Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet xu-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-197-lst197-pkt-xu-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-197 (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-02; verbatim transcription also at HyperWar ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/LST/lst197.html) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'LST-197' entry body text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 15 June 1942 at Seneca, Ill., by Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 13 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Harriet Williamson; commissioned 5 February 1943, Lt. T. S. Medford, USNR, in command. WWII service in the European theater: Sicilian occupation (July 1943), Salerno landings (September 1943), west coast of Italy operations incl. Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings (January through March 1944), invasion of Normandy (June 1944). Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945; decommissioned 5 April 1946; struck from the Navy list 5 June 1946; sold to Luria Steel & Trading Co., New York, N.Y., 31 October 1947 for scrapping. Earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Construction trades, Seneca (1942-43); crew (1943-46); shipbreakers, Luria Steel & Trading (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives campaign months only - the NavSource campaign table supplies the day-ranges carried in the service narrative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-197 (10/16/160197) - timeline, campaign table, specifications, commanding officers, awards, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160197.htm header block, campaign table, specifications, CO list, and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 15 June 1942 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 13 December 1942; commissioned 5 February 1943, LT. Thomas S. S. Medford, USNR (preceded by LT. Charles Newman, USN, ferry command 30 Jan-5 Feb 1943). Campaign dates: Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943; Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943; Anzio-Nettuno advanced landing 22 January-1 March 1944; Normandy 6-25 June 1944. Pacific organization: LST Flotilla 35 / LST Group 103 / LST Division 206. Occupation service in the Far East 19 September-2 November 1945. Decommissioned 5 April 1946; struck 5 June 1946; sold for scrapping 31 October 1947 to Luria Steel and Trading Co. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gear, three 100 kW diesel-driven generators, twin screws. Photo captions document: hit by German railroad guns at Anzio with 17 men killed in action, then drydocked; beached at Omaha Beach D+3 (9 June 1944); off California late 1944 with causeways. Awards display: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - Anzio) and Purple Heart (17 KIA at Anzio).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Construction trades, Seneca (1942-43); crew incl. 17 KIA at Anzio (1943-46); shipbreakers (1947-48)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its dates track DANFS and are consistent here except where noted in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-02
-
[4]Herbert G. Telsey, 'LST Ferry Crew One,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 77/12/586 (December 1951) - contemporaneous participant account [other_primary]
- Locator
- Proceedings Dec. 1951 article body + footnote 2 (LST-197 first completed at Seneca) + trip table (trip no. 2, Jan. 1943, Seneca)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A member of LST Ferry Crew One documents this hull's inland delivery: LST-197 was Crew One's second delivery trip, departing Seneca in January 1943 in reduced commission under the Ninth Naval District ferrying organization; the Illinois River was frozen and the Coast Guard assigned two icebreakers to open navigation; the ship damaged her rudders backing through ice floes and one day logged only 12 miles before reaching open water on the Mississippi, thence to New Orleans. The article's footnote confirms LST-197 was the first vessel completed at the Seneca yard. Describes the yard setting: a 200-acre facility where 'corn used to grow where ships were now being produced,' with some assembly operations carried on in the open in prairie winter.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- LST Ferry Crew One (~2 officers, 20-25 enlisted); Seneca yard workers observed working in the open in winter
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous participant memoir published 1951 - a vessel-history account of construction and delivery conditions; contains no asbestos or material content. The frozen-river delivery is corroborative detail, not an exposure record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-03
-
[5]The National WWII Museum digital collections, photograph 'LST-61 and LST-197, Licata Harbor, Sicily, 1943' - official U.S. Navy photograph with period verso stamp [museum_official]
- Locator
- WWII Museum object record, description field quoting the verso stamp
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Navy photo stamp on this period photograph reads: 'LST 197 / Equipment being unloaded from LSTs in Licata Harbor, Sicily. / LST 197 First ship built by: Chicago Bridge & Iron Company / Shipbuilding Division / Seneca, Illinois / Launching date: Dec. 15, 1942 / Sponsored by: Mrs. Harriet Williamson.' This independently corroborates the first-at-Seneca status and the sponsor, but prints a 15 December 1942 launching date against the 13 December 1942 date carried by DANFS and NavSource. DANFS/NavSource carried; the stamp variant documented here and in gaps.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (stamp content); photo taken July 1943
- Limitations
- A wartime caption stamp is a period document but not a registry; its launch-date variant is unresolved (possibly a stamp-production error). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-04
-
[6]Navy Times, 'The unloved, unlovely, yet indispensable LST' (June 6, 2019) - quoting LST-197 first lieutenant Theodore Wyman [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Navy Times article, Anzio section (Wyman quotes)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named-officer recollection for this hull: Theodore Wyman, first lieutenant on LST-197, recalled of the Anzio shuttle tempo, 'We were so damnably tired that we just didn't have time to be bothered about being tired,' and assessed that of the ship's five operations from North Africa to Normandy, 'it was the Anzio Campaign that took the most out of us.' The article documents the round-the-clock load/unload cycle of the Anzio LST shuttle under air attack, and crews sent ashore at Naples with 'combat fatigue'/'shell shock.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (events); 2019 (publication)
- Population
