Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 634-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-lorain-county-lst1177-pkt-634-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Lorain County (LST-1177) - two live NHHC pages: lorain-county.html (construction, spec block, service through 1969) and lorain-countylst-1177.html (career summary, decommissioning/NDRF); verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-02 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block, both NHHC pages (lorain-county.html; lorain-countylst-1177.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'a larger, air-conditioned, and even more versatile version of the World War II Landing Ship, Tank'; laid down 9 August 1956 by the American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, Ohio; launched 22 June 1957; sponsored by Mrs. Albert D. Baumhart, Jr., wife of Congressman Baumhart of Ohio; commissioned at New Orleans 3 October 1958, Lt. Comdr. Robert E. Du Bois in command. Shakedown out of Little Creek, Va.; joined PhibRon 6 January 1959, landing exercises on Onslow Beach, N.C.; squadron departed Morehead City 31 July with Marines embarked for 6th Fleet Mediterranean deployment; returned Little Creek 10 February 1961. Yearly Caribbean Ready Squadron service; Cuban missile crisis standby fully loaded in the Caribbean 22 October - 16 December 1962; June 1965 carried a Marine heavy artillery company to Guantanamo; 1966 Aruba visit with PhibRon 4; Mediterranean deployment 30 March - 24 May 1967; Caribbean ops early 1968; overhaul at Norfolk began 24 June 1968, left the yard 2 December, refresher training into 1969. Second DANFS entry: entire 14-year active career with Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet - east-coast amphibious ops, extended Caribbean operations, regular 6th Fleet deployments; decommissioned 1 September 1972, 'assigned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Norfolk, Va.' Spec block: dp. 3,560; l. 445'; b. 62'; dr. 18'; s. 17 k.; cpl. 844; a. 6 3-inch; cl. Suffolk County (transcription mirror prints dp. 3,660 / l. 446' - see gaps; class name conflicts with NavSource/Wikipedia 'De Soto County' - see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1956-1972
- Population
- American Shipbuilding construction trades (1956-58); crew and embarked Marines (1958-72); Norfolk overhaul yard trades (1968)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history and spec block only; no asbestos or material content. The 1968 Norfolk overhaul source does not name the yard - association with Norfolk Naval Shipyard is plausible but unstated. 'NDRF at Norfolk' conflicts with the MARAD status card's James River entry of 31 Jan 1973 - see gaps. 'Cpl. 844' conflicts with NavSource complement 170 + troops 410 - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Lorain County (LST-1177) - timeline, specifications, commanding officers, awards, disposal (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161177.htm header block, specifications block, awards, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and specifications for this hull: 'LST-1171 DeSoto County Class Tank Landing Ship'; laid down 9 August 1956 at American Shipbuilding, Lorain, OH; launched 22 June 1957; commissioned USS Lorain County (LST-1177) at Naval Station New Orleans 3 October 1958, LCDR Robert E. Du Bois in command; decommissioned 1 September 1972; 'Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 23 December 1994, for lay up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis, VA' (wording conflict - see ev-06 and gaps); final disposition - scrapped October 2002 at ESCO Marine, Brownsville, TX. Specifications: displacement 3,560 t; length 445'; beam 62'; draft 18'; speed 17 kts; complement 170; troop capacity 410; armament 3 twin 3"/50 gun mounts; propulsion six diesel engines, two shafts. Awards: Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuba), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba). Call sign NVWO. Photo captions place the hull alongside USS Rankin (AKA-103) in the Caribbean 12 May 1963 and unloading at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, May 1963. Nine commanding officers listed, first LCDR Du Bois (3 Oct 1958 - 16 Sep 1959), last-dated LCDR Edwin C. Hagedorn (Jun 1970 - Jun 1972).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1956-2002
- Population
- crew and embarked Marines (1958-72)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates and figures generally track DANFS/MARAD but the '23 December 1994' transfer wording conflicts with the primary custody record (see ev-06). Contains no asbestos content. Complement 170 conflicts with DANFS 'cpl. 844' - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-02
-
