Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 652-packet.md (2 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-26-lst26-pkt-652-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-26 (Naval History and Heritage Command ship history, live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS LST-26 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ship history: LST-26 laid down 16 November 1942 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by Dravo Corp.; launched 31 March 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Mathilda B. Coulter; commissioned 7 June 1943. Served in the Asiatic-Pacific theater in the Bismarck Archipelago operation (Cape Gloucester, Dec 1943-Jan 1944), Hollandia operation (Apr-May 1944), Western New Guinea operations (Toem-Wakde-Sarmi, May 1944; Biak, May-Jun 1944; Noemfoor, Jul 1944; Cape Sansapor, Jul-Aug 1944; Morotai, Sep 1944), Leyte landings (Oct-Nov 1944), and consolidation of the southern Philippines (Mindanao landings, Mar 1945). China service 3-10 October 1945; occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945; decommissioned 1 April 1946; struck from the Navy list 8 May 1946; sold to Arctic Circle Exploration, Seattle, Wash., 17 June 1946 for conversion to merchant service. Five battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- USS LST-26 crew (Coast Guard-manned) and embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, operations, and disposition. Contains no asbestos or material information. DANFS gives builder location as Pittsburgh; NavSource specifies Dravo's Neville Island yard - same facility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-26 (10/16/160026) - timeline, flotilla assignment, campaign table, awards, specs, commanding-officer list, NARA-captioned photography [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160026 main page incl. specifications block and CO table; linked PDF 160026a.pdf (scanned crew timeline, no text layer - not relied on)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-1 class tank landing ship: laid down 16 November 1942 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA; launched 31 March 1943; commissioned 7 June 1943, LT Eugene Kiernan USCGR in command; manned by a U.S. Coast Guard crew during WWII. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LST Flotilla Seven, Group Twenty-One, Division Forty-One. Campaign dates: Cape Gloucester 26-28 Dec 1943, 30 Dec-3 Jan, 5-9 and 11-14 Jan 1944; Aitape/Humboldt Bay-Tanah Merah Bay 21-27 Apr and 1-7 May 1944; Toem-Wakde-Sarmi 17-21 and 23-25 May 1944; Biak 27-30 May, 3-7 and 9-11 Jun 1944; Noemfoor 6-10 Jul 1944; Cape Sansapor 30 Jul, 2 and 4-10 Aug 1944; Morotai 15 Sep 1944; Leyte 13-27 Oct and 5-18 Nov 1944; Zamboanga 10-11 Mar 1945. Navy Occupation Service 11 Oct-1 Nov 1945; China Service 3-10 Oct 1945. Decommissioned 1 Apr 1946; struck 8 May 1946; sold to Arctic Circle Exploration, Seattle, 17 Jun 1946 for commercial conversion - fate unknown. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, Zamboanga-Mindanao landings), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5 stars), Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), China Service Medal (extended), Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, Philippines Liberation Medal (2); individual Purple Hearts (incl. F.E. Bateman) for Zamboanga WIAs. Specs: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk reduction gears, 2 shafts, 1,700 shp; 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted. NARA-captioned photos document the ship at Biak (NAID 205584181, USCG 26-G-2487), Tanah Merah Bay (NAID 205584998, USCG 26-G-2301), Maffin Bay (SC 194713), and Cape Gloucester (NAID 205584328, USCG 26-G-3406).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Coast Guard crew of LST-26; embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-edited photographic archive, not a government source - used for timeline/spec/CG-manning detail that corroborates DANFS and the ship's own NARA records; photo captions are NARA/USCG-derived. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-02
-
[4]NARA RG 38, World War II War Diaries series - USS LST-26 action report, 'Rep of Reinforcement Landing on Leyte Is & Engagement with Enemy Aircraft in Leyte Gulf & San Pedro Bay, Philippines on 11/12/44', letter FE25/A16-3(3) dated 14 November 1944 (micro serial 100667, roll A1325; 7 images, unrestricted, digitized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139788801, images 1-7 (cover letter + anti-aircraft action report forms)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own commanding-officer action report: as part of Echelon L-11 (Task Group 78.4 / Task Force 78), LST-26 in convoy to Leyte went to general quarters ~0500 on 12 November 1944; at 0528 opened fire on an enemy twin-engine bomber off the port quarter, which was shot down in flames by the no. 16 20-mm gun ~400 yards off the starboard quarter; beached at Yellow Beach, Leyte, at 0815 and commenced unloading ~0859; ~1215 three enemy planes came over the Liberty-ship anchorage off the starboard quarter, two crashing onto Liberty ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-11-12 (action); 1944-11-14 (report)
- Population
- USS LST-26 crew
- Limitations
- Ship-filed operational record; documents combat employment and daily operating detail for this hull but contains no asbestos, material, or crew-exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-03
-
[5]NARA RG 38, World War II War Diaries series - USS LST-26 action report, 'Rep of ops in the invasion of Zamboanga, Mindanao Is, Philippines 3/10 & 11/45', letter FE25/A16-3(3) dated 12 March 1945 (micro serial 112537, roll A1476; 2 images, unrestricted, digitized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139932375, images 1-2
