USS LST-457

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 675-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-457-lst457-pkt-675-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, LST-457 - construction at Kaiser Inc., Vancouver WA; commissioning; complete Asiatic-Pacific operation list; occupation duty; decommissioning, striking, and sale to Bethlehem Steel Co. [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-457 service narrative (live history.navy.mil page)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: 'laid down on 3 August 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched on 23 October 1942; and commissioned on 6 February 1943, Lt. John R. Riley, USNR, in command.' WWII Asiatic-Pacific operations: Eastern New Guinea (Lae occupation September 1943; Saidor occupation January-February 1944); Bismarck Archipelago (Cape Gloucester December 1943-February 1944; Admiralty Islands landings March 1944); Hollandia (April 1944); Western New Guinea (Toem-Wakde-Sarmi May 1944; Biak Island May-June 1944; Noemfoor Island July 1944; 'Mprotai' [Morotai] landings September 1944); Leyte landings November 1944; Visayan Island landings March-April 1945; Balikpapan operation June-July 1945. Occupation duty in the Far East until mid-October 1945; returned to the United States and decommissioned 15 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 29 September 1947; sold 20 April 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa., and scrapped. Seven battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1948

   Population

   Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (1942); crew (1943-1946); SCAJAP Japanese crew (1946-47, per NavSource); Bethlehem Steel shipbreakers (1948)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS prints 'Mprotai' - a transcription of Morotai (confirmed by NavSource campaign table and the ship's own war history); no variant carried. DANFS does not record the post-decommissioning SCAJAP/Q098 assignment - that comes from NavSource. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-01

3. [3]NARA, WWII War Diaries microfilm series: 'USS LST-457 - War History' file unit, NAID 77707268 (20 digitized page-images; the ship's own first-person history submission, A_2107 roll, images 0163-0182; Fold3 file 302743903) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77707268, A_2107 roll images 0163-0182 (transmittal letter + 20-page month-by-month enclosure)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own war history, submitted under transmittal letter serial 407-45 dated 25 October 1945 and signed by Lt. G.T.E. Mahar, Commanding, with copy to Commander LST Flotilla SEVEN - covering commissioning (6 February 1943, at Portland, Oregon) through 30 September 1945. Ship-specific facts not in DANFS: commissioned at Portland, OR; converted to a training ship for new LST crews during San Diego shakedown; carried LCT 374 and the crews of LCTs 374 and 88 outbound March 1943; steering-casualty collision with LST-465 11 July 1943 (starboard door sprung); reef strike in Warrego Passage 3 August 1943 (starboard propeller lost three blades); credited with two enemy aircraft during the 4 September 1943 Lae convoy attack and three enemy aircraft during the 12 November 1944 San Pedro Bay air attacks; armament changes (one 40mm bow mount added 6 October 1943; four 40mm and ten 20mm AA guns installed by USS Rigel at Alexishafen 10-20 July 1944); served as flotilla gunnery training ship at Humboldt Bay 15-31 December 1944; grounded on an uncharted Subic Bay shoal 21 February 1945 while salvaging ordnance from damaged USS Lavallette (floated free, no underwater damage); acted as receiving ship for survivors of LCS-27, LCS(L)-3 and LSM-169; anchored off Yokohama 15 September 1945 and beached in Inner Harbor 17-22 September unloading occupation cargo. Commanding-officer reliefs documented: Jorgenson for Riley 18 March 1943; Van Zandt for Jorgenson 5 December 1943; Sullivan for Van Zandt 5 February 1944; Hacker for Sullivan 23 September 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-02-06 to 1945-09-30 (history coverage)

   Population

   LST-457 ship's company (1943-45); embarked troops and casualty passengers; repair-ship personnel alongside (USS Rigel, USS Culebra Island, USS Leyte, ARD-12 crew)

   Limitations

   Ship's own official history - the strongest primary vessel-history source in this record - but it is a wartime narrative submitted by the commanding officer, not a material record: it names repair ships, availabilities, and work types yet never describes insulation or other material content, so it supports no asbestos claim by itself. Coverage ends 30 September 1945; the return voyage, decommissioning, and SCAJAP period are outside it. Microfilm images verified downloaded from catalog.archives.gov 2026-10-02.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-02

4. [4]NARA, same file unit (NAID 77707268) - documented repair availabilities and machinery work aboard this hull, quoted month entries [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77707268 monthly entries Aug 1943, Sep 1943, Nov 1943, Mar 1944, Jul 1944, Sep 1944, Oct 1944, Dec 1944, Jan 1945, Jul 1945

