Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 692-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-armstrong-county-lst57-pkt-692-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Armstrong County' (LST-57) - Naval Historical Center page, archived capture of history.navy.mil 2004-05-30; live NHHC migrated page not located (all candidate URLs 404 this session) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Armstrong County' entry, full service narrative + spec block (archived history.navy.mil page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 24 October 1943 at Neville Island, Pa., by Dravo Corp.; launched 4 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Edward Mays; 'reduced commission' 1 January 1944 at builder's yard; commissioned 15 January 1944 at New Orleans. Fitted out at Pensacola, shakedown from Panama City; loaded LCT-855 and diesel cargo; via New York, Davisville (358 tons pontoons), Boston to Halifax; sailed 29 March 1944 in 'slow convoy' SC-156 - on 6 April U-302 torpedoed two merchantmen of the convoy (HMS Swale sank U-302). Reached Milford Haven 14 April, Southampton/Fawley 16 April. Loaded at Brixham 2 June (six tanks, 155mm 'Long Toms', Army quartermasters and a reserve company of airborne infantry); landed at Utah Beach; over ensuing months visited all five Allied beaches (Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, Sword), carried supplies to a beach on the Brittany peninsula (St. Michel-en-Greve per DANFS 'St. Michael-en-Grieve'), and after November ran men/equipment to Cherbourg, Rouen and Le Havre, returning with Allied casualties and German POWs. Departed Plymouth 16 April 1945; repairs at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston; via Gulfport, Mobile, Panama Canal (departed west coast 13 July), Manzanillo; Pearl Harbor 2 August; Eniwetok 21 August; Guam; Leyte and San Fernando, Philippines; occupation support voyage Hiro Wan-Saipan-Peleliu-Tokyo arriving 27 December 1945. Decommissioned 24 January 1946 and turned over to Shipping Control Administrator, Japan (SCAJAP) for Japanese-crew operation as Q-Q28; returned to Navy November 1950; Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma 9 November 1950; named Armstrong County (LST-57) 1 July 1955 (never active under that name); struck from Navy list 21 September 1955; sunk as a target the following year. One battle star for WWII service. Spec block: dp. 4,080; l. 328'0"; b. 40'0"; dr. 11'2" (lim.); s. 11.6 k.; cpl. 119; trp. 147; a. 8 40mm.; cl. LST-1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1956
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (1943); crew 1944-46 incl. Normandy and occupation periods; SCAJAP Japanese crew 1946-50
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history only; no asbestos or material content. Spec-block beam '40'0"' is inconsistent with the LST type and is contradicted by the declassified 1950 InsSurv survey of this hull (50-ft beam) and NavSource - DANFS typo noted in gaps. Stricken date conflicts with NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum (11 August 1955) - see gaps. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on all candidate URLs 2026-10-02; archived capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, Armstrong County (LST-57) - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officer, ribbon display (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160057.htm header block, timeline, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 24 October 1943 Dravo Corp., Neville Island PA; launched 4 December 1943; reduced commission 10 January 1944; fully commissioned USS LST-57 15 January 1944 after fitting out at New Orleans, LT Chester E. Briggs Jr., USN in command (CO 15 Jan 1944 - 24 Jan 1946). Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater, then Asiatic-Pacific Theater; campaign credit 'Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944'. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 16 October - 9 November 1945 and 26 December 1945 - 24 January 1946. Decommissioned 24 January 1946; COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q028; returned to US Navy custody November 1950; Pacific Reserve Fleet Tacoma 9 November 1950; named Armstrong County 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 11 August 1955; final disposition sunk as a target 1956; one battle star WWII. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; beam 50 ft; 11.6 kts trial; endurance 24,000 mi @ 9 kts; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted, troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; ultimate armament design 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; fuel 4,300 bbls diesel; propulsion 2x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100-kW 230-V DC ship's service generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders. International radio call sign NFUC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1956
- Population
- Construction trades (1943); crew (1944-46); SCAJAP crew (1946-50); 1956 target-disposal personnel
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but two dates here conflict with DANFS: reduced commission 10 January 1944 (DANFS and NavalCoverMuseum say 1 January) and stricken 11 August 1955 (DANFS named entry says 21 September) - see gaps. No asbestos content. Beam 50 ft consistent with the 1950 InsSurv survey, resolving the DANFS spec-block '40'0"' typo.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-02
-
