Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 821-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-24-lsm24-pkt-821-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-24 - construction milestones, specifications, unit assignment, campaign participation, awards, decommissioning, disposal (history extract sourced to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14024.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 30 April 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 21 May 1944; commissioned USS LSM-24, 24 June 1944, LT Andrew H. Smith, USNR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; at Okinawa: LSM Flotilla Three (CDR W. F. Morrison), LSM Group Eight (LCDR J. G. Blanche), LSM Division Fifteen. Campaign participation: Leyte landing 20 October 1944; Lingayen Gulf landing 9 January 1945; assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 1 April - 7 May 1945. Occupation service in the Far East 17 September - 29 November 1945. Decommissioned 29 March 1946 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, SC. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Earned three battle stars for WWII service. Sold 27 February 1948 to Southeastern Pipe Line Co., Atlanta, GA; fate unknown. Specification block: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t fully loaded; 203'6" ovl x 34'6" beam; 13.2 kts max; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; one twin 40mm bow gun, four single 20mm; two Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 direct-drive diesels 1,440 BHP each, twin propellers 2,800 shp. Commanding officers table lists a single CO: LT Andrew H. Smith, Jr., USNR, 24 June 1944 - 29 March 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Houston, 1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive drawing on the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR volume - milestone dates generally track official records and cross-check against the NHHC fleet-organization document (ev-02), but the Turner extract's 'Division Fifteen' conflicts with the NHHC placement in Division 16 (see ev-02 and gaps). 'Struck, date unknown' - secondary listings give 8 May 1946 (unverified). Contains no asbestos or material content. Does not establish exposure conditions aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-01
-
[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official wartime fleet organization listing, online reading room transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room transcription, LSM GROUP 8 / LSM DIVISION 16 table (p. 67 of the source list)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization places this hull in LSM GROUP 8 (ComLSMGrp 8, Comdr. J. G. Blanche, Jr.), LSM DIVISION 16, listed as 'LSM 24 (GF), Lt. A. H. Smith (USNR)' - the '(GF)' mark indicating the ship carrying the group commander, i.e., LSM-24 was the LSM Group 8 flagship in the listing's notation. Same division: LSM 29, 134, 135, 136, 233. Confirms command by Lt. A. H. Smith and Okinawa-era Group Eight assignment; places the hull in Division 16 rather than the Division Fifteen stated in the Turner/NavSource extract (see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LT A. H. Smith and crew; ComLSMGrp 8 staff embarked (flag billet)
- Limitations
- Official organization document names the hull, commanding officer, and flag assignment as of 1 May 1945 - it establishes unit placement and the (GF) group-flagship mark at that date, not asbestos content or exposure conditions. Division-level placement conflicts with the secondary Turner extract (Division Fifteen); the primary document is carried and the discrepancy is logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-02
-
[4]NARA photographs referenced in NavSource captions: US National Archives photo 080-G-321772 (Ie Shima, 24 April 1945); additional NavSource-captioned US Navy photography [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14024.htm photo captions; NARA photo no. 080-G-321772
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival photography places this hull in the Okinawa-area assault: US National Archives photo 080-G-321772 (a US Navy photo) shows USS LSM-24, USS LSM-135, LCT-1326 and other landing craft unloading cargo on Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands, 24 April 1945; a second US Navy photo shows LSM-24 off LSM-134's starboard side with LSM-15 on the Okinawa invasion beach, circa early August 1945. NavSource captions further document LSM-24 moored in the Panama Canal Zone transiting to join the Pacific Fleet circa late 1944, and an underway refueling evolution with USS LSM-184 (date and location unknown).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew and embarked troops at Ie Shima (24 April 1945) and Okinawa (circa August 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: photographs establish physical presence and operation at Ie Shima/Okinawa and Panama Canal transit, not work or material conditions aboard. The NARA catalog record for 080-G-321772 could not be independently fetched (catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered); identifier and caption transcribed via NavSource. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-1010 page - photo caption documenting collision damage (contributor Art Aregoni, USS LST-492 / USS LST-1010) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161010.htm photo caption (74k image, LST-1010 alongside repair ship)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo caption on the LST-1010 NavSource page documents that USS LSM-24 collided with USS LST-1010 in Tokyo Bay on 18 September 1945, during the ship's documented occupation-service window (17 September - 29 November 1945): 'USS LST-1010 alongside a repair ship to repair damage caused by collision with USS LSM-24 in Tokyo Bay, 18 September 1945.' The image shows the hull hole 'caused by LSM-24 ramming LST-1010.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-09-18
- Population
- LSM-24 and LST-1010 crews; repair-ship trades in Tokyo Bay (September 1945)
- Limitations
