Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 609-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LST-486 | Hull: LST-486 | Designation: LST, later LST(H)-486 | Class: LST-1 class
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-pkt-609-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-486 - construction, commissioning, Pacific campaign list, LSTH-486 redesignation, decommissioning, SCAJAP operation, destruction, strike (live NHHC page, fetched via Firecrawl; bare curl returns 404 - UA-gated) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-486 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 31 December 1942 at Richmond, Calif., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched 16 January 1943; commissioned 29 May 1943. Asiatic-Pacific operations: capture and occupation of Saipan (June-July 1944), Tinian capture and occupation (July 1944), Leyte landings (October 1944), Lingayen Gulf landing (January 1945). 'Redesignated LSTH-486 on 15 September 1945'; occupation duty in the Far East until early January 1946; 'Upon her return to the United States, the ship was decommissioned on 13 January 1946'; 'operated by the Shipping Control Authority, Japan, until destroyed on 23 July 1947'; struck from the Navy list 28 August 1947. Four battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Richmond, 1942-43); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS's 'return to the United States' decommissioning wording conflicts with NavSource's same-date Japan-side SCAJAP transfer (Q011) and its 12 vs 13 January 1946 date - unresolved (see gaps). 'Destroyed' mechanism not stated. No yard or repair content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST(H)-486 ex USS LST-486 (10/16/160486.htm) - designation timeline, unit assignments, spec block, commanding-officer list, awards, battle-damage photo caption, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160486.htm header block, campaign and occupation tables, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: LST-1-class tank landing ship laid down 31 December 1942 at Kaiser, Inc., Richmond, CA; launched 16 January 1943; commissioned USS LST-486 29 May 1943, LT. E. C. Shea USNR. Assigned to LST Flotilla Five (CAPT. G. B. Carter), LST Group Fifteen (CDR. V. K. Busck), LST Division Twenty-Nine; and LST Flotilla Three (CDR. A. A. Ageton), LST Group Eight, LST Division Sixteen. Campaigns: Marianas/Saipan 15 June-30 July 1944; Tinian 24-30 July 1944; Leyte landings 20 October 1944; Lingayen Gulf 4-15 January 1945. Redesignated Landing Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-486, 15 September 1945. Navy Occupation Service (Asia) periods: 25-29 Sep 1945, 20 Oct-1 Nov 1945, 18 Nov-21 Dec 1945, 3-13 Jan 1946. 'Decommissioned, 12 January 1946 and transferred to Commander Naval Forces Far East (COMNAVFE) Shipping Control Authority (SCAJAP), redesignated Q011'; struck 28 August 1947; 'Final Disposition, destroyed, 23 July 1947.' Photo captions document San Diego 'Acorn Training' embarkation 2-9 January 1944 (NARA photos 80-G-224489/224500/224492/224516/224532) and a 21 October 1944 Leyte mortar hit 'on main deck between frames 14 and 15, no casualties' (caption citing LST-704 and COMLSTFLOT3 war diaries, Army Signal Corps photo 254880 / NARA ID 80662621). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, 3 x 100 kW DC generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16/147; radio call sign NGYF. CO list: LT Shea 29 May 1943-May 1945; LT Donald E. Snowdon USNR May 1945-12 January 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus embarked troops and, as LST(H), medical staff/patients (1945-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS and the NARA war diaries except the post-decommissioning disposition (SCAJAP Q011 on 12 Jan 1946 vs DANFS's 13 Jan 1946 'return to the United States' wording - unresolved, see gaps). The Leyte mortar-hit caption is independently corroborated by the ship's own October 1944 war diary (ev-04). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 134261669, 'USS LST-486 - War Diary, 5/29/43 to 6/30/43' (RG 38 war-diaries series, micro serial 52578, Roll A414) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 134261669, commissioning-day and early-June pages (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own commissioning-period war diary (pages read this session) documents: 29 May 1943, 1100 - 'Commander J. S. Lillard, U.S.N., as the official representative of COMAMPHORPAC, received the U.S.S. LST-486 from the Kaiser Company, Inc., Richmond, California' under Commandant 12th Naval District commissioning orders (COMAMPHORPAC order P16-4/00/05, Serial 56, 7 January 1943), the ship turned over to Lieutenant E. C. Shea, USNR; vessel moored at Yard 4, Kaiser Company, Richmond; 1320 underway for Mare Island Navy Yard, California, mooring 1640 at Berth South 21, Mare Island Navy Yard. 30-31 May: at Mare Island. 31 May evening: shifted to the Shell Oil dock, Martinez, fueling (179,339.58 gallons). 1 June: to Pier 46, San Francisco, loading. The diary thus documents a Navy-yard fitting-out availability at Mare Island Naval Shipyard immediately post-commissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- May-June 1943
- Population
- Ship's company (from 29 May 1943); Kaiser Yard 4 construction trades (turnover); Mare Island Navy Yard trades (fitting out, 29-31 May 1943)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced record read for the 29 May-1 June 1943 window; the balance of June was not page-read. Documents presence and mooring at Mare Island Navy Yard, not the work content - no materials, insulation, or 'asbestos' language. Kaiser 'Yard 4' is the diary's own rendering.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-03
