Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 611-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS **LST-952**, reclassified **LST(H)-952** 15 September 1945
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-pkt-611-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS (NHHC), 'LST-952' entry - construction, Okinawa service, LST(H) redesignation, disposal [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS entry text (full entry - single paragraph plus battle-star line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS: laid down 11 September 1944 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc.; launched 11 October 1944; commissioned 3 November 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto April through June 1945. Redesignated LSTH-952 on 15 September 1945; performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until early May 1946. Decommissioned 1 August 1946; struck from the Navy list 22 January 1947; sold 10 October 1947 to Luria Bros. & Co., Inc., of Philadelphia, Pa., for scrapping. Earned one battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); scrapping workforce, Luria Bros. Philadelphia (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history entry - establishes identity, milestones, campaign credit, and disposal. Says nothing about asbestos, materials, or medical-fitout detail. Gives no commanding officer, no laid-down corroboration beyond the entry itself (NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum carry a conflicting 1 September 1944 date - see ev-09).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-01
-
[3]NARA, 'USS LST-952 - Rep of opers in the invasion and occupation of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 4/1/45 - 6/22/45' (NAID 101748393; RG 'Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations', WWII War Diaries series; 11 pages digitized) - CO's confidential action report LST952/A12-1, 24 June 1945, signed G. C. Garris, with endorsements to 9 Sep 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101748393 images 0621-0631 (transmittal; narrative sections; casualty table p. 0628; endorsements 0629-0631); companion NAID 101702569 images 0133-0139
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report states she was styled 'LST(H) 952' during rehearsals off Guadalcanal, 1-6 March 1945 (ComLSTGroup 8 / Task Unit 53.12.1), and that 'our assigned duty was as a casualty control evacuation ship' off Green Beach 2 at Okinawa. On L-Day (1 April 1945) she launched 17 LVTs carrying I Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Marines, 6th Marine Division, then took evacuation station. The report logs daily casualty evacuations (Okinawa, Nago, Ie Shima, Kerama Retto, Naha) and summarizes: 2,791 casualties received aboard; 190 operations (52 major); 1,791 battle injuries; 113 non-battle injuries; 165 neuroses; 722 other diseases; 15 dead. Medical fit: 'the entire port side of the ship, from A-216-L forward was assigned to the medical unit for operating room, wards, etc.'; the tank deck was cleaned after the LVT launch and set up as an emergency treatment and receiving station. On 3 April a friendly 40mm round hit deck cargo and damaged an autoclave; 15 April she was straddled by bombs; 12 May three of ship's company received flesh wounds from 20mm fire exploding on deck. 'No battle damage was received by this ship.' Complement note: 'the normal LST complement of 106 is inadequate for an LST(H)' - 21 additional corpsmen assigned. Radar inoperative throughout; 193 general quarters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03-01 to 1945-06-22 (report); endorsements to 1945-09-09
- Population
- Ship's company (~106 + 21 added corpsmen); medical unit (4 doctors + 24 corpsmen, +4 doctors/3 corpsmen L-Day); 2,791 casualties handled; embarked troops
- Limitations
- Primary ship record read at full resolution from NARA scans. Documents the casualty-evacuation mission and interior medical arrangement at Okinawa; contains no mention of asbestos or construction materials - interior-space documentation is exposure-relevant context, not a material finding. 'LST(H) 952' usage in a 24 June 1945 report (and in the 17 July / 21 Aug / 9 Sep 1945 endorsements addressed to 'CO, LST 952(H)') shows the operational role predated the formal 15 September 1945 redesignation in DANFS. A companion interim report ('Rep of opers in the invasion of Okinawa Jima...4/1-6/45', NAID 101702569, 7 pages) covers the assault phase of the same operation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-02
-
[4]NARA, 'USS LST-952 - War Diary, 6/1-30/45' (NAID 101736301, 2 pages) and 'USS LST-952 - War Diary, 7/1-31/45' (NAID 77474131, 3 pages), WWII War Diaries series - monthly diaries submitted under PacFlt CL1-45 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 101736301 images 0909-0910; NAID 77474131 images 0146-0148
