USS LSM-140

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-140 - construction, service timeline, specifications, commanding officers, disposal (history extract sourced to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/14/14140.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, and photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium laid down 17 April 1944 at the U.S. Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 18 May 1944; commissioned USS LSM-140 on 22 June 1944, LT. Robert F. Duff USNR in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM Flotilla Five (CDR. W. H. Carpenter USN), LSM Group Fifteen (LCDR. A. H. Hall USNR), LSM Division Thirty. Participated in the Iwo Jima operation, assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 16 March 1945; one Purple Heart KIA aboard 19 February 1945 at Iwo Jima. Post-war occupation service in the Far East 20 December 1945 to 3 January 1946. Decommissioned 28 June 1946 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Earned one battle star for World War II service. Sold 20 February 1948 to Harbor Towing Co., Vancouver, Canada; fate unknown. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; 203'6" ovl. x 34'6"; speed 12.5 kts; endurance 4,900 miles @ 12 kts; complement 5 officers, 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow mount and six single 20mm mounts; propulsion two Fairbanks Morse (model 38D81/8X10, reversible with hydraulic clutch) diesel engines, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp. Commanding officers: LT. Robert Foster Duff USNR (22 Jun 1944 - Dec 1945); LTjg. John Bernard Noone Jr. USNR (Dec 1945 - 28 Jun 1946).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (Apr-Jun 1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops (2 officers + 46 enlisted capacity)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - its timeline generally tracks official records but the underlying print source (Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II, 1997) is secondary, not a primary registry entry. No individual DANFS entry exists for this numbered LSM (NHHC candidate URLs 404, confirmed 2026-10-01). 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' leaves the striking date undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-01

2. [2]National Archives at Atlanta, RG 181 'Ship Commissioning Files, 1942-1945' finding aid, Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina (NAID 2694599) - Box 6 holds an LSM-140 commissioning file dated 5/18/1944 [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov finding aid, Box 6 row 'Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-140 | 5/18/1944'; series NAID 2694599

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Atlanta's published finding aid for RG 181 Ship Commissioning Files 1942-1945 (Sixth Naval District, Charleston) lists a file for Landing Ship, Medium LSM-140 in Box 6 dated 5/18/1944. The series consists of correspondence, invitations, and instructions relating to the commissioning of naval vessels at the Charleston Navy Yard during the World War, 1939-1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Commissioning-era crew and Charleston Navy Yard staff (1944)

   Limitations

   Archival lead only: the finding aid confirms a commissioning file exists for this hull at NARA Atlanta; contents not examined (undigitized). Commissioning files document the ceremony and related correspondence - they are not work packages, material lists, or exposure records. The 5/18/1944 date column tracks this hull's launch date (18 May 1944), not the 22 June 1944 commissioning. No asbestos content expected or examined.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-02

3. [3]Naval Historical Center / NHHC Online Library photo NH 104210 (via ibiblio HyperWar mirror); plus NARA NAID 205585179, US Navy photo NH 81398, and USMC photo 110582 credited in NavSource captions [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio Online Library picture data page NH 104210; NavSource 10/14/14140.htm photo captions (NAID 205585179, NH 81398, USMC 110582)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official photographic record placing this hull at Iwo Jima: NHHC photo NH 104210, 'USS LSM-140 unloading on a southeastern Iwo Jima beach, about two or three days after the 19 February 1945 landings. Mount Suribachi is in the background' - an Official U.S. Navy Photograph from the Naval Historical Center collections, the original print from Rear Adm. Samuel Eliot Morison's WWII history project working files (provided to Morison by Ellery Sedgwick, Jr.). Further NavSource-captioned photography places LSM-140 on the Iwo Jima beaches circa 19 Feb-16 Mar 1945 (NARA NAID 205585179 with LCT(6)-1154 and USS LST-715; USMC photo 110582 aerial beachhead view identifying LSM-140 among LSM-242, LSM-47, LSM-43), and underway in San Francisco Bay 1945-46 (US Navy photo NH 81398, ex-Naval Historical Center collections, courtesy D.M. McPherson 1974).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   Crew and embarked Marines/soldiers at Iwo Jima beaches (Feb-Mar 1945)

   Limitations

   Archival lead only: photographs establish physical presence at the Iwo Jima beachhead and in San Francisco Bay - they are not work records or material records. NH 104210 metadata verified live on the ibiblio mirror of the NHHC Online Library; the NARA catalog page for NAID 205585179 is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched - NAID and caption transcribed via NavSource. NavSource captions on sister pages carry a 'circa 9 February 1945' variant for one photo date range - a probable typo, since the landings began 19 February; 19 Feb-16 Mar wording carried.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-03

4. [4]National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg, TX), Oral History Interview with Jim Humphries, 18 February 2005 (via UNT Portal to Texas History, metapth1608557) [museum_official]

