Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 609-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LST-482 | Hull: LST-482 | Designation: LST, later LST(H)-482 | Class: LST-1 class
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lst-h-482-lsth482-pkt-609-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-482 (single entry covers LST-482 / LST(H)-482 / Branch County): laid down 14 September 1942 at Richmond, Calif., by Kaiser, Inc.; launched 17 December 1942; commissioned 20 March 1943, Lt. R. L. Eddy, USNR, in command; Asiatic-Pacific theater operations (Gilbert Islands Nov-Dec 1943; Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls Jan-Feb 1944; Hollandia Apr 1944; Guam Jul 1944; Leyte Oct 1944; Lingayen Gulf Jan 1945); redesignated LSTH-482 15 September 1945; occupation duty Nov-Dec 1945; decommissioned 23 February 1946; redesignated LST-482 6 March 1952; named Branch County (LST-482) 1 July 1955 after a county in Michigan; stricken 11 August 1955; sunk by naval gunfire and submarine-launched torpedoes in an exercise off San Diego in early March 1956; six battle stars [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, L index, 'LST-482' - full entry text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS history of the hull: construction at Kaiser Richmond, WWII Pacific operations list, all redesignations (LSTH-482 on 1945-09-15; back to LST-482 on 1952-03-06; named Branch County 1955-07-01), striking on 1955-08-11, and target sinking off San Diego in early March 1956.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Crew (Lt. R. L. Eddy, USNR, first commanding officer, per DANFS)
- Limitations
- Establishes the hull's documented service history and designations only; contains no asbestos content and does not address materials aboard. Live-verified 2026-10-02 via browser-agent fetch (HTTP 200); bare curl to history.navy.mil returns a filtering 404 - the page is live. NavSource gives the LST-482 redesignation as 11 March 1952 vs DANFS 6 March 1952 - conflict logged in gaps; DANFS carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-01
-
[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official wartime organization document transcribed by NHHC) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Landing Ships Tanks section, LST Flotilla Three / LST Group 7 / LST Division 13 roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary-source fleet organization listing places LST-482, Lt. (jg) J. N. Williams (USNR) commanding, in LST Division 13, LST Group 7 (ComLSTGrp 7 Lt. Cdr. J. L. Harlan (D) / Lt. Cdr. E. B. Garriguse (R)), LST Flotilla Three (Comdr. A. A. Ageton) of the Pacific Fleet amphibious force as of 1 May 1945 - corroborating the NavSource flotilla assignment and commanding-officer listing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Ship's company under Lt. (jg) J. N. Williams, USNR, May 1945
- Limitations
- Establishes organizational assignment and commanding officer as of 1 May 1945 only; no asbestos or material content. Live-verified 2026-10-02 via browser-agent fetch; bare curl returns a filtering 404 - the page is live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-02
-
[4]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Branch County (LST-482) ex USS LST(H)-482 ex USS LST-482 (10/16/160482) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, file 10/16/160482 - timeline block, spec block, CO table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource ship file documents: LST-1-class tank landing ship; flotilla assignment (LST Flotilla Three, CDR A. A. Ageton; LST Group Seven, LCDR E. B. Garrigures; LST Division Thirteen); campaign date ranges; LST(H)-482 redesignation 15 September 1945; occupation service 20 November - 27 December 1945; decommissioning 23 February 1946 and transfer to COMNAVFE SCAJAP as Q072; reserve-fleet lay-up; redesignated LST-482 11 March 1952; named Branch County 1 July 1955; stricken 11 August 1955; sunk as target March 1956; five-name commanding-officer list; LST-1-class spec block (complement 13 officers/104 enlisted; 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk reduction gear, 1,700 shp); and dated photo record (Mare Island Navy Yard 20-24 March 1943 fitting/certification visit; ramp lowering at Makin Island 29 November 1943; as SCAJAP Q072 with repatriated Okinawans at Brown Beach, Okinawa, circa August-December 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Wartime crew; embarked troops; repatriated Okinawan passengers aboard SCAJAP Q072 (1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archive citing official photographs (US Navy NH 99196; US Army Air Corps 63238 A.C.) and deck-log-derived timelines; its spec block is class-standard, not hull-specific, and its 11 March 1952 redesignation date conflicts with DANFS (6 March 1952 - DANFS carried, conflict in gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-03
