Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS (NHHC), LST-38 - build record, sponsor, WWII operations, LSTH-38 redesignation, decommissioning, sale, striking [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-38 entry, full text (published 2015-07-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 27 July 1943, sponsored by Miss Bertha Karpinski; commissioned 3 September 1943. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater: Marshall Islands operation (occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, January-February 1944); Bismarck Archipelago operation (Admiralty Islands landings, March-April 1944); Hollandia operation (April 1944); Marianas operation (capture and occupation of Guam, July 1944). Redesignated LSTH-38 on 15 September 1945; occupation duty in the Far East until mid-November 1945; decommissioned 26 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 1 May 1946; sold 5 December 1947 to Ships and Power Equipment Co., of Barber, N.J., and subsequently scrapped. Four battle stars for World War II service as LST-38.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history only - no asbestos or material content. DANFS prints the laid-down date as 14 April 1943, conflicting with the BuShips roster and NavSource (both 12 May 1943) - see correction row. The LST(H) redesignation postdates the wartime campaigns listed (15 September 1945, after the 2 September 1945 surrender), so all combat service was as USS LST-38. DANFS does not state where the conversion work was performed or what it entailed materially. Live page loads (HTTP 200 via fetch with standard browser UA, 2026-10-02); bare curl returns 404 - UA-gated, not dead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST(H)-38 ex USS LST-38 - timeline, unit assignments, specifications, commanding officers, photograph captions with NARA identifiers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160038.htm - header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officers table, photograph captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource page for this hull documents: laid down 12 May 1943 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, PA; launched 27 July 1943; commissioned USS LST-38, 3 September 1943, LT. Colin W. Churchill, USNR, in command; assigned LST Flotilla Thirteen (CAPT. J.G. Sampson USN), LST Group Thirty-Nine (CDR. B.T. Zelenka USN), LST Division Seventy-Eight; campaigns - Marshall Islands (Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January-6 February 1944), Bismarck Archipelago (Admiralty Islands landings, 28 March-1 April 1944), Hollandia operation (21-27 April 1944), Marianas (capture and occupation of Guam, 21-25 July 1944); redesignated Landing Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-38, 15 September 1945; occupation service in the Far East 23 September-30 November 1945; decommissioned 26 March 1946; struck 1 May 1946; sold for scrapping 5 December 1947 to Ships and Power Equipment Co., Barber, N.J. Four battle stars. Specifications: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three 100-kW diesel ship's-service generators, two propellers, 1,700 shp, twin rudders; armament fit 2 twin and 4 single 40-mm, 12 single 20-mm (ultimate design). Commanding officers: LT. Colin W. Churchill USNR 3 Sep 1943-Feb 1944; LT. William Thomas Roberts USNR Feb-Aug 1944; LT. Norbert H. Luken Jr. USNR Aug 1944-20 Jan 1945; LTjg. Rufus G. Flynt USNR 20 Jan 1945-1945; LT. James W. Bouldin Jr. USNR 1945-Dec 1945; LTjg. Guido D. Porfiri USNR Dec 1945-1 Feb 1946. Photograph caption documents the ship beached at Finschhaven, New Guinea, April 1944 alongside LST-122, LST-221, and LST-456 (NARA RG 111, photo SC 259917, U.S. Army Signal Corps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); medical complement aboard during LST(H) service (1945-46); shipbreakers (1947 sale; breakup completion undocumented)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer compilation transcribing official data - per-hull reference standard for this fleet but secondary, not a registry; the cited dates agree with the BuShips roster where they overlap (12 May 1943 laid down) and with DANFS on launch/commissioning. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-02
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945 edition) - official roster entry and LST machinery design table (shipscribe.com scan, text layer) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST roster section (LST26-LST55 Dravo Neville Island block, 'LST38 (ex-ATL38)' row); LST machinery design table (LST1-490 row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips roster lists 'LST38 (ex-ATL38)' built by Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pa. (ditto line under the Dravo Neville Island yard block) - laid down 12 May 1943, launched 27 July 1943, commissioned 2 September 1943. The LST design/machinery table assigns the LST1-490 group (which includes this hull) 2 x G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines at 1,700 shp. The 'ex-ATL38' notation preserves the hull's original ATL (tank-landing-ship) contract designation before the LST symbol was applied.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (edition coverage)
