Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCS(L)(3)-51 - construction, commissioning, unit assignments, campaign table, awards, decommissioning, sale, and merchant registrations (compiled record; specifications sourced to NavShips 250-012 and Lawley class documents) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS LCS(L)(3)-51 page, specification block and chronology; image captions incl. 16 Apr 1945 damage photo and FV Makaka merchant-service photo
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled record for this hull: laid down 15 June 1944 at Albina Engine and Machine Works Inc., Portland, OR; launched 5 August 1944; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-51, 16 September 1944, LTjg. Howell D. Chickering USNR in command; assigned LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Three / Group Seven / Division Thirteen; campaigns Iwo Jima (19-26 Feb 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (25 Mar - 30 Jun 1945); Navy Occupation Service Medal 19 Sep - 8 Dec 1945 and China Service Medal (extended) 9-10 Dec 1945; decommissioned 1 November 1946; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; awarded Presidential Unit Citation and two battle stars; sold to Copper River Packing, Seattle, WA, 22 September 1947; registered 1948 as freighter Makaka (Juneau), 1961 Calvert Corp. (Cordova), 1963 San Juan Fishing & Packing (FV Makaka, Juneau), 1975 New England Fishing Co. (Juneau), 1989 Seward Marine Services (Seward; homeported Juneau); final disposition unknown. Specifications: 250 t light / 387 t full; 158' o.a.; all-diesel propulsion - 2 quad packs of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels per shaft, 1,600 BHP, GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers; complement 6 officers, 65 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1989
- Population
- Albina construction trades (1944); wartime crew (6 officers / 65 enlisted complement); commercial crews 1947-1989+
- Limitations
- NavSource is a compiled photo-archive record, not a contemporaneous primary document; its specifications trace to NavShips 250-012 (Apr 1945) and class documentation. Struck date is stated as unknown. Contains no asbestos or materials information. The 'scrapped 1947' figure in secondary tabulations conflicts with these documented merchant registrations (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-01
-
[2]NHHC H-Gram 045-1, 'Ordeal of USS Laffey (DD-724)' (Director's Corner, Naval History and Heritage Command) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- H-045-1 sections 'Prelude', 'Monday, 16 April 1945', and 'Aftermath'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC battle history names this hull: on 16 April 1945 LCS(L)-51, commanded by Lieutenant Howell D. Chickering, was on Radar Picket Station No. 1 off Okinawa with destroyer Laffey (DD-724) and LCS(L)-116 during an attack by approximately 30 Japanese aircraft. LCS(L)-51, on Laffey's port quarter, shared fire on and partial credit for downing attacking aircraft, rescued a downed Corsair pilot, sustained a seven-foot hole in her port side amidships with three crewmen wounded, and at about 1100 came alongside Laffey to assist firefighting. NHHC records that the ship was credited with downing six Japanese aircraft and that commanding officer Chickering was awarded the Navy Cross. The H-Gram describes the 160-foot LCS(L) type as an LCI adaptation armed with 40-mm and 20-mm guns and .50-caliber machine guns plus two high-capacity pumps enabling fire and rescue work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)-51 (three wounded 16 Apr 1945); rescued aircrew; Laffey casualties assisted
- Limitations
- NHHC documents combat action and damage, not materials or asbestos content. Casualty/hit details of the 16 April action vary across accounts; the H-Gram itself notes divergences. The class description ('two high-capacity pumps ... fire and rescue craft') is type-level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-02
-
[3]'A Brief History of LCS(L) 51' - firsthand memoir by Ensign Joseph Gebhardt, Communications Officer, provided by the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130 via NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource LCS(L)(3)-51 history page (050051h.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Crew-member memoir for this hull: ship's company assembled as crew No. 3667 at Solomons ATB, MD, mid-June 1944; entrained to Portland 4 August to take up the ship under construction at Albina; shakedown at Coronado and San Pedro; departed ~12 November 1944 for Pearl Harbor with LCS(L)s 31, 32, 33, 35, 36; Iwo Jima spotting duty with Lt. John Sweeney USMC reporting to cruiser Vicksburg; Okinawa radar picket duty at Station 3 then Station 1; the 16 April 1945 kamikaze action alongside Laffey ('we managed to get six I think ... one of them exploded just off the port beam'), picking up Laffey crewmen, fighting fires, repair at Kerama Retto; Presidential Unit Citation received at Wakayama; occupation/China service (Wakayama, Nagoya, Jin-Sen/Inchon, Tientsin via Taku, Tsingtao); return via Saipan, Eniwetok, Pearl Harbor to San Francisco 29 January 1946; ordered to Mare Island; '51 was sold to a commercial outfit to haul fish.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947 (events); postwar (narration)
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)-51, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Decades-later firsthand narrative - valuable but not contemporaneous; internal date conflict (memoir gives '25 September' for the commissioning ceremony vs. the documented 16 September 1944 commissioning - carried in gaps). Contains no asbestos or materials information. Hosted on NavSource for the veterans' association.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-03
-
[4]Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, 9 September 2008 - tribute to veterans Royce David (USS Laffey) and Jack Goodwin (USS LCS-51) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CREC-2008-09-09-extensions.pdf, Hensarling remarks (p. E-section, 110th Congress)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal tribute record naming this vessel's role: on 16 April 1945 'USS LCS 51' alongside USS Laffey faced the mass kamikaze attack; LCS-51 'picked up several of Laffey's overboard crew members, fought fires, and helped shoot down suicide bombers,' and her crew 'earned the Presidential Unit Citation for his action and assistance on April 16, 1945.' Documents a named crewman - Signalman Third Class Jack Goodwin of Garland, Texas - aboard this hull in the action.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945 (action); 2008 (record)
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)-51 (Signalman 3/c Jack Goodwin named)
- Limitations
- A ceremonial tribute, not an operational record - some particulars (e.g., 'twenty-two planes') differ from NHHC's account (~30 attackers; Laffey credited with at least eight shootdowns). Confirms vessel presence, rescue/firefighting role, and PUC; contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-04
