USS LST-45

Evidence

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

1. [1]research packet 674-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (sourcing: thin, disclosed)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   qualifier: VERIFIED (sourcing: thin, disclosed)

   Evidence ID

   uss-lst-45-lst45-pkt-674-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, LST-45 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, campaign list, occupation/China service, decommissioning, strike, disposal (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; bare curl to NHHC is UA-gated - same pattern documented in prior batches) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-45 entry, full text (published 3 Aug 2015)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 27 June 1943 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 31 August 1943, sponsored by Miss Lois C. Donnelly; commissioned 15 October 1943. Asiatic-Pacific operations: Marshall Islands operation (occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, January-February 1944); Marianas operation (capture and occupation of Saipan, June-August 1944; Tinian capture and occupation, July-August 1944); Okinawa assault (March-June 1945). Post-war: occupation duty in the Far East and China service until late October 1945; decommissioned 30 November 1948; struck from the Navy list 22 December 1948; sold 25 February 1949 to Foss Launch & Tug Co., Seattle, Wash. Four battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1949

   Population

   Construction trades (Neville Island, 1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-1948)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific official history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS places the build at 'Pittsburgh, Pa.'; NavSource and the BuShips roster give the more precise Dravo Neville Island yard. DANFS does not state the decommissioning location ('return to the United States'). No yard-availability detail - the August 1945 repair/drydock is documented only in the ship's war diary (ev-05).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-45 (10/16/160045.htm) - designation timeline, unit assignments, campaign table, spec block, CO roster, awards, disposal [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/160045.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource documents for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 27 June 1943 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA; launched 31 August 1943; commissioned USS LST-45 15 October 1943, LTjg. John R. Perry USNR in command. Assigned to LST Flotilla Thirteen (CAPT. J.G. Sampson USN), LST Group Thirty-Nine (CDR. B.T. Zelenka USN), LST Division Seventy-Seven. Campaign table matches DANFS: Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls 31 January-8 February 1944; Saipan 15 June-10 August 1944; Tinian 24 July-10 August 1944; Okinawa Gunto (Okinawa and Ie Shima) 26 March-30 June 1945. Postwar: Navy Occupation service 4 January-14 February 1946 and 2-19 September 1947; China Service (extended) 19 September-28 October 1945 and 2 August-1 September 1947. Decommissioned 30 November 1948; struck from the Naval Register 22 December 1948; sold 25 February 1949 to Foss Launch & Tug Co., Seattle, WA - 'fate unknown.' Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full (2,366 t beaching); 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW DC generators, 2 shafts 1,700 shp; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; radio call sign NQCW; four battle stars; awards incl. China Service Medal (extended) and Navy Occupation (Asia clasp). Six-officer CO roster. Photos document the ship at Pearl Harbor circa 16-23 January 1946 (US Navy BUAer photo 496019) and in a floating drydock circa 1945 (US National Archives photo 80-G-345752).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1949

   Population

   Ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops (1943-1948)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary photographic-history compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the NARA war diaries. Contains no asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' after the 1949 Foss sale conflicts with a 'to Greece 1958' line in secondary per-hull tables (see correction row ev-10).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-02

4. [4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (April 1945), NAVSHIPS 250-011 - List of Naval Vessels roster (LST section) and machinery characteristics table (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST roster section (LST44-61 block, LST45 row) and LST machinery table (LST1-490 group row); PDF verified live 2026-10-02 - the URL moved from /styles/usnaux/sdb/ to /pubs/ since the 2026-09-16 class-profile citation

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The Bureau of Ships' official register for this hull: Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, April 1945) roster lists 'LST45 (ex-ATL45)' under builder Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pa., keel laid 27 June 1943; the same volume's machinery table documents the LST1-490 design group (the block containing this hull) as powered by 2 General Motors Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shp - a diesel plant, no boilers.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Official BuShips register - the roster row is ship-specific (hull, builder, keel date); the machinery figure is a design-group entry for LST1-490, not a hull-specific material list. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement - it documents propulsion type (diesel, no boilers), which bounds the era-inference profile only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-03

