Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-538 (Naval History and Heritage Command) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body, two paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS ship entry: LST-538 was laid down 29 October 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 5 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. John W. Evans; commissioned 14 February 1944. Assigned to the European theater; participated in the movements of Convoy UGS-36 in April 1944 and the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. DANFS states she 'returned to the United States,' was struck from the Navy list on 26 February 1946, and decommissioned on 16 March 1946; sold 5 December 1947 to Bosey, Philippines. Earned two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Ship's company 13 officers / 104 enlisted (NavSource figure); embarked troops
- Limitations
- The official US Navy ship record. DANFS omits the November 1944 lend-lease transfer to the Royal Navy entirely - its 'returned to the United States' framing is contradicted in detail by NavSource and a NARA-captioned photograph placing the hull in RN service in the Far East; the struck date it gives (26 February 1946) also conflicts with NavSource (16 March 1946). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-01
-
[2]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS LST-538 (navsource.net mirror; navsource.org is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull page - history narrative, Royal Navy block quote, specification block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource hull page (LST-491 class tank landing ship): laid down 29 October 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 5 January 1944; commissioned 14 February 1944, Ens. H. W. Williams Jr., USN, in command; call sign NEAZ; awarded American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (2), WWII Victory Medal. Decommissioned and transferred to the United Kingdom November 1944; commissioned HM LST-538. Royal Navy history as compiled by NavSource: as part of 'W' Task Force worked down the Arakan coast of Burma, participated in the recapture of Rangoon, proceeded to the invasion of Malaya at Morib and Port Swettenham, then to Singapore and Bangkok doing relief work repatriating ex-POWs; paid off Singapore and returned to US Navy custody at Subic Bay, Philippines, 16 March 1946; struck from the Naval Register 16 March 1946; sold 5 December 1947 to Bosey, Philippines, fate unknown. Specification block: two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three 100kW diesel-drive generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; 13 officers / 104 enlisted; 16 officers / 147 enlisted troops.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- US ship's company Feb-Nov 1944; RN crew Nov 1944-Mar 1946
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive, not an official record - used here as the canonical per-hull reference. Its Royal Navy narrative (Arakan, Rangoon, Malaya) is corroborated independently by the NARA-cataloged OSS photograph of HM-LST 538 at Ramree Island, Burma, 8 May 1945 (ev-03) and by uboat.net's HMS LST 538 record (ev-06), but its 'November 1944' transfer date conflicts with uboat.net's 30 September / 21 October 1944 variants, and its 16 March 1946 struck date conflicts with DANFS's 26 February 1946. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-02
-
[3]National Archives and Records Administration, NARA Catalog NAID 540056 (digitized copy held at Wikimedia Commons, uploaded by NARA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog record 540056; Commons file page reproduces NARA metadata incl. record creator OSS Field Photographic Branch
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA-cataloged US government photograph (NAID 540056; War and Conflict Number 1355), produced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of Strategic Services, Field Photographic Branch, dated 8 May 1945: 'At 1000 hours on 8 May 1945 aboard HM-LST 538, word was received via radio from Delhi announcing the end of hostilities in Europe. Immediately ships signal flags were hoisted in gay display of victory. Kyaukpyu, Ramree Island, Burma.' A US-government-held record naming this hull in Royal Navy service in Burma in May 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- RN crew aboard, 8 May 1945
- Limitations
- Photographic record only - establishes the hull's presence and identity in RN service at Ramree Island, Burma on 8 May 1945; establishes nothing about hull condition, materials, or asbestos; the caption is archival metadata, not an operational record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-03
-
[4]HyperWar (ibiblio.org), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' - Landing Ships, Tank roster (transcription of official US Navy reference manual data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LST roster section, LST-538 row annotation 'Lend-Lease to UK'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- HyperWar's 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' type list (compiled from official US Navy reference data - ONI/Division of Naval Intelligence manual data transcribed at ibiblio) annotates LST-538 'Lend-Lease to UK' in the Landing Ships, Tank roster - an official-manual-derived corroboration of the lend-lease transfer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Limitations
- Roster-level annotation only - confirms the lend-lease transfer but gives no dates or operational detail; a transcription mirror of official data, not the primary document itself. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS LST 538 (ship/11598) and HMS LST 538 (ship/12320) records [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS LST 538 record (ship/11598); HMS LST 538 record (ship/12320) incl. command table and convoy OS 109/KMS 83 narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net Allied Warships database: USS LST 538 record lists end of US service 30 September 1944 and 'Transferred to the Royal Navy on 30 September 1944'; the companion HMS LST 538 record lists Royal Navy commissioning 21 October 1944, commanding officers Cdr. H. T. M. Birley RNVR (21 October 1944 - 7 February 1945) and T/A/Lt.Cdr. William Duncan Ward Wright RNR (7 February 1945 - March 1946), and documents the ship sailing from Southend/Falmouth in February 1945 in combined convoy OS 109/KMS 83 with HMS LST-410, LST-413, and LST-427 for the passage toward the Far East; decommissioned and returned to the USN in March 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- RN crew and commanding officers, Oct 1944-Mar 1946