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- June 1945 war diary (transmittal 9 July 1945, G. C. Garris): 'U.S.S. LST(H) 952, a part of Task Unit 31.22.3 ... was assigned duty as a casualty control evacuation ship for the Naha area from 1 June through 16 June 1945. 17 June to 23 June U.S.S. LST(H) 952 assisted in evacuating all Okinawa shore hospitals. 24 June she was ordered to Kerama Retto to evacuate casualties which ended her activities at Okinawa.' Daily June transfers to hospital ships are listed (185, 102, 105, 172, 65, 206, 141, 65, 349, 258, 71, 51, 64, 11, 8; and 74 on 24 June). July 1945 war diary (transmittal 6 August 1945): underway Okinawa to Leyte in Task Unit 31.29.23 (CTU on USS LST-1040), arrived San Pedro Bay LST anchorage 3 July 1451; 21 July ordered to load the 868th Bombardment Squadron (H) personnel and equipment at Rizal Beach; 24 July underway Leyte to Okinawa in Task Unit 72.10.5 (CTU on USS LST-729), arrived Buckner Bay.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-01 to 1945-07-31
- Population
- Ship's company and medical unit; casualties transferred to hospital ships
- Limitations
- Primary ship records read at full resolution from NARA scans. Both diaries style the ship 'LST(H) 952' in official correspondence of July-August 1945, again predating the formal 15 September redesignation. Deck logs (the continuous position/status record) are a separate series - see ev-04 for the SL-44 inventory; war diaries are narrative summaries, not logs. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-03
-
[5]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - ship-number listing, PDF page 62 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 62, LST-952 rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- SL-44 inventories NARA-held deck logs for LST-952 in two segments: 11/3/1944-2/28/1945 and 4/1/1945-6/30/1945 (each row duplicated by the PDF's two-up typesetting; the distinct holdings are the two date ranges). The segments run from commissioning through the end of the Okinawa operation but omit March 1945 and everything after 30 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-11-03 to 1945-06-30 (inventoried coverage)
- Limitations
- Inventory entries establish that NARA held these logbooks as of the list's compilation - they are coverage windows, not commissioning/decommissioning dates, and not the log contents themselves (the logs are not digitized in the NARA catalog as of this research; the catalog holds the war diaries and operation reports in ev-02/ev-03 instead). March 1945 and post-June-1945 logs are absent from this inventory - whether later accessions hold them is unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-04
-
[6]MARAD Vessel History Database, LST-952 record (Detail/9572) incl. vessel status card image 4CE_01.png [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/9572 'Status Cards' image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/4CE_01.png
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD lists the hull as 'LST-952', general type 'Naval Combatant', specific type 'LST Tank Landing Ship', fate 'Sold - No Further Info'. The status-card image (a U.S. Maritime Commission disposal card) records the vessel as surplus of the Department of the Navy, operator Luria Bros. & Co., Inc., form of agreement 'Pur.' (purchase), delivered 10/10/47 - consistent with the DANFS sale date. Other card/database fields are blank or placeholder (year built 9999).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Population
- Shipbreakers, Luria Bros. Philadelphia (1947-48)
- Limitations
- Confirms the disposal chain (Navy surplus -> USMC disposal -> Luria Bros. purchase, delivered 10 October 1947); the database record itself is otherwise empty and the card's handwritten surplus-notation date is not fully legible ('Oct 1946' range reading). No asbestos or material content; the 1947-48 breakup predates modern hazmat documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-05
-
[7]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS LST(H)-952 ex USS LST-952 (1944-1945)' - designation timeline, organization, awards, commanding officers, specifications, photography (page last updated 27 May 2016) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/16/160952.htm - header, campaign/awards tables, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource links both designations for this hull on one page (LST-952 -> LST(H)-952) and records: LST-542 class; laid down '1September 1944' at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham MA (typographically mangled - see ev-09); launched 11 October 1944; commissioned 3 November 1944, LT. George C. Garris, USNR in command; organization LST Flotilla Twenty-One (CAPT. W. H. Brereton), LST Group Sixty-Three (LCDR. R. E. Farnestock), LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Six; Okinawa Gunto operation 1 April to 28 June 1945; redesignated Landing Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-952 on 15 September 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 20 Sep-3 Oct 1945 and 15 Oct 1945-2 May 1946; China Service Medal (extended) 15 Oct 1945-2 May 1946; decommissioned 1 August 1946; struck 22 January 1947; sold for scrapping 10 October 1947 to Luria Bros. & Co., Inc., Philadelphia. Commanding officers: LT. George C. Garris, USNR (3 Nov 1944 - 26 Nov 1945); LTjg. Vladimir Fedorowicz, USN (26 Nov 1945 - 1 Aug 1946). Photos: beached (place/date unknown); at anchor San Francisco Bay circa 1946; in drydock (place/date unknown).