Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[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-545-lsm545-pkt-589-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-545 page - milestones, specification block, commanding officer, ribbon awards, photo record (history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14545.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officers list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium; laid down and launched (dates not stated) at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; commissioned USS LSM-545 on 10 January 1946, LTjg. Edward J. Pepin USNR in command; decommissioned 24 May 1946 at Green Cove Springs, FL; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs; struck from the Naval Register (date not stated); transferred 21 January 1960 to Venezuela and renamed ARBV Los Testigos (T-16); decommissioned by the Venezuelan Navy (date not stated); final disposition scrapped in 1978/79. Ribbon awards: American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Photo record: under way in Chesapeake Bay with two unidentified LCIs circa January-May 1946; as ARBV Los Testigos (T-16) under way circa 1962 (official Venezuelan Navy photo).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1979
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); commissioning crew (Jan-May 1946); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers (1946-1959/60); Venezuelan Navy crew (1960-ca.1979/80)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but laid-down, launched, strike, and Venezuelan decommission dates are not stated on this page. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), Brown Shipbuilding Houston TX yard list - builder's production record for yard hull 352; corroborated by Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II', USNI Naval History 39(3), June 2025 (https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history/2025/june/brown-shipbuilding-companys-rise-during-world-war-ii) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown yard table, hull 352 row; yard-history narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard record for this hull: Brown Shipbuilding hull 352 = LSM 545, keel laid 14-Jul-45, launched 25-Aug-45, delivered 10-Jan-46; disposition 'Laid up 1947, to Venezuela 1959 as Los Testigos (T-16), scrapped 1979'. Yard context: Brown Shipbuilding was built in 1941 by George and Herman Brown at the junction of Green's Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel with $9 million in Navy funding; total output 12 PCs, 32 LCI(L)s, 61 DEs, and 254 LSMs - 359 vessels in four years; the yard passed to Todd Shipyards in 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1979
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Secondary yard-history compilation (Colton's Shipbuilding History), consistent with NavSource on delivery/commissioning (10 Jan 1946). 'Laid up 1947' conflicts with NavSource's decommissioning date of 24 May 1946 - carried as a gap. 'To Venezuela 1959' vs NavSource's transfer date of 21 January 1960 - likely reserve-status vs formal-transfer distinction, unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM 545 (LSM 545) warship record [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship record 13096 data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Database record for this hull: ordered 30 August 1944; built by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; laid down 14 July 1945; launched 25 August 1945; commissioned 8 January 1946; end service 24 May 1946 (decommissioned); transferred to Venezuela on 21 January 1960. No commanding-officer or operational events are listed for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Secondary warship database. The 8 January 1946 commissioning date conflicts with NavSource/Turner and the Brown yard delivery record (10 January 1946) - 10 January carried, variant logged in gaps. The 30 August 1944 order date is unique to this source among those searched; otherwise corroborates construction and disposal dates. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-03
-
[5]NARA, 'Drawings for USS LSM-545', NAID 153715344 - Record Group 19, Records of the Bureau of Ships, Ship Engineering Drawings series (1874-1976); creator: Department of the Navy; National Archives at College Park - Cartographic; access unrestricted; paper copy, not yet available online [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/153715344 (file unit, NAID 153715344)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-specific Bureau of Ships engineering drawings for USS LSM-545 exist in NARA custody at College Park (Cartographic), unrestricted, paper only. Ship engineering drawings of this era can carry insulation arrangement and material callouts; the drawings were not examined.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (drawing dates unknown)
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the catalog confirms a named file unit exists for this hull; contents unexamined and undigitized. Engineering drawings may or may not specify asbestos-containing materials; no asbestos content in the catalog record itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-04
-
[6]NARA, 'LSM-545', NAID 2761015 - Record Group 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; creator: Board of Inspection and Survey; series: Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation (1940-1978), Container 117; National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference; access unrestricted; paper copy, not yet available online [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/2761015 (file unit, NAID 2761015, Container 117)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) material-inspection file unit exists for LSM-545 in RG 38 at College Park, unrestricted, paper only. Material-inspection reports document shipboard material condition at survey and are the most directly asbestos-relevant archival lead located for this hull; the file was not examined.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-1978 (series span)
- Population
- Survey/inspection personnel and crew at report date (undetermined)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog confirms a named file unit; contents unexamined and undigitized. Whether the report covers the 1946 U.S. commission, the 1959-60 disposal survey, or both is unknown; no asbestos content in the catalog record itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-05
-
