USS LST-539

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-539 (Naval History and Heritage Command) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body, two paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS ship entry: LST-539 was laid down 9 November 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 10 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Peyton Koch; commissioned 17 February 1944. Assigned to the European theater; participated in the movements of Convoy UGS-37 in April 1944 and the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Performed occupation duty in the Far East in October 1945 and saw service in China in December 1945; returned to the United States, decommissioned 22 June 1946, struck from the Navy list 31 July 1946; sold 22 April 1948 to the Bethlehem Steel Co., of Bethlehem, Pa., and subsequently scrapped. Earned two battle stars for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   MVB&I construction trades (1943-44); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46)

   Limitations

   The official US Navy ship record. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Does not name the Normandy beach, the commissioning location, or the sponsor context beyond the name given.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-01

2. [2]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive - USS LST-539 (navsource.net mirror; navsource.org is dead) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Hull page - history narrative, campaign/award tables, specification block, commanding-officer table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource hull page (LST-491 Class Tank Landing Ship): laid down 9 November 1943 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 10 January 1944; commissioned USS LST-539 17 February 1944, ENS. Thurman J. Austin USN in command; call sign NECM. Campaign credits: Convoy UGS-37, 11-13 April 1944, and Invasion of Normandy, 6-25 June 1944 (Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater); then Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven (CAPT. Riley), LST Group One Hundred Nine (CDR. E. W. Wilson USNR), LST Division Two Hundred-Seventeen. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service 16-29 October 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 5-27 December 1945. Decommissioned 22 June 1946; struck from the Naval Register 31 July 1946; sold for scrapping 22 April 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA. Two battle stars. Awards line: China Service (extended), American Campaign, EAME (2), Asiatic-Pacific, WWII Victory, Navy Occupation (Asia clasp). Specs: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp. CO table: ENS Thurman J. Austin (17 Feb 1944 - May 1945), LTjg J. L. Brownson USNR (May 1945 - Dec 1945), LTjg J. A. Chiara USNR (Dec 1945 - 22 Feb 1946). Photo caption documents the ship loading US Army trucks at Hardway, Gosport, with USS LST-512 beaching alongside; personnel-log dating places the ship at Portsmouth 29 June and 6/8 July 1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   US ship's company Feb 1944 - Jun 1946; embarked troops

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive, not an official record - used here as the canonical per-hull reference; its milestones are corroborated by DANFS (ev-01). The Pacific flotilla/group/division assignments are post-surrender-era command data (Pacific transit May-June 1945 per the crew notebook, ev-05). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-02

3. [3]HyperWar (ibiblio.org) transcription of Operation Plan CTF-122 No. 2-44 (ONWEST TWO), Task Organization [other_primary]

   Locator

   OpPlan-2-44-1.html, task organization table 125 Assault Force 'U', LST Flotilla 10 line (p. V of IX)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Operation Plan CTF-122 No. 2-44 (ONWEST TWO), issued aboard USS Augusta, Plymouth, 21 April 1944 - the official TOP-SECRET-NEPTUNE-BIGOT task organization - lists LST-539 in LST Flotilla 10 (30 LSTs: '47, 48, 230, 281, 282, 501, 49, 50, 283, 284, 491(G), 492, 46(F), 58, 294, 351, 509, 515(G), 57, 290, 499, 500, 508, 539, 311, 346, 371, 380, 382, 400') under Assault Force 'U' (Rear Admiral Moon, USN) - the Utah Beach assault force tasked to land VII Corps (4th Division).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   April-June 1944 (plan window)

   Population

   Ship's company + embarked troops during the Normandy assault phase

   Limitations

   A planning document dated 21 April 1944: it records the planned assault assignment to Force U (Utah), not an after-action record of where the ship actually beached. The '539' strings elsewhere in the plan are LCT-539 (LCT Flotilla 19) and LCI(L)-539 (LCI(L) Flotilla 12), not this hull. A crew notebook records 'France, American Beach' 6 June (ev-05); a commercial-source veteran memoir says Omaha - the conflict is carried in gaps, and the official plan assignment (Utah) is what this row asserts. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-03

