Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]NARA, digitized action report: 'USS LSM-59 - Rep of attack by enemy suicide aircraft and resulting loss in the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands' (NAID 101744070; RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; micro serial 132573; letterhead dated 23 June 1945; 2-page scan read in full) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/101744070 - 2-image scan, full text transcribed this session
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report (CO Lt. D. C. Hawley, USNR, to Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet, 23 June 1945, 'Action Report - Sinking of the U.S.S. LSM 59 by Japanese suicide plane on 21 June 1945'): at about 1730 Item 21 June 1945 LSM-59 departed Kerama Retto harbor in company with ATF-85 (Lipan), which was towing the decommissioned high-speed transport Barry (spelled 'BARRIE' in the report), on CTF-31 orders via the northern entrance at 5 knots. At 1841 Item a Japanese suicide plane approached undetected low over the water on course ~085(T) and hit her starboard side aft, going 'through the tank deck into the engine room' and tearing a large hole in the bottom; all electrical power and both main engines were knocked out. A second suicide plane, 'believed to be a JUDY,' hit Barry within a minute. The fire was extinguished by 1845 with five 15-lb CO2 extinguishers and the two hoses of the ship's 50-lb CO2 system; abandon ship was ordered and four life rafts launched under Ensign E. H. Rogers Jr. (starboard) and the Captain (port). 'At 1846 Item the stern sunk completely and the bow rose to a vertical position. At 1854 Item the bow sunk from view.' USS Swearer and USS Steady rescued survivors within 45 minutes. Embarked: TDD Unit 41 (1 officer + 6 enlisted, embarked 1 May 1945 at Ulithi), 3 Beach Jumper Unit 9 enlisted and 1 CTF-31 staff officer (embarked that day); cargo was only TDD-41's 20 drones and equipment. 'All the ship's records were lost and nothing was salvaged.' Casualties: 1 crew member missing - Frey, C. W., EM3/c, USNR - and 1 TDD-41 member - Fazer, C. H., AM3/c, USNR; 8 men with burns or wounds treated aboard USS Gosper (APA-170).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-21 (report dated 1945-06-23)
- Population
- Ship's crew (~59), TDD Unit 41 (7), Beach Jumper Unit 9 (3), CTF-31 staff officer (1); 2 missing/KIA, 8 wounded
- Limitations
- Primary source for the loss event and the aboard population, not an asbestos or material record - it makes no statement about insulation or construction materials. 'All the ship's records were lost' explains why contemporaneous documentation for this hull is thin. NARA catalog title carries '6/12/45' but the catalog description and the letterhead itself date the report 23 June 1945; event date is 21 June 1945 throughout. Report misspells the decoy's name as 'BARRIE' (= USS Barry, APD-29). Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-01
-
[2]NARA, digitized action report: 'USS LIPAN - Rep of action with enemy suicide aircraft in the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 6/21/45' (NAID 101747832; RG 38, WWII War Diaries; micro serial 132964, serial 92; dated 29 June 1945; 5-page scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/101747832 - 5-image scan, Parts I-III read in full
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The towing tug's action report corroborates and extends the event record: the unit under attack 'consisted of LSM 59 and USS LIPAN (ATF85) towing an experimental decoy (the Ex-USS BARRY (APD29)) and was under the operational control of Lieutenant Hinkley in the LSM 59'; the decoy carried four radio/sound technicians. Mission: tow the decoy to the Ie Shima area and anchor it, 'LSM 59 to remain nearby to control radio operated devices installed on decoy.' Timeline: 1642 underway from Kerama Kaikyo with the decoy in tow astern and LSM-59 made up alongside; 1704 LSM-59 cast off and dropped astern slightly to starboard of the tow; 1740 cleared the northern entrance; 1837 two enemy planes observed, 'one diving into LSM 59' without being fired on; the second plane was driven off Lipan by .50-cal/20mm fire, banked left, and dove on the decoy, crashing the superstructure at frame 80; a third plane proved friendly. '1841 LSM sank, going down stern first in nearly vertical position. Location about 5 miles north of Kerama Kaikyo.' Enemy aircraft identified as two 'Jack' fighters on heading ~330T at 225-250 knots.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-21 (report dated 1945-06-29)
- Population
- Same event population as ev-01
- Limitations
- Corroborating primary source from the towing vessel, not an asbestos record. Its 1841 sinking time (LCT) and the LSM-59 report's 1846/1854 (Item) differ by a few minutes - different time conventions aboard the two ships; both carried, no reconciliation asserted. Establishes the sink position only approximately ('about 5 miles north of Kerama Kaikyo').
