USS AFDB-6

Evidence

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

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDB-6' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDB-6' 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-6-afdb6-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDB-6' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDB-6' 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-6-afdb6-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDB-6' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'AFDB-6' 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-6-afdb6-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDB-6' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'AFDB-6' 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-6-afdb6-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, AFDB-6 ex USS ABSD-6 (page 09/67/6706, last updated 31 October 2025) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 09/67/6706 - chronology block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, ~20 photo captions (09670603-09670609, 04087xxx series, LST/LSM/LCI/Torrance/Zeilin/Holland images)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive compiled record identifies this hull: 'AFDB-6 ex USS ABSD-6', call sign NWBA, filed under 'AFDB-4 Class Advance Base Section Dock'; laid down date unknown at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA; commissioned USS ABSD-6 28 September 1944 with CDR Girvin B. Wait, USNR, in command; assigned Asiatic-Pacific Theater, Apra Harbor, Guam, Marianas Islands; decommissioned 29 June 1946; laid up in the Reserve Fleet; redesignated Large Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock AFDB-6 (date unknown); final disposition 'sold for scrapping, 1 January 1976 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service.' Spec block: 30,800 t (lt), 825 ft, 246 ft 5 in beam, 8 ft 8 in (lt) / 67 ft 4 in (subm. max.) draft, complement 187, armament fourteen single 40mm + fourteen single 20mm AA mounts. Commanding officers: Wait (28 Sep 1944 - 7 Nov 1945), CDR Thomas Smith Thorne USN USNA 1920 (7 Nov 1945 - 25 Mar 1946), LCDR Ralph Alvin Wiley USN (25 Mar 1946 - 29 Jun 1946). Awards: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Page states no DANFS history exists for ABSD-6/AFDB-6. Roughly 20 captioned photographs document the dock at Apra 1945-46, including the Industrial Department aerial (ABSD-3 + ABSD-6 center with storage island ARDC-3; ARD-24 and ARD-26 in background), maximum-submergence test, 10 February 1945 personnel inspection, and the docked-vessel series summarized in ev-02.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1976

   Population

   ABSD-6 commissioned crew (type complement 187); ship-repair workforce at Apra Harbor

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with official program documentation on designation and wartime station but unverified for dates marked 'unknown' (laid down, launch, reclassification). Spec block and complement are 7-section type figures, not hull-surveyed values. A second NavSource page (14/0106) files the same hull under 'ABSD-6 / AFDB-6' with commissioning and decommissioning 'date unknown' - an internal inconsistency within the same archive, flagged in gaps. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-01

6. [6]Naval Historical Center / U.S. National Archives official photographs via NHHC Online Library and NavSource captions: NH 99118 (Makin Island); 80-G-379466/379467/379468/379469, 80-N-379472 (LSTs); 80-G-399555 (Torrance); NHHC Stillwater collection (Holland); Eyerman/LIFE (Duluth); Bureau of Ships Journal Vol. 1 p.7 May 1952 (assembly and tow photos) [museum_official]

   Locator

   NHHC Online Library CVE-93 page (NH 99118 caption quoted verbatim); NavSource 09/67/6706 photo-caption table for the NARA-numbered images; commons.wikimedia.org file pages ABSD6assemblingApraHarbor1945.jpg and ABSD6underTowSectionD.jpg (source field 'UN [sic] Navy Bureau of Ships Journal, Volume 1, page 7 May 1952')

