Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, LST-123 entry (Naval Historical Center, history.navy.mil/danfs/l11/lst-123.htm) - ARCHIVED copy via Wayback Machine; the live NHHC URL returns 404 and the migrated NHHC DANFS page (research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lst-123.html) also 404s (checked 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2014-10-19 of history.navy.mil/danfs/l11/lst-123.htm (20 captures 2004-2014; last live-era capture cited)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for this hull (Naval Historical Center): 'LST-123 was laid down on 5 June 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 14 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. C. B. Enlow; and commissioned on 7 September 1943, Lt. Francis P. Rossiter, USNR, in command.' WWII assignment to the Asiatic-Pacific theater with operations: Marianas operation (capture and occupation of Guam, July 1944); Leyte landings (October 1944); Lingayen landings in Luzon (January 1945). 'Following the war, LST-123 was redesignated LSTH-123 on 15 September 1945. She performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-November 1945.' Decommissioned 22 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 1 May 1946; sold 30 March 1948 to Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pa., for scrapping. Three battle stars for WWII service as LST-123.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history for this hull, but cited from an archived capture because the live NHHC page is dead - the archived text is the official DANFS text as published 2004-2014. DANFS gives no LST(H) conversion yard or postwar operating detail and contains no asbestos information whatsoever.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-01
-
[2]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST(H)-123 ex USS LST-123 page (compiled from DANFS text, Navy records, and contributed photographs; page maintained by Gary P. Priolo, last updated 9 June 2023) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource archive page 10/16/160123 - title block, unit listing, campaign table, commanding-officer table, specifications block, ribbon display; verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive hull page consolidates both designations for this single hull ('USS LST(H)-123 ex USS LST-123 (1943-1945)') and adds detail beyond DANFS: radio call sign NQDB; wartime unit assignments (LST Flotilla Five - CAPT G.B. Carter; LST Group Fifteen - CDR V.K. Busck; LST Division Thirty; then LST Flotilla Three - CDR A.A. Ageton; LST Group Seven - LCDR E.B. Garrigues; LST Division Fourteen); campaign table with dates (Guam 21-28 Jul 1944; Leyte landings 20 Oct 1944; Lingayen Gulf 4-15 Jan 1945); occupation service 24 Sep-20 Nov 1945; five-officer command roster (Rossiter, Byron, Post, Pederson, Dirks); specifications block (1,625 lt / 4,080 fl tons; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 2x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp, 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 LCVP); award ribbon display (Asiatic-Pacific with 3 stars; Navy Occupation Asia clasp; Philippine Presidential Unit Citation; Philippine Liberation Medal with 2 stars).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Ship's company 13 officers / 104 enlisted plus embarked troops (16 officers / 147 enlisted capacity), 1943-1946
- Limitations
- NavSource is a compiled secondary reference transcribing Navy records and DANFS, not a contemporaneous document; individual facts carried here are corroborated by the archived DANFS text, the NHHC fleet-organization document, uboat.net, and Colton's tables. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-02
-
[3]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (by ship number) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p.40, row 'LST-123 | 10/1/1943 | 6/30/1945' (verified by pdftotext extraction of the live NARA PDF, MD5 639e2f288db3e0c7a8e7489a0b57bf07, 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 inventory (by ship number, PDF p. 40) lists Navy deck logs for 'LST-123' covering 10/1/1943 through 6/30/1945 - log coverage beginning about three weeks after commissioning (7 Sep 1943) and spanning the hull's entire combat career (Marianas/Guam, Leyte, Lingayen), held in Record Group 24.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- The entry is an inventory record only - it establishes that NARA holds logbooks for this hull for the stated span, not their contents; the deck logs themselves were not opened for this record. Log-coverage dates are not commissioning dates (commissioned 7 Sep 1943; coverage starts 1 Oct 1943). LST-123 does not appear in NARA's online list of digitized deck logs (checked 2026-10-02 - the digitized set covers later county-named LSTs only). No asbestos or condition information is contained in the listing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-03
-
