Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 674-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-450-lst450-pkt-674-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-450 (live NHHC page, verified loading 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (single-paragraph hull history + operations list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-450 was laid down on 10 July 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched on 4 October 1942; and commissioned on 6 January 1943.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the capture and occupation of Saipan (June-July 1944), Tinian capture and occupation (July 1944), and assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (April 1945). 'Following the war, LST-450 was redesignated LSTH-450 on 15 September 1945. She performed occupation duty in the Far East until early December 1945... decommissioned on 8 April 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 17 April that same year. On 16 April 1948, the ship was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Co., of Bethlehem, Pa., and subsequently scrapped.' Earned three battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); crew (1943-46); Bethlehem Steel breakup trades (1948)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational history and milestones only; contains no asbestos or material content, no builder-yard detail beyond 'Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver,' and no scrapping-yard identification. The live NHHC page carries a source typo ('decpmissioned') - corrected here to 'decommissioned.'
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST(H)-450 ex USS LST-450 (1942-1945) - timeline, organization, specifications, commanding officers, photographic record (live .net page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160450.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource register for this hull: commissioned 6 January 1943, Lt. C. G. Drasher, USNR, in command; wartime organization LST Flotilla Thirteen / LST Group Thirty-Nine / LST Division Seventy-Seven; campaign table - Marianas operation (Saipan 15 Jun-30 Jul 1944; Tinian 24-30 Jul 1944) and Okinawa Gunto (April 1945); redesignated LST(H)-450 15 September 1945; decommissioned 8 April 1946; struck 17 April 1946; sold 16 April 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem PA, for scrapping; 3 battle stars + Navy Unit Commendation. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; fuel 4,300 bbl diesel; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW 230 V DC generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders. CO list: Drasher (6 Jan 1943-Aug 1944), Young (Aug-23 Oct 1944), McQueen (23 Oct 1944-25 Mar 1945), Hunter Jr. (25 Mar-Sep 1945), Kiely Jr. (Sep 1945-8 Apr 1946). Photo captions document her disembarking Army reinforcements across the Saipan reef on 17 June 1944 (Conway Picture Library) and at anchor off the invasion beachhead under a Japanese artillery burst 20 June 1944 (NARA photo, see ev-08).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); ship's company ~117 plus embarked troops (1943-46); casualties embarked (documented Saipan, Jun 1944); Bethlehem breakup trades (1948)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS but its spec block conflicts with HyperWar's complement figure (see gaps). The 'ultimate armament design' line is generic to the type and not a documented fit for this hull. Contains no asbestos content. Photo captions are contributor-sourced; the NARA photo is separately carried as ev-08.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (13 Apr 1945 ed.) - vessel roster + LST design table (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication; class-file URL path /styles/usnaux/sdb/ is stale - verified live at /pubs/ 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 roster, LST section (Kaiser Vancouver block, 'LST450 (ex-ATL450)'); LST design table (LST1-490 machinery line)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips roster lists 'LST450 (ex-ATL450)' inside the Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash. builder block - a primary-government confirmation of the hull's builder assignment and its pre-LST type designation (ATL = the early designation later standardized as LST). The same volume's design table for the LST1-490 group documents the class machinery line this hull carries: 2 x GM Diesel 12-567A, 1,700 shp, ~11.6 kt, ~2,366 t light / ~4,080 t - consistent with NavSource's per-hull spec block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 edition (data through Apr 1945)
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942)
- Limitations
- The roster OCR text layer has a staggered column layout: the hull entry and its builder block are legible, but per-hull laid/launch/commission date columns interleave across rows and cannot be reliably extracted for this hull (dates are therefore carried from DANFS/NavSource). The design table is group-level (LST1-490), not a hull-specific material or insulation schedule. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-03
-
[5]Era/design inference built on: BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST1-490 machinery line (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers); NavSource per-hull propulsion spec; LST-1 class profile (class-f worktree) era-application list; wartime shipbuilding practice - asbestos was standard in these shipboard applications in 1942 construction [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB1945v2 LST1-490 design line; NavSource specifications block; lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-1-group hull built at Kaiser Vancouver in 1942 sits squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-shipbuilding era. With no boilers, the steam-plant lagging pathway does not apply; the era-typical asbestos-relevant applications for the type concentrate in diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve packing, and winch/windlass brake linings. Her 1945 LST(H) conversion added hospital interior fittings - interior refit scope of that type typically disturbs bulkhead and accommodation insulation (conversion location/yard undocumented - see gaps).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); crew (1943-46); conversion-yard trades (1945, undocumented yard); Bethlehem breakup trades (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, work package, or conversion order located for this ship. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; establishes no exposure for any individual. Conversion-refit disturbance of insulation is itself an inference - no yard record located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-04
-
[6]Washington Dept. of Ecology, cleanup site 1831 'Kaiser Shipyard Debris Pile' (Vancouver, Clark County WA) - site description, cleanup history, contaminant table (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ecology site 1831 page: History, Cleanup Work, Contaminants table, 2024 Periodic Review summary
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- State environmental record for the builder's yard footprint: a 38.4-acre cleanup site at 3500 Hidden Way / Assembly Ave SE, Vancouver, holds debris used as fill from Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard operations 1940-1946 (milled lumber, metal strapping/pipes/mill ends, vessel glass, slag, fixtures, firebrick, batteries). The contaminant table lists metals (incl. lead remediated in place, 4,020 t treated 2010), PCBs, petroleum, and non-halogenated solvents - asbestos is not among the seven listed contaminant categories for this parcel. 'No Further Action' status with institutional controls (caps, groundwater monitoring; 5-year periodic reviews, last 13 Jun 2024).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-2024 (site record)
- Population
- Yard workforce (1940-46 operations documented via debris); site remediation workers (2010-2013)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard environmental context, not a hull record: the site is a debris-fill parcel west of the shipyard, not a materials inventory of ships built there. Asbestos's absence from this contaminant list does not establish absence of asbestos use at the yard or aboard hulls; it establishes only that asbestos was not a listed contaminant for this parcel. No asbestos content bearing on the vessel itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page (full text blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403 confirmed 2026-10-02) [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 1942-1948 construction-to-scrapping life.
