Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 668-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-37-lst37-pkt-668-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-37 (NHHC ship-history page; live page returned 404 on 2026-10-02 - verbatim text from Wayback capture 2024-05-27, labeled archived) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-37 entry text (Wayback capture 2024-05-27 00:03:43)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for this hull, verbatim: 'LST-37 was laid down on 1 April 1943 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched on 5 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Jack Domb; and transferred to the government of Greece on 18 August 1943. She ran aground off Bizerte, Tunisia, on 1 June 1944, and sank. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 12 August 1948.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (Apr-Aug 1943); Hellenic Navy crew (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The DANFS entry is a bare chronology with no commissioning record - consistent with the hull never entering USN service. Live NHHC URL 404s (standing link-rot defect); Wayback capture cited and labeled archived.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LST-37 (10/16/160037) - timeline, specifications block, launch photograph caption [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160037.htm header record, specifications block, photo caption 80-G-043579
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull (verified live 2026-10-02): 'LST-37 never saw active service in the U.S. Navy'; laid down 1 April 1943 at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; launched 5 July 1943; transferred to the government of Greece 18 August 1943; 'while in service to Greece, she ran aground and sank off Bizerte, Tunisia, 1 June 1944'; struck from the Naval Register 12 August 1948. Page carries the launch photograph (shipyard workers as the hull is launched at the Dravo shipyard at Neville Island, PA, 5 July 1943), captioned as U.S. National Archives photo 80-G-043579. Specifications block: 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 11.6 kts trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; two General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V 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
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943); Hellenic Navy crew (1943-44)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates track DANFS here and agree with it. Contains no asbestos content. The specifications are class-standard figures (LST-1 class), not hull-measured.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LST 37 (LST 37), ship ID 11197 - build data, Greek transfer and rename, loss (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/11197.html data table; allied convoy narrative for HMS Inver (K 302)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net warship record for this hull: ordered 23 January 1942; built by Dravo Corp. (Pittsburgh); laid down 1 April 1943; launched 5 July 1943; commissioned and end-service fields blank (never USN-commissioned); history: 'Transferred to Greece upon completion on 18 August 1943 being renamed Lesbos. Grounded and sunk off Bizerte, Tunisia on 1 June 1944.' Career note: 'To Greece as Lesbos.' The uboat.net convoy narratives for this sailing window (e.g., HMS Inver page) list 'RHS Lemnos, RHS Lesbos and RHS Samos' parting company off Bizerta on 26 December 1943 - corroborating arrival in the Bizerte area under the Greek flag.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943); Hellenic Navy crew of RHS Lesbos (1943-44)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a respected private database (Gudmundur Helgason), a secondary compilation rather than an official registry - used here for the Greek name (Lesbos) and order date that DANFS omits. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-03
-
[5]Hellenic Navy, Amphibious Forces' Command official history (hellenicnavy.gr, English version; via Wayback capture 2009-03-22, labeled archived - live site restructured) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hellenic Navy Amphibious Forces' Command history, 'Period 1940-1945' section (Wayback capture 2009-03-22)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Hellenic Navy's own history of its amphibious force documents this hull in Greek service: 'The first LSTs were received by the Navy of U.S.A. and were: "SAMOS" with Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Lapa, "LIMNOS" with Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Kallergi, "LESVOS" with Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Zarpa and "CHIOS". The first three sailed from England on 28 November 1943 and reached the Mediterranean in mid December, while the fourth sailed on 25 December 1943.' Of this hull specifically: 'Unfortunately LST Lesvos grounded on the rock "PLANE" [name garbled in the English translation] because of bad weather and she was then abandoned because her detachment was impossible, on the 6th of January 1944 ... during her trip from England to the Mpizerta, which was her base.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Hellenic Navy crew of LST Lesvos, Lt. Cdr. Zarpa commanding (1943-44)
- Limitations
- CONFLICT, unresolved: the Hellenic Navy dates the grounding 6 January 1944 (bad weather, rock named 'PLANE' [sic]; abandoned as unrecoverable), while US records (DANFS, NavSource, uboat.net) give 'ran aground off Bizerte and sank 1 June 1944.' The accounts may partially reconcile (grounded Jan, abandoned hulk recorded lost Jun) but no cited source states this. The 'during her trip from England' phrasing also conflicts with convoy data showing her off Bizerta 26 Dec 1943. Greek spelling of the rock is garbled in translation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-04
-
[6]Arnold Hague convoy database (convoyweb.org.uk, data supplied by Don Kindell from Arnold Hague's papers) - per-convoy vessel rosters listing LST-37 (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- convoyweb.org.uk rosters: hk.php?convoy=125!, sc.php?convoy=144!, wn.php?convoy=497!, os.php?convoy=61KM!, kms.php?convoy=35G!, kms.php?convoy=35!
