Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 743-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-906-lst906-pkt-743-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-906 (NHHC live page, verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-03; plain-UA curl returned 404 but the page is live and serves the entry) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (entire entry - numbered-LST entries are single-paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS entry, verbatim): 'LST-906 was laid down on 24 January 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 11 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Henry Levine; and commissioned on 27 April 1944. During World War II, LST-906 was assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of southern France in September 1944. She was decommissioned on 20 May 1945 after grounding off Leghorn, Italy, on 18 October 1944. The ship was struck from the Navy list on 22 June 1945 and sold for scrap. LST-906 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (Jan-Apr 1944); crew (Apr 1944-May 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS compresses the grounding to one date - the official chronology (ev-03) shows the ship remained aground and was further damaged 6 December 1944. Decommission location unstated (hull remained in the Mediterranean).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, Tank Landing Ship LST-906 - timeline, specifications, commanding-officer roster, and photograph captions (live fetch verified 2026-10-03; navsource.net is the live domain, navsource.org mirrors it) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160906.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO roster, photo captions 1016090601-1016090634
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 24 January 1944 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham MA; launched 11 March 1944; commissioned USS LST-906 27 April 1944, ENS. R. J. Driken USN in command; Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; Invasion of southern France 15 August - 25 September 1944; decommissioned 20 May 1945 after grounding at Leghorn, Italy, 18 October 1944; struck from the Naval Register 22 June 1945; one battle star; final disposition sold for scrapping 22 June 1945. Spec block: displacement 1,625 t (lt) / 4,080 t (fl); 328' oa x 50' beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A diesels 900 hp each, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-driven 100 kW 230 V DC ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; call sign NTJJ. Commanding officers: ENS. R. J. Driken (27 Apr 1944 - Sep 1944); LTjg. Orrin Jay Van Syoc USNR (Sep 1944 - 4 May 1945); LT. Jack Irving Sperling USNR (4-20 May 1945). Photograph captions further document: Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, 27 May 1944, alongside LST-1011 and LST-1012 (Library of Virginia, U.S. Army Signal Corps collection); bow-door repair in a shipyard following a collision with another ship while in convoy, with her flight deck installed during that shipyard period (date/place unstated); launching and commissioning ceremony photography at Bethlehem-Hingham.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew (1944-45); shipyard repair trades (undated bow-door repair)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones track DANFS and the commanding-officer roster is courtesy-compiled. Contains no asbestos content. The bow-door-repair caption's shipyard is unnamed and undated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-02
-
[4]Robert J. Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, Chapter VI: 1944 (Contemporary History Branch, Naval Historical Center; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, live verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1944, 18 October and 6 December 1944 entries, Mediterranean theater
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Navy chronology names this hull twice: 18 October 1944 (Mediterranean) - 'Tank landing ship LST-906 drags anchor and is damaged when driven ashore by heavy sea, Leghorn'; and 6 December 1944 (Mediterranean) - 'Tank landing ship LST-906, aground since 18 October at Leghorn, Italy, is further damaged in gale.' This establishes she remained aground for at least seven weeks after the initial casualty and never returned to service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Crew and any salvage personnel at Leghorn, Oct 1944 - May 1945
- Limitations
- Casualty-history record only; no asbestos content. Establishes the grounding as a prolonged constructive loss, not its salvage/disposal mechanics - scrapping site and buyer remain undocumented (see ev-06 gap).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-03
-
[5]NHHC photographic collections, Catalog # NH 94900, 'USS LST-906', original date 15 August 1944 (live verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC collections page NH-94900 (title, caption, catalog number, original date)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photograph NH 94900 documents the aviation role of this hull: caption - 'Where pilots and spotters talk over their mission before taking off in their piper cub aircraft to serve as spotters for naval gunfire in the invasion of Southern France, 15 August 1944.' Primary confirmation that USAAF L-4 spotter operations ran from this deck during Operation Dragoon.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-08-15
- Population
- USAAF pilots/spotters and ship's crew, August 1944
- Limitations
- Photographic record of one day's operations; does not document the conversion's builder, scope, or materials. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-04
-
