Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 464-packet.md (4 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-pkt-464-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-727 ex USS LCI(L)-727 (1944) - timeline, specifications, campaigns, disposal; ship history sourced to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, Turner Publishing (1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150727.htm header block, campaign table, specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: LCI-351 class Landing Craft Infantry (Large); laid down 12 November 1943 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 24 December 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-727, 7 January 1944; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-727, 15 June 1944. Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater: LCI Flotilla Three (1944); per NavSource listing, LCI Flotilla Six / Group Eighteen / Division Thirty-Five (1945) - conflicts with NHHC fleet roster (see gaps). Campaigns: Western Caroline Islands operation, capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 Sep-14 Oct 1944; Iwo Jima operation, assault and occupation, 15 Feb-16 Mar 1945; two battle stars. Occupation duty in the Far East 8 Sep-2 Dec 1945. Grounded during Typhoon Louise, 9 October 1945, Buckner Bay, Okinawa; decommissioned and stricken, dates unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 2 May 1947; final disposition unknown. Spec block: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; LCI(G) complement 5 officers + 65 enlisted; propulsion two sets of 4 GM series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), GM main reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp, two diesel-driven 30kW generators; LCI(G) armament two 40mm AA, four 20mm AA, six .50cal MG, ten Mk7 rocket launchers; armor 2-inch plastic splinter protection.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- CIW construction trades (1943-44); LCI(L) crew (Jan-Jun 1944); LCI(G) crew 5 officers + 65 enlisted (Jun 1944-1945); embarked troops (LCI(L) config, up to 188); salvage crews (Oct 1945)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its ship history derives from the Turner Publishing LCI volume. Its 1945 parent-unit listing (Flotilla Six / Group Eighteen / Division Thirty-Five) conflicts with the contemporaneous NHHC Pacific Fleet roster of 1 May 1945, which places this hull in Flotilla Thirteen / Group 39 / Division 77(G) - conflict carried in gaps, not resolved in NavSource's favor. NavSource's 'LTjg. H. H. Upton USNR in command' is parenthetically dated May 1945 and is corroborated by the NHHC roster; it does not identify the commissioning commanding officer. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-01
-
[3]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (contemporaneous fleet organization roster) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Fleet organization roster, 'LANDING CRAFT FLOTILLAS, PACIFIC FLEET' - LCI FLOTILLA THIRTEEN / LCI GROUP 39 / LCI DIVISION 77 (G) table, entry 'LCI 727 | Lt. (jg) H. H. Upton (USNR)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The contemporaneous Pacific Fleet organization roster of 1 May 1945 lists 'LCI 727 - Lt. (jg) H. H. Upton (USNR)' under LCI FLOTILLA THIRTEEN, LCI GROUP 39 (ComLCIGrp 39, Lt. Cdr. E. L. Yates, USNR), LCI DIVISION 77 (G) - the (G) denoting the gunboat division. This is a primary administrative document naming the hull, its commanding officer, and its unit assignment on 1 May 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- LCI(G)-727 crew under Lt.(jg) Upton (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Administrative assignment at a single date; does not record operational employment. Directly conflicts with the NavSource/Turner-derived listing (Flotilla Six / Group Eighteen / Division Thirty-Five for 1945) - the contemporaneous roster is carried as the better evidence and the conflict is in gaps. The roster establishes command and assignment only; no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-02
-
[4]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945 - Okinawa' - Source: Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas Report, Serial 0395 of 11 February 1946, World War II Command File, Archives Branch, NHHC [other_primary]
- Locator
- Vessel damage listing, LCI section: 'LCI 727 | Refloated 10/21/45'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The CinCPac report on the 9 October 1945 typhoon at Okinawa (Buckner Bay / Nakagusuku Wan) records 12 ships and craft sunk, 222 grounded, and 32 severely damaged by 80-knot winds and 30-35-foot seas; its vessel-damage listing enters 'LCI 727 - Refloated 10/21/45.' This is a contemporaneous fleet damage record documenting that this hull grounded in Typhoon Louise and was refloated twelve days later - corroborating and completing the NavSource grounding entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-10
- Population
- Crew aboard during the grounding (9-21 Oct 1945); salvage/refloat crews
- Limitations
- Damage-listing entry only - establishes grounding and refloat date, not the extent of hull damage or subsequent repair work. The associated NavSource photo caption (hull aground at Buckner Bay among identifiable LSM-137, LCI(R)-763, LCT-1231) is consistent. No asbestos, hazmat, or salvage-material disposition content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-03
