Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM(R)-197 - construction timeline, unit assignments, Okinawa campaign, decommissioning/striking/disposal, specifications, commanding officers; history extract credited to LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship page, chronology and specifications sections; commanding officer table; photo captions (incl. 8 October 1945 Port of Los Angeles homecoming)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LSM(R)-188 class landing ship medium (rocket): laid down 13 September 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, SC; launched 12 October 1944; commissioned USS LSM(R)-197, 8 December 1944, Lt. John M. Cooper USN in command. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific: LSM Flotilla Nine, LSM Group Twenty-Seven, LSM Division Fifty-Four; Okinawa Gunto operation 26 March-18 June 1945; one battle star. Decommissioned 13 February 1946 at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, CA; struck 26 February 1946; transferred to Maritime Commission at San Pedro for disposal (PDX-225, 27 September 1946); sold 3 February 1948 to Robert W. Erbacher, Cape Girardeau, MO; final disposition unknown. Specifications: 758 t light / 983 t attack / 1,175 t full; 203 ft 6 in x 34 ft 6 in; 13.2 kt; complement 5 officers, 76 enlisted; two GM 16-278A diesels, direct drive, twin screws.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Crew of 5 officers + 76 enlisted (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a veteran-maintained archival site, not an official Navy record; its construction/service data for this hull is credited to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Vol. II. Contains no asbestos information; establishes identity and service only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-01
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[2]NHHC Numerical List of Images, 80-G-K-14418, 'USS LSM-197' - christening photograph, Charleston Navy Yard, 12 October 1944 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC NH-series photo record 80-G-K-14418, caption text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photographic record: USS LSM-197 christened 12 October 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard, S.C., by Mrs. J. Melville Broughton, wife of the Governor of North Carolina, with Mrs. J. S. Mitchener as matron of honor. Caption states LSM-197 was one of ten LSMs paid for by a $10,000,000 Fifth War Loan Drive oversubscription by 57 North Carolina counties and was unofficially named CATAWBA County in honor of one of the counties.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-10-12
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard launch-day workforce and ceremony attendees
- Limitations
- The Navy caption styles the hull 'LSM-197' without the (R) suffix - same hull, launched at Charleston the same day NavSource records for LSM(R)-197. 'Catawba County' was unofficial; the ship served under her number only. Photo caption contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-02
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[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library reproduction of the wartime organization document) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LSM Flotilla Nine section, LSM(R) Group 27, LSM Division 54 table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization document lists 'LSM 197 (R), Lt. J. M. Cooper' in LSM Division 54, under LSM(R) Group 27 (Lt. Cdr. J. H. Fulweiler, USNR), LSM Flotilla Nine (Comdr. D. L. Francis) - confirming NavSource's unit assignments and Cooper's command as of 1 May 1945. Division 54 comprised LSM(R)-194 through -199; Division 53 held LSM(R)-188 through -193.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew in theater, May 1945
- Limitations
- Organizational snapshot as of 1 May 1945; NavSource's commanding-officer table shows Lt. H. O. Bergkamp USNR relieving Cooper in May 1945. Establishes unit placement only; no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-03
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[4]DANFS, Sproston II (DD-577) - names LSM-197 conducting night radar coverage, 28 June 1945, between Saipan and Eniwetok [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Sproston II DANFS entry, paragraph covering 28 June 1945 events
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Sproston II entry) records that on 28 June 1945, after USS Sproston sank a Japanese midget submarine between Saipan and Eniwetok while steaming independently toward the United States for overhaul, 'LC1-535, LSM-196, and LSM-197 arrived to help conduct night radar coverage of the area.' Documents this hull's employment on the homeward transit after Okinawa.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-06-28
- Population
- Crew, June 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS styles the hull 'LSM-197' (the (R) suffix omitted, as in NHHC captions). Names the ship only in this one operational line; no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-04
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[5]U.S. National Archives identifiers for ship-specific imagery, quoted in NavSource captions: NARA Identifier 78137 / local identifier 428-NPC-7538 (film 'Invasion of Aka Jima--Rocket Fire, Landings', frames showing LSM(R)-197 firing rockets off Aka, Kerama Islands, 26 March 1945); photo 80-G-K-6051 (aerial view moored berth 18, U.S. Navy Yard Pearl Harbor, 13-14 August 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LSM(R)-197 photo captions; identifiers 78137, 428-NPC-7538, 80-G-K-6051
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific NARA holdings are documented by NavSource's captions: combat film frames showing LSM(R)-197 conducting the 26 March 1945 rocket attack on Aka, Aka-Jima, Kerama Islands (with LSM(R)-196, -198, -199), and aerial photograph 80-G-K-6051 of her moored at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 13-14 August 1945. These are the open primary-archive leads for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Identifiers come from NavSource's captions, not from a directly verified catalog.archives.gov record - the NARA catalog returns a JavaScript shell to automated fetches and its API was not usable in-session. Record content unverified at NARA; treated as archival leads pending direct catalog confirmation. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-05
