Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[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-449-lcil449-pkt-pg-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-449 ex USS LCI(L)-449 - construction timeline, unit assignments, campaign list, awards, specifications, disposal; history credited to 'USS LCI: Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150449.htm - header block, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 17 June 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber, N.J.; launched 14 August 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-449, 25 August 1943; designation changed to Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-449, 16 June 1944. Asiatic-Pacific assignments: LCI Flotilla Three (CDR M. J. Malanaphy), Group Eight (LCDR Nash), later LCI Flotilla Three (CDR R. Kikel Jr. USNR), LCI Group Nine (LCDR C. J. Starkus Ret.), LCI Division Eighteen. Campaigns: occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (31 Jan-8 Feb 1944); capture and occupation of Saipan (20 Jun-16 Jul 1944), Guam (17-21 Jul 1944), and Tinian (10 Jul and 24 Jul-1 Aug 1944); assault and occupation of Iwo Jima (17-19 Feb 1945); assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (21-30 Jun 1945). Decommissioned and laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group, January 1946; struck from the Naval Register 8 May 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 3 May 1948 for disposal; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specs: 216 t. light / 389 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; propulsion two sets of 4 General Motors diesels, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers. Page photo captions further document: transferring casualties alongside USS Terror (CM-5) off Iwo Jima 17 Feb 1945; entering floating drydock USS ABSD-6, probably at Guam; at anchor Naval Station Guam July 1945 with LCI(G)-345, -346, -437, -348, LC(FF)-423 alongside Seaward (IX-209) (Time-Life/J. R. Eyerman).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding trades (1943); crew 1943-46 (LCI(L) ~24 / LCI(G) ~70 per ship's own spec block); UDT-supported operations population
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its page credits 'USS LCI: Landing Craft Infantry Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995) as the history source, and secondary sources conflict on several figures (battle stars, redesignation date, complement, casualty count - see gaps and ev-09). Contains no asbestos content. No work, repair, or material record exists for her post-Iwo Jima yard/drydock availabilities - photographs document presence only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images: 'Lieutenant Commander Rufus G. Herring, USNR (Retired), (1921-1996)' - bio and full Medal of Honor citation as printed in official publication 'Medal of Honor, 1861-1949, The Navy' p.205; photo captions NH 103914 and NH 104043 (verbatim mirror at HyperWar/ibiblio; canonical history.navy.mil URLs returned 404 on 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Online Library bio page; MoH citation block; captions NH 103914 / NH 104043
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy documentation naming this hull: LTjg Rufus G. Herring, USNR, assumed command of the newly completed USS LCI(L)-449 in August 1943 and remained her commanding officer for the next year and a half - a plankowner CO present for Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and Iwo Jima. Medal of Honor citation (verbatim): 'For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of LCI (G) 449 operating as a unit of LCI (G) Group EIGHT, during the preinvasion attack on Iwo Jima on 17 February 1945. Boldly closing the strongly fortified shores under the devastating fire of Japanese coastal defense guns, Lieutenant (then Lieutenant, Junior Grade,) Herring directed shattering barrages of 40-mm. and 20-mm. gunfire against hostile beaches until struck down by the enemy's savage counterfire which blasted the 449's heavy guns and whipped her decks into sheets of flame. Regaining consciousness despite profuse bleeding he was again critically wounded when a Japanese mortar crashed the conning station, instantly killing or fatally wounding most of the officers and leaving the ship wallowing without navigational control. Upon recovering the second time, Lieutenant Herring resolutely climbed down to the pilot house and, fighting against his rapidly waning strength, took over the helm, established communication with the engine room and carried on valiantly until relief could be obtained... he maintained position in the firing line with his 20-mm guns in action in the face of sustained enemy fire and conned his crippled ship to safety.' Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal presented the Medal of Honor to Herring in Washington, D.C., 5 September 1945 (photo NH 104043).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- LTjg Rufus G. Herring and LCI(G)-449 crew; officers killed/fatally wounded at conning station 17 Feb 1945
- Limitations
