Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]NavSource Online, Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive: AMCU-8 ex-LCI(L)-400; NavSource AMCU index confirms 'AMCU-8 ex-LCI(L)-400' under the AMCU-7 class [other_primary]
- Locator
- AMCU-8 page header/timeline/spec block; AMCU index https://www.navsource.net/archives/11/04idx.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and spec block for this hull (carried under its final designation): laid down 19 December 1943 by George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 29 December 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-400, 31 December 1943, LTJG D. R. Miller, USN, in command; reclassified Coastal Minesweeper (Underwater Locator) AMCU-8 on 10 March 1945; transferred to the War Shipping Administration November 1947; fate unknown; no image on file. NavSource states explicitly: 'There is no DANFS History currently available for AMCU-8.' Specs: 216 t. light / 234 t. landing / 389 t. loaded (387 t. in 1945); 158'5.5" length; 23'3" beam; 16 kts max / 14 continuous (14.4 kts in 1945); complement 23 (41 in 1945); troop capacity 188; four 20mm guns plus two later .50 cal; propulsion two sets of four 225 bhp GM 6051-71 diesels, GM single reduction gear, two shafts, variable-pitch propellers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Dec 1943); ship's company (~23-41); WSA/merchant custody (1947-)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation that generally tracks NVR/DANFS-style data; it is the most complete public record for this hull but is not itself a primary registry. Page verified live 2026-09-30 (HTTP 200; the parallel LCI archive URL /10/15/150400.htm returned a server error - the hull's record is consolidated on the AMCU page). Contains no asbestos content. No decommissioning or stricken date is given - 'transferred to WSA November 1947' and 'fate unknown' are the last milestones.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-01
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[2]NARA, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - 'by Ship Numbers' PDF, p. 23 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf p. 23, LCI(L) block, line 'LCI(L)-400 12/31/1943 2/28/1945'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (ship-number listing, PDF page 23) inventories U.S. Navy deck logs for LCI(L)-400 covering 12/31/1943 to 2/28/1945 - the log run begins on the documented commissioning date and ends ten days before the AMCU-8 reclassification, documenting in-scope wartime service for the hull. The physical logs are held in RG 24 (post-1941 Navy logbooks, Archives II, College Park) and are NOT among the deck-log file units digitized in the National Archives Catalog (catalog search 'LCI(L)-400' returns no logbook items for this hull).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-12-31 to 1945-02-28 (coverage)
- Population
- Ship's company during the log window
- Limitations
- Log-COVERAGE inventory only - establishes that deck logs for this hull exist for 1943-12-31 through 1945-02-28, not that the logs were reviewed, and not commissioning/decommissioning dates. The logs themselves are undigitized; contents (including any material or casualty notes) unexamined. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-02
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[3]Navy Department, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV sec. 2(16) - 'List of Ships and Units Eligible for Engagement Stars, World War II' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official manual) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html, European-African-Middle Eastern Area ship list, 'LCI(L) 400:' entry; engagement-code table entries E5/E7/E219
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's official awards manual lists LCI(L)-400 by name as eligible for engagement stars in the Europe-Africa-Middle East area: E219 Convoy UGS-38 (20 Apr 1944); E5 Invasion of Normandy including bombardment of Cherbourg (6-25 Jun 1944); E7 Invasion of Southern France (15 Aug-25 Sep 1944). This establishes a Mediterranean-to-Normandy-to-Southern-France combat itinerary for the hull inside its deck-log window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-04-20; 1944-06-06 to 1944-09-25
- Population
- Ship's company + embarked troops during listed operations
- Limitations
- Establishes award-eligible participation in the listed operations/engagement only - not hull condition, materials, or any asbestos fact. Engagement-star eligibility denotes presence in the operation area on the listed dates; it does not by itself specify the craft's role (e.g., embarked convoyee vs. assault wave).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-03
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[4]National Archives Catalog, 'LCI(L) 400 - Muster Rolls', NAID 120184516 (Ancestry partnership digitization, WWII muster-roll series) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 120184516 file-unit page; first image captioned 'Muster Roll Date: 1943 December 31'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's muster rolls are digitized in the National Archives Catalog: file unit 'LCI(L) 400 - Muster Rolls' (NAID 120184516), 71 images, the first muster dated 31 December 1943 - the commissioning-day crew list. This is the crew-population record for the hull and the only digitized hull-specific personnel record located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-12-31 forward (roll coverage)
- Population
- All hands borne on the rolls, Dec 1943 onward
- Limitations
- Personnel roster only - documents who served aboard by reporting quarter, not materials or asbestos. Individual images not item-reviewed; the catalog page is JS-rendered but loads (verified 2026-09-30). Not an asbestos or exposure record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-04
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[5]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block for this hull (all-diesel plant); Corn & Starr 1987 (WWII shipbuilding asbestos use, see ev-06); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos insulation era, see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/0408.htm spec block; ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-06 and -07
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull: a Navy landing craft built December 1943 sits inside the documented WWII shipbuilding asbestos era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type were machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and interior fireproofing. The all-diesel plant (two banks of four GM 6051-71 engines) means no boiler or steam-line lagging - the largest single asbestos surface on steam combatants - was present.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Dec 1943); engine-room crew; AMCU conversion yard trades (early 1945)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, plans, or work package located for LCI(L)-400/AMCU-8. 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-400-lcil400-05
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[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AJIM 11(3):359-373; DOI verified resolving via Crossref metadata (publisher page returns 403 to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this LCI(L) was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-06
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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
- 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 and service era (1943-1947).
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-09-30); content taken from the product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-07
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[8]Batch-5112 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NARA SL44 ship-number PDF; NARA catalog; NAVPERS 15,790 via HyperWar; uboat.net; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + dockets) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-400-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-400-11
- 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)-400 or AMCU-8 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion searches returned zero for 'LCI(L)-400', 'LCI(L) 400', 'LCI-400', and 'AMCU-8', and docket-index searches returned zero for 'LCI(L)-400', 'LCI-400', and 'AMCU-8' (see search_ledger). NavSource, NAVPERS 15,790, NARA SL44, and the digitized muster rolls contain no asbestos or insulation-material statements.
- 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 craft is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the surviving deck logs (undigitized, College Park) and muster rolls are unexamined for materials references. One supplementary asbestos-context opinion query ('LCI(L) 400' asbestos) was refused by the shared pacing limiter this session - logged as blocked, not a negative result. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-08
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[9]National Archives Catalog: RG 24 deck-log custody per SL44; RG 38 WWII war-diary file units; NARA logbook-location guidance (post-1941 logs at College Park) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LCI(L)-400' (51 results) and 'AMCU-8' (13 results); NARA navy logbooks page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved at item level): (a) the hull's physical deck logs, 31 Dec 1943 - 28 Feb 1945, RG 24 post-1941 logbook series at Archives II, College Park (SL44 p. 23); (b) digitized WWII LCI(L) flotilla/group war diaries in RG 38 microfilm rolls cover the Mediterranean/European LCI groups during the ship's operation windows (e.g., COM LCI(L) GR 33 war diaries Jul-Nov 1944, NAIDs 78552228, 139734982, 78669266, 78669270, 78711805) - catalog full-text search surfaced these against the hull query but group assignment of LCI(L)-400 is not confirmed in the consulted sources; (c) BuShips conversion records for the March 1945 AMCU program are the unworked lead for the hull's last in-service months.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-location mapping only - no page-level retrieval performed. Whether the deck logs, group war diaries, or AMCU-8 conversion files contain materials/asbestos references is unknown until examined; the group's assignment of this hull is inferred from theater overlap, not confirmed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-400-lcil400-09