Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, LST-542 (archived copy - live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-02; Wayback capture 2024-05-27; entry published 2015-08-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-542 entry, full text (3 paragraphs + battle-star line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 29 November 1943 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 28 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Robert C. Dean; commissioned 29 February 1944. Assigned to the European theater and participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Post-war service with the Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Named Chelan County (LST-542) after a county in Washington on 1 July 1955. Decommissioned 1956; struck from the Navy list 1 November 1959. Earned one battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1959 (entry coverage)
- Population
- MVB&I construction trades (1943-44); wartime and postwar crew (1944-56)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content, no disposition detail beyond striking, and no post-1956 detail (the NDRF/MSTS Arctic Ready Status episode is documented only by the MARAD status cards - see ev-03). Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-02; citation is the archived Wayback copy, not a live source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Chelan County (LST-542) ex USS LST-542 (page verified live on navsource.net 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160542.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: commissioned 29 February 1944 with LT. J. H. Raymond, USNR, in command; Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign credit 'Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944'; named USS Chelan County (LST-542) 1 July 1955; decommissioned 1956; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959; one battle star; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Photo captions document this hull beached on Omaha Beach, Normandy, 6 June 1944; off St Aubin's Bay, Jersey, during Operation 'Nestegg' embarking German POWs, c. May 1945; participating in Cadet-Midshipmen Exercise (CAMID), 19 August 1946; and a highline transfer with USS Minos (ARL-14), Chesapeake Bay, c. 1951-54. Specifications: two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100kW 230V DC ship's-service generators, 1,700 shp, twin rudders; 13 officers/104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted; 328 ft o.a., 50 ft beam, 11.6 kts. Commanding-officer roster lists seven COs 1944-56 including LT. Henriques Jr., 1955-56.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- MVB&I construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-56)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation consistent with NVR/DANFS milestones, not a primary registry; photo captions are contributor-supplied though the Normandy and campaign data track DANFS. Contains no asbestos or material content. 'Fate unknown' is NavSource's disposition statement - contrasted with the shipbuildinghistory 'scrapped 1959' row (ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-02
-
[3]MARAD Vessel History Database, CHELAN COUNTY (LST-542), Detail 928 - milestone table plus two scanned status cards: Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/928_1686AF.jpg) and Form MC-7146a USMC Vessel Status Card (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1B9_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail 928 milestone table; MA-383 card fields (Fleet=Olympia, Entered 11/30/1956, Withdrawn 4/2/1957 + reason, Damages/Specifications block, Other Data Navy-letter cite); MC-7146a card operator/custody lines
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD status cards document for this hull: entered the Olympia, Washington reserve-fleet anchorage 30 November 1956, 1200 hrs PST, in MARAD custody with Navy title retained; service prior to lay-up listed as 'MSTS - Ready Status (Arctic)'; withdrawn 2 April 1957, 1030 hrs PST, reason 'MSTS - for use in Arctic Ready Status,' returned to the Navy Department at Olympia. The particulars card records Arctic-hardening modifications for this hull: 'Wood sheathing on bows and sides / Reinforced bow doors / Reinforced hull,' plus two 900 HP G.M. diesels, two screws, LOA 328 ft, breadth 50 ft 1.5 in, speed 11.5 knots; card cites 'Navy ltr. Aug. 28, 1956 - Ready Status (Arctic).' Status-card type code is T-LST; the web milestone table reads Entry/Acquisition 11/30/1956, Disposition 4/2/1957 'ARCTIC READY STATUS,' Withdrawal 4/2/1957, fate 'Returned - U.S.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1956-1957
- Population
- Crew and any trades through decommissioning and lay-up (1956); MSTS-ready period population unquantified
- Limitations
- Ship-specific primary documentation of the lay-up, the Arctic Ready Status designation, and the Arctic modifications - but it documents designation/allocation for MSTS Arctic use, not an actual Arctic deployment: no MSTS voyage, DEW Line call, or operational record for this hull was located (see gaps). Card predates the 1 Nov 1959 striking and contains no disposal entry, no asbestos or material content, and no abatement record. MC-7146a 'Service prior to lay-up' wording is a designation field, not a voyage log.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-03
-
[4]Salvatore R. Mercogliano, 'Military Sea Transportation Service in the Arctic' (usmm.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usmm.org/msts/arctic.html, DEW Line / 'Arctization' paragraphs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Program-level context for this hull's MSTS Arctic Ready Status designation: MSTS conducted the DEW Line sealift ('Operation Sealift for Security') in the 1955-57 seasons, the largest Arctic logistic effort of the period; 'to prevent further damage many of the ships underwent an "Arctization" process' including a three-eighths-inch steel doubler added to the keel of MSTS-operated LSTs for landings on frozen beaches, and nickel-aluminum-bronze propellers. The wood sheathing and reinforced hull/doors on this hull's MARAD card are consistent with that program-level Arctization practice.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1955-1957
- Population
- MSTS Arctic sealift crews and shipyard Arctization trades (1955-57, fleet level)
