Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet 488-packet.md (4 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-971-lcil971-pkt-488-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSIL-971 ex USS LCI(L)-971 - construction, campaign, award, and designation timeline; specifications; photographic record (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150971.htm header timeline block, campaign tables, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 8 March 1944 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Shipbuilding Div., Orange, TX; launched 31 March 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-971 in April 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; participated in the Western New Guinea operation, Morotai landings, 15 September 1944, earning one battle star for WWII service. Post-war assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East, 8 September - 16 December 1945 (Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended)). Decommissioned, date unknown; redesignated Landing Ship Infantry (Large) LSIL-971, 28 February 1949; struck from the Naval Register in 1951; final disposition fate unknown. Spec block: displacement 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; length 158' 5.5"; beam 23' 3"; speed 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; cargo 75 tons; propulsion - two sets of 4 General Motors series-71 diesel engines, 4 per shaft, GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two diesel-drive 30 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1951
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (1944); crew (1944-ca. 1946); embarked assault troops
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones track official records and its stated source is the Turner Publishing LCI history. Contains no asbestos content. Decommission date absent and strike year conflicts with other compilations (1946 variants - see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-01
-
[3]NavSource photo captions for LCI(L)-971 (contributor-credited images: Edgar John Spears RM2/c; Dave Cook for Richard C. Cook GM2 of LST-1026; Len Block SM2/c) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150971.htm photo table (images 1015097101-103 and the LST-1026-contributed New Guinea frame)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photographic record of this hull: LCI(L)-971 beached at New Guinea in July 1945 in a frame with LST-699, LST-558, LST-467, and LST-1026; the ship's crew photographed at Shanghai, China, November 1945; LCI(L)-971 underway on the Whangpoo River at Shanghai, China, 23 November 1945. The Shanghai images corroborate the documented China-service window (8 Sep - 16 Dec 1945).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew photographed at Shanghai (Nov 1945)
- Limitations
- Contributor-supplied captions - physical-presence documentation only, not work or exposure records. One caption gives contributor Edgar John Spears's association with the hull as '13 August 1943 to 25 March 1946' - the start date precedes the hull's laying (8 Mar 1944) and is likely his service window rather than shipboard dates; not asserted here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII entry, USS LCI(L)-971 (LCI 351 class) - milestones and Operation Tradewind (Morotai) task-organization transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 22036 milestone table and '15 Sep 1944 Operation Tradewind' task-organization transcription (TG 77.3.23)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation records commissioned 27 April 1944, built by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, TX, laid down 8 March 1944, launched 31 March 1944 - consistent with NavSource. Its transcription of the Task Force 77 operation order for Operation Tradewind (Morotai landings, 15 September 1944) places this hull in Task Group 77.3.23 - the LCI(L) group of the Red Beach attack force under Rear Admiral R. A. Fechteler - with commanding officer Lt. (jg) V. Muse, Jr., USNR.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Crew under Lt. (jg) V. Muse, Jr., USNR; embarked assault troops at Morotai
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a secondary compilation; the task-organization detail is transcribed from the TF-77 operation order but was not independently verified against the NARA original. The 27 April 1944 commissioning date exceeds NavSource's 'in April 1944' precision without a cited primary source - carried as a secondary variant, not asserted. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-03
-
[5]Shipbuilding History, Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange TX yard production table (njscuba.net mirror of shipbuildinghistory.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Consolidated Orange table, row '1265 ... LCI(L)-971'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-yard production table entry: yard hull number 1265, US Navy landing craft LCI(L)-971, in a contract block dated 10 December 1943 (the block date shown across the LCI(L)-960 through LCI(L)-978 series; individual laying per NavSource was 8 March 1944), delivered/commissioned April 1944. The table carries 'struck 1946' for this hull - conflicting with NavSource's 1951 strike year (see gaps).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of builder/contract data, not an official registry; its per-row dates are contract-block dates, not keel-laying dates. The 'struck 1946' value conflicts with NavSource (1951) and with the hull's documented 1949 redesignation (a struck-in-1946 hull could not be redesignated in 1949) - unresolved; see gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-04
