USS Ability (AFDL-7)

Evidence

16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).

1. [1]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details page for ABILITY (AFDL 7), NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (live nvr.navy.mil quickfind retrieval by name) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR Ship Details 'ABILITY (AFDL 7)' - vessel status, milestone dates, and program characteristics blocks

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register record (live quickfind retrieval): ABILITY (AFDL 7), ex-AFD 7, SMALL AUXILIARY FLOATING DRY DOCK (N-S-P), class field 'AFDL 7', UIC 14807. Builder 'Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.' Status 'disposed of, by navy sale', date status changed 07/01/1982; custodian category 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'. Commission, keel, launch, delivery, in-service, out-of-service, decommission, and stricken milestone fields all blank for this service craft; page last updated 09/08/2000.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   registry record; status change 1982-07-01; page updated 2000-09-08

   Limitations

   Authoritative U.S. Navy registry record retrieved live 2026-09-20. Establishes identity (including 'ex - AFD 7' consolidating the earlier designation), builder, UIC, and disposal milestones. Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental information; all milestone-date fields blank, so commissioning, striking, and service dates rest on DANFS and NavSource; the new NVR suppresses physical characteristics ('currently unavailable as we update our public information policies'), so dimensions/capacity rest on Ships' Data and secondary tables.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-01

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Ability III' (AFD-7/AFDL-7) entry, Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Ability III entry - verbatim public-domain text verified via its republication inside the Wikipedia article (Construction and Service history sections) and at owiki.org/wiki/USS_Ability_(AFDL-7) and en-academic.com; canonical NHHC URL 404s (standing link-rot); NavSource independently links the same DANFS entry under 'Ability (AFD-7 / AFDL-7)' (Wayback capture web.archive.org/web/20141019064152/history.navy.mil/danfs/a1/ability-iii.htm - Internet Archive returned 429/503 all session)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry 'Ability III' (AFD-7/AFDL-7): 'The construction of AFD-7, a one-section, steel, floating dry dock built at Eureka, California, by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., was begun sometime early in 1943 and was completed in April 1944. The small, non-self-propelled auxiliary floating dry dock was then towed to the east coast for duty at the US Coast Guard base at Curtis Bay, Maryland, where she began a long career of docking small naval combatants (up to the size of destroyer escorts) for hull repairs. At the end of World War II, the vessel returned to the Pacific and proceeded via Pearl Harbor to Guam. While serving there, she was redesignated AFDL-7 in August 1946. Following brief operations at the naval operating base at Guam, AFDL-7 was taken out of service on 1 January 1947, and laid up with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Some time in 1948, she was towed back to Hawaii and laid up at Pearl Harbor. New Year's Day 1950, found her at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs, which lasted into the following year. Two years later, she was back at Pearl Harbor still inactive. She was inactive, in reserve, there until June 1970, when she was transferred, on loan, to the United States Army for service in South Vietnam. In October 1971, the small dry dock was returned to the United States Navy and laid up at Guam. On 1 January 1973, she was reactivated and served at various advanced Pacific bases. She remained in this status through 1980. During this period of service, AFDL-7 was named Ability on 7 June 1979. While at Guam, she was taken out of service early in 1981. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 15 February 1981. She was sold for scrap on 1 July 1982.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982

   Population

   Dock crews at USCG Curtis Bay (1944-45); Guam NOB crews (1946-47); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretaker period; Army crews in South Vietnam (1970-71); advanced-base crews (1973-1981)

   Limitations

   DANFS text is verbatim and consistent across three republications (Wikipedia, OpenWiki, en-academic - likely all derivative of the same public-domain DANFS text), and NavSource independently anchors the same entry title; wording verified, though the canonical NHHC page itself was unreachable this session (404) and the Wayback capture could not be served (IA degraded). The entry is a career summary, not a primary instrument: it does not name the Army's South Vietnam station, does not give a commissioning date, and 'served at various advanced Pacific bases' is unspecific. It directly conflicts with NavSource's chronology (which places the dock in the Marshall Islands during 1944-45) - the conflict is adjudicated in correction row ev-05. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-02

