Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet xv-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-203-lst203-pkt-xv-packet-md
-
[2]NARA file unit NAID 78224507, 'USS LST-203 - War Diary, 4/29/43 to 10/22/43' (WWII War Diaries microfilm roll A748; Fold3 scan; 205 page images of the ship's own deck log) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 78224507; roll A748 images 0004 (29 Apr 1943 commissioning entry), 0130 (25 Aug 1943 Nukufetau), 0184-0186 (30 Sep-1 Oct 1943 beaching and loss), 0207-0208 (21-22 Oct 1943 stripping; final entries)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's deck log (log-book covers headed 'U.S. Coast Guard LST 203', commanding-officer lines 'Fred W. Nirschel, Lieutenant, U.S.C.G.') documents the hull's entire commissioned life: placed in full commission 0903 on 29 April 1943 at Naval Ammunition Depot, Belle Chasse, LA; moored alongside LST-18 in Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila, 24 July 1943; unloading cargo and beaching at Nukufetau Harbor, Ellice Islands, 25 August 1943; beached on Nanomea [Nanumea] Island 0836 on 30 September 1943 and began unloading cargo; from 0115 on 1 October, attempts to retract failed on a coral head - 'vessel apparently held fast by coral head, causing her to pivot on bow,' six-to-eight-foot surf pounding her against the reef; flooding reported in port shaft alley (0605), main and auxiliary engine rooms; USS Manley assisting; deck plates on port side main engine room reported breaking through 0725; water and oil over four feet deep in main engine room by 0733. Log closes 22 October 1943 with working parties of ship's crew, Marines, and Seabees still stripping the stranded vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-04-29 to 1943-10-22
- Population
- USCG crew (~117 ship's company); embarked troops; Seabee and Marine working parties stripping the wreck (Oct 1943)
- Limitations
- Primary source for vessel history only - a deck log records events and positions, not material content; it contains no asbestos information. Establishes the populations aboard (CG crew, embarked troops, Seabee/Marine stripping parties) and that the engine rooms flooded and broke up, but does not establish exposure of any individual to any material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-01
-
[3]U.S. Coast Guard, 'The Coast Guard at War: Lost Cutters VIII' (Historical Section, Public Information Division, USCG Headquarters, 1 July 1947), LST-203 section - verbatim transcription via HyperWar [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar transcription, 'LST-203 STRANDED ON CORAL REEF' and 'UNLOADS FURTHER AWAITING HIGH TIDE' subsections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG history narrative of the loss: 'the Coast Guard manned LST-203 beached on Nanomea Island and started to unload cargo'; at 0115 on 1 October 1943, unloading complete, she failed to retract - 'held fast by a coral reef which caused her to pivot on the bow,' with a 6-8 foot surf pounding her against the fingers of the reef; water entered the shaft alley and engine room beyond pump capacity from 0600; USS Manley assisted with boats and lines; further attempts 2-4 October (with YMS-53) and by the tug Kingfisher on 13 October all failed; crew moved to temporary quarters ashore 7 October; ammunition discharged for shore use 5 October; the stranded vessel was then stripped of all supplies and equipment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-09-30 to 1943-10-13 (narrative window)
- Population
- USCG crew; USS Manley (APD-1) and YMS-53 assisting vessels; tug Kingfisher
- Limitations
- Official service history compiled postwar - ship-specific loss narrative, no material/asbestos content. The HyperWar transcription prints '0836 on 30 December, 1943' for the beaching - an evident typographical slip: the ship's own deck log shows 0836 on Thursday 30 September 1943 (30 Sep 1943 was a Thursday), and the same source's next line begins 'At 0115 on 1 October, 1943.' Also prints the assisting ship as 'USS Manley (DD-1)'; Manley was then the high-speed transport APD-1.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-02
-
[4]CNO official reports to the Secretary of the Navy ('U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945'), Appendix C, 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix C table, Landing Ships (LST) section, p. 294 of the report transcription
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The CNO's official wartime loss list records, under Landing Ships: 'LST 203 | Near Nanumea, Union Islands | 1 October 1943' - confirming the loss date and placing it at Nanumea in the Ellice (Union) Islands, not Noumea, New Caledonia.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-10-01
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Official loss listing only - one line establishing date and place of loss; no narrative, no material content, no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-203 page - build milestones, Coast Guard manning, stricken date, LST-1-class specifications block, CO table, Miniclier crew account [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160203.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 2 July 1942 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 25 March 1943; commissioned USS LST-203, 22 April 1943, LT Fred W. Nirschel, USCG, in command; 'manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II'; lost by grounding 1 October 1943 and declared a total loss; struck from the Naval Register 6 March 1944. Spec block (LST-1 class): 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; propulsion 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels (900 hp), single Falk main reduction gears, 2 shafts, 1,700 shp; armament 2 twin 40mm + 4 single 40mm + 12 single 20mm (ultimate design). Crew account quoted from LT Gordon Miniclier, USCG (who signed the deck log as Ens. N.C. Miniclier (R)): the ship punctured her forward tanks on the coral reef where she beached, could not retract because the water depth prevented use of the stern anchor, and broached-to in a storm while on the beach.