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-39 (page 10/14/14039) - build/service/disposal timeline, campaigns, specifications, commanding officers; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1997 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14039.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 28 May 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 22 June 1944; commissioned USS LSM-39 on 21 July 1944, LTjg. Grover C. Hollowell Jr. USNR in command (NavSource prints 'Hollwell' - see correction row ev-11). WWII service in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: Leyte operation (Ormoc Bay landings, 11-13 December 1944); Manila Bay-Bicol operation (Mariveles-Corregidor, 14-28 February 1945); Consolidation of the Southern Philippines (Mindanao landings 10 March and 10-16 May 1945; Sulu Archipelago landings 2-4 and 9-11 April 1945); Borneo operation (Balikpapan, 26 June - 6 July 1945). Occupation service in the Far East 7 October - 23 November 1945. Decommissioned 13 March 1946 at San Diego; struck from the Naval Register 28 March 1946; sold December 1946 to J.C. Berkwit & Co., New York, N.Y.; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Four battle stars for WWII service; ribbon bar additionally lists Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and Philippine Liberation Medal (2). Specifications: 203'6" oa, 34'6" beam, 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full load; 13.2 kt; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow mount + four single 20mm; two Fairbanks Morse (model 38D81/8X10) diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each, twin screws, 2,800 shp. Commanding officers: LT Grover C. Hollowell Jr. USNR (21 Jul 1944 - 15 Aug 1945); LT Ross V. Baumann USNR (15 Aug 1945 - Dec 1945); LTjg Alva F. Cavin USNR (Dec 1945 - 13 Mar 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (May-Jul 1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops during five landing operations
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its history extract is the Turner LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces text (the same basis the official DANFS LSM entries use); dates corroborated against the BuShips Ships' Data 1945 roster (ev-02) and uboat.net (ev-05). No asbestos or material content. CO surname printed 'Hollwell' is a typo - the ship's own muster roll signature block reads 'G. C. Hollowell' (ev-03, ev-11).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-01
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945 edition), LSM design table p.150 + construction roster p.151 (shipscribe.com Google-scan mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 book pp. 150-151 (PDF pp. ~167-168): LSM design table; roster line 'LSM39 (ex-LCT(7)1539)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuShips roster records this hull: 'LSM39 (ex-LCT(7)1539) - Brown S. B. Co., Houston, Tex. - keel laid 28 May 44 - ship launched 22 Jun 44 - date of first commission 21 Jul 44' (roster page verified on the scanned page image; the text layer OCRs '1539' as '1599'). She was thus contracted as LCT(7) hull 1539 and completed as LSM-39 - the same LCT-to-LSM carryover the roster shows across the LSM1-122 block. The class design table (p.150) documents: 203'6" overall, 34'6" extreme beam, 743 t beaching / 1,095 t full-load displacement, 12.5 kt trial, accommodations 5 officers / 54 enlisted, one twin 40mm AA mount, twin-screw diesel direct drive 2,800 shp, ship's-service generators 2x100 kW 450V AC + 1x20 kW 120V DC, fuel oil 1,225 bbls; footnote 4 assigns Fairbanks Morse model 38D8-series engines to hulls LSM1-145 (which includes LSM-39).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (publication scope)
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (May-Jul 1944); commissioning crew (21 Jul 1944)
- Limitations
- Primary-source official design/roster data for this hull. Contains no asbestos or material content - a design and construction register only. The 'ex-LCT(7)' designation means her construction contract began under the LCT(7) landing-craft program; uboat.net's 'ordered 15 Sep 1943' likely reflects that original LCT contract date (unverified against the contract document itself). PDF page 168 is the roster page image (book p.151).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-02
-
