Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LC(FF)-627 ex USS LCI(L)-627 - hull timeline, specifications, awards, and photo captions (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150627.htm header block, history paragraph, campaign table, awards block, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 8 May 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Co., Barber, N.J.; launched 2 June 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-627, 9 June 1944 (LTjg. M.G. Tammen USNR recorded 'in command (May 1945)'); reclassified Landing Craft Flotilla Flagship LC(FF)-627, 31 December 1944. Assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater under LC(FF) Flotilla Twenty-Three (LCDR. R. H. Brazeal), LC(FF) Group Sixty-Eight (LT. O. G. Howell), LC(FF) Division One Hundred Thirty-Five. Campaigns: Iwo Jima operation, assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, 17 to 19 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 25 March to 14 June 1945. Decommissioned March 1946; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; final disposition, fate unknown. Awards block: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - Iwo Jima), Presidential Unit Citation, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2), World War II Victory Medal; two battle stars. Spec block: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158' 5.5" x 23' 3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; propulsion two sets of 4 GM Diesels, 4 per shaft, BHP 1,600, twin variable-pitch propellers; five single 20mm guns.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding trades (1944); crew (1944-46); embarked troops (operational)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its page credits the Turner Publishing 'USS LCI' Vol. II history; milestone dates are corroborated by the official awards manual and construction tabulations but 'date unknown' fields remain open. The '(May 1945)' notation attaches to Tammen's command, meaning the officer in command at the 9 June 1944 commissioning is not stated. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-01
-
[2]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual (NAVPERS 15,790, 1953 revision), Part II - Unit Awards, Presidential Unit Citation tabulation (HyperWar verbatim transcription of the official Department of the Navy publication); corroborated by the NavSource LCI(G) Group Eight PUC page quoting the full citation text [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards Manual Part II, Presidential Unit Citation list ('LCI(G) Group Eight'); NavSource 10/15/15000030.htm (full citation text, s/ James Forrestal)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Presidential Unit Citation was awarded to 'LCI(G) GROUP EIGHT INCLUDING THE FLAGSHIP OF LCI FLOTILLA THREE' for extraordinary heroism in action supporting Underwater Demolition Team beach reconnaissance at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 17 February 1945 - the awards-manual entry reads 'LCI(G) Group Eight: Includes flagship of LCI Flotilla 3 - 17 Feb 45 - Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands.' LC(FF)-627 was that flagship, carrying Commander Michael J. Malanaphy, Commander LCI(G) Flotilla Three. NavSource likewise records this hull earning 'the Presidential Unit Citation for operations at Iwo Jima, 17 February 1945' plus two battle stars (Iwo Jima 17-19 Feb; Okinawa Gunto 25 Mar-14 Jun 1945) and the retroactive Combat Action Ribbon.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945 (action); 1953 (awards manual)
- Population
- Crew and embarked flotilla staff (CDR M. J. Malanaphy and staff), 17 February 1945
- Limitations
- The award attaches to the group (including its flagship), not to this hull individually - but the 'flagship of LCI Flotilla 3' clause is the documented basis on which this hull wears the PUC. The full citation text reproduced on NavSource describes the gunboats' action, not 627's individual conduct. HyperWar is a verbatim transcription of the official 1953 awards manual; the underlying manual page was not independently imaged this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-02
-
