Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Orange County (LST-1068) - NHHC long entry (verified live 2026-10-02 via firecrawl) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Orange County' (LST-1068), full narrative + spec block; published 17 Aug 2015 per page footer
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 31 January 1945 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.; launched 3 March 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Alice R. Wilbur; commissioned 27 March 1945, Lt. Clinton E. Voyles in command. Named for counties in California, Florida, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Spec block: dp. 4,080; l. 328; b. 50; dr. 14-1; s. 11.6 k.; a. 8 40mm, 12 20mm; cpl. 119, trp. 147; cl. LST-511. Service narrative: shakedown Chesapeake Bay; loaded pontoon causeways and LCT sections at Davisville, R.I.; embarked men at New York; underway 11 May for the Pacific via Panama Canal; departed Pearl Harbor 27 June for Guam via Eniwetok; cleared Apra Harbor 11 August for Saipan, then Okinawa (arrived 28 August); rode out a three-day typhoon at sea 16 September; carried elements of the 5th Air Corps to Yokohama (discharged 27 September); Tokyo Bay to Ominato with a Port Director Unit (1-12 October); Manila Bay 26 October; Batangas occupation-troop lift to Tokyo (arrived 14 November); lowpoint/high-point crew exchange at Saipan 28 November; sailed 14 December for Pearl Harbor, then ordered to San Francisco for pre-deactivation overhaul and Bremerton, Wash. for decommissioning; decommissioned 9 August 1946, in reserve at Astoria, Oregon. Recommissioned 8 September 1950; second shakedown; Far East via San Diego - delayed by repairs for a hole torn in her bottom by striking a submerged LCI; sailed January 1951; Yokosuka February; first Korean waters March; Inchon operations through May; returned June; overhaul/training/upkeep; returned to Far East January 1952; Sokchori, Koje-do, Wonsan operations with Pusan, Cho-do, Yokosuka trips through October; San Diego around Thanksgiving. Third deployment: departed 1 August 1953 with Satyr (ARL-23) and LST-819; Japan 21 September; Yokosuka, Kobe, Sasebo; November training at Tokchok-to, Korea; January 1954 Okinawa; March 1954 Iwo Jima (largest training operation she had experienced); 17 June 1954 joined five LSTs of LST Division 13 for San Diego; local ops and upkeep; overhaul at San Pedro December 1954 - January 1955. Decommissioned 15 October 1957; struck from the U.S. Naval Register 27 September 1957; sunk as a target vessel 18 June 1958.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1958
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (Jan-Mar 1945); wartime crew and embarked troops/occupation personnel (1945-46); recommissioned crew (1950-57)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents milestones and movements, not materials or asbestos content - no asbestos information of any kind. Decommission/struck ordering is as printed (struck 27 Sep, decommissioned 15 Oct) - see ev-02/ev-06 and gaps: the short companion DANFS entry collapses both to 27 September, and the ship's own deck log verifies the 15 October decommissioning. DANFS spec block lists class 'LST-511' while NavSource and the BuShips design table place her in LST-542-class hull block LST1060-1080 - a known DANFS spec-block shorthand, carried as a designation note. Names the counties honored but does not name the naming order date (1 July 1955 comes from NavSource and the companion DANFS entry).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-01
-
[2]DANFS, LST-1068 - NHHC short entry (verified live 2026-10-02 via firecrawl) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'LST-1068', short record (full text); conflict resolved by NARA deck log ev-06
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The short DANFS entry for this hull records: 'She was decommissioned again on 27 September 1957 and struck from the Navy list that same date.' The ship's own deck log (ev-06) documents the actual decommissioning event verbatim at 1500 on 15 October 1957, moored alongside USS Haven (AH-12) at Berth 62, U.S. Naval Ship Yard, Long Beach - resolving the conflict in favor of 15 October 1957 (the date the long DANFS entry and NavSource also carry), with the 27 September striking taking administrative effect while she was already undergoing inactivation stripping at the yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1957
- Limitations
- Same hull, two DANFS entries disagree on the second decommissioning date (27 Sep vs 15 Oct 1957); the primary deck-log entry controls. Short entry also confirms: occupation duty until late November 1945; four Korean War battle stars; 1 July 1955 renaming 'after counties in eight states.' No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-02
-