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Hague database's convoy rosters trace this hull's 1943 delivery voyage under the Greek flag: convoy HK.125 (departed Galveston Bar 28 August 1943) lists 'LST 37 S W PASSAGE TO K WEST' (southwest passage to Key West); convoy SC.144 (departed Halifax 11 October 1943) lists 'LST 37 (Gk)' at position 74 with cargo 'Lumber'; convoy WN.497 (departed Loch Ewe 26 October 1943) lists 'LST 37'; convoy OS.61/KMS.35 (departed Liverpool 8 December 1943) lists 'LST 37 (Gk)' at position 114; convoy KMS.35G (split off 20 December, arrived Gibraltar 21 December 1943) lists 'LST 37 (Gk)' at position 26; convoy KMS.35 (Gibraltar-Mediterranean leg) lists 'LST 37 (Gk)' with destination 'GIB TO BIZERTA' alongside 'LST 35 (Gk)', 'LST 36 (Gk)', and 'LST 324' (to Algiers).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-08-28 to 1943-12-26
- Population
- Hellenic Navy crew during the UK-Mediterranean delivery voyage (Aug-Dec 1943)
- Limitations
- Primary-derived movement data (Hague/Kindell compilation), not a loss or condition record - establishes where the hull sailed, nothing about materials aboard. Wikipedia repeats this record but adds an inferred EN.314 leg that the database does not support (see ev-06). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-05
-
[7]Arnold Hague convoy database, convoy EN.314 (Series 2) roster (departed Methil 3 December 1943) - cross-check of Wikipedia's inferred Methil departure [other_primary]
- Locator
- convoyweb.org.uk/en/en.php?convoy=314! vessel roster
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: Wikipedia's LST-37 service-history states the ship 'most likely sailed on 3 December 1943, in convoy EN 314 (series 2), arriving in Loch Ewe on 5 December, with her sister ships USS LST-33, LST-34, and USS LST-36.' The underlying primary source (Hague database EN.314 roster, 17 merchants) lists LST 33, LST 35, and LST 36 - it does NOT list LST-37, and the Wikipedia text names a wrong sister (LST-34 for LST-35). LST-37's Methil-Liverpool movement remains undocumented in the convoy record checked.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-12
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source inference, not a material/exposure claim. Absence from the EN.314 roster does not prove she did not sail in it (rosters can be incomplete), but the specific claim is unsupported by the database it rests on.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 13 April 1945), LST design table + vessel roster (shipscribe.com scan; verified live 2026-10-02 - note URL moved from /styles/usnaux/sdb/ to /pubs/) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 v2 (NAVSHIPS 250-011), vessel roster LST block; LST design table pp. 168-169
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuShips register annotates this hull block 'LST35-37 - Transferred to Greece' (roster section), corroborating the Greek transfer in a primary US Navy document published April 1945. The same volume's LST design table (LST1-490 group, which includes this hull): 328 ft oa / 316 ft wl / 50 ft beam; 2,366 t standard, 4,080 t limiting-draft displacement; 11.6 kt trial; two G.M. 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp; single Falk reduction gears; three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC generators; fuel 4,320 bbls diesel; accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted plus 16 Army officers / 131 Army enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (register status as of April 1945)
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943); embarked troop capacity population
- Limitations
- Ship-specific only for the roster annotation ('Transferred to Greece'); the design table is class-level data applicable to the LST1-490 group, not hull-measured figures. A register annotation records status, not materials - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LST1-490 design table (diesel machinery, no boilers); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos use era; see ev-09); LST-1 class profile (class-f/lst-1-class.class.json, era amphibious construction) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 v2 LST design table (pp. 168-169); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; LST-1 class profile
