Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 839-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-marinette-county-lst953-pkt-839-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Marinette County (LST-953) entry - construction at Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.; commissioning; Okinawa service; occupation duty; decommissioning, Naval Reserve Program, reserve-fleet berthing, renaming, striking, and battle star (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03; UA-gated, fetched via Firecrawl). The older /danfs/l/lst-953.html URL returns 404. [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative, Marinette County (LST-953) entry, live page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-953 was laid down 15 September 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.; launched 15 October; commissioned 7 November, Lt. T. W. Sexton in command.' LST-953 commenced an east coast shakedown 12 November 1944 and joined LST Flotilla 21 already at Pearl Harbor; three months of intensive training preceded her April 1945 voyage to Guam; after supply missions in the southern Marianas she reached Okinawa 26 June and for 5 weeks shuttled Marine Corps troops and vehicles around the island for mopup operations. The day Japan announced acceptance of surrender terms LST-953 returned to the Marianas; she carried elements of the 2d Marine Division to Nagasaki 24 September for occupation duty and men of the Army's 24th Division to Matsuyama 27 October; a 'Magic Carpet' voyage back to San Diego concluded her Pacific duty. In July 1946 she transited the Panama Canal and steamed to Beaumont, Tex.; decommissioned 12 November, the ship served the Naval Reserve Program until towed to Green Cove Springs, Fla., 17 June 1950 for berthing in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; renamed Marinette County (LST-953) 1 July 1955; name struck from the Navy list 1 November 1958; received one battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); Navy ship's company (1944-46); embarked troops incl. Marine Corps elements at Okinawa and 2d Marine Division/Army 24th Division lifts
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS names 'Lt. T. W. Sexton' as commissioning CO; the NHHC Pacific Fleet organization document (Lt. J. T. Sexton, 13592), NavSource (LT. John T. Sexton, USN), and the ship's own signed July 1945 war diary (J. T. Sexton, Lt., USN) all give J. T. Sexton - the DANFS middle initial reads as a likely transcription error, flagged in gaps. The entry's spec line reads 'cl. LST-511' while NavSource and standard references classify the hull as LST-542 class - flagged in gaps. Spec line gives 'cpl. 119'.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Marinette County (LST-953) / ex-USS LST-953 page (10/16/160953.htm) - LST-542 class header, unit assignments, campaign table, occupation-service periods, milestone timeline, commanding-officer list, specifications block, captioned photography (live page, verified 2026-10-03 via Firecrawl) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160953.htm header block, campaign/occupation tables, milestone list, commanding-officer list, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource header identifies this hull as an LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship: laid down 15 September 1944 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA; launched 15 October 1944; commissioned USS LST-953 7 November 1944, LT. John T. Sexton, USN, in command. WWII assignment: LST Flotilla Twenty-One (CAPT. W. H. Brereton, USN), LST Group Sixty-Three (LCDR. R. E. Farnestock, USNR), LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Six; campaign credit 'Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 to 30 June 1945.' Navy Occupation Service periods: 20-26 September 1945 and 1 January-5 April 1946. Decommissioned 12 November 1946; placed in service as a Naval Reserve Training ship, date and location unknown; out of service and laid up 17 June 1950 in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, FL; renamed Marinette County (LST-953) 1 July 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1958; one battle star; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Commanding officers: LT. John Thomas Sexton USN (7 Nov 1944 - Feb 1946), LTjg. T. L. Kelly (Feb-Oct 1946), LT. W. J. Owens USN (Oct-12 Nov 1946). Call sign NKFB. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Photos show the launching at Hingham 15 October 1944 and the ship at anchor probably in San Francisco Bay 1946 (Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, referencing NHHC photo NH 84710).