Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 813-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-550-lcil550-pkt-813-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-550 (10/15/150550) - construction, campaign/award table, milestone timeline, specification block; page history credited to 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995); corroborated on disposition by shipbuildinghistory.com LCI(L) table ('To NDRF 1948') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150550.htm header block, Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns table, postwar service table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 11 January 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 5 February 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-550, 10 February 1944. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater; participated in the Western Caroline Islands operation - capture and occupation of the Southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944 - earning one battle star. Postwar: Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 28 September-15 November 1945 and 18 November-10 December 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 18 November-10 December 1945. 'Decommissioned, date unknown.' Struck from the Naval Register in 1946. Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 17 February 1948; final disposition unknown. Spec block: 236 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max (14 continuous); 4 officers, 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers, 182 enlisted; five single 20 mm; two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, 4 per shaft, GM main reduction gears, two 30 kW diesel-drive generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone and spec data generally track official records but the page's own source is a 1995 Turner Publishing LCI anthology. 'Decommissioned, date unknown' and struck 'in 1946' are carried without exact dates. Contains no asbestos content. Displacement and troop-capacity figures conflict with ONI 226's late-group values - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-01
-
[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- LCI FLOTILLA FOURTEEN > LCI GROUP 40 > LCI DIVISION 80 table row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- As of 1 May 1945 this hull appears in the official Pacific Fleet organization under LCI FLOTILLA FOURTEEN, LCI GROUP 40, LCI DIVISION 80, listed as 'LCI 550' under the command of Lt. (jg) V. B. Hansard (USNR). Her division mates included mortar and gunboat conversions (LCI 739 (GP)(M), 740 (M), 741 (M), 742 (M)); LCI 550 is listed without a conversion suffix, consistent with her remaining an LCI(L).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew under Lt. (jg) V. B. Hansard (USNR), May 1945
- Limitations
- A fleet-organization snapshot at a single date; establishes operational assignment and commanding officer as of 1 May 1945 only - not her organization during the September 1944 Palau operation. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945 - Okinawa' (Typhoon 'Louise'; CinCPac/CincPOA report extract and vessel-status listing) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Vessel-status listing under the October 1945 Okinawa typhoon report (LCI 550, 'Refloated 10/19/45'); CinCPac extract 'Typhoon Louise' narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull was at Okinawa during Typhoon 'Louise' of 9 October 1945. The NHHC page records that the sudden storm shift caught ships and small craft in Buckner Bay (Nakagusuku Wan); 80-knot winds and 30-35-foot waves battered the bay, with 12 ships and craft sunk, 222 grounded, and 32 severely damaged. In the official vessel-status listing, 'LCI 550' appears with disposition 'Refloated 10/19/45' - i.e., she went aground in the storm and was refloated ten days later.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-10-09 to 1945-10-19
- Population
- Crew and any salvage/refloat personnel at Okinawa, October 1945
- Limitations
- Documents a grounding and refloat event, not damage extent, repair scope, or any material content. 'Grounded/refloated' status is the entire hull-specific entry; no casualty detail for this craft is given. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-03
-
[5]NHHC photo catalog, NH 86184 'USS LCI-550' (image record) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NHHC NH series catalog page NH-86184 (title, caption, credit line)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photo record for this hull: catalog NH 86184, titled 'USS LCI-550,' captioned 'In San Francisco Bay, California, after the end of World War II. Note non-standard bow number.' Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1977. Places the hull in San Francisco Bay in the postwar period (circa 1946 per NavSource's use of the same image), consistent with her return from occupation duty and 1946 striking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- circa 1945-1946
- Population
- Crew circa 1945-46 (inferred from photo period, not stated by source)
- Limitations
- Image record only - confirms identity, configuration, and presence in San Francisco Bay postwar; no date more precise than 'after the end of World War II' in the NHHC caption (NavSource dates its use circa 1946). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-04
-
[6]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units' - ship-number PDF, page 25 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, page 25, 'LCI(L)-550 2/10/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44's ship-number listing carries 'LCI(L)-550' with log coverage 2/10/1944 - 6/30/1945: deck logs for this hull are in the National Archives holdings for the commissioning-to-mid-1945 period. These are RG 24-era logbook holdings at NARA; the logs themselves are not digitized in the public catalog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-02-10 to 1945-06-30 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Coverage window only: 2/10/1944 is the commissioning date and 6/30/1945 is the series' coverage endpoint for this hull, NOT a decommissioning or disposal marker. Page-25 entry verified by direct extraction of the NARA-hosted PDF. Logs are an archival lead - contents unexamined; no asbestos content in the listing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-05
