Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 705-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-655-lst655-pkt-705-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-655 - construction at American Bridge Co., sponsor, commissioning, southern France and Okinawa campaigns, China service, disposal [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 9 December 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched 6 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. George T. Griffiths; commissioned 28 March 1944, Lt. Dudley D. Sumrall in command. Assigned to the European theater; participated in the invasion of southern France, August-September 1944. Then Asiatic-Pacific theater: assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, June 1945. Occupation duty in the Far East and service in China until spring 1946. Decommissioned 31 May 1946 and transferred to the State Department for final disposition. Struck from the Navy list 3 July 1946. Earned two battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); ship's company + embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives the commissioning officer's rank as 'Lt.' while NavSource's commanding-officer table gives 'ENS.' - unresolved (see gaps). Page verified live via GET 2026-10-02 (NHHC responds 404 to HEAD requests - a HEAD/GET behavior, not link rot).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-655 - milestone timeline, campaign detail, unit assignments, specifications, commanding officers (page last updated 1 March 2019) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160655.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull (LST-542 class): laid down 9 December 1943 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 6 February 1944; commissioned 28 March 1944, ENS. Dudley D. Sumrall, USN, in command. Europe-Africa-Middle East campaign: invasion of southern France, 15 August-22 September 1944. Asiatic-Pacific campaign: assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18-30 June 1945; transported USS LCT-596 to Okinawa. Unit assignment while Pacific: LST Flotilla 37 (CAPT. Riley), LST Group 109 (CDR. E. W. Wilson USNR), LST Division 218. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service 1 October 1945-1 June 1946; China Service (extended) 1 October 1945-31 May 1946. Decommissioned 31 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register 3 July 1946; transferred to the State Department for disposal, date unknown; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Two battle stars. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, twin screws 1,700 shp. Commanding officers: ENS Sumrall (28 Mar 1944-Feb 1946); LTjg Edward M. Conneen USNR (Feb-31 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); ship's company + embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates track DANFS here but its Pacific unit assignment (Flotilla 37 / Group 109 / Div 218) conflicts with NHHC's 1 May 1945 fleet-organization document (Flotilla 36 / Group 108 / Div 215) - see gaps; likely reflects a reassignment within the Okinawa-period window but is undated. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - official wartime fleet organization document [other_primary]
- Locator
- Pacific Fleet organization page, LST Flotilla Thirty-Six / Group 108 / Division 215 listing
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The U.S. Pacific Fleet organization as of 1 May 1945 lists LST 655 under LST Flotilla Thirty-Six, LST Group 108, LST Division 215, alongside LSTs 548, 550, 656, 659, and 665 - the official placement of this hull within the Pacific amphibious force in the weeks before the Okinawa Gunto assault.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- ship's company, Pacific amphibious force (1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific assignment record as of one date (1 May 1945); NavSource reports the hull under Flotilla 37 / Group 109 / Div 218 without a date - either a later reassignment or a secondary-source error (see gaps). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-03
-
[5]NHHC photo record 80-G-258038 (National Archives image), 'Southern France Invasion, August 1944' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC photo page, caption block, catalog no. 80-G-258038
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photograph (National Archives catalog no. 80-G-258038) captioned: 'LST's loading invasion at Nisida, Italy, on 9 August 1944, just prior to the Southern France Operation. Ships present include (left to right): USS LST-550; USS LST-692; USS LST-655. Note barrage balloons overhead.' Documents this hull staging at Nisida for Operation Dragoon six days before the landings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-08-09
- Population
- ship's company + embarked troops/equipment (Aug 1944)
- Limitations
- Photographic identification only - corroborates presence and role; no asbestos or material content. Page verified live via firecrawl fetch 2026-10-02 (NHHC 404s HEAD requests).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-04
-
[6]Imperial War Museums film record, 'CHINESE ARMY EMBARKING AT HONG KONG' (catalogue JFU 533; SEAC Film Unit, production date 1946-01-25) [museum_official]
- Locator
- IWM object 1060034859, object description and production metadata (JFU 533)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- IWM-catalogued film footage shows LST 655 at Kowloon docks, Hong Kong, embarking Chinese New First Army troops (Burma-campaign veterans) for transport to Manchuria; the dope-sheet names Rear-Admiral Charles Turner Joy, Commander-in-Chief US South China Fleet, and Captain Watts, officer commanding the LSTs, aboard an LST. Corroborates the DANFS/NavSource 'service in China until spring 1946' record with a dated, museum-held visual record of this hull in Chinese waters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (Hong Kong embarkation period)
