Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NARA Special List 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (Bradley, Kurtz et al., 1978) - LCI(L)-615 entry, printed page 346 (ACPL Genealogy Center scan, display page 372) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL44 printed page 346, 'Ships with Symbol and Number Designations', LCI(L) numeric sequence (between LCI(L)-614 and LCI(L)-616)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official wartime Navy logbook inventory lists this hull by exact designation: 'LCI(L)-615 - May 23, 1944-Dec. 31, 1945' - 3 logbooks. Log coverage opens on the commissioning date (23 May 1944) and runs through the end of 1945, spanning her LCI Flotilla 22 deployment, the Mindanao Island landings, and the Far East occupation service window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-05-23 to 1945-12-31
- Population
- Commissioning crew (May 1944 forward)
- Limitations
- A logbook inventory, not a content record: it establishes that Navy deck logs exist for these dates at NARA (RG 24), not what they contain, and carries no material or asbestos information. Coverage ends 31 December 1945 - the ship's 1946-1948 service (Operation Crossroads, Kwajalein patrol, Bikini resurvey) is outside this listing; postwar logs are a separate archival lead. Verified on the ACPL scan of the printed volume, printed page 346; batch source data referenced PDF page 26 of a SL44 section PDF - same entry, different pagination.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-615 - construction, LCI Flotilla 22 assignment, campaign record, Crossroads assignment, disposal (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150615.htm - milestone block, campaign table, awards display, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 19 April 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 16 May 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-615, 23 May 1944. Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCI Flotilla Twenty Two (CDR Marion M. Byrd); campaign: Consolidation of the Southern Philippines - Mindanao Island landings, 17-23 April 1945. Occupation service in the Far East 12 September - 9 December 1945. Assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.2.5 (Target Vessels - Landing Craft Units - LCI Group 7) for Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Decommissioned and stricken, dates unknown. One battle star for WWII service. Transferred to the Maritime Commission 19 August 1949; sold same day; 'fate unknown.' Ribbon display: Combat Action Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (1).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- Construction trades, New Jersey Shipbuilding (Apr-May 1944); wartime crew (1944-45); JTF-1 crew (1946); postwar crew to c.1948
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - but its dates are corroborated by primary records at other rows (SL44 log coverage opens on the 23 May 1944 commissioning date; NHHC and DNA documents confirm the Crossroads assignment; NPS confirms the 19 August 1949 sale). Decommissioning and striking dates are explicitly 'unknown' in this source and are carried as a gap, not inferred. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-02
-
[3]NHHC, 'Composition of Joint Task Force One' (Operation Crossroads online reading room) - Task Unit 1.2.5 (Landing Craft Unit), LCI Group 7 roster; Task Unit 1.2.12 (Kwajalein Maintenance Force) roster [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC page, TU 1.2.5 'LCI Group 7 [LCI GRU 7]' list and TU 1.2.12 vessel list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's JTF-1 composition lists LCI(L)-615 in LCI Group 7 under Task Unit 1.2.5 (Landing Craft Unit), Task Group 1.2 (Target Vessel Group) - without the asterisk that the page defines as marking nontarget support ships. The same hull appears again under Task Unit 1.2.12 (Kwajalein Maintenance Force), the unit that 'provide[d] radiological decontamination and ammunition removal and disposal services for the JTF 1 ships moved from Bikini to Kwajalein during August and September 1946' - i.e., she survived both detonations and was retained in the post-test force.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- JTF-1 assigned crew, 1946
- Limitations
- Unit-roster documentation only: confirms assignment and post-test retention, not position in the array, damage, or contamination state (those come from DNA-6032F and DNA-TR-82-05). Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-03
-
[4]Defense Nuclear Agency report 'Operation Crossroads - 1946' (DNA 6032F, Kaman Tempo), per-ship participation narrative for LCI(L)-615, printed pages 346-348 (Wikisource scan pages 351-353) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DNA 6032F printed pp. 346-348 = Wikisource pages 351-353 (LCI(L)-615 data block, task-unit/function text, and dated chronology)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The DNA report's vessel data block and chronology for this hull: 'LCI(L)-615, a large infantry landing craft, was a target vessel for CROSSROADS. Its crew was evacuated before each shot. It was a member of TU 1.2.5 (Landing Craft Unit), LCI Group 7. It was loaded with ammunition and mines.' Beached in slot 14 on Bikini Island for both Shot ABLE (1 July 1946) and Shot BAKER (25 July 1946), approximately 5,500-6,000 yards northeast of the array center; crew evacuated to USS Bayfield (APA-33) for each detonation. Reboarded 3 July; the ship 'found to have been looted, vandalized, and in very dirty condition' but 'machinery still in good condition' - 'no direct damage resulted from the ABLE detonation.' After BAKER, found in good condition but all lines had parted and she floated ~200 feet offshore; stern winch radiator pushed back against cooling fan. August 1946: drydocked in ARD-29, rebeached, then employed on salvage/utility work alongside contaminated target ships (moored alongside Mugford, Stack, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New York, Hughes, Fallon, Mayrant, and LCI(L)-549, furnishing electrical power, hauling anchors, and pumping ballast; radsafe monitor aboard). Departed Bikini 4 September 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-06-01 to 1946-09-04
