Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 737-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-869-lst869-pkt-737-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-869', Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-869 entry (one-paragraph entry; published 2015 on NHHC site; identical to archived 2004 Naval Historical Center text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: LST-869 was laid down 27 October 1944 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machinery Co.; launched 11 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Janie G. Ray; and commissioned 6 January 1945, Lt. (jg.) E. J. Malloy in command. Following WWII she performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until mid-April 1946; she returned to the United States, was decommissioned 31 July 1946 and struck from the Navy list 28 August 1946; on 26 December 1947 the ship was sold to Pablo N. Ferrari & Co. for operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Crew (Lt.(jg.) E. J. Malloy, commissioning CO)
- Limitations
- Live-verified 2026-10-03 via GET (page returns 404 to bare HEAD requests - bot filtering, not link rot). Contains no asbestos, material, or insulation information; the WWII operational narrative is a single sentence and the ship earned no battle stars (NavSource ribbon display). Establishes identity, build, service, and disposal chain only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS LST-869' (archives/10/16/160869.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LST-869 page: awards block, unit assignments, commanding-officer table, specifications block, photo table (photos credited to Norberto Gerardo Urcola)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive per-hull page for USS LST-869: call sign NIUT; awards China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp); wartime assignment Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Thirty-One (CAPT H. S. Covington), LST Group Ninety-Three (CDR E. R. Sperry), LST Division 185; occupation and China service periods both 23 October 1945 - 13 April 1946; commanding officers LT Edward James Malloy Jr. USNR (6 Jan 1945 - 21 Feb 1946) and LTjg Harold Mott Willcox USNR (21 Feb 1946 - 31 Jul 1946); decommissioned 31 Jul 1946, struck 28 Aug 1946; sold 26 Dec 1947 to Pablo N. Ferrari & Co. as MV Doña Micaela; to Argentine government 1952 as ARA BDT No.8; sold 14 Jan 1965 to Arenera Puerto Nuevo and converted to sand dredge MV Rio Turbio; final disposition listed as sunk by collision (date unknown to NavSource) with the tug 'ARA Payagua' on the Paraná River, Argentina; three photographs including the sunken dredge hulk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-2012
- Population
- Ship's company 13 officers/104 enlisted; embarked troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; COs Malloy and Willcox
- Limitations
- Live-verified 2026-10-03 (navsource.net is the live domain; navsource.org is dead). Volunteer-compiled archive, not a federal record - details such as the 'ARA Payagua' tug designation conflict with Argentine press (commercial Paraguayan pusher tug 'Ava Payagua'); see correction row. No asbestos or material information present.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library online reading room) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LST Group 93 / LST Division 185 table row 'LST 869' (hyperlinks to the DANFS LST-869 entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy Department Library's 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' roster lists LST 869 under LST GROUP 93 / LST DIVISION 185 (commanding-officer cell vacant in the table). This places the hull - commissioned 6 January 1945 at the inland Jeffersonville yard - in the Pacific Fleet organization four months after commissioning, consistent with a late-war arrival and the absence of combat citations in its award record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Documents organizational placement on one date only (1945-05-01); does not establish arrival date in theater, operational employment, or any material condition. The 'no combat service' characterization is an absence-of-citation inference, not a documented statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-03
-
[5]Fundación Histarmar, 'B. D. T. N° 8' merchant-marine registry sheet (histarmar.com.ar), via Internet Archive Wayback Machine capture 2020-01-13 - live domain DNS-dead as of 2026-10-03, cited as archived copy [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2020-01-13, registry block and dated vessel timeline (1944-1974) plus 'Crónica de una insólita varadura' notes section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Fundación Histarmar (Historia y Arqueología Marítima, Argentina) merchant-marine registry sheet for B.D.T. N° 8: LST-542-type carguero built by Jeffersonville Boat & Machinery Co., Jeffersonville; matrícula 1624 F, signal LONF, crew 37; 2 GM 12-567 diesels, 12-cyl, 800 rpm, 1,800 CV, 2 screws, 11 kt. Timeline: launched for US Navy 11 Dec 1944 as LST 