Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet pn-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-497-lcil497-pkt-pn-packet-md
-
[2]NARA Catalog, file unit 'USS LCI(L) 497 - Act Rep of Ops 6/5-7/44, Invasion of Normandy, France' (NAID 78512097; RG 38, WWII War Diaries Other Operational Records and Histories, Micro Serial 78440; report dated 23 June 1944, first endorsement LCI(L) Flotilla 10, 10 July 1944) - three-page digitized original, read for this record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78512097, images 0043-0045 (Fold3 file 276905873), full report text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own action report, signed by CO Lt.(jg) Theo W. Pinson, Jr., documents her D-Day loss: departed Weymouth 1720 on 5 June 1944; instructed about noon by LCI(L) 87 to stand into Easy Red Beach in wave 21-ER; maneuvered through a flagged gap in mined stakes; 'while in one fathom of water, at very slow speed, a mine was struck. Engines were immediately kicked ahead in order to get higher on the beach. The rudder was out and five seconds later a second mine was struck. Engines were stopped as ship was on beach.' Ramps lowered; LCI(L) 487 beached 75 yards to port. Damage: large hole starboard bottom beneath bulkheads #1 and #2 troop compartments; two holes blown in main deck; apron blown off starboard ramp; large hole in #3 troop compartment (air compressor space); at least 50 shrapnel holes from near misses, no direct hit. Ship's company evacuated ashore 'without injury to any man.' Salvage possibilities unknown as of 23 June 1944. Endorsed by Commander LCI(L) Flotilla Ten (M. H. Imlay) 10 July 1944; received CominCh Flag Office 18 July 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-05 to 1944-06-07 (report dated 1944-06-23)
- Population
- Ship's company (4 officers + 24 enlisted per class spec); embarked Army troops of wave 21-ER (number not stated in the report; class troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted); Army medics and beach-battalion corpsmen, 6-7 June 1944
- Limitations
- Primary operational record for the loss and the crew population, but contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports the vessel-history layer only. Casualties among embarked troops are described as 'soldiers wounded by the mines' without a count. Written by the CO to his chain of command; not a material-condition survey.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-497 - construction, commissioning, campaign, loss, awards, specifications (page last updated 4 March 2022; history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150497.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LCI-351 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down in 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Co., Barber, N.J.; launched 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-497, 13 November 1943; assigned Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; participated in Invasion of Normandy, 6 June 1944; 'lost due to striking an enemy mine off Normandy, 6 June 1944'; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; earned one battle star; call sign NQUZ; awards American Campaign Medal, EAME Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal. Specifications: displacement 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; length 158' 5.5"; beam 23' 3"; 16 kts max, 14 kts continuous; complement 4 officers, 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers, 182 enlisted; five single 20mm mounts; propulsion two sets of 4 GM 6051-series 71 diesels, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Navy crew (1943-44); embarked Army troops (June 1944)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track NVR/official lists but laid-down and launch are only '1943' (precise dates carried from uboat.net, see ev-05). Strike date 'unknown' here; no decommissioning recorded because she was a total loss. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-02
-
[4]U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945 - Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy by Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Appendix C, 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix C, LANDING CRAFT section, 'LCI 497' row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy loss list records, under Landing Craft: 'LCI 497 - Off northern France - 6 June 1944' - the CNO-level documentary record of her total loss on D-Day.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (list coverage); loss 1944-06-06
- Limitations
- Confirms loss date and location ('off northern France') but not cause; the mine mechanism comes from her own action report (ev-01) and NavSource. No asbestos content. HyperWar is a faithful transcription of the official report text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-03
-
[5]HyperWar, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Landing Ships and Craft' (Navy ship-list tabulation; LCI(L) section) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-lc.html, LCI(L) number table, row LCI(L)-497
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's ship-list entry for this hull: 'LCI(L)-497 ... 1942-44 ... 6 Jun 44 (no details)' under the loss notes column - consistent with the King loss list. The same table gives the LCI(L)-1 class characteristics (387 t full load, 160', 8 GM diesels twin variable-pitch screws) applicable to the earlier 'Square Conn' series, not this hull's 351-class block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940-1945 (table coverage)
- Limitations
- Tabular entry only - 'no details' means the list carries no casualty or disposal specifics. The class block on the page is the LCI(L)-1 series; this hull is LCI-351 class per NavSource/uboat.net, so the page's class figures were not used for her specs. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LCI(L)-497 - construction chronology and loss summary [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21549 data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction chronology carried for this hull: built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, New Jersey); ordered 22 March 1943; laid down 7 October 1943; launched 5 November 1943; commissioned 13 November 1943; lost 6 June 1944, 'mined and sunk off Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.' Class: LCI 351.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Limitations
