Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, April 13, 1945) - List of Naval Vessels roster and LCI(L) design table (shipscribe.com scan of the official publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 v2, p. 206, LCI(L) 616 roster row (under 'New Jersey S. B. Corp., Barber, N. J.' ditto); characteristics table for LCI(L) 351-1098
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips roster entry for this hull (printed page 206, 'Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) (LCI(L))' section): 'LCI(L)616 ... [New Jersey S.B. Corp., Barber, N.J.] ... 21 Apr 44 [keel laid] ... 17 May 44 [launched] ... 24 May 44 [date of first commission]' - builder carried by ditto from the LCI(L) 604 row's 'New Jersey S. B. Corp., Barber, N. J.' entry. The same volume's LCI(L) design table for hulls 351-1098 (which includes 616) gives: length 159 ft oa / 153 ft wl, beam 23 ft 8 in, full-load displacement 387 t, trial speed 14.4 kn, armament 5 x 20 mm AA, accommodations 8 officers / 32 enlisted, propulsion GM Diesel 6051-series-71 engines, 2,320 bhp, two shafts, single GM main reduction gears, two diesel-drive ship's service generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (publication coverage)
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding trades (Apr-May 1944); commissioning crew
- Limitations
- Official design/roster publication, but the roster is a tabular record - build dates and builder only, no operational or material content. The design table is class-level data for the 351-1098 group, not a survey of this hull. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-616 - milestone timeline, campaign credits, awards, specifications (page's stated history source: USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150616.htm header block, campaign table, awards ribbon block, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 21 April 1944 at New Jersey Ship Building Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 17 May 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-616, 24 May 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCI Flotilla Twenty-Two (CDR Marion M. Byrd). Campaign credits: Luzon operation - Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 to 18 January 1945; Consolidation and capture of southern Philippines - Mindanao Island landings, 17 to 23 April 1945. Post-WWII: China service in the Far East 20 September 1945 to 27 June 1946 under Commander Minesweeping and Survey Group, North China Force. Decommissioned, date unknown; transferred to the State Department 27 June 1946 for disposal; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; final disposition fate unknown. Awards ribbon bar: Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation (for service in Salvage, Fire Fighting, and Rescue Unit, Service Force 7th Fleet, Philippine Islands area, 6 January to 15 February 1945), China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp), Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2). Two battle stars. Radio call sign NPIE. Spec block: 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kt max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; 5 single 20mm; two sets of 4 GM 6051-71 diesels (4 per shaft), 2,320 shp, twin variable-pitch propellers. No images of this hull in the archive.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Apr-May 1944); ship's company (1944-46); embarked troops (capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation whose stated source here is the Turner Publishing LCI history, not a primary registry - milestone dates corroborated where they overlap the BuShips roster (laid/launch/commission match exactly), the SL44 log-coverage start (5/24/44), the muster-roll commissioning date ('comm. 5-24-44'), and the digitized war diaries (Lingayen salvage-group assignment, Mindanao/Parang landing). Decommission and struck dates are genuinely absent ('date unknown'). Campaign window '9 to 18 January 1945' differs slightly from the awards-list transcription's '4 Jan 45 - 18 Jan 45' (see ev-11) - unresolved. Contains no asbestos content. Live .net page verified 2026-09-30 (navsource.org is dead; do not cite it).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-02
-
