USS LST-942

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-942-lst942-pkt-837-packet-md

2. [2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-942 entry (live official Navy page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Live DANFS LST-942 page, service and disposition paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The live official DANFS entry states that during World War II LST-942 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the Visayan Islands landings in April 1945; that following the war she performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-February 1946; that she returned to the United States, was decommissioned on 26 June 1946, and struck from the Navy list on 31 July that same year; and that on 10 June 1948 the ship was sold to the Humble Oil & Refining Co., of Houston, Tex., for operation. DANFS credits LST-942 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 campaign at month granularity (April 1945) and does not name the decommissioning site. Battle-star count conflicts with NavSource's two-star display - flagged in gaps. DANFS contains no asbestos or material information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-942 page (last updated 8 December 2017) [museum_official]

   Locator

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

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource's live LST-942 page records: commissioned 26 September 1944 with LT. Herbert F. Austin Jr., USNR, in command; administrative assignment to LST Flotilla Twenty-Four, LST Group Seventy; Asiatic-Pacific campaign credits 'Consolidation and capture of the Southern Philippines - Visayan Islands landings, 16 to 18 April 1945' and 'Borneo operations - Brunei Bay operation, 10 to 12 June 1945'; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods in the Far East of 2-29 September 1945, 28 October - 28 November 1945, 17-31 December 1945, and 30 January - 23 February 1946; decommissioned 26 June 1946; struck from the Naval Register 31 July 1946; 'two battle star' for WWII service; call sign NVTV; sold 10 June 1948 to Humble Oil & Refining Co., Houston, TX, for operation. Commanding-officer table: LT. Herbert F. Austin Jr. USNR (26 September 1944 - December 1945); LTjg. Robert MacLaren Babcock USNR (December 1945 - 26 June 1946). Contributed photo captions document the hull underway soon after completion (NARA photo 80-G-K-2239, color), beached at Manila probably 20-30 March 1945, and at Brown Beach, Brunei Bay, 10-12 June 1945 delivering elements of the RAAF 4th Airfield Construction Battalion.

   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 'two battle star' line conflicts with DANFS's one-star credit; both campaigns listed are corroborated by ship/group-produced records (ev-05 through ev-08). NARA photo number 80-G-K-2239 is carried as NavSource's attribution, not independently verified against the NARA catalog. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-942 specifications block [museum_official]

   Locator

   Live page, Specifications section

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NavSource's specifications block for LST-942 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-942-lst942-10. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 gives 106 enlisted (vs 104 here) - variant unresolved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-04

5. [5]NARA RG 38, COM LST GR 70 - War Diary, LST 942, 9/26/44 to 3/31/45 (NAID 101778293, Roll A1793) - ship-produced consolidated war diary, digitized, all 10 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101778293 images 1040-1049 (catalog.archives.gov/id/101778293); September 1944 - March 1945 entries

