Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[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-447-lst447-pkt-673-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-447 (NHHC, via Wayback Machine capture 2025-12-09; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-447 entry (full text; short numbered-ship entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: 'laid down on 10 July 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched on 22 September 1942; and commissioned on 13 December 1942.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater: consolidation of southern Solomons (June 1943); occupation and defense of Cape Torokina (Nov-Dec 1943); Green Islands landings (Feb 1944); Hollandia operation (Apr 1944); capture and occupation of Guam (Jul-Aug 1944); assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (Apr 1945). 'The tank landing ship was sunk off Okinawa on 7 April 1945 following a kamikaze attack. She was struck from the Navy list on 2 June 1945.' Earned FIVE battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation (conflicts with NavSource's six - see ev-12).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); crew (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content, no spec block (no complement figure). Live NHHC URL 404s (standing NHHC link rot); Wayback capture cited and labeled archived. DANFS does not date the kamikaze attack itself - only the sinking on 7 April.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-447 (10/16/160447; page last updated 6 Oct 2023) - timeline, specifications, flotilla assignment, commanding officers, campaign table, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160447.htm header block, specs block, CO table, campaign table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 10 July 1942 at Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver WA; launched 22 September 1942; commissioned 13 December 1942 (Lt. Frank H. Stormes USNR); assigned to LST Flotilla Five (CAPT G.B. Carter), LST Group Thirteen (CDR R.W. Cutler) and LST Group Fifteen (CDR V.K. Busck); six Asiatic-Pacific campaigns listed. 'Final Disposition, sunk off Okinawa, 7 April 1945, following kamikaze attack of 6 April 1945.' Struck from the Naval Register 2 June 1945. Spec block: 1,625 lt / 4,080 fl tons; 328' oa; 50' beam; 11.6 kts; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk reduction gear, 3 x 100kW 230V DC generators, 2 shafts/1,700 shp. CO roster: Stormes (Dec 42-Oct 43), Jungerheld (Oct 43-Jan 44), Pekelder (Jan-Jul 44), Schmitz (Jul 44-7 Apr 45). Photo captions document: pierside Mare Island Navy Yard 12 Jan 1943 (yard photo 368-43); Townsville June 1943; Operation Chronicle/Woodlark (Argus Unit 1); Kukum Beach Guadalcanal 11 Feb 1944 and Green Islands landings 15 Feb 1944 (NARA ID 76049, local ID 428-NPC-1527); kamikaze hit photo captioned '6 or 7 April 1945' with note that the ship was empty after discharging cargo on D-Day 1 April (caption credit: Richard L. Hamel, MoMM/2c, plank owner). NavSource credits SIX battle stars + Navy Unit Commendation (conflicts with DANFS five - see ev-12).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); ship's company 13 officers + 104 enlisted; embarked troops up to 16 officers + 147 enlisted
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates track DANFS. Contains no asbestos content. 'Empty after discharging cargo' rests on a veteran-contributed caption. Direct fetch verified live 2026-10-02 (navsource.net - the .org domain is defunct).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-02
-
[4]Commander LST Flotilla Five, War Diary May 1944 (through early June 1944; U.S. Navy war diary, NARA-declassified scan hosted by NavSource; OCR extraction performed this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- War Diary May 1944 pp. passim - roster; 12-16 May Tulagi/Purvis Bay entries; 5-7 June TG 53.16 transit entries (OCR text of 111-page scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary Navy document naming this hull ~19 times. Documents: LST-447 'was part of LST Group 13 which returned from operations in the New Guinea area' and 'LST 447 was his flagship' (Commander LST Group 13 arriving Lyons Point); LST-447 at Tetere Beach, Guadalcanal loading Marine equipment (~14 May); topping off provisions in the Tulagi-Purvis Bay area; flotilla roster lists 'LST 447 - Lt. T. Pekelder, USNR'; Personnel Officer Lt. Fugina aboard for personnel staging at Kwajalein (~5 June); underway with TG 53.16 toward the Marianas; material-casualty report that 'a new compensation coil for delco 100 KW generator was needed and old one in need of being rewound, also repairs to gyro repeater needed' (~7 June).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-05 to 1944-06
- Population
- LST-447 ship's company and flotilla staff embarked (ComLSTGrp 13 flagship); embarked Marines
