Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet ts-packet.md (6 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-171-lsm171-pkt-ts-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-171 - construction timeline, service assignments, commanding officers, specifications, disposition (live page verified 200) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14171.htm header block, campaign table, commanding-officers list, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 27 June 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 20 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-171 on 14 September 1944, LTjg. Shelton Shefferman USNR 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 Four; participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8 to 18 June 1945 - earning one battle star. Postwar: occupation service in the Far East 25 November 1945 to 28 February 1946; a crew-submitted photograph caption documents the ship beached at Iwo Jima transporting supplies and personnel from the Marianas and Chi Chi Jima to Iwo Jima and other islands. Decommissioned 19 June 1946 at NOB Subic Bay, P.I.; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; scuttled 18 May 1948 off Subic Bay. Commanding officers: LTjg. Shefferman (14 Sep 1944 - Feb 1945); LTjg. Francis L. Berkeley Jr. USNR (Feb 1945 - 16 Aug 1945); LTjg. Horace N. Compton Jr. USNR (16 Aug 1945 - 19 Jun 1946). Specifications: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t fully loaded; 203'6" oa; beam 34'6"; 13.2 kts max; complement 5 officers 54 enlisted; one twin bow-mounted 40mm gun, four single 20mm mounts; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs; troop accommodations 2 officers 46 enlisted; propulsion two General Motors 16-278A diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp; ship's service generators two diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V A.C. and one diesel-drive 20 kW 120 V D.C.; endurance 4,900 miles at 12 kts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (Jun-Sep 1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops and vehicle crews during operations
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track official records and its organizational listing is corroborated by the NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document (ev-02), but the launch date (20 July) conflicts with uboat.net (30 July) and its struck date is 'unknown' where uboat.net carries 3 July 1946 (see ev-05 and gaps). Contains no asbestos content. Scuttling circumstances (reason, exact position, whether stripped first) are not detailed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-01
-
[3]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official wartime fleet organization listing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, LSM Flotilla One / LSM Group 2 / LSM Division 4 table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An official U.S. Navy document dated 1 May 1945 lists this hull - 'LSM 171' - in the Pacific Fleet under LSM Flotilla One, LSM Group 2, LSM Division 4, corroborating NavSource's organizational assignment and placing the ship in the forward Pacific amphibious establishment six weeks before the documented Okinawa operation of 8-18 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew (1945)
- Limitations
- Organizational listing only - establishes unit assignment and presence, not operations performed, material content, or any exposure condition. The document lists LSM 171 without a named commanding officer in the division block. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History, Charleston Naval Shipyard construction table (yard production record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net Charleston NSY table, LSM-171 row; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lsm.html, LSM 171 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Charleston Naval Shipyard production table lists this hull: 'LSM-171 - landing ship - 520 [tons] - 14 Sep 1944 - scuttled off Subic Bay 1948', independently corroborating the builder (Charleston NSY), the delivery/commissioning date (14 September 1944), and the 1948 scuttling off Subic Bay. A second compilation (navalmarinearchive.com LSM builder table) carries the identical row: 'LSM 171 - Charleston NSY - 14-Sep-44 - Scuttled off Subic Bay 1948'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations of yard production data - corroborative, not primary. Neither details scuttling circumstances. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-03
-
[5]uboat.net, Allied Warships of WWII: USS LSM 171 - construction and disposal milestone table [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/12782.html, ship data table and History block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's milestone table for this hull adds two data points NavSource does not carry and conflicts on a third: 'Ordered 15 Sep 1943'; 'Stricken on 3 July 1946' (where NavSource reports the struck date as unknown); and 'Launched 30 Jul 1944' (where NavSource carries 20 July 1944). Decommissioning (19 June 1946) and scuttling (18 May 1948) agree exactly with NavSource.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation; its stricken date (3 July 1946) is plausible - the same date DANFS records for several Philippines-decommissioned landing ships - but no primary source for it was located, so the NavSource 'unknown' is preserved as a gap rather than resolved. Launch-date conflict (20 vs 30 July 1944) likewise unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-04
-
