Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 590-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (secondary fallback)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (secondary fallback)
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-55-lsm55-pkt-590-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-55 (10/14/14055) - construction milestones, campaign table, award ribbon bar, commanding officers, specifications, photographs. History extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14055.htm header block, award ribbons, campaign table, history narrative, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class; laid down 30 June 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 21 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-55 on 21 August 1944, LTjg. Ben Dyer USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LSM Flotilla Thirteen (LCDR C. L. Weigle USNR), LSM Group Thirty-Nine (LCDR J. M. Rose), LSM Division Seventy-Eight. Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 April - 17 June 1945; one battle star earned for WWII service. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal period 22 September 1945 - 4 May 1946; China Service Medal (extended) period 5 - 26 May 1946. Decommissioned 26 May 1946 at Shanghai, China and transferred the same day to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in demilitarized status; struck from the Naval Register 13 December 1946; final disposition: fate unknown. Commanding officers: LTjg. Ben Dyer USNR (21 Aug 1944 - 18 Nov 1945); LTjg. Robert E. Weber USNR (18 Nov 1945 - 12 Apr 1946); LTjg. Kenneth C. Lucas USNR (12 Apr - 26 May 1946). Photographs: moored on the Whangpoo River at Shanghai circa 18 May - 2 June 1946 with at least six other LSMs, and at decommissioning 26 May 1946. Specifications: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; 203'6" ovl x 34'6" beam; draft 3'6" fwd / 7'8" aft light; 13.2 kts; one twin 40mm bow mount and four single 20mm; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks or 6 LVTs or 9 DUKWs; endurance 4,900 miles at 12 kts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (Aug 1944 - May 1946); embarked troops on amphibious lifts
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation sourced here from the Turner Publishing veterans'-history volume, not a primary registry - milestone dates corroborated this session by uboat.net, navypedia, and shipbuildinghistory, and the commanding officer and unit assignment partially contradicted by the NHHC 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization table (see ev-04). NavSource expands UNRRA as 'United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency'; the organization's official name is Administration. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-01
-
[3]NARA, Record Group 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), Series: World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories - ship-titled file units for USS LSM-55: five monthly war diaries May - September 1945 (NAIDs 140057609 [5/45], 101712403 [6/45], 83570919 [7/45], 83550725 [8/45], 77532342 [9/45]) plus the parent-unit COM LSM GR 39 war diary series May - October 1945 (NAIDs 140025971, 101735433, 83533944, 77520676, 77562629, 77574460) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search '"LSM-55"' (84 file units); ship-titled units NAID 140057609 (Roll A1674), NAID 101712403 (Roll A1712), NAID 83570919 (Roll A1858), NAID 83550725 (Roll A1836), NAID 77532342 (Roll A1919); COM LSM GR 39 units NAID 140025971 (Roll A1636), 101735433 (A1741), 83533944 (A1818), 77520676 (A1905), 77562629 (A1949), 77574460 (A1963)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized ship-specific operational records exist: a run of monthly war diaries covering May - September 1945 titled to USS LSM-55 (each 'Available to access online' in the catalog), plus six monthly war diaries of COM LSM GR 39 (May - October 1945) - the parent group named in NavSource's unit assignment. Catalog search 'LSM-55' returned 84 file units total; the balance are unit-level diaries (COM 11, COM 14 series) and other-hull diaries whose text indexes a mention, plus unrelated muster rolls and Army/divisional records.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- All hands, USS LSM-55 (Aug 1944 - May 1946; war-diary coverage May - Sep 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: war diaries document operations, positions, and personnel actions - they contain no asbestos, insulation, or material-content statements. Catalog titles verified this session; page-level contents not read (scanned images, no transcription). No ship-titled war diary before May 1945 surfaced (commissioned August 1944; earlier months may be covered only in group-level diaries) and no muster-roll file unit for this hull was located in the digitized catalog search.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LSM 55 (ship/12666) - Brown Shipbuilding Co. (Houston); ordered 15 September 1943; milestones; 'Decommissioned on 25 May 1946 and transferred to the United Nations. Stricken on 19 July 1946' [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/12666 data table and history line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilation corroborates the milestones (ordered 15 Sep 1943; laid down 30 Jun 1944; launched 21 Jul 1944; commissioned 21 Aug 1944) and gives end service 25 May 1946 with transfer 'to the United Nations' - but prints the stricken date as 19 July 1946, conflicting with NavSource's 13 December 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Crew (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation; 'ordered 15 Sep 1943' is uncorroborated by a primary contract document, and its end-service (25 May) and stricken (19 Jul 1946) dates conflict with NavSource (26 May decommission/transfer; 13 Dec 1946 stricken) - carried as an unresolved conflict in gaps, not reconciled here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-03