- Population
- ship's company; embarked Chinese New First Army troops (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific visual identification per the museum's cataloged dope-sheet; the film's production date is cataloged as 25 January 1946. No asbestos or material content. IWM blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403 to curl); full catalog text retrieved via firecrawl 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-05
-
[7]University of Central Florida, Community Veterans History Project (RICHES) - 'McCreaq, John interview Part 1' (video oral history, 66 min, recorded 2019-11-20) [museum_official]
- Locator
- UCF STARS item 644, description/topics metadata
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archived veteran oral history: John McCreaq, a V-7-program Navy officer, describes his service on LST 655 including the trip down the Mississippi River, transit from New Orleans to Panama, time on Corsica and resupply for the invasion (Operation Dragoon context), and the post-invasion mission - a first-person crew account consistent with this hull's documented build-to-Dragoon timeline.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (service period); 2019 (interview)
- Population
- ship's officers and crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- First-person recollection archived by a university oral-history program (feeds the Library of Congress Veterans History Project); establishes that a named veteran served aboard this hull, but individual recollection details are uncorroborated and it is NOT an exposure record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design-group machinery table + construction roster (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 landing-ship machinery table (LST542-931 row) + LST655 roster line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The BuShips 1945 design table assigns the LST542-931 block - which includes this hull - two General Motors 12-567A diesels at 1,700 shp; the volume's construction roster lists LST655 built at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, Pa., with 1943-44 dates consistent with DANFS (laid down 9 Dec 43, launched 6 Feb 44, commissioned 28 Mar 44). Confirms the diesel plant (no boilers) for this hull's design block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Machinery assignment is stated at design-block level (LST542-931), not per-hull - hull membership in the block is roster-level documentation. No asbestos or insulation-material content anywhere in the source. PDF verified live at the current shipscribe URL 2026-10-02 (the class profile's earlier /styles/usnaux/sdb/ path now 404s).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-07
-
[9]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v2 machinery data + era amphibious-ship construction practice (see lst-1-class class profile, ev-lst-1-class-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class technical data (lst-1-class class profile, ev-lst-1-class-03); SDB v2 LST542-931 machinery row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LST-542-class hulls: no boilers aboard, so the steam-boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply; asbestos-relevant applications for the type are GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings - standard materials practice for 1943-44 mass-production naval construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); ship's company + embarked troops (1944-46); disposal recipients (1946+, unknown)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific survey, material schedule, or maintenance record names this hull. Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual; asbestos presence aboard this hull is plausible and era-consistent but not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-08
-
[10]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 to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented Navy-wide use of asbestos insulation in ships and the fleet's asbestos-management posture of the 1970s: the 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - program-level context for the asbestos-management era of the U.S. fleet generally; it postdates this hull's disposal by three decades.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (1970s review period)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific. The reviewed period (1975-79) postdates this hull's 1946 State Department disposal by ~30 years - included for era context only; says nothing about this vessel. gao.gov blocks direct fetches (HTTP 403); content via product-page description retrieved 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-09
-
[11]Batch-7178 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, NVR, IWM, UCF Veterans History Project, CourtListener API v4 (name + hull-number sweeps), USCS foreign-transfer compilation (OCR), VA/secondary-web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-655-lst655-01 through sl-uss-lst-655-lst655-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum exposure documentation, or docketed case naming LST-655 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener quoted opinion sweeps 'USS LST-655' and 'LST-655' both returned zero hits; the 'LST 655' variant and RECAP docket sweep hit the fleet pacing limit - logged honestly in the ledger.
- 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 amphibious hull would be era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and deck materials. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-655-lst655-10