Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet 680-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (date-sequence anomaly in source
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-493-lst493-pkt-680-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-493 (verbatim transcription at HyperWar/ibiblio; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-493 entry (full entry, 3 paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-493 was laid down on 9 August 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 4 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Charles M. Hoagland; and commissioned on 13 December 1943. During World War II, LST-493 was assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. She grounded while attempting to enter Plymouth Harbor, England, on 12 April 1945 and was broken up and destroyed. The ship was struck from the Navy list on 19 May 1945. LST-493 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (Aug-Dec 1943); crew (Dec 1943-Apr 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Entry is brief - no complement, no detailed service narrative. Live NHHC canonical URL (history.navy.mil .../danfs/l/lst-493.html) returned 404 on 2026-10-02 for both URL variants and no Wayback capture exists; verbatim transcription cited per batch precedent.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-493 (10/16/160493) - timeline, specifications, campaign table, commanding officer, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160493.htm header, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions, CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource for this hull: LST-491 Class Tank Landing Ship; laid down 9 August 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 4 October 1943; commissioned USS LST-493 13 December 1943, LT. Francis P. Rossiter, USNR, in command (sole CO, through 12 April 1945). Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign: Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944. Final disposition: lost by grounding at Plymouth, UK, 12 April 1945; decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register 19 May 1945; one battle star. Call sign NPDD. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kts trial; endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kts; 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 100 kW DC generators, 1,700 shp, twin screws/rudders. Photo series documents offloading at Normandy (c. 7 Jun 1944 - 9 Apr 1945) and the hull hard aground on the Plymouth breakwater (bow, stern, beam views).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Construction trades (1943); crew (1943-45); embarked troops incl. Durham Light Infantry (Normandy)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates track DANFS and the yard build table; verified live 2026-10-02 (navsource.net domain; navsource.org is dead). Contains no asbestos content. Complement is a class specification block, not a muster count for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-02
-
[4]Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, 1945 volume (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) - entry of 12 April 1945 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1945.html, 12 April Thu., Europe section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official chronology entry for 12 April 1945 (Thu.), Europe section: 'Off Plymouth, England tank landing ship LST-493 sinks after running aground, 50 deg 20 min N, 04 deg 09 min W.' Fixes the loss date and the official loss position.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-04-12
- Population
- Crew at time of loss (complement ~117 per class spec; actual aboard unverified)
- Limitations
- 'Sinks after running aground' is compressed chronology wording - the hull grounded on the Breakwater and was broken up where she lay (per SHIPS Project and DANFS); she did not sink in deep water. Position 50 20 N, 04 09 W corroborated by uboat.net (secondary). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-03
-
[5]ShipbuildingHistory.com, 'Missouri Valley Bridge, Evansville IN' yard table - per-hull build record; yard history [other_primary]
- Locator
- missourivalley.htm, yard table row hull no. 48 (pennant 493) + page header notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard table row for this hull: yard hull no. 48, LST type, pennant 493, FY1943, keel laid 8/9/43, launched 10/4/43, delivered 12/13/43 - 56 days on the ways, 70 days in the water, 126 days total; disposition 'Wrecked near Plymouth 1945 and scrapped.' Yard context from same page: the Evansville yard was built for the war effort and closed after the war; the plant was destroyed by fire in 1946; Missouri Valley built 171 LSTs at Evansville plus LCTs, lighters, and seaplane derricks at Leavenworth, KS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades, Evansville (1943)
- Limitations
- Specialist-compiled yard table (Tim Colton's ShipbuildingHistory) - secondary but build-table data is registry-grade and consistent with DANFS/NavSource. Dates are keel/launch/delivery (delivery = commissioning date here). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-04
-
[6]Peter Holt, A History of Plymouth's Breakwater Fort (The SHIPS Project CIC, Plymouth UK, 2024; ISBN 978-1-7397053-3-6) - shipwreck section (archived copy; live URL 404) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SHIPSBreakwaterFort.pdf, 'Nearby Shipwrecks' section, ~p. 23, Figure 18 passage
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Local maritime-archaeology publication documents the wreck: 'Another large vessel was the U.S. Landing Ship Tank LST493. On 12th April 1945, she drove straight onto the western end of the Breakwater at night and in rough weather due to a navigation error, unable to free the trapped ship she was broken up where she lay in December 1946.' Establishes the western-end breakwater location, the navigation-error loss mode, and the December 1946 in-situ breakup.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- 1946 breakup/scrapping workforce on the breakwater
- Limitations
- Local-history/archaeology project publication - credible site documentation (the Project surveys Plymouth Sound wrecks) but not a government record. Live PDF URL returns 404; verified via Wayback capture 2025-08-07, labeled archived. December 1946 breakup date is unique to this source. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-05
-
[7]The D-Day Story, Portsmouth (Portsmouth City Council museum) collection catalog, item 2014/58/296 - crew letter re LST 493, LST and Landing Craft Association archive [museum_official]
- Locator
- D-Day Story collection item 2014/58/296 (memoir)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official museum catalog record (verified live): 'A 1 page handwritten letter written by Clark M. Page, addressed to Tony Chapman, archivist of the LST and Landing Craft Association. Page served as a crew member on Landing Ship, Tank (LST) 493. The LST sailed under an American flag even though it was manned by British sailors. The ship landed on Gold Beach carrying troops of the Durham Light Infantry.' Documents a crew-member letter naming this hull, the Gold Beach landing, and the Durham Light Infantry troop lift.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (Normandy period)
- Population
- Crew (letter writer Clark M. Page); Durham Light Infantry embarked troops
- Limitations
- Catalog summary of a letter (primary artifact) - the letter itself is in store, viewable by appointment, not digitized. CONFLICT: 'manned by British sailors' contradicts US records (USNR commanding officer LT. Rossiter throughout; a BBC People's War memoirist aboard describes himself as 'the only one from the British navy aboard an American ship'). Carried as an archival lead + documented discrepancy - not adopted as fact. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-06
-
[8]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LST 493 (LST 493) - data table [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/11553.html data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary warship database (verified live): LST (Mk 2) class; built by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville; ordered 9 March 1943; laid down 9 Aug 1943; launched 4 Oct 1943; commissioned 13 Dec 1943; lost 12 Apr 1945; 'Wrecked off Plymouth, England in position 50 deg 20 min N, 04 deg 09 min W.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary database - the 9 March 1943 contract/order date appears in no official source located and rests on this source alone. All other fields corroborate primary sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-07
-
[9]National Park Service, 'Evansville, Indiana' (American World War II Heritage City program page, updated Sep 5, 2024) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS Evansville article, WWII Heritage City section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government documentation of the builder yard: 'In February 1942, the Department of Navy constructed the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. Shipyard, also called the Evansville Shipyard. Placed along the Ohio River, the forty-acre plant built 300 feet by 50 feet wide landing ship tanks (LST). Shift workers maintained rapid production throughout the war, resulting in one ship every four days in 1944 and a total of 167 LSTs produced by February 1945... the Evansville Shipyard [was] the largest inland producer of oceangoing ships.' Establishes the wartime cornfield-yard build context for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron yard workforce (peak ~19,000 per labor-history sources)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history; LST-493 not named. Establishes that a Navy-constructed emergency yard mass-produced this hull at high tempo (Aug-Dec 1943 window consistent with the page's production figures). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-08
-
[10]Woolsey v. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., 119 Ind. App. 391, 88 N.E.2d 54 (Ind. Ct. App. 1949), No. 17,878 (CourtListener opinion 3428445) [court_record]
- Locator
- CL opinion 3428445, Royse J. lead opinion; citations 119 Ind. App. 391, 88 N.E.2d 54, 1949 Ind. App. LEXIS 196
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The only litigation located tied to this hull's builder: a wartime occupational-disease claim - NOT asbestos. Decedent Elbert Woolsey worked for Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron 'as a pipe fitter in the compartment of ships from June 21, 1944 to November 11, 1944,' died 29 Oct 1945; his estate alleged death from 'inhaling fumes and gases from galvanized metal being welded' under the Indiana Workmen's Occupational Diseases Act. The Industrial Board found no compensable occupational disease; the Court of Appeals AFFIRMED denial of compensation (merits-level defense win on causation, not a pleading allegation). Documents wartime confined-space ship-compartment work at this yard and the occupational-disease claims posture of the era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- MVB&I pipe fitters/ship-compartment trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level case, not hull-specific - decedent's Jun-Nov 1944 employment postdates LST-493's Dec 1943 delivery (she was already in England). The toxicant alleged was galvanized-metal welding fumes (metal fume fever/zinc poisoning theory), NOT asbestos - this is 'other litigation,' not qualifying asbestos litigation, and it was decided AGAINST the claimant on causation. Included as builder-yard occupational-health context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-09
-
[11]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan; carried from lst-1-class class profile ev-lst-1-class-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data for the LST-491 design group: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t light / 3,960-4,080 t trial, 11.6 kt, two GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp; accommodations 13 officers/106 enlisted. Confirms this hull's machinery plant is diesel - no boilers, hence no boiler/turbine steam lagging pathway.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Class design table, not a hull record - confirms the machinery plant type for the LST491-541 block only. 106-enlisted figure vs NavSource's 104 is a minor spec variant (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-10
-
[12]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery data + era amphibious-ship construction practice (carried from lst-1-class class profile ev-lst-1-class-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class technical data; BuShips machinery data
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered WWII LST: no boilers - asbestos-relevant applications aboard a ship of this type and period were GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve packing, and winch/crane brake linings. Insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- MVB&I construction trades (1943); crew incl. engine-room ratings (1943-45); 1946 scrapping workforce
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-493, and none can be expected (hull lost 1945, scrapped in situ 1946, pre-regulation era). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-11
-
[13]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 and service era (1943-1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- 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, standing since 2026-09-14 batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-12
-
[14]Batch-6999 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource; Cressman chronology; builder-yard table; SHIPS Project; D-Day Story catalog; uboat.net; NPS Evansville; Woolsey opinion; NARA/Fold3 leads; CourtListener (paced); secondary litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-493-01 through sl-uss-lst-493-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-493 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated sweeps completed 2026-10-02 - 'LST-493' and 'USS LST-493' in opinions AND RECAP dockets, plus 'LST 493' in dockets and 'LST 493' + asbestos in opinions: all returned zero hits. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and almost no 'asbestos aboard' marketing content for this hull; law-firm jobsite lists name the Evansville yard, not this ship - 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's 1943 wartime construction and 1945-46 in-situ breakup leave essentially no documentary trail (no abatement regime existed). CourtListener zero-hit results are a true negative for indexed litigation but PACER coverage is not exhaustive, esp. for pre-electronic state cases. Fold3 WWII muster rolls for 'LST 493' (31 Mar 1944) exist but are paywalled (HTTP 403); NARA RG 24 deck logs undigitized/uncatalogued. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-493-13