[4]USS LST-123 Report of Anti-Aircraft Action by Surface Ship and After Battle Report, 17 June 1944 (11 pp.); declassified under E.O. 13526 by NDC/NARA, 31 December 2012 (declassification stamp on each page); scan contributed by William Lester Williams, hosted on NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PDF 160123a.pdf, pp. 1-6 (AA-action standard form; After Battle Report narrative, gun/ammunition table, casualty statement, witness list)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A declassified primary action report names this hull in combat: 'Report of Anti-Aircraft Action by Surface Ship - U.S.S. L.S.T. 123, 17 June 1944' plus the Executive Officer's After Battle Report (Lt. L. L. Butler, USNR, to commanding officer Lt. W. Byron, USNR): at position 13 deg 30' N, 148 deg 20' E, acting on a radar warning from USS Stembel, three enemy torpedo planes attacked; one launched a torpedo at about 300 yards that struck the intervening LCI-468's starboard bow ('lifting the bow of the LCI-468 out of the water and carrying it away'); LST-123 claimed sole destruction of one plane by her No. 1 40 mm gun and joint destruction of a second plane with USS Agenor's guns; ammunition expended 77 rds 40 mm, 859 rds 20 mm, 10 rds .50 cal, 455 rds .30 cal; 'There were no casualties'; the report notes pontoon barges mounted along the ship's sides blocked after 20 mm gun pointers' vision.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06-17
- Population
- Ship's company under air attack, 17 June 1944 (13 officers/104 enlisted complement)
- Limitations
- Primary wartime document authored aboard this hull; establishes combat action, position, consorts (Stembel, Agenor, LCI-468), armament expenditure, no casualties, and pontoon-cargo configuration on that date. It does not report LCI-468's final disposition and contains no asbestos or material-condition information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-04
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945', Landing Ships Tanks section, LST Flotilla Three [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Landing Ships Tanks > LST Flotilla Three > LST Group 7 > LST Division 14 - row 'LST 123 | Lt. D. Post (USNR)'; verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's contemporaneous fleet-organization document lists 'LST 123' in LST Division 14, LST Group 7 (Comdr. J. L. Harlan / Lt. Cdr. E. B. Garriguse), LST Flotilla Three (Comdr. A. A. Ageton), U.S. Pacific Fleet organization as of 1 May 1945, with Lt. D. Post (USNR) as commanding officer - corroborating NavSource's flotilla/group/division listing and its command-roster entry for Lt. David Post (March 1945 - 30 August 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Limitations
- Establishes administrative assignment and commanding officer on 1 May 1945 only; the page's per-hull DANFS links are auto-generated index links (the LST-123 target is a 404). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-05
-
[6]Consolidated era inference - BuShips Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, April 15, 1945), LST machinery table (shipscribe.com Google-scan reproduction) + era amphibious-ship construction practice (project class profile lst-1-class) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 machinery table row 'LST1-490: 2 x G.M. Diesel 12-567A, 1,700 shp' - LST-123 falls in the 1-490 block (verified by pdftotext of the live PDF, MD5 ea7b1fa14be4e00cae1911e458ce05f2); class-profile inference framing adopted for this hull. NOTE: the formerly cited path shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf now returns 404 (2026-10-02) - the file moved to /pubs/ on www.shipscribe.com
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LST-1-class hulls: no boilers aboard - asbestos-relevant applications are the GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, accommodation bulkhead insulation, winch/crane brake linings, and electrical insulation typical of 1943 amphibian construction. The LST(H) hospital conversion (this hull, 15 September 1945) reworked tank-deck/interior spaces for casualty care - a plausible interior-disturbance pathway, but no conversion yard record was located for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Construction trades at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville (1943); ship's company and embarked troops; LST(H) conversion workers (1945); Sun Shipbuilding scrapping workers (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-level asbestos record for this hull or any LST-1-class member was located, and the BuShips table itself lists machinery data, not insulation materials. Establishes no quantities, no present-day presence, and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-06
-
[7]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this 1943-built hull was mass-produced at an inland yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-07
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (product-page description; full-text fetch historically returns HTTP 403 to automated clients - access gap disclosed)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - Navy-wide program context for any asbestos materials installed in this hull's 1943 construction and 1945 conversion, all of which would have remained in place through her 1946 decommissioning absent yard disturbance.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific; the policies described postdate this hull's 1946 decommissioning and 1948 scrapping, so the relevance is retrospective (materials standard to the era would have been managed under these rules had the hull survived).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-08
-