[3]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Orange County (LST-1068) ex USS LST-1068 (page 161068, verified live 2026-10-02 via firecrawl; last updated 7 Feb 2020) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/16/161068, full record incl. awards block, specifications block, CO roster, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LST-542 class; laid down 31 January 1945 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA; launched 3 March 1945; commissioned USS LST-1068, 27 March 1945, LT. Clinton E. Voyles USNR in command. WWII assignment: LST Flotilla Thirty-Three (CAPT. C. A. Legg USN), LST Group Ninety-Eight (LCDR. R. H. Menges USNR), LST Division One Hundred Ninety-Eight. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods: 11 September - 25 October 1945 and 10 - 25 November 1945. Decommissioned 9 August 1946; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 8 September 1950. Korean War campaign periods: First UN Counter Offensive (9-15 April 1951); Communist China Spring Offensive (28 April - 20 May 1951); Second Korean Winter (9-30 March 1952); Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (16 May - 11 June, 22-27 June, 1 July, 27 August - 11 October 1952). Named USS Orange County (LST-1068), 1 July 1955. Decommissioned 15 October 1957 (citing Navy Times 28 August 1957); struck 27 September 1957; sunk as a target vessel 18 June 1958; four Korean War battle stars. Specs: displacement 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; endurance 24,000 mi @ 9 kt; complement 13 officers/104 enlisted, troops 16 officers/147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; propulsion two GM 12-567A 900hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gear, three diesel-drive 100kW 230V DC generators, two propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; call sign NAIJ. CO roster: LT Voyles USNR (27 Mar 1945 - Dec 1945); LTjg Meilinger USNR (Dec 1945 - 6 May 1946); LTjg Bock USNR (6 May - 9 Aug 1946); LT Cobb (8 Sep 1950 - ?); LT Gardner (1952-53); LCDR Brown USN (1953-54); LCDR Thompson USN (Mar 1955 - Feb 1957). Photo captions: 'off the coast of San Diego, returning from a tour of duty in Korea' (Richard Baker); underway with a deck load of vehicles (NHHC catalog L45-219.03.01).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1958
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1945); USNR wartime crew; occupation-service personnel (Sep-Nov 1945); Astoria reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-50); recommissioned crew incl. Korean deployments (1950-53)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-curated archive, not a government publication, but transcribes official records; used for detail DANFS omits (unit hierarchy, occupation-medal periods, campaign periods, CO roster, specs). Its GM 12-567A engine spec is class boilerplate contradicted by the BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 design table (12-278A for hull block 1060-1080) - carried as a conflict in gaps and ev-05. Complement itemization (13+104=117) differs from the DANFS spec block's cpl. 119 - in gaps. The Navy Times decommission clipping supports the 15 October date. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-03
-
[4]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton's MARCOM/yards reference), Bethlehem Hingham Shipyards, Inc. yard table (verified live 2026-10-02 via firecrawl) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com bethhingham.htm hull table, row 'LST 1068' (MC hull 3458) and yard header text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-table row for this hull: MC hull 3458, LST-1068, FY 1944, keel 31-Jan-45, launched 3-Mar-45, delivered 27-Mar-45, 31 days on the ways / 24 days in water / 55 total days - a fast wartime emergency-yard build. Yard context per the same page: Bethlehem Hingham Shipyards, Inc. was built in 1941 for destroyer-escort construction with $35M of Navy money, had 16 ways, was managed by Bethlehem Quincy, employed over 23,000 at peak, and was closed and liquidated after the war.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (peak >23,000 yard-wide, 1941-45)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference drawn from MARCOM/yard records, not a government publication - used to corroborate dates carried by DANFS/NavSource and to add the yard number and build-pace figures. 'Delivered 27-Mar-45' aligns with the DANFS/NavSource commissioning date. Contains no materials or asbestos information; the yard's asbestos-era employment context is relevant to era inference only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-04
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels 1945, Vol. 2 - LST design table and machinery roster (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication, verified live 2026-10-02; full PDF retrieved and text extracted) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 PDF, LST section design table rows 'LST932-979', 'LST980-1059', 'LST1060-1080', 'LST1081-1152' - machinery columns
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips design table assigns hull block LST1060-1080 - which includes this hull - engines of '2, G. M. Diesel 12-278 A', 1,700 shp, distinguishing it from the LST-542-931 / LST980-1059 / LST1081-1152 blocks fitted with GM 12-567A diesels. NavSource's per-page spec block and the Wikipedia infobox both carry the 12-567A for this hull (class boilerplate); the contemporaneous official design table is the better source for the as-designed engine fit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945 (publication design state)
- Limitations
- Design-table assignment, not an as-built survey - hull blocks were built at different yards with occasional fit variations, so an as-built machinery card would be needed to close the question entirely. No asbestos or material content; the engine-model distinction matters here only because the asbestos-relevant machinery envelope (diesel plant, no boilers) is the same under either model.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-05
-
