Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 838-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-947-lst947-pkt-838-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-947 - construction at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham MA; commissioning; Okinawa Gunto campaign; occupation duty; decommissioning, striking, and 1947 sale (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03 via Firecrawl) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative, LST-947 entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'laid down on 18 August 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 23 September 1944; and commissioned on 15 October 1944, Lt. Rudolph Siemsson in command.' Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945. Post-war occupation duty in the Far East until early July 1946; decommissioned 16 August 1946; struck from the Navy list 15 October 1946; sold to Bosey, Philippines, on 5 December 1947. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS's laid-down date (18 August 1944) conflicts with NavSource and the builder-derived shipbuildinghistory table (both 15 August 1944) - unresolved, see gaps. DANFS's CO name spelling 'Siemsson' conflicts with 'Siemssen' in the NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document and NavSource - unresolved, see gaps. DANFS does not name a class in this entry's prose; class assignment (LST-542) comes from NavSource header and standard references.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-947 (10/16/160947.htm, last updated 8 October 2021) - designation, unit assignment, specifications, campaign dates, commanding-officer list, captioned photography (live page, verified 2026-10-03 via Firecrawl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160947.htm header block, awards/campaign/occupation tables, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource header identifies this hull as an LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship; call sign NVUX. Unit assignment: LST Flotilla Twenty-One (CAPT. W. H. Brereton USN), LST Group Sixty-Three (LCDR. R. E. Farnestock USNR), LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Six. Campaign table: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 1 to 9 April 1945. Navy Occupation service in the Far East 23 September 1945 to 1 July 1946. Commissioned 15 October 1944 'LT. Siemssen, Rudolph USN in command'; CO table lists Siemssen 15 October 1944 - May 1946, then LTjg. Robert Leroy Chesley USN May 1946 - 16 August 1946. Specifications: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; two General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, three 100-kW diesel-driven ship-service generators; 2 LCVP. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Captioned photography: NARA photo 80-G-286089, starboard bow aerial view under way in the Atlantic 23 October 1944 taken from a ZP-12 airship out of NAS Lakehurst, ship wearing camouflage 31/20L; and a Time/Life image placing the hull at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard in March 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); USNR ship's company (1944-46); embarked troops (1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS except the laid-down date (15 August, conflicting with DANFS's 18 August - unresolved, see gaps) and the spec block is unattributed. Its engine spec (GM 12-567A) conflicts with the official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 design table, which assigns GM 12-278A engines to the LST932-979 hull block containing this ship - see ev-06 and gaps. Its group-commander spelling 'Farnestock' conflicts with the NHHC organization document's 'Fahnestock'. Armament figures are the class's 'ultimate armament design,' not an outfit record for this hull. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - wartime administrative-organization tabulation (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room, Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, LST Flotilla 21 / LST GROUP 63 / LST DIVISION 126 table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization list for 1 May 1945 places 'LST 947' in LST DIVISION 126 of LST GROUP 63 under Lt. Cdr. R. E. Fahnestock (USNR), within LST Flotilla TWENTY-ONE under Capt. W. H. Brereton - corroborating NavSource's administrative unit assignment for this hull with a contemporaneous administrative document. The ship's row lists 'Lt. R. Siemssen' as commanding officer. Division 126 sister hulls: LST 647, LST 814, LST 947, LST 949, LST 952, LST 953.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LST Flotilla 21 / Group 63 / Division 126 staffs and unit crews (1945)
- Limitations
- Administrative unit listing only - establishes the formation assignment on 1 May 1945, not materials, manning detail, or operations. The document's group-commander spelling 'Fahnestock' conflicts with NavSource's 'Farnestock' (see gaps). Distinct from the ship's operational chain during the Okinawa landing, when its action report routed through LST Group SEVEN / LST Flotilla THREE (see ev-04). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-03
-
[5]NARA file unit NAID 140082625 (RG 38, World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories; microfilm serial 154274, Roll A2003), 'USS LST-947 - Reports of operations in the invasion of Okinawa Jima, Ryukyus, 4/1-7/45, including AA action on 4/5/45' - the ship's own action report, 22 digitized images, downloaded and read 2026-10-03 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/140082625, 22 images (ar-0023 through ar-0044): transmittal letter p.1; chronological account pp.1-3; Enclosure A personnel embarkation chart p.6; Enclosure B cargo unloading chart p.5; Enclosure C marine loading plan pp.8-18; Enclosure D special AA action report (CINCPAC Form AA-1) pp.19-20; endorsement aboard USS LST-451 p.22
