Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 486-packet.md (2 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-96-lcil96-pkt-486-packet-md
-
[2]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS LCI(L)-96' asset page (sourced to 'The Coast Guard At War, Vol. V, Transports and Escorts, Vol. 2,' 1949, pp. 117-130, and the LCI(L) file, Coast Guard Historian's Office); USCG Historian's Office, 'U.S. Coast Guard-Manned LCI(L)s' overview page [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office article 1830529 - spec block, 'History: Flotilla 4 / 10 / 35, Group 103, Division 206' narrative, CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG history for this hull: 'The Coast Guard-manned USS LCI(L)-96 was commissioned on 15 February 1943 ... She was assigned to LCI(L) Flotilla 4.' The USCG overview documents the manning arrangement: under a Commandant-CNO agreement beginning in 1943 the Coast Guard supplied officers and crews for 28 Navy LCI(L)s, 'Even though these vessels had Coast Guard crews all LCI(L)s remained commissioned US Navy vessels'; 24 CG-manned hulls formed a single flotilla under Commander Miles Imlay, USCG - Flotilla 4 for Sicily/Salerno, renamed Flotilla 10 for Overlord, later Flotilla 35 in the Pacific. Builder field reads 'Brown Ship Building Corporation, Orange, Texas' (conflict - see ev-03). Spec block: length 158'6" oa; beam 23'3"; displacement 216 t light / 389 t full load; propulsion 8 x GM diesels, twin shafts, 1,600 hp, twin variable-pitch propellers; complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted; troops 188; initial armament 4 x 20mm + 2 x .50 cal. Service narrative: Tunisia 1 June - 9 July 1943; Sicily landings 9 July 1943; Salerno 9 September 1943; England 3 November 1943, mock invasions near Dartmouth (Flotilla 4 renamed Flotilla 10); Normandy invasion - landed troops at Utah Beach 6 June 1944; channel guide for LCTs to 5 October 1944; Falmouth to Charleston, overhaul/repair 24 October - 1 December 1944; Lambert Point departure 19 December 1944 via Key West and Canal Zone to San Diego (Ship Training Group, Naval Repair Base, to 3 April 1945); Pearl Harbor 13-20 April 1945; Okinawa arrival 28 May 1945 - 'made smoke for the protection of larger naval units'; departed Okinawa 9 September 1945 for Wakayama, Japan (Mine Destruction Group, Kii Suido); Sasebo; operation 'Skagway' (Nansei Shoto) to 8 November 1945; Nagoya 15-27 November 1945; home via Saipan/Pearl Harbor, San Pedro 2 February 1946; decommissioned San Pedro (narrative 'April 2, 19146' [sic - 1946]); spec block reads 20 March 1946. COs listed: LT Marshall L. Lee USCGR; LTJG S. R. Underwood USCGR. 'The LCI(L)-96 earned four battle stars'; all Flotilla 10 LCI(L)s retroactively awarded the Coast Guard Unit Commendation for Normandy. Transferred to the Maritime Commission 2 February 1948 for disposal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- USCG/USCGR crew (3 officers + 21 enlisted typical complement, plus ~188 embarked troops per landing); Consolidated Steel construction trades (1942-43); Charleston repair trades (Oct-Dec 1944)
- Limitations
- Official USCG source for this hull, but internally inconsistent: spec-block decommission date (20 Mar 1946) conflicts with its own narrative (2 April 1946) and with NavSource; 'four battle stars' conflicts with NavSource's six; builder attribution to Brown Shipbuilding is contradicted by the USCG's own LCI(L)-95 page, NavSource, and the Consolidated Orange yard table (see ev-03); its CO list omits the commissioning CO (Johnson) that NavSource's table - drawn from the same 'Coast Guard At War' source - shows. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-96 - 'LCI-1 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large)' timeline, campaign tables, CO table, specifications (verified live 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150096.htm - header block, campaign tables, specifications block, CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 21 December 1942 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX; launched 17 January 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-96 on 15 February 1943 at Orange, LTjg. Roland G. Johnson USCG in command. Assigned Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater, LCI Flotilla 4 (Capt. M. E. Imlay USCG; North Africa and Sicily), Flotilla 10 at Normandy. EAME campaigns: Tunisian operation 1 June - 9 July 1943; Sicilian occupation 9-15 July 1943; Salerno landings 9-21 September 1943; Invasion of Normandy 6-26 June 1944. Departed Falmouth 5 October 1944 for overhaul/refresher training; departed San Diego 3 April 1945 for Okinawa; on arrival 28 May 1945 assigned LCI Flotilla 35 (CDR H. J. Wuensch USCG), Group 103 (LCDR B. A. Walliser USCGR), Division 206. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Okinawa Gunto operation 29 May - 30 June 1945 (smoke duty for larger naval units until departing 8 September 1945 for Wakayama); Minesweeping operations - Wakanoura-Kii 11-27 September 1945 and Skagway (East China Sea-Ryukyu) 27 October - 1 November 1945. Occupation duty 2 September - 26 November 1945. Decommissioned 2 April 1946 at San Pedro, CA; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 3 March 1948 for disposal. Six battle stars credited. Call sign NDJM. Specs: 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5-1/2" x 23'3"; 16 kt max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; armament five single 20mm; propulsion two sets of 4 GM 6-71 diesels (4 per shaft), GM main reduction gears, two 30kW diesel-drive generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. CO table: LTjg Roland G. Johnson USCG 15 Feb - 13 May 1943; LTjg Marshall L. Lee USCGR from 13 May 1943; LTjg S. R. Underwood USCGR no dates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- USCG/USCGR crew and embarked troops (1943-46); Consolidated Steel trades (1942-43); Charleston overhaul trades (Oct-Dec 1944); San Diego NRB personnel (Jan-Apr 1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its history is transcribed from 'The Coast Guard At War, Transports and Escorts, Volume II' (the same primary source the USCG Historian's page cites). Multiple fields conflict with the USCG page (decommission date, transfer date, battle-star count, commissioning CO, complement, displacement, armament) - conflicts logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Colton & Co. yard database), Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange TX production table - LCI(L)-96 row; corroborated by USCG Historian's Office LCI(L)-95 page ('Builder: Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas') [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com consolidatedorange.htm, LCI(L) 96 row; USCG article 1830507 (LCI(L)-95); therecordlive.com story 34709
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the USCG Historian's Office page for LCI(L)-96 attributes the builder to 'Brown Ship Building Corporation, Orange, Texas.' The Consolidated Steel Orange production table lists LCI(L)-96 among that yard's wartime output (Navy contract dated 3 June 1942, delivery February 1943, 'Struck 1946'); NavSource names Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange TX as builder; the USCG Historian's own page for consecutive-hull sister LCI(L)-95 - commissioned the same day, 15 February 1943 - names 'Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas' as builder; and Orange County local press describes 'the Orange-built LCI 96' and 'Orange-built USS LCI-96.' Brown Shipbuilding Corporation was located in Houston, TX, not Orange. Builder carried as Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, TX; the USCG attribution is a recurring mislabel on USCG LCI(L) pages (the LCI(L)-87 page likewise credits 'Brown Shipbuilding Corporation of Orange, Texas').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Shipbuilding History is a reputable secondary compilation (Colton & Co.), not an official registry; the correction rests on convergent evidence (yard production table + NavSource + the USCG's own sister-hull page + local press) rather than a single authority. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-03
-
[5]NARA photographs documenting this hull (metadata transcribed via NavSource captions): NAID 205578446 / local 26-G-2325 (USCG photo 2325 - troops boarding LCI(L)-96 and LCI(L)-326 in an English port, pre-Normandy exercises); NAID 12003998 / 80-G-251871 (Army supplies to LCI(L)-96, LCI(L)-87, LCI(L)-493); 80-G-38805 (LCI(L)-96 with LCI(L)-237, LCI(L)-326 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, 23 March 1943, Prince Olav of Norway visit with RADM Kirk); US Army Signal Corps SC 181952 (beached near Paestum, Italy, 15 September 1943, embarking 2nd Battalion, 504 Airborne Infantry) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 205578446 (26-G-2325); NAID 12003998 (80-G-251871); 80-G-38805; USA SC 181952 - identifiers per NavSource photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- U.S. National Archives-held photographs place this hull at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek on 23 March 1943 (during Prince Olav of Norway's visit, with RADM Alan G. Kirk, Commander Amphibious Force Atlantic Fleet), in English ports during pre-Normandy exercises (embarking troops alongside LCI(L)-326; alongside LCI(L)-87 and LCI(L)-493), and beached near Paestum, Italy, on 15 September 1943 embarking the 2nd Battalion, 504 Airborne Infantry. Physical-presence documentation corroborating the service narrative.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- USCG crew and embarked Army troops at the photographed events
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs establish presence and activity at the captioned dates, not materials or work performed. catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session (HTTP 200 but non-JSON response); NAIDs and identifiers transcribed from NavSource captions - direct NARA verification open. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-04
-
[6]Historic American Engineering Record, LCI(L)-713, HAER No. OR-180 (NPS Heritage Documentation Programs; historian Justine Christianson, 2012; derived from the NRHP nomination by David McKay, 2006) [haer]
- Locator
- HAER OR-180 data pages, 'Principal Measurements,' 'Description,' 'Historical Information' sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Official engineering record for a sister hull documenting the Bureau of Ships standard LCI(L) design: welded 1/4-inch steel plate; two decks; deckhouse with troop/officer accommodations, mess, wardroom, galley; engine room with four pairs of General Motors 6-71 diesels on two shafts with variable-pitch propellers; ~1,051 LCI(L)s built in ten U.S. shipyards during WWII. LCI(L)-713 is the later LCI-351 class (cylindrical pilot house, centerline ramp) built after 1 June 1944; LCI(L)-96 is the earlier LCI-1 class (two side ramps) - same design family, same propulsion type. The HAER data pages contain NO mention of asbestos or insulation materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2012 (documentation); 1944 (subject hull)
- Population
- LCI(L)-class construction trades (ten yards, 1942-44); LCI(L) crews generally
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for a sister hull, not this hull's record - and it documents nothing about asbestos or insulation, in either direction. Supports only the design/propulsion baseline (welded steel, diesel plant, no steam) on which the era-inference assessment rests. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos aboard LCI(L)-96.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-05
-
[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 construction (1942-43) and entire service era (1943-46).
