Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet 637-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-la-moure-county-lst1194-pkt-637-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'La Moure County II (LST-1194), 1971-2000' (updated Robert J. Cressman, 25 October 2023) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS II service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 22 May 1970 at National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 13 February 1971; delivered to the Navy 1 December 1971; commissioned 18 December 1971. Transited the Panama Canal to home port Little Creek, Va., assigned to the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet; alternated amphibious training on the east coast and Caribbean with deployments to northern European waters and the Mediterranean. Decommissioned 17 November 2000 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day; 'disposed-of, in a fleet training exercises, expended as a target, on 10 July 2001.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-2001
- Population
- NASSCO construction trades (1970-71); crew (1971-2000)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Notable omission: the DANFS entry does not mention the September 2000 grounding that ended the ship's career - the casualty and salvage are documented by the NHHC salvage history (ev-04) instead. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details: LA MOURE COUNTY (LST 1194), shipId 2336, UIC 20033 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship-detail fields (Status, Builder, Milestone Dates)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Live NVR detail page for this hull: class LST 1179; status 'disposed of in support of fleet training exercise' (date status changed 07/10/2001); builder 'General Dynamics, National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp.'; milestone dates - award 07/15/1966, keel 05/22/1970, launch 02/13/1971, delivery 12/01/1971, commission 12/18/1971, decommission 11/17/2000; age since launch at disposal 30.4 years; years commission-to-decommission 28.9.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1966-2001
- Population
- crew (1971-2000)
- Limitations
- Registry data only; no asbestos or material content. NVR carries no stricken date field for this hull - the 17 November 2000 strike date comes from DANFS/NavSource. Live NVR page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS La Moure County (LST-1194) - timeline, specifications, awards, commanding officers, and U.S. Navy/DVIC photo captions including the 2000 grounding and 2001 sinking [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161194.htm - header timeline, specifications block, awards array, CO list, and photo captions (Cifuncho Bay grounding, tow, SINKEX)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: sixteenth of twenty Newport-class LSTs; laid down 22 May 1970 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Corp., San Diego; launched 13 February 1971; commissioned 18 December 1971 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard; status changed to Active Reserve Force 30 September 1995; 'damaged beyond economical repair, 12 September 2000 due to grounding at Caleta Cifuncho Bay, Chile'; decommissioned and struck 17 November 2000 at Talcahuano, Chile; 'stripped of all useable material, sunk as a target during UNITAS 2001' at a printed position of 32 deg 49' 08.0" N, 74 deg 17' 09.0" W at 1,841 fathoms. Photo-caption record adds: operation alongside Chilean LST Valdivia (ex-USS San Bernardino LST-1189) at the grounding; emergency repairs in Cifuncho Bay 12 Sep - 28 Oct 2000; 700-mile tow to Talcahuano by Chilean icebreaker Oscar Viel Toro; sinking by gunfire, surface-to-surface missiles and submarine-launched torpedoes. Specifications block: six ALCO 16-251E diesels, 15,000 shp, two shafts with controllable reversible-pitch propellers; complement itemized 14 officers + 15 CPOs + 226 enlisted plus troop berthing. Awards array in full: two Navy Unit Commendations, two Navy Meritorious Unit Commendations, five Navy Battle 'E' ribbons; Navy Expeditionary Medal (2 - Iran/Indian Ocean and Lebanon), National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal; Humanitarian Services Medal, Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait). US Navy photos place her at Beirut circa 1983 (alongside USS Puget Sound AD-38 and USS Connole FF-1056), departing on the five-month UNITAS 37-96 deployment 25 July 1996 (an annual South America circumnavigation conducting combined exercises with participating navies), and pierside at Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp. for overhaul work 31 August 1991 (DVIC DN-ST-92-04196).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-2001
- Population
- NASSCO trades (1970-71); crew and embarked Marines (1971-2000); salvage personnel at Cifuncho Bay and Talcahuano (2000)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation; its milestone dates track DANFS/NVR and are corroborated here, but its sinking-coordinate latitude is printed 'North' - inconsistent with the Chilean UNITAS operating area and almost certainly a transcription error for South (see gaps). Captions describe 'unofficial damage reports' for the grounding. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-03
-