- LST-197 crew, Anzio shuttle period (Jan-Mar 1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary journalism quoting a named officer's recollections; supports service-tempo context only. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-05
-
[7]Era/design inference built on: Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource propulsion block for this hull (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk gear, twin screws); consolidated class profile lst-1-class (worktree class-f) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; NavSource 160197 specifications; class profile ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-1-class hull built 1942-43: this type carries no boilers, so the asbestos-relevant applications are diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings - materials era-standard for a wartime amphibious hull. The diesel plant excludes the boiler/turbine steam-lagging pathway.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Construction trades, Seneca (1942-43); crew (1943-46); shipbreakers (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-197. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-06
-
[8]Shaw Local (Seneca, IL), 'Prairie Shipyard reunion for workers, families' (May 29, 2015), reporting Seneca Historical Guild figures [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Shaw Local article body (157 LSTs; 200-acre facility; 27,000 workers)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Build-yard context for this hull: Chicago Bridge & Iron simultaneously constructed and operated a 200-acre 'Prairie Shipyard' at Seneca, Illinois, which built 157 LSTs during WWII; approximately 27,000 people worked at the yard over its life. Consistent with the official Navy photo stamp (ev-04) and the Proceedings account (ev-03) that LST-197 was the first ship completed there.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Prairie Shipyard workforce (~27,000 cumulative; peak ~11,000 per secondary accounts)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context, not a hull record; sourced to a local paper reporting a historical-guild release. No asbestos content; does not establish materials used at the yard or aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-07
-
[9]Gregory v. Beazer East, Inc., No. 1-06-3597 (Ill. App. Ct., 1st Dist., 5th Div., opinion filed July 3, 2008) - official reporter PDF via illinoiscourts.gov (302-verified live 2026-10-02) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, facts section (CBI welding contract; CBI-supplied asbestos blankets and gloves; 1970-71 Mobil Joliet project)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-corporate litigation context: in this Illinois mesothelioma appeal, the record establishes that Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) - this hull's builder - supplied asbestos blankets and gloves to welders on a Mobil refinery welding project at Joliet, Illinois, in 1970-71, and that CBI supervised that welding work daily. CBI was a named defendant (not among the appellees; the appeal concerned Mobil and Georgia-Pacific). This documents CBI distributing asbestos materials at its contract worksites, three decades after and at a different site than the Seneca shipyard that built LST-197.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-2008
- Population
- CBI/Petroleum Piping welders, Joliet refinery (1970-71)
- Limitations
- Builder-level context only: the documented exposure site is a Joliet refinery (1970-71), NOT the Seneca shipyard and NOT this hull or class; it does not establish that asbestos was used or handled at Seneca in 1942-43 or aboard LST-197. Litigation-stage discipline: this is an appellate merits disposition (summary judgment affirmed for Mobil; Indiana law applied for Georgia-Pacific) - the CBI-supplied asbestos materials appear as adjudicated record facts, not merely allegations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-08
-
[10]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 entire construction (1942-43) and service era (1943-46) as well as the class's later service lives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403; product-page description used).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-09
-
[11]National Archives Catalog - 'LST-197' search returns 399 archival descriptions (predominantly textual file units; 396 with digital objects); deck-log series: 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (NAID 594258), RG 24 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-197' (399 results); search-within NAID 594258 (82 hits, cross-references only)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives Catalog returns 399 archival descriptions for 'LST-197' (397 file units; WWII-era deck logs for this hull would reside in the NAID 594258 deck-log series / RG 24). Within the 594258 series, 'LST-197' matches are OCR cross-references inside other vessels' later-era log scans - no file unit titled for this hull was confirmed digitized in the sampled results. Action reports, war diaries, and photographs referencing the hull also exist in the catalog hits.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: digitized deck-log file units for this hull were not confirmed in the sampled results (the 82 series hits are OCR mentions in other ships' logs, e.g., Lorain County LST-1177); WWII-era logs exist physically but digitization for this hull is unverified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-10
-
[12]Batch-6743 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live); NavSource; HyperWar mirror; USNI Proceedings; National WWII Museum; Navy Times; Shaw Local; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 (o and r); NVR (SSO-gated); VA BVA index; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-197-01 through sl-uss-lst-197-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-197 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener: phrase searches "LST-197" and "LST 197" each returned 0 opinions; the docket phrase search returned 1 RECAP docket (Yoder v. Town of Morristown, N.D.N.Y. 7:09-cv-00007 - a name collision inside a scanned exhibit, not a ship record); the unquoted token search returned 183 hits that are token collisions ('LST' as party-name abbreviation, '197' as a number fragment) with none qualifying. The only 'asbestos aboard' material located is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com and similar) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. Luria Steel & Trading scrapping-era hazmat records predate regulation and none were located.
- 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 ship was built and scrapped entirely within the documented Navy asbestos era. Coverage caveat: the "USS LST-197" prefixed variant was attempted but blocked by fleet pacing at session end - logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Deck logs and any 1947-48 scrapping records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-197-11