Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 726-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-789-lst789-pkt-726-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-789 - construction, commissioning, Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns, occupation duty, decommissioning, striking, disposal, battle stars [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-789 entry (single-page service narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 1 June 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 5 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Harry C. Story; commissioned 11 September 1944, Lt. H. M. Mulvey, USCGR, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima (February 1945) and the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (April 1945). Occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945; returned to the United States, decommissioned 29 April 1946, struck from the Navy list 3 July 1946. Sold to the California Co. on 11 December 1947 'for operation.' Earned 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
- Dravo construction trades (1944); USCG crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. 'Sold to the California Co. for operation' is the last authoritative disposition - the ship's subsequent commercial career and ultimate fate are not covered by DANFS. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-789 - LST-542 class header, unit assignments, specifications, commanding officers, awards/occupation periods, photo credits with NARA identifiers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160789.htm header block, specifications block, CO table, photo captions (page last updated 27 Aug 2021)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship; 'manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II.' Unit line: LST Flotilla Twenty-Nine (CAPT. C. H. Peterson USCG), LST Group Eighty-Six (CDR. S. R. Sands USCG), LST Division One Hundred Seventy-One. Campaigns: Iwo Jima operation 19-25 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto operation 1-15 April 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 2-11 September 1945 and 29 October-9 November 1945. Specifications: displacement 1,625 t. (lt), 4,080 t. (fl); length 328' o.a.; beam 50'; speed 11.6 kts; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; propulsion: two General Motors 12-567A 900hp diesel engines, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; 2 LCVP; armament (ultimate design) 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 x 20mm. CO list: LT Harold M. Mulvey USCGR (11 Sep 1944-); LTjg Lothrop M. Forbush USCGR (-29 Apr 1946); ENS W. N. Seehorn USCGR. Photos credit NARA identifiers 80-G-303099, 205585242, 205585115.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); USCG crew (1944-46); embarked troops (1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS and are corroborated by the official USCG service narrative (ev-03); specifications are class-standard figures for the LST-542 design, not a hull survey. Contains no asbestos content. ENS Seehorn's middle initial (N. here vs M. in the USCG history) is unresolved - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-02
-
[4]The Coast Guard at War, Transports & Escorts, Vol. II - Transports (Historical Section, Public Information Division, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 1 May 1949), dedicated 'LST-789 - Flotilla 29 - Group 86 - Division 171' entry, p. 106-107 (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG at War Vol. II Transports, 'LST-789' section pp. 106-107
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG ship-specific service narrative: launched 5 August 1944 at the Dravo Corporation yards on the Ohio River at Pittsburgh; departed 31 August for New Orleans via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers; commissioned 11 September 1944 with a crew of 8 officers and 104 men, all U.S. Coast Guard (COs Lt. Harold M. Mulvey USCGR, Lt.(jg) Lothrop M. Forbush USCGR, Ensign W. M. Seehorn). Shakedown at St. Andrews Bay FL from 20 September (12 days); designated flagship of an LST group (text reads Group 36 - see gaps); alterations at New Orleans; five LCT sections on the main deck; Pearl Harbor arrival 26 November 1944. Iwo Jima: departed Pearl Harbor 18 January 1945 with 7 officers and 229 men of Co. C, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th MarDiv, under LST Flotilla 21 (CTU 51.13.2); arrived off southeastern Iwo Jima 0735 on D-day 19 February; LVT landings with small boats as wave guides; three days of LVT cargo work plus 1,000 rounds of 5-inch ammunition passed to two destroyers; beached D+3; departed D+4 for Guam; eight air alerts. Okinawa: departed Leyte 25 March with 24 officers and 440 men of the 383rd RCT; arrived D-day 1 April, launched LCT-901 from the main deck at 1300; beachings 9 and 12 April, unloading complete 0700 on the 14th; while beached, Commander LST Group 86 and staff came aboard as Commander LST Group 85's staff departed; shot down an enemy 'Oscar' 15 April; departed for Ulithi 16 April; ~28 air alerts of 1-7 hours. Ulithi repairs 22 April-26 May patched bottom holes suffered beaching; Guam drydock July - bottom repaired, tail-shaft and screw replaced, main-engine overhaul availabilities at Guam and Saipan. Occupation lifts: 602nd CBMU/NAB to Yokosuka (beached on the seaplane ramp 30 August, unloading complete 2 September); return lift of 203 seamen + 4 officers; barrack ship at Guam; 731st Engineers Agoo-to-Kure lift (beached Hiro Airport 3 November). Left Saipan 26 November 1945, arrived Orange, Texas 25 January 1946 via Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, Canal Zone, New Orleans; decommissioned at Lake Charles, Louisiana 29 April 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- USCG crew (8 officers + 104 men at commissioning); embarked Marine/Army units (Iwo Jima, Okinawa, occupation lifts); Ulithi/Guam/Saipan repair and drydock personnel (1945)
- Limitations
- Operational history only - no asbestos or material content, but documents ship-specific maintenance availabilities (bottom repairs, drydock, tail-shaft/screw replacement, two main-engine overhauls) that are relevant to era-maintenance framing, not to any asbestos finding. OCR transcription of the 1949 printed volume (HyperWar) - minor garbles possible ('Group 36' flagship line, 'Seehorn' initial). Live page verified 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-03