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (all-diesel plant: 2 quad packs of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers; NavShips 250-012, Apr 1945) and the NavSource LCS(L) class index/sister-hull pages (130 hulls; builders Lawley, Commercial Iron Works, Albina; February 1949 LSSL reclassification of retained hulls); WWII-era shipbuilding asbestos-use literature and the Albina yard litigation record (ev-06); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos insulation documentation (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (NavShips 250-012 sourcing); Albina litigation record; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1944 amphibious fire-support craft built in a wartime Portland contract yard sits inside the documented era of shipboard asbestos use. Because the plant is all-diesel with no boilers or steam propulsion, the era-typical boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply; era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small combatant of this type and period were diesel-exhaust and muffler lagging, machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and joiner/fireproofing materials in the compact hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1989
- Population
- Albina construction trades (1944); wartime crew; Portland-area refit/repair trades; post-1947 commercial crews; any later scrapper
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder specification located for LCS(L)(3)-51. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The Lawley 'Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class' cited by NavSource was not retrieved; if digitized it would be the next-grade source for class materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-05
-
[6]Albina Engine & Machine v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010), No. 09-70592 (LHWCA death-benefits review; also DOL Benefits Review Board decisions 04-0887 and 08-0403 in the same matter) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion 180868; 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir., filed 10 Dec 2010), stipulation recital and holding
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal appellate opinion documents stipulated asbestos exposure at this hull's builder: James R. McAllister worked as a shipyard carpenter in Portland - at Willamette Iron & Steel and then Albina Engine and Machine in 1956 - and died in 2002 of mesothelioma; 'all parties stipulated ... that his death was due to mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos' during shipyard employment, with Albina among the responsible employers litigated. The opinion resolves which employer bears LHWCA liability (assigned to Lockheed on last-employer analysis).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1956-1960 (exposure); 2002-2010 (litigation)
- Population
- Portland shipyard trades incl. Albina Engine and Machine workers (1950s exposure window litigated)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: the exposure window (1956-60) postdates this vessel's 1944 construction; the opinion establishes asbestos conditions at the builder's postwar yard, not aboard this or any hull, and decides employer liability allocation only. Does not establish materials aboard this vessel, individual crew exposure, or any legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-06
-
[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 Navy 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-3-51-lcsl351-07
-
[8]NARA, 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy at the National Archives' - RG 24, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1992' (NAID 594258 series); WWII deck logs for commissioned naval vessels are held at Archives II, College Park [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov logbooks overview; RG 24 Entry 118 / NAID 594258
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Deck logs for this commissioned hull's Navy service (1944-1946) fall within NARA RG 24 logbook coverage and would document movements, availabilities, and yard periods - the likeliest undigitized source for any in-service material disturbance. Digitization status for this hull's logs unverified (NARA digitizes the series in batches; catalog API access not completed this session).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (records)
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)-51, 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - existence of this hull's logs in the series is inferred from coverage of commissioned vessels, not confirmed item-by-item; deck logs do not ordinarily record insulating materials and would not by themselves establish asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-08
-
[9]National Museum of the Pacific War / Admiral Nimitz Foundation oral-history collection, 'Oral History Interview with James Walsh, July 13, 2007' (via Portal to Texas History) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Portal to Texas History, NMPW oral-history collection (item page bot-blocked 2026-09-30); index abstract via Exa library mirror
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Indexed museum oral-history abstract documents a crewman's firsthand account aboard this hull: James M. Walsh joined LCS(L)(3)-51 at Portland in September 1944, describes the armament, Group Seven's November 1944 sail to Saipan and Leyte, the Iwo Jima first wave, Okinawa picket duty and the kamikaze attack in which the ship sustained debris damage while Laffey was hit, repairs at Kerama Retto, Wakayama occupation duty, Korea/China visits, and the October 1945 return.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (service); 2007 (interview)
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)-51 (James M. Walsh)
- Limitations
- Verified via indexed abstract only - the Portal to Texas History item page presents an anti-bot challenge (Altcha) to automated retrieval at research time, so the full interview text was not read; cite the abstract's contents, not the audio. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-09
-
[10]Batch-5723 search ledger (this record): NavSource vessel + memoir pages; NHHC H-Gram 045-1; Congressional Record CREC-2008-09-09; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket); NVR detail-page check; NARA logbooks overview; Portal to Texas History (blocked); secondary web sweep incl. shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive and armedconflicts [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCS(L)(3)-51 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches for all hull-designation variants returned zero hits; the docket-index search returned 13 results, all verified name collisions (unrelated civil, bankruptcy, habeas, and environmental matters) - not qualifying asbestos litigation. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no asbestos content for this hull beyond non-citable listicle ecosystems.
- 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 - era construction practice at a wartime contract yard is consistent with retained era materials, and the hull's commercial conversion history is undocumented for materials. Deck logs and any builder or disposal material records remain undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-51-lcsl351-10