USS LST-322

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [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-322-lst322-pkt-661-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-322' - live NHHC page [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS LST-322 full entry (live page; short-form entry for a hull never in USN service). Plain fetch returned 404 to one client this session while firecrawl retrieved full text live; archived copy verified at Wayback 2010-12-08 capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/l15/lst-322.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   LST-322 was laid down on 10 August 1942 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched on 5 November 1942; and sponsored by Miss Nellie F. Ward. On 9 January 1943, LST-322 was transferred to the United Kingdom and returned to United States Navy custody on 10 July 1946. On 29 October 1946, the tank landing ship was struck from the Navy list and sold to the government of Greece on 6 January 1947.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Royal Navy ship's company (wartime); Philadelphia Navy Yard construction workforce 1942

   Limitations

   Authoritative US Navy service record; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. The return-to-custody date (10 July 1946) conflicts with NavSource and uboat.net (2 August 1946 at Bremerhaven) - logged in gaps. Does not document the Royal Navy service period, the Greek naval name, or post-1947 events.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LST-322 page 10/16/160322 - chronology, RN campaign list, ONI-1945 specification block [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net 10/16/160322 - full page text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship. Laid down 10 August 1942 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched 5 November 1942; never saw active service with the US Navy; transferred to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease Act and commissioned as HM LST-322, 9 January 1943. Sailed from New York for the Mediterranean in convoy UGS 8, 28 April 1943; broke a crankshaft en route, repaired in Bermuda. Campaigns: Sicilian occupation; Salerno landings; West Coast of Italy operations 1944 (Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings); invasion of Normandy. Fitted with rails for carriage of rolling stock; operated in shuttle service between Tilbury, Ostend and Antwerp; paid off into Care and Maintenance 29 January 1945; returned to US Navy custody at Bremerhaven, Germany, 2 August 1946; struck from the Naval Register 29 October 1946; sold to the government of Greece 6 January 1947, fate unknown. ONI-1945 specification block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 12 kts maximum; 24,000 miles at 9 kts; complement 7 officers/104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted; 6 LCVP; armament 1 x 12-pounder AA multi-barrel mount, 6 x 20mm, 4 fast-aerial-mine mounts; propulsion two General Motors 12-567 900 hp diesels, two shafts, twin rudders.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Royal Navy ship's company; embarked troops (16 officers/147 enlisted capacity)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with DANFS where they overlap. Return-custody date (2 August 1946, Bremerhaven) conflicts with DANFS (10 July 1946) - logged in gaps. Its 'fate unknown' for the Greek-sale aftermath is superseded by Jane's Fighting Ships (Lesvos; returned to Britain May 1953) - see correction row ev-06. Spec block is the ONI-1945 type specification, not hull-measured figures; the Bermuda crankshaft repair is NavSource-only. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-02

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, HMS LST 322 (ship/12257) - command roster and convoy-event record sourced to UK National Archives ADM documents [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net ship page 12257 - data table, Commands section, Notable events (MKS 43; SL 152; UGS 48); cited sources ADM 53/118801 + ADM 53/119227 + ADM 199/321 + ADM 199/1428 and ADM 53/118802 + ADM 53/120557 + ADM 199/318 + ADM 199/2102

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   HMS LST 322 (RN pennant LST 322), LST (Mk 2) class: built by Philadelphia Navy Yard; laid down 10 August 1942; launched 5 November 1942; commissioned into the Royal Navy 9 January 1943; 'Returned to the USN on 2 August 1946.' Royal Navy command roster: T/Lt. John Francis William Fletcher, RNR (1 July-23 July 1943); A/Cdr. (emergency) Dyson Standish Hore-Lacy, RN (23 July 1943-30 June 1944); Lt.Cdr. Leonard Henry Howard, RNR (30 June 1944-early 1945). ADM-derived convoy-event record: with convoy MKS 43 departing Port Said 10 March 1944; joined convoy SL 152 off Casablanca ~23 March 1944 with twelve other LSTs, all proceeding to the Clyde (arrived 3 April 1944); joined convoy UGS 48 coming from Algiers ~31 July 1944 (Lt.Cdr. Howard), detached toward Benghazi ~2 August 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Royal Navy ship's company (command roster documented)

