Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 666-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-355-lst355-pkt-666-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-355 (NHHC ship-history page, live-verified HTTP 200 on 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-355 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 7 September 1942 at the Charleston Navy Yard; launched 16 November 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Wendell E. Kraft; commissioned 22 December 1942, Lt. Norman L. Knipe, Jr., USNR, in command. Assigned to the European theater; participated in the Salerno landings September 1943 and the invasion of Normandy June 1944. Post-war occupation duty in the Far East until early March 1946. Decommissioned 6 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 31 October 1947; sold 10 April 1948 to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, Wash. Earned two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS omits the April-May 1943 Arzew grounding and the 1946-47 SCAJAP/Q084 period documented by the ship's own Navy Dept. history and NavSource - disposition chain is fuller in ev-02/ev-03. 'Sold to Consolidated Builders' does not itself establish scrapping vs resale.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-01
-
[3]Navy Department, Ships Data Section / Public Information Division / Office of Public Relations, 'HISTORY OF USS LST-355' (official ship history, stenciled 10/14/48; retyped and submitted by Al Cadaret), republished by NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive (live-verified HTTP 200 on 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160355h.htm, full retyped text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official ship history documents: commissioned 22 December 1942 at Charleston Navy Yard in a joint ceremony with sister LST-356; outfitted January 1943, sailed 3 February 1943 for Little Creek/Chesapeake training, departed New York March 1943 in the second LST group for the Mediterranean, arriving Oran/Arzew, Algeria, 13 April 1943. In the last week of April 1943 she broached on rocks during a beaching operation near Arzew and was severely damaged; lay dockside at Arzew May-July 1943, heavily cannibalized for parts for LSTs operating around Tunis and Sicily - the damage 'prevented the ship from participating in the Invasion of Sicily.' Towed to the ex-French floating drydock at Oran 31 July 1943 for repairs; LT A. J. Cadaret relieved LT Knipe during the repair period. Sailed in the Salerno convoy 6 September 1943; beached at Red Beach, Salerno, 9 September 1943 under artillery and air attack - credited with downing one enemy plane (believed ME-109) and, with her bow 40MM, destroying a German Tiger tank, for which the Army and the flag aboard USS BISCAYNE gave official credit. Sailed for the UK 12 November 1943 in convoy MKS 30, surviving the massed HE-177 glider-bomb attack off the Bay of Biscay; arrived Falmouth November 1943 and spent six months training amphibious anti-aircraft gunners (incl. Operation Duck near Dartmouth). Sailed 5 June 1944 with Force 'B' for Omaha Beach, discharged 7 June; then 44 England-France shuttle trips through 16 April 1945, including the Southampton-Cherbourg railroad-car shuttle (rails fitted in the tank deck) and December 1944 Ardennes troop-lift runs. Returned to the US in a 15-LST convoy arriving Norfolk 5 May 1945; converted at Todd-Johnson Shipyard, Algiers LA, into an ordnance installation ship (10-ton crane, 40MM dual mounts with Mk 51 directors; complement raised to 10 officers/127 enlisted; ~$15M of ordnance equipment carried); Gulfport and Galveston July-August 1945; transited Panama Canal mid-August 1945; diverted to San Francisco and Mare Island Navy Yard for removal of all ordnance gear (complement reduced to 8 officers/104 enlisted); sailed 26 September 1945 for Pearl Harbor, engine trouble repaired at the Navy Yard there; 35,503 miles steamed since February 1943 by 1 November 1945; LT J. J. Kelley relieved LT Rankin 5 November 1945. 'Placed out of Commission and disposed of by the War Shipping Administration in March 1946.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Crew (1942-46); embarked troops and casualties; yard trades at Oran, Falmouth, Todd-Johnson Algiers, Mare Island, Pearl Harbor (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous official narrative history produced by the Navy Dept. (1946-48), republished on NavSource - detailed operational record, but it is a public-relations document, not a technical or material record: no asbestos, insulation, or material content anywhere in it. Yard periods named (Oran floating drydock, Falmouth availability, Todd-Johnson, Mare Island, Pearl Harbor Navy Yard) are documented events; any asbestos scope within them is not addressed by the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-355 page - campaign/occupation tables, specifications, commanding-officer list, SCAJAP transfer note, NHHC-captioned photography (live-verified HTTP 200 on 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160355.htm header block, campaign/occupation tables, specification block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource records for this hull: Europe-Africa-Middle East campaigns - Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943 and Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944 (two campaigns, consistent with two battle stars). Navy Occupation Service periods: 20 October 1945 - 20 January 1946 and 30 January - 6 March 1946. Decommissioned 6 March 1946. 