Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 662-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-331-lst331-pkt-662-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-331 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, European-theater operations, UK transfer, striking, sale, battle stars [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-331 entry body text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-331 was laid down on 12 November 1942 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched on 11 February 1943; sponsored by Miss Ruth Stout; and commissioned on 11 March 1943.' Assigned to the European theater; operations listed: Tunisian operations July 1943, Sicilian occupation July 1943, Salerno landings September 1943, Invasion of Normandy June 1944. 'She was transferred to the United Kingdom on 20 November 1944 and returned to United States Navy custody and decommissioned on 16 March 1946. LST-331 was struck from the Navy list on 26 February 1946 and sold to Bosey, Philippines, on 13 February 1948. LST-331 earned four battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43); USCG crew (1943-44); RN crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Note the documented sequence: the stricken date (26 February 1946) precedes the return-to-custody/decommissioning date DANFS gives (16 March 1946) - carried exactly as DANFS states it; the register-action timing relative to the physical return is unexplained in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-331 - designation timeline, USCG-manned banner, campaign dates, flotilla/group/division assignment, commanding officers, Royal Navy service narrative, specifications, final disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160331.htm header block, campaign table, Royal Navy History blockquote, commanding-officer table, specifications block, final-disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 12 November 1942 at Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched 11 February 1943; commissioned USS LST-331 11 March 1943; manned by the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII (banner statement and both listed COs are USCG/USCGR: LT Joseph Mazotta, USCG, 11 Mar 1943 - 14 Apr 1944; LT William Daniel Strauch Jr., USCGR, 14 Apr 1944 - 20 Nov 1944). Assigned to Europe-Africa-Middle East theater: LST Flotilla Twelve, LST Group Thirty-Five, LST Division Seventy. Campaigns: Tunisian operations 1-9 July 1943; Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943; Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943; Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944. Decommissioned and transferred to UK 20 November 1944; commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-331 at Southampton the same date; refitted on the Clyde; as part of 'W' Task Force was senior-officer ship of the 6th Flotilla, worked down the Arakan coast of Burma, participated in the recapture of Rangoon, the Malaya landings at Morib and Port Swettenham, and relief work at Singapore and Bangkok repatriating ex-POWs; paid off Singapore and returned to USN custody at Subic Bay 16 March 1946. Struck from the Naval Register 26 February 1946; sold 13 February 1948 to Bosey, Philippines - 'scuttled in Subic Bay after stripping.' Spec block: 13 officers/104 enlisted; troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; two GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43); USCG crew (1943-44); RN crew (1944-46); strippers/scuttlers at Subic Bay (1946-48)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates track DANFS but the Royal Navy operational narrative (Arakan, Rangoon, Malaya, POW repatriation) and the 'scuttled in Subic Bay after stripping' final-disposition detail rest on NavSource alone; no asbestos content. The 1948 scuttling predates any hazardous-materials regulation; no hazmat or material record for the stripping/scuttling was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-02
-
[4]U.S. Coast Guard, 'The Coast Guard at War - X: Sicily-Italy Landings' (Historical Section, Public Information Division, USCG Headquarters, 1 June 1946), HyperWar transcription: LT W. D. Strauch's account of LST-331 at Sicily (pp. 79-87) + appendix rosters of Coast Guard-manned vessels (USCG-X-B.html, pp. 185-189) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG-X-1.html section 'THE LST 331 / LIEUTENANT W. D. STRAUCH'S ACCOUNT' (pp. 79-87); USCG-X-B.html appendices (pp. 185-189)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official USCG wartime history documents this hull as Coast Guard-manned: the appendix lists LST-331 among Coast Guard-manned vessels participating in the Sicily landings and the Salerno landings, and among 'Coast Guard Manned Ships Entitled to Operation and Engagement Stars' for SICILY (E2) and SALERNO (E3). The narrative section 'The LST 331 / Lieutenant W. D. Strauch's Account' reproduces the factual report Strauch (Executive Officer, USCG) sent to Headquarters: LST-331 was flagship of an LST flotilla group with Lt. Comdr. F. H. Newton Jr. and staff embarked; she loaded R.A.F. personnel, trucks, and vehicles for use on Comiso airport after its capture; towed and attempted to beach pontoon sections; and engaged enemy bombers during the Sicily operation - the account describes multiple AA engagements with observed crashes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943 (events); 1946 (publication)
