USS AFDB-3

Evidence

19 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-19).

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDB-3' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDB-3' returned 1 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-afdb-3-afdb3-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDB-3' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDB-3' returned 7 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-afdb-3-afdb3-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDB-3' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'AFDB-3' returned 6 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-afdb-3-afdb3-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDB-3' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'AFDB-3' returned 66 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-afdb-3-afdb3-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive - AFDB-3 (ex-ABSD-3) page, including US Navy and crew-contributed photographs and the Crosby docking-record PDF [other_primary]

   Locator

   AFDB-3 page - ship history section, specifications, commanding-officer list, photo captions (Apra Harbor industrial complex, Pennsylvania docking, crew photos)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Compiled service record: laid down date unknown as ABSD-3, a nine-section dock built in sections at four yards (A - Pollack & Stockton Shipbuilding Co., Stockton CA; B & F - Everett Pacific Co., Everett WA; C & E - Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Morgan City LA; D, G, H & I - Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Co., Pittsburgh PA); commissioned USS ABSD-3 27 October 1944, CDR Asel B. Kerr USN in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater; placed in service at Guam, Marianas Islands circa 1944; decommissioned 1 April 1946; reclassified AFDB-3 date unknown; disassembled at Guam and placed out of Naval service 1948; Section G laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs FL; struck from the Naval Register 1 August 1981; disposed of by transfer to Bath Iron Works 1 April 1982; final disposition sold to a shipyard in Croatia circa 1999. Specs: displacement 30,800 LT; 844 ft; beam 246 ft 5 in; complement 22 officers, 471 enlisted; armament 14x40mm, 14x20mm; callsign NIHB; awards American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, WWII Victory Medals. CO list: CDR Asel Bayless Kerr (27 Oct 1944 - 28 Dec 1944; 15 Feb 1945 - 17 Mar 1946), LCDR Leo Kampman (28 Dec 1944 - 15 Feb 1945; from 17 Mar 1946 - 1 Apr 1946 - NavSource shows '17 March 1945', a typo).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-2001

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary record (volunteer-maintained photo archive), not a primary registry - no DANFS entry exists for this hull, so NavSource is the most complete milestone record located. Milestone dates corroborated by NavalCoverMuseum and by the MARAD/court records for the 1981-82 tail. The 1999 Croatia date conflicts with the dated 2001 press account (ev-11); the 'eight sections' photo captioning and Section-B builder attribution conflict with the Colton builder table (ev-08/locator in gaps); CO list contains a visible '1945'/'1946' typo.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-01

6. [6]Crosby docking record, scanned handwritten log hosted on NavSource (6703a.pdf) [other_primary]

   Locator

   pages 1-7, 'SHIPS REPAIRED ON USS ABSD #3 Guam M.I.' columns date/type-number/name; entries transcribed by visual inspection of the page images

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Primary crew-kept docking log 'SHIPS REPAIRED ON USS ABSD #3, Guam M.I.' (George W. Crosby MoMM2/c; submitted by daughter Susan Crosby Gyllenskog; 7 scanned pages): roughly ninety dockings spanning exactly 5 March 1945 to 5 March 1946. First entry APA-157 (USS Napa) 3-5-45; named dockings include USS Minneapolis CA-36 (3-15-45), USS Wake Island CVE-65 (4-10-45), USS Idaho BB-42 (4-26-45), USS South Dakota BB-57 (5-15-45), USS Arkansas BB-33 (5-27-45), USS Pittsburgh CA-72 (6-15-45), USS Tillman DD-641 and USS Earle B. Hall DE-597 (~6-27-45), USS Rescue AH-18 (7-1-45), E.G. Acheson and USS Munsee ATF-107 (7-5-45), USS Curtiss AV-4 (7-10-45), USS St. George AV-16 (7-18-45), USS Pennsylvania BB-38 (9-7-45), USS Alimosa AK-156 and USS Mona Island ARG-9 (10-5-45), USCGC Papaw WAGL-308 and USS Wantuck APD-125 (10-8-45), 'AN #22 - U.S.S. MAHOGANY' (12-8-45), plus a roll of LST/LCI/LCT/LSM/LCM/SC/PC/PCE/YMS/APC/YT/YF auxiliaries and merchantmen (SS Abigail Adams, SS Ida M. Tarbell, SS Carlos J. Finlay, SS Elias Boudinot); last entries Army FS boats 3-5-46.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-03-05 to 1946-03-05

   Population

   ABSD-3 dock crew; crews and repair parties of ~90 docked vessels 1945-03-05 to 1946-03-05

