Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[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-778-lst778-pkt-724-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-778 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, campaign list, decommissioning, striking, disposal (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-778 entry, full text (short-form entry, no spec block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-778 was laid down on 14 May 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched on 24 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. D. M. Booth; and commissioned on 31 July 1944, Lt. Glendal T. Harper, USNR, in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the Lingayen Gulf landings, January 1945, and the Mindanao Island landings, April 1945. 'Following the war, LST-778 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-October 1945. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 27 May 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 19 June 1946. On 23 October 1947, the ship was sold to the Boston Metals Corp., Baltimore, Md., for scrapping. LST-778 earned two battle stars for World War II.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (May-Jul 1944); ship's company (Jul 1944-May 1946); embarked troops during amphibious lifts
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives no building-yard location finer than 'Pittsburgh' (the Dravo yard was on Neville Island - corroborated by the NIOSH survey title, ev-08) and no decommissioning location. Decommissioning date conflicts with NavSource (27 vs 28 May 1946) - see gaps. The 'two battle stars' correspond to the two listed campaigns.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-778 - class, specifications, campaign dates, occupation-service window, awards, commanding officers, disposal (live page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160778.htm - header block, campaign table, awards display, specifications block, commanding-officers table (page last updated 30 April 2021)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for this hull: LST-542 class tank landing ship; radio call sign NGUS. Laid down 14 May 1944, Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; launched 24 June 1944; commissioned 31 July 1944, LT. G. T. Harper USNR in command. Campaign table: Luzon operation - Lingayen Gulf landings, 4 to 18 January 1945; Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines - Mindanao Island landings, 17 to 23 April 1945. Occupation service in the Far East 7 September to 20 October 1945. Decommissioned 28 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register 19 June 1946; sold for scrapping 23 October 1947 to Boston Metals Corp., Baltimore, MD. Two battle stars. Ribbon display: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2); WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippines Liberation Medal (2). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; boats 2 LCVP; ultimate-design armament 2 twin 40mm + 4 single 40mm + 12 single 20mm; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V DC ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; diesel fuel 4,300 bbls. CO list: LT G. T. Harper (31 Jul 1944-Jun 1945); LT William Feather Jr. (Jun 1945-15 Dec 1945); LTjg William H. Wurth (15 Dec 1945-28 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); Boston Metals Corp. shipbreakers (1947-48)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates track DANFS except one: decommissioned 28 May 1946 vs DANFS 27 May 1946 (see gaps). Occupation window stated precisely (7 Sep-20 Oct 1945) vs DANFS 'until mid-October 1945'. Spec-block figures are class-level published values for the LST-542 design, not a hull survey. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1 January 1945), LST roster and machinery/design table (shipscribe.com scan with OCR text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 - LST roster (LST-778 line, Dravo block) and LST542-931 rows in the machinery and dimensional tables
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous BuShips data: the volume-2 roster lists LST-778 in the Dravo (Pittsburgh) block - laid down 14 May 1944, launched 24 June 1944, commissioned 31 July 1944 - matching DANFS and NavSource exactly. The machinery table assigns the LST542-931 design block two G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines totaling 1,700 shp; the dimensional table gives the block 328 ft length, 50 ft beam, 2,366 t light / 4,080 t loaded displacement, 11.6 kt. The January 1945 publication date places the data inside her building/service era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944 (data as of Jan 1945)
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Primary-source government document accessed via a third-party scan: the OCR text layer is staggered (columns interleave) but the LST-778 roster line and the LST542-931 machinery row are legible; no page-image verification beyond the scan. Contains no asbestos or material content - propulsion/dimensional data only. Citation URL corrected: the copy previously cited (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf) now returns 404; the file is hosted at shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf (verified live 2026-10-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-03
-
[5]NARA catalog full-text matches for 'LST-778' - digitized WWII war diaries and operation reports (WWII_WarDiaries microfilm series) plus muster-roll index coverage [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search q='LST-778' (114 results) and q='USS LST-778' (23 results); cited NAIDs are the named file units surfaced on results page 1-2
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA catalog search returns 114 file-unit/item matches for 'LST-778' and 23 for 'USS LST-778', all in digitized collections (113 of 114 marked available online). Matched file units include: COM LST GR 64 war diaries for September, October, November 1944 and January 1945 (NAIDs 139755496, 78653990, 78700912, 139843234); COM LST GR 45 and COM LST GR 44 war diaries, January 1945 (139837449, 139868618); COM LST FLOT 8 war diary, September 1945 (77555077); NAV ADV BASE Espiritu Santo war diary, October 1944 (78675025); COM NAV Base Hollandia war diary, April 1945 (633438381); the COMALLNAVFOR SOWESTPAC / COMTASKFOR 77 report of the Lingayen Gulf operation, 2-27 January 1945 (633430227); and a muster-roll index range file 'USS LSM-144 to USS LST-1005' (118967604, RG 24 Index to Muster Rolls series, 2,968 images). Personnel-accounting matches in the decommissioning window include Receiving Station, Naval Station Long Beach, March-July 1946.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- ship's company and embarked units documented within matched records (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: matches are catalog OCR-text hits inside scanned unit records - the string may appear in annexed ship lists or forwarding endorsements rather than the diary narrative itself, and no specific page was reviewed this session. Establishes that contemporaneous unit records documenting this hull's movements exist digitized at NARA; it is not itself an exposure, material, or condition record. LST group/flotilla assignments implied by the diary matches are not independently confirmed for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-04