[5]Bartholomew & Milwee, Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy, 2d ed. (Naval History & Heritage Command, 2009), chapter 'Grounding of the LaMoure County (LST 1194), 2000,' pp. 492-496 and p. 500 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mud, Muscle, and Miracles 2d ed., pp. 492-496, 500 (chapter 'Grounding of the LaMoure County (LST 1194), 2000')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy salvage history documents the casualty and response in detail: before dawn 12 September 2000 during the annual UNITAS exercise the ship - one of the last two Newport-class LSTs in U.S. service (the other Frederick, LST-1184) - drove ashore at about 10 knots in darkness and fog off Caleta Cifuncho Bay, Chile, on a mission to land eight amphibious assault vehicles and 240 Marines. Refloated with Chilean fleet tug Galvarino (ATF-66); damage included keel, shell plating and double-bottom breaches (one hole nearly 40 feet long, port bilge keel to starboard bilge keel), four flooded major tanks, buckled bulkheads, engines off mounts, bent shafts, torn propeller blades. The post-grounding investigation found she 'was navigating on GPS alone and plotting the positions on a Chilean chart that had a different datum' (footnote 54). Salvage by Atlantic Fleet salvage officer, Supervisor of Salvage personnel, contractor Phoenix International, and a 19-man Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two team with Chilean Navy divers: fuel removed from ruptured forward tanks by hot-tapping tank tops, pumped through fire hoses to receiving tanks, Dracone barges, tubular storage bladders and a chartered coastal tanker; 22 cast-in-place concrete patches and 50+ plugged holes; 27 tons of hand-mixed concrete; three 72-ft, 16-ton box girders fabricated at the Talcahuano naval shipyard welded under the hull with over a mile of underwater weld; ~700 tons of buoyancy restored. Under tow by Chilean icebreaker Oscar Viel Toro 28 October; arrived Talcahuano 31 October; repair judged uneconomical. Sunk as a target during UNITAS 10 July 2001 - gunfire and missile hits, finished by submarine-launched torpedoes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2000-09-12 to 2001-07-10
- Population
- crew and 240 embarked Marines at grounding; MDSU-Two/SUPSALV/Phoenix International salvage personnel; Chilean Navy divers; towing and disposal crews (2000-01)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC-published salvage history - authoritative for the casualty, salvage, and disposal; contains no asbestos or material-composition content. Documents fuel-oil removal as a pollution-control operation aboard this hull but no asbestos-specific work. OCR note: 'all four engines' off mounts per book text vs NavSource's six-diesel specification (see gaps). Text extracted from the archive.org scan of the NHHC volume.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-04
-
[6]CNN, 'U.S. Navy ship runs aground off Chile' (Jamie McIntyre, 12 September 2000, 10:37 p.m. EDT) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- CNN article body, paras. 1-4
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous day-of reporting: the Navy said the tank-landing ship USS La Moure County (LST-1194) ran aground off the coast of Chile early 12 September during training exercises with the Chilean navy while preparing for an amphibious landing, hitting bottom about 100 miles south of Antofagasta; no injuries among the ship's 257 crew members and 13 officers; minor flooding in berthing areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2000-09-12
- Population
- 257 crew + 13 officers aboard at grounding (per Navy statement via CNN)
- Limitations
- Day-of news report - damage assessment was preliminary ('the Navy is still assessing the damage'); contains no material-content information. Crew/officer figures are the aboard population reported at the casualty, not the design complement (see gaps). Live CNN page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-05
-
[7]CBS News, 'Navy Simulates Safety' (David Martin, with AP; 8 March 2001) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- CBS article body; AP contribution noted
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documents the consequence of this hull's grounding: among nine Navy ships grounded or in collisions in 18 months, five commanding officers were relieved; after the La Moure County incident the Navy ordered a complete standdown requiring all ~300 ships in the fleet to take one full day reviewing safety and navigation procedures - the first fleet-wide safety standdown since 1989; Navy divers' underwater inspection found the hull ripped apart, propeller mangled, a fuel tank ruptured; the ship a 'near total loss' to be stripped of equipment, towed out to sea and sunk, 'all because the captain failed to plot his position accurately.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2000-09 to 2001-03
- Population
- fleet-wide (~300 ships, one-day standdown, September 2000)
- Limitations
- Press account (March 2001) describing the planned disposal before it occurred; consistent with the executed outcome documented by NHHC/NVR. Contains no material-content information. Live page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-06
-
[8]Daily Press (Newport News, VA), 'Coming Back From Desert Storm' (17 April 1991) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Daily Press article, 'SHIPS ARRIVING FROM DESERT STORM' - Thursday/Little Creek listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Home-port press document: USS LaMoure County listed among ships returning from Desert Storm service - scheduled to return to Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, Pier 12N, at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday 18 April 1991, with USS Portland and USS Pensacola on the same return list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1991-04
- Population
- crew returning from Gulf War deployment (1990-91)
- Limitations
- Pier/arrival schedule ('times were provided by the Navy Tuesday but are subject to change') - documents the ship's Desert Storm deployment and return, not operational detail. No material content. Live page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-07
