Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 1078-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-85-yms85-pkt-1078-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. 123: 'YMS-85 7/13/1942 8/25/1942 see YMS-84, 1942' and 'YMS-85 7/13/1942 8/16/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 inventories US Navy deck logs for YMS-85 in two entries (p. 123, verified by layout extraction): 'YMS-85 7/13/1942 8/25/1942 see YMS-84, 1942' and 'YMS-85 7/13/1942 8/16/1945'. The earliest log span (13 July-25 August 1942) was bound in/entered in sister ship YMS-84's 1942 logbook - consistent with both hulls being built together by Henry C. Grebe and Co., Chicago (YMS-84's own log run begins 6/1/1942). The second entry's 8/16/1945 end date is the day before the recorded 17 August 1945 Soviet transfer. These are archival coverage dates, not commissioning or decommissioning dates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (log coverage); inventory published 1978
- Population
- YMS-85 crew, 1942-1945 (log coverage period)
- Limitations
- Inventory entries, not the logs themselves: they establish that logbooks exist (NARA custody) but not their contents - stations, operations, personnel, or aboard conditions are unread here. YMS-85 does not appear on NARA's digitized deck-log index (archives.gov navy-online page searched 2026-10-04), so the logs are an undigitized archival lead only. The shared-logbook cross-reference ('see YMS-84, 1942') follows the same notation pattern SL44 applies to adjacent Grebe-built hulls (YMS-81 see YMS-80; YMS-83 see YMS-82; YMS-87 see YMS-86).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-01
-
[3]NARA RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities', file unit 'YMS-85, 7/13/42-7/31/45' (NAID 192923827, Container Roll 8049, 121 digitized images via Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog file unit NAID 192923827 (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/192923827); images 32863_255093-00002.jpg (forwarding sheet, 'Forwarded Oct. 1, 1942 From Tommy's Boat Yard, Miami, Florida'), -00003.jpg (Report of Changes, '13th day of July, 1942'), -00004.jpg (nonenlisted passengers, 'None'), -00005.jpg (crew roster page one, all 'first received on board 13 July 1942'), -00119.jpg (end-of-reel marker), read at image level 2026-10-05
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- READ AT IMAGE LEVEL: the roll's forwarding sheet is headed 'MUSTER ROLL OF THE CREW OF THE U.S.S. YMS-85' and covers the period commencing '7-13-42' through '7-31-45 final'; it was approved by the commanding officer 'Lt. Fred W. Diehl, USNR' (executive officer Lt. (jg) John F. Healey, USNR) and 'Forwarded Oct. 1, 1942 From Tommy's Boat Yard, Miami, Florida' - placing the ship in the Seventh Naval District (Miami) operating area within three months of commissioning. The first Report of Changes page states the 'Vessel place[d] in Commission ... the 13th day of July, 1942' and the first crew roster page (N.Nav. 5 form, Page One) repeats 'Vessel place[d] in Commission ... 13 July, 1942', listing 10 enlisted men - Adams, Warren (n), S2c; Harrell, David Patrick, F1c; Meunier, John Rene, Jr., CMM; Napoli, Dominick (n), F2c; Power, Ralph Edward, EM2c; Quiggle, Howard Julius, MM2c; Snowden, DeWilton Stanley, PHM2c; Stewart, James Alfred, CMM; Summers, Venoy Solomon, Y2c; Trahan, Jules Joseph, MM2c - each 'Date first received on board 13 July 1942'. Nonenlisted passengers: 'None'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-07-13 to 1945-07-31 (roll coverage)
- Population
- YMS-85 commissioning crew and 1942-1945 personnel; officers Lt. Fred W. Diehl (CO) and Lt. (jg) John F. Healey (XO)
- Limitations
- Primary personnel record, read at image level 2026-10-05 (images 32863_255093-00002 through -00005 and end-of-reel frame). The muster roll's 13 July 1942 commissioning statement conflicts with uboat.net's 'Commissioned 30 Jun 1942' (NavSource's 'Completed 30 June 1942' is compatible - completion/delivery 30 June, commissioning 13 July; see gaps). The commissioning location is not stated on the pages read; the from/to sailing lines are blank. Interior quarterly pages beyond the opening block were not exhaustively reviewed - the roll is the open lead for station and personnel detail through July 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, YMS-85 page (build/transfer chronology compiled from Navy Register data; commanding-officer listing; specifications block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS-85 chronology block, specifications block, commanding-officer table (archives/11/19085.htm, verified live 2026-10-05)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (call sign Nan-Uncle-Love-Item): laid down 2 June 1941 by Henry C. Grebe and Co., Chicago, IL; launched 19 March 1942; completed 30 June 1942. 'YMS-85 served the Navies of the United States and the Soviet Union': transferred to the Soviet Union 17 August 1945 and reclassified T-604; assigned to the [Soviet] Pacific Fleet 31 August 1945; struck from the Naval Register 29 October 1946; struck from the Soviet Navy list 25 June 1956; 'Sunk 28 June 1956 in the Sea of Japan in agreement with the United States.' 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. Commanding officer listed: LT F. A. Whittle, USNR (1945). Page states: 'There is no DANFS history available for YMS-85.' No photo of YMS-85 is available in the archive.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Henry C. Grebe construction trades (1941-42); YMS-85 crew (1942-45); Soviet T-604 crew (1945-56)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a compiled secondary archive of official data, not the underlying registers. Its 'Completed 30 June 1942' is compatible with the muster roll's 13 July 1942 commissioning statement (completion vs commissioning), but uboat.net's 'Commissioned 30 Jun 1942' conflicts - see gaps. Contains no asbestos information. Operational stations between commissioning and the 1945 Pacific Fleet roster entry are not listed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-03