[6]Conversion details: NavSource photograph captions (Peter Bergh collection; Society of the 3rd Infantry Division attribution via Rich Heller) + secondary literature enumeration (Rottman & Bryan 2005, p.47, as cited by Wikipedia) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160906.htm captions (flight-deck header block; 1016090601 St. Tropez caption; 1016090606 bow-door repair caption); Wikipedia USS LST-906 ref 3 (Rottman & Bryan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Seabees converted LST-906 into a makeshift aircraft carrier with a custom-built 220 ft x 16 ft mesh airstrip above deck; she operated six USAAF L-4B 'Grasshopper' observation aircraft flown as artillery spotters for the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division during the southern France landings - the invasion of southern France is Operation Dragoon in standard secondary literature (NavSource caption attributions; NH 94900 confirms L-4 operations). Secondary literature counts her among six LSTs so converted - alongside LST-16, LST-158, LST-337, LST-386, and LST-525 (Rottman & Bryan 2005, p.47).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Seabee conversion crew (1944); USAAF detachment and ship's crew (Aug-Sep 1944)
- Limitations
- Conversion details rest on photograph-caption attributions and secondary literature, not a BuShips work package or conversion order - the 'six converted LSTs' cohort list and the 220x16 ft dimensions are secondary-sourced (verification partial). The NavSource page also links 'Brodie System' resources, but a Brodie recovery-wire installation on this hull is not asserted by any cited source - the documented installation is the launch-only mesh airstrip.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard construction table, hull 3376 = LST-906 (live verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Bethlehem-Hingham yard table, row hull 3376
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Bethlehem-Hingham construction table lists yard hull 3376 as LST-906 with keel 24-Jan-44, launch 11-Mar-44, delivery 27-Apr-44 - matching DANFS/NavSource - and annotates her 'CTL 1944, scrapped 1945' (constructive total loss), corroborating that the 18 October 1944 Leghorn grounding ended her service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (Jan-Apr 1944)
- Limitations
- Colton's compilation is a respected secondary yard-history source, not a primary registry - carried as corroboration of official dates, not as an independent authority. 'CTL' is the compiler's annotation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-06
-
[8]Consolidated era inference built on: NavSource spec block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels - diesel plant, no boilers); LST-1 class profile lst-1-class.class.json (class asbestos_application inference + BuShips SD-1945 v2 machinery design groups); Bethlehem-Hingham builder block per class profile member row [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; class-f worktree lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03 and member row LST-906
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-group hull built Jan-Apr 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Asbestos-relevant applications for a diesel LST of this design were: GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. No boilers and no steam plant aboard - the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway of steam combatants does not apply. Her Seabee flight-deck conversion and bow-door repair add interior/structural rework scope of the era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew incl. embarked troops (1944-45); Seabee conversion crew; scrapper/salvage population (1945, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, work package, or exposure record located for LST-906. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no individual exposure. The BuShips SD-1945 v2 PDF (shipscribe.com) returned 404 this session - class-profile machinery data relied on instead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; product page verified live via rendered fetch 2026-10-03) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page Highlights text
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure, including the use of asbestos in Navy ships: per the product-page highlights, the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - establishing that asbestos insulation was standard Navy ship material and typically remained in place unless a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era policy backdrop 1944-45
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program review)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation post-dating this hull by 34 years (she was disposed 1945); supports era context only - it confirms asbestos insulation was era-standard Navy material, nothing about this specific ship. Report fieldwork covered Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not emergency construction yards like Bethlehem-Hingham.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-08
-
[10]Batch-7449 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; official chronology (Cressman); NHHC photo NH 94900; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory yard table; CourtListener (blocked - daily quota); NVR (SSO-walled); secondary web litigation sweep; LST class profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-906-01 through sl-uss-lst-906-11
- 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-906 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the daily quota exhausted (~28,770 s / ~8 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. A class-level CourtListener sweep in the LST class profile found only an incidental 'USS LST 579' mention inside a scanned reunion-notice compilation (Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771) - not an exposure record for that or any hull. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull and no law-firm marketing 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). Deck logs (NARA RG 24), salvage/board-of-inquiry records for the 18 October 1944 grounding, and scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-906-09