Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 724-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-776-lst776-pkt-724-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-776 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Iwo Jima/Okinawa campaigns, occupation duty, decommissioning, strike, Argentine commercial sale (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl; bare curl returns 404 - UA-gated, consistent with sibling-batch findings) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-776 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 7 May 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 17 June 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Douglas Pinquely; commissioned 20 July 1944, Lt. J. D. Copeland, USNR, in command. Asiatic-Pacific operations: assault and occupation of Iwo Jima (March 1945) and assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (March and April 1945). Occupation duty in the Far East until mid-October 1945; decommissioned 18 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 1 May 1946; sold 17 January 1947 to Compania Naviera y Commercial Perez Compano, Buenos Aires, Argentina, for operation. Two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (Pittsburgh, 1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS compresses campaign dates to months ('March 1945' Iwo Jima; 'March and April 1945' Okinawa) - NavSource's campaign table (20 Feb-1 Mar / 26 Mar-15 Apr) is the more precise source and matches official campaign periods. Decommissioning port not stated; no yard or repair content - the Leyte upkeep line is documented only in the ship's action report (ev-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-776 (10/16/160776.htm, last updated 12 January 2024) - unit assignments, campaign table, spec block, commanding-officer list, awards, Brodie-system photographs, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160776.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship laid down 7 May 1944 at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; launched 17 June 1944; commissioned USS LST-776 20 July 1944, LT. Jefferson D. Copeland USNR in command. Assigned to LST Flotilla Three (CDR. A.A. Ageton USN), LST Group Nine (CDR. S.A. Life USNR), LST Division Eighteen. Campaign table: Iwo Jima operation 20 February-1 March 1945; Okinawa Gunto operation 26 March-15 April 1945. Occupation service in the Far East 20 September-25 October 1945. Decommissioned 18 March 1946; struck from the Naval Register 1 May 1946; sold for commercial operations 17 January 1947 to Compania Naviera y Commercial Perez Compano, Buenos Aires - 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Two battle stars; radio call sign NGSM. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 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 DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted. Photographs document the ship rigged with the Brodie launching and recovery system: trials (captioned 'off New Orleans, LA., in 1943' - a dating error, the ship was not launched until June 1944); off southern California 6 October 1944 photographed from a ZP-31 blimp (NARA photo 80-G-283548); and underway off Iwo Jima fitted with the Brodie system. CO list: LT Copeland USNR 20 Jul 1944-11 Dec 1945; LTjg J.W. Jimenez USNR 11 Dec 1945-18 Mar 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- USN ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops and embarked Army artillery pilots/observers (1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the NARA action report. The '1943' photo captions are internally impossible (pre-launch) and treated as errors for 1944; the 6 October 1944 ZP-31 photo is date-credible post-commissioning. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 101730815, 'USS LST-776 - Rep of opers in the invasion of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 3/26/45 - 4/16/45' (serial 011, dated 18 April 1945, CO to CINC U.S. Fleet; RG 38, WWII War Diaries series; micro serial 131303; 9 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101730815, images 0197-0205 (all downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-03)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report (all 9 pages OCR-read this session; typescript clean, minor OCR noise) is headed 'U.S.S. LST 776 (Brodie)' and documents combat operation of the Brodie system verbatim. At Leyte, P.I., 16-17 March 1945: cargo of one Bailey Bridge (loaded 'to cover the entire tank deck'), three DUKWs, nine uncrated L-4 planes (three fitted with Brodie hooks), two crated L-4 planes, one photo dark room, and miscellaneous cargo, 114.95 short tons total; embarked 15 pilots and observers, one chaplain, one TQM officer, and twelve enlisted personnel of the 77th, 96th, and 7th Divisions of Artillery and XXIV Corps Artillery on 17 March. '18 March 1945. Completed loading, repairs, and logistics.' Sortie 19 March from Berth 121, Leyte Gulf with Tractor Group George (TG 51.7). Daily Brodie Gear launches/recoveries of L-4 planes for combat observation and artillery-spotting missions at Kerama Retto and Keise Shima from 26 March; beached Purple-One Beach, Okinawa Shima, 2 April; tank deck cargo fully unloaded 4 April; planes transferred to Kadena Airfield 12 April; departed for Ulithi 16 April 1945. Records repeated General Quarters calls, kamikaze attacks on the anchorage (a VAL making 'a suicide dive into U.S.S.' [name obscured in scan] among them), and ammunition expended (379 rds 20mm 7 Apr; 57 rds 40mm + 234 rds 20mm 12 Apr; 141 rds 40mm + 641 rds 20mm 15 Apr).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-03-18 to 1945-04-16
- Population