- Population
- USCG ship's company incl. LT(jg) W. D. Strauch Jr.; embarked flotilla staff (Lt. Comdr. F. H. Newton Jr.); RAF passengers
- Limitations
- Official service history (first-draft monograph, 1946) - documents Coast Guard manning and Sicily operations only; no asbestos or material content. HyperWar/ibiblio is a transcription mirror; the underlying document is a USCG Headquarters publication.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-03
-
[5]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'Historic Ships' roster - section 'LST (LANDING SHIP, TANK; World War II)' under 'Cutters, Craft & U.S. Coast Guard Manned Army & Navy Vessels' (Wayback capture 2019-04-21; live page unverifiable - 403 to direct fetch, JS-rendered) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Archived page, 'L' alphabetical section, 'LST (LANDING SHIP, TANK; World War II)' subsection, entry 'LST-331'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USCG Historian's Office roster of Coast Guard and Coast Guard-manned vessels lists LST-331 under the World War II LST section - i.e., the office's own list of Navy landing ships manned by Coast Guard crews during WWII. The page's note states no commission date is given for Navy warships 'manned by Coast Guard crews [as] such manning practices only occurred during World War II.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- roster compiled 2019 capture
- Population
- USCG ship's company (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Roster inclusion confirms Coast Guard manning only - no dates, service detail, or asbestos content. CITED AS ARCHIVED CAPTURE: the live history.uscg.mil page returns 403/JS-rendered content to automated fetches and the LST-331 entry could not be confirmed on the live page this session; the Wayback 2019-04-21 capture is the verifiable copy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-04
-
[6]NARA, digitized file units for USS LST-331 in the WWII War Diaries microfilm series (Fold3-partnership scans, online): NAID 135930922 (Sicily participation report); NAID 134343181 (Action Report, Op AVALANCHE); NAID 78178496 (Report of Operations, Invasion of Salerno Area, 9/9/43); war diaries Apr-Jun 43 (NAID 135975368), Jun 43 (NAID 134349941), Jul-Oct 43 (NAID 135975436), Nov 43 (NAID 78234094), Jan 44 (NAID 78531535), Apr 44 (NAID 78531567), Jun 44 (NAID 78541435); plus COM LST GR 35 / FLOT 12 war diaries and NAID 78474063 (shelling of beached LSTs by enemy 105mm battery, 15 Jun 1944, Normandy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov proxy search "LST-331" - 145 hits; NAIDs enumerated in citation_value; representative record https://catalog.archives.gov/id/135930922
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds a digitized documentary record for this hull covering essentially her entire commissioned U.S. Navy career: ship's war diaries for April 1943 through June 1944 and dedicated action/participation reports for Sicily, Salerno (AVALANCHE and the 9/9/43 operations report), and the Normandy-period war diary for June 1944 - the month of her Omaha Beach service. The same series carries her formation's records: COM LST GR 35 / LST FLOT 12 war diaries (Dec 1943-Jul 1944) including the Group 35 report of the shelling of beached LSTs by an enemy 105 mm battery on 15 June 1944 at Normandy. All located via NARA catalog API and confirmed as online digitized file units (microfilm roll scans, Fold3 partnership).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (documents); 2026-10-02 (search)
- Population
- USCG crew and embarked staff (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: these are operational documents - the likeliest repositories of any materials/insulation content would be construction work packages, repair records, and deck logs (not searched page-by-page this session). Location of digitized operational records is not an asbestos finding; no exposure inference should be drawn.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-05
-
[7]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, April 1945), LST design table and roster - shipscribe.com scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster (LST section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips design table for the LST type: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t light / ~4,080 t trial, 11.6 kt; propulsion 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels, ~1,700 shp, two shafts via Falk reduction gears (engine-variant blocks LST-932-979 and LST-1060-1080 carried GM 12-278A - not applicable to LST-331's LST-1-group block); accommodations 13 officers/106 enlisted. Roster lists LST-331 in the Philadelphia Navy Yard build block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Design-level; construction trades generally
- Limitations
