USS Bulloch County (LST-509)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 682-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: s rest on existence/service evidence

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-bulloch-county-lst509-pkt-682-packet-md

2. [2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'LST-509' entry (published 4 Aug 2015) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS L-letter section, LST-509 single-paragraph entry (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-02)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for this hull: laid down 7 October 1943 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched 23 November 1943, sponsored by Lt. (jg.) Dorothy L. Nims, USCG(W); commissioned 20 January 1944, Lt. J. B. Malcom, USNR, in command; assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; redesignated 'Bullock County' (sic - see correction row) on 1 July 1955 after a county in Georgia; decommissioned 8 April 1970 and leased to the Republic of Vietnam for service as Qui Nhon (HQ-504); earned one battle star for World War II.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Limitations

   One-paragraph summary; omits all interwar and Vietnam-era detail present in other official records. The 20 January 1944 commissioning date conflicts with the ship's own war history (19 Jan 1944) and the BuShips roster (8 Jan 1944) - see correction row and gaps. The entry misspells the name 'Bullock County.' Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-01

3. [3]NARA, 'USS LST-509 - War History,' World War II War Diaries/Other Operational Records and Histories, RG 38, NAID 77707434 (microfilm roll A2107, micro serial 159225), 2 pages scanned online [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77707434, roll A2107 images 0347 (transmittal letter) and 0348 (Ship's Histroy text) - both pages read at full resolution

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The ship's own war history, signed by commanding officer Lt. (jg.) L. S. Montgomery, USNR, and forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy 14 December 1945: built at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company, Jeffersonville, Indiana; delivered 12 January 1944; commissioned at New Orleans, La., on 19 January 1944; shakedown at Panama City, Florida, and availability at New Orleans; sailed in convoy from Halifax, Nova Scotia, arriving Southampton, England, 16 April 1944; participated in the Normandy invasion, arriving Utah Beach the morning of 7 June 1944; took part in the subsequent build-up including transporting ammunition to St. Michel en Grave, France, for the reduction of Brest and transporting U.S. Army troops to Oslo, Norway; 'Made a total of 58 trips across the English Channel'; arrived New York from the UK 24 July 1945; thirty days' availability at Norfolk Navy Yard; Chesapeake Bay shakedown; assigned to Fourth Fleet; commanding officer from 19 January 1944 to 20 September 1945 was James B. Malcom of Eatonville, Washington.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944-1945 (document dated 14 Dec 1945)

   Limitations

   Contemporaneous CO-signed wartime summary - the strongest available narrative source for this hull's WWII service. Where it conflicts with later compilations it is treated as controlling for WWII-era facts, but conflicts remain logged (commissioning 19 vs 20 Jan; '58 trips' vs program's '252 transits'; Utah Beach vs one photo caption's Omaha). Two-page summary only; contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-02

4. [4]U.S. Navy, 'Decommissioning - Vietnamese Navy Commissioning Ceremonies, USS Jerome County (LST-848) / USS Bulloch County (LST-509), 8 April 1970' (official ceremony program), Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University, item 4820101009 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Program PDF, 'HISTORY OF USS BULLOCH COUNTY (LST-509)' section, ceremony schedule, and ship specification block (length 329 ft, beam 50 ft, displacement 4080 t, armament 8x40mm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official U.S. Navy ceremony program for the 8 April 1970 joint decommissioning/Vietnamese-commissioning ceremonies of USS Jerome County (LST-848) and USS Bulloch County (LST-509). For this hull it states: constructed by the 'Jefferson Boat and Machinery Company,' Jeffersonville, Ind.; launched December 1943; ferried down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, commissioned there 20 January 1944; landed at Utah Beach on D-Day + 1 (7 June 1944); made '252 transits of the English Channel' plus one trip to Norway from June 1944 to June 1945, evacuating wounded and POWs, with no material or personnel casualties in the European theater; decommissioned 21 March 1947; recommissioned during the Korean Conflict 20 October 1950, serving entirely in the Atlantic; decommissioned 1 December 1955; recommissioned 31 August 1966; arrived new homeport San Diego 29 December 1966; departed for the Western Pacific January 1967, homeported at Guam, not returning to the U.S. until 15 July 1969; first arrival at Vung Tau Bay 15 March 1967; shuttled general cargo, ammunition, vehicles and men between Cau Viet, Da Nang, and Chu Lai; participated in 'Operation Oregon' and 'Market Time' patrols; employed on local training and logistical support after 1969; just completed overhaul in preparation for turnover; to become RVNS Qui Nhon (HQ-504), Lt. Cmdr. Phan Phi Phung, RVN, commanding.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Limitations