[3]NARA, Record Group 24, series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' - file unit 'LSM-39, 7/21/44-2/28/46' (NAID 126616174), 99 digitized images (Ancestry partnership film) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 126616174; file unit 'LSM-39, 7/21/44-2/28/46'; forwarding-sheet image (30 Sep 1944 quarter)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull's complete muster rolls from commissioning (21 Jul 1944) through 28 Feb 1946 are digitized and public: the file unit contains the quarterly crew rosters, reports of changes, passenger lists and recapitulation sheets - a name-by-name enumeration of every man who served aboard. Spot-check of image 3 (forwarding sheet for the quarter ending 30 September 1944, received 24 Oct 1944) shows the certifications signed by 'Ross V. Baumann, Lt., USNR., Executive Officer' and approved by 'G. C. Hollowell, Lt., USNR., Commanding Officer' - fixing the first CO's surname spelling (see ev-11) and documenting the wartime crew structure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- All hands aboard LSM-39, Jul 1944 - Feb 1946 (enumerated by name in the rolls)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the rolls document WHO served aboard, not materials or exposure. 99 images were confirmed digitized; only the lead forwarding sheet was inspected page-level this session - the full rolls were not read name-by-name. Coverage ends 28 Feb 1946; the final two weeks before decommissioning (13 Mar 1946) are outside this file unit. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-03
-
[4]NARA, Record Group 38, series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' - USS LSM-39 war diaries (Jan, Feb, Mar-Apr, May, Jun-Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct-Nov 1945) and five ship action reports [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAIDs 77484970, 139788782, 77606297, 77507888, 77507894, 139881502, 139913079, 101726584, 77477797, 83565176, 77490093, 77532336, 633451384
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds digitized ship-generated records for this hull: (a) 'Rep of opers in the assault landings at Balikpapan, Borneo, 7/1-2/45' (NAID 77484970, 9 images); (b) 'Rep of Reinforcement Landing on Ormoc Bay, Leyte Is, Philippines on 12/12/44, Including AA Act' (NAID 139788782); (c) 'Report of operations in the invasion of Sanga Sanga Island, Sulu Archipelago, 4/2/45' (NAID 77606297); (d) 'Report of Operations in the invasion of Jolo Island, Sulu Archipelago, 4/9-11/45' (NAID 77507888); (e) 'Report of operations in the assault landings in Macajalar Bay, Mindanao Island, 5/10/45' (NAID 77507894); plus monthly war diaries for Jan/Feb 1945 (NAIDs 139881502, 139913079), Mar-Apr (101726584), May (77477797), Jun-Jul (83565176), Aug (77490093), Sep (77532336), and Oct-Nov 1945 (633451384).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew during five documented amphibious landings, Dec 1944 - Jul 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead: catalog entries verified and digitized (Fold3/microfilm scans), but content not extracted this session - titles alone corroborate the campaign record; they contain operational narrative, not materials documentation. No asbestos content expected or found. War-diary coverage begins Jan 1945; the ship's Aug-Dec 1944 shakedown/approach period has no war-diary unit in the catalog (the Ormoc Bay action report covers Dec 1944).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 39 (ship 12650) - build data + Operation Oboe II order of battle [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 12650 (vital-data table; 'Notable events' Operation Oboe II OrBat transcription, LSM Group 6)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation confirming this hull's milestones: ordered 15 September 1943; built by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston; laid down 28 May 1944; launched 22 June 1944; commissioned 21 July 1944; end of service 13 March 1946; 'Sold in December 1946.' Its Balikpapan order-of-battle transcription places LSM-39 in LSM Group 6 (T/Lt.Cdr. E.E. Weire USN; sisters LSM-42, -38, -40, -223, -224, -267), within the LSM Unit TG 78.2.4 (T/Capt. D.J. Wientraub aboard LCFF-789) of the Balikpapan Attack Group TG 78.2 (Vice-Admiral D.E. Barbey) for Operation Oboe II, 1 July 1945 - and names her commanding officer as 'Lt. G.C. Hollowell, USNR' (correct spelling; cf. NavSource 'Hollwell' typo - ev-11).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Crew at Balikpapan landings, 1-2 Jul 1945
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Gudmundur Helgason's Allied Warships) - corroborative, not a primary registry; milestone dates match BuShips/NavSource exactly. 'Ordered 15 Sep 1943' predates the BuShips-documented ex-LCT(7)1539 carryover and likely reflects the original LCT contract. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-05
-
