Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]DANFS, LST-398 (NHHC live page) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Asiatic-Pacific campaign list, occupation duty, decommissioning, striking, 1948 sale, awards [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-398 entry, full entry text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 28 September 1942 at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched 23 November 1942, sponsored by Miss Mary Sherwood Giese; commissioned 2 January 1943. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in consolidation of the southern Solomons (June 1943), New Georgia group operations (New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation July 1943; Vella Lavella occupation August 1943), occupation and defense of Cape Torokina (November-December 1943), and capture and occupation of Guam (August 1944). Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until mid-February 1946; returned to the United States and decommissioned 27 February 1946; struck from the Navy list 28 August 1947; sold 28 March 1948 to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, Wash. Earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1942); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; the live NHHC page is prose-only - no spec block, no complement figure, no propulsion data, no asbestos or material content. Does not mention the SCAJAP/Q029 transfer recorded by NavSource - sequence between 'return to the United States' and that transfer is unresolved (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-01
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST roster + LST1-490 design table (shipscribe.com scan, text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 printed p. 174 (roster, PDF p. 190) and printed p. 168 (LST design table, PDF p. 184)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips roster line for this hull: 'LST398 (ex-ATL398)' listed under builder Newport News S.B. & D.D. Co., Newport News, Va., with keel 28 Sept 42, ship launched 23 Nov 42, date of first commission 2 Jan 43 - matching DANFS exactly. The LST design table for group LST1-490 (this hull's group) gives 328 ft oa, 316 ft wl, 50 ft beam, 2,366 t beaching / 4,080 t displacement at limiting draft, 11.6 kt, 2 G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shp; the table's boiler/steam-condition columns are empty for all diesel LST groups (boilers appear only on turbine LST1153-1155).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (publication coverage)
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1942); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Official Navy data book - the authoritative class machinery/roster source. Confirms diesel plant and build dates for this hull but contains no asbestos or material content. OCR text layer is staggered; hull-to-date alignment verified against DANFS values. Note: the class profile's older URL (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf) returned 404 on 2026-10-02; this row cites the live pubs/ path.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-398 - flotilla/group/division assignment, campaign dates, Purple Heart record, SCAJAP transfer and Q029 designation, commanding-officer roster, specifications, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160398.htm - header timeline, Asiatic-Pacific campaigns table, occupation-service table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Per-hull detail for LST-398: commissioned 2 January 1943 with Lt. Boyd E. Blanchard, USNR, in command; assigned LST Flotilla Five (Capt. J.R. Clark), LST Group Thirteen (Cdr. R.W. Lejeuneesse), LST Division Twenty-Eight. Campaign dates: southern Solomons consolidation 16 June 1943; New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu 2 and 4 July 1943; Vella Lavella 21 and 31 August 1943; Cape Torokina 11 November and 3-4 and 14 December 1943; Guam 11-15 August 1944. Six Purple Hearts awarded for 10 November 1943, when Japanese artillery hit the ship at Bougainville killing an officer and five crew (USMC photo caption USMC 67383). Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 19 Sep-22 Oct 1945 and 18 Nov 1945-20 Jan 1946. Recorded sequence: decommissioned 27 February 1946; transferred to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q029; struck 28 August 1947; sold 28 March 1948 to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, WA; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V D.C. ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; armament (ultimate design) 2 twin 40mm, 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; 2 LCVP. CO roster: Blanchard (Jan 1943-Nov 1943), Williams (Nov 1943-Apr 1944), Kammer (Apr 1944-Mar 1945), Wilson (Mar-Apr 1945), Hockswender (Apr-Dec 1945), Cotterman (Dec 1945-Feb 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); SCAJAP crews (post-decommissioning, per NavSource transfer note)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates generally track DANFS/NVR. Contains no asbestos content. The SCAJAP/Q029 entry is listed between decommissioning and striking; its timing relative to DANFS's 'return to the United States' and 27 Feb 1946 decommissioning is unresolved (see gaps). Complement not verified against NHHC.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-03
-
