Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 634-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-graham-county-lst1176-pkt-634-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Graham County (LST-1176) - full entry with spec block and 1958-1964 service narrative; companion NHHC page graham-countylst-1176.html covers namesake, milestones, 1972 redesignation and 1977 disposal (both pages verified live 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Graham County' entry (service narrative + spec block) and 'Graham County (LST-1176)' entry (milestones, AGP redesignation, disposal)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 4 February 1957 at Newport News, Va., by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched 9 September 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Ralph Otis Davis; commissioned 17 April 1958, Lt. Comdr. Gordon H. McCrea in command. Named for counties in Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina; only U.S. Navy vessel of the name. Service: post-shakedown tests/repairs through 1958; Atlantic amphibious force training; November 1960 first extended deployment (Caribbean, Brazil, Africa - Monrovia, Liberia 5 January 1961; Congo, embarked 500 Guinean U.N. peacekeeping troops for transport home); returned Little Creek 17 May 1961; post-Trujillo Caribbean sortie, return early July 1961; 10 January 1964 departed Little Creek with 170 Marines for Mediterranean amphibious exercises, diverted with Amphibious Squadron 4 to the Cyprus crisis, 78 consecutive days in area, returned 21 June 1964. Redesignated AGP in 1972 (entry prints 'AGP-176'), patrol-gunboat support mission, home port Naples, Italy; decommissioned 1 March 1977; 'subsequently scrapped.' Spec block: dp. 3,560 (lt); l. 445'; b. 62'; dr. 16'8"; s. 17 k.; cpl. 172; a. 4 3"; cl. Suffolk County.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1957-1977 (entry coverage 1957-1964 plus summary to 1977)
- Population
- Newport News construction trades (1957-58); crew and embarked Marines (1958-1977)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The full DANFS narrative ends at 1964 - the 1965-1977 period is covered only by the companion entry's one-paragraph summary. 'AGP-176' in the narrative is a typographical variant; the designation was AGP-1176 (see ev-11). Spec-block armament 'a. 4 3"' and class label 'Suffolk County' differ from other sources (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Graham County (AGP-1176) ex-LST-1176 - designation timeline, specifications, awards ribbon bar, captioned photo series (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161176.htm - header block, awards ribbon bar, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull (page header: 'LST-1171 DeSoto County Class Tank Landing Ship'): laid down 4 February 1957 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp., Newport News, VA; launched 9 September 1957; commissioned USS Graham County (LST-1176) 17 April 1958, LCDR Gordon H. McCrea in command; reclassified Patrol Craft Tender (AGP-1176) in 1972; decommissioned 1 March 1977; struck from the Naval Register 1 March 1977; transferred to MARAD for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet; final disposition sold by MARAD 1 March 1978, fate unknown. Ribbon bar: National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3 awards Congo, 1 Dominican Republic). Captioned photography documents: beached off-loading supplies for Seabees bridging flooded Lake Miragoane near Mira, Haiti, 22 November 1960 (National Museum of the U.S. Navy 330-PSA-293-60 / USN 1051567); underway off Hampton Roads 14 April 1967 (USN 1132899); with the Carib 1-68 Caribbean Ready Group of Amphibious Squadron Four in 1968 (NHHC NH 97284, alongside USS Rankin AKA-103, USS Fort Snelling LSD-30, USS Boxer LPH-4, USS Kirwin APD-90); beached at Vieques, Puerto Rico, in 1964 (US Naval Historical Center photo, noting bow doors, 3"/50 twin mounts, radar-equipped gun directors); Genoa 24 April 1970 and 29 January 1973; Venice October 1973 with USS Douglas (PG-100) astern; AGP-era photos with USS Antelope (PG-86) and USS Ready (PG-87) alongside. Commanding-officer roster lists nine COs through LCDR Henry G. Henderson (1976 - 1 March 1977).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1957-1978
- Population
- Newport News construction trades (1957-58); crew and embarked troops (1958-77); patrol-gunboat crews supported (1972-76)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track NVR/DANFS but its spec block for this hull conflicts with sister-hull pages (see ev-11 on propulsion; also draft 18' vs DANFS 16'8", complement 170 vs 172, troop capacity 410 vs class 575). 'Fate unknown' is more conservative than DANFS 'subsequently scrapped.' Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-02
-
