Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 820-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-238-lsm238-pkt-820-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-238 - construction, commissioning, campaign, unit assignments, decommission/strike/disposal, specifications, commanding officers; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14238.htm - history block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class landing ship medium laid down 5 April 1944 at Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Pedro, CA; launched 30 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-238, 14 September 1944, LT. David M. McIntosh USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LSM Flotilla Five (CDR. W. H. Carpenter USN), LSM Group Fourteen (LCDR. A. E. Lind USNR), LSM Division Twenty-Eight. Campaign: Iwo Jima operation - assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 16 March 1945. Decommissioned 5 May 1947 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; sold 1 March 1948 to Crowley Launch & Tugboat Co., San Francisco, CA, fate unknown. One battle star; ribbon set includes Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Iwo Jima), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" x 34'6"; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; two GM 16-278A diesels direct drive 1,440 BHP each, twin screws 2,800 shp. Commanding officers: LT. McIntosh (to Aug 1945), LT. Edwards (to 7 Nov 1945), LTjg. Johnson (to Feb 1946), LTjg. McGough (to Mar 1946), LTjg. Johnson (to Oct 1946), LT. Lorenz USN (to 5 May 1947). Photo captions place the hull beached at Iwo Jima circa 19 February 1945 (USCG photo 0303451) and later with LSM-419, LSM-98, LSM-202.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- WPS San Pedro construction trades (1944); ship's company ~59 (5 officers + 54 enlisted) plus embarked troops (2 officers + 46 enlisted accommodations)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - its history extract is sourced to the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR volume and its specifications to Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels; milestones corroborated independently by ShipbuildingHistory, the NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document, two DANFS entries, and an NHHC photo record. Struck date listed as unknown here vs 17 July 1947 in uboat.net (see gaps). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-01
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory, 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' construction table (page update 6 January 2018; also mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm, LSM table row 238 (Western Pipe / San Pedro block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of this hull's construction line: 'LSM-238 | Western Pipe | San Pedro CA | 14-Sep-44 | Sold to Crowley 1948'. The same table documents the class context: 558 LSMs built in WWII by seven shipyards; the basic design (originally designated LCT(7)) was 203.5 feet overall and 520 tons light.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled construction table - corroborates builder, yard city, delivery/commissioning date, and disposition against NavSource; column header reads 'Delivery' where NavSource reads 'Commissioned' (same date carried). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-02
-
[4]NHHC Navy Department Library transcription, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, LSM Flotilla Five > LSM Group 14 > LSM Division 28 block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official wartime fleet-organization document confirms this hull's unit assignment as of 1 May 1945: 'LSM 238 - Lt. D. M. McIntosh (USNR)' listed in LSM Division 28 under LSM Group 14 (ComLSMGrp 14 Lt. Cdr. A. E. Lind USNR) under LSM Flotilla Five (Commander LSM Flotilla FIVE Comdr. W. H. Carpenter) - matching NavSource's Flotilla Five / Group Fourteen / Division Twenty-Eight chain and the commanding officer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- ship's company ~59
- Limitations
- Organization list is a point-in-time wartime transcription - confirms unit assignment and CO on 1 May 1945, not campaign detail. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-03
-
[5]DANFS entries for Warrick (AKA-89) and Almaack (AK-27), Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- danfs/w/warrick.html (Iwo Jima section); danfs/a/almaack.html (Iwo Jima section, 3 March 1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two DANFS ship histories independently corroborate this hull's Iwo Jima service as a cargo lighter: Warrick (AKA-89) 'completed discharging cargo in ensuing days to LSM-266 and LSM-238' in the Iwo Jima transport area (late February-early March 1945, before clearing 6 March), and Almaack (AK-27) 'put her last priority cargo item, one vehicle, on board LSM-238 late on the 3d' of March 1945 after unloading on call from 24 February.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Ship-history mentions inside other vessels' DANFS entries - they establish the hull's presence and lighter role off Iwo Jima but say nothing about her own operations log, materials, or condition. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-04
-
[6]NHHC photograph catalog record NH 104212, 'Iwo Jima Operation, 1945' - Official U.S. Coast Guard Photograph from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH 104212 catalog page, Description field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photo record: 'USS LSM-238 unloading on an Iwo Jima Beach, some days after the 19 February 1945 landings.' The original print came from Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison's World War II history project working files. Visually documents the hull beached and unloading at Iwo Jima.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Photographic record only - establishes presence and unloading activity; no textual material record. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (GM 16-278A diesel plant, diesel-drive generators); ShipbuildingHistory class context (558 LSMs, seven yards, 1944-45); GAO HRD-80-2 full text (see ev-08); Franklin v. USX builder-company record (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14238.htm specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm class preamble; GAO HRD-80-2 letter report pp. 1-3
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- An LSM-1-class landing ship built April-September 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era: per GAO HRD-80-2, thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships, product specifications for asbestos-free thermal insulation were not issued until 1973, and ships were still being delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing ship of this type and period were thermal insulation on machinery and diesel-exhaust runs, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull and machinery spaces. As a diesel plant she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- WPS San Pedro construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-47); any Mare Island Navy Yard decommissioning trades (1947); post-sale civilian handlers/scrappers (1948+, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-238. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The builder-company asbestos record (ev-07) covers a different Western Pipe yard than the one that built this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-06
