Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[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)-648 | Hull: 648 | Designation: LCI(L) |
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-648-lcil648-pkt-452-packet-md
-
[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. 19, row 'LCI(L)(R)-648 7/13/1944 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists deck logs for LCI(L)(R)-648 covering 7/13/1944 through 6/30/1945 (PDF page 19 of the by-ship-number list). The coverage start date equals her commissioning date (13 July 1944 per NavSource, uboat.net, and the shipbuildinghistory table). The logs are inventoried under the composite designation LCI(L)(R) - the rocket-variant tag - and this hull sits inside the complete LCI(L)(R) jacket series (338, 642-651, 704-706, 708, 762-767, 769-772, 785, 1024-1030, 1068-1070, 1073, 1077-1078), matching the HyperWar LCI(R) roster ranges (see ev-08). This is the wartime Navy's own log inventory establishing in-scope service and the rocket-variant designation for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-07-13 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 '(R)' tag is a jacket designation - it agrees with the operational record but is not itself the reclassification instrument. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(R)-648 / ex-USS LCI(L)-648 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 10/15/150648.htm - class line, milestone chronology, campaign/award-period tables, specifications block, photo captions (page last updated 15 January 2021); verified live via webfetch (navsource.net; .org is dead)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 6 June 1944 at New Jersey Ship Building Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 6 July 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-648, 13 July 1944, LTjg. R. W. Harma USNR in command; 'Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R)-648, 15 March 1945.' Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Sixteen (CDR. C. E. Coffin USN), LCI Group Forty-Seven (flagship) (LCDR G. T. McKnight USNR), LCI Division Ninety-Three. Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 26 March to 30 June 1945 - one battle star. Occupation service 2-25 September 1945; China service 22-30 September 1945 to 9 March 1946. Decommissioned in 1946; laid up Terminal Island, CA; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 19 March 1948; sold to Alonzo Patterson, New Orleans, for service as a floating gambling casino on the Gulf Coast in the 1950s, then a shrimp-processing boat; eventually sold for salvage, date unknown. Specs: 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) complement 3 officers + 31 enlisted; 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; propulsion two sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp; radio call sign NPOE. Photograph captions: the Task Group 52.20 rocket-target chart for L-Day of Operation Iceberg places 'USS LCI(R)-648' in the North Flank TG 52.20.4 (with LCI(R)-647, -649, -762, -763, -764; chart credited to LCDR Gary Frogner, USN Ret., for his father ENS Louis Frogner, USNR, engineering officer of LCI(R)-1024); LCI(R)-648 underway on a river in China during her China-service period (credit: Bob Bloodsworth for his father Ronald Bloodsworth, USS LCI(R)-648); two underway photos credited to Bob Bloodsworth for Tony Grdina, labeled 'USS LCI(M)-648.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1950s
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); crew 1944-46 (LCI(L) 24, LCI(R) 34); occupation/China-service crew late 1945 - early 1946; postwar caretaker/disposal workforce 1946-48; civilian casino/shrimp-boat workforce 1950s+
- 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. 'Struck ... date unknown', decommissioning 'in 1946', and the final-disposition chain (casino, shrimp boat, salvage - dates unknown) are carried verbatim; the transfer mechanism and post-sale details are undocumented. The same page's own photo index (15idx.htm) labels the hull 'LCI(M)-648' and one caption credit reads 'USS LCI(M)-648' - the (R)/(M) designation conflict is documented in ev-12. Group 47 commander's initial prints 'G. T. McKnight'; the 1 May 1945 fleet organization reads 'H. T. McKnight' - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships: USS LCI(L)-648 ship page (ship/21713), LCI 351 class [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/21713 - built-by line, date table, history block ('Reclassified as LCI(M), Landing Craft Mortar on 15 March 1945')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net's ship page confirms this hull: built by New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp. (Barber, New Jersey); laid down 6 Jun 1944; launched 6 Jul 1944; commissioned 13 Jul 1944. Its history line reads 'Reclassified as LCI(M), Landing Craft Mortar on 15 March 1945' - the same date NavSource gives for the LCI(R) reclassification, differing only in the variant letter (see ev-12). 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
- 1944-1945
