Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 473-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-pkt-473-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-79 ex USS LCI(L)-79 (history sourced to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-56311-262-0) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150079.htm - header designation line, timeline block, campaign table, LCI-1 specifications block, awards block, crew-photo captions; companion crew page 10/15/150079c.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LCI-1-class Landing Craft Infantry (Large) laid down 5 October 1942 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX; launched 6 December 1942; commissioned USS LCI(L)-79, 15 January 1943, LTjg. J. E. Lewis USNR in command (May 1945); reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-79, 15 June 1944; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater - LCI(G) Flotilla Three (CDR. Micheal J. Malanaphy; 14 May 1945 - CDR. R. Eikel USNR), LCI Group One (LCDR. J. F. McFadden USN), LCI Division Fourteen. Campaigns: Invasion of Kiska 15 August 1943; occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls 31 January - 8 February 1944; capture and occupation of Saipan 15 June - 28 July 1944; Tinian 24 - 28 July 1944; southern Palau Islands 6 September - 14 October 1944; assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 1 April - 17 June 1945. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 8 January 1946; six battle stars plus Navy Unit Commendation as a member of LCI(G) Flotilla 3 (31 January - 28 July 1944); transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 3 May 1948; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Spec block: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; complement 3+21 (LCI(L)) / 5+65 (LCI(G)); troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable-pitch propellers; endurance 4,000 mi at 12 kts loaded. Crew photographs document the homeward-bound return at San Diego, mid-October 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (Oct-Dec 1942); Navy crew 3 officers + 21 enlisted (LCI(L)) / 5 officers + 65 enlisted (LCI(G)) and embarked troops (1943-45)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its history line is sourced to a Turner Publishing compilation and is corroborated here on the combat points by a contemporaneous operation document (ev-03) and the SecNav commendation text (ev-02). The '(May 1945)' notation after the commanding officer's name is preserved as published without interpretation. Post-war milestones (MarCom transfer) unverified against the underlying MARAD status card, which is not machine-searchable (see sl-10). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-01
-
[3]Secretary of the Navy Navy Unit Commendation to LCI(G) Flotilla Three, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet (signed James Forrestal) - NavSource transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/15000031.htm - full commendation text and authorized-ships list (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The SecNav commendation text cites LCI(G) Flotilla Three for 'outstanding heroism in action in support of amphibious landings on enemy Japanese-hold Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls in the Marshall Islands, and on Saipan, Guam and Tinian in the Marianas, from January 31 to July 28, 1944,' describing rocket and gunfire delivered ahead of assault waves at perilously close range against beach defenses, with serious damage and numerous casualties suffered. The authorized-ships list reads in full: 'LCI(G)'s 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 345, 346, 347, 348, 365, 366, 371, 372, 373, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 449, 450, 451, 452, 453, 454, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 470, 725, and 726' - this hull is expressly named.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-01-31 to 1944-07-28
- Population
- Crew (5 officers + 65 enlisted as LCI(G)) during the cited window
- Limitations
- NavSource transcription of the official citation text, not the signed original; the underlying document is the authority (NARA RG-recorded commendation). The citation window (31 Jan - 28 Jul 1944) straddles this hull's 15 June 1944 reclassification - she served the first ~4.5 months of the cited period as LCI(L)-79; the commendation lists her by her later LCI(G) designation. Unit commendation is a service record, not an exposure or material record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-02
-
[4]Attack Landing Order, ComTransGr 3, 5th Phib No. 17-44 (A4-3(2), Serial 00012; U.S. Third Fleet, Western Attack Force, TG 32.3, Peleliu Transport Group and ComTransGroup 3, 5thPhib; Pavuvu, Russell Is., 23 August 1944) - scanned page 2 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource-hosted scan, 10/18/pdf/180782a.pdf, section (h) lines '32.13.7'/'32.13.8' (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A contemporaneous operation order names this hull for the Peleliu landing: section (h), '32.13.7 Gunboat Support Unit, Lieut.-Comdr. Eikel, USNR' - '32.13.8 Gunboat Support Unit ONE, Lieut.-Comdr. McFadden - LCI(G)'s 77 (F), 78, 79, 81, 82, 347, 454, 725, 726.' This is the official tasking document for the Western Caroline Islands operation the published timeline credits (capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands, 6 September - 14 October 1944). The same page assigns LCI(M)s 741, 742, 739, 740 to 32.13.10 and lists the LCT and LST units of the transport group.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-08-23 (order date); operation window 1944-09-06 to 1944-10-14
