Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 682-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: USS Buchanan County (LST-504)
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-buchanan-county-lst504-pkt-682-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-504' - NHHC canonical page, live URL returned 404 on 2026-10-02; text verified via Wayback capture of 2025-12-09 and the live verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS LST-504 full entry (Wayback capture 2025-12-09 of canonical URL; live transcription https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/LST/lst504.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 21 July 1943 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched 19 October 1943, sponsored by Mrs. W. J. Griffin; commissioned 18 December 1943. Assigned to the European theater: invasion of Normandy June 1944; invasion of southern France August-September 1944. Then Asiatic-Pacific theater: assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto April-June 1945. Occupation duty in the Far East until mid-January 1946; decommissioned 22 January 1946. Redesignated Buchanan County (LST-504) 1 July 1955 after counties in Iowa, Missouri, and Virginia; struck from the Navy list 11 August 1955; sunk as a target February 1956. Three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1956
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine construction trades (1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-1946); SCAJAP Japanese crew (1946); target-sinking activity (1956)
- Limitations
- Authoritative service history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. DANFS frames the decommissioning as 'upon her return to the United States,' which conflicts with NavSource's Far-East SCAJAP (Q016) assignment at the same date - see ev-09. The live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-10-02 (standing NHHC link-rot defect; a sister session captured the same 404 the same day for LST-273, whose page had resolved live hours earlier); the HyperWar/ibiblio mirror is live but carries transcription typos ('Jeffersonvillville,' 'countines,' 'teh').
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Buchanan County (LST-504) ex USS LST-504 - timeline, specification block, command chain, CO roster, and photo captions (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net 10/16/160504 - header timeline, spec block, campaign table, CO roster, photo-caption block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-491 Class Tank Landing Ship. Commissioned 18 December 1943, LT. G. M. Budd USNR in command. Campaign table: Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; Invasion of Southern France 15 August-25 September 1944; Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation) 29 April-30 June 1945. Pacific command chain: LST Flotilla Thirty-Nine (CAPT. D. H. Johnston USN), LST Group One Hundred-Five (CDR. E. P. Wilson USN), LST Division Two Hundred-Ten. Navy Occupation Service Medal windows: 10-23 September 1945 and 20 December 1945-15 January 1946. Decommissioned 22 January 1946 and assigned to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP), redesignated Q016; laid up in the Reserve Fleet; named USS Buchanan County (LST-504) 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 11 August 1955; sunk as a target February 1956. CO roster: Budd (18 Dec 1943-Jan 1945); LT. W. J. Meadors USNR (Jan-Aug 1945); LTjg. S. B. Orner USNR (Aug 1945-22 Jan 1946). Spec block: 2 General Motors 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gears, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, 11.6 knots trial - a diesel plant with no boilers. Complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted. Photo captions document the hull beached at Chim Wan, Okinawa, 8 June 1945 being unloaded by Navy CBs; loading invasion supplies at Nisida, Italy, 9 August 1944 alongside LST-1019, LST-1020, and LST-995 with LST-505 passing (NARA photo 80-G-258037); engine-room interior views; and LCT-1048 carried on deck en route to Okinawa. Call sign NDXJ.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1956
- Population
- Ship's company (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops (16 officers/147 enlisted capacity); SCAJAP crew (1946)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with DANFS where they overlap and more precise on campaign date bands, the SCAJAP Q016 assignment, and the CO roster. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. Photo captions and contributed crew photos are archival leads, not exposure records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-02
-
[4]USS LST-504, Action Report (Normandy), LST504/A16-3, CONFIDENTIAL, 17 July 1944 - scanned original Navy document hosted on NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource-hosted scan, pdf/160504b.pdf - paragraphs 1-9
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own action report states she operated 1-3 June 1944 under Commander Landing Craft and Bases, Eleventh Amphibious Forces, Plymouth, England; 4-8 June under Western Task Force, Baker ONE, Task Organization 126.2, in the invasion of Normandy; and 8-30 June under the Naval Commander Western Task Force in the Shuttle Service. 'The initial trip, Plymouth, England to Omaha Beach, Normandy, France commenced on June 5, 1944 and ship arrived off the beach at about "H" plus 10 hours on "D" day.' Sea conditions and beach congestion prevented vehicle off-loading until D+1; complete off-loading finished 1100 on D+2. Subsequent shuttle runs: Portland to Omaha arriving D+6; Portland to Utah arriving D+11; Southampton to Omaha arriving D+18; Portland to Omaha arriving D+21; Southampton to Omaha arriving D+24. 'During these runs there was a total of 1566 Army officers and men and 402 vehicles carried on board.' No enemy planes or craft were sighted within firing range; no ammunition expended; no casualties suffered; ship and engineering operation and crew performance 'satisfactory.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- June-July 1944
- Population
