Evidence
17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).
-
[1]research packet 674-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (one date discrepancy, disclosed)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-451-lst451-pkt-674-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-451 (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (single-paragraph LST-format entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-451 was laid down on 20 July 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched on 6 October 1942; and commissioned on 12 January 1943. During World War II, LST-451 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations: Capture and occupation of Saipan - June and July 1944; Tinian capture and occupation - July 1944; Leyte landing - October 1944; Lingayen Gulf landing - January 1945; Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto - April 1945. Following the war, LST-451 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-February 1946. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 22 July 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 25 September that same year. On 11 December 1947, the tank landing ship was sold to the Learner Co., Oakland, Calif., and subsequently scrapped. LST-451 earned five battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Crew (1943-1946); construction trades at Kaiser Vancouver (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Milestone-level official entry only; contains no asbestos, material, complement, machinery, or shipyard-availability content. Silent on her entire Aleutian campaign (1943), the Lash Bay grounding/salvage, and the post-April-1945 period.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-451 (160451) - timeline, specifications, commanding officers, campaign ribbons, photo captions (page live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160451.htm - header block, awards/campaigns table, specifications block, commanding officers table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for this hull: LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship; laid down 20 July 1942 at Kaiser, Inc., Vancouver, WA; launched 6 October 1942; commissioned USS LST-451, 12 January 1943, LT. Harry A. Swartz USNR in command; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Three (CDR. A. A. Ageton USN), LST Group Seven flagship (LCDR. E. B. Garrigures), LST Division Fourteen; campaigns - Marianas operation (Saipan 15 June - 30 July 1944), Tinian capture and occupation (24-30 July 1944), Leyte landings (20 October 1944), Lingayen Gulf landings (4-15 January 1945), assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (1-9 April 1945); occupation service in the Far East 25 December 1945 - 20 February 1946; decommissioned 22 July 1946; struck from the Naval Register 25 September 1946; sold 11 December 1947 to The Learner Co., Oakland, CA, and subsequently scrapped; five battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation. Ribbons shown: Navy Unit Commendation; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5); World War II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippines Liberation Medal (2). Commanding officers: LT. Harry A. Swartz USNR (12 Jan 1943 - March 1944); LT. R. D. Flynn USNR (March - 31 July 1944); LT. E. T. Coleman USNR (31 July 1944 - 13 July 1945); LT. T. B. Brooks USNR (13 July 1945 - 22 July 1946). Spec block: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full (sea-going draft w/1675-ton load) / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft o.a.; beam 50 ft; speed 11.6 kt (trial); endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kt displacing 3,960 t; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; boats 2 LCVP; ultimate armament 2 twin 40 mm w/Mk.51 directors, 4 single 40 mm, 12 single 20 mm; fuel 4,300 bbls diesel; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V D.C. ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; radio call sign NFEQ. Photo captions document: Army 18th Engineers offloading over a dirt barge-ramp at Shemya 1 June 1943 (US Army Signal Corps SC 189531/SC 189530, 'now in the collections of the US National Archives'); beached on a dirt ramp at Attu September 1943; beached at Tanaga Island late September 1943 unloading supplies for Seabees building an airfield; beached at Okinawa April 1945 (photos by crew member Lawrence LaFlamme GM2/c).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Crew (1943-1946); embarked troops; construction trades at Kaiser Vancouver (1942-43)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled secondary reference, not a primary registry - but every milestone here is corroborated by DANFS, the ship's own war diaries, and the NHHC awards/organization documents. Contains no asbestos content. The Shemya photo caption's 1 June 1943 date precedes the PC-487-documented convoy arrival (~10 June); either an earlier run or a loose caption date - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-02
-
