Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet uj-packet.md (5 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: corrupted queue name / USS LSM-294 — real identity: USS LSM-294 | **Verified hull:** LSM-294 | **Designation:** LSM | **Type:** Landing Ship, Medium | **Class:** LSM-1-class. Hull LSM-294 is independently confirmed as a real commissioned hull: Wikipedia lists "USS *LSM-294*" among LSM-1-class ships (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_Landing_Ship_Mediums, archived as `batch6100-01-wikipedia-lsm-list.html`); HyperWar lists `LSM-294 1944-45` (http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-ls.html, archived as `batch6100-04-hyperwar-ships-ls.html`).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-294-pkt-uj-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-294 - construction/milestone timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions (history extract from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14294.htm - history block, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 26 December 1944 at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newark, N.J.; launched 10 February 1945; commissioned USS LSM-294, 27 February 1945, LT. Leonard A. Myers, USNR, in command. Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment: flagship of LSM Flotilla Fourteen (LCDR W. R. McCaleb) and of LSM Group Forty (LCDR O. J. Heggem, USNR), LSM Division Seventy-Nine. Occupation service in the Far East 18 October 1945 - 11 April 1946. Decommissioned 30 July 1946 at Norfolk, VA. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Sold 12 August 1947 to Wood Towing Corp., Norfolk, VA; final disposition unknown. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" x 34'6"; 13.2 kt; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; 1 twin bow 40mm + 4 single 20mm; propulsion two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin screws 2,800 shp. Photo record: inbound under the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, 1946, flying a Homeward Bound pennant; underway in San Francisco Bay 1946 (US Navy photo NH 82178, US Naval Historical Center collections); beached alongside USS LSM-26, date/location unknown. Commanding officers: Myers 27 Feb - 8 Jun 1945; LTjg. Foil (acting) 8 - 16 Jun 1945; LT. Wolcott Jun - Dec 1945; ENS/LTjg. Sobolik Dec 1945 - 30 Jul 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46, ~59 ship's company); embarked group/flotilla staff while flagship; Wood Towing Corp. custodians (1947)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history and specifications only; contains no asbestos or material content. NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - its extract derives from Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (1997); milestone dates conflict with other secondary compilations on two points (commissioning day and stricken date - see gaps). NH 82178 is an NHHC-held image; the NHHC catalog page itself is not separately fetched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 294 (LSM 294) - identity block and milestone dates (secondary compilation); corroborated in part by uswarships.jounin.jp LSM roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/12893.html identity/history block; http://uswarships.jounin.jp/lsm2.htm LSM-294 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation cross-check for this hull: ordered 5 November 1943; built by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. (Newark, N.J.); laid down 26 December 1944; launched 10 February 1945; commissioned 26 February 1945; end service/decommissioned 30 July 1946; stricken 17 July 1947; sold 12 August 1947. uswarships.jounin.jp independently lists the same stricken date (1947/7/17) and the 26 February 1945 commissioning.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations only - uboat.net and jounin.jp are enthusiast-built rosters without stated primary sourcing. The 17 July 1947 stricken date is corroborated by two independent secondary compilations but remains unverified against the Naval Register itself (NavSource lists the date as unknown); the 26 vs 27 February 1945 commissioning conflict is unresolved (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-02
-
[4]National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection, 'Oral History Interview with William Crook, August 10, 2018' (14 pp. transcript), via The Portal to Texas History, UNT Libraries - accession OH04985 [museum_official]
- Locator
- UNT Portal record, metapth1607241 (text) and metapth1610885 (sound); transcript 14 pp.