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented repair and maintenance events for this hull (ship's own history): USS Rigel (AR-11) repaired the port shaft alley and replaced the starboard propeller at Milne Bay 6-14 August 1943; minor repairs by USS Rigel 14-16 November 1943; 'numerous repairs' by ship's force and USS Rigel at Buna, latter March 1944; Brisbane drydock 18-21 September 1943 (bottom scraped/painted, port propeller replaced, starboard shaft repaired); USS Culebra Island (ARG-7) alongside repair availabilities 12 September 1944 and 5-12 October 1944; floating drydock ARD-12 21-25 July 1944 (bottom scraping/painting, sea-chest cleaning, stern work), 14-15 September 1944, and 24-25 October 1944 (installation of two new propellers); USS Leyte (ARG-8) hull repairs 1-14 December 1944; USS Rigel installed two new generators 1-5 January 1945; ship's force installed new bearings in auxiliary and main engines at Morotai, latter July 1945. Gunnery-training-ship duty 15-31 December 1944; detained at Hollandia for repairs January 1945 (flotilla history: the only Flotilla SEVEN ship that missed the Lingayen operation).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   LST-457 crew (1943-45); USS Rigel, USS Culebra Island, USS Leyte repair personnel; ARD-12 drydock crew; Brisbane dockyard trades

   Limitations

   These are ship-specific maintenance events - the closest thing in this record to exposure-relevant documentation - but no source identifies materials disturbed or installed (no mention of asbestos, insulation type, gaskets, or lagging). Repair-ship availabilities are potential disturbance points for era-standard materials, nothing more; the record deliberately does not infer asbestos work. ARG-8 'Leyte' is the Luzon-class internal-combustion-engine repair ship, not CV-32.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-03

5. [5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-457 (10/16/160457.htm) - designation timeline incl. post-decommissioning SCAJAP/Q098 service, campaign-date table, specifications, CO table, photographic record [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/160457.htm header timeline, awards block, specifications block, Commanding Officers table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 3 August 1942 at Kaiser Inc., Vancouver WA; launched 23 October 1942; commissioned USS LST-457 6 February 1943 (Lt. John R. Riley); occupation service in the Far East 15 September - 22 October 1945; 'Decommissioned, 15 March 1946 and assigned to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q098'; struck from the Naval Register 29 September 1947; 'Transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), 20 April 1946'; sold for scrapping 20 April 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem PA; seven battle stars. Awards display: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (7); WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippines Liberation Medal (2). CO table matches the war history: Riley to 18 March 1943; Jorgenson to 5 December 1943; Van Zandt to 5 February 1944; Sullivan to 23 September 1944; Hacker to September 1945; Mahar to 13 March 1946. Photos: LST-457 and LST-455 beached at Woodlark Island 30 June 1943 (USN Construction Battalion No. 0060 cruise book); LST-457 and LST-922 at the Cebu City pier 3 April 1945 (US Army Signal Corps photo SC 205893, credited to the US National Archives collections). Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; 24,000 mi at 9 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 x 20mm (ultimate design); 4,300 bbl diesel; 2 x GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk reduction gears, 3 x 100kW 230V DC diesel-drive generators, 2 shafts 1,700 shp.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1942-1948

   Population

   Kaiser Vancouver trades (1942); crew (1943-46); SCAJAP Japanese crew (1946-47); embarked troops/casualties; Bethlehem Steel shipbreakers (1948)

   Limitations

   Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS. The SCAJAP/Q098 repatriation-service assignment and the occupation-service date range are NavSource-only in this record (corroboration not located - see gaps). The 'Transferred to MARAD, 20 April 1946' line is internally anomalous: the hull was still Navy-owned until struck in 1947 and was sold 20 April 1948 - 1946 reads as a typographical slip for 1948 (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-04

6. [6]MARAD Vessel History Database, vessel detail for LST-457 (Detail/9388) with one vessel status card image (cards/47O_01.png) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/9388; status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/47O_01.png (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The MARAD vessel status card for this hull reads: Name 'LST 457'; 'Navy Surplus'; Operator 'Bethlehem Steel Company'; Form of Agreement 'Pur.' (purchase, with a prior entry struck through); 'Date and Time Delivered: 4/20/48'. This is the primary MARAD custody/disposal record and it corroborates DANFS's 20 April 1948 sale to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA. The database detail page itself is sparse: General Type 'Naval Combatant', Specific Type 'LST Tank Landing Ship', Fate 'Sold - No Further Info', and Year Built '9999' (placeholder).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1947-1948

   Population

   MARAD custodial personnel; Bethlehem Steel scrap operation (1948)

   Limitations

   The card documents the disposal transaction - buyer, agreement form, delivery date - not the scrapping location or any material/hazmat handling. A handwritten allocation annotation at the card head ('S PAC' with a partially legible date) could not be read with confidence and is not asserted. 'Year Built 9999' is a database placeholder, not a date. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-05

