Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 684-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-nestor-lst518-pkt-684-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Nestor (ARB-6) - construction, conversion, service narrative and spec block (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Nestor (ARB-6) entry - service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'Nestor (ARB-6) was laid down 13 September 1943 as LST518 by Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, Ill., launched 20 January 1944, sponsored by Miss Rita Jenkins, converted by Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, and commissioned 24 June 1944, Comdr. Frank W. Parsons, USNR, in command.' Designed 'to make emergency repairs in forward areas to battle-damaged ships,' she left Norfolk 4 August 1944 for Guantanamo Bay, the Panama Canal, and Ulithi, arriving 21 October; for the next five and a half months she 'acted as tender to small craft and repaired all types of naval vessels from battleships to LCI's.' She left Ulithi 19 April 1945 for Kerama Retto, the forward base for the Okinawa campaign, where she 'worked round the clock, often under fire herself' repairing kamikaze-damaged ships; entered Buckner Bay 10 July 1945 as Okinawa was secured, work including 'the tremendous task of building a cofferdam.' 'Nestor was driven aground by wind and heavy seas in the devastating typhoon of 9 October, and had to be abandoned. She decommissioned 29 November, and her hulk was sold for scrap in May 1947.' Spec block: dp. 4,100; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'2"; s. 11 k.; cpl. 265; a. 1 3", 8 40mm; cl. Aristaeus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Construction trades, Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca (1943-44); conversion trades, Maryland Drydock Baltimore (1944); ship's company and embarked repair ratings (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-10-02 (standing NHHC link-rot defect from BATCH-01); verbatim transcription mirror used. DANFS does not record the short LST-518 ferry commission that shipscribe/BuShips-derived notes document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Nestor (ARB-6) - milestone timeline, specifications, commanding officers, Typhoon Louise photo series, disposal detail; NavalCoverMuseum NESTOR ARB-6 page (namesake, post office, struck-date variant) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/26/2606.htm - timeline block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions; NavalCoverMuseum https://www.navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/NESTOR_ARB_6 (verified live 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down as LST-518, 12 September 1943, at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca IL (one day earlier than DANFS/shipscribe - see gaps); redesignated Battle Damage Repair Ship ARB-6, 3 November 1943; launched 20 January 1944; fitted out as an Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ship at Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, MD; commissioned USS Nestor (ARB-6), 24 June 1944, CDR Frank W. Parsons, USNR, in command. Campaign: assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 16 April - 30 June 1945; occupation duty in the Far East 9 October - 29 November 1945; driven aground at Okinawa by wind and heavy seas during Typhoon Louise, 9 October 1945; decommissioned 29 November 1945; struck from the Naval Register 3 January 1946; one battle star for World War II service. Disposal detail: hulk sold for scrap May 1947 - in November 1945 CNO directed that the hulk be sunk or destroyed, but this was not done, and she became one of about 15 Okinawa typhoon wrecks sold for scrap in two batches (May and November 1947) by the State Department's Foreign Liquidations Commission; Nestor, with USS LST-823, USS LST-826, three floating docks and smaller craft, was in the May batch purchased by the Oklahoma-Philippines Co. (the 'Berry sale'); the date of her scrapping is not known. Specs: cpl. 18 officers + 248 enlisted; largest boom capacity 50 t.; armament 1 x 3"/50, 2 quad 40mm, 8 x 20mm; propulsion 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, 2 propellers, 1,800 shp. Commanding officers: CDR Parsons (24 Jun 1944 - 1 Mar 1945), LCDR Shelby Norman Davis USN (1 Mar - 30 Nov 1945). NHHC-credited photos (NH 105655, NH 05658) document the wreck alongside USS Ocelot (IX-110) - her stern severed by Nestor's bow - and USS APL-14. The NavalCoverMuseum NESTOR ARB-6 page corroborates the name/designation history (namesake: 'A Greek chieftain in the siege of Troy, known for his wisdom'), documents the shipboard post office (established 25 July 1944 - disestablished 14 October 1945), and carries the struck-date variant 'Struck from Naval Register November 29 1945' (see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Construction trades Seneca (1943-44); conversion trades Baltimore (1944); ship's company and repair ratings (1944-45); salvage/stripping parties and any scrapping labor at Okinawa (1945-47)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track BuShips/DANFS but the laid-down date conflicts with DANFS and shipscribe by one day (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. The 'Berry sale' and CNO-sink-order details are NavSource research notes appended to the standard DANFS-derived timeline.