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Construction trades, Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca (1942-43); USCG crew (Apr-Oct 1943)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones corroborated here by the ship's own deck log (NARA), the USCG official history, and the CNO loss list. The page misplaces the loss at 'Noumea in the Ellice Islands' - Noumea is in New Caledonia; every official source gives Nanumea/Nanomea, Ellice Islands (correction row ev-05). CO table opens Nirschel's command 29 April 1943 while the page states commissioning 22 April 1943 (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-04
-
[6]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, Historic Ships index (live page), entry 100: 'LST-203: [US Coast Guard-manned Navy landing ship]; September 1943; Stranded on reef' [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.uscg.mil Historic Ships gallery, WWII losses list, entry 100
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The USCG Historian's Office official lost-assets index independently confirms LST-203 as a U.S. Coast Guard-manned Navy landing ship lost by stranding on a reef in September 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- USCG crew
- Limitations
- Index-line entry only (one line); 'September 1943' aligns with the 30 September beaching rather than the 1 October loss. No material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-05
-
[7]Correction anchored in: CNO Appendix C loss list ('Near Nanumea, Union Islands'); HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945' landing-ship list ('1 Oct 43; aground at Nanumea, Ellice Islands'); USCG 'Lost Cutters' ('Nanomea Island'); NARA deck log ('Nanomea Island/Atoll, Ellice Islands'); NavSource's 'Noumea' as the error being corrected [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160203.htm (erroneous 'Noumea'); CNO Appendix C; HyperWar ships-ls.html; USCG Lost Cutters VIII; NARA NAID 78224507
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's LST-203 page states the ship 'ran aground 1 October 1943, near Noumea in the Ellice Islands.' Noumea is in New Caledonia, hundreds of miles from the Ellice Islands; every official source - the CNO loss list ('Near Nanumea, Union Islands'), the Navy landing-ship list ('aground at Nanumea, Ellice Islands'), the USCG official history ('Nanomea Island'), and the ship's own deck log ('Nanomea Island... Ellice Islands'; 'Nanomea Atoll') - places the loss at Nanumea Atoll, Ellice Islands (present-day Tuvalu). 'Noumea' is a transcription error propagated into NavSource's quoted crew account.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Corrects a geographic misattribution circulating in secondary sources, not a material claim. The variant spellings Nanumea/Nanomea/Nanomea all refer to the same atoll; 'Union Islands' was a period alternate name for the Ellice group.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-06
-
[8]GeoNames feature 7602160 'US LST-203 Wreck WW2' (Nanumea, Tuvalu, approx. 5.679 S 176.115 E); Bill Bartsch, 'War Relics in Tuvalu and Kiribati,' South Pacific Bulletin (1975), via archived nanumea.net; nanumea.net photo caption, January 2004 [other_primary]
- Locator
- geonames.org feature 7602160; web.archive.org capture of nanumea.net Other_Writings page (Bartsch 1975; 2004 Keith photo caption)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The stripped hulk was never salvaged: Bartsch documented the wreck on Nanumea's reef in 1975 (article describing the grounding with ship's-log extracts and the salvaging of equipment); a January 2004 photograph on nanumea.net shows 'this hulk is gradually going back to the sea'; and the wreck is registered as a named feature ('US LST-203 Wreck WW2') in the GeoNames gazetteer at approximately 5.679 S, 176.115 E on Nanumea, Tuvalu.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2004 (wreck persistence); 1975, 2004 (documentation)
- Population
- Nanumea residents; postwar visitors (site is an exposed reef hulk)
- Limitations
- Documents the hull's present-day disposition (corroding in place on the reef) - no scrapping or abatement event ever occurred. Post-2004 condition unverified. Bartsch page accessed via Wayback Machine capture (2015); nanumea.net has since been rebuilt and the article/PDF are no longer at the live site. No environmental or hazmat survey of the wreck was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-07
-
[9]nanumea.net, 'The Second World War in Nanumea and Tuvalu' (community history site), citing Peter McQuarrie, 'Strategic Atolls: Tuvalu and the Second World War' (1994) [other_primary]
- Locator
- nanumea.net/second-world-war (live, verified 2026-10-02); deck-log corroboration at NAID 78224507 image 0130
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Operational context for the loss location: per the site's summary of McQuarrie's Strategic Atolls, 'On 15 August, 1943, an advance party of U.S. marines landed on Nanumea, and soon afterward Landing Craft LST-203 brought in 128 Seabees and heavy equipment so they could begin building an airfield.' The ship's own deck log independently documents her discharging cargo at Nukufetau Harbor, Ellice Islands, on 25 August 1943 - consistent with forward-base supply runs in the Ellice group in the weeks before she was lost.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-08
- Population
- 128 Seabees + embarked troops/cargo per secondary account; CG crew
- Limitations
