USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]DANFS, Orleans Parish (LST-1069), entry by Paul J. Marcello, 11 July 2016 ('Detailed history pending') - construction, WWII Pacific service, occupation/China service, reserve periods, 1952 recommissioning and mine-flagship conversion, 1955 naming, MCS conversion, MSTS service, disposal [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, full service narrative and spec block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: laid down 7 February 1945 at Hingham, Mass., by Bethlehem Hingham Steel Co.; launched 7 March 1945, sponsored by Mrs. James Whitfield; commissioned 31 March 1945, Lt. Lewis A. Rockwell in command. Shakedown Chesapeake Bay; June 1945 transported LCT sections New York to the Hawaiian Islands, then Army troops to Leyte via the Marshalls and Marianas; remained in the Philippines until after the Japanese capitulation. With LST Group 37 proceeded to Shanghai - 'one of the first American ships to steam up the Yangtze River since 1941'; mid-September set up an advanced operational base; October-November transferred Chinese troops to Formosa from Ningpo and Haiphong; four Tsingtao-Sasebo round trips repatriating Japanese by 18 February 1946; repatriated Koreans to Pusan; Bonin Islands lift of 110 Marines and 18 Japanese war criminals to Guam; towed LCI-757 Pearl Harbor to San Francisco (delivered 29 May 1946); Panama Canal 5 July; decommissioned Staten Island 6 August 1946. Third Naval District reserve training until Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, September 1949. Lt. E.V. Walsh assumed command November 1951; recommissioned 11 January 1952 and converted as a mine squadron flagship and logistic support vessel with helicopter landing, fueling, and repair facilities (LANTMINEX 1955). Named Orleans Parish 1 July 1955; December 1955 Atlantic crossing for mine evaluation at Port Lyautey, Morocco; MinRon 8 flagship; out of commission in reserve at Charleston 16 December 1957 - 19 December 1958; rejoined the fleet 'as the mine countermeasure support ship, MSC-6' (text as printed - see ev-08). 20 November 1959 departed Charleston escorting Norwegian and Spanish minesweepers across the Atlantic via Lisbon, home 4 January 1960; first NROTC midshipmen cruise summer 1960; New Orleans Mardi Gras visit February 1963. Decommissioned 20 May 1966 and transferred to MSTS, altered to a cargo ship with civilian crew; sailed 12 September for the Pacific - Guam, Subic Bay, Vung Tau, Yokohama. Placed out of service 29 June 1973; stricken 30 June 1975; sold to the Republic of the Philippines 1 September 1976 as Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511). Spec block: dp. 1,625; l. 328'; b. 50'; dr. 5'3"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 117; a. 8 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl. LST-542.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-1976

   Population

   Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1945); commissioned crews 1945-46 and 1952-66; MSTS civilian crew 1966-73; Philippine Navy crew 1976-forward

   Limitations

   Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. Page verified live 2026-10-02 via rendered fetch (firecrawl); automated curl requests return 404 (NHHC bot-blocking), so URL should be re-verified before production use. DANFS text prints 'MSC-6' for the 1959 redesignation - the designation was MCS-6 (see ev-08). DANFS does not print the MSTS 'T-' prefix in its designation line.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LST-1069 / Orleans Parish page (10/16/161069) - designation sequence, specifications, WWII organization, awards, commanding-officer list, photographic record incl. Vietnam-era MSTS service and Philippine Navy disposition [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/16/161069.htm header designation line, timeline block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: USS LST-1069 (1945-1955) -> USS Orleans Parish (LST-1069) (1955-1959) -> USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6) (1959-1966) -> USNS Orleans Parish (T-LST-1069). WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LST Flotilla 33 (CAPT C. A. Legg), LST Group 98 (LCDR R. H. Menges), LST Division 198. Occupation and China service 5 December 1945 - 28 March 1946 (Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp; China Service Medal, extended). Decommissioned 6 August 1946 at Staten Island; Third Naval District reserve training ship; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, September 1949; LT E.V. Walsh assumed command November 1951; recommissioned 11 January 1952 converted to mine squadron flagship and logistic support vessel; entered Charleston Naval Shipyard 19 December 1958 for conversion to Mine Countermeasures Support Ship; redesignated USS Orleans Parish (MCS-6); decommissioned 20 May 1966 and placed in MSTS service as T-LST-1069; out of service date unknown; struck 30 June 1975; sold to the Republic of the Philippines 1 September 1976, renamed BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511); final disposition unknown. Specifications: 2 x General Motors 12-567A diesels (900 hp), single Falk main reduction gear, 2 propellers 1,700 shp, twin rudders; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted; troops 16 officers + 147 enlisted. Photographic record includes: mine-squadron-flagship configuration 17 December 1952 with added deckhouse abaft the bridge (Norman Friedman caption); San Juan, Puerto Rico, early 1957 as flagship and tender to Mine Squadron Four with MSC(O)-type minesweepers nested alongside; Vung Tau, South Vietnam, 25 May 1971, and beached at Vinh Long on the Mekong, 1970, in MSTS service; ex-hull as BRP Cotabato Del Norte (LT-511) at Cavite, 1988.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-1988

