USS LST-534

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]research packet 686-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lst-534-lst534-pkt-686-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, LST-534 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Normandy service, 22 June 1945 kamikaze damage, occupation duty, decommissioning, scuttling, strike (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl; bare curl returns 404 - UA-gated) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-534 entry, full text

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 4 October 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 8 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. C. S. Jones; commissioned 31 January 1944. Assigned to the European theater; 'participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944.' 'On 22 June 1945, she was seriously damaged by a Japanese kamikaze attack.' Occupation duty in the Far East; decommissioned 2 November 1945. 'The ship was deemed beyond economical repair and towed to sea and sunk off Okinawa on 9 December 1945.' Struck from the Navy list 3 January 1946. 'LST-534 earned one battle star for World War II service.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Construction trades (Evansville, 1943-44); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives no Normandy detail (beach, force, number of crossings), does not state the kamikaze attack's location, and does not state the decommissioning location. Its 'one battle star' conflicts with NavSource's 'two battle stars' and its own two-campaign record - see gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-534 (10/16/160534.htm, last updated 24 December 2020) - designation timeline, commanding officers, unit assignments, spec block, campaign/award display, crew-donated damage photographs [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/160534.htm header block, campaign table, CO table, specifications block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource documents for this hull: LST-491-class tank landing ship laid down 4 October 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 8 December 1943; commissioned at New Orleans, LA, 31 January 1944, LT G. B. Olson USN in command. Campaign table: Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944 (Europe-Africa-Middle East); Okinawa Gunto operation 21-30 June 1945 (Asiatic-Pacific). Pacific assignment under LT R. J. French USNR: LST Flotilla Thirty-Six (CAPT D. F. J. Shea), LST Group One Hundred Six (CDR O. P. Thomas Jr.), LST Division Two Hundred-Twelve. 'Seriously damaged by a Japanese kamikaze attack, 22 June 1945, at Okinawa'; occupation service 2 September - 2 November 1945; decommissioned 2 November 1945; 'deemed beyond economical repair and towed to sea and sunk off Okinawa, 9 December 1945'; struck 3 January 1946; 'earned two battle star' (sic). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW 230 V DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; radio call sign NEAP. Award display: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 22 June 1945), EAME (1), Asiatic-Pacific (1), Navy Occupation (Asia clasp); 'Purple Heart (5 KIA, numerous WIA, 22 June 1945).' Crew-donated photo captions (Donald E. McDaniel S1/c): ship in convoy to Okinawa with LCT-591 on her main deck; on fire at Okinawa 22 June 1945 'still had 300 barrels of gasoline aboard'; 'sunk at a pier at Okinawa'; caption claiming 'The Kamikaze struck USS LST-534 on the port side'; hole in main deck; piece of the kamikaze recovered.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Ship's company (~117 class-standard) plus embarked troops; casualties 22 June 1945

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates and spec block cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the NARA diaries, but two photo-caption/banner claims conflict with the ship's own documents: the 'port side' caption conflicts with the action report's 'frame 20, starboard side' (corroborated by a crew eyewitness), and the '5 KIA' banner conflicts with the June war diary's 'no fatalities to the ship's personnel ... three (3) shore based personnel were killed' - see gaps and ev-03/ev-04. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-02

4. [4]NARA NAID 101730811, 'USS LST-534 - Rep of A A action off Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 6/22/45' (micro serial 131302, dated 25 June 1945; RG 38, World War II War Diaries series; 3 images; digitized via Fold3; all images downloaded, OCR-read, and the enclosure page verified by direct image display) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101730811, images 1-3 (enclosure 'A' narrative on image 3, verified by direct display 2026-10-02)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own action report (signed R. J. FRENCH) documents the 22 June 1945 kamikaze attack verbatim: 'The ship was located at Brown Beack [sic], Pontoon Pier, Okinawa. The attacking plane carried one large bomb underside and approached the ship at low altitude from dead astern. After being hit by 20mm and 40mm gunfire, the aircraft veered to the starboard and banked into the side of the ship at frame 20, starboard side. The bow sank and grounded almost immediately. Fire broke out on the starboard side adjacent to the area struck. The tank deck flooded to frame 30. There were thirty-two (32) casualties.' Timeline: at General Quarters from 0800 on flash red/control green; attack at 0925; first fire under control and casualties evacuated by 1120; 'At 1330, a sedond [sic] fire broke out and by 1335, the entire tank deck was aflame'; conditions favorable 'large quantities of gasoline, fuel seeping from the cargo, calcium carbide, and ruptured electrical systems'; fire extinguished by 1700 'with the aid of shore parties and other ships.' Damage: hull ruptured at frame 20; 4th-deck tanks flooded; electrical shop destroyed; main and second decks buckled at frame 20; starboard fire main ruptured; tank deck gutted; wardroom and forward officers' country burned; radio and navigational equipment heat-damaged. 'At present, salvage work is progressing and the ship will be floated.' AA questionnaire: two Zeke observed, one attacking; picked up by naked eye under 5 miles; approach 150 kts at 150 ft; guns firing 1 twin 40mm, 1 single 40mm, 4 20mm; 10 rounds 40mm and 130 rounds 20mm expended; 'The plane was on fire and out of control when it crashed into the ship.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-06-22

