Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 490-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-988-lcil988-pkt-490-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LC(FF)-988 ex USS LCI(L)-988 (10/15/150988) - construction, designation, campaign, occupation-service, disposal timeline and specifications; history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150988.htm header block, campaign table, occupation-service table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 31 March 1944 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Shipbuilding Div., Orange, TX; launched 25 April 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-988 on 22 May 1944 (LT. A.M. Shirey Jr., USNR, in command as of May 1945); redesignated LC(FF)-988 (Landing Craft, Flotilla Flagship) 31 December 1944. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater as flagship, LCS(L) Flotilla Three (CAPT. Theodore C. Aylward, USN), LCS Group Seven. Campaigns: Iwo Jima operation 19-26 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto operation 25 March-30 June 1945. 1945 reorganization: LC(FF) Flotilla Twenty-Three (LCDR. R.H. Brazeal), Group Sixty-Nine (LT. T.T. Brooks), Division One Hundred Thirty-Eight. Postwar: Navy Occupation Service 2 September-7 December 1945; China Service (extended) 8-10 December 1945. Decommissioned and struck, dates unknown; sold 28 December 1946; fate unknown; two battle stars for WWII. Photo captions document her as flagship of Gunboat Support Group 52.5 off Maui during the 12-18 January 1945 Iwo Jima rehearsal, grounded in Buckner Bay, Okinawa after Typhoon Louise (October 1945), and anchored at Aomori Wan, Japan as LCS Flotilla 3 flagship (diary source). Specifications: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5"; beam 23'3"; 16 kts max; 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; 5 single 20mm guns; 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, pilot house; two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (Mar-May 1944); crew 4 officers + 24 enlisted plus Flotilla Three staff; embarked troops up to 6 officers + 182 enlisted
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation citing Turner Publishing's USS LCI Vol. II - milestone dates generally track the Naval Vessel Register/DANFS but are not the primary registry; decommission and striking dates are unrecorded here. Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. Commissioning-date conflict with the HyperWar stub ('commissioned 1943') is carried as a correction row (ev-10).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-01
-
[3]A Brief History of LCS(L)(3) 34, compiled by Frank N. Farmer, Gunner's Mate (contemporaneous unit history, NavSource LCS(L)(3)-34 page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LCS(L)(3)-34 unit history, narrative sections for Jan 1945 (Pearl Harbor departure), Feb-Mar 1945 (Iwo Jima), Apr-Jul 1945 (Okinawa, TG 52.19), 6 Jul 1945 (TU 99.1.27)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A shipmate-compiled unit history names this hull in operational detail: 'LCS 34 departed Pearl Harbor on 22 January in company with LC(FF) 988 (Flotilla Three flagship), LCSs 32, 33, 35, 36 and 51 as Gunboat Support Unit 51.13.4 of Tractor Group Baker'; the group 'was a part of LCS(L) Flotilla Three, commanded by Captain T.C. Aylward, U.S.N.'; 'Departed Iwo Jima on 26 February in company with ships of LCS(L) Division Thirteen and LC(FF) 988'; at Okinawa the LCSs operated 'under the command of Captain T.C. Aylward, Commander Task Group 52.19'; and 'LCS 34 departed Okinawa on 6 July as Division Two Guide of Task Unit 99.1.27, with LC(FF) 484 as Division One Guide; Captain T.C. Aylward, aboard LC(FF) 988, in command.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LC(FF)-988 crew and embarked LCS Flotilla Three staff (1945)
- Limitations
- Corroborates the flagship role and campaign presence from a contemporaneous crew-compiled unit history of a subordinate ship - not a registry document; no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-02
-
[4]A Brief History of LCS(L) 18, by Lt.(jg) John F. Lehman, commanding officer (contemporaneous unit history, NavSource LCS(L)(3)-18 page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- LCS(L)(3)-18 unit history, narrative for 11-24 August 1945
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A second independent unit history documents this hull in the occupation sail to Japan: on 11 August 1945 LCS 18 'sortied with LCS(L) Group Eight enroute to Tokyo Bay. Commander LCS(L) Flotilla Three, aboard the LC(FF) 988, was our OTC. During the trip to Tokyo Bay, we were diverted to Okinawa due to a typhoon warning. We arrived in Buckner Bay on 17 August to use the island for protection while riding out the typhoon.' The group then proceeded via Sagami Bay to Mutsu Bay/Aomori for occupation landings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LC(FF)-988 crew and embarked LCS Flotilla Three staff (August 1945)
- Limitations
- Corroborates flagship/OTC role in the August 1945 movement to Japan and the mid-August typhoon diversion into Buckner Bay - a unit-history narrative, not a registry document; no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-03
-
[5]Lt. Raymond C. Madole, LCS Flotilla Three Chief Operations and Gunnery Officer, summary of service (contributed by Scott Madole; PDF hosted on NavSource 10/15/150988) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PDF 150988b.pdf - duty chronology entries Dec 1944 through Mar 1946
