Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-666 (10/15/150666) - construction milestones, campaign record, Project Hula transfer, specifications, NARA-credited photographs (page history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150666.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 8 March 1944 at George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, MA; launched 16 March 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-666, 24 March 1944. Assigned Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; participated in the Invasion of southern France, 15-31 August 1944; earned one battle star. Decommissioned and transferred under Project Hula to the Soviet Union at Cold Bay, AK, 29 July 1945, designated Soviet landing ship DS-50. Photo captions document the hull embarking the 442nd RCT in Italy 10 June 1944 (U.S. National Archives image) and boarding Brazilian Expeditionary Force troops at Naples 9 October 1944 as part of a 50-LCI convoy carrying ~10,500 men of the 2nd and 3rd echelons of the 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division from Naples to Livorno. Specifications: 246 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; five single 20mm mounts; two banks of four GM Series 71 diesels on twin variable-pitch propellers (2,320 shp); radio call sign NGCR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (U.S. service); 1945-1956 (Soviet DS-50)
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Mar 1944); crew 1944-45 (4 officers + 24 enlisted class complement); embarked troops incl. 442nd RCT and Brazilian Expeditionary Force
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation citing Turner Publishing's USS LCI Vol. II - milestone dates track official records but are not a primary registry. Contains no asbestos or material content. The 'returned to U.S. custody 1955 / fate unknown' disposition line conflicts with the NHHC Project Hula appendix ('1956-scrapped') - see ev-04 correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-01
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[2]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-666 (ship/21731) - build block, convoy UGS-41 record with commanding officer, transfer entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21731 'Notable events' - Convoy UGS 41 (3 May 1944) and Bizerta arrival (24 May 1944) entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net records this hull (Ens. J.E. Earls, USNR) in convoy UGS-41, which departed Hampton Roads 3 May 1944 under Task Force 62 escort (USCGC Spencer flagship; destroyers USS Paul Jones, Barker, Bulmer; CortDiv 15 destroyer escorts incl. Amick, Atherton, Booth, Carroll, Cooner, Eldridge, Neunzer; cruiser HMS Colombo). The LCI(L) division - hulls 562, 563, 581-586, 664-671 - was detached to Bizerta on 24 May 1944. Build block concurs with NavSource: George Lawley & Sons, Neponset; laid down 8 Mar 1944, launched 16 Mar 1944, commissioned 24 Mar 1944, end of service 29 Jul 1945 (transferred to the USSR).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- May 1944 (documented convoy)
- Population
- Crew under Ens. J.E. Earls, USNR; UGS-41 convoy population
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary database (Helgason Allied Warships) built from convoy records - the UGS-41 entry documents this hull's transatlantic delivery voyage and names her commanding officer, but the CO name is not independently verified against a primary source (the NARA deck logs are the verification lead). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-02
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[3]Richard A. Russell, Project Hula: Secret Soviet-American Cooperation in the War Against Japan, The U.S. Navy in the Modern World Series No. 4 (Washington, DC: Naval Historical Center, 1997), ISBN 0-945274-35-1 - Appendix transfer table (printed p. 39-40), HyperWar/NHC PDF mirror [other_primary]
- Locator
- Russell 1997 appendix table (printed pp. 39-40): LCI(L) 666 / DS-50 / 29 Jul. / 1956-scrapped; narrative pp. 24-27 (transfer procedure), returns/destruction narrative ~p. 38
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Naval Historical Center monograph's appendix, 'U.S. Navy Combatant Ships Transferred to the USSR Under Project HULA, May-September 1945,' lists 'LCI(L) 666' -> 'DS-50' with transfer date 29 July 1945 (ditto-inherited from the LCI(L) group's '29 Jul.' mark) and disposition '1956-scrapped.' The narrative records that U.S. decommissioning, transfer, and Soviet commissioning occurred simultaneously in one ceremony at Cold Bay, AK; that 30 LCI(L)s were among the 149 craft transferred 17 May - 4 September 1945; and that the Soviet navy returned 27 frigates and 15 LCI(L)s in summer 1955 while destroying 59 vessels near Murmansk and 20 at Nakhodka in 1956 under 'witnessed destruction' arrangements. Photo captions document American-built LCI(L)s in the Soviet Kuril operation (Paramushir landings).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1956