   Locator

   UNT Portal to Texas History record metapth1608557, catalog description (National Museum of the Pacific War oral-history collection)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   First-person crew account for this hull: per the museum's catalog description, Jim Humphries enlisted in the Navy in June 1944, boarded USS LSM-140 at San Diego, and served in the Amphibious Forces as a fireman 2nd class in the engine room. He describes training in Hawaii with a Marine Pioneer battalion; embarking Marines and airfield construction equipment (bulldozer, crane, 6x6 truck) for Iwo Jima; making supply runs between offshore cargo ships and Marines on the beach under incoming fire that killed and wounded several sailors; witnessing both flag raisings on Mount Suribachi; and the ship returning to California for repairs after the invasion because facilities at Guam and Pearl Harbor were full.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Fireman 2nd class Jim Humphries; LSM-140 engineroom and deck crew; embarked Marine Pioneer battalion (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Crew-account documentation, not an exposure record: it establishes an engineroom rating served aboard this hull during the Iwo Jima operation - a relevant population fact only. Direct page retrieval is bot-blocked (ALTCHA challenge, confirmed 2026-10-01; no Wayback capture exists) - content verified via the portal's indexed catalog description. The catalog abstract contains a one-time 'LST-140' transcription slip; the ship named in the interview metadata is USS LSM-140. Audio not examined. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-04

5. [5]The Saratogian, 'Hadley WWII navy vet honored by county' (Paul Post, 16 May 2017) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Saratogian article body (service paragraph)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Press documentation of a second named crewmember aboard this hull: Charles Shuman Sr. of Hadley, N.Y., joined the Navy 18 June 1945, trained at Sampson NTS, and 'served aboard the transport ship USS Admiral W.S. Benson and the USS LSM-140, a landing ship medium class vessel during the latter part of the war, plus occupation service in the Far East in the months following the Japanese surrender' - consistent with this hull's documented 20 Dec 1945 - 3 Jan 1946 occupation window; honorably discharged 25 July 1946 as seaman first class.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   Seaman 1st class Charles Shuman Sr.; occupation-era crew (1945-46)

   Limitations

   Newspaper human-interest account, not an official service record - service aboard LSM-140 is asserted by the veteran/family and not independently documented in the article. Vessel-history fact only; no asbestos or exposure content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-05

6. [6]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-140 spec block (twin Fairbanks-Morse diesel direct drive, no steam plant); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for Charleston Naval Shipyard (pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, thermal insulation, fireproofing, electrical insulation, asbestos cement, brake linings, clutch facings, paint/coatings); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-era documentation (see ev-07) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json product list for charleston-naval-shipyard; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-07)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A diesel-driven amphibious landing ship built in April-June 1944 at a U.S. Navy yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel ship of this type and period were engine and exhaust thermal insulation/lagging in the engineroom, machinery gaskets, valve and pump packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing and insulation in accommodation and working spaces. With no steam plant aboard, the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the exposure-relevant systems are the diesel plant, auxiliary machinery, and shipboard construction materials. Her builder, the Charleston Navy Yard, is a documented asbestos yard in the project shipyards dataset.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (Apr-Jun 1944); crew incl. engineroom ratings (1944-46); Mare Island decommissioning trades (1946); post-sale commercial crews (1948-)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-140. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. The yard's documented asbestos profile in the project dataset is anchored to later decades (OSHA inspection 1988; litigation-documented shop work 1970s-80s); asbestos use at this yard during the 1944 build window is inference from Navy-wide era documentation, not yard-era-specific proof.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-06

7. [7]Pace v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 14-2416 (4th Cir., decided March 30, 2016) - unpublished per curiam; plus OSHA Inspection 100361849 (Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106, 1988) per shipyard-exposure-map yard dataset [court_record]

   Locator

   Justia ca4/14-2416 opinion (verified live 2026-10-01); OSHA inspection 100361849 detail page; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard evidence and products_documented arrays

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Yard-level litigation and inspection records document asbestos-containing gasket, packing, and thermal-insulation work at this hull's builder, the Charleston Naval Shipyard: the Pace litigation record describes asbestos-containing gaskets and packing associated with valves and pumps and thermal-insulation removal (needle-gun) in yard shops (Shop 31, Shop 38) in the ~1971-mid-1980s period, and OSHA Inspection 100361849 (opened 1988, closed 2 May 1990) lists an asbestos-standard citation (29 CFR 1910.1001) for Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106. Separately, jury verdicts for yard asbestos exposure include Whalen v. John Crane ($70.8M, Calif. 2014) and Twidwell v. Aerco ($40M, N.Y. 2018) per the project yard dataset.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1971-2018 (records); yard context for 1944 build

   Population

   Charleston Naval Shipyard trades (documented windows 1970s-1990)

   Limitations

   Litigation-stage discipline applied: Pace's Fourth Circuit disposition was summary judgment for defendants AFFIRMED on insufficient proximity/frequency proof - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, NOT an exposure finding; the gasket/packing/insulation descriptions come from the pleading/discovery record. All cited records post-date this hull's 1944 construction by decades and document the yard, not this vessel. LSM-140 is not named in any located case. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-07

8. [8]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 - standing defect noted since Batch 01); content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-08

9. [9]Batch-5942 search ledger (this record): NavSource vessel page; NHHC DANFS candidate URLs; NVR policy page; CourtListener API v4 (type o and r); NARA Atlanta RG 181 finding aid; ibiblio/NHHC Online Library; UNT oral-history catalog record; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-01 through -16

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-140 (LSM-140) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results for the hull designation in both the opinion index (type=o; 'LSM-140', 'USS LSM-140', 'LSM 140') and the RECAP docket index (type=r; 'LSM-140') - authenticated queries run 2026-10-01, each returning count 0. A general web sweep surfaced no asbestos or litigation content naming this hull.

   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 - a 1944 naval-shipyard build is era-consistent with asbestos use, and the hull was sold into Canadian commercial service in 1948 where no record trace was located. Deck logs (RG 24), the NARA Atlanta commissioning file (ev-02), and any Harbor Towing / Canadian registry records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-140-lsm140-09