Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]research packet 710-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-686-lst686-pkt-710-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-686 entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Live DANFS page, LST-686 entry body
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records that LST-686 served in the Asiatic-Pacific theater in the Leyte landings (October 1944), Mindoro landings (December 1944), Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945), and the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (March through May 1945); performed occupation duty in the Far East and China service until early April 1946; was decommissioned on 10 July 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 15 August 1946; and was sold on 17 September 1947 to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, Washington, for scrapping. LST-686 earned three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew and embarked forces
- Limitations
- Establishes campaigns, occupation and China service, and administrative/final disposition at month or day precision. NavSource supplies more specific campaign dates (e.g., Leyte landings 20 October 1944) and identical decommissioning, striking, and sale dates; sources agree on disposition. The entry contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-686-lst686-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-686 page [museum_official]
- Locator
- Live page, LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship history bullets, campaign table, and Specifications section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource identifies LST-686 as an LST-542-class tank landing ship and lists 13 officers and 104 enlisted in the complement, accommodations for 16 officers and 147 enlisted troops, two General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesel engines, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100-kW 230-V DC ship-service generators, two propellers of 1,700 shaft horsepower, and twin rudders. Its campaign table dates the Leyte landings 20 October 1944, Mindoro landings 12-18 December 1944, Lingayen Gulf landing 4-18 January 1945, and Okinawa Gunto assault and occupation 31 March to 7 May 1945, with Navy Occupation Service and China Service Medal periods both 23 October 1945 to 4 April 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Engineering crew and construction/maintenance workers
- Limitations
- The page presents LST-542-class specifications and detailed campaign dates for this hull and corroborates China service with a photo captioned Shanghai, 10 March 1946. It carries a 9 April 1944 commissioning date and 'Lt. Herbert A. May' that conflict with DANFS's 14 April 1944 and 'Ens. H. A. May' - carried in gaps. It does not state that any insulation, gasket, cable, deck covering, or friction material aboard LST-686 contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-686-lst686-03
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-686 LST-542-class specifications [museum_official]
- Locator
- Live page, LST-542 class designation and Propulsion specifications
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era context only: LST-686's documented LST-542-class diesel machinery identifies an asbestos-relevant shipboard design context (diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and friction materials are the era-typical applications for a diesel LST), but no authoritative source located in this review identifies an asbestos product or material aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- 1944 shipyard trades, engineering crew, and later maintenance workers
- Limitations
- This is design context, not a ship-specific asbestos finding. It does not establish asbestos presence, absence, product identity, quantity, condition, removal history, exposure, or causation aboard LST-686.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-686-lst686-04
-
[5]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List No. 44, by Ship Numbers [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF page 51 / LST-686 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List No. 44 lists LST-686 with logbook coverage from 13 April 1944 through 31 December 1945, providing an archival lead for the ship's commissioning and wartime record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company and wartime operations
- Limitations
- The index confirms logbook coverage dates, not the contents of the logs. The 13 April 1944 coverage start precedes neither commissioning variant by more than a day and does not resolve the 9 vs 14 April conflict. No logbook volume was retrieved and this row makes no asbestos or exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-686-lst686-05
-
[6]Batch-7212 source review and search ledger: NHHC DANFS, NavSource, NARA Special List No. 44, Firecrawl keyed searches, NVR check, shipyards.json lookup, and authenticated CourtListener helper attempts [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-686-lst686-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying litigation finding was located in the public sources searched. This is a records-located negative finding, not proof that asbestos was absent from LST-686.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Firecrawl asbestos queries returned only excluded law-firm marketing pages. CourtListener requests were repeatedly stood down by the fleet-wide pacing limiter; an incomplete litigation sweep cannot support a definitive no-litigation conclusion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-686-lst686-06
-
[7]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-686 entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Live DANFS page, LST-686 entry body (page requires a browser User-Agent; bare scripted requests return 404)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records that LST-686 was laid down on 4 January 1944 at Jeffersonville, Indiana, by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 24 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Clara L. Vogt; and commissioned on 14 April 1944 with Ens. H. A. May in command.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine construction workers and initial Navy crew
- Limitations
- The official Navy history establishes construction milestones and the 14 April 1944 commissioning date, which conflicts with NavSource's 9 April 1944 date and 'Lt.' rank for H. A. May (DANFS says 'Ens.'); the conflict is carried in gaps. The entry contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-686-lst686-01