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official U.S. Navy / National Archives / NHHC photo-caption documentation of the dock at work at Apra Harbor, Guam: (1) USS Makin Island (CVE-93) 'halfway into floating drydock ABSD-6, at Guam, 8 June 1945' - official Navy photo NH 99118, Naval Historical Center collections, verified via the NHHC Online Library page; (2) USS LST-643 and USS LST-759 approaching, entering, and in the forward end of ABSD-6, 29 May 1945 - NARA photos 80-G-379466/379467/379468; (3) USS LST-646 and USS LST-662 approaching and in the aft end, 29 May 1945 - NARA 80-G-379469 and 80-N-379472; (4) USS Torrance (AKA-76) entering the dock at Guam 8 August 1945 - NARA 80-G-399555, and in dock 9-17 August 1945; (5) USS Duluth (CL-87) in ABSD-6 'between 14 June and 5 July' 1945 and at the Guam fleet anchorage 2-4 July - J. R. Eyerman LIFE photographs plus Navy photos, with one caption 'entering USS ABSD-6, 8 July 1945'; (6) USS Holland (AS-3) 'afloat in USS ABSD-6 at Apra Harbor, Guam, in August 1945 having Mount 52 removed as part of her conversion by ship's company to an internal combustion engine repair ship (ARG-18). Mount 53, aft, was also removed using the dock's crane' - NHHC Stillwater collection; (7) USS South Dakota (BB-57) 'drydocked' in ABSD-6 'after an accidental explosion, 6 May 1945, while rearming from USS Wrangell (AE-12)' - US Navy photo, see ev-03 for the competing-attribution caveat; (8) further dockings LCI(G)-80 and LCI(G)-449, LSM-32 with LCI(L)-992, LSM-112 and LSM-334 together 27 July 1945, LSM-279 15 January 1946, LSM-27, LSM-491/LSM-308, LSM-348/LSM-85, USS Zeilin (APA-3) approaching, and an October 1945 dock view (YMS-357, SC-1041, LSM-163, APc-103, APc-98, partial USS Spear AM-322, USS Staff AM-114). Two further official photos - 'ABSD-6 being assembled at Apra Harbor, Guam' and 'ABSD-6's Section D and one crane under tow to Guam' - are sourced to the official U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships Journal, Volume 1, page 7 (May 1952), as reproduced on Wikimedia Commons.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-02 to 1946-01

   Population

   ABSD-6 dock crew; crews and repair parties of the documented docked vessels (Makin Island, LSTs 643/759/646/662, Torrance, Duluth, Holland, South Dakota, LSM/LCI/LCT craft)

   Limitations

   Photo captions document dockings, not the scope of work performed or materials encountered. NH 99118 is verified against the NHHC Online Library catalog page; the NARA-numbered captions are carried via NavSource transcription (one number '80-G-37967' appears truncated in the source - likely 80-G-379671). The Bureau of Ships Journal provenance for the assembly/tow photos is asserted by the Commons reproducer, not re-verified against the journal itself - journal retrieval is an archival lead (ev-16). Duluth caption dates are internally inconsistent (14 Jun - 5 Jul vs 'entering 8 July') - flagged in gaps. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-02

7. [7]DANFS entry 'South Dakota (BB-57)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official NHHC entry); NavSource ABSD-6 photo caption (US Navy photo, courtesy of Mauer D. Rell, S1/c USS South Dakota, via Cathy Verschelden); Crosby 'SHIPS REPAIRED ON USS ABSD #3 Guam M.I.' log (batch-563 record, 6703a.pdf) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS South Dakota entry - 6 May 1945 explosion and 'retired to Guam from 11 to 29 May'; NavSource 09/67/6706 BB-57 photo caption; Crosby log page (batch-563) '5-15-45 B.B. #57 USS SOUTH DAKOTA'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (South Dakota BB-57): on 6 May 1945 while rearming from Wrangell (AE-12) a tank of 16-inch high-capacity powder exploded, causing a fire and exploding four more tanks; Turret No. 2 magazines were flooded; three men killed instantly, eight more died of injuries, 24 wounded; 'the ship retired to Guam from 11 to 29 May when she sailed for Leyte.' A US Navy photo carried on the ABSD-6 NavSource page captions her 'drydocked' in ABSD-6 'after an accidental explosion, 6 May 1945' (photo contributed by a South Dakota crewman). COMPETING ATTRIBUTION: sister dock ABSD-3's crew-kept docking log (Crosby record, hosted on the ABSD-3 NavSource page) lists 'B.B. #57 USS SOUTH DAKOTA' docked 5-15-45 - inside the same 11-29 May Guam window. The two docks sat side-by-side at Apra Harbor; DANFS names the island but not the dock.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-05-06 to 1945-05-29

   Population

   South Dakota crew; ABSD-6 and ABSD-3 dock crews

   Limitations

   The battleship's presence at Guam 11-29 May is DANFS-verified; the dock assignment is contested: an undated official photo caption says ABSD-6, a dated handwritten crew log says ABSD-3. Both claims are carried and the conflict is flagged unresolved rather than adjudicated - a ship could conceivably have used both docks, but no source documents that. The photo caption's '6 May 1945' is the explosion date, not a docking date. Not an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-03

