Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 691-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-563-lst563-pkt-691-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-563 (Naval History and Heritage Command, published 2015-08-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full text (3 paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-563 was laid down 4 March 1944 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 1 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. N. E. Senescall; commissioned 20 May 1944, Lt. J. B. Hockswender, USNR, in command. She grounded on Clipperton Island in the eastern Pacific, 670 miles southwest of Mexico, on 21 December 1944 and suffered extensive damage; after numerous unsuccessful attempts to free her she was stripped and abandoned 9 February 1945 and struck from the Navy list 23 February 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company, 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity and loss record; contains no asbestos information. Does not establish materials, quantities, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images, USS LST-563 page, photo NH 51440 (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror of NHHC) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NH 51440 photo caption and page text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC record: LST-563 'broached' on Clipperton Island 21 December 1944 while attempting to land materials for a weather station; unsuccessful refloat efforts resulted in serious damage to USS Seize (ARS-26) and lesser injuries to USS Viking (ARS-1) and USS Tenino (ATF-115); her cargo was transferred ashore by early January; hull condition gradually deteriorated until salvage was deemed impractical; she was stripped of instruments, equipment and other material before abandonment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-12-21 to 1945-02
- Population
- LST-563 crew plus salvage crews of Seize/Viking/Tenino, Dec 1944-Feb 1945
- Limitations
- Documents the salvage-and-stripping work aboard this hull (disturbance-relevant activity) but contains no asbestos or materials information. Caption labels the ship 'LST-511 class' - inconsistent with DANFS/NavSource LST-542 designation (logged in gaps). Mirror of the NHHC page on ibiblio.org verified live 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-02
-
[4]George M. Lowry, Rear Admiral, USNR (Ret.), 'The Clipperton Operation,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 88/2/708 (February 1962) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Proceedings Vol. 88/2/708, article text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- First-person-adjacent narrative of the operation: CinC U.S. Fleet ordered the 'Island X' expeditionary aerological station 1 December 1944; USS Argus established the station 11 December; LST-563 arrived loaded with heavy equipment, base and food supplies, and aerological instruments and grounded on the rocks; her fresh-water and oil tanks sprang leaks; Seize grounded 30 December when a tow wire fouled her propellers (shaft alleys flooded, engines disabled, no crew lost or injured); Tenino and Viking (arrived 8 January 1945) joined; ~109 tons of salvage equipment, ammunition and engine spares were discharged on the beach; the station transmitted its first weather report 13 January 1945; Viking and Tenino moved the LST 80 feet but could not clear the outside reef; by 30 January she was high on the beach with flooded tanks; Viking and Tenino took off 4 officers and 60 men while the skipper, 2 officers and 50 men remained until USS Grand Island arrived.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-12-01 to 1945-02
- Population
- LST-563 crew (117 off/men split 4+60 evacuated, skipper+2+50 to Grand Island), Argus/Seize/Viking/Tenino parties, weather-station detachment
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous-officer narrative 17 years post-event: dates conflict with DANFS at two points (grounding dated 22 Dec vs DANFS 21 Dec; striking reported '8 February' vs DANFS 23 Feb / abandonment 9 Feb - logged in gaps). No asbestos content; describes cargo-handling and stripping activity only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-03
-
[5]M.-H. Sachet, 'Geography and land ecology of Clipperton Island,' Atoll Research Bulletin No. 86, pp. 1-115 (National Research Council Pacific Science Board / Smithsonian, 1962) - archive.org scan of the bound Smithsonian volume (BHL item 123744); canonical repository.si.edu copy returned a site-unavailable page at research time [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARB No. 86, history section (weather-station passage)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Scientific expedition record: 'The ship (LST 563) bringing most of the material for its construction [the U.S. weather station] struck the reef, and its great rusted carcass, battered and much dismantled was still a conspicuous landmark near the landing point on the northeast side in August 1958, and served as a breakwater for small boats effecting a landing. Rusting landing craft, fuel tanks and ammunition were scattered nearby.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Occasional landing parties (French Navy visits, scientific expeditions) 1945-1958+
- Limitations
- Establishes the wreck persisted in place, already 'much dismantled,' 13+ years post-loss - relevant to present-day materials persistence - but contains no asbestos or materials-analysis information. repository.si.edu (canonical) was down this session; the archive.org/BHL scan is the same publication verified live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-04
-
[6]'La Passion - Clipperton Atoll in the Eastern North Pacific: Anthropogenic Traces Revealing Environmental and Societal Dynamics,' Natural Resources 16(13) (SCIRP, 2025), DOI 10.4236/nr.2025.1613020 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Paper text, American-remains paragraph and Figure 10 caption
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- 2025 expedition survey of the atoll's anthropogenic remains catalogs 'a large number of remains from the American (wreck of the LST, amphibious gear, ammunition stocks)' on the coral crown, with a figure captioned 'Munitions US A Epave LST 563' documenting LST-563 wreck material still in place.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2025 (survey); wreck in place since 1945
- Population