[4]SCAJAP, 'Report of Survey of USS LST-57 Held 20-24 March 1950 by Sub-Board of Inspection and Survey, Japan Area, Navy No. 3923' - declassified U.S. Navy InsSurv report (27 pp.), digitized in Japan National Diet Library 'Japan Occupation-related Materials' collection, GHQ/FEC records (RG 554); internet-public, IIIF manifest; declassified under authority NND 975029 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NDL pid 11443613 (IIIF manifest https://dl.ndl.go.jp/api/iiif/11443613/manifest.json); cover + CC list; narrative para. 1-2; sec. IV-3 'Ventilation' ('Glass insulation was damaged'); sec. XIII work items 16c (living-space insulation), 4s/8s (boiler); sec. XII Findings
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A declassified ship-specific U.S. Navy material survey of this hull exists and was examined in full: the Sub-Board of Inspection and Survey, Japan Area (Capt. Raymond O. Burzynski, senior member; recorder Lt.(jg) Kay L. Dixon) surveyed USS LST-57 in dry dock at Yokosuka, 20-24 March 1950, assisted by LT I. Thorpe USN (ordnance), CWO4 H. G. Williams USN (medical) and the Japanese crew. Documents: vessel built by Dravo Corp., completed December 1943; 328 ft oa, 50-ft beam, 4,080 t full load, twin screws each driven by a GM 12-567 ATL 900-hp diesel; turned over to the C.M.M.C. (Civilian Merchant Marine Committee, Japanese-government operating agency) under SCAJAP January 1946, carrying cargo for occupation forces and the Japanese government; 40 officers and men aboard, all Japanese nationals; dry-docked six times since January 1946, last overhaul August-September 1949 at Mitsubishi Dock Yard, Nagasaki; ~800 engine hours since overhaul; ~90 days underway annually; all armament removed; assumed no InSurv inspection since 1943 completion. Material findings: hull satisfactory; machinery, electrical, electronics, damage-control and medical installations unsatisfactory; estimated 3,500 man-days of repairs; vessel 'fit for further service'. Insulation-relevant content is limited to: 'Glass insulation was damaged in a few areas' (ventilation section) with work item (16c) 'Replace damaged insulation in living spaces'; 'there is no deck covering in living spaces'; urgent machinery items include overhauling an auxiliary boiler (crown-sheet, burner, boiler stop, hydrostatic test) and renewing ~12 ft of boiler bottom blow line. The document contains no reference to asbestos anywhere in its 27 pages.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1950 (survey); SCAJAP custody 1946-1950
- Population
- Sub-Board inspectors; Japanese SCAJAP crew of 40; Mitsubishi Dock Yard (Nagasaki) workforce (Aug-Sep 1949 overhaul); Yokosuka dockyard personnel
- Limitations
- A material-condition (InsSurv) survey, not an asbestos survey - 1950 Navy inspections did not assess asbestos-containing material. Its only insulation references are 'glass insulation' in living spaces and electrical insulation-resistance readings; it establishes neither the presence nor the absence of asbestos aboard this hull. Japanese-crew operation with sparse maintenance records ('very few records of maintenance and repair were available' handicapped the board). Examined via downloaded page images + OCR; IIIF manifest verified live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. II LST design table (ev-05); NavSource specifications (ev-02); the 1950 InsSurv survey's auxiliary-boiler and 'glass insulation' references (ev-03); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB1945v2 LST design table; NavSource specs; InsSurv survey work items 4s/8s/16c
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built October-December 1943 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel-powered amphibious vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation/lagging on machinery and exhaust uptakes, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, accommodation and joiner insulation, and deck coverings. The diesel main plant (no main-propulsion boilers or turbines) removes the large steam-lagging pathway of steam combatants, but the 1950 InsSurv survey documents an auxiliary boiler aboard this hull (crown-sheet/burner/blow-line repair items), leaving a small boiler/steam-line lagging pathway ship-specific. Asbestos aboard this hull is a reasonable era-consistent inference, not a ship-proven fact.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1956
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (1943); crew (1944-46); SCAJAP Japanese crew (1946-50); Mitsubishi Nagasaki overhaul workers (1949); Yokosuka survey/disposal personnel
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, asbestos survey, or material list located for LST-57. The auxiliary boiler and 'glass insulation' are documented aboard; their insulation composition is not stated by the source. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (April 1945), LST design table + roster (shipscribe.com scan, text layer; verified live 2026-10-02 - the earlier /styles/usnaux/sdb/ path used in the class profile is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table, 'LST1-490' row (propulsion columns)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips design table places this hull in the 'LST1-490' design group: 2 propellers, 'G. M. Diesel, 12-567A' engines, 1,700 shaft horsepower - the same class design data underlying this hull's documented propulsion (twin-screw GM 12-567A/ATL diesels via Falk reduction gears; the 1950 survey confirms the plant ship-specific).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a - design table
- Limitations
- Class design documentation - the table names design groups, not this hull; it contains no asbestos or material-composition data. Volume II covers landing ships and craft; table rows verified in the downloaded text layer this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-05
-
[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 entire construction (1943), active service (1944-46), SCAJAP operation (1946-50), reserve period and 1956 disposal.
