Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 654-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-274-lst274-pkt-654-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-274 - construction at American Bridge Co., Ambridge; sponsor, commissioning, Asiatic-Pacific campaigns, decommissioning, striking, 1948 sale (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-274 entry, single-paragraph service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-274 was laid down on 11 March 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 15 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. R. F. Salmon; and commissioned on 28 September 1943, Lt. Russell E. Sard, Jr., USNR, in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (January-February 1944) and the capture and occupation of Saipan (June-July 1944). Decommissioned 6 May 1946; struck from the Navy list 23 June 1947; sold 29 June 1948 to Alexander Shipyard, Inc., of New Orleans, La., and converted for merchant service. Two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS does not mention the ship's presence or damage at the 21 May 1944 West Loch disaster - that event is documented in other rows. 'Converted for merchant service' conflicts with secondary 'sold for scrap' variants - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-274 - LST-1 class designation, milestone timeline, unit assignments, specification block, commanding-officer list, NARA-captioned photography (live navsource.net page, verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160274.htm - header timeline, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, specification block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 11 March 1943 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 15 August 1943; commissioned 28 September 1943, LT. Russell E. Sard, Jr., USNR, in command. Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment in LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. J.R. Clark), LST Group Fourteen (LCDR. K.L. DeForest USNR), LST Division Twenty-Eight. Campaign table: Marshall Islands - occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls 31 January-8 February 1944; Marianas - capture and occupation of Saipan 17 June-3 July 1944. Decommissioned 6 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register 23 June 1947; sold to Alexander Shipyard, Inc., New Orleans, for conversion to commercial service 29 June 1948; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Two battle stars. Specification block: displacement 1,625 t. light / 4,080 t. full load / 2,366 t. beaching; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three 100 kW 230V DC ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; ultimate armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm. Commanding officers: LT. Russell E. Sard, Jr. (commissioning - 9 October 1944), LT. William M. Price (to November 1945), LTjg. George J. Borre, Jr. (to March 1946), LTjg. Meredith E. Sperline (to 6 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46); embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation keyed to official records, not a primary registry - milestones here concur with DANFS. 'Fate unknown' is honest reporting of the undocumented merchant-service disposition. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'Pearl Harbor Ablaze Again: The West Loch Disaster' (Adam Bisno, 2019) + NHHC H-Gram 029-5; US LST Association, 'LST Memories: The Second Pearl Harbor Disaster' (Mel Barger); Gene E. Salecker, 'The Second Pearl Harbor,' Warfare History Network (WWII History, Feb 2017) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC west-loch.html (disaster narrative); NHHC H-Gram 029-5 (34 ships, 163 killed/396 wounded, two too damaged for Forager, one-day delay); uslst.org LST Memories article (T-8 berth list); warfarehistorynetwork.com 'The Second Pearl Harbor' (Tare 8 position, LCT-982, Walker Bay beaching)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- This hull was present at and survived the 21 May 1944 West Loch disaster: LST-274 was moored at berthing station Tare 8, nested with LSTs 69, 205, 225, 43, 179, 353, and 39 (US LST Association berth list; Salecker places her as the third ship in Tare 8 with LCT-982 lashed to her main deck). The 15:08 explosion on LST-353 set off a chain of explosions and fire among 29 combat-loaded LSTs; six LSTs (39, 43, 69, 179, 353, 480) sank and two more were too badly damaged for the Saipan operation, with 163 killed and 396 wounded overall (NHHC). LST-274 escaped the burning nest under power and beached on the Walker Bay shore (Salecker); secondary literature recounting Naval Board of Inquiry testimony describes her as heavily damaged but saved, with the LST Group 39 commander praising her crew's conduct; no crew member was lost aboard (secondary list sources). A NARA-captioned photograph shows her loading troops at Pearl Harbor on 27 May 1944, six days later, and she reached Saipan on schedule (see ev-04).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-05-21 and aftermath
- Population
- LST-274 crew and embarked Army/Marine passengers (21 May 1944); West Loch firefighting and salvage crews
- Limitations
- Ship-specific presence/escape at West Loch is corroborated across the US LST Association berth list, the Salecker narrative (author of the standard book-length study, University of Oklahoma Press 2014), and the ship's documented 27 May loading + Saipan participation. The 'heavy damage but saved' characterization and crew-praise detail derive from the Naval Board of Inquiry record as relayed in secondary literature - the primary inquiry proceedings (NARA) were not independently retrieved this session; classified down accordingly. NHHC confirms the disaster context (29 LSTs, T-8 origin, six sunk, two too damaged to sail) but does not name LST-274. No asbestos content; fire-damage repair aboard this hull is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-03
-
