Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 664-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-blanco-county-lst344-pkt-664-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Blanco County' (LST-344), entry by Raymond A. Mann dated 12 January 2006 (Wayback capture of the live NHHC page; the live URL returned 404 on 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Blanco County entry, full service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 18 October 1942 by the Norfolk Navy Yard; launched 15 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. H. H. Ward; commissioned 14 January 1943, Lt. Maurice G. Jackson, USNR, in command. Shakedown and amphibious training in Chesapeake Bay; loaded LCT-445 at New York and convoyed to the Mediterranean, arriving Arzeu, Algeria, 26 May 1943. With TF 81 (Dime Force) off Gela 10 July 1943 - survived skip-bombing and shore-battery fire, wounding two soldiers, no major damage; five additional Gela beachings into early September. With TF 85 (Northern Attack Force) off Salerno 9 September; beached Red Beach 10 September, unloaded in 90 minutes; five more Bizerte-Salerno/Taranto reinforcement voyages to 19 October. Departed Algeria 22 November for Plymouth (arrived 5 December); six months amphibious training in the British Isles; departed Southampton 5 June 1944 and unloaded troops and vehicles at Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June; helped splash a Junkers Ju 88 that night; then 10 months of Channel shuttles to invasion beaches and reopened French ports. Last Le Havre departure 31 March 1945; Norfolk 31 May; overhaul at Sullivan's Shipyard, Brooklyn, June-August 1945; Green Cove Springs, Florida, 30 September 1945; decommissioned in reserve 7 June 1946. Moved to Norfolk Naval Shipyard late 1951; recommissioned 5 January 1952; cargo voyages to the West Indies, North Africa, and the Mediterranean; named Blanco County 1 July 1955; out of commission 28 February 1956 to Green Cove Springs reserve. Reactivation overhaul at Bethlehem Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Baltimore, late 1965; recommissioned at Little Creek 9 June 1966; via Charleston, Panama Canal, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and Guam to Da Nang (November 1966); reported to TF 115 Operation Market Time 26 November; supply ship to the Mobile Riverine Force 10 October-December 1967; Guam overhaul to 3 March 1968; Vietnam Mekong Delta resupply and Market Time service through 1968-69 with upkeep at Subic Bay and Guam. Decommissioned 3 October 1969; berthed Orange, Texas; struck from the Navy list 15 September 1974; sold to W. L. Weeks in July 1975, apparently for scrapping. Spec block: dp. 4,080 (f.); l. 328'0"; b. 50'0"; dr. 14'1"; s. 11.6 k. (tl.); cpl. 119; trp. 147; a. 8 40mm.; cl. LST-1. Three battle stars WWII; five battle stars Vietnam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1975
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-46, 1952-56, 1966-69); Sullivan's Shipyard and Bethlehem Shipbuilding overhaul trades (1945, 1965-66); Guam/Subic upkeep trades (1967-68)
- Limitations
- Authoritative ship-specific service history; contains no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-10-02 - cited via Wayback capture (2024-05-26) of the canonical URL, labeled as archived. The July 1975 sale is stated 'apparently for scrapping' - the scrapping itself and its location are not documented by this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945), LST design table and vessel roster (shipscribe.com scan; the path cited in the class profile, /styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf, returned 404 - live file located at /pubs/) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. 2, LST design characteristics table (LST1-490 row); vessel roster, Norfolk Navy Yard block, 'LST344 (ex-ATL344)' entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official BuShips January 1945 roster carries this hull as 'LST344 (ex-ATL344)' in the Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va. builder block: laid down 18 October 1942, launched 15 December 1942, first commission 14 January 1943 - matching DANFS on all three milestones and adding the superseded ATL designation. The LST design table documents the LST1-490 group (which includes this hull): 328'0" overall, 316'0" waterline, 50'0" beam, 2,366 tons beaching displacement, 4,080 tons, 11.6 knots trial, two G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shaft horsepower - a diesel plant with no boilers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (data as of January 1945)
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Official BuShips tabulation - the roster names this hull explicitly (milestones, ex-ATL designation); the design table is a class-group table (LST1-490), not a hull record. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material data. The 'ex-ATL344' notation reflects the program's early ATL classification superseded by LST; this record does not interpret the designation beyond the roster text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Blanco County (LST-344) ex-USS LST-344 - milestone timeline, specifications, campaign ribbons, commanding-officer list, captioned photography (live page verified 2026-10-02; last updated 2 January 2026) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160344.htm header block, campaign tables, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates and extends the DANFS record: same build milestones; Europe-Africa-Middle East campaigns listed as Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943, Salerno landing 9-21 September 1943, Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; decommissioned 7 June 1946 Green Cove Springs; recommissioned 5 January 1952 Norfolk; named USS Blanco County (LST-344) 1 July 1955; decommissioned 28 February 1956 Green Cove Springs; recommissioned 9 June 1966 NAB Little Creek; continuous in-country/contiguous-water Vietnam service late 1966 to late 1968 across seven named campaign phases; decommissioned 3 October 1969 Orange, TX; struck 15 September 1974; sold for scrapping 1 July 1975 to W. L. Weeks. Awards listed: Combat Action Medal (Vietnam, 1-2 January 1967), Navy Unit Commendation, three EAME stars, five Vietnam Service stars, five RVN Gallantry Cross unit citations. Specifications: 13 officers, 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted; two GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk reduction gears, twin screws, 1,700 shp. Photo captions document the launch (sponsor Mrs. Bonnie Ward, wife of the Inside Machine Shop Master), Gela beaching with LST-338 (US Army Signal Corps photos now in the National Archives), Malta c. 1957, night unloading at Cua Viet October 1968, and the NHHC-catalogued off-Guam photo with Army LCU-1517 on deck.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1975
- Population
- Crew (1943-46, 1952-56, 1966-69); embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - its milestones track DANFS/BuShips here, but its own commanding-officer table gives '26 February 1956' for the second decommissioning where its prose and DANFS give 28 February 1956 (see gaps). Photo captions are contributor-supplied. Contains no asbestos content. 'Sold for scrapping 1 July 1975' is stated without scrapping location or breaker.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-03
-
[5]Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (ship list, 1 July 2019, live docx) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shiplist.docx, Background and 'SHIPS LIST - I. Ships operating primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways' (LST and Mobile Riverine Force blanket entries)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The official VA ship list (implementing the 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii) presumption of Agent Orange herbicide exposure) places in Category I - 'Ships operating primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways' - 'All vessels referred to in military records as part of the Mobile Riverine Force' and 'All vessels with the designation LST [Landing Ship, Tank].' This hull is an LST, and DANFS documents her as a supply ship to the small craft and monitors of the Mobile Riverine Force (10 October-December 1967) with Mekong Delta resupply and Market Time service. She therefore falls within the VA's Category I: all veterans who served aboard are eligible for the presumption of Agent Orange exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1966-1969 (service); 2019 (list date)
- Population
- Ship's company, Vietnam service 1966-1969
- Limitations
- This documents HERBICIDE (Agent Orange) presumptive exposure - not asbestos. It is a benefits-eligibility rule, not a finding of shipboard contamination, material composition, or any individual exposure; the VA list is 'evolving and is not complete' by its own terms. Category membership derives from vessel designation and documented operations - the live 2019 list does not itemize this hull by name (the explicit per-hull entry is in the ProPublica compilation, ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-04
-
[6]ProPublica, 'Help ProPublica Research More Than 700 Navy Ships That Served in Vietnam' (compilation based on the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association and the VA ship list) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- ProPublica annotated ship list, B section, Blanco County entry
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- ProPublica's compiled ship list - drawn from the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association and the VA list (benefits.va.gov shiplist.docx) - carries an explicit per-hull entry: 'U.S.S. Blanco County (LST-344) [Landing Ship, Tank] - Ship operated primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2015-2016 (article); VA list as compiled
- Population
- Ship's company, Vietnam service 1966-1969
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of an evolving federal list - the explicit hull entry corroborates the Category I status independently established by the VA document's blanket LST/MRF entries (ev-04); it is press reporting of a benefits list, not a primary adjudication. Herbicide exposure context only - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-05
-
[7]All Hands magazine (Bureau of Naval Personnel), November 1969 issue, unit-awards listing - Meritorious Unit Commendation section (mirrored scan, s3.amazonaws.com/rms-archive) [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands November 1969, unit awards section, 'Meritorious Unit Commendation' heading, 'Landing Ship Squadron 3' entry listing Blanco County (LST 344)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The November 1969 All Hands unit-awards listing names Landing Ship Squadron 3 under the Meritorious Unit Commendation heading, with its member ships enumerated: Blanco County (LST 344), Bulloch County (LST 509), Caroline County (LST 525), Clarke County (LST 601), Coconino County (LST 603), Hampshire County (LST 819), Iredell County (LST 839), Litchfield County (LST 901), Meeker County (LST 980), Park County (LST 1077), Pitkin County (LST 1082), Sedgwick County (LST 1123), Sutter County (LST 1150). This documents the ship's squadron assignment and a squadron-level Meritorious Unit Commendation for Vietnam service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1966-1969 (award period); published November 1969
