Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCS(L)(3)-31 (archives/10/05/050031) - construction milestones, unit assignments, campaign credits, awards, decommissioning, disposal, and specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050031.htm - header/timeline block, campaign and awards tables, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 August 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 2 September 1944; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-31 on 20 September 1944, LTjg. Kenneth Machacek USNR in command. Asiatic-Pacific assignment: LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Three (CAPT. T. C. Aylward USN); LCS(L)(3) Group Seven flagship (LCDR. E. P. Stone USNR); LCS(L)(3) Division Fourteen. Campaign credits: Iwo Jima operation (19 February - 8 March 1945) and Okinawa Gunto operation (26 March - 30 June 1945); Navy Occupation Service 19 September - 13 November 1945; China Service (extended) 16 November 1945 - 10 October 1946. Decommissioned in 1946 at New Orleans after running aground on a reef and tearing her bottom out; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (4 May 1945, Okinawa) plus retroactive Combat Action Ribbon, and earned two battle stars; individual awards listed: Silver Star (LTjg. Machacek) and Purple Hearts (10 KIA and 12 WIA at Okinawa, 4 May 1945). Final disposition: sold to H. H. Buncher Co., Pittsburgh PA, 27 January 1947, fate unknown. Spec block: 250 t (lt) / 387 t (fl); length 158' o.a.; beam 23'8"; complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted; diesel propulsion - two quad packs of four General Motors 6-71-series diesels, 1,600 BHP, single GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2 diesel-driven 60 kW 450 V AC generators; armament one single 40mm bow gun, two twin 40mm AA mounts, four single 20mm, four .50 cal MG, ten Mk7 rocket launchers. Class header identifies her as 'LCS(L)(3)-1 Class Landing Craft Support (Large)(Mark3)'; the NavSource class index (10/05/05idx.htm) enumerates hulls LCS(L)(3)-1 through -130.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1944); crew of 6 officers + 65 enlisted (1944-46); H. H. Buncher Co. disposal workforce (1947)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones generally track official records, but the page's division assignment (Fourteen) conflicts with the CO's memoir (Thirteen) and its awards banner (10 KIA) conflicts with the memoir's nine killed; both conflicts are carried unresolved (ev-08, gaps). Verified live 2026-09-30. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-01
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[2]'A Brief History of USS LCS(L) 31' by Lt.(jg) Kenneth F. Machacek, commanding officer - first-person ship history provided to NavSource by the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130; includes full text of the Presidential Unit Citation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050031h.htm - full memoir text and reproduced PUC citation
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The commanding officer's memoir documents for this hull: crew assembly and training July-August 1944 (43 men at Little Creek VA, 22 at Fort Pierce FL, gunnery training aboard USS Wyoming, final week aboard LCI(L)-694); arrival Portland 16 August 1944; preliminary trials 17 September; commissioning 20 September; departure Portland 31 October for San Diego outfitting; assignment to 'LCS(L) Flotilla Three, Group Seven, Division Thirteen'; flagship for Commander LCS(L) Group Seven LCDR Frank P. Stone; departure 7 November 1944 for Pearl Harbor; convoy to Iwo Jima 24 January 1945; two rocket barrages ahead of the initial assault waves 19 February, then call-fire support at 150-500 yards; released 9 March for repairs at Saipan; Okinawa from 25 March including diversionary landings 1-2 April and three months of radar-picket support, anti-suicide-boat patrol, escort, and smokemaking; credited with destroying eight enemy aircraft during the Okinawa operation; 4 May 1945 mass kamikaze attack - hit by three suicide planes, nine crew killed and twelve wounded, remained on station until relieved; 3.5 weeks of repair at Kerama Retto cannibalizing a twin 40mm mount and Mk 51 director from wrecked ships; Stone moved his flag to LC(FF)-484 on 6 May; released from Okinawa 6 July for San Pedro Bay, Leyte; post-VJ-Day occupation duty at Wakayama (landing support 25 September) and Nagoya, firing on mines cut by minesweepers; Inchon and Mokpo, Korea; ordered home 7 December via Tsingtao and Saipan (arriving Christmas Eve); New Orleans for mothballing - 'the good ship USS LCS(L) 31 was run onto a reef that ripped such a hole in her hull that it was decided she should be scrapped.' Full SECNAV Presidential Unit Citation text for the 4 May 1945 action is reproduced on the page.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Officers and crew of USS LCS(L)(3)-31 (1944-46), incl. Group Seven flag staff while embarked
- Limitations
- Primary-source memoir but retrospective and narrative in form: its 'Division Thirteen' conflicts with the NavSource main page's 'Fourteen', and its 'nine members of the crew were killed' conflicts with the NavSource banner's 10-KIA count; 'decided she should be scrapped' implies but does not document the disposal contract (the 27 Jan 1947 sale date comes from the main page). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-02
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[3]All Hands magazine (Bureau of Naval Personnel), October 1945 issue, p. 57: 'Citations Given 3 LCSs, Anti-Sub Group' - Presidential Unit Citation awards to LCSs 31, 51, and 57 (bound-volume scan, University of Florida digitization, issues 334-343) [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands October 1945, p. 57 ('Citations Given 3 LCSs, Anti-Sub Group') and index; archive.org item allhands3343unit
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy's official enlisted magazine records the Presidential Unit Citation to this hull: 'The LCS 31 scored repeated hits on two of a large formation of Kamikazes which attacked a flotilla of ships off Okinawa on 4 May but could not stop the terrific momentum of the planes, which crashed, one between her conning tower and 40-mm. gun and the other across the main deck aft. Severely crippled by fires, extensive damage and casualties, she remained in action, destroyed the third and fourth attackers, and despite severely reduced fire power, scored two more kills.' Index line: 'LCS 31: Presidential unit citation 10:45:57' (issue 10 [October], year 1945, page 57).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Officers and crew of USS LCS(L)(3)-31
- Limitations
- Confirms the award and summarizes the cited action only; no asbestos or material content. Periodical reproduction, not the award document itself - the citation text is also reproduced on the NavSource memoir page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-03
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[4]U.S. Naval Academy, Nimitz Library Special Collections & Archives, MS 415 'World War II Ship Action Reports, 1942-1945' finding aid [other_primary]
