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-424 (10/14/14424) - construction milestones, unit assignment, campaign and award record, commanding officers, specifications, photographs. History extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14424.htm header block, award ribbons, Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns table, history narrative, specifications block, CO table (courtesy Wolfgang Hechler), photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class; laid down 28 October 1944 at Dravo Corporation, Wilmington, DE; launched 12 December 1944; commissioned USS LSM-424 on 17 January 1945, Lt. George L. Berghorn USNR in command. WWII assignment (per the Turner extract): Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Three (CDR W. F. Morrison USN), LSM Group Seven (LCDR C. A. Lamborn USNR), LSM Division Fourteen. Campaign credit: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 8 to 30 June 1945; one battle star for WWII service. Postwar: Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended), both for the period 2 September - 21 December 1945. Decommissioned 7 June 1947 at San Diego, CA; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; sold July 1958 to Pacific Towboat & Salvage Co., Long Beach, CA, and converted to a barge; scrapped prior to 1980. Commanding officers: Lt. George L. Berghorn USNR (17 Jan 1945 - Nov 1945); Lt. (jg) John P. Beal Jr. USNR (Nov 1945 - Jun 1946); Lt. William Withington Bissell USN, USNA 1943 (Jun 1946 - Oct 1946); Lt. Theodore John Hennes Jr. USN, USNA 1944 (Oct 1946 - ). Photography: launch at Dravo Corporation, Wilmington, 12 December 1944; underway (US Navy photo 1045129); moored outboard in a nest of LSMs (US Navy photo 1045134).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Dravo Wilmington construction trades (1944-45); crew (Jan 1945 - Jun 1947)
- 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. The flotilla/group/division chain in this extract CONFLICTS with the Navy's own 1 May 1945 fleet-organization document (which places LSM 424 in Flotilla Thirteen / Group 39 / Division 78) - see ev-09. 'Struck date unknown' conflicts with uboat.net's 29 August 1957 - see gaps. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-01
-
[2]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (transcribed fleet organization document) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet section, LSM Flotilla Thirteen / Group 39 / Division 78 table (page ~68 of transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary Navy documentation of this hull's assignment as of 1 May 1945: 'LSM 424' is listed under LSM Flotilla THIRTEEN, LSM Group 39 (ComLSMGrp 39: Lt. Cdr. J. M. Rose, USNR), LSM Division 78, alongside LSM 425, 426, 427, 428, and 429 - her Dravo-built consecutive-number sisters. This DIFFERS from the NavSource/Turner assignment (Flotilla Three / Group Seven / Division Fourteen) - under the Navy document, Division 14 of Group 7 contains LSM 14, 15, 25, 26, 27, and 28, not LSM-424 (see ev-09).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew (1 May 1945 muster population)
- Limitations
- Organizational listing only - documents the hull's place in the fleet structure on 1 May 1945, not operations, locations, or combat participation, and not material content. Flotilla assignments could shift; the document is a snapshot. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-02
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[3]NARA file unit 'LSM-424' (NAID 2760923), Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), Series 2092723 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation, 1940-1978' - creator: Dept. of the Navy, Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/2760923 - File Unit 'LSM-424', NAID 2760923, RG 38, series 2092723, archived copy at NARA College Park Textual Reference
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A ship-named file unit exists for this hull in the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey material-inspection files: NARA NAID 2760923, titled 'LSM-424,' in the amphibious-vessels subseries (series arranged alpha-numerically by hull designation) of 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation, 1940-1978' (RG 38). The series 'consists primarily of reports relating to the material inspection of various ships and craft of the U.S. Navy,' including preliminary acceptance trials, underway trials, and disposal inspections, with related correspondence, memoranda, diagrams, and some contracts. The file is paper-only (Container ID 100) at the National Archives at College Park - 'Not Yet Available Online'; access and use unrestricted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- series 1940-1978 (file dates unverified)
- Population
- INSURV inspectors and any trades working under inspection scope (dates unverified)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - undigitized; contents not examined. An INSURV material-inspection file is the single most plausible public repository for hull-material documentation on this ship (acceptance trials 1944-45, reserve-fleet inspections 1947-57, pre-disposal survey 1957-58 all fall inside the series window) - but no inspection content has been verified, and whether any report mentions asbestos or insulation materials is unknown. No exposure claim is made.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-03
-
[4]NARA catalog, WWII War Diaries series (RG 38, series 4697018) - digitized unit war diaries for this hull's documented parent units: COM LSM FLOT 13 war diaries (NAIDs 139968860 1/29-2/28/45; 633449271 4/1-30/45; 101778140 and 77462753 6/1-30/45; War History NAID 77653382) and COM LSM GR 39 war diaries (NAIDs 140006394 3/8-4/30/45; 140025971 5/1-31/45); plus COM LSM GR 7 / FLOT 3 diaries (5/45-8/45) for the Turner-claimed assignment [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov title search 'LSM-424' (1 hit: NAID 2760923) and 'USS LSM-424' (62 fuzzy hits incl. FLOT 13/GR 39 diaries); muster-roll series 594996 title-search 'LSM-424' = 0 (control: 'LSM-393' = 1 hit)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized unit-level operational records exist for both candidate parent chains of this hull: COM LSM FLOTILLA THIRTEEN war diaries for February, April, and June 1945 plus a flotilla war history, and COM LSM GROUP 39 war diaries for March 8 - May 31, 1945 (her Flotilla 13/Group 39/Division 78 assignment per NHHC, ev-02), and COM LSM GROUP 7 / FLOTILLA 3 diaries for May-August 1945 (the Turner volume's claim). These unit diaries are digitized (2-13 images each) and may resolve the assignment conflict and document her Okinawa service window. Negative results in the same catalog: no 'LSM-424' muster-roll file unit exists in the digitized RG 353 muster-roll series (594996; title-verified against the known LSM-393 control), no 'USS LSM-424' war diary file unit exists (a USS LSM-425 diary, 1/23/45-6/30/45, NAID 101746734, does exist for her sister), and no hull deck log surfaced. An 'Index to Muster Rolls' file unit spanning USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005 (NAID 118967604, 2,970 images) indexes this hull's rolls.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LSM Flotilla 13 / Group 39 ships and staffs (Feb-Aug 1945)