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-02
-
[3]DANFS, Barry II (DD-248/APD-29), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (HyperWar transcription, live-verified; live NHHC URL not located - standing NHHC link-rot) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Barry II entry, final paragraph (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The DANFS entry for USS Barry (APD-29) documents LSM-59's loss: Barry, too damaged to repair after a 25 May 1945 kamikaze hit (28 wounded), was towed to Kerama Retto 26 May, stripped, and decommissioned 21 June 1945. 'Later in the day she was towed from the harbor of Kerama Retto to be used as a decoy for the kamikazes. While under tow she was attacked by Japanese suicide planes and sunk along with her escort, LSM-59.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-21
- Limitations
- DANFS covers the event from Barry's side; it names LSM-59 as the escort sunk in the same attack but supplies no LSM-59 construction or service detail. No dedicated LSM-59 DANFS entry exists (candidate NHHC URLs 404, checked 2026-10-02). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-03
-
[4]Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy from CNO (Adm. Ernest J. King), 'U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945', Appendix C - Ships Lost or Damaged (HyperWar transcription, live-verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-King-C.html, Appendix C table, 'MEDIUM LANDING SHIPS' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The CNO's official wartime loss list records, under 'MEDIUM LANDING SHIPS': 'LSM 59 - Off Okinawa - 21 June 1945' - the government's own accounting of this hull as lost to enemy action on that date and place.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-21
- Limitations
- Confirms loss date and area only; no cause detail, no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-04
-
[5]USMC official history: 'Okinawa: Victory in the Pacific' (Historical Branch, HQMC), ch. 11 (HyperWar transcription, live-verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USMC-M-Okinawa-11.html, closing section text and footnotes 3-5
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Marine Corps monograph places LSM-59's loss in the last major organized kamikaze raid of the Okinawa campaign: 'About 1830 on 21 June, a small group of raiders showing friendly radar recognition signals penetrated to Kerama Retto where one dived into the seaplane tender Curtiss... Other planes of this flight crashed LSM 59 and the decoy ship ex-Barry, sinking both.' The footnote cites the CinCPac War Diary for June 1945 and notes a Board of Inspection and Survey had recommended Barry's decommissioning for use as the decoy. Naval casualties 21-22 June per CTF-31 action report: 30 KIA, 154 WIA, 193 MIA (all ships).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-21
- Limitations
- Official-history confirmation of the event, not an asbestos record. A companion USMC volume (Victory and Occupation, Vol. V) describes LSM-59 'towing the hulk' - inaccurate per the two action reports (Lipan had the tow; LSM-59 was the escort); see correction row ev-10. No casualty breakdown specific to LSM-59 in this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-05
-
[6]George A. Hinckley, 'Kamikaze Decoy,' Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), August 1998, Vol. 12 No. 4 - first-person account by the TF-51/Beach Jumper officer who prepared the Barry decoy and was aboard LSM-59 when she sank [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Aug 1998 article body
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Eyewitness detail on LSM-59's final mission: she had been assigned to the decoy project and carried TDD Unit 41 - a drone-launch/control detachment (one Navy pilot plus six enlisted maintaining radio-controlled target drones); her drone-control gear was to operate the decoy Barry's simulated distress display (.50-caliber machine guns and smoke pots) from up to 1-1.5 miles. On 21 June 1945 Lipan towed Barry out of Kerama Retto for Ie Shima with LSM-59 stationed astern; at 1837 two low fighters approached; one 'cleared the port side and crashed through the well deck' of LSM-59, starting a fire extinguished with CO2 under CO Lt. David C. Hawley; the ship settled by the stern and sank, 'briefly [holding] an Okinawa record by sinking in four minutes.' Survivors were recovered by USS Steady (AM-118) and USS Swearer (DE-186). Hinckley recommended Hawley for a Silver Star. Barry, hit by the second kamikaze, sank at 0303 on 22 June.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06
- Population
- Decoy-operation participants: LSM-59 crew, BJU-9, TDD-41, Hinckley/CTF-31 staff
- Limitations
- A 1998 recollection by a named participant - firsthand but retrospective; times/positions are memory and differ slightly from the contemporaneous action reports (e.g., his account has the hit aft of the conn; the LSM-59 report locates it starboard-side aft through the tank deck into the engine room). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-06
-
[7]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-59 - milestones, campaign table, awards, specifications, crew photographs with NARA-credited and crew-provided captions (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14059.htm - header block, campaign table, specifications, CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 July 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 29 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-59 23 August 1944, Lt. David C. Hawley, USNR, in command (CO until 21 June 1945). Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LSM Flotilla Five (CDR W. H. Carpenter USN), LSM Group Fourteen (LCDR A. E. Lind USNR), LSM Division Twenty-Seven. Campaigns: Iwo Jima operation (assault and occupation, 19 February - 16 March 1945) and Okinawa Gunto operation (21 May - 21 July 1945); two battle stars; Purple Hearts (2 KIA, 8 wounded, Okinawa). History extract: she 'lost an engine due to artillery or mortar fire at Iwo Jima' and at Okinawa served in the decoy plan to lure suicide planes into burned-out ships; sunk 21 June 1945 while escorting the hulk of ex-Barry under Lipan's tow; 'Struck from the Naval Register (date unknown).' Spec block (LSM-1 class): displ. 520 t. light / 743 landing / 1,095 full; 203'6" ovl x 34'6" beam; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; 1 twin 40mm + 4 single 20mm; troop accommodations 2 officers + 46 enlisted; 2 Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8x10 diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @720rpm; twin propellers 2,800 shp; radio call sign NVEN. Photographs place her off the Iwo Jima invasion beaches February 1945 alongside USS Bayfield (APA-33).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); ship's company + embarked units (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation anchored to official campaign lists and credited contributions; milestones cross-check with uboat.net and action reports except a one-day commissioning-date variant (see gaps). Specifications are the class spec block, not a hull survey. 'Struck... (date unknown)' - no official strike date located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-07