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own consolidated war diary (serial 0224, dated 1 August 1945, filed within the Commander LST Group SEVENTY submission and signed D.P. Stickley) documents commissioning-to-Philippines transit: commissioned at Hingham Yard, Hingham, Mass., 26 September 1944, Lt.(jg) Herbert F. Austin Jr., USNR, commanding; loaded supplies, fuel and ammunition at Pier 5, Boston, 27 September - 1 October; underway 2-4 October for Little Creek, Va. (ComFIRSTNavDistrict Op-Order 379-44), test-firing all guns and testing anchor cable, stern winch and pyrotechnics; shakedown in Chesapeake Bay 5-15 October (maneuvers, firing, beaching); post-shakedown availability at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va., 16-20 October - bottom scraped and painted in drydock No. 6, seven tanks loaded from LCTs; Annapolis 21 October; BuShips standardization trials in Chesapeake Bay 22-24 October with a BuShips party under Captain Murphy, USN, aboard; beached at Bradford Beach 25 October to discharge Army tanks and crew, then to Norfolk Navy Yard Pier 6 for 25-26 October; underway 27-29 October for New York, moored alongside LST 566 at Pier 51, North River; moved to Pier 3, Bush Terminal, Brooklyn, 30 October - 3 November to load creosoted pilings; Convoy NG 47 New York to Guantanamo 7-13 November; Guantanamo 14-15 November (loaded crated paravanes and aircraft engines for San Diego); Convoy GZ 103 to the Canal Zone 16-18 November, moored alongside LST 943 at Coco Solo; at Coco Solo 19 November 1944 - 10 January 1945, during which LST-942 was rammed in the stern by LST 786 and her No. 6 gun tub damage was repaired in the Canal Zone; underway 11 January - 10 February 1945 Canal Zone to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides (air firing on a sleeve target: 1,532 rounds 40-mm, 2,920 rounds 20-mm, 500 rounds .30 cal expended); at Palekulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, 11-15 February (beached, loaded mail and machinery spares); departed 15 February for Seeadler Harbor, Admiralty Islands; at Seeadler 23 February - 1 March, including drydocking in ARD-20 on 24 February - bottom scraped and painted and stern tubes packed; sailed 2 March for Hollandia, New Guinea, with 13 officers and 74 enlisted naval passengers for lift to Leyte; Humboldt Bay/Hollandia 4-8 March (35 enlisted passengers embarked); entered Leyte Gulf 16 March, ordered into the Manila convoy (11 officer passengers discharged to SC 518); convoy to Manila 17-19 March (enemy submarine sighted by LST 614 on 17 March); Manila Bay 20-30 March - discharged cargo, mail and passengers, loaded mail for Subic Bay, and unloaded the creosoted pilings brought from New York; underway 31 March for Subic Bay, anchored Berth 97.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-09-26 to 1945-04-01

   Population

   Crew; embarked Army/LCT passengers and naval passengers; Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth workers during the October 1944 availability; Canal Zone repair workers (Nov-Dec 1944); Seeadler Harbor ARD-20 drydock workers (Feb 1945)

   Limitations

   Ship-produced primary record of movements, yard periods, and loads. Documents TWO exposure-relevant availabilities on this hull - Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth drydock 16-20 October 1944 (bottom scraped/painted, tank loading) plus a second Norfolk yard period 25-26 October, and ARD-20 drydocking at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, 24 February 1945 (bottom scraped/painted, stern tubes packed) - plus a stern-collision repair in the Canal Zone after being rammed by LST 786. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or material content. Position-table pages carry no narrative. Passenger counts are the diary's own figures.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-05

6. [6]NARA RG 38, COM LST GR 70 - War Diary, 4/1-30/45 (NAID 101775959, Roll A1791) - group-level ship-produced record containing per-day movement entries for this hull, digitized, all 15 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101775959 images 0397-0411 (catalog.archives.gov/id/101775959); daily entries 1-30 April 1945

