Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet xw-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-208-lst208-pkt-xw-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-208 (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02): construction, sponsor, commissioning, Normandy, occupation duty, decommission, striking, sale [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-208 entry, full text (four paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 7 September 1942 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 11 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Bernice Neurohr; commissioned 8 June 1943, Lt. Robert W. Emmons, USNR, in command. Assigned to the European theater in World War II; took part in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Post-war occupation duty in the Far East until mid-May 1946. Decommissioned 12 June 1946; struck from the Navy list 3 July 1946; sold to Bosey, Philippines, 5 December 1947. Earned one battle star for World War II.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS is a compressed summary - it omits the two-stage commissioning, the Burma operation, and the 1944-45 Boston Navy Yard availability documented by the ship's own war history (ev-02); its 8 June 1943 commissioning date is the partial-commission date (full commission 17 June 1943).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-01
-
[3]NARA, 'USS LST-208 - War History', NAID 77706959, RG 38 WWII War Diaries series, micro serial 159156, Roll A2106 - the ship's own history forwarded by CO Lt. E. H. Burke, USNR, 25 October 1945 (5 images, digitized, read in full) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 77706959, images 0413-0417 (forwarding letter + 4-page enclosure)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own history (commissioning to 23 October 1945) documents: built by Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca; in commission 17 June 1943, Lt. Robert W. Emmons USNR; outfitting New Orleans, shakedown Panama City FL, Norfolk 23 July 1943, convoy to Oran arriving 14 August; Bizerte crew exchange with LST-349, 25 August 1943, Lt. Aubrey Strickland USNR commanding; Taranto shuttle 16-30 September 1943; India via Suez (Aden 1 Nov, Bombay 9 Nov, Calcutta 25 Nov); grounded on uncharted reef night of 6 December; landed tanks on Arakan 7 December 1943; return via Colombo to Bizerte 22 January 1944; Milford Haven 12 February; new armament at U.S. Naval Base Roseneath 28 March; Harwich under British operational control 24 April; D-Day arrival off Gold Beach at H+14, beached at dawn; fitted as a hospital-equipped LST carrying wounded to England; rammed by a merchant vessel night of 27 July 1944 requiring dry-docking; released from shuttle 16 September after thirteen round trips; departed England 5 October; Naval Operating Base Norfolk 24 October; Boston Navy Yard alterations and repairs 26 October 1944 - 5 January 1945; Davisville RI cargo, LCT loaded at Norfolk; Guantanamo Bay, Coco Solo 1 February 1945, San Diego, Pearl Harbor 28 February; Lt. Edmund H. Burke USNR relieved Strickland 14 March 1945; training to 20 May; Okinawa 14 July with 720th Amphibious Tractor Battalion; typhoon rode out at sea; Guam 11 August (pontoon causeways, Seabees); Okinawa 4 September; Jinsen, Korea 15 September; Taku Bar, China 29 September - 4 October; Okinawa 9 October; Manila Bay 23 October 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-06-17 to 1945-10-23 (document coverage)
- Population
- Ship's company ~117 (13 officers, 104 enlisted) + embarked troops; CB&I construction trades (1942-43); Boston Navy Yard trades (Oct 1944-Jan 1945); British operational-control ports (1944)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific primary record covering the hull's complete wartime narrative; contains no asbestos or material content. The documented Boston Navy Yard availability (26 Oct 1944 - 5 Jan 1945) and the July 1944 drydock repair are yard-presence facts - the document does not describe work scope or materials disturbed. Commanding-officer relief dated 14 March 1945 here vs 4 March 1945 in NavSource's CO table (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-02
-
[4]NARA, 'USS LST-208 - Rep of Landing Tanks & Military Personnel on W Coast of ARAKAN, 12/3-8/43', NAID 78297877, RG 38, file A16-3, Roll A818, dated 10 December 1943 (21 images, digitized; first page read) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 78297877, image 1042 (first page; 21 images total)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own SECRET action report 'Report of Operation "Ratchet"' (LST 208/A16-3/5, 10 December 1943), from the Commanding Officer to Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet via Commander LST Group 25, Flotilla 2, survives digitized at NARA: it documents the 3 December 1943 embarkation of 'B' Squadron, 25th Dragoons (14 General Lee tanks, 82 troops) at Kidderpore Docks, Calcutta, the 4 December Hooghly River transit, and the Regu Creek, Arakan, Burma landing in support of British forces - NavSource's campaign list shows this as 'Invasion of Borneo (British - Operation Ratchet), Regu Creek, Arakan, Burma landing, 7 December 1943'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-12-03 to 1943-12-08 (operation); report dated 1943-12-10
- Population
