Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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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-daggett-county-lst689-pkt-710-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-689 - construction at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., sponsor Mrs. Edith C. Smith, commissioning and CO, Palau Islands service, 1955 renaming, 1959 striking, one battle star [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS entry, LST-689 (research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lst-689.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (verbatim DANFS): 'LST-689 was laid down on 11 January 1944 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched on 9 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Edith C. Smith; and commissioned on 2 May 1944, Lt. F. D. McKay, USNR, in command. During World War II, LST-689 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands in September and October 1944. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned in March 1946. The tank landing ship performed no active post-World War II service. On 1 July 1955, the ship was redesignated Daggett County (LST-689) after a county in Utah. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1959. LST-689 earned one battle star for World War II service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1959 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The 'decommissioned in March 1946' date is inconsistent with the ship's own muster-roll records (in commission through June 1946 - see ev-04). DANFS does not cover the 1961 Japan transfer or later Philippine service. Live page verified 2026-10-02: history.navy.mil serves correct content at this URL but returns an HTTP 404 status header - a server-side quirk, not link rot.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Daggett County (LST-689) - designation timeline, flotilla/group/division assignment, campaign dates, specifications, commanding-officer roster, foreign transfers, photo record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160689.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, CO roster, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542 class tank landing ship; laid down 11 January 1944 at Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN; launched 9 March 1944; commissioned USS LST-689 2 May 1944, LT. Frank D. McKay USNR in command. WWII assignment: LST Flotilla Thirteen (CAPT J. G. Sampson USN), LST Group Thirty-Seven (CDR R. D. Higgins USNR), LST Division Seventy-Four; Western Caroline Islands operation - capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944. Decommissioned 30 June 1946; laid up in reserve; named USS Daggett County (LST-689) 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 October 1959; one battle star. Transferred to Japan in 1961 as JDS Oosumi (LST-4001); transferred to the Republic of the Philippines in 1975 as BRP Davao Oriental (LT-506); final disposition - sold for scrapping by the Philippine Navy, date unknown. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 x General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100 kW generators, 1,700 shp, twin rudders. CO roster: LT Frank D. McKay Jr. USNR (2 May 1944 - Nov 1945); LTjg Gregory B. Wolfe USNR (Nov 1945 - Jun 1946); ENS Burton E. Baker USNR (Jun - 30 Jun 1946). Photo record documents the hull off Angaur 15 September 1944 with USS Tennessee (BB-43) and USS Minneapolis (CA-36) in Task Group 32.12 (USN photo), in JMSDF service as Oosumi, and in Philippine service at Cavite 1991 and January 1993 and drydocked at A.G. & P. Shipyard, Bauan, Batangas, 30 October 1992.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-c.1993
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); JMSDF crew (1961-74); Philippine Navy crew (1975-c.1990s); Philippine shipbreakers (undated)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones generally track NVR/DANFS but secondary sources conflict on the decommissioning date (see ev-04). Page title misspells the name 'Daggett Country'. Contains no asbestos content; no hazmat or material record for the Philippine scrapping was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-02
-
[4]NARA file unit 'LST-689, 5/2/44-6/30/46' (NAID 126482212; Roll No. 4745; 196 images digitized) - ship's muster rolls and quarterly NAVPERS recapitulation sheets, commissioning through decommissioning quarter [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 126482212 images: forwarding sheet w/ 'Comm 5-2-44 to 6-30-46 Decom' annotation (image 2); commissioning Report of Changes NAVPERS 605-B (image 3); Q2-1946 recapitulation sheet front (image 191) and summary/remarks 'scheduled for decommissioning on the [8]th of July' (image 192); 'U.S. NAVY MUSTER ROLLS' title card (image 194)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary personnel records for this hull, examined directly: (1) the commissioning Report of Changes (NAVPERS 605-B) for the month ending 2 May 1944 lists enlisted plankowners each 'Received 2 May 1944' from 'ATB, CAMP