Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 664-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-342-lst342-pkt-664-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-342' - NHHC page via Wayback capture 9 December 2025 (live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-10-02 - standing NHHC link rot noted since Batch 01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20251209195833 of NHHC DANFS LST-342 page (canonical /research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lst-342.html 404s; HyperWar dafs/LST/lst342.html mirror also 404s - no alternate transcription located)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-342 was laid down on 21 August 1942 at the Norfolk Navy Yard; launched on 8 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Philip H. Ryan; and commissioned on 31 December 1942. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation in July 1943. Sunk by a Japanese torpedo off the Solomon Islands on 18 July 1943 and struck from the Navy list on 28 July 1943. Earned one battle star and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative service history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information and does not identify the attacker submarine, loss position, or casualty figures. Live page is dead - the citation is an archived Wayback copy, labeled as such per citation-hygiene rules. Dates agree with NavSource where they overlap.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-342 (10/16/160342) - specification block, assignment chain, campaign table, CO roster, awards, hulk photographs [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net 10/16/160342 - spec block, campaign table, CO roster, hulk photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship. Laid down 21 August 1942 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA; launched 8 November 1942; commissioned 31 December 1942, LT. Edward S. McCluskey, USNR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. J.R. Clark USN), LST Group Fourteen (CDR. R.W. Lejeunesse USN), LST Division Twenty-Seven. Asiatic-Pacific Campaign: New Georgia Group operation - New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, 2 and 17 to 18 July 1943. Lost to enemy action, sunk by Japanese submarine IJN RO-106 in the Blanche Channel of New Georgia Island, 18 July 1943; struck from the Naval Register 28 July 1943. One battle star. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching displacement; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kts trial; 2 General Motors 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gears, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders - a diesel plant with no boilers; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted. Photo captions document the bow of the ex-LST-342 hulk aground at Purvis Bay, Florida Island (1983). CO roster: LT. McCluskey 31 December 1942 - 30 June 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1983 (hulk photography)
- Population
- Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops (16 officers/147 enlisted capacity)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with DANFS where they overlap and more precise on the assignment chain, campaign date bands, loss location, and specifications. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. CO roster ends McCluskey's listed tenure 30 June 1943 - eighteen days before the loss - leaving the commanding officer of record at the sinking unconfirmed by this source (logged in gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-02
-
[4]U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945 - Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy by CNO Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Appendix C, combat-loss table (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-King-C.html, Appendix C table, 'TANK LANDING SHIPS' section, row 'LST 342'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The CNO's official combat-loss table records: 'LST 342 - 9 03 S, 158 11 E - 18 July 1943' among tank landing ships lost. This is the official loss position and date: 9 deg 03 min S, 158 deg 11 min E in the Blanche Channel area south of Gatukai Island, consistent with the NavSource loss location.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943 (loss); report published 1946
- Limitations
- HyperWar transcription of an official government report (the underlying document is the CNO's wartime report to SecNav). Records position and date only - no cause, attacker, casualty count, or material information. Position agrees with Pacific Wrecks' action-report-derived fix south of Gatukai Island (Nggatokae).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-03
-
[5]NHHC Our Collections/Art, 'The Art of McClelland Barclay' (McClelland Barclay 1891-1943) - via Wayback capture 13 March 2015 (live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20150313224616 of NHHC Our Collections/Art artist page; live URL 404s 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC documents that LCDR McClelland Barclay, USNR - a nationally known illustrator serving as a Navy combat artist - was aboard LST-342 (Group 14, Flotilla 5) from the first of July 1943, sketching and taking photographs while the ship carried ammunition and supplies from Guadalcanal to Rendova, New Georgia. On 18 July 1943 the ship was torpedoed by Japanese submarine RO-106 at 1:30 a.m.; the torpedo struck the aft portion where officers and others, including Barclay, were berthed, and the stern sank immediately. Per NHHC, 'Barclay, along with most of the crew, perished.' The bow remained afloat and was towed to a beach on the island of Ghavutu so usable equipment could be salvaged; remains of the ship are still rusting there. Barclay was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1-18 July 1943
