USS LST-446

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 673-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-446-lst446-pkt-673-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-446' - live NHHC page [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS LST-446 full entry (live page)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Laid down 15 June 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched 18 September 1942; commissioned 30 November 1942, Lt. H. A. Swartz, USNR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater: consolidation of southern Solomons (March through June 1943); New Georgia Group operation (New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu occupation, July and August 1943; Vella Lavella occupation, August 1943); Treasury-Bougainville operation (occupation and defense of Cape Torokina, November and December 1943); Green Islands landing (February 1944); capture and occupation of Guam (July 1944); assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (April 1945). Post-war: occupation duty in the Far East until mid-December 1945; decommissioned 13 July 1946; struck from the Navy list 8 October 1946; sold 10 February 1947 to the Suwannee Fruit & Steamship Co., of Jacksonville, Fla., for conversion to merchant service. Earned six battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops

   Limitations

   Authoritative service history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. Resolved live on 2026-10-02; no HyperWar transcription of this hull's DANFS entry exists (both filename patterns 404 - see search ledger), so this live page is the sole DANFS source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-446 - specification block, campaign table, CO roster, awards, and chronology [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net 10/16/160446 - spec block, campaign table, CO roster, awards block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship; call sign NDWO. Commissioned 30 November 1942, LT. Harry A. Swartz, USNR, in command. Assignment chain: LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. J. R. Clark), LST Group Thirteen (CDR. C. R. Lea, USNR / CDR. R. W. Cutler, USN), LST Division Twenty-Five. Campaign date bands: southern Solomons 11 March-20 April 1943; New Georgia-Rendova-Vangunu 13-14, 24-25 July and 4-7 August 1943; Vella Lavella 13-19 August 1943; Cape Torokina 11 November, 3-4 and 15 December 1943; Green Islands landing 15-19 February 1944; Guam 21-28 July 1944; Okinawa Gunto 1-3 April 1945. Occupation service 29 September-18 November and 9-18 December 1945. Decommissioned 13 July 1946; struck 8 October 1946; sold 10 February 1947 to Suwannee Fruit & Steamship Co., Jacksonville, Fla., for conversion to commercial service; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Six battle stars plus Navy Unit Commendation; awards include Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Nine-officer CO roster through decommissioning. Specification block: 2 General Motors 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gears, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators, twin propellers 1,700 shp, 11.6 knots trial - a diesel plant with no boilers. Complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted. Photo captions document the launch at Kaiser Vancouver 18 September 1942 (Seattle NARA, 13th Naval District Commandant's Office Central Subject Files, 1942), LCT-182 launching from the ship at Mare Island Navy Yard 11-12 January 1943 (Mare Island Navy Yard photos #315-43 and #368-43), the ship and LST-447 beached at Townsville, Australia, June 1943 (USNCB No. 0060 cruise book p.25), and the ship beached at Green Island 15-19 February 1944 (USMC photo 2-0054, Cpl. David Ohman, University of Hawaii at Manoa collection).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops (16 officers/147 enlisted capacity)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with DANFS where they overlap and more precise on campaign date bands, the CO roster, and the flotilla assignment chain. 'Final Disposition, fate unknown' conflicts with shipbuildinghistory.com's 'scrapped 1964' - logged in gaps. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. Archive-caption identifiers are leads cited via this page (see ev-06), not independently opened.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-02

4. [4]LST Flotilla FIVE War Diary, 1-31 July 1944 (World War II war diary; NavSource-hosted scan of the Navy record) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Flotilla FIVE War Diary July 1944, command-roster page, 28 July 1944 entry, and TG 53.17 narrative sections

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The flotilla war diary names this hull repeatedly during the Guam operation: 'LST 446 - Lt. G. P. Shaw, USNR' (matching the NavSource CO roster); 'Commander R. W. Cutler, Commander LST Group THIRTEEN, was in LST 446 in charge of the sixteen LST's of Task Group 53.17'; 'Commander Task Unit 53.4.4 (aboard LST 446) - Commander R.W. Cutler, USN'; Cutler 'in LST 446 assumed duties as CTG 53.17' at Guam after CDR E. A. McFall shifted his flag to LST 276; and on 28 July 1944 'LST 446 was recommended for navy yard overhaul.' The diary establishes this hull as the LST Group Thirteen flagship for the Marianas assault phase.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944-07

