Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-661 - construction, commissioning, campaigns, disposal, specifications, crew photos (live page verified 2026-09-30; history credited to Turner Publishing 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150661.htm header block, campaign table, disposition block, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 24 February 1944 at George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, MA; launched 3 March 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-661, 11 March 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Campaigns per NavSource: Western New Guinea operations - Cape Sansapor operation, 31 July and 1 August 1944; Leyte operation - Leyte landings, printed '19 to November 1944' (malformed - see correction row ev-06); Manila-Bicol operations - Nasugbu, 31 January 1945. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 19 February 1947; final disposition fate unknown. Three battle stars for WWII service; ribbon display shows American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3), WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2). Spec block: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max (14 continuous); 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; 75 tons cargo; 5 x single 20mm guns; endurance 4,000 miles at 12 kts; two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), GM main reduction gears, two 30 kW 120V DC diesel-drive ship's service generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photo credits document named crew: Ens. M. Ray Greene USNR, Coxswain/Gunner Frank Schultz (voyage charts), Leo Nowicki.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Lawley & Sons construction trades (Feb-Mar 1944); crew 4 officers + 24 enlisted (1944-46); embarked troops up to ~188
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - dates generally track official records but the page is not a primary registry; builder/delivery/disposition corroborated independently here (shipbuilding-history table; uboat.net). The printed 'Leyte landings, 19 to November 1944' is malformed - see ev-06 correction. The campaign table omits the Ormoc Bay and Brunei Bay operations this hull documented in its own digitized action reports (ev-03, ev-04). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-01
-
[2]Shipbuilding-history LCI(L) build table (Naval Marine Archive mirror of the Colton shipbuilding data), LCI(L)-661 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lcil.html, LCI(L) hull table row 661
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The build table lists: LCI(L) | hull 661 | Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA | 11-Mar-44 | 'To NDRF 1947' - corroborating the builder, yard location, completion date, and a 1947 reserve-fleet disposition consistent with NavSource's 'Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 19 February 1947.' Surrounding rows (658-664) show the same Lawley/Neponset block; 658-660 and 664 carry an 'M' conversion flag (LCI(M) mortar conversion) - 661 does not, consistent with her remaining LCI(L) throughout.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Lawley & Sons Neponset yard trades (1944)
- 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-661-lcil661-02
-
[3]NARA catalog, NAID 139959431 - 'COM LCI(L) FLOT 8 - Fwding of act reps covering the First, Second & Third Resupply Echelons to Ormoc Bay, Leyte Is, Philippines, 12/8-16/44' (RG 38, WWII War Diaries/Other Operational Records; 36 digitized images); enclosure (G) at p.23 is 'CO LCI 661 Action Report of Second Resupply Echelon' dated 14 December 1944 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/139959431 - forwarding letter image 495 (enclosure list) and enclosure (G) page 23 (image 518), report dated 14 Dec 1944
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized US Navy action report authored by this hull is contained in this file unit (verified by reading the scanned pages): the forwarding letter (LCI Flot 8/A16-3, serial 391-44, 26 Dec 1944) lists enclosure (G) as 'CO LCI 661 Action Report of Second Resupply Echelon - p.23.' The enclosure itself (image 518 on roll) is headed USS L.C.I. (L) 661, dated 14 December 1944, via Commander Group TWENTY-TWO, LCI(L) Flotilla EIGHT - establishing her administrative chain as Group 22, LCI(L) Flotilla 8. It records: underway in the Second Resupply Echelon to Ormoc Bay under CTU 78.3.8 movement order 1-44 of 7 December 1944; at about 1703 on 11 December the convoy was attacked by enemy planes and at 1704 USS Reid was hit by a suicide-dived plane; the convoy commander designated LCI(L)-661 to assist in picking up survivors; Reid