USS LSM-172

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet ts-packet.md (5 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-172-lsm172-pkt-ts-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-172 (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 list, photo captions, awards-ribbon block

   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 27 June 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 20 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-172, 20 September 1944, LTjg. Clarence Shapiro USNR in command. WWII Asiatic-Pacific Theater service in LSM Flotilla Six (CDR. A. R. Quinn USN), LSM Group Eighteen (LCDR. J. M. Fabre USNR), LSM Division Thirty-Five: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 April to 17 June 1945. Post-war occupation service in the Far East 11-20 September 1945. Decommissioned 9 May 1947 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); sold 28 February 1948 to Paul P. Noyes, San Francisco, CA, fate unknown. Earned one battle star; ribbon entitlements listed as American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 star), World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Commanding officers: LTjg. Clarence Shapiro USNR (20 Sep 1944 - 22 Sep 1945); LTjg. Stanley Robert Taskey USNR (22 Sep 1945 - 9 May 1947). 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. Page also documents US National Archives photo USN 1045903 of this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-1947)

   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 2026-10-01 (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 figure for sister hull LSM-175 (12.5 kts) - see ev-07 and gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-01

3. [3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 172 (LSM 172) ship record (compiler Gudmundur Helgason) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship record table: Built by / Ordered / Laid down / Launched / Commissioned / End service / History block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII record for this hull independently gives: ordered 15 September 1943; laid down 28 June 1944; launched 21 July 1944; commissioned 20 September 1944; end of service 9 May 1947; 'Decommissioned on 9 May 1947. Stricken on 17 July 1947. Sold on 28 February 1948.' This supplies a stricken date (17 July 1947) that NavSource records as unknown, corroborated in year by navypedia's 'stricken 1947' entry. uboat.net's laid-down (28 Jun) and launched (21 Jul) dates are each one day later than NavSource's (27 Jun, 20 Jul) - unresolved one-day variants logged in gaps.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Limitations

   Independent volunteer-compiled database, not a government record; contains no technical/insulation/material content (page is a dates-and-disposition record only, confirmed by direct live fetch 2026-10-01). The 17 July 1947 stricken date is corroborated only in year (navypedia 'stricken 1947') - no primary source located; carried as the best available date with its provenance stated, not treated as settled. One-day laid-down/launch variants vs. NavSource are unresolved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-02

4. [4]Naval Marine Archive, 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' small-ships disposition registry; navypedia.org LSM class table (second source, no separate URL row) [other_primary]

   Locator

   LSM-172 table row (Type/Number/Shipbuilder/Location/Delivery/Disposition columns); navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_aws_lsm.htm, LSM172 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Independent disposition-table cross-checks: (a) navalmarinearchive.com's LSM/LSM(R)/LSV small-ships disposition registry lists LSM-172 - Shipbuilder: 'Charleston NSY'; Location: 'Charleston SC'; Delivery: '20-Sep-44'; Disposition: 'Sold to Paul P. Noyes 1948.' (b) navypedia.org's LSM class table lists LSM172 - builder 'Charleston N Yd', laid 6/1944, launched 20.7.1944, commissioned 9.1944, 'stricken 1947.' Both corroborate NavSource's builder, 1944 construction, and 1948 sale; navypedia independently corroborates the strike YEAR (1947) that uboat.net dates to 17 July 1947.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Limitations

   Independent volunteer-compiled registries, not government records; no technical/insulation/material content on either page (both are tabular disposition catalogs only, confirmed by direct review - no asbestos content). navypedia's layout merges name/fate columns; the 'stricken 1947' attribution to the LSM172 row was verified by row-order parsing. Corroborate NavSource on builder, delivery/commission window, 1947 strike year, and 1948 disposition.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-03

5. [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-172 7/21/1944'

   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-172 | 7/21/1944.'

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   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-172 (7/21/1944) matches neither the 9/20/1944 commissioning nor the 6/27/1944 laying down - it falls one day after the reported 7/20/1944 launch - so the series' 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-172-lsm172-04

6. [6]Batch-5977 search ledger (this record): direct NHHC fetch (404 x2), Wayback availability check (empty x2), HyperWar mirror fetch (404 with live-mirror control fetches at 200) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-05 through -07

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No DANFS entry exists for USS LSM-172: (a) both live NHHC URL patterns used for LSM hulls (/danfs/l/lsm-172.html and /danfs/l/lsm172.html) return HTTP 404; (b) the Wayback Machine availability API returns zero archived snapshots for both URLs; (c) the HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the historic DANFS 'dafs' series returns HTTP 404 for lsm172.html while returning 200 for other LSM hulls fetched the same session (lsm448.html, lsm467.html) - confirming the mirror is live and the LSM-172 absence is genuine.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   2026-10-01

   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, action reports, and photo records 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-172-lsm172-05

