Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet 460-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-pkt-460-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Chaffinch' head entry (I and II), NHHC; live page 404 (danfs/c/chaffinch*.html patterns), verbatim transcription via HistoryCentral DANFS mirror and Wayback Machine capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/c5/chaffinch-ii.htm (2016) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture of NHHC DANFS 'Chaffinch II' page (labeled archived); corroborating live mirror https://www.historycentral.com/navy/Minelayer/Chaffinch.html (verified 200 OK 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull's post-1952 identity, complete verbatim text of the 'Chaffinch II' entry (NHHC's second-ship-of-the-name page): 'Chaffinch - A European bird of the finch family. II - LSIL-694 (q.v.) was reclassified and named Chaffinch (AMCU-18), 7 March 1952.' The first Chaffinch (AM-81) entry on the same DANFS head page carries the same one-liner for this hull. DANFS styles the wartime hull 'LSIL-694' - she was designated LCI(L)-694 until the class-wide 28 February 1949 LSI(L) reclassification (see correction row).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1952
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy ship-history record naming this hull - but its entire content for this hull is the single reclassification sentence; it gives no construction, service, or disposal detail and no asbestos or materials information. DANFS's '(q.v.)' refers to the print-appendix LSIL-694 listing; no full DANFS narrative entry exists for this numbered landing craft (consistent with class practice - only six LCIL hulls carry full DANFS entries in the hazegray transcription index, all named or otherwise notable). The 'LSIL' styling is the 1949 designation applied retroactively - flagged in the correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - Chaffinch (AMCU-18) ex USS LCI(L)-694, navsource.net/archives/10/15/150694.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150694.htm - header chronology, LCI(L) specifications block, awards ribbon display, photo table (NH 86192)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page 'Chaffinch (AMCU-18) ex USS LCI(L)-694 (1944-1952)', credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995): laid down 28 May 1944 by George Lawley and Sons, Neponset, MA; launched 6 June 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-694, 13 June 1944; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater in WWII; assigned to Occupation service in the Far East 18-22 October 1945; decommissioned 25 April 1946; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Bremerton, WA; reclassified Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator) AMCU-18 and named Chaffinch, 7 March 1952; conversion began 21 September 1953 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, and completed 12 April 1954; never recommissioned; sold 28 April 1960; registered 1961 as fishing boat Bering at Seattle, WA; registered 1972 at Juneau, AK; registered 2002 as tugboat Fairweather, homeport Petersburg, AK; out of documentation 2003; final disposition, fate unknown. Call sign NPXW. Awards display: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia clasp. Photo caption: 'USS LCI(L)-694 underway in San Francisco Bay following the end of World War II, circa 1945-46. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 86192.' Spec block: 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5.5"; 23'3" beam; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm + two .50 cal on some LCIs; propulsion two sets of four GM 6051-71 diesels, 4 per shaft, 2,320 shp.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2003
- Population
- Construction trades (George Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA, May-Jun 1944); wartime crew (~28 per class figure); embarked troops (up to ~188 capacity); occupation-service crew (Oct 1945); PSNS conversion trades (1953-54); commercial crews (1961-2003)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - corroborated against DANFS (7 Mar 1952 reclassification), uboat.net, and Colton's tables where they overlap. Sole source for the decommissioned date (25 Apr 1946), the Pacific Reserve Fleet Bremerton lay-up, the AMCU conversion start/completion dates at PSNS, the 28 Apr 1960 sale date, and the entire post-Navy chain (Bering 1961/1972, Fairweather 2002, out of documentation 2003) - none corroborated elsewhere. Its spec block conflicts with NavSource's own mine-warfare page for the same hull (see correction row). No flotilla/group assignment or campaign list is printed for this hull, unlike sisters - wartime detail is thin. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive - Chaffinch (AMCU 18) ex-LSI(L)-694, navsource.net/archives/11/0418.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/0418.htm - header chronology, LCI specifications block; index confirmation at navsource.net/archives/11/04idx.htm (AMCU-7 Class listing prints 'AMCU-18 Chaffinch ex-LCI(L)-694' - AMCU only, no MHC)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive page 'Chaffinch (AMCU 18) ex-LSI(L)-694' (archives/11/0418.htm): 'Laid down, 28 May 1944 by George Lawley and Son, Neponset, MA; Launched, 6 June 1944; Commissioned USS LSI(L)-694, 13 June 1944; Named Chaffinch and reclassified a Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator), AMCU-18, 7 March 1952; Conversion to AMCU-18 began 21 September 1953 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA; Conversion completed, 12 April 1954; Chaffinch was never recommissioned; Sold in 1960. Fate unknown.' No photo on file for the AMCU identity. Different 'LCI Specifications' block than the amphibious page: 216 t light / 234 t landing / 389 t loaded; complement two officers + 21 enlisted; armament four single 20mm + two .50 cal; propulsion four GM diesels per shaft, 1,600 bhp; fuel 130 tons. Page links the NHHC DANFS entry as 'chaffinch-ii.htm' - confirming DANFS treats this hull as the second Chaffinch.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Same populations as ev-02
