Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 473-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-pkt-473-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(R)-785 ex USS LCI(L)-785 (timeline, specifications, awards; history credited to Turner Publishing, USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry', Vol. II, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive page 10/15/150785, timeline block, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- LCI-351-class Landing Craft, Infantry (Large): laid down 27 June 1944 at New Jersey Shipbuilding Corp., Barber, N.J.; launched 29 July 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-785, 4 August 1944, at Pier 92, New York City, LTjg. J. W. Mudge USNR in command; reclassified Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R)-785, 15 March 1945. Asiatic-Pacific Theater assignment listed as LCI Flotilla Sixteen (CDR Clarence E. Coffin USN), LCI Group Forty-Six (LCDR A. F. Eckelmeyer USNR), LCI Division Ninety-One. Campaign: Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 20 March to 30 June 1945. Post-war: occupation duty in the Far East, 5 September to 8 December 1945; decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 10 July 1947; final disposition 'fate unknown'. One battle star for WWII service. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp). Radio call sign NQXI. Specs: 216 t light / 234 t landing / 389 t loaded; 158 ft 5.5 in; beam 23 ft 3 in; 16 kts max / 14 kts continuous; complement 3 officers + 21 enlisted as LCI(L), 3 officers + 31 enlisted as LCI(R); troop capacity 6 officers / 182 enlisted; cargo 75 tons; 2-inch plastic splinter protection on gun turrets, conning tower, pilot house; armament as LCI(L) four single 20mm + two .50 cal MG, as LCI(R) one 40mm bow mount + four 20mm + two .50 cal MG + six 5-inch rocket launchers; endurance 4,000 miles at 12 kts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Crew: 3 officers, 21-31 enlisted (class spec, both configurations); embarked troops up to 6 officers/182 enlisted as LCI(L)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained naval-history archive, not an official Navy record; its per-hull entries are the project's canonical reference but this entry cites a reunion-volume secondary source (Turner Publishing 1995). The Group Forty-Six / Division Ninety-One assignment conflicts with the NHHC 1 May 1945 fleet-organization document (Group 48, Division 95 (RCM)(R)) - see gaps. Decommissioning and striking dates absent ('date unknown'). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-01
-
[3]NHHC, Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (official organizational chart) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC online reading room page, 'LCI FLOTILLA SIXTEEN' > 'LCI GROUP 48' > 'LCI DIVISION 95 (RCM) (R)' table row 'LCI 785'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization chart lists 'LCI 785, Lt. (jg) J. W. Mudge (USNR)' under Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet - LCI Flotilla Sixteen (Commander: Comdr. C. E. Coffin, Jr.), LCI Group Forty-Eight (ComLCIGrp 48: Lt. Cdr. P. W. Howard USNR), LCI Division 95 (RCM) (R), alongside LCI 649, 765, and 766. The '(R)' division marker is consistent with the hull's 15 March 1945 reclassification to Landing Craft Infantry (Rocket); the '(RCM)' marker denotes the rocket-craft mission configuration covered by Pacific Fleet transport doctrine Chapter 27, Section 8. The named commanding officer matches the commissioning CO carried by NavSource (LTjg. J. W. Mudge).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01 (snapshot)
- Population
- Crew under Lt. (jg) J. W. Mudge (3 officers, 31 enlisted as LCI(R) per class spec)
- Limitations
- Organizational snapshot dated 1 May 1945 - reflects the post-L-Day (post-1 April) task/administrative organization during the Okinawa campaign, not necessarily the arrangement at commissioning or at L-Day; NavSource assigns this hull to Group 46 / Division 91 (conflict carried in gaps). Establishes unit assignment and commanding officer only - no operational detail, no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-02
-
[4]NavSource photo-caption chart (image 1015102450): 'Chart of all LCI(R) rocket targets which bombarded the North and South flanks of the main amphibious landing on L-Day of Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 10/15/150785, image row 1015102450, task-unit listing 'TG 52.20.5'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The archived L-Day target chart lists the 36 LCI(R)s of Task Group 52.20 (LCI Flotilla Sixteen, CDR C. E. Coffin, Jr.) organized in six task units that bombarded the north and south flanks of the main landing on L-Day of Operation Iceberg (1 April 1945). LCI(R)-785 is listed in Task Unit 52.20.5 (North Flank) together with LCI(R)-1024, LCI(R)-1026, LCI(R)-1068, LCI(R)-1069, and LCI(R)-1070 - documenting this hull's assignment to the rocket-bombardment force for the Okinawa invasion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-04-01 (L-Day) / Okinawa campaign
- Population
- LCI(R) crews of TG 52.20 (6 units x 6 craft)
- Limitations
- Caption/chart material compiled by NavSource contributors (credited to LCDR Gary Frogner USN Ret. for his father ENS Louis Frogner USNR, Engineering Officer of LCI(R)-1024). Documents task-unit assignment for the L-Day bombardment role; does not by itself record rounds fired, targets hit, or per-hull action detail. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-03
-
[5]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton): 'Landing Craft Infantry LCI(L)' hull table, row LCI(L) 785 - 'New Jersey SB | Barber NJ | 4-Aug-44 | To NDRF 1947'; plus yard page 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' (emergencysmall/newjersey.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lcil.htm row 'LCI(L) 785'; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencysmall/newjersey.htm yard description and row 'LCI(L) 785 ... Struck 1946'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The standard yard-build compilation corroborates the builder (New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ) and an August 1944 delivery/completion date, and gives disposition 'To NDRF 1947' (National Defense Reserve Fleet) - consistent with NavSource's 'transferred to the Maritime Commission 10 July 1947.' The yard page records LCI(L) 785 'Struck 1946' and describes the yard as an assembly line for LCIs on the Arthur Kill at Barber (a community absorbed into Perth Amboy, now called Maurer), whose management was taken over by Todd Shipyards in 1942 at the Navy's request and which closed after the war.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Construction trades, New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation without displayed primary citations; corroborates rather than independently evidencing. The 'Struck 1946' yard-table entry conflicts with NavSource's 'struck, date unknown' - unresolved variant carried in gaps. 'To NDRF' and 'transferred to Maritime Commission' are consistent readings of the same disposal. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-04
