Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 697-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-clarke-county-lst601-pkt-697-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-601 (NHHC live page) - construction, sponsor, naming, service summary, awards [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative, lst-601.html article body
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-601 was laid down on 21 October 1943 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 4 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Celia Counter Finch; and commissioned on 25 March 1944, Lt. Ledbetter in command.' WWII service: European theater, invasion of southern France August-September 1944; postwar active service under Commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. 'LST-601 was redesignated Clarke County (LST-601) on 1 July 1955 after counties in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Virginia. She was decommissioned on 23 November 1955. The [sic] ship was recommissioned on 28 July 1966. Clarke County performed service in the Vietnam theater during the period 1967 to 1970.' Awards: 'LST-601 received one battle star for World War II service, and six battle stars plus two awards of the Meritorious Unit Commendation for Vietnam service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1970 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Construction trades (Seneca, 1943-44); crew (1944-55, 1966-70)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The entry's Vietnam star count (six battle stars) conflicts with NavSource's five campaign stars - carried in gaps. DANFS does not give the final 1970 decommissioning, striking, or transfer dates. Page text contains an OCR/typographical artifact ('The in ship was recommissioned').
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Clarke County (LST-601) ex USS LST-601 - timeline, awards table, specifications, campaign table, CO roster, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160601.htm header block, awards block, campaign table, specifications, CO roster, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 21 October 1943 by Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca IL; launched 4 March 1944; placed in reduced commission 25 March 1944 (LCDR. Frank M. Perrin USNR) for ferrying to her fitting-out yard at Algiers, LA; commissioned in full USS LST-601 in 1944 (LT. Robert L. Ledbetter USN). WWII: Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater, Invasion of southern France 15 August - 25 September 1944. Postwar: Amphibious Force US Atlantic Fleet; Navy Occupation Service Medal for Mediterranean deployment 20 January - 15 May 1949. Named USS Clarke County 1 July 1955; decommissioned 23 November 1955; recommissioned 28 July 1966. Vietnam campaign table: Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase II (11 Jan-10 Feb 1967; 10 Apr-8 May 1967) and Phase III (14 Jul-20 Aug; 9-14 Oct; 27 Oct-21 Dec 1967), Tet/69 Counteroffensive (10-31 Mar 1969), Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969, Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 (to 3 May 1970). Awards block: Combat Action Ribbon (17 November - 1 December 1967), MUC (2), RVN Gallantry Cross (4). 'Decommissioned in July 1970. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown.' CO roster ends with LT. Norman Ewing Davis USN, 5 December 1969 - 15 July 1970. Transferred to Indonesia (date unknown), renamed KRI Teluk Saleh (LST-510); 'Disposed of by Indonesian Navy, 26 January 2011. Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Photographs: Little Creek with LST-602/603 10 May 1944; Naples and Monte Carlo 1945; Valletta Malta 1949; Cau Viet River 1967; drydock at Guam June 1968 showing 'port side damage from November 1967 broaching at Duc Pho, RVN'; Danang ferry ramp July 1969; Vung Tau early 1970; Vinh Long Mekong 1970; San Diego 13 June 1970. Specifications: 1,625 t light/4,080 t full, 328' x 50', 11.6 kt, two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, Falk main reduction gears, three 100kW diesel ship's service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted + 16 officers/147 enlisted troops.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2011
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-55, 1966-70); Guam repair-yard trades (1968); Indonesian Navy crew (post-transfer)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but the striking date and Indonesian transfer date are explicitly unknown here and conflict elsewhere (see gaps and ev-09). Page alternately spells the name 'Clark County' - a real orthographic variant in the record trail. Contains no asbestos content; the June 1968 Guam drydock photos establish presence in a repair availability, not the scope of any work.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-02
-
