Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 642-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-168-lst168-pkt-642-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-168 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, campaign list, decommissioning, strike, disposal (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-168 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 26 September 1942 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 25 February 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Merle Batey; commissioned 3 May 1943. Asiatic-Pacific operations: Finschhafen occupation (Sep 1943) and Saidor occupation (Jan 1944) under Eastern New Guinea; Cape Gloucester, New Britain (Dec 1943, Jan-Feb 1944) and Admiralty Islands landings (Mar 1944) under Bismarck Archipelago; Hollandia (Apr 1944); Morotai landings (Sep 1944); Leyte landings (Oct-Nov 1944); Lingayen Gulf landings (Jan 1945); Mindanao Island landings (Apr 1945); Balikpapan operation (Jul 1945). Occupation duty in the Far East September-October 1945; returned to the United States, decommissioned 14 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 12 April 1946; sold to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa., 9 April 1948 for scrapping. Eight battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Construction trades (Evansville, 1942-43); USCG ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. The DANFS commissioning date (3 May 1943) conflicts with the ship-produced War History (27 April 1943) and the NavSource CO table (3 April 1943) - see correction row. No yard or repair content: the ARD-12 drydocking and the 1944 Australia repair period are documented only in the ship's War History (ev-03) and unit history (ev-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-168 (10/16/160168.htm, last updated 13 August 2021; verified live 2026-10-02) - class designation, USCG manning banner, unit assignments, campaign table, spec block, commanding-officer list, award rows, photo captions incl. June 1945 Leyte drydock [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160168.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 26 September 1942 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 25 February 1943; commissioned USS LST 168, 3 May 1943, LT. Arthur S. Moreau, USCGR in command - the page banner states 'USS LST-168 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II.' Assigned to LST Flotilla Seven, LST Group Twenty-One, LST Division Forty-Two. Campaign table: Finschhafen 22-24 Sep 1943; Saidor 2-4 and 5-7 Jan 1944; Cape Gloucester 26-28 Dec 1943 and 28 Jan-1 Feb 1944; Admiralty Islands 14-18 Mar 1944; Hollandia 21-28 Apr 1944; Morotai 15 Sep 1944; Leyte 13-28 Oct and 5-18 Nov 1944; Lingayen Gulf 4-18 Jan 1945; Mindanao 17-23 Apr 1945; Balikpapan 26 Jun-10 Jul 1945. Occupation service 6 Sep-25 Oct 1945. Decommissioned 14 March 1946; struck from the Naval Register 12 April 1946; sold 9 April 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA for scrapping. Eight battle stars; award rows also show Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, 3 x diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 / 147; radio call sign NPBS. CO list: LT Moreau USCGR 3 Apr 1943-4 Apr 1944; LT H. Twiford USCG 4 Apr 1944-14 Mar 1946. Photo captions include Cape Gloucester 26 Dec 1943, Cape Sudest 12 Mar 1944, Manila, Tawi-Tawi, Balikpapan, and 'drydocked at Leyte, Philippine Islands in June 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- USCG ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops and group staff (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the ship-produced War History. The CO table's '3 April 1943' start for LT Moreau conflicts with the 3 May 1943 commissioning (likely typo or pre-commissioning detail) and the War History's 27 April 1943 date - unresolved. The 'drydocked at Leyte ... June 1945' caption is contributor-supplied and conflicts with the War History chronology (Leyte 21-31 May; Tawi-Tawi 5 Jun; Morotai 10-26 Jun 1945) - carried as approximate caption-level documentation. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 77706912, 'USS LST-168 - War History' (serial C-LST168/A12 (58192-4), dated 1 October 1945; RG 38, World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories; micro serial 159148, Roll A2106; 6 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77706912, images 1-6 (downloaded and read in full 2026-10-02); repair entries on narrative pp. 3-4
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's consolidated War History (all 6 pages read in full this session; clean typescript) documents the hull's movements verbatim from commissioning to the Tokyo Bay occupation lift: '27 April, 1943 Commissioned at Evansville, Ind.'; departed New Orleans 30 May 1943, Gulfport docking and Gulf trial run 2-4 June, Panama Canal transit 21 June, Bora Bora 15 July, Pago Pago 23 July, Noumea 5 August, arrived Brisbane 16 August 1943, Milne Bay 4 September 1943. Combat chronology: Finschhafen beaching 22 September 1943 under air attack (wounded embarked; one plane credited and two assists); Cape Gloucester beaching 27 December 1943 and 30 January 1944; 3 January 1944 Cape Sudest friendly-fire incident ('American shore batteries opened up on echelon thinking they were enemy ships. No casualties. Slight damage to ship.'); Los Negros Island 16 March 1944; Hollandia assault 24 April 1944 (White Beach blocked by munitions-dump fire; retracted