[3]NavSource photo-caption record for this hull: US National Archives photo 80-G-K-3527 (LC(FF)-627 heading for her D-2 position, photographed from USS Halligan (DD-584)); image of 627 towing the crippled USS LCI(G)-473; and the verbatim quotation of the Action Report of USS LCI(G)-442, dated 27 July 1945, documenting CTG 52.17 embarked aboard LC(FF)-627 at Okinawa [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150627.htm photo table (three caption blocks); NARA identifier 80-G-K-3527; LCI(G)-442 action report quote also mirrored on NavSource 10/15/150442.htm and 150422.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary-document material carried on the NavSource page: (1) NARA photo 80-G-K-3527 shows 'USS LC(FF)-627, CDR. Michael J. Malanaphy's flagship of Flotilla Three,' heading for her D-2 position at Iwo Jima, 17 February 1945, photographed from USS Halligan (DD-584), with USS LCI(M)-633, an AGC and USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) also present. (2) A second NARA image shows LC(FF)-627 'with CDR. Malanaphy aboard' rushing to aid the badly damaged USS LCI(G)-473, dead in the water off the beach, 17 February 1945. (3) The Action Report of LCI(G)-442, dated 27 July 1945, states verbatim: '1 April 1945: CTG 52.17 was aboard USS LC(FF)-627 which acted as guide until the line of departure was reached. CTU 52.17.2 aboard LCI(G)-442 then took command of Task Unit...' - documenting 627 as the embarked command platform for the 1 April 1945 rocket attack on the western Okinawa beaches.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02-17 to 1945-04-01
- Population
- Crew; embarked TG/TU command staff (CTG 52.17, CDR Malanaphy and staff)
- Limitations
- Photograph captions and the action-report quotation are transcribed on a secondary volunteer page - the underlying NARA records were not independently fetched this session (NARA catalog is JS-rendered, no API key). The action-report excerpt is a genuine primary-document passage but only the portion NavSource reproduces was read. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-03
-
[4]Robin L. Rielly, American Amphibious Gunboats in World War II: A History of LCI and LCS(L) Ships in the Pacific (McFarland, 2013; author was historian/archivist for the USS LCS(L)-130 museum) - chapters on Iwo Jima and Okinawa (text read via erenow.org mirror; publisher page mcfarlandbooks.com verified live) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Rielly chapters 'Iwo Jima' and 'Okinawa' (erenow.org mirror pages 8-11); passage quotes as extracted 2026-09-30
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Published secondary account, drawn from NARA action reports, of this hull's combat service. At Iwo Jima (D-2, 17 February 1945): LC(FF)-627 was in Task Unit 52.5.1 under CDR Michael J. Malanaphy, who 'had overall command of the gunboats'; after LCI(G)-473 was knocked dead in the water by shore batteries, 'she was saved when LCI(FF) 627 took her under tow and LCI(G) 466 relieved her. The line parted, but she had enough headway to drift out of range... LCI(L) 627 again took her under tow and pulled her to safety.' LCI(FF)-627 then followed the damaged gunboats alongside the minelayer Terror (CM-5), 'transferring dead and wounded and receiving emergency repairs.' At Okinawa: LC(FF)-627 was the command platform for the anti-small-craft patrols designated TU 52.9.2 under Malanaphy (command shifting to CDR Eikel aboard 627 on 12 May); CTU 52.23.4 under Malanaphy in LC(FF)-627 conducted the diversionary feint toward Oshima on southern Okinawa; and in the early morning of 3 April 1945 (about 0400), while LC(FF)-627 was accompanying LCI(G)-465 on patrol north of the Motobu Peninsula, 'fire from the 465 set her ablaze and LC(FF) 627 finished her off' - the enemy aircraft crashing near LC(FF)-627 (she had joined 465 on patrol the previous evening).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02-17 to 1945-06-14
- Population
- Crew; flotilla staff (Malanaphy, later Eikel); LCI(G) crews under her command
- Limitations
- Secondary synthesis of primary action reports - specific passages read via an unofficial text mirror (pagination differs from print). Establishes combat role and flagship employment; does not state whether 627 herself was hit or suffered casualties at Iwo Jima (the minelayer alongside episode is described for the group). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-04
-
[5]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'LCI Facts' page (LC(FF) role definition naming this hull) and Elsie Item newsletter no. 89 (February 2015), order-of-battle article quoting the LCI(G) Flotilla Three action report held at NARA [museum_official]
- Locator
