Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet pa-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. No phantom, no collision.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-pkt-pa-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-415 ex USS LCI(L)-415 - construction, commissioning, campaign, reclassification, disposal, specifications, commanding officers (history from USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150415.htm - class line, milestone block, campaign table, CO table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351-class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 26 January 1944 at George Lawley & Sons Shipbuilding Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 4 February 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-415, 11 February 1944, LTjg. John F. Schereschewsky, USNR, in command. Assigned Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; Invasion of Normandy, 6-25 June 1944; one battle star; Combat Action Ribbon (Normandy). Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-415, 15 July 1945; decommissioned 29 October 1945; struck from the Naval Register 1946; sold 10 April 1946; final disposition unknown. Commanding officers: Schereschewsky (Feb-Sep 1944), LT. Alfred H. Plummer, USNR (Sep 1944-Sep 1945), LTjg. Hiram C. Houghton, USNR (Sep 1945-29 Oct 1945). Specs: 216 t light / 389 t loaded, 158'5.5" x 23'3", twin GM quad-71 diesel sets (2,320 shp), 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets/conning tower/pilot house, LCI(G) armament 2x40mm + 4x20mm + 6x.50cal + 10 Mk7 rocket launchers; international radio call sign NJZS. NavSource pages for Group 35 flotilla mates LCI(L)-414, -417, and -420 carry the same 15 July 1945 LCI(G) reclassification date, and flagship 414 carries the same 10 April 1946 sale date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1944); crew 1944-45; embarked troops (up to 182 per lift)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but are not themselves archival. The laid-down line carries a stray '(date unknown)' qualifier in the source text (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. NARA deck-log coverage (ev-03) corroborates the commissioning start date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-01
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[3]Navy Cross citation (official text), EM1/c Arthur Virgil Shields, USNR, posthumous - transcribed on NavSource LCI(G)-415 awards subpage [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150415a.htm - full Navy Cross citation text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Navy Cross citation places this hull in combat at Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944: Shields, 'while serving aboard Infantry Landing Craft U.S.S. LCI(L), FOUR HUNDRED FIFTEEN (LCL(L)-415), during the amphibious assault on the Normandy Coast of France,' swam ashore with grapnel and line to test water depth before troops disembarked, re-entered shellfire-swept water to save two drowning soldiers, then went aboard the mine-disabled USS LCI(L)-416 and was killed by shrapnel while helping carry a wounded member of that crew along the beach. Awarded posthumously.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-06
- Population
- LCI(L)-415 crew; embarked 26th RCT troops; LCI(L)-416 crew aided
- Limitations
- Vessel-history/combat record only; no asbestos or material content. Citation is a verbatim transcription of the official award text hosted on NavSource; it independently corroborates the hull's presence in the first-day Omaha Beach assault and documents the loss context of sister LCI(L)-416.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-02
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[4]NARA, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - ship-number list; LCI(L)(G)-415 logbooks 2/11/1944-9/30/1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 17, entry 'LCI(L)(G)-415 2/11/1944 9/30/1945' (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA inventories deck logs for this hull under 'LCI(L)(G)-415' with coverage 2/11/1944 to 9/30/1945 - spanning her entire wartime commissioned service from commissioning day through the eve of her October 1945 decommissioning pipeline. Logs are held in RG 24, Entry 118 (NAID 581208), National Archives at College Park. The logbooks are the primary-source substrate for her operational record (movements, personnel, casualties) but are not digitized.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-02-11 to 1945-09-30 (coverage); logs undigitized
- Population
- Crew 1944-45 (documented population for any future personnel-level research)
- Limitations
- Inventory dates are deck-log coverage bounds, NOT asserted commissioning/decommissioning dates - though the 2/11/1944 start coincides exactly with the NavSource commissioning date. Special List 44 lists only the first accession; additional logs covering October 1945-forward may exist at NARA. Logbook content itself was not examined; no asbestos content expected (deck logs record operations, not materials).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-03
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[5]John France, 'The Final LCI Assault of Omaha Beach June 6, 1944,' Elsie Item No. 95 (USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association newsletter, November 2016) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- ELSIEITEM-95-Nov-2016.pdf, pp. 11-26 of issue (feature article; Group 35/415 narrative)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Veterans-association account built from crew letters and the ship's after-action report: LCI(L)-415 sailed with LCI Group 35, Flotilla 12 (hulls 401, 403, 415, 416, 417, 418, 420, 537, 538, 539, 542, 556; flagship 414 - the 400-series hulls built at George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, and the 500-series at New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ) from Little Creek, VA, via the Azores to Saltash near Plymouth in spring 1944. On D-Day the group lifted the 26th RCT, 1st Infantry Division, to Easy Red/Fox Green sectors of Omaha Beach; the 415 was ordered in at 1801, struck a sandbar off Fox Green at 1816 (50 yards of deep water to the beach), retracted after failing to surmount it, beached on Easy Red at 1852, and discharged Company M and HQ elements of 3rd Battalion, 26th RCT by 1902; her stern anchor cable fouled LCI(L)-401's during retraction. On 11 June 1944 she returned to Omaha Beach escorting fourteen LCTs from England, and Group 35 continued cross-Channel troop transport.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944 (Atlantic crossing, Normandy, Channel shuttle)
- Population
- LCI(L)-415 crew; embarked 3rd Bn/26th RCT troops (D-Day lift)
- Limitations
- Secondary narrative by a veterans' association drawing on private letters (Schereschewsky correspondence), the ship's June 9, 1944 after-action report, and award endorsements - detailed and internally consistent with the official Navy Cross citation but not itself an official record. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-04
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (GM quad-71 diesel plant, no steam; 2-inch plastic splinter protection armor); LCI-351-class design standardization across ten Navy contract builders; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (propulsion/armor lines); ship class standardization; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel landing craft built January-February 1944 for the U.S. Navy sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a diesel landing craft of this type were diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-space thermal/acoustic insulation, gaskets and flange packing on fuel/exhaust/seawater systems, electrical insulation, and brake linings on winch and windlass gear. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/main-steam lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but the confined-volume crew-space dynamic of a small amphibious craft applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (build, service, disposal)
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1944); crew (1944-45); any conversion-yard trades (1945); post-sale handlers/scrappers (1946+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, contract specification, or work package located for LCI(L)-415. 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-415-lcil415-05
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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 (Jan-Feb 1944) and service life (Feb 1944-Oct 1945).
- 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 this session (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing defect since BATCH-01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-06
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[8]Boston Landmarks Commission, Putnam Nail Company/George Lawley & Son Shipyard Study Report (draft, posted 2024-02-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Study report PDF, site-history sections (Putnam Nail/Lawley yard, Port Norfolk point)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Municipal landmark study documenting the builder's Neponset site: the George Lawley & Son yard occupied the former Putnam Nail works at Port Norfolk point from 1910 and operated until 1946, a prominent builder of yachts and naval vessels through two world wars (WWI Navy contracts for submarine chasers documented; wartime employment ~400 skilled workers at peak). Corroborates the builder identity and era that NavSource asserts for this hull's January 1944 construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1910-1946 (yard operation); 1944 (this hull's build window)
- Population
- Lawley yard trades (construction population for this hull's Jan-Feb 1944 build)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - the report does not name LCI(L)-415 and contains no asbestos content; its detailed production narrative centers on earlier decades. Builder attribution for this hull rests on NavSource. MIT Museum's Lawley collection page (which states 'dozens of World War II landing craft' built at Neponset) could not be fetched live (HTTP 429) - corroboration pending.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-07
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[9]Batch-5128 search ledger (this record): NavSource main + Navy Cross subpage; NARA Special List 44 (ship-number PDF); USS LCI National Association newsletter; Boston Landmarks Commission report; DANFS candidate URLs; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + dockets, authenticated); NVR; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-01 through -12
- 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)-415 / LCI(G)-415 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated searches returned zero hits for exact hull designations in both opinion and docket indexes; a looser phrase query returned only unrelated name collisions (8 hits, none this vessel). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing-listicle coverage of this hull at all.
- 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. Deck logs, builder's contract specifications (Lawley/BuShips), and the 1945 LCI(G) conversion work package are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-415-lcil415-08