Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet 740-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lawrence-county-lst887-pkt-740-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Lawrence County' - NHHC live page, published 29 Jul 2015 (verified live 2026-10-03; a parallel hull-number entry exists at danfs/l/lst-887.html) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Lawrence County' entry, danfs/l/lawrence-county.html (live NHHC page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LST-887 was laid down by Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa., 27 August 1944; launched 7 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. F. J. Conroy; and commissioned at New Orleans, La., 7 November 1944, Lt. Loring O. Chandler, USCGR, in command. After shakedown out of St. Andrew's Bay, Fla., she steamed via San Diego and Seattle to Pearl Harbor, then joined the Okinawa invasion: assigned to the Southern Defense Group of the Southern Attack Force, she closed beach Orange I 2 April 1945, made a cargo shuttle to Kerama Retto, provided smoke cover during air attacks, and splashed an enemy dive bomber 12 April - her 40mm and 20mm guns repeatedly hit a kamikaze diving for SS Minot Victory, which splashed close aboard. Postwar she carried occupation troops to Nagasaki (arriving 24 September 1945) and Mitsuhama, Shikoku, then lifted troops in the Philippines before returning to San Francisco 30 January 1946. Inactivated at Vancouver, Wash. (13 June - 22 July 1946), she decommissioned at Portland 23 July 1946 into the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned at Bremerton 3 November 1950 (Lt. Walter T. Babcock), she ran Japan-Korea logistics lifts in 1951-1953 (Kangnung, Inchon, Pusan, Koje Do), joined the 'Passage to Freedom' evacuation out of Haiphong to Nha Trang and Tourane (four voyages, 30 August - 20 September 1954), was named Lawrence County 1 July 1955 (namesake: counties in 11 states), and provided logistics support during seven nuclear test shots out of Eniwetok 21 May - 18 June 1958. She decommissioned at Astoria, Oreg., 22 March 1960 (Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet) and in December 1960 was sold to Indonesia under the Foreign Assistance Sales Program as Tandjung Nusanive (LST-1). LST-887 received one battle star for World War II and three for Korean service. DANFS header: dp. 1,625; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 14'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 119; a. 8 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl. LST-511.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Ship's company (~117-119) plus embarked troops (spec 16 officers / 147 enlisted); WWII crew U.S. Coast Guard-manned per NavSource
- Limitations
- Authoritative service history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information. DANFS header class entry reads 'LST-511' while NavSource and standard references group this hull in the LST-542 class - carried as LST-542-class with the discrepancy noted (see gaps). Complement figure (119) conflicts with the NavSource spec block (13 officers + 104 enlisted = 117) - both carried. DANFS prints the commissioning CO as 'Lt. Loring O. Chandler' while the NavSource roster gives 'Chandler O. Loring'; the Indonesian name is printed 'Tandjung Nusanixe' vs 'Tandjung Nusanive' in NavSource and secondary naval references - both treated as DANFS typographical variants (see gaps). DANFS gives no strike date. The 1958 nuclear-test operation is not named by DANFS and is not asserted here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Lawrence County (LST-887) ex-USS LST-887 - LST-542 class identification, USCG-manning flag, flotilla/group/division assignments, campaign tables, CO roster, specification block, strike date, and Indonesian transfer/disposal line [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/16/160887, specification block, awards/campaign tables, command roster, disposition lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identifies the hull as an LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship, manned by the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII. Laid down 27 August 1944 at Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA; launched 7 October 1944; commissioned USS LST-887, 7 November 1944 at New Orleans, LA., LT. Chandler O. Loring USCGR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla Twenty-Nine (CAPT. H. E. Richter USCG), LST Group Eighty-Seven (CDR. E. Anderson USCG), LST Division One Hundred Seventy-Four; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign credit: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 2 April - 30 June 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) windows: 20-29 September 1945; 23-29 October 1945. Decommissioned 23 July 1946 at Portland, OR; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria OR. Recommissioned 3 November 1950 at Bremerton, WA, LCDR. Walter T. Babcock in command. Korean War campaign credit: UN Summer-Fall Offensive (11-12 October 1951); Second Korean Winter (28 December 1951 - 12 January 1952); Third Korean Winter (six