Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[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-940-lst940-pkt-837-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-940 - construction, WWII campaigns, occupation/China service, disposal, battle stars (archived NHHC page, Wayback capture 2024-12-09; live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative (verbatim text above)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-940 was laid down on 25 July 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 26 August 1944; and commissioned on 20 September 1944. During World War II, LST-940 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima in February 1945 and the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945. Following the war, she performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until early April 1946. Upon her return to the United States, she was decommissioned on 13 July 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 28 August that same year. On 13 June 1948, the ship was sold to the Walter W. Johnson Co. for scrapping. LST-940 earned two battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops; shipbreakers at buyer's yard (1948)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history only; contains no asbestos or material-content information. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-10-03 (both /content/history/nhhc/... and /research/histories/... paths) - the archived Wayback capture is cited and labeled as archived, per citation-hygiene rules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945) - per-hull LST roster row plus LST932-979 design-block rows (shipscribe.com scan, live text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 v2, LST roster p.186-187 (row 'LST940 ... Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass. ... 25 Jul 44 ... 26 Aug 44 ... 20 Sept 44') and LST design table pp.168-169 (LST932-979 rows)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips roster row for this hull: builder 'Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.'; keel laid 25 Jul 44; launched 26 Aug 44; date of first commission 20 Sept 44 - matching DANFS and NavSource. Design-table rows for the LST932-979 builder block (which contains this hull): 328'0" o.a., 316'0" waterline, 50'0" extreme beam; 2,366 t light, 4,080 t limiting-draft, 3,960 t trial displacement; 11.6 kt trial speed; 2 x G.M. Diesel 12-278A engines, 1,700 shp; single Falk main reduction gears; 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V D.C. ship's service generators; fuel 4,320 bbls diesel oil; accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted; armament 2 twin + 4 single 40-mm A.A. mounts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel Co. Hingham construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- The roster line is hull-serial-specific (builder, keel, launch, commission); the design-table data is BLOCK-level - the official design spec for hulls LST932-979 as a group, not a hull-serial-specific survey of No. 940. Contains no asbestos or material-content information. Citation URL differs from the class-profile's previously used path (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf now 404s; the file lives at /pubs/ - verified live 2026-10-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-02
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[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-940 - unit assignments, campaign/medal tables, specifications, photo captions, commanding-officer list (live page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160940.htm - header block, campaign/medal tables, specifications block, photo captions (NH 84707), commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 25 July 1944 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA; launched 26 August 1944; commissioned USS LST-940, 20 September 1944, Gerald F. Leedy USN in command; call sign NVTR. Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LST Flotilla Twenty-One (CAPT. W.H. Brereton USN), LST Group Sixty-Two (CDR. W.M. Gillett USN), LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Four. Campaigns: Iwo Jima operation 19-28 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto operation 1-14 April 1945. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 23 Sep-26 Oct 1945 and 18 Nov 1945-10 Apr 1946; China Service Medal (extended) 18 Nov 1945-10 Apr 1946. Decommissioned 13 July 1946; struck from the Naval Register 28 August 1946; two battle stars; sold for scrapping 13 June 1948 to Walter W. Johnson Co. CO list: LT. Gerald Floyd Leedy USN (20 Sep 1944-Mar 1946); LTjg. R. F. Hockswender USNR (Mar 1946-13 Jul 1946). Photo captions document the hull entering and at anchor in San Francisco Bay in 1946 with LCT-1126 on her main deck, one captioned 'US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 84707'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Crew (1944-46); embarked troops; Walter W. Johnson Co. shipbreakers (1948)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation tracking NVR/DANFS - not a primary registry. Its generic LST-542 specifications block for this page carries 'two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines', which conflicts with the official BuShips block table (12-278A for hulls 932-979) - treated as a carried correction/gap, not adopted. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-03
-
[5]Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio), 'WWII steered ship through Panama Canal' - veteran profile of crew member Vaughn Deal (full text retrieved live via firecrawl scrape 2026-10-03; direct fetch returned HTTP 429 bot-throttle) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Springfield News-Sun article body (paragraphs on enlistment, LST-940 assignment, Panama Canal transit, Iwo Jima/Okinawa)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Named crew member documented aboard this hull: boatswain's mate Vaughn Deal enlisted at Toledo in 1943 at age 18, trained at Great Lakes, and was assigned to 'Landing Ship Tank - LST-940', standing the wheel in the wheelhouse. Per his account: the new ship transited to the Pacific via the Panama Canal (a two-day lock passage he steered), trained out of Pearl Harbor, 'loaded with supplies for Midway', then carried tanks to the battleground islands; he steered her to the beaches at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and recalls Japanese aircraft over the beaches. The article confirms two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (events); profile undated (post-Veterans Day, circa 2013-2020)
- Population
- BM Vaughn Deal; LST-940 crew (1944-45)
- Limitations
