Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-778 hull page; narrative credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry,' vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995); photographs contributed by Gerald D. (Jerry) Hobson and the USS LSM/LSMR Association. [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hull chronology, campaign tables, specification block, awards display, and photo captions (navsource.net archives/10/15/150778.htm; last updated 13 December 2013)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource identifies this hull as an LCI-351-class landing craft infantry (large): laid down 3 July 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon; launched 23 July 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-778 on 11 August 1944 with LTjg. W. B. Chinn, USNR, in command; call sign NQUV. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater as flagship of LCS Flotilla One (CAPT. R. E. Arison); campaigns: Consolidation of the Southern Philippines (Mindanao Island landings 8-25 March and 17-23 April 1945) and the Borneo operation (Brunei Bay, 7-12 June 1945); two battle stars; ribbons include Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and Philippine Liberation Medal. Post-war Occupation and China service 3 September to 10 December 1945 (a photograph places her at Shanghai in that window alongside LSM-231). Decommissioned date unknown; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, March 1946; struck date unknown; final disposition listed as unknown. Photo captions document commissioning ceremony and crew at Commercial Iron Works, a rescued downed Japanese pilot at the Battle of Manila Bay 24-26 February 1945, and crew at Mindoro.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Commissioning crew (photographed); embarked troops; LCS Flotilla One staff
- Limitations
- Page fetched live via firecrawl on 2026-09-30 (navsource.net - navsource.org is dead). NavSource is a volunteer archival compilation, not a Navy registry; its narrative is credited to a 1995 commercial history (Turner). Commissioning date is independently matched by the hull's own history report (ev-02) and by the NARA log-coverage index start (ev-03). Specification block figures are class specifications, not a hull-specific survey. The page contains no asbestos or materials content and supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-01
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[2]Commanding Officer, USS LCI(L)-778, 'History of LCI(L) 778 from date of Commissioning, 11 August 1944, to 23 September 1945,' LCI(L)778/A12 Serial 130, 23 September 1945 - scanned document hosted by NavSource as 'Official History for USS LCI(L)-778' (contributed by Gerald D. Hobson). [other_primary]
- Locator
- 4-page PDF, NavSource 10/15/pdf/150778a.pdf; OCR-extracted full text (document is image-only scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The hull's own commissioned-service history - LCI(L)778/A12, Serial 130, dated 23 September 1945, 'History of LCI(L) 778 from date of Commissioning, 11 August 1944, to 23 September 1945,' from the Commanding Officer to the Secretary of the Navy, signed W. B. Chinn, Lieut., USNR - records: commissioned 11 August 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon, with officers Lt.(jg) W. B. Chinn (CO), Ens. J. N. Wilson (Communications), Ens. T. O. Brown (Executive), Ens. M. P. Raymond (Engineering) and a crew of 25 enlisted men; departed Portland 19 August for San Diego (arrived 23 August), shakedown and a period of availability at San Diego through September; departed San Diego 30 September; Pearl Harbor 9-21 October; Majuro 29-31 October; Manus Island, Admiralty Group, 7-17 November; Humboldt Bay, New Guinea, 19 November; LCT escort work New Guinea and six Humboldt Bay-Aitape round trips 8-28 December under Commander Amphibious Command, Seventh Fleet. On 29 December 1944 the ship reported to Commander LCS(L) Flotilla One, Captain R. E. Arison, USN, for duty as flotilla flagship, embarking five staff officers and 17 enlisted staff personnel. January 1945 Humboldt Bay to San Pedro Bay, Leyte (arrived 21 January); February via Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, to Subic Bay (21 February); 24-26 February Manila Bay operations with minesweepers - first engagement against the enemy, one prisoner of war captured and several Japanese killed when a rescue attempt was met with hand-grenade attack (the NavSource caption 'rescued a downed Japanese pilot' is a compressed version of this event); March-April Victor Four (Zamboanga landing 10 March, line-of-departure ship for boat waves; Zamboanga-Basilan patrol to 25 March) and Victor Five (Polloc Harbor, Mindanao, arrived 17 April; reconnaissance and patrol) operations; May at Taloma Bay, Davao Gulf (Capt. Arison as SOPA); 7 June arrival Brunei Bay, Borneo; minesweeper support, line-of-departure ship for the 10 June landing; 19 June carried Australian troops Victoria Harbor to a beaching at Mempakul; July-30 August at Subic Bay (Manila liberty 5-6 August); 30 August-6 September Subic to Buckner Bay, Okinawa; 8-12 September Hagushi Bay to Jinsen Harbor, Korea; 15-22 September Yellow Sea patrol destroying floating mines; returned to Jinsen 22 September. The report states the ship functioned as administrative flagship for LCS Flotilla One during port periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-08-11 to 1945-09-23
- Population
- Ship's company (4 officers + 25 enlisted); LCS(L) Flotilla One staff (5 officers + 17 enlisted, embarked 29 December 1944 onward); embarked troops during landing operations
- Limitations
- Primary record authored by the hull's own commanding officer and transmitted to the Secretary of the Navy; fetched live and OCR-extracted 2026-09-30 (OCR quality rough; minor name/place spellings uncertain - e.g., the Borneo beaching 'Mompakol' reads as Mempakul, Sabah). Coverage ends 23 September 1945 - decommissioning, reserve-fleet layup, and disposal are outside this document. Contains no asbestos or materials content and supports no asbestos claim; it does document the hull-specific commissioning complement (4 officers, 25 enlisted) and the embarked flotilla staff (5 officers, 17 enlisted) not shown in class specification blocks.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-02
