USS LCI(L)-728

Evidence

17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).

1. [1]research packet 464-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-pkt-464-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, row 'LCI(L)(G)-728 1/14/1944 11/30/1945' (the only 728 LCI entry; LST-728 and SC-728 are separate rows)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official NARA inventory of Navy logbooks lists deck logs for LCI(L)(G)-728 covering 1/14/1944 through 11/30/1945 (PDF page 15 area of the by-ship-number list). The coverage start date equals her commissioning date (14 January 1944 per NavSource/uboat.net). The logs are inventoried under the composite LCI(L)(G) designation reflecting her mid-service gunboat reclassification. The 11/30/1945 coverage end is consistent with her documented refloat on 19 October 1945 and occupation duty into December 1945 - and irreconcilable with an October 1945 sinking. 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

   1944-01-14 to 1945-11-30

   Population

   wartime crew and embarked troops (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 11/30/1945. 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. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-01

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(G)-728 ex USS LCI(L)-728 (1943-1944) - history credited on-page to 'USS LCI "Landing Craft Infantry", Vol. II, Turner Publishing Co., 1995' (USS LCI National Association volume); page last updated 11 April 2025 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/15/150728.htm - class line, milestone chronology, flotilla assignment block, campaign table, awards block, specifications block, photo caption

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: laid down 19 November 1943 at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, OR; launched 31 December 1943; commissioned USS LCI(L)-728 on 14 January 1944 (LTjg. E. R. Seaver USNR in command, May 1945); 'Reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Gunboat) LCI(G)-728, 15 June 1944.' Assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater: '(1944) LCI Flotilla Three; (1945) LCI Flotilla Six, CDR. A.R. Montgomery USN; LCI Group Eighteen, LCDR. E.L. Yates; LCI Division Thirty-Five (May 1945).' Campaign credit: Western Caroline Islands operation - capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 September to 14 October 1944. Postwar: 'occupation duty in the Far East, from 8 September to 2 December 1945'; decommissioned date unknown; struck from the Naval Register date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 13 May 1947; 'Final Disposition, sunk in October 1945 during Typhoon Louise off Iwo Jima'; one battle star. Awards shown: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp). Radio call sign NFJQ. Specs: 246 t. light / 264 t. landing / 419 t. loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; endurance 4,000 mi at 12 kts (110 tons fuel); LCI(L) complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted, LCI(G) 5 + 65; troops 6 officers + 182 enlisted; cargo 75 t.; LCI(L) armament five single 20mm; LCI(G) armament two 40mm, four 20mm, six .50cal, ten Mk7 rocket launchers; 2-inch plastic splinter protection; propulsion two sets of 4 GM '6051 series 71' diesels (4 per shaft), single GM reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp. Photo caption: the craft underway 18 January 1945 in the Western Caroline Islands near Palau, en route to assist the damaged USS LCI(G)-396, photographed by James P. Sangster QM/1c of USS LCI(L)-735.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Population

   Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1943-44); LCI(L) crew ~28 then LCI(G) crew ~70 (1944-45); embarked troops (up to 188)

   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. Two items on this page are contradicted by official records and corrected in ev-05 and the gaps: (1) 'sunk in October 1945 during Typhoon Louise off Iwo Jima' - the official CINCPAC damage table lists LCI 728 refloated 10/19/45 at Okinawa, and the sister-ship caption on NavSource's own LCI(G)-729 page reports her damaged after grounding on a reef during the 9 October typhoon; (2) the 'Flotilla Six / Group Eighteen / Division Thirty-Five' attribution - the official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization places this hull in LCI Flotilla THIRTEEN, Group 39 (Lt. Cdr. E. L. Yates, the same group commander NavSource names), Division 77 (G). 'Decommissioned, date unknown' is carried verbatim. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-02

4. [4]uboat.net Allied Warships: USS LCI(L)-728 ship page (ship/21793) [other_primary]

   Locator

   uboat.net ship/21793 - built-by line, date table, history block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   uboat.net's ship page independently confirms this hull: 'Built by Commercial Iron Works, (Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.)'; laid down 19 Nov 1943; launched 31 Dec 1943; commissioned 14 Jan 1944; 'Reclassified as LCI(G), Landing Craft Guns on 15 June 1944.' The page lists no commanding officers and no notable events, and carries no end-service or disposal dates.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1943-1947