-
[5]The National WWII Museum, Digital Collections / oral histories - item 2013.607.009, 'Sailors on the deck of the USS LCI(G)-727' (Gift of Cliff Williamson); collection of Boatswain's Mate First Class Wiley Edward Lowery [museum_official]
- Locator
- ww2online.org item 2013.607.009 and 'Collection of Wiley Edward Lowery' description block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum-held collection of a named crew member of this hull: BM1 Wiley Edward Lowery (b. 13 May 1917, Jones County, MS; entered USN 1942) was assigned to USS Manila Bay (CVE-61) in 1943, then reassigned at Pearl Harbor to LCI(G)-727 on 15 February 1944, and spent the rest of his service aboard at Angaur Island, Palau, and Okinawa, remaining in the Pacific until late 1945. The collection holds military ribbons, personal correspondence, and photographs taken during his service, including a deck photograph of LCI(G)-727.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- BM1 Wiley Edward Lowery; LCI(G)-727 crew (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - establishes that a named individual served aboard this hull Feb 1944-late 1945 (crew population documentation), not an exposure record. The museum description does not discuss materials or asbestos. Service narrative is donor-provided biographical text, not a service record extract.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-04
-
[6]NARA Catalog, RG 38 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' - COM LCI(L) FLOT 13 War Diary, 3/1-31/45 (NAID 139958750, Roll A1509, digitized) and COM LCI(L) FLOT 13 War Diary, 10/1-31/44 (NAID 78691096, Roll A1270, digitized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LCI 727' - file-unit hits: NAID 139958750 (FLOT 13, 3/45), NAID 78691096 (FLOT 13, 10/44)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A NARA catalog phrase search for 'LCI 727' surfaces the digitized COM LCI(L) Flotilla 13 war diaries for October 1944 and March 1945 - the unit the contemporaneous fleet roster assigns this hull to (Flotilla Thirteen, Group 39, Division 77(G)); the March 1945 diary covers the Iwo Jima operation window. Sister-hull war diaries also exist in the series (LCI(G)-730, NAID 139769954; USS LCI(L) 726, NAID 78465699). These are the primary operational records for this hull's unit during the Palau/Iwo Jima period and remain unextracted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- LCI(G)-727 crew, Flotilla 13 period
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - catalog search-level verification that the digitized diaries match on the hull number; the specific passages referencing LCI 727 were not extracted or read. No hull-specific LCI(L)-727/LCI(G)-727 war diary surfaced in the search, and no RG 24 deck-log file unit for this hull was located in the catalog. NARA catalog detail pages are JS-rendered; NAIDs and series metadata verified via the rendered search-results page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-05
-
[7]'Elsie Item,' newsletter of the USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association / Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum - April 2016 issue (pp. 14-15, 'A Baker at Heart: We Remember Tom Barnett of the LCI(G)-727') and June 2022 issue (in-memoriam and LCI casualty listings) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ELSIEITEM-93-Apr-2016.pdf pp. 14-15; 2022JuneELSIEDeckLog(117).pdf pp. 14-15 (in memoriam) and casualty table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Veterans-association publication documenting crew members and ship detail for this hull: memorial article for Tom Barnett, ship's cook aboard LCI(G)-727 - 'cooking for 65 men and 5 Officers' (corroborating the LCI(G) complement), galley on diesel stoves, damage-control duty at General Quarters; article restates build dates (keel 12 Nov 43, launch 24 Dec 43, commissioned 7 Jan 44, converted LCI(G) 15 Jun 44 adding 2x40mm, 6x.50cal, 10 Mk7 rocket launchers and removing one 20mm) and the Flotilla 3 (1944) / Flotilla 6, Group 18, Division 35 (1945) unit path shared with NavSource. June 2022 issue: in-memoriam entry 'LCI 727 - Leo Huntington'; association casualty listing 'LCI(L) 727 - Pacific Guadalcanal Solomon - DNC M. L. Ward' (a non-combat death entry).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (service period); 2016/2022 (publication)
- Population
- LCI(G)-727 crew - named members: Tom Barnett (ship's cook), Leo Huntington, M. L. Ward (died non-combat)
- Limitations
- Veterans'/memorial association newsletter - recollection-level sourcing, not official records. The 1945 unit path it shares with NavSource derives from the same compilation lineage and does not independently corroborate it against the NHHC roster. The Guadalcanal/Solomons attribution in the casualty table is not reflected in the NavSource campaign list and is unverified - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-06
-
