USS LCI(L)-640

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 451-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: PARTIAL

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lci-l-640-lcil640-pkt-451-packet-md

2. [2]NARA Special List No. 44, List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (ship-number PDF) [other_primary]

   Locator

   sl-44-ship-number.pdf, p. 20, row 'LCI(L)(X)-640 6/30/1944 6/30/1945'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists deck logs for LCI(L)(X)-640 covering 6/30/1944 through 6/30/1945 (PDF page 20 of the by-ship-number list). The coverage start date equals her commissioning date (30 June 1944 per NavSource/uboat.net). The logs are inventoried under the composite designation LCI(L)(X) - the cargo-conversion variant tag; the hulls NARA jackets this way (LCI(L)(X)-629, -639, -640, -761, -784, -787, -811, -992, -993) overlap almost exactly with the twelve Service Squadron Eight cargo LCIs enumerated in the 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization (see ev-04, ev-05). This is the wartime Navy's own log inventory establishing in-scope service for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-06-30 to 1945-06-30

   Population

   wartime crew (1944-1945)

   Limitations

   Log coverage dates are not commissioning/decommissioning dates - they document that logs exist and the coverage window, not that service ended on 6/30/1945. The logs themselves are not digitized (NARA's digitized deck-log list contains no LCI hulls); they are RG 24 textual records at Archives II, College Park. The '(X)' tag is a jacket designation; no formal reclassification to LCI(X) appears in NavSource, uboat.net, or the HyperWar roster. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-640 page - history credited on-page to 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1995' (USS LCI National Association volume) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/15/150640.htm - class line, milestone chronology, awards block, specifications block, photo captions (page last updated 8 September 2021)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: laid down 26 May 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 22 June 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-640, 30 June 1944. 'During World War II USS LCI(L)-640 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater'; 'Following World War II USS LCI(L)-640 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East, 31 October to 5 December 1945.' Decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 15 August 1946; 'Handed over to Israel, 2 March 1948'; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp) - no battle stars and no campaign table listed. Specs: 236 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max, 14 kts continuous; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted; troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; cargo capacity 75 tons; armament five single 20mm; radio call sign NPMR; propulsion two sets of 4 General Motors 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), single GM main reduction gears, two diesel-drive 30kW 120V DC ship's service generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photographs: ex-LCI(L)-640 underway as an Israeli Navy unit (official Israeli Navy photo via Jane's Fighting Ships 1956-57), and a nest in San Diego Bay circa early 1946 with LCI(G)-455, LCI(G)-41, LCI(M)-638, LCI(L)-1012, LCI(M)-673, and LC(FF)-679.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1957

   Population

   NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew 1944-46; occupation-duty crew late 1945; postwar caretaker/disposal population 1946-48; Israeli Navy crew 1948-on

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - the cited underlying work is the USS LCI National Association's Turner Publishing history volume, not a Navy record. Contains no asbestos content. 'Decommissioned, date unknown' and 'fate unknown' are carried verbatim - service status between the end of log coverage (6/30/1945) and the 1946 striking, and between striking and the 1948 handover, is undocumented. The 2 March 1948 'handed over to Israel' date precedes Israeli statehood (14 May 1948); the transfer mechanism (sale, Foreign Liquidation Commission, or other) is not stated by the source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-02

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships: USS LCI(L)-640 ship page (ship/21705), LCI 351 class [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net ship/21705 - built-by line, date table, history block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net's ship page independently confirms this hull: built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, New Jersey); laid down 26 May 1944; launched 22 Jun 1944; commissioned 30 Jun 1944; 'Transferred to Israel on 2 March 1948.' The page lists no commanding officers and no notable events for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1948

   Limitations

   uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation of official operational records - the build and transfer dates corroborate NavSource but are not presented here as primary records. The absence of a commands/events listing is a coverage gap in the source (the hull does appear with a named commanding officer in the 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization - see ev-04), not evidence of inactivity. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-03

5. [5]HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (NHHC online reading room document) [other_primary]

   Locator

   HyperWar PacFleet Org 1 May 1945, Service Squadron Eight section - utility-craft block, row 'LCI(L) 640 | Lt. (jg) R. B. Walker (USNR)' (p. ~117-118 of the underlying document)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Pacific Fleet organization of 1 May 1945 lists 'LCI(L) 640' under SERVICE SQUADRON EIGHT (Commander Service Squadron EIGHT: Commodore A. H. Gray), Service Force, Pacific Fleet - with a named commanding officer, Lt. (jg) R. B. Walker (USNR). She appears in the squadron's utility-craft listing alongside IX barges, YAGs, and YCs - not in any amphibious LCI flotilla/group/division roster - together with the other cargo-configured LCIs (629, 639, 761, 784, 787, 811, 989, 990, 992, 993, 997): the same hull set NARA jackets as 'LCI(L)(X)' (see ev-01).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   crew under Lt. (jg) R. B. Walker (USNR), 1 May 1945

