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 LSSL-87 ex USS LCS(L)(3)-87 page (timeline, flotilla assignment, campaign table, specifications sourced to Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels and Lawley class documents) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/05/050087.htm - ship header, class/timeline block, campaign table, awards block, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Hull timeline for this vessel: laid down 13 November 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 3 December 1944; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-87, 18 December 1944, LT. Howard N. Martin, USNR, in command. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Four (CDR N. Phillips USN), Group Twelve (LCDR B. D. Voegelin USNR), Division Twenty-Two; campaign credit for the Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March-30 June 1945); one battle star. Awards block: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive; Okinawa 6 and 29 April), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 star), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp). Post-war: occupation service in the Far East 2 September-3 December 1945; decommissioned date unknown; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, Astoria, OR; redesignated Landing Ship Support, Large USS LSSL-87, 28 February 1949; transferred to Japan 30 March 1953, named Hamagiku (YS-91); returned to US custody date unknown; refitted as a drone carrier 1958; struck from the Naval Register 1967; transferred to the Philippines 17 November 1975 for spare parts, never commissioned; final disposition unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Construction trades at Commercial Iron Works (Nov-Dec 1944); wartime crew (class complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted); JMSDF and Philippine custodial crews postwar
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained photo archive compiling official records (Ships' Data, action reports, association contributions) - it is the de facto public register for numbered landing craft, which received no individual DANFS entries; underlying primary documents are cited on the page but not independently reproduced here. Conflicts with secondary sources (commissioning 18 vs 22 December; Japan transfer 30 March vs 30 May 1953) are carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-01
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[2]'A Brief History of U.S.S. LCS(L)(3) 87,' by Lieut. Howard N. Martin, Commanding Officer (firsthand narrative; submitted by Charles P. Littlefield, August 1992; hosted on NavSource via the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/05/050087h.htm - full narrative text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Firsthand commanding-officer account of this hull: Crew 3819 formed at the Amphibious Training Center, Solomons, Maryland, fall 1944, after schooling at Fort Pierce, Little Creek, and other Navy schools; assigned to LCS(L)(3)-87 late November 1944 and ordered to Portland, Oregon; ship placed in commission 18 December 1944. Departed Portland around New Year's Day 1945 for San Diego (shakedown, repairs, alterations); sailed in convoy for Pearl Harbor 11 February 1945; then Eniwetok and Saipan; late March 1945 convoy west to Okinawa. Participated in the 1 April 1945 ('Love Day') initial landings on the southeast coast, then radar-picket duty at the northern tip of the island. 6 April 1945 mass kamikaze raid: bomb missed by ~15 yards, strafing hits, no casualties aboard; that night the ship went to the aid of the destroyer identified in the account as 'U.S.S. COLHOUN (DD-301)' and rescued 56 men before the destroyer was sunk by U.S. gunfire (see limitations - hull number). 29 April 1945: shot down her first Japanese plane on radar-picket station. 13 May 1945: went alongside USS Bache (DD-470), hit by a suicide plane, to fight fires around the torpedo tubes and supply emergency power - credited with a second plane kill the same night. 10 July 1945 to Leyte for rest; at Leyte when Japan surrendered. 11 September 1945 entered Tokyo Bay with the flotilla for occupation duty (liberty Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)(3)-87 (Crew 3819; ~71 complement)
- Limitations
- Wartime memoir written/submitted decades later - narrative detail, not a deck log; dates are internally plausible and key events cross-check (DANFS Bache entry confirms the 13 May 1945 kamikaze hit; the 6 April 1945 Okinawa picket-station loss was USS Colhoun DD-801, so the account's printed 'DD-301' is a hull-number slip carried to gaps). Contains no asbestos, materials, or maintenance documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-02
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[3]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Volume II (NAVSHIPS 250-011), Bureau of Ships - the volume covering landing ships and craft (digitized copy via shipscribe.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2.pdf, LCS(L)(3) section of the vessel index/list and class characteristics tables
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official April 1945 Bureau of Ships register lists this hull in service: the LCS(L)(3) vessel list carries 'LCS(L)(3) 50-126' as extant craft (three earlier numbers noted sunk: 26, 33, 49), placing hull 87 on the register contemporaneously with her wartime service. The volume's class-level data for LCS(L)(3) craft is the spec source NavSource cites for this hull: 250 tons light / 387 full load, 158 ft overall, diesel propulsion (General Motors 6-71 series quad-packs, 1,600 bhp, twin variable-pitch propellers), complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted, 40mm/20mm/rocket-launcher armament.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Wartime complement ~71
- Limitations
- Register listing confirms the hull's existence and class placement in the official April 1945 inventory; the characteristics are class-level (identical for all 130 LCS(L)(3)s), not hull-unique measurements. The scan's OCR is degraded; the vessel-list entry was verified directly but individual spec cells were confirmed against NavSource's cleaner transcription. NavSource attributes the spec block to 'NavShips 250-012, April 15 1945' - the landing-craft volume in the 1945 three-volume set is actually Volume II, NAVSHIPS 250-011 (250-012 covers auxiliaries/district craft); carried as a citation-variant note in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-03
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[4]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), 'Landing Craft, Support (Large) - LCS(L)' yard-by-yard build table [reputable_press]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcsl.htm, LCS(L) table row 87
