Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 721-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-duval-county-lst758-pkt-721-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-758 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns, occupation duty, Korea service, 1955 renaming, decommissioning, battle stars (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-758 entry, full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-758 was laid down on 5 June 1944 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 25 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. F. D. Colburn; and commissioned on 19 August 1944.' Asiatic-Pacific service: assault and occupation of Iwo Jima (February 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (April through June 1945); occupation duty in the Far East until mid-September 1945. Decommissioned 13 July 1946; recommissioned 3 November 1950 for Korean War service 'until late July 1953'. 'On 1 July 1955, the ship was redesignated Duval County (LST-758) after counties in Florida and Texas.' Extensive service with the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets through 1969; decommissioned 28 October 1969. 'LST-758 earned two battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for the Korean War.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1969 (entry coverage)
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (1944); USCG crew (1944-46); USN crew (1950-69)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS omits the Coast Guard manning, the 1953 grounding, unit assignments, and disposal detail - those come from other rows. Its two-WWII-battle-star count conflicts with NavSource's three (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Duval County (LST-758) ex-USS LST-758 - designation timeline, USCG manning, unit assignments, campaign dates, commanding officers, specifications, photo captions, disposal (live .net page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160758.htm header, campaign tables, specifications block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and detail for this hull: 'USS LST-758 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II'; LST Flotilla Twenty-Nine (CAPT. C. H. Peterson USCG), LST Group Eighty-Five (CDR. W. B. Millington USCG), LST Division One Hundred Sixty-Nine. Campaigns: Iwo Jima 19-26 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto 2 April-30 May 1945; Minesweeping Operations Pacific, Fukuoka, 28 November-14 December 1945. Occupation service 20-25 September 1945; China service 15-17 February 1953. Korean campaigns: UN Summer-Fall Offensive, Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, Korean Summer-Fall 1953. Awards include Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba). Named Duval County 1 July 1955; decommissioned 28 October 1969; MARAD NDRF custody, James River, Lee Hall VA; struck 1 November 1976; 'sold for scrapping by MARAD, 18 August 1981, to North American Smelting Co., for $81,111,11' (sic - card says $81,111.11). 'three battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean service'. CO list: LT Felix J. Molenda USCG (19 Aug 1944-13 Jul 1946) through LT Woodie C. Stegall USN. Specs: 1,625 t lt / 4,080 t fl; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; 13 officers/104 enlisted + 16 officers/147 enlisted troops; 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk reduction gear, 2 propellers, 3 x 100 kW 230V DC generators. Photo captions document: drydocked San Diego September 1960; 1958 landing exercise near Mt. Fuji (3rd Marine Division M50 Ontos); PT-109 (1963) filming near Key West painted as USS LST-449; VACAPES operations 27 March 1968; early-1953 grounding at Tok Chok Do, Korea during POW repatriation operations Little Switch/Big Switch, towed by USS Quapaw (ATF-110) to Sasebo then staged return to San Diego (USCG Historian's Office photo).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1981
- Population
- USCG crew (1944-46); USN crew (1950-69); embarked troops (campaign-period)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track DANFS/MARAD and are corroborated here, but its WWII battle-star count (three) conflicts with DANFS (two), and its sale-price text ('$81,111,11') is a typo for $81,111.11 per the MARAD status card. No asbestos content. The 1953 grounding narrative rests on a USCG Historian's Office photo caption, not a mishap report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-02
-
[4]MARAD Vessel History Database, DUVAL COUNTY (LST-758), Detail 1305 - vessel particulars + two scanned status cards (Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet Ship Particulars; Form MA-199 Vessel Status Card) documenting the full custody/disposal chain [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail/1305 particulars block; status-card images 1305_2389AF.jpg (MA-383) and 0445bf82-....png (MA-199)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official MARAD record for this hull: Year Built 1944, Shipyard American Bridge Company, Type LST Tank Landing Ship, 328.00 ft x 50 ft, displacement 1,780 t light / 3,640 t full, Fate 'Sold - Scrap'. MA-383 card: entered James River fleet 4-5-73 1215 EST; withdrawn 5-7-80 1030 EDT, reason 'Withdrawn by Navy for stripping'; 'Sold for scrap under PD-X-1040, 8-18-81, for $81,111.11 to North American Smelting Co.' MA-199 card operating history: Dept. of Navy -> Reserve Fleet, James River, 4-5-73 (Custody agreement, 'Navy Retention'); MA Fleet Custody -> Maritime Administration, 7/1/74 (Permanent Transfer Title); Maritime Administration -> Department of the Navy, 5/7/80 (Withdrawn for stripping); Department of the Navy -> Maritime Administration, 8/18/81 (Returned from custody); Maritime Administration -> North American Smelting Co., 8/18/81 (Purchase, Scrap).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1973-1981
