Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 479-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-pkt-479-packet-md
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 2 (Jan 1945), LCI(L) roster and design table (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 roster p. 209 (PDF p. 225), row 'LCI(L)821'; LCI(L) design table p. 200 (PDF p. 216)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips roster entry for this hull: LCI(L)821, built by New Jersey S.B. Co., Barber, N.J.; keel laid 24 Aug 44; launched 23 Sept 44 (scan text-layer renders the launch column ambiguously - '23Aug44' - which cannot be correct as it precedes keel-laying; NavSource independently carries 23 September 1944, consistent with the neighboring-hull sequence); ship first commissioned 30 Sept 44. The same volume's LCI(L) design table lists the LCI(L)351-1098 group at 159'0" oa, 23'8" beam, 5 x 20-mm AA MG, 2 sets GM Diesel '6051 series 71' engines at 2,320 shp, single GM main reduction gears, 2 diesel-driven ship's-service generators (120V DC, listed as 20 kW), 860 bbls fuel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding construction trades (Aug-Sep 1944)
- Limitations
- Official contemporary Navy publication naming this hull - establishes builder, keel, and commissioning dates only. Contains no asbestos or material information. The roster's launch-column text layer is OCR-ambiguous for this row; NavSource's independent 23 Sept 1944 launch date is carried. Design-table figures are for the LCI(L)351-1098 group, not this hull specifically; the 20-kW generator figure conflicts with NavSource's 30 kW (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LCI(L)-821 - timeline, specifications, awards, and 'Elsie Item' photo caption (history credited to USS LCI 'Landing Craft Infantry,' Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/15/150821.htm - header block, awards block, timeline, specifications block, photo caption (Purple Heart ceremony, 4 Aug 1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull (LCI-351 class banner): laid down 24 August 1944 at New Jersey Ship Building Corp., Barber N.J.; launched 23 September 1944; commissioned USS LCI(L)-821, 30 September 1944. WWII assignment: Asiatic-Pacific Theater, LCI Flotilla Thirteen (CDR M. B. Brown USN), LCI Group Thirty-Nine (LT N. S. Williams USNR), LCI Division Seventy-Seven. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 7 May 1945 Palau Islands); American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Medal (Asia clasp). Individual awards: Purple Heart (1 KIA, 8 WIA, 7 May 1945 Palau Islands) - photo caption documents a 4 August 1945 Purple Heart ceremony aboard for men wounded 7 May 1945 'defending one of the picket lines against infiltration by the Japanese'; the craft's 20mm guns 'were outranged by the enemy's field artillery, mortars, and 6-inch batteries' and she 'lost her Executive Officer.' Postwar: Occupation Service in the Far East 21-23 October 1945 and 30 October-2 November 1945; decommissioned, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission 26 January 1948; final disposition, fate unknown. Spec block: 236 t light / 264 t landing / 419 t loaded; 158'5.5" x 23'3"; 16 kts max; complement 4 officers + 24 enlisted, troop capacity 6 officers + 182 enlisted; five single 20mm guns; propulsion 2 sets of 4 GM 6051-series-71 diesels (4 per shaft), single GM reduction gears, two diesel-drive 30 kW 120V DC ship's-service generators, twin variable-pitch propellers, 2,320 shp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- Construction trades (Barber NJ, 1944); crew (4 officers + 24 enlisted, 1944-46); embarked troops (up to ~188, transient)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones corroborated against the official BuShips roster (ev-01) where both exist, but the Flotilla 13 / Group 39 / Division 77 assignment conflicts with NHHC's 1 May 1945 fleet organization (Group 57 / Division 113; see ev-03 and gaps), and '1 KIA' conflicts with the association casualty roster's two named KIA (see ev-05 and gaps). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-02
-
[4]NHHC, Navy Department Library, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (online reading room transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- LCI Group 57, LCI Division 113 table rows: 'LCI 820 - Lt. J. D. Sullivan (USNR)'; 'LCI 821 - Lt. (jg) W. A. Spiker (USNR)'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Pacific Fleet organization list dated 1 May 1945 names this hull: 'LCI 821 - Lt. (jg) W. A. Spiker (USNR)' under LCI Division 113, LCI Group 57 (group commander Lt. H. & Williams USNR as printed). This places LCI-821 in commission and on the Pacific Fleet LCI organization six days before the 7 May 1945 Palau action, and documents her commanding officer at that date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Lt. (jg) W. A. Spiker USNR (CO, 1 May 1945); crew
