Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-9 page (history extract credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II,' Turner Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9; photo captions credited to Lt. Raymond A. Biswanger Jr., USNR Ret., ship's officer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS LSM-9 page: timeline, campaign table, spec block, awards ribbon bar, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LSM-9: laid down 11 March 1944 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 24 April 1944; commissioned 27 May 1944, Lt. Robert E. Olson USNR in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM Flotilla Three (Comdr. W. F. Morrison), LSM Group Seven (Lt. Cdr. C. A. Lamborn), LSM Division Thirteen. Campaign participation: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 1-26 April 1945. Earned one battle star for World War II service. Decommissioned 20 December 1945 at Terminal Island, San Pedro, CA; struck from the Naval Register 8 January 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 31 January 1947 and sold the same day to Ernest A. Judd, Long Beach, CA; final disposition unknown. Spec block: 520 t. light / 743 t. landing / 1,095 t. fully loaded; 203'6" oa x 34'6" beam; 12.5 kts; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted, troop accommodations 2 officers + 46 enlisted; one twin 40mm AA mount + six single 20mm; two Fairbanks Morse 38D8-1/8x10 diesels direct drive, 2,800 shp twin screws. Awards ribbon bar: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 star); World War II Victory Medal; Philippines Liberation Medal. Commanding officers: Lt. Olson 27 May 1944-Oct 1945; Lt.(jg) Henry J. Montoye Oct-20 Dec 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- crew: 5 officers + 54 enlisted complement; embarked troops 2 officers + 46 enlisted
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated secondary compilation (Turner Publishing extract plus contributor photographs); the milestones it states are corroborated by ship-specific primary records cited elsewhere in this record (NARA muster rolls NAID 126511865, action report NAID 101771067, NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document). Contains no asbestos or materials information; establishes identity and history only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-01
-
[2]U.S. National Archives, Catalog file unit 'LSM-9, 5/27/44-12/20/45' (NAID 126511865) - muster rolls and NAVPERS 608-B Reports of Changes, USS LSM-9 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126511865 images: commissioning muster roll (image 00010, 'for the quarter ending Commissioning 27 May 1944'); Report of Changes stamped received 13 Oct 1945 recording sailing 21 Sep 1945 Pearl Harbor to San Diego (image 00135); decommissioning muster roll 20 Dec 1945 (image 00140); END OF REEL marker (image 00152)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA file unit 'LSM-9, 5/27/44-12/20/45' (NAID 126511865, 153 images, Ancestry partnership scan of microfilm reel 12d-4995) contains the ship's personnel records for her entire commissioned life: the commissioning muster roll dated 27 May 1944 listing the plankowner crew (e.g., Martin, Donald J., later SM3c, received aboard at commissioning 27 May 1944); periodic Reports of Changes; and the decommissioning muster roll dated 20 December 1945. A Report of Changes received 13 October 1945 records the ship's 'date of sailing from Pearl Harbor, T.H. to San Diego, California' as 21 September 1945, and shows post-arrival personnel received aboard 24 October and 9-10 November 1945 during decommissioning processing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-05-27 to 1945-12-20
- Population
- enlisted crew of USS LSM-9 (muster roll population)
- Limitations
- Personnel records: they fix the ship's commission/decommission dates and her 21 September 1945 Pearl-to-San Diego sailing, but contain no asbestos, materials, or medical information. Individual-level exposure cannot be inferred from muster presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-02
-
[3]U.S. National Archives, Catalog file unit 'USS LSM-9 - Rep of opers in the invasion of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 4/1-9/45' (NAID 101771067), series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' (Fold3 scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101771067 images 0192-0197 (cover letter serial 031; Enclosure A chronological report 2 March-9 April 1945)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own World War II action report survives in the National Archives: 'USS LSM-9 - Report of operations in the invasion of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 4/1-9/45' (NAID 101771067, 6 images; cover letter serial 031, file LSM9/A12-1/A16-3, dated 14 April 1945, signed R. E. Olson, Lt., USNR, to Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet via the TG/CTF/Fifth Fleet chain). The report records: lighterage duty for TransRon 13 at Bito Beach, Leyte (five loads, ~750 tons, 2-10 March 1945); combat load taken 12 March (three T-6 flotation tanks, one 2.5-ton truck, one half-track, one armored reconnaissance vehicle, 28 Army enlisted and 3 Army officers); rehearsal with TU 55.3.1 (15-19 March); availability alongside AD-14 for bow-ramp reinforcing cables (21-23 March); underway 25 March in TU 51.14.1 under ComPhibForPac OpPlan A1-45; on Love Day (1 April) LSM-9 was one of six T-6-tank LSMs (9, 11, 135, 136, 31, 57) forming the seventh wave off Hagushi beaches, launched her three tanks from ~150 yards off the reef, beached on the coral reef at 1623 to discharge vehicles, retracted 1735; assisted in downing a 'Zeke' at 0618 with her 40mm; observed the kamikaze crash into APA 92 ~1,000 yards off at 1920; 2-9 April vehicle and ammunition ferrying including reef-beached ammunition unloading; ordnance expended 55 rounds 40mm and 60 rounds 20mm; no personnel casualties; only material deficiency reported was bow-ramp cable shackle failure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03-02 to 1945-04-09
- Population
- crew and embarked Army personnel aboard during the Okinawa assault (28 Army enlisted + 3 officers embarked, plus ship's company)
- Limitations
- Primary operational record written by the commanding officer; establishes the combat timeline and ship condition events (reef beaching, ramp-cable damage). Contains no asbestos or materials information - an asbestos-free record by topic, not evidence about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-03