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[3]National Archives, Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947,' ship-number list; NARA states the greatest source for these logs is Record Group 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118 (NAID 581208). [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship-number list, LCI(L)-778 row (PDF page 28): 8/11/1944 - 6/30/1945; RG 24 Entry 118 context from https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- National Archives Special List 44 indexes deck-log coverage for LCI(L)-778 from 11 August 1944 through 30 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-08-11 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Ship's logbook records
- Limitations
- PDF fetched directly, 137 pages; LCI(L)-778 row verified at PDF page 28. These are indexed logbook-coverage endpoints only - per batch convention they are not assumed to be commissioning/decommissioning dates (though the start date here matches the documented commissioning date). Coverage ends 30 June 1945, so occupation, Korea, China service, reserve-fleet layup, and disposal-period logs are not represented in this index row; whether later logs exist for this hull is unconfirmed. The underlying logs were not examined and are not confirmed digitized. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-03
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[4]uboat.net, USS LCI(L)-778 warship page (ship/21843) - Operation Oboe VI task organization listing, derived from Allied naval order of battle. [other_primary]
- Locator
- Notable events: 10 Jun 1945, Task Group 78.1.3 Support Unit paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A secondary order-of-battle compilation corroborates the flagship role documented in ev-02: for Operation Oboe VI (Allied landings at Brunei, 10 June 1945), uboat.net lists Task Group 78.1.3, the Support Unit, under T/Capt. R. E. Arison, USN, embarked on USS LCI(L)-778 (Lt. W. B. Chinn, USNR), commanding the LCS Unit (TU 78.1.31), LCI(G) Unit (TU 78.1.32), and LCI(R) Unit (TU 78.1.33).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-06-10 (event); compilation undated
- Population
- Embarked LCS(L) Flotilla One staff; ship's company
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation corroborating what the hull's own history report already documents (flotilla flagship duty at Brunei); not an independent primary source - its basic spec table is empty for this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-04
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[5]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Commercial Iron Works' construction list (hull 153); navalmarinearchive.com, 'Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) - LCI(L)' table (hull 778 row). [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com yard list row 153; https://navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lcil.html LCI(L) 778 table row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two secondary compilations record a final disposition NavSource lists as unknown: shipbuildinghistory.com's Commercial Iron Works yard list records hull 153, 'LCI(L) 778,' US Navy, delivered Aug-44, 'Sunk as target 1956'; navalmarinearchive.com's LCI(L) table records hull 778, 'Laid up 1946, sunk as target 1956.' The same shipbuildinghistory list shows sister hulls LCI(L)-774 and LCI(L)-775 also 'Sunk as target 1956,' consistent with Columbia River Group reserve hulls being expended as targets.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-1956
- Population
- Any target-towing/sinking crews, 1956
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations without shown primary sourcing, and shared provenance cannot be ruled out; both agree on 'sunk as target 1956' while NavSource carries 'fate unknown' - carried as a partial-verification disposition with the conflict logged in gaps. No date, location, or executing unit for the 1956 sinking was located. Sunk-as-target dispositions are disposal events, not abatement records; no hazmat or material documentation accompanies them. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-05
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[6]Inference built on: NavSource class specification block (diesel machinery list); Bureau of Ships WWII administrative history asbestos-materials passages (ev-07); Corn & Starr AJIM 1987 WWII shipbuilding asbestos documentation (ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era framing (ev-09). [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150778.htm specification block; ev-07 through ev-09 locators
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference only: USS LCI(L)-778 is a steel-hulled diesel-powered amphibious craft built in 1944 under the WWII Navy program documented to use asbestos materials. For a craft of this type and period, era-standard asbestos-relevant applications were machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in a confined hull volume. The plant was all-diesel (GM 6051-series-71 engines) with diesel-driven ship's-service generators - no steam plant - so the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; exposure-relevant systems are engine exhaust lagging, gaskets/packing, electrical insulation, and interior finishes.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1956
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1944); crew and embarked flotilla staff (1944-46); any 1956 target-sinking crews
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or procurement record located for LCI(L)-778. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Does not establish presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-06
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[7]U.S. Bureau of Ships, An Administrative History of the Bureau of Ships During World War II, vol. IV, chapter XX (materials development), 'Asbestos-Glass Insulation Lagging Cloth' and rubber-asbestos gasket passages (live transcription mirror). [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter XX, 'Asbestos-Glass Insulation Lagging Cloth' paragraph, printed page 156
