Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]DANFS, LST-700 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Leyte and Lingayen Gulf operations, occupation/China service, decommissioning, strike, disposal, two battle stars (live NHHC page, verified HTTP 200 with browser UA 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-700 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 22 March 1944 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched 13 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Leona M. Slack; commissioned 7 June 1944, Lt. C. W. Blodgett in command. Asiatic-Pacific operations: Leyte landing (November 1944); Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945). Post-war: occupation duty in the Far East and service in China until mid-March 1946; returned to the United States and decommissioned 27 July 1946; struck from the Navy list 28 August 1946; sold 13 December 1947 to the Kaiser Co., of Vancouver, Wash., for scrapping. Two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (Jeffersonville, 1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. Contains no mention of the ship's documented battle damage (friendly fire 11 Jan 1945; kamikaze hit 13 Jan 1945) or salvage. Its 'Lt. C. W. Blodgett in command' conflicts with the NavSource CO table (DeBoer at commissioning; Blodgett Dec 1945-Feb 1946) - logged unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-700 (10/16/160700.htm) - designation timeline, campaign table, occupation/China service dates, spec block, commanding-officer table, awards display, photo captions, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160700.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, awards display, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship laid down 22 March 1944 at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN; launched 13 May 1944; commissioned USS LST-700 7 June 1944, LT. Lee DeBoer USNR in command (conflicts with DANFS's 'Lt. C. W. Blodgett'). Campaign table: Leyte operation - Leyte landing 5-18 November 1944; Luzon operation - Lingayen Gulf landing 4-18 January 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended) both 12 September 1945-18 March 1946. Decommissioned 27 July 1946; struck 28 August 1946; two battle stars; final disposition sold for scrapping 13 December 1947 to Kaiser Co., Vancouver, WA. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW 230 V DC diesel-drive generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; radio call sign NFPR. Awards display: China Service Medal (extended); American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2); World War II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippine Liberation Medal (2). CO table: LT DeBoer USNR 7 Jun-Nov 1944; LT Buchbinder USNR Nov 1944-Mar 1945; LT Marlais USNR Mar-Dec 1945; LTjg Blodgett USNR Dec 1945-Feb 1946; LTjg Gilmour USN Feb-17 Apr 1946; LTjg Glebocki USNR 17 Apr-Jul 1946; ENS Sharp USNR Jul-27 Jul 1946. Photos: beached White Beach, Tacloban, Leyte 22 October 1944 unloading First Signal Corps laboratory trucks and carrying GHQ advanced-echelon personnel; beached on a ramp in China c. September 1945-March 1946; stripped of guns at anchor in San Francisco Bay c. 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - build/campaign/disposal dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS; the commissioning-CO conflict (DeBoer vs DANFS's Blodgett) is carried unresolved. Contains no asbestos content and omits the ship's documented January 1945 battle damage entirely - its silence is not evidence the damage did not occur.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-02
-
[3]NARA NAID 78593224, 'COM LST FLOT 8 - War Diary, 6/1/44 to 7/31/44' (RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 10 images; digitized via Fold3; all pages OCR-read 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78593224 images 1-10 (downloaded and OCR-read); commissioning entry image 3; 1 July 1944 org table image 7 (verified by direct image display)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The parent flotilla's war diary documents this hull's commissioning and assignment: 'USS LST 700 commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana and reported to Commander Amphibious Training Command, Atlantic Fleet for duty' (7 June 1944 entry). The diary's 1 July 1944 organization table lists LST-700 in LST FLOTILLA EIGHT, Group 24, Division 48 (with LST 569, 673, 699, 746, 920), noting 'All ships are assigned to Seventh Fleet, and report to that command upon completion of shakedown and detachment from Commander, Amphibious Training Command, Atlantic Fleet.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06-07 to 1944-07-31
- Population
- Ship's company at commissioning (New Orleans, 1944)
