Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 705-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-657-lst657-pkt-705-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-657 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, occupation/China service, MSTS transfer, strike (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl and re-verified HTTP 200 with browser UA 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-657 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 16 December 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched 25 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. E. T. Owens; commissioned 10 April 1944, Lt. Eugene L. Berenbach, USNR, in command. 'Following World War II, LST-657 performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until mid-February 1946. She was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service on 31 March 1952 where she served as USNS LST-657 until struck from the Navy list on 1 May 1961.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Construction trades (Ambridge, 1943-44); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); MSTS crews (1952-61)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS for this hull is brief - no WWII campaign detail (consistent with no documented battle stars), no decommissioning date or port (NavSource supplies 23 February 1946), no final disposition after the 1961 strike.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USNS T-LST-657 ex USS LST-657 (10/16/160657.htm, last updated 9 January 2015) - designation timeline, unit assignments, spec block, commanding-officer list, awards, disposition, September 1945 repatriation photo [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160657.htm header block, occupation/China table, specifications block, CO table, photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship laid down 16 December 1943 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 25 February 1944; commissioned USS LST-657 10 April 1944, LT Eugene L. Berenbach USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater; LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven (CAPT. Riley), LST Group One Hundred Ten (LCDR. C. Alexander), LST Division Two Hundred Twenty. Occupation and China service in the Far East: Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended) periods both 2 September 1945 to 23 February 1946. Decommissioned 23 February 1946 and assigned to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q071. Transferred to MSTS 31 March 1952, placed in service as USNS T-LST-657; placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1961. 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; radio call sign NKVP; 2 LCVP. Awards: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) - no battle stars, no named assault operations. CO list: LT Berenbach USNR 10 Apr 1944-Sep 1944; LT William A. Letbetter USNR Sep 1944-19 Dec 1945; LTjg Edward P. Finegan USNR 19 Dec 1945-23 Feb 1946. Archival photo: LST-657 unloading Japanese soldiers into LCT-1380 circa September 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops (1944-46); SCAJAP-period crews; MSTS crews (1952-61)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the NARA muster rolls, and the CO timeline matches the muster-roll signatures. Contains no asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' conflicts with the secondary-source Indonesian transfer (see ev-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-02
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[4]NARA NAID 126622832, 'LST-657, 4/10/44-2/23/46' (RG 24, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; microfilm Roll 4714; 266 images digitized via Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126622832; forwarding sheets at images 1 (Q2'44, Little Creek Va.), 30 (Q3'44, Norfolk Va.), 100 (Q2'45, Pearl Harbor T.H.); passenger list image 130 (Cristobal, 22 Apr 1945); sailing reports images 166 (Saipan-Okinawa, 29 Aug 1945), 196/198 (Jinsen-Okinawa, 23 Sep 1945), 240 (to Jinsen, 5 Oct 1945 addendum); commissioning crew report image 3; demobilization transfers image 260
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own muster rolls cover her entire commissioned life and supply the ship-specific movement record (28 of 266 images downloaded and read this session, OCR plus direct image verification of the load-bearing fields): the quarter ending 30 June 1944 roll was forwarded from Little Creek, Virginia (approved LT E. L. Berenbach USNR; XO LT J. H. Condon USNR); the quarter ending 30 September 1944 roll was forwarded from Norfolk, Virginia (approved W. A. Letbetter, Lieut., USNR, Commanding Officer - corroborating the September 1944 relief in the NavSource CO table); the commissioning-crew Report of Changes (NAVPERS 605-B, month ending 10 April 1944) opens the file with the named original roster; a List of Nonenlisted Passengers dated 22 April 1945 records the ship sailing from Port of Cristobal, Canal Zone - the Panama Canal transit bound for the Pacific; the quarter ending 30 June 1945 roll was forwarded 2 July 1945 from Pearl Harbor, T.H. (approved W. A. Letbetter USNR); Reports of Changes document the occupation-era lift legs verbatim: sailing Saipan to Okinawa, 29 August 1945; sailing Jinsen, Korea, to Okinawa, 23 September 1945; and an addendum to a sailing report of 3 October 1945 recording sailing to Jinsen, Korea. Later pages show demobilization-era transfers (to APA-197, to LST-940 temporary duty, to Port Director for transfer to the U.S.) through the file's end at 23 February 1946, the decommissioning date.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-04-10 to 1946-02-23
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); embarked troops and repatriated personnel
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record read by sampling, not exhaustively - 28 of 266 images were viewed; quarter-strength totals and the full personnel roster were not extracted this pass. Muster rolls document movements and personnel, not materials - no asbestos, insulation, or repair content; no shipyard availability is documented in the pages viewed (the 1944-46 record shows operational steaming only). OCR of the typewriter-over-form fields required direct image verification for the load-bearing location fields.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-03
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[5]Disposition convergence across secondary sources: Wikipedia 'USS LST-657' (citing Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85 and NavalCoverMuseum); NavalCoverMuseum 'LST 657' designation-history table; seaforces.org Indonesian Navy list; KRI Teluk Manado Wikipedia article [other_primary]
- Locator