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Bureau of Ships' wartime administrative history describes Navy-materials development during the period this hull was built: a standard asbestos insulation lagging cloth existed, and a glass-asbestos yarn was developed to conserve asbestos fiber, 'which used about 1/2 the asbestos used in the Standard asbestos cloth'; the same chapter records 'high temperature resistant rubber asbestos gaskets' among materials improvements. This documents asbestos-containing lagging cloth and gaskets as standard Navy materials in the wartime shipbuilding program.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- World War II
- Population
- Navy shipbuilding and materials program generally
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy materials history; does not name LCI(L)-778, the LCI-351 class, or Commercial Iron Works, and does not establish procurement, installation, quantity, or exposure aboard this hull. Third-party transcription of the official history; fetched directly, HTTP 200, 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-07
-
[8]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 World War II - the era and program under which this 1944 landing craft was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- 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 its class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. DOI resolves to Wiley (direct fetch returns 403 to automated agents; the DOI landing page is live).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-08
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) - product page description. [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's review of Navy asbestos exposure 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 1944 construction and 1944-46 service era. The 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs; the 1979 modification added selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); describes practices spanning this hull's era
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - neither is this hull's builder. Full report PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches, confirmed 2026-09-30; content taken from the product page, which loaded live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-09
-
[10]Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), 'Portland's Toxic Graveyard For World War II Ships' (Cassandra Profita, Dec. 1, 2016), reporting on Oregon DEQ oversight of the Zidell Yards site (ECSI No. 689; DEQ Record of Decision linked in article); EPA Portland Harbor Superfund site (ORSFN1002155) context for the lower Willamette cleanup corridor. [reputable_press]
- Locator
- OPB Battle Ready series article: 'a portion of the old Commercial Iron Works shipyard' passage; DEQ flag-1986 and 1994 voluntary-cleanup passages; EPA cumulis profile https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=1002155 (live, HTTP 200)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The site where this hull was built is itself documented asbestos-contaminated: Oregon Public Broadcasting's 2016 report on the Zidell Yards cleanup records that in 1946 Zidell leased a portion of the old Commercial Iron Works shipyard - the same site where WWII ships including this hull were built - and grew it into what was once the nation's largest shipbreaking operation, cutting up mothballed WWII warships (Liberty ships, destroyer escorts, destroyers, submarines) through the late 1970s. Ship insulation, wiring, linoleum, and paint from those ships 'was full of contaminants'; workers burned toxic insulation off copper wires in open pits; asbestos, lead, and PCBs contaminated 30 acres of land and a half-mile of riverbank. Oregon DEQ flagged the property in 1986 (ECSI site 689); the company entered the voluntary cleanup program in 1994; cleanup ran more than 20 years and cost more than $20 million.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-2016 (site history and cleanup)
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (WWII); Zidell shipbreaking workforce (1946-late 1970s)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental documentation for this hull's builder site - it demonstrates that WWII-era ships built and broken at this site carried asbestos-containing insulation, wiring, linoleum, and paint. It does NOT document asbestos aboard LCI(L)-778 specifically: the contamination record is dominated by post-war shipbreaking feedstock, not construction records for this hull, and no hull-specific material list was located in DEQ documentation reviewed. No construction-era exposure or material attribution is established for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-10
-
[11]Batch-5508 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page + hosted official-history PDF; NARA Special List 44; NHHC DANFS (no entry); NVR (out of scope); MARAD ShipHistory (no record located); uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory.com; navalmarinearchive.com; OPB/DEQ-EPA site documentation; CourtListener exact-hull opinion query (0 results) with variant/docket queries blocked; secondary web litigation sweep. [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-01 through sl-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no asbestos survey, material list, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying case naming USS LCI(L)-778 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search for the exact hull string "LCI(L)-778" returned zero results (authenticated API, 2026-09-30); a secondary web sweep for asbestos litigation naming this hull likewise returned no results - unlike many WWII hulls, even law-firm marketing listicles do not name LCI(L)-778. CAVEAT: the remaining CourtListener axes (variant spellings "LCI(L) 778"/"LCI-778"/"LCI 778" and all docket-type queries) were denied by the fleet pacing gate and are logged as blocked in the search ledger, not as negative results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- Search performed 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 Navy hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The CourtListener repository remains genuinely unsearched (fleet pacing gate; logged pending, not no-result). Deck logs 1944-45 are indexed at NARA but unexamined; Commercial Iron Works builder records and any 1956 target-sinking documentation are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-778-11