USS LST-261

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet 652-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lst-261-lst261-pkt-652-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, LST-261 entry (Naval History and Heritage Command ship-history page, live) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   LST-261 DANFS entry body text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS records that LST-261 was laid down on 7 September 1942 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 23 January 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Harry F. Snyder; and commissioned on 22 May 1943. During World War II she was assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. She was decommissioned on 22 February 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 28 March 1946; on 10 November 1947 she was sold to the Biloxi Boat Wrecking Co., of Biloxi, Miss., for scrapping. She earned one battle star for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Construction trades (American Bridge, Ambridge, 1942-43); crew 1943-46

   Limitations

   Ship-specific official history; no asbestos or material content. Verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02 (the page is UA-sensitive - a bare curl returned 404 while a browser-agent fetch and Firecrawl both returned the live page; an archived 2014-10-19 Wayback capture contains identical text). The DANFS entry is terse: it gives commission 22 May 1943 where the ship's own 1945 War History letter gives 13 May 1943 - see correction row and gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-261 (archives/10/16/160261.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource LST-261 page: header timeline, campaign table, CO table, specifications block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource documents for this hull: US Coast Guard-manned during WWII; LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 7 September 1942 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 23 January 1943; commissioned 22 May 1943 with LCDR L. I. Reilly, USCG, in command; assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East theater in LST Flotilla Seventeen, LST Group Fifty-One, LST Division One Hundred Two; campaign - Invasion of Normandy, 6-25 June 1944; decommissioned 22 February 1946; struck from the Naval Register 28 March 1946; sold for scrapping 10 November 1947 to Biloxi Boat Wrecking Co., Biloxi, MS; one battle star. Commanding-officer table lists four USCG/USCGR officers: LCDR L. I. Reilly USCG (22 May 1943-August 1944), LT Joseph V. Ferguson USCGR (August-October 1944), LT William S. Parrish USCGR (October 1944-July 1945), LT D. G. Olney USCGR (July 1945-22 February 1946). Photographs show the hull moored at Jeffersonville Bridge and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN, with masts cut down to pass under river bridges - consistent with the inland-yard-to-sea delivery route. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full, 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 11.6 kt trial, 13 officers/104 enlisted plus 16 officers/147 enlisted troops, two GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk main reduction gear, two propellers, 1,700 shp, three 100 kW diesel-drive generators.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Construction trades (Ambridge 1942-43); USCG crew 1943-46; Jeffersonville transit personnel

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS/NVR practice and are corroborated here by DANFS and the ship's own war history. The CO table is courtesy-tagged (Wolfgang Hechler/Ron Reeves compilation). Contains no asbestos content. Verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-02.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-02

4. [4]NARA, 'USS LST-261 - War History,' NAID 77707025, RG 38 WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories (micro serial 159169; Fold3 file 302085891), 3 images [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77707025, images 0492-0494 (letter + narration of history)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own War History letter (3 December 1945, CO to Secretary of the Navy, Public Information Bureau) documents for this hull: built by American Bridge Company, Ambridge Plant; commissioned 13 May 1943; sailed 27 July 1943 for North Africa with supplies, troops and equipment, using Oran, Algiers and Bizerte; operated under the British for the Italian invasion carrying tanks and troops from Sicily to Taranto and the East Coast of Italy, making - in mixed company of British and American LSTs - the farthest-north landing on the east coast of Italy at Manfredonia near Foggia; then with nine other LSTs proceeded through the Suez Canal, 'the first American man-of-war to enter the canal since the start of hostilities,' carrying U.S. Army engineers, a graves-registration unit, and LCT 449 with crew to India for a planned Burma invasion under Lord Louis Mountbatten; held up in Ceylon by breakdown of the port main engine - 'the first American ship of war to enter Colombo in this war'; after repairs retraced through the Canal with LCT 449 on deck, arriving in England March 1944; visited Ireland, Scotland, and English south-coast ports readying for Normandy, ending at Harwich in a mixed group of twenty LSTs, half American and half British; sailed for the invasion 'arriving off Arromanche on D-Day afternoon carrying between five and six hundred men including Montgomery's Desert Rats, tankers of British 8th Army'; thereafter carried British, Belgian, French and American troops and equipment; 'altogether the LST 261 made 52 channel crossings'; was bombed (no damage), took a mine close aboard on the port quarter requiring hand steering back to England, had casualties on the main deck (Purple Hearts), and was rammed by a British merchantman in dense fog - 19 days of repairs near London; returned to America June 1945 for a three-month overhaul in New York to prepare for Pacific duty; sailed 20 September 1945 for New Orleans and the Navy Day celebration at Louisville, Ky. (41,000 visitors); commanding officers Lt. Comdr. L. I. Reilly USCG (May 1943-August 1944), Lt. J. V. Ferguson USCGR (August-October 1944), Lt. W. S. Parrish USCGR (October 1944-July 1945), Lt. D. G. Olney USCGR (July 1945-); Lt. Comdr. Reilly received the DSC for 'operation under British off Normandy'; signed D. G. Olney.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   USCG/USCGR crew and embarked troops 1943-45; New York overhaul yard trades Jun-Sep 1945

