Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 478-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (identity); dates UNVERIFIABLE
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-pkt-478-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSIL-818 ex USS LCI(L)-818 - milestone timeline, campaign listing, specifications, photo page (history sourced to Turner Publishing, 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150818.htm header block, campaign table, timeline, specifications block; 150818a.htm photo subpage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 21 August 1944 at New Jersey Ship Building Co., Barber, N.J.; launched 21 September 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-818, 26 September 1944. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation, 28 April - 30 June 1945); Minesweeping operations-Pacific (Bungo-Suido/Honshu 22 September - 20 October 1945; Skagway/East China Sea-Ryukyus 4-9 November 1945; Tsushima Straits/Kyushu-Korea 20-26 November 1945). Occupation duty in the Far East 2 September - 16 December 1945. Decommissioned (date unknown), laid up in Reserve Fleet; reclassified Landing Ship Infantry Large LSIL-818 on 28 February 1949; transferred under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program to France for use in French Indo-China on 8 January 1951, redesignated L9031; returned to US Naval custody (date unknown); struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); transferred to the Maritime Commission at Lake Charles, LA, for disposal (PDX-225, 27 September 1946); final disposition unknown. Two battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: 236 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; armament five single 20mm; 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, pilot house; twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photo page captions the craft as probably in use as a Naval Reserve Training Ship (armament stripped to one 20mm aft); photo subpage is titled 'Naval Reserve Training Vessel'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1956
- Population
- Construction trades (Barber NJ, Aug-Sep 1944); commissioning/ship's crew (1944-c.1946); embarked troops (up to 6 officers + 182 enlisted during operations); Naval Reserve trainees (period uncertain); French crew (1951-c.1956)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its milestone dates generally track official records but the decommission/stricken/return dates are explicitly 'unknown' on the page. 'Naval Reserve Training Ship' service is a photo-caption inference ('probably'), not a documented assignment - dates and homeport undocumented. The '(PDX-225, 27 September 1946)' parenthetical predates the 1951 France transfer and appears to be a file/reference annotation, not the disposal date. Contains no asbestos content. NavSource's own page does not state the flotilla/group assignment shown on sister hulls' pages.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-01
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[3]NARA file unit 'LCI(L) 818 - Muster Rolls', NAID 120236513, Record Group 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' (1939-1949) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 120236513 (catalog.archives.gov/id/120236513), 90 images, first roll 1944-09-30
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds 90 digitized images of this hull's muster rolls (Ancestry partner digitization, unrestricted access). First muster roll dated 30 September 1944 - four days after commissioning. The series covers 1939-1949, spanning the craft's entire active USN career. Muster rolls are the crew-population anchor for any exposure research on this hull: they name officers and enlisted aboard by reporting period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1949 (series coverage)
- Population
- Ship's company, 1944-c.1946 (rosters by reporting period)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: muster rolls establish who was aboard, not what materials they contacted. The digitized images were not individually transcribed in this session (0/90 transcribed in the catalog). No deck log ('Logbooks' series) file unit for this hull was located in catalog search - only muster rolls and war diaries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-02
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[4]NARA file unit 'LCI(L)-818 - Rep of opers in the occupation of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 4/28/45-6/30/45', NAID 83572774, Record Group 38 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories'; plus related group-level records surfaced for this hull's search (COM LCI(L) GR 56 war diaries; COM LCI(L) GR 56 minesweeping report 10/27-11/5/45, NAID 77606285; COM LCI(L) FLOT 19 / FLOT 23 war diaries) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 83572774 (1 image, Fold3 file 300366423); group-level context NAIDs 77606285, 140001394, 77595553, 140086613, 77584903, 633423344
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds this hull's own digitized operation report covering the Okinawa Gunto operation 28 April - 30 June 1945 (1 image, micro serial 140705, dated 18 August 1945, unrestricted). Group-level records filed alongside in the same series include LCI(L) Group 56 war diaries (Mar-Apr, Aug-Sep, Dec 1945) and the Group 56 report of minesweeping operations in the East China Sea 27 October - 5 November 1945 - matching the Bungo-Suido/Skagway/Tsushima minesweeping campaigns NavSource attributes to this hull. Sister hulls LCI(L)-816/-817/-819 (same builder, commissioned within days) were assigned to LCI Flotilla 19, Group 56, Division 112 per their NavSource pages.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Ship's company during Okinawa and minesweeping operations (Apr-Nov 1945); embarked troops
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the op report establishes the hull's participation in the Okinawa operation, not material or exposure conditions aboard. Flotilla/group assignment for this specific hull is inferred from sister-hull NavSource pages and co-filed group records - LCI(L)-818's own NavSource page does not state it. The group-level war diaries cover the formation, not necessarily this craft's daily movements. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-03
-
[5]NetMarine (Association des anciens de la Marine nationale), 'Landing Ship Infantry Large - Flottilles francaises en Indochine' (French Indochina LSIL service history; live page returned 404 - Wayback capture 2024-12-21 used and labeled as archived) [other_primary]
- Locator
- netmarine.net/forces/operatio/indo/lsil.htm (Wayback 2024-12-21 capture), Indochina LSIL narrative paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documents this hull's French service: eleven ex-US LSILs were transferred to France and employed as command ships of the Dinassauts (naval assault divisions) in Indochina. The first three - LSIL 715, 818, and 1092 - initially sailed under their original US numbers, then received NATO pennants L9030-L9032 (LSIL-818 becoming L9031). Of the eleven, four - L9031, L9032, L9036, and L9037 - were returned to the US Navy; L9030 (ex-LSIL-715) struck a mine on the Song Thai-Binh 5 January 1954 and was condemned. Consistent with NavSource's 'Returned to US Naval custody' line for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1951-1956
- Population
- French Navy crews (1951-c.1956, Indochina)
- Limitations
