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-139-lsm139-pkt-tm-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-139 (LSM-1 class) - construction, commissioning, campaign table, awards, specs, commanding-officer list, disposal (history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14139.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 4 April 1944 at U.S. Navy Yard, Charleston, SC; launched 1 May 1944; commissioned USS LSM-139 10 June 1944, LT. James H. Decker USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Leyte operation (Leyte landings 11 Oct-29 Nov 1944; Ormoc Bay landings 7-8 Dec 1944); Luzon operation (Mindoro landings 12-18 Dec 1944; Lingayen Gulf landings 16-18 Jan 1945); Manila Bay-Bicol operations (Mariveles-Corregidor 14-28 Feb 1945); consolidation of the southern Philippines (Mindanao landings 10 Mar and 17-23 Apr 1945); Borneo operation (Brunei Bay 10-14 Jun 1945). Occupation service Far East 7 Oct-28 Nov 1945. Decommissioned 23 April 1946 at Charleston Navy Yard; struck from the Naval Register 5 June 1946; sold 8 March 1948 to Dica Inc., New York, NY - fate unknown. Five battle stars for WWII. Spec block: dp. 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; l. 203'6"; b. 34'6"; s. 13.2 kts.; cpl. 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow + four single 20mm; propulsion 2 x Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels (1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm), direct drive, twin screws, 2,800 shp. CO list: Decker, McKenzie, Mapes, Ethier, Dickerson (temp), Wilson.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); crew 1944-46 (5 officers + 54 enlisted spec complement); embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates and the campaign table are consistent with Shipbuilding History and uboat.net but are not independently verified against NVR (no NVR entry exists) or DANFS (no entry exists). The history extract is credited to a Turner Publishing association volume, not an official history. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Landing Ships, Medium' production table - LSM-139 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lsm/ production table, LSM-139 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent production-table corroboration for this hull: 'LSM-139 | Charleston NSY | Charleston SC | 10 Jun 1944 | sold to Dica Inc. 1948' - confirms builder (Charleston Navy Yard), commissioning date, and the 1948 sale to Dica Inc. Sister rows place this hull within the Charleston NSY LSM production block (adjacent hulls LSM-136 through LSM-142 all Charleston-built May-June 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation from shipbuilding records; the table gives commissioning date only (not laid-down/launch dates - those rest on NavSource). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, 'USS LSM 139 (LSM 139)' - build/milestone table and Operation Oboe VI (Brunei) order of battle [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/12750.html - data table and 'Notable events' Operation Oboe VI transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary milestone table 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; end service 23 April 1946; stricken 5 June 1946; sold 8 March 1948 - all consistent with NavSource. The page's Operation Oboe VI (Allied landings at Brunei, 10 June 1945) order-of-battle transcription lists 'USS LSM-139 (Lt. L.R. Mapes, USNR)' in Task Unit 78.1.14, the LSM Unit under COMLSMFLOT 7 (T/Cdr. W.E. Verge aboard USS LSM-54) - unit-level documentation of the ship's Brunei Bay operation and consistent with NavSource's commanding-officer table (Mapes in command Jan-Dec 1945).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Crew under LT Lowell R. Mapes (Jan-Dec 1945 window)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation; the 'ordered' date and the order-of-battle transcription are not verified against the primary action report. The task-unit listing documents participation, not ship conditions. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-03
-
[5]NARA records for USS LSM-139, cataloged via DPLA: WWII War Diaries / Other Operational Records and Histories (Records of the CNO) plus one Muster Rolls item; headline item NAID 140073381, 'USS LSM-139 - Report of operations in the assault landing in the Polloc Harbor Area, Mindanao Island, Philippines, 4/17/45' (micro serial 128044, serial 071, dated 4/18/1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DPLA search 'LSM-139' (13 results, NARA College Park - Textual Reference); catalog.archives.gov/id/140073381 and sibling NAIDs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull's own operational records survive at NARA College Park: a monthly war-diary run covering June 1944-August 1945 (war diaries 6/44, 7/44, 8/44, 9/44, 10-11/44, 12/44, 1/45, 2/45, 5/45, 6/45, 7-8/45), the Polloc Harbor assault-landing operation report of 17 April 1945 (NAID 140073381), and muster-roll coverage 6/10/44-4/1/46 (the commissioned period). These are ship-generated primary records - the war diaries and action reports are the authoritative source for the hull's operations and would be the first documentary stop for any material, repair, or availability questions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (record coverage)
