Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 597-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: USS LSM-96 (VERIFIED)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-96-lsm96-pkt-597-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-96 page - milestone chronology, specifications, commanding officers, campaign record, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, LSM-96 entry (archives/10/14/14096.htm), full chronology and specification block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium: laid down 15 September 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 7 October 1944; commissioned 31 October 1944 (LTjg. Herbert A. Plummer USNR). Asiatic-Pacific service as flagship of LSM Flotilla Eight (CDR H. Doe), LSM Group Twenty-Four (LCDR B. H. Lindman), LSM Division Forty-Seven; participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation, 28 March-30 June 1945); one battle star. Occupation service 2-28 September 1945; China Service (extended) 29 September-21 December 1945. Decommissioned 26 May 1946, laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet; transferred on loan to South Korea under the Security Assistance program April 1956; sold outright 15 November 1974, redesignated LSM-656; stricken from the Naval Register the same day; final disposition listed as unknown. Specifications: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full load; 203 ft 6 in oa, 34 ft 6 in beam; 13.2 kt; one twin 40 mm bow mount and four single 20 mm; two Fairbanks-Morse 38D81/8X10 reversible diesels, direct drive, 1,440 bhp each at 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shp; diesel-driven ship's service generators (2 x 100 kW 450V AC, 1 x 20 kW 120V DC). Commanding officers: LTjg. Plummer (31 Oct 1944-14 Dec 1945), LTjg. Lonergan (14 Dec 1945-26 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Crew: 5 officers, 54 enlisted plus embarked troops (2 officers, 46 enlisted accommodations)
- Limitations
- NavSource is the canonical volunteer-maintained per-hull archive, not an official Navy source; its history extract is credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997), which in turn compiles official records. The page carries no asbestos or material information whatsoever. NavSource prints the ROK designation prefix as 'ROCS' - ROK Navy vessels are prefixed ROKS; treated as a page typographical error and not propagated. Verified live 2026-10-02 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-01
-
[3]Office of Naval Intelligence, ONI 226 'Allied Landing Craft and Ships' (1944), LSM design entry (U.S. Navy publication, HyperWar/ibiblio scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ONI 226, 'LSM - Landing Ship, Medium' specification plate (text layer, LSM section)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official 1944 ONI recognition manual entry for the Landing Ship, Medium type: 'An oceangoing tank landing ship designed to operate with LCI(L)'s... a new design, derived from a combination of the LST and LCT(6), and formerly designated LCT(7).' Propulsion: 'Fairbanks-Morse Diesel or General Motors Cleveland Diesel direct drive 2,800 hp. @ 720 r.p.m.' Capacity 5 medium or 3 heavy tanks, or 6 LVT or 9 DUKWs (150 tons max. to maintain landing draft); troops 2 officers, 52 men; crew 4 officers, 48 men; speed 13.3 kts designed; length 203 ft 6 in oa, beam 34 ft; armament 6 x 20 mm mounts; displacement seagoing full load 900 t, landing full load 741 t, seagoing light 513 t.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Design-level: crew 4 officers/48 men; troops 2 officers/52 men
- Limitations
- Type-level design documentation, not a hull record - ONI-226 does not name LSM-96 or any individual hull, and design-stage figures differ from this hull's fitted specification (NavSource: 5 officers/54 enlisted; twin 40 mm bow mount plus four 20 mm; 1,095 t full load). No asbestos or material-schedule content. PDF retrieved and text-extracted 2026-10-02 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-02
-
[4]National Museum of the Pacific War / Admiral Nimitz Foundation Oral History Collection, hosted by UNT Libraries' Portal to Texas History: interviews with LSM-96 crew members Joe Fields (9 Oct 2003, metapth1604444), Roy Peters (5 Oct 2011, metapth1606055), William Pontow (8 Dec 2003, metapth1604492), Richard Fabian (12 Mar 2004, metapth1604535); fifth interview Kay Clementson (4 May 2001) indexed in the same collection (canonical Portal URL unresolved - see gaps) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Portal to Texas History, National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection; interview synopses at the four resolved ark URLs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Crew oral histories document ship-level service detail beyond the bare chronology: Fields (commissioning-crew radioman) describes sailing to Pearl Harbor, embarking a Marine radar intercept squadron (8th Air Warning Squadron), and landing it on a small island off Okinawa on 1 April 1945, followed by assistance to ships in distress including evacuating patients from the hospital ship USS Pinkney (APH-2) after her kamikaze hit; Clementson