- Secondary association-history source, not a primary registry; specific return dates for L9031 not given on this page (1956 per shipbuildinghistory production table, ev-02 companion). Live netmarine.net page returned 404 on 2026-09-30 - archived copy cited and labeled. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-04
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[6]ShipbuildingHistory / Naval Marine Archive mirror, 'New Jersey Shipbuilding' yard production table and history; corroborating: shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton) emergencysmall/newjersey.htm; uboat.net Allied Warships ship 21883 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com mirror of shipbuildinghistory newjersey.html, LCI(L) 818 production row and yard history paragraph; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/21883.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard and disposition confirmation: New Jersey Shipbuilding was 'an assembly line for LCIs on Arthur Kill, in Barber' (later absorbed into Perth Amboy as Maurer); yard management was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request, and the yard closed after the war. Production row for this hull: 'LCI(L) 818 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Sep-44 | To France 1951 as L 9031, returned 1956.' Sister hulls LCI(L)-808 through -821 were all delivered Sep-44 and mostly struck 1946 - 818's continued MDAP service is the exception in its block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Yard workers at the Todd-managed emergency yard (1942-45); French return/disposal handling crews (1956)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference (Colton's ShipbuildingHistory production tables), not a primary record; 'returned 1956' is the only located date for the return from France and should be treated as approximate - NavSource and netmarine give no date. Establishes yard-management context, not conditions aboard. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI-351 class specification block (diesel-mechanical plant, plastic splinter armor); HyperWar USN landing-craft type documentation (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html, FTP-211 Ship to Shore Movement); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-07); no NIOSH or yard survey located for New Jersey Shipbuilding [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150818.htm specifications block; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html LCI(L) class section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-mechanical landing craft built August-September 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. There is no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Era-consistent asbestos applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this period were exhaust and muffler lagging in the engine spaces, engine-room thermal insulation, gaskets and valve packing in the diesel piping, electrical insulation, and woven/molded friction materials; habitability insulation in accommodation spaces cannot be excluded. The documented '2-inch plastic splinter protection' armor is a non-asbestos-era material note.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-c.1956
- Population
- Construction trades (Barber NJ, 1944); engine-room crew and trainees (1944-c.1956 USN + French service); any disposal/breakup crews post-1956
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-818. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. LCI(L)s were austerity-built emergency craft - the material load aboard was far smaller than on a steam combatant, and the absence of a steam plant removes the highest-density asbestos system.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy asbestos-protection efforts (fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards) and documented that the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace asbestos insulation only when damaged, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - i.e., the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships through this hull's entire USN service era (1944-c.1956).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy window covers 1944-1956
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. GAO fieldwork covered the two large naval shipyards named, not small emergency yards like New Jersey Shipbuilding and not landing craft. Full report PDF exists (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf); product-page description used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-07
-
[9]Batch-5552 search ledger (this record): NavSource; uboat.net; NARA catalog (muster rolls NAID 120236513, op report NAID 83572774, group war diaries); netmarine via Wayback; shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive; NHHC DANFS URL checks; NVR; GAO; CourtListener API v4 (type=o and type=r); secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-01 through -11
- 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)-818 / LSIL-818 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener searched 2026-09-30 via authenticated API - zero opinion hits and zero docket hits for 'LCI(L)-818', 'LCI-818', 'LSIL-818', 'LSIL 818', 'LCIL-818' (queries run, not blocked). No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NHHC URL checks 404). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case or ship-specific marketing claim. Deck logs for this hull were not located in the NARA catalog search - muster rolls and war diaries are the digitized ship-specific holdings.
- 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 - this craft was built and operated inside the documented asbestos era, and French-service (1951-56) and post-1956 disposal records are outside USN repositories. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-08
-
[10]uswarships.jounin.jp LSIL fate table (Japanese-language secondary compilation); cross-checked against ROCN 'Lian'-class lists (Wikipedia List of Republic of China Navy ships; newton.com.tw LCI history) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uswarships.jounin.jp/lsil.htm LSIL-818 row; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Republic_of_China_Navy_ships; newton.com.tw LCI article
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- UNRESOLVED CONFLICT FLAGGED: uswarships.jounin.jp asserts LSIL-818 was 'loaned to Taiwan in 1954' (1954 台湾に貸与), appended after its France-return and Maritime Commission notes. This conflicts with: (a) NavSource's 'Returned to US Naval custody... final disposition, fate unknown'; (b) shipbuildinghistory's 'To France 1951 as L 9031, returned 1956' - she could not be in Taiwan service in 1954 if still French until 1956; (c) netmarine's list of returned hulls, which includes L9031 (ex-818) among the four LSILs restituted to the US Navy; and (d) ROC Navy 'Lian'-series rosters, which name no ex-LSIL-818 (the three ex-French LSILs towed to Taiwan were LSIL-1092, LSIL-838, and LSIL-1017, of which only -1017 entered ROCN service as Lian Qiang, LCI-266). The Taiwan claim is most consistent with a row-confusion error in the secondary compilation, but cannot be definitively disproven with the sources located.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1951-1956 (disposition window)
- Limitations
- Flags an unverified conflicting secondary claim rather than establishing a fact. If the hull did reach Taiwan the exposure-relevant service window would extend, but no ROCN roster naming ex-LSIL-818 was located. Treated as unresolved; the record carries 'fate unknown' as the documented disposition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-818-lcil818-09