Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet xw-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bamberg-county-lst209-pkt-xw-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-209 (Robert J. Cressman, updated 25 January 2024) - build, sponsor, commissions, full service narrative, spec block (NHHC live page; content retrieved via Firecrawl - direct curl returns 404 to this network, standing NHHC bot-mitigation defect) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, L volume, LST-209 (Cressman text, updated 2024-01-25) - full entry body and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'laid down on 7 September 1942 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 29 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. C. A. Dalton; placed in reduced commission at her builder's yard on 4 June 1943; placed in full commission at New Orleans on 10 June 1943, Lt. Frank J. Oberg, D-V(S), USNR, in command.' Shakedown Chesapeake Bay; departed 4 August 1943 via Gibraltar for North Africa; at Bizerte exchanged ships' companies with LST-378 on 25 August; four trips Catania-Taranto; convoyed with ten other LSTs via the Suez Canal to India, Calcutta late November 1943; loaded 14 M-3 General Lee tanks and embarked 67 men of the British 14th Army, departing 5 December with LST-208 and two British motor gunboats for Regu Creek near Arakan, Burma - beached successfully 2324 on 6 December (LST-208 grounded on the run-in), unloaded tanks within 30 minutes, back at Calcutta 9 December. Departed Colombo 28 December for the British Isles, reaching Milford Haven 12 February 1944; drydocked at Cardiff; armament conversion alongside destroyer tender Melville (AD-2) at Roseneath (lost her single 3-inch gun, received 40mm Bofors and 20mm Oerlikon AA guns); carried elements of the British 8th Army ('Desert Rats') to Gold Beach on D-Day 6 June 1944; shuttled French and British ports through June; reconfigured July 1944 to lift railway cars Southampton-Cherbourg until November; then troop transport England-Le Havre/Rouen/Ostend until German capitulation. Reached Norfolk 1 July 1945 carrying PT-460 as cargo and former USAAF prisoners of war as passengers; Mobile refit toward LST-542 configuration partially canceled at war's end, completed by Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co.; shakedown out of Galveston; reported to the inactive fleet at St. Johns River FL 28 October 1945; decommissioned in reserve 27 June 1946. Placed in service as USNS T-LST-209 with a civilian crew under MSTS Atlantic 19 June 1951; participated in Project Bluejay Arctic cold-weather exercise July 1951; released by MSTS at Norfolk 5 August 1951; turned over to Commander Mine Force Atlantic at Charleston 11 August; placed in commission 24 August 1951, Lt. John E. Cridland in command. MinRon 4 flagship - November 1951 operations off Onslow Beach, 'one of the first LSTs to operate helicopters from her main deck'; mine force service based at Charleston for the next half-decade; tank deck altered 1953 to support MSC(O)-type minesweepers; named Bamberg County 'on 10 July 1955' (DANFS text date - see gaps; other sources carry 1 July 1955). One battle star for WWII service, Normandy 6-25 June 1944. Spec block: dp. 4,080 (full load); l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 14'1"; s. 11.6 kt (trial); cpl. 119; troop 147; armament 7x40mm, 12x20mm; cl. LST-1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1942-43); commissioning and wartime crews (1943-46); Alabama Dry Dock refit trades (1945); MSTS civilian crew (Jun-Aug 1951); recommissioned crew and MinRon 4 staff (1951-56)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The DANFS narrative ends with the battle-star line - the 1956 decommissioning, 1958 striking, and 1961 sale come from other rows. DANFS's '10 July 1955' naming date conflicts with the 1 July 1955 date carried by NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, and Wikipedia (see gaps). Live page verified via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; direct curl returns 404 (NHHC bot mitigation, same standing defect as batches 01/98/6745).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Bamberg County (LST-209) - designation timeline, awards, campaign list, commanding officers, specifications, photo captions (live, HTTP 200 verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160209.htm header block, campaign table, commanding-officers block, specifications block, image captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 September 1942 at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 29 May 1943; commissioned USS LST-209 10 June 1943, LT. Frank J. Oberg USNR in command; decommissioned 27 June 1946; withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and assigned to MSTS as USNS T-LST-209 19 June 1951; recommissioned USS LST-209 24 August 1951, LT. John E. Cridland in command; named Bamberg