Evidence
18 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-18).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Adept' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Adept' returned 3 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-adept-afdl23-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Adept' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Adept' returned 217 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-adept-afdl23-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-23' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-23' returned 7 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-adept-afdl23-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-23' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-23' returned 51 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-adept-afdl23-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details page for ADEPT (AFDL 23), NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (live nvr.navy.mil quickfind retrieval by name) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR Ship Details 'ADEPT (AFDL 23)' - vessel status, milestone dates, and program characteristics blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record (live quickfind retrieval): ADEPT (AFDL 23), ex-AFD 23, SMALL AUXILIARY FLOATING DRY DOCK (N-S-P), class 'AFDL 1', UIC 14823. Builder 'Auchter, George D., Co.' Delivery date 12/01/1944; stricken 08/27/2009; status 'disposed of by navy sale', date status changed 03/26/2010; custodian category 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'. Commission, in-service, out-of-service, and physical-characteristics fields blank/unavailable for this service craft; page last updated 04/07/2010.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-2010
- Limitations
- Authoritative U.S. Navy registry record retrieved live 2026-09-20. Establishes identity, builder, delivery, stricken, and disposal milestones. Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental information; commission/in-service/out-of-service fields blank for this service craft; 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-adept-afdl23-01
-
[6]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Adept (AFDL-23)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Adept entry (canonical NHHC URL 404s - standing link-rot; verbatim public-domain text verified via its republication inside the Wikipedia article and NavSource's DANFS link; Wayback capture 20160303203250 known to exist per NavSource but Internet Archive returned 404/503 all session)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry 'Adept (AFDL-23)': 'The construction of AFD-23 - a one-section, steel, floating Drydock built at Jacksonville, FL., by George D. Auchter Co. - was begun late in 1943 and completed in December 1944. The small, non-self-propelled auxiliary floating drydock was then towed to the Chesapeake Bay for duty at the United States Coast Guard base at Curtis Bay, Md., where she began docking small naval combatant ships - up to the size of destroyer escorts - for hull repairs. Redesignated AFDL-23 on 1 August 1946, she was moved to Hawaii in the 18 months immediately following the end of the war. By 1 January 1947, AFDL-23 was laid up with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Pearl Harbor. After almost two decades of inactivity, AFDL-23 was placed in service in December 1965 to support the Navy's efforts in South Vietnam. She served at the Pacific Fleet's advanced bases. While continuing such duty, AFDL-23 was named Adept on 7 June 1979.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1979
- Population
- Dock crews at USCG Curtis Bay (1944-45); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretaker period; advanced-base crews 1965+
- Limitations
- DANFS text is verbatim and consistent across two independent republications (Wikipedia DANFS incorporation; NavSource chronology) - 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 her reactivation station, and 'support the Navy's efforts in South Vietnam' paired with 'Pacific Fleet's advanced bases' does not itself establish an in-country Vietnam station. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-02
-
[7]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Volume III (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table, p. 608 - AFDL23 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 page scan
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy tabulation lists this dock under the wartime lengthened-dock designation: 'AFDL23' appears in the Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table grouped at 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.' (with AFD31, AFDL7, AFDL22, AFDL32; sister lengthened dock AFDL33 at Navy Station, Seattle), 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, width overall molded 64 ft, width clear inside 45 ft. This both fixes her wartime station and records her as a wartime 'AFDL' (Lengthened) hull rather than a standard 200-ft AFD.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 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 (AFDL23 under the lengthened-type nomenclature), station (USCG Curtis Bay), and characteristics. Note the designation nuance: NVR carries the hull as 'ex - AFD 23' while this wartime tabulation uses AFDL23 - both refer to one dock; the registry-level AFD-23 form and the type-level wartime-AFDL form coexist in the sources. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-03
-
[8]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 five 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 AFDL23 among the five 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-adept-afdl23-04
-