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation of official operational records - build dates corroborate NavSource but are not presented here as primary records. Its LCI(M) claim conflicts with the primary-side (R) documentation and is handled in the correction row. The absence of a commands/events listing is a coverage gap in the source (the hull appears 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-648-03
-
[5]HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (NHHC online reading room document; live NHHC URL returned 404 - see search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar PacFleet Org-450501, LCI Flotilla Sixteen section - 'LCI DIVISION 93 (RCM) (R)' block, row 'LCI 648 (GF) | Lt. (jg) R. W. Harma (USNR)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization of 1 May 1945 lists 'LCI 648 (GF)' with a named commanding officer, 'Lt. (jg) R. W. Harma (USNR)', inside LCI DIVISION 93 - a division whose header is tagged '(RCM) (R)', i.e., a rocket-craft division - under LCI GROUP 47 (ComLCIGrp 47: Lt. Cdr. H. T. McKnight (USNR)) of LCI FLOTILLA SIXTEEN (Comdr. C. E. Coffin, Jr.). Division 93's listed boats: LCI 647, LCI 648 (GF), LCI 706, LCI 763, LCI 764, LCI 1070; sister Division 94 (RCM) (R) lists LCI 704, 705, 762 (FF), 1024, 1068, 1069; Group 48's Division 95 (RCM) (R) lists LCI 649, 765, 766, 785. Elsewhere in the same document, mortar boats carry explicit individual '(M)' tags (e.g., LCI 739 (GP) (M), LCI 740-742 (M)); hull 648 carries no (M) tag. The '(GF)' tag - borne by exactly one hull per group (598, 648, 810, 996, 998, 1092) - matches NavSource's 'LCI Group Forty-Seven (flagship)' description of this craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- crew under Lt. (jg) R. W. Harma (USNR), 1 May 1945
- Limitations
- Confirms wartime attachment to Flotilla Sixteen / Group 47 / Division 93 as the group-flagship rocket craft as of 1 May 1945. The document does not state where the unit was physically operating on that date and does not itself use the composite 'LCI(R)' designation on individual rows - the variant tag rides on the division header. HyperWar transcription verified 2026-09-30; the canonical NHHC URL (history.navy.mil .../us-pacific-fleet-organization-1may1945.html) returned 404 - standing NHHC link-rot, same defect class noted in Batches 01, 98, 5365. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Academy Nimitz Library Special Collections & Archives, 'World War II Ship Action Reports, 1942-1945' finding aid, MS 415 [other_primary]
- Locator
- usna.edu MS 415 finding aid, Series 2 (SHIPS L), Box 11 Folder 129
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The finding aid catalogs a hull-specific U.S. Navy action report: 'U.S.S. LCI (R)-648 (Landing Craft - Infantry), May 1945 - Assault on Okinawa Gunto' (Series 2, SHIPS L, Box 11 Folder 129). The collection holds reports filed by individual Navy vessels describing battle action, amphibious landings, shore bombardments, and anti-aircraft engagements; access is unrestricted; the collection transferred from the Department of the Navy, Naval History Division, in 1961. This is the strongest located archival path to a ship-specific operational document: a contemporaneous command-submitted action report for the hull's Okinawa service - the kind of record that can carry material-casualty, repair, and underway-maintenance detail.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05
- Population
- crew filing the May 1945 action report
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the report is cataloged but not digitized; its contents are unseen and its holdings may not address shipboard materials at all. It establishes that a ship-filed action report exists, not what it says. Contains no asbestos content on its face; the finding aid says nothing about asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Landing Craft, Infantry (Large) - LCI(L)' production/disposition table; identical table mirrored at Naval Marine Archive (navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html - New Jersey Shipbuilding yard page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcil.htm, row '648'; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.html, row 'LCI(L) | 648 | US Navy | Landing Craft | Jul-44 | Struck 1946' (verified live, HTTP 200)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The production table's row for this hull reads: 'LCI(L) | M | 648 | New Jersey SB | Barber NJ | 13-Jul-44 | Sold 1948 as casino, scrapped' - corroborating the July 1944 delivery/commissioning and the casino-sale/scrapping disposition NavSource narrates, and carrying the 'M' variant tag (see ev-12; the table's neighbors 646, 647, 649, 650, 651 are all tagged 'R'). The New Jersey Shipbuilding yard page documents the yard itself: an LCI assembly line on Arthur Kill at Barber (later absorbed into Perth Amboy/Maurer), managed by Todd Shipyards from 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; 1948
- Population
