Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 570-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-381-lsm381-pkt-570-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-381 - construction, commissioning, unit assignments, occupation/China service dates, decommission/transfer/disposal, specifications, commanding officers, contributed photos; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14381.htm - history block, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class landing ship medium laid down 23 December 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 13 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-381, 12 February 1945, LTjg. Raymond Wolcott USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LSM Flotilla Fourteen (LCDR. W. R. McCaleb), LSM Group Forty (LCDR. O. J. Heggem), LSM Division Eighty. Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) service 17 September-4 November 1945 and 4 July 1946-1 September 1947; China Service Medal (extended) 4 July 1946-1 September 1947. Decommissioned, date unknown; transferred to the State Department for disposal; 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" x 34'6"; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted, troop accommodations 2 officers + 46 enlisted; two Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 reversible diesels with hydraulic clutches, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; generators 2 x 100 kW 450V A.C. + 1 x 20 kW 120V D.C. diesel-drive; armament twin 40 mm + 4 x 20 mm. Contributed photo captions place the hull pierside at Tsingtao, China (1947) and include an unverified crew anecdote of grounding near Tsingtao 5 July 1947 with crew and embarked Marines removed to USS Lejeune (AP-74). Ribbon set: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; China Service Medal (extended); Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); American Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal - no battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston construction trades (1944-45); ship's company ~59 (5 officers + 54 enlisted) plus embarked troops (2 officers + 46 enlisted accommodations)
- 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 NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document (1 May 1945), and DANFS (Talbot entry). Division assignment conflicts with the official NHHC document (Division 80 here vs Division 79 in the official 1 May 1945 list - see ev-03). The Tsingtao grounding account is a contributed crew anecdote, unverified. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-01
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory, 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' construction table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm, LSM table row 381 (Brown SB / Houston block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of this hull's construction line: 'LSM 381 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 12-Feb-45 | To DoS 1947 for disposal'. 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.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled construction table - corroborates builder, yard city, delivery/commissioning date (12 Feb 1945), and the State Department ('DoS') disposal path against NavSource. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-02
-
[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 Fourteen > LSM Group Forty > LSM Division 79 block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official wartime fleet-organization document confirms this hull's flotilla and group assignment as of 1 May 1945 - LSM Flotilla Fourteen, LSM Group Forty (LCDR. O. J. Heggem, matching NavSource) - but lists LSM-381 in LSM Division SEVENTY-NINE alongside LSM-380, LSM-382, and LSM-383, not the Division Eighty carried by NavSource's Turner-derived extract. The official point-in-time document controls the 1 May 1945 division assignment; Division 79 is carried in this record and the NavSource Division 80 is logged as a conflicting secondary-source variant.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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 only; a hull could shift divisions between wartime reorganizations, so this does not prove NavSource wrong for other dates, but for the documented date the official record controls. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-03
-
[5]DANFS entry for Talbot II (Destroyer No. 114 / APD-7), Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- danfs/t/talbot-destroyer-no-114-ii.html, paragraph on the April 1945 Parece Vela survey
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents a ship-specific operation for this hull: after convoy escort to Ulithi and an onward order to Guam, 'Talbot and LSM-381 proceeded to Parece Vela to conduct a survey of the reef and determine the feasibility of erecting a radio, weather, and observation station there. She returned to Guam on 20 April and reached Ulithi the next day' - i.e., a joint hydrographic-survey detachment at Parece Vela (Douglas Reef) in April 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Ship-history mention inside another vessel's DANFS entry - it establishes the hull's presence and survey role at Parece Vela but says nothing about her own operations log, materials, or condition. LSM-381 has no individual DANFS entry. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-04
-
[6]NARA catalog File Unit 'A4/LSM-381 - Operations', NAID 482959519 - Record Group 313 (Records of Naval Operating Forces), series 'Secret Records Relating to Histories, Squadron Operation Orders, Awards and Decorations, War Diaries, and Presentations' [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/482959519 - File Unit 'A4/LSM-381 - Operations', RG 313
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A ship-specific operations file for this hull exists in the National Archives: 'A4/LSM-381 - Operations' (NAID 482959519), in RG 313's WWII-era secret command-files series - likely holding war diaries and/or operation orders referencing LSM-381. Unrestricted, paper-only at NARA College Park; not digitized.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- USS LSM-381 ship's company (operations records may name individuals)
- Limitations
