USS LCI(L)-196

Evidence

16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).

1. [1]research packet oh-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lci-l-196-lcil196-pkt-oh-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division), USS LCI(L)-196 / LCI(G)-196 entry - HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official DANFS text (canonical NHHC URL not resolvable as of access date; mirror convention per batch discipline) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS LCI(G)/LCI(L)-196 entry text and header statistics block, ibiblio HyperWar mirror

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official DANFS entry for this hull: 'a 246-ton landing craft, infantry, was built by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and commissioned in February 1943. She served in the Mediterranean Sea during 1943-44, participating in the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Elba and Southern France. Modified for gunfire support of amphibious operations and renamed LCI(G)-196 in July 1945, she took part in occupation service in the western Pacific and China areas during the last months of 1945. Decommissioned after that duty, LCI(G)-196 was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal in November 1947.' Header statistics: dp. 234; l. 158'6"; b. 23'3"; dr. 2'8" fwd, 4'10" aft; s. 16 k.; cpl. 24; trp. 188; a. 4 20mm.; cl. LCI(L)-1.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Wartime complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted (LCI(L)); 5 officers + 65 enlisted (LCI(G)); embarked troops up to 6 officers + 182 enlisted

   Limitations

   Entry is unusually brief - campaign participation asserted at the narrative level without per-campaign dates (NavSource supplies the dated campaign table). 'Commissioned in February 1943' gives no day. No asbestos or material-content statement. The live history.navy.mil DANFS URL for this entry returned 404 on all candidate patterns this session (NHHC link rot is a standing issue per BATCH-01); the cited ibiblio page is the verbatim DANFS transcription.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-01

3. [3]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-196 ex USS LCI(L)-196 page (history text in the Turner Publishing 'USS LCI: Landing Craft Infantry' compilation lineage; specifications block; campaign table; photograph captions) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource LCI(G)-196 entry (10/15/150196), history block, campaign table, flotilla/group/division block, medal tables, specifications block, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large): laid down 21 December 1942 at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny, NJ; launched 8 February 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-196 in February 1943. Assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater, LCI Flotilla One; campaign credits: Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943; Salerno landings 9-23 September 1943; West coast of Italy operations (Anzio-Nettuno advanced landing 22 January-3 February 1944; Elba and Pianosa landings 15 June 1944); Invasion of southern France 15 August-20 September 1944 - four battle stars. Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Guns) and redesignated USS LCI(G)-196; Asiatic-Pacific assignment under LCI Flotilla Thirty-Seven (LCDR J.P. Moore), LCI Group One Hundred Eleven (LT J.W. Winson Jr.), LCI Division Two Hundred Twenty-One. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal 24 October-14 November 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 15 November-1 December 1945. Decommissioned date unknown; struck date unknown; four battle stars; final disposition 'fate unknown'. International radio call sign NQWF. Photo captions: NH 97260, beached near Scoglitti, Sicily, July 1943; LCI(L)-195 and LCI(L)-196 moored pierside at Boston Navy Yard, December 1944 (Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection). Specifications: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; LCI(L) complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted; LCI(G) complement 5 officers + 65 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; two sets of four General Motors diesel engines, four per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers; LCI(G) armament two 40mm, four 20mm, six .50-cal, ten Mk 7 rocket launchers; 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, pilot house.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Wartime complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted (LCI(L)); 5 officers + 65 enlisted (LCI(G)); embarked troops

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation source (Turner Publishing LCI reference hosted by NavSource), not a primary government document - but the standard public ship-history reference for unnamed LCI hulls. Contains no asbestos or material-content statement. The dated campaign table corroborates the DANFS narrative; '4 battle stars' tallies the four EAME campaign groupings. Redesignation stated without a date here (DANFS supplies July 1945). Speed entry on the page is internally inconsistent ('6 kts (max.) / 14 kts maximum continuous' vs DANFS 16 k) - not asserted in this record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-02

4. [4]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 (by ship number) - catalog of Navy deck logs held; PDF page 21 carries three coverage rows for LCI(L)-196 [other_primary]

   Locator

   sl-44-ship-number.pdf PDF page 21, three rows: 'LCI(L)-196 2/15/1943 2/28/1943', 'LCI(L)-196 4/1/1943 2/23/1944', 'LCI(L)-196 5/1/1944 6/30/1945'; digitization status checked against https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online (only LCI-series hull digitized is Kestrel AM CU/MHC-26/LCI-874)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA holds Navy deck logs for LCI(L)-196 in three coverage intervals (verified against the PDF text layer this session): 2/15/1943-2/28/1943; 4/1/1943-2/23/1944; 5/1/1944-6/30/1945. The coverage start coincides with the independently recorded February 1943 commissioning month, and the coverage end (6/30/1945) coincides with the July 1945 redesignation to LCI(G)-196 documented by DANFS and by the muster-roll series boundary. Two interior gaps are unexplained: March 1943 (fitting-out period) and 24 February-30 April 1944 (between the Anzio and Elba operations).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1943-02-15 to 1945-06-30

   Population

   Crew of record during the logged intervals (3 officers + ~21 enlisted LCI(L) complement)

   Limitations

   Special List 44 establishes that deck logs exist for the stated coverage intervals only. Per project convention the coverage endpoints are not asserted as commissioning/decommissioning dates; the interior gaps are unexplained (possibly fitting-out, availability, or administrative custody gaps). The logs are textual holdings at Archives II, College Park; LCI(L)-196 does not appear on NARA's 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' digitized list as of access date, so log contents were not reviewed - the list rows contain no operational detail and no asbestos information. NOTE: the batch tasking described only the first interval (2/15-2/28/1943); the PDF itself carries three intervals - this row records the complete holdings.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-03

5. [5]NARA Catalog, 'USS LCI(L) 196 - War Diary, 12/1-31/43' (NAID 78263672, 10 scanned images, Fold3 micro serial 63019; WWII War Diaries series) and 'USS LCI(L) 196 - War Diary, 10/1-31/44' (NAID 78646160, 5 scanned images, micro serial 92709) - image content reviewed this session [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 78263672 images 0189-0198 (Dec 1943): cover, 12-14 Dec narrative pages, next-of-kin enclosure signed R.A. Frost; NAID 78646160 images 0287-0291 (Oct 1944): cover 'WAR DIARY U.S.S. LCI(L) 196', 1-6 Oct mother-ship entries, 21 Oct drydock entry, 26-27 Oct departure entries, signed E.W. Dangler

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Two hull-specific war diaries are digitized in the National Archives Catalog and were sampled at page level this session. December 1943 (NAID 78263672): the diary carries the hull under Eighth Amphibious Force, LCI(L) Flotilla One; entries for 12-13 December 1943 record the vessel in convoy (including British LSTs and other LCI(L)s) along the north Sicily coast into the Gulf of Naples, mooring in Nisida Harbor at 1330 on 13 December and disembarking troops, then underway for Bizerte on 14 December; an enclosure next-of-kin list names the officers - Edgar W. Dangler, George W. Denemark, Roger A. Frost, Richard D. Jones Jr. - and is signed by Roger A. Frost, Ensign, D-V(G), USNR, Commanding Officer. October 1944 (NAID 78646160): the vessel is moored at Nisida, Italy on 'Mother ship' duty for CTG 81.13 / CTU 81.13.1 (1-25 October), conducts practice firings, is drydocked alongside USS Denebola at Naples on 21 October after fouling the starboard propeller shaft on a stern line, is detached from mother-ship duty on 26 October, and joins a five-ship LCI(L) convoy (officer in tactical command aboard USS LCI(L) 236) departing westbound under TF 81 Task Group Landing Craft (Operation 5-44) on 27 October; entries signed by E.W. Dangler, Commanding Officer.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1943-12 (sampled); 1944-10 (sampled)

   Population

   Crew of record Dec 1943 and Oct 1944 (officers named in Dec 1943 enclosure: Dangler, Denemark, Frost, Jones)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific primary operational records, but sampled, not exhaustively read: the December diary is 10 images and the October diary 5 images; this session reviewed the cover, narrative, and enclosure pages described. The diaries establish positions, tasking, and a maintenance event (21 October 1944 drydocking) - they contain no asbestos or materials statements. Commanding-officer change between the two diaries (Frost to Dangler) is documented by signature, not explained. The October diary's westbound convoy departure is consistent with the December 1944 Boston Navy Yard photograph but the intervening transit is not in the sampled pages.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-04

6. [6]NARA Catalog, 'LCI(L) 196 - Muster Rolls' (NAID 120210032, 119 scanned images, Ancestry partnership digitization, microfilm reel 120-2683 filmed 3/3/47) and 'LCI(G) 196 - Muster Rolls' (NAID 120210152, 47 scanned images) - both in 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1939-1949' (NAID 594996) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 120210032: images -00000 (reel 120-2683 banner) through -00118 (recapitulation sheet, quarter ending 30 June 1945); NAID 120210152: first-image muster date 1945-06-30 per catalog metadata