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The Commander LST Group SEVENTY war diary for April 1945 (serial 00225, dated 1 May 1945) documents this hull's Visayan/Southern Philippines campaign movements: LST Group SEVENTY comprised LSTs 597 (group flagship), 640 (flotilla flagship), 806, 941, and 942, assigned to LST Flotilla TWENTY FOUR, SEVENTH Amphibious Force; on 1 April LST-942 was at Subic Bay, Luzon, where she moved alongside USS STAG to take on water; on 3 April she retracted from a sand bar at Subic Bay with the aid of USA Tug 109 and LST 562, made a new beaching, loaded seven Army trucks and drivers, and sailed in convoy for Mangarin Bay, Mindoro; she entered Mangarin Bay 5 April and on 6 April beached in Slot 13 and discharged the seven trucks and drivers; on 14 April she loaded a pontoon causeway on her port side and at 1126 sailed with the Zamboanga convoy per ComPhibGroupEIGHT Op-Plan 4-45 of 7 April; on 16 April LSTs 806 and 942 of the Zamboanga Attack Group arrived in Basilan Strait and LST-942 anchored with the main unit at 1220 off Santa Cruz Island; on 17 April both ships were 'participating in the initial assault on ZAMBOANGA, MINDANAO' (LST-806 beached at Point Bares; LST-942 remained at anchor off Santa Cruz Island); on 18 April both were 'participating in the ZAMBOANGA assault'; on 20-21 April LST-942 was at Polloc Harbor, Parang, Mindanao, where she released her pontoon causeway, moored to the jetty at Parang, and discharged cargo, completing unloading at 1700 on 21 April and retracting to join convoy V-6 of TU 78.2 for Mangarin Bay; she arrived Mangarin Bay 24 April and moored alongside USS STAG for fresh water, then received CTU 78.2.22 orders to join the Mindanao convoy (LST-942 empty, having just returned from Mindanao) and sailed in TU 78.2.22 Mindoro to Polloc Harbor, Mindanao.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-04-01 to 1945-04-30

   Population

   Crew; embarked Army troops and vehicle drivers; pontoon-causeway and jetty cargo handlers at Parang

   Limitations

   Group-level primary record naming this hull in per-day entries; corroborates the NavSource 'Visayan Islands landings, 16-18 April 1945' campaign window as the Zamboanga assault-group operation (the diary has 942 anchored off Santa Cruz Island on 17-18 April while LST-806 beached at Point Bares), and the follow-on Parang/Polloc Harbor discharge 20-21 April. No asbestos, insulation, or material content. Some entries' OCR legibility is poor; dates/positions transcribed conservatively.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-06

7. [7]NARA RG 38, COM LST GR 70 - War Diary, 5/1-31/45 (NAID 83527424, Roll A1810) - group-level ship-produced record with per-day movement entries for this hull, digitized, all 9 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 83527424 images 0675-0683 (catalog.archives.gov/id/83527424); daily entries 1-31 May 1945

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The Commander LST Group SEVENTY war diary for May 1945 documents this hull's staging for the Brunei operation: LSTs 806 and 942 transited Mindanao, P.I. to Morotai, N.E.I. in Task Unit 78.2.32 in the opening days of May; departed Morotai for Biak in Convoy GB756; arrived at Biak and beached at LST Beach, Sorido Lagoon, where both ships completed loading RAAF personnel and cargo; got underway from Sorido Lagoon on the evening of 10 May (1920) in convoy for Morotai; arrived Morotai 13 May at about 0830; and remained at anchor in Galela Bay, Morotai, through the end of May (taking on fresh water and frozen provisions) staging for the operation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-05-01 to 1945-05-31

   Population

   Crew; RAAF 4th Airfield Construction Battalion personnel embarked at Biak

   Limitations

   Group-level primary record naming this hull in per-day entries; corroborates the ship's own action report (ev-08) on the Biak embarkation of the RAAF 4th Airfield Construction Battalion and the 13 May return to Morotai. No asbestos, insulation, or material content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-07

8. [8]NARA RG 38, USS LST-942 - Report of operations in the assault landings in the Brunei Bay Area, Borneo, 6/10-12/45 (NAID 77501809, Roll A1883) - ship-produced action report, digitized, all 3 pages read [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77501809 images 0295-0297 (catalog.archives.gov/id/77501809); transmittal letter plus Action Report narrative paragraphs 1-4