[9]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics pp. 607-608, contrasted with NavSource AFDL-page spec blocks (09/28/2822.htm, 2823.htm, 2826.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- p. 607-608 location-group rows (AFDL7/22/23/32 at 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.'; AFDL33 at 'Navy Station, Seattle, Wash.'; AFD12 and AFD26 in standard 200-ft groups); NavSource spec blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Correction of a propagating source discrepancy on the lengthened-dock set: the official Ships' Data 1945 tabulation lists the five wartime 'AFDL' (Lengthened) docks as AFDL7, AFDL22, AFDL23, AFDL32 (all at USCG Curtis Bay, Md.) and AFDL33 (Navy Station, Seattle, Wash.). Secondary compilations instead give the lengthened five as AFD-7/-12/-22/-23/-26 (repeated in the batch-577 report), and NavSource spec blocks are internally inconsistent (AFDL-22 shown at 200 ft with 1,900-ton lift; AFDL-26 shown at 288 ft while the official table carries AFD26 as a standard 200-ft dock at Navrepbase San Diego). This hull is in both sets and is lengthened under any reading; the official tabulation controls for the sisters.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945 tabulation; secondary-source era ongoing
- Limitations
- Corrects secondary-source membership lists, not this hull's status - AFDL-23 is lengthened per the official tabulation (288 ft, 1,900 tons, 'DE, S, ATR, AM') and per NavSource. AFDL-12 and AFDL-26 are standard 200-ft docks in the official table despite contrary secondary specs; NavSource AFDL-page spec blocks mix figures and are not hull-reliable. Whether any dock was lengthened after the Ships' Data compilation (a path that could reconcile AFD-26) is unverified - the 1945 table is treated as controlling.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-05
-
[10]U.S. National Archives / DVIDS public-domain archive record for DOD photo DNST9206610 (and companion DNST9206640), 'The small auxiliary floating dry dock ADEPT (AFDL-23) leaves Subic Bay for Guam in tow behind the salvage and rescue ship USS BRUNSWICK (ATS-3)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- getarchive NARA/DVIDS record page - title, finding-aid description ('Base: Naval Station, Subic Bay; State: Luzon; Country: Philippines (PHL); 24/02/1992'); NavSource Brunswick (ATS-3) page captions for both photo numbers
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Two NARA-held Department of Defense photographs document the dock's Subic Bay departure: 'The salvage and rescue ship USS BRUNSWICK (ATS-3) tows the small auxiliary floating dry dock Adept (AFDL-23) as the dry dock is removed in preparation for the station's transfer to the Philippine government' - Naval Station Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippines, 24 February 1992, destination Guam (DOD photos DNST9206610 by J. Brown, PHCS USN, and DNST9206640). This fixes her at Subic Bay in early 1992 and documents the withdrawal tow to Guam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1992-02-24
- Population
- Naval Station Subic Bay ship-repair workforce; Brunswick tow crew
- Limitations
- Official DOD photography held at NARA, presented via the getarchive public-domain mirror (the archive page itself returned 403 to direct fetch but the record content is indexed and consistent with the NavSource captions quoting the same photo numbers). Documents the 1992 Subic departure only - it does not establish when she arrived at Subic, and the record's plotted coordinate (13.43N, 144.65E) sits in Guam waters, consistent with the tow destination rather than the photo site. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-06
-
[11]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive, 'Adept (AFDL-23)' page (09/28/2823.htm, last updated 2022-03-11); naming date cross-consistent with the 1979-06-07 batch naming verified for sisters AFDL-1 'Endeavor' and AFDB-1 'Artisan' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/28/2823.htm - chronology block, specifications block, ribbon list, and image caption set; companion captions on Brunswick page 09/31/3103.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource dedicated page 'Adept (AFDL-23)' (09/28/2823.htm) supplies the naming date and service particulars: laid down at George D. Auchter Co., Jacksonville, FL, late 1943; completed December 1944; redesignated AFDL-23 1 August 1946; laid up Pacific Reserve Fleet, Pearl Harbor, by 1 January 1947; placed in service December 1965; 'Named Adept (AFDL-23), 7 June 1979'; out of service date unknown; current disposition leased to Gulf Copper, Aransas Pass, TX; radio call sign NPCM; ribbon list American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal (no Vietnam Service Medal - contrast sister AFDL-22, whose page carries it for NSA Danang service). Captions further document: a U.S. Navy photo of AFDL-23 in All Hands magazine July 1970; USS Pioneer (MCM-9) high and dry in the dock at Naval Station Ingleside TX under Gulf Copper lease 2007-05-14 (photo by DCC(SW/SS) David Johnston, USN); the dock lifting research vessel Gyre 2022-02-23 (Jacksonville Naval Museum).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-2022
- Population
- Dock crews 1965-1992+; Gulf Copper crews and docked-ship crews since ~2001
- Limitations
- NavSource is a reputable volunteer specialist archive, not a primary record - its chronology here matches DANFS verbatim where they overlap, and the naming date aligns with the verified fleet-wide 1979-06-07 auxiliary-dock naming action. Its spec blocks are demonstrably inconsistent across AFDL pages (see ev-05) so dimensions/capacity are cross-checked against Ships' Data rather than trusted; the '12,000 t' displacement figure is unverified (likely flooded condition; shipbuildinghistory gives 1,200 t). Ribbon list is consistent with rear-area rather than in-country Vietnam service but is not itself a station record. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-07
