Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[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-lee-county-lst888-pkt-740-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'LST-888' entry - live history.navy.mil page returned HTTP 404 at research time (standing NHHC link-rot defect); cited via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (abbreviated entry) and hazegray.org DANFS transcription via Wayback capture 2025-03-25 (full narrative text) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture of NHHC DANFS lst-888 page; full-text transcription https://web.archive.org/web/20250325213142/https://www.hazegray.org/danfs/amphib/lst888.txt
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, NHHC): LST-888 laid down 11 August 1944 at Pittsburgh, PA, by Dravo Corp.; launched 14 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Richard Connell; commissioned at New Orleans, LA, 13 November 1944, Lt. Walter V. Harlin in command. After shakedown off Panama City, FL, departed New Orleans 14 December 1944 via the Panama Canal and San Diego; arrived Pearl Harbor 16 January 1945; embarked Army troops and vehicles, sailed for the Philippines 27 January; arrived Leyte Gulf via Eniwetok 25 February. Departed Leyte Gulf in convoy 19 March; reached the Kerama Retto a week later and debarked troops at Geruma Shima and Tokashiki Jima; after the 1 April Okinawa invasion, conducted supply operations out of Ie Shima, then sailed for Ulithi 29 April, arriving 5 May; spent the rest of the war on supply runs to Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Guam. Departed Saipan 14 September 1945, arrived Sasebo, Japan, 22 September; supported occupation operations on Kyushu out of Sasebo and Nagasaki for six months; sailed for the United States 11 April 1946 via Guam and Pearl Harbor; reached San Francisco 27 May; sailed to the east coast in July for limited coastal operations out of Little Creek, VA. Decommissioned at Charleston, SC, 2 September 1946; towed to Green Cove Springs, FL, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Named LEE COUNTY 1 July 1955 after counties in 12 states; approved for disposal/struck from the Navy list 21 September 1960; sold to Gulf Tampa Drydock, Inc., Tampa, FL, 18 April 1961; towed away for scrapping 11 May 1961. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Ship's company (13 officers / ~104 enlisted) plus embarked troops (up to ~16 officers / 147 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy service summary for this hull, cited from archived copies because the live NHHC URL 404s. The abbreviated NHHC entry omits the detailed itinerary present in the full transcription (hazegray); both are DANFS text. Contains no asbestos or materials information and supports no exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS Lee County (LST-888) ex USS LST-888' page 10/16/160888 - timeline, flotilla/group/division assignments, specification block, commanding-officer list, photo/artifact documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net page 160888 (verified live HTTP 200, 2026-10-03); timeline bullets, specification block, commanding officers table, image captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Lee County (LST-888) ex USS LST-888: confirms the DANFS construction and milestone dates and adds unit assignments - LST Flotilla Twenty-Five (CAPT. H.E. Richter), LST Group Seventy-Five (CDR. G.W. Stringer), LST Division One Hundred Fifty; Okinawa Gunto campaign 26 March-30 June 1945; occupation service in the Far East 20 September 1945 - 12 April 1946; 'Placed in service as a Naval Reserve training ship at Greenville, MS., 6 September 1946' followed by 'Placed out of service and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, FL., date unknown' - an interim reserve-training step the DANFS narrative does not mention. Specification block: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa x 50 ft; speed 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kt; complement 13 officers / 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers / 147 enlisted; ultimate armament design 2 twin 40mm w/ Mk.51 directors, 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; propulsion 2 x GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders, 3 x 100 kW DC diesel-driven generators. Commanding officer list (Harlin; Burney; Hasemeyer; McLauchlin, to 2 September 1946). NHHC photo NH 79577 (ship entering San Francisco Bay, early 1946) and crew-cruise-book artifacts documented.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1961 (page last updated 21 February 2020)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained transcription of official records - the canonical per-hull public reference for LSTs; details cross-check with DANFS except the Greenville, MS Naval Reserve training-ship entry, which NavSource alone carries (see gaps). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LST design table + roster (shipscribe.com scan) - class machinery data; asbestos applications are consolidated era inference from WWII amphibious-ship construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table + roster section (PDF verified live HTTP 206, 2026-10-03; note prior citation path /styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf now 404s - file relocated under /pubs/)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for the diesel-powered LST-542 design group (to which this hull belongs): Bureau of Ships Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 documents the class machinery as 2 x GM 12-567A diesels (~1,700 shp, 2 shafts, Falk reduction gears) - a diesel plant with no boilers, which narrows the steam-lagging pathway. Era-typical asbestos applications on this design: diesel engine and exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, valve and machinery packing, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, winch/crane brake linings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (construction era)
- Population
- Construction trades (Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, 1944); LST engineering/crew ratings (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation and era inference, not a hull record - the BuShips table does not name LST-888 and does not state 'asbestos' content. Asbestos presence aboard this hull is reasonable era-consistent inference, not ship-proven fact. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-03
-
[5]Corn, J.K., and Starr, J., 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987); PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; verified via PubMed esearch/esummary (PMID 3555021) 2026-10-03; DOI resolves to Wiley (HTTP 403 to automated fetch - publisher bot-block, identifier valid)
- 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 - and that wartime government policy reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding use.