3. [3]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Volume III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, dated April 15, 1945), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table, p. 608 - AFDL7 row (Google Books scan mirrored at shipscribe.com) [other_primary]

   Locator

   p. 608, Floating Dry Dock Characteristics - Continued table; 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.' location-group rows AFD31/AFDL7/AFDL22/AFDL23/AFDL32 read directly from the rendered page scan (PDF p. 627)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Navy tabulation lists this dock under the wartime lengthened-dock designation: 'AFDL7' appears in the Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table grouped at 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.' (with AFD31, AFDL22, AFDL23, AFDL32; sister lengthened dock AFDL33 at Navy Station, Seattle, Wash.), type '1-piece, steel', nominal lifted capacity 1,900 tons, suitable for docking 'DE, S, ATR, AM' (destroyer escorts, submarines, rescue tugs, minesweepers), length overall 288 ft, length on pontoon 273 ft, width overall molded 64 ft, width clear inside 45 ft, construction 1943-1944. This both fixes her wartime station and records her as a wartime 'AFDL' (Lengthened) hull rather than a standard 200-ft AFD - read directly from the page-608 scan this session.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945 (tabulation dated April 15, 1945)

   Population

   Dock operating crew and ships' companies of docked DEs/submarines/tugs/minesweepers, USCG Curtis Bay

   Limitations

   Official 1945 tabulation read directly from the scan - establishes wartime designation (AFDL7 under the lengthened-type nomenclature), station (USCG Curtis Bay), and characteristics, and is the controlling source against NavSource's Marshall Islands chronology (ev-05). Note the designation nuance: NVR carries the hull as 'ex - AFD 7' and DANFS builds her as 'AFD-7' while this wartime tabulation uses AFDL7 - both refer to one dock; the registry-level AFD-7 form and the type-level wartime-AFDL form coexist in the sources. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-03

4. [4]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II' (U.S. Navy, 1947), Chapter IX, Floating Drydocks (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chapter IX, 'Types of Floating Drydocks' glossary, 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' and 'Auxiliary Floating Dock, Lengthened' sections, and the 1946 reclassification paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Bureau of Yards and Docks history defines the type and documents the lengthening: AFDs were 'mobile, military, steel trough type, unit dock[s], with faired bow and stern, of 1,000 tons lifting capacity' - 200 ft long, 64 ft wide, 45 ft clear inside the wing walls, welded steel, 'fully self-contained, with diesel electric power plants' and limited repair facilities, intended for minesweepers, patrol craft, and similar vessels. When the escort-destroyer program created docking demand the standard AFD could not meet (DEs 'too long and too heavy'), 'five of the AFD's were modified by adding an 88-foot section amidships, increasing their overall length to 288 feet and their lifting capacity to 1,900 tons' - the wartime 'AFDL' (Auxiliary Floating Dock, Lengthened) type. The 1946 nomenclature revision then folded all AFDs into 'AFDL' (Little, under 10,000 tons).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   Construction trades at the contractor plants; dock crews (type context)

   Limitations

   Class/design history, not a hull record - the BuDocks history does not name this dock; its application here is via the Ships' Data tabulation listing AFDL7 among the lengthened docks (ev-03). The 'AFDL' acronym means different things in the two eras (Lengthened vs. Little) - a designation nuance this hull carries both ways. No asbestos information in the source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-04

5. [5]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics p. 608, and DANFS Ability III entry, contrasted with NavSource AFDL-7 page chronology (09/28/2850.htm) and shipbuildinghistory auxafd.htm AFDL-7 row [other_primary]

