USS LST-851

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

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-851-lst851-pkt-735-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS / Naval Historical Center, 'LST-851' ship-history entry (archived capture; live NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture 2014-07-28 of history.navy.mil/danfs/l26/lst-851.htm; single-paragraph DANFS ship history

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for this hull: laid down 10 August 1944 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 8 November 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Gertrude B. Van Trigt; commissioned 30 November 1944, Lt. Leo T. Tyburski in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in May 1945; performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-October 1945; returned to the United States, decommissioned 24 April 1946, struck from the Navy list 8 May 1946; sold 30 September 1946 to the Northwest Merchandising Service, Seattle, Wash. 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

   Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca construction trades (Aug-Nov 1944); crew (1944-46)

   Limitations

   Official secondary compilation retrieved via Wayback Machine - the current NHHC DANFS URL is dead (all tested variants 404; sibling hulls' pages e.g. lst-879 remain live). One detail conflicts with NavSource: the commissioning commanding officer (DANFS names Lt. Leo T. Tyburski; NavSource's CO table names Lt. Clifford D. Older USNR, 30 Nov 1944-23 Mar 1945 - see gaps). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-851 (10/16/160851.htm) - timeline, flotilla assignment, campaign dates, CO table, specifications, photo captions [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 160851.htm header block, awards block, specifications block, CO table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull page for USS LST-851 (archives/10/16/160851.htm): '542 Class Tank Landing Ship'; laid down 10 Aug 1944 Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 8 Nov 1944; commissioned 30 Nov 1944, Lt. Clifford D. Older USNR in command. Assigned LST Flotilla Twenty-Five / Group Seventy-Five / Division One Hundred Forty-Nine. Asiatic-Pacific campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 16-20 May 1945. Occupation service in the Far East 2 Sep-13 Oct 1945. Decommissioned 24 Apr 1946; struck 8 May 1946; sold 30 Sep 1946 to Northwest Merchandising Service, Seattle WA. 'Resold, date unknown to the government of Argentina. Named ARA Cabo San Bartolome (Q-41)... Disposed of by the Argentine Navy, date unknown. Resold in 1972 to International Technical Company S.A.C.I., Buenos Aires... Final Disposition, fate unknown.' CO table: Older 30 Nov 1944-23 Mar 1945; Tyburski 23 Mar 1945-Mar 1946; Nix Mar-24 Apr 1946. Radio call sign NINH. 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. Photo record includes NARA 80-G-33050 and 80-G-33051 (LST-851 nested alongside LST-226 at a Pacific base, received 28 Jun 1945) and the ship at anchor off Okinawa.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1972

   Population

   Crew (1944-46); embarked troops; Argentine crews post-1948 if the attribution holds

   Limitations

   Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS. One detail conflicts with DANFS (commissioning CO Older vs Tyburski - see gaps). Its Argentine-service attribution (Cabo San Bartolome Q-41) conflicts with the Histarmar Armada Argentina list, which assigns BDT-1/Q-41 to ex-LST-875 (see gaps). Page contains OCR-type typos ('Cabo San Bartolom0', 'cade unknown'). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-02

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

   Locator

   LST GROUP 75 / LST DIVISION 149 table, 'LST 851' row

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NHHC Navy Department Library page 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' lists LST 851 under LST GROUP 75, LST DIVISION 149 (group commander Comdr. G. W. Stinger), with commanding officer Lt. L. T. Tyburski (USNR) - official corroboration of the ship's Pacific Fleet amphibious-force assignment and of Tyburski's command by 1 May 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Establishes organizational assignment and CO as of 1 May 1945 only - does not resolve whether Tyburski (DANFS) or Older (NavSource CO table) was the commissioning CO in Nov 1944; consistent with either. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-03

5. [5]National Archives catalog (catalog.archives.gov), 'LST-851' search results; representative file unit NAID 140020611 'USS LST-851 - War Diary, 5/1-31/45' [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov 'LST-851' search (149 file units); NAID 140020611 file-unit page and nine sibling diary units

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA catalog search on 'LST-851' returns 149 file units (147 available online), including ten digitized ship war diaries for this hull covering January-December 1945 (NAIDs 139930543 Jan-Feb, 139965769 Mar, 139993535 Apr, 140020611 May, 101712597 Jun, 101773334 Jul, 83558654 Aug, 77542710 Sep, 77553848 Oct, 140081745 Nov-Dec) plus the COM LST GR 75 group war diary (NAID 140087922, Sep 1945). The hull's contemporaneous operational records are digitized and retrievable in RG 38.