- Secondary attribution (community site citing a published book) - the 128-Seabee figure and the specific August Nanumea landing were not independently confirmed against the deck log this session (only pages sampled were read); treated as operational context, not a verified load record. No material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-08
-
[10]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Chicago Bridge & Iron yard page and LST build table; corroborated by uboat.net allied-warships entry for USS LST 203 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-emer-large/chicagobridge/ build table row 'LST 203'; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/11301.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder documentation: the Navy requisitioned the Chicago Bridge & Iron facility at Seneca, IL in 1942 and invested $6M in its improvement; known as the 'Prairie Shipyard,' a 200-acre site on the Illinois River, it built 157 of the ~1,051 WWII LSTs. The yard's build table lists LST-203: laid down 7/2/1942, launched 3/25/1943, commissioned 4/22/1943, 'wrecked in the Ellice Islands 1943' - matching NavSource and the official loss records.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Chicago Bridge & Iron construction trades, Seneca IL (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Colton's shipbuildinghistory, widely used for yard records), not a primary registry; corroborates - does not originate - the build milestones. Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca is NOT an entry in the project's shipyards.json (37-yard registry) - logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-09
-
[11]Era inference built on: NavSource LST-1-class spec block for this hull (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gears, no boilers); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST design table (per LST-1 class profile; shipscribe PDF now dead, see ledger); era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block 10/16/160203.htm; LST-1 class profile (class-f worktree) BuShips SDB1945v2 citation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built 1942-43 at an inland emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. For this diesel design - no boilers - era-standard asbestos applications aboard a ship of this type were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Seneca construction trades (1942-43); USCG crew (Apr-Oct 1943); stripping parties (Oct 1943)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package exists for LST-203. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The diesel plant eliminates the boiler/turbine lagging pathway typical of steam vessels; the amphibious-ship confined-space and beaching/repair dynamics apply instead. Hull's 6-month life and in-place stripping/sinking mean no postwar overhaul or abatement events exist to document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-10
-
[12]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, confirmed this session)
- 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 life (1943).
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - same standing defect as batches 01/98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-11
-
[13]Batch-6751 search ledger (this record): NARA catalog/deck log; USCG Historian's Office; USCG 'Lost Cutters' (HyperWar); CNO loss list (HyperWar); NavSource; GeoNames; nanumea.net (live + Wayback); shipbuildinghistory.com; NHHC/DANFS (no entry); NVR (out of scope); CourtListener; secondary asbestos-litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-203-01 through sl-uss-lst-203-14
- 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-203 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only 'asbestos' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content (e.g., asbestos-ships.com's Chicago Bridge & Iron yard page) asserting asbestos use at the builder without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT: CourtListener queries this session were rate-limited by the fleet pacing governor (3 attempts, paced out) - logged as blocked, not a negative result. Given the hull's 6-month life, 1943 loss, and in-place abandonment, litigation naming this specific hull is unlikely, but the docket-level search remains an open item.
- 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 inference still applies to a 1943-build hull. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced, not run to completion). Post-1946 'LST-203' docket hits, if any, would likely name ROCS Chung Ting (ex-LST-537), a different hull - alias caution applies to any future search.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-12
-
[14]Archival leads: NARA RG 24/RG 38 files; USCG operational records (the detailed official account in 'Lost Cutters' implies a formal report of loss/board-of-inquiry file for this hull); Fold3-hosted war-diary microfilm (roll A748) contains the full deck log for keyword-level review [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 78224507 (205 digital objects, roll A748); RG 24 deck-log series; USCG Historian's Office asset files
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USCG 'Lost Cutters' narrative's minute-by-minute detail indicates it was compiled from a formal report of loss or board-of-inquiry record for this hull; that underlying file was not located in digitized public sources. The deck log (NAID 78224507, 205 images) was sampled at five points (commissioning, Pago Pago, Nukufetau, the loss sequence, and final stripping entries); the unexamined pages may document material conditions, repair details, or crew statements not captured here.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Lead only - neither the existence of a distinct investigation file nor its contents is confirmed. Deck-log pages were read selectively (images 0004-0008, 0095, 0130, 0180-0187, 0203-0208); a complete page-by-page review was not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-203-13