- Locator
- MS 415 finding aid, Series 2 'Ships L (including landing craft),' Box 12 Folder 23
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USNA action-report collection holds this hull's wartime action reports: 'U.S.S. LCS (L)-31 (Landing Craft - Support), April - May 1945. Anti-aircraft action near Okinawa and action north of Okinawa' - Series 2, Box 12, Folder 23. These reports cover the 4 May 1945 kamikaze action for which the ship received the Presidential Unit Citation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945 (report coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the finding aid establishes that the reports exist at USNA; their contents are not digitized in any public source located and were not read for this record. Action reports are combat records; no asbestos content expected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-04
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[5]NHHC Archives Branch - 'L. Richard Rhame Collection: National Association of USS LCS(L)(3) 1-130 Papers,' Collection Number AR/453 (formerly COLL/245) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC personal/donated collections index, AR/453 scope-and-content note
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC holds the donated papers of the National Association of USS LCS(L)(3) 1-130 (association formed 1987; materials transferred to the Naval Historical Center in 1989): 'The bulk of the collection is comprised of files on individual LCS(L) ships... arranged in ship order and includes reminiscences of crewmembers, crew lists, ships' histories, war diary and action report extracts, ship newsletters, and photographs.' This is the probable repository of this hull's association file - the Machacek memoir hosted on NavSource is credited to the same association.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- WWII - 1989+ (collection coverage)
- Limitations
- Collection-level description only - the scope note establishes per-ship files for the class but does not individually catalog a folder for LCS(L)(3)-31; presence of a -31 file is implied by the ship-order arrangement, unverified until pulled. No asbestos content expected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (diesel propulsion, no steam plant); shipyard-exposure-map yard dataset (Portland-area WWII yards carry court-documented asbestos product records - Kaiser shipyards product list; Willamette Iron & Steel Pabco pipe insulation via Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (1995); Oregon Shipbuilding ACM under EPA Superfund record); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 050031.htm specifications block; shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json (kaiser-shipyards, willamette-iron-steel, oregon-shipbuilding entries)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A small combatant built in 1944 at a Portland, Oregon wartime yard sits inside the documented asbestos-use era of U.S. shipbuilding. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel-driven landing craft of this period were limited relative to steam vessels: thermal insulation on engine-exhaust and muffler runs, machinery-space insulation, gaskets and flange packing, valve packing, electrical insulation, and possible insulation or deck compounds in accommodation spaces. There is no steam plant - the boiler and steam-line lagging pathway of larger vessels does not apply to this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); disposal workforce (1947)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LCS(L)(3)-31, and builder Commercial Iron Works has no Atlas yard entry and no yard-specific asbestos record located (the cited Portland-area yard records are other yards, regional context only). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Small diesel craft carried substantially less insulation scope than steam combatants.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-06
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[7]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 (1944-46).
- 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-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-07
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[8]Cross-source conflicts within NavSource's own pages for this hull (main entry vs. commanding officer's memoir) - recorded unresolved [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 050031.htm timeline/awards banner vs. 050031h.htm memoir text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CONFLICTS NOTED, unresolved - no primary deck record was read to adjudicate: (a) division assignment - the NavSource main page lists 'LCS(L)(3) Division Fourteen' while the CO memoir states 'Flotilla Three, Group Seven, Division Thirteen'; (b) 4 May 1945 fatalities - the NavSource awards banner annotates '10-KIA and 12-WIA' while the CO memoir states 'Nine members of the crew were killed. Twelve were wounded'; (c) China Service window - NavSource credits 16 November 1945 - 10 October 1946, but the CO memoir has the ship ordered home 7 December 1945 and grounded at New Orleans in early 1946, so the 10 October 1946 end date is likely the medal's eligibility window rather than the ship's actual presence.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (conflict window)
- Limitations
- Records conflicts between the cited sources themselves; no resolution asserted. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-08
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[9]Batch-5701 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page + CO memoir; NHHC DANFS site and collections; USNA MS 415 finding aid; All Hands Oct 1945 scan; CourtListener API v4 (opinions); secondary web litigation sweep; shipyards.json yard lookup [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS LCS(L)(3)-31 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 returned zero hits for the exact designation "LCS(L)(3)-31" in both the opinion index and the RECAP docket index, and zero hits for the opinion variants "LCS(L)-31" and "LCS(L) 31"; the broader query "LCS-31" + asbestos could not be completed this session - the fleet-wide request budget was spent - and is logged as blocked, not as a negative result. The only 'asbestos aboard' material found for the class is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com shipyard pages and similar listicles) asserting exposure 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. Litigation coverage is substantially but not fully complete: exact-designation queries returned zero results in both opinions and dockets, and two opinion variants returned zero; one broad variant was not run (blocked). 'LCS-31' now also designates USS Cleveland (Freedom-class littoral combat ship, commissioned 16 May 2026) - broad queries collide with an unrelated modern ship. Undigitized leads: NARA RG 24 deck logs and war diaries for this hull; USNA MS 415 action reports; NHHC Rhame Collection per-ship file. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-31-lcsl331-09