USS Payette County (LST-1079)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 622-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: Queue: USS Payette County / LST-1079 → VERIFIED — real identity: USS Payette County (LST-1079), ex-USS LST-1079, named 1 July 1955. Type: LST-542-class tank landing ship.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-payette-county-lst1079-pkt-622-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, 'Payette County (LST-1079)' (Naval History and Heritage Command) - archived Wayback capture 2024-05-27; live history.navy.mil URL returns 404 (verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Payette County (LST-1079) entry, full text (Wayback Machine capture 20240527001913 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/payette-county.html)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'Payette County (LST-1079)' entry (1945-1959): a county in the state of Idaho. LST-1079 was laid down 30 March 1945 at Hingham, Mass., by Bethlehem Hingham Shipyards; launched 27 April 1945; commissioned 22 May 1945, Lt. William A. Putnam, Jr., USNR, in command. After shakedown she loaded pontoons/cargo at Davisville R.I., embarked marines and ammunition at New York, sailed 7 July 1945 for the Canal Zone (Coco Solo 16 July), and was at anchor in West Loch, Pearl Harbor, when Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration. 21 August to Guam via Eniwetok; 22 September to Leyte; then Subic Bay; returned to Guam 6 November for Magic Carpet passage; reached San Francisco 28 December 1945; assigned to the Nineteenth Fleet; decommissioned March 1946 and berthed with the Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, Puget Sound. Recommissioned October 1950 for Korean Conflict fleet requirements; Atlantic Fleet; Goose Bay, Labrador service for the U.S. Army (iceberg tore a hole in her bow in heavy fog; lookout's alarm avoided head-on collision). Then shuttling general stores Green Cove Springs, Fla. - Norfolk, Va.; 1954-55 innovative exercises incl. LST-helicopter operations and use of an LST as a rocket launching platform. Named Payette County (LST-1079) 1 July 1955; operated with a civil service crew under MSTS until placed out of service and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 November 1959; sold 18 May 1961 to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Astoria, Ore., and broken up for scrap.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-1961

   Population

   Ship's company 1945-46 and 1950-55; MSTS civil-service crew 1955-59

   Limitations

   Establishes identity, construction, service history, MSTS period, striking, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, materials, or crew-health information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page is a 404 - citation is the archived capture, labeled as such. Two internal DANFS details conflict with NavSource: 'decommissioned in March 1946' vs NavSource's 31 May 1946, and the stat-line class 'LST-511' vs NavSource's 'LST-542' (see gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USNS Payette County (T-LST-1079) page (navsource.net/archives/10/16/161079.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource Payette County (T-LST-1079) page: timeline, awards ribbon, CO table, spec block, photo captions (Pearl Harbor Jan 1946; Caribbean/Vieques March 1954)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive entry 'USNS Payette County (T-LST-1079) ex USS Payette County (LST-1079) (1955) ex USS LST-1079 (1945-1955)' confirms the DANFS milestones and adds: International Radio Call Sign NAKM; awards American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal (no battle stars); decommissioned 31 May 1946; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Puget Sound; recommissioned October 1950; commanding-officer table (Putnam 22 May 1945-16 Oct 1945; Brayson 16 Oct 1945-27 Mar 1946; Wolfe 27 Mar-15 May 1946; Arment 15-31 May 1946; decommissioned 31 May 1946-Oct 1950; Davis Jan 1951-1952; Boland 1952); full LST-542-class specification block (diesel plant: 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, Falk reduction gear, 2 shafts, ~1,700 shp, 11.6 kt, 4,300 bbl diesel). Photographs: US Navy BUAer photo #496019 (released 23 January 1946) shows LST-1079 moored at Pearl Harbor circa 16-23 January 1946 among fleet units; crew-contributed photos (Harold J. Leeper, ET3, USS Pima County LST-1081) show Payette County underway in the Caribbean en route to and anchored off Vieques Island, March 1954, for amphibious training.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-1961

   Population

   Ship's company 1945-46 and 1950-55

   Limitations

   Independently confirms DANFS timeline and adds call sign, awards, CO table, photographs, and spec block. Decommissioning 31 May 1946 conflicts with DANFS's 'March 1946' (see gaps). The Pearl Harbor photo's circa-16-23-January-1946 caption postdates DANFS's 28 December 1945 San Francisco arrival - an undocumented return voyage or loose photo dating (see gaps). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-02