- Limitations
- Primary Navy record; documents commissioning location (New Orleans) and unit assignment not stated in DANFS. Does not state which officer commanded at commissioning and does not bear on the DeBoer/Blodgett conflict. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-03
-
[4]NARA NAID 139766188, 'USS LST-700 - Rep of AA Act While Beached at Leyte Is, Philippines, on 11/12/44' (serial 138; RG 38, World War II War Diaries; 3 images; digitized via Fold3; all pages OCR-read 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139766188 images 1-3 (downloaded and OCR-read; ammunition and damage fields verified against displayed scans)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull's own action report (transmitted 21 November 1944, J. Buchbinder commanding) documents an anti-aircraft action aboard the beached ship at White Beach, San Pedro, Leyte, P.I., 12 November 1944: a low fast fighter attack engaged with 'All' guns; ammunition expended 280 rds 40mm, 1,010 rds 20mm, 265 rds .50 cal; first shot 2,500 yards, last 1,200 yards; hits on ship 'None'; 'Was strafed No'; no near misses and no casualties. The report records that a 40mm gun 'set plane afire and it tried to crash into a Liberty ship, but it hit the water before this was accomplished.' Copies to Commander Seventh Fleet, Commander Seventh Amphibious Force, Commander LST Flot 8, Commander LST Group 20, Commander LST Flot 15.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-11-12
- Population
- Ship's company at action stations, Leyte beachhead, 12 November 1944
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record of weapons expenditure aboard this hull; operational documentation only - no asbestos, material, or repair content. The 'LST Group 20' addressee is the report's own rendering; the July 1944 flotilla org table places this hull in Group 24, and the apparent discrepancy is not resolved here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-04
-
[5]Robert J. Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (NHHC-published; HyperWar transcription, verified live HTTP 200) - January 1945 entries for LST-700 [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1945.html, 11 January and 12 January Pacific entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official USN chronology records LST-700 damaged twice in consecutive days during the Lingayen Gulf operation: 11 January 1945 - 'tank landing ship LST-700 is damaged by friendly fire, 16deg43'N, 119deg58'E'; and 12 January 1945 - 'Off the west coast of Luzon, kamikazes damage ... tank landing ship LST-700, 14deg04'N, 119deg25'E.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-01-11 to 1945-01-12
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel, 11-12 January 1945
- Limitations
- Official secondary chronology (NHHC historian publication). Its 12 January kamikaze date conflicts with the eyewitness LST-911 action report, which fixes the hit on 13 January 1945 at 0755 at a corroborating position; the date discrepancy is carried unresolved. The 11 January friendly-fire entry has no separate primary corroboration located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-05
-
[6]NARA NAID 139901117, 'USS LST-911 - Rep of ops in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Is, Philippines, including AA acts, 1/7-13/45' (serial 49; RG 38; 20 images; digitized via Fold3; all pages OCR-read 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139901117 images 3-4 (kamikaze narrative) and casualty/burial passage (verified against displayed scans); also summary page 'an enemy plane made a crash dive into the USS LST 700'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A sister LST's action report gives the eyewitness account of the kamikaze hit on this hull: 'on 13 January 1945 ... when an enemy plane, (Hamp), dove on the USS LST 700, the LST directly ahead of this ship in column, at 0751. At 0755 the plane crashed forward of the superstructure on the USS LST 700, making a hole at the juncture of the main deck and starboard side of the ship. The USS LST 700 was the only ship observed firing at the plane.' Aftermath: 'On 13 January 1945 at 0800 this vessel and the USS LST 268 fell out of position to assist the USS LST 700. The damaged vessel was taken in tow by the USS LST 268 and this vessel continued to stand by. At 0946 the SC 995 came alongside this vessel and transferred the body of Driggers, Virgil Buck, COX, 930-74-41, V-6, USNR, a casualty from the USS LST 700 who had been retrieved from the water by the SC 995. At 1350 this man was buried at sea, Latitude 14deg00'30" North, Longitude 119deg23'20", with all due military honors.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-01-13
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel at the hit; burial party of USS LST-911; SC 995 crew
