Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet 823-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-252-lsm252-pkt-823-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-252 hull page (history extract from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull page chronology block; international radio call sign NVEQ
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LSM-252 was laid down 6 September 1944 at Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Pedro, California; launched 29 October 1944; and commissioned as USS LSM-252 on 21 December 1944 with LT. James H. Armstrong, USNR, in command. During World War II it was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LSM Flotilla Twelve (LCDR. A. F. Dineen, USN), LSM Group Thirty-Five as group flagship (LCDR. W. K. Bradbury, USNR), LSM Division Sixty-Nine. After the war it served on occupation duty in the Far East from 2 September 1945 to 15 July 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction workforce (1944); commissioning crew
- Limitations
- Establishes construction, commissioning, and unit assignment for this hull; the '(flagship)' notation marks LSM-252 as the LSM Group 35 flagship in the source's formatting. The page contains no asbestos, insulation-composition, hazmat, exposure, or causation content. NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - the extract is credited to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II; construction/delivery is corroborated independently by the Shipbuilding History yard list (ev-02).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Western Pipe & Steel, South San Francisco CA and San Pedro CA' yard table and 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' production list [other_primary]
- Locator
- westernpipe.htm yard table, hull 207 row, under block header 'Ordered 6-Oct-43, originally intended to be LCT-(7)s 1701-1720, built in San Pedro'; smallships/lsm.htm row 'LSM 252'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuilding History's Western Pipe & Steel yard table lists hull 207 as 'LSM 252', owner US Navy, type Landing Ship, 743 tons displacement, 203 feet, delivered 21 December 1944, disposition 'Sank at Half Moon Beach 1947'. The LSM block (yard hulls 188-207 = LSM 233-252) was ordered 6 October 1943, originally intended to be LCT-(7)s 1701-1720, built in San Pedro - corroborating the NavSource construction and disposition record and identifying the build site as the WWII San Pedro yard (West Basin).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1949
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction workforce (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Independent corroboration of builder, yard site, delivery date, and sinking. A secondary compilation of yard production records, not a government source; contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-02
-
[4]NavSource Online, USS LSM-252 specification block [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specification block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NavSource specification block for this hull lists displacement 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; length 203'6" overall; beam 34'6"; complement 5 officers and 54 enlisted with troop accommodations for 2 officers and 46 enlisted; propulsion of two General Motors model 16-278A reversible diesel engines with hydraulic clutches, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; ship's service generators of two diesel-drive 100-kW 450V AC units and one diesel-drive 20-kW 120V DC unit; armament one twin bow-mounted 40mm gun and four single 20mm mounts; vehicle capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs; endurance 4,900 miles at 12 knots.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (5 officers, 54 enlisted) and embarked troops (2 officers, 46 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Supports complement, capacity, and diesel propulsion only. It does not identify asbestos-containing components; the GM 16-278A direct-drive diesel plant (no steam plant) is relevant to exposure-pathway framing, not proof of any material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-03
-
[5]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-252 hull page (chronology and commanding-officers table) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull page chronology and Commanding Officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USS LSM-252 was decommissioned 14 August 1946 at Naval Operating Base Subic Bay, Philippine Islands; struck from the Naval Register on an unknown date; sunk in 1947 at Half Moon Beach, P.I.; and the hulk was sold 13 February 1949 to the Republic of China, fate unknown. Commanding officers listed: LT. James H. Armstrong, USNR (21 Dec 1944 - Nov 1945); LTjg. Theodore E. Wiehe, USNR (Nov 1945 - Mar 1946); LTjg. George A. Keeney, USNR (Mar 1946 - Jun 1946); ENS. M. A. Carlson, USN (Jun 1946 - 14 Aug 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1946-1949
- Population
- Decommissioning crew; any caretaker/salvage personnel at Subic Bay 1946-49
- Limitations
