Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet pg-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-pkt-pg-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-448 (page 150448) - construction, commissioning, flotilla assignment, campaign table, postwar service, disposal, specifications, awards [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150448.htm - header, awards block, campaign table, specifications block, disposal line (page last updated 19 January 2024)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource entry for this hull (LCI(L)-351 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large)): laid down 15 June 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Co., Barber, N.J.; launched 12 August 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-448, 22 August 1943, 'ENS. J. C. Gale, USNR, in command (May 1945)'. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCI Flotilla Nineteen (LCDR E. C. Folger), LCI Group Fifty-Five (LCDR S. J. Kelley USNR), LCI Division One Hundred Nine. Campaign table lists Green Islands landing 15-19 February 1944; Hollandia operation 21-25 April 1944; Leyte landings 12 October-29 November 1944. Post-WWII: Navy Occupation Service (Asia clasp) 8-30 September 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 1-17 October 1945. 'Decommissioned, date unknown.' Struck from the Naval Register 8 May 1946. Transferred to the Maritime Commission 25 February 1948 for disposal; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Earned two battle stars for WWII. Spec block: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kt max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; 8 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), GM reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; five single 20mm guns; 2" plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, pilot house. Awards ribbons: China Service Medal (extended); American Campaign; Asiatic-Pacific (2); WWII Victory; Navy Occupation (Asia clasp); Philippines Presidential Unit Citation; Philippine Liberation (1).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- Construction trades, New Jersey Shipbuilding (1943); crew (1943-46); embarked troops (up to 188 per lift)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its stated source for this history is 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995). Contains no asbestos or material content. Internal inconsistency: the campaign table lists three operations (Green Islands, Hollandia, Leyte) but the awards block and official Awards Manual credit only two stars/campaigns - see correction row ev-09 and gaps. The '(May 1945)' qualifier on the commanding-officer line is reproduced verbatim; its referent is unexplained on the page. Page verified live 2026-09-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-01
-
[3]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - ship-number list (PDF); deck-log coverage line for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 24, line 'LCI(L)-448 8/22/1943 6/30/1945' (verified by pdftotext extraction this session); digitized-logs coverage note: archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 (ship-number ordering) lists deck logs held at the National Archives for this hull: 'LCI(L)-448 ... 8/22/1943 ... 6/30/1945' - i.e., logs exist covering her commissioning date through 30 June 1945. The logs are in RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118 (series NAID 581208). They are not digitized: NARA's deck-log digitization program currently covers 1956 and later years, so this hull's logs remain paper-only at NARA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log coverage)
- Population
- Crew (Aug 1943-Jun 1945 log window)
- Limitations
- The dates are deck-log coverage dates, not commissioning/decommissioning dates - the 30 June 1945 end date is the list's standard cutoff for WWII-era hulls, not evidence she left service then. Log contents were not examined (paper only, not digitized). Establishes that primary daily-operational records exist; what they document about work, materials, or individuals is unknown until examined.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-02
-
[4]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, 1953 - Part IV, Section 2-16 (Asiatic-Pacific campaign participation credits by ship; verbatim transcription on HyperWar/ibiblio) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html campaign-code legend (P40, P31, P31-1) and ship-entry 'LCI(L) 448' (adjacent to 'LCI(L) 447' and 'LCI(L) 487' entries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official award record credits 'LCI(L) 448' with exactly two Asiatic-Pacific campaign participations: '21 Apr 44 - 25 Apr 44' under code P40 (Hollandia operation - Aitape, Humboldt Bay-Tanahmerah Bay) and '12 Oct 44 - 29 Nov 44' under code P31-1 (Leyte operation - Leyte landings). Two credited participations = two battle stars, matching the two-star Asiatic-Pacific ribbon shown on NavSource. The Green Islands landing (15-19 Feb 1944) that NavSource's campaign table includes is NOT credited to this hull in the award record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Crew eligible for campaign credit (1944)
