Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 843-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-989-lst989-pkt-843-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-989 (NHHC ship-history entry; live NHHC page returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-03 - Wayback capture of 2025-02-02 cited as archived copy) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-989 entry, full text (3 paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-989 was laid down on 10 February 1944 by the Boston Navy Yard; launched on 12 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Arthur L. Anderson; and commissioned on 28 April 1944, Ens. H. L. Campbell in command. During World War II, LST-989 was assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of southern France in August and September 1944. Following the war, LST-989 performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until mid-April 1946. She was decommissioned on 7 October 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 13 November that same year. On 25 June 1948, the ship was sold to the Humble Oil & Refining Co., of Houston, Tex., for operation. LST-989 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
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); crew (1944-1946)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content and does not mention Operation Crossroads (the Crossroads assignment rests on NavSource and the official JTF-1 report, ev-03). DANFS gives commissioning CO as 'Ens. H. L. Campbell' vs NavSource 'LT. Hugh L. Campbell, USN' - unresolved rank discrepancy. Live NHHC URL 404s; archived Wayback capture is the cited form.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-989 (LST-542 class) - milestone timeline, campaign and flotilla assignments, specifications, commanding-officer list, final disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160989.htm header block, campaign tables, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 10 February 1944 at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA; launched 12 March 1944; commissioned USS LST-989 28 April 1944, LT. Hugh L. Campbell USN in command. WWII: assigned to both the Europe-Africa-Middle East and Asiatic-Pacific theaters; credited with the Invasion of southern France, 15 August - 20 September 1944 (Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign). In the Pacific she came under LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven (CAPT. Riley), LST Group One Hundred Nine (CDR. E. W. Wilson USNR), LST Division Two Hundred-Seventeen. Postwar: Navy Occupation Service and China Service Medal (extended) periods 25 September 1945 - 16 April 1946. 'USS LST-989 was assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.8.7 (Service Group - Rongerik Evacuation Unit) for Operation Crossroads the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946.' Decommissioned 7 October 1946; struck from the Naval Register 13 November 1946; sold 25 June 1948 to Humble Oil & Refining Co., Houston, TX, for operation; one battle star for WWII service. Spec block (LST-542 class): displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; two General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, three diesel-drive 100 kW ship's-service generators; fuel 4,300 bbl diesel. Commanding officers: LT Hugh L. Campbell USN (Apr 1944 - Mar 1945); LT W. P. Moore USNR (Mar - Jun 1945); LT William H. McKay USNR (Jun - Dec 1945); LTjg F. M. Smith USNR (Dec 1945 - Jun 1946); LT Gerald Horace Gromer USN (Jun 1946 - 7 Oct 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops (wartime lifts)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS where they overlap and the JTF-1 assignment is corroborated by the official report (ev-03). Specifications are the LST-542-class standard fit, presented on this hull's page; minor figures conflict across secondary sources (complement 13 vs 7 officers). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-02
-
[4]W. A. Shurcliff, 'Bombs on Bikini: The Official Report of Operation Crossroads' (prepared under the direction of the Commander of Joint Task Force One), Appendix 8 'Support Vessels' (atomicarchive.com transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix 8 '(l) Evacuation Unit (Task Unit 1.8.7)'; Appendix 9 (absence from target list); ch. 6 Task Group 1.8 description; ch. 7 evacuation/standoff narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official JTF-1 report lists this hull by name in its support-vessel appendix: '(l) Evacuation Unit (Task Unit 1.S.7 [i.e., 1.8.7 - the transcription prints '1.S.7'; NavSource independently gives 'Task Unit 1.8.7'], commanded by Lieutenant G. H. Gromer (Navy)): LST-871 - Ens. M. B. Fletcher; LST-989 - Lt. G. I. Gromer.' LST-989's commanding officer thus also commanded the two-ship evacuation unit. The report's narrative places Task Group 1.8 (Service Group, Capt. G. H. Lyttle) in charge of repair, fueling, water, mail, provisions, recreation, hospitalization, and evacuation; the pre-shot evacuation moved target-vessel crews and task-force personnel out of Bikini lagoon to the Rongerik Atoll area (~125 miles east) before the 1 July (Able) and 25 July (Baker) 1946 detonations, with support ships standing off 10-25+ miles during the shots. LST-989 does NOT appear in Appendix 9 'Target Vessels, Test A' - she was a support vessel, not a target hulk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946 (Able 1 Jul; Baker 25 Jul)
- Population
- LST-989 crew under LT G. H. Gromer (Jun-Oct 1946); evacuated personnel carried
- Limitations
- Ship-specific primary documentation of a support role only. The report does not state which tasks LST-989 itself performed day-to-day, and presence in the task-force area is not itself a radiation-exposure finding for the crew. This row documents vessel history - it is NOT asbestos evidence of any kind, and it does not make her a 'target' or 'survivor' hulk (she was sold into commercial operation in 1948).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource LST-542-class spec block (diesel plant, 2 x GM 12-567A, no boilers); documented LST-class design practice (WWII amphibious auxiliaries); shipyard-exposure-map yard record for Boston Naval Shipyard (builder); no hull-level insulation schedule or material list located [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LST-989 specifications block (propulsion); class design context per LST-1/542-series design data