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-06
-
[8]NIOSH survey reports for the builder yard: 'Industrial-hygiene survey report of Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania' (survey July 1981, report 1985; OSTI 6065127) and 'Walk-through survey report, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island' (30 January 1979; OSTI 6587634) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSTI biblio 6065127 and 6587634 abstracts
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The yard that built this hull appears in the federal occupational-health record: NIOSH conducted a walk-through survey (January 1979) and an industrial-hygiene survey (July 1981) at Dravo's Engineering Works Division, Neville Island - by then building barges and towboats - evaluating painter exposures; the 1981 survey found lead and nuisance-dust samples above OSHA standards and solvent mixtures exceeding NIOSH criteria in the inner hull area. Asbestos was not the subject of either survey.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979-1985
- Population
- Dravo Engineering Works production personnel (~1,200 in 1979, incl. ~36 painters/assistants)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation three decades after this hull's construction; addresses paint solvents, lead and dust - not asbestos. Establishes that the builder yard operated under federal occupational-health review; does not establish or negate asbestos use at the yard or aboard this hull. OSTI abstracts only - no full text digitized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-07
-
[9]NavalCoverMuseum, LST 57 - ship name and designation history (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/LST_57, 'Ship Name and Designation History' section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Designation history for this hull: USS LST-57, reduced commission 1 January 1944 (agreeing with DANFS against NavSource's 10 January), full commission 15 January 1944 - decommissioned 24 January 1946; Q-028 under COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for the Japanese Merchant Marine (SCAJAP), returned to U.S. Navy custody November 1950, laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet Tacoma 9 November 1950; renamed ARMSTRONG COUNTY LST-57 on 1 July 1955 while in reserve; struck from Naval Register 11 August 1955 (agreeing with NavSource against DANFS's 21 September); sunk as target 1956; one battle star WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1956
- Limitations
- Specialized postal-cover museum compilation - a secondary source corroborating the designation sequence and documenting the two live date conflicts (reduced-commission and stricken dates) without resolving them. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-08
-
[10]Batch-7083 search ledger (this record): DANFS (archived), NavSource, NVR check, declassified 1950 InsSurv survey (Japan NDL), BuShips SDB-1945 v2, GAO product page, OSTI/NIOSH builder-yard reports, NavalCoverMuseum, CourtListener (partial), secondary-web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-57 / Armstrong County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The one ship-specific government material record located - the 1950 InsSurv survey - contains no asbestos reference (its only insulation mentions are 'glass insulation' in living spaces and electrical insulation-resistance readings). CourtListener searches completed this session: "LST-57" 0 opinions, "USS Armstrong County" 0 opinions, "Armstrong County" + "LST" 0 opinions; docket indexes returned only text/name collisions (a county defendant, bankruptcies, election cases, an autism-records filing, a pharma deposition - none naming the ship; the W.R. Grace asbestos bankruptcy is a collision, not a vessel reference). Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing pages (excluded by source policy) and 'Armstrong' name collisions (Armstrong World Industries, Armstrong International, Armstrong-named plaintiffs and counties) - no qualifying case naming 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 - the litigation sweep covers only CourtListener's opinion and RECAP docket indexes; unindexed federal dockets, state-court filings, and MDL-875 complaint vessel lists not captured in search results remain possible. The hull was sunk as a target in 1956, predating ACM-handling regulation; no disposal hazmat record exists to find. Deck logs and any SCAJAP-period Japanese maintenance records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armstrong-county-lst57-09