Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 487-packet.md (2 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-964 — per-ship page exists, "Shipname: USS LCI(L)-964" (source A, file batch5612-01-sonsofliberty-lci964.txt)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-pkt-487-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-964 ex USS LCI(L)-964 (page 10/15/150964; page last updated 4 November 2022; history credited to 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II', Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150964.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, and NH 74313 photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 3 March 1944 at Consolidated Steel Corp, Shipbuilding Div., Orange, TX; launched 23 March 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-964, 18 April 1944; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-964, date unknown. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns as printed: 'Leyte landings, 19 to 29 November 1944; Ormoc Bay landing, 8 and 8 December 1944' [printed sic - official credit window is 7-8 December 1944, see ev-02]; 'Mindoro landings, 12 to 18 December 1944'. Classification reverted to LCI(L)-964, 10 September 1945; decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission, 18 March 1948; two battle stars for WWII service; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Spec block: 216 t light / 234 t landing / 389 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; LCI(L) complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted; LCI(G) complement 5 officers + 65 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; LCI(G) armament two 40mm guns, four 20mm guns, six .50cal machine guns, ten MK7 rocket launchers; propulsion two sets of 4 General Motors diesel engines, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers. Awards ribbon display: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2 stars), WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (Mar-Apr 1944); crew (1944-decommissioning); embarked troops (up to 182)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its LCI histories are credited to Turner Publishing's USS LCI Vol. II. Milestone dates track official records where checked (commissioning 18 Apr 1944 corroborated by uboat.net and shipbuildinghistory.com) but decommission/struck dates are absent. Campaign-date strings are reproduced as printed, including the '8 and 8 December' misprint corrected against the official engagement-star list. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-01
-
[3]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (NAVPERS 15,790, Rev. 1953), Part IV, Section 2(16) - Area Campaign Medals and Operation and Engagement Stars, World War II: ship list of engagement-star credits (verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html, 'LCI(L) 964:' entry; operation-code definitions in the same file (P31 Leyte operation, P32 Luzon operation)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official engagement-star credit list names this hull directly: 'LCI(L) 964:' credited 19 Nov 44 - 29 Nov 44 under code P31-1 (Leyte landings, Leyte operation window 10 Oct-29 Nov 44), 7 Dec 44 - 8 Dec 44 under code P31-7 (Ormoc Bay landings, window 7-13 Dec 44), and 12 Dec 44 - 18 Dec 44 under code P32-1 (Mindoro landings, Luzon operation). Leyte operation rules grant 'only 1 star for participation in 1 or more' of its sub-operations, so the three credits yield two battle stars - matching NavSource's count.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- crew aboard during credited windows (Nov-Dec 1944)
- Limitations
- Verbatim transcription of an official Navy awards document hosted on a third-party archive (HyperWar/ibiblio), not the issuing agency's site. Confirms the campaign credits and the correct Ormoc Bay window (7-8 Dec 44); the list carries the hull under her base 'LCI(L)' designation. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-964 (ship 22029): construction data and 'Notable events' order-of-battle transcription for Operation Tradewind (Morotai landings, 15 September 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/22029.html - ship header and 'Notable events' / TG 77.3.23 listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net corroborates builder (Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange TX), laid down 3 Mar 1944, launched 23 Mar 1944, commissioned 18 Apr 1944, and adds two details beyond NavSource: (1) 'Reclassified as LCI(G), Landing Craft Guns on 15 June 1944' - a specific conversion date NavSource leaves as 'date unknown'; (2) order-of-battle placement at the Morotai landings (Operation Tradewind, 15 Sep 1944) in Task Group 77.3.23, the LCI(L) group of the Red Beach attack force under Commander LCI Flotilla 8 (T/Cdr. F.B.C. Martin aboard LCI(L)-546), with LCI(L)-964 under Lt.(jg) H.R. dePue, USNR.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- crew under Lt.(jg) H.R. dePue USNR; embarked troops at Morotai
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a secondary compiled database, not a primary record. The 15 June 1944 gunboat-conversion date is unverified and sits uneasily against the ship's September 1944 placement among LCI(L)s and the awards manual's 'LCI(L) 964' styling for Nov-Dec 1944 credits - conversion date and location remain unestablished (see gaps). Morotai presence earned no engagement star (absent from the NAVPERS credit list for this hull). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-03
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command photo catalog, NH 74313 - 'USS LCI-1015, LCI-962, LCI-961, LCI-1017, LCI-1016, LCI-964, LCI-1018, LCI-1060', photographed circa 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC photo catalog entry NH 74313 (NH Series, NH 74000 block)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photographic record: a group of eight LCI-type landing craft nested together, location unknown, circa 1945, including this hull ('LCI-964'). Catalog title lists her without a letter suffix; the NavSource contributor caption for the same image identifies her as 'USS LCI(G)-964', consistent with her wartime gunboat conversion. Photograph courtesy of Mr. D.M. McPherson, Corte Madera, California, 1971.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- circa 1945
- Population
- crews of the eight nested LCIs (circa 1945)
- Limitations
- Photographic record only - establishes the hull's physical appearance and circa-1945 survival, not what work was performed aboard and no material content. The bare 'LCI-964' styling in the NHHC title leaves the (G) conversion undocumented in this record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block for this hull (diesel-only LCI-351-class plant); NPS NRHP nomination 07000300 for sister LCI(L)-713 (class construction: all-welded 1/4-inch steel, eight GM 6-71 diesels in two banks of four - see ev-08); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era - see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; NPS NRHP 07000300 narrative description; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built March-April 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications for a small welded-steel diesel craft of this type were diesel exhaust-system lagging, thermal insulation in the engine room and magazine spaces, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and deck coverings. She carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, bounding any asbestos inventory to these smaller-scale applications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (Mar-Apr 1944); crew (1944-decommissioning); any post-war yard hands through 1948 transfer
