Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 530-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-117-lsm117-pkt-530-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-117 (history extract from 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) - construction, service, awards, specifications, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14117.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 21 October 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston TX; launched 11 November 1944; commissioned USS LSM-117, 7 December 1944, Lt. John H. Maginnis USNR in command. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM Flotilla Twelve (LCDR A. F. Dineen USN), LSM Group Thirty-four (LCDR V. W. Webb USNR), LSM Division Sixty-Seven. Campaign credit: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1-3 April 1945. Postwar occupation service in the Far East 20 September - 4 October 1945. Decommissioned 7 June 1946 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo CA; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); sold 17 January 1948 to Ellis Clarke Soper, Detroit MI, fate unknown. One battle star for WWII service. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" x 34'6"; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow mount, four single 20mm; propulsion two Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 1/8x10 diesels, direct drive, 1,440 bhp each @ 720 rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp; diesel-driven ship's service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Oct-Dec 1944); crew ~59 (1944-46); troop accommodations
- Limitations
- Secondary volunteer compilation quoting the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR history - not a primary registry; milestone dates corroborated by the Brown yard list and NHHC records where those exist. Division assignment conflicts with the NHHC fleet organization (Division 67 here vs Division 68 at NHHC 1 May 1945 - see gaps). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-01
-
[3]NHHC photograph NH 81021, 'USS LSM-117 - In San Francisco Bay, 1945-46' (official NHHC photo catalog entry; image courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH-series catalog page NH 81021; NavSource 10/14/14117.htm photo table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC holds an official image of this hull (catalog no. NH 81021) documented in San Francisco Bay in 1945-46 - consistent with her postwar return and decommissioning at Mare Island. The NHHC photographic record also anchors NavSource-captioned photography placing the hull off Saipan, at Green Beach Tulagi alongside LSM-116, beached at Wakayama Japan, moored alongside LSM-467 at Tulosa, Leyte, 11 December 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- crew and any yard trades during West Coast availability (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Archival/photographic record only: establishes presence and identity, not work performed, materials aboard, or any asbestos content. The Wakayama caption date (25 July 1945) precedes the Japanese surrender and is geographically inconsistent with wartime operations - likely misdated (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - official fleet organization listing, Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet, Landing Craft Flotillas [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room, US Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, LSM Flotilla Twelve / LSM Group 34 / LSM Division 68 section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization of 1 May 1945 lists 'LSM 117 - Lt. J. H. Maginnia (USNR)' in LSM DIVISION 68, LSM GROUP 34, LSM FLOTILLA TWELVE (Lt. Cdr. A. F. Dineen), under Landing Craft Flotillas, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. Documents this hull's unit assignment and commanding officer afloat as of 1 May 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- crew under Lt. J. H. Maginnia (USNR), May 1945
- Limitations
- Official organizational document as of a single date (1 May 1945). It places LSM-117 in Division 68 while the NavSource/Turner extract says Division Sixty-Seven - a conflict carried in gaps; ships moved between divisions and the sources may each be correct for different dates. CO surname rendered 'Maginnia' here vs 'Maginnis' in NavSource. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-03
-
[5]Naval Marine Archive / shipbuilding-history data, 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' yard production list (yard hull no. 222 = LSM-117) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com Brown Shipbuilding list, row '222 | LSM 117'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Brown Shipbuilding yard production list records yard hull no. 222 as 'LSM 117, Landing Ship': laid down 21-Oct-44, launched 11-Nov-44, delivered/commissioned 7-Dec-44, 'Sold to Ellis C. Soper 1948' - independently corroborating NavSource on construction dates and the January 1948 sale. The neighboring yard entries document the post-sale pattern for sisters (merchant conversion or barge conversion, mostly via 1947-48 sales or later Foss/Tidewater purchases), but no equivalent resale entry exists for hull 222 - consistent with 'fate unknown' after the Soper sale.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Oct-Dec 1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of yard records (shipbuildinghistory/Colton data mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com), not a primary registry. Documents builder, dates, and buyer name only; the post-sale fate remains undocumented. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships database, 'USS LSM 117 (LSM 117)' - build dates, stricken date 3 July 1946, sale 17 January 1948 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/12728.html, ship detail table and history block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The uboat.net warship record corroborates the build sequence (ordered 15 September 1943; laid down 21 October 1944; launched 11 November 1944; commissioned 7 December 1944) and supplies a striking date NavSource lacks: 'Stricken on 3 July 1946', plus the sale on 17 January 1948.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Limitations
