Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 711-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-695-lst695-pkt-711-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-695 (Robert J. Cressman, 29 November 2016) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, shakedown, spec block (live NHHC page, retrieved via Firecrawl render) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-695 narrative, construction paragraph and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 28 February 1944 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co.; launched 24 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Ursula R. Vilsack; departed her building yard 18 May 1944; arrived New Orleans 22 May 1944 and commissioned that day, Lt. Deane M. Freeman, Jr., D-V(G), in command. Shakedown in St. Andrews Bay, Fla.; loaded 1,100 tons of cargo at Naval Supply Dock, Gulfport (June 1944); a repair period at Pendleton Shipyards, New Orleans (mid-June 1944); embarked LCT-764 on deck; transited the Panama Canal 9 July 1944; reported to Commander, Seventh Amphibious Force 14 August 1944. Spec block: displacement 1,490; length 328'0"; beam 50'0"; draft 11'2" (limiting), 14'1" (maximum); speed 10.8 knots; complement 119; armament 8 40mm, 14 20mm; class LST-542.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat and Machine construction trades (Feb-May 1944); Pendleton Shipyards workers (Jun 1944); crew from commissioning (22 May 1944)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The Pendleton Shipyards repair period is a documented post-commissioning yard event but no work scope or materials detail is given. Spec-block figures (complement 119, speed 10.8 kt) differ from NavSource's table - carried in gaps, not reconciled. Live NHHC page verified via Firecrawl render this session (plain curl is bot-blocked by the DoD edge - curl 404/406 is not a real dead link).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-01
-
[3]DANFS, LST-695 (Cressman) - Morotai and Leyte operations; torpedoing by Japanese submarine I-56, 24 October 1944; casualties and damage-control narrative (live NHHC page via Firecrawl render) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-695 narrative, Morotai/Leyte sections and 24-28 October 1944 torpedoing sequence
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: lifted troops and equipment to Morotai on D+3, 18 September 1944 (Operation Trade Wind, Pitoe Beach); second Morotai lift with 13 officers and 296 enlisted soldiers embarked, under air attack 30 September; departed Hollandia 16 October in TG 78.6 carrying 23 officers and 480 enlisted of the Sixth Army; beached White Beach, Leyte, 22 October; departing Leyte Gulf on 24 October she was hit at 2335 by two of three torpedoes fired by Japanese submarine I-56 (Lt. Cmdr. Morinaga Masahiko). Damage: a hole about 15 feet wide by 32 feet long at frame 57 near the rudder post; hull buckled between frames 31-32; fantail raised two feet; all compartmentation aft of frame 41 destroyed; port rudder blown off, starboard rudder jammed; port shaft and screw forced into the crew's quarters; both engines lost. Twenty-two of her dead were buried at sea 26 October (07 deg 15'N, 131 deg 57'E); S2c Leonard D. Gooden's body was recovered from wreckage 1 November and buried at sea 2 November; S1c Maynard Swisher was blown into the sea and not recovered; S1c Robert J. Lambert, likewise blown overboard, was rescued by the Coast Guard-manned LST-170. LST-986 took her in tow under escort of PC-598; 13 seriously wounded were transferred to the Naval Hospital on Peleliu; fleet tug Munsee (ATF-107) towed her to Kossol Roads, Palau (arrived 28 October). Four Silver Stars, eight Bronze Stars, and five Seventh Fleet letters of commendation were awarded for the torpedoing response.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-09 to 1944-10
- Population
- Ship's company (9 officers/120 enlisted per NavSource table) plus embarked Sixth Army troops (23 officers/480 enlisted on the Leyte run); LST-170 and LST-986 rescue/tow crews; Peleliu medical receiving units
- Limitations
- Ship-specific combat history only; no asbestos or material content. The documented human population aboard (ship's company plus embarked Army troops) and the destruction of aft living/working spaces are relevant to population-at-risk framing only - this record makes no exposure claim for any individual. Total dead is not consolidated in the source (22 buried 26 October; Gooden recovered and buried separately; Swisher lost overboard) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-02
-