- Limitations
- A 1 May 1945 snapshot, not a full service record: the Group 57 / Division 113 assignment conflicts with NavSource's Flotilla 13 / Group 39 / Division 77 - either a wartime reassignment or a source error is unresolved (see gaps). LCI hulls are listed as 'LCI nnn' without the (L) suffix in the document. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-03
-
[5]Aircraft Action Report (Unit Reporting: VMTB-134), Report No. 134-61, 29 April 1945, Marine Air Base, Peleliu - U.S. National Archives RG 243 (U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Entry 54, Security-Classified Land-Based Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Action Reports, 1944-1945), scanned via Japan's National Diet Library (dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/4017062); same scan mirrored on Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org File:NDL4017062...) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Report No. 134-61, narrative ('OPERATIONAL DATA') section, p. 5 of the 5-page scan
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary action report naming this hull: on a 29 April 1945 VMTB-134 TBM bombing strike against a mortar-battery ravine target on Urukthapel Island, Palau (takeoff 1450K from Marine Air Base Peleliu, lat 6°59'N 134°14'E area), Lt. Stewart's engine failed on pullout; 'He stretched his glide and landed near LCI-821 and after spending about ten minutes in his rubber raft with his crew he was picked up by the landing craft.' Documents LCI-821 on station in the Palau operating area in late April 1945, days before the 7 May 1945 picket action.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-04-29
- Population
- LCI-821 crew (rescue event, 29 Apr 1945); VMTB-134 aircrew (rescued)
- Limitations
- A squadron action report, not an LCI-821 ship record: it names the hull only as the rescuing craft in a ditching event. Scan hosted by Japan's National Diet Library from a NARA RG243 original; the Commons mirror carries identical page images. No asbestos content; no statement of the hull's condition or materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-04
-
[6]The Elsie Item (LCI National Association / Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum newsletter), Issue 117 (June 2022), WWII casualty roster; same names appear in Issue 109 (June 2020, usslci.org) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Elsie Item No. 117 (June 2022) casualty-roster section, 'LCI(L) 821' block; corroborating listing in Elsie Item No. 109 (June 2020)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The association's compiled casualty roster lists under 'LCI(L) 821 - Pacific Palau Islands - 5/7/1945': KIA Wayne A. Seath and KIA Lee Henley Raigins. This corroborates NavSource's 7 May 1945 Palau picket-line action for this hull (Combat Action Ribbon, retroactive; 'lost her Executive Officer').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05-07
- Population
- Crew (7 May 1945 action)
- Limitations
- Association-compiled roster, not an official Navy casualty list; it names two KIA where NavSource's award block carries '1-KIA, 8 WIA' - the casualty count is unresolved (see gaps). The roster gives names, date, and theater only - no action narrative, and no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-05
-
[7]Naval Marine Archive mirror of shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), 'New Jersey Shipbuilding, Barber NJ' yard delivery table [other_primary]
- Locator
- New Jersey Shipbuilding yard table, row 'LCI(L) 821 - Sep-44 - Struck 1946'; page headnote on yard history
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder-yard delivery table names this hull: LCI(L) 821, US Navy landing craft, delivered Sep-44, disposition 'Struck 1946.' Yard context the same page documents: New Jersey Shipbuilding was an LCI assembly-line yard on the Arthur Kill at Barber (later absorbed into Perth Amboy, now Maurer); Todd Shipyards took over management in 1942 at the Navy's request; the yard closed after the war.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding trades (1944)
- Limitations
- Secondary reference work (Colton's shipbuilding-history tables, community-maintained mirror) - corroborates builder and delivery month but its 'Struck 1946' conflicts with NavSource's 'struck, date unknown' and neither source is a primary registry; the apparent sequence (struck 1946 -> MARCOM transfer 26 Jan 1948) is plausible but unresolved. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-06
