Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 497-packet.md (9 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced)
- Evidence ID
- uss-lcs-l-3-14-lcsl314-pkt-497-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSSL-14 ex-USS LCS(L)(3)-14 - construction, commissioning, campaign assignments, designation change, JMSDF loan, return, spec block (live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050014.htm - header block, campaign tables, specification block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 19 August 1944 at George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 28 August 1944; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-14 on 23 September 1944, ENS Thomas C. Fisher USNR in command. Assigned to LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Three (CAPT T.C. Aylward USN), LCS(L)(3) Group Eight (LCDR E.C. Thomas USNR), LCS(L)(3) Division Fifteen. Asiatic-Pacific campaigns: assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 26 March - 25 June 1945; Minesweeping Operations Pacific - Tsushima Straits (Kyushu-Korea) 8-16 November 1945, Formosa Straits 29 November - 13 December 1945. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service (Asia) 2 September - 26 November 1945 and 16 January - 15 February 1946; China Service (extended) 27 November 1945 - 15 January 1946; two battle stars for WWII. Decommissioned (date not stated), laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet; redesignated Landing Ship Support Large USS LSSL-14 on 28 February 1949; reactivated and loaned to Japan 16 February 1953 as JMSDF ship Sumire; returned to US custody 30 September 1975; stricken (date not stated); final disposition fate unknown. Spec block: 250 t light / 387 t full, 158 ft o.a., 23 ft 8 in beam; 2 quad packs of 4 General Motors 6051-series 71 diesel engines per shaft (BHP 1,600), twin variable-pitch propellers; complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted; bow 40mm, two twin 40mm, four 20mm, four .50-cal, ten Mk7 rocket launchers. Specifications sourced to Baker, Allied Landing Craft of WWII, and Lawley's own 'Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class' and 'Original Plans of LCS(L)(3)'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Aug-Sep 1944); commissioned crew (1944-46); JMSDF crew (1953-75)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained compilation that transcribes official data, not itself a primary registry - dates generally track NVR/DANFS but the page leaves decommissioning and striking dates unstated ('date unknown'). Contains no asbestos or material content. Spec block is class-level data (Baker; Lawley class instructions) applied to this hull's page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-01
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[3]NavSource Online: 'History of the LSSL 14 (ex LCS(L) 14)' by Raymond A. Baumler, crew member LCS(L) 14 - provided by the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130 (live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050014h.htm - full narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Crew-member history for this hull: commissioning ceremony began 0800 on 23 September 1944 with ENS Thomas C. Fisher as designated commanding officer; the narrative states Fisher 'remained in command until 17 October when he was relieved by Lt.(jg) James R. Todd' (year unstated, narratively 1944; NavSource's own CO table instead lists Todd from 'May 1945' - conflict carried in gaps). Fitting-out at Neponset; shakedown Little Creek/Annapolis/Solomons Island and Key West (one main engine replaced for excessive oil consumption); transited Panama Canal 14-15 November 1944; San Diego training under Amphibious Training Command Pacific (LCS Flotilla Three/Group Eight); Pearl Harbor 13 January 1945; Purvis Bay Solomons 17 February; three days in dry-dock after grounding on a coral reef; staging at Ulithi; radar antenna lost in a 24 March collision with a supply ship's cargo boom. Off Okinawa from the night before the 1 April 1945 landing: rocket and gunfire directed at Yellow Beach 1; anti-suicide-boat patrols; smoke cover at Hagushi anchorage; radar picket stations 7, 10, 11, 11A, 16; credited with destroying 5 suicide aircraft and 1 suicide boat; strafed by a suicide plane 4 May (two crew wounded, Purple Hearts); a Japanese mine fouled the stern anchor cable, cleared with UDT help. Leyte 25 June for Kyushu invasion preparation; occupation landing at Aomori, northern Honshu; Tokyo Bay 21 September; minesweeping from Sasebo (~1 month) and off Formosa (~1 month) until a near-miss mine detonation opened seams in the engineers' storeroom and steering-engine room; repaired at Shanghai (arrived 21 December); departed Sasebo for home 25 January 1946 via Saipan and Eniwetok; Pearl Harbor 28 February; San Francisco 21 March 1946; Astoria 8 April 1946; inactivated 9 April and decommissioned 31 May 1946; reclassified LSSL on 1 June; loaned to Japan 16 February 1953 as Sumire; returned to US authorities 30 September 1975; 'disposed of in an unknown manner.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (US service); 1953-1975 (JMSDF summary)
- Population
- Crew (1944-46): ~71 officers and men incl. ENS Fisher, LT(jg) Todd, crew member Raymond A. Baumler; drydock/repair trades at Honolulu civilian yard, Purvis Bay, Shanghai
- Limitations
- A crew member's reminiscence compiled and hosted through the veterans' association - detailed and internally consistent but secondary in character; where it conflicts with the NavSource main record (decommission date, LSSL reclassification '1 June', Todd relief date) the conflicts are carried in gaps rather than resolved. Contains no asbestos or material content; 'Astoria, WA' in the narrative is Astoria, Oregon (Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet), and the transcription's other place-name spellings ('Amori' for Aomori, 'Haguchi' for Hagushi, 'West Lock' for West Loch) are normalized to correct forms when quoted or paraphrased in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-02
