USS Hampshire County (LST-819)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]research packet 731-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-hampshire-county-lst819-pkt-731-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, LST-819 (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, full record (short LST-format entry)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 12 September 1944 at Evansville, Ind., by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.; launched 21 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Georgia E. Gilmore; commissioned 14 November 1944, Lt. George W. Ryerson, USNR, in command; Asiatic-Pacific theater, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto April-June 1945; decommissioned 15 November 1946 and assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 8 September 1950 for Korean War service; decommissioned 24 June 1955; redesignated Hampshire County (LST-819) 1 July 1955 after counties in Massachusetts and West Virginia; recommissioned 9 July 1966; supported Navy efforts off South Vietnam until final decommissioning 19 December 1970; struck from the Navy list April 1975. One battle star (WWII), four battle stars (Korea); as Hampshire County, 10 battle stars, Presidential Unit Citation, and Navy Unit Commendation (Vietnam).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1975

   Population

   Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron construction trades 1944; wartime crew and embarked troops; Korea- and Vietnam-era crews

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and awards, not materials or asbestos content. This entry's first-decommissioning date (15 November 1946) conflicts with NavSource's CO chronology (1 December 1946) - carried unreconciled in gaps. Sponsor name conflicts with the companion DANFS Hampshire County entry ('Mrs. William M. Gilmore') - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-01

3. [3]DANFS, Hampshire County (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-03; stat block + detailed narrative; published 2015-07-14) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, stat block + full narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS detailed narrative for this hull: stat block dp. 1,625; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'; s. 12 k.; cpl. 266; a. 8 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl. LST-511. Shakedown off Florida; departed New Orleans 18 December 1944 for the Pacific via San Diego and Pearl Harbor; arrived Tulagi 23 February 1945; carried ammunition for the Okinawa invasion, arriving 2 April 1945 one day after the initial landing, unloading under heavy enemy air attack and remaining off the island for 3 weeks; transport and cargo operations near Okinawa for the rest of the war; occupation duty in Okinawa and Japan after V-J Day; arrived San Francisco 6 January 1946, then Astoria, Oreg., for decommissioning into the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Korea: recommissioned at Astoria 8 September 1950, Lt. J. H. Burch in command; arrived Yokosuka 17 January 1951; embarked Army personnel at Pusan for transport to Inchon (arrived 19 February); carried troops and vehicles Japan-to-Korea February-June 1951; second Far East tour from 15 February 1952 (cargo runs and harbor entrance patrol) until late October. Third Far East cruise August 1953-June 1954. Vietnam: recommissioned 9 July 1966; shakedown completed 9 September; departed Del Mar, Calif., 24 September for Danang, arriving 8 November; returned to Guam 19 December; participated in Operation Market Time.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1967 (narrative coverage)

   Population

   Wartime crew; embarked troops at Okinawa/Inchon/Vietnam lift operations

   Limitations

   DANFS documents operations, not materials or asbestos content. Stat block 'cl. LST-511' is DANFS's own class label - standard references and the project class profile place this hull in the LST-542 design group; variant carried in gaps. Narrative ends at 1967 (entry published 2015, Vietnam coverage is abbreviated).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-02

4. [4]NavSource Naval History, Tank Landing Ship LST-819 Hampshire County page (live, verified 2026-10-03; ONI-1945 specification block, campaign tables, CO chronology, merchant disposition chain) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource page: header history block, ONI-1945 'Specifications' block, campaign tables, 'Commanding Officers' table, 'Merchant History' paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource record for this hull: specifications as reported by the Office of Naval Intelligence (1945) - propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900hp diesel engines, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100kW 230V D.C. ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700shp, twin rudders (diesel plant - NO boilers); complement 13 officers/104 enlisted plus troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted. Campaign tables: Okinawa Gunto operation 2 April-30 June 1945; four Korean campaign periods 1951-52; continuous in-country Vietnam service late 1966 to mid-1970 except overhaul periods (10 campaign stars). Commanding-officer chronology corroborates decommissioning 1 December 1946 (LT Coombs through 1 December 1946) and recommissioning 9 July 1966 (LT/LCDR Ervin E. White). Merchant disposition: sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service 1 December 1975 to Max Rouse & Sons, Beverly Hills, CA; converted for commercial use by Lake Union Drydock Co., Seattle, WA; sold to Landing System Technology Pte. Ltd., Singapore (Lauritz Kloster, Norway) and renamed LST 2 in 1976; acquired by Maritime & Commercial Co. Argonaftis S.A., Panama (Greek flag) and renamed Petrola 142 on 30 June 1978; in service 31 July 1980; laid up at Piraeus 24 February 1983; name amended to Petrola; sold to Seltas A.S. for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey; arrived Aliaga for demolition 22 December 1995.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1995

   Population

   Crews of three commissionings; embarked troops; merchant crews 1976-1995; Lake Union Drydock conversion workers; Aliaga breakers

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer-compiled secondary archive (hosted at navsource.net - the old .org domain is dead); its specification block is class-generic ONI-1945 data, not a hull survey. Campaign tables and CO chronology are internally corroborated but not primary documents. Merchant-era chain traces the hull but says nothing about materials. No asbestos content anywhere on the page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-03

