Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[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-950-lst950-pkt-838-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'LST-950' - NHHC ship-histories page (live URL returned 404 on 2026-10-03; archived capture of 2024-05-26 used and labeled) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS page body text (Wayback capture 2024-05-26; 12 captures 2021-2025)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for this hull, verbatim: 'LST-950 was laid down on 1 September 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 4 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. C. C. Recca; and commissioned on 27 October 1944. During World War II, LST-950 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto from April through June 1945. On 15 September 1945, she was redesignated LSTH-950 and performed occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 23 September 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 10 June 1947. On 8 March 1948, the ship was sold to the Ships Power & Equipment Corp., of Barber, N.J., for scrapping. LST-950 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The live NHHC page 404s (standing NHHC link-rot defect, same as Batch-01) - citation is the Wayback capture of 2024-05-26; the DANFS entry text was verified verbatim against that capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-950-lst950-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST(H)-950 ex USS LST-950 (page 10/16/160950.htm; last updated 1 November 2024) - verified live 2026-10-03 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160950.htm milestone block, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and detail for this hull: laid down 1 September 1944 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA; launched 4 October 1944; commissioned 27 October 1944, LT. Fritz W. Heim USN in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Twenty-Five (CAPT. H.E. Richter USN), LST Group Seventy-Five (CDR. G. W. Stringer USN), LST Division One Hundred Forty-Nine; Okinawa Gunto operation 1 April-18 June 1945; redesignated LST(H)-950 15 September 1945; occupation duty in the Far East 21 October-5 November 1945 and 'helped in the evacuation of Bikini Atoll natives prior to atomic bomb testing at Bikini Atoll'; decommissioned 23 September 1946; struck 10 June 1947; one battle star; sold for scrapping 8 March 1948 to Ships Power & Equipment Corp., Barber, N.J. Commanding officers: LT. Fritz William Heim USN (27 Oct 1944-May 1946); LTjg. D. N. McCafferty USNR (May 1946-23 Sep 1946). Specs: complement 13 officers/104 enlisted; 2 GM diesels (spec block prints 12-567A, 900 hp each), Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts, 1,700 shp, 11.6 kt.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); crew and embarked casualties/medical staff (1944-46); Bikini Atoll evacuees (1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS exactly here (all dates agree). The Bikini-evacuation detail is NavSource-only, not in the DANFS entry - carried attributed to NavSource. Contains no asbestos content. Engine-model conflict with BuShips block assignment logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-950-lst950-02
-
[4]US National Archives photo 80-G-318644 (caption transcribed on NavSource; source credited to 'Hospital Ships of World War II: An Illustrated Reference' by Emory A. Massman); plus Esposito-family photo series and SF-Bay return photo on the same NavSource page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160950.htm photo table, 80-G-318644 caption and Esposito series
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held photograph 80-G-318644 documents this hull at anchor 'probably off the beachhead at Okinawa, circa April 1945' - used to carry casualties to the hospital ships from the Okinawa beachhead, with a large 'H' painted on her side and 'X' flag flown by the LST and small boats to signify the mission. This documents an ad-hoc casualty-evacuation role months before her formal LST(H) redesignation of 15 September 1945. Additional captioned photos: LST(H)-950 beached probably at Okinawa with LCT-1153 loaded on deck and USS LST-682 alongside; underway in San Francisco Bay returning from the Far East, circa 1946, flying the Homeward Bound pennant.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (photo coverage)
- Population
- Crew and casualties embarked during Okinawa Gunto (Apr-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: contributor-supplied captions ('probably off Okinawa') - physical-presence documentation, not a work or materials record. NARA catalog could not be machine-queried this session (API returned no parseable response); 80-G-318644 not independently verified at catalog.archives.gov. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-950-lst950-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: DANFS entry (Bethlehem-Hingham build, 1944); NavSource spec block (diesel plant, no boilers); Bethlehem-Hingham yard dates Dec 1941-1945 (yard history, secondary); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos program era (see ev-05); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST design table via internal class-profile transcription (original scan link now 404 - see gaps) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS entry; NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json checked for Bethlehem-Hingham (absent - see gaps)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class hull built in 1944 at a Bethlehem Steel wartime yard sits inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era (GAO: no insulation substitution until the early 1970s). Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a diesel amphibious hull of this period: engine-room and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, accommodation and joiner insulation, deck coverings, and electrical insulation. The diesel plant eliminates the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels. Her September 1945 conversion to LST(H) hospital ship - wartime interior rework for casualty facilities - is an additional era-materials touchpoint.
- 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/casualties (1944-46); scrapping-yard trades, Ships Power & Equipment Corp., Barber NJ (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, conversion work package, or abatement record located for LST-950. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The LST(H) conversion asbestos scope is inference - no conversion work package was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-950-lst950-04
-
[6]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) and scrapping (1948).
- 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. 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-950-lst950-05
-
[7]Date cross-check: Wikipedia 'USS LST-950' infobox vs its own body text vs DANFS/NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS LST-950 infobox vs body text; DANFS entry; NavSource milestone block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the Wikipedia infobox prints 'Decommissioned 18 July 1946' and 'Stricken 23 September 1946'. Both conflict with DANFS (decommissioned 23 September 1946, struck 10 June 1947) and NavSource (same DANFS dates) - and with the Wikipedia article's own body text, which agrees with DANFS. The infobox appears to carry transposed/wrong dates; this record carries the DANFS dates (decommissioned 1946-09-23, stricken 1947-06-10).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946-1947 (milestone window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating secondary-source error, not a material claim. No asbestos content. DANFS text verified against the archived NHHC capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-950-lst950-06
-
[8]Batch-7493 search ledger (this record): archived NHHC DANFS capture; NavSource live page; hazegray DANFS index; HyperWar; HistoryCentral; NARA catalog API; NVR hull search; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-950-lst950-01 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-950 / LST(H)-950 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - API returned daily-quota-exhausted (~7 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm listicle naming this hull specifically (generic LST-class marketing pages exist but name no individual hull - 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 (daily quota spent, not run). Deck logs, Bethlehem-Hingham work packages, the 1945 LST(H) conversion package, 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-950-lst950-07