- Population
- NDRF James River caretakers (1973-81); Navy stripping crews (1980-81); North American Smelting Co. shipbreakers (1981-)
- Limitations
- Authoritative disposal/custody record - the strongest ship-specific document in this record - but it documents custody and sale, not materials aboard. Establishes that the Navy stripped the hull at James River 1980-81 and MARAD sold her for scrap in 1981; the actual breakup site and completion are not recorded. The ~Oct 1969 - Apr 1973 interval between decommissioning and James River entry is not documented on the card (see gaps). No asbestos, hazmat, or environmental content for the stripping or scrapping.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-03
-
[5]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'Cutters, Craft, & U.S. Coast Guard Manned Army & Navy Vessels' index - LST-758 on the official roster of Coast Guard-manned Navy vessels [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.uscg.mil CG-manned vessels index, 'LST (LANDING SHIP, TANK; World War II)' section; grounding caption via NavSource 10/16/160758.htm photo 1016075813
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Coast Guard Historian's Office lists LST-758 on its official roster of Coast Guard-manned Navy vessels (LST section, alongside LSTs 16-27, 66-71, 166-176, 202-207, 261-262, 326-331, 381, 758-765 et al.). Corroborates NavSource's USCG-manning flag, LT Molenda's USCG commissioning command, and the USCG flotilla/group command structure; a USCG Historian's Office photo caption additionally documents her early-1953 grounding at Tok Chok Do and tow by USS Quapaw (ATF-110) during the Little Switch/Big Switch POW repatriation operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946; 1953 (grounding caption)
- Population
- USCG crew (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Roster-level confirmation of service branch only - the Historian's Office maintains files on these hulls but no per-hull LST-758 article was located on the site; the office's own files remain an archival lead. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-04
-
[6]Christopher B. Havern Sr. (NHHC historian), 'In the Right Spot, Twice', Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), Vol. 32 No. 1, February 2018 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Feb 2018 article, 'The Coast Guard Claim' and 'Resolution' sections, footnotes 5-8
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An NHHC-historian-authored account documents a resolved historical dispute involving this hull: former Coast Guardsman Robert L. Resnick, serving aboard Coast Guard-manned LST-758 at Iwo Jima, asserted that at just after 11:15 a.m. on 23 February 1945 a Marine (PFC Rene Gagnon) came aboard LST-758 and that he, Resnick, handed that Marine the flag used in the second Mount Suribachi flag raising - a claim 'recognized by the Coast Guard' that drew a Marine Corps History Division request to disavow it. Resolution: the LST-779 deck log (RG 24, Entry 118, NARA II) records '1100 Supplied flag to Marines to fly from Mt. Suribachi' for 23 February 1945, positively confirming LST-779 - not this hull - as the flag source.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945 (event); 2004-2018 (claim and resolution)
- Population
- USCG crew incl. SA/SoM Robert L. Resnick (Iwo Jima, Feb 1945)
- Limitations
- Vessel-history documentation: establishes a named individual's service aboard this hull at Iwo Jima and that a claim naming her was resolved AGAINST her by deck-log evidence. Magazine article, not a primary record - the underlying deck-log entry is at NARA (see ev-06). No exposure or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-05
-
[7]National Archives Catalog - digitized deck logs, Duval County (LST-758), RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (monthly file units, VA Blue Water Navy digitization); plus WWII war diaries, USS LST-758, RG 38 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' (NAIDs 101712500, 139841194, 139785459 observed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'Duval County LST-758 deck' (1,050 results) and '"LST-758"' (1,105 results incl. RG 38 war diaries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives Catalog returns ~1,050 file units for this hull's digitized monthly deck logs (RG 24; observed span at least June 1959 through March 1969 - e.g., NAID 214319588 March 1962, NAID 217569974 August 1963, NAID 213621319 March 1969) plus her WWII war diaries in RG 38 (observed: December 1944, January 1945, June 1945). These are the hull's own day-by-day and month-by-month operational records - the same record classes (deck logs, war diaries) that NHHC used to reconstruct sister hull LST-779's Iwo Jima operations. Unmined primary archive for this specific hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946; 1959-1969 (observed)
- Population
- USCG crew (1944-46 war diaries); USN crew (1959-69 deck logs)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the file units are digitized and online but their page content was NOT searched this session - deck logs occasionally record yard availabilities, materials, and repairs, but no such content was extracted or verified. The 1956-58 digitized span was not confirmed (BWN-era scans observed 1959-69); wartime 1944-46 logs were not surfaced by these queries. Coverage of the full set (~1,050 units) is approximated, not enumerated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-06
