USS LCI(L)-632

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 450-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-632 (no name assigned)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lci-l-632-lcil632-pkt-450-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(M)-632 ex USS LCI(G)-632 ex USS LCI(L)-632 (page 10/15/150632) - construction timeline, reclassifications, campaign table, specifications, disposal, photo captions [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/15/150632 header block, campaign table, specifications block, and photo caption set (5 images incl. Chingwangtao Feb 1946, Taku Apr 1946, Tsingtao Jun 1946)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 15 May 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber, N.J.; launched 9 June 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-632, 17 June 1944; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Guns) LCI(G)-632, 31 December 1944; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Mortars) LCI(M)-632, 30 April 1945. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater: Iwo Jima operation (as LCI(G)-632), assault and occupation 19-26 February 1945; Okinawa Gunto operation (as LCI(M)-632), 26 March-14 June 1945. Post-war occupation duty in the Far East including China Service; decommissioned at Tsingtao, China 1946; struck from the Naval Register 1946; transferred to the Republic of China 1946; one battle star as LCI(G)-632 and one as LCI(M)-632; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Specifications (LCI-351 class): displacement 246 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; length 158'5.5"; beam 23'3"; speed 16 kt max / 14 kt continuous; complements 4+24 (LCI(L)), 5+65 (LCI(G)), 4+49 (LCI(M)); troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; propulsion two sets of 4 GM 71-series diesels, 4 per shaft, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Page photo captions (sourced to USS LCI National Association publications) document: moored alongside USS Kinzer (APD-91) in ice at Chingwangtao, China, February 1946; airing bunting with LCI(L)-417 at Taku, April 1946; moored at Tsingtao June 1946 while her crew trained Chinese Nationalist crews on transferred LCIs; LCI(M)-632 'provided fire support at Iwo Jima and Okinawa' with post-war China duty.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1946 (NavSource framing); specifications class-wide

   Population

   NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crews across three designations (1944-1947)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track official records but the bare '1946' for decommission/strike/transfer conflicts with the official China Service eligibility cutoff of 28 April 1947 and the December 1947 treaty instrument (see ev-09 correction row and gaps). Page's '6051 series 71' propulsion text is a typo for GM Series 71 diesels per HAER sister-hull documentation. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-01

3. [3]HyperWar transcription, 'US Navy Landing Ships/Craft, 1940-1945' (official US Navy landing-craft data): LCI(G)-632 listed among gunboat conversions, 'Converted to Landing Craft, Infantry (Mortar) - LCI(M)' [other_primary]

   Locator

   ships-lc.html, LCI(G) roster entry for LCI(G)-632 and LCI(G) class spec block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official US Navy landing-ships/craft listing (HyperWar verbatim transcription) carries LCI(G)-632 in the LCI(G) gunboat roster with the note that she was converted to LCI(M), corroborating the gunboat-then-mortar designation sequence for this hull. Class-level spec block: LCI(G) displacement 387 tons full load, 160'4" length, 23'3" beam, 8 GM diesels, twin screws; armament 2 40mm, 3-4 20mm, 6 .50 cal, 10 Mk 7 & 2 Mk 22 rocket launchers; complement 5 officers, 65 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   crew (1944-45 gunboat service)

   Limitations

   Verbatim transcription of official US Navy landing-craft data hosted on a third-party mirror (ibiblio HyperWar) - authoritative content, secondary presentation. Class-level spec figures are generic to the type, not hull-specific measurements. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-02

4. [4]Historic American Engineering Record AK-52, M/V Husky II (USS LCI(L)-653, later AMCU-16/MHC-16, USS Avocet), National Park Service (2012) - same class, same builder yard as this hull [haer]