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' - extract on Typhoon Louise from the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas report on the Surrender and Occupation of Japan, Annex A and Appendix III (Wayback capture 2021-01-21; live page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC 'Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' - CINCPAC report Annex A (NESTOR narrative) and Appendix III (vessel table row 'ARB 6 NESTOR')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy account of this hull's loss. From 1020 on 9 October 1945 NESTOR (ARB) maneuvered continuously to avoid dragging ships - INCA (IX), LST-826 (narrowly avoided at 1230, nearly running down ARD-27), LST-823, ARD-22, LCI-463; her anchor chain fouled an LCI buoy and had to be slipped; the starboard anchor would not hold. Backing all engines to avoid YP-289 put her so close to the beach that she grounded about 1345; struck and holed by YF-1079, she pounded badly. At 1420 a wind shift drove her off the beach, flipped her end for end, and drove her back on the beach alongside OCELOT (IX-110); 20-30 foot breakers flooded all starboard compartments aft of frame 25. At 1530 her stern was crushed against APL-14 while her bow penetrated OCELOT at frame 10; she settled in 24 feet of water; at 1945 all personnel and records were evacuated to APL-14. Appendix III lists 'ARB 6 NESTOR - Grounded - recommended for decommissioning.' Fleet totals: 12 ships sunk, 222 grounded, 32 damaged beyond ships'-company repair; 36 dead, 47 missing, ~100 seriously injured; salvage under ComServDiv 104.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-10-09 to 1945-11-19
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked repair ratings during the storm (9-10 Oct 1945); APL-14 receiving crew; ComServDiv 104 salvage parties
- Limitations
- Ship-specific primary-report narrative of the loss event; contains no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-02; Wayback capture dated 2021-01-21 cited and labeled as archived.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-03
-
[5]Ship Scribe, USS Aristaeus (ARB-1) class page - BuShips/OpNav-derived construction and disposition tables, per-ship notes, class notes (compiled 30 Jun 2007) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ARB/ARB01.html - construction table row ARB-6, disposition table row ARB-6, ship note ARB-6 (NESTOR)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship note for this hull: 'Ex LST-518 3 Nov 43. Ferry commission as LST-518 29 Jan-4 Mar 44 (from reduced to full commission at New Orleans 11 Feb 44). Converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. Wrecked in typhoon at Okinawa 9 Oct 45. Wreck sold by FLC May 47 (included in the "Berry" sale to Oklahoma-Philippines Co.).' Class table for NESTOR: reclassified 3 Nov 43, builder Chicago Bridge, Seneca; keel 13 Sep 43; launch 20 Jan 44; commissioned 24 Jun 44; decomm. 29 Nov 45; strike 3 Jan 46; disposal 9 Oct 45; fate 'Lost.' The keel date agrees with DANFS (13 September) against NavSource's 12 September. The ferry-commission detail explains the identity sequence: the hull transited from Seneca down the inland waterways to New Orleans as commissioned LST-518 (reduced commission 29 Jan 44, full commission 11 Feb 44), was decommissioned for conversion at Baltimore, and emerged as USS Nestor (ARB-6).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Ferry crew as LST-518 (29 Jan - 4 Mar 1944); conversion trades at Maryland Drydock (Mar-Jun 1944)
- Limitations
- Ship Scribe is a compiled reference site; its tables and notes are drawn from BuShips and OpNav records as stated in the class notes, but it is a secondary compilation, not a scanned primary document for this table. The 'disposal 9 Oct 45 / Lost' table line records the loss date, while the actual scrap sale was May 1947 (documented in the same ship note and by NavSource). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-04
-
[6]Ship Scribe, USS Aristaeus (ARB-1) class page - class notes: conversion program history and ARB conversion scope (per ARB-3 crew history quoted therein) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/ARB/ARB01.html - 'Class Notes' section (conversion program, Maryland DD conversions, Gibbs and Cox, ARB-3 crew history quotation)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented class conversion scope: all units of the ARB-1 class were converted by Maryland Drydock, Baltimore, except ARB-3 (Tampa Shipbuilding); Gibbs and Cox was design agent for all three LST conversion designs (ARL/ARB/AGP). Per the ARB-3 crew history quoted in the class notes, the main differences between an ARB and an LST were 'heavier armament, greater deck facilities for cargo handling, a much longer superstructure deck, and last and most important the tank deck covered with lathes, grinders, drills, metal cutters, welding machines, and other shop equipment'; the crew was larger than an LST crew 'and included a large number of highly specialized rated enlisted men trained in ship repair.' Bow ramp and bow-door control gear were not installed and the bow doors were welded shut; two derricks (a 10-ton boom and a 50-ton 'A' frame) were fitted; class complement 253 (1944); machinery 'G.M. diesels, 2 screws,' 1,800 HP, 11.6 knots. Program history: COMINCH directed the first LST-to-ARB conversions 18 December 1942; ARL/ARB/AGP designations approved by SecNav 13 January 1943; ARB 4-9 authorized after the Auxiliary Vessels Board 11 June 1943 review; ARB 10-12 added 2 May 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Conversion trades at Maryland Drydock for the class (1943-45); repair ratings embarked on ARBs
- Limitations
- Class/era design documentation - describes the ARB conversion type generally; the quoted scope description comes from the ARB-3 crew history, applied to the class. Establishes the interior-rework nature of this hull's conversion (tank deck to machine shops) but not what materials were installed aboard this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-05
-
[7]ACandS, Inc. v. Asner, 104 Md. App. 608, 657 A.2d 379 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1995) (official reporter PDF, mdcourts.gov); rev'd & remanded, ACandS, Inc. v. Asner, 344 Md. 155, 686 A.2d 250 (Md. 1996), official PDF https://www.mdcourts.gov/data/opinions/coa/1996/92a95.pdf [court_record]
