Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet 678-packet.md (3 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (thin sourcing
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (thin sourcing
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-48-lst48-pkt-678-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-48 (NHHC live page, verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-02; plain curl is blocked with a 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (three-paragraph LST-format entry; published 2015-04-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-48 was laid down on 8 August 1943 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched on 2 October 1942 [sic - impossible date, see correction row ev-uss-lst-48-09]; sponsored by Mrs. A. E. Stacey; and commissioned on 16 November 1943.' Assigned to the European theater: Normandy invasion 6-25 June 1944; invasion of southern France 15 August - 25 September 1944. Transferred to the Asiatic-Pacific theater: Okinawa assault 30 May - 10 June 1945. Occupation duty in the Far East winter 1945-46. 'Decommissioned on 8 February 1946 and was struck from the Navy list on 5 December 1947. On 27 May 1948, she was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Co., of Bethlehem, Pa., and subsequently scrapped. LST-48 earned three battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Crew (1943-1946); construction trades at Dravo Neville Island (1943)
- Limitations
- Milestone-level official entry only; contains no asbestos, material, complement, or machinery content, and no operational detail between commissioning and June 1944. The published launch year (1942) is a typographical defect - see ev-uss-lst-48-09.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-48 (160048) - timeline, specifications, commanding officers, campaign ribbons (page live 2026-10-02; last updated 14 March 2025) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160048.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 8 August 1943 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA; launched 2 October 1943; placed in reduced commission 30 October 1943 for transit to her fitting-out yard at New Orleans, LA; full commission as USS LST-48, 16 November 1943, LT. John E. Chadwick USNR in command; Europe-Africa-Middle East campaigns - Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944 and Invasion of southern France 15 August - 25 September 1944; Asiatic-Pacific campaign - Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 30 May - 10 June 1945; Pacific command - LST Flotilla Thirty-Five (CAPT. D. H. Johnston USN), LST Group One Hundred Three (CDR. A. L. Warburton USN), LST Division Two Hundred Six; occupation service in the Far East 16 November 1945 - 25 April 1946; decommissioned 8 February 1946 and turned over to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q049; struck from the Naval Register 5 December 1947; sold for scrapping 27 May 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA; three battle stars. Ribbons shown: Combat Action Ribbon (Normandy 1944), American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Commanding officers: LT. John E. Chadwick USNR (16 Nov 1943 - Aug 1945); LTjg. Robert Z. Torrance USNR (Aug 1945 - 8 Feb 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 NYQY. Photo set: three launch photographs dated 2 October 1943 at Dravo, Neville Island - one captioned 'US National Archives photo # 80-G-207975, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives', plus sponsor Mrs. A. E. Stacey christening the ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Crew (1943-1946); embarked troops; SCAJAP-period complement (1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled secondary reference, not a primary registry - but its milestones here are corroborated by DANFS and the ship's own NARA deck log and muster rolls, and its Pacific command assignment is corroborated by the official NHHC fleet-organization document (ev-uss-lst-48-06). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-02
-
[4]NARA, 'USS LST-48 - War Diary, 11/16-30/43' (NAID 78248347), RG 38 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories', Roll A770 - the ship's commissioning-month deck log, 17 pages read in full [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78248347, images A_0770/1001.jpg-1017.jpg (17 pages)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary deck log (17 images read in full). 16 November 1943: Com. Hayes, representing the Commandant of the Eighth Naval District, ordered Lt. John E. Chadwick to read his orders; Chadwick assumed command, the first watch was set, and the ship was placed in full commission moored port side to Berth 18, U.S. Navy Yard (Algiers), New Orleans, La. Officers reporting: Ens. Robert Z. Torrance (Executive Officer), Ens. Harold G. Mann (Engineering Officer), Ens. Kenneth K. Rice (First Lieutenant), Ens. James F. Stomber (Gunnery Officer), Ens. Alexander R. Hamilton (Communications Officer), Ens. Herman A. Reyes; officers and men of Nucleus Crew 1206-A were attached for training; a Navy crew for LCT(6) 587 reported aboard - LCT(6) 587 was embarked on the main deck. 19 November: EM3/c Ray received electrical burns from a live wire in the degaussing room, sent to base hospital. 20 November: pilot Lt. Comdr. T. J. McCarthy (USCGR) conned the ship into Todd-Johnson Dry Dock No. 1, New Orleans - dock pumped dry to replace the port screw, clean the hull, paint foul spots, and dial-indicate the propeller shaft; undocked the same evening and moored at Berth 16, New Orleans Naval Base, Algiers. During 20-24 November Section Base workmen came aboard and installed a 40 mm gun in the fantail gun pit; the log notes USS LST-131 moored alongside. 23 November: S1/c Bogart fell through an open manhole over the petty officers' quarters - shoulder injury, taken to dispensary. 25 November: visit to the degaussing station; at the Dock Board Florida Avenue wharf two derricks hoisted LCT 587 onto the main deck and it was secured; a barrage balloon and medical supplies came aboard. 26 November: the ship struck the Industrial Canal lock on the port bow and starboard quarter (damage 'as yet unknown'); Higgins Industries, New Orleans, delivered small boats; fuel oil was transferred from LCT 587 to LST-48. 27 November: moved to the Naval Supply Depot; a derrick scow loaded a tractor crane aboard; magazine sprinkling systems tested; S2/c Pucillo injured his knee operating the No. 4 boat winch. 28 November: compass/radio-direction-finder deviation work, then moored at the U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot, New Orleans, and took aboard an itemized ammunition load (20 mm and 40 mm service/incendiary, small-arms, destructors, signals). 29 November: moored alongside LST-501 at Berth 15, Algiers; then anchored in the Quarantine anchorage. 30 November: underway down the Mississippi into the Gulf.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-11-16 to 1943-11-30
