USS AFDB-5

Evidence

20 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-20).

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDB-5' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDB-5' 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-5-afdb5-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDB-5' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDB-5' 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-5-afdb5-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDB-5' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'AFDB-5' 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-5-afdb5-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDB-5' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'AFDB-5' returned 67 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-5-afdb5-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. Great American Ins. Co. of New York, 822 F.3d 620 (2d Cir. 2016) (aff'g 10 F. Supp. 3d 460 (S.D.N.Y. 2014)), official slip opinion deposited with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts via govinfo [court_record]

   Locator

   Slip opinion pp. 7-13 (facts: 1944 Navy construction, pontoons A-H, deterioration reports, sinking and cleanup) and p. 13 n.8 (asbestos footnote); 'AFDB-5 Drydock' named at p. 58 (quoting Haley affidavit, J.A. 1852)

   Finding type

   abatement_record

   Finding

   Affirmed federal appellate findings document asbestos content aboard this craft: 'the dry dock contained substantial amounts of asbestos and related contaminants' (Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. Great American Ins. Co. of New York, 822 F.3d 620 (2d Cir. 2016), slip op. at 13 n.8, affirming 10 F. Supp. 3d 460 (S.D.N.Y. 2014)). The same findings record that the dry dock - 'the AFDB-5 Drydock' owned and operated by Signal International, built in 1944 at the direction of the U.S. Navy, of eight pontoons designated 'A' through 'H' - sank at its Port Arthur berth on 2009-08-20 during removal of Pontoon H, that the Texas General Land Office ordered recovery from Texas coastal waters, and that Weeks Marine-managed removal and cleanup ran June 2010 to March 2012 at a cost of $12,395,026.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2009-2012

   Population

   Salvage/remediation workers (Weeks Marine) and Texas GLO-regulated site, 2009-2012

   Limitations

   Judicial finding at the affirmed-judgment stage (strongest procedural posture) documenting asbestos CONTENT in the dry dock during commercial-era removal/cleanup - not exposure, causation, or injury. Does not identify asbestos-containing products, fiber type, quantity, or locations; does not date the material to 1943-44 Navy construction vs. post-1984 commercial modification; does not document exposure of any person. The case is insurance litigation, not an asbestos personal-injury action.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-01

6. [6]Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. Great American Ins. Co. of New York, 822 F.3d 620 (2d Cir. 2016), official slip opinion (Nos. 14-1346-cv(L), 14-3079-cv), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit via govinfo USCOURTS collection [court_record]

   Locator

   Entire 81-page slip opinion; case caption p. 1; procedural history pp. 4-7; 'AFDB-5 Drydock' p. 58

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   OTHER LITIGATION (not asbestos exposure litigation): Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. Great American Ins. Co. of New York, 822 F.3d 620 (2d Cir. 2016), affirming 10 F. Supp. 3d 460 (S.D.N.Y. 2014). Marine-insurance coverage dispute over the 2009 sinking of the AFDB-5 dry dock at Port Arthur: the district court voided the Great American pollution policy and MSI excess property policy for nondisclosure/material misrepresentation of the dock's deteriorated condition (2002-2009 Heger and DLS survey reports), and the Second Circuit affirmed. Signal International, LLC identified in the record as 'the owner and operator of the AFDB-5 Drydock'; dock built 1944 at direction of the U.S. Navy, acquired by the Port of Port Arthur, leased then purchased by Signal (early 2005).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2002-2016 (litigation over 2009 sinking and prior nondisclosure)

   Population

   Signal International LLC and marine insurers; dry dock as insured property

   Limitations

   Classified at affirmed-judgment stage for the insurance issues actually adjudicated; the opinion's asbestos-content recital (n.8) is a factual finding on the record, not an adjudicated exposure issue. This is NOT qualifying asbestos litigation - no plaintiff alleges asbestos injury aboard this craft, no asbestos products are litigated, and the record establishes no exposure pathway or causation. CourtListener docket-level history not retrieved (rate limit); further procedural history (mandamus/certiorari) not surveyed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-02

