Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet pw-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-561 (no name assigned)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-561-lcil561-pkt-pw-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-561 ex USS LCI(L)-561 (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995); corroborated by uboat.net Allied Warships entry 21626 and Naval Marine Archive New Jersey Shipbuilding yard table [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150561.htm history block, campaign table, and specifications block; uboat.net ship/21626.html; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LCI(L)-351-class Landing Craft Infantry (Large): laid down 26 January 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 23 February 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-561 26 February 1944, ENS Douglas Keith Mann USN in command (per NavSource; NHHC lists 'Ens. K. D. Mann (USNR)' - see gaps); reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Guns) LCI(G)-561 15 June 1944. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCI Flotilla Six (CDR A. R. Montgomery), LCI Group Sixteen (LCDR R. S. Richabaugh USNR), LCI Division Thirty-One. Campaigns: Leyte landings 20 October 1944; Lingayen Gulf landings 7 January 1945; Nasugbu 31 January-2 February 1945; Kerama Rhetto 25 March-1 April 1945; assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 1 April-24 June 1945. Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 8 March 1948; fate unknown. Four battle stars. The page's individual-awards block lists for this hull's crew: two Navy Crosses (Gordon Welch and Lewis Wable, at Leyte 20 October 1944), one Bronze Star (Ltjg Keith Douglas Mann, CO, at Leyte), ten Purple Hearts (Leyte and Ie Shima, off Okinawa), and seven Letters of Commendation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding trades (1944); crew (1944-c.1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its milestones are corroborated here by uboat.net and the Naval Marine Archive yard table (all three agree on builder and January-February 1944 construction dates). Page photo caption 'underway off Norfolk, 23 April 1943' is internally inconsistent with a January 1944 laying-down (Navy photo number 7460(44) suggests 1944) - flagged in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-01
-
[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- LCI Flotilla Six / LCI Group 16 / LCI Division 31 (G) table entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy organization listing places this hull in the U.S. Pacific Fleet as of 1 May 1945: under LCI Flotilla Six (Comdr. A. R. Montgomery), LCI Group 16 (Lt. Cdr. R. S. Rickabaugh USNR), LCI Division 31 (G), with 'LCI 561 - Ens. K. D. Mann (USNR)' alongside division-mates LCI 558 (GF), LCI 559, and LCI 560.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew under Ens. K. D. Mann (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Confirms unit assignment, hull number, and commanding officer as of 1 May 1945; names the hull as 'LCI 561' within a division marked (G), consistent with the LCI(G) reclassification. Contains no asbestos or material content. Spelling of the group commander ('Rickabaugh') differs from NavSource ('Richabaugh') - transcription-level variant, not a factual conflict.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-02
-
[4]NHHC photographic collection, NH 89249 - 'USS LCI-561,' World War II photo, courtesy of William H. Davis, 1979 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online catalog entry NH 89249
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Naval History and Heritage Command holds cataloged image NH 89249, titled 'USS LCI-561' and captioned 'World War II Photo,' accessioned courtesy of William H. Davis, 1979 - an official photographic record of this hull in wartime configuration.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (image subject); 1979 (accession)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: a photograph establishes the hull's appearance and NHHC's holdings, not any material or condition record. The catalog entry gives no date, location, or activity detail beyond 'World War II Photo.' No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-03
-
[5]NARA Special List #44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (ship-numbers listing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 15, line item 'LCI(G)-561 7/1/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 (PDF page 15 of the ship-numbers listing) records deck log coverage for 'LCI(G)-561' spanning 7/1/1944-6/30/1945 - documenting that Navy deck logs for this hull exist in the National Archives for its combat period (Leyte through Okinawa).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-07-01 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Crew of record during log window (Jul 1944-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: SL-44 documents that logs exist and their coverage window; the logs themselves are not digitized in the public catalog entry checked, and their contents are unexamined. Coverage begins 7/1/1944 - the February-June 1944 commissioning/shakedown period under the LCI(L) designation is not shown in this listing (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-04
-