- Limitations
- Primary eyewitness record from the LST directly astern in column; fixes the hit on 13 January 1945 at ~0755 near 14degN, 119deg25'E, conflicting with the official chronology's 12 January date - carried unresolved. Documents one battle death (Driggers) but does not state total wounded. Damage described is structural (hole at main-deck/starboard juncture forward of the superstructure); no material or asbestos content is stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-06
-
[7]NARA NAIDs 139846704 ('USS JICARILLA - War Diary, 1/1-31/45', 3 images) and 633406771 ('COMTASK-Unit 77.10.3 [and 77.10.5] - War Diary, 1/1-31/45', 12 images) - RG 38 World War II War Diaries; digitized via Fold3; all pages OCR-read 2026-10-02 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139846704 images 1-3 (intercept, tow, salvage passages verified against displayed scans); NAID 633406771 image 8 (verbatim passage); NAID 139937920 images 2-4 (convoy track)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two independent primary records document the tow and salvage of this hull. USS Jicarilla (ATF-104) war diary: 13 January 1945 - 'Orders received to intercept USS LST-700, damaged by suicide bombing and under tow returning from Lingayen Gulf, and bring to Mindoro'; 14 January - '0700 took USS LST-700 in tow and returned to Mangarin Bay'; 16-21 January - 'Continued salvage on LST-700, USS ORESTES (AGP-10), and PT boat hard on reef.' The Task Unit 77.10.3/77.10.5 war diary corroborates: 'On 14 January, at 0300 the USS JICARILLA (ATF 104) ... was ordered by this command to proceed and render assistance to the USS LST 700 now returning from LINGAYEN with battle damages which made her progress difficult. At 1000 the same day the JICARILLA returned to Mangarin Bay with the damaged LST in tow.' The COM LST Group 24 diary (NAID 139937920) places its convoy (TU 79.14.7, 33 LSTs) on the same retirement track - 13 January 2000 position 14deg14'N, 119deg23'E - matching the documented hit and burial positions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-01-13 to 1945-01-21
- Population
- Ship's company during tow; USS Jicarilla salvage trades working aboard the damaged hull, Mangarin Bay, 16-21 January 1945
- Limitations
- Primary Navy records documenting six days of salvage work performed on this hull (16-21 January 1945) - activity and dates verbatim; the diaries do not itemize the salvage work's material scope, do not say 'asbestos,' and do not identify repair trades by name. Jicarilla's contemporaneous work also covered the fire-damaged USS Porcupine (IX-226), USS Orestes (AGP-10), and USS Gansevoort (DD-608).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-07
-
[8]NARA NAID 139883391, 'USS ISHERWOOD - Report of AA action in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island, Philippines on 1/12/45' (RG 38; 5 images; digitized via Fold3; all pages OCR-read 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139883391 images 2-3 (verbatim passage verified against displayed scans)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A destroyer's AA action report for 12 January 1945 at 16-47N, 119-53E (Lingayen Gulf) records three Zekes attacking the formation: one attempted a suicide dive on USS Warhawk (APA-168) and crashed ahead after dropping a small bomb; a 'Second suicide plane circled formation after passing over once ... attempted to suicide dive LST 700. Taken under fire by port 40MM battery and crashed short of LST 700. Combined fire of light and heavy machine gun batteries of all ships in range is believed to have shot down aircraft.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-01-12
- Population
- Ship's company at action stations, Lingayen Gulf, 12 January 1945
- Limitations
- Primary eyewitness record of a suicide-dive attempt on this hull ending in a miss ('crashed short of LST 700') on 12 January at Lingayen Gulf - distinct from the 13 January hit recorded by LST-911 and consistent with the official chronology's separate 12 January kamikaze entry only insofar as it documents a second attack; whether the 12 January attempt caused any damage is not stated. Reported from a different ship; no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-08
-