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent build-table row for this hull: 'LCS(L) 87 | Commercial IW | Portland OR | FY44 | delivered 18-Dec-44 | To Japan 1953 as Hamagiku, struck 1967, to the Philippines 1975 for parts.' The table confirms Commercial Iron Works, Portland, as builder of the LCS(L) 79-108 block (George Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA, and Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland OR, built the remainder of the 130-craft class) - corroborating the NavSource builder/date attribution and the 18 December 1944 date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation built from official registers - corroborating, not primary. Gives delivery date (which coincides with NavSource's commissioning date) rather than contract or commissioning dates; no asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-04
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[5]DANFS, Bache II (DD-470) (verbatim transcription - live NHHC DANFS pages for WWII destroyers 404; HyperWar/ibiblio mirror cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS DD-470 entry, Okinawa picket-duty paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent DANFS corroboration of the combat event in the CO's account: on 13 May 1945, on picket duty off Okinawa, 'several enemy dive-bombers attacked the picket station and one completed a successful suicide attack on Bache... Forty-one of the crew were killed and 32 were injured. All steam and electrical power were lost. Fires were brought under control within 20 minutes and she was towed to Kerama Retto.' LT. Martin's account supplies the hull-specific role: LCS(L)(3)-87 went alongside Bache, fought the fires around her torpedo tubes, and supplied emergency power.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-13
- Population
- LCS(L)(3)-87 crew engaged in alongside fire-fighting/rescue, 13 May 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents Bache's casualty, not this hull's role - the alongside assistance rests solely on the CO memoir (ev-02). Carried as cross-confirmation that the dated event occurred as described. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (sourced to Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels 1945 - all-diesel GM plant, twin screws, no boilers); class construction record (130 steel-hulled LCS(L)(3) craft, three builders, all delivered 1944-45); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos program context (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (ev-01); Ships' Data 1945 Vol II (ev-03); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-07)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled diesel-powered amphibious gunboat built November-December 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this period were engine-exhaust and machinery lagging, thermal insulation in machinery and accommodation spaces, gaskets and valve/flange packing, electrical and switchboard insulation, and deck covering compounds - in a hull of 158 ft with a complement of 71 and machinery spaces immediately adjacent to working and berthing areas. Her all-diesel plant means no boiler or steam-line lagging pathway; exhaust-system lagging on eight coupled GM diesels and generator sets is the principal machinery-space application inferred.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1944); wartime crew ~71 (1944-46); reserve-fleet caretakers Astoria; JMSDF crews and Yokohama Zosen refit workers (1953-76); Philippine parts-stripping crews (1975+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or maintenance record located for LCS(L)(3)-87. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The 1958-59 JMSDF drone-carrier refit at Yokohama Zosen and any US/Japanese repair periods are undocumented for materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-06
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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 US construction and service era (1944-46 active, reserve, and reclassification to 1967 strike).
- 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-lcsl3-87-07
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[8]Batch-5762 search ledger (this record): NavSource vessel page + CO history; Ships' Data 1945 Vol II (shipscribe digitization); Shipbuilding History build table; DANFS Bache (HyperWar mirror); NHHC DANFS/NVR (no record for this hull); CourtListener authenticated searches; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcsl3-87-01 through sl-uss-lcsl3-87-09
- 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)-87 or USS LSSL-87 was found in the sources searched. CourtListener opinion searches for the exact hull designations 'LCS(L)(3)-87' and 'LSSL-87' returned zero hits (authenticated API, 2026-09-30); a docket-index search remained untried at the session's fleet pacing limit (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - the only 'asbestos aboard' content is law-firm marketing list material asserting asbestos on WWII vessels generically without hull-specific 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 - era-consistent asbestos applications are a reasonable inference for a 1944 steel diesel combatant but remain unproven for this hull. The docket-index search is an open item, not a negative result. Deck logs (NARA RG 24), Commercial Iron Works build records, JMSDF refit work packages (1958-59 drone-carrier conversion at Yokohama Zosen), and 1975+ disposal records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-08
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[9]Archival leads: NARA RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel) WWII deck logs for LCS(L)(3)-87; NHHC archives listing 'Rhame, L. Richard and National Association of LCS(L)(3) Papers' collection (NHHC collection pages returned HTTP 404 this session); George Lawley & Sons Corp. 'Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class' and 'Original Plans of LCS(L)(3)' (cited as spec sources on NavSource; not located online) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24 deck-log series (College Park); NHHC personal/donated collections index (Rhame/LCS(L)(3) papers); NavSource 050087 spec-source line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Undigitized primary records likely to hold hull-specific detail: (1) the ship's 1944-46 deck logs in NARA RG 24 (with wartime logs held at NARA College Park, largely undigitized for landing craft); (2) the NHHC-held National Association of LCS(L)(3) papers (Rhame collection) - the association that produced the CO memoir and photo record used by NavSource; (3) the Lawley class instruction manual and original plans cited as NavSource's specification sources - the likeliest documents to enumerate original insulation/material specifications for the class.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (deck logs); association records 20th c.
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these records was retrieved. Whether any of them documents insulation materials aboard this hull is unknown; the Lawley class documents describe the design baseline, not necessarily this hull's as-built materials. NHHC collection landing pages currently 404 (link rot); the collection's existence was verified via the NHHC donated-collections index as indexed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-87-09