   Limitations

   Reputable secondary compilation (Gudmundur Helgason) built on UK National Archives ADM records - the cited ADM pieces are escort-ship logs and convoy files documenting convoy membership, not this hull's own log. Wartime CO roster is listed as partial ('still working on this section'). Return date 2 August 1946 matches NavSource against DANFS's 10 July 1946 - conflict logged. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-03

5. [5]ConvoyWeb - Arnold Hague convoy database (data transcribed from wartime convoy records, including material no longer held at the UK National Archives) [other_primary]

   Locator

   convoyweb.org.uk Hague database vessel search 'LST 322' - 8 convoy memberships

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Arnold Hague convoy database (ConvoyWeb) returns eight wartime convoys containing LST 322: UGS.8 (April 1943, Hampton Roads - Algiers); UGL.4 (May 1943, New York - Gibraltar); KMS.16 (June 1943, Gibraltar - Port Said); KMS.22 (August 1943, Gibraltar - Port Said); MKS.43 (March 1944, Port Said - Gibraltar); MKS.43G (March 1944, Gibraltar - rendezvous with SL.152); SL/MKS.152MK (March 1944, combined convoy to Liverpool); UGS.48 (July 1944, Hampton Roads - Port Said). The pattern documents Mediterranean service through 1943-early 1944, return to UK waters in March-April 1944 (consistent with Normandy staging), and a return to the Mediterranean July-August 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   Royal Navy ship's company during listed passages

   Limitations

   Database transcription of convoy records (Hague/Burgess/Kindell compilation); convoy membership documents routing and escort context only - not tactical detail, casualties, or cargo aboard this hull. Does not cover non-convoy movements. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-04

6. [6]Their Finest Hour project (University of Oxford), 'Memories of Ronald Bloomfield's naval service,' SDS portal record 90251, DOI 10.25446/oxford.25920145 [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDS portal article 25920145 (figshare-hosted; full memoir text in record description; companion PDF 46636516)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A family-compiled memoir of Motor Mechanic (Diesel HP) Ronald Bloomfield, RN, hosted by the University of Oxford 'Their Finest Hour' digitization project, records: LST 322 served in the Mediterranean as part of the 3rd LST Flotilla under Flotilla Officer Acting Commander D. S. Hore-Lacy, who took passage aboard making her flotilla leader (sister ships 324, 367, 410, 412, 417, 419, 420, 423, 426, 428, 430); Bloomfield joined the crew on 10 May 1944 after the ship returned to England from southern Italy; the flotilla formed part of Assault Group S1 landing the reserve brigade on Sword Beach (Queen Red/Queen White sectors between La Breche and Lion sur Mer) on 6 June 1944; LST 322 made more than a dozen cross-Channel crossings carrying injured soldiers and prisoners back to England; Bloomfield served on a repair party until August 1944 and was promoted Petty Officer 28 August 1944; the memoir attributes his bilateral hearing loss to engine-room work.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   One documented crew member (Motor Mechanic Ronald Bloomfield, RN, aboard 10 May-August 1944)

   Limitations

   Family-compiled recollection assembled by the veteran's son and digitized by a university public-submission archive - not an official record. The 3rd LST Flotilla leadership detail is independently corroborated by uboat.net's ADM-sourced CO roster (Hore-Lacy aboard, July 1943-June 1944) and by combinedops.com's LST-427 section (same flotilla list and leader claim); the D-Day assault-group, beach-sector, and crossing-count specifics are single-source recollections carried as unverified. The engine-room hearing-loss attribution is the family's framing, not a medical or materials finding - no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-05

7. [7]Jane's Fighting Ships, 1960-61 and 1962-63 editions (full-text via Internet Archive): Royal Hellenic Navy LST block note 'Lesvos (ex-LST 322)' and RN LST class note 'LST 322 returned from Royal Hellenic Navy May 1953' [other_primary]

