Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-368 (10/14/14368.htm) - full timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photographic record (history extract from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14368.htm - header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions (last updated 7 June 2024)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium; laid down 2 December 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 23 December 1944; commissioned USS LSM-368, 21 January 1945, Lt. Rene James Guiral USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Thirteen (LCDR C. L. Weigle USN), LSM Group Thirty-Seven (LCDR W. J. Chisholm USNR), LSM Division Seventy-Three; participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8 to 30 June 1945; earned one battle star for WWII service. Occupation service in the Far East 2 September 1945 to 21 March 1946. Decommissioned 19 March 1947 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Sold 29 December 1947 to Charles & Weaver Co., Detroit, MI; final disposition unknown. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1); WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Commanding officers: Guiral (Jan-Nov 1945), Lt. Tevis Shusman USNR (Nov 1945-Jun 1946), Ens. William H. Dingleberry USNR (Jun-Sep 1946), Lt.(jg) Victor Eugene Wilson USN (Sep 1946-19 Mar 1947). Photographs place this hull beached at Benita, Russell Islands, 17 July 1945, and at Yokosuka Naval Base on the first day of occupation, 30 August 1945. Spec block: dp. 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; l. 203'6"; b. 34'6"; s. 13.2 kts.; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow mount, four single 20mm; troop accommodation 2 officers + 46 enlisted; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs; propulsion two Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8x10 reversible diesels w/ hydraulic clutch, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp; generators two 100kW 450V AC + one 20kW 120V DC diesel-drive.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1945-47); embarked troops (wartime lifts)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary archive (top citation-grade public compilation for amphibious auxiliaries); underlying text is the Turner Publishing company-history extract, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records and are corroborated for this hull by NHHC rosters, uboat.net, and the Naval Marine Archive build table. 'LSM Division Seventy-Three' conflicts with the NHHC 1 May 1945 roster placing this hull in Division 74 (see gaps). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-01
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[2]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Online Reading Room transcription of the wartime fleet organization roster) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room page, 'LSM FLOTILLA THIRTEEN / LSM GROUP 37 / LSM DIVISION 74' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization roster lists 'LSM 368, Lt. R. J. Guiral (USNR)' in LSM DIVISION 74 under LSM GROUP 37 (ComLSMGrp 37, Lt. Cdr. W. K. Chisholm USNR), LSM FLOTILLA THIRTEEN - confirming this hull's amphibious-force chain of command and commanding officer at the close of the Okinawa campaign.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew under Lt. Guiral (as of 1 May 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific organizational placement only; no asbestos or material content. Division number (74) conflicts with the NavSource/Turner extract's 'Division Seventy-Three' - the NHHC roster is carried as the contemporaneous record; the variant is logged in gaps. Group commander's middle initial reads W. K. (NHHC) vs W. J. (NavSource) - noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-02
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[3]NHHC, 'Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay' (Online Reading Room transcription - ships present for the 2 September 1945 Japanese surrender) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room page, 'Medium Landing Ship (LSM)' section, center column
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's roster of Allied ships present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender lists LSM-368 under 'Medium Landing Ship (LSM)' - documenting this hull's presence in Tokyo Bay at the 2 September 1945 ceremony, consistent with the NavSource photo placing her at Yokosuka Naval Base on 30 August 1945 (first day of occupation) and with her Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) award record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-09-02
- Population
- Crew aboard at the surrender, 2 September 1945
- Limitations
- Presence at a ceremony only; no asbestos or material content. The roster establishes physical presence in Tokyo Bay, not any work or material condition aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-03
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[4]uboat.net Allied Warships database, USS LSM 368 (LSM 368) - order, construction, and disposal dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 12967, data table and History line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary cross-check for this hull: ordered 8 April 1944; built by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; laid down 2 December 1944; launched 23 December 1944; commissioned 21 January 1945; end of service 19 March 1947; stricken 10 June 1947; sold 29 December 1947.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary database. The stricken date (10 June 1947) is the only source carrying a specific date - NavSource reports 'date unknown'; carried as an unresolved variant in gaps, not asserted. 'Ordered 8 April 1944' is likewise secondary-only. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-04
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[5]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' USNI Naval History, June 2025 (U.S. Naval Institute); corroborated by Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas, 'Shipbuilding' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 article body ('Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' section); TSHA Handbook 'Shipbuilding' entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder context for this hull's construction yard: Brown Shipbuilding was established in 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root on Greens Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel, launching vessels sideways into the narrow waterway; it peaked at more than 25,000 workers and was Houston's second-largest wartime employer; it delivered 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts (38 Edsall-class, 23 John C. Butler-class), 32 LCI landing craft, and 254 Landing Ship Medium amphibious craft - the production run that included LSM-368. TSHA documents $100 million in Navy escort-vessel contracts to Brown and Todd-Galveston with a further $200 million in supplemental contracts in August 1942. The yard was leased to Todd Shipyards in 1949, taken back by Brown & Root in 1984 for offshore fabrication, and sold off beginning 2004.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-2004