- Limitations
- Privately compiled specialist database - reputable and widely used but not an official source. Its dates conflict with NavSource's 'November 1944' transfer (uboat.net: US end-service 30 September 1944, RN commissioning 21 October 1944); carried here for the RN-period detail (CO roster, February 1945 convoy departure) absent from US official sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-05
-
[6]NavSource LST-538 specification block (GM 12-567A diesel plant) + U.S. Army, 'LST in WWII' (army.mil, official .mil) LST design/program description; class-design grouping per BuShips SD-1945 (see class profile lst-1-class) [other_primary]
- Locator
- army.mil article (design, 1,051 built, 328 ft, tank deck); NavSource 160538.htm specification block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST-491-class hull: the type carried two GM 12-567A diesels and no boilers (per this hull's NavSource specification block and official LST program descriptions), narrowing the steam-system lagging pathway typical of steam vessels. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard the type concentrated in diesel exhaust lagging and flange gaskets, engine-room thermal insulation, machinery and valve packing, accommodation and bulkhead insulation, deck coverings/tile, and brake linings on winches and cargo gear - consistent with WWII-era US shipbuilding insulation practice.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville, 1943-44); US and RN engine-room and accommodation-space crews
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation and era inference, not a hull record - no cited source names asbestos aboard this vessel, and no ship-specific material schedule exists. The application list infers from machinery type and WWII-era insulation practice; it does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The diesel plant (no boilers) genuinely reduces the boiler-lagging pathway relative to steam ships.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-06
-
[7]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); PubMed PMID 3555021; DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 3555021 (title, journal, volume, pages verified via NCBI eutils)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as an insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this 1943-44 LST was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-07
-
[8]Batch-7048 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; NavSource; NARA Catalog NAID 540056; HyperWar USN ships list; NVR; uboat.net; CourtListener API v4 opinion + RECAP docket exact-hull searches; army.mil; PubMed; NPR [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-538-lst538-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming LST-538 / USS LST-538 / HM LST-538 was found in the public sources searched. DANFS and NavSource contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; NARA Catalog photograph metadata contains none; Naval Vessel Register carries no record (hull stricken 1946, decades before NVR coverage); CourtListener opinion search "LST-538" returned 0 hits and RECAP docket search "LST-538" returned 0 hits (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 - a 1943-44-built hull retained era insulation consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull's post-1947 fate (sold to Bosey, Philippines) is unknown, so no scrapping/abatement record is expected to be locatable; UK and Philippine records may exist in non-digitized archives. 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-538-lst538-08
-
[9]NARA military logbooks research guidance (archives.gov); UK National Archives ADM series (discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk); USS LST Ship Memorial (lstmemorial.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Navy deck-log guidance page; lstmemorial.org (LST-325 homeport Evansville)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): (1) NARA WWII deck logs (RG 24) for the US-commissioned period February-November 1944 - deck-log guidance at archives.gov; (2) UK National Archives ADM series ship's logs and operational records for HM LST-538 (November 1944 - March 1946, Force W / East Indies); (3) BuShips contract/construction records for Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron hulls (NARA RG 19) including outfitting/insulation specifications; (4) surviving sister-hull museum ships of the class - USS LST-325 (Evansville, IN, the same city where this hull was built) and USS LST-393 (Muskegon, MI) - whose restoration surveys and hazmat/abatement documentation are an untapped class-level evidentiary track.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and museum-source mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Sister-hull museum records document those hulls, not this one. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-09
-
[10]Tim Jagielo, 'The last operational World War II Landing Ship Tank makes a stop in the Ohio River,' NPR / WNIN, 11 October 2025 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NPR transcript - LST-325 Evansville homeport; 'One hundred and sixty-seven were built right here in Evansville'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPR (October 2025) reports LST-325 - the last fully preserved, operational WWII LST - homeported at Evansville on the Ohio River, and that 167 LSTs were built in Evansville during WWII: this hull's construction city is now the homeport of the type's sole operational survivor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 construction era; 2025 report
- Limitations
- Press account quoting museum and university sources - reputable but not an official record; the 167-hull Evansville figure is as broadcast, not independently audited. Contextualizes the builder yard only; says nothing about this hull's service, condition, or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-538-lst538-10