windows, 11 October 1952 - 28 March 1953). Named USS Lawrence County (LST-887) 1 July 1955. Decommissioned 22 March 1960; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1960; sold under the Foreign Assistance Sales Program to Indonesia and renamed Tandjung Nusanive (LST-1); final disposition: deleted from the Indonesian Naval Register in 1974, fate unknown. Earned one battle star for WWII and three for Korean War service. Specification block: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full load / 2,366 t beaching; 328' o.a. x 50'; speed 11.6 kts trial; endurance 24,000 miles at 9 kts; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; boats 2 LCVP; armament (ultimate design) 2 twin 40mm w/Mk 51 directors, 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; propulsion two General Motors 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230V D.C. ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders - a diesel plant with no boilers. CO roster: LT. Chandler O. Loring USCGR (Nov 1944 - Nov 1945); LT. Robert A. Orr USCGR (Nov 1945 - Apr 1946); LTjg. Thomas T. Makielski USNR (Apr - Jul 1946); LCDR. Walter T. Babcock (Nov 1950 - Aug 1952); LT. Harvey Edgar Spoerl Jr. USN (Aug 1952 - Jul 1954); LT. John Jacob Weigel (Jul 1954 - Aug 1956); LT. Guy Morton Neely Jr. (Aug 1956 - 1958); LT. William Renwick Smedberg IV (1958 - Mar 1960).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Ship's company ~117 (13 officers/104 enlisted spec) plus embarked troops up to ~163; WWII crew U.S. Coast Guard; Indonesian Navy crews 1960-1974
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with DANFS where they overlap and adds the USCG-manning flag, unit assignments, campaign windows, spec block, CO roster, strike date (1 November 1960), and the Indonesian transfer/disposal line. Spec data are equipment descriptions only - no asbestos content stated or implied. 'Fate unknown' after the 1974 register deletion leaves the hull's terminal disposal undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-02
-
[4]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (digitized-log index page) - 'Lawrence County (LST-887)' heading (collapsepanel_80788) carries correct commission/decommission dates (November 1944 / July 1946) but its linked 1968 file units resolve to a different hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online index (LST section, collapsepanel_80788); catalog.archives.gov/id/182642906 (= Limpkin MSC-195, January 1968)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's online deck-log index displays a 'Lawrence County (LST-887)' heading, but the nine linked 1968 file units (January - September) resolve in the National Archives Catalog to 'Limpkin (MSC-195) - January 1968' and sister months - an indexing error on the index page, not LST-887 records (this hull was in Indonesian service by 1968). No genuine digitized deck logs for LST-887 were located in the index; the hull's logbooks (commissioned November 1944 - July 1946 and November 1950 - March 1960) exist physically in RG 24, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, at the National Archives, un-digitized.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Wartime and Korean-era ship's company (records exist physically, un-digitized)
- Limitations
- Archival lead, not an asbestos finding: deck logs document operations and personnel, not materials, and none were retrieved. Physical NARA holdings for this specific hull were not confirmed item-by-item this pass; the statement reflects the index's documented (mis-linked) content and the ship's commission windows. The MSC-195 mislink was verified by opening linked catalog NAID 182642906 (live, 2026-10-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-03
-
[5]'History of the Dravo Shipyard During World War II, 1945' - excerpted on ExplorePAhistory.com from 'The Dravo Corporation,' Men and Women of Wartime Pittsburgh and Environs: A War Production Epic (Pittsburgh: Frank C. Harper, 1945), 103-113 [other_primary]
- Locator
- explorepahistory.com odocument docId=1-4-189 (live 2026-10-03), full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Period (1945) history of the builder yard that constructed this hull: Dravo's Neville Island plant pioneered welded assembly-line shipbuilding (shop-built preassemblies, transfer carriages moving hulls across land to launching ways); the Bureau of Ships examined the method in 1940 and modeled other contractors' facilities on it; the original LST award was for 60 ships; ground for the East Yard broke 4 February 1942; Dravo's first LST - LST No. 1, launched from the West Yard on Labor Day 1942 - was the Navy's first of the type; the workforce grew from a peacetime 1,000-1,500 to between 14,000 and 16,000 by early 1944 (16% female), with a Wilmington, Delaware sister yard of 8,000-10,000; the yard was believed to be the largest single LST producer. LST-887 was built at this yard during the peak-production year (laid down August 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island yard workforce (14,000-16,000, early 1944)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context, not a hull record: establishes the construction environment (mass wartime production, assembly-line welding, peak workforce) but contains no asbestos or materials statement and does not document LST-887 individually. Corporate-published wartime history - production claims ('largest single producer') are the company's own framing; production totals are approximate by the source's own admission.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-04
