Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-458 page (construction and milestone timeline, specification block; history extract per NavSource's LSM archive convention) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14458.htm - main timeline block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium; laid down 5 December 1944 at Western Pipe and Steel Co., San Pedro, CA; launched 28 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM-458, 22 March 1945, LTjg. C. F. Schneider USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Fourteen (LCDR W. R. McCaleb), LSM Group Forty-Two, LSM Division Eighty-Four. Placed in reduced commission 1 June 1945 for fitting of cycloidal propellers; fully recommissioned 15 December 1945 (page prints '15 Deember 1945' - evident typo, date carried as December). Decommissioned 24 December 1947 at Portsmouth, VA. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Donated September 1948 to Veterans of Foreign Wars, Belleville, NJ; hulk beached permanently at Belleville but never converted to a VFW post; probably scrapped, date unknown. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full load; 203'6" ovl x 34'6"; 13.2 kts max; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; troop accommodations 2 officers + 46 enlisted; one twin bow-mounted 40mm + four single 20mm; two GM 16-278A reversible diesels (1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, hydraulic clutch, direct drive), twin propellers, 2,800 shp; diesel ship's-service generators 2 x 100kW 450V AC and 1 x 20kW 120V DC; fuel 1,225 bbl diesel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel construction trades (Dec 1944 - Mar 1945); USN crew 1945-47 (5 officers + 54 enlisted spec complement); embarked troops (up to 2 officers + 46 enlisted); decommissioning detail Portsmouth VA (Dec 1947)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - this hull has no DANFS entry. Striking date stated as unknown; 'probably scrapped' is hedged by the source itself and carried accordingly. 'Deember' is a literal typo for December. No asbestos content. Page verified live 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-01
-
[2]NavSource LSM-458 photo captions: Everett Pacific drydocking/conversion sequence, Puget Sound trial photos (25 June 1946; All Hands July 1946), circa-1952 Seattle-area caption, and tow to New Jersey for VFW donation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14458.htm photo table (Everett drydock/conversion sequence; Puget Sound trials; 25 Jun 1946; All Hands Jul 1946; tow-to-NJ sequence)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Photographic documentation specific to this hull: (1) LSM-458 drydocked on a car barge at Everett Pacific Shipbuilding, Everett, WA - 'conventional propellers were removed and replaced with experimental Kirsten cycloidal propellers which eliminate the need for a rudder'; (2) stern reconstructed on new lines for cycloidal propulsion and underbody apertures for the propellers; (3) cycloidal propeller installation sequence at Everett; (4) testing in Puget Sound; (5) 'USS LSM-458 demonstrates her Kirsten cycloidal propeller, turning within her own length (as indicated by her wake) in Puget Sound, 25 June 1946' - photo text credited to Norman Friedman, 'U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History'; (6) 'evaluating her newly installed Kirsten cycloidal propeller' - US Navy photo from All Hands magazine, July 1946; (7) caption describing 'newly installed Kirsten cycloidal propeller' in the Seattle area 'circa 1952' - date inconsistent with the 1947 decommissioning and 1948 tow to New Jersey (see gaps); (8) tug towing ex-LSM-458 en route to New Jersey for the VFW donation, the caption describing the transfer as made under a standing practice of offering one ship after each war to a veterans' association.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1948
- Population
- Everett Pacific Shipbuilding conversion workforce (1945-46); ship's crew and test personnel during Puget Sound trials (1946)
- Limitations
- Photo captions are contributor-supplied metadata on a volunteer archive - authoritative for presence/appearance, not for dates or operational detail. The 'circa 1952' caption conflicts with the documented timeline (decommissioned Dec 1947, towed to NJ 1948) - flagged in gaps. The 'act of Congress' caption claim is not independently verified here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-02
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Landing Ships, Medium (LSM)' production table - LSM-458 row; corroborated by the Western Pipe & Steel yard list (hull 219), shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/westernpipe.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm LSM-458 row; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/westernpipe.htm hull 219 row and yard description
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The LSM production table (558 Landing Ships, Medium built during WWII) records LSM-458: Western Pipe, San Pedro CA, delivery 22 March 1945, disposition 'To VFW in Bellevue NJ 1948, beached and used as VFW post.' The Western Pipe & Steel yard table records hull number 219, LSM-458, US Navy, landing ship, 743 t., 203 ft., delivered 22 March 1945, same disposition note. The yard page documents the wartime San Pedro operation in the West Basin (berths 125-132).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro workforce (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation (Colton yard tables track official delivery records), not a primary registry. CONFLICTS: 'beached and used as VFW post' contradicts NavSource's 'beached permanently at Belleville but never converted to a VFW post / probably scrapped'; 'Bellevue' is a spelling variant of Belleville NJ (the named VFW locality). No asbestos content. Both pages verified live 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-03
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company' yard page, Everett WA [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencysmall/everettpac.htm - yard history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard where LSM-458's cycloidal conversion was performed is documented: Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Everett, WA, established 1942 with funds provided by the Navy; bought in 1944 by Pacific Car and Foundry (the manufacturer building the Kirsten-Boeing propeller hardware, per the Kirsten papers drawings folder and the ONR installation table); lease terminated 1949 and the yard closed; site later used by Western Gear and now part of Naval Station Everett.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1942-1949
