Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[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-376* (never named) — (mirror) http://www.navsource.net/archives/10/14/14376.htm — archived as `batch6191-02-navsource-lsm.html`
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-376-lsm376-pkt-569-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-376 page 10/14/14376 (Turner Publishing extract - secondary compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LSM-376 page: history extract, medal table, commanding-officer list, specifications block, contributed-photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive page for USS LSM-376 (history extract credited to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II): laid down 16 December 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 6 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-376 31 January 1945, LT. Ray R. Lindquist USNR in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Thirteen (LCDR C. L. Weigle USN), LSM Group Thirty-Eight (LCDR T. F. Lane USNR), LSM Division Seventy-Five; postwar Occupation and China service (Navy Occupation Service Medal 2 Sep-27 Nov 1945 as tabled; China Service Medal extended 28 Nov 1945-23 Jul 1946); decommissioned 18 July 1946 and transferred to the Republic of China the same day; struck date unknown; fate unknown. Commanding officers: Lindquist (31 Jan-Nov 1945), LT. Derrill E. Harlan USNR (Nov 1945-Jan 1946), LT. Peter Gentile USNR (Jan-Mar 1946), LTjg. Eliot Brody USNR (Mar-18 Jul 1946). Contributed photographs show the ship at anchor off eastern Okinawa with USS LSM-375 (undated), pierside in China 1946, and drydocked at Tsingtao, China, 1946.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation citing Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Vol. II - not a primary registry; no DANFS entry exists to cross-check against. Commissioning date, CO list, unit assignment, medals, and transfer are consistent with official sources where they overlap (NHHC fleet organization, NAVPERS 15,790), but laid-down/launch/decommission dates rest on secondary material alone. Its 18 July 1946 decommission date conflicts with uboat.net's 23 July 1946 - unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (official Navy organization list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM Division 75 entry, LSM Group Thirty-Eight, LSM Flotilla Thirteen section of the online transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval History and Heritage Command's United States Pacific Fleet Organization dated 1 May 1945 lists LSM 376 in LSM Division 75 (LSM 372 carries the FF - flotilla flagship - flag) under LSM Group Thirty-Eight (ComLSMGrp 38, Lt. Cdr. T. F. Lane USNR) of LSM Flotilla Thirteen, within Landing Craft Flotillas of the Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. No commanding officer is listed for LSM 376 in this document (dotted-line entry).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LSM-376 crew
- Limitations
- Supports unit assignment only as of 1 May 1945. Does not establish construction dates, builder, engineering details, commanding officer (no CO listed for this hull), materials aboard, asbestos, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-02
-
[4]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part 4 - Campaign and Service Medals, ship eligibility tables (NHHC Online Reading Room) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Part 4, Navy Occupation Service Medal / China Service Medal ship table, 'LSM 376' row; engagement-star credit lists (absence)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part 4 (Campaign and Service Medals), hosted by NHHC, lists LSM 376 in the service-medal table: Navy Occupation Service Medal periods '2 Sep - 12 Nov 45' and '26 Oct - 27 Nov 45' (Asia clasp 'A'), and China Service Medal (extended) '28 Nov 45 - 23 Jul 46.' LSM 376 does NOT appear in the manual's engagement-star credit list - sister hulls LSM 372, 373, 374, and 377 carry P34-1 credits for 8 Jun-18 Jun 1945, but no credit is listed for LSM 376, consistent with zero battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-09-02 to 1946-07-23
- Population
- LSM-376 crew during occupation/China service
- Limitations
- Official awards record verifying occupation and China-service medal credit periods and the absence of engagement-star credit. NavSource collapses the two occupation periods into '2 September to 27 November 1945' - the manual's two distinct windows are carried. Documents campaign service, not materials aboard, asbestos, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-03
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' yard table and yard history [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown Shipbuilding yard table, hull no. 253 row; yard-history header paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The shipbuildinghistory.com Brown Shipbuilding (Houston TX) yard table lists yard hull no. 253 as 'LSM 376,' Landing Ship: keel laid 16-Dec-44, launched 6-Jan-45, delivered 31-Jan-45, disposition 'To China 1946.' The yard page documents that Brown Shipbuilding was built in 1941 by George and Herman Brown at the junction of Green's Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel with $9 million in Navy money, and produced 359 vessels in four years including 254 LSMs.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of builder records - consistent with NavSource on keel/launch/delivery dates and the China transfer, but not an official registry. No asbestos, materials, or condition content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LSM 376 (LSM 376), ship/12975 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/12975 data table and history note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS LSM 376 (ship/12975): built by Brown Shipbuilding Co. (Houston, Texas); ordered 8 April 1944; laid down 16 December 1944; launched 6 January 1945; commissioned 31 January 1945; end service 23 July 1946; history note 'Decommissioned on 23 July 1946 and transferred to China.' The 23 July decommissioning conflicts with NavSource's 18 July 1946 - a secondary-source discrepancy carried unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation. The ordered date (8 Apr 1944) appears only here. The 23 July 1946 decommission date conflicts with NavSource's 18 July; the NAVPERS China-service credit ending 23 July 1946 is consistent with but does not resolve the conflict. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-05
