Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 497-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED identity (mirror-sourced); SUNK IN COMBAT 22 April 1945
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED identity (mirror-sourced); SUNK IN COMBAT 22 April 1945
- Evidence ID
- uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-pkt-497-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, 15 April 1945 edition scan, pp. 218-219 LCS(L)(3) section) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Scan pp. 218-219, LCS(L)(3) specification table and per-hull construction table, row 'LCS(L)(3)15'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Ships' Data per-hull construction table lists LCS(L)(3)15 built by George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset (Massachusetts): keel laid 23 August 1944, launched 3 September 1944, first commission 26 September 1944. The class specification table for LCS(L)(3) 1-130 lists 387 tons full-load displacement, 158 ft overall length, and two-shaft General Motors 6051 Series 71 diesel propulsion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- George Lawley & Sons construction trades (1944); commissioning crew
- Limitations
- Official Bureau of Ships tabulation scanned from the 1945 edition; the document does not address asbestos, hazardous materials, or crew exposure. Table horsepower figure (1,320) differs from the NavSource page's 1,600 BHP - see gaps. Does not establish quantity or presence of any hazardous material aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCS(L)(3)-15 (page 10/05/050015; live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page header; construction and service timeline; campaign table; awards block; commanding officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The hull page identifies USS LCS(L)(3)-15: laid down 23 August 1944 at George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 3 September 1944; commissioned 26 September 1944 with LT. N. H. Brower, USNR, in command; assigned to LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Three (CAPT. T. C. Aylward, USN), Group Eight (LCDR. E. C. Thomas, USNR), Division Fifteen; participated in the Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March-22 April 1945); final disposition 'sunk off Okinawa, 22 April 1945 by Kamikaze attack'; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Awards listed: one battle star, Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 22 April 1945, Okinawa), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), and personal awards noting 15 killed and 11 wounded on 22 April 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew of 6 officers and 65 enlisted; casualties 15 KIA / 11 WIA on 22 April 1945
- Limitations
- NavSource is a compiled historical/photo archive, not a Navy registry record; the strike date is listed as unknown. The page supports identity, milestones, assignments, campaign, loss, and casualty figures; it does not document asbestos, individual exposure, causation, or remaining material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-02
-
[4]NavSource Online, USS LCS(L)(3)-15, specifications block; specifications sources identified on page as A. D. Baker III, Allied Landing Craft of World War II (1989), George Lawley & Sons Corp. Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class, and George Lawley & Sons original plans [other_primary]
- Locator
- Specifications section: displacement, dimensions, complement, armament, propulsion; specifications sources block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The hull page lists 250 tons light and 387 tons full-load displacement, 158 ft overall length, 23 ft 8 in beam, a complement of 6 officers and 65 enlisted, and propulsion by two quad packs of four General Motors 6051 Series 71 diesel engines per shaft rated 1,600 BHP, single General Motors main reduction gears, two diesel-drive 60 kW 450 V AC ship-service generators, and twin variable-pitch propellers. Armament listed: one single 40 mm bow mount, two twin 40 mm AA mounts, four single 20 mm AA mounts, four .50-cal machine guns, and ten Mk 7 rocket launchers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew of 6 officers and 65 enlisted; construction and maintenance trades
- Limitations
- These are ship-page specifications and identify a diesel plant - no steam system - not asbestos-containing materials. They do not establish that any insulation, gaskets, packing, or electrical components aboard this hull contained asbestos. BHP figure conflicts with the Bureau of Ships table (1,320) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-03
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command, Casualties: Navy and Coast Guard Ships, Landing Craft, Support (Large)(Mk. III) (LCS(L)) section [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- LCS(L) subsection of the WWII casualties table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHHC casualties listing states verbatim: 'USS LCS(L)(3)-15 sunk by Kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 22 April 1945.' Sister losses in the same table include LCS(L)(3)-7, -26, and -49 (suicide boats, Luzon, 16 February 1945), LCS(L)(3)-33 (shore batteries, Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945), and LCS(L)(3)-127 (off California, 5 March 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 22 April 1945
- Population
- Crew aboard at loss (15 killed, 11 wounded per NavSource)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC casualty tabulation establishing the cause, place, and date of loss. It does not address asbestos, materials aboard, or exposure; it does not give a strike date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-04
-
[6]U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945: Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy (Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King), Appendix - ship losses table, Support Landing Craft section (NHHC online edition) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Appendix loss table, 'SUPPORT LANDING CRAFT' rows; https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1945.html (April, 22 April entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy loss tabulation lists under SUPPORT LANDING CRAFT: 'LCS 15 | 27 20 N, 127 10 E | 22 April 1945' - the official loss position and date for this hull. The same official chronology (Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, 1945 chapter, HyperWar mirror of the Navy Department text) records: 'Off Okinawa, support landing craft LCS-15 is sunk by aircraft, 27 deg 20 min N, 127 deg 10 min E.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 22 April 1945
- Population
- Crew aboard at loss
- Limitations
