Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 629-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-steuben-county-lst1138-pkt-629-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-1138 - construction, sponsor, commissioning, occupation duty, Korean War service, 1955 renaming, striking, and sale (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS LST-1138 entry, full narrative (2 paragraphs + battle-star line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'LST-1138 was laid down on 6 January 1945 at Seneca, Ill., by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.; launched on 5 April 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Hattie R. Fox; and commissioned on 24 April 1945, Lt. D. C. Smith, USNR, in command.' 'Following World War II, LST-1138 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early January 1946. After post-war operations with the Pacific Fleet, LST-1138 saw extensive service during the Korean War. On 1 July 1955, she was redesignated Steuben County (LST-1138) (q.v.) after counties in Indiana and New York. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 February 1961 and sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland, Oreg., on 11 August 1961.' 'LST-1138 earned five battle stars for her Korean War service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (Jan-Apr 1945); crew (1945-1960)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The entry is a stub - no WWII combat narrative (she commissioned in the war's final months), no decommissioning date (NavSource supplies 1 November 1960), no pre-1945/post-1961 detail. The referenced '(q.v.)' Steuben County entry is not published on the live NHHC site (s/steuben-county.html returns 404 and the S index carries no such entry) - the LST-1138 entry is the entire live DANFS coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Steuben County (LST-1138) - timeline, unit assignments, occupation/campaign date tables, specifications, commanding-officer list, photo captions (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161138.htm header block, awards ribbon list, occupation/campaign tables, specifications block, CO list, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 6 January 1945 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., Seneca, IL; launched 5 April 1945; commissioned USS LST-1138 24 April 1945; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater - LST Flotilla Thirty-Four (CAPT. H. H. Tiemroth), LST Group One Hundred One, LST Division Two Hundred Three. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods: 20 Sep-3 Oct 1945, 15 Oct-19 Nov 1945, 25 Nov 1945-4 Jan 1946. Korean War campaign table: North Korean Aggression (10-12 Sep 1950; 28 Sep-2 Nov 1950), Inchon Landing (13-17 Sep 1950), Communist China Aggression (3 Nov 1950-10 Jan 1951), Second Korean Winter (17 Dec 1951-12 Jan 1952; 20 Mar-2 Apr 1952), Korea Summer-Fall 1953 (18-19 Jun, 12-18 Jul, 22-23 Jul 1953) - five battle stars. Named USS Steuben County (LST-1138) 1 July 1955. Decommissioned 1 November 1960. Struck from the Naval Register 1 February 1961. Sold for scrapping 11 August 1961 to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland, OR. Specifications: 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full / 2,366 t beaching; 328 ft oa, 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt trial; complement 13 officers + 104 enlisted, troop accommodations 16 officers + 147 enlisted; 2 LCVP; 2 x GM 12-567A 900-hp diesels, single Falk main reduction gears, 3 x 100-kW 230-V DC diesel-drive ship's service generators, 2 shafts 1,700 shp. Photo captions place the hull at Wakayama, Japan, circa 20 Sep 1945; beached in the Philippines in the re-occupation period (with LST-550, LST-1090, LST-1024); Chigasaki Beach, Japan, 22 Feb 1952; loading North Korean POWs at Pung Nam Do, Korea, 1953; off San Diego 1954; underway 1959 (USN 1045598).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1945); crew (1945-1960); embarked troops in amphibious operations (1945-53); shipbreakers at Zidell, Portland (1961-62)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS and here agree with DANFS on every date DANFS gives. Contains no asbestos content. Campaign dates trace to Navy campaign registers and are consistent with the crew-maintained log (ev-08). Photo-caption details rest on contributor identification, not official caption cards, except where a NARA photo number is shown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-02
-
[4]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton), Chicago Bridge & Iron, Seneca IL yard page - per-hull production table row for LST 1138 (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com CB&I Seneca yard page, LST 1138 production-table row; yard-description preamble
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's-yard production table carries a row for this hull: 'LST 1138 | U.S. Navy | Landing Ship, Tank | keel 1/6/45 | launched 4/5/45 | delivered 4/24/45 | 89 days on ways | 19 days in water | 108 total days | Steuben County 1955, scrapped 1961' - corroborating the DANFS/NavSource dates and documenting wartime build tempo at the yard. The page describes the Seneca facility as the 'Prairie Shipyard,' a 200-acre site requisitioned by the Navy in 1942 with a $6 million improvement investment, sold to Union Mechling in 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- CB&I Seneca construction trades (1945)
- Limitations
- Secondary tabulation of official build data, not itself an official record - dates agree exactly with DANFS and NavSource. 'Delivered 4/24/45' is the build-delivery date; the Navy commissioned her the same day. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-11
