Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 639-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-128-lst128-pkt-639-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-128 (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-02) - construction at Evansville, sponsor, commissioning, campaign list, occupation duty, decommission/strike dates, four battle stars [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-128 capsule entry (history.navy.mil > research > histories > ship-histories > danfs > l > lst-128)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 20 June 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 3 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Allen H. Dame; commissioned 11 October 1943. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the Marshall Islands operation (occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, January-February 1944), the Marianas operation (capture and occupation of Saipan, June-July 1944; Tinian capture and occupation, July 1944), and the Western Caroline Islands operation (capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, September-October 1944). Performed occupation duty in the Far East until early March 1946; decommissioned 23 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 17 April 1946. Earned four battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. Entry is a short capsule - it does not name the commanding officer, flotilla/group assignments, or final disposition (NavSource supplies those). Live page verified this session - unlike the 2026-09 link-rot pattern on other hulls, this NHHC DANFS URL returns content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, Tank Landing Ship LST-128 - designation timeline, unit assignments, commanding officers, specifications, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160128.htm - header block, campaign table, commanding-officers table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LST-1 class; laid down 20 June 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 3 September 1943; commissioned 11 October 1943, Lt. Howard T. Walden Jr., USNR, in command. Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LST Flotilla Thirteen (Capt. J. G. Sampson), LST Group Thirty-Seven (Cmdr. R. D. Higgins USNR), LST Division Seventy-Three; campaign table matches DANFS (Marshalls, Saipan, Tinian, southern Palaus). Occupation service in the Far East 20 September 1945 - 23 March 1946; decommissioned 23 March 1946; struck 17 April 1946; four battle stars. Commanding officers: Lt. Walden (Oct 1943-Apr 1945), Lt.jg./Lt. Howard M. Frost Jr. (Apr-Nov 1945), Lt.jg. Robert W. Epple (Nov 1945-23 Mar 1946). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; two GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp each) via Falk main reduction gear, twin screws, twin rudders; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted. Final disposition listed as 'fate unknown' (superseded by AWM/BCOF primary documentation - see ev-04/-05). Photo captions credit the Evansville Museum (commissioning ceremony) and transcribe NARA identifiers 193836369 (LST-128 with LST-240 at Kwajalein, April 1944, 7th Bomber Command lift) and 193836525 (Marshall Islands, before 6 May 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Evansville, 1943); ship's company ~117 + embarked troops ~163 (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS but complement/specs are not independently verified against a BuShips sheet for this hull. 'Fate unknown' in NavSource's own disposition line is contradicted by primary records it also hosts/cites (AWM captions) - the correction is carried as such. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-02
-
[4]Attack Landing Order No. L744, ComTransGrp 3, 5thPhib, Pavuvu, Russell Islands, 23 August 1944 - Western Attack Force / TG 32.3.6 Peleliu Transport Group task organization (scanned wartime document hosted by NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 180782a.pdf, single page, task-organization section '(g) 32.13.1 LST Flotilla' / '32.13.2 LST Unit ONE'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The scanned wartime task-organization page places this hull in the Peleliu operation's LST lift: '32.13.2 LST Unit ONE, Commander McFall - LST's 61, 243, 553, 127, 128, 224, 607, 227 (F)' under '32.13.1 LST Flotilla, Captain Sampson' - consistent with the NavSource flotilla assignment and the DANFS Western Caroline Islands campaign credit. LST Unit TWO (Lt.Cmdr. Hoyt), Unit THREE, a Support Artillery Unit, and an LST Reserve Unit (Cmdr. Hardin) are listed alongside.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-08-23
- Population
- Embarked troops and crew, Palau operation (Sep-Oct 1944)
- Limitations