   Population

   Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1945); commissioned crews (1945-46, 1952-66); Charleston Naval Shipyard trades during the 1958-59 MCS conversion; MSTS civilian crew (1966-73); embarked troops and helicopter/mine-squadron staffs; Philippine Navy crew (1976-unknown)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS. Contains no asbestos content. It prints no date for the MCS-6 redesignation (19 January 1959 appears only in secondary sources - see gaps) and labels 1955 naming-ceremony photos 'recommissioning ceremony,' which conflicts with the NHHC caption and the DANFS timeline (the ship was in commission 1952-57); the photos are consistent with the 1955 naming ceremony. 'Out of service' date differs from DANFS: NavSource says unknown, DANFS says 29 June 1973 - DANFS carried.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-02

3. [3]NARA, Record Group 24 deck logs for Orleans Parish (LST-1069) - digitized monthly file units (series under NAID 594258; e.g., NAID 216764114 'January 1956', NAID 219646133 'April 1957', NAID 296906642 'January 1959', NAID 296906966 'May 1959'; containers 3335-3337) [other_primary]

   Locator

   catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-1069'; file units under NAID 594258 (RG 24), containers 3335-3337

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The National Archives Catalog returns 506 archival descriptions on the hull-number search, predominantly digitized RG 24 monthly deck-log file units titled 'Orleans Parish (LST-1069) - <month year>' covering at least 1956-1960 in the visible result set, plus photographic and other file units. Deck logs are the primary source for pinning the hull's locations, availabilities, and underway periods - including the 1958-59 Charleston Naval Shipyard MCS conversion window and MSTS-era Vietnam port calls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1956-1960+ (visible digitized range)

   Population

   Crew and embarked personnel (periods covered by the logs)

   Limitations

   Archival lead only: deck-log file units document locations and events, not materials. The catalog search is keyword-level ('LST-1069' matches every monthly file unit plus tangential hits); the full span of digitized months and whether the 1945-46 wartime logs or the conversion work packages are digitized was not enumerated. No asbestos content is indexed. Catalog pages are JS-rendered; verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-02.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-03

4. [4]Era/design inference built on: DANFS spec block (LST-542 class); NavSource specifications block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gear, twin rudders - diesel plant, no boilers); DANFS/NavSource conversion events (1952 mine-flagship conversion; 1958-59 Charleston Naval Shipyard MCS conversion); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-insulation era (see ev-06) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications block; DANFS conversion narrative; class-design background (LST-542 diesel design, BuShips-era practice)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A diesel-powered LST-542-class landing ship built February-March 1945 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era (GAO: substitution not begun until the early 1970s). As a diesel ship she carried no boilers - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery-space thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings/tile, accommodation insulation, and brake linings on winches and the LCVP handling gear. Her two documented interior-rework events - the 1952 conversion to a mine squadron flagship/logistic support vessel (new deckhouse abaft the bridge, helicopter facilities) and the 1958-59 conversion to a Mine Countermeasures Support Ship at Charleston Naval Shipyard (additional communications equipment and other modifications) - are the kind of yard periods that disturbed original-era insulation, though no material schedule for either was located.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-1976

   Population

   Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1945); engine-room and machinery crews (1945-46, 1952-66); yard trades at the 1952 conversion and the 1958-59 Charleston MCS conversion; MSTS civilian crew (1966-73); Philippine Navy crew and maintainers (1976-unknown)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or conversion work package located for LST-1069/MCS-6. 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-orleans-parish-lst1069-04

5. [5]OSHA inspection 100361849, U.S. Dept of the Navy, Commander Charleston Naval Shipyard, Code 106 (complaint health inspection opened 1988-01-06, SIC 3731; two initial 'Other' violations under the asbestos standard 29 CFR 1910.1001 - items D07 I and J02 I, the latter later deleted; case closed 1988-09-16) [other_primary]

   Locator

   OSHA IMIS establishment.inspection_detail id=100361849 (inspection header and violation table); shipyards.json charleston-naval-shipyard entry

