Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 679-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-485-lst485-pkt-679-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-485 - construction at Kaiser Richmond, operation list, postwar China/occupation service, decommissioning, striking, sale (live NHHC page, verified 200 at fetch) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 17 December 1942 at Richmond, Calif., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched 9 January 1943; commissioned 19 May 1943. Asiatic-Pacific operations: Vella-Lavella occupation (September 1943); Treasury Island landings (October-November 1943); capture and occupation of Saipan (June-August 1944); Tinian capture and occupation (July-August 1944); assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (May-June 1945). China service January-February 1946; occupation duty in the Far East until early March 1946. Decommissioned 30 July 1946; struck from the Navy list 28 August 1946; sold 29 March 1948 to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle, Wash., and subsequently scrapped. Earned five battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Crew (1943-46); construction trades at Kaiser Richmond No. 4 (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives month-level campaign ranges (e.g., 'June and August 1944'); the precise day-level campaign dates come from NavSource (ev-02). Builder stated only as 'Kaiser, Inc.' - the Kaiser Cargo, Inc. Yard No. 4 attribution rests on the shipbuildinghistory hull table (ev-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-01
-
[3]NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-485 (page last updated 9 June 2023) - unit assignments, day-level campaign table, medal-period table, spec block, commanding-officer roster, NHHC/NARA-captioned photographs (live navsource.net URL verified 200 at fetch; navsource.org is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource USS LST-485 page - awards bar, campaign table, spec block, photo captions, CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LST-1 class; LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. G. B. Carter), LST Group Fifteen (CDR. V. K. Busck), LST Division Twenty-Nine. Campaign dates: Vella-Lavella occupation 18 Sep 1943 (temporary LST Group 15 flagship for the 19 Sep invasion, per photo captions); Treasury Island landings 27 Oct and 6 Nov 1943 (loaded New Zealand 3rd Division troops 25 Oct for the Mono Island landing); Saipan 15 Jun-10 Aug 1944; Tinian 24 Jul-10 Aug 1944; Okinawa Gunto 3 May-20 Jun 1945 (photographed beached 3 May 1945 with LST-78 and an unidentified LST while the 807th Engineer Aviation Battalion built unloading ramps). Occupation service 24 Feb-11 Mar 1946; China service 24 Jan-18 Feb 1946. Specs: 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; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC generators, twin screws 1,700 shp, twin rudders. CO roster from LT C. E. Stover through LTjg W. W. Escherich. NHHC photos NH 99567 (Mare Island, 20 May 1943) and NH 79011 (San Francisco Bay, 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Crew (1943-46); embarked troops incl. NZ 3rd Division; 807th Engineer Aviation Bn at Okinawa
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (volunteer-maintained photo archive) reproducing official records and captioned imagery - authoritative for unit assignments, dates, specs, and the photo record it hosts; it is not itself a primary government document and carries no asbestos or material content. Live page verified at navsource.net/archives/10/16/160485.htm; a bare /10/16/160485.htm URL (no /archives/) returns HTTP 500, and the defunct navsource.org domain is only reachable via Wayback.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-02
-
[4]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton), Kaiser Richmond No. 4 hull table - yard hull 40, MC hull 1005, Type S3-M-K2, construction milestones and days-on-ways figures [other_primary]
- Locator
- Kaiser Richmond No. 4 table, yard-hull row 40
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard hull 40 = LST 485, Maritime Commission type S3-M-K2, MC hull number 1005; keel laid 17 Dec 1942, launched 9 Jan 1943, delivered 19 May 1943; 115 days on the ways, 191 days in the water, 306 days total; disposition 'Scrapped 1948'. Table independently corroborates DANFS dates exactly and supplies the MC hull number, type designation, and Yard No. 4 attribution that DANFS's 'Kaiser, Inc.' leaves unspecified.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Kaiser Cargo Inc. Yard 4 construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Privately compiled reference built from Maritime Commission records - consistent with DANFS/NavSource on every shared field, but not itself a government document. 'Delivered 19 May 1943' is the delivery date; DANFS/NavSource carry the same date as the commissioning. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-03
-
[5]MARAD Vessel History Database, LST-485 detail (id 9408) + vessel status card scan (cards/489_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory detail 9408; status card cards/489_01.png