- Limitations
- Official participation-credit record; documents the campaign windows the Navy credited, not day-by-day movements. A ship could be present in an operation's area without qualifying dates, and task-organization assignment (see ev-04, ev-05) does not itself confer credit. No asbestos content. HyperWar is a respected verbatim-transcription host; the underlying document is the official 1953 manual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-03
-
[5]Seventh Amphibious Force Command History, 10 January 1943 - 23 December 1945 (NHC administrative history), Annex (C) Charts of Task Organization of Forces, chart C-10 'Biak Operation ("HORLICKS"), 27 May-11 June 1944' (HyperWar/ibiblio scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 7thAmphibs-A.html, Annex (C) chart C-10 (Biak Operation 'HORLICKS', 27 May-11 June 1944), bottom-center branch T.U. 77.4.64; independently corroborated against a second scan of the same command history (727atb.com host, 'Sheet 12' page) with identical content
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Biak operation task organization places this hull in Task Unit 77.4.64 - Demolition Unit (Lt.(jg) R. H. Flowess/Flowers, USNR): 'LCI 448 / Naval Combat Demolition Units Nos. 2 and 3.' - i.e., LCI(L)-448 was the lift ship for two NCDU teams for the Biak ('HORLICKS') landings, within T.U. 77.4.3 Transport Unit (Comdr. D. L. Mattie, USN) of TG 77.4, Attack Force, under Rear Adm. W. M. Fechteler. Chart inspected directly this session (ibiblio img/c10.jpg).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- LCI(L)-448 crew; embarked NCDU teams Nos. 2 and 3 (May-June 1944)
- Limitations
- Documents task-organization assignment, not completed movement: the chart is the planned/assigned organization; the Awards Manual does not credit LCI(L)-448 for Biak (P28-5), so whether she executed the lift and landed the NCDUs is not established by these sources. Officer's name rendered 'FLOWESS' on the chart (likely 'Flowers'). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-04
-
[6]Seventh Amphibious Force Command History, 10 January 1943 - 23 December 1945 (NHC administrative history), Annex (C) chart C-24 'Ticao-Buria Operation, 3 March 1945' (HyperWar/ibiblio scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 7thAmphibs-A.html, Annex (C) chart C-24 (Ticao-Buria Operation, 3 March 1945), Able Beach / Transport Section box; independently corroborated against the second scan (727atb.com host, 'Sheet 25.1')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Ticao-Burias operation (3 March 1945, Visayan Islands, Philippines; ref: CTU 78.9.10 action report dated 15 March 1945) places this hull at Able Beach, Burias Island, under CTU 78.9.10 Ticao-Burias Attack Unit (Comdr. J. F. Tucker, USN): Transport Section - 'LSM 150(F), LCI 448, 2 LCM'; Support Section - DE-Munro, LCS(L) 48. CTF 78 / Seventh Amphibious Force, Vice Adm. D. E. Barbey. Chart inspected directly this session (ibiblio img/c24.jpg).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LCI(L)-448 crew; embarked troops/naval beach party (March 1945)
- Limitations
- Documents task-organization assignment in a late-war consolidation landing; no campaign-star credit attaches to Ticao-Burias for this hull in the Awards Manual. The underlying CTU 78.9.10 action report (15 March 1945) is the primary follow-up lead and is not digitized here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-05
-
[7]The Elsie Item No. 92 (November 2015), official publication of the USS LCI National Association - Leyte Gulf issue quoting Ret. Cdr. William E. Keeler, 'Report of LCI Duty from 1944 to 1947' (LCI 448 veteran account) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ELSIEITEM-92-Nov-2015.pdf, p. 7 (attributed quote block); corroborating: usslci.org '30 Days' article listing LCI 448 among the Flotilla 7 ships departing Hollandia 13-17 October 1944 for Leyte Gulf under OpPlan 101-44
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A first-person account by an officer of this hull: (Ret.) Cdr. William E. Keeler, LCI 448, 'Report of LCI Duty from 1944 to 1947' (p. 7), describes her anchorage at Leyte adjacent to the Tacloban airfield landing area: 'The Tacloban airfield was along the beach just to the right of our landing area... we could move along either side and lay a smoke screen during air raids. When the kamikaze planes came in they were trying to aim at the airstrip and larger ships, but we did have nine hit in our anchorage area. One time... we had a Jap plane fouled in our anchor. The pilot was still in it... we pry the plane loose and let it drop.' The report title indicates his LCI duty ran 1944 to 1947.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947 (memoir window); published 2015
- Population
- LCI(L)-448 crew at Leyte anchorage (Oct-Nov 1944); Cdr. William E. Keeler (LCI 448 officer, 1944-47)
- Limitations
- Veteran recollection published in the veterans' association newsletter (a named-crew, ship-specific account) - not an official record; details (e.g., 'nine hit') are memory-level. Establishes the hull's anchorage area at Tacloban during Leyte and suggests service into 1947 - useful against the undocumented decommissioning date, but not determinative. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-06