-
[7]NARA, 'COM LSM GR 38 - War Diary, 10/1-31/45,' NAID 77555066, RG 38 (WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories), micro serial 148669, 5 digitized images reviewed [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77555066; all 5 images of the digitized unit (catalog images 0713-0717) read at image level
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The war diary of the hull's parent unit survives and is digitized: 'COM LSM GR 38 - War Diary, 10/1-31/45' (NARA NAID 77555066, RG 38 WWII War Diaries, micro serial 148669, serial 037, dated 4 November 1945, signed M. E. Wierenga; 5 images read at image level this session). The diary records Group 38 operations: typhoon evasion 1-9 October off Okinawa; Kerama Retto anchorage; loading the 24th Infantry Regiment at Zamami Jima for Okinawa; unloading Army units at Naha; departure Buckner Bay 18 October for Wakayama, Honshu, beaching and unloading there 21-22 October; return to Okinawa; a second Wakayama run begun 30-31 October. Named ships are LSMs 450 (flagship), 441, 448, 248, 299, 366, 265, 263, 439, 465, and 253 - LSM-376 is not named anywhere in the document.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-10-01 to 1945-10-31
- Population
- LSM Group 38 crews (rotated composition, Oct 1945)
- Limitations
- Unit-level primary record. LSM-376's assignment to LSM Group 38 is separately verified (NHHC fleet organization, 1 May 1945, ev-02), but by October 1945 the group's operating composition had rotated and the diary never names LSM-376 - the hull was then on the occupation/China-service track (NAVPERS credits from 2 Sep 1945). This diary documents the parent unit's operations and tempo, not this hull's movements; it contains no materials, asbestos, or exposure content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-06
-
[8]NARA catalog file unit 'LSM-376,' NAID 2760886, RG 38, Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation series (NAID 2092723) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/2760886 file-unit description (Not Yet Available Online; paper, College Park)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A hull-specific Board of Inspection and Survey file exists: NARA file unit titled 'LSM-376' (NAID 2760886, Container ID 95), in the series 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation' (1940-1978), RG 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), creator Department of the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey. Access and use unrestricted; archived copy is paper only at the National Archives at College Park - Not Yet Available Online.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-1978 series; hull records likely 1945-1946
- Limitations
- Existence of a hull-named InSurv material-inspection file is catalog-verified, but the contents were not reviewed - the file is not digitized and no image-level or in-person inspection was performed. Material-inspection reports can document machinery and material condition, but whether this file addresses insulation, asbestos, or any asbestos-relevant material is unknown. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-07
-
[9]NARA catalog file units, RG 38 WWII War Diaries series and RG 24 Muster Rolls/Index to Muster Rolls series (catalog.archives.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov searches '"COM LSM GR 38"' (7 file units), '"COM LSM FLOT 13"' (21 file units), '"LSM-376"' (48 results), '"USS LSM-376"' (19 results)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (catalog-verified, contents unreviewed unless noted): NARA RG 38 WWII War Diaries for the hull's parent units - COM LSM GR 38 diaries NAID 101749934 (6/2-30/45), 83533937 (7/1-31/45), 77520672 (8/1-31/45), 77578630 (9/1-30/45), 77555066 (10/1-31/45, reviewed - see ev-06), 633456074 (11/1-30/45), 77595649 (12/1-19/45); COM LSM FLOT 13 War History NAID 77653382 plus monthly diaries incl. NAID 139968860 (1/29-2/28/45), 633449265 (3/45), 633449271 (4/45), 77462753 and 101778140 (6/45), 77520640 (7/45), 77511259 (8/45), 77554977 (9/45), 633456034 (10/45), 633455755 (11/45), 140086709 (12/45). Personnel-side leads: no digitized muster-roll file unit titled for LSM-376 was located in catalog searches, but the RG 24 'Index to Muster Rolls' file unit 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005' (NAID 118967604) covers the hull's range; RG 24 deck logs for USS LSM-376 not located as digitized.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/file-unit mapping only - except the October 1945 Group 38 diary reviewed as ev-06, contents were not extracted; the unit diaries may or may not name this hull. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 via Firecrawl Alexandria provider 'courtlistener-com' - opinions/search_opinions and dockets/search_dockets [court_record]
- Locator
- Queries executed 2026-10-02: opinions '"USS LSM-376"' (count 0), '"LSM 376"' (count 0), 'LSM-376' (count 5, all collisions); dockets '"LSM-376"' (count 0), 'LSM-376' unquoted (count 605, token noise)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener API v4 searches were executed this session via the authenticated Firecrawl Alexandria 'courtlistener-com' provider. Opinions: exact phrase '"USS LSM-376"' returned 0 results; '"LSM 376"' returned 0; unquoted 'LSM-376' returned 5 hits, all name collisions on tokenized text (a RadioShack bankruptcy adversary opinion, a California consumer-credit appeal, an S.D.N.Y. securities opinion, a Puerto Rico Supreme Court opinion, and one additional non-ship matter) - none name the vessel and none are asbestos litigation. Dockets: exact phrase '"LSM-376"' returned 0; the unquoted variant returned 605 full-text token matches with no ship-related case in the result set. Classification: no qualifying asbestos litigation located; non-qualifying hits classified as name collisions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Population
