Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 710-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-curry-county-lst685-pkt-710-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-685 (builder, sponsor, launch/commission dates, occupation duty, reserve-training service, inactivation, 1955 renaming, striking; live NHHC page, verified reachable 2026-10-02 - unusual for this hull series, many sibling DANFS pages 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, full entry (live NHHC page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS, verbatim): 'LST-685 was laid down on 21 December 1943 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 18 February 1944; sponsored by Miss Agnes J. Langley; and commissioned on 7 April 1944. Following World War II, LST-685 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-April 1946. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 22 July 1946. On 13 January 1947, the ship was placed in service and used for Naval Reserve training out of Tompkinsville, N.Y. She was inactivated on 2 June 1950 at Green Cove Springs, Fla. On 1 July 1955, she was redesignated Curry County (LST-685) after counties in New Mexico and Oregon. The tank landing ship was struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1958.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1958 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-46); Naval Reserve training personnel (1947-50)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS records no WWII operational detail for this hull (no campaigns named - consistent with NavSource's ribbon array showing no battle stars), names no commanding officer, and records no disposition beyond striking (sale and merchant career come from NavSource).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Curry County (LST-685) ex USS LST-685 - milestone timeline, flotilla/group/division assignment, ribbon array, specifications, commanding-officer table, photo captions (live, verified; page last updated 2020-01-17) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160685.htm header block, timeline, awards/ribbons array, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo caption block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542 Class; laid down 21 December 1943 at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN; launched 18 February 1944; commissioned USS LST-685 7 April 1944, page header giving 'LT. Berens A. Nelson, USNR in command' while the CO table lists 'LT. Nelson A. Berens, USNR' 7 April 1944 - 28 August 1945 (internal name-order discrepancy - see gaps). WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Thirty-Seven (CAPT. Riley), LST Group One Hundred Eleven (LCDR. A. H. Tutt), LST Division Two Hundred Twenty-Two. Occupation service in the Far East 15 October 1945 - 16 April 1946 (photographed at Sasebo, Japan, circa February-April 1946). Decommissioned 22 July 1946; placed in service 13 January 1947 for Naval Reserve training out of Tompkinsville, NY; inactivated 2 June 1950 at Green Cove Springs, FL; named Curry County (LST-685) 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1958; sold for foreign merchant service. Awards shown: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (no campaign stars), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp). Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; 11.6 kt; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted + 16 officers/147 enlisted troops; 2 LCVP; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW diesel-driven generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; call sign NFMR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- Construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-46); reserve-training personnel (1947-50); embarked troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones track DANFS verbatim where they overlap, and it adds the flotilla assignment, CO table, disposition detail, and photo captions. The commissioning-officer name appears in two orders within the same page ('Berens A. Nelson' header vs 'Nelson A. Berens' CO table) - unresolved, carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command photo catalog, NH 79020 'USS LST-685 (later: CURRY COUNTY)' - caption 'In San Francisco Bay, California, circa early 1946'; courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974 (live object page, verified) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH 79020 object page (catalog, caption, credit line); NavSource 160685.htm photo caption block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An official NHHC-cataloged photograph documents this hull underway in San Francisco Bay circa early 1946 - consistent with her homeward transit from occupation duty (Far East service ended mid-April 1946; decommissioned 22 July 1946). A second documented image exists via NavSource: USS LST-685 moored at Sasebo, Japan, with LC(FF)-532 alongside, circa February-April 1946, inside her documented occupation-service window (15 October 1945 - 16 April 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew aboard during occupation return transit (early-mid 1946)
- Limitations