[4]NARA, 'USS LST-451 - War Diary, 11/1-30/43' (NAID 78225141), RG 38 'World War II War Diaries', Roll A748, file LST451/A12 serial 6 (forwarded 8 Dec 1943), signed by commanding officer Harry A. Swartz, Lt., USNR [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78225141, images A_0748/0648.jpg-0649.jpg (2 pages, read in full)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary operational log (2 images read in full). November 1943, Aleutians: 1 Nov beached Sweepers Cove, Adak, unloading through ramp; 3-5 Nov moored alongside tender USS Markab for engine and C&R repairs, rode out a severe williwaw with slight rail/deck damage; 12 Nov loaded 1,000 tons of cargo for the 45th CB battalion at Tanaga; 17 Nov departed for Tanaga escorted by USS Oracle; 18 Nov beached in Lash Bay, Tanaga - 'the 42nd beaching for this ship.' 19 Nov: caught by a sudden southwest storm while beached - swells of 5-15 feet lifted the ship and set her down hard, probably on a pinnacle; both shafts bent; longitudinal cracks opened in the shaft alleys which began taking water; all lines except the port bow line parted; the ship broached to starboard parallel to the beach, stern thrown over about 200 feet. Damage list: bent shafts; burned-out shaft bearings; cracks and holes in shaft alleys; four of six after fresh-water tanks punctured or cracked; void tank aft under magazine punctured; two forward ballast tanks punctured; huge inward bulge in auxiliary engine-room bulkhead; other bulges in port bulkheads at the waterline. Remaining ~800 tons of cargo discharged by high line, crane, and low-water bow-door work; fuel oil pumped into hastily erected beach storage tanks. 20 Nov: USS Cree arrived outside the bay but could not enter (20 ft inside; Cree draws 17 ft). 21-27 Nov: Oracle towing attempts with kedged anchors and bulldozers parted lines and gained only degrees of heading. 28 Nov: renewed southwest storm moved the ship 50 feet toward a wrecked jetty; starboard shaft alley punctured and flooded. 30 Nov: USS Ute, salvage tug, arrived with salvage officer Commander Wood; commenced major salvage - blew out ten flooded tanks with air, rigged a second set of beach gear to the bow.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- November 1943
- Population
- Ship's company; USS Oracle, USS Cree, and USS Ute salvage crews; salvage officer Commander Wood; 45th CB shore party
- Limitations
- Operational log - ship-position and damage detail, but no material or insulation content. Documents an extensive salvage/repair exposure window aboard this hull (cutting, pumping, shoring, beach-gear work) without any record of materials disturbed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-03
-
[5]NARA, 'USS LST-451 - War Diary, 12/1-31/43' (NAID 78271481), RG 38, Roll A788, file LST451/A12 serial 7 (forwarded 31 Dec 1943), signed by commanding officer Harry A. Swartz [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78271481, images A_0788/0711.jpg-0713.jpg (3 pages, read in full)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary operational log of the refloat (3 images read in full). December 1943, broached at Lash Bay: 1-7 Dec salvage progressed - bow pulled over by beach gear (25 degrees/100 feet then 20 degrees/80 feet), a fifth fresh-water tank ruptured, anchors dragged in swells, both rudders torn off and recovered to the beach by bulldozer, two 6-inch portable pumps rigged from the tug to dewater shaft alleys and tanks with holes cut in the tank deck and ship's side, ten tons of sand removed from flooded tanks, 15 tons of ammunition and 20 tons of commissary stores moved forward, salvage officer Commander Wood sent for additional beach gear. 10 Dec: pulling on three sets of beach gear plus Ute's tow line in rising swells, the ship was water-borne at 1438; Ute passed a tow line and at 1856 hauled her out of the harbor en route Adak. 11-14 Dec: storm-delayed tow, sheltering in Tanaga Bay. 15 Dec: dry-docked at Adak (Finger Bay, per the January diary) for repairs to the underwater body; inspection by the repair officer of USS Markab and the ComAlSec maintenance officer. 16-31 Dec: hull repair work continued in dry dock at Adak.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- December 1943
- Population
- Ship's company; USS Ute crew and salvage party; Adak dry-dock and repair personnel
- Limitations
- Operational log - documents the refloat and the start of hull repairs at Adak, but no work-order or material detail. The December dry-dock repair scope (plate, shaft, rudder work) is not itemized; no asbestos or insulation content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-04
-
[6]NARA, 'USS LST-451 - War Diary, 1/1/44 to 2/29/44' (NAID 78337535), RG 38, Roll A862, file LST451/A12 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78337535, images A_0862/0714.jpg-0718.jpg (5 pages, read in full)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary operational log (5 images read in full). January 1944: 1 Jan departed Adak dry dock under tow (no propulsion power), moored to a buoy in Kuluk Bay; 6 Jan underway under tow by the merchantman SS James Griffiths (Master Julius Jacobsen) on ComAlSec orders for Seattle, routing changed from the Aleutian chain passage to directly across the Gulf of Alaska on the joint recommendation of Griffiths' master and the ship's CO - what the log calls 'a 2000 mile tow' through gales of 60-80 mph and 20-foot swells (the only traffic met was an outbound Russian ship); 21 Jan stood into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and docked at the Navy Yard, Puget Sound; 28 Jan moved into dry dock 'to undergo overhaul and repairs as requested and ordered by BuShips.' February 1944: the month's entries are a single line - 'NAVY YARD OVERHAUL, RECEIVING REPAIRS' - the ship spent the entire month at the Navy Yard, Puget Sound, under a Bureau of Ships-ordered overhaul following the grounding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- January-February 1944
