Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 589-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: REAL
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-544-lsm544-pkt-589-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-544 (10/14/14544) - construction milestones, award ribbon bar, commanding officer, specifications, photographs. History extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14544.htm header block, award ribbons, history narrative, specifications block, CO table, photo captions (page verified live 2026-10-02; last updated 4 February 2022)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class; laid down date unknown and launched date unknown at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; commissioned USS LSM-544 on 4 January 1946, LTjg. John T. McCrea USNR in command; decommissioned 20 June 1946 at Green Cove Springs, FL; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs; struck from the Naval Register date unknown; transferred 2 December 1959 to Venezuela and named 'Friars' (sic - Venezuelan name Los Frailes per navypedia/es.wikipedia); seriously damaged by fire 21 June 1984; decommissioned by the Venezuelan Navy and scrapped 1984. Ribbon bar: American Campaign Medal and WWII Victory Medal only - no campaign or battle-star awards, consistent with a post-V-J-commissioned hull that never deployed. Photos: one of 19 LSMs at Green Cove Springs (date unknown); a four-ship nest captioned 'Decommissioned USS LSM-538, USS LSM-543, USS LSM-544 and USS LSM-555 ... 3 March 1946' - the caption's 'decommissioned' label or its date conflicts with this hull's documented 20 June 1946 decommissioning (carried in gaps). Specifications: 520/743/1,095 tons, 203'6" oa, two GM 16-278A diesels direct drive 2,800 shp, 13.2 kts, complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted, one twin 40mm + four single 20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1984
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); commissioning crew (Jan-Jun 1946); reserve-fleet caretaker and inactivation personnel, Green Cove Springs (1946-1959); Venezuelan Navy crews (1959-1984)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation sourced here from the Turner Publishing veterans'-history volume, not a primary registry - milestone dates track official sources where independently checked (corroborated by uboat.net, navypedia, shipbuildinghistory this session). Contains no asbestos or material content. 'Friars' is an English rendering; the Venezuelan name was ARV Los Frailes. The 3 March 1946 nest-photo caption's 'decommissioned' status conflicts with the documented 20 June 1946 decommissioning date (also with LSM-543's 20 May 1946) - either the caption date or its status label is wrong; unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LSM 544 (ship/13095) - Brown Shipbuilding Co., ordered 30 August 1944, milestones, disposition line [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/13095 data table (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilation corroborates milestones and supplies the construction dates NavSource lacks: ordered 30 August 1944; laid down 7 July 1945; launched 18 August 1945 (three days after V-J Day); commissioned 4 January 1946; end service/decommissioned 20 June 1946; 'Transferred to Venezuela on 2 December 1959.' No commanding-officer table entries; no wartime-history events listed - consistent with a five-and-a-half-month stateside commission.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- Construction trades (1945); crew (Jan-Jun 1946)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a secondary compilation; 'ordered 30 Aug 1944' and the exact laid-down/launched days rest on this source alone (navypedia carries month-level 1945 only, NavSource lists both as unknown) - uncorroborated at primary level, noted in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-02
-
[4]navypedia.org, 'LOS MONJES medium landing ships (1945-1946/1959-1960)' Venezuelan Navy class page - hull table and naval-service note; shipbuildinghistory.com LSM table ('LSM 544 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 4-Jan-46 | Laid up 1947, to Venezuela 1959 as Friars, scrapped 1984'); navypedia US LSM table (LSM544 line: 'stricken 1959, to Venezuela (Los Frailes)') [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia.org/ships/venezuela/ven_ls_los_monjes.htm hull table + 'Naval service' note + technical-data block (verified live 2026-10-02); navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_aws_lsm.htm LSM544 row (verified live 2026-10-02); shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm LSM 544 row (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two independent secondary compilations document the Venezuelan career: ex-LSM-544 became ARV Los Frailes, pennant T-15 (renumbered T-23 in the 1975 renumbering), entering Venezuelan service 2 December 1959 - one of four Brown-built LSM sisters transferred in 1959-60 (Los Monjes ex-LSM-548 T-13/T-21, Los Roques ex-LSM-543 T-14/T-22, Los Testigos ex-LSM-545 T-16/T-24). navypedia's service note: 'Los Frailes was seriously damaged by fire 21.6.1984, she was never repaired and soon scrapped.' navypedia's US table records 'stricken 1959' for the US register. shipbuildinghistory records 'laid up 1947, to Venezuela 1959 as Friars, scrapped 1984.' Class page carries a 1978 profile image of Los Frailes; machinery tabulated as 4 General Motors diesels (see limitations).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1959-1984
- Population
- Venezuelan Navy crews, ARV Los Frailes (1959-1984)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations agreeing on name, pennant, fire date, and scrapping, with residual conflicts: shipbuildinghistory 'laid up 1947' vs NavSource 'laid up June 1946'; es.wikipedia's Venezuelan ship list (not cited as a record source) carries '1959-1986' service vs scrapped 1984 here - flagged in gaps. navypedia's group-level '4 General Motors diesels' machinery line conflicts with NavSource's 'two GM 16-278A' specification for this hull - engine count unresolved, noted in propulsion_summary and gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-03
