Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[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-239-lsm239-pkt-820-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-239 - construction, commissioning, campaign credits, disposition, specifications (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14239.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull in the standard secondary compilation: LSM-1 class; laid down 13 April 1944 at Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Pedro, CA; launched 31 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-239, 21 September 1944, Ens. Edwin W. Jokisch USNR in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Five (Comdr. W. H. Carpenter), LSM Group Fourteen (Lt. Cmdr. A. E. Lind USNR), LSM Division Twenty-Eight; Asiatic-Pacific campaign credit: Iwo Jima operation, assault and occupation of Iwo Jima 19 February-16 March 1945; one battle star; decommissioned 1 March 1947 at NOB Guam, Marianas Islands; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; hulk scuttled 15 April 1947 off Guam; full LSM-1 spec block and commanding-officer list.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation citing Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II - not a primary registry; no DANFS entry exists to cross-check against. Commissioning date, commanding officer, San Pedro location, unit assignment, Iwo Jima credit, and decommissioning span are independently corroborated by official records (ev-02 through ev-06); laid-down/launch dates, striking, and the scuttling detail rest on this and the consistent shipbuildinghistory.com yard table only. No asbestos content in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (official Navy organization list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM Division 28 entry, LSM Group 14, LSM Flotilla Five (page ~68 section of the online transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval History and Heritage Command's United States Pacific Fleet Organization dated 1 May 1945 lists LSM 239 in LSM Division 28 under LSM Group 14 (Lt. Cmdr. A. E. Lind, USNR) of LSM Flotilla Five (Comdr. W. H. Carpenter), within Landing Craft Flotillas of the Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet; commanding officer Lt. E. W. Jokisch (USNR).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LSM-239 crew
- Limitations
- Supports assignment and command only as of 1 May 1945. It does not establish construction dates, builder, engineering details, materials aboard, asbestos, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-02
-
[4]National Archives, 'LSM-239, 9/21/44-3/1/47,' NAID 126527396, RG 24, Roll No. 3804 (214 digitized images; forwarding sheet and Report of Changes reviewed at image level) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/126527396 file-unit description; image 4 (NAVPERS 605 forwarding sheet) and image 8 (NAVPERS 605b Report of Changes, page 2) of the digitized unit
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull's muster-roll records are digitized at NARA: file unit 'LSM-239, 9/21/44-3/1/47' (NAID 126527396), series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1939-1949,' RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), microfilm Roll 3804, 214 images (Ancestry partner digitization). Images reviewed this session: the NAVPERS 605 forwarding sheet dated 30 September 1944 bears the annotation 'comm. 9-21-44,' is certified by Executive Officer Lynn A. Seamans and approved by Commanding Officer Edwin W. Jokisch; the Report of Changes for the commissioning quarter shows the enlisted crew 'Received 21 Sept. 1944' from 'R/S, Term. Is., San Pedro, Calif.' (Receiving Station, Terminal Island).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-09-21 to 1947-03-01
- Population
- LSM-239 crew, 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Primary personnel record verifying commissioning on 21 September 1944, the crew's receipt from the Terminal Island (San Pedro) receiving station, and named officers. Rosters verify who served aboard and when; they contain no materials or exposure information and are not an asbestos record. Only cover-level images were reviewed; the remaining ~210 images (quarterly rosters through 1947) were not transcribed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-03
-
[5]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part 4 - Campaign and Service Medals, Asiatic-Pacific ship credits (NHHC Online Reading Room) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Part 4, Asiatic-Pacific ship listings, 'LSM 239' entry; P33 operation definition table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part 4 (Campaign and Service Medals), hosted by NHHC, lists per-ship engagement-star credits: 'LSM 239: 19 Feb 45 - 16 Mar 45 | P33-1' - one star for P33-1, 'Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima' (official operation definition: Iwo Jima operation 15 Feb-16 Mar 45, code P33).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-19 to 1945-03-16
- Population
- LSM-239 crew during the Iwo Jima operation
- Limitations
- Official awards record verifying the ship's credit for participation in the Iwo Jima assault/occupation period 19 Feb-16 Mar 1945. Documents campaign participation, not materials aboard, asbestos, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-04
-
[6]Dyer, George Carroll, VAdm USN (Ret.), 'The Amphibians Came to Conquer: The Story of Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner,' U.S. Navy Department, GPO - Chapter XXIII task-organization listing (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- actc-23.html, TF 53 amphibious task-organization listing (~p. 1002 of the printed volume), T.U. 53.4.2