[3]NARA Special List No. 44, List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 - ship-number sequence (archives.gov PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF page 26, rows 'LCI(L)-616 5/24/1944 9/30/1944' and 'LCI(L)-616 5/1/1945 6/30/1945' (verified via pdftotext -layout extraction)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Special List 44 (by ship number) lists Navy deck logs held by NARA for LCI(L)-616 in two separate rows: 'LCI(L)-616 5/24/1944 9/30/1944' and 'LCI(L)-616 5/1/1945 6/30/1945' (PDF page 26, verified by text extraction). The 5/24/1944 start equals the commissioning date; the first series ends 30 September 1944 (the month she joined Flotilla 22 forward) and a second series covers 1 May-30 June 1945 - leaving October 1944 through April 1945, which includes her Lingayen Gulf and Mindanao operations, without a listed logbook in this inventory.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-05-24 to 1944-09-30; 1945-05-01 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 ship's company during the logged windows (May-Sep 1944; May-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the list establishes that logs for the two stated windows existed in NARA holdings as inventoried. A catalog search of digitized WWII deck-log file units did not locate per-month file units for this hull, so the logs themselves were not read - physical-holdings lead only. The October 1944-April 1945 gap may reflect logs filed elsewhere, lost, or simply absent from this inventory - unresolved. A deck log is an operational record, not a material survey; it documents location/moorage and noteworthy events, not insulation content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-03
-
[4]NARA Catalog, 'LCI(L) 616 - Muster Rolls' (NAID 120284448, RG 24 Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; scanned via NARA-Ancestry partnership, 'Ancestry 2019' search identifier) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA NAID 120284448, 106 digital objects (32860_245680-00002 through -00168): commissioning report object -00006; forwarding sheet -00002; recapitulation quarter ending 1 Apr 1946 objects -00164/-00165; China-service change reports -00166/-00168
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized personnel records for this hull: 106 images of muster rolls marked 'comm. 5-24-44 to 6-1-46'. The commissioning report (NAVPERS 605-A) for the quarter ending 24 May 1944 lists the initial enlisted crew (~25 names: Bissonnette through Wilerscheid - Sea2c through QM2c, MoMM, PhM, SC, GM, RM, StM ratings), all received aboard 24 May 1944 from 'Rec. Stat. Pier 92, N.Y.' (Receiving Station, Pier 92, New York). The June 1944 quarterly roll forwarding sheet is certified by F.P. Bradburn, Ensign, USNR, Executive Officer; approved 'for' David C. Marshall, Ens., USNR; signed James MacDiarmid, USNR, Commanding Officer; forwarded 1 July 1944 by Robert J. Hill, Lt.(jg), USN. Later rolls run through a recapitulation sheet for the quarter ending 1 April 1946 (brought forward 29, gain 16, loss 17, carried forward 28, operating allowance 18) and change reports into May-June 1946 documenting China-service movements (transfers to NOB Shanghai, USS Repose for medical treatment; receipts from USS LSM 43 and CTU 70.2.3).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Ship's company: ~25-man enlisted crew at commissioning (24 May 1944) plus officers; ~28-45 enlisted aboard in early 1946 (per recapitulation totals)
- Limitations
- Muster rolls establish who served aboard and when - a population record, not an exposure or conditions record. They contain no material, insulation, or asbestos information and do not establish any individual's exposure. OCR text was machine-extracted; individual names/ratings are as rendered by the scan OCR.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-04
-
[5]NARA Catalog, 'LCI(L)-616 - Rep of in the assault landing in the Polloc Harbor Area, Mindanao Island, Philippines, 4/17/45' (NAID 83519072, RG 38 WWII War Diaries microfilm series, micro serial 130828, doc. no. 04473; scanned via NARA-Fold3 partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 83519072 digital object (single-page action report image, fold3 object 0067.jpg, read in full)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own action report (CONFIDENTIAL, dated 18 April 1945, signed R.B. Hill, Ens., USN) documents her Operation for the Mindanao landing: 'Loaded troops morning of 13 April 1945. Underway to objective at 1115 [on] 14 April 1945. Received change of orders off Zamboanga to land troops at Parang, Polloc Harbor, Mindanao. Landed troops at 1207 [on] 17 April 1945.' Personnel performance satisfactory; no casualties. Addressed From Commanding Officer USS LCI(L) 616 to Commander-in-Chief U.S. Fleet via Commander Task Unit 78.2.3 (Commander LCI(L) Flotilla TWENTY-TWO), Commander Task Group 78.2 (Commander Amphibious Group Eight), Commander Task Force 78 (Commander Seventh Amphibious Force), and Commander Seventh Fleet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 13-18 April 1945