- Secondary compiler (Helgason's Allied Warships database) - the ordered/laid-down/launched dates are more precise than NavSource's '1943' but rest on secondary sourcing not independently verified against a builder or NVR record; commissioning and loss dates agree with primary/official sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-05
-
[7]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'The Story of the LCI(L) 93 and LCI(L) 487 at Normandy' (association-published unit history) [museum_official]
- Locator
- usslci.org article, opening and Flotilla Ten formation paragraphs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Association history naming this hull: twelve Navy 'Round Conn' LCIs - 487-492 departing for England 24 December 1943, followed in January 1944 by 493, 494, 495, 496, 497 and 498 - merged in England with twenty-four Coast Guard-manned 'Square Conn' LCIs of Flotilla Four to form Flotilla Ten for Normandy, HQ at Greenway House (Agatha Christie's home). 'Miraculously, all of the crewmen would survive the upcoming combat even though LCI(L) 497 would be destroyed by German teller mines at Omaha Beach.' Newer Navy LCIs carried five 20mm mounts vs four on the Square Conns.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-12 to 1944-06
- Population
- Navy crews of the 12 Round Conn LCIs; Flotilla Ten complement
- Limitations
- Veterans-association narrative history - names the hull and matches the flotilla structure in official USCG records, but 'destroyed by German teller mines' is the association's characterization; the mine-strike mechanism is corroborated by the ship's own action report (ev-01). 'All of the crewmen would survive' covers the 12-ship Navy group collectively. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-06
-
[8]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'U.S. Coast Guard-Manned LCI(L)s - Landing Craft Infantry (Large)' (official USCG history) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office D-Day LCI(L) page, narrative and hull list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG documentation of this hull's parent unit: Coast Guard-manned LCI(L)s of Flotilla 4 (Sicily/Salerno) were redesignated Flotilla 10 for Operation Overlord - twenty-four USCG LCIs reinforced with twelve Navy-manned LCIs (36 total, divided between Omaha and Utah beaches). 'It was at Omaha Beach that the flotilla suffered grievous losses, including four LCI(L)s completely destroyed by enemy fire.' The published list of USCG-manned hulls (83-96, 319-326, 349-350, 520, 562, 581, 583) does not include LCI(L)-497 - consistent with the usslci.org identification of 497 as one of the twelve Navy-manned Round Conn LCIs. Flotilla 10 received the U.S. Coast Guard Unit Commendation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (page coverage); loss context June 1944
- Population
- Flotilla 10 crews (~36 LCIs); Omaha Beach landing population, 6 June 1944
- Limitations
- Flotilla-level official history - does not name LCI(L)-497; the Navy-manned assignment is corroborated by the association history and by her own action report (ev-01, endorsed by flotilla commander M. H. Imlay). 'Four LCI(L)s completely destroyed' at Omaha covers the flotilla's losses including this hull but is not a hull-specific loss record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-07
-
[9]NARA photographs via NavSource captions and HyperWar image record: NARA 111-C-1237 (LCI(L)-497 moored at Weymouth, early June 1944); Army Signal Corps SC 193921 (LCI(L)-497 and LCT-25 in the 21 June 1944 Normandy storm); NavSource wreck and salvage photo series [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar SC 193921 picture data; NavSource 150497.htm photo table (NARA 111-C-1237; salvage-barge caption)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival photography documents her physical history: moored at Weymouth awaiting the invasion (NARA 111-C-1237); abandoned on Omaha Beach on D-Day after the mine strike (multiple veteran-contributed photos); still on the beach beside LCT-25 during the 21 June 1944 storm (SC 193921, 'listed as having been lost to enemy action on 6 June 1944'); and later 'loaded on a barge after being removed from Omaha Beach where she struck a mine on 6 June 1944.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06 (photos); postwar salvage
- Population
- Wreck-site salvage and beach-clearance personnel (1944; 1949-c.1954)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: establishes physical presence and wreck state at documented dates, not a condition or materials survey. NARA catalog pages for these images are JS-rendered; identifiers (111-C-1237, SC 193921) verified via NavSource captions and the HyperWar picture-data record, which reproduces the official caption. No asbestos content - wreck photographs do not establish whether insulation survived.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-08
-
[10]France 3 Normandie (public broadcaster), 'D-Day: Encore un vestige probable du Debarquement qui ressurgit du passe a Omaha Beach' (21/24 April 2024); Ouest-France, '80e D-Day. A Omaha Beach, la mer revele encore un nouveau vestige du Debarquement' (June 2024) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- France 3 Normandie article body (Guerin quotes; Van Loo paragraph); Ouest-France D-Day 80 article (museum artifact; storm turnover)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- French press documents the wreck's present state: in spring 2024 a steel structure identified as LCI 497 - the bow emerging, the rest presumably buried - re-surfaced on Omaha Beach between Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer after storms reshaped the beach. Identification confirmed by local researcher Laurent Guerin against 1944-49 photography ('C'est confirme, c'est bien le navire LCI 497'). The Belgian firm Van Loo was contracted from 1949 to cut up the Omaha Beach wrecks and spent about five years recovering scrap; much of this wreck remained under the first sandbank. Ouest-France adds: the hulk was beached below the cliff where the American cemetery now stands; the 19-21 June 1944 storm turned the wreck over; and the Big Red One Museum at Colleville holds a water-breaker barrel marked 'LCI 497' recovered in the late 1940s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1949-c.1954 (scrapping); 2024 (re-emergence)
