Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[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-375* (never named) — (mirror) http://www.navsource.net/archives/10/14/14375.htm — archived as `batch6190-02-navsource-lsm.html`
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-375-lsm375-pkt-569-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-375 - construction, commissioning, unit assignments, occupation/China service periods, decommission/strike/disposal chain including tug conversion, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14375.htm - history block, awards table, service-period table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class landing ship medium laid down 16 December 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 6 January 1945; completed and turned over to the Navy 27 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-375, 30 January 1945, LT. John R. Henderson USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LSM Flotilla Thirteen (LCDR. C. L. Weigle USN), LSM Group Thirty-Eight (LCDR. T. F. Lane USNR), LSM Division Seventy-Five. Post-war occupation and China service: Navy Occupation Service Medal for 2 September - 29 November 1945; China Service Medal (extended) for 12 December 1945 - 12 April 1946. Decommissioned 14 October 1946; struck from the Naval Register 1947; transferred to the Maritime Commission 27 November 1947; sold (date unknown) to American Barge Line; documented in 1949 as the tug Advance, Official Number 257085; sold to CVC Towing, name retained; sold for scrapping 1962 to Southwest Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, PA. Ribbon set: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) - no battle stars. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" x 34'6"; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; two Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8x10 diesels direct drive 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin screws 2,800 shp. Armament one twin 40mm bow mount, four single 20mm. Commanding officers: LT. John R. Henderson USNR (30 Jan 1945 - Dec 1945); ENS. Rodney Charles Nordfelt USN (Dec 1945 - 14 Oct 1946). Photo captions place the hull at anchor off eastern Okinawa with LSM-376 (date unknown); underway in San Francisco Bay 1945-46 (US Navy photo NH 83271, US Naval Historical Center collections); beached with LSM-38 (date and location unknown); and as ex-LSM-375 outboard in a nest with ex-LSM-52 on the Sabine River circa late 1946 (from the files of Gulfport Boiler and Iron Works, Port Arthur, TX).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1962
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston construction trades (1944-45); ship's company ~59 (5 officers + 54 enlisted) plus embarked troops (2 officers + 46 enlisted accommodations); post-Navy merchant crews of tug Advance (1949-1962)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - its history extract is sourced to the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR volume and its specifications to Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels; milestones corroborated independently by ShipbuildingHistory, the navalmarinearchive.com Brown yard table, the NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document (unit chain + group commander), and uboat.net. Decommissioning location not stated; struck date stated as year only (uboat.net variant 23 April 1947 unverified - see gaps). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-01
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory, 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' construction table (page update 6 January 2018); Naval Marine Archive mirror of the ShipbuildingHistory Brown Shipbuilding yard table (navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.html, hull no. 252) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm, LSM table row 375 (Brown SB / Houston TX block); navalmarinearchive.com Brown yard table row '252 | LSM 375'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of this hull's construction line: 'LSM 375 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 30-Jan-45 | Sold to Southwerst [sic] Steel 1947, scrapped'. The same table documents the class context: 558 LSMs built in WWII by seven shipyards; the basic design (originally designated LCT(7)) was 203.5 feet overall and 520 tons light. The navalmarinearchive.com Brown Shipbuilding yard table adds yard hull number 252 and confirms keel 16-Dec-44, launched 6-Jan-45, delivered 30-Jan-45, 'Advance', ON 257085.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1962
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled construction tables - corroborate builder, yard city, delivery/commissioning date, and yard hull number. The ShipbuildingHistory disposition 'Sold to Southwerst Steel 1947, scrapped' compresses the documented chain: NavSource records Maritime Commission transfer 27 Nov 1947, sale to American Barge Line, tug Advance (ON 257085) from 1949, CVC Towing, scrapping at Southwest Steel Corp. only in 1962 - the '1947' in the table row reflects the government-disposal year, not the scrap sale (see gaps). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-02
-
[4]NHHC Navy Department Library transcription, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, LSM Flotilla Thirteen > LSM Group 38 > LSM Division 75 block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official wartime fleet-organization document confirms this hull's unit assignment as of 1 May 1945: 'LSM 375' listed in LSM Division 75 under LSM Group 38 (ComLSMGrp 38 Lt. Cdr. T. F. Lane USNR) under LSM Flotilla Thirteen (commander field blank in the document) - matching NavSource's Flotilla Thirteen / Group Thirty-Eight / Division Seventy-Five chain and confirming Group 38 commander Lane verbatim. The ship's CO field in the document is blank ('..........').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- ship's company ~59
- Limitations
- Organization list is a point-in-time wartime transcription - confirms unit assignment on 1 May 1945; ship's CO field blank in the document (NavSource's LT. Henderson is consistent, not contradicted). Says nothing about operations, materials, or condition. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-03
-
[5]Pearson, Eric, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), June 2025 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 article, 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' section and production figures
