Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[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-clearwater-county-lst602-pkt-697-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-602 (NHHC live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-602 entry, full text (3 paragraphs + battle-star line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down 23 October 1943 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 9 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Adele R. Ziehm; commissioned 31 March 1944, Ens. John H. Mehus, USNR, in command. Assigned to the European theater in World War II and participated in the invasion of southern France, August and September 1944. Decommissioned 1946; recalled to active service 1950 for Korea. Redesignated Clearwater County (LST-602) on 1 July 1955 after counties in Idaho and Minnesota. Operated by the Air Force September 1957 to September 1969, then transferred to temporary MARAD custody. Struck from the Navy list 1 May 1972; sold to Mexico 30 May 1972 where she served as Manzanillo (IA-02). Earned one battle star for World War II service and two battle stars for Korean service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1972 (entry coverage)
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1943-44); wartime and postwar crew (1944-57); USAF-period operating population (1957-69) unquantified
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content, no Korean-theater date ranges, no detail on the USAF role, and no post-1972 Mexican-service detail. 'Operated by the Air Force' is unexplained in the entry - the MARAD card (ev-03) supplies the Arctic context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Clearwater County (LST-602) ex USS LST-602 (page verified live on navsource.net 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160602.htm header block, campaign tables, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer roster, disposition list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: commissioned 31 March 1944 with ENS. John H. Mehus, USNR, in command; Europe-Africa-Middle East campaign credit 'Invasion of southern France, August and September 1944' with a carried excerpt of the 214th AAA Bn unit history (HQ & C Batteries loaded aboard LST-602 at Ajaccio, Corsica, 2 September 1944; sailed ~1800; anchored St. Tropez 3 September ~2030; debarked Delta Beach ~3 miles west of St. Tropez 4 September 0800-1245). Korean campaigns: Second Korean Winter (22 Dec 1951-14 Jan 1952; 22 Feb-11 Mar 1952; 20-28 Mar 1952) and Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 (27 Jul 1953). Named USS Clearwater County (LST-602) 1 July 1955; decommissioned 1957 (also carried as 'date unknown'); custody to MARAD 9 November 1956; USAF temporary custody September 1957-September 1969; MARAD NDRF Olympia lay-up September 1969; custody to Navy 15 December 1971; struck 1 May 1972; sold to Mexico 30 May 1972 as ARM Manzanillo (A 02); decommissioned by the Mexican navy 16 November 2011; final disposition 'fate unknown.' One battle star WWII and two Korean. Photo captions include this hull underway during 'DEW' Line support operations September 1955 with USCGC Bittersweet (WAGL-389) icebreaking, and ARM Manzanillo at anchor in Acapulco in the late 1970s. 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: ENS. Mehus (Mar 1944-Sep 1945), LTjg. Durham (Sep 1945-Feb 1946), LTjg. Farina (Feb 1946-1946), LT. Whitfield (1952).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-2011
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-57)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation consistent with DANFS/MARAD milestones, not a primary registry; photo captions and the 214th AAA Bn excerpt are contributor-supplied though the campaign data track official lists. Contains no asbestos or material content. The 1969 MARAD custody date reads 'September 1969' against the status card's 17 October 1969 (ev-03) - the card controls; 'Decommissioned in 1957' also appears as 'date unknown' on the same page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-02
-
[4]MARAD Vessel History Database, CLEARWATER COUNTY (LST-602), Detail 1004 - milestone table plus three scanned status cards: Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1004_1824AF.jpg and 1004_1824BF.jpg) and Form MC-7146a USMC Vessel Status Card (vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/1FK_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail 1004 milestone table; MA-383 card fields (Fleet=Suisun Bay, Entered 11/9/1956, Withdrawn 4/2/1957 + reason, Propulsion/Damages-Specifications block, Other Data Navy-letter cite); second MA-383 (Fleet=Olympia, Entered 10-17-69, Withdrawn 12-15-71 + reason, Service prior to lay-up); MC-7146a operator/custody lines
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD status cards document for this hull: (1) Suisun Bay lay-up - entered MARAD custody 9 November 1956 at 1700 hrs PST, Navy title retained, service prior to lay-up 'MSTS - Ready Status,' type '(Arctic) Loading Ship, Tank'; Arctic hardening recorded as 'Wood sheathing on bows and sides / reinforced bow doors / reinforced hull'; two 900 HP G.M. diesels, two screws, LOA 328 ft, breadth 50 ft 1.5 in, speed 11.5 knots; cites 'Navy ltr. Aug. 28, 1956 - Ready Status Arctic'; withdrawn 2 April 1957 at 1115 hrs PST, reason 'MSTS - Ready Status - for use in Arctic,' returned to the Navy Department (handwritten refs to MSTS ltr 2-28-57 and Marad reply 3-7-57). (2) Olympia lay-up - entered 17 October 1969 at 1448 PDT, type 'Loading Tank (ARctic)'; 'SERVICE PRIOR TO LAY-UP: employed by U.S. Air Force in Arctic'; withdrawn 15 December 1971 at 0900 PST 'To Bremerton-Navy-MAP Program.' (3) MC-7146a status card lists type T-LST and the custody chain: Reserve Fleet custody Suisun Bay 11-9-56, returned Navy Department 4-2-57; Maritime Administration custody Olympia 10-17-69, returned Navy Department (MAP Program) 12-15-71. The web milestone table reads Entry/Acquisition 11/9/1956, Disposition 12/15/1971 'NAVY-MAP PROGRAM,' Withdrawal 12/15/1971, fate 'Returned - U.S.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1956-1971
