Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 665-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-354-lst354-pkt-665-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-354 entry (NHHC; verified live 2026-10-02 - the standing NHHC link-rot defect from Batch 01/98 does NOT affect this entry, which returned full text on the canonical URL) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-354 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (verbatim): 'LST-354 was laid down on 15 July 1942 at the Charleston Navy Yard; launched on 13 October 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Jean Browne McCall; and commissioned on 27 November 1942, Lt. B. W. Robb, USNR, in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; operations listed: 'New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation-July 1943'; 'Vella Lavella occupation-August 1943'; 'Occupation and defense of Cape Torokina-November 1943'; 'Green Islands landing-February 1944'; 'Capture and occupation of Saipan-June 1944'; 'Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima-February 1945'; 'Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto-April 1945'. 'Following the war, LST-354 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-December 1945. She was decommissioned on 30 April 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 19 June 1946. On 16 December 1947, the tank landing ship was sold [to] the Southwest Steel Corp., of Pittsburgh, Pa., and subsequently scrapped. LST-354 earned six battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1942); USN crew and embarked troops (1942-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS operation lists are not exhaustive - they do not name individual dates within operations. Does not name the disposal scrapping location (only the purchaser).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, Tank Landing Ship LST-354 (10/16/160354) - designation timeline, flotilla assignment, campaign table with dates, spec block, commanding-officer list, award ribbons, photo captions (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160354.htm header block, campaign table, occupation-service table, spec block, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 15 July 1942 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.; launched 13 October 1942; commissioned USS LST-354 27 November 1942, LT. Bertram W. Robb, USNR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater in LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. G.B. Carter), LST Group Fourteen (CDR. R.W. Lejeunesse), LST Division Twenty-Eight. Campaign table: New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation 1 July 1943; Vella Lavella occupation 15 and 21 August 1943; Cape Torokina 6 and 17 November 1943; Green Island landing 15-19 February 1944; Saipan 15-22 June 1944; Iwo Jima 19-25 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto 1-15 April 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 28 September - 10 October 1945 and 9-18 December 1945. Decommissioned 30 April 1946; struck from the Naval Register 19 June 1946; sold for scrapping 16 December 1947 to Southwest Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, PA. Six battle stars; ribbons shown include Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 19-25 February 1945, Iwo Jima). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 miles @ 9 kt; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; ultimate design armament 2 twin 40mm, 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; 2 x General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC generators, 2 shafts / 1,700 shp, twin rudders. CO list: Robb (to 27 Dec 1943), LTjg William A. Henry USN (to Aug 1944), LTjg Ralph E. Mercer USNR (to Apr 1945), LT C. A. Johnson USNR (to 26 Jun 1945), LTjg Carl A. Swenson USNR acting (to Aug 1945), Johnson (to Nov 1945), Swenson (to 30 Apr 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1942); USN crew (1942-46); embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS where they overlap. Contains no asbestos content. Campaign dates are NavSource's own dating; DANFS lists the same operations by month only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-02
-
[4]uboat.net (G. Helgason), Allied Warships entry 'USS LST 354 (LST 354)' - order date and service endpoints (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/11430.html data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net warship entry: 'Tank landing ship of the LST (Mk 2) class'; built by Charleston Navy Yard (Charleston, South Carolina); ordered 20 May 1942; laid down 15 July 1942; launched 13 October 1942; commissioned 27 November 1942; end service 30 April 1946 ('Decommissioned on 30 April 1946. Sold on 16 December 1947.').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation, not a U.S. government source - its dates agree with DANFS/NavSource where they overlap. 'Ordered 20 May 1942' is a uboat.net-only detail (not in DANFS or NavSource). Contains no asbestos content; no casualty or action narrative for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-03
-