-
[8]Era/design inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table (2 x GM 12-567A diesels ~1,700 shp, Falk gears, 11.6 kt; LST-542 group; shipscribe.com scan); NavSource spec block (diesel plant, no boilers); LST class profile lst-1-class.class.json (diesel plant narrows exposure to exhaust lagging, gaskets, insulation, deck coverings); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB1945v2 LST design table; NavSource specifications; class profile ev-lst-1-class-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built June-August 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a diesel amphibian of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1981
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge construction trades (1944); USCG crew (1944-46); USN crew (1950-69); yard trades during availabilities; NDRF stripping crews (1980-81); shipbreakers (1981-)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-758. 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-duval-county-lst758-07
-
[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 to automated fetch)
- 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) and both service eras (1944-46, 1950-69).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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, consistent with prior-batch findings) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-08
-
[10]CMU Steinbrenner Institute brownfields case study, 'The Moltoni and Nardelli Development in Ambridge Area' - former American Bridge Co. Ambridge site [other_primary]
- Locator
- CMU case-study PDF, contaminants line + Ambridge/American Bridge history section
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- A brownfield redevelopment case study of the former American Bridge Company Ambridge plant site (39 acres, closed 1983) lists 'Oil, Asbestos, Debris, PCBs' among the site's documented contaminants - site-level documentation that asbestos was present at the yard that built this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- assessment-era (2000s); site operation 1903-1983
- Population
- American Bridge Ambridge workforce (historical); redevelopment/remediation workers (modern)
- Limitations
- Site-level environmental record from post-industrial redevelopment assessment, decades after 1944 construction - documents contaminants at the former plant site, not materials installed aboard any hull built there. Does not establish that asbestos from this site entered LST-758, though it is consistent with era yard practice.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-09
-
[11]Batch-7292 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource live page; MARAD vessel history + status cards; USCG Historian's Office roster; USNI/NHHC-historian article; NARA catalog; NVR; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; NIOSH/OSHRC American Bridge sweep (wrong facility - excluded) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-duval-county-lst758-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation material schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-758/Duval County was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API reported the daily quota exhausted (~11.4 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case: Israel v. Alfa Laval (M.D. Fla. 2021, machinist's mate 1958-1980 aboard nine Navy ships) does not name this hull in the opinion text; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (gorilaw.com landing-ships page and similar listicles) asserting asbestos on LSTs generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). The digitized deck logs and war diaries (ev-06) are unsearched for material content; the Navy stripping work at James River (1980-81) and the scrapping contract PD-X-1040 have no located hazmat record. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-10
-
[12]Disposition cross-check: MARAD MA-199/MA-383 status cards (sale for scrap, PD-X-1040, 8-18-81, $81,111.11, North American Smelting Co.) vs Wikipedia USS Duval County article ('sold by MARAD on August 18, 1981. Her final fate is unknown.') vs NavSource ('sold for scrapping... for $81,111,11') [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD status cards vs Wikipedia article text and NavSource disposition line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary sources understate or garble the documented disposition - Wikipedia carries 'her final fate is unknown' immediately after citing the 1981 MARAD sale, and NavSource prints the sale price as '$81,111,11'. The MARAD status cards document the buyer (North American Smelting Co.), price ($81,111.11), contract (PD-X-1040), and scrap designation. What remains undocumented is the breakup site and completion date - 'sold for scrap' is the last official entry, and 'final fate unknown' overstates the uncertainty only as to purchaser and purpose.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1981
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating disposition imprecision, not a material/exposure claim. The scrapping location (North American Smelting operated at Bordentown, NJ, in this era) is NOT asserted - no source documenting the breakup site was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-duval-county-lst758-11