Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 725-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-783-lst783-pkt-725-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'LST-783' entry (Naval History and Heritage Command) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-783 page, single-paragraph entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-783 was laid down 14 May 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 11 July 1944, sponsored by Mrs. John F. Hoffmeister; commissioned 14 August 1944, Lt. J. F. McAllister, USNR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima in March 1945; postwar occupation duty in the Far East and China service until mid-March 1946; decommissioned 22 August 1946; struck from the Navy list 16 June 1950; sold 27 June 1950 to Northern Metal Co., Philadelphia, Pa., and subsequently scrapped. Earned one battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1950
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction milestones, campaign assignment, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-783 page (160783) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160783 - class header, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS LST-783: LST-542 class; laid down 14 May 1944 Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh PA; launched 11 July 1944; commissioned 14 August 1944 LT. Jack F. McAllister USNR; wartime assignment LST Flotilla Thirteen (CAPT. J.G. Sampson), LST Group Thirty-Nine (CDR. B.T. Zelenka), LST Division Seventy-Eight; Iwo Jima operation assault and occupation 5-16 March 1945; occupation and China service 13 September 1945 - 16 March 1946; decommissioned 22 August 1946, laid up in reserve, struck 16 June 1950, sold for scrapping 27 June 1950 to Northern Metal Co., Philadelphia; one battle star. Specifications block: 13 officers/104 enlisted; troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-driven 100 kW 230V DC generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, 11.6 kts trial. Photo caption places the ship beached at Guam, summer 1945; a second caption shows Emmett Kelly Jr. on the ship's ramp. Commanding officers: LT. McAllister (Aug 1944-Nov 1945), LTjg. Simmons (Nov 1945-Mar 1946), LT. Walker (Mar 1946-22 Aug 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1950
- Population
- Ship's company ~117 plus embarked troops (spec-block figures)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained naval photo archive; dates corroborate DANFS and add flotilla chain-of-command, campaign dates, specifications, and CO roster. Photo captions are contributor-supplied. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, photo catalog entry NH 76149 'Gushikawa, Chimu Wan, Okinawa' + NARA documents (Finding of Facts; NOB Okinawa casualty letter of 7 January 1946) imaged via NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC NH 76149 catalog page; NavSource 160783 image rows hosting the NARA Finding of Facts and casualty-letter scans
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photograph NH 76149 documents LST-783 on the beach at Gushikawa, Chimu Wan, Okinawa, after the 2 January 1946 ammunition explosion that wrecked LCT-560 and damaged several other landing craft; NARA-held documents imaged on the same NavSource page (Finding of Facts; casualty letter, Commander NOB Okinawa to CINCPAC, 7 January 1946) state the casualty list includes men from nearby LSTs LST-783 and LST-926.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946-01-02
- Population
- Crew and casualties aboard LST-783 at Okinawa, 2 January 1946
- Limitations
- Documents a ship-specific event (presence and crew casualties adjacent to the LCT-560 explosion). Contains no asbestos or materials information; the casualty documents do not state counts or injury mechanisms in the portions captioned; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, April 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table, machinery columns (LST1-490 through LST1081-1152 rows)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LST-542-series tank landing ships: no boiler plant - asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve and machinery packing, and winch/windlass brake linings. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011) design table lists the LST-542/931 group at 2 x GM Diesel 12-567A, 1,700 shp, 2 propellers, with steam-condition columns blank for all diesel LST groups.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945 design data
- Population
- Construction trades (Dravo Pittsburgh, 1944); engine-room and ship's company crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the BuShips table establishes the diesel plant (no boilers) for the design group containing this hull but names no materials; the asbestos-application list is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-04
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record 3555021; DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311 (Wiley page returns 403 to automated fetches - bot-blocking, not dead)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the era and program under which this 1944 Dravo-built LST-542-class hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-05
-
[7]In re Dravo LLC, 307 A.3d 146 (Pa. Super. 2023), rev'd, Nos. 33-34 WAP 2024 (Pa. May 22, 2026) - official pacourts.us opinion PDFs [court_record]
- Locator
- Pa. Supreme Court opinion J-79A/B-2025 (facts section; holding pp. ~26); Superior opinion J-A15029-23/J-A15030-23 at https://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Superior/out/J-A15029-23o%20-%20105775143249621982.pdf?cb=1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-level litigation context: In re Dravo LLC - Derivative Claims Against Carmeuse Lime, Inc. Stipulated facts record that Dravo Corporation (builder of this hull) engaged in heavy-industry businesses including manufacturing watercraft, and that beginning at least in the early 1990s plaintiffs sued Dravo alleging asbestos-related bodily injury from exposures during Dravo operations spanning the 1940s through the 1980s. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania (307 A.3d 146, filed 19 December 2023) reversed summary judgment for parent Carmeuse Lime; the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (Nos. 33-34 WAP 2024, decided 22 May 2026) reversed the Superior Court, holding veil piercing unavailable to the claimants under the LLC Act - a successor-liability disposition on non-exposure grounds.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940s-1980s alleged exposure period; litigation 2020-2026
- Population
- Asbestos claimants vs. Dravo/Carmeuse entities (corporate level)
- Limitations
- Documents the builder corporation's asbestos-liability posture only: the proceeding names no vessel, makes no finding about conditions aboard LST-783 or any hull, and resolved on veil-piercing/LLC-Act grounds - the underlying asbestos claims against Dravo remain allegations described in stipulated facts, not adjudicated exposure findings for any ship. Establishes no exposure, causation, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-06
-
[8]Batch-7320 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource 160783; NHHC NH 76149; NVR ship-detail lookup; CourtListener authenticated search (blocked - quota); BuShips SDB-1945 v2; shipbuildinghistory.com construction table; uboat.net; pacourts.us In re Dravo opinions; OSTI/OSHRC Dravo Neville Island records; NARA guidance pages; Wikipedia (no article exists) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-783-01 through sl-uss-lst-783-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the LST-783 hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener ship-name searches could not be completed this session - the authenticated API returned the fleet-shared daily quota exhausted (~10.9 h to reset) - logged as blocked, not a negative result; general web searches surfaced no qualifying litigation and no listicle coverage naming this hull.
- 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 - a 1944 amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The CourtListener query remains unrun (quota) - litigation sweep is incomplete, not negative. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-07
-
[9]NARA guidance: 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' + Guide to Federal Records RG 24/RG 38; OSTI.GOV biblio records for Dravo Neville Island surveys; OSHRC Docket No. 14818 decision text [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html ; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6587634 ; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6065127 ; https://www.oshrc.gov/wp-content/uploads/Docket_No._14818.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no in-person or reproduction work performed): NARA RG 24 holds WWII-era Navy deck logs (1941-1978 logs transferred to NARA; many digitized in the National Archives Catalog); WWII ship war diaries are in RG 38; the LCT-560 incident documents already identified (Finding of Facts; NOB Okinawa casualty letter of 7 January 1946, imaged via NavSource) sit in NARA collections and name this hull. Builder-side: NIOSH conducted industrial-hygiene walk-through (1979) and survey (1981) work at Dravo's Engineering Works Division, Neville Island (OSTI bibliographic records 6587634, 6065127 - painter/solvent scope, not asbestos), and OSHRC Docket No. 14818 (1982) describes the Neville Island shipbuilding complex.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946 records; 1979-1982 yard surveys
- Limitations
- Record-group and repository mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether any asbestos-specific document exists for this hull is unknown until surveyed. The Dravo NIOSH/OSHRC records document postwar yard operations and do not concern asbestos or this hull. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-783-08