Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 640-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-137-lst137-pkt-640-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-137 - construction (American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA), Normandy campaign, decommission/strike dates, 1948 sale, one battle star (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative (complete entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-137 was laid down on 23 October 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 19 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. J. A. Turek; and commissioned on 26 January 1944.' Assigned to the European theater; 'took part in the invasion of Normandy from 6 to 25 June 1944.' 'Decommissioned on 20 November 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 5 December 1945. On 26 March 1948, she was sold to the Ships & Power Equipment Corp., of Barber, N.J., for scrapping. LST-137 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); Navy crew (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. The DANFS entry ends at the 1948 sale 'for scrapping' - NavSource documents the hull was not then scrapped but resold to Shell Oil and operated as tanker MT Laura until 1953 (see ev-02 and the correction row ev-09). Live page verified via rendered fetch; plain curl required a browser user-agent (returns 404 otherwise).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-137 - flotilla/group assignment, specifications, commanding officers, post-Navy career and disposal (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160137.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship; commissioned 26 January 1944 with LT. John A. Culley, USNR, in command; assigned Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater, LST Flotilla Eleven, LST Group Thirty-Two; Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; decommissioned 20 November 1945; struck from the Naval Register 5 December 1945; one battle star. Sold 26 March 1948 to Ships and Power Equipment Corp., Barber, N.J.; resold in 1948 to Shell Oil Co.; rebuilt as a shallow-draft tanker for Shell's movement of crude oil from the Lake Maracaibo fields to refineries in Aruba and Curacao; named MT Laura, reflagged Venezuela; final disposition scrapped 1953. Specifications block: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load / 2,366 t beaching; length 328 ft o.a.; beam 50 ft; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, Falk main reduction gears, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC ship's-service generators, 2 shafts 1,700 shp; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; ultimate armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; fuel 4,300 bbls diesel. Commanding officers: LT John A. Culley USNR (26 Jan 1944 - 1945); LT H. L. Guthrie USNR (1945 - 20 Nov 1945). Photo captions cite primary records: COM LST-GR 32 war diary and the LST-137 muster roll (1/26/44 - 11/20/45), and United News newsreel frames (NARA ID 39013, local ID 208-UN-106) showing LCT(6)-780 launching from LST-137 at a Port of Plymouth (Devon, UK) shipyard on 24 April 1944; further captions place the ship beached on Omaha Beach 6 June 1944 and departing Plymouth 9 July 1945 in Convoy No. 9.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1953
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); Navy crew and embarked troops (1944-45); Shell Oil tanker crew and conversion-yard workers (1948); 1953 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its Navy milestones here agree with DANFS, but the entire post-1948 commercial history (Shell Oil resale, MT Laura, Venezuelan flag, 1953 scrapping) rests on NavSource alone and is unverified against a registry source. Photo-caption attributions (Omaha Beach 6 June 1944; Plymouth 24 April 1944 and 9 July 1945) are contributor-supplied; the captions cite NARA-held records (war diary, muster roll, newsreel NAID 39013) that were not independently retrieved. Complement figures differ from BuShips (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945), LST design table and roster (shipscribe.com scan; PDF verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 pp. 168-169 (LANDING SHIP, TANK design table) and vessel roster (LST137-141 block entry)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data for the LST1-490 group - the design block containing LST-137: length 328 ft o.a. / 316 ft w.l.; beam 50 ft; beaching displacement 2,366 t; full-load displacement 4,080 t; trial speed 11.6 kt; propulsion 2 x G.M. Diesel 12-567A (1,700 shp), 2 propellers, Falk single main reduction gears; 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's-service generators; fuel oil 4,320 bbls; accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted plus, per footnote, 16 Army officers / 131 Army enlisted; armament 2 twin + 4 single 40-mm A.A. mounts. In the vessel roster, block LST137-141 is listed with no sunk/transferred/converted annotation - i.e., in ordinary service as of January 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (data as published January 1945)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Class/design-level official data: the table documents the LST1-490 design group this hull was built to, not this specific hull's as-built condition. No asbestos, insulation, or material-schedule content - SDB tables carry machinery/dimension data only. Troop and complement figures differ slightly from NavSource (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-03
-
[5]Era/design inference built on: BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery data for LST1-490 (diesel plant, no boilers); WWII-era amphibious-ship construction practice; Corn & Starr (1987) documentation that the federal government reserved asbestos supply for WWII shipbuilding [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 machinery rows (LST1-490); Corn & Starr (1987) era documentation (see ev-05)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship mass-built 1943-44 sits inside the documented WWII shipbuilding asbestos-use era. Because the LST-1 design carried diesel engines rather than a steam plant, the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway does not apply; era-typical asbestos-relevant applications aboard this type were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, valve packing, and electrical insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1953
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); crew and embarked troops (1944-45); 1948 tanker-conversion yard workers (unidentified yard); 1953 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work record located for LST-137. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish individual exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-04
-
[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; DOI resolves to onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- 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-1-class hull was mass-produced - and that the federal government reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding use, driving unprecedented utilization aboard wartime hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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 or the LST class and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Publisher page returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (paywalled Wiley full text); citation is bibliographic via DOI, which resolves.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-05
-
[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, 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 - postdating this hull's entire Navy service (1944-45) and commercial life (1948-53).
