USS LCS(L)(3)-105

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSSL-105 ex USS LCS(L)(3)-105 (page 10/05/050105) - construction, commissioning, unit assignments, awards, foreign-transfer and disposition timeline, and specifications block (verified live 2026-09-30) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/05/050105.htm header block, timeline bullet list, ribbon table, Specifications block and Specifications Sources (NavShips 250-012; Baker, Allied Landing Craft of WWII; Lawley, Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class; Lawley original plans)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: laid down 27 January 1945 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 17 February 1945; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-105 on 5 March 1945, LT G. W. Smith USNR in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Five (CAPT J. M. McIsaac USN), LCS(L)(3) Group Fourteen (LCDR K. E. Curley USN), LCS(L)(3) Division Twenty-Eight. Post-war occupation and China service medal periods: Navy Occupation Service 19 September-4 December 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 5 December 1945-15 April 1946. Decommissioned at Naval Station Astoria, OR, circa June 1946; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; redesignated Landing Ship Support, Large USS LSSL-105 on 28 February 1949; transferred to the Ryukyuan Coast Guard 12 March 1952; transferred to France 28 December 1953 as RFS Framee; struck from the US Naval Register (date not stated); transferred to South Vietnam in March 1956 as RVNS No Than (HQ-225); renamed RVNS Nguyen Van Tru in 1970; final disposition: sunk in South Vietnam 30 July 1970. Specifications block (sourced to NavShips 250-012, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, 15 April 1945): displacement 250 t light / 387 t full load; length 158 ft overall; beam 23 ft 8 in; complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted; propulsion 2 General Motors 6051-series-71 diesel engines (1,600 BHP) with GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, and two diesel-drive 60 kW 450 V AC ship's-service generators.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-1970

   Population

   Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1945); wartime crew ~71 (1945-46)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - but for numbered landing craft with no DANFS entry it is the de facto compiled record; milestone dates track official sources. 'Struck from the US Naval Register, date unknown' is carried as stated. The foreign-transfer chain (Ryukyuan Coast Guard, France, South Vietnam) and the 'sunk in South Vietnam 30 July 1970' line are NavSource's statements; the sinking is independently corroborated by the declassified ComNavForV July 1970 monthly summary (ev-03). A wartime photo documents the hull at Tsingtao, China, circa late 1945-early 1946. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-01

2. [2]NavSource-hosted 'A Brief History of LCS(L)(3) 105, based on the diary of Vince Mancuso, Radioman' (provided by the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/05/050105h.htm, full diary transcription (commissioning through return to Portland)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   First-person shipboard diary chronology for this hull: commissioned 1000 on 5 March 1945 at Portland; departed for Astoria 16 March in company with LCS 75; San Diego 23 March; departed San Diego 3 May for Pearl Harbor as flagship of Flotilla Five with Commodore McIsaac embarked; arrived Pearl Harbor 12 May (Kewalo Basin, then West Loch for ammunition and smokeless-powder exchange); underway 25 May for Eniwetok (arrived 5 June), Guam (13 June), Saipan (20-21 June, anchored near USS Nevada); arrived Okinawa 2 July; radar-picket patrol with destroyers 4-13 July amid air alerts; Kerama Retto and Aguni Shima anchorages during typhoon warnings; present in the Buckner Bay area 12 August when a torpedo plane hit USS Pennsylvania a mile away; departed 13 August for Tacloban, Leyte with 25 LCSs and 9 LCIs; at Leyte on VJ-Day; returned to Okinawa mid-September; occupation duty from Sasebo and Nagasaki with Division 28 (LCSs 102-107): anti-suicide-boat patrol from 26 September, harbor-entrance patrol, embarked 50 Marines for village landings at Konoura, Nanatsugama and Pomi-Yuma early October; reassigned to Seventh Fleet in early November; Sasebo to Taku, China 2-6 December; up the Pieping River to Tientsin 9 December as SOPA relieving LSM-432; Tsingtao seven-day availability in January 1946 including drydocking (sides painted, screws adjusted); Mokpo, South Korea in February; Shanghai in March; homeward from 15 April via Okinawa and Guam to Pearl Harbor (10 May), then Astoria, arriving late May; up the Columbia to Portland Swan Island 26 May; crew departing for Great Lakes Naval Station and discharge by 1 June.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-03-05 to 1946-06-01

