Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet to-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-151-lsm151-pkt-to-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-151 - construction, commissioning, campaign record, commanding officers, specifications, disposal (history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14151.htm history block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 11 May 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 2 June 1944; commissioned USS LSM-151, 15 July 1944, LT. William H. Fitzgerald USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Leyte operation (Ormoc Bay landings, 11-12 December 1944); Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines (Visayan Islands, 28 March 1945); Borneo operations (Tarakan Island, 27 April - 5 May 1945; Balikpapan, 26 June - 6 July 1945). Post-war: Occupation Service in the Far East 7 October 1945 - 6 April 1946; decommissioned 23 July 1946 at NOB Guam, Marianas Islands; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; scuttled 31 March 1947 off Guam. Earned three battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: 520 t. light / 1,095 t. fully loaded; 203'6" oa; complement 5 officers, 54 enlisted; two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin screws 2,800 shp. Commanding officers: LT William H. Fitzgerald USNR (15 Jul 1944 - Dec 1945); LTjg Sydney M. Bitzer USNR (Dec 1945 - Mar 1946); LTjg Paul L. Dromgoole USNR (Mar 1946 - Jun 1946); LTjg Donald K. Marsh USNR (Jun 1946 - 23 Jul 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; the history extract is credited to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (1997), a veterans' history - milestone dates track official records but secondary sources conflict on two dates (decommission, strike; see gaps). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 151 (LSM 151) - construction data, task-unit operational record, conflicting disposal dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 12762, data table and notable-events section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation for this hull: ordered 15 September 1943; built by Charleston Navy Yard; laid down 11 May 1944; launched 2 June 1944; commissioned 15 July 1944. Operational events documented from task-unit orders of battle: Ormoc Bay echelon (Task Unit 78.2.16, departed 27 November 1944 with LSM-50, LSM-225, LSM-237, LSM-268, LSM-317); Cebu landings (Operation Victor II, March 1945) in the LSM unit of Task Group 78.2 under COMLSMGR 24, LT W.H. Fitzgerald USNR commanding LSM-151; Tarakan (Operation Oboe One, 30 April 1945) with Amphibious Group Six. Disposal data conflicts with NavSource: decommissioned 6 June 1946 (vs 23 July 1946); stricken 28 August 1946 (vs 'date unknown'); scuttled at Guam 31 March 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary database; its task-unit transcriptions derive from published operational records but are not themselves primary documents. Its decommissioning and striking dates conflict with NavSource (see gaps) - neither variance resolved against a primary registry. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-02
-
[4]Pronto in South Vietnam 1962-1972, Royal Australian Corps of Signals unit history, Chapter 5 Part 3 - 32 Small Ship Squadron (Version 4, 2021) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Pronto in South Vietnam Ch. 5 Pt. 3, 'Ship Conditions' section (p. 2) and Summary (p. 8); mirrored at navsource.net/archives/10/14/pdf/14319a.pdf
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- CLASS-LEVEL asbestos documentation for the LSM-1 design: the four Landing Ships Medium purchased by the Australian Army from the U.S. Navy in 1959 - AV1353 Harry Chauvel (ex-USS LSM-319), AV1354 Brudenell White (ex-USS LSM-477), AV1355 Vernon Sturdee (ex-USS LSM-315), AV1356 Clive Steele (ex-USS LSM-547), all WWII-built LSM-1-class veterans of the Pacific campaigns - had accommodation spaces below deck where '[a]bove the bunks were pipes lagged with asbestos, which would rain down on the sleeper during heavy seas, covering him in white dust.' The chapter's summary states that members of the LSM crews 'were exposed to poor environmental living conditions including, water, ventilation, heat, diesel fumes, cigarette smoke, asbestos, Agent Orange and other chemicals.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1959-1972 (documented Australian service); construction-era material implied
- Population
- LSM-1-class crews (era inference for this hull); documented population is Australian 32 Small Ship Squadron crews, 1959-1972
- Limitations
- Class-level, not hull-level: the four documented hulls are sister LSM-1-class ships; LSM-151 is not named and no survey of her is cited. Source is a veterans' corps unit history (nominal-roll and reminiscence compilation), not a material survey or specification - fiber content is asserted by the authors from service experience, not laboratory-verified. Material described was observed in 1960s-72 Australian service aboard WWII-built hulls, consistent with original-construction lagging. Does not establish quantity or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-03
-
[5]South Carolina Encyclopedia (University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies), 'Charleston Naval Shipyard' by Fritz Hamer [reputable_press]
- Locator
- SC Encyclopedia entry 'Charleston Naval Shipyard,' WWII paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: the Charleston Navy Yard reached its highest employment and shipbuilding rate during WWII, workforce totaling 26,000 by 1944, as 'a center for invasion-craft production, Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) and Landing Ship Mediums (LSMs)'; more than 200 vessels were built during the war, including 20 destroyers and 140 LSMs. The facility was 'variously known as the Charleston Navy Yard, the Charleston Naval Shipyard, and the Charleston Naval Base.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard workforce (~26,000 by 1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history, not a hull record: corroborates that this hull's builder was a major wartime LSM-production yard at peak employment, but says nothing about materials aboard any individual vessel. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-04
-
[6]Pace v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 14-2416 (4th Cir. Mar. 30, 2016) - asbestos gasket/packing/insulation work documented at Charleston Naval Shipyard (as indexed in shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json: Shop 31 needle-gun removal of thermal insulation from pumps; Shop 38 Crane-product assembly; asbestos gaskets/packing ~1971-mid-1980s) [court_record]
