Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 576-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-43-lsm43-pkt-576-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-43 - construction, commissioning, unit assignments, campaigns, occupation/China service, disposal (history extract sourced by NavSource to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14043.htm header block, campaign tables, commanding-officers table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class landing ship medium; laid down 6 June 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 30 June 1944; commissioned 26 July 1944, LT. Charles R. Hooff Jr. USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Five (CDR W. H. Carpenter USN), LSM Group Thirteen (LCDR T. F. Griswold USNR), LSM Division Twenty-Five; participated in the Iwo Jima operation (assault and occupation, 19 February - 16 March 1945). Occupation service 15 September 1945 - 28 April 1946; China service 29 April - 4 June 1946. Decommissioned 3 June 1946 at Shanghai, China, and transferred the same date to the Republic of China; stricken date unknown; one battle star for WWII service; seized by Communist Chinese October 1949, fate unknown. Commanding officers: LT Charles R. Hooff Jr. USNR (26 Jul 1944 - Dec 1945); LTjg Francis James Loders USN (Dec 1945 - 3 Jun 1946). Spec block: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full; 203'6" oa; beam 34'6"; 13.2 kt; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; one twin 40mm bow gun, four single 20mm; two Fairbanks-Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels 1,440 BHP each, twin screws 2,800 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (~59) plus embarked troops (1944-46); ROC Navy crew (1946-49)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but conflict with other secondary sources on the commission date (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. Underlying history extract is Turner Publishing (1997), a veteran-association volume, not an official record; ship's own NARA action report (ev-02) independently confirms the Iwo Jima service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-01
-
[3]NARA RG 38, World War II War Diaries series: 'COM LSM GR 13 - Rep of ops in the invasion of Iwo Jima, Bonin Is, 2/19/45 - 3/14/45', NAID 139944268 (116 digitized microfilm images), including Enclosure (A), USS LSM-43's own action report [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139944268: transmittal letter (image 0222); enclosure list '(A) Action Report U.S.S. LSM 43 p.11' (image 0223); task organization (image 0224); USS LSM-43 report pp. -1- to -4- (images 0233-0236); LSM-44 enclosure naming LSM-43 (image 0237)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary operational record naming this hull: the Commander LSM Group Thirteen action report (signed T. F. Griswold) lists Enclosure (A) as 'Action Report U.S.S. LSM 43' and names her in the task organization - 'LSM Unit Able, Task Unit 53.4.1, was composed of LSMs 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 92, 140, 141, 242, 261, 264 (UF), 266.' USS LSM-43's enclosed report documents: assault troops (Co. C, 5th Tank Battalion, 5th Marine Division - 28 men and 2 officers) embarked at Hawaii 11 January 1945; departed 22 January 1945 via Eniwetok and Saipan; arrived Iwo Jima area at daylight 19 February; beached Red I at 1215 under heavy enemy gun fire and disembarked six medium tanks; made fourteen trips to the beach averaging ~275 tons per trip unloading transports and cargo ships; 23 February 0330 took a direct 75mm hit through both bow doors plus shrapnel and dud holes on the port side with no personnel casualties aboard; collision damage from LCT-623 (22 Feb), LST-731 (24 Feb), and a pontoon barge (26 Feb, five compartments flooded); cumulative combat and operational damage required reporting for repairs by 5 March. Sister ship LSM-44's report (same enclosure set) independently places 'LSM 43 on port' beside her at the Beach Red One beaching on 19 February.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-11 to 1945-03
- Population
- Crew and embarked 5th Tank Battalion troops at Iwo Jima (Feb-Mar 1945)
- Limitations
- Combat-operations record only - no asbestos, insulation, or material-condition content anywhere in the document. Establishing ship-specific operational presence at Iwo Jima, not exposure. Digitized microfilm images read directly (report pp. 11-15, images 0222-0236 of 116). Sister-ship corroboration from enclosure (B/C).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-02
-
[4]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images: NH 104197, NH 104207, NH 104198 - official U.S. Navy/USMC photographs of the Iwo Jima beachhead, February 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC catalog pages NH-104197, NH-104207, NH-104198 (NH-104000 series); ibiblio/HyperWar mirrors i04197c, i04207c, i04198c