-
[5]NARA, RG 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), Series: Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation, 1940-1978 - ship-titled file unit 'LSM-544' (NAID 2761014; Container ID 117; creator: Board of Inspection and Survey, DoD Dept. of the Navy 9/18/1947-; paper, National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference; unrestricted; 'Not Yet Available Online') [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/2761014 (verified live 2026-10-02; 'Not Yet Available Online')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A ship-titled material-inspection file for this hull exists in the INSURV/Board of Inspection and Survey records at NARA College Park. Material Inspection Reports document hull-by-hull material condition - exactly the record class most likely to contain ship-specific material (including insulation) observations for this vessel. The file is undated in the catalog and not digitized; contents unread.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- unknown - file undated; plausible windows 1946 (inactivation), 1946-1959 (reserve-fleet material condition), 1959 (pre-transfer)
- Population
- Any INSURV inspection party and ship/caretaker personnel named inside (unread)
- Limitations
- Existence of a file proves filing, not content - its date, scope, and findings are unread. The series creator postdates the hull's 1946 US decommissioning, so the file most plausibly dates from the reserve-fleet or pre-foreign-transfer period (INSURV material inspections precede transfers), but that is inference, not documentation. Not an asbestos record unless the file itself says so.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-04
-
[6]NARA, RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), Series: Ship Engineering Drawings, 1874-1976 - ship-titled file unit 'Drawings for USS LSM-544' (NAID 153715343; creator: DoD Dept. of the Navy 9/18/1947-; paper, National Archives at College Park - Cartographic; unrestricted; 'Not Yet Available Online') [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/153715343 (verified live 2026-10-02; 'Not Yet Available Online')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A ship-titled engineering-drawings file for this hull exists in BuShips records at NARA College Park (Cartographic). Hull and piping drawings of the era can carry insulation callouts and material notes; the file is not digitized and contents are unread.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (construction-era drawings presumed)
- Limitations
- Existence of a drawings file proves filing, not content - whether any sheet carries insulation or material-schedule annotations for this hull is unknown until read. Not an asbestos record unless a drawing says so.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-05
-
[7]NARA catalog 'LSM-544' result set (16 file units) - digitized units naming this hull: 'Sub Group 5 Florida Group Atlantic Fleet, 5/2/47-1/1/49' (NAID 185261204, RG 24 muster-roll microfilm, 534 images, Ancestry scan - the reserve-fleet unit where this hull lay); 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005' (NAID 118967604, RG 24 muster-roll file, 2,968 images, hull range covers LSM-544's Jan-Jun 1946 rolls); 'Chickasaw (ATF-83) - November 1956' (NAID 219984484, RG 24 deck-log unit, 74 images - 'LSM-544' text hit inside, context unread) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/185261204, /id/118967604, /id/219984484 (catalog verified live 2026-10-02; image sets unread)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Three digitized personnel/log units name or cover this hull: the Florida Group Atlantic Fleet muster rolls (1947-49) for the reserve-fleet unit where she lay at Green Cove Springs; the RG 24 muster-roll file spanning LSM-144 to LST-1005 whose range includes this hull's own commissioned-period rolls; and the November 1956 deck log of fleet tug USS Chickasaw (ATF-83), in which the string 'LSM-544' occurs - plausibly a tow or moorage record during her reserve-fleet lay-up. None of the three image sets was read this session.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-1956 (US lay-up era)
- Population
- Reserve-fleet caretaker crews, Florida Group (1947-49); this hull's commissioning crew (Jan-Jun 1946, muster rolls); Chickasaw deck officers (Nov 1956)
- Limitations
- The catalog's full-text hit proves the string occurs, not what it says - the Chickasaw mention's context (tow, nest roster, crew transfer) is unread, and page-level confirmation of LSM-544's own muster sheets inside the LSM-144-to-LST-1005 roll file was not made. Crew rosters and deck logs document personnel and movements, not material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two GM model 16-278A reversible diesels, direct drive, twin screws, 2,800 shp - navypedia's Venezuelan group table says 4 GM diesels, unresolved); LSM-1-class general characteristics (558 ships built 1944-45); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-09); Pronto unit history class-level observation including adjacent same-yard sister LSM-547 (ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; LSM-1-class general characteristics (class-level cross-check); GAO HRD-80-2; Pronto CH5-3 PDF
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious transport laid down July 1945 at a commercial wartime yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard an LSM-1-class hull of this period were thermal and machinery insulation, engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing and deck coverings, and brake linings on winches and handling gear. With a diesel direct-drive plant she carried no steam system - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. A class-level eyewitness description exists (ev-08): pipes 'lagged with asbestos' above accommodation bunks aboard LSM-1-class sisters including ex-LSM-547, the adjacent same-yard hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1984
