USS LSM(R)-193

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 519-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-pkt-519-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM(R)-193, history and specifications page; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing Co., 1997) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page history block (construction, flotilla/group/division assignment, Okinawa campaign line, decommissioning, striking, sale, disposition); awards ribbon block; commanding-officer table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's live USS LSM(R)-193 page, whose history extract is credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, states that the hull was laid down 7 September 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., launched 4 October 1944, and commissioned 21 November 1944 with Lt. Donald E. Boynton, USNR, in command. It records assignment to LSM Flotilla Nine, LSM Group Twenty-Seven, and LSM Division Fifty-Three; participation in the Okinawa Gunto operation 26 March through 3 June 1945; the Presidential Unit Citation and one battle star for World War II service; decommissioning 14 February 1946 at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, California; striking from the Naval Register 26 February 1946; and sale 20 January 1948 to R.J. MacCallum of Compton, California, for conversion to a barge, with final fate unknown. The page's commanding-officer list records Lt. Donald E. Boynton, USNR (21 November 1944 to 10 July 1945), Lt. Paul Stephen Vaitses Jr., USNR (10 July 1945 to 14 January 1946), and Lt. Oscar B. Elsaesser, USNR (14 January to 14 February 1946).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades; ship's company and embarked personnel, 1944-1946

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer archive and the narrative is credited to a published compilation rather than a government-produced ship history. It documents service and disposition, not asbestos, insulation, hazmat condition, exposure, or causation. Its 14 February 1946 decommissioning date conflicts with the DANFS transcription's 13 February 1946; the conflict is carried unresolved. The cited .net page was live when checked; the dead navsource.org mirror was not used.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM(R)-193 specification block [other_primary]

   Locator

   Specifications section: displacement, dimensions, speed, complement, armor, armament, propulsion, generators, endurance

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's hull-specific specification block gives 758 tons light, 983 tons attack, and 1,175 tons fully loaded displacement; 203 feet 6 inches overall length; 34 feet 6 inches beam; 13.2-knot maximum speed; 5 officers and 76 enlisted complement; one single 5-inch/38 dual-purpose gun mount, two single 40-mm and three single 20-mm antiaircraft mounts, seventy-five 4-rail Mark 36 and thirty 6-rail Mark 30 rocket launchers; 10-pound STS splinter protection on conning tower, pilot-house, radio room, radar plot, and rocket control with 10-pound ASPP around the 40- and 20-mm mounts and directors; two General Motors 16-278A diesel engines, non-reversible with airflex clutch, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm, twin propellers, 2,800 shaft horsepower combined; two diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V AC and two diesel-drive 20 kW 120 V DC ship's service generators; and estimated endurance of 3,000 miles at 12 knots.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked personnel

   Limitations

   The specification block identifies a diesel propulsion plant and does not state that any listed system contained asbestos. No boiler or steam-turbine plant is documented for this hull. The figures do not establish material composition, quantity, condition, or exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-02

4. [4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, USS LSM(R)-193 entry (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division), transcribed by HyperWar/ibiblio [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Full DANFS entry paragraph for USS LSM(R)-193

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry for USS LSM(R)-193, transcribed by HyperWar, states that the hull was laid down at Charleston Navy Yard and commissioned 21 November 1944 with Lt. Donald E. Boynton, USNR, in command; that she served in the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 26 March through 3 June 1945; that she was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her part in repelling a kamikaze attack by 156 Japanese planes on Radar Picket Station 15 on 11 May 1945; that she shot down eight of the attackers and then went to the rescue of USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774), putting out fires, rescuing the majority of her crew, and towing the stricken destroyer to Kerama Retto; and that she was decommissioned at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, California, on 13 February 1946 and sold 20 January 1948 to R.J. MacCallum of Compton, California, for conversion to a barge.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked personnel, 1944-1946

   Limitations

   NHHC hosts no dedicated DANFS web page for this numbered landing ship (candidate URLs returned 404); the HyperWar transcription of the printed DANFS entry is cited instead. The transcription gives a 13 February 1946 decommissioning date, conflicting with NavSource's 14 February 1946; the conflict is carried unresolved. The entry documents construction, service, awards, and disposition, not asbestos content, insulation, or exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-03

5. [5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM(R)-193 Presidential Unit Citation page; identical citation text also transcribed at HyperWar (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/LSMR/lsmr193-PUC.html) [other_primary]

   Locator

   PUC citation text block on the dedicated awards sub-page

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's dedicated citation page reproduces the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to USS LSM(R)-193 for the action off Okinawa on Radar Picket Station Fifteen on 11 May 1945. The citation text describes the ship as a member of a task unit composed of USS H.W. Hadley, USS Evans, and LCS(L) 82, 83, and 84; states that the unit repelled an onslaught of 156 Japanese suicide planes, all destroyed; and states that after H.W. Hadley had been overwhelmed, abandoned by more than two-thirds of her crew, and left burning fiercely and exploding with complete loss of power, LSM(R)-193 went alongside, put out the fire, rescued the majority of the crew, and towed the stricken ship safely to port.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-11