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[4]U.S. National Archives catalog: ship-specific file units for LCS(L)(3)-14 - 'LCS(L) (3) 14 - Muster Rolls' (NAID 120319080, 80 scanned objects; NAID 120229594, 66 objects) and six WWII action-report file units: NAID 633409496 (ops in invasion of Okinawa, 4/1/45, Roll A1548); NAID 77522500 (destruction of enemy mine off Okinawa, 4/21/45); NAID 101734552 (AA actions off Okinawa, 4/6, 4/12 & 5/4/45); NAID 101703295 (action with enemy suicide aircraft off Okinawa, 5/3/45, Roll A1702); NAID 101735198 (AA action south of Kerama Retto, 5/9/45); NAID 77590741 (action against enemy small craft in the Ryukyus, 5/18/45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov API - file units NAID 120319080, 120229594, 633409496, 77522500, 101734552, 101703295, 101735198, 77590741
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds and has digitized primary records for this exact hull: two muster-roll file units (146 scanned pages total, Ancestry-partnership scans of Navy muster rolls, National Archives at College Park) and six combat action-report file units on microfilm (Fold3-partnership scans, rolls A1548/A1702) covering her Okinawa Gunto service - the 1 April 1945 invasion report, 21 April mine-destruction report, AA-action forms for 6/12 April, 4 May and 9 May 1945, and the 18 May small-craft action. These match the actions narrated in the crew history (ev-02).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Commissioned crew named on muster rolls (1944-46); reporting officers on action reports (1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog metadata verified via the NARA Catalog API (37 catalog hits for 'LCS(L)(3)-14'); the scanned page images themselves were not individually reviewed. Muster rolls document crew assignments, not materials; action reports are combat narratives, not asbestos records. The catalog UI is JS-rendered - NAIDs cited were returned by the catalog API on 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-03
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[5]NHHC Archives Branch: L. Richard Rhame Collection / National Association of USS LCS(L)(3) 1-130 Papers, Collection AR/453 (formerly COLL/245) (live page verified 2026-09-30) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Archives Branch collection page; finding aid rhame-lcs-coll-245.doc
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC holds the National Association of USS LCS(L)(3) 1-130 papers (transferred to the Naval Historical Center 1989): 'The bulk of the collection is comprised of files on individual LCS(L) ships. This material is arranged in ship order and includes reminiscences of crewmembers, crew lists, ships' histories, war diary and action report extracts, ship newsletters, and photographs.' The Baumler crew history carried on NavSource (ev-02) is association material of exactly this type, so a hull-specific file for LCS(L)(3)-14 is expected within AR/453; the collection is the leading repository for this ship's surviving paper record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- collection dates WWII era - present; transferred 1989
- Population
- LCS(L)(3) crews and veterans association (WWII-present)
- Limitations
- Collection-level description; the finding aid was not itemized to confirm a discrete LCS(L)(3)-14 folder, and collection contents are paper, not digitized. Ship association papers are unofficial records - useful for names/dates and as leads to official records, not authoritative for material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-04
-
[6]NHHC photograph NH 81528, USS LCS(L)(3)-1 'At George Lawley and Son Corp., Neponset, Massachusetts, 15 June 1944' (Fahey collection, USNI) (live page verified 2026-09-30) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC image catalog entry NH 81528
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photography documents the class under construction at the same Neponset yard two months before this hull was laid down: NH 81528 shows sister ship LCS(L)(3)-1 at George Lawley & Son Corp., Neponset, on 15 June 1944. George Lawley & Son was one of the three yards that built the 130-ship LCS(L)(3) class (Lawley/Neponset MA; Commercial Iron Works and Albina Engine Works, both Portland OR), on the same 158-ft steel hull design as the LCI(L) infantry landing craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Lawley Neponset yard workforce (1944)
- Limitations
- Class context only - the photograph depicts sister ship LCS(L)(3)-1, not this hull; it establishes the yard's LCS(L)(3) production line and era, not this hull's specific construction details or materials. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-05
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[7]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; full text extracted from gao.gov PDF via Firecrawl) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 full text, cover letter and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented Navy-wide asbestos practice covering this hull's era: thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; all ships contained 'some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables'; product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials and the Navy's elimination policy was issued October 1975 - i.e., decades after this hull's August-September 1944 construction; ships continued to be delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. GAO's fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); documents practices covering 1944 construction era
