Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 683-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-calaveras-county-lst516-pkt-683-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-516 (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-02) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Normandy, Korean campaigns, naming, decommissioning, strike, battle stars [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-516 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 6 September 1943 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 7 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. R. R. Hansen; commissioned 31 January 1944, Lt. M. J. Miller in command. WWII: assigned to the European theater; participated in the invasion of Normandy June 1944. Decommissioned 28 February 1947; recommissioned 22 September 1950 'as a result of hostilities in Korea.' Korean campaigns: U.N. Summer-Fall Offensive (Nov 1951); Second Korean Winter (Jan-Feb 1952); Third Korean Winter (Dec 1952-Apr 1953); Korea, Summer 1953 (Jun-Jul 1953); continued in the Korean area until 20 September 1953, then returned to the United States. Named Calaveras County (LST-516) after a county in California on 1 July 1955; decommissioned 21 December 1955; struck from the Navy list 1 October 1958. Earned one battle star for WWII service and four battle stars for Korean service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1958
- Population
- Chicago Bridge & Iron construction trades, Seneca IL (1943-44); ship's company 1944-47, 1950-55; embarked troops/refugees
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. The DANFS entry ends at the 1955 naming and omits the documented 1954-55 WestPac deployment (Operation Passage to Freedom, China service) - covered by ev-05. No spec block in this entry; specifications come from NavSource (ev-02).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Calaveras County (LST-516) ex USS LST-516 (page verified live 2026-10-02; last updated 15 March 2024) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160516.htm - header block, campaign tables, China service line, specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LST-491 class; laid down 6 Sep 1943, Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 7 Jan 1944; commissioned USS LST-516 31 Jan 1944 (ENS M. J. Miller). Europe-Africa-Middle East campaign: Invasion of Normandy, 6-25 June 1944. Decommissioned 28 Feb 1947, laid up in reserve; recommissioned 22 Sep 1950 (LT R. R. Stringer). Korean campaigns as in DANFS. 'Performed China service from 7 to 13 February 1955.' Named USS Calaveras County (LST-516) 1 Jul 1955; decommissioned 21 Dec 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 Oct 1958. Final disposition: 'fate unknown.' Awards ribbon array: China Service (extended); American Campaign; EAME (1 star); WWII Victory; National Defense; Korean Service (4); UN Service; ROK War Service (retroactive). Commanding officers: ENS/LTjg/LT M. J. Miller (31 Jan 1944-Apr 1946); LT Clifford Emmett Reed (Apr 1946-28 Feb 1947); LT Rufus R. Stringer USNR (22 Sep 1950-Jul 1952); LT Roy Lee Tindle (Jul 1952-?). Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; armament (ultimate design) 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; propulsion 2x GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), Falk main reduction gear, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1958
- Population
- Construction trades (1943-44); ship's company 1944-47, 1950-55
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS/NVR where checked; the DANFS text on this page matches the live NHHC entry. No asbestos content. Spec figures are class-standard LST-491 data; not independently verified against a primary spec sheet for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-02
-
[4]NARA, RG 38 (WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories), NAID 134370024: 'USS LST-516 - Rep of Ops in the Invasion of Normandy, France, 5/30/44 - 6/17/44' (5 images; file dated 17 Aug 1944; serial LST516/A9-8 no. 184; micro serial 89450, file A19-8) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 134370024, 5-page report, p.1 text verified (CONFIDENTIAL stamp, LST516/A9-8, Ser 184, 17 Aug 1944)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own Normandy action report survives and was verified against page images: signed by the Commanding Officer to Commander Task Force 122 via TG 126.4 / TF 126, 'Chronological Narrative of Operations to 18 June 1944.' LST-516 moored off Devonport; ordered to Falmouth, Cornwall, loading there 31 May 1944; loaded troops/vehicles at Helford Hard 2 June; sailed 5 June in Convoy B-3 (Task Group 126.4, Comdr. Greene aboard USS LST-266) with causeway and rhino tug in tow; reached the French coast 7 June 1944; sighted the coast 0815, recovered a fouled rhino tug, and at 1318 launched six LCVPs into Easy Red (Omaha Beach) carrying Company C, 175th Infantry - all boats beached and retracted without casualty; from 1825 LCMs/LCVPs/DUKWs brought wounded aboard via davit slings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-05-30 to 1944-06-17 (report filed 1944-08-17)
- Population
- Ship's company + embarked troops (Co. C, 175th Infantry) during Normandy ops, May-Jun 1944
- Limitations
- Primary operational record - confirms ship-specific Normandy participation at Omaha Beach on D+1. Contains no asbestos or material-content information; documents operations, not construction materials or conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-03
-
[5]NARA, RG 38, NAID 134282138: cataloged as 'USS LST-516 - War Diary, 5/1-31/43 (ACT REP)' (36 images, Roll A433) - VERIFIED MISCATALOGED: scanned pages are USS LST-316's deck log [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 134282138, image 1 (deck-log cover 'LST 316 / MAY 1943') and image 3 (2 May 1943, Gibraltar)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the NARA catalog file-unit titled 'USS LST-516 - War Diary, 5/1-31/43 (ACT REP)' (NAID 134282138) does not contain LST-516 material. Page images verified 2026-10-02: the cover reads 'U.S.S. LST 316, DECK LOG BOOK, Month of MAY, 1943' and interior pages are LST-316 deck-log sheets (e.g., 2 May 1943, moored starboard side to USS LST-317, South Mole, Gibraltar Harbor, Task Force 68). The content predates LST-516's keel-laying (6 Sep 1943) and belongs to a different hull; the title's 516 appears to be a 316 transcription/misfiling error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- cataloging review 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Researchers must not cite NAID 134282138 for LST-516/Calaveras County. Whether a true LST-516 war diary file exists elsewhere in the series was not established - the quoted 'USS LST-516' catalog search returned only this file unit plus the genuine Normandy action report (NAID 134370024).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-04
