Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[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-79-lst79-pkt-726-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-79 (NHHC live page, rendered via firecrawl 2026-10-03; plain-curl fetch returned a bot-block 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-79 entry (single-paragraph entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull, verbatim: 'LST-79 was laid down on 28 February 1943 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 8 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Virginia Lee Hughes; and commissioned on 7 July 1943. The tank landing ship never saw active service with the United States Navy. She was transferred to the United Kingdom on 17 July 1943 and was lost on 30 September 1943. On 11 October 1943, she was struck from the Navy list.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine construction trades (1943); USN commissioning crew (Jul 1943)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific identity/history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS states 'commissioned on 7 July 1943' - contradicting secondary sources claiming she was never USN-commissioned (see ev-10 correction row). DANFS does not state place or mechanism of loss; those details come from NavSource/uboat.net rows.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, HM LST-79 (10/16/160079) - construction/transfer timeline, Royal Navy service, ONI-1945 specifications, launch and wreck photography [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160079.htm header timeline, 'Royal Navy History' block, ONI-1945 specifications block, photo captions 1016007901-1016007902
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: 'LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship: Laid down, 28 February 1943, at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN. Launched, 8 May 1943. LST-79 never saw active service with the United States Navy. Transferred to the United Kingdom, 17 July 1943.' Royal Navy history: commissioned into the Royal Navy as HM LST-79, 17 July 1943; sailed from New York in convoy UGS 15, 16 August 1943; assigned to the Royal Navy 9th LST Flotilla; 'Sunk by aerial torpedo in Ajaccio Harbor, Corsica, 30 September 1943.' Struck from the Naval Register 11 October 1943. A companion NavSource LCT-archive page records that HM LCT-2231 (the former LCT(6)-231) was 'sunk off Corsica, 30 September 1943 while loaded on the deck of HM LST-79' - the landing craft went down with her as deck cargo. Specifications block (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence-1945): 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328' oa; 50' beam; 11.6 kts trial; 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; US-design armament two twin 40mm + four single 40mm + twelve 20mm; UK-fit armament one 12-pdr AA multi-barrel + six 20mm + four FAM mounts. Photo record: launch at Jeffersonville 8 May 1943 (US LST Ship Memorial Inc.); HM LST-79 wreckage in Ajaccio Harbor 30 September 1943 (credit Curtis Barber).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Jeffersonville construction trades (1943); USN commissioning crew; RN crew of 9th LST Flotilla (Jul-Sep 1943); convoy UGS-15 crews
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones track DANFS/ONI data and are consistent with DANFS here. The 'aerial torpedo' loss mechanism conflicts with the 'Henschel Hs 293 guided missile' claim in Wikipedia-derived accounts - unresolved, see gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII: HMS LST 79 (RN entry, ship/12327) and USS LST 79 (USN entry, ship/11239) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/12327 (HMS LST 79) and ship/11239 (USS LST 79)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net Allied Warships RN record for this hull: HMS LST 79, LST (Mk 2) class, built by Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., laid down 28 Feb 1943, launched 8 May 1943, commissioned (RN) 17 Jul 1943, lost 30 Sep 1943 - 'Torpedoed and sunk at Ajaccio, Corsica, France.' Its USN record for the same hull adds: 'Never commissioned into the United States Navy. Transferred to the Royal Navy upon completion. Sunk by German torpedo aircraft at Ajaccio, Corsica, France on 30 September 1943.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- RN crew (Jul-Sep 1943)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary database (editorially maintained), not a primary registry. Its RN entry corroborates DANFS/NavSource milestones; its USN entry's 'Never commissioned into the United States Navy' directly contradicts DANFS ('commissioned on 7 July 1943') - DANFS controls; see ev-10 correction row. 'Torpedoed' mechanism conflicts with the Hs 293 glide-bomb claim in other secondary accounts - unresolved, see gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 15 April 1945), LST design table + List of Naval Vessels roster (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2.pdf - LST design table (LST1-490 row, machinery columns) and List of Naval Vessels LST roster
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data for this hull's design group: the LST1-490 group table lists 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 2,366 t beaching / 4,080 t full-load displacement, 11.6 kt trial speed, and 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesel engines totaling 1,700 shp on 2 propellers - a diesel plant with no boilers and no steam conditions tabulated (steam columns are populated only for the LST-1153+ turbine group). The volume's List of Naval Vessels roster enumerates LST-79 among the built hulls with transfer/loss annotations in the roster columns.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LST1-490-group construction trades and crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design-group documentation - the table groups LST-1 through LST-490 as a single design entry; it does not name LST-79 individually and carries no asbestos or material content. Roster annotation columns are staggered in the scan OCR; the hull's presence in the built-hull roster is confirmed but its exact annotation cell could not be isolated (transfer/loss documented instead by DANFS/NavSource rows).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB 1945 v2 machinery data (ev-04); ONI-1945 specifications via NavSource (ev-02); WWII-era shipbuilding asbestos program documentation (ev-06, ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; ONI-1945 spec block (NavSource); era-program citations in ev-06/ev-07
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built in 1943 sits inside the WWII shipbuilding era during which asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material. For an LST-1-class diesel landing ship, era-standard applications were: diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch brake linings. Because the design carried no steam plant, the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine construction trades (Feb-Jul 1943); USN commissioning crew; RN crew (Jul-Sep 1943)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-79. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product terms are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The hull was sunk under five months after launch, so no long-service maintenance/refit disturbance pathway exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-05
-
[7]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) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, abstract (verified live on Wiley page 2026-10-03)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents 'the extensive use of asbestos as a fireproofing and insulating material in shipbuilding in the 1940s, when World War II industrial expansion brought about a hitherto unprecedented rise in the amount of asbestos utilized,' with asbestos diseases manifesting among thousands of shipyard workers exposed in the 1940s and postwar period - the era and program under which this LST-1-class hull was mass-produced.