   Limitations

   Handwritten log has no text layer - transcription is by visual inspection of scanned pages, so individual entries carry handwriting risk: 'AN #22 - MAHOGANY' conflicts with the hull register (AN-22 was Locust; Mahogany was AN-23); 'Y.D. - USS McInteze' and 'A.U. #22 - USS [illegible]' unresolved; several type codes (BCL, A.O.B./AOD, G.S., M.S.) not confidently resolvable. The log documents docking events, not the scope of work performed or materials encountered.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-02

7. [7]DANFS entry 'Pennsylvania (BB-38)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official NHHC entry); official photo 80-G-K-2106, National Archives collections [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Pennsylvania entry - 12 Aug 1945 torpedo hit, 6 Sep arrival Apra Harbor, drydock and steel patch, 4 Oct departure; photo 80-G-K-2106 data page

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Pennsylvania BB-38): hit by an aerial torpedo launched from a Japanese torpedo plane at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 12 August 1945 - 20 men killed, 10 injured; towed from Buckner Bay 18 August; 'arrived Apra Harbor, Guam 6 September and entered drydock where a large sheet steel patch was welded over the torpedo hole'; sailed 4 October for Puget Sound. The ABSD-3 crew log docks her 9-7-45, and official USN photo 80-G-K-2106 shows Pennsylvania in an advanced base sectional dock.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-08-12 to 1945-10-04

   Population

   Pennsylvania crew; ABSD-3 dock crew

   Limitations

   DANFS records the drydock at Apra Harbor but does not name the dock - the ABSD-3 identification rests on the Crosby log's 9-7-45 'B.B. #38 USS PENNSYLVANIA' entry and the crew-captioned photographs. DANFS records an aerial torpedo, not the 'kamikaze' of secondary accounts - correction carried. NHHC's 80-G-K-2106 catalog dates the photo 'circa 1944', inconsistent with the documented September 1945 docking. Live history.navy.mil DANFS page 404'd; HyperWar transcription used.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-03

8. [8]DANFS entry 'Idaho (BB-42)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official NHHC entry) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Idaho entry - 12 Apr 1945 kamikaze damage, 25 Apr arrival Guam, repairs, 22 May return to Okinawa

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Idaho BB-42): kamikaze near-miss off Okinawa 12 April 1945 damaged her port-side blisters; arrived Guam 25 April 1945 for repairs and returned to Okinawa 22 May. The ABSD-3 crew log docks her 4-26-45 - the day after arrival.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-04-12 to 1945-05-22

   Population

   Idaho crew; ABSD-3 dock crew

   Limitations

   DANFS places Idaho at Guam for repairs over the exact window the log shows her in ABSD-3, but does not name the dock. Wikipedia's claim that Idaho was repaired in ABSD-3 'after a kamikaze attack on the same day' conflates her 12 April damage with Pennsylvania's 12 August hit - error corrected in the record, not propagated.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-04

9. [9]DANFS entry 'South Dakota (BB-57)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official NHHC entry) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS South Dakota entry - 6 May 1945 powder explosion, Guam 11-29 May 1945

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (South Dakota BB-57): 16-inch powder explosion while rearming alongside Wrangell (AE-12) off Okinawa 6 May 1945 - 3 killed instantly, 8 died of injuries, 24 wounded; 'retired to Guam from 11 to 29 May'. The ABSD-3 crew log docks her 5-15-45.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-05-06 to 1945-05-29

   Population

   South Dakota crew; ABSD-3 dock crew

   Limitations

   Competing attribution: the ABSD-6 Wikipedia article claims this docking for ABSD-6. Both docks sat side-by-side at Apra Harbor; the ABSD-3 crew log explicitly lists '5-15-45 B.B. #57 USS SOUTH DAKOTA' - the primary log is carried for this record and the conflict flagged, not resolved. DANFS names Guam but not the dock.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-05

10. [10]DANFS entries 'Pittsburgh (CA-72)' and 'Munsee (ATF-107)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcriptions of the official NHHC entries) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS Pittsburgh entry - typhoon bow loss 4-5 Jun, Guam arrival 10 Jun, false bow, departure 24 Jun; DANFS Munsee entry - bow salvage tow

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    DANFS (Pittsburgh CA-72): lost ~100 ft of bow to a typhoon 4-5 June 1945, reached Guam 10 June under her own power, was fitted with a false bow and departed for Puget Sound 24 June; her severed bow ('McKeesport') was salvaged and towed to Guam by Munsee (ATF-107). The ABSD-3 crew log docks Pittsburgh 6-15-45 and Munsee 7-5-45.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1945-06-04 to 1945-07-05

