Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet pt-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-538
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-pkt-pt-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-538 ex USS LCI(L)-538 - construction, commissioning, campaigns, reclassification, disposal, specifications (live page verified 2026-09-30; history credited to Turner Publishing 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150538.htm header block, campaign table, disposition block, specifications block, and LCI(G)-538 photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 13 December 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 14 January 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-538, 20 January 1944. Assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; campaign credits: Convoy UGS-38, 20 April 1944, and Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944. Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-538, 15 July 1945. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 12 April 1946; transferred to the Admiral Farragut Academy, 1946; final disposition fate unknown. Two battle stars for WWII service; awards shown: American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2), World War II Victory Medal. Spec block: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max (14 continuous); complements 3+21 (LCI(L)) and 5+65 (LCI(G)); troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; 75 tons cargo; LCI(L) armament four single 20mm + two .50cal MG; LCI(G) armament two 40mm + four 20mm + six .50cal MG + ten Mk 7 rocket launchers; 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, pilot house; endurance 4,000 miles at 12 kts; propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels (4 per shaft), 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers. Photo caption: LCI(G)-538 'represented the closest possible approach to an LCS(L)... probably the only LCI(G) of her type completed', US Navy photos via Friedman, 'U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- NJSB construction trades (Dec 1943-Jan 1944); crew 24 as LCI(L) / 70 as LCI(G) (1944-46); embarked troops up to ~188; flotilla/task-group staff embarked June 1944
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - dates generally track official records but the page is not a primary registry. Its construction/commissioning dates are here corroborated by the hull's own digitized war diary (ev-02) and the shipbuilding-history build table (ev-07); the Normandy credit is corroborated by the Flotilla 12 war diary naming this hull in TG 126.3 (ev-03). The 'probably the only LCI(G) of her type completed' remark is a caption judgment quoted on the page, not a registry finding. Spec block prints both '110 tons of fuel' (endurance line) and 'Fuel Capacity 130 tons' - internal inconsistency noted in gaps. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-01
-
[3]NARA catalog, NAID 78353447 - 'USS LCI(L) 538 - War Diary, 1/20/44 to 3/31/44' (RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records and Histories, series NAID 4697018; micro serial 68353, file A12-1/A16-3, dated 03/15/1944; 4 digitized images; page images reviewed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/78353447, 4 images (microfilm Roll A881); enclosure A narrative paragraphs 1-4 (Feb) and March section; cover letter serial 68353
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The hull's own war diary (signed Colin R. Chisholm, Commanding Officer) states in part 1: 'The LCI(L) 538 was built by the New Jersey Ship Building Company, Barber, New Jersey; Commissioned on the 20 January 1944; Reported to Commander, Amphibious Training Command, U.S. ATLANTIC Fleet on 26 January 1944. Completed shakedown on 10 February 1944' - shakedown conducted in Chesapeake Bay (Bloodsworth Island gunnery area, Cove Point and Virginia Beach beachings, based at U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons, Md.). 'On 10 February 1944 this vessel was detached from shakedown duty and assigned to Group 27, Flotilla NINE'; trained under Commander LCI(L) Group 27 Flotilla Nine in Chesapeake Bay 16 February-18 March 1944; on 19 March 1944 'detached from duty with Flotilla Nine' and reported to the LCI(L) shakedown representative at Lambert's Point, Norfolk, Va., commencing outfitting for overseas duty 20-31 March 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-01-20 to 1944-03-31
- Population
- LCI(L)-538 commissioning crew (January 1944) and Group 27/Flotilla 9 training cohort
- Limitations
- Primary-source document authored by the ship's command and read as page images - strongest identity/milestone evidence in this record. Covers only 20 January-31 March 1944 (the single digitized diary file); later movements rest on other records. An operational record - it documents construction and training activity, not material content; no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-02
-
[4]NARA catalog, NAID 78514601 - 'COM LCI(L) FLOT 12 - War Diary, 6/1-22/44' (RG 38, same series; Roll A1043; 8 digitized images; page images reviewed; signed T. S. Cameron, Commander, USN) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/78514601, 8 images (Roll A1043): pages for 1-2 June (composition/staging), 3 June, 4-5 June, 6 June (Easy Red order), 7 June (staff transfer to 538), 8-15 June (staff ashore at Weymouth), 15-22 June
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Commander LCI(L) Flotilla TWELVE war diary names this hull throughout the Normandy assault period. Composition entry (1-2 June 1944): 'TASK GROUP 126.3 (Commander Task Group 126.3, LCH 414, LCI(L)s 401, 403, 537, 538, 539, 556, 415, 416, 418, 420, 542, H.M.S. AZALEA, H.M.S. KITCHENAR [sic], U.S. PC's 1262, 1263, and U.S.C.G. Sea Rescue Cutter #28)'; next higher echelon 'Commander Task Force 126 (Commander Force BAKER)'; fleet Twelfth; operation order 'ON BAKER TWO'. The group staged at Saltash/Tamar River and Cawsand Bay 30 May-5 June 1944. 6 June 1944: TG 126.3 underway 0030 from Cawsand Bay, crossed via swept channel No. 3, French coast sighted 1410, and the group was 'ordered at 1615 to beach left flank of EASY RED Sector, OMAHA Beach'; LCI(L)-416 was left on the beach after a mine explosion; enemy air raid 2230. 7 June 1944: 'at 0700 the Staff of Task Group 126.3 transferred from LCH 414 to LCI(L) 538' - making this hull the task-group flagship - and the ten surviving LCI(L)s (538, 401, 403, 537, 539, 556, 415, 417, 418, 542) got underway for England at 0900, entering Weymouth harbour 1600, where TG 126.3 was dissolved and the Flotilla TWELVE LCI(L)s reported to the Shuttle Service at the Portland-Weymouth base. 8-15 June entry: 'Staff LCI(L) Flotilla TWELVE moved ashore from LCI(L) 538 and set up an office at Weymouth Naval Base.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-01 to 1944-06-22