- Population
- Crew and any trades through decommissioning and lay-up (1956); MSTS-ready maintenance period (1956-57); USAF Arctic operating crews (1957-69); NDRF caretakers (1969-71)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific primary documentation of both lay-ups, the Arctic designation and hardening, and the USAF employment - but 'employed by U.S. Air Force in Arctic' is the card's whole description of a 12-year period: no unit, station, voyage, or operating detail is given, and the NTCL lease connection (ev-04) is program-level inference. The Suisun Bay card documents designation/Ready Status, not a documented Arctic voyage under Navy control; the Sept 1955 DEW Line photo (ev-02) is the in-commission Arctic activity actually documented. No asbestos or material content; no abatement record on any card.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-03
-
[5]Salvatore R. Mercogliano, 'Military Sea Transportation Service in the Arctic' (usmm.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usmm.org/msts/arctic.html, DEW Line / 'Arctization' / Northern Transportation Company paragraphs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Program-level context for this hull's Arctic work: MSTS conducted the DEW Line sealift beginning 1955 - the period's largest Arctic logistic effort, ~118 ships in two task forces - and '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 and nickel-aluminum-bronze propellers. 'To provision the Canadian stations, MSTS transferred three tankers and three LSTs to the US Air Force, who in turn leased them to the Canadian-owned Northern Transportation Company, Limited' - matching this hull's documented transfer from MSTS Ready Status to USAF custody in 1957 and her card's 'employed by U.S. Air Force in Arctic' entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1955-1969
- Population
- MSTS Arctic sealift crews, USAF Arctic operating crews, and NTCL crews (1955-69, fleet level)
- Limitations
- Secondary historical article, not a ship record: it does not name LST-602 and documents fleet-level MSTS/USAF practice only. It cannot establish that this hull was one of the three leased LSTs or that she was leased to NTCL at all - the lease assignment is inference from matching dates and the card's Arctic wording; the hull's own card documents only 'employed by U.S. Air Force in Arctic.'
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-04
-
[6]Shipbuilding History (Colton), 'Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL' yard page - LST-602 build/disposition row and Prairie Shipyard description (secondary compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- chicagobridge.htm, LST-602 table row + yard-history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary registry row for this hull: LST 602, U.S. Navy Landing Ship, Tank, keel 10/23/43, launch 3/9/44, delivery 3/31/44; disposition 'Clearwater County 1955, to USAF 1957, to Mexico 1972 as Manzanillo, active.' The page describes the Seneca yard: Navy requisitioned the Chicago Bridge facility in 1942 and invested $6mm in improvements; the 200-acre 'Prairie Shipyard' on the east side of town; sold to Union Mechling 1949.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation, not a primary construction record - no builder contract or specification located. Consistent with DANFS on all dates. 'Active' in the disposition note is stale (the ship was decommissioned by Mexico in 2011). The row's day-count figures (138 / 22 / 150) are internally inconsistent (138+22=160, not 150) and are therefore not asserted here. Yard-page production table, not an asbestos or material record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-05
-
[7]NavalCoverMuseum wiki, CLEARWATER COUNTY LST 602 - ship name and designation history with philatelic cover evidence (artifact-based secondary source) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum CLEARWATER_COUNTY_LST_602 page, 'Ship Name and Designation History' section and cover examples
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Artifact-level corroboration of the T-LST designation: the museum's designation history lists 'USNS CLEARWATER COUNTY T-LST-602,' noting the USNS prefix and T-LST designation are unsupported in naval-history websites but attested by corner cards on philatelic covers, including a cover spotted on eBay dated 15 August 1957 - the month before her documented USAF custody began. Designation sequence: USS LST-602 (commissioned 31 March 1944, decommissioned 1946, recommissioned 1950); USS Clearwater County LST-602 (named 1 July 1955, decommissioned 1957); USNS Clearwater County T-LST-602 (assigned to U.S. Air Force September 1957-September 1969); ARM Manzanillo IA-02 (sold to Mexico 30 May 1972).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Philatelic museum documentation of physical corner-card artifacts - genuine artifacts but a secondary interpretation layer; the museum itself flags that the T-LST designation is unsupported by official sources. Consistent with the MARAD status card's T-LST type code (ev-03). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-06