5. [5]National Archives Catalog - 'LST-45' + 'war diary' file-unit results (RG 38, WWII War Diaries); NARA Navy Deck Logs Available index checked for comparison [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-45' 'war diary' (19 LST-45 monthly file units listed); representative NAIDs enumerated in finding_value

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA catalog search returned 19 monthly war-diary file units for USS LST-45 (Record Group 38, World War II War Diaries; digitized via Fold3): Oct (23-31), Nov, Dec 1943; Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec 1944; Jan, Feb, Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug 1945 - e.g., NAID 78241661 (Dec 1943), NAID 78509803 (Jun 1944), NAID 139782173 (Nov 1944), NAID 139813856 (Dec 1944), NAID 139833071 (Jan 1945), NAID 139913090 (Feb 1945), NAID 139968429 (Mar 1945), NAID 140020540 (May 1945), NAID 101735959 (Jun 1945), NAID 101779110 (Jul 1945), NAID 83557385 (Aug 1945). The digitized NARA deck-log index carries no LST-45 entry - the online deck-log series covers later-era vessels and this hull decommissioned in 1948.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-10-23 to 1945-08-31

   Population

   Ship's company (1943-1945)

   Limitations

   Record-location row: the 19 file units returned span Oct 1943-Aug 1945 with Jan-Mar 1944 and Apr 1945 not among the returned results (further file units may exist beyond the first results page; count is 'located,' not 'complete'). Only three months (June 1944, July 1945, August 1945) were OCR-reviewed this session - other months may contain additional repair/availability detail not yet extracted. No diary page reviewed contains asbestos or insulation-material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-04

6. [6]NARA NAID 101779110, 'USS LST-45 - War Diary, 7/1-31/45' (serial 122; RG 38 WWII War Diaries; 3 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101779110, images 0082-0084 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's July 1945 war diary (NAID 101779110, serial 122, signed H.L. Keens - matching the NavSource CO roster for LT. Harvey L. Keens USNR, Feb-Dec 1945) documents, verbatim-OCR: anchored off Brown Beach, Nakagusuku Wan, Okinawa 1-5 July disembarking 7 officers and 219 enlisted men of the Ninth Naval Construction Battalion and discharging 728 tons of NCB equipment; beached at the LST landing at Naha 8 July embarking 15 officers and 199 enlisted of the III Corps Signal Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps; departed Okinawa 10 July in convoy OKG #2; Apra Harbor, Guam 16-20 July (discharged cargo/passengers, took mail and passengers for Pearl Harbor); underway eastward 20-31 July escorted as far as Eniwetok by SC-1004.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-07

   Population

   Ship's company; embarked 9th NCB personnel (offload); III Corps Signal Bn USMC (onload) - July 1945

   Limitations

   Ship-produced primary record, fully legible in this scan. Documents combat-zone cargo/passenger lift and the Okinawa-Guam-Pearl Harbor transit; contains no asbestos, repair, or materials content. Establishes operational presence only - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-05

7. [7]NARA NAID 83557385, 'USS LST-45 - War Diary, 8/1-31/45' (serial 142; RG 38 WWII War Diaries; 3 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 83557385, images 0744-0746 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02); the 21-31 August entries appear on image 0746

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's August 1945 war diary (NAID 83557385, serial 142, signed H.L. Keens) documents a stateside repair availability for this hull, verbatim-OCR: moored Berth Tare 30, West Loch, Pearl Harbor 6 August after the Guam transit; then steamed independently to the U.S. West Coast; 21 August 'proceeding to ammunition dock unloading ammunition' then 'to North side of Mole Pier at concrete shipbuilding yard'; 22-26 August 'undergoing repairs'; 27 August 'proceeding to dry dock No. 1 at concrete shipbuilding yard undergoing repairs'; '27-31 August. Dry docked as before undergoing repairs.' A ship-specific drydock-and-repair availability on this hull within the Navy's documented asbestos-materials era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-08

