Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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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-431-lsm431-pkt-576-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-431 (10/14/14431) - construction, organization, China service, disposal, specifications, CO list; history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14431.htm - header block, organization/service text, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 14 December 1944 at Dravo Corporation, Wilmington, DE; launched 2 February 1945; commissioned USS LSM-431, 25 February 1945, LT Caleb Ringle Jr. USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Fourteen (LCDR W. R. McCaleb), LSM Group Forty-One, LSM Division Eighty-Two. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal 11-27 September 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 28 September 1945 - 25 June 1946. Decommissioned 14 September 1946 and transferred the same day to the Republic of China as ROCS Mei Tseng; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; escaped to Taiwan October 1949; redesignated LSM-344 (date unknown); decommissioned by the Taiwanese Navy 30 June 1972; scrapped 1973. Awards: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Photo captions place the ship at Tientsin, China, September 1945 (with LSM-222, LSM-164, LCT-849) 'after bringing Marines from Okinawa for the surrender of North China,' and at Taku, China, March 1946 with LSM-391. Specifications: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; 203'6" ovl; 34'6" beam; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; one twin 40mm bow gun, four single 20mm; 2 x GM 16-278A diesels (1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm), direct drive, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; diesel-driven ship's service generators. COs: LT Caleb Ringle Jr. USNR (25 Feb 1945 - 18 Nov 1945); LTjg William A. Day USNR (18 Nov 1945 - 14 Sep 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Dravo-Wilmington construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); embarked Marines (Sept 1945 Tientsin lift); ROC Navy crew (1946-72); Taiwan shipbreakers (1973)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation whose LSM history text is transcribed from Turner Publishing's 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II' - the standard published history for unnamed LSMs, not an official registry; milestone dates corroborated by uboat.net and NHHC fleet-organization listing. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-01
-
[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library online reading room) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Page section 'LSM GROUP FORTY-ONE' > 'LSM DIVISION 82' > 'LSM 431'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy Department Library's transcription of the official Pacific Fleet organization for 1 May 1945 lists 'LSM 431' under LSM Division 82, in the LSM Group Forty-One block - independently corroborating the NavSource organization line and confirming this hull's Pacific Fleet assignment as of that date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Pacific Fleet amphibious forces (administrative assignment)
- Limitations
- Administrative organization listing only - confirms the hull's fleet/group/division assignment on 1 May 1945; no operational detail, no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-02
-
[4]National Park Service, 'Wilmington, Delaware' - American World War II Heritage City article (Dravo shipyard wartime role) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS article, 'City of Wilmington' section (Dravo paragraph); accompanying NPS photo caption 'LST under construction at the Dravo Shipyard in Wilmington, DE during WWII'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS documents the builder's wartime program: '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,' with over 14,100 Wilmington workers in two shipyards contributing. LSM-431 was built at Dravo's Wilmington yard during this program (per NavSource/uboat.net rows).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (wartime program)
- Population
- Dravo-Wilmington and second-yard workers - 'over 14,100 Wilmington workers in two shipyards' (NPS figure, wartime program-wide)
- Limitations
- Yard/program-level documentation: the article does not name LSM-431 and contains no asbestos or material content; establishes only the yard's LSM construction role and workforce scale.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-03
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, 'USS LSM 431 (LSM 431)' ship record (ordered/laid/launched/commissioned/end-service dates) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page ID 13018, data table and history line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborating record for this hull: built by Dravo Corp. (Wilmington, Delaware); ordered 8 April 1944; laid down 14 December 1944; launched 2 February 1945; commissioned 25 February 1945; end service 14 September 1946 - 'Decommissioned on 14 September 1946 and transferred to China.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary database (Allied Warships section), not an official registry - used here for corroboration only; its 'ordered 8 April 1944' contract-date figure has no official-source corroboration in this record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-04
-