   Locator

   p. 608 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.' location-group row AFDL7; NavSource 2850.htm chronology lines 'Towed to Pearl Harbor in early March 1944 while enroute to Kwajalein Atoll' and 'In spring 1945 AFDL-7 was towed from Kwajalein Atoll to Entewetok Atoll'; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm 'AFDL 7 | Ability | Chicago Bridge | Morgan City LA'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Correction of two propagating source discrepancies on this hull. (a) Wartime station: NavSource's chronology places the dock 'towed to Pearl Harbor in early March 1944 while enroute to Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands' and 'towed from Kwajalein Atoll to Entewetok Atoll' in spring 1945 - a Marshall Islands wartime assignment. Both DANFS and the official Ships' Data tabulation dated April 15, 1945 instead place her at USCG Curtis Bay, Maryland for the war ('towed to the east coast for duty at the US Coast Guard base at Curtis Bay' and location-group 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.'); the NavSource entries also predate her documented April 1944 completion. The two official sources control; the Marshalls entries are treated as propagating error (possibly describing a different dock). (b) Builder's yard city: shipbuildinghistory's auxafd table lists 'Morgan City LA' while DANFS and NavSource give Eureka, CA - the same table's Morgan City attribution for sister AFDL-2 was already overturned by dated NARA construction photographs, so Eureka controls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1945 tabulation; secondary-source era ongoing

   Limitations

   Corrects secondary-source conflicts against official records - does not itself assert new facts. The April 15, 1945 tabulation is contemporaneous with the claimed 'spring 1945' Eniwetok tow, making a transient Curtis-Bay-to-Marshalls move implausible within the table's own dating; a post-table move cannot be ruled out by this source alone, but DANFS's 'returned to the Pacific' framing treats the Pacific move as post-war. Asbestos content is unaffected either way.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-05

6. [6]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive, 'Ability (AFDL-7)' page (09/28/2850.htm, last updated 7 December 2007); naming date cross-consistent with the 1979-06-07 batch naming verified for sisters AFDL-1 'Endeavor', AFDL-23 'Adept', and AFDB-1 'Artisan' [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page header chronology block; awards block; specifications block; image table ('no images' note); DANFS link (Wayback 20141019064152)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page 'Ability (AFDL-7) ex AFDL-7 (1944 - 1979)' (09/28/2850.htm, a substitute index number because 2806 and 6706 were already in use) supplies the chronology and particulars: laid down at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Eureka, CA, early 1943; 'Commissioned USS AFDL-7, in 1944'; decommissioned 1 January 1947; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Pearl Harbor; transferred on loan to the US Army June 1970; returned to Naval custody October 1971; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Guam; placed in service 1 January 1973; 'Named Ability (AFDL-7), 7 June 1979'; placed out of service at Guam early 1981; struck from the Naval Register 15 February 1981; 'Final Disposition, sold for scrapping by DRMS, 1 July 1982'. Awards: Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal. Specifications block: displacement 1,200 t (lt), length 288 ft, beam 64 ft, draft 3 ft 3 in (lt)/31 ft 4 in (flooded), lifting capacity 1,900 t. 'There are no images of Ability (AFDL-7) available at NavSource.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982

   Population

   Dock crews across all stations; award cohort (SECNAV Letter of Commendation - occasion undocumented)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation and the richest single chronology for this hull - the naming date, reserve-fleet movements, Army loan, and DRMS sale all align with DANFS and the NVR disposal date. But its wartime-station lines (Kwajalein/Eniwetok) conflict with two official sources and are treated as error via ev-05; its 'Commissioned' language rests on no located commissioning instrument (NVR commission field blank; DANFS uses in-service language); and its spec block is the same mixed-reliability format flagged across sister AFDL pages - dimensions/capacity used here only as corroborated by the official Ships' Data table (288 ft, 1,900 t). No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-06

7. [7]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD)' table (auxafd.htm, updated 2019-06-11) and 'Chicago Bridge & Iron' yard table (shipyards/emergencylarge/chicagobridge.htm, updated 2021-08-07) [other_primary]

