Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 734-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-842-lst842-pkt-734-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (15 April 1945) - official roster entry for LST-842 (shipscribe.com scan, text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 landing-ship-tank roster (LST section, p.~184 of scan), LST842 row under 'American Bridge Co., Ambridge, Pa.'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuShips roster names this hull: 'LST842' - built by American Bridge Co., Ambridge, Pa.; keel laid 9 Oct 44; ship launched 24 Nov 44; first commission 19 Dec 44. Matches DANFS on all three milestones.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous roster - strongest available build record for this hull - but it contains no asbestos or material content. Text layer of the scanned PDF is column-staggered OCR; the LST842 row was read in column context against neighboring dated rows. File rehosted by shipscribe: prior path /styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf now returns 404; /pubs/ path verified live 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-01
-
[3]DANFS, LST-842 - NHHC ship-history page (archived copy; live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-842 entry, full text (published 2015-08-03 per page metadata)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS, verbatim: 'LST-842 was laid down on 9 October 1944 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co ; launched on 24 November 1944; sponsored by Mrs. F. T. Hulet; and commissioned on 19 December 1944. During World War II, LST-842 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in June 1945. Following the war, the ship performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-September 1945. She was decommissioned on 30 December 1947 and transferred to the Philippine government. On 22 January 1948, the tank landing ship was struck from the Navy list. LST-842 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Crew (1944-47); embarked troops
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page 404s (2026-10-03) - Wayback capture of 2025-12-09 cited and labeled as archived; canonical NHHC URL needs re-verification before any production use. DANFS gives no transfer date and no Philippine name; those details come from NavSource (ev-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-842 - timeline, flotilla organization, campaign dates, CO roster, specifications block (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160842.htm - header block, campaign table, CO roster, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542 class; commissioned 19 December 1944 with LT. Joseph Wadsworth, USNR, in command; Asiatic-Pacific assignment under LST Flotilla Thirty-One / LST Group Ninety-One / LST Division One Hundred Eighty-One; Okinawa Gunto operation 16 May - 29 June 1945; Occupation service in the Far East 9 to 25 September 1945; decommissioned 30 December 1947; transferred to the Republic of the Philippine 22 January 1948 named BRP Pampanga; struck from the Naval Register 'date unknown'; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Radio call sign NICE. CO roster: Wadsworth (19 Dec 1944 - 16 Nov 1945), LTjg. James K. Anson (to Mar 1946), LT. T. M. Brown (to Nov 1946), LTjg. C. W. Jolliff (to 30 Dec 1947). Specs: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; 2 GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers, 1,700 shp; 13 officers / 104 enlisted plus 16 officers / 147 enlisted troops.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Crew (1944-47); embarked troops; Philippine Navy crew (1948-forward)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS where they overlap, but the flotilla/group/division detail, CO roster, and 'fate unknown' disposition rest on volunteer compilation. Strike-date conflict with DANFS carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-03
-
[5]Republic of the Philippines, Office of the President, 'The Business View' monthly review (April 1948 issue, entry of April 13) - University of the Philippines Diliman Open Access Repository scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- UPD repository media 231681, April 1948 issue, entry of April 13 ('LST-842' item)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous Philippine government record of this hull in her first months under the flag: 'By order of the President... the LST-842, one of the vessels turned over to the Government by the U.S. Navy and recently repaired, will be sent to India to transport 1000 head of cattle from there recently purchased by the Government for breeding purposes' (entry dated April 13, 1948).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1948
- Population
- Philippine government crew; repair trades (unidentified yard, early 1948)
- Limitations
- Primary Philippine government source for early post-transfer service - confirms turnover had occurred by April 1948 and that the hull was 'recently repaired' (unspecified yard/scope - a repair event with undocumented material implications; an archival lead only). No asbestos content; repair scope, materials, and location not stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-04
-
[6]The Maritime Review (The Maritime League, Philippines), 'Our Amphibious Warfare Vessels: From Combat Service Support to Humanitarian Response (Part 1 of 2)', 5 May 2023, Mark Condeno [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Maritime Review article, 'LST Operational Histories / To the Shores of Pusan' section and PEFTOK table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Philippine Navy service history for this hull: former USS LST-842 became RPS Pampanga (T-37), one of the Philippine Fleet Service Squadron's first five LSTs; the five ships (Cotabato T-36, Pampanga T-37, Bulacan T-38, Albay T-39, Misamis Oriental T-40) served as PEFTOK troop transports to and from Korea for five years - the article's deployment table shows 'LST 842 (RPS Pampanga T-37)' carrying elements of the 19th and 20th Battalion Combat Teams. 'The first 5 LSTs were decommissioned during the 1970s to the 1980s.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1948-c.1980s
- Population
- Philippine Navy crew; embarked PEFTOK troops