County (T-LST-209) 1 July 1955; decommissioned 1 December 1956; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1958; final disposition - sold 23 February 1961 to Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh PA, for scrapping. Awards bar: American Campaign Medal; Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (1 star); Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal. Campaign list credits the Normandy invasion (June 1944) plus British operations flagged with no-battle-star asterisks: Regu Creek Arakan Burma landing (7 December 1943 per the NavSource caption block; DANFS dates the beaching 6 December), Taranto landing (Operation Slapstick, 16-30 September 1943), and 'Invasion of Borneo (British - Operation Ratchet).' CO list: LT Oberg (Jun-Aug 1943), LT Ratchford (Aug 1943-Aug 1945), LT Harrington (Aug 1945-Jun 1946), LT Cridland (from Aug 1951), LT Campomenois Jr. (1955-Dec 1956). Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; 13 officers / 104 enlisted + 16 officers / 147 enlisted troops; two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100 kW generators, two propellers 1,700 shp. Photo captions document the hull loading army vehicles with LST-332 on the south coast of England 10 April 1945 (NARA photo SC 207762, US Army Signal Corps) and Bamberg County under way circa 1960s on the Cooper River, Charleston SC (NHHC photo NH 84844).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- Commissioned crews 1943-46 and 1951-56; MinRon 4 embarked staff
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but conflicts exist on two dates (naming 1 Jul vs DANFS 10 Jul 1955; decommission 1 Dec vs 10 Dec 1956 carried by uboat.net/NavalCoverMuseum/Wikipedia - see gaps). The 'Invasion of Borneo (Operation Ratchet)' campaign line is not corroborated by the DANFS narrative, which places this hull in European/Atlantic waters continuously until her June 1945 return to the US - see the correction row (ev-11). The '(T-LST-209)' parenthetical in NavSource's naming line is inconsistent with the ship's commissioned USS status from 24 Aug 1951. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII: USS LST 209 (ship/11307) - build dates, commission/end-service dates, convoy association, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/11307.html - facts table and notable-events block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Entry for this hull: ordered 23 March 1942; laid down 7 September 1942 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 29 May 1943; commissioned 10 June 1943; end service 27 June 1946; decommissioned 27 June 1946; recommissioned 24 August 1951; 'Decommissioned on 10 December 1956'; sold 23 February 1961. Notable events include the combined convoy OS 53 / KMS 23 assembled 9 August 1943 - consistent with her documented 4 August 1943 departure for the Mediterranean.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- Commissioned crews
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled specialist database, secondary not primary. 'Decommissioned 10 December 1956' conflicts with NavSource's 1 December 1956 - unresolved (see gaps); the 10 December date agrees with NavalCoverMuseum and Wikipedia. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-03
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Chicago Bridge & Iron Seneca IL yard table and yard history - LST 209 build row and disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- chicagobridge.htm, Seneca IL construction table, row 'LST 209'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard table row for this hull: LST 209, U.S. Navy Landing Ship Tank - keel 9/6/42, launched 5/29/43, delivered 6/10/43; 265 days on ways, 12 days in water, 277 days total; disposition 'Bamberg County 1955, scrapped 1961.' Yard context: the Navy requisitioned the Chicago Bridge & Iron facility at Seneca IL in 1942; the 'Prairie Shipyard' built 157 LSTs/ARLs and was sold to Union Mechling in 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (build); 1961 (scrapping)
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction workforce (~27,000 across the war per LST Association memorial/press coverage cited in the sister-hull record)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation (Colton's shipbuilding-history tables). Keel date 9/6/42 conflicts by one day with the 9/7/42 carried by DANFS, NavSource, uboat.net, and NavalCoverMuseum - unresolved (see gaps). 'Delivered 6/10/43' aligns with the full-commission date. No asbestos content; yard history contains no material-safety data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-04
-
[6]NAVSEA SEA21 Inactive Ships Program, Ship History table (28 June 2011 edition, navsea.navy.mil PDF) - disposal row for LST 0209 Bamberg County [other_primary]
- Locator
