Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet 452-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS LCI(L)-646 | Hull: 646 | Designation: LCI(L) |
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-pkt-452-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(R)-646 ex USS LCI(L)-646 - construction/milestone timeline, reclassification, unit assignment, campaign table, awards, specifications, commercial-service chain, photo captions; page history credited to 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995); verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150646.htm - class line, milestone chronology, unit assignment, campaign table, awards block, specifications block, commercial-service chain, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 2 June 1944 at New Jersey Ship Building Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 3 July 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-646, 10 July 1944; 'Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R)-646, 15 March 1945'. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, listed under 'LCI Flotilla Sixteen, CDR. C. E. Coffin USN (27); LCI Group Forty-Six, LCDR, A. F. Eckelmeyer USNR; LCI Division Ninety-Two' (unit line conflicts with the official 1 May 1945 organization list - see ev-04). Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto 26 March - 30 June 1945; 'earned one battle star for World War II service'. Post-war: occupation duty in the Far East 2 to 25 September 1945; decommissioned at Tomkinsville, Staten Island New York in February 1946; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 8 January 1947; registered 1947 as passenger vessel Normandy at New York City, 1954 as Gotham, renamed Knickerbocker II 1956, Day Line II 1961, Circle Line VI 1963; exempt from documentation 1967; final disposition 'fate unknown'. Specifications: 216 t light / 234 t landing / 389 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max, 14 kts continuous; LCI(L) complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted, LCI(R) 3 + 31; troop capacity 6 + 182; cargo 75 t; armor 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower and pilot house; endurance 4,000 mi at 12 kts / 500 mi at 15 kts on 110 t fuel; LCI(L) armament four single 20mm + two .50 cal; LCI(R) armament one 40mm bow mount, four 20mm, two .50 cal, six 5-inch rocket launchers; diesel fuel 935 Bbls + 200 gal lube oil; two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), single GM main reduction gears, two diesel-driven 30 kW 120 V DC ship's-service generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Call sign NVIY.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1967
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); LCI(L)/LCI(R) crew (1944-46); embarked troops; occupation-duty complement (Sep 1945); Tomkinsville decommissioning crew (Feb 1946); Maritime Commission disposal and commercial conversion workforce (1947+); excursion-vessel crews and passengers (1947-c.1967)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its history text is credited on-page to the veterans-association volume 'USS LCI Landing Craft Infantry, Vol. II' (Turner Publishing, 1995), not to a Navy record. Milestone dates corroborated by uboat.net (ev-03), the NARA SL44 logbook inventory (ev-02), and the Colton yard table (ev-06). The Flotilla Sixteen/Group Forty-Six/Division Ninety-Two unit line conflicts with the contemporaneous official Pacific Fleet organization list (ev-04: Group 62, Division 124, Flotilla Twenty-One) - carried in gaps, not reconciled. No asbestos or material content. Decommissioning month and striking date are imprecise as printed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-01
-
[3]NARA Special List No. 44, 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' (ship-number PDF) - row 'LCI(L)(R)-646'; downloaded and text-extracted 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, PDF p. 19, row 'LCI(L)(R)-646 7/10/1944 6/30/1945' (between LCI(L)(R)-645 and LCI(L)(R)-647; pdftotext -f 19 -l 19 -layout verified)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists deck logs for this hull, styled 'LCI(L)(R)-646', with coverage 7/10/1944 - 6/30/1945 (by-ship-number list, PDF page 19). The coverage start date equals the documented commissioning date (10 July 1944, NavSource/uboat.net). The inventory establishes that the wartime deck logs exist in NARA custody and documents the in-scope service window; the underlying RG 24 logbooks are held at Archives II, College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-07-10 to 1945-06-30 (coverage); compiled 1978
- Population
- crew and officers generating the 1944-45 logbooks; NARA College Park holds the physical volumes
- Limitations
