Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 719-packet.md (1 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (sourcing note
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-744-lst744-pkt-719-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-744 - construction at Dravo Neville Island, sponsor, commissioning, WWII campaign list, occupation/China service, decommissioning, disposal (live NHHC page retrieved via Firecrawl; plain automated fetch returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-744 entry, full text (https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lst-744.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-744 was laid down on 1 March 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp., Neville Island; launched on 29 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. E. O. Stickel; and commissioned on 29 May 1944, Lt. Frank P. Bannen, USNR, in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; operations: Morotai landings (September 1944), Leyte landings (October and November 1944), Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945), Mindanao Island landings (April 1945). Post-war: 'performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until early March 1946. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 28 June 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 15 August that same year. On 4 March 1948, the ship was sold to the Port Houston Iron Works, Inc., of Houston, Tex., for non-self-propelled operation.' Earned four battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (Mar-May 1944); ship's company 1944-46 plus embarked troops
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos, material, or industrial-hygiene content. The canonical NHHC URL returned 404 to a plain automated GET on 2026-10-03 but rendered live with full content via Firecrawl the same session - the standing NHHC anti-bot/link-rot behavior first logged in BATCH-01. Does not identify the decommissioning location or the buyer's subsequent use of the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-744 - build/milestone timeline, campaign and medal tables, commanding-officer list, class specification block (live page, HTTP 200) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160744.htm - header block, campaign/medal tables, commanding-officer list, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 1 March 1944 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA; launched 29 April 1944; commissioned USS LST-744 29 May 1944, LT. Frank P. Bannen, USNR, in command. Campaign table: Western New Guinea operations - Morotai landings 15 September 1944; Leyte operation - Leyte landings 16-30 October and 9-29 November 1944; Luzon operations - Lingayen Gulf landings 4-17 January 1945; Consolidation and capture of southern Philippines - Mindanao Island landings 17-23 April 1945. Occupation/China service periods: Navy Occupation Service Medal 5 Sep-13 Nov 1945 and 20 Dec 1945-20 Feb 1946; China Service Medal (extended) 14 Nov-19 Dec 1945 and 21 Feb-2 Mar 1946. Decommissioned 28 June 1946; struck from the Naval Register 15 August 1946; sold to the Port Houston Iron Works, Inc., of Houston, TX, 4 March 1948, for non-self-propelled operation. Four battle stars. Commanding officers: LT Bannen (29 May 1944-16 Oct 1944), LT Hartmann (16 Oct 1944-Mar 1945), LTjg Brandenburg (Mar 1945-Mar 1946), LTjg Higgins (Mar-May 1946), LTjg Zlotnik (May-28 Jun 1946). Call sign NGEP. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328' oa x 50' beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 miles at 9 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; armament 2 twin 40mm w/ Mk 51 directors, 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; diesel 4,300 bbls; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC ship's-service generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); crew 1944-46; embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates track DANFS/NVR conventions and agree with DANFS here. Spec block is class-standard LST-542 data presented on this hull's page, not hull-measured figures. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945) - LST roster entry and LST design table (shipscribe.com scan with text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 roster page (LST739-748 block, Dravo column) and LST design table (LST542-931 row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 roster names this hull: LST-744 listed under the Dravo (Pittsburgh/Neville Island) builder block with keel date 1 March 1944, launch 29 April 1944, and a May 1944 completion date consistent with the 29 May 1944 commissioning in DANFS/NavSource (staggered OCR layout). The official design table assigns block LST542-931 - which includes this hull - 328'0" oa, 50'0" beam, 2,366 t light / 4,080 t trial displacement, 11.6 kt trial speed, ~14' max draft, accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted, propulsion 2 x G.M. Diesel 12-567A at 1,700 shaft horsepower, no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (publication data)
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); design-block crew figures
- Limitations
- Primary-source design and roster data. The scan's OCR layout is staggered - per-row dates interleave between text lines; LST-744's laid/launch dates read cleanly and the completion date is consistent with the 29 May commissioning but the interleave prevents independent confirmation of the exact commissioning figure. The design table is class-level (covers the whole 542-931 block), not hull-measured. No asbestos or material schedule is published in this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-03
-
[5]NHHC Photographic Section catalog, photo NH 79103 - 'USS LST-744 ... In San Francisco Bay, California, circa early 1946' (live catalog page with downloadable image) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC photo catalog, NH-79000 series, NH 79103
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An official NHHC photograph catalogs this hull 'In San Francisco Bay, California, circa early 1946' - consistent with the homeward-bound pennant and return-to-CONUS window before her 28 June 1946 decommissioning. It is the only NHHC photographic record located for this hull and serves as a physical-presence anchor for the early-1946 return leg.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- circa Jan-Feb 1946
- Population
- crew aboard, circa early 1946 (San Francisco Bay transit)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: a photo establishes presence, not activity, maintenance, or material condition. No deck logs, work records, or material documentation accompany it. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 design table (block LST542-931 - diesel plant, no boilers); NavSource LST-744 spec block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, diesel-drive generators); GAO HRD-80-2 program documentation (see ev-06); LST-1 class profile background (lst-1-class, class-f wave-2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST542-931 design-table row; NavSource 160744 spec block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class tank landing ship built March-May 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were engine-room and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery and accommodation insulation, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, and electrical insulation in the hull's enclosed spaces. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the relevant exposure populations are engineroom crew, construction trades, and embarked troops in accommodation spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); engineroom and ship's company 1944-46; embarked troops