   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 ship's RG 24 deck logs were not located as digitized catalog records - they remain physical-textual holdings if extant (the physikon.net war-diary PDF is a microfilm scan consistent with the RG 38 diary series, not the deck logs).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-04

6. [6]physikon.net USS LST-851 page (Harshman family) - scanned war-diary microfilm pages and ship history [other_primary]

   Locator

   physikon.net?page_id=4331, embedded PDF viewer and page content

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A crew-family site (physikon.net, maintained by Dale R. Harshman - son of crew member Richard E. Harshman - with research by Sidney Zeilstra) hosts scanned pages of the USS LST-851 war diary reproduced from USN microfilm, plus ship-history pages, reunion material, and a crew remembrance section. The embedded PDF 'Page2_2_LST-851-War-Diary-From-Micro-film.pdf' is a scan of the microfilmed war-diary series.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Crew (1944-46)

   Limitations

   Secondhand scan hosted on a family website - not itself a primary source; the underlying war diaries ARE digitized at NARA (see ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-04), which is the preferred lead. Site mixes family-blog content with the ship material. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-05

7. [7]ShipbuildingHistory.com, 'Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL' yard history and build table [other_primary]

   Locator

   Yard-history narrative; build table row 'LST 851'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton) Chicago Bridge & Iron / Seneca IL yard history: the Navy requisitioned the CB&I facility in 1942 and invested $6 million in its improvement; known as the 'Prairie Shipyard,' a 200-acre site on the east side of town; after the war used for multiple purposes until sold to Union Mechling in 1949; CB&I also operated yards at Newburg NY, Morgan City LA, and Eureka CA building Navy sectional dry-docks. The yard's build table lists 'LST 851 | U.S. Navy | Landing Ship, Tank | 8/10/44 | 11/8/44 | 11/30/44 | 90' (keel laid / launched / delivered / days on ways).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1942-1949

   Population

   Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca yard workers (1942-45 build period)

   Limitations

   Reputable secondary compilation, not an official source. Build-table dates are consistent with DANFS/NavSource and the BuShips SDB-1945 roster (10 Aug / 8 Nov / 30 Nov 1944). No asbestos or material content is documented for the Seneca yard in this or any located official source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-06

8. [8]Histarmar, 'Armada Argentina - Listado General de Buques 1900-2003' (archived capture) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Archived list, CABO SAN BARTOLOME / BDT1 / Q-41 row; other Argentine BDT rows (ex-LST 801, 869, 872, 1057, 1104)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Histarmar 'Armada Argentina' general ship list (archived 2021-01-26 capture; live domain histarmar.com.ar fails DNS as of 2026-10-03) enters 'CABO SAN BARTOLOME | BDT1 | Q-41 Buque Desembarco tanques | USS LST 875 | 1948-1972' - i.e., it attributes the Argentine BDT-1/Q-41 Cabo San Bartolome to ex-USS LST-875, NOT to LST-851. This conflicts with NavSource (LST-851 -> Cabo San Bartolome Q-41) and with Friedman (US Amphibious Ships and Craft, p. 568, cited in Wikipedia: LST-851 to Argentina as BDT-1). NavSource separately attributes LST-875 to the Philippines as BRP Misamis Oriental (LT-40).

   Verification

   disputed

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1948-1972

   Population

   Argentine Navy crews, 1948-1972 (if ex-LST-851 attribution holds)

   Limitations

   Specialist Argentine naval-history compilation, now offline - archived copy used and labeled as such. Establishes that the two secondary attributions are mutually exclusive: BDT-1/Q-41 cannot be both ex-LST-851 and ex-LST-875. Neither side is confirmed by an official Argentine or U.S. transfer record located this session; the conflict is logged rather than resolved. Wikipedia's note that 'sources indicate that LST-875 went to the Philippines' is itself flagged citation-needed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-07

9. [9]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (NAVSHIPS 250-011, Apr 1945), LST design table (pp. 168-169) + roster (p. 184) (shipscribe.com scan, text layer) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST design table (PDF pp. 168-169) and LST roster section (PDF p. 184, 'LST851' row)

   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 beaching / 4,080 t full, 11.6 kt, 2 x GM 12-567A diesels 1,700 shp, Falk reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW 230V DC diesel generators; accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted. LST-851 falls in the LST542-931 design group (GM 12-567A plant, not the 12-278A variant carried by blocks 932-979 and 1060-1080). The volume's per-hull roster lists 'LST851 - Chicago B. & I. Co., Seneca, Ill. - 10 Aug 44 / 8 Nov 44 / 30 Nov 44' (keel laid / launched / first commission), matching DANFS and NavSource.

   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 plus a roster row naming this hull's builder and milestone dates. Contains no material-content (asbestos) information. Note the former cite path /styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf 404s; the live URL is under /pubs/.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-08

10. [10]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-851-lst851-08 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 build.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1944-1972

    Population

    Construction trades (Seneca, 1944); engine-room crew; Argentine crews post-1948 if the attribution holds

    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-851-lst851-09

11. [11]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 (retrieved live via rendered fetch; direct curl returns 403 to automated requests)

    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 1944-1946

    Population

    n/a

    Limitations

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

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-851-lst851-10

12. [12]Batch-7394 search ledger (this record) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-851-01 through sl-uss-lst-851-14

    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-851 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener could not be searched this session - the authenticated API returned the daily-quota throttle with a ~9.2-hour reset, logged as blocked rather than as a negative result. The only 'asbestos' content located naming this hull 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 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-851-lst851-11