Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 650-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-228-lst228-pkt-650-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'LST-228' (Naval History and Heritage Command, live page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-228 entry, full paragraph (one-paragraph entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: LST-228 laid down 20 May 1943 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 25 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Arthur B. Horton; commissioned 25 October 1943. The tank landing ship saw only brief active service: grounded in the vicinity of Bahia Angra Island, Azores, on 19 January 1944, declared beyond salvage and pronounced a total loss on 21 January 1944; struck from the Navy list 12 February 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history - establishes identity, construction dates, sponsor, commissioning, grounding 19 Jan 1944, total-loss declaration 21 Jan 1944, and striking 12 Feb 1944. Contains no asbestos, materials, or casualty information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02 (NHHC link-rot from Batch-01 noted but this URL resolves).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-01
-
[3]NHHC photograph catalog entries NH 103124 and NH 103123 (USS LST-228 wreck photographs) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NH 103124 caption; companion NH 103123 caption adds 'being washed off LST-228's deck' (https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-103000/NH-103123.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC photograph catalog captions NH 103124 and NH 103123: USS LST-228 wrecked in the vicinity of Bahia Angra Island, off Tercina [Terceira], Azores, where she went ashore 19 January 1944; LCT(6)-582, visible on (and being washed off) LST-228's deck, was also lost in this incident. Photographs from the collection of John Soule Lynch, donated via the National Museum of Naval Aviation by Pat Livingston, 2005.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-01
- Limitations
- Official photograph catalog - documents the wreck event and the concurrent loss of LCT(6)-582 carried on deck. Says nothing about causes (storm/anchor), casualties, cargo, or materials; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-02
-
[4]Robert J. Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (Naval Historical Division), 1944 chapter, Atlantic section (ibiblio/HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 1944 chapter; Atlantic entries under 20 January (LST-228) and 22 January (LCT-582)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (Naval Historical Division publication, HyperWar transcription): under Thursday 20 January 1944 - 'Tank landing ship LST-228 sinks after running aground off the Azores, 38-39N, 27-12W'; under Saturday 22 January - 'Tank landing craft LCT-582 sinks after running aground, Azores.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-01
- Limitations
- Official chronology dates the sinking 20 January vs DANFS grounded 19 January / total-loss 21 January - phase-of-loss convention, not a true conflict (carried as such). Provides wreck coordinates. No asbestos, casualty-count, or cause detail; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-03
-
[5]NHHC 'U.S. Navy at War Final Official Report' (ships-lost table) + NHHC 'Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Ships, WWII' list [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- US Navy at War losses table (Tank Landing Ships section, p.70 frame); casualties list https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/casualties-navy-and-coast-guard-ships.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two official Navy loss tabulations name the hull: (a) Fleet Admiral King's 'U.S. Navy at War: Final Official Report' lists 'LST 228 - In Azores - 20 Jan. 1944' in its Tank Landing Ships losses table; (b) NHHC's 'Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Ships' WWII list records 'USS LST-228 destroyed by grounding near Bahia Angra Island, Azores, 21 January 1944' and 'LCT(6)-582 sunk in the Azores Islands, 22 January 1944.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-01
- Limitations
- Official tabulations disagree on loss-date convention (20 Jan in King's report, 21 Jan 'destroyed by grounding' in casualty list) - consistent with a grounding on the 19th deteriorating into total loss; phases reconciled in record, not hidden. Neither source documents crew casualties, cause, or materials; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-04
-
[6]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-228 page (10/16/160228), including ship's specifications block and commanding officers table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications block; commanding officers table (LT McIlwaine); awards/campaign ribbons display
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull page: LST-1-class tank landing ship; same construction/loss timeline; specifications 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 LCVP; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW diesel generators, 1,700 shp twin screw; commanding officer listed as LT Julius D. R. McIlwaine, USNR (1943-); awards display shows American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal ribbons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Limitations
