Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
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[1]research packet 641-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LST-158
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-158-lst158-pkt-641-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-158 (NHHC official entry: construction at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville; sponsor; commissioning; campaigns; loss; striking; battle stars) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body text, DANFS > L > LST-158
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-158 was laid down 11 July 1942 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 16 November 1942, sponsored by Mrs. H. S. Tullock; commissioned 10 February 1943; served in the European theater (Sicilian occupation July 1943; North African occupation - Tunisian operations May, June and July 1943); sunk off Licata, Sicily, 11 July 1943 by enemy aircraft action; stricken from the Navy list 28 July 1943; earned two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Ship's company Feb-Jul 1943; embarked troops
- Limitations
- Official NHHC entry verified live 2026-10-02 (page returns 404 to some automated agents but 200 with browser user-agent - confirmed content this session). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or casualty detail; establishes identity, milestones, and loss only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-158 (specifications, campaign table, awards incl. retroactive Combat Action Ribbon, photographic record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/16/160158 - specification block, campaign table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Specification block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load, 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 11.6 kt trial speed; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted plus troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three 100 kW diesel-drive generators, two propellers. Campaign dates: Tunisian operations 26 May-9 July 1943; Sicilian occupation 9-11 July 1943. Photographic record: hull on the building ways at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron 16 Nov 1942 (Evansville Museum collection); loading at Bizerte July 1943 (Army Signal Corps photo); burning off 'Red Beach, Licata' 11 July 1943 (survivor photography; 'Victory at Sea' Ep. 14 and LIFE magazine frames).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (photos through 2013 page update)
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked 66th Armored Regiment elements; museum/photo donors
- Limitations
- NavSource is the canonical per-hull photographic/specification reference but is a volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record; armament shown is the class 'ultimate design' and is not confirmed as this hull's actual fit. Beach named 'Red Beach' in survivor captions conflicts with 'Blue Beach' in the Arthy/Jessen reconstruction - see correction row ev-uss-lst-158-13. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-02
-
[4]Naval Forces, Northwest African Waters and the Eighth Fleet, 'The Invasion of Sicily' (HUSKY) administrative history - official action chronology (HyperWar transcription), plus loss table in Part 5 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Part 2, action chronology 11 July 1943 (0810 entry); Part 5 ship-loss table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy action chronology for 11 July 1943 records JOSS-force shipping at Licata raided by 6 aircraft at 0810: 'LST-158 received a direct hit and is burning.' The administrative history's ship-loss table lists 'U.S.S. LST 158 - Bombed' among vessels lost in the Sicilian operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-10 to 1943-07-11
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops at time of loss
- Limitations
- Verbatim transcription of an official Navy administrative history hosted by HyperWar/ibiblio (University of North Carolina). Confirms the attack time, scale, and official 'bombed' loss classification; contains no casualty count and no material/asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-03
-
[5]U.S. Navy chronology of the war at sea, July 1943 (Pearl Harbor Hearings appendix transcription): 'LST 158, damaged by horizontal bomber, Licata, Sicily, beached and abandoned, 37 d. 05' N., 13 d. 55' E.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- 11 July 1943 entry, 'United States naval vessels lost'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy loss chronology records LST-158 damaged by a horizontal bomber off Licata, Sicily, then beached and abandoned, at position 37 deg 05' N, 13 deg 55' E - the official loss position for the hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-11
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops at time of loss
- Limitations
- Transcription of the official chronology published in the Pearl Harbor Hearings record; 'beached and abandoned' describes the post-attack state, distinct from a constructive-total-loss scuttling. Coordinates place the loss east of Licata - consistent with the 2019 wreck documentation east of the harbor. No casualty or material detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-04
-
[6]Arthy, A. & Jessen, M., 'The Sinking of LST-158' (Air War Publications eArticle, 2014) - verbatim text mirrored on asisbiz.com SKG 10 unit page; canonical edition is the paywalled Air War Publications release [reputable_press]
- Locator
- asisbiz.com Luftwaffe SKG10 page, 'The Sinking of LST-158' article section (paragraphs describing the 11 July mission and eyewitness accounts)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Detailed reconstruction of the loss: two Fw 190 A-5 fighter-bombers of III./SKG 10 (Oblt. Ottmar Simon and Ofhr. Horst Kulpa) departed the Marsa del Oro satellite strip at Gerbini at 0802 carrying SC 500 Trialen bombs; LST-158 was unloading on 'Blue Beach' a few kilometres east of Licata when attacked without warning; a bomb struck amidships, penetrated through a half-track and cargo hatch into the tank deck and three truckloads of gasoline above the auxiliary engine room (per survivor Verdell Jacobson), and the ship burned then exploded catastrophically; personnel went overboard and were rescued by boat crews and soldiers (witnessed by Hubert Johns aboard LCF-12). Per the same eArticle as cited in secondary summaries, LST-158 embarked elements of the 66th Armored Regiment at Bizerte before reaching the Sicilian assault area with the 10 July landings.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-11
