Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet tm-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (secondary-source convergence)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (secondary-source convergence)
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-137-lsm137-pkt-tm-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-137 hull page; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing Co., 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull page chronology paragraphs and disposition line; commanding-officer table (LT. William P. Baxter, USNR, 30 May 1944 - 8 December 1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource's live USS LSM-137 page records the hull as an LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium laid down 18 March 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 18 April 1944; and commissioned as USS LSM-137 on 30 May 1944 with LT. William P. Baxter, USNR, in command. It records World War II assignment to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LSM Flotilla Three, LSM Group Nine, and LSM Division Seventeen; participation in the Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April to 17 June 1945); post-war occupation service in the Far East from 11 September to 8 December 1945; grounding during Typhoon 'Louise' on 9 October 1945 at Buckner Bay, Okinawa; decommissioning on 8 December 1945 at Buckner Bay; striking from the Naval Register on 21 January 1946; one battle star for World War II service; and sale of the hulk in November 1947 to Oklahoma-Philippines Co., P.I., fate unknown. The page's award-ribbon display lists the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one star, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp, and Philippines Liberation Medal. A contributed photo caption places the ship at Cebu, P.I., on 30 August 1945, transporting the Americal Division to Yokohama.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction workforce; ship's company and embarked personnel, 1944-1945
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer archive and its history extract is credited to a published compilation rather than a government-produced ship history. It documents identity, service, and disposition, not asbestos, insulation composition, hazmat condition, exposure, or causation. The .net page was live when checked; the dead navsource.org mirror was not used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-01
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), USS LSM-137 entry, HyperWar/ibiblio transcription; no live NHHC DANFS page was located for this hull [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body and dated event list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The DANFS entry for USS LSM-137 (LSM-1 class) states the ship was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., and commissioned 30 May 1944 with Lt. John C. Strange, USNR, in command; participated in the Leyte landings of 20 October 1944 and the assault and occupation of Okinawa, 1 April to 17 June 1945; grounded at Buckner Bay, Okinawa during the 9 October 1945 typhoon; was decommissioned at Buckner Bay on 7 December 1945; and the hulk was sold in November 1947 to Oklahoma-Philippines Co.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction workforce; ship's company and embarked personnel, 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Official DANFS text via a volunteer transcription mirror (Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation), not the live NHHC site - the NHHC URL pattern for this hull returned 404 and no Wayback capture exists. DANFS gives no launch or strike date. The commissioning commanding officer (Lt. John C. Strange) and the decommissioning date (7 December 1945) conflict with NavSource (LT. William P. Baxter; 8 December 1945) - see gaps. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-137 specification block [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications section: displacement, dimensions, speed, endurance, complement, armament, capacity, propulsion, generators
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The live LSM-137 specification block lists displacement 520 tons light / 743 tons landing / 1,095 tons fully loaded; length 203 ft 6 in overall; beam 34 ft 6 in; speed 12.5 knots maximum; endurance 4,900 miles at 12 knots; complement 5 officers and 54 enlisted; troop accommodations for 2 officers and 46 enlisted; armament one twin bow-mounted 40mm AA mount and six single 20mm mounts; and propulsion by two Fairbanks Morse model 38D81/8X10 reversible direct-drive diesel engines with hydraulic clutches, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp, with two diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V A.C. and two diesel-drive 20 kW 120 V D.C. ship's-service generators. No boiler or steam plant is documented.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troop capacity
- Limitations
- The specification block identifies a diesel propulsion plant and does not state that any listed system contained asbestos. The figures do not establish material composition, quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Complement figures conflict with DANFS (cpl. 52) and HyperWar (4 officers/54 enlisted); carried here as the NavSource figures with the conflict logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-03
-
[5]National Archives at Atlanta, RG 181 Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, Ship Commissioning Files - Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina, NAID 2694599 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Box 5 row: 'Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-137 | | 4/18/1944'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NARA Atlanta finding aid for RG 181 Ship Commissioning Files, Sixth Naval District at Charleston (1942-1945), lists a hull-specific file for LSM-137 (type: Landing Ship, Medium) in Box 5, dated 4/18/1944 - the hull's launch date. The series consists of correspondence, invitations, and instructions relating to the commissioning of naval vessels at the Charleston Navy Yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard commissioning and construction personnel
- Limitations
- The finding aid confirms that a hull-specific archival file exists, but the file contents were not retrieved or inspected. The listing establishes an archival lead only; it does not report asbestos, insulation, materials, or exposure content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-04
-
[6]National Archives at Atlanta, RG 181 General Correspondence, Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina, NAID 7388867 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Box 8, folder 3, folder code A4-3: 'Reporting, Routing, and Departure of LSTs, LCILs, and LSMs,' February-May 1944