   Limitations

   Confirms wartime attachment to Service Squadron Eight in a utility/cargo role as of 1 May 1945; the document does not state where ServRon Eight units were operating or when each hull joined the squadron, and the '(X)' tag appears only in the NARA log inventory, not in this document (hulls are listed as plain 'LCI(L)'). Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-04

6. [6]Elsie Item (USS LCI National Association newsletter), March 2017: David McKay, 'The UPS of the Pacific - A Brief History of the LCI (X) Express' (citing RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence and the 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ELSIEITEM-96-Mar-2017.pdf, pp. 4-5 - 'The UPS of the Pacific: A Brief History of the LCI (X) Express'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The article documents the LCI(X) cargo program this hull belonged to: in December 1944 the Navy ordered nine LCIs converted to cargo carriers (an eventual twelve), stripping troop compartments #1 and #2 of bunks, cutting two cargo hatches between frames 16 and 36 on the well deck, installing a derrick-boom lifting system, and cutting back the well-deck wings; converted craft were assigned for operational direction to the Service Force, Pacific Fleet (Service Squadron Eight), while eleven of the twelve were administratively part of LCI Flotilla Sixteen (Cdr. Clarence Coffin). The twelve ServRon Eight hulls named include 'LCI(L) 640 Lt. (jg) R. B. Walker'. Of this hull specifically: 'In early June, this ship along with LCI(X)-640 departed Pearl Harbor enroute to Apra Harbor, Guam. After unloading its cargo, it then proceeded on to San Pedro Bay, Leyte Island, the Philippines.' Cargo loads ran 'from a few tons to as nearly 100 tons' per trip between the Pearl Harbor supply depot and forward distribution centers.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   cargo-conversion workforce (Dec 1944, yard unidentified); crew 1944-45

   Limitations

   Veterans-association newsletter history (secondary), not a Navy record - its value is that it names this hull in the cargo program and cites RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence (Box 296, S/19) and the official fleet-organization document as sources; the program description is consistent with the primary org document, which this record verifies directly (ev-04). 'LCI(X)' was a working cargo-variant label, not a formal reclassification. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-05

7. [7]Naval Marine Archive (shipbuildinghistory-derived), New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber NJ - yard delivery table [other_primary]

   Locator

   newjersey.html yard table, row 'LCI(L) | 640 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Jun-44 | To Israel 1948'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The yard delivery table lists 'LCI(L) | 640 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Jun-44 | To Israel 1948' - corroborating a June 1944 delivery (consistent with the 30 June 1944 commissioning) and the 1948 Israel transfer carried by NavSource and uboat.net.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944; 1948

   Population

   NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944)

   Limitations

   Secondary shipbuilding-history compilation (Naval Marine Archive mirror of shipbuildinghistory-derived tables; the same table appears at shipbuildinghistory.com); a delivery-table row corroborates dates but is not a construction or material record. The yard page notes the yard was Todd-managed from 1942 and closed after the war. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-06

8. [8]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, 4 per shaft, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp - diesel plant, no steam); uboat.net LCI-351 class table; HyperWar ships-lc.html LCI(L) range row covering 610-664; GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, see ev-08) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/15/150640.htm specifications block; uboat.net ship/21705; HyperWar ships-lc.html LCI(L) block; Elsie Item March 2017 conversion description; GAO HRD-80-2 product page

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A diesel-powered landing craft built May-June 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a craft of this type and period were diesel engine and exhaust lagging, machinery-space thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch brake linings. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. The December 1944 cargo conversion (stripped troop compartments, new well-deck hatches, derrick installation) is an additional undocumented asbestos-era yard event.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-1950s

   Population

   NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew 1944-on; unidentified conversion-yard workforce (1944); Israeli Navy workforce/crew (1948-1950s); post-service disposal workforce (unknown)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, conversion yard record, or underway-maintenance record located for LCI(L)-640/LCI(L)(X)-640. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. The conversion yard is not identified in located sources. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no statement about what (if anything) remained aboard at striking, sale, or Israeli service.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (abstract text; direct fetch blocked, HTTP 403)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships; its 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to include selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944) and U.S. service era.