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   Yard-level documentation for the yard that converted this hull: Orleans Parish entered Charleston Naval Shipyard 19 December 1958 for conversion to a Mine Countermeasures Support Ship (ev-01, ev-02). OSHA's establishment record documents asbestos-standard enforcement activity at the shipyard (Code 106) in 1988; the Atlas shipyard dataset further documents asbestos products at the yard (magnesia pipe insulation, asbestos cement, spray-on insulation, gaskets, packing, brake linings, and a documented fiber measurement up to 70 f/cc in a 1972 study).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1958-1959 (conversion); 1988-1990 (OSHA record)

   Population

   Charleston Naval Shipyard trades (1958-59 conversion window for this hull; OSHA record 1988-90)

   Limitations

   Yard-level context, not a hull record: the OSHA inspection postdates the MCS conversion by ~30 years and does not name this vessel; the Atlas yard dataset documents yard-level products, not material installed aboard this hull. Establishes that the conversion yard had documented asbestos-standard issues and products; establishes nothing about the scope of work on this hull, quantities, or individual exposure. OSHA page verified live via rendered fetch 2026-10-02 (curl returns 403 - bot-block).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-05

6. [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 (1945) and U.S. service era (1945-1973).

   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-orleans-parish-lst1069-06

7. [7]Batch-6557 search ledger (this record): live DANFS entry; NavSource 161069 verified live; NVR (no detail page - disposed pre-1987); NARA RG 24 deck-log file units; OSHA IMIS; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 (partial - fleet pacing); secondary web sweep [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-01 through -11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or verified litigation naming USS/USNS Orleans Parish, LST-1069, MCS-6, or BRP Cotabato Del Norte was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener (authenticated API v4): completed opinion searches '"USS Orleans Parish"', '"LST-1069"', '"LST 1069"', and '"Orleans Parish" "tank landing"' all returned zero; '"Orleans Parish" LST' returned six hits, all Louisiana Court of Appeal civil cases where 'Orleans Parish' is the jurisdiction - name collisions, no vessel or asbestos content; the docket search '"LST-1069"' returned a single name collision (Jacquelyn M. Hostler, Bankruptcy Court M.D. Pa., filed 2023-07-25 - a consumer bankruptcy docket, not vessel litigation). Two queries remained blocked by fleet-wide pacing (vessel-name docket search '"USS Orleans Parish"' type=r; '"Cotabato Del Norte"' type=o) and are logged as blocked, not as negative results. Secondary sweeps surfaced only Louisiana-jurisdiction collisions (Orleans Parish Civil District Court asbestos dockets) and law-firm listicles asserting asbestos aboard without primary sourcing - 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 - and the litigation repository search is partially open (several queries blocked by fleet pacing; the bankruptcy docket hit was classified from search-result metadata without re-fetching the docket). Deck logs, conversion work packages, MARAD transfer file, and Philippine-service records are unexhausted leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-07

8. [8]Designation cross-check: DANFS text ('MSC-6') vs NavSource designation line ('MCS-6', 1959-1966) and Wikipedia infobox ('MCS-6, 19 January 1959'); Wikipedia 'List of decommissioned ships of the Philippine Navy' and downstream mirrors (seaforces.org, military-history.fandom.com) print 'LST-1096' for this hull [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS narrative paragraph rejoining the fleet; NavSource 161069 designation line and photo captions; Wikipedia USS Orleans Parish infobox and List of decommissioned ships of the Philippine Navy

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTIONS: (a) The official DANFS text itself misprints the 1959 redesignation as 'MSC-6'; the designation was MCS-6 (Mine Countermeasures Support Ship), as NavSource's designation line and the MCS vessel list carry it. (b) Secondary Philippine-Navy lists (Wikipedia's decommissioned-ships list; seaforces.org; military-history.fandom.com) misprint the ex-hull's number as 'LST-1096' - the hull sold 1 September 1976 was LST-1069, as DANFS and NavSource both record. (c) NavSource captions label the July 1955 naming-ceremony photographs (Lt. Norville, former Miss New Orleans) a 'recommissioning ceremony'; NHHC's caption calls it the naming ceremony and the ship was then continuously in commission (1952-1957) - NavSource's caption is a mislabel.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1955-1976 (designation window)

   Limitations

   Corrects circulating designation/caption errors, not material claims. The precise MCS-6 redesignation date (19 January 1959) rests on secondary sourcing only - NavSource and DANFS print no date; carried in gaps. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-orleans-parish-lst1069-08