8. [8]DANFS entry 'Makin Island (CVE-93)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official NHHC entry); official photo NH 99118, Naval Historical Center collections (NHHC Online Library) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Makin Island entry - Guam arrival 5 June, departure 11 July 1945; NHHC Online Library USN Ships CVE-93 page - NH 99118 caption

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Makin Island CVE-93): after 67 days on station off Okinawa she was 'relieved 1 June, the carrier sailed for Guam, arriving 5 June. She sailed again 11 July to provide air cover for ships conducting minesweeping and raiding operations in the East China Sea.' Official Navy photo NH 99118 shows her 'halfway into floating drydock ABSD-6, at Guam, 8 June 1945' - inside the documented Guam window.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-06-05 to 1945-07-11

   Population

   Makin Island crew; ABSD-6 dock crew

   Limitations

   DANFS places the carrier at Guam over the exact window the official photo shows her entering ABSD-6 but does not name the dock; the identification rests on the NHHC photo caption. One of the cleanest corroborated dockings in the record. Not an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-04

9. [9]DANFS entry 'Duluth (CL-87)' (transcription via ussduluth.org of the official NHHC entry; NHHC Online Library USN Ships CL-87 page corroborates 'bow was damaged in a typhoon on 5 June ... repaired during the next month'); Eyerman/LIFE and US Navy photo captions via NavSource 09/67/6706 and CL-87 pages [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Duluth entry - 5 June typhoon bow damage, Guam repairs, TF38 rejoin 21 July; NavSource photo captions 0408713-0408722 and 09670601/09670609 series

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (Duluth CL-87): 'Severe structural damage to her bow suffered in a typhoon 5 June forced her to return to Guam for repairs, but she rejoined Task Force 38 on 21 July.' Photographic documentation places her inside ABSD-6: J. R. Eyerman LIFE photographs show Duluth 'in drydock USS ABSD-6 between 14 June and 5 July' and 'entering and being worked on in advance base drydock USS ABSD-6 ... between 2 and 4 July 1945'; US Navy photos carry 'drydocked in advanced base drydock USS ABSD-6 in Apra Harbor, Guam ... from 14 June to 5 July 1945' and 'entering USS ABSD-6, 8 July 1945.' The 8 July 'entering' caption is inconsistent with the 5 July undock - possibly a second docking, a caption error, or assembly in progress; flagged in gaps.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-06-05 to 1945-07-21

   Population

   Duluth crew; ABSD-6 dock crew

   Limitations

   DANFS verified the Guam repair window but does not name the dock; the Eyerman photographs and Navy captions do. The '8 July entering' caption conflicts with the '14 June - 5 July' dock window - unresolved, flagged in gaps. Live history.navy.mil DANFS page 404'd; the ussduluth.org transcription and NHHC Online Library summary used. Not an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-05

10. [10]DANFS entry 'Holland (AS-3)' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official NHHC entry); NHHC Stillwater collection photo caption via NavSource 09/67/6706 [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS Holland entry - Guam from January 1945, ARG-18 conversion decision; NavSource 09/67/6706 Holland photo caption (Mount 52/53 removal by dock crane)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    DANFS (Holland AS-3): 'In January 1945 she steamed out of Pearl Harbor for Guam where she embarked Vice Admiral Lockwood ... By the close of hostilities, Holland had given 55 instances of refit to submarines, provided repair and service to 20 surface craft and completed various jobs on shore installations.' After Lockwood shifted his flag ashore 30 August 1945, 'This left Holland ready to begin a new career as a repair ship (ARG-18).' The NHHC Stillwater-collection photo caption documents the physical conversion aboard this hull: 'afloat in USS ABSD-6 at Apra Harbor, Guam, in August 1945 having Mount 52 removed as part of her conversion by ship's company to an internal combustion engine repair ship (ARG-18). Mount 53, aft, was also removed using the dock's crane.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1945-08

    Population

    Holland crew (conversion workforce); ABSD-6 dock crew

    Limitations

    DANFS places Holland at Guam from January 1945 and records the conversion decision but does not name the dock; the NHHC photo caption does, and specifically attributes the gun-mount removal to the dock's cranes - a documented example of heavy repair work performed aboard the platform. Not an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-06

11. [11]shipbuildinghistory.com - 'Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD)' construction table (updated 11 June 2019) [other_primary]

    Locator

    shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm - AFDB section rows 6A-6G