7. [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 (SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_LSM_172.HTML) returns HTTP 302 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-172 was disposed in 1948 (sold to a private buyer), decades before this cutoff.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   2026-10-01

   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-172-lsm172-06

8. [8]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Oceanside' (LSM-175) entry (accessed via Wayback Machine capture 20241216050942; live fetch from this network failed intermittently) [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 in the same weeks - 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.' Entry records LSM-175 laid down 11 July 1944 at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, launched 3 August 1944, commissioned 25 September 1944, and that she was 'originally LCT(7)-1675' - the Charleston LSMs were reordered from LCT(7) hulls. This is an authoritative NHHC cross-check of the LSM-1 class displacement, length, beam, and complement figures reported for LSM-172 by NavSource (1,095 t fully loaded; 203'6"; 34'6"; complement total 59 matches NavSource's 5 officers + 54 enlisted for LSM-172).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   Charleston Naval Shipyard construction trades (1944, LSM-175 build)

   Limitations

   This entry documents Oceanside (LSM-175), NOT LSM-172 - it is class/era cross-check evidence only and establishes no fact specific to LSM-172. Oceanside's spec block gives speed 12.5 kts versus NavSource's 13.2 kts (max.) reported for LSM-172 - an unresolved minor variant (design/cruising speed vs. trial maximum is the likely explanation, not investigated further). The LCT(7) reordering is documented for Oceanside's hull specifically; whether LSM-172 also carried an LCT(7) original designation is not established by this or any located source - noted here for completeness, not asserted. No asbestos or insulation content in this entry.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page Highlights section (accessed via Wayback capture 20250402135701; live gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (18 Oct 1979), documents Navy-wide asbestos use: 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; this was modified in 1979 to include selectively replacing asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard-era shipboard material across the WWII period in which this hull was built and served. GAO fieldwork was conducted at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1979 (report); Navy policy discussed 1975-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation only - GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Charleston or Mare Island; the report names no vessel or class. Supports general WWII-to-1970s Navy asbestos-use context, not any fact specific to this hull or her yards. Live URL blocked (403); content verified via Wayback capture of the same canonical URL per the blocked-source fallback ladder.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-08

10. [10]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

    2026-10-01

    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 but Wiley's bot-check (Cloudflare) returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; citation verified by DOI resolution and abstract metadata, not full-text retrieval.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-09

11. [11]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; product list) and mare-island-naval-shipyard (1947 inactivation yard; product list); Corn & Starr 1987 AJIM and GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-08, ev-09) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard and mare-island-naval-shipyard records

    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. The hull was also decommissioned in May 1947 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo - an Atlas-documented asbestos yard (Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, Super 66, packing, gaskets per shipyards.json) - though inactivation is a shore-side event, not evidence of material added to this hull.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1944 (hull construction); 1947 (inactivation); yard asbestos documentation otherwise dated 1976-2018

    Population

    Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); ship's company (1944-1947); Mare Island inactivation workers (1947)

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-172. Charleston yard asbestos-product and litigation evidence (OSHA 1988-1990 inspection; 2014 and 2018 verdicts) and Mare Island's yard evidence (1998 EIS; Collins litigation exposure period 1976-1994) all postdate this hull's 1944 construction, 1947 inactivation, and 1948 disposal by decades - establishing that the yards handled asbestos-containing materials in later decades, not what materials were installed on this hull's 1944 construction line or disturbed at her 1947 inactivation. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no confirmed installed material for this specific hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-10

12. [12]CourtListener API v4 searches via cl-auth-search.py fleet helper: type=o 'LSM-172' (7 results reviewed); type=r '"LSM-172"' (0 results), 2026-10-01 [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-10 and -11

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener (API v4, authenticated via the required fleet helper) was searched for this hull on 2026-10-01 in both the opinion index (type=o, query 'LSM-172') and the RECAP/docket index (type=r, quoted-phrase query '"LSM-172"'). The opinion search returned 7 results - none name this vessel, its hull number, or any asbestos claim connected to it: the hits are unrelated civil, tax, contract, and criminal opinions (Burlingame v. Dagostin; Traxcell Technologies v. Sprint Communications; Southern Horizons v. Lopez Cartagena; Doninger v. Niehoff; Zafer Construction Company; Conner; Tyrone Berry v. State) where 'LSM'/'172' match incidentally inside docket numbers, citations, or unrelated text. The quoted-phrase docket search returned 0 results. Both are classified as clean negative results - no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull - not blocked or throttled searches.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    2026-10-01

    Limitations

    Absence of a hit does not prove no litigation exists naming this small, long-disposed hull - only that none was found in CourtListener's indexed opinions or RECAP dockets as of this date. The unquoted type=r term search returns 946 broad matches (any 'LSM' or '172' token), too noisy to certify exhaustively; the quoted-phrase exact-string docket search (0 results) is the certifying query. State-court and unindexed venues are outside coverage.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-172-lsm172-11