USS LCI(L)-472

Name
USS LCI(L)-472
Hull designation
LCI(L)-472
Vessel class
LCI(L)-351
Evidence tier
Tier 2
Evidence entries
10
Record ID
uss-lci-l-472-lcil472
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-lci-l-472-lcil472

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

  1. [1]research packet pj-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-472 | hull: 472 | designation: LCI(L) — Landing Craft Infantry (Large) | type: large landing craft, infantry
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Evidence ID
    uss-lci-l-472-lcil472-pkt-pj-packet-md
  2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-472 ex USS LCI(L)-472 (1943-1944) - construction, designation timeline, flotilla assignments, campaign record, specifications, disposal; history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource 10/15/150472.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block, photo captions
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Documented for this hull: LCI-351 class; laid down 22 August 1943 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 24 September 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-472, 2 October 1943, with LT A. H. Rudge USNR listed in command as of May 1945; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-472, 15 June 1944. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific: LCI Flotilla Thirteen (the Black Cats) in 1944; LCI Flotilla Six (CDR A. R. Montgomery USN) May 1945; LCI Group Eighteen (LCDR E. L. Yates); LCI Division Thirty-Four. Campaigns: Marianas - capture and occupation of Guam 14 July-5 August 1944; Leyte landings 20 October 1944; Lingayen Gulf landing 9 January 1945; Okinawa Gunto assault and occupation 26 March-1 June 1945. Decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 1946; sold 22 November 1946; final disposition unknown. Earned four battle stars for WWII service. Spec block: 246 t light/419 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kt max; complement LCI(L) 4+24 / LCI(G) 5+65; troops 6+182; armament LCI(G): two 40mm, four 20mm, six .50 cal, ten Mk 7 rocket launchers; propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels (4 per shaft), twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. NARA-sourced photos document the hull alongside USS New Mexico (BB-40) off San Antonio Island, Bismarck Archipelago, 13 July 1944; laying smoke at Okinawa 3 April 1945 (L+2); and nested with other LCIs at San Diego, summer 1946.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1943-1946
    Population
    NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1943); crew - 4+24 as LCI(L), 5+65 as LCI(G), plus embarked troops up to 6+182
    Limitations
    NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates generally track the Naval Register but are not themselves a primary registry; the Turner Publishing volume it credits is a veterans-association history. Page contains no asbestos or material content. 'In command (May 1945)' qualifier leaves the commissioning CO unstated - LT Rudge is confirmed CO as of May 1945, not necessarily at commissioning. Engine designation printed '6051 series 71' is carried verbatim; class literature normally gives GM 6-71.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-01
  3. [3]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - ship-number edition, PDF page 18 [other_primary]
    Locator
    sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p.18, entry 'LCI(L)(G)-472 10/2/1943 6/30/1945'
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    NARA holds deck logs for this hull, listed under the combined designation 'LCI(L)(G)-472' with coverage 10/2/1943 - 6/30/1945 (verified by direct text extraction of the PDF, p.18, which also lists sister hulls LCI(L)(G)-467 through -475). The coverage window spans her entire commissioned career from the 2 October 1943 commissioning through the end of the Okinawa operation. Logbooks sit in RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118, at NARA College Park.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    archival_lead
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1943-10-02 to 1945-06-30
    Population
    Crew (1943-1945 coverage window)
    Limitations
    Log-coverage dates, not commissioning/decommissioning dates - the 10/2/1943 start coincides with commissioning but the 6/30/1945 end is a holdings boundary, not a disposal date. Whether the logs are digitized in the National Archives Catalog is unverified (catalog is JS-rendered; not confirmable from this session). Deck logs record movements/weather/personnel - they are not material or asbestos records.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-02
  4. [4]NARA College Park, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (RG 38), series 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories': NAID 78549456 'USS LCI(G) 472 - Report of Operations off Guam Island, Marianas During the Period 7/14-20/44' (Micro Serial 80755); NAID 77483385 'LCI(G)-472 - Rep of opers in support of the invasion of Guam Island, Marianas, 7/21/44' (Micro Serial 139015, dated 7/24/1944); NAID 77483381 'LCI(G)-472 - Rep of opers off Guam Island, Marianas, 7/28/44' (Micro Serial 139014, dated 8/1/1944) - metadata via Digital Public Library of America aggregation on digitalpasifik.org [other_primary]
    Locator
    catalog.archives.gov/id/78549456, /id/77483385, /id/77483381; surfaced via digitalpasifik.org items 390385, 391142, 386352
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    Three ship-generated action reports for this hull survive in NARA custody covering the Guam operation 14-28 July 1944 - contemporaneous primary documentation of her combat employment as an LCI(G) gunboat in the Marianas. These confirm at the primary-record level the Guam campaign assignment carried by NavSource.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    archival_lead
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1944-07
    Population
    Crew, Guam operation July 1944
    Limitations
    Catalog metadata transcribed via the DPLA/digitalpasifik.org aggregation; the NARA catalog is JS-rendered and item pages could not be independently scraped this session (HTTP 200 shell only). Action reports describe operations, not materials - no asbestos content expected or asserted. Full text not read; titles/dates/serials only.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-03
  5. [5]Robin L. Rielly, 'American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II: A History of LCI and LCS(L) Ships in the Pacific' (McFarland, 2013) - chapters 4, 5, 9 and Appendix II (Building and Conversion Locations); consulted via the erenow.org text mirror [reputable_press]
    Locator
    Rielly ch.4 (Guam: Asan/Agana/Tumon passages), ch.5 (Leyte: TU 79, Orange Beach 2), ch.9 (Okinawa: Tokashiki patrol), Appendix II (Manus Island conversion line)