- Population
- Crew 1944-46 (record subjects/authors)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the records exist and are cataloged (13 DPLA items mapping to NARA NAIDs; catalog pages resolve live), but their content was not read - they are microfilm-era records and no asbestos, material, or overhaul content is established or ruled out by their existence. Catalog NAIDs verified live 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200): 126547655, 139881507, 139805988, 78510934, 134356676, 139913082, 140020501, 134367727, 78540336, 77471739, 139770120, 77504938, 140073381.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-04
-
[6]NARA file unit NAID 80662621, 'Philippine Islands - Leyte - Invasion' (local ID 111-SCA-2857, Record Group 111 Army Signal Corps still photographs, 221 images) - contains the Signal Corps photo of USS LSM-139 landing U.S. Army personnel at Leyte, 20 October 1944 (Signal Corps photo 200198 per NavSource caption); also U.S. Navy photo 59508 showing LSM-139 with LSM-258 beaching on A-Day, and the Life magazine (13 Nov 1944) photograph of MacArthur's White Beach landing with LSM-139 in the right background [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/80662621 (file unit, RG 111-SCA-2857); NavSource 10/14/14139.htm photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival photographs place this hull on the beach at Leyte on A-Day, 20 October 1944 - the opening amphibious assault of the Philippines campaign - consistent with the campaign table's Leyte credit. The Life-magazine White Beach image (one of the most reproduced photographs of the Pacific war) shows LSM-139 in the right background as MacArthur wades ashore, per the NavSource caption sourced to a crew member present on the bridge.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Crew and embarked Army personnel, Leyte landing, 20 Oct 1944
- Limitations
- Photographs establish physical presence at Leyte on 20 Oct 1944, nothing more - not conditions aboard, materials, or work performed. NAID 80662621 is a 221-image file unit; the LSM-139 frame is identified via the NavSource caption's Signal Corps number (200198), not independently located within the unit. The Life-photo identification is a crewmember-attributed caption claim (Perry T. Egger), verification partial. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (LSM-1 class, twin Fairbanks Morse diesel plant, no steam); Shipbuilding History LSM production table (Charleston NSY construction block); NHHC 'The Navy's Happy Medium' exhibit (LSM type designed between LCI and LST, 1944 program); shipyard-exposure-map asbestos product list for charleston-naval-shipyard (magnesia pipe insulation, asbestos cement, gaskets, packing, thermal insulation, electrical insulation, fireproofing documented for the yard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14139.htm specifications block; shipbuildinghistory LSM table; shipyards.json product list for charleston-naval-shipyard; NHHC Happy Medium exhibit
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-driven amphibious ship built April-June 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era and inside that yard's documented asbestos period. Era-standard applications aboard a 1944 amphibious hull of this type were thermal insulation around machinery and diesel exhaust runs, flange and valve gaskets, machinery packing, electrical insulation, and interior fireproofing/deck materials in the confined hull volume. As a direct-drive diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the small-ship confined-space exposure dynamic does.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); crew 1944-46; any post-sale commercial crews (1948+, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-139. 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-139-lsm139-06
-
[8]Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), 'Charleston asbestos-related deaths are higher than state, national average,' 25 March 2016 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- postandcourier.com article body (mortality-rate and yard-history paragraphs); shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard entry; OSHA inspection_detail id=100361849
