USS Calhoun County (LST-519)

Evidence

15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).

1. [1]research packet 684-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-calhoun-county-lst519-pkt-684-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'LST-519', Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LST-519 entry, full text (3 paragraphs). Note: this URL returned transient 404/502 to the earlier batch-7027 session the same day; verified live via firecrawl scrape in this session.

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS: LST-519 laid down 17 September 1943 at Seneca, Ill., by Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 25 January 1944; sponsored by Miss Bonnie Faye Catherwood; commissioned 17 February 1944. WWII: assigned to the European theater, participated in Convoy UGS-36 (April 1944) and the invasion of Normandy (June 1944); two battle stars. Postwar: served with the Atlantic Fleet; 'Her primary mission was to dispose of condemned ammunition and radioactive waste material in deep water.' Named Calhoun County (LST-519) on 1 July 1955 after counties in 11 states; decommissioned 8 November 1962 and struck from the Navy list the same day.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1962

   Population

   WWII and postwar crews (up to ~1,000 men served across the dumping years per Tampa Bay Times estimate)

   Limitations

   Official NHHC history; verified live 2026-10-02. DANFS is concise - it confirms the radioactive-waste disposal mission but gives no dates, quantities, or dumping-site detail and does not mention asbestos. The sinking detail (June 1963, Virginia Capes) is not in DANFS - carried by NavSource/press rows instead.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-01

3. [3]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS Calhoun County (LST-519) ex USS LST-519' (last updated 15 March 2024) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource page 160519 - timeline, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource vessel page: LST-491-class tank landing ship; laid down 17 Sep 1943 Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL; launched 25 Jan 1944; commissioned 17 Feb 1944 at Naval Station Algiers, LA, Lt. Frank L. Brimmer in command; EAME campaigns Convoy UGS-36 (1 Apr 1944) and Invasion of Normandy (6-25 Jun 1944); named USS Calhoun County (LST-519) 1 Jul 1955; decommissioned 8 Nov 1962; struck from the Naval Register 8 Nov 1962; final disposition 'sunk as a target off the Virginia Capes in June 1963. (Ship was highly radioactive).' Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted, troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A diesels 900 hp each, Falk reduction gear, 1,700 shp, twin screws; photographs document her at Bizerte 4 Apr 1944 and off-loading at Le Havre c.1944.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1963

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer-compiled naval-history archive, not an official Navy record - details are corroborated against DANFS where overlapping; the 'highly radioactive' parenthetical is NavSource's annotation, consistent with the press-documented BuShips memo. No asbestos content on the page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-02

4. [4]Tampa Bay Times, 'USS Calhoun County sailors dumped thousands of tons of radioactive waste into ocean' (William R. Levesque, 20 Dec 2013) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Archived full text (Wayback 2014-01-06 capture); live URL https://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/the-atomic-sailors/2157927 is paywalled - body not retrievable live, headline/caption confirm title and subject

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   Tampa Bay Times investigation (William R. Levesque, 20 Dec 2013), based on Navy documents, the ship's deck logs and muster rolls at NARA College Park and New York, and interviews with 50+ former crewmen: for up to 15 years after WWII (until c.1960) the crew dumped thousands of tons of radioactive waste into the Atlantic; drums (some 'red dot') arrived at Sandy Hook Bay NJ or were picked up at Floyd Bennett Field and Boston; much waste came in concrete-packed barrels from Brookhaven National Laboratory; deck logs recorded shipments emitting 17 rems/hr; Navy memos show NRL technicians found parts of the ship radioactive on 5 June 1956 (CO ordered to decontaminate), a 30 Aug 1956 memo found personnel 'not familiar with monitoring and decontamination procedures' and exposure records not maintained, and a 28 Mar 1958 memo from Capt. Rowland Burnham requested $37,000 to replace the contaminated wooden deck ('the personnel are being continuously exposed to it... this condition is a health hazard'); the deck was replaced in early 1959 and the contaminated decking dumped at sea in 125 concrete barrels; a 13 Dec (1962) BuShips chief's memo concluded complete paint stripping and sandblasting had failed to decontaminate the ship and the Navy ordered her sunk; decommissioned 8 Nov 1962 at Brooklyn Navy Yard; sunk 1963 (torpedo hit failed, began sinking at Norfolk pier, towed to deep water and sunk by demolition charges per the Navy). VA claims: crewman Harvey Lucas's death was ruled caused by radiation aboard the ship in 1998 (widow's benefits approved); George Albernaz's claim was denied 2006, heard by the Board of Veterans' Appeals on 5 July 2007 and remanded for development; the Navy disputes the crew faced dangerous exposure, states the ship was scuttled at end of useful life, and acknowledges incomplete records.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1946-2013

   Population

   Crew members handling waste (up to ~1,000 men served across the dumping years per Times estimate); Brookhaven packaging workers mentioned for contrast

   Limitations

   Investigative journalism built on NARA-held Navy memos, deck logs, muster rolls and crew interviews - the underlying documents exist at NARA but were quoted via the article, not retrieved directly; the Navy's denial position is recorded in the same source. This is a radiological-exposure record, NOT an asbestos finding; it establishes ship-level contamination history and the government's records posture toward crew claims.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-03