[4]DANFS, LST-695 (Cressman) - repair odyssey ARD-17 and ABSD-2, tow to Pearl Harbor and to San Francisco, Moore Drydock and Kaiser Yard No. 3 periods, InSurv survey, decommissioning, sale (live NHHC page via Firecrawl render) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-695 narrative, December 1944 - March 1946 sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: emergency repairs in floating dry dock ARD-17 at Kossol Roads, 4-9 December 1944; witnessed the 12 January 1945 Kaiten attack on the Kossol anchorage; departed 16 February 1945 in convoy KM-11 under tow of ATA-177 with Harmon (DE-678), reaching Seeadler Harbor 23 February; drydocked in advance base sectional dock ABSD-2, 11-18 April 1945, receiving repairs 'to improve [the] weakened hull structure'; towed by fleet tug Apache (ATF-67) to Pearl Harbor (departed 24 May, arrived 16 June, berth T-5 West Loch); ComServPac judged the 'large amount of battle damage' and 'extensive cannibalism' against a ready-for-sea date; taken in tow by sister LST-130 on 25 June for the west coast, reaching San Francisco Bay 11 July. Towed to Moore Drydock Company's west yard 14 July; Mare Island Naval Shipyard proposed courses of action 19 July and ComServPac chose retention 'to be repaired as available manpower permits' 21 July; workmen began aboard the same day and the crew moved to house boat YHB-18 on 24 July; shifted between Moore's west and east yards and drydocked for hull inspection 8-9 August. Placed in 'Category C' (stop all work) 23 August; moved to Pier 33, San Francisco, 7 September. The Pacific Coast Board of Inspection and Survey declared repairs 'disproportionate to value' 18 September and recommended salvage and breaking up; CNO directed decommissioning 5 October. Towed to Kaiser Yard No. 3, Richmond (5 October-1 November berth moves); decommissioned there 6 November 1945 and stripped; deemed 'surplus to Navy needs'; stricken from the Navy Register 28 November 1945; sold 22 March 1946 to George Pollack Co., Stockton, Calif., and delivered the same day. Earned two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-12 to 1946-03
- Population
- ARD-17 and ABSD-2 repair workers (Dec 1944, Apr 1945); Moore Drydock trades (Jul-Sep 1945); Kaiser Yard No. 3 stripping workers (Oct-Nov 1945); ship's company (through 6 Nov 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The documented repair and stripping periods at Moore Drydock (Jul-Sep 1945) and Kaiser Yard No. 3 (Oct-Nov 1945) are yard events, not material records - the asbestos relevance of those yards is handled separately in ev-07. DANFS does not state what materials were removed during repairs or stripping. Internal date tension: 'remained at Kossol Roads until 23 January 1945' vs a documented departure 16 February - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-695 (10/16/160695.htm, last updated 5 February 2021) - designation line, campaign table, torpedoing note, disposition, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions (live navsource.net page via Firecrawl render) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160695.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for this hull (LST-542 class): laid down 28 February 1944, Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN; launched 24 April 1944; commissioned USS LST-695, 22 May 1944, at New Orleans, LT. D. M. Freeman Jr., USNR, in command. Assignments: LST Flotilla Eight (CAPT E. Watts), LST Group Twenty-Three (CDR T.C. Linthicum), LST Division Forty-Six. Campaigns: Western New Guinea operations / Morotai landings 15 September 1944; Leyte operations / Leyte landings, Tacloban, San Pedro Bay, 16 October - 29 November 1944. 'Struck by torpedo attack by Japanese submarine HIJMS I-56, 24 October 1944.' Decommissioned 6 November 1945; struck from the Naval Register 28 November 1945; two battle stars; sold 22 March 1946 to George Pollock Co., Stockton, CA, 'fate unknown.' Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 mi @ 9 kt; complement 9 officers / 120 enlisted; troop accommodations 14 officers / 131 enlisted; 6 LCVP; two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; call sign NFOK. CO list: LT Deane M. Freeman Jr. USNR (22 May 1944 - Sep 1945); LT Edward B. Watson USNR (Sep 1945 - 6 Nov 1945). Photo captions document: crew photo on completion of training at Camp Bedford Amphibious Warfare Training Center, Norfolk, VA, February 1944; ship en route to the Philippines crowded with troops 24 October 1944 (U.S. Army Signal Corps photo, NARA ID 80662621); drydocked view of stern torpedo damage; underway with USS LST-537; entering ABSD-2 at Manus 11 April 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Jeffersonville construction trades (1944); Camp Bedford-trained crew (Feb 1944); ship's company 9 officers / 120 enlisted + embarked troops (1944-45); Moore Drydock and Kaiser Yard No. 3 workers (1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation tracking NVR/DANFS milestones - not a primary registry; no asbestos or material content. Live page verified via Firecrawl render this session (navsource.org is dead - .net is the canonical domain per batch citation policy). Buyer spelled 'Pollock' here vs 'Pollack' in DANFS - unresolved variant in gaps. Complement (9/120) and speed (11.6 kt) differ from the DANFS spec block (119; 10.8 kt) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-04
-
[6]NARA Catalog ship-specific digitized records: muster-roll file unit 'LST-695, 5/22/44-10/1/45' (naId 126480673, Ancestry-scanned); 'USS LST-695 - War Diary, 6/1/44 to 8/31/44' (naId 78634650); action reports 'Rep of AA Act off Morotai Is on 9/30/44' (naId 139746585), 'Rep of Enemy Aircraft Attack off Morotai Is on 9/18/44' (naId 139773560), and 'Report of operations in the invasion of Leyte Island, Philippines, 10/20-23/44 & torpedoing of while enroute' (naId 139906634); Army Signal Corps photo naId 80662621 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog naIds 126480673 (muster rolls), 78634650 (war diary), 139746585 / 139773560 / 139906634 (action reports), 80662621 (photo); catalog query "LST-695"
