Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]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. 26, row 'LCI(L)-597 4/25/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists deck logs for 'LCI(L)-597' covering 4/25/1944 through 6/30/1945 (PDF page 26 of the by-ship-number list) - the sole 597 LCI entry, under the plain LCI(L) designation while neighbors 594/595/596 are inventoried under the composite 'LCI(L)(M)' jackets of their mortar conversions. The coverage start date equals her commissioning date (25 April 1944 per NavSource/uboat.net). 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
- 1944-04-25 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- wartime crew (1944-1945)
- Limitations
- Log coverage dates are not commissioning/decommissioning dates - they document that logs exist and the coverage window. The inventoried coverage ENDS 6/30/1945, before V-J Day, her documented 8-10 November 1945 Far East occupation service, and her 17 May 1946 decommissioning - post-June-1945 logs for this hull are not in the SL44-inventoried set (a real archival gap, not proof they were never kept). The logs themselves are not digitized (NARA's digitized deck-log list contains no LCI hulls); they are RG 24 textual records at Archives II, College Park. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-597 - history credited on-page to 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1995' (USS LCI National Association volume) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150597.htm - class line, milestone chronology, flotilla assignment block, awards block, specifications block (page last updated 10 November 2023)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 22 March 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 19 April 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-597 on 25 April 1944, 'LTjg. F.B. Lowry, USNR in command (May 1945).' Assigned during World War II to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: 'LCI Flotilla Five, CDR. M. V. Milton; LCI Group Fifteen, LCDR. E.S. Dulcan; LCI Division Thirty.' Assigned post-war to Navy Occupation service in the Far East '8 to 10 November 1945.' Decommissioned 17 May 1946; struck from the Naval Register in 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 22 May 1947; 'Registered in 1949 as tugboat LCI(L) 597 at Baton Rouge, LA. Out of documentation in 1951. Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Medal with Asia clasp - no battle-star credits. Specs: 236 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm guns; propulsion two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), single GM main reduction gear, two diesel-driven 30 kW generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; call sign NPEH. No photographs hosted for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1951
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew and embarked troops 1944-46; merchant tugboat crew 1949-1951
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - the cited underlying work is the USS LCI National Association's Turner Publishing history volume, not a Navy record. The flotilla/group/division attribution conflicts with the official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization document, which places this hull in Flotilla Six / Group 18 / Division 36 (see ev-04 and gaps); the org doc confirms the CO name (Lowry). Struck 'in 1946' lacks month/day. The tugboat registration and 1951 out-of-documentation lines are NavSource-only with no located corroboration. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-02
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships: USS LCI(L)-597 ship page (ship/21662), LCI 351 class [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21662 - built-by line and date table; 'We don't have any commands listed' notice
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's ship page independently confirms this hull: 'Built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, New Jersey, U.S.A.)'; laid down 22 Mar 1944; launched 19 Apr 1944; commissioned 25 Apr 1944; classed LCI 351. The page carries no commands list and no notable-events entries - no convoy or combat events are documented for this hull in that compilation (contrast sister LCI(L)-588's UGS-42 convoy and mine-damage entries).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- crew (wartime)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation of official operational records - the builder and build dates corroborate NavSource but are not presented here as primary records. Absence of a notable-events listing is a thin negative - it does not prove the hull saw no action, only that the compilation documents none. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-03
-
[4]HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (NHHC online reading room document) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar PacFleet Org-450501, 'Landing Craft Infantry' section - LCI FLOTILLA SIX / GROUP 18 / DIVISION 36 block, row 'LCI 597 | Lt. (jg) F. B. Lowry (USNR)' (doc pp. ~78-79); compare LCI FLOTILLA FIVE / GROUP 15 / DIVISION 30 block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization of 1 May 1945 affirmatively lists this hull as 'LCI 597' (untagged - no (M), (G), or other suffix) inside LCI FLOTILLA SIX (commander Comdr. A. R. Montgomery), LCI GROUP 18 (ComLCIGrp 18: Lt. Cdr. A. J. Ormston, USNR), LCI DIVISION 36 - alongside LCI 599, LCI 603, LCI 682, and LCI 947 - with 'Lt. (jg) F. B. Lowry (USNR)' named on the LCI 597 line, independently confirming the commanding officer NavSource lists for May 1945. This confirms her Pacific presence and unconverted configuration on that date but CONFLICTS with the NavSource flotilla chain (Flotilla Five / Group Fifteen / Division Thirty); the org doc's Group 15 commander reads 'Comdr. H. V. Milton (USNR)' vs NavSource's Flotilla Five commander 'CDR. M. V. Milton' - a surname match with conflicting initial and echelon, unexplained.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- crew under Lt.(jg) F. B. Lowry (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Both unit chains are documented at face value and the tension is unresolved: the org doc is a 1 May 1945 snapshot while NavSource's chain is undated within WWII service, so an earlier Flotilla Five assignment is plausible but unproven. The Milton initial/echelon discrepancy is unexplained. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-04