- Establishes decommissioning site, post-decommission sinking, and hulk sale; no cause of sinking, condition of hulk, or post-1949 ROC fate is given. No asbestos, hazmat, or material-handling content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-04
-
[6]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (Cal. Ct. App. 1st Dist., Div. 3, March 2, 2001), No. A091473 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, General Background and Corporate History sections (87 Cal. App. 4th at 618-620); direct curl 403 - text extracted live via Firecrawl
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615 (2001): plaintiffs contended Jeannette Franklin contracted peritoneal mesothelioma from childhood secondhand exposure to asbestos carried home by her parents, who worked at the Western Pipe & Steel Shipyard (WPS) in South San Francisco 1942-1945. The opinion states WPS's wartime contract with the United States Maritime Commission 'required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos,' and that the parents 'worked in areas where asbestos was present' (mixing of mud, insulation work, sweeping debris). A jury returned a verdict for plaintiffs exceeding $5 million; the Court of Appeal REVERSED, holding USX was not WPS's successor in interest - a successor-liability disposition that did not adjudicate the asbestos-exposure merits on appeal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (exposure); 2001 (opinion)
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel shipyard workers (South San Francisco, 1942-45) and household contacts
- Limitations
- Builder-company-level documentation, NOT hull-level and NOT this yard site: the asbestos-contract and exposure findings concern WPS's South San Francisco yard under a Maritime Commission contract, while LSM-252 was built at the separate San Pedro (West Basin) yard under Navy contract. Litigation stage: trial-level jury verdict for plaintiffs; appellate reversal on successor-liability grounds without reaching the exposure merits - described at the less-final stage per batch discipline. Establishes company-era asbestos use, not materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-05
-
[7]National Archives and Records Administration, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (archives.gov guided topic) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Beginning Research and Record Series sections; RG 19 Entries P 29, A1 1266-A through -P, UD 1001-1012; RG 24 deck-logs/muster-rolls note; GIBs subsection: RG 19 Entry P 10 Amphibious Vessel GIBs, NAID 1136192
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official guided topic 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' states that 'the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941-1961 is a frequently requested topic,' and identifies the evidence path for ship-specific asbestos documentation: Bureau of Ships (RG 19) correspondence filed by hull designation (for this hull, analogous to code 'LSM252'), ship-class and ship-type correspondence, and private-yard files under 'QM/Western Pipe & Steel' for this builder. The guide expressly notes that deck logs and muster rolls (RG 24) 'do not provide any information on the use of or presence of asbestos in Navy ships or ship components.'. For an amphibious hull of this era the guide lists RG 19, Entry P 10, 'Amphibious Vessel General Information Books [Item S-68], 1940-1962' (NAID 1136192): deck-by-deck arrangement books that can document installed systems and materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1961 (topic window); page undated
- Population
- NARA researchers; veterans pursuing VA asbestos claims
- Limitations
- Official NARA research framing only - it documents that asbestos research for individual hulls runs through RG 19 hull-designation and QM-yard files; it does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull. None of the referenced series was searched this session (catalog.archives.gov returned a JS shell to direct fetch).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-06
-
[8]U.S. General Accounting Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403 - consistent with prior batch sessions; product-page description used)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (Oct 18, 1979), documents 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 existence (construction 1944, service 1944-46, hulk disposition 1947-49).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era coverage includes 1944-49
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation of Navy-wide asbestos use in the era; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-07
-
[9]U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 'Appendix A: Study Summaries' (2008), section A11 'New Jersey Pipe Insulation Manufacturing Plant' (citing Seidman, Selikoff, and Gelb 1986) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA 2008 Appendix A, section A11, 'Study Description - Location and Facility Description'; PDF live-verified HTTP 200, text extracted
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- EPA's 2008 dose-response study appendix (summary A11, 'New Jersey Pipe Insulation Manufacturing Plant') states that a Paterson, New Jersey factory was established to supply asbestos insulation to the U.S. Navy for pipes, boilers, and turbines of its ships for World War II; operations ran June 1941 through November 1954 and used almost exclusively amosite asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1954
