Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet 725-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-garfield-county-lst784-pkt-725-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC DANFS, 'LST-784' ship-history entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-784 entry (live page, full text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-784 was laid down 18 June 1944 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched 29 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Michael Ruzic; commissioned 1 September 1944, Lt. Daniel H. Miner, USCG, in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; participated in the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima (February-March 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (April-June 1945); occupation duty in the Far East until mid-September 1945; decommissioned March 1946 and assigned to the Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; redesignated Garfield County (LST-784) 1 July 1955 after counties in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington; two battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Limitations
- Official Navy history; establishes identity, construction, campaigns, and administrative milestones. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material information. The companion DANFS Garfield County entry adds 'Neville Island' to the build location and gives the spec block.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-01
-
[3]NHHC DANFS, 'Garfield County (LST-784)' ship-history entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Garfield County entry incl. parenthetical spec block (live page, full text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS Garfield County entry: spec block 1,780 t (light), 328 ft, 50 ft beam, 14 ft 1 in draft, 11.6 kn, complement 115, armament 8 x 40mm and 12 x 20mm, class LST-542. Commissioned at New Orleans; shakedown off Florida; departed New Orleans 4 October 1944, Pearl Harbor 18 November; sailed 22 January 1945 with marines of the 2nd 155mm Howitzer Battalion via Eniwetok, Saipan, Tinian, off the Iwo Jima beaches 19 February; three weeks discharging cargo and performing post-office duties; Saipan 18 March; off Okinawa 27 April with a Construction Battalion (Seabee) detachment, continuously at general quarters, sailed 7 May; 'milk runs' Philippines-Okinawa; occupation lift of men Philippines to Japan; departed Saipan 11 November via Guam for the West Coast; decommissioned March 1946, Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon. 'Named Garfield County 1 July 1955, she never served under that name, and was used as a target ship in March 1959.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Limitations
- Official Navy history. 'Used as a target ship in March 1959' does not state sunk or give a stricken date - the sinking event itself is documented by the RG 24 Tatnuck deck log (ev-07). Complement figure '115' conflicts with NavSource's 13 officers + 104 enlisted (see gaps). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-02
-
[4]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Garfield County (LST-784) ex USS LST-784, page 10/16/160784 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 160784 page: timeline, specifications block, campaign table, awards, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource per-hull page: LST-542-class tank landing ship; laid down 18 June 1944 at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh PA; launched 5 August 1944 (conflicts with DANFS 29 July - see gaps); commissioned 1 September 1944, LT. Daniel H. Miner, USCG, in command; noted as Coast Guard-manned during WWII; LST Flotilla Twenty-Five, LST Group Seventy-Five, LST Division One Hundred Fifty; Iwo Jima operation 19 February-4 March 1945 and Okinawa Gunto operation 26 April-10 June 1945; occupation service 9-24 September 1945; decommissioned 29 March 1946; Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; named USS Garfield County (LST-784) 1 July 1955; 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown'; two battle stars. Spec block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft; 50 ft; 11.6 kts; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 3 x 100 kW DC generators, 2 shafts 1,700 shp, twin rudders; ultimate armament design 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 x 20mm. Photo captions: pontoon-causeway load at Intrepid Point, T.H.; at anchor San Francisco Bay late 1945 (NHHC photo NH 79588).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled per-hull record resting on official sources (DANFS, NHHC photos, campaign tables); used for day-precision dates, spec detail, and photographic record. Launch-date (5 Aug) and complement/displacement figures conflict with DANFS (DANFS values carried; conflicts in gaps). 'Fate unknown' is resolved by the RG 24 deck log (ev-07, ev-08). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-03
-
[5]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office (history.uscg.mil), 'Cutters, Craft, & U.S. Coast Guard Manned Army & Navy Vessels' list, LST section [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian vessel list, 'LST (LANDING SHIP, TANK; World War II)' section - LST-784 line item
