Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 627-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-pkt-627-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Vanderburgh (APB-48) - name etymology, spec block, construction, conversion-during-construction note, shakedown, Panama Canal transit, Pearl Harbor/Eniwetok/Guam/Sasebo/Hiro Wan occupation service, San Francisco accommodation-ship duty, inactivation, reserve-fleet layup, strike, and 1972 disposal (live NHHC page fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; bare curl 404s, UA-gated - re-verified HTTP 200 with browser UA) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vanderburgh entry, full text and spec block; DANFS Presque Isle entry (https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/presque-isle.html), final paragraph - LST-1114 designation chain (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull (filed under Vanderburgh, APB-48): 'a tank landing ship converted during construction to a self-propelled barracks ship'; laid down 12 January 1945 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 20 April 1945; sponsored by Mrs. C. A. Bailey; commissioned at New Orleans 3 July 1945. Shakedown late July 1945; departed mid-August via the Panama Canal Zone for Hawaii; arrived Pearl Harbor 2 September 1945 (six days); after stops at Eniwetok and Guam arrived Sasebo, Japan, 2 October 1945; then Hiro Wan, Inland Sea near Hiroshima and Kure, providing living quarters for occupation personnel until early 1946; arrived San Francisco 8 April 1946; temporary duty as accommodation ship while preparing for inactivation; 'placed out of commission' 30 January 1947 and berthed at Stockton, Calif., Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the Navy list 1 April 1972; sold 15 November 1972 to Mr. Ronald M. Fraser, of Portland, Oreg., for scrapping. Spec block: dp. 4,080 (lim.); l. 328'0"; b. 50'0"; dr. 11'2" (lim.); s. 10 k. (tl.); cpl. 137; trp. 302; a. 8 40mm.; cl. Benewah. The companion DANFS entry for Presque Isle corroborates the pre-completion designation chain verbatim: 'LST-1114 became Presque Isle (AKS-19) on 8 January 1945, became Vanderburgh (AKS-19) on 17 February 1945, and Vanderburgh (APB-48) (q.v.) on 31 March 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1972
- Population
- Ship's company and berthed occupation personnel (1945-46); construction trades (Evansville, 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history; contains no asbestos or material content. The Vanderburgh entry itself does not state the LST-1114 hull number; the designation chain is documented by the DANFS Presque Isle entry (cited in locator) and by NavSource. Decommissioning date '30 January 1947' conflicts with NavSource (17 January 1947) and with the ship's own NARA personnel diary, which ends 1/17/47 (ev-03). Sale dated 15 November 1972; NavSource records sale 12 November and reserve-fleet withdrawal 15 November 1972.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Vanderburgh (APB-48), 10/13/1348.htm - designation timeline (LST-1114 / Presque Isle AKS-19 / Vanderburgh AKS-19 / APB-48), commissioning officer, occupation-service dates, decommission/strike/disposal dates, APB specifications, awards, commanding-officer table, photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/13/1348.htm header block, APB specifications block, awards table, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: Benewah-class self-propelled barracks ship laid down 12 January 1945 as LST-1114 at Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville, IN; redesignated General Stores Issue Ship and named Presque Isle (AKS-19) 8 January 1945; renamed Vanderburgh (AKS-19) 17 February 1945; redesignated Self-propelled Barracks Ship Vanderburgh (APB-48) 31 March 1945; launched 20 April 1945; commissioned USS Vanderburgh (APB-48) 3 July 1945 at New Orleans, LA, LT. Hatch W. Williams Jr., USN, in command. Occupation service in the Far East 8 October 1945 - 7 March 1946. Decommissioned 17 January 1947 at San Francisco, CA; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Stockton, CA; struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1972; sold for scrapping 12 November 1972 to Mr. Ronald M. Fraser, Portland, OR, withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet 15 November 1972. Spec block: 4,000 t; 328 ft; beam 50 ft; draft 11 ft 2 in; 12 kts; complement 12 officers / 125 enlisted; troop accommodation 28 officers / 275 enlisted; two quad 40mm AA mounts and twenty .50/.30-cal machine guns; fuel 4,485 bbls diesel; propulsion 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, five diesel-drive 100 kW 120/240 V ship's service generators, twin rudders, two propellers, 1,600 shp; radio call sign NBFT. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). CO table lists seven officers, 3 July 1945 - 17 January 1947 (last: LT. Alfred Kenneth Shipley, USN). Photo captions document the hull fitting out on the Ohio River near the MVBI yard (builder's photo via USS LST Ship Memorial LST Shipyard Collection) and laid up in reserve at Mare Island in June 1967 (MINSY photo 79270-9-67, with APL-3 inboard, USS Pelias AS-14 and USS Pine Island AV-12 in frame).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1972
- Population
