Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet bj-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: PHANTOM (paper-only designation)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-minerva-arl47-pkt-bj-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-374' entry - verbatim text via Wayback capture of the NHHC page (live page returned 404 on 2026-09-26) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'LST-374' full entry (Wayback capture 2004-03-14 of history.navy.mil/danfs/l16/lst-374.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for LST-374, verbatim: 'LST-374 was laid down on 12 November 1942 at Quincy, Mass., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched on 19 January 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Victor D. Herbster; and commissioned on 29 January 1943. During World War II, LST-374 was assigned to the European theater and participated in the Sicilian occupation in July and August 1943 and the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 29 May 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1946. On 14 January 1947, the tank landing ship was sold to A. G. Schoonmaker. LST-374 earned two battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (9 officers/120 enlisted spec block) plus embarked troops
- Limitations
- Authoritative service history for identity, milestones, operations, and disposal sale; this DANFS entry omits the ARL-47/Minerva redesignation episode entirely - the designation arc is carried from ShipScribe and NavSource (ev-02, ev-03). Contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-26; verbatim text cited via Wayback capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-01
-
[3]ShipScribe, USS Coronis (ARL-10) class page - construction table ARL-47 row, ARL-47 ship note, and class notes (compiled from official auxiliary-vessel records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ARL-10 class page: construction table ARL-47 row; ship notes ARL-47 (MINERVA) entry; class-notes paragraph on the 30 Apr 45 CNO directive and the ARL 42-47 group disposition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe USN auxiliary-ships reference, CORONIS (ARL-10) class page: construction-table row ARL-47 MINERVA, builder Bethlehem Steel Quincy, keel 12 Nov 42, launch 19 Jan 43, never commissioned as an ARL. Ship note verbatim: 'Commissioned as LST-374 29 Jan 43. Decommissioned at Port Covington, Baltimore, Md., 29 May 45 for conversion by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. Conversion began 30 May 45. Reclas. ARL-47 28 May 45, conversion canc. 27 Aug 45, reclas. and name 12 Sep 45. When cancelled her conversion was 21% complete and her anticipated recommissioning date was 26 Oct 45. Stk. as LST 12 Mar 46, sold by Navy and to buyer 14 Jan 47. Merc. ESTRELLA AUSTRAL 1947.' Class notes: on 30 Apr 45 CNO directed conversion of six LSTs then returning from Europe (ARL 42-47); the ships departed Plymouth, England 16 Apr 45 and arrived Norfolk 5 May 45; decommissioned at Port Covington, Baltimore 16-29 May 45; ARL hull numbers and names approved 28 May 45; all six conversions cancelled 27 Aug 45 and reclassifications/names cancelled 12 Sep 45; inspected October 1945 and, 'usable as neither LSTs nor ARLs,' recommended stricken and scrapped; towed to the James River for layup and disposal 29 Dec 45-13 Jan 46.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Ship's company; Maryland Drydock yard workers during the May-Aug 1945 partial conversion
- Limitations
- ShipScribe is a compiled reference reproducing official auxiliary-ship register data - the standard published authority on USN auxiliaries, though not itself a primary document; its builder/dates match DANFS and NavSource for this hull. Establishes the decommissioning site (Port Covington, Baltimore), conversion yard (Maryland Drydock, Baltimore), 21%-complete cancellation state, anticipated recommissioning date (26 Oct 45), and merchant name ESTRELLA AUSTRAL 1947 - all details beyond DANFS. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-374 (page 10/16/160374), incl. embedded DANFS text and NARA/USNI photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LST-374 page: milestone list, campaign table, CO roster, ribbon precedence, spec block, photo captions; page last updated 17 Mar 2017; accessed via navsource.net mirror (navsource.org failed to respond to direct fetch)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS LST-374: radio call sign NCGX; milestone chain consistent with DANFS (laid down 12 Nov 1942 Bethlehem Steel Co. Quincy MA; launched 19 Jan 1943; commissioned 29 Jan 1943 LT. Norman L. Knipe Jr. USNR; decommissioned 29 May 1945 Baltimore MD; 'Named Minerva (ARL-47), 29 May 1945'; 'Start of conversion to a Landing Craft Repair Ship, 30 May 1945, at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD'; 'Conversion canceled, 11 September 1945'; reverted to LST-374; struck 12 Mar 1946; 'Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 14 January 1947, to A. G. Schoonmaker'; two battle stars). Campaign table: Sicilian occupation 9-15 Jul and 28 Jul-17 Aug 1943; Invasion of Normandy 6-25 Jun 1944. Photo captions: US Army Signal Corps C-745 (NARA) - with LST-314 loading supplies at an English port early Jun 1944; US Naval Institute photo same subject; NARA photo - loading a DUKW alongside LST-376 pre-Normandy. Ribbons: American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaigns Medal (2), WWII Victory Medal. CO roster: LT. Knipe Jr. USNR (29 Jan 1943-Jun 1944); LTjg. Raymond Lewis Sanders USN (Jun 1944-29 May 1945). Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 nm at 9 kt; complement 9 officers / 120 enlisted, troops 14/131; 6 LCVP + sectional pontoons; ultimate armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; fuel 4,300 Bbls diesel; propulsion 2 GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk reduction gears, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Ship's company ~129 per spec block; embarked troops up to ~145