[5]NARA photographs NAID 193835249 (US Army Air Corps A63574A), NAID 204980917 (342-FH-3A41903-63648AC), NAID 204976493 (342-FH-3A40334-63650AC) - metadata transcribed in NavSource captions; NavSource captions additionally cite the LST-274 war diary (June 1944) and LST-274/LST-119 war diaries at the National Archives [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193835249 ; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/204980917 ; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/204976493 (identifiers resolve; metadata via NavSource 10/16/160274.htm photo captions)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held photography documents this hull on three dates around the West Loch/Saipan window: (1) 27 May 1944 - US Army 804th Engineer Aviation Battalion boarding LST-274 and LST-277 at Pearl Harbor, T.H., prior to departure for the Marianas (NAID 193835249); (2) 8 June 1944 - LST-274 with LCT-982 loaded on her main deck, LST-119 to starboard, at anchor in Kwajalein Harbor en route to Saipan (NAID 204980917); (3) June 1944 - LST-274 with LCT(6)-982 onboard, underway en route to the Marianas (NAID 204976493). NavSource captions cite the ship's war diary ('LST-274 6/1-30/44 war diary' and 'LST-274 and LST-119 War Diaries, National Archives') as the underlying reference - the war diary is the primary ship-document lead for her West Loch damage and repair record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-05-27 to 1944-06-20
- Population
- 804th Engineer Aviation Battalion troops embarked (May-June 1944)
- Limitations
- Archival leads, not work records: photographs establish the hull's presence and cargo at Pearl Harbor, Kwajalein, and Saipan - not what repair (if any) followed West Loch. NARA catalog pages are JS-rendered; the NAID URLs resolve (HTTP 200) but metadata could not be text-extracted and is transcribed via NavSource captions. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource LST-274 specification block (two GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, no boilers); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table (per lst-1-class class profile ev-lst-1-class-01); era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160274.htm specification block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree) ev-lst-1-class-01/-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-1-class tank landing ship built in 1943 sits inside the Navy's asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were engine-room and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Wartime damage events (the May 1944 West Loch fire) and the 1948 merchant conversion are the periods when any installed insulation would most likely have been disturbed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46); repair trades after West Loch (1944); Alexander Shipyard conversion trades (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-274. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The BuShips SDB-1945 v2 scan cited by the class profile (shipscribe.com) returned 404 at recheck this session - machinery data rests on the verified NavSource spec block instead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-05
-
[7]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403)
- 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 - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.
- 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 context, not class- or hull-specific. This hull left Navy custody in 1948, decades before the documented policy window - the row establishes only the era-management regime any retained materials would have fallen under in naval service. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; content taken from the GAO product-page description (standing access gap, same as prior batches).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 searches, 2026-10-02: opinion "LST-274" (1 hit); opinion "USS LST-274" (0); RECAP docket "LST-274" (0) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-274-05 through -07; CourtListener opinion 7553083
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. The only CourtListener hit for "LST-274" is St. Joe Paper Co. v. Conrad, 333 So. 2d 527 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1976) - a Florida property-tax assessment appeal; the 'LST-274' string appears as a coincidental land/parcel reference, not the vessel - classified name collision. Opinion search "USS LST-274" and RECAP docket search "LST-274" returned zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Coverage is CourtListener's opinion and RECAP indexes only - PACER dockets and state-court filings are not exhaustively indexed, and hull-number search cannot recover complaints that name the ship only in attached exhibits not OCR'd into the index. The St. Joe Paper hit is a name collision with no vessel or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-07
-
[9]Batch-6811 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC live page; NavSource per-hull page; Naval Vessel Register (LST274 detail page returns the generic NVR shell - NVR's scope statement excludes ships disposed of before 1987); NARA catalog NAIDs; NHHC West Loch article and H-Gram 029-5; US LST Association and Salecker/WHN West Loch literature; general web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-274-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or docketed asbestos case naming LST-274 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull left Navy custody in 1948 to merchant conversion; no NDRF or MARAD record of her merchant identity or disposal was located.
- 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 - 1943 construction sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim or legal eligibility. The Naval Board of Inquiry record on West Loch and the ship's war diary (NARA) are unretrieved primary sources that may document repair scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-274-08