   Limitations

   Primary ship-generated record (contemporaneous CO submission), retrieved at full resolution and read directly this session. Internal conflicts: states 'Commissioned: 13 May, 1943' twice vs. DANFS/NavSource 22 May 1943, and '52 channel crossings' vs. USCG Historian's 53 - see correction row and gaps. The letter describes operations and a 1945 New York overhaul but names no shipyard, materials, or insulation - no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-03

5. [5]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'The U.S. Coast Guard at Normandy' (D-Day topic page) + 'Cutters and Vessels' Normandy order-of-battle list (11 Coast Guard-manned LSTs including LST-261) [other_primary]

   Locator

   USCG Historian D-Day narrative (post-D-Day crossings paragraph, Omaha Beach section) + Cutters and Vessels LST list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office documents this hull's Normandy service: LST-261 appears on the official list of 11 Coast Guard-manned LSTs that participated in the Normandy invasion of June 1944, and the USCG D-Day history states that Coast Guard-manned landing craft 'continued to bring reinforcements and supplies to France and return with wounded and prisoners. One, LST-261, made 53 crossings in the days following D-Day.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944

   Population

   USCG crew; embarked Allied troops

   Limitations

   Official service history confirming Coast Guard manning and Normandy participation for this hull. The 53-crossing figure conflicts with the ship's own war-history letter (52) - carried as a documented conflict in gaps; the exact beach assignment is 'off Arromanche' (Gold) per the ship's letter, while the USCG page discusses the crossing count under its Omaha Beach section header without assigning a beach. No asbestos content. Live page retrieved via Firecrawl; site returns 403 to bare curl.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-04

6. [6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LST 261 (ship/11342) - warship data + convoy event transcriptions (OS 53/KMS 23, AB 18A, GUS 29), sourced from the Arnold Hague/convoyweb convoy database [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship data block; 'Notable events' convoy transcriptions

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Convoy-movement records corroborate the war-history routing: USS LST 261 (Lt. L. I. Reilley, USCG) is listed in combined convoy OS 53/KMS 23 assembled off Oversay 9 August 1943 - the LSTs detached to Bizerta 23 August 1943; in convoy AB 18A departing Aden 2 November 1943 for Bombay (arrived about 9 November); and in convoy GUS 29 departing Port Said 25 January 1944 bound west. The uboat.net warship page independently lists: built by American Bridge Co., Ambridge; ordered 15 February 1942; laid down 7 September 1942; launched 23 January 1943; commissioned 22 May 1943; end of service 22 February 1946; sold 10 November 1947.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   USCG crew during Med/Indian Ocean transits 1943-44

   Limitations

   Research-compilation source (uboat.net rendering of official convoy records), not itself a Navy document; convoy events corroborate the ship's own war-history routing (Mediterranean Aug 1943, Suez/Indian Ocean late 1943, return via Port Said early 1944). The 'ordered 15 Feb 1942' date has no DANFS/NavSource counterpart and is carried as secondary. No asbestos content. Verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-02.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-05

7. [7]Conservative synthesis: NavSource LST-261 specifications block (diesel plant) + class-profile era analysis (lst-1-class.class.json) + NARA war history maintenance events; no hull-specific asbestos document located [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications block; NAID 77707025 narrative items 6-9; class profile era inference

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: a 1942-43 diesel-powered LST could have asbestos-relevant materials in diesel or exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, accommodation or bulkhead insulation, and winch or windlass brake linings. The class design (two GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers) means the boiler and steam-lagging pathway does not apply. The ship's documented 19-day repair period after merchantman ramming (1944) and the June-September 1945 New York overhaul are the hull's identified maintenance-disturbance windows; the war history names no shipyard and no materials.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   1942-43 construction trades (Ambridge); USCG crew 1943-46; 1945 New York overhaul trades; 1947 Biloxi shipbreakers