- Population
- Ship's company; Puget Sound Navy Yard overhaul trades (Jan-Feb 1944)
- Limitations
- Operational log - establishes a documented Puget Sound Navy Yard dry-dock overhaul (from 28 January through at least all of February 1944, per BuShips order) following the grounding, but contains no work-order, material, or insulation detail. The February log is one summary line; the overhaul's material scope is undocumented at this level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-05
-
[7]DANFS, Ute (AT-76/ATF-76) - Aleutian salvage-service narrative naming LST-451 (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Ute entry, November-December 1943 paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Third-party official account of the Lash Bay salvage: after pulling the grounded destroyer King (DD-242) free at Kuluk Bay, Adak, on 27 November, Ute 'proceed[ed] to Lash Bay, Tanaga Island, for salvage operations on LST-451.' The DANFS narrative: wintry Alaskan weather interrupted the work, heavy seas forced the tug from the anchorage, she returned when weather moderated and 'pull[ed] the landing ship free a few days later'; with the LST in tow she started for Adak but worsening weather forced the ships to shelter in the lee of Tanaga Island for two days before continuing; 'after finally delivering the LST,' Ute went on to the Valery Chkalov salvage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- November-December 1943
- Population
- USS Ute salvage crew; LST-451 ship's company
- Limitations
- Corroborates the salvage at the level of a third ship's official history - consistent with the ship's own diaries (Ute arrived 30 November, refloat 10 December, storm-delayed tow). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-06
-
[8]DANFS, Larchmont (PC-487) - Aleutian convoy-escort narrative naming LST-451 (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Larchmont (PC-487) entry, June 1943 paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Third-party official account placing this hull in the June 1943 Aleutian convoy: 'After departing Adak 8 June to escort LST-451 and Ute (AT-76) to the Semichi Islands east of Attu, PC-487 neared her destination, Shemya Island, early on 10 June' - when the subchaser detected, rammed, and sank the Japanese submarine I-9 in a solo kill the same morning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- June 1943
- Population
- Convoy crews - LST-451, PC-487, Ute
- Limitations
- Escort narrative in another vessel's official history - establishes LST-451's June 1943 convoy presence en route to the Semichis/Shemya under PC-487 and Ute escort; no detail of the ship's own operations and no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-07
-
[9]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (online reading room transcription, verified live 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, Amphibious Forces / LST Flotilla Three / LST Group 7 / Division 14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official fleet organization document, 1 May 1945: under Commander LST Flotilla THREE (Comdr. A. A. Ageton), LST GROUP 7 (ComLSTGrp 7 - Lt. Cdr. J. L. Harlan, with Lt. Cdr. E. B. Garriguse USNR listed), LST DIVISION 14 includes 'LST 451 (GF)' - group flagship - commanded by Lt. E. T. Coleman (USNR). Confirms the ship's flagship assignment (NavSource: 'LST Group Seven (Flagship)') and her place in the operational chain at war's end.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1 May 1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked ComLSTGrp7 staff (as of 1 May 1945)
- Limitations
- Organization listing only - establishes assignment and flagship status as of 1 May 1945, nothing further. Spelling variant: this document prints 'Garriguse' where NavSource prints 'Garrigures' - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-08
-
[10]NARA, 'USS LST-451 - Rep of ops in the invasion of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyus 4/1-4/45' (NAID 139997852), RG 38, Roll A1586 - action report, file LST451/A16-3 serial 0320, signed by commanding officer E. T. Coleman [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139997852, images export_WWII_WarDiaries_1586_200926/0618.jpg-0621.jpg (4 pages, read in full)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report for the Okinawa invasion (4 images read in full). Loading: 28 Feb 1945 beached Ordnance Beach, Tulagi Harbor, loaded ~45 tons of naval ammunition (5"/38 flashless and leaded charges, AAC-fuzed and illuminating projectiles, Mark 29-3 fuzes); 1-2 Mar beached Beach #6 Guadalcanal, loaded 37 vehicles (260 t), 300 t bulk ammunition, 20 t rations, 34 t water, 30 t other; 10 Mar off Koli Point, Guadalcanal, loaded 17 LVTs (286 t) and the 9th Amphibian Tractor Battalion, USMC (7 officers, 103 enlisted); 11 Mar at Beach #23 embarked 58th Naval Construction Battalion (22 enlisted), 1st Battalion 15th Marines (1 officer/10 enlisted), 1st Battalion 4th Marine Regiment (4/134); 23 Mar at Ulithi took aboard wave-guide-boat personnel and a U.S. Naval Gunfire Team from USS McIntyre (APA-129) plus a further 16 officers/140 enlisted of 1/4 Marines. Assault: 1 Apr anchored off RED Beaches 1 and 2, Okinawa, 0650; launched all 17 LVTs with troops embarked 0704-0832; that evening fired 8 rounds 40 mm and 60 rounds 20 mm at two enemy planes off the port quarter, no hits observed. 2 Apr beached on a coral reef 500 yards off GREEN Beach, unloaded vehicles and bulk cargo with a 22-man 58th CB working detail and embarked Marines, ~5 LVTs assisting; 3-4 Apr discharged all naval ammunition to a destroyer alongside; ship 100% unloaded by 0755 on 4 April.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 28 February - 5 April 1945
