Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-425 (10/14/14425) - construction milestones, unit assignments, award ribbon bar, commanding officers, specifications, photographs. History extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14425.htm header block, award ribbons, history narrative, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class; laid down 9 November 1944 at Dravo Corporation, Wilmington, DE; launched 23 December 1944; accepted by the US Navy 22 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-425 on 23 January 1945, Lt. Waldo E. Caulfield USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Thirteen (LCDR C. L. Weigle USN), LSM Group Thirty-Nine (LCDR J. M. Rose), LSM Division Seventy-Eight. Award ribbon bar: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. Decommissioned 20 May 1946 in the 13th Naval District; struck from the Naval Register 5 June 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission (date unknown) at Seattle, WA for disposal (PDX-225, 27 September 1946); sold 21 March 1947 to General Construction Co., Seattle, WA; final disposition, fate unknown. Commanding officers: Lt./Lt. Cdr. Waldo E. Caulfield USNR (23 Jan 1945 - Nov 1945); Lt. Maurice Rappaport USNR (Nov - 14 Dec 1945); Lt. (jg) Thomas G. Lane USNR (14 Dec 1945 - 20 May 1946). Photography: beached unloading at Marcus Island 3 September 1945; moored at Saipan 1945 with USS LST-1084 and LCT-1374; moored at Lake Union Shipyard, Seattle, 1946 (photos contributed by Albert DeBacker, radioman USS LSM-425).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Dravo Wilmington construction trades (1944-45); Philadelphia Navy Yard completion trades (Jan 1945); crew (Jan 1945 - May 1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation sourced here from the Turner Publishing veterans'-history volume, not a primary registry - milestone dates track primary/official sources where independently checked (the war diary confirms the 23 January 1945 commissioning; the NHHC fleet-organization document confirms the flotilla/group/division chain but leaves the flotilla commander blank, so the Weigle attribution rests on NavSource alone). Contains no asbestos or material content. Maritime Commission transfer date is explicitly 'unknown' in this source; only the disposal document date (PDX-225, 27 Sep 1946) is given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-01
-
[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
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary Navy documentation of this hull's assignment as of 1 May 1945: 'LSM 425' is listed under Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, LSM Flotilla Thirteen, LSM Group Thirty-Nine (ComLSMGrp 39: Lt. Cdr. J. M. Rose, USNR), LSM Division 78, alongside LSM 424, 426, 427, 428, and 429. Confirms the NavSource flotilla/group/division chain for this hull.
- 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, combat participation, or material content. The Flotilla Thirteen commander field is blank in this document; NavSource's attribution to LCDR C. L. Weigle USN is uncorroborated here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-02
-
[3]NARA, six file units in Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' (Fold3 digitization): NAID 101746734 'USS LSM-425 - War Diary, 1/23/45 to 6/30/45' (Roll A1755, 21 images); NAID 83571063 (July 1945, Roll A1858, 3 images); NAID 77505038 (August 1945, Roll A1887, 3 images); NAID 140081308 (September 1945, Roll A2000, 4 images); NAID 77553543 (October 1945, Roll A1938, 5 images); NAID 140084118 (December 1945, Roll A2009, 5 images) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/101746734 (and sibling NAIDs 83571063, 77505038, 140081308, 77553543, 140084118); Roll A1755 images 0695-0715, Roll A2009 images 0124-0128, Roll A1887 images 0241-0243
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific primary records exist and are digitized: the war-diary file units span essentially her entire commissioned career (23 January - December 1945; no November 1945 unit located). Pages inspected this session document: cover 'U.S.S. LSM 425 / Flotilla: 13 Group: 39 Division: 78'; commissioning at 1600 on 23 January 1945 moored at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa. (Lt. G. Z. Knight USNR for the Commandant, Fourth Naval District); departure 29 January for Little Creek, Va., and February shakedown in Chesapeake Bay with TU 20.9.1 (LSMs 289, 306-309, 424, 425); Norfolk-to-Key-West-to-Canal-Zone transit 1-7 March 1945; September 1945 Task Unit 94.3.63 convoy to Marcus Island (arrived 2 Sep, beached/unloaded cargo 3-5 Sep, returned to Saipan); and 1 December 1945 underway Guam to Pearl Harbor with LSMs 291 and 177 (this ship OTC and guide).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- All hands, USS LSM-425 (Jan 1945 - Dec 1945 diary period)
- Limitations
- War diaries are operational records - positions, movements, task assignments, ammunition expenditures - not material-content documentation: no asbestos, insulation, or work-environment content appears in the pages inspected, and none should be inferred. Pages were spot-read this session (cover, January, February-March, September, December), not exhaustively transcribed; November 1945 and January-May 1946 coverage was not located as digitized units. Individual exposure cannot be inferred from anything in these records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-03
