USS Kemper County (LST-854)

Evidence

7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).

1. [1]research packet 735-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-kemper-county-lst854-pkt-735-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Kemper County (LST-854) and LST-854 entries (archived NHHC captures; live NHHC pages returned 404 on 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS service narratives (Kemper County and LST-854 entries) and spec block; archived NHHC captures web.archive.org/web/20250127203103 (kemper-county) and web.archive.org/web/20251209185603 (lst-854)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull (DANFS spec block: LST-854: dp. 1,625; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 11'; s. 12 k.; cpl. 266; a. 3 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl LST-542; 'a county in Mississippi'): laid down by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Seneca, Ill., 30 August 1944; launched 20 November 1944, sponsored by Mrs. M. A. Menkol; commissioned 14 December 1944, Lt. E. J. Robeson in command. After shakedown off Florida she departed New Orleans 16 January 1945 for the Pacific via the Panama Canal, West Coast, and Pearl Harbor; reached Ulithi 1 April; sailed 12 April for Okinawa with an Army Aviation Engineer Battalion embarked; arrived Nago Wan, Okinawa, 18 April; unloaded under heavy enemy air raids; returned to Ulithi 5 May; shuttled troops and equipment among the Philippines and Okinawa for the rest of WWII; occupation transport in the Far East until November 1945; arrived Seattle 16 December; returned to the Far East 27 June 1946; 1946-49 transported Navy and Marine Corps troops and cargo among Chinese ports and the Marianas; returned to the U.S. 6 June 1949; decommissioned 21 October 1949 at Puget Sound Navy Yard. Recommissioned 20 November 1950; departed San Diego 17 March 1951; from June 1951 operated between Japan and Korea - POW transport Pusan to Koje Do, logistics support at Koje Do, cargo/troop rotation among Korean ports; early January 1952 participated in the landing of the 40th Division at Inchon and lifted refugees along the Korean coast; departed Yokosuka 25 February, arrived San Diego 16 March 1952; back in Japan 26 November 1952; shuttled troops and cargo for U.N. forces for the remainder of the conflict and transported pro- and anti-Communist prisoners awaiting repatriation after the truce; returned San Diego 17 October 1953; May 1954-May 1960 four WestPac cruises supporting the 7th Fleet; named Kemper County 1 July 1955; 1960-65 amphibious training off California and in the Hawaiian operating area. Departed San Diego 11 October 1965; arrived Subic Bay 12 November, Da Nang 22 November; operated along the South Vietnam coast and primarily in Mekong Delta rivers, transiting enemy-controlled territory to supply Vietnamese Army headquarters at Can Tho - four transits as far as 90 miles inland; 3 March 1966 assisted the burning tanker SS Paloma in the Saigon River after a Viet Cong attack, shelling the bank while fighting the fire; carried over 10,000 tons of military cargo plus food and clothing for civilians; returned San Diego 28 May 1966; awarded the Battle Efficiency 'E' of 1966; operated off the West Coast into 1967. Second DANFS entry (LST-854): decommissioned 28 May 1969; earned one battle star for WWII, five for the Korean War, one Navy Unit Commendation and five battle stars for the Vietnam War.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Population