[4]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), Graham County (AGP-1176, ex LST) class data sheet - conversion, inspection, lay-up, disposal detail compiled from official records (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe AGP-1176 data sheet - Class Notes and Ship Notes blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Conversion and disposal documented for this hull: on 11 January 1972, effective 1 August 1972, CNO changed the ship's designation from LST-1176 to AGP-1176; she was reconfigured in 1972 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as a support ship for patrol combatants of the Asheville (PG-84) class. The conversion involved no major external changes and provided support facilities for the gunboats including accommodations for 575 men (data sheet: 35 officers, 601 enlisted including PGM crews; 16.5 kt; 13,700 hp geared diesel, 2 screws). On completion she deployed to the Mediterranean with home port Naples, Italy. In October 1976, the gunboat-support requirement having been terminated, she was inspected and found unfit for further service; laid up at St. Helens, Norfolk, and referred to MARAD for disposal. Disposition table: decommissioned 1 March 1977, struck 1 March 1977, disposal 16 February 1978 (MA/S - MARAD sale), 'to buyer 7 Mar 1978.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1972-1978
- Population
- Philadelphia Naval Shipyard conversion trades (1972); AGP crew and embarked PGM crews (1972-76)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific documentation of the conversion event and disposal chain; the asbestos scope of the 1972 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard work package is NOT documented here - conversion presence is fact, asbestos disturbance is inference. Shipscribe is a researcher compilation of official records (BuShips/NVR-derived), not itself a primary document. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-03
-
[5]MARAD Vessel History Database record id 5944, GRAHAM COUNTY (LST-1176/AGP-1176) (1958) - custody/fate record (verified live 2026-10-02) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Vessel History Database, detail id 5944 (fate field; empty milestones/documents sections)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD holds a vessel-history record for this hull (id 5944, 'GRAHAM COUNTY (LST-1176/AGP-1176) (1958)'): fate recorded as 'Sold -NTU.' The record is a stub - 'No events for this vessel,' no digitized status cards, no documents, no imagery - it confirms MARAD custody after the 1 March 1977 transfer and the sale fate, nothing more.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1977-1978
- Population
- MARAD/NDRF custody period (1977-78)
- Limitations
- Confirms MARAD custody and a 'Sold' disposition but carries no dates, buyer, or scrapping detail - the undigitized status card for this hull remains an open lead. 'NTU' notation unexplained by the page. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-04
-
[6]NARA catalog.archives.gov, RG 24 'Logs of U.S. Naval Ships and Shore Activities' - digitized monthly deck-log file units for Graham County under both designations (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search '"Graham County" (LST-1176)' and '"Graham County" (AGP-1176)'; representative file units 215326331 (Jun 1968), 471675549 (Sep 1972)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized deck logs for this hull exist in the National Archives Catalog (RG 24): file units under 'Graham County (LST-1176)' span at least July 1958 through June 1968 in the sampled result set (e.g., id/215326331, June 1968), and units under 'Graham County (AGP-1176)' span at least September 1972 through July 1975 (e.g., id/471675549, September 1972 - the conversion period; id/496584026, July 1975). These are the day-level records that would document the 1972 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard conversion period, yard availabilities, and the October 1976 unfit-for-service inspection window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1958-1975 (digitized range observed; catalog may hold more)
- Population
- Crew (1958-1977); yard trades during logged availabilities
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog entries verified live, but the log pages were not page-reviewed this session - presence, condition, and contents of specific months (including any conversion-period work detail) are unverified. Deck logs record locations/movements, not materials; they would not themselves be asbestos documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-05
-
[7]Tagnon I, Blot WJ, Stroube RB, et al., 'Mesothelioma associated with the shipbuilding industry in coastal Virginia,' Cancer Research 40(11):3875-3878 (November 1980), PMID 7471040; with Blot WJ et al., 'Lung and laryngeal cancers in relation to shipyard employment in coastal Virginia,' JNCI 65(3):571-575 (September 1980), PMID 6931936 - bibliographic records verified via NCBI E-utilities 2026-10-02 (pubmed.gov CAPTCHA-gated to automated fetch) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cancer Research 40:3875 (abstract); JNCI 65:571 (abstract); verified via eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov esummary
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed epidemiology documents the builder's asbestos era: a four-fold increased mesothelioma incidence among white males in coastal Tidewater, Virginia (1972-1978; 61 cases), with three-fourths of cases having shipbuilding employment and excess among WWII-era temporary workers exposed to asbestos; companion case-control work found smoking-adjusted lung-cancer relative risk 1.7 (95% CI 1.2-2.4) for shipyard employment in coastal Virginia, attributed to wartime shipyard asbestos exposures. Newport News Shipbuilding is the dominant yard of that Tidewater complex and was this hull's builder (1957-58).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1972-1978 case ascertainment; WWII-era exposure emphasis
