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, 'MMC-10 ex USS LSM-481 (1945-1960)' - construction/commissioning timeline, flotilla/group/division assignments, occupation-service periods, decommission/layup/strike/transfer dates, MMC-10 reclassification, specifications, commanding-officer list, photo captions (history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14481.htm header block, awards block, specifications block, Commanding Officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class landing ship medium laid down 17 February 1945 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 10 March 1945; commissioned USS LSM-481 on 8 April 1945, LT Theodore A. Underwood, USNR, in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LSM Flotilla Fifteen / LSM Group Forty-Four / LSM Division Ninety. Postwar occupation service in the Far East 20 September-7 October 1945 and 22 October-13 December 1945. Decommissioned 20 June 1946 at Green Cove Springs, FL; laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group; struck from the Naval Register 8 September 1952; authorized for conversion FY1951 to coastal minelayer; converted at Brewer Drydock Co., Staten Island, NY; transferred to Turkey September 1952 as TCG Marmaris (N-103); reclassified by the US Navy 1 October 1960 as Coastal Minelayer MMC-10; decommissioned and struck by the Turkish Navy 1990; hulk cannibalized for spare parts and disposed. Photo captions place her airing the flag bag at Galveston TX, beached near Agoo (Luzon, Philippines) September 1945, beached 13 September 1945, on a seaplane ramp at a Japanese air station during occupation service (Sep-Dec 1945), and in the Green Cove Springs nest June 1946. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal w/ Asia clasp. COs: LT T. A. Underwood (8 Apr-14 Jun 45), LT W. T. Davis (14 Jun-3 Dec 45), LTjg D. M. Blackman (3 Dec 45-Mar 46), LTjg G. W. Seymour (Mar-20 Jun 46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1990
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); ship's company 5 officers + 54 enlisted (1945-46); occupation-service crew; Brewer Drydock conversion trades (1952); Turkish Navy crew (1952-1990)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a federal registry - the history extract is credited to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II (1997), and dates generally track NVR values. Transfer-month differs from shipscribe's 6 Oct 1952 delivery (see ev-10). Contains no asbestos or material content; photo captions document presence, not work performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-01
-
[2]NARA file unit 'LSM-481, 4/8/45-6/20/46', NAID 126649925 - Record Group 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), Series: Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities (1939-1949); 152 digitized images, unrestricted (digitized via Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov record page NAID 126649925 (file unit + series hierarchy)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's muster rolls for her entire U.S. Navy commissioned career - 8 April 1945 through 20 June 1946 - survive as a digitized NARA file unit (152 images). Muster rolls are quarterly personnel rosters naming every officer and enlisted man attached to the hull at each reporting date, including changes of rating and personnel gains/losses - the primary-source population record for anyone who served aboard this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Entire USN ship's company, 4/8/1945-6/20/1946 (roster-level)
- Limitations
- Establishes hull identity, career dates, and crew membership only. Personnel rosters contain no material or asbestos content - presence or absence of asbestos aboard is not established by this source. Individual exposure cannot be inferred from muster-roll presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-02
-
[3]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'Turkish MARMORIS (MMC 6-14, ex LSM) Class' - MDAP conversion ledger, class notes, per-ship conversion yard/dates and disposal table (compiled 2021-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MMC06.html Construction table (MMC-10 row), Disposition table, Class Notes, Ship Notes (MMC-10)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-481 was one of six late LSMs designated 10 April 1951 for conversion and transfer under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP) - five (LSM-481, -484, -490, -492, -493) to Turkey and Norway as coastal minelayers, later the MMC-6 class. LSM-481's conversion began 2 February 1952 at Brewer Drydock Co., Staten Island, NY, and ran to 27 September 1952; she was stricken by the USN 8 September 1952 (all converted LSMs were stricken before transfer but remained in the Naval Vessel Register as LSMs in MDAP loan status) and delivered 6 October 1952 as Turkish MARMORIS. Conversion added two minelaying rails on the former vehicle deck and four mine-loading booms; armament as MMC: 4-40mm twin, 6-20mm single, ~400 mines; accommodations 70. She was decommissioned and struck by Turkey in 1990; hulk cannibalized for spare parts and eventually disposed of.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1951-1990
- Population
- Brewer Drydock conversion trades, Staten Island (Feb-Sep 1952); Turkish Navy crew (1952-1990)
- Limitations
- Shipscribe is a private researcher compilation (Roberts works from BuShips/NVR primary data) - secondary, not a federal record, though its milestone dates track NVR bookkeeping. Spells the Turkish name MARMORIS vs NavSource's Marmaris (see ev-10). Establishes conversion yard and dates - a 1952 yard-availability event on a 1945-era hull - but contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-03
