Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 410-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-355 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_Landing_Craft_Infantry
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-pkt-410-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(M)-355 ex LCI(G)-355 ex LCI(L)-355 - construction, designation timeline, unit assignments, campaigns, disposal, specifications (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150355.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 11 April 1943 at George Lawley & Sons Shipbuilding Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 20 May 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-355 on 9 June 1943 (LTjg. A.V. Cole, USNR, listed in command as of May 1945). Reclassified LCI(G)-355 on 31 December 1944 and LCI(M)-355 on 30 April 1945. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Fourteen (CAPT. T.W. Rimer), LCI Group Forty-Two (LCDR. A.H. Conners, USNR), LCI Division Eighty-Four. Campaigns: assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 19-26 February 1945 (as LCI(G)-355); assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March - 14 June 1945 (as LCI(G)-355 and LCI(M)-355). Two battle stars for WWII service. Decommissioned and struck, dates unknown. Sold 20 January 1947, fate unknown. Spec block: 246 t. light / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; LCI(L) complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted (LCI(G) 5+65; LCI(M) 4+49); propulsion two sets of 4 General Motors 6051-series-71 diesel engines (4 per shaft), GM main reduction gears, two diesel-drive 30 kW 120V DC ship's-service generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photographic record: LCI(L)-355 underway pre-conversion (Bill Brinkley); LCI(G)-355 at Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945 (Elsie Item, March 1999, courtesy of Ed Harms, XO 1944-45 and CO 1946); LCI(G)-355 with LCI(G)-353 in amphibious exercises at Maui before the Iwo Jima operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Construction trades at Lawley Neponset (1943); crew 1943-46 (28-70 depending on configuration); embarked troops up to ~188 (capacity figure); ship's force at Iwo Jima and Okinawa
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its underlying credit is the Turner Publishing company-history volume. Dates and specs track official records in most respects but the LCI(G) reclassification date conflicts with uboat.net (31 Dec 1944 vs 31 Dec 1943 - see gaps) and the complement figures conflict with the HyperWar class block (see gaps). No asbestos or material content. The '(May 1945)' parenthetical on the CO listing suggests a roster date rather than the commissioning CO - treated as such.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-01
-
[3]NARA, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947, 'Special List #44, by Ship Numbers' (PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 16, row 'LCI(L)(G)(M)-355 6/9/1943 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (ship-number listing) inventories Navy deck logs for 'LCI(L)(G)(M)-355' covering 6/9/1943 to 6/30/1945 (PDF page 16). The begin date coincides with the ship's commissioning date (9 June 1943). These are log-coverage dates, not asserted commissioning/decommissioning dates; the entry documents that wartime deck logs for this hull exist in NARA custody (RG 24 logbooks holdings), covering the entire commissioned period through mid-1945 including the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-06-09 to 1945-06-30 (inventoried coverage)
- Population
- Crew of LCI(L)/LCI(G)/LCI(M)-355, June 1943 - June 1945
- Limitations
- Inventory listing only - it establishes that deck logs for this hull exist and their coverage window; it does not describe their contents and the logs themselves are not digitized publicly (held at NARA II, College Park). Coverage ends 30 June 1945 while the ship remained in service into 1946 (Guam drydocking January 1946, ev-05): post-30 June 1945 logs are a further archival lead, as SL44 reflects the first-accession inventory and later accessions may extend coverage. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS LCI(L)-355 (LCI(L)-355), LCI 351 class - builder, order and milestone dates, reclassification dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21379.html data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary compilation cross-check for this hull: built by George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, MA; ordered 9 March 1943; laid down 11 April 1943; launched 20 May 1943; commissioned 9 June 1943 - all matching NavSource. Reclassified 'LCI(G), Landing Craft Guns on 31 December 1943' (conflicts with NavSource's 31 December 1944 - see ev-04 and gaps) and 'LCI(M), Landing Craft Mortar on 30 April 1945' (agrees with NavSource).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Crew 1943-46
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Guethmundur Helgason's Allied Warships database); authoritative for cross-checking but not a primary source. The LCI(G) reclassification year conflicts with NavSource - carried as an unresolved date conflict, NavSource date adopted in the milestone fields. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-03
-
[5]Designation cross-check: NavSource designation history (LCI(L)-355 -> LCI(G)-355 '31 December 1944' -> LCI(M)-355 '30 April 1945') vs uboat.net ('LCI(G) on 31 December 1943'; 'LCI(M) 30 April 1945') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150355.htm designation lines; uboat.net ship/21379.html history field
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DATE CONFLICT FLAGGED: uboat.net prints the LCI(G)-355 reclassification as 31 December 1943; NavSource prints 31 December 1944. The ship is documented at Iwo Jima as LCI(G)-355 in February 1945 under either date, but a 1943 change would imply she served 1944 operations as a gunboat and a 1944 change implies she served through most of 1944 as a troop LCI. NavSource's date is carried in the record (it matches the Turner Publishing ship history underlying the page); the uboat.net variant is flagged here and in gaps. The LCI(M)-355 reclassification agrees at 30 April 1945 in both sources.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a date conflict between two secondary sources; neither side cites a BuShips directive. The unresolved variant is carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-04
-
[6]USS ABSD-3 repair records (handwritten log, 'Ship's Repaired on USS ABSD-3, Guam, M.I.'), scanned and hosted by NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive (09/67/6703.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 6703a.pdf, final log page (entry column '1-10-46', 'LCI #355'); cf. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_ABSD-3 vessel list citing the same PDF