7. [7]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, AFDB-5 (ex USS ABSD-5) page, navsource.net/archives/09/67/6749.htm (last updated 2014-10-24) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Registry block (top of page), specifications block, commanding-officer table, and 'no DANFS History' note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Registry-style data: AFDB-5 ex USS ABSD-5 'Sections, A through G,' AFDB-4 class large auxiliary floating dry dock; laid down (date unknown) as ABSD-5 at Navy Yard Mare Island, Vallejo, CA; commissioned USS ABSD-5 1944-06-15, CDR John P. Millon USN in command (tour to 1946-05-15); WWII assignment Asiatic-Pacific Theater at Guiuan, Samar, Philippine Islands; reclassified AFDB-5 (date unknown); struck from the Naval Register 1984-01-12; 'final disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications as published: displacement 30,800 t (lt), length 825', beam 246'5", draft 8'8" (lt) / 67'4" (subm. max), complement 187, armament fourteen single 40mm AA and fourteen single 20mm AA mounts. No DANFS history exists for this craft (NavSource note).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1984

   Population

   CDR John P. Millon and dock crew, 1944-1946

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation of official registry data, not an official Navy source; figures are carried as published there and are not verified against primary records. Conflicts with secondary compilations (builder, beam 256', complement 690, stricken 1989-04-15, 'scrapped 1997') are logged in gaps and the correction row rather than merged. 'Commissioned 1944-06-15' precedes the documented Leyte arrival of sections (1945-02-24); commissioning of ABSD units predated forward assembly.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-03

8. [8]DANFS, 'Undaunted II (ATR-126)' entry (NHHC ship-history page; live URL 404 this pass - text verified from Internet Archive Wayback capture 2024-05-25 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/u/undaunted-ii.html) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Undaunted II (ATR-126) narrative, second paragraph (18 Nov 1944 - 24 Feb 1945 chronology)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   DANFS (official USN ship history) documents the ABSD-5 transit: fleet tug USS Undaunted (ATA-199) 'put to sea [from New Orleans on 18 November 1944] to rendezvous with a convoy bound for the Panama Canal with sections of an advance base dock ABSD-5 in tow,' acted as retriever tug, transited the Canal (arriving Canal Zone 29 November), then 'departed the Canal Zone again acting as the retriever tug for a Philippine-bound convoy, steamed via the Marshalls and Carolines, and arrived at Leyte on 24 February 1945.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-11-18 to 1945-02-24

   Population

   ABSD-5 sections under tow; USS Undaunted (ATA-199) crew

   Limitations

   Establishes that ABSD-5 sections transited from the U.S. Gulf Coast through the Panama Canal and that the convoy's retriever tug reached Leyte 1945-02-24; the DANFS text does not separately state the sections' own arrival date at Leyte (read as traveling with the convoy), does not name the convoy's other tugs or the fabricating yard, and does not prove every section transited this route. Cited via Wayback capture because the live NHHC page currently returns 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-04

9. [9]Naval History and Heritage Command, Seabee unit histories: 'Construction Battalion Detachment 1053 - Historical Information' and 'Construction Battalion Detachment 1055 - Historical Information' (NHHC Seabee Museum UnitListPages PDFs) [other_primary]

   Locator

   CBD 1053 log entries 3-5-45, 5-1-45, 5-04-45, 5-05-45, 5-15-45, 7-27-45 and 'CBDI053' narrative + 11 Aug 1945 itinerary (pp. 2-3 of PDF); CBD 1055 log entries 12-12-44, 1-20-45

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official NHHC Seabee unit histories (compilations of dated Navy dispatches) document ABSD-5's assembly at Samar: CinCPoA dispatch traffic ordered CBD 1053's advance echelon to Leyte 'in connection with the assembly of ABSD-5' (disp. 280110, logged 3-5-45); CBD 1053 Section Two (approx. half of the ~370-man detachment; ~170 men transferred) arrived Samar 1945-04-07 and 'engaged in assembling the ABSD #5' while Section One remained at Guam on ABSD-6; on 1945-07-01 Section Two moved headquarters to Manicani Island; the 7th Fleet June report describes Det. 1053 (Sec 2) 'at Guiuan, Samar... a drydock assembly unit assembling ABSD #5.' Companion unit CBD 1055 was inactivated and consolidated into CBD 1053 effective 1945-02-02.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-12 to 1945-11

   Population

   CBD 1053 Sections One/Two and CBD 1055 personnel (~370 men combined)

   Limitations

   Documents the assembly UNIT and its locations/dates - Seabee personnel assembling ABSD-5 - not the dock's own deck-log record. OCR of the scanned dispatches is rough; dates and ABSD-5 references quoted were read in context. Establishes assembly in progress April-July 1945+ at Samar/Manicani; does not state a completion date and does not document materials used in the dock itself.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-05