- Ship's company + embarked 'B' Squadron 25th Dragoons (82 troops)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: only the report's first page was read this session (verifying hull, operation, routing, and embarkation detail); the remaining 20 pages were not transcribed. Contains no asbestos or material content. The December 1943 administrative chain shown (LST Group 25, Flotilla 2) differs from the 1945 Pacific chain (Flotilla 35/Group 103/Division 205) - both are time-bounded assignments, not a conflict.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-208 - class, two-stage commissioning, campaign list, flotilla assignments, commanding-officer table, specifications, NARA-captioned photography (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160208.htm - header block, campaign table, specifications, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship; laid down 7 September 1942 at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 11 May 1943; partial commission 8 June 1943 and full commission 17 June 1943, Lt. Robert W. Emmons USNR; Bizerte crew exchange with LST-349, 25 August 1943. Campaigns: Invasion of Normandy, 6-25 June 1944 (EAME); Invasion of Italy (British Operation Slapstick), Taranto landing 16-30 September 1943; Invasion of Borneo (British - Operation Ratchet), Regu Creek, Arakan, Burma, 7 December 1943 (Asiatic-Pacific). Pacific assignment: LST Flotilla Thirty-Five (CAPT. D. H. Johnston), LST Group One Hundred Four (CDR. D. Stubbs), LST Division Two Hundred Five. Occupation duty Far East 2 September - 16 October 1945. Decommissioned 12 June 1946; struck 3 July 1946; sold to Bosey, Philippines, 5 December 1947, fate unknown; one battle star (no stars authorized for British operations). Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; beam 50 ft; 11.6 kts trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders. CO table: Emmons 8 Jun 1943 - 25 Aug 1943; Strickland 25 Aug 1943 - 4 Mar 1945; Burke 4 Mar 1945 - 12 Jun 1946. Photo captions document: Normandy Gold Beach and Omaha Beach landings, wounded evacuation to England, the July 1944 Liberty-ship collision and drydocking, Shanghai Whangpoo River 29 December 1945 alongside LST-959, and horse loading at Shanghai 25 February 1946 for Chin Whang Tao (US Navy photo 80-G-373292, NARA-held).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Ship's company + embarked troops; Shanghai/Whangpoo River service Dec 1945 - Feb 1946
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates track the primary record where it exists, but two conflicts stand: CO relief dated 4 March 1945 vs 14 March 1945 in the ship's own war history (see gaps), and the Pacific assignment 'Group 104' conflates LST Division 205 with Comdr. Stubbs's Group 104 - the 1 May 1945 NHHC fleet-organization document places Division 205 (incl. LST-208) under Group 103 (see ev-05). Photo-caption detail (e.g., 'fourteenth cross channel voyage') is contributor-supplied and imprecise vs the war diary's thirteen round trips. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-04
-
[6]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - LST Flotilla Thirty-Five, LST Group 103, LST Division 205 listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room page, 'LST Flotilla THIRTY-FIVE' section, LST Group 103 / Division 205 table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the contemporaneous U.S. Pacific Fleet organization document (1 May 1945) places LST 208 under Commander LST Flotilla THIRTY-FIVE, LST GROUP 103, LST DIVISION 205, with 'Lt. A. Strickland (USNR)' shown alongside the hull - NavSource's assignment line for this ship reads 'LST Group One Hundred Four, CDR. D. Stubbs USN; LST Division Two Hundred Five', which conflates Division 205 with Stubbs's Group 104 (the document shows Group 103 hosting Division 205 and Group 104 as a separate group under Stubbs).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Ship's company, Pacific Fleet assignment (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source organizational attribution, not a material claim. The 1 May 1945 document still lists Lt. Strickland although the ship's war history records his relief by Lt. Burke on 14 March 1945 - a compilation-lag artifact in the fleet roster, noted in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-05
-
[7]Shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL' - yard history and hull-by-hull build table for the wartime 'Prairie Shipyard' [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca yard table, LST-208 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder context: the Navy requisitioned the Chicago Bridge & Iron facility at Seneca, Illinois in 1942 and invested $6mm in its improvement; known as the Prairie Shipyard on a 200-acre site, it produced LST hulls including LST-197 through LST-231 and the LST-511+ series before post-war sale to Union Mechling (1949). The yard table lists LST 208: keel laid 9/6/42, launched 5/22/43, delivered 6/8/43 (258 days on ways, 17 in water), disposition 'Scrapped 1947'.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation (Colton's shipbuildinghistory), not a primary registry - its LST-208 dates conflict with DANFS/NavSource on both milestones (keel 6 Sep vs 7 Sep 1942; launch 22 May vs 11 May 1943; see gaps). Its 'delivered 6/8/43' aligns with the partial-commission date. 'Scrapped 1947' is consistent with the 1947 sale but adds detail DANFS does not state (fate 'unknown' per NavSource). No asbestos content. Chicago Bridge & Iron (Seneca) is not a shipyards.json entry - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-06
-
[8]ALL HANDS (U.S. Navy magazine) bound-volume index, Internet Archive scan - item 'LST 208 returns from Europe', December 1944 issue, p. 44 [other_primary]
- Locator