- Population
- LCI(L)-538 crew (~24) plus embarked CTG 126.3 / Flotilla 12 staff; embarked assault troops
- Limitations
- Primary-source operational record read as page images. It establishes the hull's task-group membership, the group beaching order for Easy Red, Omaha, and her service as the embarked staff ship 7-8 June - the diary is a flotilla/group record, so individual beaching times and hull-level damage/unloading detail for 538 are not separately stated. The 6 June order applied to the group; the diary does not record each craft's exact touchdown. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-03
-
[5]NARA catalog, NAID 77617158 - 'COM LCS(L)(3) SQUADRON 2 - War Diary, Com LCS(L)(3) Squadrons, Lant, 1/1-30/46 & Com LCS(L)(3) Squadron 2, 1/30-31/46' (RG 38, same series; Roll A2027; 1 image; page image reviewed; signed Samuel B. Purdie, Commander, USNR) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77617158, single image (Roll A2027), paragraph 3
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The January 1946 diary of Commander LCS(L)(3) Squadrons Atlantic / Squadron 2 lists this hull under her gunboat designation: 'Ships present at U.S. Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia during this period were as follows: LCI(G) 428, LCI(G) 538, LCS(L) 1, LCS(L) 5, LCS(L) 6. LCI(G) 428 and LCI(G) 538 departed for Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina on 9 January 1946 to report to Commandant Sixth Naval District for disposition.' This is contemporaneous primary documentation of her post-gunboat-conversion station and the start of her disposal path (struck 12 April 1946 per NavSource).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-01-01 to 1946-01-09 (station) / report filed 6 February 1946
- Population
- LCI(G)-538 crew (January 1946, gunboat-era complement ~70)
- Limitations
- Primary-source operational record read as page image; establishes location and movement only - it does not give a decommissioning date or disposal outcome, and 'for disposition' does not itself establish when or how she left naval custody. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-04
-
[6]NARA catalog - NAID 120246573 'LCI(L) 538 - Muster Rolls' (60 digitized images, Ancestry partnership, first image a muster roll dated 20 January 1944); NAID 120246634 'LCI(G) 538 - Muster Rolls' (39 digitized images, first image dated 1 October 1945); related index block NAID 118967602 'USS K-1 (SSK-1) to USS LCI(R)-651' (RG 24 Index to Muster Rolls). RG 24, series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' (NAID 594996). [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/120246573 (60 images); /id/120246634 (39 images); /id/118967602 (index block, 2,586 images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized personnel records naming this hull exist under BOTH designations: 60 muster-roll images for 'LCI(L) 538' (first roll dated 20 January 1944 - commissioning day) and 39 images for 'LCI(G) 538' (first roll dated 1 October 1945), bracketing the 15 July 1945 redesignation and confirming the same-hull alias; the hull appears in the muster-roll index block covering hulls up to LCI(R)-651.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- LCI(L)-538 / LCI(G)-538 crews (1944-46); Flotilla 12 staff (June 1944)
- Limitations
- Catalog metadata verified live (titles, NAIDs, image counts, first-image dates); page-image contents beyond the first images not individually reviewed. Muster rolls are personnel records - leads for building a crew roster and timeline, which this record does not do. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-05
-
[7]NARA Special List No. 44, List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - ship-number sequence, PDF page 25 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 25, row 'LCI(L)-538 | 1/20/1944 | 6/30/1945' (verified via pdftotext extraction)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 (by ship number) lists Navy deck logs held by NARA for LCI(L)-538 covering 1/20/1944-6/30/1945 - logbook coverage running from her commissioning date through mid-1945 (log-coverage dates, not commissioning evidence). No separate row exists under the LCI(G)-538 designation, and the listed window ends 30 June 1945, before the 15 July 1945 reclassification.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-01-20 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- LCI(L)-538 crew (1944-45 logging window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the list establishes that logs exist in NARA holdings for that window. A catalog search of the digitized WWII deck-log file units (series NAID 594258) returned no per-month file unit titled for LCI(L)-538 under any tested name form, so these logs were not located online - physical-holdings lead only. A deck log is an operational record, not a material survey. Deck-log coverage after 30 June 1945 (redesignation through decommissioning) is not listed in SL44 at all.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-06
-