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- First-person crew record for this hull: William Crook enlisted 1944, trained at Great Lakes boot camp, took a basic engineering course and training in large propulsion engines, arrived at Leyte aboard a troop ship as the atomic bomb was dropped, and was assigned to USS LSM-294; he recalled an incident on the high seas in which several LCTs the ship was escorting were lost, and returned to the US in 1946. Catalog subjects include 'United States. Navy -- Machinist's mates' and 'USS LSM-294'; marked primarySource by the repository.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (service); 2018 (interview)
- Population
- MM William Crook; LSM-294 engineering crew (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Oral-history document: establishes an engineering-trained enlisted man serving aboard this hull late-war through 1946 - a named crew member in the engine department population. It is NOT an exposure record and makes no asbestos claim; does not establish individual exposure, quantity, or conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-03
-
[5]NARA RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), WWII War Diaries series: 'COM LSM GR 40 - War Diary, 3/6/45 to 4/22/45' - NAID 140008209, microfilm roll A1616, digitized via Fold3 partnership [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 140008209; Fold3 image base 296091528; roll A1616
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The war diary of Commander LSM Group Forty - the formation for which this hull served as flagship (NavSource) - covering 6 March to 22 April 1945, the opening weeks of LSM-294's commissioned Pacific deployment, is held at NARA College Park and digitized on Fold3. As the flagship unit record it is the strongest located archival lead to this hull's operational detail (movements, tasking, LCT escort operations consistent with the Crook oral history).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-03-06 to 1945-04-22
- Population
- LSM Group Forty staff embarked on flagship LSM-294; flotilla crews (1945)
- Limitations
- Unit-level record: the war diary documents LSM Group Forty headquarters activity; the catalog title does not name LSM-294 and page-level mentions of the hull were not reviewed (digitized images on Fold3). NARA catalog page is JS-rendered; record metadata verified via the catalog API proxy. Not an asbestos or materials record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-04
-
[6]LSM Class Manual, 1 March 1944, Serial No. 1766 - copy issued to USS LSM-294; digitized on NavSource (contributed by Patrick Blackman); selected chapters OCR-reviewed this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14idx.htm (issuance line) and 10/14/lsm manual/ index + chapter PDFs; OCR review of chapters 1, 30, 31-9, 39, 41, 29, 32 (2026-10-01)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A surviving ship's-copy artifact: the LSM Class Manual (1 March 1944, Serial No. 1766) issued to USS LSM-294 is digitized in full on NavSource - 48-chapter ship's organization and technical manual covering propelling machinery, auxiliary machinery (including one oil-fired water-tube auxiliary steam boiler, ~55 psi service), pumps/tanks/piping, ventilation, compartmentation, and a list of BuShips plans including main & auxiliary engine exhaust piping sheets. OCR review of the general-data, propelling-machinery, boilers, ventilating, compartmentation, plans-list, and piping chapters located no asbestos-material text; the manual confirms GM 16-278A diesels for this hull's number block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944 (manual); reviewed 2026-10-01
- Population
- LSM-294 crew using ship's manual (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific provenance (serial copy issued to this hull) but class-level content - the manual describes the LSM-1 class generally, not materials as installed on hull 294. OCR of selected chapters found no asbestos/insulation-materials text; unreviewed chapters and the referenced BuShips plans (held at NARA) remain an open lead. Not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-05
-
[7]NHHC, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (Art of Naval Amphibious Operations from WWII exhibit) - ARCHIVED COPY; live page returned 404 on 2026-10-01 (standing NHHC link-rot defect) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC art-exhibit caption, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (Wayback capture 2025-02-18)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC class context: needing a landing ship 'somewhere between the size and displacement of an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and an LST (Landing Ship, Tank),' the Navy's architects and designers produced the compact and maneuverable LSM (Landing Ship, Medium) - the class to which LSM-294 belongs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (design era)
- Limitations
- Class-design context only; says nothing about this hull or about materials aboard it. Live NHHC URL 404s (verified 2026-10-01); citation is the Wayback Machine capture of 18 Feb 2025, labeled archived per citation-hygiene rules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-294 specifications (GM 16-278A diesel plant); LSM Class Manual technical chapters (diesel mains + auxiliary steam boiler, exhaust piping plan sheets); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for federal-shipbuilding-kearny; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; LSM manual ch. 30-32, 39; shipyards.json product list for federal-shipbuilding-kearny
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious landing ship built Dec 1944 - Feb 1945 sits inside the documented asbestos-use era of both the Navy (GAO) and its builder yard (dataset tier 2). Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel amphibian of this type: exhaust-uptake and muffler lagging, machinery and piping insulation, gaskets and valve packing, bulkhead/accommodation insulation, deck coverings, and the small auxiliary boiler's lagging. Confined-volume engineering spaces concentrate any era materials present.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947+
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); Wood Towing Corp. handlers/converters and any later owners (1947+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-294. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-07
-
[9]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json, yard_id 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' (Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Kearny NJ - evidence_tier 2): documented asbestos products Superex pipe covering (Johns-Manville), Kaylo pipe/boiler insulation (Owens-Illinois), Monokote fireproofing (W.R. Grace), Garlock gaskets [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json entry federal-shipbuilding-kearny; shipbuildinghistory Federal yard history (two yards: Kearny + Port Newark)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- This hull's builder is a documented asbestos-use yard: the yard dataset records named asbestos products (Superex, Kaylo, Monokote, Garlock gaskets) at Federal Shipbuilding. LSM-294 was built at Federal's Newark (Port Newark) yard - the second Federal yard listed by shipbuildinghistory for the LSM block - during the same corporate asbestos era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades, both yards (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: the dataset documents products used at Federal Shipbuilding generally; the product list is keyed to the Kearny yard entry and LSM-294 was built at the companion Port Newark yard - no record located separates the two yards' material practices. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-08
-
[10]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 entire construction (1944-45) and service era (1945-46).