4. [4]U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Special List #44 - List of Logbooks, by Ship Numbers (archives.gov PDF) [other_primary]

   Locator

   sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 38: 'LST-1079 5/22/1945 11/30/1945' (two identical-coverage entries; NARA notes some vessels' logbooks include separate rough and smooth runs)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947), ship-number section PDF page 38, inventories two identical-coverage Navy deck-log entries for LST-1079 covering 5/22/1945-11/30/1945. These dated Navy records establish in-scope WWII service for this hull; logbook coverage dates are not claimed as commissioning dates. The logs are held by NARA (RG 24) and are not on NARA's published list of digitized deck logs - an undigitized archival lead. Korea/MSTS-era logs (1950-1959) fall outside the SL-44 inventory scope.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945 (log coverage)

   Limitations

   Confirms deck logs exist for the stated coverage window only; the logbooks themselves were not examined and their contents (events, availabilities, yard periods) are unknown. Does not establish exposure conditions or any asbestos fact; digitization status per NARA's published digitized-log list (LST-1079/Payette County absent).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-03

5. [5]MARAD Vessel History database, 'PAYETTE COUNTY (LST-1079)' ShipHistory Detail 3807 (status-card scans: Form MC-7146a 5LC_01.png; Form MA-383 3807_7046AF.jpg) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   MARAD ShipHistory Detail 3807 - Milestones table (Entry 11/15/1956; Withdrawal 5/7/1957) and Status Cards images /cards/5LC_01.png and /cards/3807_7046AF.jpg (read directly)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History card file for PAYETTE COUNTY (LST-1079), ex-name LST-1079: (1) Form MC-7146a Vessel Status Card records Reserve Fleet custody delivery at Olympia, Wash. 11-15-56 12:55 pm PST, and return to Navy Department custody at Olympia 5-7-57 10:30 am PST; (2) Form MA-383 Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars card records the same window - ENTERED Nov. 15, 1956, 1255 hrs PST; WITHDRAWN May 7, 1957, 1050 hrs PST, reason 'MSTS - Arctic Ready Status' (the two cards differ by 20 minutes on the withdrawal/return time - clerical variance, see gaps) - plus type 'Land Ship, Tank (Arctic),' fleet Olympia, title Navy, service prior to lay-up 'MSTS - Ready Status - Arctic,' 'See Navy ltr. Aug. 28, 1956 - Ready Status Arctic,' and describes 'Wood sheathing on bows and sides, reinforced bow doors, reinforced hull,' propulsion 'Two 900 HP G.M. Diesels, two screws,' LOA 328', breadth 50' 1.5", extreme beam 51' 3/4", speed 11.5 knots. The MARAD history page milestones confirm Entry 11/15/1956 and Withdrawal 5/7/1957; fate 'Returned - U.S.' This documents a documented Arctic fit and a mid-MSTS-period reserve-fleet custody interval at Olympia.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1956-1957

   Population

   MSTS civil-service crew; reserve-fleet custodial personnel at Olympia, 1956-57

   Limitations

   Primary custody/characteristics record. Documents the Arctic fit (wood sheathing, reinforced bow doors/hull) and the 1956-57 Olympia reserve-fleet interval inside the MSTS period - DANFS does not mention this custody gap. The Arctic fit is a wood-and-steel modification; the card records no asbestos content. Neither card nor page addresses exposure or materials hazards.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-04

6. [6]Shipbuilding History, 'Bethlehem-Hingham, Hingham MA' yard page (Tim Colton's shipbuildinghistory.com) - secondary compilation of builder/yard records [other_primary]

   Locator

   Bethlehem-Hingham yard table, hull 3469 row; yard-description header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com) Bethlehem-Hingham yard production table: yard hull 3469 = LST-1079, FY1944 contract, keel laid 30-Mar-45, launched 27-Apr-45, delivered 22-May-45 - 28 days on the ways, 25 days in water, 53 days total. Disposition cell: 'Later Payette County, scrapped 1960.' Yard context: Bethlehem Hingham Shipyards, Inc. was built in 1941 with $35M Navy funding for destroyer-escort construction, had 16 ways, was managed by Bethlehem Quincy, and employed over 23,000 at peak; closed and liquidated after the war.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   Bethlehem-Hingham construction workforce, 1945