[4]MARAD Vessel History Database, LORAIN COUNTY (LST-1177), vessel id 3055 - milestones plus scanned Vessel Status Cards (Forms MA-383 and MA-199) at /cards/3055_RS10392AF.jpg, /cards/3055_RS10392AB.jpg, /cards/4K7_01.png (all retrieved and read 2026-10-02) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Vessel History DB Detail/3055 milestones table; status card 3055_RS10392AF (particulars + custody events); 3055_RS10392AB (1994 return); 4K7_01.png (MA-199 operating history)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD custody/disposal record for this hull, documented on scanned status cards and the database milestones table: entered James River fleet (category 'Naval Aux. Retention') 1-31-73 at 1150 EST under custody agreement, remarks 'Navy Retention Title' (MA-383; MA-199 row: Dept. of Navy -> Maritime Admin., James River, 1-31-73, 'Custody', 'Navy Retention Title'); MA-199 second row records 'MA Fleet Custody -> Maritime Administration, James River, 7/1/74, Permanent Transfer' (legal-title timing ambiguous - see gaps). Withdrawn 5/14/87 0830 EDT 'Navy Stripping - INACTSHIP - Portsmouth'; re-entered 8/17/89 1145 EDT 'Back from INACTSHIP-PORTSMOUTH'; withdrawn 6/21/94 1045 EDT 'Going to INACTSHIP for Stripping'; arrival back 8/8/94 1600 EDT (card back). Database milestones: Entry/Acquisition 1/31/1973; Interim Movement 6/21/1994 'TO INACTSHIP FOR STRIPPING'; Interim Movement 9/13/2002 'ENRTE: Brownsville TX | Scrap contract'; Disposition/Withdrawal 2/20/2003 'Certificate of Destruction DTD 2/20/03'. Card particulars: builder 'American SB Co., Lorain, Ohio'; date built 1957 (MA-383) / 8/58 (MA-199); type 'Landing Ship Tank', design LST; light displacement 3560 tons, full load 7100 tons; LOA 445', breadth 62', draft 16.5'; handwritten '14,400 BHP'; 'Cooper Bessemer, Westinghouse Propulsion Machinery'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1973-2003
- Population
- James River Reserve Fleet custodial staff (1973-2002); Navy and INACTSHIP Portsmouth stripping crews (1987-89, 1994); ESCO Marine shipbreakers, Brownsville, TX (2002-03)
- Limitations
- Primary custody/disposal documents; no asbestos or hazardous-material annotation appears anywhere on the status cards - withdrawal reasons are Navy stripping only. Absence of a hazmat note on a custody card does not establish absence of asbestos aboard. The MA-199 'Permanent Transfer 7/1/74' vs the 'Navy Retention Title' remark and the 16 Feb 1989 stricken date leave the legal title-transfer date ambiguous - flagged in gaps. Database 'Year Built' field gives 1958 while the MA-383 card gives 1957 (built 1957, delivered/commissioned 1958).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-03
-
[5]Public Law 105-261, Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, Sec. 3605 'Conveyance of NDRF vessel ex-USS LORAIN COUNTY' (112 Stat., enacted 17 Oct 1998); earlier submitted as DeWine Amendment No. 2826 to S. 2057 (Cong. Rec. S6770 et seq., 22 Jun 1998) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PL 105-261, Sec. 3605 (112 Stat. ~2270, Title XXXVI - Maritime Administration); PDF pp. via govinfo PLAW-105publ261; companion legislative history at congress.gov S.Amdt. 2826 (DeWine) to S.2057
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- An enacted federal statute names this hull and ties asbestos to it: PL 105-261 Sec. 3605 authorized the Secretary of Transportation to convey all right, title, and interest in 'the vessel ex-USS LORAIN COUNTY (LST-1177)' to the Ohio War Memorial, Inc., of Sandusky, Ohio, for use as a memorial to Ohio veterans. As a REQUIRED CONDITION of conveyance, the recipient had to agree 'to hold the Government harmless for any claims arising from exposure to hazardous material, including asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls, after conveyance of the vessel, except for claims arising before the date of the conveyance or from use of the vessel by the Government after that date,' and to demonstrate at least $100,000 in resources for restoration. The conveyance never occurred - the hull was scrapped in 2002-03.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1998 (statute); conveyance never executed
- Population
- Ohio War Memorial, Inc. (intended recipient, never conveyed); James River Reserve Fleet custodial staff (holding period)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific federal statutory record mentioning asbestos for this hull - but it is liability-allocation boilerplate, not a materials finding: an identical hold-harmless clause appears in Sec. 3603 of the same Act for NDRF vessels BENJAMIN ISHERWOOD and HENRY ECKFORD, i.e., it is standard NDRF-conveyance language rather than a determination that this vessel contained asbestos. It documents that the federal government treated post-conveyance asbestos-exposure claims as a conveyance risk for this hull; it does not establish presence, quantity, location, or condition of ACM aboard, and the donation was never consummated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 'Ships' Status Changes,' May 1990 (Vol. 116/5/1,047) - official status-change listing for calendar 1989 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings May 1990, 'Ships' Status Changes' tables - 'Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register' (16 Feb 1989 row) and transfers to MARAD (17 Aug 1989 row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official status-change listing records for this hull: stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 16 February 1989, comment 'Trans, to foreign country by sale pending' (listed with sisters Suffolk County LST-1173 and Wood County LST-1178 on the same date and disposition); and 17 August 1989 'Lorain County (LST-1177) - Trans, to MarAd Reserve Fleet at James River, VA, for layup pending sale to foreign navy.' The anticipated foreign sale never occurred; the hull remained at James River until the 2002 scrap contract.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1989