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 ship's company April 1945; embarked troops landed at Parang (troop count not stated in the report)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational record; establishes combat employment (diversion from Zamboanga objective to the Parang/Polloc Harbor assault, troops landed 1207 on 17 April 1945) and the chain of command. Contains no material or asbestos content. The catalog scope note lists 'The Date ... as 4/10/1945' - inconsistent with the report's own 18 April 1945 date and the 17 April landing; treated as a metadata artifact (see gaps). Signature block reads 'R.B. Hill, Ens., USN' in the scanned text - the commissioning documents show a Robert J. Hill, Lt.(jg) aboard; same-person identification probable but not asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-05
-
[6]NARA Catalog, 'COM LCI(L) FLOT 22 - War Diary, 12/1-31/44' (NAID 139830661, RG 38 WWII War Diaries microfilm series, serial 1537, micro serial 104204; signed M.M. Byrd) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139830661 digital objects 0237-0245 (organization line on -0237; Manus/Sansapor movements on -0239/-0240/-0241)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Flotilla 22 war diary for December 1944 lists this hull in the flotilla organization ('thirty-six LCI(L)s ... 614, 615, 616, 617, 619, 688, 689, 690, 776, 777, 985, 986, 987, 1032, and 1033') and documents her operations: anchored in Jautefa Bay, Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea 1-13 December; on 14 December 'Commander LCI(L) Group SIXTY-SIX in LCI(L) 690 with LCI(L) 616 departed for MANUS in accordance with Commander Service Force SEVENTH Fleet orders'; returned from Manus 20 December; on 23 December 'Commander LCI(L) Group SIXTY-SIX in LCI(L) 690, with LCI(L) 616 departed for SANSAPOR in accordance with SWPA operations plan 17-44' - she was therefore not among the LCI(L)s that departed Jautefa Bay with the main body for Aitape on 25 December.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1-31 December 1944
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 ship's company December 1944; Flotilla 22 staff
- Limitations
- Flotilla-level record in which the hull appears by name - ship-specific presence/movement documentation, not a material record. Her exact position 25-31 December is not stated in this diary beyond the 23 December Sansapor departure; rejoining events fall in the January 1945 diary (see ev-07). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-06
-
[7]NARA Catalog, 'COM LCI(L) FLOT 22 - War Diary, 1/1-31/45' (NAID 139863318, RG 38 WWII War Diaries microfilm series, serial 1543; signed M.M. Byrd) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139863318 digital objects 0798-0817 (organization/disposition 0798-0799; D-Day entry 0805; salvage-group listings 0809, 0811, 0812, 0814)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Flotilla 22 war diary for January 1945 documents this hull's Lingayen Gulf service in detail. Organization (1 Jan): 'LCI(L) Group SIXTY-SIX in LCI(L) 690, with LCI(L)s 614, 615, 616, 617, 619, 688, 689, 985, 986, and 987' - her organic group. Disposition: 'LCI(L)s 63, 333, 335, 616, 690 (GF) 776, 777, and 1033, form, in part, Commander Task Group 77.8 equiped for fire-fighting, salvage and rescue duty and assigned to that duty in accordance with CANF Operations Plan 17-44.' On 9 January (D-Day): 'LCI(M) 359, LCI(L)s 776, 777, 63, 333, 335, 690, 616, and 1033 in LINGAYEN GULF, proceeding in accordance with orders, assisting in landings.' She is listed among the flotilla's 'Salvage ships' at anchor in Lingayen Gulf on 16, 19, 20, 24, 25 and through 31 January. On 24 January: 'LCI(L) Salvage ships, under T.U. 78.1.12 consisting of LCI(L)s 63, 333, 335, 360, 616, 777, and 1033 in LINGAYEN GULF ... Only LCI(L)s 616, 777, of the Salvage Group are operable, the others being broached or having sustained underwater or engineering damage in the performance of duties.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1-31 January 1945
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 ship's company January 1945; salvage-group LCI crews; Lingayen Gulf amphibious force