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; milestone chain reproduces DANFS and the spec block derives from BuShips data. Two internal compressions corrected at ev-04: 'Named Minerva (ARL-47), 29 May 1945' dates the naming to the decommissioning day while ShipScribe register data dates ARL-47/name approval 28 May 45; 'Conversion canceled, 11 September 1945' merges the 27 Aug work-stoppage and 12 Sep reclassification-cancellation dates. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos content stated or implied. 'Sold for scrapping' conflicts with ShipScribe's 'Merc. ESTRELLA AUSTRAL 1947' merchant-conversion record (gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-03
-
[5]Cross-source reconciliation: ShipScribe CORONIS class page vs NavSource LST-374 page vs DANFS LST-374 entry vs Wikipedia infobox and transportationhistory.org merchant-fate narrative [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe ARL-47 ship note and class notes vs NavSource milestones vs DANFS LST-374 text vs Wikipedia 'sunk 14 June 1968' / transportationhistory.org Paraná River collision narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies mapped: (a) Naming/reclassification date - NavSource dates 'Named Minerva (ARL-47)' 29 May 1945 (the decommissioning day); ShipScribe register data and class notes place ARL-number and name approval on 28 May 1945 for the whole ARL 42-47 group - the 28 May approval date is carried. (b) Cancellation dates - NavSource 'Conversion canceled, 11 September 1945' merges two distinct register events: conversion work cancelled 27 Aug 45 (all six hulls) and reclassification/name cancelled 12 Sep 45; both ShipScribe dates carried, NavSource's 11 Sep treated as a compression (same defect documented on sibling record uss-chandra-arl46). (c) Final disposition - NavSource 'sold for scrapping ... to A. G. Schoonmaker' vs ShipScribe 'sold by Navy and to buyer 14 Jan 47. Merc. ESTRELLA AUSTRAL 1947' vs Wikipedia/secondary reporting of Argentine merchant service (Estrella Austral; later Mar Austral) ending in a Paraná River collision sinking 14 Jun 1968; DANFS confirms only the 14 Jan 1947 sale to Schoonmaker. ShipScribe's merchant-name record and the secondary 1968 sinking are carried with the source-quality caveat. (d) Class label - NavSource indexes the hull under its 'LST-351 class' heading; the BuShips SD-1945 v2 design grouping and the project class profile place it in the LST-1 group; both conventions recorded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1968
- Limitations
- Correction row reconciling publication-level discrepancies; register-derived ShipScribe detail is carried over NavSource's compressed milestone lines where they conflict. The 1968 sinking rests on secondary sources only (Wikipedia infobox; transportationhistory.org) - corroborated only to the extent that ShipIndex.org lists a 1943-built Argentine 'Estrella Austral' (IMO 5109071, singledecker, 4,276 dwt), consistent with this hull. No asbestos content in any reconciled source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) - consolidated with era amphibious-ship construction practice; conversion event per ShipScribe (ev-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table; class-f/lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-01/-03 carry the same machinery source and inference pattern
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST design table documents the diesel machinery of the LST-1 design group on which this hull was built (2x GM 12-567A, ~1,700 shp, 11.6 kt - no boilers). Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST: asbestos-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust/muffler lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. Additionally this hull underwent a documented partial conversion - decommissioned 29 May 45 at Port Covington and worked at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore to 21% completion before cancellation 27 Aug 45 - a yard-rework episode involving removal of LST arrangements for a repair-ship interior in the period when asbestos insulation was standard marine practice; the material scope of that work is undocumented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1968
- Population
- Construction trades (Bethlehem Steel/Fore River, Quincy, 1942-43); ship's company ~129; conversion-yard workers (Maryland Drydock, Baltimore, May-Aug 1945); Argentine merchant crews (Estrella Austral, 1947-ca.1968)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - the BuShips table does not name this hull and lists no insulation materials; no member hull of the LST/ARL family has a located ship-level asbestos record. The partial conversion is documented as an event (21% complete at cancellation), but no asbestos scope is documented for it - disturbance is inference, not finding. Establishes no quantities, no present-day presence, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-05
-