-
[8]Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) OR-180, 'LCI(L)-713, Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum, Portland, Oregon' - NPS/LOC documentation of the LCI(L)-351 class (sister hull) [haer]
- Locator
- or0606data.pdf, 'Description', 'Historical Information', and 'Principal Measurements' fields (pp. 1-3)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official documentation of this hull's class: the LCI(L)-351 class was designed by the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ships; approximately 1,051 ships of the LCI type were built in ten different shipyards during WWII; construction is welded 1/4-inch steel plate, two decks, engine room containing 'four pairs of General Motors 6-71 diesel engines connected to two shafts and variable pitch propellers' (8 engines total), deckhouse accommodations for troop and ship officers; capacity 182 enlisted + 6 officers. LCI(L)-713 (built George Lawley & Son, Neponset MA; commissioned 18 Sep 1944) is the last remaining example in original configuration and is NRHP-listed (nomination Feb 2006, listed 12 Apr 2007). LCI(L)-713 exemplifies the post-1 June 1944 modified design (cylindrical pilot house, centerline ramp); earlier class ships - which includes LCI(L)-448 (commissioned Aug 1943) - used two side ramps.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (class construction era); report compiled 2012
- Population
- LCI(L)-351-class crews and construction trades at ten wartime yards (context)
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation for a sister hull, not this hull: establishes class design and propulsion facts, nothing specific to LCI(L)-448. HAER OR-180 contains no asbestos or insulation-material content - it cannot support any material finding aboard this or any class hull. LCI(L)-448 predates the June 1944 design change; her exact fitted configuration is not documented by this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-07
-
[9]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' - wartime emergency-yard production table and yard history [other_primary]
- Locator
- newjersey.htm yard history paragraph + production table row 'LCI(L) 448'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard's production table lists this hull: 'LCI(L) 448, US Navy, Landing Craft, Aug-43, Struck 1946.' Yard context: New Jersey Shipbuilding was 'an assembly line for LCIs on Arthur Kill, in Barber, a community immediately to the east of Perth Amboy'; management was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request; the yard closed after the war. Consistent with NavSource's builder and dates for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipyard-production compilation (Colton) used to corroborate builder and completion month already documented by NavSource - not an official record; the site itself solicits disposition information ('if anyone can provide information about the disposition of the boats built... please e-mail'), indicating the postwar-disposal record for these hulls is incompletely documented. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (8 x GM 6-71 diesels, 2 shafts, no steam plant); HAER OR-180 class description (welded 1/4-inch steel, 8 GM 6-71 diesels, BuShips design); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block (150448.htm); HAER OR-180 Description; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A welded-steel diesel landing craft built in mid-1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel amphibious craft of this type and period were diesel-exhaust and machinery lagging, limited thermal insulation, gaskets and valve packing in piping, and electrical insulation - a materially smaller installed load than aboard a steam combatant. She carried no boilers or steam plant: the boiler/turbine lagging pathway does not apply. Exposure-relevant spaces would center on the engine room housing the eight GM 6-71 diesels in a 158-ft, 419-ton hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46); any disposal-scrapping workforce post-1948
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-448. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The small size, welded construction, diesel plant, and austere fit of the LCI(L) type mean both installed asbestos and crew-exposure opportunity were limited relative to larger combatants - inference must not be inflated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-09
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (full report PDF blocked)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy use of asbestos aboard ships and worker-protection efforts, documenting that the Navy used asbestos insulation aboard ships and that its 1975 policy was to remove/replace only damaged insulation or insulation removed for repairs - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard-era ship material through the period covering this hull's 1943 construction and her entire 1943-46 service life (substitution did not begin until the early 1970s).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (review); use era covering 1943-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; Navy-wide asbestos-era context