-
[6]NARA file unit 80682862 / local ID 111-SCA-2973, 'Philippine Islands - Mindanao' (RG 111, U.S. Army Signal Corps photographs; frame SC209731) plus NHHC photo NH 73253 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/80682862 (file unit 'Philippine Islands - Mindanao', 202 images); NHHC NH 73253 catalog page; NavSource 10/16/160778.htm photo captions 1016077802/1016077801
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Physical-presence documentation: an Army Signal Corps photograph (SC209731) dated 19 April 1945 shows personnel of the 99th Evacuation Hospital setting up quarters on the deck of USS LST-778 prior to sailing from Morotai to Parang, Mindanao, P.I., on the V-5 operation (NavSource caption transcribing the NARA record; the file unit is live in the NARA catalog). NHHC photo NH 73253 (live NHHC catalog page verified 2026-10-03) shows USS LST-996 and USS LST-778 moored together, probably circa 1945. Together they document an embarked non-crew population (Army hospital unit) aboard this hull during the Southern Philippines phase.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- 99th Evacuation Hospital personnel embarked (April 1945); LST-778 ship's company
- Limitations
- Establishes presence and embarked population only - no work record, material record, or condition survey. The NARA file unit is a 202-image album; the LST-778 frame itself was not individually inspected this session (NavSource displays the image with NARA metadata). The moored-with-LST-996 photo is undated ('probably taken about 1945'). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST542-931 machinery block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp - no steam plant); NavSource specifications for this hull; GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era spanning 1944 construction); LST-1-class profile (lst-1-class.class.json) era-application list for diesel amphibious construction [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST542-931 machinery row; NavSource 10/16/160778.htm specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; lst-1-class.class.json class_notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class tank landing ship built May-July 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era (GAO HRD-80-2). Era-standard applications aboard an LST of this design were engine-room and machinery lagging, diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and electrical insulation - concentrated below deck and around the engineering spaces in a shallow-draft hull whose troop berthing shared the same ventilation envelope. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the relevant applications are machinery/exhaust lagging, gasketing, packing, and interior finishes.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46); Boston Metals Corp. shipbreakers (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LST-778. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity and no manufacturer attribution for this hull. LSTs built 1944 at inland 'cornfield' yards used standard BuShips design; ship-specific deviations are undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights block
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at 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 for asbestos-related disabilities. The Highlights state the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed to accomplish necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to include selectively replacing asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - confirming asbestos insulation was standard aboard Navy ships of this hull's 1944 construction era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (policy era reviewed: through the 1970s)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull - LST-778 is not named, and the fieldwork yards (Long Beach, Norfolk) are not her builder. Product-page Highlights verified live 2026-10-03; the 26-page full report (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) was not extracted this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-07
-
[9]NIOSH, Industrial hygiene survey report, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (survey July 1981; report 2 July 1985; Bloom, Dooley, Peguese - Industry Wide Field Studies series) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record cdc/233199 - title, authors, series, and NIOSH-provided description
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government documentation that this hull's builder yard - Dravo Corp., Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh - was a functioning construction yard subject to a NIOSH industrial-hygiene survey in July 1981 (37 years after this hull was built). The survey evaluated occupational exposure during construction of barges and towboats: sampling covered organic/paint solvents, metals, and nuisance dust; lead and nuisance-dust samples exceeded OSHA standards and solvent mixtures exceeded NIOSH additive-criteria thresholds. NEGATIVE ON ASBESTOS: asbestos was not within the survey's stated scope and does not appear in the abstract; the survey is yard-level occupational-hygiene documentation, not asbestos documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1981 (survey); yard operated 1942-forward (WWII construction era covers this build)
- Population
- Dravo Engineering Works Division trades (1981 survey period)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, 37 years post-build, with asbestos outside scope - it neither documents nor excludes asbestos at the yard; its value is confirming the Neville Island yard's identity and continued operation. Catalog note states 'in NTRL, no pdf' - full text not online; content verified via the CDC Stacks abstract page. Does not establish any material aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-08
-
[10]Batch-7314 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS and NHHC photo-catalog pages; NavSource amphibious archive; BuShips SDB 1945 v2 (shipscribe); NARA catalog full-text search (war diaries, operation reports, muster-roll index, Signal Corps photo unit); GAO product page; CDC Stacks/NIOSH; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-778-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or verified litigation naming USS LST-778 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the shared daily quota exhausted (~11.1 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm marketing page naming this hull - the only incidental hits were an April 2002 American Legion crew-reunion locator notice ('Anyone who served aboard the USS LST 778...') and a published secondary source (Warner et al., Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor) listing LST-778 among ships 'damaged by suicide aircraft,' which the Lingayen Gulf damaged-ships table instead records as a 12 January 1945 near-miss (kamikaze splashed close aboard; damage: none; no casualties) - see gaps.
- 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 the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). The hull was sold for scrapping in 1947, decades before ACM-handling documentation regimes existed; no breakup-condition record was located. NARA war diaries and the TF77 Lingayen operation report are open digitized leads for ship-condition detail. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-778-09