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report (commanding officer to ComLSTFlotTHREE via ComLSTGrpSEVEN, dated 7 April 1945, endorsed aboard flagship USS LST-451 for LST Group SEVEN / Flotilla THREE, 'Commander RED Unit,' serial 0109, signed James L. Harlan) documents the hull's Okinawa landing operations in detail: on 1 April 1945 anchored in 52 fathoms off Okinawa (26 deg 21'15" N, 127 deg 40'15" E) at 0651 and disembarked 17 LVTs 0700-0713; launched her carried landing craft and two #10 pontoon causeways; her LCVPs served as wave-guide boats for Tractor Group Able to Red Beach #3. Unloading of Marine/Navy ammunition and general cargo ran 2-4 April (not complete at report date). On 5 April at berth H-66 off Okinawa Shima (26 deg 25'30" N, 127 deg 41'30" E), at 1735 a Japanese 'Val' dive bomber was sighted 5,000 yards off the starboard bow at 1,000 ft on a suicide attack run; the ship opened fire at 1736 with 6 x 20MM, 2 x single 40MM, and 2 x twin 40MM mounts (Mk14 ring sights, Mk51 directors), expended 152 rounds 40MM HE-I-T and 531 rounds 20MM HE-T/HT (1.3% of 40MM service allowance), scored first hits at 1736 about 900 yards out, and the plane splashed 25 yards off the port quarter at 1736:30 - assessed one 'sure' kill; a 12-inch wing fragment struck the aft starboard magazine with no damage to the ship. Enclosure A lists embarked units including elements of the 4th Marines (BLT C-1-4), 6th Pioneer Battalion, 6th Tank Battalion, 6th JASCO and other 6th Marine Division units, the 9th and 39th Amphibian Tractor Battalions, 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion, 128th and 358th Naval Construction Battalions, an LCT #1184 crew, and a Naval Beach Party advanced echelon - embarked at Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, and Ulithi between 11-25 March 1945 and disembarked at Okinawa Shima 1-2 April 1945; the consolidated loading table totals 13 officers and 254 enlisted embarked troops.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-03-1945-04
- Population
- USNR ship's company; embarked 6th Marine Division / NCB / tractor-battalion troops (Mar-Apr 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational primary record (digitized microfilm, image-read this session; OCR-assisted transcription - minor figure uncertainty possible on tabular pages). Operational record only - no asbestos or material content. The report's routing chain (LST Group SEVEN / Flotilla THREE, Commander RED Unit, CTU 53.3.1) is the operational chain for the Okinawa landing and differs from the ship's administrative assignment (LST Group 63 / Flotilla 21 per NHHC organization document) - an administrative-vs-operational distinction, not necessarily a conflict. Establishment of exposure conditions aboard is out of scope for this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-04
-
[6]NARA file unit NAID 126609356 (RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, series Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; Roll No. 4991 / microfilm reel 2486, filmed 3-3-47), 'LST-947, 10/16/44-7/1/46' - the ship's muster rolls, 170 digitized images (Ancestry partnership scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/126609356, images 32861_248026-00000 through -00169; opening Report of Changes at image -00003
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's complete digitized muster rolls covering the entire commission (16 October 1944 - 1 July 1946) exist at NARA: 170 images on reel 2486. The opening sheet (verified this session) is the commissioning 'Report of Changes' for the month ending 16 October 1944, showing the commissioning crew received 15 October 1944 from 'ATB., Camp Bradford, Va.' (Amphibious Training Base Camp Bradford, Virginia) - all USNR enlisted men with ratings including SC3/C, Cox, PhM2/C, QM2/C, PhM3/C, S2/C, MoMM1/C, F2/C, and GM3/C.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- USNR ship's company (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the file unit is fully digitized and the opening sheets were read this session, but the remaining ~166 images were not individually reviewed - crew-strength figures, ratings distribution, transfers, and casualties are recoverable from the roll but not extracted here. Contains no asbestos content (personnel records).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-05
-
[7]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST machinery design table - official BuShips publication (shipscribe.com mirror, PDF text layer extracted 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2.pdf, LST design table machinery rows: 'LST932-979 ... G. M. Diesel, 12-278A ... 1,700' (also LST1060-1080 same; other blocks 12-567A)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips machinery design table assigns the LST932-979 hull block (which contains LST-947) a propulsion plant of 2 x 'G. M. Diesel, 12-278A' at 1,700 shp - NOT the GM 12-567A that NavSource's generic spec block lists for this ship. The 12-278A is a distinct Cleveland Diesel (GM Cleveland Diesel Engine Division) model used in these LST blocks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); engineering crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Official design-table block assignment, not a hull-specific fitting record - documents the engine model the Bureau of Ships designed into this hull block; per-hull variation during wartime mass production is possible but undocumented. Corrects the NavSource/Wikipedia 12-567A boilerplate for this hull; both sources give the same 1,700 shp total. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-06
-
[8]ShipbuildingHistory.com, 'Bethlehem-Hingham, Hingham MA' yard page and complete build table (most recent update 7 August 2021; live page verified 2026-10-03 via Firecrawl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/bethhingham.htm, yard intro + build-table row '3417 | LST | 947'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-derived production table entry for this hull: yard hull no. 3417, LST 947, keel laid 15-Aug-44, launched 23-Sep-44, delivered 15-Oct-44 - 39 days on the ways, 22 days in the water, 61 total days; disposition column lists 'Scrapped 1947'. The yard page documents the facility: built in 1941 for destroyer-escort construction with $35mm of Navy funding, 16 ways, managed by Bethlehem Quincy, peak employment over 23,000, closed and liquidated after the war.