Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-346 ex USS LCI(L)-346 (1943-1944) - construction/milestone timeline, unit assignments, campaign table, specifications, disposal; page history credited to 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995); verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150346.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, and photo-caption series (Iwo Jima press boat, ABSD-1 Guam, CO change, POW broadcast, engineers/crew photos)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 31 October 1942 at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, TX; launched 3 December 1942; commissioned USS LCI(L)-346, 25 January 1943; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Guns) LCI(G)-346, 15 June 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Three (CDR R. Eikel Jr. USNR), LCI Group Nine (LCDR C. J. Starkus USN Ret), LCI Division Eighteen. Campaigns: Marshall Islands - occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 31 January-8 February 1944; Marianas - Saipan 20 June-16 July 1944, Guam 17-21 July 1944; Tinian 10 and 24-28 July 1944; Iwo Jima assault and occupation 17 February-16 March 1945; Okinawa Gunto 26-30 June 1945. Decommissioned circa February-March 1946 at New Orleans, LA; struck from the Naval Register 5 June 1946; sold 1 December 1946, fate unknown. Five battle stars for WWII service plus the Presidential Unit Citation (Iwo Jima, 17 February 1945, as a unit of LCI(G) Group Eight) and the Navy Unit Commendation (LCI(G) Flotilla Three, 31 January-28 July 1944). Specifications: displacement 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; length 158' 5.5"; beam 23' 3"; speed 16 kts max. Photographic captions document: service as a press boat during the Iwo Jima campaign carrying war-correspondent copy to a communications ship; several hits sustained and mast lost at Iwo Jima; repairs in floating drydock USS ABSD-1 at Guam circa May 1945; LTjg Jerrold Bromberg relieving first CO LT Harry L. Gruver circa June 1945; a Japanese POW broadcasting surrender appeals over the ship's PA system off Iwo Jima.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-43); LCI(L) crew ~28 (1943-44); LCI(G) crew ~70 (1944-46); embarked troops; correspondents aboard during Iwo Jima press-boat service
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its page attributes the history text to the Turner Publishing LCI volume. Milestone dates are consistent across the page but unverified against DANFS (no DANFS entry exists for this numbered craft - see search_ledger) or NVR. No asbestos or material content. 'Circa February-March 1946' decommissioning is approximate; the stricken and sale dates are exact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-01
-
[2]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (Bradley, Kurtz, et al., comp., 1978) - 'Ships With Symbol and Number Designations,' printed page 336; scanned page image via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center mirror (narasl44/362.jpg; viewer page realpage=1735&display=362) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 printed p. 336 (ACPL scan narasl44/362.jpg), 'LCI(L)(G)-346' row between LCI(L)(G)-345 and LCI(L)(G)-347
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- SL44 inventories Navy deck logs for this hull as 'LCI(L)(G)-346 | Jan. 25, 1943-June 30, 1945 | 2' - i.e., two logbooks covering 25 January 1943 through 30 June 1945 in NARA custody (the combined LCI(L)/LCI(G) styling reflects her mid-1944 gunboat reclassification). The inventory documents that logs exist and their coverage; the underlying RG 24 logbooks are held at the National Archives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-01-25 to 1945-06-30 (coverage); compiled 1978
- Population
- crew and officers generating the 1943-45 logbooks; NARA College Park holds the physical volumes
- Limitations
- The dates are logbook-coverage dates, not asserted commissioning or decommissioning dates: the span opens on the documented commissioning date (25 Jan 1943) but closes 30 June 1945 while the ship remained in service into 1946 - SL44 records only what NARA held at compilation, so post-June-1945 logs are simply outside this inventory, not absent from service. The inventory lists the logs' existence; it does not include their contents. Physical volume count (2) is a logbook count, not a completeness guarantee. Image verified by direct fetch 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - verbatim text of the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to LCI(G) Group Eight including the flagship of LCI Flotilla Three, signed James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy; member list includes LCI(G)-346; verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/15000030.htm citation text and member-ship list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- PUC citation text: 'For extraordinary heroism during action in support of beach reconnaissance by Underwater Demolition Teams at enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on February 17, 1945... their engine rooms flooded and those of the gallant ships still operable towed their powerless companion ships clear of the overpowering fire of the enemy... Only when the beach reconnaissance had been accomplished did LCI(G) Group EIGHT retire after absorbing an hour and a quarter of devastating punishment in support of the stout-hearted swimmers of the Demolition Team.' LCI(G)-346 is listed on the award page's member roster of Group Eight gunboats (346, 348, 438, 441, 449, 450, 455, 466, 469, 471, 473, 474, LC(FF)-627).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02-17