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office official vessel list 'Cutters, Craft, & U.S. Coast Guard Manned Army & Navy Vessels' includes LST-784 under 'LST (LANDING SHIP, TANK; World War II)' - the WWII Coast Guard-manned LSTs. Consistent with her commissioning commanding officer being Lt. Daniel H. Miner, USCG (DANFS).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- WWII U.S. Coast Guard crew of LST-784 (ship's company); embarked troops
- Limitations
- Official .mil roster confirming the manning service only; carries no ship details beyond the roster entry. Exposure-relevant population for this hull's WWII service is its Coast Guard crew (ship's company ~104-117 by conflicting spec sources) plus embarked troops/passengers; no exposure claim made.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-04
-
[6]NARA RG 38, WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories - 'USS LST-784 - Rep of AA act off Iwo Jima, Bonin Is on 2/23/45', NAID 139941838 (digitized, 2 images) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 139941838; digitized cover letter and ComInCh F-01 AA-1 report form (read directly from scans)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- LST-784's own confidential AA action report (LST784/A-12 serial 021, dated 11 March 1945, signed D. H. Miner): on 23 February 1945 at 1931 zone time, at anchor off Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, the ship engaged a single medium bomber picked up by radar at approximately 5,000 ft; five 40mm and nine 20mm guns fired under local control, automatic fire, about one minute, first shot at ~10,000 ft; ammunition expended 40mm 552 HEI / 20mm 281 HET (as recorded); no hits claimed, no damage or near-misses to the ship, ammunition performance 'excellent', no materiel failures. Routing via LST Unit Five (53.38)/LST Group 86, Tractor Group Charlie (53.3.7), LST Flotilla 29, and Commander Attack Force 53 - the operational chain at Iwo Jima (NavSource's administrative listing gives Flotilla 25/Group 75/Division 150).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-02-23
- Population
- LST-784 gun crews and ship's company during the engagement
- Limitations
- Primary combat-action record written by the ship; documents weapons employment and one night air engagement, not material composition. Ammunition-expenditure figures transcribed from a typed wartime form; the 20mm figure reads '281HET' in the scan. No asbestos or insulation information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-05
-
[7]NARA catalog, 'USS LST-784 - War Diary' file units, RG 38 WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog search 'LST-784' (132 file units); 11 war-diary units enumerated with NAIDs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds eleven digitized monthly war-diary file units for USS LST-784 covering her entire commissioned service, September 1944 through September 1945 (RG 38, WWII War Diaries series): 9/1-11/30/44 (NAID 139788267), 12/44 (139816430), 1/45 (139898694), 2/45 (139907838), 3/45 (139965747), 4/45 (633422243), 5/45 (633445456), 6/45 (101726875), 7/45 (83571127), 8/45 (77523204), 9/45 (77553754) - the primary contemporaneous operational record for deep extraction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Catalog descriptions and digitization status verified live; the diaries' full contents were not transcribed this session - contents may refine dates/locations but no asbestos claim is inferred from them. Deck logs/muster rolls for this hull not located in digitized holdings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-06
-
[8]NARA RG 24, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations - 'Tatnuck (ATA-195) - March 1959' deck log, NAID 284448466 (Blue Water Navy digitization, 74 images + PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Deck-log remarks pages for 23-24 March 1959 (images ~53-57 of the NAID 284448466 scan set; read directly from scans)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Final disposition, from the towing vessel's own deck log (USS Tatnuck, ATA-195, March 1959): on 23 March 1959 at Tongue Point/Mott Basin, Astoria, Oregon, Tatnuck got underway 0740 under Com 13 Movement Order 35-59 of 13 March 1959 'to take LST 784 in tow'; made up to LST-784 at Pier 5 with YTB 190 and YTL 586 assisting, connected the main tow wire to the LST's bridle, towed her down the Columbia River and across the bar into international waters (1134), paying the wire out to 1,650 ft. On 24 March 1959 Tatnuck took station at 0235 in the target area (46-09 N, 126-36 W) to rendezvous with USS Pomfret (SS-391); sighted Pomfret 0514; cast off LST-784 at 0624 and stood off. Pomfret dived and fired torpedoes 0718 and 0803; an aircraft made a firing run 0835; Pomfret scored a direct hit 1047; at 1113 Pomfret reported LST-784 sunk in position 46-07.5 N, 126-37 W in 1,470 fathoms, no debris floating. Tatnuck then proceeded to Bremerton.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1959-03-23 to 1959-03-24
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous primary record written aboard the towing vessel; establishes the disposal event precisely (order, tow, rendezvous, firing runs, sinking report). Read from handwritten deck-log scans; a one-minute sequence (torpedo times, cast-off) is transcribed to the minute as logged. '1470 fathoms' is the logged figure. No asbestos or materials information; does not state the strike-from-register date, which remains unpublished in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-07
-