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (peak >25,000 from late 1942)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history only - establishes the builder's scale and product line (254 LSMs including this hull's class), not any material content aboard LSM-368. Neither source discusses asbestos use at the yard; no yard asbestos documentation was located from an authoritative source (law-firm pages asserting asbestos at Brown are excluded by source policy).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-05
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[6]Naval Marine Archive, 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' - vessel build table (Canadian nonprofit marine archive compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Naval Marine Archive Brown Shipbuilding page, build table row 'Hull# 245 / LSM 368'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Independent build-table corroboration: Brown Shipbuilding yard hull number 245 = LSM 368, keel laid 2 December 1944, launched 23 December 1944, delivered 21 January 1945, disposition 'Sold to Charles Weaver Co. 1947.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Compiled build table (secondary); delivery date used as the commissioning-equivalent milestone and matches NavSource/uboat. 'Charles Weaver Co.' is the table's rendering of Charles & Weaver Co. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-06
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[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block for this hull (Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8x10 direct-drive diesels, twin screws); NavSource construction record (built Dec 1944, Brown Shipbuilding, Houston); GAO HRD-80-2 program documentation (ev-08); Hedley-Whyte & Milamed era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; PMC2604477
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious landing ship built in December 1944 sits squarely inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel ship of this type and period were thermal insulation on hot machinery and piping, exhaust-system lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. She carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45); crew and embarked troops (1945-47); any post-sale commercial/scrapping workforce (1947+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, construction specification, or work package located for LSM-368. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-07
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[8]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 (December 1944) and service era (1945-47).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-08
-
[9]Hedley-Whyte J, Milamed DR, 'Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences,' Ulster Medical Journal 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008), PMC2604477 (peer-reviewed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PMC2604477, 'ASBESTOS POST WORLD WAR II' and consumption-narrative sections (Tables I-II)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed documentation of the era's shipbuilding asbestos consumption: U.S. asbestos use averaged 783 million pounds annually during the World War II years (vs 197 million in 1932); in 1939 the U.S. classified asbestos as a critical material and began stockpiling; the article records that the U.S. Navy specified asbestos use in new construction (1922 submarine specification naming chrysotile for gaskets, insulation, packing and tape, and Transvaal amosite for light-weight high insulation).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1932-1975 (consumption data); WWII construction era
- Population
- WWII-era shipbuilding workforce, U.S. and British Empire yards
- Limitations
- Era/industry-level peer-reviewed source; nothing in it names LSM-368, landing ships, or Brown Shipbuilding - the 1922 Navy specification quoted concerns submarines specifically. Supports era context only; not a hull finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-09
-
[10]Decommissioning-yard context: NavSource documents this hull decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA, 19 March 1947; the Atlas yard dataset (shipyards.json, yard_id mare-island-naval-shipyard) documents ACM at that yard via Dept. of the Navy / City of Vallejo Final EIS/EIR for Disposal and Reuse of Mare Island Naval Shipyard (April 1998, DTIC ADA344388; Appendix J IR01 lists asbestos among industrial wastes) and Collins v. Plant Insulation Co., 185 Cal. App. 4th 260 (2010) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource timeline (decommissioning entry); shipyards.json evidence rows ev-mare-island-01/-02
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The yard that decommissioned this hull is itself a documented asbestos site: the Navy's 1998 disposal/reuse EIS identified asbestos-containing material in shipyard buildings and asbestos among industrial wastes, and published appellate litigation documents a Mare Island welder's occupational asbestos exposure (1976-1994 service) ending in a mesothelioma death. Both records postdate LSM-368's 1947 presence by decades; they establish only that the venue carried documented asbestos burdens in the shipyard era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1947 (hull presence); 1976-1998 (yard documentation)
- Population
- Mare Island decommissioning/inactivation trades (1947); later yard workforce documented in the 1998 EIS and Collins case
- Limitations
- Venue-level context only - no evidence ties any Mare Island ACM finding to work on or material aboard LSM-368; the cited documentation postdates her presence by 30-50 years. DTIC EIS URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-01); citation carried with that access limitation disclosed. Collins opinion cite per the Atlas yard dataset.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-10
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[11]Batch-6182 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet roster; NHHC Tokyo Bay roster; uboat.net; Naval Marine Archive; USNI/TSHA; PMC; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + dockets); secondary web sweep; NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-368-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-368 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener was searched under authentication this session - 'LSM-368' (opinions and dockets), 'USS LSM-368' (opinions and dockets), 'LSM 368' (opinions and dockets): all six queries returned zero results - a verified negative, not a blocked repository. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos' material naming this hull or its builder is law-firm marketing content (e.g., mesothelioma.com Brown Shipbuilding page) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. NHHC carries no individual DANFS entry for this numbered landing ship.
- 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. Vessel lists embedded in MDL-875 pleading schedules are not fully indexed by CourtListener text search - zero hits means zero retrievable opinions/dockets naming the hull, not a proven absence of ever having been pleaded. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-368-11