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 LCI(L)-344 (page 150344) - construction milestones, flotilla/group assignments, campaign table, combat damage narrative, specifications, disposal; history sourced to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150344.htm - header block, campaign table, attack narrative, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 26 October 1942 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 2 December 1942; commissioned USS LCI(L)-344, 18 January 1943 (call sign NJUV). Asiatic-Pacific Theater, 7th Amphibious Force: LCI Flotilla Seven, LCI Group Nineteen. Campaigns (six battle stars): Eastern New Guinea operation - Lae occupation 5-6 September 1943, Finschhafen occupation 22 September 1943, Saidor occupation 2-3 January 1944; Bismarck Archipelago operation - Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 26-27 December 1943; Hollandia operation 21-25 April 1944; Western New Guinea operations - Biak Island 27-28 May 1944, Morotai landings 15 September 1944; Leyte operation - Leyte landings 12 October-29 November 1944; Manila Bay-Bicol operations - Nasugbu 31 January 1945. Combat damage: attacked by two Japanese aircraft en route from Dinagat Island to Leyte on 27 October 1944 - eight close bomb hits sprayed the ship with fragments causing over 150 holes above the waterline; nine crew wounded and one Army passenger; two crew members and one embarked Japanese prisoner killed (individual-awards line lists Purple Hearts, 2 KIA / 9 WIA). Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 17 April 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 1 April 1948 for disposal; fate unknown. Specifications: 236 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158' 5.5" x 23' 3"; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm guns; two sets of 4 General Motors 6051 series-71 diesel engines, 4 per shaft, GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two 30 kW diesel-drive ship's service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); crew and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation citing the Turner Publishing LCI history - milestone and campaign data generally track official records but no official registry page exists for this hull (no DANFS entry; NVR does not cover hulls disposed 1948). The individual-awards line prints '27 October 1945' while the narrative dates the air attack 27 October 1944 - the 1944 date is carried (it falls inside the credited Leyte operation window); discrepancy noted in gaps. Page verified live at navsource.net 2026-09-30. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-01
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[2]Shipbuilding History, Brown Shipbuilding Houston TX yard table (hull 48: LCI(L) 344, keel 26-Oct-42, launched 2-Dec-42, delivered 18-Jan-43, 'To NDRF 1948') and yard description [other_primary]
- Locator
- Brown Shipbuilding yard table, hull #48 row; yard description paragraph (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's yard tabulation confirms this hull as Brown Shipbuilding yard hull number 48: keel laid 26 October 1942, launched 2 December 1942, delivered 18 January 1943, disposition 'To NDRF 1948'. Per the yard description, Brown Shipbuilding was built in 1941 by George and Herman Brown at the junction of Green's Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel with $9 million in Navy funding, and produced 12 PCs, 32 LCI(L)s (hulls in the LCI(L) 319-350 number block), 61 DEs and 254 LSMs - 359 vessels in four years.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942)
- Limitations
- Independent shipyard-production tabulation, corroborating NavSource milestones; 'delivered' date equals NavSource commissioning date - common for minor landing craft accepted and commissioned on completion. 'To NDRF 1948' aligns with NavSource's 1 April 1948 Maritime Commission transfer but is the yard table's own disposition shorthand. Not an asbestos or materials record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-02
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[3]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (by ship number), PDF p.23 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF p.23, row 'LCI(L)-344 | 1/18/1943 | 6/30/1945' (verified by pdftotext extraction of the live NARA PDF, 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 inventory (by ship number, PDF page 23) lists Navy deck logs for LCI(L)-344 covering 18 January 1943 through 30 June 1945 - in-scope wartime service documentation held in Record Group 24, retrievable for this hull. The coverage start coincides with the vessel's 18 January 1943 commissioning date; coverage ends 30 June 1945 while the vessel remained in service (struck 17 April 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-01-18 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Crew and embarked personnel recorded in the logs (1943-45)
- Limitations
- The entry is an inventory record only - it establishes that NARA holds logbooks for this hull for the stated span, not their contents. The deck logs themselves were not opened for this record; post-June-1945 service (including the Philippine post-surrender period and return) is outside this inventory listing. No asbestos or condition information is contained in the listing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-03
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[4]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS LCI(L)-344 (LCI(L)-344) - ship data table and transcribed wartime orders of battle (Operation Dexterity, 26 Dec 1943; Operations Reckless and Persecution, 22 Apr 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 21367 - data table; 'Operation Dexterity' event, Task Unit 76.1.32 listing; 'Operations Reckless and Persecution' event, Task Group 77.1 listing and echelon chronology
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's transcriptions of wartime operation orders name this hull at two operations: Operation Dexterity (Cape Gloucester landings, 26 December 1943) - USS LCI(L)-344 in Task Unit 76.1.32 (LCI Unit, Beach Yellow Two), Lt.(jg) R.B. Ruby, USNR, commanding; and Operations Reckless and Persecution (Hollandia/Aitape landings, 22 April 1944) - USS LCI(L)-344 in Task Group 77.1 (Western Attack Group), Lt.(jg) H.W. Griswold, USNR, commanding, sailing in Echelon R-1 Group B out of Goodenough Island 16 April 1944. The ship data table independently confirms: built by Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston; laid down 26 October 1942; launched 2 December 1942; commissioned 18 January 1943.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-12-26 to 1944-04-22
- Population
- Lt.(jg) R.B. Ruby USNR / Lt.(jg) H.W. Griswold USNR and crew; embarked assault troops (1943-44)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a reputable secondary compilation; the task-unit listings are transcriptions of wartime operation orders, not the primary documents. Commanding-officer names are point-in-time (different officers listed at Dec 1943 and Apr 1944) - not a full command chronology. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-04