[5]NARA Catalog (catalog.archives.gov), WWII War Diaries / operational records file units for USS LST-354 - digitized from microfilm (Fold3-sourced redelivery) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "LST-354" (459 file units) - war-diary series NAIDs 78216701, 78248399, 78340594, 135980618, 135961883, 78305434, 78371117, 78430979, 78463797, 78512960, 78623042, 139885321, 140081465, 140084154, 83565339, 77471817 + AA action reports 135914662, 134315409, 135930954, 136013618
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific primary records exist and are digitized in the NARA catalog: a war-diary series spanning July 1943 - December 1945 (verified file units incl. 'War Diary, 7/1-31/43' NAID 78216701, 'War Diary, 7/1-31/44' NAID 78623042, 'War Diary, 12/1-31/45' NAID 140084154, 'War Diary, 11/1-30/45' NAID 140081465) and four AA action reports - 8/1/43 (NAID 135914662), 8/15/43 (NAID 134315409), 8/21/1943 (NAID 135930954), and 'AA Act Rep, Cape Torokina Bougainville, 17 Nov 1943' (NAID 136013618). The quoted-hull search returned 459 file units; the remainder are cross-references inside other units' records.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- USN crew; embarked troops (record populations, not exposed populations)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: file-unit titles verified live in the NARA catalog on 2026-10-02 (NAID pages 78623042, 136013618, 134315409 return HTTP 200); page images exist but were not OCR'd or analyzed this session. These are operational records - none was reviewed for material/asbestos content and none is an exposure record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-04
-
[6]NHHC photograph catalog entry NH 79007, USS LST-354 (verified live 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH 79007 catalog page, title/description/catalog fields
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC holds an original photograph of this hull: 'USS LST-354 - In San Francisco Bay, California, circa early 1946, after returning to the United States from the Western Pacific. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974.' Catalog NH 79007 - independently corroborates the postwar return-to-US endpoint of the DANFS service arc.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Limitations
- Photographic catalog record only - caption verified; the image carries no material or condition documentation and no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-05
-
[7]The National WWII Museum (ww2online.org), image record 'Supplies being unloaded from LST-354 onto Rendova Island, 1943' (verified live 2026-10-02) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ww2online.org image page, title/description/date fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum-cataloged photograph of this hull at her first credited operation: 'Photograph. Crew of USS LST-354 unloading supplies onto a beach. Official caption on front: "LST's carry supplies to Rendova. US Navy Photo 108-13." Porterville, California development stamp on reverse. Rendova Island, Solomon Islands, 1943.' Corroborates the New Georgia-Rendova operation documented by DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- USN crew; Army personnel unloading supplies
- Limitations
- Museum photograph catalog record only - documents presence at Rendova in 1943 (museum date field reads 1943-06; DANFS credits the New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation to July 1943 - the Rendova landing began 30 June 1943, spanning the boundary). No material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-06
-
[8]NARA research guide, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (archives.gov; verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos; RG 19 entry list (entries A1 1266-A through P 29 et al.)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- NARA's official asbestos-research pathway for WWII naval vessels: after establishing the ship's history (DANFS), the Bureau of Ships general/confidential/secret correspondence in Record Group 19 is filed by ship type/class/hull designation under the Navy Filing Manual - hull-specific correspondence for this ship would sit under 'LST354', class correspondence under the lead hull's class designation, and builder-yard correspondence under the yard's 'NY' designation. These series are undigitized; the war-diary file units (ev-04) are the only digitized hull records located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-1961 (records coverage)
- Limitations
- Research-pathway documentation only - the guide itself contains no asbestos content for any specific hull. RG 19 correspondence files for 'LST354' were not searched this session; they are the authoritative lead for any construction-materials correspondence if it exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-07
-
[9]Consolidated era inference built on: NavSource LST-354 spec block (machinery/fit verified live); Atlas class profile lst-1-class asbestos inference; BuShips Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST design table via the class profile (shipscribe.com scan now 404s - see ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160354 spec block; class profile lst-1-class.class.json (background)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-1-class tank landing ship built Jul - Nov 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a ship of this type and period: diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve packing, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1942); USN crew incl. embarked troops (1942-46)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-08
