Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet 639-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-zeus-lst132-pkt-639-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Zeus I (ARB-4) - class and spec block, construction, naming/reclassification, Maryland Drydock conversion, commissioning, Eniwetok service, decommissioning and strike (live NHHC page fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; entry by Robert J. Cressman dated 6 March 2016; NHHC page published 9 January 2023) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Zeus I (ARB-4) entry, full text incl. spec block and CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: 'LST-132 was laid down on 17 June 1943 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 26 October 1943; and sponsored by Mrs. C. A. Brown, wife of Lt. C. A. Brown, USNR, who was assigned to the shipyard. With the reallocation of the ship to carry out battle damage repairs, the ship was named Zeus on 4 November 1943 and reclassified as ARB-4. The Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, Md. carried out the conversion work, and Zeus was commissioned at her conversion yard on 11 April 1944, Lt. William C. Groves in command.' Spec block: displacement 3,960 (limiting); length 328'0"; beam 50'0"; draft 11'2" (limiting); speed 11.6 knots (trial); complement 254; armament 1 3-inch, 8 40mm, 8 20mm; class Aristaeus. Service: Chesapeake Bay shakedown begun 28 April 1944 (eight-hour full-power run 29 April; gun tests 3-4 May); proceeded to the Norfolk Navy Yard on 5 May for scheduled work; sailed 16 May 1944 with the internal combustion engine repair ship Oahu (ARG-6) and SC-706 via Guantanamo Bay and the Panama Canal to San Diego (10 June), then Pearl Harbor (arrived 23 June 1944); reported to Commander Service Force Pacific Fleet (ComServPac) and received assignment to Service Squadron (ServRon) 2, then reported to Commander ServRon 10 at Eniwetok 9 July 1944, working there from 15 July 1944 through 6 December 1945, performing battle damage and voyage repairs on hundreds of U.S. Navy, War Shipping Administration (WSA), and U.S. Army vessels (77 ships of 21 types in January 1945; 108 vessels of 34 types in February 1945 incl. battleship New York (BB-34) and aircraft carrier Bunker Hill (CV-17); 81 Navy vessels plus 39 WSA ships in March 1945; 101 vessels of 31 types in April 1945; declining monthly totals after the surrender); entered floating dry dock ARD-30 for repairs 22-23 October 1945. Departed Eniwetok 6 December 1945; San Pedro Christmas Day 1945 through mid-March 1946; discharged ammunition at Seal Beach 19-20 March 1946; San Diego for the remainder of commissioned service. 'On 30 August 1946, as she lay alongside the internal combustion engine repair ship Culebra Island (ARG-7), Zeus was placed out of commission and berthed at San Diego with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She remained in reserve until 1 June 1973 at which time her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.' Commanding officers: Lt. William C. Groves (11 April 1944), Lt. Eugene A. O'Brien (14 June 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1943); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1943-44); ship's company incl. repair department (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS narrates a single commissioning (11 April 1944 at the conversion yard); it does not mention the documented November-December 1943 ferry commission as LST-132 (see ev-uss-zeus-lst132-03, -05, -06) - omission logged in gaps. Does not state the ship's fate after the 1973 strike.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-01
-
[3]NARA NAID 78414848, 'USS ZEUS - War Diary, 4/11-30/44' (RG 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, WWII War Diaries microfilm, Micro Serial 71872, Roll A943; 2 images, digitized via Fold3) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78414848, images 1-2 (downloaded and read 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own war diary (both pages read this session) documents: 'At 1400 pursuant to CNO conf. despatch 081432 of April 1944 ZEUS (ARB4) (Ex-LST 132) placed in full commission at the Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, Md., and delivered to Lieutenant William C. Groves, U.S.N., Commanding Officer' (11 April 1944); shifted to Port Covington, Baltimore 16 April; reported to Commander Amphibious Training, Atlantic Fleet 23 April; sailed Baltimore 24 April for NOB Norfolk; ammunition and supplies at Norfolk 26 April; depermed at Lambert's Point 27 April; Chesapeake Bay shakedown 28-30 April (eight-hour full-power run 29 April; anchored off Cove Point, Solomons Island 30 April). Approved by W. C. Groves, Lieutenant, U.S.N., Commanding; submitted by N. R. Swarts, Lt.(jg), U.S.N.R., Navigator.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-04
- Population
- Ship's company (April 1944)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-produced narrative; the phrase 'placed in full commission' is consistent with a prior reduced (ferry) commission - corroborating the BuPers muster roll and ShipScribe ferry-commission note that DANFS and NavSource omit. Confirms the commissioning location as Maryland Drydock, Baltimore - NavSource's 'Norfolk, VA' commissioning location is contradicted by this primary record. Contains no asbestos or material content; covers only 11-30 April 1944.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-02
-
[4]NARA NAID 126464910, 'LST-132, 11/9/43-12/23/43' (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; microfilm Roll 4335; 31 images, digitized via Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126464910, forwarding-sheet image viewed (roll segment covering 11/9/43-12/23/43)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull's BuPers muster roll forwarding sheet (viewed this session) is titled 'MUSTER ROLL OF THE CREW UPON COMMISSIONING OF THE U.S.S. LST 132 (ARB-4)', annotated 'Comm 11-9-43 to 12-23-43', approved 26 November 1943 by 'C. I. LAULO, Lt. (jg), USN, Commanding Officer' and certified by 'T. A. UNDERWOOD, Lt. (jg), USNR, Executive Officer'; forwarded from 'U.S.S. LST 132 (ARB-4), c/o FPO New York, N.Y.' with 3 quarterly-roll pages and 6 report-of-changes pages. The roll documents a commissioned crew under a commanding officer aboard this hull November-December 1943 - the ferry-commission period that narrative sources omit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-11 to 1943-12
