Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 812-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-543-lcil543-pkt-812-packet-md
-
[2]NARA Special List No. 44, List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (ship-number PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p. 25, row 'LCI(L)-543 1/29/1944 12/31/1945'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists deck logs for LCI(L)-543 covering 1/29/1944 through 12/31/1945 (PDF page 25 of the by-ship-number list). The coverage start date equals her commissioning date. This is the wartime Navy's own log inventory establishing in-scope service for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-01-29 to 1945-12-31
- Population
- wartime crew (1944-1945)
- Limitations
- Log coverage dates are not commissioning/decommissioning dates - they document that logs exist and the coverage window, not that service ended on 12/31/1945. The logs themselves are not digitized (not on NARA's digitized deck-log list); they are RG 24 textual records at Archives II, College Park. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-543 ex USS LCI(L)-543 (1944-1945) - history credited to 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1995' (USS LCI National Association volume) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150543.htm - class line, milestone chronology, campaign table, awards block, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 24 December 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 21 January 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-543 on 29 January 1944. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Western New Guinea (Toem-Wakde-Sarmi 17-22 May 1944; Biak Island 27-28 May 1944; Noemfoor Island 30 June-12 July 1944); Leyte (Leyte landings 19-29 November 1944; Ormoc Bay 12-13 December 1944); Luzon (Lingayen Gulf landing 4-18 January 1945). Reclassified LCI(G)-543 on 15 July 1945; classification reverted to LCI(L)-543 on 10 September 1945. Decommissioned, date unknown; laid up in the Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, February 1951; struck from the Naval Register 10 February 1955; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Three battle stars; American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3), WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal. Specs: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; LCI(L) complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted, troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; 4x20mm + 2x.50cal (LCI(L)), 2x40mm + 4x20mm + 6x.50cal + 10 Mk7 rocket launchers (LCI(G)); propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, 1,600 bhp, twin variable-pitch propellers; radio call sign NWCR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1955
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1943-44); crew 1944-on; embarked troops; postwar caretaker population 1951-55
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track official sources but the cited underlying work is a veterans' association history volume, not a Navy record. Contains no asbestos content. 'Decommissioned, date unknown' and 'fate unknown' are carried verbatim - postwar service status between the end of log coverage (12/31/1945) and reserve lay-up (Feb 1951) is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships: USS LCI(L)-543 ship page (ship/21608) and USS LCI(L)-577 notable-events page (ship/21642) transcribing Seventh Fleet order of battle, Task Group 77.3.23 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21608 (spec/date table); ship/21642, Operation Tradewind section, TG 77.3.23 roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's ship page confirms this hull: New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, NJ); laid down 24 Dec 1943; launched 21 Jan 1944; commissioned 29 Jan 1944; reclassified LCI(G) on 15 July 1945. Its transcription of the Seventh Fleet order of battle places USS LCI(L)-543, Lt.(jg) L. S. Mosley, USNR, commanding, in Task Group 77.3.23 - the LCI(L) unit of the Red Beach attack force under R/Adm. R. A. Fechteler for the Morotai landing (Operation Tradewind, 15 September 1944) - in a flotilla led by COMLCIFLOT 8 embarked in LCI(L)-546, i.e., LCI Flotilla 8.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-09 (Morotai); 1943-45 (page coverage)
- Population
- Lt.(jg) L. S. Mosley, USNR (CO, Sept 1944); ship's company; embarked troops
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation of official operational records - the TG 77.3.23 roster and commanding-officer attribution are credible but not presented here as a primary action report. The Morotai/Tradewind assignment is NOT in the NavSource campaign table (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-03
-
[5]NHHC, 'Sunk and Damaged Ships and Craft' (Operation Neptune / Normandy order-of-loss table) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Sunk and Damaged table - LST block ('543 DAMAGED'), LCT(6) block ('543 DAMAGED'), LCI(L) block (543 absent)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NHHC's Normandy sunk/damaged table contains two '543' casualties - under LST (Landing Ship, Tank) and under LCT(6) (Landing Craft, Tank Mark VI). Neither is this hull: the table's LCI(L) block lists 83, 85, 87, 88, 91, 92, 93, 209, 212, 219, 232, 416, 497, and 553, and LCI(L)-543 does not appear. This hull was operating in Western New Guinea in May-July 1944 (NavSource campaign table), so any '543 damaged at Normandy' statement is a hull-number collision, not this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06 (Normandy)
- Limitations
- Collision-disambiguation finding only. The NHHC table is the Normandy loss/damage list; it does not establish that this hull never took damage in the Pacific - no damage record for LCI(L)-543 in Asiatic-Pacific operations was located either way. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-04
-
[6]United States Navy Memorial, Navy Log service record - William Chiocca, 'USS LCI(L)/LCI(G)-543 - PLANK OWNER' [museum_official]
- Locator
