USS LST-847

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet 735-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-847-lst847-pkt-735-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS / NHHC, 'LST-847' ship-history entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, single-paragraph ship history

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for this hull: laid down 1 November 1944 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched 17 December 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Eleanore Lott; commissioned 15 January 1945. Following WWII she performed occupation duty and saw service in China until early March 1946; decommissioned 21 June 1946; struck from the Navy list 31 July 1946; sold 13 May 1948 to Alexander Shipyards, Inc., New Orleans, La., 'for operation.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (Nov 1944-Jan 1945); crew (1945-46)

   Limitations

   Official secondary compilation - two details conflict with other records (see gaps): the commissioning commanding officer (DANFS names Lt. G. A. Hoffman; NavSource's CO table and the deck-log transcription name Lt. Robert S. Marshall, with Hoffman relieving him 24 Sep 1945) and the decommissioning date (DANFS 21 June 1946 vs NavSource/deck-log 16 June 1946). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-847 (10/16/160847.htm) - timeline, specifications, CO table, NARA/NHHC-captioned photo record [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 160847.htm header block, awards block, specifications block, CO table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull page for USS LST-847 (archives/10/16/160847.htm): '542 Class Tank Landing Ship'; laid down 1 Nov 1944 American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA; launched 17 Dec 1944; commissioned 15 Jan 1945, Lt. Robert S. Marshall USNR in command. Assigned LST Flotilla Thirty-One / Group Ninety-Three / Division One Hundred Eighty-Six. Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended) periods both 25 Dec 1945-6 Mar 1946. Decommissioned 16 Jun 1946; struck 31 Jul 1946; sold for operation 13 May 1948 to Alexander Shipyards Inc., New Orleans LA; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' CO table: Marshall 15 Jan-24 Sep 1945; Hoffman 24 Sep-16 Dec 1945; Wolf 16 Dec 1945-16 Jan 1946; Olszewski 16 Jan-16 Jun 1946. Photo captions document launching at Ambridge (NARA RG 19-LCM Box 491), Saipan anchorage 28 Jun 1945, USNOB Shanghai ~20 Sep-10 Oct 1945, beached Buckner Bay Okinawa 1-5 Mar 1946 alongside LST-724 and LST-1056, and San Francisco Bay early 1946 (NHHC photo NH 79570). Specs: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full, 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 11.6 kt trial, 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted, 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, radio call sign NIKL.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Crew (1945-46); embarked troops and repatriates

   Limitations

   Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR; two details conflict with DANFS (commissioning CO; decommissioning date 16 vs 21 June 1946 - see gaps). Its 'Division 186' header assignment predates the 1 Jul 1945 Pacific reassignment to Division 185 in the deck-log transcription. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-02

4. [4]NHHC, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (online reading room) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   LST GROUP 93 table, 'LST 847' row

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NHHC Navy Department Library page 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' lists LST 847 under LST GROUP 93, corroborating the ship's Pacific Fleet amphibious-force assignment during the final months of WWII.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Establishes organizational assignment only; the commanding-officer column for the LST-847 row is blank ('..........'). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-03

5. [5]National Archives catalog (catalog.archives.gov), 'LST-847' search results; representative file unit NAID 140029786 [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov 'LST-847' search (93 file units); NAID 140029786 file-unit page

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA catalog search on 'LST-847' returns 93 file units, including five digitized ship War Diaries for this hull covering May-September 1945 (e.g., NAID 140029786 'USS LST-847 - War Diary, 5/1-31/45,' 27 images, online) plus LST Group 93 flagship war diaries (COM LST GR 93). The hull's contemporaneous operational records are thus digitized and retrievable.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   War diaries are operational narratives; no asbestos or material-content information is expected in them. The RG 24 deck logs themselves (Stack 470, Row 38, Vols. 1-2, per the crew-family transcription site) are not shown as digitized in the catalog - physical-textual holdings.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-04

6. [6]lst847.grobbel.org 'Deck Log Summary' - selected transcriptions of the USS LST-847 deck logs, citing NARA Record Group 24 holdings [other_primary]