- Population
- Ferry-commission crew, November-December 1943
- Limitations
- Primary personnel record; only the forwarding sheet was read - the roll's remaining ~28 unviewed images enumerate crew by name/rating and may further document the Seneca-New Orleans-Baltimore delivery voyage. Contains no asbestos or material content; crew names carried as a record class, not reproduced here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Zeus (ARB-4) ex LST-132 (09/26/2604.htm, last updated 20 September 2024) - designation timeline, spec block, commanding-officer list, awards, sale and commercial-service chain [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/26/2604.htm header block, timeline, specifications block, CO table, awards, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ship; projected as LST-132; laid down 17 June 1943 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 26 October 1943; redesignated ARB-4; converted by Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD; commissioned USS Zeus (ARB-4) 11 April 1944 'at Norfolk, VA' (conflict - war diary and DANFS place the commissioning at the Baltimore conversion yard), LT William C. Groves USN in command; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; decommissioned 30 August 1946; laid up in the Reserve Fleet at San Diego, CA; struck from the Naval Register 1 June 1973; sold 1 August 1974 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Snopac Enterprises for merchant service as salmon processor and freight ship MV Cape St. Elias; sold 1988 to Icicle Sea Foods, renamed MV Coastal Star; sold to SNOPAC Products Inc. December 2007, renamed MV SNOPAC Innovator; sold back to Icicle 2012, renamed Gordon Jensen; sold to Peter Pan Seafoods February 2024; re-registered 2024 under St. Kitts & Nevis flag, renamed Gordon; 'probably destined for a final trip to a Pacific port and eventual scrapping.' Spec block: displacement 1,781 t (lt) / 4,100 t (fl); 328' x 50'; draft 11'2"; 11.6 kts trial; complement 20 officers / 234 enlisted; largest boom 50 t; 1 x 3"/50 DP, 2 quad 40mm, 8 single 20mm; 4 x 100kW 120/240V DC + 2 x 100kW 450V AC generators; diesel fuel 4,480 bbls; propulsion two GM 12-567A diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, two propellers, 1,800 shp. Call sign NJXG. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal (no battle star listed). Photo captions: laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego (undated); laid up in reserve at Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1977 (post-sale, context unclear).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2024
- Population
- Ship's company (1944-46); commercial crews and fish-processing workers (1974-present); prospective shipbreakers
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer photographic-history compilation, not a primary registry - core dates cross-check cleanly against DANFS, the ship's war diary, and BuShips Ships' Data. The 'Norfolk, VA' commissioning location contradicts the ship's own war diary and DANFS (Maryland Drydock, Baltimore) - logged as a conflict. The post-Navy chain (1974-2024) is NavSource-only plus secondary corroboration (MarineTraffic IMO 8836273 name history). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 15 April 1945), Auxiliaries - Repair Ships, Battle Damage (ARB) section, per-hull rows for ZEUS ARB-4 (shipscribe.com scan of the official wartime publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v3 ARB tables (characteristics, accommodations, machinery, construction pp.330-335 region of scan); name index 'ARB4 ZEUS'; type index 'Zeus (ex-LST132)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuShips 1945 volume carries per-hull rows for ZEUS ARB-4: characteristics row 'ZEUS (ex-LST 132) ARB4 - 328'0" oa, 316'0" wl, 50'0" extreme beam, 11.6 kts trial, 3,960 t trial displacement'; accommodations row '4,100 t limiting displacement, 34 t/in immersion, 11'2" limiting draft, 20 officers + 234 enlisted, largest boom 50 t'; machinery row '2 propellers, G.M. Diesel 12-567A, 1,800 shp'; construction row 'Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca, Ill. - 17 Jun 43, 26 Oct 43, 23 Dec 43 - ZEUS ARB4'; type index 'Zeus (ex-LST132) ARB4.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (publication); construction 1943-1944
- Population
- Accommodations documented: 20 officers + 234 enlisted
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous official Navy data naming this hull. The construction table's third date column (date of first commission) reads 23 December 1943 - the ferry-commission end date per ShipScribe and the muster-roll window; it does not distinguish the November 1943 reduced/ferry commissioning from the 11 April 1944 full commissioning. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statements.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-05
-