- Population
- Crew during the Peleliu operation; embarked staff of Gunboat Support Unit One
- Limitations
- Scanned page image of the order's organization section (page 2 of the document); no text layer - content read from the scan image. The order assigns the hull to the operation; it does not itself document performance in the landing. The companion beach-intelligence annex (Appendix 4 to Annex 'D,' CTF 32 Op Plan A501-44, Beach White) contains terrain/defense data only - it names no vessels and is logged in the ledger, not cited for the hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-03
-
[5]NARA Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - ship-number section [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf p. 28, row 'LCI(L)-79 also LCI(FS)(G)-79 1/15/1943 12/14/1945' (verified live 2026-09-30; PDF text-extracted)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 (ship-number PDF, page 28) lists Navy deck-log holdings for this hull as 'LCI(L)-79 also LCI(FS)(G)-79' covering 1/15/1943 - 12/14/1945: the window opens on the commissioning date itself and closes about two months after the documented mid-October 1945 return to San Diego. The logs are the undigitized primary record of her wartime service across all six campaigns.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-01-15 to 1945-12-14
- Population
- Crew during the logged window
- Limitations
- Coverage endpoints are NARA cataloging endpoints for the log series, NOT commissioning/decommissioning dates - though the start date coincides with commissioning here. The '(FS)' parenthetical in the row is transcribed verbatim from the PDF and is unexplained (no standard LCI(FS) designation is documented; possibly a compiler's fire-support annotation) - carried in gaps. Whether the volumes are digitized in the National Archives Catalog was not confirmed (catalog.archives.gov is JS-walled to automated access; the NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available Online' page lists no LCI(L)-79 entry).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-04
-
[6]Jeff Veesenmeyer, 'Son considers parents part of Greatest Generation,' Elsie Item no. 124 (Spring 2024), USS LCI National Association newsletter - account of LT(jg) Charles L. Fergus, this hull's executive officer [other_primary]
- Locator
- Elsie Item no. 124 (Spring 2024), pp. 22-25 (article) and photo captions; PDF verified live via usslci.org
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The LCI National Association's newsletter documents this hull through a named officer: Ensign Charles L. Fergus was assigned to LCI(L) 79 and made the Kiska landing of 15 August 1943 - 'the first combat landing for LCI(L) 79 and most of the amphibious ships,' unopposed because the Japanese garrison had evacuated under fog. 'After returning to Pearl Harbor LCI(L) 79 was converted to a gunship with rocket launchers. It was reclassified LCI(G) 79.' The article states 'his Flotilla 3 Group 7 received the Naval Unit Commendation Ribbon and LCI(G) 79 received six Battle Stars,' lists the operations as Marshall Islands, Saipan, Tinian, Palau, and Okinawa, and carries photo captions 'LCI(G) 79 at the invasion of Palau,' a crew scoreboard photo ('they had provided rocket bombardment during six invasions'), and the homeward-bound pennant photo returning to California. Fergus held titles of Engineering Officer, Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer; the same issue's photo caption states the Orange, Texas division of Consolidated Steel built 106 LCIs from 1942 through 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- LT(jg) Charles L. Fergus (XO; later held CO title) and ship's company; Edward H. Mertz MoMM3/c (photo donor on NavSource page)
- Limitations
- Veteran-association newsletter assembled from a crew member's family records and recollection - closer to primary-family documentation than to an official archive, but not an official Navy source; individual-history material. The 'Flotilla 3 Group 7' phrasing differs from NavSource's 'LCI Group One / Division Fourteen' listing - the discrepancy is carried in gaps, not adjudicated. The '106 LCIs at Orange 1942-44' figure is an association caption, uncorroborated here by a yard record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), 'Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) - LCI(L)' construction/disposition table (updated 2015-05-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcil.htm - LCI(L) table rows 77-81 and program description (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of build and disposition: the table row for hull 79 reads 'LCI(L) | G | 79 | Consol. Steel | Orange TX | 15-Jan-43 | To NDRF 1948,' matching NavSource on builder, delivery/commissioning date, and the 1948 Maritime Commission/NDRF disposal. The program description records that 923 LCI(L)s were built by ten shipyards, that the first 350 boats were the 158.5-foot / 216-ton basic design (the LCI-1 design this hull carries), and that LCI(G)s carried two 40mm guns and ten Mk 7 rocket launchers added to the standard armament.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled table (not a primary registry); 'delivery' column values track commissioning dates in this block. Colton's own caveat applies: 'to NDRF means that MARAD took charge of the boat and disposed of it in some way' - the disposal endpoint is custody, not a documented final fate. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-06
