Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 709-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-680-lst680-pkt-709-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-680 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, WWII campaigns, occupation duty, disposal (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-680 entry, full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-680 was laid down on 5 May 1944 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 26 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. F. W. Leahy; and commissioned on 21 July 1944.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; operations: Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945), Zambales-Subic Bay (January 1945), Mindanao Island landings (April 1945). Postwar occupation duty in the Far East until mid-April 1946. Returned to the United States, decommissioned 5 July 1946, struck from the Navy list 28 August 1946. 'On 14 May 1948, the ship was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Co., of Bethlehem, Pa., for scrapping. LST-680 earned three battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-46); 1948 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives campaign months, not day ranges (day-level dates come from the NavSource campaign table, ev-03). Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 15 April 1945), LST roster - per-hull build record (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 p.180, LST roster, LST680 row (American Bridge Ambridge block)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips vessel roster (published while this hull was in service) independently documents: 'LST680 - American Bridge Co., Ambridge, Pa. - 5 May 44 - 26 Jun 44 - 21 Jul 44' (keel laid / ship launched / date of first commission). Confirms builder, yard, and all three milestone dates from a primary government source.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Build-record only; contains no asbestos or material content. Scanned page is a wartime document hosted on a private mirror (shipscribe.com); the scan quality is imperfect but the LST680 row is legible. Live URL verified 2026-10-02 (an earlier /styles/usnaux/sdb/ mirror path cited in the class profile now returns 404).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-680 - timeline, campaign table with day ranges, occupation-service periods, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160680.htm header block, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, Occupation-service table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542 class; laid down 5 May 1944 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 26 June 1944; commissioned USS LST-680, 21 July 1944, LTjg. Melvin O. Nelson USN in command. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Lingayen Gulf landings 4-16 January 1945; Manila Bay-Bicol operations - Zambales-Subic Bay 20-30 January 1945; Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines - Mindanao Island landings 17-23 April 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) periods: 23 September - 25 October 1945 and 17 November 1945 - 10 April 1946. Decommissioned 5 July 1946; struck from the Naval Register 28 August 1946; earned three battle stars; sold for scrapping 14 May 1948 to Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW 230 V DC diesel-drive generators, 2 propellers, twin rudders; 4,300 bbls diesel fuel. CO table: LTjg Nelson (Jul 1944-Apr 1945), LTjg Sullivan USNR (Apr-Sep 1945), LTjg Waldo (Sep-Dec 1945), LTjg Brown USNR (Dec 1945-Jul 1946). Photo captions: beached at La Paz, Subic Bay (unopposed landing); among LSTs beached at Mindoro (hull-number identification, probably CTU 78.7.2 unloading the 41st Infantry Division at Mangarin Bay 8-10 Feb 1945 - caption hedges); NHHC photo NH 79088 underway in San Francisco Bay circa 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1944); crew + embarked troops (1944-46); 1948 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS and the BuShips roster here (all three agree). The Mindoro identification rests on a photo-caption inference from hull numbers and is hedged by the caption itself. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 15 April 1945), LST design-group table - LST542-931 characteristics (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 p.168 LST design table (dimensions/displacement/speed) and machinery table (LST542-931 row: '2 / G. M. Diesel, 12-567A / 1,700')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips design table documents the LST542-931 design group (which includes this hull): 328 ft oa, 316 ft wl, 50 ft extreme beam, 2,366 t beaching displacement, 4,080 t full-load displacement, 11.6 kt trial speed; propulsion 2 propellers, GM Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shaft horsepower - the boiler columns are populated only for the turbine ships LST1153-1155, confirming the diesel groups (incl. LST542-931) carried no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a (design-group data)
- Limitations
- Design-group (class-level) documentation, not a hull record - describes the type this hull was built to, not materials installed aboard it. Contains no asbestos content; the absence of boilers bounds the propulsion-related asbestos pathway but says nothing about insulation, gaskets, or deck materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-04
-
[6]NHHC photograph NH 79088, 'USS LST-680 - In San Francisco Bay, California, circa early 1946' (courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH-79000 series photo page NH-79088 (title, caption, catalog number)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC-held photograph places this hull underway in San Francisco Bay circa early 1946, consistent with the documented post-occupation return to the United States before her July 1946 decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew aboard during return transit (early 1946)
- Limitations
- A photograph establishes presence, not work performed or materials aboard. 'Circa early 1946' is the NHHC caption's own dating. No asbestos content. Live page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA yard page - vessel build registry incl. LST 680 row; yard history [other_primary]
- Locator
