Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 653-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-benton-county-lst263-pkt-653-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-263 (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative (single paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-263 was laid down on 7 September 1942 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 27 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Charles G. Baumgartner; and commissioned on 30 June 1943. During World War II, LST-263 was assigned to the European theater and participated in Convoy UGS-27 in April 1944 and the invasion of southern France in August and September 1944. She was decommissioned on 29 May 1946 and assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 1 July 1955, the ship was redesignated Benton County (LST-263) after nine counties of the United States. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1958. LST-263 earned two battle stars for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1958
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS's 'Convoy UGS-27' conflicts with the ship's own war history, the official campaign-credit listing, and the ship's digitized action report for 11-12 April 1944 - all of which say UGS-37 (see ev-09 correction row). The entry ends at 1958 and does not cover the 1959 sale or barge conversion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Benton County (LST-263) ex-USS LST-263 - milestone timeline, EAME campaign table, 214th AAA Bn unit-history excerpt, CO table, specifications, disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160263.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions (incl. IWM A 24320)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 September 1942 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA; launched 27 February 1943; commissioned USS LST-263 30 June 1943, LT. Lawrence B. Russell, USNR; Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; campaign table lists 'Convoy UGS-37, 11 to 12 April 1944' and 'Invasion of Southern France, 15 August - 25 September 1944' (the latter quoting the 214th AAA Bn unit history: A & B Batteries loaded on LST-263 at Ajaccio, Corsica, 2 September 1944; sailed to St. Tropez; debarked Delta beach ~3 miles west of St. Tropez, 4 September 0800-1245). Decommissioned 29 May 1946, laid up Reserve Fleet; named Benton County (LST-263) 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1958; sold 1959; documented in 1971 as freight barge 'TNT Puerto Rico' of TNT Trailer Ferry Inc., Jacksonville FL; two battle stars; final fate unknown. CO table: LT L. B. Russell (30 Jun 1943 - 18 Jun 1944); LT Alfred J. Austin (18 Jun 1944 - 15 Sep 1945); LTjg Harold J. Fidler (15 Sep 1945 - 29 May 1946). Specs: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 2 x GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, 3 x 100kW diesel-drive generators; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; call sign NGGZ. Photo captions place the hull underway 19 October 1943 (USN Bureau of Ships photo 80-G-411655), beached at Civitavecchia June 1944 as the first LST to arrive there (IWM A 24320), at anchor in Naples Bay, and pierside at Palermo late 1944-early 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Crew (1943-46); embarked troops incl. 214th AAA Bn (Sep 1944); post-sale barge conversion crews (1959+)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS/NVR but its 'TNT Puerto Rico' merchant rendering conflicts with the documented company name TMT Trailer Ferry (see ev-08), and its '1971' documentation year vs 1972 registration per Navy Vessels in Private Hands is unresolved. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-02
-
[4]NARA, 'USS LST-263 - War History' (file unit NAID 77707029, RG: Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories'; micro serial 159170; 6 images, digitized) - transmittal letter and enclosures submitted by CO Lt.(jg) H. J. Fidler, 19 December 1945, Green Cove Springs FL [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77707029, image set: transmittal (p.0497), Enclosure B CO list (p.0498), Enclosure A narrative (p.0499)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own submitted history (written from ship's records and original-crew personnel): built by American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA; 'launched June 14 1943' (variant - see gaps); original crew took the vessel down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, arriving about 23 June 1943, commissioned there 30 June 1943 under Lt. L. B. Russell, USNR; shakedown Panama City FL completed ~5 September 1943; assigned LST Flotilla Four, Group Twelve (Chesapeake Bay training flotilla) training nucleus crews September 1943 - March 1944; ordered to Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth VA in March 1944 for loading of an LCT; joined convoy UGS-37 off Cape Henry 24 March 1944 bound for Bizerte, arriving 14 April 1944; first action a German air raid off the Oran, Algeria area on the night of 11 April 1944, no damage sustained; launched the LCT at Lake Bizerte amid further air raids; ~a week later ordered to Palermo to unload 900 tons of ammunition; assigned LST Flotilla One; shuttle trips Naples-Anzio April-10 June 1944 under air raids and artillery fire ('German 88s'); 12 June 1944 detached on special mission to Civitavecchia with a British salvage unit to open the harbor; 15 August 1944 invasion of Southern France, Alpha Sector, Red Beach; shuttled Ajaccio/Naples to the beachhead until Marseille was ready; Mediterranean trips to June 1945 including Leghorn-Marseille shuttles of Canadian personnel; left the Mediterranean June 1945, arrived New York 14 July 1945; overhaul and completion of approved alterations at Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston TX, in final stages when Japan surrendered; reported 17 October 1945 to Commander St. Johns River Group, Green Cove Springs FL for decommissioning. Enclosure (B) lists COs: Lt. L. B. Russel (Jun 1943-Jun 1944), Lt. J. A. Austin (Jun 1944-Sep 1945), Lt.(jg) H. J. Fidler (Sep 1945-present).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1942-43); original crew incl. downriver transit (Jun 1943); crew and embarked troops (1943-46); Norfolk Navy Yard trades (Mar 1944); Brown Shipbuilding trades (Jul-Oct 1945)