- 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 remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-06
-
[8]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 1943 construction and brief service era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-07
-
[9]Burton (Bonnie, widow of Bennie) v. OLD JB LLC f/k/a JEFFBOAT LLC f/k/a JEFFBOAT, INCORPORATED, BRB No. 24-0045 (DOL Benefits Review Board, not-published, issued 2025-08-14; LHWCA claim 2023-LHC-00423) [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB 24-0045 PDF, pp. 1-2 (facts), pp. 7-8 (affirmance on Section 20(a) presumption)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Administrative adjudication documenting asbestos exposure claims at this hull's builder yard (Jeffersonville Boat & Machine, later Jeffboat): decedent Bennie Burton 'worked for Employer for thirty-one years, from 1964 until 1995, as a pipefitter and supervisor, during which time he was allegedly exposed to asbestos, welding fumes, and other toxic substances'; his widow filed a Longshore Act death-benefits claim; the ALJ granted summary decision after the employer failed to participate in discovery, and the Benefits Review Board affirmed on 14 August 2025 on the unrebutted Section 20(a) presumption. Jurisdiction lay in the Seventh Circuit because the alleged injury was sustained in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1964-2025 (employment window; 2025 decision)
- Population
- Jeffboat yard workers, esp. pipefitters (1964-1995 employment window - post-dates this hull)
- Limitations
- Stage discipline: an administrative claim resolved on an unrebutted statutory presumption following employer discovery default - the Board describes the exposures as 'alleged'; this is NOT a merits finding that asbestos was present at the yard or caused the death. Yard-level, not hull-level: covers 1964-1995 employment, decades after this hull's 1943 construction. The Jeffboat LLC f/k/a chain is documented by the caption; the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine -> Jeffboat name continuity rests on secondary sourcing. Not an Article III court record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-08
-
[10]Batch-7327 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource (2 pages); uboat.net Allied Warships; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; Wiley AJIM; DOL BRB; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-79-lst79-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS/HM LST-79 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the fleet daily quota exhausted (~10.6 h to reset); logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesowatch.org and similar listicles asserting asbestos at 'Jeffersonville Boat & Machine' or aboard LSTs 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 - the hull lies as a war-loss wreck in Ajaccio Harbor and any construction-era materials went down with her. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). RN loss reports, deck logs, and builder work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-09
-
[11]Commissioning-record cross-check: DANFS LST-79 ('commissioned on 7 July 1943'); uboat.net USN entry ship/11239 ('Never commissioned into the United States Navy'); NavSource ('never saw active service with the United States Navy') [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-79 entry; uboat.net ship/11239; NavSource 10/16/160079.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the circulating claim that LST-79 'was never commissioned into the United States Navy' (uboat.net USN entry and derivative pages) is contradicted by DANFS, which records a USN commissioning on 7 July 1943 - a 10-day commission before Lend-Lease transfer to the Royal Navy on 17 July 1943. NavSource's 'never saw active service with the United States Navy' matches DANFS's own phrasing and is the accurate formulation: commissioned but no active USN service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943 (commissioning window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source characterization error, not a material claim; the discrepancy likely reflects collapse of the 10-day commission into 'transferred upon completion.' No asbestos content. Separately unresolved (carried in gaps, not corrected): the loss mechanism - 'aerial torpedo' (NavSource, uboat.net) versus 'Henschel Hs 293 guided missile' (Wikipedia-derived accounts) - both rest on secondary sourcing; DANFS says only 'lost.'
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-79-lst79-10