Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet 579-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: UNVERIFIABLE
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-447-lsm447-pkt-579-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-447 (10/14/14447.htm) - construction and service timeline, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions, ribbon block; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14447.htm header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officers block, ribbon block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class landing ship medium laid down 18 September 1944 at Western Pipe & Steel Co., San Pedro, CA; launched 13 November 1944; commissioned USS LSM-447, 28 December 1944, LTjg. Ernest T. Foree USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Three (CDR W. F. Morrison USN), LSM Group Eight (LCDR J. G. Blanche USN), LSM Division Fifteen; participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 28 April to 16 May 1945 - earning one battle star. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 1-25 November 1945 and 25 May 1946 to 22 February 1947; China Service Medal (extended) 25 May 1946 to 22 February 1947. Decommissioned 3 July 1947 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Sold for scrapping 26 February 1948 to New Orleans Shipwrecking Co., Chicago, IL. Commanding officers: LTjg/LT Ernest T. Foree USNR (1944-12-28 to Feb 1946); LTjg Andrew Jackson Horton Jr. USNR (Feb 1946 to 1947-07-03). Photo captions document the hull's tank deck filled with Japanese small arms and moored pierside at Tsingtao, China, outboard of LSM-444 and LSM-381. Ribbon block: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Specifications: 203'6" oa, 34'6" beam, 520t light / 743t landing / 1,095t fully loaded; two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction trades (1944); crew (1944-47)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation drawing on the Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR history - milestone dates generally track official records but the struck date is explicitly 'unknown' here. Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. Does not establish individual exposure, quantities, or post-sale condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-447-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com), Western Pipe & Steel yard table (South San Francisco CA and San Pedro CA) - LSM 447 line entry, hull 208, under the 'Ordered 4-Apr-44, built in San Pedro' contract block [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Western Pipe & Steel yard table, hull 208 row (LSM 447)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Western Pipe & Steel yard's construction list carries 'LSM 447 | Unnamed | US Navy | Landing Ship | 743d | 203 | 28-Dec-44 | Sold to New Orleans Shipwrecking 1948 for scrapping' - corroborating the builder (Western Pipe & Steel, San Pedro yard), hull type, delivery/commissioning date (28 December 1944), and the 1948 scrapping sale. The contract block is headed 'Ordered 4-Apr-44, built in San Pedro.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary yard list corroborating NavSource dates; not a primary registry. Contains no asbestos content. The delivery column date (28-Dec-44) matches the commissioning date; the table does not separately state laid-down/launch dates or the struck date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-447-02
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[4]NARA Catalog, NAID 2760938 'LSM-447' - file unit, Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series 'Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation' (1940-1978), creator Board of Inspection and Survey; paper, Container ID 101, National Archives at College Park, unrestricted, 'Not Yet Available Online' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog NAID 2760938 (RG 38, series 1940-1978, container 101, College Park Textual Reference); NAID 118967604 (RG 24 Index to Muster Rolls)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A dedicated ship-specific file unit exists for LSM-447 at NARA: a Board of Inspection and Survey (InSurv) material-inspection record for this hull, in paper form at College Park (container 101), unrestricted but not digitized. InSurv material inspections document a ship's material condition; if retrievable, this record is the strongest open lead for ship-specific material detail including insulation. Separately, an Index to Muster Rolls range unit (NAID 118967604, RG 24, 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005', 2,968 digitized images) covers this hull's muster-roll index entries, and 56 other file units - mostly wartime unit war diaries - mention LSM-447.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947 service era; series range 1940-1978
- Population
- Crew (muster-roll index); InSurv inspection correspondence
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the catalog entry establishes that a ship-specific InSurv file unit exists; its contents have not been examined and may or may not describe insulation or other asbestos-relevant material detail. No asbestos content is established. The catalog metadata gives no file-unit date within the 1940-1978 series range.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-447-03
-
[5]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 construction (1944) and service era (1944-47).
- 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 2026-10-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-447-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-447 specifications block (two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin screws - no steam plant); LSM-1 class design era (1944-45 emergency amphibious construction); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use era; Franklin v. USX finding that wartime Western Pipe & Steel shipbuilding contracts required asbestos-containing materials [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14447.htm specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; Franklin v. USX Corp. opinion
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LSM-1-class landing ship built September-December 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a landing ship of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery and piping insulation, gaskets, valve packing, bulkhead and overhead insulation, deck covering, and brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam propulsion 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
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction trades (1944); crew (1944-47); any yard personnel during availabilities
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-447. 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-447-05
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[7]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (Cal. Ct. App., 1st Dist., Div. 3, 2001), review denied May 23, 2001 - CourtListener opinion 2287235 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 87 Cal. App. 4th 615 (No. A091473), Facts/General Background and disposition paragraphs - CourtListener API v4 opinion 2287235, html_with_citations retrieved verbatim 2026-10-01
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-level asbestos litigation record: Jeannette Franklin alleged mesothelioma from childhood secondhand exposure to asbestos carried home by her parents, who worked at Western Pipe & Steel's South San Francisco shipyard from 1942 to 1945 - the same parent company that built this hull at its San Pedro yard. The opinion states on stipulated facts that WPS's wartime contract with the U.S. Maritime Commission 'required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos' and that the parents 'worked in areas where asbestos was present' and 'were exposed to airborne dust during the mixing of mud, during insulation work, and when workers swept up debris.' A jury returned a verdict in excess of $5 million. The Court of Appeal reversed solely on successor-liability grounds - USX was held not to be the successor in interest to WPS - and expressly did not address the issues pertaining to the jury verdict; the exposure findings therefore remain at trial-stage, undisturbed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1942-45 (alleged exposure); 2001 (opinion)
- Population
- WPS South San Francisco shipyard workforce families (1942-45 exposure window alleged)
- Limitations
- Builder/corporate-level litigation, not a hull record: the documented exposure site is Western Pipe & Steel's SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO yard, while this hull was built at the company's SAN PEDRO yard - the opinion does not name the San Pedro yard or any vessel. The appellate disposition is a successor-liability reversal on non-exposure grounds, leaving the trial-stage exposure findings intact but deciding nothing about San Pedro operations or this ship. Classified context per litigation-stage discipline.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-447-06
-
[8]Batch-6258 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; Shipbuilding History Western Pipe & Steel yard table; uboat.net cross-check; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, opinion + RECAP docket); NARA Catalog (JS-rendered via firecrawl); NVR; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-447-01 through sl-uss-lsm-447-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM-447 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-phrase opinion searches for "LSM-447" and "LSM 447" returned zero results and the "LSM-447" RECAP docket search returned zero results; an unquoted "LSM-447" opinion search returned 13 name collisions, none naming the vessel. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no ship-specific asbestos claims - only generic LSM-class marketing listicles, 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 - era inference remains reasonable and is corroborated at builder level by the Franklin opinion's contract-required-asbestos finding (other yard). The undigitized NARA InSurv file unit (NAID 2760938) and RG 24 deck logs for 1944-47 at College Park remain the open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-447-07