- American Bridge yard page, LST production table (LST 680 row) and yard-history paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Specialized shipbuilding registry documents this hull in the Ambridge yard's production list: 'LST 680 - U.S. Navy - Landing Ship - 21-Jul-44 - Scrapped 1947.' Yard context: the Ambridge yard on the Ohio River was building Army barges when the Navy requisitioned it in 1942 and invested $9 million in improvements; it produced LSTs plus structural components for 43 aircraft carriers and 81 cargo ships; returned to inland barge work postwar and closed in 1981.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge yard workforce (1942-45 LST program)
- Limitations
- Secondary specialized reference (self-published by a recognized shipbuilding historian), not an official source - its 'Scrapped 1947' disposition conflicts with DANFS's documented sale for scrapping 14 May 1948; DANFS date carried, discrepancy in gaps. Yard-history details are contextual, not asbestos documentation - no asbestos content anywhere on the page. HTTP (not HTTPS) page verified live 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-06
-
[8]Wolsko v. American Bridge Co., 158 Pa. Super. 339, 44 A.2d 873 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1945) - workmen's-compensation opinion describing LST construction at the Ambridge yard [court_record]
- Locator
- Wolsko opinion, findings on the Ambridge shipyard and LST Nos. 282/286 (44 A.2d at 873-877)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous appellate record documents the builder's wartime LST operations firsthand: in September 1943 the Ambridge yard had multiple 'landing ship tanks' under construction on separate ways (Nos. 282 and 286 named), with workers testing aboard hulls - eight months before this hull's keel was laid on the same ways.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- American Bridge yard trades/testers (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context only - names LST Nos. 282 and 286, not this hull. A fatal-fall workmen's-compensation case: contains no asbestos content and establishes nothing about materials. Opinion text reviewed via exa.ai aggregator mirror; reporter citation cross-verified through later citing opinions (e.g., Ace Wire Spring & Form Co. v. WCAB, Pa. Commw. 2014, quoting 158 Pa. Super. 389/44 A.2d 873 - note the citing opinions carry both .339 and .389 first-page variants). Not a litigation hit for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 / B-163375 (Oct 18, 1979) - full text retrieved [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 transmittal letter and 'Navy's policy on use of asbestos' section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's shipboard asbestos era that brackets this hull's entire existence (built 1944, scrapped 1948): 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation, which was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; product specifications for thermal insulation were changed to asbestos-free in 1973, yet 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the Navy's elimination policy issued October 1975, and 30-50 percent of asbestos insulation applications still had no acceptable substitute at review time.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); usage era through 1978
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - fieldwork covered Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; does not name this hull, her builder, or any LST. Establishes the era in which a 1944-built ship carried asbestos insulation as standard, not the fact of it aboard this hull. Full text retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; direct curl to gao.gov returns HTTP 403 (automated-fetch block).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB-1945 v2 design-group table (diesel, no boilers - ev-04); NavSource specifications (GM 12-567A diesel plant, generators, winch gear); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use era documentation (ev-08); LST-1/542-class profile asbestos-application analysis (class file lst-1-class.class.json) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis row - basis documents cited in citation_value
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel amphibious ship built May-July 1944 sits squarely inside the documented Navy asbestos era. For a ship of this type and period, era-standard asbestos applications were: diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets in the engine room; thermal/acoustic insulation on machinery and in accommodation spaces; gaskets and packing throughout piping and valve systems; deck coverings/tile; insulation felts in berthing and galley spaces; and asbestos-containing clutch facings and electric-cable components (the two applications GAO notes persisted fleet-wide). The diesel plant eliminates the boiler/main-steam lagging pathway dominant on steam vessels but leaves the confined-space machinery and accommodation pathways intact.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1944); crew + embarked troops (1944-46); Bethlehem Steel shipbreakers (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or crew account located for LST-680. 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-680-lst680-09
-
[11]Batch-7206 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; BuShips SDB-1945 v2; NavSource; NHHC NH 79088; NVR; shipbuildinghistory yard registry; Wolsko court record; GAO full text; CourtListener API v4; secondary web litigation sweep; NARA catalog; Wikipedia [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-680-lst680-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-680 (or hull number LST-680) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion index returned zero hits for 'LST-680' (2026-10-02); secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content (generic LST/asbestos listicles, Ambridge worksite lists) - excluded by source policy. The ship was scrapped in 1948, decades before asbestos ship documentation programs existed.
- 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 construction date places the hull inside the documented use era, and scrapping in 1948 predates any disclosure regime. CourtListener RECAP docket search and 'USS LST-680' variants remained fleet-paced at drafting; re-run results are tracked in the ledger. Deck logs (NARA RG 24) and builder work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-680-lst680-10