10. [10]USN photo 80-G-347088 (National Archives RG 80-G series), caption transcribed at NavSource Battleship Photo Archive, USS Mississippi (BB-41) page; DANFS Mississippi II (BB-41) for damage chronology [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource BB-41 page, photo caption block for 80-G-347088 ('Photograph received 6 July 1945'); DANFS BB-41 at ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/BB/bb41.html

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Documented docking: official U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-347088 shows 'Mississippi (BB-41), 1st battleship dry-docked for repair at Guiuan, Samar Islands, Philippines in ABSD-5. Photograph received 6 July 1945' (caption as transcribed by NavSource, credited to USN photo 80-G-347088 via National Museum of the U.S. Navy). The DANFS entry for USS Mississippi (BB-41) independently documents that a kamikaze struck her starboard side at Okinawa on 1945-06-05 and she remained in action until 1945-06-16 - the operational context for the July 1945 docking.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1945-07

    Population

    USS Mississippi (BB-41) crew and ABSD-5 repair personnel

    Limitations

    Caption transcription carried via NavSource (secondary host); the underlying NARA catalog record and the NHHC photo-catalog entry were not independently retrieved this pass (NARA catalog is JS-rendered; NHHC photo URLs returned 404). Establishes the docking event, not the extent of repairs performed or materials used. DANFS BB-41 entry does not itself mention the ABSD-5 docking.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-06

11. [11]NavSource Online, AFDB-5 page, photo caption for USS Audubon (APA-149) in USS ABSD-5, Guiuan, Samar, August 1945 [other_primary]

    Locator

    Image table on AFDB-5 page (single captioned photo)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Documented docking: NavSource AFDB-5 photo page displays 'USS Audubon (APA-149) in floating dry dock USS ABSD-5, at Guiuan, Samar, August 1945' (photo courtesy of the USS Audubon crew files).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1945-08

    Population

    USS Audubon (APA-149) crew and ABSD-5 personnel

    Limitations

    Crew-files photograph hosted by NavSource - provenance is 'USS Audubon crew files,' not a numbered official photo; corroborates ABSD-5 operational at Guiuan in August 1945 alongside the 80-G-347088 Mississippi photo. Does not document repair scope or materials.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-07

12. [12]Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, 'Bethlehem Steel's Huge Drydock At New Sabine Yard In Texas To [be operational]' (Dec 1984 issue) and 'Three Major Beth Steel Programs Highlight New Offerings' (Sept 1985 issue), magazines.marinelink.com archive [reputable_press]

    Locator

    Dec 1984 article paragraphs 1-4; Sept 1985 article paragraphs 1-3

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Postwar disposition: Maritime Reporter (December 1984) documented the 'U.S. Navy surplus drydock (AFDB-5)' berthed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, scheduled to arrive at Bethlehem Steel's new Sabine Yard on Pleasure Island, Port Arthur, Texas in late December 1984, with ownership 'transferred from the U.S. General Services Administration to the State of Texas to the Port of Port Arthur' under a port/Bethlehem operating agreement. Maritime Reporter (September 1985) added that the 'eight-section, ex-U.S. Navy drydock (built during World War II) was transported from Pearl Harbor to the Gulf aboard the heavy-lift vessels Dyvi Tern and Dyvi Tial, each carrying four sections,' for modification and reactivation at Bethlehem's Beaumont yard - a 64,000-ton-capacity dock.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1984-1985

    Population

    Port of Port Arthur, Bethlehem Steel Sabine Yard

    Limitations

    Trade-press reporting of the disposal/transfer - establishes AFDB-5's Pearl Harbor berthing (as of Dec 1984), the GSA-to-Texas-to-Port-of-Port-Arthur ownership chain, and the heavy-lift transport; does not document when or why the craft moved from Samar to Pearl Harbor between 1946 and 1984. 'Eight sections' here conflicts with NavSource's 'A through G' - logged in gaps. 64,000-ton capacity figure is the Port Arthur configuration.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-08

13. [13]SNAME technical paper, 'World's First Convertible Floating Dry Dock' (Bethlehem Steel Corp., Sabine Yard, Port Arthur), indexed by TRID (Transportation Research Board), trid.trb.org/view/401884 [reputable_press]

    Locator

    TRID record abstract (1988)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Port Arthur conversion: an SNAME technical paper ('World's First Convertible Floating Dry Dock,' indexed in TRID/TRB) describes conversion of 'the former U.S. Navy dry dock AFDB-5, built in 1944' at Bethlehem's Sabine Yard into the world's first floating dry dock convertible between normal configuration (829 ft x 122 ft) and an extra-wide drill-rig configuration (413 ft x 364 ft), using quick-disconnect pin connections and computer-controlled ballasting/deballasting.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1985-1988

