Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 730-packet.md (1 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (specialist-secondary sourcing disclosed)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (specialist-secondary sourcing disclosed)
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-818-lst818-pkt-730-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-818 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Okinawa Gunto campaign, decommissioning, strike, disposal (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl and re-verified HTTP 200 with browser UA 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-818 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 8 September 1944 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 18 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Roscoe B. Huffman; commissioned 9 November 1944, Lt. (jg.) Robert B. Bradley in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto March through June 1945. Returned to the United States, decommissioned 16 July 1946, struck from the Navy list 28 August 1946. Sold 17 September 1947 to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, Wash., and subsequently scrapped. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (Evansville, 1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. Decommissioning location not stated; no yard or repair content - the Aug-Sep 1945 availability is documented only in the ship's war diary (ev-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-818 (10/16/160818.htm, last updated 15 May 2015) - designation timeline, unit assignments, spec block, commanding-officer list, awards, disposal; corroborated by NHHC 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (LST-818 under LST DIVISION 148) and NHHC photo NH 84874 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160818.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table; NHHC fleet-org page https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-pacific-fleet-organization-1may1945.html; NHHC NH 84874 https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-84000/NH-84874.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship laid down 8 September 1944 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN; launched 18 October 1944; commissioned USS LST-818 9 November 1944, LTjg. Robert B. Bradley USNR in command. Assigned to LST Flotilla Twenty-Five (CAPT. H.E. Richter USN), LST Group Seventy-Four (CDR. J.G. Farnsworth), LST Division One Hundred Forty-Eight (page renders 'Davison,' an evident typo - NHHC's 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization lists LST 818 under 'LST DIVISION 148,' CO 'Lt. B. D. Bradley (USNR)'). Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation 25 March-24 June 1945. Decommissioned 16 July 1946; struck 28 August 1946; sold for scrapping 17 September 1947 to Consolidated Builders, Inc., Seattle, WA. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, 3 x 100 kW 230 V DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; radio call sign NHFP. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 star), WWII Victory Medal. CO list: LTjg Bradley 9 Nov 1944-10 Oct 1945; LT James M. Smith USNR 10 Oct 1945-7 Feb 1946; LTjg J.H. Wiles (actg) 7 Feb-16 Mar 1946; LTjg J.R. Whittemore 16 Mar-1 Jun 1946; LTjg M.E. Curtis 1 Jun-16 Jul 1946. NHHC photo NH 84874 shows the ship photographed circa 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the NARA war diaries, and the Division 148 assignment is confirmed by the NHHC fleet-organization page. The CO relief of Bradley by Smith on 10 October 1945 is corroborated verbatim by the October war diary (change of command at Hilo). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-02
-
[4]NARA RG 38 WWII War Diaries - USS LST-818 file units for May 1945 (NAID 140075409, serial 060, 5 images), June 1945 (NAID 101712539, serial 065, 5 images), and July 1945 (NAID 101766919, serial 079, 6 images); digitized via Fold3; all 16 images downloaded and OCR-read this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 140075409 images 1-5 (May); NAID 101712539 images 1-5 (Jun); NAID 101766919 images 1-6 (Jul) - https://catalog.archives.gov/id/140075409 , /101712539 , /101766919
