Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet ox-packet.md (2 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-39-lcil39-pkt-ox-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-39 (page last updated 23 February 2024; history sourced to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150039.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 26 October 1942 at New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; launched 1 December 1942; commissioned USS LCI(L)-39, 9 February 1943. Assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater, LCI Flotilla 1, participating in: Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943; Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943; West Coast of Italy operations (Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings 22 January - 6 February 1944; Elba and Pianosa landings 17 June 1944); Invasion of Southern France 15 August - 9 September 1944. Earned four battle stars. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 10 October 1947 for disposal, fate unknown. Spec block: 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm guns; propulsion two sets of 4 GM '6051 series 71' diesel engines (4 per shaft), twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photo-caption record for this hull: beached landing assault troops at Anzio 22 January 1944 alongside HMS LCI(L)-274 and USS LCI(L)-20 (which took a direct bomb hit and was abandoned); drydocked at Palermo, Sicily; at Bizerte, Tunisia circa May 1944; loading French Colonial 9th Infantry Division troops at Porto Vecchio, Corsica, 16 June 1944 for the Elba invasion (U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 329865, held at the National Archives); unloading at Anzio harbor alongside USS LST-352.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-43); ship's company (1943-46); embarked assault troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its page cites the Turner Publishing LCI history volume; dates generally track official records but are unverified against them here. No DANFS entry exists for this numbered craft, so NavSource is the best available consolidated source. Contains no asbestos or material content. Decommissioning date, reserve-fleet location, and final fate are explicitly unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-01
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[3]National Archives and Records Service, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (Washington, DC, 1978), ship-number index [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 31 (LCI-## block: 'LCI-39 9/13/1944 6/30/1945'); digitized-logs index checked at archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 inventories NARA-held deck logs for LCI-39 covering 13 September 1944 - 30 June 1945 (single range listed on PDF page 31 of the ship-number section). These are logbooks physically in National Archives custody - the primary operational record for the hull's late-war period (Invasion of Southern France aftermath through war's end in the Mediterranean).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (coverage); 1978 (inventory publication)
- Population
- Ship's company 9/1944-6/1945 (log-subject population)
- Limitations
- Log-coverage dates only - NOT asserted commissioning or decommissioning dates, and NOT an operational-history statement. Logs for the hull's February 1943 - September 1944 service (Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Elba, and most of Operation Dragoon) are not in the 1978 Special List 44 inventory - either not accessioned to NARA by publication or held elsewhere; open lead. The logs are not among NARA's fully digitized deck logs online (checked navy-online index); paper consultation at Archives II required. An inventory entry says nothing about contents - no asbestos or material information is implied by the listing itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-02
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[4]HyperWar: 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' compilation, USS LCI(L)-39 entry (compiled by Patrick Clancey from ONI-226 'Allied Landing Craft and Ships', ONI-54, Morison's Naval Operations history, and similar sources - last updated 13 January 2001) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LCIL-39.html spec block and 'At Normandy' photo-box marker; index cross-check ships-lc.html (LCI(L)-39 row has no Omaha annotation)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation entry for this hull: LCI(L)-1 class; displacement 380 tons full load; 158'6" x 23'3"; draft 5'4" fwd / 5'11" aft; 16 knots; armament 4 x 20mm; complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted; capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted troops or 75 tons cargo; 2 sets G.M. diesel engines, twin screws, 1,600 hp. The page carries an 'At Normandy' marker under its photo box - flagging this hull as a Normandy-invasion participant.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940-1945 (compilation coverage)
- Limitations
- CONFLICTING SOURCE. The 'At Normandy' flag is not corroborated: NavSource's campaign table for this hull carries only Mediterranean operations (Sicily, Salerno, Anzio-Nettuno, Elba, Southern France - four battle stars) with no Normandy campaign; a U.S. Army Signal Corps photo (SC 329865) places the ship at Porto Vecchio, Corsica, on 16 June 1944 loading troops for the Elba landings; and HyperWar's own landing-craft index annotates specific LCIs as '6 Jun 44: Omaha beach' but carries no such annotation for LCI(L)-39. The flag is read as a probable compilation artifact; the underlying source list could not be checked. Spec figures (complement, horsepower, displacement) also conflict with NavSource - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-03