869; commissioned 6 Jan 1945; USN baja 31 Jul 1946; sold 26 Dec 1947 to Pablo N. Ferrari & Co., renamed DOÑA MICAELA; 1947 incorporated into Armada Argentina as B.D.T. n° 8, laid up at Río Santiago Naval Base; 6 Feb 1952 transferred to Combustibles Sólidos Minerales (state solid-fuels agency, YCF), renamed RIO TURBIO; 14 Jan 1965 sold to Arenera Puerto Nuevo, Buenos Aires, converted to arenero (sand dredge) keeping the same name; 1974 struck from the Argentine registry. Includes an eyewitness account of a November 1955 grounding at Río Gallegos: loaded with 3,000 tons of coal, the hull settled unevenly on the tidal banks on an extraordinary spring tide, suffering plate and frame breaks and hull distortion without total separation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Argentine naval/YCF crews; merchant crews
- Limitations
- Archived copy of a dead live source - cited as archive per citation-hygiene rule. Histarmar is a maritime-history foundation, not a government registry - the registry sheet reproduces official Argentine merchant data (matrícula, tonnages, machinery) but is secondary. The 1955 grounding narrative is a crew-member anecdote hosted on the same page. The 1974 'baja del Registro Argentino' conflicts with documented continued operation to 2012 (re-registration or flag detail not explained) - carried in gaps. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-04
-
[6]Jane's Fighting Ships 1962-63 (full-text OCR via Internet Archive), Argentine Navy LST/BDT section [other_primary]
- Locator
- djvu.txt OCR, 'TANK LANDING SHIPS' subsection under Argentina; also note separate OCR entry 'TELUK AMBOINA, LST 869' under Indonesia - a different Japanese-built hull sharing the number (name collision, see correction row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Jane's Fighting Ships 1962-63, Argentine Navy 'Tank Landing Ships' section: lists the named BDT units (Cabo San Bartolome, Cabo San Diego, etc., ex-U.S. LSTs built by Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging) and notes 'BDT 5, BDT 8, BDT 9, and BDT 12, were withdrawn from service in 1958-60' - BDT 8 being ex-LST-869. Records Argentine naval-list removal within 1958-60, between the ship's 1952 transfer to the state fuels agency and its 1965 private sale.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1962 (edition); 1958-60 (event window)
- Limitations
- OCR text of a printed reference work - secondary source, and the '1958-60' withdrawal is a range, not a dated event. Does not conflict with the histarmar 1952 commercial transfer (naval-list status vs operating custody). No asbestos content in the LST-869-relevant sections.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-05
-
[7]El Litoral (Santa Fe, Argentina) via Télam wire, 'Buscan a los siete desaparecidos tras el choque de buques' (13 May 2012) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body: collision location km 101,100 Río Paraná de las Palmas; casualty names; PNA spokesperson quotes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Argentine press (El Litoral, running the Télam state wire, 13 May 2012): in the early morning of 12 May 2012 the sand-dredge Río Turbio - the former USS LST-869 - outbound from San Pedro, was struck by the Paraguayan pusher tug Ava Payagua at km 101,100 of the Paraná de las Palmas and sank; seven crew were missing/presumed lost (captain Gustavo Caracciolo, chief engineer Felipe Aguirre, baqueano Ramón Rodríguez, sailor Cristian Marmet, José de la Fuente, Marcelo Córdoba, Luciano Luna); Prefectura Naval Argentina mounted a 15-vessel search with helicopters and divers; the Ava Payagua's captain, helmsman, and baqueano were detained.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2012
- Population
- 7 crew lost (named); dredge crew of ~14 total
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous wire-service reporting - authoritative for the casualty event, not for subsequent disposition. The 'Río Turbio' identity as ex-LST-869 rests on the NavSource/histarmar chain, not the article itself (which does not mention the USN lineage). Reports of refloating, repair, and return to service exist only in social-media/union posts - flagged in gaps, not asserted here. No material/hazmat content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table - LST-542 group rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Bureau of Ships Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 official design table for the LST-542 design group (this hull's group): 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t beaching / 4,080 t trial displacement, 11.6 kt, two General Motors 12-567A diesels totaling ~1,700 shp on two shafts via Falk reduction gears; accommodations 13 officers / ~106 enlisted plus embarked troops. Diesel machinery - the design carried no boilers or steam plant.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Official BuShips class-design data, not a hull record - establishes the design's diesel-only plant (no boiler lagging pathway) and machinery for the group LST-869 belongs to. URL note: class profile cited the older shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf path, which now 404s; the live path is /pubs/SDB1945v2.pdf (verified 200, PDF, this session).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-07
