Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 715-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-717-lst717-pkt-715-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-717 (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-717 entry, full narrative (page verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-717 was laid down on 20 June 1944 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 29 July 1944; sponsored by Miss Lou Anne Malsie; and commissioned on 23 August 1944, Lt. Karl F. Melde, USNR, in command.' WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific theater - 'Palawan Island landings-January 1945; Mindanao Island landings-April 1945.' Post-war: 'occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until early June 1946. She was decommissioned on 12 June 1946. On 17 February 1948, the ship was transferred to the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China under the terms of lend-lease. LST-717 was struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1948. LST-717 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS dates the Palawan landings 'January 1945' while NavSource's campaign table gives 1-7 March 1945 - NavSource carried, conflict in gaps. DANFS's 17 Feb 1948 transfer is the formal lend-lease instrument date; operational handover to ROC control ran from mid-1946 (see ev-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-717 - campaign dates, medal periods, specifications, commanding officers, disposal (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160717.htm - header block, campaign/medal tables, specifications, CO list, photo captions (Clyde Smith collection)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull (LST-542 class): laid down 20 June 1944, Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville IN; launched 29 July 1944; commissioned 23 August 1944, LT. Karl F. Melde USNR. Asiatic-Pacific campaign 'Consolidation and capture of the southern Philippines': Palawan Island landings 1-7 March 1945; Mindanao Island landings 17-23 April 1945. Occupation and China service: Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended), both 2 September 1945 - 12 June 1946. Decommissioned 12 June 1946; transferred under Lend-Lease to the Republic of China 17 February 1948; struck 12 March 1948; one battle star; Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and Philippine Liberation Medal also listed. 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kts trial; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted; troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp), Falk reduction gears, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW generators; 2 LCVP. Commanding officers: LT Karl F. Melde USNR (23 Aug 1944 - 8 Jan 1946); LTjg Robert James Lamb USN (8 Jan 1946 - 12 Jun 1946). Call sign NFTE.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops (1945 landings)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation tracking NVR/DANFS milestones, not a primary registry - but its campaign-date table is more precise than DANFS for the Palawan operation and is carried over DANFS's 'January 1945.' Contains no asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' is conservative; secondary sources describe a 1947 stranding and 1953 PLAN incorporation (see ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), JeffBoat yard page - yard history and full hull-by-hull construction table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com JeffBoat page - yard history paragraph + construction table row 'LST 717'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder documentation: the Navy bought the closed Howard Shipyard & Dock Co. site at Jeffersonville in 1942 and leased it to JeffBoat for the war's duration; it was 'a major builder of LSTs, with employment peaking at 13,000.' The yard's hull table lists 'LST 717 | US Navy | Landing Ship | 1,625d | 328 | 23-Aug-44 | To China 1948 as ?' - confirming this hull's build and China transfer while recording the ROC name as unknown to the compiler. Sisters built in the same block include LST-716 ('To China 1948 as Chung Chien (LST 205)'). Postwar the yard became the country's leading inland towboat/barge builder (ACBL-owned from 1947) and closed permanently in 2018.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-2018
- Population
- Jeffboat wartime workforce (peak 13,000)
- Limitations
- Secondary industry compilation, not an official record - but a respected yard-level reference whose per-hull row independently confirms the 23 Aug 1944 delivery and China transfer. 'To China 1948 as ?' corroborates that the ROC name is not reliably documented in U.S. compilations (see ev-04 for the identification that does circulate). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-03
-
[5]China Economic Net (PRC state media, English ed.), 'How U.S. Warships Aided China in Recovering the South China Sea Islands' (Aug 2025), citing scholars at CASS Institute of Modern History, SIIS, and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies [reputable_press]
- Locator
- ce.cn article body - 'Advance Fleet' composition paragraph and Lin Zun/Chu Jingtao narrative ('ROCS Chung Yeh (formerly the U.S. Navy tank landing ship USS LST-717)')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documents the operational handover ahead of the formal U.S. instrument and identifies this hull's ROC identity: four lend-lease warships arrived at Wusong Port, Shanghai, in May 1946, were refitted and recommissioned under Chinese names; in October 1946 they sailed as the 'Advance Fleet' under Lin Zun to recover the South China Sea islands - 'ROCS Chung Yeh (formerly the U.S. Navy tank landing ship USS LST-717)' and 'ROCS Chung Chien (formerly ... USS LST-716)'. Chung Yeh deployed to the Nansha (Spratly) Islands with Tai Ping; after assembling at Shanghai 26 October and departing 29 October, they landed on Taiping Island 12 December 1946. The ROC renamed the second-largest Spratly island 'Zhongye Island' after the ship. This explains how she could be in ROC operational service ~18 months before DANFS's formal 17 Feb 1948 lend-lease transfer date.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-1947
- Population
- ROC Navy crew (1946-47); embarked ROC recovery detachment (59 personnel fleet-wide)
- Limitations
- PRC state media with an evident narrative interest in the sovereignty account - but the hull identification (Chung Yeh = ex-LST-717) is specific, matches Wikipedia/Jane's sourcing, and the operational-vs-formal transfer sequence it implies is consistent with DANFS and sister-ship LST-716's parallel record. Does not document any U.S.-era material, maintenance, or asbestos content; does not cover the 1947 stranding or PLAN incorporation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-04
-
[6]Wikipedia, USS LST-717 (secondary, citing Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85 and 2009-10, Treasury Decisions v.97, Fairplay v.222); contrasted with NavSource 'fate unknown' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS LST-717 - 'Service in Republic of China Navy' section + infobox (Taiwan/China blocks)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary-source disposition beyond the U.S. record: as ROCS Chung Yeh she reportedly stranded on Changshan Island (Miaodao group, Bohai Gulf) on 13 November 1947, and was incorporated into the People's Liberation Army Navy in 1953 after repair. NavSource lists the hull's final disposition as 'fate unknown' - the stranding and PLAN incorporation are carried as secondary-sourced leads, not confirmed disposition.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1947-1953
