Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet tr-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LSM-168. Verified hull: LSM-168. Designation: LSM (Landing Ship Medium). Type/class: LSM-1-class landing ship medium.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-168-lsm168-pkt-tr-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-168 (page history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Full page: header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding officer line (LT Rodger Whelan, USNR, 7 Sep 1944- ?), photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online (Amphibious Photo Archive) timeline for this hull, sourced to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9): laid down 23 June 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 25 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-168, 7 September 1944, LT Rodger Whelan USNR in command. WWII Asiatic-Pacific Theater service: consolidation and capture of the southern Philippines; Palawan Islands landings, 28 February-1 March 1945 (unloaded men and supplies with USS LSM-224 at the jetty, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, per U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 271126); Visayan Island landings at Cebu, 2 April 1945 (photographed disembarking troops 26 March 1945, Signal Corps photo SC-48796, following a 7th Fleet pre-landing bombardment); Borneo operations, Brunei Bay operation, 10-14 June 1945. Earned two battle stars. Decommissioned 5 September 1946, laid up in the Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); sold October 1958 to Hugo Neu Corp., New York, N.Y., converted to a barge, fate unknown. Specifications: displacement 520 t (light), 743 t (landing), 1,095 t (fully loaded); length 203'6" oa; beam 34'6"; draft 3'6" fwd/7'8" aft light, 6'4" fwd/8'3" aft loaded; speed 13.2 kts max; complement 5 officers/54 enlisted plus troop accommodation for 2 officers/46 enlisted; armament one twin bow-mounted 40mm gun, four single 20mm mounts; vehicle/boat capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs; fuel capacity 1,225 bbls diesel; 10-lb STS splinter shield at gun mounts, pilot house, and conning station; endurance 4,900 mi at 12 kts; propulsion two GM 16-278A diesels (reversible, hydraulic clutch, direct drive), 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; ship's service generators two diesel-driven 100kW 450V AC plus one diesel-driven 20kW 120V DC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer compilation crediting a published unit history (Turner Publishing), not a government primary record - it is the only detailed narrative source located for this hull (no DANFS entry exists; see ev-05). Page fetched via direct live request on 2026-09-30 (navsource.net resolves; navsource.org is the dead mirror per house citation-hygiene rule and was not used). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazmat content of any kind. Top-speed figure (13.2 kts) differs from the DANFS abbreviated class comparison for sister hull LSM-175 (12.5 kts) - see ev-03 and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-01
-
[3]Naval Marine Archive, 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' small-ships disposition registry [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM-168 table row (Type/Number/Shipbuilder/Location/Delivery/Disposition columns)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent disposition-table cross-check: navalmarinearchive.com's LSM/LSM(R)/LSV small-ships disposition registry lists LSM-168 - Shipbuilder: 'Charleston NSY'; Location: 'Charleston SC'; Delivery: '7-Sep-44'; Disposition: 'Laid up 1947, sold to Hugo Neu 1958, converted to barge.' This corroborates NavSource's builder, delivery/commission date, and 1958 Hugo Neu Corp. sale and barge conversion.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Limitations
- Independent volunteer-compiled registry, not a government record; no technical/insulation/material content on this page at all (confirmed by direct review - the page is a tabular disposition catalog only, no asbestos content). Corroborates NavSource on builder, delivery date, and 1958 disposition, but gives 'laid up 1947' versus NavSource's 1946 decommissioning/reserve-fleet date - an unresolved one-year variant carried in gaps, not asserted either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Oceanside' (LSM-175) entry (accessed via Wayback Machine capture; live fetch from this network returned a connection error) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture timestamp 20241216050942, opening spec line and first service paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC DANFS entry for Oceanside (LSM-175) - a sister hull of the same LSM-1 class, built at the same yard three weeks after LSM-168 - gives the class comparative spec block: 'dp. 1,095; l. 203'6"; b. 34'6"; dr. 8'4"; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 59; a. 2 40mm.; cl. LSM-1.' Full entry: 'Oceanside (LSM-175) ... was laid down 11 July 1944 at the Charleston Naval Shipyard; launched 3 August 1944; sponsored by Miss Emily V. Jackson; and commissioned 25 September 1944.' This is an authoritative NHHC cross-check of the LSM-1 class displacement, length, beam, and complement figures reported for LSM-168 by NavSource (1,095 t fully loaded; 203'6"; 34'6"; complement total 59 matches NavSource's 5 officers + 54 enlisted for LSM-168).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard construction trades (1944, LSM-175 build)
- Limitations
- This entry documents Oceanside (LSM-175), NOT LSM-168 - it is class/era cross-check evidence only and establishes no fact specific to LSM-168. Oceanside's own spec block gives speed 12.5 kts versus NavSource's 13.2 kts (max.) reported for LSM-168 - an unresolved minor variant (design/cruising speed vs. trial maximum is the likely explanation, not investigated further). No asbestos or insulation content in this entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-03
-
[5]National Archives at Atlanta, finding aid for RG 181 Ship Commissioning Files, Charleston, SC (NAID 2694599) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Box 7 row, 'Landing Ship, Medium LSM-168 6/23/1944'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Atlanta finding aid, RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments), 'Ship Commissioning Files - Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina,' National Archives Identifier 2694599, describes a 1942-1945 series of 'correspondence, invitations, and instructions relating to the commissioning of naval vessels at the Charleston Navy Yard.' The box list names this hull directly: 'Box 7 | Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-168 | 6/23/1944.'