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-specific primary records exist and are digitized in the National Archives Catalog: muster rolls covering commissioning through 1 October 1945 (naId 126480673); a war diary volume for June-August 1944 (naId 78634650); two Morotai antiaircraft-action reports (September 1944); and the ship's own action report covering the Leyte operation and her torpedoing while en route (naId 139906634). The catalog returned 182 hits on 'LST-695' overall, including proximate-unit records (PC-598 and Apache war diaries/histories among them). These are the open ship-specific evidentiary track for this hull - personnel presence and operational detail, including the ship's own account of the torpedoing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company enumerated in muster rolls (May 1944 - Oct 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: record existence verified via the NARA Catalog API this session; individual documents were not reviewed for asbestos-relevant content - war diaries, muster rolls, and action reports describe personnel and operations, not material composition. No asbestos content asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-05
-
[7]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table + machinery data (shipscribe.com scan); consolidated with class-profile era inference (lst-1-class profile, ev-lst-1-class-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table (live URL verified HTTP 200 this session); class profile ev-lst-1-class-01/-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LST-542-class hulls: the BuShips 1945 machinery table shows the LST plant as two GM 12-567A diesels with no boilers - removing the steam-lagging pathway that dominates steam-ship exposure. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1944 diesel LST were engine exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. The hull was built at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine, one of the inland 'cornfield' yards mass-producing LSTs to wartime BuShips design. For this hull specifically, the torpedo damage aft (all compartmentation destroyed aft of frame 41) and the subsequent repair and stripping evolutions are disturbance contexts for any era insulation present - but no material record exists for any of them.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Jeffersonville construction trades (1944); crew (1944-45); repair workers ARD-17/ABSD-2/Moore Drydock; Kaiser No. 3 stripping workers (1945)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or repair specification located for LST-695. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; establishes no quantity and no exposure for any individual. Battle damage and repair events are noted as disturbance contexts, not as evidence of asbestos release.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-06
-
[8]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json entries moore-dry-dock-oakland (tier 2; flagship evidence Fleischer-Drinker 1946 USMC-commissioned survey) and kaiser-shipyards (tier 3; Richmond CA complex incl. Yard No. 3; DTSC-documented ACM in soils/structures); yard presence per DANFS ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-03 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json yard_id 'moore-dry-dock-oakland' (asbestos_products_documented; flagship ev-moore-dry-dock-oakland-fleischer-1946) and yard_id 'kaiser-shipyards' (Richmond, CA; asbestos_products_documented; DTSC site reference); DANFS yard dates per ev-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- This hull has documented physical presence at two Atlas-documented asbestos yards during repair/stripping evolutions: (1) Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland - ship at the west yard from 14 July 1945, workmen aboard from 21 July, shifted to the east yards 3 August, drydock hull inspection 8-9 August, departed the facility 7 September; the Atlas yard record documents amosite pipe covering, asbestos boiler block insulation, asbestos gaskets (Garlock/John Crane), asbestos millboard (Johns-Manville), and asbestos deck covering at that yard, anchored by a USMC-commissioned 1946 industrial-hygiene survey of Moore Dry Dock itself. (2) Kaiser Yard No. 3, Richmond - ship towed there 5 October, moved among pier 5, the ferry slip, and No. 5 basin through 1 November, decommissioned and stripped there 6 November 1945; the Atlas Kaiser Shipyards (Richmond) record documents insulation, fireproofing, hull insulation, boiler components, pipe coverings, turbine insulation, electrical wiring, deck materials, adhesives, and brake systems, with ACM documented in soils and structures at the former yard site. Battle-damage repair and terminal stripping are the yard work types most likely to disturb installed materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-07 to 1945-11
- Population