- Limitations
- Primary ship-submitted narrative; contains no asbestos or material content. Two digitized frames in this file unit (pp. 0502-0504 of the image set) are LST-264 documents - adjacent microfilm content, not this hull; nothing is taken from them here. The war history's 'launched June 14 1943' conflicts with DANFS/NavSource 27 February 1943 (carried in gaps). Its 'From 4 April 1944' start for Naples-Anzio shuttles likely compresses the post-Bizerte timeline (ship was still in the UGS-37 transit until 14 April).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-03
-
[5]NARA digitized ship records: 'USS LST-263 - Act Rep, Rep of AA Act off North Coast of Algeria, Night of 4/11-12/44' (NAID 78388246, file A16-3, serial 73, dated 17 April 1944, 2 images); 'USS LST-263 - AA Act Rep, Anzio, Italy, Night 6/9-10/44' (NAID 78476797, file A16-3, serial 113); 'USS LST 263 - Rep of AA action off Anzio, Italy, 6/10/44' (NAID 101774425, serial 144, dated 24 July 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAIDs 78388246 (Algeria), 78476797 and 101774425 (Anzio); parent series NAID 4697018, WWII War Diaries/Operational Records, NARA College Park
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Three digitized action reports exist for this hull: the ship's report of anti-aircraft action off the north coast of Algeria on the night of 11-12 April 1944 (the Luftwaffe attack on convoy UGS-37, in which escort USS Holder (DE-401) was torpedoed) and two reports of AA action off Anzio on the night of 9-10 June 1944. Their existence corroborates the ship's combat record at a document level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Crew under air attack (Apr and Jun 1944)
- Limitations
- Archival leads: catalog metadata confirms the reports exist and are digitized; the Algeria report's existence independently corroborates convoy UGS-37 (vs DANFS 'UGS-27'). Report contents were not transcribed this session. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-04
-
[6]NARA digitized ship records: war diaries 'USS LST-263 - War Diary, 11/1-30/43' (NAID 78224992, 69 images) and 'USS LST-263 - War Diary, 2/1-29/44' (NAID 78349548, 48 images); muster rolls 'LST-263, 6/19/43-6/29/46' (NAID 126625505, series Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, 280 images); Bureau of Ships plan entry 'LST-263, RG 19, Microfilm' (NAID 175668416) in the NARA Ship Plan Index [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAIDs 78224992, 78349548, 126625505, 175668416; archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index (LST-263 entry)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull has a substantial digitized archival footprint at NARA College Park: two monthly war-diary file units (Nov 1943, 69 images; Feb 1944, 48 images), the full commissioned-era muster roll set (280 images covering 19 June 1943 - 29 June 1946), and an RG 19 Bureau of Ships plan entry. Parent-unit war diaries for COM LST FLOT 1 (e.g., NAIDs 139843200, 140053738, 139807311) also exist in the catalog and cover her assigned flotilla's operational periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Crew (1943-46); researchers
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: catalog metadata confirms existence and digitization; contents were not transcribed this session. War diaries and muster rolls document locations and personnel, not materials - no asbestos content expected or asserted. Deck logs for this hull were not separately located in catalog search results.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: LST-1-class design data (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table, shipscribe.com scan) + class-profile consolidated inference (lst-1-class.class.json) + NavSource propulsion spec block for this hull (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LST design table; NavSource propulsion block; class profile ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-1-class ship built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications for the type were diesel-engine exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, valve packing, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, deck coverings/tile, and winch brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46); yard trades at Norfolk Navy Yard (Mar 1944) and Brown Shipbuilding (Jul-Oct 1945) availabilities; post-sale barge conversion (1959+) and any later scrapping labor
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-263. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-06
-
[8]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; standing 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place unless a yard period disturbed it. This spans the hull's construction (1942-43), commissioned service (1943-46), reserve-fleet layup (1946-58), and post-sale barge conversion (1959+).
