Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-402 - construction milestones, wartime organization, occupation duty, awards, strike and disposal (history credited to 'USS LCI: Landing Craft Infantry,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150402.htm - LCI-351 class header, milestone block, awards ribbons, disposal block, specifications block, photo-caption table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351-class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 24 December 1943 at George Lawley & Sons Shipbuilding Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 5 January 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-402, 11 January 1944. WWII assignment given as Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Thirty-Seven (LCDR. J. P. Moore), LCI Group One Hundred Nine (LCDR. J. W. Detwiler USNR), LCI Division Two Hundred Eighteen. Performed occupation duty in the Far East from 16 to 22 October 1945. Awards displayed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - no battle stars shown. International radio call sign NJGK. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register in 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 3 May 1947; final disposition fate unknown. Spec block: 246 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; cargo 75 tons; five single 20mm guns; two sets of 4 GM 6051-series 71 diesels, GM reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. A photo caption on the page notes this craft is 'a version 3 LCI with bow doors and no ramps'; two George Lawley & Sons photos of the new craft (builder photo nos. BS58195, BS58196) are credited as now held in the U.S. National Archives collections.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47); embarked troops in transit
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation (Turner Publishing attribution), not a primary registry - milestones corroborated by uboat.net and shipbuildinghistory.com, and unit placement corroborated by the NHHC 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet roster (same flotilla string - see ev-02). Contains no asbestos or material content. Decommissioning date and post-transfer fate are undocumented; 'struck 1946' gives year only and is NavSource single-source. The 'version 3 LCI with bow doors and no ramps' note is a photo-caption editorial remark attributed here to the caption, not an independent finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-01
-
[2]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - Landing Craft Flotillas, Pacific Fleet; LCI(L) Flotilla Thirty-Seven; LCI(L) Group 109; LCI(L) Division 218 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room document, 'Landing Craft Flotillas, Pacific Fleet' section, LCI(L) Flotilla Thirty-Seven > LCI(L) Group 109 > LCI(L) Division 218 table (in the printed-page region between the document's --84-- and --85-- markers)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official U.S. Pacific Fleet organization roster of 1 May 1945 lists 'LCI 402' under Landing Craft Flotillas, Pacific Fleet: LCI(L) Flotilla Thirty-Seven, LCI(L) Group 109, LCI(L) Division 218 - in company with LCI 400, LCI 409, LCI 410, LCI 529, and LCI 555 (no commanding officer is named for LCI 402; the flotilla commander, group commander, and all six hull CO fields in Division 218 carry the roster's 'no-data' ellipsis). The flotilla/group/division string exactly matches NavSource's wartime organization for this hull - for this craft the two sources agree with no conflict.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- crew of LCI(L)-402 as of May 1945; Flotilla 37 / Group 109 / Division 218 squadron-mates
- Limitations
- A dated organizational snapshot: it fixes unit assignment on 1 May 1945 but records no location, movement, or combat events, and names no CO for this hull. It does not establish when 402 joined Division 218 or the Pacific Fleet - division-mates' records (ev-07) show the division fought in Normandy and southern France before Pacific reassignment, while 402's own record carries no European service. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-02
-
[3]NARA Special List #44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (by-ship-number edition), PDF page 23 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 23, row 'LCI(L)-402 ... 1/11/1944 ... 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official logbook inventory records deck logs for LCI(L)-402 covering 1/11/1944 through 6/30/1945 - the commissioning date through her in-scope wartime service. Neighboring Lawley-built hulls on the same page (LCI(L)-393, -394, -398) carry the same 6/30/1945 endpoint; LCI(L)-395's logs extend to 12/31/1945 and LCI(L)-403's to 9/30/1945, indicating 402's inventoried window ends mid-1945 (a coverage boundary of the inventory, not a decommissioning date).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-01-11 to 1945-06-30 (log coverage window)
- Limitations
- This is a holdings inventory, not log content: it establishes that logbooks for this hull exist for the stated window (RG 24, NARA), not what they record - and the 6/30/1945 endpoint is an inventory boundary, not an asserted decommissioning or service-end date. Digitization status for this hull's logs unconfirmed - the former NARA deck-log index URL returns 404 after the archives.gov redesign and the NARA Catalog front end is JavaScript-rendered (see gaps/search_ledger sl-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-03
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships record, USS LCI(L)-402 (ship ID 21444) - ordered, built, and milestone dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21444.html warship data table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent compilation corroborating milestones: LCI 351 class; built by George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, MA; ordered 9 March 1943; laid down 24 December 1943; launched 5 January 1944; commissioned 11 January 1944. The page carries no commanding-officer list and no fate/disposal line for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (Guethmundur Helgason's uboat.net Allied warship database), not a registry - used only to corroborate dates already in NavSource. The 'ordered 9 Mar 1943' contract date is single-source to this record and is flagged in gaps rather than asserted in headline fields. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-04