[6]shipyard-exposure-map Atlas record, charleston-naval-shipyard (shipyards.json yard profile: asbestos products documented; OSHA Inspection 100361849 (1988, asbestos-standard citation 29 CFR 1910.1001, case closed 2 May 1990); litigation verdicts Whalen v. John Crane (2014, $70.8M, Navy machinist) and Twidwell v. Aerco (2018, $40M, Navy veteran); EPA site ID SC0170022560; WWII peak employment 25,948) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record charleston-naval-shipyard (asbestos_products_documented; ev-charleston-naval-shipyard-osha-1988-100361849; ev-06, ev-07)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- This hull's builder is a documented asbestos yard: the Atlas Charleston Naval Shipyard profile records documented asbestos product use at the yard (magnesia pipe insulation; asbestos cement products; spray-on insulation for walls and ship interiors; asbestos gaskets in pumps and valves; packing for rotating equipment; thermal insulation for steam systems; fireproofing in living quarters; electrical insulation throughout vessels), a verified OSHA inspection (100361849, 1988) citing the yard under the asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001, and two verified asbestos litigation verdicts tied to Navy exposure claims. LSM-171 was built at this yard June-September 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (build); 1988-2018 (OSHA/litigation documentation)
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction and repair trades (incl. 1944 LSM build crews); Navy machinists and veterans in later litigation
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: establishes asbestos use and later OSHA/litigation history at the builder, not materials installed aboard this specific hull. The OSHA detail page (osha.gov establishment.inspection_detail?id=100361849) returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-02); the inspection is carried via the verified yard profile. Does not establish quantity, individual exposure, or present-day presence aboard the sunken hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-05
-
[7]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
- 2026-10-02
- 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. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-02); content via product-page description per batch precedent.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, diesel generators); LSM-1 class design data (Wikipedia class article, secondary); Charleston Naval Shipyard documented product list (shipyards.json); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (this hull); LSM-1 class design summaries; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious landing ship built mid-1944 at Charleston Navy Yard sits inside both that yard's documented asbestos-use era and the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation fireproofing in the confined hull volume. As a diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46, confined diesel-driven hull); personnel involved in the 1948 stripping/scuttling
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-171. 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-171-07
-
[9]NARA Catalog, series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (NAID 594258), search-within for 'LSM 171' and 'LSM-171' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog search-within NAID 594258, quoted queries 'LSM 171' / 'LSM-171' (0 results); unquoted 'LSM' (2,590 results)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NARA logbook series (235,000+ file units, including WWII-era deck logs) contains LSM logbooks generally (unquoted 'LSM' returns 2,590 results) but no file unit is indexed under 'LSM 171' or 'LSM-171' (quoted searches return zero). Deck logs for this hull - which would document her Okinawa operation, occupation runs, and 1946 decommissioning at Subic - are either undigitized, indexed under another name form, or held outside this series. A general NARA catalog query could not be run (catalog search is JS-rendered; the search-within endpoint was reachable via scraped retrieval).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: absence from the digitized logbook index does not mean the logs do not exist - paper deck logs for amphibious hulls are held at NARA even where undigitized. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-08
-
[10]Batch-5976 search ledger (this record): NavSource (live); NHHC DANFS candidate URLs (404, no entry); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization doc; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory Charleston table; navalmarinearchive LSM table; NVR detail page (none - hull predates register); NARA logbook series 594258; CourtListener API v4 (6 authenticated queries); OSHA inspection detail (403); GAO product page (403) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-171-01 through sl-uss-lsm-171-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-171 / LSM-171 / LSM 171 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero docket and zero opinion results on quoted hull-designation queries ('USS LSM-171', 'LSM-171', 'LSM 171'); the unquoted 'LSM-171' opinion query returned 13 hits, all name collisions (Texas criminal/civil appeals, postal-service employment cases, a Puerto Rico appeal, MDL provider-track material - none maritime, none asbestos, none naming a vessel). No DANFS entry exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull lies scuttled off Subic Bay at an undocumented position, and any material condition is effectively unexaminable. Undigitized deck logs and yard work records remain open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-171-09