Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 573-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-hunting-lsm398-pkt-573-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Hunting (LSM-398), 1945-1962 - live NHHC page, published 2023-03-08 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Hunting (LSM-398) entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched as LSM-398 by Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, S.C., 6 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. T. B. Thompson; commissioned 6 August 1945, Lt. L. L. Walters in command. Based at Little Creek, Va., she operated as part of the Amphibious Fleet in the Atlantic, 'taking part in many training assaults in the Caribbean and on the Atlantic coast.' In June 1953 she began conversion to a sonar research ship at Norfolk; on completion she reported to Operational Development Force 1 October 1954. Reclassified EAG-398 and assigned the name Hunting 13 June 1957. Testing and evaluation ran from the Naval Research Laboratory near Washington into Chesapeake Bay, the Virginia Capes coastal waters, and the Caribbean. 'During 1961 the veteran ship was severely limited by mechanical problems'; decommissioned 23 November 1962 at Portsmouth, Va.; sold 30 July 1963 to Commercial Manufacturing Corp., Kansas City. Spec block: displacement 1,095; length 203'6"; beam 34'6"; draft 7'4"; speed 13 knots; complement 59; armament 2 40mm; class LSM-1. Namesake: 'an island on the southern coast of South Carolina' (Hunting Island).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1963
- Population
- Construction trades, Charleston (1944-45); crew (1945-62); conversion trades, Norfolk NSY (1953-54)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS omits the wartime Pacific assignment shown by the NHHC fleet-organization document (see ev-03) and uses 'Charleston Naval Shipyard' - the yard's official name at build time was U.S. Navy Yard, Charleston (it became Charleston Naval Shipyard in November 1945). Does not give a laid-down or stricken date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Hunting (E-AG-398) ex USS LSM-398 (1945-1954) - timeline, awards, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14398.htm header block, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 16 December 1944 at Charleston Naval Shipyard; launched 6 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-398 6 August 1945, LT. Louis L. Walters, USNR, in command. 'During World War II USS LSM-398 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM Flotilla Fourteen, LCDR. W. R. McCaleb; LSM Group Forty-Two; LSM Division Eighty-Three.' Awards displayed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Converted to a Sonar Research Ship 1 October 1954; named and redesignated Hunting (E-AG-398) 13 June 1957; decommissioned 23 November 1962; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; sold for scrapping 30 July 1963 to Commercial Manufacturing Corp., Kansas City, MO; 'scrapped between 1980 and 1989.' Photo captions document: fitting-out piers at US Navy Yard Charleston, 10 January 1945 (Navy Yard photo #132-46); beached at Jeffersonville Bridge and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN, date unknown, alongside USS LST-261 and USS LCI(L)-47; beached offloading troops during Exercise 'Seminole' near Panama City, FL, circa 1947 (US Navy photo NH 91270); U.S. Army Engineers disembarking at Greenland, October 1952; underway 29 February 1956 in EAG configuration; post-conversion configuration with a 30' x 12' internal center well for handling scientific equipment through the center of the ship, 'a unique feature for US research vessels at the time,' career 'plagued by mechanical problems leading to her decommissioning in 1962.' Twelve-officer commanding-officer roster spans 1945-1962.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1989
- Population
- Charleston construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-62); NRL embarked scientific personnel (1954-62)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but conflicts exist on the laid-down date (16 vs 18 Dec), reclassification/naming dates (13 Jun 1957 vs Shipscribe's 6 Jan/13 Jul 1957), wartime division (83 vs 84), scrapping-window start (1980 vs 1983), and propulsion detail ('reversible with hydraulic clutch' vs 'non-reversing with airflex clutch') - see gaps and ev-12. Photo captions document presence only; the Jeffersonville, IN beaching has no date or purpose recorded. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-02
-
[4]NHHC, U.S. Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (official organization list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- US Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, LSM Flotilla Fourteen > LSM Group Forty-Two > LSM Division 84 (p. 73 of section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy documentation places this hull's wartime assignment in the Pacific Fleet: LSM-398 is listed under LSM Division 84, LSM Group Forty-Two, LSM Flotilla Fourteen, in the 'U.S. Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' document. Her entry shows no commanding officer - consistent with a hull launched but not yet commissioned (commissioned 6 August 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew assigned at commissioning (1945)
