Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 569-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: **VERDICT: VERIFIED** — real identity: USS *LSM-374* (never named) — (mirror) http://www.navsource.net/archives/10/14/14374.htm — archived as `batch6189-02-navsource-lsm.html`
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-374-lsm374-pkt-569-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-374 (10/14/14374) - construction, commissioning, unit assignments, Okinawa campaign credit, occupation/China service, decommissioning and transfer, specifications; history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14374.htm history block, specifications block, awards/campaign table, photo captions, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium; laid down 9 December 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 30 December 1944; commissioned USS LSM-374 on 28 January 1945, LT Philip A. Hickman Jr., USNR, in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Thirteen, LSM Group Thirty-Seven, LSM Division Seventy-Three; credited for the Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8-18 June 1945 (one battle star). Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended), both for the period 2 September 1945 - 13 May 1946. Decommissioned 13 May 1946 and transferred to the Republic of China the same day; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" oa; beam 34'6"; 13.2 kt max; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow mount + four single 20mm; two Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp. Photo captions document the hull under way off San Diego with a blimp overhead (caption says 'winter of 1944') and beached on mud flats at low tide at Jinsen (Incheon), Korea, 1945. CO list: LT Philip A. Hickman Jr., LT Edward A. Markwalter, LTjg Richard F. Turnell (to 13 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (USN service); ROCN period undocumented
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); ROCN crew (1946-forward)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; the service history is the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR extract, not DANFS (no DANFS entry exists for this hull - see search_ledger). The NHHC Pacific Fleet organization for 1 May 1945 places this hull in LSM Group 38 / Division 75, not Group 37 / Division 73 as NavSource states - discrepancy unresolved (see gaps). CO table contains an impossible date pair (Hickman '28 January 1945 - December 1944'); the end date is presumed a 1945 typo. Photo caption 'winter of 1944' conflicts with a January 1945 commissioning and is likely winter 1944-45. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Reading Room, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official fleet organization table) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Fleet org table: LSM FLOTILLA THIRTEEN > LSM GROUP 38 > LSM DIVISION 75
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's official U.S. Pacific Fleet organization table for 1 May 1945 lists LSM 374 under LSM FLOTILLA THIRTEEN, LSM GROUP 38 (ComLSMGrp 38 Lt. Cdr. T. F. Lane, USNR), LSM DIVISION 75, alongside LSM 372 (FF), LSM 373, LSM 375, LSM 376, and LSM 377. Sister Group 37 in the same flotilla was commanded by Lt. Cdr. W. K. Chisholm (USNR).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LSM-374 crew (May 1945); division/flag staffs
- Limitations
- A dated fleet-organization snapshot (1 May 1945), not a narrative history - it documents unit assignment only, and conflicts with NavSource's Group 37 / Division 73 attribution (see gaps; flotilla-level assignment - Flotilla 13 - agrees in both). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-02
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com, Brown Shipbuilding Houston TX construction list (yard hull table); corroborated by navypedia.org LSM-1 class table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown Shipbuilding hull table, row 251; navypedia us_aws_lsm.htm row LSM374
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Brown Shipbuilding (Houston, TX) yard construction list records hull no. 251 as 'LSM 374, Landing Ship, 9-Dec-44, 30-Dec-44, 28-Jan-45 ... To China 1946' - laid down, launched, and commissioned/delivered dates matching NavSource exactly. navypedia's LSM-1 table independently carries 'LSM374 | Brown SB, Houston | 1944 | 1944 | 1.1945 | to China 5.1946'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations: shipbuildinghistory.com is a respected shipyard-history compilation (the former Tim Colton shipbuildinghistory.org) and navypedia a naval encyclopedia; neither is a primary registry, but both agree with NavSource on all dates. 'To China 1946'/'5.1946' corresponds to the 13 May 1946 transfer. Neither documents the ROCN name or subsequent fate. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-03
-
[5]NARA Catalog file unit 'LSM-374', NAID 2760884 - Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation' (1940-1978), creator: Department of the Navy, Board of Inspection and Survey; unrestricted; paper copy only, National Archives at College Park, container 95 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog NAID 2760884 (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2760884); series NAID 2092723 (amphibious vessels = Entry P 1-G per NARA asbestos guide)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A file unit titled 'LSM-374' exists in NARA RG 38's Board of Inspection and Survey 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation' series (1940-1978). Per NARA's asbestos research guide, InSurv material inspection reports document a ship's material condition - machinery and systems - written before trials, after major conversion, or after demilitarization prior to decommissioning; for this hull the file most plausibly relates to the 1946 demilitarization/transfer inspection. This is the most promising ship-specific archival record located for material composition.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- file within series coverage 1940-1978; hull USN period 1944-1946
- Population
- N/A - potential source for hull material documentation
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the file is 'Not Yet Available Online' (paper, College Park, container 95) - contents unexamined; the catalog title establishes only that an InSurv-related file exists under this hull number, not what it contains or whether it addresses asbestos/insulation. Catalog page fetched via JS-rendered scrape; metadata fields (NAID, series, creator, container) verified from the rendered page 2026-10-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-04
-