   Locator

   Jane's 1960-61: RN LST(3) class notes + Greek LST(2)-type notes; Jane's 1962-63: same two loci (Internet Archive full-text OCR; identifiers JanesFightingShips196061, JanesFightingShips196263)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Jane's Fighting Ships resolves the post-1947 disposition that NavSource lists as 'fate unknown.' In the Royal Hellenic Navy section's ex-U.S. LST(2)-type block (Chios ex-LST 35, Limnos ex-LST 36, Samos ex-LST 33 - all 1943 Lend-Lease hulls), the notes record 'Lesvos (ex-LST 322) was returned to the British Government in 1953.' Independently, the Royal Navy LST class notes state 'LST 322 returned from Royal Hellenic Navy May 1953.' Both statements appear identically in the 1960-61 and 1962-63 editions. The hull therefore served the Royal Hellenic Navy as Lesvos after the January 1947 Greek disposal and was back in British government custody by May 1953; subsequent disposition is not documented in the editions checked.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1947-1953

   Population

   Royal Hellenic Navy crew 1947-1953 (implied by service, not documented)

   Limitations

   Jane's is an authoritative secondary reference; the OCR text was read directly this session (two independent loci in each of two editions). 'Returned to the British Government' reflects Lend-Lease residual-title mechanics rather than a resale - consistent with, and extending, DANFS's 'sold to the government of Greece on 6 January 1947'; the exact legal mechanism (US title sale vs. UK custodial return) is not documented. The RHN pennant number for Lesvos is not shown in the checked editions. Post-1953 fate undocumented; scrapping presumed but unproven.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-06

8. [8]Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566, 574 A.2d 1084 (1990) - product-identification testimony on Philadelphia Naval Shipyard materials; plus Atlas shipyards.json yard_id philadelphia-naval-shipyard (OSHA inspection 17999079) [court_record]

   Locator

   Justia full opinion text, product-identification section (Nasife/Watts/Caparola testimony); shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json yard_id philadelphia-naval-shipyard. OSHA detail page blocked all automated fetches this session (HTTP 403) - carried via the yard dataset's citation pointer, not independently re-verified

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Builder-yard asbestos litigation context: Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566, 574 A.2d 1084 (1990) - a jury-tried asbestos case affirmed on appeal - documents named asbestos products at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (this hull's builder) across the window that includes her 1942 construction: witness Nicholas Nasife (sheet-metal worker at the yard 1941-1979) identified Cary block (Celotex), Eagle-Picher Super 60 and Onecote cement, Thermasil pipe covering and block (Keene), and Unibestos (Pittsburgh-Corning); witness Watts (pipefitter 1946-1974) testified the products 'were used throughout the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 1941-1974, and were used on all the various ships.' The Atlas yard dataset (shipyards.json) independently rates philadelphia-naval-shipyard evidence_tier 3 with these product identifications plus OSHA health inspection 17999079 (1989; associated bulk sample B38219 reported 90% asbestos).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1941-1984 (testimony window); opinion 1990

   Population

   Philadelphia Naval Shipyard trades 1941-1974 (litigation record)

   Limitations

   Yard-level appellate litigation - LST-322 is NOT named in the opinion; the 'all the various ships' testimony is a generic yard-wide statement, not hull attribution. The tried-and-affirmed status makes it solid yard documentation, but it establishes conditions at the builder yard, not aboard this vessel. Witness windows span 1941-1979/1946-1974, bracketing but not proving 1942 construction practices on this hull. No element is evidence of asbestos aboard LST-322.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-07

9. [9]Corn JK, Starr J, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]

   Locator

   PubMed record verified live 2026-10-02 (PMID 3555021: AJIM 11(3):359-73); DOI resolves to Wiley (403 to automated full-text fetch - bibliographic record verified)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed scholarship 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 in 1942 at a Navy yard. For a diesel-powered LST with no boilers, the era-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings; disturbance points in this hull's life include wartime damage repair (the documented 1943 Bermuda crankshaft repair was mechanical, not insulation work), the 1947-1953 Greek service period, and the undocumented post-1953 disposal.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1941-1945 (study scope); applied 1942-1953

