USS YMS-70

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 1076-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-yms-70-yms70-pkt-1076-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - YMS-70, navsource.net/archives/11/19070.htm [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource YMS-70 page - chronology block, specifications block, call-sign line, 'no DANFS' and 'no image' notes

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive entry for YMS-70: 'YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper: Laid down, 22 July 1941 by Weaver Brothers Shipyards, Orange, TX; Launched, 12 March 1942; Completed, 7 September 1942; Foundered in a storm off Leyte, Philippines, 17 October 1944 at 10 deg 56' N., 125 deg 12' E.; Struck from the Navy list 13 November 1944.' Call sign Nan-Item-Jig-Oboe. 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 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow & Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-70' and 'No image of YMS-70 is available at this time.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1941-1944

   Population

   Weaver Brothers Shipyards construction workforce (Orange TX, 1941-42); wartime crew (design complement 32)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against NHHC casualties list (loss date/place), Colton yard table (builder, delivery, loss), uboat.net (dates, position, CO), and NARA indexes (log run opens 7 Sep 1942) where they overlap. Sole source for laid-down and launched dates, the stricken date, call sign, and the full spec block (a class-standard print - installation-by-hull unverified). 'Completed 7 September 1942' is a delivery/status date, not necessarily a commissioning ceremony. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-01

3. [3]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II' - Motor Mine sweepers (YMS) section [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC casualties page, 'Motor Mine sweepers (YMS)' section - YMS-70 line between YMS-50 and YMS-71 entries

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC official WWII loss list: 'USS YMS-70 foundered off Leyte, Philippine Islands, 17 October 1944.' The hull appears in the 'Motor Mine sweepers (YMS)' section of 'Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Wartime crew aboard at loss (28 enlisted carried forward at last muster, 30 Sep 1944)

   Limitations

   Official Navy loss record naming this hull - the authoritative source for the loss fact (foundered off Leyte, 17 Oct 1944). Does not state cause beyond 'foundered' (NavSource/uboat.net supply 'in a storm' and the position), gives no casualty/survivor figures, and contains no asbestos or materials information. Live page verified by direct fetch 2026-10-05.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-02

4. [4]NARA, Special List #44 by ship number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf, YMS block - 'YMS-70 9/7/1942 5/11/1944'); NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' list (no YMS-70 section - verified full-page text extraction) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SL-44 ship-number list, YMS block (line 5988 of -layout text extraction); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online (Y section: no YMS-70)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List #44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, by ship number) indexes ONE deck-log run for this hull: 'YMS-70 9/7/1942 - 5/11/1944' (verified by direct PDF text extraction, YMS block). The log run opens on the completion/delivery date and ends 11 May 1944 - five months before the foundering; no indexed log run covers 12 May-17 October 1944. The hull does NOT appear in the companion NARA list of fully digitized deck logs (unnamed YMS hulls appear there only under later bird names - YMS-70 was never named), so the indexed logs are paper/microfilm holdings at Archives II.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1942-1944 records

   Limitations

   Verifies the indexed log coverage exactly as the batch instruction stated (9/7/1942-5/11/1944) - but coverage dates are log-holding dates, not commissioning/decommissioning assertions; the gap from 12 May to 17 October 1944 is consistent with loss of the final logbooks in the foundering but that mechanism is unverified (unreceived submissions or unindexed holdings are also possible). Logs are indexed but not digitized - no box-level retrieval performed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-03

5. [5]National Archives Catalog, NAID 192920221 - 'YMS-70, 9/7/42-9/30/44' (RG 24 muster rolls, Roll 8035, 136 images; last recapitulation sheet for quarter ending 30 Sep 1944 read directly from image 131) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov/id/192920221 - file-unit description; recapitulation sheet at image 131 of 136 (32863_255072-00131.jpg): '32 / 1 / 33 / transfers 5 / loss 5 / remaining 28'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA file unit 'YMS-70, 9/7/42-9/30/44' (NAID 192920221; RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; series: Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; microfilm Roll 8035; 136 digitized images via Ancestry partnership, unrestricted). The final recapitulation sheet - quarter ending 30 September 1944 - records: brought forward 32, total gain 1, total on board during the quarter 33, transfers to other ships or stations 5, total loss 5, remaining on board and carried forward 28. This is the ship's last muster before she foundered 17 days later.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1942-1944

