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-452 page (history extract from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1997; specifications; ribbon block; commanding-officer list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14452.htm header block, specifications block, ribbon block, commanding-officers table; history extract credited to Turner Publishing LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (ISBN 1-56311-389-9)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class landing ship medium laid down 16 October 1944 at Western Pipe and Steel Co., San Pedro, CA; launched 10 December 1944; commissioned USS LSM-452 on 1 February 1945, LTjg. Harvey J. Dupuy USNR in command. WWII Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LSM Flotilla Thirteen (LCDR C. L. Weigle USN), LSM Group Thirty-Eight (LCDR T. F. Lane USNR), LSM Division Seventy-Six. Post-war occupation service in the Far East 23 September - 11 November 1945. Decommissioned 24 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission at Seattle, WA, for disposal (PDX-225, 27 September 1946); sold 19 September 1947 to Tacoma Boat Building Co., Tacoma, WA; final disposition unknown. Specs: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full; 203'6" x 34'6"; 13.2 kt; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; 1 twin 40mm + 4 single 20mm; two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin propellers 2,800 shp. COs: LT Harvey J. Dupuy (Feb 1945 - Dec 1945), LTjg William A. Appleby Jr. (Dec 1945 - 24 May 1946). Awards: American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, WWII Victory, Navy Occupation Service (Asia clasp).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- WPS San Pedro construction trades (1944-45); commissioned crew (~59 ship's company) Feb 1945 - May 1946
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates and specs generally track Navy records and are corroborated here by NARA-digitized primary documents (ev-02 through ev-05) and the shipbuildinghistory yard table (ev-06), but complement and spec figures could not be verified against DANFS (no DANFS entry exists for this hull). Contains no asbestos or material content. 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' - the 10 June 1947 strike date in secondary source uboat.net is unverified (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-01
-
[2]NARA Catalog NAID 77631959: 'USS LSM-452 - Report of operations in the occupation of Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan, 9/24/45' (RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; microfilm roll A2040; ship's serial 0092-45 dated 26 September 1945; Fold3 scan 302011021) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77631959 digital object 0110.jpg (full one-page letter OCR'd); catalog object URL https://catalog.archives.gov/medialz/microfilm-publications/WWII_WarDiaries/0001/A_2040/A_2040/images/0110.jpg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report, signed by commanding officer Harvey J. Dupuy: 'This vessel was a composite unit of the Task Force participating in the occupation of Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan' and 'carried cargo and personnel of the Second Marine Division, Eighth Regiment, (Weapons Company).' Chronology: loaded equipment and personnel at Saipan 11 September 1945; departed Saipan 17 September; arrived Nagasaki 23 September; discharged equipment and personnel 24 September. Cargo manifest: four M7-B1 tanks, two 1-ton trucks, one 1/4-ton jeep, four 1-ton cargo trailers, two 6-ton track-layer trailers, two TD-18 Caterpillars; 41 enlisted men and 2 officers transported. 'No opposition or trouble was encountered from the enemy by this vessel.' Report submitted as enclosure to Commander LSM Flotilla 16 composite report; copies to ComLSMFlot 16 and ComLSMGrp 38.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-09
- Population
- Ship's company (~5 officers + 54 enlisted) and embarked 2d MarDiv 8th Regt (Weapons Co.) personnel (41 EM + 2 officers) during the 11-24 Sep 1945 lift
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational primary source, OCR'd from the NARA-digitized Fold3 microfilm scan (image 0110.jpg). Documents this hull's Nagasaki occupation participation and cargo - contains no asbestos or material content. The 23 September arrival aligns with NavSource's '23 September' occupation start; the 'discharged 24 September' and landing-sequence position come from this report and the ComLSMFlot 16 schedule (ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-02
