Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]research packet 659-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-308-lst308-pkt-659-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-308 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, three WWII campaigns, occupation/China service, decommissioning, State Department transfer (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; bare curl is UA-gated) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-308 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 15 September 1942 at the Boston Navy Yard; launched 9 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth A. Haggerty; commissioned 2 January 1943. WWII operations: 'Sicilian occupation-July 1943; Salerno landings-September 1943; Invasion of Normandy-June 1944.' Post-war: occupation duty in the Far East until late September 1946 and service in China in July and August 1946; decommissioned 17 October 1946; transferred to the State Department for disposition 5 December 1947. Three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (Boston Navy Yard, 1942); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. Decommissioning stated as 17 October 1946 - NavSource gives 17 December 1946 (see ev-02 and gaps). No striking date stated. Campaign-level detail only for Normandy (no beach assignment given).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-308 (10/16/160308.htm, last updated 18 July 2014) - campaign table, occupation/China medal periods, commanding-officer list, spec block, awards, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160308.htm header block, campaign tables, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 15 September 1942 at the Boston Navy Yard; launched 9 November 1942; commissioned USS LST-308 2 January 1943, LT Samuel B. Purdie, USNR, in command; radio call sign NWXO. Campaign table: Sicilian occupation 9-16 July 1943; Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943; Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944. Navy Occupation Service medal periods 2 December 1945-26 July 1946 and 8 August-28 September 1946; China Service Medal (extended) 28 July-7 August 1946. Decommissioned 17 December 1946 (a one-month discrepancy against DANFS's 17 October 1946; the CO table shows LT Wharton in command through 17 December 1946); transferred to the State Department for disposal 5 December 1947; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP. CO list: LT Purdie USNR Jan 1943-Mar 1944; LT Hawley USNR Mar 1944-Nov 1945; LTjg Callahan USNR Nov 1945-Mar 1946; LTjg Mahoney USNR Mar-Jun 1946; LT Wharton USNR Jun 1946-17 Dec 1946. Photo captions include 'USS LST-308 loading at Pearl Harbor in February 1945' (contributed by F1/c Bernard A. Cardali). Three battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- USNR ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - build and campaign dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS, the NARA war diaries/action reports, and the NPS yard history Table 19. The 17 December 1946 decommissioning date conflicts with DANFS (17 October 1946) and is unresolved. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 134272006, 'USS LST-308 - War Diary, 5/1-31/43' (micro serial 51726; RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 5 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 134272006, images 1-5 (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's May 1943 war diary (all 5 images read this session; clean typescript) documents the Atlantic crossing: underway from New York 1 May 1943 per Operation Order 1-43 (28 April 1943) in convoy UGL-4, second in column one, with LST Group One (convoy commodore Cdr. W.D. Wright USN aboard LST-312; escort commander Cdr. B.R. Harrison USN aboard USS Champlain; PCs, SCs, and additional LSTs and YMSs listed); anchored Great Sound Bay, Bermuda, 5-9 May; sailed 9 May under CTF-63 operation order 2-43 for Gibraltar; temporary steering/engine casualties 11-13 May (burned-out steering coil, starboard engine briefly out); entered the Strait of Gibraltar 24 May; moored Tenes, Algeria, 26 May; shifted to Arzew 30 May unloading Army personnel and vehicles. Signed Samuel B. Purdie, Lt., USNR, Commanding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-05-01 to 1943-05-31
- Population
- Ship's company (May 1943)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record; documents movements, convoy organization, and machinery casualties verbatim - no asbestos, insulation, or material content. The engineering casualties noted are generic ('port engine out of commission ... soon repaired'); no repair yard or material scope is given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-03
-
[5]NARA NAID 135946881, 'USS LST-308 - War Diary, 6/1/43 to 7/31/43' (micro serial 55530; RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 8 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 135946881, images 1-8 (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The June-July 1943 war diary (all 8 images read this session) documents Mediterranean staging and the Sicily invasion: anchored Gulf of Arzew with Task Organization 81.3 (LST Group One under Cdr. W.D. Wright; LSTs 308, 311, 312, 313, 337, 338, 344, 345, 346, 370, 371, 380, 381, 382, 400 listed); launched LCT-413 from the main deck at Arzew 8 June; loaded 70 vehicles and ~200 Army personnel 14 June; Algiers 17-26 June (amphibious maneuvers at Castiglione 24 June; embarked 418 soldiers and 26 officers); Tunis 29 June - 5 July (escort tug Redwing mined/torpedoed astern 29 June); embarked 400 soldiers and 18 officers 6 July; underway 8 July for the invasion of Sicily under CTF-81 operation order 6-43; heavy rolling (27 degrees) and general quarters 9 July; beached 1500 on 10 July on Red Beach #2 about two miles southeast of Gela Light, LST-312 alongside and LST-370 shortly after. Then shuttle service Tunis-Gela/Licata/Porto Empedocle: 15-17 July (240 men, 71 vehicles; pumped water to a beach tank at Gela), 21-23 July (189 men, 76 vehicles), 24 July (12,000 gallons water to beach), 26-31 July (165 personnel, 84 vehicles; then 597 Italian prisoners embarked at Porto Empedocle 29 July for transport to Tunis).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-06-01 to 1943-07-31
- Population
- Ship's company (~117); embarked US Army personnel (several hundred per shuttle run); Italian POWs (597, 29-30 July 1943)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record; documents operations verbatim - no asbestos, insulation, or material content. Positions and counts are as logged by the ship; OCR of this diary is clean.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-04
-