- Population
- Commissioning crew; Nucleus Crew 1206-A (trainees); LCT(6) 587 crew; Todd-Johnson Dry Dock workmen; Section Base ordnance workmen; Higgins Industries and depot personnel aboard
- Limitations
- Primary operational log written aboard - authoritative for movements, yard events, loads, and injuries, but contains no asbestos or insulation content. Yard events documented (Todd-Johnson drydocking; Section Base gun installation; Naval Supply Depot and Ammunition Depot loadings; Higgins Industries boat delivery) name facilities and work scopes, not materials. No later war diaries for this hull were located in the digitized catalog - the November 1943 log is the only one (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-03
-
[5]NARA, 'LST-48, 10/30/43-2/8/46' (NAID 126548988), RG 24 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities', Roll 4292, Ancestry scan - 265 digitized images [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126548988 (catalog page; '265 Images'; partner-series scan, Ancestry file 32861_247834; opening page = corrected Report of Changes upon commissioning)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized muster-roll set spanning essentially the hull's entire commissioned life - from crew receipt (30 October 1943) to decommissioning (8 February 1946), 265 images. The opening page, read this session, is the corrected 'Report of Changes ... upon commissioning, 16th day of November, 1943' annotated '(date of receipt is date of reduced commission)' - 30-10-43 - with the crew received aboard from Amphibious Training Base Solomons, Md., each man named with rate and service number. These rolls document by name the ship's company across her active service - the population-relevant primary record for any individual-service verification tied to this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- All hands who served aboard, 1943-46 (name-level roster, incl. ATB Solomons provenance)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the file unit was located and its opening page read to verify hull and coverage; the remaining 264 pages were not read this session. Muster rolls name personnel and rates; they contain no asbestos, material, or work-assignment detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-04
-
[6]NARA, 'Collingwood, Charles' file unit (NAID 278478531), RG 38 'World War II Oral Histories, Interviews and Statements' - includes 'Collingwood, Charles, CBS: LST-48, Recorded on 4 June 1944' (Film No. PRO 1, tracks 43-54; declassified transcription, NW 54487), 174 images with transcriptions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 278478531, images 2990147-06-12-0001.jpg ff. (Film PRO 1, tracks 43-54 transcript)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous CBS recording made aboard this hull during eve-of-invasion loading for Normandy, 4 June 1944 (read in full): correspondent Charles Collingwood describes the LSTs in the harbor moving up to the dock taking on vehicles and men - 'the LST 48 is about to load' - anti-aircraft outfits secured on the main deck, the tank deck 'somewhat longer than a football field,' and approximately 400 soldiers aboard over and above the ship's complement. He interviews the officer supervising loading, rendered in the transcript as 'Lt. Somber' - matching the ship's gunnery officer Ens. James F. Stomber in the commissioning deck log - and 'Lt. Hamilton' - matching Ens. Alexander R. Hamilton, the communications officer - on feeding and accommodating the embarked soldiers; an embarked soldier, Sgt. Alexander Hance of Chicago, is also interviewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06-04
- Population
- Ship's company and ~400 embarked soldiers, 4 June 1944
- Limitations
- Primary recorded-broadcast transcript (typed by a Navy yeoman from the recording). Speaker names are phonetic renderings - the identifications 'Somber'=Stomber and 'Hamilton'=Hamilton are cross-checked against the ship's own commissioning roster but remain an inference (flagged in gaps). Documents loading and embarked population on the eve of Normandy; contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-05
-
[7]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official organization list, LST Flotilla Thirty-Five section) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, 'LST FLOTILLA THIRTY-FIVE / LST GROUP 103 / LST DIVISION 206' table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization list for 1 May 1945 places this hull - 'LST 48' - in LST Division 206, LST Group 103, LST Flotilla Thirty-Five (its commanding-officer column reads '..........' - no name listed). This is the same flotilla/group/division assignment NavSource gives for her Asiatic-Pacific service; the Okinawa Gunto operation she is credited with (30 May - 10 June 1945) fell within this organization.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew and embarked personnel, Pacific assignment (1945)
- Limitations
- Organization-list entry only - establishes unit assignment and Pacific presence at 1 May 1945, not operations or material conditions. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-06
-
[8]Winchester Star (winchesterstar.com), 'Area veteran was present at D-Day, Iwo Jima' - profile of Navy hospital corpsman Barchers, who served aboard LST-48 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Winchester Star article text, LST-48 passages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A veteran's named account of service aboard this hull: Barchers, a Navy hospital corpsman, boarded LST-48 in Philadelphia in the fall of 1943 for the transit to England; on D-Day LST-48 beached at Omaha Beach (offshore about 0730-0800, on the beach until about 1900 on 6 June 1944) while the corpsmen treated wounded on the tank deck under German 88 mm fire; the ship then made three round trips carrying wounded back to England over about 36 hours. The profile's Iwo Jima portion is Barchers' later service after transfer to the Marines - not this ship's history. Consistent with DANFS's Normandy campaign credit for the hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (memoir)
