Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet bj-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: PHANTOM (paper-only designation)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-cerberus-arl43-pkt-bj-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'LST-316' entry (live URL 404 on 2026-09-26; retrieved via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 - also mirrored in the 2004-era NHHC capture at web.archive.org/web/20040624183015/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l15/lst-316.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'LST-316' entry (history.navy.mil danfs/l/lst-316.html; Wayback ts 20240526174415)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC): LST-316 was laid down 1942-10-15 at the New York Navy Yard; launched 1943-01-28, sponsored by Mrs. Pearl Magdalene Frick; commissioned 1943-02-03. Assigned to the European theater: Sicilian occupation (July 1943), Salerno landings (September 1943), Invasion of Normandy (June 1944). Decommissioned 1945-05-24; struck from the Navy list 1946-03-12; sold 1946-12-23 to James Hughes, Inc., New York, N.Y., for conversion to merchant service. Earned three battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative NHHC entry naming this hull. The DANFS entry does not mention the Cerberus (ARL-43) conversion designation at all - it documents the ship only as LST-316. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, 'Tank Landing Ship LST-316' page (USS LST-316 / Cerberus (ARL-43)) - per-hull data, campaign table, spec block, commanding-officer roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource archives/10/16/160316.htm - history block, campaign table, specifications block, CO roster (page last updated 2025-07-25)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull page: laid down 1942-10-15 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn; launched 1943-01-28; commissioned USS LST-316 on 1943-02-03, LT. Argyle W. Markley in command. Europe-Africa-Middle East campaign table: Sicilian occupation 1943-07-09 to 15; Salerno landings 1943-09-09 to 21; Invasion of Normandy 1944-06-06 to 25 (photo caption places her beached at Juno Beach, Mike Sector, on D+1, 1944-06-07). Decommissioned 1945-05-24 'for conversion to Landing Craft Repair Ship Cerberus (ARL-43) at New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y.'; conversion canceled 1945-09-12; reverted to LST-316; struck from the Naval Register 1946-03-12; final disposition 'sold to James Hughes, Inc., New York, NY for conversion to merchant service'; three battle stars. Spec block: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 2x GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp each) with Falk main reduction gears, twin screws 1,700 shp, 11.6 kts; 9 officers + 120 enlisted, troop accommodations 14 + 131; 6 LCVP. CO roster: LT Markley 1943-02-03 to 04-04; ENS Walter H. Grant, USN, 1943-04-04 to 1945-04-30.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Ship's company 1943-1945 (~129 officers+enlisted per spec block); conversion yard workers 1945
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (volunteer-curated archive) - canonical per-hull reference but not itself a primary document; values consistent with DANFS except where noted. Its conversion-yard attribution ('at New York Navy Yard') conflicts with the shipscribe register's per-ship note (Port Covington / Bethlehem Steel Key Highway, Baltimore) - see correction row ev-08. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-02
-
[4]shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary register (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled from BuShips/OpNav records), Coronis (ARL-10) class page - ARL-43 CERBERUS construction row and per-ship note [other_primary]
- Locator
- usnaux.shipscribe.com/ARL/ARL10.html - Coronis (ARL-10) class construction table row 43 + ship notes (ARL 42-46 block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- shipscribe ARL register (BuShips/OpNav-derived): ARL-43 CERBERUS construction row - built NYd New York, keel 1942-10-15, launched 1943-01-28, never commissioned as an ARL. Ship note: 'Commissioned as LST-316 6 Feb 43. Decommissioned at Port Covington, Baltimore, Md., 24 May 45 for conversion by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. Reclas. ARL-43 28 May 45, conversion canc. 27 Aug 45, reclas. and name canc. 12 Sep 45. When cancelled her conversion was 30% complete and her anticipated recommissioning date was 22 Oct 45. Stk. as LST 12 Mar 46, sold by Navy and to buyer 23 Dec 46. Resold 1951 to Honduras Shipping Co. for use in transporting bauxite, merc. AUGUSTA 1952.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1952
- Population
- Conversion-yard workers at the Baltimore conversion site, May-August 1945
- Limitations
- Secondary register compiled from primary BuShips/OpNav records - the most granular source located for the ARL-43 designation timeline (reclass 1945-05-28; work cancel 1945-08-27; name/reclass cancel 1945-09-12; 30% completion). Its '6 Feb 43' commissioning conflicts with DANFS/NavSource (1943-02-03) and it prints the same 6 Feb 43 date for sisters LST-317 and LST-332 - treated as a register artifact. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-03
-
[5]Consolidated era inference - Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST machinery and design data (shipscribe scan); NavSource spec block for this hull; shipscribe register conversion-work note for ARL-43 [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource spec block; shipscribe ARL-43 ship note (conversion scope)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-hull ship: the vessel had no boilers (2x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp). Asbestos-relevant applications typical of the type and era: diesel exhaust lagging and manifold gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, machinery packing, winch/crane brake linings. Additionally, this hull underwent a documented but aborted repair-ship conversion at a commercial yard (reclassified ARL-43 1945-05-28; work canceled 1945-08-27 at 30% completion per shipscribe) - ARL conversions added interior repair-shop spaces (machine, welding, fitting shops) contemporaneously outfitted with asbestos-containing consumables and insulation, so the partial conversion period is itself a documented (if materially undocumented) yard-work event aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (New York Navy Yard, 1942-43); ship's company 1943-45; conversion-yard workers (Baltimore, May-Aug 1945)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no located document names this hull's materials. The diesel plant eliminates boiler insulation (the largest asbestos mass on steam ships); listed applications are era-typical, not ship-proven. The 30% conversion is documented as an event, but no materials schedule, work order, or product list for the work performed was located. Establishes no quantity, no location, no exposure for any individual, no causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-04
-
