Evidence
18 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-18).
-
[1]research packet 689-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-55-lst55-pkt-689-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-55 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, European-theater assignment, Normandy invasion 6-25 June 1944, decommissioning, strike, disposal, one battle star (live NHHC page, retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-55 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 10 October 1943 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 20 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Stephen Washensky; commissioned 6 January 1944. Assigned to the European theater; participated in the Normandy invasion from 6 to 25 June 1944. Decommissioned 11 December 1945; struck from the Navy list 3 January 1946; sold 26 March 1948 to the Ships & Power Equipment Corp., of Barber, N.J., and subsequently scrapped. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Construction trades (Pittsburgh, 1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives no unit assignment, no commanding officers, no decommissioning location, and no operational detail for the Normandy month or the 1944-45 Channel-shuttle period - the COM LST GR 31 war diaries (ev-03 through ev-08) supply those.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-55 (10/16/160055.htm, last updated 18 August 2023) - build timeline, designation/campaign table, spec block, commanding-officer list, awards, photo captions incl. Omaha Beach June 1944 and Drammensfjord, Norway, 4 June 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160055.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 10 October 1943 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA; launched 20 November 1943; commissioned USS LST-55 6 January 1944, LT. Alfred S. Mills, USNR, in command. Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; Invasion of Normandy, 6-25 June 1944. Decommissioned 11 December 1945; struck from the Naval Register 3 January 1946; sold for scrapping 26 March 1948 to Ships & Power Equipment Corp., Barber, N.J. One battle star. Radio call sign NFMQ. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1 battle star), World War II Victory Medal. CO table: LT. Mills USNR, 6 January 1944 - August 1945; LT. Trombold, Walter S., USNR, August 1945 - 11 December 1945. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP. Photo captions place the hull unloading on Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 1944, and at Drammensfjord, Norway, 4 June 1945 (caption sourcing LST 511 War History and Cruise Book, NAID 77707447).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops (1944-45)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS, and the Norway date is corroborated by the COM LST GR 31 May 1945 war diary tasking LST-55 to Oslo/Drammen (ev-07). 'Neville Island' is the Dravo yard's precise location within Pittsburgh (DANFS says 'Pittsburgh, Pa.'). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 139763402, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 7/1/44 to 9/30/44' (micro serial 98370; RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 151 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139763402, images 0007-0157 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02); July transmittal letter image 0007; per-ship daily entries throughout
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- LST-55's unit assignment and July-September 1944 operations are documented in her group's war diary (all 151 images OCR-read this session): the July transmittal lists 'U.S.S. LST Group 31 consisting of LST's 56, 54, 55, 289, 291, 292, 497, 498, 511, 512, 506' under LST Flotilla Eleven, running the Normandy build-up plan from southern England ports to the French beachheads. LST-55 entries include: 1-2 July moored in Union Dry Docks, London, for 'repairs to hull and other minor repairs' immediately following the Normandy campaign (with a flying-bomb near miss, no casualties); 4-7 July Royal Albert Docks, repairs completed; then continuous Channel shuttle - British/Canadian troops and vehicles to Gold Beach/Seine Bay (air attack at Seine Bay, no casualties; escorts dropped depth charges on the return leg), 'service and minor repairs' at Tilbury Hard, rescue of six survivors from a B-26 bomber, troops/vehicles to Utah Beach including stores for repair ship USS ATLAS (ARL), and return lifts of 119-197 casualties per trip (one casualty died of wounds aboard). August-September added two gasoline supply runs to St.-Michel-en-Greve in Lannion Bay, Brittany (519 tons, then 540 tons of oil/gasoline, and 360 tons of oranges/blankets/clothing) - on one she slipped her bow anchor cable retracting and was passed anchor chain by another LST; embarked 20 American casualties and 340 POWs on the return; a surprise material inspection by COM LST GR 31 (Lt. Cmdr. S. B. Purdie USNR) was conducted aboard while unloading at St.-Michel-en-Greve.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-07 to 1944-09