   Official Navy program, but a retrospective 1970 narrative: '252 transits' conflicts with the ship's own 1945 history ('58 trips'); 'launched December 1943' conflicts with the documented 23 Nov 1943 launch; builder name 'Jefferson Boat and Machinery Company' is a variant of the documented 'Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.' Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-03

5. [5]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS Bulloch County (LST-509) ex USS LST-509 (1944-1955)' page (last updated 15 March 2024) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Timeline block, commanding-officer roster, WWII/Vietnam campaign tables, specification block, photo-caption archive

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource per-hull record: decommissioned 1947 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, FL; recommissioned 20 October 1950, Lt. W. A. McNamee USNR; named USS Bulloch County (LST-509) 1 July 1955; commanding-officer roster documents a second decommissioned period '~1956 - 31 August 1966' and the 1966 recommissioning under Lt. John A. Markworth; campaign table credits the WWII Normandy invasion (6-25 June 1944) and five Vietnam campaigns (Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phases II, III, IV; Tet Counteroffensive; Tet 69/Counteroffensive) with the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation; decommissioned 8 April 1970 and leased to South Vietnam as RVNS Qui Nhon (HQ-504); acquired by the People's Republic of Vietnam (date unknown), redesignated HQ-505; 'heavily damage[d], and beached on Collin Reef and sunk 14 March 1988' during the Johnson South Reef skirmish. Photographic record adds: Omaha Beach caption (discrepancy flagged); Key West Navy Day 27 Oct 1945; Little Creek Nov 1945; Mill Creek/Solomons MD June 1946; Charleston Navy Yard drydock #2 January 1947 for preservation/decommissioning; NAB Little Creek spring 1951; LCU-767 deckload for Operation Blue Jay/Thule AB Greenland 1951; Vieques exercises 1951-54.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1988

   Limitations

   Volunteer-curated archival compilation - the standard per-hull photographic/timeline reference; campaign dates and designations derive from official lists, but the final-disposition narrative (Collins Reef sinking) is not corroborated by a located official source and conflicts with secondary accounts placing the sinking south of Great Discovery Reef. One photo caption says 'Omaha Beach' where two official sources say Utah. Contains no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-04

6. [6]DANFS LST-509 entry vs NHHC Naval Subjects Collection catalog L45-38.04.01 ('USS Bulloch County (LST-509)'); BuShips SDB-1945 v2 roster; NARA NAID 77707434 ship's history; 1970 ceremony program; NavSource photo caption 1016050903 [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC NSC catalog page (name spelling); SDB1945v2 roster line LST509 (8 Jan 44); war-history image 0348 (19 Jan, Utah); program 'HISTORY' section (Utah, 252 transits); NavSource caption (Omaha)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTION ROW - three documented source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) Name spelling - the DANFS entry text renders the 1 July 1955 name as 'Bullock County,' but the NHHC Naval Subjects Collection catalog (L45-38.04.01), the 1970 ceremony program, NavSource, and the namesake (Bulloch County, Georgia) all give 'Bulloch County' - 'Bullock' is a DANFS typographical error. (b) Commissioning date - BuShips SDB-1945 v2 roster gives 'date of first commission' 8 January 1944; the ship's own CO-signed war history says commissioned at New Orleans 19 January 1944; DANFS/NavSource say 20 January 1944 - the DANFS date is adopted and all three dates logged in gaps. (c) Normandy beach - the ship's own war history and the 1970 ceremony program say Utah Beach (morning 7 June 1944); a NavSource photo caption says Omaha Beach - Utah adopted on the weight of the two official documents, Omaha logged as a variant.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1970