- A veteran's oral recollection published decades later in a local newspaper feature - not an official record; transit/itinerary details (Panama Canal, Midway supply run) rest on this single press source and are not corroborated by DANFS or NavSource beyond the campaign overlap. Establishes presence and deck-level service only - it is NOT an exposure record and makes no exposure claim for this or any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery data for the 932-979 block (diesel plant, no boiler column entries - steam-plant columns populate only the turbine LST-1153+ rows); LST-1-class profile era-standard application list (class profile lst-1-class, ev-lst-1-class-03); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB-1945 v2 design table (932-979 machinery row); lst-1-class profile ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built July-September 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a diesel LST of this design block were: GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel hull she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/main-steam lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; exposure relevance concentrates in machinery spaces and interior finishes.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); shipbreakers (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work record located for LST-940. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution; no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-05
-
[7]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, HTTP 403)
- 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 entire construction (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- 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 (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-06
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[8]Batch-7483 search ledger (this record): DANFS via archived NHHC page; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 full text; NavSource live; NVR; NARA catalog; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; veteran press profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-940-lst940-01 through -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-940 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported daily-quota exhaustion (~7.3 h to reset, 2026-10-03); logged as blocked in search_ledger, NOT as a negative result. A class-level CourtListener sweep run for the LST class profile (2026-09-16) surfaced only an incidental reunion-notice mention of a different hull (LST-579, Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard/at this ship or yard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesotheliomaveterans.org, mesothelioma.net, and similar listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - 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 - and the litigation-repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run for this hull). Deck logs (NARA RG 24), BuShips work packages, and any 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-940-lst940-07
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[9]Date cross-check: DANFS service narrative (archived NHHC); NavSource timeline and commanding-officer table; Wikipedia USS LST-940 (secondary) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS LST-940 service-history paragraph vs infobox; DANFS narrative; NavSource 10/16/160940.htm timeline + CO table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: Wikipedia's narrative text states 'she was decommissioned on 31 July 1946'; both authoritative sources - DANFS ('decommissioned on 13 July 1946') and NavSource ('Decommissioned, 13 July 1946', corroborated by its commanding-officer table ending LTjg. Hockswender's tenure 13 July 1946) - give 13 July 1946, and Wikipedia's own infobox agrees with 13 July. The narrative figure is a transcription slip. DANFS date carried in this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating date error in a secondary source; not a material or asbestos claim. Wikipedia is not cited as a record source - it is the object of the correction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-08
-
[10]Propulsion cross-check: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 official design table (block-specific) vs NavSource generic class specifications block [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB-1945 v2 LST design table machinery column ('LST932-979 ... 2 G.M. Diesel, 12-278A ... 1,700'); NavSource 10/16/160940.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's specifications block on this hull's page repeats the class-generic machinery line 'two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines'. The official BuShips design table assigns the LST932-979 builder block - which contains LST-940 - the engine variant '2 G.M. Diesel 12-278A, 1,700 shp' (the same table assigns 12-567A to most other LST blocks). BuShips is the block-specific official source and is carried; the NavSource figure is a generic template value, not block-specific.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Engine-room ratings (1944-46)
- Limitations
- The BuShips attribution resolves at block level (hulls 932-979), not at hull-serial level - but hull No. 940 falls unambiguously inside that block. No asbestos claim attaches to the engine model itself; the correction matters because it fixes which machinery spec this hull's asbestos-relevant inference (exhaust lagging, gaskets) hangs from.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-09
-
[11]Archival leads: NHHC photograph NH 84707 (NavSource caption, 'US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 84707', LST-940 at anchor San Francisco Bay 1946 with LCT-1126); NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS LST-940 (1944-46) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160940.htm photo table (NH 84707 caption); NARA RG 24 (lead)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: (1) NHHC photo NH 84707 - the hull at anchor in San Francisco Bay, 1946, LCT-1126 on deck (caption transcribed in NavSource); the live NHHC photo-page URL pattern returned 404 this session, so the photo itself is unverified beyond the caption. (2) NARA RG 24 deck logs for LST-940 (1944-46) should exist at College Park - digitization unverified (catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and could not be independently queried). Neither is an asbestos record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - presence/identity documentation, not work or material records. No asbestos content in either lead as located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-940-lst940-10