- NJ Shipbuilding construction trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipbuilding-history compilation; a delivery-table row corroborates dates and disposition but is not a construction or material record. Its 'M' variant tag is one leg of the documented designation conflict (ev-12); 'Sold 1948' compresses the two-step Maritime Commission transfer (19 March 1948) and sale into one shorthand entry. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-06
-
[8]Heald Funeral Home (Burlington, VT), obituary of Valentine W. 'Val' Bonk (18 Sep 1927 - 2 Jan 2018); plus USS LCI National Association Elsie Item newsletter #58 (January 2007) IN MEMORIAM roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- healdfuneralhome.com obituary text (fetched via Firecrawl - direct fetch returns HTTP 403); ELSIEITEM-58-Jan-2007.pdf, p. 14 IN MEMORIAM roster, column 'LCI 648 / John C. Penny' (downloaded, pdftotext-verified)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Named-crew corroboration for this hull. The Bonk obituary states: 'Val served in the US Navy in the Pacific, turning 18 in Saipan. He was directly involved in the invasion of Okinawa on the USS LCI 648, a rocket landing craft. Following this duty, Val went to China and was discharged in 1946.' - consistent with the documented Okinawa (Mar-Jun 1945) and China-service (Sep 1945 - Mar 1946) timeline and describing the craft as 'a rocket landing craft.' The association's January 2007 IN MEMORIAM roster lists 'LCI 648 / John C. Penny.' NavSource photo captions add two more named crew: Ronald Bloodsworth ('USS LCI(R)-648') and Tony Grdina (labeled 'USS LCI(M)-648' - see ev-12).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (service); 2007/2018 (publication)
- Population
- Valentine W. Bonk; John C. Penny; Ronald Bloodsworth; Tony Grdina; wartime crew generally
- Limitations
- Personal-account and veterans-association material, not Navy records: a family-authored obituary and an association memorial roster - carried at partial verification as corroborating personal accounts consistent with the official timeline. They do not establish crew lists, ratings, or service dates; the obituary's 'rocket landing craft' phrasing is descriptive, not a designation record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-07
-
[9]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(R) roster and spec block; HyperWar Transport Doctrine Ch. 27 (LCI(R)(RCM) fire-support type); USS LCI National Association 'LCI Facts' type description (rocket racks replacing side ramps and well-deck spaces); shipbuildinghistory LCI(L) table; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150648.htm specifications block; uboat.net ship/21713; HyperWar ships-lc.html LCI(R) section (LCI(R)-642-651 range row + spec block); transport-27.html sec. 8; usslci.org/facts LCI(R) paragraph; shipbuildinghistory lcil.htm; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered landing craft built June-July 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 March 1945 LCI(R) conversion (troop ramps removed, rocket-rack installations fitted in the well decks) 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); unidentified conversion-yard workforce (1945); crew 1944-46; caretaker/disposal workforce 1946-48; civilian casino/shrimp-boat workforce 1950s+; salvage workforce (date 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)-648/LCI(R)-648. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. The conversion site is not identified in located sources. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no statement about what (if anything) remained aboard at decommissioning, striking, sale, or civilian conversion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (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 where repairs would be expected during a ship's next operating cycle - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944) and U.S. service era (1944-1946, reserve to 1948).
- 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, 5365).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-09
-
[11]Batch-5373 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44; NavSource page + index; uboat.net; NHHC DANFS (no entry); CTF-122 casualty table; Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945 (HyperWar; NHHC URL 404); HyperWar ships-lc + Transport Doctrine; shipbuildinghistory/Naval Marine Archive; USNA MS 415 finding aid; Heald Funeral Home obituary; Elsie Item #58 + usslci.org LCI Facts; U.S. Navy Memorial Navy Log; Wikipedia; ODU special collections; CourtListener opinion query (0 hits) + docket query (pacing-blocked); secondary web asbestos/litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-648-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-648-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-648, LCI(R)-648, or LCI(M)-648 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). A CourtListener opinion query across all four designation aliases returned zero hits; the docket-side query was pacing-blocked at session end (fleet-wide ~114/hr shared budget momentarily spent across three spaced retries) and is logged as blocked, not as a negative result. No ship-specific 'asbestos aboard' content of any kind surfaced for this hull, including the usual law-firm listicle class.