- Population
- Coastal Tidewater VA shipyard workers (regional cohort); Newport News construction trades by inference
- Limitations
- Yard/region-level epidemiology, not a hull record: the studies cover coastal Virginia shipyards collectively, do not isolate Newport News Shipbuilding as sole exposure site, do not name this vessel, and establish no exposure for any individual aboard. Post-war 1957-58 construction postdates the WWII-era exposures emphasized in the studies.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-06
-
[8]Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566, 574 A.2d 1084 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1990) - published appellate opinion documenting occupational asbestos exposure during shipbuilding employment at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (opinion verified live via Justia 2026-10-02); companion Pennsylvania appellate opinions and the yard's litigation-documented product list (Eagle-Picher Super 60, Thermasil, Unibestos, Kaylo, Johns-Manville pipe insulation, Garlock gaskets/packing) as compiled in the shipyard-exposure-map record for philadelphia-naval-shipyard [court_record]
- Locator
- 393 Pa. Super. 566 (Taylor); Atlas shipyards.json philadelphia-naval-shipyard evidence rows
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Philadelphia Naval Shipyard - the yard that reconfigured this hull as AGP-1176 in 1972 - is a litigation-documented asbestos site: published Pennsylvania appellate opinions identify multiple named asbestos products used there (pipe covering, block, cement, gaskets, packing; product list per the Atlas yard record). The hull's documented presence inside that yard during a 1972 interior rework (berthing/support facilities for 575) situates ship-specific activity at a documented asbestos yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1972 (conversion); litigation exposure windows 1941-1984
- Population
- PNSY civilian trades during the 1972 conversion; embarked/crew personnel at the yard
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation documentation, not a hull record: the opinions concern civilian yard workers, do not name this vessel, and do not establish that the 1972 conversion work on this hull disturbed asbestos. The appellate-cited exposure windows (e.g., Taylor worker exposure through the mid-1970s) bracket the 1972 conversion year. No quantity, no hull-specific material schedule.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-07
-
[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 construction (1957-58), service era (1958-77), and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard conversion (1972).
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: Shipscribe AGP data sheet (geared diesel, 2 screws, 13,700 hp - no steam plant); NavSource/DANFS class identification (LST-1171 De Soto County class); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for newport-news-shipbuilding (Kaylo, Unibestos, Johns-Manville, raw asbestos mud) and philadelphia-naval-shipyard (litigation-documented products); GAO HRD-80-2 era context [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe AGP-1176 data sheet; NavSource class header; shipyards.json product lists for both yards
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A geared-diesel amphibious hull built 1957-58 at Newport News Shipbuilding sits inside that yard's and the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel ship of this type and period were machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, thermal and accommodation insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and deck coverings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the steam-plant lagging pathway does not apply - but 1957-58 construction, a 1972 interior conversion at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (added berthing/support spaces), and continuous operation to 1976 all fall inside the Navy's documented asbestos era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1957-1978
- Population
- Newport News construction trades (1957-58); PNSY conversion trades (1972); crew 1958-77; MARAD/scrapping population 1977-78
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-1176/AGP-1176. 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-graham-county-lst1176-09
-