   Limitations

   Corroborates build dates and yard number (consistent with DANFS/NavSource). Its 'scrapped 1960' disposition predates by one year the documented sale-for-scrap of 18 May 1961 (DANFS, NavSource) - same outcome, minor date conflict noted in gaps. Yard-context figures are secondary compilation, not a government source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-05

7. [7]Era inference built on: NavSource Payette County spec block (ev-02); Corn, J.K. & Starr, J., 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am. J. Ind. Med. 11(3):359-373 (1987) doi:10.1002/ajim.4700110311; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-07) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource spec block; Corn & Starr AJIM 11(3) article record; GAO HRD-80-2 product page

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era inference for a diesel amphibious hull: built March-May 1945 inside the WWII shipbuilding asbestos era; a diesel plant with no boilers means the steam-vessel boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply, but era-standard asbestos applications aboard an LST-542-class amphibious ship were engine-room machinery and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, accommodation insulation, deck coverings, and winch brake linings. The documented Arctic fit (wood sheathing on bows and sides, reinforced bow doors and hull - MARAD particulars card, ev-04) is a wood-and-steel modification with no documented asbestos component. Inference basis: NavSource spec block for this hull (diesel plant, no steam); peer-reviewed documentation of extensive asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding (Corn & Starr); GAO documentation that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not substitute alternatives until the early 1970s.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1945-1961

   Population

   Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades (1945); ship's company (1945-46, 1950-55); MSTS civil-service crew (1955-59); breaker's workforce at Zidell (1960-61, undocumented for this hull)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work package located for LST-1079/Payette County. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no exposure or causation finding. The hull remained in government/MSTS custody through 1959 and was scrapped 1961 - before the Navy's early-1970s asbestos substitution documented by GAO; abatement history not applicable.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-06

8. [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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403, consistent with prior batches) - content via product-page description

   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), service eras (1945-46, 1950-59), and scrapping (1961).

   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) - content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-07

9. [9]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L./E.D. Pa.), Doc. 6993-1 (filed 2011-04-14): Notice of Potential Tag-Along with embedded complaint - Adams et al v. 3M et al, No. 2:11-cv-00900-RDP (N.D. Ala., filed 2011-03-07); RECAP PDF gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6993.1.pdf [court_record]

   Locator

   MDL No. 875 Doc. 6993-1 (filed 04/14/2011), attachment page 143 of 393 (= complaint page 138 of 388; complaint internal p.3): the Garrard work-history recital naming 'USS LST 1079' - text read directly from the RECAP PDF this session

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   QUALIFYING ASBESTOS LITIGATION at pleading stage: the MDL-875 master docket (IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), J.P.M.L., MDL No. 875) contains as document 6993 attachment 1 (filed 14 April 2011) a Notice of Potential Tag-Along packaging the civil docket sheet and complaint for Adams et al v. 3M et al, N.D. Ala. No. 2:11-cv-00900-RDP (filed 7 March 2011, cause 28:1332 Diversity-Asbestos Litigation; Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris counsel). The multi-plaintiff 'Plaintiffs' Original Complaint' alleges for plaintiff KENNETH EDWARD GARRARD that he 'was continually exposed to asbestos-containing products ... in his environment while employed,' worked 'as a Radiological Technician for USS LST 1079 from approximately 1950 to 1954 in Norfolk, VA' amid 'asbestos cloth, insulation, joint compound, shingles and motors and other industrial equipment,' and 'was diagnosed with asbestos-related Asbestosis on or about September 10, 2010.' The tag-along notice records the case's designation as a potential MDL-875 tag-along action; the Garrard claim's individual disposition was not traced.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-02

   Study period

   1950-2011

   Population

   Kenneth Edward Garrard (plaintiff); ship's company, Atlantic Fleet period ~1950-54

   Limitations

   Litigation-stage discipline applies: this is a boilerplate multi-plaintiff PLEADING ALLEGATION - a complaint work-history recital naming the hull - NOT an adjudicated finding that asbestos exposure occurred aboard. It does not identify products aboard, does not adjudicate causation, and the Garrard claim's outcome beyond MDL-875 transfer was not located. The 1950-54 Norfolk window is consistent with the hull's documented Atlantic Fleet recommissioned period (recommissioned Oct 1950; Green Cove Springs-Norfolk shuttle operations). Does not establish exposure, causation, or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-08

10. [10]Buckholtz v. American Optical Corp. et al. (Woodruff), No. 56257-0-II (Wash. Ct. App. Div. II, Jan. 24, 2023) - unpublished opinion, Washington State Courts PDF [court_record]

