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-480 - construction/service timeline, specifications, commanding officers, awards, photographic record; history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14480.htm header timeline, specifications block, awards line, photo captions, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium; laid down 3 February 1945 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 24 February 1945; commissioned USS LSM-480 on 5 April 1945, LT. William G. Davis, USNR, in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Sixteen, LSM Group Forty-Seven, LSM Division Ninety-Four. Occupation service in the Far East 11 September 1945 to 11 May 1946; decommissioned 24 September 1946; laid up in the Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; sold December 1958 to Fleet Storage Corp., New York, N.Y.; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Specifications: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full load; 203'6" ovl; beam 34'6"; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; troops 2 officers + 46 enlisted; one twin 40mm bow mount + four single 20mm; propulsion two General Motors 16-278A diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers 2,800 shp; generators two diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V AC and one diesel-drive 20 kW 120 V DC. Photographic record places her pierside at Yokosuka, Japan (October 1945), beached at Yokohama (20 October 1945, alongside USS LSM-326), and transiting the Panama Canal locks (Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, Gatun) on 20 June 1946 alongside USS LSM-392 with USS ATA-203 in the foreground. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). CO list: LT. Davis (to 29 Oct 1945); LTjg. A. Ben Shallit (to 14 Feb 1946); LTjg. William W. Wilson (to 1946); ENS. Robert B. Flood (to 24 Sep 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1958
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Feb-Apr 1945); commissioned crew ~59 (5 officers + 54 enlisted) plus embarked troops
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history from a volunteer secondary compilation quoting the Turner Publishing reference work - generally consistent with official records but not itself a primary registry; the struck date is given as 'date unknown' (uboat.net's 14 January 1958 is uncorroborated - see ev-02 and gaps). Specifications block is the class-level spec for LSM-1, not a hull-measured survey. No asbestos or material content anywhere on the page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-01
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[2]uboat.net, Allied Warships of WWII, 'USS LSM 480 (LSM 480)' - vessel data table (shipID 13067) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/13067.html vessel data table and History line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary record for this hull: ordered 10 July 1944; built by Brown Shipbuilding Co. (Houston, Texas); laid down 3 February 1945; launched 24 February 1945; commissioned 5 April 1945; 'End service 24 Sep 1946'; history line: 'Decommissioned on 24 September 1946. Stricken on 14 January 1958. Sold in December 1958.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Limitations
- Secondary reference work (uboat.net Allied Warships), not a primary registry. Its laid-down/launch dates corroborate NavSource/Turner (3 Feb / 24 Feb 1945) against the yard table's variant (10 Feb / 3 Mar - see ev-03 and gaps). Its 14 January 1958 stricken date is uncorroborated by any registry source located (NavSource says date unknown; NVR holds no entry) - carried as unverified variant in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-02
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[3]ShipbuildingHistory (Colton Company) yard table, 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' - hull 287 row: LSM 480 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.htm, hull table row 287 (last update Aug 7, 2021)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's-yard production table records this hull as Brown Shipbuilding yard hull no. 287, type 'Landing Ship,' keel laid 10-Feb-45, launched 3-Mar-45, delivered 5-Apr-45, disposition 'Laid up 1947, sold to Fleet Storage Corp. 1958.' The same table gives the yard context: Brown built 12 PCs, 32 LCI(L)s, 61 DEs and 254 LSMs (359 vessels total) at the Greens Bayou yard between 1941 and 1946, launching sideways into the narrow waterway.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1958
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Yard-table secondary compilation - its keel (10 Feb) and launch (3 Mar) dates conflict with NavSource/Turner and uboat.net (3 Feb / 24 Feb); carried as unresolved in gaps. 'Laid up 1947' conflicts with the 24 Sep 1946 decommissioning - likely reserve-fleet lay-up bookkeeping vs decommissioning date; unresolved. The 5-Apr-45 delivery date and the 1958 Fleet Storage Corp. sale agree with all sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-03
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[4]National Archives Catalog, file unit 'LSM-480, 4/5/45-9/24/46' (NAID 126650078, Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, microfilm roll 4033, 228 images, Ancestry partnership digitization) - ship's muster rolls covering the entire commissioned period [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/126650078 (228-image viewer, Ancestry file 32861_248387); catalog search 'LSM-480' - 58 file units
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized primary personnel records exist for this hull: the muster rolls run from commissioning (5 April 1945) through decommissioning (24 September 1946) - the ship's entire Navy career - documenting who served aboard, when, and at what rating. A catalog search for 'LSM-480' returns 58 file units, including RG 38 war diaries of amphibious commands (e.g., COM LSM FLOT 14, COM LSM GR 35, COM LSM GR 22, COM LSM GR 25) in which the hull appears in extracted text.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-04-05 to 1946-09-24
- Population
- All commissioned crew, 1945-04-05 through 1946-09-24 (mustereable population)
- Limitations
- Muster rolls are population records (names, rates, dates aboard), not material or exposure records - they contain no asbestos information. The RG 38 war-diary hits are full-text mentions inside other units' diaries; which of them document LSM-480's own operations (vs incidental references) is unverified. Deck logs for this hull are NOT in NARA's digitized deck-log index - WWII-era deck logs are largely undigitized; only the muster-roll series is scanned.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-04