- Population
- LCI(L)-615 crew (size 16 per DNA-TR-82-05); boarding/security details; salvage workers aboard contaminated targets
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational record from the official JTF-1 historical report - documents radiological-test participation and post-shot salvage work, not asbestos or material content. The Wikisource transcription is unproofread OCR with interleaved columns; the sequence above is reconstructed from the scan and the companion DNA-TR-82-05 data sheet. The salvage work alongside contaminated target vessels is a documented occupational-exposure environment (radiological), not an asbestos pathway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-04
-
[5]Defense Nuclear Agency, DNA-TR-82-05-V2, 'Analysis of Radiation Exposure for Naval Units of Operation Crossroads, Volume II - (Appendix A) Target Ships' (Science Applications Inc., 3 March 1982) - Remanned Target Ship Participation Summary for USS LCI(L)-615 (via DOE OSTI) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DNA-TR-82-05-V2, Appendix A, Section A-3 'Remanned Target Ship Participation Summaries', USS LCI(L)-615 data sheet (report p. ~160)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The official dose-reconstruction data sheet for this hull: 'USS LCI(L)-615 was a CROSSROADS target ship that was remanned and sailed away after the nuclear test detonations on July 1 and July 25, 1946. It had arrived at Bikini prior to June 30, 1946 and was beached on Bikini Island where it remained as one of the 84 target ships throughout the operation. It departed Bikini on September 4, 1946 enroute to Kwajalein where it was retained as patrol vessel. It participated in a resurvey of Bikini in July 1947 and was sailed to San Francisco for disposal about June 1948.' Crew size 16. Reconstructed average crew-member dose while at Bikini: 0.644 rem total; ship contamination factor 5 on departure. Data block: decontamination location San Francisco; operational clearance 30 June 1947; final clearance 17 August 1948; final disposition 'Sold 19 August 1949, private purchase.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-1949
- Population
- LCI(L)-615 remanned crew (16); Kwajalein patrol complement; 1947 resurvey crew
- Limitations
- Ship-specific government record - but the hazard documented is ionizing radiation, not asbestos. The remanning and Kwajalein-patrol assignments document continued crew occupancy of a test-exposed hull (exposure environment), while the clearance milestones document the Navy's radiological release process preceding disposal. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-05
-
[6]DTRA, Nuclear Test Personnel Review - Radiation Dose Assessment documents, 'RA02-Accessible-Tables,' Table A5-4 Expedited Processing Groups for Operation CROSSROADS (1946) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTRA NTPR RDA accessible tables, Table A5-4 (CROSSROADS EPGs), rows for Support Ship-Based Personnel, Target Ship-Based Personnel exclusions, and Bikini Resurvey Personnel
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- DTRA's exposure-group table names this hull twice: (1) 'Crews of six re-manned target ships that did not receive topside contamination from Shot BAKER: USS BLADEN, USS CORTLAND, USS FILLMORE, USS GENEVA, USS NIAGARA, and USS LCI(L)-615' - assigned to the CROSSROADS Support Ship-Based Personnel equivalent exposure group; (2) 'Bikini Resurvey Personnel July-August 1947: Crew members of USS CHILTON, USS COUCAL and LCI(L)-615 who participated as members of the Bikini Resurvey team' - a distinct EPG with high-side dose 0.8 rem (previous RDA), ~700 participants.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946-1947 (exposure windows); table current
- Population
- LCI(L)-615 crew during Crossroads (1946) and the July-August 1947 Bikini Resurvey
- Limitations
- Documents official VA/DTRA dose-assessment groupings for the hull's crew - radiological exposure context only, no asbestos content. The 'no topside contamination from Shot BAKER' classification refers to measured topside deposition; it does not assert zero contamination (the DNA sheet still carried a ship contamination factor of 5 and routed her through San Francisco decontamination).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-06
-
[7]National Park Service, 'The Archeology of the Atomic Bomb: A Submerged Cultural Resources Assessment of the Sunken Fleet of Operation Crossroads at Bikini and Kwajalein Atoll Lagoons' (Delgado, Lenihan, Murphy; SWCR Professional Papers No. 37, 1991), Appendix I 'Target Vessels at Bikini and Their Disposition' (npshistory.com mirror) [nps]