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own commanding-officer action report: LST-26 departed Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, 8 March 1945 as part of Task Unit 78.1.11 (VICTOR FOUR) with an LCM in tow; off Zamboanga 10 March 1945 the vessel was subjected to considerable mortar fire during the run to Yellow Beach; beached 1455, retracted 1609, re-beached in Slot 8 Yellow Beach 1625; commenced unloading U.S. Marine Corps personnel and equipment 1635; in beaching on Slot 8 the vessel struck a coral ledge about 150 feet off the beach, tearing a hole in the bottom forward of frame 35 about ten inches by one inch - temporary repairs made and bilge pump used to control water; mortar fire continued to 1800; four U.S. Army casualties brought aboard at 1920.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03-10/11 (action); 1945-03-12 (report)
- Population
- USS LST-26 crew; embarked U.S. Marine Corps personnel; four Army casualties taken aboard
- Limitations
- Ship-filed operational record; documents combat employment and hull damage/repair for this hull but contains no asbestos, material, or crew-exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-04
-
[6]'History of LST Flotilla Seven', compiled by LTjg. Phineas Stevens (contemporary wartime flotilla history; contributed by Guy G. Guthridge; NavSource-hosted scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PDF 160018a.pdf, flotilla history text (pp. 1-18 of scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Flotilla-level operational history naming this hull: LST-26 was among the ships originally assigned to LST Flotilla SEVEN (organized at Panama City, FL, February 1943); in the Cape Gloucester assault the second echelon including LST-26 arrived the target area around noon 26 December 1943; on 27 July 1944 LSTs 18(GF), 26, 66, 68, 170, 202, 206 and 466(FF) departed Maffin Bay for initial landings at Cape Sansapor, completing unloading and departing 30 July; on 27 February 1945 the flotilla commander departed Leyte for Mindoro with LSTs 459, 26, and 66, arriving 1 March and reloading for Zamboanga; LST-26 departed Mindoro 8 March 1945 for the 10 March initial landings at Zamboanga and departed for Leyte 11 March; LSTs 26 and 458 arrived at Taku, China on 3 October 1945 and discharged U.S. Marine occupation forces.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- LST Flotilla Seven crews incl. LST-26
- Limitations
- Unit history naming the hull in specific operations; no asbestos or material content. OCR text extraction of the scan was used; page images are the underlying artifact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-05
-
[7]U.S. Coast Guard, 'The Coast Guard at War, Vol. VI: The Pacific' (official institutional history), Appendix A (operations in which CG fully or partially manned vessels participated) and Appendix B (CG-manned ships entitled to operation/engagement stars) - HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG-VI-A.html Appendix A operation tables; USCG-VI-B.html Appendix B
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official U.S. Coast Guard history lists LST-26 among Coast Guard-manned vessels by operation: Cape Gloucester, New Britain (24 Dec 1943 - 14 Jan 1944); Hollandia (18 Apr - 7 May 1944); Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area (17-25 May 1944); Biak Island (26 May - 14 Jun 1944); Noemfoor Island (6-10 Jul 1944); Cape Sansapor (engaged in D-Day landing, 27 Jul - 10 Aug 1944); Morotai (listed); Leyte (D-Day). Appendix B lists LST-26 among Coast Guard-manned ships entitled to engagement stars for these operations - independent confirmation that this hull carried a Coast Guard crew.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (operations); 1940s (publication era)
- Population
- Coast Guard crews, Pacific LSTs
- Limitations
- Official USCG institutional history via HyperWar transcription (ibiblio.org mirror) - content is authoritative but this is a transcription mirror, not the government site. Appendix tables do not list LST-26 for Zamboanga (documented instead by the ship's own action report, NAID 139932375). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-06
-
[8]Christman v. Dravo Corp., 319 Pa. Super. 378, 466 A.2d 209 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1983) (Popovich, J.) - CourtListener opinion 1971341 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text at 319 Pa. Super. 381-386 (interrogatory answers quoted at [*385]-[*386])
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-level asbestos record covering this hull's yard and build window: in answers to appellant's interrogatories (nos. 7, 13 & 17), Dravo admitted that from 1941 to 1945 the major portion of the ships it built (over 145 LST-type vessels) were for the Bureau of Ships of the United States Navy and that asbestos was used as pipe insulating material in the construction of motor vessels at the Neville Island building docks. LST-26 was built at that yard Nov 1942 - Jun 1943. The underlying suit was brought by the executrix of Jacob F. Christman, a Dravo mechanic/welder at Neville Island 1942-45 who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May 1978 and died 21 February 1979; the estate alleged exposure to Johns-Manville-supplied asbestos while installing insulation in ship holds at the East Yard outfitting dock.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (exposure window); 1979-1983 (litigation)
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island shipyard workers 1941-45 (builder admission covers the workforce that built LST-26's production block); Jacob F. Christman (mechanic/welder, d. 1979 mesothelioma)
- Limitations
