Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 402-packet.md (2 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (identity); builder/dates UNVERIFIABLE — real identity: USS LCI(L)-23 — sources: Wikipedia USN LCI list [snippet] lists USS LCI(L)-23; WikiTree profile of Marvin Elwood Randall [snippet] records service "aboard USS LCI (L) 23" from 7 Jan 1943; USS LCI National Association newsletter May 2014 (http://usslci.org/fathom/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ELSIEITEM-86-May-2014.pdf [snippet]) lists "LCI 23 (South Pacific, 7 campaigns) (Rendova Island, Solomons, 2-KIA, 3-WIA)" and "LCI 23 (Babatngon, Leyte, Philippines, 10-KIA, 24 WIA—Oct 23,1944—by a bomb)"; Wisconsin Vete
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-pkt-402-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-23 ex USS LCI(L)-23 (page verified live 2026-09-29; last updated 2 January 2026; history drawn from 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, Turner Publishing 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150023.htm header block, campaign table, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 23 September 1942 at New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N.J.; launched 14 October 1942; commissioned USS LCI(L)-23, 8 December 1942; call sign NXHB. WWII service in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with Landing Force Flotillas-SoPacFor, LCI Flotilla Five, LCI Group Fourteen. Credited campaigns: New Georgia Group (Rendova/Vangunu occupation 4 July 1943; Vella Lavella 15 August 1943); Treasury-Bougainville (Treasury Island 27 October 1943; Cape Torokina 29 November 1943); Consolidation of Northern Solomons (25-26 March, 28-30 March, 28 April-15 June 1944); Western New Guinea (Morotai); Leyte landings 13 October-29 November 1944. Redesignated LCI(G)-23 15 June 1944; decommissioned date unknown; stricken 1946; five battle stars; transferred to the Maritime Commission 18 March 1948 at Suisun Bay for disposal (PDX-225, 27 September 1946); final fate unknown. Spec block: 246 t. light / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; LCI(L) complement 4+24, LCI(G) 5+65; troop capacity 6+182; 8 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Construction trades (Camden, 1942); crew (1942-46); embarked troops (up to 188)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates generally track Navy records but the underlying Turner Publishing history is not digitized for direct verification. Contains no asbestos content. Two internal errors flagged: 'Morotai landing 15 September 1943' is a typo (Operation Tradewind was 15 September 1944; see ev-05 and gaps), and the Purple Heart award line's 'Rendova 2-KIA, 3-WIA' matches casualties the photo caption attributes to LCI(L)-24, not to this hull (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-01
-
[3]U.S. Navy Anti-Aircraft Action by Surface Ships report (U.S.S. Rigel form 10-1-43-5M), USS LCI(G) 23, Sogod Cove, Leyte, P.I., 25 October 1944 - 2-page scan, CONFIDENTIAL, declassified by NDC NARA 31 December 2012 under E.O. 13526 (NavSource-hosted PDF, contributed by Byron Como) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Form items 1-25 and annotated attack sketch (Enclosure A), PDF pp. 1-2
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own action report for 25 October 1944: at Sogod Cove, Leyte, three enemy fighters made a low-level attack, strafing (30 & 50 cal., 20mm) and releasing 250-lb anti-personnel bombs from about 75 feet; the ship reports an estimated 500 fragment holes, two near bomb misses (sketch: second bomb 75 yards, third 25 feet), casualties of 9 dead and 30 injured, two possible aircraft destroyed (20 & 40mm, 50 cal.), all guns firing. Field 8: 'No report made as loss of personnel and salvage operations required efforts for week.' Sketch note: 'No maneuvering possible, anchor was just brought in as bomb fell.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-10-25
- Population
- LCI(G)-23 crew (5 officers, 65 enlisted complement) plus troops/personnel ashore and alongside
- Limitations
- Primary combat record, not an asbestos or material document. Casualty totals conflict with NavSource's award line (10-KIA, 24-WIA) and the YANK narrative's looser accounting - unresolved (gaps). Two-page scan, no text layer; figures transcribed from form fields.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-02
-
[4]Sgt. Bill Alcine (YANK staff correspondent), 'A Lucky Japanese Dive-Bomber Spoils the Day for the LCI(G) 23 Gunboat,' reprinted from a 1944 issue of Yank Magazine (Down Under Edition) by the USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association (The Elsie Item, Sept. 2018, No. 102) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- usslci.org article, Elsie Item September 2018 (No. 102), incl. damage photograph bata_02
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporary war-correspondent account of the same 25 October 1944 attack at Batabagnon, Opong Bay (30 miles from Tacloban through the San Juanico Straits): LCI gunboats and LCMs had landed the First Squadron of the Seventh Cavalry the day before; a Zeke dropped two bombs near one gunboat, then a Val dive-bomber strafed the wharfed LCI(G) 23 and released two wing-racked 250-lb bombs at the stern. Narrative details: the entire crew of the 3-inch rifle wounded; the chief pharmacist killed in the galley wreckage; wounded evacuated by LCM ('nine of them. One more died on the way in'); the gunboat then beached and camouflaged under tree branches and palm fronds. Ship photo captioned 'LCI(G) 23 bomb damage. Note the wooden plugs sticking out of the hull.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-10-25 (event); 1944 (publication)