[6]Colton's Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net), 'Landing Ships, Medium' builder table - LSM-39 disposal line [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory LSM table row 'LSM-39'; NavSource 10/14/14067.htm (LSM-67 Berkwit 'for scrapping' corroboration)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Colton's construction/disposal table records: 'LSM-39 - Brown SB - Houston TX - 21 Jul 1944 - sold to Berkwit & Co. 1947 for scrapping.' The 'for scrapping' characterization is consistent with how NavSource records the same buyer for sister hull LSM-67 ('sold for scrapping, in December 1946, to J.C. Berkwit Co., New York, N.Y.'), though Berkwit & Co. was a surplus-vessel dealer that also resold hulls into merchant conversion (sister LSM-230 became the Cross Sound ferry MV Orient Point).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1946-1947
- Population
- Shipbreakers/salvage workers at the (unidentified) disposal yard, 1946-47
- Limitations
- Secondary shipbuilding register (Tim Colton's widely used compilation, now mirrored at njscuba.net). Conflicts on a detail: NavSource/uboat say sold December 1946; Colton says 1947. Berkwit was a dealer, not necessarily the breaker - the actual breaking yard, location, and date are undocumented ('fate unknown' per NavSource remains the honest bottom line). No asbestos or hazmat content; the 1946-47 disposal predates any asbestos-handling regulation but no material record of the breakup exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-06
-
[7]Naval Marine Archive shipyard profile, 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' + Brown & Root corporate history page (brownandroot.com/who-we-are/history); USNI Naval History June 2025 article 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' (blocked to automated fetch); Rice University Woodson Research Center, Brown & Root/George R. Brown Executive Files MS 0488, Series V: Brown Shipbuilding Company Files 1939-1950 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com Brown yard table + history block; brownandroot.com 'The 1940s' history section; archives.library.rice.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/222619 (MS 0488 Series V); Miller v. Brown Shipbuilding, 71 F. Supp. 672 (S.D. Tex. 1947)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's documented profile: Brown Shipbuilding was created in 1941-42 by George and Herman Brown of the Brown & Root construction company with $9 million in Navy funding, built on Green's Bayou at the Houston Ship Channel; a greenfield wartime yard with no prior shipbuilding experience that became Houston's second-largest wartime employer and produced 359 vessels in four years - including 61 destroyer escorts, 12 PCs, 32 LCI(L)s, and 254 LSMs (the LSM1-125 block among them, covering LSM-39). Wartime federal litigation documents the yard's labor force: Miller v. Brown Shipbuilding Co., 71 F. Supp. 672 (S.D. Tex. 1947) records a class of ~800 Black employees alleging misclassification/discrimination in wartime ship construction and repair - evidence of workforce scale and composition, not of asbestos. The yard's surviving business records (1939-1950) are at Rice University's Woodson Research Center, MS 0488 Series V - the archival lead for any builder-side materials documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding wartime workforce (~800-member plaintiff class attested; yard was Houston's second-largest employer)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context: establishes where and how this hull was built; does not document materials aboard any specific hull and contains no asbestos finding. The USNI Naval History article (usni.org, June 2025, Vol. 39 no. 3) was identified but its live page returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - content corroborated via search-index text, not page-level verification. Workforce-litigation cite is labor history, not exposure evidence. mesothelioma.net and similar marketing pages for this yard are excluded by source policy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-07
-
[8]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LSM design table (diesel direct drive, no boilers); NavSource specifications (2x Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8x10 diesels, 2,800 shp, twin screws); class-f LST-1 class profile era analysis for diesel amphibious construction (same ship-type family, same era, same no-steam plant pattern); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 p.150 design table (propulsion/generators/accommodations); NavSource 14039 spec block; shipyards.json-era analysis precedent (lst-1-class profile, class-f worktree)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A medium landing ship built May-July 1944 at a wartime emergency yard sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. For a diesel-powered amphibious hull of this type, era-standard asbestos applications were: diesel-exhaust and engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation (the two FM opposed-piston diesels and the three diesel ship's-service generator sets), exhaust-uptake lagging, gaskets and valve packing throughout fuel/cooling/plumbing systems, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, electrical insulation, and brake linings on winches/crane and windlass gear. The amphibious-service pattern (troop berthing in a confined converted-LCT hull form) puts crew and embarked troops alongside machinery spaces. As a diesel ship 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); ship's company (5 officers + 54 enlisted complement) and embarked troops (up to ~48) during operations, 1944-46; disposal-yard workers 1946-47