- Population
- Ship's company, Vietnam service period
- Limitations
- Official Navy publication via a third-party scan mirror (rms-archive on S3) - the document is authoritative; the mirror is not a navy.mil host. The award is squadron-level (Landing Ship Squadron 3), not a hull-specific citation; NavSource separately lists a Navy Unit Commendation among her ribbons. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published 18 October 1979; publicly released 22 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure specifically at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Norfolk Naval Shipyard is this hull's builder (as Norfolk Navy Yard) and her 1951-52 reactivation yard. GAO documented that the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - spanning the era of her 1965-66 reactivation overhaul and final service period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy period reviewed 1975-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers, incl. Norfolk Naval Shipyard trades
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation covering two fieldwork yards - it does not name this hull and does not establish that asbestos work was performed on her at either yard. Full report PDF not retrievable (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via the live product-page highlights.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-07
-
[9]EPA Superfund Site Profile, NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD (site id 0302841 / VA1170024813); corroborated by ATSDR press release, 'Norfolk Naval Shipyard Health Assessment Available for Comment,' 9 September 2003 [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA cumulis site profile 0302841 (overview, health/environment, operable units tabs); ATSDR press release 2003-09-09 (via CDC mirror); Insurance Journal 2016-04-22 coverage of Coulbourn verdict
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- This hull's builder yard is a federal Superfund site: EPA added Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth, VA) to the National Priorities List in 1999; the EPA site profile lists operable units including 'SITE 19, 1942-54 LANDFILL' - a wartime disposal area overlapping this hull's construction period - and shows cleanup still not construction-complete. ATSDR's 2003 public health assessment for the site (announced 9 September 2003) evaluated community exposure to surface water, sediment, calcium hydroxide, lead in soil, and former foundry emissions. The shipyard-exposure-map yard record for this yard further documents (per NAVFAC site descriptions and federal records): asbestos named among wastes disposed of at yard landfill sites; a 1979 government inspection finding a shop's floors 'as if they hadn't been cleaned in 20 years' and laden with asbestos dust; two 1987 OSHA bulk asbestos samples at the yard (Inspection 101704716; osha.gov sampling search returns HTTP 403 to automated access - not re-verified this session); and a verified trial-level litigation finding - Coulbourn v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. CV-13-08141-PCT-SRB (D. Ariz., verdict 22 April 2016), a $17M jury verdict ($9M compensatory; punitive against Crane Co. and William Powell Co.) for a Norfolk Naval Shipyard civilian machinist exposed 1959-1966 (Insurance Journal coverage).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-2003 (site period); 1999 (NPL listing); 2003 (PHA); 2016 (verdict)
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard/Naval Shipyard construction, overhaul, and waste-handling trades (1942-present era coverage)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental and litigation documentation - none of it names this hull. The Superfund record documents site contamination and disposal-era waste streams, not shipboard materials; ATSDR's PHA evaluated community/off-site pathways, not occupational exposure aboard ships. The Coulbourn verdict is a trial-level finding for one yard worker (appellate outcome not located); it documents asbestos exposure at the yard, not aboard LST-344.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST1-490 design table (diesel plant, no boilers); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos insulation era); Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am. J. Ind. Med. 11(3):359-373 (1987); shipyards.json documented asbestos product list for norfolk-naval-shipyard (pipe insulation/lagging, gaskets, packing, deck coverings, electrical cable insulation, bulkhead fire barriers et al.) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST1-490 row; GAO HRD-80-2 highlights; Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3); shipyards.json norfolk-naval-shipyard product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A mass-produced 1942 naval vessel built at a yard with documented asbestos use sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era: peer-reviewed scholarship records extensive asbestos fireproofing/insulation use in WWII U.S. shipbuilding, and GAO records Navy asbestos insulation use into the early 1970s. For this diesel landing ship - no boilers aboard - the era-standard asbestos applications would have concentrated in engine and exhaust-system lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and accommodation-space insulation rather than boiler/turbine lagging. Her yard's documented product list includes pipe insulation and lagging, gaskets, packing materials, electrical cable insulation, deck coverings and flooring, and bulkhead fire barriers.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1975
