Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 593-packet.md (3 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-70-lsm70-pkt-593-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-70 page (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS LSM-70 page: history narrative, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, occupation-service table, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium laid down 21 July 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 14 August 1944; commissioned USS LSM-70 on 13 September 1944, ENS Raymond C. Whalin USN in command. WWII service in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with LSM Flotilla Five, LSM Group Fifteen, LSM Division Twenty-Nine; participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945 (one battle star). Post-war occupation service in the Far East 5-28 September 1945 and 8 October-4 December 1945. Decommissioned 1 May 1946 at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, CA; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; sold for scrapping 18 February 1948 to Hugo Neu Corp., New York, NY. Specification block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. full; 203'6" ovl x 34'6" beam; 13.2 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; troops 2 officers + 46 enlisted; two Fairbanks Morse 38D81/8X10 diesels, twin screws. Commanding officers: ENS Raymond C. Whalin (13 Sep 1944-Dec 1945); LTjg William R. Yankie USNR (Dec 1945-1 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Wartime crew: 5 officers + 54 enlisted (class spec block); embarked troops up to 2 officers + 46 enlisted
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation republishing a published veterans-association history (Turner Publishing) - not a primary registry; no DANFS entry for this numbered hull was located to cross-check (see gaps). Page verified live (HTTP 200) on 2026-10-02. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton dataset, mirrored at Naval Marine Archive), 'Landing Ships, Medium - LSM, LSM(R), LSV' build/disposition table; companion yard table 'Brown Shipbuilding' (mirrored at shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-emer-large/brown/) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM disposition table, row 'LSM 70'; Brown yard table, hull 175
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent tabulation corroborates this hull's build and disposal: LSM-70, Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX, yard hull no. 175, delivered/commissioned 13 September 1944, sold to Hugo Neu 1948 for scrapping. Table-level context: 558 LSMs built by seven shipyards; basic design (originally designated LCT(7)) 203.5 ft overall, 520 tons light.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary reference (Tim Colton's shipbuilding data), not a primary registry; corroborates but does not originate the milestones. navalmarinearchive.com mirror verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-02; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net mirror returned HTTP 500 to direct fetch but was content-verified via Firecrawl scrape the same day. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-02
-
[4]U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 104354-KN, 'Iwo Jima Operation, 1945' (Online Library of Selected Images, HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the NHC caption) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Photo caption block, 'Iwo Jima Operation, 1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photograph caption documents this hull at the Iwo Jima assault: 'Landing Ships, Medium, (LSM) landing vehicles on Iwo Jima's eastern beaches, 19 February 1945... The ship in right center appears to be LSM-70.' Photographed by LT Howard W. Whalen, USNR, Boat Group Commander, USS Sanborn (APA-193). (Sister LSM-74, afire in the same frame, was badly damaged by enemy fire.)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-19
- Population
- Assault-beach ship's company and embarked landing troops, 19 Feb 1945
- Limitations
- Captioned identification is hedged by the source itself ('appears to be LSM-70'); consistent with, but independent corroboration of, the NavSource campaign credit. Confirms presence at the assault beach, not any activity below decks. ibiblio mirror page verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-02. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-03
-
[5]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project, Paul Edward Baker Collection, AFC/2001/001/41308 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Veterans History Project service summary, 'Service Unit/Ship: USS LSM 70'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A named crew member of this hull is documented: Paul Edward Baker, U.S. Navy 1942-1945, served aboard USS LSM-70 (Landing Ship, Medium) as Pharmacist's Mate First Class; listed battles include Iwo Jima; service locations include Norfolk, Little Creek, Guam, and the Pacific Theater. Collection holds an interview recording.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Pharmacist's Mate First Class P.E. Baker and shipmates, 1944-45
- Limitations
- Veteran-held oral-history collection item; documents a crew berth aboard this hull (consistent with the medical-department billets of a ~59-man crew), not any exposure event. It is NOT an asbestos or exposure record. Page verified live via Firecrawl extraction 2026-10-02 (direct fetch returns HTTP 403 to automated agents).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-04
-
[6]Royal Australian Corps of Signals unit history, 'Pronto in South Vietnam 1962-1972,' Chapter 5 - Specialist Signals, Part 3 - 32 Small Ship Squadron (NavSource-hosted PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter 5, Part 3, 'Ship Conditions' section, p. 2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Veteran unit history documents asbestos aboard WWII-built LSMs of this design family. Describing crew accommodation aboard the four ex-U.S. Navy LSMs purchased by the Australian Army in 1959 (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): '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.' Documents asbestos pipe lagging over accommodation bunks as installed practice aboard the type, still in service in the Vietnam era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1959-1972 (Australian service); construction era 1944-45