[6]Military Times Hall of Valor - Navy Cross citation transcriptions for Storekeeper Second Class Gordon A. Welch (recipient-27152) and Gunner's Mate Second Class Lewis N. Wabel (recipient-48748/21177); names/ratings corroborated by the official DoD valor.defense.gov Navy Cross recipient list (Feb 2021 PDF) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- valor.militarytimes.com recipient pages 27152 (Welch) and 48748/21177 (Wabel); valor.defense.gov Navy - Navy Cross List - 2021 02 02.pdf rows for Welch, Gordon A. (SK2c) and Wabel, Lewis N. (GM2c)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two of this hull's crew received the Navy Cross for actions aboard 'an LCI Gunboat' leading the first assault wave at Leyte, 20 October 1944 (NavSource ties both men to LCI(G)-561; official recipient list confirms both names and ratings). SK2 Gordon A. Welch: when a rocket rack was hit by shrapnel and a rocket set afire, he 'exposed himself to the continuing enemy fire, dislodged this burning rocket from its launcher, and threw it overboard' (Comdr. 3d Amphibious Force serial 918, 27 Nov 1944). GM2 Lewis N. Wabel: after a misfire in the heated breech of his 20-mm gun with a full magazine in place, he 'unshipped the magazine and threw it over the side,' suffering severe powder burns when the misfire exploded in his face.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-10-20
- Population
- LCI(G)-561 gun crews (20-mm mounts, rocket launchers), Leyte 20 Oct 1944
- Limitations
- Award citations describe heroism and confirm crew/combat details (20-mm gun stations, rocket launchers aboard, first-wave assault at Leyte) but the citation text says 'an LCI Gunboat' without naming hull 561 - the hull attribution rests on NavSource's crew listing. The citations do not mention asbestos; the burning-rocket scenario is the same hazard class for which sister LCI(G)-77 documented asbestos gloves at the 20-mm mount (ev-06).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-05
-
[7]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'Elsie Item' #98 (September 2017), excerpting LCDR R. William Clark, 'Monster Seven-Seven' (LCI(G)-77 crew account, Peleliu, 15 September 1944) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Elsie Item #98 PDF, p. 8, 'The Rest of the Story' sidebar (Monster Seven-Seven excerpt)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A firsthand crew account from a sister LCI(G) gunboat documents an asbestos product aboard the type: when rocket fire set LCI(G)-77's deck paint ablaze at Peleliu, the author 'got asbestos gloves from a 20 mm mount to use in picking up burning rockets rolling around in the fire and threw them over the side.' Asbestos gloves were stowed at the 20-mm gun stations of an LCI(G) for exactly the burning-rocket hazard this hull's crews faced at Leyte (ev-05).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-09-15 (event); 2017 (publication)
- Population
- LCI(G) gun crews, Pacific theater (type-level)
- Limitations
- Type-level documentation, not a hull record: the account describes LCI(G)-77, not LCI(G)-561. It establishes that asbestos gloves were carried at LCI(G) 20-mm gun mounts as firefighting equipment - reasonable basis for class-or-era inference aboard sister gunboats, but it does not establish what was installed aboard this hull, any quantity, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-06
-
[8]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'Elsie Item' issues #82 (May 2013, Connie Mulherin obituary), #96 (March 2017, officer roster), #58 (January 2007, crew directory) - USS LCI National Association newsletter [museum_official]
- Locator
- Elsie Item #82 p. 15 'So long, Connie!'; #96 p. 27 board roster; #58 crew directory
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The veterans' association newsletter documents this hull's crew network: the May 2013 obituary of Connie Mulherin - the LCI(G)-561 crewmember who supplied the NavSource photographs and maintained contact with 'the crew of his beloved LCI(G) 561' - and association rosters listing crewmember contacts for LCI(G)-561 (Mulherin, Titusville FL, 2007) and a board member identified as 'Nephew of Leo Peter Selan, (KIA) WWII, LCI(G)561, & LCI(G)475' (2017).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2007-2017 (publications); WWII service of named individuals
- Population
- LCI(G)-561 crewmembers and families (postwar association)
- Limitations
- Crew-history documentation only - identifies persons associated with the hull and a crewmember KIA in WWII (Leo Peter Selan, per the roster entry; attribution between the two listed hulls is ambiguous in the source). Newsletter of a veterans' association, not a Navy record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-07
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (October 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- 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 and service era (1944-1948).
- 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 this session (gao.gov has historically blocked automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-08
-
[10]Batch-5282 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization page and NHHC photo catalog NH 89249; NARA Special List 44; DoD valor.defense.gov Navy Cross list; Military Times Hall of Valor; uboat.net; Naval Marine Archive yard table; USS LCI National Association newsletters; CourtListener API v4; MARAD Vessel History Database; NVR; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-561-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-561-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LCI(L)-561 / LCI(G)-561 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search returned zero results for the quoted queries "LCI-561", "LCI(G)-561", "LCI(L)-561", and "LCI 561" (the RECAP docket index could not be swept this session - fleet pacing throttles, see search_ledger); no DANFS entry exists for this numbered landing craft; MARAD's Vessel History Database surfaces no record; the Naval Vessel Register does not cover hulls disposed before 1987.
- 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 NARA deck logs (Jul 1944-Jun 1945), BuShips conversion work packages for the LCI(G) refit, and the 1948 Maritime Commission disposal file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-561-09