[6]NARA NAID 135923373, 'USS LST-308 - Action Report, Op 'HUSKY'' (serial 54281, dated 24 July 1943; RG 38; 5 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 135923373, images 1-5 (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's Operation Husky action report (all 5 images read this session) records: part of LST Group One, Flotilla One, Task Organization 81.3.1 (Comdr. W.D. Wright, USN); general quarters at 2145 on 9 July 1943 approaching Sicily; discharged an Army DUKW and beached on Red Beach #2 at 1500 on 10 July alongside LST-312 (a soldier on LST-312 killed by a sniper or stray anti-aircraft bullet); attacked by three dive bombers at 1545 with no damage; completed unloading and retracted; LST-313 hit by a bomb at 1835; ship at general quarters 68 hours total; no casualties aboard LST-308. Signed Samuel B. Purdie, Lieut.-Commander, USNR, Commanding. Endorsements: Comdr. LST Group One (flagship USS LST-312, 6 Aug 1943), Amphibious Force Northwest African Waters (J.L. Hall Jr., 14 Aug 1943), U.S. Naval Forces Northwest African Waters (Spencer S. Lewis, Chief of Staff, 5 Sep 1943 - comment on aircraft-warning need).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-09 to 1943-07-12
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked Army personnel (9-12 July 1943); Mediterranean amphibious force context
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record; documents combat operation and casualty status verbatim - no asbestos, insulation, or material content. The report is a combat narrative, not a material or repair record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-05
-
[7]NARA NAID 135947597, 'USS LST-308 - Act Rep, 9/10/43, south of Salerno, Italy' (micro serial 55568, dated 14 September 1943; RG 38; 1 image; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 135947597, image 1 of 1 (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's Salerno action report (single image, read this session) records that as part of Task Force 85.1.12 she landed troops and vehicles on Red Beach south of Salerno, Italy, on 10 September 1943: beached 2050 steering by range lights, retracted 2315; enemy planes overhead 2135-2227 dropping flares and bombs with no close hits (the ship did not open fire); subsequent periods under air attack with artillery fire on the beach and sea mines exploding, including one about 200 yards off the starboard side detonated by a minesweeper; no casualties and no fire opened during the entire operation. Signed Samuel B. Purdie, Lt.-Commander, USNR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-09-09 to 1943-09-11
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked Army personnel (10-11 September 1943)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record; documents combat operation and casualty status verbatim - no asbestos, insulation, or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-06
-
[8]Frederick R. Black, Charlestown Navy Yard, 1890-1973, Cultural Resources Management Study No. 20, Vol. II (Boston National Historical Park, National Park Service, 1988) - npshistory.com park bibliography links this archive.org scan; verified live 2026-10-02 [nps]
- Locator
- Black, Vol. II, pp. 609-613 (LST program section, 'Ship Construction, Repair, Conversion'); Table No. 19; building index entries for pipe covering shops
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NPS-contracted history of the Charlestown Navy Yard documents this hull's construction record verbatim: Table No. 19, 'LSTs Built at Boston Navy Yard During World War II,' lists LST-308 with keel laid 9/15/42, launched 11/9/42, commissioned 1/2/43, and the note 'Italy, Normandy.' The text documents that the yard's first LST stage (LST-301 through 310) ran June 1942-January 1943 as a top-priority program; that Shipways Nos. 1, 2, and 3 served the initial stage; and that prefabricated deckhouses were hoisted onto completed hulls. Building-index entries record a 'storehouse and pipe covering shop' (1937-1940) and 'pipe coverers' shops' (1946) among the yard's plant - the yard maintained dedicated insulation-trade shops.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction and pipe-covering trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific only for Table 19's construction/campaign-note line; the program narrative and shop inventory are yard-level context. The pipe-covering shop references document the trade's presence at the yard, not materials content - the history does not say 'asbestos' anywhere (grep-checked 2026-10-02). Supports no asbestos claim for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-07
-
[9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan, verified live 2026-10-02); NavSource LST-308 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160308.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-1 design group ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 900 hp each, single Falk reduction gear, twin screws 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW DC generators - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1942 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and valve packing, accommodation thermal insulation, and deck coverings - inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (GAO HRD-80-2; Corn & Starr 1987).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43); ship's company/embarked troops (1943-46); post-1947 disposal workforces
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package was located for LST-308. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (B-163375, October 18, 1979) - full text via Wayback Machine capture (live gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, reconfirmed 2026-10-02) [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 summary letter and Enclosure I (Navy response on asbestos content of ships), via Wayback capture 20260810022152
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos era at program level: 'thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems has been the major application of asbestos' aboard Navy ships; 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' (1979); insulation specifications were changed as early as 1971 and called for asbestos-free materials by late 1973; NAVSEAINST 5100.2 of 24 October 1975 issued the no-asbestos policy; some ships were still delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978 - spanning this hull's 1942 construction, her wartime service, and her 1947 disposal. Fieldwork was performed at the Long Beach and Norfolk naval shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (documenting practices through the WWII-postwar era)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. GAO's fieldwork yards (Long Beach, Norfolk) do not include Boston; the report does not name LST-308 or LSTs as a type.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-09
-
[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) - DOI resolves to Wiley (publisher page bot-gated; abstract verified via search 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LST-1-class hull was built at a Navy yard in 1942 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization, with asbestos diseases manifesting among shipyard workers twenty years later.