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - box contents were not retrieved (requires in-person research room visit or NARA reproduction order; no spend authorized). The date shown for LSM-168 in this 'Ship Commissioning Files' series is 6/23/1944, which matches NavSource's LAID-DOWN date, not the 9/7/1944 commissioning date - so the finding aid's per-row 'Date' column likely records something other than the actual commissioning (contents unknown until surveyed). Contains no asbestos content; establishes only that a commissioning-era file exists for this hull at NARA Atlanta.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-04
-
[6]Batch-5972 search ledger (this record): direct NHHC fetch (404), Wayback CDX/availability check (empty), HyperWar mirror fetch (404), and discard of the LST-168 false-match page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-01 through -03
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No DANFS entry exists for USS LSM-168: (a) the live NHHC URL pattern used for other LSM hulls (/danfs/l/lsm-168.html) returns HTTP 404; (b) the Wayback Machine CDX/availability API returns zero archived snapshots for that URL; (c) the HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the historic DANFS 'dafs' series, which does carry entries for some other LSM hulls (e.g., LSM-448, LSM-467), returns HTTP 404 for lsm168.html. A search-engine result purporting to show a DANFS page for 'LSM-168' at '/danfs/l/lst-168.html' was checked directly and is in fact the entry for LST-168, an unrelated Landing Ship Tank built by Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. at Evansville, IN, with an entirely different construction and service history - that page was discarded as a false match, not used anywhere in this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a DANFS entry for this specific hull number does not mean NHHC holds no records on it at all - deck logs, war diaries, and action reports in other record groups at NARA may exist and were not fully surveyed (see gaps). Not every LSM-1 class hull received an individual DANFS narrative; this is consistent with known DANFS coverage gaps for small amphibious craft, not a sign of data loss specific to this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-05
-
[7]Naval Vessel Register (NVR), homepage scope statement [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR homepage, 'The Official Inventory of US Naval Ships and Service Craft' introductory paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register (NVR) carries no page for this hull. A direct guessed detail-page URL (SHIP_DETAILS_LSM_168.HTML) 302-redirects to the NVR homepage rather than resolving to a ship record. The NVR homepage itself states its own scope limit: 'Ships and service craft disposed of prior to 1987 are currently not included, however the data is gradually being added along with other updates.' LSM-168 was disposed in 1958 (sold/converted to a barge), decades before this cutoff.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- This is a scope-based negative finding, not evidence that the vessel never existed in Navy records - NVR's own disclosed cutoff (pre-1987 disposals largely excluded) fully accounts for the absence. No asbestos content; NVR does not carry material/hazmat data of the kind this record seeks in any case.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-06
-
[8]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
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and program under which this LSM-1 class hull was built at a Navy yard operating at wartime peak tempo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, its class, or its builder, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The DOI resolves live to the correct Wiley article page (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.4700110311) but Wiley's bot-check (Cloudflare) returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - confirmed 2026-09-30; citation verified by resolution target and abstract metadata, not full-text retrieval.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two GM 16-278A diesels, no steam plant); shipyard-exposure-map yard data for charleston-naval-shipyard (WWII peak employment; general product_normalized list for the yard); Corn & Starr 1987 AJIM (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard record (employment and product_normalized fields)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference built from the hull's own documented design and build context: a diesel-powered LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium, laid down June 1944 and commissioned September 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard - a Navy yard then at wartime peak employment (25,948 workers in 1943, per shipyard-exposure-map yard data for charleston-naval-shipyard). The class carries no steam plant (two GM 16-278A diesel engines per NavSource; confirmed class propulsion type), so era-standard applications for a hull of this type and period center on: diesel exhaust lagging, machinery-space pipe insulation, gaskets, valve/pump packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing/insulation in crew and pilot-house spaces - not boiler or turbine lagging.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 (hull construction); yard asbestos documentation otherwise dated 1971-1990
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); ship's company (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-168. The shipyard-exposure-map Charleston Naval Shipyard asbestos-product and litigation evidence (OSHA inspection, jury verdicts) dates to 1971-1990, three to five decades after this hull's 1944 construction and 1958 disposal; it establishes that the yard handled asbestos-containing materials in later decades, not what materials were used on this hull's 1944 construction line. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no confirmed installed material for this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search, query 'LSM-168', type=opinion, 7 results reviewed, 2026-09-30 (via cl-auth-search.py fleet helper) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger row sl-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener (API v4, type=o, authenticated search via the required fleet helper) was searched for the exact string 'LSM-168' on 2026-09-30 and returned 7 results. None name this vessel, its hull number, or any asbestos claim connected to it: the hits are unrelated civil/criminal/bankruptcy opinions (Fabrizi Trucking & Paving Co. v. Cleveland; Salus Capital Partners v. Standard Wireless; James Doyle Collins Jr. v. State; Rosado Vazquez v. Estado Libre Asociado; Doninger v. Niehoff (two opinions); Babbidge & Holt, Inc. v. The Hawaiian Planter) where '168' matches incidentally inside docket numbers, citations, or unrelated case text. This is classified as a clean negative result - no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull - not a blocked or throttled search.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Covers CourtListener opinion search only (type=o); a RECAP/docket-type search (type=r) was not separately run this session due to the fleet pacing limiter - logged as an open item in gaps, not asserted as searched. Absence of a hit does not prove no litigation exists naming this small, long-scrapped hull, only that none was found in CourtListener's indexed opinions as of this date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-168-lsm168-09