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked British/Canadian/U.S. troops and returned casualties; LST Group 31 staff; Union Dry Docks and Tilbury yard trades (repair periods)
- Limitations
- Primary unit-produced record naming this hull throughout; no asbestos or material content. The London dry-dock 'repairs to hull' follows immediately after the Normandy campaign but the diary does not state cause (battle damage vs. grounding vs. wear) and does not itemize repair materials - hull repair is documented, its scope is not. 'Replacement of screws refused' appears in the 1-2 July entry (OCR legibility imperfect on some pages; entries paraphrase the diary text).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-03
-
[5]NARA NAID 139807358, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 10/1-31/44' (micro serial 102332; RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 45 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139807358, images 1125-1169 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- LST-55's October 1944 operations (all 45 images OCR-read this session): loaded 716 tons of tents and winter clothing at Berth 35, Southampton; sailed in company with USS LST-497 via Arromanches; stern anchor failed to hold off Juno Beach; beached at Le Havre inside Digue du Nord, Avant Port, and unloaded; returned to Southampton and loaded 251 tons of gasoline storage/auxiliary fuel tanks at Berth 44; sailed for Omaha Beach per NOIC Arromanches orders; beached at Omaha 16-19 October unloading the fuel tanks, periodically withdrawing at high tide; embarked one naval casualty and four Army passengers for the UK; anchored at Netley anchorage, Southampton, 'for minor repairs'; ended the month loading 81 Army vehicles and 139 personnel plus one naval officer and eight men, sailing for Omaha Beach in convoy position 11.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-10
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked troops/casualties; Southampton port trades
- Limitations
- Primary unit-produced record naming this hull on 25 of 45 pages; no asbestos or material content. The Netley 'minor repairs' entry does not itemize scope. Daily positions are the ship's own reports as compiled in the group diary.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-04
-
[6]NARA NAID 139855298, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 11/1-30/44' (micro serial 106605; RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 35 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139855298, images 0026-0060 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- LST-55's November 1944 operations (all 35 images OCR-read this session) continue the Southampton-to-France shuttle: beached at Omaha 1 November completing the October convoy run; then Southampton-Le Havre cycles including a beach at 'Friescati' (Friscati/Friscate beach area, Le Havre approaches) unloading 57 vehicles and 126 U.S. Army personnel; routine embarkation/disembarkation of troops, vehicles, and casualties at Hard S-2 and the Netley anchorage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-11
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked troops/casualties
- Limitations
- Primary unit-produced record naming this hull on 22 of 35 pages; no asbestos or material content. The December 1944 - February 1945 group diaries were not surfaced in the catalog (see gaps); LST-55's winter operations are undocumented at this level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-05
-
[7]NARA NAID 633438003, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 3/1-31/45' (RG 38, World War II War Diaries) + NAID 101709835, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 4/1-30/45' (2 images) - monthly transmittal letters [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 633438003 (March letter, image read 2026-10-02); NAID 101709835 (April letter, 2 images read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The group's March 1945 transmittal letter (read this session) names the group composition - 'LST's 27, 54, 55, [5]6, 291, 292, 308, 344, [400], 497, 498, 506 and 511' - continuing 'the build up campaign as a part of Task Organization 123.1' in shuttle service between Southampton and Le Havre, Rouen and Cherbourg under LST Flotilla Eleven (Capt. J. R. Johannesen USN); LST-55 is not among the ships listed as partially inactive for maintenance that month. The April letter reports group totals of 2,068 troops, 1,606 vehicles and 31 railroad cars to France and 500 POWs + 259 vehicles returned, Southampton-Le Havre remaining the operating pattern.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03 to 1945-04
- Population
- Ship's company; LST Group 31 / Flotilla 11 staff
- Limitations
- Letter-level monthly summaries name the hull in the group roster but carry no per-ship daily entries - ship-level April/May detail is at unit-summary granularity. No asbestos or material content. OCR bracketed digits ([5]6, [400]) are imperfect on two members of the roster; LST-55's own entry is unambiguous.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-06