- Population
- U.S. Navy Detachment 3294 (Cold Bay trainers); Soviet crews of DS-50
- Limitations
- Official NHHC publication drawing on Soviet-era records - the authoritative source for the transfer program and per-hull dispositions. The appendix table is the finding; the table's ditto marks for the 29 July date are layout-inherited and consistent with NavSource/uboat.net. Does not name DS-50's fate location (Murmansk vs Nakhodka destruction events are listed program-level); DS-50's Kuril participation is class-documented in the monograph, hull-specific only in NavSource. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-03
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[4]Disposition cross-check: NavSource 10/15/150666 ('Returned to US Naval custody in 1955 and struck from the Naval Register; Final Disposition, fate unknown') vs Russell NHHC Project Hula appendix ('1956-scrapped' for DS-50; narrative: only 15 of 30 LCI(L)s returned in 1955, remaining hulls destroyed 1956 at Murmansk/Nakhodka) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150666 disposition line; Russell 1997 appendix table printed p. 39
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's 'returned to US Naval custody in 1955' line is boilerplate text repeated across Project Hula LCI(L) pages; the authoritative NHHC appendix assigns DS-50 the disposition '1956-scrapped' - i.e., this hull was destroyed in Soviet custody in 1956 (consistent with the documented Nakhodka/Murmansk witnessed-destruction program for hulls not returned in the 1955 group). The 'returned 1955' variant is not supported for this hull by the official transfer table.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1955-1956
- Limitations
- The Russell appendix is the higher-authority source but uses telegraphic table entries ('scrapped' vs 'destroyed' wording varies across rows); whether DS-50 was broken up or sunk in a witnessed-destruction event is not stated. NavSource's conflicting line is retained as a documented variant in gaps. Neither source gives the U.S. striking date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-04
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[5]NARA Special List 44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, 'by Ship Numbers' PDF (logbooks available online through the National Archives Catalog, RG 24 entry 118 / NAID 581208) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 27, row 'LCI(L)-666 3/1/1944 7/28/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (ship-numbers listing) carries the entry 'LCI(L)-666 3/1/1944 - 7/28/1945': deck logs for this hull covering 1 March 1944 through 28 July 1945 are in NARA custody and available online through the National Archives Catalog. Coverage brackets the hull's entire U.S. commissioned service (commissioned 24 March 1944; U.S. logs end the day before the 29 July 1945 Project Hula transfer).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-03-01 to 1945-07-28
- Population
- Crew 1944-45 (muster/log subjects)
- Limitations
- Log-coverage endpoints are inventory dates, not assumed commissioning/decommissioning dates (3/1/1944 pre-dates the 3/24/1944 commissioning - probably a fitting-out/shakedown log start; the 7/28/1945 end aligns with the transfer). The catalog object-level NAID for this hull's logs was not resolved this session (catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered). No asbestos content - deck logs are the lead for any future ship-specific materials/work records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-05
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[6]Library of Virginia, 'World War II Separation Notices: Navy' collection (transcribed via FromThePage) - NAVPERS-553 separation notice, Charles Arnold Buchanan, CM2c [other_primary]
- Locator
- fromthepage.com LVA work-1140037-012-021-001 (Buchanan) and work-1142092-022-028-001 (second notice)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- State-archive separation notices document named individuals whose naval service included this hull: e.g., Charles Arnold Buchanan (Carpenter's Mate 2c, inducted 1943-12-07, Honorable separation; service vessels 'NTS BAINBRIDGE, MD.; PHIBTRABASE, SOLOMONS, MD.; USS LCI(L) 666; USS POSEIDON (ARL-12); USS ALCOR (AD-34)'); a second notice lists 'U.S.S. LCI (L) 591; U.S.S. LCI (L) 666; ATB Camp Bradford, Va.' - consistent with the amphibious-training pipeline before crew assignment.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Named enlisted crew members (Buchanan CM2c; one unidentified second sailor)
- Limitations
- Establishes named-individual service aboard, not exposure. ACCESS GAP: the page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-30 and no Wayback capture exists; content verified via search-index extract of the live page. Not a material/abatement record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-06
