Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet 742-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lyon-county-lst904-pkt-742-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS entries for this hull: NHHC 'LST-904' entry (archived copy - live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-03; Wayback capture 2025-12-09) + DANFS Vol. 4 (1969) p.174 'LYON COUNTY' full entry (verbatim transcription, losthistory.net/hazegray mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. 4 p.174 LYON COUNTY entry (full text); NHHC LST-904 entry paragraphs 1-3 + battle-star line; spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents for this hull: laid down as LST-904 by Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa., 12 November 1944; launched 23 December 1944; sponsored by Miss Betty McCallen; commissioned at New Orleans, La., 25 January 1945, Lt. James L. Randles, Jr., in command. Shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico; departed New Orleans 1 March; Pearl Harbor 2 April; convoy 16 April via Eniwetok and Guam to Saipan (12 May); embarked Army Signal Corps troops and equipment; steamed to the Ryukyu Islands 12 June, reaching Okinawa the 18th; beached at Ie Shima 23-28 June; Hagushi cargo operations; embarked marines for transfer to the Marianas; Guam 16 July; Saipan availability; Iwo Jima 30 July-2 August (steel pilings); Okinawa 29 August, discharging cargo 4 September; carried men of the Fifth Air Force to Yokohama 29 September-4 October; Philippines trip 12 October-8 November transporting occupation troops to Japan; Japanese coast Aomori to Yokohama until 7 December; Saipan 13 December; via Guam to Pearl Harbor (21 January 1946); LCT-1458 embarked on main deck, departed for San Francisco 29 January; west coast operations until 10 July when placed in commission in reserve with the 19th Fleet; decommissioned 15 November 1946 into the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River. Named LYON COUNTY 1 July 1955 after counties in Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Nevada. 'On 20 October 1958 the Secretary of the Navy recommended that she be used as a target to destruction. Her name was struck from the Naval Register 1 November. Towed to Bremerton, Wash., 31 December, her hulk was sunk in 1,280 fathoms off the coast of Washington 13 May 1959 by torpedoes fired from submarine CAPITAINE (SS-336).' One battle star for World War II service. Spec block: dp. 1,625 t.; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 14'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 119; a. 8 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl. LST-511.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1959 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); embarked troops (1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-03; citation is the archived Wayback copy of the NHHC short entry plus the verbatim Vol. 4 transcription on the losthistory.net hazegray mirror (hazegray.org itself fails DNS). The DANFS spec block prints class 'LST-511' where NavSource and modern references use LST-542 - a class-designation notation conflict carried in gaps, not adjudicated here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Lyon County (LST-904) ex USS LST-904 (page verified live on navsource.net 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160904.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer roster, photo captions (NH 79580)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents for this hull: 542-Class Tank Landing Ship; laid down 12 November 1944 at Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; launched 23 December 1944; commissioned USS LST-904 25 January 1945, LT. James L. Randles, Jr. USNR in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LST Flotilla Thirty-Two (CAPT. D. J. Sweeny), LST Group Ninety-Five (CDR. J. Capponi USNR), LST Division One Hundred Eighty-Nine; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign credit 'Okinawa Gunto operation - Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 to 30 June 1945'; Occupation service in the Far East 2 September to 8 December 1945; 'Decommissioned, 1 December 1946'; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; renamed USS Lyon County (LST-904) 1 July 1955; 'Designated as a target, 20 October 1958'; 'Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1958'; one battle star for WWII; final disposition 'sunk in 1,280 fathoms off the coast of Washington, 13 May 1959, by USS Capitaine (SS-336)'. Specifications: 1,625 t. light / 4,080 t. full; 328 ft o.a.; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kts trial; 13 officers/104 enlisted; troop accommodations 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; armament 2 twin 40mm + 4 single 40mm + 12 single 20mm; two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100 kW 230 V D.C. ship's-service generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; diesel fuel 4,300 bbls; call sign NJRR. CO roster: LT. James L. Randles Jr. USNR (25 Jan 1945-24 Oct 1945), LTjg. Robert R. Hershberger USNR (24 Oct 1945-Mar 1946), LTjg. George A. Waldo Jr. USN (Mar 1946-1 Dec 1946). Photo captions document the hull underway on the Ohio River en route to New Orleans fitting-out (Jan-Feb 1945) and homeward bound entering San Francisco Bay 1946 with LCT(6)-1458 aboard (NHHC photo NH 79580).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-46); embarked troops and passengers (1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation consistent with NVR/DANFS milestones, not a primary registry. Its 'Decommissioned, 1 December 1946' conflicts with DANFS's 15 November 1946 - the 1 December date coincides with the last CO's roster end, a probable conflation; DANFS date carried (see gaps). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Colton), 'Landing Ships Tank (3/4)' - LST-904 build/disposition row; Dravo Corporation yard page (secondary compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- lstpart3.htm LST-904 table row; dravoboats yard page narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary registry row for this hull: LST-904, Dravo Corp., Pittsburgh PA, laid 12 Nov 1944, launched 23 Dec 1944, commissioned 25 Jan 1945 (41 days on the ways, 33 fitting-out, 74 total); disposition note 'to China 1946, Lyon County'. The Dravo yard page documents the builder: Dravo's Neville Island shipyard, Pittsburgh, started 1919; activated by the Navy for WWII to build LSTs with a $12 million investment; post-war ship scrapping facility for a few years, then returned to building inland river barges and towboats; closed 1983.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation, not a primary record. The 'to China 1946' disposition note contradicts the DANFS-documented continuous U.S. custody of this hull (Pacific Reserve Fleet 1946, renamed 1955, sunk as a U.S. target 1959) - it is reported, not verified, and carried only as a flagged secondary claim (see correction row and gaps). Build-pace figures (41/33/74 days) are consistent with the DANFS dates. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: DANFS/NavSource build record (built Nov 1944-Jan 1945, Dravo Corp. Neville Island, Pittsburgh - a wartime inland 'cornfield' LST yard activated by the Navy for LST construction); NavSource specifications (two GM 12-567A diesels, no boilers); LST-1/491/542 design-series class profile (BuShips SD-1945 v2 LST-542 group, hull block 542-931); GAO HRD-80-2 era framing for Navy asbestos insulation use [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; class-f lst-1-class.class.json (LST-542 group entry); DANFS/NavSource build record