- Limitations
- Same volunteer compilation as ev-02, maintained by different editors - and its spec block contradicts NavSource's own amphibious page for the identical hull (216/234/389 t vs 236/264/419 t; 2+21 vs 4+24 complement; four vs five 20mm; 1,600 bhp vs 2,320 shp; 130 t fuel vs 860 bbl) - flagged in the correction row. 'Commissioned USS LSI(L)-694, 13 June 1944' is anachronistic (the LSI(L) designation dates from 1949; she commissioned as LCI(L)-694). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-03
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII - USS LCI(L)-694 (LCI(L)-694), ship 21759; class 690 (LCI 351 class, 689 built / 10 lost) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/21759.html data table; class summary at uboat.net/allies/warships/class/690.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net Allied Warships entry for USS LCI(L)-694 (ship 21759): 'Landing Craft Infantry of the LCI 351 class'; built by George Lawley & Sons (Neponset, Massachusetts); laid down 28 May 1944; launched 6 June 1944; commissioned 13 June 1944; 'End service' field empty; history line 'Sold on 28 April 1960.' Class block: 246 BRT, 159 ft, complement 28 men, 16 knots, diesel engines two shafts 1,600 bhp; 689 hulls of the LCI 351 class built, 10 lost.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - corroborates builder, dates, and the 28 Apr 1960 sale against NavSource. Silent on decommissioning, the AMCU-18/Chaffinch identity, and striking; its class-level 'complement 28 men' conflicts with NavSource's amphibious block (4+24) - flagged. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-04
-
[6]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), LCI(L) construction table - LCI(L) 694 row; Lawley & Sons yard block; class program totals (Naval Marine Archive mirror of shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcil.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lcil.html - 694 row; Lawley & Sons (Neponset MA) block rows 676-708
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton) LCI(L) build table, live Naval Marine Archive mirror: row 'LCI(L) 694 | Lawley & Sons | Neponset MA | 13-Jun-44 | Later LSIL 694 1949, Chaffinch (AMCU 18) 1952, sold 1960' - corroborating builder, yard, June 1944 delivery/commission, the 1949 LSIL reclassification, the 1952 AMCU-18 Chaffinch identity, and the 1960 sale. The same table shows the Lawley & Sons yard block as a long consecutive run of 1944-delivered LCI(L)s (hulls ~658-708), and class totals across ten yards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Lawley & Sons construction workforce (Neponset MA, 1944)
- Limitations
- Compiler's build table, secondary - independently corroborates NavSource/DANFS on builder, dates, and the LSIL-694 intermediate designation (the class-wide 28 Feb 1949 reclassification - hull-exact date not separately printed). Its 'AMCU 18' print carries no MHC, consistent with NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum against the same compiler's 'AMCU/MHC 18' shorthand in the Lawley yard table (see correction row). Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'George S. Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA' yard history and build table - LCI(L) 694 row (Wayback Machine capture 2016-03-05 of shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/6yachtsmall/lawley.htm; labeled archived) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Archived Lawley yard page - builder history paragraph; build-table row for LCI(L) 694 (O.N. 282525 column)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- George S. Lawley & Sons yard page (Tim Colton compilation, Wayback capture - live page removed from shipbuildinghistory.com): yard history - George S. Lawley Sr., a boatbuilder from the Limehouse section of London, opened his first yachtbuilding yard at Scituate in 1866, moved to City Point, South Boston 1874, and to the former Putnam Nail Works at Point Norfolk, Neponset, 1909; yard hull numbers reached ~1677; built boats, flying boats, and the Navy's first airship DN-1; closed 1945. Yard table row for this hull: O.N. 282525 | LCI(L) 694 | US Navy | Landing Craft | 246d GT | 159 ft | delivered Jun-44 | 'Later Chaffinch (AMCU/MHC 18), sold 1960, later fishing vessel Bering, then Fairweather.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1866-1945 (yard); 1944-2003 (hull)
- Population
- George Lawley & Sons workforce (Neponset MA, to 1945)
- Limitations