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943)
- Limitations
- Official construction data only - no asbestos or material content. The 1945 edition predates this hull's LST(H) redesignation (September 1945), so it documents LST-38, not the hospital configuration. The roster prints '2 Sept 43' for commissioning against the 3 September 1943 date in DANFS and NavSource - one-day variance logged in the correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-03
-
[4]History of LST Flotilla Seven (NavSource-hosted scan of the official unit history) - temporary-duty assignment and Hollandia/Aitape operation detail naming LST-38 [other_primary]
- Locator
- flot7 unit history pp. ~5-6 (scan text): '17 March 1944' arrival paragraph and Aitape loading paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official LST Flotilla Seven unit history names this hull twice: 'On 17 March 1944 LSTs 38, 122, and 270 arrived at Cape Sudest from the South Pacific area, and reported for temporary duty with the SEVENTH Amphibious Force'; and in the Hollandia-operation task organization, 'LSTs 452(F), 38, 122, 221, 241, 270, and 456, under the command of Lieutenant Commander D. M. Baker, loaded at Cape Cretin for the invasion of Aitape, New Guinea' - the three-unit group rendezvoused off Cape Cretin 18 April 1944, joined Task Force 77, and made landings at Aitape, Hollandia, and Tanahmerah Bay on 22 April 1944. LST-38 was an attached hull supplementing Flotilla Seven, not an original member (the history's original-assignment list does not include her).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked troops during Hollandia operation (March-April 1944)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational detail from a contemporaneous unit history - no asbestos or material content. Confirms the hull's Hollandia-operation participation at Aitape specifically (DANFS says only 'Hollandia operation-April 1944'); flotilla-level temporary-duty mechanics explain how a Flotilla Thirteen ship operated under Flotilla Seven command in New Guinea.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-04
-
[5]NARA Catalog: muster rolls 'LST-38, 9/3/43-2/1/46' (NAID 126555385, RG 24 Bureau of Naval Personnel, microfilm roll 4282) plus monthly WWII war diaries, RG 38 (e.g., NAID 77532450, USS LST-38 War Diary 8/1-31/45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "LST-38" (603 results): muster rolls NAID 126555385; war diaries incl. NAIDs 135960009 (9/12-19/43), 134336297 (10/21-11/5/43), 78278065 (12/1-31/43), 633409065 (1-2/45), 139999672 (3/45), 139998587 (4/45), 83557382 (7/21-31/45), 77532450 (8/45); COM LST FLOT 13 NAID 140008211; photo RG 111 SC 259917 per NavSource caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific archival records exist and are digitized in the NARA catalog (603 results for 'LST-38'): muster rolls covering the hull's entire commissioned life (3 September 1943 - 1 February 1946), listing every crew member aboard by date; and monthly war diaries spanning September 1943 through August 1945 (RG 38 series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories'), digitized. A parent-unit record also exists: COM LST FLOT 13 war diary 3/1/45-4/30/45 (NAID 140008211), consistent with the Flotilla Thirteen assignment. A NARA still-photo record (RG 111, SC 259917) shows the hull beached at Finschhaven, New Guinea, April 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- All hands by name/date (muster rolls); operational record (war diaries)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the records are located and digitized but their page content was not reviewed this session; no asbestos, repair, or material content is established by the catalog entries themselves. No war diary for September 1945 or later appears in the located results - the LST(H) conversion period itself is undocumented at page level. Deck logs proper (RG 24 P118-type series) for this hull were not located among the digitized results - only muster rolls (RG 24) and war diaries (RG 38).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-05
-
[6]Consolidated era inference anchored to BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST design/machinery data (diesel plant, no boilers) plus era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST machinery design table (2 x GM 12-567A, no boilers); class-profile era framing (class-f lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-03)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this diesel-powered LST: the GM 12-567A diesel plant means no boiler/steam-turbine lagging pathway; asbestos-relevant applications aboard the type were diesel exhaust lagging and flange gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve packing, and winch/windlass brake linings. WWII-era naval construction of this period used asbestos-containing insulation, gasket, and deck-covering materials as standard practice (GAO program documentation, ev-07). The September 1945 LST(H) hospital redesignation implies interior accommodation and medical-space re-work - conversion scope undocumented for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46); conversion-yard workers (1945); shipbreakers (1947 sale; breakup completion undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package was located for LST-38/LST(H)-38. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities, no individual exposure. Whether the 1945 conversion added or disturbed asbestos materials is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-06