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-744. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-05
-
[7]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 entire construction (March-May 1944) and service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-06
-
[8]Billings & Lazar (Johns Hopkins Univ., for NIOSH), 'Walk-through survey report, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1979' (June 1980; OSTI ID 6587634; report nos. PB-89-122998/XAB, IWS-074.46.10) - plus companion 'Industrial-hygiene survey report of Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island' (July 1981 survey; OSTI ID 6065127) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSTI biblio 6587634 abstract; OSTI biblio 6065127 (similar-record link)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government occupational-health documentation exists for this hull's builder yard: a 1979 NIOSH-era walk-through and a 1981 industrial-hygiene survey examined the Dravo Engineering Works Division shipyard at Neville Island as part of the shipbuilding-industry investigation of health hazards to painters. The 1979 walk-through found the yard then building barges and towboats with ~1,200 production personnel including 36 painters and assistants, noted company personnel records dating back to World War I, and recommended the yard for the final in-depth study. The 1981 follow-up sampled organic/paint solvents, metals, and nuisance dust during barge/towboat construction, finding lead and nuisance dust above OSHA standards and additive solvent mixtures above NIOSH criteria in inner-hull work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979-1981 (surveys); records coverage to WWI
- Population
- Dravo Engineering Works Division production personnel and painters (1979-81 survey era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation of the builder's industrial-hygiene environment in the postwar barge/towboat era (1979-81), not the 1944 LST construction era - and the surveys address painting/coating hazards, solvents, lead, and dust, NOT asbestos. No asbestos finding is made or implied by these sources. SSK-1-style asbestos findings at Electric Boat (HETA 78-135-1333) do NOT exist for Dravo Neville Island in located sources. Personnel records 'dating back to World War I' are a research lead for construction-era exposure tracing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-07
-
[9]Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker 'Dravo Corporation Shipyard' (dedicated 18 August 1995, Neville Island Blvd. and Grand Ave.) and ExplorePAHistory companion essay (live page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ExplorePAHistory marker page 1-A-2F6 (marker text + 'Behind the Marker' essay); HMDB transcription m=40280 corroborates marker wording
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Commonwealth's official marker program documents this hull's construction yard: during World War II 'Dravo's over 16,000 workers produced a total of 145 LSTs' at the Neville Island shipyard, and Dravo was the lead designer/builder of the LST - BuShips approached Dravo in January 1942 with the preliminary design; Dravo converted Neville Island and its Wilmington, Delaware facility to assembly-line LST production (prefabricated, welded sections), and 'sent more than 670 LSTs down the Monongahela, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers' counting Dravo and associated yards. LST-744's hull was one of the Neville Island production run (laid 1 Mar 1944 per DANFS/SDB).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (marker scope)
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island workforce (peak ~16,000 yard workers; corporate expansion 2,300 to >25,000 across facilities)
- Limitations
- Builder context only - documents the yard's wartime LST program, not this hull's material content. The essay's 'more than 670 LSTs' counts Dravo plus associated/converted yards; the marker's 145 is the Neville Island yard figure. No asbestos content in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated via fleet helper, type=o), query "LST-744" - returned HTTP 200, count 0 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-lst-744-04 (hit/no-result) and sl-uss-lst-744-05 (blocked)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion index contains zero documents matching the exact hull string 'LST-744' (queried 2026-10-03, authenticated API v4, type=o, count 0). INCOMPLETE COVERAGE: the RECAP docket index (type=r) and the 'USS LST-744'/'LST 744' variants could not be queried - the fleet-wide daily CourtListener quota was exhausted mid-session (helper reported ~11.8 h to reset). This is a verified zero on opinions only, not a whole-repository negative.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- An empty opinion-index result means no published opinion text carries this hull string - it does not cover docket-level filings (RECAP), unopinionated settlements, state-court cases, or spelling variants. Pleading-stage allegations in MDL-875 dockets are particularly likely to exist only at docket level. Litigation status of this hull is partially open; re-run type=r and variants when quota resets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-09
-
[11]Batch-7277 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; NavSource amphibious archive; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; NHHC photo NH 79103; CourtListener (opinion index queried; docket index blocked); NVR; NARA catalog; OSTI/NIOSH; PHMC marker; GAO; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-744-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-744 was found in the public sources searched. The secondary web sweep for 'LST-744' asbestos/mesothelioma/lawsuit surfaced only NavSource, uboat.net, a pt.wikipedia stub, and veteran-family forum/social posts - notably, NOT even the law-firm marketing listicles that commonly assert asbestos aboard named hulls (contrast the Barracuda batch-98 sweep). CAVEAT: the CourtListener docket index and name variants went unsearched (daily quota exhausted) - litigation status is partially open, logged in search_ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and docket-level litigation coverage is a genuine open gap this session. Deck logs (NARA RG 24), Dravo construction records (Pitt AIS 1972.09, access-blocked this session), and the 1948 sale/barge-conversion contract records are undigitized or unfetched leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-744-10