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational record but contains no asbestos or material content - the generator/gyro defect entry documents diesel-electric machinery upkeep, not asbestos work. Image-scan PDF without text layer; content extracted by session OCR - quote-level fidelity approximate, dates keyed to diary chronology.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-03
-
[5]Commander LST Flotilla Five, War Diary July 1944 (Guam operation; U.S. Navy war diary, NARA-declassified scan hosted by NavSource; OCR extraction performed this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- War Diary July 1944 pp. passim - roster; 21-31 July Guam/Apra Harbor entries (OCR text of 43-page scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary Navy document naming this hull ~20 times during the Guam operation. Documents: LST-447 flagship roster entry 'Lt. T. Pekelder, USNR'; flagship closing LST-447 to transfer radar parts for LST-488; LSTs 447/488/247/269 'sent in to approximately 1,000 yards of the beach to load casualties' (later countermanded - casualties transferred to APAs); 'LST's 241, 219, 447, 118 and 399 were reported to be 15% unloaded'; 'LST's 220, 447 and 247 delivering ammunition to the U.S.S. ST. LOUIS'; 'The LST 447 gave 5-inch ammunition to the U.S.S. ST. LOUIS'; '0900 LST's 447, 118 and 343 moved into the beach for unloading'; 'LST's 207 and 447 were assigned as hospital ships and received wounded for transfer to RIXEY and WHARTON'; retirement formations with CTG 53.16.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-07 to 1944-08
- Population
- LST-447 ship's company; wounded embarked for transfer to USS Rixey (APH-3) and USS Wharton (AP-7)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational record; no asbestos or material content. The 'hospital ship' line is operational assignment (casualty handling), not a conversion. Image-scan PDF; session OCR - quote-level fidelity approximate. Confirms WWII ammunition-handling and casualty-receiving duties aboard this hull at Guam.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LST 447 (LST 447) - ship record and Operation Reckless/Persecution (Hollandia) order of battle transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/11508 record table + 'Notable events' 22 Apr 1944 Hollandia OB
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship record: ordered 25 May 1942; built by Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Vancouver WA; laid down 10 Jul 1942; launched 22 Sep 1942; commissioned 13 Dec 1942; lost 7 Apr 1945. 'Sunk by Japanese Kamikaze aircraft off Kerama Retto (near Okinawa) in position 26 deg 09 min N, 127 deg 18 min E.' Hollandia OB places 'USS LST-447 (Lt. T. Peckelder [Pekelder], USNR)' in Task Unit 77.5.1, Western Unit, Second Reinforcement Group, with USS Zeilin, USS Windsor, LSTs 168/170/202/204/206/269, USS Sigsbee, USS Dashiell, USS Lovelace, USS Manning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- crew; TF 77 amphibious force
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a reputable secondary compilation (Guethlein); order-of-battle section transcribes an operation order. Loss position is as published by the site - wreck-survey verification is via a commercial dive operator (ev-09). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-05
-
[7]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton), 'Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA' - yard history and full build table (MCE hull / yard no. / laid / launched / delivered / days) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Kaiser Vancouver build table, row 151
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-level primary-derivative build record: LST 447 = Kaiser Vancouver yard no. 151, MC/MCE hull 967; laid down 10-Jul-42, launched 22-Sep-42, delivered/commissioned 13-Dec-42 (74 days on ways, 82 fitting out, 156 total); 'Kamikazied and lost off Okinawa 1945.' Yard context: Kaiser Vancouver was an emergency yard built with 10 ways (increased to 12) and $26mm of USMC funding; closed at war's end, held in reserve until sold to Gilmore Steel in the 1950s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver yard workforce (peak employment figures not page-cited for 1942)
- Limitations
- ShipbuildingHistory is a respected secondary reference (Colton), not an official registry; build dates corroborate DANFS/NavSource/uboat.net exactly. Yard narrative documents the builder's emergency-yards program; contains no asbestos content for this hull or the yard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-06
-
[8]Oral History Interview with Richard L. Hamil, May 29, 2008 - National Museum of the Pacific War (Nimitz museum, Fredericksburg TX), UNT Portal to Texas History, identifier OH02244; transcript ark:/67531/metapth1605426 [museum_official]
- Locator
- UNT Portal metapth1609235 catalog description field; transcript metapth1605426