- Official loss-position data. Neither the report nor the chronology addresses shipboard materials, asbestos, or exposure. The chronology citation is a transcription mirror (ibiblio/HyperWar) of the official Navy Department text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-05
-
[7]DANFS, Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) - NHHC [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) entry, Okinawa radar-picket narrative, April 1945 paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The DANFS history of USS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) records that while on radar picket station RP-14 off Okinawa the destroyer 'went to the aid of a second kamikaze victim, LCS-15, which was hit by a flaming suicider and sank immediately. The destroyer picked up the ship's survivors; and her doctor, assisted by his pharmacist's mates, worked into the wee hours of the morning on the wounded, some of them badly burned.' The same entry dates this within a week before 28 April 1945, consistent with the official 22 April loss date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 22 April 1945
- Population
- LCS(L)(3)-15 survivors recovered by Van Valkenburgh
- Limitations
- DANFS narrative confirms the hull sank immediately after the kamikaze hit and that survivors were recovered by Van Valkenburgh. It does not address shipboard materials, asbestos, or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-06
-
[8]NHHC, 'Like a Jockey Riding a Horse': Kamikaze Attack on USS Isherwood (Guy Nasuti, NHHC History and Archives Division, April 2020) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Third paragraph of the NHHC historical summary
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHHC account of USS Isherwood (DD-520) records that 'on 3 April, Isherwood steamed with minesweeper Swallow (AM-65) and landing support craft LCS(L)(3)-15 to a position off the beaches of Ie Shima to provide fire support for ground forces fighting their way inland' - placing this hull on Ie Shima fire-support duty in the first week of the Okinawa campaign. Isherwood was herself hit by a kamikaze on the evening of 22 April 1945 while on radar picket duty, the same date this hull was sunk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 3 April 1945
- Population
- Crew during Ie Shima fire-support operation
- Limitations
- Documents one documented tasking (3 April fire support off Ie Shima with Swallow). The source does not state LCS(L)(3)-15 was still operating with Isherwood on 22 April; the shared date is noted but no same-station claim is made. Does not address asbestos or materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-07
-
[9]NHHC photograph NH 96606, 'Okinawa Invasion, 1945' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online catalog record NH 96606, caption field
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC catalog caption: 'Scene off the invasion beaches during the bombardment, circa 1 April 1945. In foreground are LCS-16, LCS-15 and LCS-14. USS WEST VIRGINIA (BB-48) is beyond them, at left. Firing in right distance is USS IDAHO (BB-42). Copied from scrapbook of USS BIRMINGHAM (CL-62).' The image documents this hull at the Okinawa invasion beaches during the pre-landing bombardment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- circa 1 April 1945
- Population
- Crew during Okinawa invasion bombardment
- Limitations
- Photographic documentation of presence off Okinawa circa 1 April 1945. Contains no information on shipboard materials, asbestos, or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-08
-
[10]NHHC, 'Those Suicide Pilots Knew Where to Hit': The Sinking of USS Little (DD-803) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Opening paragraphs of the NHHC historical summary
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NHHC Little (DD-803) narrative states that in May 1945 Little patrolled Picket Station No. 10 'operating with destroyer minelayer Aaron Ward (DM-34) and the smaller LSM(R)-195, LCS(L)(3)-15, LCS(L)(3)-25, and LCS(L)(3)-83.' This listing names LCS(L)(3)-15 in the RP-10 complement for the 3 May 1945 action even though NHHC's own casualty tabulation and the official loss table fix her sinking at 22 April 1945 - an internal NHHC inconsistency. This record adopts the official loss date; the RP-10 listing is flagged, not adopted.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- May 1945 (station composition listed); 22 April 1945 (verified loss)
- Limitations
- The named-in-station-composition claim conflicts with the verified 22 April 1945 loss; it may reflect a generic picket-composition description or an error in the secondary NHHC narrative. Recorded here so the two official sources are reconciled explicitly rather than silently.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-09
-
[11]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979), product page; full text blocked to automated retrieval [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page; full-text retrieval blocked (HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The GAO report is an era-level Navy program source concerning protection of workers from asbestos exposure. Its subject is Navy-wide worker protection, not USS LCS(L)(3)-15, and it is used only to contextualize the 1944-1945 Navy service window.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 report concerning earlier Navy practices
- Population
- Navy shipyard and shipboard workers covered by the program review
- Limitations
- The GAO product page returned HTTP 403 to automated retrieval and the full report was not verified in this session. This row does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, a particular product, quantity, location, or individual exposure; it remains context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-10
-
[12]Batch-5683 source sweep and search ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- Search-ledger rows sl-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation schedule, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation record was located in the sources completed for this hull. Because the vessel was destroyed in action in 1945 and never returned to service, postwar abatement or survey records are not expected; the negative finding covers construction-material and litigation records. This is a located-record negative finding only; it is not a finding that asbestos was absent from the vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30 research session
- Limitations
- Authenticated CourtListener sweeps returned zero results for the exact hull designation in opinions and RECAP dockets and zero results for 'LCS-15' in opinions; the 'LCS-15' docket query remained blocked by fleet pacing at the research cutoff - see search_ledger. No conclusion about exposure, causation, product identity, or legal eligibility follows from this row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-15-lcsl315-11