7. [7]'History of LST Flotilla Seven' - period unit history (PDF scan hosted by NavSource; the flotilla's official war-era history) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource-hosted PDF 160018a.pdf (22 pp.); LST-457 mentions throughout pp. 1-19

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Flotilla-level documentation placing this hull in LST Flotilla SEVEN from its original assignment (one of ~36 LSTs listed), departing the US for Australia in March 1943 with LSTs 453-459; assigned to LST Group NINETEEN, Division FORTY (with LSTs 452-456, 458, 459) in the March 1944 CominCh organization. LST-457-specific entries: engaged in the Lae assault 4 September 1943 and Finschhafen support landings; in the Cape Gloucester second echelon arriving around noon 26 December 1943; served as the flotilla's gunnery training ship 15-30 December 1944; 'all ships of Flotilla SEVEN, except LST 457 which was detained at [Hollandia] for repairs, participated' in the Lingayen Gulf operation (January 1945) - the ship's only documented missed operation, during her documented repair period; among the Cairns-loaded ships for the Borneo operation; departed Morotai 26 June 1945 for the Balikpapan initial landings 1 July 1945; and among 'the first ships of Flotilla SEVEN to arrive in Japan', landing Army occupation forces at Yokohama on 15 September 1945 (with LSTs 165(GF), 454, 474(GF), 475 under Comdr. Nelson USCG and Comdr. Van Zandt USNR).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   LST Flotilla SEVEN crews; embarked Army/Australian troops

   Limitations

   A period unit history scanned and hosted by NavSource - content is wartime-official in nature but the host is a volunteer archive; provenance chain to NARA not verified. Compresses some itineraries (the ship's own war history shows Cairns in mid-May 1945 where the flotilla narrative implies June). No material or asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-06

8. [8]Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, V000069 - Van Zandt, James Edward (1898-1986) [other_primary]

   Locator

   bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/v000069 (profileText); cross-referenced to war-history Dec 1943 entry and flotilla-history command assignments

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A sitting Member of Congress commanded this hull: James Edward Van Zandt, USNR, relieved Lt. Jorgenson as CO of LST-457 on 5 December 1943 and held command until 5 February 1944 (ship's war history and NavSource CO table) while simultaneously serving as Commander LST Division FORTY - the division containing LST-457 - and later as Seventh Amphibious Force Training Officer (from 10 August 1944) and Commander LST Group NINETEEN (from 8 October 1944) per the flotilla history. The official Congressional biography records: Republican Representative from Pennsylvania (76th-78th Congresses, 3 January 1939 until resignation 24 September 1943); 'reentered the service in September 1943 as a lieutenant commander and was assigned to the Pacific area until discharged as a captain, January 25, 1946, and retired as rear admiral, United States Naval Reserve, January 1, 1959'; returned to Congress (80th-87th, 1947-1963); VFW national commander 1934-1936; interment Arlington National Cemetery.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Lt. Cmdr./Cmdr. James E. Van Zandt; LST-457 crew under his command (Dec 1943-Feb 1944); LST Division FORTY / Group NINETEEN staffs

   Limitations

   Vessel-history fact only: establishes that a named individual commanded this hull and its division during 1943-44. It is NOT an exposure record - this record makes no asbestos claim for Van Zandt or any individual. The Bioguide does not name the ship; the CO assignment rests on the ship's war history and NavSource.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-07

9. [9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) - official class machinery/design data; combined with NavSource LST-457 specification block [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster; NavSource 160457.htm specifications block

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for this hull's class: the LST-1 design was a 328 ft diesel-powered tank landing ship with 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (1,700 shp), twin shafts via Falk reduction gears, and no boilers or steam propulsion plant. For a welded-steel auxiliary of 1942 Maritime Commission construction (Type S3-M-K2), era-standard asbestos-relevant applications were diesel exhaust/muffler lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, steam-and-exhaust-system gaskets and valve packing in auxiliary systems, deck coverings and interior finishes, accommodation-space insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The absence of a boiler/turbine plant removes the largest steam-lagging exposure pathway but leaves the confined-space diesel-machinery and interior-material pathways.