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-964/LCI(G)-964. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-05
-
[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 entire construction (March-April 1944) 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 or type. 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-964-lcil964-06
-
[8]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 9828426, Docket No. 94-15 783 (decided 23 September 1998) - service connection for asbestos-related lung disease, RO Houston [court_record]
- Locator
- va.gov vetapp98/files3/9828426.txt - Findings of Fact 1-2; factual-background coworker letters
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Merits-level VA adjudication touching this hull's builder: the Board found the veteran - employed at Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas, 1942-1946 - was NOT exposed to asbestos during that yard employment (coworker letters described drilling work on ship shells where no asbestos was present at that construction stage), while finding he WAS exposed to asbestos serving aboard Navy vessels in service (1944-46). Documents that asbestos-exposure claims around Consolidated Steel Orange production have been adjudicated at the merits level, in both directions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (exposure window); 1998 (decision)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange trades (1942-46, drilling/boilermaker department scope); WWII Navy vessel crews (unnamed)
- Limitations
- A single-claimant adjudication: establishes only that this driller's stage of work at the yard lacked asbestos exposure per coworker testimony - it does not establish the presence or absence of asbestos at other trades, stages, or vessels built there, and names no specific vessel. Not evidence about this hull. Post-1998 decision; asbestos-claims posture at the yard may vary by trade.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-07
-
[9]National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places nomination, USS LCI(L)-713 (NRHP 07000300; listed 12 April 2007) - narrative description of LCI-351-class construction [nps]
- Locator
- NRHP 07000300 nomination, NPS Form 10-900-a continuation sheet, 'Narrative Description' and class-history sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NRHP nomination for a surviving sister documents this class's construction: all-welded steel hull of approximately 1/4-inch plate designed for rapid assembly-line production; two decks; eight General Motors 6-71 diesel engines in two banks of four, each bank driving a variable-pitch propeller shaft; troop capacity 182 enlisted plus 6 officers; the 351+ series carried the redesigned round conning tower. Documents the type's machinery and materials profile as built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 (design era); 2007 (nomination)
- Population
- LCI-351-class construction trades; crews (1944-46 design era)
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation via a sister hull's nomination - LCI-713 was built by George Lawley & Son, Neponset, MA, not Consolidated Steel; describes the type, not this hull, and the word 'asbestos' does not appear in the document. No asbestos or material-content findings for LCI(L)-964.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-08
-
[10]Robin L. Rielly, 'American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II: A History of LCI and LCS(L) Ships in the Pacific' (McFarland, 2019), Appendix II 'Building and Conversion Locations' (third-party transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- erenow.org transcription, Appendix II builders and conversion-locations lists
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A published gunboat-conversion history lists LCI(L)-964 among the Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, TX hulls 'underwent conversion to gunboats after their initial construction as LCI(L)s' - corroborating the LCI(G)-964 conversion as a documented class action rather than a page artifact. The same appendix's conversion-locations list does not include 964 (the author notes some ships' conversion locations are unavailable), so where and when she was converted remains unrecorded in this source.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- conversion-yard trades (site unrecorded); LCI(G) gunboat crews
- Limitations
- Published secondary history transcribed on a third-party reading site (erenow.org); corroborates the conversion event but supplies no conversion yard or date for this hull and no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-09
-
[11]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Consolidated Steel, Orange TX yard production table - LCI(L) entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- consolidatedorange.htm production table, hull 1258 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard production table row for this hull: Consolidated Orange yard hull no. 1258, U.S. Navy Landing Craft LCI(L) 964, 260 tons, contract dated 10 December 1943, delivered April 1944. The table's disposition cell reads 'Struck 1946' - a stricken-date variant NavSource leaves 'date unknown' and does not reconcile with the documented 18 March 1948 Maritime Commission transfer. The yard built LCIs alongside 39 destroyers and ~100 destroyer escorts at the Navy-contracted Orange yard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange yard workforce (peak ~20,000 per yard histories)
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled yard table. 'Struck 1946' vs NavSource's 'date unknown' is an unresolved variant (see gaps); keel-laid and launch cells for this hull are blank in the table (NavSource's dates carried). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-10
-
[12]Batch-5612 search ledger (this record): NavSource 150964; NHHC photo catalog NH 74313; NAVPERS 15790 transcription (HyperWar); uboat.net 22029; shipbuildinghistory.com Consolidated Orange table; NPS NRHP 07000300; VA BVA 9828426; GAO HRD-80-2 (blocked); CourtListener authenticated API (4 queries zero-result, 1 variant pacing-blocked); NVR; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-01 through -15 plus -08b
- 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)-964 / LCI(G)-964 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion and docket searches returned zero hits for both designations; a bare 'LCI-964' opinion-variant query was interrupted by fleet pacing and is logged as blocked, not a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing listicle naming this hull was relied upon. The hull's post-1948 fate is undocumented, so no breaking-yard hazmat record exists to find.
- 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 - the ship was built squarely inside the Navy's asbestos-use era and her final fate is undocumented. Litigation coverage is near-complete (four of five planned queries returned zero; one low-value variant blocked by fleet pacing). Deck logs, LCI Flotilla 8 war diaries, Consolidated Steel work packages, and Maritime Commission disposal records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-964-lcil964-11