describes loading a Marine radar company at Pearl Harbor after discharging telephone-pole cargo, stops at Eniwetok, Ulithi, Lingayen and Leyte, the island landing 'two days before the main invasion' with the ship stranded overnight on the beach by a tide miscalculation and strafed by Zeros, and LSM-96's subsequent use as a fire-fighting ship at Okinawa; Peters (motor machinist's mate) describes machinery-space duties aboard, unloading equipment at Okinawa, hauling ammunition, and fighting fires caused by kamikaze attacks; Fabian (Fireman 1c, aboard November 1944-December 1945) confirms the Okinawa period 28 March-30 June 1945 and China occupation duty; Pontow describes carrying a Marine radar unit to the Philippines in early 1945, the Okinawa initial landings, riding out typhoons, and China service with the First Marine Division. Post-war Korea (Pusan, Inchon) and Tientsin upriver supply runs to Marines are described by Clementson.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (events); 2001-2011 (recordings)
- Population
- USS LSM-96 crew members (1944-1946); embarked Marine radar personnel
- Limitations
- Oral histories recorded 2001-2011, five to six decades after the events - recollection-level detail; individual details conflict (radar-unit landing date 1 April per Fields vs 'two days before the main invasion' per Clementson). Peters' and Fabian's machinery-space/engine-room service aboard this hull is documented, but none of the interviews states anything about asbestos or insulation material - these are service records, not exposure records. Portal pages verified live (HTTP 200) though bot-gated (Altcha) for automated retrieval; synopses verified via the Portal's indexed metadata.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-03
-
[5]Official U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-342629 (NARA collections, HyperWar Online Library of Selected Images caption): ships in Kerama Retto anchorage, Okinawa, 3 May 1945; USS Pinkney (APH-2) 'had been damaged by a Kamikaze on 28 April' [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar Online Library of Selected Images, photo data page for 80-G-342629
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The kamikaze-damage event that LSM-96 crew oral histories describe assisting at is officially documented: USS Pinkney (APH-2) was hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa on 28 April 1945 (18 killed; wards burned out), photographed in Kerama Retto anchorage 3 May 1945. LSM-96 crew accounts (Fields: evacuating patients from Pinkney; Peters: ship used to haul ammunition and fight fires caused by kamikaze attacks) place this hull in the fire-fighting/casualty-evacuation role during the Okinawa anchorage period.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- The official caption verifies the Pinkney event, not LSM-96's participation in it - LSM-96's fire-fighting and patient-evacuation role rests on crew oral histories only (ev-03). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History (June 2025), 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Naval History June 2025, Vol. 39 No. 3 (online edition), production/scale sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard documentation: Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston, Texas - subsidiary of Brown & Root formed 1941-42, Greens Bayou fabrication yard on the Houston Ship Channel with sideways launching; peak employment more than 25,000 workers from late 1942; assembly-line sectional construction; built 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts, 32 Landing Craft Infantry, and 254 Landing Ship Medium amphibious ships; awarded the Army-Navy 'E' production award December 1942; wartime monthly workforce turnover ran 8.2-12.0 percent in late 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (peak >25,000; 1941-1946)
- Limitations
- Yard-level production and labor history - the article does not name LSM-96 or discuss asbestos or insulation materials. Documents the high-volume, high-turnover wartime construction environment in which this hull was built. Page is live (retrieved via Firecrawl full-text 2026-10-02); direct curl returns 403 to automated requests.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-05
-
[7]Consolidated era inference - ONI-226 machinery data (Fairbanks-Morse or GM Cleveland diesel direct drive) + NavSource fitted spec for this hull (two Fairbanks-Morse 38D81/8X10) + era amphibious-ship construction practice under wartime emergency programs [other_primary]
- Locator
- Inference row - built on ev-01 (NavSource spec) and ev-02 (ONI-226 type data); no standalone source
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered WWII LSM: there is no boiler or steam plant aboard, so the asbestos-relevant systems are not boiler/turbine lagging but the era-standard amphibious-ship applications - diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, machinery packing, valve and flange gaskets, winch and windlass brake linings, and electrical cable insulation. LSM-96 was built in 1944 in a wartime emergency yard at the height of Navy asbestos use (asbestos supply was reserved for shipbuilding in this period).
