Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 509-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lcs-l-3-96-lcsl396-pkt-509-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSSL-96 ex USS LCS(L)(3)-96 - construction, commissioning, flotilla/group assignment, Okinawa campaign credit, occupation and China service, LSSL redesignation, foreign-transfer chain, specifications (page states source: Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels NavShips 250-012, 15 April 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050096.htm - header block, campaign/awards tables, transfer timeline, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 18 December 1944 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 6 January 1945; commissioned USS LCS(L)(3)-96 on 24 January 1945, LT O. K. Franklin USNR in command. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with LCS(L)(3) Flotilla Four (CDR N. Phillips USN), Group Thirteen (LCDR R. L. Jackson USN), Division Twenty-Five. Campaign credit: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 18 to 30 June 1945. One battle star for WWII service; ribbons include Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), China Service Medal (extended). Post-war occupation service 19 September - 19 November 1945 and 10-15 April 1946; China service 20 November 1945 - 8 April 1946; photographed on the Whangpoo River, Shanghai, 12 February 1946. Decommissioned, date unknown; redesignated Landing Ship Support, Large, USS LSSL-96, 28 February 1949; transferred to Japan 30 June 1953, named Shobu; returned to U.S. Navy custody 28 April 1965; transferred to South Vietnam as RVNS Nguyen Ngoc Long (HQ-230); escaped to the Philippines in 1975; custody transferred to the Republic of the Philippines, renamed RPS Sulu (LF-49); struck from the U.S. Naval Register, date unknown; final disposition non-operational as of 1983, fate unknown. Commanding-officer list: LT O. K. Franklin USNR, 23 January 1945 - ?. Specifications: 250 t (lt) / 387 t (fl); 158 ft o.a.; beam 23 ft 8 in; 8 GM-series diesels in two quad-packs, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers; complement 6 officers + 65 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1944-45); crew (1945-decommissioning); JMSDF, RVN and Philippine Navy crews (1953-1980s); shipbreakers if scrapped (unconfirmed)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but are not independently verified against them; decommissioning and striking dates are expressly unknown. Page fetched live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30. Contains no asbestos or material-content information whatsoever.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-01
-
[3]National Archives, Special List 44 - List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, by ship number (PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p. 34, row 'LCS(L)(3)-96 1/24/1945 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 inventory (by-ship-number edition, PDF page 34) lists logbooks for LCS(L)(3)-96 covering 1/24/1945 - 6/30/1945, held in Record Group 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), entry 118 (NAID 581208), National Archives Building, Washington, DC. The dated Navy records establish in-scope WWII service for this hull during her commissioned period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-01-24 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Commissioning-era and wartime crew (January-June 1945)
- Limitations
- Deck-log coverage dates are inventory dates of surviving logs, NOT commissioning or service-boundary dates, and this record does not present them as such. The logbooks themselves were not examined - contents (daily positions, personnel, repair entries) are an unopened archival lead. Logs after 30 June 1945 are not in this inventory segment; post-1947 logbooks are a separate RG 24 accession at College Park.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, Archives Branch - L. Richard Rhame Collection / National Association of USS LCS(L)(3) 1-130 Papers, collection AR/453 (formerly COLL/245) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Personal Papers & Donated Collections: R - Rhame, L. Richard and National Association of LCS(L)(3) Papers (AR/453); finding aid rhame-lcs-coll-245.doc
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's Archives Branch holds the L. Richard Rhame Collection (AR/453), the donated papers of the National Association of USS LCS(L)(3) 1-130 veterans' organization: 'The bulk of the collection is comprised of files on individual LCS(L) ships,' plus subject files on LCS(L)(3) operations - a per-ship archival file likely to include material on hull 96 (crew material including a 1946 Shanghai photograph contributed by a crew member's family already surfaces via NavSource). The collection is unexamined.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- WWII period-present (collection coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the collection was not pulled or searched; whether it contains a file for hull 96, and whether any such file documents construction materials or asbestos, is unknown. Finding aid is a Word document linked from the NHHC page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-03
-