- Log-coverage dates are inventory coverage, not asserted commissioning or decommissioning dates: the window opens on the documented commissioning date but closes 30 June 1945 while service is documented into February 1946 - SL44 records only what NARA held at compilation (1978), so post-June-1945 logbooks are outside this inventory. The inventory lists existence and coverage; it does not include contents. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships: USS LCI(L)-646 ship page (ship/21711); LCI 351 class table (class/690); verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21711 (type/class/pennant/builder table, laid down-launched-commissioned rows, History line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's ship page independently confirms this hull: USS LCI(L)-646, Landing Craft Infantry of the LCI 351 class, pennant LCI(L)-646; built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, New Jersey); laid down 2 June 1944; launched 3 July 1944; commissioned 10 July 1944; 'Reclassified as LCI(R), Landing Craft Rocket on 15 March 1945'. The page carries no commanding-officer list and no wartime events.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- ship's company (1944-46)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation of official records - credible on dates and designations but not a primary registry. Contains no asbestos content. The 'Landing Craft Rocket' gloss is uboat.net's shorthand; NavSource prints 'Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket)'.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-03
-
[5]NHHC, Navy Department Library online reading room, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - official organization list, LCI Flotilla Twenty-One / LCI Group 62 / LCI Division 124 block; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- us-pacific-fleet-organization-1may1945.html - LCI Flotilla Twenty-One block: LCI Group 62 (ComLCIGrp 62 Lt. Cdr. S. J. Kelley USNR), LCI Division 124 (RCM) (R), row 'LCI 646 | Lt. (jg) P. W. Alstedt (USNR)'; printed p. 82 of the list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION and ship-specific assignment: the official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization list enters this hull as 'LCI 646', commanding officer 'Lt. (jg) P. W. Alstedt (USNR)', in LCI Division 124 of LCI Group 62 (ComLCIGrp 62 Lt. Cdr. S. J. Kelley USNR) under LCI Flotilla Twenty-One (Capt. E. C. Rook; Comdr. L. M. Bailliere USNR). Division 124 is marked '(RCM) (R)' in the printed list - the rocket-ship division - and comprises exactly the six hulls of Task Group 52.20.3 at Okinawa: LCI 643 (Lt.(jg) R. W. Saver), 644 (Lt.(jg) C. J. Smith Jr.), 645 (Lt.(jg) F. X. Wright), 646, 769 (Lt.(jg) D. K. Hobert), 770 (Lt.(jg) V. E. Strickland). This contradicts NavSource's unit line (Flotilla Sixteen / Group Forty-Six / Division Ninety-Two): in the official list Group 46's Division 92 comprises LCI 973, 991, 1066, and 1067 - infantry LCIs, not this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Lt.(jg) P. W. Alstedt USNR (CO, 1 May 1945); ship's company; LCI Group 62 / Division 124 cohort
- Limitations
- The NHHC list is the contemporaneous official organization document and governs the 1 May 1945 administrative assignment; NavSource's Turner-sourced line likely reflects the operational umbrella of TG 52.20 (Flotilla Sixteen, CDR Coffin) at Okinawa or is simply erroneous - the conflict is flagged, not resolved (see gaps). The '(RCM) (R)' division marker is quoted as printed (one instance OCR-noisy); its expansion is not asserted. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-04
-
[6]NavSource photo-caption series for this hull: USS LCI(R)-646 at anchor in Leyte Gulf, 1945 (contributed by crew member Joe R. Fennie); Operation Iceberg L-Day rocket-target chart (LCI(R)-1024 page image, contributed by LCDR Gary Frogner USN Ret. for his father ENS Louis Frogner USNR) listing the 36 LCI(R)s of TG 52.20, Flotilla Sixteen; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150646.htm photo table - 'USS LCI(R)-646 at anchor in Leyte Gulf in 1945' (Joe R. Fennie); linked LCI(R)-1024 chart caption (image 1015102450) task-group listing, 'In Reserve: 52.20.3'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented operational detail for this hull at Okinawa: the contributed rocket-target chart captions Task Group 52.20 (LCI(R)s of Flotilla Sixteen, CDR C. E. Coffin Jr.) as six task units of six LCI(R)s each - '52.20.1' and '52.20.2' South Flank, '52.20.4'/'52.20.5'/'52.20.6' North Flank, and '52.20.3' In Reserve: LCI(R)-643, -644, -645, -646, -769, -770. LCI(R)-646 is listed in the in-reserve unit for the L-Day (1 April 1945) bombardment of the main landing. A separate photo caption places this hull at anchor in Leyte Gulf in 1945 (photo credited to crew member Joe R. Fennie).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- LCI(R)-646 crew during Operation Iceberg (Mar-Jun 1945) and at Leyte Gulf (1945)
- Limitations
- Contributor caption material hosted on NavSource - the chart documents the task-grouping published for L-Day; 'in reserve' means this hull was not among the flank bombardment units on that chart, though she shares the Okinawa campaign credit (ev-01). The Leyte Gulf photo is a crew-contributed image caption, not a dated operational record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-05
