Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCS(L)(3)-44 (10/05/050044) - construction, commissioning, theater assignment, campaign table, occupation/China service, disposal, spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050044.htm - header block, campaign table, spec block, photo captions, CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 2 October 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR; launched 22 October 1944; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-44, 2 November 1944, LT. J. M. Leggat USNR in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCS(L)(3) Flotilla One (CAPT. R. E. Arison USNR), Group Two (LT. M. C. Fitzgerald USNR), Division Three. Campaign: Borneo operation - Tarakan Island operation, 1 May 1945; one battle star. Post-war: Navy Occupation Service Medal 4 September - 8 December 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 9-10 December 1945. Decommissioned date unknown; struck date unknown. Final disposition: sold to Western Fisheries Co., Seattle WA, 23 October 1947, fate unknown. Photos: off Majuro Island February 1945; drydocked at Jinsen (Inchon) Harbor, Korea, late 1945 (National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130). Spec block: 250 t light / 387 t full; 158 ft o.a.; 23'8" beam; 16.5 kt max; 10-lb STS splinter shield; complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted; armament 1x3"/50 DP, 2 twin 40mm, 4x20mm, 4x.50 cal, 10 Mk7 rocket launchers; propulsion 2 quad-packs of GM 6051-series 71 diesels (4 per shaft), ~1,600 bhp, GM reduction gears, 2 diesel-drive 60kW generators, twin variable-pitch screws.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- CIW construction trades (1944); crew ~71 (6 officers + 65 enlisted, spec)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone data generally tracks NVR/Navy records but is not independently authoritative. Page verified live 2026-09-30 (navsource.net - the .org domain is dead). Page carries the typo 'USS LCI(L)(3)-44' in the battle-star line. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-01
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[2]NavalCoverMuseum (USCS-affiliated postal-history wiki), LCS(L)(3) 44 designation-history page [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum wiki, 'LCS(L)(3) 44' - Ship Name and Designation History table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Designation history for this hull: keel laid October 2 1944; launched October 22 1944; commissioned November 2 1944; decommissioned October 28 1946; struck from Naval Register (date unknown); sold October 23 1947 to Western Fisheries Co., Seattle WA; fate unknown. The 28 October 1946 decommissioning date is the only located value for that event - sister LCS(L)(3)-46's CO memoir records her own decommissioning the same day, consistent with a group lay-up.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Crew at decommissioning (1946)
- Limitations
- Secondary postal-history compilation - the decommissioning date is uncorroborated by NavSource ('date unknown') and no primary lay-up order was located. Struck date remains unknown. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-02
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[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LCS(L)-44 - order of battle and timed events compiled from action reports/war diaries [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/22276.html - 'Notable events' entries for 1-2 May 1945 (Oboe I) and June-July 1945 (Oboe II)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Action-report detail for this hull: Tarakan (Operation Oboe I) - in TG 78.1.31 (LCS unit) with LCS(L)-50, -8, -28, -43, -48; at 1157 on 1 May 1945 fired on by enemy mortar one mile south of Green Two beach; at 1530 on 2 May, after camouflaged batteries at Cape Djoeata sank USS YMS-481 and damaged YMS-334 and YMS-364, LCS-44 with LCI(L)-1008 and LCVPs rescued survivors close inshore under direct enemy fire; at 1740 sighted a mine at 03 deg 23'8"N 117 deg 30'E; at 1811 transferred wounded to USS Fletcher. Balikpapan (Oboe II) - in TG 78.2.8 Close Support Unit (T/Cdr. D. H. Day USN) and TU 78.2.93, supporting Underwater Demolition Team obstacle-demolition work off Manggar and Manggar Ketjil, 20-26 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- May-June 1945
- Population
- Crew (~71) under enemy fire at Tarakan; rescued YMS-481 survivors taken aboard
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation: uboat.net transcribes official action reports and war diaries but is not itself an official repository; underlying TG 78.1/78.2 action reports are at NARA (undigitized lead). Timestamps use I-zone (Item) time. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-03
-
[4]'A Brief History of LCS(L)(3) 46' by Lt.(jg) W. P. McCarthy, commanding officer - contemporaneous CO memoir hosted by NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050046h.htm - October 1945 narrative paragraphs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary eyewitness documentation of this hull's occupation service: on 16 October 1945 Commander LCS(L) Flotilla One left Inchon with LCI(L) 778 and LCSs 27, 28, 29, 44 and 46 and established an anti-smuggling patrol off Mokpo, Korea; on the third day LCS-44 and LCS-46 stopped two Korean motor craft and found 749,000 yen plus tobacco, silks, linen and merchandise (contraband, confiscated and turned over to military government personnel); patrol returned to Inchon 21 October. Sister-ship context: LCS-46 decommissioned 28 October 1946 - the same date NavalCoverMuseum records for LCS-44, consistent with a group lay-up of the returning Flotilla One division.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- September-December 1945
- Population
- Crew (~71) on occupation duty, Korea/China 1945
- Limitations
- Memoir authored by another hull's CO; names LCS-44 in the shared-patrol event only - not a history of this ship. Publication venue is NavSource (volunteer archive); the memoir itself is a primary participant account. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-04
-
[5]Oral history of Loman Johnston (enlisted 1944 at 17), interviewed March 2005 - Palo Alto College History 1302 oral-history project (interviewer Joseph Mongarella) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Johnston-Mongarella oral history page, 'Where were you stationed' and 'What was your job' sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named crewmember testimony for this hull: Loman Johnston was assigned to 'the LCS (Landing Craft Support boat) 44' at Pearl Harbor after leaving USS New York; 'We left for the Pacific and I didn't touch land for 14 months.' He served as a fire controller manning a quad 40mm mount at his battle station; describes fire-support duty for Marine landings and a postwar liberty incident involving Tsingtao, China - consistent with the documented Tarakan/China-service itinerary.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (interviewed 2005)
- Population