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation) Floating Docks table lists this hull's seven sections individually - AFDB 6A through 6G, each rated 3,850 tons / 93 ft, builder 'Mare Island NSY, Vallejo CA', delivery Dec-44 - with the uniform disposition entry 'Scrapped 1976'. The table expressly disclaims completeness for the floating-dock sector.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1976

    Population

    Mare Island section-construction workforce

    Limitations

    Independent compilation from yard and registry records - secondary in character. Seven sections A-G is consistent with NavSource's 825-ft spec block, the uswarships ABSD-4-class type block, and the BuDocks 7-section design - against Wikipedia's corrupt 'nine sections (A-G)' claim (see gaps). 'Scrapped 1976' corroborates the DRMS sale. No asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-07

12. [12]uswarships.jounin.jp compiled USN auxiliary lists - ABSD page and AFDB page (Japanese-language compilation of U.S. Navy service-craft records) [other_primary]

    Locator

    uswarships.jounin.jp/afdb.htm - AFDB-6 row (struck 1974/1/1, DRMS sale 1976/1/1) and ABSD-4-class spec block; uswarships.jounin.jp/absd.htm - ASBD-6 row and the 'between the two drydocks' photo caption

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    uswarships.jounin.jp compiled service-craft tables corroborate identity and milestones: ABSD-6 attributed to 'Mare Island Naval Shipyard' (メア・アイランド海軍工廠), assigned Asiatic-Pacific in WWII, kept in the reserve fleet after decommissioning, redesignated AFDB-6; struck 1974/1/1; and sold 1976/1/1 to the Defense Reutilization & Marketing Service for disposal. The same pages carry the 'ABSD-4 Class' type spec (30,800 t, 251.46 m ≈ 825 ft, 75.13 m beam, 2.68 m light / 20.54 m submerged draft, 14x40mm + 14x20mm AA, complement 187, '7 sections A-G') and a reproduced US Navy photo caption describing the support island 'built between the two drydocks, ABSD-3 and ABSD-6 (ABSD-6 is to the left of the picture)' at Guam.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1976

    Limitations

    Secondary compilation consistent with NavSource on builder, theater, and the DRMS disposition. The 1974/1/1 strike date is single-source - no corroborating NVR or register page was retrievable (see gaps); it is plausible (two years before the 1976 disposal) but unverified. The '7 sections A-G' type block corroborates shipbuildinghistory against Wikipedia's nine-section claim. No asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-08

13. [13]NavalCoverMuseum (Universal Ship Cancellation Society digital archive) - 'ABSD 6' ship page (last edited 3 April 2017) [other_primary]

    Locator

    navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/ABSD_6 - Name and Designation History block; post office establishment/disestablishment; Locy postmark entries

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    NavalCoverMuseum ship page (ABSD 6) records: 'AFDB-4 Class Advance Base Section Dock - Completed December 1944; USS ABSD-6 Commissioned (Date unknown) - Decommissioned January 1947; Laid up in the Reserve Fleet; Redesignated Large Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock (AFDB) While in reserve; Sold January 1 1976 for scrap.' Post office established aboard 15 September 1944, disestablished 11 May 1946; Locy postmark examples from 1945 covers (Type 2z 1945-12-03; Type 9efu 1945-03-28 to 1945-04-04).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1976

    Population

    ABSD-6 crew (post-office postal clerk population)

    Limitations

    Compiled philatelic archive corroborating the class filing, December 1944 completion, reserve-fleet redesignation, and the 1976 sale - but it gives commissioning 'date unknown' (vs NavSource's 28 Sep 1944) and 'Decommissioned January 1947' (vs NavSource's 29 Jun 1946). Its own post-office disestablishment (11 May 1946) sits inside NavSource's decommissioning window - internal tension preserved, not harmonized (see gaps). No asbestos information.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-09

14. [14]Department of the Navy, Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946,' Chapter IX (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the NHHC-held text) [other_primary]

    Locator

    bases-9.html, Chapter IX - 'Types of Floating Drydocks', 'Advance Base Sectional Dock' design description, ABSD Construction/Assembly sections, 1946 classification change