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[5]Ross v. Johns-Manville Corp., 766 F.2d 823 (3d Cir. 1985) (decided July 10, 1985; No. 84-1528; Seitz, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion at 766 F.2d 823, facts section ('worked as a shipfitter for the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey, from 1942 to 1944 and from 1946 to 1947... in each of these positions, Ross was exposed to asbestos products')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate documentation of the asbestos environment inside this hull's builder during its build window: Urban F. Ross worked as a shipfitter at New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, NJ, from 1942 to 1944 and again 1946 to 1947 (also at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1956-1963), and 'in each of these positions, Ross was exposed to asbestos products' - a fact the opinion recites as not in dispute. Ross learned he had asbestosis in 1963; colon cancer 1979; lung cancer 1981; died December 1982. The Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the manufacturers on statute-of-limitations grounds.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1947 (exposure window); 1985 (opinion)
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades, Camden NJ (1942-1947)
- Limitations
- Yard-level, not hull-level: documents that asbestos products were present in shipfitter work at the Camden yard during October 1942 - February 1943 (this hull's build window), but names no vessel and makes no finding about materials aboard any ship. Litigation-stage note: the exposure recitals are undisputed case background; the disposition is a defense summary-judgment win affirmed on limitations grounds - no merits adjudication of exposure occurred, and the recitals carry no claim for any specific hull or individual crew member.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-04
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block for this hull (GM diesel engines, twin variable-pitch screws - no steam plant); LCI(L)-1-class design era (1942-43 mass production); New York Shipbuilding documented asbestos-era status (ev-04); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use documentation (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications (propulsion); ev-04 (yard-era litigation); ev-06 (GAO program context)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built October 1942 - February 1943 at a yard inside its documented asbestos-use era sits squarely in the period when the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships. Era-standard applications aboard a small steel amphibious craft of this period were engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings, and accommodation insulation in the confined hull volume. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam system - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-43); ship's company (1943-46); Maritime Commission-era handling crews (1946-47)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, work package, or crew-era exposure record was located for LCI(L)-39. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-05
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[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (October 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 (1942-43) and service era (1943-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- 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 - standing access gap first logged in BATCH-01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-06
-
[8]Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum (AFMM), Portland, OR - owner/restorer of USS LCI(L)-713, National Register of Historic Places 07000300 (listed 12 April 2007) [museum_official]
- Locator
- amphibiousforces.org (museum identity, NRHP status); NRHP ref 07000300
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A preserved sister-type landing craft exists as a class-level documentation lead: USS LCI(L)-713 (round-conn/bow-ramp variant, built 1944 at Lawley Neponset MA - not this hull's NY Shipbuilding yard or square-conn LCI(L)-1 subvariant) is preserved and under restoration by the Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum in Portland, OR, and is on the National Register (07000300). Museum-ship hazmat/survey files and the NRHP nomination fabric description are unexamined class-level leads - the same museum-record evidentiary track flagged for the three surviving LST museum hulls in the LST-1 class profile.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2003-present (museum era)
- Population
- AFMM restoration volunteers (contemporary, class-context only)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only, at class level: LCI(L)-713 is a later variant built at a different yard; nothing on or about her documents LCI(L)-39. No hazmat/survey file for 713 was reviewed this session - the lead is unexamined, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-07
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[9]Batch-5101 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; NARA navy-online digitized-log index; NavSource amphibious archive; HyperWar ONI compilation + index cross-check; shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive LCI register; CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket sweeps; secondary web asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, litigation, or docketed case naming LCI(L)-39 was found in the sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned zero hits for "USS LCI(L)-39", "LCI-39" + asbestos, "LSI-39", and "USS LCI-39"; RECAP docket search returned zero for "LCI(L)-39" and "LCI-39" (the "LSI-39" docket variant was blocked by fleet pacing - open, see ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing page naming this hull - the only LCI asbestos listicle found asserts claims for a different hull (LCI-790).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - ship-specific asbestos documentation for this hull is UNKNOWN, not disproven. The NARA-held deck logs (9/1944-6/1945), any Maritime Commission disposal file, and any builder material schedule are undigitized leads. One docket-variant query remains unrun (fleet pacing). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-39-lcil39-08