- 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 or to the LCI(L) type. A diesel landing craft carried far less insulation scope than a steam-driven combatant - the program-level finding does not translate into a hull-specific exposure pathway here. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-06
-
[8]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'LCI(L)-96' - firsthand memoir of LT Richard ('Dick') Kliemt, USCG, Engineering Officer of USS LCI 96 [other_primary]
- Locator
- usslci.org/lcil-96/ - 'LCI 96' story, by Richard 'Dick' Kliemt
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Firsthand engineering-officer account for this hull: Kliemt boarded her at Norfolk, Virginia, where she was re-outfitted for Pacific duty, as Lieutenant in charge of Engineering - maintaining the 'Grey Marine "Quads" that General Motors produced solely for the LCI' (the 8 x GM 6-71 installation); transit through the Panama Canal to San Diego (re-camouflage, smoke machines, new weapons; landing practice off San Clemente with crewmen lost to surf); Ulithi/Kerama Retto/Okinawa service fighting kamikazes, 'made smoke' covering fleet units including USS Iowa, picket-line duty in Buckner Bay; two typhoons; post-surrender Navy task force clearing mines in Japanese waters - 'the "96" detonated approximately 250 mines' in the East China Sea and around Nagoya, Sasebo, Osaka, and Wakayama; early-1946 return and decommissioning at San Pedro (Kliemt and LT George Herrick the only remaining personnel); hull towed into the San Pedro Bay mothball fleet in April or May 1946; COMINPAC commendation on completion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- USCG/USCGR crew (1944-46); embarked troops and Naval personnel transported
- Limitations
- First-person recollection published on a veterans' association site decades after service - a primary-witness source but not an official record; minor detail conflicts with official narrative exist (e.g., memoir frames the flotilla as '#103 and #19'; official sources carry Flotilla 4/10/35, Group 103, Division 206). No asbestos or materials content; the memoir's engineering detail (GM diesel maintenance) is consistent with the diesel-plant baseline.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-07
-
[9]The Record Newspapers (Orange County, TX), 'Orange Ship at Agatha Christie House,' Glenda Dyer, 19 Dec 2023 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- therecordlive.com story 34709; NavSource 10/15/150096.htm Greenway House frieze caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Local-press corroboration for this hull: 'Lee's Orange-built USS LCI-96 won six battle stars for its World War II service'; decommissioned 2 April 1946 at San Pedro; transferred to the Maritime Commission 3 March 1948 for disposal; troop capacity six officers and 182 enlisted; documents the surviving frieze painted by second CO LT Marshall Lee in the library of Greenway House (Agatha Christie's Devon home, where the 4th LCI flotilla was based in 1943) depicting the flotilla's route out of the Orange shipyard in February 1943 to North Africa, Sicily, and England. Corroborates NavSource's contested fields (six battle stars; 2 April 1946 decommissioning; 3 March 1948 transfer) and the Orange build attribution.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948 (subject); 2023 (publication)
- Limitations
- Local press - secondary corroboration, not an official record; its 'six battle stars' conflicts with the USCG Historian's 'four' (see gaps). The Greenway House frieze itself is documented by a NavSource-captioned photo supplied by a National Trust volunteer guide/conservator - property access and artifact details rest on those accounts. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-08
-
[10]Batch-5607 search ledger (this record): USCG Historian's Office; NavSource; NHHC DANFS; NVR; Shipbuilding History yard table; LOC HAER OR-180; MARAD vessel history DB; NIOSH HHE index; NARA catalog; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener (paced) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-96-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-96-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum restoration record, or docketed case naming USS LCI(L)-96 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No asbestos documentation for the LCI(L) type as a class was located either - the surviving sister hull's HAER engineering record contains no asbestos or insulation content, and no NIOSH evaluation exists for the builder yard. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos aboard landing craft generically (asbestos-ships.com and similar - excluded by source policy, no primary anchor). CAVEAT: CourtListener opinion/docket search was fleet-paced (budget exhausted) at research time - logged as pending in the search ledger, not as a negative result; litigation status of this hull remains an open gap.
- 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 - WWII construction-era materials are plausible at era level, and the hull was disposed in 1948, pre-dating hazmat-documentation practice. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-96-09