-
[5]HyperWar/ibiblio, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Landing Ships and Craft' (LCI(L) and LCI(M) rosters and LCI(L)-351 class specification block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-lc.html - LCI(L)-351 class block; roster rows 'LCI(L)-594-599' (LCI(L) roster) and 'LCI(M)-594-596' (LCI(M) roster)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The HyperWar landing-craft roster lists this hull inside the range row 'LCI(L)-594-599, 1942-44' with no annotation - i.e., no loss, lend-lease, or conversion note (contrast the adjacent 'LCI(L)-590-593 ... Lend-Lease to USSR' row). The LCI(M) roster lists only 'LCI(M)-594-596, 1945' from this number block - corroborating that 597 was never converted to a mortar craft, consistent with the plain 'LCI(L)-597' SL44 jacket and her untagged org-doc listing. The LCI(L)-351 class block documents the type: 385 t. full load, 160'4", 23'3" beam, 15.5 kts, armament 5x20mm, complement 4 officers + 25 enlisted, capacity 9 officers + 200 enlisted or 75 tons cargo, 2 sets GM diesel engines, twin variable-pitch screws, 1,600 BHP.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- crew (wartime)
- Limitations
- HyperWar is a transcription/compilation host; the roster line is a bare range listing and the class block describes the type, not this hull. Class-block figures differ from NavSource's hull-specific block (385 t / 160'4" / 25 enlisted / 1,600 BHP vs 419 t loaded / 158'5.5" / 24 enlisted / 2,320 shp) - spec variance noted in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-05
-
[6]shipbuildinghistory.com, New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber NJ - yard delivery table [other_primary]
- Locator
- newjersey.htm yard table, row 'LCI(L) | 597 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Apr-44 | Struck 1946'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard delivery table lists 'LCI(L) | 597 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Apr-44 | Struck 1946' - corroborating an April 1944 delivery (consistent with the 25 April 1944 commissioning) and the 1946 striking. Context on neighbors: the same table shows hulls 590-593 'To the USSR 1945, struck 1955' (Project Hula transfers) while 594/595/597/598/599 carry 'Struck 1946' - consistent with 597 remaining in U.S. custody through disposal rather than going lend-lease. The same table is mirrored at the Naval Marine Archive (navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944; 1946
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipbuilding-history compilation; a delivery-table row corroborates dates but is not a construction or material record. The table retains the LCI(L) designation for 594-596 despite their LCI(M) conversions - it tracks construction deliveries, not later reclassifications. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-06
-
[7]Library of Virginia, World War II Separation Notices: Navy - NAVPERS-553 (Rev. 8-45) notice for Walter Wilson Bailey, StM1c, SV-V6 USNR, serial 936 17 67 (FromThePage transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- fromthepage.com/lva work-1140044-020-047-001, page 34985451 - 'Service Vessels and Stations' field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A state-archive primary document names a crew member of this hull: the Navy separation notice of Walter Wilson Bailey - Steward's Mate 1st Class, SV-V6 USNR, born 29 May 1907 Sussex Co., Va., permanent address 518 Virginia Ave., Petersburg, Va. - lists under 'Service Vessels and Stations': 'Phibtrabase, Solomons, Md.; RS, NYK. USS LCI (L) 597' - documenting an amphibious-training pipeline (Amphibious Training Base, Solomons Island, MD; Receiving Station New York) terminating aboard this hull. Entered active service 17 February 1944; ratings AS through StM1c; honorable separation at U.S. Naval Personnel Separation Center, Shelton, Va.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- StM1c W. W. Bailey; ship's crew association
- Limitations
- Documents crew association only - a separation notice establishes that Bailey served aboard this hull; it records no dates aboard, no battle station, and no exposure information. The FromThePage transcription is volunteer-generated and marked 'Needs Review'; the underlying LVA scan is the primary artifact. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-07
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, 4 per shaft, 2,320 shp, twin variable-pitch screws - diesel plant, no steam); uboat.net LCI-351 class designation; HyperWar LCI(L)-351 class block; GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150597.htm specifications block; uboat.net ship/21662; HyperWar ships-lc.html LCI(L)-351 block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built March-April 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. The only documented asbestos-era yard event is her construction at New Jersey Shipbuilding (Barber, NJ); unlike converted or battle-damaged sisters (e.g., LCI(L)-588 mined at Dragoon), no damage-repair or conversion work package attaches to this hull. Her 1947-1949 merchant tugboat conversion is undocumented as to yard and scope.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1951
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew 1944-46; unidentified tugboat-conversion and merchant workforce (1947-1951)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or underway-maintenance record located for LCI(L)-597. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no statement about what remained aboard at Navy disposal or during merchant service. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-08
-
[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 U.S. Navy construction (1944) and service era (1944-47).