-
[8]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (Cal. Ct. App. 2001) (opinion text verified via Justia live fetch this session) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 87 Cal. App. 4th 615 at 619-620 (General Background); case no. A091473 (filed 2 Mar 2001)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-company documentation: the California Court of Appeal recorded that 'when World War II broke out, WPS entered into a contract with the United States Maritime Commission to again build ships for use in the war. The contract required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos.' Plaintiffs' decedent developed mesothelioma from childhood take-home exposure via parents who worked at WPS's South San Francisco yard 1942-45 in areas where asbestos was present (insulation mixing/work, debris sweep-up). A jury returned a verdict exceeding $5 million against USX as successor in interest to WPS; the Court of Appeal reversed, holding the trial court erred in finding USX the successor - an appellate reversal on successor-liability grounds, not on the exposure record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (exposure period); 2001 (opinion)
- Population
- WPS South San Francisco shipyard workers and household contacts (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Scope-limited builder-company context, NOT a hull record and not a San Pedro-yard record: the opinion documents asbestos use at WPS's South San Francisco yard under a Maritime Commission shipbuilding contract; LSM-238 was built at WPS's San Pedro yard under Navy contract. Whether the San Pedro LSM line ran under contract terms requiring asbestos materials is not established by this source. Per litigation-stage discipline: the exposure narrative stands as trial-stage record; the appellate disposition (reversal for want of successor liability) does not adjudicate exposure. The company-level finding does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 / B-163375 (Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) - 26-page letter report to Reps. Anderson and Patterson [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights + full report text, 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section (pp. 1-3 of letter)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented Navy asbestos use and policy: per the Navy, all ships contain some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships; product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials but asbestos materials already purchased were in some cases installed in ships under construction, with some ships delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978; the October 1975 policy removed and replaced only damaged or repair-required insulation, modified January 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This spans this hull's entire construction (1944) and service era (1944-47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era documented spans WWII-1978
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full 26-page PDF retrieved via Firecrawl PDF render (direct fetch of gao.gov assets returns HTTP 403 to automation - standing defect; product page and full text verified live this session via renderer).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-08
-
[10]NARA catalog File Unit 'LSM-238, 9/14/44-5/5/47', NAID 126527611 - Record Group 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), Series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities', Roll No. 3803; 377 digitized page images (Ancestry partnership scans) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/126527611 - File Unit 'LSM-238, 9/14/44-5/5/47', 377 images, Container Roll No. 3803
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's muster rolls for the entire commissioned period (14 September 1944 - 5 May 1947) are located and digitized in the National Archives catalog: 377 images under NAID 126527611. A primary personnel record naming crew by muster period - directly usable for exposure-cohort research on this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- USS LSM-238 ship's company, 1944-1947 (rosters)
- Limitations
- Catalog record and image set verified; page images not individually inspected (377 pages, no transcription project on the unit). Muster rolls are personnel rosters - they contain no material, insulation, or asbestos content; value is cohort identification, not exposure documentation. Deck logs (RG 24 Entry P118) for this hull were not located in digitized sets - separate open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-09
-
[11]Booklet of General Plans, USS LSM-354 (LSM-1-class), 1944 (incomplete, 7 pages; scanned from the Ed Zajkowski loan via Historic Naval Ships Association / maritime.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- maritime.org/doc/plans/lsm354.pdf, sheets showing inboard profile, decks, and inner-bottom plan
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A 1944 Booklet of General Plans survives for LSM-354, a same-class (LSM-1) sister, showing the class arrangement relevant to exposure spaces: machinery and auxiliary-machinery compartments amidships below the tank well, engine-watch and muffler positions, steering-gear flat, berthing and messing compartments, and deck-level fittings. The booklet is an arrangement document - it carries no insulation or material schedule. PDF verified live this session (3.7 MB).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Class-level arrangement drawings for a sister hull (LSM-354), not this hull; drawings establish compartment arrangement only - no material, insulation, or asbestos content is specified on the extracted sheets. Does not establish materials aboard LSM-238.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-10
-
[12]Batch-6038 search ledger (this record): NavSource page; ShipbuildingHistory LSM table; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document; DANFS Warrick/Almaack mentions; NHHC photo NH 104212; NHHC DANFS direct URL; Naval Vessel Register; NARA catalog (muster-roll hit + deck-log finding aids); CourtListener public search (both indexes, all name variants); GAO product page + full-text PDF; LSM-354 general plans; MARAD site search; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-238-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-238 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned verified zero results on both the opinion and RECAP docket indexes for 'LSM-238', 'LSM 238', 'USS LSM-238', and 'Landing Ship Medium 238' (rendered public search interface, HTTP 200 'no results', 2026-10-01 - a clean no-result, not a blocked search; authenticated API access was unavailable this session). DANFS carries no individual entry for this hull (direct URL 404). NVR excludes hulls disposed before 1987. Secondary web sweep surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull.
- 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 - the hull was built inside the Navy's documented asbestos era at a yard whose parent company has documented contract-required asbestos use (at its other facility). Deck logs, WPS San Pedro work packages, and any post-sale breakup or conversion records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-238-11