Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-491 (history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Header, LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium timeline and Specifications sections; source attribution at page footer
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The live NavSource history page identifies USS LSM-491 as an LSM-1-class landing ship medium laid down 3 March 1945 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; launched 24 March; and commissioned 30 April 1945, Lt. Aldo Bartolomei, USNR, in command. It assigns the hull to LSM Flotilla Fifteen, LSM Group Forty-Four, and LSM Division Eighty-Seven in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. It records decommissioning on 27 November 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Florida; transfer to the Federal Republic of Germany on 5 September 1958 as Eidechse (L-751); resale in 1977 as Ocean Bay; and a final disposition unknown. Its specifications list two General Motors 16-278A reversible diesel engines with hydraulic clutches, direct drive, 1,440 bhp each at 720 rpm, twin screws, 2,800 shp; a complement of 5 officers and 54 enlisted; and diesel-driven ship-service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1994
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction workers (1945); Navy crew (5 officers and 54 enlisted); German and later commercial operators
- Limitations
- This is a ship-specific history compilation whose page attributes its history extract to a 1997 Turner Publishing volume; it is not a primary builder ledger, Naval Register entry, or material survey. It contains no asbestos or hazardous-material finding and does not establish final disposition after the last registry listing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-491-lsm491-01
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[2]uboat.net, Allied Warships of WWII: USS LSM 491 (LSM 491) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS LSM 491 header table: Laid down, Launched, Commissioned, and History fields
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The live Allied Warships entry corroborates the 3 March 1945 laid-down date, 24 March 1945 launch, and 30 April 1945 commissioning for USS LSM 491. Its history field records decommissioning on 27 November 1946 and transfer to Germany on 5 September 1958.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1958
- Limitations
- Secondary reference compilation used only to corroborate milestone dates. It is not an official register or a material record and contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-491-lsm491-02
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[3]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct. 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product HRD-80-2; full text blocked by HTTP 403 on 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's Navy-wide asbestos-protection review is the class/era context for this hull's 1945 construction and 1945-46 Navy service: it documents extensive Navy shipboard asbestos-insulation use and the Navy's later substitution of alternative insulation materials. LSM-491's documented direct-drive diesel machinery means boiler and turbine steam-lagging are not applicable pathways for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 report; context spans 1945 construction/service
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and personnel addressed by the Navy asbestos-protection program
- Limitations
- Program-level evidence only; it neither names LSM-491 nor identifies any asbestos-containing material aboard it. The GAO product page was live-addressable but returned HTTP 403 to this session's direct fetch, so the full report was not re-read this session; this row is retained solely as narrowly described Navy-wide context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-491-lsm491-03
-
[4]CourtListener API v4 authenticated exact-name and exact-hull searches: "USS LSM-491" and "LSM-491", opinions and dockets (all counts 0) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper outputs: exact name and exact hull number, type=o and type=r, each count: 0; search ledger sl-04 through sl-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The completed authenticated CourtListener v4 sweep returned zero results for exact-name "USS LSM-491" and exact hull-number "LSM-491" queries in both opinions and dockets.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- A zero-result index sweep is not a conclusion that no litigation exists. CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets, not all filings, settlements, or unreported claims; zero results does not establish no exposure or no legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-491-lsm491-04
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[5]Batch 6307 research ledger: live NavSource and uboat.net hull pages; NHHC DANFS candidate-page check; NARA Catalog direct/API endpoints; GAO HRD-80-2 product-page fetch; authenticated CourtListener v4 exact-name opinion query [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-01 through sl-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, hazardous-material disclosure, construction material list, or product-identification record for USS LSM-491 was located in the completed public-source checks. NHHC candidate individual-DANFS URLs were not located, and NARA Catalog search endpoints returned the JavaScript application rather than searchable records without the required catalog access path.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record is not evidence that asbestos was absent from this 1945 hull. The search was constrained by Firecrawl's exhausted keyless quota, NARA's JavaScript/key-gated catalog interface, blocked GAO full text, and a partial CourtListener sweep; unexamined deck logs, BuShips files, transfer records, and German disposal records remain leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-491-lsm491-05
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[6]NARA Catalog: archival lead for Navy deck logs, Bureau of Ships files, and transfer/disposal records concerning USS LSM-491 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov direct access attempt, 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Open leads for hull-specific research are NARA RG 24 deck logs for the 1945-46 Navy period; Bureau of Ships construction, alteration, and material files; and the 1958 transfer documentation. These potentially could identify work, equipment, or disposal history, but no such record was examined this session.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1958 records coverage
- Limitations
- Leads only, not findings. Direct requests to NARA Catalog API-looking endpoints returned the JavaScript application and did not confirm holdings or digitization for this hull. No asbestos content, record existence, or material result is asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-491-lsm491-06