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked passengers aboard 18 July 1943; LCDR McClelland Barclay USNR documented by name
- Limitations
- Official NHHC biography page: casualty framing is qualitative ('most of the crew, perished') with no count - numeric loss figures (81 vs 82 from secondary sources) are unverified and logged in gaps. Gives the beaching site as Ghavutu Island; NavSource photo captions say Purvis Bay, Florida Island - Ghavutu lies inside the Purvis Bay anchorage, so the sources are consistent at area level but differ on the exact beach (logged in gaps). No asbestos or material information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-04
-
[6]CDR Kendall King, USN, 'LSTs: Marvelous at Fifty,' Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), Winter 1992, Vol. 6 No. 4 - via Wayback capture 15 May 2025 (live usni.org URL returns 403 to automated fetches) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20250515004401; Naval History Dec 1992, LST-342 paragraph in the losses section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Professional-journal class retrospective records: 'In the Pacific, the LST-342 was the first to be lost. Operating in the Solomon Islands during the New Georgia campaign, the ship was torpedoed and beached on Florida Island, where she remains today.' The article also documents the class design and build program (BuShips' Niedermair design; keel priority so high an aircraft-carrier keel was moved; 18 building locations).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1992 (article); 1943 (loss)
- Limitations
- Naval History professional-journal retrospective, not a primary record; 'first to be lost' in the Pacific is the article's framing consistent with the official loss table (no earlier Pacific LST loss appears in the CNO Appendix C list). Class-program figures are background context. Archived copy - live page blocked to automated fetch (HTTP 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-05
-
[7]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
- Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311, PMID 3555021
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive use of asbestos as fireproofing and insulating material in 1940s WWII shipbuilding expansion - the era in which this hull was built (1942, Norfolk Navy Yard). For a diesel-powered LST with no boilers, the era-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope); applied 1942-1943
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers (Norfolk Navy Yard, 1942); wartime crew
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship plus class/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. DOI verified live 2026-10-02 - a sibling record (batch-6810 LST-273) carries an incorrect DOI for this same paper (10.1002/ajim.4700120402 resolves to a different AJIM article); corrected citation used here and flagged in the batch report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-06
-
[8]U.S. EPA, NPL Site Narrative for Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia (Federal Register notice, 22 July 1999; EPA site ID VA1170024813) [other_primary]
- Locator
- semspub.epa.gov HQ/184041.pdf - 'Conditions at Proposal (March 6, 1998)' narrative text
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The federal Superfund narrative for the yard that built this hull states that industrial shops at Norfolk Naval Shipyard generate a wide variety of industrial wastes, 'often in large quantities,' and lists asbestos among wastes generated by yard operations (metal forming, repair and installation of mechanical and electrical equipment, metal fabrication, plating, painting); the yard has operated continuously since 1767. Norfolk Navy Yard (the WWII-era name on the build record) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard are the same institution.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1999 (listing); historical yard operations described
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard / Norfolk Naval Shipyard workforce (yard operations, era context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation describing waste streams as of the 1998-99 listing - it does not date asbestos generation to 1942, does not describe shipboard materials, and does not establish any product aboard this hull. Builder-yard context for the construction-era population only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-07
-
[9]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
