USS LST-939

Evidence

17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).

1. [1]research packet 837-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-939-lst939-pkt-837-packet-md

2. [2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-939 entry (live official Navy page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Live DANFS LST-939 page, service and disposition paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The live official DANFS entry states that during World War II LST-939 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto from April through June 1945; that following the war she performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until mid-March 1946; that she was decommissioned on 22 June 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 31 July that same year; and that on 12 June 1948 the ship was sold to the Walter W. Johnson Co. for scrapping. DANFS credits LST-939 with one battle star for World War II service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   U.S. Navy crew; embarked troops

   Limitations

   DANFS gives the Okinawa campaign at month granularity (April-June 1945) and the China-service end as 'mid-March 1946'; NavSource's medal tables give the occupation/China window 12 September 1945 - 16 March 1946 and the campaign window 1 April - 30 June 1945. DANFS contains no asbestos or material information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-939 page (last updated 4 October 2022) [museum_official]

   Locator

   Live page: history bullets, flotilla/group/division listing, campaign and medal tables, commanding-officer table, awards strip

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's live LST-939 page records: commissioned 14 September 1944 with LTjg. Archie H. Hubbard Jr., USNR, in command; administrative assignment to LST Flotilla Twenty-One (CAPT. W.H. Brereton, USN), LST Group Sixty-Two (CDR. W.M. Gillett, USN), LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Four; Asiatic-Pacific campaign credit 'Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 April - 30 June 1945'; Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended) periods both 12 September 1945 to 16 March 1946; decommissioned 22 June 1946; struck from the Naval Register 31 July 1946; sold for scrapping 12 June 1948 to Walter W. Johnson Co., Seattle, WA; one WWII battle star; call sign NKDG. Commanding-officer table: LTjg. Archie H. Hubbard Jr. USNR (14 September 1944 - 3 November 1945); LT. Ben Fricks Jr. USNR (3 November 1945 - 30 January 1946); LTjg. Joseph A. Palisi USNR (30 January 1946 - 22 June 1946); LT. Roy E. Wilson USNR (no dates).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Population

   U.S. Navy crew; embarked troops

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archival photo/history resource; dates track DANFS where they overlap. The administrative unit listing (Flotilla 21/Group 62/Division 124) is corroborated by the ship's own records: the May-June 1945 action report places her under Capt. Brereton, ComLSTFlot 21, and the October 1945 war diary is copy-furnished to ComLSTGroup 62; the April 1945 assault-phase report instead shows operational assignment to Blue Unit (ComLSTGroup 38) of Tractor Group Baker 53.3.2 for the Okinawa landings - administrative vs operational chains. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-939 specifications block [museum_official]

   Locator

   Live page, Specifications section

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NavSource's specifications block for LST-939 as a 542-class tank landing ship: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft overall length; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial speed; 24,000-mile endurance at 9 kt; complement 13 officers and 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers and 147 enlisted; two LCVPs; armament design of two twin 40-mm and four single 40-mm mounts plus twelve single 20-mm mounts; two General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesel engines with single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100-kW 230-V DC ship-service generators, two propellers, 1,700 shp, twin rudders.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Engineering crew and construction/maintenance workers

   Limitations

   Class-standard spec block printed on the hull page; does not establish hull-specific outfit and contains no asbestos or insulation content. The printed engine model (12-567A) conflicts with the BuShips Ships' Data 1945 machinery table assignment for this hull's block (12-278A) - carried as correction row ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-10. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 gives 106 enlisted (vs 104 here) - variant unresolved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-04

5. [5]NARA RG 38, USS LST-939 War Diary, 9/14/44 to 12/31/44 (NAID 139799207) - ship-produced record, digitized, all 5 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 139799207 images 0157-0161 (catalog.archives.gov/id/139799207); September, October, November, and December monthly entries

