Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 594-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-79-lsm79-pkt-594-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, USS LSM-79 entry, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (HyperWar transcription, live-verified; live NHHC URL /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lsm-79.html returns Page Not Found - standing NHHC link-rot) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LSM-79 entry, full text (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents the hull's full official timeline: built by Brown Shipbuilding Co. of Houston TX; keel laid 14 August 1944; launched 7 September 1944; accepted by the Navy 28 September 1944; commissioned 30 September 1944 with Lt.(jg) Dale S. Wahlstrom assuming command; reported to ComPhibTraLant for duty and shakedown 11 October 1944; arrived Canal Zone 14 November and reported to CinCPac for duty 15 November 1944; 'served in the Pacific Theater for the duration of the war and participated in the assualt and occupation of Okinawa from 26 March to 30 June 1945' with one battle star. Disposal chain: 5 January 1946 CNO authorized Com 8 to decommission and transfer to the Maritime Commission or recommend Inspection and Survey action; 22 January 1946 Commander Western Sea Frontier ordered her to report to Com 11 for disposition; material inspection completed 5 February 1946 and Com 11 recommended striking and disposal as salvage; 26 February 1946 CNO declared her not essential to the defense of the U.S. and authorized disposal; decommissioned at Naval Shipyard Terminal Island 29 April 1946; stricken from the NVR 8 May 1946; released to the Navy Vessels Disposal Office in San Diego 7 February 1947 and sold to Ernest A. Judd, Long Beach, California.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's crew (wartime); disposal/inspection personnel (1946); unknown post-sale workforce
- Limitations
- Official ship-history entry - the authoritative construction, service, and disposal record for this hull. Contains no asbestos, material, or condition-survey content. DANFS does not date the Judd sale; NavSource's 6 January 1947 sale date precedes DANFS's 7 February 1947 release-to-disposal-office date - ordering unreconciled (see gaps). Header 'cpl. 52' conflicts with NavSource's 59-man spec block (see gaps). Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-01
-
[3]NARA, digitized report: 'USS LSM-79 - Rep of opers in the invasion & occupation of Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 3/26/45-6/23/45' (NAID 83530513; RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; Roll A1814; cover letter dated 1 August 1945, serial 010-45, File No. LSM79/A12, signed D. S. Wahlstrom; 6-page scan read in full) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/83530513 - 6-image scan, Parts I-VI read in full
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own report of operations (CO to Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet via an eight-command chain; advance copies to Cominch, CinCPac, ComPhibPac, ComLSMGrp. 22): LSM-79 sailed as part of Unit One, Task Unit 51.1.14, operating as part of TU 51.1.6 under CTG 51.1 (Western Islands Attack Group), with the Western Islands Tractor Group George from Leyte to Kerama Retto, arriving 0445 26 March 1945. Chronology: rehearsal 9-16 March, logistics 17-18 March, transit 19-25 March with daily drills and AA firing on 20 March; 27 March beaching attempt at beach Violet 21, Zamami Shima defeated by coral; 28 March beached on the causeway and unloaded men/equipment/supplies of Marine Air Warning Squadron Eight and Army Air Weather Unit Seven (per Part VI: 1 officer + 48 men AWS-8; 2 officers + 8 men AWS-7); 29-30 March loaded Battery B, 7th AA Battalion (Army) from USS Tazewell (APA-209); 31 March beached on the Kamiyama Shima causeway, Keise Shima, to unload the battery; 1 April shore batteries near Naha took Kamiyama Shima under fire at 0130 - she reanchored 2000 yards south with no casualties; 3 April AA action (see ev-03) and 0645-1145 firefighting assistance to USS LST-599; 3-13 April retirement steaming with TU 51.1.6; 15-16 April ammunition/vehicle lighterage via USS Montrose off Menna Shima; 17-22 April lighterage at Ie Shima (TU 51.1.14); 23-29 April Hagushi; 30 April drydocked in USS Oakhill (LSD-7) to replace the starboard screw; 11-13 May moored to USS Achelous (ARL-1) for No. 1 generator repairs; 14-18 May Ie Shima; detached 14 May from TU 51.1.14; 19 May-23 June Hagushi lighterage. Part IV: 'No ships in this unit were damaged.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03-26 to 1945-06-23 (report dated 1945-08-01)