- Compiler's yard table - corroborates builder identity and yard history and is the sole source locating the hull's U.S. Official Number 282525 for its commercial documentation era. Its 'AMCU/MHC 18' disposition shorthand is the only consulted print implying an MHC-18 reclassification; NavSource's index, NavalCoverMuseum's designation table, and DANFS all keep this hull at AMCU-18 - flagged in the correction row. Contains no asbestos or materials information; whether Lawley kept hull-specific materials records is unknown (yard closed 1945).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-06
-
[8]NARA, Special List #44 by ship number (sl-44-ship-number.pdf), LCI(L) block and AMC block [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number list, LCI(L) block line 'LCI(L)-694 6/13/1944 - 6/30/1945'; AMC block 'AM-81 (Chaffinch) 10/1/1941 - 5/31/1944' (namesake, not this hull)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List #44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, by ship number) indexes ONE deck-log run for this hull: 'LCI(L)-694 6/13/1944 - 6/30/1945' - commissioning through June 1945. No entries exist for LSI(L)-694/LSIL-694, AMCU-18, or Chaffinch (AMCU designations post-date SL-44's 1947 window; the hull was in reserve or stricken-era disposal for most of that window anyway). The adjacent index lines list the namesake: 'AM-81 (Chaffinch) 10/1/1941 - 5/31/1944' - a different hull (ex-trawler Trimount), not this one. Whether logs for July 1945 - April 1946 (the occupation-service and inactivation period) exist unindexed at Archives II or did not survive is unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-13 to 1945-06-30 (log coverage)
- Population
- Crew and officers-of-the-deck, June 1944 - June 1945
- Limitations
- Verifies a partial positive: one indexed log run covering commissioning to 30 June 1945 exists in RG 24 - a hull-level archival path that does NOT cover her October 1945 occupation service or April 1946 decommissioning. Log contents unreviewed; the run's boxes are an Archives II lead. The companion NARA digitized-deck-log catalog page lists no LCI(L)-694 entry - nothing online as of this research date. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-07
-
[9]NARA Catalog, file unit 'LCI(L) 694 - Muster Rolls' (RG 24; digitized via NARA-Ancestry partnership, object IDs 120242855-forward under catalog.archives.gov/medialz) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LCI(L) 694' - file-unit record 'LCI(L) 694 - Muster Rolls' (unrestricted; objectDescription rolls dated 1944 June 13 and 1944 June 30; medialz partnership scans)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Catalog file unit 'LCI(L) 694 - Muster Rolls' (Record Group 24, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities; National Archives at College Park): unrestricted textual records on microform plus ~100+ digitized images from the Ancestry partnership scan program, first visible rolls dated 13 June 1944 (commissioning day) and 30 June 1944 - documenting the named crew population aboard roll by roll.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-13 (first visible roll) through file-unit span
- Population
- Commissioned-era crew of LCI(L)-694 (June 1944 forward)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: establishes the crew roster exists and is viewable online; individual exposure claims cannot be derived from a roster - the rolls name who was aboard, not what they inhaled. The file-unit NAID was not cleanly extractable from the catalog's JSON response this session (JS-gated catalog shell); the record is retrievable by exact-title search. Roll-by-roll enumeration not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI(L)/LCI specification blocks (GM 6051-71 diesel plant, twin CPP shafts, 30 kW DC generators); NHHC/DANFS service dates; LCI-351-class machinery description (uboat.net class block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec blocks on both hull pages; uboat.net class 690; GAO HRD-80-2 and Corn & Starr as the era frame
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-level inference only: a steel-hulled diesel-powered landing craft built May-June 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (GAO HRD-80-2, ev-11), and peer-reviewed scholarship documents extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII (Corn & Starr 1987, ev-12). Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a diesel amphibious craft of this type and period were: engine-exhaust lagging and muffler insulation on the diesel plant; machinery and compartment thermal/acoustic insulation; gaskets and valve packing on fuel, cooling, and hydraulic systems; electrical insulation; deck coverings/tile; and brake linings on winch/windlass machinery. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, bounding plausible material scope below that of steam-driven hulls.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2003
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1944); wartime crew (1944-46); PSNS conversion trades (1953-54); commercial crews and any breakers (1960-2003)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or plan was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish presence or absence aboard this hull, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-09
-