[5]National Park Service Form 10-900, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (draft) for LCS-102, hosted by California Office of Historic Preservation - class construction and service history for the sole surviving intact LCS(L)(3) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS Form 10-900 draft, LCS-102, Solano County CA - sections 7 (physical description incl. Main Engine Room) and 8 (Criterion C class narrative)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal registration form documenting the LCS(L)(3) class program: contracts for 130 vessels built by three yards - George Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA (47 ships); Albina Machinery, Portland OR (31); Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR (52, including this hull and sister LCS(L)(3)-102). First keel laid 28 April 1944; final ship launched 10 March 1945. Hull and engineering plant essentially the same as the LCI landing ship; original propulsion of four GMC 6-71 diesel engines clutched into a quad-pack per shaft. 26 of the class were sunk or damaged in combat, 13 of them at Okinawa. LCS-102 is the only surviving intact ship of the class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (construction); class service history
- Population
- Class-wide construction trades at three yards (1944-45); class-wide crew
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation from a federal NRHP draft form about sister hull LCS-102 - it does not name or describe hull 96, and it contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material content (checked: zero mentions of asbestos/insulation/abatement in the form). Draft status; hosted by California OHP. Supports construction-program context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (2 quad-packs of GM 6-71-series diesels, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers - no steam plant); NPS NRHP draft form for sister LCS-102 (GMC 6-71 quad-pack propulsion, LCI-derived hull); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy-wide asbestos-insulation era) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/05/050096.htm specifications block; NPS 10-900 LCS-102 draft section 7; NavSource class index 10/05/05idx.htm (builders and production run)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled amphibious gunboat built December 1944 - January 1945 at a Portland, Oregon emergency-era yard sits inside the period when asbestos products were standard across U.S. Navy shipbuilding. For a diesel craft of this size, era-standard applications were exhaust and muffler lagging, machinery-space thermal insulation, flange and engine gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation and arc barriers, and deck covering compounds. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam ships does not apply. The Lawley-class manual ('Instructions for LCS(L)(3) Class,' George Lawley & Sons Corp., cited by NavSource as a specifications source) is the likely repository of any class material schedule and was not examined.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- Commercial Iron Works construction trades (Dec 1944-Jan 1945); commissioning-era and wartime crew (1945); foreign-service crews (1953-1980s)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, or work package located for LCS(L)(3)-96. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. Presence aboard this specific hull is unproven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published Oct 18, 1979; released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (full-text PDF not retrievable from this network)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's review of Navy asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships and that 1975 policy removed/replaced only damaged insulation or insulation that had to come out for necessary repairs - modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This hull's construction (1944-45) and U.S. service era sit inside the Navy's asbestos-use period; the foreign transfers (1953, 1965, 1970s) predate any U.S. Navy abatement program applying to her.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); Navy asbestos-use era
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy asbestos-program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - not Commercial Iron Works or this hull's service sites. Full report PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) blocked to automated fetch from this session (HTTP 403 via curl); content taken from the live GAO product page Highlights section via Firecrawl.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-06
-
[8]NHHC H-Gram H-048-2, 'Naval Battle of Okinawa (Continued)' - official NHHC Director's-corner publication documenting LCS(L) radar-picket operations and losses at Okinawa, April-May 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC H-048-2 page, LCS(L)-88 and LCS(L)-119 narrative sections; class casualty totals
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC documents the class's Okinawa combat environment in which this hull operated (her campaign credit is 18-30 June 1945): LCS(L)s were stationed on radar picket stations as fire support for destroyers and became kamikaze targets themselves - 12 LCSs were hit by kamikazes and bombs during the Battle of Okinawa with a combined 65 crewmen killed and 103 wounded. The H-gram also documents the class's post-war pattern of transfer to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (e.g., LCS(L)-88, in JMSDF use 1953-1964) - the same path this hull took in 1953.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- April-June 1945; class transfers 1953+