   Population

   Ship's company plus embarked group staff (CDR. Cutler's LST Group Thirteen staff)

   Limitations

   Primary Navy operational record naming this hull; establishes flagship role and the overhaul recommendation but gives no reason for it (wear vs. battle damage is not stated - DANFS and NavSource record no damage event for this hull, so the cause is undocumented). Contains no asbestos or materials information; 'navy yard overhaul' does not identify which yard or what work was performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-03

5. [5]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton), 'Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA' emergency-yard hull table - row 150 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Kaiser Vancouver hull table, row 150

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Kaiser Vancouver hull table row 150 records this hull as 'LST 446', Maritime Commission hull 966, keel laid 15 June 1942, launched 18 September 1942, delivered/commissioned 30 November 1942 (95 days on the ways, 73 days in the water, 168 total), disposition 'Sold private 1947, scrapped 1964.' The page also documents the yard itself: an emergency yard built with 10 ways in the fourth wave of USMC-funded expansion (raised to 12), closed at the end of the war, held in reserve until the 1950s, then sold to Gilmore Steel. Build dates agree exactly with DANFS.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1947 (build and sale); 1964 (claimed scrapping)

   Population

   Construction trades (Kaiser Vancouver yard, 1942)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary reference, not an official record; the 'scrapped 1964' disposition is unattributed on the page and conflicts with NavSource's 'fate unknown' - carried as an unresolved conflict in gaps, not asserted as fact. Contains no asbestos or materials information. The yard table's 'Type' column reads only 'LST'; the MARCOM S3-M-K2 design designation seen on secondary pages is not stated on this page and is not carried.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-04

6. [6]Polmar, Norman. 'LSTs: Marvelous at Fifty.' Naval History Magazine, U.S. Naval Institute, December 1992 [reputable_press]

   Locator

   USNI Naval History Magazine, Dec 1992, 'LSTs: Marvelous at Fifty', text and note 6

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A U.S. Naval Institute history of the type quotes this hull's wartime reporting: 'The commanding officer of the LST-446 proclaimed, "An LST is the only ship in the world of 4,000 tons or over that is continuously rammed into and off coral, sand, and mud"' - cited in the article's notes to 'LST-446/L2-6 Ser No. 9 of 11 March 1943' (an action/operations serial routed via Dyer's amphibious history), placing the ship among 'the first LSTs to be in action [in the Pacific, reaching it] in March of 1943,' consistent with her 11 March-20 April 1943 southern Solomons campaign band.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-03 (underlying serial); 1992 (publication)

   Population

   Ship's company (1943 reporting period)

   Limitations

   Reputable-press secondary source quoting a primary wartime serial; the underlying L2-6 report of 11 March 1943 was not independently opened this session - the quotation is carried as reported by USNI. Color/context about operations, not a materials or asbestos record; establishes the repeated-beaching duty cycle the type was built for.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-05

7. [7]National Archives catalog: 'USS LST-446 - War History' (NAID 77707229, WWII War Diaries microfilm A_2107, 13 images, digitized) plus monthly 'USS LST-446 - War Diary' file units returned by catalog search [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-446' (528 results); record NAID 77707229

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The NARA catalog returned 528 hits for 'LST-446', headed by a dedicated file unit 'USS LST-446 - War History' (NAID 77707229; 13 images digitized from WWII War Diaries microfilm, Fold3 file 302743839, transcription not started) and monthly 'USS LST-446 - War Diary' file units spanning at least 5/1943 through 11/1945 (NAIDs 135913952, 134289591, 135919852, 78248498, 78390905, 78413925, 78471535, 78599538, 78646446, 78694925, 139806040, 139907802, 633420314, 101712457, 77523078, 77553635, 77570856, 101779131, 140081490, and others). Most listings show 'available to access online.' NavSource photo captions independently cite Seattle NARA 13th Naval District Commandant's Office Central Subject Files (launch photo, 1942) and Mare Island Navy Yard photos #315-43 / #368-43.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1946 (records); 2026-10-02 (access)

   Limitations

   Holdings verified to exist and to be digitized, but contents were not inspected or transcribed this session (catalog is a JS application; extracted-text endpoints returned the app shell to automated fetches). War histories/diaries and deck logs are administrative records - they may contain material/repair information but are not asbestos documentation unless inspected. RG 24 deck logs for this hull were not separately enumerated; the war-diary series is the confirmed digitized holding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-06