-
[7]Office of Naval Intelligence, ONI 226 'Allied Landing Craft and Ships' (1944), LCI(L) Nos. 351- group entry (HyperWar mirror of USN publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ONI 226 PDF, 'LANDING CRAFT, INFANTRY (LARGE) Nos. 351-' plate (pp. ~60-61 of the document)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official wartime design description for the group containing this hull: LCI(L) Nos. 351- differed from the 1-350 group - capacity 9 officers, 196 enlisted troops, 32 tons cargo oceangoing; endurance 8,000 miles at 12 knots; displacement 250 tons landing / 387 tons loaded; armament five 20 mm; crew 4 officers, 24 men; fuel 110 tons. Common LCI(L) characteristics: 'ocean-going infantry carrier designed for direct unloading on the beach,' troop living space limited to a practical operational time of 48 hours, 158'5.5" o.a. x 23'3" beam, propulsion '2 sets of G.M. Diesels; max. B.H.P. 1,600; twin variable-pitch screws,' 2-inch plastic splinter protection on guns/conning tower/pilothouse. Design notes add: 'Boilers and troop spaces have been rearranged' in the late group - a small domestic boiler existed in the design though propulsion was diesel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 (publication) / design era 1942-1944
- Population
- LCI(L)-class crews and embarked troops (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - describes the type covering hull numbers 351+, not LCI(L)-550 specifically. ONI's late-group displacement (250/387 t) and troop capacity (9 officers/196 enlisted) differ from NavSource's spec block carried on the hull row - conflicts flagged in gaps. No asbestos or material-content data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: ONI 226 design description for LCI(L) Nos. 351- (diesel propulsion, five 20 mm, confined troop/cargo spaces); NavSource specification block (8 GM 6051-series-71 diesels in two quad sets, 2,320 shp); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (see ev-uss-lci-l-550-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ONI 226 Nos. 351- plate; NavSource spec block; GAO HRD-80-2 product description
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A landing craft laid down January 1944 sits squarely inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were: engine-exhaust and muffler lagging in the machinery spaces, gaskets and flange packing, valve packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation-space/joiner insulation in the confined hull and deckhouse; ONI 226's note of 'boilers' in the 351+ design implies a small domestic boiler with its own lagging. The LCI(L)'s tight quarters - a 158-foot hull carrying a 28-man crew plus up to ~180-190 troops for 48-hour runs - is the confined-space exposure dynamic in miniature.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-46); salvage/refloat crews at Okinawa (Oct 1945); any MARCOM/NDRF custody personnel (1948+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-550. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. Diesel main propulsion means no boiler/turbine lagging pathway for propulsion; the domestic boiler noted is a small auxiliary. Does not establish that asbestos was present aboard this hull, that any individual was exposed, or any legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (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 (1944) and naval service era (1944-46).
- 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 returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-30, consistent with prior batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search (via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py), 2026-09-30 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-550-08 and -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation located: authenticated CourtListener searches returned zero results for "LCI(L)-550" and "LCI-550" across both opinions (type=o) and RECAP dockets (type=r) on 2026-09-30 - four queries, all HTTP 200 with count 0. No opinion or docket naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Zero-result search, not proof that no filing exists: CourtListener coverage of WWII-era hull litigation is thin, pleading-stage complaints naming hulls in vessel lists are often not full-text indexed, and MDL-875 transfer dockets may not name individual LCIs. Absence of a located case does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-09
-
[11]Batch-5271 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; NHHC Pacific Typhoon October 1945; NHHC photo NH 86184; NARA Special List 44 PDF p.25; ONI 226 (HyperWar); GAO product page; CourtListener (authenticated, searched); MARAD Vessel History Database; NVR; NHHC DANFS; usslci.org; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-550-01 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)-550 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only 'asbestos aboard landing craft' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com landing-craft page) asserting asbestos exposure without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. MARAD's public Vessel History Database carries no status card for this hull; her post-1948 disposition is undocumented in located sources.
- 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 - a 1944 hull of this type is era-consistent with standard Navy insulation practice. Deck logs (2/1944-6/1945 coverage, NARA) are undigitized leads; builder-yard records for New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, NJ) were not located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-550-10