Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, 'John Day River' (LSMR-511) - construction, full 1945-47 service narrative, 1955 naming, 1960 striking and sale. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-30; content verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-27 and verbatim transcription mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/amphib/lsmr511.htm (both fetched this session, texts identical) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'John Day River' - full entry text and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex., 7 April 1945; launched 5 May 1945; commissioned 3 July 1945, Lt. Ralph L. Clifford in command. After shakedown along the Texas coast, departed Galveston 10 July 1945 and arrived Charleston, S.C., 15 July; sailed to Little Creek, Va., 5-7 August for Chesapeake Bay and Virginia-coast training. Assigned to LSMR Squadron 4; departed Little Creek for New Orleans 20 September, arrived 27th; departed Algiers, La., 2 October and cruised the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Mo., and St. Paul, Minn., returning to Little Creek 15 December. Sailed 30 January 1946 for Caribbean squadron exercises - San Juan P.R. (5 Feb), Culebra Island, Guantanamo Bay (arrived 14 Feb, tactical exercises off southern Cuba), departed 15 March, touched Bermuda 19 March, reached Little Creek 25 March. Remainder of 1946 operated in Chesapeake Bay out of Norfolk and Baltimore. Sailed Little Creek to Charleston 22-24 January 1947 and entered Charleston Naval Shipyard; departed 12 May, arrived Green Cove Springs, Fla., 13 May; decommissioned 21 May 1947 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Named John Day River 1 October 1955 while berthed at Green Cove Springs; name struck from the Navy List 1 February 1960; sold to Atlas Iron & Metal Corp. 5 July 1960. Spec block: dp. 790; l. 206'3"; b. 34'6"; dr. 7'2"; s. 13 k.; cpl. 138; a. 1 5", 4 40mm., 8 20mm., 4 4.2", 10 rkt.; cl. LSMR-401.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Apr-Jul 1945); crew (1945-47); Charleston Naval Shipyard trades (Jan-May 1947); Green Cove Springs reserve-fleet berthing/mothball crews (1947-60); Atlas Iron & Metal shipbreakers (1960)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history; contains no asbestos or material content. Documents a ~3.5-month Charleston Naval Shipyard availability (24 January - 12 May 1947) as an event - not the work performed there. DANFS spec block lists 'cl. LSMR-401' while modern sources carry 'LSM(R)-501 class' - same design family, see ev-04. Live NHHC page 404s (standing NHHC link-rot defect noted since BATCH-01); content verified against a 2024 Wayback capture and an independent transcription mirror.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS John Day River (LSMR-511) ex USS LSM(R)-511 (1945-1955) - milestone timeline, unit assignment, specifications, disposal (live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/06/06511.htm - header block, milestone timeline, awards block, LSM(R) specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: 'LSM(R) 501 Class Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)'; laid down 7 April 1945 at Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, TX; launched 5 May 1945; commissioned USS LSM(R)-511, 3 July 1945, LT Ralph L Clifford, USN in command; 'During World War II USS LSM(R)-511 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LSM(R) Flotilla Eighteen, CAPT. C. F. Macklin USN; LSM(R) Group Forty-Three; LSM(R) Division One Hundred Six'; decommissioned 21 May 1947 at Green Cove Springs, FL; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs; named USS John Day River LSM(R)-511, 1 October 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 February 1960; final disposition - sold to Atlas Iron and Metal Corp., Cleveland OH, 5 July 1960, for scrapping. Awards block lists American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Spec block: 758 t. light / 993 t. attack / 1,175 t. fully loaded; 206'3" x 34'6"; 13 kts.; complement 6 officers, 137 enlisted; propulsion two GM 16-278A (non-reversing, airflex clutch) diesels, direct drive, 1,440 BHP each at 720 rpm; twin screws, 2,800 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Crew (1945-47); LSM(R) Flotilla 18 / Group 43 / Division 106 administrative assignment
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation tracking NVR/DANFS, not a primary registry. The 'Asiatic-Pacific Theater' assignment conflicts with the DANFS movement narrative (CONUS and Caribbean operations only through decommissioning) - likely a paper assignment to Pacific-deployed LSM(R) Flotilla 18; flagged in gaps. Complement here is 143 vs DANFS 138; class label 'LSM(R) 501' vs DANFS 'cl. LSMR-401'. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-02
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[3]ShipbuildingHistory (Shipbuilding History / Roberts compile), Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX yard production list - hull no. 318 (live page verified 2026-09-30; same table mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown Shipbuilding production table, hull 318 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Brown Shipbuilding yard list documents this hull as yard hull no. 318, original designation LSM(R) 511, type Landing Ship: keel laid 7-Apr-45, launched 5-May-45, delivered 3-Jul-45; disposition 'Later John Day River 1955, sold to Atlas Iron 1960, scrapped.' Independent of DANFS/NavSource and consistent with both. Sister hulls LSM(R)-510 (yard 317) and LSM(R)-512 (yard 319) carry the same keel and launch dates - consistent with Brown's multi-ways serial production, not a transcription error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary yard list, not a primary registry - corroborates rather than establishes dates. 'Delivered' corresponds to the commissioning date. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-03