- 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 Batches 01, 98, and 5290-5309).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-09
-
[10]Batch-5318 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44; NavSource; uboat.net; official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization (HyperWar); HyperWar LCI(L)/LCI(M) rosters; shipbuildinghistory.com yard table + Naval Marine Archive mirror; Library of Virginia WWII Navy separation notices (FromThePage); NARA digitized deck-log list; U.S. Navy Memorial Navy Log; usslci.org; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket); secondary web asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-597-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-597-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-597 or her merchant identity was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API v4 returned ZERO results on both the opinion side and the docket side for the hull's designation variants - genuine negative results, not access failures. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced anywhere for the LCI/amphibious type is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos on Navy ships without primary sourcing or hull-level content - excluded by source policy; none names 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 - era inference is consistent with retained era materials during service, and the undigitized RG 24 deck logs (4/25/1944-6/30/1945) and the ODU Heflin & Williams ship-data collection (hull-range coverage including this hull) 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-597-10
-
[11]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-597 (LST-542 class) page; plus same-document collisions inside the 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization (ev-04); plus NARA SL44 and digitized-logs collisions; plus the official CNO losses appendix [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar PacFleet Org-450501 rows for DD 597/PC 597/YP 597; sl-44-ship-number.pdf rows for LST-597/PC-597/PT-597/PC-1597; HyperWar USN-King-C.html losses appendix row 'LCT 597'; NARA navy-online digitized-logs list (Tullibee SSN-597); NavSource 10/16/160597.htm (LST-597)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION: '597' collisions are real and materially different hulls. The very same 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization document that lists 'LCI 597' also lists DD 597 (destroyer WILEY, Destroyer Division 115, Comdr. B. P. Field Jr.), PC 597 (Lt.(jg) W. M. Jones USNR), and YP 597 (E. Williams, CBM). NARA Special List 44 adds LST-597 (9/18/1944-6/30/1945), PC-597, PT-597, and PC-1597 log jackets. The official CNO losses appendix to 'U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945' lists 'LCT 597 - Off northern France - 6 June 1944' - a landing craft TANK lost at Normandy, a different hull type sharing the number. NARA's digitized deck-log list adds SSN-597 (nuclear submarine Tullibee). NavSource documents LST-597 (LST-542 class, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, Evansville, IN - commissioned 19 Sep 1944, two battle stars incl. Okinawa, decommissioned 5 Mar 1946, struck 29 Sep 1947, sold 31 May 1948 to Bethlehem Steel for scrapping) as a Pacific-veteran tank landing ship. Any attribution to a bare '597' absent an LCI qualifier is a hull-number collision, not this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Collision-disambiguation finding only. The org doc gives DD 597's name as WILEY outright; PC/YP 597 are identified by number only. LCT 597's loss entry is a different craft type that shares only the number. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-11
-
[12]Old Dominion University Libraries Special Collections, Heflin & Williams Naval Engineering Reference Collection (MG 138), Binder 23 - 'Volume 02: LCI(L)-351 - LCI(L)-1098 (Landing Craft Infantry, Large) - LCI(L)-453, undated', ship data files organized by hull number; plus the undigitized NARA RG 24 deck logs [other_primary]
- Locator
- archivesguides.lib.odu.edu archival object 88476 (Binder Case 23, Volume 02); NARA SL44 p.26 and navy-online digitization list (absent)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two open archival paths attach to this hull: (a) ODU holds the Heflin & Williams ship-data file collection whose Volume 02 is cataloged for 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 (b) the undigitized NARA RG 24 deck logs (coverage 4/25/1944-6/30/1945 per Special List 44), these are the located archival paths most likely to hold ship-specific material.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- N/A - record-location leads
- Limitations
- Archival leads only. The ODU volume is cataloged for the 351-1098 range but the item-level entry carries 'LCI(L)-453' as its terminating hull, suggesting the online listing may cover only a segment of the volume - whether an LCI(L)-597 file actually exists inside is unverified; undigitized, open to researchers per the finding aid. Deck logs establish existence and the coverage window, not content; the post-June-1945 period (V-J Day, occupation service, decommissioning) is not in the inventoried set. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-597-12