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[7]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI-351 class specifications (diesel propulsion block); HAER AK-52 and OR-180 construction descriptions for same-class hulls; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150666 specifications block; HAER AK-52 physical description; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A welded-steel LCI-351-class landing craft built in March 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. For a diesel-powered landing craft of this type and period, era-standard asbestos-relevant applications were diesel engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets and flange materials, valve and machinery packing, electrical insulation, and limited thermal/acoustic insulation in crew and troop spaces - a materially smaller envelope than steam-propelled vessels because the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway does not exist aboard. Confined machinery-space volumes below decks concentrate whatever materials were installed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1956
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Mar 1944); crew 1944-45; Soviet crew 1945-56; scrapping labor 1956
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-666. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution. The documented splinter armor aboard the class (2" plastic splinter protection = crushed granite pebbles embedded in bitumen per HAER AK-52) is a non-fibrous material and is not claimed as an asbestos product.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-07
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[8]HAER AK-52 (M/V Husky II, ex-LCI(L) 653, LCI(L) 351 class), Library of Congress HAER documentation; and HAER OR-180 (LCI(L)-713, same class, also built by George Lawley & Son, Neponset) at tile.loc.gov/.../or0606data.pdf [haer]
- Locator
- HAER AK-52 data pages (physical description, propulsion, splinter protection); HAER OR-180 short form (builder/class confirmation)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- HAER documentation for same-class (LCI-351) hulls records the type's construction: welded 1/4-inch steel plate hull; eight General Motors 6-71 diesel truck engines driving twin variable-pitch propellers (four per shaft, run-to-destruction practice with spare engines stowed forward); 2-inch 'plastic splinter protection' armor on gun tubs, conning tower, and pilot house 'consisting of crushed granite pebbles embedded in bitumen.' LCI(L)-713 (HAER OR-180) was built in the same George Lawley & Sons yard at Neponset as this hull. The spray-on insulation references in HAER AK-52 describe the vessel's 1980s civilian conversion to a refrigerated fish tender, not Navy-era construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (class construction era); 2012 (HAER survey)
- Population
- Class-wide construction trades and crews (context)
- Limitations
- Class documentation, not a hull record - neither HAER packet names LCI(L)-666, and neither reports asbestos surveys or material inventories of WWII-era systems. The armor composition documented here is non-asbestos. Does not establish or exclude asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-08
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[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 (March 1944) and U.S. service era (1944-45).
- 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 blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403, standing defect since BATCH-01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-09
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[10]Batch-5393 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC Project Hula monograph; uboat.net convoy records; NARA Special List 44; HAER AK-52/OR-180; Library of Virginia separation notices; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener (opinion + docket indexes); shipyards.json cross-check; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-666 (or DS-50) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results for all hull-designation variants ('LCI(L)-666', 'LCI(L) 666', 'LCI-666') across both opinion and docket indexes, zero for '"USS LCI" asbestos' in opinions, and zero for the class-wide '"LCI(L)" asbestos' opinion query - a verified no-hit, not a blocked search. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no ship-specific asbestos claim even in excluded marketing literature.
- 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 remains reasonable but is not ship-proven. The hull was scrapped in Soviet custody in 1956 (per the NHHC appendix), so no surviving-hull survey path exists. Deck logs and George Lawley & Sons yard records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-666-lcil666-10