Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[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-459-lst459-pkt-675-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'LST-459' (NHHC, published 2015-08-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body (single paragraph entry + campaign list); live page verified
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: LST-459 was laid down 22 September 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched 29 October 1942; commissioned 13 February 1943. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater, she participated in: Bismarck Archipelago operation (Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 1943-February 1944; Admiralty Islands landings, March 1944); Hollandia operation (April-May 1944); Western New Guinea operations (Biak, May-June 1944; Noemfoor, July 1944; Cape Sansapor, August 1944; Morotai, September 1944); Leyte landings (November 1944); Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945); consolidation of the southern Philippines (Mindanao landings, March 1945; Sulu Archipelago landings, April 1945). Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until mid-November 1945; decommissioned 12 April 1946; struck from the Navy list 19 June 1946; sold 31 October 1947 to New Orleans Shipwrecking Co., New Orleans, La., and subsequently scrapped. Six battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Official ship-history source for identity, construction, operations, and disposition. Contains no asbestos, material, insulation, or crew-health statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-459 page (10/16/160459.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LST-459 page: header data, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS LST-459 (LST-1 Class): commissioned 13 February 1943 with LT. E. F. Arthur, USNR, in command; commanding officers LT Arthur (Feb 1943-Feb 1944), LT Nelson Waggener (Feb 1944-May 1945), LT Austin R. Younts (May 1945-Mar 1946). Occupation service in the Far East 13-22 November 1945; photo-documented moored at Pearl Harbor circa 16-23 January 1946 with LCT-1015 secured to her main deck (BUAer photo 496019, released by CINCPAC 23 January 1946). Specification table: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion - two General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-driven 100 kW 230V DC ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; diesel fuel 4,300 bbls. Awards: six Asiatic-Pacific campaign stars, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2), Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Photo captions place the ship anchored and beached at Townsville, Australia, in June 1943, and cite NARA materials for the Jolo Island landing 9 April 1945 (163rd RCT, 41st Infantry Division; US Army Signal Corps photo 266350, NARA identifier 80685216; film NARA ID 17932).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Ship's company ~117-120 officers/enlisted (spec table); embarked troops up to ~163
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates track DANFS here and its CO list and photo captions add detail DANFS lacks. Live .net URL verified (navsource.org domain is dead; .net mirrors are canonical). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LST-459, Ship History Detail 9390, with vessel status card scan (47Q_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 9390; status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/47Q_01.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for LST-459 (Detail 9390) carries a digitized Maritime Commission vessel status card (image 47Q_01.png): Name 'LST 459'; custody line 'Surplus - Department of Navy'; Operator 'New Orleans Shipwrecking Co.'; Form of Agree. 'Pur.' (purchase); a handwritten delivery-date entry in the card's 'Date and Time Delivered' column consistent with the 31 October 1947 sale date. The database header classifies the hull as Naval Combatant / LST Tank Landing Ship / Military, fate 'Sold - No Further Info'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Population
- Scrapping/shipbreaking workers, New Orleans Shipwrecking Co. (1947-48, location of breakup not stated on card)
- Limitations
- Primary custody document corroborating the Navy-surplus sale to New Orleans Shipwrecking Co.; the handwritten delivery date is partially legible and read as 10/31/47 - consistent with DANFS but treated as corroboration, not an independent date source. Card's Hull No./Built by/At fields are blank. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (January 1945) - LST roster and design table (shipscribe.com-hosted official-document scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2: roster section, block entry 'LST456-459'; LST design-characteristics table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, January 1945) lists LST-459 on the official roster of naval vessels within the block entry 'LST456-459' - confirming this hull in commissioned Navy service as of the January 1945 register. The same volume's Landing Ship-Tank design table gives the LST-1-group characteristics: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, two General Motors 12-567A diesels (~1,700 shp, 2 shafts via Falk reduction gears), 11.6 kt - a diesel plant with no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Official BuShips register: the roster entry (ship-specific presence in the Jan 1945 register) is verified against the document scan; the design-table content is class-level, not hull-specific. URL relocated from the path cited in the batch class profile (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/) to /pubs/ - verified live 2026-10-02. No asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-04
-