   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. GAO's fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - neither is this hull's builder. Product page retrieved via Firecrawl 2026-09-30; direct fetch returns HTTP 403 (standing access defect, same as Batches 01, 98, 5290).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-640-08

10. [10]Batch-5365 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44; NavSource; uboat.net; NHHC (DANFS absent; Operation Neptune/CTF-122 sunk-and-damaged casualty table; Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945); HyperWar roster + PacFleet org transcription; Naval Marine Archive / shipbuildinghistory yard table; USS LCI National Association Elsie Item (March 2017); U.S. Navy Memorial Navy Log; ODU special collections; CourtListener opinion + docket searches; secondary web asbestos sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-640-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-640-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-640/LCI(L)(X)-640 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion and docket queries for the exact hull designations were pacing-blocked (fleet-wide ~114/hr shared budget momentarily spent across multiple retries) and are logged as blocked, not as negative results. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced for the LCI/amphibious type generally is law-firm marketing content (the mesotheliomahope.com / asbestos.com / sokolovelaw.com listicle class) asserting asbestos on Navy ships 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 inference is consistent with retained era materials during service, and the undigitized RG 24 deck logs (6/30/1944-6/30/1945) plus the ODU Heflin & Williams ship-data collection (hull-range coverage including this hull) are open archival leads. The CourtListener litigation check is a genuine open gap (pacing-blocked on both opinion and docket sides), not a negative result. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-640-09

11. [11]Old Dominion University Libraries Special Collections, Heflin & Williams Naval Engineering Reference Collection (MG 138), Binder 23 - 'Volume 02: LCI(L)-351 - LCI(L)-1098 (Landing Craft Infantry, Large) - LCI(L)-453, undated', ship data files organized by hull number [other_primary]

    Locator

    archivesguides.lib.odu.edu archival object 88476 (Binder Case 23, Volume 02); NARA SL44 p.20 and navy-online digitization list (absent); RG 19 Box 296 S/19 citation in Elsie Item

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    ODU holds the Heflin & Williams ship-data file collection whose Volume 02 is cataloged for hulls LCI(L)-351 through LCI(L)-1098 - a range including this hull - with files organized by ship class, hull designation, and hull number. Together with the undigitized NARA RG 24 deck logs (coverage 6/30/1944-6/30/1945 per Special List 44) and the RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence cited by the Elsie Item article (Box 296, S/19), this is the located archival path most likely to hold a ship-specific file.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944-1945 (log window)

    Population

    N/A - record-location lead

    Limitations

    Archival lead only - the volume is cataloged for the 351-1098 range but the item-level entry carries 'LCI(L)-453' as its terminating hull, suggesting the online listing may cover only a segment of the volume; whether an LCI(L)-640 file actually exists inside is unverified. Undigitized; open to researchers without restrictions per the finding aid. Deck logs likewise establish existence, not content. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-640-10

12. [12]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LST-640 (LST-542 class) page - same-number collision documentation [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 10/16/160640.htm (LST-640 page); PacFleet Org-450501 rows for DE 640 (FIEBERLING), LST 640, YP 640; CTF-122 casualty table via HyperWar (CTF122-Damages.html, no 640 entries); NHHC Destroyer Report war-damage table row 'BEATTY | 640 | torpedo | Western Mediterranean | 11/6/43'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    CORRECTION: '640' collisions are real and materially different hulls. DD-640 (USS Beatty, Gleaves-class destroyer) was sunk by aircraft torpedo off Algeria on 6 November 1943 - before this hull was even laid down - so any '640 sunk in action' or Mediterranean-loss attribution is a collision, not this vessel. DE-640 (USS Fieberling), LST-640, PC-640, SC-640, and YP-640 also surface in '640' searches - DE-640, LST-640, and YP-640 all appear in the same 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization document as this hull. On the Atlantic side, the CTF-122 Operation Neptune 'Sunk and Damaged Ships and Craft' casualty table (17 June 1944) contains no '640' casualty of any type (checked 2026-09-30) - consistent with Pacific service and a 30 June 1944 commissioning post-D-Day.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944-1948

    Limitations

    Collision-disambiguation finding only. DD-640 Beatty's loss predates this hull's construction - the confusion risk is attribution of Beatty's combat record, not dates within this hull's record. NavSource's award block for LCI(L)-640 shows four ribbons (including Navy Occupation Medal, Asia clasp) and no campaign table. Contains no asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-640-11