   Limitations

   uboat.net is a volunteer secondary compilation of official operational records - the build/reclassification dates corroborate NavSource but are not presented here as primary records. The absence of commands/events/end-service data is a coverage gap in the source, not evidence of inactivity. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-03

5. [5]NHHC online reading room, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' - Landing Craft Infantry section (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription at Org-450501 verified line-for-line identical) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC us-pacific-fleet-organization-1may1945.html, 'Landing Craft Infantry' section - LCI FLOTILLA THIRTEEN, LCI GROUP 39, LCI DIVISION 77 (G) block, row 'LCI 728 | Lt. (jg) E. A. Seaver (USNR)'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Pacific Fleet organization of 1 May 1945 places this hull in a gunboat division: LCI FLOTILLA THIRTEEN (Commander LCI Flotilla THIRTEEN Comdr. M. B. Brown), LCI GROUP 39 under ComLCIGrp 39 Lt. Cdr. E. L. Yates (USNR), LCI DIVISION 77 (G) - roster LCI 397 (GF) Lt. J. C. Carlson; LCI 460 Ens. C. J. Baker; LCI 470 Lt. (jg) W. M. Welsh; LCI 727 Lt. (jg) H. H. Upton; LCI 728 Lt. (jg) E. A. Seaver (USNR). Sister Division 78 (G): LCI 404, 405, 406, 456, 729, 730 (GF). This is a contemporaneous fleet-order document placing LCI 728 in the Palau-area gunboat force whose entire Division 77 complement (460 refloated 10/12, 470 refloated 10/21, 727 refloated 10/21, 728 refloated 10/19) later appears in the NHHC Typhoon Louise damage table.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   LCI(G)-728 crew (5 officers + 65 enlisted, gunboat configuration); Division 77/Group 39 flotilla staff

   Limitations

   The document names 'LCI 728' without the (G) suffix on the hull line - the division tag '(G)' and the all-gunboat roster establish the configuration. NavSource's 'LCI Flotilla Six / Group Eighteen / Division Thirty-Five (May 1945)' chain differs on every unit number while naming the same group-level commander (Yates): the org doc has Flotilla SIX under Comdr. A. R. Montgomery, its Group 18 under Lt. Cdr. A. J. Ormston, and Division 35 listing hulls 371, 677, 1054, 1061-1063 (no 728) - NavSource's chain is carried verbatim in its row and flagged in gaps; Rielly independently places this hull in Group 39 under Yates at Peleliu in September 1944. NHHC URL returned HTTP 404 to curl but rendered full content via firecrawl - the known NHHC status-code quirk noted across batches. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-04

6. [6]NHHC online reading room, 'Pacific Typhoon October 1945' - extract from Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas report on the Surrender and Occupation of Japan, Appendix III 'Typhoon Damage at Okinawa (Based Upon Progress Reports to 19 November)' [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC pacific-typhoon-october-1945.html, Appendix III table row 'LCI 728 | Refloated 10/19/45'; NavSource 10/15/150729.htm photo caption (Black Hawk cruise book p.104)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   CORRECTION: The official CINCPAC report's Appendix III damage table lists 'LCI 728 | Refloated 10/19/45' - she grounded at Okinawa during Typhoon Louise (9 October 1945, 80-knot winds and 30-35 foot seas inside Buckner Bay/Nakagusuku Wan; fleet-wide toll 12 sunk, 222 grounded, 32 severely damaged, 36 killed) and was refloated 19 October 1945. NavSource's 'Final Disposition, sunk in October 1945 during Typhoon Louise off Iwo Jima' is wrong on both counts: she was not sunk and the storm was at Okinawa, not off Iwo Jima. NavSource's own LCI(G)-729 page photo caption (USS Black Hawk AD-9 cruise book p.104, showing 729 alongside for repairs at Buckner Bay 26-31 October 1945) reports 'LCI(G)-728 sustained damage after running aground on a reef during the October 9th typhoon' - the grounded-and-damaged version, consistent with the official table and with deck-log coverage running to 11/30/1945.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-10-09 to 1945-10-19