-
[5]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (transcribed organization table), Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet section (V. Adm. R. K. Turner) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- history.navy.mil U.S. Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 - Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, LSM Flotilla Three, LSM Group 8, LSM Division 15 table (page marker --67--); LSM Flotilla Thirteen / LSM Group 39 table (page marker --72--)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary Navy organization table places 'LSM 55 | Lt. B. Dyer (USNR)' in LSM Division 15, LSM Group 8 (ComLSMGrp 8: Comdr. J. G. Blanche, Jr.) under LSM Flotilla Three - contradicting NavSource's narrative assignment (LSM Flotilla Thirteen / LSM Group Thirty-Nine / LSM Division Seventy-Eight). The table corroborates the hull as active in Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet on 1 May 1945 - mid-window of the Okinawa Gunto campaign NavSource documents - and corroborates the commissioning CO (Lt. B. Dyer). The same table does contain the Flotilla Thirteen / Group 39 structure (ComLSMGrp 39: Lt. Cdr. J. M. Rose) matching NavSource's named commanders, so the hull's group-level assignment is a documented conflict, not a NavSource transcription error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew (1 May 1945 snapshot)
- Limitations
- Single-date snapshot (1 May 1945): hulls were reassigned between LSM units during and after the Okinawa operation, so NavSource's Flotilla 13 / Group 39 / Division 78 assignment may reflect a different date rather than an error - unresolved, carried in gaps. The digitized COM LSM GR 39 war-diary series matching 'LSM-55' in the NARA catalog index is consistent with Group 39 documentation mentioning or covering this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-04
-
[6]navypedia.org US LSM hull table ('LSM55 | Brown SB, Houston | 1944 | 1944 | 8.1944 | UNRRA service 5.1946'); shipbuildinghistory.com LSM table ('LSM 55 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 21-Aug-44 | To UNRRA 1946') [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_aws_lsm.htm hull table; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm hull table (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two further independent secondary compilations corroborate the build record and the UNRRA disposition: navypedia lists LSM55 built by Brown SB Houston, laid and launched 1944 (month unspecified), completed 8.1944, 'UNRRA service 5.1946'; Shipbuilding History lists LSM 55 at Brown SB Houston, delivered 21-Aug-44, 'To UNRRA 1946.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations agreeing with NavSource at milestone-month resolution; shipbuildinghistory's '21-Aug-44' is a delivery date, coincident with NavSource's commissioning date. No source documents the ship's UNRRA operator, a post-transfer name, or final fate. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-05
-
[7]Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Far East: China, Volume X - Telegram, 'The Commander of the Seventh Fleet (Cooke) to General Marshall,' 25 April 1946 (Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54-D270) [other_primary]
- Locator
- FRUS 1946 vol. X, d491, paragraph 4 and footnote 56
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary diplomatic record documents the program into which this hull was transferred one month later: 'A total of 34 LSM now attached 7th Flt, Status this date approximately as follows: 8 under preparation turnover Chinese Navy. 7 under preparation turnover UNRRA. 4 in support XXIV Army Corps. 3 in support 3rd Phibcorps. 12 miscellaneous employment. 12 must be sailed Subic Bay or other disposal ports to arrive not later than 1 June.' UNRRA expanded in the printed footnote as United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-04-25
- Population
- Seventh Fleet amphibious crews, spring 1946
- Limitations
- Fleet-level document - does not name LSM-55; documents the Seventh Fleet demilitarization-and-transfer program in which the NavSource-recorded 26 May 1946 Shanghai transfer took place. Whether LSM-55 was among the '7 under preparation turnover UNRRA' as of 25 April is not stated. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 reversible diesels, direct drive, twin screws; no steam plant); shipbuildinghistory LSM program table (558 LSMs built WWII by seven shipyards); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm program summary
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious transport built June - August 1944 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 Fairbanks-Morse diesel direct-drive plant she carried no steam system - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (USN career); UNRRA service era undocumented
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (Aug 1944 - May 1946); UNRRA-era crews and any post-transfer yard trades (1946 onward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or construction work package located for LSM-55. 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-55-lsm55-07
-
[9]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
- 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 1944 construction and U.S. service.