- 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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-04
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[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov product page (HTTP 403 to automated fetch confirmed again 2026-10-03 - standing defect since Batch-01; product-page description used, full-text pull remains the open lead)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - i.e., original-era insulation aboard WWII-construction Navy ships typically remained in place unless a yard period disturbed it. This hull was scrapped in 1961, predating both policy actions, so the report establishes only that asbestos insulation was standard fleet-wide practice in the construction era and that routine removal was not policy during the ship's lifetime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- report 1979; policy actions 1975/1979 - both after this hull's 1961 scrapping
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and crews (program context)
- Limitations
- Navy program-level report postdating this hull's scrapping (1961); documents fleet asbestos policy and era-standard insulation use, not conditions aboard this vessel. Does not establish presence, quantity, exposure, or causation for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-05
-
[7]Batch-7431 search ledger (this record): NavSource live page; DANFS via Wayback (NHHC + hazegray captures); NVR; MARAD Vessel History Database; VA BVA decision search; secondary web sweeps; CourtListener exact-name and exact-hull requests (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lee-county-lst888-01 through sl-uss-lee-county-lst888-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-888 / Lee County was found in the public sources searched this session (see search_ledger). Scope limitation: authenticated CourtListener exact-name and exact-hull requests returned only the daily-quota stand-down (~8.4 h to reset), with no result set - so litigation status is open, not negative.
- 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 - era-consistent inference still applies, and the hull was scrapped in 1961 with no preservation-body survey obligation. CourtListener returned no result set because the quota was exhausted; this does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-06
-
[8]NavSource image/artifact captions on page 160888 (cruise book of Paul Terry; NHHC photo NH 79577); NARA RG 24 deck-log series (not digitized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource image table captions, page 160888 (verified live 2026-10-03)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Open archival leads for ship-specific detail: (1) the Paul Terry cruise book - NavSource attributes to it the launch photo, the 13 November 1944 commissioning crew photo, a handwritten voyage log covering 28 August 1944 - 14 June 1946, and two crew poems (preserved by Richard Shurtleff Reimers; contributed via Will Reimers); (2) NHHC photo NH 79577 (ship entering San Francisco Bay, early 1946); (3) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the hull's commissioned period (Nov 1944 - Sep 1946), not publicly digitized.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Artifact existence and attributions verified at NavSource, but the cruise book itself and the deck logs were not retrieved - they are unmined primary sources, potentially containing maintenance/material detail. Not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-07
-
[9]Encyclopedia of Arkansas, 'USS Lee County (LST-888)' entry (Mark K. Christ, last updated 2023-06-16) vs DANFS full transcription and NavSource - conflicts resolved toward DANFS [other_primary]
- Locator
- EoA entry text (verified live 2026-10-03); DANFS transcription via Wayback hazegray capture 2025-03-25; NavSource page 160888
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Cross-source conflicts identified and resolved in favor of DANFS/NavSource: (a) namesake - DANFS and Wikipedia state the 1955 naming honored Lee Counties in 12 states; the Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry states 'counties in five U.S. states' (12 Lee Counties exist; DANFS figure carried). (b) Ulithi departure - the full DANFS text reads 'she sailed for Ulithi the 29th' following the 1 April Okinawa invasion (i.e., 29 April), reaching Ulithi 5 May; the Encyclopedia of Arkansas prints 'May 29' (DANFS date carried). (c) hazegray DANFS header prints 'Class: LST-511' for this hull, while NavSource, the class profile, and BuShips design-group data place LST-888 in the LST-542 group (LST-542 carried). (d) final CO spelling - NavSource roster prints 'McLauchlin, Hugh C.'; the Encyclopedia of Arkansas prints 'McLaughlin' (NavSource carried).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1961; sources 2020-2025
- Limitations
- The Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a reputable state-published reference but contains the two factual errors noted; this record carries DANFS values throughout. EoA additionally places the Sasebo arrival on 22 September 1945, matching the full DANFS text. Recorded so downstream users do not re-import the errors.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lee-county-lst888-08