Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet 664-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-spark-lst340-pkt-664-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Spark III (LST-340)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS ship-history page, full text (spec block and narrative); verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry 'Spark III (LST-340)': laid down as LST-340 on 17 July 1942 by Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va.; launched 8 November 1942; commissioned 26 December 1942. Shakedown Chesapeake Bay 9 January-3 February 1943; via New York, Guantanamo, and the Canal Zone to the Pacific; Noumea 11 May; sortied 6 June with TG 32.3 for the Solomons. Off Guadalcanal 16 June 1943 attacked by nine Japanese dive bombers; one direct bomb hit on the main deck plus near misses killed one gun-crew member and nine Army passengers and wounded four sailors; fires and flooding forced abandonment except gun crews and repair parties; beached at Tenaru Beach; fire controlled after four hours with LST-398 assistance; towed to Espiritu Santo; reached San Francisco 24 November 1943 for a yard overhaul lasting to April 1944. Assigned to TF 52 for the Marianas; moored at West Loch, Pearl Harbor, on 21 May 1944 when LST-179 and LST-353 exploded (six LSTs and three LCTs sunk, over 160 killed); LST-340 got underway within five minutes and pulled neighboring ships clear. During Tinian operations she broached and grounded at White Beach 2 while unloading trucks and embarking wounded; refloated 13 August 1944, towed to Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, and inspected 15 August - found damaged beyond repair and slated for conversion to a barracks ship. Reclassified IX-196 and named Spark 20 October 1944; decommissioned 24 October 1944; stricken 1 September 1945. Three battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Ship's company (~119 per DANFS) plus embarked troops (16 officers, 147 enlisted capacity); 1942-1944
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, service, battle damage, conversion, decommissioning, and striking. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or crew-exposure information. Internal date defect: DANFS prints the Tinian grounding as '21 June,' chronologically impossible because the Tinian assault began 24 July 1944 - see correction row and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Spark (IX-196) ex-USS LST-340, page 160340 (compiled from DANFS, ship action report NARA ID 134284080, COM LST FLOT 5 war diary, and NHHC/NARA-captioned photography; contributors incl. Tracy White, David Upton, Robert Hurst) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page header timeline, specification block, awards block, and photo captions (80-G-284213/217/218/222/223/224; action-report frames); verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Spark (IX-196), ex-USS LST-340: LST-1-class specifications including propulsion of two General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesel engines, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's-service generators, two propellers, twin rudders - a diesel plant with no boilers; complement 13 officers and 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers and 147 enlisted. Flotilla assignment LST Flotilla Five, Group Thirteen, Division Twenty-Six. Campaigns: Consolidation of Southern Solomons 16 June 1943; Saipan capture and occupation 15 June-19 August 1944; Tinian capture and occupation 24 July-10 August 1944. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive 16 June 1943), Navy Unit Commendation 1 March-1 June 1943, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3). Detailed photo-captioned record: bombed 16 June 1943 off Guadalcanal per Action Report 6/16/43 (NARA ID 134284080, roll A435); grounded on the reef at White Beach 2, Tinian, 29 July 1944 with starboard shaft knocked five inches out of alignment and both engine rooms flooded; 160 casualties removed by breeches buoy to USS Chickasaw (ATF-83) over eight and a half hours on 30 July; salvage by USS Clamp (ARS-33) from 1 August; refloated 13 August and towed to Tanapag Harbor; judged beyond economic repair and converted to an unpowered barracks ship. Reclassified IX-196, named Spark, 20 October 1944; stricken 1 September 1945; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked Army troops (16 June 1943); 160 embarked casualties evacuated 30 July 1944
- Limitations
- NavSource is a secondary compilation, not a government publication; its narrative cites the ship's action report and flotilla war diary (primary documents it relays). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material information. Decommission date printed as 25 December 1944 conflicts with DANFS 24 October 1944 - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-02
-
[4]National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives Catalog - records for USS LST-340 (RG 38 WWII war diaries/action reports; RG 24 deck logs not separately confirmed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Catalog record 134233675 (war diary, roll A385); record 134284080 (action report, roll A435) returns HTTP 200; NavSource-hosted COM LST FLOT 5 war diary May 1944 PDF verified live (https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/16/pdf/lst%20flot%205%20war%20diary%20may%201944.pdf)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds ship-specific primary records for this hull, several digitized: 'USS LST-340 - War Diary, 5/1-31/43' (NARA ID 134233675, WWII War Diaries microfilm roll A385, Fold3-scanned pages in the National Archives Catalog); the ship's Action Report of 16 June 1943 (NARA ID 134284080, roll A435, per NavSource's captions); and the Commander LST Flotilla 5 war diary for June 1943 and May 1944 (May 1944 installment mirrored by NavSource, covering the West Loch period). A catalog search on 'LST-340' returned 276 hits on 2026-10-02.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Existence and location of records verified; contents not exhaustively reviewed for asbestos references (operational diaries and action reports rarely document hull materials, but repair sections could). NARA catalog search endpoint intermittently returned the SPA shell instead of JSON on 2026-10-02 - full hit list not enumerated. These records establish where ship-level detail may exist, not any asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-03
-
[5]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); LST-1 class profile (lst-1-class.class.json, class-c/f worktree) for the diesel-plant application set [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 abstract and article (DOI resolves to Wiley, verified 2026-10-02); class profile propulsion/class_notes fields
