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 (3 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-989-lcil989-pkt-490-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSIL-989 ex USS LCI(L)-989 - build/milestone timeline, awards, service narrative, specifications, photo captions (history drawn from USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150989.htm header block, awards table, service narrative, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351-class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 31 March 1944 at Consolidated Steel Corp., Shipbuilding Div., Orange, TX; launched 25 April 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-989 on 22 May 1944; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during WWII. Postwar: occupation and China service in the Far East - Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 26 Sep-17 Oct 1945, 23 Nov-8 Dec 1945, 8-16 Dec 1946; China Service Medal (extended) periods 18 Jan-1 May 1946, 31 May-20 Jun 1946, 21 Dec 1946-22 Jun 1948, 27 Sep 1948-2 Jun 1949. Decommissioned, date unknown; redesignated Landing Ship Infantry Large LSIL-989 on 28 February 1949; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, July 1949; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Awards shown: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) - no campaign/battle-star table (no documented amphibious assault participation). Specifications: displacement 246 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; length 158'5.5"; beam 23'3"; speed 16 kt max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm mounts; '2-inch plastic splinter protection' on gun mounts, conning tower and pilot house; propulsion two sets of four GM 6-71-series diesels (4 per shaft), GM reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photo captions place her moored in Hong Kong Harbor in 1947 and at anchorage at Shanghai or Tsingtao, China, circa October 1946 alongside USS LSM-342.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1949 (documented); 1949-1956 (disposition unresolved)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (Mar-May 1944); crew (1944-49); embarked troops (up to 188); shipbreakers/target-tow crews (if 1956 sinking confirmed)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation drawing on the Turner Publishing LCI history - not a primary registry; it documents no asbestos content. Decommission, strike, and final disposition are explicitly 'unknown' on this page; secondary compilations disagree (see ev-05). Medal periods corroborate China/occupation presence only, not day-by-day locations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-01
-
[3]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official fleet organization roster, Navy Department Library transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service Squadron Eight section, LCI(L) block - 'LCI(L) 989 ... Lt. W. W. Beck'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 U.S. Pacific Fleet organization roster lists 'LCI(L) 989' under Service Squadron Eight (Commander ServRon 8: Commodore A. H. Gray) - grouped with service/harbor auxiliaries (IX stores barges, YAG, YC craft) and ten other LCI(L)s employed on service duty - with 'Lt. W. W. Beck' as commanding officer. She is not listed under the Pacific Fleet's amphibious Landing Craft Flotillas. Service-force (not assault-flotilla) assignment is consistent with the absence of any campaign participation on her NavSource record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew under Lt. W. W. Beck (May 1945)
- Limitations
- A roster, not an operations record: it fixes administrative assignment on one date (1 May 1945), not employment history before or after. Contains no asbestos, maintenance, or material content. (NHHC page requires a browser user-agent; verified live via rendered fetch 2026-09-30.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-02
-
[4]'LCI(L) 989 and the Yangtze Incident,' Horace Craig (Radioman, LCI 989), The Elsie Item (USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association newsletter), Issue 78, March 2012 - reprinted from Sea Classics Magazine [other_primary]
- Locator
- Elsie Item Issue 78 (March 2012), Craig memoir text (yumpu scan)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Crew-member memoir of this hull's postwar China service: while stationed at Shanghai in 1949 she assisted in evacuating wounded from HMS Amethyst (the Yangtze Incident); she served for a time as station ship in Hong Kong for the U.S. Consulate; she carried a bow catapult with four airmen and four radio-controlled drones as 'the US Navy's smallest aircraft carrier' providing aerial targets for antiaircraft crews (all four drones malfunctioned and splashed); she provided temporary sanitary facilities for a destroyer under repair at a Tsingtao shipyard at Christmas; and in 1949 she was ordered up an ice-choked river to Tientsin to evacuate American nationals. Consistent with the 1947 Hong Kong photo caption on NavSource.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-1949
- Population
- Crew (1947-49); embarked airmen/drone detachment
- Limitations
