Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet pq-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-517 — Wikipedia USN LCI list (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-517-lcil517-pkt-pq-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-517 ex USS LCI(L)-517 (1944-1945) - timeline, campaign table, flotilla assignments, specifications (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150517.htm header block, EAME campaign table, flotilla assignment lines, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 14 November 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 9 December 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-517 13 December 1943. WWII Europe-Africa-Middle East service: Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944; Invasion of Southern France 15 August-25 September 1944. Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-517, 15 July 1945. Post-war Asiatic-Pacific service: LCI Flotilla Thirty-Seven (LCDR J. P. Moore), flagship of LCI Group One Hundred Ten (LT G. A. Lyon), LCI Division Two Hundred Nineteen; Navy Occupation service 23 October-15 November 1945; Occupation and China Service (extended) 15 November 1945-12 June 1946. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; earned two battle stars for WWII service; transferred to the Republic of China 7 February 1948; final disposition fate unknown. Spec block: LCI-351 class; 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158' 5.5" x 23' 3"; 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; LCI(L) complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted, LCI(G) 5 officers + 65 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; two sets of 4 GM diesel engines, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers; armament four 20mm + two .50cal (LCI(L)), two 40mm + four 20mm + six .50cal + ten Mk7 rocket launchers (LCI(G)).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (Nov-Dec 1943); LCI(L) crew (1943-45); LCI(G) crew (1945-46); embarked troops (campaign periods)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its dates generally track official records and the commissioning date is independently corroborated by the NARA Special List 44 log-coverage start, but the page credits Turner Publishing (1995) rather than official documents for the service narrative. No asbestos content. Page verified live on navsource.net 2026-09-30 (navsource.org is defunct; .net domain is the live canonical).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-01
-
[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), p. 342 - LCI(L)-517 entry (page image via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 (1978), p. 342, 'Ships by Signal Number Designation' LCI(L) sequence - row 'LCI(L)-517 | Dec. 13, 1943-June 30, 1945 | 3' (ACPL scan display 368)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists LCI(L)-517 with a logbook date span of Dec. 13, 1943-June 30, 1945, in 3 logbooks. This establishes that wartime deck logs for this hull exist in NARA custody, and the coverage start date independently corroborates the 13 December 1943 commissioning date. Log coverage ends 30 June 1945 - the published inventory does not index post-war logs for this hull (LCI(G) conversion, Pacific/China service, and 1948 transfer fall outside the listed span).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log span); 1978 (compilation)
- Population
- Crew and embarked personnel recorded in deck logs (1943-45)
- Limitations
- An inventory record, not the logs themselves: establishes that logbooks existed for the stated span, not their content. The logs are not in the National Archives Catalog's digitized deck-log index (WWII-era logs are held at Archives II, College Park). Special List 44 is a 1978 compilation; disposition notes inside logs (e.g., 1945 gunboat conversion work) would require physical retrieval. No asbestos content in the inventory itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-02
-
[4]U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archives, photo 436110 - 'Three LCI steam in line-abreast; closest is identified as LCI-517. USN official photo, dated filed 05Jun45' [other_primary]
- Locator
- USNI Photo Archives item page, photo 436110 (caption text)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A U.S. Navy official photograph filed 5 June 1945, cataloged by the U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archives, depicts three LCIs steaming in line abreast and identifies LCI-517 as the closest vessel - contemporaneous physical-presence documentation of this hull in service weeks before its July 1945 gunboat reclassification.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew aboard at photo date (Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Photograph metadata only: establishes the hull's presence and appearance on the file date; it is not a work, maintenance, or material record and contains no asbestos information. USNI Photo Archives is a curated archive of official USN photography.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-03
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com, New Jersey Shipbuilding yard page, Barber NJ - yard history and LCI(L) production table [other_primary]
- Locator
- New Jersey Shipbuilding yard page, production table row for LCI(L) 517