    Locator

    Unpublished opinion pp. 1-2 (facts: Woodruff's 1970-73 asbestos exposure dismantling ships; $11.2M verdict), pp. 26-27 (holding: duty owed as shipowner; spoliation reversed; vacate and remand)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    The hull's documented breaker operates in the litigation record: Buckholtz (Estate of Woodruff) v. Zidell Explorations, Inc., No. 56257-0-II (Wash. Ct. App. Div. II, filed Jan. 24, 2023, UNPUBLISHED). The opinion records that Zidell Explorations (Portland, formed 1912) and related Zidell Dismantling (Tacoma, Port of Tacoma lease) dismantled decommissioned Navy ships in the Pacific Northwest; that a worker's asbestos exposure in 1970-73 ship dismantling produced a mesothelioma claim; that a jury awarded $11.2M; and that the court of appeals held Zidell Explorations owed a duty as owner of at least one dismantled ship (USS Philippine Sea) but reversed the spoliation finding and REMANDED to vacate the judgment and for new trial. The opinion does not name LST-1079/Payette County; the dismantling documented was at Tacoma/Portland in 1970-73, while this hull was sold to Zidell Explorations' Astoria office in May 1961.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1970-2023

    Population

    Zidell ship-dismantling workforce (Tacoma/Portland), 1970-73

    Limitations

    Does NOT name this hull - documents the breaker's Navy-ship dismantling environment (Tacoma/Portland, 1970-73) roughly a decade after Payette County's 1961 sale to Zidell's Astoria office. Litigation-stage note: the $11.2M verdict was VACATED and remanded for new trial; the appellate disposition is procedural (spoliation-instruction error), and the opinion is unpublished. Establishes only that asbestos removal occurred in this breaker's PNW operations - not that asbestos was disturbed in this specific hull's breakup.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-09

11. [11]Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Northwest Region Cleanup Program, 'Zidell Waterfront Property Cleanup' (2012, Portland) - oregon.gov PDF [other_primary]

    Locator

    Oregon DEQ Zidell cleanup PDF: Background (1946 purchase; 336 ships dismantled over 30 years), Site Contaminants (asbestos listed), 2010 upland remedy (asbestos abatement project)

    Finding type

    environmental_record

    Finding

    Oregon DEQ documents the Zidell waterfront property (Portland, OR) cleanup: the site was an ironworks shipyard before WWII, did building/repair/salvage of Victory ships during WWII, and was purchased by Zidell in 1946 - '336 ships dismantled over 30 years,' scrap sold and waste used as site fill; asbestos is listed among site contaminants, and the 2010 upland remedy included a certified-worker asbestos abatement project with air monitoring and bulk ACM disposal.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    1946-2012

    Population

    Zidell dismantling workforce; site cleanup workers

    Limitations

    Documents asbestos at the breaker's principal Portland shipbreaking site; does NOT name this hull and does not establish where Payette County was physically broken up (sale was to Zidell Explorations' Astoria office; the documented DEQ site is Portland). Confirms the class/era end-of-life pathway - scrapped Navy hulls delivered asbestos to PNW dismantling sites - not ship-specific exposure.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-10

12. [12]Batch-6567 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Wayback); NavSource; NARA SL-44 + digitized-log list; NVR; MARAD Vessel History + status cards; CourtListener API v4 (o and r); shipbuildinghistory yard table; WA Courts opinion; Oregon DEQ; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-payette-county-lst1079-01 through -15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos materials record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or material schedule naming LST-1079/Payette County (T-LST-1079) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The litigation sweep located ONE qualifying pleading-stage allegation (ev-08: the Garrard recital in the Adams complaint embedded in MDL-875 Doc. 6993-1); all other CourtListener queries returned zero hits naming this hull, and 'Payette County' name forms return only Payette County, Idaho county-government litigation - name collisions, not this ship. Secondary web sweeps surfaced neither qualifying litigation nor law-firm marketing claims naming this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-02

    Study period

    2026-10-02

    Limitations

    Scoped negative: no materials/health/abatement record located - the Garrard pleading allegation (ev-08) is reported separately as qualifying litigation, not materials documentation. Absence of a located record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. Undigitized deck logs (ev-03), Bethlehem-Hingham work packages, MSTS-era maintenance records, and Zidell breakup records are unfollowed archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-payette-county-lst1079-11