- Limitations
- An organizational document shows designated assignment, not completed service: the ship commissioned nine days before V-J Day and no operational record of her reaching the Pacific was located. NavSource gives her wartime division as Eighty-Three - this document shows Eighty-Four (same Group and Flotilla); the discrepancy is unresolved. Does not establish that she performed any Pacific operation; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon shown by NavSource implies theater presence but its award basis is not documented here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-03
-
[5]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS Hunting (EAG 398, ex AG 156, ex LSM) class page, compiled 18 Oct 2021 - register-derived construction, conversion, and disposal data [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux2/AG/AG398.html - class notes and ship notes tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Register-derived detail for this hull: keel 18 December 1944 at NSY Charleston; one of about ten LSMs remaining active in January 1950 before Korean-War reactivations; used as a utility craft in the Norfolk area; assisted in 1952 in Operation Blue Jay in the Arctic (construction of the Thule, Greenland air base - consistent with the October 1952 Greenland photo in ev-02); assigned to support the Naval Research Laboratory. Conversion began June 1953 at NSY Norfolk to BuShips plans: a well 30 ft long by 12 ft wide cut through the centerline forward with a gantry/bridge 18 ft above the main deck for the 30,000 lb towed transducer (28 ft long x 9 ft x 10 ft) of NRL's low-frequency (1/5/10 kHz) sonar program in the deep sound channel at about 1,000 m. Reclassified EAG 398 effective 6 January 1957 ('she was to have been AG 156 but the LSM number was retained'; the 'E' prefix denoted experimental status and was not part of the classification in Naval Vessel Register listings); named HUNTING effective 13 July 1957. 'Engine failure too expensive to repair after a mistake during shipyard repairs' plus hull corrosion under the engine compartment led to decommissioning 23 November 1962; strike listed 1 November 1962; disposal 30 July 1963 Navy sale; became dredge WESTERN SQUAW, out of documentation 1983. The well experience informed the improved wells of USNS MIZAR (T-AGOR-11) and USNS HAYES (T-AGOR-16).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- Crew and NRL personnel (1954-62); Norfolk NSY conversion trades (1953-54); commercial dredge crews (1966-83)
- Limitations
- Scholarly compilation of register/official data (secondary-source form, primary-register content). Conflicts with DANFS/NavSource on keel date (18 vs 16 Dec 1944) and on the reclassification/naming dates (6 Jan 1957 / 13 Jul 1957 vs 13 Jun 1957 combined) - carried in gaps and ev-12. Its listed strike date (1 Nov 1962) precedes the decommissioning date (23 Nov 1962), an unresolved anomaly. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-04
-
[6]Erskine, Fred T. III, 'A History of the Acoustics Division of the Naval Research Laboratory: The First Eight Decades 1923-2008,' Naval Research Laboratory report NRL/PU/7100--13-570 (August 2013) - via Wayback capture (DTIC live page under maintenance, 2026-10-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NRL/PU/7100--13-570, Era 2 (1948-1967) chapter, 'Testing of New Low Frequency Sonar Systems' and 'Reliable Acoustic Path Sonar Developments' sections (printed pp. ~55-57)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- First-party NRL account naming this hull: the Sonar Systems Branch head recounts that for the late-1950s low-frequency sonar program (10, 5, and 1 kHz systems) 'we chose to propose the use of a small vessel with a "center well" through which we could lower these test platforms into the sea. We were awarded the LSM 398 (Hunting) for this purpose and we installed a very large well with a platform above to support a large winch.' He records that the program 'came to a sudden halt when our ship the Hunting was rendered unfit for sea': 'the steel used during the wartime for constructing this ship could not be repaired with new steel. These ships were notorious for corrosion under the engine compartment due to stray electrical current in the water. In an attempt to replace the bottom under the engine room, the steel would always crack at the junction between the old and new steel. In the end the ship was scrapped.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1954-1962 (events); 2013 (publication)
- Population
- NRL embarked scientists and crew during sonar trials (1954-62); repair trades attempting hull-bottom renewal (early 1960s)
- Limitations