    Population

    Pittsburgh crew; Munsee crew; ABSD-3 dock crew

    Limitations

    DANFS records the Guam repair and the Munsee salvage tow but does not name the dock; the log entries place both vessels inside ABSD-3. One of the best-corroborated dockings in the record.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-06

11. [11]DANFS entries 'Wake Island (CVE-65)', 'Arkansas (BB-33)', 'Minneapolis (CA-36)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcriptions of the official NHHC entries) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS Wake Island entry (explicit 'repairs in drydock' at Apra Harbor 10 Apr - 20 May); DANFS Arkansas entry (Apra Harbor 14 May - mid-June); DANFS Minneapolis entry (timeline)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    DANFS corroboration for three further dockings: Wake Island (CVE-65) - kamikaze hit 3 April 1945, 'arrived at Apra Harbor, Guam, on 10 April for repairs in drydock which lasted through 20 May' (log docks her 4-10-45); Arkansas (BB-33) - at Apra Harbor 14 May into mid-June after 46 days off Okinawa (log docks her 5-27-45); Minneapolis (CA-36) - timeline-consistent (Lingayen January 1945, Okinawa assault from 25 March; a 15 March Guam docking fits her staging window).

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1945-03 to 1945-06

    Population

    Wake Island, Arkansas, Minneapolis crews; ABSD-3 dock crew

    Limitations

    Wake Island is explicit - DANFS says 'repairs in drydock' at Apra Harbor during the log window. Arkansas is corroborating presence at Apra over the docking window; Minneapolis is timeline-consistency only - DANFS records neither her Guam presence nor a docking, so her 3-15-45 entry rests on the log alone.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-07

12. [12]Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946, Vol. I, Ch. IX (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official GPO history) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Chapter IX - ABSD program description, section machinery and habitability layout, ABSD-to-AFDB redesignation note, and the 'Advance Base Sectional Dock No. 3' illustration

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Official Bureau of Yards and Docks history (Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Ch. IX 'Floating Drydocks'): the ABSD program built 58 battleship-dock sections across 5 contractors/6 sites; battleship docks comprised ten 3,850-ton sections; each section carried two 525-hp diesels with 350-kW generators, pumps, evaporators, compressors, heating/ventilating; wing-wall dry compartments held repair and machine shops and storage; pontoon buoyancy compartments held quarters and galleys; two 15-ton portal jib cranes rode wing-wall rails. The chapter's lead illustration is 'Advance Base Sectional Dock No. 3.' Postwar, all ABSDs were redesignated AFDB (Auxiliary Floating Drydock Big).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1940-1946

    Population

    ABSD program construction and operating crews

    Limitations

    Program-level official history: the redesignation and program facts are authoritative; per-section machinery/habitability details describe the battleship-dock type, not this specific hull's surveyed configuration. The 'ten sections' standard conflicts with this dock's documented nine - flagged in gaps, not resolved. The chapter's use of ABSD-3 as the lead illustration is contextual, not a ship-specific finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-08

13. [13]Common Cause v. State, 455 A.2d 1 (Me. 1983), CourtListener opinion 1500846 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion text - facts section describing the AFDB-3 gratuitous-transfer arrangement; holding affirming judgment for defendants

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Common Cause v. State, 455 A.2d 1 (Me. 1983): Common Cause challenged as unconstitutional the package under which the federal government would gratuitously transfer 'a large floating dry dock ... an AFDB-3, having an adjusted capacity of 81,000 tons' to the State of Maine, which would retain title and lease it to Bath Iron Works for a Portland repair facility (rehabilitation: first $9M split equally, next $15.1M by the state, above $24.1M by BIW; $33M bond issue approved by voters 3 November 1981; final agreements 18 January 1982). After a 3.5-day trial the Superior Court ruled for defendants; the Maine Supreme Judicial Court affirmed 7 January 1983 on different grounds - the deal stood.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1981-1983

    Limitations

    OTHER LITIGATION, NOT ASBESTOS: a public-finance/constitutional challenge to the drydock transfer deal. It documents the disposition mechanism, the 81,000-ton adjusted capacity, and the state-title/BIW-lease structure; it contains no asbestos content, exposure, or abatement findings. CourtListener API throttled after this hit - the 'ABSD-3' variant and RECAP docket sweeps are blocked, not clean negatives.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-09

14. [14]MARAD Ship History / Vessel History Database - vessel 'AFDB-3 (SECTION G)', Detail/60 [marad_nrc]