- Moore Drydock shipyard trades on this hull (Jul-Sep 1945); Kaiser Yard No. 3 stripping/disposal workers (Oct-Nov 1945)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull-material record: the yards' asbestos product lists describe the facilities, not what was installed in or removed from LST-695. No work package, repair specification, or material record ties specific products to this hull. The ship's crew largely lived off-hull (house boat YHB-18) during the Moore Drydock period. Presence at a documented yard does not establish exposure for any individual; does not establish quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-07
-
[9]NARA research guide, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - RG 19 BuShips correspondence filed by hull code and QM/shipyard code [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided-topic page, 'Beginning Research' + RG 19 entry lists (A1 1266 series; UD 1001-1015; UD 1017 series); page live HTTP 200 this session
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official research guide documents that asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel 1941-1961 is a frequently-requested research topic, and prescribes the records pathway: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) General/Confidential/Secret correspondence 1940-1961 is filed by hull designation - this hull would be filed 'LST695' - with class correspondence under the class namesake and yard correspondence under QM/Jeffersonville Boat & Machine (and, for her repair history, the applicable QM codes for Moore Drydock and Kaiser Richmond). This is the documented path to any BuShips material/equipment correspondence bearing on this hull's construction and repair.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1961 (guide coverage); page live 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Research-pathway documentation, not a materials record: establishes that asbestos research for this era Navy is a recognized topic and where hull-specific records would sit in RG 19 - it does not locate or quote any LST-695 file. No asbestos content asserted for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-08
-
[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, 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 - a policy era spanning this hull's entire construction (1944) and service life (1944-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py), searched 2026-10-02: type=o "LST-695" = 0 results; type=r "LST-695" = 0 results; type=o "LST 695" = 0 results; type=r "LST 695" = 0 results [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py authenticated queries, all four count=0 (search_ledger sl-uss-lst-695-lst695-05 through -08)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No litigation located: CourtListener opinion search (type=o) and RECAP docket search (type=r) returned zero hits for both "LST-695" and "LST 695" - no opinion, docket, or case caption naming this hull was found in the repository's coverage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Repository-coverage negative, not proof that no claim was ever filed: state-court, MDL-875 district-court, and VA/BVA claims naming this hull would not all be indexed in CourtListener; unindexed pleadings and settled claims are outside its coverage. The hull-number-only name reduces name-collision noise (all hits would have been this ship), making the zero result cleaner than for named hulls.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-10
-
[12]Batch-7222 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; NavSource 10/16/160695.htm; NARA Catalog API ('LST-695', 182 hits incl. muster rolls/war diary/action reports); NARA asbestos research guide; BuShips SDB 1945 v2 (shipscribe); shipyards.json yard records; CourtListener API x4 queries (all zero); NVR check; GAO product page; Firecrawl web sweeps for ship and yard asbestos [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-695-lst695-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-695 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). This hull has a deep digitized record set at NARA (muster rolls, war diary, three action reports including her own torpedoing report) and an unusually detailed DANFS narrative - the digitized files document operations and crew, not material composition. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced by web sweeps is law-firm marketing content (mesotheliomahope.com, gorilaw.com, mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org, asbestos-ships.com, mesothelioma.net, mesowatch.org, and similar listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy; the mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org 'LST 542' page lists 'boiler room; steam pipes' for a diesel ship class with no boilers, illustrating why these sources are excluded.
- 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 - era inference places the hull inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use window (1941-61 per NARA; substitution not begun until early 1970s per GAO), and she spent her final months inside two asbestos-documented yards. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-695-lst695-11