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked 9th Amphibian Tractor Bn USMC (110), 58th NCB (22), 1/15 Marines (11), 1/4 Marines (~290 across two embarkations), wave-guide and gunfire personnel; APA-129/APA-91 boat crews
- Limitations
- Combat action report - documents embarked population (well above the 163-man troop accommodation) and beaching/unloading operations; contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-09
-
[11]ShipbuildingHistory.com (T. Colton compilation), 'Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA' yard table - LST 451 row (page live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Kaiser Vancouver yard table, row for yard hull 155 / MC hull 971 (LST 451)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Kaiser Vancouver build table lists this hull as yard hull 155, type LST, Maritime Commission hull 971: keel 20 July 1942, launch 6 October 1942, delivery/commissioning 12 January 1943 (78 days keel-to-launch, 98 days launch-to-delivery, 176 days keel-to-delivery), disposition 'Scrapped 1947' - corroborating every DANFS/NavSource construction milestone for this hull and adding the MC hull number and yard hull number.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Secondary data compilation (Tim Colton's shipbuildinghistory.com), not an official registry - used here as corroboration of official milestones and for MC/yard hull numbers that official narrative sources do not print. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-10
-
[12]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1 January 1945 edition), LST design table and roster (shipscribe.com scan with text layer; URL verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2, LST characteristics/machinery table (LST1-490 group row) and roster
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design table: the LST1-490 design group - which includes LST-451 - lists 328 ft o.a., 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t / 4,080 t displacements, 11.6 kt, and machinery of 2 x 'G.M. Diesel, 12-567A' engines at 1,700 shaft horsepower. The table's 'Number of Boilers' and steam-condition columns are blank for all LST groups - a diesel plant with no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (edition)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Class design table, not a hull-specific record; documents the type's machinery as designed, not this hull's as-built insulation or materials. Ships' Data covers machinery and characteristics - it contains no asbestos or insulation schedules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-11
-
[13]NHHC, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (rev. 1953), Part 2 - Unit Awards, Navy Unit Commendation list (verified live 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Awards manual rev. 1953, pt. 2 unit awards, LST block ('USS LST 451' row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official unit-awards list documents the operations coverage of this hull's Navy Unit Commendation: 'USS LST 451: 15 Jun - 30 Jul 44 - Marianas Operation. 20 Oct 44 - Leyte Landing. 11 and 12 Jan 45 - Lingayen Landing. 1 Apr 45 - Okinawa Operation.' - the same four operations for which DANFS credits her five battle stars (Marianas/Saipan, Tinian, Leyte, Lingayen, Okinawa).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945 operations
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel during cited operations
- Limitations
- Awards-manual tabulation lists operation names and dates only - the underlying NUC citation text was not located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-12
-
[14]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, Falk reduction gear, twin screws, diesel-drive generators); BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST1-490 design-group row (diesel machinery, no boilers); LST-1-class profile (lst-1-class.class.json) consolidated era application list; shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for Kaiser Shipyards (which carries the Vancouver Shipyard as an alias) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; SDB1945v2 LST table; class profile era-inference row ev-lst-1-class-03; shipyards.json kaiser-shipyards product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As a diesel-powered landing ship built 1942-43, LST-451 carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a ship of this type and period: diesel-engine exhaust lagging and exhaust-manifold gaskets; engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation; deck coverings (e.g., deck tile compounds of the period); bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation; winch, windlass, and crane brake linings; electrical cable insulation; gaskets and packing in piping and machinery. Her February 1944 BuShips-ordered overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard is a documented availability at a Navy yard within the asbestos era, but its material scope is unrecorded in located sources.