Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 693-packet.md (2 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-577-lst577-pkt-693-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-577' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command - ARCHIVED COPY: live NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-02; text verified from the 31 May 2025 Wayback capture of the canonical NHHC page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'LST-577' entry (NHHC ship-histories DANFS L-section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-577 was laid down 3 May 1944 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 16 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Christopher Roeder; and commissioned 10 July 1944, Lt. Carl H. Stahl in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the Leyte landings in November 1944 and the Lingayen Gulf landing in January 1945. She was sunk by a Japanese submarine-launched torpedo off the Philippines on 11 February 1945; the tank landing ship was struck from the Navy list on 30 March 1945. LST-577 earned two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company July 1944-February 1945 (13 officers/104 enlisted plus embarked troops per class spec)
- Limitations
- Establishes construction milestones, wartime service, loss, and striking only. Contains no asbestos, material, crew-exposure, or product information. Does not name the attacking submarine, give a loss position, or report casualties.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-577 page (verified live 2026-10-02): class, timeline, campaign table, commanding officer roster, specifications, awards, and loss photograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160577 - header banner, awards block, timeline, campaign table, CO list, specifications table, photo caption (contributor Greg Worzalla)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents: LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship; laid down 3 May 1944 at Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 16 June 1944; commissioned 10 July 1944, LT. Carl H. Stahl, USN, in command. Asiatic-Pacific Theater campaigns: Leyte operation (Leyte landings, 5 to 18 November 1944) and Luzon operation (Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 18 January 1945). 'Lost to enemy action, 11 February 1945' - 'Sunk by a Japanese submarine-launched torpedo off the Philippines coast, 11 February 1945.' 'Struck from the Naval Register, 30 March 1946' [year conflicts with DANFS - see gaps]. Two battle stars. Commanding officer: LT. Carl Hamlin Stahl, USN, 2 July 1944 - 11 February 1945. International radio call sign NEXE. Awards include Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 11 February 1945), Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation, and Philippine Liberation Medal (2). A photograph shows LST-577's forward section (tank deck) as seen from USS LST-592 on 11 February 1945, captioned 'The aft section of the ship sunk.' Specifications: 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp; 13 officers/104 enlisted; troops 16 officers/147 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops 1944-1945
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled photo archive, not an official repository - used here for timeline, specifications, CO roster, campaign dates, awards, and photographic documentation consistent with DANFS. Specifications are class-level values for the LST-542 design group, not measured values for this hull. Contains no asbestos information. Its stricken year (1946) conflicts with DANFS (1945) - carried as a gap, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-02
-
[4]Admiral Ernest J. King, U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945: Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy, Appendix C, 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official CNO report, verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix C, TANK LANDING SHIPS table, 'LST 577' row (p. 295 of the report pagination)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official CNO loss list carries 'LST 577 | 8 1 N, 130 22 E | 11 February 1945' under TANK LANDING SHIPS - the U.S. Navy's official position and date for the hull's loss.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-11
- Population
- Ship's company February 1945
- Limitations
- Official summary table only: gives name, loss position, and loss date - no cause of loss, no attacking unit, no casualty figures. The 8-1 N, 130-22 E position conflicts with secondary-source scuttle/attack positions (see gaps); the official figure is carried as the loss position for this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-03
-
[5]United States Navy Memorial, Navy Log / Lost Ship's Tribute, 'LST-577' page (verified live 2026-10-02): loss narrative and Lost At Sea roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- navylog.navymemorial.org/lst-577 - tribute text block; Lost At Sea Log pages 1-3 (65 names; 'Lt Carl Stahl, USN' on page 2)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy Memorial's lost-ship tribute records: Date lost Sunday, February 11, 1945. 'Submarine Attack east of Mindanao. On Sunday morning, 11 February 1945 LST 577 was torpedoed by Japanese submarine RO 50, east of Mindanao, off the Philippine Islands while in a reinforcement convoy proceeding from Hollandia to Leyte. ... The explosion occurred just aft of the auxiliary engine room and broke the ship in two. Part of the aft frame sank immediately. The forward section remained afloat. ... Over 166 Sailors and soldiers were lost.' The associated Lost At Sea Log lists 65 USN sailors, including Lt. Carl Stahl - the commanding officer named in the NavSource roster, confirming the CO was lost with the ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-11
- Population
- 65 USN lost (log) plus embarked Army passengers (count not itemized); total 'over 166' sailors and soldiers per tribute text
- Limitations
- Memorial-institution roster compiled from 'various sources' (the page's own attribution) - a secondary institutional record, not the official loss report or a muster roll. Names the submarine (RO-50) and gives the break-in-two narrative not present in DANFS. The 'over 166' figure counts sailors AND soldiers; the log lists 65 USN names - the balance (embarked Army passengers) is not itemized (see gaps). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-04
-
[6]Hackett & Kingsepp, 'IJN Submarine RO-50: Tabular Record of Movement,' SENSUIKAN!/combinedfleet.com, Revision 3 (verified live 2026-10-02) - secondary scholarly reconstruction from Japanese-side records [other_primary]
- Locator
- combinedfleet.com/RO-50.htm - entries of 10 February 1945 and 11 February 1945
