Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]research packet 657-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-berkshire-county-lst288-pkt-657-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Berkshire County' (archived NHHC capture, 2024-05-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Archived DANFS entry, construction paragraph and final two paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-288, an LST-1-class tank landing ship, was laid down 6 September 1943 at Ambridge, Pennsylvania, by American Bridge Co.; launched 7 November 1943; and commissioned 20 December 1943. She served in the Normandy invasion, the southern-France invasion, and the Okinawa operation; was decommissioned at Yokohama 6 March 1946 and transferred to the Shipping Control Administration, Japan; was returned to Navy cognizance in 1950; was named Berkshire County (LST-288) 1 July 1955 but never served actively under that name; was transferred to the Republic of Korea 5 March 1956 and commissioned as Kae Bong (LST-810); and was struck from the Navy list 15 November 1974. She earned three World War II battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel
- Limitations
- Archived official history, not a materials record. The live NHHC URLs for both the Berkshire County and LST-288 entries returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-02; this 2024-05-27 Wayback capture is labeled archived accordingly. It contains no asbestos, insulation, hazardous-material, or individual-exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Berkshire County (LST-288), specification block and chronology [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page lines 27-58 and 74-97 (live page verified 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource's LST-288 chronology gives reduced commission on 4 December 1943 and full commission on 20 December 1943; decommissioning on 6 March 1946; Shipping Control Authority for Japan service from 20 May 1949 to 14 June 1950; naming as Berkshire County on 1 July 1955; loan transfer to Korea and renaming as ROKS Kae Bong (LST-810) on 5 March 1956; and striking from the Naval Register on 15 November 1974. Its specification block identifies two General Motors 12-567A 900-hp diesel engines, a Falk main reduction gear, three 100-kW 230-V D.C. diesel-driven generators, twin propellers, 1,700 shp, and no boilers; ship's company was 13 officers and 104 enlisted, with troop accommodations for 16 officers and 147 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted) and embarked troops (capacity 16 officers/147 enlisted)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a live naval photo archive that compiles Navy-source material; it is corroborative rather than an official register. Equipment and complement descriptions do not identify asbestos, insulation composition, hazardous material, or individual exposure. Its final-disposition field says 'fate unknown'; that uncertainty is retained in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-02
-
[4]National Archives, Special List 44, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, by ship number [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44, 'LST-288' row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- National Archives Special List 44 indexes USS LST-288 deck-log coverage from 20 December 1943 through 30 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-12-20 to 1945-06-30
- Limitations
- This is an index to a primary-record series, not an inspection of the logs. It establishes that hull-specific logs are an archival lead; it does not establish asbestos, repair work, material content, exposure, or that every relevant log is digitized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-03
-
[5]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (1980) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page, Highlights (live page verified 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy asbestos use and removal at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. Its product-page highlights state that the Navy's 1975 policy removed and replaced only asbestos insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, and that the policy was modified in 1979 for selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policies; report published 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers reviewed at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards
- Limitations
- Navy-wide program context only; it does not name Berkshire County, LST-288, the LST-1 class, American Bridge Co., or any Korean-service work. The policies post-date the hull's 1956 loan transfer and cannot establish material aboard this vessel. It supports no ship-specific exposure conclusion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-04
-
[6]Batch-6826 search ledger: authenticated CourtListener API v4 exact-name and hull-number searches; NHHC/DANFS; National Archives; Naval Vessel Register; NavSource; GAO; Firecrawl access result [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-01 through sl-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located. Authenticated CourtListener API v4 searches returned no opinions or dockets for the exact phrase 'USS Berkshire County' and no opinions or dockets for the exact phrase 'LST-288'. No public asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, product identification, or qualifying litigation naming this hull was located in the sources searched.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- A negative public-record search does not prove asbestos was absent. CourtListener covers indexed opinions and docket metadata, not all state-court matters or unindexed filings; searches were exact-name/hull-number terms and results are not a merits finding. Firecrawl was unavailable because its keyless-session quota was exhausted (reported retry-after 2,220 seconds), so the direct/Studio fetch and archived-source fallback was used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berkshire-county-lst288-05