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ yard history and delivery table - row for hull 646; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.htm - yard paragraph and LCI(L) table row '646 ... Jul-44 ... Sold, later Circle Line VI'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent build-list confirmation: the yard delivery table carries 'LCI(L) | 646 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Jul-44 | Sold, later Circle Line VI' - agreeing with NavSource and uboat.net on builder and the July 1944 completion (consistent with a 2 June laydown and 10 July commissioning), and corroborating the commercial disposition chain through the Circle Line VI name. The page documents the yard as an LCI assembly line on Arthur Kill at Barber (a community absorbed into Perth Amboy, now Maurer), management taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request, closed after the war.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - Colton's yard tables are the standard reference build list but not an official registry. 'Sold' and the Circle Line VI endpoint are summary notations; the intervening Maritime Commission transfer and name chain come from NavSource (ev-01) and the published Cudahy roster (ev-07). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-06
-
[8]Cudahy, Brian J., 'Around Manhattan Island and other maritime tales of New York' (New York: Fordham University Press, 1997), p. 229 - Appendix A 'Vessel roster - Around-Manhattan Sightseeing Service'; digitized page with OCR text layer, Fordham Libraries Digital Hudson collection; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Fordham Digital Hudson, digi_hudson id 4382 (book p. 229), Appendix A roster, section '7. Normandy Sightseeing (1946-1955)', row official no. 252719 'Normandy'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A published roster of the Around-Manhattan sightseeing fleet carries this hull: under 'Normandy Sightseeing (1946-1955)', official number 252719, Normandy, steel, 'a) LCI(L)646' (the page also prints 'b) LCI(G)646' - a typo or OCR artifact; the documented designation is LCI(R)-646), built at Barber, New Jersey, 1944, 'sold to Day Line, 1952; later ran for S/B Circle Line', with the subsequent names Gotham, Knickerbocker II, Day Line II, Circle Line VI. This corroborates the NavSource commercial chain (Normandy 1947, Gotham 1954, Knickerbocker II 1956, Day Line II 1961, Circle Line VI 1963) and ties the hull to the New York excursion operators.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1947-1967 (roster coverage); book published 1997
- Population
- commercial conversion/repair workforce (1947+) and excursion-boat crews and passengers (1947-c.1967)
- Limitations
- Published secondary source (university-press maritime history) with a digitized OCR text layer - the table's terse entries are partially garbled in OCR ('LCI(G)646' for this rocket-converted hull; 'Czrc/e L/ne' for 'Circle Line'). The 'sold to Day Line, 1952' line predates NavSource's 1954 Gotham registration - an unreconciled detail (operator transfer vs registered name change; see gaps). Merchant official number 252719 is as printed. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-07
-
[9]NARA catalog records located via Digital Public Library of America mirror (provider: National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference): NAID 120196479 'LCI(L) 646 - Muster Rolls' and NAID 120196495 'LCI(R) 646 - Muster Rolls' (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities); DPLA search verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DPLA phrase searches '"LCI(L) 646"' (1 result) and '"LCI(R)-646" OR "LCI(L)-646" OR "USS LCI(R) 646"' (2 results); catalog.archives.gov/id/120196479 and /120196495
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two ship-specific NARA file units exist for this hull under her two designations: 'LCI(L) 646 - Muster Rolls' (catalog.archives.gov/id/120196479) and 'LCI(R) 646 - Muster Rolls' (catalog.archives.gov/id/120196495). The muster rolls are the primary record of the individuals who served aboard, spanning the LCI(L) and LCI(R) phases of her commission.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (expected coverage)
- Population
- crew of LCI(L)-646 / LCI(R)-646 (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Records located via DPLA's mirror of NARA catalog metadata; catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and was not independently fetched this session, so image counts, coverage dates, and digitization status are unverified. Muster rolls are personnel records - they do not indicate asbestos content. No war-diary installments surfaced for this hull under either designation in the DPLA-mirrored catalog (unlike some sister hulls); RG 38 war diaries and deck logs (ev-02) are the unexamined primary leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-08
-
[10]Kepner Funeral Home obituary for James Brandfass McCluskey (d. 12 February 2010, Wheeling, WV); U.S. Navy Memorial 'Navy Log' crew registry entry for Walter Ranson 'Jack' Howerton, CS2 (navylog.navymemorial.org/print/1459666); both verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 [other_primary]
- Locator
