Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-459 page 10/14/14459 - history extract from 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces', Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co. (1997), ISBN 1-56311-389-9, plus spec block, photo captions, and commanding-officer table [other_primary]
- Locator
- History extract (Turner Publishing), specifications block, photo captions, Commanding Officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USS LSM-459 (LSM-1 class): laid down 6 January 1945 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 27 January 1945; commissioned 28 February 1945, LTjg. Roy H. Neilson USNR in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater - LSM Flotilla Eleven, LSM Group Thirty-Two, LSM Division Sixty-Two. Photographed circa 20 October 1945 beached alongside USS LSM-383 at Okinawa unloading 'C' rations for survivors of the October typhoon (photo by LT. Edgar W. Stanton III, USNR, CO LSM-383, via USS LSM/LSMR Association). Postwar occupation service in the Far East 20-30 October 1945. While proceeding from Adak Island to Amchitka, Alaska, ran aground 2 November 1946, severely damaged by high seas and winds; declared a total loss 9 December 1946; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); hulk destroyed 25 January 1947 by explosive charges. Awards displayed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). CO table: LTjg/LT Roy H. Neilson USNR (28 Feb 1945-Jul 1946); LT Frank Howard Gillingham USN (Jul 1946-2 Nov 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- Ship's complement: 5 officers, 54 enlisted (spec block)
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, milestones, service outline, and loss sequence for this hull. Turner Publishing extract is a secondary compilation (veteran-association history), not a primary Navy record; no DANFS entry exists for this hull (NHHC returns 404 for all tested LSM URLs). Contains no asbestos information whatsoever - supports no asbestos claim. Exact grounding position and struck date not given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-01
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[2]Shipscribe.com, 'Fiscal Years 1944-45' U.S. Navy shipbuilding program reference table (compiled from official Navy program records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- FY1944-45 program table, LSM block rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- U.S. Navy FY1944-45 construction program table: '100 LSM | 459-98 | (1) | 9 May 44: CNO | 46 | 10 Jul 44 | Brown Houston' - i.e., hulls LSM-459 through LSM-498 (100 ships, including this hull) were directed by CNO 9 May 1944 and awarded to Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, on 10 July 1944 under program 46.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Construction trades (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, 1944-45)
- Limitations
- Names the hull block containing LSM-459 and its contract award date/builder; consistent with uboat.net 'Ordered 10 Jul 1944'. Does not by itself establish keel/launch dates or any materials/asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-02
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[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS LSM 459 (LSM 459), ship ID 13046 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship data table and history line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS LSM 459 (ship ID 13046): built by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston; ordered 10 Jul 1944; laid down 6 Jan 1945; launched 27 Jan 1945; commissioned 28 Feb 1945; lost 9 Dec 1946. History line: 'Grounded on 2 November 1946. Wrecked and declared a total loss on 9 December 1946. Hulk destroyed on 25 January 1947.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Independent secondary corroboration consistent with the NavSource/Turner extract on every overlapping date. Adds the 'ordered 10 Jul 1944' date (matches shipscribe award). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-03
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[4]LSM Class Manual, 1 March 1944, Serial No. 1766 (issued to USS LSM-294), digitized on NavSource - Chapter 30 'Main Propelling Machinery' and Chapter 31 'Auxiliary Machinery' (sections 31-8 Refrigerating Plants, 31-9 Boilers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- lsm02-30.pdf (Main Propelling Machinery, pp. 30-1 to 30-2) and lsm02-31-9.pdf (Boilers, p. 31-5) - OCR-assisted reading of scanned pages
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The digitized LSM class operating manual (Serial No. 1766, 1 March 1944, issued to USS LSM-294 - a sister ship of the same LSM-1 class) documents the class design: main propulsion by two marine diesel engines (Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-series or General Motors 16-278A depending on hull block) with hydraulic couplings direct-driving twin shafts; an oil-fired auxiliary steam boiler designed to supply approximately 1,500 lb/hr of saturated steam at 55 psi in a main-deck starboard boiler room; refrigerating plants, distilling plant, air compressors, and steam/feed piping. Steam boilers, steam piping, machinery lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos-containing materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, 1945); engine-room/auxiliary-machinery crews
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual was issued to LSM-294, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation. OCR of scanned pages partially legible - boiler rating figures read as ~1,500 lb/hr at 55 psi.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-04
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[5]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency-construction program under which this LSM-1-class hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-05
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[6]U.S. GAO, HRD-80-2, 'Navy's asbestos program' product page (published 1979-10-18) [gao]
- Locator
- Product page Highlights section; direct curl returns HTTP 403 - content verified via rendered fetch (firecrawl); full PDF not retrieved this session