- Ship's company (~137 per DANFS spec) plus berthed occupation personnel (~275-302 capacity)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates cross-check against DANFS and the NARA muster file; where sources differ (decommissioning 17 vs 30 January 1947; sale 12 vs 15 November 1972; troop accommodation 303 vs 302; speed 12 vs 10 kts; displacement 4,000 vs 4,080 t) all values are disclosed in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 192639186, 'Vanderburgh (APB-48), 6/28/45-1/17/47' - Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, Roll 7671 (173 images, digitized via Ancestry partnership; pages sampled and image-read this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 192639186, sampled images of 173: leader/title cards; 3 Jul 1945 Report of Changes page; Report of Changes for month ending 31 Dec 1945 (Pennington-certified, Kure/Japan transfers); 1-17-47 final Daily Personnel Diary page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's muster-roll file unit covers her entire commissioned life, 28 June 1945 - 17 January 1947. Sampled pages (image-read this session): a NAVPERS-605B 'Report of Changes of U.S.S. VANDERBURGH (APB48)' dated 3 July 1945 - the commissioning-day personnel report - lists enlisted men received aboard 23-28 June 1945 from NTS Newport, R.I., and SupShips, Evansville, Ind. (the Supervisor of Shipbuilding office overseeing construction at the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron yard), with era ratings (F1c, MoMM2c, Y2c, M1c, S2c, GM3c, SK3c, StM2c, S1c(SC), EM3c, StM3c). A Report of Changes for the month ending 31 December 1945 (Japan period) is certified correct by 'R. H. Pennington, Lieut., USNR, Commanding Officer' - matching the NavSource CO table - and records enlisted men received from USS Biloxi (CL-80) via 'CSD103 Rep., Kure' (ComServDiv 103 Representative, Kure) and demobilization transfers FFT to USNPPSC receiving stations (Toledo, Great Lakes, Memphis). The final Daily Personnel Diary page (NAVPERS-501) is dated 1-17-47, 'Discontinued this date for personnel,' recording the last enlisted transfers (TRAN) to ComPacResFlt under authority serial 5771 of 12/21/46, signed by N.G. Stucker, LTJG, USN.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-06-28 to 1947-01-17
- Population
- Ship's company (enlisted crew received Jun 1945 through final Jan 1947 transfers)
- Limitations
- Personnel-accounting records: names, ratings, and movements only - no material, insulation, or asbestos content. Sampled pages only (leader card, series title card, the 3 Jul 1945 Report of Changes page, the Dec 1945 monthly report page, and the final diary page) were image-read; the file was not fully transcribed, so exact crew counts at given dates are not asserted here. The 1/17/47 diary end corroborates NavSource's 17 January 1947 decommissioning over DANFS's 30 January 1947 but is personnel-administrative evidence, not the decommissioning instrument itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-03
-
[5]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton compilation), Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., Evansville IN yard page and production table - hull-by-hull LST build list [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Missouri Valley yard page, LST production table row for LST-1114
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard production table names this hull: LST-1114 - laid down 1/12/45, launched 4/20/45, delivered 6/22/45; annotation 'Redesignated Presque Isle (AKS 19) 1944, APB 48 1945, scrapped 1972.' The page documents the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Evansville yard as a purpose-built wartime Ohio River yard that produced 171 LSTs (plus LCTs and other craft at the Leavenworth, KS plant), closed after the war, and was destroyed by fire in 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- MVBI Evansville construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Independent compiler's yard table, not a Navy record - used to corroborate build dates and the redesignation chain, which agree with NavSource except that the AKS-19 redesignation is rendered '1944' here vs NavSource's 8 January 1945 (contract-year vs effective-date difference, logged in gaps). 'Delivered 6/22/45' vs the 3 July 1945 commissioning at New Orleans is consistent with the Ohio/Mississippi river transit before commissioning. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan, verified live HTTP 200); NavSource APB-48 spec block; lst-1-class class profile (class-f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource 10/13/1348.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-542-series design group on which this hull was laid ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, ~1,600-1,700 shp, Falk reduction gear, twin screws - BuShips design table and this hull's NavSource spec block) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1945 diesel LST-hulled ship were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, deck coverings - and the during-construction conversion to a self-propelled barracks ship (troop berthing ~275-302) added interior accommodation fit-out aboard this hull inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1972
- Population
- MVBI construction trades (1945, incl. barracks-conversion interior work); ship's company and berthed personnel (1945-47); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers (1947-72); 1972 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or conversion work package was located for LST-1114/APB-48. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. The barracks conversion's material scope is not itemized in any source located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-05
-
[7]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 and conversion (1945), commissioned service (1945-47), 25-year Pacific Reserve Fleet layup (1947-72), and 1972 sale and scrapping.