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The May-June 1945 diaries document Kerama Retto anchorage operations under Commander LST Group 74: ammunition and cargo redistribution alongside USS St. Louis (CL), USS Salt Lake City, APD-102, LSTs 701/663/735/277/771/622/267, LCTs, DD-441, DM-26, APD-70, USS Fomalhaut (AK-22); a smashed starboard boat davit 3 May; Army-cargo delivery to Hagushi Beaches/Orange 2, Okinawa 15-17 May; the 13 May night air action cross-referenced to the ship's action report (ev-06); daily General Quarters air alerts. June adds: ammunition issue to DD-651 and DD-555; observed Japanese patrol on Tokashiki Jima (6 Jun); a rifle watch (diary renders Foster, J.W., S2c, V-6 USNR) firing one shot at a man climbing the rudder guard at 2230 6 June; small-arms hits on the main and boat decks from Tokashiki Jima 9 June (bullets retrieved, identified as Japanese); 13 June pounding damage alongside AKE-13 (ruptured salt-water lines, cracked pipe seals, after port head second deck); 14 June near-miss mortar fire determined to be US Army faulty range settings; ammunition exchange with USS Waco Victory 20-21 June; departure 24 June for Pearl Harbor via Eniwetok in TU 31.15.13 with nine other LSTs (24, 267, 277, 999, 701, 737, 735, 622, 663), PCS-1390/1429/1598 and PC-598/1599. July documents Eniwetok Berth 266 (5-8 Jul), Kaneohe Bay arrival 21 July (TU dissolved), departure for San Francisco 23 July in TU 13.11.63 with LST-818 as guide, and a ~5-hour port-engine stoppage 27 July to repair a broken air line.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-05 to 1945-07
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus working parties (USS Tuscaloosa detail, 1 Jun 1945) and cargo/ammunition handling crews at Kerama Retto
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced records; OCR extraction is clean for these units. No asbestos or material content; no repair-yard entries in these months (the yard period begins in the August diary, ev-04). 'AKE-13' is the diary scan's rendering of the ammunition-issue auxiliary; hull identity not independently confirmed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-03
-
[5]NARA NAID 77542690, 'USS LST-818 - War Diary, 9/1-30/45' (serial 0141, forwarding letter dated 17 October 1945; RG 38 WWII War Diaries; micro serial 147411, Roll A1928; 4 images; digitized via Fold3). Catalog title month is September; the enclosed diary content covers August 1945 (forwarded late, 17 October). [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77542690 images 1-4 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-03); availability entries on narrative pages 2-4 (images 0357-0359)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The August 1945 diary (all 4 images OCR-read this session) documents this hull's San Francisco yard availability verbatim: departed Kaneohe Bay 23 July 'for the purpose of accomplishing conversion to an ammunition LST and effecting repairs'; passed under the Golden Gate Bridge 0405 3 August; ammunition offload at Richmond Parr Terminal #1 4-7 August; 'got underway for South San Francisco, Yards of the Western Pipe and Steel Company' 7 August; from 8 August 'Western Pipe and Steel employees started work on repairs, alterations, and conversions approved by Assistant Industrial Manager, San Francisco'; 11 August shifted to Pier #2 then Dry Dock #3, Hunters Point Navy Yard; 12-20 August dry-docked 'having bottom painted and screws repaired' with Western Pipe and Steel 'continuing work on approved alterations, repairs, and conversions'; V-J Day observed in dry dock 15 August; 17 August 'Received orders from COMSERVPAC to stop conversion of ship into an ammunition LST'; out of dock 20 August to Berth 51 Hunters Point; 21 August returned to Western Pipe and Steel South San Francisco 'for further repairs'; 25 August 'Ship was granted an extension of yard availability by Assistant Industrial Manager, San Francisco ... 14 September 1945 set as ready for sea date'; 'Undergoing repairs' through 31 August.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-07-23 to 1945-09-14
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus yard trades at Western Pipe and Steel Co., South San Francisco, and Hunters Point Navy Yard Dry Dock #3 (Aug-mid-Sep 1945)
- Limitations
- Documents the yard events and their dates verbatim, not the work content: the diary does not itemize materials, does not say 'asbestos,' and does not name the conversion's material scope; 'repairs, alterations, and conversions approved by Assistant Industrial Manager' is the extent of the documented scope. RG 181 yard work-package records for this availability are an open archival lead. NAID title month (September) does not match the enclosed content (August) - described exactly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-04
-
[6]NARA NAID 77567641, 'USS LST-818 - War Diary, 10/1-31/45' (serial 0159, dated 3 November 1945; RG 38 WWII War Diaries; micro serial 149969, Roll A1954; 4 images; digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77567641 images 1-4 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-03)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The October 1945 diary (all 4 images OCR-read this session) documents post-availability Hawaiian operations under Commander Hawaiian Sea Frontier: LST Group Staff 74 transferred ashore; equipment/passenger lifts Kewalo Basin (Oahu) - Kauai - Hilo - Kahului (Maui), including 104 USMC enlisted + 1 officer embarked at Kauai 7 October, beaching at Hilo 9 October, E9A Unit 22 personnel 13 October, 354 enlisted of CASU #4 lifted Maui-Pearl 23 October, and 423 USMC enlisted lifted Maui-Hilo 26 October. The diary records verbatim: 'Lt. James M. SMITH, (D)L, USNR relieved Lt. Robert B. BRADLEY, (D), USNR as Commanding Officer' at Hilo, 10 October 1945 - corroborating the NavSource CO table. Month-end moored Berth King 12, Pearl Harbor, discharging USMC cargo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-10