-
[8]NARA NAID 101709838, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 5/1-31/45' (RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 3 images; monthly transmittal letter with enclosure note) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101709838, images 0888-0890 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The group's May 1945 transmittal letter (all 3 images read this session) documents LST-55's Norway tasking: 'The LST 27, 54, 55, 212, 498, 506, and 511 were attached to Task Unit 123.1.6 on 22 May and sailed for Le Havre. Troops of the U.S. 474 Infantry Regiment were loaded aboard and the ships sailed for Oslo and Drammen, Norway.' Group totals for May: 5,322 troops, 2,068 vehicles, 600 POWs and 124 railroad cars transported to the continent; 2,014 POWs, 1,796 troops and 420 vehicles returned. On 21 May 1945 Commander B. W. ROBB relieved Commander S. B. PURDIE as Commander LST Group 31; LST-137 was TU 123.1.6 flagship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked U.S. 474th Infantry Regiment troops
- Limitations
- Primary unit-produced record explicitly naming LST-55 in the Norway tasking; no asbestos or material content. The enclosure (per-ship materiel/personnel breakdown) is referenced but not digitized in this file unit. The NavSource photo caption independently places the hull at Drammensfjord, Norway, 4 June 1945 (ev-02).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-07
-
[9]NARA NAID 77489155, 'COM LST GR 31 - War Diary, 6/1/45 to 7/27/45' (RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 2 images; June and July transmittal letters) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77489155, images 0155a-0156 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The group's final war-diary letters (both images read this session) document the Norway lift's completion and the unit's return: 'During the first half of June, the ships of LST GROUP THIRTY-ONE were engaged in transporting troops and equipment from Le Havre and Hamburg to various Norwegian ports'; Commander TU 123.1.6 arrived Oslo 5 June 1945 with thirteen ships in company, sailed Oslo 6 June, reached Falmouth 11 June. Ships returned to Falmouth and Plymouth between 10 and 15 June for maintenance availability ahead of the U.S. return. The July letter assigns return convoys: 'LST's 55, 212, 292, 497, 498, 503, and 506 were detached and sailed for the United States in Convoy #9 on 9 July 1945'; Convoy #9 departed Plymouth 9 July 1945 and arrived Norfolk, Virginia, 25 July 1945. LST GROUP THIRTY-ONE was dissolved 27 July 1945 by Commander Operational Training Command, Atlantic Fleet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06 to 1945-07
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked troops; Convoy #9 crews
- Limitations
- Primary unit-produced record; the June letter does not enumerate which ships entered which Norwegian ports - LST-55's presence at Drammensfjord 4 June 1945 rests on the NavSource photo caption (ev-02) and her explicit TU 123.1.6 tasking (ev-07). No asbestos or material content. The decommissioning location per se is not given - the 11 December 1945 officer transfers to Third Naval District activities (ev-09) locate decommissioning in the New York district, not Norfolk.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-08
-
[10]NARA NAID 126553167, 'LST-55, 1/6/44-12/11/45' (RG 24, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships; Roll No. 4299; 492 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126553167; spot-checked frames 00004 (first roll forwarding sheet), 00006 (commissioning report of changes), 00484-00489 (decommissioning officer report + muster)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's quarterly muster rolls are digitized for the entire commissioned period, 6 January 1944 - 11 December 1945 (492 frames). Spot-checks this session: the commissioning report of changes records the plankowner enlisted crew received 6 January 1944 'From ATB, Solomons, Maryland' (Amphibious Training Base); the first quarterly roll (31 March 1944) is certified by Lieut. Walter S. Trombold as Executive Officer and approved by Lieut. Alfred S. Mills, Commanding Officer; and the decommissioning report of changes (stamped 17 December 1945) shows all five remaining officers - Trombold, Brunengo, Richardson, Ward, and Wright - transferred 11 December 1945, four to 'Commandant THIRD Naval District' and Lt.(jg) Wright to 'U.S. Navy Yard Annex, Tompkinsville, S.I., N.Y.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-01-06 to 1945-12-11
- Population
- Ship's company, full commissioned period 1944-45
- Limitations
- Personnel record only; no exposure or material content. 492 frames were not exhaustively read - the crew-source, officer, and decommissioning details are from spot-checks of the opening roll and final pages; per-name muster analysis and a ship-specific crew count are open archival work. The decommissioning pier is not named; the officer-transfer destinations place decommissioning within the Third Naval District (New York), consistent with Tompkinsville, S.I.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-09