-
[6]HyperWar (ibiblio), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Landing Ships and Craft': LCI(R) section spec block and roster entry 'LCI(R)-785 ... 1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html, 'LCI(R) -- Landing Craft, Infantry (Rocket)' section, spec list and roster row 'LCI(R)-785'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy-era ship compilation (transcribed by HyperWar) lists LCI(R)-785 individually in the LCI(R) roster (commissioned column: 1945) and gives the LCI(R) class specification: 385 t full load, 160 ft 4 in, beam 23 ft 3 in, 15.5 kts, complement 3 officers + 31 enlisted, armament 1 x 40mm + 4 x 20mm + 6 x 5-inch rocket launchers, 8 GM diesels, twin screws; it notes the type was 'converted while building from LCI(L)s and LCI(G)s' and links Pacific Fleet Transport Doctrine Chapter 27, Section 8 (LCI(R)(RCM) gunfire support).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- The roster listing names this hull, but the specification block is class-level - 785's own NavSource spec (389 t loaded, 158 ft 5.5 in) differs in minor figures, and the generic 'converted while building' note does not fit this hull, which commissioned as LCI(L) on 4 August 1944 and was reclassified in service on 15 March 1945 (NavSource). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-05
-
[7]Era/design inference built on: NavSource LCI-351-class spec block (all-diesel GM 6051-series-71 plant, no steam); HyperWar LCI(R)/LCI(L) class specification tables (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-lc.html); documented WWII-era Navy asbestos practice (GAO HRD-80-2, ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block; HyperWar LCI(R) and LCI(L) class spec tables
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As built in mid-1944, LCI(L)-785 was an all-diesel amphibious craft: two sets of four General Motors 6051-series-71 diesel engines (4 per shaft) with twin variable-pitch propellers. There is no boiler or steam plant, so the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway does not apply; the era-typical asbestos applications aboard a 1944 steel landing craft of this type were diesel exhaust and muffler lagging, engine-room thermal/acoustic insulation, flange gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings and adhesives, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and brake linings on winches and windlass. The documented 15 March 1945 conversion to LCI(R) rocket configuration (six 5-inch launchers, added gun mounts) was a mid-service modification - yard or field refit work of that era is an established disturbance pathway for installed insulation - but no conversion work order or availability record was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (Barber NJ, 1944); crew (3 officers, 21-31 enlisted); embarked troops; conversion-yard or base trades at the undocumented 1945 LCI(R) refit
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific insulation schedule, survey, or build-spec asbestos callout was located for this hull; neither cited specification source states 'asbestos.' Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era-consistent inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, specific products, or present-day presence (hull disposed 1947).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-06
-
[8]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, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships from the World War II era through the early 1970s and described the Navy's insulation-removal policies (1975 damaged-or-repair-needed standard; 1979 selective replacement in high-maintenance areas) - era context for the 1944 construction period and 1944-47 service of this hull.
- 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, not hull-specific; GAO fieldwork covered naval shipyards and overhaul practices, not emergency landing-craft construction yards. Supports era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-07
-
[9]NARA, 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' - deck logs held in Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, RG 24, Entry 118 (NAID 581208); post-1941 logs maintained at Archives II, College Park; Special List #44 covers 1801-1947 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov logbooks overview; RG 24 Entry 118 / NAID 581208
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The deck logs of USS LCI(L)-785 / LCI(R)-785 (in service 1944 to disposal in 1947) would be held within NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel logs), the series spanning the hull's entire commissioned period; undigitized logs are accessible via Archives II reference (archives2reference@nara.gov). Deck logs are the most likely primary record for this hull's operational detail, including where and when the March 1945 LCI(R) conversion was performed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1947
- Limitations
- Existence of a digitized per-hull log not confirmed: the National Archives Catalog is JS-rendered and its API was not fetchable this session - the query could not be executed. The lead establishes where the record would be, not that it was pulled. Deck logs record events, not asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-08
-
[10]Batch-5515 search ledger (this record): NavSource per-hull page and L-Day task-unit chart; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; NHHC DANFS (404); HyperWar ships-lc roster; shipbuildinghistory.com hull table and yard page; Naval Vessel Register (login-gated, no record); NARA catalog (JS-rendered); MARAD vessel history database (no record); Wikipedia (no article); CourtListener API v4 (paced/blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-785-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-785-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or exposure claim naming LCI(L)-785 / LCI(R)-785 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No NHHC DANFS entry exists (404; numbered landing craft lack individual DANFS entries). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-shared request pacer returned budget-exhausted stand-down on every attempt (hourly/burst pacing, ~114/hr shared); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no hull-specific asbestos marketing assertions.
- 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 - a 1944 naval build is era-consistent with asbestos use. The litigation-repository search is a genuine open gap (paced, not run): unindexed PACER filings and state-court pleadings would not be captured regardless. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present aboard, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-785-lcil785-09