-
[5]NHHC photographic collection record, USN 1045598 - 'Aerial view of tank landing ship USS Steuben County (LST-1138) underway', National Archives-owned US Navy photograph (live page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC USN 1045598 catalog record; NavSource 10/16/161138.htm 1959 photo caption (image 1016113802)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC catalogs NARA-owned photograph USN 1045598, an aerial view of this hull underway under her post-1955 name Steuben County (LST-1138); NavSource dates the same image 1959. Documents official photographic holdings for this hull in the NARA USN series - an archival lead for researchers, not an exposure record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1955-1960 (name-era photo)
- Limitations
- Catalog record only - the NHHC page gives title, caption, accession (USN) and catalog number, no date; the 1959 dating rests on NavSource's caption for the identical image. A photograph establishes the ship's existence and appearance, not materials aboard. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-03
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource LST-1138 specifications block (2 x GM 12-567A diesels, Falk reduction gears, 3 x diesel-drive 100-kW DC ship's service generators, 2 shafts - diesel plant, no boilers); LST-542-class design-group framing per BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 as tabulated in the lst-1-class Atlas profile; GAO HRD-80-2 era findings (ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/161138.htm specifications block; lst-1-class.class.json design-group fields; GAO HRD-80-2 pp. 9-10-era narrative (see ev-05 locator)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A tank landing ship built January-April 1945 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a diesel-driven naval vessel of this type and period: thermal insulation/lagging on machinery, diesel exhaust runs, and piping systems; gaskets and valve packing throughout piping; asbestos-containing deck coverings; accommodation-space and fireproof insulation; asbestos in electrical components (clutches, resistors, cabling). Her diesel plant means the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the engine-room/exhaust lagging and general shipboard product pathways do.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Population
- CB&I construction trades (1945); crew (1945-1960); shipbreakers at Zidell (1961-62)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, construction specification, or work package located for LST-1138. Names era-standard applications documented by GAO at program level (ev-05), not confirmed installed materials on this hull. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-04
-
[7]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; full text https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-10-02 - direct curl HTTP 403) [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 digest and pp. 9-10 of attachment (asbestos applications narrative), conclusions section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that 'thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems has been the major application of asbestos' aboard Navy ships, and that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' - 'Asbestos is used in home and office floor tiling and on Navy ship decks... Piping system gaskets and packing used throughout... Navy shipboard piping systems contain asbestos. Asbestos is used in... Navy ship equipment brakes and clutches' - concluding 'there are so many common uses of asbestos that it is nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral.' The Navy's elimination policy dates to 1973 (thermal-insulation specifications) and October 1975 (policy issuance), and asbestos-insulated ships were still being delivered as late as May 1978 - so the entire life of this hull (built 1945, scrapped 1961-62) predates the phase-out era entirely.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979 (report); asbestos-use era reviewed extends earlier
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (Long Beach, Norfolk); fleet-wide context
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not Chicago Bridge & Iron and not this hull. Does not establish materials aboard LST-1138, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-05
-
[8]US EPA archived news release, 'EPA and Oregon DEQ Move Portland Harbor Superfund Cleanup Forward' - Zidell named as a contaminated-sediment site in the Downtown Reach; cleanup actions completed at five of six Downtown Reach sites (live EPA archive page verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA archive news release, 'Highlights of DEQ's cleanup accomplishments' bullet; Portland Harbor site description paragraphs
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The former Zidell waterfront property in Portland, Oregon - where this hull was scrapped after the 11 August 1961 sale - is a named site in the Downtown Reach of the Portland Harbor Superfund site: EPA reports DEQ completed cleanup actions at five of six contaminated sediment sites in the Downtown Reach, 'Station L, Ross Island Lagoon, Zidell, River Mile 13.1 and River Mile 13.5.' The documented site contaminants are PCBs, PAHs, dioxins/furans, and DDT; the 10-mile lower-Willamette cleanup is estimated at roughly $1 billion over 13 years of construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2000-2018 (Superfund study/cleanup era); scrapping event 1961-62
- Population
- Zidell yard workers and site neighbors (cleanup era)
- Limitations