- Population
- Ship's crew; embarked AWS-8 (49), AWS-7 (10), Battery B 7th AA Bn (Army, count not stated)
- Limitations
- Primary source for operations and embarked populations, not an asbestos or material record - makes no statement about insulation or construction materials. The cover letter's first via-addressee reads 'Commander LSM Group Eight (8)' while the same report's advance-copy list names ComLSMGrp 22 and her earlier AA report lists 'Commander LSM Group Twenty-Two (22)' - a discrepancy inside the primary record (see gaps). Island spellings as printed (Kerma/Kerama, Menna/Monna). Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-02
-
[4]NARA, digitized report: 'USS LSM-79 - Rep of AA act in the Kerma Retto, Ryukyu Is, 4/3/45' (NAID 633424610; RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; Roll A1580; forwarded 4 May 1945, File No. LSM79/P6-2, serial 23-45, signed D. S. Wahlstrom; 3-page scan read in full - cover letter plus 2-page 'Anti-Aircraft Action by Surface Ships' form) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/633424610 - 3-image scan, Enclosure A form read in full
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's anti-aircraft report for 3 April 1945 at Kerama Retto, Okinawa Gunto: not a surprise attack - three fighter-bombers picked up by binoculars under 5 miles, low-level bombing attack, 'low and fast.' Six guns fired; ammunition expended 86 rounds 40MM, 120 rounds 20MM, 540 rounds .50-caliber. First hit about 0624, 30 seconds after opening fire; engagement about 60 seconds; ranges 2000 to 1000 yards. 'Planes shot down - Sure 1... By what size gun 40MM.' Damage detail: 'One 40MM hit on engine - set plane afire. One 40MM hit below cockpit. Pilot believed to be dead before crashing, due to numerous wounds.' Hits on ship: none; ship not strafed; no casualties.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-04-03
- Population
- Ship's crew at general quarters (gun crews)
- Limitations
- Primary record of the 3 April 1945 action, not an asbestos record - no material content. The report claims a 40MM kill; the companion ops report (ev-02) records the plane, 'believed to have been a Tony,' crashing into USS LST-599 at 0624 - a fatally hit aircraft completing its dive is consistent with both texts; LST-599's own report (ev-04) frames it as a suicide crash dive. Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-03
-
[5]NARA, digitized report: 'USS LST-599 - Report of action against enemy aircraft and resultant enemy suicide crash dive off Kuba Jima, Kerama Retto, Ryukyu Islands, 4/3/45' (NAID 77549268; RG 38, WWII War Diaries; Roll A1933; cover letter serial 37 dated 6 April 1945, via CTF 53.7; 39-page scan, cover and narrative start read) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77549268 - cover letter and narrative opening; 37 further pages unread (logged as lead)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The damaged ship's own report corroborates the shared event from the other side: titled 'Action Report of Suicide Glide Attack on USS LST 599, 3 April 1945,' it records a 'TONY' fighter making a suicide glide at 0618 that crashed through LCT(6)-876 stowed on the main deck and penetrated the main deck, starting the fire that LSM-79 helped fight for five hours (per LSM-79's ops report, ev-02).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-04-03
- Population
- LST-599 crew; LSM-79 firefighters alongside 0645-1145
- Limitations
- Corroborating primary source for the 3 April event, not an asbestos record. LST-599's framing ('suicide crash dive') and LSM-79's framing ('shot down... sure') coexist - a hit kamikaze completing its dive; both carried verbatim. Only the cover and opening narrative of the 39-page scan were read; whether the report names LSM-79 in later pages is unverified - LSM-79's assistance is anchored on her own ops report. Does not establish any individual's exposure or claims eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-04
-
