Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]research packet 526-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. Queue listed the hull designation only; hull
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-pkt-526-packet-md
-
[2]uboat.net, Allied Warships of WWII, USS LSM(R) 531 (LSM(R) 531), ship 13183 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship details table: Built by through End service; History paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The accessible specialist Allied Warships entry identifies USS LSM(R)-531 as a U.S. Navy Medium Landing Ship (Rocket), built by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; laid down 2 June 1945; launched 7 July 1945; and commissioned 25 September 1945. It reports decommissioning 29 May 1946, striking 1 May 1973, and sale 25 April 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1974
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (June-September 1945); Navy crew (September 1945-May 1946)
- Limitations
- This is a specialist secondary compilation, not a Navy registry or construction record. It establishes the reported identity and milestones but contains no asbestos, materials, crew, post-sale fate, or individual-exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, The Naval History of Kansas infographic; NavSource Online, Landing Ship Medium Photo Index [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC infographic ship list (current asset URL returned 404; search-indexed text was inspected); NavSource index, LSM(R)-531 Smoky Hill River / Reclassified LFR-531
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's Navy Week Kansas infographic lists USS Smoky Hill River (LSMR 531), 1945, among ships named for Kansas places. NavSource's LSM/LSM(R) index independently lists LSM(R)-531 as Smoky Hill River and identifies a later LFR-531 classification.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1969
- Limitations
- The NHHC asset's formerly indexed URL returned 404 on live verification. NavSource's exact index is a secondary volunteer compilation and its site returned HTTP 406 to direct automated retrieval. This row confirms the canonical-name linkage only; it does not independently establish dates, class, asbestos, or service details.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-02
-
[4]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct. 18, 1979); uboat.net LSM(R)-401 class technical table [gao]
- Locator
- GAO Highlights; uboat.net class 611 technical information (diesel engines, two shafts)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- GAO's 1979 review states that it examined Navy use of asbestos in ships and describes the Navy's 1975 policy of removing and replacing with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or needed removal for repairs; the policy was modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. The diesel, two-shaft LSM(R) class context identifies possible thermal-insulation, machinery-insulation, exhaust-lagging, gasket, packing, and electrical-insulation pathways for a vessel of this type and era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews in the GAO-reviewed asbestos program; possible 1945 construction and 1945-46 crew cohorts for this hull
- Limitations
- GAO reviewed Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards and did not name this hull, Brown Shipbuilding, or any 1945 LSM(R). The applications are era/type possibilities, not confirmed installed materials; this row establishes neither asbestos presence, quantity, condition, removal, individual exposure, causation, nor legal eligibility for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-03
-
[5]Batch-5890 search ledger (this record): uboat.net, NHHC, NavSource, GAO, NARA, and authenticated CourtListener-helper searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-01 through -07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located in the accessible sources searched: no survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, material list, official museum record, or qualifying litigation record naming USS LSM(R)-531 / USS Smoky Hill River / LSMR-531. Authenticated CourtListener docket searches for the hull number LSMR-531 and the canonical name USS Smoky Hill River returned zero results. The exact commissioned-name docket query and all three opinion queries were stopped by the fleet-wide pacing limiter, so the litigation sweep remains incomplete.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 2026-10-01
- Limitations
- This is a bounded, partial search result, not proof that asbestos was absent. The two zero-result docket searches do not substitute for a completed opinion-and-docket sweep: the commissioned-name docket query and all opinion queries were pace-blocked. Litigation status remains an open gap. The result establishes or defeats no exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-04
-
[6]National Archives, Ship Plan Index; Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index and Navy-online deck-log guidance; text search for LSMR-531 / Smoky Hill / LFR-531
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Ship Plan Index and Navy deck-log guidance identify potential research paths for U.S. Navy vessel plans and logs. Searches of the currently downloadable index text did not locate a digitized entry for LSMR-531, Smoky Hill River, or LFR-531; no box, plan, or log item was retrieved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-01
- Study period
- 1945-1974 records potentially held
- Population
- Navy vessel-record and deck-log collections
- Limitations
- Repository-level mapping only. A lack of a string hit in a large online index does not establish that plans or deck logs do not exist, and no hull-specific archival document was reviewed. This is not asbestos evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lsm-r-531-lsmr531-05