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Regional press documentation of asbestos conditions at this hull's builder and decommissioning yard: the Charleston Naval Shipyard 'is a primary reason why Charleston County's annual asbestos-related mortality rate is double the state's rate and even surpasses national numbers, with 8.8 deaths reported out of every 100,000 residents' (Environmental Working Group Action Fund figures); the yard 'played a key role in building and repairing ships - and later submarines - for more than 95 years,' and 'workers installed and removed hazardous asbestos insulation... from vessels without proper precautions through the 1980s.' The Atlas shipyards.json record for charleston-naval-shipyard carries the yard's documented product list (magnesia pipe insulation, asbestos cement, gaskets, packing, thermal/electrical insulation, fireproofing) and an OSHA inspection citation (Inspection 100361849, 1988, one current citation under 29 CFR 1910.1001 - osha.gov detail page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch, 2026-10-01).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2016 (publication); yard operating era described
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard trades, construction and repair eras (yard-level)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: establishes asbestos use aboard vessels at Charleston Naval Shipyard generally across the yard's operating era - LSM-139 is not named. The mortality statistic is county-level EWG-compiled data, not a yard-cohort study; the 'through the 1980s' installation/removal statement is the reporter's summary and post-dates this hull's 1944 construction. OSHA detail page blocked to automated fetch (403) - content via the Atlas yard record's transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-07
-
[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 including the /assets/hrd-80-2.pdf path, confirmed 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description and the search-result extract.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-08
-
[10]NHHC, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (WWII amphibious-operations art exhibit, Reginald Marsh watercolor 88-159-HN) - official LSM type description [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- history.navy.mil exhibit page (related-content text block); NHHC DANFS candidate URLs (404); nvr.navy.mil SHIPDETAIL URLs (302)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC description of the LSM type: needing a landing ship 'somewhere between the size and displacement of an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and an LST (Landing Ship, Tank),' the Navy produced 'the compact and maneuverable LSM (Landing Ship, Medium)' - the design family to which this hull belongs. Separately verified this session: no DANFS entry exists for LSM-139 (all candidate NHHC URLs 404; the LSM pattern was tested against sister hulls LSM-45 and LSM-60, likewise 404 - numbered LSMs were not carried in DANFS), and NVR has no entry (detail URLs 302-redirect to the register home page; the ship was disposed in 1948, decades before NVR coverage).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944 (design period); 2026-10-01 (verification)
- Limitations
- Class-level design context only; the exhibit text does not address materials or asbestos. The DANFS/NVR absence is a coverage gap in official ship-history sources, not a defect in the ship's record - NavSource, Shipbuilding History, and NARA holdings supply the ship-level documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-09
-
[11]Batch-5940 search ledger (this record): NavSource; Shipbuilding History; uboat.net; DPLA/NARA catalog (13 records); NARA photo file unit; NHHC DANFS candidate URLs; NVR; NHHC exhibit; Post and Courier; GAO product page; OSHA detail page (blocked); PubMed; CourtListener API v4; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos litigation naming USS LSM-139 / LSM-139 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 (authenticated): opinion search 'LSM-139' returned 14 results - all name collisions (criminal appeals, contract and patent matters; 'LSM' matching e.g. Louisiana State Museum and OCR-garbled text), none vessel-related or asbestos; opinion search 'USS LSM-139' returned 1 result (Tyrone Berry v. State, Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2015, a criminal appeal matching on OCR-garbled text - name collision); docket search 'LSM-139' returned 1,158 loose full-text matches, all unrelated civil/criminal/patent matters with zero asbestos content. No qualifying asbestos litigation. The secondary web sweep surfaced no law-firm 'asbestos aboard LSM-139' marketing claims at all - unusually, this hull has no aftermarket exposure literature to exclude.
- 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 in a documented asbestos yard inside the documented asbestos era, and its war diaries/muster rolls at NARA were cataloged but not read. Sold to a commercial buyer in 1948 with fate unknown - post-sale records are untraced. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-139-lsm139-10