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO HRD-80-2 documents the Navy's asbestos-insulation problem at program level: GAO reviewed Navy efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs; Navy's 1975 policy removed only damaged insulation or insulation requiring removal for repairs, modified 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 report; WWII-1970s era
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy documentation; does not name this vessel or the LSM type, and fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Brown Shipbuilding. Establishes Navy-wide asbestos use/policy era context only - no hull finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-06
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[7]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), June 2025, Vol. 39 No. 3; corroborating vessel-count detail from navalmarinearchive.com shipbuilding-history page [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI article text (direct curl 403 - verified via rendered fetch); https://navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder context: Brown Shipbuilding Co. was established 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root at Greens Bayou on the Houston Ship Channel; built with $9M Navy funding; peak wartime employment exceeded 25,000 workers; produced destroyer escorts, submarine chasers, landing craft, and 254 LSMs (359 vessels total) launched sideways into the narrow bayou. Leased to Todd Shipyards 1949; site is now the Brown Shipbuilding Industrial Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding wartime workforce (~25,000 peak; class context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history only - documents the builder's wartime operation; contains no asbestos finding for the yard and none for this hull. No authoritative asbestos documentation for Brown Shipbuilding was located (law-firm/SEO sources asserting yard asbestos excluded by source policy).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-07
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[8]OSTI/DOE 'Potential U.S. Department of Energy Site Responsibilities' report (USFWS 1993 Amchitka contaminated-sites database excerpted); Alaska DEC SPAR Contaminated Sites site reports for Amchitka; Alaska Maritime NWR Shipwreck List (amnwr.com, January 2005, via Wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSTI purl 758922 (USFWS database summary); https://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/CSP/SiteReport/1332 and /1368; https://web.archive.org/web/20050602084438/http://www.amnwr.com/ShipwreckList.htm (archived copy - live amnwr.com no longer resolves)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Amchitka Island (the wreck's destination and presumptive vicinity) is a documented federal contaminated-site area: the DOE/OSTI site-responsibilities report and USFWS 1993 contaminated-sites database describe hundreds of WWII-era (1943-1950) military debris sites - deserted buildings, runway/hardstands, tank farms, drum dumps, and ordnance/explosive waste - under Corps of Engineers/USFWS/ADEC remedial investigation, with a 1986 COE removal action consolidating WWII debris. The Alaska Maritime NWR shipwreck list (2005 capture; self-described 'incomplete work in progress') lists five Amchitka wrecks - Kotohiro Maru (1917), S-27 (1942), USS Worden DD-352 (1943), YP-88 (1943), Crown Reefer (1946) - and does not list LSM-459.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1943-2007 (site record coverage)
- Population
- USFWS/COE/ADEC remediation and munitions-response crews (contemporary)
- Limitations
- Situates the wreck's presumptive area within a documented WWII-debris/remediation landscape - does not establish the hulk's position, condition, or any material content. LSM-459 is absent from the refuge's 2005 wreck list, which is explicitly incomplete; absence from that list is not evidence about the wreck. No asbestos statement in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-08
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[9]Batch-6271 search ledger (this record): NavSource, shipscribe, uboat.net, NHHC DANFS, NVR, CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket), LSM class manual, GAO, AJIM, AMNWR wreck list (Wayback), Alaska DEC SPAR, OSTI, archive.org, NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-459-01 through sl-uss-lsm-459-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LSM-459 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4, 2026-10-01): opinion search 'LSM-459' returned 13 hits, all name collisions (L.S.M. General Contractors, USPS equipment references, 'LSM 128', unrelated initials); 'LSM 459' returned 0; docket search '"LSM-459" OR "LSM 459" OR "LSM459"' returned 0 - no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull. No DANFS entry exists (NHHC 404 on all tested LSM URLs). NVR does not cover ships disposed before 1987. Deck logs not located in digitized form (archive.org NIL). AMNWR wreck list does not include the hull. (See search_ledger.)
- 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 - a 1945 hull of this class is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hulk was destroyed in place in 1947 with no salvage-era abatement record. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-09
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[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records - RG 24 (deck logs), RG 38 (CNO records incl. boards/investigations), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); NARA catalog search (JS-rendered) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log guidance; catalog.archives.gov (JS-rendered, search pending)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 WWII-era deck logs for LSM-459 (Feb 1945-Nov 1946) would document the Okinawa typhoon-relief operation and the 2 Nov 1946 grounding; a Navy Board of Investigation or court-of-inquiry file on the grounding/loss likely exists (standard for a total-loss casualty) in RG 38/RG 153 holdings; RG 19 Bureau of Ships records may hold LSM-1-class contract specifications for the Brown Houston block (hulls 459-498). NARA catalog is JS-rendered; box-level verification open.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific or casualty-investigation documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-459-10