Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet 593-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-68-lsm68-pkt-593-packet-md
-
[2]NARA, digitized action report: 'USS LSM-68 - Report of operations in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island, Philippines, 1/9-14/45' (NAID 139906653; RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; micro serial 110621; ship's serial 17, file LSM68/P6-1; letterhead dated 16 January 1945; single-page scan read in full) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/139906653 - 1-page scan (page bearing 'Enclosure (F)' routing stamp); transcribed this session
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report (CO W. R. Walker to Commander, 7th Amphibious Force, via Commander, LSM Group 19, dated 16 January 1945): the report period is 0600, 4 January 1945 to 2400, 14 January 1945; she 'proceeded from Leyte to Lingayen Gulf in company with ships of Task Group 78.1.' On S-Day (9 January) she 'was beached and discharged Army personnel and vehicles without drawing enemy fire'; while retracting, 'enemy began firing mortar shells in our immediate vicinity. No hits were scored on this ship.' At about 1800 S-Day, 'while discharging another cargo on White Beach 3, the LSM 68 cooperated with other ships in the vicinity in beating off an enemy air attack,' and she fired on an enemy plane at 0705 on 12 January. 'No personnel casualties were suffered. No damage inflicted on ship as a result of enemy action' - but 'considerable damage was done to stanchions, life lines, ventilators, side of hull, and rigging on superstructure deck on the port side' from being moored alongside larger ships in a heavy swell while lightening them.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-01-04 to 1945-01-14 (report dated 1945-01-16)
- Population
- Ship's company (~59 by class complement); embarked Army personnel discharged at Lingayen (unit not named in this report)
- Limitations
- Primary source for the Lingayen operation and the aboard population, not an asbestos or material record - it makes no statement about insulation or construction materials. Establishes the January 1945 administrative chain (LSM Group 19 under the Seventh Amphibious Force) and a documented topside damage event (mooring alongside in heavy swell - a repair/maintenance pathway, not a documented material disturbance). Microfilm scan is legible; one via-block line read as 'LSM Group 19'. Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-01
-
[3]NARA, digitized action report: 'USS LSM-68 - Rep of opers in the assault landings in the Brunei Bay Area, Borneo, 6/10-12/45' (NAID 77505941; RG 38, WWII War Diaries; micro serial 143196; ship's serial 41, file LSM68/A16-3; letterhead dated 14 June 1945; 3-page scan incl. Executive Officer's report read in full) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77505941 - 3-image scan (report 2 pp. + XO report 1 p.); transcribed this session
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report for Operation OBOE-SIX (CO W. R. Walker to Commander-in-Chief U.S. Fleet, via Commander Task Unit 78.1.13, Commander Amphibious Group SIX (CTG 78.1), Commander SEVENTH Amphibious Force (CTF 78), and Commander SEVENTH Fleet; dated 14 June 1945): she departed Morotai 4 June 1945 in Echelon O-6-D carrying mobile equipment of Australian units - elements identified as 4 Tp 2/1 Aust Armd Bde Recce Sqn (3 tanks, a tank trailer, a jeep and trailer), 2/12 Trans Plat, 4 Wireless Unit (RAAF), 2/110 Bde Wkshp, and 2/9 Aust Armd Dept Ord; 'total personnel, 20 enlisted men and 1 officer.' On 10 June she took formation 'with White Assault Unit,' went to General Quarters, and anchored in landing craft area 6 (berth 618) during the assault phase; at 1451 she anchored off Red Beach and unloaded the 2/9 truck and driver onto an LCM, then anchored overnight in area Tare (berth 188). On 11 June she went back to Red Beach and was directed back to Tare; on 12 June she beached on Brown Beach, discharged remaining cargo and rollers, then returned to Tare berth 97 and reported ready for movement to Commander Echelon O-6-K. 'There was no ammunition expenditure on this ship. No battle damage. ... There were no casualties on the LSM 68.' The enclosed Executive Officer's report (R. G. Gilfillan, Jr.) adds that the embarked Australian personnel were commended for cooperation and adherence to ship's regulations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-04 to 1945-06-14
- Population
- Ship's company (~59 by class complement); embarked Australian Army/RAAF personnel (21)
- Limitations
- Primary source for the Brunei Bay operation and the embarked population, not an asbestos or material record - no statement on insulation or construction materials. Several clock times on the microfilm scan are typeover-marked or faint; the legible times (1451, 1839, 0622, 1715, 0729, ~0845 beaching) are carried and the illegible ones are not asserted. 'White Assault Unit' participation is consistent with the OBOE-VI task organization transcribed in secondary sources (Task Unit 78.1.18). Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-02
-
[4]NARA, digitized war diary: 'COM LSM GR 19 - War Diary, 8/1-31/45' (NAID 77486629; RG 38, WWII War Diaries; micro serial 141115; cover page read) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77486629 - page 1 (diary header, 1 August 1945 entry)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The LSM Group Nineteen war diary's 1 August 1945 header records the unit's administrative chain verbatim: 'Administrative organization of LSM Group NINETEEN - LSM 66(F), 127, 128, 133, 203, 268, 269, 50, 51, 52, 54, 219, and supervision of LSM 1 assigned to LSM Group TWENTY-ONE. Administratively under LSM Flotilla SEVEN and Amphibious Force, SEVENTH Fleet. Ships of group are operating under various commands.' This is the unit through which LSM-68's own January 1945 action report routed (via 'Commander, LSM Group 19' - ev-01), and it documents the Seventh Fleet / Seventh Amphibious Force command structure this hull reported through in 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-08