-
[9]U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Naval Review issue, 'U.S. Naval Operations in 1983' (Vol. 110/5/975, May 1984) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings May 1984 - Lebanon/ship-list appendix (24th MAU deployment dates) and exercise Ahuas Tara II section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Professional-journal operations review names this hull twice: (1) as shipping for the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit - deployed 23 August 1982 to 9 March 1983, steaming over 9,000 miles in the first 42 days through NATO exercises Northern Wedding, Bold Guard, and Display Determination before arriving off Beirut, where the 24th MAU held multinational force duties 3 November 1982 to 15 February 1983; returned to Norfolk 9 March; (2) as a unit of Amphibious Squadron Two (with Nassau LHA-4, Guadalcanal LPH-7, Raleigh LPD-1, Pensacola LSD-38, Charleston LKA-113) embarking the 28th MAU for the 18 November 1983 Ahuas Tara II landing at Puerto Castilla, Honduras.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1982-08-23 to 1983-11-18
- Population
- crew and embarked 24th/28th MAU Marines (1982-83)
- Limitations
- USNI Proceedings is a professional journal, not an official record; the article itself notes contingency-operations material 'reflect the unofficial news media' and is 'the least authoritative' of its sources. No material content. Live page verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-08
-
[10]Federal Register, Vol. 51, No. 166 (27 August 1986): Department of the Navy final rule, 32 CFR Part 706, 'Certifications and Exemptions Under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972; Amendment; USS NEWPORT et al.' (FR Doc. 86-19320; approved John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, 13 August 1986) [federal_register]
- Locator
- 51 FR No. 166, Rules and Regulations section, DoN final rule FR Doc. 86-19320 (32 CFR Part 706)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Primary federal-register documentation naming this hull: the Secretary of the Navy certified USS LA MOURE COUNTY (LST 1194), with twelve other Newport-class LSTs (LST 1179, 1181, 1182, 1184, 1185, 1187, 1191, 1192, 1193, 1196, 1197, 1198), as vessels which 'due to their special construction and purpose' cannot comply fully with 72 COLREGS Annex I masthead-light placement rules without interfering with their function as naval tank landing ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1986-08-13 (certification)
- Limitations
- Navigation-light certification only - names the hull and documents the class's non-standard configuration; no asbestos or material content. Whole-issue PDF verified live 2026-10-02 (granule-level URL for FR Doc. 86-19320 returns a govinfo error page; the issue PDF is the working link).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-09
-
[11]Department of the Navy, FY2002 Operation and Maintenance, Navy Reserve budget justification (mirrored PDF of the official DoN submission) [other_primary]
- Locator
- FY2002 O&M,NR book - narrative (Reserve battle force inventory) and Exhibit items 84a/100d
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official budget documentation of the loss and its fiscal effect: the FY2002 O&M,N book records 'the unplanned loss of the ex-USS LA MOURE COUNTY (LST-1194) in an accident off the Chilean coast' reducing the Reserve battle-force ship inventory by one, and carries program decreases attributed to the ship's early decommissioning after the grounding (line items: '-$9.7 million' against the loss; 84a '-700'; 100d '-5,935'). Confirms the hull was a Naval Reserve Force asset when lost.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2000-2001 (fiscal accounting)
- Population
- Naval Reserve Force manning (1995-2000)
- Limitations
- Official document mirrored on globalsecurity.org (a third-party host; the underlying PDF is the DoN submission). The narrative misstates the accident month as August 2000 - the grounding was 12 September 2000 per NHHC salvage history and contemporaneous reporting (see gaps). No asbestos content. Live PDF verified 2026-10-02.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-10
-
[12]Department of the Navy FOIA case log, CY2017 (SECNAV FOIA reading room) - entry DON-NAVY-2017-008274 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DON FOIA Logs CY17, tracking no. DON-NAVY-2017-008274
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A FOIA request logged in CY2017 seeks records of this hull's grounding: 'the USS La Moure County ran aground during an amphibious assault exercise in Cinfuncho Bay, Chile as part of UNITAS 41-00,' requesting navigation and sea-and-anchor detail logs from the grounding and 'documents that describe the extent of environmental damages on the waters, fish habitat and fishing economy of Cinfuncho Bay.' Confirms that Navy-held investigative and environmental-damage records for the casualty exist (or were believed to exist) as of 2017.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2017 (log); 2000 (underlying records)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - a request log entry proves a records request was made, not that responsive records were released or are public. The requester's date (9 September 2000) differs by three days from the documented grounding date of 12 September. secnav.navy.mil WAF-blocks direct curl fetches; document retrieved via Firecrawl render 2026-10-02. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-11
-
[13]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 window (laid down 1970, delivered/commissioned 1971) and early service years.