- Primary operational document read via local OCR (300 dpi tesseract) of an image-only scanned PDF - NavSource hosts the scan; the underlying document is a wartime attack landing order. Task-organization listing proves the hull was assigned to the operation; it is not an exposure record and contains no material content. NavSource links it from the LST-128 page, consistent with the listing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-03
-
[5]Australian War Memorial photo captions, Operation Lewisite series (photographer Alan Queale, Okunoshima, 3 August 1946): accession 131740 ('motor truck leaving Landing Ship, Tank (LST) No. 128 after having dumped a load of 60kg mustard gas bombs inside the ship'), 131746 ('beached decommissioned Landing Ships Tanks 814 (left) and 128 (right)... they had as cargo poison gas removed in Operation Lewisite... they were later scuttled at sea'), 131748 ('LST 128 was sunk on 1946-08-28, loaded with 2600 tons of gas, made up of 1755 tons of liquid mustard and lewisite, 70 tons of mustard gas containers, 717 tons of sneezing gas, 58 tons of gas shells'); also 131739 (vacuum transfer pipeline to receivers on deck of 'the LST') [museum_official]
- Locator
- AWM collection items 131739, 131740, 131746, 131748 (awm.gov.au/collection/<id>) - verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official archive captions document this hull's post-Navy use as a chemical-weapons disposal hulk: beached decommissioned at Okunoshima (Tadanoumi branch of the former Tokyo 2nd Army Arsenal) under Operation Lewisite, loaded with chemical-agent cargo - then scuttled at sea on 28 August 1946 carrying 2,600 tons: 1,755 t liquid mustard and lewisite, 70 t mustard gas containers, 717 t 'sneezing gas' (diphenylcyanoarsine), and 58 t gas shells. Captions describe the vacuum transfer pipeline filling receivers on deck, the bleach-bath scrubber neutralizing vapor from below-deck tanks, and Japanese laborers in anti-gas suits working aboard under U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Section direction (Maj. W. E. Williamson) with BCOF oversight (Brig. G. H. Clifton).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Japanese contract laborers (Teikoku Rayon), U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Section personnel, BCOF staff aboard the hulks (Jun-Aug 1946)
- Limitations
- This is a chemical-warfare disposal record, NOT an asbestos record - it documents a different hazard aboard this specific hull. Captions are contemporaneous official archive attribution (the operation ran 8 May - 30 Nov 1946); the photo dates (3 Aug) precede the recorded sinking date (28 Aug) because captions were written knowing the outcome. 'Sneezing gas' = diphenylcyanoarsine per the LST-814 caption. No asbestos content; does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-04
-
[6]AWM27 501/01 - 'Disposal Report, Chemical Munitions - Operation Lewisite, BCOF Occupation Zone, Japan, 8 May - 30 Nov 1946' (official record, digitized file AWM2020.8.197, 223 pages incl. photographs and diagrams) [museum_official]
- Locator
- AWM2020.8.197 bundled PDF: disposal-operations narrative (image ~p.69 of 223), transport section (~p.122), scuttling-preparation text (~p.141), BCOF HQ letter re tug/scuttle schedule (~p.149), hulls/position paragraph (~p.217)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The official disposal report names this hull: 'Headquarters US 8 Army have made available two decommissioned ships, LST 128 and LST 814, for loading with poison gas and sinking at sea. These LSTs were towed ... from YOKOSUKA ... and beached at OKUNOSHIMA' (BCOF HQ letter). Operations narrative: 'LST 814 and LST 128, decommissioned, were beached at North Beach, Okunoshima, 27 June 1946'; seven-knot tidal currents required anchoring LST 128 as a floating pier while LST 814 was winched alongside; 'vacuum operated calibrated receiving vessels of five ton capacity were mounted on top deck of LST 128 amidships' feeding lead pipe connections to both hulls' tanks. Scuttling preparation: ships' tanks emptied and cleaned, filling/vent lines run to top deck, ports torch-cut through watertight bulkheads for uniform flooding, beehive shaped charges placed to avoid rupturing tanks so 'the LSTs will settle steadily by the stern' with 30-minute fuses. Army-approved sinking position: 'Lat 32 deg 30 min N, Long 134 deg 10 min E'; readiness for tow-out and sinking anticipated by 15 August 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Japanese disposal-contract laborers; U.S. Eighth Army Chemical Warfare Section; BCOF engineering works (CRE Works) personnel; tug/escort crews
- Limitations