[6]Marine Corps University Press, Marine Corps History Vol. 8 No. 1 (Summer 2022): 'Marines and Mothers: Agency, Activism, and Resistance to the American North China Intervention, 1945-46,' LtCol James R. Compton USMC (Ret) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MCU Press article - Introduction and 'Operation Beleaguer' sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Marine Corps history-journal documentation of the operation this hull is documented supporting: Operation Beleaguer, the III Amphibious Corps occupation of North China - about 53,000 Marines deployed from Guam and Okinawa to Shandong and Hopeh Provinces, landing at Taku on 30 September 1945, tasked with seizing key ports and accepting the local surrender of Japanese forces. NavSource captions place LSM-431 at Tientsin in September 1945 'after bringing Marines from Okinawa for the surrender of North China' and at Taku in March 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- III Amphibious Corps Marines (~53,000); crew of lift shipping
- Limitations
- Operation-level context only: the article does not name LSM-431 or any landing ship; the ship's participation is documented by NavSource photo captions, not by this source. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (2 x GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin screws - no steam plant); LSM-1-class era (558 hulls built 1944-45); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (see ev-07); NPS documentation of the Dravo-Wilmington LSM program [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page (ev-07); NPS Wilmington article (ev-03)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing ship built December 1944 - February 1945 at a Navy-contract yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a direct-drive diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the small, enclosed hull volumes of a 203-foot amphibious ship concentrate any installed insulation products around machinery spaces and accommodation areas.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Dravo-Wilmington construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); ROC Navy crew (1946-72); 1973 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, contract specification, or work package located for LSM-431. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire U.S. construction and service era (1944-46) and her Republic of China service era (1946-72).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed in prior batch session) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-07
-
[9]NARA National Archives Catalog full-text search '"LSM-431"' - 64 digitized records containing the hull designation (RG 24 muster rolls; RG 38 WWII war diaries and operational records of commands she served with) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov full-text search '"LSM-431"' (64 results inspected in summary); NAID 190212233 (RG 24, roll S-2508); RG 38 war-diary file units on rolls A1472-A1780
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NARA catalog returns 64 digitized archival records containing the string 'LSM-431' - including RG 24 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' (e.g., file unit 'Commander, Task Unit 70.2.2, 2/7/46-12/1/46,' NAID 190212233, roll S-2508) and RG 38 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' file units. These are digitized contemporaneous mentions of the hull in other units' records - retrievable leads for detailed service/crew reconstruction, not hull records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Crew and embarked personnel appearing in muster rolls (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: digitized mentions establish the hull's presence in operational records; none located is a dedicated LSM-431 series record, and none was individually verified page-by-page this session. Deck logs / logbooks for this hull were not surfaced in the search results inspected. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-08
-
[10]Batch-6241 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; NHHC DANFS (404 - no entry); Naval Vessel Register (no entry - pre-1987 disposal excluded); uboat.net; NPS Wilmington heritage article; USMC MCU Press; NARA catalog; CourtListener authenticated API v4 (opinions + dockets); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-01 through sl-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-431 / LSM-431 / ROCS Mei Tseng was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API v4 queries returned zero hits for 'LSM-431' (opinions), 'USS LSM-431' (dockets), and '"LSM 431" asbestos' (opinions). No DANFS entry exists for this hull. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no ship-specific asbestos claim - only generic law-firm marketing pages covering Navy ships or landing ships as classes, 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 record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - WWII amphibious construction was inside the documented Navy asbestos era. Deck logs, Dravo work packages, and contract specifications are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-09
-
[11]NavSource LSM-431 page internal inconsistency: history text renders the ROC name 'ROCS Mei Tseng'; the ROC-era photo caption (official ROC Navy photo, 'Jane's Fighting Ships, 1954-55') renders 'ROCS Hei Tseng (LSM-344)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14431.htm - history text vs. 'ROCS Mei Tseng (LSM-344)' photo-caption block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/DISCREPANCY: the same NavSource page carries two romanizations of this hull's Republic of China name - 'Mei Tseng' in the history text and 'Hei Tseng' in the Jane's-sourced photo caption. No primary ROC source located to resolve the romanization; 'Mei Tseng' carried in the alias field with the variant disclosed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1946-1973 (ROC service window)
- Limitations
- Corrects/flags a naming inconsistency in the secondary record, not a material claim. ROC-service details beyond NavSource (Taiwanese redesignation date, ROC Navy decommissioning) are thin in English-language public sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-431-lsm431-10