in line of artillery fire; flare-dropping air attack, no damage); Morotai first assault 15 September 1944; Leyte initial invasion 20 October 1944 (bomber attack and beach shelling, no damage); Leyte reinforcement 12 November 1944 under continuous air attack (two planes credited); Lingayen Gulf invasion 11 January 1945 (shelled by heavy guns from hills, no damage); 15 March 1945 beached at Manila - 'First USS Ship to enter Manila Main Harbor since Japanese occupation'; Malabang first assault landing 17 April 1945; Balikpapan first assault landing 1 July 1945 ('last invasion of war'; shelled by enemy mortars). Repair events verbatim: '4 April, 1944 Dry docked ARD-12' and '7 April, 1944 Departed dry dock ARD-12' (anchored Port Harvey, N.G., 1 April); '29 June, 1944 Anchored Cairns, Austrlia and commenced repairs'; '10 July, 1944 Departed Cairns'; '17 July, 1944 Anchored Brisbane, Australia for further repairs'; '16 August, 1944 Departed Brisbane'. Postwar: Okinawa 6-11 September 1945; arrived Yokohama, Tokyo Bay, 15 September 1945, unloaded troops and cargo; departed for Leyte 23 September 1945. Closing list of ten invasions: Finschaffen, Cape Gloucester, Saidor, Admiralty Islands, Humboldt Bay, Morotai, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Balikpapan.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- USCG ship's company (~117); yard/drydock trades at ARD-12 Port Harvey (Apr 1944) and Cairns/Brisbane repair facilities (Jun-Aug 1944); embarked troops incl. Australian troops for Balikpapan (1945)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record (submitted 1 October 1945); documents events and dates verbatim but never itemizes materials and never says 'asbestos' - the ARD-12 drydock and the Cairns/Brisbane repair periods are documented as events only; work scope, contractor, and material content are unrecorded. The document's commissioning date (27 April 1943) conflicts with DANFS (3 May 1943).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-03
-
[5]'History of LST Flotilla Seven' unit history (NavSource-hosted PDF 160018a.pdf; fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160018a.pdf - flotilla roster, Finschhafen/Saidor paragraphs, 24 May 1944 repair paragraph, February-April 1945 flagship references, Balikpapan and Japan-occupation sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The LST Flotilla Seven unit history names this hull throughout: LST-168 was an originally-assigned unit of Flotilla SEVEN; she was in the initial Finschhafen assault group (LSTs 18, 67, 168, 452, 454 on 22 September 1943); made the 3 January 1944 Saidor support landing; and was among ships whose crews received Australia leave in February 1944. Repair period verbatim: 'On 24 May 1944 LST 168 departed from Hollandia to undergo repairs at Buna. From Buna this ship proceeded to Erisbane [Brisbane], Australia for main engine repairs, returning to the New Guinea area in August 1944.' Flagship duty: the ship is listed as LST 168(GF) in the February 1945 resupply group under Commander N. M. Nelson, USCG, and in the 14 April 1945 Mindoro-to-Illana Bay (Malabang) assault unit; she departed Morotai 26 June 1945 for the Balikpapan landings of 1 July; Commander LST Flotilla SEVEN shifted flag temporarily to LST 168 on 5 July 1945 to command the return unit to Morotai; LSTs 168(GF), 454, 457, 474(GF), and 475 were 'the first ships of Flotilla SEVEN to arrive in Japan,' landing Army occupation forces at Yokohama 15 September 1945; on 11 October 1945 LCDR D. W. Gardner, USCGR, in LST 170 relieved CAPT N. M. Nelson, USCG, in LST 168 as Commander LST Group TWENTY-ONE.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Flotilla Seven ship's companies; embarked LST Group 21 staff aboard this flagship (1945); repair facilities at Buna, Cairns, Brisbane (May-Aug 1944)
- Limitations
- Unit-produced history hosted by NavSource; provenance details (author, submission date) are not stated on the PDF face, but its dates cross-check cleanly against the ship-produced War History and DANFS. 'Main engine repairs' is stated without material scope - no asbestos or insulation content anywhere in the document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan; verified live 2026-10-02); NavSource LST-168 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160168.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-1 design group ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp total, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1942-43 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, deck coverings - and the documented 1944 repair events aboard this hull (ARD-12 drydock April 1944; Buna/Cairns/Brisbane availability May-August 1944 documented as 'main engine repairs' - ev-03, ev-04) are events where era-standard insulation materials could have been disturbed or renewed, inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1942-43); USCG ship's company/embarked troops (1943-46); ARD-12 and Australian repair-facility trades (1944); 1948 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or repair work package was located for LST-168. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. The repair events are documented as events only - no source itemizes their material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-05
-
[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 - spanning this hull's construction (1942-43), her Pacific service and documented 1944 repair events, and her 1948 scrapping.