   Population

   YMS-70 enlisted crew, Sep 1942-Sep 1944 (33 aboard in final quarter)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific primary record naming the hull - establishes enlisted strength (28 carried forward, 33 aboard during the quarter ending 30 Sep 1944) and that muster rolls survive for the hull's entire life. A personnel record, not a materials record: contains no asbestos, insulation, or construction-materials information. Does not state crew fate in the 17 Oct 1944 foundering - casualty/survivor status is not in the muster and remains undocumented in the sources reached.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-04

6. [6]National Archives Catalog, NAID 78199446 - 'YMS-70 - AA Act Rep, 9/12/43, NW Morobe Harbor, N Guinea' (RG 38, Roll A591, 3 images read directly) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov/id/78199446 - images 0013 (first endorsement, 'CC USS YMS 70 Conf. ltr. of 12 Sept. 1943'), 0014 (AA action report form, Morobe Harbor 9-12-43, 8 rds 3"/50, one sure), 0015 (narrative - plane exploded and fell into the sea)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NARA file unit 'YMS-70 - AA Act Rep, 9/12/43, NW Morobe Harbor, N Guinea' (NAID 78199446; RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; microfilm Roll A591; 3 digitized images via Fold3, unrestricted) is the ship's own anti-aircraft action report, read directly this session: at about 1128 local time 12 September 1943, roughly three miles NW of Morobe Harbor, New Guinea, in company with LCT-382, YMS-70 sighted about 30 Japanese aircraft (types 0 and 99) making a dive-bombing attack on shipping in Morobe Harbor (8-12 planes in the attack); she opened fire with her 3"/50 at about two miles, expended 8 rounds (130 remaining), suffered no hits, damage, or casualties, and was not strafed; 'Planes shot down - SURE: One' - the report describes a low-flying departing plane at 150 ft/2.5 mi exploding and falling into the sea as the fifth round was expended, and crew reports of three other planes crashing from harbor fire. Signed B. M. Brink, Lt.(jg), 'Commanding'; first endorsement routes it via Commander, Escort and Minecraft Squadrons, Service Force, Seventh Fleet to Cominch (received 27 Oct 1943).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1943

   Population

   YMS-70 crew in action, 12 Sep 1943

   Limitations

   Ship-specific combat record written by the hull's own commanding officer - establishes the ship's presence and action at Morobe Harbor 12 Sep 1943 and her armament fit (one 3"/50, consistent with the NavSource spec block). The one-plane 'SURE' claim is the ship's own wartime report, not an independent confirmation. Contains no asbestos or materials information; 'Conf. ltr.' routing shows her parent organization (Escort and Minecraft Squadrons, Service Force, Seventh Fleet).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-05

7. [7]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS YMS-70 (ship 9494); task-organization transcriptions for Operation Director (Arawe, 15 Dec 1943) and Cape Gloucester (26 Dec 1943) [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/9494.html - data table (ordered/laid/launched/commissioned/lost/position) + 'Notable events' 15 Dec 1943 and 26 Dec 1943 sections

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS YMS-70 (ship 9494): 'Minesweeper of the YMS class'; built by Weaver Shipyards (Orange, Texas); ordered 1 April 1941; laid down 22 July 1941; launched 12 March 1942; commissioned 7 September 1942; lost 17 October 1944 at 10 deg 56'N, 125 deg 12'E - 'Sunk during a storm off Leyte, Philippines.' Notable-events section places her in two TF 76 operations: (a) Operation Director, the 15 December 1943 Arawe landings - third attack echelon out of Cape Cretin 14 Dec escorted by SC-699 and 'minesweeper USS YMS-70 (Lt. B.M. Brink, USNR)', and the seventh echelon 19 Dec again escorted by 'minesweeper YMS-70' with APc-22 in bad weather; (b) the 26 December 1943 Cape Gloucester landings - 'Task Unit 76.1.62 was the Minesweeping Section made up of the motor minesweepers USS YMS-51 (Lt. F.P. Allen, Jr., USNR), USS YMS-52 (Lt. A.I. Roche, USNR) and USS YMS-70 (Lt. B.M. Brink, USNR)', and the 25 Dec escort group 'USS YMS-50, USS YMS-51 and USS YMS-70.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1941-1944

