Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 529-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-109-lsm109-pkt-529-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-109 page (10/14/14109) - build/milestone timeline, specifications, awards, commanding officers, photo captions; history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14109.htm history block, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions 101410901-101410903
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 7 October 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 28 October 1944; commissioned USS LSM-109 on 23 November 1944, LT. Richard I. Callomon, USNR, in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Sixteen / LSM Group Forty-Six / LSM Division Ninety-One. Decommissioned 18 December 1946; laid up in the Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); sold November 1956 to Hendry Corp., Tampa, FL. Final disposition: scuttled in January 1976 by demolition charges off Indian Shores, Pinellas County, FL, in 50 feet of water for use as an artificial fishing reef. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" ovl x 34'6" beam; 13.2 kt max; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; two Fairbanks-Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each, twin propellers, 2,800 shp. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. COs: LT Callomon (Nov 1944-Dec 1945); LTjg Rasmussen (Dec 1945-Jun 1946); LTjg Schmuckal (Jun-Sep 1946); LTjg Sackett (Sep-18 Dec 1946). Photo captions place the hull anchored at Keokuk, Iowa on the Mississippi River in October 1945 and beached at Algiers Naval Base, New Orleans, LA, circa 13 November - 9 December 1945 alongside LSM-108 and LSM-399, masts and yardarms removed for river travel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding trades (Oct-Nov 1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation; its LSM-109 extract is credited to the Turner Publishing unit-history volume, a tertiary source. Stricken date not stated. No asbestos or material content. The 1945 river-transit photos establish location only, not work performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-01
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[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Landing Ships, Medium' construction table and Brown Shipbuilding yard table (shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm (LSM-109 row); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.htm (yard hull no. 214 row; yard summary paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipyard build table: LSM-109 was Brown Shipbuilding (Houston TX) yard hull no. 214, laid down 7 October 1944, launched 28 October 1944, delivered/commissioned 23 November 1944 - 'laid up 1947, sold to Hendry Corp. 1956, reefed off Indian Shores FL 1976.' Class context: 558 LSMs built 1944-45 by seven shipyards; Brown Shipbuilding built 254 of them (part of a 359-vessel, four-year wartime output alongside 61 destroyer escorts, 32 LCI(L)s, and 12 PCs).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding trades (1944); Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946/47-1956); Hendry Corp. workforce (1956-1976)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (though the standard reference for U.S. commercial/Navy small-craft build records). 'Laid up 1947' postdates NavSource's 18 December 1946 decommissioning - the layup berth is not identified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-02
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[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 109 (LSM 109) entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/12720.html specifications/history table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Confirms builder (Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston TX) and milestones: ordered 15 September 1943; laid down 7 October 1944; launched 28 October 1944; commissioned 23 November 1944; end of service (decommissioned) 18 December 1946. Adds two dates NavSource omits or conflicts with: 'Stricken on 14 January 1958. Sold in November 1958.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1958
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation. The stricken (14 Jan 1958) and sale (Nov 1958) dates conflict with NavSource ('date unknown'; sold Nov 1956) and Shipbuilding History (sold 1956) - carried as an unresolved conflict in gaps; neither variant is asserted as fact. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-03
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[5]Pinellas County (FL) official Artificial Reef Guide, Indian Shores Reef map/feature sheet + county Artificial Reef GPS Coordinates Summary + coordinates page; corroborating secondary dive-guide record (divespots.com/indian-shores-reef) [other_primary]
- Locator
- pinellas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Indian-Shores-Reef.pdf ('Two 200-foot WWII Navy landing ships', depth 42-46 fsw); pinellas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Summary.pdf (WWII Navy Landing Craft 27*51.441 N 083*01.833 W); pinellas.gov/artificial-reef-gps-coordinates/; divespots.com/indian-shores-reef/ (secondary)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The hull's present state as an artificial reef is documented by the county reef authority: Indian Shores Reef (1320 ft x 1320 ft site, average depth ~42 fsw) contains 'Two 200-foot WWII Navy landing ships' plus a 240-foot hopper barge and concrete/reef-ball material. The county GPS summary lists 'WWII Navy Landing Craft' at 27 deg 51.441 N, 083 deg 01.833 W. Secondary dive guides (divespots, divenavigator) describe the 1976 sinking of two surplus WWII LSMs by a U.S. Navy Explosives Ordnance Disposal team from NAS Cecil Field (Jacksonville, FL), which filled the hulls with cable before scuttling them in ~45 ft; divers style the wrecks 'LSM 1'/'LSM 2' or 'Cable Wreck.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1962-present (reef site); 1976 (scuttling)
- Population
- Navy EOD team and reef-program workers (1976); recreational divers (1976-present)
- Limitations
- County records confirm two WWII LSMs on the reef but do not identify either hull by number - LSM-109's presence rests on NavSource's scuttling attribution; which reef position is LSM-109 is unassigned. EOD/Cecil Field and cable-fill details rest on secondary dive guides, not primary records. No pre-sinking hazmat/abatement record located - the scuttling predates the Navy's formal EPA-coordinated vessel-reefing guidance era (Oriskany program, 2006).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-04