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named crew member of this hull: Richard L. Hamil joined the Navy in 1942, trained on diesel engines, and 'was assigned to the engine room of USS LST-447, his battle station at a 40-millimeter gun, as a loader.' Per the catalog description: the ship 'carried supplies and Marines throughout the Pacific, often coming under attack. They were struck by a kamikaze at Okinawa, which caused an explosion and killed half a dozen of their crew. When Hamil abandoned ship, kamikazes nearly hit the ship that rescued him.' (26-minute audio + transcript).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (service); 2008 (interview)
- Population
- LST-447 crew, incl. engine-room rates and gun crews; ~6 killed per recollection
- Limitations
- Oral-history catalog record - content taken from the published record description; the UNT portal pages are Altcha bot-gated and could not be fetched directly this session (access gap, not a missing source). 'Half a dozen' crew killed is one crewman's recollection, not an official casualty figure. Description says 'sent home on 6 April 1945' - inconsistent with the 7 April sinking; treated as metadata shorthand, not asserted. No asbestos content - engine-room service on a diesel ship is pathway context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-07
-
[9]kamikazeimages.net (W. Gordon), '47 Ships Sunk by Kamikaze Aircraft' - reconciliation of LST-447 loss date and duplicate-listing flag [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-sunk table, LST-447 row + footnotes [8] and [9]
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Date-discrepancy reconciliation for this hull's loss: Warner (1982, p.328) gives the sinking as 6 April 1945; 'the Naval Historical Center listing and the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships indicate that LST-447 sank on April 7, 1945, following a kamikaze attack.' The same table flags 'LST-447 on Apr. 9, 1945' as an erroneous duplicate entry that 'should not be included.' Supports the carried framing: kamikaze hit 6 April, sank 7 April 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-04 (event); 1982+ (literature)
- Limitations
- Well-regarded secondary reference (Gordon) citing Warner's The Sacred Warriors and the NHC/DANFS list; it reconciles rather than originates the record. Resolves the sinking-date conflict but not the battle-star count conflict. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-08
-
[10]Marine Product Co., Naha, Okinawa - 'LST 447 Wreck diving / survey dive' page (technical diving operator surveying the wreck in Kerama waters; Aug 2024) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- tech.marine-p.com LST447 dive-site page (Japanese); survey-dive program description
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Wreck status: the LST-447 hull off Kerama Retto is extant and periodically surveyed/dived; the operator's page (Japanese) describes the ship as an LST-1-class tank landing ship 'attacked by 6-7 Japanese special-attack aircraft in Kerama waters on 6 April 1945, heavily damaged, and sunk the next day, 7 April,' and states they coordinate with related parties to collect information on the wreck as an important war site (war-dead grave site). Deck guns (Bofors 40mm, Oerlikon 20mm) remain visible on the wreck per page imagery.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (loss); 2024 (page)
- Population
- wreck; dive/survey personnel (contemporary)
- Limitations
- Commercial dive-operator page - secondary, non-official, used only for wreck existence/status. The '6-7 aircraft' attack count is the operator's narrative, not an official record; carried nowhere as fact. No hazmat/environmental survey data. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-09
-
[11]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk gear, 3 x 100kW DC generators - diesel plant, no boilers); BuShips Ships' Data v2 LST-1 design-group grouping (per class profile lst-1-class); Kaiser Vancouver build era (ShipbuildingHistory row 151); LST-1-class class profile asbestos assessment (diesel plant narrows steam-lagging pathway; exposure relevance concentrates in engine-room/exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, accommodation insulation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; class-f lst-1-class.class.json class_notes and propulsion_summary; ShipbuildingHistory Kaiser Vancouver table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-1-class hull built mid-1942 at Kaiser Vancouver sits inside the documented wartime asbestos-shipbuilding era. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a ship of this type and period: machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation in the engine room, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, accommodation/joiner insulation, and deck coverings. The diesel plant means no boiler/turbine lagging pathway; the engine-room watch stations (cf. Hamil's engine-room assignment) are the exposure-relevant compartments, plus cargo/tank-deck spaces and embarked-troop berthing.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); ship's company incl. engine-room rates (1942-45); embarked troops