   Population

   Wartime crew (1942-1944)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - corroborates builder, dates, loss position, and the CO's identity (Lt. B.M. Brink USNR - consistent with the signature 'B.M. Brink, Lt(jg), Commanding' on the ship's own Sep 1943 AA report, ev-05). The Arawe/Cape Gloucester task-unit placements rest on uboat.net's operation-order transcriptions - plausible and internally consistent but not independently verified against the underlying TF 76 documents this session. 'Ordered 1 April 1941' rests on uboat.net alone - secondary-only, not carried into record fields. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-06

8. [8]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Weaver Shipyards, Orange TX' - yard history + production table row for YMS 70 [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/weaver.htm - yard-history paragraph + YMS 70 row + Weaver YMS block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), Weaver Shipyards (Orange TX) page: yard history - 'Joseph Weaver and Son was started in 1897, by Joe Weaver and George Levingston, to build barges for the Galveston Navigation District'; primarily a repair facility until WWII; renamed Weaver Shipyards in 1941 after L.E. Weaver's death; 'contracts to construct wooden mine sweepers and sub chasers were awarded in 1941 and 1942.' Row for this hull: 'YMS 70 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 278 GT | Delivery 7-Sep-42 | Caught in a storm off Leyte and lost 1944.' The Weaver block shows sisters YMS 66-75, YMS 247-258, and YMS 371-374 plus subchasers SC 666-667, all at 278 GT.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1941-1944

   Population

   Weaver Shipyards construction workforce (Orange TX, 1941-42)

   Limitations

   Compiler's yard table, secondary - corroborates builder yard (Weaver, Orange TX), wooden-minesweeper contract era (1941-42), delivery date (7 Sep 1942, matching NavSource 'Completed' and uboat.net 'Commissioned'), and loss ('Caught in a storm off Leyte and lost 1944'). Its 278 figure is gross tonnage - not a conflict with NavSource's 270 t displacement (different measures); the class's 320 t figure in Colton's ym.htm table is a third measure. Yard name variant noted: NavSource 'Weaver Brothers Shipyards' vs Colton/uboat.net 'Weaver Shipyards' (the post-1941 company name). Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-07

9. [9]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Yard Minesweepers (YMS)' - program header paragraph [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/ym.htm - opening program paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), Yard Minesweepers (YMS) program page: 'In the three-year period from the spring of 1942 through the spring of 1945, 35 boatyards turned out 561 wooden-hulled minesweepers. All were of essentially the same design - 136 feet long, with a speed of 13 knots - but the Mk. I (YMS 1-135 and BYMS 1-30) had two stacks, the Mk. II (YMS 135-445 and BYMS 31-80) had one stack and the Mk. III (YMS 446-481) had no stacks. 150 of these boats were transferred directly from the boatbuilder to the Royal Navy... Another 30 boats were transferred to the Free French Navy in 1944 and 45 to the Soviet Union in 1945.' YMS-70 falls inside the Mk. I (two-stack) number block.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-05

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   35 boatyards' construction workforces (1942-1945)

   Limitations

   Program-level compiler summary - establishes the wooden-hulled, 35-boatyard, single-design production frame for the class and the Mk. I placement of this hull; says nothing about materials or asbestos aboard any specific hull. Its 13-knot class figure conflicts with NavSource's 15-knot spec block for this hull (flagged in the correction row). Wikipedia's parallel class article corroborates the 561-hull count but was not cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-yms-70-08

10. [10]National Archives Catalog search '"YMS-70"' - 176 file units; top-20 unit list enumerated in locator [other_primary]

    Locator

    catalog.archives.gov search results - file-unit titles and NAIDs listed in finding_value; two ship-specific units (192920221 muster rolls, 78199446 AA report) carried as their own rows

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA catalog full-text search for 'YMS-70' returns 176 file units - almost entirely mention-level records of other units in the same operating area, corroborating her Seventh Fleet SW-Pacific service track: USS Otus war diary Oct 1943 (NAID 135968942) and Sep 1943 (NAID 78203607); NAV BASE MANUS war diary Aug 1944 (NAID 78598589) and COM NAV BASE MANUS, Admiralty Is. war diary Sep 1944 (NAID 134362702) - the staging base before Leyte; COMTASKFOR 76 war diaries Aug/Sep/Dec 1943 (NAIDs 134319568, 135985441, 78417831); USS SC-703 war diary Dec 1943 (NAID 78274867); USS SC-699 AA action report 15 Dec 1943 Arawe Harbor (NAID 78280413) and war diary Dec 1943 (NAID 78276510); COM LCT(5) FLOT 7 preliminary report of Arawe operations 15-31 Dec 1943 (NAID 78307345); USS PC-1122 war diary Feb 1944 (NAID 78329890); USS LST 464 war diary Aug 1943 (NAID 78159940); USS Rigel war diary Aug 1943 (NAID 78160306); USS Prometheus war diary Apr 1943 (NAIDs 139729128, 134170600); COMINSHPAT 8th ND war diary Dec 1942 (NAID 134046582); NOB Key West war diary Jan 1943 (NAID 134066422). All are digitized (the Otus diaries fully transcribed).