-
[4]NHHC, 'LSM and LSM(R) Histories' (DANFS appendix landing page, dated 16 September 2005) - ARCHIVED copy via Internet Archive Wayback Machine, capture 2015-06-15; live history.navy.mil URLs return 404 (confirmed 2026-10-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2015-06-15 of history.navy.mil/.../lsm-lsmr.html; live check 2026-10-01 returned 404
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC documents a deliberate coverage exclusion: DANFS parameters covered 'only commissioned Navy ships with assigned names,' and 'ships with only a designation, such as LSM, were not included in the DANFS series.' The Ship's History Office instead scanned an LSM/LSM(R) history compiled by Captain James B. Birindelli, SC, USNR (Ret.), distributed only as CD-ROM SH-0068 (non-word-searchable Adobe Acrobat) on request to the Naval Historical Center. Consequently no DANFS entry exists for LSM-481 - the standard NHHC ship-history source is confirmed absent for this hull by policy, not by omission.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2005-2015 (page); DANFS policy 1950s
- Limitations
- Documents the absence of DANFS coverage for all numbered LSM hulls and identifies the compiled LSM history (CD SH-0068) as the NHHC-recognized substitute - an archival lead, not retrieved. Page is an archived Wayback capture; the live NHHC URL is dead. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-04
-
[5]NARA WWII War Diaries series - COM LSM GR 44 file units digitized for April through December 1945 (e.g., NAID 139995241 Apr-45, 140053732 May-45, 101735438 Jun-45, 83533957 Jul-45, 77555072 Aug-45, 77528051 Sep-45, 77595653 Oct-45, 77583931 Nov-45, 140086728 Dec-45) - parent-unit records of LSM Group Forty-Four, to which LSM-481 was assigned (LSM Division Ninety) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'COM LSM GR 44' - 13 file units, Apr-Dec 1945; representative unit NAID 77595653 (Oct-45)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized war diaries for LSM Group Forty-Four - this hull's parent unit for her entire combat and occupation period - exist at NARA for April-December 1945. Group-level war diaries routinely carry task-organization enclosures listing assigned hulls, so these records are the likeliest contemporaneous operational source naming LSM-481's movements (Philippines/occupation service) during the period.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LSM Group 44 ship's companies incl. this hull's crew (1945)
- Limitations
- Unit-level records, not a hull log: whether LSM-481 is named inside the diary enclosures is unverified (file units not opened this session). Deck logs proper for this hull were not located in the digitized catalog (RG 24 Logbooks series search surfaced the muster-roll file unit only). No asbestos content expected in war diaries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-05
-
[6]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; DOI resolves live 2026-10-01
- 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 program under which this 1945 LSM-1-class hull was mass-produced at a Gulf Coast commercial yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard hulls of this period.
- 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, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-06
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM spec block (2 x GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive - no steam plant); LST-1-class profile finding that diesel amphibious construction concentrates exposure relevance in engine-room/exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, accommodation insulation; Corn & Starr 1987; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-use documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; lst-1-class class profile (internal reference); Corn & Starr; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1945 diesel direct-drive landing ship sits inside the documented WWII-era asbestos-use window for U.S. shipbuilding; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were engine-room thermal insulation and diesel-exhaust lagging, flange and machinery gaskets, valve packing, interior deck coverings, and accommodation-space insulation. As a diesel plant she carried no boilers - the steam-plant lagging pathway of larger combatants does not apply, but the amphibious-ship confined-space dynamic (berthing and engine spaces within a 203-ft steel hull) applies fully.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1990
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); engine-room crew and berthing occupants (1945-46); Green Cove Springs deactivation/mothballing trades (1946); Brewer Drydock conversion trades (1952); Turkish crew and maintenance workforce (1952-1990); disposal workforce (1990+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LSM-481. 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-481-07
-
[8]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published 18 October 1979; released 22 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's asbestos-exposure protections at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal cost, and compensation programs; 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 selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. Program-level confirmation that asbestos insulation was standard aboard Navy ships through the era this hull was built and refitted (1945-1952) and that the Navy managed it fleetwide.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy window; era coverage