   Locator

   HAER No. AK-52, pp. 2-9 (description, alterations, historical context), footnotes 7-19 (builder history, class design citations incl. NARA RG 19 microfilm roll 5899)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   HAER documentation of sister hull LCI(L)-653 - built by New Jersey Shipbuilding at Barber, NJ, in the same LCI(L)-351 class one month after this hull - documents the class and builder: LCI(L)-351-class craft were 'built of welded steel throughout,' with 15-lb high-tensile steel in the pilot house/conning tower, 10-lb high-tensile steel in the forward third, and 2-inch plastic splinter protection described as 'crushed granite pebbles embedded in bitumen' on gun tubs, conning tower, and pilot house; powered by 'eight six-cylinder General Motors Series 71 diesel truck engines, four for each of the two propeller shafts.' HAER also documents the builder's corporate history: New Jersey Shipbuilding was incorporated in 1942 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Barber Asphalt Corporation to convert the idled Barber asphalt plant on Arthur Kill into an LCI assembly line (managed by Todd Shipyards; built LCIs 239-318, 423-657, 782-821, 866-884 - covering hull 632), and closed after the war. BuShips' wartime instruction to LCI(L) contractors is quoted verbatim: 'Critical materials are to be avoided. Long durability can be sacrificed to this end. Operational reliability for the immediate future cannot be sacrificed.' The 23-page HAER report contains no asbestos statement of any kind - insulation mentions are confined to post-Navy spray-on insulation from a 1986 fishing-tender conversion.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1942-1945 (class production); report dated 2012

   Population

   LCI(L)-351-class construction trades at the ten wartime yards; class crews

   Limitations

   Class- and builder-level documentation of a sister hull, not a record for LCI(L)-632 itself - the report never names hull 632. Its silence on asbestos is documentary context, not evidence that no asbestos was present; the BuShips 'critical materials' directive bears on, but does not answer, materials content. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, exposure, quantity, or present-day presence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-03

5. [5]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, 1953 (NAVPERS 15,790), Part IV, China Service Medal (extended) - eligible units list (HyperWar verbatim transcription) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Awards-IV-17.html, Section 'II. UNITS ELIGIBLE - (A) SHIPS', row 'LCI (L) 632 | 23 Oct - 11 Dec 45 | A | 13 Dec 45 - 28 Apr 47'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Secretary of the Navy awards list credits this hull - listed as 'LCI (L) 632' - for Navy Occupation Service, 23 October-11 December 1945 (Asia clasp), and China Service (extended), 13 December 1945-28 April 1947. The China Service eligibility window ending 28 April 1947 is official Navy documentation that the hull remained a credited U.S. Navy unit in China until that date - consistent with the 28 April 1947 handover date in Chinese sources, and in tension with NavSource's 1946 decommission/transfer dates (see ev-09 correction row).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-1947

   Population

   crew aboard during credited occupation/China service (Oct 1945 - Apr 1947)

   Limitations

   Verbatim transcription of an official Navy manual hosted on a third-party mirror (ibiblio HyperWar). The list credits the vessel for service periods; it does not state a decommissioning or transfer date directly - the 28 April 1947 endpoint is an eligibility boundary, not a transfer record. Ship is listed under its earlier LCI(L) designation. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-04

6. [6]United Nations Treaty Series vol. 70, No. 895: 'Agreement concerning the transfer of naval vessels and equipment pursuant to United States Public Law 512, 79th Congress of the United States of America (with an exchange of notes)', United States-China, signed at Nanking 8 December 1947, registered 18 August 1950 [other_primary]

   Locator

   UNTS vol. 70 PDF, Treaty No. 895, pp. 4-6 (vessel lists) and Schedule 'A' p. 20, first list column 3: 'LCI (L) 632'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The formal US-China naval transfer instrument lists 'LCI (L) 632' by name in Schedule 'A' (Proposed List of Vessels to be Transferred to China), in the first list: vessels transferred to China under Credit Lend-Lease to be recaptured under the Lend-Lease Act and recommended for transfer to China under Public Law 512, 79th Congress, 2nd Session, and Executive Order No. 9843 of 25 April 1947. This is the treaty-level documentation of the hull's transfer to the Republic of China.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1947

   Population

   US crew during turnover phase; incoming ROCN crew

   Limitations

   The treaty documents the legal framework for transfer (executed December 1947), not the physical handover date or place; physical turnover at Tsingtao is documented by the medal-eligibility boundary (28 April 1947) and Chinese secondary sources. Schedule A groups hulls under the Lend-Lease recapture heading - administrative mechanics may postdate physical custody transfer. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-05

7. [7]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'Post-VJ Day LCI' - crew account of Vernon Wallace, FM1/c (Elsie Item No. 104, March 2019), with association photo captions and editor's note [other_primary]