   Population

   LCI(G)-728 crew during the storm and refloat (9-19 October 1945); salvage/repair personnel

   Limitations

   The damage table records grounding and refloat only - extent of hull damage and repair scope (the most asbestos-relevant open maintenance document) are not stated. Occupation-duty window 8 September - 2 December 1945 rests on NavSource/Turner; the refloat establishes she survived the storm. The 'off Iwo Jima' phrasing may conflate her with the LCI(G) Group Eight gunboats damaged in the Iwo Jima UDT operation of February 1945, in which this hull did not participate. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-05

7. [7]NARA, 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' (RG 38): item 'LCI(G)-728 - Rep of rescue ops & salvage of USS LCI (G) 396 off Urukthapel Is, Palau Is on 1/18/45', NAID 139956845 (catalog.archives.gov/id/139956845) - report dated 03/08/1945, Micro Serial 114824, Serial 157, National Archives at College Park [other_primary]

   Locator

   digitalpasifik.org item 384506 (metadata record); catalog.archives.gov/id/139956845 (canonical record, JS-rendered)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A ship-submitted report by this hull is cataloged at NARA: 'LCI(G)-728 - Rep of rescue ops & salvage of USS LCI (G) 396 off Urukthapel Is, Palau Is on 1/18/45' - her own report of the 18 January 1945 rescue and salvage operation for the mined LCI(G)-396, dated 8 March 1945. The catalog record independently corroborates the event NavSource's photo caption records (underway near Palau 18 January 1945 'enroute to render assistance to the damaged USS LCI(G)-396') and that the Elsie Item newsletter prints verbatim as excerpts 'from the Action Report from the 728' (see ev-07).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-01-18 (event); report dated 1945-03-08

   Population

   LCI(G)-728 crew; LCI(G)-396 casualties taken aboard (28 per the report excerpts)

   Limitations

   Verified at metadata level: the cataloged title, date (03/08/1945), Micro Serial 114824, Serial 157, and collection are transcribed via the digitalpasifik/DPLA mirror; catalog.archives.gov is a JS-rendered SPA (standing access defect - the page shell returns no content to automated fetch). The full report text was not fetched; its narrative content is known through the Elsie Item excerpts, which supply the timing and casualty detail. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-06

8. [8]USS LCI National Association, Elsie Item No. 96 (March 2017), 'Letters to the Editor' - verbatim excerpts from the Action Report of LCI(G)-728 for 18 January 1945, supplied by Earl M. Kile, Jr. ('believed to be the last survivor of LCI(G) 728'), with the obituary of Horace Clyde Sampson, LCI(G)-396 [other_primary]

   Locator

   ELSIEITEM-96-Mar-2017.pdf pp. 12-13, 'Letters to the Editor' column

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The newsletter prints the ship's own action-report narrative (event dated 18 January 1945 - the newsletter misprints the year '1943'): at 1201 LCI(G)-728 observed the mine explosion aboard LCI(G)-396 and went to full speed to close from about six miles; General Quarters 1217; observed the entire bow blown off just forward of the deckhouse and eight casualties in the water; 1235 stood close aboard taking casualties from the water; 1252 the eight were aboard and 728 went alongside port-to-starboard; LCI(G)s 729 and 731 and LCI(L) 732 arrived to render aid; 1259 towing lines secured and 728 'commenced towing the wreck out to sea' while the other LCIs interposed between her and the enemy-held island; 1330 hove to and took aboard twenty additional casualties; 1339 cast off lines from the 396 and LCI(G)-729 took her in tow; enemy shore batteries fired two-gun salvos of five-or-six-inch guns while LCI 729 and 730 made smoke and returned fire; 'This vessel (728) continued on to the hospital with twenty-eight casualties. At 1542 we hove to off Orange Beach, Peleliu Island and transferred all casualties to Army DUKW's to be taken to the hospital.' Special comments record that the enemy held fire until all ships moved away and that at one point 728 was within seventy-five yards of the beach.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1945-01-18 (event); newsletter 2017