- Population
- Class-wide crew at Okinawa (1945)
- Limitations
- Class-level combat context; does not describe hull 96's individual experience - no action report or casualty record for LCS(L)(3)-96 was located. No asbestos or material content; relevant to crew-environment context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-07
-
[9]Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, 59 Fed. Reg. 40964 (Aug. 10, 1994) - ship-industry rulemaking preamble (carried forward from prior session commit fa8cd2d2; quote re-verified against the live page 2026-09-30) [federal_register]
- Locator
- 59 FR 40964, supplementary information - shipyard employment / shipbuilding and repairing historical-use discussion
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- OSHA's 1994 shipyard-employment asbestos rulemaking states verbatim: 'Asbestos products were used extensively on American ships from the early 1940s through the late 1970s in joiner bulkhead systems in living space; for insulation of steam and hot water pipes, boilers, and tanks in machinery space; in ceiling tile; and in fire-resistant sheets in bulkheads [RTI, 1985]. However, after 1973, new specifications reduced the use of asbestos on ships regulated by the Maritime Administration (MARAD).' This hull's December 1944 - January 1945 construction sits inside the documented use window; for a diesel craft, the machinery-space and living-space categories apply without the boiler-lagging component.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- early 1940s-late 1970s
- Population
- American ship construction and repair workforce; shipboard materials generally
- Limitations
- Industry-wide regulatory history, not a hull record - it does not establish that any listed application was installed aboard LCS(L)(3)-96, and lists ship applications generally (the 'steam and hot water pipes, boilers' item does not apply to this diesel vessel). Identifies no product makers or quantities; establishes no individual exposure, causation, present condition, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-08
-
[10]Transport Doctrine, Amphibious Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Chapter XXVII (Gunfire Support), Section 6, 'LCS(L)(3) and LCI(G)' - official U.S. Navy document, HyperWar transcription (carried forward from prior session commit fa8cd2d2; section verified live 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar Transport Doctrine Chapter XXVII, Section 2 (support-craft listing) and Section 6 (LCS(L)(3) type doctrine)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous U.S. Pacific Fleet amphibious doctrine chapter on Naval Gunfire Support lists the LCS(L)(3) among 'Amphibious Support Craft' assigned 'close support fire for neutralization, harassing and destruction,' and Section 6 ('LCS(L)(3) and LCI(G)') describes the type's mission profile. It is class-level doctrine context for interpreting this hull's designation and her documented Okinawa assignment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- World War II
- Population
- LCS(L)(3) type crews (WWII Pacific)
- Limitations
- Type doctrine, not an operational or material record for this hull - it does not establish that LCS(L)(3)-96 performed a stated mission or carried the stated armament at a particular time. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-09
-
[11]Batch-5772 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44 PDF (hit); NavSource (hit); NHHC Rhame collection page (hit); NPS NRHP draft via CA OHP (hit); GAO product page (hit, full text blocked); OSHA Federal Register rulemaking (hit); HyperWar Transport Doctrine (hit); NHHC DANFS (no hull entry); NARA digitized deck-logs list (no LCS coverage); Naval Vessel Register (no entry - disposed pre-coverage); CourtListener (pending/blocked this session - see ledger); secondary web litigation sweep (no qualifying result) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lcsl3-96-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum condition report, or docketed case naming USS LCS(L)(3)-96 / USS LSSL-96 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Notably, even the law-firm marketing listicles that name many WWII hulls did not surface for this ship in a targeted search - an unusually thin secondary footprint consistent with her small size, diesel plant, and foreign disposition. CAVEAT: CourtListener opinion search could not be completed this session - the authenticated API helper reported the fleet-wide hourly pacing budget spent on five spaced attempts across the session; logged as blocked, not as a negative result.
- 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 - WWII construction-era inference remains reasonable but unproven for this hull. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced, not run to completion). Deck logs (RG 24 entry 118, DC, covering 1/24-6/30/1945), the NHHC Rhame per-ship files, Commercial Iron Works yard records, and any foreign-navy disposal records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lcsl3-96-10