[8]NavalCoverMuseum wiki, 'LCI(G) 727' - ship name and designation history; covers page 1944-45 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/LCI(G)_727 'Ship Name and Designation History' table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Designation-history corroboration for this hull: LCI-351 class; keel laid 12 November 1943, launched 24 December 1943; USS LCI(L)-727 commissioned 7 January 1944; reclassified USS LCI(G)-727 15 June 1944; decommissioned and stricken, dates unknown; transferred to Maritime Commission 2 May 1947; fate unknown. The museum holds postal covers from the ship dated 1944-45.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- LCI(G)-727 crew
- Limitations
- Volunteer philatelic compilation consistent with NavSource/Turner milestones - corroborative, not independent of that lineage. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-07
-
[9]NHHC / Navy Department Library, 'Amphibious Operations: Capture of Iwo Jima' - Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet report (B.H. Bieri, Acting Chief of Staff); Chapter II Naval Gunfire, 'Gunboats, LCI(G)'s' section [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter II 'GUNBOATS (LCI(G)'s AND LCS(L)(3)'s)' section pp. 2-6/2-7; narrative of 17 February operations
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Type-level operational context for this hull's documented Iwo Jima campaign: the report describes LCI(G) gunboats preceding the leading wave to deliver 4.5-inch rocket salvos and covering underwater-demolition-team reconnaissance off the eastern beaches on 17 February 1945; all twelve LCI(G)s of Gunboat Support Units One and Two (Task Units 52.5.1/52.5.2, under Comdr. M. J. Malanaphy, Commander LCI Flotilla Three) were hit by shore fire that day, and LCI(G)-474 ultimately capsized. The report does not enumerate the twelve hulls; whether LCI(G)-727 was among them is not itemized.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-02
- Population
- LCI(G) crews at Iwo Jima (type-level)
- Limitations
- Context only - describes the LCI(G) type's documented role at Iwo Jima, not this hull's specific employment. Hull 727's presence in the Iwo Jima operation window (15 Feb-16 Mar 1945) is documented by her battle star (ev-01); her assignment to the gunboat support units hit on 17 February is NOT established and is not claimed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (diesel propulsion - two sets of 4 GM series-71 diesels, 4 per shaft; two 30kW diesel-driven generators; no steam plant); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-10); NavSource LCI type index (LCI-351 class configuration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (propulsion); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; NavSource LCI index
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-driven amphibious landing craft built Nov 1943-Jan 1944 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type were exhaust-system lagging, machinery-space thermal and acoustic insulation, gaskets and valve packing on auxiliary machinery, and electrical insulation in the confined 158-ft hull. There is no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of larger vessels does not apply, and the hull's only armor was 2-inch plastic splinter protection (plastic, not asbestos).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- CIW construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-45), esp. engine-room and damage-control personnel; salvage/disposal crews (1945-47)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or as-built drawing located for LCI(L)-727. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Small diesel landing craft carried materially less insulation scope than steam combatants; the confined-space exposure dynamic applies but the installed extent is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-09
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (highlights/summary)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure and documented the Navy's use of asbestos in ships; the Navy's 1975 policy removed and replaced only damaged insulation, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - confirming Navy-wide asbestos insulation use aboard ships well after this hull's construction (1943) and service (1944-47) 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 product-page summary used; the report's fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not this hull's builder.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-10
-
[12]Batch-5452 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; NHHC/CinCPac Pacific Typhoon report; NARA catalog; National WWII Museum digital collections; USS LCI National Association / AFMM newsletters; NavalCoverMuseum; NVR; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; DANFS [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming LCI(L)-727 / LCI(G)-727 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide pacing limiter reported the request budget momentarily spent on every attempt; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos' material is law-firm/marketing content (e.g., asbestos-ships.com Commercial Iron Works page) asserting exposure 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Flotilla 13 war diaries, any hull deck logs, and MARCOM disposal records are undigitized or unextracted leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-727-lcil727-11