Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 573-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-400-lsm400-pkt-573-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-400 (10/14/14400.htm), history extract from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997; ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 14400.htm header/history block, specifications block, awards ribbon display, photo-caption series, and commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1997): LSM-1-class; laid down 29 December 1944 at U.S. Navy Yard, Charleston, SC; launched 18 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-400 20 August 1945, LT. Richard N. Mason, USNR, in command; WWII Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment - LSM Flotilla Fifteen, LSM Group Forty-Three, LSM Division Eighty-Five; decommissioned 17 March 1947; 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; transferred 20 March 1947 to Chile, renamed Aspirante Goycolea (LSM-33); decommissioned by Chilean Navy 1967 and converted to a fuel-oil barge redesignated YON-140; final disposition 'disposed of in 1973, by Chilean Navy, fate unknown.' Spec block: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full load; 203'6" ovl x 34'6" beam; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin 40mm bow + four single 20mm; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVTs, or 9 DUKWs; endurance 4,900 mi @ 12 kts. Ribbon display: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. Photo captions place her off the coast of southeast Korea in fall 1945; at Chattanooga, TN for Navy Day, 29 October 1945 (mast removed for low river bridges); and at Little Creek Amphibious Base 19 August 1946 for Cadet-Midshipman Exercises (CAMID) flanked by USS LST-1073 and USS LCI(L)-867. Commanding officers listed: Mason (20 Aug-1 Nov 1945), Gollub (Nov 1945-Feb 1946), Daily (Feb-8 Apr 1946), Whitcomb (8 Apr-Nov 1946), Malone (Nov 1946-17 Mar 1947).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944-45); USN crew (1945-47); Chilean Navy crew (1947-1966/67); unknown breakers/handlers post-1973
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track the Turner Publishing extract; the struck date is explicitly unknown and the Chilean decommission year conflicts with the Armada de Chile's official decree date (see gaps). Page verified live 2026-10-01 via Firecrawl (HTTP 200, navsource.net - the .org domain is dead). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-01
-
[3]National Archives at Atlanta, finding aid for RG 181 Ship Commissioning Files - Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina (NAID 2694599) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Finding-aid box list: box 9, row 'Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-400 | 8/20/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds a ship-specific commissioning file for this hull: RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments), 'Ship Commissioning Files, 1942-1945,' Sixth Naval District at Charleston, SC, National Archives Identifier 2694599 - box 9 lists 'Landing Ship, Medium | LSM-400 | 8/20/1945'. The series consists of correspondence, invitations, and instructions relating to the commissioning of naval vessels at the Charleston Navy Yard during World War II. The Charleston file placement independently corroborates Charleston construction against the Chilean official history's 'Brown, Huston, Texas' variant.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the finding aid confirms the file exists (box 9); its contents - correspondence, invitations, instructions - were not surveyed and are described at series level only. A commissioning file would not normally carry insulation/material specifications. No asbestos content in the finding aid itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library Online Reading Room: 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- LSM FLOTILLA FIFTEEN > LSM GROUP FORTY-THREE > LSM DIVISION 85, row 'LSM 400'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHHC Navy Department Library transcription of 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' lists LSM 400 under LSM Flotilla Fifteen, LSM Group Forty-Three, LSM Division Eighty-Five - the same flotilla/group/division assignment NavSource records - alongside LSM 399, LSM 413, and LSM 553-555 in Division 85. The 1 May 1945 roster predates her 20 August 1945 commissioning, documenting the hull's Pacific Fleet assignment before she entered service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Organizational roster only: establishes the hull's Pacific Fleet unit assignment as of 1 May 1945 (pre-commissioning) but documents no operations, location, or service event for this hull, and contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-03
-
[5]Armada de Chile, official site, 'Unidades Historicas - Barcaza Aspirante Goycolea' unit history page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Unit-history body text: 'Nombres anteriores: USS LSM 400'; contract/arrival/decree lines; builder line 'Construida por Brown, Huston, Texas'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Armada de Chile official unit history for Barcaza 'Aspirante Goycolea': previous name USS LSM 400; purchased from the U.S. under contract N° 142 Chile 10 dated 12 January 1947; arrived in Chile 14 June 1947; decommissioned ('dada de baja') by decree D.S. (M) N° 1151 of 19 December 1966; described as 'la última de su serie' (the last of her series); Chilean fit listed as 2 x 20mm machine guns + 1 x 57mm gun, 12 kts, 203'6" length, 1,095 t full load. The same page records the builder as 'Brown, Huston, Texas, EE.UU. en 1944' - conflicting with the Charleston Navy Yard construction documented by NavSource/Turner, uboat.net, and the NARA Sixth Naval District (Charleston) commissioning file (see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1947-1973
- Population
- Chilean Navy crew, ex-LSM-400 / Aspirante Goycolea (LSM-33) (1947-1966); fuel-barge YON-140 operators (1967-1973 per NavSource)
- Limitations
- Official foreign-navy history, verified live 2026-10-01 via Firecrawl. Confirms identity continuity (ex-USS LSM 400), purchase contract, arrival date, and the 19 Dec 1966 decommission decree - the latter conflicts with NavSource's 1967 Chilean decommission year and YON-140 conversion sequence (see gaps). The page's 'Brown, Huston' builder line is treated as a documented conflict, not adopted. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (GM 16-278A diesel plant, this hull); Corn & Starr 1987 WWII-shipbuilding asbestos documentation (ev-06); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; synthesis of ev-06 and ev-07 era documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LSM-1-class landing ship built 1944-45 at Charleston Navy Yard sits inside the documented WWII-era U.S. naval shipbuilding asbestos-use period. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel amphibious hull of this type and period were machinery and exhaust thermal insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings in a compact hull volume. As a diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1944-45); USN crew (1945-47); Chilean Navy crew (1947-1966); Chilean barge-conversion and disposal workers (1967-1973)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, outfitting specification, or work package located for LSM-400. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull, no present-day presence claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-05
