Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 616-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-pkt-616-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Montgomery County (LST-1041) - construction, WWII Pacific service, Atlantic Fleet decade, Greenland/Baffin Bay logistics, Mediterranean deployment, decommissioning, MAP sale, German disposal (updated Robert J. Cressman, 12 October 2023; live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Montgomery County entry, service narrative + spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 12 November 1944 at Neville Island, Pa., by Dravo Corp.; launched 20 January 1945; sponsored by Mrs. N. L. Gibson; ferried down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, La.; commissioned at the U.S. Naval Repair Base, Algiers, La., 19 February 1945, Lt. Edward F. Becker, D-V(S), USNR, in command. Spec block: disp. 1,625; l. 328'0"; b. 50'0"; dr. 14'1"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 226; a. 8 40mm, 12 20mm; class printed 'LST-511'. Service: shakedown Gulf coast; Pacific early April 1945 via Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor; Eniwetok 5 June; cargo shuttles with LST Group 97; via Guam and Saipan to Okinawa, unloading mid-July; at Eniwetok when Japan agreed to cease hostilities; occupation operations in Japan 2-24 September 1945; 'sailed for the United States and arrived at Norfolk, Va., 6 December'; a decade of Atlantic Fleet logistics/support/amphibious training (east coast, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico); three Greenland/Baffin Bay logistics runs - the third, September-November 1953, assisting the salvage of merchant ship Atlantic Waters grounded in the approaches to Goose Bay, Labrador; September 1955 Mediterranean deployment with the Sixth Fleet, Greece to southern France; Norfolk training duty resumed February 1956. Named Montgomery County 1 July 1955 (counties in 18 states). Decommissioned 31 January 1956 at Green Cove Springs, Fla.; Atlantic Reserve Fleet until mid-1960; stricken 1 June 1960; 'In August 1961 she was sold under terms of the Military Assistance Program to the West German Federal Republic. Scheduled for conversion to a battle damage repair ship, the conversion was never undertaken and she was scrapped in 1968 without having seen any commissioned service in the Federal German Navy.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1968
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-56); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers (1956-60); German scrapping workers (1968)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. Three intra-source conflicts documented in gaps: sponsor name (this entry vs the companion DANFS LST-1041 entry), sale year (this entry Aug 1961 vs LST-1041 entry Aug 1960 and NavSource Aug 1960), and the spec-block 'class LST-511' label vs the LST-542 class assignment used by NavSource, Wikipedia, and the BuShips design grouping.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-01
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[3]DANFS, LST-1041 (companion entry, pre-rename framing) - construction at Pittsburgh by Dravo, sponsor Mrs. D. W. Raegler, China service, Atlantic Fleet decade, decommissioning, stricken, MAP sale (live page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-1041 entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The companion DANFS entry for this hull corroborates the build/launch/commission dates and the Atlantic decade, but states the sponsor as 'Mrs. D. W. Raegler' (vs Mrs. N. L. Gibson on the Montgomery County entry) and says the ship was 'sold to West Germany in August that same year' - i.e., August 1960, the year of striking (vs August 1961 on the Montgomery County entry).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Documents a live intra-DANFS conflict on sponsor and sale year rather than resolving it - carried so the record discloses both variants; neither detail has asbestos content. The 1960 variant is corroborated by NavSource and by Jane's Fighting Ships 1962-63 German section ('In 1960 two ships of the U.S. LST type were purchased'); the 1961 variant by the Montgomery County entry and Jane's U.S. transfer notes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-02
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[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Montgomery County (LST-1041) ex-USS LST-1041 - designation timeline, specifications, awards, commanding-officer list, photo captions (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161041.htm header block, awards table, specifications block, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship; laid down 12 November 1944 at Dravo Corp., Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA; launched 20 January 1945; commissioned 19 February 1945 as USS LST-1041, LT Edward F. Becker USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla 33 (CAPT C. A. Legg), LST Group 97 (CDR H. B. McLean), LST Division 193. Awards: China Service Medal (extended - 3 November to 13 December 1945), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (2 to 24 September 1945 and 3 November to 13 December 1945), National Defense Service Medal; 'Occupation service in Europe' 16 September 1954 - 18 January 1955. Renamed 1 July 1955; decommissioned 18 February 1956; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, FL; struck 1 June 1960; sold under MAP to West German Federal Republic August 1960; scrapped 1968. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kts trial; endurance 24,000 mi at 9 kts; 13 officers / 104 enlisted plus 16 officers / 147 enlisted troops; 2 LCVP; armament 2 twin + 4 single 40mm, 12 single 20mm; fuel 4,300 bbls diesel; propulsion 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels (900 hp each), single Falk main reduction gear, 3 diesel-drive 100 kW 230V DC ship's-service generators, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders. CO list: LT Becker (13 Feb 1945-Dec 1945), LTjg Thomas Parker Jr. (Dec 1945-May 1946), LT Malcolm Wayne McGaughey (May 1946-?), LT Jack Verner Drago (~1955-18 Feb 1956). Photo captions document: launch at Neville Island 20 Jan 1945; PT-625 through PT-628 deck-loaded 'for transfer to the Soviet Union' with LST-1085 moored astern, circa 1945, location unknown; beached with LSM-297; landing Marines at Argentia, Newfoundland (All Hands, January 1949); moored at Little Creek Amphibious Base 1951; beached during amphibious exercises at NAB Little Creek 1949; floating-causeway demonstration early 1950s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1968