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS YMS-85 (YMS-85) page - ship data table and history lines [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/9505 data table ('Ordered', 'Laid down', 'Launched', 'Commissioned', 'End service', 'History' rows; verified live 2026-10-05)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Minesweeper of the YMS class: built by Henry C. Grebe Co. (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.); ordered 1 April 1941; laid down 2 June 1941; launched 19 March 1942; 'Commissioned 30 Jun 1942'; end service 17 August 1945 with the note 'Transferred to the USSR on 17 August 1945.' No commands are listed for the hull on that compilation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- YMS-85 crew (1942-45)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a compiled secondary database, not a primary registry; corroborates NavSource on all shared milestones. Its 'Commissioned 30 Jun 1942' conflicts with the ship's own muster roll ('Vessel place[d] in Commission ... 13 July, 1942', NAID 192923827, read at image level) - the primary record is carried; see gaps. 'Ordered 1 Apr 1941' rests on this source alone - not verified against a contract record. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-04
-
[6]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official CINCPOA fleet organization roster, Navy Department Library Online Reading Room). Live history.navy.mil URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-05; cited via the 2025-12-08 Wayback Machine capture; row independently verified live in the HyperWar transcription (ibiblio.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, Minecraft Pacific Fleet > Mine Squadron TWENTY > Mine Division SIXTY sequence, YMS block: '11 | YMS 85 | Lt. F. A. Whittle (USNR)'. Live mirror: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/OOB/PacFleet/Org-450501/index.html (verified 2026-10-05)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization roster lists 'YMS 85' in the YMS block under MINE SQUADRON TWENTY (listed in the MINE DIVISION SIXTY sequence) within the forces of Commander Minecraft, Pacific Fleet, with commanding officer 'Lt. F. A. Whittle (USNR)' - matching the NavSource commanding-officer listing. The row carries '11' in the division column. This establishes the hull as a U.S. Pacific Fleet minecraft on the roster date, three and a half months before the Cold Bay transfer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-05-01 (roster date)
- Population
- YMS-85 crew under Lt. Whittle; Mine Squadron 20 minecraft population (1 May 1945)
- Limitations
- Establishes fleet assignment and commanding officer on the roster date, not stations or operations. The '11' division-column value's legend was not resolved this session (adjacent YMS rows carry 11, 96, or blank; see gaps). Live NHHC page 404 at research time - the row was verified in the live HyperWar transcription and the archived NHHC capture is cited. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-05
-
[7]NARA catalog full-text search, '"YMS-85"' (167 archival-description results, 164 digitized) - OCR-indexed mentions of the hull inside other units' WWII war diaries (RG 38) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search '"YMS-85"' (167 hits): file-unit list including COM 7 / COM 7th ND war diaries (Roll A172, A177, A208, A287, A344, A360, A424), NOB Key West war diaries (Roll A186, A208, A241, A791, A848, A856, A912, A936), USS Hidatsa war diaries (Roll A1111, A1155)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Beyond the muster-roll file unit (ev-02), the catalog's OCR index returns 'YMS-85' mentions inside: COM 7 / Commander Seventh Naval District war diaries for 11/42, 12/42, 1/43, 2/43, 3/43, 4/43, 5/43, 6/43 and 2/44 (NAIDs 134030558, 134039624, 134066039, 134136796, 134193352, 134208456, 134272454, 78349058); NOB Key West war diaries for 12/42, 1/43, 2/43, 12/43, 1/44, 2/44, 3/44, 4/44 (NAIDs 134047891, 134066422, 134096867, 78274191, 78325676, 78332813, 78387958, 78408459); and USS Hidatsa (AVP-6) war diaries for 7/44 and 8/44 (NAIDs 78588500, 139735091). The pattern places YMS-85 in the Seventh Naval District / Key West operating area from late 1942 through at least April 1944, with mid-1944 mentions in a Pacific-bound seaplane tender's diaries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1944 (diary mention span)
- Population
- YMS-85 crew (mentioned in Seventh Naval District / Key West command diaries, 1942-1944)
- Limitations
- These are OCR index hits inside other units' diaries, not a dedicated YMS-85 war diary - none was found in the top results. The specific mention pages were not individually read at image level (the catalog thumbnails resolve to each diary's transmittal cover, not the mention); what each mention says - arrival/departure, assignment, operations - is unread here. Treated as an archival lead for service location, not as verified operational narrative. No dedicated YMS-85 deck-log or war-diary file unit appears among the digitized hits beyond the RG 24 muster roll.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-06
-