- Ship's company; 1,566 embarked Army officers and men (June 1944 shuttle)
- Limitations
- A primary ship-generated operational record (2-page scan inspected this session); documents operations, not materials - contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazmat content. Scan is NavSource-hosted; the underlying document is a Navy action report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-03
-
[5]USS LST-504 War Diary, 18-31 December 1943 - scanned original deck record hosted on NavSource (15 pages) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource-hosted scan, pdf/160504a.pdf - p.1 (18 December 1943 entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The commissioning-day war diary page (NAVPERS 120, Part III) records for Saturday 18 December 1943: '(U.S.S. LST 504 was placed in full commission at 0930 this date.)' The ship lay 'moored, port side to, berth 6, U.S. NAVAL STATION, NEW ORLEANS, LA.' with port watch set, moving to berth 8 at 1750; watches signed by Ensigns C. J. Murphy, W. L. Bedding, B. W. Heller, and J. Budda USNR; approved by G. M. Budd, Commanding Officer. This places the commissioning event at New Orleans Naval Station - consistent with Jeffersonville-built LSTs being floated downriver for commissioning - a detail not stated in DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-12-18 to 1943-12-31
- Population
- Commissioning crew (plankowners) at New Orleans Naval Station
- Limitations
- Primary deck record (15-page scan; first page inspected this session - remaining pages cover 19-31 December 1943 fitting-out period, not fully transcribed). Administrative record containing no asbestos or materials information. Officer signatures transcribed from handwriting - minor reading uncertainty on surnames (Bedding, Budda).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-04
-
[6]Rousek, Maj. Charles E., 'A Short History of the 38th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized),' 1945, Prestice, Czechoslovakia (unit history; archived via Wayback from 117th-cav.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 38th Cavalry unit history, 'On the Way' / Normandy sections, p.2 (Wayback capture of 117th-cav.org PDF)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A 1945 unit history written by the squadron's executive officer independently corroborates the action-report shuttle schedule: 'On 10 June, the bulk of the Squadron sailed from Weymouth on LST 504 in a tremendous convoy of build-up troops. On the 12th of June at 2120, which was still broad daylight, the Squadron debarked on Omaha Beach and rolled ashore dry-shod.' The 10 June Weymouth sailing / 12 June (D+6) Omaha debarkation matches the action report's 'Portland to Omaha Beach arriving on D plus 6' - Weymouth and Portland form the same port complex.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-06-10 to 1944-06-12
- Population
- 38th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized), embarked troops June 1944
- Limitations
- A unit-history document (printed 1945 for squadron members), not a Navy deck or action record; identifies the unit carried on one documented shuttle run. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-05
-
[7]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987); plus BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 machinery data via shipscribe.com scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311; SDB1945v2 LST design table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and gaskets in naval construction - the era and program under which this hull was built (1943, at the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine inland river yard on the Ohio). For a diesel-powered LST with no boilers (2 x GM 12-567A, 1,700 shp per NavSource spec block, consistent with BuShips SDB-1945 v2), the era-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. The 1956 target sinking is the terminal disposition - no breakup-yard material disturbance applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope); applied 1943-1956
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers (Jeffersonville Boat & Machine, 1943); wartime crew and embarked troops; Japanese SCAJAP crew (1946); target-sinking personnel (1956)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship plus class/type inference; the source does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. No ship-specific product is verified; the diesel plant (no boilers) narrows the exposure-relevant scope relative to steam vessels. Citation verified against Crossref 2026-10-02: AJIM 11(3):359-373 is the correct volume/issue - DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700120402 resolves to an unrelated lead-exposure paper and must not be used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-06
-
[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 HTTP 403 this session)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Neither policy could have applied to this hull - she was sunk as a target in February 1956, roughly two decades before the first policy issued.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (not this hull)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy documentation for era fleet context only; the policies post-date this hull's disposal entirely, so no hull-specific application was possible. gao.gov blocked automated fetches with HTTP 403 on 2026-10-02; content taken from the product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-07
-
[9]Burton v. Old JB LLC f/k/a Jeffboat LLC f/k/a Jeffboat, Inc., BRB No. 24-0045 (DOL Benefits Review Board, unpublished, issued 2025-08-14), affirming ALJ summary decision on LHWCA death-benefits claim (OALJ No. 2023-LHC-00423) [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB 24-0045 decision PDF, statement of facts and affirmance (dol.gov BRB unpublished decisions, Aug 2025 file)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yard-level asbestos litigation documentation for this hull's builder: the DOL Benefits Review Board affirmed death benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act for the widow of Bennie Burton, who worked at the Jeffersonville yard (Jeffboat, successor to Jeffersonville Boat & Machine) as a pipefitter and supervisor 1964-1995 and was 'allegedly exposed to asbestos, welding fumes, and other toxic substances.' Benefits were awarded on the Section 20(a) compensability presumption after the employer failed to participate in discovery - a de facto default posture, not a litigated finding that any material contained asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2017-2025 (claim); 1964-1995 (employment window)