   Locator

   usslci.org/post-vj-day-lci - Wallace narrative paragraphs 3-6, photo captions 4-6, closing editorial paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   First-person account of a post-war crewman: Vernon Wallace was assigned to LCI 632 just after VJ Day at Okinawa; the ship stopped at Taiwan and bypassed islands, joined a flotilla at Hong Kong to Subic Bay, and 'by February 1946 the LCI 632 moved up to Tsingtao, China and began the process of turning the 632 over to the Nationalist Chinese Navy'; Wallace states 'by April the turnover of the 632 was complete.' The article's editorial note states: 'LCI(M) 632 was eventually transferred to the Chinese Nationalist Navy. When the Nationalist government retreated to Formosa in 1949, many Chinese Nationalist naval ships and army units defected to the Communists, including the former LCI(M) 632.' Captions place the hull alongside USS Kinzer (APD-91) at Chingwangtao February 1946 and moored at Tsingtao June 1946 while training Chinese crews.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-1949

   Population

   post-war crew (1945-46), incl. FM1/c Vernon Wallace; ROCN trainees

   Limitations

   Veterans'-association publication: the crew narrative is first-person but decades-removed; the defection claim is an editorial note repeated by the association, not an official record - corroborated by Chinese secondary accounts (see ev-07) but never by an official US or ROC registry. Wallace's 'April' turnover reads against his July 1946 discharge; the official medal list extends the hull's US credit to April 1947. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-06

8. [8]Corroborating secondary sources on ROC/PLAN service: Wikipedia 'List of Republic of China Navy ships' ('ROCN Lian Rong (ex USN LCI-632)'); Chinese-language accounts (newton.com.tw LCI encyclopedia entry; qulishi.com memoir '策反联荣舰起义亲历记'; toutiao.com article on the 1953 Pearl River engagement) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Wikipedia ROCN ships list, LCI/LSIL block; newton.com.tw LCI entry (聯榮/勇敢 paragraphs); qulishi.com 2015 memoir; toutiao.com 2024 Pearl River article

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Secondary sources converge on the hull's post-USN identity: renamed Lian Rong (聯榮) in Republic of China Navy service (the 'Lian' series of transferred LCIs); a memoir and Chinese encyclopedia accounts describe her as flagship of the ROCN 4th Patrol Gunboat Squadron that mutinied at Macau on the night of 26-27 October 1949 and defected to the Communists, returning to Guangzhou; in PLA Navy service she was renamed Yong Gan (勇敢, 'Brave'), and per Chinese accounts damaged a British patrol craft in the Pearl River estuary on 9 September 1953. NavSource knows none of this beyond 'transferred to the Republic of China ... fate unknown.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1947-1953

   Population

   ROCN crew (1947-49); PLAN crew (1949-?)

   Limitations

   All post-1949 detail rests on secondary and memoir sources - Wikipedia ship list (secondary compilation), Chinese enthusiast/memoir accounts (newton.com.tw, qulishi.com, toutiao.com) - none official ROCN or PLAN registry. Mutiny narrative detail (participants, sequence) is a single published memoir. The 1953 Pearl River engagement is a Chinese-source claim consistent with the documented Anglo-Chinese incident that month but the hull's participation is not confirmed by the British side. Treat as reported, not adjudicated history. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-07

9. [9]Report of the Naval Gunfire Officer, Expeditionary Troops, 'Naval Gunfire Support, IWO JIMA' (1945), forwarded by HQ Fleet Marine Force Pacific - scanned official document hosted third-party [other_primary]

   Locator

   Report PDF, transmittal distribution list page: 'Com LCI Flotilla 21 (1) / Com LCI Group 61 (1) / LCI 630 (1) / LCI 631 (1) / LCI 632 (1) / LCI 633 (1)...'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The official Iwo Jima naval-gunfire-support report lists 'LCI 632' on its distribution list under Commander LCI Flotilla 21 / Commander LCI Group 61 - organizational placement consistent with her documented Iwo Jima fire-support participation as LCI(G)-632, and identifying her flotilla/group assignment (Flotilla 21, Group 61), the same formation NavSource gives for sister hulls 630-633.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945

   Population

   crew (Feb 1945 Iwo Jima operation)