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. This diesel gunboat carried no steam plant, so the thermal-insulation pathway applies at reduced scale (exhaust lagging and machinery-space insulation rather than boiler/turbine lagging). Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (8 GM diesels in two quad-pack banks, twin screw; no steam plant); NHHC NH 81528 (class production at Lawley Neponset, June 1944); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-era documentation); class literature (Baker, Allied Landing Craft of WWII; Lawley 'Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class' cited by NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- synthesis of ev-01, ev-05, ev-06 source material
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious gunboat built in 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small steel combatant of this type and period were diesel-engine exhaust lagging, machinery-space thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull volume. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam ships does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1944); commissioned crew (1944-46); reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-53); JMSDF crew/yard workers during 22-year Japanese service and refits (1953-75); disposal handlers (post-1975)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder's asbestos schedule located for LCS(L)(3)-14. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-07
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[9]Landing Craft Support Museum (USS LCS(L)(3)-102), official museum history page - sole-surviving class member; class context corroborating the 28 Feb 1949 LSSL reclassification (live page verified 2026-09-30) [museum_official]
- Locator
- usslcs102.org/history.html - 'Mothball Fleet' and 'Royal Thai Navy' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class corroboration from the class's only preserved hull: sister ship LCS(L)(3)-102 was likewise decommissioned into the Pacific Reserve Fleet Columbia River Group at Astoria in 1946 and 'on February 28, 1949, USS LCS-102 would be redesignated a Landing Ship Support, Large; USS LSSL-102' - the same class-wide redesignation date NavSource records for LCS(L)(3)-14/LSSL-14, supporting the 28 Feb 1949 date over the crew history's '1 June' variant. The museum also confirms the class pattern of postwar foreign transfer (102 to Thailand as HTMS Nakha until 2007).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-1949
- Population
- none for this hull
- Limitations
- Context-only corroboration: documents the class-wide administrative event via a sister hull, not this hull's own paperwork. The museum page contains no asbestos content; its history of 102 says nothing about 14's individual disposition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-08
-
[10]Mystic Seaport Museum, Lawley Family Collection, Coll. 279 - builder's papers including George Lawley and Son records 1880-1990 (live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- research.mysticseaport.org/coll/coll279 - Scope and Content
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's archival papers survive: Mystic Seaport Coll. 279 (Lawley Family Collection, ~500 items) holds George Lawley and Son records including correspondence 1880-1953 and yard documentation; the museum's scope note dates the Neponset yard 1908-1946, bracketing this hull's August-September 1944 construction. Lawley WWII production included this LCS(L)(3) group on the LCI(L)-type hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1880-1990 collection; 1944 relevant window
- Population
- Lawley yard trades and management (1944)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - collection-level description verified; no finding-aid itemization to hull-level work orders was reviewed, and whether an LCS(L)(3)-14-specific folder or material schedule survives is unknown. Contains no asbestos content at this level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-09
-
[11]Batch-5682 search ledger (this record): NavSource main + history pages; NARA catalog API; NHHC image catalog and Archives collections; NVR direct lookup; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; museum and association sites; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcs-l-3-14-01 through -12
- 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 LCS(L)(3)-14 / LSSL-14 / JMSDF Sumire was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search on the primary designation "LCS(L)(3)-14" returned zero hits (type=o, authenticated query completed 2026-09-30); the designation-variant and docket-type searches could not be run this session - fleet-wide pacing budget exhausted (see search_ledger) - those are logged as blocked, not as negative results. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull; general asbestos marketing content naming LCS(L)-class ships as a category exists on law-firm sites (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 - a 1944 diesel combatant is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets and electrical materials, and the hull survived to 1975 including 22 years of JMSDF service and refits whose material record is undocumented. The opinion index returned no hits on the full designation string, but alternate designation variants (LSSL-14, LCS(L)-14) and the docket (RECAP) index remain unsearched - a genuine open gap, partially run. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-14-10