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[5]NARA NAID 78646461, 'USS LST-486 - War Diary, 10/1-31/44' (RG 38 war-diaries series, micro serial 92763, Roll A1226) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78646461 pp. 4-6 (entries 11, 19-23 October 1944; downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The October 1944 war diary (read this session) documents the Leyte operation and battle damage: staged at Seeadler Harbor, Manus; embarked 181 men and 6 officers of Co. 'B', 382nd Bn., 96th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, plus ammunition (10 October); underway 11 October with Task Group 79.6 for the target area. 20 October: approach on Leyte Island, anchored in LST Area William off Blue Beach II, launched LVTs with assault personnel, beached on Blue Beach II and unloaded 96th Division cargo. 21 October: '1505 Received shell hit on main deck between Frames 14 and 15, penetrating into Compartment A207L, puncturing inboard bulkhead and damaging compartment equipment' - the ship-diary record matching NavSource's mortar-hit photo caption; completed unloading and embarked rear-echelon personnel from APA-89. 22-23 October: beached Blue Beach II again, fired on enemy aircraft (493 rounds expended 22 October); retracted to LST Area Xray.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- October 1944
- Population
- Ship's company (~117) plus embarked 96th Infantry Division troops (October 1944)
- Limitations
- Documents the hit and its compartment location verbatim; the diary does not record repair scope, materials disturbed, or any 'asbestos' content. Compartment A207L's function and any repair event are unstated - damage repair is a reasonable expectation, not a documented one.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-04
-
[6]NARA NAID 633411514, 'USS LST-486 - War Diary, 4/1-30/45' (RG 38 war-diaries series, Roll A1550; 5 images, all read) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 633411514 pp. 1-5 (entries 1-30 April 1945; downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The April 1945 war diary (all five pages read) documents: Apra Harbor, Guam - beached 0606 1 April discharging military cargo loaded in the Russell Islands (ship serving as flag ship, Task Unit 96.6.12); 2 April - wind squall and nearby coral-blasting drove the vessel onto a reef; freed 0039 3 April with YTB-381, YTB-378 and YT-288 assisting; 'thorough inspection' found damage only to the support of the after 40mm gun tub, no hull damage. 3-8 April: Eniwetok. 9-20 April: to Pearl Harbor (arrived 20 April; Berth G-3, then West Loch Berth T-9 alongside LST-242). 21 April: underway for the U.S. West Coast per ComHawSeaFron orders as flag ship of Task Unit 13.11.6 (LCDR E. C. Shea CTU) in company with LSTs 276, 488, 243, 213, 242, 482 and 477. 30 April: per ComWesSeaFron order 252032, LSTs 486 and 488 detached from the task unit; positions through 30 April (~32 N, 121 W) put the ship off the Southern California coast at the run's end. This is the hull's documented return-to-CONUS transit preceding the hospital redesignation of 15 September 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- April 1945
- Population
- Ship's company (~117); 96th/77th Division-adjacent embarked elements earlier in the run
- Limitations
- Documents the stateside transit and destination window (Southern California, ~30 April 1945) but no arrival port, yard, or work content; the digitized diary run ends here (April 1945) - no May 1945 or later diary month for this hull was located in the RG 38 series. The grounding damage (after 40mm gun tub support) was reported minor; no repair record located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-05
-
[7]J.T. Thorpe job book, Alphabetical A-M volume (J.T. Thorpe Settlement Trust, jttstrust.com - trust-published scan of the contractor's contemporaneous work ledgers), p. 615 (PDF page) under 'Craig Shipbuilding Company (contd.)'; corroborated by the numerical volume 'Job Nos. 4447 (1944) - 6799 (Jan. 1950)', job-sequence pp. 59 and 64 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Alphabetical A-M PDF p. 615, 'CRAIG SHIPBUILDING COMPANY (contd.)' section; numerical vol. 4447-6799 pp. 59 (job 4991) and 64 (job 5043) (both PDFs downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The J.T. Thorpe job books carry two work entries naming this hull: job 4991 - 'U. S. S. LsT-486 - Rebrick Galley Range / (A) - Repair Bake Oven' and job 5043 - 'U. S. S. LsT-486 - Rebrick Cleaver Brooks Boile[r]' - each filed under customer/yard 'Craig Shipbuilding Company.' In the numerical volume, the book's own month markers place job 4991 in the May 1945 sequence (between the 'May' marker near job 4950 and the 'June 1945' marker at job 5026) and job 5043 within June 1945 - matching the war diary's documented 30 April 1945 approach to the Southern California coast. J.T. Thorpe was a refractory and insulation contractor whose bankruptcy settlement trust publishes these job books so claimants can find work performed at each site by date and job number (per the trust's job-books page); refractory and boiler work of this era used asbestos-containing refractory cements, block insulation and packing as a matter of documented trade practice.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- May-June 1945
- Population
- J.T. Thorpe refractory/insulation trades; Craig Shipbuilding yard trades; ship's company (May-June 1945)
- Limitations