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[3]NARA Catalog NAID 101749934: 'COM LSM GR 38 - War Diary, 6/2-30/45' (RG 38; microfilm roll A1758; serial 018, submitted 11 July 1945; Fold3 scans 296540620-296540625) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101749934 digital objects 1050.jpg (composition/departure), 1052.jpg (8 June steering casualty), 1053.jpg (Eniwetok fueling), 1054.jpg (22-23 June LST Slip No. 3)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commander LSM Group 38 (Lt. Comdr. T. F. Lane, USNR, flagship LSM-450) June 1945 war diary names LSM-452 repeatedly: the group departed Pearl Harbor 2 June 1945 as Task Unit 13.11.25 with LSM-452 in the departure column of sections, bound for Okinawa via Eniwetok and Guam, the LSMs carrying ammunition, small arms, vehicles (tanks), piling, asphalt, and pontoon gear for ComServPac forward-area harbor development. On 8 June 'USS LSM 452 had steering casualty and changed from column guide to second ship in column with the use of emergency steering gear. The steering was repaired by 0652 and at 1300 the ship resumed column guide.' At Eniwetok, LSM-452 fueled during the afternoon/evening. On 22-23 June the unit moored at Guam (LSM-452 among ships moved to LST Slip No. 3); Army tanks were unloaded and Navy vehicles loaded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-06
- Population
- Ship's company (June 1945)
- Limitations
- Group-level primary record in which this hull is individually named - documents operations, not materials; contains no asbestos content. OCR of six NARA-digitized Fold3 microfilm scans; minor OCR noise in figure strings (verified against context). Diary period begins 2 June 1945 at Pearl Harbor; the ship's transit from San Pedro to Pearl Harbor (Feb-May 1945) is not covered by any located record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-03
-
[4]NARA Catalog NAID 83533937: 'COM LSM GR 38 - War Diary, 7/1-31/45' (RG 38; microfilm roll A1818; serial 022, submitted 5 August 1945; Fold3 scans) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 83533937 digital objects 0854.jpg (1-5 July rosters), 0855.jpg (10 July event), 0858.jpg (28-29 July detachment/OKS-15), 0859.jpg (31 July convoy)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- July 1945 war diary names LSM-452 in unit rosters and events: Task Unit 13.11.25 anchored Saipan Harbor 1 July (ships included LSM-452); on 5 July the unit reorganized to twelve LSMs including 452; on 7 July all ships moved alongside Pier C and took on fog oil from USS Cape Blanco. On 10 July 'LSM 8 and 452 left the formation and proceeded to a point midway between port column and inner screen where LSM 8 went alongside LSM 52 and transferred the Medical Officer to latter ship to assist man with infected foot.' The unit then proceeded to Hagushi Bay, Okinawa (mid-July), anchored bow-to-windward for smoke screen during air alerts, unloaded at the beach from 17 July, and stood typhoon plan XRAY WEST. On ~28 July the group's ships including LSM-452 detached from Task Unit 99.1.95, departed Hagushi Bay, and joined convoy OKS-15 for Saipan per Port Director Okinawa orders of 28 July; in convoy through 31 July.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-07
- Population
- Ship's company (July 1945)
- Limitations
- Group-level primary record; hull named in rosters and the 10 July formation event. Documents operations, not materials; no asbestos content. OCR of six Fold3 scans with minor character noise. The 16 July 'passengers from all LSMs transferred to APA-21 (Crescent City)' and beach-unloading entries describe the unit generally.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-04
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[5]NARA Catalog NAID 77496841: 'COM LSMFLOT 16 - Rep of opers. in the occupation of Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan, 9/24-26/45' (RG 38; microfilm roll A1877; serial 0014; Fold3 scans); corroborated by Commander Transport Squadron 12 action report serial 047 of 30 September 1945 (NavSource-hosted scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77496841 digital objects 1178.jpg (enclosure list), 1181.jpg (unit TWO roster), 1186.jpg (LSM-452 0809 schedule); ComTransRon 12 serial 047 scan at https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/03/pdf/03138a.pdf (task-org p.5, loading table p.7, 26 Sep chronology pp.16-17); NAID 77578630 (COM LSM GR 38 Sept 1945 war diary - unit-level narrative: departed Saipan 17 Sep, arrived Nagasaki 0755 23 Sep, unloaded 24 Sep, Okinawa 29 Sep)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commander LSM Flotilla 16 (Commander Task Unit 54.3.3) Nagasaki occupation action report names USS LSM-452 in Enclosure (B) ('Action Reports of USS LSM 496, USS LSM 452, USS LSM 309, USS LSM 307, USS LSM 170, USS LSM 122...') and places her in LSM Unit TWO under ComLSMGrp 38 (LSM 450(F), 448, 465, 263, 462, 452, 122, 466, 103, 286); its approach/movement schedule assigns 'LSM 452' time 0809 (passage through Point ABLE and cruising-disposition formation). The ComTransRon 12 report (Commodore H. B. Knowles, USS Cambria flagship) independently lists LSM-452 in the same Unit TWO roster, records her Saipan loading figures (43 personnel, 15 vehicles, 170 short tons cargo), and orders her 26 September departure: ComLSMFlot 16 formed a task unit including LSMs 78, 94, 103, 122, 170, 227, 253, 286, 307, 309, 452, 462, 465, and 466 with ROBERTS (DE-749) as escort, departing Nagasaki 1400 on 26 September for Okinawa to load 10th Army Corps elements for onward routing to Hiro Wan; the 26 September situation summary lists LSM-452 among departures.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-09