[6]NARA guided topic, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - official research pathway for documenting shipboard asbestos (RG 19 hull/class correspondence, General Information Books, InSurv material reports, S39 insulation/lagging drawings) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA asbestos guided topic - Bureau of Ships correspondence, GIB, InSurv, cartographic, and deck-log/muster-roll sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA officially recognizes 'the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941-1961' as a frequently requested research topic and publishes the authoritative record pathway: Bureau of Ships (RG 19) correspondence filed by hull designation (for this hull, filing code 'LSM374'; class correspondence 'LSM1 Class'; builder correspondence under private-yard code 'QM/Brown Shipbuilding'); RG 19 Amphibious Vessel General Information Books (Entry P 10, 1940-1962); RG 38 Board of Inspection and Survey Amphibious Vessel Material Inspection Reports (Entry P 1-G) - the series containing NAID 2760884; and cartographic 'Hull Series' engineering drawings including S39 (Insulation and Lagging) and S48 (Piping), noted as relatively rare among the paper drawings. The guide explicitly notes deck logs and muster rolls 'do not provide any information on the use of or presence of asbestos.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- guide covers 1941-1961 materiel era
- Population
- researchers/veterans pursuing ship asbestos documentation
- Limitations
- Methodological/context source: documents where ship-specific asbestos records would live, not what exists for this hull. Does not itself establish asbestos aboard LSM-374 or any vessel. The RG 19/38 series it describes are largely paper/microfilm and were not searched onsite this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (LSM-1 class, 2 x Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, direct drive, twin screws - no steam plant); Brown Shipbuilding construction dates (Dec 1944 build); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-07); diesel-amphibian class precedent in the Atlas LST-1 class profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com Brown list; NARA asbestos guide record pathway
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- An LSM-1-class diesel landing ship built December 1944 at an emergency-program yard sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small diesel amphibious ship of this type were: diesel exhaust lagging and engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation in the machinery spaces; gaskets and valve packing in piping systems; deck coverings and tile; bulkhead and accommodation insulation; brake linings on winches, windlass, and bow-ramp machinery; electrical insulation. Because the plant is diesel-direct-drive with no boilers or turbines, the steam-lagging pathway that dominates asbestos findings on steam vessels does not apply here.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); ROCN crew (1946-forward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, InSurv report content, or work package located for LSM-374 (the undigitized InSurv file NAID 2760884 is the open lead). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-06
-
[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 (Dec 1944-Jan 1945) and USN 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches, confirmed 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description; same standing defect noted in batches 01 and 98.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-07
-
[9]NARA Catalog full-text search '"LSM-374"' - 43 file units, all digitized-accession records mentioning the hull: COM LSM FLOT 13 war diary 3/1-31/45 (NAID 633449265), COM 7th PHIBFOR war diaries (NAIDs 77575931, 140087395), sister-ship war diaries (USS LSM-4, LSM-164, LSM-170), sister-hull muster rolls (LSM-372 NAID 126462689; LSM-373 NAID 126462507), Purple Heart recipient indexes, and shore-command muster rolls listing LSM-374 personnel [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search q="LSM-374" (43 file units, RG 24 + RG 38), results pages 1-3
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's catalog surfaces 43 file units mentioning LSM-374 - all records OF OTHER commands that reference the hull (flotilla/force war diaries, sister-ship diaries, muster rolls of other units, wounded-in-action indexes). Two findings: (a) the flotilla-level war diaries of LSM FLOT 13 and 7th Amphibious Force that mention this hull are digitized and form the command-echelon record of her Pacific service; (b) no file unit titled for LSM-374's own deck log or muster roll was surfaced - sister hulls LSM-372/373 have digitized muster rolls but LSM-374's own personnel records did not surface under this string.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- LSM-374 crew and flotilla staffs
- Limitations
- Search-result enumeration, not document review: individual file contents were not examined beyond catalog metadata. The absence of a digitized LSM-374 muster roll/deck log under this query does not prove the records do not exist - RG 24 paper holdings and undigitized series remain open leads. No asbestos content in any hit's metadata.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-08
-
[10]Batch-6189 search ledger (this record): NavSource (hit); NHHC DANFS + ibiblio DANFS mirror (no individual entry - verified against working lsm251 pattern); hazegray DANFS mirror (unreachable); NHHC Pacific Fleet org (hit); NARA catalog (hit, NAID 2760884 + 43 mention hits); CourtListener API v4 type=o and type=r, '"LSM-374"' and '"LSM 374"' (verified 0 results x4); NVR (no coverage - pre-1987 disposal); GAO HRD-80-2 (403 blocked, product page); ROCN roster check (no Mei-class name located); shipyards.json cross-check (no Brown Shipbuilding entry); secondary/marketing web sweep (excluded sources only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-374-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or material schedule naming LSM-374 was found in the public sources searched, and no DANFS entry exists for this hull. CourtListener returned ZERO hits across all four authenticated queries ('"LSM-374"' and '"LSM 374"' in both the opinion and docket indexes) - a verified negative litigation result, not a throttled or skipped search. The only 'asbestos aboard' material on the open web is law-firm marketing listicles (asbestos-ships.com covers LSM-427 by the same template; gorilaw.com/mesothelioma.com amphibious-class pages) asserting asbestos for the LSM type generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. The hull's short USN career (15.5 months commissioned, single-hull-number, never named) and 1946 foreign transfer left minimal record trails.
- 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 and the undigitized InSurv file (NAID 2760884) plus RG 19 correspondence under filing code 'LSM374' remain unexplored paper records. CourtListener's opinion/docket indexes do not cover unreported or non-digitized filings. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-374-09