-
[6]Corn JK, Starr J. 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding.' Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Am J Ind Med 12(4):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700120402
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that WWII-era U.S. shipyards extensively installed asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and gaskets in naval construction - the era and program under which this hull was built (late 1944, wartime mass production at an inland emergency-era yard). For a diesel-powered LST with no boilers, the era-relevant applications concentrate in diesel exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. Documented disturbance events aboard this hull - 1946 inactivation (Vancouver, WA), 1950 reserve-fleet reactivation (Bremerton, WA), a post-Korea overhaul (early 1954), and 1960 inactivation and foreign sale - each lack any materials disclosure; the post-1974 disposal under the Indonesian flag is undocumented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (study scope); applied 1944-1974
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers (Dravo Neville Island, 1944); USCG wartime crew; Navy crews 1950-1960; inactivation/reactivation/overhaul yard workers (1946, 1950, 1954, 1960); Indonesian Navy crews (1960-1974); unknown disposal workers post-1974
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarship plus class/type inference; the source does not name this hull or class and does not establish that any specific material aboard this ship contained asbestos. No ship-specific product is verified; the diesel plant (no boilers) narrows the exposure-relevant scope relative to steam vessels.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2 product page
- 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 in 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. These policies postdate this hull's U.S. naval service by fifteen to twenty years (finally decommissioned 1960; stricken 1 November 1960; sold foreign December 1960) and never governed it; the row is carried for era framing only - the Navy's own acknowledgment that asbestos insulation remained in place on its hulls for decades describes the environment in which this ship was built, though her U.S. career ended long before the policy existed and her final decade-plus was under the Indonesian flag.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period); hull context 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Program-level document; fieldwork yards were other locations, and this hull was foreign-owned throughout the policy period. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-10-03 (standing limitation across batches); product-page description used - full text not retrieved. No ship-specific content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-06
-
[8]Batch-7430 search ledger (this record): live DANFS/NHHC page; NavSource 160887; NARA deck-log index + catalog spot-check; ExplorePAhistory Dravo document; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener API v4; palosverdes.com/lst887 veteran site; shipyards.json; class profile lst-1-class [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-01 through sl-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LST-887 / Lawrence County / Tandjung Nusanive was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). SCOPE NOTE: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper reported a server-requested ~8.4-hour wait on 2026-10-03 (shared daily quota spent), so the hull-specific litigation sweep is logged blocked, not negative. At class level, the prior LST-class CourtListener sweep (class profile lst-1-class) located no asbestos docket naming a specific LST hull; its only document-level hit was an incidental reunion-listing mention of USS LST-579 inside a scanned compilation filed in Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton, S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771 - not an exposure record and not this hull. Web-index searches over the ship's names surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard WWII Navy ships generally - 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 - a 1944-built LST is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, the hull served the Indonesian Navy 1960-1974 with undocumented material condition, and its post-1974 disposal occurred under foreign jurisdiction with no U.S. hazmat-disclosure trail. The CourtListener block means the litigation surface for this hull specifically was NOT swept this session; the class-level negative is prior-batch documentation, not a fresh query. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lawrence-county-lst887-07