Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-527 - construction, commissioning, campaigns, Project Hula transfer, Soviet service, 1955 return, specifications (history per USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150527.htm header block, campaign table, history paragraph, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 28 November 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 23 December 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-527, 1 January 1944. Assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; campaigns: Invasion of Normandy 6-25 June 1944 and Invasion of Southern France 15 August - 16 September 1944; two battle stars. 'Decommissioned and transferred as part of Project Hula to the Soviet Union at Cold Bay, AK., 29 July 1945, designated Soviet Landing Ship DS-7'; ex-527 (Soviet Navy DS-7) participated in the Soviet invasion of the Japanese Kuril Islands between 18 August and 1 September 1945; 'Returned to US Naval custody in 1955 and struck from the Naval Register.' Spec block: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158' 5.5" x 23' 3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; armament five single 20mm guns; propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers; fuel 130 tons diesel. Radio call sign NQZO. Page also carries a NARA-credited photo showing LCI(L)-525 and LCI(L)-527 nested at a mooring (date/location unknown), taken from USS LCI(L)-551.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1955
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (Nov-Dec 1943); commissioning crew 3 officers + 15 enlisted and later complement (1944-45); embarked troops (Normandy: First Division troops per LoC itinerary); Soviet crew (1945-55)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its history is drawn from Turner Publishing's USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II (1995), which it credits on the page. Milestones verified live 2026-09-30 and corroborated in part by NARA SL44 (log dates), the NHC Russell appendix (transfer/return), and the LoC Rogers itinerary (build/commissioning and Normandy detail). The Soviet designation is asserted here as DS-7 without qualification, but the NHC appendix prints 'DS-7(?)' - see ev-10. Kuril-operations participation is stated for this hull only by NavSource/Turner; the NHC source confirms it only at cohort level (see ev-05). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-01
-
[2]NARA, Special List 44 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - ship-number list PDF (linked from archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 25, 'Special List #44, by Ship Numbers' (LCI(L)-519 through LCI(L)-550 block)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 lists Navy deck logs under LCI(L)-527 covering 1/1/1944 - 7/28/1945 (entry verbatim on PDF page 25 of the ship-number list: 'LCI(L)-527 1/1/1944 7/28/1945'). The 1/1/1944 start matches the documented commissioning date; the 7/28/1945 end is the last full day of U.S. Navy custody before the 29 July 1945 Project Hula transfer. These are log-coverage dates in the finding aid, not commissioning/decommissioning findings. Logs are RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) era material; whether this hull's logs are digitized in the NARA Catalog was not established this session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew, 1 Jan 1944 - 28 Jul 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: confirms deck logs exist and their date span; does not establish log content, physical condition, or digitization status. Coverage end date consistent with - but does not itself prove - the 29 July 1945 transfer date. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-02
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[3]Russell, Richard A., 'Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan', Naval Historical Center, 1997 (Navy in the Modern World series no. 4, ISBN 0-945274-35-1) - official NHC publication; ibiblio HyperWar transcription verified live; generalstaff.org mirror also consulted [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Russell, Project Hula (NHC 1997), Appendix table row 'LCI(L) 527 | DS-7(?) | 29 Jul. | 1955-returned'; LCI(L) training-group narrative (second group, nine-day shakedown)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHC history documents this hull's transfer and return: the appendix 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred ... May-September 1945' lists 'LCI(L) 527 - DS-7(?) - 29 Jul. - 1955-returned'. LCI(L)-527 was in the second fifteen-ship LCI(L) training group whose Soviet crews completed a nine-day shakedown 'one week ahead of schedule' and departed at the end of July 1945. The '(?)' is the NHC's own uncertainty marker on the Soviet designation. Thirty LCI(L)s were transferred at Cold Bay in total; the program's administrative unit was Navy Detachment 3294 at Cold Bay, AK.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1955
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew to 29 Jul 1945; Soviet Navy trainees/crew (Navy Detachment 3294 training, Jul 1945; Soviet service 1945-55)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific for transfer date, disposition '1955-returned', and the Soviet designation AS FLAGGED UNCERTAIN ('DS-7(?)') - the NHC table itself does not confirm DS-7. Does not name this hull in the Kuril narrative (cohort-level only - see ev-05). Transfer 'date' in the appendix is the transfer ceremony date at Cold Bay; NARA log coverage ends 7/28/1945. No asbestos content. Citation is the published NHC monograph via HyperWar transcription; the generalstaff.org HTML mirror (WW2/Pubs/HULA) carries identical appendix text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-03
-
[4]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project, James A. Rogers, Jr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/103709) - oral-history recordings plus manuscript 'Itinerary of LCI (L) 527' (6 pages, read verbatim from IIIF images) and 'Diagram of LCI (L) 527'; service summary: Navy 1942-1946, LTJG, USS LCI(L)-527, campaigns Normandy / Southern France / Philippines [other_primary]
- Locator
- loc.gov/item/afc2001001.103709 (service summary); manuscript images service:vhp:1037:103709:pm0002001 - pm0002006 (itinerary pp. 1-6, MS01); pm0001001 (diagram)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Primary-source manuscript itinerary by a crew member documents this hull verbatim: 'Jan. 1st 1944 (New Year's Day) Ship built at BARBER New Jersey, commissioned this date' (Barber described as on the Arthur Kill just north of Perth Amboy); commissioning crew 3 officers (one Lt.(jg), two Ensigns) + 15 enlisted; New York Harbor workups (Pier 42 North River, degaussing, ammunition at Fort Lafayette); departed 13 January 1944 with LCI(L)-526 for shakedown at USNATB Solomons, MD, plus drills at Little Creek; Norfolk drydock and 35,000-gallon diesel load; joined convoy CTF 66 on 13 February (position 17, column 1, ship #7, 60-plus-ship convoy); detached 23 February with USS Brant and five other LCIs of her group for the Azores (Horta, Fayal Island, 26 Feb - 2 Mar); Falmouth 8 March, Flushing moorings 10 March; daily drills off Gerran's Bay through March; Fowey River amphibious moorings 4 April; Lt. Cmdr. Beal, Commander Group #33, temporary duty 16-22 April; Operation 'Tiger' at Slapton Sands 23-27 April (First Division troops embarked at Dartmouth 25 April, underway 1800 26 April, 17th wave behind LCVPs/LCTs, troops discharged ~noon 27 April 'without incident'; the manuscript records that German E-boats penetrated the picket line and sank 3 U.S. LSTs with loss of over 900 lives during that exercise); Operation Overlord: troops loaded at Dartmouth 2 June, underway 1712 5 June, French coast sighted at dawn 6 June, circled transport area ~10 miles offshore, beaching orders 1508, beached 1808 6 June 1944 at Utah Beach despite a strong rip tide, anchored off Utah; convoy return to Weymouth 9 June; troops loading at Weymouth pier 13 June - where the six-page manuscript ends.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (manuscript coverage Jan 1944 - 13 Jun 1944)
- Population
- Commissioning crew 3 officers + 15 enlisted (Jan 1944); wartime crew and embarked First Division troops (Apr-Jun 1944)
- Limitations
- Crew memoir, not a deck log: dates/times are the veteran's typescript and generally consistent with the NavSource campaign list, but individual details (e.g., 'Destroyer USS Brant') are the author's own characterization - Brant was an ex-Lapwing-class minesweeper reclassified fleet tug AT-132 (1 Jun 1942) and salvage ship ARS-32 (1 Sep 1942); DANFS independently records Brant arriving Falmouth 8 March 1944, the same date the manuscript gives for this hull - a cross-corroboration of the manuscript's accuracy. The manuscript ends mid-June 1944 and does not cover Southern France, the Pacific transit, or Cold Bay. LoC item page returns HTTP 403 to direct fetch; content retrieved via firecrawl and IIIF tile images this session. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-04
-
[5]Russell, 'Project Hula' (NHC 1997) - cohort-level Soviet-service and 1955-returns narrative [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Russell, Project Hula (NHC 1997), Kuril-operations narrative and 1949-57 returns/settlement narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Cohort documentation for this hull's Soviet service: 'In late August, Popov informed Maxwell that LCI(L)s trained by Navy Detachment 3294 in July had led the main attack in the Kuril Islands, just ten days after their arrival at Petropavlovsk' - the July-trained second group that included this hull. On returns: the Navy spent approximately $250,000 to recover 89 vessels from the Soviet navy in the summer of 1955, sold as scrap for $6,537; of the 149 vessels received at Cold Bay, the Soviet navy returned 27 frigates and 15 LCI(L)s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1955
- Population
- Soviet Navy crews of transferred LCI(L)s; Petropavlovsk/Kuril operations (Aug-Sep 1945)
- Limitations
- Cohort-level, not hull-specific: establishes that July-trained LCI(L)s as a group led the Kuril attack and that 15 LCI(L)s were returned in 1955 - consistent with, but not independent proof of, NavSource's statement that ex-527/DS-7 took part in the 18 Aug - 1 Sep 1945 Kuril invasion. The scrap-sale figures are program-level; no hull-specific buyer, date, or breaking record for ex-527. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-05