- Population
- Ship's company plus embarked 2d MarDiv 8th Regt (Weapons Co.) troops (Sep 1945)
- Limitations
- Superior-echelon primary records naming this hull in task organization, loading, landing-sequence, and departure entries - documents operations, not materials; no asbestos content. Thirteen Fold3 scans OCR'd for the Flotilla 16 report; the ComTransRon 12 report was OCR'd from the NavSource-hosted 52-page scanned PDF (03138a.pdf), image-only scan. The temporary LSM Flotilla 16 assignment for this operation (unit TWO retained ComLSMGrp 38's commander) reconciles with NavSource's Flotilla 13/Group 38 peacetime administrative listing - the war diaries and reports show the operational chain.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-05
-
[6]ShipbuildingHistory.com (T. Colton) Western Pipe & Steel hull table, South San Francisco CA and San Pedro CA (identical table mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Western Pipe & Steel table, hull row 213, within the 'Ordered 4-Apr-44, built in San Pedro' block; verified live at both shipbuildinghistory.com and navalmarinearchive.com 2026-10-01
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table documentation for this hull: Western Pipe & Steel hull no. 213 = LSM 452, unnamed, US Navy landing ship, 743 tons (landing displacement), 203 feet, delivered 1 February 1945, disposition 'Sold to Tacoma BB 1947.' Hull 213 sits in the order block 'Ordered 4-Apr-44, built in San Pedro' (hulls 208-219 = LSM 447-458), i.e., at the company's wartime West Basin, San Pedro yard - not the South San Francisco yard (which side-launched its hulls at a separate site).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- WPS San Pedro construction trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary yard-compilation, not a registry document - but it independently corroborates builder, yard location (San Pedro), delivery date (1 Feb 1945 = commission date), and 1947 Tacoma Boat Building sale. Its 'Ordered 4-Apr-44' block header conflicts slightly with uboat.net's '8 Apr 1944' order date for this hull (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-06
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-452 specifications (two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin screws 2,800 shp - no steam plant); shipyard-exposure-map documented row for western-pipe-steel (evidence_tier 3: 'asbestos-containing shipbuilding materials (contract-required)' per Franklin v. USX Corp.); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-use documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (propulsion); shipyards.json western-pipe-steel evidence row; Franklin v. USX opinion general-background section; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing ship built 1944-45 at a Western Pipe & Steel yard inside the WWII contract-required-asbestos regime (per Franklin v. USX) and the Navy's documented pre-1970s asbestos-insulation era (per GAO HRD-80-2) would have carried the era-standard non-steam asbestos applications: exhaust-uptake lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, non-combustible joiner bulkhead panels, deck covering, and period adhesives/paints. As a diesel ship she carried no boiler or steam-line lagging - the heaviest shipboard asbestos pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- WPS San Pedro construction trades (1944-45); crew Feb 1945 - May 1946; Tacoma Boat Building post-sale workforce (1947-, conversion/scrapping undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or deck-log materials entry located for LSM-452. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. The Franklin opinion's findings concern WPS's South San Francisco yard; application to the San Pedro yard is company-level inference (same owner, same wartime USMC contract regime), not a direct finding for the San Pedro site.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-07