[9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan, verified live HTTP 200); NavSource LST-700 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160700.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-542 design group ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp total, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1944 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, deck coverings - and the documented hull-penetrating kamikaze damage (13 January 1945) plus six days of salvage work performed aboard the damaged hull at Mangarin Bay (16-21 January 1945) were rework events aboard this hull inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine construction trades (1944); ship's company (1944-46); USS LST-268 and USS Jicarilla tow/salvage crews (Jan 1945); 1947/48 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, damage report, or salvage work package was located for LST-700. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. The documented battle damage and salvage make material disturbance plausible but do not establish asbestos content or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-09
-
[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 - spanning this hull's construction (1944), her Pacific service and battle damage, the documented January 1945 salvage work, and her 1947/48 scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, reconfirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-10
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-700-lst700-12 through -14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: exact-phrase "LST-700" returned 0 in the opinion index and 1 in the docket index; "USS LST-700" returned 0 opinion hits. The single docket hit is a name collision - In re: Seroquel Products Liability Litigation, 6:06-md-01769 (M.D. Fla., filed 2006-07-10), a pharmaceutical MDL in which 'LST-700' appears as a document/exhibit fragment, not a vessel reference. No case naming this hull surfaced.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state-court filings, unreported settlements, MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists, and non-digitized dockets are outside coverage. A zero result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists. The spacing-variant query "LST 700" + asbestos could not be completed before the fleet pacing gate closed (see search_ledger) - logged as an access gap, not a negative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-11
-
[12]Batch-7229 source review: DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + seven digitized primary file units read in full (COM LST FLOT 8 diary; LST-700 AA report; LST-911 Lingayen report; Jicarilla diary; TU 77.10.3/77.10.5 diary; Isherwood AA report; COM LST GR 24 diary); Cressman official chronology; NARA Special List No. 44; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; CourtListener API; NVR; NIOSH/Jeffboat check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-700-lst700-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-700 was found in the public sources searched. The ship-specific documentation located is unusually detailed on battle damage and salvage - a hull-penetrating kamikaze hit (13 January 1945), emergency tow by LST-268 then Jicarilla, and six days of documented salvage work at Mangarin Bay (16-21 January 1945) - all relevant damage/repair events aboard this hull, but no primary source read names asbestos aboard this hull.
- 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 - construction at a wartime yard, a documented hull-penetrating battle-damage event, and six days of salvage sit squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-12
-
[13]NARA Special List No. 44, by Ship Numbers; NARA '[Enlisted, Killed in Action] Delong, William THRU Dunn, Warren' file unit (NAID 491913454, 943 digitized images); NARA catalog searches 'LST-700' and 'USS LST-700' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List No. 44 PDF (LST-700 row); NAID 491913454 record page; catalog.archives.gov 'LST-700'/'USS LST-700' result sets
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival coverage and open leads for this hull: NARA Special List No. 44 lists Navy logbook coverage for LST-700 from 7 June 1944 through 30 June 1945 - spanning the January 1945 battle-damage and salvage period; the log contents were not reviewed and are not digitized in the sources searched. The ship's own monthly war diaries are not digitized as ship-titled file units (only the 12 November 1944 AA action report, NAID 139766188, is ship-titled). The catalog associates 'Driggers, Virgil' with the Delong-Dunn WWII enlisted KIA casualty file (NAID 491913454, fully digitized with transcriptions) - the individual casualty card consistent with the death recorded in the LST-911 report was not individually viewed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); researchers; Driggers casualty record
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: deck-log contents, the ship's own war diaries, the Driggers casualty card, RG 181 repair-yard work packages for the Mangarin Bay salvage, and muster rolls were not read or confirmed. The KIA-file association is a catalog-search result, not a viewed document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-700-lst700-13