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942-43); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); Puget Sound Navy Yard overhaul trades (Jan-Feb 1944); Learner Co. scrapping workers (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, or work package located for LST-451, and no Kaiser Vancouver-specific asbestos documentation located (the Kaiser Shipyards yard record is pinned to Richmond, CA, and aggregates Vancouver only by alias). Names era-standard application categories, not confirmed installed materials aboard this hull; no quantity, no manufacturer attribution. The PSNY overhaul row documents the availability's occurrence, not its material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-13
-
[15]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page and full report text, transmittal letter and 'NAVY'S POLICY ON USE OF ASBESTOS' section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos era this hull was built within: per the Navy, 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' and thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; product specifications for thermal insulation were changed to asbestos-free in 1973, the formal elimination policy issued October 1975, and 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' A WWII-built diesel amphibious ship delivered January 1943 and overhauled at Puget Sound Navy Yard in February 1944 sits squarely inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 report; covers practices through the 1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; WWII-built fleet (era context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - names no hull and no class; supports era context only. Fieldwork was performed at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Puget Sound. Full text retrieved this session via rendered fetch; direct fetch of gao.gov is blocked to automated agents (403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-14
-
[16]Secondary cross-check: Wikipedia 'USS LST-451' (infobox consistent with DANFS; body text variants), citing ACME Newspictures print W12675 'Seabees salvage LST Boat' dated 2/29/44 (US Navy Official Photo via ACME Washington Bureau) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS LST-451 service-history paragraph vs. NARA war diaries NAID 78225141, 78271481, 78337535
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary retelling misplaces two dates. (1) The Wikipedia body text states the ship 'commissioned on 21 January 1943' citing DANFS - DANFS, NavSource, and the Kaiser Vancouver build table all give 12 January 1943; the 21st is a transcription variant (21 January is actually the date she docked at the Navy Yard, Puget Sound, in 1944). (2) The same article's 'In February gale force winds broke her mooring lines and she was holed and beached at Lash Bay' rests on an ACME Newspictures print date of 29 February 1944 - a photo-release date; the ship's own war diaries fix the broaching at 19 November 1943 and the refloat at 10 December 1943, with all of February 1944 spent in Navy Yard overhaul at Puget Sound.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (event window); secondary-source variants current
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating secondary-source dates against the ship's own logs; the ACME print itself (US Navy Official Photo W12675) is period evidence of the salvage - its February 1944 bureau date is a distribution date, not the event date. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-15
-
[17]Batch-6954 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource 160451; NARA war diaries NAID 78225141, 78271481, 78337535 and Okinawa action report NAID 139997852 (read in full); NARA catalog inventory (478 results, ~30 ship-specific file units incl. ComLSTGrp7 flag diaries); NHHC DANFS Ute and Larchmont/PC-487 entries; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; NHHC awards manual unit list; Kaiser Vancouver build table; BuShips SDB1945v2; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; CourtListener API v4 (partial); Wikipedia (secondary cross-check); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-451-01 through sl-uss-lst-451-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or verified litigation naming USS LST-451 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search for exact 'LST-451' returned zero results on 2026-10-02 (authenticated API); additional CourtListener variants and the docket index were rate-limited by the shared fleet pacing budget this session - logged as blocked where not run, not as negative results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content (navy ship listicles) asserting asbestos generally without primary sourcing - 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 - the hull was built inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era and underwent a BuShips-ordered Navy-yard overhaul in 1944, then was sold for scrapping in 1947 before modern ACM-handling records. Deck logs (RG 24), Kaiser Vancouver work packages, the PSNY overhaul file, and the 1947-48 scrapping record are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-451-16