-
[5]The Coast Guard at War, The Pacific Landings, Vol. VI (Historical Section, Public Information Division, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 15 March 1946), 'LST-789 DOWNS AN OSCAR' and 'LST-789 AT YOKOSUKA AND KURE' sections (HyperWar transcription; vol. VI part 26 and part 27) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG at War Vol. VI parts 26 ('LST-789 DOWNS AN OSCAR', p.225-226) and 27 ('LST-789 AT YOKOSUKA AND KURE', p.237)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborating official USCG history, second volume: at Okinawa on D-day the Coast Guard-manned LST-789 launched LVTs loaded with Army assault forces, small boats acting as wave guides, launched LCT-901 from the main deck the same day, beached twice (9th and 12th), completed unloading by the 14th, shot down one enemy 'Oscar' on the 15th, and departed for Ulithi on the 16th after ~28 air alerts. After Japan's surrender she carried half of the 602 CBMU and NAB personnel with equipment to Yokosuka - anchored Miyata Wan, Sagami Wan off Yahagi, Honshu, proceeded to Tokyo Bay on the 30th, beached on the seaplane ramp at Yokosuka Naval Base; unloading completed 2 September; picked up 4 officers and 203 seamen for transportation to the U.S. On 26 October departed Leyte for Kure with 4 officers and 145 men of the 731st Engineers; arrived Kure 2 November, beached next day at Hiro Airport; departed for Saipan on the 9th.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- USCG crew; embarked 602 CBMU/NAB and 731st Engineers personnel (1945)
- Limitations
- Corroborates the Vol. II narrative from a separately compiled official volume; operational history only, no asbestos or material content. Minor OCR garbles in the HyperWar transcription (e.g., '2b August' for the Miyata Wan anchoring date). Live page verified 2026-10-03; companion section at USCG-VI-27.html also verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-04
-
[6]U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Nicknames (official USCG Historian's Office compilation, media.defense.gov PDF) - 'USS LST-789: Old Rocking Chair' [other_primary]
- Locator
- CUTTERNICKNAMES.PDF, LST entries table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official USCG cutter-nickname compilation lists this hull: 'USS LST-789 - Old Rocking Chair' - a crew-era nickname recorded by the Coast Guard Historian's Office, consistent with her all-Coast-Guard wartime crew.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- USCG crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Identity/culture detail only - no asbestos or material content; the compilation does not date the nickname's usage. PDF verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-05
-
[7]United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (official USN document, HyperWar transcription) - LST Flotilla Twenty-Nine listing; also 'The Amphibians Came to Conquer' (NHHC-published history) ch. 23 Iwo Jima landing-force roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- PacFleet Org-450501 LST Flotilla 29 table; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/actc-23.html roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization lists 'LST 789 (GF)' - group flagship - under LST Flotilla Twenty-Nine (Capt. C. H. Peterson USCG), LST Group 85 (Comdr. W. B. Millington USCG), Division 170, commanded by Lt. H. M. Mulvey (USCG). The NHHC-published history 'The Amphibians Came to Conquer' (HyperWar actc-23) lists her in the Iwo Jima landing-force roster under Lt. H. M. Mulvey, USCG, alongside LST-787 and LST-928.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- USCG crew; LST Flotilla 29 staff
- Limitations
- Organizational/roster documentation only - no asbestos or material content. The 1 May 1945 listing shows Group 85/Division 170 while NavSource and the USCG history headnote carry Group 86/Division 171 - wartime unit reassignment documented, unresolved as a single canonical assignment (see gaps). Live page verified 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-06
-
[8]NARA Catalog search 'LST-789' - 177 results: USS LST-789 monthly War Diaries Jan-Oct 1945 (RG 38, WWII War Diaries series P 17, digitized) plus photo Item 'LST-789 ON JAPANESE BEACH, UNLOADS EQUIPMENT' (NAID 79801); additional captioned NARA photos 80-G-303099, NAID 205585242, NAID 205585115 via NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-789' (177 results); e.g., NAID 140003132 'USS LST-789 - War Diary, 4/1-30/45'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds digitized monthly war diaries for this hull covering January through October 1945 - ten file units (NAIDs 139841205 Jan, 139926211 Feb, 633403565 Mar, 140003132 Apr, 140040733 May, 101726879 Jun, 101766915 Jul, 77505224 Aug, 77553761 Sep, 77592090 Oct), Record Group 38 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories,' unrestricted access, Fold3 microfilm scans online. These are the ship's own submitted operational diaries covering Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the repair/availability period, and both Japan occupation lifts - the strongest archival lead for work-level detail. Group-level context: COM LST GR 86 war diaries also digitized. Photo items include NAID 79801 ('LST-789 ON JAPANESE BEACH, UNLOADS EQUIPMENT') and the NavSource-captioned stills 80-G-303099 (off Iwo Jima with LCT-901), 205585242 (view from LST-789, Mt. Suribachi bombardment), and 205585115 (prayer service aboard off Iwo Jima).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- USCG crew (diary authors/entries); embarked units in diaries
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the file units are cataloged and digitized but each scans as a one-image microfilm stub pointing to the diary pages on Fold3; diary text content was not extracted this session. Deck logs (RG 24 logbooks) for this hull were not separately located in the catalog sweep. No asbestos content in the catalog records themselves.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource LST-789 specifications (two GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, diesel-driven generators - diesel plant, no boilers); LST-1-class profile consolidated era inference (lst-1-class.class.json, wave-2 class work, based on BuShips Ships' Data Book 1945 v2 machinery data + era amphibious-ship construction practice); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03 (BuShips SDB-1945 v2 design data); USCG Vol. II availability narrative