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- An LST-1-class diesel amphibious ship built April-August 1943 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Era-relevant applications for the type: engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, winch and crane brake linings. The hull's exposure window is short: roughly four months of fitting-out/construction exposure at the Dravo yard, then about ten months of Hellenic Navy service until the 1944 loss - no postwar overhaul, reserve-fleet, or scrapping phase exists for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (Apr-Aug 1943); Hellenic Navy crew (Aug 1943 - 1944)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, or work package was located for LST-37. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity and no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard, nor any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-08
-
[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 and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's construction (1943) and entire service era (1943-44).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-09
-
[11]Heinz History Center, 'Pittsburgh's LSTs: Remembering the "Workhorse" of Normandy' - Dravo Corp. as lead yard for the LST program at Neville Island (verified live 2026-10-02) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Heinz History Center blog post (Pittsburgh's LSTs)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Heinz History Center (Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh) documents the yard where this hull was built: 'Pittsburgh's Dravo Corporation served as lead yard for the effort,' assembling LSTs at the Neville Island yard from prefabricated sections produced at five area plants; sections 'were welded together rather than riveted,' with all-women welding crews at Dravo and American Bridge; Dravo had earned 'the nation's very first All-Navy "E" Award for production in March 1942' after building the PC-490 subchaser. LST-37 was built under this program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island LST-program workforce, incl. welding crews (1942-44)
- Limitations
- Yard-program context, not a hull record - does not name LST-37 and contains no asbestos or materials content. Establishes the build method (prefabricated welded sections) and yard identity only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-10
-
[12]Batch-6909 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource; uboat.net; Hellenic Navy official history via Wayback; Arnold Hague convoy database; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 (shipscribe scan); CourtListener API v4 (opinions + RECAP dockets); Naval Vessel Register; NARA catalog; OSTI/NIOSH Dravo survey records; GAO product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-37-lst37-01 through sl-uss-lst-37-lst37-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-37 / LST-37 / RHS Lesvos was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API (authenticated): query "LST-37" returned 0 opinion hits and 8 docket hits, all name collisions (patent, trade-secret, RICO, and motor-vehicle matters matching the literal string 'LST-37' as exhibit/party/model text - none asbestos or vessel-related). The hull's short life (built Apr-Aug 1943; lost 1944) leaves no postwar abatement or scrapping record to find.
- 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 - construction at a major WWII yard inside the documented asbestos era is consistent with era-standard materials. Greek-service records (Hellenic Navy loss report, crew documents) were not located in digitized sources. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-11
-
[13]NARA photograph 80-G-043579 (US Navy photo, collections of the US National Archives) - launch of LST-37 at the Dravo Corp. shipyard, Neville Island, PA, 5 July 1943 (metadata via NavSource caption) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160037.htm photo caption; NARA photo identifier 80-G-043579
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A U.S. National Archives-held official Navy photograph (80-G-043579) documents this hull's launch at the Dravo Neville Island yard on 5 July 1943 - contemporary documentary evidence of the construction event. The NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) is JS-rendered and could not be independently queried from this session; the photo number and caption metadata are transcribed from the NavSource page.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-07-05
- Population
- Dravo launch-day yard workforce (5 Jul 1943)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: a launch photograph documents the event and location, not materials or conditions aboard. NAID-level verification of 80-G-043579 remains open; RG 80-G photo records at NARA are the follow-up path. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-37-lst37-12