Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[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-696-lst696-pkt-711-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'LST-696' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-696 entry (full text, ~1 short page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: LST-696 laid down 25 February 1944 at Jeffersonville, Indiana, by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched 27 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Samuel G. Shannon; commissioned 25 May 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the Morotai landings (September 1944), Leyte landings (November 1944), and Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945). Occupation duty in the Far East until mid-April 1946; decommissioned 16 July 1946; struck from the Navy list 28 August 1946; sold 19 May 1948 to the Bethlehem Steel Co. of Bethlehem, PA, for scrapping. 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
- Ship's company (~117) + embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy service history; contains no asbestos information whatsoever. Launch (27 Apr) and commission (25 May) dates conflict with NavSource (25 Apr / 26 May) - unresolved, carried in gaps. Occupation-duty detail is thinner than NavSource's medal-period table.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-696 page (10/16/160696) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page body: timeline, campaign table, occupation table, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive record: commissioned 26 May 1944, Lt. George A. Hayward USNR in command; assigned LST Flotilla Eight (CAPT E. Watts), LST Group Twenty-Three (CDR T.C. Linthicum), LST Division Forty-Six. Campaign dates: Morotai landings 15 September 1944; Leyte landings 5-18 November 1944; Lingayen Gulf landings 4-18 January 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods: 23 Sep-25 Nov 1945; 25 Jan-14 Feb 1946; 4-11 Mar 1946; 26 Mar-23 Apr 1946. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; 2 GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, Falk gears, 2 shafts; armament (ultimate design fit; NavSource notes it varied with availability) 2 twin 40mm + 4 single 40mm + 12 x 20mm. Six commanding officers listed (Hayward -> Wertheimer -> Hollingsworth Jr. -> Hendrickson Jr. -> Berman -> Meredith). Sold for scrapping 19 May 1948.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) + embarked troops
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled reference, not a primary government source - used for detail DANFS omits (specs, COs, flotilla assignment, medal periods); its launch/commission dates conflict with DANFS (see gaps) and it labels the ship 'LST-511 class' vs the standard LST-542 class. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-02
-
[4]National Archives and Records Administration, RG 38 WWII War Diaries series - four hull-named action-report file units (digitized microfilm scans) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov file units: NAID 134370284 (Morotai), 139890110 (Lingayen G-3), 139929929 (Lingayen 2nd resupply), 101742506 (Brunei Bay); all in RG 38 series NAID 4697018
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own WWII action reports survive in NARA Record Group 38 ('World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories') and are digitized: report of operations in the invasion of Morotai Island, Halmahera Group, 9/9-20/44 (NAID 134370284, roll A1180); report of operations in resupply echelon G-3 to Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines, 1/13-22/45, including antiaircraft action of 1/12/45 (NAID 139890110, roll A1427); report of operations in 2nd resupply echelon to Lingayen Gulf, 2/11-18/45 (NAID 139929929, roll A1472); and report of operations in the assault landings in the Brunei Bay area, Borneo, 6/10-12/45 (NAID 101742506, roll A1748, report dated 18 June 1945). The Brunei Bay assault participation is beyond DANFS's three-battle-star summary.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) + embarked troops
- Limitations
- Primary archival records, digitized and hull-named; report contents not OCR-read this session (image scans), so participation details rest on the catalog titles/dates. Contains no asbestos information. The Brunei Bay operation earned no battle star per DANFS's three-star total - participation vs star-qualifying service noted, not reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-03
-
[5]National Archives and Records Administration, RG 24 muster rolls, file unit 'LST-696, 5/26/44-6/30/46', NAID 126480322 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov file unit page (350 images, Ancestry scans, transcriptions not started)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Complete muster rolls for LST-696 survive in NARA RG 24 ('Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities'), file unit 'LST-696, 5/26/44-6/30/46' (NAID 126480322, roll 4752) - 350 digitized images covering the ship's entire commissioned life; not yet transcribed (0/350). A crew-name-level primary record for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- All personnel who served aboard, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- File unit existence and extent verified live; individual roster contents are untranscribed scans - no crew-name or rating-level fact asserted from it. Contains no asbestos information; it is the evidentiary basis for any future crew-exposure claimant lookup, not exposure evidence itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-04
-
[6]Naval History and Heritage Command, photograph NH 84865 catalog record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC photo catalog page NH 84865 (title, caption, catalog number, medium)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photographic catalog holds one image of this hull: NH 84865, 'USS LST-696,' photographed circa 1945 (B&W), courtesy of William H. Davis, 1976. Catalog page verified live.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- circa 1945
