USS LST-814

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 730-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (thin, Wikipedia-based sourcing disclosed)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   qualifier: VERIFIED (thin, Wikipedia-based sourcing disclosed)

   Evidence ID

   uss-lst-814-lst814-pkt-730-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), NHHC, 'LST-814' entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-814 entry (full entry text)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   LST-814 was laid down 25 August 1944 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 4 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. William B. Fletcher; and commissioned 27 October 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater, she participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto March-May 1945, then performed occupation duty in the Far East from September 1945 until mid-April 1946. She was severely damaged during a beaching operation off Sasebo, Japan, on 30 December 1945; decommissioned 16 April 1946; struck from the Navy list 8 May 1946; and sunk 12 August 1946. LST-814 earned one battle star for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Ship's company, 1944-1946

   Limitations

   DANFS establishes the hull's milestones and the Sasebo beaching damage but does not name the other vessel involved, gives no complement, and contains no asbestos information. 'Sunk 12 August 1946' is stated without cause - the scuttling circumstances rest on the Australian War Memorial record (ev-04).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-01

3. [3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (15 April 1945, GPO 1946), LST design table and construction roster (shipscribe.com scan of Google/Stanford copy) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2: LST design table (p. 168ff) and LST construction roster, LST814 line under Missouri Valley B. & I. Co., Evansville

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official BuShips construction roster lists LST814 under Missouri Valley B. & I. Co., Evansville, Ind., with keel laid 25 Aug 44, launched 4 Oct 44, and first commission 27 Oct 44 - matching DANFS. The design table for block LST542-931 (this hull's block) gives: 328 ft overall / 316 ft waterline, 50 ft beam, 2,366 t beaching displacement, ~4,080 t, 11.6 kt trial; 2 propellers driven by G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shp; single Falk reduction gears; 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V D.C. ship's service generators; diesel fuel capacity 4,320 bbls; accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted plus troop berthing.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   Ship's company (design accommodations)

   Limitations

   The roster line naming this hull is ship-specific for builder and dates; the machinery and accommodation figures are design-block values applying to all LST542-931 hulls - class-level for machinery, not a survey of this hull. No boiler line exists in the table for this block (diesel plant). No asbestos or material-schedule content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-02

4. [4]NHHC Online Reading Room, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official wartime organization document) [other_primary]

   Locator

   LST Group 63 > LST Division 126 listing, LST 814

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization lists LST 814 in LST Division 126 under LST Group 63, commanded by Lt. W. B. Faris (service no. 15159) - corroborating both her Okinawa-period assignment and the commanding-officer sequence NavSource gives (Faris, 27 Oct 1944-Jan 1946).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   Ship's company under Lt. Faris

   Limitations

   Administrative listing only - establishes unit assignment and command, not conditions aboard. Contains no asbestos or material information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-03

5. [5]Australian War Memorial collection records 131747 and 131750 (photos by Alan Queale, Okunoshima, Japan, 1946-08-03 per AWM metadata) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AWM 131747, 131750, 131752 photo captions (collection items)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   AWM caption 131747: 'DECOMMISSIONED LANDING SHIP, TANK (LST) 814 (FOREGROUND) WAS LOADED WITH 85 TONS OF LIQUID VESICANT, 665 TONS OF MUSTARD BOMBS, 710 TONS OF DYPHENYLCYNARSINE AND 540 TONS OF MUSTARD AND LEWISITE GAS CONTAINERS - MAKING 2000 METRIC TONS IN ALL. IT WAS SUNK ON THE NIGHT OF 1946-08-12 IN THE PHILIPPINES SEA BY BLOWING HOLES IN ITS HULL WITH TEN BEEHIVE CHARGES WHICH HAD BEEN INSTALLED BY 17 CRE WORKS, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT SECTION, BCOF.' AWM 131750 documents LST 814 'LOADED WITH GAS BEING TOWED THROUGH THE BUNGO STRAITS ON ITS LAST VOYAGE' as 'PART OF OPERATION LEWISITE TO REMOVE AND DESTROY POISON GAS (MAINLY MUSTARD AND LEWISITE) FROM THE TOKYO 2ND ARMY ARSENAL.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1946-08

   Population

   BCOF/occupation disposal personnel; tow and demolition crews

   Limitations

   Authoritative allied photographic record of the disposal. Establishes the scuttling method, cargo, and Operation Lewisite context - the 'sunk' of DANFS is a deliberate chemical-munitions sea disposal. Says nothing about asbestos; the earlier 'stripped of all useful material' stage (NavSource captioning) would be a material-disturbance event if any insulation remained aboard, but no asbestos content is documented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-04

6. [6]NavSource Naval History, USS LST-814 page (Amphibious Ships Photo Archive, 10/16/160814) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 160814 page: service timeline, CO list, medal periods, specification block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource documents: severe damage 'by collision with USS LST-1005 during a beaching operation off Sasebo, Japan, 30 December 1945'; decommissioned 16 April 1946; struck 8 May 1946; sunk 12 August 1946; one battle star; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 2 Sep-25 Oct 1945 and 18 Nov 1945-15 Apr 1946; commanding officers LT William B. Faris USN (27 Oct 1944-Jan 1946) and LTjg Sumpter M. McGowin USNR (Jan-16 Apr 1946); full specification block consistent with the BuShips design table; and photo captions describing both damaged hulks (LST-814 and LST-1005) stripped of useful material at Okunoshima before loading with the poison-gas cargo.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Ship's company 1944-46; disposal crews 1946