- Vessel-history and valor record only - establishes a named individual commanded this hull throughout her service and was critically wounded aboard at Iwo Jima. It is NOT an exposure record: this record makes no asbestos claim for Herring or any individual. Citation documents battle damage (guns blasted, conning station hit, decks aflame) - heavy battle damage is a maintenance/repair-relevant event but no work record for the repair was located. Mirror citation used because canonical NHHC URLs 404 (standing link-rot defect).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-02
-
[4]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images: 'Iwo Jima Operation, February-March 1945 - Minesweeping and Underwater Demolition Team Activities, 17-19 Feb. 1945' (verbatim mirror at HyperWar/ibiblio; canonical history.navy.mil URL returned 404 on 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Online Library event page text; photos NH 65309, 80-G-309163, 80-G-309138
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy historical documentation explicitly naming this hull in its defining action: on 17 February 1945 seven LCI(G) gunboats moved inshore to provide rocket and gunfire support for UDT 'frogmen' along Iwo Jima's eastern beaches; Japanese coast defense guns, mortars and light arms opened fire 'with devastating effect.' One craft, USS LCI(G)-474, was sunk, eight others badly damaged; 44 gunboat crew members were killed and more than 150 injured group-wide. 'The Commanding Officer of USS LCI(G)-449, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Rufus G. Herring, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism on this occasion.' NavSource photo captions document this hull transferring casualties alongside USS Terror (CM-5) the same day.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02-17 to 1945-02-19
- Population
- LCI(G)-449 crew (17 Feb 1945); Group Eight gunboat crews; UDT swimmers supported
- Limitations
- Ship-specific in that the page names LCI(G)-449, but group-level for casualties (44 killed / 150+ wounded is the Group Eight total, not this hull's figure - hull-level count conflicts across sources; see gaps). Battle-damage record, not an asbestos or material record. Documents an 'engine rooms flooded / decks into sheets of flame' damage environment relevant to repair-era disturbance, but no repair work package was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-03
-
[5]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'LCI(G) Group Eight' - full Presidential Unit Citation text signed by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, with unit list including LCI(G)-449 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/15000030.htm - citation block and unit list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Presidential Unit Citation to LCI(G) GROUP EIGHT INCLUDING THE FLAGSHIP OF LCI FLOTILLA THREE for the 17 February 1945 Iwo Jima UDT-support action (verbatim): 'For extraordinary heroism during action in support of beach reconnaissance by Underwater Demolition Teams at enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on February 17, 1945... their engine rooms flooded and those of the gallant ships still operable towed their powerless companion ships clear of the overpowering fire of the enemy... Only when the beach reconnaissance had been accomplished did LCI(G) Group EIGHT retire after absorbing an hour and a quarter of devastating punishment.' Unit list on page names thirteen gunboats including LCI(G)-449 (with -346, -348, -438, -441, -450, -455, -466, -469, -471, -473, -474, LC(FF)-627). NavSource additionally records a Navy Unit Commendation for this hull as a member of LCI(G) Flotilla 3 (31 Jan-28 Jul 1944) for Kwajalein/Eniwetok and Saipan/Guam/Tinian, and five battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- LCI(G)-449 crew; Group Eight crews 17 Feb 1945
- Limitations
- Unit-level award documentation; the citation names the group, with hull membership established by the page's unit list and the MoH citation naming LCI(G)-449 as 'a unit of LCI(G) Group EIGHT.' Citation text describes engine rooms flooding and ready-ammunition fires - damage environment, not material content. NavSource records five battle stars; Wikipedia carries six - unresolved (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-04
-
[6]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (1978) - 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations' section; verified against the scanned page image at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 printed p.340 (ACPL scan image genealogycenter.net/nara/images/narasl44/366.jpg); entry 'LCI(L)(G)-449, Aug. 25, 1943-June 30, 1945, 3 logbooks'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 (printed page 340; PDF page 17 of the F-LCI(L) section scan) lists this hull's logbooks under 'LCI(L)(G)-449': date span of logbooks Aug. 25, 1943-June 30, 1945; 3 logbooks. Confirms her wartime deck logs are held in the National Archives - the primary day-by-day record of her service - covering commissioning through mid-1945 (including the Kwajalein, Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa periods within that span).