   Population

   LCI(G)-728 crew; LCI(G)-396 casualties (eight recovered from the water, twenty more taken aboard - 28 transferred to Army DUKWs at Orange Beach)

   Limitations

   Veterans-association newsletter reproducing excerpts of a primary document - the excerpts themselves carry the report's voice and timing detail and match the NARA-cataloged report title exactly (ev-06), but the newsletter is a republication, not the archival original; its '1943' year is a typographic error (the mined event is 18 January 1945 per all other sources). Assisting-hull list differs slightly from Rielly's account (729/731/LCI(L) 732 arriving; 729 & 730 making smoke vs Rielly's 729/732/730) - minor source variance noted, not material. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-07

9. [9]Robin L. Rielly, American Amphibious Gunboats in WWII (McFarland 2013), 'The Central Pacific Campaigns' chapter - accessed via erenow.org mirror [reputable_press]

   Locator

   erenow.org chapter 'The Central Pacific Campaigns', Peleliu/Angaur and post-conquest Palau sections (Group 39 roster; Angaur probe; Blue Beach order of battle; 18 Jan 1945 mining narrative)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Rielly's unit-level history names this hull in the Palau campaign: Group 39 under Lieutenant Commander E. L. Yates comprised LCI(G)s 396, 397, 404, 405, 406, 727, 728, 729, and 730 (F) for the Peleliu attack of 15 September 1944. For Angaur, 'Rear Admiral Blandy decided to probe the enemy's defenses. Into the breach he sent LCI(G)s 404 and 728,' with destroyer Fullam DD 474 - on 15 September the three ships ran close to shore firing on suspected gun emplacements, and 'the commanding officer of LCI(G) 728 reported back that they had silenced the enemy forces near the beach'; unconvinced, Blandy sent them back the following day accompanied by his command ship Fremont APA 44, when Japanese mortars revealed remaining defenses. At the 17 September Angaur landing, LCI(G)-728 was in Unit Baker under Commander Morrill (LCI(G)s 404, 405, 406, 727, 728, 729, 730 (FF)) attacking Blue Beach, operating in defended minefields where gunboats marked mines by hand. For 18 January 1945 Rielly records: LCI(G)-396 struck a mine off Urukthapel Island at 1155, her bow broke off and sank; 'LCI(G) 728 came immediately to her aid and began to tow her out to sea'; LCI(G)s 729, 732, and 730 arrived to assist; enemy shore batteries opened fire; 729 and 730 made smoke and returned fire as the damaged vessel was towed out of range; Marine Corsairs silenced the battery; 396's losses were four killed, three missing, fifty wounded. LCI Flotilla Thirteen under Commander Morrill (later Comdr. M. B. Brown per the 1 May 1945 org doc) held the Palau picket line through war's end.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1944-09 to 1945-08

   Population

   LCI(G)-728 crew (gunboat configuration ~70); Division 77/Group 39; LCI(G)-396 casualties

   Limitations

   Scholarly secondary history (McFarland) accessed via an unauthorized reprint host (erenow.org) - its footnotes cite the underlying NARA action reports, and its account of the 396 rescue matches the ship's own report excerpts (ev-07) in substance. It does not support any ship-specific materials claim. The Peleliu-era 'Group 39/Yates' attribution corroborates the official 1 May 1945 org doc; the August 1945 Palau roster in this source does not include 728 - consistent with her departure for occupation duty/Okinawa by then. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-08

10. [10]HyperWar/ibiblio, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Landing Ships and Craft' (LCI(G) roster and class specification block) [other_primary]

    Locator

    ships-lc.html 'LCI(G) -- Landing Craft, Infantry (Gunboats)' section, roster row 'LCI(G)-728 | 1944-45'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The HyperWar landing-craft roster lists 'LCI(G)-728, 1944-45' among the gunboat conversions, corroborating the NavSource/uboat.net reclassification and bracketing her gunboat-configuration service to the 1944-45 window. The LCI(G) class block documents the conversion type for the craft: troop landing spaces converted to gun armament (40mm/20mm/.50cal plus Mk7 rocket launchers).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944-1945

    Population

    crew (LCI(G) configuration, 1944-45)

    Limitations

    HyperWar is a transcription/compilation host; the roster line is a bare listing and the class block describes the conversion type, not this hull's specific work package. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-09