- Secondary reference database - the 3 July 1946 striking date is unverified against a primary record (NavSource gives 'date unknown'); conflict carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-05
-
[7]ToxicDocs archive, litigation document MT-PWHD-008673ff., 'Review of Industrial Shipyard Information - Hygienist Depositions for World War II' (31 October 1986) - deposition-summary work product from asbestos litigation files [other_primary]
- Locator
- ToxicDocs document x5JnQbjbYbe2NwKqD55n535p6, Bates MT-PWHD-008716 section ('Hygienist Depositions for World War II', Morgan deposition summary)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A 1986 review memorandum of WWII-era industrial-hygienist depositions recounts testimony by Maritime Commission survey hygienist Morgan that his survey team, transferred to the Gulf Coast in 1944, 'went to Brown Shipbuilding in Houston' and 'found problems with asbestos in the insulating shop where the exhaust hoods were not working well and wet down was not being used.' The memo's own caveat: 'a quick review of the report of this visit... revealed no mention of asbestos at all' in the underlying visit report. This is deposition-stage yard-level documentation of asbestos work in this hull's builder yard during the window of her construction (Oct-Dec 1944).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944 (survey visit); 1980s (depositions); 1986 (review memo)
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding insulating-shop and construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Discovery-stage litigation material (a deposition summary in work-product review), not a trial finding and not a contemporaneous survey report - the witness's recollection is summarized secondhand and the memo itself notes the underlying report reportedly made no asbestos mention. Yard-level, not hull-level: no vessel is named, and it does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity. OCR of the archived scan is degraded; quoted text transcribed from the scan's OCR layer.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-06
-
[8]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine (June 2025), Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 online article
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- USNI documents the builder: Brown Shipbuilding was established in 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root on Greens Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel; it built Navy submarine chasers, destroyer escorts, and landing craft, peaking at more than 25,000 workers; in 1949 the yard was leased to Todd Shipyards as a repair facility and later returned to Brown & Root for offshore fabrication before piecemeal sale in 2004. Secondary compilations document ~254 LSMs built there May 1944 - March 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-2004
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce, ~25,000 at peak (1942-46)
- Limitations
- Yard-level historical context from a reputable naval publication - not a hull record and contains no asbestos claim. LSM production count (~254) is carried from secondary compilations (Wikipedia/uss-savage.org), not the USNI article's own figure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-07
-
[9]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 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, consistent with prior-batch findings) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (Fairbanks-Morse diesels, direct drive, no steam plant); Brown yard list construction dates; USNI Brown Shipbuilding history; ToxicDocs MT-PWHD deposition summary (ev-06, yard insulating-shop asbestos work in 1944); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; Brown yard list row 222; ToxicDocs ev-06; GAO ev-08
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing ship built Oct-Dec 1944 at a yard whose insulating shop performed asbestos work in that period sits inside the documented WWII Navy asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were machinery and exhaust insulation in the engineering spaces, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and insulation/felts in accommodation spaces. As a diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); Mare Island decommissioning trades (1946); any post-sale civilian handlers (1948+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-117. 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-lsm-117-09
-
[11]Batch-5916 search ledger (this record): NavSource archive; NHHC NH-photo catalog and 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization; Brown yard list; uboat.net; USNI Naval History; ToxicDocs MT-PWHD document; 1948 BuPers decorations publication; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket indexes); NVR; NARA; GAO product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-117-01 through sl-uss-lsm-117-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-117 / LSM-117 / 'LSM 117' was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results for all name variants in both the opinion (type=o) and docket (type=r) indexes on 2026-10-01 - a searched negative result, not a gap. No DANFS entry exists for this hull; the Naval Vessel Register excludes ships disposed before 1987 (disposed 1948).
- 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's 1944 wartime construction at an asbestos-using yard is consistent with retained era materials. Deck logs, Brown Shipbuilding work packages, and any post-sale conversion/scrapping records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-117-10