Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[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-138-lsm138-pkt-tm-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-138 page (10/14/14138) - construction, commissioning, campaigns, awards, specifications, commanding officers, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14138.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium; laid down 15 March 1944 at US Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 1 May 1944; commissioned USS LSM-138 10 June 1944, LT. Merle Prinkey USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Leyte (Leyte landings 11 Oct-29 Nov 1944; Ormoc Bay 7-8 Dec 1944), Luzon (Mindoro 12-18 Dec 1944; Lingayen Gulf 16-18 Jan 1945), Manila Bay (Mariveles-Corregidor 14-28 Feb 1945), Borneo (Brunei Bay 10-14 Jun 1945), southern Philippines consolidation (Mindanao 10 Mar and 17-23 Apr 1945). Occupation service in the Far East 7 Sep-10 Dec 1945. Decommissioned 12 April 1946. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Five battle stars for WWII service. Transferred to the Maritime Commission 4 September 1947; sold to Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN; final disposition fate unknown. Commanding officers: LT Prinkey (10 Jun 1944-26 Oct 1944), ENS Friedrichs acting (26 Oct 1944-9 Jan 1945), LT Arnold (9 Jan 1945-Feb 1946), LTjg Cross (Feb-12 Apr 1946). Specs: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full; 203'6" ovl; 34'6" beam; 13.2 kts; 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm + four single 20mm; propulsion two Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, direct drive, twin propellers, 2,800 shp. Ribbons shown: American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific (5 stars), WWII Victory, Navy Occupation (Asia clasp), Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation (2).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (Mar-Jun 1944); crew (Jun 1944-Apr 1946); embarked troops and vehicle crews during seven amphibious operations
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its history extract is credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997), not DANFS. Page verified live 2026-10-01 (navsource.net; the .org domain is dead). Contains no asbestos content. Striking date stated as unknown - uboat.net's 19 June 1946 variant is unverified (see gaps). 'Fate unknown' means no post-sale record was located, not that none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 138 (LSM 138) - milestone dates and Operation Oboe VI order of battle [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page data block and 'Notable events' Operation Oboe VI task-organization listing (TU 78.1.14 and TU 78.1.18)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net record for this hull: ordered 15 September 1943; built by Charleston Navy Yard; laid down 4 April 1944; launched 1 May 1944; commissioned 10 June 1944; decommissioned 12 April 1946; stricken 19 June 1946; sold 12 August 1947. Order-of-battle record: in Operation Oboe VI (Allied landings at Brunei, 10 June 1945) LSM-138, Lt. W.G. Arnold USNR, was one of 20 LSMs in Task Unit 78.1.14, the LSM Unit under T/Cdr. W.E. Verge USN (COMLSMFLOT 7), and was assigned to the 'White' Assault Unit (Task Unit 78.1.18).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (milestones); 10 Jun 1945 (Oboe VI)
- Population
- Crew under LT W.G. Arnold (Jan 1945-Feb 1946) during the Brunei operation
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a serious secondary research compilation (Guðmundur Helgason's Allied Warships section) built on official records, but it is secondary - its laid-down date (4 Apr 1944) conflicts with NavSource (15 Mar 1944), its strike date (19 Jun 1946) and sale date (12 Aug 1947) are variants NavSource does not carry; all three are flagged in gaps, none resolved against a primary register. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History, 'Landing Ships, Medium' production table - LSM program totals and per-hull builder/disposal row for LSM-138 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lsm/ - program header and LSM-126-through-187 Charleston rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Production-table row for this hull: 'LSM-138 | Charleston NSY | Charleston SC | 10 Jun 1944 | sold to JeffBoat 1947'. Program context from the same table: 558 LSMs were built in WWII by seven shipyards; Charleston Navy Yard's production blocks ran LSM-126 through LSM-187 plus LSM-200 (and later 390s/550s blocks), placing LSM-138 inside the yard's first block. The table's disposal notes show that JeffBoat bought multiple war-surplus LSMs, some explicitly 'converted to barge' (e.g., LSM-38); LSM-138's row carries no conversion or later note.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Charleston NSY construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of merchant/naval construction records (the former shipbuildinghistory.com); concordant with NavSource and uboat.net on builder and 10 Jun 1944 commissioning, and on the 1947 JeffBoat sale. The seven-yard / 558-hull totals are class-level context. No asbestos content; the table does not record a post-sale fate for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-03
-
[5]NARA finding aid: RG 181 - Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, Ship Commissioning Files - Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina (National Archives at Atlanta) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/atlanta/finding-aids/rg181-charleston-2694599.html, box 5 table row 'LSM-138 | 6/10/1944' (verified live 2026-10-01)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds a ship-specific file for this hull: the RG 181 Sixth Naval District ship commissioning files (correspondence, invitations, and instructions relating to the commissioning of naval vessels at the Charleston Navy Yard during WWII, 1939-1945) list 'Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-138 | 6/10/1944' in box 5 - the commissioning document set for this hull, independently confirming the 10 June 1944 commissioning date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Commissioning ceremony participants and Charleston Navy Yard staff (1944)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the finding aid lists the file's existence and box location at NARA Atlanta; the file's contents were not examined and are not digitized in the public Catalog view. A commissioning file is administrative (correspondence, invitations, instructions) - it is not a materials or work-practices record and contains no known asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-04
-