-
[11]Library of Virginia, World War II Separation Notices: Navy (FromThePage transcription project) - individual NAVPERS-553 separation records naming 'USS LST 55' in the service-vessels chain [other_primary]
- Locator
- fromthepage.com LVA WWII Separation Notices, works 1140037-018-015-001 (Burford) and 1142095-002-004-001/35446314 (Childress)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized state-archive separation notices name this hull in individual service records: e.g., Howard D. Burford, S1c, whose service-vessels chain runs NTS Bainbridge, Md., to ATB Solomons, Md., to USS LST 55 to NAS Norfolk, Va., place of separation NAS Norfolk, Va., with date of separation 29 November 1945 (initial mustering-out pay dated 19 November 1945); and Raymond E. Childress, WT3c (T), 'Maintenance of Deck Machinery. Oiler' per the rating booklet, service vessels NTS Great Lakes, Service School Command Great Lakes, and USS LST 55, separated at USNPSC Shelton, Va. The Burford record corroborates the ATB Solomons crew pipeline documented in the muster rolls (ev-09); the Childress record is a wartime engineering-branch rating aboard this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Individual crew members (separations)
- Limitations
- Individual personnel records naming the vessel; no exposure or material content, and no exposure claim is made for any individual. Two records were located in the collection; the full LST-55 complement in this archive was not enumerated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-10
-
[12]U.S. Army Signal Corps Photo SC 190631 (NARA Army Signal Corps Collection; HyperWar Online Library of Selected Images) - 'Normandy Invasion, June 1944,' USS LST-55 center frame behind a barrage balloon, LST-61 at right [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org HyperWar Online Library of Selected Images, s190631c.htm picture-data page; NavSource 160055.htm photo table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A dated official photograph places this hull at the Normandy beachhead during the campaign window: Signal Corps photo SC 190631, 'LSTs and other vessels unloading at low tide at Normandy, soon after the June 1944 invasion. USS LST-55 is in the center, behind the closest barrage balloon. USS LST-61 is at right. Though dated 6 June 1944, this photograph was actually taken at least a day later.' NavSource photo captions independently document LST-55 unloading on Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 1944, alongside LST-61.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked units, Normandy beachhead
- Limitations
- Photographic documentation of beachhead presence within the 6-25 June 1944 campaign window; the group diary covering June 1944 was not surfaced (see gaps), so ship-level June operational detail beyond 'unloading at Normandy' is not in the record. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-11
-
[13]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource LST-55 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160055.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-1 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. The group war diaries document repair events aboard this hull during the asbestos-use era - Union Dry Docks London hull repairs (1-7 July 1944), 'service and minor repairs' at Tilbury Hard (July 1944), and 'minor repairs' at Netley anchorage (October 1944) - whose material scope is unitemized.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Dravo Corp. construction trades (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-45); British dockyard/repair trades (1944 repair events); 1948 shipbreakers (Barber, N.J.)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or repair work package was located for LST-55. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. The documented repair events were at British facilities (London/Tilbury) and a fleet anchorage, not U.S. naval shipyards.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-12
-
[14]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 (B-163375, Oct 18, 1979) product page + full-text PDF gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf; digest pp.1-2, enclosure I
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's shipboard asbestos era in which this hull's entire life fell: the Navy advised that 'product specifications for thermal insulation had been changed in 1973 to specify the use of asbestos-free materials' - meaning the specifications in force when LST-55 was built (1943) and scrapped (1948) were asbestos-specification-era - and that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' with thermal insulation 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' Ships already under construction continued to delivery with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. GAO reviewed worker-protection efforts at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards and found both had comprehensive asbestos control programs whose implementation needed strengthening.