   Limitations

   Resolves a naming typo and flags two open factual conflicts between official sources; does not adjudicate the 8/19/20 January commissioning conflict or Utah-vs-Omaha beyond weighting the contemporaneous ship-generated document. No asbestos content in any cited source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-05

7. [7]National Archives Catalog: NAID 77707434 (RG 38 war history); NAID 175428611 (RG 24 deck log, November 1968, 62 images, VBA Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-509'; file-unit pages for NAIDs 77707434 and 175428611 (verified live)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads verified online: the National Archives Catalog carries ship-specific digitized records - (a) the WWII war-history file unit (ev-02); (b) RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' deck logs for the Vietnam era, e.g., 'Bulloch County (LST-509) - November 1968' (NAID 175428611, 62 page images) scanned under the Veterans Benefits Administration 'Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project,' with additional monthly units (e.g., June 1967) indexed in the same series.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1944-1970 records

   Limitations

   Existence and digitization verified; contents not surveyed page-by-page. Deck logs record positions, operations, and personnel events - asbestos or materials references are unlikely but were not affirmatively excluded. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-06

8. [8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (January 1945), LST machinery design table and LST roster (shipscribe.com scan of the Google scan) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2: LST block machinery table (LST491-541 row: '2 ... G. M. Diesel, 12-567A ... 1,700', Boilers column empty); roster p. 176 'LST509 ... 7 Oct 43, 23 Nov 43, 8 Jan 44' (PDF verified live; text layer read directly)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Design-block documentation: BuShips Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, vol. 2 (Jan 1945) lists this hull's design block LST491-541 with two General Motors 12-567A diesel engines at 1,700 shaft horsepower and no boiler entries - a diesel plant with no steam system. The asbestos-relevant systems aboard such a hull were therefore not boiler/steam-line lagging but the era-standard applications: engine-room and exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings, and accommodation insulation. The roster section separately confirms this hull (LST-509) built by Jeffersonville B. & M. Co., keel 7 Oct 43, launched 23 Nov 43, 'date of first commission' 8 Jan 44.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945 design table

   Population

   Construction trades (Jeffersonville Boat & Machine, 1943-44); engine-room crew (class context)

   Limitations

   Official design data for the block, not a hull material schedule: the table documents machinery type, not insulation content; the enumerated asbestos-relevant applications are era inference and are not documented aboard this hull. The roster's 8 Jan 44 'date of first commission' conflicts with DANFS (20 Jan) and the ship's own history (19 Jan) - see correction row. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or exposure aboard LST-509.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-07

9. [9]GAO, 'Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (B-163375), published 18 October 1979 [gao]

   Locator

   Full report text (retrieved via firecrawl from https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf - direct curl returns HTTP 403); transmittal letter and 'NAVY'S POLICY ON USE OF ASBESTOS' section

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented (fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards) that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships; that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables'; that thermal-insulation specifications were revised to asbestos-free in 1973, with the elimination policy issued October 1975; and that asbestos materials already purchased meant 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' The 1975 policy replaced only damaged insulation or insulation removed for repairs; a January 1979 modification added selective replacement in high-maintenance areas, with 30-50% of shipboard asbestos insulation expected to remain untouched through a ship's life.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1979 (report); Navy asbestos policy 1973-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (Long Beach, Norfolk NSY); asbestos-control program review

   Limitations

   Program-level Navy-wide documentation; does not name this hull or the LST type. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not the builder or the reserve-fleet sites. Supports era context only; does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or present-day presence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-08

10. [10]Batch-7017 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, NARA Catalog, Texas Tech Vietnam Archive, NVR, MARAD ShipHistory, GAO, BuShips SDB-1945 v2, museum-LST web search, CourtListener (one qualifying pleading-stage hit - see ev-11) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-01 through sl-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos record located outside litigation: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, environmental record, or museum condition report naming LST-509, Bulloch County, Qui Nhon, or HQ-504/505 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only ship-specific asbestos-relevant record located is the pleading-stage court filing in ev-11. The hull is a combat-loss wreck in the Spratly Islands outside U.S. jurisdiction, so no present-day survey or abatement pathway exists.