sank at 1707; an underwater explosion at 1708 caused injury and loss among men in the water; 661 commenced rescue at 1710 and by 1800 had picked up sixty-seven (67) survivors and one body; at 1815 she went alongside USS LSM-42 transferring four stretcher cases and two seriously injured; arrived Ormoc Bay 2330; beached 0020 12 December and disembarked troops; unloaded by 0220; retracted 0315; return convoy attacked 0300 and 0809 (USS Caldwell hit by suicide plane in the forward radio room at 0811); at 1025 alongside Caldwell she took aboard Commander and staff DesRon 14 plus one seriously injured man for transfer to USS Coghlin at 1040; arrived San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf 2140, transferring casualties and the remains of Wilcox, Walter, F2c, USNR, of USS Reid to USS LST-464. Signed P. B. Pylant, Lt.(jg), USN.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-12-07 to 1944-12-14 (operation and report date)
- Population
- LCI(L)-661 crew during the Ormoc Bay resupply; 67 USS Reid survivors embarked; embarked Army troops of the resupply echelon
- Limitations
- Primary operational record - the hull's own report. Documents combat operations and the USS Reid rescue directly; it is an operational document, not a material survey - no asbestos content. Rolled microfilm legibility is good; names read as printed (Reid, LSM-42, Caldwell, Coghlin, LST-464, DesRon 14, TU 78.3.8).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-03
-
[4]NARA catalog, NAID 77526826 - 'LCI(L)-661 - Report of operations in the assault landings in the Brunei Bay Area, Borneo, 6/11-12/45' (RG 38, same series NAID 4697018; micro serial 145499, serial 2-45, dated 6/20/1945; 6 digitized images) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77526826 - file-unit description and 6-image viewer (images 077-082 on Roll A1912)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized US Navy action report authored by this hull (verified by reading the scanned pages): USS LCI(L) 661 serial 2-45 of 20 June 1945, 'Action Report - Brunei Bay, Northwest Borneo Operation,' to Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet via CTU 78.1.19, CTG 78.1, CTF 78, Commander SEVENTH Amphibious Force, Commander SEVENTH Fleet. It records: embarked 172 troops and six officers of the 2/3 Australian Anti-Aircraft Regiment, 9th Australian Division, with ten days rations, about three miles west of the Sabatai River, Morotai, at 1100 on 2 June 1945; underway for the objective area at 1500, 5 June 1945; no enemy air, surface, or submarine contact en route; anchored in Brunei Bay 11 June; at 0840 on 12 June proceeded to an anchorage off Labuan Island, beached at 1817, disembarked troops at 1819 (they waded the last ~25 feet), retracted at 1855 and anchored off Labuan Island, Borneo. Fuel/water expended: 5,500 gal diesel, 35 gal lube oil, 5,100 gal water. Signed Palmer B. Pylant. Endorsements by CTU 78.1.19 (Commander LST Flotilla Eight, E. Watts, 10 Jul 1945 - noting late submission), CTG 78.1 (ComPhib Group Six, 26 Jul 1945), CTF 78 (Com7thPhib, Chief of Staff Ray Tarbuck, 30 Aug 1945), and Commander Seventh Fleet (28 Sep 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-06-02 to 1945-06-20 (operation and report date)
- Population
- LCI(L)-661 crew; 172 embarked troops + 6 officers, 2/3 Australian AA Regiment, 9th Australian Division
- Limitations
- Primary operational record - the hull's own report; documents participation in the Brunei Bay assault landings (Operation Oboe VI), an operation NavSource's campaign table does not list for this hull. An operational document, not a material survey - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-661 (LCI(L)-661) ship page - construction data, flotilla assignment, commanding officer, orders of battle for Operations Globetrotter and Oboe VI [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/21726.html - ship data block and 'Notable events' entries for 30 Jul 1944 and 10 Jun 1945
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborating secondary reference (Jurgen Rohwer's Allied Warships): LCI 351 class; built by George Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA; laid down 24 Feb 1944; launched 3 Mar 1944; commissioned 11 Mar 1944 - all matching NavSource. Names her commanding officer Lt.(jg) P.B. Pylant (USN at Globetrotter; USNR at Oboe VI) and places her 'from LCI Flotilla 8.' Notable events: 30 Jul 1944 Operation Globetrotter (Cape Sansapor) - Task Unit 77.2.5 LCI Unit, alongside LCI(L)-546 (with COMLCIFLOT 8 T/Cdr. F.B.C. Martin aboard), -544, -545, -547, -548, -577, -578, -579, -957, -958, -961, -962; 10 Jun 1945 Operation Oboe VI (Brunei) - listed in TU 78.1.13 LCI Unit under COMLCIFLOT 8 (T/Capt. F.B.C. Martin) and in TU 78.1.19 Reinforcement Unit, consistent with her action report's via-chain.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- LCI(L)-661 crew under Lt.(jg) P.B. Pylant; embarked troops at both landings
