Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 702-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (identity). Source depth is moderate
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-631-lst631-pkt-702-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-631 entry - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Asiatic-Pacific operations, occupation duty, decommissioning, sale (via Wayback capture 2024-05-27; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2024-05-27 of history.navy.mil DANFS 'LST-631' page; identical verbatim DANFS text republished at historycentral.com/navy/patrol/24.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'laid down on 19 April 1944 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 18 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Theresa Colmone; and commissioned on 9 August 1944.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; operations: Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945), Zambales-Subic Bay (January 1945), Mindanao Island landings (March and April 1945). Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until mid-December 1945. 'She was decommissioned on 24 May 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 3 July that same year. On 15 April 1948, the ship was sold to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle, Wash., and subsequently scrapped.' Three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948 (entry coverage)
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1944); ship's company 13 officers/104 enlisted + embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Commissioning (9 Aug) and decommissioning (24 May) dates conflict by one day each with NavSource (8 Aug / 25 May) - conflicts carried in gaps, DANFS dates carried in fields. Live NHHC page 404s (standing NHHC link-rot defect noted since BATCH-01); archived Wayback capture cited and labeled. 'Subsequently scrapped' gives no date or yard for the breakup.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-631 (10/16/160631) - designation, milestone timeline, campaign/medal tables, specifications, commanding-officer list, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160631.htm header block, campaign and medal tables, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship laid down 19 April 1944 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 18 July 1944; commissioned USS LST-631 8 August 1944, LTjg. John W. Dunn USNR in command. Campaign table: Lingayen Gulf landings 4-13 January 1945; Zambales-Subic Bay (Manila Bay-Bicol operation) 29-30 January 1945; Mindanao Island landings (Consolidation of the Southern Philippine Islands) 10-12 March and 17-23 April 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods: 23 September-15 October 1945 and 10-20 December 1945. Decommissioned 25 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register 3 July 1946; three battle stars; custody transferred to the Maritime Commission 15 April 1948; sold for scrapping 15 April 1948 to Kaiser Co., Inc., Seattle, WA. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328' oa x 50' beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16/147; 2 LCVP; two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100kW 230V DC ship's service generators, two propellers, 1,700 shp, twin rudders. Call sign NFHA. Commanding officers: Dunn (8 Aug 1944-2 Dec 1945), LTjg. William J. Hansen USNR (2 Dec 1945-Mar 1946), LTjg. Robert W. Christensen USNR (Mar 1946-25 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); embarked troops incl. Australian 7th Division lift (June 1945); occupation-duty crew
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS but commissioning (8 vs 9 Aug 1944) and decommissioning (25 vs 24 May 1946) each differ by one day from DANFS; conflicts carried in gaps, not adjudicated. Page fetched live 2026-10-02. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-02
-
[4]Photographic and personnel-record leads: Australian War Memorial photo (Blue Beach, Morotai, 22 June 1945); NHHC photo NH 79017 (San Francisco Bay, c. 1946, via Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum); LST-631 dinner-dance menu, 13 February 1946, San Francisco; USNI Photo Archives image 4846943 ('LST-631 (no name) 1945'); Library of Virginia WWII Navy separation notice for Johnnie Ashby listing USS LST 631 (FromThePage transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160631.htm photo-caption table; https://photos.usni.org/content/4846943jpg (live); https://fromthepage.com/lva/world-war-ii-separation-notices-navy/work-1140044-002-146-001 (HTTP 403 to automated fetch - access gap, content verified via search-result transcription; no Wayback capture exists)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific archival material located: an Australian War Memorial photograph shows LST-631 beached at Blue Beach, Morotai, on 22 June 1945 alongside USS LST-454 and numerous other LSTs, embarking Australian 7th Division troops and equipment for Operation Oboe 2 (Balikpapan, Borneo). NHHC photo NH 79017 shows her at anchor in San Francisco Bay circa 1946; a 13 February 1946 dinner-dance menu places her in San Francisco. The USNI photo archive holds a 1945 image cataloged 'LST-631 (no name)'. A Library of Virginia WWII Navy separation notice for Johnnie Ashby lists USS LST 631 among his service vessels - evidence that named-individual service records naming this hull exist in state archives.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Crew and embarked Australian 7th Division troops (June 1945); veteran Johnnie Ashby (service dates on notice)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: photographs and the menu establish physical presence (Morotai, San Francisco) and the AWM caption documents the Balikpapan embarkation lift, but no operational order or deck-log excerpt was retrieved - Borneo is NOT among her three credited battle-star campaigns, and the extent of her Oboe 2 participation is undetermined from these sources. The AWM photo is cited via NavSource caption, not directly from awm.gov.au. The separation notice establishes one veteran's service aboard; it is not an exposure record. No asbestos content in any item.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-03
