Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet ox-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-pkt-ox-packet-md
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-394 (10/15/150394) - construction milestones, commissioning, theater/flotilla assignment, disposal, specifications, awards, commanding officers; history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-56311-262-0) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150394.htm header block, history block, specifications block, awards line, and commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 3 December 1943 at George Lawley and Sons, Neponset, MA; launched 10 December 1943; commissioned as USS LCI(L)-394, 14 December 1943, LT. P. A. Wassmansdorf USNR in command (CO table lists Wassmansdorf from 19 October 1943, a pre-commissioning assignment). Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Five (CDR. H. V. Milton), LCI Group Fourteen (LT. H. M. Mattson USN), LCI Division Twenty-Eight; under the operational control of Atoll Commander Majuro, Marshall Islands. Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 20 March 1946; sold 3 December 1946, fate unknown. Awards listed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal - no battle stars. Spec block: 236 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; armament five single 20mm (some LCIs added two .50 cal); propulsion two sets of 4 General Motors 6051-series-71 diesel engines, 4 per shaft, GM main reduction gears, two diesel-drive 30kW ship's service generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; diesel fuel 860 bbl.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Nov-Dec 1943); crew (Dec 1943 - disposal); embarked troops and evacuees
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation; the stated source is the USS LCI National Association's Turner Publishing history, a veterans'-association compilation, not a registry. Milestones track BuShips-style data but are not independently verified against NVR (no entry - hull disposed before the register's coverage) or DANFS (no entry exists). Decommissioning date is explicitly unknown. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-01
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[3]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (ship-number list) - RG 24 deck-log coverage inventory [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 ship-number list, PDF page 23, 'LCI(L)-394 12/14/1943 6/30/1945' row (neighboring rows LCI(L)-393, -395, -398)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 inventories Navy deck logs for LCI(L)-394 covering 12/14/1943 to 6/30/1945 - a coverage window beginning on the documented commissioning date and documenting in-scope wartime service through mid-1945. The logs are Record Group 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) holdings at Archives II, College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-12-14 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- crew (Dec 1943 - Jun 1945 coverage window)
- Limitations
- Inventory row only: establishes that deck logs exist and their coverage window, not their contents - the logs were not reviewed and are not in NARA's published digitized-online deck-log list as of 2026-09-30. The coverage dates are log-holding dates, not asserted commissioning or decommissioning dates; the 6/30/1945 endpoint reflects inventoried holdings and is shared by neighboring hulls (LCI(L)-393, LCI(L)-398), while LCI(L)-395's logs run to 12/31/1945 - decommissioning remains undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-02
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[4]U.S. Pacific Fleet / Pacific Ocean Areas, Atoll Commander Majuro, Marshall Islands - 'Operation Plan, Atoll Commander, Majuro 4-45', A16-3 serial 00145, 30 April 1945 (SECRET; declassified scan hosted by NavSource, contributed by Sue Cosper); execution identified in LCI National Association materials as Operation Penrod, D-Day 6 May 1945 (photo caption on NavSource LCI(L)-482 page, sourced to The Elsie Item, June 1996) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Operation Plan Atoll Commander Majuro 4-45 (serial 00145), Task Organization para (b), PDF page 1 of 7; mission narrative at pp. 2-4 and Annex E (air support), NavSource 10/15/pdf/150481b.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The 30 April 1945 SECRET operation plan of the Atoll Commander, Majuro names LCI-394 in the task organization as Evacuation Unit #2 - '(b) Evacuation Unit #2. LCI-394 (with 2 LCR); Lt. P. A. Wasemansdorf [Wassmansdorf], USNR; Military Government Officer; Lt. W. G. Nagle, SC, USNR; Native Scout Party 2 (1 canoe); 5 man native boat party; 5 man enlisted guard (NAB Majuro); Guides and Interpreters as designated.' The operation evacuated Marshallese natives from Japanese-held Jaluit Atoll: the plan records ~1,200 natives 'very desirous of being evacuated,' scouts put ashore at night, ships at evacuation rendezvous points at daybreak, with fire support (USS Vintle DE-25; YMS-354, alternate YMS-320) and air support. Per the NavSource caption sourced to the LCI National Association newsletter (The Elsie Item, June 1996), the operation - Operation Penrod - was executed 6 May 1945 and 580 natives were evacuated by 5 LCIs 'in spite of an alerted enemy'; the plan names exactly five LCI evacuation units: LCI-482 (#1), LCI-394 (#2), LCI-392 (#3), LCI-479 (#4), LCI-481 (#5).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-04-30 to 1945-05-06
- Population
- LCI-394 crew; embarked Military Government, scout, guard, and interpreter personnel; ~580 evacuated Marshallese (operation total across 5 LCIs)
- Limitations
- A plan document, not an after-action report for this hull: it assigns LCI-394 a task-organisation role; the newsletter-derived caption confirms the operation executed with five LCIs on 6 May 1945 but does not itemize LCI-394's individual movements or tally. LCI-394's own commanding-officer report for the operation was not located (the companion 481-series PDFs are LCI-481-specific). 'LCR' = rubber landing craft (ONI 226 designation). The CO surname is OCR-rendered 'Wasemansdorf' in the scan text; NavSource's hull page gives 'Wassmansdorf.' No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-03