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation of the Navy asbestos era; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - unrelated to this hull's construction yard or operating areas. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov PDF fetch returns a block page to automated access, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page Highlights.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-10
-
[12]NARA-held imagery for this hull as captioned in the NavSource archive: US National Archives photo # 80-G-200236 ('USS LCI(L)-448 underway in the Pacific Ocean, 5 November 1943... dapple effect jungle camouflage'); and a film frame from National Archives ID 17572 / local ID 111-ADC-3769, Department of the Army ('LCI(L)-448 landing at Tanahmerah Bay, Hollandia, April 1944; carrying units of the 24th Infantry Division'; frame from a short film captioned by NARA/NavSource as incorrectly named 'WESTWARD IS BATAAN') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150448.htm photo table (items 1015044802 and 1015044801); NARA photo 80-G-200236; NARA ID 17572 / 111-ADC-3769
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two archival visual records document this hull: a still photo (80-G-200236) showing her underway in the Pacific in jungle dapple camouflage on 5 November 1943, and Army Signal Corps motion-picture footage (NARA ID 17572, local ID 111-ADC-3769) capturing her landing at Tanahmerah Bay, Hollandia, in April 1944 carrying units of the 24th Infantry Division - consistent with the official P40 campaign credit (21-25 April 1944).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Crew; embarked 24th Infantry Division units (April 1944)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: NAIDs and captions transcribed via the NavSource photo captions; the NARA catalog records were not independently fetched this session (catalog API access not available). Confirms presence and activity, not work or materials. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-11
-
[13]Source cross-check: NavSource campaign table (lists 'Green Islands landing, 15 to 19 February 1944' plus Hollandia and Leyte rows) vs. official Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual 1953 credit list (P40 + P31-1 only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150448.htm campaign table vs Awards-IV-16.html 'LCI(L) 448' entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DISCREPANCY: NavSource's Asiatic-Pacific campaign table for this hull lists three operations - Green Islands landing (15-19 Feb 1944), Hollandia operation (21-25 Apr 1944), and Leyte landings (12 Oct-29 Nov 1944) - while the same page's awards block shows a two-star Asiatic-Pacific ribbon and the official Awards Manual credits only P40 (Hollandia) and P31-1 (Leyte). The Green Islands line is not credited to LCI(L)-448 in the official record; whether she was physically present at Green Islands (e.g., moving with Group 55 / Flotilla units) without qualifying credit, or the table reflects group-level participation, is undetermined.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Corrects/qualifies a secondary-compilation campaign claim, not a material or exposure claim. The official two-star credit is carried; Green Islands participation remains an open question (gap), not a debunked fact - deck logs could resolve it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-12
-
[14]Batch-5164 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page and LCI index; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; DANFS L-index and direct hull URLs; NVR; MARAD Vessel History Database; Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual 1953 (HyperWar); Seventh Amphibious Force Command History Annex C (HyperWar + parallel scan); HAER OR-180 full text; shipbuildinghistory.com yard table; USS LCI National Association (Elsie Item 92, '30 Days'); CourtListener API v4 (partial - fleet pacing); secondary web litigation sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-01 through -14
- 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)-448 was found in the public sources searched. DANFS contains no entry for this hull (numbered landing craft are generally outside DANFS coverage; the DANFS 'L' index lists no LCI entries and all candidate hull URLs return 404). CourtListener verified zero hits: 'LCI(L)-448' opinions (0), 'LCI(L)-448' dockets (0), 'LCI-448' opinions (0); the loosest spelling variant ('LCI 448'/'LCI(L) 448') remained blocked by fleet pacing at session end - logged in search_ledger. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos' material is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos aboard Navy landing craft/ships generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. No ship-specific asbestos assertion found anywhere.
- 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. Litigation coverage is verified negative on the two canonical designation spellings plus dockets; one loose spelling variant remains open under fleet pacing (see search_ledger). Deck logs (RG 24 E 118, paper only) and the CTU 78.9.10 action report are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-448-lcil448-13