Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[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-486-lst486-pkt-679-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-486 (NHHC, live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-486 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-486 was laid down on 31 December 1942 at Richmond, Calif., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched on 16 January 1943; and commissioned on 29 May 1943.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; operations: capture and occupation of Saipan (June-July 1944), Tinian (July 1944), Leyte landings (October 1944), Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945). Redesignated LSTH-486 on 15 September 1945; occupation duty in the Far East until early January 1946; decommissioned 13 January 1946; operated by the Shipping Control Authority, Japan, 'until destroyed on 23 July 1947'; struck from the Navy list 28 August 1947; four battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond construction trades (1942-43); commissioned crew 1943-46; SCAJAP crews 1946-47
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material-content information. The live NHHC text reads 'destroyed on 23 July 1947' - the HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the same DANFS entry prints '23 July 1946,' a mirror transcription defect (see correction row ev-08). Decommission date conflicts with NavSource's 12 January 1946 (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST(H)-486 ex USS LST-486 - timeline, flotilla assignments, specifications, commanding officers, NARA-captioned photography (live fetch via navsource.net, 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160486.htm - header timeline, campaign table, occupation-service table, specifications block, commanding officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 31 December 1942 at Kaiser, Inc., Richmond, CA; launched 16 January 1943; commissioned USS LST-486, 29 May 1943. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater - LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. G. B. Carter), LST Group Fifteen (CDR. V. K. Busck), LST Division Twenty-Nine; later LST Flotilla Three, LST Group Eight, LST Division Sixteen. Campaigns: Saipan 15 June-30 July 1944; Tinian 24-30 July 1944; Leyte 20 October 1944; Lingayen Gulf 4-15 January 1945. Redesignated Landing Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-486, 15 September 1945. Navy Occupation Service qualifying periods 25-29 Sep, 20 Oct-1 Nov, 18 Nov-21 Dec 1945, and 3-13 Jan 1946. Decommissioned 12 January 1946 and transferred to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority (SCAJAP), redesignated Q011; struck 28 August 1947; final disposition destroyed 23 July 1947. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, Falk main reduction gears, two propellers 1,700 shp, 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP. COs: LT. Edward C. Shea USNR (29 May 1943 - May 1945); LT. Donald E. Snowdon USNR (May 1945 - 12 Jan 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Commissioned crew (~117 ship's company + embarked troops up to ~163); SCAJAP Q011 crews
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but the 12 January 1946 decommissioning conflicts with DANFS's 13 January (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. The specifications block is class-standard LST-1 data displayed on this hull's page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-02
-
[4]National Archives Catalog: USS LST-486 - War Diary series (23 file units covering 29 May 1943 - 30 April 1945, e.g. NAID 78706236 for 11/1-30/44; one unit, June 1944, is cataloged under the typo title 'USS LAT 486', NAID 78537884) plus dedicated action reports: USS LST-486 Rep of Landing Ops, Invasion of Leyte Is. 10/20-24/44 (NAID 78650408) and Rep of Landing Ops, Invasion of Lingayen Gulf (NAID 139819397); RG 38, digitized in the NARA-Fold3 collaboration, unrestricted [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog records search 'LST-486' - NAIDs 78706236, 78650408, 139819397, and 22 further monthly war-diary file units (see search_ledger)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An unusually complete primary-record trail exists for this hull: NARA holds and has digitized twenty-three monthly USS LST-486 war-diary file units spanning May 1943 through April 1945 (one, June 1944, cataloged under the typo title 'USS LAT 486') plus ship-specific action reports for the Leyte and Lingayen Gulf assaults. These contemporaneous operational records are where battle damage, repair, and maintenance events - the material-disturbance events relevant to any later exposure analysis - would be documented. Catalog records verified live via the NARA Catalog API; full text is Fold3-hosted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (record coverage); catalog verified 2026-10-02
- Population
- LST-486 crew and embarked units 1943-45 (records creator: ship's officers)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the diaries were catalog-verified but not reviewed page-by-page for this record; nothing in the catalog metadata addresses asbestos or shipboard materials. Fold3 image pages return HTTP 403 to automated fetch - content requires Fold3 access or NARA reading room. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-03
-