[7]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Aristaeus (ARB-1) Class' page (construction/disposition tables, class notes, ARB-4 ship note) - compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from Navy registers, BuShips/OpNav records, and MARAD files [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class page: construction table ARB-4 row; disposition table row '4 ZEUS 30 Aug 46 | 1 Jun 73 | 10 Jul 74 | Sold'; Ship Notes ARB-4; Class Notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled per-hull record for ZEUS ARB-4: reclassified 3 November 1943 (vs DANFS 'named Zeus on 4 November 1943' - one-day conflict logged); builder Chicago Bridge, Seneca; keel 17 June 1943; launched 26 October 1943; commissioned 11 April 1944; ship note - 'Ex LST-132 3 Nov 43. Ferry commission as LST-132 9 Nov-23 Dec 43 (from reduced to full commission at New Orleans 23 Nov 43). Converted by Maryland DD, Baltimore, Md. In USN reserve 1946-73. By 1987 was fish factory ship CAPE ST. ELIAS and by 2009 was SNOPAC INNOVATOR.' Disposition row: decommissioned 30 Aug 46; struck 1 Jun 73; disposal 10 Jul 74 'Sold' (vs NavSource 1 August 1974 - logged). Class notes: all ARB-1-class units modified to ARBs by Maryland Drydock, Baltimore, except ARB-3 (Tampa SB); Gibbs & Cox was the design agent for all three LST conversion designs; ARBs took their designations upon entering the conversion yard; conversion scope - heavier armament, greater deck cargo-handling facilities, a much longer superstructure deck, the tank deck 'covered with lathes, grinders, drills, metal cutters, welding machines, and other shop equipment,' a larger crew of specialized ship-repair ratings, bow doors welded shut, two 10-ton derricks plus a 50-ton A-frame.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2024
- Population
- Conversion workforce, Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore (late 1943-April 1944); repair-rated ship's company (larger than a standard LST crew)
- Limitations
- Compiled reference, but every checkable point corroborated this session: keel/launch dates match DANFS, the ferry-commission window (9 Nov-23 Dec 1943) exactly matches the BuPers muster-roll coverage, and the 23 Nov 1943 New Orleans reduced-to-full event explains the war diary's 'placed in full commission' April 1944 wording. The 10 Jul 74 disposal date conflicts with NavSource's 1 Aug 74 sale date - carried as a conflict. No asbestos content in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (1945), alphabetical and LST-number indexes (shipscribe.com scan, verified live HTTP 200 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2 index: LST number run (LST132 -> 'Now ARB4') and alphabetical entry 'Zeus (ex-LST132) ARB4'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The BuShips 1945 v2 index records the redesignation for this hull twice: in the LST number run, 'LST132 ... Now ARB4', and in the alphabetical run, 'Zeus (ex-LST132) - ARB4' - contemporaneous Navy documentation that this hull's commissioned identity is the battle damage repair ship, not the tank landing ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- Index-level documentation only; names the hull and its type conversion; contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-07
-
[9]NavSource ARB-4 spec block (propulsion/complement/generators/armament); NavSource ARB index (09/26/26idx.htm, class roster ARB-1 through ARB-12 (12 ships), all ex-LST conversions); DANFS Zeus and Aristaeus entries for class-conversion context; ShipScribe ARB-1 class page (conversion scope); BuShips SDB 1945 v2/v3 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 2604.htm spec block; NavSource 26idx.htm ARB roster; DANFS Zeus/Aristaeus entries; ShipScribe ARB01 class notes; SDB 1945 v2/v3 index and ARB rows
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: the LST-1 design ran a diesel plant (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, 1,800 shp, single Falk reduction gear, twin screws - this hull's NavSource and BuShips SDB 1945 v3 rows) with no boilers, so the steam-plant lagging pathway of boiler vessels does not apply. Asbestos-relevant applications aboard a 1943 diesel hull of this type were the era-standard set - diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, gaskets and packing, accommodation thermal insulation, deck coverings - and this hull additionally underwent a documented full conversion to a battle damage repair ship at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore (commissioned there 11 April 1944), which added machine-shop, welding, and interior workshop scope aboard this specific hull inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2024
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1943); ferry crew (Nov-Dec 1943); Maryland Drydock conversion trades (1943-44); ship's company incl. repair department (1944-46); reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-74); commercial crews (1974-2024)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or conversion work package was located for LST-132/Zeus. The Maryland Drydock conversion is ship-documented as an event; its material content is not itemized in any source read, and 'repair-shop scope' is a class-role inference (ShipScribe class notes describe the equipment, not its insulation). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-08
-
[10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at Navy yards and Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- Survey wartime; article 1946
- Population
- WWII shipyard pipe coverers and nearby trades (class context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or either yard (whether Chicago Bridge Seneca or Maryland Drydock was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. PubMed page is bot-gated (reCAPTCHA) to automated fetch; the PMID citation is the stable bibliographic locator.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-09
-
[11]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 emergency construction program under which this LST-1-design hull was built and ARB-converted - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- 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 or class and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI resolves to the Wiley article record; the publisher page returns 403 to automated fetch - citation is the stable bibliographic locator.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-10
-
[12]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 (1943), conversion (1943-44), wartime service (1944-46), and reserve-fleet period (1946-74).