- Limitations
- Confirms photographic documentation of the hull exists at NHHC; contains no asbestos information and contributes nothing to exposure analysis beyond confirming the vessel's documented existence circa 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-05
-
[7]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987), PMID 3555021; NavSource specifications (this hull's machinery fit) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 3555021 verified live via NCBI eutils; DOI resolves to Wiley (automated fetch HTTP 403 - article existence confirmed via PubMed); machinery specs from NavSource page (ev-02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era asbestos inference for the LST-542 design: the type's diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A per NavSource specifications) carried no boilers, removing the dominant steam/boiler lagging exposure pathway; asbestos-relevant applications aboard the type were engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and electrical insulation. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented utilization aboard merchant-type and naval hulls.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (construction); article 1987
- Population
- LST construction trades (Jeffersonville, 1944); engine-room ratings
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship plus class machinery data - neither names this hull and no class material schedule or asbestos survey was located; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era-consistent inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-06
-
[8]Burton v. Old JB LLC f/k/a Jeffboat LLC f/k/a Jeffboat, Inc., BRB No. 24-0045 (DOL Benefits Review Board, 14 Aug 2025, not-published decision) [court_record]
- Locator
- DOL BRB decision PDF, 8 pp - recitation of employment period and alleged exposures at pp. 2-3; Section 20(a) analysis and affirmance pp. 7-8
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- U.S. Department of Labor Benefits Review Board affirmed a survivor's death-benefits award arising from alleged asbestos exposure at this hull's builder yard: Burton v. Old JB LLC f/k/a Jeffboat LLC f/k/a Jeffboat, Inc., BRB No. 24-0045 (issued 14 August 2025, not published). Decedent Bennie Burton worked at Jeffboat's Jeffersonville, Indiana yard 1964-1995 as a pipefitter and supervisor, allegedly exposed to asbestos, welding fumes, and other toxic substances; the ALJ granted the claimant's motion for summary decision after the employer failed to participate in discovery, and the Board affirmed under the LHWCA Section 20(a) presumption framework. The caption itself documents the corporate succession Jeffboat, Inc. -> Jeffboat LLC -> Old JB LLC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- Employment 1964-1995; claim 2022-2025
- Population
- Jeffboat yard workforce (1964-1995 era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record for a later era (1964-1995 barge work), not this hull and not the 1944 construction period. Litigation-stage discipline: exposure was 'alleged' and the award issued on summary decision via the statutory Section 20(a) presumption after employer default - an adjudicated benefits outcome on an unrebutted presumption, not a merits finding that asbestos was present in any specific material. Establishes that asbestos exposure claims exist in the builder's record, not that this hull contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-07
-
[9]Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Further Site Investigation Work Plan, Old JB LLC Property (State Cleanup Site #0001106), prepared by Linebach Funkhouser, Inc., 4 April 2023 (IDEM Virtual Filing Cabinet document 83463891) [other_primary]
- Locator
- FSIWP pp. 1-2 (site identity, 1834-2018 industrial use, 74 acres, final barge 23 Apr 2018, program enrollment)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Indiana Department of Environmental Management State Cleanup Program file #0001106 documents the builder yard's post-industrial remediation: the ~74-acre 'Jeffboat' site at 1030 East Market Street, Jeffersonville, on the north bank of the Ohio River, was in industrial use from approximately 1834; it launched its final barge on 23 April 2018 and was decommissioned; remediation (Further Site Investigation Work Plan, April 2023) addresses VOCs, PAHs, and metals associated with paints, coatings, and metalworking - the reviewed filings contain no asbestos program or asbestos finding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2018-2023 remediation program
- Limitations
- Builder-yard environmental record only - groundwater/soil chemical remediation for the post-2018 brownfield site; says nothing about this hull, 1944-era conditions, or asbestos (building/demolition ACM surveys, if any, are outside the documents reviewed). Useful only to establish the yard's site continuity and corporate chain.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-696-lst696-08
-
[10]Batch-7223 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NVR; NARA RG 24/RG 38; NHHC photo catalog; DOL BRB; IDEM VFC; CDC Stacks; CourtListener (partial/blocked); secondary web [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-696-lst696-01 through sl-uss-lst-696-lst696-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying case naming USS LST-696 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion-index searches completed: the phrase query "LST-696" returned zero opinions and an unquoted query returned only token/citation collisions unrelated to the vessel; the RECAP docket index and a Jeffboat-asbestos search could not be completed this session because the shared fleet request budget was exhausted - logged as blocked, not as a negative result.
- 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 hull was scrapped by 1948 with no museum-era documentation opportunity, and the litigation index was incompletely searched (CourtListener pacing). 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-696-lst696-09