Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 574-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LSM-42 · hull: LSM-42 · designation: LSM · type/class: LSM-1-class landing ship, medium
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-42-lsm42-pkt-574-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-42 (10/14/14042) - construction milestones, campaign table, award ribbon bar, commanding officers, specifications, photographs. History extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14042.htm header block, award ribbons, campaign table, history narrative, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class; laid down 28 May 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 22 June 1944; commissioned USS LSM-42 on 4 August 1944, Lt. Seymour I. Burton USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Leyte operation (Ormoc Bay landings 11-24 December 1944); Manila Bay-Bicol operations (Mariveles-Corregidor 14-28 February 1945); consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines (Mindanao landings 10 March, 24-31 March, 10-16 May 1945; Sulu Archipelago landings 2-4 and 9-11 April 1945); Borneo operations (Balikpapan 26 June - 6 July 1945). Four battle stars. Ribbon bar: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2). Medal periods: Occupation and China Service both 27 September 1945 - 4 June 1946. Individual award displayed: Purple Heart, C. Ray Johnston MoMM, wounded in action during Ormoc Bay landings. Decommissioned 4 June 1946 at Shanghai, transferred same date to the Republic of China; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; seized October 1949 by PRC forces, redesignated HUA-208; fate unknown. Commanding officers: Lt. S. I. Burton USNR (4 Aug 1944 - 12 Aug 1945); Lt. J. C. Wilson USNR (12 Aug 1945 - Dec 1945); Lt.(jg) H. G. Smith USNR (Dec 1945 - Mar 1946); Lt.(jg) T. Taylor USNR (Mar - 4 Jun 1946). Photos: beached Leyte Gulf 1944; beached Tokyo Bay 1945; Morotai with LSM-267 and LSM-38, 16 June 1945; underway off Morotai 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (Aug 1944 - Jun 1946); embarked troops on multiple amphibious lifts
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation sourced here from the Turner Publishing veterans'-history volume, not a primary registry - milestone dates track official sources where independently checked (all corroborated by uboat.net, navypedia, and shipbuildinghistory this session). Contains no asbestos or material content. The Purple Heart line is a family-submitted caption detail, not a Navy award register entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-01
-
[3]NARA, Record Group 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), Series: World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories - ship-titled file units for USS LSM-42: eleven monthly war diaries Oct 1944 - Aug 1945 (NAIDs 78664659, 139778092, 139793055, 139866405, 139898662, 633403491, 140002412, 633441735, 101726597, 101773185, 83550719) and six ship-titled action reports: Ormoc Bay reinforcement landing 12/9/44 (NAID 139856255); 2nd resupply echelon to Ormoc Bay incl. AA action 12/10-12/44 (NAID 139867723, 18 images); Sanga Sanga Island assault 4/2/45 (NAID 77505930); Jolo Island assault 4/9-11/45 (NAID 77485117); Macajalar Bay assault 5/10/45 (NAID 77505925); Balikpapan assault landings 7/1-2/45 (NAID 77485128) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LSM-42' (259 file units incl. parent-unit records); representative detail pages NAID 139793055 (war diary 12/44, 11 images), NAID 139866405 (1/45, 6 images), NAID 139867723 (Ormoc report, 18 images), NAID 77485128 (Balikpapan, 6 images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized ship-specific operational records exist: a full run of monthly war diaries covering October 1944 - August 1945 and six action reports titled to USS LSM-42 covering the Ormoc Bay, Sanga Sanga, Jolo, Macajalar Bay, and Balikpapan operations - corroborating the NavSource/Turner campaign list at the primary-record level. All file units are digitized (images 4-18 per unit) in the RG 38 WWII War Diaries series.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- All hands, USS LSM-42 (Aug 1944 - Jun 1946 coverage window for war diaries Oct 1944 - Aug 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: war diaries and action reports document operations, positions, and personnel actions - they contain no asbestos, insulation, or material-content statements. Catalog titles verified this session; page-level contents not read (scanned images, no transcription). A muster-roll file unit for this hull was not located in the digitized catalog search (sister-hull muster units exist).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LSM 42 (ship/12653) - Brown Shipbuilding Co., ordered 15 September 1943, milestones, end service 4 June 1946; transcribed Operation Oboe II (Balikpapan) task organization TG 78.2 listing USS LSM-42 in LSM Group 6 (T/Lt.Cdr. E. E. Weire USN embarked in LSM-42) under the LSM Unit TG 78.2.4 (T/Capt. D. J. Wientraub USN) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/12653 data table and 'Notable events' Oboe II task-organization transcription (TG 78.2.4 LSM Group 6); NARA catalog COM LSM GR 6 / COM LSM FLOT 2 file units
