Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 654-packet.md (1 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-270-lst270-pkt-654-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-270 (NHHC, live page published 2015-07-30) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Asiatic-Pacific operations, sale, battle stars [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry LST-270, full entry text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'laid down on 13 January 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 18 July 1944 [sic - see correction row]; sponsored by Mrs. R. D. Seagraves; and commissioned on 8 September 1943, Lt. O. W. Barber in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; operations listed: occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (January and February 1944), Hollandia operation (April 1944), capture and occupation of Guam (July 1944), Leyte landings (October 1944). 'LST-270 was sold on 12 May 1950.' 'LST-270 earned four battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1950
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (Jan-Sep 1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; contains no asbestos, material, or survey content. The entry internally misprints the launch year as 1944 (commissioning is stated as 8 September 1943); 18 July 1943 is corroborated by NavSource and uboat.net - see correction row ev-09. Does not state decommissioning or striking dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-270 (page 10/16/160270, last updated 15 April 2022) - timeline, flotilla assignments, campaign table, awards, specifications, commanding-officer list, photo captions with NARA identifiers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160270.htm header block, Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns table, awards ribbons, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 13 January 1943 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 18 July 1943; commissioned USS LST-270 on 8 September 1943, LT. O. W. Barber, USN, in command. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific: LST Flotilla Five (CAPT G.B. Carter), LST Group Fifteen (CDR V.K. Busck), LST Division Thirty; and LST Flotilla Three (CDR A.A. Ageton), LST Group Eight, LST Division Fifteen. Campaign table: Marshall Islands operation - occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (dates as printed on page: 21 to 28 April 1944 - conflicts with DANFS 'January and February 1944', see ev-09); Hollandia operation 21-27 April 1944; Marianas operation - capture and occupation of Guam 21-28 July 1944; Leyte operation - Leyte landings 20 October 1944. Awards displayed: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4); World War II Victory Medal; Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippines Liberation Medal (1). Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, dates unknown; sold 12 May 1950; final disposition fate unknown. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full (sea-going) / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 miles at 9 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; armament (ultimate design) 2 twin 40MM mounts w/Mk.51 directors, 4 single 40MM, 12 single 20MM; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100Kw 230V D.C. ship's service generators, two propellers (1,700 shp), twin rudders. Commanding officers: LT Oliver Warren Barber USN (8 Sep 1943-Jun 1944); LTjg Ernest M. Wheeler USNR (Jun-Aug 1944); LT Oliver Warren Barber USN (Aug 1944-12 Nov 1945); LTjg George C. Hoy USNR (12 Nov 1945-?).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1950
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943); ship's company 13 officers/104 enlisted plus embarked troops 16 officers/147 enlisted (1943-46); postwar custodial crew to 1950 sale
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS; the Kwajalein/Majuro campaign-window dates printed on the page conflict with DANFS (see correction row ev-09). 'Sold 12 May 1950' agrees with DANFS. Contains no asbestos content. Page verified live 2026-10-02 at navsource.net (the .net domain - navsource.org is defunct).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-02
-
[4]NARA National Archives Catalog, "LST-270" search - 365 file-unit/item results, predominantly monthly War Diaries for USS LST-270 in Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "LST-270" (365 results); RG 38 series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds a monthly war-diary series for this hull spanning September 1943 through at least December 1945 (file units include NAID 78194617 'War Diary 9/8-30/43'; 134322801 '10/1-31/43'; 136014659 '11/1-30/43'; 78349526 '2/1-29/44'; 78382269 '3/1-31/44'; 78422116 '4/1-30/44'; 78477330 '5/1-31/44'; 78551150 '7/1-31/44'; 633380672 '9/1-30/44'; 78664704 '10/1-31/44'; 139984074 '4/1-30/45'; 77560006 '10/1-31/45'; 140084144 '12/1-31/45'). The catalog reports 364 of 365 results 'available to access online' - i.e., the war diaries for this specific hull are digitized on microfilm rolls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (diary coverage)
- Population
- Ship's company, monthly reporting periods 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead: catalog-level verification only - individual diary pages were not reviewed this session. War diaries are operational records; they may document availabilities, repairs, or overhaul periods relevant to exposure pathways but are unlikely to name materials. The series confirms the hull remained in commission through December 1945 (consistent with the commanding-officer list running to LTjg Hoy from 12 November 1945).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-03
-
[5]NARA-held photography documenting this hull in combat operations: NAID 205585004 (local ID 26-G-2216, US Coast Guard photo #2216 by Sturges) - LST-66 sending blinker signal to LST-270 during the Hollandia operation, April 1944; and NAID 80662621 (local ID 111-SCA-2857, U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 254880) - LST-270 among LST Flotilla Three units on Orange/Blue beaches at the initial Leyte landings, 21 October 1944; plus a NavSource-contributed photo of LST-270 beached at Aitape, North East New Guinea, 22 April 1944 (contributor Glen Carlson, SM/1c, USS LST-270) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 205585004 and NAID 80662621; NavSource 10/16/160270.htm photo captions (incl. Aitape beaching image 1016027001)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary-source photographs place this specific hull at two of her four credited operations: the Hollandia operation (April 1944; USCG photo 26-G-2216, NAID 205585004) and the Leyte landings (21 October 1944; Army Signal Corps photo 111-SCA-2857, NAID 80662621 - caption via NavSource records mortar/artillery hits and casualties on neighboring LST-269, LST-486, and LST-704 within hours of the image). A crew-contributed photograph shows the ship beached at Aitape on 22 April 1944 discharging heavy equipment for RAAF Works, Survey and Signals Units. Both NARA identifiers verified live in the National Archives Catalog 2026-10-02.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops during Hollandia, Aitape, and Leyte operations (April and October 1944)