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built at a U.S. Navy yard in early 1944 sits inside the documented asbestos-shipbuilding era. Era-standard asbestos applications for the type were engine-room and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, winch/crane brake linings, and electrical insulation. Because the LST plant is diesel-electric-adjacent (diesel engines, diesel-drive generators) with no boilers or steam propulsion, the boiler/steam-line magnesia-lagging pathway of steam combatants does not apply; the exposure-relevant scope is machinery lagging, gaskets/packing, deck and accommodation materials, and brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades (1944); engine-room and repair crews (1944-46); any conversion trades at post-sale refit (1948, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, work package, or demolition/disposal record was located for LST-989. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-04
-
[6]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json, yard record boston-naval-shipyard: litigation_product_id row - worker alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials at Boston Naval Shipyard; underlying cite In re John Crane, Inc., No. 01-03-00698-CV (Tex. App. 1st Dist. 2003) [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json yard_id boston-naval-shipyard, evidence ev-boston-naval-shipyar-02
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- The yard that built this hull has a documented product-level asbestos allegation: a worker alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials at Boston Naval Shipyard. This is yard-level documentation only - it does not name LST-989 or any vessel and does not date the alleged exposure.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- not stated in source
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard trades (era generally)
- Limitations
- Yard-level pleading-stage allegation, not a finding and not hull-specific; names a product type at the yard, not aboard this ship. Underlying opinion URL returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session (access gap disclosed); row rests on the dataset's verified citation. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-05
-
[7]U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, OCS Study MMS 95-0031, 'Oil in the Gulf: Past Development, Future Prospects' (Gulf of Mexico OCS Region) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MMS 95-0031, ch. on offshore transportation/development (LST-tender passage, p. 18 of PDF text)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documents the post-sale use pattern that 'for operation' meant in 1948: 'Following World War II, Navy LSTs became available as government surplus, and these were quickly purchased by a number of offshore operators and pressed into service as offshore tenders.' Humble Oil & Refining Co. is the documented buyer of this hull (ev-01); secondary literature (History of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in Southern Louisiana, as excerpted on navalcovermuseum.org) puts Humble's converted-LST fleet at 19 vessels used as non-self-propelled tenders moored at drilling platforms off Grand Isle, Louisiana - floating warehouses, crew quarters, and rig-service platforms.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946-1950s
- Population
- Humble Oil conversion-yard and tender crews (1948+, this hull unverified)
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - the federal study does not name LST-989 and does not prove this specific hull was converted to a tender; her post-sale identity (Humble 'ST' series number, if any) and ultimate disposition are undocumented. Conversion work described in the secondary account (interior rework, winch installation) is a plausible but UNVERIFIED asbestos-disturbance pathway for this hull. No asbestos content in the cited source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-06
-
[8]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 naval-service era (1944-46).
- 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 returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-07
-
[9]Wikimedia Commons file USSLST989.jpg - personal photograph (1946) by crew member Floyd Briley, donated by uploader 'cyndavis' (public domain) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Commons file page (summary: 'personal photo... photo by Floyd Briley'); NavSource 160989.htm photo table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A crew-member's personal photograph documents this hull 'being used to transport Japanese refugees from Taku, China to Sasebo, Japan' in 1946 - consistent with her documented China-service window (25 Sep 1945 - 16 Apr 1946) and with postwar repatriation lifts. Same image circulates on NavSource's LST-989 page with a caption attributing the depicted ship to USS LST-981 ('underway on the Whangpoo River, at Shanghai, while transporting Japanese refugees from Taku, China to Sasebo, Japan, 22 January 1946. Photo courtesy Floyd Briley') - the photographer credit matches; the hull-number captions conflict.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- January 1946
- Population
- Crew (1946); Japanese repatriates carried
- Limitations
- Personal-collection photo (self-published provenance), not an official record: establishes the ship's postwar repatriation-run presence only by attribution. Caption conflict with NavSource (LST-981 vs LST-989) is unresolved - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-08
-
[10]Batch-7532 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; NavSource; official JTF-1 report appendix; BOEM/MMS OCS study; yard dataset cross-check; Commons file; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-989-lst989-01 through sl-uss-lst-989-lst989-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-989 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - authenticated helper reported the daily quota exhausted (~6.3 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no hull-specific asbestos content at all - not even the law-firm listicle coverage common for named ships (LSTs were hull-number-only).
- 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 - the ship's WWII construction-era origin is itself consistent with era-standard materials. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs (NARA RG 24), builder work packages, and any Humble Oil conversion records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-989-lst989-09