- Population
- Australian Army crews of four ex-USN LSMs, 1959-1972 (sleeping accommodation occupants); same berth arrangement aboard USN sisters 1944-46 is the inference class
- Limitations
- Class/type documentation, not a hull record: the described ships are LSM-315, -319, -477, and -547 - sister hulls of the same 203.5-ft LSM design, NOT LSM-70 itself. A veterans' unit-history narrative, not a survey or specification; establishes asbestos presence aboard four sister hulls, not aboard this hull. No quantity, product name, or manufacturer. PDF downloaded and text-extracted 2026-10-02 (navsource.net, HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource LSM-1-class specification block (diesel propulsion plant, complement, accommodations); Shipbuilding History LSM design summary; GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, see ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- synthesis row - basis documents cited in citation_value
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious ship built July-September 1944 at a WWII emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period - with no steam plant - were thermal insulation and pipe lagging in accommodation and machinery spaces, diesel-engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Shipyard construction trades (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, 1944); wartime crew
- Limitations
- Era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, specification, or work package located for LSM-70. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; the only type-documented application for this design family is the accommodation-space pipe lagging of ev-05. No quantity. No ship-proven claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-06
-
[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
- Sections 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' and 'Recruiting and Training Shipyard Workers'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context for this hull: Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, TX - a Green's Bayou yard founded 1941 by George and Herman Brown (Brown and Root) - was the second-largest Houston-area employer, peaking above 25,000 workers from late 1942, using assembly-line section fabrication with sideways launches into the narrow Greens Bayou. Wartime output included 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts, 32 Landing Craft Infantry, and 254 Landing Ship Medium amphibious assault craft - the production run that included this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (~25,000 peak); women and minority hiring documented
- Limitations
- Yard-level history, not a hull record; contains no asbestos or material content - documents workforce scale and the 254-LSM production run only. Article verified live via Firecrawl extraction 2026-10-02 (direct fetch returns HTTP 403 to automated agents).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-07
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (October 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- Product page description
- 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 (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- through early 1970s substitution era
- Population
- Navy ship construction and repair workforce (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved - gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-02, same standing defect as Batches 01 and 98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-08
-
[10]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (series 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978,' NAID 594258; WWII-era logs also in RG 24 Entry 118 / Special List 44) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log availability page; NAID 594258 series
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull's 1944-46 deck logs and muster rolls are the open archival lead: the NARA deck-log digitization program is incomplete (VA partnership prioritized Vietnam-era logs), and no digitized LSM-70 log was located in the public catalog lists. Physical logs of commissioned vessels of this era are held at Archives II, College Park, MD.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946 logs; digitization status as of 2026
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - digitization status not directly confirmed for this specific hull (catalog is JS-rendered, not fetchable from this session); the page documents the series and the partial-digitization program, not LSM-70 holdings specifically. archives.gov page verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-09
-
[11]Batch-6362 search ledger (this record): NavSource page and hosted unit-history PDF; Shipbuilding History tables; NHHC/NHC photo NH 104354-KN; LOC Veterans History Project; NARA deck-log series; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, ship name and hull number, opinions and RECAP dockets); secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-01 through sl-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS LSM-70 / LSM-70 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinions returned zero hits for both 'LSM-70' and 'LSM 70'; the single docket hit is a name collision (LSM Technologies Pty Ltd v. Sy-Klone, M.D. Fla. 3:22-cv-01019 - an unrelated commercial contract case).
- 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 - type-level documentation (ev-05) confirms asbestos lagging on sister hulls of the same design, and era documentation (ev-08) confirms the Navy's asbestos-use era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. One residual search variant ('USS LSM-70' opinions) was attempted but stood down by the fleet pacing limiter this session - logged in the ledger; bare hull-number queries cover the realistic citation forms.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-70-lsm70-10