- Limitations
- Unit diaries document the flotilla/group, not necessarily this hull's daily positions - ship-level detail must be verified inside the images. The absent muster-roll file unit means the catalog's digitized muster coverage for this hull is not available (rolls may exist undigitized or under other file units). No asbestos content expected in war diaries; operational records, not material records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-04
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[5]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LSM 424 (ship/13011); corroborated by navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_aws_lsm.htm hull table and shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lsm + /us-comm-large/dravow yard table [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/13011 data table; navypedia.org us_aws_lsm.htm row LSM424; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lsm row LSM-424 and /us-comm-large/dravow row LSM-424
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilations corroborate the milestone record and supply one date NavSource lacks: uboat.net lists LSM 424 built by Dravo Corp. (Wilmington, DE), ordered 8 April 1944, laid down 4 November 1944, launched 23 December 1944, commissioned 16 January 1945, end service/decommissioned 7 June 1947, 'Stricken on 29 August 1957,' sold July 1958. navypedia lists 'LSM424 | Dravo, Wilmington | 1944 | 1944 | 1.1945 | stricken 1958.' Shipbuilding History's LSM table lists 'LSM-424 | Dravo Corp. | Wilmington DE | 16 Jan 1945 | laid up 1946, sold to Pacific Towboat 1958, converted to barge, scrapped 1980' and its Dravo yard table repeats the same row (16 Jan 1945 in the delivered column). All three agree on Dravo Wilmington construction, 1947 end of service, 1958 sale to Pacific Towboat, and barge conversion/scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations; uboat.net's 'ordered 8 Apr 1944' and 'stricken 29 August 1957' are uncorroborated by a primary source, and its milestone dates (laid 4 Nov, launched 23 Dec, commissioned 16 Jan) conflict with NavSource's (28 Oct, 12 Dec, 17 Jan) - see gaps. The Shipbuilding History '16 Jan 1945' sits in a DELIVERED column - delivery 16 Jan vs commissioning 17 Jan reconciles the variant; uboat likely conflates the two. 'Laid up 1946' (SBH) conflicts with the 7 Jun 1947 decommissioning - possibly reflects reserve-status start; unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-05
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[6]Shipbuilding History, 'Dravo Wilmington' yard page - yard lineage (Betts, Harlan & Hollingsworth 1837 -> Harlan & Hollingsworth 1849 -> Bethlehem Steel 1904 -> closed 1926 -> Dravo; WWII Bethlehem/Dravo teaming) and Wilmington hull table; corroborated by the Riverfront Wilmington WWII historical marker transcription (hmdb.org m=191296: ~10,000 Dravo Wilmington workers; Navy designated Dravo lead yard for landing ships and DEs in 1941) and Wikipedia Dravo Corporation (10,500 wartime employees; 65 of 558 LSMs built at Wilmington: blocks LSM-201-232 and LSM-414-446 et al.) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-comm-large/dravow (yard narrative + hull table); hmdb.org/m.asp?m=191296 (Riverfront Wilmington marker); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravo_Corporation (cross-check only)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder yard's documented construction-era context: Dravo's Wilmington shipyard was a wartime emergency-expansion yard on the Christina River, in a yard tracing to 1837 (Harlan & Hollingsworth -> Bethlehem Steel -> Dravo). In 1941 the Navy designated Dravo lead shipyard for production of landing ships and destroyer escorts; the Wilmington yard employed roughly 10,000-10,500 workers at wartime peak and built about 65 of the 558 LSMs (blocks including LSM-201 through LSM-232 and LSM-414 through LSM-446). LSM-424 was built in this yard's mass-production environment October 1944 - January 1945 (laid down to commissioning: 81 days).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (wartime yard operation)
- Population
- Dravo Wilmington construction trades (~10,000-10,500 peak, wartime); LSM-424 build window Oct 1944 - Jan 1945
- Limitations
- Yard-level context, not a hull record. No authoritative asbestos documentation for Dravo Wilmington was located - the yard does not appear in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset, and the only 'asbestos jobsite' assertions are law-firm marketing lists (elslaw.com, levylaw.com - banned-source class, excluded). OSHRC/OSHA decisions located for Dravo concern the Neville Island (Pittsburgh) yard and non-asbestos violations (1975-76 ventilation/walkway citations). Yard workforce figures are secondary (marker transcription and Wikipedia). Does not establish materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-06
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 reversible diesels with hydraulic clutch, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin screws, 2,800 shp; diesel ship's-service generators); Wikipedia LSM-1-class article (558 ships built 1944-45, 'Fairbanks-Morse or GM Cleveland diesel engines'); 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); GAO HRD-80-2 Highlights
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious transport built October 1944 - January 1945 at a wartime production 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
- 1944-1980
- Population
- Dravo Wilmington construction trades (Oct 1944 - Jan 1945); crew (Jan 1945 - Jun 1947); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretaker/inspection trades (1947-58); Pacific Towboat & Salvage conversion/scrapping trades (1958-c.1980)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or construction work package located for LSM-424 (the NARA INSURV file, NAID 2760923, is the open lead). 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-424-lsm424-07
-
[8]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 construction (1944-45) and entire U.S. service and reserve life (1945-58).