-
[8]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 9828426, Docket No. 94-15 783 (decision 23 September 1998, on appeal from VA RO Houston) [court_record]
- Locator
- va.gov vetapp98 files3/9828426.txt - Findings of Fact 1-3, factual background (employment card, SSA record, coworker letters, hearing testimony)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A VA adjudication documents both sides of the era/yard picture. The veteran worked at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX - this hull's builder - from 1942 to 1946 (the window covering this hull's Oct-Dec 1942 construction) as a Driller(IV) in the boilermaker department, drilling, reaming and countersinking steel hull plate on the outside of new construction; coworker letters and SSA earnings records corroborated the employment. The Board found: (1) 'The veteran was not exposed to asbestos during his periods of employment with Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas, from 1942 to 1946'; (2) 'The veteran was exposed to asbestos when serving aboard Navy vessels in service' - he described asbestos-wrapped pipes 'in every compartment,' bunks directly under pipes, and dust knocked off pipes when guns fired (service aboard USS Prince William, AN-37 Teakwood, and a 1918 destroyer); (3) asbestos-related lung disease service-connected (asbestosis claim denied).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1998 (decision); 1942-46 (exposure window)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange boilermaker-department trades (1942-46); WWII Navy crew generally (the shipboard exposure finding)
- Limitations
- Administrative adjudication at Board level (agency findings of fact) - not an Article III court record, and it names neither this hull nor the yard's vessel list. It documents one worker's adjudicated exposure status: the no-yard-exposure finding is specific to his exterior hull-plate drilling trade and does not rule out asbestos use elsewhere in the Orange yard, just as the shipboard finding does not establish materials aboard this hull. Serves as era context and a caution against overstating the yard-side inference. No causation, quantity, or legal-eligibility content for LCI(L)-79.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI-1-class spec block for this hull (all-diesel plant, no steam); Shipbuilding History program description; class context of WWII steel landing-craft construction [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150079.htm specifications block (propulsion); shipbuildinghistory.com program description; shipyards.json confirms Consolidated Steel Orange has no Atlas yard entry
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel landing craft built Oct-Dec 1942 at Consolidated Steel's Orange, TX yard sits inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel-powered landing craft of this type and period were machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation-space insulation and paints in the confined hull volume. As an all-diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (1942); crew (1943-45); MarCom/NDRF disposal trades (1948)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-79/LCI(G)-79, and the only yard-specific adjudication located (ev-07) found no asbestos exposure for the hull-plate driller trade at Orange. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-08
-
[10]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 1942 construction and service era.
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-09
-
[11]Batch-5520 search ledger (this record): NavSource timeline/spec block/awards and crew photos; SecNav NUC transcription; ComTransGr3 attack landing order scan; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; Shipbuilding History LCI(L) table; Elsie Item no. 124; VA BVA 9828426; NHHC DANFS hull-page check (404); NARA digitized-logs page; NVR; MARAD Vessel History Database; CourtListener API v4 (partially blocked); HyperWar landing-craft roster; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-12
- 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)-79 / LCI(G)-79 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The unquoted CourtListener opinion query 'LCI(L)-79' returned 485 results - all name collisions on 'LCI'-named commercial entities (e.g., LCI Communication Holdings), none vessel- or asbestos-related; the exact-phrase opinion queries '"LCI(G)-79"' and '"LCI-79"' each returned zero results - genuine negatives for those forms; the '"LCI 79"' quoted query and the docket-type query could not be completed this session - fleet-wide pacing budget momentarily spent - logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos aboard WWII landing craft 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 - construction-era materials were era-standard, and the litigation-repository check is a partial open gap (the 'LCI 79' quoted form and the docket-type query were not run). Deck logs (NARA SL44 window 1943-01-15 to 1945-12-14), Consolidated Steel work packages, and the 1948 MarCom disposal papers are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-79-lcil79-10