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[5]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association (usslci.org), '30 Days' by Robert E. Wright Jr. (posted 19 Feb 2019) - firsthand account of an LCI(R)-337 crewman; lists hull 344 in the Flotilla 7 Leyte convoy (archived copy; live site unreachable this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20260618172018 of https://usslci.org/30-days/ - 'Day 12-16 October 13-17, 1944' paragraph (Flotilla 7 Op Plan 101-44 convoy roster)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A firsthand veteran narrative on the USS LCI National Association site records that 'the ships of Flotilla 7 by Operational Plan 101-44 departed Hollandia' on 13-17 October 1944 bound for Leyte Gulf, listing hull 344 among the flotilla's LCIs ('28, 447, 448, 361, 363, 364, 429, 71, 72, 73, 74, 31, 34, 230, 331, 337, 338, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 430, 29, 227, 228 and 432'). This independently corroborates the hull's credited Leyte operation (NavSource campaign table) and places her in the Flotilla 7 convoy during the transit in which she was later attacked (27 October 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-10
- Population
- Flotilla 7 LCI crews; embarked troops in the Leyte convoy (October 1944)
- Limitations
- Firsthand veteran narrative - a recollection published by the LCI veterans' association, not an official record; the flotilla roster is consistent with the NavSource campaign table. Live usslci.org unreachable this session (connection failed); cited via Wayback capture 2026-06-18, labeled archived. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-05
-
[6]Commander Seventh Amphibious Force, administrative history 'The SEVENTH Amphibious Force' Part I (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the postwar Navy administrative history) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 7thAmphibs-1.html, Part I, 'Creation of an Amphibious Force' section, paragraph beginning 'The ships of LCI Flotilla Seven' (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official administrative history of the Seventh Amphibious Force records that 'the ships of LCI Flotilla Seven, also assigned to the Southwest Pacific Force, commenced to arrive in April 1943' - matching this hull's assignment (NavSource: LCI Flotilla Seven, LCI Group Nineteen, 7th Amphibious Force) and situating her January 1943 commissioning and spring-1943 arrival within the force's build-up for the New Guinea campaign that opened at Lae, 4 September 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- LCI Flotilla Seven crews (1943-45)
- Limitations
- Force-level official history: documents LCI Flotilla Seven's assignment and April 1943 arrival, not this hull individually (the narrative does not list hull numbers). HyperWar/ibiblio is a transcription mirror of the Navy administrative history. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-06
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[7]Library of Congress, Historic American Engineering Record HAER AK-52, M/V Husky II (USS LCI(L) 653) - LCI(L)-class written history and documentation [haer]
- Locator
- HAER AK-52 written history, 'LCIs in World War II' section and principal-dimensions/propulsion block; NavSource specifications block for this hull's engine fit (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- LCI(L)s were diesel-powered landing craft of a utilitarian wartime Bureau of Ships design (designed May 1942; over 900 built by ten yards; 158.5 ft, twin-screw). This hull's propulsion was two sets of four General Motors 6051-series-71 diesel engines, four per shaft (2,320 shp) - an all-diesel plant with no boilers or steam system, so the asbestos-relevant applications aboard are the era-standard diesel-craft items: diesel exhaust and muffler lagging, thermal/acoustic insulation in the engine room and accommodation spaces, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. A 1942 diesel landing craft sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications are inferred, not documented aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); wartime crew in confined engine-room and accommodation spaces
- Limitations
- Class/design inference only - HAER AK-52 documents a sister craft (LCI(L) 653, later class) and the LCI(L) design generally; it does not name this hull and does not itself assert asbestos content (its insulation mentions concern a 1980s fishing-tender conversion, not WWII construction - excluded as class asbestos evidence). No ship-specific material list exists for this hull; asbestos presence aboard is era- and design-level inference, not ship-proven. LCIs were deliberately austere craft - installed insulation scope may be materially less than on larger vessels. Does not establish quantity or present-day presence (hull fate unknown after 1948).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-07
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[8]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 construction (1942) and entire service era (1943-46).
- 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 or even this craft type (HRD-80-2 concerns larger Navy vessels and shipyards). Full text not retrieved - gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403, standing defect since Batch 01/98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-08
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[9]Batch-5067 search ledger (this record): NavSource 150344; Brown Shipbuilding yard table; NARA Special List 44 PDF p.23; NHHC/DANFS candidate URLs (404); NVR (not covered); uboat.net order of battle; usslci.org firsthand narrative (archived); HyperWar Seventh Amphibious Force history; NARA catalog (blocked); GAO (blocked); CourtListener (see ledger); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed case naming USS LCI(L)-344 / LCI-344 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener returned zero hits for "LCI(L)-344", "LCI-344", and loose spellings "LCI(L) 344"/"LCI 344" on the opinion index, zero for "LCI(L)-344" OR "LCI-344" on the RECAP docket index, and zero for the builder-side "Brown Shipbuilding" asbestos check on 2026-09-30. No individual DANFS entry exists for this numbered landing craft. The only builder-side litigation located (Miller v. Brown Shipbuilding Co., 71 F. Supp. 672 (S.D. Tex. 1947), aff'd 5th Cir. 1948) is a non-asbestos wartime employment-discrimination class action - classified other litigation, not vessel evidence. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying asbestos case and only unrelated Navy asbestos litigation (other hulls).
- 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 - as a 1942 combat-built landing craft the hull sits inside the documented Navy asbestos era. Litigation coverage is a verified negative for this hull on both CourtListener indexes plus a builder-level opinion check. Deck logs (RG 24, Jan 1943-Jun 1945), BuShips construction records, and any Maritime Commission disposal file are undigitized leads. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The vessel was transferred to the Maritime Commission in 1948 with fate unknown, so no modern survey exists unless the hull is identified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-344-lcil344-09