-
[5]ShipbuildingHistory (T. Colton), 'Kaiser Permanente No. 4, Richmond CA' yard production list: LST-482 = Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 hull 37, USMC type S3-M-K2, MC hull 1002; laid 14-Sep-42, launched 17-Dec-42, delivered 20-Mar-43; 'later Branch County, sunk as target 1956' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Kaiser Richmond No. 4 yard table, row 37 (LST-482)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder's-yard production record corroborating the DANFS construction dates and identifying the hull as Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 hull number 37 built under Maritime Commission contract as MC hull 1002 (type S3-M-K2).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 construction workforce (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Independent compiled yard-production table, not a government record; agrees with DANFS on dates. Documents construction contract/hull identity only - no material content. yard-record level for asbestos purposes: the yard's wartime materials documentation lives in RG 19 correspondence, not this table.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-04
-
[6]'History of USS LST-481' - post-war compiled ship history drawn from the ship's deck log and participant recollection (HyperWar/ibiblio USN ships series) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio HyperWar USN/ships/LST/LST-481-history.html - mentions of 'LST 482' throughout the 1943-44 sections; West Loch aftermath entry of 17 August 1944
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A sister-ship history compiled from deck-log entries names LST-482 repeatedly in company: one of 15 LSTs in the Kiska (Aleutians) operation (1943) - a service period the DANFS operations list for LST-482 does not carry; convoy Port Hueneme and Pearl Harbor moorings October-November 1943; detached to Majuro Atoll 29-30 January 1944 during the Marshalls operation; tactical group under LST-481 for Lae/Aitape (Hollandia-phase) April 1944; alongside at Eniwetok 12 July 1944 transferring a spare bow anchor; and (qualified as 'possibly 482') anchored off the Orote Peninsula beachhead during Guam, July 1944. The same log shows LST-481 itself first returning to Pearl Harbor on 17 August 1944 - after the 21 May 1944 West Loch disaster - consistent with (though not proving) the flotilla's absence from West Loch during the explosions.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-08 to 1944-08
- Population
- LST-482 ship's company during Kiska, Marshalls, Hollandia/Aitape, Guam phases
- Limitations
- Post-war narrative compiled from another ship's deck log and recollection - not a contemporaneous official record for hull 482 and not DANFS; used for corroborating operational detail only (it does not place LST-482 at West Loch). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-05
-
[7]Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, vol. 110 no. 5 (May 2025), 'US Navy Surgical Teams Fight to Save Lives on WWII Amphibious Warships' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- FACS Bulletin May 2025, LST-464 / 'Patient Movement' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documents the LST(H) concept this hull carried under its 1945-09-15 redesignation: from 1943 the Navy adapted LSTs into designated medical ships fitted with hospital bunk beds, operating room, sterilizing room, dental office, laboratory, and x-ray facilities, staffed by medical officers and hospital corpsmen for far-forward casualty care and evacuation (e.g., LST(H)-464); gray-hulled LST(H)s retained armament and were not protected hospital ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (type); this hull's (H) period 1945-1952
- Population
- LST(H) medical staff and casualties (type-level, not this hull)
- Limitations
- Class/program-level context - the article describes LST(H)-464 and the type, never names this hull, and does not establish what medical conversion work was performed aboard LST-482 or where. DANFS dates this hull's (H) redesignation to 15 September 1945, after the war's end; her documented (H)-era service was occupation duty and SCAJAP repatriation runs, not casualty evacuation in combat.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource LST-1-class spec block (2 x GM/EMD 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear - diesel plant, no steam propulsion); GAO HRD-80-2 documentation of Navy-wide asbestos insulation practice in the era; NARA asbestos research guide (RG 19 Bureau of Ships hull-code correspondence and S39 'Insulation and Lagging'/S48 'Piping' hull drawings are the ship-specific pathway) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Composite: NavSource 160482 spec block; GAO HRD-80-2; NARA guided-topics asbestos page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- LST-1-class tank landing ships of 1942 construction had no boilers or steam propulsion; the asbestos-relevant systems aboard this type were era-standard for a WWII diesel amphibious hull: thermal insulation and lagging on diesel exhaust/muffler runs, machinery and valve gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and bulkhead/overhead insulating panels in accommodation and (for the (H) conversion) medical spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 4 construction trades (1942-43); wartime crew; SCAJAP-era crew; target-preparation crews (1955-56)
