Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Big Horn River (LSMR-402) entry, Raymond A. Mann, 6 February 2006 - construction, shakedown, Pacific transit, Hawaii exercises, inactivation, naming, striking (ARCHIVED COPY: live NHHC page https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/big-horn-river-i.html returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-30; Wayback Machine capture 2024-05-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block (Wayback capture 2024-05-27 of the NHHC page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LSMR-402 was laid down on 2 January 1945 at Charleston, S.C., by the Charleston Navy Yard; launched on 22 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. John L. Huntsman; and commissioned on 16 April 1945, Lt. Walter B. McCown, Jr., USNR, in command.' Reported to the Shakedown Group, Little Creek, Va., 25 April 1945; four weeks shakedown in lower Chesapeake Bay; post-shakedown repairs at Norfolk Navy Yard completed 21 May; sailed for the west coast 23 May; transited the Panama Canal 1 June; arrived San Diego 13 June; two months amphibious warfare training. Departed San Diego 12 August, reached Pearl Harbor 21 August; five weeks amphibious exercises in the Hawaiian Islands; departed Oahu 29 September, reached San Diego second week of October. Sailed to Astoria, Oreg., for inactivation, then ordered back to San Diego; alternated active and reduced status for 14 months; decommissioned 16 January 1948, berthed San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet. Named Big Horn River on 6 August 1955 while still in reserve; name struck from the Navy list 1 October 1958; 'Details of her disposition are unknown, but presumably she was sold for scrap.' Spec block: dp. 1,084 (f.); l. 203'6"; b. 34'6"; dr. 6'8" (mean); s. 12.6 k.; cpl. 138; a. 10 rkt. ln., 1 5", 4 4.2" M., 4 40mm., 8 20mm.; cl. LSMR-401. Namesake note: 'An incorrect spelling of Bighorn River,' Wyoming/Montana.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1958 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (Jan-Apr 1945); crew (1945-1948)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content anywhere in the entry. The live NHHC page 404s - the archived capture is the verification surface. DANFS does not give the post-1958 sale detail (Pacific Towboat) that NavSource/shipbuildinghistory carry. Naming-date conflict with NavSource (6 Aug vs 1 Oct 1955) unresolved - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Big Horn River (LSMR-402) ex USS LSM(R)-402 (1945-1955) - class header, milestone timeline, full specifications, disposal (live fetch verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/14/14402.htm header block, awards line, specifications block, timeline (live page, last updated 20 June 2014)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 2 January 1945 at US Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 22 January 1945; commissioned USS LSM(R)-402 16 April 1945, LT. W. B. McCown, Jr., USNR, in command; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during WWII; decommissioned 16 January 1948 at San Diego; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group; named USS Big Horn River (LSMR-402) 1 October 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 October 1958; 'Final Disposition, sold in 1960, to Pacific Towboat & Salvage Co., Long Beach, CA., converted to a barge, fate unknown.' Awards line: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Specifications: displacement light 758 t., attack 994 t., fully loaded 1,084 t.; length 203'6" o.a.; beam 34'6"; draft 7'2" (lim); speed 12.6 kts.; complement 5 officers, 133 enlisted; propulsion two General Motors 16-287A (non-reversing with airflex clutch) diesel engines, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each @ 720 rpm, twin screws 2,800 shp; generators 4x diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V A.C., 2x diesel-drive 20 kW 120 V D.C.; armament one single 5"/38 DP mount, two twin 40mm, four twin 20mm (post-Korea annotation), ten twin-tube continuous-loading 5" spin-stabilizer rocket launchers (two removed post-Korea), four 4.2" mortars (removed post-Korea), two .50 cal, two .30 cal machine guns; armor 10-lb STS on conning station, pilothouse, radio room, radar plot, rocket control; diesel fuel 1,225 bbls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1945); crew (1945-48); Pacific Towboat & Salvage conversion workers (1960)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but the naming date (1 Oct 1955) conflicts with DANFS (6 Aug 1955); unresolved, see gaps. Post-Korean-War armament annotations describe the class, not this hull's 1945-48 configuration. Contains no asbestos content. The 1960 barge conversion predates modern ACM-handling regulation; no hazmat or material record for the conversion was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-02
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[3]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation), Charleston Naval Shipyard construction table - LSM(R) hulls 401-412 (live fetch verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Charleston Naval Shipyard construction table, LSM(R)-402 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of the build and disposal record: the Charleston Naval Shipyard construction table lists 'LSM(R) 402 ... Landing Ship ... 16-Apr-45 ... Named Big Horn River 1955, sold to Pacific Towboat 1960, converted to barge,' and shows sisters LSM(R)-401 through LSM(R)-412 all delivered at Charleston April-May 1945 (e.g., LSM(R)-403 named Blackstone River 1955, sold to Riedel Int'l 1960, converted to barge, scrapped 1989).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Secondary compiler reference (respected shipbuilding-history tabulation, not a government registry) - used to corroborate NavSource's disposal line against DANFS's 'presumably sold for scrap.' Delivery date column = commissioning date for naval craft. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-03
