Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-691 - construction milestones, WWII organization, occupation service, disposal chain, specifications, awards (history credited to 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II', Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150691.htm header block, awards block, history paragraphs, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LCI-351 class landing craft infantry (large); laid down 20 May 1944 at George Lawley & Sons Shipbuilding Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 27 May 1944; commissioned as USS LCI(L)-691, 3 June 1944. WWII assignment Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Thirty-Seven (LCDR J. P. Moore), LCI Group One Hundred Nine (LCDR J. W. Detwiler, USNR), LCI Division Two Hundred Seventeen. Post-war Navy Occupation service in the Far East: 18-22 October 1945 and 18-25 December 1945. Decommissioned March 1946; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Sold, date unknown, renamed Lempira, reflagged Honduras; sold 1962, renamed Skate, reflagged U.S., homeport Houma, LA; registered 1965 as the fishing boat Tangpahoa, homeport Wilmington, DE; registered 1975 homeport Morgan City, LA; final disposition, fate unknown. Awards displayed: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp). Spec block: 246 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20 mm guns; two sets of 4 GM 6051-series 71 diesels (4 per shaft), GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two 30 kW diesel-drive ship's service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (May-Jun 1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops (capacity 6+182); commercial crews (Lempira, Skate, Tangpahoa)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - page credits the history to 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-56311-262-0). Stricken and commercial-sale dates are explicitly unknown in the source; the commercial names chain (Lempira, Skate, Tangpahoa) is single-source. No battle-star count is displayed and no individual landing operations are itemized - the record documents theater assignment, not specific assault participation. Contains no asbestos content. Verified live (HTTP 200) 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-01
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[2]NHHC, National Museum of the U.S. Navy photo catalog: 19-LCM-Box-450-LCI-691-1/-2/-3, USS LCI(L)-691, June 1944 - Official Bureau of Ships Photographs now in the collections of the National Archives [museum_official]
- Locator
- NHHC NMUSN photo pages 19-LCM-Box-450-LCI-691-1/-2/-3 captions and parent index under 'Landing Craft Infantry (Large)-10'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Three official Bureau of Ships photographs of this hull, all dated 6 June 1944 (three days after commissioning): 19-LCM-Box-450-LCI-691-1, stern view at George Lawley & Son Corporation, Neponset, MA; 19-LCM-Box-450-LCI-691-2, starboard view underway in Boston Harbor; 19-LCM-Box-450-LCI-691-3, bow view at George Lawley & Son Corporation, Neponset. NHHC captions state each is an 'Official Bureau of Ships Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.' The set documents the hull's as-built configuration (bow ramp in stowed and lowered positions, round conning tower, forecastle) at the builder's yard immediately after commissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-06
- Population
- Lawley yard trades and commissioning crew (June 1944)
- Limitations
- Photographic catalog record only - documents the hull's physical configuration and yard presence on 6 June 1944; contains no asbestos or material-content information and does not describe insulation or machinery spaces. NHHC pages verified via Firecrawl render 2026-09-30; plain curl fetch returns 404 (NHHC bot protection) - page is live in a browser. Parent index page (Landing Craft Infantry (Large)-10 photo series) lists all three items.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-02
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[3]NHHC online reading room, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - LCI 691 listed under LCI(L) Flotilla Thirty-Seven, LCI(L) Group 109, LCI(L) Division 217 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- US Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, Amphibious Forces - Landing Craft Flotillas section, p. 84 scan area ('LCI(L) FLOTILLA THIRTY-SEVEN' table)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization document places 'LCI 691' in Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, under Landing Craft Flotillas - LCI(L) Flotilla Thirty-Seven, LCI(L) Group One Hundred Nine, LCI(L) Division Two Hundred Seventeen - matching NavSource's organizational assignment. The table names her commanding officer as Lt. (jg) L. H. Zwicker (USNR); Division 217 also carried LCI 692 (Lt. (jg) D. L. Mitchell), LCI 693 (Lt. (jg) C. O. Lutton), LCI 694 (Lt. (jg) B. M. McKinney), LCI 695 (Lt. (jg) W. T. Smithdeal, Jr.), and LCI 696 (GF).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew under Lt. (jg) L. H. Zwicker, USNR (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Organization-table entry only: confirms fleet assignment and a named commanding officer on 1 May 1945 but contains no operational history, no location for the division, and no asbestos content. Verified via Firecrawl render 2026-09-30; plain curl fetch returns 404 (NHHC bot protection) - page is live in a browser.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-03
-
[4]NARA, Special List 44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (by ship number), LCI(L)-691 entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 27 (LCI(L)-691 row between LCI(L)-690 and LCI(L)-692)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (ship-number sort) lists Navy log coverage for this hull: 'LCI(L)-691 6/3/1944 6/30/1945' - i.e., logbooks for the period beginning 3 June 1944 through 30 June 1945 are in NARA custody. This is the official finding aid establishing that deck logs for this specific hull exist at the National Archives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-03 to 1945-06-30 (coverage)
- Population
- Crew (log-keeping period June 1944 - June 1945)
- Limitations