   Population

   Ship's company (~71); embarked Marines (October 1945 landings); Flotilla Five staff when serving as flagship

   Limitations

   A crewman's diary transcribed by the veterans association - primary-grade narrative detail but self-reported; individual dates and positions unverified against deck logs (undigitized, see search_ledger). No asbestos, material, or work-package content. Independently establishes the hull's operational presence (Okinawa radar picket, occupation duty, China service) and a documented drydock availability at Tsingtao in January 1946.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-02

3. [3]Commander Naval Forces Vietnam, Monthly Summary for July 1970 (declassified NHHC record; archived copy because the former live NHHC PDF returned 404 on 2026-09-30) - Operation Sea Float narrative and VNN/USN hull-designation table [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   ComNavForV Monthly Summary July 1970, Operation Sea Float / Tran Hung Dao III section (narrative) and VNN-USN designation table (footnote)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Primary US Navy operational record of this hull's loss in South Vietnamese service: 'In the early morning hours of 30 July, the VNN LSSL 225, moored to the far eastern bouy of Sea Float (WQ 001677), was rocked by a large explosion aft on her starboard side. The LSSL commenced taking water rapidly, capsized, and sank by the stern within minutes. Seventeen VNN personnel were listed as missing as a result of this attack. A length of nylon cord found attached to the LSSL's mooring bouy confirmed that the ship, one of the largest in the South Vietnamese Navy, was sunk by an enemy mine.' The sunken ship, with approximately ten feet of her bow above water and still attached to the mooring buoy, was under salvage-expert survey at month-end, with prospects rated limited by the high security risk, strong river current, and specialized-equipment requirements. The summary's hull-equivalents table footnote confirms 'LSSL 225* ... Sunk by an enemy mine at Sea Float on 30 July.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   July 1970

   Population

   RVNS crew aboard at the sinking; 17 VNN personnel listed missing

   Limitations

   Documents the loss of the hull in Republic of Vietnam Navy service, not its US Navy period; hull identification rests on the designation chain VNN LSSL 225 = RVNS No Than/Nguyen Van Tru (HQ-225) = ex-USS LSSL-105 (NavSource transfer chain, ev-01; HQ-225 number-reuse note, ev-07). Personnel figures are month-end 'missing' listings, not a final casualty accounting. The cited copy is archived because the former live NHHC PDF returned 404 on 2026-09-30. No asbestos, salvage-outcome, or material content; whether the wreck was raised is unresolved in this source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, LCS(L)(3) / LSSL class index (10/05/05idx) - complete hull-number index for the class (verified live 2026-09-30); class count and three-yard construction corroborated by secondary class literature [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/05/05idx.htm class index; sister-hull NavSource pages 050095.htm (LSSL-95 Ryukyuan transfer) and 050009.htm (LSSL-9, French-lease caption)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Class context: the LCS(L)(3) program produced 130 Landing Craft Support (Large) (Mark 3) hulls (LCS(L)(3)-1 through -130) built 1944-45 by three yards - George Lawley & Son (Neponset, MA), Commercial Iron Works (Portland, OR), and Albina Engine Works (Portland, OR). NavSource indexes all 130 hull numbers; per-hull builder attributions on the NavSource pages place this hull at Commercial Iron Works. The class was reclassified Landing Ship Support, Large (LSSL) in 1949; survivors were widely transferred - to the Ryukyuan Coast Guard (e.g., LSSL-95 on 12 March 1952, same date as this hull), France (six LSSLs leased for Indochina service), Japan, Taiwan, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Greece and others.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1949

   Population

   Construction trades at three yards (1944-45)

   Limitations

   Class-level record, not hull evidence: the 130-hull count and three-yard construction follow the NavSource index and secondary class literature (Wikipedia class article used as cross-check only). Sister-ship transfer patterns corroborate this hull's Ryukyuan Coast Guard hop but do not verify it. Class facts do not establish ship-specific materials or conditions.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-04