    Population

    Bethlehem Steel Sabine Yard engineering workforce

    Limitations

    Index abstract only - full paper not retrieved. Documents the 1985-88 engineering conversion (explaining the 'eight pontoons A-H' and convertible configuration described in the later court record); does not address materials removed or added during conversion, including any insulation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-09

14. [14]Bureau of Yards and Docks, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the BuDocks and the Civil Engineer Corps, U.S. Navy (GPO 1947), Vol. I, Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ch. IX, pp. 209-213 (ABSD definition p. 209; machinery and construction pp. 212-213)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    ABSD class design (official Bureau of Yards and Docks history): 'ABSD - Advance Base Sectional Dock. Mobile, military, steel dock, either (a) of ten sections of 10,000 tons lifting capacity each, or (b) of seven sections of 8,000 tons lifting capacity, for battleships, carriers, cruisers, and large auxiliaries.' Wing walls were lowered to horizontal for ocean towing; on arrival 'the wing walls were first raised again to their normal position and the sections then aligned and connected.' 'Each section was equipped with two 525-h.p. diesel engines directly connected to 350-k.w. generators, and with pumps evaporators, compressors, and heating and ventilating apparatus. No propulsion machinery was provided.' Two portal jib cranes (15-ton at 85-ft radius) traveled on rails atop the wing walls. 'The 58 sections required for these docks were constructed by five contractors at six different sites, including four on the West Coast, one on the Gulf Coast, and one near Pittsburgh on the Ohio River.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-1945

    Population

    ABSD-class floating dry docks and their crews

    Limitations

    Class/type-level design description - does not name ABSD-5 or AFDB-5, does not identify which contractors built which dock's sections, and says nothing about insulating materials aboard any particular dock. Cannot support ship-specific claims; carried for design context and to explain the multi-yard construction pattern.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-10

15. [15]Bureau of Yards and Docks, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Vol. I, Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ch. IX, p. 209 (nomenclature paragraph)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    1946 nomenclature revision (official BuDocks history): 'These classifications were modified in 1946 in order to make the standard nomenclature of floating drydocks consistent and more descriptive. Four class designations were established, as follows: AFDB - Auxiliary Floating Drydock Big. 30,000 tons and larger. AFDM - Auxiliary Floating Drydock Medium... Under this modification, the ABSD's were redesignated AFDB's; the ARD's became AFDU's; the RDC's became AFDL(C)'s; the AFD's became AFDL's; and the YFD's became AFDM's.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1946

    Population

    all ABSD-class docks

    Limitations

    Establishes the ABSD-to-AFDB redesignation mechanism and year (1946) but does not give ABSD-5's individual reclassification date - that date remains unverified.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-11

16. [16]Bureau of Yards and Docks, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Vol. II, Chapter XXIX 'Bases in the Philippines' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ch. XXIX, pp. 382-384 (Manicani Island paragraphs)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Base context (official BuDocks history, Philippines chapter): 'A major destroyer repair base and a ship repair unit were built on Manicani Island, 8 miles west of Guiuan,' including 'wharves, berths for several large floating drydocks,' and 'at least six floating drydocks, including the giant sectional ABSD's, were brought to Manicani Island.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1945

    Population

    Manicani Island destroyer repair base personnel

    Limitations

    Describes the Manicani Island repair base and the presence of giant sectional ABSDs there without naming ABSD-5 specifically; the ship-specific tie of ABSD-5 to Manicani comes from the CBD 1053 record (ev-05) and photo captions (ev-06, ev-07). Context only.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-12

17. [17]Batch-565 search ledger (this record): CourtListener courtlistener.com queries 'ABSD-5', 'AFDB-5', 'Fireman's Fund Great American'; secondary legal search results verified against official govinfo USCOURTS deposit [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-07 through sl-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-10

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Negative finding - no qualifying asbestos litigation: no asbestos personal-injury, wrongful-death, or exposure case naming AFDB-5, ABSD-5, or this dry dock was located in the sources searched. CourtListener opinion search for 'ABSD-5' returned no result; subsequent 'AFDB-5' and case-name queries were blocked by CourtListener rate limiting (HTTP 429, 125/day cap; HTTP 202/empty responses). The only docketed litigation identified is insurance-coverage litigation (ev-02), classified as other litigation.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    2026-09-19 to 2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Absence of a located case is not proof none exists: CourtListener coverage is incomplete for state-court asbestos dockets and the hull-number/name queries were cut short by documented rate limiting. A name match would not itself have been a qualifying case. Asbestos exposure litigation, if any exists, is unresolved rather than disproven.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-13