- Population
- INACTSHIP Portsmouth stripping crews (1987-89)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific status records as published by USNI Proceedings (a professional journal carrying the official Navy status-change list); matches the MARAD status card's 8/17/89 re-entry 'Back from INACTSHIP-PORTSMOUTH.' Establishes stricken date and intended foreign-transfer disposition; no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-05
-
[7]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - Lorain County (LST-1177) entry: 'Commission: October 1958, Decommission: September 1972'; digitized monthly logs linked October 1958 through December 1970 (verified live 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online, 'Lorain County (LST-1177)' collapse panel (#collapsepanel_80824)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds publicly digitized deck logs for this hull covering every month from October 1958 (commissioning) through December 1970 - approximately 147 monthly file units in the catalog series (sample NAIDs: 296912927 Oct 1958, 181846227 Dec 1959, 218430363 Dec 1960, 216784878 Dec 1961, 217178574 Dec 1962, 181847681 Dec 1964, 215725308 Dec 1966, 182633623 Dec 1967, 213619027 Dec 1968, 215726118 Dec 1969, 219182775 Dec 1970). Deck logs can contain shipyard-availability, maintenance, and repair entries relevant to material work aboard; they are the primary ship-specific lead for this hull's work history - including the 1968 Norfolk overhaul window (Jun-Dec 1968 logs digitized).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1958-1970 (coverage)
- Population
- crew (1958-70)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the logs were located in the digitized index but not reviewed line-by-line for this record; deck logs do not normally itemize insulation materials or asbestos abatement. No digitized logs for 1971 - September 1972 appear in the index (coverage ends December 1970). Log existence does not establish any asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-06
-
[8]Custody-date correction: MARAD status cards (Forms MA-383/MA-199, ev-03) and USNI Proceedings 1989 status list (ev-05) vs. NavSource 10/16/161177.htm 'Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 23 December 1994' and NavalCoverMuseum 'Laid up 23 December 1994' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource header block; MARAD cards 3055_RS10392AF / 4K7_01.png; USNI May 1990 status tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary compilations describe the hull as 'Transferred to the Maritime Administration, 23 December 1994' (NavSource; echoed by Wikipedia and NavalCoverMuseum's 'Laid up 23 December 1994'). The primary custody record shows she was in continuous MARAD custody at James River from 31 January 1973, with a 'Permanent Transfer' notation dated 1 July 1974, two Navy-stripping withdrawal/re-entry cycles (5/14/87-8/17/89; 6/21/94-8/8/94), stricken from the NVR 16 February 1989, and transferred back to the James River Reserve Fleet 17 August 1989 pending foreign sale. The 23 December 1994 date is at most a re-layup/administrative date following the 1994 INACTSHIP stripping cycle - not the date she 'transferred to MARAD.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1973-1994
- Limitations
- Corrects misleading secondary wording using the primary custody documents; the MA-199 'Permanent Transfer 7/1/74' notation vs. the 'Navy Retention Title' remark and the 1989 stricken date leaves the precise legal title-transfer date unresolved - carried as a gap rather than asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and NavSource specifications (De Soto County-class diesel LST, six Cooper Bessemer diesels + Westinghouse machinery, 2 shafts, ~14,400 BHP); shipyard-exposure-map yard dataset (American Shipbuilding Lorain NOT a dataset entry); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-09); Fleischer et al. 1946 (see ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource 10/16/161177 specifications; MARAD card propulsion line; shipyards.json yard list (37 ids - no Lorain yard)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered tank landing ship built 1956-58 at a commercial Great Lakes yard for the U.S. Navy sits inside the documented asbestos-use era of American naval shipbuilding; era-standard applications aboard a ship of this type and period were thermal insulation and pipe covering on hot piping, machinery and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, and electrical insulation, concentrated in machinery spaces and along piping runs. As a diesel ship she carried no steam 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
- 1956-2003
- Population
- American Shipbuilding construction trades (1956-58); crew and embarked Marines (1958-72); Norfolk overhaul yard trades (1968); INACTSHIP Portsmouth stripping crews (1987-89, 1994); ESCO Marine shipbreakers (2002-03)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-1177. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. The 1956-58 construction window postdates the wartime peak documented in Fleischer 1946 but precedes the Navy's early-1970s material substitution documented in GAO HRD-80-2. Builder yard (American Shipbuilding, Lorain OH) has no Atlas yard dataset entry and no located NIOSH/OSHA yard-level asbestos survey - the yard-level analog used for sister hulls is unavailable here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-08