[9]Lilley v. Johns-Manville Corp., 408 Pa. Super. 83, 596 A.2d 203 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991), as indexed in the project shipyards.json record sun-shipbuilding-chester [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json yard_id sun-shipbuilding-chester, evidence row ev-sun-shipbuilding-chester-lilley-1991; Justia opinion mirror verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-02 (plain curl returns 403 bot-block)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- This hull was sold for scrapping 30 March 1948 to Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, PA (DANFS). The shipyard dataset documents tier-3 asbestos-product identification at that yard via Lilley v. Johns-Manville Corp., 408 Pa. Super. 83, 596 A.2d 203 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991): pipefitter Fred Lilley identified asbestos product brands at Sun Ship (Unibestos, Caltemp/Pabco, Kaylo, Garlock gaskets, Raybestos, Careytemp) for a 1959-1976 employment period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1948 (disposal); 1959-1976 (litigation period)
- Population
- Sun Shipbuilding scrapping workers (1948, undocumented); Lilley testimony population 1959-1976
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation record - the Lilley testimony covers 1959-1976 employment, a decade after this hull's 1948 scrapping, and never names this vessel. It establishes that the scrapping yard has documented asbestos-product use, not that scrapping this hull exposed anyone. Trial-level verdict upheld on appeal; no vessel-specific finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-09
-
[10]Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Evansville in WWII Digital Archive - Evansville Shipyard Collection, search 'LST 123' (items in the 1948.151.xxxxx series) [museum_official]
- Locator
- EVPL digital.evpl.org collection evawwii, search results for 'LST 123' (e.g., item 1948.151.03713b christening, 1948.151.03933 trials, 1948.151.04140 commissioning - catalog numbers as credited on NavSource); verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library's digitized Evansville Shipyard Collection (Evansville in WWII Digital Archive; original repository Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science; original publisher Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, Shipbuilding Division) holds multiple hull-specific photographs: christening/launching sequence 'launching #37 LST 123' with sponsor Mrs. C. B. Enlow and family (14 August 1943), commissioning ceremony (7 September 1943), and the ship at anchor during Navy acceptance trials on the Ohio River (31 August 1943) - corroborating yard hull number 37 and DANFS's sponsor and date statements.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron shipyard workforce, Evansville (1943)
- Limitations
- Photographic archive documents construction/launch/commissioning events for this hull; photographs carry no asbestos or materials information and the yard's construction records themselves are not digitized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-10
-
[11]Batch-6456 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page and LST index; archived DANFS entry and live NHHC candidate URLs; NARA Special List 44 PDF and online digitized-logs list; NavSource-hosted primary documents; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; uboat.net; Colton shipbuildinghistory tables; EVPL digital archive; CourtListener API v4; live-web asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-01 through sl-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed asbestos case naming LST-123 / LST(H)-123 / LSTH-123 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated opinion searches for 'LST-123', 'LST(H)-123', and 'LST 123' each returned count 0; the RECAP docket-index query was attempted but the fleet-wide authenticated pacing budget was exhausted - it is logged as blocked in the ledger, not treated as a negative result. A live-web sweep for asbestos/mesothelioma claims naming this hull returned zero results (only ship-history sources surfaced).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - as a 1943 combat-built Navy hull this vessel sits inside the documented Navy asbestos era. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Opinion coverage is verified-nil for three hull-designation queries; the RECAP docket-index query went unexecuted due to shared-quota pacing, so pleading-stage cases or name collisions are not ruled out.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-11
-
[12]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LST 123 (ship/11251); shipbuildinghistory.com Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron yard table and LST 1 thru 400 table (Tim Colton) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/11251 (verified live); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/missourivalley.htm row '37 | No name | LST | 123' (verified live); shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lstpart1.htm row LST-123
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent corroboration: uboat.net Allied Warships record (ship/11251) lists ordered 15 October 1942, laid down 5 June 1943, launched 14 August 1943, commissioned 7 September 1943, decommissioned 22 March 1946, sold 30 March 1948, built by Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co., Evansville. Colton's shipbuildinghistory Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron table and LST 1-400 table both carry this hull as yard no. 37 with identical build dates and disposition 'Scrapped 1947'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled references; the 'ordered 15 Oct 1942' date is carried only by uboat.net and the 'Scrapped 1947' disposition year conflicts with DANFS's 30 March 1948 sale date (DANFS carried; variance flagged in gaps). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-123-lsth123-12