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[6]NavSource specifications for this hull (diesel propulsion, no steam plant) as the class/era-inference anchor [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LSM(R)-197 specifications (propulsion/generator data)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-consistent inference only: a diesel-powered amphibious combatant built in a U.S. Navy yard in 1944 would have carried the era's standard asbestos-bearing materials - engine-exhaust lagging, machinery and piping gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable insulation, interior fireproofing/linings, and brake linings on deck machinery. Absence of a steam plant narrows the inference: no boiler or turbine lagging. Federal wartime supply policy reserved asbestos for military shipbuilding during this period.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Construction yard workers (Charleston Navy Yard, 1944); crew (1944-1946); scrapping/conversion workers (post-1948, hypothetical)
- Limitations
- INFERENCE, not a ship record: NavSource does not mention asbestos, and no hull-specific survey, work package, or abatement record was located. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, or exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-06
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[7]GAO HRD-80-2 (published 18 October 1979), product page: review of the Navy's use of asbestos in ships, removal costs, and worker protection at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's product page documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation in ships and that the service's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs - the Navy-wide asbestos context for WWII-era hulls like this one.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (review period); wartime era as context
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level review of 1970s-era practice at Long Beach and Norfolk yards only; post-dates this hull's 1944-1946 service; establishes Navy asbestos use generally, never aboard this hull. Full report PDF exists at gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf; product-page highlights were the level verified here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-07
-
[8]OSHA IMIS Inspection 100361849 - U.S. Dept of the Navy, Commander Charleston Naval Shipyard Code 106 (SIC 3731); complaint inspection opened 6 January 1988; two violations under asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001 (items D07 I and J02 I, the latter later deleted) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA IMIS inspection detail, inspection 100361849, violation items 01001/01002
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- OSHA's inspection record documents asbestos-standard compliance activity at Charleston Naval Shipyard - this hull's builder - in 1988, confirming the yard operated within the asbestos-regulated environment documented in the Atlas yard record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1988-1990
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard workforce (1988)
- Limitations
- A 1988 yard-environment record, 44 years after this hull's construction; establishes that the builder yard was an asbestos-regulated shipbuilding workplace, not that asbestos was aboard this hull in 1944-1946. One cited violation was later deleted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-08
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[9]NHHC, 'Casualties Navy and Coast Guard Ships' - Landing Ship, Medium (Rocket) losses at Okinawa, 3-4 May 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Casualties page, 'Landing Ship, Medium (Rocket) (LSMR)' subsection
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's casualties list records sister-ship losses during the same operation in which LSM(R)-197 served: LSMR-195 sunk by kamikaze off Okinawa 3 May 1945, and LSMR-190 and LSMR-194 sunk 4 May 1945. Documents the radar-picket environment the class operated in; LSM(R)-197 survived the campaign and earned one battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05
- Population
- Crews of LSMR-190, -194, -195 (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Names sister hulls, not LSM(R)-197; documents the class's combat context only. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-09
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[10]DANFS, USS LSM(R)-193 (HyperWar transcription) - sister ship, same class, documenting the shared decommissioning site/date and barge-conversion disposal pattern [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HyperWar DANFS transcription, LSMR section, lsmr193
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Sister ship LSM(R)-193 (DANFS): laid down at Charleston Navy Yard; commissioned 21 November 1944; Okinawa Gunto 26 March-3 June 1945; Presidential Unit Citation for repelling a mass kamikaze attack on Radar Picket Station 15 on 11 May 1945 and rescuing USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774); decommissioned at Terminal Island Navy Yard, San Pedro, 13 February 1946 - the same date and yard as LSM(R)-197 - and sold 20 January 1948 to R.J. MacCallum of Compton, CA, 'for conversion to a barge.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Class crews and post-disposal conversion workers
- Limitations
- Sister hull's record, cited for class disposition pattern only - LSM(R)-197's own sale (3 February 1948, Robert W. Erbacher, Cape Girardeau, MO) does not state a conversion purpose; barge conversion for this hull remains inference in gaps. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-11
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[11]Batch-5845 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS URL variants + hazegray/HyperWar DANFS mirrors; NavSource; NHHC fleet-organization, photo-index, DANFS (Sproston II), and casualties pages; NARA catalog; NVR; MARAD; OSHA; GAO; CourtListener; secondary web [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LSM(R)-197 / LSMR-197 / LSM-197 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search of the hull designation returned 126 hits, all name collisions (construction firms, unrelated litigants); a quoted 'LSMR 197' search returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1944 Navy-yard construction is era-consistent with asbestos use. CourtListener docket (type=r) search and remaining quoted opinion variants were incomplete at research time due to the shared fleet request budget; logged in the ledger as a partial gap, not a clean negative. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-197-lsmr197-10