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy photographic record places this hull on the Iwo Jima beaches in late February 1945: NH 104197 ('Unloading supplies on Iwo Jima, 25 February 1945. View looks north from Beach Red One... Among the ships present are (from right to center): LSM-141, LSM-43 and LSM-47'); NH 104207 ('Scene on a Iwo Jima beach, as supplies are unloaded and trucked inland, circa late February 1945. Note LSM-43 and LSM-47 at right...' - print from R.Adm. Samuel Eliot Morison's WWII history working files, provided by Adm. William H.P. Blandy); NH 104198 (USMC photo by SSgt. Mark Haufman from Mount Suribachi, 25 February 1945, listing 'LSM-43' among identifiable ships on the eastern beaches).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-02
- Population
- Crew at Iwo Jima (Feb-Mar 1945)
- Limitations
- Photographic presence documentation only - no asbestos or material content. CORRECTION within caption chain: NavSource captions the Morison/Blandy print as 'NHHC photo #104307'; the NHHC catalog (verified live) and HyperWar mirror both catalog it as NH 104207 - '104307' is a transcription error. All three NHHC pages verified live 2026-10-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-03
-
[5]NARA photo item NAID 221950616 (local ID 80-G-412499), RG 80, Naval Photographic Center - 'Aerial of Troops and Supplies Being Landed on Iwo Jima', Feb. 1945; plus NARA RG 24 'Index to Muster Rolls' file unit NAID 118967603 ('USS LCI(R)-704 to USS LSM-143', 1,218 digitized images) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 221950616 item record (local ID 80-G-412499); NAID 118967603 file-unit title range
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two digitized NARA holdings touch this hull: (1) NARA item NAID 221950616 holds photo 80-G-412499, an Edward Steichen Unit photograph of the Iwo Jima landing; NavSource's caption identifies the beached LSM landing supplies as USS LSM-43 (the NARA original caption does not name the hull). (2) RG 24 'Index to Muster Rolls' volume NAID 118967603 spans USS LCI(R)-704 through USS LSM-143 - a range that includes LSM-43 - offering a digitized route to named crew of this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (muster index); 1945-02 (photo)
- Population
- Crew (muster-roll index); Iwo Jima beachhead personnel (photo)
- Limitations
- Archival leads, both partial: the 80-G-412499 ship identification rests on NavSource's caption, not the NARA caption text; the muster-roll index volume covers this hull by title range but individual LSM-43 pages were not extracted and read. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-04
-
[6]ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton compilation), 'Landing Ships, Medium' table and Brown Shipbuilding yard page - hull-by-hull build/delivery/disposition data [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM table row 'LSM-43 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 28 Jul 1944'; Brown yard page hull table, hull no. 148
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-table documentation for this hull: LSM-43 was Brown Shipbuilding Co. (Houston TX) yard hull no. 148 - keel laid 6 June 1944, launched 30 June 1944, delivered 28 July 1944; disposition 'to China 1946, seized by PRC 1949.' The yard page documents that Brown Shipbuilding was built in 1941 by George and Herman Brown at the junction of Green's Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel with $9 million in Navy funding, and produced 12 PCs, 32 LCI(L)s, 61 DEs and 254 LSMs - 359 vessels in four years - before the yard was leased to Todd Shipyards in 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades, Green's Bayou yard (1944)
- Limitations
- Respected secondary compilation (Colton's Shipbuilding History), not a primary registry; dates track builder delivery, not commissioning - its 28 July 1944 'delivered' postdates NavSource's 26 July commissioning, an unresolved ordering (see gaps). No asbestos content. Live URL is the njscuba.net mirror; the shipbuildinghistory.com original path 404s.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (two Fairbanks-Morse diesels, no steam plant); shipbuildinghistory builder/era data (mid-1944 construction); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy program documentation (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (propulsion); shipbuildinghistory build dates; GAO HRD-80-2 full text (product-applications narrative)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LSM-1-class landing ship built mid-1944 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era: per GAO HRD-80-2 the Navy's major shipboard asbestos application was thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping, and asbestos also appeared in deck tile, piping-system gaskets and packing, electrical resistors and cabling, and ship-equipment brake and clutch linings. Era-consistent applications aboard a diesel amphibious ship of this period: engine and exhaust insulation in the machinery spaces, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and deck coverings. 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