- Population
- Dravo construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-56); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers (1956-60)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates generally track DANFS/NVR but two conflicts documented in gaps (decommissioning 18 Feb 1956 vs DANFS 31 Jan 1956; MAP sale Aug 1960 vs DANFS-Montgomery Aug 1961). Contains no asbestos content. The PT-boat/Soviet-transfer photo caption is caption-level sourcing, location unknown - consistent with a 1945 Pacific transit but not corroborated by DANFS. Scrapping year (1968) corroborates DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-03
-
[5]Jane's Fighting Ships 1962-63 (Sampson Low, Marston) - Federal German Navy 'Repair Ships' section listing 'Ex-U.S.S. MILLARD COUNTY. LST 987' and 'Ex-U.S.S. MONTGOMERY COUNTY. LST 1041'; U.S. section transfer notes (Internet Archive scan, full text retrieved 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Jane's Fighting Ships 1962-63, Germany-Repair Ships section and U.S.-Tank Landing Ships 'Transfer Notes'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporary reference documentation of this hull's disposal: Jane's German Navy section states 'In 1960 two ships of the U.S. LST type were purchased for conversion into repair ships similar to the U.S. ARB type' and lists ex-USS Millard County (LST-987) and ex-USS Montgomery County (LST-1041) together under Repair Ships with no German commissioned particulars - i.e., both hulls sat awaiting a conversion Jane's shows as intended to produce ARB-type battle-damage repair ships. Jane's U.S. section transfer notes state 'Millard County, LST 987, and Montgomery County, LST 1041 were sold to West Germany in 1961.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1960-1968
- Population
- German naval planners / conversion yard (never executed); scrapping workers (1968)
- Limitations
- Authoritative contemporary reference, not a government registry - Jane's itself carries both years (1960 purchase in the German section, 1961 sale in the U.S. notes), matching the DANFS split; the conflict is carried unresolved in gaps. No asbestos content. Establishes the paired sale with LST-987 and the intended ARB-type conversion that was never undertaken (scrapping 1968 per DANFS).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-04
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[6]Encyclopedia of Arkansas (Central Arkansas Library System), 'USS Montgomery County (LST-1041)' by Mark K. Christ, last updated 16 June 2023 (live page verified 2026-10-02) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- EoA entry 13547, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent scholarly corroboration of the service narrative: LST-542-class tank landing ship built 1944; named 1 July 1955 'in honor of counties in eighteen U.S. states, including Arkansas'; Dravo Corporation of Pittsburgh; laid down 12 November 1944, launched 20 January 1945; commissioned 19 February 1945 under Lt. Edward F. Becker; Eniwetok arrival June 1945; LST Group 97 Okinawa supply run mid-July 1945; occupation duty to December 1945; Atlantic Waters salvage assistance Sep-Nov 1953; decommissioned 31 January 1956 to Atlantic Reserve Fleet Green Cove Springs; stricken 1 June 1960; MAP sale August 1961; ARB conversion never undertaken; scrapped 1968 without German commissioned service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1968
- Limitations
- Peer-reviewed state encyclopedia entry, secondary synthesis resting on DANFS/NavSource/Rottman - corroboration, not independent primary sourcing; reproduces the 1961 sale variant. Its September 1954-January 1955 Mediterranean chronology compresses two distinct European/Navy Occupation-qualifying periods (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-05
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[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts - no boilers); DANFS spec block; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LST design table (class design data, shipscribe.com scan); GAO HRD-80-2 program documentation (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; BuShips SDB 1945 v2 LST design table (shipscribe.com/styles/usnaux/sdb/SDB1945v2.pdf)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-class tank landing ship built Nov 1944-Feb 1945 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, machinery gaskets, valve packing, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/crane brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the steam-pipe and boiler lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the era's insulation, gasket, and deck-covering applications remain.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1968
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-56); German scrapping workers (1968)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LST-1041. 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-montgomery-county-lst1041-06
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[8]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 era (1945-56).
