Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 488-packet.md (2 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-975-lcil975-pkt-488-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(M)-975 / ex-LCI(G)-975 / LCI(L)-975 page (history credited to 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II,' Turner Publishing, 1995) - verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LCI(M)-975 page, history block + campaign table + specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: LCI-351 class; laid down 12 March 1944 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Shipbuilding Div., Orange, TX; launched 5 April 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-975, 30 April 1944; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-975, 1 March 1945; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Mortar) LCI(M)-975, 30 April 1945. Asiatic-Pacific Theater campaigns: Luzon operation - Lingayen Gulf landings 9 January 1945 (as LCI(L)-975); Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation 26 March - 14 June 1945 (as LCI(G)-975 / LCI(M)-975). Two battle stars for WWII; ribbons listed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2), WWII Victory Medal, Philippines Presidential Unit Citation, Philippines Liberation Medal. Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 13 December 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 2 March 1948; final disposition 'fate unknown.' International radio call sign NYYT. Specifications: 246 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158 ft 5.5 in; beam 23 ft 3 in; 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; complement 4/24 (L), 5/65 (G), 4/49 (M); troop capacity 6 officers / 182 enlisted; armament by configuration (five single 20mm as LCI(L); two 40mm, four 20mm, six .50 cal, ten Mk7 rocket launchers as LCI(G); one 40mm, four 20mm, three 4.2-inch mortars as LCI(M)); two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades (Mar-Apr 1944); USN crew (4/24 as LCI(L), 5/65 as LCI(G), 4/49 as LCI(M)); embarked troops (up to 188) as LCI(L)
- Limitations
- Contributor-edited archive citing a published LCI history volume - documents service history, designations, campaign record, and class specifications, not materials or asbestos content. 'Decommissioned, date unknown' and 'fate unknown' are expressly unresolved on the page. The designation sequence (G conversion 1 Mar 1945, M conversion 30 Apr 1945) post-dates the operational gunboat/mortar roles Rielly documents at Lingayen (9 Jan 1945) - field-vs-administrative designation lag; see ev-05 and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-975 entry (ship/22040) - verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net warship record 22040, data table + History lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborates identity and dates: LCI 351 class, built by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd. (Orange, Texas); laid down 12 Mar 1944; launched 5 Apr 1944; commissioned 30 Apr 1944; 'Reclassified as LCI(G), Landing Craft Guns on 1 March 1945; Reclassified as LCI(M), Landing Craft Mortar on 30 April 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- USN crew
- Limitations
- Secondary reference database; confirms build dates and the two reclassifications. No commanding officers or notable events listed for this hull; no materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-02
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton yard tables), Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange TX - construction record table - verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- consolidatedorange.htm construction table, row: hull no. 1269, type LCI(L), no. 975
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table corroboration: Consolidated Steel Orange yard hull 1269 = U.S. Navy landing craft LCI(L)-975, 260 tons, contract date 10-Dec-43, delivered Apr-44, disposition 'Struck 1946.' Confirms builder, delivery month, and 1946 striking independently of NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades
- Limitations
- Secondary tabulation of yard build records; contract-date column (10-Dec-43) is the contract/order event, distinct from the 12-Mar-44 keel-laying per NavSource/uboat. Keel/launch cells are blank for this row in the table. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-03
-
[5]HyperWar/ibiblio, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Landing Ships and Craft,' LCI(L)/LCI(G)/LCI(M) index tables - verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-lc.html, LCI(L) table row '970-975'; LCI(G) table row 'LCI(G)-975'; LCI(M) table row 'LCI(M)-975'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Index-level corroboration of all three designations: the LCI(L) table carries 'LCI(L)-970-975 | 1942-44'; the LCI(G) table carries 'LCI(G)-975 | 1944-45 | Converted to Landing Craft, Infantry (Mortar) -- LCI(M)'; the LCI(M) table carries 'LCI(M)-975 | 1945.' No individual HyperWar page exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- Index-level corroboration only; program-era ranges and the (G)-to-(M) conversion note, no dates or detail beyond the table rows. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-04
-