   Limitations

   Inference only: no cited source names asbestos aboard LST-261 or identifies a product installed on this hull. Repair/overhaul windows are documented events but their material scope is unknown. Does not establish presence, absence, quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-06

8. [8]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published 18 October 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page + full report PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf), 'Navy's policy on use of asbestos' and summary sections

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos posture during and after this hull's era: thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; asbestos also appeared in clutches, electric cables, deck tile, and piping-system gaskets/packing ('the list is nearly endless'); Navy specifications were not changed to asbestos-free materials until late 1973, and some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978; the 1975 policy replaced asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained unless disturbed. Fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1979 (report); 1940s-70s (policy era described)

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (program review)

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation: supports the era context that a WWII-built hull carried asbestos-bearing materials and that removal was deferred absent disturbance; does not name LST-261 or LSTs, does not establish materials aboard this hull, and postdates the hull's 1947 scrapping. Full text retrieved via Firecrawl; gao.gov returns 403 to bare curl.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-07

9. [9]Batch-6797 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS, NavSource, NARA catalog + war-history images, USCG Historian, uboat.net, shipbuildinghistory.com, GAO, CourtListener, secondary-web sweep [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-261-lst261-01 through sl-uss-lst-261-lst261-18

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located in the public sources searched: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming LST-261 was found. All six CourtListener searches completed with zero hits - opinion and docket types for 'LST-261', 'USS LST-261', and 'LST 261'. The ship's own war history, DANFS, NavSource, USCG Historian pages, and convoy records contain no asbestos statement. The hull was scrapped in 1947, decades before asbestos regulation and survey practice.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   2026-10-02

   Limitations

   A negative public-source search does not prove asbestos was absent aboard a 1942-43 hull. CourtListener coverage is complete for this session: six authenticated searches (opinion + docket for 'LST-261', 'USS LST-261', 'LST 261') all returned zero hits - a search-scope no-result, not a merits finding. NARA's eight digitized LST-261 war diaries (Aug 1943-May 1944) and the BuPers muster-roll file were identified but not read page-by-page; no June 1944 war diary was found in catalog results. No present-day asbestos claim is possible - the hull was scrapped after 1947 and no breaker hazmat record exists from that era.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-08

10. [10]Internal source comparison: NARA NAID 77707025 war history + NAID 126626131 muster-roll coverage vs. DANFS/NavSource/uboat.net milestone dates; USCG Historian crossing count [other_primary]

    Locator

    ev-01 (DANFS), ev-02 (NavSource), ev-03 (war history), ev-04 (USCG), ev-05 (uboat) field comparison; NAID 126626131 catalog title

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTIONS / documented conflicts for this hull: (a) commissioning date - the ship's own War History letter states 'Commissioned: 13 May, 1943' in both the list and narrative versions, and the Bureau of Naval Personnel muster-roll file for LST-261 carries coverage beginning 13 May 1943 (NAID 126626131, roll 4398, span 5/13/43-1/22/46), while DANFS, NavSource and uboat.net all give 22 May 1943; DANFS is carried as the display date with the conflict disclosed here. (b) Channel-crossing count - the war history says '52 channel crossings' while the USCG Historian's D-Day article says 53. (c) 'Ordered 15 Feb 1942' (uboat.net) has no official-source counterpart located.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1943-1946

    Limitations

    Documents internal source conflicts without resolving them. The 13 vs 22 May 1943 commission dates may reflect a two-stage sequence (e.g., crew reporting/initial commission at Ambridge vs. commissioning reported by NavSource's CO table under Reilly on 22 May) - no source located resolves it. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-09

11. [11]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation), 'American Bridge, Ambridge PA' yard page [other_primary]

    Locator

    American Bridge yard history paragraph + production table LST block

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Builder-yard context: shipbuildinghistory.com's American Bridge/Ambridge production table lists 'LST 261 | U.S. Navy | Landing Ship | 22-May-43 | Scrapped 1947' among the yard's LST block, and documents that the Navy requisitioned the Ambridge yard in 1942 and invested $9 million in its improvement - the yard built inland LSTs on the Ohio River downstream from Pittsburgh, consistent with the NavSource photographs of this hull transiting with masts cut down for river bridges.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1942-1947

    Population

    American Bridge construction trades, Ambridge, 1942-43

    Limitations

    Secondary compilation (long-running Colton yard tables), not an official registry; corroborates builder, commission date (22-May-43) and 1947 scrapping disposition. No asbestos or material content. American Bridge/Ambridge is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry - carried in gaps. Verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-10-02.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-261-lst261-10