    Locator

    Vessel detail page - build data, reserve-fleet entry/withdrawal dates, disposal status

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    MARAD official vessel-history record 'AFDB-3 (SECTION G)': year built 1944; shipyard Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Co.; entered Reserve Fleet 5/10/1979; withdrawn by Navy 4/16/1982; fate 'Returned - U.S.'; no historical narrative or documents currently available.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1982

    Limitations

    The record covers SECTION G only - it must not be generalized to the whole assembled dock. It names no reserve-fleet site (James River per secondary accounts; NavSource says Green Cove Springs for the post-1948 lay-up). The 4/16/1982 Navy withdrawal vs NavSource's 4/1/1982 transfer date is a date/description tension preserved rather than harmonized.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-10

15. [15]Bath Iron Works corporate history 'The Portland Ship Repair Facility' (gdbiw.com); AP via Seacoast Online 'Portland dry dock moving to Croatia' (2001-02-17); MarineLink 'Portland Drydock Arrives Aboard Blue Marlin' (2001); Peniston 'No Higher Honor' FFG-58 repair timeline and photo pages [reputable_press]

    Locator

    gdbiw.com legacy-vault 'The Portland Ship Repair Facility' and 'Dry Docks' pages; seacoastonline.com AP dispatch 2001-02-17 ($3M sale, $31.4M original cost, ~30 yrs Virginia storage, Shanghai replacement); marinelink.com news 318480 (Blue Marlin transport); navybook.com FFG-58 repair timeline and photo pages (1988-10-06 dock entry, 1989-04-01 undock)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Bath Iron Works era and Croatian sale: BIW's official history page describes the Portland facility built around 'a surplus WWII dock bought by the state of Maine from the U.S. Government and leased to BIW' (acquired 1981-1982; opened 1983; used to lift new-built DDGs for sonar-dome installation and to finish vessels built at Bath; BIW-era assembled length 744 ft). USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) entered the Portland drydock 6 October 1988 after the 14 April 1988 mine strike, had her engine room cut out and replaced with a 315-ton module, and undocked 1 April 1989 (~$89.5M; photographs by the ship's own auxiliaries engineering officer Mark S. Andolina). When BIW's new Land Level Transfer Facility and a new Shanghai-built floating dock (arrived February 2001) made the old sectional dock surplus, the State of Maine sold the 844-ft dock to Viktor Lenac Shipyard, Rijeka, Croatia for $3 million (sale reported February 2001); the AP dispatch adds that the dock was welded together in 1944 at an original cost of $31.4 million and spent ~30 years in storage in Virginia before coming to Portland. It was split in two and carried to Europe aboard Offshore Heavy Transport's Blue Marlin and Black Marlin (~May 2001) for Croatian shipbuilding/repair use.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1982-2001

    Population

    BIW Portland ship-repair workforce 1983-2001; FFG-58 repair workforce Oct 1988 - Apr 1989

    Limitations

    Core divestiture chain corroborated across the corporate history, the AP dispatch, and maritime press. Conflicts preserved not harmonized: 744 ft (BIW) vs 844 ft (NavSource/press); 'eight sections' in BIW-era captioning vs nine built; NavSource/Wikipedia 'circa 1999'/'2000' vs dated 2001 press account (press carried). The Peniston repair photos are a reputable secondary source by a participant, not an official Navy record; NHHC photo DN-ST-89-04390 corroborates FFG-58 in the dock.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-11

16. [16]Cross-source reconciliation - DANFS entries (ev-03/04), Peniston FFG-58 timeline (ev-11), AP/MarineLink 2001 dispatches (ev-11) vs Wikipedia ABSD-3 article, NavSource, and NavalCoverMuseum [other_primary]

    Locator

    comparison of secondary claims against primary/authoritative records as cited in ev-03, ev-04, ev-11

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Corrections applied against popular/secondary accounts: (1) Pennsylvania's 12 Aug 1945 damage was an aerial torpedo per DANFS, not the 'kamikaze' of secondary sources and photo captions; (2) Wikipedia's 'Idaho repaired after a kamikaze attack on the same day' misdates Idaho's damage - 12 April 1945, not 'the same day' as Pennsylvania's 12 August hit; (3) Wikipedia's 'May 1998' for the FFG-58 drydocking is wrong - documented as 6 Oct 1988 - 1 Apr 1989; (4) the Croatia sale/move is dated 2001 by contemporaneous press, not NavSource's 'circa 1999' or Wikipedia's 1999/2000; (5) NavalCoverMuseum's 'Completed May 1943' conflicts with the April 1944 delivery and May-1944 section completions - treated as a typo.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-2001