- Population
- crew of LCI(G)-346, 17 February 1945 (LCI(G) complement ~5 officers + 65 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Documents the unit award and that this hull was a listed member of the cited group; does not by itself detail 346's individual damage or positions. No asbestos content. Citation text is verbatim transcription hosted on NavSource (secondary compilation); the underlying citation is a Secretary of the Navy award.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-03
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - verbatim text of the Navy Unit Commendation awarded to LCI(G) Flotilla Three, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, signed James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy; verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/15000031.htm citation text and unit roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NUC citation text: 'For outstanding heroism in action in support of amphibious landings on enemy Japanese-held Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls in the Marshall Islands, and on Saipan, Guam and Tinian in the Marianas, from January 31 to July 28, 1944...' The award roster names LCI(G)-346 explicitly among the 39 listed ships of Flotilla Three (LCI(G)s 77-82, 345-348, 365-366, 371-373, 437-442, 449-463, 470, 725, 726).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-01-31 to 1944-07-28
- Population
- crew of LCI(G)-346, 31 January - 28 July 1944
- Limitations
- Documents the unit commendation covering the Marshalls and Marianas period and names this hull on the roster; does not detail 346's individual actions. No asbestos content. Verbatim transcription hosted on NavSource; the underlying award is a Secretary of the Navy commendation. Note the citation covers Eniwetok while NavSource's ship-page campaign table lists only 'Kwajalein and Majuro' for the Marshalls - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-04
-
[5]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'Combat Awards' page - verbatim Navy Cross citation for LTjg Harry L. Gruver, USNR, CO of LCI(G)-346 (http scheme; https fails TLS on this host; page verified live 2026-09-30). Corroborated by homeofheroes.com recipient entry. [other_primary]
- Locator
- usslci.org/combat-awards - 'Lieutenant, Junior Grade Harry L. Gruver' entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Navy Cross citation text: '...as Commanding Officer of Landing Craft Infantry Gunboat THREE HUNDRED FORTY-SIX (LCI(G)-346), operating as a unit of LCI(G), Group EIGHT, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the close-in fire support operations against Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands on 17 February 1945. Ordered into the field of enemy fire after several gunboats in his task force had been severely damaged, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Gruver boldly defied the deadly rain of heavy shells bursting on all sides to close range and bring the 346 in position to render assistance to the stricken ships... he coolly directed his vessel in rescue operations and greatly assisted in the salvage of several badly battered ships.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02-17
- Population
- crew of LCI(G)-346, 17 February 1945
- Limitations
- Documents the commanding officer's decoration for the 17 Feb 1945 action and confirms 346 was ordered into the fire zone from reserve to aid damaged gunboats; does not enumerate hull damage. Veterans-association page reproducing official citation text; corroborated by an independent awards compiler (homeofheroes.com). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-05
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archives, image 436117 - 'Special press boat speeds news of battle for Iwo Jima to home front'; caption identifies LCI(L)-346 with PRESS written on the conning tower; verified live 2026-09-30 [museum_official]
- Locator
- USNI Photo Archives item 436117 (caption text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USNI archive caption: 'Photo shows LCI(L)-346, with PRESS written on conn tower; back of photo caption says PCI rushed correspondents reports back to a communication ship to be radioed on to Guam or San Francisco' - documenting the hull's press-boat duty during the Iwo Jima operation, independently of the NavSource narrative.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02 to 1945-03
