Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 405-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-31 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_Landing_Craft_Infantry
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-pkt-405-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(R)-31 ex USS LCI(G)-31 ex USS LCI(L)-31 (page 10/15/150031) - milestones, campaigns, conversions, awards, specifications, disposition (verified live 2026-09-29) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150031.htm - header block, campaign table, designation lines, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-1 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large), laid down 8 October 1942 at New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; launched 29 October 1942; commissioned USS LCI(L)-31, 31 December 1942. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with campaigns in the Eastern New Guinea operation (Lae occupation 4-6 September 1943; Finschhafen 22 September 1943; Saidor 2-3 January 1944), Bismarck Archipelago operation (Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 26-27 December 1943), Hollandia operation (21-25 April 1944), Western New Guinea operation (Toem-Wakde-Sarni 17-19 May 1944; Biak 27 May-3 June 1944; Noemfoor 2-3 July 1944; Cape Sansapor 30-31 July 1944; Morotai landings 6-22 September 1944), Leyte operation (Leyte landings 20 October and 12 November 1944; Ormoc Bay 7 December 1944), Luzon operation (Lingayen landing 9 January 1945), and Borneo operation (Brunei Bay 7-11 June 1945; Balikpapan 1 July 1945). Redesignated LCI(G)-31, 15 June 1944; redesignated LCI(R)-31, 10 July 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended), 29 September - 6 October 1945. Earned seven battle stars and five Navy Unit Commendations (Western New Guinea 18 May-22 September 1944; Leyte 20 October-12 November 1944; Ormoc 7 December 1944; Lingayen 9 January 1945; Borneo 7 June 1945); Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippines Liberation Medal (2). Silver Star to LT. Thomas J. Morrissey, CO LCI(R)-31. Decommissioned in 1946; struck from the Naval Register 26 February 1946; final disposition 'destroyed, 13 February 1946'. Specifications: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158' 5 1/2" x 23' 3"; 16 kts max, 14 kts continuous; LCI(L) complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted; propulsion two sets of 4 General Motors 6051 series 71 diesel engines (4 per shaft), GM single-reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two diesel-driven 30kW 120V D.C. ship's service generators; armament varied by conversion (LCI(L) four single 20mm + two .50 cal; LCI(G) two 40mm + four 20mm + six .50 cal + ten Mk7 rocket launchers; LCI(R) one 40mm + four 20mm + two .50 cal + six 5" rocket launchers). Photos document LCI(G)-31 beached at Samar Island, Philippines, November 1944, and LCI(R)-31 with LCI(R)-34 and LCI(R)-73 beached at Townsville, Australia, loading troops probably for the Borneo operation, June 1945. Radio call sign NYYF.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- NY Shipbuilding construction trades (Oct-Dec 1942); ship's company (3-5 officers, 21-65 enlisted by fit) plus up to 6 officers + 182 embarked troops (LCI(L)); post-loss salvage/stripping parties at Okinawa (Oct 1945 - Feb 1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones generally track official sources and are corroborated here by uboat.net and shipbuildinghistory.com. Page text carries a boilerplate error: the occupation-service paragraph reads 'USS LCI(L)-19' where the craft number should be 31 (the awards bar confirms this hull rates the occupation/china medals). 'Decommissioned in 1946' is undated and sequences oddly with 'destroyed 13 February 1946' and 'struck 26 February 1946' - carried as stated; exact dates unresolved. 'Destroyed' mechanism (scuttled, scrapped, burned) is not specified by any located source. History credited to Turner Publishing's USS LCI Vol. II (1995). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Reading Room, 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945 - Okinawa' - extract from Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas report on the Surrender and Occupation of Japan, Appendix III 'Typhoon Damage at Okinawa' (progress reports to 19 November 1945) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC page, Appendix III damage table (LCI 31 line); narrative sections on Typhoon 'Louise', 9 October 1945
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official typhoon-damage appendix lists this hull: 'LCI 31 | Grounded - Refloated 10/15/45. Captain Pohl recommends decommissioning and strip of all salvageable material.' The storm - Typhoon 'Louise', 9 October 1945 - caught ships and craft in Buckner Bay (Nakagusuku Wan), Okinawa, with 80-knot winds and 30-35 foot waves; 12 ships and craft were sunk, 222 grounded, and 32 severely damaged. Grounding followed by the strip/decommission recommendation is the documented end-of-service event for this hull, preceding the 'destroyed 13 February 1946' and 'struck 26 February 1946' entries on her NavSource timeline.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945-10-09 to 1945-11-19 (reporting window)
- Population
- Ship's company at Okinawa (LCI(R) fit: 3 officers + 31 enlisted); salvage/stripping parties (Oct 1945 forward)
- Limitations
- Documents the casualty and the recommended disposition (decommission, strip salvageable material), not the actual decommission date or the mechanism of the February 1946 'destroyed' disposition. 'LCI 31' is unambiguous within the LCI series - only one LCI-31 existed (this hull, then designated LCI(R)-31). Wartime report extract hosted on the official Navy history site; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-31 (LCI(L)-31), LCI 1 class - build/milestone table and wartime event entries transcribing task-organization documents [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/20857 - milestone table; 'Notable events' entries for 26 Dec 1943, 22 Apr 1944, 17 May 1944 (incl. 18 May 1944 damage line), 30 Jul 1944, 15 Sep 1944, 10 Jun 1945, 1 Jul 1945
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborating compilation for this hull: built by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey; ordered 3 June 1942; laid down 8 October 1942; launched 29 October 1942; commissioned 31 December 1942; reclassified LCI(G) 15 June 1944; reclassified LCI(R) 10 July 1945. Event entries document: rocket-section assignment in Task Unit 76.1.33 for the Cape Gloucester landings (Operation Dexterity, 26 December 1943) under Lt.(jg) T.J. Morrissey, USNR, alongside LCI(R)-34; Wakde (Operation Straightline, 17-18 May 1944), where 'USS LCI(R)-31 and USS LCI(R)-34 were both damaged by enemy fire and sustained 1 dead and 5 wounded and 1 dead and 3 wounded respectively'; Cape Sansapor (Operation Globetrotter, 30 July 1944) under Lt.(jg) L.J. Haidet; Morotai (Operation Tradewind, 15 September 1944); Brunei (Operation Oboe VI, 10 June 1945) under Ens. D.B. Hummel in Task Unit 78.1.33; and Balikpapan (Operation Oboe II, 1 July 1945) in TG 78.2.8 Close Support Unit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Ship's company (3-5 officers, 21-65 enlisted by period fit); casualties 18 May 1944: 1 dead, 5 wounded
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Allied Warships database) transcribing wartime task-organization and action-report material. Designation use is retrospective: entries call her 'LCI(R)-31' as early as the December 1943 Cape Gloucester operation, before her documented redesignations (LCI(G) 15 June 1944; LCI(R) 10 July 1945 per NavSource) - the early entries reflect that she already operated as a rocket-firing LCI in task organizations before formal redesignation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-03
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com, New York Shipbuilding Camden NJ hull list - hull #445 LCI(L) 31 entry (verified live 2026-09-29) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com New York Shipbuilding table, hull #445 row 'LCI(L) 31'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of the builder record: New York Shipbuilding yard hull #445 is listed as 'LCI(L) 31', U.S. Navy landing craft, 194 tons displacement, 158 ft, completed/delivered December 1942, disposition 'Struck 1946' - consistent with the NavSource milestones for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- NY Shipbuilding construction trades (Oct-Dec 1942)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipyard-hull-list compilation; corroborates but does not supersede official sources. The yard table lists one yard hull number (#445) covering the sequential LCI(L) 1-~80 series rows in the same block; the LCI(L) 31 line itself carries no separate yard number - builder identity is nonetheless confirmed by NavSource and uboat.net. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-04
-
[6]NARA Special List #44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (by-ship-number PDF), entry LCI-31 (verified by direct download + pdftotext, 2026-09-29) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 31, entry 'LCI-31 ... 3/1/1944 ... 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA inventories deck logs for LCI-31 covering 3/1/1944 to 6/30/1945 (PDF page 31 of the by-ship-number list) - documenting in-scope wartime service logs for the Hollandia, Western New Guinea, Leyte, Luzon, and Borneo periods of this hull. Log-coverage dates are inventory endpoints, not commissioning/decommissioning dates. These are paper/microfilm holdings; the LCI-31 logs are not in the digitized deck-log set in the National Archives Catalog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-03-01 to 1945-06-30 (inventory coverage)
- Population
- Deck-log population: ship's company March 1944 - June 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the inventory establishes that logbooks exist in NARA custody for the stated window, not their contents. Coverage does not extend to the commissioning period (pre-3/1/1944) or the post-war loss/disposal period (post-6/30/1945); whether additional LCI-31 log material exists outside this inventory window is undetermined. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (8x General Motors 6051-series-71 diesels, GM reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers - diesel plant, no steam machinery); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for new-york-shipbuilding (see ev-07); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json product list for new-york-shipbuilding; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered steel landing craft built October-December 1942 at New York Shipbuilding sits inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era and inside the Navy's asbestos-shipbuilding era generally; era-standard applications aboard a naval craft of this type and period were thermal insulation on engines and exhaust runs, gaskets, valve and pump packing, electrical/wire insulation, and asbestos-cement or asbestos-panel fireproofing in the deckhouse and machinery spaces. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and the fitted asbestos material aboard a 158-ft landing craft was likely substantially less than aboard major combatants.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- NY Shipbuilding construction trades (Oct-Dec 1942); ship's company and embarked troops (1942-45); conversion/fitting trades at forward bases (1944-45 rocket conversions); salvage/stripping parties at Okinawa (1945-46)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-31. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms drawn from the builder-yard product list; no manufacturer attribution is made for this specific hull. The smaller scale of a 158-ft landing craft bounds but does not eliminate the era-inference - asbestos-content level relative to larger warships is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-06
-
[8]shipyard-exposure-map Atlas record, new-york-shipbuilding (yard_id verified present in shipyards.json): documented product list and cohort findings for this hull's builder [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json 'new-york-shipbuilding' - asbestos_products_documented and evidence rows ev-...-05/-07/-08/-11/-12
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The builder yard's Atlas documentation lists asbestos products in use at New York Shipbuilding, Camden: Pabco Six-Ply Super Caltemp Block (15% chrysotile); Ehret Magnesia Manufacturing 85% magnesia insulation; Bakelite panels (30-40% asbestos); Johns-Manville Transite asbestos cement panels (10-30%); asbestos gaskets; packing materials; asbestos-coated welding rods (5-15%); ebonized asbestos lumber; wire insulation (75-85% chrysotile); felt insulation (5-50%). The yard record carries cohort-level findings (16x mesothelioma risk for electricians, PMC6280925; ~86% asbestosis among ship repair workers, PMID 7342758) and notes the 1944 U.S. Maritime Commission report on asbestos risks in shipbuilding and the Navy's 1943 'Minimum Requirements for Safety' recognizing asbestos respiratory risks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942 build window; study periods vary by cited row
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding trades (~30,000 peak wartime employment)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: establishes asbestos products in use at the builder during this hull's construction era, not that specific products were installed aboard LCI(L)-31. Cohort findings largely reflect later/repair-era populations and non-US comparison cohorts. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-07
-
[9]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 (1942) and service era (1942-1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- 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 2026-09-29) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-08
-
[10]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, Elsie Item newsletter issue 95 (November 2016) - 'In Memoriam' roster names Harold MacCombie of LCI 31 (verified live 2026-09-29) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ELSIEITEM-95-Nov-2016.pdf, 'In Memoriam' listing, p. ~32 of extracted text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The veterans' association archive for this craft type documents a named member of this hull's ship's company: the November 2016 Elsie Item 'In Memoriam' listing records Harold MacCombie for 'LCI 31'. The USS LCI National Association (usslci.org) is the reunion/records organization for Landing Craft Infantry crews - an archival lead for crew rosters, recollections, and the Turner-published LCI history volumes that underlie the NavSource page.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2016 (publication); wartime crew association
- Population
- LCI-31 crew member Harold MacCombie (memorialized 2016)
- Limitations
- Veterans'-association newsletter, not a government or museum archive: the memorial entry confirms a crew-member association with this hull, nothing more. No asbestos, exposure, or medical content. The association archive is a lead for crew-level detail that official sources do not hold for a numbered landing craft.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-09
-
[11]Batch-5038 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC Pacific Typhoon page; uboat.net Allied Warships; shipbuildinghistory.com NY Ship list; NARA Special List 44 numbered-vessel PDF (direct download); shipyards.json builder record; GAO product page (403-blocked full text); CourtListener API v4 (type=o and type=r); USS LCI National Association archive; DANFS (no entry) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LCI(L)-31 / LCI(G)-31 / LCI(R)-31 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener was searched 2026-09-29 via the authenticated fleet helper on opinion (type=o) and RECAP docket (type=r) indexes for "LCI-31" / "LCI(L)-31" / "LCI(R)-31" / "LCI(G)-31": opinion index returned 1 hit (Lanai Co., Inc. v. Land Use Com'n, Haw. 2004) and docket index returned 6 hits (trademark, civil-rights, employment, contract, antitrust cases) - every hit is a name collision on the token 'LCI' or the numeral '31'; no case names this vessel and no asbestos claim appears. Hull destroyed February 1946, so no surviving-hull survey, museum hazmat record, or modern litigation target exists. The only 'asbestos aboard' material for LCI-class craft found in secondary web sweeps is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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. The NARA-held deck logs (3/1/1944-6/30/1945), builder work packages at New York Shipbuilding, and forward-base conversion records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-31-lcil31-10