- Population
- LSM Group 19 staff and ships' companies
- Limitations
- Does not name LSM-68 - she is absent from the August 1945 roster as listed (see gaps; the diary notes group ships were 'operating under various commands' and a group commander had only just reported aboard 6 August). Used to corroborate the command chain documented in her own reports, not to assert a ship-specific fact about this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-68 - milestones, campaign table, awards, specifications, CO list, and crew-provided photographs (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14068.htm - header block, campaign table, specifications, CO list, photo captions; last updated 2 January 2026
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 21 July 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 14 August 1944; commissioned USS LSM-68 on 10 September 1944, LT. William R. Walker USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Luzon operation - Lingayen Gulf landing 9 January 1945; Manila Bay-Bicol operation - Zambales-Subic Bay 29-31 January 1945; Borneo operation - Brunei Bay 10-14 June 1945; consolidation and capture of the southern Philippines - Mindanao Island landings 12 July 1945. Decommissioned 10 May 1946 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA; struck from the Naval Register 5 June 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission at Suisun Bay for disposal (PDX-225, 27 September 1946); sold 13 January 1948 to Fairbanks Morse & Co., Chicago, IL; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Four battle stars; awards include Combat Action Ribbon (9 January 1945), Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, and two Philippine Liberation medals; radio call sign NVFF. CO list: LT Walker 10 Sep 1944-27 Oct 1945; LTjg W. E. Baker USNR 27 Oct 1945-10 May 1946. Photographs place the crew training at Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA circa August 1944, on shakedown unloading Quonset huts at Port Arkansas, TX September-December 1944, beached at Lingayen Gulf 9 January 1945, at Dodola Island N.E.I. embarking Australian troops for Brunei circa June 1945, beached at Brunei Bay 10-14 June 1945, carrying Japanese POWs to Leyte October 1945, and moored at Apra, Guam awaiting return orders January 1946. 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.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); ship's company + embarked units (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation anchored to official campaign lists and crew-provided material; milestones cross-check with uboat.net and the ship's own action reports except where flagged in gaps. Specifications are the class spec block, not a hull survey. 'Transferred to the Maritime Commission, date unknown' - the parenthetical PDX-225, 27 September 1946 is the disposal-document reference, the transfer date itself is not stated. 'For scrapping' gloss in secondary tables (shipbuildinghistory, navalmarinearchive) is unverified - NavSource carries only 'fate unknown.' No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-04
-
[6]Command History of the Seventh Amphibious Force, 10 January 1943 - 23 December 1945 (Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey commanding; Navy Department Library administrative history series, HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, live-verified) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- 7thAmphibs-1.html, Part I Narrative Summary (chronology list) and Part II command sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official command history documents the force under which this hull served: the Seventh Amphibious Force (formerly Amphibious Force, Southwest Pacific) 'participated in every assault landing in the Southwest Pacific Area,' including the Philippine landings at Lingayen Gulf and 'the operations which secured control of the Sulu Archipelago and parts of Borneo' - the same operations named in LSM-68's own action reports and campaign record. It documents the February-July 1945 period as 'amphibious landings together with extensive minesweeping operations in the Central and Southern Philippines, Sulu Archipelago, and Borneo.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Force-level command history; does not name this hull - it documents the organizational and operational context for the via-chains in ev-01 and ev-02 (Commander Seventh Amphibious Force = CTF 78, under Commander Seventh Fleet). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-05
-
[7]Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (Navy Department Library Online Reading Room; 2016 Wayback capture - live NHHC URL and later captures do not reach the LSM sections) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Archived capture, LSM Flotilla/Group/Division tables (pp. ~67-70); full-table check for LSM 63-68 performed this session
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization document does NOT list LSM-68: its LSM flotilla tables (Flotillas One, Six, Eight) enumerate hulls in the 40s-300s range with officer names but contain no LSM-68 entry - and no hulls 63 through 68 at all. The absence is consistent with this hull's documented assignment to the Seventh Amphibious Force (Seventh Fleet, Southwest Pacific) rather than the Pacific Fleet amphibious forces covered by the document.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Limitations