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Published operational history names this hull repeatedly: at Guam, LCI(G)s 469, 471, 472 and 473 supported underwater demolition teams and the northern beaches off Asan under LCDR William R. McCaleb; 472 was among the gunboats that formed a line and shelled Agana Town with 20mm and 40mm fire; on 3 August she strafed the eastern side of Tumon Bay with 471 and 473; on 4 August she departed Guam with 464, 465 and 467. At Leyte she was one of thirteen LCI(G)s of a TU 79 element under LT Frank R. Giliberty, covering the Orange Beach 2 landing (with 461, 462, 464) and firing on Liberanan Head after the rocket barrage on Orange Beach Two. At Okinawa she operated in a group under LCDR Robinson that patrolled and strafed Purple Beach on Tokashiki Shima. Appendix II lists hull 472 among the LCI gunboat conversions performed at Manus Island (Seeadler Harbor, Admiralty Islands).
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1944-1945
    Population
    Crew; embarked UDT teams supported at Guam
    Limitations
    Secondary published history grounded in the cited NARA war diaries/action reports - corroborates but does not replace primary sourcing. The consulted rendering of Appendix II lists -472 under 'LCI(M)' and 'LCI(R)' labels at Manus, inconsistent with the reclassification to LCI(G)-472 carried by every other source (treated as a typesetting artifact; the Manus conversion location is carried, the (M)/(R) labels are flagged in gaps). Giliberty's quoted conversion description (24 rocket launchers welded in three banks of four per side; ramps and cat heads removed) describes the LCI(G) conversion type, not necessarily this hull's work order.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-04
  6. [6]USS LCI National Association, 'Elsie Item' newsletter No. 90 (May 2015) - photo caption 'LCI 472 laying smoking at Okinawa' (photos courtesy Robert Wright); In Memoriam listings for LCI 472 crew Robert E. Coburn and Barnett J. Axelrod [other_primary]
    Locator
    Elsie Item No. 90 (May 2015), p.4 In Memoriam; p.22 photo caption
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    The veterans' association newsletter documents this hull's smoke-screen duty at Okinawa ('Usually two LCI's were assigned to cover one ship like a battleship or heavy cruiser in the fog' - describing the anti-kamikaze smoke mission the NARA-sourced NavSource photo dates to 3 April 1945) and identifies two named members of her wartime crew in its memorial roll.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1945 (event); 2015 (publication)
    Population
    LCI(G)-472 crew (named: Robert E. Coburn, Barnett J. Axelrod; also Earl Carlin per issue No. 95/97 reunion items)
    Limitations
    Veterans-association publication - organizational primary material for crew identity and operations color, not an official record; contains no asbestos or material content. Smoke-laying compounds and their composition are not documented by this source.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-05
  7. [7]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton) / Naval Marine Archive mirror, 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' - yard history and hull table; corroborated by HyperWar 'U.S. Naval Activities, World War II, by State' listing a Navy Cost Inspector at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J. [other_primary]
    Locator
    shipbuildinghistory.com New Jersey Shipbuilding page, narrative + hull table row 'LCI(L) 472'; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/USN-Act/NJ.html (Barber, NJ entry)
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    The builder was a purpose-built wartime LCI assembly line on the Arthur Kill at Barber (later absorbed into Perth Amboy as the Maurer neighborhood): yard management was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request and the yard closed after the war; the Navy maintained a cost inspector on site. The yard table lists LCI(L) 472 delivered October 1943, struck 1946 - consistent with NavSource.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1942-1945
    Population
    NJ Shipbuilding trades and Navy inspection staff, 1942-1945
    Limitations
    Secondary yard history (volunteer-compiled shipbuilding reference) - corroborates builder identity and output table only. No production records, material lists, or industrial-hygiene documentation for the yard were located; nothing here speaks to materials aboard this hull.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-06
  8. [8]Era inference built on: NavSource LCI-351-class spec block (diesel plant, welded-steel landing craft); Rielly Appendix II builder list (New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber - LCI(L)s 449-475 block); shipyard-exposure-map yard dataset (New Jersey Shipbuilding not covered); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-07) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource specifications block; Rielly Appendix II builder table; GAO HRD-80-2 product description
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    A diesel-powered steel landing craft built August-October 1943 at a wartime emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type were thermal insulation in machinery spaces, exhaust-system lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, and electrical insulation - concentrated in the small enclosed engine room and around the eight diesel engines and generators. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant: the boiler/turbine/steam-line lagging pathway documented for steam vessels does not apply here.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-30
    Study period
    1943-1946
    Population
    NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1943); crew 1943-46; Manus Island conversion trades (1944); any postwar disposal/shipbreaking workforce
    Limitations
    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, work package, plan, or material list located for LCI(L)-472. LCI(L)s were austere wartime construction; the extent of insulation aboard landing craft versus larger combatants is undocumented in the sources consulted. 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-472-07
  9. [9]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 (1943-1946).
    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 or to small landing craft. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-08
  10. [10]Batch-5191 search ledger (this record): NavSource live page; NARA Special List 44 ship-number PDF; NARA catalog action-report NAIDs via DPLA; Rielly (McFarland) operational history; USS LCI National Association newsletter; shipbuildinghistory yard record; HyperWar landing-craft index; GAO product page; CourtListener full sweep (8 queries, all zero hits); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
    Locator
    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-472-01 through -13
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-472 / LCI(G)-472 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener was fully swept this session - five opinion queries and three docket queries across the designation variants all returned zero hits (searches interleaved with fleet-pacing backoffs over ~40 minutes). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no marketing listicle naming this hull.
    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. CourtListener coverage of state-court and unreported matters is incomplete even when the federal index is swept clean. Deck logs (RG 24), the Guam action reports' full text, and any 1946 sale/scrapping contract records are unextracted leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-lci-l-472-09

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned