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 (1 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-966-lcil966-pkt-487-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSIL-966 ex Medrick (AMCU-31) / USS LCI(L)-966 - construction, commissioning, campaign table, awards, postwar designations, specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150966.htm - header block, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, awards table, designation timeline, specification block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (LCI-351 class): laid down 6 March 1944 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX; launched 23 March 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-966, 19 April 1944. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: Morotai landing 15 Sep 1944; Leyte landings 5-29 Nov 1944; Ormoc Bay landing 7-8 Dec 1944; Mindoro landings 12-18 Dec 1944; Nasugbu 31 Jan 1945; Mariveles-Corregidor 14-28 Feb 1945; Visayan Island landing (table lists 28 Feb 1945) and Mindanao Island landings 12-13 and 26 Jul 1945 - five battle stars. Postwar: Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) and China Service Medal (extended), both 8 Sep-16 Dec 1945; Philippine Presidential Unit Citation; Philippine Liberation Medal (2). Decommissioned March 1946; laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs, FL; reclassified LSIL-966 28 Feb 1949; named Medrick and reclassified AMCU-31 on 7 Mar 1952; conversion canceled 1 Jul 1954; reverted to LSIL-966 Jul 1954; struck, date unknown. Photo captions place her loading 77th Division troops at Dulag, Leyte, 6 Dec 1944; landing them at Ormoc Bay 7 Dec 1944 followed by ten hours of continuous air attack; and off Mariveles under Corregidor's guns 15 Feb 1945; a further captioned photo shows her in Chinese waters, date and location unknown. Specs: 236 t. light / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; two sets of four GM series-71 diesels, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two 30 kW diesel-driven generators; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1954
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (Mar-Apr 1944); crew of ~28 plus embarked troops up to ~188 (1944-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation whose milestone entries track the Naval Vessel Register and the USS LCI National Association's Turner Publishing history (cited on the page) - authoritative-consistent but not itself a primary registry; it gives no strike date and no post-1954 disposition. Contains no asbestos content. 'Visayan Island landing 28 Feb 1945' in its campaign table sits oddly beside the action-report-documented Cebu landing of 26 Mar 1945 (see ev-02 and gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-01
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[3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-966 - Cebu City operations, 24-28 March 1945, transcribed from official USN action reports (COMTASKGR 74.3 and COMTASKGR 78.2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 22031 - 'Notable events involving LCI(L)-966: 24 Mar 1945, Landings off Cebu, operation Victor II' (order of battle, wave narrative, sources note)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An official action-report transcription places this hull in Task Unit 78.2.3, the sixteen-ship LCI(L) unit of the Cebu Attack Force (TG 78.2), which departed Leyte 24 March 1945 for Operation Victor II; the entry names her commanding officer as Lt.(jg) R.E. Dein, USNR, and shows COMLCI(L)FLOT 15 (T/Cdr. W.V. Deutermann) embarked in LCI(L)-972. During the 26 March 1945 landing the LCI wave could not beach on a submerged log-boom obstacle and unloaded just off the beach through lighterage (LCVP/LCM/LCT); CTU 78.2.14 (COMLCIFLOT 15) remained at Cebu with 11 LCIs after the force commander's departure 27 March.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-03-24 to 1945-03-28
- Population
- Crew under Lt.(jg) R.E. Dein, USNR; embarked troops at Cebu
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a respected secondary compilation; the underlying record is verbatim transcription of USN action reports (CTG 74.3 and CTG 78.2, Cebu City operations 24-28 Mar 1945) - the transcription documents the unit and its commanding officer but does not narrate hull-specific actions by 966. No asbestos content. The Cebu operation corresponds to the 'Visayan Island landing' battle-star line (26 Mar 1945 in the engagement listing) rather than NavSource's 28 Feb table date - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-02
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[4]ShipbuildingHistory (Colton), 'Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) - LCI(L)' build table - Consolidated Steel Orange rows and class totals [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipbuildingHistory LCI(L) build table, hull row 966; class header notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Build-table row for this hull: 'LCI(L) 966 - Consol. Steel, Orange TX, 19-Apr-44 - Later LSIL 966 1949, Medrick (AMCU 31) 1952, conversion cancelled 1954.' The same table documents the class context - 923 LCI(L)s built by ten shipyards - and notes that most were sold after the war with few records of buyers, matching the undocumented disposition of this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1954
- Limitations
- Trade reference compilation (secondary), corroborating NavSource milestones; gives no strike date and no post-1954 disposition for this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-03
-