[4]Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society, 'HC-7 RESCUE 10 (1) 26-NOV-1967 (Sunday)' - compiled by Ron Milam, HC-7 Historian, citing HC-7 Rescue Log, HC-7 1967 Command Report, HC-7 Det 102 Rescue report, USS Mars (AFS-1) deck log, USS Alamo (LSD-33) deck log, USS Clark County (LST-601) deck log 26-Nov-1967, letter of commendation (archived copy; live URL now redirects to a redesigned site) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHAHS HC-7 rescue report, Wayback capture 2024-03-01 (source list notes 1-10)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific incident record for this hull: on 21 November 1967 off Duc Pho, South Vietnam (0.5 miles offshore), USS Clark County (LST-601) was attempting to unload ammunition when high surf turned the ship sideways; it struck a previously sunk landing craft, 'a hole ripped in the hull, the ship lost power and went aground parallel to the beach.' Three fleet salvage tugs pulled the bow off but could not refloat the loaded ship; USS Mars (AFS-1) then unloaded the ship with H-46 helicopters and provided support (people, food, pumps). The operation lasted 21 Nov - 1 Dec 1967; after refloat the ship was towed to DaNang. Aboard the ship at 13:00 on 26 November a board of investigation convened regarding the grounding and broaching; USS Bolster (ARS-38) commenced passing the main 2-inch tow wire at 14:00 and completed the hookup at 17:39. During the operation HC-7 UH-46A helo no. 51 (152495) lost an engine and ditched; five survivors were rescued and the helo sank alongside USS Alamo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1967-11-21 to 1967-12-01
- Population
- Crew during salvage (Nov-Dec 1967); salvage-ship crews (Bolster, Mars, Alamo, Abnaki, Ute); HC-7 air detachment
- Limitations
- Veteran historical-society compilation, not itself a primary document - but it names its sources, including this ship's own deck log for 26 November 1967 (the original is at NARA; see ev-04). The compilation spells the ship 'Clark County.' Establishes the event and its repair/salvage context, not asbestos content - a stranding-and-drydock repair cycle is a plausible maintenance-era disturbance window, not a materials record. Archived copy cited because the live URL redirects to a redesigned landing page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-03
-
[5]NARA, RG 24 deck logs, file unit 'Clarke County (LST-601) - November 1967' (NAID 173605115, 81 digital page-images) - one of ~30 monthly deck-log file units located for this hull spanning July 1966 - June 1970 (scanned under the brown-water-navy batch project, filename series LST-601_BWN00134515) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-601' / NAID 173605115 (RG 24; filename series LST-601_BWN00134515_1967_11)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's catalog indexes a substantial digitized deck-log run for this hull's second commission: ~30 monthly file units located spanning 'Clarke County (LST-601) - July 1966' through 'Clarke County (LST-601) - June 1970' (the run is not complete - several months were not surfaced), including the November 1967 log (NAID 173605115) that covers the 21 November - 1 December 1967 grounding and salvage at Duc Pho - the same primary document the NHAHS report cites for 26 November 1967. The November 1967 unit carries 81 page-images.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1966-1970
- Population
- Crew (1966-70 record period)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog metadata (titles, unit dates, object counts) verified via the NARA search API this session; the page-images themselves were not individually reviewed - contents of the logs (including any repair, material, or work-detail entries) are unverified. Deck logs are operational logs, not asbestos records; any materials content would be incidental. The digitized run covers only the second commission - first-commission logs (1944-55) were not located in the catalog this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-04
-
[6]detik.com (Indonesia), 'Empat Kapal Perang Landing Ship Tank Milik TNI AL Dipensiunkan' [Four Indonesian Navy LST warships retired], 2 May 2012, quoting Kolinlamil information chief Lt. Col. Maman Sulaeman [reputable_press]
- Locator
- detik.com article d-1907273, 2 May 2012
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Indonesian-press endpoint record for this hull's post-transfer identity: KRI Teluk Saleh-510 - the ex-USS Clarke County - was retired from the Indonesian Navy together with KRI Teluk Langsa-501, KRI Teluk Kau-504, and KRI Teluk Tomini-508 (reported 2 May 2012; the ships were in conservation status and no longer operational). Teluk Saleh-510 was administered under Satlinlamil Surabaya; the article describes the four as American-built ships from the 1940s that had strengthened the fleet 'for more than 50 years.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2012 (report); service context ~1970s-2012
- Population
- Indonesian Navy crew and disposal workers (to 2012)
- Limitations
- Press report quoting a TNI-AL spokesman - secondary, not a navy register; it does not give the ship's acquisition date, exact striking date, or post-retirement disposition (reserve status and scrapping are secondary claims elsewhere). Conflicts with NavSource's 'Disposed of by Indonesian Navy, 26 January 2011' - carried in gaps. No asbestos content; a ~42-68-year service hull disposed in Southeast Asia has no U.S. hazmat-handling record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL' yard production table (independent compilation of US hull construction records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- chicagobridge.htm yard header + LST production rows (LST 601 entry)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Yard-level production record naming this hull: the CB&I Seneca table lists 'LST 601 - laid 10/21/43, launched 3/4/44, delivered/commissioned 3/25/44' matching DANFS dates, with 135 days on the ways, 21 fitting-out days, 156 total days, annotated 'Clarke County 1955, to Indonesia 1961 as Teluk Saleh (L 510), scrapped 2011.' Yard context: the Navy requisitioned the Chicago Bridge facility at Seneca IL in 1942 and invested $6M in its improvement; the 'Prairie Shipyard' occupied a 200-acre site and was sold to Union Mechling in 1949.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (yard era)
