Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 663-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-339-lst339-pkt-663-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-339 entry - NHHC ship-histories page (ARCHIVED COPY: live history.navy.mil URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-02; Wayback capture 2024-05-26 cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-339 entry, full text (Wayback capture 20240526040748); live URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lst-339.html 404s
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: LST-339 was laid down 17 July 1942 at the Norfolk Navy Yard; launched 8 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. P. B. Britt; and commissioned 23 December 1942, Lt. John H. Fulweiler, USNR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the consolidation of the southern Solomons (June 1943), the New Georgia Group operations (New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation June-July 1943; Vella Lavella occupation August 1943), the occupation and defense of Cape Torokina (November 1943), the Hollandia operation (April 1944), and Western New Guinea operations (Biak Island May-June 1944; Noemfoor Island June-July 1944; Morotai landings September 1944). Post-war occupation duty in the Far East until mid-November 1945; decommissioned 13 May 1946; struck from the Navy list 23 June 1947; sold 16 October 1947 to the New Orleans Shipwrecking Corp., Chicago, Ill., for scrapping. Earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, milestones, campaign assignments, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, materials, insulation, crew-health, or scrapping-condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-339 page (archives/10/16/160339.htm), page last updated 9 June 2023 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page body: timeline, flotilla/group/division assignments, campaign table, awards block, commanding-officers table, specification block, photo-caption credits
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for this hull: LST-1 class tank landing ship; laid down 17 July 1942 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA; launched 8 November 1942; commissioned 23 December 1942, Lt. John H. Fulweiler, USNR. WWII assignments: LST Flotilla Eight (CAPT E. Watts, USN), LST Group Twenty-Three (CDR T. C. Linthicum, USN), LST Division Forty-Five; later LST Flotilla Five (CAPT G. B. Carter, USN), LST Group Thirteen, LST Division Twenty-Six. Campaign dates itemized: New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu 30 June and 4 July 1943; Vella Lavella 17, 18, 26 August 1943; Cape Torokina 6, 17, 27 November 1943; Hollandia 21-28 April 1944; Biak 27-30 May, 6-10 and 16-20 June 1944; Noemfoor 30 June-4 July and 6-11 July 1944; Morotai 15 September 1944. Occupation service 15-25 November 1945. Decommissioned 13 May 1946; struck 23 June 1947; sold for scrapping 16 October 1947 to New Orleans Shipwrecking Corp., Chicago, IL. Awards: Navy Unit Commendation; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4); WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Commanding officers: Lt. Fulweiler (to 4 Sep 1943), Lt. James J. Croft (to 1945), Lt. Lawren M. Cathles (to 13 May 1946). Specification block: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching, 11.6 kt trial, 2x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, Falk reduction gears, 1,700 shp, complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted. Photo captions document: NARA-held images incl. NAID 74241706 (USMC HQ photo 68229, ship beached at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, 6 November 1943); the ship beached at the Wakde Island mainland staging point, Dutch New Guinea, c. June 1944 (Australian War Memorial); and the ship at anchor in San Francisco Bay, 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained naval-history archive carrying official-derived data (timeline matches DANFS; spec block is the class-standard BuShips-derived table). Contains no asbestos, materials, or industrial-hygiene information; supports no asbestos claim. Complement is the class specification figure, not a hull muster.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-02
-
[4]LST Flotilla Five War Diaries, May 31-June 30 1944 and July 1944 (NARA-declassified scans, E.O. 13526, NDC NARA Dec 31 2012; hosted on NavSource as contributed documents) [other_primary]
- Locator
- May 1944 PDF p.29 (transmittal page dated 1 July 1944, Flotilla Organization section); July 1944 PDF p.1 (Flotilla Organization section, dated 1 August 1944) - https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/16/pdf/lst%20flot%205%20war%20diary%20july%201944.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Declassified primary record naming this hull: the LST Flotilla Five war diaries (Third Amphibious Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet) list 'LST 339 - Lt. J. J. Croft, USNR' in the Flotilla Organization under LST Group Thirteen, LST Division 26, Commander LST Flotilla Five Captain G. B. Carter, USN - in both the 31 May-30 June 1944 diary (dated 1 July 1944) and the July 1944 diary (dated 1 August 1944). These documents place the hull and her commanding officer inside the flotilla structure during the Biak and Noemfoor operation windows. Full-text OCR of both complete scanned diaries (111 pp and 43 pp) contains no mention of asbestos, insulation material, or abatement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops aboard LST-339 during Biak/Noemfoor operations (May-July 1944)
- Limitations
- Primary wartime documents name the hull and CO in the flotilla organization but contain no asbestos or material-composition information; OCR-verified negative on asbestos content across both diaries (scans without text layer, OCR at 150 dpi - legibility limits apply). Confirms assignment and operational presence, nothing about hull materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (diesel plant, no boilers); shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json documented product list for norfolk-naval-shipyard; BuShips SD-1945 v2 class design grouping (LST-1 group) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; shipyards.json yard_id norfolk-naval-shipyard product_normalized list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered amphibious ship built at a documented asbestos yard in the peak asbestos year 1942: LST-339 is a diesel ship (2x GM 12-567A, no boilers or steam plant), so the steam-lagging pathway does not apply. Era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were diesel engine and exhaust lagging, machinery thermal insulation, gaskets, valve and pump packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and brake linings. Her builder yard - Norfolk Navy Yard / Norfolk Naval Shipyard - is a documented asbestos site (EPA Superfund VA1170024813; NAVFAC site descriptions list asbestos among disposed wastes; documented product list for the yard includes Thermobestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Unibestos, gaskets, packing, pipe insulation/lagging, boiler and turbine insulation, electrical cable insulation, deck coverings, fire barriers, welding blankets).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1942); ship's company 1942-46; 1947-48 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-339. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are documented for the builder yard, not attributed to this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-04