[4]All Hands (Bureau of Naval Personnel magazine), May 1947 issue, 'Porthole Pause' - Navy Unit Commendation awards to 24 ships of LST Flotilla Five, including citation text and commanding officers (DoD media.defense.gov PDF); corroborated by NHHC Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (rev. 1953) pt. 2 unit-awards entry 'USS LST 398: Mar 43 - May 44 - Solomon Islands' (history.navy.mil online reading room) [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands May 1947 (AH194705.pdf), 'Porthole Pause' LST Flotilla Five NUC section; NHHC awards manual pt2-unit-awards.html, LST block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy documentation of this hull's Navy Unit Commendation: LST-398 is one of 17 LSTs (166, 339, 341, 353, 354, 390, 395, 397, 398, 399, 446, 447, 449, 460, 472, 485, 488) receiving the standard Flotilla Five citation covering March 1943-May 1944 for Solomon Islands operations. Citation text: 'Operating in hostile and uncharted waters and off difficult beaches without adequate protection of surface escort and air coverage, she carried out a heavy operating schedule, constantly fighting the submarine menace to our supply train maneuvering up the Slot, and making every effort to get her vital cargo unloaded at combat destinations before the enemy could destroy her. In addition (she) contributed to the development of this type vessel as a hospital evacuation ship; helped to initiate the use of increased armament for all LSTs to repel Japanese air attacks; and assisted in perfecting loading and unloading techniques to facilitate the handling of her inflammable and explosive cargo during combat operations.' Commanding officers named for the citation period: Lt. B. E. Blanchard, USNR (Augusta, Maine); Lt. D. D. Williams, USNR (Elkhart, Ind.); Lt. R. J. Kammer, USNR (Cincinnati, Ohio). The NHHC awards-manual index independently lists 'USS LST 398: Mar 43 - May 44 - Solomon Islands.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (citation period); 1947/1953 (publications)
- Population
- Ship's company during citation period (Mar 1943-May 1944)
- Limitations
- Awards documentation only - no asbestos or material content. Confirms the NUC and its period and names the hull's COs; does not describe shipboard materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-04
-
[5]NHHC photographic catalog, USMC 67383, 'Bougainville Invasion, 1943' (photograph by Pvt. A.N. James, 3rd Marine Division; copyright owner National Archives) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC USMC-67383 catalog caption and metadata (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's photographic catalog documents USS LST-398 unloading supplies, equipment, and mail on a Bougainville beach on 10 November 1943, and reproduces the original USMC caption: 'Japanese artillery hit the ship on the same day the photo was taken, killing an officer and five crew members.' The NavSource awards line records six Purple Hearts for that date - consistent with the catalog caption.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-11-10
- Population
- Ship's crew and embarked personnel at Bougainville
- Limitations
- Dated photographic-catalog caption concerning a wartime artillery incident; documents the ship's presence and casualties, not materials, asbestos, exposure pathways, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-05
-
[6]Maj. O.R. Lodge, USMC, 'The Recapture of Guam' (Historical Branch, G-3 Division, HQMC, 1954), Appendix V 'United States Ships Participating in the Guam Operation' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USMC-M-Guam Appendix V ship table, LST column (LCI(G)-472 | LST-398 row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Marine Corps monograph on the Guam operation lists LST-398 in Appendix V among the United States ships participating in the operation - independently corroborating the DANFS campaign credit for capture and occupation of Guam (August 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked landing force (Aug 1944)
- Limitations
- Corroborates participation in the Guam operation only; no asbestos or material content. HyperWar/ibiblio is a transcription mirror of the official HQMC monograph.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-06
-
[7]MARAD Vessel History Database, LST-398 (detail 9372) + scanned vessel status card (cards/478_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/9372 - status card cards/478_01.png, Navy Surplus row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD's vessel record for LST-398 (general type Naval Combatant; specific type 'LST Tank Landing Ship') carries a scanned U.S. Maritime Commission vessel status card whose 'Navy Surplus' section records operator 'Consolidated Bldrs, Inc' with delivery date 3/28/48 - corroborating the DANFS sale date and buyer. The database 'Fate' field reads 'Sold - No Further Info'; the card records no subsequent history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1948
- Population
- Disposal/transfer personnel (1948)
- Limitations
- Documents the 1948 sale only; nothing on asbestos, materials, or subsequent disposition. Status card is the primary artifact; database fields (year built '9999', blank shipyard) are unpopulated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-07
-
[8]National Archives, Special List No. 44, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog,' ship-number index [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number index, PDF p. 44: 'LST-398 9/1/1943 6/30/1945'; NARA IDs 134284080 (roll A435) and 15648 via NavSource captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List No. 44 ship-number index identifies a deck-log series for USS LST-398 covering 1 September 1943 through 30 June 1945 - ship-specific operational records available through the National Archives Catalog. Individual log pages were not reviewed this session. Additional archival leads via NavSource captions: the USS LST-340 action report of 16 June 1943 (National Archives ID 134284080, roll A435) documents LST-398 alongside LST-353 fighting the fire aboard LST-340 at Tenaru Beach, Guadalcanal; Army film 'LST NO 340 Bombed By Japanese Off Guadalcanal' (NARA ID 15648, local ID 111-ADC-1842) shows the same action.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (records)
- Population
- Ship's company (log coverage 1943-45)
- Limitations