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilation corroborates milestones (ordered 15 Sep 1943; laid down 28 May 1944; launched 22 Jun 1944; commissioned 4 Aug 1944; decommissioned/end service 4 Jun 1946) and documents unit assignment: at Operation Oboe II (Balikpapan, 1 July 1945), USS LSM-42 was in LSM Group 6 under T/Lt.Cdr. E. E. Weire, USN, who was embarked aboard LSM-42, with group sisters LSM-38, -39, -40, -223, -224, and -267. Parent-unit war diaries exist at NARA: COM LSM GR 6 monthly war diaries Sep 1944 - Nov 1945 and COM LSM FLOT 2 records covering the same operations (e.g., COM LSM GR 6 Ormoc resupply reports NAID 139854120/139854114, Zamboanga report NAID 139937223, Balikpapan report NAID 77484993).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew (1944-1946); T/Lt.Cdr. E. E. Weire USN group-staff embarked (Jul 1945)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a secondary compilation; the Oboe II task organization is transcribed from operational documents and matches the NARA COM LSM GR 6 file series. 'Ordered 15 Sep 1943' is uncorroborated by a primary contract document. Group-membership documentation for the whole career is inferred from the group-level file series covering the same operations; the hull is explicitly listed in LSM Group 6 only for the Balikpapan operation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-03
-
[5]Australian War Memorial collection item 109875 - photograph, Morotai, 21 June 1945: 'Various units of 7 Division assembled at embarkation area for loading on ships forming the convoy for the Oboe 2 operation. Shown, an amphibious DUKW loaded with a 25-pounder gun of 2/4 Field Regiment, moving on to a landing ship mechanised at Red Beach.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- awm.gov.au/collection/109875 (verified live 2026-10-01); NavSource 10/14/14042.htm photo table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Australian official photographic record of the Oboe 2 embarkation at Morotai on 21 June 1945 - the operation in which LSM-42 carried elements of the Australian 7th Division to Balikpapan. NavSource identifies the landing ship in AWM 109875 as USS LSM-42.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-06-21
- Population
- Australian 7th Division embarkation (2/4 Field Regiment DUKW/25-pdr); LSM-42 crew
- Limitations
- The AWM caption does not name the hull ('a landing ship mechanised'); the identification of the ship as LSM-42 is NavSource's caption attribution. Corroborates the Oboe 2 context documented by the ship's own Balikpapan action report (NAID 77485128). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-04
-
[6]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'Seventh Amphibious Force - Command History 1945' (transcribed command history) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- 7th Amphibious Force Command History 1945, Philippines/Borneo operations narrative (Southern Philippines, Mariveles, Balikpapan sections)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary Navy command history documents the force-level operations this hull's campaign record places it in: the Southern Philippines operation series (Zamboanga landing 10 March 1945; Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and Sanga-Sanga landings controlling the Sulu Archipelago in April 1945; Macajalar Bay and the Mindanao support phase under Amphibious Group 9), the Mariveles operation (where 4 LCSs and 1 LSM were mined or hit by suicide boats), and the Balikpapan assault landing 1 July 1945 under Commander Amphibious Group 8 landing the 7th Australian Division.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Seventh Amphibious Force crews, 1944-45
- Limitations
- Force-level narrative - does not name LSM-42 or any individual LSM hull in the transcribed text; corroborates the operational setting of the ship-titled NARA reports and NavSource campaign list, not this hull's presence in each event. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-05
-
[7]navypedia.org US LSM hull table ('LSM42 | Brown SB, Houston | laid 5/1944 | launched 22.6.1944 | completed 8.1944 | to China 6.1946 (華208 [Hua 208])'); shipbuildinghistory.com LSM table ('LSM 42 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 4-Aug-44 | To China 1946, seized by PRC 1949 as HUA-208') [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_aws_lsm.htm hull table; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm hull table (verified live 2026-10-01)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two further independent secondary compilations corroborate the milestone and disposition record: navypedia lists LSM42 built by Brown SB Houston, laid 5/1944, launched 22.6.1944, completed 8.1944, to China 6.1946 as Hua 208; Shipbuilding History lists LSM 42 at Brown SB Houston, 4-Aug-44, 'To China 1946, seized by PRC 1949 as HUA-208.' No source documents a Republic of China name; the PRC redesignation HUA-208 is consistent across NavSource, navypedia, and shipbuildinghistory.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations agreeing with NavSource; navypedia 'laid 5/1944' is month-level vs NavSource's 28 May 1944. No source documents ROC-era service detail, a Nationalist-Chinese name, or post-seizure fate. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-06