- Limitations
- Photographs establish physical presence at the operations, not material conditions aboard. Captions as transcribed on NavSource (the NARA catalog pages returned HTTP 200 on live check but are JS-rendered; descriptive metadata verified via catalog presence, caption detail via NavSource). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945 edition), 'Landing Ship, Tank (LST)' design table - official class machinery and characteristics data (shipscribe.com scan of the Google copy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 Vol. 2, LST design table (book p. 168; PDF p. 184) - LST 1-490 row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The official BuShips design table places LST-270 in the LST 1-490 block: 328 ft overall, 316 ft waterline, 50 ft extreme beam, 2,366 t beaching / 4,080 t trial displacement, 11.6 kt, powered by '2 G.M. Diesel, 12-567A' at 1,700 shaft horsepower. The boiler and steam-condition columns of the table are populated only for the later turbine LST-1153 group - the diesel LST blocks carry no boilers and no steam propulsion plant. Era inference aboard a 1943 diesel-powered amphibious hull of this class: asbestos-relevant applications were machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, thermal insulation in machinery and accommodation spaces, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, electrical insulation, and brake linings on winches and windlass - NOT boiler or steam-line lagging.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943); ship's company (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Official class-level design data, not a hull record - the table does not name LST-270 individually and contains no insulation-material statement; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or present-day presence. Note: the class-profile citation URL (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf) was dead on 2026-10-02; the live copy is at shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf - verified live this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-05
-
[7]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wiley Online Library, AJIM 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that asbestos was used extensively as an insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the program and era under which this 1943 American Bridge hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction, with documented government and industry awareness of the hazard.
- 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 WWII shipbuilding asbestos use generally; does not name this vessel, this class, or this yard specifically and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Verified live via Wiley Online Library page (AJIM Vol. 11 Issue 3, pp. 359-373); doi.org direct fetch returns 403 to automated requests (bot-blocking) - article page confirmed via firecrawl.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-06
-
[8]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)
- 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 (1943) and service era (1943-ca.1946).
- 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, confirmed again 2026-10-02); content via product-page description, consistent with prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-07
-
[9]Batch-6807 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource live page; uboat.net secondary cross-check; NARA catalog (war diaries + photographs); MARAD ShipHistory (no record); NVR (not covered); Wikipedia (no article); CourtListener opinion search; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-270-01 through sl-uss-lst-270-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or docketed case naming USS LST-270 (LST-270) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search for "LST-270" returned zero results on an authenticated query 2026-10-02; docket-type and name-variant queries were blocked by fleet-wide API pacing this session (logged as blocked, not as negative results - see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced only non-qualifying material: law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing (excluded by source policy) and an American Legion post roster entry naming a post 'LST-270 (WWII) #22698' (organizational name use, not hull documentation).
- 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 amphibious hull built in the wartime program is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The docket-level litigation search is a genuine open gap (pacing-blocked, not run). The ship's post-sale fate is undocumented - whether she was scrapped, converted, or transferred is unknown, so no disposal-chain hazmat record exists to find. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-08
-
[10]Source-discrepancy documentation: DANFS LST-270 entry (prints launch '18 July 1944') vs NavSource LST-270 page (prints '18 July 1943' and campaign-window dates) vs DANFS campaign list ('January and February 1944' for Kwajalein/Majuro); corroborated by uboat.net USS LST 270 page (launched 18 Jul 1943) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text; NavSource 10/16/160270.htm campaign table; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/11351.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION - two source discrepancies resolved/documented: (a) Launch year. The live DANFS entry reads 'launched on 18 July 1944' yet states commissioning 'on 8 September 1943' - internally inconsistent; NavSource and uboat.net both give 18 July 1943, consistent with the January 1943 keel and September 1943 commissioning. The 1943 launch year is carried; the DANFS '1944' is a typographical defect in the official entry. (b) Kwajalein/Majuro campaign window. NavSource's campaign table prints 'Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 21 to 28 April 1944' while DANFS dates the same credited operation 'January and February 1944' - the historical operation window; the NavSource April dates appear to be a table error (they duplicate the Hollandia row's April window). DANFS dating carried for the campaign narrative; both printed values documented here.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (events); sources current to 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Corrects publication-level defects; does not affect identity or the four-campaign/four-battle-star record (both sources agree on the operation list and star count). No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-270-09