- Navy Log entry 'chiocca-william', Significant Duty Stations and Significant Awards blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy Memorial's official crew registry carries a plank-owner record for this hull (William Chiocca), with award entries matching the NavSource ribbon list (American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 3 stars; WWII Victory Medal; Philippine Liberation Medal). Corroborates the wartime crew population aboard this hull, including service through the 1945 LCI(G) conversion window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- plank-owner wartime crew (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Registry entry is veteran-submitted service data hosted on the official memorial site - corroborates presence, not a service medical or exposure record. No asbestos content; no exposure claim is made for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-05
-
[7]HyperWar/ibiblio, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Landing Ships and Craft' (LCI(G) roster and class specification block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-lc.html - 'LCI(G) -- Landing Craft, Infantry (Gunboat)' section, spec bullets and roster row 'LCI(G)-543'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The HyperWar landing-craft roster independently lists 'LCI(G)-543, 1944-45' among the gunboat conversions, corroborating the NavSource/uboat.net 1945 reclassification. Its class block documents the type: 8 GM diesels, twin screws; complement 5 officers/65 enlisted in LCI(G) configuration; close-in fire-support role.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- crew (LCI(G) complement era)
- Limitations
- HyperWar is a transcription/compilation host; the roster line is a bare listing and the class block describes the type, not this hull. The class block's full-load displacement (387 t) and length (160'4") differ from NavSource's figures for this hull (389 t loaded; 158'5.5") - spec variance noted in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (8 GM diesels, twin variable-pitch screws - diesel plant, no steam); uboat.net LCI-351 class table (diesel engines, 2 shafts, 1,600 bhp); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150543.htm specifications block; uboat.net class/690 technical table; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built December 1943-January 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a craft of this type and period were diesel engine and exhaust lagging, machinery-space thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch brake linings. 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
- 1943-1955
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1943-44); crew 1944-on; any conversion workforce for the July 1945 LCI(G) refit; reserve-fleet caretakers 1951-55; eventual disposal workforce (unknown site)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or underway-maintenance record located for LCI(L)-543. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no statement about what (if anything) remained aboard at lay-up or disposal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (abstract text; direct fetch blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships; its 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to include selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - spanning this hull's entire construction (1943-44) and service era.
- 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. GAO's fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - neither is this hull's builder. Product page retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-09-30; direct curl fetch returns HTTP 403 (standing access defect, same as Batch 98).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-08
-
[10]Batch-5264 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44; NavSource; uboat.net; NHHC (DANFS absent; Operation Neptune sunk/damaged table; Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945); HyperWar roster; Navy Memorial Navy Log; Naval Marine Archive yard table; ODU special collections; CourtListener opinion + docket searches; secondary web asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-543-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-543-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-543/LCI(G)-543 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API v4 searches completed 2026-09-30 returned zero opinion hits and zero docket hits for the exact hull designations. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content for the LCI type generally (mesotheliomahope.com, asbestos.com, lawfirm.com, mesotheliomaveterans.org, sokolovelaw.com) asserting asbestos on Navy/amphibious ships without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT: a variant-spelling CourtListener opinion query ('LCI 543', 'LCIL-543', 'LCI(L) 543', 'LCI(G) 543') could not be completed this session - fleet pacing budget momentarily spent - and is logged as blocked, not as a negative result.
- 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 - era inference is consistent with retained era materials during service. The undigitized RG 24 deck logs (1/29/1944-12/31/1945) and the ODU Heflin & Williams ship-data volume covering this hull range are open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-09
-
[11]Old Dominion University Libraries Special Collections, Heflin & Williams collection - 'Volume 02: LCI(L)-351 - LCI(L)-1098 (Landing Craft Infantry, Large)', ship data files organized by hull number [other_primary]
- Locator
- archivesguides.lib.odu.edu archival object 88476 (Binder Case 23, Volume 02); NARA SL44 p.25 and navy-online digitization list (absent)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- ODU holds a ship-data file collection (Heflin & Williams) whose Volume 02 spans hulls LCI(L)-351 through LCI(L)-1098 - a range including this hull - with files organized by ship class, hull designation, and hull number. Together with the undigitized NARA RG 24 deck logs (coverage 1/29/1944-12/31/1945 per Special List 44), this is the located archival path most likely to hold a ship-specific file.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (log window)
- Population
- N/A - record-location lead
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the volume's title establishes hull-range coverage, not that an LCI(L)-543 file actually exists inside it or what it contains; undigitized, open to researchers without restrictions per the finding aid. Deck logs likewise establish existence, not content. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-543-10