Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 661-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-321-lst321-pkt-661-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-321 (NHHC live page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (full entry, one paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull: laid down 10 August 1942 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched 5 November 1942; sponsored by Miss Catherine Winkler; transferred to the United Kingdom on 31 December 1942; returned to United States Navy custody on 11 April 1946; struck from the Navy list on 10 June 1947; sold to Bosey, Philippines, on 5 November 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942); RN crew (1942-46); U.S. custodial/disposal personnel (1946-47)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific administrative history only - no asbestos or material content, no campaign detail. The return-to-custody date conflicts with NavSource/uboat.net (14 April 1946 vs DANFS 11 April 1946) - see gaps. Live NHHC page fetched and verified 2026-10-02; the standing NHHC link-rot defect did not affect this entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, HM LST-321 (page 160321, last updated 2024-10-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160321.htm header block, Royal Navy History section, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents the Royal Navy career this hull actually lived: 'LST-321 never saw active service with the United States Navy'; transferred to the United Kingdom 31 December 1942 under the Lend-Lease Act and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-321 the same day; sailed Halifax, Nova Scotia, 8 April 1943 in convoy SC 126, arrived Liverpool 23 April 1943; sailed from Scotland in convoy KMS 18A for the Mediterranean; campaigns - Sicilian occupation, Salerno landings, West Coast of Italy operations-1944 (Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings), Invasion of Normandy, shuttle service between Tilbury, Ostend and Antwerp; hit a mine 29 November 1944 and was repaired at Antwerp; reassigned to the Pacific Theater and participated in the Invasion of Malaya; repatriated Australian troops to Brisbane; paid off and returned to U.S. Navy custody 14 April 1946 at Subic Bay, Philippines; struck from the Naval Register 10 June 1947; sold 5 November 1947 to Bosey, Philippines - 'fate unknown'. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; two GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, 1,700 shp, twin screws; standard lend-lease UK armament fit listed for the class - one 12-pdr AA + six 20mm + four FAM mounts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- RN crew and embarked troops (1942-46); Antwerp repair trades (1944-45); Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation consistent with DANFS and the UK National Archives convoy record; contains no asbestos content. Key point for the record: British-manned throughout her seagoing career - the exposure-relevant crew population is Royal Navy, not U.S. Navy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships: HMS LST 321 (ship/12256) + USS LST 321 (ship/11397) + commander page 5625 + decorations index 32 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/12256 (HMS career, commands, events); ship/11397 (US registry entry); commanders/5625 (Metcalfe); commanders/decorations/32 (MID index)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net documents: HMS LST 321 commissioned 31 December 1942, end of service 14 April 1946; single wartime commanding officer T/A/Lt.Cdr. Cedric Hugh Metcalfe, RNR (April 1943 - 14 April 1946), Mentioned in Despatches 5 December 1944 while commanding this ship (his earlier MID of 1 July 1941 predates his LST-321 command); convoy movements sourced to Admiralty records - KMS 18A departed the Clyde 20 June 1943 with LSTs 301/305/319/321/365/366/406/424, arrived Gibraltar 29 June 1943; the LSTs joined convoy KMS 18B which arrived off Sicily 10 July 1943 and transferred to KMF 18 on 9 July 1943; LST 321 departed Malta for Algiers 30 July 1943. The USS-side page confirms she was 'never commissioned into the United States Navy, transferred to the Royal Navy upon completion' and gives an order date of 20 May 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- T/A/Lt.Cdr. Metcalfe and RN ship's company (Apr 1943 - Apr 1946)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation; convoy entries are sourced to Admiralty War History records (ADM 199/1826 + ADM 199/2272 as cited on the page). The MID decoration is per the uboat.net decorations index - the underlying London Gazette entry was not directly retrieved, so verification is partial on that point. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-03
-
[5]UK National Archives Discovery catalog: ADM 199/2189/134 (convoy SC 126 list naming LST321) and ADM 267/123 (DNC damage reports file containing LST 321, 1943-1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Discovery records C10242894 (ADM 199/2189/134) and C2754792 (ADM 267/123)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two ship-specific Admiralty records exist at Kew for LST 321: ADM 199/2189/134 - the War History convoy list for SC 126 (sailed 8 April 1943, arrived 23 April 1943) naming LST321 among the ships (corroborating the Halifax-Liverpool delivery transit); and ADM 267/123 - a Director of Naval Construction 'Torpedo, Mine and Shell' damage reports file dated 1943-1945 whose catalog description explicitly lists 'LST 321' - the series covering the ship's documented 29 November 1944 mine strike and Antwerp repair. Both are open records, undigitized (Kew consultation or copy order only).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- RN crew during the SC 126 transit and the 1944 mine damage/repair period
- Limitations
- Catalog-level verification only: ADM 267/123 lists LST 321 in its catalog description, but contents are undigitized - that it documents the November 1944 mine hit is an inference from the series scope and date range, not confirmed content. Neither file is an asbestos source; their value is as wartime condition/repair-event primary documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-04
-