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure with fieldwork at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - the latter being the yard that built this hull. The Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to include selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Neither policy could have applied to this hull - she was sunk 18 July 1943, roughly 36 years before the later policy issued.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers incl. Norfolk Naval Shipyard workforce; asbestos program review (not this hull)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy documentation for era fleet context only; the policies post-date this hull's loss entirely, so no hull-specific application was possible. Product page retrieved via firecrawl 2026-10-02 after direct webfetch returned HTTP 403; the 26-page full report PDF linked on the page was not opened.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-08
-
[10]Pacific Wrecks ship-history page for USS LST-342, citing NARA 'USS LST-342 - Torpedoing U.S.S. L.S.T. 342 - 0130 Love July 18, 1943' (pages 1-10), 'Report of Torpedoing U.S.S. L.S.T. 342' by T.B. Montgomery, 28 July 1943 [other_primary]
- Locator
- pacificwrecks.com/ship/usn/LST-342.html - Wartime History, Sinking History, References (NARA action report citation, pp. 1-10)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An official action report on the torpedoing exists at NARA: 'Report of Torpedoing U.S.S. L.S.T. 342 - 0130 Love July 18, 1943,' by T.B. Montgomery, dated 28 July 1943 (10 pages). Quoted passages in the secondary source describe a torpedo wake sighted about 40 yards off the port beam near frame 37, a dull thud and explosion, the stern cleanly severed, and 155 mm projectiles still racked in the cargo. Per the same NARA-citing account: the ship departed Guadalcanal 17 July 1943 for Rendova via Renard Sound (Russell Islands) with about 500 tons of cargo, primarily 155 mm howitzer shells, plus embarked U.S. Army (4 officers/169 enlisted) and Navy (2 officers/21 enlisted) personnel; no escort was available and she sailed alone; torpedoed 0130 18 July 1943; survivors were rescued by USS LCI(L)-62 the following afternoon and returned to Guadalcanal 20 July. RG 24 deck logs (December 1942-July 1943) are the corresponding primary administrative record.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-17 to 1943-07-28 (records); 2026-10-02 (access attempt)
- Population
- Crew and embarked Army/Navy passengers aboard 17-18 July 1943
- Limitations
- Archival lead, not an opened record: the NARA holdings are cited through a reputable secondary page; catalog.archives.gov returned no parseable content to automated queries this session, so digitization status is unconfirmed and T.B. Montgomery's role (acting CO vs flotilla staff) is unverified - NavSource's CO roster ends LT. McCluskey 30 June 1943. Action reports and deck logs are administrative records - they may contain material/repair detail but are not asbestos documentation unless inspected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-09
-
[11]United States Navy Memorial, Navy Log lost-ships entry for USS LST-342 (sourced on-page to 'DANFS and Michael Lyga') [museum_official]
- Locator
- navylog.navymemorial.org/uss-lst-342 - lost-ships tribute entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy Memorial's lost-ships entry records that LST-342 was sunk by Japanese submarine RO-106 while sailing unescorted for Rendova carrying a cargo of aviation fuel and ammunition; the stern half, containing the officers' and crew quarters, sank immediately, while the forward half remained afloat and was towed to an island where it served as a storage facility and can still be seen.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943 (loss)
- Limitations
- Commemorative-entry content sourced to DANFS and a named contributor - secondary, not a primary record. Its cargo description ('aviation fuel and ammunition') differs from the action-report-derived account (about 500 tons, primarily 155 mm howitzer shells) - logged in gaps. Its 'Date Lost: July 28, 1943' field prints the strike date; the sinking was 18 July. No asbestos or material information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-10
-
[12]Batch-6881 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 160342; CNO official loss table (HyperWar); NHHC Barclay profile via Wayback; USNI via Wayback; Navy Memorial navylog; Pacific Wrecks; NVR; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket searches, authenticated); NARA catalog; LOC Veterans History Project; shipyards.json cross-check; GAO; DOI verification; general web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-342-lst342-01 through sl-uss-lst-342-lst342-19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, environmental assessment of the hulk, or litigation naming USS LST-342 was found in the public sources searched. Authenticated CourtListener API v4 searches returned zero opinions for 'LST-342' (unqualified), zero for 'USS LST-342', zero for 'LST-342' qualified by asbestos, zero for the spaced variant 'LST 342', and zero dockets for 'LST-342' - a clean negative with no name collisions to sift (contrast LST-273, whose unqualified query returned 153 collision hits). The web sweep surfaced no law-firm asbestos page for this hull and no qualifying case.
- 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-built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the unrecovered hulk was never surveyed or remediated. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage is opinion- and docket-metadata level; state-court and unindexed filings are outside the sweep.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-342-lst342-11