Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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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-97 (VERIFIED)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-97-lsm97-pkt-597-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-97 (10/14/14097) - construction and milestone timeline, specifications, commanding-officer list, awards display, veteran-contributed photographs; history text credited to 'LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14097.htm header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer table, awards display, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium laid down 15 September 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 7 October 1944; commissioned USS LSM-97, 1 November 1944, LT. Hebert L. Eller USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater - LSM Flotilla Eight (CDR. H. Doe USN), LSM Group Twenty-Three (LCDR. W. E. Edwin USNR), LSM Division Forty-Five. Post-war: occupation service in the Far East 2 September-3 December 1945. Decommissioned 20 May 1946; stricken from the Naval Register 5 June 1946; sold 26 August 1947 to Pacific Boatbuilding Co., Seattle, WA, for conversion to a barge; purchased by Tidewater Barge Line, Vancouver, WA, renamed Russell-27, used to haul wheat on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, 'presently in use as a tie-off barge.' Awards display: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) - no campaign stars shown. Photo captions document: pre-commissioning crew at Naval Amphibious Training Base, Little Creek, VA, October 1944; the ship beached at Iwo Jima including captioned 'Deck Force' and 'Engineering Force' crew photographs dated 22 July 1945; and the hull as ex-LSM-97/Russell-27 working as a spud barge on the Columbia River with Navy side number still visible, March 2003 (ex-LSM-222 tied astern).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-2003
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); Tidewater barge crews (1947-2003+)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive reproducing the Turner Publishing vessel history and veteran-contributed photographs - a secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates track NVR/Navy records but no official document is reproduced. The Iwo Jima photographs establish presence at the post-assault beach logistics phase (assault ran 19 Feb-26 Mar 1945); assault participation itself is not documented and no battle star is shown. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-01
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[3]ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton), Brown Shipbuilding yard table, Houston TX - yard hull list; cross-checked against the LSM production table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/brown.htm hull table, row 202; us-navy-small/lsm production list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: Brown yard hull no. 202 - 'LSM 97 | Landing Ship | 15-Sep-44 (keel laid) | 7-Oct-44 (launched) | 1-Nov-44 (delivered) | Sold to Pacific BB 1947, converted to hopper barge, sold to Tidewater BL as Russell 27, later 253 (ON 570873).' Yard context: Brown Shipbuilding built 359 vessels in four years at Green's Bayou, including 254 LSMs; the yard was leased to Todd Shipyards in 1949 and later returned to Brown & Root.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Shipyard production table compiled from government/industry records - secondary compilation, dates corroborate NavSource. 'Delivered' date coincides with NavSource's commissioned date for this hull. Contains no asbestos content. The merchant Official Number (570873) and fleet number 253 are carried from this table and not independently verified against USCG documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'The Navy's Happy Medium' (Naval Amphibious Operations from WWII art exhibit) - LSM type design origin; ARCHIVED COPY (Wayback Machine capture 2025-12-09): the live history.navy.mil page returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-02 re-verification; note: no DANFS entry exists for this unnamed numbered hull [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC art-exhibit page description block; DANFS index checks (history.navy.mil /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lsm-97.html and ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/LSM/lsm97.html) both 404
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC documents the type: 'Needing a landing ship somewhere between the size and displacement of an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and an LST (Landing Ship, Tank), the Navy turned the problem over to its architects and designers who came up with the compact and maneuverable LSM (Landing Ship, Medium).' LSM-97 is a hull of this type (LSM-1 class). No DANFS vessel entry was compiled for this unnamed numbered hull - both the NHHC DANFS URL pattern and the HyperWar DANFS mirror returned 404/not-found for lsm97.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (type design era)
- Limitations
- Class/type-level description only; does not name this hull. Negative DANFS result reflects the absence of a compiled entry, not a search failure - DANFS entries exist only for a subset of numbered amphibious hulls. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block for this hull (two Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8x10 diesels, direct drive, twin screws, 2,800 shp; diesel ship's-service generators - no steam plant); NHHC LSM type description; WWII shipbuilding asbestos documentation (Corn & Starr; GAO HRD-80-2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (propulsion/generators); Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3):359-373; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered medium landing ship built Sep-Nov 1944 sits inside the documented WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding asbestos-use period; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation around engines and exhaust trunking, diesel exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and insulating board in accommodation spaces. As a direct-drive diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); Pacific Boatbuilding conversion workers (1947); Tidewater barge crews
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or shipyard specification located for yard hull 202. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials aboard this hull. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no fiber-content confirmation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-04
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[6]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
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373 (Wiley)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents 'the extensive use of asbestos as a fireproofing and insulating material in shipbuilding in the 1940s, when World War II industrial expansion brought about a hitherto unprecedented rise in the amount of asbestos utilized,' and that asbestos diseases later manifested in thousands of shipyard workers and others exposed in the 1940s - the era and program under which this hull was built.