- Limitations
- Design/era-level inference only - no survey, plan, or yard record for this hull was located; the list reflects type-typical applications, not documented installations aboard LST-482. Does not establish quantity, condition, or individual exposure. The SCAJAP Japanese-manned period (1946+) is undocumented for materials as well.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and the extent of asbestos insulation use in naval vessels and shipyards of the construction era covering this hull - program-level context for the class-era inference above.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (survey); construction era referenced
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; does not name LST-482 or LST-type vessels. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing access gap); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-08
-
[10]EPA CERCLA site record: 'Kaiser Alum & Chem Co Shipyard #2', Richmond, CA (EPA ID CAD980637557) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- EPA CERCLA site page, ID CAD980637557
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder complex - Kaiser's Richmond, CA shipyard operation - is a federally assessed former shipyard property (CERCLA record for the Kaiser Richmond yard parcel). The Atlas yard registry (shipyards.json 'kaiser-shipyards', evidence tier 3) carries documented asbestos products for the Kaiser Richmond wartime yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1940s (operations); CERCLA assessment era
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond wartime shipyard workforce (site-level)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental context only: the CERCLA record covers the Kaiser 'Shipyard #2' parcel, not specifically Yard No. 4 where this hull was built, and asbestos is not listed as the primary contaminant in the CERCLA record itself. The companion California DTSC 'Kaiser Richmond Shipyard' project page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch - access gap, content not reviewed. Nothing here documents materials aboard LST-482.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-09
-
[11]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (official research guide) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided-topics asbestos page - RG 19 correspondence series list; Cartographic Branch S-code section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official guide identifies the ship-specific documentation path not yet executed for this hull: RG 19 Bureau of Ships general/confidential correspondence filed under hull designation 'LST482' (and class/type correspondence), plus Cartographic Branch hull-series engineering drawings - most relevantly S39 'Insulation and Lagging' and S48 'Piping'; and RG 24 deck logs to date yard periods. The guide notes deck logs and muster rolls do not themselves state asbestos content.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- guide current as accessed 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Research-path documentation only - no ship-specific record was pulled; the lead is open. Deck logs for this hull are not in the NARA digitized list (series 594258 search, this session); WWII-era logs reside at Archives II, College Park per NARA guidance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-10
-
[12]Batch-6472 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + NHHC fleet-organization document; NavSource ship file; Kaiser Richmond production table; sister-ship deck-log history; NARA catalog series 594258; NVR; EPA CERCLA; CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lst-h-482-01 through sl-uss-lst-h-482-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming LST-482/LST(H)-482/Branch County was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-phrase 'LST-482' returned zero opinions and zero dockets; 'Branch County' asbestos/Navy queries returned only Michigan-county name collisions (e.g., the Cello-Foil CERCLA case); the LST(H)-482/LSTH-482 variant query was fleet-throttled at session end and is logged blocked, not negative.
- 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 - the hull's 1942 Kaiser construction is era-consistent with the documented Navy insulation practice, and no hull-level survey has been performed or located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lst-h-482-11