- La Passion expedition members; occasional visitors
- Limitations
- Single-source confirmation that wreck remains persist in 2025; SCIRP's editorial standards are contested, so this is corroborative only - the stronger sourcing for wreck persistence is ARB-86 (1958). Contains no asbestos or materials analysis.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-05
-
[7]NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-563 page (specification block, commanding officers, awards, photo credits incl. US National Archives photo 80-G-240701) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LST-563 specification block; LST-542-class machinery section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-542 (verified class spec: 2 x General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, three 100-kW diesel-drive generators - no boilers): asbestos-relevant applications aboard this type were engine exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. Ship was never refitted or modernized (lost in commission, Feb 1945).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Construction trades at Evansville Shipyard (1944); ship's company (1944-1945); salvage crews Dec 1944-Feb 1945
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-level material schedule or asbestos record exists for this hull. Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-06
-
[8]National Park Service, 'Places of WWII History in Evansville, IN' (American World War II Heritage City series) [nps]
- Locator
- Evansville Shipyard section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy built Evansville Shipyard on 40 acres on the city's west side; the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company began production within four months of the February 1942 announcement; by February 1945 the yard had produced 167 LSTs - one every four days in 1944 - plus 13 ammunition lighters and 17 oceangoing barges; a January 1946 fire destroyed the yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Evansville Shipyard workforce (shift production, ~70,000+ war-years per local history)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard context only - the article does not name LST-563 and contains no asbestos or materials information; establishes the mass-production welding/fabrication environment in which this hull was built.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-07
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page; full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and the ubiquity of asbestos insulation aboard Navy ships of the WWII-Korea construction era; 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation only - not hull- or class-specific, and postdates this ship's loss by decades (relevant only to era-practice confirmation). Full text blocked to automated fetch (403); content via product-page description - same limitation as class-profile row ev-lst-1-class-05.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-08
-
[10]Woolsey v. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., 119 Ind. App. 391 (Ind. App. 1949), No. 17,878, filed 1949-10-17, Royse J. - occupational-disease claim by a yard pipe fitter [court_record]
- Locator
- 119 Ind. App. 391; aggregator index entry (Exa) confirming court/date/docket/author
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Industrial Board / appellate litigation at the builder's yard during the LST production era: appellants' decedent Elbert Woolsey was employed by Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron as a pipe fitter 'in the compartment of ships' June 21 - November 11, 1944, and died October 29, 1945; the family sought compensation under Indiana's Workmen's Occupational Diseases Act alleging poisoning from fumes and gases of galvanized metal being welded; the Industrial Board found he contracted no occupational disease arising out of employment, and the denial was affirmed on appeal.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (exposure window); 1949 (decision)
- Population
- Evansville yard ship-compartment trades (pipe fitters, welders)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard litigation context only - NOT an asbestos case (metal-fume claim), NOT this hull (employment window postdates LST-563's May 1944 departure from Evansville), and a merits-level denial for the claimant. N.E.2d parallel cite reported variously as 87 or 88 N.E.2d 54 - cite Ind. App. as controlling. Opinion verified via aggregator preview; no free full-text official copy located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-09
-
[11]Batch-7076 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NHHC photo page, USNI Proceedings, Smithsonian ARB-86, SCIRP 2025, NavSource, NPS Evansville article, GAO, shipyards.json, NVR, CourtListener, general web [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-563-lst563-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming LST-563 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No law-firm or marketing page asserting asbestos aboard this hull was located either - nothing required exclusion on source-policy grounds.
- 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 1944-built hull lost in commission is unlikely ever to have generated a survey or abatement file, and the wreck was stripped, not abated. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-10
-
[12]NavSource LST-563 photo credits: US National Archives photo 80-G-240701 (underway, 16 July 1944); NH 51440 broached series (US Naval Historical Center); USS Argus (PY-14) crew photos by RdM/2 Warren Cabral [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo table; NARA catalog search (no digitized record found)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Untapped primary records: NARA holds 80-G-240701 and the NH 51440 series; Clipperton deck log, salvage reports (Seize/Viking/Tenino), muster rolls, and any board-of-investigation file for the grounding were not retrieved; the ship was in commission only ~9 months, so her file set is small.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (records); 2026-10-02 (search)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - photo numbers documented by NavSource; NARA online catalog queried 2026-10-02 ('80-G-240701' quoted: no results; 'LST-563': no ship-specific record in top-ranked results) - the 80-G photo is a physical, non-digitized holding. No asbestos content expected or located in these leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-563-lst563-11