- Vessel-condition documentation from the government lab that operated her - explains the 'mechanical problems' DANFS cites (wartime hull steel incompatible with repair steel; corrosion under the engine compartment). It is not an asbestos record and does not describe insulation or material content. An oral-history-style retrospective chapter within an official NRL publication; memoir framing, not a survey. Cited via Wayback capture because apps.dtic.mil served a maintenance page on 2026-10-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: DANFS/NavSource spec blocks (LSM-1 class, GM diesel direct drive, no steam plant); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for charleston-naval-shipyard and norfolk-naval-shipyard; NAVFAC NNSY site descriptions (asbestos waste disposal); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; shipyards.json product lists (charleston-naval-shipyard, norfolk-naval-shipyard); NAVFAC Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-drive landing ship built December 1944 - August 1945 at Charleston Naval Shipyard and converted June 1953 - October 1954 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard sits inside both yards' documented asbestos-use eras; era-standard applications aboard a landing ship of this type and period were thermal insulation, exhaust and machinery lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and bulkhead fire barriers. As a direct-drive diesel ship she carried no boilers or turbines - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the confined-hull and machinery-space exposure dynamic applies, and the 1953-54 conversion (cutting a 30' x 12' center well through the hull) was a major disturbance event in an asbestos-era yard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1989
- Population
- Charleston NSY construction trades (1944-45); Norfolk NSY conversion trades (1953-54); crew and embarked NRL personnel (1945-62); dredge crews (1966-83); breakers (1980s)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-398/E-AG-398. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Yard documentation does not name this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-06
-
[8]OSHA Inspection 100361849, U.S. Dept of the Navy, Commander Charleston Naval Shipyard Code 106 - 1988 complaint health inspection citing the asbestos standard (verified live via Firecrawl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA IMIS inspection detail id=100361849 (violations table: citations 01001, 01002 under 29 CFR 1910.1001)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government documentation of asbestos-standard citations at this hull's builder: OSHA inspection 100361849 (opened 6 January 1988, complaint-type health inspection, SIC 3731 shipbuilding, case closed 16 September 1988) shows two initial 'Other'-type citations under 29 CFR 1910.1001 (the asbestos standard - items D07 I and J02 I; J02 I later deleted on amendment) at Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106. Yard-level evidence that asbestos-standard compliance issues were documented at the builder yard decades after this hull's construction; the shipyards.json product list for the yard documents pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, thermal insulation, electrical insulation, and fireproofing applications.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1988
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard workforce (1988 inspection era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, not a hull record: a 1988 OSHA inspection documents the yard's asbestos-standard status in 1988, not conditions during 1944-45 construction. OSHA blocks plain curl (HTTP 403); page content verified via Firecrawl render on 2026-10-01. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-07
-
[9]NAVFAC, Norfolk Naval Shipyard Environmental Restoration Site Descriptions - documented asbestos waste disposal at the conversion yard (verified live via Firecrawl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVFAC Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions, Site 10 (OU 6) 1927 Disposal Area paragraph
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Government documentation of asbestos at the yard that converted this hull: NAVFAC's Norfolk NSY site descriptions state of the Site 10 1927 Disposal Area that 'wastes disposed of at the site reportedly included various solid wastes generated by NNSY, salvage waste, abrasive blast material (ABM), fly ash, and asbestos waste.' Norfolk Naval Shipyard is EPA Superfund site VA1170024813 (listed 1999); the shipyards.json product list for the yard documents Thermobestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo and Unibestos insulation products, spiral-wound gaskets, pipe insulation and lagging, boiler and turbine insulation, electrical cable insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead fire barriers, and welding blankets.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- disposal area use prior to 1927-1941; conversion event 1953-54
- Population
- Norfolk NSY conversion trades (1953-54, era inference); yard workforce generally