4. [4]DANFS, Holder I (DE-401) - UGS-37 escort narrative (NHHC); convoy composition corroborated via ussholder.com ship history [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Holder I entry, UGS-37 passage (departure 24 Mar; Gibraltar 9 Apr; torpedoed ~2340 the following night)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Context for this hull's credited Convoy UGS-37 campaign (11-13 April 1944 per NavSource): DANFS (Holder I, DE-401) records that the convoy departed Norfolk 24 March 1944 under Task Force 65 escort; after passing Gibraltar 9 April it was attacked by German torpedo bombers off the Algerian coast the following night; a torpedo struck Holder amidships on the port side at about 2340; the escorts drove off the attackers and the convoy itself was undamaged. A secondary ship-history compilation lists LST-539 among the convoy's LSTs alongside LST-76, LST-77, LST-211, LST-212.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   March-April 1944

   Population

   Convoy crews incl. LST-539 ship's company during the transit

   Limitations

   Convoy-event documentation that does not name LST-539 - it establishes what the credited UGS-37 transit involved. The DANFS text places the torpedo attack on the night after the 9 April Gibraltar transit (i.e., night of 10-11 April); the NavSource credit window runs 11-13 April - consistent within a night-spanning action, hour-level precision unresolved. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-04

5. [5]Notebook of S.D. Abrams, MM3/c, USS LST-539 - scanned personal notebook, contributed by Alan Abrams 2016 (NavSource-hosted PDF) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource PDF 10/16/pdf/160539a.pdf, 5 pp.; OCR-extracted itinerary

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A crew member's handwritten notebook (S.D. Abrams, MM3/c) gives a port-level itinerary for this hull: departed Evansville down the Mississippi to Algiers Naval Base and New Orleans (~20-21 February 1944); Chesapeake/Virginia outfitting (Little Creek, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Yorktown, Hampton Roads, March); departed the United States 24 March; Bizerte ~13 April, Oran and Mers-el-Kebir; UK ports in May (Swansea, Plymouth, Salcombe); 'France, American Beach' on 6 June 1944 and a continuous France-England shuttle through November 1944 (Southampton, Portsmouth, London, Tilbury; Le Havre, up the Seine to Rouen, St. Michel); arrival Norfolk 13 December 1944; New York Navy Yard January 1945; Guantanamo Bay, Coco Solo and the Panama Canal May 1945; Kaneohe Bay and Pearl Harbor June 1945; International Date Line 13 June; Eniwetok and Ulithi; departed Ulithi for the Philippines 10 August 1945; Leyte 14 August and Samar September; Kure, Honshu, Japan 26 October; Manila and Leyte November.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   S.D. Abrams MM3/c and ship's company (1944-46)

   Limitations

   A personal notebook, not an official deck log - OCR transcription of handwriting; individual port entries are legible but ordering and some spellings carry interpretation uncertainty. 'American Beach' identifies a US-sector beach without naming Omaha or Utah; the official operation plan assigns this hull to Force U / Utah (ev-03). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-05

6. [6]NavSource LST-539 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 160539.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. Class context on naming: hull-number-only LSTs remaining in service were assigned county names on 1 July 1955 (class registry note, class profile lst-1-class); this hull left the register in 1946 and was never named.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1948

   Population

   Construction trades (Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville, 1943-44); engine-room and accommodation-space crews (1944-46); Bethlehem Steel shipbreakers (1948)

   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-539-lst539-06

7. [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, abstract verified live)

   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-539-lst539-07

8. [8]National Park Service, 'Evansville, Indiana' (American World War II Heritage City) - MVB&I shipyard history; corroborated by NPR/WNIN 11 Oct 2025 report on LST-325 homeporting [nps]

   Locator

   NPS Evansville article, 'American World War II Heritage City' section (last updated 5 Sep 2024); NPR transcript https://www.npr.org/2025/10/11/nx-s1-5561586/the-last-operational-world-war-ii-landing-ship-tank-makes-a-stop-in-the-ohio-river