- Index entry confirms a deck-log series exists/is listed, not what the logs contain - deck logs may record operations, maintenance, and yard periods but this index establishes no asbestos content, exposure, or causation. Action-report and film identifiers cited via NavSource captions; underlying records not independently fetched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-08
-
[9]White v. Johns-Manville Corp., 662 F.2d 243 (4th Cir. 1981) (Justia mirror of appellate opinion; indemnity appeal, NNS as third-party defendant) [court_record]
- Locator
- 662 F.2d 243, statement-of-facts footnote (thermal insulation paragraph) and party caption
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level asbestos documentation for this hull's builder: the Fourth Circuit's opinion recites that Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. 'is a shipbuilding and repair facility' whose employees, 'in the course of construction or repair of ships... install or replace thermal insulation materials containing asbestos,' produced by the defendant manufacturers 'and used by Newport News on pipes, steam systems and boilers,' in the form of 'rope, cloth, sheets, blocks, sections or cement,' and that application and 'ripout' created asbestos dust. Five NNS employees who claimed asbestosis sued Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning (Kaylo), Pittsburgh Corning, H.K. Porter Thermoid, Raybestos-Manhattan, Celotex/Philip Carey, Unarco, Southern Asbestos, and Eagle-Picher; the appeal concerned manufacturer indemnity claims against NNS, which were rejected.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1981 (opinion); exposure period described covers preceding decades
- Population
- Newport News Shipbuilding construction/repair trades (era incl. WWII)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard documentation, not a hull record - no vessel is named and the exposure recital is background to an indemnity appeal, not a merits finding about any hull or individual. Covers the yard's era practice generally (opinion 1981; plaintiffs' employment predates it); LST-398 was built at this yard in 1942-43, so the recital bounds the construction-era materials environment but does not prove asbestos was installed aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-09
-
[10]Consolidated era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST1-490 design table (diesel plant, no boilers) + era amphibious-ship construction practice + builder-yard asbestos documentation (ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table (printed p. 168); 662 F.2d 243 facts recital; class profile ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST: with no boilers or steam propulsion (BuShips LST1-490 design table), the steam-lagging pathway is narrowed; asbestos-relevant applications aboard a ship of this type and era were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The builder yard is independently documented installing asbestos thermal insulation aboard ships under construction in the era (White v. Johns-Manville fact recital).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1942-43); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); SCAJAP crews (per NavSource transfer note); 1948 purchasers/scrappers
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or crew exposure record located for LST-398. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Establishes no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-10
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page Highlights (gao.gov product page verified live via fetch 2026-10-02; full-text PDF blocked to plain curl, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and shipboard asbestos insulation use: the Navy's 1975 policy removed/replaced only damaged insulation or insulation requiring removal for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - i.e., original-era asbestos insulation typically remained aboard ships for decades unless disturbed. Context for the era this hull was built and served (1942-46); the hull left naval custody in 1948, before these programs existed.
- 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. The policies described (1975, 1979) postdate this hull's naval service entirely.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-11
-
[12]Batch-6939 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC live page; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; NavSource per-hull page; All Hands May 1947; NHHC awards-manual unit-awards index; NHHC USMC-67383 photo catalog; USMC Guam monograph; MARAD vessel record + status card; NARA SL-44 deck-log index; CourtListener opinion + docket sweeps; BVA/va.gov and secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-398-lst398-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material specification, or product identification naming LST-398 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search 'LST-398' (type=o, authenticated, 2026-10-02) returned 128 results, all name collisions on the short alphanumeric string (statute/document-number fragments); no opinion naming the vessel. CourtListener RECAP docket search '"LST-398"' (type=r, authenticated, 2026-10-02) returned count 0 - no docket naming the vessel. Web sweeps surfaced only reunion notices (All Hands, American Legion) for the USS LST-398 veterans' association; no BVA decision or asbestos claim naming the hull was located. Law-firm listicle material asserting asbestos aboard LSTs generically was 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. Both CourtListener indexes completed clean for the hull string; residual coverage limits: RECAP indexing is incomplete for older and state-court matters, and unindexed PACER/state filings may exist. The hull left naval custody in 1948, so no modern survey trail exists. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-398-lst398-12