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own war diary (serials 03-44 through 06-44, all signed A. H. Hubbard, dated 31 December 1944) documents commissioning-to-Pacific transit: vessel accepted and commissioned at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard 14 September 1944 by ComOne per CNO orders; departed for Boston 15 September (outfitting, deperming, provisioning 16-19 September); Little Creek 22 September (reported ComPhibTraLant); shakedown at Point Lookout, Maryland, with Task Organization 20.9.2 Shakedown Unit 24 September - 3 October; repairs and approved alterations at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth 4-8 October; New York 10-22 October (Navy general cargo on tank deck, five LCT(6) sections on main deck, 25 passengers embarked); departed 23 October in Convoy NG 467 via Guantanamo (arrived NOB Guantanamo Bay 30 October); departed in Convoy GZ 100, arrived Coco Solo, Canal Zone, 3 November; departed 5 November for Pearl Harbor via San Diego in company with LST-762 and LST-766; San Diego 18-24 November (repairs and approved alterations); departed in Task Unit 116.11.15, arrived Pearl Harbor 4 December; Kewalo Basin cargo loading 20-24 December (Navy C.B. vehicles and pontoon gear, Army gasoline and lube-oil drums, Army vehicles); departed Pearl Harbor 27 December in Convoy PD-224-T for Leyte, Philippine Islands, with 203 embarked passengers (1 officer and 22 men Navy C.B.; 12 officers and 168 men Army).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-09-14 to 1944-12-31

   Population

   Crew; embarked Navy C.B., Army, and LCT passengers; Norfolk Navy Yard workers during the October 1944 availability

   Limitations

   Ship-produced primary record of movements, yard periods, and loads. Documents a 4-8 October 1944 repair/alteration period at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth - a Navy-yard exposure-relevant event - but contains no asbestos, insulation, or material content. Passenger counts are the diary's own figures.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-05

6. [6]NARA RG 38, USS LST-939 - Report of operations in the invasion of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 4/1-11/45 (NAID 101744132, Roll A1751) - ship-produced action report, digitized, all 10 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101744132 images 0463-0472 (catalog.archives.gov/id/101744132); Parts II-VII chronology, ordnance, damage, and casualty tables

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-produced action report (serial 011-45, dated 18 April 1945, signed A. H. Hubbard) documents this hull in the Okinawa assault: sortied from Ulithi 25 March 1945 in TG 53.3 (Northern Attack Force, TF 53) assigned to Blue Unit (Capt. Clark, ComLSTGroup 38) of Tractor Group Baker 53.3.2, carrying the ComBlueUnit flag as guide; anchored off Blue Beach Two on 1 April and launched LVTs carrying USMC assault troops for the first three waves, an LCT, and two pontoon causeways; unloaded naval-ammunition and cargo over 3-10 April (including transfer alongside USS Preston DD-795 and offload to LCT-1050); expended 219 rounds 40-mm and 304 rounds 20-mm firing on a suicide plane on 6 April, with three wounded in action (two crew - S2c Morris J. Bryant Jr. and MoMM2c Harold M. Thatcher - and embarked 145th NCB passenger EM2c Robert A. Cavanagh; Thatcher and Cavanagh transferred via LST-949 to USS Relief); on 8 April, LST-268 rammed the starboard quarter while beaching alongside at Yellow Two Reef, opening a 15 ft x 1 ft hole above the waterline in the stern crew's quarters; temporary repairs by welded sheet-metal patches 10 April; departed 11 April in TU 51.29.13, arriving Saipan 17 April. Combat load delivered: USMC - 17 LVTs, 125 drums fuel, 175 tons rations, 50 tons general cargo, vehicles, 22 officers and 375 enlisted; USN - one LCT(6), two pontoon causeways, bulldozer, 50 tons 5-inch/38 ammunition, 3 officers and 27 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-03-25 to 1945-04-18

   Population

   Crew; embarked USMC/USN assault troops and LCT/pontoon crews; three named wounded (Bryant, Thatcher, Cavanagh)

   Limitations

   Primary operational record documenting three named wounded personnel and battle/collision damage aboard this specific hull - a personnel-exposure-relevant record, but a war-function document with no asbestos, insulation, or material content. The April operational chain (Blue Unit, ComLSTGroup 38, TF 53) differs from the NavSource administrative listing (Flotilla 21/Group 62/Division 124); both are carried as documented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-06

7. [7]NARA RG 38, USS LST-939 - Report of operations in the occupation of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 5/14/45 - 6/21/45 (NAID 101748320, Roll A1757) - ship-produced action report, digitized, all 5 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101748320 images 0540-0544 (catalog.archives.gov/id/101748320); Parts II-VII chronology, ordnance, and casualty sections