- allhands3343unit index file, 'LSTs' section: 'Lst 208 returns from Europe 12:44:44'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy's official enlisted magazine indexed an item 'LST 208 returns from Europe' in its December 1944 issue (index citation 12:44:44), corroborating the war history's account that the ship departed England 5 October 1944 and reached Boston Navy Yard 26 October 1944 for overhaul - the Atlantic-to-Pacific transfer point in her career.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-12
- Population
- Ship's company (1944)
- Limitations
- Index entry only - the underlying December 1944 article text was not retrieved from an authoritative scan this session (a Scribd copy exists but is not cited). Confirms the event, not its details. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS/NavSource construction record (LST-1-class tank landing ship, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca, 1942-43); NavSource specifications (geared-diesel plant, no steam); shipbuildinghistory Prairie Shipyard yard context; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipbuildinghistory Seneca yard table; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built 1942-43 at a wartime emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a geared-diesel amphibious ship of this type and period were thermal insulation on machinery and exhaust runs, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, accommodation insulation, and brake linings on deck machinery (winches, windlass, bow-door and ramp gear). As a geared-diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1942-43); crew and embarked troops (1943-46); Boston Navy Yard trades (Oct 1944-Jan 1945); any 1947 breakup workforce in the Philippines (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, specification page, or work package located for LST-208. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- 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).
- 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, per prior-batch confirmation) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 opinion search '"LST-208"' (authenticated, 2026-10-02) - zero results [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 type=o query '"LST-208"', 2026-10-02, count=0
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation located: an authenticated CourtListener opinion search for "LST-208" returned zero results on 2026-10-02, and secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying asbestos case naming this hull. The "USS LST-208" opinion variant and the RECAP docket index were NOT queried this session - the fleet-wide request budget throttled follow-on calls (search_ledger sl-10) - so docket-level coverage is an open item, not a negative result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Opinion-index coverage only: absence of a published opinion naming 'LST-208' does not prove absence of litigation - most asbestos claims never produce published opinions, and the hull spent only 3 years in commission, a short exposure window relative to long-service hulls. RECAP dockets and the 'USS LST-208' variant unsearched (throttled) - see search_ledger and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-10
-
[12]NPS, Charlestown Navy Yard Historic Resource Study (archive.org full text) - index cross-reference 'Chung Hsun (LST-208). See LST-993, USS (LST-993)' [nps]
- Locator
- Charlestown Navy Yard Historic Resource Study, index s.v. 'Chung Hsun (LST-208)'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION / disambiguation: 'LST-208' in foreign-service and photographic sources is not always this hull. The NPS study's index documents that the Republic of China Navy's 'Chung Hsun (LST-208)' was the former USS LST-993 - a different hull renumbered in ROC service. Separately, Singapore's RSS Resolution carried pennant L-208 (Kaohsiung stock-photo captions, 2015). Neither vessel is USS LST-208, which was sold to Bosey, Philippines, in 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- post-1947 (foreign-service reuse of the number)
- Limitations
- Disambiguation note, not a material claim on this hull. The ROC renumbering is documented via the NPS study's index cross-reference; the Singapore pennant via press photography captions. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-11
-
[13]Batch-6756 search ledger (this record): live DANFS; NARA NAID 77706959 war history (5 images, read in full) + NAID 78297877 action report (first page verified); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory Seneca; ALL HANDS index; NPS Charlestown index; CourtListener API v4 (partial - throttled); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-208-01 through sl-uss-lst-208-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, specification page, or docketed case naming USS LST-208 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship's own records that do survive - her 5-page war history and 21-page Operation Ratchet action report - are operational narratives containing no material content. Marketing/listicle content asserting asbestos aboard LST-208 was excluded by source policy.
- 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. Undigitized leads remain: RG 24 deck logs, BuShips contract/specification records for the Seneca yard, the remaining 20 pages of the Ratchet action report, and any 1947 Philippine-sale disposal file. CourtListener coverage is partial this session (opinion index only for the exact hull string; RECAP unsearched - throttled). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-208-lst208-12