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Vice Admiral George C. Dyer's Navy-published history 'The Amphibians Came to Conquer' (U.S. Navy Department/GPO), Chapter XXIII 'Iwo Jima: Death at Its Best,' reproduces the Task Force 53 attack-force amphibious organization from CTF 51's Operation Plan A25-44 for the Iwo Jima operation and lists 'LSM-239 Lieutenant E.W. Jokisch, USNR' in T.U. 53.4.2 LSM Unit Baker (Lt. Cmdr. A. E. Lind, USNR), T.G. 53.4 LSM Flotilla (Comdr. W. H. Carpenter).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-19 to 1945-03-16
- Population
- LSM-239 crew
- Limitations
- Navy-published operational history reproducing the official operation-plan task organization; accessed via the HyperWar transcription, which is subject to transcription/OCR error at the character level. Places the hull and her commanding officer in the Iwo Jima attack-force organization; does not establish materials aboard, asbestos, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-05
-
[7]NARA, 'COM LSM GR 14 - War Diary, 2/3/45 to 3/31/45,' NAID 140006391, RG 38 (WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories), micro serial 122425, 2 digitized images reviewed [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/140006391; images 1149-1150 of the digitized unit (serial page and narrative page)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The war diary of the hull's parent unit survives and is digitized: 'COM LSM GR 14 - War Diary, 2/3/45 to 3/31/45' (NARA NAID 140006391, RG 38, serial 08-45, dated 30 April 1945, signed Albert E. Lind). Read at image level this session: LSM Group Fourteen conducted logistics at Eniwetok and Tinian, sortied 15 February 1945 en route Iwo Jima; 'Period 19 February to 17 March' is 'covered by Action Report Iwo Jima Operation'; 18-31 March the group operated under the Island Commander, Iwo Jima, 'engaged in unloading rear echelons and reembarking the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine divisions.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-03 to 1945-03-31
- Population
- LSM Group 14 crews, including LSM-239
- Limitations
- Unit-level primary record: it documents the movements and operations of LSM Group Fourteen, to which LSM-239's assignment is separately verified (NHHC fleet organization, ev-02; CTF 51 OpPlan listing via Dyer, ev-05); the diary itself does not name LSM-239 and therefore is not ship-specific under the house definition. The group's own Iwo Jima action report is referenced by the diary but was not separately located in the catalog this session. No materials, asbestos, or exposure content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-06
-
[8]Builder-location cross-check: NavSource ('Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Pedro, CA'); shipbuildinghistory.com Western Pipe & Steel yard table (yard hull no. 194, built San Pedro); NARA muster roll NAID 126527396 (crew received at R/S Term. Is., San Pedro); uboat.net ship/12838 header ('San Francisco') [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Western Pipe & Steel table, WWII section, hull 194 row; NavSource header; uboat.net ship/12838 header; NARA image review
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: uboat.net lists this hull's builder location as 'San Francisco.' San Pedro is documented: NavSource gives 'Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Pedro, CA'; the shipbuildinghistory.com Western Pipe & Steel yard table lists yard hull no. 194 built in San Pedro (the company's WWII San Pedro yard in the West Basin, now Berths 125-132); and the ship's own muster roll records the crew received from the Terminal Island, San Pedro receiving station on commissioning day. The 'San Francisco' attribution conflates the builder's South San Francisco yard with the San Pedro yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Corrects a builder-location variant circulating in secondary sources, not a material claim. NavSource, shipbuildinghistory.com, and uboat.net are all secondary compilations; the San Pedro finding is the consistent majority and is corroborated by the primary muster-roll record of crew receipt at Terminal Island. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-07
-
[9]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (2001) - published California appellate opinion concerning the Western Pipe & Steel shipyard [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, 87 Cal. App. 4th at 619 (contract required asbestos materials), at 625 (Navy contract / successor-liability holding reversed), fn. 2 (exposure evidence not detailed on appeal)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate record documents asbestos in this hull's builder's WWII shipbuilding program: Western Pipe & Steel's U.S. Maritime Commission contract 'required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos'; shipyard workers were exposed to airborne dust during insulation work and cleanup. A jury returned a verdict against USX (as alleged successor to WPS) in excess of $5 million on a take-home exposure theory; the court of appeal reversed, holding USX did not assume WPS's tort liabilities as successor - a non-exposure ground; the appellate opinion expressly declined to reach the exposure-evidence details (fn. 2).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 facts; 2001 opinion
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel shipyard workers (South San Francisco) and their households, WWII era
- Limitations