- 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. GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not this hull's builder, British repair sites, or breaker. Direct fetch of the PDF returned HTTP 403; full text retrieved via Firecrawl PDF extraction 2026-10-02 (product page and PDF both verified live).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-13
-
[15]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-55-lst55-14 through -17
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: exact-phrase "LST-55" returned 0 in the opinion index and 3 hits in the docket index - all tokenized name collisions: Moore v. Eli Lilly and Company (D.D.C. 1:06-cv-01252, pharmaceutical product-liability; the string match occurs inside appendix exhibits to a summary-judgment opposition, not a vessel reference) and United States v. Marcus (C.D. Cal. 5:13-cv-02170, student-loan recovery; match inside complaint filing text) - the third hit shares the same non-vessel collision profile; "USS LST-55" in opinions returned 0; "LST 55" asbestos in opinions returned 0. No case or opinion naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- 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. Docket-level hits were classified at result/snippet level without per-document review; a zero qualifying result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists. The exact-name "USS LST-55" docket-index query was refused by the fleet pacer every attempt this session and is logged blocked (sl-26), not as a negative; the completed "LST-55" docket sweep already covers its substring space.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-14
-
[16]Batch-7061 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + seven COM LST GR 31 file units read in full (three per-ship diaries Jul-Nov 1944 + four monthly transmittal letters Mar-Jul 1945) + muster-roll unit spot-checked; LVA separation notices; Signal Corps photo; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO full text; NIOSH/OSTI yard surveys; CourtListener API (opinion + docket); NVR; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-55-lst55-01 through -26
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-55 was found in the public sources searched. The ship-specific documentation is unusually deep operationally - seven group war-diary file units read in full plus full-period digitized muster rolls - but no primary source read names 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 and documented 1944 repair events sit squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-15
-
[17]NARA catalog, "LST-55" - 314 fuzzy-ranked file units; ship-titled digitized unit: muster rolls NAID 126553167 (full commissioned period); unit-titled: COM LST GR 31 war diaries (Jul-Sep 1944, Oct 1944, Nov 1944, Mar 1945, Apr 1945, May 1945, Jun-Jul 1945); no ship-titled war diary surfaced; ATB Solomons and Falmouth AAB muster rolls and LST-511 cruise book (NAID 77707447) also returned [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov "LST-55", "USS LST-55", "COM LST GR 31", "LST-55" "War Diary" result sets
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary archive coverage for this hull is digitized and unusually good at unit level but incomplete: no ship-titled war-diary file unit was surfaced for LST-55 (the group's diary carries her daily entries for Jul-Nov 1944; the group's December 1944 - February 1945 diaries and any June 1944 Normandy-month unit were not surfaced). The muster-roll run is complete (6 Jan 1944 - 11 Dec 1945, 492 frames). Related leads surfaced: ATB Solomons, Md. muster roll for the crew-assembly period (NAID 127328272); Advanced Amphibious Base Falmouth, Cornwall muster roll (NAID 126834562) for the post-Norway availability; LST-511 War History and Cruise Book (NAID 77707447, 19 images), the NavSource-cited source for the Drammensfjord 4 June 1945 photograph.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-45); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: unsurfaced months may exist at College Park unindexed under variant titles; WWII deck logs proper for this hull are not in the digitized deck-log program checked; RG 181-style work-package records for the July 1944 London dry-dock repairs and Tilbury service are foreign-yard records outside the catalog sweep; no BuPers casualty report file unit surfaced for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-16
-
[18]OSTI bibliographic records for NIOSH industrial-hygiene surveys of Dravo Corp., Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA: Bloom/Dooley/Peguese, 'Industrial-hygiene survey report' (survey July 1981; report 1985), OSTI 6065127; Billings/Lazar, 'Walk-through survey report' (30 January 1979), OSTI 6587634 [other_primary]
- Locator
- osti.gov biblio 6065127 (1981 survey) and 6587634 (1979 walk-through) - bibliographic records verified live 2026-10-02; OSTI holds no full text
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The located federal occupational-hygiene records for this hull's builder yard are NIOSH painting/coating surveys from 1979 and 1981 - 38 years after LST-55's construction, when the yard's product line was barges and towboats. The 1981 survey sampled organic/paint solvents, metals, and nuisance dust in barge and towboat construction; it contains no asbestos content.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979-1981
- Population
- Dravo Engineering Works painters/trades (1979-81)
- Limitations
- Context-only builder-yard record: post-dates this hull's 1943 construction by 38 years and covers a different product line (river barges/towboats); its absence of asbestos content cannot characterize 1943 wartime LST construction conditions. No 1940s hygiene, material, or asbestos record for the Dravo Neville Island yard was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-55-lst55-17