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, plans, or work package located for LSM-39. Names era-standard applications for the ship type, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-08
-
[9]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing since 2026-09-14)
- 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 (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report covering WWII-era through 1970s practice)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; ship crews of the era (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved this session (gao.gov has returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches since Batch-01; product-page description used).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-09
-
[10]Batch-6206 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 roster + design table; NARA catalog (muster rolls, 8 war-diary units, 5 action reports); uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory; NHHC DANFS (no entry); NVR (no entry - disposed 1946, pre-coverage); hazegray/ibiblio DANFS mirrors (unreachable); CourtListener opinions (0 hits both queries; RECAP dockets blocked by fleet pacing limiter); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-39-01 through sl-uss-lsm-39-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material list, or docketed litigation naming USS LSM-39 (or her LCT(7)-1539 contract identity) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned zero results for both '"LSM-39"' and '"USS LSM-39"' (type=o, authenticated, 2026-10-01). Her unusually rich NARA file (99-image muster rolls, eight war-diary units, five action reports) documents personnel and operations - none is a materials record. The only 'asbestos' content surfaced is law-firm marketing (a mesothelioma.net Brown Shipbuilding yard page asserting asbestos-era construction without primary sourcing) - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT: the CourtListener RECAP docket search (type=r) could not be completed - the fleet pacing limiter declined the attempt after the two opinion searches succeeded; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result.
- 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 - a 1944 diesel amphibious hull is era-consistent with standard asbestos applications. The RECAP docket-repository gap is genuinely open (pacing-blocked after opinion searches completed). A zero-hit opinion index does not exclude unindexed pleadings or docket-only references. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-10
-
[11]Spelling correction anchored to the ship's own muster roll (NAID 126616174, forwarding-sheet signature block for the quarter ending 30 Sep 1944) and uboat.net ship page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126616174 image 3 (forwarding sheet signature block); uboat.net ship/12650 OrBat transcription; NavSource 14039 header; NARA 'COM LSM GR 39' file units; NHHC us-pacific-fleet-organization-1may1945 page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource prints the first commanding officer's name as 'LTjg. Grover C. Hollwell Jr. USNR' (and 'LT. Hollwell Jr., Grover C.' in the CO table). The ship's own muster-roll forwarding sheet (30 Sep 1944 quarter) shows the typed signature block 'G. C. Hollowell, Lt., USNR., Commanding Officer', and uboat.net's Balikpapan order of battle independently gives 'Lt. G.C. Hollowell, USNR'. Correct spelling: HOLLOWELL. Separately, NARA catalog entries for 'COM LSM GR 39' (e.g., NAIDs 140025971, 101735433, 83533944, 77562629, 77520676, 77574460, 140006394) are war diaries of Commander, LSM Group 39 - a squadron headquarters unit, NOT this hull - and the NHHC 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' page lists 'LSM GROUP 39' likewise; these are name collisions, not ship records.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Corrects a printed typo and preempts a catalog-level name collision; not a material/exposure claim. The middle name/initial suffix ('Jr.') is consistent across sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-39-11