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - the fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Houston or Staten Island, and this hull had left U.S. custody in 1952, before the 1975/1979 policies described. Full PDF not extracted; content via product-page highlights (gao.gov product page fetched live 2026-10-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-08
-
[9]USACE FUDS documentation, 'Former Lee Field Naval Air Station, Green Cove Springs, Florida - Final installation-wide background chemical data study report' (Shaw Environmental / USACE Savannah District, 2004-2018 series); corroborating press: Florida Times-Union (jacksonville.com), 'Green Cove Springs Mothball Fleet left more behind than memories' (2015-07-28) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USACE Digital Library RN 735-17c landing page; FLDEP staging document dms/8.249447.1; jacksonville.com story 2015-07-28
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Site-level federal documentation of the facility where this hull was laid up 1946-1952: the former Lee Field NAS / Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet berths at Green Cove Springs (later Reynolds Industrial Park) were investigated under the FUDS program, which documented petroleum, solvent, and PCB (Askarel transformer-fluid) releases to the St. Johns River, asbestos abatement of site buildings, and period mothballing practices (dehumidification, paint chipping/repainting, overboard disposal of incomplete equipment per former-sailor interviews). Reportedly as many as 600 vessels were berthed at the piers during the reserve-fleet period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1946-1952 (this hull's berth period); FUDS reports 2004-2018
- Population
- Florida Group Atlantic Reserve Fleet deactivation/mothballing trades (1945-1963); berthed crews
- Limitations
- The site record is not a vessel record: it does not name LSM-481, and its asbestos findings concern site buildings (e.g., the power plant abatement scheduled 1987), not berthed hulls. Relevance is confined to describing mothballing-era maintenance practices at her documented layup berth. 'Normal military practice' dumping accounts rest on newspaper interviews with former sailors, not a surveyed work record. No hull-level asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-09
-
[10]Designation/name cross-check: NavSource (TCG Marmaris N-103; 'Transferred in September 1952'); shipscribe MMC06 ledger (MARMORIS; delivered 6 October 1952, conversion complete 27 September 1952); navypedia (to Turkey 9.1952, Marmaris); NavSource spec block (2 x GM 16-278A diesels) vs secondary class summaries (Fairbanks-Morse diesels) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 14481 header/specs; shipscribe MMC06 tables and ship notes; navypedia us_aws_lsm.htm row LSM481 + machinery line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies noted: (a) Turkish name spelling - NavSource and navypedia give TCG Marmaris (a Turkish port city); shipscribe prints MARMORIS throughout its class ledger - 'Marmaris' adopted, shipscribe's spelling logged as a variant. (b) Transfer date - NavSource and navypedia give September 1952; shipscribe's ledger documents conversion completion 27 September 1952 and delivery/transfer 6 October 1952 - the stricken/delivered sequence (struck 8 Sep, delivered 6 Oct) is adopted. (c) Propulsion - NavSource's LSM spec block lists two GM 16-278A diesels (1,440 BHP each) and navypedia lists General Motors diesels, while some class summaries attribute Fairbanks-Morse engines to the type - engine-manufacturer attribution carried per NavSource with the conflict flagged.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1952-1990
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary compilations; does not affect identity or custody materially. Engine variants may reflect builder-block or documentation differences across the 558-hull program - unresolved at hull level. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-10
-
[11]Batch-6296 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NARA muster rolls NAID 126649925 + COM LSM GR 44 war diaries; NHHC DANFS exclusion page (Wayback); NVR; shipscribe MMC06; GAO HRD-80-2; USACE FUDS Green Cove Springs; CourtListener authenticated API (name and hull-number searches, opinions + dockets); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-481-01 through sl-uss-lsm-481-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LSM-481 / MMC-10 / TCG Marmaris was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener authenticated API searches returned zero results: 'LSM-481' opinions count=0, 'LSM 481' opinions count=0, 'LSM-481' dockets count=0 (2026-10-01). A secondary-web sweep for 'LSM-481 asbestos' surfaced only NavSource/Wikipedia/uboat.net-type results - unlike many hulls, even law-firm marketing listicles make no specific claim about this vessel.
- 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-built amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and deck coverings, and her 1952 conversion at a commercial yard is a typical disturbance event. CourtListener coverage is limited to indexed opinions/dockets - MDL-875 dockets and un-indexed filings naming individual LSMs may exist outside it. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-481-11