[6]NARA catalog - digitized deck logs (RG 24, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' series 594258, scanned for the Veterans Benefits Administration / Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project): 14 monthly file units located for this hull covering September 1956 - October 1957 (her final months in commission); NAIDs 217160726 (Sep 1956), 217160854 (Oct), 217160982 (Nov), 217161106 (Dec), 217161234 (Jan 1957), 217161362 (Feb), 217161478 (Mar), 217161606 (Apr), 216763418 (May), 216763546 (Jun), 216763670 (Jul), 216763798 (Aug), 216763928 (Sep), 216764052 (Oct). Read this session: Nov 1956 (122 images), Aug 1957 (128), Sep 1957 (122), Oct 1957 (60) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/216764052 (Oct 1957, decommissioning entry on 15-Oct page); /id/216763798 (Aug 1957, 7-Aug arrival entry); /id/216763928 (Sep 1957); /id/217160982 (Nov 1956, 2-Nov entry); parent series 594258 RG 24; containers 3317-3318
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-generated deck logs document: (2 November 1956) steaming in company with TU 53.6.2 en route to Aliso Canyon per COMPHIBRON 3 OPORDER-56, in formation with USS Tioga County (LST-1158, guide), USS Summit County (LST-1146), and USS Steuben County (LST-1138); condition ONE ABLE set; disembarking LVTs 500 yards off 'ORANGE Beach,' anchoring off Camp Delmar, California; later marrying to a pontoon causeway on Orange Beach; then anchored in anchorage R-12, outer harbor, Long Beach. (7 August 1957) underway from anchorage S-14, Long Beach outer harbor, 'for Berth 62, Naval Ship Yard, Long Beach, California, in accordance with NAVPORCO Instructions'; 0940 moored starboard side to USS HAVEN (AH-12) at Berth 62. (September 1957) whole month moored alongside Haven at Berth 62, U.S. Naval Ship Yard, Long Beach. (7 October 1957) underway from Berth 62 to Pier 1, Berth 12, Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, 'Receiving miscellaneous services from the dock' - 'the ship is undergoing stripping and decommissioning procedure' - with USS GREER COUNTY (LST-799) moored outboard to port; (15 October 1957) 1245 secured services, 1300 'Underway dead stick to berth 62,' 1345 moored starboard side to USS HAVEN (AH-12), '1500. In accordance with CNO [instructions] this ship [was] decommissioned... Ship held in custody of COMNAVBASE LOSA[NGELES]' (OCR-transcribed).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1956-09 to 1957-10
- Population
- Ship's company during training ops (Nov 1956) and inactivation (Aug-Oct 1957); Long Beach Naval Shipyard trades working the stripping (scope undocumented); USS Haven (AH-12) alongside personnel; Pacific Reserve Fleet Los Angeles receiving personnel
- Limitations
- Primary ship-generated documents - the strongest physical-presence and event record for this hull's final year, including the verbatim decommissioning entry. Contents are navigational/administrative; no asbestos, material, or industrial-hygiene content of any kind. The Aug-Oct 1957 inactivation period at Long Beach Naval Shipyard is documented as an event (stripping and decommissioning procedure over ~10 weeks); its material scope (insulation disturbed or removed) is not recorded in the logs. OCR via pdftotext of NARA scans; quoted phrases verified in extracted text but individual page images were not independently displayed this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-06
-
[7]NARA catalog - COM LST GR 98 (LST Group Ninety-Eight, this hull's documented parent unit) war diaries, ten digitized monthly file units March 11-31 through December 1945 (NAIDs 139958823, 139996435, 140025983, 101700965, 101766485, 77520745, 77555231, 77574544, 140083848, 633455781); October 1945 unit (NAID 77574544, roll A1963, 7 images) read this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77574544, roll A_1963 images 0400-0406 (Oct 1945 cover letter + narrative); series 4697018 RG 38
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The parent formation's war diaries are digitized for the ship's entire WWII service window. October 1945 diary (OCR-read): 'Ships attached to LST Group NINETY-EIGHT' lists Division 1 (LSTs 1126 flag, 1128, 1045, 1089, 1090, 1091) and Division 196 (LSTs 1061-1065); this hull's documented division (198, per NavSource) does not appear and LST-1068 is not named in the month's narrative (which covers TU 78.13.1's Taku Bar, China to Okinawa movement) - consistent with DANFS's account of her operating on the Ominato/Manila runs that month. The diaries remain the digitized lead for any months where the group did control her.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-03 to 1945-12
- Population
- LST Group 98 ship's companies (formation context)
- Limitations
- Group-level document checked for one month only - absence from the October 1945 attached-ships list is a spot check, not proof she never appears; months she joined/left the group (mid-1945) are likelier to name her. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-07
-
[8]Composite era/design analysis: NavSource + BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 machinery documentation (diesel plant, no boilers) + lst-1-class.class.json (BuShips design grouping) + shipbuildinghistory Bethlehem-Hingham yard context + GAO HRD-80-2 policy context [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (page 161068); SDB1945v2 LST table (hull block 1060-1080); DANFS narrative (yard-event dates); deck logs (LBNSY inactivation); GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-powered amphibious ship built January-March 1945 at a wartime emergency yard in the Navy's peak asbestos-consumption period: NO boilers or steam plant - the steam-lagging pathway does not apply. Plausible asbestos applications on this type concentrate in diesel-engine and exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing throughout the engineering