- Population
- LCI(G)-23 crew; Seventh Cavalry personnel landed; correspondents aboard
- Limitations
- Wartime press narrative republished by the veterans' association - vivid eyewitness detail but informal casualty accounting that differs from the official report (ev-02). Names individual casualties/crew (e.g., coxswain Francis D. Kirkbride; comment thread adds 'Harold Reynolds, gunners mate'). The '3-inch rifle' battery it describes is not in NavSource's generic LCI(G) armament line - armament detail unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-03
-
[5]National Archives, Special List #44 (by ship numbers), 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - entry 'LCI-23 1/1/1944 6/30/1945' (PDF p. 30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p. 30, 'LCI-23 1/1/1944 6/30/1945'; digitized-status check vs archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's published logbook inventory lists deck logs for 'LCI-23' covering 1 January 1944 through 30 June 1945 - the wartime window containing her LCI(G) conversion, Morotai, the 25 October 1944 Sogod Cove action, Leyte service, and the Brunei Bay operation. The logs exist in the deck-log series at Archives II but are not among the digitized deck logs online (checked against the NARA digitized-log list 2026-09-29).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-01-01 to 1945-06-30 (coverage window)
- Population
- Crew and any personnel named in 1944-45 log entries
- Limitations
- Inventory coverage dates only - NOT commissioning or decommissioning dates, and the listing does not establish what the logs contain. Logs for the period December 1942-December 1943 (commissioning through the Solomons campaigns) do not appear in this SL44 listing for LCI-23 - whether earlier logs survive elsewhere in the series is unestablished. Log pages would document operations and personnel, not materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LCI(L)-23 (LCI(L)-23) - construction dates and task-unit operational listings transcribed from action-report data [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 20849: specifications block; 'Notable events' 15 Sep 1944 (Tradewind) and 10 Jun 1945 (Oboe VI) task-unit entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Construction dates agree with NavSource (ordered 3 Jun 1942; laid down 23 Sep 1942; launched 14 Oct 1942; commissioned 8 Dec 1942; reclassified LCI(G) 15 Jun 1944). Task-unit listings document: Operation Tradewind (Morotai, 15 Sep 1944) - Task Group 77.3.28, Red Beach attack force, LCI(G)-23 under Lt.(jg) M.L. Russell, USNR, with LCI(G)-69, LCI(G)-64, LCI(G)-65, LCI(R)-31, LCI(R)-34; Operation Oboe VI (Brunei Bay, Zebra Day 10 Jun 1945) - Task Unit 78.1.32 LCI(G) unit under Lt.Cdr. A.M. Holmes and 'White' Support Unit, LCI(G)-23 under Lt. E.P. Wurtzebach, USNR; on 9 June 1945 she 'ran hard aground south of Maura Island' and the White Support Unit commander with PT boats stood by until she floated at high tide.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Crew under Lt.(jg) M.L. Russell (1944) and Lt. E.P. Wurtzebach (1945); embarked support personnel
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of action-report data (J.E. Rohwer-style operational chronology) - commanding-officer names and task-unit assignments not independently verified against the primary reports. Confirms the Morotai year (1944) that NavSource's campaign table misprints as 1943. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-05
-
[7]HyperWar (ibiblio), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945: Landing Ships and Craft' - LCI(L)-1-class and LCI(G) specification blocks and hull roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- ships-lc.html, LCI(G) spec block and LCI(L)-1-class spec/roster rows (lines 'LCI(L)-23' and 'LCI(G)' sections)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The U.S. Navy ships compilation lists 'LCI(L)-23 ... 1942-44' in the LCI(L)-1-class roster. Type descriptions: LCI(L)-1 class - 387 tons full load, 160', 4 x 20mm, complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted, capacity 6 officers + 182 troops or 75 tons cargo, 2 sets G.M. diesel engines, twin variable-pitch screws, 1600 BHP. LCI(G) type - 387 tons full load, armament 2-3 40mm / 3-4 20mm / 6 .50 cal / rocket launchers, complement 5 officers + 65 enlisted, 8 GM diesels twin screws, 'Converted from Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) - LCI(L) for close-in fire support of landing operations.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940-1945 (compilation coverage)
- Limitations
- HyperWar is a respected transcription host for official compilations but this roster is a simplified reference table: it does not record hull 23's LCI(G) conversion (conversion is proven by the ship's own 25 Oct 1944 action report naming her 'U.S.S. LCI(G) 23'), its complement line differs from NavSource's (3+21 vs 4+24), and its 1600 BHP conflicts with NavSource's 2,320 shp - all unresolved (gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-06
-
[8]NHHC photo NH 86177 (from the collections of Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum), 'USS LCI(G)-23 passing under the Golden Gate Bridge while entering San Francisco Bay in the fall of 1945' - image and caption hosted on NavSource [museum_official]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150023.htm photo row 1015002302 (NH 86177); sister-hull NH-number series