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[4]Era/yard inference built on: DANFS spec block and NavSource specifications (diesel plant, no steam); shipyard-exposure-map Atlas documented asbestos product list for charleston-naval-shipyard (magnesia pipe insulation, asbestos cement, gaskets, packing, thermal insulation, fireproofing, electrical insulation 'throughout vessels'); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json product list for charleston-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered rocket landing ship built January-April 1945 at Charleston Navy Yard sits inside both that yard's documented asbestos-product scope and the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era. Era-standard applications aboard a 1945 diesel amphibious craft were engine-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and valve packing in piping and machinery, electrical insulation, and accommodation fireproofing. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1945); crew (1945-48); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers (1948-58); Pacific Towboat & Salvage conversion workers (1960)
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, plan, or work package located for LSM(R)-402. Names era-standard applications and the building yard's documented product scope, not confirmed installed materials aboard this hull. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-04
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[5]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 blocked, HTTP 403)
- 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 entire construction (January-April 1945) and service era (1945-1960).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- 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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-05
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[6]OSHA Inspection 100361849, Commander, Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106 - one 'Other' citation under the asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001 D07 I; case closed 2 May 1990 (as carried in the Atlas shipyard dataset record for charleston-naval-shipyard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA inspection detail 100361849 (establishment.inspection_detail); Atlas shipyards.json ev-charleston-naval-shipyard-osha-1988-100361849
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Government inspection record confirming asbestos-standard enforcement activity at this hull's builder: OSHA's 1988 health-complaint inspection of Charleston Naval Shipyard produced a citation under the asbestos standard (29 CFR 1910.1001), closed 1990.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1988-1990
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard establishment (1988-1990 inspection window)
- Limitations
- Yard-level regulatory record, not a hull record - documents asbestos-standard enforcement at the yard in 1988-1990, 40+ years after this hull's construction and 28+ years after her disposal. Establishes the yard's asbestos regulatory posture only; says nothing about materials aboard LSM(R)-402. The OSHA detail URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (access gap disclosed); record content as carried in the Atlas shipyard dataset.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-06
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[7]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (NARA RG 24 digitization index, live fetch verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online - LSMR sections 409, 412, 508, 525, 536; no LSMR-402 entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's digitized deck-log index lists digitized logs for five sister LSM(R)s - Clarion River (LSMR-409), Des Plaines River (LFR/LSM/LSMR-412), Gunnison River (YV-3/LSMR-508), St. Francis River (LSMR/LFR-525), White River (LSMR/LFR-536) - but contains no entry for LSMR-402 / Big Horn River, whose 1945-1948 logs remain an undigitized RG 24 archival lead at NARA College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1948 (log coverage window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the index establishes that class deck logs survive and are being digitized, and that this hull's logs are not yet among them. Deck logs are operational records - they would document availabilities and locations, not material content. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-07
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[8]Batch-5849 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture used); NavSource; shipbuildinghistory Charleston table; NARA deck-log index; Naval Vessel Register; GAO product page; OSHA/Atlas yard record; CourtListener API v4; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-01 through sl-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS LSM(R)-402 / USS Big Horn River (LSMR-402) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero hits on all three exact-hull queries ('"LSMR-402"' opinion and docket, '"LSM(R)-402"' opinion); the '"Big Horn River"' name-form docket sweep returned only name collisions (the phrase inside copied headnote/memo exhibits on an unrelated copyright docket), none tied to the vessel. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming the hull.
- 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 - the hull was built and disposed inside the Navy's documented asbestos era and at a documented asbestos yard. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Deck logs, Charleston NY work packages, and any 1960 conversion-contract records are undigitized leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-402-lsmr402-08