- Builder-level, not hull-specific: the opinion documents WPS's South San Francisco yard; this hull was built at the company's separate San Pedro yard. Establishes that asbestos-containing materials were contract-required in WPS WWII shipbuilding, not that any asbestos-containing product was installed in this hull. Stage discipline: pleading-level exposure allegations proceeded to a trial jury verdict, but the appellate reversal was on successor-liability grounds only - the exposure record is left at whatever stage the trial left it; nothing here is an adjudicated finding about this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) - official product page [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 Highlights (full report PDF returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's official product page documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships and managed its removal: GAO reviewed the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal cost, and compensation programs; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only damaged insulation or insulation removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy period reviewed
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews, program-wide
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The hull was scuttled in 1947, decades before the removal policy described. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov asset fetch HTTP 403 this session) - content via the product-page description only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-09
-
[11]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin screws; diesel ship's-service generators); shipbuildinghistory.com Western Pipe & Steel yard table (hull 194, San Pedro); Franklin v. USX Corp. contract finding (ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/westernpipe.htm; Franklin v. USX Corp. (87 Cal. App. 4th 615); GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel landing ship built April-September 1944 at a yard whose parent company's WWII shipbuilding contract is court-documented as requiring asbestos-containing materials sits inside the documented asbestos-use era for U.S. amphibious construction. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel LSM of this period: diesel-exhaust and machinery lagging, gaskets, valve packing, thermal insulation of hull spaces, and electrical insulation. 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
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction trades (1944); crew (1944-47)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-239. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish presence aboard, exposure of any person, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-10
-
[12]Batch-6039 search ledger (this record): NHHC fleet organization + NAVPERS 15,790 + Dyer; NARA catalog (muster rolls, unit war diaries, ship plan index); NVR; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory; uboat.net; GAO; Justia [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-01 through -15
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or other primary record documenting asbestos aboard USS LSM-239 was found in the public sources searched - no DANFS entry exists for this hull; the NARA public Ship Plan Index contains no LSM-239 listing; the digitized muster-roll and unit war-diary records reviewed contain no materials content; the Naval Vessel Register does not list the hull (pre-1987 disposals excluded). Ship-specific asbestos documentation remains unknown.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02 search
- Population
- Hull-specific records
- 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 hull was scuttled off Guam in 1947, so no postwar survey, abatement, or scrapping-yard hazmat record can be expected in U.S. sources. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-11
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 - searches not executed (no authenticated access path available this session) [court_record]
- Locator
- Required searches not run: 'USS LSM-239' and 'LSM-239' opinion and docket queries
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The required authenticated CourtListener exact-name and exact-hull searches could not be executed in this environment: no CourtListener connector is configured among this session's MCP servers, no API key is present in the environment, and the fleet helper used by earlier batches (cl-auth-search.py) does not exist on this machine. Anonymous querying is prohibited by batch rules, so no request was sent.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Population
- CourtListener opinions and RECAP dockets
- Limitations
- This is an access-gap record, not a finding that no litigation exists. No anonymous, raw, or v3 request was used. Unindexed, sealed, non-digitized, differently captioned, or non-CourtListener records remain possible. A qualifying litigation sweep remains an open item.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-12
-
[14]NARA catalog file units, RG 38 WWII War Diaries series (catalog.archives.gov); RG 24 muster rolls NAID 126527396 (ev-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LSM-239' (103 file-unit results), 'COM LSM GR 14' (4 results), 'LSM Flotilla 5' and 'COM LSM FLOT 5' war diaries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (catalog-verified, contents mostly unreviewed): NARA RG 38 WWII War Diaries for the hull's parent units - COM LSM GR 14 war diaries NAID 139855260 (8/22/44-2/3/45), NAID 140006391 (2/3/45-3/31/45; reviewed - see ev-06), NAID 140008207 (4/1-30/45), NAID 101733092 (6/1-30/45); COM LSM FLOT 5 war diaries incl. NAID 139915508 (2/1-28/45, Iwo Jima period) and NAID 633406754 (3/1-31/45); COM LSM FLOT 5 report of operations in the occupation of Sasebo 9/22-25/45 (NAID 77543376). Additional leads: RG 24 deck logs for USS LSM-239 (not located as digitized); RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) construction/contract records for Western Pipe & Steel hull 194.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/file-unit mapping only - except the 2-page Group 14 diary reviewed as ev-06, contents were not extracted; the unit diaries may or may not name this hull. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-239-lsm239-13