- Population
- Ship's company; embarked USMC/CASU/E9A passengers and Army personnel (Oct 1945)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record; no asbestos or material content. Confirms the ship was back in Hawaiian waters by 1 October 1945 after the San Francisco availability - the September transit leg itself has no ship-titled diary surfaced in catalog results (coverage gap).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-05
-
[7]NARA RG 38 - USS LST-818 anti-aircraft action reports: 'Rep of AA action off Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 4/12/45' (NAID 101742194, serial 45, dated 23 May 1945, 5 images) and 'Rep of AA action in the Kerama Retto, Ryukyu Islands, 5/13/45' (NAID 101742200, serial 46, dated 23 May 1945, 5 images); both on COMINCH F-01 AA-1 revised form with endorsement chain through Commander LST Group Seventy-Four, Commander Fleet Air Wing One (SOPA), and Commander Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101742194 images 1-5; NAID 101742200 images 1-5 (downloaded and OCR-read 2026-10-03)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Both action reports (all 10 images OCR-read this session) document ship-specific combat: 12 April 1945 off Okinawa Jima, daytime - one Val-type plane attacked, engaged from 4,000 to 300 yards, 102 rounds of 40mm expended, bomb not released, ship not hit or strafed. 13 May 1945 Kerama Retto, night - a single-engine enemy fighter picked up by naked eye at 1,200 yards, engaged by 3 single 40mm, 6 20mm, and 2 twin 40mm mounts (the ship's documented battery); 77 rounds 40mm and 300 rounds 20mm expended; 'planes shot down: SURE' - own-ship kill credited to 40mm and 20mm fire; minimum approach 200 yards, splashed; ship not hit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-04-12; 1945-05-13
- Population
- Ship's company (gun crews) - April and May 1945
- Limitations
- Ship-specific combat documentation only; no asbestos or material content. The endorsement headers read 'DIVISION 147. FLOT. 25' - that is LST Group 74 HQ's own flag designation block; the ship's assigned division (148) is per NavSource and the NHHC fleet organization. OCR of the April report's gun-count line is garbled; the May battery count is clean.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-06
-
[8]NARA NAID 126637117, 'LST-818, 11/9/44-7/1/46' - the ship's personnel muster/Report-of-Changes series (Ancestry-partnership scan, Reel 7336; 329 images covering the full commission life) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126637117; sampled images -00000 (reel header) and -00150 (September 1945 report of changes)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The digitized personnel record for this hull exists and is substantial: 329 images of Navy muster-roll 'Report of Changes' sheets spanning commissioning (9 November 1944) through 1 July 1946, listing crew by name, service number, and rate with receipt/transfer entries. Sampled pages (September 1945 report of changes) show enlisted ratings typical of an LST engineroom/deck force (MoMM, GM, Y, SK, Q, Cox, S-class) receiving and transferring through San Francisco personnel stations (USN TADCEN Shoemaker, RecSta San Francisco, USNH San Francisco) during the ship's documented yard-availability period.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-11-09 to 1946-07-01
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46) - crew rosters documentable from this series
- Limitations
- Sampled, not read in full: 2 of 329 images OCR-read this session - full muster enumeration was not performed, so individual-crew exposure claims cannot be made from this record. No asbestos or material content; establishes personnel presence at the yards during the documented availability.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-07
-
[9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource LST-818 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160818.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-542 design group ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp total, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1944 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, deck coverings - and the documented August-mid-September 1945 Western Pipe and Steel / Hunters Point Navy Yard availability (war diary, ev-04), begun as a conversion to an ammunition LST then cut back to repairs, added interior rework aboard this hull inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades (1944); ship's company/embarked troops (1944-46); Western Pipe and Steel + Hunters Point Navy Yard trades (Aug-Sep 1945 availability); 1947-48 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or yard work package was located for LST-818. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. SDB 1945 v2 link verified live 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-08
