USS LST-163

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 642-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: UNVERIFIABLE

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lst-163-lst163-pkt-642-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, 'LST-163' (NHHC live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-163 entry, full text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS states, verbatim: 'LST-163 was laid down on 10 August 1942 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 4 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Monty H. Freeland; and commissioned on 24 March 1943. The tank landing ship never saw active service with the United States Navy. She was decommissioned on 29 March 1943 and transferred to the United Kingdom. The ship was returned to United States Navy custody on 29 November 1946 and was sold to Tung Hwa Trading Co., of Singapore, on 29 July 1947 and converted to merchant service. LST-163 was struck from the Navy list on 1 August 1947.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1942-43); USN commissioning crew (5 days); RN crew 1943-46

   Limitations

   Identity, construction, transfer chain, and disposal facts only - the entry contains no asbestos, materials, or exposure information. USN commission lasted 5 days (24-29 Mar 1943) as a lend-lease transfer formality; all operational service was under the Royal Navy and is not covered by DANFS beyond the transfer dates.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LST-163 page (navsource.net verified live 2026-10-02; defunct navsource.org not cited) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/160163.htm - timeline block, Royal Navy History block, ONI-1945 specifications block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 10 August 1942 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 4 February 1943; commissioned USS LST-163 24 March 1943; decommissioned 29 March 1943 and transferred to the Royal Navy; commissioned into the RN as HM LST-163 on 1 April 1943; paid off 15 February 1946, possibly at Singapore; returned to US Navy custody 29 November 1946; sold for conversion to merchant service 29 July 1947 to Tung Hwa Trading Co., Singapore; struck from the Naval Register 1 August 1947; final disposition 'fate unknown.' ONI-1945 specifications block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 12 kts maximum; complement 7 officers + 104 enlisted plus troop accommodations for 16 officers + 147 enlisted; propulsion two General Motors 12-567 900 hp diesels, two shafts, twin rudders; armament one 12-pdr AA multi-barrel mount, six 20mm mounts, four Fast Aerial Mine mounts; four LCVP. NavSource lists RN campaigns: Sicilian occupation, Salerno landings, West Coast of Italy operations-1944 including Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings, Invasion of Normandy, and Malaya.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   RN crew and embarked troops, 1943-1946

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry. Its 'Royal Navy History' block appears template-shared across sister ships: the companion LST-164 page contains a copy error reading 'Commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-163' (should read 164), and the campaign lists on the two pages are identical - treat individual campaign attributions as group-level, not hull-verified. The convoy SC 131 passage claim is uncorroborated by the Hague convoy listing (see correction row ev-uss-lst-163-07). Normandy participation is independently corroborated (ev-uss-lst-163-03); Anzio-Nettuno is corroborated by an embarked unit history (ev-uss-lst-163-05). No asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-02

4. [4]Royal Navy, Naval War Diary (MOST SECRET) for June 1944, days 16-30 - Naval Historical Branch transcription hosted on royalnavy.mod.uk (official RN site) [other_primary]

   Locator

   RN War Diary June 1944 (days 16-30), convoy movement entries: E.T.M.12 composition list; F.W.L. convoy listing (E) 'L.S.T. 215, 2, 163, ...'; B.M.L.17 sailing entry (Capt. N.S. 261630B)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official wartime RN records place this hull in Operation NEPTUNE follow-up traffic in June 1944: convoy E.T.M.12 (sailing ~18 June) assigns 'L.S.T.163, 379, 364, 421 and 293' to the Juno beach group; an earlier convoy listing (~16-17 June) includes 'L.S.T. 215, 2, 163, 307, 347, 331, 356, 360, 266, 308'; and convoy B.M.L.17 'Sailed' 26 June 1944 with 'L.S.T.63, 163' in its E-section and an F-section note 'L.S.T. 163 (1) 234 (2) 101' (per-ship load-report notation). This corroborates the Invasion of Normandy campaign attribution in NavSource's campaign list.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   June 1944

   Population

   RN crew; embarked troops/vehicles on Normandy shuttle

   Limitations

   Documents the hull in Normandy-area convoy traffic in mid/late June 1944 - after the 6 June assault itself; the diary shows follow-up/build-up ferry sailings, not proof this hull beached on D-Day. Transcription artifacts exist ('(?)' qualifiers, load-code notation). Corroborates Normandy only - Sicily, Salerno, Anzio-Nettuno, and Malaya attributions stand on other sources. No asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-03

