Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 696-packet.md (2 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-598-lst598-pkt-696-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-598 page (160598) - build/milestone dates, unit assignments, campaign, awards, decommission/strike, disposition, commanding officers, specifications, photo record (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160598.htm header block, campaign tables, commanding-officer table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship laid down 14 July 1944 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 29 August 1944; commissioned USS LST-598 on 22 September 1944, Ens. Marion V. Reeder, USNR, in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Twenty-One (Capt. W. H. Brereton), LST Group Sixty-Two (Cdr. W. M. Gullett), LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Three. Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 April - 6 May 1945. Postwar: occupation service and China Service Medal (extended), 7 October 1945 - 10 June 1946. Decommissioned 10 June 1946; struck from the Naval Register 19 July 1946; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' One battle star for WWII service. CO listing: Ens. Marion Vincent Reeder USNR 22 Sep 1944 - 6 Feb 1946; Lt.(jg) John F. Reilly USNR 6 Feb - 10 Jun 1946. Call sign NEZS. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328' oa x 50' beam; 11.6 kt trial; 13 officers, 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers, 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; ultimate armament 2 twin 40 mm + 4 single 40 mm + 12 single 20 mm. Photo record includes a US Navy photo from US Naval Historical Center collections showing LST-785, LST-736 and LST-598 unloading while beached at Okinawa, April 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1944); ship's company 13 officers/104 enlisted plus embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but are not themselves primary. Contains no asbestos content and no material survey. 'Fate unknown' disposition conflicts with Shipbuilding History 'scrapped 1947' (see ev-02 and gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Landing Ships Tank LST 401 thru LST 796' yard table - Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron row for hull 123 (verified live 2026-10-02; identical table mirrored at shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net and navalmarinearchive.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lstpart2.htm, LST-598 row, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-registry row for this hull: LST-598, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville IN, yard no. 123, FY 1943; keel 14 Jul 1944; launched 29 Aug 1944; delivered 22 Sep 1944; 46 days on ways, 24 days in water, 70 days total; disposition 'Scrapped 1947'. Table context: LST Mk. 2 program - 1,155 contracted from 11 private-sector shipyards and 5 Navy yards, 101 cancelled, net 1,054 built; most survivors scrapped after the war.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron yard workforce (1944); any 1947 breakup workforce (unlocated)
- Limitations
- Secondary yard-registry compilation, not a primary disposal document. 'Scrapped 1947' conflicts with NavSource 'fate unknown' - carried as an unresolved source conflict, not verified disposition (see gaps). No asbestos content. Build dates corroborate NavSource exactly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-02
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[4]NARA catalog, NAID 83564791: 'USS LST-598 - Rep of opers in the invasion of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 4/1-11/45, including AA action on 4/3/45' - RG 38, WWII War Diaries series, microfilm roll A1852, 6 digitized images [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAID 83564791 (RG 38, series 4697018, roll A1852, Fold3 file 300335167, 6 images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report survives and is digitized: report of operations in the invasion of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 4/1-11/45, including anti-aircraft action on 4/3/45, dated 12 April 1945 (serial 86, micro serial 139670). Primary-source confirmation that this hull participated in the Okinawa assault and engaged enemy aircraft on 3 April 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-04
- Population
- Ship's company during Okinawa operations, April 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead: confirms combat participation and provides a primary service record, but is an operational report - no material, insulation, or maintenance content bearing on asbestos. Image-level OCR not performed this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-03
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[5]NARA catalog, RG 38 WWII War Diaries series: USS LST-598 file units - NAID 77490340 (War Diary 4/1-30/45, roll A1871), NAID 77570885 (War Diary 6/1-30/45), NAID 77553677 (War Diary 7/1-8/31/45), NAID 77707782 (War History) - all digitized [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAIDs 77490340, 77570885, 77553677, 77707782 (RG 38, series 4697018)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Four further ship-generated records survive digitized at NARA: monthly war diaries for April, June, and July-August 1945, plus the ship's war history - the primary documentary spine of the hull's commissioned service in RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Ship's company, 1945
- Limitations
- Archival leads: routine operational and administrative reporting - not material or maintenance records; no asbestos-bearing content expected or found. Deck logs for 1944-46 exist per the NHHC deck-log index but are not publicly digitized (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive, print 438629: 'U.S. Navy Landing Ship Tank LST-598 (no name) 15 August 1945' (verified live 2026-10-02) [museum_official]
- Locator
- USNI Photo Archive item 438629.jpg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A photographic print of this hull dated 15 August 1945 is held in the U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive (Annapolis), documenting the ship at war's end.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-08-15
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: a photograph documents the hull's existence and appearance, nothing about materials or work performed. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-05
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[7]Consolidated era inference built on: NavSource ship-specific spec block (2x GM 12-567A diesels, no steam plant); LST-542 design-group construction practice 1944; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-program documentation (ev-07); class research showing diesel LST exposure relevance concentrated in exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings and accommodation insulation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; class-profile lst-1-class consolidated inference (ships-worktrees/class-f); GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST: no boilers - asbestos-relevant applications aboard a ship of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. Built at an inland 'cornfield' yard (Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville) during the peak federal-shipbuilding asbestos-use era; crewed by 13 officers and 104 enlisted with up to 163 embarked troops in a compact, habitability-limited hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-46); any disposal/shipbreaking workforce (1946-47)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-598. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- 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 (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- 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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-07
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[9]Batch-7114 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource live page; Shipbuilding History yard table; NARA catalog (5 digitized file units); USNI Photo Archive; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + RECAP docket); GAO product page; HyperWar deck-log index; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-598-lst598-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-598 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero results for 'LST-598' (opinion and RECAP docket indexes) and 'LST 598' (opinion index; the unhyphenated docket-index variant could not be run - fleet pacing budget spent, logged blocked); NHHC has no DANFS entry for this hull; no English Wikipedia article exists; secondary web sweeps surfaced no law-firm marketing claim asserting asbestos aboard this specific 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 - the hull's 1944 construction inside the documented Navy asbestos era makes era-consistent presence plausible but unproven. Deck logs, builder work packages, and any disposal/FLC records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-598-lst598-08