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-program documentation: Brown Shipbuilding Company of Houston was established 1941 by George and Herman Brown (Brown and Root); its yard sat on narrow Greens Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel and launched vessels sideways; peak employment exceeded 25,000 workers from late 1942, making it the second-largest Houston-area employer of the war. Brown built 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts (38 Edsall-class, 23 John C. Butler-class), 32 Landing Craft Infantry, and 254 Landing Ships Medium - the production line on which this hull (yard no. 252) was built December 1944 - January 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston workforce (>25,000 at peak from late 1942)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary/professional-press history (USNI Naval History), not a primary record. Documents the yard's scale and output including 254 LSMs - class-program context for this hull, which it does not name. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials content; establishes construction-trades population at the building yard only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8x10 diesel plant, diesel-drive generators); ShipbuildingHistory class context (558 LSMs, seven yards, 1944-45) and USNI yard-program documentation (254 LSMs at Brown); GAO HRD-80-2 full text (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14375.htm specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm class preamble; GAO HRD-80-2 letter report pp. 1-3
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- An LSM-1-class landing ship built December 1944 - January 1945 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era: per GAO HRD-80-2, thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships, product specifications for asbestos-free thermal insulation were not issued until 1973, and ships were still being delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing ship of this type and period were thermal insulation on machinery and diesel-exhaust runs, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull and machinery spaces. As a diesel plant she carried no boilers or steam turbines - 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
- 1944-1962
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston construction trades (1944-45); ship's company and embarked troops (1945-46); decommissioning/lay-up trades (1946, location unstated - Sabine River lay-up suggested by period photo); civilian shipyard workers in the 1949 tug conversion; merchant crews of tug Advance (1949-62); Southwest Steel Corp. scrappers (1962)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-375. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. No builder-company asbestos documentation was located for Brown Shipbuilding (CourtListener opinion-index 'Brown Shipbuilding' + asbestos returned zero results) - so the inference rests on Navy-era documentation and the class build program, not on any yard-level asbestos record. The undigitized INSURV material-inspection file unit for this hull (ev-07) is the open lead that could raise this to ship_specific.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 / B-163375 (Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) - 26-page letter report to Reps. Anderson and Patterson [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights + full report text, 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section (pp. 1-3 of letter)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented Navy asbestos use and policy: per the Navy, all ships contain some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships; product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials but asbestos materials already purchased were in some cases installed in ships under construction, with some ships delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978; the October 1975 policy removed and replaced only damaged or repair-required insulation, modified January 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This spans 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 (report); era documented spans WWII-1978
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full 26-page PDF text retrieved this session via rendered PDF parse (direct fetch of gao.gov assets returns HTTP 403 to automation - standing defect; renderer produced the verbatim text quoted). GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - not this hull's builder.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-06
-
[8]NARA catalog File Unit 'LSM-375', NAID 2760885 - Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), Series 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation' (1940-1978); creator: Board of Inspection and Survey; paper, Container 95, College Park [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/2760885 - File Unit 'LSM-375', series and container fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A hull-named file unit exists for this ship in the National Archives: 'LSM-375' (NAID 2760885), Record Group 38, series 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation' (1940-1978), created by the Board of Inspection and Survey; paper copy only, Container 95, National Archives at College Park; NOT digitized ('Not Yet Available Online'). Board of Inspection and Survey material-inspection files are exactly the record type that could contain hull-specific material and insulation documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1940-1978 (series span; hull period 1944-47)
- Limitations
- Catalog record verified live this session; contents not inspected - the file is undigitized paper at College Park and may or may not contain insulation/material detail for this hull. Existence of a hull-named INSURV material file is a strong lead, not a finding; it establishes nothing about asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-07
-
[9]NARA catalog File Unit 'COM LSM FLOT 13 - War Diary, 3/1-31/45', NAID 633449265 - RG 38, WWII War Diaries series; 5 digitized images; microfilm Roll A1688 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/633449265 - File Unit title, image count, series fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The war diary of this hull's parent unit is digitized: 'COM LSM FLOT 13 - War Diary, 3/1-31/45' (NAID 633449265), Record Group 38, World War II War Diaries, 5 page images (Fold3 scan). LSM-375 was verified-assigned to LSM Flotilla Thirteen for this period (ev-03), so the diary potentially documents the flotilla's - and plausibly this hull's - March 1945 operations en route to or in the Pacific theater.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-03