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled reference - corroboration of construction dates, CO, flotilla, and orders of battle; not a primary registry. The TU 78.1.13 vs 78.1.19 listing reflects flotilla affiliation vs operational sub-unit - the action report routes via TU 78.1.19. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-05
-
[6]Cross-source check: NavSource LCI(L)-661 campaign table ('Leyte landings, 19 to November 1944'); officialmilitaryribbons.com Navy WWII campaign/battle-star table for LCI(L) 661 (P-codes); this hull's digitized Ormoc action report (ev-03); uboat.net event dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150661.htm campaign table vs. officialmilitaryribbons.com LCI(L)-539-to-664 awards table row for LCI(L) 661; NARA NAID 139959431 enclosure (G)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION and addition: the LCI(L)-661 NavSource page prints her Leyte-operation credit as 'Leyte landings, 19 to November 1944' - a malformed date missing its end day. A commercial reproduction of the Navy WWII campaign-star award table (officialmilitaryribbons.com) lists for this hull: Cape Sansapor operation 31 Jul and 1 Aug 44 (P28-6); Leyte landings 19 Nov - 29 Nov 44 (P31-1); Ormoc Bay landings 12-13 Dec 44 (P31-7); Nasugbu 31 Jan 45 (P41-2). The 19-29 November Leyte window is treated as the intended reading. NavSource's table also omits the Ormoc Bay credit entirely and omits Brunei Bay; the Ormoc participation is independently documented by this hull's own digitized action report (ev-03) and Brunei by NAID 77526826 (ev-04). Three battle stars (NavSource ribbon display) are consistent with the three campaign groupings (P28 Western New Guinea, P31 Leyte, P41 Manila-Bicol).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- The awards table is a commercial secondary reproduction of official award data - the underlying official awards-table entry for this hull was not independently pulled (Navy awards manual/OPNAV listing not re-verified this session). Ormoc Bay credit is corroborated by primary documentation (the hull's action report). Not a material or asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-06
-
[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 27 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 27, row 'LCI(L)-661 | 3/11/1944 | 12/31/1945' (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)-661 covering 3/11/1944-12/31/1945 - i.e., logbook coverage running from her commissioning date through the end of 1945 (log-coverage dates, not commissioning evidence).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-03-11 to 1945-12-31
- Population
- LCI(L)-661 crew (1944-45 logging window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the list establishes that logs exist in NARA holdings for that window. Catalog searches for digitized deck-log file units titled for this hull returned no result, so these logs were not located online - physical-holdings lead only. A deck log is an operational record, not a material survey; it would document location/moorage and noteworthy events, not insulation content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-07
-
[8]NARA catalog, NAID 120197947 - 'LCI(L) 661 - Muster Rolls' (157 digitized images, Ancestry partnership; first muster roll dated 1944 March 03); COM LCI(L) FLOT 8 war diaries and records digitized in the same RG-38 series (e.g., NAID 134375834 Jul-Aug 1944; NAID 633431708 Apr 1945; NAID 139959431 Ormoc action-report forwarding, Dec 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/120197947 (157 images, first roll 1944-03-03); /id/134375834, /id/633431708 (FLOT 8 war diaries); /id/139959431 (FLOT 8 Ormoc forwarding)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized personnel and command records naming this hull: 157 muster-roll images for LCI(L) 661 are online (crew rosters by reporting period, first roll dated 3 March 1944 - the launch date, consistent with pre-commissioning crew reporting), and war diaries/records of her flotilla (LCI(L) Flotilla 8, her administrative parent per ev-03/ev-05) are digitized in the same RG-38 series.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- LCI(L)-661 crew (1944-46); Flotilla 8 staff
- Limitations
- Catalog metadata verified live; muster-roll page images not individually reviewed. Muster rolls and war diaries are personnel/operational records - no material or asbestos content. They are leads for building a crew roster and timeline, which this record does not do.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-08