BRADFORD, NOB, NORFOLK, VA.' - the Amphibious Training Base pipeline that manned inland-built LSTs; (2) the recapitulation sheet for the quarter ending 30 June 1946 records 39 enlisted brought forward, 40 total on board during the quarter (with 1 reenlistment gain), 8 remaining on board and carried forward, against an operating allowance of 66 - the mass demobilization drawdown, with the quarter's losses dominated by honorable discharges (the loss figure on the sheet is written over/corrected, so the exact count is not asserted here); (3) a clerk annotation on a forwarding sheet reads 'Comm 5-2-44 to 6-30-46 Decom'; (4) the quarter-ending recapitulation sheet's remarks line states 'USS LST scheduled for decommissioning on the [8]th of July' (the digit is partially obscured by the form ruling).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-05-02 to 1946-06-30
- Population
- Enlisted crew of LST-689 (1944-46); plankowners from ATB Camp Bradford, NOB Norfolk
- Limitations
- Personnel records only - no asbestos, material, or work-package content. Establishes crew counts and the decommission-quarter timeline, not the ceremony date itself (see ev-04 for the date conflict). Muster rolls enumerate enlisted only; officers are not itemized in these sheets. Images are Ancestry-partner microfilm scans; page-level cataloging is minimal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-03
-
[5]Decommission-date cross-check: DANFS 'March 1946' vs NavSource 30 June 1946 vs ship's own NAVPERS recapitulation sheet for the quarter ending 30 June 1946 (NAID 126482212) recording her 'scheduled for decommissioning on the [8]th of July' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 126482212 recapitulation sheet remarks line (image ~192, quarter ending 30 June 1946); DANFS entry text; NavSource 160689 timeline and CO roster
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: three decommission dates circulate for this hull. DANFS says she 'returned to the United States and was decommissioned in March 1946' - but the ship's own muster-roll file shows her still in commission through the entire April-June 1946 quarter (39 enlisted brought forward at the start of the quarter, 40 on board during it, 8 remaining at its end), so the DANFS 'March 1946' date cannot be correct as written. NavSource carries 30 June 1946 - which is the last muster-roll date and the end of her final muster-roll coverage (file unit '5/2/44-6/30/46'), and matches her CO roster ending 30 June 1946. The ship's own recapitulation sheet for that quarter records her 'scheduled for decommissioning on the [8]th of July' - the digit partially obscured - meaning as of the end of June the actual decommissioning was still days ahead and targeted for early July 1946. Best-supported reading: decommissioned early July 1946 (on or about 8 July), with 30 June 1946 being the last muster-roll date the standard references carry.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew present during the April-June 1946 decommissioning quarter
- Limitations
- The recapitulation sheet records a scheduled date, not the executed ceremony; whether decommissioning occurred exactly on 8 July 1946 is not shown by this document. The obscured digit could conceivably be another numeral. NavSource's 30 June 1946 is the date carried in this record's fields with variants flagged. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-04
-
[6]Wikipedia USS LST-689 article (cross-check only) - contaminated service-history paragraph detected and excluded [other_primary]
- Locator
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-689, 'Service history' paragraph and final line vs. article infobox
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/EXCLUSION: the Wikipedia article's service-history paragraph is internally inconsistent with its own infobox and with DANFS and NavSource. It inserts 'the Leyte landings in October' and 'the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945' into her campaign record (DANFS and NavSource credit only the southern Palau Islands operation), then claims she 'was decommissioned on 26 November 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 5 December that same year' and 'on 25 June 1946, the ship was sold to Arctic Circle Exploration, Inc., of Seattle' - a chain impossible alongside her documented 1955 renaming, 1959 striking, and 1961 Japan transfer. The article's closing line 'LST-689 earned two battle stars' likewise contradicts its own infobox ('1 battle star') and DANFS/NavSource (one battle star). The contaminated text belongs to a different hull's record; it is excluded and not propagated anywhere in this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- article state as of 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating secondary-source defect, not a material claim. Wikipedia is cited here only as the artifact being corrected; no Wikipedia text is relied on as a record source. The donor hull for the contaminated paragraph was not identified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-05
-