- 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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, standing defect since Batch 01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-06
-
[8]U.S.S. Sheridan (APA-51), 'Saipan Operation - Report of,' Serial No. 034, 25 June 1944 (NARA action-report scan transcribed via doczz.net document mirror); corroborated by DANFS, Sheridan (APA-51) via HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- doczz mirror, APA-51 report narrative para. 9 (16 June 1944 entry); HyperWar DANFS APA-51 page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A Navy action report names this hull in casualty-evacuation work at Saipan: on 16 June 1944, 'At 0802 LST 450 came alongside and commenced transferring casualties to this vessel'; Sheridan received 245 casualties that day and buried 12 deceased at sea. DANFS for Sheridan corroborates that she 'embarked a large group of casualties' at Saipan in this period. This documents the hospital-role mission this hull was already performing a year before her formal LST(H)-450 redesignation (15 Sep 1945).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- Crew; embarked casualties (245 received aboard Sheridan via LST-450 alongside, 16 Jun 1944)
- Limitations
- Archival lead, not an official-repository citation: doczz.net is a document-mirror host and the transcription was not verified against the NARA original scan; DANFS's Sheridan narrative places her casualty embarkation 'on the 18th' while the action report records LST-450's transfer on the 16th - casualty intake ran across days, but the date pairing should be treated as approximate. Establishes vessel role and presence only - operational, not material or exposure content. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-07
-
[9]NARA photo, NAID 193831523 / US Army Air Corps photo no. 63664 A.C. - 'USS LST-450 at anchor off the invasion beachhead at Saipan Island in the Marianas Islands, 20 June 1944' (metadata transcribed via NavSource caption; catalog page JS-rendered, not independently fetched) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 193831523 (catalog.archives.gov/id/193831523); NavSource 10/16/160450.htm photo caption 1016045006
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A NARA-held official photograph documents this hull at anchor off the Saipan invasion beachhead on 20 June 1944 with a Japanese artillery shell bursting nearby - physical-presence documentation placing the hull under fire during the Marianas operation.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- Crew under enemy artillery fire at the beachhead, 20 Jun 1944
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session; the NAID, local ID, date, and caption text are transcribed via the NavSource photo caption - direct verification open. Establishes presence; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-08
-
[10]Batch-6953 search ledger (this record): live DANFS page; NavSource .net; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; WA Ecology site 1831; GAO HRD-80-2 product page (403); doczz APA-51 mirror; shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Vancouver + LST lists; CourtListener API v4 (partial - fleet pacing); secondary-web litigation/marketing sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-450-lst450-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LST-450 / LST(H)-450 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener full sweep: authenticated opinion searches for 'LST-450', 'USS LST-450', 'LST 450', and 'LSTH-450' all returned zero hits; RECAP docket searches for 'LST-450' and 'LST 450' each returned the same three N.D. Illinois civil dockets (Hackman v. Pactiv Corp., Leaf Funding Inc. v. City Realtors, JS II LLC v. Snitzer - employment civil-rights, contract, and bankruptcy-appeal matters with no vessel or asbestos content) classified as name collisions, not qualifying litigation. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content asserting class-level asbestos presence (gorilaw.com, simmonsfirm.com, navyshipexposure.com) - 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 - a 1942 hull scrapped in 1948 generated no regulatory hazmat paper trail. The litigation sweep is complete but shallow by nature: RECAP docket full-text coverage is partial and a case naming the hull only in unscanned pleadings could exist. Deck logs, Kaiser work packages, MARCOM contract files, and the LST(H) conversion order are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-09
-
[11]Builder-attribution cross-check: Wikipedia USS LST-450 infobox ('Builder: Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California; yard number 154') vs DANFS ('Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.'), NavSource ('Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver, WA'), BuShips SDB roster (Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash. block), and shipbuildinghistory Kaiser Vancouver hull list (yard 154, MC hull 970) [other_primary]
- Locator
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-450 infobox vs article body; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-emer-large/kvancouver/ hull table row 154
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: Wikipedia's infobox names the builder 'Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California.' The building yard documented by every consulted primary and consistent secondary source is Kaiser, Inc./Kaiser Corp. at Vancouver, Washington (yard no. 154, MC hull 970) - the Wikipedia article text itself says 'Kaiser Shipyards, Vancouver, Washington.' Permanente Metals Corp. was the Kaiser shipbuilding corporate entity that held Maritime Commission contracts; the Richmond attribution is a corporate-name artifact in the infobox, not the physical construction site.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942 (contract/construction)
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source infobox inconsistency, not a material claim. Yard no. 154 and MC hull 970 rest on the shipbuildinghistory secondary compilation (maritime-author-maintained mirror at njscuba.net); the SDB roster confirms the Vancouver builder block but its OCR text layer does not yield this hull's contract/hull numbers. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-450-lst450-10