[6]Wartime photography of this hull: US Army Signal Corps SC 196081-S (Seeadler Harbor, Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, 7 Oct 1944 - digitized by Digital Commonwealth / American Legion Museum 'World War II by Combat Photographers' collection); US Navy 80-G-359833 (Zamboanga, Mindanao, 1 Apr 1945 - NARA collections, per NavSource caption); SC 350409 (Iloilo, Panay, 8 Sep 1945); Gulfport Shipyard, Port Arthur TX, circa 1946-47 (Jim Swank photo via NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- digitalcommonwealth.org record commonwealth:rj434t26g; NavSource 10/14/14138.htm photo table (captions for 80-G-359833, SC 350409, Gulfport Shipyard frame)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific photographs document this hull's wartime employment: loading rations, small-arms ammunition and trucks beached at Seeadler Harbor 7 October 1944 (the SC 196081-S print is held in the American Legion Museum collection and digitized at digitalcommonwealth.org - verified live); unloading over the beach at Zamboanga 1 April 1945 (80-G-359833, 'a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives' per the NavSource caption); unloading equipment at Iloilo 8 September 1945 during occupation service (SC 350409); and moored at Gulfport Shipyard, Port Arthur, TX circa 1946-47 during post-war lay-up.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- Oct 1944 - circa 1947
- Population
- Crew and embarked Army/Marine cargo personnel during loading and beaching operations (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Archival leads: the Digital Commonwealth catalog record (verified live) independently confirms the Seeadler Harbor image and date; the 80-G and SC numbers for the Zamboanga and Iloilo frames are NavSource photo captions - the NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session, so direct catalog verification of 80-G-359833 and SC 350409 remains open. The Gulfport Shipyard frame is a private photograph - it establishes moorage at Port Arthur circa 1946-47, not what yard work (if any) was done there. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (twin Fairbanks Morse diesels, 2,800 shp - diesel plant, no steam plant or boilers); Wikipedia LSM-1 class article (Fairbanks-Morse or GM Cleveland diesels, 2,800 shp); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for Charleston Naval Shipyard (pipe insulation 5-50% asbestos, boiler coatings, spray-on insulation for ship interiors, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing in living quarters) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14138.htm specifications block; Wikipedia 'LSM-1 class landing ship medium' general characteristics; shipyards.json product list for charleston-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1944-built diesel-powered landing ship constructed at Charleston Navy Yard sits inside both the Navy's peak asbestos-use era and a builder yard with documented asbestos product use; era-standard applications aboard an LSM-1-class ship of this period were thermal insulation on engine exhaust and piping, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing in the small hull's confined compartments. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam turbines - 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
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (Mar-Jun 1944); crew (Jun 1944-Apr 1946); any maintenance-yard trades during 1946-47 lay-up
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey was located for LSM-138. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; product names are normalized era terms with no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The Charleston NSY product list is yard-level documentation - it documents what the yard used, not what went aboard this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-06
-
[8]OSHA Inspection Detail 100361849, U.S. Dept Of The Navy, Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106 (verified live 2026-10-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=100361849 - inspection header, violation summary (standards 19101001 D07 I / J02 I)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Federal workplace record for this hull's builder yard: OSHA opened a health complaint inspection at Charleston Naval Shipyard 6 January 1988 (SIC 3731, shipbuilding and repairing), closed 16 September 1988, issuing two 'Other'-type citations under the asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001 (items 01001 - D07 I, and 01002 - J02 I, the latter deleted on amendment). The record corroborates asbestos-regulated work at the yard, though decades after this hull's 1944 construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1988
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard workforce (1988 inspection context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level regulatory record from 1988 - 44 years after this hull was built; it documents asbestos activity/citation at the yard in the late-era period, not 1944 conditions and not this vessel. Citation items are 'Other' (non-serious) classifications with $0 penalties; one of two was deleted on amendment. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-07
-
[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 PDF endpoint blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-08
-
[10]Batch-5939 search ledger (this record): NavSource; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory; NARA RG 181 finding aid; Digital Commonwealth; OSHA inspection detail; GAO product page; MARAD Vessel History Database; NHHC DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; CourtListener (API v4); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-138-01 through -16 (incl. docket row -04b)
- 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-138 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results on 2026-10-01 for all four authenticated queries: opinion search for 'LSM-138', 'USS LSM-138', and 'LSM 138' (space variant), and docket-level search for 'LSM-138'. There is no DANFS entry for this hull (NHHC page 404s); the Naval Vessel Register does not cover hulls disposed before 1987; the MARAD Vessel History Database returns no entry. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and - unusually - no law-firm marketing page naming this hull specifically; only generic LSM-type listicle coverage exists.
- 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 CourtListener negatives cover the canonical designation and common variants at opinion and docket level, but CourtListener is not a complete docket repository - state-court and non-digitized litigation would not appear. Deck logs (RG 24), the NARA Atlanta commissioning file, and Charleston Navy Yard work records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-138-09