5. [5]Deb Derrick, 'The VA's Claim Dodge,' The American Prospect, 12 November 2007 [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Full article text (live)

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   Deb Derrick (former congressional aide who located the ship's NARA records), The American Prospect, 12 Nov 2007: Lucas's BVA hearing transcript documented four years of dumping atomic waste over the side; his widow pursued the VA claim 18 years before prevailing in 1998 after the congressional office dug up a final key document; Derrick found Navy memos in the ship's administrative archives - a 1956 memo to the CO indicating the deck had become radiologically contaminated, a 1958 memo stating all decontamination attempts had failed, and a 1962 memo stating the Navy had never been able to render such a ship safe and recommending sinking; other crewmen filing VA claims included Deane Horne, Richard Tkaczyk, and George Albernaz; the VA omitted submitted documents from the evidence of record and the Navy maintained 'zero dose' exposure estimates.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1957-2007

   Population

   Calhoun County crewmen filing VA radiation claims (Lucas, Albernaz, Horne, Tkaczyk named)

   Limitations

   First-person advocacy account by the researcher who found the documents - an admitted party to the claims fight; the underlying memos are NARA-held (see archival_lead row) but quoted via this account, not inspected. Establishes the administrative-claims history; no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-04

6. [6]Encyclopedia of Arkansas, 'USS Calhoun County (LST-519)' entry 13536 [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Entry text, full article

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Encyclopedia of Arkansas (Central Arkansas Library System, Mark K. Christ, updated 16 June 2023): LST-519 laid down at Seneca IL by Chicago Bridge and Ironworks 17 Sep 1943; launched 25 Jan 1944 (christened by Bonnie Fay Catherwood); commissioned at Algiers LA 17 Feb 1944 under Lt. Frank L. Brimmer; European Theater service incl. Convoy UGS-36 (Apr 1944) and Normandy (Jun 1944), two battle stars; postwar Atlantic Fleet duty dumping condemned ammunition and atomic waste - 'ultimately casting tons of unprotected radioactive material into the ocean'; renamed USS Calhoun County 1 Jul 1955 for counties in eleven states; 'Seriously contaminated by radioactivity,' decommissioned and struck 8 Nov 1962; sunk as target off the Virginia Capes June 1963.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1963

   Limitations

   Secondary reference work citing DANFS, NavSource, and Rottman's Osprey history - corroborates, adds no independent primary data; 'tons of unprotected radioactive material' is editorial summary. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-05

7. [7]National Archives catalog, NAID 153715422 and NAID 175668560 (Record Group 19, Bureau of Ships) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov/id/153715422 and https://catalog.archives.gov/id/175668560 (both verified live; index page https://www.archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Ship Plan Index / catalog entries for this hull: 'Plans for the Tank Landing Ship Calhoun County (LST-519)' - NAID 153715422, RG 19 Ship Engineering Drawings, engineering category S0103 (Booklet of General Plans), unrestricted, not yet available online; and 'USS CALHOUN COUNTY LST-519' - NAID 175668560, RG 19 Microfilm of Ship Engineering Drawings 1945-1955, unrestricted, not yet available online. Hull-specific engineering documentation identified but not retrieved.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Limitations

   The catalog establishes the existence of identified NARA holdings, not their contents. The drawings/microfilm were not retrieved or reviewed; no inference about asbestos, specifications, products, or exposure may be drawn from the index entries.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-06

8. [8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table + roster (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST machinery table (LST491-541 row) and vessel roster; note: prior class-profile URL https://shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf now returns 404 - file relocated to /pubs/

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945) design/roster tables: the LST groups are diesel-powered; hull block LST491-541 (this hull) listed with 2 x GM Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 hp; class accommodation figures 13 officers / 106 enlisted (NavSource gives 104 enlisted); 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam, 11.6 kt.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Class design documentation, not a hull record - the table names the block (LST491-541), not LST-519 individually. Establishes the diesel plant and design figures; supports no asbestos claim directly but fixes which systems were aboard (no boilers/steam plant).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-07

9. [9]Era inference consolidated: BuShips SD-1945 v2 machinery data + Corn, J.K. & Starr, J., 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am. J. Ind. Med. 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v2 LST491-541 machinery row; Corn & Starr article abstract

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era asbestos inference for this diesel-powered LST: no boilers aboard - the asbestos-relevant applications typical of the type would be GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, valve and machinery packing, and winch brake linings; WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding used asbestos extensively for fireproofing and insulation (Corn & Starr, AJIM 1987).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1943-1963

   Population

   Construction trades (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca, 1943-44); ship's company; disposal-mission crews; decommissioning workforce at New York Naval Shipyard 1962

   Limitations

   Inference only - no source names asbestos aboard this hull and no material schedule or survey was located. The diesel plant narrows the exposure pathways relative to steam ships. Establishes no quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-08