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); Navy ship's company (1944-46); embarked troops; Naval Reserve personnel (1946-50); Green Cove Springs caretaker crews (1950-58)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS but the spec block is unattributed and armament figures are the class's 'ultimate armament design,' not an outfit record for this hull. Its group-commander surname 'Farnestock' renders differently than the NHHC fleet-organization document's 'Fahnestock' - likely OCR variant, flagged in gaps. Campaign-window entry (26-30 June) is the award-credit period and does not conflict with DANFS's 5-week operational description. Contains no asbestos content; 'fate unknown' is NavSource's own characterization.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - wartime administrative-organization tabulation (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03 via Firecrawl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room, Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, p. 58 table: LST GROUP 63 / LST DIVISION 126
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization list for 1 May 1945 places 'LST 953' in LST GROUP 63 under Lt. Cdr. R. E. Fahnestock (USNR), within LST DIVISION 126 alongside LSTs 647, 814, 947, 949, and 952, and lists 'Lt. J. T. Sexton (13592)' as the ship's officer entry - corroborating NavSource's flotilla/group/division assignment for this hull with a contemporaneous administrative document, and corroborating the commanding officer as J. T. Sexton (against DANFS's 'T. W. Sexton').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LST Group 63 / Division 126 staffs and unit crews (1945)
- Limitations
- Administrative unit listing only - establishes the formation assignment and officer entry on 1 May 1945, not materials, manning detail, or operations. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-03
-
[5]NARA catalog record NAID 83565504, 'USS LST-953 - War Diary, 7/1-31/45' (RG 38 WWII War Diaries, Roll A1853, micro serial 139771; 2 digitized images, read in full this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/83565504, images A_1853/0085.jpg and 0086.jpg (war diary pp. 1-2)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own contemporaneous July 1945 war diary (U.S.S. LST 953, Fleet Post Office San Francisco, signed J. T. Sexton, Lt., USN, Commanding Officer) documents normal operations at Okinawa: 1 July beached at R-2 off Ie Shima unloading cargo; air raids 2-3 July (smoke generator and smoke boat in use; a 'Jap Tony' night-fighter kill ~1.5 miles away); loading gear for MAG 22 USMC; 8 July to Chimu Wan with 235 passengers; air-raid alerts 8-15 July; 15-16 July to Hagushi and Naha, embarked 843 USMC troops for Unten Ko; 17 July Marine passenger Ordquehandy, Felix F., I Co. 3d Battalion 5th Regiment USMC fell overboard and drowned; beached at Unten Ko 18-21 July on typhoon warnings; 24 July ammunition cargo to Unten Ko; 25 July 'beached at 0600. Unloading delayed due to excessive rain and condition of beach'; 31 July hand-unloading ammunition onto the beach in heavy rain, ordered to remain beached as 'excellent typhoon refuge.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-07
- Population
- Navy ship's company; embarked USMC troops incl. MAG 22 personnel and 843 Naha-Unten Ko passengers
- Limitations
- Primary operational record for this hull, read in full (2 images). Documents Okinawa-area shuttle operations and conditions (air raids, typhoon beaching) including 25 July 1945 - the same date an LST-869 crew-history quoted in a BVA decision claims this hull 'had ... been hit and sunk'; the war diary shows routine beached operations that day (see ev-06). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-04
-
[6]Commander Transport Squadron Twelve (ComNAGASAKIGroup, C.T.G. 54.3), 'Action Report - Landings at Nagasaki, Japan, September 1945,' CP6-12/APA36/A16-3 Serial No. 0174 - 52-page digitized Navy action report hosted on NavSource (scan read this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net 10/03/pdf/03138a.pdf, cover page and Part II 'Preliminaries' para. 54.3.2-54.3.21 task organization (pp. 3, 5 of scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Nagasaki occupation-landing action report's task organization explicitly lists 'LST 953' under 54.3.2 LST Flotilla 23 (Temp), Captain Weeden - 54.3.21 LST Group 13 (Temp), Comdr. Lea, among fifteen LSTs (481, 166, 571, 734, 785, 788, 817, 829, 871, 887, 953, 975, 1073, 1123, 1140). Part I summary: Task Group 54.3 (Nagasaki Group) embarked the Second Marine Division at Saipan and commencing 23 September landed troops and equipment in the Nagasaki Harbor area without enemy opposition; unloading of transport types completed 28 September, most LSTs/LSMs having departed earlier - corroborating DANFS's statement that LST-953 carried 2d Marine Division elements to Nagasaki on 24 September.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-09
- Population
- TG 54.3 / LST Flotilla 23 unit crews; embarked 2d Marine Division (September 1945)
- Limitations
- Digitized primary Navy document hosted on a secondary site (NavSource) rather than a NARA page; task-organization listing verified by reading the scan (Part II, para. 54.3.21). Ship-level detail for LST-953 within the report's remaining pages was not individually extracted. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-05