[6]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-79 (navsource.net) - milestones, unit assignments, campaign table, awards, specifications, CO list, and a 22-image photo series (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/14/14079.htm - milestones block, campaign table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents: laid down 14 August 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston TX; launched 7 September 1944; commissioned 30 September 1944 with LTjg. Dale S. Wahlstrom USNR in command; wartime assignment to LSM Flotilla Eight (CDR H. Doe), LSM Group Twenty-Two (LCDR N.E. Fryer Jr.), LSM Division Forty-Four; Asiatic-Pacific campaign 'Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 20 March to 30 June 1945'; Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp) for Far East occupation service 2 September-6 December 1945; decommissioned 29 April 1946 at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro CA; 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; one battle star; 'Final Disposition, sold, 6 January 1947, to Ernest A. Judd, Long Beach, CA., fate unknown.' Photographic record (credited to crew member Bill Karosi and the USS LSM-LSMR Association) includes: LSM-79 alongside the burning USS LST-599 at Kerama Retto 3 April 1945 (US Navy photos 344937/344939/344940, Naval Historical Center collections); an extensive series showing LSM-79 stranded, flooded, and hard aground at Baten Ko, Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 'after the typhoon of 18 September 1945,' crew photographed there 19 September, then towed off and afloat; and a 24 March 1945 convoy frame with USS LST-617 en route to the Kerama Islands (NARA ID 80229).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's crew; embarked troops
- Limitations
- Archival-aggregator page mixing Turner Publishing text, official Navy photos, and contributor captions. 'Struck... date unknown' is superseded by DANFS's 8 May 1946 strike date. The 'typhoon of 18 September 1945' caption date sits one day outside the 16-17 September window a BUMED-credited caption gives for Typhoon Ida at Okinawa (see ev-06) - carried as captioned. The Bugs Bunny conning-tower painting and similar contributor material are color, not record. No asbestos content. Does not establish exposure or eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-05
-
[7]NavSource Online: Hospital Ship (AH) Photo Index, USS Repose (AH-16) - U.S. BUMED photo caption (navsource.net) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/12/1216.htm - AH-16 photo caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A Bureau of Medicine and Surgery-credited photo caption on the USS Repose page - 'USS Repose (AH-16) underway off Okinawa, during typhoon Ida, 16-17 September 1945' - names and dates the storm that grounded LSM-79 at Baten Ko, Buckner Bay, corroborating the LSM-79 photo captions' 'typhoon of 18 September 1945' (one-day date offset noted).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-09-16 to 1945-09-18
- Limitations
- Names the storm and its dates (16-17 September 1945) from a BUMED-captioned photograph; LSM-79's own captions say '18 September.' Neither source is a meteorological record - the typhoon name and LSM-79's grounding are caption-documented, not logbook-verified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-06
-
[8]LSM Class Manual, 1 March 1944, Serial No. 1766, issued to USS LSM-294 - digitized on NavSource (image scans; sections I-1 General Data, II-30 Main Propelling Machinery, II-31 Auxiliary Machinery, II-31-9 Boilers, II-32 Pumps/Tanks/Piping spot-read) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net lsm manual index; lsm02-31-9.pdf p.1 (boiler paragraph quoted)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The class manual's Boilers section (31-9) states: 'There is an Auxiliary Steam Boiler supplied to each vessel designed to supply 1500 pounds of saturated steam per hour at 35 pounds per square inch gage steam pressure,' an oil-fired water-tube or fire-tube boiler 'located in the boiler room, compartment C-101-1/2E, Main Deck, starboard side, between frames 24 and 26.' This establishes that LSM-1-class ships carried a dedicated boiler room and steam auxiliaries - a lagged-steam pathway exists at class level even though main propulsion was diesel (two Fairbanks-Morse diesels per the class spec).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Class-wide crew/builders (context only)
- Limitations
- Class documentation issued to another hull (LSM-294), not a record of this ship - and it nowhere states insulation composition: asbestos aboard LSM-79 remains era inference, not ship-proven. Sections read are image scans without a text layer; only spot-checked sections were read (I-1, II-30, II-31, II-31-9, II-32); asbestos, magnesia, or insulation schedules may appear in unread sections - logged as archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-07
-