-
[10]Atlas shipyards.json record for charleston-naval-shipyard (EPA SEMS facility SC0170022560; OSHA Inspection 100361849, 1988) + EPA Superfund 'CERCLA Site Information' page for NAVAL SHIPYARD - CHARLESTON + Navy BRAC PMO 'Former Naval Shipyard Charleston' page (all verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA cumulis csitinfo.cfm?id=0404802 (NPL/Non-NPL status lines); bracpmo.navy.mil Former Naval Shipyard Charleston (closure date); shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard asbestos_products_documented + ev-...-osha-1988-100361849
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The yard that built this hull (Charleston Navy Yard - later Charleston Naval Shipyard within the Charleston Naval Complex) is a documented asbestos site: EPA's SEMS/CERCLA record for NAVAL SHIPYARD - CHARLESTON (EPA ID SC0170022560, Viaduct Road, Charleston SC) shows the facility assessed under CERCLA ('NPL Status: Not on the NPL; Non-NPL Status: Deferred to RCRA (Subtitle C)'); OSHA inspection 100361849 (1988, per Atlas yard record) carried a citation under the asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001; and the Atlas yard record documents an asbestos product inventory including pipe insulation/lagging, gaskets, packing, deck coverings, and brake linings. Navy BRAC PMO records the complex's operational closure on 1 April 1996 following the July 1993 BRAC recommendation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1996 (documentation window)
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction and shop trades (1942 build window)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - establishes that the builder yard handled and used asbestos materials; it does not establish which materials were installed aboard LST-354. WWII-era new construction is not the same documented pathway as the yard's better-documented repair/overhaul asbestos work. One law-firm page claims the yard 'became an EPA Superfund site in 1993' - contradicted by EPA's own record (Not on the NPL; deferred to RCRA) and not relied on. OSHA inspection detail page not directly retrievable by automated fetch (osha.gov blocks) - inspection content carried via the Atlas yard record. No individual exposure, quantity, or present-day material claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-09
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, highlights text
- 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 - covering this hull's entire construction era (1942) and service life. GAO's shipyard fieldwork was performed at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not Charleston.
- 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 - and its fieldwork did not cover this hull's builder yard. Product-page description verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-02 (direct fetch 403 was a standing defect in Batch 01/98; firecrawl render succeeds).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated), exact-match queries for this hull number across the opinion (type=o) and RECAP docket (type=r) indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-354-lst354-05 through -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No litigation located naming this hull: queries '"LST-354"' and '"LST 354"' each returned zero hits on both the opinion index (type=o) and the RECAP docket index (type=r) on 2026-10-02. No qualifying asbestos case, no other litigation, no name collision surfaced for the hull designation in either spelling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Coverage caveat: a zero index result is not proof that no case exists - deposition or brief text naming the ship may sit inside docket-level PDFs not indexed by case name, and state-court dockets are outside CourtListener coverage. Negative finding within the searched indexes only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-11
-
[13]Batch-6893 search ledger (this record): live DANFS entry; NavSource 10/16/160354; uboat.net warship entry; NARA catalog file units; NARA asbestos research guide; NHHC NH 79007; National WWII Museum image record; CourtListener opinion+docket sweeps; NVR; GAO; EPA/BRAC yard record; general web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-354-lst354-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or docketed case naming USS LST-354 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped after sale in 1947 - if any disposal/survey record was generated it was not located in public sources. The only 'asbestos aboard' content found in the general sweep was law-firm marketing material naming other LST hulls (LST-542, LST-854) - 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 - the 1942 build at an asbestos-documented navy yard makes era materials plausible but unproven for this hull. Undigitized leads remain: NARA RG 19 BuShips correspondence under filing designation 'LST354', the digitized-but-unread war diaries and AA action reports (ev-04), and Charleston Navy Yard build/work records. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-354-lst354-12