[5]NARA photography documented via NavSource captions: US Navy photos 80-G-224500 (San Diego, 2 Jan 1944), 80-G-224489, 80-G-224492, 80-G-224516, 80-G-224532 (Acorn Training, San Clemente, 9 Jan 1944), from the US Navy photo collection at NARA II, College Park; U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 254880 / NARA ID 80662621 (Leyte beaches, 21 Oct 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160486.htm photo captions (80-G series; 111-SCA-2857 / NAID 80662621); photos.usni.org 438599
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held photography documents this hull's 1944 operating history: loading and unloading Army equipment at San Diego and beached at San Clemente during Acorn Training, 2-9 January 1944; and at Leyte on 21 October 1944 among eight LSTs on the Orange and Blue beaches, where she took a Japanese mortar hit on her main deck between frames 14 and 15 - no casualties (caption cites the LST-704 War Diary and COMLSTFLOT3 War Diary for the strike detail and the flotilla's casualties). USNI Photo Archives also holds image 438599, LST-486 underway from a West Coast base with Navy Seabees, 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- January 1944; October 1944
- Population
- Crew and embarked Army units (483 AAA Battalions A and B at San Diego, 2 Jan 1944); LST-486 complement at Leyte
- Limitations
- Photography establishes presence and one documented main-deck mortar strike with no casualties - it does not establish repair scope or material content. NARA photo metadata and the casualty/strike detail are transcribed from NavSource captions; NARA catalog records for the individual photo IDs were not independently fetched this session. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-04
-
[6]Shipbuilding History / Naval Marine Archive mirror, Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 production table (secondary compilation); corroborated by NPS Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front NHP, 'Historic Richmond Shipyards' (four Kaiser yards; 747 ships incl. 15 tank landing ships) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com Kaiser Richmond No. 4 table row 41 (LST 486); nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/historic-richmond-shipyards.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary production-table detail for this hull: Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4, yard number 41, Maritime Commission (MARCOM) type S3-M-K2, MC hull 1006; laid down 31 December 1942, launched 16 January 1943, delivered/commissioned 29 May 1943; 108 days on the ways, 302 days total; 'Destroyed 1947.' NPS documents the Kaiser Richmond complex - four yards, 747 vessels 1940-1946 including 15 tank landing ships - as the largest shipbuilding concentration in America.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (construction); 1940-1946 (yard operation)
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 construction trades, 1942-43
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary registry - the yard-number, MC-hull, and type-code attributions are consistent with DANFS dates but are not themselves a primary record; carried as identity detail only. The shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net origin site returned HTTP 500 this session; the Naval Marine Archive mirror (same compiled data) was used. No asbestos content in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-05
-
[7]Consolidated era inference built on: NavSource LST-486 specifications block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp - diesel plant, no boilers); lst-1-class class profile (LST-1 group design data, BuShips SDB-1945 v2 as cited there); shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json documented product list for kaiser-shipyards; Corn & Starr 1987 (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; lst-1-class.class.json (class-f) propulsion/complement fields; shipyards.json kaiser-shipyards product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this diesel-powered WWII amphibious hull: with no steam plant aboard, the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway does not apply; asbestos-relevant applications for an LST-1-class hull of 1943 were diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. The September 1945 LST(H) hospital redesignation is associated with interior rework that era practice executed with asbestos-containing insulation and surfacing materials - inference at class level, not documented work aboard this hull. The hull was built inside the federal asbestos-for-shipbuilding era at Kaiser Richmond, a yard whose wartime insulation/fireproofing product use is documented at yard level in the Atlas shipyard dataset.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond construction trades (1942-43); commissioned crew 1943-46 incl. engine-room ratings; hospital-conversion and SCAJAP personnel (1945-47); Japanese crews under SCAJAP
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package was located for LST-486/LST(H)-486. Names era-typical applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities, no manufacturer attribution. The class profile's BuShips SDB-1945 citation URL (shipscribe.com) returned 404 this session and is not independently re-verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-06
-
[8]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) - PMID 3555021, DOI verified via NCBI E-utilities 2026-10-02 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; PubMed PMID 3555021