   Limitations

   NavSource is a reputable non-government naval-history archive, not an official record - its timeline corroborates DANFS and its scuttling captions cite Australian War Memorial photos (verified independently at AWM, ev-04). The collision-partner detail (LST-1005) rests on NavSource captioning: DANFS for both hulls describes 'beaching operation' damage without naming the other vessel. One NavSource contributor caption (photo 131752) reads 'scuttled, 12 April' - a typo contradicted by AWM, DANFS, and NavSource's own timeline; see correction row ev-12 and gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-05

7. [7]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB1945v2 machinery data (GM 12-567A diesel plant, no boilers) + wartime amphibious-ship construction practice; LST-1/491/542 class profile (class-f worktree, researched 2026-09-16) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class technical data; class-f/lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST: with no boilers, asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve and machinery packing, and winch/crane brake linings. Built Aug-Oct 1944 at an inland wartime yard during the period when asbestos was a standard shipboard insulation material; exposure relevance spans construction trades at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, ship's company engine-room and maintenance work, and the 1946 stripping crews at Okunoshima who removed 'all useful material' before scuttling.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   MVB&I Evansville construction trades (1944); ship's company (1944-46); stripping/disposal crews (1946)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-814. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual. The hull's 21-month life (no known refits) narrows the maintenance-disturbance window relative to long-service hulls.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-06

8. [8]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (18 Oct 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy from 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades on long-service hulls unless a yard period disturbed it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (program review scope)

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific; also post-dates this hull's 1946 loss by three decades and so bounds (does not describe) conditions aboard her. Full text blocked to automated fetch (HTTP 403, gao.gov) - content taken from the product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-07

9. [9]Batch-7354 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; BuShips SDB1945v2; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; NavSource; Australian War Memorial; NPS Evansville page; NARA deck-logs index; NVR; DoD DENIX RCWM history; CourtListener (blocked); firecrawl web sweep 'LST-814 asbestos' [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-814-lst814-01 through sl-uss-lst-814-lst814-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-814 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-shared daily quota was exhausted (server-directed ~10 h stand-down on 2026-10-03); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. A prior class-profile CourtListener sweep (2026-09-16) located no asbestos docket naming a specific LST hull - class-level context only. The hull's very short life (commissioned Oct 1944, scuttled Aug 1946) and total-loss disposition leave a thin documentary trail.

   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 - WWII-era amphibious construction routinely used asbestos materials, and this hull's scuttling precludes any later survey. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-08

10. [10]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (digitized deck-logs index; textual reference, Archives II, College Park MD) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA Navy deck logs index page (ship not listed; archives2reference@nara.gov referral)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA's digitized deck-log index does not include LST-814 - the online set begins with 1951-era logs, and logs for vessels not listed are handled by the textual reference staff at Archives II. The hull's October 1944-April 1946 deck logs (including the December 1945 Sasebo beaching-damage entries) are an undigitized archival lead.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1944-1946 (logs)

    Limitations

    Archival lead only - the logs' existence is inferred from standard Navy deck-log practice; no retrieval was performed. Deck logs would document damage events and operations but are unlikely to itemize insulation materials.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-09

11. [11]National Park Service, 'Evansville, Indiana' (WWII Heritage City) place page [nps]

    Locator

    NPS Evansville place page, wartime-industry section

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NPS documents the builder's yard: the Department of the Navy constructed the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. Shipyard (the 'Evansville Shipyard') on the Ohio River in February 1942; the forty-acre plant built 300 x 50 ft LSTs, reached one ship every four days in 1944, produced 167 LSTs by February 1945 plus 13 ammunition lighters and 17 oceangoing barges - the 'largest inland producer of oceangoing ships.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1942-1945

    Population

    MVB&I/Evansville Shipyard construction workforce (1942-45)

    Limitations

    Yard- and city-level context; the page does not name LST-814 (the hull's construction at this yard is established by DANFS and the BuShips roster). Contains no asbestos information. Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry - see gaps.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-10

12. [12]Department of Defense, DENIX Recovered Chemical Warfare Material (RCWM) Program - history page [other_primary]

    Locator

    DENIX RCWM history, 'Sea Disposal' section

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    The DoD RCWM history documents the post-WWII sea-disposal policy frame for chemical warfare material: a 1944 War Department requirement of at least 300 ft depth and 10 miles from shore, raised to 6,000 ft by December 1945, with disposal locations published in Notices to Mariners - 'a decade-long effort to dispose of excess, obsolete, unserviceable, and captured enemy munitions in the ocean and seas.' LST-814's August 1946 scuttling with captured Japanese munitions sits inside this documented program.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1944-1946

    Population

    Disposal-program personnel (program scope)

    Limitations

    Program-level context; the page does not name LST-814 (the ship-specific disposal record is AWM, ev-04). Whether this scuttling is plotted in DoD sea-disposal site registers is unverified - a follow-on lead.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-11

13. [13]NavSource USS LST-814 page - caption defect on photo 131752 (vs AWM 131747/131750 and DANFS) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 160814 photo grid, caption for image 1016081407 (AWM photo 131752)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION: a NavSource contributor caption (photo 131752, ex-LST-814 under tow through the Bungo Straits, 8 August 1946) states the ship 'was scuttled, 12 April in the Philippine Sea.' The date is impossible - the hulk is photographed being loaded at Okunoshima on 3 August 1946 (AWM metadata) and under tow on her last voyage (NavSource dates the Bungo Straits tow 8 August 1946), and DANFS, AWM, and NavSource's own timeline all give 12 August 1946. '12 April' is carried as a caption typo only; the verified sinking date is 12 August 1946.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1946-08

    Limitations

    Corrects one caption inside a secondary archive; the canonical record (AWM captions, DANFS) is unambiguous. Recorded so the April date cannot propagate into this record or derived content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-814-lst814-12