Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library - 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (online reading room, wartime official document reproduced verbatim; not a DANFS entry - no DANFS entry exists for this numbered hull) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Page table: LSM FLOTILLA ONE > LSM GROUP 2 > LSM DIVISION 3 > row 'LSM 16 | Lt. (jg) G. Baily (USNR)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC-published wartime organization document names this hull: 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' lists 'LSM 16' under LSM Flotilla One, LSM Group Two, LSM Division Three, with commanding officer 'Lt. (jg) G. Baily (USNR)' - placing the ship in the Pacific amphibious force during the Okinawa Gunto operation window (NavSource records participation 1-18 May 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Ship's company, May 1945 (roster names CO only)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific organizational placement only; the roster contains no material, insulation, or condition information and supports no asbestos claim. Officer branch shown as USNR here vs USN on NavSource - noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-16 (10/14/14016.htm) - history extract credited by NavSource to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14016.htm - header block, campaign table, commanding-officers table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive hull page for USS LSM-16 (LSM-1 class): laid down 10 April 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 7 May 1944; commissioned USS LSM-16 on 10 June 1944, LTjg. George Baily in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater in LSM Flotilla One (LCDR H. B. Taliaferro USN), LSM Group Two (LCDR H. G. Maxey USNR), LSM Division Three; participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 18 May 1945; earned one battle star for WWII service. Decommissioned 15 March 1946 at Norfolk, VA; struck from the Naval Register 17 April 1946; sold to Hughes Bros. Inc., New York, NY, 10 October 1947, 'fate unknown'. Commanding officers: LTjg George Baily (10 Jun 1944 - Dec 1945), ENS John Desmond Crotty USNR (Dec 1945 - 15 Mar 1946). Photo caption documents LSM-16 in convoy to Wakayama, Japan, circa September 1945 (post-surrender occupation duty), photographed from USS LSM-116. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; 203'6" oa x 34'6" beam; 5 officers + 54 enlisted; two Fairbanks-Morse model 38D8-1/8 x10 reversible diesels, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp; armament one twin bow 40mm + four single 20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Apr-Jun 1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); Hughes Bros. post-sale handlers (1947)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its history extract is credited to the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR volume (1997), a veteran-association commemorative work; milestone dates are independently corroborated by the shipbuildinghistory.com Brown yard table (ev-03) and the NHHC fleet roster (ev-01). Page contains no asbestos or material content. 1947 disposal predates modern ACM-handling regulation and no hazmat or material record for the hull's post-sale disposition was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-02
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[3]Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com), 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' construction record table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown Shipbuilding yard table, hull 121 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuildinghistory.com Brown Shipbuilding yard table corroborates the NavSource milestones for this hull: Brown yard hull number 121, 'LSM 16', Landing Ship - laid 10-Apr-44, launched 7-May-44, delivered 10-Jun-44, disposition 'Sold to Hughes Bros. 1947'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Specialized secondary reference (yard construction lists), not a government registry - used here as independent corroboration of NavSource milestones, which it matches exactly. Contains no asbestos or material information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-03
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[4]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: this hull was built in 1944 at a wartime emergency yard (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston) during the period when asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding and wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard Navy hulls. Era-standard applications consistent with a diesel-powered LSM-1-class amphibious hull: thermal insulation and fireproofing in machinery and berthing spaces, exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. The LSM plant was twin Fairbanks-Morse diesels with direct drive - no boilers or steam turbines - so no boiler/turbine lagging pathway applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); ship's company (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or this yard and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The application list is era-standard inference for a diesel amphibious hull, not a hull material survey.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-04
-
[5]U.S. Government Accountability Office, HRD-80-2 product page (highlights text) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO product page for HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979): GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy window documented; report 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy asbestos context only - fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; this hull is not named and no LSM is named. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to direct automated fetch this session; content verified via the GAO product-page highlights text (firecrawl render). Full-text pull remains an open lead - same standing defect as BATCH-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-05
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[6]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' USNI Naval History, June 2025 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 article - 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' and workforce sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder context: U.S. Naval Institute Naval History (June 2025) documents Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston - established 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root; wartime emergency yard on Greens Bayou launching vessels sideways into the narrow waterway; peak employment more than 25,000 workers; built 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts, 32 LCI landing craft, and 254 Landing Ship Medium amphibious assault ships, of which LSM-16 (yard hull 121) was one.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding wartime workforce (>25,000 peak)
- Limitations
- Yard-profile journalism from a professional naval publication - documents the builder's program and workforce, does not name LSM-16, and contains no asbestos or material information. Not a yard exposure record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-06
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[7]U.S. Navy wartime transport/amphibious doctrine publication, ch. 2 (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of official USN reference text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- transport-2.html para. 206 and amphibious-vessel comparison table (LSM row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Wartime USN transport-doctrine publication (HyperWar mirror) documents the LSM type this hull belongs to: 'The Landing Ship Medium, (LSM), was originally designated the LCT(7). It was developed to meet the need for an ocean going tank Lighter of the LCT type. It combines the features of most of the other specialized amphibious vessels -- the bow gates of the LST, the well-deck of the LCT(6), and the conning tower of the LCI.' The same publication's comparison table gives the LSM class-level spec line: 203'6" x 34' beam, 741 tons, 12.5 knots, 2 x 1400 HP diesel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- WWII-era publication
- Limitations
- Class-level design description for the LSM type - describes the class LSM-16 belongs to, not this individual hull. Contains no asbestos or material information. Complement figures in the table (4 officers / 55 enlisted) are class-level and differ slightly from NavSource's hull-level spec block - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-07
-
[8]Batch-5963 search ledger (this record): NavSource, NHHC reading-room roster, shipbuildinghistory yard table, NARA digitized-logs index, CourtListener API v4 opinion searches, secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-01 through sl-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the LSM-16 hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API v4 opinion searches (2026-10-01, authenticated): 'USS LSM-16' returned 4 results - all non-qualifying name collisions (Amerace Esna Corp. v. United States, 462 F.2d 1377 (Ct. Cl. 1972) - patent; three Texas appellate opinions); '"LSM-16" asbestos' returned zero results; '"LSM-16"' returned 1 result - Jose Carmona v. Leo Ship Management, Inc., 924 F.3d 190 (5th Cir. 2019), a personal-jurisdiction case in which 'LSM' abbreviates the defendant company Leo Ship Management, not this hull. A docket-type CourtListener search could not be completed this session (fleet pacing limit). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no asbestos litigation or abatement record naming this hull; no law-firm or marketing source was used.
- 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-built amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The docket-type CourtListener search was not completed (fleet pacing); complaint-level pleadings naming this hull cannot be ruled out. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-08
-
[9]NARA digitized Navy deck-logs index (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 24 and RG 19; Turner Publishing volume cited in NavSource attribution line [other_primary]
- Locator
- navy-online index (LSM-16 absent; only later-named LSM/LSMR hulls listed); RG guides https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html and groups/019.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs - LSM-16's commissioned-period logs (Jun 1944 - Mar 1946) are not on the NARA digitized Navy deck-logs index; original logs are held at the National Archives but digitization status for this hull is unconfirmed. (b) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records - contract and ship's-data records for Brown Shipbuilding hull 121 may document outfitting/insulation specifications. (c) NavSource's stated history source, 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, Paducah KY, 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9), is a print commemorative volume not available online. (d) Hughes Brothers Inc. resale records - the 1947 buyer was a New York salvage/towing firm that purchased War Assets Administration surplus vessels; the hull's downstream disposition was not traced in located sources.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and source mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-16-lsm16-09