- USN ship's company; embarked Army artillery pilots/observers and enlisted (Mar-Apr 1945)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record; OCR extraction of all 9 pages completed, with scattered character noise from the ribbon copy - dates, times, and quantities are legible; one kamikaze-target ship name is truncated in the scan and is not asserted. Documents 'repairs' at Leyte as an event line only - no material itemization, no asbestos content, no yard or contractor named.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-03
-
[5]DANFS, LST-386 - NHHC photo caption on LST aircraft operations naming this hull (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-386 entry, image caption (Army Piper L-4 at Anzio photograph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHHC's official LST-386 entry carries a photo caption documenting this hull's distinctive fit: 'During 1944, LST-776 evaluated an experimental catapult for launching light planes, as well as Brodie gear. In this system, a cable was stretched between booms to one side of the ship, and planes were launched from a quick-release trolley. LST-776 operated Marine OY-1's over Iwo Jima and Army L-4's at Okinawa.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked USMC/USAAF and Army observation-aircraft personnel (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific NHHC statement but a caption on a sibling-hull entry, not a dedicated history - documents the 1944 evaluation and combat employment without giving installation yard, installation date, or removal date. The Marine OY-1 employment at Iwo Jima is corroborated only at this caption level; the ship's own digitized action report covers Okinawa only (ev-03). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource LST-776 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160776.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 action report's 'repairs' line at Leyte (ev-03) plus the 1944 Brodie/catapult evaluation fit (ev-04) document in-service modification and upkeep aboard this hull inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); USN ship's company/embarked troops and air personnel (1944-46); 1947+ Argentine commercial crews
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or yard work package was located for LST-776. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. SDB 1945 v2 link verified live 2026-10-03 (HTTP 200).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-05
-
[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 construction (1944), her Pacific service and Brodie combat operations, and her 1947 commercial sale.
- 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, reconfirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-06
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[8]Batch-7312 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + one action-report file unit read in full; casualty-report file unit; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; NIOSH/CDC Stacks check; NVR; secondary web sweep; CourtListener (blocked - quota) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-776-lst776-01 through -13
- 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-776 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated fleet helper reported the daily quota exhausted (~11 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only asbestos content is law-firm/marketing material (a mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org listicle covering the LST-542 class generally, and similar pages) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - construction at a wartime inland yard, a documented 1944 experimental fit, and wartime upkeep sit inside the Navy's asbestos-use era, and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-07
-
[9]NARA catalog, "LST-776" - 206 file units (fuzzy relevance; ship-titled units: action report NAID 101730815 and casualty report NAID 472241647); "USS LST-776" returns 33 units; casualty report is RG 24 Bureau of Naval Personnel, paper-only at College Park - NOT digitized [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov "LST-776" and "USS LST-776" result sets; NAID 472241647 record page; stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/233176
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary archive coverage for this hull is thin: the only digitized ship-titled record located is the Okinawa Gunto action report (NAID 101730815, 9 images, read in full). No ship-titled war diaries were surfaced - the class-typical monthly diary file units present for sibling hulls (e.g., LST-790) do not appear under 'LST-776'. A BuPers Casualty Information Report file unit exists for 'USS LST-776' (NAID 472241647, RG 24) but is paper-only at College Park - its existence indicates casualty reporting for the hull; content unknown. Parent-unit diaries (COM LST FLOT/GROUP series) are digitized and are the unit-level coverage bridge. A NIOSH industry-wide-study report exists for the builder yard (Walk-through survey report, Dravo Corp., Engineering Works Division, Pittsburgh - IWS 74-46-10, June 1980, CDC Stacks metadata) but its digital file is missing from Stacks ('Notice of Missing Digital File') and it postdates the wartime era by 36 years.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: the casualty report was not read or confirmed beyond its catalog metadata; whether digitized ship-titled war diaries exist for this hull under a variant title was not exhaustively resolved (fuzzy catalog ordering across 206 results); WWII deck logs proper for this hull are not in the digitized deck-log program checked; the Dravo IWS report content is unknown (missing digital file) and any wartime-yard asbestos relevance is unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-776-lst776-08