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-99 (VERIFIED)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-99-lsm99-pkt-597-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-99 page (history extract reproduced from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 1-56311-389-9; specifications block; commanding-officer roster courtesy Wolfgang Hechler) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM-99 archive page (10/14/14099): 'LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium' history extract, Specifications, Commanding Officers sections; page verified live HTTP 200 (navsource.org variant is dead - navsource.net cited per citation-hygiene rule)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LSM-99: LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium; laid down 23 September 1944 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 14 October 1944; commissioned 6 November 1944 with Lt. Charles J. Toole, USNR in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LSM Flotilla Eight, LSM Group Twenty-Three, LSM Division Forty-Five. Credited with the Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation, 1-3 April 1945); Far East occupation service 17 September - 10 November 1945; decommissioned 14 May 1946 and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register at a date not stated; earned one battle star for World War II service; sold October 1958 to Willamette Tug & Barge Co., Portland, OR, converted to a barge, fate unknown. Specification block: 520 t light / 743 t landing / 1,095 t full load; 203 ft 6 in x 34 ft 6 in; 13.2 kt; complement 5 officers + 54 enlisted; armament one twin bow 40 mm mount and four single 20 mm mounts. Commanding officers: Lt. Toole (6 Nov 1944-Dec 1945), Lt. Chester A. Price (Dec 1945-Mar 1946), Lt.(jg) Robert G. Conway (Mar-14 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Crew 1944-1946; embarked Marine/troop detachments
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archive reproducing a privately published unit-history extract (Turner 1997) - authoritative-flavored compiled record, not a primary government document; milestones corroborated where possible (delivery date by shipbuildinghistory table, operations by NARA war diaries ev-02). Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental statement; supports no asbestos claim. 'Struck, date unknown' and post-1958 fate remain unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-01
-
[3]NARA RG 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories: USS LSM-99 file units NAID 633401210 (3/24-4/15/45, roll A1529), NAID 140070072 (4/15-5/31/45, roll A1686), NAID 101706622 (6/1-15/45, roll A1706), NAID 83565189 (6/16-7/15/45, roll A1852), NAID 83570924 (7/16-8/15/45, roll A1858) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov file units; page images read: A1529/0610-0613, A1706/0535-0536, A1858/0878-0879 (serial 07 subject line mis-dated '29 March' - text covers 24-31 March)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own WWII war diaries are digitized at NARA (RG 38, WWII War Diaries series; five file units covering 24 March - 15 August 1945). Read in page-image: (a) Serial 07 (31 Mar 1945) - 24 March moored bow-on to the loading pier at Saipan and loaded one tank bulldozer, one tank retriever, three medium tanks, and a Marine detachment of 1st Lt. O.L. Kent, W.O. R.A. Massey, and 52 enlisted; sailed for Okinawa in Task Unit 51.2.64 under TU 51.2.6. (b) Serial 08 (15 Apr 1945) - 1 April: CTU 51.2.64 led the LSMs to a demonstration tractor area 10,000 yards off Green Able-2 beach per ComPhibPac Operation Plan A1-45; about 0545 tracer fire was observed and an LST in company was struck by a Japanese suicide plane; the ship lay in the demonstration area 1-2 April, maneuvered offshore 3-11 April, and on 12 April received orders routing TU 51.2.6 back to Saipan. (c) Serial 015 (15 Jun 1945) - anchored Saipan Inner Harbor 1-6 June, then cargo passage toward Tulagi, Solomon Islands, under Commander LSM Group Thirty-Seven. (d) Serial 018 (31 Jul 1945) - 17 July sailed Saipan for Leyte under ComLSMGroupThirtyFour; loaded vehicles, cranes, and generators at Guiuan, Samar (23-25 July); proceeded via Subic Bay to Gan Bay, Currimao, Luzon, loading road-building cargo 29-31 July. All diaries signed by Lt. C.J. Toole, USNR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03-24 to 1945-08-15 (diary coverage)
- Population
- Ship's company (Lt. C.J. Toole commanding); embarked Marine detachment (1st Lt. Kent, W.O. Massey, 52 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Primary operational documents (CO-signed reports to CinC U.S. Fleet). Establish this hull's Okinawa role as the demonstration element off Green Able-2 beach rather than a beaching assault in this window, and post-Okinawa cargo-shuttle employment - materially richer than the NavSource summary. War diaries contain no materials, insulation, or environmental statements; they support no asbestos claim. Diaries for the commissioning period (Nov 1944 - Mar 1945) and post-15 August 1945 were not located in digitized holdings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-02
-
[4]'Pronto in South Vietnam 1962-1972' (Royal Australian Corps of Signals), Chapter 5 Part 3 - 32 Small Ship Squadron, contributed by Robert Hurst; PDF hosted on NavSource; Nov 2010 squadron newsletter via 32 Small Ship Squadron RAE Association (yumpu mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 14319a.pdf, 'Ship Conditions' section (p. 2) and personnel-exposure passage (p. 8); newsletter at https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/38777782/
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A Royal Australian Corps of Signals corps-history chapter on 32 Small Ship Squadron - the Australian Army unit that operated four ex-U.S. Navy LSM-1-class hulls (ex-USS LSM-319, -477, -315, -547) from 1959-1972 - states verbatim: 'Above the bunks were pipes lagged with asbestos, which would rain down on the sleeper during heavy seas, covering him in white dust,' and that LSM crews 'were exposed to poor environmental living conditions including ... asbestos, Agent Orange and other chemicals.' A 32 Small Ship Squadron RAE Association newsletter (Nov 2010) states asbestos 'was present on the LSMs.' Class-level documentation that WWII-built LSM-type hulls carried asbestos pipe lagging in below-deck accommodation spaces.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1972 (hull era); account published 2010s
- Population
- LSM crews (Australian Army 32 Small Ship Squadron, 1959-1972; by type inference, WWII USN crews)
- Limitations