- 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 (7/13/1944-6/30/1945) plus the USNA MS 415 action report (Box 11 Folder 129) and the ODU Heflin & Williams ship-data collection (range covers this hull) are open archival leads. The CourtListener docket-side check is a genuine open gap (pacing-blocked), not a negative result; the opinion side returned zero hits. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-10
-
[12]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. 19 and navy-online digitization list (absent); USNA MS 415 Box 11 Folder 129
- 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 7/13/1944-6/30/1945 per Special List 44) and the USNA MS 415 action report (Box 11 Folder 129), this is among the located archival paths 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)-648 file actually exists inside is unverified. Undigitized; open to researchers without restrictions per the finding aid. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-11
-
[13]NavSource LCI photo index (15idx.htm) - 'LCI(L)-648 / LCI(M)-648' index label; uboat.net ship/21713 history line; shipbuildinghistory lcil.htm variant column [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 15idx.htm row 'LCI(L)-648 / LCI(M)-648'; uboat.net ship/21713 history line; shipbuildinghistory lcil.htm 'M' variant tag; NARA sl-44-ship-number.pdf p. 19 LCI(L)(R) jacket block; PacFleet Org-450501 LCI Division 93 header + rows; NavSource 10/15/150648.htm caption credits
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DESIGNATION CONFLICT - resolved toward LCI(R) on the primary evidence. For LCI(M)-648 (mortar): the NavSource LCI photo index labels the hull 'LCI(L)-648 / LCI(M)-648' - the only hull in the 642-651 block not indexed as LCI(R); uboat.net states 'Reclassified as LCI(M), Landing Craft Mortar on 15 March 1945'; the shipbuildinghistory production table tags the 648 row variant 'M' (neighbors 646, 647, 649, 650, 651 all 'R'); and one NavSource photo credit is labeled 'USS LCI(M)-648' (Tony Grdina). For LCI(R)-648 (rocket): NARA Special List 44 jackets her logs LCI(L)(R)-648 inside the complete LCI(L)(R) jacket series; the 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization lists hull 648 inside 'LCI DIVISION 93 (RCM) (R)' - while mortar hulls elsewhere in the same document carry explicit '(M)' tags; the Task Group 52.20.4 L-Day rocket-target chart names 'USS LCI(R)-648'; the HyperWar roster's 'LCI(R)-642-651' range row covers her; her spec block carries the LCI(R) armament (six 5-inch rocket launchers, not a mortar fit); the USNA MS 415 catalog entry reads 'LCI (R)-648'; and a crew obituary describes 'a rocket landing craft.' The (M) tag is best explained as a propagated secondary-compilation label - the rocket identity rests on the Navy's own log inventory, the official fleet organization, the operational task-group chart, and the cataloged action report. The 15 March 1945 reclassification is common to both claims; only the variant letter is disputed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating designation conflict, not a material claim. No primary source resolving the final-letter question beyond the NARA jacket and the fleet-organization placement was located; a BuShips reclassification letter or the craft's own action report (USNA MS 415) would settle it definitively. The possibility of a second reclassification (R to M) is not excluded by any located source - but as of 1 May 1945 she operated inside a rocket division with the rocket armament fit documented, so the operational identity is LCI(R). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-12
-
[14]CTF-122 'Report of Sunk and Damaged Ships and Craft' (Operation Neptune casualty table, 17 June 1944, HyperWar transcription); NARA SL44 '648' rows; PacFleet Org-450501 '648' rows [other_primary]
- Locator
- CTF122-Damages.html casualty list (no 648 entries); NARA sl-44-ship-number.pdf rows 'LST-648 10/21/1944 6/30/1945' (p. 51) and 'SC-648 7/11/1942 3/31/1945' (p. 107); PacFleet Org-450501 'LST 648' row; NavSource 10/15/150648.htm award block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- COLLISION NOTE: two other real U.S. hulls carried the bare number 648 - LST-648 (deck-log jacket 10/21/1944-6/30/1945; also listed in the same 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization as this hull) and SC-648 (deck-log jacket 7/11/1942-3/31/1945) - so bare '648' references require the LCI qualifier. The CTF-122 Operation Neptune 'Sunk and Damaged Ships and Craft' casualty table (17 June 1944) contains no '648' casualty of any type (checked 2026-09-30) - consistent with Pacific service and a 13 July 1944 commissioning post-D-Day. NavSource's award block for this hull shows five ribbons including one Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal star (Okinawa Gunto), the China Service Medal (extended), and the Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Limitations
- Collision-disambiguation finding only. LST-648 and SC-648 are different hulls with different service records; neither is this craft. The casualty-table check is a negative screening result for the Atlantic theater, not operational proof for the Pacific. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-648-13