Evidence
17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).
-
[1]research packet 682-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: USS LST-506 (never named)
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-506-lst506-pkt-682-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'LST-506' (Vol. VII, 1981, LST group section pp. 569-731) - verbatim transcription via HistoryCentral; NavSource reprint corroborates. Live NHHC individual page (history.navy.mil .../danfs/l/lst-506.html) returned 404 on 2026-10-02 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HistoryCentral 'History of LST' DANFS transcription, LST-506 paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 19 August 1943 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched 4 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Frank Pigeon; commissioned 3 January 1944. 'During World War II, LST-506 was assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Following the war, she returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 24 July 1947 and struck from the Navy list on 28 August that same year. On 4 December 1947, the ship was sold to the Southern Trading Co., Philadelphia, Pa., for operation. LST-506 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- JeffBoat construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Entry text quoted verbatim from the DANFS transcription mirror (HistoryCentral) and corroborated by NavSource's reprint; the canonical NHHC individual page 404s and the NHHC Vol. VII group page was not located live - mirror reliance is an access gap, not a sourcing defect.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-01
-
[3]NHHC photo catalog, 80-G-252172 'Normandy Invasion, June 1944' (National Archives copy photo) - verified live 2026-10-02 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online photo catalog, catalog no. 80-G-252172
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC/NARA catalog caption places this hull at pre-invasion loading: 'Four LST's take vehicles aboard during pre-invasion loading operations at an English port. Circa early June 1944. Ships present include: USS LST-496; USS LST-506; USS LST-291.' The image (bows of 'US 496' and 'US 506' visible) is also the image MARAD carries on this hull's status-card page.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- Embarked Army troops and vehicle crews loading at the English port; ship's company
- Limitations
- Physical-presence documentation - confirms the ship loading for Normandy at an English port in early June 1944. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-506 (10/16/160506) - build/milestone block, ONI-1945 specifications, CO table, awards line, and crew photograph series (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160506.htm header block, specifications block, CO table, photo-caption column
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 19 August 1943 at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN; launched 4 November 1943; commissioned USS LST-506 3 January 1944, LTjg. Melvin R. Downes, USNR, in command; EAME theater, Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; decommissioned 24 July 1947; struck 28 August 1947; one battle star; sold 4 December 1947 to Southern Trading Co., Philadelphia, 'fate unknown.' Specifications (labeled ONI-1945): 1,625 t light / 4,080 t fl; 328' oa x 50'; 11.6 kt trial; 13 officers/104 enlisted; troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; 2 x GM 12-567A diesels 900 hp each, Falk reduction gears, twin screws, 1,700 shp; 3 x 100 kW DC generators. CO table: Downes (Jan 1944-Nov 1945), LTjg. E. A. Tracy (Nov 1945-1946), LTjg. George T. Walker (1946-24 Jul 1947). Contributor photo captions (Robert Hurst; crewman Robert Edwin Seger RM3/c via granddaughter Kathleen Mayo Kendrick; Ens. W. R. Santschi USS LST-509; Roger D. Kruse RD/2c family): loading LCT-80 for the European theater; 'USS LST-506 of Force B that loaded at Falmouth and Plymouth and arrived in the western Task Force area on 6/7 June,' with LST-496 beached to starboard; moored Falmouth 1944; drydocked at Falmouth 22 September 1944; unloading vehicles at Drammen, Norway (postwar, date unknown); at anchor 1945; beached at Mill Creek, Solomons, MD June 1946; New Haven CT Navy Day ~1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Crew 1944-47 incl. named members (Seger, Kruse, Daniels); Normandy embarked troops; postwar reserve/lay-up handling at Solomons MD
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS (ev-01) and captions carry NARA/NHHC numbers where official; the Force B/western-Task-Force attribution and the postwar-port captions are contributor-level detail not independently verified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-03
-
[5]National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection (Admiral Nimitz Foundation), accession OH03212 - 'Oral History Interview with Joseph Doyon, March 16, 2011,' audio 1:56:29 + transcript (metapth1605939), via The Portal to Texas History, UNT Libraries (verified live 2026-10-02) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Portal to Texas History item metapth1609747 (audio) / metapth1605939 (transcript), NMPW OH03212; description and keyword fields
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Crew-member primary account for this hull: Joseph Doyon, a former Bath Iron Works machinist who joined the Navy March 1943, served aboard USS LST-506 as an engineman on an LCVP; per the museum's description he 'took part in the landing on 6 June at Normandy,' describes 'picking up wounded on the beach and several Asian POWs in German uniforms,' the difficulty getting LSTs ashore, and an incident in which he used signal flags to direct one away from a mine field. He later joined an LCVP detachment for the Rhine crossing and finished the war on Kwajalein.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (interview 2011)
- Population
- Crew (LCVP enginemen/boat crews), 1944
- Limitations
- First-person oral history recorded 2011 - wartime memory, not a contemporaneous record; establishes that an engineman worked LCVP operations from this hull at Normandy. Content concerns boat operations and combat, not shipboard materials - no asbestos content; no exposure claim made or implied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-04
-