5. [5]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (B-163375, published 1979-10-18; 26-page full report PDF now accessible at gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) + NavSource ONI-1945 machinery data + lst-1-class.class.json era analysis [other_primary]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section; NavSource ONI-1945 specifications block; lst-1-class.class.json (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 design grouping LST542-931)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for a diesel-powered amphibious ship built at an inland yard in 1944: NO boilers or steam plant - the steam-lagging pathway does not apply; plausible asbestos applications on this type concentrate in diesel-engine and exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing throughout the engineering spaces, electrical insulation and cable, deck coverings (including tank-deck surfaces), accommodation-space insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches and the stern-anchor windlass. GAO HRD-80-2 documents the policy backdrop: Navy product specifications for thermal insulation were revised to asbestos-free only in 1973, and the removal/replacement policy dates to October 1975 (selective high-maintenance-area replacement added January 1979) - all AFTER this hull's final US Navy service ended in December 1970, so the ship completed her Navy career with era-standard materials and her 1966 reactivation refit predates the asbestos-free specification change.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1995

   Population

   Evansville construction trades 1944; crews of three commissionings; reactivation/overhaul yard workers (1966, periodic to 1970); merchant conversion and breaking-yard workers

   Limitations

   Class/era and design inference only - no hull-level material schedule, insulation spec, or survey exists in the public record for this ship. GAO is a program-level report (shipyard fieldwork was Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards); it names no hull. Post-Navy material changes (1975-76 Lake Union Drydock conversion, ~20 years Singapore/Greek-flag merchant service) are undocumented - original materials may have been replaced by non-US work before the 1995 Aliaga demolition.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-04

6. [6]Mobile Riverine Force Association, 'History of The USS Hampshire County (LST-819)' (veteran-contributed history by William Posson, posted 2001-03-21; live, verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   MRFA page, 'History of The USS Hampshire County (LST-819)' section (Posson narrative) - the page also reprints the DANFS Vol. III entry

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Veteran-contributed details for this hull: yard number 138 at the Evansville shipyard; a pre-commissioning ceremony ('broom raised' 4 November 1944; 'commissioned' by M. C. Carlson 7 November 1944); Korea-era cargo including Chinese POWs to Wolmi Do and troops from Okinawa to Korea, plus Inchon landing participation; final decommissioning 19 December 1970 at Bremerton, Washington; under LT David P. Richardson (aboard October 1968) the ship was deployed 21 of 23 months, with two RefTras at Yokosuka; 1969 excursions into Cambodia supporting the Riverine Force, once within ~15 miles of Phnom Penh transferring ammunition to USS Hunterdon County; after four typhoons in four weeks during an Okinawa lift, she was drydocked at Guam to have her hull and main deck welded shut; ship's bell located 1992 on the quarterdeck of Marine Corps Support Battalion, MCRD Parris Island, S.C.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1992

   Population

   Vietnam-era crew; Guam drydock workers

   Limitations

   Association-site veteran history, not an official record - all details are leads requiring primary-source corroboration (deck logs, cruise books, NARA RG 19/24). Strike date printed as 7 April 1975 conflicts with NavSource (1 April); the Guam drydock event is corroborated in substance by an independent firsthand account in the ship's Wikipedia article but remains unverified by official records.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-05

7. [7]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (B-163375, 1979-10-18) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page highlights + full report, cover letter and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   Program-level finding: GAO reviewed Navy asbestos worker-protection at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. Per the report, 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables'; thermal-insulation product specifications were revised to asbestos-free materials in 1973; the Navy's October 1975 policy removed/replaced only damaged insulation or insulation that had to be removed for repairs; in January 1979 the policy was modified to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas; the Navy estimated the policy would remove all shipboard thermal asbestos insulation 'except the 30 to 50 percent which normally remains untouched' over a ship's life; some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1979 (report); policy period 1973-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (program context)

   Limitations

   Program-level document; names no vessel, including this hull. Relevant only as policy backdrop: every substitution-era control described (1973 spec change, 1975/1979 removal policies) postdates this ship's US Navy career, which ended December 1970 - she never entered the replacement program.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-06

8. [8]Batch-7359 search ledger (this record): two live NHHC DANFS entries; NavSource page incl. ONI-1945 specs; NVR; MRFA; GAO HRD-80-2; general web sweep; CourtListener blocked [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-01 through sl-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-08

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or ship-specific material schedule naming LST-819/Hampshire County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The litigation record is UNKNOWN rather than negative: the CourtListener sweep could not be executed this session - the fleet-wide shared daily quota was exhausted at research time (helper reported ~10-hour retry window), so no opinion/docket classification was possible; 'Hampshire County' is additionally a high-collision name (counties in Massachusetts and West Virginia appear in unrelated case captions).

   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 - a 1944 diesel-powered hull is consistent with retained era materials, but undocumented refit (1966), merchant conversion (1975-76), foreign service (1976-1995), and demolition (1995) leave the surviving-material question moot for this scrapped hull. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweep remains an open task for the next session.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hampshire-county-lst819-07