   Population

   Ship's company, 11 May 1945; rescued Hugh W. Hadley survivors

   Limitations

   The reproduced citation is a transcription hosted by a volunteer archive; both independent transcriptions (NavSource and HyperWar) carry the same text, including a run-on seam where the Hadley clause begins. The award itself is corroborated by the official Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual register (evidence row -05). The document records combat action and award language, not construction materials, asbestos, or exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-04

6. [6]Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library: Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (Rev. 1953), Part II Unit Awards, Section 1 Presidential Unit Citation (Group I), alphabetical ship list [other_primary]

   Locator

   Section 1 Presidential Unit Citation, Group I ship table, alphabetical entry 'USS LSM (R) 193' (adjacent to USS Hugh W. Hadley, '11 May 45-Okinawa'); contrast with Section 2 Navy Unit Commendation entries for LSM(R) 188/189/190/194

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (Rev. 1953), Part II Unit Awards, published online by the NHHC Navy Department Library, lists 'USS LSM (R) 193' with the action '11 May 45 - Okinawa' in Section 1, Presidential Unit Citation, Group I (ships). The same register lists sister ships USS LSM(R) 188, USS LSM(R) 189, USS LSM(R) 190, and USS LSM(R) 194 under the junior Navy Unit Commendation for Okinawa operations, distinguishing LSM(R)-193's award as the Presidential Unit Citation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-11

   Population

   Ship's company, 11 May 1945

   Limitations

   The register confirms the award level and action date but gives no citation text, casualty figures, or material details. It records the award, not asbestos or exposure. It also controls over the NHHC H-Gram narrative's looser statement that the four amphibious vessels at the action received Navy Unit Commendations: the register places LSM(R)-193 under the Presidential Unit Citation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-05

7. [7]Naval History and Heritage Command, H-Gram 046-3 'Fight of USS Hugh W. Hadley' (NHHC Director's naval-history publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   H-046-3 narrative paragraphs on the radar-picket battle, the alongside-reserve rescue, and the awards summary

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC's H-Gram 046-3, 'Fight of USS Hugh W. Hadley,' names LSM(R)-193 throughout its account of the 11 May 1945 Radar Picket Station 15 action: a Kate torpedo bomber that missed USS Evans was shot down by LSM(R)-193's 5-inch and 40-mm gunfire at 0845; at 0859 LSM(R)-193 shot down another Kate and at 0912 a Hamp; the ship shot down a fourth plane and assisted in shooting down another headed for Hugh W. Hadley; LSM(R)-193 subsequently went alongside Hadley to assist in fighting the fire and tending to wounded; LSM(R)-193 and LCS(L)-83 were alongside Hadley while LCS(L)-82 and -84 assisted Evans; and LSM(R)-193's commanding officer, Lieutenant Donald Boynton, was awarded the Silver Star.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-11

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked personnel, 11 May 1945; Hugh W. Hadley survivors

   Limitations

   The H-Gram is an NHHC historical narrative, not a primary operational document; its enumeration of shootdowns (about four solo plus one assist) differs from the DANFS entry's credit of eight attackers, and its statement that the four amphibious vessels received 'Naval Unit Commendations' conflicts for this hull with the official awards register, which lists LSM(R)-193 under the Presidential Unit Citation. The register controls. The source documents combat action, not asbestos or exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-06

8. [8]Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Amphibious forces section, LSM(R) Group 27 / LSM Division 53 ship table, 'LSM 193 (R)' row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC's 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' lists 'LSM 193 (R)' under LSM Division 53, with Lt. D. E. Boynton (USNR) as commanding officer, within LSM(R) Group 27 under ComLSMGrp 27, Lt. Cdr. J. H. Fulweiler (USNR). The listing corroborates the hull's operational organization and commanding officer ten days before the Radar Picket Station 15 action.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   Ship's company as of 1 May 1945

   Limitations

   The organization listing confirms assignment and command on 1 May 1945 only; it does not document construction materials, asbestos, exposure, or the ship's later disposition. Officer-name spellings in the roster differ slightly from other sources for some sister ships.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-07

9. [9]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Radar-picket paragraphs describing the 10-11 May 1945 Station 15 assignment, the air attack, damage, and tow; closing awards paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC's DANFS entry for USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) confirms the shared 11 May 1945 Radar Picket Station 15 action: Hadley and Evans with four smaller craft came under attack by approximately 150 Japanese planes for nearly two hours; Hadley suffered bomb and kamikaze hits, flooded engineering spaces, and fires, and was saved and towed to le Shima and Kerama Retto; Hadley received the Presidential Unit Citation. The entry does not name LSM(R)-193, so it corroborates the event only.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-11