'Transferred by the Maritime Commission, 10 April 1946, to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q084.' Struck from the Naval Register 31 October 1947. Two battle stars; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Specification block: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328' oa x 50' beam; 11.6 kts; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, three diesel-drive 100kW ship's-service generators; two LCVP; ultimate armament 2 twin + 4 single 40MM and 12 single 20MM. Commanding officers: LT Knipe (Dec 1942-Jul 1943), LT Cadaret (Jul 1943-13 Mar 1945), LT Rankin (13 Mar-5 Nov 1945), LT Kelley (5 Nov 1945-6 Mar 1946). NHHC photo NH 76149 captions LST-355 on a Gushikawa beach 2 January 1946 adjacent to the LCT-560 ammunition explosion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Crew (1942-46); embarked troops (up to ~16 officers/147 enlisted); SCAJAP-period operators (1946-47, if applicable)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive, not a registry - its milestone dates track DANFS where DANFS covers them. The 10 April 1946 Maritime Commission transfer to SCAJAP (Q084) is documented only here - plausible (SCAJAP used ex-US LSTs under Japanese crews for repatriation) but uncorroborated by DANFS or a primary register located this session; 'fate unknown' conflicts with the DANFS 10 April 1948 sale unless the SCAJAP period precedes the sale, which the dates support. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST roster entry and LST1-490 design table (shipscribe.com scan with text layer, live-verified HTTP 200, 16.8 MB PDF, on 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST roster section (LST355 ex-ATL355 row, Charleston block) and LST1-490 design/machinery table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips roster lists 'LST355 (ex-ATL355)' built at 'Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C.' with laid-down 7 Sep 42 and launched 16 Nov 42 - matching DANFS and confirming the hull's pre-launch ATL (tank lighter) designation. The LST1-490 design-group table (the group containing LST-355) gives: 328 ft overall x 50 ft beam, 2,366 t design / 4,080 t full displacement, 11.6 knots, two G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shp, two propellers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (publication January 1945)
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1942)
- Limitations
- Primary government compilation. Roster columns are milestone dates; the design table is design-group data, not an as-built survey of this hull. No asbestos, insulation, or material content in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-04
-
[6]Commander Twelfth Fleet (Admiral H. K. Hewitt, USN), commendation letter to LT Albert J. Cadaret, USN, 11 March 1946, re performance as Commanding Officer of USS LST-355 during the invasion of Normandy and the build-up period (republished by NavSource, submitted by Al Cadaret; live-verified HTTP 200 on 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160355c.htm, full letter text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official fleet-level commendation documents that under Cadaret's command LST-355 operated during the Normandy assault of 6 June 1944 and the subsequent build-up: 'Through February 1945 your ship completed forty round trips across the English Channel, landing personnel and material to support the Allied armies,' and twice served extended periods on the far shore as a towing vessel in adverse winter weather. Cadaret was accorded the Navy Commendation Ribbon under ALNAV 179-44.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew under LT Cadaret (Jul 1943-Mar 1945); embarked casualties/POWs carried on return legs
- Limitations
- Corroborates the Normandy service and channel-shuttle tempo (40 round trips through February 1945 vs 44 total trips through April 1945 per the ship's history). Personnel/commendation document - no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-05
-
[7]Era/design inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST1-490 machinery data (diesel, no boilers); official Navy Dept. ship history yard-event record (Oran drydock 1943, Falmouth availability 1945, Todd-Johnson conversion 1945, Mare Island and Pearl Harbor Navy Yard periods 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST1-490 machinery table; NavSource 10/16/160355h.htm repair/conversion passages
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST-1-class hull: built 1942 inside the documented WWII naval-shipbuilding asbestos era, with no boilers - so the steam-lagging pathway does not apply. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a 1942 amphibious hull of this type were concentrated in diesel exhaust lagging and exhaust/manifold gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, valve packing, and winch/windlass brake linings. Her documented yard-event windows - the May-July 1943 Arzew dockside/Oran floating-drydock repair (including cannibalization and refit), the March-April 1945 Falmouth availability, the May-July 1945 Todd-Johnson Algiers ordnance-installation conversion, the September 1945 Mare Island stripping, and the late-1945 Pearl Harbor Navy Yard repairs - are the periods when era-standard materials aboard would have been installed, disturbed, or removed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades (1942); crew incl. engine-room ratings (1942-46); repair/conversion trades at Oran, Falmouth, Todd-Johnson Algiers, Mare Island, Pearl Harbor (1943-45); SCAJAP-period operators (1946-47); post-sale handlers (1948+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only: no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, work package, or exposure record located for LST-355. The yard events are ship-documented; any asbestos scope within them is inferred from era practice, not documented. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-06