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Per the RO-50 tabular record: on 10 February 1945 at 0805, LtCdr Kimura Masao fired a four-torpedo salvo at an enemy reinforcement convoy sailing in a single column at 08-01N, 136-37E (300 nms ESE of Surigao, Leyte); at about 0810, LST-577 - proceeding from Hollandia, New Guinea to Leyte in the convoy - was hit, about a third of the ship blown clean off including the entire bridge. Another LST prepared to tow her while the convoy and escorts departed; USS Isherwood (DD-520, LtCdr Louis E. Schmidt) commenced a box search, made radar contact on surfaced RO-50 after sunset at 2110, and delivered three depth-charge runs that damaged RO-50's diving tank valves, shattered both periscope lenses, and started leaks in all torpedo tubes before losing contact (RO-50 survived and escaped). On 11 February 1945, Isherwood scuttled LST-577 east of Mindanao at 08-05N, 126-17E.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-02-10 to 1945-02-11
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops, 10-11 February 1945
- Limitations
- SECONDARY RECONSTRUCTION, not an official USN record: a tabular movement record compiled by researchers (Hackett & Kingsepp) from Japanese-side sources plus contributed information (the TROM credits Brad Isherwood for events of 10-11 February). Its torpedo-hit date (10 February) and positions (attack 08-01N 136-37E; scuttle 08-05N 126-17E) conflict with official USN dating (loss 11 February at 8-1N 130-22E) - carried as conflicts in gaps, not resolved. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-05
-
[7]National Park Service, 'Places of WWII History in Evansville, IN' (Evansville an American World War II Heritage City, designated 2022) - Evansville Shipyard section (verified live 2026-10-02) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS article, 'Evansville Shipyard' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS documents that the Navy built Evansville Shipyard on 40 acres on Evansville's west side; the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company began production of the yard's first LST within four months of the February 1942 announcement; by February 1945 the yard had produced 167 LSTs at a 1944 rate of one ship every four days, plus 13 ammunition lighters and 17 oceangoing barges; the last ship launched 12 December 1945 and a January 1946 fire destroyed the yard. This is the yard where LST-577 was built (May-July 1944, inside the documented four-day production cycle).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Evansville Shipyard construction workforce, 1942-1945
- Limitations
- Yard-level production history only - does not name LST-577 and contains no asbestos, material, or workforce-exposure information. Establishes the construction setting (an inland 'cornfield' yard mass-producing LSTs during this hull's build) but nothing about materials installed aboard this or any hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (April 1945), LST design table and roster (shipscribe.com scan, verified live 2026-10-02 at its current /pubs/ path) - official BuShips machinery/dimension data for the LST-542 design group [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for the LST-542 group: BuShips' official data documents the diesel plant - 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels, ~1,700 shp, twin screws - with no boilers. The asbestos-relevant applications aboard a diesel LST of this era were therefore the era-standard set: diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve packing, and brake linings on winches and cargo gear. Navy-wide, asbestos insulation was standard-era shipbuilding practice for this period.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (hull lifecycle)
- Population
- Construction workforce (Evansville, 1944); engine-room crew 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Class/design inference, not a hull record: BuShips data confirms the machinery fit of the design group but does not name LST-577 and contains no asbestos schedule. No asbestos product is proven installed aboard this hull; no quantity or condition is established. The diesel plant narrows (does not eliminate) the exposure-relevant system set relative to steam-driven contemporaries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-07
-
[9]Woolsey v. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., 119 Ind. App. 391, 88 N.E.2d 54 (Ind. App. 1949) - occupational-disease workmen's-compensation appeal decided 17 October 1949 [court_record]
- Locator
- Ind. App. LEXIS 196 (1949); opinion summary via secondary legal directory
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The Indiana Appellate Court affirmed a denial of occupational-disease compensation to the estate of Elbert Woolsey, a pipe fitter employed by Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. working in the compartments of ships June-November 1944 - a yard production window that follows this hull's May-July 1944 construction. The claim alleged poisoning from inhaling fumes and gases of galvanized metal being welded; the Industrial Board found no occupational disease contracted in the employment, and the award denying compensation was affirmed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (exposure period); 1949 (decision)
- Population
- Evansville Shipyard construction trades, 1944
- Limitations
- NOT an asbestos case: the alleged agent was galvanized-metal welding fumes, and the claim failed on causation. No hull is named. Included strictly as yard-context documentation that occupational-disease claims arising from LST hull-compartment work at this builder were litigated in the period; it establishes nothing about asbestos aboard LST-577 or at the yard. Reporter citation from secondary legal-directory listing (88 N.E.2d 54; 119 Ind. App. 391) - opinion text not independently re-verified on CourtListener this session (two attempts blocked by fleet-wide pacing); classify as directory-level verification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-08
-
[10]Batch-7091 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (archived), NavSource live page, U.S. Navy Memorial lost-at-sea roster, official CNO loss list (HyperWar transcription), RO-50 tabular record of movement, uboat.net, NPS Evansville heritage article, Naval Vessel Register, NARA catalog, CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, opinion + docket indexes), and open-web sweeps for asbestos/litigation naming the hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-577-01 through sl-uss-lst-577-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LST-577 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener authenticated searches returned zero opinions and zero dockets for 'LST-577'/'USS LST-577' and zero opinions for the spaced variant 'LST 577'. The only litigation located anywhere in the hull's construction chain is non-asbestos (see ev-08). Because the hull was sunk in action in 1945 and never salvaged, no post-service survey, conversion, museum, or disposal record exists that could document materials aboard.
- 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 - LST-542-group construction predates asbestos-era documentation practice of recording materials by hull, and the wartime loss forecloses the post-service documentation track entirely. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-577-09