   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); repair-ship and drydock personnel during documented availabilities; SCAJAP crew (1946-47); shipbreakers (1948)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or work package located for LST-457. BuShips SDB v2 documents the design's machinery, not its insulation bill of materials. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity and no manufacturer attribution for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-08

10. [10]Oregon Encyclopedia (Oregon Historical Society), 'Kaiser Shipyards' - wartime Kaiser Northwest yard operations and worker health [reputable_press]

    Locator

    oregonencyclopedia.org 'Kaiser Shipyards' article, yard-production and closing paragraphs

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Builder-level documentation: the Kaiser Company operated three Pacific Northwest emergency yards - Oregon Shipbuilding (Portland), the Vancouver Shipyard on the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington (~200 acres, production from early 1942, initial payroll 38,000), and Swan Island - producing 752 ships during the war; the Vancouver yard's output included 30 LST landing ships (this hull was yard number 161). The Encyclopedia records that shipyard and industrial workers 'made a significant contribution to the war effort, but many later suffered from severe health problems due to their exposure to asbestos.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1942-1946 (yard operations); health outcomes postwar

    Population

    Kaiser Vancouver wartime workforce (38,000 initial payroll)

    Limitations

    Yard/workforce-level statement for the Kaiser Northwest yards collectively - it does not isolate the Vancouver yard's asbestos record, does not name LST-457, and describes worker outcomes, not vessel materials. Scholarly secondary source (Oregon Historical Society), cited for builder context only. Corroborating official description of the yard's establishment: NPS Fort Vancouver WWII cultural-landscape page (nps.gov/articles/fovaclrworldwarii.htm), which describes the 1942 Kaiser shipyard at Vancouver as a US government-Kaiser joint venture.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-09

11. [11]Washington State Department of Ecology cleanup-site record, 'Kaiser Shipyard Debris Pile' (Site 1831), Vancouver, Clark County, WA [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ecology cleanup-site page 1831, site description + contaminant table

    Finding type

    environmental_record

    Finding

    State environmental record for the builder's site: the Kaiser Shipyard Debris Pile cleanup site (38.4 acres, Vancouver WA) documents that debris and material from the wartime Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard was used to fill low areas at the site between 1940 and 1946 - milled lumber, burned wood, charcoal, ashes, metal strapping/pipes/mill ends, vessel glass, slag, firebrick, batteries, and similar - and that shipyard operations stopped in 1948. Tabulated contaminants include metals, PCBs, and petroleum products.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1940-1948 (fill period and operations)

    Population

    Yard-site environment; wartime Kaiser Vancouver operations

    Limitations

    Environmental fill record for the yard site, not a vessel record - and it does NOT list asbestos among the tabulated contaminants, so it is carried as context, not evidence of asbestos at the yard. Confirms the wartime yard and debris disposal only. No ship-specific content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-10

12. [12]Batch-6960 search ledger (this record): live DANFS page; NARA WWII War Diaries file units for USS LST-457 (NAID 77707268 war history + five 1943 monthly war diaries + 11/12/44 AA action report NAID 139792186); NavSource 160457; NavSource-hosted LST Flotilla Seven history PDF; MARAD vessel status card; Bioguide V000069; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; Oregon Encyclopedia; WA Ecology site 1831; NVR (no record expected); CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-457-lst457-01 through -12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no insulation or material survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-457 was found in the public sources searched. The digitized ship's history documents extensive repair work (repair ships Rigel, Culebra Island, Leyte; floating drydock ARD-12; Brisbane drydock) but never names materials. CourtListener (authenticated, via cl-auth-search.py): opinion search '"LST-457"' returned count 0 on 2026-10-02; the docket (type=r) query and '"USS LST-457"' variants were blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget on repeated attempts - partial litigation coverage, the remainder is an open gap rather than a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing page asserting asbestos aboard this specific hull; generic LST-class law-firm listicles exist (Gori Law 'Asbestos on Landing Ships'; navyshipexposure.com class listing) and are 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 - and the CourtListener gap is genuinely open (blocked, not run). Undigitized leads: RG 24 deck logs (1943-46), Kaiser Vancouver production records, MARAD contract files, SCAJAP repatriation manifests, and any Bethlehem Steel scrapping documentation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-11

13. [13]Commissioning-date cross-check: DANFS + NavSource + ship's war history + shipbuildinghistory production table + uboat.net (all 6 February 1943) vs Wikipedia infobox ('10 February 1943') [other_primary]

    Locator

    Wikipedia USS LST-457 infobox vs body/DANFS; DANFS operation list; NavSource campaign table; war-history p.1

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION: the Wikipedia infobox carries 'Commissioned: 10 February 1943' while its own body text cites the DANFS entry - which says 6 February 1943, as do NavSource, the ship's own war history ('commissioned at Portland, Oregon on 6 February 1943'), the shipbuildinghistory.com production table, and uboat.net. The 10 February figure is an unsupported infobox variant; 6 February 1943 is carried. Related transcription point: DANFS prints 'Mprotai' for the September 1944 operation - Morotai per NavSource and the war history.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1943

    Limitations

    Corrects a circulating date variant and a DANFS transcription artifact - record-metadata corrections, not material claims. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-457-lst457-12