Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 603-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Laramie River (LSM(R)-513)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-pkt-603-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Laramie River (LSMR-513) - construction at Brown Shipbuilding Houston, commissioning, 1945-48 Atlantic/Caribbean training service, 1948 decommissioning at Green Cove Springs, 1955 naming in reserve [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block; page verified live 2026-10-02 (bare-UA curl HEAD returns 404, browser-UA GET returns 200 - an anti-bot artifact, not link rot)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'laid down as LSMR-513 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex., 21 April 1945; launched 19 May 1945; and commissioned 9 July 1945, Lt. Robert E. Miles in command.' After Chesapeake Bay shakedown she sailed to the Great Lakes in October 1945, returned to Little Creek, Va., 15 November; departed 29 January 1946 for Caribbean winter maneuvers with landing craft; returned 24 March 1946 and conducted Chesapeake Bay amphibious exercises through the rest of 1946; continued amphibious training along the east coast and in the Caribbean from 1947 to April 1948; decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla., 12 April 1948. 'While berthed with the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, LSMR-513 was named Laramie River 1 October 1955.' Namesake: 'A river in southeastern Wyoming which empties into the North Platte River.' Spec block: dp. 790; l. 206'; b. 35'; dr. 8'; s. 13 k.; cpl. 147; a. 1x5", 4 40mm., 8 20mm., 4 4.2"m., 20 rkt.; cl. LSMR-401 (see gaps - class-designation discrepancy).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1955 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); commissioned crew (1945-48); reserve-fleet caretakers (1948-1973)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. The DANFS entry's narrative ends with the 1955 naming - post-1955 milestones (LFR reclassification 1969, striking 1973, 1974 disposal) come from NavSource (ev-02). The spec-block class label 'LSMR-401' conflicts with NavSource and the VERIFY hull list (LSM(R)-501) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Laramie River (LFR-513) ex-LSMR-513 ex-LSM(R)-513 - designation timeline, unit assignments, specifications, commanding officers, disposal chain (page verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/06/06513.htm header block, service chronology, specifications block, CO table, ribbon display
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull (LSM(R)-501 Class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)): laid down 21 April 1945 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 19 May 1945; commissioned USS LSM(R)-513, 9 July 1945, LT Robert E. Miles USNR in command; WWII unit assignment 'Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM(R) Flotilla Eighteen (CAPT C. F. Macklin USN), LSM(R) Group Forty-Four, LSM(R) Division One Hundred Seven'; decommissioned 12 April 1948 at Green Cove Springs, FL, and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group; named USS Laramie River (LSMR-513) 1 October 1955; reclassified Inshore Fire Support Ship (LFR-513) 1 January 1969; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1973; sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) 1 May 1974 to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, MD, for demilitarization and resale; 'Sold to a Key West, FL. company for use as a Caribbean coastal freighter, fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 758 t. light / 993 t. attack / 1,175 t. full; length 203'6" o.a.; beam 34'6"; draft 5'4"-7'9" mean by load state; speed 13 kts; complement 6 officers + 137 enlisted; armament one 5"/38 DP mount, two twin 40mm, four twin 20mm, ten twin-tube continuous-loading 5" spin-stabilized rocket launchers, four 4.2" mortars; propulsion two General Motors 16-278A diesel engines, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin screws 2,800 shp; four 100 kW 450 VAC + two 20 kW 120 VDC diesel-drive generators. Commanding officers listed: LT Robert Emmett Miles USNR (9 Jul 1945 - 16 Nov 1945); LT Albert George Bellos USNR (16 Nov 1945 - ?); LT Ernest Edward Hollyfield Jr. USN (Mar 1947 - 12 Apr 1948). Ribbon display: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1974
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); crew 1945-48 (peak wartime complement ~143-147); Green Cove Springs reserve-fleet caretakers (1948-1973); DRMS/Boston Metals demilitarization workers (1974)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates track DANFS where both exist. The 'Asiatic-Pacific Theater' assignment and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon are NOT corroborated by the DANFS narrative, which places the ship entirely in Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, Little Creek, the Caribbean, and Green Cove Springs - treat the Pacific unit listing as a paper/planned assignment pending a war-diary or flotilla source (see gaps). No asbestos or hazmat content; the 1974 'demilitarization and resale' chain has no located materials record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-02
-
[4]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine: Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' (June 2025) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History, June 2025 issue, 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' and 'Recruiting and Training Shipyard Workers' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-level documentation for this hull's builder: Brown Shipbuilding was established 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown and Root on Greens Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel, launching ships sideways into the narrow waterway; peak employment exceeded 25,000 workers from late 1942; the yard built 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts (38 Edsall-class, 23 John C. Butler-class), 32 LCI, and 254 LSM-type amphibious landing craft for the Navy - the production program into which this hull (laid down April 1945) falls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (>25,000 peak from late 1942); women and minority workers in yard trades
- Limitations