- 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-vanderburgh-lst1114-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-08 through -12c; Savoie exhibit verified at Document 137-1 page 49 (storage.courtlistener.com RECAP PDF)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located. Opinion index: "Vanderburgh" + asbestos returned 6 hits, all name collisions (Vanderburgh County / surname references in unrelated cases); "LST-1114" returned 0; "APB-48" returned 0. Docket index: "LST-1114" returned 2 hits - Zellers v. Warren (D.D.C. 1:05-cv-01670, FELA removal; the token occurs inside an OCR-garbled incident-report exhibit (RECAP attachment 15-2) - non-qualifying collision) and Savoie v. Pennsylvania General Insurance Co. (E.D. La. 2:15-cv-01220, 'P.I.: Asbestos' removal) - the match is inside Document 137-1, a defense-side 'Vessels Constructed at Avondale' schedule exhibit whose only LST rows are the printed entries 'LST 1171 - USS DeSota County' and 'LST 1174 - USS Grant County,' postwar DeSoto County-class LSTs built at Avondale 1955-58; the indexed 'LST-1114' token is an OCR artifact of one of those entries (verified against the page-49 PDF image). 'APB-48' dockets returned 1 hit - Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (M.D. Pa. 4:04-cv-02688, civil rights; 'APB-48' is an exhibit/document token, not a vessel) - name collision. 'Vanderburgh' dockets returned 1,627 hits - the top-20 returned set inspected is entirely Vanderburgh-family bankruptcy filings and Vanderburgh County (IN) litigation, zero ship- or asbestos-adjacent entries - name collisions. Classified per rule at the less-final posture: even read literally these are pleading-stage exhibit tokens, not exposure evidence for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- 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 qualifying result means no located docketed case/opinion naming this hull, not proof none exists. All seven planned queries completed (after fleet pacing-gate waits); the 1,627-hit 'Vanderburgh' docket result was sampled at the top-20 returned set, not exhaustively reviewed - high-collision surname/county term.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-07
-
[9]Batch-6603 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; NARA catalog + muster-roll file unit sampled; yard production table; BuShips SDB 1945 v2; GAO product page; CourtListener API (opinion + docket); MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or qualifying case naming LST-1114 / Vanderburgh (AKS-19) / Vanderburgh (APB-48) was found in the public sources searched. The strongest ship-specific documentation is personnel records (the digitized muster-roll file unit covering the entire commissioned life) and operational history (DANFS/NavSource); no primary source read names asbestos aboard this hull.
- 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 barracks conversion at a wartime inland yard sit squarely 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-vanderburgh-lst1114-08
-
[10]NARA catalog, "USS Vanderburgh" / "APB-48" / "LST-1114" / "Vanderburgh" result sets - the only ship-titled unit surfaced is muster-roll file NAID 192639186 (digitized, 173 images, sampled); no war diary, deck log, or casualty-report file unit for the hull was surfaced [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov result sets; NAID 192639186 record page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary archive coverage for this hull: the digitized muster-roll file unit 'Vanderburgh (APB-48), 6/28/45-1/17/47' (NAID 192639186, Roll 7671, 173 images) covers the full commissioned period and was sampled this session (ev-03). No ship-titled WWII war diary or post-1945 deck-log file unit for Vanderburgh/APB-48/LST-1114 was surfaced in catalog searches; the hull's brief commissioned life (Jul 1945 - Jan 1947) mostly postdates the WWII war-diary program's active period. Builder-side construction/conversion records for Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron hull contracts would sit in RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) or RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks)/contract records and in SupShips Evansville files - none digitized or retrieved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- Ship's company (1945-47); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: the full muster roll was sampled, not transcribed; WWII deck logs proper for this hull were not located in the digitized deck-log program; conversion work-package records (the during-construction LST-to-APB conversion scope) remain an open archival lead and would be the strongest candidate for material-level documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vanderburgh-lst1114-09