- Locator
- 104 Md. App. 608, slip op. Facts section II.B.2 (Wilson work history: 'exposure to PH asbestos products occurred between 1941 and 1945 at Drydock'); 344 Md. 155 (disposition: reversed and remanded, new trial on compensatory liability only)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Maryland appellate litigation documents asbestos-product use at this hull's conversion yard during the conversion era: the Court of Special Appeals opinion recounts that decedent Charles F. Wilson 'worked as a sheet metal worker at Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Company ("Drydock") in the 1940s... where he was exposed to asbestos,' and states 'Wilson's exposure to PH [Porter Hayden] asbestos products occurred between 1941 and 1945 at Drydock.' Consolidated trial in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City produced jury verdicts for the claimants (compensatory and punitive damages); the Court of Special Appeals affirmed (27 April 1995); the Court of Appeals granted certiorari and reversed and remanded for a new trial on liability for compensatory damages only (11 October 1996), holding the exclusion of threshold-limit-value evidence was prejudicial error - an evidentiary ground, not a rejection of the exposure record. 'Maryland Drydock Company' (the wartime name; renamed Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. after 1950) is the yard DANFS and NavSource name as this hull's converter.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (exposure); 1993-1996 (litigation)
- Population
- Sheet metal workers and other trades at Maryland Drydock, Baltimore (1941-1945 window adjudicated)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation record, not a hull record: names the conversion yard and asbestos products in use there 1941-1945; does not name this or any vessel, and does not establish what materials went aboard LST-518/ARB-6 during the March-June 1944 conversion. Litigation posture at its furthest point: jury verdicts affirmed by the intermediate appellate court, then reversed and remanded by the Court of Appeals on evidentiary grounds for a new trial on compensatory liability - the exposure testimony stands as trial record, the liability judgment did not survive review. CoA outcome after remand not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk gears, 2 screws, 1,800 shp); DANFS spec block (diesel-driven auxiliary, no boilers); shipscribe ARB class data (machinery 'G.M. diesels, 2 screws'); LST-1-class profile (lst-1-class.class.json): diesel plant narrows the steam-lagging pathway; ARB conversion added interior rework [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/26/2606.htm specifications block; DANFS spec block; shipscribe ARB01 class data; lst-1-class.class.json class notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-491-design hull built September 1943 - January 1944 and converted March-June 1944 sits inside the documented wartime asbestos-use era for U.S. shipbuilding and conversion yards. With no steam plant, the boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply; era-standard applications aboard a hull of this type were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, winch/crane brake linings, and pipe/machinery packing - with the ARB conversion adding substantial interior rework (tank deck refitted as machine shops; longer superstructure deck). The conversion-yard population had its own documented exposure: Maryland appellate litigation records asbestos-product use at Maryland Drydock 1941-1945 (ev-06).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Chicago Bridge & Iron construction trades Seneca (1943-44); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1944); ship's company incl. repair ratings (1944-45); salvage/strip and scrapping labor (1945-47)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, conversion work package, or maintenance record located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-07
-
[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 entire construction, conversion, and service era (1943-1945).
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-08
-
[10]Batch-7026 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource; NHHC typhoon report (Wayback); shipscribe ARB class page; NARA Special List 44; mdcourts.gov appellate PDFs; GAO product page; CourtListener; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-nestor-lst518-01 through sl-uss-nestor-lst518-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material list, conversion work package, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS Nestor (ARB-6) or LST-518 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). NARA Special List 44 (the comprehensive 1801-1947 logbook inventory) lists ARB-1, -2, -3, -7, -8 but does NOT list ARB-6 or LST-518 - the hull's deck logs are not in that online itemization. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. The hull's documented fate (grounded, stripped, hulk sold in place at Okinawa for local-area scrapping) means no museum, donation, or abatement documentation track exists.
- 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 - construction and conversion-era practice makes asbestos presence plausible but it is not ship-proven. CourtListener opinion coverage is complete and negative ('USS Nestor' 0; 'ARB-6' 20 name-collision hits only; 'LST-518' 0) and the 'USS Nestor' docket sweep returned 0; remaining docket sweeps are open gaps under fleet pacing, not negative results (sl-08). RG 24 deck logs (if surviving - the ship's records were evacuated to APL-14 in the storm) and Maryland Drydock conversion work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nestor-lst518-09