- Population
- Beach visitors/residents (2024 exposure context); Van Loo salvage workers (1949-c.1954)
- Limitations
- Reputable regional press reporting local-researcher identification - the museum-director attribution and 'fifteen-plus direct impacts' detail rest on the Big Red One Museum's dossier, not a naval survey. Documents wreck remains, not materials or ACM condition; an 80-year beach/saltwater wreck says nothing about whether era insulation survived. No asbestos content in the sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-09
-
[11]Military Times Hall of Valor, Theodore Pinson - Silver Star synopsis (secondary awards database) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Hall of Valor recipient page 313559, award synopsis
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Lt.(jg) Theodore W. Pinson, Jr., USN, is recorded as awarded the Silver Star 'for gallantry in action as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. LCI (L) 497, at Normandy, France, on 6 June 1944' - corroborating the CO identity established by his signature block on the ship's action report (ev-01).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-06
- Population
- Lt.(jg) T. W. Pinson Jr. (CO); ship's company
- Limitations
- Secondary awards database; Hall of Valor itself flags '(Citation Needed)' - the award rests on the database's synopsis, not the citation text. The CO's name and command are independently verified by the action report signature. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-10
-
[12]NARA, 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' and Special List #44, ship-number volume (sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p.24): 'LCI(L)-497 11/13/1943 5/31/1944' (RG 24, Entry 118, NAID 581208); plus digitized file units NAID 120190868 (Muster Rolls), NAID 134351877 (War Diary 11/13-30/43), NAID 78599807 (COM LCI(L) GR 28 ops report) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number PDF p.24; catalog.archives.gov/id/120190868, /id/134351877, /id/78599807
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holdings for this hull: deck logs covering 11/13/1943-5/31/1944 per Special List 44 (coverage ending six days before her loss - the June 1-6 1944 logs, if created, are not in the listed holdings); digitized muster rolls (crew-population documentation); a November 1943 war diary; and her group commander's 6/5-7/23/44 operations report - the archival set for any deeper crew-list, material, or maintenance inquiry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-11-13 to 1944-05-31
- Population
- Ship's company (muster rolls); officers (deck logs/war diary)
- Limitations
- Archival leads, not yet mined: deck logs and muster rolls establish crew identity and daily activity but were not reviewed for this record; war diary covers only November 1943. None of these records is an asbestos or materials document. Log-coverage dates are not commissioning/decommissioning dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-11
-
[13]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 1943 construction era and 1943-44 service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); covers 1943 construction era
- 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 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-12
-
[14]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 WWII - the era and program under which this LCI-351 class hull was mass-produced at a small New Jersey yard in late 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-13
-
[15]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI-351 spec block (diesel propulsion, welded-steel landing craft); uboat.net build dates (Oct-Nov 1943, New Jersey Shipbuilding); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-12); Corn & Starr (ev-13) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; uboat.net data table; GAO/AJIM era anchors
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered welded-steel landing craft built in late 1943 at a Navy-contracted small shipyard sits inside the documented WWII asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing craft of this type: diesel exhaust lagging (hot exhaust runs through crew and troop spaces), machinery gaskets and valve packing, thermal and acoustic insulation, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. She carried no steam plant - the boiler and steam-line lagging pathway does not apply; the small confined hull volume concentrates whatever materials were installed around crew and embarked troops.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (service); 1949-c.1954 (scrapping)
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (Oct-Nov 1943); ship's company and embarked troops (1943-44); wreck-site salvage workers (1944, 1949-c.1954)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material list, insulation schedule, or construction spec was located for LCI(L)-497 or the LCI-351 design. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. Whether such materials survived six months of service and 80 years of wreck exposure is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-14
-
[16]Batch-5217 search ledger (this record): NARA action report and Special List 44; NavSource; King loss list and ships-lc table (HyperWar); uboat.net; USCG Historian's Office; usslci.org; France 3/Ouest-France; Hall of Valor; CourtListener (opinions and RECAP, authenticated); DANFS index; NVR; AFMM Elsie Item newsletters [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-497-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-497 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero opinions and zero RECAP dockets for the exact phrase 'LCI(L)-497' and zero opinions for 'USS LCI' asbestos; unquoted hits are 'LCI' corporate name collisions. No DANFS entry exists (numbered landing craft not covered); no NVR entry exists (pre-1987 disposal). The ship's own action report, war diary, muster rolls, and deck logs contain operational, not materials, information.
- 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 - the era inference stands on its own. Deck logs (SL-44 coverage ends 5/31/1944) and builder records at NARA remain unmined. The wreck's current material condition in French waters is undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-497-15