- 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 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-308-lst308-10
-
[12]In re John Crane, Inc., No. 01-03-00698-CV (Tex. App. 1st Dist., decided 13 November 2003) - memorandum opinion on mandamus; carried in the Atlas shipyards.json record for Boston Naval Shipyard (yard_id boston-naval-shipyard, evidence_tier 3); Justia page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02 [court_record]
- Locator
- Tex. App. 01-03-00698-CV opinion text (Justia); shipyards.json yard_id boston-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The Atlas yard record for this hull's builder documents an appellate-stage dispute in which a worker alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials at the Boston Naval Shipyard. The published opinion addresses discovery orders (mandamus granted), not the merits - the asbestos allegation is a pleading/discovery-stage assertion, not a trial finding. A shipyard-level allegation against the construction yard is context for the workforce that built this hull, not exposure evidence aboard it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2003 (opinion); exposure period unstated
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard workers (alleged; period not stated)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation context only: the opinion does not name this hull, does not adjudicate the exposure allegation (it grants mandamus on discovery grounds - classified at the less-final pleading/discovery stage), and does not state the period of the alleged exposure. Supports no ship-specific asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-11
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and RECAP docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-308-lst308-08 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: exact-phrase "LST-308" returned 0 hits in the opinion index and 0 hits in the RECAP docket index (authenticated API v4, 2026-10-02). The hull designation is also the full name - no separate name-collision class exists for a number-only LST. No asbestos case naming this hull was found.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state-court filings, unreported settlements, MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists, and non-digitized dockets are outside coverage. A zero qualifying result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists. The variant query "LST 308" asbestos could not be completed this session - fleet pacing gate; see search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-12
-
[14]Batch-6844 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + four ship-titled file units read in full; NPS-contracted yard history (Black Vol. II); BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO HRD-80-2 via Wayback; Corn & Starr 1987; CourtListener API (opinion + docket); MARAD Vessel History; NVR; NIOSH HHE search; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-308-lst308-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-308 was found in the public sources searched. The strongest ship-specific documentation is operational (war diaries and action reports) and the NPS yard history's build-table entry - none names asbestos aboard 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 - construction at a wartime Navy yard sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-13
-
[15]NARA catalog, "LST-308" - 217 file units (fuzzy relevance; ship-titled units: war diaries NAIDs 134272006 and 135946881, action reports NAIDs 135923373 and 135947597); parent-unit diaries surfaced include COM LST GR 33 (Aug-Dec 1944), COM LST GR 34 (Mar-May 1945), COM LST FLOT 35 war history, NOB Londonderry diaries (Feb-Mar 1944), and others [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov "LST-308" and "USS LST-308" result sets (217 and 67 file units respectively)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary archive coverage for this hull is digitized but incomplete: the ship-titled file units surfaced cover May 1943 (NAID 134272006), June-July 1943 (NAID 135946881), the Husky action report (NAID 135923373), and the Salerno action report (NAID 135947597). No ship-titled record for August 1943 through 1946 was surfaced - the Normandy operation, the 1944-45 Atlantic/Pacific transit (NavSource photo: loading at Pearl Harbor February 1945), occupation/China service, and decommissioning are undocumented at ship level in the digitized RG 38 set. Parent-unit LST group/flotilla war diaries and muster-roll units are the coverage bridge.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (1943-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: the parent-unit diaries and any post-July-1943 ship diaries were not read; WWII deck logs and muster rolls for this hull were not surfaced in catalog results (a muster-roll file unit may exist under range titling but was not confirmed). RG 181 yard work-package records for the 1942 Boston Navy Yard construction are an open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-308-lst308-14