   Population

   Ship's company; shore-party and other-ship firefighting personnel aboard during the fire

   Limitations

   Primary ship-produced record; establishes the attack geometry (starboard side, frame 20 - conflicting with the NHHC H-gram and NavSource caption that say port side), damage scope, casualty count, and that embarked shore-party and other-ship assistance fought the fire. It does not itemize materials and does not say 'asbestos.' Minor internal variation: enclosure narrative says first fire 'under control' 1120 and second fire 1330/1335 out by 1700; the June war diary renders 1130, 1230, and 1730 - same sequence, different minutes (see gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-03

5. [5]NARA war diaries for this hull (RG 38): NAID 633419398 'War Diary, 4/1-30/45' (dated 1 May 1945); NAID 140033491 'War Diary, 5/1-31/45' (dated 1 June 1945); NAID 101744547 'War Diary, June 1945' (dated 9 July 1945, micro serial 132594, 2 images; all downloaded and OCR-read, June pages verified by direct image display) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 633419398 (1 image); NAID 140033491 (1 image); NAID 101744547 images 1-2 (attack entry on image 2, verified by direct display 2026-10-02)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The April-June 1945 war diaries document the hull's Atlantic-to-Pacific transit and last voyage verbatim. April: enroute Balboa, C.Z., to San Diego with LST-1019 and LST-974 carrying 350 tons general cargo, LCT-591, and 13 USN passengers (the LCT crew); arrived San Diego 12 April; departed 15 April for Pearl Harbor leading task unit 06.11.33 (LST-974, YTB-416, YMS-415); arrived Pearl 25 April. May: cargo turnover at Pearl berths to 17 May; departed in task unit 13.12.3 under Commander Sperry USN aboard USS LST-968, carrying 720 tons Naval Construction Battalion equipment and stores, LCT-591, 34 U.S. Army personnel, 14 USN LCT crew, 5 USN CB personnel; arrived Eniwetok 29 May; departed 30 May for Guam. June: arrived Apra Harbor, Guam, 4 June 'where repairs to the generators were accomplished'; formed G.S. Convoy No. 93 to Tanapag, Saipan, anchored off Saipan 6-12 June; formed SOK Convoy No. 12 to Okinawa under a convoy commander aboard USS LSM-180; arrived Nagasuku Wan (now Buckner Bay), eastern Okinawa, 18 June and anchored off Brown Beach; '19 June 1945, moored to Brown Beach pontoon pier and commenced unloading cargo and discharged passengers. From 19 June to 22 June unloading proceeded with frequent interruptions from aircraft alerts.' The June diary's attack entry (page 2, verified by direct display): '22 June 1945, at 0925, while at General Quarters the ship was attacked by a Japanes [sic] suicide plane, Zeke type... The ship suffered serious hull damage and the bottom of the ship was destroyed from frame 21 to 16. The ship settled by the bow and grounded in twelve feet of water. Thirty-two (32) casualties to the ship's company were removed to an Army hospital for treatment. There were no fatalities to the ship's personnel. Three (3) shore based personnel were killed on the tank deck. Three (3) shore based personnel received injuries. Upon being struck, a fire broke out at frame 21 starboard side... this fire was extinguished by 1130... At 1230, a second fire broke out on the tank deck. In approximately one minute, the entire tank deck was aflame. By 1730, the fire was extinguished with the aid of fire parties, pumps from LCI(L), tugs and assistance from the area fire marshall. The ship was seriously damaged by fire forward of frame 42. From 22 June to 30 June 1945, aground at Brown Beach pontoon pier and salvaging vessel. Coffer dams were being completed preparatory to floating the ship.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-04-01 to 1945-06-30