-
[5]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), 'George S. Lawley & Sons, Neponset MA' yard table - LCI(L) production rows [other_primary]
- Locator
- lawley.htm WWII table, LCI(L) rows (~LCI(L) 400-404 block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard-of-record table lists 'LCI(L) 402 - US Navy - Landing Craft - 216d [tons] - 158 [ft] - 11-Jan-44 - Sold 1947?', corroborating builder, delivery/commissioning date, and a 1947 disposal consistent with NavSource's 3 May 1947 Maritime Commission transfer (the table itself flags the sale detail with a question mark). The same table documents George Lawley & Sons as a long-running Neponset yard (founded 1866) whose wartime production ran through the LCI(L) block before the yard closed in 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipbuilding-history compilation (Tim Colton), not a contract registry - used for builder/date corroboration consistent with NavSource and uboat.net. '216d' is the table's displacement figure and '11-Jan-44' reads as the delivery/commissioning date; 'Sold 1947?' is itself flagged uncertain in the source. Neither adds asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-05
-
[6]Obituary of Wilbur T. Osborne (1916-2023), Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home via Legacy.com; obituary of Richard Joseph Ballard (d. 2023), Loomis Family Funeral Home [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Legacy.com obituary page (naval service paragraphs); Loomis Family Funeral Home obituary, mr-richard-joseph-ballard
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Osborne obituary: Wilbur T. Osborne, commissioned Ensign December 1942 after midshipman school, 'commanded the USS YP 210 A Costal [sic] Craft at Portland, ME. He later commanded the USS LCI (L) 402, a training ship in the Chesapeake Bay. He later commanded the USS LCI (G) 810 in main assault on Okinawa on April 1, 1945'; the obituary also records 'several reunions with his crew from LCL (L) 402' [sic]. This places LCI(L)-402 in a stateside training-ship role in Chesapeake Bay during at least part of 1944, under a CO who departed for an LCI(G) command before Okinawa (April 1945). Ballard obituary: Richard Joseph Ballard 'served on the USS LCI (L) 402, from 1943 until Honorably Discharged in 1946 as a Signalman Second Class' - corroborating wartime crew service aboard this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- crew of LCI(L)-402, 1944-46
- Limitations
- Family-supplied funeral-home obituary content - reputable press carrier but not an official record; the 'training ship in the Chesapeake Bay' characterization rests on this single source, and Osborne's command dates aboard 402 are not stated (bounded only by his December 1942 commissioning and his April 1945 LCI(G)-810 command). Ballard's 'from 1943' precedes the 11 January 1944 commissioning - plausibly pre-commissioning crew reporting, but unverified. Neither obituary contains asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-06
-
[7]NavSource division-mate records for LCI(L)-410 (150410.htm), LCI(L)-529 (150529.htm), and LCI(L)-555 (150555.htm) - Division 218 / Flotilla 37 operational history (Turner Publishing attribution); LCI(L)-400 and LCI(L)-409 pages returned HTTP 500 at research time [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150410.htm (Normandy/So. France campaign block + Omaha Beach photo caption 80-G-421288); 150529.htm and 150555.htm campaign and reassignment blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Division context for LCI(L) Division 218, in which this hull appears on 1 May 1945: division-mate LCI(L)-410 (Lawley-built) is documented at Omaha Beach during the Invasion of Normandy (6 June 1944) and the Invasion of Southern France (15 Aug-5 Sep 1944) under the same Flotilla Thirty-Seven / Group 109 / Division 218 string; LCI(L)-529 (New Jersey Shipbuilding) served Europe-Africa-Middle East at Normandy (6-25 Jun 1944) and southern France (15 Aug-16 Sep 1944) before the Asiatic-Pacific assignment under Flotilla Thirty-Seven / Division 218, then Far East occupation service 2 Sep-22 Oct 1945; LCI(L)-555 (New Jersey Shipbuilding) ran convoy UGS-38 and both French invasions before reassignment to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater in May 1945 and occupation service 2 Sep-22 Oct 1945. Division 218 was therefore a European-theater veteran formation reassigned to the Pacific in 1945 - while LCI(L)-402's own record carries no European service, consistent with her documented stateside training role (ev-06) before joining the division in the Pacific.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- LCI Division 218 crews and embarked troops, 1944-45 (division context)
- Limitations
- These are other hulls' records - they establish the division's shared operational history, NOT this hull's. That 402 lacks European service in her own record (and trained in Chesapeake Bay per ev-06) is consistent with, but does not prove, the inference that she joined Division 218 only on the Pacific deployment. LCI(L)-555's NavSource page reads 'Flotilla Thirty-Eight' where the official roster places her in Flotilla Thirty-Seven - a likely typo in the secondary source, noted for precision. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-07
-
[8]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'LCI Facts' - LCI(L) design variants, propulsion, troop load, and flotilla structure [other_primary]
- Locator
- usslci.org/facts/ LCI design section and LCI-351 class description