[5]NavSource Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator) / Coastal Minehunter (AMCU/MHC) photo index + NavalCoverMuseum 'Designation AMCU' table (navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/Designation_AMCU) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/04idx.htm, AMCU-7-class block (AMCU-30 through AMCU-42 rows); NavalCoverMuseum Designation_AMCU row 31
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- ALIAS CONSOLIDATION: both designation indexes tie the AMCU-31 name Medrick to this same hull - 'AMCU-31 Medrick ex-LCI(L)-966, reclassified LSI(L)-966' (NavSource) and '31 MEDRICK - LSI(L) 966 ex MEDRICK AMCU 31 ex LSI(L) 966' (NavalCoverMuseum). The 1952 naming was a paper reclassification of the reserve hull; the conversion was canceled 1 July 1954 before any work, so no commissioned or operating AMCU-31 vessel ever existed. Any separate 'USS Medrick (AMCU-31)' listing or alias resolves to this hull, not to a second vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1952-1954
- Population
- none - hull remained in reserve, unmanned, at Green Cove Springs throughout the designation
- Limitations
- Both are secondary compilations; the underlying 7 Mar 1952 naming action is a SecNav/BuShips administrative record not directly digitized. Establishes the designation lineage only - no asbestos content, no material-change record (conversion canceled before work).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-04
-
[6]DANFS, 'Medrick' (PCS-1464/AMc-203) - first ship of the name (verbatim HyperWar transcription; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Medrick entry (DANFS Vol. IV), full entry text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NAME COLLISION GUARD: the first Medrick was a different hull - PCS-1464, an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper laid down 22 May 1943 by Astoria Marine Construction Co., Astoria, OR; commissioned 8 Jan 1944; reclassified AMc-203 and named Medrick 10 Jan 1945; decommissioned 9 Jul 1946; struck 28 Aug 1946; delivered to the Maritime Commission 16 Dec 1947. DANFS defines 'medrick' as a small gull or tern. The second Medrick - the name assigned to this hull as AMCU-31 in 1952 - is not covered by the DANFS entry because it never commissioned under that name.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (first Medrick)
- Limitations
- The DANFS entry documents the OTHER Medrick only; it is carried here to prevent conflation, not as history of this hull. Live NHHC 'medrick.html' page returned 404 on 2026-09-30; verbatim HyperWar transcription used. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-05
-
[7]Johns-Manville Corp. v. United States, 13 Cl. Ct. 72 (Cl. Ct. Aug. 6, 1987), vacated, 855 F.2d 1571 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 25, 1988) - WWII shipyard-asbestos test case; Consolidated Steel Orange was one of four test shipyards [court_record]
- Locator
- 13 Cl. Ct. 72 at 77, 117 (shipyard findings; privity discussion); 855 F.2d 1571 (vacatur, per curiam, verified via openjurist.org)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard asbestos documentation at trial level: in Johns-Manville's indemnity test case over WWII shipyard-worker exposures, the Claims Court's findings treat Consolidated Steel's Orange, Texas yard as one of four test shipyards (3 of 15 test claimants), describe the yard as a 'newly built contract yard' that constructed more than 130 destroyers and destroyer escorts during the war, and record deposition testimony from Consolidated electrician W.D. Smith that the working atmosphere aboard hulls under construction was 'confined and hot,' with insulation workers insulating steam pipes overhead and asbestos-containing debris left on catwalks 'that would powder and fall on him when walked on.' Johns-Manville asbestos products reached the yard through its distributor/TSU Asbestos & Magnesia Materials Co. under BuShips-approved orders. The Federal Circuit vacated the merits decision - 'we vacate and do not reach the merits' (855 F.2d 1571) - so these remain vacated-trial-level findings and testimony, not affirmed holdings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (exposure window); 1987-1988 (litigation)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange shipyard workers, incl. electricians working aboard hulls under construction (WWII era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: the opinion's exposure findings concern Consolidated's destroyer/destroyer-escort construction workforce generally and do not name LCI(L)-966 or any LCI. The merits were vacated on appeal without reaching them - testimony and findings stand as recorded trial-level material only. Full text read via syfert transcription (automated fetch intermittently 403; CourtListener verification pending - see search_ledger). Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-06
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[8]VA Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation 9828426 (1998) - service connection for asbestos-related lung disease granted on shipboard exposure; Board found NO asbestos exposure during the veteran's Consolidated Steel Orange employment, 1942-46 [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA Citation 9828426, Findings of Fact 1-2 and decision text (va.gov vetapp98 archive)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A BVA decision adjudicating asbestos exposure claims tied to this hull's builder yard: the veteran worked as a boilermaker at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX, 1942-46 (drilling steel for ships per a coworker's letter) and served aboard Navy vessels 1944-46. The Board's explicit finding: 'The veteran was not exposed to asbestos during his periods of employment with Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas, from 1942 to 1946' - while finding exposure aboard Navy ships ('on the ships the asbestos was only on the pipes,' bunks 'proximate to the asbestos-coated pipes') and granting service connection for asbestos-related lung disease.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (exposure window); 1993-1998 (claim)
- Population
- Single veteran claimant; Consolidated Steel Orange boilermakers 1942-44 (coworker context)
- Limitations
- A single-claimant adjudication, not a yard-wide determination: the no-exposure-at-yard finding binds only that claim and coexists with trial-level findings of yard asbestos conditions in the Johns-Manville litigation (ev-06). Documents that asbestos claims involving this builder yard were adjudicated in both directions. Does not name or bear on this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-07
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[9]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 (1944) and commissioned service (1944-46).
- 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. 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-966-lcil966-08
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[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (all-diesel GM series-71 plant, LCI-351 class); ShipbuildingHistory LCI(L) class table (923 hulls, ten yards); Johns-Manville Claims Court findings for the builder yard (ev-06); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy program documentation (ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; ShipbuildingHistory class table; 13 Cl. Ct. 72 yard findings; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious landing ship built March-April 1944 at a yard inside documented WWII asbestos-use litigation sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type were machinery and engine-exhaust lagging, compartment and accommodation insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. As an all-diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but her confined 158-foot hull put crew and embarked troops in continuous proximity to whatever insulating products were installed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1955+
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (1944); crew (~28) and embarked troops (up to ~188) 1944-46; reserve-fleet caretakers and any disposal/scrapping trades post-1954
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-966. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The builder yard's documented asbestos exposure (ev-06) concerns construction conditions, not installed-equipment inventories.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-09
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[11]Batch-5614 search ledger (this record): NavSource timeline and AMCU index; uboat.net action-report transcription; ShipbuildingHistory build table; DANFS (no entry for this hull; Medrick entry covers first ship only); NARA deck-log availability list; VA BVA archive; Johns-Manville case law; CourtListener (partially blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-01 through -14
- 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)-966 / LSIL-966 / Medrick (AMCU-31) was found in the public sources searched. An authenticated CourtListener opinion search for the exact hull designation returned zero hits; docket-side queries and the 'Medrick' name query could not be run this session - the fleet-wide request pacer spent the hourly budget (see search_ledger sl-06) - logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard amphibious craft generically - 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 - and the litigation search is a genuine open gap: opinion search clean, but docket and name queries unrun (blocked). Deck logs and BuShips correspondence for the 1952-54 designation/cancellation are undigitized archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-10
-
[12]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (digitized deck-log index); LCI National Association newsletter (ELSIE ITEM no. 97, June 2017) documenting physical review of LCI deck logs at NARA [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online (digitized index; hull absent); usslci.org/fathom ELSIE ITEM 97 (Jun 2017), p. NARA-visit account
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Deck-log lead: NARA's digitized deck-log index does not list LCI(L)-966 (the digitized WWII-era subset covers named vessels and a few LCI-derived AMCU hulls such as Kestrel AMCU-26/LCI-874). WWII-era LCI deck logs are physically held and were being reviewed at NARA College Park/Greenbelt (the LCI National Association newsletter documents a member transcribing LCI(L)-944's deck log itinerary). The logbook series (RG 24) and the ship's WWII action reports (CTG 78.2 Cebu, already transcribed via uboat.net; the Ormoc and later Philippine operation reports) are open archival leads for operational detail.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (log coverage); 2017 (research access documented)
- Population
- Crew 1944-46 (deck-log subjects)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: confirms the record series exists and is researchable; the specific logbooks for this hull are not digitized and their contents are unreviewed. The veterans' newsletter is a non-government community source documenting NARA access, cited for the access fact only. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-966-lcil966-11