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency-shipbuilding program under which this Kaiser-built LST was mass-produced - and that the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the Kaiser Richmond yard specifically for this hull, and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Wiley full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; bibliographic identity verified via PubMed (PMID 3555021).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-07
-
[9]Cross-check: live NHHC DANFS text vs HyperWar/ibiblio DANFS transcription (https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/LST/lst486.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS lst-486.html vs ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/LST/lst486.html - final-disposition sentence
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the widely mirrored HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the DANFS LST-486 entry reads 'until destroyed on 23 July 1946' - the live NHHC DANFS page (authoritative current text, verified 2026-10-02) reads 'until destroyed on 23 July 1947,' consistent with NavSource's 'Final Disposition, destroyed, 23 July 1947' and with the strike date of 28 August 1947 (a hull destroyed a year before striking is implausible in the SCAJAP record sequence). The 1946 reading is a mirror/transcription defect; 23 July 1947 is carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1947 (event); transcription defect undated
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating date defect in a commonly cited mirror. The live NHHC page is the controlling text; HyperWar's own entry otherwise matches verbatim. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-08
-
[10]EPA CERCLA site record: KAISER ALUM & CHEM CO SHIPYARD #2, Cutting & Wright to the Bay, Richmond, CA 94804 (EPA ID CAD980637557, Region 9) - NPL status: Not on the NPL; Non-NPL status: NFRAP ('site does not qualify for the NPL based on existing information'); live page verified 2026-10-02 [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA CERCLA cumulis csitinfo.cfm?id=0901909 (Site Information block); dtsc.ca.gov SiteCleanup/Projects/Kaiser_Richmond_Shipyard.cfm (403)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Federal environmental record exists for the Kaiser Richmond shipyard property where this hull was built: the former Kaiser yard site (recorded by EPA under the name Kaiser Alum & Chem Co Shipyard #2) is a documented CERCLA-evaluated property - a yard-level environmental record for the builder complex. The California DTSC Richmond Harbor/Kaiser shipyard cleanup file (Site ID 400137001) also exists but the DTSC page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-1946 (operations); CERCLA evaluation 1980s+
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond wartime workforce (peak ~90,000+); remediation-period populations
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation only - does not name this hull, does not list asbestos as the contaminant of record (NFRAP determination), and establishes nothing about materials aboard LST-486. Yard-attribution caveat: the EPA record names the Shipyard #2 parcel; secondary tables place this hull's construction at Yard No. 4 - the CERCLA record documents the Kaiser Richmond complex's environmental footprint, not the specific building yard parcel. DTSC page blocked (403) - access gap logged in search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-09
-
[11]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, HTTP 403)
- 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 (1942-43) and service/disposal era (1943-47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 confirmed 2026-10-02 - same standing block as Batches 01 and 98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-10
-
[12]Batch-6992 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; NavSource 160486 live fetch; NARA Catalog API ('LST-486' - 22 war-diary file units + 2 action reports); EPA CERCLA live page; PubMed E-utilities; CourtListener API v4 (exact-phrase queries, opinions + RECAP dockets: both zero); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-486-01 through sl-uss-lst-486-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material schedule, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming LST-486/LST(H)-486 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-phrase searches '"LST-486"' returned zero results on both the opinion index (type=o) and the RECAP docket index (type=r); an unquoted query returned 113 BM25 hits none of which contained the literal hull designation - token noise, not cases. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and - unusually for a WWII hull - not even law-firm listicle coverage asserting asbestos aboard.
- 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 - era-consistent construction and the documented wartime insulation economy make asbestos aboard likely but ship-unproven. The digitized NARA war diaries and action reports are an open archival lead not yet read for material events; the circumstances of the 1947 SCAJAP destruction are undocumented. CourtListener name variants ('USS LST-486', 'LST 486', 'LST(H)-486') could not be run within fleet pacing - the exact-phrase searches are the verified coverage. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-486-11