- Population
- Jeffboat yard workers (1964-1995 window - post-dates this hull's era)
- Limitations
- Stage discipline: unpublished BRB decision affirming summary decision on an unrebutted statutory presumption - the asbestos allegation was never litigated to a finding. The decedent's employment window (1964-1995) post-dates this hull's construction (1943) by two decades, and no vessel or product is identified - this row documents asbestos claims against the builder's yard generally, not this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-08
-
[10]NIOSH Engineering and Physical Hazards Survey Reports EPHB 229-11a/-11b/-11c, Jeffboat LLC, Jeffersonville, Indiana (2000-2001) - CDC Stacks [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks records cdc/174862 (EPHB 229-11a), cdc/174863 (229-11b), cdc/174864 (229-11c)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- NIOSH surveyed the same physical yard - Jeffersonville Boat & Machine, later Jeffboat LLC, an American Commercial Barge Lines division - in 2000-2001 for ergonomics and confined-space weld-fume engineering interventions, documenting the builder's continued operation as a barge/ship builder at 1030 East Market Street, Jeffersonville, six decades after this hull was launched there. The surveys are not asbestos evaluations; they corroborate builder identity/continuity only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2000-2001
- Population
- Jeffboat shipyard workers (2000-01 survey)
- Limitations
- Documents yard identity and 2000-01 operations, not asbestos and not this hull. The wartime entity (Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.) and the NIOSH-era entity (Jeffboat LLC/ACBL) are the same Jeffersonville yard per the BRB caption's f/k/a chain; no wartime-era asbestos survey of this yard was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-09
-
[11]Source discrepancy on decommissioning location/date framing: DANFS text vs NavSource timeline vs Heller crew memoir (Wikipedia-cited) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text; navsource.net 10/16/160504 timeline; Wikipedia USS LST-504 reference 3 (Heller autobiography)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: DANFS frames the 22 January 1946 decommissioning as occurring 'upon her return to the United States,' but NavSource records the same date paired with assignment to COMNAVFE Shipping Control Authority for Japan (SCAJAP) as Q016 - meaning the hull was transferred to Japanese-crewed repatriation service in the Far East, not laid up in the U.S. A crew memoir cited by Wikipedia (Charles Heller, 1993 autobiography, unpublished) states the decommissioning ceremony occurred in Tokyo Bay on 15 January 1946 at 1605, with 19 officers and 30 enlisted men of the Japanese navy coming aboard. The NavSource SCAJAP/Q016 record and the Navy Occupation Service Medal window ending 15 January 1946 are consistent with a Far-East decommissioning; the DANFS 'return to the United States' framing is the outlier. Carried: decommissioned 22 January 1946 (both official sources) with SCAJAP assignment; Tokyo Bay ceremony and 15 January date are memoir-sourced only.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-01
- Limitations
- Resolves a publication-level conflict in favor of the Far-East decommissioning scenario (NavSource + medal windows + memoir), but the memoir itself is a single-source unpublished recollection - Tokyo Bay location and the 15 January ceremony date are unverified; the official decommission date is 22 January 1946. Whether and when the hull physically returned to U.S. custody before reserve-fleet lay-up is undocumented in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-10
-
[12]Batch-7012 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS canonical + Wayback; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription; NavSource 160504 main page + hosted war-diary and action-report scans; 38th Cavalry unit history; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4; GAO; DOL BRB; CDC Stacks; general web search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-504 / USS Buchanan County was found in the public sources searched. The hull's own surviving records (war diary, action report) are operational documents with no materials content. Marketing/listicle material asserting asbestos aboard LSTs exists (e.g., generic 'asbestos on LSTs' law-firm pages) but was excluded by source policy. CourtListener partial coverage (authenticated API v4): opinion queries '"LST-504"' and '"USS Buchanan County" OR "Buchanan County LST"' each returned 0 results, and the RECAP docket query '"LST-504"' also returned 0 results; the unhyphenated '"LST 504"' opinion query and name-variant docket queries were fleet-pacing blocked this session despite repeated spaced retries - see search_ledger sl-08.
- 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 1943-built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials in the diesel-era applications listed in ev-06. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage is partial: the opinion index returned zero for the hyphenated hull number and the name+type variants, and the RECAP docket index returned zero for '"LST-504"', but the unhyphenated 'LST 504' opinion variant and name-variant docket queries were not swept (fleet pacing) - litigation status is verified negative at opinion level and for the hull-number docket, open for the residual variants.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-county-lst504-11