- usslci.org/facts/ LC(FF) definition block; usslci.org Elsie Item no. 89 (Feb 2015) pp. 13-14 (TU 52.5.1/52.5.2 order of battle, Malanaphy action-report quote)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The association's facts page defines the LC(FF) type - 'Carried the command staff of an LCI flotilla' - and names this hull: 'LCI(G) 627 was the Flotilla Flagship for LCI Flotilla Three at Iwo Jima, February 1945.' Its Elsie Item issue 89 reproduces the D-2 order of battle: Task Unit 52.5.1 under Commander LCI Flotilla Three (CDR Michael J. Malanaphy) - 'LCI (G) 627 (Flagship) - Command and control' - with LCI(G)s 450, 474, 466, 469, 471, 473; and quotes Malanaphy's official action report on the invasion of Iwo Jima held at NARA. The page also records class construction facts: quarter-inch steel plate hull; two sets of quad General Motors 6-cylinder diesel engines (8 engines total).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945 (events); 2015 (publication)
- Population
- Crew; flotilla staff
- Limitations
- Veterans'/museum association publication - a reliable but non-government source that quotes NARA action reports; the association's loose 'LCI(G) 627' designation is incorrect for this hull (she was LC(FF), never a gunboat - see ev-09 correction). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-05
-
[6]Office of Naval Intelligence, ONI 226 - Allied Landing Craft and Ships (7 April 1944, originally Restricted), Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) 'Nos. 351-' characteristics page (HyperWar scan of the official manual) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ONI 226 PDF, 'LANDING CRAFT, INFANTRY (LARGE) - Nos. 351-' plate and the preceding 'Numbers 1-350' plate (propulsion line)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official wartime recognition manual gives the LCI(L) Nos. 351- class (this hull's class): capacity 9 officers and 196 enlisted troops (32 tons cargo oceangoing); endurance 8,000 miles at 12 knots on 110 tons fuel; displacement 250 t. landing / 387 t. loaded; draft 5'8" forward and aft loaded; armament five 20mm; armor 2" plastic splinter protection on guns, conning and pilothouse sides; crew 4 officers and 24 men; propulsion (from the companion Nos. 1-350 page, carried forward unchanged) '2 sets of G.M. Diesels; max. B.H.P. 1,600; twin variable-pitch screws.' The manual notes that 'All production in this class after 1 June 1944 will incorporate centerline ramp.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Class context only
- Limitations
- Class-level official specification sheet, not a hull record - no ship is named; the spec block predates this hull's 9 June 1944 commissioning by two months. Whether 627 (laid down 8 May, commissioned 9 June 1944) incorporated the post-1-June centerline ramp is not stated in located sources. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-06
-
[7]Historic American Engineering Record, M/V Husky II (ex-USS LCI(L)-653), HAER No. AK-52 (Library of Congress) - written history documenting the New Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation yard at Barber (Perth Amboy), N.J. [haer]
- Locator
- HAER AK-52 written history, pp. 2-5 (yard incorporation, assembly-line process, workforce)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The HAER report documents this hull's builder: New Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation was incorporated in 1942 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Barber Asphalt Corporation, which converted its idled Perth Amboy asphalt plant on the Arthur Kill into a dedicated LCI(L) assembly-line yard - prefabricating hull and deckhouse sections in a factory 14 miles away, moving them by rail to sequential assembly stations on the ways, and launching from a submersible floating platform. 'Eventually managed by Todd Shipyards Corporation, New Jersey Shipbuilding employed about 2,500 workers and produced 375 LCI(L)s during the war,' delivering the first craft within about six months of starting work - one of ten U.S. yards to build large infantry landing craft, whose wartime production the report gives as 'over 900.' LCI(L)-627 was built on the same assembly line as the report's subject, sister hull LCI(L)-653.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding workforce (~2,500, 1942-45)
- Limitations
- Yard-level and sister-hull documentation - the report's subject is LCI(L)-653/Husky II, not 627; it establishes the builder's process, workforce, and construction era for the class, not materials installed in any specific hull. No asbestos content in the sections reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-07