   Population

   WWII-era shipyard workers (Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1942); RN crew; Greek crew 1947-1953; disposal-yard workers (unlocated)

   Limitations

   Era-level scholarship plus type inference - the source does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. No ship-specific product is verified; the diesel plant (no boilers) narrows the exposure-relevant scope relative to steam vessels.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-08

10. [10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (retrieved live via firecrawl 2026-10-02)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Neither policy could have applied to this hull - she left U.S. Navy custody in 1946-1947 and British government custody in 1953, decades before the policies issued.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1979

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (not this hull)

    Limitations

    Program-level Navy documentation for era fleet context only; the policies post-date this hull's disposal entirely, so no hull-specific application was possible.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-09

11. [11]Batch-6860 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 opinion/docket sweeps + web-index cross-check [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-322-lst322-10 through sl-uss-lst-322-lst322-14

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    No qualifying asbestos litigation naming the vessel was located. CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps (helper script, fleet-paced): exact phrase 'USS LST-322' returned 0 opinions; 'LST-322' unqualified returned 0 opinions; 'LST-322' qualified by asbestos returned 0 opinions; spelling variants 'LST 322' (no hyphen) and 'HMS LST 322'/'HM LST-322' returned 0 opinions. The type=r docket search was blocked by fleet pacing after repeated paced retries - logged as an access gap. Web-index cross-check (site:courtlistener.com plus asbestos/mesothelioma/lawsuit terms) surfaced only unrelated number collisions (docket-entry and page numbers) - no case naming this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    2026-10-02

    Limitations

    CourtListener coverage is opinion-level for this hull - the docket (type=r) sweep was blocked by fleet pacing after retries and is logged as pending in the ledger. RECAP indexing misses some state courts and unindexed filings; unreported settlements are outside the sweep. The vessel served the Royal Navy, so US asbestos-litigation naming was never likely; UK crew claims would not appear in CourtListener at all.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-10

12. [12]UK National Archives Discovery API + NARA catalog + uboat.net ADM source citations (this record) [other_primary]

    Locator

    TNA Discovery API searches ('LST 322', 'LST-322', 'ADM 53/118801' - the ADM 53/118801 hit resolves to HMS Alaunia's log, March 1944); catalog.archives.gov unparseable to automated fetch

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival-lead mapping only: (a) UK National Archives (Kew) Discovery API search found no ship's log indexed under 'LST 322' by name in ADM 53 (Admiralty ships' logs); the convoy documentation cited by uboat.net (ADM 53/118801+ = escort-ship logs incl. HMS Alaunia; ADM 199/321, ADM 199/1428, ADM 199/318, ADM 199/2102 convoy files) is convoy-level - a hull-specific log may exist under different indexing and the 3rd LST Flotilla's operational records are in the ADM series; (b) NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) returned a JS shell without parseable content to automated fetches - USN deck logs (RG 24) would cover only the brief 1946 custodial interval since the hull never had USN-commissioned service; (c) Imperial War Museums and RN museum collections not queried.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1943-1946 records; 2026-10-02 access attempt

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-11

13. [13]Batch-6860 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; uboat.net; ConvoyWeb; Oxford SDS/Their Finest Hour; Jane's Fighting Ships (IA); NVR; NARA catalog; TNA Discovery; CourtListener sweeps; shipyards.json cross-check; general web search [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-322-lst322-01 through sl-uss-lst-322-lst322-19

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LST-322 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The vessel's documented history - Navy-yard construction in 1942, Royal Navy wartime service, Greek naval service 1947-1953, return to Britain 1953 - contains no materials or hazmat documentation at any point.

    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 1942 Navy-yard-built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and builder-yard litigation documents asbestos products in use at her construction site during her build window. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-322-lst322-12