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[5]NavSource photo table for USS LCI(L)-394: 'USS LCI(L)-394 and USS LCI(L)-482 at anchor, nested together in the Marshall Islands, date unknown' (image 1015039401.jpg, credited to 'Hyperwar US Navy in World War II'); same image on the LCI(L)-482 page (10/15/150482.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150394.htm image table (1015039401.jpg); mirrored caption at 10/15/150482.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous photograph shows LCI(L)-394 and LCI(L)-482 nested together at anchor in the Marshall Islands; both hull numbers (394, 482) and 'LCI' marking are legible on the ships' bows - physical-presence documentation consistent with their shared Division Twenty-Eight / Atoll Commander Majuro assignment.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (Marshals window, inferred from assignment)
- Population
- crews of LCI(L)-394 and LCI(L)-482 (wartime, Marshall Islands)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the image is undated and its original Navy photo number was not traced; NavSource hosts the file with a HyperWar provenance credit, and no HyperWar catalog page for the image was located. A moored photo documents presence, not activity or condition. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-04
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI(L)-351 spec block (two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, 4 per shaft, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp - diesel plant, no steam); ONI 226 'Landing Craft Types' type documentation for the LCI(L) series (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/ONI/ONI-226/ONI-226.pdf); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150394.htm specifications block; ONI 226 LCI(L) type tables (ibiblio.org HyperWar mirror); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-06)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A December-1943-built diesel landing craft sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos applications aboard a small steel landing craft of this type and period were engine exhaust and muffler lagging in the machinery space, gaskets and flange packing on fuel, cooling-water, and hydraulic lines, valve packing, electrical insulation and arc-resistant switchboard materials, lagging on galley and hot-water piping, and friction linings on winch, windlass, and bow-ramp machinery. With a diesel plant (no boilers or turbines), the steam-plant lagging pathway does not apply, but the 158-foot steel hull concentrates machinery, galley, and accommodation spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Nov-Dec 1943); crew (Dec 1943 - disposal); post-sale civilian operators/scrappers (1946-, untraced)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-394. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution. ONI 226 documents type characteristics and does not address asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-05
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[7]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 (December 1943) and Navy service era (1943-1946).
- 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-394-lcil394-06
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[8]Majuro Marshall Islands Report - U.S. Navy press release, Majuro Atoll, 21 March 1945 (scanned document hosted by NavSource in the LCI(L)-481 document set, contributed by Sue Cosper) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/pdf/150481a.pdf (press-release dateline 'Somewhere on Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, 21 March 1945')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A Navy press release from Majuro Atoll dated 21 March 1945 documents the operational environment of the Atoll Commander Majuro's forces in the period LCI(L)-394 served under that command: the rescue of 67 surviving Korean laborers after a March 17 uprising at Chiribun Island, Japanese-held Mille Atoll - 'observance of their plight by an American pilot and the subsequent dispatch of U.S. Navy vessels to the scene made possible the rescue' - and describes starvation conditions on the bypassed Japanese garrisons (up to ten deaths a day on Mille). This is the evacuation/rescue duty context in which Majuro-based LCIs operated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-03
- Population
- Atoll Commander Majuro forces; rescued Korean laborers (March 1945)
- Limitations
- Context only: the release does NOT name LCI(L)-394 or any LCI; it documents the type of evacuation/rescue operation run under Atoll Commander Majuro in spring 1945 (Mille in March; the Jaluit Penrod evacuation planned 30 April, executed 6 May - in which 394 is named). Not a hull record; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-07
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[9]Batch-5104 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull and companion pages; NARA Special List 44 PDF; scanned AtCom Majuro operation plan and Majuro report PDFs; NARA digitized deck-log list; DANFS candidate URLs; NVR coverage check; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) type=o and type=r; secondary web sweep; uboat.net and ONI 226 cross-checks [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum or preservation record, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-394 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated searches 2026-09-30 - opinions (type=o) and dockets (type=r) for 'LCI-394', 'LCI(L)-394', 'LCI(L) 394' - returned zero results (not throttled). General web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and, unlike many WWII hulls, no law-firm listicle page naming this hull was even located. Deck logs exist at NARA for 12/14/1943-6/30/1945 (SL44) but are not among NARA's digitized-online deck logs.
- 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 - a 1943 Navy landing craft sits inside the documented asbestos era. The unreviewed RG 24 deck logs, BuShips correspondence/work packages, and any post-sale records are open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-394-lcil394-08