-
[7]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 study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LSM-1-class hull was mass-produced at a Navy yard in 1944-45 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- 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 or this yard and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI verified live 2026-10-01 (302 redirect to Wiley).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure (fieldwork at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards), covering 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities.' Per the report highlights, the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed to accomplish necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - establishing that asbestos insulation was in service aboard Navy ships of this hull's era and remained a managed material into the late 1970s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy window
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - not Charleston - so this is era/program context, not a hull or builder-yard finding. Product page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01; the full-report PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) returned HTTP 403 to direct curl - content quoted from the live Highlights text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-07
-
[9]U.S. OSHA establishment inspection detail, Inspection 100361849, U.S. Dept of the Navy / Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106 [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA inspection detail page: inspection metadata block and Violation Summary rows 01001 (1910.1001 D07 I, current) and 01002 (1910.1001 J02 I, 'Citation has been deleted')
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- OSHA inspection 100361849 (opened 6 January 1988, complaint-type health inspection, partial scope, SIC 3731 shipbuilding) at 'Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106' - the yard that built this hull - produced citations under the federal asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001: citation 01001 (item D07 I) remains current; citation 01002 (item J02 I) was deleted by amendment. Columbia Area Office; case closed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1988
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard workforce (1988 inspection window)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard regulatory record only: an asbestos-standard citation at the construction yard 43 years after this hull was built documents that asbestos regulation was live at the facility, not conditions during LSM-400's 1944-45 construction. The page supplies no sample results, exposure levels, or location detail within the yard, and says nothing about any vessel. Does not establish presence, exposure, or causation for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-08
-
[10]US EPA Envirofacts/FRS facility detail for CHARLESTON NAVAL COMPLEX (registry 110043669214, EPA ID SC0170022560); Navy BRAC Program Management Office, Former Naval Shipyard Charleston page; EPA Superfund profile (Non-NPL, deferred to RCRA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA FRS facility detail (information-system table: RCRAINFO, NCDB, BRAC rows); https://www.bracpmo.navy.mil/BRAC-Bases/Southeast/Former-Naval-Shipyard-Charleston/ ; https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0404802
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder yard is a documented contaminated federal facility: EPA Envirofacts/FRS carries CHARLESTON NAVAL COMPLEX (EPA ID SC0170022560) with RCRA hazardous-waste TSD and 'other hazardous waste activities' records, a National Compliance Database TSCA compliance activity (C04#TSCAIV-92-ER001) for CHARLESTON NAVAL SHIPYARD, and a BRAC listing; the Navy BRAC-PMO page documents the 1993 BRAC closure recommendation, operational closure 1 April 1996, and phased conveyance under environmental-restoration review. The shipyard where this hull was built in 1944-45 thus has a post-closure environmental record - a builder-yard context, not a hull finding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1988-2005 (records window); yard operation 1901-1996
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard workforce (operational era through 1996 closure)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard environmental record only: documents the yard's post-closure regulatory status (RCRA/TSCA/BRAC), not asbestos aboard any hull built there. The TSCA compliance activity identifier does not specify asbestos versus other TSCA-covered substances (e.g., PCBs). No survey ties yard contamination to this vessel. Does not establish presence, exposure, or causation for this hull. FRS page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-09
-
[11]Batch-6219 search ledger (this record): NavSource (live); NARA RG 181 finding aid; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document; Armada de Chile official history; NHHC DANFS checks; NVR scope check; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener opinion search; GAO product page; OSHA inspection detail; EPA FRS / Navy BRAC [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-400-01 through sl-uss-lsm-400-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LSM-400 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener searches returned zero results at both levels: opinion search for 'LSM-400' (authenticated API v4, HTTP 200, count 0) and docket-level RECAP search for 'LSM-400' (HTTP 200, count 0, document_count 0). CAVEAT: the unhyphenated and named variants ('LSM 400', 'USS LSM-400', 'USS LSM 400', 'Aspirante Goycolea') could not be completed this session - the fleet-paced request budget was momentarily spent on those queries; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as negative results. NHHC has no DANFS entry for this hull; NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals; MARAD carries no record. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no 'asbestos aboard' claims for this hull at all - no law-firm listicle content was found to exclude.
- 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 1944-45 Navy-yard-built amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and Chilean barge conversion (1967) plus undocumented 1973 disposal leave material fate unrecorded. The unrun unhyphenated/named opinion variants remain a genuine open gap (fleet pacing block, not run to completion). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-400-lsm400-10