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (two Fairbanks-Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, direct drive, no steam plant); Shipbuilding History class data (558 LSMs, 1944-45, seven yards); NHHC 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (LSM type description); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14109.htm specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm; history.navy.mil 'The Navy's Happy Medium'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- An LSM-1-class landing ship medium built in late 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation, gaskets, valve and flange packing, electrical insulation, accommodation-space insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. As a diesel direct-drive ship she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Her ~7-week wartime build (laid down 7 Oct, delivered 23 Nov 1944) at an emergency Green's Bayou yard is consistent with standardized wartime material supply, including period asbestos-bearing insulation and gasket products.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding trades (1944); crew (1944-46); Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946/47-1956); Hendry Corp. conversion/barge workforce (1956-76); EOD team and reef workers (1976)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or HazMat record located for LSM-109. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-05
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[7]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) and naval service era (1944-46).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-01); content via product-page description. Same standing defect as prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-06
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[8]Perez v. Todd Shipyards Corp., 999 S.W.2d 31 (Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1999), review denied with dissent, Todd Shipyards Corp. v. Perez, 35 S.W.3d 598 (Tex. 2000) (Hecht, J., dissenting from denial of petition for review, joined by Owen, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 1754652 (999 S.W.2d 31); opinion 5272395 (35 S.W.3d 598, Hecht J. dissenting); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.htm (Todd lease of Brown yard, 1949-1984/87)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level asbestos litigation involving the successor operator of this hull's birthplace: plaintiffs alleged Todd Shipyards Corp. 'negligently caused the death of Guadalupe G. Garcia by exposing him to asbestos products during the term of his employment' - the decedent worked as a laborer for Todd 1954-1974, developed benign asbestos-related pleural disease (1988), then metastatic mesothelioma (1992), and died. The trial court granted summary judgment on bankruptcy-discharge grounds (Todd's Chapter 11 plan confirmed 1990); the Fourteenth Court of Appeals reversed and remanded on derivative-claim grounds; the Texas Supreme Court denied review over a dissent. Todd Shipyards leased and operated the same Green's Bayou, Houston yard where LSM-109 was built - as 'Todd Houston,' 1949-1984/87 (shipbuildinghistory.com yard history).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1954-2000 (employment 1954-74; litigation 1997-2000)
- Population
- Todd Shipyards laborers, 1954-1974 (yard-level, facility unspecified)
- Limitations
- Allegation-stage record only: the merits of the asbestos-exposure claim were never adjudicated - summary judgment rested on bankruptcy discharge, and the appellate holding addressed whether the family's gross-negligence action was derivative of the decedent's discharged claim. The opinion does not identify which Todd facility employed the decedent - Houston venue suggests but does not prove employment at the Green's Bayou yard; Todd operated multiple yards (San Pedro, Houston, et al.). The alleged exposure window (1954-74) postdates this hull's 1944 construction. Not a hull finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-07
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[9]NHHC, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (art-exhibit page on the LSM type; accession 88-159-HN, Reginald Marsh watercolor, 1944) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC art-exhibit page, object description block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC describes the LSM type as the Navy's answer to the need for 'a landing ship somewhere between the size and displacement of an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and an LST (Landing Ship, Tank)' - 'compact and maneuverable,' shown in South Pacific jungle camouflage. Establishes the type's designed size band and wartime role.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944 (artwork); class description
- Limitations
- Type-level description only; names no hull. No asbestos content. LSM-109 itself has no DANFS entry - numbered LSMs received DANFS coverage only when named (e.g., Oceanside, LSM-175); candidate URLs lsm-1, lsm-45, lsm-60, lsm-109 all returned 404 on 2026-10-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-08
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[10]Batch-5907 search ledger (this record): NavSource; Shipbuilding History (LSM table + Brown yard table); uboat.net; Pinellas County reef documents; NHHC (Happy Medium page; DANFS candidate URLs); CourtListener API v4 ('LSM-109'/'LSM 109' type=o and type=r; 'Hendry Corp' asbestos; 'Perez' 'Todd Shipyards' asbestos); NVR; NARA catalog; GAO [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LSM-109 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero opinions (type=o) and zero dockets (type=r) for 'LSM-109' and 'LSM 109' on 2026-10-01. A 'Hendry Corp + asbestos' opinion query surfaced one reviewed non-qualifying hit (Safe Environment of America, Inc. v. Employers Insurance of Wausau, 278 F. Supp. 2d 121, D. Mass. 2003 - insurance-coverage litigation; no vessel or Tampa-yard connection apparent in the indexed record). Web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing assertions of asbestos aboard LSM-type ships generally (mesothelioma.com et al.) - 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 - the hull was built inside the documented Navy asbestos era and was neither surveyed nor abated in any located record before sinking. Deck logs, Brown Shipbuilding build records, Hendry Corp. conversion records, and any 1976 pre-scuttling condition report are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-109-lsm109-09