11. [11]U.S. Navy campaign/service medal requirements, Part IV Section 2 sub-section 16 - official list of ships eligible for engagement stars (Bureau of Naval Personnel awards manual, HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Awards-IV-16.html, engagement-star eligibility table, row 'LCI(G) 728' (P30-2); NHHC pt2-unit-awards.html (no 728 row)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Official engagement-star eligibility listing for LCI(G) 728: 'LCI(G) 728: 6 Sep 44 - 14 Oct 44, P30-2' - P30-2 being 'Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands, 6 Sep - 14 Oct 44' under the Western Caroline Islands operation. This is the single engagement credit matching NavSource's campaign table and the one battle star shown. No other engagement is listed for this hull - consistent with Palau-only combat service (no Iwo Jima, no Okinawa battle-star credit).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1944-09-06 to 1944-10-14

    Population

    crew present during the 6 Sep - 14 Oct 1944 operation window

    Limitations

    Awards-eligibility data - confirms campaign participation but contains no materials or asbestos content. HyperWar transcription of an official BuPers manual; matches NavSource's campaign table date-for-date. The NHHC awards manual's Navy Unit Commendation list contains no LCI(G)-728 row (checked 2026-09-30) - the NUC attributed to some Palau gunboats does not attach to this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-10

12. [12]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Commercial Iron Works, Portland OR - yard delivery table; corroborated by the Naval Marine Archive LCI(L) master table (navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/lcil.html) [other_primary]

    Locator

    commercial.htm yard table row '103 | LCI(L) 728'; lcil.html master table row 'LCI(L) | G | 728'

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The Commercial Iron Works yard table lists hull no. 103 'LCI(L) 728 | US Navy | Landing Craft | 246 LDT | 159 ft | delivered Jan-44 | Struck 1946' - corroborating the January 1944 delivery consistent with the 14 January 1944 commissioning and a 1946 striking year (NavSource carries no striking date). The Naval Marine Archive LCI(L) master table lists 'LCI(L) | G | 728 | Commercial IW | Portland OR | 31-Dec-44 | To NDRF 1947' - the 'G' conversion marker and a 1947 National Defense Reserve Fleet disposition consistent with the 13 May 1947 Maritime Commission transfer. Yard context from the same source: Commercial Iron Works was started November 1916 on a 30-acre site south of the Ross Island Bridge (Willamette River, Portland), built 188 craft during WWII, closed in 1946, and the site was sold to Zidell Marine as a ship-dismantling facility.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1943-1947

    Population

    Commercial Iron Works construction trades (Nov 1943 - Jan 1944)

    Limitations

    Secondary shipbuilding-history compilations - delivery-table rows corroborate dates but are not construction or material records. Two table values are defective: the master table's '31-Dec-44' delivery is the launch date (31 December 1943) carried a year late, and 'Struck 1946' gives a year NavSource leaves blank - neither source gives a month/day for the strike. NDRF disposal of a typhoon-damaged gunboat hull is consistent with write-off rather than continued service. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-11

13. [13]The National WWII Museum digital collection, 'USS LCI(G)-728 near the Palau Islands', accession 2013.607.002, Gift of Cliff Williamson - from the service collection of Boatswain's Mate First Class Wiley Edward Lowery, USS LCI(G)-727 [museum_official]

    Locator

    ww2online.org item page, accession 2013.607.002

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The museum's digitized collection holds a period photograph cataloged as 'Photograph. The USS LCI(G)-728 anchored off the coast of an island. Palau Islands. Circa 1944' - museum-level visual documentation of this hull in her documented operating area during the Palau campaign window. The donor collection is that of BM1 Wiley Edward Lowery, who served aboard sister gunboat LCI(G)-727 (same Division 77) at Angaur, Palau, and Okinawa - the same unit chain this hull served.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    circa 1944

    Population

    crew depicted (gunboat configuration, Palau anchorage)

    Limitations

    Curated museum photograph - confirms presence of the craft off the Palaus circa 1944 in gunboat configuration but records no operational or materials detail. 'Circa 1944' date is the museum's cataloging estimate. Contains no asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-12