10. [10]NIOSH/CDC, '100 Years of Respiratory Protection History,' 1920-1950 section (archive.cdc.gov mirror, last reviewed 18 July 2019) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NIOSH page, 1920-1950 section, paragraphs beginning 'As the world entered World War II' (verified live this session)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Class/era context: NIOSH/CDC respiratory-protection history records that as the United States entered World War II, the Navy's use of asbestos increased for insulation purposes for pipes in naval vessels, and describes Navy guidance concerning cutting and wetting asbestos-containing (amosite) insulation. LST-519 was built and commissioned during that period.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    World War II era; LST-519 constructed 1943-1944

    Population

    Navy personnel and workers handling pipe insulation during the World War II era

    Limitations

    Navy-wide WWII context, not a record naming LST-519, her builder, or a material installed aboard her. It supports only an era-consistent possibility of asbestos pipe insulation; it does not establish asbestos presence, product identity, quantity, location, exposure, condition, removal, or legal eligibility for this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-09

11. [11]U.S. GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product-page Highlights (full-text PDF blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing gao.gov restriction documented in Batch-01)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO's Navy-wide review HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) documents the Navy's asbestos-protection program: a 1975 policy removed and replaced with nonasbestos material only insulation that was damaged or needed removal for repair, modified in 1979 for selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1975-1979 policy review

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers and Navy asbestos-control program

    Limitations

    The report postdates this hull's 1962 decommissioning and does not name Calhoun County, Chicago Bridge & Iron, or a shipyard known from this record to have worked on the hull. Program-level context only - original-era insulation aboard Navy ships typically remained unless a yard period disturbed it; no yard-period asbestos disturbance is documented for this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-10

12. [12]GAO, 'Hazards of Past Low-Level Radioactive Waste Ocean Dumping Have Been Overemphasized,' EMD-82-9 (1981) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page highlights + recommendations (full-text PDF blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing restriction)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO EMD-82-9 (published 21 Oct 1981, released 23 Nov 1981): from 1946 to 1970 the United States disposed of low-level radioactive waste by ocean dumping; GAO found the federal government had no complete and accurate catalogue of how much, what kind, and where waste was dumped because detailed records were not required; it judged public-health concerns overemphasized but faulted EPA's slow regulatory development and recommended dumpsite-monitoring criteria.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1946-1981

    Population

    Federal ocean-disposal program (context)

    Limitations

    Program-level report; does not name this vessel and establishes no ship-specific fact. It corroborates that the ship's documented dumping mission sat within a federal program whose records are admittedly incomplete.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-11

13. [13]DANFS LST-519 entry (8 Nov 1962) vs Wikipedia USS Calhoun County (LST-519) infobox (1 Nov 1962) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS paragraph 2; NavSource timeline; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Calhoun_County_(LST-519) infobox

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Discrepancy resolved: Wikipedia's infobox gives decommissioning as 1 November 1962, while DANFS, NavSource, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, NavalCoverMuseum, and the Tampa Bay Times all give 8 November 1962 (the Times describing the ceremony at the Brooklyn Navy Yard). 8 November 1962 is adopted.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1962

    Limitations

    Resolves a publication-level one-week discrepancy; does not materially affect the record. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-12

14. [14]Batch-7027 search ledger (this record): DANFS, NavSource, Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Tampa Bay Times, American Prospect, GAO EMD-82-9, GAO HRD-80-2, NIOSH, SDB1945v2, NARA catalog, CourtListener, va.gov vetapp web index, shipyards.json [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-01 through -17

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, shipboard material schedule, or docketed asbestos case naming LST-519 or USS Calhoun County was found in the sources searched. CourtListener opinion search for exact hull number 'LST-519' returned zero results; remaining CourtListener searches (exact name, dockets) were rate-limited by the fleet-wide paced budget and are logged blocked/pending, not no-result. 'Calhoun County' name hits in legal indexes are Alabama-county government litigation - name collisions, not this ship. VA decisions referencing the ship that surfaced via press concern radiation, not asbestos.

    Verification

    partial

    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 wartime hull carrying era-typical insulation is consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull was deliberately sunk unrecovered in 1963 so no disposal survey exists. The CourtListener sweep is partially incomplete (see ledger); this records an honest negative, not proof of absence. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-calhoun-county-lst519-13

15. [15]NARA Guide to Federal Records, RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs) and RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); TBT/Prospect reporting confirming retrieval of this ship's logs and memos from NARA [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA RG 24 / RG 19 record-group guides; TBT 'About this story' methodology note; Prospect article

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room consultation): the Tampa Bay Times and Deb Derrick located this ship's deck logs, muster rolls, and the 1956/1958/1962 radiological-contamination Navy memos in the ship's administrative archives at the National Archives (College Park MD and New York NY). Navy deck logs for the period are NARA RG 24 holdings; BuShips correspondence is RG 19. These same files could hold outfitting/material documentation relevant to asbestos and the never-located asbestos material schedule.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1943-1963 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping plus press confirmation that this hull's logs and memos are at NARA - 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-calhoun-county-lst519-14