- Population
- crew plus embarked war correspondents, Iwo Jima February-March 1945
- Limitations
- Photographic caption only - documents the press-boat assignment at Iwo Jima, not damage or the UDT-support action. The caption's 'PCI' is a period transcription artifact (LCI). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-06
-
[7]USS LCI National Association, Elsie Item newsletter No. 89 (February 2015), 'The LCI Gunboats of Iwo Jima' - unit-position roster and photo captions citing NARA 80G photographs and Rielly, 'American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II' (McFarland); verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Elsie Item No. 89 (Feb 2015), pp. 17-18: Group 8 task-organization roster and LCI(G)-346/348 photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The newsletter's reconstruction of the 17 February 1945 UDT-support disposition (Task Unit 52.5.2, Commander LCI Group 8 LCDR W. V. Nash) lists LCI(G)-346 and LCI(G)-348 as the reserve pair behind the beach-assigned gunboats (438, 449, 441, 457) - consistent with the Gruver citation's 'ordered into the field of enemy fire after several gunboats... had been severely damaged.' The issue also carries the US Navy photo of LCI(G)-346 and -348 at Guam, Marianas, after the operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- crew of LCI(G)-346
- Limitations
- Veterans-association newsletter (secondary compilation drawing on unit records, NARA photos, and published scholarship); details such as the five-miles-off reserve position derive from cited logs rather than a verbatim reproduced document. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-07
-
[8]NARA catalog records located via Digital Public Library of America mirror (provider: National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference): NAID 120166495 'LCI(G) 346 - Muster Rolls' (Bureau of Naval Personnel records, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships collection); NAID 139796319 'LCI(G)-346 - War Diary, 12/1-31/44'; NAID 139931645 'LCI(G)-346 - War Diary, 2/1-28/45'; NAID 140070021 'LCI(G)-346 - War Diary, 4/1/45-5/31/45' (RG 38-era 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories', Office of Naval Records and Library) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DPLA phrase search '"LCI(G) 346"' (4 results, all NARA College Park); item pages mapping to catalog.archives.gov/id/120166495, /139796319, /139931645, /140070021
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Four ship-specific primary records exist in the NARA catalog for this hull: three wartime war-diary installments (Dec 1944; Feb 1945 - covering the 17 Feb 1945 Iwo Jima UDT-support action; Apr-May 1945 - covering the Guam ABSD-1 repair period) and the muster-roll series. These are the primary-source leads for any future hull-level construction/damage/repair documentation, including anything the logs say about material damage and repair work.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-12 to 1945-05 (diaries); muster-roll span unverified
- Population
- crew of LCI(G)-346 (muster rolls); ship's officers (war diaries)
- Limitations
- Records located via DPLA's mirror of NARA catalog metadata; catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and its public API was unreachable this session, so the NAID records' digitization status and full scope are unverified. Presence of a war diary does not indicate asbestos content; no asbestos term appears in the located metadata.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-08
-
[9]COMINCH P-0012, 'Amphibious Operations - Capture of Iwo Jima, 16 February to 16 March 1945' (U.S. Fleet Headquarters, CINC, Navy Department, 17 July 1945), HyperWar transcription; verified live 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- COMINCH P-0012 Chapter II (Naval Gunfire), Iwo-2.html, gunboat-support plan and Dog-Day attrition paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy synthesis documents the gunboat support plan this hull participated in: 12 LCI(G)s of Gunboat Support Units No. 1 and No. 2 plus 12 LCS(L)s were to precede the leading assault wave delivering 4.5-inch rocket salvos; of the original 12 LCI(G)s, 'only 3 were in condition to deliver the scheduled support on Dog-Day, the other having been lost or damaged by enemy fire on previous days' (i.e., the 17 February UDT-support action in which LCI(G)-346, then a Group Eight reserve, was ordered into the fire zone per the Navy Cross citation).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02-16 to 1945-03-16
- Population
- LCI(G)/LCS(L) gunboat crews, Gunboat Support Group, Iwo Jima
- Limitations