14. [14]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications for this hull (two sets of 4 GM diesels, 4 per shaft, single reduction gears, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp - diesel plant, no steam); uboat.net LCI 351 class table; HyperWar LCI(G) roster and class block; shipbuildinghistory/Naval Marine Archive yard tables; GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos-use era, see ev-14) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 10/15/150728.htm specifications block; uboat.net ship/21793 and class/690; HyperWar ships-lc.html LCI(G) block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    A diesel-powered landing craft built November-December 1943 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, interior insulation and deck coverings, 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 15 June 1944 LCI(G) gunboat conversion (armament added, landing spaces converted) is an additional undocumented yard event of the asbestos era. Two documented ship-specific repair events - alongside-rescue/tow of the mined LCI(G)-396 (18 January 1945) and the Typhoon Louise grounding/refloat (9-19 October 1945) - are the kind of damage-and-repair events in which any installed era insulation and gasket materials would be disturbed.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1943-1947

    Population

    Commercial Iron Works construction trades (1943-44); crew 1944-46; unidentified conversion-yard workforce (1944); Okinawa salvage/repair personnel (Oct 1945); NDRF caretaker/disposal workforce (1947+)

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, conversion yard record, or repair-manifest located for LCI(L)-728/LCI(G)-728. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. The conversion site is unidentified in located sources. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution, no statement about what (if anything) remained aboard at striking or disposal. Small diesel craft carried less asbestos tonnage than steam combatants - do not extrapolate steam-ship quantities to this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-13

15. [15]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (abstract text)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards and 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 (1943-44) and 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 nor a documented availability site for her. Product page retrieved via firecrawl 2026-09-30; the full report PDF was not fetched (gao.gov has blocked automated fetches in prior batches - standing access defect).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-14

16. [16]Batch-5453 search ledger (this record): NARA Special List 44; NavSource; uboat.net; NHHC (DANFS absent; Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; Pacific Typhoon October 1945 damage table; awards manual NUC list); HyperWar roster + BuPers awards appendix; NARA catalog via digitalpasifik/DPLA; usslci.org Elsie Item newsletter; Rielly American Amphibious Gunboats (erenow mirror); shipbuildinghistory + Naval Marine Archive yard tables; National WWII Museum collection; ODU special collections; U.S. Navy Memorial Navy Log; NavalCoverMuseum; NVR; CourtListener opinion + docket searches; secondary web asbestos sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-20

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-728/LCI(G)-728/LCI(L)(G)-728 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API v4 searches completed 2026-09-30 under fleet pacing: exact-designation opinion search ('LCI(L)-728' OR 'LCI(G)-728' OR 'LCI-728') returned zero hits; the equivalent docket/RECAP search returned zero hits; the variant opinion query ('LCI 728' asbestos) returned zero hits; and the yard-level opinion query ('Commercial Iron Works' asbestos) returned zero hits - no litigation of any kind naming this hull or its builder was located. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced is generic law-firm listicle coverage for the LCI/amphibious type (mesotheliomahope.com 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 (1/14/1944-11/30/1945), the ship's own NARA-cataloged action report (NAID 139956845, full text unfetched), any LCI(G) conversion work package, the post-typhoon repair/survey file, and the ODU Heflin & Williams ship-data volumes are open archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-15

17. [17]Old Dominion University Libraries Special Collections, Heflin & Williams Naval Engineering Reference Collection (MG 138), Binder Case 23 - 'Volume 02: LCI(L)-351 - LCI(L)-1098 (Landing Craft Infantry, Large) - LCI(L)-453, undated', ship data files organized by hull number; open to researchers without restrictions [other_primary]

    Locator

    archivesguides.lib.odu.edu archival object 88476 (Binder Case 23, Volume 02); NARA SL44 728 row and navy-online digitization list (absent); digitalpasifik 384506

    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 1/14/1944-11/30/1945 per Special List 44) and the ship's own cataloged action report (NAID 139956845, Micro Serial 114824), 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)-728/LCI(G)-728 file actually exists inside is unverified. Undigitized. Deck logs and the action-report full text likewise establish existence, not content. No asbestos content in any located item.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lci-l-728-lcil728-16