[6]ShipbuildingHistory.com (T. Colton compilation), 'Kaiser Vancouver' shipyard production table, row yard-163 / LST 459 / MC 979; companion 'S Type Naval Ships' table (S3-M2-K2, 1,625 LDT); 'Landing Ships Tank LST 1 thru LST 400' index (program totals) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Kaiser Vancouver yard table, hull-163 row; S-type table MC-979 row (merchantships/2stypeships.htm); LST index smallships/lstpart1.htm; live pages verified (file renamed from .../kaiservancouver.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Shipyard production list corroboration: Kaiser Vancouver (Kaiser Company, Inc.) built this hull as yard number 163 under Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 979, design S3-M2-K2; keel 22-Sep-42, launch 29-Oct-42, delivery 13-Feb-43 (matching DANFS); disposition 'Scrapped 1947'. The Kaiser Vancouver emergency yard was built with USMC funding in 1942 and closed at war's end. The compilation's LST index states the total LST Mk.2 program as 1,155 contracted hulls, 101 cancelled, for a net total of 1,054 built across 11 private and 5 Navy yards.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver construction trades (Sep 1942-Feb 1943)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation, not an official source - used to corroborate dates already in DANFS and to source the MC hull number, yard number, and MC design type, which the official record pages do not state. All dates agree with DANFS. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST design table (diesel plant); NavSource specifications; Corn, J.K. and Starr, J., '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
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; NavSource spec block; Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3) (DOI resolves to Wiley)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Asbestos-relevant construction context for this hull's type: the LST-1 class is a diesel-propelled design (two GM 12-567A engines, no boilers - BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2; NavSource specifications), so the boiler/main-steam-pipe lagging pathway of steam warships does not apply. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a 1942 diesel amphibious ship of this type concentrate in engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, flange and machinery gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings (mastic/tile compounds), and insulation in accommodation spaces. WWII naval and Maritime Commission construction was a documented federal asbestos-use sector: asbestos was an extensively used fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, when asbestos supply was reserved for shipbuilding.
- 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); New Orleans Shipwrecking Co. breakers (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-459. Names era-typical applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation established. Absence of boilers narrows the largest single lagging pathway but does not remove others (exhaust, gaskets, deck covering, accommodation insulation).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-06
-
[8]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - consistent with prior batch findings; description-level use only)
- 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 (1943-46), as well as its 1947-48 scrapping window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era reviewed covers 1942-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and 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) - content taken from the product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-07
-
[9]NARA, 'An Introduction to Navy Deck Logs' (RG 24 holdings guidance; NAID 594258 series description); NARA items 80685216 and 17932 as identified in NavSource photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-logs guidance page (live, verified); NavSource photo caption block citing NARA identifiers
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) WWII deck logs for LST-459 (Feb 1943-Apr 1946) are within NARA RG 24 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978' (NAID 594258) at College Park - the authoritative daily record for underway/availability/yard periods; (b) NARA still-picture and motion-film items for this hull are already identified via NavSource captions - U.S. Army Signal Corps photo series for the Jolo Island landing 9 April 1945 (NARA identifier 80685216, local ID 111-SCA-2988) and film NARA ID 17932 (LST unloading, 163rd RCT, 41st Infantry Div., Sulu Archipelago); COMTASK GROUP 76.10 War Diary (NARA) covers the Sulu Archipelago operation; (c) NHHC Ships' History Branch holds a file for LST-459 (the DANFS source file).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and item-level mapping only - no box-level or item-level retrieval performed. Deck logs and war diaries document operations and availabilities, not materials; whether any asbestos-relevant document exists in these files is unknown until surveyed. NARA Catalog is JS-rendered; item pages not independently fetched - identifiers transcribed from NavSource captions. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-08
-
[10]Batch-6962 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC live page; NavSource live page; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 9390 + status card; BuShips SDB1945v2 roster; shipbuildinghistory yard list; NARA guidance; CourtListener API v4 searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-459-01 through sl-uss-lst-459-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, material schedule, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-459 was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, and the MARAD status card contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; the ship was stricken in 1946 and scrapped by 1948, predating the Naval Vessel Register's post-1987-disposal inclusion window (NVR contains no detail page for this hull). CourtListener authenticated searches on the exact hull designation returned zero opinions; see search_ledger for which queries completed and which were fleet-throttled.
- 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-built amphibious warship is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials in the applications named in ev-06. Any CourtListener queries throttled by the fleet pacing budget are logged as blocked/pending in the ledger and report, not folded into this negative finding. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-459-09