   Chicago Bridge & Iron construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-49, 1950-69)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content anywhere in either entry. The main Kemper County narrative ends in early 1967 - the 1967-68 deployments and 1969 decommissioning are covered only by the brief LST-854 sub-entry and NavSource; the post-1969 reserve period, 1975 Barbados transfer, and Panama resale are absent from DANFS entirely. Live NHHC pages returned 404 on 2026-10-03 (standing NHHC link-rot defect); cited captures are archived Wayback copies of the official NHHC pages (kemper-county 2025-01-27; lst-854 2025-12-09), labeled archived - the live canonical URLs are dead. Neither capture is a transcription; both are snapshots of history.navy.mil.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kemper-county-lst854-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Kemper County (LST-854) ex USS LST-854 - specifications, unit assignments, WWII/Korea/Vietnam campaign tables, commanding officers, foreign transfer and disposal chain (live page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/160854.htm - header block, awards, LST-542 class timeline, WWII/Korea/Vietnam campaign tables, commanding-officer list, specifications block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542-class tank landing ship; laid down 30 August 1944 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 20 November 1944; commissioned USS LST-854 14 December 1944, ENS. Edward J. Robeson III USN in command. WWII Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LST Flotilla Thirty-One (CAPT. H. S. Covington), LST Group Ninety-One (CDR. Jesse Hogan Motes Jr.), LST Division One Hundred Eighty-One; Okinawa Gunto operation 18 April - 30 June 1945. Navy Occupation service 9-25 September 1945 and 14-21 February 1947; China service (extended) 24 February - 11 April 1947, 8-25 May 1947, 26 August 1947 - 3 January 1948, 1 April - 4 March 1949. Decommissioned 21 October 1949; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Puget Sound Group, Bremerton, WA; recommissioned 20 November 1950 at Bremerton. Korean War campaigns: Communist China Spring Offensive (12-21 June 1951); UN Summer-Fall Offensive (9 September, 7-23 October 1951); Second Korean Winter (1-22 December 1951, 11-29 January 1952); Third Korean Winter (22 December 1952 - 24 January 1953, 14-16 April 1953); Korea Summer-Fall 1953 (30 May - 10 June, 15-17 June, 13-21 July, 26-27 July 1953). Named USS Kemper County (LST-854) 1 July 1955. Vietnam War campaigns: Vietnam Defense (21 November - 24 December 1965); Vietnamese Counteroffensive (25 December 1965 - 6 January 1966; 21 January - 8 March 1966); Phase II (25 February - 18 March, 12 April - 31 May 1967); Phase III (1-23 June 1967); Phase V (23 July - 27 August, 17 September - 1 November 1968); Phase VI (2-10 November, 8-14 December 1968). Decommissioned 28 May 1969; 'Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown.' Transferred to the Government of Barbados July 1975, renamed Northpoint; sold to the Government of Panama c. early-1980s, renamed El Gato Blanco; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Awards: Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), National Defense Service Medal (2), Korean Service Medal (5), Vietnam Service Medal (5), RVN Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (5), UN Service Medal, RVN Campaign Medal, Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive) - page text summarizes 'one battle star for World War II service, five battle stars for Korean War service, and one award of the Navy Unit Commendation and six campaign stars Vietnam War service.' Specifications block: two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels; single Falk main reduction gear; three diesel-drive 100kW 230V D.C. ship's service generators; two propellers, 1,700 shp; twin rudders; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-unknown

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked troops (1944-49, 1950-69); Barbados service crew (1975-c.early-1980s); Panama service crew (c.early-1980s-?); final-disposition workforce unidentified

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track DANFS/NVR but the stricken date is recorded as unknown (open gap). Awards-tally conflict: its text reads 'six campaign stars Vietnam War service' across six listed campaigns, while the NHHC LST-854 entry credits five Vietnam battle stars - carried, not reconciled. Its Vietnam table also prints '21 March to 2 April 1955' under Vietnamese Counteroffensive - an apparent typographical error for 1966; the dates are carried as printed except this obvious typo, which is excluded pending a primary campaign list. Contains no asbestos content; no hazmat or material record for the Barbados/Panama transfers or final disposition located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kemper-county-lst854-02

4. [4]Era/design inference built on: Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table (shipscribe.com scan) - LST-542 group machinery data; NavSource specifications for this hull; consolidated era practice per Atlas class profile lst-1-class (CLASS-F) [other_primary]

   Locator

   BuShips SDB-1945 v2 LST design table (per CLASS-F class profile); NavSource specifications block; class_notes/exposure fields of lst-1-class.class.json

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   An LST-542-class diesel-powered tank landing ship built August-November 1944 sits inside WWII shipbuilding's documented asbestos era. For the type, the asbestos-relevant applications are not boiler/turbine steam lagging (the class has no boilers - 2 x GM 12-567A diesels) but: diesel exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation-space insulation, valve packing, and winch/crane brake linings.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1944-unknown

   Population

   Chicago Bridge & Iron construction trades (1944); ship's company and embarked troops (1944-49, 1950-69); foreign-service crews (1975-?); final-disposition workforce unidentified

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LST-854. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The diesel plant narrows but does not eliminate the exposure pathway.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kemper-county-lst854-03

5. [5]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

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LST-542-class hull was mass-produced at an inland 'cornfield' yard (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca, IL).

   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 (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kemper-county-lst854-04

6. [6]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 the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - i.e., original-era insulation typically remained in place through the period. Documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1975-1979 (policy window documented); report 1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The documented 1975/1979 policy window essentially postdates this hull's active U.S. service (decommissioned May 1969, foreign transfer July 1975) - it bounds what the Navy did with era insulation generally, not what happened aboard this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch); content via product-page description, consistent with prior batches.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kemper-county-lst854-05

7. [7]Batch-7397 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live + archived; NavSource live; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; hazegray mirror; ibiblio HyperWar; Wayback captures; secondary-web litigation sweep; CourtListener (blocked - daily quota exhausted) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-kemper-county-lst854-01 through -10

   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-854 / USS Kemper County (LST-854) / Northpoint / El Gato Blanco was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported the fleet daily quota exhausted (~9.0 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com, mesotheliomasymptoms.com and similar) asserting asbestos aboard 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 (blocked by quota, not run). The hull's post-1975 foreign-service records (Barbados Northpoint, Panama El Gato Blanco) and its unknown final disposition leave a long undocumented tail; deck logs (NARA RG 24) and any Chicago Bridge & Iron build records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kemper-county-lst854-06