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NARA Atlanta finding aid for RG 181 General Correspondence, Sixth Naval District at Charleston (1940-1944), lists a folder 'Ship and Aircraft Movements - Reporting, Routing, and Departure of LSTs, LCILs, and LSMs' in Box 8, folder 3, covering February-May 1944 - the period of LSM-137's fitting out and commissioning at Charleston Navy Yard. No hull-specific LSM-137 folder was found in this series (the comparable hull-specific photo files in the aid concern LSM(R) hulls, e.g. LSM(R) 191 in Box 9).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Sixth Naval District / Charleston Navy Yard personnel handling new-construction landing-ship movements
- Limitations
- Class/type-level folder, not a hull-specific file: the folder title covers LSTs, LCILs, and LSMs generally. File contents were not retrieved or inspected. The listing is an archival lead only and does not report asbestos, materials, or exposure content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-05
-
[7]HyperWar/ibiblio, Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945, USS LSM-137 ship page [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM-137 ship page specification block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' page for USS LSM-137 corroborates construction at Charleston Navy Yard and commissioning on 30 May 1944, and lists: displacement 900 tons loaded; length 203 ft 6 in; beam 34 ft; draft 6 ft 11 in fwd / 3 ft 5 in aft (landing) and 4 ft 5 in fwd / 7 ft 11 in aft (full load); speed 13.3 knots; armament one twin 40mm and four single 20mm; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks (150-ton max beaching payload), or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs, with 54 troops; complement 4 officers and 54 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troop capacity
- Limitations
- A compiled reference page (Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation), not a government-produced record; it corroborates identity and construction only. Its complement (4 officers/54 enlisted) and armament (four 20mm mounts) differ from NavSource (5 officers/54 enlisted; six 20mm) - conflicts logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-06
-
[8]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (WWII amphibious-operations art exhibit), archived copy [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Exhibit page text (Wayback capture 2025-12-09)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An archived NHHC exhibit page describes the Landing Ship, Medium type: needing a landing ship between the size and displacement of an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and an LST (Landing Ship, Tank), the Navy designed the compact and maneuverable LSM. This is official type-level context for the class to which LSM-137 belonged.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Type-level background only; the exhibit page does not name LSM-137 and says nothing about construction materials, asbestos, or exposure. Cited as an archived copy because the live NHHC page returned 404 at research time.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-07
-
[9]Inference from the ship-specific diesel specification (NavSource) and the documented research gap; GAO HRD-80-2 retained as an archival lead but its full text was not retrieved [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource propulsion block; source-review negative documented in search_ledger
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, product inventory, abatement record, or condition report was located. Because LSM-137 was a World War II U.S. Navy diesel landing ship built at a Navy yard in 1944, machinery or diesel-exhaust insulation, pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, deck covering, and fireproofing are possible class/era application categories, but none is documented aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- WWII Navy diesel landing-ship construction and operating personnel
- Limitations
- These are possible class/era categories, not a finding that asbestos was installed aboard LSM-137. The cited hull page does not identify asbestos or insulation composition; no quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation is established.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py, authenticated queries on 2026-10-01 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-07 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search for the exact name 'USS LSM-137' returned zero results. An unquoted hull-number opinion search for 'LSM-137' returned 12 hits, all classified as name collisions - the matched text is unrelated tokens (e.g., 'Leo Ship Management, Inc.', statute and reporter citations, street or docket numbers), and none of the 12 opinions concerns USS LSM-137, any Navy landing ship, or asbestos. The docket-index query (type=r) was attempted but blocked when the fleet-wide pacing budget was momentarily spent; it remains an access gap. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in the completed searches.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- Clean negative only for the opinion index: exact-name opinion query returned zero, and every hull-token hit was reviewed and classified as a name collision, not a case about this vessel. The RECAP docket index sweep is incomplete (blocked), so this is not a clean litigation negative across all indexes. Absence of an indexed case does not prove no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-09
-
[11]Batch research review of the sources listed in search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-01 through -10 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Source-review negative; see search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation was located for LSM-137 in the sources reviewed: the live NavSource hull page, the DANFS transcription, the NARA RG 181 Charleston finding aids, the HyperWar ship page, and the archived NHHC class exhibit document identity, construction, service, propulsion, grounding, and disposition but none document asbestos, insulation composition, abatement, or a hazmat survey. The Naval Vessel Register contains no detail record for this hull (pre-1987 disposal).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- A negative public-source finding is not proof that asbestos was absent. NARA file contents, WWII deck logs, war diaries, Charleston Navy Yard work packages, and salvage/stripping records for the grounded hulk were not exhaustively retrieved; asbestos documentation therefore remains class_or_era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-137-lsm137-10