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-produced action report (serial 015-45, dated 25 June 1945, signed A. H. Hubbard) documents this hull's second Okinawa phase: departed Saipan 7 May 1945 in convoy SOK-2 towing Navy tug YTL-448 with 1,000 tons of U.S. Army mixed mortar/artillery ammunition; arrived Hagushi 14 May and discharged at Purple Beach One through 18 May; reloaded with 4,000 drums fog oil (from SS Clovis Victory), 300 drums mogas, and seven fog generators, then served 22 May - 21 June at Nakagusuku (Buckner Bay area) as the Eastern Okinawa smoke-material supply and issue ship under TG 51.19 (R.Adm. Sowell), TF 51 redesignated TF 31 during the period, and earlier under TU 51.22.3 (Capt. Brereton, ComLSTFlot 21); issued cargo to ships and boats by crawler crane, issued fresh water, and took on 100,000 gallons of diesel for reissue. Statistics 22 May - 21 June: 58 general-quarters alerts, fire on five enemy planes, 246 rounds 40-mm and 195 rounds 20-mm expended, no personnel casualties, three typhoon evasions; materiel issued included 1,265 drums fog oil, 325 drums mogas, 14 fog generators, 250 smoke floats, and 75,000 gallons diesel. The report notes Okinawa was declared secured by CTF 31 on 21 June 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-05-07 to 1945-06-25

   Population

   Crew; embarked tug crew and transient cargo personnel

   Limitations

   Primary operational record; documents the smoke-supply/fleet-issue function and corroborates the Flotilla 21 chain in NavSource's administrative listing (ComLSTFlot 21, Capt. Brereton). No asbestos, insulation, or material content; documents that this hull's Okinawa service included both assault-phase combat damage/casualties (ev-06) and a materiel-issue anchorage role.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-07

8. [8]NARA RG 38, USS LST-939 War Diary, 10/1-31/45 (NAID 77567679, Roll A1954) - ship-produced record, digitized, both pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77567679 images 0584-0585 (catalog.archives.gov/id/77567679); October daily entries

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's October 1945 war diary (serial 022-45, dated 31 October 1945, signed A. H. Hubbard) documents post-surrender operations: continued as Eastern Okinawa smoke-material storage and issue ship under ComServDiv 104 (cargo inventory 2,100 drums fog oil, 180 smoke floats, 33 fog generators on tank deck; 1,820 smoke pots on main deck); typhoon evasions at sea 1 October and 7-10 October under SOPA Eastern Okinawa Typhoon Plan 2-45 (XRAY-West and XRAY-East); returned to Buckner Bay 11 October with slight damage - 'entire ship structure loosened and shaken up by pounding, two radio whip aerials broken, truck ramp canvas hatch cover split, main deck stripped to bare metal by elastic rippling of plates, various pipes cracked in hull and engine spaces'; secured from smoke duty 14 October; unloaded all cargo at Gushikawa Beach, Chimu Wan, 15-16 October; operated 18-31 October at Buckner Bay as Eastern Okinawa fleet freight storage and issue ship. Diary copy-furnished to ComLSTGroup 62.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-10-01 to 1945-10-31

   Population

   Crew; fleet units drawing smoke and freight materiel

   Limitations

   Ship-produced primary record; the 11 October entry documents storm damage to hull pipes and engine-space piping (material condition, not content - no asbestos or insulation material is identified). Occupation-period tasking corroborates DANFS's 'occupation duty in the Far East.' No November 1945 - June 1946 diary was read this session; digitized diaries located through October 1945.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-08

9. [9]NARA catalog search '"LST-939"' (150 file-unit results) plus Special List No. 44 by ship number [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov result list for "LST-939"; NAID 126610775 record page (322 images); sl-44-ship-number.pdf LST-939 rows (9/14/1944 - 6/30/1945)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA catalog holdings for this hull: eleven digitized monthly war-diary file units spanning 14 September 1944 - 31 October 1945 (NAIDs 139799207, 139841208, 139900052, 633401256, 139980610, 140053094, 101726957, 101773354, 83558678, 77532853, 77567679), two digitized action reports (NAIDs 101744132 and 101748320), and a 322-image file unit titled 'LST-939, 9/14/44-6/22/46' (NAID 126610775, Ancestry-provided images) whose date span matches the ship's commissioning-to-decommissioning active-service period - consistent with personnel/muster-roll coverage; contents not inspected. NARA Special List No. 44 separately indexes LST-939 logbook coverage 14 September 1944 - 30 June 1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1946 subject window

