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 [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-659-lst659-pkt-705-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-659 entry (NHHC, live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-659 service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-659 was laid down on 31 December 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 20 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. A. N. Mellott; and commissioned on 20 April 1944.' Assigned to the European theater; participated in the invasion of southern France in August and September 1944. Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until early January 1946. 'The ship was decommissioned on 7 January 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 7 February 1947. On 25 May 1947, she was sold to the government of South Korea.' Earned one battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS coverage ends at the 1947 sale - Korean-era disposition is not in this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-659 - designation timeline, unit assignments, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160659.htm header block, awards/campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542-class; laid down 31 December 1943 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA; launched 20 March 1944; commissioned USS LST-659 20 April 1944, LT John H. Christensen USNR in command (COs: Christensen 20 Apr 1944 - Feb 1945; LTjg William P. Doonan USNR Feb 1945 - 7 Jan 1946). EAME theater - invasion of southern France 15 Aug - 25 Sep 1944 (one battle star). Reassigned Asiatic-Pacific: LST Flotilla 36 (CAPT D.F.J. Shea), LST Group 107 (CDR L.F. Teuscher), LST Division 215. Occupation service Far East 2 Sep 1945 - 7 Jan 1946. Decommissioned 7 Jan 1946, assigned COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q003. Struck from Naval Register 7 Feb 1947. Sold 25 May 1947 to government of South Korea, 'fate unknown.' Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 GM 12-567A diesels 900 hp ea, single Falk reduction gear, two propellers 1,700 shp; three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC ship's service generators; diesel fuel 4,300 bbls. Photo captions: commissioning crew at Ambridge 10 Apr 1944 (crew nickname 'Easter Egg' - commissioned Easter Sunday); unloading married to a barge at Saint-Tropez 27 Aug 1944; beached on Leyte late 1945 carrying LCT-1017.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47); embarked troops (1944-45)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but the SCAJAP Q003 detail and unit assignments rest on NavSource alone. Contains no asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' statement postdates the 1947 sale.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-02
-
[4]NARA, RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' - 'USS LST-659 - Rep Of Amphibious Ops, 8/12-25/44 Invasion of Southern France' (NAID 78601840; file A9-8, serial 98, micro serial 84527; 2 images via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 78601840 (RG 38 WWII War Diaries; A9-8 file; serial 98; dated 25 Aug 1944)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A ship-specific action report exists at NARA: the ship's own report of amphibious operations covering 12-25 August 1944 for the invasion of southern France - the campaign for which she earned her single battle star. The file unit is digitized (2 images) in the WWII War Diaries microfilm series.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-08
- Population
- LST-659 crew during Operation Dragoon/Anvil landings, Aug 1944
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the catalog metadata establishes the report exists; its 2-page contents were not extracted or read this session. A ship's action report documents operations, not materials - it may carry no asbestos or insulation information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-03
-
[5]NARA, RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' - 'LST-659, 4/20/44-1/1/46' (NAID 126622227; 238 images, Ancestry scan set) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 126622227 (RG 24 muster rolls; 238 images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's muster rolls covering her entire commissioned life (20 April 1944 - 1 January 1946) are digitized at NARA: 238 images of quarterly crew rosters. This is the primary source for the ship's actual embarked population by name and rate - the denominator for any future exposure-population estimate.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- All hands, USS LST-659, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: digitized but contents not extracted this session. Muster rolls document who served, not materials aboard - no asbestos content expected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-04
-
[6]The National WWII Museum, Digital Collections - service collection of RM3 Myron Duncan Milton, USS LST-659 (accession 2009.046; ~230 photographs + documents) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ww2online.org Milton collection items, accession 2009.046 (e.g., item 2009.046.199 'View of an LST at sea as seen from the LST-659'; 2009.046.017; 2009.046.140)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum-held primary collection for this hull: Radioman Third Class Myron Duncan Milton was received aboard LST-659 on 20 April 1944 (commissioning day) as S1c and served in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters - the collection holds 'a few documents and over 230 photographs' of shipboard life, including imagery captioned aboard or taken from LST-659 (Southern France harbor, ship's bunk room, Leyte). Per the museum's collection note: 'LST-659 participated in the invasion of Southern France. The ship remained in the Mediterranean-European Theaters afterwards and was then assigned to the Pacific in September 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (collection dates)
- Population
- RM3 M. D. Milton and shipboard company, 1944-45
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs/documents not individually examined for machinery-space, insulation, or material content this session. A photo archive documents conditions and people, not asbestos status.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-05
-
[7]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table + roster (shipscribe.com scan - URL relocated from /styles/usnaux/sdb/ to /pubs/; live verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2, LST design table + roster
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data for the LST-542 group to which this hull belongs: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t light / 3,960-4,080 t trial, 11.6 kt, 2 x GM 12-567A diesels 1,700 shp, accommodations 13 officers / ~106 enlisted - matching this hull's NavSource specification block. The design group's diesel machinery (no boilers) and wartime construction era frame the asbestos-relevant inference in ev-07.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (publication); 1942-1945 (program)
- Population
- LST-542-group construction yards incl. American Bridge Ambridge; LST crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Class design table, not a hull record - establishes what the type carried, not what was aboard this specific hull. No material or insulation specification for LST-659 itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-06
-
[8]Era/design inference consolidated from: BuShips SDB 1945 v2 machinery data (ev-06); LST class profile (lst-1-class) era-construction analysis; WWII-era shipbuilding asbestos-use documentation (Corn & Starr 1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class technical data; Corn & Starr, AJIM 11(3):359-373 (1987), https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LSTs: no boilers aboard, so the asbestos-relevant applications are GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. U.S. WWII shipbuilding used asbestos extensively as fireproofing and insulation (program-level scholarly documentation).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (U.S. era)
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47); Korean-era crews post-1947 (secondary)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-659. 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-659-07
-
[9]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. For this hull the program is background only: LST-659 was sold out of U.S. custody in May 1947, decades before the 1975/1979 Navy asbestos-management policies the report describes - those policies never operated on her.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (context)
- 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-659-08
-
[10]Batch-7182 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live); NavSource 10/16/160659 (live); NARA catalog (NAID 78601840, 126622227); National WWII Museum digital collections; NVR ship detail (not carried - disposed pre-1987); CourtListener opinion sweep 'LST-659' (0 hits); CourtListener docket sweep (blocked by fleet pacing); live-web asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-659-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-659 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search for "LST-659" returned zero results; the docket (RECAP) search could not complete - the fleet-wide pacing budget was spent for the session and is logged as blocked, not a negative result. The class-level LST CourtListener sweep (class profile, 2026-09-16) found no asbestos docket naming any specific LST hull - only an incidental reunion-notice mention of LST-579 in Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771.
- 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 litigation search is incomplete: opinion sweep clean, docket sweep blocked - an open gap, not a negative. Korean-custody era (1947+) records were not searched at all. Deck-log/work-package extraction and Korean disposal records are the open leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-659-09