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library hosted document) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Amphibious forces section: LSM Flotilla THREE / LSM Group 7 / LSM Division 13 table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' document hosted by NHHC lists 'LSM 9 - Lt. R. E. Olson (USNR)' within LSM Flotilla THREE, LSM Group 7, LSM Division 13 (ComLSMGrp7 Lt. Cdr. C. A. Lamborn USNR; Flotilla THREE commander Capt. J. P. B. Barrett / Comdr. W. F. Morrison) - confirming the ship's operational assignment and commanding officer on that date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Limitations
- Organizational roster - confirms assignment and CO as of 1 May 1945; contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-04
-
[5]DANFS, 'Grasp I (ARS-24)' (NHHC official transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Grasp I entry, paragraph on Manus arrival 24 December 1944 and salvage tasks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for the salvage ship Grasp (ARS-24) records that 'after observing the Christmas holiday, Grasp and tug Chowanoc (ATF-100) pulled LSM-9 off the beach on 29 December' - the Manus, Admiralty Islands grounding during loading for the Luzon operation (the ship's officer memoir and NavSource photo caption place the grounding on the beach at Manus on Christmas Day 1944, with LSM-14 visible alongside).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-12-25 to 1944-12-29
- Limitations
- Official DANFS record of a sister service's log - corroborates the grounding and the 29 December refloat (memoir describes 'two days and two nights' of attempts before breaking loose; dates are consistent at the day level). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-05
-
[6]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945 - Okinawa,' Appendix III (CinCPac progress-report extract) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Appendix III table, LSM block: 'LSM 9 | Grounded'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945 - Okinawa' page (extract from the CinCPac report on the Surrender and Occupation of Japan) reproduces 'Appendix III. Typhoon Damage at Okinawa (Based Upon Progress Reports to 19 November)', a contemporaneous casualty table for Typhoon Louise (9 October 1945) that lists 'LSM 9 - Grounded' among the affected amphibious craft.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-10-09
- Limitations
- DOCUMENTED CONFLICT, carried unresolved: the ship's own Report of Changes (NARA NAID 126511865, stamped received 13 October 1945) records LSM-9 sailing from Pearl Harbor to San Diego on 21 September 1945, and a NavSource photo caption independently shows her homeward-bound from Hawaii that day - the hull was at sea between Pearl Harbor and San Diego, not at Okinawa, on 9 October 1945. The Appendix III 'LSM 9 - Grounded' line is therefore treated as a probable clerical error in the compiled casualty list (or a reference to another hull), not as proof of her presence; the claim is recorded here so the conflict is visible rather than silently dropped.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-06
-
[7]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LSM design table (shipscribe.com scan, text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 Vol. 2, 'LANDING SHIP, MEDIUM (LSM)' design table and engine-assignment footnote 4
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945) LSM design table: landing ship medium 203'6" oa x 34'6" beam; trial displacement ~743 tons / full load 1,095 tons; speed 12.5 knots; accommodations 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament 1 twin 40mm AA; diesel direct drive, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; ship's service generators 2x 100 kW 450 V A.C. + 2x 20 kW 120 V D.C.; diesel-oil capacity 1,225 bbls. Footnote 4 of the table assigns Fairbanks Morse engines (OCR text layer reads 'Model 38D846 x 10') to hull block LSM 1-145, 201-232, 253-267 - an enumeration that includes LSM-9; other LSM hull blocks ran GM 16-278A diesels per the same footnote. The OCR'd FM model string is garbled and not reconciled with NavSource's '38D81/8X10' (38D8-1/8 x 10); both renderings are reported rather than a single designation asserted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Official design-table data that explicitly enumerates this hull's number block for the Fairbanks Morse engine plant; it is a class design table, not a hull survey, and contains no asbestos or insulation-material statements. The OCR text layer was partially garbled; figures carried are limited to those corroborated by the NavSource spec block.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-07
-
[8]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery data + WWII amphibious-ship construction practice (same inference pattern as the LST-1 class profile) [other_primary]
- Locator
- n/a - inference row; machinery facts cited to SDB-1945 v2 row ev-uss-lsm-9-07
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for a diesel-powered WWII landing ship: with no boilers or steam plant aboard (direct-drive Fairbanks Morse diesels per BuShips SDB-1945 v2), the asbestos-relevant applications typical for the type would be diesel exhaust and muffler lagging, gaskets and flange packing, machinery-space thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings and bulkhead insulation in accommodation spaces, electrical insulation, and brake linings on winches and windlass.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Construction trades (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, 1944); ship's engineering crew (inference only)
- Limitations
- Era/design inference only - no asbestos survey, material schedule, or ship-specific source names these products aboard LSM-9. Establishes no quantities, no present-day presence, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-08
-
[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 (doi.org returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - DOI verified via metadata registry, full text not pulled)
- 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 during World War II - the era and emergency-program context in which this hull was built (Brown Shipbuilding's four-year wartime output was 359 vessels including 254 LSMs, per the Naval Marine Archive yard table).