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class tank landing ship built June-August 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a diesel LST of this type and period were engine exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the principal pathways are machinery insulation, gaskets/packing, deck and bulkhead materials, and maintenance disturbance of those systems (her documented 1945 availabilities included bottom repairs, drydocking, tail-shaft and screw replacement, and two main-engine overhauls).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947+
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944); USCG crew (1944-46); Ulithi/Guam/Saipan repair personnel (1945); any California Co. crews and breakers post-1947
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-789. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The documented maintenance events are operational-history facts; their asbestos significance is inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979), full report PDF [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 transmittal letter and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section (pp. i-2)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships,' and that product specifications for thermal insulation were not changed to asbestos-free materials until 1973 - with purchased asbestos materials still being installed so that 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' The 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or needed for repairs; in January 1979 it was modified to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. The report also notes 30-50% of shipboard asbestos insulation 'will never be touched during the useful life of a ship.' This hull was built in 1944 - decades inside the asbestos-specification era documented here.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (report); Navy asbestos-use era reviewed through 1978
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; shipboard asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not Dravo Pittsburgh. Full text retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-03 (direct automated fetch to gao.gov returned HTTP 403).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-09
-
[11]NIOSH, Industrial Hygiene Survey Report IWS 74-46, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA (Bloom, Dooley, Peguese; survey July 1981; report July 1985; NIOSHTIC nn:00153681; NTIS PB86138286) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record cdc/233199 (abstract; 'in NTRL, no pdf')
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The only located government industrial-hygiene survey of this hull's builder yard: NIOSH surveyed Dravo's Neville Island Engineering Works in July 1981 for occupational exposure associated with painting and coating processes during construction of barges and towboats (SIC-3731), sampling solvents, metals, and nuisance dust; lead and dust samples exceeded OSHA standards. The survey postdates this hull's construction by 37 years and does not address asbestos - no NIOSH or other government asbestos evaluation of the WWII-era Dravo LST yard was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1981 (survey) / 1985 (report)
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island barge/towboat painters and trades (1981 survey period)
- Limitations
- Yard-level survey, not a hull record, and explicitly NOT an asbestos evaluation - documents what yard-level government documentation exists (post-war barge/towboat paint shops) and that no asbestos-specific survey of the WWII LST construction era was located. Dravo Neville Island is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-10
-
[12]shipbuildinghistory.com (navalmarinearchive.com mirror), 'Dravo Corporation - Ships/Boats, Pittsburgh PA' yard-output table - LST-789 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- Dravo Pittsburgh hull table, LST block (LST 784-796 rows)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A secondary yard-output registry records this hull's disposition as 'Scrapped 1947' - conflicting with, or possibly compressing, DANFS's 'sold to the California Co. on 11 December 1947 for operation.' The same table documents the builder context: Dravo's Neville Island yard was activated by the Navy for WWII LST construction with a $12M investment, became a ship-scrapping facility for a few years after the war, then returned to barges/towboats until 1983.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1947+
- Population
- California Co. commercial crews; any scrapping workforce (unresolved)
- Limitations
- Secondary registry compilation (Tim Colton's shipbuildinghistory), not a primary record - the 'Scrapped 1947' disposition is unverified and cannot be reconciled with DANFS's 'for operation' sale wording on available sources; carried as a documented discrepancy, not as the disposition of record (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-11
-
[13]Batch-7326 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; two USCG official-history volumes (HyperWar); USCG cutter-nickname PDF; Pacific Fleet OOB + ACTC roster; NARA catalog (war diaries); CDC Stacks NIOSH IWS 74-46; GAO HRD-80-2; shipbuildinghistory Dravo table; MARAD vessel-history DB; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-789-lst789-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-789 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API returned a daily-quota exhaustion response (server Retry-After ~38,468 s, ~10.7 h) on 2026-10-03; logged as blocked, not as a negative result. A prior class-level CourtListener sweep (LST-1-class profile) located no qualifying asbestos docket naming any LST hull - only an incidental reunion-notice mention of LST-579 inside an S.D.N.Y. docket. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing material asserting asbestos aboard LSTs generally - 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). NARA war diaries and any Dravo build records are undigitized leads for material detail. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-789-lst789-12