[11]Batch-6664 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live); NavSource (live); Shipscribe; MARAD vessel-history stub; NARA digitized deck logs; NVR (not held - pre-1987 disposal); CourtListener API v4 (opinion and docket queries); PubMed/NCBI eutils; GAO (403-blocked); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-graham-county-lst1176-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated litigation naming USS Graham County (LST-1176/AGP-1176) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion-index queries '"Graham County" LST-1176', '"USS Graham County"', '"LST-1176"', '"AGP-1176"', and '"Graham County" asbestos' all returned zero hits; the bare '"Graham County"' opinion query returns ~1,019 name-collision hits against the three Graham Counties (AZ/KS/NC), none vessel-related in the top results. The single ship-specific court record is the Carpenter pleading (ev-12) - an allegation, not a finding. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only marketing-listicle assertions (asbestos-ships.com, freeasbestostesting.com) claiming asbestos aboard 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 - a 1957-58 hull built and converted at documented asbestos yards is era-consistent with asbestos use. Deck logs, the 1972 conversion work package, and the MARAD status card are digitized-or-extant leads not fully reviewed. The Carpenter complaint text was matched by CourtListener full-text but not page-read - see ev-12. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-10
-
[12]Designation and spec cross-check: Shipscribe (CNO action 11 Jan 1972 effective 1 Aug 1972, 'LST 1176 to AGP 1176'; 'geared diesel, 2 screws,' 13,700 hp); NavSource designation line (AGP-1176) and this-hull spec block ('four General Motors 16-278A diesel engines, 6000shp') vs sister-hull NavSource pages ('6 Nordburg diesel engines' - LST-1171, LST-1173; 'six diesel engines' - LST-1177; 'six Cooper-Bessemer... replaced September 1969 with six Fairbanks Morse' - LST-1178); DANFS ('AGP-176'; armament 'a. 4 3"') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe AGP-1176 class notes + data table; NavSource 10/16/161176.htm and sister pages 161171/161173/161177/161178; DANFS both entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the DANFS '(q.v.)' entry prints the 1972 redesignation as 'AGP-176' - a typographical variant; the documented designation is AGP-1176 (Shipscribe CNO-action detail; NavSource header; MARAD record name 'LST-1176/AGP-1176'). PROPULSION CONFLICT: NavSource's own page for this hull prints 'four General Motors 16-278A diesel engines, 6000shp' - the earlier Terrebonne Parish-class fit - while its sister-ship pages print six-diesel fits of varying manufacture and Shipscribe's AGP data sheet gives 13,700 hp geared diesel, inconsistent with the 6,000-shp four-engine figure; the six-diesel class fit is the better-supported reading for this hull. ARMAMENT: DANFS spec block 'a. 4 3"' vs NavSource/class '3 twin 3"/50 mounts' (six barrels) - unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1972 (redesignation); 1957-78 (spec windows)
- Limitations
- Corrects a DANFS typographical variant and a NavSource spec-block conflict, not a material claim. Engine make/count for this specific hull remains unverified against a primary spec sheet (NAVSHIPS/BuShips); no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-11
-
[13]Carpenter v. General Electric Co., No. 3:11-cv-00481 (N.D. Cal., filed 2011-02-01, terminated 2011-02-23, consistent with consolidation into MDL-875); complaint attachment entered on the MDL-875 JPML docket as 'Notice of Potential Tag-Along' for plaintiff Harry Carpenter, IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), JPML docket 1245688, entry 6695 (filed 2011-02-03) - CourtListener API v4 verified; docket URL verified live 2026-10-02 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 5904838 (N.D. Cal. 3:11-cv-00481); JPML MDL-875 docket 1245688, entry 6695 (tag-along notice + complaint attachment, matching document)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage record naming this hull: CourtListener full-text docket search matched 'Graham County' and 'LST' inside the complaint attachment of Carpenter v. General Electric Co. (N.D. Cal. 3:11-cv-00481), an asbestos products-liability action filed 2011-02-01 by plaintiff Harry Carpenter and carried as a tag-along action on the MDL-875 (IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation No. VI) JPML docket, tag-along notice entered 2011-02-03. The district docket terminated 2011-02-23, consistent with consolidation into MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.). The near-certain context is a naval-service vessel list - a complaint's ship list is an allegation of exposure aboard the named vessels, not a finding.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2011 (pleading; exposure period alleged within 1958-77 service era)
- Population
- Harry Carpenter (plaintiff); alleged exposure context unconfirmed at page level
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: this is the lowest stage - a pleading allegation. Verified at docket + full-text-match level only: the complaint page was NOT page-read (the matching document is the RECAP-attached complaint on JPML entry 6695), so the exact listing context is unconfirmed at page level. No discovery record, finding, or judgment on exposure aboard this hull located; the action consolidated into MDL-875 within weeks of filing. Does not establish asbestos aboard, exposure, causation, or eligibility. Per the house model a partially-verified supporting row does not elevate evidence_tier - this record remains tier 2.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-graham-county-lst1176-12