- CourtListener opinions and RECAP dockets
- Limitations
- A verified executed-search negative, not proof that no litigation exists anywhere: unindexed, sealed, non-digitized, differently captioned, or non-CourtListener records remain possible; pre-digital state dockets and state-court pleadings are largely outside the corpus. No hit at any stage (pleading, discovery, trial, judgment) was located naming this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 via Firecrawl Alexandria provider 'courtlistener-com' - opinions/search_opinions, '"Brown Shipbuilding" asbestos' (count 0) and '"Brown Shipbuilding"' (count 12, all non-asbestos) [court_record]
- Locator
- Queries executed 2026-10-02; 12 Brown Shipbuilding opinions individually classified non-asbestos (wage/compensation/jurisdiction)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-level CourtListener check: '"Brown Shipbuilding" asbestos' opinions search returned 0 results; '"Brown Shipbuilding"' alone returned 12 opinions, all 1940s-era employment/compensation/jurisdiction matters at the Houston yard - e.g., Miller v. Brown Shipbuilding Co., 71 F. Supp. 672 (S.D. Tex. 1947), aff'd per curiam on jurisdictional grounds, 165 F.2d 956 (5th Cir. 1948); American General Ins. Co. v. Ariola, 187 S.W.2d 585 (Tex. Civ. App. 1945), and American General Ins. Co. v. Amerson, 187 S.W.2d 912 (Tex. Civ. App. 1945), workmen's-compensation death claims arising from employment injuries. None is asbestos-related; no published court opinion documenting asbestos use or exposure at the Brown Shipbuilding yard was located in CourtListener.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Population
- CourtListener opinions corpus
- Limitations
- A builder-level negative within the CourtListener corpus only. Absence of a published opinion does not prove the yard used no asbestos - WWII emergency yards of this type are era-consistent with asbestos-containing shipbuilding materials, and most asbestos claims were resolved below the published-opinion level. No ship-level or builder-level qualifying litigation was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-10
-
[12]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and program under which this LSM-1-class hull was mass-produced in 1944-45.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-11
-
[13]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) - official product page [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 Highlights (verified via Firecrawl; direct automated fetches return HTTP 403 - standing gao.gov access restriction; full 26-page report PDF not retrieved)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's official product page documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships and managed its removal: GAO reviewed the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal cost, and compensation programs at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only damaged insulation or insulation removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy period reviewed
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews, program-wide
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The hull left U.S. custody in July 1946, decades before the 1975-79 removal policy described. Content via the product-page Highlights only; full text not retrievable this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-12
-
[14]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-1 specifications (2 x Fairbanks-Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, direct drive, twin screws; diesel ship's-service generators); shipbuildinghistory.com Brown yard table (hull 253); Corn & Starr 1987 (ev-11); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-era documentation (ev-12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.htm hull 253; Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3):359-373; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel landing ship built December 1944-January 1945 at a Gulf Coast emergency yard during the documented WWII asbestos-use era sits inside the class/era window for asbestos-containing shipboard materials. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel LSM of this period: diesel-exhaust and machinery lagging, gaskets, valve packing, thermal insulation of hull spaces, and electrical insulation. She carried no steam plant (two Fairbanks-Morse diesels, direct drive) - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-376. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish presence aboard, exposure of any person, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-13
-
[15]Batch-6191 search ledger (this record): NHHC fleet organization + NAVPERS 15,790 + DANFS check; NARA catalog (InSurv file unit, unit war diaries, muster-roll index, ship plan index); NVR; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory; uboat.net; GAO; CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-01 through -17
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or other primary record documenting asbestos aboard USS LSM-376 was found in the public sources searched - no DANFS entry exists for this hull; the NARA public Ship Plan Index contains no LSM-376 listing; the hull-named InSurv material-inspection file (NAID 2760886) is not digitized and its contents are unreviewed; no digitized muster roll or ship-level war diary for the hull was located; the Naval Vessel Register does not list the hull (pre-1987 disposals excluded). Ship-specific asbestos documentation remains unknown.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02 search
- Population
- Hull-specific records
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945-built amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull was transferred to the Republic of China in 1946, so no postwar U.S. survey, abatement, or scrapping-yard hazmat record can be expected in U.S. sources. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-376-lsm376-14