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1942-1944 records

    Limitations

    Archival leads, not read in full - the catalog indexes these diaries as containing 'YMS-70' text matches (the Otus and Manus diaries could detail her tender support and pre-Leyte staging). Nothing here is an asbestos finding. The pre-sinking operational paper trail is unusually rich for an unnamed YMS hull precisely because the catalog full-text index reaches into other units' diaries.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-70-09

11. [11]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era-level inference only: peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this wooden-hulled diesel minesweeper was built. Period marine diesel installations and auxiliary machinery commonly used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and exhaust-system insulation; aboard a ~270-ton, 136-ft diesel yard minesweeper the plausible applications, if any, would be confined to such machinery fittings.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1941-1944

    Population

    Weaver Shipyards construction trades (Orange TX, 1941-42); wartime crew (design complement 32; 28 aboard at last muster)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarship only - does not name this vessel or the YMS-1 class and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. No class- or design-specific material documentation for YMS minesweepers was located; the diesel/wooden-hull profile limits plausible scope relative to steam-driven vessels (no boiler-room or steam-line insulation envelope). The machinery-fitting applications named are general era practice, not documented aboard this class.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-70-10

12. [12]NavSource YMS-70 spec block and chronology vs Colton Weaver/ym.htm tables vs uboat.net ship/9494 vs NARA NAID 78199446 signature block [other_primary]

    Locator

    Same citations as ev-01 through ev-08

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies documented, not reconciled: (a) tonnage - 270 t displacement (NavSource spec block) vs 278 gross tons (Colton Weaver table) vs ~320 t class figure (Colton ym.htm BYMS rows) - different measures, reported as printed. (b) speed - 15 kts (NavSource spec block) vs 13 kts (Colton program header class figure). (c) status wording - 'Completed' (NavSource) vs 'Delivery' (Colton) vs 'Commissioned' (uboat.net) for the same 7 Sep 1942 date; for numbered district-craft YMS hulls these are the same administrative event rendered differently. (d) builder name - 'Weaver Brothers Shipyards' (NavSource) vs 'Weaver Shipyards' (Colton, uboat.net - the post-1941 company name per the yard's own history). (e) CO rank - 'B.M. Brink, Lt(jg)' signed the Sep 1943 AA report vs 'Lt. B.M. Brink, USNR' at Dec 1943 Arawe (uboat.net) - consistent with wartime promotion, not a conflict. (f) stricken 13 Nov 1944 printed by NavSource alone (no second source located - carried as printed, unconflicted).

    Verification

    disputed

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-05

    Study period

    1941-1944

    Limitations

    Resolves nothing - documents genuine multi-source discrepancies so a future pass does not silently pick one figure. Tonnage differences are almost certainly different measures (displacement vs gross tonnage) rather than a true conflict. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-70-11

13. [13]Batch-9152 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC casualties list; NARA SL-44 + catalog (muster rolls, AA action report, war-diary mentions); Colton Weaver + YMS program pages; uboat.net; live DANFS URL check; general-web asbestos search [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-70-01 through sl-uss-yms-70-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming USS YMS-70 / YMS-70 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener sweep executed cleanly this pass: all four base queries returned zero - '"USS YMS-70"' opinions 0, '"USS YMS-70"' dockets 0, '"YMS-70"' opinions 0, '"YMS-70"' dockets 0 (authenticated API v4, --limit 20; zero results so no asbestos-qualified variants were run - a variant is a subset of a zero-result base query). No qualifying case names this hull.

    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 - a 1941-42-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery fittings even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. The hull foundered and was lost in 1944, so no surveyable structure exists and no museum-era abatement record can ever arise. CourtListener coverage was complete this pass (authenticated, zero throttles at execution - earlier attempts were pacing-blocked and waited out, not skipped), so 'no qualifying litigation' is a real negative - subject to the standing caveat that RECAP indexing is incomplete for older dockets and that unindexed complaints naming the hull cannot be ruled out. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-yms-70-12