- Population
- ROC Navy crew (to 1947); PLAN service population (1953-?, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Wikipedia citing Jane's and other print sources that are not directly verifiable online; no primary or official record located for the stranding or the PLAN incorporation/name. The 13 Nov 1947 stranding - if accurate - occurred while the hull was still formally U.S.-owned (struck 12 Mar 1948), a sequencing note consistent with the mid-1946 operational handover. Not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-05
-
[7]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-1144 / Sublette County - ROCS Chung Yeh (LST-231) photo block with ROCN photography (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161144.htm - disposition block ('transferred to the Republic of China Navy in September 1961, renamed ROCS Chung Yeh (LST-231)') + ROCN photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION - name reuse disambiguation: the ROC Navy operated TWO ships named Chung Yeh. The second was ex-USS LST-1144 (Sublette County), transferred to the Republic of China Navy in September 1961 as ROCS Chung Yeh (LST-231), documented by NavSource with ROC Navy photography. The pennant LST-231 therefore belongs to the 1961 ship (ex-LST-1144), NOT to ex-LST-717; the first Chung Yeh (ex-LST-717) had left ROC service by ~1947. Secondary summaries that identify 'LST-717 = Chung Yeh (LST-231)' conflate the two hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1961 (second-ship transfer); disambiguation of 1946-47 first ship
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating identity conflation, not a material claim. The first Chung Yeh's own ROC pennant (if any) is undocumented in the sources checked. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-06
-
[8]Era/design inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk gears, 2 shafts); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table (class profile lst-1-class, ev-lst-1-class-01/03); LST-542 design-group diesel plant - no boilers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; class profile lst-1-class.class.json ev-01/03 (BuShips SD-1945 v2)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built at an inland wartime yard in mid-1944 sits squarely inside the era when asbestos was a standard shipbuilding insulation material. For this type the asbestos-relevant applications were engine and exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and winch/crane brake linings - concentrated in a shallow-draft hull where a 13-officer/~104-enlisted crew plus up to ~163 embarked troops lived around the machinery spaces. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 (build) - 1953 (last reported service window)
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1944); crew + embarked troops (1944-46); ROC/PLAN crews (1946-?) - undocumented
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-717. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The hull's 1946-48 handover and foreign service put all later material history outside U.S. documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page and Highlights text (live page verified via Firecrawl 2026-10-02) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 - Highlights section text
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-era posture: it 'reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards,' covering 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs'; the Navy's 1975 policy removed/replaced only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This is program context for the era in which LST-717 was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy window 1975-79 postdates hull's U.S. service
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program scope: Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation only - and weaker than usual for this hull: LST-717 left U.S. Navy custody in 1948, decades before the 1975/1979 policies described, so none of the documented survey/removal activity ever touched her. Included strictly as era framing; establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. Full report PDF not extracted this session; content is the product-page Highlights text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-08
-
[10]NARA Catalog search 'LST-717' - 145 archival description hits (144 available online), dominated by COM LST GR 65 war diaries (RG 38) plus convoy-operation and flotilla diaries mentioning the hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search results 'LST-717' - COM LST GR 65 war-diary file units (Roll A1471, A1793, etc.)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds digitized operational records for this hull's unit: Commander LST Group 65 war diaries covering Oct 1944 through Nov 1945 (NAIDs incl. 78671881, 139807463, 139928734, 101733162, 101778276, 77486694, 77537183, 77555181, 77585022), a COMTASKUNIT 76.15.17 convoy-operations report Finschhaven-Philippines Aug 1945 (NAID 83533517), and other diaries mentioning LST-717 - the primary-source trail for her Palawan/Mindanao/occupation movements. 144 of 145 catalog hits are available online.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- LST Group 65 staffs and crews (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the war diaries are group-command records that mention the hull; they were located by catalog search and not individually read this session, so their specific LST-717 content (and any material/maintenance detail) is unextracted. RG 24 ship deck logs for 1944-46 were not located digitized in this pass.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-09
-
[11]Batch-7247 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource 160717 + 161144; shipbuildinghistory Jeffboat; ce.cn Advance Fleet article; Wikipedia cross-check; uboat.net; NARA catalog; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + one docket spelling verified 0, one docket spelling blocked); secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-717-lst717-01 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-717 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener is a verified negative on three of four searches - opinions (type=o) 0 results for 'LST-717' and 'LST 717', and dockets (type=r) 0 results for 'LST 717' (all HTTP 200 via authenticated helper, 2026-10-02). CAVEAT: the fourth query - docket search for the hyphenated spelling 'LST-717' - could not be completed; the fleet-wide pacing budget was spent on repeated attempts (logged blocked in search_ledger). Given the verified zero on the parallel spelling, the residual risk is narrow but it is logged honestly as a partial gap, not swept under a clean 'no result'. Secondary asbestos content consists of a law-firm shipyard-marketing page (mesowatch.org on Jeffersonville Boat & Machine - excluded source class) and an unverifiable social-media anecdote asserting a crew member's asbestos-related death (excluded - Facebook, individual unverifiable claim).
- 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 single blocked docket query (hyphenated spelling) is a genuine open gap; ROC/PLAN-era records are outside U.S. repositories entirely. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-717-lst717-10