[9]'Comments and Corrections: Ask Infoser', Warship International vol. 41 no. 3 (2004), pp. 240-253, International Naval Research Organization (JSTOR 44895725); corroborated by the NARA deck log (ev-07) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- JSTOR item 44895725, LST disposition listing line for LST-784 (search-result snippet visible; full text paywalled)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Prior compiled references left the fate open: NavSource lists 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown' and 'Final Disposition, fate unknown'; Wikipedia (following NavSource/DANFS) carries 'Fate: Unknown'. The RG 24 Tatnuck deck log resolves the event: sunk as a live-fire target 24 March 1959 at 46-07.5 N, 126-37 W. Independent secondary corroboration: Warship International (INRO) correspondence listing 'LST-784 sunk as target March 1959 in Pacific'; Dravo yard hull lists likewise carry 'sunk as target 1959'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2004 (secondary corroboration of 1959 event)
- Limitations
- Journal correspondence-column disposition listing, not an official register entry - the deck log remains the primary record. Resolves 'fate unknown' compilations but does not supply the (still unpublished) strike-from-register date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-08
-
[10]Era/design inference anchored on the NavSource spec block for this hull (diesel plant, ev-03) and WWII shipbuilding-era documentation (Corn & Starr 1987, ev-10; GAO HRD-80-2, ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Inference row - see anchoring rows ev-03, ev-10, ev-11
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered LST-542-class hull built in 1944: no boilers, so the steam-lagging pathway is narrowed; asbestos-relevant applications aboard LSTs of this design group concentrate in GM diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The hull was built during the period when asbestos was a standard, federally reserved shipbuilding material.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944 build; 1944-1946 service
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers (Dravo Neville Island construction); wartime Coast Guard engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no material schedule, survey, or hull-specific record located. The diesel plant rules out boiler/turbine lagging pathways; establishes no quantities, no locations aboard, no individual exposure, and no causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-09
-
[11]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (citation verified; DOI/Wiley page blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documenting that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the era and program under which this 1944 Dravo-built LST-542 was mass-produced at an inland 'cornfield' yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation; does not name this vessel or the LST program specifically and establishes no hull-level presence, quantity, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-10
-
[12]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (verified live via firecrawl; curl automated fetch returns HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: the 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Both policies postdate this hull: LST-784 was sunk in 1959, so no Navy-era abatement program ever touched her - any original-era insulation present went down with the ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policies vs hull loss 1959
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not ship- or class-specific; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk. Used only to fix the regulatory timeline relative to this hull's 1959 loss - not evidence about the ship itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-11
-
[13]Batch-7321 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NVR; NavSource; USCG Historian; NARA catalog + Tatnuck deck log; GAO; JSTOR/Warship International; secondary-web asbestos sweeps; CourtListener (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-garfield-county-lst784-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or docketed case naming LST-784 or Garfield County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener could not be queried this session (daily quota exhausted) - litigation status is open, not negative. The wreck lies in ~1,470 fathoms, beyond practical survey or salvage depth.
- 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 - era-consistent inference remains reasonable. 'Garfield County' asbestos web results are county-government name collisions (CO/UT), not the ship. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-12
-
[14]NARA catalog holdings as enumerated in this record's search ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog search 'LST-784'; located units listed in ev-05/-06/-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: LST-784's own WWII deck logs and muster rolls (RG 24 / RG 26 for Coast Guard crew records) were not located in digitized NARA holdings this session; the located primary track is the RG 38 war diaries + AA action report and the RG 24 Tatnuck deck log. BuShips construction drawings/Ships' Data entries for the LST-542 design group are the open lead for any materials itemization.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- A lead, not a finding - the undigitized records have not been reviewed and their contents are unknown; they are operational/personnel records unlikely to itemize insulation materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-garfield-county-lst784-13