[11]Beckett RR, 'Asbestos exposure control at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,' Environ Res 11(2):248-260 (Apr 1976), PMID 1065583; Hollins DM, Paustenbach DJ, Clark K, Mangold CA, 'A visual historical review of exposure to asbestos at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (1962-1972),' J Toxicol Environ Health B (Feb 2009), PMID 19235622; internal shipyard study DTIC AD0715808 (Mangold, Beckett, Bessmer, March 1970); EPA Superfund site profile WA2170023418 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed PMIDs 1065583 and 19235622 verified via NCBI eutils 2026-09-30 (pubmed page itself cookie-gates automated fetch); DTIC AD0715808 citation per Atlas yard dataset (apps.dtic.mil returned 403 'Service unavailable' to automated fetch this session); EPA cumulis profile verified 200 OK
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government and peer-reviewed documentation of asbestos exposure at this hull's conversion yard: the September 1953 - April 1954 AMCU conversion was performed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, a yard with documented asbestos exposure in the surrounding era. The internal 1970 shipyard study (DTIC AD0715808, Mangold/Beckett/Bessmer) found pulmonary abnormalities in 21% of surveyed workers (pipe coverers and insulators) and measured 40-150 fibers per cubic centimeter during insulation rip-out; Beckett's peer-reviewed account (Environ Res 1976, PMID 1065583 - title verified via NCBI eutils) documents amosite and chrysotile exposure during ship overhaul, rip-out, and installation work, including preformed magnesia block insulation at ~15% asbestos, asbestos cements, and asbestos cloth, with the pre-1972 5 mppcf reference level routinely exceeded; the 2009 visual review (J Toxicol Environ Health B, PMID 19235622) covers the yard's asbestos conditions 1962-1972. PSNS is also a listed CERCLA/Superfund site (EPA ID WA2170023418; EPA site profile live).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1953-54 (conversion); 1962-1972 (study window)
- Population
- PSNS trades - pipe coverers, insulators, boilermakers, shipfitters, machinists, welders (era); conversion-availability workers aboard this hull (1953-54)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: PSNS's asbestos conditions are documented for the surrounding era (the 2009 review's window is 1962-1972; the conversion of this hull ran September 1953 - April 1954, before the tabulated window). Does not name this vessel, does not establish that the conversion installed or disturbed asbestos aboard this hull, and establishes no quantity or individual exposure. Two co-authors of the 2009 review have consulting relationships with industry defendants (per Atlas yard dataset limitations note).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-10
-
[12]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure', HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs: the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - establishing that the Navy's asbestos-insulation era covered this hull's construction (1944) and commissioned service (1944-46), and that removal policy only reached fleets decades later.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era reviewed 1940s-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; fleet maintenance populations
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull; the GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Lawley or Puget Sound. The product page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session (bot-blocked, not dead - same failure mode documented in batches 01, 4931); citation stands per the verified product description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-11
-
[13]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this steel-hulled landing craft was mass-produced (1944, wartime emergency construction at a yacht-yard turned naval builder), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard Navy and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or the LCI(L) type and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. DOI link returned 403 to automated fetch this session (bot-blocked, not dead); article identity is stable per prior batch verification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-12
-
[14]DANFS 'Chaffinch' head entry (I = AM-81 ex-Trimount, II = LSIL-694/AMCU-18); NavSource AM-81 page (navsource.net/archives/11/02081.htm); NARA SL-44 AMC and LCI blocks; NOAA Fairweather program page (omao.noaa.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Chaffinch entry (both vessels); NavSource 11/02081.htm (AM-81 chronology: Trimount 1928, acquired 29 Nov 1940, commissioned 16 Jul 1941, decommissioned 12 Dec 1945, struck 3 Jan 1946); SL-44 hull-number lists
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Name-collision surface documented for this hull: (a) USS Chaffinch (AM-81), the FIRST ship of the name - a 401-ton converted steel trawler (ex-Trimount, built 1928 Bethlehem Shipbuilding, Quincy) in Navy service 16 July 1941 - 12 December 1945, struck 3 January 1946 - is an overlapping-era collision risk for any unqualified 'USS Chaffinch' record; DANFS carries both hulls under one head entry and styles this hull 'Chaffinch II'. A project atlas record for that hull exists (uss-chaffinch-am81, batch-1432). (b) The bird name 'Chaffinch' is generic text - literary/nature collisions outnumber ship references. (c) NARA SL-44 indexes unrelated '694' hulls adjacent in the number space: LST-694 and SC-694; and the AMC-block Chaffinch line (AM-81, 10/1/1941-5/31/1944) is the namesake, not this hull. (d) The hull's post-Navy tug name Fairweather collides with NOAA Ship Fairweather (S 220), a 1968 oceanographic ship of unrelated construction. Any 'Chaffinch' or '694' document must be hull-resolved before attribution.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1941-2003
