Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet bg-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: PHANTOM
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-arl-25-arl25-pkt-bg-packet-md
-
[2]ShipScribe, USS Coronis (ARL-10) class page - construction table row for ARL-25 and class notes (compiled from NavSea/official auxiliary-vessel records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARL-10 class construction table, ARL-25 row; class notes paragraphs on the 2 May 44 and 1 Aug 44 CNO actions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe USN auxiliary-ships reference, CORONIS (ARL-10) class construction table and class notes: ARL-25 listed unnamed, builder Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca, keel 16 Sep 44, launched 1 Dec 44 - dates identical to LST-856's. Detail line: 'To have been ex LST-856 14 Aug 44 but conversion cancelled with ARL-34 by CNO on 1 Aug 44 and ship built as LST-856. Ferry commission as LST 13 Dec 44, full commission 23 Dec 44. Decommissioned 29 May 46, stk. 3 Jul 46, sold for scrapping by MA 5 May 48.' Class notes: under the 2 May 44 Auxiliary Vessels Board program, ARL 25-39 were to be built on LST hulls; on 1 Aug 44 CNO designated two LSTs field-converted in the Southwest Pacific as ARL 40-41 and in compensation ARL 25 and 34 were selected to complete as LSTs (LST-856 and, per the prose, LST-1151).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- ShipScribe is a compiled reference reproducing official auxiliary-ship data - the standard published authority on USN auxiliaries, though not itself a primary document; its keel/launch/disposal dates match DANFS, NavSource, and shipbuildinghistory for this hull. Establishes the ARL-25<->LST-856 identity linkage and the cancellation; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Internal inconsistency noted in the source: the class-note prose says ARL-34 completed as 'LST-1151' while the same page's detail row says ex-LST-1141 - does not affect this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-01
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-856' entry - verbatim transcription via HistoryCentral's DANFS compilation for LST 850-900 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-856 full entry (HistoryCentral mirror). No NHHC page exists for this hull: history.navy.mil .../danfs/l/lst-856.html returned 404 under both URL schemes on 2026-09-26 and no Wayback capture exists - NHHC digitization gap, not link rot
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for LST-856, verbatim: 'LST-856 was laid down on 16 September 1944 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 1 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Patricia Wiegand; and commissioned on 23 December 1944, Lt. Arthur E. Fisher in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in June 1945. Postwar occupation duty in the Far East and service in China until mid-February 1946. Decommissioned 29 May 1946; struck from the Navy list 3 July 1946; sold 5 May 1948 to the Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa., and subsequently scrapped. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative service history for identity, milestones, and operations; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. Mirror text is consistent with the NavSource milestone chain and the ShipScribe construction-table dates. Does not record the ferry commission (13 Dec 44) - that detail comes only from the ShipScribe class notes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-856 (page 10/16/160856) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LST-856 page: milestone list, campaign table, occupation/China service table, CO roster, specifications block, ribbon precedence
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS LST-856: radio call sign NING; milestone chain matching DANFS (laid 16 Sep 44, launched 1 Dec 44, commissioned 23 Dec 44, LT. Arthur E. Fisher USN in command); wartime assignment LST Flotilla Thirty-One (CAPT. H. S. Covington) / LST Group Ninety-Two (CDR. J. G. Winn) / LST Division One Hundred Eighty-Three; campaign entry 'Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 7 June 1945'; Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended) periods both 2 Sep 1945 - 22 Feb 1946; decommissioned 29 May 1946, struck 3 Jul 1946, sold for scrapping 5 May 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem PA; one battle star. CO roster: LT. Arthur E. Fisher USN, 23 Dec 1944 - 29 May 1946 (sole commanding officer). Specification block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 nm at 9 kt; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; ultimate design armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm and 12 single 20mm mounts; fuel 4,300 Bbls diesel; propulsion 2 GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Ship's company ~117 per spec block; embarked troops up to ~163
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; milestone chain reproduces DANFS and the spec block derives from BuShips data. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos content stated or implied. No ARL-25 page exists in the archive (HTTP 500 on the 1925 slot) - consistent with a designation that was never commissioned.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) - consolidated with era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; class-f/lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-01/-03 carry the same machinery source
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST design table documents the diesel machinery of the LST-542 group on which this hull was built (2x GM 12-567A, ~1,700 shp, 11.6 kt - no boilers). Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST: asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. The cancelled ARL-25 conversion would have added a repair-ship interior fit-out (shops and machinery) in the period when asbestos insulation was standard marine practice, but it was never performed - the hull was completed to the standard LST-542 design.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca, 1944); ship's company ~117