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[8]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), June 2025, Vol. 39 No. 3 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 article body
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder context for this hull: Brown Shipbuilding was established in 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root; its yard sat on narrow Green's Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel (sideways launches); at peak it employed more than 25,000 workers starting in late 1942. It built 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts (38 Edsall- and 23 John C. Butler-class), 32 LCIs, and 254 Landing Ships Medium - the class to which this hull belongs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce, >25,000 peak (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history only - establishes the construction-era population and output, not materials aboard any hull. No asbestos content in the article; asbestos assertions about this yard come only from excluded law-firm sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-08
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-1 class spec block (Fairbanks-Morse diesel direct drive, no steam plant); USNI Brown Shipbuilding yard history (1941-45 emergency yard); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era; see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; USNI yard article; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-driven amphibious landing ship built July-August 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era: era-standard applications aboard a WWII amphibious ship of this type were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but the small-ship confined-space exposure dynamic applies. All installed material went down with the hull on 21 June 1945; no abatement, survey, or breakup record can exist for her.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Jul-Aug 1944 build); ship's company + embarked detachments (Aug 1944-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation list, work package, or material record exists or can be reconstructed (ship's records lost with the hull per ev-01). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-09
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction and service life (1944-45).
- 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. Full text blocked to automated fetch (gao.gov HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02 - standing defect since BATCH-01); content via product-page description and indexed excerpts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-10
-
[11]USMC official history: 'Victory and Occupation' (History of USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. V), ch. II-11 - checked against the primary action reports [other_primary]
- Locator
- USMC-V-II-11.html passage; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lsm.html table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the Vol. V monograph states kamikazes 'attacked LSM-59 as it was towing the hulk of decommissioned Barry away from the Kerama anchorage.' That misstates the tow: both primary action reports (ev-01, ev-02) and DANFS place the tow on USS Lipan (ATF-85), with LSM-59 the escort controlling the decoy's remote gear. The sister USMC volume 'Okinawa: Victory in the Pacific' states it correctly ('crashed LSM 59 and the decoy ship ex-Barry, sinking both'). Also in secondary circulation: a '10-Jun-45' sinking date (navalmarinearchive.com table) - the correct date is 21 June 1945 per the action reports, DANFS, and the CNO loss list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-21
- Limitations
- Corrects role-attribution and date errors in otherwise official/secondary sources, not a material claim. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-11
-
[12]Batch-6349 search ledger (this record): NARA action reports and war-diaries series; DANFS Barry entry (HyperWar); CNO King loss list; USMC Okinawa monographs; USNI (x2); NavSource; uboat.net cross-check; NVR; GAO; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket); NARA deck-log series search-within [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LSM-59 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4): 'LSM-59' opinions 0 results; '"LSM 59" asbestos' opinions 0 results; 'USS LSM-59' opinions returned 4 non-qualifying results - name/token collisions (a 1972 Court of Claims patent matter and three Texas appellate criminal/civil cases), none naming the vessel or involving asbestos; 'LSM-59' docket search returned 3 non-qualifying results - 'LSM' company-name and unrelated docket collisions (LSM Technologies contract case, real-estate contract case, Circuit City bankruptcy). The only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesothelioma.net, mesothelioma.com, mesotheliomalawyercenter.org and similar listicles) asserting asbestos at Brown Shipbuilding 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 - and for this hull it can never be proven either way from ship documents: every record aboard was lost with her (ev-01) and the hull was never surveyed, stripped, or scrapped. CourtListener coverage completed at both opinion and docket level; a name match is not a case, and none of the seven returned records names this vessel. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-59-lsm59-12