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[4]A. D. Baker III (ed., Combat Fleets of the World), 'Historic Fleets,' U.S. Naval Institute Naval History, Vol. 8 No. 4 (August 1994) - LSM(R) design-group description. Live usni.org page returned 403 to automated fetch 2026-09-30; verified via Wayback capture 2025-02-18 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Aug 1994 'Historic Fleets' - LSM(R) section (Wayback capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class-level design documentation: 'LSM(R)-401 to 412 ... and the similar LSM(R)-501 to 536, which had a forecastle and were about three feet longer - were a more sophisticated solution to the shore fire-support problem. The pilothouse was moved to the centerline near the stern with the 5-inch gun before it, while the fixed rail-type rocket launchers were supplanted by ten twin-tube, trainable, and automatically reloadable Mk 102 launchers. The four 4.2-inch mortars were retained, and the antiaircraft armament was enhanced to two twin, director-controlled 40-mm gunmounts and four twin 20-mm mounts.' This resolves the class-designation split: DANFS's 'cl. LSMR-401' and NavSource's 'LSM(R) 501 Class' describe the same design family; the 501-536 group is the Brown-built forecastle/longer variant. Of 60 LSM(R)s total, the first 12 (188-199) were converted LSMs and the other 48 purpose-built three feet longer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (design/production era); 1994 (publication)
- Population
- Crews of LSM(R) rocket ships generally (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design-group description only - does not name this hull and contains no asbestos or material content. Scholarly retrospective, not a primary document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-04
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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 (1945) and service era (1945-47 active; 1947-60 reserve).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (GM diesel plant, no steam); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for Charleston Naval Shipyard (yard this hull demonstrably entered Jan-May 1947 per DANFS); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos substitution era); USNI 1994 class description [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 06511 spec block; shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard product list; GAO HRD-80-2; USNI 1994
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious rocket ship built April-July 1945 at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era. Era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were thermal insulation on exhaust and hot-machinery surfaces, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and insulating/fire-resistive materials in joiner, magazine, and accommodation spaces. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/steam-lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Her documented January-May 1947 Charleston Naval Shipyard availability falls inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era (Atlas yard record for Charleston Naval Shipyard lists magnesia pipe insulation, asbestos gaskets and packing, spray-on insulation, and electrical insulation among its documented products), but no work order or material record specific to this hull was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1960
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1945); crew (1945-47); Charleston Naval Shipyard trades during the 1947 availability; Atlas Iron & Metal shipbreakers (1960)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or yard work package located for LSM(R)-511. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The Charleston yard's documented asbestos products are yard-level evidence; they do not establish that asbestos work was performed on this hull during the 1947 availability.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-06
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[7]Batch-5870 search ledger (this record): archived NHHC DANFS + transcription mirror; NavSource 06511; ShipbuildingHistory Brown yard list + navalmarinearchive mirror; USNI Historic Fleets; CourtListener opinion index (ship name and hull numbers); CourtListener docket index; NARA digitized deck-log index; Naval Vessel Register; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LSM(R)-511 / USS John Day River (LSMR-511) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion-index searches returned 49 hits for 'John Day River' - all Oregon land/water/environmental cases naming the Columbia River tributary, a pure name collision with zero ship references - and zero hits for 'LSMR-511' or 'LSM(R)-511'/'LSM-511' variants; the docket index returned 45 hits for 'John Day River', likewise all Oregon river litigation (Oregon Natural Desert Ass'n v. U.S. Forest Service, Willamette Riverkeeper, Northwest Environmental Advocates et al.), zero ship or asbestos references. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos on LSM(R)-class ships and at Brown Shipbuilding generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - a 1945 combatant-type hull is era-consistent with asbestos-bearing construction, and the hull was scrapped in 1960 before modern ACM-handling documentation existed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-511-lsmr511-07