[6]U.S. National Archives photo 80-G-46817 (US Navy photo, NARA collections) + Borneo 1945 repatriation photo (metadata transcribed via NavSource captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA photo 80-G-46817 (via NavSource 10/16/160321.htm image captions)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held US Navy photo 80-G-46817 shows LSTs discharging on 'Utah' Beach shortly after the 6 June 1944 D-Day assault, with HM LST-321 individually identified among the beached ships (alongside HM LST-320 and HM LST-324; the photo is frequently mislabeled Omaha but is Utah per the NARA-captioned correction). A second documented photograph shows HM LST-324, HM LST-321 and HM LST-160 beached at Borneo in 1945 embarking repatriated Australian POWs for Brisbane.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- RN crew and embarked/repatriated troops at Normandy (June 1944) and Borneo (1945)
- Limitations
- Photo metadata transcribed via NavSource captions; the NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be fetched directly (NAID not resolved this session - verification partial). Confirms physical presence at Utah Beach and Borneo; not an exposure record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-05
-
[7]Consolidated era inference - Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) + LST-1 class profile (this repository, class-f worktree) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-01/-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-1-class hull built August-December 1942: the class carried no boilers or steam plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, ~1,700 shp, Falk reduction gears per BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 and the NavSource spec block), so the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway does not apply. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a landing ship of this type and period were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. As a lend-lease hull she was additionally outfitted in UK yards after the April 1943 delivery convoy (standard lend-lease UK armament fit per NavSource) - a second, undocumented national material stream.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942); UK fit-out trades (1943); RN crew (1943-46); Antwerp repair trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or work package located for LST-321. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities, no manufacturers. UK fit-out materials for lend-lease hulls are undocumented for this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-06
-
[8]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json, philadelphia-naval-shipyard (evidence_tier 3): litigation product IDs - Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566 (1990); Junge v. Garlock, Inc., 427 Pa. Super. 592 (1993); Gross v. Johns-Manville Corp., 410 Pa. Super. 486 (1991) [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json philadelphia-naval-shipyard evidence rows ev-philadelphia-naval-s-02 + product_normalized list
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- The builder yard is an Atlas-documented asbestos site: published Pennsylvania appellate opinions record named asbestos products identified by Philadelphia Naval Shipyard workers - pipe insulation products (Thermasil, Unibestos, Kaylo, Johns-Manville pipe insulation, Cary block, Onecote cement, Eagle-Picher Super 60) and Garlock asbestos sheet gaskets and packing - within a documented 1941-1984 use window that covers this hull's August-December 1942 construction period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1984 (documented window); 1942 (construction)
- Population
- Philadelphia Naval Shipyard construction trades (1942, WWII peak employment ~47,695 per yard record)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation product identification for the builder's workforce, not hull documentation: LST-321 is not named in these opinions; they establish materials identified in use at the yard across the era, not what was installed on this hull. Aggregated from Atlas shipyards.json; the underlying opinions were not re-pulled this session (CourtListener fleet quota paced).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-07
-
[9]OSHA Inspection 17999079, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (1989 health inspection); OSHA Chemical Exposure Health Data asbestos sample Lab B38219 [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA IMIS inspection 17999079 + sample B38219 (via shipyards.json)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- OSHA's 1989 health inspection of Philadelphia Naval Shipyard lists citations under 29 CFR 1910.1001 (the asbestos standard) with a reported 90-percent bulk asbestos sample result (Lab B38219) - government confirmation that asbestos material remained present at the builder yard decades after this hull's construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1989
- Population
- Yard trades, 1989 inspection period
- Limitations
- Bulk-material result at yard level, 1989 - does not identify location, task, or product within the yard and says nothing about materials installed aboard this hull in 1942; builder-yard context only. Per Atlas yard record; OSHA detail pages not independently re-fetched this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (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 (1942) and service era (through 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 - which in any case was British-operated. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-09
-
[11]Batch-6859 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource; uboat.net; UK National Archives Discovery; warsailors.com; NVR; Wikipedia; GAO product page; secondary web litigation sweeps; CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-321-lst321-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed case naming LST-321 / HM LST-321 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case AND no law-firm listicle asserting 'asbestos aboard LST-321' - the hull draws little litigation-marketing attention. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide pacing budget was spent across four retry windows; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result.
- 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 - era-consistent presence is a reasonable inference for a 1942-built vessel. Coverage limitations: CourtListener unsearched (blocked); UK-side sources (TNA ship's logs ADM 53, UK MOD asbestos-era records, RN crew records) were not systematically searched beyond a Discovery ship-name sweep. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-321-lst321-10