- Population
- LSM Flotilla Thirteen ship's companies, March 1945
- Limitations
- Unit-level record for the parent flotilla, not a hull record - the catalog title does not name LSM-375 and the 5 page images were not individually inspected this session; whether the diary names this hull is unverified. Contains no known asbestos content. Other flotilla-month diaries may exist in the same series (RG 38 war diaries) and remain open leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-08
-
[10]NARA catalog File Unit 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005', NAID 118967604 - RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), Series 'Index to Muster Rolls'; 2,968 digitized images [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/118967604 - File Unit title and image count; catalog search 'LSM-375' (40 results, both pages reviewed)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized muster-roll index volume covers this hull's range: 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005' (NAID 118967604), Record Group 24, series 'Index to Muster Rolls', 2,968 page images - the alphabetical/numerical index through which this hull's muster-roll microfilm roll can be located. No hull-specific muster-roll file unit for LSM-375 surfaced in catalog search (unlike sister LSM-238, whose rolls are digitized as NAID 126527611), and no digitized deck logs (RG 24 Logbooks series) surfaced for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- USS LSM-375 ship's company, 1945-1946 (rosters, if located via index)
- Limitations
- Index volume only - its title range covers LSM-375 but the index pages were not individually read (2,968 images); it is a locator for the rolls, not the rolls themselves. Muster rolls are personnel rosters with no material/asbestos content; value is cohort identification. Whether a hull-specific muster-roll file unit exists in the digitized catalog is unverified - absence from search results is not proof of absence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-09
-
[11]Booklet of General Plans, USS LSM-354 (LSM-1-class), 1944 (incomplete, 7 pages; scanned from the Ed Zajkowski loan via Historic Naval Ships Association / maritime.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- maritime.org/doc/plans/lsm354.pdf (302 -> legacy.maritime.org, HTTP 200), sheets showing inboard profile, decks, and inner-bottom plan
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A 1944 Booklet of General Plans survives for LSM-354, a same-class (LSM-1) sister, showing the class arrangement relevant to exposure spaces: machinery and auxiliary-machinery compartments amidships below the tank well, engine-watch and muffler positions, steering-gear flat, berthing and messing compartments, and deck-level fittings. The booklet is an arrangement document - it carries no insulation or material schedule. PDF verified live this session via redirect to legacy.maritime.org.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Class-level arrangement drawings for a sister hull (LSM-354), not this hull; drawings establish compartment arrangement only - no material, insulation, or asbestos content is specified on the extracted sheets. Does not establish materials aboard LSM-375.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-10
-
[12]CourtListener public search (courtlistener.com), queries run 2026-10-01: "LSM-375" type=o; "LSM-375" OR "LSM 375" OR "USS LSM-375" type=r; "LSM 375" OR "USS LSM-375" OR "Landing Ship Medium 375" type=o; "Brown Shipbuilding" asbestos type=o - all zero results [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search results pages, all four queries - 'had no results'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener returned verified zero results on both the opinion and RECAP docket indexes for 'LSM-375', 'LSM 375', 'USS LSM-375', and 'Landing Ship Medium 375' (rendered public search interface, HTTP 200 'no results' pages, 2026-10-01 - a clean no-result, not a blocked search; authenticated API access was unavailable this session). A separate opinion-index query 'Brown Shipbuilding' + asbestos also returned zero - no published opinion tying the builder to asbestos was located. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- Interface search, not API - no authenticated connector or key available this session; coverage limits apply (CourtListener does not index every state-court pleading, and RECAP does not contain all PACER dockets). A zero result on a hull-number term is a low-collision query, so the no-result is meaningful but not exhaustive: dockets never surfaced to PACER/RECAP or cases naming only 'LSM' generically would not appear. State-court pleading-level material naming the hull could exist outside CourtListener coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-11
-
[13]Batch-6190 search ledger (this record): NavSource page; ShipbuildingHistory LSM table + navalmarinearchive.com Brown yard table; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document; NHHC DANFS direct URL + site search; Naval Vessel Register; NARA catalog (INSURV file unit + flotilla war diary + muster-roll index); CourtListener public search (both indexes, all name variants, plus builder query); GAO product page + full-text PDF; LSM-354 general plans; MARAD site search; uboat.net; Wikipedia; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-375-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-375 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). DANFS carries no individual entry for this hull (direct URL 404). NHHC site search surfaced only incidental PDF mentions (H-Gram 040, H-Gram 021, a 1960 aviation allowances PDF, and a Pearl Harbor MAGIC volume) - no hull history product and no online catalog record for the NavSource-cited photo NH 83271. The Naval Vessel Register excludes hulls disposed before 1987. The hull-named INSURV material-inspection file at NARA (ev-07) is undigitized. MARAD ShipHistory surfaced no record for this hull or the tug Advance via the queryable paths (SPA search endpoints return application errors).
- 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 Navy's documented asbestos era at a yard that mass-produced 254 LSMs, and the undigitized INSURV material file (NAID 2760885) plus Brown Shipbuilding work-package records are the open leads that could raise this record to ship_specific. Post-Navy exposure history (1949 tug conversion yard, Advance merchant crews, 1962 scrappers) is entirely undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-375-12