   Population

   Crew and embarked personnel (record-subject population)

   Limitations

   Index/holdings-level finding: establishes that extensive ship-produced records exist and are digitized (war diaries, action reports, and a service-spanning 322-image file unit), not their full contents. Five of the thirteen digitized files were read page-by-page this session; the November 1945 - June 1946 inactivation window and the muster-type file's contents were not inspected. No asbestos content in the records read.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-09

10. [10]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945), construction and machinery tables (shipscribe.com scan, live HTTP 200 verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]

    Locator

    SDB-1945 v2 construction table (LST939 row under Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham ditto) and machinery table (LST932-979 row, 'G. M. Diesel, 12-278A'); NavSource spec block for contrast

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Primary-source spec correction and corroboration: the BuShips Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945) construction table lists LST-939 under the 'Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.' builder ditto-chain with keel laid 21 July 1944, launched 23 August 1944, and first commissioned 14 September 1944 - matching DANFS; the same volume's machinery table assigns the LST932-979 hull block, which contains this hull, two 'G. M. Diesel, 12-278A' engines at 1,700 shp, while NavSource's page for this hull prints the class-standard spec block ('two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines'). The BuShips table is the design authority for the block; NavSource's block is boilerplate printed across LST-542-class pages.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1944-1945

    Population

    Engine-room crew (spec relevance)

    Limitations

    Corrects the secondary spec block against the primary design table and independently corroborates builder and milestone dates. Which engine was physically installed in this specific hull is a block-level attribution (LST932-979), not hull-inspected; whether any post-delivery engine change occurred is undocumented. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-10

11. [11]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data Book 1945 v2 machinery table; NavSource spec block for this hull's page; LST-1-class batch class profile (lst-1-class.class.json); GAO HRD-80-2 and NARA asbestos-research guide (ev-12, ev-13) [other_primary]

    Locator

    BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery table; NavSource specifications block; class profile design data; GAO program context

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era/design inference only: a diesel-powered LST-542-class tank landing ship built July-September 1944 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a diesel amphibious hull of this period were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, electrical insulation and cable, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, valve packing, and brake/friction linings on winches and windlass. The diesel plant means no boilers and no boiler/turbine lagging pathway.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1944-1948

    Population

    Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-46); Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth workers (October 1944 availability)

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-939. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity and no manufacturer attribution. Diesel propulsion narrows but does not eliminate the era pathway. The documented October 1945 storm damage to hull/engine-space piping (ev-08) does not establish that any damaged material contained asbestos.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-11

12. [12]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 Highlights (full report PDF not retrieved)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos, and compensation programs; the product page documents that the Navy's 1975 policy removed/replaced insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - spanning a service era that postdates this hull's 1944 construction and 1944-46 U.S. service.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1979 (report); WWII-1970s use era

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The ship's own war diary documents a 4-8 October 1944 repair/alteration period at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth - a yard GAO studied decades later - but the GAO report makes no ship-specific statement about LST-939.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-12

13. [13]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (official research guide, live page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov guided-topic page, 'Beginning Research' and RG 19 correspondence sections

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA's official guide 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' confirms that asbestos use in U.S. Navy materiel 1941-1961 is a documented research subject and maps where hull-level asbestos evidence would live: RG 19 Bureau of Ships general/confidential/secret correspondence filed by hull designation (an 'LST939' file code for this hull and 'LST542 Class' for the class) and QM-prefixed correspondence with the private builder yard (QM/Bethlehem-Hingham or equivalent). Provides the archival pathway for any future ship-specific asbestos documentation of this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1941-1961 subject window

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers and crew (research-population framing)

    Limitations

    Research-guide framing only - it establishes that asbestos in Navy materiel 1941-1961 is a documented topic and where the records sit; it does not state what, if anything, exists under this hull's file codes. No ship-specific asbestos finding is implied.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-13