    Limitations

    Corrections are one-directional: primary/authoritative records (DANFS, the crew log, dated press) override secondary compilations. Wikipedia itself was used only as a lead/transcription aid, never as an evidence source.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-12

17. [17]Corn JK, Starr J. Am J Ind Med. 1987;11(3):359-73 (peer-reviewed program-level scholarship) [other_primary]

    Locator

    AJIM 11(3):359-373 - WWII shipbuilding asbestos policy and practice

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Corn & Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding' (American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11:359-373, 1987): extensive asbestos use is documented across WWII-era U.S. Navy shipbuilding - thermal insulation/lagging on steam and auxiliary piping and machinery, gaskets and packing, fireproofing - the program-level context in which a 1943-44 Navy service craft like this dock was built.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1939-1945

    Population

    WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding workforce

    Limitations

    Program-level scholarship, not hull-specific: it establishes that asbestos use was extensive in WWII Navy shipbuilding generally; it does not document asbestos aboard this dock, in what quantity, where, or in what condition. Used to frame era inference (ev-14) and never as a ship-specific finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-13

18. [18]Type/construction-era inference: non-self-propelled nine-section steel floating drydock (sections completed May 1944, four wartime yards) - per-section power/pump plant, wing-wall shops, pontoon accommodations per BuDocks official layout (ev-08); ~90 documented repair dockings 1945-46 (ev-02) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Type description and program layout (BuDocks official history, ev-08); docking log (ev-02); Corn & Starr era context (ev-13)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era inference for this hull type: with no propulsion plant, the asbestos-relevant spaces aboard a 1943-44 Navy sectional floating dock are the dock's own machinery and habitability spaces - thermal insulation and lagging in the per-section diesel/generator and pump/evaporator/compressor spaces; gaskets and packing in ballast, bilge, and service piping; fireproofing; insulation in the pontoon-compartment berthing, mess and galleys; brake linings on the two 15-ton portal cranes and capstan machinery. The documented mission adds a second pathway: ~90 repair dockings of era-built warships and merchantmen in one year, several battle-damaged (Pennsylvania, Idaho, South Dakota, Pittsburgh, Wake Island) - disturbed hull insulation aboard docked ships is a classic repair-yard exposure context, though the dock's own crew exposure to it is undocumented.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1942-present

    Population

    section-builders' construction trades 1942-44; dock crew 1944-1948; reserve-fleet custody personnel; State of Maine/BIW rehabilitation and ship-repair workforce 1982-2001; Viktor Lenac workforce 2001-present

    Limitations

    Type- and era-level inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record exists for this hull (see negative finding ev-15); this row must not be read as an independent ship-specific finding. A floating dock's machinery plant is far smaller than a powered ship's; inference weight is correspondingly narrower. Repair work on docked ships is context for the worksite, not proof of any individual's exposure. Does not establish that asbestos products were or remain aboard, nor quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-14

19. [19]Batch-563 search ledger (this record): NavSource + Crosby log PDF; DANFS consort entries via HyperWar/ibiblio; BuDocks official history; CourtListener API (hit then blocked); MARAD ShipHistory; gdbiw corporate history; AP/Seacoast + MarineLink; Peniston FFG-58 record; NavalCoverMuseum; Colton builder table; NHHC photo catalog; web-index litigation/marketing sweeps [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-01 through sl-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat or donation-condition disclosure, or qualifying asbestos-litigation opinion was found for this dock in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). One qualifying case names the hull - Common Cause v. State, 455 A.2d 1 (Me. 1983) - classified other litigation (public-finance challenge to the transfer deal, affirmed for defendants), not asbestos litigation (ev-09). CourtListener API v4 returned that hit on the first query and then throttled (HTTP 429, '125/day'); the 'ABSD-3' name variant and RECAP docket sweeps are blocked, not clean negatives. A web-index sweep of 'ABSD-3'/'AFDB-3' with asbestos/lawsuit/mesothelioma terms found no qualifying litigation - the hull name is low-collision - but did surface asbestos-marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com, duboselawfirm.com, freeasbestostesting.com) carrying thin boilerplate on this hull: excluded per batch rules (law-firm/marketing sources are never evidence).

    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 - 1944 construction is era-consistent with retained asbestos materials, and the dock's post-2001 whereabouts and condition are themselves undocumented. A throttled CourtListener API means the litigation sweep may be incomplete; the blocked queries are recorded gaps, not a clean negative. Marketing-page coverage of this hull is excluded by rule and was not treated as evidence. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-3-afdb3-15