- Anecdotal crew memoir decades after the fact (Sea Classics reprint via association newsletter), not a log or official record: dates are imprecise - the memoir says 'stationed in Shanghai in July of 1949' for the Amethyst work, while NavSource has her China Service ending 2 June 1949 and laid up at Columbia River in July 1949; the tension is unresolved (Amethyst wounded were evacuated April 1949; the ship escaped 30-31 July 1949). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-03
-
[5]USS McCaffery (DD-860) veterans' site, '1948 Aboard the McCaffery' - deck-log/history transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- 1948 narrative paragraph (5-12 May 1948 entries)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent ship-specific corroboration of China service: 'While underway on 5 May [1948], she came to the assistance of the damaged USS LCI(L)-989, and began towing the LCI to Tsingtao, and arrived on 12 May.' The tow event falls inside the documented 21 Dec 1946-22 Jun 1948 China Service Medal period and documents both a casualty (damage of unrecorded nature) and a shipyard-port destination.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1948-05
- Population
- LCI(L)-989 crew during casualty/tow; Tsingtao repair trades (scope undocumented)
- Limitations
- Veterans'-association transcription of the McCaffery log/history, not the log image itself; the nature of the damage and whether repair work (with any material disturbance) was done aboard is not stated. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-04
-
[6]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), 'Landing Craft Infantry LCI(L)' per-hull build/disposition table; corroborated by uswarships.jounin.jp LSIL table [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcil.htm row 'LCI(L) 989'; uswarships.jounin.jp/lsil.htm row 'LSIL-989'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Disposition conflict: Shipbuilding History's per-hull table gives 'LCI(L) 989 | Consol. Steel | Orange TX | 22-May-44 | Later LSIL 989 1949, sunk as target 1956.' The uswarships.jounin.jp LSIL compilation further carries: decommissioned 30 November 1949; struck 17 July 1956; 'after being struck, sunk as a target.' NavSource (the Turner-sourced record) instead says decommissioned date unknown, struck date unknown, 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Two independent secondary compilations agree on sunk-as-target 1956, but no primary register entry was located to confirm the decommission/strike/fate dates.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1949-1956
- Population
- Reserve-fleet caretakers Columbia River Group (1949); target-sinking crews (1956, if confirmed)
- Limitations
- Both sources are secondary compilations of unknown provenance for these specific fields - possibly derived from 1950s naval vessel registers, but not verified against one. Carried as unresolved conflict, not fact. If the 1956 target sinking is correct it postdates the ship's active era and any sinking exercise would have gone through the era's minimal material-handling practice (no ACM record exists either way).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI(L) specifications block (all-diesel GM plant); NPS NRHP nomination 07000300 for USS LCI-713 (class design: eight GM 6-71 truck diesels, diesel cook stoves, ~5 plate thicknesses, standard supply-system equipment); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-era program); HyperWar 'US Naval Administration in WWII: Arming of Merchant Ships' Ch. III (plastic armor = poured bituminous-matrix panels on gun tubs); shipyard-exposure-map documented WWII-era asbestos product categories [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; LCI-713 NRHP nomination 'Engineering Significance' section; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built March-May 1944 at a wartime Navy contract yard sits inside the documented asbestos-use era of U.S. naval construction. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing craft of this type and period were diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and valve packing on the salt/fresh-water and fuel systems, electrical insulation on the 120V DC plant, and deck coverings/insulation in accommodation spaces. The all-diesel plant (8x GM 6-71, no boilers) eliminates the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels; the LCI design's documented '2-inch plastic splinter protection' was poured plastic armor - a bituminous (asphalt) matrix with stone aggregate per the Navy's wartime administrative history - not an asbestos product. A 1990s VA adjudication record credits asbestos-coated pipes aboard 'smaller ships' of the WWII fleet generally (see ev-07).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1956
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (1944); crew (1944-49); reserve-fleet caretakers; target/disposal crews
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LCI(L)-989. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. A small open-decked landing craft carried far less lagging than a steam combatant; inference scope is accordingly limited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-06