- 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-la-moure-county-lst1194-12
-
[14]Era inference built on: DANFS/NVR construction record (built 1970-71, NASSCO San Diego); NavSource specifications block (six ALCO 16-251E diesels, diesel plant, no steam); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use era (see ev-12); NIOSH HHE database search for the builder yard (no report exists - see search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS/NVR construction record; NavSource specifications; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-propelled amphibious ship built 1970-71 sits inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era (substitution began early 1970s). Era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period: thermal and acoustic insulation in machinery spaces; lagging on diesel exhaust uptakes and mufflers; gaskets and valve packing throughout piping systems; vinyl-asbestos deck tile and deck covering; fireproof bulkhead insulation in accommodation spaces; electrical insulation. As a diesel ship she carried no boiler or steam-turbine plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-2001
- Population
- NASSCO construction trades (1970-71); crew (1971-2000); 1991 overhaul personnel at Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock; 2000 salvage/stripping personnel
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-1194. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-13
-
[15]EPA, 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' (Navy SINKEX under the MPRSA general permit, 40 CFR 229.2) + MARAD SINKEX program page (hazardous-material removal; >=1,000-fathom and >=50-nautical-mile rules) [other_primary]
- Locator
- epa.gov MPRSA/SINKEX page; maritime.dot.gov SINKEX 'Preparation/Environmental' section
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Program framework under which this hull was disposed: EPA documents that the Navy prepares SINKEX vessels in accordance with the MPRSA general permit at 40 CFR 229.2; MARAD documents that deep-water sinking 'requires the removal of environmentally hazardous materials from ships before they are sunk' under EPA-Navy agreement, with all sinkings in at least 6,000 feet (1,000 fathoms) and 50 nautical miles from land. NavSource reports this hull stripped of usable material and sunk at 1,841 fathoms - consistent with the framework's parameters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- framework 1972-present; applied disposal 2001-07-10
- Population
- SINKEX preparation and firing-range personnel (2001)
- Limitations
- Program-level regulatory context only: no ship-specific preparation manifest or hazmat-removal record for LST-1194 was located; the EPA page's January 2014 EPA-Navy Determination and Agreement postdates the 2001 sinking by thirteen years; the MARAD page describes the MARAD-Navy memorandum for MARAD-owned hulls while this hulk was Navy-owned. Establishes the governing framework, not what was removed from this hull. EPA page and MARAD page both verified live 2026-10-02 (MARAD fetched via Firecrawl; curl returns 403 to bots).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-14
-
[16]Batch-6684 search ledger (this record): DANFS II live page; NVR detail shipId 2336; NavSource 10/16/161194; NHHC salvage history full text; CNN/CBS/Daily Press/USNI live pages; Federal Register issue 51 FR No. 166; DoN FY02 O&M,NR book; DON CY17 FOIA log; GAO product page; NIOSH HHE database; CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure claim naming USS La Moure County (LST-1194) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches completed on both required queries: exact name returned 55 hits - all name collisions with LaMoure County and the city of La Moure, North Dakota (county/municipal litigation); hull number "LST-1194" returned 1 hit, United States v. Rayle (Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, 1979), a court-martial appeal classified as other litigation. No asbestos case naming this vessel surfaced. The only 'asbestos aboard' material located is anecdotal forum text and law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos 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 1970-71 NASSCO-built hull sits inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era. Salvage/stripping records, SINKEX preparation manifests, deck logs, and NASSCO work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-la-moure-county-lst1194-15