- 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. This hull left U.S. custody in July 1958 - before the 1975 policy existed - so the policy history is context, not an event in her life. Full-text PDF not fetched this session; product-page Highlights verified live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-08
-
[9]Source-quality cross-check: NHHC 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (primary Navy document) vs NavSource/Turner Publishing extract 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II' (1997) on this hull's NavSource page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14424.htm history paragraph; NHHC fleet-org page LSM Flotilla Three/Group 7/Division 14 and LSM Flotilla Thirteen/Group 39/Division 78 tables
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/CAUTION: the two sources disagree on this hull's WWII unit chain. The NavSource/Turner extract assigns LSM-424 to 'LSM Flotilla Three (CDR W. F. Morrison USN), LSM Group Seven (LCDR C. A. Lamborn USNR), LSM Division Fourteen.' The Navy's own 1 May 1945 fleet organization places LSM 424 in LSM Flotilla THIRTEEN, LSM Group 39 (Lt. Cdr. J. M. Rose USNR), LSM Division 78, alongside LSM 425-429 - and shows Division Fourteen of Group Seven containing LSM 14, 15, 25, 26, 27, and 28 instead. The Turner version is flagged, not propagated, for the 1 May 1945 snapshot; flotilla re-assignments between May and the June Okinawa service window cannot be ruled out - COM LSM GR 39 and FLOT 13 war diaries (digitized; ev-04) are the resolution lead.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- A unit-assignment conflict, not a material claim. The Turner extract is undated; it may reflect a different snapshot than the 1 May 1945 document, but as presented (WWII assignment) it conflicts with the primary record. Both chains' commander names check out in the NHHC document (Morrison is listed as Flotilla Three commander (R); Lamborn commands Group Seven) - consistent with a source that drew on a different-date roster. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-09
-
[10]Batch-6233 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via cl-auth-search.py - quoted 'LSM-424' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM 424' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM-424' type=r docket search (0 dockets, 0 documents); unquoted 'LSM-424' type=o (14 fuzzy hits, all name collisions - none naming the ship); secondary web sweep for litigation [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-02, -03, -11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes contain no document naming this hull (all quoted searches zero; 14 unquoted fuzzy hits were name collisions on 'LSM'/'424' tokens - e.g., Logan-Baldwin v. L.S.M. General Contractors (N.Y. Sup. 2011, a construction company), Mark McDowell Corp. v. LSM 128 (Cal. App. 1989, a numbered-hull name that is not this ship), and postal/criminal appeals matching '424' - none naming USS LSM-424). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - only law-firm marketing pages asserting asbestos aboard LSM-type ships generically without primary sourcing (asbestos-ships.com, elslaw.com, levylaw.com, mesothelioma.com; excluded by source policy).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public docket does not prove no claim was ever filed - PACER and state-court records are not fully indexed by CourtListener, and short-lived numbered amphibious hulls are thinly litigated generally. A name match is not automatically an asbestos case; here no name match exists at all. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-10
-
[11]Batch-6233 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS hull and type entries (404); NVR ship detail (no entry - pre-1987 disposition); NARA catalog title and full-text searches; NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; uboat.net/navypedia/shipbuildinghistory corroboration; Dravo Wilmington yard page + historical marker; GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-01 through -12
- 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-424 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull and the collective LSM/LSMR DANFS entry is dead on NHHC and unmirrorable at hazegray/losthistory. The hull served 29 months in commission (January 1945 - June 1947), spent 1947-58 in the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego, and left U.S. custody in July 1958 for barge conversion - predating the Navy's 1975 asbestos-management policy, so no modern survey or abatement record could be expected to exist. A ship-named INSURV material-inspection file does exist (NAID 2760923) but is undigitized.
- 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 at a 1944-45 production yard is era-consistent, and the reserve-fleet and barge-conversion phases are undocumented. NARA holds undigitized leads (the INSURV file; RG 24 deck logs; Dravo construction records if any exist in RG 19/contract files). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-424-lsm424-11