[8]Richard A. Russell, 'Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan,' Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington, 1997 (U.S. Navy in the Modern World series no. 4; official PDF reproduced in the HyperWar NHC NewPDFs collection) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Project Hula PDF, Appendix: 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' table, row 'YMS 85 | T-604 | 17 Aug. | 1956-destroyed' (printed pp. 39-40); witnessed-destruction passage pp. 37-38
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official NHC monograph's appendix 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945' lists this hull verbatim in the transfer table: 'YMS 85 - T-604 - 17 Aug. - 1956-destroyed' (the date and disposition carried by ditto marks under the YMS 33 row). The monograph documents the transfer mechanism: U.S. crews trained Soviet replacement crews aboard at Fort Randall/Cold Bay, Alaska, after which each vessel was decommissioned from the U.S. Navy and simultaneously recommissioned into the Soviet Navy; and that in 1956 the Soviet navy destroyed 20 transferred vessels at Nakhodka near Vladivostok under the 'witnessed destruction' settlement - consistent with NavSource's 'Sunk 28 June 1956 in the Sea of Japan in agreement with the United States.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-1956
- Population
- YMS-85 U.S. crew and Soviet training/transfer crew at Cold Bay (Aug 1945); Soviet T-604 crew (1945-56)
- Limitations
- Official Navy-published record of the transfer program and disposition; establishes the hull's Soviet designation (T-604), transfer date (17 Aug 1945), and 1956 destruction - not the exact place or day of sinking (28 June 1956, Sea of Japan, per NavSource). The generalstaff.org HTML transcription of the same monograph was Cloudflare-blocked to direct fetch at research time; the cited ibiblio.org PDF is the NHC publication itself, verified live. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-07
-
[9]NavSource Online, Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper (YMS) index page - class description [other_primary]
- Locator
- YMS index class-description paragraphs (verified live 2026-10-05)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The YMS type was a wood-hulled, diesel-powered inshore minesweeper designed by Henry B. Nevins, Inc.; 561 were built at 35 yacht yards (12 East Coast, 19 West Coast, 4 Great Lakes - which includes the Chicago builder of this hull). YMS-1 through YMS-134 were the two-stack early variant, which includes YMS-85. Surviving YMSs still in naval service were reclassified AMS and named in 1947 - YMS-85, transferred to the USSR in 1945, 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-85-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource YMS index class description (wood hull, diesel plant); NavSource/uboat.net build records (Henry C. Grebe and Co., 1941-42); Corn & Starr 1987 era documentation (ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource YMS index class description; NavSource 11/19085.htm; uboat.net ship/9505; Corn & Starr 1987
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel yard minesweeper built 1941-1942 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
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Henry C. Grebe construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-45); Soviet T-604 crew (1945-56)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, construction specification, or work package located for YMS-85. 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-85-09
-
[11]Corn, J.K. & Starr, J., '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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical research documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the program and era under which this 1941-1942 wooden minesweeper was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1945 (period studied); article 1987
- Population
- WWII U.S. shipbuilding workforce (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship on WWII U.S. shipbuilding generally; does not mention YMS-85, the YMS-1 class, or Henry C. Grebe and Co., and documents no quantities, locations, condition, exposure events, or causation for this hull. Supports era context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-10
-
[12]Batch-9168 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 + digitized-log index + catalog full-text search + RG 24 muster roll read at image level; NavSource (hull page + class index); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization roster (archived/HyperWar); NHC Project Hula monograph (ibiblio PDF); uboat.net; NHHC/DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; shipbuildinghistory.com; Atlas shipyards.json; CourtListener opinion and docket search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-yms-85-01 through sl-uss-yms-85-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, environmental assessment, museum record, or docketed case naming USS YMS-85 / YMS-85 / T-604 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). NavSource confirms no DANFS entry exists for this hull; the vessel predates Naval Vessel Register coverage (stricken 1946; detail URL bounces to the NVR root); the SL44-indexed deck logs are undigitized; no dedicated YMS-85 war diary is cataloged. CourtListener: all four required base queries ('USS YMS-85' opinion, 'USS YMS-85' docket, 'YMS-85' opinion, 'YMS-85' docket) stayed fleet-paced across spaced retries this session and are recorded as open gaps, not negative results (sl-14 through sl-17).
- 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 was sunk in the Sea of Japan in 1956 under the witnessed-destruction settlement and never received a material or environmental survey in located records. Litigation coverage is incomplete pending CourtListener pacing - no conclusion drawn.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-yms-85-11