- Population
- Everett-Pacific conversion workforce (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Yard-history compilation establishing the conversion site's ownership during the work (PC&F-owned from 1944) - it does not itself list LSM-458's conversion job; that linkage comes from the NavSource photo captions. No asbestos content. Page verified live 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-04
-
[5]Archives West finding aid, Frederick Kurt Kirsten papers 1901-1991, Collection 3378, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections - 'Naval Vessel LSM 458' subject series and Navy correspondence (accession 3378-002) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Archives West ark:80444/xv80654 - accession 3378-002, box/folders 1/34 and 3/38-43 ('Naval Vessel LSM 458' subject series)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The finding aid confirms dedicated, ship-specific technical records for LSM-458 exist in the Kirsten papers: box/folder 1/34 'U.S. Navy Department (U.S. Navy Vessel LSM 458)' incoming correspondence, 1945-1946; and the 'Naval Vessel LSM 458' subject series - 3/38-39 'Report: Standardization Fuel Economy and Tactical Trials by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Scientific and Test Group' (1946); 3/40 'Tests, Speed Calculations, Graphs, mostly by N.J. Brazell' (1944-1946); 3/41 'Report: Cavitation Notes (with enclosures) by N.J. Brazell regarding propeller efficiencies of LSM 201 and LSM 458' (1950); 3/42 'Drawings by Pacific Car and Foundry Company' (1944); 3/43 'Photographs, Procedure for Application of Donation of a Navy Ship' (1944). Kirsten's inventor-correspondent context includes N.J. Brazell of the U.S. Navy Ships Department (folders 1/7-11, 1944-1952) and Voith-Schneider Propeller Company correspondence (1/73).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1951 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Finding aid verifies the records' existence, dates, and scope - the underlying reports and correspondence were not digitized or examined. Content of the trial reports (results, conditions aboard, materials disturbed) cannot be asserted from the finding aid alone. Open to all users at UW Special Collections - a direct archival lead for deeper research. No asbestos content identified at this level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-05
-
[6]Charles J. Henry, 'A Survey of Cycloidal Propulsion,' Office of Naval Research contract (Nonr-183-27), Report No. 728, December 1959 - Defense Technical Information Center AD0230866 [archived; live apps.dtic.mil PDF returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-01] [other_primary]
- Locator
- AD0230866 (Henry, Report 728, Dec 1959), Table I 'Installations Produced by Pacific Car and Foundry Company', LSM-458 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ONR technical survey's Table I, 'Installations Produced by Pacific Car and Foundry Company,' lists LSM-458 as a Landing Ship fitted with 2 cycloidal propellers of 1,600 horsepower each, U.S. Navy - corroborating the hull's role as the full-scale Navy installation of the Kirsten-Boeing cycloidal propeller. The same table lists sister PC&F cycloidal installations (Army MTL/MPL tugs and push boats, the ferry Northampton, PT-8). The report's survey of the Kirsten-Boeing propeller type describes the installation concept (rudderless directional thrust) that NavSource's captions show executed on this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1959 (publication); 1945-46 (installation covered)
- Limitations
- Document read via Wayback capture 2025-12-23 of the DTIC PDF; live apps.dtic.mil fetch blocked (HTTP 403) - labeled as archived per citation policy. OCR of the scan renders the entry 'lsm-1*58' - the LSM-458 identity is unambiguous from context and the NavSource record. Table I lists the installation (prop count, 1600 HP per propeller, owner) but gives no construction dates, materials, or trial results for this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-06
-
[7]Web transcription of Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas Report, Serial 0395 of 11 February 1946 (Typhoon Louise, Okinawa, 9 October 1945) - sourced to World War II Command File, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington, DC; transcription hosted at rpadden.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- rpadden.com/216dispatch/typhoon.htm - vessel damage/grounding table, 'LSM 458' row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The transcription's vessel-damage table lists 'LSM 458 - Grounded' among ships affected by Typhoon Louise at Okinawa on 9 October 1945. If accurate, this places the hull at Okinawa during the storm; however it conflicts with NavSource's chronology (reduced commission from 1 June 1945 at Everett, WA for the cycloidal conversion, full recommissioning 15 December 1945) - a ship in yard hands at Everett in October 1945 could not ground at Okinawa. The conflict is unresolved: possibilities include a transcription or hull-number error in the report/table, or an undocumented Pacific deployment in reduced-commission status before conversion began.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-10-09
- Population
- Crew aboard during the alleged grounding period (if the listing is accurate)
- Limitations
- Third-party transcription of an archival document - the underlying CINCPAC report page was not examined. No extent-of-damage, salvage, or refloating detail for LSM-458 is asserted by the table entry ('Grounded' only); do not upgrade to damage or repair claims. Carried as an archival lead pending examination of Serial 0395 at NARA/RG 38.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-07
-
[8]Daily Alaska Empire (Juneau), 19 June 1946, page 6 - news article on the Kirsten cycloidal propeller installation aboard LSM-458 (digitized scan via History Worm newspaper archive) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- historyworm.com digitized page scan, Daily Alaska Empire 1946-06-19 p.6 - cycloidal propeller article