-
[7]Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, Citation Nr 9743135, Docket 94-15 483, decided 31 October 1997 (Milwaukee RO appeal; PTSD service-connection claim of an LST-869 veteran; full decision text on va.gov, read this session) [court_record]
- Locator
- va.gov/vetapp97/files5/9743135.txt, findings-of-fact narrative quoting the LST-869 crew-and-history report
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- OTHER litigation (non-asbestos): a 1997 BVA decision on a PTSD claim by a veteran who served aboard LST-869. Quoting a 'crew and history report of the LST 869' in the claims file, the decision recites: 'On July 25, 1945 the ship passed LST 953 who had taken the 869's place on the beach and been hit and sunk.' This hull attribution is contradicted by the record: LST-953's own war diary for 25 July 1945 shows her beached at Unten Ko, Okinawa, unloading ammunition in heavy rain (ev-04), and DANFS documents continued operations through 1946. The 'hit and sunk' assertion is an uncorroborated crew-history statement preserved inside a claims-file quotation, not an official finding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945 (quoted claim); 1997 (decision)
- Population
- None aboard this hull - veteran's service was on LST-869
- Limitations
- Classified DOWN per litigation-stage discipline: this is a PTSD service-connection decision for a veteran of a different ship (LST-869), with no asbestos, exposure, or product content concerning LST-953. The quoted 'hit and sunk' claim is contradicted by the hull's contemporaneous war diary and documented service through 1946 - carried here as a correction so the error does not propagate. Establishes only that a passing reference to this hull exists in a BVA claims record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS construction record (Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, 1944); NavSource specifications (LST-542 class, GM 12-567A diesel plant); Fleischer et al. 1946 PHS survey (ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table (shipscribe.com mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Fleischer et al. 1946 (PMID 21016030); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; DANFS/NavSource construction and spec records; BuShips SDB 1945 Vol. 2 LST design table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built Sep-Nov 1944 in a Navy-contract yard sits inside the documented wartime asbestos-construction era: the PHS industrial-hygiene survey of pipe covering in naval-vessel construction found amosite asbestos was 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels,' with asbestos cloth and asbestos cement also used; GAO documented asbestos thermal insulation as the Navy's major shipboard asbestos use through the early 1970s. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing ship of this type and period were pipe and machinery insulation/lagging, diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and interior finish materials in quarters and mess spaces. Diesel plant - no boilers aboard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1958
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1944); Navy ship's company (1944-46); Naval Reserve personnel (1946-50); Green Cove Springs caretaker crews (1950-58); disposal personnel (post-1958, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-953. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-07
-
[9]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946 Jan;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030) - U.S. Public Health Service industrial-hygiene survey of two Government Navy yards and two Navy contract yards [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030 (verified via NCBI E-utilities); article text pp. 9-16 (pipe-covering materials section; X-ray results)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Wartime government survey documenting the asbestos regime inside naval-vessel construction: amosite asbestos was 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels,' valued for low thermal conductivity, light weight, and refractoriness; asbestos cloth and asbestos cement were likewise used. X-ray examination of 1,074 pipe coverers across four yards found three asbestosis cases, each with 20+ years in the trade. Surveyed operations (layout and cutting, band-saw cutting, cement mixing, installing, sewing asbestos cloth, stuffing with amosite) generated the era's principal insulation-trade dust exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (survey era)
- Population
- Navy yard and contract-yard pipe coverers/insulators (wartime)
- Limitations
