Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]research packet ue-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (MIRROR-SOURCED; thin file — real identity: USS LSM-261. Designation: LSM-261. Type/class: LSM-1-class
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (MIRROR-SOURCED; thin file
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-261-lsm261-pkt-ue-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-261 (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing Company, 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LSM-261 page body, specifications and service-history/commanding-officers blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Vessel-history record for this hull: laid down 26 April 1944 at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newark, N.J.; launched 3 June 1944; commissioned 28 June 1944, LT. Angelo J. Smith, Jr. USNR in command. Assigned in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater to LSM Flotilla Five (CDR. W. H. Carpenter USN), LSM Group Thirteen (LCDR. T. F. Griswold USNR), and LSM Division Twenty-Six. Participated in the Iwo Jima operation (assault and occupation, 19 February-16 March 1945); a contributed photograph shows LSM-261 and LSM-266 beached at Iwo Jima, 15 February 1945. Earned one battle star. Decommissioned 28 May 1946 at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, CA; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown, per source); sold 17 February 1948 to Clark Sales Co., Pittsburgh, PA, fate unknown. Specifications: displacement 520 t. (light), 743 t. (landing), 1,095 t. (fully loaded); length 203'6" (ovl); beam 34'6"; speed 13.2 kts max; armament one twin bow-mounted 40mm gun, four single 20mm mounts; two Fairbanks Morse (Model 38D8-1/8x10) diesel engines, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; complement 5 officers/54 enlisted. Commanding officers: LT. Angelo John Smith Jr., USNR (28 June 1944-7 December 1945); LTjg. Roy Benton Duck, USN (7 December 1945-18 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Pacific theater crew, 1944-46 (design complement 5 officers, 54 enlisted); Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. construction trades, 1944
- Limitations
- Private naval-history archive compiling a 1997 unit-history book, not an NHHC/DANFS record - no DANFS entry exists for this hull to independently cross-check dates or specifications (see ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-02). Documents service history and specifications only; no asbestos, construction-material, or hazmat content. The striking date is stated as 'date unknown' by the source itself; final fate after the 1948 sale is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-01
-
[3]NHHC Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (history.navy.mil) - canonical DANFS URL pattern for this hull; also checked at the ibiblio/HyperWar DANFS mirror, https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/LSM/lsm261.html [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HTTP 404 response, live-checked 2026-10-01 (both the history.navy.mil canonical path and the ibiblio/HyperWar mirror)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No DANFS/NHHC ship-history entry exists for this hull. Both the live NHHC URL and the ibiblio/HyperWar DANFS mirror return HTTP 404 (verified by direct HTTP check, 2026-10-01). DANFS generally profiles named vessels; LSM-261 was never renamed and has no individual NHHC history page, unlike some LSM hulls that were later renamed and do carry DANFS entries (e.g., Kodiak I, ex-LSM-161).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 (access check)
- Limitations
- Confirms the absence of an official DANFS entry as of 2026-10-01; does not mean no documentation of this hull exists anywhere, only that NHHC's standard ship-history reference does not cover it. Does not establish or rule out asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-02
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register (NVR) homepage, official coverage statement (maintained by Naval Sea Systems Command on behalf of the Chief of Naval Operations) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR homepage body text, 'Search The Official Inventory of US Naval Ships and Service Craft' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NVR states: '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-261 was sold/disposed in 1948, decades before NVR's digitized disposal coverage window; a ship-detail page lookup attempt returned only the site's generic template rather than a ship record, consistent with this disclaimer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 (access check)
- Limitations
- This is NVR's general coverage policy, not an independently reverse-engineered hull-specific lookup confirming absence (NVR's internal ship-detail URL scheme was not fully mapped). It explains, rather than independently proves beyond doubt, why no NVR record for this hull was found. Does not address asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-03
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 search (fleet-authenticated via cl-auth-search.py), type=o (Opinion) and type=r (RECAP/docket), queries '"LSM-261"' and '"LSM 261"' [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py helper output, 2026-10-01 (4 completed queries returning 0 results each; 1 query blocked by fleet pacer)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Zero results across both the opinion and RECAP/docket indices for '"LSM-261"' and '"LSM 261"' (four completed queries, 2026-10-01). No qualifying asbestos litigation, no name-collision hits, and no docket references naming this hull were located. A fifth query for the exact name '"USS LSM-261"' was attempted but blocked each time by the fleet-wide pacer (hourly/burst budget) and not completed this session; because LSM-261 carries no proper name beyond its hull number, the completed hull-number-form queries are treated as providing equivalent coverage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01 (search date)
- Limitations
- Confirms absence from CourtListener's indexed opinions and RECAP dockets as of 2026-10-01; does not rule out unindexed state-court filings or settled cases never fully docketed on PACER/RECAP. No ship-specific asbestos litigation exists in this index for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-04
-
[6]NavSource specifications/propulsion block for this hull + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource propulsion/specifications block; shipyards.json record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/type inference: LSM-261 was a diesel-powered (two Fairbanks Morse Model 38D8-1/8x10 diesels, no boilers) LSM-1-class amphibious ship built in 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. (Kearny/Port Newark, N.J.). Period U.S. Navy construction specifications for WWII-era hulls, irrespective of propulsion type, called for asbestos-containing gaskets and packing on diesel engines, generators, and piping systems; lagging on engine-room and exhaust piping; deck covering; and bulkhead/overhead fireproofing and insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. construction trades, 1944; wartime crew, 1944-46
- Limitations
- Class/era/propulsion-type inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record for this hull exists (see ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-02/03/04, all negative findings). As a diesel-engined LSM, this hull would not have carried the boiler/turbine lagging typical of steam-propelled destroyers or cruisers of the same era; any asbestos scope aboard would have been materially smaller and confined to diesel/auxiliary systems. No LSM-1-class profile exists in this project's class dataset to cross-check against (class-a through class-f worktrees reviewed, none present).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-05
-
[7]NARA guidance page, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1983' (Record Group 24) and WWII War Diaries and Other Operational Records (Record Group 38) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Navy logbooks guidance page; catalog.archives.gov keyword search attempted 2026-10-01, no digitized hit
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA holds Navy deck logs (RG 24) and war diaries (RG 38) for the WWII and early postwar period at the National Archives at College Park. A catalog.archives.gov search for 'LSM-261' returned no digitized item during this research session, but physical holdings covering this hull's 1944-46 commission are a plausible, undigitized archival lead for future research.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (prospective record period)
- Limitations
- No digitized LSM-261-specific record was located or reviewed; this row documents an unexplored lead (physical deck logs/war diaries), not a confirmed holding. Deck logs are navigational/operational records and would not be expected to discuss asbestos or construction materials in any case.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-261-lsm261-06