[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 LST hull was built at Bethlehem Steel, Quincy - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- 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 or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-06
-
[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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403; content via product-page description)
- 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. This hull predates the policy era by decades - sold out of Navy custody 14 Jan 1947, roughly 28 years before the earliest documented Navy asbestos-management policy - so no Navy survey or abatement record could be expected for it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not ship- or class-specific; carried to explain why no Navy asbestos-management-era record exists for this hull (disposed 1947; reported sunk 1968). Full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 search (via cl-auth-search.py): 'LST-374' type=o count 0, type=r count 0; 'ARL-47' type=o count 0, type=r count 1 (name collision); 'USS Minerva' type=o count 0, type=r count 0; 'LST 374' type=o count 0; 'Minerva asbestos ship' type=o count 1 (name collision) (2026-09-26) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-minerva-arl47-06 through -11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4 via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-26): opinion searches 'LST-374', 'ARL-47', 'USS Minerva', and the 'LST 374' space variant each returned count 0 - no opinion names the hull under any naval identifier. Docket searches: 'LST-374' count 0; 'USS Minerva' count 0; 'ARL-47' returned a single hit, Simon v. Select Comfort Retail Corp., 4:14-cv-01136 (E.D. Mo., mattress product-liability removal, filed 2014, terminated 2016) - an incidental string match in a scanned exhibit, classified name collision. A qualified opinion sweep 'Minerva asbestos ship' returned one hit, Bosung Industrial Co. v. M.V. 'Aegis Sonic', 590 F. Supp. 908 (S.D.N.Y. 1984) - an admiralty cargo dispute with no relation to this hull, classified name collision. 'Minerva' is a high-collision name (two other USS Minervas - SP-425 and the 1869 Sandusky renaming - plus Minerva Marine Inc., a Greek tanker operator, appear in unrelated litigation), so bare-name sweeps were not relied on.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Coverage note: opinion and docket indexes cleared for 'LST-374', 'ARL-47', and 'USS Minerva'; 'LST 374' cleared on opinions, and its docket-variant sweep remained queued behind fleet pacing at write time - a documented coverage gap, not a cleared record. Even a completed sweep shows only absence of located litigation, not absence of exposure. LST hulls were hull-number-only until 1955, so hull-number sweeps are the operative coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-08
-
[10]Batch-2640 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback capture; NavSource 160374; ShipScribe CORONIS class page; MARAD ShipHistory; ShipIndex.org; CourtListener; shipyards.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-minerva-arl47-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated case naming this hull (LST-374, Minerva, ARL-47, or merchant Estrella Austral/Mar Austral) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, ShipScribe, and VA/NHHC frameworks contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement for this hull; no MARAD Vessel History Database card located (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942-43 built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull underwent a documented partial conversion teardown at a private Baltimore yard in 1945 with undocumented material scope. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-09
-
[11]NARA record-group framework (RG 24 deck logs, RG 19 BuShips, RG 181 naval-district yard records); photo numbers per NavSource captions; MARAD Vessel History Database; ShipIndex.org registry citations [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov not queried to NAID level this session; RG 19 S-15 UD 1024-A per ShipScribe ARL-19 note; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov returned application errors to automated fetch - no card located
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads confirmed at series level, unretrieved: NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for LST-374 (Jan 1943-May 1945 commission; digitization unverified); NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) conversion work package/correspondence for the Maryland Drydock ARL-47 conversion and the October 1945 inspection-board reports covering the ARL 42-47 group (the ShipScribe notes indicate such records exist - cf. the ARL-19 conversion note citing NARA RG 19 Item S-15 Entry UD 1024-A); Bethlehem Steel/Fore River wartime construction records for the LST builder block; named photographs US Army Signal Corps C-745 (NARA, LST-374 with LST-314 pre-Normandy) and the NavSource-captioned USNI/NARA pre-invasion images. No MARAD Vessel History card located for the hull or for merchant ESTRELLA AUSTRAL (IMO 5109071) - consistent with a direct Navy-to-private sale and foreign-flag merchant fate.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1968 records
- Limitations
- Archival lead, not an asbestos finding: deck-log and conversion-package existence is asserted at series level; no hull-specific NAID was retrieved. Deck logs and conversion work packages document operations and work items - whether any asbestos-specific document exists for this hull is unknown until surveyed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-minerva-arl47-10