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Two hull-specific muster-roll file units are digitized in the National Archives Catalog. The LCI(L) 196 unit (119 images) opens on microfilm reel 120-2683 and closes with the NAVPERS recapitulation sheet for the quarter ending 30 June 1945 (33 enlisted aboard during the quarter, 5 gained, 8 lost, 25 carried forward) and a forwarding sheet hand-annotated '9-6-43 to 5-31-45 - Final'. The companion LCI(G) 196 unit (47 images) begins with the roll dated 30 June 1945 - the roll-series boundary coincides with the July 1945 redesignation documented by DANFS, corroborating the administrative split of the hull's personnel records at the LCI(L)/LCI(G) transition.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1943-09 to 1945-06 (LCI(L) series); 1945-06 onward (LCI(G) series)

   Population

   Enlisted crew of record; 33 aboard during quarter ending 30 June 1945 per recapitulation

   Limitations

   Ship-specific primary personnel records, sampled not exhaustively read: this session reviewed the reel-start banner, the LCI(L) forwarding sheet, and the 30 June 1945 recapitulation on the LCI(L) unit, and the catalog metadata (first image roll date 1945 June 30) on the LCI(G) unit. Individual enlisted names were not transcribed; the rolls establish crew population over time, not exposure. The handwritten forwarding-sheet date span is interpreted as the roll series' coverage, not a commissioning date. No asbestos or materials statements are present.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-05

7. [7]Naval Historical Center / NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS LCI(L)-196 (1943-1947), later LCI(G)-196' page (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the NHHC Online Library), featuring official U.S. Navy photograph NH 97260 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Online Library photo page, NH 97260 caption block; NHHC site search for 'LCI' '196' (34 results incl. the Scoglitti caption) confirms the record in the live NHHC index

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The NHHC Online Library page for this hull documents official U.S. Navy photograph NH 97260: 'Sicily Invasion, July 1943 - Soldiers loading bags and other items from a DUKW to USS LCI(L)-196, in the Scoglitti area, 11 July 1943. Taken by a photographer from USS Ancon (AGC-4).' The caption independently fixes this hull on the Sicily assault beachhead on a specific date inside the Sicilian-occupation campaign window (9-15 July 1943), corroborating the first of her four documented EAME campaign credits.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1943-07-11

   Population

   Crew and embarked troops visible in the landing activity (not enumerated)

   Limitations

   Photographic caption documentation - establishes presence and activity at Scoglitti, Sicily on 11 July 1943; contains no asbestos or materials information. The NHHC live search confirms the photo record exists in the current catalog, but a canonical NHHC page URL for this hull could not be resolved this session (404 on candidate patterns); the ibiblio page is the verbatim mirror of the NHHC Online Library content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-06

8. [8]HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' amphibious vessels list - LCI(L) table row for 196 and LCI(G) section row 'LCI(G)-196 ... Converted from LCI(L)-196' [other_primary]

   Locator

   ships-lc.html LCI(L) table row 'LCI(L)-196 | 1943 / 1944 | Converted to LCI(G)-196' and LCI(G) table row 'LCI(G)-196'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official U.S. Navy vessel list for 1940-1945 records this hull under both designations: 'LCI(L)-196' in the LCI(L) table (service window shown 1943-1944) and 'LCI(G)-196' in the gunboat section annotated 'Converted from LCI(L)-196' - independently corroborating the hull's redesignation with retention of hull number.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Limitations

   Official-list level documentation of designation history only - service windows are abbreviated (the LCI(L) row's '1943/1944' understates the actual LCI(L) service into mid-1945) and contain no operational detail, no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-07

9. [9]U.S. Navy Department, Bureau of Naval Personnel, 'Decorations, Medals, Ribbons, Badges of the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard 1861-1948' (NAVPERS 15,790 lineage; 1948 ed., Internet Archive scan) - China Service Medal eligible-units list [other_primary]

   Locator

   1948 ed. scan, China Service Medal section, '(b) List of Navy and Marine Corps units eligible' - OCR line 'LCI(G) 196'; dual-eligibility Part III list checked for the same hull - absent at OCR level

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official awards manual's China Service Medal section lists 'LCI(G) 196' among the Navy and Marine Corps units 'credited by the Secretary of the Navy with having participated in operations in China subsequent to 2 September 1945' (list authority: Alnav 25 of 22 January 1947; N.D.G.O. No. 255 of 28 January 1948) - corroborating NavSource's China Service Medal (extended) credit of 15 November-1 December 1945 at the federal-record level. The hull does not appear in the adjacent 'dual eligibility' (Occupation + China) list in this scan, which carries LCI(G) 190 and LCI(G) 192 but not 196.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1945-11 to 1945-12