-
[7]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 built in this era and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s; standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs. For this hull - built 1943 and sold for scrapping 1947 - the construction-era asbestos-use context applies to build and scrapping alike; the later program history is context for the fleet, not for a hull disposed in 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); 1940s-1970s (program scope)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific. Full text not retrieved: gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description per the standing Batch-01 workaround.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-07
-
[8]Source discrepancy resolution across DANFS, BuShips SDB 1945 v2 roster, and NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-38 entry (laid down '14 April 1943'; commissioned '3 September 1943'); SDB1945v2 roster 'LST38 (ex-ATL38)' row ('12 May 43' / '2 Sept 43'); NavSource 10/16/160038.htm header block ('12 May 1943' / '3 September 1943')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two date variances resolved: (a) Laid down - DANFS prints 14 April 1943; the official BuShips roster prints 12 May 1943 and NavSource concurs; 12 May 1943 is adopted as controlling (two sources including the official construction roster against one). (b) Commissioned - the BuShips roster prints '2 Sept 43'; DANFS and NavSource print 3 September 1943; 3 September 1943 is adopted as controlling (also matches the commissioning date in the batch's PRIMARY entry). Builder-location wording differs without conflict: DANFS 'Pittsburgh, Pa.' vs BuShips/NavSource 'Neville Island, Pa.' - Neville Island is the Dravo yard's site on the Ohio River at Pittsburgh; carried as 'Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA'. Occupation-service end differs in granularity: DANFS 'until mid-November 1945' vs NavSource '23 September to 30 November 1945' - NavSource's dates carried with the variance noted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies between official and quasi-official sources; does not affect identity or the service timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweeps (type=o and type=r): "LST-38", "LST 38", "LST(H)-38", "LSTH-38", "USS LST-38" [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-38-07 and sl-uss-lst-h-38-08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. Opinion search (type=o): zero hits for "LST-38", "LST 38", and the OR-ed variant set ("LST(H)-38" OR "LSTH-38" OR "USS LST-38"). Docket search (type=r) for "LST-38" returned 5 dockets - all name collisions in which the string appears incidentally in scanned filings or exhibit/page numbering (product-liability removal, Eleventh Circuit statutory appeal, insurance diversity, bankruptcy, and the Seroquel pharma MDL); none is asbestos litigation and none refers to the vessel. Class-level note: the LST-1 class profile's wider 'USS LST' sweep likewise produced only an incidental mention (Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771 - a reunion-notice exhibit naming USS LST-579).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Negative finding bounded by index coverage: CourtListener covers published opinions and RECAP dockets; unindexed state-court complaints, MDL-875 pleading exhibits, and settled claims naming the ship may exist outside the index. A zero-hit hull-number sweep is expected for a 1947-disposed hull - most asbestos claims name shipyards or manufacturers, not hulls - and is reported as such, not as proof that no claim ever named the ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-09
-
[10]Batch-6466 search ledger (this record): DANFS (live); NavSource (live); BuShips SDB 1945 v2 (live, relocated URL); NARA catalog; LST Flotilla Seven unit history (NavSource-hosted scan); CourtListener API v4; NVR; GAO product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-38-01 through sl-uss-lst-h-38-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material schedule, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LST-38 / LST(H)-38 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold for scrapping in 1947, predating modern ACM-handling regulation - no scrapping-yard material record was located for the Ships and Power Equipment Co. breakup either.
- 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 - a 1943-built naval vessel of this type is era-consistent with asbestos-containing construction materials. Unexamined leads: the digitized war diaries and muster rolls (ev-05), NARA RG 24 deck logs (not located among digitized records), Dravo yard records, and any Ships and Power Equipment scrapping contract file. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-38-10