-
[12]shipbuildinghistory.com 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table (Tim Colton compilation), AFDL-23 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm AFDL table row 23; column header 'Type # Name Shipbuilder Location Tons Ft. Delivery Disposition'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary corroboration of builder, build site, characteristics, and disposition: the shipbuildinghistory.com U.S. Navy floating-drydock table lists 'AFDL 23 | Adept | George D. Auchter | Jacksonville FL | 1,200 | 288 | Dec-44 | Active, leased to Gulf Copper at Aransas Pass TX' - consistent with NVR (builder, delivery month), Ships' Data (288-ft lengthened dock), and the lease status; the 1,200-ton column figure is light displacement for the 288-ft docks (the 200-ft AFDs show 800).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1944; disposition ongoing
- Population
- Construction trades, George D. Auchter Co. yard, Jacksonville FL 1943-44
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation corroborating the official records - reputable specialist compiler but not a primary record, and its own header cautions that drydock builder attribution is incomplete. The '1,200' tons figure is the table's light-displacement convention, not lift capacity (which the official table gives as 1,900 tons nominal). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-08
-
[13]Ross, Jonathan M., P.E. (Anteon Corp., Proteus Engineering Division), 'Dry Dock Structural Integrity with Computers,' Maritime Reporter / marinelink.com (Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.), 2003-07-02 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body - ADEPT case-study paragraphs (2nd-4th paragraphs); reference line 'Analysis of the Maximum Allowable Deflection of the "Adept" (AFDL-23), Prepared for Gulf Copper Ship Repair, Inc. by Anteon Corporation, Proteus Engineering Division, March 22, 2001'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Operator-side technical reporting documents the dock's commercial-lease configuration and one major service incident: 'the AFDL-23 ADEPT, a rigid, one-piece, welded steel, floating dry dock that was built during WWII' is 'leased from the Navy by Gulf Copper Ship Repair, Inc., and is located at Aransas Pass (Ingleside), Texas,' used to dock Navy minesweeper and mine countermeasure ships (MHCs and MCMs) under NAVSEA deflection limits in a Facility Certification Report. Gulf Copper's dockmaster states 'this dock grounded in Guam during a typhoon in the 1970s, and after the repairs, it had a permanent sag on the starboard side.' Modifications documented: two cranes and a hydraulic power pack mounted to the starboard wing wall (half-inch plating added for deck strength); 'the original diesel generators and their associated equipment have been removed'; ~50 years of corrosion wastage with some structure renewed in plating/stiffeners not per the dock's plans. Anteon/Proteus MAESTRO analysis (report dated 2001-03-22) found the structure satisfactory for MHC/MCM dockings and recommended a 1.25-in. longitudinal deflection operational limit (vs. the Navy's 0.8-in.).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1970s (grounding); 2001-2003 (analysis and reporting)
- Population
- Gulf Copper Ship Repair dock crews; docked Navy MCM/MHC ship crews
- Limitations
- Reputable trade-press feature written by the engineer who ran the analysis - the best located source for the commercial-lease period. Establishes the Navy lease, the Aransas Pass (Ingleside) base, MCM/MHC docking work, the 1970s Guam typhoon grounding (dockmaster's account - no date or storm name given, so the incident stays decade-bounded), and the material modifications. It is a structural-integrity story, not a hazmat record: the machinery-removal and renewal details are relevant to any surviving-era-materials question but say nothing about asbestos. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-09
-
[14]Batch-583 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 attempt (HTTP 429); web-indexed court-document sweeps; Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez, 312 F. App'x 711 (5th Cir. 2009) via case-law databases; BRB 16-0417 (Maldonado v. Gulf Copper Dry Dock & Rig Repair, non-asbestos); Vaughn v. Gulf Copper, 54 F. Supp. 2d 688 (E.D. Tex. 1999, non-asbestos) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-adept-afdl23-10 through sl-uss-adept-afdl23-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation and name-collision sweep: fresh CourtListener API v4 queries for 'AFDL-23'/'AFD-23'/'Adept' were blocked (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota, ~1.7h reset) and deferred per the backoff rule; web-indexed court-record sweeps returned no opinion or docket naming this dock. Operator-level context only: Gulf Copper (the commercial lessee since ~2001) appears in asbestos litigation at employer level - Levingston Ship Building Co. v. Pelaez, 312 F. App'x 711 (5th Cir. 2009), an LHWCA last-responsible-employer dispute in which the ALJ found no evidence the decedent was exposed to asbestos by Gulf Copper - but no case names AFDL-23 or ties a claim to this dock. Name-collision check: 'Adept' is unique to this dock in U.S. registry; Royal Navy namesakes exist but are distinguishable and litigation-irrelevant (HMS Adept W143, Assurance-class rescue tug lost off Kintyre 1942-03; HMS Adept P412, A-class submarine cancelled 1945).