-
[6]U.S. Navy-released photograph, Naval Historical Center ID 030630-N-0000X-001 (navy.mil image 8346), via Wikimedia Commons; corroborated by NavSource photo captions (NARA photo 80-G-652364; French Foreign Legion transport photo, 1955) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Commons file page (USN photo 030630-N-0000X-001 caption block); NavSource 10/16/160516.htm photo table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official USN caption: 'Vietnamese refugees board LST 516 for their journey from Haiphong, North Vietnam, to Saigon, South Vietnam during Operation Passage to Freedom, October 1954' - documenting that this hull participated in the Aug 1954-May 1955 evacuation of refugees from North to South Vietnam. A second NavSource photograph shows LST-516 transporting French Foreign Legionnaires during the operation in 1955. Together with the NavSource 'China service 7 to 13 February 1955' line, this documents a second post-Korea WestPac deployment (1954-55) that the DANFS entry omits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1954-10 to 1955-02
- Population
- Ship's company (1954-55 WestPac deployment); evacuated refugees/legionnaires embarked
- Limitations
- Photo-caption documentation of presence/operation, not a work or material record. The NARA photo number (80-G-652364) is transcribed via NavSource; the number itself does not resolve in the NARA catalog search. No asbestos content. 'China service' dates rest on NavSource's timeline line only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block for this hull (2x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, twin screws; diesel-electric ship's-service generators) + era amphibious-ship construction practice (consolidated in LST-1-class profile ev-lst-1-class-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160516.htm specifications block; class profile lst-1-class ev-03 (consolidated era inference)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-491-class tank landing ship built 1943-44 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel LST of this period were engine and exhaust lagging, machinery-space and accommodation thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings/tile, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1958
- Population
- Chicago Bridge & Iron construction trades, Seneca IL (1943-44); ship's company 1944-47, 1950-55; any disposal/scrapping workforce (post-1958, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-516. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. BuShips Ships' Data Vol. 2 (1945) SDB design-table scan cited by the class profile returned 404 on 2026-10-02 with no Wayback capture - the machinery anchor carried here is the live NavSource spec block.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (rendered fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy asbestos-protection efforts at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, documenting that the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships, that the 1975 policy removed/replaced insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, and that substitution of non-asbestos materials did not begin until the early 1970s - after this hull's entire service life (1944-55) and 1958 striking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (program review); era 1943-58 relevant here
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Verified live 2026-10-02 via rendered fetch (firecrawl) showing the product highlights; raw curl returns HTTP 403 - access limitation noted, consistent with the standing Batch-98 defect record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-07
-
[9]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton compilation), Chicago Bridge & Iron yard table, Seneca IL - LST-516 row; Seneca 'Prairie Shipyard' context (200-acre site, Navy-requisitioned 1942, $6M improvements; 157 LSTs built 1942-45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net CB&I table, LST-516 row; yard history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Chicago Bridge & Iron yard table lists LST-516: laid 9/6/1943, launched 1/7/1944, delivered 1/31/1944 (147 days keel-to-delivery; 123 days on the ways + 24 fitting out), disposition 'Calaveras County 1955, struck 1958' - consistent with DANFS/NavSource. Yard context: the Navy requisitioned the CB&I Seneca facility in 1942 and invested $6M; the 'Prairie Shipyard' built 157 LSTs (and ARLs) 1942-45 - an inland 'cornfield yard' reached via the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction workforce (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Colton yard tables), not a primary registry - used to corroborate dates already in DANFS/NavSource and for yard-level context. Yard-history claims beyond the hull table (e.g., '27,000 workers' in press coverage) are secondary and not carried into the record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-08
-
[10]Batch-7024 search ledger (this record): DANFS (live NHHC); NavSource 10/16/160516 (live); NARA NAID 134370024 action report (page-image verified); NARA NAID 134282138 (miscataloged - LST-316 content); USN photo 030630-N-0000X-001 via Commons; shipbuildinghistory CB&I table; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; secondary-web litigation sweep; CourtListener (blocked - fleet budget) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LST-516 / USS Calaveras County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the fleet-wide request budget exhausted on every attempt; logged as blocked, not a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; 'Calaveras' asbestos litigation hits resolve to Calaveras Asbestos, Ltd. (Copperopolis mine) and Calaveras County, California matters - name collisions, not this hull.
- 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. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run); NARA deck logs (RG 24) for this hull are undigitized; post-1958 disposal records were not located - 'fate unknown' stands. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-calaveras-county-lst516-09
