Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 509-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (identity, builder, Korea transfer confirmed; laid-down/launch dates UNVERIFIABLE from reachable sources)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-pkt-509-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSSL-91 ex USS LCS(L)(3)-91 - timeline, specifications (sourced to Navships 250-012), awards, photo captions incl. ROK-service photograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050091.htm header timeline, specifications block, campaign table, and photo caption block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 20 November 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 17 December 1944; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-91 on 4 January 1945, LT. S. A. McCray USNR in command. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater - LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Four (CDR. N. Phillips USN), Group Twelve (LCDR. B. D. Voegelin USNR), Division Twenty-Four. Campaign credit: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 17 May - 30 June 1945. Postwar: occupation service in the Far East 2 September 1945 - 18 March 1946; decommissioned (date unknown); laid up in reserve at Astoria, OR; redesignated USS LSSL-91 on 28 February 1949; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); transferred to the Republic of Korea in 1952 and renamed ROKS Kang Hwa Man (LSSL-108); decommissioned by the ROK Navy 15 November 1960; one battle star for WWII service; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Specifications (per Navships 250-012, 15 April 1945): displacement 250 t light / 387 t full; 158' o.a.; complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted; propulsion 2 quad packs of 4 General Motors 6051-series-71 diesels per shaft, 1,600 BHP, GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers; armament 1x 3"/50 DP bow gun, 2 twin 40mm, 4x 20mm, 4x .50 cal, 10 Mk7 rocket launchers. Photo captions additionally document: the hull moored at Yokohama in fall 1945 alongside LCS(L)(3)-90 and -92; moored pierside at Yokosuka, Japan in 1946; and the ex-hull (as ROKS Kang Hwa Man) underway off South Korea circa June-September 1953, photographed from USS Allen M. Sumner (DD-692).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1944); crew (1945-46); ROK Navy crew (1952-60)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track official records but decommission/stricken dates are explicitly 'date unknown' and the ROK transfer is dated only 'in 1952' here (the transfer photo is dated 24 January 1952). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'A Brief History of LCS(L) 91' by Ens. A. L. Fox, ship's Public Relations Officer, with a closing memo from CO Lt. S. A. McCray (crew-authored ship history hosted via National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130 material) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050091h.htm, full narrative text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous crew-authored narrative for this hull: nucleus crew (Crew No. 3829) formed at USNATB Solomons, MD; 65 men and 6 officers departed for Portland, OR on 8 December 1944 to take over the ship then building at Commercial Iron Works; witnessed the launch 17 December 1944; commissioned 4 January 1945; departed Portland 15 January 1945 in company with LCS(L)(3)-66 and -90; arrived San Diego 23 January 1945; assigned LCS Group 12 / Flotilla 4; departed for Pearl Harbor 22 February (arrived 3 March); departed again 15 April, arriving at Eniwetok after 14 days at sea (crossed the 180th meridian 22 April); departed Eniwetok 1 May and reached Ulithi 9 May; thence to Okinawa; at Hagushi anchorage from 16 May - smoke coverage for fleet units, 'skunk' anti-suicide-boat patrol, anti-aircraft screening; joined the task unit for the Iheya and Aguni Shima landings (3 and 9 June 1945); 14 June - 16 July served under the Northern Gunboat Support Group on anti-aircraft coverage for Ie Shima anchorage and Nago Wan harbor plus escort, smoke screen, and patrol duty for the northern anchorage; arrived San Pedro Bay, Leyte, P.I. 26 July for repairs; at Leyte when Japan accepted peace terms 10 August 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (narrative coverage)
- Population
- Crew of LCS(L)(3)-91 (Crew No. 3829), 1944-45
- Limitations
- First-person crew history written at war's end (narrative stops at Leyte, August 1945); hosted on NavSource from National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130 material - a ship-specific primary narrative, not an official Navy record. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-02
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[4]NHHC Numerical List of Images, Catalog # 80-G-438383, 'Transfer of ships to the Republic of Korea Navy' - official U.S. Navy photograph, National Archives collections [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Numerical List of Images, 80-G-438383 catalog page; mirror https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/events/kowar/homefrt/hmf51.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-438383, dated 24 January 1952, Astoria, Oregon, documents this hull's transfer to the Republic of Korea Navy: 'In the foreground are USS LSSL-77, which became the Korean Yung Huang Man (LSSL-107), and USS LSSL-91, which became the Korean Kang Hwa Man (LSSL-108). Behind them are USS PC-485, which became the Korean Han La San (PC-705), and USS PC-600, which became the Korean Myo Hyang San (PC-706).' The catalog entry anchors the hull in the NARA RG 80-G photograph series and dates the Astoria transfer ceremony.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1952-01-24
- Population
- U.S. Navy transfer detail and ROK Navy receiving crews, Astoria OR, January 1952
- Limitations
- Photographic documentation of the transfer event only - no asbestos, material, or condition-of-hull content. NHHC page verified via firecrawl scrape 2026-09-30; direct curl to history.navy.mil returned HTTP 404 to automated requests (served-page quirk noted in prior batches). Mirrored caption also on ibiblio HyperWar NHC Online Library.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-03
-
[5]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block sourced to Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, Navships 250-012 (April 15, 1945) - diesel plant, no boilers; build window November-December 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-05); Wikipedia class article and shipbuildinghistory roster for class construction scope (130 hulls, three yards, 1944-45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050091.htm specifications block (Navships 250-012); class roster at shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/lcsl/
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious gunboat built in the last quarter of 1944 sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were diesel-engine and exhaust-system lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, electrical insulation, accommodation-space insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. As a diesel ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but the small-hull confined-space exposure dynamic (71 officers and men in a 158-foot hull) applies fully.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (Nov-Dec 1944); commissioning crew (65 men + 6 officers, 1945-46); ROK Navy crew (1952-60)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder record located for LCS(L)(3)-91. 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-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-04
-
[6]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 to automated fetch, 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 (November-December 1944) and U.S. service era (1945-52).