- Unit/operation-level official history - names no individual hull; the 17 Feb attrition statement covers Group Eight's collective losses, not 346's specifically (her several hits and lost mast come from NavSource photo captions). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-09
-
[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 1942-43 construction and 1943-46 service era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era covered includes 1942-46
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews of the asbestos era
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description, same standing limitation as batches 01/98.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-10
-
[11]Rushworth, Denis H., 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2), 2005, DOI 10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x; verified live 2026-09-30 (direct curl 403, full page via Firecrawl) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NEJ 117(2) 2005 article record + abstract, ingentaconnect art00012
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed Naval Engineers Journal article (American Society of Naval Engineers) documents that asbestos 'was once used in U.S. Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation and in many other shipboard products,' that crew aboard 'Navy ships built during and following WWII' were among those exposed, and that 'the most likely source of their Navy shipboard exposures was thermal insulation' because the materials were 'dry, friable, and easily accessible.' Covers this hull's construction and service era at the practice level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2005 (article); WWII-era practice documented
- Population
- WWII-and-later Navy ship crews; shipyard insulation workers
- Limitations
- Era/practice-level documentation - names no hull and no product list for this vessel; establishes the Navy-era practice, not installed materials aboard LCI(L)-346. Abstract-level read; article body not retrieved. No quantity, product, or individual exposure data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-11
-
[12]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (diesel propulsion: two banks of four GM 6-71-series diesels, 4 per shaft; GM main reduction gears; twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two diesel-driven 30 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-10); Rushworth NEJ 2005 (ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150346.htm specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NEJ 117(2) 2005
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A geared-diesel landing craft built October 1942-January 1943 at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos applications aboard a diesel amphibious craft of this type and period were engine and exhaust thermal insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; exposure-relevant confined spaces were her engine room and machinery spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-46), esp. engine-room personnel; any repair trades during the Guam ABSD-1 availability (1945); purchasers/scrappers post-1946
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-346; the May 1945 ABSD-1 repair period at Guam is documented photographically but its work scope is not. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-12
-
[13]Batch-5069 search ledger (this record): NavSource main/PUC/NUC pages; NARA SL44 printed p.336 via ACPL scan; usslci.org combat-awards + Elsie Item 89; USNI Photo Archives 436117; NARA catalog war-diary/muster-roll NAIDs via DPLA; COMINCH P-0012 HyperWar; GAO HRD-80-2; NEJ 117(2); CourtListener API v4 (opinions x2, docket x1 attempted); secondary web litigation sweep; batch intake cross-check (no PRIMARY match at any tier under LCI/LSI spellings, same-number conversions, or documented renumberings) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-346-01 through -11
- 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)-346 / LCI(G)-346 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion searches returned zero results for both the hyphenated spellings ('LCI(L)-346' OR 'LCI(G)-346' OR 'LCI-346') and the spaced variants ('LCI 346' OR 'LCI(L) 346' OR 'LCI(G) 346' OR 'USS LCI-346'), 2026-09-30; a docket-level (type=r) query repeatedly hit the fleet pacing cap and is logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Batch intake records 'No PRIMARY match at any tier' under the checked spellings/conversions. The only asbestos-adjacent web material is generic landing-craft marketing content (asbestos-ships.com class page asserting WWII craft 'contained asbestos materials' without primary sourcing) that does not name this hull - 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. The docket-level CourtListener query was not completed (fleet pacing) - residual litigation-check gap remains open. NARA deck logs (SL44: 2 logbooks, 1943-01-25 to 1945-06-30), war diaries (NAIDs located), and muster rolls are unexamined primary leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-346-13