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked casualties/medical personnel, June 1944
- Limitations
- Reputable-press veteran memoir - unadjudicated recollection decades after the fact; the claim that 'LST 48 returned to the United States, docking in Boston' in late June 1944 sits loosely against DANFS's southern France credit (15 Aug - 25 Sep 1944) and is not carried as a ship movement. The Philadelphia boarding detail is unverified against a primary source. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-07
-
[9]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-48 - 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-48-08
-
[10]Correction cross-check: DANFS LST-48 entry (typographical defect) vs. NavSource 160048.htm timeline and NARA-captioned launch photographs [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-48 entry (launch clause); NavSource 160048.htm timeline and photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION (source defect): the live DANFS entry as published states LST-48 was 'launched on 2 October 1942' - an impossibility, two months before her 8 August 1943 laying-down. The correct launch date is 2 October 1943: NavSource's timeline gives 2 October 1943, and the page's three launch photographs - including one captioned as NARA photo 80-G-207975 - are all dated 2 October 1943 at Dravo, Neville Island. The 1943 date is carried in this record's 'launched' field.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Corrects a typographical defect in the official entry, not a material claim; the correction rests on the NavSource timeline and NARA-captioned photography (secondary + captioned-primary), not on a revised DANFS. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-09
-
[11]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 (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf), 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 commissioned November 1943 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, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork was performed at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. Full report text retrieved via rendered fetch (gao.gov blocks plain automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-10
-
[12]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 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; SDB1945v2 LST table; class profile era-inference row ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As a diesel-powered landing ship built and commissioned in 1943, LST-48 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.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); SCAJAP-period complement (1946); scrapping workers at Bethlehem Steel (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, or work package located for LST-48. Names era-standard application categories, not confirmed installed materials aboard this hull; no quantity, no manufacturer attribution. The Dravo Neville Island yard is documented as operating through 1981 (NIOSH survey) but no asbestos-specific yard record was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-11
-
[13]NIOSH (CDC Stacks index record): 'Industrial hygiene survey report, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania' - Bloom, Dooley, Peguese; survey July 1981, report 1985 [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record cdc/233199, NIOSH-provided citation/abstract
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The only located government industrial-hygiene record for this hull's builder: NIOSH surveyed the Dravo Neville Island yard in July 1981 - evaluating occupational exposure from painting and coating processes during barge and towboat construction; sampling covered organic/paint solvents, metals (lead over the OSHA standard), and nuisance dust. The survey does not address asbestos, and its scope is 1981 barge work, not 1943 LST construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1981 survey (38 years after this hull's construction)
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island painters/coaters, 1981
- Limitations
- Yard-level record that does not document asbestos - carried as a searched-source result (negative for asbestos scope), not evidence of yard asbestos conditions. Index-record verification via rendered fetch this session (CDC Stacks page live 2026-10-02; plain fetch returns 403). A 1981 survey says nothing about 1943 conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-12
-
[14]Batch-6985 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource 160048; NARA catalog 'LST-48' (war diary NAID 78248347 read in full; muster rolls NAID 126548988 opening page verified; Collingwood CBS transcript NAID 278478531 read); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; Winchester Star veteran profile; BuShips SDB1945v2; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; CDC Stacks Dravo record; CourtListener API v4; uboat.net secondary cross-check; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-48-01 through sl-uss-lst-48-13
- 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-48 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches for 'LST-48' and 'USS LST-48' each returned zero results on 2026-10-02 (HTTP 200, authenticated); the unhyphenated opinion variant and the docket index were intermittently blocked by the shared fleet pacing budget this session - logged as blocked where not run, not as negative results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; 'asbestos aboard' content consists of law-firm marketing pages asserting asbestos 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 sold for scrapping in 1948, before modern ACM-handling records. Deck logs (RG 24 Logbooks), Dravo work packages, SCAJAP operating records (Q049), and the 1948 scrapping file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-48-13