-
[6]National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places continuation sheet for USS LCI-713 (LCI-351-class sister), 'LCI-713 As Built' and integrity analysis [nps]
- Locator
- NRHP continuation sheet section 7 (description 'as built'); integrity-analysis section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS nomination for a same-class sister documents the LCI-351 design: welded construction of 1/4-inch steel plate; engine room held eight General Motors 6-71 diesel engines in two banks of four, each bank driving a shaft with a 4-foot variable-pitch propeller; dual above/underwater exhaust (the underwater mode for landings); two 250 kW electrical generators; troop accommodation ~182 in three compartments. It records that 'a copy of the complete technical blueprint file for LCI 351 class vessels maintained at the National Archives' was obtained for the restoration - the class blueprint file is an open archival lead at NARA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 design baseline
- Population
- LCI-351-class crews and construction trades (era)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for a sister hull (LCI-713, built by George Lawley & Son, Neponset MA), not this Consolidated Steel-built hull - nomination itself notes each shipyard was allowed some latitude in construction. Contains no asbestos information whatsoever - its silence is not evidence of absence aboard this or any hull. Generator rating (250 kW) differs from NavSource's 30 kW spec - unresolved figure conflict, not carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-05
-
[7]Office of Naval Intelligence, ONI 226 'Allied Landing Craft and Ships' (1944), LCI(L) entries (HyperWar mirror); corroborated by FTP-211 'Ship to Shore Movement' (HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ONI 226 landing-craft types table; FTP-211 Ship to Shore Movement part 1, landing-craft characteristics table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official wartime Navy publications describe the LCI(L) type this hull belongs to: ONI 226 lists the LCI(L) 351-and-up group at 160' 3-3/4" length, ~257 embarked troops, diesel propulsion; FTP-211 lists LCI(L) 351-up at 8 x 225 HP diesel engines, 9 officers/196 troops capacity variants, 5 x 20mm armament, splinter protection. Both confirm a diesel-only plant - no boilers or steam system in this type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- LCI(L) crews and embarked troops (era)
- Limitations
- Type-level specifications in wartime recognition/doctrine manuals - not a record of this hull. Troop/crew figures and horsepower totals differ across the manuals and NavSource (8 x 225 hp vs 2,320 shp vs 1,600 BHP per shaft) - figures carried only at the level sources agree (8 GM diesels, twin shafts); conflicts noted in gaps. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-06
-
[8]Library of Virginia, WWII Separation Notices (Navy) collection - NAVPERS-553 for Charles McFinley Carter, StM1c, USNR (FromThePage transcription, serial 936 17 96) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LVA/FromThePage work 1142093_017_115_001, 'Record of Naval Service' / 'Service Vessels and Stations' field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A government personnel record naming this hull: the Virginia employment-commission copy of Carter's Navy separation notice lists under 'Service Vessels and Stations': 'PRINTRABASE SOLOMONS, MARYLAND: USS LCI(L) 971: U.S. NAVAL STATION, NAVY 3149' - documenting an individual crew member (Steward's Mate 1st Class, inducted 17 Feb 1944) served aboard LCI(L)-971 during WWII service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew - Charles McFinley Carter, StM1c (service documented 1944-45 window)
- Limitations
- Personnel/vessel-assignment record only - it documents presence aboard, not duties performed, compartment assignments, or any exposure. Transcription accessed via search-index capture of the FromThePage work page; the deep link resolves to the collection index under this session's fetch tooling - page-level verification is partial. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-07
-
[9]Board of Veterans' Appeals decision 9828426 (1998), service connection for asbestos-related lung disease - claimant a former Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX driller (1942-44, 1946) [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA decision 9828426, Findings of Fact 1-3 and Remand/Reasons sections
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Government adjudication touching this hull's builder yard: a veteran employed at Consolidated Steel, Orange (1942-44 and first half of 1946) as a driller on new hulls claimed in-service and shipyard asbestos exposure. Board finding of fact: 'The veteran was not exposed to asbestos during his periods of employment with Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas' (coworker letters described drilling work on ship shells as asbestos-free) - while finding he 'was exposed to asbestos when serving aboard Navy vessels in service' and granting service connection for asbestos-related lung disease (but not asbestosis).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (exposure period); 1998 (decision)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange boilermaker/driller trades (1942-46); WWII Navy crews (claimant's vessels)
- Limitations