   Population

   Ship's company; embarked 34 Army personnel, 14 USN LCT-591 crew, 5 CB personnel (June 1945); 32 ship's casualties; 6 shore-party casualties

   Limitations

   Primary ship-produced records read in full; establish the transit, cargo, unit assignments (ComLSTGrp 106 parent; TU 13.12.1/13.12.3 under CDR Sperry aboard LST-968), the attack's damage extent and the ship's own casualty accounting - which conflicts with NHHC/NavSource's 5-KIA figure (see gaps). The diaries do not itemize materials and do not say 'asbestos'; the documented gutted-by-fire tank deck and subsequent debris removal are material-disturbance events with unitemized content. Fire times differ slightly from the action report (1130/1230/1730 here vs 1120/1330/1700 in the action report).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-04

6. [6]NARA NAID 83571098, 'USS LST-534 - War Diary, 7/1-31/45' (serial 018, dated 5 August 1945; RG 38; 1 image; downloaded, OCR-read and verified by direct image display) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 83571098, single image (verified by direct display 2026-10-02)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The July 1945 war diary (signed R. J. French) documents the salvage period verbatim: '1 July 1945, moored at Brown Beach, Pontoon Pier #1, Nakagusuku Wan, eastern Okinawa. The bow of the ship was kept afloat by pumping operations and salvage operations subsequent to damage previously incurred... being continued. Operations and salvage of ship were under the direction of Service Squadron Division 104, Commodore Keliher, USN, in command. 4 July 1945, the ship was moved by tugs to Berth Baker 7, Yonaburu Wan, eastern Okinawa near U.S.S. Vestal. Repairs were made to LCT 591 on board preparatory to future launching. The ship's company cleaned the ship and all debris and surveyed stores were removed. On 31 July 1945, the ship remained at anchor in Yonaburu Wan as before. The arrival of a previously requested Board of Inspection and Survey was being awaited. The vessel remained inoperative.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-07-01 to 1945-07-31

   Population

   Ship's company performing debris removal and salvage support; Service Squadron Division 104 salvage personnel (July 1945)

   Limitations

   Primary ship-produced record; documents the salvage command (Service Squadron Division 104, Commodore Keliher), the tow to Yonaburu Wan, and verbatim crew material-disturbance work aboard the fire-gutted hull ('cleaned the ship and all debris and surveyed stores were removed') - the ship's own documentation of post-fire interior clearance, without material itemization. It does not say 'asbestos.' The awaited Board of Inspection and Survey findings are not in this document - a paper archive lead (see ev-13).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-05

7. [7]NHHC, H-Gram 049-1 'Victory at Okinawa' (Director's Corner, published 2020) - LST-534 section: kamikaze narrative, casualty figures, friendly-fire observation, typhoon grounding and scuttling chain [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   H-049-1, 'LST-534 (##), 22 June 1945' section

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The NHHC H-gram documents for this hull: 'LST-534 was a survivor of the D-Day landings at Normandy in June 1944.' At about 0920 on 22 June 1945, with several LSTs in Nakagusuku Wan, 'LST-534 was beached with her bow doors open when a single kamikaze attacked. Numerous ships in the bay opened fire, possibly doing more damage to each other than to the kamikaze, which hit LST-534 on the port side, starting a fire in 300 barrels of gasoline on board. Five men were killed (including three from a shore party), and 35 were wounded. LST-534 settled only a few feet to the bottom.' 'LST-534 would be raised and repaired, although repairs were not complete until after the war ended. In October 1945, she would be driven aground in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, by a typhoon and deemed not worth repairing. About two months later, she was towed out to sea and scuttled.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Ship's company and shore-party casualties (22 June 1945)

   Limitations

   Official NHHC secondary history; two of its details conflict with the ship's own primary documents - 'port side' vs the action report's 'frame 20, starboard side,' and 'five men were killed' vs the June war diary's 'no fatalities to the ship's personnel' + 3 shore-party killed (the five total may include later deaths; the BuPers casualty file - ev-13 - may resolve). The 'more damage to each other' remark corroborates the friendly-fire account in the crew oral history (ev-08). No asbestos content. Attack time 0920 vs primary documents' 0925.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-06