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference only: the LST-1 class was diesel-powered (two GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers and no steam plant), so the asbestos-relevant applications aboard this hull type are the era-standard diesel-ship set - diesel exhaust and engine-room lagging, thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/brake linings. Peer-reviewed history documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulation in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the program and era under which this hull was built; the period 1942-1944 included her construction at Norfolk Navy Yard, a 1943-44 San Francisco yard overhaul after battle damage, and a 1944 conversion to a barracks ship at Tanapag.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1942); ship's company and embarked troops (1942-44); San Francisco yard workers (Nov 1943-Apr 1944 overhaul); conversion crews at Tanapag (1944)
- Limitations
- Era and design inference, not a hull record: no source names this vessel's materials, and the diesel plant removes the boiler/steam-lagging pathway common to steam ships. The class profile itself reports no ship-level asbestos record for any LST-1 member and no class-wide material schedule. Establishes no quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-04
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[6]U.S. EPA, NPL Site Narrative for Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia (SEMS doc 184041, Federal Register notice July 22, 1999); EPA Superfund Site Profile, VA1170024813 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NPL narrative 'Conditions at Proposal (March 6, 1998)' paragraph listing generated wastes ('residues from sandblasting; asbestos; ...'); site profile https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0302841 (OU list incl. Site 19 1942-54 Landfill). Both URLs verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The hull was built at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia (DANFS). EPA's NPL site narrative for Norfolk Naval Shipyard (EPA ID VA1170024813, proposed 1998-03-06, final 1999-07-22, Federal Register notice 22 July 1999) states that industrial wastes generated at the shipyard include asbestos, and that in the past wastes generated by waterfront maintenance of naval vessels were frequently dumped overboard or onto the ground; the site profile lists operable units including the WWII-era 'Site 19, 1942-54 Landfill.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942 (construction); narrative published 1999 covering historical operations
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard workforce (~43,000 WWII peak per Atlas shipyard record); construction trades on this hull, 1942
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation spanning the yard's whole history; not dated to 1942 and does not name this vessel or its construction contract. Documents that the builder's yard generated asbestos waste, not that this hull contains or contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 (type=o planned queries: "LST-340", "USS Spark", "IX-196"; type=r equivalents) - not executed to completion [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-spark-lst340-07 (blocked status); prior class-level sweep 'USS LST' asbestos found only an incidental reunion-listing hit (Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771, naming LST-579) and no asbestos docket naming any LST hull
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CourtListener ship-name and hull-number litigation sweep could not be completed this session: every authenticated API request was refused by the fleet-wide pacing limiter (shared ~114/hr budget momentarily spent; five spaced attempts, all exited 2). No CourtListener result - positive or negative - is recorded for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Blocked, not a negative result: litigation status of this hull is unresolved pending a CourtListener re-run. Class-level sweep found no qualifying asbestos docket naming any specific LST hull, which lowers but does not close the question for LST-340.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-06
-
[8]Batch-6879 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; NavSource amphibious archive pages 160340/160340a; NARA catalog (war diary + action report records, 276 catalog hits); NVR scope statement; EPA Cumulis/SEMS [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-spark-lst340-01 through sl-uss-spark-lst340-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition report, or docketed case naming LST-340 or IX-196 was found in the public sources searched (NHHC/DANFS, NavSource, NARA catalog, NVR, EPA; see search_ledger). The Naval Vessel Register does not cover this hull (vessels disposed before 1987 are excluded from the public NVR; she was stricken 1945).
- 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 1942 naval shipyard build is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the hulk's undocumented post-1945 disposition means no final-condition survey exists. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-07
-
[9]Cross-check of NHHC DANFS 'Spark III (LST-340)' against NavSource page 160340 (NARA-captioned photo record) for decommission and grounding dates [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative paragraphs 6-7 vs NavSource 160340 timeline and photo captions (80-G-284213 series, dated 29-30 July 1944)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Date-discrepancy corrections across sources: (1) Decommissioning - DANFS prints 24 October 1944; NavSource prints 25 December 1944; this record adopts the DANFS date. (2) Tinian grounding - DANFS prints '21 June,' chronologically impossible (the Tinian assault began 24 July 1944 and the ship was at West Loch 21 May); NavSource's NARA-photo-captioned record dates the grounding 29 July 1944 and the breeches-buoy casualty transfer 30 July; this record treats the event as late July 1944. (3) Complement - DANFS spec block 119; NavSource itemizes 13 officers + 104 enlisted (=117); both carried.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Resolutions are judgment calls between two reputable compilations: DANFS is canonical but internally impossible on the grounding date; NavSource's 29 July rests on dated NARA photo captions. The war diary and action report (NARA rolls A385/A435) could settle both dates definitively - left as an archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spark-lst340-08