-
[9]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project - Leo Joseph Nowicki Collection, AFC/2001/001/118972 [other_primary]
- Locator
- loc.gov/item/afc2001001.118972 - VHP Service Summary block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Library of Congress Veterans History Project holds the Leo Joseph Nowicki Collection: a Navy veteran, highest rank Signalman Third Class, service dates 1943-1946, service unit/ship 'USS LCI-661 (Landing Craft Infantry)', locations of service Great Lakes, Illinois; Port Moresby, New Guinea; Leyte Island (Philippines). Confirms a named crewmember's service aboard this hull consistent with her documented New Guinea/Leyte operations; NavSource photo credits also name Leo Nowicki as a crewmember (photo source for the crew photos).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- LCI(L)-661 crew (1943-46); SM3/c Leo J. Nowicki
- Limitations
- The VHP service summary is self-reported veteran data archived by LOC; the oral-history content itself was not reviewed. Personnel/history record - no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-09
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (GM 6051-series-71 diesel plant, diesel-drive generators - no steam plant); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, ev-10); NARA physical logbook holdings (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json yard list (no Lawley & Sons entry); GAO HRD-80-2 context
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built February-March 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.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Lawley & Sons construction trades (1944); crew 28 (1944-46); embarked troops (transient, up to ~188)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, builder's spec sheet, or work package located for LCI(L)-661. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. George Lawley & Sons is not in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset, so no yard-level product list was attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-10
-
[11]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 US Navy 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. 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-661-lcil661-11
-
[12]CourtListener API v4, authenticated search via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py: exact-phrase opinion search "LCI(L)-661" (type=o) returned 0 results on 2026-09-30 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener v4 search type=o q="LCI(L)-661" count=0 (2026-09-30); type=o unquoted count=616, top hits all LCI-corporate name collisions; type=r not run (paced)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation located in the opinion index: an authenticated CourtListener search for the exact phrase "LCI(L)-661" returned zero opinions. An unquoted tokenized query ('LCI(L)-661' without quotes, 616 hits) returned only name collisions - 'LCI International, Inc.' (a telecom securities-litigation defendant), 'LCI Workers Comp', and similar corporate LCI entities - none involving the vessel. The RECAP docket index (type=r) could not be queried when this record was drafted - the fleet pacing limiter returned 'budget momentarily spent'; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Zero opinion hits is a real negative for published asbestos opinions naming this hull, but it does not cover the docket index (not yet searched), state-court filings, or MDL-875 sub-records not indexed by hull name. Absence of a located record does not prove absence of any claim. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-12
-
[13]Batch-5388 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; shipbuilding-history build table; NARA catalog (two hull-authored action reports, muster rolls, flotilla war diaries); NARA Special List 44 PDF; NHHC DANFS and site search; NVR; CourtListener opinion index; uboat.net; Library of Congress VHP; GAO HRD-80-2; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-01 through -12
- 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)-661 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull's 1947 transfer to the Maritime Commission (final disposition 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. Undigitized deck logs (SL44 window 3/11/1944-12/31/1945), Lawley & Sons build records, and MARAD/NDRF vessel-status cards are open leads; the CourtListener docket index is an open gap (pacing-blocked at drafting). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-661-lcil661-13