-
[9]Consolidated era inference - BuShips SDB v2 machinery data (ev-07) + era amphibious-ship construction practice; disturbance events per ev-04/ev-06 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class technical data + this record's Argentine-service event documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-542-class hull built late 1944: no boilers - asbestos-relevant applications aboard the type were GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. This hull's unusually long life adds disturbance-relevant events: November 1955 hull-plate/frame damage and emergency repair at Río Gallegos (ev-04), 1965 conversion to a sand dredge (ev-04), and post-2012 salvage and reported rebuild (ev-06, gaps) - each an event in which original-era materials, if present, would have been disturbed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-2012
- Population
- Jeffersonville construction trades (1944); USN crew (1945-46); Argentine naval/YCF crews; 1955 repair crews; 1965 conversion workers; dredge crew; 2012+ salvage/repair workers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for LST-869 in US or Argentine sources. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no condition, no exposure or causation for any individual. The repair/conversion events are documented vessel history; any asbestos disturbance within them is inference, not record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-08
-
[10]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LST-542-class hull was mass-produced at an inland yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-09
-
[11]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing access defect shared with Batches 01 and 98)
- 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 era (1944) and USN service period (1945-46).
- 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 this session (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description. The hull left USN custody in 1947; Argentine-era modifications fall outside the GAO scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-10
-
[12]Batch-7412 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; NHHC Pacific Fleet org doc; NavSource; histarmar via Wayback; Jane's 1962-63 via Internet Archive; shipbuildinghistory.com; El Litoral/Télam; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; NARA catalog; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-869-01 through sl-uss-lst-869-13
- 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 USS LST-869 (or its Argentine identities BDT N°8 / Río Turbio) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper returned DAILY QUOTA EXHAUSTED (Retry-After ~32,451 s, ~9.0 h); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying asbestos-litigation or law-firm content specific to this hull; the only incidental web hits are American Legion reunion-registry listings for 'LST-869' (reunion #12661, 1993) - veteran-association mentions, not exposure records.
- 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 - the hull's survival to ~2012 and repeated repair/rebuild events make original-material retention plausible but unverified. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (daily quota throttled, not run). NARA deck logs and Argentine registry/shipyard files are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-11
-
[13]Cross-check: NavSource vs El Litoral/Télam; NavSource+histarmar vs en/es Wikipedia; Jane's 1962-63 Indonesian section [other_primary]
- Locator
- Per-item locators: NavSource final-disposition line; Télam article body; es.wiki USS_LST-869 body text; Jane's djvu.txt Indonesian section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Cross-source conflict corrections: (a) NavSource lists the collision tug as 'ARA Payagua' - contemporaneous Télam/press reporting identifies it as the commercial Paraguayan pusher tug 'Ava Payagua' (not an Argentine naval vessel); press carried. (b) The merchant name is 'Doña Micaela' in NavSource, histarmar, and shipbuildinghistory.com - 'Doña Michaela' in the English Wikipedia article is a variant spelling; Micaela carried. (c) The es.wikipedia article gives the Ferrari sale as 26 Dec 1946 - a transcription slip; DANFS, NavSource, and histarmar all carry 26 Dec 1947. (d) Jane's 1962-63 lists a 'TELUK AMBOINA, LST 869' under Indonesia - a different, Japanese-built hull sharing the LST 869 designation string; lookups on 'LST 869' alone risk name collision.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1947-2012
- Limitations
- Resolves secondary-source conflicts in favor of primary/press sources where they diverge; the 'LST 869' designation string itself is not unique to this hull in secondary literature (Indonesian Teluk Amboina). Does not bear on asbestos status.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-869-12