-
[10]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 construction (1944), her Pacific service, the documented August-September 1945 San Francisco availability, and her 1947-48 scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, reconfirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 via authenticated fleet-paced helper (cl-auth-search.py): queries attempted 2026-10-03 and BLOCKED by the shared daily quota ('server asked to wait ~9.9h - daily quota spent'); no opinion- or docket-index results were obtained this session [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-818-lst818-13 and -14 (blocked); class profile ev-lst-1-class-04
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation check INCOMPLETE - not a negative result: the fleet-shared CourtListener daily quota was exhausted before this hull's queries could run (helper output logged). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming LST-818 was located in the sources searched, but the CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes were NOT covered this session and remain a pending sweep.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- A blocked index is not evidence of absence. Class-level context: the lst-1-class profile's own CourtListener sweep found only one incidental LST mention (Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771 - a reunion-notice compilation naming USS LST-579), so hull-number sweeps of this class historically return little; per-hull coverage for LST-818 is nonetheless pending. State-court filings, unreported settlements, and MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists sit outside CourtListener coverage regardless.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-10
-
[12]Batch-7358 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + five war-diary file units + two AA action reports read in full + muster-roll file unit sampled; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; NHHC photo and fleet-organization pages; NVR; NIOSH HHE search; secondary web sweep; CourtListener attempt (quota-blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-818-lst818-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-818 was found in the public sources searched. The strongest ship-specific documentation is operational (war diaries, action reports, muster rolls) and confirms a documented ~6-week August-mid-September 1945 San Francisco availability at Western Pipe and Steel and Hunters Point Navy Yard Dry Dock #3 - a relevant repair/refit event - but no primary source read names asbestos aboard 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 - construction at a wartime inland yard and a documented 1945 yard availability sit squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage pending (quota-blocked - see ev-10).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-11
-
[13]NARA catalog, "LST-818" - 204 file units (fuzzy relevance; ship-titled units enumerated: war diaries May-Oct 1945 [Aug content filed under Sept-titled NAID 77542690], two AA action reports, and muster-roll file unit NAID 126637117) plus COM LST GR 74 parent-unit diaries (Nov 1944-Sep 1945 run) digitized [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov "LST-818" result set; NAID 126637117 record page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary archive coverage for this hull is digitized but incomplete: ship-titled war-diary file units surfaced cover May, June, July, August (under a September-titled NAID), and October 1945 only - the commissioning/shakedown and Okinawa assault-phase months (November 1944-April 1945), September 1945 proper, and November 1945-July 1946 were not surfaced; the parent-unit COM LST GR 74 monthly diaries are digitized and are the coverage bridge. The 329-image muster-roll unit was sampled (2 images) not enumerated; WWII deck logs proper for this hull were not located in the digitized deck-log program checked. No BuPers Casualty Information Report file unit for 'USS LST-818' surfaced in catalog results (contrast the LST-790 sibling record, which has one).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: unread coverage (deck logs, RG 181 yard work packages for the 1945 Western Pipe/Hunters Point availability, full muster enumeration, any Sep 1945 ship diary) may materially expand the record. The NARA SPA paginates client-side - results beyond the first screen (ranks ~20+, fuzzy collisions) were not exhaustively enumerated; ship-titled units rank first in relevance ordering.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-818-lst818-12