Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 451-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-639-lcil639-pkt-451-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-639 - construction, commissioning, theater assignment, postwar medal windows, transfer, specifications (live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150639.htm header block, service narrative, awards ribbon block, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull (history credited to 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995): 'LCI-351 Class Landing Craft Infantry (Large): Laid down, 24 May 1944, at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; Launched, 21 June 1944; Commissioned USS LCI(L)-639, 28 June 1944; During World War II LCI(L)-639 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.' Postwar: Navy Occupation Service Medal 26 December 1945 to 28 May 1946 and China Service Medal (extended) 8 June to 22 July 1946. 'Decommissioned, date unknown. Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown. Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 22 December 1947. Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Spec block: 236 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; five single 20 mm guns; two sets of 4 General Motors series-71 diesel engines (4 per shaft), GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; two diesel-drive 30 kW generators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Construction trades, New Jersey Shipbuilding (1944); crew (1944-c.1946)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - the canonical per-hull reference for numbered LCIs since no DANFS entry exists, but underlying text is Turner Publishing (1995). Decommission and strike dates are 'unknown' and final disposition 'fate unknown' per this source. No asbestos or material content. No photographs of this hull exist in the archive.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Navy Department Library transcription of the official CinCPac fleet organization) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Service Squadron Eight section, LCI(L) listing (document pp. 116-117 of transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization lists 'LCI(L) 639' under SERVICE SQUADRON EIGHT (Commander Service Squadron EIGHT, Commodore A. H. Gray), commanded by Lt. (jg) G. C. Bradstreet (USNR), grouped with eleven other LCIs (629, 640, 761, 784, 787, 811, 989, 990, 992, 993, 997) inside the squadron's harbor-craft section - confirming this hull's assignment to the Service Force logistics organization in the forward Pacific as of May 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Crew, 1945 (CO Lt. (jg) G. C. Bradstreet, USNR; wartime complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Establishes administrative assignment and commanding officer as of 1 May 1945 only; the organization table does not state location or mission. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-02
-
[4]NHHC, 'A Grave Misfortune: The USS Indianapolis Tragedy' (2019 publication), Document 1.13 - 'Expected Arrivals at Leyte Gulf,' CNOB Leyte Gulf expected independent arrivals list dated 31 July 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Document 1.13 'Expected Arrivals at Leyte Gulf,' 31 July 1945 table, row 'LCI639 - GUAM' (publication p. ~33-34)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The CNOB (Commander Naval Operating Base) Leyte Gulf expected independent arrivals list of 31 July 1945 - a contemporaneous operational document reproduced in the NHHC publication - enters 'LCI639' with departure point 'GUAM': this hull was inbound to Leyte Gulf from Guam at the end of July 1945, a ship-specific operational waypoint consistent with the Service Squadron Eight express-cargo assignment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-07-31
- Population
- Crew, July-August 1945
- Limitations
- A single dated waypoint from a port authority's traffic list - establishes that the ship was expected at Leyte Gulf arriving from Guam on/about 31 July 1945, not the full voyage history and not an arrival confirmation. PDF fetched via Firecrawl; direct download blocked (0-byte response) to unauthenticated fetches. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-03
-
[5]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (1953), Part IV Section 17 - Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended) ship eligibility tables (HyperWar/ibiblio verbatim transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-17 table, row 'LCI (L) 639 | 26 Dec 45 - 28 May 46 | A | 8 Jun - 22 Jul 46'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official per-ship eligibility table credits 'LCI (L) 639' for the Navy Occupation Service Medal, area A (Asia clasp), for service 26 December 1945 - 28 May 1946, and for the China Service Medal (extended) for service 8 June - 22 July 1946 - the periods NavSource repeats as this hull's postwar Far East occupation and China service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-12-26 to 1946-07-22
- Population
- Crew serving aboard during the credited windows
- Limitations
- Documents Secretary-of-the-Navy-credited medal eligibility windows, i.e., presence in the credited areas on those dates - not a day-by-day track and not a materials record. Transcription mirror (HyperWar/ibiblio) of the official 1953 manual; NavSource's identical windows confirm the transcription. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-04
-
[6]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'Elsie Item' No. 96 (March 2017), LCI(X) 'LCI Express' conversion article - citing Carter, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' (1953); NARA RG 19 Box 296 correspondence; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization May 1945; NARA RG 38 war diaries (Boxes 1061) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Elsie Item No. 96 (Mar 2017), 'LCI(X)' article text and footnotes 1-6; ServRon 8 roster reproduced from the May 1945 organization document
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The LCI veterans' association history identifies the twelve LCIs listed under Service Squadron Eight in the May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization - LCI(L) 639 among them - as the 'LCI Express' cargo group: beginning December 1944 nine (eventually twelve) LCIs were converted for freight, with troop-compartment bunks removed, cargo hatches cut into the well deck between frames 16 and 36, derrick booms fitted, and ramp doors welded shut on center-ramp units. Administratively eleven of the twelve had been part of LCI Flotilla Sixteen (Cdr. Clarence Coffin, USN); by end of May 1945 transfer to Service Force was complete, and their duty was moving spare parts and equipment (a few to ~100 tons per trip) from Pearl Harbor supply depots to forward distribution centers - Ulithi, Guam, Leyte, Okinawa.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-12 to 1945-08
- Population
- Crew, 1944-45; conversion yard trades where performed
- Limitations