-
[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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this hull was mass-produced at a Navy yard in 1942 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in naval and merchant hull 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, yard, or the LST type, 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-355-07
-
[9]Designation/service cross-check: Wikipedia USS LST-355 article ('first saw service at the invasion of Sicily in July 1943') vs Navy Dept. official ship history (Arzew/Oran repair period May-July 1943) and NavSource campaign table (EAME campaigns: Salerno and Normandy only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS LST-355 lead; NavSource 10/16/160355h.htm (April-July 1943 passages) and 160355.htm (campaign table)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the Wikipedia USS LST-355 article states she 'first saw service at the invasion of Sicily in July 1943.' The ship's official Navy Department history records the opposite: after broaching on rocks near Arzew in late April 1943 she lay dockside at Arzew through May-July 1943 being cannibalized, then entered the Oran floating drydock 31 July 1943 - and 'the damage she received during the beaching operation near Arzew prevented the ship from participating in the Invasion of Sicily.' NavSource's campaign table and the two-battle-star award are consistent with Salerno and Normandy only - no Sicily campaign credit.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating secondary-source error, not a material/asbestos claim. The corrected fact (no Sicily participation) rests on the official ship history, which is contemporaneous but self-authored; DANFS neither confirms nor mentions Sicily.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-08
-
[10]Batch-6894 search ledger (this record): DANFS; Navy Dept. official ship history via NavSource; NavSource main/commendation pages; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 roster + design table; CourtListener API v4 ('LST-355' opinion = 0 results; variant/docket queries paced-blocked); VA/BVA and secondary-web litigation sweeps; EPA CERCLIS builder-yard record; MARAD vesselhistory; Wikipedia/uboat.net cross-checks [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-355-01 through sl-uss-lst-355-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, government exposure study, or docketed opinion naming USS LST-355 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API v4 opinion search for exact-string 'LST-355' returned 0 results on 2026-10-02; docket and name-variant queries could not be completed within the session's shared pacing budget (logged as blocked, not negative). No VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decision naming the hull surfaced in web-indexed results. Secondary sweeps surfaced only generic law-firm listicles making no hull-specific claim - excluded by source policy. Hull-number collisions actively avoided: DE-355 (USS Jaccard), AM-355, LCI(L)-355, LSM-355, LCT-355 are different vessels.
- 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 amphibious hull is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials. The litigation sweep is partially complete: one clean opinion no-result plus blocked variant/docket queries (fleet pacing) - the open queries are logged in the ledger and gaps. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-355-09
-
[11]NARA record-group mapping: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs), RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - Charleston Navy Yard records), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission)/RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) for the 1946-48 disposal chain and possible SCAJAP records [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 24 deck-log guidance (archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html); RG 181/178/248 record-group guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved (research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): LST-355's deck logs for the full commissioned period (Dec 1942-Mar 1946) are in RG 24 holdings, largely undigitized for this era; Charleston Navy Yard construction/outfitting records for hull ATL355/LST-355 would sit in RG 181 shore-establishment records; the Maritime Commission / War Shipping Administration disposal records for the 1946 SCAJAP transfer and 1948 Consolidated Builders sale would sit in RG 178/RG 248 - which could also resolve the post-sale fate (scrap vs Chinese resale); Mare Island and Pearl Harbor Navy Yard work records (RG 181) could document the 1945 stripping and repair scope.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether asbestos-specific documents exist 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-355-10