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1941-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of builder records, not itself a primary document - the keel date (15 August) conflicts with DANFS (18 August) while agreeing with NavSource (see gaps); the 'Scrapped 1947' disposition is not corroborated by DANFS/NavSource, which record only the 5 December 1947 sale to Bosey, Philippines, fate unknown (see gaps). Launch and delivery/commission dates corroborate DANFS. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS construction record (Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, 1944); NavSource class header (LST-542); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 engine-block table (ev-06); Fleischer et al. 1946 PHS survey (ev-09); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Fleischer et al. 1946 (PMID 21016030); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; DANFS/NavSource construction and spec records; BuShips SDB1945v2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built Aug-Oct 1944 in a purpose-built Navy wartime yard sits inside the documented wartime asbestos-construction era: the PHS industrial-hygiene survey of pipe covering in naval-vessel construction found amosite asbestos was 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels,' with asbestos cloth and asbestos cement also used; GAO documented asbestos thermal insulation as the Navy's major shipboard asbestos use through the early 1970s. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing ship of this type and period were diesel-exhaust and machinery insulation/lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and interior finish materials in quarters and mess spaces. Diesel plant - no boilers aboard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); USNR ship's company (1944-46); post-1947 Philippine owner/scrappers unknown
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-947. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-08
-
[10]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946 Jan;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030) - U.S. Public Health Service industrial-hygiene survey of two Government Navy yards and two Navy contract yards [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030 (verified via NCBI E-utilities); article text pp. 9-16 (pipe-covering materials section; X-ray results)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Wartime government survey documenting the asbestos regime inside naval-vessel construction: amosite asbestos was 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels,' valued for low thermal conductivity, light weight, and refractoriness; asbestos cloth and asbestos cement were likewise used. X-ray examination of 1,074 pipe coverers across four yards found three asbestosis cases, each with 20+ years in the trade. Surveyed operations (layout and cutting, band-saw cutting, cement mixing, installing, sewing asbestos cloth, stuffing with amosite) generated the era's principal insulation-trade dust exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (survey era)
- Population
- Navy yard and contract-yard pipe coverers/insulators (wartime)
- Limitations
- Era-level occupational survey, not a hull record: the four yards are anonymized (Navy Yards A-B, Contract Yards C-D), and Bethlehem-Hingham and LSTs are not named - pipe covering was principally a steam-plant application, so the asbestos cloth/cement and general-insulation findings carry the weight for a diesel hull. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity. Citation metadata re-verified 2026-10-03 via NCBI E-utilities (esummary 21016030); the pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov page itself is reCAPTCHA-gated to automated fetch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-09
-
[11]GAO, 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 (live via Firecrawl; PDF asset fetch blocked, standing defect)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that all Navy ships contained some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and that asbestos thermal insulation was the Navy's major asbestos use aboard ships; the Navy did not substitute alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s and adopted removal policies only in 1975/1979 - postdating this hull's entire U.S. Navy life (built 1944, sold 1947).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Product page verified live this session (fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards); the 26-page full-report PDF remains blocked to automated fetch (standing gao.gov defect) - content via product-page description and abstract.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-10
-
[12]Batch-7490 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS; NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document; NARA catalog (two queries + two ship-level file units, action report read in full); shipbuildinghistory.com builder table; BuShips SDB1945v2 design table; MARAD (endpoint error); NVR (login-gated); BVA decisions index; GAO product page; PubMed/NCBI E-utilities; CourtListener (blocked - daily quota exhausted); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-947-lst947-01 through -17
- 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-947 was found in the public sources searched, and no post-1947 U.S. hull record can exist (sold to Bosey, Philippines, 5 December 1947; fate unknown). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API reported the shared daily quota exhausted (server-requested wait ~7.1 h); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. The BVA decisions index returned no results for 'LST-947'; the Naval Vessel Register is now login-gated and in any case the hull predates register coverage; MARAD's search endpoint errored on every query format and no detail page surfaced via site search; secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - only standard history sources (NHHC, NavSource, Wikipedia, uboat.net, military-history fandom) and unrelated memorabilia listings.
- 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 (quota-blocked, not run). The ship's muster rolls are digitized but only spot-read; RG 24 deck logs for this hull are undigitized; post-1947 Philippine-hands records are foreign and untraced. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-947-lst947-11