14. [14]NHHC photographic catalog NH 79688 (live page, verified 2026-10-03) vs NavSource LST-939 page photo caption [museum_official]

    Locator

    NHHC NH 79688 catalog entry title/caption vs NavSource 10/16/160939.htm photo table row 6

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Photo-attribution conflict flagged: NavSource's LST-939 page captions a photograph 'USS LST-939 under way in San Francisco Bay, circa early 1946' and attributes it to 'US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 79688, courtesy D.M. McPherson, 1974.' The live NHHC catalog entry for NH 79688 instead titles that catalog number 'USS YMS-164,' captioned 'In San Francisco Bay, 1945-1946. This ship became USS BOBOLINK (AMS/MSCO-2) in 1947,' with the same D.M. McPherson 1974 provenance. The shared provenance makes a catalog-number mix-up plausible, but the two sources identify different vessels for NH 79688; the image's correct subject is unresolved.

    Verification

    disputed

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1945-1946 (photo subject window)

    Limitations

    Neither source inspected the physical negative; the NHHC catalog controls the NH numbering and titles NH 79688 as YMS-164. NavSource may have cited the wrong NH number for a genuine LST-939 photo, or republished a YMS-164 image misidentified. Flagged so the San Francisco Bay image is not cited as verified LST-939. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-14

15. [15]Will Buckley, 'The Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in World War II,' Naval History Magazine (U.S. Naval Institute), June 2021 - builder-yard history (live page, verified 2026-10-03) [reputable_press]

    Locator

    USNI Naval History, June 2021 issue article

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Documented builder-yard context: the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard at Hingham MA operated December 1941-1945 as a purpose-built ~150-acre Bethlehem Steel yard; workforce peaked above 23,500 daily; set records including a destroyer escort built in 23 days and 'five landing ship tanks in 50 hours'; received the Army-Navy 'E' Award. Establishes the high-rate wartime production environment in which this hull was built (DANFS and the BuShips construction table tie the hull to the yard).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1941-1945

    Population

    Bethlehem-Hingham construction workforce (1941-45)

    Limitations

    Yard-level context; does not name LST-939 (DANFS ties this hull to the yard) and contains no asbestos or material-content information. Published scholarship in the Naval Institute's magazine - reputable secondary source, not a primary record.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-15

16. [16]Batch-7482 source review and search ledger: live DANFS, live NavSource, NARA RG 38 war diaries + action reports (22 images read), NARA catalog holdings survey, NARA SL-44, BuShips SDB via shipscribe, NHHC photo catalog, NARA asbestos research guide, GAO product page, USNI, shipbuildinghistory secondary table; authenticated CourtListener helper attempt; class-level sweep result (lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-04) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-939-lst939-01 through -13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located in the public sources searched: the live DANFS entry, live NavSource hull page, the ship's own digitized NARA war diaries (Sep-Dec 1944 and October 1945 read in full) and both digitized Okinawa action reports contain no asbestos, survey, abatement, hazmat, or insulation-material disclosure for LST-939; the CourtListener litigation sweep could not be run because the fleet-shared daily API quota was exhausted at research time (helper returned stand-down, ~7.4 h reset); the earlier class-level CourtListener sweep located no asbestos docket naming any LST hull (only an incidental 'USS LST 579' mention inside a reunion-notice exhibit in Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y.).

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    2026-10-03

    Limitations

    Negative finding about records located, not proof that asbestos was absent. CourtListener coverage for this hull is a gap, not a result: the daily quota was exhausted before any query completed, so no litigation conclusion should be drawn. A 1944 hull in continuous service through 1946 is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials; the ship was scrapped, so no in-situ survey pathway exists.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-16

17. [17]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-939 entry (live official Navy page) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    Live DANFS LST-939 page, opening paragraph

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The live official DANFS entry states that LST-939 was laid down on 21 July 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 23 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. William Lovett; and commissioned on 14 September 1944.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1944

    Population

    Bethlehem-Hingham construction workers and initial Navy crew

    Limitations

    Establishes identity and construction milestones only; the entry names the sponsor as 'Mrs. William Lovett' (NavSource's launch-photo caption identifies her as Mrs. Margaret Lovett, wife of shipyard employee William Lovett). The entry contains no asbestos, material, survey, or exposure information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-939-lst939-01