Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[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-benzie-county-lst266-pkt-653-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-266 (expanded entry by Robert J. Cressman, dated 13 December 2005, published 4 August 2015) - full construction and service narrative. ARCHIVED COPY: live NHHC page at history.navy.mil returned 404 on 2026-10-02 (standing NHHC link-rot defect). [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-266 entry, full narrative (8 paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 11 November 1942 at Ambridge, Pa., by American Bridge Co.; launched 16 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph B. Barnwell; accepted and placed in reduced commission 24 July 1943; departed Ambridge 25 July 1943; commissioned at New Orleans 4 August 1943. Shakedown St. Andrews Bay to 28 August; Key West; convoy KN-262; Norfolk/Solomons Island ops into 1944. Sailed 14 March 1944 for Tunisia in TF 64, convoy UGS-36 (72 merchantmen, 18 LSTs, 16 escorts); U-boat driven off 31 March, 22 German aircraft attacked 1 April (screen downed two); Bizerte 3 April; Oran 16 April; convoy MKS-46 to UK, reporting to 12th Fleet 3 May 1944. As LST Flotilla 4 flagship: departed Falmouth 5 June in TG 126.4 (40 LSTs), anchored off 'Fox Green' sector of Omaha Beach 0800 7 June, completed unloading 0130 8 June via married LCTs and a Rhino Ferry. Second run: convoy ETM-8, beached 'Queen Red' (Sword sector) 0830 15 June; under German shelling she took one direct hit at the normal load waterline in a main ballast tank plus near misses, sent a doctor and 14 pharmacist's mates to the stricken LST-207, evacuated all but a skeleton crew 1150-1630, retracted on the second attempt, Portsmouth 17 June, ship's force repaired damage in 24 hours. Cross-channel missions into spring 1945; homeward in convoy ONS-50 from Belfast 11 May 1945 with LCT-527 nested; Norfolk 31 May, voyage repairs. Earmarked for Pacific but never sent; ferried landing craft (LCT-706, stern section of LCT-600 unloaded at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; LCT-766 to Jacksonville); reported to Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, 2 October 1945. Decommissioned and placed in service, in reserve, 18 June 1947; out of commission, in reserve, 25 June 1947. Towed Mayport-Charleston by Tunica (ATA-178), remained at Charleston Naval Shipyard until 11 September 1947, returned to Mayport by Umpqua (ATA-209). Named Benzie County (LST-266) 1 July 1955 - never served actively under the name; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 November 1958; sold to Fleet Storage Co. 4 August 1959 for scrapping. Two battle stars for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1942-43, incl. downriver delivery to New Orleans); crew (1943-47); reserve-fleet caretakers, Green Cove Springs/Mayport/Charleston (1945-59)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. The sale 'for scrapping' documents intent - no scrapper name, yard, or completion record beyond the Fleet Storage Co. sale. DANFS resolves the 18 June vs 25 June 1947 'decommissioned' conflict found in secondary sources (two-stage reserve disposition). Live NHHC URL 404s; Wayback capture of 2024-12-09 used and labeled archived.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Benzie County (LST-266) - designation timeline, campaign table, specifications, commanding officers (live page verified HTTP 200, 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160266.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource for this hull: LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship; laid down 11 November 1942 at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA; launched 16 May 1943; commissioned USS LST-266 4 August 1943, LT. L. A. Bolon, USNR in command; EAME theater - campaign table lists Convoy UGS-36 (April 1944) and Invasion of Normandy (June 1944); decommissioned 25 June 1947, laid up in reserve; named USS Benzie County (LST-266) 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1958; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown'; two battle stars. Specifications: displacement 1,625 t. light / 4,080 t. full; 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam; speed 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers / 147 enlisted; propulsion - two General Motors 12-567A 900hp diesel engines, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100kW 230V DC ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; diesel fuel 4,300 bbls. Commanding officers listed: LT Logan A. Bolon USNR (4 Aug 1943-1945), LT John Cecil Martin USN (1945-1947), LT Elmer Ellsworth Cross USN (1947-25 Jun 1947). Photo captions include a WWII Camels cigarette advertisement featuring USS LST-266 (R.J. Reynolds).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- Crew (1943-47)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates here agree with DANFS except the header 'decommissioned 25 June 1947' (the out-of-commission stage - see ev-01) and 'Final Disposition, fate unknown' which conflicts with DANFS's documented 1959 sale for scrapping. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-02
-
[4]United States Steel Corporation v. United States, 367 F.2d 399 (Ct. Cl. Oct. 14, 1966) (via Justia; live page verified 2026-10-02) [court_record]
- Locator
- 367 F.2d 399, opinion text (contract NObs-458 narrative; ASBCA findings on employment)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Court of Claims documentation of the builder's wartime LST program at this hull's birthplace: Bureau of Ships contract NObs-458 with American Bridge Co. (formally executed ~21 February 1943, dated 'as of February 15, 1942') for construction of 40 tank landing ships, performance period 1 August 1942 - 28 February 1944. Construction used the Ambridge plant plus 'a Navy shipyard adjoining that plant, which was specially built for World War II production and leased to plaintiff'; sections fabricated at Ambridge and elsewhere were assembled in the shipyard. Shipyard employment began August-October 1942, peaked at 7,623 in May 1944, and fell to 708 by August 1945; the Ambridge plant ran ~7,000-9,000. LST-266 (laid down 11 November 1942, delivered/commissioned 4 August 1943) falls inside this documented production window and the Ambridge LST-261/295 hull block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge workforce: plant ~7,000-9,000; adjoining Navy shipyard peak 7,623 (May 1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level contract litigation over pension costs - an 'other litigation' record, not asbestos litigation and not an exposure record. The opinion does not name LST-266 or state which specific contract covered which hulls; the 40-LST contract window and Ambridge block placement are consistent with but do not prove this hull was built under NObs-458. Establishes yard population and program structure only; no material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-03