[6]Robin L. Rielly, 'American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II: A History of LCI and LCS(L) Ships in the Pacific' (McFarland, 2013) - full-text mirror at erenow.org, ch. 5 (Lingayen), ch. 7 (Iwo Jima), ch. 9 (Okinawa), and Appendix II (building/conversion locations) - verified live 2026-09-30 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Rielly ch. 5 Lingayen task-unit lists + mortar-line narrative; ch. 7 Iwo Jima TU 52.6.4 roster and Thorn quotation; ch. 9 Okinawa/Ie Shima TU 51.21.25 roster + patrol passage; Appendix II 'Mios Woendi, Schouten Islands' conversion list (erenow pages 6, 8, 10, 16)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-level operational detail from a published specialist history. Lingayen (9 Jan 1945): Rielly's task-organization lists place this hull among the LCI(G)s of TU 79.7.1 (Lt. Cdr. Robert S. Rickabaugh) providing fire support for Violet and Yellow Beaches, and among the LCI(M)s of TU 79.8.1 (Lt. Cdr. G. W. Hannett); during the operation 'a 20mm shell from one [friendly ship firing at a kamikaze] landed on the deck of LCI(M) 975, wounding four of the crew and one of the officers' - the wounded were taken to LCI(M)-658 and 975 returned to her assignment. Iwo Jima: the hull is listed in TU 52.6.4 Mortar Support Unit Four (Lt. Cdr. Harris Brown), and its commanding officer is named - 'Lieutenant E. S. Thorn, Commanding Officer of LCI(M) 975' - quoted critiquing the 'Plan Able' mortar-fire scheme. Okinawa/Ie Shima: listed in mortar task unit TU 51.21.25 (Lt. Cdr. Harris Brown) at Ie Shima; LCI(M)s 356, 740, and 975 rotated on patrol nearby for several weeks. Appendix II lists LCI(M)-975 among the mortar conversions performed at Mios Woendi, Schouten Islands.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- USN crew under Lt. E. S. Thorn; four enlisted and one officer wounded by friendly 20mm fire at Lingayen
- Limitations
- Published secondary history (McFarland) read via a full-text mirror site, not an official source. Rielly's designation labels do not match NavSource's administrative dates: he places the hull in gunboat/mortar units at Lingayen on 9 Jan 1945 while NavSource dates the (G) reclassification 1 Mar 1945 and (M) 30 Apr 1945 - his own text notes many recently converted craft 'still had their (G) designations,' indicating designation lag in the records; carried as a documented discrepancy, not resolved. The Iwo Jima task-organization listing is uncredited by NavSource's campaign record (two stars: Luzon and Okinawa only) - Iwo Jima participation is unverified and carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-05
-
[7]National Archives, Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units' - ship-number finding aid, LCI(L)(G)(M)-975 entry - PDF verified live 2026-09-30 (910 KB) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 PDF, p. 16 (LCI(L) ship-number rows): 'LCI(L)(G)(M)-975 5/1/1944 12/31/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's deck-log finding aid lists one logbook span for this hull: 'LCI(L)(G)(M)-975 5/1/1944 12/31/1945' - covering essentially the entire U.S. commission (commissioned 30 April 1944) through the end of 1945, including both reclassifications and the Lingayen and Okinawa campaigns. Deck logs for the whole documented U.S. service exist in NARA custody - the primary-source channel through which construction-period materials notes, casualties (e.g., the Lingayen friendly-fire incident), or conversion work for this hull could be researched.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- USN crew of record, May 1944 - Dec 1945
- Limitations
- Finding-aid listing only - establishes that logs exist and their date span, not their contents. Log pages were not retrieved or reviewed this session; catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and could not be queried programmatically. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-06
-
[8]New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, Oral History Program veteran-interview index - verified live 2026-09-30 [museum_official]
- Locator
- Oral History Program index, 'Adams, Reginald' entry (USS Elkhart APA-80; USS LCI(M)-975; Pacific)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The museum's oral-history index lists an interview with WWII U.S. Navy veteran Reginald Adams (Manlius, NY; interviewed by Joseph R. Messineo) whose recorded service includes 'USS Elkhart (Apa 80)' and 'USS LCI(M)-975 (Landing Craft Infantry Mortar),' Pacific theater. A first-person crew account of service aboard this hull exists in a public archive.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (service); interview undated in index
- Population
- USN crew (LCI(M) configuration), WWII Pacific
- Limitations
- Index entry only - the interview transcript/recording was not retrieved or reviewed; establishes existence of a crew-member account, not its content. No asbestos content asserted or implied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block for this hull (two sets of 4 GM diesels, twin variable-pitch propellers - diesel only, no steam plant); documented Mar-Apr 1944 wartime construction at Consolidated Steel Orange (ev-01, ev-03); Lemen & Landrigan WWII Navy asbestos-materials statement (ev-09); GAO HRD-80-2 program-level finding (ev-10); BVA yard-level adjudication (ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (propulsion); Lemen & Landrigan 2017 WWII-era passage; GAO HRD-80-2 highlights; Rielly Appendix II (conversion location only)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built in roughly seven weeks in early 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but the austere LCI(L) design carried no steam plant and far less fitted insulation than a steam combatant - the steam-turbine insulation pathway named in the era literature does not apply to this hull. Era-typical asbestos applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type and period were limited to engine-exhaust lagging, machinery and piping gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The 1945 gunboat and mortar conversions (armament, magazine, and splinter-protection changes) were weapons/systems work for which no materials record was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1944); USN crew Apr 1944 - 1946; conversion-yard workforce at Mios Woendi (1945)
- Limitations
- Era inference only - no LCI(L)-class material list, insulation survey, hull work package, builder specification, or conversion work order was located naming asbestos products. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution; cannot establish or defeat any exposure or legal-eligibility claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-08
-