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's production table lists 'LCI(L) 517 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Dec-43 | To China 1946'. The page describes New Jersey Shipbuilding as 'an assembly line for LCIs on Arthur Kill, in Barber, a community immediately to the east of Perth Amboy,' with yard management taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request, closed after the war - corroborating the builder identity and the assembly-line construction context of this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding/Todd-managed construction trades (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Tim Colton's shipbuilding-history reference), not an official registry. Its 'To China 1946' disposition conflicts with NavSource's 7 February 1948 transfer date (see ev-10 correction). Production table independently corroborates builder, hull, and delivery month. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-04
-
[6]Historic American Engineering Record (National Park Service / Library of Congress), HAER No. OR-180, LCI(L)-713, written historical and descriptive data (Justine Christianson, HAER historian, 2012) [haer]
- Locator
- HAER OR-180 data pages, pp. 1-3 (Type of Craft, Principal Measurements, Description, Historical Information)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal engineering documentation of the LCI-351 class design that also built this hull: the type was 'a standard design developed by the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ships,' built of welded 1/4-inch steel plate for rapid wartime construction, with eight General Motors 6-71 diesel engines in four pairs connected to two shafts and variable-pitch propellers; lower deck divided into troop compartments, crew space, and engine room; main-deck deckhouse containing troop and ship officers' accommodations, mess, wardroom, and galley; approximately 1,051 ships of the type constructed in ten different shipyards during WWII (per the cited NRHP nomination).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Class-wide: construction trades at ten shipyards; crews and embarked troops
- Limitations
- Class-level design documentation for sister ship LCI(L)-713 (a post-June-1944 modified configuration with cylindrical pilothouse and centerline ramp); this hull predates that modification (commissioned December 1943, original configuration). Contains no asbestos information - materials other than hull plating are not itemized. HAER verifies design and machinery, not insulation products.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block for this hull (two quad GM diesel sets, twin variable-pitch propellers); HAER OR-180 class design documentation (eight GM 6-71 diesels, welded steel); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era); NAVSEA FOIA-posted QPL asbestos product lists [other_primary]
- Locator
- Built from rows ev-01, ev-05, ev-07, ev-08; no independent source
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1943-built U.S. Navy landing craft sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (1940s construction predates the early-1970s substitution period). As a diesel-driven vessel she carried no steam plant, so the boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply; era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small diesel warship of this period were thermal insulation on machinery and exhaust runs, piping-system gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, and friction materials including brake linings on the ramp winch and handling gear.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1943); crew (1943-48); embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-517. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product terms are normalized era language; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (Highlights); full report PDF indexed (direct fetch blocked)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships: thermal insulation for machinery, equipment, and piping systems was the major application; asbestos also appeared in ship deck tiling, galley ranges, electric cabling, piping-system gaskets and packing, and equipment brakes and clutches - 'it is nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral.' The Navy did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s, and its 1975-79 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or where maintenance required it - spanning this hull's entire construction (1943) and U.S. service era (1943-48).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); Navy use era through early 1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; shipboard personnel (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Review fieldwork covered Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. The indexed full-text language is quoted from the report's letter reply; direct PDF fetch returns Akamai 'Access Denied' to automated requests (confirmed 2026-09-30) - product page and indexed text used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-07
-