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built at a wartime yard during the period when federal asbestos supply was reserved for shipbuilding sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard an LST of this type and period: diesel-exhaust and engine-room lagging, machinery and pipe gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings, accommodation and magazine insulation, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The diesel plant (no steam plant, no boilers) removes the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway that dominates exposure narratives on steam vessels; residual steam services (evaporator, heating), if fitted, would carry limited lagging but are undocumented for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1959
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944-45); crew including engine-room ratings (1945-46); reserve-fleet lay-up maintenance (1946-58); target-handling/tow crews (1958-59)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder specification located for LST-904. Names era-standard applications for the type, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity and no manufacturer attribution. The diesel propulsion narrows but does not eliminate the era pathway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-04
-
[6]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 (1944-45) and service/reserve era (1945-59).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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 - standing defect since Batch-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-05
-
[7]Cross-source check: DANFS disposition text ('struck from the Naval Register 1 November [1958]. Towed to Bremerton, Wash., 31 December') vs Wikipedia infobox, shipbuildinghistory disposition note, USNI photo caption, and NavSource decommission date [other_primary]
- Locator
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LST-904 infobox vs article text; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lstpart3.htm LST-904 row; photos.usni.org/content/1240206jpg caption; NavSource 10/16/160904.htm timeline
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary sources circulate three misstatements about this hull's disposition and one date conflict. (a) The Wikipedia infobox prints 'Stricken 31 December 1958' - the article's own text and DANFS both show she was struck 1 November 1958 and 31 December was the tow-to-Bremerton date; the infobox conflates them. (b) shipbuildinghistory's disposition note 'to China 1946' contradicts the DANFS-documented continuous U.S. custody (Pacific Reserve Fleet 1946, renamed Lyon County 1955, struck 1958, sunk as a U.S. target 1959); several adjacent Dravo hulls carried genuine post-war China service notes, making a row-level misassignment plausible - reported, not adopted. (c) The USNI Photo Archive caption styles the hull 'USS Lyon County (LST-904), circa WWII' - anachronistic; she was the unnamed LST-904 until 1 July 1955. (d) NavSource carries 'Decommissioned, 1 December 1946' against DANFS's 15 November 1946; the 1 December date coincides with the last commanding officer's roster end - probable conflation; DANFS date carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946-1959 (dates at issue)
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating secondary-source errors, not a material claim. The underlying dates rest on DANFS (primary); shipbuildinghistory and Wikipedia are secondary compilations used only to document the conflicts. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-06
-
[8]U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive, 'US Navy Landing Ship Tank USS Lyon County (LST-904), circa WWII' (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- photos.usni.org/content/1240206jpg caption; NavSource 10/16/160904.htm NH 79580 caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive holds a digitized photograph captioned 'US Navy Landing Ship Tank USS Lyon County (LST-904), circa WWII' - a museum-archive lead confirming the name/hull association in a maintained photographic collection. A second ship-image source: NavSource displays NHHC photo NH 79580 of this hull entering San Francisco Bay in 1946 with LCT(6)-1458 aboard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- circa 1945-1946 (image dates)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: a photograph confirms the hull's existence and archive-held imagery, not any work, material, or condition record. The 'circa WWII' caption is anachronistic (named 1955 - see correction row). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-07
-
[9]Batch-7447 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback 2025-12-09 + hazegray Vol. 4 transcription); NavSource LST-904 page; shipbuildinghistory registry row + Dravo yard page; NVR (pre-1987 disposal excluded); MARAD vesselhistory; NARA catalog (JS-blocked); USNI photo archive; NIOSH/OSTI Dravo yard surveys (reviewed, no asbestos content); CourtListener (blocked - fleet daily quota); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lyon-county-lst904-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LST-904 / USS Lyon County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - API returned HTTP 429 (fleet-shared daily quota exhausted, ~8.1 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. 'Lyon County' is a documented high-collision name (counties in five states appear frequently as litigants) requiring careful classification when searched. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is a law-firm marketing listicle (gorilaw.com) making class-level claims about other LST hulls - excluded by source policy. Two NIOSH industrial-hygiene surveys of the Dravo Neville Island yard exist (1979 walk-through, 1981 painter survey) but postdate the LST era and their abstracts document solvents, metals, and nuisance dust with no asbestos content - reviewed, not carried.
- 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 - construction-era materials are consistent with era inference and no removal/abatement record exists for a hull sunk intact in 1959. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs, Dravo builder's specifications, and any target-preparation/tow records are undigitized or unlocated leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyon-county-lst904-08