5. [5]The National Archives (UK), Discovery catalogue record ADM 178/342 (former reference NL 8331/44) [other_primary]

   Locator

   TNA Discovery, reference ADM 178/342, record C517489

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   TNA holds a 1944 Admiralty Board of Enquiry report for this hull: 'Explosion on board HM LST163: Board of Enquiry; laxity of regulations, ratings concerned drafted' (ADM 178/342, Naval Courts Martial Cases, Boards of Inquiry Reports and Other Papers, Supplementary Series; date 1944; Open Document; not digitised - physical consultation or copying at Kew only). The catalogue description documents that an explosion serious enough to warrant a formal Board of Enquiry occurred aboard HM LST-163 in 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   RN crew aboard at time of 1944 explosion

   Limitations

   Archival lead: the catalogue description establishes that an explosion and formal enquiry occurred but does not give date, location, cause, casualties, or material consequences - contents are not digitised and were not examined. No asbestos or material content; whether the event disturbed insulation is unknown and not asserted.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-04

6. [6]95th Evacuation Hospital unit history, transcription hosted at med-dept.com (WW2 US Medical Research Centre site) [other_primary]

   Locator

   med-dept.com 95th Evacuation Hospital unit history, Italy narrative (January 1944) and station list 'boarded LST 163 for Anzio, Italy 23 Jan 44'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   An embarked unit's own history places personnel aboard this hull for the Anzio operation: 'On 19 January 1944, automotive transportation was loaded and the next day personnel boarded LST # 163 and anchored at Naples harbor. The 95th Evac Hosp was part of the invasion forces sailing out of Naples before dawn at 0500, 21 January 1944' - the Operation Shingle convoy; the unit 'unloaded on Green Beach at 1300 hours, 23 January' 1944 at Anzio. This independently corroborates the Anzio-Nettuno/West Coast of Italy attribution in NavSource's campaign list.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   January 1944

   Population

   95th Evacuation Hospital personnel embarked aboard, Jan 1944; RN crew

   Limitations

   Private-site transcription of a unit history, not an official repository - content consistent with the documented Operation Shingle timeline but the underlying paper record was not examined. Documents the embarked medical unit's presence aboard, not ship's-force conditions. No asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-05

7. [7]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII database, 'HMS LST 163 (LST 163)' entry [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net/allies/warships/12221.html, ship data table and 'Commands listed' section; companion USN entry ship/11276.html (ordered 11 Feb 1942)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net entry for HMS LST 163 records: LST (Mk 2) class, pennant LST 163; built by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, Indiana; laid down 10 Aug 1942; launched 4 Feb 1943; commissioned 1 Apr 1943; end service 15 Feb 1946; 'Returned to the USN on 29 November 1946.' Wartime commanding officers listed: T/A/Lt.Cdr. Robert Sidney Norbury, RNR (Jul 1943 - 28 Mar 1944); T/Lt. Francis Edwin Trout, RNR (28 Mar 1944 - 27 Sep 1944); T/A/Lt.Cdr. Robert William Newton, RNR (27 Sep 1944 - mid 1945). Dates are consistent with DANFS and NavSource.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1946

   Population

   RN officers and crew, 1943-1946

   Limitations

   uboat.net is a long-running volunteer-compiled reference database (Gudmundur Helgason's Allied Warships), not an official registry - dates corroborate but do not supersede DANFS. Commanding-officer list covers only WWII service and is marked 'we're still working on this section' by the site. No asbestos or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-06

8. [8]A. Hague convoy database listing for Convoy SC 131 (Halifax 18 May 1943) as transcribed on warsailors.com, plus the site's SC 131 commodore's-report table [other_primary]

   Locator

   warsailors.com/convoys/scconvoys3.html, 'Convoy number SC 131 HALIFAX 18/05/43' block; warsailors.com/convoys/sc131.html station table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NavSource states HM LST-163 'sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Liverpool in convoy SC 131, 18 May 1943.' The independent Hague-database listing for SC 131 enumerates six LSTs - LST 13, LST 63, LST 64, LST 164, LST 198, LST 200 - and does not include LST 163; the site's separate commodore's-report table for the same convoy lists LSTs 164, 15, 65, 198, 64, 200 and likewise omits LST 163. The convoy-passage claim for this hull is therefore uncorroborated by the convoy listing and is treated as disputed pending a primary movement record.