   Locator

   auxafd.htm AFDL section, AFDL-7 row; chicagobridge.htm AFD delivery block, 'AFD 7/AFDL 7' row (the page header covers all CB&I plants - the dry-dock block is unlabeled by yard)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation) tables carry this hull twice: the Navy floating-dock table lists 'AFDL 7 | Ability | Chicago Bridge | Morgan City LA | 1,200 | 288 | Apr-44 | Scrapped 1982', and the Chicago Bridge & Iron yard table lists 'AFD 7/AFDL 7 | U.S. Navy | Floating Dock, Light | delivered 3/44 | Scrapped 1982' - confirming builder (Chicago Bridge & Iron), type, and 1982 scrapping, while its Morgan City yard-city attribution conflicts with DANFS/NavSource's Eureka (adjudicated in ev-05) and its delivery month (3/44 vs Apr-44 vs DANFS 'completed April 1944') differs trivially between its own tables.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982

   Population

   CB&I construction workforce (1943-44)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation, used only where consistent with official sources - confirms builder, type, delivery year, and scrapping; its Morgan City yard-city is rejected in favor of DANFS's Eureka (see ev-05) and the CB&I yard page itself carries no per-yard section labels for the dry-dock block, so it cannot independently place the build. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-07

8. [8]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 by Ship Numbers (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs) [other_primary]

   Locator

   sl-44-ship-number.pdf, AFD block (starts 'AFD-15'; no AFD-1 through AFD-14, and no AFD-7/AFDL-7 entries; AFDL-21/-29/-32 present)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947) contains no deck-log entries for AFD-7 or AFDL-7: the by-number list's AFD block begins at AFD-15 and runs through AFD-30, with AFDL-21, AFDL-29, and AFDL-32 the only AFDL entries. Sister docks such as AFD-25 do have listed logs, so the absence is specific to this hull - notable because the dock's wartime station was shore-administered (USCG Curtis Bay) and her logs may have been kept under station administration or not retained.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1947 coverage

   Limitations

   SL-44 covers 1801-1947 only, so post-1947 logs (the 1973-1981 in-service years) would not appear here regardless; the absence means no hull-level wartime log series was indexed for this dock. USCG Curtis Bay station records, Guam NOB records, and Pacific Reserve Fleet records (RG 181 and successor RGs, unsearched) remain the plausible holdings. Absence from the list is a record-availability finding, not proof no logs were kept - and no asbestos content would be implied by any logbook in any case.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-08

9. [9]National Archives and Records Administration, Ship Plan Index (archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship Plan Index AFDL-7 row: 'AFDL-7 | AFDL-7 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' (catalog.archives.gov/id/63531026)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Cartographic Ship Plan Index holds a plan for AFDL-7: entry 'AFDL-7 | AFDL-7 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' (RG 385, Naval Facilities Engineering Command records) - the same microfilm NAID cited for sister docks AFDL-1, AFDL-2, AFDL-3, and AFDL-25, i.e., a shared reel of AFDL-type plans and a potential machinery-layout/materials source.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-44 design era records

   Limitations

   Record-holding mapping only - the microfilm was not retrieved or read (no reproduction spend authorized). Whether the plan set contains insulation or materials schedules is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-ability-afdl7-09

10. [10]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Ch. IX (design description of the AFD/lengthened-AFDL type); era asbestos framing per Corn & Starr (see ev-uss-ability-afdl7-11) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' paragraph (diesel-electric power plants, self-contained, limited repair facilities)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Class/era inference only: the lengthened AFD design carried a diesel-electric power plant, ballast/pumping machinery, limited repair facilities, and crew accommodations within a welded-steel trough dock built in 1943-44 for the U.S. Navy - a period when Navy construction specifications and supply routinely included asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, millboard, and thermal insulation for machinery and piping. The dock's documented mission - docking destroyer escorts, submarines, rescue tugs, and minesweepers at the USCG Curtis Bay repair base in 1944-45, then Pacific Fleet small combatants at Guam and advanced bases through 1981 - placed its crews in sustained contact with era vessels whose own hull-insulation suites commonly contained asbestos.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-44 construction era; service through 1981

