Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]National Archives Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (1978), printed page 346, 'Ships With Symbol and Number Designations' section - verified against the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center's scanned copy; NARA landing page: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/special-list-44-named [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 printed page 346, row 'LCI(L)-602 | May 2, 1944-June 30, 1945 | 2' (ACPL scan image 372, viewpage realpage=1704&display=372)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official NARA deck-log inventory names this hull: 'LCI(L)-602' is listed with 2 logbooks covering May 2, 1944 - June 30, 1945. The coverage start coincides exactly with the documented commissioning date (2 May 1944). This establishes wartime in-scope service under U.S. Navy deck-log custody for May 1944 - June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-05-02 to 1945-06-30 (log coverage); finding aid published 1978
- Population
- Crew, May 1944 - June 1945 log period
- Limitations
- A finding-aid inventory line, not the logs themselves: it establishes that two deck-log volumes exist in NARA custody for this hull and their date span - nothing about contents, locations, operations, or materials. Coverage ends June 30, 1945 while the ship remained in commission to ~March 1946; later logs are not listed for this hull in SL44 (whether they were never accessioned or were outside the inventory's scope is unresolved). The cited page is a scan of the 1978 finding aid; NARA's own SL44 online page covers named vessels only - this numbered-vessel entry is verified on the printed page. Log-coverage dates are not commissioning/decommissioning dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-01
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[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-602 (archive 10/15/150602) - milestones, specifications, awards, disposition; history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II (Turner Publishing, 1995). Verified live 2026-09-30. [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150602.htm - history block, specifications block, awards/ribbons block, and photo caption (South Dakota at Ulithi, 8 Feb 1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (LCI-351 class): laid down 30 March 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 26 April 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-602, 2 May 1944; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during WWII; post-war occupation and China service duty in the Far East 15-24 October 1945 transporting Nationalist Chinese troops from Hon Gay (present Vietnam) to Formosa (Taiwan); decommissioned circa 14 March 1946 at Navy Yard Charleston, S.C.; struck from the Naval Register 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 8 January 1948; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Awards listed: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp), Philippines Liberation Medal - no battle stars. Spec block: 246/264/419 t.; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm guns; propulsion two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, 1,600 BHP, twin variable-pitch propellers. Photo caption: LCI(L)-602 alongside USS South Dakota (BB-57) at Ulithi Atoll, 8 February 1945 (from USS LCI National Association newsletter 'The Elsie Item,' July 2010 issue). Call sign NPFE.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948 (record coverage)
- Population
- NJSB construction trades (Mar-May 1944); crew (May 1944 - Mar 1946); embarked troops (transient, incl. Oct 1945 lift); Charleston Navy Yard inactivation trades (1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation built on the Turner Publishing unit-history series, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records (the commissioning date is independently consistent with the SL44 log start) but the page is the sole located source for the decommissioning date ('circa'), the transfer date, and the Ulithi photo provenance. 'Fate unknown' means the record simply ends at the 1948 Maritime Commission transfer. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-02
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[3]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' - yard production table and yard history; corroborated by uboat.net Allied Warships page for LCI(L)-602 (ship/21667) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com New Jersey Shipbuilding table, LCI(L) 602 row; uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/21667.html data block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The yard production list records this hull's row: 'LCI(L) | 602 | US Navy | Landing Craft | May-44 | Struck 1946' - delivery May 1944, consistent with the 2 May 1944 commissioning. The yard page documents that New Jersey Shipbuilding was an assembly line for LCIs on Arthur Kill at Barber, NJ; management was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request; the yard closed after the war. uboat.net independently lists: built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber NJ); laid down 30 Mar 1944; launched 26 Apr 1944; commissioned 2 May 1944; class LCI 351 - corroborating the NavSource milestones.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (yard operation); 1944 (this hull's build)
- Population
- NJSB yard workforce (~2,500 workers at the yard's LCI peak per HAER AK-52)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations (shipbuildinghistory.com is a recognized private yard-production reference; uboat.net a secondary warship database) - corroborating, not primary. No asbestos or material content. 'Struck 1946' carries only a year.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-03
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[4]HAER No. AK-52, M/V Husky II (ex-USS LCI(L)-653), Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service (2011-2012 recording project) - same-yard sister hull: New Jersey Shipbuilding history and Bureau of Ships design description [haer]
- Locator
- HAER AK-52 pp. 3-9 (builder history; design description; BuShips specification citations, incl. 'Detail and Special Specifications for Building Landing Craft Infantry (Large) LCI(L) 351-542')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal documentation of a sister hull built at the same yard in the same contract block (LCI(L)-653, hulls 423-657): New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. was incorporated in 1942 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Barber Asphalt Corporation to convert the idled Perth Amboy asphalt plant into an LCI yard; it demolished the asphalt plant, built the shipyard, and delivered its first landing craft within about six months; managed by Todd Shipyards Corporation, it employed about 2,500 workers and produced 375 LCI(L)s in contract blocks 239-318, 423-657, 782-821, and 866-884 before the yard was dismantled postwar. Class design (BuShips, per the Detail and Special Specifications for LCI(L) 351-542): welded steel throughout, 15-lb high-tensile steel pilot house/conning tower, 10-lb high-tensile forward sides; 2-inch plastic splinter protection (crushed granite in bitumen) on gun tubs, conning tower, and pilot house; eight GM Series 71 truck diesels, four per shaft, variable-pitch propellers, 16 knots max; 110 t diesel fuel, 5 t lube oil, 37 t water, ~8,000-mile range at 12 kts; wartime complement 4 officers + 24 sailors; troop load 9 officers + 196 enlisted + 32 t cargo. Navy construction ethos quoted: 'every ounce of effectiveness which can be gained from the material going into the craft shall be developed, but no effort is required for the development of appearance or refinements which do not contribute to effective war service... Critical materials are to be avoided.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (build/service era); report recorded 2011-2012