- 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, standing) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-11
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced helper), opinion and docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-zeus-lst132-13 through -17
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located. Exact-phrase "USS Zeus" returned 0 opinion-index results and 0 docket-index results; exact-phrase "LST-132" returned 0 opinion-index results and 1 docket-index result that is a name collision (Gutherie et al v. Ball, Gregory M.D., E.D. Tenn. 1:11-cv-00333 - a medical-malpractice docket in which the token appears only in scanned invoice-exhibit OCR; no vessel is involved). Both "ARB-4" queries did not complete - the fleet pacing gate refused them repeatedly this session (see search_ledger); "ARB-4" is a high-collision string (Appraisal Review Board, arbitration acronyms) in any case.
- Verification
- partial
- 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. The hull-number sweep is incomplete due to pacing blocks - logged as an open lead, not a negative result.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-12
-
[14]Batch-6702 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Zeus entry); NavSource ARB-4 page and ARB index; NARA catalog (war diary read in full; muster-roll forwarding sheet read); BuShips SDB 1945 v2 index and v3 ARB tables; ShipScribe ARB-1 class page; DANFS Aristaeus; NHHC NH 83857; GAO product page; CourtListener API (opinion + docket); MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-zeus-lst132-01 through -22
- 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-132, Zeus (ARB-4), or the hull's commercial names was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The strongest ship-specific documentation is operational/personnel (war diary, muster roll) and official characteristics data (BuShips SDB 1945) - all confirm the documented November 1943 - April 1944 Maryland Drydock conversion and a May 1944 Norfolk Navy Yard availability - relevant yard events - but 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 at a wartime inland yard plus a documented repair-ship conversion sit squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era, and the hull survives in commercial service (period materials may persist). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-13
-
[15]NARA catalog queries "LST-132" (69 fuzzy hits), "USS ZEUS" (162 file-unit fuzzy hits): ship-titled units are the commissioning-period muster roll (NAID 126464910, digitized) and the April 1944 war diary (NAID 78414848, digitized). No ship-titled deck-log file unit surfaced. [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov queries of 2026-10-02; NAIDs 78414848, 126464910
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for deeper work: (1) deck logs for the 1943-46 commissioned periods, if extant, are paper records at NARA College Park (RG 24 logbooks/deck-logs series) not surfaced in the digitized catalog; (2) monthly war diaries beyond April 1944 (the Eniwetok repair period, July 1944 - December 1945) were submitted per standing order and may exist as additional file units in the RG 38 war-diaries series; (3) the muster-roll unit's ~28 unviewed images enumerate ferry-crew names/ratings; (4) the 1943-44 Maryland Drydock conversion work package (materials, compartment schedule) - not located in digitized indexes; (5) commercial-period records (USCG documentation, Port of Seattle, Alaska fish-processing records) for the surviving hull are outside federal naval archives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Leads only - none was pursued beyond catalog-level confirmation this session. Absence of a surfaced deck-log file unit does not prove none exists; the deck-logs series is largely non-digitized and indexed at a coarser level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-14
-
[16]NHHC photographic record NH 83857, USS ZEUS (ARB-4), courtesy of D.M. McPherson (live NHHC page fetched via Firecrawl 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NH 83857 photo page, caption line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official NHHC image record captions the hull 'Laid up at San Diego California on 29 January 1974' - documenting the hull still in Navy custody in the Pacific Reserve Fleet seven-plus months after the 1 June 1973 strike and immediately before the mid-1974 DRMS sale.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1974-01
- Limitations
- Caption-level documentation of custody status only; contains no asbestos or material content and does not state the disposal terms. Establishes the reserve-layup interval between strike (Jun 1973) and sale (Jul/Aug 1974).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-zeus-lst132-15