    Population

    Construction trades (CB&I Eureka yard, 1943-44); dock crews at Curtis Bay (1944-45), Guam (1946-47, 1971-1981), advanced Pacific bases (1973-1981); Army crews (1970-71); crews of vessels under repair

    Limitations

    Design-level inference, not a hull record - the BuDocks history does not mention asbestos and does not name this dock. Asbestos presence aboard AFDL-7 is inferred from era construction practice and onboard machinery, not proven; a non-propelled floating dock had a far smaller machinery and inhabited-space footprint than a steam vessel, and its asbestos loading would correspondingly be lower. Establishes nothing about quantity, condition, presence aboard the hull, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-10

11. [11]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this Navy-contracted floating dock was built - with wartime demand driving unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government and contract hulls.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1940s era documented; article 1987

    Population

    WWII shipyard workers and vessel crews (class context)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this dock, does not address floating drydocks specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-11

12. [12]Pacific Daily News / postguam.com, 'Former ship repair worker sues over asbestos exposure' (2019); U.S. EPA Region 9, Guam Shipyard CWA inspection reports (2009, 2010, 2013) establishing SRF Guam's Navy operation 1945-1997 [reputable_press]

    Locator

    postguam.com article (plaintiff, employment dates, defendants, ten named ships, allegations); archive.epa.gov/region09/water/archive/web/pdf/insp_guam-shipyard_june-2009.pdf facility description ('previously owned and operated by the U.S. Navy as Ship Repair Facility (SRF) Guam... 1997 transfer')

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Station-level asbestos-litigation context (the facility, not the dock): EPA documentation establishes that Naval Ship Repair Facility Guam - the installation this dock operated under at Guam (1946-47, laid up there 1971, in service 1973-1981) - ran under U.S. Navy ownership from 1945 until its 1997 transfer to the Government of Guam. Pacific Daily News reporting documents that journeyman electrician Eusebio V. Jacob, employed at the Navy Ship Repair Facility on Guam 1962-1985, filed a 2019 civil suit against Plastics Engineering Co., Rockwell Automation, Allen-Bradley, and Rostone Corp. alleging mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease from asbestos gaskets and electrical components he installed on ten named U.S. Navy ships (USS Asheville, Banner, Brister, Engage, Fortify, Grasp, Haverfield, Impervious, Inflict, Ponchatoula) at the facility.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    exposure era 1962-1985; complaint filed 2019

    Population

    SRF Guam ship-repair workforce incl. journeyman electrician (1962-1985 tenure); dock crews at the same installation

    Limitations

    PLEADING-STAGE facility-level allegation, not a finding and not about this hull - the complaint names ten repaired ships; the dry dock is not among them. Documents that the repair complex this dock served had a workplace asbestos-exposure claim in the exposure era; establishes nothing about material aboard the dock, exposure of dock crews, or causation. Press reportage of a filed complaint; the complaint's outcome is unlocated. EPA records corroborate the facility's identity and Navy tenure (1945-1997), overlapping this dock's Guam service.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-12

13. [13]Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017, 92 S.Ct. 679, 30 L.Ed.2d 665 (1972) [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion at 441 F.2d 1243-44 (vessel-status holding); reporter citation cross-verified via multiple case-law databases (CourtListener API unavailable this session - see search_ledger)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation-posture context for the vessel type (not this hull, not asbestos): Fifth Circuit doctrine holds that 'as a matter of law, a floating dry dock is not a vessel when it is moored and in use as a dry dock' - Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239, 1244 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017 (1972), following Atkins v. Greenville Shipping Corp., 411 F.2d 279 (5th Cir. 1969) and Chahoc v. Hunt Shipyard, 431 F.2d 576 (5th Cir. 1970). Workers injured on moored floating drydocks were accordingly confined to Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act remedies rather than vessel-owner negligence/unseaworthiness theories.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1969-1972 (doctrine); applies to moored-dock operations