- Population
- NJSB yard workforce (~2,500, 1942-45); class crews and embarked troops (1943-46)
- Limitations
- Same-class, same-yard sister-hull documentation - not a record of this hull. The report's insulation mentions (spray-on insulation) describe the vessel's 1986 commercial fishing-tender conversion, NOT its Navy construction; no asbestos or insulation material is documented for the wartime build. The BuShips 'critical materials' quote is design-philosophy context, not a materials list. ~921 LCIs delivered per the production counts cited (Colton/Friedman); other sources give 951-1,059 - count conflict carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-04
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[5]HAER No. OR-180, LCI(L)-713, Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service (2012) - surviving museum sister hull; plus wartime USN class documents: ONI 226 'Allied Landing Craft and Ships' (1944) and Transport Doctrine (FTP-211 ch. 2) spec table, via HyperWar [haer]
- Locator
- HAER OR-180 pp. 1-3 (measurements, propulsion, description); ONI 226 landing-craft types table (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/ONI/ONI-226/ONI-226.pdf); FTP-211 ch. 2 landing-craft table (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/Transport/transport-2.html)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class documentation: LCI-351-class craft measured 158'5.5" x 23'3", 387 t loaded, 16 knots, powered by eight General Motors 6-71 diesels; designed by the Bureau of Ships; built of welded 1/4-inch steel plate 'to facilitate rapid construction'; approximately 1,051 ships of the type were built in ten U.S. shipyards (per the NRHP nomination cited in the report). ONI 226 (Office of Naval Intelligence, 1944) lists LCI(L) among the major operational U.S. landing-craft types. The wartime FTP-211 amphibious table lists 'LCI(L) 351-Up' at 160'3.75" x 23'3", 8 x 225-HP diesels, ~8,000-mile range, 5 x 20mm guns, splinter protection, complement 3 officers/25 enlisted, troop capacity 9 officers/196 enlisted, 32 t cargo. LCI(L)-713 (Lawley-built, commissioned Sep 1944) survives as the last unmodified example of the class (museum vessel, Portland OR; NRHP 07000300).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1946; reports 2006-2012
- Population
- Class crews and embarked troops (1943-46); ten-yard construction workforce (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Class-level documentation - does not name this hull. Complement figures conflict across official-era documents (4 officers/24 enlisted per the ONI guide and NavSource; 3/25 per FTP-211) - carried in gaps. No asbestos or insulation material is documented for the class in these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource/HAER propulsion documentation (8 x GM 6-71 truck diesels, no steam plant); BuShips design description (welded steel hull, minimal crew spaces); shipbuildinghistory.com yard context; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era finding (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HAER AK-52 pp. 5-8 (design, machinery); NavSource specifications; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A welded-steel, diesel-powered amphibious landing craft built March-May 1944 at an emergency production yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (GAO: substitution of alternative insulation did not begin until the early 1970s). Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel warship of this type and period were engine-room thermal insulation and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch brake linings. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam system - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply; the confined-hull-volume exposure dynamic of small craft does.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- NJSB construction trades (1944); crew of 4 officers/24 enlisted (1944-46); transient embarked troops; Charleston inactivation trades (1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-602, and no class-level insulation schedule was located either (HAER documents the welded-steel structure and machinery but no insulation materials for the Navy build). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Note: the Navy's 'critical materials are to be avoided' wartime design directive for this class is a countervailing datum - asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is plausible era inference, not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-06
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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 (March-May 1944) and service era (May 1944 - March 1946), including her January 1946-March 1946 inactivation period at Charleston Navy Yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); WWII-era use spanning this hull's build/service
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull or class. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403 - consistent with prior batches); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-07
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[8]Batch-5323 search ledger (this record): NARA SL44 scan; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory.com; uboat.net; HAER AK-52 + OR-180 (Library of Congress); ONI 226 + FTP-211 (HyperWar); CourtListener authenticated API (opinion + docket); NVR; DANFS; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-14
- 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)-602 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero hits for 'LCI(L)-602' in both opinion and docket indexes and zero for 'LCI-602' and 'LCI 602' in the opinion index (authenticated API, all queries HTTP 200). The only 'asbestos aboard' material found is generic class-level law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com and similar listicles asserting asbestos on 'landing craft' without primary sourcing) - excluded by source policy; no ship-specific marketing page naming this hull was located.
- 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 - a small craft of this era plausibly carried era-standard materials, and no insulation schedule or abatement file for the class was located either way. Deck logs (2 volumes, May 1944 - June 1945 per SL44) are the open primary-source lead; the Maritime Commission disposal file is a second lead. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-602-lcil602-08