- kepnerfuneral.com/obituaries/James-Brandfass-McCluskey (service paragraph); navylog.navymemorial.org/print/1459666 (Howerton entry, duty-station line)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named-crew documentation for this hull: the McCluskey obituary states he 'served in the Pacific Theatre as Executive Officer and later Commanding officer of the USS LCI 646, participating in the Okinawa Campaign' - corroborating command succession aboard the hull during or after the Okinawa operation (the official 1 May 1945 list has Lt.(jg) Alstedt in command; McCluskey's CO tour is undated in located sources). The Navy Memorial registry lists CS2 Walter R. 'Jack' Howerton (USN April 1944 - May 1966; deceased 20 November 2015) with 'SIGNIFICANT DUTY STATIONS: USS LCI(R)-646'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (service); 2010/2015 (records)
- Population
- James B. McCluskey (XO then CO); CS2 Walter R. Howerton; ship's company (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Self-reported/family-submitted memorial and obituary records - corroborate named individuals aboard but are not official muster rolls (the NARA muster-roll series, NAIDs 120196479/120196495, is the primary record). Neither source supplies dates aboard beyond the Navy service span; neither has asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-09
-
[11]HAER AK-52, M/V Husky II (ex-USS LCI(L)-653), Library of Congress Historic American Engineering Record (data pages) - documents builder New Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation, Barber NJ; downloaded and text-extracted 2026-09-30 [haer]
- Locator
- HAER AK-52 data pages (ak0557data.pdf), builder history and footnoted build blocks (~pp. 2-8; pdftotext extraction verified 2026-09-30)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The HAER documentation for a surviving New Jersey Shipbuilding LCI(L) (same-yard hull LCI(L)-653) records that New Jersey Shipbuilding Corporation 'was incorporated in 1942 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Barber Asphalt Corporation,' converting the idled Perth Amboy asphalt plant on Arthur Kill into an assembly-line LCI yard; it 'was delivering ten hulls per month by February 1943,' employed about 2,500 workers, produced 375 LCI(L)s during the war, and was eventually managed by Todd Shipyards Corporation. The report's build-block note ('New Jersey Shipbuilding built LCIs 239 to 318, 423 to 657, 782 to 821, and 866 to 884') places this hull (646) inside the yard's 423-657 block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (yard documentation); report 2012
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding workforce ~2,500 (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Yard- and type-level documentation, not a hull record - LCI(L)-646 is not named (the report subject is same-yard hull LCI(L)-653). Contains no asbestos or material-specification content applicable to this hull. Establishes the builder and yard context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-10
-
[12]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 to automated fetch, HTTP 403; product description via Firecrawl)
- 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 (June-July 1944) and commissioned service (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era covered includes 1944-46
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews of the asbestos era
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-09-30; product-page description read via Firecrawl) - same standing limitation as batches 01/98/5201.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-11
-
[13]Rushworth, Denis H., 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2), 2005, pp. 35-48, DOI 10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x; verified live via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 (abstract read) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NEJ 117(2) 2005 article record + abstract, ingentaconnect art00012
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed Naval Engineers Journal article (American Society of Naval Engineers) documents that asbestos 'was once used in U.S. Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation and in many other shipboard products,' that plaintiffs in asbestos lawsuits 'include many who were exposed to asbestos while serving in Navy ships built during and following WWII,' and that 'the most likely source of their Navy shipboard exposures was thermal insulation' because the materials were 'dry, friable, and easily accessible.' Covers this hull's construction and service era at the practice level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 2005 (article); WWII-era practice documented
- Population
- WWII-and-later Navy ship crews; shipyard insulation workers
- Limitations
- Era/practice-level documentation - names no hull and no product list for this vessel; establishes Navy-era practice, not installed materials aboard LCI(L)-646/LCI(R)-646. Abstract-level read; article body not retrieved. No quantity, product, or individual exposure data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-12
-
