Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-421 ex USS LCI(L)-421 - construction, commissioning, campaigns, reclassification, disposal, specifications (history from USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150421.htm - class line, milestone block, campaign table, specifications block (live, HTTP 200, verified 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351-class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 11 February 1944 at George Lawley & Sons Corp., Neponset, MA; launched 19 February 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-421, 25 February 1944. Assigned Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; campaigns: Convoy UGS 38 (20 April 1944) and Invasion of Normandy (6-25 June 1944); two battle stars. Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Guns) LCI(G)-421, 15 July 1945. Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the State Department for disposal, 7 January 1947; final disposition unknown. Specs: 216 t light / 234 t landing / 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(L) armament 4x20mm + 2x.50cal, LCI(G) armament 2x40mm + 4x20mm + 6x.50cal + 10 Mk7 rocket launchers; international radio call sign NKIO.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (1944); crew 1944-45+; embarked troops (up to 182 per lift, incl. 2nd South Wales Borderers on D-Day)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but are not themselves archival. Contains no asbestos content. NARA deck-log coverage (ev-02) corroborates the 25 February 1944 commissioning date exactly; the WWII USN call-sign book (HyperWar transcription) independently confirms call sign NKIO. 'Decommissioned/struck: date unknown' is the source's own status - not a research lapse.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-01
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[2]NARA, Special List 44: List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - ship-number list; TWO accessions for LCI(L)-421: 2/25/1944-9/30/1944 and 11/1/1944-6/30/1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 23, entries 'LCI(L)-421 2/25/1944 9/30/1944' and 'LCI(L)-421 11/1/1944 6/30/1945' (verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA inventories deck logs for this hull in two accessions: 'LCI(L)-421 2/25/1944 9/30/1944' and 'LCI(L)-421 11/1/1944 6/30/1945' - together spanning commissioning day through mid-1945 (the July 1945 LCI(G) reclassification window), with an October 1944 accession gap between them. Logs are held in RG 24, Entry 118 (NAID 581208), National Archives at College Park, and are not digitized. The logs demonstrably exist and are consultable - Holborn's Gold Beach monograph (ev-03) cites 'Deck Logs for LCI (L) 400, 421 and 511 attached 264th RCN LCI Flotilla' at NARA Maryland as direct sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-02-25 to 1945-06-30 (coverage, two accessions); 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 2/25/1944 start coincides exactly with the NavSource commissioning date. The batch-prompt citation ('2/25/1944 to 9/30/1944') matches only the first of the two printed accessions; the second (through 6/30/1945) is reported here. Whether October 1944 logs exist in a later accession is unresolved. Logbook content itself was not examined this session; no asbestos content expected (deck logs record operations, not materials).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-02
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[3]Andrew Holborn, 'The D-Day Landing on Gold Beach: 6 June 1944' (Bloomsbury Studies in Military History, 2015; ISBN 978-1-4411-8328-6) - scholarly monograph citing this craft's NARA deck logs as primary sources; full text accessed via dokumen.pub host [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Holborn 2015, ch. 'D-Day: Afternoon and Evening' pp. 148-149 area (56th Brigade landing, LCI stranding narrative) and bibliography (NARA deck-log citation)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific D-Day record built partly on this hull's own deck logs: on 6 June 1944, three U.S. Navy-manned LCI(L)s - Nos. 400, 421, and 511 - were attached to the Canadian 264th LCI(L) Flotilla in Force G, allotted to carry the 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers, 56th (Independent) Infantry Brigade (under command of 50th (Northumbrian) Division for the assault), to Gold Beach. The brigade landed as follow-up infantry about midday; the three LCIs 'touched down in the Le Hable de Heurtot area, and the men quickly cleared the beach via King Red.' A rapidly lowering tide stranded all three on the beach: LCI(L)-400 re-floated 2125, LCI(L)-511 2130, and 'LCI (L) 421 remained beached until a similar time.' The bibliography cites 'National Archives and Records Administration, Maryland, USA. Deck Logs for LCI (L) 400, 421 and 511 attached 264th RCN LCI Flotilla' - i.e., the author consulted this craft's own deck logs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-06
- Population
- LCI(L)-421 crew; embarked 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers troops (~200 per lift); 264th RCN Flotilla organization
- Limitations
- Published scholarly secondary source - not an official record, but unusually well-grounded (author used NARA deck logs for this hull plus British war diaries and veteran interviews). Exact beach-sector wording varies between sources (touchdown at Le Hable de Heurtot / Jig Red per Holborn; 'King Red' per the flag-lot provenance in ev-04) - both locate the landing on the eastern Gold Beach shoreline. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-03
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[4]Rock Island Auction Company, 'D-Day Flag Up for Auction' (blog/auction essay, Sept 2017) - documented provenance for the 48-star ensign flown from LCI(L)-421 on D-Day; corroborated by the Centurion Auctions lot listing at Invaluable [reputable_press]
- Locator
- RIAC blog article body + official-description quotation; Invaluable lot 111768 (Centurion Auctions) description text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documented artifact provenance for this hull's D-Day flag: 'the 264th Royal Canadian Flotilla transported the follow-up infantry battalion of 56th (Independent) Infantry Brigade to the D-Day landing on Gold Beach... The flotilla included three Landing Craft Infantry (Large), or LCI(L), amphibious assault ships numbers 400, 421 and 511 attached to the U.S. Navy... this flag flew from the mast of the LCI(L)-421 on that historic day. The flag was from the personal belongings of Steve Hudac, the coxswain of LCI(L)-421 who piloted the landing craft onto Gold Beach.' A notarized 11 May 2017 statement from Hudac's sister-in-law describes the flag as a parting gift from commanding officer Robert M. Paul. The Invaluable/Centurion lot listing names him SC2/c Steve A. Hudac, USNR (1907-1996), ship's cook tasked as coxswain for the landing, and the officer as LTjg. Robert M. Paul USNR; it describes the landing as 'Gold Beach (King Red)' carrying '2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-06-06 (flag flown); 2017 (provenance documentation)
- Population
- LCI(L)-421 crew, incl. SC2/c Steve A. Hudac and LTjg. Robert M. Paul USNR; embarked 2nd SWB troops
- Limitations
- Commercial auction-catalog provenance, not an official record - though it rests on documentary artifacts (notarized statement, CO letter, separation papers, photo album) and independently corroborates the Holborn monograph's 264th RCN Flotilla/2nd SWB attachment. RIAC essay says coxswain 'piloted the landing craft onto Gold Beach'; the Invaluable lot adds the detail that Hudac was the ship's cook tasked as coxswain for the day. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-04
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[5]Jeff Malachowski, 'Life lessons at Normandy: Uxbridge Navy vet learns devastation of war at invasion site,' MetroWest Daily News, 20 December 2015 - veteran crew account (Winfield E. Coles, ship's cook) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- MetroWest Daily News article body (Coles interview passages)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named-crew account for this hull: Winfield 'Winn' E. Coles of Uxbridge, MA enlisted summer 1943 at age 17 and 'was assigned to LCI-421 (landing ship infantry) as the vessel's only cook.' He 'crossed the Atlantic on the ship, landing in Southampton, England.' On 6 June 1944 'the crew aboard LCI-421 was tasked with shuttling British commandos onto Utah Beach'; post-invasion, 'LCI-421 made a return trip to England shortly after the invasion where they picked up numerous nurses and shuttled them to Normandy.' In spring 1945 the craft was 'part of a fleet heading back to the States' when Germany surrendered; Coles was on a New York pier at the atomic-bomb announcements and was discharged 18 March 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (service recalled); 2015 interview
- Population
- LCI(L)-421 crew, incl. Winfield E. Coles (cook); embarked troops and nurses (shuttle lifts)
- Limitations
- Oral recall at age 90, 71 years after the events - detailed on crew life but the beach detail CONFLICTS with the documented record: two independent documentary sources (Holborn monograph on the craft's deck logs, ev-03; flag provenance, ev-04) place this hull at Gold Beach with the 264th RCN Flotilla lifting 2nd South Wales Borderers - not Utah Beach with 'British commandos.' Carried as a credible crew account with the conflict flagged, not resolved in the veteran's favor. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-05
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[6]NHHC, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library online reading room transcription of the official fleet organization) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room page, LCI(L) Flotilla Thirty-Seven / Group 111 / Division 222 table ('LCI 421' row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official fleet-organization record places this hull in the Pacific Fleet on 1 May 1945: 'LCI 421' is listed in LCI(L) DIVISION 222 of LCI(L) GROUP 111, under LCI(L) FLOTILLA THIRTY-SEVEN - alongside fellow Lawley-built Normandy veterans LCI 417, 418, 419, 420, and 542. This documents administrative reassignment of the EAME-veteran craft to the Pacific for the war's closing phase (consistent with the crew account of returning to the States in spring 1945); no Pacific battle star is credited - her two stars are both EAME (ev-01).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01 (snapshot date)
- Population
- LCI(L)-421 crew (spring-summer 1945 Pacific-assignment period)
- Limitations
- Organizational listing only - documents administrative assignment, not physical location on that date (a craft could be in U.S. waters in transit/refit while assigned to the Pacific Fleet). No asbestos content. The document's '(1)' annotation markers and empty commander columns are transcribed as in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-06
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[7]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 Navy contract builders; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era program documentation (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (propulsion/armor lines); LCI-351-class design standardization; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel landing craft built 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
- 1944-1947 (build, service, disposal)
- Population
- Lawley construction trades (Feb 1944); crew (1944-45); any conversion-yard trades (1945); post-disposal handlers/scrappers (1947+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, contract specification, or work package located for LCI(L)-421. 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-421-lcil421-07
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[8]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 to automated fetch; highlights page verified)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships and managed ACM by removal/replacement policy through the 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (Feb 1944) and service life (Feb 1944-mid-1945 commissioned coverage; disposal 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 this session - gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to direct curl (UA block); product-page description obtained via Firecrawl browser-path fetch, verified live 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-08
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[9]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. Corroborates the builder identity and era that NavSource asserts for this hull's February 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 Feb 1944 build)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - the report does not name LCI(L)-421 and contains no asbestos content; its detailed production narrative centers on earlier decades. Builder attribution for this hull rests on NavSource and uboat.net (secondary corroboration).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-09
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[10]Batch-5135 search ledger (this record): NavSource main page; NARA Special List 44 (ship-number PDF, two accessions); Holborn/Bloomsbury monograph; Rock Island Auction provenance; MetroWest Daily News; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization; HyperWar call-sign book and ship list; Boston Landmarks Commission; DANFS candidate URLs; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + dockets, authenticated); NVR; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-421-lcil421-01 through -13
- 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)-421 / LCI(G)-421 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 (10 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 (which demonstrably exist and were consulted by Holborn for the D-Day window), builder's contract specifications (Lawley/BuShips), and any 1945 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-421-lcil421-10