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or work package located for LST-447. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution. Does not establish exposure of any individual, including the named oral-history subject.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-10
-
[12]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 entire construction (1942) and service era (1942-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy ship crews (program scope)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, standing since Batch-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-11
-
[13]NARA archival leads (not yet directly verified): National Archives ID 76049 / local ID 428-NPC-1527 - motion picture 'LSTs Leave Kukum Beach, Guadalcanal, Land On Green Is' featuring this hull (per NavSource captions); Mare Island Navy Yard photo 368-43 (12 Jan 1943); kamikaze-hit photograph taken 6 Apr 1945 by PHOM1c C.C. Lecmill from USS Tulagi (CVE-72) (caption via secondary republication); USS Vestal (AR-4) war diary repair entry for LST-447 at Espiritu Santo Sept 1943 (per secondary blog); deck logs and the LST-447 action report/loss report (RG 24/RG 38) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA IDs 76049 / 428-NPC-1527; Mare Island photo 368-43; RG 24 deck logs; RG 38 action/loss reports; Vestal AR-4 war diary (Sept 1943)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized/film archival materials documenting this hull exist at NARA: the Green Islands film (76049/428-NPC-1527), a Mare Island yard photo (368-43), and the Tulagi-based kamikaze photo of the 6 Apr 1945 hit. The ship's deck logs (Dec 1942-Apr 1945) and any loss/action report sit in RG 24/RG 38 at College Park; the Vestal war diary documents a Sept 1943 repair availability aboard this hull (hull and engineering underwater repairs) at Espiritu Santo.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- crew; Vestal repair trades (Sept 1943, Espiritu Santo)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and could not be queried directly this session (access gap); IDs were transcribed from NavSource captions and secondary republication. Photo/film content documents presence and events, not work packages or materials. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-12
-
[14]Batch-6949 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 160447; LST Flotilla 5 war diaries May + July 1944 (OCR'd); uboat.net; ShipbuildingHistory Kaiser Vancouver; NMPW oral history (metadata; page bot-gated); kamikazeimages.net; Marine Product dive page; NVR; CourtListener API; GAO product page; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-447-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, crew exposure claim, or qualifying litigation naming USS LST-447 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener completed queries returned zero hits in both indexes ('LST-447' o+r; 'LST 447' o+r; 'USS LST-447' o); the sole residual variant ('USS LST-447' type=r) was fleet-paced at write time and is subsumed by the bare-hull docket query. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content at class level (e.g., Gori Law Firm 'Asbestos on Landing Ships' - asbestos aboard pre-1980s landing ships generally; does not name this hull, no primary sourcing - excluded).
- 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 - 1942 construction sits inside the asbestos-shipbuilding era. Litigation coverage: five of six planned CourtListener queries completed (all zero); the residual prefixed-docket variant is subsumed by the completed bare-hull docket query. The hull sank in 1945 - no postwar abatement, museum, or survey records exist to find. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-13
-
[15]Awards-count cross-check: DANFS ('five battle stars') vs NavSource ('six battle stars' + ribbon display showing Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 6 stars and 6 listed campaigns); Wikipedia follows DANFS (5) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-447 entry (Wayback); NavSource 160447 awards/campaign blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/conflict flag: honors for this hull differ across sources - DANFS credits five battle stars (and the Navy Unit Commendation); NavSource credits six battle stars and displays six campaign rows in its Asiatic-Pacific table. Six campaigns are listed by both sources, so the star count, not the campaign list, is the discrepancy. Carried unresolved; the campaign list itself is consistent.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating honors-count discrepancy, not a material claim. The Navy Unit Commendation is consistent across sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-447-14