- 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights + report letter text (PDF direct fetch blocked HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos position at program level: asbestos was used extensively as thermal insulation aboard Navy ships, product specifications were not changed to asbestos-free materials until 1973, and 'asbestos materials had already been purchased and in some cases installed in ships under construction... some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; per the Navy, 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables.' This hull's entire construction and Navy service (1944-46) predates the substitution era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (review of 1973-79 policies and earlier use)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Product page retrieved live via firecrawl 2026-10-02; the linked 26-page PDF returns HTTP 403 to direct fetch - quoted language obtained via indexed full-text excerpts of gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-06
-
[8]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine (June 2025, vol. 39 no. 3), 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 article (direct fetch 403 to curl; content via firecrawl/search excerpts)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Yard-level context for the builder: USNI documents that Brown Shipbuilding, Houston - a yard created with no prior shipbuilding experience at the junction of Green's Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel - was awarded government contracts for destroyer escorts, submarine chasers, and landing craft for the U.S. Navy, and employed approximately 14,395 workers at wartime peak (per historian Ernest Obadele-Starks, as cited). The yard built this hull (yard no. 202) during that wartime expansion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (1941-46)
- Limitations
- Builder background only - establishes the scale and labor conditions of the wartime yard that built this hull; contains no asbestos or material-specific statement about the yard or this vessel. Labor-history detail carried as yard context, not exposure evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-07
-
[9]NARA guidance: 1941-1959 Navy deck logs (RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations,' NAID 581208) - this hull's Nov 1944-May 1946 deck logs fall inside the series; digitization status for this hull unverified [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-1941-1959 guidance page; RG 24 series NAID 581208
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved): deck logs for USS LSM-97 (Nov 1944-May 1946 commissioned period) would sit in RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (NAID 581208) at NARA College Park - the authoritative movement/position/availability record that could establish yard visits and repair periods relevant to any material-disturbance question. Also in RG 24: ship muster rolls for crew verification. Neither log nor muster content was retrieved; digitized status for this hull unverified against the catalog.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-series mapping only - no retrieval performed (catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered; digitization status for this hull unverified). Deck logs would document movements/availability, not materials; nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-08
-
[10]Batch-6391 search ledger (this record): NavSource; shipbuildinghistory.com Brown yard + LSM tables; NHHC DANFS check (no entry); NVR check; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket indexes); secondary web litigation sweep; NARA deck-log guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-97-01 through sl-uss-lsm-97-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/owner material statement, or docketed asbestos case naming LSM-97 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4): '"LSM-97"' returned 0 opinions; '"LSM-97"' docket index returned a single hit - Nortel Networks bankruptcy (Bankr. D. Del. 09-10138), a name collision on the alphanumeric string in filing text, classified non-qualifying; '"LSM 97" asbestos' returned 0 opinions. Yard-level query '"Brown Shipbuilding" asbestos' returned 0 opinions (completed after fleet-pacing stand-downs). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm listicle asserting asbestos aboard this hull. Two yard-level decisions found and classified non-asbestos/non-qualifying: Miller v. Brown Shipbuilding Co., 71 F. Supp. 672 (1947) (wartime-contract jurisdiction) and American General Ins. Co. v. Ariola (Tex. Civ. App. 1945) (compensation claim for inhaled steel/rust particles - not asbestos).
- 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 - a 1944 hull retaining original fabric is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and her 1947 barge conversion may have stripped or preserved them (unknown). CourtListener coverage is the opinion index plus one docket-index query - unpublished dispositions, state-court filings outside RECAP, and settled/undocketed claims are outside scope. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-97-09