- Official class-level design data, not a hull record - establishes the class machinery fit (diesel, no boilers) relevant to era inference only. Citation URL corrected from the class profile: the older shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf now returns 404; www.shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf verified live (HTTP 200) this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 machinery data (GM 12-567A diesel plant, no boilers); LST-1-class profile (lst-1-class.class.json, class-f worktree); era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB v2 LST machinery data; LST-1 class profile class_notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered WWII LST carried no boilers - the steam-plant lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a hull of this type and period were: diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets; engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation; deck coverings/tile; bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation; and brake linings on winches, windlass, and the bow-door/ramp machinery. WWII-era naval construction used asbestos insulation, gaskets, and packing as standard materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43); USCG crew (1943-44); RN crew and Clyde refit trades (1944-46); Subic Bay strippers (1946-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for LST-331. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-07
-
[9]Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566, 575 A.2d 570 (1990) (Justia) - published appellate opinion reviewing product-identification evidence from a Philadelphia Naval Shipyard worker's asbestos trial; corroborated by shipyards.json entry 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' (evidence_tier 3, verified product list incl. OSHA inspection 17999079) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, trial-court evidentiary recitation (witnesses Watts, Nasife, Caparola; 'used throughout the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 1941-1974')
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- LST-331's builder is a litigation-documented asbestos yard. In Taylor v. Celotex, trial testimony described in the published opinion identified named asbestos products used at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard: witness Watts (pipefitter, 1946-1974) testified that Baldwin-Ehret-Hill (predecessor to Keene), Carey (predecessor to Celotex), and Kaylo (Owens-Illinois, 1950-1953) asbestos products 'were used throughout the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 1941-1974, and were used on all the various ships'; witness Nasife (sheet-metal worker at the yard 1941-1979) identified Cary block, Eagle-Picher Super 60 and onecote cement, Thermasil pipe covering and block, and Unibestos aboard the submarine SAILFISH (1965); plaintiff Taylor identified Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning, GAF, and Garlock products from his own yard work. LST-331's construction (laid down Nov 1942 - commissioned Mar 1943) falls inside the documented 1941-1974 yard-use window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1974 (testified use window); 1990 (opinion)
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43 build window; documented use era 1941-1974)
- Limitations
- YARD-LEVEL record, not hull evidence: no product was tied to LST-331 or any LST; the vessels named in testimony were submarines and carriers from later decades, and the Kaylo window (1950-53) postdates this hull's build entirely. Stage discipline: this is trial testimony recounted in a published appellate opinion that upheld the verdict framework - it documents what witnesses said about yard-wide product use, not a finding about this ship. Does not establish materials aboard LST-331, individual exposure, or quantity. Justia page verified via firecrawl fetch 2026-10-02; plain automated fetches return 403.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-08
-
[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 through the WWII era and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and both her USN and RN service periods.
- 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 documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description, per standing practice in this dataset.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-09
-
[11]Batch-6869 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; USCG official history (HyperWar transcription); USCG Historian's Office roster (archived); NARA catalog (digitized file units); BuShips SDB 1945 v2 (shipscribe); CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket searches; Naval Vessel Register; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-331-01 through sl-uss-lst-331-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or verified asbestos litigation naming USS LST-331 / LST-331 / HM LST-331 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4): exact-phrase opinion searches 'LST-331', 'LST 331', and 'USS LST-331' all returned zero results; RECAP docket searches 'LST-331' and 'LST 331' each returned exactly one hit - the same unrelated boat-finance case, Sovereign Bank v. Bowditch Boat Holdings LLC (D. Mass. No. 1:05-cv-10668), in which the string appears inside OCR'd filing text - classified as a name collision, not the naval hull and not asbestos litigation. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard LSTs generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - WWII naval construction practice and the documented yard-level record make asbestos presence era-consistent but unproven for this hull. CourtListener coverage is complete for exact hull-name and hull-number phrases in both opinion and RECAP docket indexes; looser free-text searches are not exhaustively feasible for a three-digit hull string. Construction work packages, deck logs, and the 1948 stripping/scuttling records are undigitized or unsearched leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-331-10