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD carries LST-485 as a Naval Combatant / 'LST Tank Landing Ship' with fate 'Sold - No Further Info' and no narrative, milestones, or documents. Its vessel status card is nearly blank but names 'Kaiser Company, Inc.' in the operator column under 'Basis to U.S.M.C.' / Navy-surplus agreement headings - consistent with DANFS's 29 March 1948 sale to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1948 (disposal record)
- Limitations
- The status card is almost entirely unfilled (no DWT, builder, or delivery data legible); it documents the disposal channel and buyer, nothing more. No asbestos content. The card image filename (489_01.png) does not correspond to the hull number - MARAD's internal card numbering.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-04
-
[6]HAER No. CA-326-L, Rosie the Riveter NHP / Kaiser Shipyards (Library of Congress) - Yard 4 as Kaiser Cargo Inc.'s LST assembly yard [haer]
- Locator
- HAER CA-326-L data pp. 17, 38-39 (Yard 4 / LST program sections)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- HAER documents that Kaiser Cargo, Inc.'s Richmond Yard 4 was the Richmond LST yard: an 'almost skeletal workforce at Yard 4 merely assembled ship components fabricated by subcontractors throughout northern California,' the LST program there 'encountered serious problems at almost every turn' securing usable plans and Diesel powerplants, and the yard went on to become lead yard for the frigate program. NPS's Historic Richmond Shipyards page confirms the four Kaiser Richmond yards formed the largest shipbuilding complex in America.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- Yard 4 trades - assemblers of subcontractor-fabricated sections
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation of Yard 4's LST program generally - it does not name LST-485 and contains no asbestos or material content (full-text search of the HAER PDF returns zero 'asbestos'/'insulation' hits). Establishes the construction method and site for this hull, nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-05
-
[7]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28:9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 - USPHS wartime survey [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28:9-16 (1946); PubMed record 21016030; full-text scans circulate via toxicdocs.org (doc MZaNa784kEm3b2XxZ1L70jka)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A U.S. Public Health Service industrial-health survey of pipe-covering operations during wartime Navy vessel construction: pipe covering on U.S. Navy vessels was amosite asbestos ('an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite'), with asbestos cloth and asbestos cement also in use; examinations and dust counts were run at two Government navy yards (A, B) and two Navy contract yards (C, D); of 1,074 pipe coverers X-rayed, three showed asbestosis, each with more than 20 years in the trade. The survey was triggered by an inspection of 'an important U.S. Navy Contract Yard' where pipe-covering dustiness was considerable and a few workers appeared to have asbestosis.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (survey window and publication)
- Population
- Pipe coverers at two Government navy yards and two Navy contract yards (wartime)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of wartime Navy-vessel construction, not a record for this hull: the four yards are anonymized (A-D) in the published paper, and no source consulted names Kaiser Richmond Yard 4 among them. It establishes that amosite pipe covering, asbestos cloth, and asbestos cement were standard aboard U.S. Navy vessels under construction in this period - which covers LST-485's build window - but does not prove their presence on this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-06
-
[8]Hedley-Whyte J, 'Asbestos and ship-building: fatal consequences,' Ulster Med J 77(3):193-198 (Sep 2008), PMC2604477 - peer-reviewed historical review [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ulster Med J 77(3), PMC2604477, shipbuilding-expansion and conservation-order sections
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Documents the asbestos-supply regime in force during this hull's construction: the US classified asbestos as a critical material and began stockpiling in 1939; the first Asbestos Conservation order was issued 20 January 1942, essentially banning non-military use and giving priority to merchant and U.S./Royal Navy shipbuilding; regulations were tightened further in December 1942 - the month LST-485's keel was laid - and held until December 1944, with all orders revoked by 31 August 1945. The review also lists the Permanente yards at Richmond among the Pacific Coast emergency yards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1939-1945 (orders); 2008 (publication)
- Population
- U.S. wartime shipbuilding industry
- Limitations