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's company 1944-46 (CO list names both commanding officers)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its milestone dates here corroborate DANFS (except the laid-down rendering - ev-09) and its award/occupation windows add detail DANFS lacks. The printed specification block is the generic LST-542 class spec (GM 12-567A); BuShips assigns the 12-278A variant to this hull's build block (see gaps). Photo captions are donor-submitted. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table + roster - via the batch class profile's verified extraction (2026-09-16); shipscribe URL returned 404 when re-fetched 2026-10-02 and no Wayback capture exists [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster (shipscribe scan, retrieved 2026-09-16); class profile ev-lst-1-class-01/-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for diesel-powered LSTs: no boilers, so asbestos-relevant applications are GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings; LST conversions (ARL/AGP/ARB and LST(H) hospital fits) added interior outfit scope. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 class table: LST design 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, ~2,366 t light / 3,960-4,080 t trial, 11.6 kt, twin-screw GM diesels; the roster assigns GM 12-278A engines to the LST-932-979 block that includes this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); ship's company incl. engine-room ratings (1944-46); conversion/fitout trades for the LST(H) medical spaces
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package was located for LST-952/LST(H)-952, and no source names an installed asbestos product aboard this hull. Names era-typical applications, not confirmed materials; establishes no quantity and no individual exposure. The SDB v2 scan was live when the class profile verified it 2026-09-16; the URL 404s as of 2026-10-02 with no Wayback copy - the extraction stands on the class profile's prior verification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-07
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure', HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) - product page (full text 403 to automated fetch, standing defect) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program history: standing policy from 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained aboard ships for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - post-dates this hull's 1947 disposal and is not class- or ship-specific; LST-952 was scrapped before any of the described policy operated. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch both this session and in prior batches; content attributed to the product-page description level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-08
-
[10]Laid-down date cross-check: DANFS '11 September 1944' vs NavSource '1September 1944' (mangled rendering), NavalCoverMuseum 'September 1 1944', Wikipedia '1 September 1944' (citing NavSource and the Bethlehem-Hingham yard list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS entry vs NavSource page text 'Laid down, 1September 1944' vs navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/LST(H)_952 'Keel Laid September 1 1944' vs en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-952 infobox
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Sources conflict on the keel-laying date: DANFS says 11 September 1944; NavSource's page prints '1September 1944' (a spacing/digit-mangled string ambiguous between 1 and 11 September), NavalCoverMuseum prints 'Keel Laid September 1 1944', and Wikipedia carries 1 September 1944 citing NavSource plus shipbuildinghistory's Bethlehem-Hingham yard list. This record carries the DANFS date (11 September 1944) as the authoritative entry.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-09
- Limitations
- Unresolved one-or-eleven discrepancy. NavSource's own string is defective ('1September'), so it cannot settle the question on its face; the 1-September chain traces to NavSource-derived secondary sources. Neither date is ship-proven to builder's-record level this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-09
-
[11]Batch-6486 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; NavSource; NARA Special List 44 PDF; NARA catalog API; MARAD Vessel History Database + status card; NavalCoverMuseum; Wikipedia cross-check; CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-01 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 LST-952/LST(H)-952 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet pacing limiter stood down every request; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary sweeps surfaced only law-firm/marketing listicle content asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing (excluded by source policy) and commercial photo listings.
- 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (pacing-limited, not run to completion). The ship's deck logs (two inventoried segments) are not digitized; her 1947-48 scrapping predates hazmat documentation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-952-lsth952-10