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Type context for the LCI-351 class this hull belongs to: 158 ft beaching craft built of quarter-inch steel plate; two quad sets of GM 6-cylinder diesels (8 engines); ~200 troops landed over two bow-side ramps; crew of 24-60 sailors; LCIs lacked berthing space and cross-ocean design intent yet were used continuously at distance in the Southwest Pacific (Vice Adm. Barbey, 'MacArthur's Amphibious Navy'). The association's taxonomy places the 351-690 design block as the round-conning-tower, side-ramp variant; an LCI flotilla ran 36 craft / 3 groups / 2 divisions of 6 hulls - matching the six-hull Division 218 in which this hull appears on 1 May 1945.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- LCI crews and embarked troops, Asiatic-Pacific theater (class-wide)
- Limitations
- Veterans' association publication - a secondary compilation, not an official history; the design-variant taxonomy describes the class, while the NavSource photo caption for this specific hull notes 'bow doors and no ramps' - a minor variant detail the two sources frame differently (see ev-01). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-08
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI-351 spec block (GM diesel plant, no steam machinery); shipbuildinghistory Lawley row (hull delivered 11-Jan-1944, wartime Massachusetts yard); USPHS pipe-covering survey (ev-10); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; shipbuildinghistory Lawley table; ev-10 and ev-11 program sources
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built December 1943 - January 1944 sits inside the documented WWII asbestos-use era for naval construction; era-standard applications aboard a craft of this type and period were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging in the machinery spaces, gaskets and valve packing, accommodation/deckhouse insulation, and deck coverings - in the small, poorly ventilated hull volume typical of the type. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but machinery-space lagging, gaskets, and habitability insulation remain the plausible exposure pathways for her complement and any maintenance trades.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-47); any tender/base maintenance trades during training and Pacific service; 1947 disposal handlers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-402. 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-402-09
-
[10]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 28:9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030; described and critiqued in Kelly RJ, 'When errors become etched in stone...,' New Solut. 36(2):138-150 (2026), PMID 42307414 [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed records PMID 21016030 (original study) and PMID 42307414 (2026 review describing the study's scope and conclusions)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A U.S. Public Health Service cross-sectional survey (fielded during WWII naval construction, published January 1946) documented pipe-covering operations installing asbestos-containing insulation materials aboard naval vessels under construction - contemporaneous documentation that insulation work on wartime-built U.S. Navy vessels used asbestos, in exactly the period this hull was built. Kelly's 2026 review confirms the study found insulation work 'using asbestos-containing materials' was widespread on WWII naval construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (survey era; publication Jan 1946)
- Population
- pipe coverers/insulation workers on WWII naval-vessel construction (survey population)
- Limitations
- Program-level occupational documentation, not a hull or yard record - the survey did not name George Lawley & Sons or this craft and its 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion was later discredited (Kelly 2026); supports era context only. The wartime fieldwork dates are within the 1943-45 construction era but specific yard coverage is not itemized in the citation record. No ship-specific content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-10
-
[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 (1943-44) and service era (1944-47).
- 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 this session - same standing limitation as Batches 01/98); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-11
-
[12]Batch-5114 search ledger (this record): NavSource 150402; NHHC Pacific Fleet roster 1 May 1945; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory Lawley table; division-mate NavSource pages (150410/150529/150555); usslci.org; USCG Historian CG-manned LCI page; NVR; NHHC DANFS candidate URLs; CourtListener via fleet helper; Legacy.com/Loomis funeral-home obituaries; Sons of Liberty Museum stub; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-402-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or verified litigation naming USS LCI(L)-402 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). There is no DANFS entry (all candidate NHHC URLs 404). CourtListener searches (authenticated, HTTP 200) returned zero opinions for 'LCI-402' OR 'LCI(L)-402' OR 'LCI(L) 402' OR 'LCIL 402' and zero dockets/zero RECAP documents for 'LCI-402' OR 'LCI(L)-402' OR 'LCI(L) 402'. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only name collisions (a reinsurance course document, hobby/museum stub pages) plus two legitimate crew obituaries - no qualifying case or ship-specific asbestos claim. Law-firm marketing sites were not encountered in the top results and none were used.
- 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 litigation-repository search is complete at zero on both the opinion and docket indexes (as of 2026-09-30), but covers only CourtListener's indexed corpus - state-court filings, unreported settlements, and VA claims are outside its scope. RG 24 deck logs (1/11/1944-6/30/1945) and any Maritime Commission disposal file are undigitized/uncertain leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-402-12