- 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 engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/design-era inference, not a hull record - no material schedule, survey, or work record for LSM-96 was located. Does not establish asbestos presence aboard this hull, quantities, or present-day condition; the hull's post-1974 history is Korean service and unknown disposition, so no U.S. abatement pathway is documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy as of 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. Program-level context for all WWII-built hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); program period postwar-1979
- Limitations
- Program-level finding; does not name this hull or landing ships generally. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (standing defect since Batch 01) - product-page description used; full text remains the open lead. This hull left U.S. custody in 1956, so the retention policy has no documented application to it; carried as context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-07
-
[9]navypedia.org, Daecho-class medium landing ships (Republic of Korea Navy) page: 'Bian (ex-LSM96) - 607, 1980-656 - Brown SB, Houston - 9/1944 - 7.10.1944 - 10.1944 // 4.1956 - stricken 1998'; cross-checked against the Wikipedia-derived List of Republic of Korea Navy ships ('Bian (LSM 607/LSM 656; formerly USS LSM-96; transferred on loan, 3 April 1956)') [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia kos_ls_taecho.htm table row '피아 [Bian] (ex-LSM96)'; ROK Navy ship list (en-academic mirror of Wikipedia)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Republic of Korea Navy identity: ex-LSM-96 served as ROKS Bian (피아), initially pennant LSM-607 and renumbered LSM-656 in the 1980s series; loaned under the Security Assistance program 3 April 1956 (NavSource: 'April 1956'), sold outright 15 November 1974; navypedia lists ROK stricken 1998. NavSource lists final disposition 'unknown'; navypedia's 1998 stricken date extends the service record 24 years past the U.S. sale.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1956-1998
- Population
- Republic of Korea Navy crew (1956-c.1998)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference databases only - navypedia is an expert-run reference, not an official ROK source; the ROK list is Wikipedia-derived (citing Haegun Geolleok, Naval Force, Feb 2001). No primary ROK Navy record was accessible; the 1998 stricken date and the LSM-607->656 renumbering are unverified against a primary source. 'Bian' is the published romanization of 피아. NavSource's 'ROCS' prefix is treated as a typo for ROKS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-08
-
[10]Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com, njscuba.net mirror), 'Landing Ships, Medium' construction roster: 'LSM-96 | Brown SB | Houston TX | 31 Oct 1944 | laid up 1946, to Korea 1956 as LSM-656' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipbuilding History 'Landing Ships, Medium' table, LSM-96 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent shipbuilding roster corroboration: LSM-96 built at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX, commissioned 31 October 1944, laid up 1946, transferred to Korea 1956 as LSM-656 - consistent with NavSource on builder, commissioning, layup, and Korean transfer/disposal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Independent secondary roster (Tim Colton's shipbuildinghistory.com, mirrored at njscuba.net), not an official record - corroborates but does not extend NavSource. No asbestos information. Verified live 2026-10-02 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-09
-
[11]Batch-6390 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC DANFS (no numbered-LSM entries exist - eight candidate URLs 404); ONI-226 via HyperWar; NMPW/Portal oral histories; USNI Naval History; shipbuildinghistory roster; navypedia (US and ROK lists); uboat.net cross-check; NARA deck-log index; Naval Vessel Register; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, fleet-paced helper) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-01 through sl-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming LSM-96 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4, 2026-10-02): opinion search '"LSM-96"' 0 results; opinion search '"LSM 96"' 0 results; opinion search '"LSM-656" OR "ROKS LSM-656"' 0 results; docket searches '"LSM-96"' and '"LSM 96"' each returned a single name-collision hit (Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. bankruptcy, Bankr. M.D. Fla. 3:05-bk-03817 - an internal claim/ledger reference, not the vessel, not asbestos). NHHC DANFS carries no numbered-LSM entries. The only 'asbestos' content naming this hull found on the open web is law-firm marketing material (mesothelioma.com, mesothelioma.net, asbestos listicles) asserting asbestos aboard 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 - the ship is a 1944 wartime-built hull whose era makes asbestos use consistent but unproven for this vessel. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. A redundant OR-variant opinion query ('USS LSM-96'/'USS LSM 96') could not be run due to fleet-wide request pacing; the completed exact-hull and spaced-form sweeps returned zero qualifying hits.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-96-lsm96-10