-
[10]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 entire construction (1956-58) and active-service era (1958-72).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description; same standing defect as BATCH-01/BATCH-98/6661.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-09
-
[11]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28 (1946) - via ToxicDocs scan; contested status per Chemical & Engineering News, '80-year-old US Navy asbestos study faces call for retraction' (8 Jul 2026) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Fleischer et al. 1946, introduction and yard descriptions (yards anonymized A-D); C&EN article verified live 2026-10-02
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A U.S. Navy physician and Harvard researchers surveyed pipe-covering (insulation) operations during wartime naval-vessel construction at four yards - anonymized as 'two Government Navy Yards, A and B, and ... two Navy Contract Yards, C and D.' The survey documents amosite-asbestos pipe covering in naval work (weighing ~14 lb/cu ft, temperature limit 750 deg F, 'a later development in late [wartime construction]'), dry mixing and cutting operations producing asbestos dust, absence of exhaust ventilation for aboard-ship work, and that no asbestos workers were found wearing respirators. It is the era's own documentation that insulating naval vessels with asbestos was standard practice in Navy yards - the practice environment into which this hull's 1956-58 construction at American Shipbuilding Lorain falls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- circa 1943-1946
- Population
- pipe coverers/insulators at two Navy yards and two contract yards (wartime)
- Limitations
- Era documentation only: the yards are anonymized (A/B/C/D) and American Shipbuilding Lorain is NOT identifiable as a surveyed yard from the paper itself - this row cannot be cited as a Lorain-specific finding. The study predates this hull's construction by ~10 years and famously concluded pipe covering was 'not a dangerous occupation' - a conclusion now contested (Kelly critique, New Solutions 2026, calling for retraction; C&EN 8 Jul 2026). Cited for what the Navy yards were doing, not for its safety conclusion. Scanned copy hosted by toxicdocs.org (document archive); text extraction is OCR-imperfect.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-10
-
[12]Batch-6665 search ledger (this record): DANFS live pages x2; NavSource; MARAD Vessel History DB + 3 scanned status cards; PL 105-261 full text + congress.gov legislative record; USNI Proceedings May 1990 status list; NARA digitized-deck-logs index; NavalCoverMuseum; CourtListener (name and hull, opinions and dockets - 5 queries completed); secondary web litigation sweep; NIOSH search; NVR; GAO product page; Fleischer 1946 scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos MATERIALS record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Lorain County (LST-1177) was found in the public sources searched. The only ship-specific document tying asbestos to this hull is statutory boilerplate (PL 105-261 Sec. 3605, ev-04). CourtListener swept at both indexes this session (authenticated API v4): 'USS Lorain County' opinions returned 19 hits and 'LST-1177' opinions returned 32 hits - all name collisions or token noise (Lorain County, Ohio, court venues; 'USS' corporate acronyms such as USS Great Lakes Fleet; docket-number/OCR artifacts). 'USS Lorain County' dockets returned 166 hits and 'LST-1177' dockets returned 1,282 hits - all collisions/token noise on review. ONE UNRESOLVED Docket ANOMALY: the combined query '"Lorain County" "LST-1177"' returned exactly one hit - the IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI) master docket (MDL-875); RECAP docket search returns no document-level snippets, so whether a filing inside MDL-875 names this vessel or the match is a cross-document token collision could not be inspected - carried as an unverified lead in gaps, NOT qualifying litigation. MARAD status cards carry no hazardous-material annotation across 1973-2003 custody. Secondary web sweeps surfaced a Facebook veteran post claiming asbestos-related disability from 1966-69 service aboard (anecdotal, excluded by source policy) and law-firm listicles - excluded.
- 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 1956-58 diesel amphibious hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and gasketing. The MDL-875 docket-index match is unresolved (a plaintiff filing could name the hull; the same strings could also appear across unrelated documents in the mega-docket - document-level pull not performed). CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive of state-court records, settled MDL-875 claimant submissions, or unindexed filings. Digitized deck logs Oct 1958-Dec 1970, American Shipbuilding Lorain work packages, the 1968 Norfolk overhaul records, INACTSHIP stripping records, and the 2002-03 ESCO scrapping file are unfollowed leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lorain-county-lst1177-11