-
[8]NARA Catalog, series 594258 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' - searches '"LST-602"' (74 file-unit hits) and '"Clearwater County"' (14 file-unit hits), all full-text matches inside other vessels' deck logs [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search-within/594258 query '"LST-602"' and '"Clearwater County"' result lists (2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No digitized deck-log file unit exists for LST-602/Clearwater County herself in NARA's digitized logbooks series; her own logs are undigitized or unlocated. However, full-text search across digitized logs surfaces 74 file units mentioning 'LST-602' and 14 mentioning 'Clearwater County' inside other vessels' logs - including Korea-period consorts (Estes AGC-12 May 1951 & Feb 1955; Etlah AN-79 Sep 1951; Cree ATF-84 Apr/May 1953; Grapple ARS-7 Jun 1952; LSM-175/268/419/462 1951-53) and Arctic consorts (Burton Island AGB-1 Sep 1955 & Sep 1956; Atka AGB-3 Aug 1957; Chittenden County LST-561 Aug 1957; Mahoning County LST-914 Jul 1956/Aug 1956; Dunn County LST-742 Jul 1956; Lincoln County LST-898 Jul 1956; Belle Grove LSD-2 Sep 1955; Carter Hall LSD-3 Sep 1956; Tombigbee AOG-11, Elkhorn AOG-7, Finch DER-328, Requisite AGS-18, Safeguard ARS-25). These constitute a ship-specific documentary trail inside consort logs, unextracted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1951-1966 (hit range observed)
- Population
- consort crews (1951-57)
- Limitations
- Full-text hits document that other vessels' logs mention this hull - the mentions themselves are unexamined; no log content was transcribed. Absence of an own-ship file unit reflects digitization status, not absence of records; RG 24/594258 logs for this hull presumably exist at College Park. No asbestos content in any ledger sense.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS/NavSource build record (built Oct 1943-Mar 1944, Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca - 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; MARAD card modifications block
- 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, 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
- 1943-2011
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1943-44); crew including engine-room ratings (1944-57); Arctic-hardening/modification trades (1956-57); USAF operating crews (1957-69); Mexican navy crews (1972-2011)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder specification located for LST-602. 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. The 1956-57 Arctic hardening documented for this hull (wood sheathing, reinforced bow doors/hull - MARAD card ev-03) is a modification record that contains no material-content statement; whether any abatement or insulation work accompanied it or the 1957 USAF conversion is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 via authenticated fleet helper cl-auth-search.py - '"LST-602"' type=o attempted eight times across ~70 minutes on 2026-10-02; every call returned exit 2 (fleet-wide pacing budget momentarily spent) before reaching CourtListener [court_record]
- Locator
- Helper stderr: 'COURTLISTENER PACING: the fleet-wide request budget is momentarily spent' (8 attempts, 2026-10-02 ~20:55-22:05 local)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Litigation status undetermined: the opinion corpus was never reached - all eight helper invocations for '"LST-602"' were refused by the fleet-wide pacing limiter before a request reached CourtListener; the name, docket (type=r), and Mexican-name queries were not run at all. No qualifying, other, or colliding case classification is made.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- This is a research-status finding, not a negative litigation finding: no query reached CourtListener, so nothing can be said about the existence or absence of opinions or dockets naming this hull. The fleet pacing guidance directs a later retry, not a negative classification. Name-collision risk is moderate ('Clearwater County' exists in both Idaho and Minnesota as a municipal litigant).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-09
-
[11]Batch-7120 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live); NavSource LST-602 page (live); MARAD Detail 1004 + 3 status cards (live); shipbuildinghistory Seneca yard page (live); usmm.org MSTS-Arctic article (live); NavalCoverMuseum (live); NARA catalog series 594258 (2 searches); NVR (no entry); CourtListener (pacing-blocked); secondary web asbestos/litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-clearwater-county-lst602-01 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-602 / USS Clearwater County / ARM Manzanillo was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no asbestos-marketing listicle naming this hull at all - unlike most sibling LST-542 records, no excluded-source correction is needed. CourtListener opinion and docket corpora were not reached (fleet pacing) - the litigation negative is therefore limited to the secondary-web sweep only.
- 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 that saw Arctic modification, 12 years of USAF operation, and 39 years of Mexican service before an undocumented disposal. The litigation sweep is incomplete (CourtListener unreachable this session). Deck logs, builder's specifications, USAF operating records, and Mexican disposal 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-clearwater-county-lst602-10