    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 - 1943-44 wartime construction is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the diesel plant narrows but does not eliminate candidate applications. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-09

11. [11]PRIO blog, Stein Tonnesson, '14 March 1988: East Asia's Last Interstate Battle' (24 July 2015) [reputable_press]

    Locator

    PRIO blog post, narrative of the Johnson South Reef engagement (verified live)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) research account corroborates the event to which NavSource attributes this hull's loss: a battle between Chinese warships and Vietnamese forces on 14 March 1988 at Johnson South Reef in the Spratly Islands, in which more than sixty Vietnamese were killed when Chinese ships fired on Vietnamese soldiers and a Vietnamese vessel.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1988-03-14

    Limitations

    Corroborates the battle event only - the PRIO account does not name HQ-505 or identify this hull; hull attribution rests on NavSource and secondary accounts, which disagree on the wreck position (Collins Reef vs south of Great Discovery Reef). Not an asbestos-relevant record.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-10

12. [12]Jacob v. Plastics Engineering Co. (PLENCO) et al., No. 1:19-cv-00108 (D. Guam), Complaint Doc. 1 (filed 2019-06-20, 13 pp., Exhibit A ship list item 4 = USS Bulloch County LST-509); docket entries 1-16 via CourtListener RECAP [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener API v4: search type=r 'LST-509' -> docket 15808518; docket-entries/91372363 complaint plain_text pp. 9-13 (Exhibit A 'Guam Naval Repair Facility Deck Log Rule 1006 Summary,' items 1-39); entries 7, 13, 16 for disposition

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Pleading-stage asbestos litigation naming this hull: Eusebio V. Jacob and Marta A. Jacob v. Plastics Engineering Company (PLENCO) and Rockwell Automation, Inc., District Court of Guam, docket 1:19-cv-00108, filed 20 June 2019 (cause '28:1332 Diversity-Asbestos Litigation'). The complaint alleges plaintiff Eusebio Jacob worked as a journeyman electrician at the Navy Ship Repair Facility (SRF) in Guam approximately 1962-1985, working 'in and on ships' where asbestos products were used. Its Exhibit A ('Guam Naval Repair Facility Deck Log Rule 1006 Summary'), compiled from ship deck logs, lists 'USS Bulloch County LST-509' as ship no. 4: present at SRF 9/29/1968-1/17/1969, drydocked 10/29-11/22, and drydocked '12/15 - 12/28/1967' (the 1967 year is likely an exhibit/OCR artifact - both drydock windows fall inside the documented Sep 1968-Jan 1969 SRF stay). The complaint alleges defendants supplied OEM asbestos gaskets and packing to Guam SRF installed in equipment on the Exhibit A ships including this hull, plus asbestos-containing thermoset plastic molding materials (PLENCO, and Rockwell via predecessor ROSTONE) and Allen-Bradley electrical equipment with asbestos parts. PLENCO answered 6 August 2019; plaintiffs filed a Notice of Dismissal With Prejudice 24 September 2019 and a Stipulation of Dismissal With Prejudice of all claims against PLENCO 22 January 2020; case terminated 26 February 2020.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1962-1985 alleged exposure window; 2019-2020 litigation

    Population

    Guam Navy Ship Repair Facility workers (journeyman electrician, 1962-1985 employment window; hull present at SRF 1967-1969 periods per exhibit)

    Limitations

    PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, the least-final litigation posture: a complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding - no court adjudicated that asbestos was aboard this hull or that the plaintiff was exposed aboard it. Exhibit A places the hull at Guam SRF in defined 1967-1969 windows (itself derived from deck logs); the asbestos nexus is plaintiff's alleged employment there, not a hull materials finding. The hull is one of ~39 ships listed. Resolution was by plaintiff notice + stipulated dismissals with prejudice - settlement-stage, on the merits record neither a plaintiff win nor a defense merits ruling. Defendants were equipment/materials suppliers (PLENCO thermoset plastics; Rockwell/Allen-Bradley/ROSTONE electrical equipment), not the Navy. Does not establish asbestos content, quantity, individual exposure, causation, or eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bulloch-county-lst509-11