- Documents contractor work aboard this hull, not material composition: the ledger says 'rebrick' (firebrick/refractory repair) and never says 'asbestos'; asbestos relevance rests on the contractor's era product profile, not the entry's text. Dates are read from the book's monthly sequence markers, not per-job dates. 'Craig Shipbuilding Company' is the ledger's customer/yard field - the physical work site is not stated in the entry, and Craig Shipbuilding has no shipyards.json entry. No records of further J.T. Thorpe work on this hull located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan); NavSource LST-486 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 160486.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-1 class ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,700 shp total, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no main boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1942-43 diesel landing ship of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, galley and auxiliary-boiler refractory/insulation, deck coverings - and this hull in fact received documented galley/boiler refractory repair during its May-June 1945 stateside period (ev-06), inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond construction trades (1942-43); Mare Island fitting-out trades (1943); ship's company/embarked troops/patients (1943-46); Craig Shipbuilding/J.T. Thorpe trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material schedule was located for LST-486/LST(H)-486. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. The J.T. Thorpe entries (ev-06) document refractory work, not asbestos content. SDB 1945 v2 link verified live 2026-10-02 (older /styles/usnaux/ path in the class profile has rotted to 404).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-07
-
[9]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 construction (1942-43), Pacific service and battle damage, 1945 stateside yard work, occupation duty, and 1947 destruction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, reconfirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-08
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[10]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-09 through -12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located in what was searched: exact-phrase "LST-486" returned 0 in the opinion index (authenticated query, HTTP 200). The docket-index query was attempted three times across ~45 minutes and the "LST 486" asbestos / "LSTH-486" opinion variants never reached the wire; all were stopped by the fleet hourly pacing gate and are logged as pending, not zero.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Incomplete coverage this session: only the opinion-index exact-phrase query completed; docket index and spelling variants are pending (fleet hourly pacing, three refusals). CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state-court filings, unreported settlements, MDL-875 pleading-level vessel lists, and non-digitized dockets are outside coverage. A zero opinion-index result means no located published opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists anywhere.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-09
-
[11]Batch-6473 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog (war-diary run + Special List 44 deck-log inventory); J.T. Thorpe Settlement Trust job books (alphabetical + numerical); BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; CourtListener API; NIOSH HHE search; NVR; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No source located states that asbestos was aboard this hull: no insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-486/LST(H)-486 was found in the public sources searched. The closest ship-specific record is the J.T. Thorpe job book's two refractory-repair entries (ev-06) - asbestos-relevant contractor work aboard, whose material content the ledger does not state.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located 'asbestos' record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - construction at a wartime Kaiser yard, Mare Island fitting out, documented 1945 refractory work, and the (H) conversion all sit inside the Navy's asbestos-use era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-10
-
[12]NARA catalog, "LST-486" - 413 file units, substantially the digitized RG 38 war-diary run (29 May 1943 - 30 April 1945) plus July 1944 morning-report reels; NARA Special List 44 (sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p. 47) inventories RG 24 deck logs for LST-486 covering 5/29/1943 - 1/31/1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov "LST-486" result set; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF p. 47 (downloaded)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A deep primary archive exists for this hull. The catalog carries ~413 file units under "LST-486," dominated by the monthly war-diary run (representative NAIDs: 5-6/43 134261669; 7/43 134296400; 8/43 78145174; 9/43 78174520; 10/43 134317943; 11/43 134352318; 12/43 78259138; 1/44 78283343; 2/44 78323505; 3/44 78357505; 4/44 78422164; 5/44 78469832; 6/44 78537884 - cataloged under the OCR-variant title 'USS LAT 486'; 7/44 78554931; 8/44 78602961; 9/44 134366855; 10/44 78646461; 11/44 78706236; 12/44 139813891; 1/45 139860471; 2/45 139900016; 3/45 139965721; 4/45 633411514), all digitized. Two July 1944 morning-report reels (NAIDs 480993788, 480995790) also matched. Separately, NARA Special List 44 - 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (ship-number volume, PDF p. 47) - inventories deck logs for LST-486 covering 29 May 1943 - 31 January 1945, establishing dated Navy record coverage of the in-scope WWII period. No 'War History' file unit for this hull was located, and no digitized war-diary month after April 1945 was found in the RG 38 series.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Ship's company (1943-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: only three diary months were page-read this session (commissioning month, October 1944, April 1945); the deck logs inventoried by Special List 44 are NARA holdings, not confirmed digitized; the RG 181/any-yard work package for the 1945 Craig Shipbuilding period and the (H) conversion location are unfollowed leads. Deck-log coverage ending 31 January 1945 and the diary run ending April 1945 leave May 1945 - January 1946 undocumented in the sources read.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-486-lsth486-11