8. [8]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project: John LaMontagne Collection (AFC/2001/001/13672) [other_primary]

   Locator

   loc.gov item afc2001001.13672 (VHP search 'lst-446', 1 of 1 result)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The Veterans History Project holds one collection naming this hull as a service unit: the John LaMontagne Collection (AFC/2001/001/13672), listing service aboard 'USS LST 447 (Landing Ship, Tank); USS LST 446', WWII and Korean War service, Pacific Theater and Japan, including a 28-minute audio interview - a veteran's first-person account tied to this specific hull.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1946 (service period); collection undated in listing

   Population

   One documented veteran (John LaMontagne), USS LST-446 and USS LST-447

   Limitations

   Catalog-level verification only; the interview audio was not reviewed this session, so no content assertions are made. A single veteran's recollection - valuable as a ship-specific archival lead (possible maintenance/materials recollections) but not documentation of any condition aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-07

9. [9]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700120402 (DOI resolves to the Wiley article page; Wiley returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - bibliographic identity verified)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and gaskets in naval construction - the era and program (emergency Kaiser yard) in which this hull was built (1942). For a diesel-powered LST with no boilers, the era-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings; the documented July 1944 navy-yard-overhaul recommendation and the 1947 merchant conversion are potential disturbance endpoints.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1941-1945 (study scope); applied 1942-1964

   Population

   WWII-era shipyard workers (Kaiser Vancouver, 1942); wartime crew; conversion-yard and breakup-yard workers (era context)

   Limitations

   Era-level scholarship plus class/type inference; the source does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. No ship-specific product is verified; the diesel plant (no boilers) narrows the exposure-relevant scope relative to steam vessels.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-08

10. [10]Washington State Dept. of Ecology, cleanup site 1831 'Kaiser Shipyard Debris Pile', Vancouver, Clark County - site description, cleanup history, and contaminant table [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ecology csid 1831, Site Description / History / Contaminants sections

    Finding type

    environmental_record

    Finding

    State cleanup documentation for the 38.4-acre Kaiser Shipyard Debris Pile adjacent to the former Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard where this hull was built: shipyard debris and material was reportedly used as fill at the site between 1940-1946 (milled lumber, burned wood, metal strapping, pipes and mill ends, slag, glass, firebricks, fabric), shipyard operations stopped in 1948, and the site was later capped under environmental covenant. The state's listed contaminants of concern are metals (incl. lead), PCBs, petroleum products, and solvents - asbestos does not appear among the seven listed contaminant types.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1940-1948 (fill period); 2007-2024 (cleanup record)

    Population

    Post-war site workers and nearby public (context); wartime yard trades (era context)

    Limitations

    Yard-environment context only: documents the builder yard's wartime operations and post-war disposal practices, not anything aboard this hull. Asbestos is NOT among the listed contaminants for this debris site - a neutral fact, not evidence of presence or absence aboard any vessel. The debris-to-yard attribution is 'reported' per the state page.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-09

11. [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 section

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Neither policy could have applied to this hull's Navy service - she was decommissioned in July 1946 and sold out of government ownership on 10 February 1947, roughly 28 years before the first policy issued.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1979

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (not this hull)

    Limitations

    Program-level Navy documentation for era fleet context only; the policies post-date this hull's Navy disposal entirely, so no hull-specific application was possible. Whether the post-1947 commercial owner applied any hazardous-material practice to the hull is undocumented. Product page verified live 2026-10-02; full report PDF linked on the page was not opened.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-10

12. [12]Batch-6948 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS page; NavSource 160446; LST Flotilla Five war diaries May and July 1944; NARA catalog; LOC Veterans History Project; WA Ecology csid 1831; GAO HRD-80-2; shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Vancouver; USNI Naval History; CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket searches) and web index; NVR; shipyards.json cross-check; general web search [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-446-lst446-01 through sl-uss-lst-446-lst446-16

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-446 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API v4 returned zero opinions for exact phrase 'USS LST-446', zero for unqualified 'LST-446', zero for 'LST-446' qualified by asbestos, and zero dockets for 'LST-446'; the web-index cross-check surfaced only '446' nature-of-suit codes (ADA civil rights) and 'LST Investments LLC' name collisions - no qualifying or other litigation naming this hull.

    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-built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage is opinion- and docket-metadata level; state-court and unindexed filings are outside the sweep. The 1947-1964 commercial-service period is outside every repository searched.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-446-lst446-11