-
[8]USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association, 'LCI Facts' page (class design history and operating characteristics); cross-checked against BuShips SDB-1945 v2 design table [other_primary]
- Locator
- usslci.org/facts/ design-type and propulsion sections; BuShips SDB1945v2 LCI(L) design table p. 200 (PDF p. 216)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference only. LCI(L)-821 belongs to the late-production bow-ramp LCI(L) group (association typology: 'round conning tower, bow ramp,' LCI 691-1098; NavSource's spec banner reads 'LCI-351 Class'). Per official BuShips design data and the class references, these were ~159-ft welded quarter-inch-steel-plate craft propelled by two quad sets of GM 6-71-series diesels (8 engines, 2,320 shp, variable-pitch propellers) - no boilers, no steam plant. For a diesel-powered small combatant of 1944 construction the era-standard asbestos-relevant applications were diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, electrical insulation, and interior deck covering/accommodation insulation. None of these is documented aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1944-1948
- Population
- New Jersey Shipbuilding trades (1944); crew and embarked troops (1944-46)
- Limitations
- Era/class inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, or work record located for LCI(L)-821, and no class-level asbestos material schedule located for LCI(L)s at all. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. Small steel landing craft carried far less insulation than steam combatants - the inference is necessarily thinner than for a steam plant.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-07
-
[9]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 and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944) and commissioned service era (1944-c.1946).
- 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 or the LCI(L) type. 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-821-lcil821-08
-
[10]U.S. Naval Academy Special Collections & Archives, MS 415 finding aid, 'World War II Ship Action Reports, 1942-1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- MS 415 finding aid, Box 11 Folder 137 (LCI(L)-732); Box 12 Folder 18 (LCI(L)-1073, May 1945, Palau); no entry for LCI(L)-821
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USNA MS 415 collection holds a May 1945 action report for USS LCI(L)-1073: 'Action in the Palau Islands area' (Box 12, Folder 18) - a sister LCI(L) reporting Palau action in the same month as this hull's 7 May 1945 picket engagement, making the report a likely documentation of the same Palau-area fighting. The collection contains no LCI(L)-821 action report; other LCI reports present are LCI(G)-397, LCI(G)-406, LCI(G)-453, LCI(G)-458, and LCI(L)-732 (Feb 1945 Palau enemy action).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-30
- Study period
- 1945-05
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: LCI(L)-1073's report may describe the shared action but names a different hull; whether it mentions LCI-821 is unverified (report is a paper original at Annapolis, not digitized). LCI(L)-821's own action report, if filed, was not located in this collection - NARA RG 38/24 war-diaries and deck-log series are the follow-on leads (not confirmed digitized).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-09
-
[11]Batch-5556 search ledger (this record): NavSource per-hull page; BuShips SDB-1945 v2 (shipscribe); NHHC DANFS and Pacific Fleet Organization; NARA RG243 action report via National Diet Library; USNA MS 415 finding aid; Elsie Item roster; Naval Marine Archive yard table; CourtListener opinions; MARAD vessel history DB; NVR; secondary litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-01 through sl-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming LCI(L)-821 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search for name variants ('LCI(L)-821', 'LCI-821', 'LCI 821', 'LCI(L) 821') returned zero hits; the docket index could not be queried this session (fleet pacing) and remains an open check. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NHHC candidate URLs 404; only select LCIs have DANFS entries). No NVR entry exists (hull disposed 1948, pre-dating NVR coverage). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case - only generic law-firm marketing content, 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 for a 1944 diesel-powered combatant remains reasonable. The docket-level litigation check is unrun (blocked), and wartime deck logs, action reports, and MARCOM disposal records are undigitized or unqueried leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lci-l-821-lcil821-10