   Limitations

   Archival lead: a scan of an official USMC/USN report hosted on a non-official site (1gm.it), OCR quality poor; the hull appears on the distribution list, which establishes organizational presence, not an action narrative. Original report resides at NARA (RG 38/127 operational records). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-632-08

10. [10]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (all-diesel GM 71-series plant, 2 shafts); HAER AK-52 class construction description (welded steel, granite-in-bitumen splinter protection, eight GM diesels); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos era (see ev-10) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 10/15/150632 specifications; HAER AK-52 pp. 6-7; GAO HRD-80-2 product page

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    A diesel-powered landing craft built May-June 1944 at a wartime US Navy yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were diesel exhaust lagging, gaskets, machinery and valve packing, electrical insulation, and compartment/galley insulation. As an all-diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and her exposed beach-assault role and minimal accommodation (troops aboard 48 hours maximum by design) bound the plausible insulation inventory.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944-1949 (US/ROC service window)

    Population

    NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crews 1944-47; ROCN crew (1947-49); PLAN crew (1949-?); any Chinese-yard conversion/maintenance trades

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for hull 632. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; the HAER class document makes no asbestos statement, and the BuShips 'critical materials are to be avoided' construction directive may have constrained asbestos use aboard this austere type - direction of effect unknown. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-632-09

11. [11]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 construction (1944) and entire U.S. service era (1944-47).

    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 batch lineage 2026-09-18) - content via product-page description.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-632-10

12. [12]Batch-5356 search ledger (this record): NavSource (live-verified); HyperWar US Navy landing-ships listing; HAER AK-52; Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual 1953 (HyperWar); UN Treaty Series v.70 No. 895; USS LCI National Association; Iwo Jima NGF report scan; NARA/NVR leads; CourtListener API v4; secondary web sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-632-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-632-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search returned zero hits for all five designation variants ('LCI-632', 'LCI 632', 'LCI(L)-632', 'LCI(G)-632', 'LCI(M)-632'); docket search returned zero hits for 'LCI-632' - remaining docket variants unsearched due to fleet-wide API pacing (logged, not a negative result). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only asbestos content located is law-firm marketing material asserting asbestos aboard WWII landing craft/shipyard vessels generally without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.

    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 - era-consistent inference applies. Docket coverage is partial (two variant queries returned 0; two were blocked by pacing). Deck logs, war diaries, NJ Shipbuilding work packages, and ROC/PLAN-era records are undigitized or unexplored leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-632-11

13. [13]Designation/date cross-check: NavSource timeline (1946 decommission/strike/transfer) vs Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual 1953 eligibility list (China Service through 28 April 1947) vs UNTS v.70 No. 895 Schedule A (agreement signed 8 December 1947) vs Chinese secondary accounts (handover at Tsingtao 28 April 1947) vs USS LCI National Association account (turnover underway by February-April 1946) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 150632 timeline block vs Awards-IV-17 row 'LCI (L) 632' vs UNTS v.70 No. 895 Schedule A vs newton/qulishi/toutiao accounts vs usslci.org Wallace account

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION: NavSource dates this hull's decommissioning, striking, and transfer to the Republic of China all in '1946.' Three independent records point to formal US-service end in 1947: (a) the official Navy awards list credits the hull's China Service through 28 April 1947; (b) Chinese secondary sources give the Tsingtao handover as 28 April 1947; (c) the governing transfer instrument is the US-China agreement signed at Nanking 8 December 1947 under PL 512/EO 9843. The most likely reading is a phased disposition - operational/training turnover at Tsingtao from early 1946 (per the Wallace account) with formal US custody ending April 1947 and legal title settled by the December 1947 agreement - but the discrepancy between '1946' and '1947' is unresolved and both are carried. Second correction: NavSource's 'fate unknown' is superseded by convergent secondary reporting (ROCN Lian Rong; defected to PLAN at Macau Oct 1949; renamed Yong Gan) - reported, not officially confirmed.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1946-1949 (disposition window)

    Limitations

    Corrects/complicates secondary dates using official records and convergent secondary accounts; the 1946-vs-1947 question is genuinely unresolved (physical turnover vs legal transfer vs medal-credit boundary may legitimately differ). The ROCN/PLAN narrative is secondary-source-only. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-632-12