- Veteran-published unit history and association newsletter - firsthand-adjacent recollections, not a government survey or contract document. Describes Australian Army hulls in 1959-1972 service (by then ~15-27 years old; refit history possible) and does not name LSM-99. Establishes asbestos aboard the LSM type at class level; cannot be elevated to a ship-specific finding for this hull. Does not establish quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-03
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[5]NavSource USS LSM-99 specification block (propulsion); scanned 'LSM Class Manual' (1 March 1944, Serial No. 1766, issued to USS LSM-294), NavSource chapter PDFs - auxiliary machinery chapter documents the auxiliary steam boiler; 'Pronto in South Vietnam' class account [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM-99 specifications; lsm02-31-9.pdf auxiliary boiler section; manual is organizational/operational - contains no asbestos, insulation, lagging, or gasket materials specification (OCR search across machinery/piping chapters, zero hits)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull's asbestos-relevant systems: LSM-1-class main propulsion was diesel (two Fairbanks-Morse engines, direct drive, no main steam plant), so the dominant boiler/turbine-lagging pathway of steam ships does not apply; the class manual documents a small oil-fired auxiliary water-tube boiler (hotel steam) aboard the type. Era-consistent applications on such a hull: diesel exhaust and manifold lagging, auxiliary boiler and hot-water line insulation, machinery gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and pipe lagging routed through accommodation spaces (corroborated at class level by ev-03).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- WWII construction trades (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston); ship's company 1944-46
- Limitations
- Class-design inference, not a hull record: the manual is a sister-ship (LSM-294) operational document and does not specify insulation materials; no ship-specific bill of materials or specification for LSM-99 was located. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-04
-
[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
- 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 WWII - the era and program under which this LSM-1-class landing ship was mass-produced (1944).
- 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 type 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-99-05
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[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text not retrieved - gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403; standing defect since Batch-01)
- 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 construction (1944), service era (1944-46), and reserve-fleet layup.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Content via product-page description; full text blocked.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-06
-
[8]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' Naval History 39(3), U.S. Naval Institute (June 2025) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History June 2025 feature; 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' and yard-statistics passages
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-yard documentation: Brown Shipbuilding Company of Houston was established in 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown & Root; the Greens Bayou yard launched vessels sideways into the narrow waterway, employed more than 25,000 workers at its 1942-on peak, and built 254 of the 558 LSMs plus destroyer escorts, submarine chasers, and LCIs under Navy contracts. This hull's construction (laid down 23 September 1944) falls inside that wartime mass-production program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce, Houston (wartime peak >25,000)
- Limitations
- Yard/program-level history; does not name LSM-99 and contains no asbestos or materials statement. Wartime workforce scale (25,000+) at the builder yard is population context only - it does not establish exposure aboard this hull or for any individual worker.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-07
-
[9]Batch-6393 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC DANFS/site search; NARA catalog + page images; CourtListener opinion index; MARAD ShipHistory; LSM class manual; Pronto/RASigs chapter; shipbuildinghistory; USNI; usslsm51.com; HyperWar; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-99-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LSM-99 was found in the public sources searched. NHHC returns no DANFS entry and no site-search documents for 'LSM-99'; CourtListener opinion searches for 'LSM-99' and 'USS LSM-99' returned zero results (authenticated API v4); MARAD Vessel History database surfaced no record; the digitized NARA war diaries and the scanned class manual contain no materials statement (see search_ledger).
- 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 mass-produced Navy amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and class-level veteran accounts (ev-03) corroborate the type carried them. CAVEAT: the CourtListener docket-index search (type=r) could not be completed this session (fleet pacing stand-down) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-08
-
[10]NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) search results and record-group structure; NavSource disposition line for the 1958 sale [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov 'LSM-99' (69 file units) and '"LSM-99" deck log' (28 results) queries reviewed; RG 19/RG 24 leads per NARA record-group guidance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved; no spend authorized): (a) RG 24 deck logs and muster rolls for LSM-99 - not located in digitized NARA holdings under 'LSM-99' queries; wartime deck logs would document engineering-department maintenance. (b) RG 19 Bureau of Ships records - LSM-1-class construction specifications and any hull-specific correspondence for Brown Shipbuilding contracts. (c) The October 1958 disposal file - seller of record (Navy vs MARAD) and barge-conversion terms not established; NavSource attributes the sale without a documented instrument. (d) War diaries for the commissioning period (Nov 1944 - Mar 1945, incl. stateside fitting-out/shakedown where yard-level material exposure would concentrate) and post-15 August 1945 (occupation service) were not located among digitized file units.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1958 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/lead mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-99-09