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); US crew (Jan-Jun 1946); reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-59); Venezuelan Navy crews (1959-84); fire-response and scrapping workers (1984)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or construction work package read for LSM-544. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Venezuelan-era (1959-1984) refits could have altered material content - undocumented. The 21 June 1984 fire and subsequent scrapping are damage/disturbance events but carry no material documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-07
-
[9]'Pronto in South Vietnam 1962-1972,' Royal Australian Corps of Signals unit history, Chapter 5 Part 3 - 32 Small Ship Squadron (2013; pronto.au104.org) - unit history of the Australian Army's four ex-USN LSM-1-class ships [other_primary]
- Locator
- ProntoSVN_CH5-3_2013.pdf, 'Ship Conditions' section and closing exposure paragraph (full text extracted 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A class-level eyewitness description of installed asbestos aboard LSM-1-class sisters: the unit history of 32 Small Ship Squadron (AV1353 Harry Chauvel ex-USS LSM-319, AV1354 Brudenell White ex-USS LSM-477, AV1355 Vernon Sturdee ex-USS LSM-315, AV1356 Clive Steele ex-USS LSM-547) records that 'All accommodation spaces were below deck with poor ventilation ... Above the bunks were pipes lagged with asbestos, which would rain down on the sleeper during heavy seas, covering him in white dust,' and that LSM crews were 'exposed to poor environmental living conditions including ... diesel fumes, cigarette smoke, asbestos ... and other chemicals,' with poor later-life mortality and morbidity reported. Clive Steele (ex-LSM-547) is an especially close sister of this hull: built at the same yard (Brown, Houston), commissioned three weeks later (25 January 1946 per shipbuildinghistory) in the same builder block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1962-1972 (observation era); 1945-46 construction class context
- Population
- Australian Army LSM crews, 32 Small Ship Squadron (1959-1972; Vietnam-era service 1962-72)
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation, not a hull record: describes the four Australian Army LSMs (1960s-72 service), all LSM-1-class sisters of LSM-544 - establishes asbestos lagging as an installed class material, not aboard this hull specifically. Veterans' unit publication, not a Navy material schedule or survey; no quantity, manufacturer, or condition data. Does not establish individual exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure (fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards) covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, removal costs, and compensation programs; the Navy's 1975 policy removed and replaced with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This documents the Navy's asbestos-insulation era spanning this hull's 1945 construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); program era 1940s-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. This hull's US career was a five-and-a-half-month stateside commission followed by reserve-fleet lay-up (1946-59) and foreign transfer (1959) - she is not among surveyed ships. Full-text PDF not retrieved this session (product-page Highlights used).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-09
-
[11]Batch-6330 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via cl-auth-search.py - quoted 'LSM-544' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM 544' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'USS LSM-544' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM-544' type=r (0 hits), quoted 'LSM 544' type=r (0 hits) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-03 through -05
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes contain no opinion or docket naming this hull in any quoted name form - all five searches returned count=0 with no collisions to classify. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm marketing page naming this specific hull. A bonus quoted '"Los Frailes" asbestos' opinion query (Venezuelan name) was attempted three times and repeatedly stood down by the fleet pacing limiter - logged as not completed, not as a result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public docket does not prove no claim was ever filed - PACER/state-court records are not fully indexed by CourtListener, and a five-month post-war hull followed by foreign transfer is thinly litigated territory generally. The Venezuelan service era (1959-1984) lies outside US asbestos-litigation indexing entirely; the Venezuelan-name opinion search was not completed (pacing stand-down). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-10
-
[12]Batch-6330 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS hull entry (404 on live site); NVR ship detail (site shell only - pre-1987 disposal, per NVR's own page statement); NARA catalog (ship-titled INSURV material-inspection file + BuShips drawings file + three digitized personnel/log units located; all contents unread or undigitized); NavSource; uboat.net/navypedia/shipbuildinghistory corroboration; GAO product page; Pronto unit history; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, ship's material schedule, or court record naming USS LSM-544 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull. The hull served five and a half months in U.S. commission - all post-war and stateside - decommissioned to the Green Cove Springs reserve group in June 1946, and transferred to Venezuela in December 1959; the Venezuelan-era material record (any asbestos abatement, refit, or the 1984 fire's material effects) is undocumented in US sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - construction-era asbestos use for a 1945 amphibious is era-consistent and a class-level eyewitness record exists (ev-08). NARA holds three ship-titled leads unread or undigitized (INSURV material-inspection file, BuShips drawings, muster/deck-log units) - the INSURV file is the single most promising ship-specific material lead and remains open. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-544-lsm544-11