18. [18]Batch-565 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS index, Naval Vessel Register SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_AFDB_5.HTML, official BuDocks history chs. IX and XXIX, NHHC Seabee unit histories CBD 1053/1055, NavSource AFDB-5 page [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-01 through sl-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-06

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Negative finding - no Navy-era asbestos record: no wartime or Navy-period materials survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or ship-specific materials statement for ABSD-5/AFDB-5 was located in the sources searched. No DANFS entry exists for this craft (NavSource note), the Naval Vessel Register detail page exposes no hull data, and the only asbestos documentation located is the commercial-era contamination finding in the 2016 appellate record (ev-01).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-2012 (documentary coverage searched); findings concern 2009-2012

    Limitations

    The documented asbestos (ev-01) is dated to the craft's commercial period at Port Arthur; whether it was installed during original 1943-44 Navy construction, during the 1985-88 Bethlehem conversion, or during later commercial operation cannot be determined from located records. Absence of a located Navy-era record is not evidence that Navy-period asbestos did or did not exist.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-14

19. [19]Batch-565 source-conflict analysis (this record): NavSource AFDB-5 page; ShipbuildingHistory Mare Island yard table (shipbuildinghistory.com, lead only); Maritime Reporter Dec 1984/Sept 1985; 822 F.3d 620 (2d Cir. 2016); secondary compilations (Wikipedia-derived) [other_primary]

    Locator

    gaps array (this record); evidence rows ev-01, ev-03, ev-08

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Correction/conflict record - unresolved source conflicts documented so a future pass does not re-attach them silently: (1) builder - Mare Island Navy Yard (NavSource; ShipbuildingHistory Mare Island table lists 'ABSD 5' delivered Nov-44, 'Later AFDB 5') vs Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., Morgan City, LA (secondary compilations); BuDocks confirms sections were built by five contractors at six sites, so both may be partially true. (2) Section count - 'A through G' (NavSource) vs eight pontoons 'A' through 'H' (court record and Maritime Reporter, Port Arthur era) vs nine (secondary). (3) Complement - 187 (NavSource) vs 690 (secondary). (4) Beam - 246'5" (NavSource) vs 256' (secondary). (5) Lift capacity - 64,000-ton (Maritime Reporter, Port Arthur config) vs 90,000-ton (secondary). (6) Stricken - 1984-01-12 (NavSource, consistent with 1984 GSA transfer) vs 1989-04-15 (secondary). (7) Disposition - 'scrapped in 1997' (secondary) contradicted by affirmed court record showing the dock operating at Port Arthur until its 2009 sinking.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Records disagreements among sources without resolving them where no primary record decides the question. ShipbuildingHistory and Wikipedia-derived figures were used as leads only and are not cited as independent evidence; no claim in this record depends on the losing side of any conflict.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-15

20. [20]NARA record groups referenced (RG 80-G still pictures; RG 24 deck logs; BuShips/BuDocks contract records); S.D.N.Y. No. 10-cv-1653 joint appendix (referenced within 822 F.3d 620); Texas GLO recovery order referenced at slip op. p. 13 [other_primary]

    Locator

    archival-lead mapping; not a contents claim

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (unretrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 80-G still-picture record for USN photo 80-G-347088 (Mississippi in ABSD-5, received 6 Jul 1945) and any companion ABSD-5 construction/operations photography; (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs and any ABSD-5/AFDB-5 administrative records, plus BuShips/BuDocks construction-contract files for the ABSD program (would resolve builder attribution); (c) the joint-appendix record in No. 10-cv-1653 (S.D.N.Y.), including the 2002-2009 Heger Dry Dock survey reports and DLS surveys describing the dock's physical condition - the likeliest source of asbestos-product detail; (d) Texas General Land Office spill/recovery file and Weeks Marine removal documentation for the 2009-2012 salvage (would document asbestos handling during demolition).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Record-group and file mapping only - identifies where hull-specific and materials records likely live; none of these records was retrieved or reviewed this pass, so nothing here is evidence about this craft's materials. The Heger/DLS surveys and GLO file are the most promising leads for dating or locating the documented asbestos.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-5-afdb5-16