- 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-294-09
-
[11]Bureau of Ships, Administrative History of the Bureau of Ships in World War II, vol. IV (official wartime administrative history; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips Admin Hist WWII v.4, materials-development section (~p.156, 'Asbestos-Glass Insulation Lagging Cloth'; 'rubber asbestos gaskets' passage)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Official Navy materials documentation from this hull's build era: BuShips' own administrative history records wartime development of 'Asbestos-Glass Insulation Lagging Cloth' - 'a shortage of asbestos fiber and facilities for weaving cloth necessitated development of an alternate. By twisting an asbestos yarn around a glass yarn, a glass-asbestos yarn was produced which actually produced a better and more workable cloth of about 1/2 the weight and which used about 1/2 the asbestos used in the Standard asbestos cloth' - and lists among major improvements 'high temperature resistant rubber asbestos gaskets.' Standard asbestos lagging cloth and asbestos gaskets were therefore BuShips-issue materials in the 1944-45 window when LSM-294 was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (wartime materials program)
- Population
- WWII naval construction/maintenance trades; ship crews generally (era context)
- Limitations
- Bureau/program-level documentation, not a hull record: it establishes that asbestos lagging cloth and rubber-asbestos gaskets were standard Navy shipboard materials of the era, not that any specific product was installed aboard LSM-294. Does not establish quantity, location, individual exposure, or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-10
-
[12]Babbidge & Holt, Inc. v. The Hawaiian Planter, 123 F. Supp. 394 (D. Or. 1954) - CourtListener opinion 8736429; content cross-read via vLex mirror [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text at 'The Racquette is an unmanned steel barge... converted to that use from an LSM'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Nearest CourtListener hit for 'LSM-294' (opinion search, 11 hits all non-asbestos name collisions): a 1954 admiralty case documenting the 24 September 1953 collision of tug Columbia Queen and barge Racquette with SS Hawaiian Planter in the Columbia River off Brookfield, Washington. The Racquette was 'an unmanned steel barge, without motive power converted to that use from an LSM, 189.7 feet long with a beam of 34.0 feet' - the opinion never states which LSM hull she was, and she sank after the collision. Ex-LSM hulls sold to towing interests (as LSM-294 was, to Wood Towing Corp. in 1947) commonly ended up as such barges, but no attribution to hull 294 can be made.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1953-1954
- Limitations
- Not a case naming this vessel and not asbestos litigation: included to classify the closest CourtListener hit. The opinion does not state the barge's ex-hull number; beam (34 ft) is consistent with the LSM type but length (189.7 ft) is shorter than LSM-1 overall length, and dozens of ex-LSMs were sold to towing/barge operators. Token-level search match only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-11
-
[13]Batch-6100 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page + LSM index + class manual; NHHC/DANFS; NARA catalog API; NMPW/UNT oral history; shipbuildinghistory mirrors; uboat.net; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-294-01 through sl-uss-lsm-294-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or case naming USS LSM-294 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener ran clean this session: 'LSM-294' opinions = 11 hits, all name collisions (criminal, contract, USPS, Puerto Rico appellate matters - none maritime/asbestos naming this hull); 'USS LSM-294' opinions = 0; quoted 'LSM-294' dockets = 0. No DANFS entry exists (numbered LSMs are not individually covered). NVR coverage does not extend to ships disposed before 1987. No law-firm/mesothelioma listicle content naming this hull was encountered.
- 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 documented asbestos era at an asbestos-documented yard, and her post-1947 commercial fate is undocumented. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips plans/work files remain undigitized or unlocated leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-294-12