8. [8]NHHC official histories: 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' (Carter, logistics in WWII Pacific) - 5 Aug 1945 LCT-591 lift; 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - unit assignment; 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945' damage table - 'LST 534, Sunk'; DANFS, Valve (ARS-28) - salvage operations on typhoon-damaged LST-534 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   beans-bullets-black-oil.html (Buckner Bay section); us-pacific-fleet-organization-1may1945.html (LST Flotilla 36/Group 106/Div 212 table); pacific-typhoon-october-1945.html (damage table); danfs/v/valve.html

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Four official-history corroborations for this hull: (1) 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' documents that on 5 August 1945 the fleet oiler Enoree (with a 160-ton derrick) 'lifted the 105-ton LCT-591 from the deck of the LST-534' - the documented end of the landing craft's ride on this hull (the LCT had been aboard since at least 1 April 1945 per the war diaries, and LCT-591 repairs 'preparatory to future launching' are in the July diary). (2) NHHC's 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' lists LST 534 under LST Flotilla Thirty-Six (Capt. D. F. J. Shea), LST Group 106 (Comdr. O. P. Thomas, Jr.), LST Division 212 - corroborating the NavSource unit assignment. (3) NHHC's 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945' damage table lists 'LST 534, Sunk' among ships damaged in the 9 October 1945 typhoon at Buckner Bay. (4) DANFS Valve (ARS-28): 'Valve subsequently conducted salvage operations on other typhoon-damaged ships - including Wateree (ATF-117), Sacandaga (AOG-40), LST-823, LST-534, and Vandalia (IX-191) - through December 1945.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Salvage and service-squadron personnel (Aug-Dec 1945)

   Limitations

   Official-history corroborations at ship level; none contains asbestos or material content. The typhoon table's 'Sunk' and the H-gram's 'driven aground' are consistent renderings of the same October 1945 event (grounded/sunk in shallow water at Buckner Bay). Valve's salvage scope on this hull (stores/equipment removal vs refloat work) is not itemized in the DANFS entry.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-07

9. [9]LST-534 memorial association crew interview transcript: Edgar Overstake, signalman second class and leading petty officer of the ship's control division, interviewed by Linda Alvers (lst534.com, ship's crew-memorial site) [other_primary]

   Locator

   overstake.pdf interview transcript, pp. 22-24 (asbestos-suit passages); corroborating passages pp. 20-25

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Firsthand crew account of asbestos material aboard this hull during the documented 22 June 1945 fire: Overstake recounts that after the kamikaze hit, 'fulmite fire fighting specialists' were brought aboard from other ships, that 'they put on these asbestos suits,' and that 'these guys with the suits were going inside to rescue anybody that was trapped inside' and to salvage equipment - i.e., asbestos proximity/fire-entry suits worn inside the burning tank deck by embarked specialists. The same account independently corroborates the primary record: the kamikaze 'hit us on the waterline on the starboard side' (matching the action report, against the NavSource/NHHC 'port side' rendering); ~40 feet of bottom blown out (diary: frames 21-16); the ship grounded; sister-ship antiaircraft fire wounded LST-534 sailors (the friendly-fire detail NHHC notes); 40 tons of ammunition plus carbide, diesel fuel, and gasoline aboard (matching the action report's fire-condition list); and the post-fire salvage sequence - crew ashore in tents, divers damming the bottom hole, the hull pumped out and floated, then moored against a torpedoed AKA supplying electrical power from LST-534's still-working motors.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-06-22 (event); interview published later on memorial site

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked firefighting specialists wearing the suits inside the burning tank deck (22 June 1945)

   Limitations

   Oral history published on the ship's crew-memorial site - a firsthand primary-source genre but not an official record; recollection decades after the event. The asbestos-suit detail is single-source (no other crew interview on the site mentions asbestos; the other 23 interviews were swept) and uncorroborated by official records, though consistent with period Navy practice of issuing asbestos firefighting/proximity suits to fire parties and with the war diary's documented multi-ship fire-party response. Documents worn protective equipment aboard during the fire, not installed ACM. No quantity. Does not establish individual exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-08

10. [10]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource LST-534 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]

    Locator

    SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160534.htm specifications block