- Regulatory/industrial-historical context at program level - establishes that asbestos was federally reserved for shipbuilding during the exact construction window, not that any specific product was aboard this hull. Secondary scholarly review, not a primary document; no yard- or hull-level attribution beyond naming the Permanente Richmond yards among wartime Pacific yards.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-07
-
[9]Polakoff PL, 'Bay Area Asbestos Surveillance Project (BAASP)' (1980), CDC Stacks / NIOSH bibliography record 185002 [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record 185002 (NIOSH-provided description)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- NIOSH-cataloged report of a screening project for San Francisco Bay-area workers - including women - who had worked in shipyards during WWII and believed they had been exposed to asbestos before 1963: of 2,244 workers examined by X-ray, 46 percent showed potentially serious abnormality and 30 percent questionable abnormality; of 208 longshoremen, 41 percent potentially serious; of 186 women, 26 percent potentially serious. The Richmond Kaiser yards - where this hull was built - were the largest shipbuilding complex in the Bay Area population screened.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- screening ~1980; exposure window pre-1963
- Population
- WWII SF Bay-area shipyard and longshore workers (incl. women)
- Limitations
- Regional population context only: the NIOSH abstract does not break results out by yard and does not name Kaiser Richmond Yard 4 or this hull. Establishes that WWII Bay Area shipyard work produced a documented asbestos-disease burden - the construction workforce context for this hull - nothing more.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-08
-
[10]Consolidated era inference - BuShips Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) LST machinery table (shipscribe.com scan) + era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; lst-1-class class profile
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LST-1-class hulls: no boilers - asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. BuShips SDB v2 confirms this hull's machinery fit (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, ~1,700 shp, Falk reduction gears, 11.6 kt).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Construction trades (Richmond No. 4, 1942-43); crew (1943-46); scrapping trades (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/design inference only - no ship-level asbestos record exists for LST-485. Establishes no quantities, no fiber content of specific components, and no exposure for any individual. The diesel plant rules out the boiler/turbine steam-lagging pathway dominant in steam vessels.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 searches, opinion index: exact-phrase queries "LST-485", "LST 485", and "USS LST-485" (authenticated, 2026-10-02) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-lst-485-10 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CourtListener exact-phrase opinion searches for "LST-485", "LST 485", and "USS LST-485" all returned zero results - no opinion naming this hull located in the opinion index.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Coverage is limited to the opinion index; the RECAP docket-index search was attempted repeatedly but returned fleet-pacing HTTP 429 - that sweep is open, not negative. Absence from the opinion index does not exclude trial-level or docket mentions; hull-number-only ships litigate under their number.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-10
-
[12]Batch-6991 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC live; NavSource live + Wayback cross-check; Kaiser Richmond No. 4 hull table; MARAD vessel-history detail + status card; NVR; HAER CA-326-L + NPS Richmond pages; PubMed/PMC/CDC Stacks; NavSource-hosted LST Flotilla Five war-diary scans; CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-485-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed case naming LST-485 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- 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 - wartime construction under WPB asbestos-conservation orders is era-consistent with installed asbestos materials. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Hull scrapped 1948 - no surviving museum/NDRF track exists for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-11
-
[13]LST Flotilla Five war diaries, May 1944 and July 1944 (NavSource-hosted scans) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/16/pdf/lst flot 5 war diary may 1944.pdf (and july 1944)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource hosts scanned LST Flotilla Five war diaries (May 1944; July 1944) - the flotilla this hull was assigned to (Group Fifteen / Division Twenty-Nine). The PDFs are image-only scans with no text layer; whether they document LST-485's movements is unverified.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the scans were downloaded but contain no text layer, so no content could be read or cited from them. OCR or NARA retrieval of the original reports is the open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-485-12