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[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 reversible diesels, direct drive, twin screws; no steam plant); Wikipedia LSM-1-class article (558 ships built 1944-45, Fairbanks-Morse or GM Cleveland diesels by builder); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; Wikipedia 'LSM-1-class landing ship medium' general characteristics (cross-check only, not cited as record source)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious transport built May - August 1944 at a commercial wartime yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard an LSM-1-class hull of this period were thermal and machinery insulation, engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing and deck coverings, and brake linings on winches and handling gear. With a Fairbanks-Morse diesel direct-drive plant she carried no steam system - 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
- 1944-1946 (USN career); ROC/PRC service era undated
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (Aug 1944 - Jun 1946); Republic of China and PRC crews and any post-transfer yard trades (1946 onward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or construction work package located for LSM-42. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; 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 Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards) covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs; the Navy's 1975 policy removed and replaced with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This documents the Navy's asbestos-insulation era spanning this hull's 1944 construction and U.S. service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report); program era 1940s-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full-text PDF not retrieved this session (gao.gov asset fetch via product page only; product-page Highlights used).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-08
-
[10]Batch-6228 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via cl-auth-search.py - quoted 'LSM-42' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM 42' type=o (0 hits), unquoted fuzzy 'LSM-42' type=o (60 hits, all reviewed, all non-qualifying token collisions), quoted 'LSM-42' type=r docket search (1 docket: DiMarzio v. DiBari, D. Mass. 1:04-cv-12108, filed 2004 - a federal-question civil action by an individual against City of Brockton officials; token match in indexed complaint text, not the ship - name collision) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-02, -03, -04
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: CourtListener opinion index contains no opinion naming this hull in either quoted name form. The unquoted fuzzy opinion search (completed 2026-10-02) returned 60 relevance-ranked hits; all were reviewed and all are non-qualifying token collisions - 'LSM' as a corporate acronym (Jose Carmona v. Leo Ship Management, Inc., 5th Cir. 2019 - maritime injury suit against a ship-management company, not this hull and not asbestos), an unrelated 'LSM 128' entity (Mark McDowell Corp. v. LSM 128, Cal. App. 1989), and OCR/token noise across postal-service, criminal, and contract dockets. The single RECAP docket hit (DiMarzio v. DiBari, D. Mass. 2004) is a civil action against municipal officials - OCR of the complaint text does not show an 'LSM' reference and the case does not involve the ship or asbestos; classified as a name collision. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - only law-firm marketing pages for LSM-type ships generically (excluded by source policy).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public docket does not prove no claim was ever filed - PACER/state-court records are not fully indexed by CourtListener, and short-lived numbered amphibious hulls are thinly litigated generally. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-09
-
[11]Batch-6228 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS hull and collective LSM/LSMR entries (404 on live site); NVR ship detail (no entry - pre-1987 disposition, per NVR's own page statement); NARA catalog (rich digitized record located); NavSource; uboat.net/navypedia/shipbuildinghistory corroboration; NHHC Seventh Amphibious Force Command History 1945; AWM collection; GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, ship's material schedule, or court record naming USS LSM-42 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull. The hull served 22 months in U.S. commission, all of it in the Asiatic-Pacific, occupation, and China theater, and left U.S. custody at Shanghai in June 1946 - predating the Navy's 1975 asbestos-management policy, so no modern survey or abatement record could be expected to exist.
- 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 - construction-era asbestos use for a 1944 amphibious is era-consistent, and the ROC/PRC service and disposal record is undocumented (hull fate unknown after October 1949 seizure). NARA holds further undigitized leads (RG 19 Bureau of Ships records, RG 24 deck logs). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-42-lsm42-10