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-07
-
[9]Encyclopedia of Arkansas, 'USS Benton County (LST-263)' entry (state-published encyclopedia; sources: DANFS; Navy Vessels in Private Hands, McFarland 2013); corroborated by Protective Committee for Independent Stockholders of TMT Trailer Ferry, Inc. v. Anderson, 390 U.S. 414 (1968), which documents TMT Trailer Ferry's original operations towing 'converted Navy LST's' as trailer barges between Florida and Puerto Rico [other_primary]
- Locator
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry 13533 (accessed 2026-10-02); NavSource disposition line and photo 1016026309; 390 U.S. 414 (1968)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-Navy disposition of this hull: sold 1959, then documented as a freight barge in the Florida-Puerto Rico trailer trade - registered by TMT Trailer Ferry, Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida, in 1972 as the 'TMT Puerto Rico', a 3,228-ton freight barge (Encyclopedia of Arkansas). NavSource carries the same disposition with photo documentation but prints the operator/barge name 'TNT' with a 1971 documentation year. TMT Trailer Ferry's documented original business was towing converted Navy LSTs loaded with highway trailers (Supreme Court record), making the LST-to-barge conversion consistent with the company's known fleet practice.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1959-1972
- Population
- Barge conversion and towing crews (1959-72); scrapping labor (unknown date)
- Limitations
- Secondary corroboration of NavSource's disposition; 'TMT' (Encyclopedia of Arkansas + Supreme Court record) is treated as correct over NavSource's 'TNT', and 1972 registration vs NavSource 1971 documentation is unresolved - flagged, not adjudicated. The TMT litigation is securities/reorganization law, not asbestos litigation - cited only to establish the operator's identity and fleet practice. No asbestos content; whether conversion involved stripping Navy-era materials is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-08
-
[10]Convoy designation cross-check: DANFS text ('Convoy UGS-27') vs ship's own war history ('joined convoy UGS 37 off Cape Henry... March 24 1944'), NavSource campaign table ('Convoy UGS-37, 11 to 12 April 1944'), official campaign-credit listing (E218 Convoy UGS-37, 11-12 Apr 44; E7 Invasion of Southern France, 15 Aug - 25 Sep 44), and NARA action report NAID 78388246 (AA action off North Coast of Algeria, night 4/11-12/44) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative vs NAID 77707029 p.0499 and NAID 78388246; NavSource campaign table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: DANFS prints 'Convoy UGS-27' for this hull's April 1944 convoy. Three independent records say UGS-37: the ship's own 1945 war history ('joined convoy UGS 37 off Cape Henry' on 24 March 1944, arriving Bizerte 14 April; first action a German air raid off Oran the night of 11 April), the NavSource campaign table ('Convoy UGS-37, 11 to 12 April 1944'), and the ship's own digitized action report covering AA action off the north coast of Algeria on the night of 11-12 April 1944 - the documented Luftwaffe attack on UGS-37. UGS-37 is the correct engagement; DANFS's 'UGS-27' is treated as a transcription typo in the DANFS entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Corrects a convoy-designation error in the live DANFS text, not a material claim. No asbestos content. The underlying CNO award record (which would show the ship's official battle-star engagement codes) was not separately retrieved; corroboration rests on the war history + NavSource campaign table + the action report's existence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-09
-
[11]Batch-6799 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live); NavSource; NARA catalog via DPLA and direct catalog pages (war history read in full, war diaries/action reports/muster rolls/plan verified as digitized); CourtListener API v4 (authenticated helper); MARAD vessel history database; NVR; GAO product page; secondary web sweep (Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Wikipedia, convoy sources) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-benton-county-lst263-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or verified litigation naming USS LST-263 / USS Benton County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'LST-263' returned zero in the opinion and docket indexes; 'LST 263' returned zero in the opinion index; 'Benton County' + asbestos returned 16 opinions, all name collisions (county governments, school districts, and unrelated parties in TN/AR/WA/MS/IA/IN - none name the ship). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no asbestos-specific material beyond excluded law-firm/marketing listicle pages.
- 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 - it is consistent with a hull that spent 1946-58 in reserve and was sold before asbestos documentation regimes existed. The digitized war diaries, muster rolls, and action reports were indexed but not read page-by-page; deck logs and any sale/scrapping-contract material remain undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benton-county-lst263-10