[8]Shipbuilding-history LCI(L) build table (Naval Marine Archive mirror of the Colton shipbuilding data), LCI(L)-538 row; corroborating yard page navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lcil.html LCI(L) hull table row 538; /shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html row 'LCI(L) 538'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The build table lists: 'LCI(L) | G | 538 | New Jersey SB, Barber NJ | 20-Jan-44 | To Admiral Farragut Academy 1946' - corroborating the builder, yard location, 20 January 1944 completion/commissioning, the gunboat (G) flag, and the Academy disposal on the NavSource page. The New Jersey Shipbuilding yard page carries the same row ('LCI(L) | 538 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Jan-44 | To Admiral Farragut Academy 1946'). Adjacent rows: sister hull 537 'To Britain 1944, returned 1946, sold 1947'; 539 'To NDRF 1948'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- NJSB Barber yard trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference table - corroboration of builder/date/disposition, not a primary contract record. Yard contract or hull-number-level detail not carried. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-07
-
[9]HAER AK-52, M/V HUSKY II (LCI(L)-653) (USS Avocet), Seldovia Harbor, Alaska - Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service (written historical and descriptive data, Library of Congress copy) [haer]
- Locator
- ak0557data.pdf, historical narrative discussing peacetime reuse of LCI hulls
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A federal HAER history of surviving LCI(M)-648/'Husky II' corroborates this hull's post-war disposal in passing: 'LCI(G) 538 went to the private Admiral Farragut Academy' - matching the NavSource 'Transferred to the Admiral Farragut Academy, 1946' line and the shipbuilding-history yard-table disposition.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946
- Limitations
- The HAER report documents a different vessel (LCI(L)-653/Husky II); the 538 mention is a one-line comparative aside citing secondary references - corroboration of the Academy transfer, not a custody document. It does not establish what became of the hull after the Academy or any material condition. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-08
-
[10]HyperWar mirror of the U.S. Navy compilation 'US Navy Landing Ships/Craft, 1940-1945', landing-craft tables [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html, LCI(G) block, 'LCI(G)-538 | 1944-45'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy compilation's landing-craft table lists 'LCI(G)-538 ... 1944-45' - corroborating the gunboat designation and the 1944-45 service window carried by NavSource and the muster-roll files.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- A secondary tabulation (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror of a Navy reference compilation); it gives designation and years only - no detail beyond corroborating the LCI(G) designation window. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-09
-
[11]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (GM diesel plant, no steam plant; LCI(G) armament addition 1945); this hull's war diary (NARA NAID 78353447) confirming Dec 1943-Jan 1944 New Jersey Shipbuilding construction; GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, ev-11); NARA physical logbook holdings (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; NAID 78353447 construction paragraph; shipyards.json yard list (no NJ Shipbuilding entry); GAO HRD-80-2 context
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built December 1943-January 1944 sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type were diesel exhaust and muffler lagging, gaskets and valve packing in engine and piping systems, electrical insulation on wiring and in control panels, and thermal insulation in the confined machinery spaces. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam ships does not apply. Her mid-1945 conversion to LCI(G)-538 (yard undocumented) added weapons and roughly tripled her complement (24 to 70), and any conversion-period insulation work would also fall inside the asbestos era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- NJSB construction trades (1943-44); crew 24 as LCI(L) / 70 as LCI(G) (1944-46); embarked troops (transient, up to ~188); flotilla/task-group staff (June 1944); conversion-yard trades (1945, yard undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, builder's spec sheet, or work package located for LCI(L)-538 / LCI(G)-538. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. New Jersey Shipbuilding is not in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset, so no yard-level product list was attached; the 1945 gunboat-conversion yard and scope are undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-10
-
[12]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 (1943-44), US Navy service era (1944-46), and her 1945 gunboat conversion.
- 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, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-11
-
[13]Batch-5259 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; shipbuilding-history build table and NJ yard page; NARA catalog (hull war diary, Flotilla 12 war diary, LCS(L)(3) Squadron 2 war diary, muster rolls x2, muster-roll index block, COM6ND Jan 1946 diary lead); NARA Special List 44 PDF; NHHC DANFS checks; NVR check; CourtListener type=o (two name-form queries, zero hits); CourtListener type=r (blocked); GAO product page; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-01 through -15
- 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)-538 / LCI(G)-538 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned zero results under both name forms ('LCI(L)-538'/'LCI-538'/'LCI(L) 538' and 'LCI(G)-538'/'LCI(G) 538', type=o, 2026-09-30). CAVEAT: the CourtListener docket index (type=r) could not be queried when this record was drafted - the fleet pacing limiter returned 'budget momentarily spent' on repeated attempts; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. The hull's 1946 transfer to the private Admiral Farragut Academy (fate unknown) forecloses the usual US-side abatement/museum/scrapping documentation trail that produces ship-specific asbestos records.
- 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 - and the docket-index search is a genuine open gap (pacing-blocked, not run). Undigitized deck logs (SL44 window 1/20/1944-6/30/1945), NJSB build records, Sixth Naval District inactivation records, and Academy/disposal records are open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-538-lcil538-12