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory (Colton compilation), Chicago Bridge & Iron production table - LST-631 row; corroborated by the LST Association memorial marker at Seneca (via HMDB transcription) and CB&I company history [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-emer-large/chicagobridge production table, LST-631 row (verified live via firecrawl; returns HTTP 500 to curl - UA block); hmdb.org marker 239315, LST Association 2005 memorial text (HTTP 403 to automated fetch - access gap, marker text verified via search-result transcription)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's production table lists this hull: LST-631, US Navy landing ship tank, laid 19 April 1944, launched 18 July 1944, delivered/commissioned 9 August 1944 - 90 days on the ways, 22 days fitting out, 112 days total; disposition column 'scrapped 1947'. Yard context: the Navy requisitioned the Chicago Bridge facility at Seneca IL in 1942 and invested ~$6M in its improvement; known as the 'Prairie Shipyard' on a 200-acre site; CB&I built 157 LSTs and ARLs there 1942-1945 with a workforce the LST Association's 2005 memorial marker puts at 27,000 employees; the yard was sold to Union Mechling in 1949.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1949 (yard); 1944 (this hull's build)
- Population
- CB&I Seneca workforce (~27,000 employees across 1942-45, per memorial marker)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official registry - its build dates corroborate DANFS exactly (9 Aug commissioning supports the DANFS date over NavSource's 8 Aug) but its 'scrapped 1947' disposition conflicts with DANFS's 15 April 1948 sale and is carried as a conflict in gaps, not adopted. No asbestos, material, or worker-health content. Seneca 'Prairie Shipyard' is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-04
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[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan, /pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf - URL updated from the class profile's stale /styles/usnaux/sdb/ path, now 404) + NavSource spec block for this hull + consolidated era construction practice (via lst-1-class class profile) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; NavSource 10/16/160631.htm specifications; lst-1-class class profile ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- An LST-542-class diesel tank landing ship built in 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos applications aboard a diesel amphibious ship of this type were diesel engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel design she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); 1948 shipbreakers, Kaiser Co. Seattle
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or work package located for LST-631. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-05
-
[7]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). Standing Navy policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs.
- 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 - standing defect since BATCH-01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-06
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[8]CourtListener API v4 searches (authenticated, 2026-10-02): "LST-631" type=o count 0; "LST-631" type=r count 0 (document_count 0); "USS LST-631" type=o count 0; "LST 631" type=o count 0 and type=r count 0 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-631-lst631-02 through -05
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: opinion-index and RECAP docket-index searches for this hull's designations ('LST-631', 'USS LST-631', 'LST 631') all returned zero hits. The class-level 'USS LST' asbestos sweep run during the LST class profile (2026-09-16) likewise found no asbestos docket naming any specific LST hull - its only hit was an incidental reunion-notice mention of LST-579 in a scanned exhibit (Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; no asbestos marketing-page claims specific to LST-631 were encountered.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- A zero-hit index search is a limited finding: RECAP covers only dockets it has indexed, state-court and trust-claim records are outside its scope, and a hull-number-only ship (never named) is less likely to appear in pleadings than a named ship. Absence of located litigation does not establish that no claim was ever filed, nor does it bear on whether asbestos was present aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-07
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[9]Batch-7152 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Wayback capture); NavSource; shipbuildinghistory Seneca table; CourtListener API v4 (o and r, three query variants - all zero); NVR; NARA catalog; NIOSH/OSHA yard search; USNI photo archive; LVA separation notice; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-631-lst631-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or docketed case naming USS LST-631 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1948, decades before modern ACM-handling regulation; no hazmat or material record for the Kaiser Co. Seattle breakup was located.
- 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 era inference stands on its own merits. RG 24 deck logs (NARA College Park), CB&I work packages, and the Maritime Commission disposal file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-631-lst631-08