- Era-level occupational survey, not a hull record: the four yards are anonymized (Navy Yards A-B, Contract Yards C-D), and Bethlehem-Hingham and LSTs are not named - pipe covering was principally a steam-plant application, so the asbestos cloth/cement and general-insulation findings carry the weight for a diesel hull. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity. Citation metadata re-verified 2026-10-03 via NCBI E-utilities (esummary 21016030); the pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov page itself is reCAPTCHA-gated to automated fetch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-08
-
[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 all Navy ships contained some asbestos in components such as clutches and electric cables, and that asbestos thermal insulation was the Navy's major asbestos use aboard ships; the Navy did not substitute alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s and adopted removal policies only in 1975/1979 - postdating this hull's entire commissioned life and even its reserve-fleet period (built 1944, struck 1958).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- 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, reconfirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description and report abstract.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-09
-
[11]NARA catalog search 'USS LST-953': ten ship-titled digitized file units in RG 38 - monthly war diaries February, March, and May through October 1945 (NAIDs 139933364, 633401259, 140033521, 101736304, 83565504, 77508374, 77571220, 77553882) plus ship-level operation reports for Nagasaki (NAID 77559266, 9/24-25/45) and Matsuyama (NAID 77567449, 10/25-27/45); NARA Special List No. 44 indexes LST-953 deck logs 7 Nov 1944-30 Jun 1945 and 1 Jan-5 Jun 1947 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'USS LST-953' (59 fuzzy results; ten ship-titled RG 38 file units); Special List No. 44 by Ship Numbers, LST-953 rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized ship-level operational records for this hull exist at NARA: eight monthly USS LST-953 war diaries covering February, March, and May-October 1945 (RG 38 WWII War Diaries), plus the ship's own 'Report of operations in the occupation of Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan, 9/24-25/45' (NAID 77559266) and 'Report of operations in the occupation of Matsuyama, Shikoku, Japan, 10/25-27/45' (NAID 77567449) - directly corroborating the two occupation lifts DANFS describes. NARA Special List No. 44 separately indexes surviving LST-953 deck-log volumes covering 7 November 1944-30 June 1945 and 1 January-5 June 1947; the June 1947 endpoint corroborates continued record-keeping through the Naval Reserve Program period at Beaumont after decommissioning.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked personnel (1944-47)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog metadata and file-unit titles verified; only the July 1945 war diary (ev-04) was read in full this session - contents of the other diaries and the two operation reports not individually extracted. April 1945 did not surface among cataloged ship-titled war-diary file units (coverage gap in the digitized series or in results). Deck logs are indexed but not digitized. No asbestos content expected in operational records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-10
-
[12]Batch-7496 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS (Marinette County page); NavSource 160953; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; NARA catalog ('LST-953' 162 results / 'USS LST-953' 59 results; NAID 83565504 images read); NARA Special List No. 44; MARAD Vessel History Database (two keyword queries); Naval Vessel Register; BVA decisions index (two queries); ComTransRon 12 Nagasaki action report (NavSource-hosted scan); GAO product page; PubMed/NCBI E-utilities; BuShips SDB 1945 mirror; CourtListener (blocked); HyperWar DANFS mirror check; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-marinette-county-lst953-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified asbestos litigation naming USS LST-953 / USS Marinette County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API reported the shared daily quota exhausted (server-requested wait ~6.9 h); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. The BVA decisions index returned one non-qualifying result (an LST-869 veteran's PTSD file quoting the hull in passing - see ev-06) and no result for 'Marinette County'; the MARAD Vessel History Database and Naval Vessel Register carry no entries; secondary web sweeps surfaced only geographic name collisions (Marinette County, Wisconsin PFAS litigation; Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard - a different, still-active builder) - no qualifying case naming the vessel.
- 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). The ship's war diaries and occupation operation reports are digitized but unread beyond July 1945; RG 24 deck logs and muster rolls are undigitized. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marinette-county-lst953-11