   Population

   Ship's company; shipyard repair workforce (facility unidentified) - August 1945

   Limitations

   Ship-produced primary record establishing a repair/drydock event aboard this hull (21-31 August 1945, U.S. West Coast). The facility is unnamed ('concrete shipbuilding yard,' Mole Pier, dry dock No. 1 - identity unverified, see gaps). The diary does not itemize work scope, materials, or trades; it documents that yard work occurred, not what materials were disturbed - supports no asbestos claim by itself.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-06

8. [8]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v2 machinery data (diesel plant, no boilers) + documented WWII amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class technical data; lst-1-class class profile ev-lst-1-class-03 (2026-09-16)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST-1-class hull: no boilers aboard, so the steam-plant lagging pathway does not apply; asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, machinery gaskets and valve packing, accommodation/bulkhead insulation, deck coverings/tile, and winch/crane brake linings - the era-standard applications documented for WWII amphibious-ship construction.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   Construction trades (Dravo Neville Island, 1943); repair-yard workforce (August 1945 availability); ship's company

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no ship-level asbestos record exists for this hull. Establishes no quantities, no component-level findings, and no exposure for any individual. Diesel propulsion narrows but does not eliminate the asbestos-relevant material profile.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-07

9. [9]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373; DOI resolution verified live 2026-10-02 (resolves to onlinelibrary.wiley.com; Wiley returns 403 to automated fetch - bot-gating, not a dead link)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this 1943 LST-1-class hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-08

10. [10]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 (live page fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; gao.gov previously 403 to bare automated fetch in 2026-09 sessions)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when removal was required to accomplish repairs, modified 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - program-level documentation of how long era insulation typically stayed in place absent a yard period. Carried strictly as era context: this hull was sold out of Navy service in 1949, decades before the documented policies.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1975-1979 documented policies; hull era 1943-1949

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers (program context)

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation, not ship- or class-specific; the policies described postdate this hull's disposal (1949). Documents the fleet context of asbestos insulation management only - establishes nothing about this hull's materials.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-09

11. [11]Batch-6952 search ledger (this record): DANFS, NavSource, NARA catalog + war diaries, BuShips SDB 1945 v2, NVR, MARAD ShipHistory, NARA deck-log index, CourtListener name/hull searches [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-45-lst45-01 through -13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or materials specification naming LST-45 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API): opinion searches for "LST-45", "USS LST-45", and "LST 45" each returned zero results; the docket search for "LST-45" returned 3 hits, all name collisions - Sotelo v. Kreitlow (D. Colo. 1995, motor-vehicle injury), Cashman v. IBM (D. Mass. 2005, contract), and Berg v. M&F Western Products (E.D. Tex. 2019, copyright) - product/document string matches, not the ship. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located.

    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 1943 LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull's post-1949 commercial history is undocumented in the sources searched. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. One additional CourtListener docket variant ("LST 45" asbestos) remained pacing-blocked at session end - coverage noted in the ledger.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-10

12. [12]DANFS LST-45 disposal line vs NavSource 'fate unknown' vs shipbuildinghistory.com/navalmarinearchive.com LST 1-400 table ('To Greece 1958') vs uboat.net LST-45 page [other_primary]

    Locator

    DANFS disposal paragraph; NavSource 'Final Disposition' line; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lstpart1.htm LST-45 row; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/11205.html

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Disposition conflict documented: DANFS (controlling, authoritative) records sale on 25 February 1949 to Foss Launch & Tug Co., Seattle, Wash.; NavSource concurs and adds 'fate unknown.' Secondary compilations carry a 'to Greece 1958' disposition (shipbuildinghistory.com / navalmarinearchive.com per-hull LST tables - the same table mirrored at both hosts), while uboat.net prints 'Sold on 22 December 1948' (conflating the strike date with the sale date). The Greece-1958 claim could not be verified against any authoritative source this session - if accurate it would require a post-1949 repurchase or commercial resale outside the Navy records searched.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1949-1958

    Limitations

    Secondary-source discrepancy logged, not resolved: the Greece-1958 transfer rests on a secondary per-hull table (likely Jane's/Conway's-derived) with no located primary confirmation; the uboat.net 'Sold 22 December 1948' line is a transcription error against the documented 25 February 1949 sale. Final physical disposition (scrapping, foreign service, or loss) remains undocumented.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-45-lst45-11