- Photographs establish presence and configuration only - no material, insulation, or condition information. Both captions are circa-dated and cannot both be precise (Sasebo 'Feb-Apr 1946' overlaps 'early 1946' in San Francisco Bay); the loose dating is noted rather than resolved. The Sasebo image is documented via the NavSource caption (photographer Vernon Yeck collection); the NHHC object page is independently verified live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-03
-
[5]NavSource disposition lines reporting the 1959 issue of 'La Marina Mercante Argentina' (Instituto de Estudios de la Marina Mercante Argentina): 'LST 685 is listed as Sulmar owned by Navemar S. A., Argentina. Signal LQMM, Official N. 4590 working between Argentine and Brazilian ports. Final Disposition, fate unknown.' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160685.htm disposition lines; registry listing quoted within
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-Navy disposition for this hull: struck 1 November 1958 and sold for foreign merchant service (sale date and buyer mechanics not recorded); by the 1959 edition of the Argentine merchant registry 'La Marina Mercante Argentina' the ex-LST-685 is listed as Sulmar, owned by Navemar S.A., Argentina, signal LQMM, official number 4590, trading between Argentine and Brazilian ports. Final disposition: fate unknown.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1958-1959 (documented); later unknown
- Population
- Argentine merchant crew (post-1958/59, per registry listing)
- Limitations
- Merchant disposition rests on NavSource's reporting of a 1959 Argentine registry listing - the sale instrument, buyer, and subsequent history are undocumented in the sources reviewed. A hull sold foreign in 1958-59 carried whatever era materials remained aboard into unregulated merchant service; no survey or abatement record exists at any point. 'Fate unknown' means present status is unresolved, not that the hull was lost.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 official LST design table (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers; shipscribe.com scan) + NavSource spec block for this hull + Atlas class profile lst-1-class (class-f worktree) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LST design table (https://shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf); NavSource spec block; lst-1-class class profile ev-lst-1-class-01
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class hull built December 1943 - April 1944 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but its machinery plant removes the largest single pathway: with two GM diesels and no boilers, there was no boiler or steam-turbine lagging aboard. Era-standard asbestos applications for an amphibious hull of this type and period were diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, valve and flange packing, deck coverings and tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- Construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-46); reserve-training personnel (1947-50); Argentine merchant crew (post-1958)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-685. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no present-day presence established.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-05
-
[7]U.S. Department of Labor, Benefits Review Board, BRB No. 24-0045, Burton v. OLD JB LLC f/k/a JEFFBOAT LLC f/k/a JEFFBOAT, INCORPORATED (Decision and Order, NOT-PUBLISHED, issued 14 August 2025; direct PDF blocked to plain fetch - text verified via firecrawl extraction) [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB 24-0045 slip decision pp. 1-6 (procedural history, expert reports at fn 3, affirmance at p. 6)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The yard that built this hull has an officially adjudicated asbestos-exposure benefits case on the post-war record: Bennie Burton worked at the Jeffersonville shipyard (Jeffboat, the renamed Jeffersonville Boat & Machine successor entity) for thirty-one years, 1964-1995, as a pipefitter and supervisor, 'during which time he was allegedly exposed to asbestos, welding fumes, and other toxic substances.' After his 2017 death his widow claimed LHWCA death benefits; two medical experts concluded his reported asbestos exposure contributed to his death. The employer failed to participate in discovery; the ALJ granted the claimant's motion for summary decision on the unrebutted Section 20(a) record and awarded benefits; the Benefits Review Board affirmed (14 August 2025).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1964-1995 (exposure); 2023-2025 (adjudication)
- Population
- Jeffboat yard trades, 1964-1995 (decade after this hull's construction era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record, and a LATER era: Burton's exposure period (1964-1995) post-dates this hull's 1943-44 construction by two decades; it establishes alleged/ unrebutted-on-summary-decision asbestos exposure at the successor yard, not conditions in 1943-44. Litigation-stage note: the award is affirmed but rests on an uncontroverted record - the employer mounted no defense - so it is an unrebutted-evidence adjudication, not a contested trial finding. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1943-44), commissioned service (1944-46), reserve-training period (1947-50), and reserve-fleet lay-up through disposal (1950-58).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, per the standing Batch-01 finding) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-07