- ship_history_28june2011.pdf, LST-section table, row 'LST 0209 BAMBERG COUNTY'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy inactive-ships history table row for this hull: 'LST 0209 | BAMBERG COUNTY | Rmvl Date 5-Sep-59 | Final Disposition MARAD SALE' - documenting removal from Navy custody 5 September 1959 and a MARAD-administered sale as the final disposition channel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1959-1961
- Population
- MARAD disposal-chain and scrapyard trades (1959-1961)
- Limitations
- Table-level record: gives the custody-removal date and disposition channel only - no buyer, price, location, or breaking date. NavSource's 23 February 1961 sale to Dravo Corp. documents the downstream commercial sale; the two records are consistent (MARAD sale chain ending in commercial scrap). Retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-02; direct curl returned Access Denied (Akamai bot mitigation). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-05
-
[7]NavalCoverMuseum, BAMBERG COUNTY LST 209 - name/designation history, postmark record, namesake, sponsor (live, HTTP 200 verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/BAMBERG_COUNTY_LST_209 - designation history, postmark table, other-information block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Designation history for this hull: keel laid 7 September 1942, launched 29 May 1943; reduced commission (for travel) 4 June 1943; commissioned 10 June 1943; decommissioned 27 June 1946; USNS T-LST-209 withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet for MSTS service 19 June 1951; recommissioned USS LST-209 24 August 1951; 'USS BAMBERG COUNTY LST-209 Named 1 July 1955'; decommissioned 10 December 1956; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1958; sold 23 February 1961 for scrapping. Postal record: a USPO machine postmark, Charleston SC, dated 31 May 1956 under the name Bamberg County (2nd commissioning window given as 24 August 1951 - 10 December 1956). Namesake: 'a county in southwestern South Carolina... Established on 25 February 1897'; sponsor Mrs. C. A. Dalton. Awards listed: American Campaign Medal, EAME Campaign Medal with 1 battle star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- Crew (postal record, May 1956)
- Limitations
- Museum-compiled designation timeline - secondary; converges with uboat.net/Wikipedia on the 10 December 1956 decommission date (conflicts with NavSource's 1 December). Postmark evidence is genuine primary postal artifact establishing the name in service use by May 1956 and a Charleston postal address. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-06
-
[8]NARA photograph SC 207762, US Army Signal Corps (T/5 George Holt) - 'USS LST-209 and USS LST-332 loading army vehicles on the south coast of England, 10 April 1945' (metadata transcribed in NavSource caption); plus NHHC photo NH 84844 - Bamberg County under way on the Cooper River, Charleston SC, circa 1960s (NavSource caption, courtesy William H. Davis, 1976) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160209.htm image captions (SC 207762; NH 84844)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two archival photographs document this hull: (1) a US Army Signal Corps photograph (SC 207762) in NARA collections showing LST-209 and LST-332 loading army vehicles on the south coast of England, 10 April 1945, bound for European ports - corroborating the documented Southampton-area shuttle service of late 1944-45; (2) an NHHC photograph (NH 84844) showing Bamberg County under way on the Cooper River, Charleston SC, circa 1960s - i.e., during or after her Charleston mine-force period. These are archival leads for her physical presence, not work records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945; circa 1960s
- Population
- Loading crews, England south coast (Apr 1945); Charleston-area personnel (1960s)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: photographs establish presence, not what work was performed. NARA catalog and NHHC photo pages are JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session; SC 207762 / NH 84844 identifiers and caption metadata are transcribed from NavSource, which attributes SC 207762 to the US National Archives and NH 84844 to NHHC. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and NavSource specifications (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gears - diesel plant, no boilers); LST-1-class profile (class-f lst-1-class profile: inland 'cornfield' yard construction, exposure relevance concentrated in engine/exhaust lagging, gaskets, deck coverings, accommodation insulation); wartime federal reservation of asbestos supply for shipbuilding; DANFS-documented rework events aboard this hull (1945 Alabama Dry Dock refit; 1951 MinRon-4 flagship alterations; 1953 MSC(O)-support tank-deck alteration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications block; LST-1 class profile (class-f lst-1-class.class.json); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1942-43 diesel-powered tank landing ship built at an emergency inland yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel LST of this period were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, thermal insulation on machinery and piping, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and accommodation insulation. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or turbines - the steam-lagging pathway does not apply; exposure relevance concentrates in the engine room/exhaust runs and internal insulation and finishes. The hull's documented interior-rework events (the 1945 Alabama Dry Dock LST-542-configuration refit, the 1951 mine-squadron-flagship alterations at Charleston, and the 1953 tank-deck alteration for MSC(O)-type minesweeper support) are the era-consistent points at which insulation materials would have been disturbed or installed - the work is documented, its asbestos content is not.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1942-43); commissioned crews 1943-46 and 1951-56; Alabama Dry Dock refit trades (1945); Charleston-area alteration trades (1951, 1953); disposal/scrapping chain (1959-61)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for LST-209. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. The rework events are DANFS-documented facts but their asbestos scope is inference, not record. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-08
-
[10]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 era (1942-43) and her entire commissioned service (1943-46, 1951-56).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); exposure era reviewed covers 1940s-1970s
- 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 highlights.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-09
-
[11]Batch-6757 search ledger (this record): DANFS (NHHC, live); NavSource 160209 (live); uboat.net ship/11307; shipbuildinghistory CB&I Seneca table; NAVSEA SEA21 ship-history PDF; NavalCoverMuseum designation/postmark record; NARA catalog; NVR; MARAD vesselhistory; CourtListener opinions + dockets (authenticated); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-01 through sl-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS LST-209 / Bamberg County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: '"LST-209"' opinions returned 0 results; '"Bamberg County"' opinions returned 155 hits that are ALL Bamberg County, South Carolina government/court name collisions (county, hospital, council, school board, prisoner and civil-rights cases) - none name the vessel or asbestos; '"LST-209"' docket search returned 1 incidental hit (a docket attachment in the unrelated bankruptcy Martin v. Smith, Bankr. E.D. Mich. 19-04232 - not a case naming the vessel); '"Bamberg County"' docket search returned 149 hits, likewise all SC-county collisions. Secondary web sweep surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm/mesothelioma-listicle page 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 - a 1942-43 naval build is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and fittings, and the hull's documented rework events are plausible disturbance points. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-10
-
[12]Cross-source check: DANFS service narrative (no Pacific service - the hull was in Mediterranean/European/Atlantic waters until her June 1945 return to the US) vs NavSource campaign table (adds 'Invasion of Borneo (British - Operation Ratchet)' to her Asiatic-Pacific credits) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160209.htm campaign table vs DANFS lst-209.html service narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's campaign table credits LST-209 with an 'Invasion of Borneo (British - Operation Ratchet)' under the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign. The DANFS narrative for this hull contains no Borneo or Pacific service whatsoever - it documents her in the Mediterranean (Aug-Dec 1943), the Arakan/Calcutta run (Dec 1943), and European waters from February 1944 until she reached Norfolk on 1 July 1945. There is no window in the documented timeline for a Borneo operation, and no other located source corroborates it. The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal itself (NavSource ribbon bar; NavalCoverMuseum awards list) is consistent with the documented December 1943 Burma service; the Borneo line specifically is uncorroborated and timeline-inconsistent.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (campaign window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a campaign-credit attribution, not a material claim. The Asiatic-Pacific medal award itself is plausible via the documented Arakan service and is not challenged; only the Borneo 'Operation Ratchet' line is flagged. If a period British order of battle later surfaces naming LST-209 for a Borneo-area operation, this correction should be revisited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bamberg-county-lst209-11