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops; rescuers from LCF-12 and shore party
- Limitations
- Specialist aviation-history monograph citing Luftwaffe unit records, the US Navy task-force action report, and named survivor accounts; attack narrative read via the verbatim asisbiz.com republication (canonical eArticle at airwarpublications.com is paywalled and bot-blocks, HTTP 455). The Bizerte/66th Armored Regiment embarkation detail is attributed to the same eArticle via its secondary citation trail (Wikipedia ref) and was not independently read - carried at that weight. 'Blue Beach' conflicts with survivor-caption 'Red Beach' (Torre di Gaffe) - flagged, not resolved. Secondary literature: details carry at this weight, not as official findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-05
-
[7]Air War Publications, 'Allied Ships Lost to Axis Aircraft 14 May - 2 September 1943' (free companion reference to the Arthy/Jessen research): entry for LST-158 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- PDF loss table, 11 July 1943 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Loss-table entry: '11.07.43 LST-158 U.S. Landing Ship Tank - 08:10 Blue Beach, Licata - Direct hit amidships by Fw 190, badly damaged, burning and beached, gutted. 33 Army and 5 U.S. Navy personnel killed.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-11
- Population
- 33 Army and 5 Navy personnel killed (per compilation); ~100 survivors into the water (secondary accounts)
- Limitations
- Casualty figure (33 Army + 5 Navy killed, 38 total) rests on a secondary specialist compilation - no official Navy casualty roster for this hull was located, and the figure conflicts in scope with the 66th Armored Regiment history sub-count (one officer killed, two missing for F Company elements). Carried as the best available secondary figure; the conflict is logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-06
-
[8]Giornale di Sicilia (Agrigento ed.), 'Licata, scoperto il relitto di una nave della Seconda Guerra Mondiale', 20 September 2019, reporting the Soprintendenza del Mare's documentation of the LST-158 wreck; + Qui Licata, July 2023, on Amato's documentary premiere (Soprintendenza del Mare scientific partner) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body (Picone, 20 Sep 2019); https://www.quilicata.it/da-80-anni-il-relitto-di-una-nave-americana-giace-nel-mare-di-licata-fabio-amato-presenta-il-suo-documentario-a-marettimo/ (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Soprintendenza del Mare (Sicilian Region official underwater cultural-heritage authority), acting on a report by the Beni Culturali Sicilia association and with logistical/nautical support from the Finziade section of the Gruppi Archeologici d'Italia, conducted surveys in the marine area east of Licata harbor that documented the wreck of LST-158. The report situates the wreck in the 10 July 1943 JOSS Force landing zone (3rd Infantry Division, Gen. Lucian K. Truscott) and dates the fatal air attack to 0810 on 11 July 1943, consistent with the official Navy action chronology. In July 2023 a documentary on the wreck by Licata archaeologist Fabio Amato premiered at Marettimo with the Soprintendenza del Mare as scientific partner (reported by Qui Licata, July 2023).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2019 (documentation); 1943 (loss)
- Population
- Contemporary wreck divers/archaeologists; war grave site
- Limitations
- Reputable regional press reporting an official heritage-authority action; the underlying Soprintendenza survey record itself was not located in public sources (no dedicated Soprintendenza page for this wreck found). Wreck condition, extent of postwar salvage, and any hazardous-material assessment are undocumented here. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-07
-
[9]Associazione Memento (Licata-area WWII history association), 'LST 158 affondata 11 luglio 1943' - rescue account drawn from Verdell Jacobson's diary and US Navy photo-archive captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page body - Jacobson diary excerpt, Seabee/DUKW rescue paragraphs, photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Rescue detail: roughly 100 men went into the water; four Seabees of platoon 'J', 1006th Naval Construction Battalion (Albert F. Unkenholz, Thomas L. Coakley, Charles W. Woolmancy, William K. Parrish) took a DUKW into the smoke and fire and brought approximately 90 men to the nearby beach across repeated trips, an action for which they were decorated with the Legion of Merit; the last three crewmen off the burning ship (Verdell Jacobson, Tommy Brown, BMC Sam Sullenberger) put an LCVP in the water and joined the rescue. The page also reproduces the survivor caption identifying the location as 'RED Beach - Torre di Gaffe' and reports approximately 38 dead.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-11
- Population
- Survivors and rescuers (1006th NCB Seabees; LCVP crew)
- Limitations
- Local-history association publication quoting the Jacobson diary and Navy photo captions - secondary sourcing with primary fragments; consistent with the Arthy/Jessen reconstruction and the 38-casualty compilation figure but not independently official. Carry rescue specifics at secondary weight; the casualty count conflict is in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-08
-
[10]Woolsey v. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., 119 Ind. App. 391, 88 N.E.2d 54 (Ind. App. 1949) [court_record]
- Locator