- DISCOVERY-STAGE record, never adjudicated on the merits: the asbestos admission comes from the defendant's answers to interrogatories quoted in a published appellate opinion; summary judgment was granted to Dravo and affirmed on the ground that the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act was the worker's exclusive remedy - exposure was not tried. The admission covers the yard's 1941-45 motor-vessel production generally; it does not name LST-26, does not establish exposure for any individual, and admits 'pipe insulating material' - it does not establish other applications or quantities. CourtListener opinion 1971341 verified 2026-10-02 (note: the CL/LEXIS-derived page header mislabels the court 'Supreme Court of Pennsylvania' - the official reporter citation 319 Pa. Super. 378 and Judge Popovich's authorship confirm the Pennsylvania Superior Court).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-07
-
[9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design/machinery table (shipscribe.com scan; URL re-verified at new path 2026-10-02 - the class profile's old /styles/usnaux/sdb/ path now 404s) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2.pdf, LST design table + machinery block (LST1-490 row)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data: the LST1-490 design group (which includes hull 26) carried 2 x GM Diesel 12-567A engines at 1,700 (b)hp - a diesel plant with no boilers. Era/design inference for a diesel LST: asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in engine-room and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings, bulkhead/accommodation insulation, and winch brake linings - not steam-line or boiler lagging. The builder's Christman admission independently confirms asbestos pipe insulation was in use at the constructing yard during this hull's build window.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Construction trades at Dravo Neville Island; Coast Guard crew; embarked troops
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only: the BuShips table documents machinery, not insulating materials; the application list beyond 'pipe insulation' is era inference, not a hull finding. Establishes no quantities, no individual exposure, and no present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-08
-
[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 the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. LST-26 left naval service in 1946, before this program's window - the row documents program-level Navy asbestos practice for era context.
- 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, not ship- or class-specific; postdates this hull's naval service by three decades and establishes nothing about material aboard it. Full text blocked to automated fetch (gao.gov HTTP 403, standing defect since Batch-01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-09
-
[11]NIOSH walk-through survey report, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA, 30 January 1979 (Billings & Lazar; OSTI bibliographic record) + 1981 industrial-hygiene survey (OSTI biblio 6065127) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSTI biblio records 6587634 and 6065127 (abstracts; full texts not digitized at OSTI)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- NIOSH conducted industrial-hygiene surveys at the Dravo Engineering Works Division yard on Neville Island (walk-through Jan 1979; full survey Jul 1981) evaluating painter exposures - organic solvents, metals, nuisance dust - during postwar barge/towboat construction. The reports document government industrial-hygiene scrutiny of this hull's building yard but do not address asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979-1981
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island production workers (1979-81)
- Limitations
- Yard-level and postwar: surveys concern painting/coating exposures in 1979-81 barge/towboat work, decades after LST production ended; no asbestos sampling or wartime-LST content. Establishes that NIOSH looked at the yard - it is a context result, not an asbestos finding either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-10
-
[12]Batch-6796 search ledger (this record): NARA catalog, NavSource, NHHC DANFS, NVR, CourtListener API v4 (opinion and RECAP-docket sweeps), NIOSH/OSTI, secondary web [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-26-01 through sl-uss-lst-26-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-26 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion sweeps for "LST-26", "USS LST-26", "LST 26", and "LST 26"+asbestos returned zero results; the RECAP-docket sweep returned 15 dockets whose LST-26 text matches are incidental (unrelated civil, product-liability, and bankruptcy cases - no maritime or asbestos case naming this vessel). The closest record is the builder-level Christman admission (ev-07), which covers the yard and build window but does not name this 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 - the Christman admission makes asbestos pipe insulation at the building yard during construction a documented (though non-hull-specific) fact. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-11
-
[13]NARA archival leads: COM LST FLOT 7 war diary Dec 1944 (NAID 139827584) and related flotilla file units; USS LST-26 deck logs (RG 24/RG 26 not located as digitized items); NavSource-hosted 5-page scanned crew timeline contributed by J.B. Simms/S. Bateman (160026a.pdf, no text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139827584 (roll A1367); NavSource 160026a.pdf
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Additional primary records exist but were not extracted: LST Flotilla Seven's own war diaries (e.g., NAID 139827584, Dec 1944, roll A1367) presumably carry this hull's day-to-day movements; LST-26's deck logs were not located in digitized NARA records this session; a scanned crew-contributed timeline on NavSource adds anecdotal detail but is non-authoritative and image-only.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (record era)
- Limitations
- Archival leads, not analyzed content - no claim in this record rests on them. Deck-log digitization status for this hull unverified (NARA catalog is JS-rendered; deck-log file units may be filed under series not reachable by hull-number text search).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-26-12