- 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. The Pelaez case is employer-level litigation posture for the operating yard, not a finding about this dock - it is noted, not relied on. No asbestos opinion naming this dock was found by any instrument used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-10
-
[15]Batch-583 search ledger (this record): NVR quickfind detail; DANFS entry; Ships' Data 1945 p. 608; NARA/DVIDS photo records; marinelink 2003; shipbuildinghistory auxafd; NavSource 09/28/2823.htm; web-indexed litigation sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-adept-afdl23-01 through sl-uss-adept-afdl23-14
- 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-23/AFDL-23/Adept was found in the public sources searched - the NVR record, the DANFS entry, the Ships' Data 1945 tabulation, the NARA photograph records, the Maritime Reporter feature, the shipbuildinghistory table, and the NavSource page contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Two law-firm/aggregator asbestos pages name this hull in floating-drydock vessel lists; those are banned-source class, excluded, and noted only in the batch report.
- 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 unusually for this registry the hull still works commercially: any retained material passed to a commercial operator through a lease (by ~2001) and then a 2010 Navy sale, neither instrument's hazmat disclosures being located. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-11
-
[16]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Ch. IX (design description of the AFD and lengthened-AFDL types); station and lease records per ev-03, ev-06, ev-09; era asbestos framing per Corn & Starr (ev-13) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' and 'Auxiliary Floating Dock, Lengthened' paragraphs (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 shops, and crew accommodations within a welded-steel trough dock built 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 repair mission - first on destroyer escorts, submarines, tugs, and minesweepers at USCG Curtis Bay (1944-45), then on Pacific Fleet small combatants at advanced bases, and since ~2001 on Navy MCM/MHC hulls in commercial service - placed its crews around hull-insulation suites that commonly contained asbestos across the whole working life of the craft.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946 construction era; occupational pathway through service life
- Population
- Construction trades (Jacksonville, 1943-44); dock operating crews 1944-2010; Gulf Copper crews ~2001-present; crews of vessels under repair
- Limitations
- Design-level inference, not a hull record - the BuSandA history does not mention asbestos and does not name this dock. Asbestos presence aboard AFDL-23 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. The documented 2003-era removal of original diesel generators and decades of non-plan renewals cut both ways on survival - original equipment was removed, but in an undocumented scope. Establishes nothing about quantity, condition, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-12
-
[17]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-adept-afdl23-13
-
[18]NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index), entries 'AFDL-23 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' (two rows); NARA Special List 44 by Ship Numbers (AFD block absence verified by direct read) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index AFDL-23 lines (two entries); sl-44-ship-number.pdf AFD/AFDL block - no AFD-23 or AFDL-23 rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - record-holding mapping only): (a) NARA cartographic Ship Plan Index holds TWO plan entries for 'AFDL-23' on microfilm roll 385, identifier 63531026 - potential materials/machinery-layout sources; (b) NARA Special List 44 contains NO deck logs for AFD-23 or AFDL-23 (the AFD block runs AFD-15/-18/-19/-20/-21/-25/-26/-27/-28/-29/-30 plus AFDL-21/-29/-32) - wartime log holdings for this hull are absent from the list, a verified absence rather than an unsearched lead; (c) BuShips/BuSandA contract records for the George D. Auchter AFD contracts, the Gulf Copper lease instrument (by ~2001), and the 2010 Navy sale file would document builder assignment, the lengthening contract action, hazmat disclosures, and the sale buyer.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-2010 records
- Limitations
- Record-holding mapping only - no document-level retrieval performed (no reproduction spend authorized). Whether the microfilm plans or the contract/lease/sale files contain asbestos-specific information for this dock is unknown until surveyed. The SL-44 absence is itself a verified finding - do not list these deck logs as a pending lead. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-adept-afdl23-14