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1942-45 yard operation)
- Limitations
- Independent secondary compilation - the build dates corroborate DANFS but the 'to Indonesia 1961' annotation is impossible for a hull in U.S. commission through July 1970 (see ev-09 and gaps); the 'scrapped 2011' disposition also conflicts with the documented May 2012 Indonesian retirement. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource ship specifications for this hull (two GM 12-567A diesels, diesel ship's service generators - no steam plant); LST-542-class design data (Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data 1945 v2, LST design table - class-level anchor in the LST class profile); documented WWII Navy asbestos-use era [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LST design table (class-level); shipyards.json cross-check (CB&I Seneca absent)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious ship built 1943-44 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were thermal insulation around machinery and exhaust runs, diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings, and accommodation insulation in the hull's confined volumes. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the steam-plant lagging pathway does not apply - but her 1966-70 second commission and 1967-68 grounding/repair cycle (Guam drydock) are plausible maintenance-era disturbance windows in which era materials would have been worked.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2012
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-55, 1966-70); Guam repair trades (1968); Indonesian crew and disposal workers (post-transfer)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, work package, or abatement record located for LST-601. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity, no manufacturer attribution. The repair-window characterization describes opportunity, not documented exposure. GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos program context) could not be retrieved this session - gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to all fetches, so it is logged blocked in the search ledger rather than cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-07
-
[9]Batch-7119 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; NavSource live page; NHAHS HC-7 compilation via Wayback; NARA RG 24 deck-log catalog; detik.com; shipbuildinghistory yard table; CourtListener authenticated API v4 (three completed queries, one blocked); NVR (SSO-blocked); secondary web asbestos sweep; GAO (403) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-clarke-county-lst601-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-601 / USS Clarke County was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-phrase opinion search '"USS Clarke County" OR "LST-601"' returned zero hits; the '"Clarke County" asbestos' opinion query returned three hits, ALL name collisions (Clarke County AL/MS geographic references in a workers'-comp and a UCC case - the counties, not the ship); the docket sweep was collision-dominated by the 'lst'='1st' abbreviation (47,735 hits, none ship-related in top results). One docket query ('"LST-601"' alone) was blocked by fleet pacing at session end - logged blocked, not a negative. Secondary sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing (mesotheliomasymptoms.com et al.) asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - and the litigation picture is partial: exact-phrase opinion coverage is clean zero, but the 'Clark County' spelling variant and a clean 'LST-601' docket query were not run to completion this session (see search_ledger). Deck logs, CB&I work packages, 1966 reactivation work, Guam repair records, and Indonesian-era disposal records are open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-08
-
[10]Date/disposition cross-check: NavSource header (transfer 'date unknown', disposed 26 Jan 2011); Wikipedia infobox (sold c. 1979; reserve c. 1995-98; decommissioned/stricken 3 May 2012 citing Indonesian sources); shipbuildinghistory yard table ('to Indonesia 1961', 'scrapped 2011'); detik.com 2 May 2012 retirement report; NavSource CO roster (command through 15 Jul 1970) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource header lines; shipbuildinghistory LST-601 row; detik.com; Wikipedia (secondary cross-check only)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary sources attach mutually impossible end-of-service dates to this hull. shipbuildinghistory.com's 'to Indonesia 1961' cannot be right - the ship was in U.S. commission through July 1970 and photographed in U.S. service at San Diego 13 June 1970; it likely inherits the 1960-61 MAP transfer pattern true of many sister LSTs. Wikipedia's 'c. 1979' transfer estimate postdates a crew-swap account placing Indonesian handover preparation near her 1970 return (unverified). Disposal is likewise split: NavSource 'Disposed of by Indonesian Navy, 26 January 2011' vs. the documented May 2012 retirement of Teluk Saleh-510 with three sisters (detik.com 2 May 2012; Wikipedia gives 3 May 2012). This record carries the May 2012 retirement as best-documented and flags all dates as unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-2012
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating date errors, not a material claim; no primary transfer instrument (FMS case, MAP document, or Navy transfer record) was located - the actual handover year is an open gap, not resolved by this row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clarke-county-lst601-09