- Log-coverage endpoints are finding-aid dates, not commissioning/decommissioning dates per se (the begin date coincides with the NavSource commissioning date; coverage ends 30 June 1945 while the ship served into 1946 - log coverage in SL44 is a custodial-inventory fact, not a service-termination fact). Digitization status of this hull's specific logs was not confirmed - the NARA Catalog is JS-rendered and could not be queried this session. No asbestos content; deck-log review would be the primary-source lead for operations and material events. PDF fetched and extracted live (HTTP 200) 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-04
-
[5]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'LCI Facts' - production-design groupings naming this hull the first of the 'LCI 691 to LCI 1098' round-conning-tower, bow-ramp class [other_primary]
- Locator
- usslci.org/facts/, section '3. Round conning tower, bow ramp (LCI 691 to LCI 1098 class)' and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The USS LCI National Association's type history designates the round-conning-tower, bow-ramp production block 'LCI 691 to LCI 1098 class' - this hull is the first of that block and is the association's type illustration (the 6 June 1944 beached photograph and the 'LCI(L)-691-class blueprint' reproduced from Norman Friedman, 'U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History'). NavSource separately labels her 'LCI-351 class' - the LCI(L) design family to which the 691-block belongs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 production design
- Population
- LCI(L) crews and embarked troops, 1944-46 (type context)
- Limitations
- Veterans'-association secondary history, not a registry or design directive - designations are descriptive, not official hull-class nomenclature. The 'LCI-351 class' (NavSource) vs 'LCI 691 to LCI 1098' block (association) reflect different levels of the same design family; both are carried as documented, not reconciled. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (GM 6051-series diesel plant, twin variable-pitch screws, no steam plant); 1944 construction date inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (GAO HRD-80-2, see ev-07); era-standard small-combatant/landing-craft applications [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (diesel plant); GAO HRD-80-2 era finding; composite era-standard application list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A welded-steel landing craft built in May-June 1944 inside the Navy's documented asbestos era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a diesel landing craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the confined engine-room and deckhouse volume of a 158-foot LCI concentrates whatever era materials were installed among a 28-man crew and up to 188 embarked troops.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1944); crew 4 officers + 24 enlisted (1944-46); embarked troops (to 6 officers + 182 enlisted); later commercial crews
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or BuShips plan for LCI(L)-691 was located. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-06
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[7]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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description, same treatment as prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-07
-
[8]Mystic Seaport Museum, G. W. Blunt White Library - Lawley Family Collection (Coll. 279), George Lawley and Son / F. D. Lawley company papers, 1839-1990 [other_primary]
- Locator
- research.mysticseaport.org/coll/coll279 collection overview and history
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's corporate and family papers survive at Mystic Seaport (Coll. 279, ca. 500 items, 1839-1990, covering George Lawley and Son and F. D. Lawley). The collection history records the yard's 1908 move to Neponset, Massachusetts, where it remained until its demise in 1946, and its U.S. Navy work from 1901 forward - the institutional-home lead for any surviving construction records, plans, or material documentation for the 100+ LCIs Lawley built during WWII, including this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1839-1990 (collection); yard Neponset era 1908-1946
- Population
- Lawley yard workforce (1908-1946, Neponset)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the collection inventory was not searched for this hull's construction file; nothing in the online description documents materials, insulation, or this specific vessel. No asbestos content. Yard-level context - George Lawley & Son is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-08
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[9]Batch-5421 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page; NHHC NMUSN BuShips photo catalog (3 pages); NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; NARA digitized-logs index; usslci.org; Mystic Seaport Coll. 279; NVR; GAO product page; NIOSH yard-survey sweep; CourtListener API (opinions and dockets); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-01 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)-691 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion searches returned zero hits for 'LCI(L)-691' and a single name collision for 'LCI-691'/'LCI 691' (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica v. Schering-Plough, D.N.J. 2000, a pharmaceutical patent case where 'LCI-691' appears as a non-vessel identifier - not the ship); the docket-level search for 'LCI-691' returned zero hits. CAVEAT: the docket-level search for the 'LCI(L)-691' variant could not be completed this session (fleet pacing limit; logged as blocked, not a negative result). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; 'asbestos aboard' content for LCIs exists only in law-firm marketing material asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (true 404 on both candidate NHHC URLs).
- 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 - and one docket-level variant query ('LCI(L)-691') is a genuine open gap (paced, not run). Deck logs (NARA custody per SL44), BuShips construction records, and Lawley company papers (Mystic Seaport) are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-691-lcil691-09