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LSM 425 (ship/13012) - ordered 8 April 1944, Dravo Corp. (Wilmington), milestones and disposal; corroborated by navypedia.org us_aws_lsm.htm and shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/13012 data table; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_aws_lsm.htm hull table row LSM425; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm hull table row LSM 425
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilations corroborate the milestone record: uboat.net lists LSM 425 built by Dravo Corp. (Wilmington, DE), ordered 8 April 1944, laid down 9 November 1944, launched 23 December 1944, end service 20 May 1946, 'Decommissioned on 20 May 1946; Stricken on 5 June 1946; Sold on 21 March 1947.' navypedia lists 'LSM425 | Dravo, Wilmington | laid down 11/1944 | launched 1944 | completed 1.1945 | stricken 6.1946.' Shipbuilding History's LSM table lists 'LSM 425 | Dravo Corp. | Wilmington DE | 23-Jan-45 | Sold to General Construction 1947, converted to barge.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations agreeing with the NavSource/Turner record and the war diary. Discrepancies carried, not smoothed: uboat.net gives commissioning 25 January 1945 vs. the war diary's and NavSource's 23 January (see ev-09); uboat's 'ordered 8 Apr 1944' is uncorroborated by a primary source. 'Converted to barge' rests on Shipbuilding History alone - NavSource records fate unknown after the 1947 sale. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-04
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8 x 10 opposed-piston diesels, reversible with hydraulic clutch, direct drive, twin screws; no steam plant); Wikipedia LSM-1-class article (558 ships built 1944-45; Fairbanks-Morse or GM Cleveland diesels - Dravo Wilmington block used FM); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; Wikipedia 'LSM-1-class landing ship medium' general characteristics; Dravo-Wilmington LSM block per navypedia/shipbuildinghistory tables and NPS Wilmington history
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious transport built November 1944 - January 1945 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
- 1944-1947 (USN/MarAd career); post-sale commercial era undated
- Population
- Dravo Wilmington construction trades (Nov 1944 - Jan 1945); Philadelphia Navy Yard completion trades (Jan 1945); crew (Jan 1945 - May 1946); General Construction Co. and any subsequent commercial handlers (1947 onward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or construction work package located for LSM-425. 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-425-lsm425-05
-
[6]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 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 returned HTTP 403 to direct curl; product-page Highlights obtained via Firecrawl) - standing access gap.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-06
-
[7]National Park Service, 'Wilmington, Delaware' (WWII home-front history article; photo caption 'Landing Ship, Tank (LST) under construction at the Dravo Shipyard in Wilmington, DE during WWII') [nps]
- Locator
- NPS article 'Wilmington, Delaware', WWII home-front section and photo caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder yard's wartime context is authoritatively documented: shipbuilding 'became the standout industry for Wilmington during the war'; the Dravo Corporation was awarded Navy contracts and the Wilmington shipyards received orders for destroyer escorts and landing ships, 'including the distinctive "Wilmington type" Landing Ship Medium'; over 14,100 Wilmington workers in two shipyards contributed to wartime construction. LSM-425 is one of the 65 LSMs the LSM-1-class program built at Dravo's Wilmington yard April 1944 - May 1945 (Wikipedia class article, cross-check only; Dravo-Wilmington build of this hull confirmed by navypedia/shipbuildinghistory hull tables).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Wilmington shipyard construction trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Yard-history context only - the NPS article names the builder and the type, not this hull, and contains no asbestos, insulation, or worker-exposure content. Dravo Wilmington is not in the Atlas yard dataset (37 yard_ids checked), so no yard-level asbestos record is carried; law-firm/marketing pages asserting asbestos at Dravo yards (asbestos-ships.com, gpwlaw.com, chlwlaw.com, mesothelioma.com) were located and excluded by source policy. The two Wilmington shipyards' identities beyond Dravo are not further documented here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-07
-
[8]NARA war diary NAID 101746734 (Roll A1755, image 0696) - commissioning-period entries 23-28 January 1945; yard record: shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json entry 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' (evidence_tier 3; named asbestos products identified by workers in appellate opinions - Taylor, Junge, Gross, Taliferro; Merwitz verdict $7.25M, 2014; OSHA health inspection 1989, citations under 29 CFR 1910.1001) [other_primary]