- Reporter citation 119 Ind. App. 391, 88 N.E.2d 54 (decided 17 Oct 1949)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed an Industrial Board award in an occupational-disease claim by the estate of Elbert Woolsey, a pipe fitter who worked inside ship compartments at the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Evansville yard June-November 1944; the alleged disease agent was fumes from welding galvanized metal - not asbestos.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (employment); 1949 (decision)
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Evansville shipyard workers (1944 window)
- Limitations
- Yard-level, non-asbestos litigation context only: establishes that occupational-exposure claims against this builder reached appellate record within the era; it does not name this hull, involves no asbestos allegation, and establishes nothing about materials aboard LST-158 (which sank ten months before the claimant's employment window began). Citation verified across two secondary legal indexes (exa.ai opinion text; reporter listings) - CourtListener coverage for 1949 Indiana appellate not confirmed; no URL cited rather than link a blocklisted aggregator.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-09
-
[11]USS LST Ship Memorial (LST-325) official site, Evansville IN - sister LST-1-class hull preserved at the builder city; + Naval Marine Archive yard profile for Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville [museum_official]
- Locator
- lstmemorial.org home/visit pages (verified live); navalmarinearchive.com Missouri Valley yard profile (verified live); build-count range also in Wikipedia MVB&I article (cross-check)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron's Evansville 'cornfield shipyard' on the Ohio River was built for the war emergency and produced roughly 167-171 LSTs (counts vary across secondary sources) plus LCTs and auxiliaries between 1942 and 1945, closing after the war - the plant was destroyed by fire in 1946. A sister LST-1-class hull, USS LST-325, is preserved as the USS LST Ship Memorial museum berthed at 610 NW Riverside Drive, Evansville, memorializing the yard's wartime output.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946; 2005-present (LST-325 museum)
- Population
- MVB&I Evansville shipyard workers (1942-1945)
- Limitations
- Yard-level and class-level context: establishes the construction environment for this hull and the sister-hull survival record; the LST-158 build count range is secondary-sourced and no yard material schedule, worker roster, or hazmat record for LST-158 was located. LST-325's museum presence is a class connection only - it does not document LST-158.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-10
-
[12]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 13 Apr 1945), LST design table + roster (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) + wartime amphibious-ship construction practice; propulsion per NavSource spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LST machinery table (via class profile lst-1-class.class.json); NavSource propulsion spec
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LSTs: LST-158 had no boilers - asbestos-relevant applications are the two GM 12-567A engines' exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, winch/crane brake linings, and generator/auxiliary machinery gasketing, installed under 1942-43 wartime specifications when asbestos was a reserved shipbuilding material.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1942-43); ship's company (Feb-Jul 1943)
- Limitations
- Class/design-era inference, not a hull record: no insulation schedule, survey, or construction photograph establishing asbestos content for LST-158 was located. Does not quantify material; does not establish that any specific product aboard contained asbestos. The hull sank less than five months after commissioning - worker exposure window confined to the Evansville build/fit-out period (Jul 1942-Feb 1943) and the brief commissioned service.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-11
-
[13]Batch-6715 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; HyperWar official histories; PHA chronology; Soprintendenza del Mare reportage; Air War Publications; CourtListener opinion and docket indexes; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-158-01 through sl-uss-lst-158-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming LST-158 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion index for 'LST-158' returned zero hits; the single docket-index hit is a name collision unrelated to the ship.
- 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 - WWII construction practice makes era-typical materials plausible. The hull's 1943 loss forecloses the postwar survey/abatement paper trail other vessels generate; the wreck's postwar salvage extent is unverified. CourtListener docket coverage was limited by fleet pacing - see ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-12
-
[14]Location cross-check: DANFS + official chronology + NavSource place the loss off Licata; Arthy/Jessen specify Blue Beach east of Licata; survivor photo captions read 'Red Beach' (Torre di Gaffe); Wikipedia infobox says Gela; NavSource caption documents a History Channel 'Hero Ships' misattribution of LST-158 footage to the LST-313 bombing off Gela [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo captions 1016015803-058; Arthy/Jessen mirror text; Wikipedia infobox (cross-check only); DANFS
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The loss location is variously published as Gela (Wikipedia infobox/fate line; History Channel narration using LST-158 footage while describing LST-313) versus Licata (all official records: DANFS, Navy action chronology, Navy loss chronology at 37 deg 05' N 13 deg 55' E, and the 2019 wreck documentation east of Licata harbor). Within the Licata sector, the beach is 'Blue Beach' per the Arthy/Jessen reconstruction and 'Red Beach' per survivor photo captions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943; 2019
- Limitations
- Correction of a popular-source geographic error (Gela vs Licata); beach-name detail within the Licata landing zone remains unresolved between secondary accounts. Wikipedia was used only as a cross-check and is not cited as a record source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-158-13