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (all-diesel plant: two sets of 4 GM diesels, twin variable-pitch screws, 1,600 BHP); ONI 226 class specifications (steel hull, five 20mm guns, 2-inch plastic splinter protection - no plastic/armor-asbestos content asserted); HAER AK-52 (wartime emergency assembly-line construction, 1942-45); GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos era, see ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; ONI 226 LCI(L) plates; HAER AK-52; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A welded-steel amphibious landing craft built in 1944 at a wartime emergency yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type were diesel-exhaust and hot-pipe lagging in the engine rooms, gaskets and packing in piping and machinery, electrical insulation, and insulation in accommodation and galley spaces. As an all-diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam propulsion - the heavy boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam-driven combatants does not apply, and a 158-foot landing craft would have carried markedly less lagged surface than a steam vessel.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46); flotilla staff; reserve-fleet lay-up and any disposal-yard trades (post-1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record was located for LCI(L)-627/LC(FF)-627. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. The absence of steam plant narrows, but does not eliminate, the era-consistent applications.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-08
-
[9]Designation cross-check: USS LCI National Association 'LCI Facts' and Elsie Item no. 89 (both print 'LCI (G) 627'); NavSource designation line (LCI(L)-627 -> LC(FF)-627, never LCI(G)); shipbuildinghistory.com LCI table (lists 627 among LCI(L)s, struck 1956); HyperWar USN ships/craft table (lists 'LC(FF)-627-628') [other_primary]
- Locator
- usslci.org/facts/ LC(FF) block and Elsie Item 89 TU 52.5.1 line; NavSource 150627.htm designation line; shipbuildinghistory lcil.htm row 627; HyperWar ships-lc.html LC(FF) block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the USS LCI National Association's facts page and its Elsie Item newsletter print this hull as 'LCI (G) 627,' and the NavSource PUC page groups her under 'LCI(G) Group Eight.' Those formulations are shorthand for her operational embedding in the gunboat flotilla: officially she was reclassified Landing Craft Flotilla Flagship LC(FF)-627 on 31 December 1944 (NavSource designation line; HyperWar lists 'LC(FF)-627-628'). She was never converted to an LCI(G) gunboat - the LC(FF) type 'carried the command staff of an LCI flotilla' (association definition), not the gunboat armament (40mm guns, rocket launchers, mortars). The PUC attached to 'LCI(G) Group Eight including the flagship of LCI Flotilla Three' - i.e., this LC(FF) hull as the group's flagship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating designation shorthand, not a material claim. The association's 'LCI(G) 627' usage is loose rather than wrong about her role - the operational facts (flagship, Malanaphy, command and control) are consistent across sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-09
-
[10]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 (1944) and commissioned 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 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-627-10
-
[11]Batch-5350 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull and PUC pages; HyperWar Navy/MC Awards Manual 1953 Part II and ships/craft table; ONI 226 PDF; HAER AK-52 PDF (Library of Congress); shipbuildinghistory.com LCI table; usslci.org facts + Elsie Item 89 PDF; Rielly (McFarland 2013) via mirror; DANFS index check; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-627-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-627-13
- 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)-627 / LC(FF)-627 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search for the hull-number variants returned zero results; the docket index could not be fully queried this session (fleet-wide request pacing - logged as blocked, not as a negative). DANFS contains no individual entry for this hull (DANFS covers only LCILs 869, 973, 976, 982, 1001, 1022 among the 900+ landing craft of the type). Secondary web sweeps (including an asbestos/mesothelioma keyword pass) surfaced no qualifying case and no asbestos-related assertion naming this hull - only NavSource and legitimate historical sources appear for this designation.
- 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 steel craft sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos era. Deck logs, muster rolls, builder work packages, and any disposal-contract 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-627-11