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental record, not a hull record: documents asbestos waste disposal and documented yard products, not materials aboard or installed in this hull during the 1953-54 conversion. Asbestos is named among disposed waste streams, not as a CERCLA contaminant of concern driving the remedy. Live page verified via Firecrawl render (plain curl returns 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-08
-
[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 (1944-45), amphibious service (1945-53), research conversion and EAG career (1953-62), and the start of her commercial dredge career.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-09
-
[11]NARA catalog, RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' - digitized deck logs for this hull under both designations (VA Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project scans) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "LSM-398" (139 results) and "E-AG-398"/Hunting EAG units (e.g., NAIDs 204677622, 217541866, 217543698, 296874686, 212959728)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Deck logs for this hull are digitized and publicly accessible: ~139 monthly file units cataloged under 'LSM-398' (e.g., 'LSM-398 - July 1956,' NAID 204677622, 66 images) plus 'Hunting (EAG-398)' monthly units spanning the EAG era (e.g., October 1957 NAID 217541866; January 1960 NAID 217543698; January 1962 NAID 296874686). Deck logs are the primary record of who was aboard and what the ship did day-to-day - the highest-value open primary source for this hull's operating history and exposure-relevant events.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1962 (log coverage as cataloged)
- Population
- All hands, both eras (logs are the roster of record)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the file units were located in the catalog but not reviewed page-by-page; deck logs record operations and personnel, not material content - they would document yard availabilities, repair periods, and embarked personnel rather than asbestos per se. Search results include both designations; exact hull coverage per month not fully enumerated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-10
-
[12]Batch-6215 search ledger (this record): DANFS (live NHHC); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document; NavSource; Shipscribe; NRL-published Acoustics Division history; NARA deck-log catalog; OSHA IMIS; NAVFAC; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket indexes) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hunting-lsm398-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LSM-398 / USS Hunting (E-AG-398) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results on the opinion index for "LSM-398", "USS Hunting", and "E-AG-398", and zero on the docket index for "LSM-398" and "USS Hunting" (see search_ledger); docket coverage for "EAG-398" and opinion coverage for the commercial names were attempted but intermittently blocked by the shared fleet pacing budget. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard (mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org, waterskraus.com, freeasbestostesting.com) - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and it does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The digitized deck logs (ev-10), BuShips conversion work packages, and 1963 sale/scrapping and dredge-conversion records are open leads. Commercial-era (dredge) documentation beyond the secondary register data was not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-11
-
[13]Designation/date cross-check: Shipscribe register data (reclassified EAG 398 effective 6 Jan 1957; named HUNTING effective 13 Jul 1957; 'to have been AG 156'; strike 1 Nov 1962) vs DANFS and NavSource (reclassified EAG-398 and named Hunting together on 13 Jun 1957; strike 'date unknown') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe AG398 ship notes vs DANFS Hunting entry vs NavSource header block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION - registry dates conflict across authoritative sources: (1) DANFS and NavSource combine the 1957 actions as 'reclassified EAG-398 and assigned the name Hunting, 13 June 1957,' while Shipscribe's register-derived data splits them - reclassified EAG 398 effective 6 January 1957, name HUNTING effective 13 July 1957 (and records that she 'was to have been AG 156 but the LSM number was retained'). (2) Shipscribe lists keel 18 December 1944 vs NavSource 16 December 1944. (3) Shipscribe lists strike 1 November 1962, which precedes the agreed decommissioning of 23 November 1962 - an ordering anomaly; NavSource gives strike 'date unknown.' The 6 January 1957 NVR-style reclassification date and 13 July 1957 naming date are carried as the register-derived values with the conflict disclosed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1963 (milestone windows)
- Limitations
- Corrects date precision, not a material or exposure claim. All three dates rest on reputable sourcing; the register-derived (Shipscribe) sequence is internally consistent with how the 'E' prefix worked (experimental status outside the formal AG classification), but the June vs July naming discrepancy is unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunting-lsm398-12