- Limitations
- Disambiguation context only - establishes that two U.S. Navy vessels carried the name Chaffinch and that this hull (the second) is the one tied to AMCU-18/ex-LCI(L)-694. Does not itself evidence anything about this hull's materials. The AM-81 namesake had overlapping WWII service (1941-45) - the highest-risk collision window for an unqualified 'USS Chaffinch' exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-13
-
[15]NavSource 10/15/150694.htm vs NavSource 11/0418.htm spec blocks; uboat.net class block; uswarships.jounin.jp AMCU table (decommissioned-column '1954/1'); NavalCoverMuseum Designation_AMCU table; shipbuildinghistory Lawley yard table ('AMCU/MHC 18'); DANFS 'AMCU-18'; NavSource AMCU index 11/04idx.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- Same citations as ev-02, ev-03, ev-05, ev-06 plus navsource 11/04idx.htm and navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/Designation_AMCU
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies documented, not reconciled: (a) NavSource's own two pages for this hull print conflicting spec blocks - amphibious page (10/15/150694.htm): 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded, complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted, five single 20mm, 2,320 shp, diesel 860 bbl; mine-warfare page (11/0418.htm): 216 t light / 234 t landing / 389 t loaded, complement 2 officers + 21 enlisted, four single 20mm + two .50 cal, 1,600 bhp, fuel 130 tons. uboat.net's class block adds a third complement figure (28 men) and matches 1,600 bhp; the DANFS-style AMCU-7-class block (per sister Sentinel's DANFS entry) prints complement 41. (b) NavSource's mine page writes 'Commissioned USS LSI(L)-694, 13 June 1944' - anachronistic, the LSI(L) designation dates from 28 Feb 1949 (class action). (c) jounin.jp's AMCU table prints '1954/1' in the decommissioned column for Chaffinch - conflicts with NavSource's documented 25 April 1946 decommissioning (she was never recommissioned; what the 1954/1 figure denotes is unclear - possibly conversion-completion-era administrative status or a struck-date misplacement; unresolved). (d) Colton's Lawley yard table prints disposition 'Later Chaffinch (AMCU/MHC 18)' - the sole consulted source implying an MHC-18 reclassification; NavSource's AMCU index ('AMCU-18 Chaffinch ex-LCI(L)-694'), NavalCoverMuseum's designation table ('AMCU 18 ex LCI(L) 694' - no MHC, unlike MHC-carrying sisters), and DANFS ('AMCU-18') all keep her at AMCU-18 - the MHC print is carried as an unresolved single-source conflict. (e) Occupation-service window: NavSource prints 18-22 October 1945; a secondary tabulation of the Navy Occupation Service Medal eligibility list (officialmilitaryribbons.com - vendor tabulation, not cited) prints 15-22 October - NavSource dates carried, discrepancy noted. (f) Wikipedia renders the hull 'the former USS LSI(L)-694 converted to a coastal minesweeper in 1952' - conflating the 1952 reclassification with the 1953-54 physical conversion; DANFS/NavSource dates carried.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2003
- Limitations
- Resolves nothing - documents genuine multi-source conflicts so a future pass does not silently pick one figure. Both NavSource spec blocks are class boilerplate printed for sister pages as well (the 4+24/five-20mm/2,320-shp block and the 2+21/four-20mm/1,600-bhp block each appear across many LCI pages); none is hull-verified. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-14
-
[16]Batch-5424 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HistoryCentral mirror + Wayback NHHC capture; NavSource amphibious and mine-warfare archives; uboat.net; Colton LCI table (live mirror) + Lawley yard page (archived); NARA SL-44 + digitized-log list + catalog muster rolls; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py); PubMed eutils; GAO; EPA cumulis; MARAD; NVR; NavalCoverMuseum; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-01 through -20
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat-asbestos disclosure, court finding, or docketed case naming USS LCI(L)-694, USS LSI(L)-694/LSIL-694, Chaffinch (AMCU-18), Bering, or Fairweather was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated sweeps on the hull-number family ('LCI-694' OR 'LCI(L)-694' OR 'LCIL-694' OR 'LSIL-694' OR 'LSI(L)-694') returned zero opinions and zero RECAP dockets - the collision-free identifiers are a clean negative; name-based sweeps ('USS Chaffinch', 'AMCU-18') were attempted under fleet pacing and their coverage status is logged in the ledger. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced for LCI-type hulls is law-firm marketing list content asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - a 1944-built vessel is era-consistent with asbestos-containing machinery fittings even accounting for its lighter diesel insulation load. CourtListener coverage: hull-number sweeps complete and clean; name-based sweeps were re-queued under fleet-wide pacing limits (see ledger) - unindexed complaints naming the hull or commercial names cannot be ruled out, subject to the standing caveat that RECAP indexing is incomplete for older dockets. Deck logs (1944-45 run) and muster rolls are unreviewed primary leads. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-694-lcil694-15