-
[6]ibiblio HyperWar, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945: Landing Ships and Craft' - LCI(L) tables and LCI(L)-351 class spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-lc.html, LCI(L)-351 Class section and hull table (row 'LCI(L)-521-527')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The standard landing-craft reference table lists 'LCI(L)-521-527 ... Lend-Lease to USSR' (commissioned 1942-44 column), corroborating the transfer group independently of NavSource. Its LCI(L)-351 class spec block: displacement 385 tons full load; length 160'4"; beam 23'3"; speed 15.5 kts; armament 5 x 20mm; complement 4 officers, 25 enlisted; capacity 9 officers, 200 enlisted or 75 tons cargo; 2 sets G.M. diesel engines, twin variable-pitch screws, 1,600 BHP.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Group-row corroboration: 527 is covered only within the '521-527' range, not by an individual row; the class spec block differs slightly from NavSource's per-ship block (25 vs 24 enlisted; 385/387 t vs 419 t loaded; 160'4" vs 158'5.5") - class-level figures, not ship-specific measurements. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-06
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (diesel LCI-351 class, built Nov-Dec 1943); ibiblio LCI(L)-351 class block (same diesel plant); Russell class description (diesel engines, twin propellers); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150527.htm spec block; ibiblio ships-lc.html LCI(L)-351 class block; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built November-December 1943 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were machinery and exhaust insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull volume. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (Nov-Dec 1943); crew (1944-45); any yard trades during maintenance periods (Norfolk drydock documented Feb 1944 by LoC itinerary); Soviet crew 1945-55
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-527. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. A 158-foot landing craft carries far less insulation scope than a steam combatant - the inference is proportionate to the vessel, not an exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-07
-
[8]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 (Nov-Dec 1943) and U.S. service era (Jan 1944 - Jul 1945).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-08
-
[9]Batch-5248 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; NHC Russell 'Project Hula' (ibiblio/generalstaff.org); ibiblio Ships of the US Navy 1940-45; LoC Veterans History Project; CourtListener (partially throttled); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcil527-01 through -13
- 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)-527 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero hits (authenticated, HTTP 200, count 0) for 'LCI(L)-527' opinion AND docket, 'USS LCI(L)-527' docket, 'LCI-527' opinion, 'LCI(L) 527' opinion AND docket, 'LCI 527' opinion AND docket, and 'LCI(L) No. 527' opinion; two redundant variants ('LCI-527' docket, 'USS LCI(L)-527' opinion) remained throttled (HTTP 429, fleet pacing) - logged as blocked, not negative. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull.
- 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 litigation screen is substantially complete - nine authenticated queries across both opinion and docket types returned zero hits for every hull-number spelling; only two redundant variants ('LCI-527' type=r, 'USS LCI(L)-527' type=o) remained throttled and are open. Deck logs (NARA RG 24 coverage 1/1/1944-7/28/1945), builder work packages (New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. records, if extant), and any disposal documentation after the 1955 return are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-09
-
[10]Designation cross-check: NavSource designation line ('transferred to the Soviet Union, redesignated DS-7') vs NHC Project Hula appendix row ('LCI(L) 527 | DS-7(?) | 29 Jul. | 1955-returned') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150527.htm header; Russell Project Hula appendix (DS-7(?) row)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION/Nuance: NavSource asserts the Soviet designation 'DS-7' without qualification; the Naval Historical Center's own appendix to Russell's Project Hula prints 'DS-7(?)', flagging the designation as uncertain at the official-scholarship level. The transfer date (29 July 1945) and disposition (1955-returned) are not qualified in the NHC table and are corroborated by NavSource and the ibiblio lend-lease group row; only the DS-7 numeral is uncertain.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1955
- Limitations
- Corrects a precision point, not a material claim: the hull's Soviet-service identity rests on a flagged designation. Russian-language archival confirmation (Central Naval Archives, Gatchina - used by Russell for other vessels) is not in hand for this numeral. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcil527-10