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous newspaper account describes the cycloidal installation aboard this hull: the Kirsten cycloidal propellers have a horizontal rotary motion with controlled blade rotation producing useful thrust through the orbit; thrust can be directed radially without a reverse gear; conventional propeller appendages that add hull drag are eliminated; blades can be removed or replaced while the ship is afloat; and 'Trials of the cycloidal LSM 458 will be compared with trials of LSM 147, a sister ship, which were conducted on the east coast.' Confirms at press time (19 June 1946) that the ship was the active Navy cycloidal testbed in Puget Sound.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Test crew and trial personnel aboard, June 1946
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous press, not an official record - technical description reflects the Navy's public framing of the trial program. Scan is OCR-extracted on a third-party newspaper archive (History Worm); phrasing artifacts present. Establishes the trials and the LSM-147 comparison program, not trial results. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-08
-
[9]uboat.net Allied Warships database, USS LSM-458 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/13045.html - vessel data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary database cross-check: Western Pipe & Steel Co. builder; laid down 5 December 1944; launched 28 January 1945; commissioned 22 March 1945; decommissioned 24 December 1947; stricken 19 February 1948; sold September 1948. Build, commissioning, and decommissioning dates match NavSource; the stricken date (19 Feb 1948) and the 'sold' characterization conflict with NavSource ('date unknown' / 'donated').
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Non-official secondary database; the 19 Feb 1948 strike date and 'sold' disposition are unverified against any primary register - carried as an unresolved conflict in gaps rather than merged. No asbestos content. Page verified live 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-09
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin screws - no steam plant); Shipbuilding History Western Pipe table (1945 diesel landing ship); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-uss-lsm-458-11); NHHC LSM class description (see ev-uss-lsm-458-12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block propulsion section; shipbuildinghistory.com westernpipe table; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-propelled landing ship built December 1944 - March 1945 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard diesel amphibious types of this period were diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and joiner/bulkhead fireproofing materials. The propulsion plant is diesel direct-drive (2 x GM 16-278A, 2,800 shp) - no boilers or steam turbines, so the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway documented for steam vessels does not apply to this hull. The 1945-46 cycloidal conversion replaced propellers, shafting, and rudder, not the diesel plant; conversion-era shipyard work (stern reconstruction, underbody apertures) would have disturbed and re-lagged adjacent era-standard insulation - inference only.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Western Pipe & Steel construction trades (1944-45); USN crew 1945-47; Everett-Pacific conversion trades (1945-46); post-donation caretakers/scrappers at Belleville (1948 onward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-458. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish presence, condition, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-10
-
[11]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 construction (1944-45), USN service and conversion (1945-47), and donation/disposal period (1948).
- 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-458-11
-
[12]NHHC, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (art exhibit page, Art of Naval Amphibious Operations from WWII) - LSM type description [archived; live page returned 404 on 2026-10-01] [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC 'The Navy's Happy Medium' exhibit page, descriptive paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC describes the LSM type's origin: 'Needing a landing ship somewhere between the size and displacement of an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and an LST (Landing Ship, Tank), the Navy turned the problem over to its architects and designers who came up with the compact and maneuverable LSM (Landing Ship, Medium).' Establishes the official Navy framing of the class this hull belongs to.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (class design era)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC source but class-level description only - no hull-specific content. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-01 (standing NHHC link-rot defect, per BATCH-01); cited via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 and labeled as archived. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-12
-
[13]Batch-6270 search ledger (this record): NavSource live fetch; DANFS index check; NVR check; CourtListener authenticated searches (hull-designation queries completed, name variants fleet-blocked); Archives West finding aid; DTIC AD0230866 via Wayback; Shipbuilding History (3 pages); rpadden CINCPAC transcription; Daily Alaska Empire via History Worm; uboat.net; NHHC via Wayback; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-458-01 through -18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LSM-458 / LSM-458 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results across authenticated API searches of opinions and dockets for 'LSM-458' (2026-10-01); the spaced variant 'LSM 458' remained fleet-blocked at session end - residual coverage flagged in gaps rather than claimed complete. DANFS has no entry for this hull (numbered amphibious ships without assigned names are not covered individually). NVR has no entry (ships disposed before 1987 are excluded per NVR's own disclaimer; candidate detail URL returned 404). The only 'asbestos aboard LSM' material found is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos for the LSM class generally without primary sourcing - 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-consistent inference still applies. CourtListener zero-result sets reflect published opinions and RECAP dockets, not unfiled or settled matters; the hyphenated hull designation was searched in both indexes but the spaced 'LSM 458' variant was not completed (fleet pacing) - flagged in gaps. Deck logs (NARA RG 24), the UW Kirsten papers LSM-458 report folders, and CINCPAC Serial 0395 are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-458-13