- Catalog record verified via rendered catalog search; the file unit's contents were not inspected (no digitized images - paper reference only). Scope uncertain: RG 313 command files aggregate hull operations references and may be brief. No muster-roll file unit for LSM-381 surfaced in the same search; deck-log status unresolved. Personnel roster coverage is therefore an open lead, not a confirmed resource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (Fairbanks Morse diesel plant, diesel-drive generators); ShipbuildingHistory class context (558 LSMs, seven yards, 1944-45); GAO HRD-80-2 full text (see ev-08); Toro v. Combustion Engineering builder-level pleading (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14381.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-February 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
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston construction trades (1944-45); ship's company and embarked troops (1945-47); any post-transfer handlers/scrappers (1947+, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-381. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The builder-level pleading (ev-07) concerns boilers supplied to the yard for other programs and does not establish materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-06
-
[8]Toro v. Combustion Engineering, Inc., No. 1:03-cv-00326 (D. Haw.), First Amended Complaint, dkt. 5 - RECAP document gov.uscourts.hid.14357.5.0.pdf (paragraph extracted via rendered query; PDF is image-scanned, no text layer) [court_record]
- Locator
- courtlistener.com docket 4245524 (Toro v. Combustion Eng.), dkt. 5 amended complaint, boiler-assembly paragraph
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-level litigation context: in the Hawaii asbestos 'fraud-on-discovery' action, plaintiffs alleged that '86 of the CE supplied boilers were shipped from Houston partially assembled to Consolidated Steel's Shipbuilding Division in Orange, Texas ... and 46 were shipped from Houston partially assembled to Brown Shipbuilding in Houston, Texas. Total number of boilers partially assembled by CE in vicinity of Houston--132.' A pleading allegation that Combustion Engineering shipped partially assembled boilers to the Brown Shipbuilding yard in Houston - the yard that built this hull - during the wartime production era.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s (alleged); 2003 (pleading)
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston yard workers (wartime era, per allegation)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation, NOT a finding: it names the builder's Houston yard, not LSM-381 or any specific hull, and it concerns CE-supplied boilers for ship programs, not installed insulation. Litigation-stage discipline applied - complaint allegations are allegations only. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or legal eligibility. Classified as class_or_era/context; not qualifying asbestos litigation for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-07
-
[9]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 (1945-47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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. The shipyard findings concern Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - they do not generalize to Brown Shipbuilding Houston. Full 26-page PDF retrieved via Firecrawl PDF render this session (direct fetch of gao.gov assets returns HTTP 403 to automation - standing defect worked around via renderer).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-08
-
[10]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' (June 2025) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- usni.org Naval History June 2025, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder history: Brown Shipbuilding Company - established 1941 on the Houston Ship Channel by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root, the Houston area's second-largest wartime employer - mass-produced naval vessels on government contracts (destroyer escorts, submarine chasers, landing craft), delivering 254 LSMs between May 1944 and March 1946; peak employment about 14,395 workers. Sold after the war to Todd Houston.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Houston workforce (~14,395 peak)
- Limitations
- Yard-level historical context only - establishes the builder's wartime LSM production scale and workforce but contains no asbestos-specific content (a keyword check of the article found only a bibliography occurrence of 'asbestos'). Does not establish materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-09
-
[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, 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.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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-381.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-10
-
[12]Batch-6197 search ledger (this record): NavSource page; ShipbuildingHistory LSM table; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document; DANFS Talbot mention; NHHC DANFS direct URL; Naval Vessel Register; NARA catalog (RG 313 operations-file hit; no muster-roll unit surfaced); CourtListener public search (both indexes, all name variants + builder-company queries); GAO product page + full-text PDF; LSM-354 general plans; secondary web sweep (uboat.net, Wikipedia, USNI, TSHA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-381-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-381 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned verified zero results on both the opinion and RECAP docket indexes for 'LSM-381', 'LSM 381', 'USS LSM-381', and 'Landing Ship Medium 381' (rendered public search interface, HTTP 200 'no results', 2026-10-02 - a clean no-result, not a blocked search; authenticated API access was unavailable this session). DANFS carries no individual entry for this hull (direct URL 404). NVR excludes hulls disposed before 1987. Secondary web sweep surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- 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 with builder-level asbestos-context allegations in litigation (Toro, pleading stage only). Deck logs, muster rolls, State Department disposal records, and any post-transfer breakup or conversion records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-381-11