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights (full PDF https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-10-02 - standing gao.gov access block, same as Batch-01/98)
- 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 (1942-46). The report's shipyard fieldwork was conducted at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Norfolk is this hull's builder. GAO also documented the Navy's 1975 policy of removing asbestos insulation only when damaged or when removal was required for repair, modified in 1979 to selectively replace insulation in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (review); program era covers 1942-46
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; the fieldwork describes shipyard practices in 1978-79, decades after this hull's 1942 construction and 1947 disposal - supports era context and builder-yard asbestos presence only, not any fact specific to this hull. 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-339-lst339-05
-
[7]EPA Superfund site profile VA1170024813 NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD (verified live 2026-10-02); NAVFAC Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions page (HTTP 403 to automated fetch 2026-10-02 - content per shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json verified row); OSHA Chemical Exposure Health Data query, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, asbestos [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Cumulis site profile OU list (Sites 3-7 Paradise Creek Disposal Area ROD 2010; Site 10 1927 Landfill ROD 2008); NAVFAC Site Descriptions (blocked at fetch, HTTP 403); OSHA sampling search (blocked at fetch, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- This hull's builder yard is a documented asbestos site: EPA Superfund site VA1170024813 (NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, Portsmouth, VA) is NPL-listed (1999); NAVFAC official site descriptions state that wastes disposed at yard landfill sites included asbestos - including the Paradise Creek Disposal Area (ACM disposal documented 1945-1983) and the 1927 Landfill (waste disposal including asbestos materials, 1927-1941, i.e., covering this hull's construction-era waste stream). OSHA chemical-exposure bulk samples at the yard (inspection 101704716, June 1987) recorded asbestos bulk results of 40 percent and 0.001 percent.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1927-1999 (site documentation); hull construction 1942
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard workforce (~43,000 WWII peak per yard record)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation, not a hull record - establishes that asbestos was used and disposed at the yard where this hull was built; does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity. NAVFAC and OSHA pages blocked to automated fetch (403); EPA profile verified live. Asbestos is documented as a disposed waste, not necessarily a CERCLA contaminant of concern (metals/organics drove the remedy).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-06
-
[8]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373 (DOI resolves live 2026-10-02)
- 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 1942-built LST-1-class hull was constructed at a Navy yard, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- 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-339-lst339-07
-
[9]Archived NHHC DANFS LST-339 entry (controlling) vs NavalCoverMuseum LST_339 page (navalcovermuseum.org, last edited 2011, states 'five battle stars') and HistoryCentral DANFS transcription ('Mrs. F. B. Britt') [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum https://www.navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/LST_339 ; HistoryCentral https://www.historycentral.com/navy/patrol/18.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) battle stars - DANFS and NavSource state LST-339 earned four battle stars (Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal x4) while the NavalCoverMuseum ship page states five battle stars (medal x5); DANFS is controlling at four. (b) Sponsor name - the archived NHHC DANFS page reads 'Mrs. P. B. Britt' while a HistoryCentral transcription of the same DANFS text reads 'Mrs. F. B. Britt'; the archived NHHC reading is controlling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings; does not affect identity or disposal timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-08
-
[10]Batch-6877 search ledger (this record): archived NHHC DANFS; NavSource page + war-diary PDFs (OCR'd); CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket searches; EPA Cumulis; NVR (outside coverage); MARAD (errored; ship never in MARAD custody); NavalCoverMuseum; USNI photo archive; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-339-lst339-01 through sl-uss-lst-339-lst339-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-339 / LST-339 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-phrase searches returned zero opinions and zero dockets for 'LST-339' and zero opinions for 'LST 339' (2026-10-02). Both retrieved flotilla war diaries (154 scanned pages total, OCR'd) contain no asbestos mention. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case or ship-specific asbestos content; law-firm marketing material and forum posts assert asbestos aboard WWII-era ships generically 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 - a 1942 Navy-yard-built hull broken up in 1947-48 predates both asbestos documentation practice and the asbestos-litigation era (the first asbestos trials postdate scrapping; plaintiff records naming hulls arise from postwar exposure claims, and this hull was out of service before the latency window). Deck logs, Norfolk Navy Yard construction/work-package records, and scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-339-lst339-09
-
[11]NARA Catalog NAID 74241706 (still-picture record, ship identified via NavSource caption); NARA RG 24 deck-log guidance; RG 181 shore-establishment records; USNI Photo Archive item 436244 (https://photos.usni.org/content/436244jpg) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/74241706 (JS-rendered, HTTP 200); https://photos.usni.org/content/436244jpg; NavSource photo credits
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 holds WWII-era deck logs for commissioned Navy vessels including this hull's 1942-46 logs (College Park; WWII deck logs are largely undigitized). (b) NARA still-picture holdings include NAID 74241706, US Marine Corps HQ photo 68229, showing USS LST-339 beached at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, 6 November 1943 (identified via NavSource photo caption; catalog.archives.gov record is JS-rendered - route loads HTTP 200 but metadata not text-extractable this session). (c) RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) holds Norfolk Navy Yard construction and outfitting records that may include hull work-package and material documentation. (d) U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive holds a cataloged LST-339 image (item 436244, verified live).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and item-level 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-339-lst339-10