[14]NHHC, National Museum of the U.S. Navy, 'Landing Craft Infantry (Large)-10 (USS LCI(L)-10)' - official LCI(L) class description; verified via Firecrawl 2026-09-30 (direct curl returned 404; firecrawl-rendered page retrieved) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NMUSN 'Ships USN-L' photo pages, LCI(L)-10 class description paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official class-level description: the Navy-designed LCI was 'launched by the hundreds'; the 157-ft craft made ~14 kts, carried a crew of 24 officers and men, and four 20mm guns; 'the same hull was modified into mortar, gunboat and rocket versions to give direct fire support for amphibious assaults' - the modification pathway this hull actually took (LCI(L) to LCI(R), 15 March 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- LCI(L)/LCI(R) crews and embarked troops (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level context describing the type, not this hull; the 'crew of 24' figure varies from NavSource's itemized complements for this hull (3+21 LCI(L); 3+31 LCI(R)) - the NavSource figures are carried. Page verified via Firecrawl render; plain curl returned 404 at this URL this session (possible UA handling) - flagged for re-verification if cited downstream. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-13
-
[15]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block for this hull (two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels, 4 per shaft; single GM main reduction gears; two diesel-driven 30 kW 120 V DC generators; twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp - diesel plant, no steam); NHHC LCI(L)-10 class description ('the same hull was modified into mortar, gunboat and rocket versions'); HAER AK-52 yard documentation (ev-10); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-11); Rushworth NEJ 2005 (ev-12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 150646.htm specifications block; NHHC LCI(L)-10 page; HAER AK-52; GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NEJ 117(2) 2005
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A geared-diesel landing craft built June-July 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber, sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a diesel amphibious craft of this type and period were engine and diesel-exhaust lagging, machinery-space thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined 158-ft hull. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply. Her documented March 1945 conversion to rocket fit (six 5-inch launchers, 40mm bow gun replacing the forward 20mm; conversion yard unlocated) and her ~1947 commercial conversion to passenger excursion service are real yard events in her hull life, but no materials are named in located records.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1967
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew, esp. engine-room personnel (1944-46); LCI(R) conversion yard workforce (early 1945, unlocated); Tomkinsville decommissioning crew (Feb 1946); Maritime Commission/commercial conversion workforce (1947+); excursion crews and passengers (1947-c.1967)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located for LCI(L)-646/LCI(R)-646 at any career phase (Navy, conversion, or commercial). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-14
-
[16]Batch-5371 search ledger (this record): NavSource main page; NARA SL44 ship-number PDF (direct download + pdftotext); DPLA-mirrored NARA muster-roll NAIDs; NHHC 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization list; uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory.com Colton table; Cudahy roster via Fordham Digital Hudson; NavalCoverMuseum (empty pages both designations); NVR (no entry); DANFS (no entry); GAO HRD-80-2; NEJ 117(2); HAER AK-52; NHHC NMUSN class page; CourtListener API v4 (three searches, all zero); secondary web litigation sweep; USS LCI association site (legacy domain dead, successor site searched) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-01 through -20
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS LCI(L)-646 / LCI(R)-646 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener searches returned zero results at both opinion and docket level: opinions for hyphenated spellings ('LCI(R)-646' OR 'LCI-646') and spaced variants ('LCI 646' OR 'LCI(L) 646' OR 'LCI(R) 646' OR 'USS LCI-646'), and dockets for 'LCI(L)-646' OR 'LCI(R)-646' OR 'LCI-646' OR 'LCI 646' - all count=0, 2026-09-30. The only asbestos-adjacent web material is generic WWII landing-craft marketing content asserting era craft contained asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy; none names this hull.
- 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. CourtListener coverage is the opinion + RECAP docket indexes only - filings, unindexed dockets, and settled or state-court matters are not covered by that negative. NARA deck logs (SL44: coverage 1944-07-10 to 1945-06-30), the two muster-roll series, and any RG 38 war diaries/action reports (none surfaced via DPLA mirror) are unexamined primary leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-646-lcil646-15