- 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. Full-text PDF not retrieved this session (gao.gov asset fetch via product page only; product-page Highlights used).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-08
-
[10]Batch-6336 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches via cl-auth-search.py - quoted 'LSM-55' type=o (0 hits), quoted 'LSM 55' type=o (0 hits), unquoted fuzzy 'LSM-55' type=o (54 hits, all reviewed across 3 pages, all non-qualifying token collisions), quoted 'LSM-55' type=r docket search (2 dockets, both name collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-02, -03, -04
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: CourtListener opinion index contains no opinion naming this hull in either quoted name form. The unquoted fuzzy opinion search (completed 2026-10-02) returned 54 relevance-ranked hits; all were reviewed and all are non-qualifying token collisions - 'LSM' as a corporate acronym (Progressive Finance & Investment Corp. v. LSM General Construction, Inc., P.R. Supreme 1998; Montana Professional Sports, LLC v. Leisure Sports Management, Inc., M.D. Fla. 2006), postal-service arbitration codes, and OCR/token noise across criminal, bankruptcy, and contract opinions. The two RECAP docket hits are name collisions: LSM Technologies Pty Ltd v. The Sy-Klone Company, LLC, 3:22-cv-01019 (M.D. Fla., filed 2022 - 'LSM' a corporate acronym, a civil dispute involving a technology company, not the ship and not asbestos) and In re PDTW, LLC, 6:16-bk-15889 (Bankr. C.D. Cal., filed 2016 - 'LSM-55' token appears inside a scanned exhibit affidavit in a chapter 11 case, an OCR artifact, not the ship). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - only law-firm marketing pages for landing ships generically (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 docket does not prove no claim was ever filed - PACER/state-court records are not fully indexed by CourtListener, and short-lived numbered amphibious hulls are thinly litigated generally. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-09
-
[11]Batch-6336 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS hull and collective LSM/LSMR entries (404 on live site; NHHC site search surfaces no LSM-55 ship-history entry); NVR ship detail (no entry - pre-1987 disposition, per NVR's own page statement); NARA catalog (digitized war-diary record located); NavSource; uboat.net/navypedia/shipbuildinghistory corroboration; NHHC U.S. Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; FRUS 1946 v.X d491; GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-01 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-55 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull. The hull served 21 months in U.S. commission, all of it in the Asiatic-Pacific, occupation, and China theater, and left U.S. custody at Shanghai in May 1946 - predating the Navy's 1975 asbestos-management policy, so no modern survey or abatement record could be expected to exist.
- 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 1944 amphibious is era-consistent, and the post-transfer record is undocumented (UNRRA operator, subsequent Chinese service, and final fate all unknown). NARA holds further undigitized leads (RG 19 Bureau of Ships records, RG 24 deck logs). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-55-lsm55-10