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Bureau of Yards and Docks official WWII history (Chapter IX, 'Floating Drydocks') documents the program under which this hull was built and redesignated: ABSD = Advance Base Sectional Dock, a mobile military steel dock built in two sizes - ten sections of 10,000 tons lifting capacity each (assembled 927 ft overall, 827 ft effective, 133 ft clear inside wing walls, 90,000-ton lift, for battleships/carriers/largest auxiliaries) or seven sections of 8,000 tons each - each section 240 ft long and 101 ft wide - assembled 825 ft overall, 725 ft effective, 240 ft wide, 120 ft clear inside wing walls, 55,000-ton lift, 'for all except the largest battleships, carriers, and auxiliaries'; sections faired fore and aft for 6-8 knot towing with wing walls hinged flat; each section carried two 525-hp diesel engines with 350-kW generators, pumps, evaporators, compressors, and heating/ventilating apparatus - no propulsion; two 15-ton portal jib cranes at 85-ft radius; quarters and galleys in bottom-pontoon dry compartments, shops/storage in the 18-20 ft wing walls; 58 sections built by five contractors at six sites. Under the 1946 nomenclature change 'the ABSD's were redesignated AFDB's' (Auxiliary Floating Drydock Big).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1941-1946

    Population

    WWII floating-dock design/construction program workforce (class context)

    Limitations

    Official program-level history; does not name ABSD-6 and contains no asbestos or materials content - establishes the type design, the section-count sizes, and the ABSD-to-AFDB redesignation under which this hull operated and was reclassified. The 7-section design figures (825 ft, 55,000-ton lift) are the authoritative spec the compiled sources describe for this hull; Wikipedia's 844-ft/nine-section/90,000-ton figures describe the larger design and are misapplied (see gaps).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-10

15. [15]Department of the Navy, Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter XXVIII (GPO 1947; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the NHHC-held text) [other_primary]

    Locator

    bases-28.html, Chapter XXVIII - 'Guam' section, Apra Harbor waterfront development paragraphs

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    The official BuDocks history (Chapter XXVIII, 'Bases in the Marianas and Iwo Jima') documents the Guam base where this hull was stationed: recapture assault 21 July 1944; Apra Harbor declared the island's only important anchorage; development of the inner harbor included 7,500,000 cubic feet of dredging and 26,000 lineal feet of quay wall; a small-boat pool and a submarine base with finger pier; by July 1945 'the piers in Apra Harbor numbered 14 quay-wall berths, nine pontoon piers, two wooden piers for fueling, ten LST berths, and one submarine pier'; water systems included the Almagosa system 'for facilities and docks at Orote'; an Advance Base Construction Depot covered 250 acres. The chapter does not name the floating sectional docks - they were fleet equipment, not BuDocks construction - but documents the harbor worksite ABSD-6 and ABSD-3 occupied.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-1945

    Population

    Seabee construction battalions and Naval Base Guam workforce (context)

    Limitations

    Base-development context only - the chapter documents the harbor worksite, not the dock; unlike BuDocks Ch. XXVI at Manus (which described sectional docks by capacity), the Guam chapter does not mention the floating drydocks at all. Not an asbestos finding and not evidence about the hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-11

16. [16]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

    Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311

    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 era in which this hull's sections were fabricated at Mare Island (delivered December 1944) and the documented peak of ship-repair activity it then supported at Guam. The study addresses asbestos exposure among shipyard production and repair trades - the population that built this dock and that worked on and around it and the warships it serviced.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1940s era documented; article 1987

    Population

    WWII-era shipyard workers and ship-repair trades (class context)

    Limitations

    Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this hull and does not establish that any material aboard it contained asbestos. A floating drydock lacks the steam plant that drives most shipboard asbestos inference - the inference here is weaker than for propelled vessels and remains era-level, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-12

17. [17]Type/construction-era inference: non-self-propelled seven-section steel floating drydock (Mare Island sections delivered December 1944) - per-section power/pump plant, wing-wall shops, pontoon accommodations per BuDocks official layout (ev-10); documented dockings at Apra Harbor 1945-46 (ev-02 through ev-06) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Type description and program layout (BuDocks official history, ev-10); photo-documented docking record (ev-02); Corn & Starr era context (ev-12)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era/type inference for this hull type: with no propulsion plant, the asbestos-relevant spaces aboard a 1944-built 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: photo-documented repair dockings of era-built warships at Guam 1945-46 - an explosion-damaged battleship, a typhoon-damaged cruiser, a tender having gun mounts cut off by the dock's cranes - 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

    1944-1976

    Population

    Mare Island section-builders 1944; tow/assembly workforce; dock crew 1944-1946; reserve-fleet custody personnel; repair parties aboard docked vessels 1945-46; DRMS scrapping workforce 1976