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-02) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-07
-
[9]NIOSH (Bloom, Dooley, Peguese), Industrial Hygiene Survey Report, Dravo Corporation, Engineering Works Division, Neville Island, Pittsburgh, PA (survey July 1981; report 1985) - CDC Stacks (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record cdc:233199, NIOSH-provided description
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The closest government industrial-hygiene record at this hull's builder yard: NIOSH surveyed Dravo's Engineering Works Division at Neville Island in July 1981, evaluating occupational exposure associated with painting and coating processes during barge and towboat construction - finding lead and nuisance-dust samples exceeding OSHA standards and additive solvent-mixture (toluene, xylene, naphtha, mineral spirits) concerns in inner-hull work areas. The survey documents the yard's continuing vessel-construction activity but does not address asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1981-1985
- Population
- Dravo Neville Island painters/coating workers (1981 survey)
- Limitations
- Yard-level survey 36 years after this build and about a different product line (barges/towboats vs naval LSTs); its hazard scope was solvents/lead/dust - asbestos was not evaluated. Carried as honest negative yard context, not as evidence of any material aboard. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-08
-
[10]NARA, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992' (NAID 594258, RG 24; 235,177 file units, partially digitized); plus catalog hits for COM LST Group 97 war diary June 1945 (NAID 101733189) and COM LST Flotilla 33 war diary July 1945 (NAID 101766478) - her documented parent commands [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 594258 series page; NAIDs 101733189 (COM LST GR 97) and 101766478 (COM LST FLOT 33)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: her 1945-56 deck logs fall under the partially digitized Logbooks series (NAID 594258); her WWII parent commands' war diaries exist in the catalog - Commander LST Group 97 (June 1945) and Commander LST Flotilla 33 (July 1945), the units NavSource lists over LST Division 193. These are the primary-source trail for her service record and any underway material/maintenance entries.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1956
- Population
- Crew (1945-56)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - a 'LST-1041' catalog search surfaces 238 fuzzy hits dominated by other hulls' file units; no hull-specific file unit was located in the results reviewed, and digitization coverage for her specific months is unverified. War diaries of parent commands document unit operations, not this hull's internal records. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-09
-
[11]Batch-6529 search ledger (this record): DANFS Montgomery County and LST-1041 entries (live); NavSource 161041 (live); Jane's 1962-63 full text; Encyclopedia of Arkansas; NARA catalog + NAID 594258; CourtListener API v4 opinion search ("LST-1041" = 0 hits; "Montgomery County" LST = 22 hits, all county-litigation name collisions); RECAP docket index unsearched (fleet pacing); NVR unreachable and pre-coverage; MARAD no entry; NIOSH CDC Stacks Dravo survey; hazegray mirror DNS-failed; secondary web asbestos sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming LST-1041 / USS Montgomery County was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion indexes returned zero hits for the hull number and only name-collision hits for the ship name (22 'Montgomery County' opinions are county litigation - courts, clerks, local government - none naming the vessel). CAVEAT: the RECAP/docket index could not be searched this session - the shared fleet request budget was exhausted; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not a negative result. The only 'asbestos aboard' material located is law-firm marketing content (e.g., a Waters Kraus exposure-map listicle repeating the 'LST-511 class' label) - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - era-consistent materials are a reasonable inference for a 1944-45 naval build. The pleading-stage repository (RECAP dockets) is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs, MAP transfer records, and German-side disposal/hazmat records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-montgomery-county-lst1041-10