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era inference for installed materials aboard this hull: the LST-491 design group ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp total, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1943 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, and deck coverings - and the documented June-August 1945 events (tank deck and forward interior gutted by fire; crew removal of debris and 'surveyed stores'; service-squadron salvage work) disturbed interior material on this hull inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1943-1945

    Population

    MVB&I construction trades (1943-44); ship's company/embarked troops (1944-45); salvage and firefighting personnel (1945); none documented for scrapping - hull scuttled at sea

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only for installed materials - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package was located for LST-534; names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. The fire/salvage disturbance events are documented for this hull, but the asbestos content of the disturbed material is unestablished. SDB 1945 v2 link verified live 2026-10-02.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-09

11. [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 existence (construction 1943-44 through the 1945 salvage period and scuttling).

    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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, reconfirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-10

12. [12]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-534-lst534-16 through -18a

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    No qualifying asbestos litigation located: exact-phrase "LST-534" returned 0 hits in both the opinion index and the docket index; "LST 534" asbestos in opinions returned 0. No case naming this hull was located in either index.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    2026-10-02

    Limitations

    CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state-court filings, unreported settlements, MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists, and non-digitized dockets are outside coverage. A zero qualifying result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists. The no-hyphen docket variant query ("LST 534" type=r) hit the fleet pacing gate repeatedly and could not be completed - marginal coverage beyond the three completed queries; logged honestly in the ledger.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-11

13. [13]Batch-7044 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + five ship-titled file units read in full; four NHHC official-history corroborations; ship memorial-site crew oral history (swept 24 interviews); BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; CourtListener API; NIOSH HHE search; NVR; secondary web sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-534-lst534-01 through -22 plus -18a (23 rows total)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific record of installed asbestos located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying litigation naming USS LST-534 was found in the public sources searched. What exists is stronger operational documentation than a typical LST record - the ship's own action report and four months of war diaries documenting catastrophic interior fire damage and months of salvage - plus one firsthand oral-history account of asbestos firefighting suits used aboard during that fire (ev-08), and era-level documentation (BuShips design data, GAO program record). No primary source read names installed asbestos aboard this hull.

    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 - construction at a wartime inland yard, a fire that gutted the tank deck and forward interior, and months of salvage sit squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. The scuttled-at-sea disposition forecloses any modern survey or abatement record. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-12

14. [14]NARA catalog, 'USS LST-534' result set: ship-titled units are the four war diaries (NAIDs 633419398, 140033491, 101744547, 83571098), the action report (NAID 101730811), and NAID 472241524 'USS LST-534' Casualty Information Report (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Casualty Information Reports series, 1941-1960; container 56; paper-only at College Park - NOT digitized); COM LST GR 49 monthly war diaries for March-May 1944 (NAIDs 78393853, 78535403) also surfaced under the 'LST-534' query [other_primary]

    Locator

    catalog.archives.gov 'USS LST-534' and 'LST-534' result sets; NAID 472241524 record page; NAIDs 78393853, 78535403

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads for this hull: (1) The BuPers Casualty Information Report file unit for 'USS LST-534' (NAID 472241524) exists but is paper-only at College Park - given the 22 June 1945 casualties and the documented fatality-count conflict (diary: no ship's-personnel deaths; NHHC/NavSource: 5 killed), this file likely holds the authoritative casualty accounting for the attack. (2) Digitized ship-titled war diaries cover April-July 1945 only; no ship-titled diaries for the commissioning-through-Normandy period (Feb 1944 - Mar 1945) or August-November 1945 (typhoon, decommissioning, scuttling) were surfaced. COM LST GR 49's digitized March-May 1944 diaries - her probable Atlantic parent unit in the Normandy run-up - are the coverage lead for the European period. (3) The awaited Board of Inspection and Survey findings (July diary), Service Squadron Division 104 salvage records, and USS Valve's post-typhoon salvage reports on this hull are undigitized paper leads. (4) WWII deck logs proper for this hull were not located in the digitized deck-log program checked.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1944-1946

    Population

    Ship's company and casualties (1944-46); researchers

    Limitations

    Archival-lead row: the casualty report's contents are unconfirmed and may not resolve the fatality discrepancy; the COM LST GR 49 diary contents were not read - LST-534's presence inside them is inferred from search relevancy, not confirmed; RG 181/Service Division salvage work packages and the Board of Inspection and Survey file are unfollowed leads.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-534-lst534-13