Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet 564-packet.md (10 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-only for builder dates)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-only for builder dates)
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-342-lsm342-pkt-564-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LSM-342 - construction, commissioning, WWII/occupation service, specifications, decommissioning (navsource.org is dead; navsource.net verified live 2026-10-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14342.htm header, specifications, and service-history blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 22 September 1944 at Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, IL; launched 12 January 1945; commissioned 12 February 1945, LTjg. Vernon Patz, USNR, in command. Specifications: displacement 743 t. (landing); length 203'6" overall; speed 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers, 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow mount and four single 20mm mounts. Served World War II in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Thirteen, LSM Group Thirty-Nine, LSM Division Seventy-Seven. Post-war: 'assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East' 8-23 September 1945 and 27 July 1946 - 18 May 1947. Awards: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Decommissioned 8 July 1947 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Pullman Standard construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-1947)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. No DANFS (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships) entry exists for this hull - DANFS individual coverage does not generally extend to LSM-1-class hulls, and none was located for LSM-342 at history.navy.mil. NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a government primary registry, though its practice is to transcribe primary muster/spec data; no independent primary-source cross-check (e.g., NARA deck log) was performed this session. Striking date not given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LSM-342 - post-decommissioning disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14342.htm disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- 'Donated, 17 February 1948, to Port of Newport Authority, Newport, OR., for commercial use, renamed Amazon.' NavSource documents Amazon as in commercial use as a work barge along the Columbia River at least through April 2003.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1948-2003
- Population
- Civilian barge crew/operators, Port of Newport Authority and successors (1948-2003+, undocumented population details)
- Limitations
- Documents disposition and a civilian-service window only; no asbestos content. Does not establish the vessel's condition, ownership, or any hazmat status at any point in that window, nor any date after April 2003. See ev-03 for a separate, identity-unconfirmed 2017 incident involving a barge of the same name on the same river system.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-02
-
[4]Cody Mann, reporting reprinted via RT Specialty / The Chief News (orig. May 15, 2017), 'Pollution threat site lease terminated near Goble'; corroborated by The Daily Astorian (Chronicling America, oregonnews.uoregon.edu, ed. 2017-06-05, p.2A) covering a related multi-vessel Goble hazmat operation [reputable_press]
- Locator
- RT Specialty reprint, full article text; Daily Astorian, 2017-06-05, p.2A (oregonnews.uoregon.edu OCR)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- A barge named Amazon, described as a 1940s-era, 170-foot crane barge, was the subject of a Captain of the Port Order (March 2017) and a Coast Guard-overseen hazardous-materials response in May 2017 at river mile 75 on the Columbia River near Goble, OR. Per Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Madjeska (USCG, Sector Columbia River): the vessel 'posed a substantial threat of an oil discharge and required immediate action,' was in 'very poor material condition,' and was 'slowly taking on water through open hatches.' Contractors removed nearly 3,000 gallons of oily water (1,800 gal. Friday, 1,100 gal. Saturday) from bilges, ballast tanks, fuel tanks, and deck spaces; the article separately reports 'safety concerns regarding exposed asbestos on board.' The site had been leased since 2012 by two individuals from the Oregon Department of State Lands; the lease was terminated, with a May 30, 2017 deadline to remove vessels from the site. A separate, later Daily Astorian story on a multi-vessel Goble cleanup (dredge, the former car ferry River Queen, a crane barge, tugboats, etc.) describes that project removing 'fuel, asbestos, lead paint and household wastes' at the site generally, without naming Amazon specifically.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2012-2017
- Population
- Site lessees (2012-2017); Coast Guard/contractor responders (May 2017)
- Limitations
- ARCHIVAL LEAD, NOT A CONFIRMED SHIP-SPECIFIC FINDING: this record does not establish that the Amazon described here is ex-USS LSM-342. The reported length (170 ft) does not match LSM-342's documented as-built length (203'6" overall per ev-01); no source located ties this barge's official number, hull markings, or build record to LSM-342 - the only link is the shared post-1948 name and the Columbia River/Oregon location also documented in ev-02. The asbestos mention is a press characterization ('safety concerns regarding exposed asbestos'), not a survey or abatement record, and is not attributable to this specific hull given the unresolved identity question. Does not establish quantity, materials, individual exposure, or legal eligibility. thechiefnews.com could not be independently verified as a live, non-reprint primary outlet this session; content treated as reputable_press via the RT Specialty reprint and corroborated by the Chronicling America/Daily Astorian scan.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-03
-
[5]Oregon DEQ (Abby Boudouris, Legislative Analyst), testimony to Senate Committee on Energy & Environment re SB 740, March 11, 2021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Oregon Legislature public testimony document 15319 (SB 740, 2021), para. 3
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Oregon DEQ testimony states: 'In the past DEQ has documented household hazardous waste, sewage, batteries, illicit drug labs, gas cylinders, drums of hazardous waste, lead, copper, mercury, and asbestos onboard derelict vessels.' DEQ works with the Coast Guard/EPA to remove oil and hazardous materials from Abandoned and Derelict Vessels (ADVs) statewide before referring hulls to the Marine Board/Department of State Lands for removal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- program ongoing as of 2021
- Population
- Oregon DEQ Emergency Response System caseload (undated range, program description as of 2021)
- Limitations
- Program-level, state-wide documentation of hazmat (including asbestos) commonly found aboard Oregon derelict vessels generally - names no vessel, including Amazon or LSM-342. Supports the plausibility of asbestos being found aboard any given Oregon derelict vessel as a general matter; does not establish anything specific to this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (diesel, twin screw, LSM-1 class); shipbuildinghistory/class references for LSM-1 propulsion (twin diesel main engines, class used GM 16-278A or Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8 depending on builder - not confirmed for this hull); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; class-level LSM-1 propulsion references
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-propelled landing ship built 1944-45 at a wartime-expansion builder (Pullman Standard, a railcar manufacturer converted to naval construction) sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard an LSM-1-class hull of this type - twin-screw diesel, no steam plant - would be limited to main-engine and exhaust-system lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in engineering spaces, plus any insulation used in troop/cargo-space outfitting.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Pullman Standard construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-1947); civilian barge crew/maintainers (1948-forward, if any ACM-disturbing work occurred)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-342. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Exact engine manufacturer (GM vs. Fairbanks-Morse) not confirmed for this specific hull/builder combination - carried as a gap.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-05
-
[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 entire construction and naval-service window (1944-47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard/wartime-builder 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 this session) - content via product-page description, consistent with prior batches' finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search, type=o, query "USS LSM-342" (one result: Tyrone Berry v. State, Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.], No. 14-13-00844-CR, decided 2015-02-20); type=r, query "LSM-342" (zero results) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 /search/?q=%22USS+LSM-342%22&type=o
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search for the exact phrase "USS LSM-342" returned a single hit: Tyrone Berry v. State, an unrelated Texas criminal appeal with no connection to this vessel, asbestos, or maritime matters - a string/name collision, not a qualifying case. A separate CourtListener type=r (RECAP/docket) search for the bare phrase "LSM-342" returned zero results. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull (under either LSM-342 or Amazon) was found in the searches completed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- Two of four planned CourtListener queries completed (type=o "USS LSM-342"; type=r "LSM-342"). The type=r search for "USS LSM-342" and any "Amazon" + "barge" + asbestos combination search were NOT completed this session - blocked by the fleet-wide CourtListener request-pacing limiter (shared account budget momentarily spent; helper script instructed standing down rather than retrying in a loop). This is an open gap, not a negative result, for the unrun queries; see gaps and search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-342-lsm342-07