AH-WR-0420

YMS-359

Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper · United States · Lost Sank sometime after her 1948 sale, while serving as a private houseboat conversion project · Lake Washington

A WWII invasion minesweeper that swept channels under fire off southern France, later sank after a fire while being converted into a private houseboat on Lake Washington.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

YMS-359 was built in 1943 and served in Mine Squadron 11, sweeping a fire-support channel off Mentone, France, during the 1944 invasion of Southern France while under enemy shore battery fire. Struck from the Navy register in 1946 and sold in 1948, she passed into private hands and was used as a houseboat conversion project. She later sank after a fire while moored on Lake Washington and now lies at roughly 200 feet, one of at least three YMS-class wrecks in the lake.

Vessel

Built: 1943
Registry: YMS-359
Builder: Robert Jacob Inc.
Yard: City Island, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 136 ft
Beam: 24.5 ft
Tonnage: 270
Propulsion: Diesel, twin screw
Owners: United States Navy; later private owner Clif Gazaway

Loss

Date: Sank sometime after her 1948 sale, while serving as a private houseboat conversion project
Cause: Fire
Location: Mid-lake off Carillon Point, Kirkland, Lake Washington
Water: Lake Washington
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 200 ft
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 47.66° N 122.21° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Carillon Point, Kirkland, Washington
Region: Lake Washington

General area only: coordinate of Carillon Point, the named place near which this minesweeper wreck is reported mid-lake, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)

The precise date of her sinking and full details of the fire are not established in the sources reviewed.

NavSource Naval History
Construction details, dimensions, armament, and disposal record.
Seattle Cross-lake Regional Exploration Team (SCRET)
Wartime service history and post-Navy private ownership.
pnwdiving.com
Loss cause (fire while moored as private conversion) and depth.
USGS-sourced feature coordinate — Carillon Point Marina, King County, Washington
coordinate of the named place of loss (Carillon Point)