- Limitations
- Flotilla-level operational record naming this hull repeatedly - ship-specific presence (Lingayen Gulf 9-31 January), role (fire-fighting/salvage/rescue under TG 77.8 and TU 78.1.12), and status (one of two operable salvage ships on 24 Jan). It does not itemize her salvage tasks or locations within the Gulf day-by-day. The salvage-group assignment documented here is the organizational context for the Navy Unit Commendation credited to the 'Salvage, Fire Fighting, and Rescue Unit, Service Force, 7th Fleet' (ev-02) - the diary does not itself cite the award. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-07
-
[8]NARA Catalog, 'COM LCI(L) GR 64 - War Diary, 2/1-28/45' (NAID 139928672, RG 38 WWII War Diaries microfilm series; signed J.C. Donohue, Lt. Comdr., USNR) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139928672 digital objects (Feb diary; tactical-command list, 25 Feb Amycus entry, 24/28 Feb anchorage lines)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The LCI(L) Group SIXTY-FOUR war diary for February 1945 documents this hull at Lingayen Gulf under Group 64's tactical command after the assault phase: 'Ships under tactical commend of Commander LCI(L) Group SIXTY-FOUR are LCI(L)s 333, 335, 357, 360, 443, 616, 777, 1033'; on 25 February 'LCI(L) 616 reported to Commending Officer U.S.S. Amycus for duty in assisting to replace buoy'; she is listed anchored in Lingayen Gulf on 24 and 28 February, and the diary records the sunset smoke screen laid over the shipping area on 22 February.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1-28 February 1945
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 ship's company February 1945; Group 64 tactical-command LCI crews; Lingayen port organization
- Limitations
- Group-level operational record naming this hull - ship-specific presence and tasking at Lingayen Gulf in February 1945. 616 was attached to Group 64 for tactical command; her organic group remained 66 (per the January 1945 flotilla diary, ev-07). USS Amycus is ARL-2, a landing-craft repair ship - the buoy-assist entry is consistent with the salvage/rescue role documented in ev-07. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-08
-
[9]NARA Catalog, 'COM LCI(L) GR 64 - War Diary, 3/1-31/45' (NAID 139963817, RG 38 WWII War Diaries microfilm series; signed J.C. Donohue, Lt. Comdr., USNR) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 139963817 digital objects 0782-0785 (Mar diary entries for 1-15 March)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The LCI(L) Group SIXTY-FOUR war diary for March 1945 documents this hull at Lingayen Gulf: present 1-14 March; on 3 March assigned a smoke station - 'LCI(L)s 333 and 616 - Liberty ships anchored off Bued River Area'; on 5 March 'LCI(L) 616 assigned special mission by Commander Task Group Seventy Six Point One of convoying LSTs to White Beach for unloading of troops and cargo'; she was present for mass LST beach-retraction assistance (9 and 12-13 March) and air-raid smoke screens; on 15 March 'LCI(L) 616 ... departed Lingayen Gulf Area on orders from Port Director Lingayen Area bound for Subic Bay.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1-15 March 1945
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 ship's company March 1945; Group 64 tactical-command LCI crews; Lingayen port organization
- Limitations
- Group-level operational record naming this hull - ship-specific presence and tasking at Lingayen Gulf through mid-March 1945 and her departure for Subic Bay on 15 March. Some entries carry OCR imperfections typical of the Fold3-derived scan text; the quoted phrases are from legible passages cross-checked against the typed page images. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-09
-
[10]NavSource Online, 'History of LCI Flotilla 22' - first-person account by J.E. 'Jim' Talbert, President, USS LCI National Association [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150618f.htm, 'History of LCI Flotilla 22' (ship list header; 'late September' new-ships paragraph; post-surrender assignments paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A veteran memoir of Flotilla 22 names this hull in the flotilla roster ('Ship No. 62 - 63 - 328 - 333 - 334 - 335 - 357 - 358 - 359 - 360 - 433 - 434 - 435 - 436 - 443 - 444 - 445 - 446 - 518 - 519 - 614 - 615 - 616 - 617 - 618 - 619 - 688 - 689 - 690 - 776 - 777 - 985 - 986 - 987 - 1032 - 1033'), describes the flotilla as 36 LCI(L)s in Groups 64, 65 and 66, and records that 616 arrived with the new ships from the States in late September 1944 ('we received ... the 985, 986, 987, 688, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618 and 619') - consistent with the SL44 log series ending 30 September 1944. Post-surrender: 'The 614, 616 and the 985 were assigned to Commander Minesweeping and Survey Group of the North China Forces' - the organizational route behind her 20 September 1945 - 27 June 1946 China service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Flotilla 22 crews, incl. LCI(L)-616 ship's company 1944-46