   Population

   Radar Picket Station 15 task unit personnel, 11 May 1945

   Limitations

   The Hadley DANFS entry does not name LSM(R)-193 (it refers to 'four smaller craft'); it corroborates the shared action and Hadley's own award, and its attacker count ('some 150 planes') differs slightly from the 156 given in the LSM(R)-193 DANFS entry and PUC text. It is event context, not a hull-specific material or exposure record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-08

10. [10]HyperWar / ibiblio, Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945, LSM(R)-188 class summary [other_primary]

    Locator

    LSM(R)-188 class specifications and propulsion summary

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Class/era context: the LSM(R)-188 class was a diesel-powered Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) class built at Charleston Navy Yard during the World War II shipbuilding period, converted while building from LSM hulls. HyperWar's class summary gives two GM diesels at 1,440 BHP each, twin screws, a 203-foot-6-inch length, 34-foot-6-inch beam, 13.2-knot speed, a five-officer/76-enlisted complement, and the Mark 36/Mark 30 rocket-launcher fit for hulls 188-195. For a hull of this type and era, possible asbestos-relevant applications include diesel exhaust or machinery insulation, pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing; these remain class/era inferences only.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944-1945

    Population

    World War II LSM(R)-188-class construction and operating personnel

    Limitations

    This source describes the class, not LSM(R)-193's installed materials. It does not establish that asbestos was present aboard this hull, identify products or manufacturers, quantify material, describe condition, or establish exposure or causation. The class context is deliberately not promoted to a ship-specific finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-09

11. [11]National Archives at Atlanta, RG 181 General Correspondence, Sixth Naval District at Charleston, South Carolina, NAID 7388867 [other_primary]

    Locator

    Box 9, folder 7, A5-1 Gun Exercises entries (LSM(R) 191 photographs; LSM(R) 188/189 proof firing; preliminary rocket-firing report)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    The National Archives at Atlanta finding aid for RG 181, Sixth Naval District at Charleston, lists class-period LSM(R) gunnery records in Box 9, folder 7 (A5-1 Gun Exercises): 'Proof and Structural Firing of LSM(R)'s 188 and 189' (November-December 1944), a 'Preliminary Report of Rocket Firing of 27 November 1944,' and hull-specific 'LSM(R) 191 Structural and Test Firing Photographs.' No folder naming LSM(R)-193 was located; the 27 November 1944 rocket-firing report postdates LSM(R)-193's 21 November 1944 commissioning at Charleston by six days but is not identified with this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944

    Population

    Charleston Navy Yard construction and test personnel

    Limitations

    The finding aid confirms that Charleston-period LSM(R) test records exist, but no folder names LSM(R)-193 and no packet was retrieved or inspected. The listing establishes a class/era archival lead only; it does not report asbestos, insulation, or exposure content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-10

12. [12]Batch research review of the sources listed in search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-01 through -16 [other_primary]

    Locator

    Source-review negative finding; see search_ledger and gaps

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos documentation was located in the official and archival sources reviewed for this hull: the live NavSource hull and citation pages, the DANFS transcription, the NHHC unit-awards register, the NHHC H-Gram narrative, the NHHC Pacific Fleet organization listing, and the NARA RG 181 finding aid identify the vessel, its service, and its awards but do not document asbestos, insulation composition, abatement, or a hazmat survey. The absence is reported as a research negative, not as proof that the hull never contained asbestos.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    2026-09-30

    Limitations

    A negative public-source finding is not proof of absence. NARA file contents, deck logs, war diaries, Navy yard work packages, and non-digitized surveys were not exhaustively retrieved. Asbestos documentation level therefore remains class_or_era, not ship_specific.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-11

13. [13]CourtListener API v4 via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py; opinion queries 'LSMR-193' (0 results) and 'USS LSM(R)-193' (3 name-collision hits), and docket query 'LSMR-193' (incidental matches), on 2026-09-30 [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-11, -12, and -13

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener API v4 litigation sweep was executed through the required authenticated helper. The hull-number opinion query 'LSMR-193' returned zero results. The exact-name opinion query 'USS LSM(R)-193' returned three hits, all Texas state-court opinions (Cardona; Tyrone Berry v. State; Penn Virginia Oil & Gas v. De La Garza) that are name collisions on incidental tokens, not vessel references and not asbestos cases. The hull-number docket query 'LSMR-193' returned incidental non-vessel matches (including a 2023 SDNY copyright docket containing a scraped New York Times archive exhibit); no qualifying asbestos litigation naming the hull was located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    2026-09-30

    Limitations

    Zero qualifying asbestos litigation was located: the opinion hull-number query was a clean zero; the exact-name opinion hits and the docket hit are name collisions classified as such, not exposure evidence. No complaint, discovery record, trial finding, or judgment naming this vessel was found; nothing was classified upward. The docket query's total hit count was not re-verified after a fleet pacing stand-down, and later-filed or non-digitized proceedings are not covered.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-r-193-lsmr193-12