-
[8]Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, VA docket 9828426 (1998) - service connection for asbestos-related lung disease; veteran worked at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TX (Apr 1942-May 1944) before Navy service (May 1944-Feb 1946) [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA decision 9828426, Factual Background (1993-94 statements and Aug 1994 hearing testimony), Findings of Fact 1-2, Conclusions of Law
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A final VA administrative adjudication touching this hull's builder: the veteran worked at Consolidated Steel, Orange, TX, as a Driller (IV) in the boilermaker department (April 1942-May 1944), 'operating a compressed air drill to drill, ream and countersink steel plates' on new hulls - the same yard, building-hall era, and hull-construction work that produced LCI(L)-989. The Board found he was NOT exposed to asbestos in that yard employment, but WAS exposed aboard Navy ships: he testified that asbestos coated pipes throughout the ships he served on, that he slept within one foot of asbestos-coated piping, and that on 'smaller ships' when the guns were fired, dust came off the pipes. Service connection for asbestos-related lung disease was granted on the shipboard exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (exposure); 1998 (adjudication)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange boilermaker/driller trades (1942-44); WWII Navy ship crews (generic)
- Limitations
- Names neither LCI(L)-989 nor the LCI(L) class - ships are unidentified ('ships,' 'smaller ships'). It is a benefits adjudication for one individual, not a finding about the yard's product; the Board's 'not exposed at Consolidated Steel' finding applies to his driller duties specifically and does not establish the yard did not use asbestos elsewhere. Does not establish or defeat any claim relating to this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-07
-
[9]National Park Service, NRHP nomination for USS LCI-713 (NRHP 07000300, listed 12 April 2007) - LCI-351 class design description and restoration documentation [nps]
- Locator
- NRHP nomination 07000300 continuation sheet, 'LCI-713 Integrity Analysis, Current Condition, and Restoration Efforts' and 'Engineering Significance' sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NRHP nomination for sister hull LCI-713 documents the LCI-351 class design and records that 'a copy of the complete technical blueprint file for LCI 351 class vessels maintained at the National Archives has been obtained' - i.e., the NARA-held BuShips blueprint file for this hull's class exists and is extant, supported by Bureau of Ships files (paint schemes, authorized spare-parts lists, equipment installation notes) and the Hart Nautical Collection at MIT. Design facts recorded: rapid emergency design (~30 days concept-to-blueprints), deliberately simple (about five plate angles and thicknesses), non-specialized equipment drawn from naval/civilian supply systems, propulsion 'eight General Motors 6-71 truck diesel engines' on two shafts, diesel-fired cook stoves. The nomination contains no asbestos or insulation-material disclosure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 design era; 2007 nomination
- Limitations
- Sister-ship document, not about LCI(L)-989; carried as an archival lead - the NARA LCI-351 blueprint file is the most promising primary source for any future material-level documentation of this hull. The nomination itself says nothing about insulation materials or asbestos; absence of mention is not evidence of absence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (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 service era (1944-49).
- 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-989-lcil989-09
-
[11]Batch-5637 search ledger (this record): NavSource 10/15/150989; NHHC DANFS candidate URLs (404); NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; NVR ship-detail page (redirect - pre-1987 disposal); CourtListener API v4 type=o and type=r; NARA catalog (JS-blocked); NPS NRHP LCI-713 nomination; VA BVA 9828426; shipbuildinghistory.com LCI table; uswarships.jounin.jp LSIL table; Elsie Item 78; ussmccaffery.com; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-989 / LSIL-989 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero results (HTTP 200, authenticated) for '"LCI(L)-989" OR "LSIL-989" OR "LCI-989"' in both opinions and RECAP dockets, and zero for class-level '"LCI(L)" asbestos' and '"USS LCI(L)" asbestos' opinion queries. The only 'asbestos aboard landing craft' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com, gorilaw.com, shraderlaw.com) asserting exposure risk 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 - the 1944 wartime construction era makes era-consistent asbestos applications likely but unproven for this hull. CourtListener indexing does not cover all courts or unreported claims; a zero result is not proof that no claim was ever filed. Deck logs (RG 24) and the NARA LCI-351 class blueprint file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-989-lcil989-10