[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 fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this hull was built (New York Navy Yard, 1942-43) and under which its partial repair-ship conversion was performed (1945) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- 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 scholarship; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 opinion-index sweeps (authenticated), 2026-09-26: query 'LST-316' and query 'USS Cerberus' [court_record]
- Locator
- CL search q='LST-316' type=o (count=150); q='USS Cerberus' type=o (count=0)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion-index sweeps on this vessel's identifiers (2026-09-26, authenticated API v4): 'LST-316' returned 150 hits - every hit screened on the ranked first page was a name collision or tokenization artifact (e.g., 'LST' matching '1st'/'lst' in court-abbreviation strings such as '1st Cir. Loc. R.', the unrelated entity 'Lone Star Tan GP, LLC LST Austin I, LTD', and docket-number fragments); none referenced the ship. 'USS Cerberus' returned 0 results. No qualifying asbestos opinion naming this hull under either designation was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Opinion-index (type=o) screening at case-name/snippet level on ranked results; the full 150-hit LST-316 result set was not exhaustively page-read - deep hits are not excluded. Sweep covers indexed opinions only, not unindexed pleadings or PACER-only dockets; litigation conclusions are limited accordingly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 sweeps attempted but deferred: query 'ARL-43' (type=o) and docket-level (type=r) sweeps for this vessel's identifiers [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cerberus-arl43-05 through -07 (blocked)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener hull-number and docket-level sweeps for this vessel were attempted but blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget during the 2026-09-26 session (helper script cl-auth-search.py exit 2 - hourly/burst throttle, not the daily quota). The queries never executed; results are pending, not negative. Bare-name 'Cerberus' sweeps were not attempted because the name is dominated by Cerberus Capital Management LP litigation noise - 'USS Cerberus' (exact, 0 results) was used as the qualifying name query instead.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Coverage gap, not a finding - 'ARL-43' opinion and RECAP docket sweeps remain unexecuted. Given the two completed sweeps' results, residual risk is assessed as low but non-zero. Logged in search_ledger and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-07
-
[9]Cross-source reconciliation: NHHC DANFS 'LST-316' entry; NavSource archives/10/16/160316.htm; shipscribe usnaux Coronis (ARL-10) register; Shipbuilding History repair-ship table (navalmarinearchive.com mirror); landingship.com transcribed service record (E.H. Switzer, CBM(T)); en.wikipedia.org USS LST-316 infobox vs prose [other_primary]
- Locator
- As cited in ev-01/-02/-03 locators; landingship.com/327/switzer-eh-record.htm service-record table (ARL-43 Baltimore row); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-316 infobox
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved/logged: (a) Commissioning date - DANFS and NavSource 1943-02-03 vs shipscribe ship note '6 Feb 43'; shipscribe prints 6 Feb 43 identically for sisters LST-317 (ARL-44) and LST-332 (ARL-45), indicating a repeated register artifact - 1943-02-03 adopted. (b) Conversion yard - NavSource and Shipbuilding History's register table say 'New York NSY'; shipscribe's per-ship note says decommissioned at Port Covington, Baltimore, Md., for conversion by Bethlehem Steel, Key Highway, Baltimore; a transcribed veteran service record (Switzer, CBM(T), landingship.com) places 'ARL-43, Baltimore, Maryland' on 1945-07-24, corroborating Baltimore. Recorded as a conflict favoring Baltimore/Key Highway on the more granular source + corroboration, without merging. (c) Cancellation - NavSource/Wikipedia compress to 'conversion canceled 12 September 1945'; shipscribe distinguishes conversion-work cancellation 1945-08-27 from reclassification/name cancellation 1945-09-12 - both dates carried. (d) Final fate - Wikipedia infobox 'scrapped 1966/7' is unsourced; the documented chain ends at merchant AUGUSTA (Honduras Shipping Co.) from 1952 per shipscribe. (e) Wikipedia infobox 'laid down 7 September 1942' contradicts its own article prose and all primary-derived sources (1942-10-15) - treated as a Wikipedia defect.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1967
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies by recording each source's exact statement rather than merging. The conversion-yard conflict is judged likely-resolved toward Baltimore (shipscribe per-ship note + crew-record corroboration vs register-table repetition of the builder column) but is carried as a conflict rather than asserted. None of the reconciled items affects the asbestos posture; no asbestos content in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-08
-
[10]NARA logbook guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy) + catalog check; RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck logs; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) ARL conversion records [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-log guidance page; NARA catalog search 'LST-316' (no digitized logs returned)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for LST-316 (1943-1945) would document the ship's movements, the May 1945 decommissioning location (resolving the Port Covington vs New York yard conflict), and conversion-period activity; WWII-era deck logs are held at NARA College Park and were not located in the digitized online set (NARA's catalog listing covers later-era logs). RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records for the LST-to-ARL conversion program - including Bethlehem Steel Key Highway contract files and work orders for the ~30% of conversion work performed - are the likeliest documents for any ship-specific materials schedule. NHHC 'L-File' ship-history folders may hold the ARL-43 administrative correspondence.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed. Whether any asbestos-specific document exists for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-09
-
[11]Batch-2636 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; shipscribe auxiliary register; Shipbuilding History repair-ship table; CourtListener authenticated API sweeps; VA BVA decisions search; NARA catalog; shipyard dataset check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cerberus-arl43-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, no abatement contract, no hazmat disclosure, no docketed case naming LST-316 or Cerberus (ARL-43), and no veteran-appeal decision referencing the hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull's WWII service record and canceled-conversion administrative history are well documented; nothing located speaks to materials content.
- 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 - 1943-era construction at a Navy yard and a partial 1945 repair-ship conversion are contexts in which era-typical asbestos use would be expected. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cerberus-arl43-10