[9]Naval Sea Systems Command, FOIA Reading Room - Asbestos Related Files (official .mil listing of Navy qualified-products-list documents naming asbestos products) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSEA FOIA Reading Room 'Asbestos' page, Asbestos Related Files table (subject/document-number/dates rows)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Navy's own posted qualified-products lists document period shipboard asbestos products by name and date range: 'INSULATION FELT, THERMAL, ASBESTOS FIBER' (QPL-15091-5, 1962); 'GASKETS, METALLIC-ASBESTOS, SPIRAL-WOUND' for boilers and flanged joints in piping systems (QPL-15342-(1-12), 1961-1974; QPL-16265-5, 1961; QPL-21022-6, 1969); 'PACKING, MATERIAL, ASBESTOS, ROD, HIGH PRESSURE' (QPL-17340/QPL-17349, 1953-1968; QPL-33-P-16, 1950-1960); 'ASBESTOS SHEET, COMPRESSED (GASKET MATERIAL)' (QPL-17472, 1971-1972); 'PACKING ASBESTOS, SHEET, COMPRESSED' (QPL-46, 1952-1981) - the same product families that era inference assigns to a 1940s diesel warship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1949-1996 (listed QPL date ranges)
- Population
- Navy shipboard and shipyard personnel (program level)
- Limitations
- Navy-wide product documentation, not hull records: the QPLs qualify products for Navy use generally; they do not establish installation aboard this or any specific vessel, and most posted dates postdate this hull's 1943-48 service. Listed product names corroborate era-consistent application types only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-08
-
[10]OSHA, 29 CFR 1915.1001 - Asbestos (shipyard employment standard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 29 CFR 1915.1001 paragraph (b), definitions ('Presumed asbestos containing material')
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The federal shipyard asbestos standard defines 'presumed asbestos containing material' as thermal system insulation and surfacing material found in buildings, vessels, and vessel sections constructed no later than 1980 - a regulatory presumption that would attach to this 1943 hull's thermal insulation and surfacing materials were it worked on today.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- current regulation
- Population
- Shipyard workers (modern regulatory framework)
- Limitations
- Regulatory context only: the PACM presumption is a protective default for worker-safety planning, not a finding of fact about materials aboard this hull. Applies to current shipyard work, not to the historical exposure question.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-09
-
[11]Disposition cross-check: NavSource transfer line ('Transferred to China, 7 February 1948') vs shipbuildinghistory.com New Jersey Shipbuilding production table ('LCI(L) 517 ... To China 1946') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150517.htm disposition lines; shipbuildinghistory.com emergencysmall/newjersey.htm production table row 517
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DISCREPANCY on the China transfer: NavSource dates the transfer to the Republic of China as 7 February 1948, while the shipbuildinghistory.com yard-production table carries 'To China 1946.' Both sources also leave her decommissioning and striking dates unrecorded (NavSource: 'date unknown'). The record carries the NavSource 7 February 1948 date with the 1946 variant logged in gaps; no official transfer instrument was located for either date.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Limitations
- Flags an unresolved secondary-source conflict, not a material claim. China-service medal eligibility through 12 June 1946 (NavSource) is compatible with either date - 'To China 1946' in the yard table may mark transfer-for-service vs formal transfer of title, or may simply be wrong. NVR contains no entry for this hull (post-1948 disposal predates the NVR's coverage of active inventory).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-10
-
[12]Batch-5238 search ledger (this record): NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive; NARA Special List 44 (ACPL scan, p. 342); NHHC DANFS (no entry); NARA Catalog digitized deck-log index; USNI Photo Archives; HAER OR-180 (LOC); GAO HRD-80-2; NAVSEA FOIA asbestos QPLs; OSHA 1915.1001; shipbuildinghistory.com; HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945'; CourtListener API v4 (opinions no-result; dockets blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; USS LCI National Association site [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-517-lcil517-01 through -13 (incl. -12b)
- 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)-517 / LCI(G)-517 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned zero results across all designation variants ('LCI(L)-517', 'LCI-517', 'LCI(G)-517', 'LCIL-517'); the docket-index search could not be completed this session - the fleet pacing budget was momentarily spent (exit 2, logged as blocked, not as a negative result). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; 'asbestos aboard' assertions exist only in law-firm listicle content (excluded by source policy).
- 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 record is thin because numbered landing craft attracted almost no individual documentation, not because materials were surveyed and found clean. The litigation docket layer is a genuine open gap (pacing-blocked, not searched). Deck logs (3 logbooks, NARA custody) and any New Jersey Shipbuilding/Todd construction 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-517-lcil517-11