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[8]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (Cal. Ct. App. 1st Dist. Div. 3, Mar. 2, 2001; review denied May 23, 2001); CourtListener cluster 2287235, docket A091473 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion general-background section (WPS/USMC contract paragraph; parents' 1942-45 employment); CourtListener opinion 2287235 (docket A091473); canonical print cite 87 Cal. App. 4th 615 / 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate opinion documenting this hull's builder: WWII 'WPS entered into a contract with the United States Maritime Commission to again build ships for use in the war. The contract required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos.' Jeannette Franklin's parents 'both worked at WPS from 1942 to 1945 ... in areas where asbestos was present,' exposed to airborne dust during mixing of mud, insulation work, and sweeping; she contracted mesothelioma from take-home exposure. A jury returned a verdict exceeding $5 million; the Court of Appeal reversed solely on successor-liability grounds, holding USX was not WPS's successor in interest - the asbestos fact-findings were not disturbed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (facts); 2001 (opinion)
- Population
- WPS WWII shipyard workforce and household contacts (company-level)
- Limitations
- Builder-level litigation record, not a hull record: LSM-452 is not named, and the opinion's worked-at facts concern WPS's South San Francisco yard while this hull was built at WPS's San Pedro yard - the contract-required-asbestos finding describes the company's wartime shipbuilding regime generally. Litigation-stage discipline: trial judgment reversed on appeal on non-exposure grounds (successor liability); the exposure/evidentiary record stands at the trial-stage findings, undisturbed. CourtListener opinion 2287235 verified via API search 2026-10-01; opinion text cross-verified via Leagle/OpenJurist/Midpage mirrors (Justia canonical URL blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-08
-
[9]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 (1944-45) and government custody era (1945-47).
- 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-452-09
-
[10]Batch-6264 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NVR; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive yard tables; NARA catalog + digitized Fold3 scans (NAIDs 77631959, 101749934, 83533937, 77496841, 77578630); CourtListener API v4 (exact-name opinion and docket searches); MARAD vesselhistory; FromThePage/LVA; Tacoma Public Library; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-452-01 through sl-uss-lsm-452-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials list, or docketed case naming LSM-452 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-name searches returned zero hits - 'LSM-452' and 'LSM 452' in the opinion index and the RECAP docket index, 2026-10-01; the builder-case lookup (Franklin v. USX) succeeded and is cited at ev-08. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no asbestos claim naming this hull - no law-firm listicle coverage exists for LSM-452. The hull's operational record is unusually rich (own action report plus three echelons of war diaries/action reports, all digitized), but none of it addresses materials.
- 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. Class-level CourtListener phrasings ('USS LSM'/'Landing Ship Medium' asbestos) were intermittently blocked by fleet pacing this session - logged as blocked, not negative. Open archival leads: NARA RG 24 deck logs (undigitized), Maritime Commission PDX-225 disposal jacket, Tacoma Boat Building hull records (Tacoma Public Library index unreachable), WPS/Consolidated Steel yard records. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-10
-
[11]uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS LSM 452 (secondary) vs NavSource page and shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive yard tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/13039 spec table vs NavSource 10/14/14452.htm and shipbuildinghistory westernpipe.htm hull-213 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: uboat.net lists the builder location as 'San Francisco, California' - the build yard was Western Pipe & Steel's San Pedro yard (Los Angeles harbor), confirmed by NavSource and by two independent yard tables (shipbuildinghistory.com, navalmarinearchive.com) whose row for hull 213 sits inside the 'Ordered 4-Apr-44, built in San Pedro' block. uboat.net also carries a 'Laid down 18 Oct 1944' variant (NavSource: 16 October 1944), an 'Ordered 8 Apr 1944' date (yard table block header: 4-Apr-44), and a 'Stricken 10 June 1947' date that NavSource records as unknown - the strike date variant is carried in gaps, not asserted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Corrects a builder-location mislabel and flags unresolved secondary-source date variants; uboat.net is a secondary compilation and its unsourced '10 June 1947' strike date could not be verified against any registry - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-452-11