- Locator
- Pace v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 4th Cir. No. 14-2416; shipyards.json yard_id charleston-naval-shipyard products_documented entries
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level litigation documentation: asbestos-containing gasket, packing, and thermal-insulation work at this hull's builder (Charleston Naval Shipyard) was litigated in the MDL-875 Pace record and reached the Fourth Circuit, which affirmed summary judgment for Crane Co. on insufficient proximity/frequency proof. The yard dataset documents asbestos pipe insulation (5-50% content), boiler external coatings (15%), gaskets in pumps and valves, packing for rotating equipment, thermal insulation for steam systems, fireproofing, and electrical insulation at the yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1971-2016
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard trades (documented period ~1971-mid-1980s)
- Limitations
- Documents the yard's asbestos work in the 1970s-80s litigation period - AFTER this hull's 1944 construction and 1946 decommissioning; no temporal overlap with this hull's existence. Yard-level, not hull-level: does not name LSM-151 or establish materials aboard her. The appellate disposition is a merits-stage defense outcome for that plaintiff (insufficient product-identification proof), not a finding about yard conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - full text retrieved via firecrawl (direct curl returns HTTP 403) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2, letter text pp. 1-3 (asbestos-use and substitution-era narrative)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Era documentation: the Navy told GAO that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' and that thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' Product specifications for thermal insulation were not changed to asbestos-free until 1973; the Navy's elimination policy issued October 1975; ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. LSM-151's 1944 construction and 1944-46 service sit entirely inside the asbestos-use era this report describes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report); practices described span this hull's era and after
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. GAO fieldwork covered the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not Charleston, and not amphibious landing ships specifically. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-06
-
[8]Australian War Memorial photographs 090832, 090864, 090865 - Sadau Island, Tarakan, 30 April 1945 (Operation Oboe One) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AWM collection items 090832, 090864, 090865 (awm.gov.au/collection/NNNNNN); NavSource 10/14/14151.htm photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Australian War Memorial-held photographs document a Landing Ship Medium beached at Sadau Island, Tarakan, on 30 April 1945 unloading 25-pounders and Australian 2/7 Field Regiment and 2/4 Commando Squadron personnel and equipment - the documented Operation Oboe One tasking of this hull (NavSource credits AWM accession 090832 to the Echelon O-1-E unit including USS LSM-151; additional NavSource-captioned photos from crew member Arnold Francis Burkhart EM2 identify the beached ship as LSM-151).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-04-30
- Population
- LSM-151 crew and embarked Australian Army personnel (30 Apr 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the AWM catalog titles identify the vessel only as 'a Landing Ship Medium' - the LSM-151 identification rests on NavSource contributor captions and crew-family attribution, partial verification. Photographs establish presence at the Sadau landing, not materials or conditions aboard. No asbestos content. AWM pages are JS-rendered; titles verified via HTML title tag.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-07
-
[9]National Archives at Atlanta, RG 181 'Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, Ship Commissioning Files - Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina' finding aid (NAID 2694599) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 181 Charleston commissioning-files finding aid, Box 6 row: 'Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-151 | 6/2/1944'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Atlanta's RG 181 finding aid lists a ship-commissioning file for this hull: Box 6, type 'Landing Ship, Medium,' hull number LSM-151, dated 6/2/1944 (the documented launch date). 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' - a held archival file naming this hull at her builder yard.
- 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
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the finding aid establishes that the file exists and its listed date; its undigitized contents were not examined. It is not a work package, material list, or exposure record, and the 6/2/1944 listing date (launch date) is not treated as the July commissioning date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-08
-
[10]Batch-5954 search ledger (this record): NavSource LSM-151; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory; NHHC/DANFS (no entry); NHHC photo index (no page); NVR (out of coverage); SC Encyclopedia; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; Pronto RASigs history; AWM photography; NARA RG 181 finding aid; NARA catalog (JS-blocked); CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-151-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or docketed litigation naming USS LSM-151 was found in the public sources searched. No DANFS entry exists (unnamed hull-number-only LSMs are not covered; hazegray DANFS index lists only named LSMs/LSMRs). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide pacing budget stood down four attempts over ~50 minutes, and the two calls that passed pacing timed out on read at 30 s (CL API unresponsive from this network); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; 'asbestos' material naming LSM-type ships consists of law-firm marketing pages and class-level veteran histories.
- 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (fleet-paced, not run). The hull was scuttled in 1947, so no present-day material survives to survey; any ship-specific documentation would be construction records (Charleston NY/BuShips) or deck logs (RG 24) - undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-151-09