- 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 its builder and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-09
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - product-page description used, full text not pulled)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy since 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - program-level context for the Navy's asbestos-use era, within which this 1944 hull was built (though the hull left government service in January 1947, before these policies operated).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policies; hull era 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy documentation, not hull- or class-specific; the ship was sold out of government service in 1947 so the policies described did not operate on this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov 403 to automation) - standing access limitation noted in BATCH-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-10
-
[11]Raymond A. Biswanger, Jr., Ph.D., LT. USN Ret., 'Personal Narrative' of USS LSM-9 (NavSource-hosted participant memoir) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LSM-9 Personal Narrative page (full-text memoir)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Participant memoir hosted on NavSource: 'Personal Narrative' by Raymond A. Biswanger, Jr., Ph.D., LT. USN Ret., a wartime officer of the ship - records the shakedown engine casualty (starboard Fairbanks-Morse blower failure off Galveston; engine replaced at the builder), Panama Canal transit 15 July 1944, armament refit at San Pedro, tank lift of the 5th Tank Battalion Marines to Hawaii (arrived Hilo 8 September 1944), grounding at Pearl Harbor, the Ulithi typhoon, Hollandia/Finschhafen/New Britain operations alongside LSM-14, the Christmas 1944 Manus grounding that cost the ship her place in the Luzon assault, arrival at Lingayen Gulf after the main assault, the Okinawa first-wave landing and four-day reef beaching while discharging ammunition, smoke-making for USS Texas at Kerama Retto, floating-drydock repair at Saipan (declared unfit for further strenuous duty), the Tulagi/Solomons equipment run, and the homeward ferry of 120 Navy personnel to Long Beach.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- ship's officers and crew (memoir author was a plankowner officer)
- Limitations
- Firsthand participant account - authoritative for what the officer witnessed but not an official record; specific dates and details are corroborated where possible by NARA/NHHC rows (Okinawa action report; Grasp DANFS; Report of Changes). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-11
-
[12]East Carolina University, Joyner Library Digital Collections, 'History of USS LSM-9' (0661-b1-fa), manuscript memoir of Donald J. Martin [museum_official]
- Locator
- ECU Digital Collections item 36207 (11-page manuscript; description field)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- East Carolina University Joyner Library Special Collections holds the manuscript memoir 'History of USS LSM-9' by Donald J. Martin (b. 1925, Bronx, NY; enlisted August 1943), a crew member who served aboard in the Pacific 1944-1945. The catalog description notes coverage of convoy duty out of Hawaii to Eniwetok, Guam, Ulithi, Saipan, the Russell Islands, Tulagi, Hollandia, New Britain, the Admiralties and Leyte (10 September 1944 - 4 August 1945); the Okinawa invasion including off-loading over the reef at Purple Beach (April 1945); a typhoon near Ulithi (4 November 1944); technical specifications; and the decommissioning on 20 December 1945. Martin appears on the commissioning muster roll in the NARA file unit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- ship's crew (memoir author Donald J. Martin, SM3/c)
- Limitations
- Participant memoir in a university archive - the catalog description was read; the 11-page manuscript itself was not transcribed this session (images available). A primary witness account, not an official record; contains no asbestos information per the catalog description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-12
-
[13]Naval Marine Archive (Picton, Ontario), 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' yard history and build table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown Shipbuilding build table, hull no. 114 row; yard-history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Naval Marine Archive's Brown Shipbuilding (Houston) build table lists yard hull no. 114 = LSM 9: keel laid 11-Mar-44, launched 24-Apr-44, delivered 27-May-44, disposition 'Sold to Ernest A. Judd 1947, Dynamo (ON 255718)' - matching the official/muster-roll dates and supplying a reported post-Navy merchant identity (Dynamo, U.S. Official Number 255718). The yard table also records Brown Shipbuilding's wartime output of 254 LSMs among 359 vessels.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - corroborates the official dates but is not itself an official source; the 'Dynamo (ON 255718)' merchant identity is not verified against USCG documentation or MARAD records and is carried as unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-13
-
[14]Batch-6383 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC DANFS and online documents; NARA Catalog (NAID 126511865, 101771067); BuShips SDB-1945 v2; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; USNA MS 415 finding aid; CourtListener API v4; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-9-01 through sl-uss-lsm-9-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LSM-9 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches for 'LSM-9' and 'LSM 9' returned zero results; the docket-type search returned 13 hits all classified name collision (no vessel-related case). The 'USS LSM-9' exact-phrase query was deferred when the authenticated helper reported the shared fleet pacing budget spent. No individual DANFS entry exists for this hull. The only asbestos-adjacent web hits for builder Brown Shipbuilding are law-firm marketing pages, which are 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 - 1944 amphibious construction is consistent with retained era materials. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-9-14