- An absence in an organizational table, not an assignment record - carried to document why the Pacific Fleet organization source used in sibling hull records does not cover this hull. The inference (Seventh Fleet rather than Pacific Fleet) is corroborated by the via-chains of her own action reports (ev-01, ev-02). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-1 class spec block (Fairbanks-Morse diesel plant, this hull); USNI Brown Shipbuilding yard history (1941-45 emergency yard; ev-10); Corn & Starr 1987 WWII-shipbuilding asbestos documentation (ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; synthesis of ev-08, ev-09, and ev-10 era documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LSM-1-class landing ship built in mid-1944 at Brown Shipbuilding's Green's Bayou yard, Houston, sits inside the documented WWII-era U.S. naval shipbuilding asbestos-use period. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel amphibious hull of this type and period were machinery and exhaust thermal insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings in a compact hull volume. As a diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. The hull was sold to a machinery company for disposal in January 1948, final disposition unknown; any scrapping or conversion workforce is undocumented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); USN crew (1944-46); unknown disposal workforce (1947-48+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, outfitting specification, or work package located for LSM-68. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull, no present-day presence claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-07
-
[9]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding in the 1940s - the era and program under which this LSM-1-class hull was mass-produced in 1944 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction, with disease manifesting among shipyard workers twenty years later.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or this yard and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI resolves live to the Wiley article page 2026-10-02 (verified via Firecrawl; direct curl to Wiley returns 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly 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 the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards), covering 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities.' Per the report highlights, the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed to accomplish necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - establishing that asbestos insulation was in service aboard Navy ships of this hull's era and remained a managed material into the late 1970s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy window
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - not Brown Shipbuilding or Mare Island - so this is era/program context, not a hull or builder-yard finding. Product page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; the full-report PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) returned HTTP 403 to direct curl - content quoted from the live Highlights text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-09
-
[11]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 circulate only in excluded law-firm sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-10
-
[12]NARA, 'USS LSM-68' file unit, Casualty Information Reports series (1941-1960), RG 24 Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (NAID 472241360) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/472241360 - file-unit catalog record; paper copy, College Park
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A dedicated 'USS LSM-68' file unit exists in the Bureau of Naval Personnel Casualty Information Reports series (covering 1941-1960) - the series that records personnel casualties, missing personnel, and related reporting by vessel/unit. The file unit is cataloged as paper-only, 'Not Yet Available Online,' held at the National Archives at College Park (container 52).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1960 (series span)
- Population
- Ship's company (potential), 1944-46
- Limitations
- Content unread - the catalog entry establishes only that a casualty-information file for this hull exists; whether it contains Lingayen-era reporting, post-war administrative items, or asbestos-relevant material is unknown until examined in person. No asbestos content established. Her own Lingayen report records zero personnel casualties; a file can still exist for administrative reasons.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-11
-
[13]Batch-6359 search ledger (this record): NARA action reports, war-diaries, logbook and muster-roll series; NavSource; NHHC (DANFS index checks, Pacific Fleet organization, Seventh Amphibious Force command history); NVR; MARAD Vessel History Database; GAO; AJIM/Corn & Starr; USNI; uboat.net/shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive secondary cross-checks; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-01 through -14
- 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-68 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener (authenticated API v4): 'USS LSM-68' opinions 0 results; 'LSM-68' opinions 0 results; '"LSM 68" asbestos' opinions 0 results. A secondary web sweep surfaced no qualifying case and no ship-specific claim; yard-adjacent 'asbestos' assertions exist only in law-firm marketing content naming 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 - it establishes that no public ship-specific record was located. The hull's 1948 sale to Fairbanks Morse & Co. with final disposition unknown leaves the post-Navy material record undocumented; contemporaneous ship documents (deck logs, muster rolls) are not in NARA's digitized series for this hull. The CourtListener docket-level query hit the fleet pacing limit - see ledger for its final status. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-68-lsm68-12