spaces, electrical insulation/cable, deck coverings (incl. tank-deck surfaces), accommodation-space insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches and the stern-anchor windlass. Documented disturbance-relevant events for this specific hull: pre-deactivation overhaul at San Francisco (early 1946), decommissioning at Bremerton (1946), recommissioning reactivation (1950), repairs for the submerged-LCI hull damage (1950-51), overhaul at San Pedro (Dec 1954 - Jan 1955), and ~10 weeks of inactivation stripping at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Aug-Oct 1957) - each a documented event, none with a located material scope. GAO HRD-80-2 documents that the Navy did not begin systematic asbestos substitution until the 1970s - after this hull was already sunk (1958) - so no substitution-era refit ever touched her.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1958
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1945); wartime and Korean-era crew (1945-46, 1950-57); embarked troops and prisoners (1951-52); yard trades at San Francisco 1946, Bremerton 1946, San Pedro 1954-55, Long Beach 1957 availabilities; Astoria reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-50); 1958 target-tow/sinking crews
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - no hull-level material schedule, insulation spec, or survey exists in the located public record for this ship. The yard events are documented but their material scope is not; whether insulation work accompanied any of them is unknown. Does not establish presence, absence, or quantity of ACM aboard at any time. A hull sunk as a target in 1958 presents no surviving-structure question.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-08
-
[9]GAO HRD-80-2, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure (published 1979-10-18; product-page Highlights verified live 2026-10-02 via firecrawl; bare curl returns HTTP 403) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 Highlights section
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Program-level Navy asbestos policy: per the GAO Highlights, the review covered Navy asbestos efforts at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Long Beach being the yard where this hull underwent her documented 1957 inactivation. The Navy's 1975 policy removed and replaced with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. Establishes that systematic asbestos substitution postdates this hull's entire existence (built 1945, sunk 1958) - no asbestos-era remediation program ever applied to her.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy window; exposure era 1940s-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workforce (program context; Long Beach and Norfolk NSY fieldwork)
- Limitations
- Program-level document about 1970s policy; does not name this hull or establish materials aboard it, and its Long Beach fieldwork postdates her 1957 inactivation by two decades. Product-page Highlights used because gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to bare automated fetches (standing defect since Batch 01); full 26-page report not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-09
-
[10]Batch-6556 search ledger (this record): two live DANFS entries; NavSource 161068 (live); shipbuildinghistory Bethlehem-Hingham table (live); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 (live PDF); NARA digitized deck logs Sep 1956-Oct 1957 (live, images downloaded and read); NARA COM LST GR 98 war diaries (live, Oct 1945 read); MARAD Vessel History (queried, zero records); NVR (no entry - pre-1987 disposal); CourtListener API v4 via authenticated fleet helper; GAO product page (live via firecrawl); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-orange-county-lst1068-01 through sl-uss-orange-county-lst1068-13; CourtListener results: cl-auth-search.py authenticated responses, HTTP 200, count=0 x4
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- All four required CourtListener sweeps completed zero-result via the authenticated fleet helper (API v4, HTTP 200, count=0): 'LST-1068' opinions, 'LST-1068' dockets, 'USS Orange County' opinions, 'USS Orange County' dockets - no qualifying asbestos litigation, other litigation, or name collision naming this hull exists in the CL corpus. A supplementary variant query '"Orange County" LST' (opinions) was attempted twice but blocked by fleet pacing (hourly request budget momentarily spent) - logged as an open access item, not a negative finding. Secondary-web sweep surfaced only excluded sources (a law-firm marketing listicle slot and a Facebook reunion post). MARAD Vessel History: zero records on all name variants - consistent with Navy-custody disposal (sunk as target 1958, never MARAD/NDRF custody). NVR: no entry - detail URL redirects to homepage (pre-1987 disposal).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Zero results cover only the CourtListener corpus (federal and selected state opinions/dockets); state-court filings outside CL coverage, unfiled claims, and bankruptcy-trust claims are not captured. 'Orange County' is a high-collision common name, but the exact-phrase queries ('USS Orange County', 'LST-1068') constrain collision risk; a hull cited only as 'LST 1068' (unhyphenated) or without the USS prefix could evade them - the supplementary variant sweep remained fleet-paced at session end. Absence of litigation is a negative finding about the public record, not proof no crewmember or yard worker ever filed a claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-orange-county-lst1068-10