- Limitations
- Secondary historical article, not a ship record: it does not name LST-542 and documents fleet-level MSTS Arctic practice only. It cannot establish that this hull deployed to the Arctic or underwent the specific keel-doubler work described; the hull's own card documents wood sheathing and reinforced bow doors/hull only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-04
-
[5]Shipbuilding History (Colton), 'Landing Ships Tank LST 401 thru LST 700' - LST-542 build/disposition row (secondary compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- lstpart2.htm, LST-542 table row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary registry row for this hull: LST-542, Missouri Valley Bridge, Evansville IN, yard hull 67, laid 29-Nov-43, launched 28-Jan-44, commissioned 29-Feb-44 (60 days on ways, 32 fitting-out, 92 total); disposition 'Chelan County 1955, scrapped 1959.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1959
- Population
- Scrapping-yard trades (1959-60, unverified)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation, not a primary disposal record - no sale contract, buyer, or scrapping date is documented. Directly conflicts with NavSource's 'fate unknown'; the claim is reported, not verified, and the primary disposal document (NVR entry, sale record) was not located. 'Scrapped 1959' would fall between the 1 Nov 1959 striking and a typical 1960 sale - unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-05
-
[6]Era inference built on: DANFS/NavSource build record (built Nov 1943-Feb 1944, MVB&I Evansville - a wartime inland 'cornfield' LST yard); NavSource specifications (two GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers); LST-1/491/542 design-series class profile (BuShips SD-1945 v2 LST-542 group); GAO HRD-80-2 era framing for Navy asbestos insulation use [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; class-f lst-1-class.class.json (LST-542 group entry); DANFS/NavSource build record
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built at a wartime yard during the period when federal asbestos supply was reserved for shipbuilding sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard an LST of this type and period: diesel-exhaust and engine-room lagging, machinery and pipe gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, accommodation and magazine insulation, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The diesel plant (no steam plant, no boilers) removes the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway that dominates exposure narratives on steam vessels; residual steam services (evaporator, heating), if fitted, would carry limited lagging but are undocumented for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- MVB&I construction trades (1943-44); crew including engine-room ratings (1944-56); MSTS-ready/lay-up maintenance period (1956-57)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder specification located for LST-542. Names era-standard applications for the type, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity and no manufacturer attribution. The diesel propulsion narrows but does not eliminate the era pathway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-06
-
[7]Source-policy exclusion: mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org 'LST 542 and Asbestos Exposure' listicle (law-firm marketing source, excluded by batch source policy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/asbestos/lst-542/ (excluded source; identified in secondary web sweep 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- CORRECTION: a marketing-page listicle asserts this hull 'carried many asbestos laden products, including: Boiler room, Steam pipes, Gaskets valves, Gas cans, Cables adhesive.' The boiler-room and steam-pipe items are inconsistent with the documented plant - NavSource specifications and the MARAD particulars card both record two 900 HP G.M. diesels with no boilers and no steam plant. Generic steam-vessel claims do not apply to this diesel hull; the excluded page offers no primary sourcing for any item.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- n/a
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating marketing-source claim, not a primary finding. The correction itself is negative evidence only for boiler/steam applications - gaskets, packing, and insulation remain plausible era applications but are unproven for this hull. The page is banned by source policy and is named only to document the excluded claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-07
-
[8]Batch-7053 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback copy); NavSource LST-542 page; MARAD Detail 928 + status cards; shipbuildinghistory registry row; usmm.org MSTS-Arctic article; NARA catalog (JS-blocked); hazegray (unreachable); NVR (pre-1987 disposal excluded); CourtListener name/hull search; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chelan-county-lst542-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-542 / USS Chelan County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion corpus: "LST-542" returned zero opinions; "Chelan County" returned 1,453 opinions that are a total name collision with Chelan County, Washington (a frequent litigant as a municipal government - top results are all county-government cases); "Chelan County"+asbestos returned 4 opinions (Gorman v. Garlock, Inc., Wash. 2005; Washburn v. City of Federal Way x2; In re San Juan Dupont Plaza hotel-fire MDL) - none names or is shown to name the vessel. CourtListener docket corpus and the '"USS Chelan County"' opinion variant were not run - fleet pacing blocked (see sl-05). The only 'asbestos aboard' content located is a law-firm marketing listicle asserting generic products without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy (see ev-07).
- 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 - construction-era materials are consistent with era inference and no removal/abatement record exists for a hull disposed in 1959-60. The docket corpus and one opinion variant went unsearched (fleet pacing), so the litigation negative covers opinions only. Deck logs, builder's specifications, and disposal/sale records are undigitized or unlocated leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chelan-county-lst542-08