5. [5]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (NavShips 250-012) - diesel plant, no steam; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos program documentation (see ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-06); NavSource class index - 130 hulls built 1944-45 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications block (NavShips 250-012); GAO HRD-80-2 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos'

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A Navy landing-support gunboat built January-March 1945 sits inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era - decades before the 1973 asbestos-free insulation specifications (GAO HRD-80-2). Era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small diesel-engined combatant of this period were thermal insulation on machinery and diesel-exhaust runs, gaskets and valve packing in piping systems, electrical insulation and cabling, and fireproof sheet insulation in accommodation and magazine spaces. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam plant, so the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the exposure-relevant systems are the confined-volume machinery-space and interior applications.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-1970

   Population

   Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1945); crew (~71, confined-volume craft); Tsingtao drydock availability trades (Jan 1946)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCS(L)(3)-105. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-05

6. [6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - full report text retrieved via firecrawl scrape of https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2, highlights page and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' / correspondence-attachment sections

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that thermal insulation for machinery, equipment, and piping systems was the Navy's major asbestos application aboard ships, with asbestos also used in electric cabling, deck materials, piping-system gaskets, and brakes and clutches; Navy specifications were revised by late 1973 to call for asbestos-free thermal insulation, yet ships were still delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. A January 1945-built Navy hull predates the substitution era by more than 28 years - this hull's construction falls squarely inside the documented asbestos-use period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1979 (report); era coverage spanning this hull's 1945 construction

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; Navy asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text retrieved this session via firecrawl (gao.gov assets path); direct curl still returns HTTP 403 - a standing access defect noted in BATCH-01. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, quantity, individual exposure, or present-day presence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-06

7. [7]Hull-designation cross-check: NavSource transfer chain and photo captions (HQ-225 identity for this hull, Phnom Penh June 1970 NARA photo caption) vs secondary tabulation (Wikipedia, List of ships of the Republic of Vietnam Navy) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/05/050105.htm photo-caption block; Wikipedia 'List of ships of the Republic of Vietnam Navy' hull-number note and LSSL table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTION / scope note: hull number HQ-225 was assigned to two successive ex-US LSSLs in Republic of Vietnam Navy service - first ex-LSSL-2 (RVNS Nguyen Van Tru, HQ-225, 1954-57, broken up for spare parts), then this hull (ex-LSSL-105) as RVNS No Than (HQ-225), renamed Nguyen Van Tru in 1970. Records naming 'HQ-225' or 'Nguyen Van Tru' dated 1954-57 refer to a different hull; the name/number combination from ~1957 through the 30 July 1970 sinking is this hull. NavSource renders the French-service name 'RFS Framee' (diacritics dropped; commonly rendered Framée).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1954-1970 (designation window)

   Limitations

   Prevents a same-designation conflation rather than asserting a material fact. The number-reuse note rests on secondary tabulation (Wikipedia RVN ship list) consistent with NavSource photo captions and the ComNavForV 'LSSL 225' record; French-service name spelling follows NavSource. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-07

8. [8]Batch-5654 search ledger (this record): NavSource main page + Mancuso diary subpage; NHHC ComNavForV July 1970 monthly summary; NavSource class index and sister-hull pages; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; NHHC/DANFS coverage check; NVR; CourtListener (paced); secondary web litigation sweep; NARA deck-log availability check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcs-l-3-105-01 through -10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming LCS(L)(3)-105 / LSSL-105 / RVNS No Than / HQ-225 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener is incomplete: the authenticated exact-name opinion query for USS LCS(L)(3)-105 returned zero results, but the hull-number and docket requests remained fleet-paced and did not return results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing listicle content asserting asbestos 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. CourtListener hull-number and docket coverage is a genuine open gap, so the partial exact-name opinion result is not a completed litigation negative. This hull was sunk in combat in 1970: no post-war survey, museum, or scrapping pathway exists to generate modern hazmat records. Deck logs (NARA RG 24) for the US period are undigitized; foreign-service records (Ryukyu, France, VNN) are unexamined. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lcs-l-3-105-08