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ABSD-3 repair log - a contemporaneous handwritten record of ships drydocked/repaired in the nine-section advance base sectional dock at Apra Harbor, Guam - lists 'LCI #355' at entry dated 1-10-46 (10 January 1946), alongside LCI #461 the same day. This documents a postwar repair/drydock availability for this hull at Guam, Marianas, within the dock's operating period (first repair 5 March 1945, last 5 March 1946). A drydock entry establishes hull-out-of-water maintenance - exposure-relevant because dock availabilities put yard trades aboard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-01
- Population
- Crew of LCI(M)-355 plus ABSD-3/Guam repair trades (January 1946)
- Limitations
- Entry establishes presence in drydock on the logged date only - the record does not state what work was performed or its duration, and the name/weight columns are blank for this entry. Handwritten scan; '355' is legible in context of the surrounding numbered-craft sequence (also transcribed in Wikipedia's ABSD-3 article, which reproduces this list from this PDF). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) - LCI(L), WWII Construction' table (live page, continuously updated) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcil.htm, row '355' (Lawley & Sons block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Colton's shipbuilding-history table entry for hull 355: builder 'Lawley & Sons', Neponset MA; delivery June 1943 (table prints 9-Jun-43); disposition 'Sold 1947' - consistent with NavSource's 20 January 1947 sale. The table also documents that 923 LCI(L)s were built by 10 shipyards to the Lawley design family (class context).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Tim Colton's yard-data tables), not a primary registry; the 2010 Wayback capture of this table printed 'Struck 1946' for this hull while the live page prints 'Sold 1947' - the stricken date remains unresolved (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-06
-
[8]MIT Museum, George Lawley & Son collection record and McInnis-Lawley collection (builder's plans, ~1,700 sheets across ~150 designs; LCI(L) plan object 1988.075R.001 listed under the organization record) [museum_official]
- Locator
- mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/organization/1754 (organization record); mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/collection/mcinnis-lawley-collection (collection description)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MIT Museum holds the surviving George Lawley & Son design archive (the McInnis-Lawley collection: approximately 1,700 plan sheets representing ~150 designs, plus yard photographs and business material), and its online catalog lists an LCI(L) plan object (1988.075R.001). Because Lawley was the LCI(L) design yard - its drawings were shared with the other nine builders - this collection is the most plausible surviving repository of the plans/specifications from which hull 355 was built, and therefore the lead for any original-materials (insulation) documentation.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- collection covering circa 1909-1946 yard operations
- Population
- Potential builder/materials documentation for Lawley-built LCI(L)s incl. hull 355
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: object-level plan contents are not digitized; whether a hull-355-specific or class booklet-of-plans survives, and whether any materials/specification sheets detail insulation or lagging, is undetermined. Page returned HTTP 429 (rate-limit) on direct fetch this session; content verified via search-index capture of the same URL - re-fetch recommended. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-07
-
[9]USS LCI National Association, 'The Elsie Item' newsletter, Issue 124 (Spring/March 2024) - memorial roster listing [museum_official]
- Locator
- ElsieItem-124-Mar_2024.pdf, memorial roster (Peter De Blaise, GM3/c, NJ - LCI(M) 355)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association's quarterly newsletter lists Peter De Blaise, GM3/c, of New Jersey, as an LCI(M) 355 veteran in its memorial ('Taps') roster. This documents that the association maintains crew-level records for this hull; NavSource's photo credits independently identify Ed Harms as XO (1944-45) and CO (1946) of LCI(M)-355 and source the Iwo Jima photograph to the association's newsletter archive.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2024 (publication); service period 1943-46
- Population
- LCI(M)-355 crew members (association roster)
- Limitations
- Veteran-association records, not official Navy records; roster entry documents membership/attribution of service, not an exposure record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (eight General Motors 6051-series-71 diesel engines in two sets of four, GM reduction gears, diesel-drive generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp); uboat.net LCI-351 class data; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos program documentation (ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150355.htm specifications block; uboat.net LCI 351 class page; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-10)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) built in 1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were thermal insulation, diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation, concentrated in the engine room and confined internal volumes. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1943); crew 1943-46; ABSD-3/Guam repair trades (Jan 1946); disposal chain post-sale (1947-?)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-355. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. LCI(L) construction was spartan and substantially smaller than ocean-going combatants; the extent of installed insulation aboard 158-foot landing craft specifically is not documented in the located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-09
-
[11]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 (1943) and 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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-10
-
[12]Batch-5079 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF (verified p.16); NHHC DANFS (no entry); NVR (no entry); uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory.com; ABSD-3 repair-record scan; MIT Museum collection (429); USS LCI National Association newsletter; HyperWar COMINCH P-0012; CourtListener opinions + dockets (no result); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-355 / LCI(G)-355 / LCI(M)-355 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener was queried on all four designation spellings - zero opinion results and zero docket/recap results (authenticated API, 2026-09-30). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and, unlike most WWII hulls, no law-firm marketing listicle asserting asbestos aboard this specific hull was found either.
- 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. CourtListener coverage is limited to published opinions and docketed filings - settled asbestos claims and state-court complaints are underrepresented there, so zero hits is a qualified negative, not proof of no litigation. Deck logs (NARA RG 24, inventoried 1943-45), any Lawley construction specs (MIT collection lead), and LCI Group 42/Flotilla 14 unit records (Fold3 war diaries) are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-355-lcil355-11