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - the BuShips table does not name this hull and lists no insulation materials; no member hull of the LST/ARL family has a located ship-level asbestos record. Establishes no quantities, no present-day presence, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-04
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LST-542 hull was built at an inland 'cornfield' yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-05
-
[7]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403; content via product-page description)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place aboard in-service hulls for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. This hull predates the policy era entirely: sold for scrapping 5 May 1948, roughly 27 years before the earliest documented policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not ship- or class-specific; the hull was scrapped in 1948 so no Navy asbestos-management policy ever applied to it - the row bears on sister hulls retained longer and on the fleet picture only. Full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-06
-
[8]shipbuildinghistory.com Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca yard table vs DANFS/NavSource/ShipScribe disposal entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory Seneca table, LST 856 row (keel 9/16/44, launch 12/1/44, delivery 12/23/44, 76+22=98 days, 'Scrapped 1947')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancy on the disposal year: shipbuildinghistory.com's Chicago Bridge & Iron (Seneca) yard table records LST-856 'Scrapped 1947', while DANFS, NavSource, and ShipScribe's construction notes all record sale for scrapping by the Maritime Administration on 5 May 1948 (buyer: Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem PA). Three converging sources vs. one yard-table disposition shorthand - the 1948 sale is carried; '1947' is treated as an unresolved outlier, probably a table shorthand error.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1947-1948
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel scrapping workforce (1948+)
- Limitations
- The sale date (5 May 1948, Maritime Administration disposal to Bethlehem Steel) is documented by three independent converging sources; the '1947' scrapping year in the yard table cannot precede the documented sale and is treated as an error. Neither source addresses asbestos; scrapping itself (Bethlehem Steel, 1948+) is the hull's only documented large-scale material-disturbance event, at an era when no asbestos controls applied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 search: 'LST-856' type=o -> count 0; 'ARL-25' type=o -> count 0 (2026-09-26); docket sweeps blocked by fleet pacing [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arl-25-arl25-07 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: authenticated opinion-index searches for 'LST-856' and 'ARL-25' (type=o) each returned 0 results on 2026-09-26 - no opinion names this hull under either identifier. The docket-index sweeps ('LST-856' and 'ARL-25' type=r, plus 'LST 856'/'ARL 25' variants) could not be run: the shared fleet pacing budget (~114/hr across all concurrent batch sessions) was spent, and the helper returned exit 2 with stand-down guidance on every spaced retry. The class-level 'USS LST' asbestos sweep of 2026-09-16 (class-f lst-1-class profile) found no asbestos docket naming any specific LST hull; its only hit was an incidental reunion-notice mention of LST-579 inside a scanned exhibit (Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Partial coverage: the opinion index was swept for both identifiers (zero hits each); the RECAP docket index remains unswept - a litigation gap, not a cleared record. Even a completed sweep would show only absence of located dockets, not absence of exposure. LST hulls were hull-number-only until 1955, so name sweeps are impractical and hull-number sweeps are the operative coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-08
-
[10]Batch-2616 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via HistoryCentral mirror; NavSource 160856; ShipScribe CORONIS class; shipbuildinghistory Seneca yard table; NARA catalog; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener (partial); shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arl-25-arl25-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated case naming this hull (LST-856 or the cancelled ARL-25 designation) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, ShipScribe, and the builder yard table contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; no MARAD ShipHistory record was located for the hull (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull's short life (~17 months commissioned, no documented refit, scrapped 1948) means no Navy-era abatement record would be expected. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-09
-
[11]NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) - RG 38 war-diary items for USS LST-856; NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19/RG 24/RG 38 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-856' - war diary items 140075421, 101746857, 77471930, 83529883; archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival records confirmed for this hull: the NARA catalog holds four digitized WWII war-diary segments for USS LST-856 in RG 38 (World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations) - NAIDs 140075421 (5/24-6/13/1945, covering the Okinawa Gunto operation), 101746857 (6/24-7/5/45), 77471930 (7/8-15/45), and 83529883 (7/25-8/19/45), scanned under the Fold3-NARA collaboration. Additional unretrieved leads: NARA RG 24 deck logs for the Dec 1944-May 1946 commission; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) program files for the ARL 25-39 block and the 1 Aug 44 cancellation paperwork.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946 records
- Limitations
- Records confirmed to exist and be digitized, but their contents were not reviewed - war diaries document operations, not materials; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arl-25-arl25-10