    Population

    Floating-drydock workers generally (type context)

    Limitations

    Doctrinal context for the vessel type only - an LHWCA/admiralty vessel-status ruling, not asbestos litigation, not naming this hull, and not an exposure finding. Relevant to how injury claims by drydock crews were channeled; the Keller court expressly declined an absolute rule that a floating drydock can never be a vessel. Citation verified against reporter text reproduced in case-law databases; a direct CourtListener pull remains an open lead.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-13

14. [14]Batch-605 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 attempt (HTTP 429); web-indexed court-document sweeps (site:courtlistener.com, RECAP storage, asbestos/mesothelioma terms) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-ability-afdl7-10 through sl-uss-ability-afdl7-11

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Litigation and name-collision sweep: fresh CourtListener API v4 queries for 'AFDL-7'/'AFD-7'/'Ability' were blocked (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota, ~15h reset) and deferred per the backoff rule; web-indexed court-record sweeps returned no opinion or docket naming this dock - 'AFD-7'/'AFDL-7' collides with non-vessel strings (AFD abbreviations, claim/exhibit numbering) and 'Ability' collides with the distinct USS Ability (MSO-519) minesweeper and generic usage. Any future name hit requires hull resolution before classification.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Sweep partially blocked - the live CourtListener API quota was exhausted before any query ran, so no fresh docket-level search of this hull was possible; the web-indexed sweep is a weaker instrument. Absence of a located pleading is not proof no claim ever existed. No asbestos opinion naming this dock was found by any instrument used.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-14

15. [15]Batch-605 search ledger (this record): NVR quickfind; NavSource 09/28/2850.htm; shipbuildinghistory auxafd/chicagobridge tables; DANFS Ability III (via republications); Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III p. 608; NARA SL-44 and Ship Plan Index; BuDocks Ch. IX; EPA SRF Guam records; web-indexed litigation sweeps [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-ability-afdl7-01 through sl-uss-ability-afdl7-17

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials schedule, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming AFD-7/AFDL-7/Ability was found in the public sources searched - the live NVR record, the DANFS entry, the Ships' Data 1945 tabulation, the NavSource page, the shipbuildinghistory tables, the NARA indexes, and the BuDocks type history contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 self-contained Navy dock with diesel-electric machinery and repair shops is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and because she was scrapped in 1982 there is no disposal-era survey or museum disclosure to consult. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-15

16. [16]NARA Ship Plan Index entry 'AFDL-7 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026'; NARA RG 24/RG 181 logbook scope per Special List 44 absence; DANFS Ability III references (Army loan, LBNSY repairs, DRMS sale) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ship Plan Index AFDL-7 line; sl-44 index absence for AFD-7/AFDL-7; DANFS narrative milestones

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA cartographic Ship Plan Index holds an AFDL-7 plan on microfilm, NAID 63531026 (RG 385) - a potential materials/machinery-layout source; (b) USCG Curtis Bay base records and Guam naval-operating-base records (RG 181 and successor RGs) may hold the dock's operational records given the absence of hull-level logs in Special List 44; (c) U.S. Army Vietnam-era floating-plant records would document the June 1970-October 1971 loan tour whose station is unnamed in DANFS; (d) Long Beach Naval Shipyard 1950-51 repair records would document the dock's only documented yard availability; (e) the DRMS 1982 sale file would document any hazmat disclosure at disposal; (f) the BuShips/BuDocks contract file for the CB&I AFD order would settle the Eureka-vs-Morgan City build attribution.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-1982 records

    Limitations

    Record-holding mapping only - no document-level retrieval performed (no reproduction spend authorized; none of these holdings are digitized in the located indexes). Whether any contains asbestos-specific information for this dock is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-ability-afdl7-16