- Limitations
- Veterans'-association memoir hosted on NavSource - a participant secondary account, not an official record. Corroborates the flotilla roster, her September 1944 arrival, and the North China assignment; do not lean on it for hull-specific dates beyond what the war diaries and NavSource establish. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-10
-
[11]officialmilitaryribbons.com transcriptions of the Navy's WWII campaign battle-star and China/occupation service listings: 'LCI(L) 539 to LCI(L) 664' battle-star page; P32 Luzon-operation page; 'Navy Occupation and China Service Medals' L-page [other_primary]
- Locator
- uss_lci_l_539_lci_l_664_world_war_2.html 'LCI(L) 616' row; uss_lc1_83-lci_626_world_war_2.html 'LCI 616' row; navy_occupation_china_service_L.html 'LCI (L) 616' row (all verified live 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The awards-list transcriptions credit this hull: 'LCI(L) 616: 4 Jan 45 - 18 Jan 45, P32-2, Lingayen Gulf landing' and 'LCI 616: 17 Apr 45 - 23 Apr 45, P39-3, Mindanao Island landings' (two battle stars), plus 'LCI (L) 616: 20 Sep 45 - 27 Jun 46' on the China service listing - matching NavSource's China-service window to the day.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- Jan-Apr 1945; Sep 1945-Jun 1946
- Population
- Ship's company during the credited participation windows
- Limitations
- Commercial website transcribing official Navy campaign/award participation lists - a secondary transcription used for corroboration; the underlying authority is the CNO awards listing (OPNAVNOTE/awards manual lineage), not this page. Note the Lingayen qualifying window here (4-18 Jan 1945) differs from NavSource's campaign-table printing (9-18 Jan 1945); unresolved (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-11
-
[12]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' yard construction table (also mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com New Jersey Shipbuilding table, LCI(L) 616 row; yard description paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent construction-table corroboration: 'LCI(L) | 616 | US Navy | Landing Craft | May-44 | To China 1946.' The yard page documents New Jersey Shipbuilding as an LCI assembly-line yard on Arthur Kill at Barber (now Maurer, Perth Amboy), whose management was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request and which closed after the war. The 'To China 1946' disposition note is consistent with her 27 June 1946 State Department transfer for disposal and suggests Republic of China service - though no confirming transfer document was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction workforce (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference work (compiled from official registers) - corroborates, does not replace, the BuShips roster. The 'To China 1946' note is the only disposition indication beyond 'fate unknown' and is not itself a transfer record. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-12
-
[13]ussmccaffery.com (USS McCaffery DD-860 association site), '1946 | Aboard the McCaffery' - quoting the ship's log and the official report to CNO [other_primary]
- Locator
- ussmccaffery.com '1946 | Aboard the McCaffery', Sunday 19 May entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A documented 1946 incident placing this hull on the Whangpoo (Huangpu) River at Shanghai during her North China service: 'On Sunday, 19 May, McCaffery, moving up the Wangpoo to berth under control of a pilot, was involved in a collision with LCI-616, which was moored to LCI-220. The ship's log described the craft as LCS-616 (landing craft support). The official report to the Chief of Naval Operations described the craft as LCI-616 (landing craft infantry).' McCaffery's port depth-charge rack struck LCI-616 'about 15 feet aft of the stem,' holing the rack side plate; no personnel injuries; the pilot was held at fault; McCaffery's CO received a letter of caution.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 19 May 1946