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: SL44 is a custody listing, not a digitization record - it documents that 3 logbooks exist, not that they are online. NARA Catalog is JS-rendered and could not be checked for digital objects this session; wartime deck logs in this era are typically un-digitized paper/microfilm. Log coverage ends 30 June 1945; post-June-1945 and reserve-fleet-period logs are not in this listing. Deck logs record operations/personnel, not material content - no asbestos information should be expected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (two sets of 4 General Motors diesels, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers - diesel plant, no steam); 1943 wartime construction date at New Jersey Shipbuilding; Navy-wide asbestos-era documentation (GAO HRD-80-2, see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (diesel plant); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled amphibious landing craft built mid-1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard shipboard applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type and period were engine exhaust lagging in the confined engineering space, gaskets and flange packing in fuel/seawater/machinery systems, valve packing, electrical insulation, and thermal insulation in accommodation and galley spaces. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or turbines - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam combatants does not apply - but the small-hull confined-space exposure dynamic applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1943); engineering crew (1943-46); repair crews post-Iwo Jima damage; 1946-48 reserve-fleet/disposal handlers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, work package, or survey located for LCI(L)-449/LCI(G)-449. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution. Landing craft were austere wartime construction; the extent of insulation aboard a 158-ft LCI is less documented than for large combatants.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-06
-
[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, 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) and service era (1943-46) and reserve-fleet/disposal window (1946-48).
- 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 blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, standing defect) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-07
-
[9]Batch-5165 search ledger (this record): NavSource ship page and LCI(G) Group Eight PUC page (live); NHHC Online Library Herring bio and Iwo Jima UDT page via HyperWar/ibiblio mirrors (canonical NHHC 404); NARA Special List 44 scan; NVR; GAO product page; CourtListener opinion index (partial); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-449 / LCI(G)-449 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion searches for 'LCI(G)-449', 'LCI(L)-449', and 'LCI-449' each returned zero hits; secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing 'asbestos aboard this hull' page for this craft. CAVEAT: spaced-name variants and the CourtListener docket index were still unsearched at record cutoff (fleet pacing in effect) - litigation status is partially open, not a full negative.
- 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 incomplete (docket index unsearched); deck logs (3 logbooks at NARA), builder work packages, MARAD disposal records, and any post-Iwo Jima repair records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-08
-
[10]Secondary-source cross-check: uboat.net allied-warships entry (ordered 22 Mar 1943; reclassified 15 June 1944); Wikipedia USS LCI(L)-449 article (6 battle stars; LCI(L) complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted); Navy Memorial navylog Herring entry (17 dead, 20 wounded aboard); NavSource photo caption (21 killed, 20 wounded) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150449.htm; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/21491.html; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_LCI(L)-449; navylog.navymemorial.org/herring-rufus
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CONFLICTS NOTED (not adjudicated): (1) LCI(G) redesignation - NavSource 16 June 1944 vs uboat.net 15 June 1944; NavSource carried. (2) Battle stars - NavSource page text and ribbon display show five; Wikipedia infobox carries six; campaign table supports five operations (Marshalls, Marianas x3 counted within one Marianas block, Iwo Jima, Okinawa). (3) LCI(L) complement - NavSource 3 officers + 21 enlisted vs Wikipedia 4 officers + 24 enlisted. (4) Iwo Jima hull casualties - NavSource photo caption '21 killed and 20 wounded' vs Navy Memorial '17 dead, 20 wounded.' (5) Stricken - NavSource gives exact date 8 May 1946; Wikipedia carries only '1946'; NavSource carried.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1948
- Limitations
- Flags discrepancies across secondary sources rather than resolving them - no primary register (NVR is pre-1987-empty; DANFS has no entry) was available to adjudicate. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-449-lcil449-09