- Secondary veterans'-association publication, not an official record - but it cites the primary fleet-organization document (independently verified at ev-02) and NARA RG 38 war diaries of sister ships. Conversion specifics are documented for the group; whether the hatch/derrick modification was executed on this individual hull is not separately photographed or dated here. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-05
-
[7]American Battle Monuments Commission, WWII Memorial Registry honoree entry for Edward J. Franklin, Seaman, U.S. Navy (Yakima, WA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- WWII Memorial Registry, honoree_id 2383340 (Edward J. Franklin)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Self-reported registry entry: Franklin 'entered the U.S. Navy 18 March 1946 and was discharged 3 November 1946 ... served on the USS LCI 639, the USS LCI 989 and the USS PCE 897. He sailed on ships to Yap, Peleliu, Saipan and Guam. He participated in the A-bomb test on Bikini.' Places a named crew member aboard this hull in 1946 - consistent with the ship's documented western-Pacific occupation/China-service period.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1946
- Population
- Crew, March-November 1946 (one named individual)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: ABMC honoree entries are family/veteran self-reports, not service records, and are unverified. The Bikini claim attaches to the sailor's aggregate service across three named ships and cannot be attributed to this hull specifically; Operation Crossroads shots (1 and 25 July 1946) overlap the ship's China-service window but no document places LCI(L)-639 at Bikini. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-06
-
[8]Shipbuildinghistory.com (T. Colton), 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' - yard profile and production table; identical mirror table at navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html [other_primary]
- Locator
- Yard profile text and production table row for hull 639
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard context and production table for this hull's builder: 'New Jersey Shipbuilding was an assembly line for LCIs on Arthur Kill, in Barber, a community immediately to the east of Perth Amboy which was later absorbed into Perth Amboy and is now called Maurer. Management of the yard was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942, at the Navy's request, and was closed after the war.' Production table: 'LCI(L) | 639 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Jun-44 | Struck 1946.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944; yard profile undated (page updated 2021-08-26)
- Population
- Construction trades, New Jersey Shipbuilding / Todd-managed yard (1942-1945 operations)
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled table, not an official registry - the delivery month corroborates NavSource but the 'Struck 1946' disposition conflicts with NavSource's 'date unknown' striking followed by Maritime Commission transfer 22 December 1947; both recorded, conflict carried in gaps. No asbestos content; no asbestos or hazmat record for the yard itself was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-07
-
[9]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'USS LCI(L)-581' official history (same-builder sister ship: New Jersey Shipbuilding Co., Barber NJ) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office LCI(L)-581 asset page, specifications and history sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Coast Guard historian page for a same-yard sister confirms the builder and class particulars: LCI(L)-581 built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Company of Barber NJ and commissioned there 30 March 1944; class specs 158'6" oa, 23'3" beam; propulsion '8 x GM diesels; twin shafts (4 diesels per shaft); 1,600 hp'; 75-ton cargo capacity; 4 x 20 mm initial armament; 2-inch plastic splinter armor on gun shields, conning tower, pilot house. Establishes the LCI(L) class configuration and the Barber yard's LCI production for the same hull family as 639.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- LCI(L) class construction/crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Class/builder context only - documents a different hull (LCI(L)-581, Coast Guard-manned) three months older than 639; used to corroborate the builder and class machinery configuration, not to infer any fact unique to this hull. LCI(L)-639 was Navy-crewed (USNR commanding officer per ev-02), not Coast Guard. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 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 entire construction (1944) and U.S. service era (1944-1946/47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- 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 pattern confirmed in prior batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-09
-
[11]Era inference built on: NavSource class spec block (diesel-only plant, 8 x GM series-71 diesels, twin screws, 2,320 shp); USCG Historian class specs for sister LCI(L)-581; shipbuildinghistory yard profile (wartime LCI assembly line, Todd management 1942); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; USCG LCI(L)-581 spec block; shipbuildinghistory NJ Shipbuilding profile
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered amphibious landing craft built May-June 1944 at a wartime emergency yard falls inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel LCI of this period were engine exhaust lagging and gaskets, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, accommodation insulation, deck coverings, valve packing, winch brake linings, and electrical insulation. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or turbines - the steam-lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew (1944-c.1946); any postwar disposal/scrapping trades (documented end point not located)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for LCI(L)-639. 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-639-10
-
[12]Batch-5363 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; NHHC Indianapolis publication (CNOB Leyte Gulf 31 Jul 1945 list); Navy & Marine Corps Awards Manual 1953 via HyperWar; USS LCI National Association Elsie Item 96; ABMC WWII Registry; shipbuildinghistory/navalmarinearchive yard table; USCG Historian LCI(L)-581; MARAD Vessel History Database; CourtListener API v4; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-639-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum file, or verified litigation naming USS LCI(L)-639 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: zero opinion hits on all hull-number variants and zero opinion hits on the generic 'LCI(L)' asbestos sweep; the two docket hits returned (Rivera v. Stirling, D.S.C. 8:15-cv-03196 and 8:15-cv-03318) are prisoner civil-rights cases - name collisions, not vessel or asbestos litigation. No law-firm marketing claims specific to this hull were even located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2026-09-30
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 hull of this class plausibly carried era-standard materials. RG 24 deck logs (1944-46) and any war diary (RG 38) are undigitized leads; the MARCOM disposal file and any buyer record for the 1947 transfer remain open. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-639-11