- Locator
- War diary Roll A1755 image 0696, entries 23-28 January 1945; shipyards.json yard_id philadelphia-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own war diary documents that LSM-425 was moored at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa., throughout the commissioning period (23-28 January 1945) while accomplishing 'deperming; loading stores, spares and ammunition; completion of machinery and armament installations; and completion of construction work' - i.e., final construction completion was performed at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, a documented asbestos-exposure yard in the Atlas dataset (WWII peak employment 47,695 in 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-01-23 to 1945-01-28
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard completion trades (Jan 1945); commissioning crew
- Limitations
- The diary documents presence and the categories of completion work at the yard - it does not document which yard trades worked aboard, which materials were installed, or any asbestos content aboard this hull. The yard's asbestos documentation is yard-level (named products, verdicts, OSHA citation) and post-dates or is contemporaneous-with the yard generally; it does not establish exposure of this crew. This is a documented ship-yard interface event, not exposure evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-08
-
[9]Source-quality note: uboat.net ship/13012 'Commissioned 25 Jan 1945' vs. NARA war diary NAID 101746734 (Roll A1755 image 0696) 'Ship commissioned at 1600 on 23 January 1945' and NavSource 10/14/14425.htm (23 January 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/13012.html 'Commissioned' field vs. NARA war diary Roll A1755 image 0696 and NavSource 10/14/14425.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: uboat.net (ship/13012) lists LSM-425's commissioning as 25 January 1945. The ship's own war diary (NAID 101746734) states 'Ship commissioned at 1600 on 23 January 1945... at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa.' and NavSource (Turner extract) agrees with 23 January; NavSource adds Navy acceptance on 22 January. The 23 January 1945 commissioning date is carried; the uboat 25 January variant is superseded by the primary record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-01
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source date variant, not a material claim. Minor milestone variants (acceptance 22 Jan vs commissioning 23 Jan) are intersource, resolved in favor of the war diary.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-09
-
[10]Batch-6234 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via cl-auth-search.py - quoted 'LSM-425' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM 425' type=o (0 hits), unquoted 'LSM-425' type=o (12 fuzzy hits, all name collisions - e.g., Pae-Parsons v. United States, Fed. Cl. 2020 - none naming the ship); quoted 'LSM-425' type=r docket search blocked by fleet pacing this session [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-02, -03, -04
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located in the opinion index: CourtListener opinion searches contain no document naming this hull (both quoted forms zero; 12 unquoted fuzzy hits all name collisions). The RECAP docket-index search was blocked by the fleet-wide pacing limit this session - logged as blocked, not a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - only law-firm marketing pages asserting asbestos aboard generic or sibling LSMs without primary sourcing (asbestos-ships.com LSM-427 page, gorilaw.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 opinion does not prove no claim was ever filed - PACER/state-court records are not fully indexed by CourtListener, the RECAP docket index went unsearched this session (blocked), 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-425-lsm425-10
-
[11]Batch-6234 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS hull and type entries (404); NVR ship detail (no entry - pre-1987 disposition); NARA catalog search (six war-diary file-unit hits; no muster-roll unit surfaced); NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; uboat.net/navypedia/shipbuildinghistory corroboration; NPS Wilmington WWII history; GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-01 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-425 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull. The hull served under sixteen months (January 1945 - May 1946) in the Asiatic-Pacific theater and left Navy custody in 1946-47 - predating the Navy's 1975 asbestos-management policy, so no modern survey or abatement record could be expected to exist. Her post-sale commercial conversion to a barge (Shipbuilding History) is undocumented at the material level.
- 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 shipbuilding yard is era-consistent, and the barge-conversion/disposal record is undocumented (fate unknown). NARA holds further undigitized leads (RG 19 Bureau of Ships records, RG 24 deck logs and muster rolls, RG 181 Philadelphia Navy Yard and 4th Naval District records). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-425-lsm425-11