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[5]NHHC, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' - official Navy description of the LSM (Landing Ship, Medium) type (art exhibit, Naval Amphibious Operations from WWII) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC exhibit page, 'Related Content' description paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC describes the LSM design requirement: '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).' This hull is one of the LSM-1-class vessels that filled that role.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- WWII design era
- Limitations
- Type-level NHHC description; does not name this hull and contains no material or asbestos content. Documents the class's design role only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-1-class specifications block (GM 16-278A diesel plant, direct drive, twin screws); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos insulation use era - ev-07); Corn & Starr 1987 (WWII shipbuilding asbestos - ev-08); USNI Naval History builder account (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-propelled amphibious ship built February-April 1945 to Bureau of Ships standard design sits inside the WWII Navy construction era during which asbestos was a standard insulation material (GAO: Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships until early-1970s substitution; Corn & Starr: extensive asbestos fireproofing/insulation in WWII shipbuilding). Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel amphibian: machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation/lagging, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and compartment thermal/acoustic insulation. As a diesel ship she carried no steam 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
- 1945-1958
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); commissioned crew 1945-46; reserve-fleet caretakers and 1958 Fleet Storage Corp. handlers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or build specification located for LSM-480. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish individual exposure or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-06
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[7]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) - product-page Highlights [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy asbestos-exposure protection at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities.' Per the official Highlights: the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - confirming Navy-wide asbestos insulation aboard ships through this hull's 1945 build era and beyond.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy period 1975-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Product-page Highlights retrieved via JS-capable fetch (direct curl returns HTTP 403); 26-page full report linked at gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf not extracted this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-07
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[8]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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, article/abstract
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this 1945-built hull was produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- 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 the LSM type and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI resolves to Wiley (verified live 2026-10-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-08
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[9]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' (June 2025) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History, June 2025 issue, body text (254 LSMs figure; 25,000-worker peak; trade list)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documents this hull's builder: Brown Shipbuilding was established in 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root on Greens Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel; government contracts covered destroyer escorts, submarine chasers, and landing craft; the yard built 12 PCs, 61 DEs, 32 LCI(L)s, and 254 LSMs; it employed more than 25,000 workers at peak (from late 1942) using assembly-line construction with sideways launches; named trades include welders, burners, chippers, shipfitters, bench electricians, sheet metal workers, and painters. The yard was leased to Todd Shipyards in 1949, returned to Brown & Root in 1984 as an offshore fabrication yard, and sold piecemeal in 2004.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (~25,000 peak; ~14,395 at one point per Obadele-Starks), incl. welders, shipfitters, sheet-metal workers, painters
- Limitations
- Builder-level context only - documents the construction environment and workforce this hull was built within; contains no asbestos or material content and does not name LSM-480. Article is a peer-history magazine piece (reputable press), not a primary record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-09
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[10]Batch-6295 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (404); NavSource; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory yard table; NARA Catalog (muster rolls + war diaries); NARA digitized deck-log index; NVR; GAO; USNI; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + dockets); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-480-01 through sl-uss-lsm-480-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed/opinion-level case naming LSM-480 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero results for all four queries run: '"LSM-480"' and '"USS LSM-480"' in both the opinion and docket/RECAP indexes (authenticated API v4, HTTP 200, count 0 each). There is no DANFS entry for this hull (NHHC URL 404) and no NVR entry (hull disposed 1958; nvr.navy.mil unreachable this session). The general web sweep surfaced no asbestos or litigation content - and no law-firm marketing claims - for this hull.
- 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 Navy construction practice supports era inference only. Deck logs (undigitized) and any builder/scrapper material records are open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-480-10