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-657 (infobox 'Fate: Transferred to Indonesia, 1961'; citations Jane's 1984-85, NavalCoverMuseum); navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/LST_657 designation history; seaforces.org/marint/Indonesian-Navy/ships.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilations independently report the post-strike career: under the Military Assistance Program the hull was transferred to Indonesia in 1961 and served as KRI Teluk Manado (pennant 505), homeported Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, with AN/SPS-21 radar and 37mm armament in Indonesian service; struck/decommissioned by Indonesia in 1983. NavalCoverMuseum's designation table carries the same chain (TELUK MENADO, transferred to Indonesia 1961, struck by Indonesia 1983, fate unknown). seaforces.org lists 'KRI Teluk Manado - ex USS LST 657.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1961-1983
- Population
- Indonesian Navy crews (1961-83, per secondary record)
- Limitations
- Secondary convergence only - no U.S. primary record of the transfer was located; NavSource (the canonical per-hull compilation) marks 'Final Disposition, fate unknown,' so the claim rests on Wikipedia citing Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85, NavalCoverMuseum, and fleet-list mirrors. Carried as the most probable disposition pending a primary source. Note the modern KRI Teluk Manado-537 in Indonesian service is a different, later ship bearing the name - not this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-04
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[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource LST-657 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160657.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-542 design group ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp total, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1944 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, deck coverings - and the hull's long life (1944 build; USN/USNS through 1961; reported Indonesian service to 1983) spans the entire pre-regulation asbestos era including SCAJAP and MSTS operation whose crews and maintenance practices are undocumented in U.S. sources.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1983
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); ship's company/embarked troops (1944-46); SCAJAP and MSTS crews; reported Indonesian Navy crews (1961-83); disposal workforce
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or refit work package was located for LST-657 in any identity. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. SDB 1945 v2 link verified live 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-05
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[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 construction (1943-44), commissioned and MSTS service to 1961, and most of her reported Indonesian career.
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, reconfirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-06
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[8]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-657-lst657-08 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: exact-phrase "LST-657" returned 0 hits in the opinion index and 0 hits in the docket index (CourtListener API v4, authenticated helper, 2026-10-02). Two confirmatory variants ("LST 657" asbestos, opinion index; "USS LST-657", opinion index) were attempted and are logged in the search ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state-court filings, unreported settlements, MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists, and non-digitized dockets are outside coverage. A zero qualifying result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-07
-
[9]Batch-7180 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + muster-roll file unit sampled in full-resolution images; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; CourtListener API (opinion + docket); NVR; NIOSH HHE search; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-657-lst657-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-657 / T-LST-657 / Q071 / KRI Teluk Manado was found in the public sources searched. The strongest ship-specific documentation is operational (the digitized muster-roll file unit) and confirms an Atlantic-coast first year (Little Creek, Norfolk), an April 1945 Panama Canal transit, Pearl Harbor basing by mid-1945, and Okinawa-Korea occupation lifts - no yard availability, conversion, or repair event appears in the pages viewed.
- 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 - construction at a wartime inland yard and four decades of operation sit squarely inside the pre-regulation era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-08
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[10]NARA catalog, "LST-657" and "USS LST-657" - 180 and 51 file units respectively (fuzzy relevance); ship-titled unit surfaced is the muster-roll file NAID 126622832; parent-unit diaries 'COM LST GR 110' for August 1945 (NAID 77491582), September 1945 (NAID 77562719), and 10/1-11/18/45 (NAID 140087940) are digitized; range file 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005' (NAID 118967604, RG 24, 2,968 images) returned on fuzzy match [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov "LST-657" (180 hits) and "USS LST-657" (51 hits) result sets; NAIDs 77491582, 77562719, 140087940, 118967604 record pages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary archive coverage for this hull is thin: the sole ship-titled unit surfaced is the muster-roll file (NAID 126622832). No ship-titled WWII war diary file unit for LST-657 surfaced in the catalog's digitized RG 38 war-diary series - consistent with the hull's late Pacific arrival and non-assault role, though a diary series may exist undigitized or under the parent unit. The parent-unit COM LST GR 110 monthly war diaries for August, September, and October-November 1945 are digitized and are the unit-level coverage bridge for the documented Okinawa-Jinsen lift period.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: the COM LST GR 110 diaries were located but not read this session; a ship-titled war diary may exist in paper (RG 38) or within the parent flotilla/group files; WWII deck logs proper for this hull were not located in the digitized deck-log program; RG 181 yard work-package records are not implicated (no repair availability documented); MSTS-era (1952-61) and SCAJAP-era (1946-52) operational records are untapped leads; the 1961 MAP transfer documentation would sit in foreign-transfer/security-assistance records, not searched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-657-lst657-09