- Official-record scan (image-only PDF, 825 MB) read via local OCR at 130-300 dpi - quoted text is OCR-verified against re-rendered pages but minor transcription noise possible. Internal date variance: the HQ letter gives beaching on 23 June 1946; the operations narrative says beached at North Beach 27 June 1946 - carried as a variance, not resolved (see gaps). The approved sinking position is documented; the actual scuttle fix is not stated in located sections. Chemical-weapons record, not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-05
-
[7]NavSource LST-814 and LST-1005 pages caption AWM photos 131746/131747 as 'LST-814 and LST-1005'; AWM's own captions and the BCOF report name the pair 'LST 814' and 'LST 128' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160814.htm photo captions 131746/131747; NavSource 161005.htm same captions; AWM items 131746/131748; AWM27 501/01 narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's LST-814 page (10/16/160814.htm) and LST-1005 page (10/16/161005.htm) both caption AWM photographs 131746 and 131747 as showing 'ex-USS LST-814 and ex-USS LST-1005' beached at Okunoshima. The AWM captions for those same photographs read 'LST 814 (left) and 128 (right)' / 'LST 814 (left) and LST 128', and the official BCOF disposal report twice names the gas-hulk pair as LST 128 and LST 814. The NavSource '1005' attribution is a captioning error - LST-1005 (decommissioned 6 April 1946 after collision damage, 'hulk destroyed' per NavSource) is not the hull the primary record names.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source captioning error, not a material or exposure claim. The underlying photographs are AWM items; the AWM caption text is the archive-level attribution. NavSource's LST-128 page itself agrees with AWM (photo 131739 captioned as LST-128).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - diesel plant, no boilers); DANFS LST class overview (Vol. VII: >1,000 hulls, Bureau of Ships design, mass production incl. inland yards) via Wayback capture of hazegray.org/danfs/amphib/lst.htm; LST-1 class profile (shipyard-exposure-map class files, BuShips SD-1945 v2 design data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160128.htm specifications block; DANFS 'Tank Landing Ships (LST)' overview (Wayback capture 20250127100234); class profile lst-1-class.class.json
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built June-October 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville, sits inside the wartime asbestos-era construction program; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a diesel LST of this type were GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The diesel plant (no boilers, no steam system) narrows the classic steam-lagging pathway; exposure relevance concentrates in machinery/exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, and accommodation insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Construction trades at Evansville yard (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); disposal-operation laborers (1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-128. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-07
-
[9]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 - post-dating this hull's entire construction (1943) and service era (1943-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-08
-
[10]Batch-6698 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live; NavSource 160128/160814/161005; NavSource-hosted wartime PDFs (180782a landing order, 160243b Peleliu beach appendix); AWM items 131735-131752 and AWM27 501/01 digitized report; NVR; NARA catalog; CourtListener (partial - fleet pacing); Wikipedia; hazegray/Wayback; secondary registry cross-checks (uboat.net, globalsecurity.org, navalmarinearchive.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-128-lst128-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS LST-128 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener (authenticated API v4): the quoted-phrase opinion query '"LST-128"' returned 0 hits - no opinion in the index contains the exact hull phrase; an unquoted 'LST-128' sweep returned 234 token-noise hits with no asbestos/ship content in the returned set. Coverage caveat: '"USS LST-128"', '"LST 128"' opinion variants and docket-index (type=r) queries were blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget on repeated attempts this session - logged as partial coverage, not a full negative result. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content, excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull was a wartime-built hulk scuttled in 1946 with chemical cargo; whatever era materials it carried went down with it. Litigation coverage is a partial result, not complete: zero opinion hits on the exact phrase, but variant-phrase and docket queries were paced off (a name-match opinion is not automatically a case; hull-number-only LSTs rarely appear in pleadings by name). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-128-lst128-09