- 1944-1949
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); ROC Navy crew (1946-49); PRC crews post-1949
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, plan, or work package located for LSM-43. Names era-standard application categories documented by GAO at Navy-program level, not confirmed installed materials aboard this hull. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - full text [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 full text: transmittal letter and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' narrative; product page https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government program-level documentation spanning this hull's construction era: GAO reported (per the Navy) that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' that 'thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems has been the major application of asbestos' aboard Navy ships, that asbestos was used in shipboard deck tile, piping gaskets and packing, galley-range cabling, and equipment brakes/clutches ('it is nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral'), and that asbestos-free thermal-insulation product specifications were adopted only in 1973 - nearly three decades after this hull's mid-1944 construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy dates 1973-1975
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - LSM-43 is not named. Full text retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-01 (direct curl to the PDF returns HTTP 403 - standing gao.gov block). 1979 statements describe then-current fleet condition; the WWII-era use they describe for the 1944 build period is by inference from the documented specification-change dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-07
-
[9]Batch-6239 search ledger (this record): NavSource amphibious archive; NARA catalog (action report, war diaries, muster-roll index, photo item); NHHC photo catalog; shipbuildinghistory; DANFS (404); NVR (no entry); CourtListener API v4 opinion + asbestos queries; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-43-01 through sl-uss-lsm-43-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed litigation naming USS LSM-43 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4): '"USS LSM-43"' returned zero opinions; '"LSM-43" asbestos' returned zero; bare 'LSM-43' returned 47 opinion results, all name collisions (corporate acronyms, unrelated parties) with no vessel or asbestos relevance; docket (type=r) search 'LSM-43' returned zero. The ship's own NARA action report - the strongest surviving ship-specific record - contains no material-condition or asbestos content. No DANFS entry exists (unnamed hull; NHHC URL 404). No NVR entry exists (disposed 1946, predating NVR coverage). Her seizure by Communist China in October 1949 forecloses any later U.S. survey or disposal documentation.
- 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 - 1944 construction sits squarely in the Navy's asbestos era, and the Chinese seizure means no U.S. disposal/abatement record could ever have been generated. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips construction records for this hull were not located in digitized form; the muster-roll index is an open lead. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-08
-
[10]Commissioning-date cross-check: NavSource timeline (26 July 1944, with CO named); uboat.net warship entry (commissioned 30 July 1944); ShipbuildingHistory builder table (delivered 28 July 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14043.htm header; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/12654.html; shipbuildinghistory LSM table row LSM-43
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DATE CONFLICT: sources give three different late-July 1944 dates for the commission/delivery event - NavSource prints 'Commissioned USS LSM-43, 26 July 1944' with LT Charles R. Hooff Jr. in command; uboat.net prints 'Commissioned 30 Jul 1944'; the builder table prints delivered 28 July 1944. NavSource's date is carried in this record as the commissioning date; the variants are logged in gaps.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-07
- Limitations
- Resolves nothing - flags a secondary-source conflict. Wartime landing-ship commissioning and delivery frequently occurred within days of each other, and the three sources may record different events (commissioning vs delivery vs acceptance). No primary commissioning document located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-43-09