- Single-claimant adjudication, described exactly: a merits-level negative for shipyard exposure in THIS claim only - it does not establish general absence of asbestos at the Orange yard, and its aboard-ship exposure finding concerns the claimant's unnamed Navy vessels, not LCI(L)-971 (not named in the decision). Yard-level adjudication context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (description and topic block)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including the use of asbestos in Navy ships; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This documents that asbestos was used in Navy ships and remained aboard in quantity decades after this hull's 1944 construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy crews aboard in-service vessels (era)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Direct curl returned HTTP 403; product-page description extracted via Firecrawl - full text not pulled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-09
-
[11]Texas Historical Commission marker, 'Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Consolidated Steel Corporation' (Orange, TX, erected 2008; transcription via HMDB); Texas State Historical Association Handbook entry, 'United States Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility' (Orange, TX) [other_primary]
- Locator
- THC marker text (HMDB entry 116218); TSHA Handbook 'United States Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility' (tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/united-states-naval-inactive-ship-maintenance-facility); corroborating secondary figures as noted
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official state marker documents the builder's wartime program: Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, established at Orange July 1940 under CDR E. B. Perry; the yard built 39 destroyers and 100 destroyer escorts during WWII. Post-war the adjacent U.S. Naval Station Orange (established November 1945) became the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet inactivation site and later the U.S. Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility on the Sabine River (TSHA entry: ~150 vessels moored, station deactivated 1959, NISMF closed 1975). Secondary compilations credit the yard with 106 landing craft (1942-45) at ~20,000 peak employment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange workforce (~20,000 peak, secondary)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context for the builder of this hull - does not name LCI(L)-971 and contains no asbestos or material content. Landing-craft count and employment figures are secondary (destroyerhistory.org / Orange Leader), not from the marker text itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-10
-
[12]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (8 GM series-71 diesels, twin shafts - no steam plant); NPS NR nomination for LCI-351-class sister LCI-713 (welded 1/4-inch steel construction, diesel machinery spaces); ONI 226 and FTP-211 official wartime publications (diesel-only plant for the type); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy used asbestos in its ships; 1975/1979 policies removed it only selectively - per GAO product-page description) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; NPS NR nomination section 7; ONI 226 / FTP-211 tables; GAO HRD-80-2 description
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A welded-steel diesel landing craft built March-April 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type and period were engine and exhaust-system lagging, machinery and compartment thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets, valve packing, brake/clutch linings, and electrical insulation in confined below-deck spaces. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of larger vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-ca. 1951
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (1944); crew (1944-ca. 1946); any inactivation/disposal trades (unrecorded)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or blueprint annotation located for LCI(L)-971. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. The NPS class documentation reviewed contains no asbestos information - silence is not evidence of absence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-11
-
[13]Batch-5619 search ledger (this record): NavSource amphibious archive; NHHC/DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory; NPS npgallery; ONI 226/FTP-211 (HyperWar); Library of Virginia/FromThePage; VA BVA database; GAO; THC marker (HMDB); usslci.org association site; CourtListener; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-971-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-971-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying case naming LCI(L)-971 or LSIL-971 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper returned 'fleet-wide request budget momentarily spent' (shared ~114/hr pacing) on five attempts across ~40 minutes; logged as blocked in search_ledger sl-07, NOT as a negative result. Secondary sweeps surfaced only generic law-firm marketing pages asserting asbestos aboard WWII-era landing craft as a type (asbestos-ships.com, gorilaw.com) - none naming this hull and none primary-sourced; 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 practice and Navy-wide documentation make presence era-consistent inference. The litigation-repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs, BuShips work/acceptance packages, and disposal records for this hull are undigitized leads (NARA). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-971-lcil971-12