-
[5]Wolsko v. American Bridge Co., 158 Pa. Super. 339, 44 A.2d 873 (1945) (argued 23 October 1945; citation per ecases.us docket index and citing references in Eberle v. Union Dental Co. and Fetzer v. Michrina) [court_record]
- Locator
- 158 Pa. Super. 339, 44 A.2d 873; opinion facts section (southways/northways, LST-282/LST-286)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous Pennsylvania appellate documentation that the Ambridge yard was mass-producing LSTs on parallel ways in the period immediately following this hull's departure: the decedent, a 'tester of landing ship tanks,' was killed 28 September 1943 by a 35-foot fall from the bow of LST-286 on the shipyard's southways; his prior night's work had been on LST-282 on the northways, 500-1,100 feet away. LST-282 and LST-286 are block sisters of LST-266 (Ambridge LST-261/295 block).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Ambridge shipyard trades, September 1943
- Limitations
- Workmen's-compensation litigation over a fatal fall - 'other litigation,' not asbestos litigation; no exposure or material content. Does not name LST-266; documents sister hulls on the same ways weeks after LST-266 departed Ambridge (25 July 1943). Opinion text via secondary case-law mirrors (exa.ai/cetient); reporter citation corroborated by two citing decisions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-04
-
[6]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), American Bridge Co., Ambridge PA yard page - per-hull production table and yard history (live page verified 2026-10-02); corroborated at archive scope by Southland Holdings, 'American Bridge Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs)' (builder's successor archive, verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- americanbridge.htm production table, LST-266 row; southlandholdings.com/american-bridge-lsts/
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Per-hull yard table names this hull: 'LST 266 | U.S. Navy | Landing Ship | built 4-Aug-43 | Later Benzie County, scrapped 1959' - corroborating builder, delivery date, name, and disposal. Yard history: American Bridge (U.S. Steel subsidiary) was building Army barges when the Navy requisitioned the Ambridge yard in 1942 and invested $9 million in improvements; the yard's LST block runs LST-261 through LST-295 (LST-296/300 cancelled 1942) plus other blocks. Southland Holdings archive: 'American Bridge manufactured 199 LSTs' 1941-45 at Ambridge, explicitly naming LST-266 'known as USS Benzie County' with two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Ambridge yard workforce (peak ~13,000 assembly workers per Southland archive)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations, not primary records - shipbuildinghistory is the standard trade reference for U.S. yard production and Southland is the builder's successor company archive; the 'built' column carries the delivery/commission date, not keel-laying. Consistent with DANFS on all overlapping facts. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-05
-
[7]Consolidated era inference built on: NavSource LST-266 spec block (GM 12-567A diesel plant - no boilers, verified live); LST-1 class profile lst-1-class.class.json (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 design table, verified 2026-09-16; URL dead at this session's check - logged in ledger); era amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (propulsion); lst-1-class.class.json ev-lst-1-class-01/-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications for an LST of this period: diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, valve packing, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, deck coverings/tile, and winch/crane brake linings. The diesel plant means no boiler or steam-line lagging pathway - the exposure-relevant scope concentrates in machinery spaces, accommodation areas, and deck coverings rather than a boiler/turbine train.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- American Bridge construction trades (1942-43); crew incl. embarked troops (1943-47); Green Cove Springs/Mayport/Charleston reserve-fleet personnel (1945-59); 1959 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-266. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-06
-
[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 - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and service era (1943-47 active; reserve to 1959).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- 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-benzie-county-lst266-07
-
[9]Batch-6802 search ledger (this record): DANFS (via Wayback; live NHHC 404); NavSource live page; shipbuildinghistory + Southland builder archives; CourtListener opinion index; Justia 367 F.2d 399; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-benzie-county-lst266-01 through -10 (incl. -05b, -05c)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure claim naming USS LST-266 / USS Benzie County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener sweep complete (authenticated API v4, 2026-10-02): '"LST-266" OR "LST 266"' opinions = 0 hits; '"LST-266" OR "LST 266"' dockets = 3 hits, all false positives (OCR noise inside a Lehman Brothers bankruptcy exhibit; two unrelated dockets); '"Benzie County"' opinions = 127 hits and dockets = 187 hits, ALL name collisions with Benzie County, Michigan (civil rights, property, county-government, and school-district suits) - zero references to the vessel, the Navy, or asbestos in returned results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only generic law-firm marketing pages asserting asbestos aboard WWII-era LSTs as a class (gorilaw.com landing-ships page and similar) - excluded by source policy.
- 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. CourtListener indexes are not exhaustive of all courts - an unindexed or non-digitized case naming the hull cannot be ruled out. Deck logs, American Bridge work packages, and any 1959 scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-benzie-county-lst266-08