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   May 1943

   Population

   RN crew on the UK delivery passage (May 1943)

   Limitations

   Corrects a specific NavSource claim, not the hull's UK transfer itself (which DANFS establishes). Absence from the Hague listing does not prove the ship was not in the convoy - omissions and identifier slips occur in convoy records ('LST 63' in Hague's station 35 is conceivably a transcription of LST 163; unresolvable from these sources). The discrepancy matters because NavSource's RN-history block appears template-shared across sister hulls (see ev-uss-lst-163-02). warsailors.com transcribes the Hague database and primary convoy documents; it is a secondary compilation, not an official archive.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-07

9. [9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table and roster (shipscribe.com scan); consolidated with era shipbuilding-materials practice [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster section (same source as class profile ev-lst-1-class-01)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/design basis for asbestos-relevance of this hull: the LST-1-class design carried two General Motors 12-567 diesel engines (approx. 900 hp each per ONI-1945) on two shafts - a diesel plant with no boilers, so the steam-lagging pathway that dominates asbestos documentation on combatants is absent. Asbestos-relevant applications for the type concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve packing, and winch/windlass brake linings - materials of the WWII construction era commonly containing asbestos fiber. This hull was built August 1942 - February 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron's Evansville yard, inside the wartime emergency shipbuilding program.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1945 design era

   Population

   MVB&I Evansville construction trades (1942-43); RN engineering/crew spaces 1943-46

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only: BuShips data documents the machinery fit of the class, not material composition, and no ship-specific asbestos record exists for this hull. Diesel exhaust temperatures run far lower than steam plants; presence, quantity, location, and present-day condition of any asbestos aboard are unestablished. Does not establish exposure or causation for any individual.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-163-08

10. [10]National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places nomination (continuation sheet) for USS LST 325, Vanderburgh County, IN [nps]

    Locator

    NRHP continuation sheet for USS LST 325, Section 7 (specifications) and Section 8 (program history, inland-yard production figures)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NPS documentation of the LST construction program under which this hull was built: 1,051 LSTs built during WWII; production took place at established naval yards and five inland facilities (Seneca IL; Evansville IN; Jeffersonville IN; Ambridge PA; Neville Island PA) which produced 670 of them, and 'the Evansville facility built the most LSTs, 167.' Construction time fell from four months early in the program to two months by war's end; the LST was a 328-ft, 50-ft-beam, flat-bottomed, all-welded steel vessel powered by two diesel engines with a 2,100-ton tank-deck capacity.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1942-1945

    Population

    Wartime workers at the five inland LST yards incl. Evansville; 265,000 sailors served on LSTs per the nomination

    Limitations

    Program-level and yard-level context only - the nomination concerns LST-325 (an LST-542-class ship) and makes no statement about this hull, and its Sections 7-8 contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Documents the wartime production regime at this hull's building yard; supports no asbestos claim.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-163-09

11. [11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product-page description [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy since 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1979 (report); not applicable to this hull's custody timeline

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers (program review context)

    Limitations

    Program-level US Navy context only; weakly applicable to this hull, which left US Navy custody days after commissioning (March 1943), served under the Royal Navy, and was sold to Singapore owners in 1947 - the postwar US Navy removal/replacement program never applied to it. gao.gov full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; content taken from the product-page description. Establishes no fact about this vessel.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-163-10

12. [12]Batch-6721 search ledger (this record): DANFS, NavSource, uboat.net, RN War Diary, TNA Discovery, NPS NRHP (LST-325), CourtListener API v4, NVR, Wikipedia, live-web asbestos searches [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-163-01 through sl-uss-lst-163-12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record (the hull is not preserved), or docketed case naming LST-163 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search for 'LST-163' returned zero results; companion docket and variant searches were intermittently blocked by the fleet request pacer (see search_ledger). Live-web asbestos searches for this hull number returned only noise.

    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 - era-consistent presence remains a reasonable inference only. The hull spent its operational career under the Royal Navy and was sold to Singapore merchant owners in 1947, so the US litigation/record surface is inherently thin; UK-side records (TNA ADM 178/342, ship's logs) are not digitised. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-163-11