- Yard history, not a hull record - the article does not name LSM(R)-513 and contains no asbestos or material statement. Establishes the builder's scale, workforce, and product mix only. Page verified live 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and NavSource specifications for this hull (GM 16-278A diesel plant, no steam); NavSource LSM/LSM(R) type index (two LSM(R) classes; the later purpose-built class carried the 5"/38 mount and enclosed rocket battery); Corn & Starr 1987 and Hedley-Whyte & Milamed 2008 era documentation (ev-05, ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block (ev-01); NavSource specifications (ev-02); NavSource LSM/LSM(R) index class description https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/14/14idx.htm
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious rocket ship built April-July 1945 at a WWII Gulf Coast yard sits inside the documented asbestos shipbuilding era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation and lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing/deck coverings in the enclosed superstructure. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam-driven hulls does not apply here.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1974
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); crew (1945-48); reserve-fleet caretakers (1948-73); demilitarization workers (1974)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or plan located for LSM(R)-513. Names era-standard application categories, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no individual-exposure or causation content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-04
-
[6]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
- Peer-reviewed historical study 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 hull was built (laid down April 1945) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization across naval and merchant construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI link verified resolving 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-05
-
[7]Hedley-Whyte, John, and Debra R. Milamed, 'Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences,' Ulster Medical Journal 77(3):191-200 (2008), PMC2604477 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PMC2604477, 'Logistics of Asbestos' and 'Shipbuilding' sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical review documents: 'In 1922 the US Navy specified asbestos use in new submarines. South African chrysotile asbestos was specified for gaskets, insulation, packing and tape'; 'In 1939 the US classified asbestos as a critical material and stockpiling began as world-wide demand exceeded supply'; U.S. asbestos use 'averaged 783 million pounds' per year during WWII; and 'Shipbuilding in World War II is a significant aetiology of the malignancies caused by asbestos.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1922-1945 era documented; article 2008
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level history; does not name this vessel, this class, or this yard, and establishes no hull-specific material, exposure, or causation. The submarine-specification detail documents Navy material specification practice, not this amphibious hull's bill of materials. Page verified live 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (full PDF blocked)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos, and compensation programs. The product page documents that Navy ships carried asbestos insulation whose removal was governed by the Navy's 1975 policy (remove and replace only damaged insulation or insulation that had to be removed for repairs), modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policies documented
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, and this hull spent its reserve years at Green Cove Springs. Product page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; full-report PDF blocked to automated fetch (bare curl returns an HTML block page), so content is attributed to the product-page Highlights only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-07
-
[9]NARA National Archives Catalog search, "LSMR-513" (catalog API) - sibling-hull deck logs and Little Creek Amphibious Training Base logs indexed; no LSM(R)-513-titled deck log located [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog API query "LSMR-513" (13 hits) and "LSM(R)-513" (58 hits), 2026-10-02; series = RG 24 deck logs and shore-activity logs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NARA catalog indexes RG 24 deck logs for sibling LSM(R) hulls by hull number (e.g., NAID 126646442 'LSM(R)-507, 6/22/45-2/5/47'; NAID 126646250 'LSM(R)-508, 6/25/45-2/5/47') and holds Amphibious Training Base Little Creek logs for April 1945 - January 1949 (NAIDs 127285764, 127286843, 127288048, 127290049) covering this hull's homeport period - but no deck-log series titled for LSM(R)-513 surfaced in the catalog query. These are the archival leads for her 1945-48 movements and any shipboard records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1949
- Population
- Crew (1945-48); Little Creek Amphibious Training Base population
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: sibling-hull logs are indexed by hull number, so absence of an LSM(R)-513-titled series is meaningful but not proof of absence - logs may be unindexed, mislabeled, or folded into flotilla/group records. Physical presence and any work records for this hull are unestablished by the catalog query. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-08
-
[10]Batch-6430 search ledger (this record): DANFS (live); NavSource (live .net); NVR (pre-1987 disposal - not present); NARA catalog; CourtListener opinion search; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LSM(R)-513 / LSMR-513 / LFR-513 / USS Laramie River was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search for "Laramie River" returned 127 hits, all name collisions on the Wyoming/Colorado river and Basin Electric's Laramie River Station power plant - no vessel-related or asbestos case; the hull-number opinion query ("LSMR-513" OR "LFR-513" OR "LSM(R)-513") returned zero results. The docket-level (RECAP) query was throttled by fleet pacing this session and remains open (see sl-05). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no ship-specific asbestos claim at all - even law-firm listicle coverage of this hull is essentially absent.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull was built and served inside the documented WWII shipbuilding asbestos era. The litigation sweep is complete at opinion level (name + hull numbers) but open at docket level (fleet pacing). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laramie-river-lsmr513-09