[7]U.S. Department of Labor, Benefits Review Board No. 24-0045, Burton v. Old JB LLC f/k/a Jeffboat LLC f/k/a Jeffboat, Incorporated (Decision and Order, issued 14 August 2025; not published) - LHWCA section 909 death-benefits claim [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB No. 24-0045, dol.gov BRB decisions PDF (unpublished, Aug 2025) - procedural history, exposure allegation, and affirmed award at pp. 1-8
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Government adjudication documenting alleged occupational asbestos exposure at this hull's builder yard: decedent Bennie Burton 'worked for Employer for thirty-one years, from 1964 until 1995, as a pipefitter and supervisor, during which time he was allegedly exposed to asbestos, welding fumes, and other toxic substances' at Jeffboat, Jeffersonville, Indiana (the BRB notes Seventh Circuit jurisdiction because the injury situs is Jeffersonville). After his November 2017 death his widow claimed death benefits under the Longshore Act; the employer failed entirely to participate in discovery; the ALJ granted summary decision on the unrebutted Section 20(a) presumption and awarded funeral expenses plus death benefits at $367.955/week; the Benefits Review Board affirmed. Two medical experts (occupational medicine; occupational pathology) had concluded 'Decedent's reported asbestos exposure contributed to his death.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- claim period 2017-2025; alleged exposure 1964-1995
- Population
- Jeffboat (Jeffersonville) shipyard trades, 1964-1995 exposure window
- Limitations
- Yard-level, not hull-level: the alleged exposure window (1964-1995) postdates this hull's 1944 construction by two decades and no vessel is named. Stage discipline: the exposure allegation was never litigated to a contested merits finding - it was compensable on the unrebutted Section 20(a) presumption after the employer's discovery default; the BRB reviewed procedure and evidence sufficiency, not asbestos content at the yard. Establishes that a federal adjudicator affirmed an asbestos-exposure claim arising from Jeffboat work; does not establish materials aboard this or any specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-06
-
[8]Era/design inference built on: NavSource specifications block for this hull (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, diesel-drive generators - no steam plant); LST-1/491/542-series design data (BuShips Ships' Data Book 1945 design groups per class profile background); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160689 specifications block; LST-1/491/542 class-design background (lst-1-class class profile, class-f worktree); GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class tank landing ship built in the first half of 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and electrical insulation, in the confined volume characteristic of landing ships.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944 through scrapping (undated)
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); JMSDF crew (1961-74); Philippine Navy crew and shipbreakers (1975 onward)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-689. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-07
-
[9]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 (1944), U.S. service era (1944-46, reserve to 1961), and most of her Japanese service (1961-74).
- 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 returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-10-02 - confirmed this session); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-08
-
[10]Batch-7215 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS page; NavSource 160689; NARA muster rolls NAID 126482212 (examined); DOL BRB 24-0045 (Jeffboat); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NVR check; museum-site sweep; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener opinion and docket sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-daggett-county-lst689-01 through -10 incl. -05b/-05c/-05d
- 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-689 / USS Daggett County / JDS Oosumi (LST-4001) / BRP Davao Oriental (LT-506) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage: '"Daggett County"' opinions - 38 hits, ALL name collisions with Daggett County, Utah as a governmental litigant, none naming the vessel, none an asbestos matter. '"LST-689"' opinions - 0 hits. '"LST-689"' dockets - 0 hits. '"Daggett County"' dockets - 87 hits, first page examined (20 results) all Utah county collisions with zero asbestos/vessel/maritime terms; pages 2-5 unexamined (pacing budget re-spent - residual gap only). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesowatch.org and similar listicles) asserting asbestos 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 pages 2-5 of the '"Daggett County"' docket sweep remain unexamined (examined page was all county-government collisions; hull-number opinion and docket sweeps are complete negatives). NARA deck logs (RG 24), Jeffboat work packages, and any Philippine scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daggett-county-lst689-09