- Locator
- Appendix I, 'LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry)' table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS's official disposition table for the Bikini target fleet lists this hull among the six LCIs of the target group: 'LCI-615 - Sold to private party in California, August 19, 1949.' Her LCI Group 7 sisters' contrasting fates document how unusual her survival and sale were: LCI-327 destroyed on Bascombe (Mek) Island, Kwajalein, 30 October 1947; LCI-329 scuttled off Kwajalein 16 March 1948; LCI-332 scuttled off Kwajalein September 1947; LCI-620 scuttled off Bikini Lagoon entrance 10 August 1946; only LCI-549 and LCI-615 were sold to private parties.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1949
- Population
- Purchaser and any civilian crew post-1949
- Limitations
- Confirms disposition (sale) but not the buyer, vessel name after sale, or subsequent service - 'fate unknown' stands per NavSource. Contains no asbestos or material content. npshistory.com is a mirror of the official NPS report text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-07
-
[8]University of Washington Libraries, Donaldson (Lauren R.) Collection of Northern Pacific Ocean Radiological Surveys - resurvey history narrative [museum_official]
- Locator
- Donaldson Collection book2.html, section II (vessel complement paragraph); Bayer Alcyonaria paper (resurvey collections)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The UW archive's history of the 1947 Bikini Scientific Resurvey (ordered by the Joint Chiefs 16 May 1947, under CinCPac operational control, ~700 personnel) records the vessel complement: flagship USS Chilton (APA-38) 'supported by the Coucal (ASR 8), the LSM 382 and, later, by the LCI (L 615).' Resurvey-era scientific output further records that 'the LCI 615 was fitted for deep-water dredging' for collections around Bikini Atoll (Bayer, 'The Alcyonaria of Bikini and Other Atolls in the Marshall Group,' Smithsonian/USNM reporting on the resurvey).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1947
- Population
- LCI(L)-615 crew and embarked scientific parties, July-August 1947
- Limitations
- Institutional-archive documentation of the 1947 resurvey deployment; the dredge-fitting detail is from the resurvey's published scientific reporting, cited here as context of use. No asbestos or material content; the resurvey mission was radiological/biological survey work in a contaminated atoll environment.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-08
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (LCI(L)-351 class, 1944 construction, GM diesel plant); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era); WWII small-combatant construction practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150615.htm specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 program description
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A Navy landing craft built April-May 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel-driven small combatant of this type and period were exhaust and muffler lagging, gaskets and flange packing, thermal insulation in engineering and accommodation spaces, electrical insulation, and machinery brake linings. Her plant was all-diesel (two sets of 4 General Motors diesels, 4 per shaft, twin screws, 2,320 shp) - she carried no steam plant, so the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of larger combatants does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); wartime crew; JTF-1 and resurvey crews; San Francisco decontamination/disposal workers (1947-48); post-1949 civilian owners
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-615. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Her postwar radiological decontamination work (San Francisco 1947-48) is documented as a radiological process - whether it disturbed any era insulation is unrecorded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-09
-
[10]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (October 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- 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 construction (1944) and entire service era (1944-c.1949 Navy/1949 disposal).
- 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 access defect carried since Batch 01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-10
-
[11]Batch-5337 search ledger (this record): NARA SL44 (ACPL scan); NavSource; NHHC DANFS candidate URLs and JTF-1 composition; DNA-6032F (Wikisource scan); DNA-TR-82-05-V2 (OSTI); DTRA NTPR tables; NPS SWCR-37; UW Donaldson Collection; NVR; CourtListener; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-01 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)-615 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener returned zero hits for 'LCI(L)-615' and 'LCI(L) 615' on the opinion index and zero hits for 'LCI(L)-615' on the docket index (authenticated API); see search_ledger for the remaining variant's disposition. The unusually deep ship-specific paper trail that does exist (Crossroads dossier, dose reconstruction, resurvey, disposal) is radiological in character, not asbestos.
- 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 1944 hull built inside the Navy asbestos era and worked on during radiological decontamination is consistent with retained era materials. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-615-lcil615-11