[6]National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection, accession OH00826 - 'Oral History Interview with Charles Schaub, April 4, 2003,' transcript 15 pp., via The Portal to Texas History (verified live 2026-10-02) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Portal to Texas History item metapth1604275, NMPW OH00826, description field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Decommissioning-locale documentation: Schaub, a radioman, 'was transferred to the Brooklyn Naval Receiving Station in April 1947 to decommission USS LST-506.' Combined with DANFS/NavSource (decommissioned 24 July 1947), this places the inactivation work at the Brooklyn Naval Receiving Station, New York, spring-summer 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1947
- Population
- Decommissioning detail (receiving-station draft crew), Apr-Jul 1947
- Limitations
- First-person oral history; establishes a named sailor assigned to the decommissioning party and the locale - does not by itself describe the inactivation scope or any material handling. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-05
-
[7]The National WWII Museum Digital Collections, accession 2013.495.469 - 'US servicemen using tractors to tow equipment onto LSTs, England, 1944' (verified live 2026-10-02) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ww2online.org item page, accession 2013.495.469, unit tags
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum-cataloged photograph with official front caption 'Loading in England for Normandy invasion. US Navy Photo 108-12' - tagged units LST-496 and LST-506, campaign Normandy (June 1944), England 1944. The museum's collection note states these Official Photos Company reproductions derive from originals in the National Archives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Embarked troops and loading crews, England, 1944
- Limitations
- Museum unit tags corroborate the same pre-invasion loading scene as NHHC 80-G-252172 (ev-02). Tag-level identification only; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-06
-
[8]American Battle Monuments Commission, WWII Memorial Registry, honoree plaque 39271 - Anthony J. Zigment, U.S. Navy, Scranton, PA (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- wwiiregistry.abmc.gov honoree_id=39271, 'Activity During WWII' field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- U.S. government registry entry (ABMC): 'SERVED ABOARD THE USS LST-506 AND WAS AT OMAHA BEACH ON D-DAY IN EUROPE. SERVED AS PHARMACIST'S MATE 2ND CLASS.' Places this hull at Omaha Beach on D-Day from a named crew member's registry entry - consistent with the NavSource caption placing her in the western Task Force area 6/7 June 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- Crew (medical department: pharmacist's mate), 1944
- Limitations
- Registry content is registrant-submitted; ABMC hosts the plaque but the wording is the veteran's/family's. Corroborates beach assignment; not a deck-log-level confirmation. No asbestos content; no exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-07
-
[9]USA Today (AP), 'France presents its highest award to veterans of WWII,' 6 June 2004 - Legion of Honor presentation incl. Pasquale Guidice (verified live 2026-10-02) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- usatoday30.usatoday.com article body
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Veteran account via wire coverage: Pasquale Guidice, then 85, 'was a mechanic on the USS LST 506. On D-Day and in the months that followed, he made 50 trips ferrying men, jeeps and gasoline across the English Channel.' Corroborates that the hull stayed on the Normandy shuttle run through the campaign window DANFS records (6-25 June 1944) and beyond.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Crew (mechanics/engine room ratings), 1944
- Limitations
- Reputable-press veteran interview - the '50 trips' figure is the veteran's own account, not a logbook count. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-08
-
[10]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - LST-506, Detail 9413, incl. status-card image LST-506_9413_001.jpg (verified live 2026-10-02) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 9413 fields + /images/LST-506_9413_001.jpg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official registry record for this hull: Year Built 1943; Shipyard 'Jefersonville [sic] Boat and Machine Company'; General Type 'Naval Combatant'; Specific Type 'LST Tank Landing Ship'; MARAD Type 'Military'; Gross 3,343 / Net 2,701 tons; Cargo Capacity 120,218 sq ft; Fate 'Sold - No Further Info.' The record's single attached image is the NARA photograph 80-G-252172 (the four-LST pre-invasion loading scene, ev-02).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Thin registry record: no milestone rows, no documents, no status-card text beyond the image - 'Sold - No Further Info' is consistent with the direct 1947 Navy sale to Southern Trading Co. (a non-MARAD disposal). The misspelled builder name is reproduced as printed. No asbestos, materials, or condition information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-09
-
[11]Naval Marine Archive (Picton, Ont.) ships database, LST 506 record, Official Number U256886, bibliographic sources Tim Colton 'Shipbuilding History' (R370) + NMA staff (R337); corroborated by Colton's JeffBoat self-propelled-vessels list at shipbuildinghistory.com (both verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NMA ships/75570 primary-info and remarks fields; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/jeffboat.htm table row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Merchant-registry documentation of the post-Navy career: U.S. Official No. 256886; built Jeffersonville, Ind. (record dates 'built' to the 1944-01-03 delivery); 'Sold 1947 as Southern Counties, later Bethcoaster.' Colton's JeffBoat yard list carries the same row ('256886 | LST 506 | US Navy | Landing Ship | 1,625d | 328 | 3-Jan-44 | Sold 1947 as Southern Counties, later Bethcoaster'). The DANFS 'fate unknown' is therefore partially resolved at registry level: the hull was documented for U.S. merchant service and operated under at least two names.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1947-1970s
- Population
- Merchant crews, Southern Counties / Bethcoaster service (1947 onward)
- Limitations
- Registry-level data only - names and official number, not operating history. Secondary detail circulating (Bethlehem Steel purchase 1953, barge conversion late 1970s) is not in these records and is not adopted (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-10
-
[12]Source-conflict resolution: Colton 'Landing Ships, Tank (2/4)' LST table vs. the same author's JeffBoat yard list and the NMA registry; plus HyperWar mirror of the CNO's official U.S. Navy at War Appendix C casualty table for the June 1944 claim check [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lstpart2/ LST-506 row vs shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/jeffboat.htm row + NMA 75570; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USNatWar/USN-King-C.html (LST-314/376 entries); ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-ls.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION / EXCLUSIONS: (a) Colton's own LST index table (lstpart2) lists LST-506's disposition as 'scrapped 1948,' conflicting with his JeffBoat yard list and the NMA registry (sold 1947; merchant service as Southern Counties, then Bethcoaster under documented O.N. 256886). The merchant-registry trail controls; 'scrapped 1948' is treated as a table error. (b) A circulating secondary claim (vintagedieseldesign.com) that LST-506 'survived a U-Boat attack on June 9th' [1944] is not adopted: the documented 9 June 1944 losses in the area were LST-314 and LST-376, torpedoed by German E-boats per the CNO's official casualty appendix; the HyperWar USN landing-craft table carries LST-506 for the full 1942-45 period with no damage or loss annotation, and no official or museum source names her in that action.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Corrects registry-level and secondary-source errors; does not establish any material fact beyond what the controlling sources state. The exclusion of the U-boat claim is a source-discipline call - absence from the official loss table is evidence against, not proof of impossibility for, an unrecorded incident.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-11
-
[13]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (Jan/Apr 1945), NAVSHIPS 250-011 - LST design table and roster (shipscribe.com scan; live URL verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster, LST-506 row in Jeffersonville block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data for this hull's class: the LST groups table gives 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t light / 3,960-4,080 t trial, 11.6 kt, 2 x GM 12-567A diesels ~1,700 shp, 2 shafts via Falk reduction gears; accommodations 13 officers/106 enlisted; the roster carries LST-506 in the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine block within the LST-491/541 design grouping. Confirms the diesel plant - no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Construction trades at the inland yards; crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Class design documentation, not a hull record - establishes the plant and design-standard complement, not shipboard materials. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-12
-
[14]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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract and article
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in WWII U.S. shipbuilding - the program and era under which this 1943-44 LST-491-group hull was mass-produced. Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST: the asbestos-relevant applications are engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings; the boiler/turbine steam-lagging pathway of boilered ships does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- 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 scholarship - does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The application list is normalized era inference; no manufacturer or product attribution exists for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-13
-
[15]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, and that standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs (modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). Program-level context spanning this hull's construction (1943-44) and Navy service (1944-47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Navy-wide program documentation, not class- or hull-specific; this hull left Navy custody in 1947, decades before the documented policy era. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-14
-
[16]Batch-7014 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HistoryCentral/NavSource mirrors; NHHC photo catalog; NavSource photo archive; NMPW oral histories via Portal to Texas History; ABMC registry; National WWII Museum digital collection; MARAD ShipHistory; NMA registry; Colton shipbuilding-history tables; shipscribe SDB-1945 v2; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4; secondary asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-506-lst506-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LST-506 (or merchant names Southern Counties / Bethcoaster) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion index returned zero hits for 'LST-506'/'LST 506'/'USS LST-506' on 2026-10-02; the RECAP docket index could not be queried within this session's fleet pacing window - logged as a bounded gap, not a negative result. Secondary sweeps surfaced no qualifying litigation; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm/hobbyist marketing and listicle content 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 - a 1943-44 wartime-build amphibious ship is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and her decades-long merchant career (Southern Counties / Bethcoaster) is an undocumented maintenance interval. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-15
-
[17]NARA record groups (leads, not retrieved): RG 24 Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs; RG 38 WWII action reports; RG 19 BuShips construction records; USCG merchant-vessel documentation files for Official No. 256886 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 24/38/19 pages; NARA merchant-vessel logbook guidance (RG 26); catalog.archives.gov direct search not viable this session (key-gated API)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): RG 24 deck logs for USS LST-506 (Jan 1944 - Jul 1947) would day-by-day document the Normandy shuttle service, the Falmouth drydock (22 Sep 1944, crew photo), the Drammen, Norway call, the Solomons MD 1946 lay-up, and the Brooklyn inactivation; a Normandy action report, if filed, sits in RG 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations); BuShips construction/outfitting records for the JeffBoat contract hulls sit in RG 19 and could hold material schedules; the USCG merchant-vessel documentation file for O.N. 256886 would close out the Southern Counties / Bethcoaster chain and final disposition.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1970s records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-506-lst506-16