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46, 1952-56, 1966-69); overhaul trades at Sullivan's (1945), NNSY (1951-52), Bethlehem Baltimore (1965-66), Guam/Subic (1967-68); breakers (1975)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, survey, or work package located for LST-344. Names era-standard applications and the builder yard's documented product types, not confirmed installed materials on this hull. No quantity, no condition, no present-day presence (hull scrapped 1975).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-09
-
[11]Batch-6883 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback; BuShips SDB-1945 v2; NavSource; VA shiplist.docx; ProPublica; All Hands Nov 1969; GAO product page; EPA Superfund profile; ATSDR press release; NARA digitized deck-log index; CourtListener (partially blocked); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-blanco-county-lst344-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific ASBESTOS record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, shipboard material schedule, or verified litigation naming USS LST-344 / USS Blanco County was found in the public sources searched. The only 'asbestos aboard this ship' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content (asbestos.com and similar listicles covering the builder yard generically) - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT on litigation: CourtListener opinion search on 'Blanco County' completed (4,915 hits - all name collisions: Rio Blanco County, Blanco v. Blanco, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, etc.; none ship-related among results reviewed), but the exact-hull 'LST-344' opinion query and both docket-index queries could not be run - the fleet-wide request budget was momentarily spent for the remainder of the session (paced ~114/hr across all sessions). Logged as blocked in search_ledger; litigation status is an open gap, not a verified negative.
- 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 combat veteran rebuilt three times (1945, 1951-52, 1965-66) is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The docket-index and hull-number searches are genuinely unrun (blocked), so litigation coverage is incomplete. Deck logs, yard work packages, inactivation records, and disposal/scrapping records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-10
-
[12]NARA digitized Navy deck-logs index (archives.gov 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' page); plus record-group mapping for undigitized holdings [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA online deck-logs index (B section checked, LST-344 absent); RG 24/38/19/181 mapping
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) Deck logs - NARA's digitized-online deck-logs index was checked in full; Blanco County (LST-344) is NOT in the digitized set, while sister county-named LSTs (Caddo Parish LST-515, Caroline County LST-525, Barnstable County LST-1197) are - her logs remain a research-room request under RG 24. (b) WWII operational records - war diaries and action reports for LST-344 (Sicily, Salerno, Normandy) sit in RG 38/entry collections. (c) Construction records - Norfolk Navy Yard build documentation in RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 181 (yard records). (d) Inactivation - her 1969-74 berthing at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Orange, TX, and the July 1975 sale to W. L. Weeks generate disposal/scrapping records not located in digitized sources.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1975 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-11
-
[13]Milestone conflict check: DANFS (Wayback capture) vs NavSource timeline + commanding-officer table vs secondary compilations (Wikipedia, MRFA, vetfriends) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource prose vs CO table; vetfriends unit page; MRFA Blumette memoir; Wikipedia infobox
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/defects resolved and noted: (a) NavSource's own page carries both '28 February 1956' (prose timeline, matching DANFS) and '26 February 1956' (commanding-officer table) for her second decommissioning - the DANFS 28 February date is carried. (b) vetfriends gives '29 June 1946' for the first decommissioning against DANFS/NavSource '7 June 1946' - DANFS carried; vetfriends is non-authoritative. (c) A crew memoir on MRFA places 'Linda Bird Johnson' at her 'recommissioning in 1965' - DANFS dates the reactivation overhaul late 1965 and recommissioning 9 June 1966 at Little Creek; the ceremony attendance claim is carried nowhere in this record and noted here as unverified memoir detail. (d) Wikipedia's speed figure (12 knots) differs from DANFS/NavSource (11.6 knots trial) - DANFS carried.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-1966 (event dates); sources reviewed 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings; none affects the asbestos posture. DANFS controls where it conflicts with secondary sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blanco-county-lst344-12