- 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, reconfirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-06
-
[8]NARA guided topic 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - record path for hull-specific asbestos research (RG 19 BuShips correspondence by hull code; QM/ contractor correspondence; Amphibious Vessel GIBs Entry P 10; RG 38 Amphibious InSurv reports Entry P 1-G) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov guided-topic page (RG 19/RG 38 series list); catalog.archives.gov 'USS LST-168' result set (46 file units)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival-lead row (no box-level retrieval performed; no spend authorized): per NARA's own asbestos-research guide, hull-specific asbestos documentation for this ship would sit in RG 19 Bureau of Ships General/Confidential/Secret Correspondence 1940-1946 filed under hull code 'LST168' (Entries A1 1266-A thru -P, UD 1017-S/-T secret contracts correspondence) and in QM/Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron contract correspondence; the Amphibious Vessel General Information Books (RG 19 Entry P 10, Item S-68) may hold an LST-1-class or Evansville-sister SIB; RG 38 amphibious-vessel Board of Inspection and Survey material reports (Entry P 1-G) would cover pre-trial and pre-decommissioning inspections for this hull. Digitized ship-titled records already surfaced for this hull (RG 38 war-diaries series): consolidated War History NAID 77706912 (read in full); monthly war diaries Jul 1943-Mar 1944 (NAIDs 134306669, 135956820, 135980427, 134340453, 78240013, 78268238, 78293922, 78340564, 78382261); action reports NAID 78176035 (AA actions Lae/Buna Sep 1943), NAID 78650370 (Leyte invasion report 20-21 Oct 1944), NAID 139788854 (Leyte reinforcement landing report 12 Nov 1944). No digitized ship-titled diaries for April 1944-December 1945 were surfaced; parent-unit diaries COM LST FLOT 7 (e.g., NAID 101735445) and COM LST GR 21 (NAIDs 140086771, 633420779) are digitized and bridge at unit level.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1961 records
- Population
- Ship's company (1943-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - nothing retrieved beyond the digitized RG 38 war-diaries file units listed; existence of asbestos-specific documents under hull code LST168 or in a class SIB is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-07
-
[9]Batch-6726 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource (incl. Flotilla Seven unit history PDF); NARA catalog + War History file unit read in full; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; NARA asbestos research guide; NVR; NIOSH/HHE and secondary web sweeps; CourtListener API (opinion + docket indexes) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-168-lst168-01 through -18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-168 was found in the public sources searched. The strongest ship-specific documentation is operational (the ship's own War History read in full, plus the Flotilla Seven unit history) and confirms documented repair events aboard this hull - a 4-7 April 1944 drydocking in ARD-12 and a May-August 1944 Buna-Cairns-Brisbane availability including 'main engine repairs' - but no primary source read names asbestos aboard this hull. CourtListener returned no qualifying case: see litigation row ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-10.
- 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 - construction at a wartime inland yard and documented wartime repair events sit squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era. CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets only; state-court filings, unreported settlements, and MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists remain outside coverage. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-08
-
[10]Commissioning-date discrepancy across sources: ship War History (NARA NAID 77706912) '27 April, 1943 Commissioned at Evansville, Ind.' vs DANFS/NavSource 'commissioned 3 May 1943' vs NavSource CO table Moreau in command '3 April 1943' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77706912 image 1 (first line); DANFS lst-168.html; NavSource 160168.htm CO table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancy flagged, not resolved: DANFS and the NavSource header record commissioning as 3 May 1943 with LT. Arthur S. Moreau, USCGR, in command; the ship's own 1945 War History states '27 April, 1943 Commissioned at Evansville, Ind.'; and the NavSource commanding-officer table lists Moreau's tenure from '3 April 1943' - possibly a typo for 3 May, or pre-commissioning assumption of command. The record carries the DANFS date (3 May 1943) as the conventional field value with the discrepancy disclosed on the field and here.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Publication-level discrepancy; does not materially affect identity or the exposure timeline. Plausible reconciliation (27 April = date of commissioning ceremony at the yard; 3 May = formal acceptance/reporting date) is speculation and is not asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-168-lst168-16 through -18
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: exact-phrase "LST-168" returned 0 hits in the opinion index; the docket index returned 2 hits - DeLuca v. Town of Hingham, D. Mass. No. 1:03-cv-12592 (civil rights, 2003) and In re Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, D. Del. No. 1:06-mc-00041 (bankruptcy withdrawal, 2006) - both tokenized string matches inside unrelated dockets' filing text, not asbestos litigation naming this hull; "LST 168" asbestos in opinions returned 0. No asbestos case naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state-court filings, unreported settlements, MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists, and non-digitized dockets are outside coverage. A zero qualifying result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists. Queries were delayed by the fleet-wide pacing gate but completed this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-168-lst168-10