- 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) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-05
-
[7]NHHC Online Reading Room, 'Battle Experience - Radar Pickets' (Chapter 81: Radar Pickets and Methods of Combating Suicide Attacks Off Okinawa, March-May 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Reading Room, Battle Experience chapter 81
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's Battle Experience account documents the class-level employment of LCS(L)s off Okinawa: fifteen radar picket stations were established, 'each destroyer picket was supported by LCS(L)s when available,' and LCS(L)s exchanged contact information with the pickets and stood by for anti-suicide-craft and anti-air work. Class context for the hull's own documented Okinawa employment (ev-02: Hagushi anchorage smoke/skunk/AA duty and Northern Gunboat Support Group service).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- March-May 1945 (document coverage); this hull's Okinawa service 16 May - 16 July 1945
- Population
- LCS(L) crews at Okinawa (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level operational documentation - the chapter does not name LCS(L)(3)-91, and the crew memoir indicates this hull served on anchorage screening, island-support, and northern gunboat-support duties rather than on the numbered radar picket stations. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-06
-
[8]Herald and News (Klamath Falls, OR), 'Portland's Toxic Graveyard For World War II Ships' (Dec 2, 2016); corroborated by Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland), 'Zidell plans waterfront development after cleanup' (Dec 22, 2009) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Herald and News article body (Zidell/CIW site history, DEQ cleanup); DJC Oregon 2009-12-22 (CIW 185-ships figure)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder's own former site is a documented asbestos-contaminated industrial property: after 1946, Zidell leased part of the old Commercial Iron Works shipyard on the Willamette River and ran what became the nation's largest shipbreaking operation there; dismantled WWII-era warships' insulation, wiring, linoleum, and paint carried contaminants including asbestos and PCBs, spread across 30 acres of land and a half-mile of riverbank. Oregon DEQ flagged the property as potentially hazardous in 1986; Zidell entered the voluntary cleanup program in 1994; cleanup ran more than 20 years and over $20 million. DJC notes Commercial Iron Works delivered 185 ships to the U.S. Navy from the site during WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-2016 (site record); construction era 1941-45
- Population
- Zidell shipbreaking workforce (1946-late 1970s); site remediation crews (1994-2010s)
- Limitations
- Yard-site environmental context only: the documented contamination is attributed to post-war ship dismantling by a different operator (Zidell), not to Commercial Iron Works' wartime construction activity; no specific hull is named, and nothing here documents materials aboard LCS(L)(3)-91.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-07
-
[9]Batch-5767 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page and crew memoir; NHHC DANFS candidate URLs; NHHC Numerical List of Images 80-G-438383; Naval Vessel Register; NARA catalog; shipbuildinghistory roster; uboat.net; mightymidgets.org; NHHC Battle Experience Radar Pickets; CourtListener API v4 (type=o); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-01 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)-91 / LSSL-91 / Kang Hwa Man (LSSL-108) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero opinions across all designation variants ('LSSL-91'; 'LCS(L)(3)-91' OR 'LCSL-91' OR 'LCS-91' OR 'Kang Hwa Man' OR 'LSSL-108'); the docket index returned two name-collision dockets (Tribune Media Company chapter-11 bankruptcy, Bankr. D. Del. 2008; Yiannopoulos v. Arnold domestic-relations petition, E.D. La. 2025) - neither names the vessel and neither is asbestos litigation. A secondary web sweep surfaced no qualifying litigation - only unrelated Korean mesothelioma epidemiology papers matching 'Kang Hwa Man' collaterally.
- 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 - the hull's WWII construction date is consistent with era-standard asbestos materials. CourtListener coverage is opinions + indexed dockets only; state-court filings, MDL-875 pleading-stage lists, and unindexed matters are outside its scope. Deck logs (NARA RG 24) and Commercial Iron Works work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcs-l-3-91-lcsl391-08