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-produced action report (serial 047-45, dated 19 June 1945, signed LT. Herbert F. Austin Jr., USNR, commanding officer) documents this hull in the OBOE SIX Operation, Brunei Bay, North Borneo: attached to TG 78.1 under CTU 78.1.16 on 2 May 1945 at Morotai; ordered to Biak, N.N.G., where she embarked 61 vehicles, 20 tons of bulk cargo, and 177 personnel of the RAAF 4th Airfield Construction Battalion, returning to Morotai 13 May; additional RAAF personnel embarked at Morotai brought the load to 18 officers and 276 enlisted, 61 vehicles (380 tons) and 20 tons bulk cargo; got underway from Morotai 4 June 1945 in Echelon O-6-D, arriving Brunei Bay about 0500 on 10 June; anchored in the transport area at 0640 while Brown Beach was shelled and assault waves landed; at 0650 on 10 June a bomb was seen to explode near a destroyer about 100 deg T, 2,500 yards distant, and several ships opened AA fire; at 1830 received orders and beached in Slot 11 on Brown Beach 2 at 1932 heading 008 deg T, opening bow doors and ramp; after two bulldozers landed successfully the next two vehicles stalled in high water, the ship closed the ramp, emptied ballast tanks and drove farther up the beach; ordered to stop unloading and remain on the beach; retracted at 0822 on 11 June, re-beached at 0938 and resumed unloading with LCMs; retracted 1415 with less than 20 percent of cargo unloaded, LCMs continuing at anchorage; beached again at 1757, completed unloading at 2245, retracted 2352, anchored in stream 0019 on 12 June; got underway 1600 on 12 June with convoy for Morotai.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1945-05-02 to 1945-06-19

   Population

   Crew; embarked RAAF 4th Airfield Construction Battalion (18 officers, 276 enlisted); beach/landing-craft cargo handlers at Brown Beach, Labuan

   Limitations

   Primary operational record documenting this hull's beaching, ballast, and ramp operations and embarked RAAF complement at Labuan's Brown Beach - personnel-exposure-relevant detail, but a war-function document with no asbestos, insulation, or material content. The report's own load summary is 18 officers/276 enlisted RAAF; the report's narrative first gives 177 personnel embarked at Biak before the Morotai topping-off.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-08

9. [9]NARA catalog search '"LST-942"' (270 file-unit results) plus Special List No. 44 by ship number [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov result list for "LST-942"; NAID 126610027 record page (339 images); sl-44-ship-number.pdf LST-942 row (9/26/1944 - 6/30/1945)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NARA catalog holdings for this hull: a 339-image file unit titled 'LST-942, 9/26/44-6/1/46' (NAID 126610027, RG 24 Muster Rolls, Roll 4986) whose date span matches the ship's commissioning-to-decommissioning active-service period - consistent with personnel/muster-roll coverage, contents not inspected; the ship's consolidated war diary 9/26/44-3/31/45 within the COM LST GR 70 submission (NAID 101778293); monthly COM LST GR 70 war diaries containing per-day LST-942 entries (April 1945 NAID 101775959; May 1945 NAID 83527424; June 1945 NAID 83561438; September 1944-January 1945 group diary NAID 139868624; February 1945 group diary NAID 139920572); and the ship's own Brunei Bay action report (NAID 77501809). NARA Special List No. 44 separately indexes LST-942 deck-log coverage 26 September 1944 - 30 June 1945. The catalog query '"LST-942"' returned 270 file-unit results, most being incidental mentions inside other units' records and LST-902 logbook image-ID collisions.

   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 ship-produced records exist and are digitized (consolidated war diary, group diaries, action report, service-spanning muster file), not their full contents. Four of the digitized files were read page-by-page this session (28 images); the June 1945 group diary, the September 1944-February 1945 group diary parts, and the 339-image muster-type file were not inspected. No asbestos content in the records read.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-09

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 (LST942 row under the Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham ditto block) 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-942 under the 'Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.' builder ditto-chain with keel laid 1 August 1944, launched 6 September 1944, and first commissioned 26 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-942-lst942-10

11. [11]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - LST-942, Ship History Detail 9567, including digitized vessel status card 4C9_01.png [marad_nrc]

    Locator

    vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/9567; status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/4C9_01.png