- Limitations
- Secondary specialist press, not an official PN record - service-level detail (transport runs, decommissioning window) not confirmed against primary Philippine Navy records. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-05
-
[7]Era/design inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. II design table (LST542-931 group: 2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 bhp, no boilers - verified against text layer) + NavSource specifications block + era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design characteristics table (LST542-931 row); NavSource 10/16/160842.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- This hull belongs to BuShips design group LST542-931, documented in the official design table with two GM 12-567A diesel engines and no boiler plant - the steam/boiler lagging pathway of contemporaneous steam vessels does not apply. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a 1944 diesel LST were diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-c.1980s
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-47); Philippine Navy crew (1948-c.1980s); any repair-yard trades (1948 'recently repaired' event)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-842. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Diesel plant narrows but does not eliminate exposure pathways.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-06
-
[8]Carnegie Mellon University Steinbrenner Institute brownfields case study, 'The Moltoni and Nardelli Development in Ambridge Area' - former American Bridge Company site redevelopment profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- CMU case-study PDF, site features/contaminants table
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- A university brownfields case study of redevelopment at the former American Bridge Ambridge site lists the area's documented contaminants as 'Oil, Asbestos, Debris, PCBs' - post-industrial site contamination documented at the yard that built this hull. American Bridge ceased Ambridge operations in 1983.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- post-1983 (survey era); contamination reflects industrial legacy
- Population
- Former yard-site workers; redevelopment/remediation trades (post-1983)
- Limitations
- Site-level environmental finding for redevelopment screening, not a shipbuilding-era material record - it does not establish that asbestos was used aboard LST-842, nor the era, location, or form of the site contamination (steel fabrication, buildings, and grounds all candidates). Yard context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-07
-
[9]American Bridge Company official corporate history page (southlandholdings.com archive corroborates: '199 LSTs' manufactured 1941-1945 at Ambridge) [other_primary]
- Locator
- americanbridge.net/about/history/ wartime-production paragraph; southlandholdings.com/american-bridge-lsts/ corroboration
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's own published history records that 100% of American Bridge capacity went to National Defense projects 1941-1945 and that the company manufactured 199 LSTs plus aviation repair vessels, carrier components, cargo ships, tankers, lighters, and knock-down barges - the production context into which this hull was built at the Ambridge Marine Department.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge workforce (1941-45)
- Limitations
- Corporate self-published history - production statistics unverified against contract records; establishes yard output context only, no material or process documentation and no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-08
-
[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) and U.S. service era (1944-47). Standing policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs (1975), modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- 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 - and post-dates her U.S. disposal (1948). 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-842-lst842-09
-
[11]Batch-7385 search ledger (this record): BuShips NAVSHIPS 250-011 roster; DANFS (archived); NavSource (live); UPD Philippine repository; Maritime Review PH; CMU brownfields; American Bridge corporate history; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); NARA catalog (unresponsive); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-842-lst842-01 through -13
- 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-842 / BRP Pampanga was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the shared daily quota exhausted (~9.5 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. The class-level sweep (lst-1-class profile) found only an incidental reunion-notice mention of a different hull (LST-579) in the RECAP index. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing-source claims specific to 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 - and the litigation-repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). NARA deck logs, the 1948 'recently repaired' work record, and any Philippine Navy disposal/scrapping file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-10
-
[12]NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck-log series, LST-842 (Dec 1944 - Dec 1947) - anticipated holding at NARA College Park [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov query API (v1 and v2 endpoints - empty responses 2026-10-03); RG 24 deck-log series, NARA College Park
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- LST-842's U.S. Navy deck logs for her full commissioned period (19 December 1944 - 30 December 1947) are an expected but unverified archival lead: they would document every availability, repair, and yard period - the record class most likely to contain material/work evidence if any exists. The catalog.archives.gov API returned empty responses to automated queries this session; the series was not confirmed and no digitized logs were located.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - existence of digitized logs for this hull is unconfirmed; deck logs record events, not materials, and mention of insulation work would be incidental at best. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-842-lst842-11