   Locator

   Deck Log Summary page, Volumes 1-2 (15 Jan 1945 - 16 Jun 1946)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A crew-family site (lst847.grobbel.org, maintained by Mike Grobbel for his father, crew member Robert C. Grobbel) publishes selected transcriptions of the ship's deck logs with full port-of-call detail: commissioned at Algiers (Louisiana) Naval Station 15 Jan 1945; shakedown St. Andrews Bay FL; Panama Canal transit 1 Mar 1945; Pearl Harbor/Hawaii operations; Saipan 10 Jun 1945; assigned '185th Division, USS LST Group 93, USS LST 31st Flotilla of the U.S. Pacific Fleet' 1 Jul 1945; Okinawa convoy SOK-21 arriving 14 Jul 1945; Shanghai (Old Ning Po wharf) 20 Sep 1945; Lt. Gustav A. Hoffman relieved Lt. Robert S. Marshall as CO 24 Sep 1945; Chinese-troop lifts to Formosa and Haiphong; Tsingtao drydock repairs 9-17 Jan 1946; Japanese repatriation runs Tsingtao-Sasebo; return via Pearl Harbor, San Francisco (23 Apr 1946), Panama Canal, arriving Charleston SC 31 May 1946; decommissioned Charleston 16 Jun 1946. Transcriber cites NARA RG 24, Stack 470, Row 38 (Vol. 1) and 45 (Vol. 2).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   Crew; embarked Chinese troops; Japanese repatriates (Jan-Feb 1946 lifts)

   Limitations

   Secondhand transcription on a family website - not itself a primary source; underlying deck logs are NARA RG 24 textual holdings (stack location transcribed from the site) whose digitization was not located. Entries corroborate NavSource on the commissioning CO (Marshall) and decommissioning date/place (16 Jun 1946, Charleston). No asbestos content. The same site's 'Official History' page mislabels the ship '511 Class' (it is LST-542-class per NavSource/BuShips grouping).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-05

7. [7]ShipbuildingHistory.com, 'American Bridge, Ambridge PA' yard history and build table [other_primary]

   Locator

   Yard-history narrative; build table row 'LST 847'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton) American Bridge / Ambridge PA yard history: the Navy requisitioned American Bridge's Pittsburgh-area yard in 1942 and invested $9M in its improvement; besides LSTs the yard built structural components for 43 aircraft carriers and 81 cargo ships; after the war it returned to inland hopper barges and closed in 1981. The yard's build table lists 'LST 847 | U.S. Navy | Landing Ship | 15-Jan-45'.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1942-1981

   Population

   American Bridge Ambridge yard workers (1942-45 build period)

   Limitations

   Reputable secondary compilation, not an official source. The same table's disposition column reads 'Scrapped 1947,' which is internally impossible against the documented 13 May 1948 Navy sale 'for operation' - treated as a table defect (see gaps), not propagated. No asbestos or material content is documented for the Ambridge yard in this or any located official source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-06

8. [8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan, text layer) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster section

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 official design table for the LST groups: 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t light / 3,960-4,080 t trial, 11.6 kt, 2 x GM 12-567A diesels 1,700 shp; accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted. LST-847 falls in the LST542-931 design group (GM 12-567A plant, not the 12-278A variant carried by blocks 932-979 and 1060-1080).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Official class-level machinery/design data; corroborates NavSource's per-hull spec block. Contains no material-content (asbestos) information and does not name this hull in the design table.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-07

9. [9]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery data (diesel plant, no boilers) + era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]

   Locator

   Consolidated inference keyed to ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-07 machinery data

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for diesel-powered LSTs: no boilers aboard, so the asbestos-relevant applications are GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings - the era-standard amphibious-ship set for a 1944-45 build.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   Construction trades (Ambridge, 1944-45); engine-room crew; commercial operators post-1948

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no ship-level asbestos record was located for this hull or any LST class member. Establishes no quantities, no present-day presence, and no exposure for any individual.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-08

10. [10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    gao.gov HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights section (live this session)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

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

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1975-1979 (policy period); hull era 1944-1948

    Population

    n/a

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation, not ship- or class-specific. Additionally, the policies described postdate this hull's Navy service by three decades (stricken 1946, sold 1948) - the row is Navy-era context only and establishes nothing about material aboard this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-09

11. [11]Batch-7390 search ledger (this record) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-847-01 through sl-uss-lst-847-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed case naming LST-847 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener could not be searched this session - authenticated API returned the daily-quota throttle with a ~9.3-hour reset, logged as blocked rather than as a negative result. The only 'asbestos' content located naming this hull or its builder is law-firm marketing material, 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 - a 1944-45 diesel amphibian is era-consistent with standard asbestos insulation and gasket materials. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation status is open, not negative (CourtListener unsearched).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-847-lst847-10