- Compiled reference, not a primary record - NavSource is the canonical per-hull volunteer reference used across this dataset; specs are class-level data displayed on the hull page, and the CO line is 'LT. Mcllwaine, Julius D. R., USNR - 1943 - ?' with open end date. Ribbon display is a generic entitlement graphic, not a unit award citation. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-05
-
[7]Warfare History Network, 'Covering the Azores Gap in World War II' (Operation Alacrity account); corroborated at convoy level by the Arnold Hague convoy database (convoyweb.org.uk), UGS.29 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- WHN article, paragraphs on the January 1944 Terceira movement; convoyweb.org.uk/ugs/ugs.php?convoy=29 (UGS.29 roster; John Clarke entry annotated 'FAYAL. 552 TROOPS')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Mission context: Warfare History Network's account of Operation Alacrity states that on 4 January 1944 the 928th Engineer Aviation Regiment left Hampton Roads in three ships - the Liberty ship John Clarke and LSTs 44 and 228 - as part of convoy UGS-29 officially headed to the Mediterranean, actually destined for Terceira, Azores (expected arrival 17 January) to build what became Lagens (Lajes) Field under the Allied-Portuguese basing agreement. The Arnold Hague convoy database independently shows UGS.29 departed Hampton Roads 5 January 1944 for Port Said with John Clarke bound for 'FAYAL' carrying 552 troops - corroborating the convoy and the Azores movement (Hague's roster enumerates merchant vessels; commissioned warships such as LSTs are not listed, so it does not itself name LST-228).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-01
- Population
- 928th Engineer Aviation Regiment embarked; LST crew
- Limitations
- Reputable-press secondary (author is the 801st Engineer Aviation Battalion unit-history compiler); LST-44/228 participation is asserted there, not in an official record consulted. Hague roster corroborates the convoy and John Clarke's Azores tasking but omits warships by design. WHN says the group left 4 January; Hague records the convoy sailing 5 January - noted, not resolved. Establishes mission context; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-06
-
[8]Costello v. UNARCO Industries, Inc., 129 Ill. App. 3d 736, 473 N.E.2d 96 (Ill. App. Ct. 4th Dist. 1984), No. 4-84-0081 (official opinion text via Justia) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion: procedural-history recital (early-1940s Seneca shipyards employment; mesothelioma death 27 April 1982) and quoted complaint paragraphs 13-17 (asbestos 'used at the shipyard')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level litigation record for the builder: Costello v. UNARCO Industries, Inc., 129 Ill. App. 3d 736, 473 N.E.2d 96 (Ill. App. Ct. 4th Dist., decided 28 December 1984, docket 4-84-0081). The complaint was predicated on Frank H. Costello's exposure to asbestos during the early 1940s while employed at the Seneca shipyards - the construction window of this hull - and he died of mesothelioma 27 April 1982. The Illinois appellate court affirmed dismissal: strict-liability counts barred by the section 13-213 statute of repose; negligence counts insufficiently pleaded (failure to specify disease and defendants' position in the chain of production). No merits adjudication of the asbestos allegations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1984 opinion; early-1940s exposure window
- Population
- Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca ('Prairie Shipyard') construction workforce, early 1940s
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: this is a PLEADING-stage record - the exposure allegations were never tried; dismissal on statute-of-repose and fact-pleading grounds was affirmed on non-exposure grounds, leaving the asbestos allegations unadjudicated. Documents the yard, not this hull - no specific vessel named. Does not establish that asbestos was aboard LST-228, nor any individual exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-07
-
[9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. II (Jan 1945) machinery table + roster (shipscribe.com scan); Tim Colton's Shipbuilding History, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL page [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 'Landing Ship-Tank (LST)' design/machinery table row 'LST1-490' and roster entry 'LST228' ('Sunk'); http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/chicagobridge.htm yard table row 'LST 228'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- BuShips Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (January 1945, NAVSHIPS 250-011): the machinery table gives the LST-1 design group (LST1-490, the group covering hull 228) 2 propellers on G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines at 1,700 shp with no steam conditions (diesel plant - no boilers); the roster lists LST228 with a 'Sunk' annotation. shipbuildinghistory.com's yard table confirms the Seneca build block and lists LST-228 (laid 10 May 1943 there per Colton - vs 20 May in DANFS, carried as a gap) with disposition 'Wrecked in the Azores 1944'; the Navy requisitioned the CB&I Seneca facility in 1942, invested $6M in improvements, and the yard (the 'Prairie Shipyard', ~200 acres) produced 157 LSTs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (design data); 1942-1945 (yard)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Official BuShips machinery data establishes the diesel plant for the design group - asbestos-relevant because it rules out steam-plant lagging pathways - but names no materials and no asbestos. Roster OCR layout is staggered ('Sunk' annotation aligned to LST228 row per layout). Colton is a compiled reference; its laid-down date (10 May) conflicts with DANFS (20 May) - DANFS carried. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-08
-
[10]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v2 machinery data (diesel plant, no steam) + era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class technical data; consistent with ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-08 design row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LSTs: with no boilers aboard, asbestos-relevant applications are GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room and machinery-space thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, winch/crane brake linings, and valve packing - the same application set documented for the class in the lst-1-class profile.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Seneca construction trades (1943); ship's company during the ~12-week commission
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule or asbestos record was located for LST-228 or any LST class member. Establishes no quantities, no shipboard presence, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-09
-
[11]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) - PubMed PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record verified via NCBI E-utilities (title, journal, volume/issue/pages, authors confirmed); publisher full text (Wiley) blocks automated fetch (403) - abstract-level reliance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program under which this hull was mass-produced at an inland emergency yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in naval and merchant construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, class, or yard and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-10
-
[12]Batch-6778 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NHHC photo catalog; NHHC casualty list; US Navy at War report; Cressman chronology; NavSource; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; convoyweb; shipbuildinghistory; WHN; CourtListener hull searches (opinion + docket) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-228-lst228-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-228 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-hull searches returned only name collisions: Amerace Esna Corp. v. United States, 199 Ct. Cl. 175 (1972), a Court of Claims patent case whose 'LST-228' string is not ship-related (in-text context not verified); LifeScience Technologies LLC v. Mercy Health (E.D. Mo., 'LST' party abbreviation); and Burgess v. Royal Caribbean Cruises (S.D. Fla., docket-text collision). Collision caveat: two ROC Navy hulls (ex-LST-1073 Chung Shun; ex-LST-520 Chung Shu) later carried pennant number LST-228 - Taiwan-service records under this number are a different hull.
- 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 - a 1943 wartime-built hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the ship sank with her original outfit intact. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Seneca-yard CourtListener sweeps were blocked by fleet pacing budget at session end - yard-level litigation coverage beyond the located Costello opinion is incomplete.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-11
-
[13]NARA deck-log guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks); Royal Navy Naval Historical Branch Admiralty War Diary Jan 1944 PDF listing (blocked 403); NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19/RG 178 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-log program page; sccd.royalnavy.mod.uk war_diary_naval_1944_01.pdf (403 to automated fetch 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for LST-228's ~12-week commission (Oct 1943-Jan 1944) - WWII-era logs held at NARA College Park, mostly not digitized; catalog is JS-rendered and a records pull was not completed. (b) Any BuShips/CNO board-of-investigation or salvage-survey file on the January 1944 grounding (RG 19/RG 38 families). (c) The Admiralty Naval War Diary for January 1944 (royalnavy.mod.uk Naval Historical Branch PDF) - search index shows an entry noting U.S. L.S.T. 228 'parted her cable'; the PDF is Cloudflare-blocked (HTTP 403) to automated fetch, so only the indexed snippet was seen - unverified as retrieved content. (d) NARA RG 178/USMC wartime construction-contract records may cover the Seneca yard's LST block.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. The RN diary mention was seen only in a search-index snippet, not in retrieved page content. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-228-lst228-12