[9]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 (live-verified)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USNI documents the builder's history: Brown Shipbuilding Company formed 1941 as a Brown & Root subsidiary on Green's Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel, with sideways-launch slips on the narrow waterway; wartime output of 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts (38 Edsall-class, 23 John C. Butler-class), 32 LCI(L)s, and 254 LSMs - the yard that built this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history, not a hull record - it does not name LSM-79 and contains no asbestos content. Documents the construction site during the documented Navy asbestos-use era; any yard-exposure inference is context only. Does not establish quantity, product identity, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-08
-
[10]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Asbestos Control: The Navy's Asbestos Health Hazard Program' (1980) - product-page description and indexed excerpts; full PDF returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (standing defect, confirmed this session) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov product page HRD-80-2; PDF at /assets/hrd-80-2.pdf 403-blocked
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO's 1980 review documents that the Navy's asbestos health-hazard program covered the wartime fleet built in the 1940s - the era context within which this 1944-built hull was constructed and in which naval asbestos use was pervasive aboard all ship types.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1980 (report); WWII construction era
- Limitations
- Program-level document: establishes era context only, no ship-specific or even amphibious-specific finding; does not name LSM-79 or any landing ship. Full text not directly verified - PDF blocked (HTTP 403); reliance is on the product-page abstract. Does not establish presence, quantity, or exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-09
-
[11]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' LSM-79 page - spec block and links to the DANFS brief history [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/LSM/LSM-79.html spec table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Companion spec page to the DANFS entry: displacement 900 tons (loaded); length 203'6"; beam 34'; draft 6'11"/3'5" (landing), 4'5"/7'11" (full load); speed 13.3 knots; capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks (150 tons max beaching payload) or 6 LVTs or 9 DUKWs; 54 troops; complement 52; 'Built at Brown Shipbuilding, Huston [sic], Tex., and commissioned 30 September 1944.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Compiled spec table consistent with DANFS; the 'cpl. 52' figure conflicts with NavSource's 5-officer/54-enlisted spec block (see gaps - different counting conventions may apply: ship's company vs. design complement). 'Huston' is a typographical error for Houston. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-10
-
[12]Batch-6371 search ledger (this record): NARA catalog 'LSM-79' search (98 hits incl. her own AA report and Okinawa ops report, both read in full, plus USS LST-599's report); DANFS LSM-79 entry via HyperWar; NavSource ship page + LSM class index + LSM Class Manual + AH-16 caption; uboat.net; NVR; GAO; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket); NARA deck-log series search-within [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LSM-79 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4, 2026-10-02): 'LSM-79' opinions = 0 results; 'USS LSM-79' opinions = 0 results; '"LSM 79" asbestos' opinions = 0 results; 'LSM-79' docket search (type=r) = 0 results - unlike some LSM hull numbers, 'LSM-79' produces no name-collision records at all. A targeted web sweep ('"LSM-79" asbestos OR mesothelioma OR lawsuit') surfaced only official/archival sources (DANFS via HyperWar, NavSource, Wikipedia list, navalmarinearchive table) - no law-firm marketing assertions naming this specific hull were located.
- 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: this hull was sold to a private buyer in 1947 with fate unknown, so no museum survey, NDRF record, or demolition/abatement file can be expected to exist. CourtListener coverage completed at both opinion and docket level with zero results and zero collisions. The class manual's spot-check leaves unread sections that could carry insulation schedules - logged as archival lead. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-79-lsm79-11