   Population

   Crew of record during the China service window (15 Nov-1 Dec 1945)

   Limitations

   The scanned manual's text layer is columnar OCR and the hull match was located textually as 'LCI(G) 196' inside the China Service units list; absence from the dual-eligibility list is an OCR-level negative, not proof the unit lacked the occupation award (NavSource carries it). The list establishes award eligibility - no asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-196-08

10. [10]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association (usslci.org), 'LCI Facts' page - class design grouping 'Square conning tower, side ramps (LCI 1 to LCI 350 class)' [museum_official]

    Locator

    usslci.org 'LCI Facts' design-variation section

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The veterans' association's reference page documents the design-family distinction relevant to this hull: LCI hulls 1-350 (the LCI(L)-1 class of the DANFS header) are the original square-conning-tower design with side bow ramps, distinct from the later LCI-351-class design (round conning tower, single bow ramp) documented in the NPS HAER record for LCI(L)-713. This hull (196) is an LCI(L)-1-class vessel.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1943 design; current reference

    Population

    LCI-1-class crews and embarked troops (class context)

    Limitations

    Veterans' association reference material - a reputable class-level compilation, not a government record; used to pin the correct subclass so that class/era material is attributed to the right design family. The page reuses the NH 97260 Scoglitti photograph of this hull but contains no asbestos statement. No ship-specific content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-09

11. [11]Historic American Engineering Record (NPS) HAER No. OR-180, 'LCI(L)-713', written historical and descriptive data (2012) - later-variant class sister documentation [haer]

    Locator

    HAER OR-180 data pages (or0606data.pdf), 'Significance', 'Description', and 'Historical Information' sections; zero asbestos/insulation hits per batch-4916 full-text check

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Federal documentation of the LCI type's construction practice, written for preserved class sister LCI(L)-713 (LCI-351 class): the type was a Bureau of Ships design built of welded steel plate for rapid wartime production; approximately 1,051 vessels of the type were constructed in ten U.S. shipyards; propulsion across the type was General Motors diesel engines on two shafts with variable-pitch propellers; lower deck held troop compartments, crew compartment, and engine room; deckhouse carried mess, wardroom, and galley.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1940s design; documented 2012

    Population

    LCI-type crews and embarked troops (class context)

    Limitations

    Class-design record documented on a later-variant sister hull (LCI-351 class), not on this LCI(L)-1-class vessel and not this hull - establishes the type's welded-steel, diesel-driven design concept, not hull-specific fittings; engine-bank details differ between subclasses (this hull's spec block shows 1,600 BHP vs the 351 class's 2,320 shp). Per batch-4916 verification, the document contains zero occurrences of 'asbestos' or 'insulation' - no materials-content statement bearing on asbestos.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-10

12. [12]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the era and program under which this December 1942-February 1943-built landing craft was constructed - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in Navy and merchant hull construction.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1940s era documented; article 1987

    Population

    WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class/era context)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the LCI(L) type and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-11

13. [13]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block for this hull (eight GM diesel engines, twin screws - no steam plant); DANFS class designation (LCI(L)-1 class); HAER OR-180 LCI-type welded-steel construction documentation; Corn & Starr (1987) WWII shipbuilding-asbestos literature [other_primary]

    Locator

    Synthesis of rows ev-01, ev-02, ev-10, ev-11 sources

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    As a welded-steel, diesel-driven landing craft built to a standard Bureau of Ships design in December 1942-February 1943 - the documented peak of wartime asbestos use in U.S. shipbuilding - era-typical asbestos-relevant applications aboard would have been limited to the diesel-plant and outfitting categories: diesel exhaust lagging, machinery and piping gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable insulation, interior deck coverings, and winch brake linings. The absence of a steam plant excludes the boiler/turbine lagging pathway dominant on larger WWII combatants.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1943-1947 service period

    Population

    Shipbuilders (Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny NJ, 1942-43); wartime crew (3 officers, 21 enlisted in LCI(L) configuration; 5 officers, 65 enlisted as LCI(G)); embarked troops

    Limitations

    INFERENCE, not ship-proven: no source names asbestos aboard this hull or an LCI(L) generally. This row asserts only era-consistent plausibility based on documented propulsion type, construction method, build date, and era literature. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-12

14. [14]Owens-Illinois, Inc., Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 1944); introduced as Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County TX (1990) - as indexed in the Atlas shipyards.json yard record federal-shipbuilding-kearny [other_primary]

    Locator

    Shipyards dataset yard_id federal-shipbuilding-kearny, evidence row ev-federal-kearny-ihs-1944; underlying document: Owens-Illinois IHS 8/30-9/2/1944, toxicdocs.org scan

