NY. The hull carries footnote marker (1) and no number in the mine-division column; the commanding-officer column shows '..........' (no CO listed). Neighboring hulls in the same MinRon 20 block include YMS 441, YMS 442, YMS 443, and YMS 449.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-05-01 (roster date)
- Population
- YMS-445 crew (1 May 1945); Mine Squadron 20 minecraft population
- Limitations
- Establishes fleet assignment on the roster date, not stations or operations - where in the Pacific she was based or working on 1 May 1945 is not stated. The footnote (1) marker's legend is in the document's collapsed footnote block and was not resolved this session (the block renders via JavaScript and is not in the page text); its meaning for this hull (likely a reporting/en-route status flag, given her recent commissioning) is not interpreted here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-05
-
[7]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-445 (YMS-445) page - build/disposal data table [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/9864 data table (Ordered/Laid down/Launched/Commissioned/History rows)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net tabulates for this hull: built by Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co. (Kingston, New York); ordered 18 September 1943; laid down 25 March 1944; launched 28 September 1944; commissioned 20 March 1945; stricken 5 March 1947; sold 13 May 1947 - corroborating the NavSource chronology on all shared milestones except the one-day commissioning-date variant (20 vs 21 March; NavSource splits the dates as 'Completed 20 March, Commissioned 21 March', which the Hiltebrant yard table's 20-Mar-45 delivery supports as the completion date) and the 'sold' vs 'transferred to the War Shipping Administration' wording for the 13 May 1947 disposal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Hiltebrant construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-47)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation; the 'ordered 18 Sep 1943' date rests on this source alone (not verified against a contract record - see gaps). 'Sold 13 May 1947' vs NavSource 'transferred to the War Shipping Administration 13 May 1947' is a wording, not date, distinction - WSA was the federal disposal agent. Contains no asbestos information. uboat.net lists no commanding officers for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-06
-
[8]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Hiltebrant Dry Dock yard table, Kingston NY - hull list [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hiltebrant Dry Dock hull table, YMS-445 row and neighboring YMS-442/443/444 rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Hiltebrant Dry Dock (Kingston, NY) construction table lists 'YMS-445 | US Navy | Minesweeper | YMS | 445 | 278 tons | delivered 20-Mar-45 | Struck 1946' - the delivery date matching NavSource's 'Completed 20 March 1945'; the yard-table strike year '1946' conflicts with the 5 March 1947 strike date in NavSource and uboat.net (see gaps). Same-yard sisters in the table: YMS-442 (delivered 13-Oct-44, 'Reclassified 1947 as Plover (AMS 33)'), YMS-443 (14-Nov-44, 'Reclassified 1947 as Redhead (AMS 34), struck 1959'), YMS-444 (21-Dec-44, 'Reclassified 1947 as Turkey (AMS 56), sold private 1969') - all renamed under the 1947 program that YMS-445 missed by weeks (decommissioned 1 January 1947). The yard also built the MSO-430/431 ocean minesweepers in the 1950s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (construction); 1947 (disposal)
- Population
- Hiltebrant Dry Dock construction trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Yard-list record: documents the builder contract output (delivery date, disposal note), not construction materials or any asbestos content. The 'Struck 1946' disposition note conflicts with the register-level 5 March 1947 strike date in NavSource/uboat.net - the yard table's year appears to be an error or shorthand; the 1947 date is carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-07
-
[9]NavSource Online, Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) index page - class description [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS index class-description paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The YMS type was a wood-hulled, diesel-powered inshore minesweeper designed by Henry B. Nevins, Inc. (YMS-1 laid down 4 March 1941 at City Island, NY); 561 were built at 35 yacht yards - 12 East Coast, 19 West Coast, 4 Great Lakes - with 481 completed. 'YMS-1 through 134 had two stacks, YMS-135 through 445, 480, and 481 had one, while YMS-446 through 479 had none' - YMS-445 is the last hull of the single-stack subgroup and, per the Hiltebrant yard table, the last YMS that yard built (its YMS output was 32-37, 195-206, and 442-445). Surviving YMSs still in naval service were reclassified AMS and named in 1947 - YMS-445, decommissioned 1 January 1947 and struck 5 March 1947, was not among them and received no AMS designation or name.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- YMS-class crews and builders, 1941-1969 (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level design context only: establishes wood hull and diesel propulsion (no boilers, no steam piping - the dominant asbestos-lagging pathway of steam ships is absent by design), but documents no asbestos or insulation material content for the class or this hull. Does not establish presence or absence of residual asbestos components (gaskets, wiring, brake linings).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS index class description (wood hull, diesel plant); GAO HRD-80-2 program documentation (ev-10); NavSource/uboat.net/shipbuildinghistory build records (Hiltebrant Dry Dock, Kingston NY, 1944-45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource YMS index class description; GAO HRD-80-2; NavSource 11/19445.htm; uboat.net ship/9864; shipbuildinghistory hiltebrant page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel yard minesweeper built 1944-45 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type were diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings in confined below-deck spaces. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and the wooden hull means no hull-insulation pathway of steel combatants; residual exposure pathways are machinery-space and maintenance-disturbance.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Hiltebrant construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-47); merchant maintenance crews (1948-61); post-1961 Panamanian-flag crews undocumented
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, construction specification, or work package located for YMS-445. 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-445-09
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- 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 (1944-45), service era (1945-47), and disposal (1947).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ships' crews; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved this session (gao.gov product page cited; the report's ship-level scope is program-wide).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-10
-
[12]Batch-9087 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 + digitized-log index; NavSource (hull page + class index); NAVPERS 15,790 awards manual via HyperWar (Part IV engagement stars + occupation table + Part III operations); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization roster (Wayback); NHHC/DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory yard coverage; NHHC photo catalog; Wikipedia; CourtListener opinion and docket search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-445-01 through sl-uss-yms-445-20
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or environmental assessment naming USS YMS-445 was found in the public sources searched; no DANFS entry exists (NavSource states none; NHHC DANFS URLs return 404); no NVR detail page exists (vessel stricken 1947, outside NVR coverage; SHIPDETAILS URL bounces to the NVR root); no photograph is cataloged (NavSource states no image available). Deck-log status is weaker than for sister hulls: YMS-445 is absent from NARA's Special List 44 inventory AND the digitized deck-log index while neighbors YMS-444 and YMS-446 appear in both. CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4 helper, 2026-10-05): no qualifying asbestos litigation located - 'USS YMS-445' opinion count 1 (token collision: In re Albert Ortiz, Tex. App. 14th Dist. 2015), 'YMS-445' opinion count 71 (all reporter-citation collisions, none vessel-related), asbestos-qualified opinion variant 'YMS-445 asbestos' count 6 (all Texas appellate token collisions; justified by the hull-opinion overflow), 'USS YMS-445' docket count 728 (token-collision pool; sampled results unrelated, none name the hull), 'YMS-445' docket NOT COMPLETED (fleet-paced for over an hour before commit; logged as an open gap, not a negative result).
- 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 - WWII-era diesel auxiliaries still carried asbestos in some components (gaskets, electrical insulation, brake linings); it establishes only that nothing ship-specific is published. The hull's merchant career (La Busca, 1948-1961) and Panamanian-flag operation after 1961 are undocumented for material condition; fate unknown after 1961.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-445-11