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photography documents this hull returning to CONUS: USS LCI(G)-23 passing under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay in fall 1945 - consistent with post-war inactivation and her documented 1948 MARAD disposal at Suisun Bay. The NH 861xx photo series (NH 86177 here; NH 86181 LCI(G)-422, NH 86188 LCI(M)-658 on sister pages) is the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum / NHHC return-of-ships series.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew aboard during 1945 return transit
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photo number and caption transcribed from NavSource; the underlying NHHC catalog record was not independently fetched. Documents presence, not work performed, and contains no material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (8 GM diesels, no steam plant); HyperWar LCI(L)/LCI(G) spec block ('8 GM diesels, twin screws'); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for new-york-shipbuilding (Pabco Six-Ply Super Caltemp block 15% chrysotile; Ehret 85% magnesia insulation; Bakelite panels 30-40% asbestos; Johns Manville Transite panels 10-30% asbestos; asbestos gaskets; packing; asbestos-coated welding rods; wire insulation 75-85% chrysotile; felt insulation); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource/HyperWar spec blocks; shipyards.json product list for new-york-shipbuilding
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled landing craft built September-December 1942 at New York Shipbuilding, Camden, sits inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era, and GAO documented Navy asbestos insulation use spanning her entire build and service life. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Era-standard applications aboard a 1942 diesel landing craft of this type were diesel-exhaust and machinery lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical/wire insulation, within the small enclosed machinery spaces and accommodation of a 158-foot hull; her mid-war gunboat conversion (1944) and post-action battle repairs (late 1944-45) are additional disturbance pathways for era materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- NY Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); crew incl. engine-room ratings (1942-46); conversion/repair trades (1944-45); disposal workforce (1946-48)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, build specification, or work package located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The yard product list is internal dataset content whose underlying anchors could not be fully verified as yard-specific this session (see ev-10 and gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-08
-
[10]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 (1942) and service era (1942-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- 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 2026-09-29) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-09
-
[11]shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json record for new-york-shipbuilding (Camden, NJ; Naval yard; WWII peak employment 30,000; evidence_tier 1) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json yard_id new-york-shipbuilding, asbestos_products_documented + evidence rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull's builder is an Atlas-documented asbestos yard: the yard record lists wartime-era products including Pabco Six-Ply Super Caltemp block (15% chrysotile), Ehret Magnesia Manufacturing 85% magnesia insulation, Bakelite panels (30-40% asbestos), arc-chute liners (36% chrysotile), Johns Manville Transite asbestos-cement panels (10-30%), asbestos gaskets, packing, asbestos-coated welding rods, ebonized asbestos lumber, wire insulation (75-85% chrysotile), and felt insulation (5-50% asbestos), and records that the Navy issued 'Minimum Requirements for Safety' recognizing asbestos respiratory risks in 1943 - the year after this hull was built.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942 (build window); yard history to 1967
- Population
- NY Shipbuilding trades (to 30,000 wartime peak)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, not a hull record - documents products in use at the yard, not their installation in this hull. DATA-QUALITY FLAG: spot-checks this session found the yard record's cited anchors do not all verify as yard-specific - PMC6280925 is the British TIPS study, PMC6310930 is a Genoa (Italy) yard cohort, and the cited FMC 1944 report-to-Congress PDF (downloaded full text) contains no asbestos mentions. The product list's provenance is unverified; carried as context pending dataset QA (see BATCH-5020-REPORT).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-10
-
[12]Batch-5020 search ledger (this record): NavSource page + declassified action-report PDF; NARA Special List 44 (ship-number PDF p.30) and digitized-log list; NHHC DANFS; NVR; uboat.net; HyperWar; usslci.org YANK reprint; shipyards.json; GAO; FMC report check; secondary-web litigation sweep; CourtListener (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LCI(L)-23 or LCI(G)-23 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-paced request budget was spent across four spaced attempts (pacing message: budget momentarily spent, ~114/hr fleet-wide); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. A secondary-web sweep surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm listicle claims for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced, not run). Deck logs (SL44 window 1944-45), builder work packages, and MARAD disposal records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-23-lcil23-11