- 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 - the hull left U.S. custody in 1948, before the period the report reviews. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated, 2026-10-02): opinion search '"LST-137"' - 0 hits; '"LST 137"' - 0 hits; '"USS LST-137"' - 0 hits; docket search '"LST-137"' - 1 hit: Lundy v. Selene Finance, LP, N.D. Cal. No. 4:15-cv-05676 (28:1345 Foreclosure) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-137-04 through sl-uss-lst-137-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in CourtListener. All three opinion searches returned zero results. The single docket hit, Lundy v. Selene Finance LP (N.D. Cal. foreclosure, filed 2015-12-11, terminated 2018-01-17), is a name collision: the 'LST-137' string appears inside a scanned exhibit attachment in a real-property foreclosure action - it does not reference the vessel, naval service, or asbestos. Classified: name collision / non-qualifying.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage is opinion-text and RECAP docket metadata; unindexed pleadings, state-court dockets outside RECAP, and settled/undocketed claims are not covered. LSTs were hull-number-only (never named), so the hull-number string is the correct identifier - but OCR variants ('LST 137', 'L.S.T. 137') may not have been exhaustively captured. Zero qualifying hits is a search result, not proof that no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-07
-
[9]Batch-6707 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource 10/16/160137; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 full text; CourtListener authenticated API sweep (o and r); GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-137-01 through sl-uss-lst-137-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation or material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-137 was found in the public sources searched. The hull was scrapped in 1953 (per NavSource) - decades before modern ACM-handling regulation - so no present-day fabric record is expected to exist. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying ship-level content: the only asbestos material located is law-firm marketing listicles (mesotheliomahope.com, asbestos.com, swmwlaw.com, asbestos-ships.com) asserting shipboard asbestos generically without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy; none was located naming LST-137 specifically.
- 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 - a 1943-44 wartime-built amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials as installed. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Pre-regulation scrapping (1953) means no abatement paper trail exists to find.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-08
-
[10]DANFS ('sold ... for scrapping', 26 March 1948) vs NavSource post-Navy record (resold to Shell Oil 1948; tanker MT Laura; scrapped 1953) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS final paragraph; NavSource disposition block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DISPOSITION COMPLETION: DANFS records the 26 March 1948 sale to Ships & Power Equipment Corp. 'for scrapping' and ends the entry there. NavSource documents that the hull was not scrapped at sale: it was resold in 1948 to Shell Oil Co., rebuilt as a shallow-draft tanker (MT Laura, Venezuelan flag) moving crude from Lake Maracaibo fields to Aruba/Curacao refineries, and scrapped in 1953. The Navy-disposal date stands; the hull's working life extended ~5 years past it, adding a 1948 tanker-conversion work event and a 1948-53 commercial-crew population to the vessel's exposure-relevant timeline.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1948-1953
- Population
- 1948 conversion-yard workers (unidentified); Shell Oil tanker crew (1948-53); 1953 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- The correction rests on NavSource alone for the commercial career - not verified against a registry (Lloyd's/MARAD-type) source. The 1948 conversion yard is unidentified; whether it disturbed wartime insulation is undocumented. No asbestos content in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-09
-
[11]NARA records cited in NavSource photo captions: COM LST-GR 32 war diary; LST-137 muster roll (1/26/44 - 11/20/45); United News newsreel 'D-Day,' NARA ID 39013 / local ID 208-UN-106; RG 24 deck-log series [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160137.htm photo-caption references; catalog.archives.gov (JS-rendered, direct fetch failed)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - NARA catalog is JS-rendered and unfetchable from this session; no reproduction orders authorized): (a) LST-137 muster roll covering the full commissioned period 26 Jan 1944 - 20 Nov 1945; (b) COM LST-GR 32 (LST Group Thirty-Two) war diary - the unit-level operational record for the Normandy period; (c) United News newsreel 'D-Day,' National Archive ID 39013 / local ID 208-UN-106, whose frames NavSource captions identify as showing LCT(6)-780 launching from LST-137 at Plymouth on 24 April 1944; (d) RG 24 deck logs for the hull. These records could resolve the photo-caption attributions and document any wartime availabilities.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945 records
- Limitations
- Record-identification leads only - none was retrieved or read this session; identifiers were transcribed from NavSource captions, not verified in the NARA catalog. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-137-10