    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-6-afdb6-13

18. [18]Bernardo v. Bethlehem Steel Co., 314 F.2d 604 (2d Cir. 1963) (Medina, J.; jury answered 'no' to both vessel-status and crew-membership questions; affirmed) [court_record]

    Locator

    314 F.2d 604, opinion text (No. 202, Docket 27619, decided 7 March 1963)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Second Circuit decision holding that a shipyard's floating drydock was not a 'vessel' and that a shore-based welder injured aboard it was not a 'member of a crew' for Jones Act purposes - the doctrinal frame under which injury claims by floating-drydock workers have been adjudicated (as land-based shipyard workers, not seamen).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1956 injury; 1963 opinion

    Population

    Floating-drydock and ship-repair workers (doctrinal context)

    Limitations

    Class-level doctrinal context only: the case involves Bethlehem Steel's commercial floating drydock No. 3 at its Brooklyn 27th Street yard, not this Navy hull, and it is a Jones Act/vessel-status decision, not an asbestos opinion. It establishes no asbestos condition aboard any dock and no exposure for any individual. Same treatment as batch-564.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-14

19. [19]Batch-566 search ledger (this record): NavSource 09/67/6706 and 14/0106; shipbuildinghistory auxafd table; uswarships afdb/absd tables; NavalCoverMuseum ABSD_6; BuDocks chapters IX and XXVIII; DANFS consort entries (BB-57, CVE-93, CL-87, AS-3, AKA-76, CVE-87); NHHC Online Library NH 99118; CourtListener API + web UI (blocked); indirect site-scoped search; MARAD, NVR, NARA catalog, hazegray, Pacific Wrecks, HathiTrust, pwencycl checks [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-01 through sl-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-21

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming AFDB-6, ABSD-6, or 'USS ABSD-6' was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Notably, none of the detailed narrative sources for this hull - the NavSource compiled record and ~20 photo captions, the official BuDocks design chapters, or the ship-history DANFS consort entries - mentions asbestos or insulation materials. CourtListener could not be searched directly (API HTTP 429 on both name variants, documented 125/day quota already exhausted; web UI HTTP 403); an indirect site-scoped search returned no opinion naming the hull - litigation coverage is incomplete and flagged as a gap, not a verified negative. A web-index sweep of 'ABSD-6'/'AFDB-6' with asbestos/lawsuit/mesothelioma terms surfaced asbestos-marketing pages (freeasbestostesting.com lists AFDB-6; duboselawfirm.com lists ABSD-6 with the correct 28 Sep 1944 commissioning) 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 - a 1944-built steel service craft with quarters, shops, diesel machinery, and a documented heavy-repair mission is era-consistent with incidental asbestos-containing materials, but no ship-level documentation was located. The blocked CourtListener sweep means litigation coverage is a gap, not a verified negative. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-15

20. [20]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 38 (CNO/Naval Operating Forces), RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); HathiTrust record uiug.30112040285618; NVR disposal records; CourtListener documented rate limits (125/day, 50/hour) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov record-group guides; HathiTrust bibliographic record; CourtListener rate-limit response text; nvr.navy.mil

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): a NARA-held history for this hull may exist (Pacific Wrecks reproduced the NARA 'History of USS ABSD-4' for its sister dock; whether an equivalent 'History of USS ABSD-6' is held is unverified - no Pacific Wrecks page exists for this hull); NARA RG 38 war diaries/command files for ABSD-6 and Naval Base Guam; NARA RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks) ABSD section construction records for Mare Island; NARA RG 19/Bureau of Ships ABSD characteristics booklets and dock plans; the original NARA prints 80-G-379466/379467/379468/379469/379472/399555 and NH 99118; the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships Journal, Vol. 1, page 7 (May 1952) - the cited source for the assembly/tow photographs, unverified at the artifact level; the 'U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility: Guam history book, 1945 to 1997' (HathiTrust uiug.30112040285618 - Cloudflare-blocked this session); Popular Science Nov 1945 (Angas) floating-drydock article; Naval Vessel Register archival detail for the reported 1974 strike and 1976 DRMS disposal; Guam/DRMS disposal records for the 1976 scrapping; and a CourtListener re-run of '"AFDB-6"', '"ABSD-6"', and '"USS ABSD-6"' once API quota resets.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1944-present records

    Limitations

    Record-group and repository mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdb-6-afdb6-16