- Contributor-captioned secondary source (crew-provided photo) - establishes that a collision event between this hull and LST-1010 occurred in Tokyo Bay on the stated date; extent of repair work performed on either hull is not documented. Collision damage repair is an exposure-relevant maintenance event type in era terms only; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-1-class specification block (two Fairbanks Morse direct-drive diesels - no steam plant); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos insulation era (ev-06); Fleischer et al. 1946 naval-vessel pipe-covering survey (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (propulsion); era sources per ev-06, ev-07
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LSM-1-class landing ship built in 1944 sits inside the documented WWII shipbuilding asbestos era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel amphibious combatant of this type were thermal insulation and lagging in machinery spaces and on engine exhaust/muffler runs, gaskets and flange packing, valve stem packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing compounds in accommodation and working spaces. As a direct-drive diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the exposure-relevant systems are confined-space machinery insulation and exhaust lagging.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); Charleston Navy Yard trades at decommissioning (1946); purchaser/shipbreakers post-1948
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, construction work package, or maintenance record located for LSM-24. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Wartime fleet auxiliary combatants of this size commonly contained less installed insulation than steam combatants - inference scope is bounded by the diesel plant.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-05
-
[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 construction (1944) and full service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- 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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-06
-
[8]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ, Glade RL, et al., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28:9-16 (January 1946); as documented in the 2026 critical review 'When errors become etched in stone' (J. Occupational and Environmental Medicine / AJIM-related literature) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 2026 critical review abstract/description (sage.cnpereading.com DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696); primary cite J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28:9-16
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The wartime US Navy/USPHS survey of pipe-covering operations in naval-vessel construction (Fleischer et al., January 1946) documented that asbestos-containing pipe covering was in use in constructing naval vessels during this hull's build window. The 2026 critical literature review records that the study was conducted on insulation work aboard ships using asbestos-containing materials - the study's exculpating 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion was subsequently discredited, but its existence is primary documentation that asbestos-containing pipe covering was standard in WWII naval construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1946 (publication); WWII construction era (survey)
- Population
- WWII naval-vessel pipe-covering trades (era)
- Limitations
- Era-level occupational-medicine documentation; the survey was conducted at navy-yard pipe-covering operations and does not name this hull, this class, or Brown Shipbuilding. The 1946 paper's conclusion is discredited in the later literature - it is cited only for the fact that asbestos-containing pipe covering was in documented use in naval-vessel construction, not for its safety finding. Content via the 2026 review's description of the primary paper; the 1946 paper itself was not directly fetched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-07
-
[9]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' Naval History (US Naval Institute), June 2025, Vol. 39 No. 3 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Naval History June 2025, 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' and 'Recruiting and Training Shipyard Workers' sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- USNI Naval History documents this hull's builder: Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston, TX, established 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root; Green's Bayou yard on a narrow waterway off the Houston Ship Channel with sideway launches; peak wartime employment over 25,000 workers (second-largest Houston-area employer); built 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts (38 Edsall-class, 23 John C. Butler-class), 32 LCI and 254 Landing Ship Medium amphibious craft. Yard sold to Todd Shipyards after the war.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding wartime workforce (peak >25,000)
- Limitations
- Builder-level historical documentation, not a hull record and not an asbestos record - establishes the yard's scale and output mix (including this hull's LSM line) but contains no asbestos or material content. Does not establish exposure conditions for construction workers on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-08
-
[10]Batch-6040 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull and LST-1010 pages; NHHC fleet organization; NHHC DANFS URL probes; MARAD vessel history database; NVR probe; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, type=o and type=r); GAO product page; secondary web sweep; uboat.net/navypedia/jounin cross-checks [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-24-01 through sl-uss-lsm-24-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS LSM-24 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'LSM-24' opinion search returned 0 results; 'LSM-24' docket/RECAP search returned 10 hits, all name collisions (unrelated dockets - copyright, pharma, medical-device litigation) with no vessel reference; 'USS LSM-24' opinion search returned 0 results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing pages asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - a hull sold into commercial hands in 1948 and undocumented thereafter leaves the widest documentation gap in the record. Deck logs (RG 24), BuShips construction records, and any disposal/sale contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-24-09