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    A contemporaneous industrial health survey documents asbestos product use at this hull's builder yard: Owens-Illinois surveyed Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ on 30 August-2 September 1944, documenting insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation in confined shipyard spaces, with dust counts measured during cutting and fitting operations. The yard record in the Atlas shipyards dataset carries evidence_tier 2 with this survey as flagship evidence.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1944 (survey); hull built 1942-43

    Population

    Federal Shipbuilding Kearny insulation trades (1944 survey window)

    Limitations

    Yard-level documentation, not vessel-level: the survey dates from August-September 1944, nineteen months after this hull was launched (February 1943), and documents shipyard work conditions rather than the material content of any specific hull. Survey conducted by Owens-Illinois, a manufacturer with commercial interest in the findings; dust counts in mppcf (pre-fiber-count era). Introduced as a litigation exhibit; classified at its actual evidentiary stage - a contemporaneous survey document used as an interrogatory exhibit, not an adjudicated finding about this hull. Establishes asbestos product use at the yard in 1944, not aboard this vessel.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-13

15. [15]Batch-4995 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; DANFS via HyperWar mirror (NHHC canonical 404); NARA Special List 44; NARA digitized deck-logs list; NARA Catalog (war diaries, muster rolls, unit diaries); NHHC Online Library photo page; HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945' amphibious list; BuPers awards-manual 1948 scan; CourtListener opinion searches; usslci.org; shipyards.json yard record [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-196-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-196-16

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or case naming LCI(L)-196 or LCI(G)-196 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-phrase opinion searches for 'LCI(L)-196' and 'LCI(G)-196' each returned zero results. The ship-specific primary records that do exist and were sampled (December 1943 and October 1944 war diaries; LCI(L) and LCI(G) muster-roll file units) are operational and personnel records containing no asbestos or materials statements. The NPS class documentation (HAER OR-180) contains no asbestos statement. NHHC carries the ship photo record but no DANFS-hosted page for this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    2026-09-29

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-built hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the builder yard is a documented asbestos-use site in the same era (row ev-13). The hull passed to the Maritime Commission in November 1947 with final disposition undocumented ('fate unknown'), leaving no museum-style disclosure chain. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener docket-level and unquoted-variant searches were fleet-pacing-limited at session end - see search_ledger.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-14

16. [16]NARA textual and digitized holdings path: Special List 44 confirms LCI(L)-196 deck logs held (three intervals ending 6/30/1945) at Archives II, College Park; hull absent from the digitized deck-logs list as of access date. Digitized hull-level records do exist in the National Archives Catalog: two war diaries (NAID 78263672 Dec 1943; NAID 78646160 Oct 1944), two muster-roll file units (NAID 120210032 LCI(L), 119 images; NAID 120210152 LCI(G), 47 images). Digitized unit-level records cover her documented commands: COM LCI(L) FLOT 1 war diaries 2/28/43-11/30/43 (NAID 78268797) and 1/1-3/31/44 (NAID 78383245); COM LCI(L) GR 3 FLOT 1 Elba landing report 6/17/44 (NAID 78485867, 46 images - sampled enclosure lists LCI(L)s 44/45/47/48 of Division Six, not this hull); COM LCI(L) GR 111 war diary 2/26-6/30/45 (NAID 101733055); COM LCI(G) GR 111 war diary 7/1-31/45 (NAID 101764995 - her documented Pacific group at the redesignation month). [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA holdings path: sl-44-ship-number.pdf rows (RG 24 deck logs, Archives II); catalog.archives.gov NAIDs 78263672, 78646160, 120210032, 120210152, 78268797, 78383245, 78485867, 101733055, 101764995

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (located, mostly digitized, not fully surveyed): the NARA-held deck logs for LCI(L)-196 (three intervals through 6/30/1945) would establish the operational itinerary, port and yard periods, and the undocumented intervals (March 1943; 24 Feb-30 Apr 1944) - the single most probative primary record for this hull's service and maintenance-disturbance events; they are textual holdings, not digitized. The digitized unit war diaries and the 46-image Elba report may name the hull in unsampled pages. Builder contract files for the Federal Shipbuilding Kearny LCI program (NARA RG 19 territory) and Maritime Commission disposal records for the November 1947 transfer are additional leads for construction-material detail and final disposition.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1943-1947 records

    Limitations

    Record-location mapping only - the unsampled portions of the digitized unit diaries and all textual deck logs were not reviewed; existence of asbestos-specific documents within these series is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-196-15