[7]NARA, 'COM 4th FLEET - War Diary, 1/10-31/46', NAID 77617033 - full-text catalog match for 'LSM-545' inside the Commander Fourth Fleet war diary for 10-31 January 1946 (Office of Naval Records and Library series, Roll A2027) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77617033 (file unit, NAID 77617033, Roll A2027)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The name LSM-545 appears in the Commander Fourth Fleet war diary covering 10-31 January 1946 - the month of her commissioning (10 January 1946) - consistent with her reported status or assignment being logged in the Atlantic-area command diary during her only operational month. The catalog record shows 8 digitized images (untranscribed); the diary pages were not examined.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-01
- Population
- Commissioning crew (January 1946)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the catalog's full-text index matched 'LSM-545' inside this file unit; the surrounding context (assignment, movement, or mere list mention) was not reviewed. Does not establish any specific operation, location, or material fact beyond a mention.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-06
-
[8]navypedia, 'LOS MONJES medium landing ships (1945-1946/1959-1960)' - Venezuelan Navy class record for the four ex-U.S. LSMs [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia Los Monjes class table and technical data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Venezuelan service record for this hull: Los Testigos (ex-LSM545), pennant T-16, renumbered T-24 in 1975; U.S. commission 1/1946, Venezuelan commission 21 January 1960; stricken 1980. Sister transfers in the same group: Los Monjes (ex-LSM548, T-13/T-21, stricken 1979), Los Roques (ex-LSM543, T-14/T-22, stricken 1979), Los Frailes (ex-LSM544, T-15/T-23, fire 21 June 1984 and broken up); ex-LSM542 transferred 15 July 1959 for cannibalization. Venezuelan-era class data lists SPS-5 or SPS-6 radar fit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1960-1980
- Population
- Venezuelan Navy crew (1960-ca.1979/80); Venezuelan maintenance trades during 1960-1980 service
- Limitations
- Secondary reference. Stricken-1980 date conflicts with NavSource's scrapped-1978/79 disposition - both carried, unresolved (a strike-then-scrap interval is plausible). navypedia's class table lists '4 General Motors diesels' vs NavSource's ship-specific 2 x GM 16-278A - NavSource carried, logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource ship-page specification block (2 x GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive - no steam plant); NavSource LSM index (558 LSM/LSM(R) hulls built WWII); NHHC 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (LSM developed to fill the LCI-LST size gap, NHHC art-exhibit description); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14545.htm specification block; NavSource LSM index (10/14/14idx.htm); history.navy.mil 'The Navy's Happy Medium' art page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-driven LSM-1 class landing ship built July-December 1945 at a peak-war emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were exhaust and machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and interior fireproofing/joiner material. As a diesel-only ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1980
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); crew (Jan-May 1946); reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-1959/60); Venezuelan crew and refit trades (1960-1980); shipbreakers (circa 1979)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LSM-545. 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-545-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (Oct 1979)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships and that the Navy did not begin substituting nonasbestos insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1945) and U.S. service era (1946, then 1946-1959/60 reserve custody), and most of her Venezuelan service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; LSM-545 is not named and had left U.S. custody years before the report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-09
-
[11]Batch-6331 search ledger (this record): NavSource LSM-545 page; shipbuildinghistory Brown yard list; uboat.net ship record; navypedia US LSM and Venezuela class pages; NARA catalog (17 file units incl. NAIDs 153715344, 2761015, 77617033); NHHC DANFS index; Naval Vessel Register; CourtListener API v4 (opinions and RECAP dockets); secondary web litigation sweep; GAO HRD-80-2 product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-545-01 through sl-uss-lsm-545-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LSM-545 or ARBV Los Testigos (T-16/T-24) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Registry coverage is also negative: no DANFS/NHHC ship-history entry exists for this hull (numbered amphibious hulls received DANFS coverage only when named, and this hull was never named in U.S. service) and the Naval Vessel Register carries no entry (NVR excludes ships disposed prior to 1987; she was transferred in 1960). CourtListener was searched this session via the authenticated fleet helper: opinions 'LSM-545' returned 17 incidental term matches (no vessel named), 'USS LSM-545' returned 0 results, 'Los Testigos' returned 5,014 results all being Spanish-language name collisions; docket search '"LSM-545" OR "LSM 545"' returned 0 results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material located is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos in LSM-class ships and at Brown Shipbuilding generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - the hull was built inside the Navy's documented asbestos era and the INSURV material-inspection file (NAID 2761015) and BuShips drawings (NAID 153715344) are unexamined archival leads. Venezuelan-era records (1960-1980) were not located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-10
-
[12]defensa.com, 'La Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela concluye la puesta a punto del buque multipropósito Los Testigos' - coverage of the current Venezuelan Los Testigos (T-92) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- defensa.com Venezuela article (T-92 maintenance coverage); navypedia pennant column 'T16, 1975- T24'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION (name collision): the Los Testigos currently in Venezuelan fleet lists is pennant T-92, a Damen Stan Lander 5612 multipurpose landing ship that entered service in 2012 - a different, much newer hull that carries the recycled name. Ex-LSM-545 was T-16 (renumbered T-24 in 1975) and left Venezuelan service circa 1979-80. Modern Venezuelan Los Testigos coverage does not describe this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2012-present (T-92); 1960-1980 (this hull)
- Limitations
- Prevents a name-collision error only; does not itself evidence anything about ex-LSM-545. The T-92 attribution rests on reputable defense-trade press; the T-16/T-24 pennant history rests on navypedia and NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-545-11