USS LST-378

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]DANFS, LST-378 entry (NHHC live page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-378 entry - full service narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull (DANFS, verified live): laid down 12 December 1942 at Quincy, Mass., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched 6 February 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Herbert A. Hope; commissioned 10 February 1943. Assigned to the European theater: Sicilian occupation (July 1943), Salerno landings (September 1943), Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings (January through March 1944), Invasion of Normandy (June 1944). Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until mid-January 1946. Decommissioned 20 February 1946; struck from the Navy list 5 March 1947; sold 1 June 1947 to the United States Military Government, Korea. Earned four battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Construction trades (Bethlehem Steel Quincy/Fore River, 1942-43); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); SCAJAP-period personnel (1946-47)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content and no complement figure. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02 (no link rot this session - contrast the standing NHHC 404 defect noted for other hulls in BATCH-01).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-378 (archives/10/16/160378.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/160378.htm - header block, campaign table, occupation-service table, specifications block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for this hull (verified live): commissioned USS LST 378, 10 February 1943, LT. Frank T. Ratchford USNR in command; campaign dates - Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943, Salerno landings 9-23 September 1943, Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings 22 January-1 March 1944, Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment under LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven, LST Group One Hundred Nine, LST Division Two Hundred Seventeen; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 15-25 October 1945 and 18 November 1945-29 January 1946; decommissioned 20 February 1946 and assigned to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q069; struck from the Naval Register 5 March 1947; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Specifications block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 4 LCVP; ultimate armament design 2 twin + 4 single 40 mm, 12 single 20 mm; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three 100 kW 230 V DC diesel-drive generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders. Photo record: beached at Normandy circa June 1944; partial crew photo (date/location unknown).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted) and embarked troops; SCAJAP-period crews (Japanese-manned SCAJAP LST operations is the era pattern, not ship-proven for Q069)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates track DANFS except its Korea-transfer line ('5 March 1947' - the strike date misattached; DANFS controls at 1 June 1947 - see ev-04). The flotilla paragraph misprints the hull number as 'LST-278'. SCAJAP/Q069 assignment and flotilla/group/division detail are NavSource-only claims not corroborated by DANFS. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-02

3. [3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LST 378 (ship/11454) - 'LST return convoy No.3' event entry [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship page, 'Notable events' section, 26 Jan 1945 convoy entry

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   uboat.net Allied Warships convoy database documents this hull in 'LST return convoy No. 3': departed Cawsand Bay (Plymouth) 26 January 1945 - ten LSTs, seven YMSs, and tanker Chr. Th. Boe - with USS LST-378 under Lt. E. C. Anderson, USNR; the Norfolk section (all LSTs, YMS-349, YMS-375) parted company and entered the Norfolk swept channel around 0430 17 February 1945. This records her stateside return after the Normandy campaign and precedes her Pacific/occupation service.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Ship's company January-February 1945 (Lt. E. C. Anderson commanding)

   Limitations

   Established secondary warship database, not an official record; the convoy roster format names this hull and its commanding officer but no underlying official convoy document was retrieved. Carried as operational-history context only - no asbestos content, no exposure claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-03

4. [4]DANFS LST-378 entry vs NavSource 10/16/160378.htm - disposition-date and typo cross-check [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS disposition paragraph; NavSource disposition lines and flotilla paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTION - disposition-date and hull-number defects in the secondary record: (a) NavSource carries 'Transferred to the US Military Government, Korea, 5 March 1947' - the struck-from-register date; DANFS controls the transfer at 'sold 1 June 1947 to the United States Military Government, Korea' after striking 5 March 1947. (b) NavSource's flotilla-assignment paragraph reads 'USS LST-278 came under the command of LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven' - a misprint on the LST-378 page; the assignments (Flotilla 37 / Group 109 / Division 217) belong to this hull. (c) DANFS 'occupation duty until mid-January 1946' vs NavSource occupation period ending 29 January 1946 - consistent enough for prose ('until mid/late January 1946') but the exact end date differs between sources.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1946-1947

   Limitations

   Resolves secondary-source date attachment and typo defects; does not change the custody timeline materially. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-04