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A flotilla staff officer's typed memoir states: 'Our command ship was the LCI (FF) 988 which carried the Flotilla Staff and crew (58 people). Capt. Aylward was the Commanding Officer.' His chronology: departed San Diego December 1944 for Hawaii; Iwo Jima 19 February-March 1945 ('escorted... on flanks'); at Okinawa 'a typhoon delayed us at sea and we arrived late'; 'Captain Aylward transferred, and I became the Flotilla Commodore'; 'Ordered to Hokkaido to rescue U.S. POW's' (arrived after POWs evacuated by AAF); 'Proceeded to Aomori and took over port supervision' with ~15 ships; November 1945 detached to Tokyo, then Sasebo for mine-clearing support, then Shanghai; returned home via Pearl Harbor, arriving San Diego March 1946 where flotilla staff went to reception centers for reassignment or discharge.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- LC(FF)-988 crew and ~58-person Flotilla Three staff (1944-46)
- Limitations
- A participant memoir - firsthand but postwar and self-reported; used for ship-specific operational narrative only. 'A typhoon delayed us at sea and we arrived late' is consistent with but does not itself date the October 1945 Typhoon Louise grounding (photo-documented in ev-05). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-04
-
[6]NavSource photo caption: 'USS LC(FF)-988 grounded in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, after Typhoon Louise passed over in October 1945' (photo credit Scott Madole); corroborating storm account at Univ. of Memphis Digital Commons WWII oral-history collection (digitalcommons.memphis.edu/speccoll-mss-wwtwo3/1 - Typhoon Louise, 9 October 1945, 12 ships sunk, 222 grounded, 32 severely damaged) and Rielly, American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II (Nakagusuku/Buckner Bay chapter) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150988.htm photo caption (185k image, Scott Madole); Rielly chapter 'War's End and Post-War' (Typhoon Louise section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Photographic documentation places this hull aground in Buckner Bay (Nakagusuku Wan), Okinawa, after Typhoon Louise of 9 October 1945 - the storm that grounded over 200 U.S. vessels at the anchorage. She was later refloated or otherwise recovered: occupation service continued (Aomori/Hokkaido support, Sasebo, Shanghai) before stateside return in March 1946 and sale on 28 December 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LC(FF)-988 crew and flotilla staff (Oct 1945); any salvage crews assisting refloat
- Limitations
- Grounding is photo-documented; extent of hull damage and any repair availability are not documented in consulted sources. Rielly's chapter supplies storm context (222 vessels grounded at Buckner Bay) but does not name this hull. No asbestos content - grounding/salvage is noted as a potential material-disturbance event only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-05
-
[7]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 0940502, Docket 06-27 687 (Oct. 26, 2009) - claim for service connection for a lung disorder, to include as due to asbestos exposure [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA Citation 0940502, Introduction and Analysis sections (service aboard LCI(L)-685/981/PCE-875; 'as though he had' language; reopen-and-remand disposition)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A VA appellate decision documents an asbestos-exposure claim covering service aboard sister LCI(L) hulls: service personnel records showed the veteran (motor machinist's mate, second class) served aboard USS LCI(L)-685, USS LCI(L)-981, and USS PCE-875 during November 1943-October 1947, with later service on Navy LSTs. 'Given his shipboard duties in the Navy, however, the Board will address the Veteran's claim as though he have had asbestos exposure.' The Board reopened the previously denied claim on new and material evidence and remanded the merits to the RO. LCI(L)-981 was built at the same yard as this hull - Consolidated Steel, Orange, TX - laid down 21 March 1944, ten days before LCI(L)-988.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2009 (decision); service period 1943-1952
- Population
- LCI(L) motor machinist's mates and engine-room crews, 1943-47 (class context)
- Limitations
- Names sister hulls, not this hull - class/era litigation context only. Stage discipline: this is a reopen-and-remand ruling; the 'as though he had' asbestos exposure is the Board's analytical convention, not a merits finding of exposure aboard any specific vessel, and the underlying claim was not adjudicated to conclusion in this decision. The veteran's described asbestos duties (pipe insulation, boilers, mufflers, engine manifolds) are attached to his shipyard and LST service periods in the decision, not specifically to the LCI(L)s.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-06
-