- Population
- New Jersey insulation-manufacturing workforce (933-man cohort); Navy ships supplied
- Limitations
- Navy-wide wartime-era context only: the EPA summary documents a factory supplying asbestos insulation to the Navy generally. It does not name USS LSM-252, Western Pipe and Steel, the LSM-1 class, or any product installed aboard this hull. Asbestos presence aboard LSM-252 is not established or implied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-08
-
[10]Inference from the ship-specific NavSource diesel specification and the documented source-review negative [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource propulsion/specification block; source-review negative documented in search ledger
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, product inventory, abatement record, or condition report was located. Because LSM-252 was a World War II U.S. Navy diesel landing ship, machinery or diesel-exhaust insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, and deck covering are possible class/era application categories, but none is documented aboard this hull. As a direct-drive diesel ship she carried no steam plant, so the boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- World War II Navy diesel landing-ship construction and operating personnel
- Limitations
- Possible categories only, not a finding that asbestos was installed aboard LSM-252. The cited hull page does not identify asbestos or insulation composition; no quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation is established.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-09
-
[11]Shipbuilding History, 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' production list, LSM 478 row; corroborated by Wikipedia 'USS LSM-478' (secondary) [other_primary]
- Locator
- lsm.htm rows 'LSM 252' and 'LSM 478'; Wikipedia USS LSM-478 infobox 'Pennant number: LSM-252'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the pennant number 'LSM-252' was reused in Republic of China Navy service by a different hull. Shipbuilding History's LSM list records USS LSM-478 (Brown SB, Houston) transferred to Taiwan in 1956 as 'Mei Kun (LSM 252)' (later LSM-352, scrapped 1973); Wikipedia's USS LSM-478 article concurs (pennant LSM-252 1956-1973). That ROC hull is NOT this record's subject: USS LSM-252 proper was decommissioned at Subic Bay in 1946, sank at Half Moon Beach in 1947, and its hulk was sold to the Republic of China on 13 February 1949, fate unknown. Records or images of ROC 'LSM-252' dated after 1956 refer to ex-LSM-478, not this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1949-1973
- Limitations
- Prevents a real name/pennant collision; it does not establish any ROC-side record of THIS hull after the 1949 hulk sale (fate remains unknown). Wikipedia detail is secondary corroboration only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py (authenticated) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-11 (opinions, count 0) and -12 (opinions 0; dockets 0 + 1 name collision)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener sweep returned no qualifying asbestos litigation for this hull. Exact-quoted opinion searches for 'USS LSM-252' and 'LSM-252' each returned count 0; the exact-quoted 'USS LSM-252' docket search returned count 0; the exact-quoted 'LSM-252' docket search returned one result - Ontel Products Corp. v. AMICO International Corp., S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-07356 (filed 2007, trademark) - in which 'LSM-252' is a product model number, not the vessel. Classified: two opinion negatives, one docket negative, one name collision / other litigation; no qualifying asbestos litigation located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- A search negative is not proof that no unindexed or non-text-linked case exists; CourtListener indexes only published opinions and RECAP dockets. The single docket hit is a trademark case whose 'LSM-252' token is a consumer product model number - it does not identify this vessel, its crew, or asbestos exposure aboard it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-11
-
[13]Batch-6054 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; NHHC DANFS index; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document (checked, no LSM section); Seventh Amphibious Force command history; NVR; shipbuildinghistory.com yard and LSM lists; NARA asbestos guide; Justia opinion; CourtListener (four authenticated queries); web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, insulation-material statement, or verified litigation naming USS LSM-252 (LSM-252) was found in the public sources searched. The web sweep surfaced no page naming this hull; generic landing-ship asbestos listicles exist for other hulls (excluded sources).
- 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 - RG 19 BuShips correspondence (hull designation, QM/Western Pipe & Steel yard file), the undigitized strike record, and the 1947 sinking/1949 hulk-sale files are open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-252-lsm252-12