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    MARAD Vessel History Database record for LST-942 (Detail 9567) is a bare stub - every data field blank or the 9999 year placeholder, no narrative, no milestones, fate field 'Sold - No Further Info' - but the attached digitized Vessel Status Card (cards/4C9_01.png) documents the disposal channel: headed 'VESSEL STATUS CARD' for 'LST 942' under 'Navy Surplus', location line 'Suisun Bay', operator line 'Sold to Humble Oil & Refining Co. Sp Act '36', delivered 6/10/48. The card corroborates DANFS's 10 June 1948 sale to Humble Oil & Refining and adds a Suisun Bay lay-up location not stated by DANFS or NavSource.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-03

    Study period

    1946-1948

    Limitations

    Authoritative for government custody/disposal milestones. The card's 'Sp Act '36' notation is transcribed as written; it appears to reference the governing 1936 disposal authority but the exact statutory cite is not resolved. Suisun Bay is stated on the card as a location line, consistent with Pacific reserve-fleet lay-up, but the card does not state a decommissioning site and the card gives no post-delivery commercial fate. No asbestos or materials content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-11

12. [12]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-13, ev-14) [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 August-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); Canal Zone repair workers; Seeadler Harbor ARD-20 drydock workers (February 1945)

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-942. 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 yard/drydock events (Norfolk Navy Yard Oct 1944; Canal Zone collision repair; ARD-20 Seeadler Feb 1945) do not establish that any worked material contained asbestos.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-12

13. [13]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 blocked to automated fetch; Highlights verified via Firecrawl)

    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 16-20 October 1944 drydock availability and a 25-26 October yard period at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth - one of the two yards GAO studied decades later - but the GAO report makes no ship-specific statement about LST-942.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-13

14. [14]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 'LST942' 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-942-lst942-14

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); shipbuildinghistory.com yard history paragraph for acreage/ways/funding detail [reputable_press]

    Locator

    USNI Naval History, June 2021 issue article; https://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/bethhingham.htm yard paragraph

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Documented builder-yard context: the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard at Hingham MA was a purpose-built ~150-acre Bethlehem Steel yard operating December 1941-1945, funded with $35 million in Navy money, with 16 ways, managed by the Bethlehem Quincy yard, and employing more than 23,000 people daily at peak (over 2,700 women). 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-942 (DANFS ties this hull to the yard) and contains no asbestos or material-content information. Published scholarship in the Naval Institute's magazine plus a secondary yard-history paragraph - reputable secondary sources, not primary records.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-15

16. [16]Batch-7485 source review and search ledger: live DANFS, live NavSource, NARA RG 38 ship war diary + group diaries + action report (37 images read), NARA catalog holdings survey, NARA SL-44, BuShips SDB via shipscribe, MARAD Detail 9567 + status card, NARA asbestos research guide, GAO product page, USNI, shipbuildinghistory secondary table; authenticated CourtListener helper attempt; class-level sweep result (lst-1-class.class.json sl-lst-1-class-05) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-942-lst942-01 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 consolidated war diary (10 pages read), two digitized COM LST GR 70 monthly war diaries naming this hull (24 pages read), the ship's own digitized Brunei Bay action report (3 pages read), the MARAD detail page and vessel status card, and the BuShips SDB construction/machinery tables contain no asbestos, survey, abatement, hazmat, or insulation-material disclosure for LST-942; the CourtListener litigation sweep could not be run because the fleet-shared daily API quota was exhausted at research time (authenticated helper returned stand-down, ~7.3 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 sold into commercial service in 1948 and its fate thereafter is undocumented, so no in-situ survey pathway is established.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-16

17. [17]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-942 entry (live official Navy page) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    Live DANFS LST-942 page, opening paragraph

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The live official DANFS entry states that LST-942 was laid down on 1 August 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 6 September 1944; and commissioned on 26 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 contains no asbestos, material, survey, or exposure information. The ship's own war diary (ev-05) records her commanding officer at commissioning as Lt.(jg) Herbert F. Austin Jr., USNR.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lst-942-lst942-01