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-yard context: in February 1942 the Department of the Navy constructed the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. shipyard (the 'Evansville Shipyard') on a forty-acre Ohio River site; it produced 167 LSTs by February 1945 at a rate of about one ship every four days in 1944 - the 'largest inland producer of oceangoing ships.' This hull was in build there November 1943 - February 1944. Separately, NPR (October 2025) reports LST-325 - the last fully preserved, operational WWII LST - homeported at Evansville: 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

   Population

   Evansville yard construction workforce (1942-45), incl. LST-539 build window Nov 1943 - Feb 1944

   Limitations

   Yard-level and city-level context only - no asbestos, materials, or occupational-health content. Establishes the mass-production construction environment and worker population for this hull's build window, not any condition aboard the ship. The NPR item is reputable press quoting museum sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-08

9. [9]Woolsey v. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., 88 N.E.2d 54, 119 Ind. App. 391 (Ind. App. 1949) [court_record]

   Locator

   88 N.E.2d 54; 119 Ind. App. 391; decided 17 Oct 1949; opinion text via secondary case index (CourtListener opinion ID not attached this session - rate budget)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Yard-level occupational-disease litigation at this hull's builder, contemporaneous with her construction era: in Woolsey v. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., the estate of Elbert Woolsey - an MVB&I pipe fitter working 'in the compartment of ships' 21 June - 11 November 1944 - claimed occupational disease under the Indiana Workmen's Occupational Diseases Act from inhaling fumes and gases of welded galvanized metal. The Industrial Board (two members dissenting) found he was not exposed to and did not contract an occupational disease, death resulting solely from other causes; the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed 17 October 1949 (88 N.E.2d 54; 119 Ind. App. 391; 1949 Ind. App. LEXIS 196).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944-1949

   Population

   Evansville yard pipe fitters / ship-compartment trades (1944)

   Limitations

   NOT an asbestos case and NOT a ship-level record: the claim alleged galvanized-metal welding-fume poisoning, named no hull (the yard produced LSTs continuously through his employment window, so the compartment's hull is unidentified), and the claim was denied - a pleading-level allegation resolved against the claimant, described at exactly that stage. Establishes that the builder yard's wartime ship-compartment environment generated occupational-disease litigation, nothing more.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-09

10. [10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2

    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 (1943-44) and service era (1944-46).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1979 (program coverage of 1940s-70s use)

    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 access gap documented across batches); content via product-page description.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-539-lst539-10

11. [11]NARA military logbooks research guidance (archives.gov); 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 LST-539, February 1944 - June 1946 - deck-log guidance at archives.gov; (2) BuShips contract/construction records for Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron hulls (NARA RG 19) including outfitting/insulation specifications; (3) 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-539-lst539-11

12. [12]Batch-7049 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; NavSource page + crew-notebook PDF; HyperWar OpPlan 2-44; NPS Evansville; NVR; CourtListener API v4 opinion + RECAP docket exact-hull searches; army.mil; PubMed; NPR; Woolsey reporter citation [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-539-lst539-01 through -14 (incl. -10b)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material schedule, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming LST-539 / USS LST-539 was found in the public sources searched. DANFS and NavSource contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; the crew notebook, operation plan, NPS yard article, and Woolsey opinion contain none; Naval Vessel Register carries no record (hull stricken 1946, disposed 1948, decades before NVR coverage); CourtListener opinion searches "LST-539" and spaced variant "LST 539" each returned 0 hits and RECAP docket search "LST-539" returned 0 hits; the stricter variant "USS LST-539" is logically entailed by those results (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 carried era insulation consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull was scrapped in 1948 so no surviving-hull survey path exists. The 'Missouri Valley Bridge' CourtListener lookup (to attach a CourtListener ID to the Woolsey citation) remained pace-blocked at session's end - an open gap on citation completeness, not a cleared result. 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-539-lst539-12