[10]Lemen, R.A. & Landrigan, P.J., 'Toward an Asbestos Ban in the United States,' Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 14(11):1302 (2017), via CDC Stacks - record page verified live 2026-09-30; passage verified verbatim in the published PDF (cdc_118754_DS1.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Lemen & Landrigan 2017, WWII-era paragraph (citing refs 41-43)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical review states: 'The advent of World War II brought an acceleration in the use of asbestos for insulating warships and other war-related equipment. In the U.S. Navy asbestos was used for insulating piping, in gaskets and packing in valves, and in insulating high temperature steam turbines.' Establishes the era context for this hull's Mar-Apr 1944 construction window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (era reviewed)
- Population
- WWII Navy crews and shipyard workers (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level literature context only - does not name this hull, the LCI(L) type, or Consolidated Steel; the steam-turbine application it names does not apply to this diesel craft. Cannot establish asbestos presence aboard this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-09
-
[11]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) - canonical product page; live gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches, page content verified via Wayback Machine capture 2025-02-10 [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page highlights (HRD-80-2)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy asbestos-protection efforts at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities,' and documenting the Navy's insulation policy (1975 remove-only-when-damaged; 1979 selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). Program-level confirmation that this hull was built inside the Navy's asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era review covering this hull's 1944 construction
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation - fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Consolidated Steel; addresses insulation aboard Navy ships generally, not this hull or class; does not establish asbestos presence aboard LCI(L)-975. Access gap: gao.gov blocks automated access (HTTP 403); content taken from the Wayback capture of the product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-10
-
[12]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 9828426, Docket No. 94-15 783 (decision date 23 Sep 1998) - plain-text decision verified live 2026-09-30 [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA Citation 9828426, 'Findings of Fact' 1-3 and 'Reasons and Bases' (veteran's Consolidated Steel Orange employment description)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Official VA adjudication documenting asbestos-exposure litigation tied to this hull's builder during the hull's construction window. The veteran worked at Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas, 1942-1946 (a June 1944 enlistment card describes him as a Driller operating a compressed-air drill in the boilermaker department) and served in the Navy May 1944 - February 1946. The Board found: (1) the veteran 'was not exposed to asbestos during his periods of employment with Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas, from 1942 to 1946'; (2) he 'was exposed to asbestos when serving aboard Navy vessels in service'; and (3) he suffered asbestos-related lung disease incurred in active service - service connection for asbestos-related lung disease was granted (asbestosis denied).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (exposure window adjudicated); 1998 (decision)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange workforce (1942-1946, per claimant's record); WWII Navy crews
- Limitations
- Individual-claim administrative adjudication (BVA), not a court opinion and not a general yard finding: the 'no yard exposure' and 'shipboard exposure' findings are specific to one claimant's employment record and service - they do not prove or disprove asbestos use on any particular hull or at the yard generally, and no vessel is named. Carried as yard-level litigation-environment context for the builder during this hull's build window. Litigation-stage discipline applied: a single-claimant BVA merits finding, nothing broader.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-11
-
[13]Batch-5623 search ledger (this record): NavSource; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory yard table; HyperWar ships-lc index; Rielly LCI/LCS(L) history (erenow mirror); NARA Special List 44 finding aid; NYS Military Museum oral-history index; NHHC DANFS index; NVR; usslci.org; VA BVA; CDC Stacks; GAO; CourtListener API v4; secondary web asbestos sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-975-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material list, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-975 / LCI(G)-975 / LCI(M)-975 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only 'asbestos + landing craft' and 'asbestos + Consolidated Steel' content surfaced is law-firm marketing material (asbestos-ships.com, mesotheliomalawyercenter.org, mesothelioma.net, mesowatch.org and similar) asserting exposure without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. One qualifying government adjudication exists at yard level only (BVA 9828426, ev-11).
- 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 - era construction remains consistent with era-typical gasket, lagging, packing, and insulation materials. CourtListener opinion-index query on the exact string 'LCI(L)-975' returned count: 0 this session; the designation-variant opinion queries and both docket-index queries were fleet-rate-paced at write time - see search_ledger. NARA deck logs for this hull exist per the finding aid (ev-06) but were not reviewed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-975-12