- Disposal-location environmental record only. It documents contamination of the scrapping site decades after this hull was dismantled there; it says nothing about asbestos aboard LST-1138, about the 1961-62 breakup, or about any worker exposure. Contaminants listed are sediment toxics, not an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-06
-
[9]Zidell Marine Corp., 'Our Story' company history page (live zidell.com page gone; Wayback capture 14 Jan 2010 verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Zidell 'Our Story' paragraphs on ship dismantling and Zidell Marine Corp. founding
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The company that bought this hull for scrapping documents its own operations: Zidell entered ship dismantling in 1946, 'by 1960, Zidell was the nation's largest ship dismantler, employing hundreds of men who dismantled a total of 336 ships over its thirty years of dismantling activities,' and 'the start of Zidell's barge building business, Zidell Marine Corp., came in 1960, when Emery decided to use recovered steel from the ships being dismantled to create barges.' This documents the industrial process this hull entered at scrapping - a 1945 naval hull dismantled in 1961-62 predates all modern ACM-handling regulation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1946-2010 (company narrative); this hull's disposal 1961-62
- Population
- Zidell dismantling workforce (1946-c.1976)
- Limitations
- Company self-history fetched via Wayback; it does NOT name this hull or any individual ship. Wikipedia's citation of this page for 'steel recovered from decommissioned ships, including Steuben County' attaches a hull-specific claim the source does not make (see ev-09 correction). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-07
-
[10]lst1138.org - crew-maintained 'Unofficial Log of operations of the LST 1138 from July 1950 to 1954' (C.D. Pardee) plus 1953-55 memoir pages (live site verified 2026-10-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- lst1138.org logbook.html 1950-51 entries; index page (1953-55 memoir scope)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A former crewmember's unofficial station log records this hull's Korean War track: departure Port Hueneme 29 Jul 1950, Yokosuka 30 Aug, Kobe 2 Sep, Inchon 15-20 Sep 1950 (the invasion window - NavSource's Inchon Landing campaign line is 13-17 Sep), Inchon again 12-15 Oct, Wonsan 25-27 Oct, Iwon 28-30 Oct, Wonsan 8-17 Nov, Hungnam 20-23 Nov 1950, Yokosuka 29 Nov, Inchon Dec-Jan, Kunsan Jan 1951, Pearl Harbor 31 Jan 1951 - consistent with the official campaign table and a usable archival lead for dates, ports, and deck-log cross-reference.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1950-1955
- Population
- Crew 1950-1954 (log author and shipmates)
- Limitations
- Unofficial veteran-maintained site, not an official record - a primary-adjacent firsthand log, useful as a lead and for corroboration; it is not evidence of materials aboard. No asbestos content. Site coverage is 1950-54/55 only; other years undocumented here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-08
-
[11]Wikipedia 'USS Steuben County' - secondary compilation used for cross-checking; citation-chain audit of its references [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia article prose + infobox + reference list vs Zidell Our Story full text and NavSource awards/specs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: Wikipedia states Zidell built barges 'with steel recovered from decommissioned ships, including Steuben County,' citing Zidell's 'Our Story' page - but that page names no individual ship, so the hull-specific attribution is an editorial inference unsupported by its own citation. Also conflicting: Wikipedia's infobox carries '7 officers, 204 enlisted' where NavSource and the BuShips-derived class data carry 13 officers / 104 enlisted ship's company plus separate troop accommodations (16 officers / 147 enlisted); and Wikipedia's 'completed too late for service in World War II' sits against NavSource's listing of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal among her awards and a Philippines re-occupation-period photo - an unresolved WWII-arrival discrepancy, not a resolved fact either way.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Limitations
- Corrects/flags secondary-source claims; Wikipedia is not itself cited as authority for any fact in this record. The WWII-arrival question is genuinely ambiguous - DANFS says only 'Following World War II... occupation duty,' so the APCM listing may reflect arrival in the war's final days; carried to gaps rather than asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-09
-
[12]Batch-6627 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource; NHHC photo record; NARA digitized deck-log list; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; EPA archive; Zidell/Wayback; lst1138.org; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; BVA-targeted search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or verified litigation naming USS Steuben County / USS LST-1138 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-paced authenticated helper returned its shared-budget throttle on every attempt - logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; 'Steuben County' hits are Indiana/New York county-name collisions. The only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. No BVA decision naming LST-1138 surfaced.
- 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 a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs (not digitized for this hull), CB&I Seneca work packages, and any Zidell dismantling records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steuben-county-lst1138-10