- Population
- LCI(L)-616 and LCI-220 crews at Shanghai; USS McCaffery crew
- Limitations
- Crew-association secondary page quoting the ship's log and the official CNO report - the primary report itself was not pulled (open NARA lead). Places the hull moored to LCI-220 on the Whangpoo River, Shanghai, on 19 May 1946 - consistent with the Minesweeping and Survey Group, North China Force assignment, and consistent with muster-roll transfers to NOB Shanghai in the same window. The LCS-616 labeling in the log is a recorder's error corrected by the official report; noted so no LCS-616 phantom is created. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-13
-
[14]Era inference built on: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v2 LCI(L) 351-1098 design table (diesel machinery spec); NavSource propulsion block (8 GM diesels, twin screws); WWII amphibious-craft construction practice; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-15) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB1945v2 LCI(L) 351-1098 characteristics table; NavSource specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered infantry landing craft built April-May 1944 sits squarely inside the Navy's asbestos shipbuilding era. Era-standard asbestos applications aboard small diesel amphibious craft of this period were engine-exhaust and machinery lagging, gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, and accommodation-space insulation - installed in a confined steel hull carrying ~28 crew plus up to 188 troops. The diesel plant means no boiler/turbine steam-lagging pathway, but exhaust lagging, machinery insulation, gaskets, and wiring insulation remain plausible pathways; her fire-fighting/salvage and smoke-making duties at Lingayen involved no material record.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding trades (1944); ship's company (1944-46); troops embarked for amphibious operations; any foreign-navy crew after 1946 disposal
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, survey, or work package located for LCI(L)-616. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-14
-
[15]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)
- 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 (1944) and service era (1944-46).
- 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, confirmed this session) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-15
-
[16]Batch-5338 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page + Flotilla 22 memoir; NARA SL44 PDF; NARA catalog (muster rolls, Polloc action report, FLOT 22 Dec 1944/Jan 1945 war diaries, GR 64 Feb/Mar 1945 war diaries); BuShips SDB 1945 v2; shipbuilding-history yard table; officialmilitaryribbons award-list transcriptions; ussmccaffery.com 1946 incident; NHHC DANFS and NVR checks; CourtListener opinion/docket queries; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-616-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-616-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS LCI(L)-616 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener was fully searched this session: exact-string opinion queries '"LCI-616"', '"LCI(L)-616"' and '"LCI(L) 616"' each returned 0 hits; the variant docket query ('"LCI(L)-616" OR "LCI-616" OR "LCI 616"', type=r) returned 0 hits; the unquoted 'LCI(L)-616' opinion query returned 624 hits, all matching 'LCI' as a corporate or party name (LCI International Telecommunications Corp., etc.) - a name-collision set, not litigation naming the vessel. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only generic law-firm marketing content about asbestos on landing ships (e.g., gorilaw.com - 'many Navy vessels ... built before the 1980s are known to contain asbestos'), which names no hull and is excluded by source policy. The hull's 1946 transfer out of U.S. custody (State Department; 'To China 1946') forecloses the usual US-side abatement/museum/scrapping documentation trail that produces ship-specific asbestos records.
- 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 good for a numbered hull (all planned opinion and docket variants ran clean) but not exhaustive: PACER/RECAP coverage of state-level complaints naming a hull this obscure is thin in any case. Undigitized deck logs (SL44 windows), NJSB build records, and Chinese naval records are open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-616-16