[8]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 9828426, Docket 94-15 783 (Sept. 23, 1998) - service connection for asbestos-related lung disease, to include asbestosis [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA Citation 9828426, Findings of Fact 1-3; Factual Background (coworker letters, Sept. 1996); Analysis (M21-1 recital)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A VA appellate decision adjudicated asbestos exposure for a worker at this hull's builder: the veteran was a boilermaker-department Driller(IV) at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX (spring 1942-spring 1944, first half of 1946 per SSA records), then Navy gunner's-mate duties May 1944-February 1946. The Board found he was NOT exposed to asbestos at the yard - coworker letters established his work was drilling holes in exterior hull plating at a construction stage and area where no asbestos was present - but WAS exposed aboard Navy vessels (asbestos-coated piping; sleeping adjacent to it; gunfire shaking dust from pipes; asbestos floor-tile maintenance at the Boston receiving station). Service connection for asbestos-related lung disease was GRANTED; asbestosis denied (credible evidence showed COPD/pleural disease, not parenchymal asbestosis). The decision recites VA M21-1 era guidance: 'during World War II, several million people employed in U.S. shipyards and U.S. Navy veterans were exposed to chrysotile products, as well as amosite and crocidolite, since these varieties of African asbestos were used extensively in military ship construction.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1998 (decision); exposure window 1942-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange boilermaker-department trades (1942-46); Navy shipboard crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard litigation context, not a hull finding: the decision found AGAINST yard exposure for this particular claimant (hull-exterior drilling work) while finding FOR shipboard exposure aboard the Navy vessels he served on (Prince William-class escort carrier, AN-37, a flush-deck destroyer - none of them this hull). It neither establishes nor negates asbestos use inside Consolidated Steel hull construction generally; it does show the yard's boilermaker workforce inside the WWII asbestos era. Final Board disposition on the merits - this is a merits-level finding for that claimant, not an allegation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, twin variable-pitch propellers - no steam plant); USS LCI National Association 'LCI Facts' page (quad GM 6-cylinder diesels, 8 total; quarter-inch steel plate hull); VA M21-1 era guidance as quoted in BVA 9828426 (asbestos products used extensively in WWII military ship construction) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150988.htm specifications block; usslci.org/facts/ propulsion and hull-material description; BVA 9828426 M21-1 recital
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built March-May 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation around the diesel engines and exhaust runs, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in a compact hull volume shared with crew berthing and (in this hull's LC(FF) configuration) an embarked flotilla staff. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (Mar-May 1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops and flotilla staff; post-sale commercial/scrapping workforce (unknown - fate unrecorded)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LCI(L)-988/LC(FF)-988. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The 2-inch 'plastic splinter protection' armor noted in NavSource specifications is described by source but its composition is undocumented here - no asbestos claim is made for it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-08
-
[10]Batch-5636 search ledger (this record): NavSource; contemporaneous LCS(L) unit histories; Madole memoir; VA BVA decisions; HyperWar; USS LCI National Association; NHHC/DANFS (no entry); NVR (no entry - pre-1987 disposal); NARA catalog (JS-rendered, unfetchable); CourtListener (partially searched); GAO HRD-80-2 (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LCI(L)-988 / LC(FF)-988 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned zero results for the exact phrases 'LCI(L)-988' and 'LCFF-988'; the remaining designation variants ('LC(FF)-988', 'LCI-988') and the RECAP docket index could not be queried before the fleet pacing budget closed - logged as blocked, not as a negative result. The only 'asbestos aboard' material located is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com and similar listicles asserting asbestos on landing craft generically without primary sourcing) - 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 repository search is incomplete (two variant queries and all docket searches unexecuted). Deck logs, Consolidated Steel work packages, and the 1946 sale/disposal record are undigitized or unlocated leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-09
-
[11]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-45' stub page for USS LCI(L)-988 (generic LCI(L)-351 class spec block, builder field blank) vs. NavSource detailed timeline [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar LCIL-988.html spec block; HyperWar ships-lc.html index row LC(FF)-988
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the HyperWar stub page for this hull carries a generic spec block reading 'Built at __________, and commissioned 1943' - a placeholder that conflicts with the documented record. This hull was laid down 31 March 1944 and commissioned 22 May 1944 (NavSource); a 1943 commissioning is impossible for a hull not yet laid down. The HyperWar stub's complement (3 officers, 21 enlisted) and cargo capacity (32 tons) also differ from the NavSource ship-specific figures (4 + 24; 75 tons). NavSource dates carried throughout this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Corrects a generic-stub date conflict, not a material claim. HyperWar's companion index page lists LC(FF)-988 with in-service window '1943-44' - equally generic. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-988-lcil988-10