- Enlisted crew member (one named individual), 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Oral history recorded ~60 years after the fact on a community-college class project site - modest documentation authority; recollection-level detail ('fire controller' colloquial for fire-controlman/gun-crew station; 'Quad 40' describes the twin-40mm mount loosely). Establishes crew complement and itinerary consistency, not materials aboard. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-05
-
[6]Office of Naval Intelligence, ONI 226 'Allied Landing Craft and Ships' (1944) - U.S. Navy recognition manual, LCS(L)(3) class entry (HyperWar transcription); corroborating class spec summary at HyperWar 'US Navy Landing Ships/Craft, 1940-1945' (NHHC-derived) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ONI-226.pdf, LCS(L)(3) entry; https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html 'LCS(L) -- Landing Craft, Support (Large)' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous U.S. Navy documentation of the class: ONI 226 lists '*LCS(L)(3) (Large)-(Mark 3) US' in the 1944 recognition manual. The NHHC-derived HyperWar class page records: 383 tons full load; 158'5"; 23'3" beam; armament 1x3"/50 DP, 2x2 40mm, 4x20mm; complement 5 officers + 68 enlisted; '2 G.M. diesel engines, model 6051, 1800 hp'; built on the LCI(L) hull with entirely rearranged interior; role 'provides fire support for landing operations; intercepts and destroys inter-island barge traffic.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Class-wide crew population (context)
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation - describes the type, not this hull. Complement figure (5 officers + 68 enlisted) conflicts mildly with the NavSource spec block (6 + 65) used on this hull's page - variant noted in gaps. ONI 226 is a recognition manual, not a material or construction standard; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-06
-
[7]Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 'Zidell Waterfront Property Cleanup' (2012, NW Region Cleanup Program, DEQ No. WMCVC-NWR-94-23 / ECSI No. 689); corroborated by Oregon Public Broadcasting, 'Portland's Toxic Graveyard for World War II Ships' (reputable press) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DEQ ph-ZidellCAG.pdf - Background, Site Contaminants, remedy bullets; OPB battleready series article (Zidell/CIW site linkage)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Government cleanup documentation of this hull's builder site: the former Commercial Iron Works yard on the Willamette River - 'Ironworks shipyard before WWII; Building, repair and salvage of Victory Ships during WWII; Purchased by Zidell in 1946: 336 ships dismantled over 30 years - scrap sold, waste used as site fill.' Site contaminants identified by DEQ include asbestos (alongside metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCBs, butyltins); the executed remedy included an 'asbestos abatement project - all workers certified, air monitoring, bulk ACM disposal.' OPB corroborates that Zidell's shipbreaking operated on the old Commercial Iron Works shipyard and spread asbestos, lead, and PCB contamination across the 30-acre site.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1987-2012 (site assessment and remedy); site industrial use 1916-1990s
- Population
- Zidell shipbreaking workers (1946-~1990s); CIW wartime trades (site context); remediation workers (2010-2012)
- Limitations
- Site-level environmental documentation, not a hull record: the documented asbestos contamination is attributed to a century of industrial use dominated by Zidell's post-war shipbreaking (1946 forward); it does not establish that asbestos was handled aboard or during this hull's 1944 construction, though wartime shipbuilding at the same site is part of the site's industrial history. Cleanup-year data (1987 assessment - 2011-12 remedy construction). Does not establish exposure, quantity, or any individual claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-07
-
[8]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 1944 construction and 1944-1946 service era.
- 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, standing defect since Batch 01) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-08
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (diesel propulsion, 1944); ONI 226/HyperWar class entry; shipbuildinghistory build table (3-yard program, CIW hulls 26-47 and 79-108); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos era; Oregon DEQ Zidell/CIW-site contaminant record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; ONI 226 class entry; shipbuildinghistory LCS(L) table; GAO HRD-80-2; DEQ ph-ZidellCAG.pdf
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel amphibious gunboat built in 1944 at a wartime Portland yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, thermal insulation around machinery spaces, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and shipyard welding/insulation consumables during construction. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the confined 158-foot hull concentrated whatever insulation materials were installed in close proximity to the crew.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- CIW construction trades (Oct-Nov 1944); crew (~71, 1944-46); any Western Fisheries conversion/scrapping workers post-1947
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder specification sheet located for LCS(L)(3)-44. 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-lcsl344-09
-
[10]Batch-5715 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull + memoir pages; NavalCoverMuseum; NHHC DANFS index; NVR; ONI 226/HyperWar; uboat.net action-report compilation; shipbuildinghistory; Oregon DEQ/OPB; CourtListener API v4 (partially run - see sl-05/sl-06); NARA deck-log lead; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcsl344-01 through sl-uss-lcsl344-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LCS(L)(3)-44 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener exact-phrase opinion queries for 'LCS(L)(3)-44' and 'LCS(L)-44' returned zero results; a docket-index search for '"LCS(L)" asbestos' produced only a name-collision (Livingston v. MBTA Employees Credit Union, unrelated); 'Commercial Iron Works' + asbestos opinions returned zero. Three further planned queries could not be completed this session - the fleet-shared authenticated quota was paced (hourly budget) - logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Law-firm marketing pages list 'Commercial Iron Works Shipyard' on Oregon exposure-site lists 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 - a 1944 hull sold into commercial hands in 1947 and never surveyed under modern hazmat regimes is precisely the profile where documentation is absent. Litigation coverage is partial (two clean zero-result queries plus a zero-result builder query; three queries deferred by pacing). Deck logs (RG 24), CIW construction records, and the TG 78.1/78.2 action reports at NARA are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl344-10