-
[9]NARA Catalog file unit 'LST-685, 4/7/44-6/30/46' (NAID 126483193), Series: Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities (NAID 594996) - 256 digitized images, access unrestricted, microfilm roll 4741 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog record NAID 126483193 (title, series, image count, access status, roll number); catalog search '"LST-685" war diary' - no dedicated unit in results
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-specific personnel records survive and are digitized: the NARA catalog holds the muster rolls for LST-685 spanning 7 April 1944 (commissioning) through 30 June 1946 (all but the last three weeks of commissioned service, which ended 22 July 1946) - 256 images, unrestricted, in the WWII-era muster-roll series (microfilm roll 4741). A fuzzy catalog search located no dedicated 'USS LST-685 - War Diary' file unit (sibling hulls e.g. LST-682 have 18 war-diary units; this hull's may exist under variant description). RG 24 deck logs and any construction-period yard records remain undigitized archival leads.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (records)
- Population
- All hands borne on the ship's rolls, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the file unit's existence and digitization status are verified; its images were not reviewed (image-level review is a research-room or reproduction task). Muster rolls record personnel, not materials - their asbestos relevance is crew-population documentation, not exposure evidence. War-diary absence is a search result, not a finding of non-existence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-08
-
[10]HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of 'U.S. Naval Activities, World War II' state listing for Indiana: Navy Cost Inspector, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, and Naval Inspector of Ordnance all stationed at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co.; plus press lineage reporting (newsandtribune.com, 'End of Jeffboat is end of nearly 200-year-old era,' 2018) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar USN-Act/IN.html Jeffersonville entries; newsandtribune.com 2018 Jeffboat history; BRB 24-0045 caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The building yard's wartime status and later lineage: the official U.S. Naval Activities WWII listing places a Navy Cost Inspector, a Supervisor of Shipbuilding, and a Naval Inspector of Ordnance at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, Ind. - i.e., the Navy ran wartime contract oversight at the yard that built this hull. Press history reporting describes the yard lineage as the former Howard Shipyard site (1834), operated during WWII under the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine name, renamed Jeffboat (officially 1957 per the Jeffboat corporate history), the largest U.S. inland shipbuilder until its 2018 closure; the BRB 24-0045 caption documents the successor chain OLD JB LLC f/k/a Jeffboat LLC f/k/a Jeffboat, Incorporated.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (wartime listing); 1957-2018 (lineage)
- Population
- Jeffersonville Boat & Machine workforce and Navy oversight personnel (wartime); Jeffboat workforce (post-war)
- Limitations
- Yard-level history, not a hull record. Secondary sources conflict on the wartime corporate mechanics (Navy purchase/reorganization vs. ACL operation combining the adjacent Howard and JBM yards) - the only claim asserted here is the officially documented Navy oversight presence plus the documented JBM-to-Jeffboat successor chain. Contains no asbestos content for the WWII period; the yard's only located asbestos adjudication is later-era (ev-06).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-09
-
[11]Batch-7211 search ledger (this record): live DANFS (NHHC); NavSource live page; NHHC photo catalog NH 79020; NARA catalog (muster rolls NAID 126483193); DOL BRB decision 24-0045; HyperWar USN-Act Indiana listing; CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP indexes; NVR; ibiblio/HyperWar; general web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-curry-county-lst685-01 through sl-uss-curry-county-lst685-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS Curry County / USS LST-685 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener: 'LST-685' returned 0 results on both the opinion index (type=o) and the RECAP docket index (type=r); 'Curry County' returned 1,020 opinion results that are ALL litigation of/about Curry County, Oregon or Curry County, New Mexico - a name collision, not ship cases. A web sweep surfaced only geographic-county name collisions; no ship-specific law-firm listicle was even located for this hull (a 'Curry County asbestos' opinion query could not complete - see ledger).
- 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 - a 1943-44 hull sold foreign in 1958-59 was never subject to a documented U.S. survey or abatement program and carries the retained-era-materials profile. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-curry-county-lst685-10