5. [5]Consolidated era inference - NavSource specifications block (verified plant data for this hull) + WWII amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications block (propulsion section); era-application list is inference

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference for this diesel-powered LST-1-class hull: no boilers, so the steam-plant boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1942-43 mass-produced LST were diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets and valve/machinery packing, deck coverings/tile, accommodation-space insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. Machinery plant verified for this hull: two GM 12-567A diesels (NavSource specifications block).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947 (service window)

   Population

   Construction trades (Bethlehem Steel Quincy/Fore River, 1942-43); engine-room and deck-division crew (1943-47); any Korean-service crews post-1947

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-378. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution. Establishes no exposure for any individual.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-05

6. [6]Oliver v. General Electric Co. et al., U.S. District Court D. Maryland, Civ. No. 1:16-cv-01057; shipyard dataset fore-river-shipyard product list [court_record]

   Locator

   shipyards.json yard_id fore-river-shipyard (evidence ev-fore-river-01); govinfo complaint PDF

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Yard-level documentation for this hull's builder: the shipyard dataset records asbestos-containing products documented at Fore River Shipyard, Quincy (gaskets, packing, asbestos wire insulation, asbestos cement, asbestos-containing paint, fireproofing materials; yard evidence_tier 3), and a litigation record in which the plaintiff worked as a pipefitter's/drafting apprentice at Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, from 1967 to 1970 and sued over asbestos-related disease (Oliver v. General Electric Co. et al., D. Md. No. 1:16-cv-01057 - complaint stage).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1967-1970 (litigation window); 1942-43 (hull construction)

   Population

   Fore River Shipyard trades (alleged-exposure window 1967-70 for the named plaintiff; wartime construction era 1942-43 relevant to this hull's build)

   Limitations

   Yard-level record, not a hull record - does not name LST-378. The Oliver complaint is a pleading-stage allegation (classified at pleading stage, never upward) and its 1967-70 exposure window post-dates this hull's 1942-43 construction by two decades. Documents asbestos products and alleged exposure at the building yard generally, not aboard this ship.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-06

7. [7]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing defect since BATCH-01)

   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; the 1975 standing policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and U.S. service era (1943-47).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1979 (report); policy windows 1975-79

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific. Content via product-page description; full text not retrieved (gao.gov 403 to automated fetch). Supports era context only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-07

8. [8]Batch-6918 search ledger (this record): DANFS live; NavSource live; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; uboat.net; Wikipedia; NARA digitized-logs program page; secondary web sweeps; CourtListener (blocked) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-378-01 through sl-uss-lst-378-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LST-378 (or SCAJAP Q069) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS and NavSource contain no asbestos or material statement; the Naval Vessel Register carries no record (pre-1987 disposal); MARAD ShipHistory anonymous fetch errored and the hull never entered MARAD custody; no Wikipedia article exists (list-entry coverage only); secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm listicle content asserting asbestos aboard LSTs generally without primary sourcing (excluded by source policy). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet pacing budget returned stand-down on every attempt; logged as blocked in the search ledger, NOT as a negative result.

   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 1942-43 LST with original fabric is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her post-1947 Korean-service disposition is undocumented ('fate unknown'). The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs, construction/outfitting records, and SCAJAP transfer files are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-08

9. [9]NARA digitized deck-logs program page + record-group mapping (RG 24 deck logs; RG 19 BuShips; RG 331 occupation records) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA 'Digitized Deck Logs' program page (catalog query not possible - JS-rendered); record-group guide pages

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA WWII-era deck logs (RG 24) - the NOAA/NARA digitization project covered some 1941-1950 deck logs and additions are ongoing, but hull-specific digitization status for LST-378 is unconfirmed (NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be queried this session); (b) BuShips construction/outfitting records (RG 19) for Navy-contracted LST hulls at Fore River/Quincy; (c) COMNAVFE/SCAJAP administrative files covering the Q069 assignment and the 1947 transfer to US Military Government, Korea (RG 24/RG 331 Allied occupational records).

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether digitized LST-378 deck logs exist is unconfirmed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-378-09