Evidence
18 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-18).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-13' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-13' returned 2 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-afdl-13-afdl13-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-13' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-13' returned 4 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-afdl-13-afdl13-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-13' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-13' returned 9 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-afdl-13-afdl13-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-13' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-13' returned 56 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-afdl-13-afdl13-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. III: Auxiliary, District Craft and Unclassified Vessels, NAVSHIPS 250-012, Bureau of Ships, Navy Department, 15 April 1945 (GPO, Washington 1946) - official BuShips register [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3.pdf - 'FLOATING DRY DOCK CHARACTERISTICS' table, book p. 607, row AFD13; footnotes p. 611; vessel classification list, front matter
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official register row for this hull: dock designation AFD13 in the 'MOBILE FLOATING DRYDOCKS (AFD)' table - a 'military dock' (footnote 7: 'Military docks. All other docks are non-military.'), type '1-piece, steel,' nominal lifted capacity 1,000 tons (12-inch pontoon freeboard basis per footnote 2), 'suitable in general for docking' YN and AM type vessels (net tenders and minesweepers), location cell 'Nav Repbase, San Diego, Calif.' spanning the AFD block, length over-all 200 ft 0 in, width over-all molded 64 ft 0 in, width clear inside 45 ft 0 in, draft over blocks 14 ft 6 in, draft maximum navigational 27 ft 0 in, draft light 3 ft 5 in, construction start 1943, finish 1943. The volume's vessel classification list carries 'MOBILE FLOATING DRYDOCKS (AFD): AFD1-6, AFDL7, AFD8-21, AFDL22-23, AFD24-31, AFDL32-33' - AFD-13 inside the AFD-designated wartime block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1945 register data
- Population
- Dock crew and military personnel manning the craft (register notes 'military dock'); trades working on docked YN/AM-type vessels (implied by design rating, not stated for this hull)
- Limitations
- Authoritative official register for designation, type, builder locale, and physical characteristics as of April 1945. 'Location' column is dual-purpose (footnote 1: 'Docks for which location is not given are assigned to advance bases'); the merged 'Nav Repbase, San Diego' cell is read as the construction/station site for the AFD block, consistent with the class's documented fabrication there. Register carries no milestone dates beyond construction years, no crew figures, no station history, and no materials or asbestos information. Scanned-image PDF; figures read from the AFD13 table row at p. 607.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-01
-
[6]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, AFD-13 page (page maintainer Gary P. Priolo, last updated 18 May 2007) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/09/28/2813.htm - class block, service record lines, specification block, awards ribbons, photo caption, DANFS notice
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record: 'AFD-1 Class Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock'; laid down date and place unknown; 'Commissioned USS AFD-13, date unknown, CAPT. G.H. Lyttle. in command'; 'AFD-13 saw service at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands and at Okinawa'; struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; 'Final Disposition, AFD-13 sunk off Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 16 September 1945.' Awards displayed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Photo: 'YMS-266 docked in AFD-13, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, circa 1944' (U.S. Navy photo via Naval War College). Page states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for AFD-13 at NavSource.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1945; page updated 2007
- Population
- Dock crew under Capt G.H. Lyttle; crews of docked vessels including YMS-266 (photo-documented)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record. Commissioning, command name, Majuro service, and awards are corroborated only in part by official sources (official-history appendix lists Capt G.H. Lyttle with AFD-13; the Majuro photo is U.S. Navy-sourced but official history names sister dock AFD-16 - not AFD-13 - at Majuro in the same era, so the Majuro assignment rests on the photo caption). The spec block (12,000 t displacement, 288 ft length, 1,900-ton lift) conflicts with the official 1945 Ships' Data register (200 ft length, 1,000-ton lift) and is not adopted. No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-02
-
[7]Rear Admiral Worrall Reed Carter, 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Chapter VI - official Navy history, HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-6.html - Solomons/Purvis Bay paragraphs (book pp. ~55-57)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official history documents AFD-13 operating at Purvis Bay, Florida Island, Solomons, in spring 1944 alongside destroyer tender Whitney, repair ships Medusa and Prometheus, battle-damage repair ship Aristaeus, and repair barge YR-46. For March 1944 - the service high point in the Florida area, when 261 vessels were repaired in the region - the text records: 'the floating drydocks ARD-14 (now in Purvis Bay) and AFD-13, with 2 pontoon drydocks, made repairs to 110 vessels, including 5 destroyers and 41 landing craft, infantry (LCI's).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- Spring 1944; March 1944 peak
- Population
- Shipfitters, dock crews, and yard trades repairing destroyers, LCIs, and other vessels at Purvis Bay (population implied by documented repair work)
- Limitations
- Official Navy history naming this hull at a specific station and period; the 110-vessel figure aggregates the work of ARD-14, AFD-13, and the two pontoon docks - it cannot be decomposed to AFD-13 alone, and the repair count is regional (261 vessels) versus dock-specific (110 shared). Transcription fidelity verified against HyperWar page text. No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-03
-
[8]Rear Admiral Worrall Reed Carter, 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Chapter XVI - official Navy history, HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-16.html - Tulagi-Purvis Bay facilities paragraph (book pp. ~178-179)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official history again names AFD-13 in the Tulagi-Purvis Bay region during August-early September 1944: 'Here were the 3,500-ton floating drydock ARD-14, the 1,000-ton dock AFD-13, and the floating workshop YR-46' - corroborating continued operation at Purvis Bay and matching the official register's 1,000-ton capacity rating (against NavSource's conflicting 1,900-ton figure).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- August - early September 1944
- Population
- Dock crew and repair trades at Tulagi-Purvis Bay
- Limitations
- Confirms station and the official-history capacity figure; the '1,000-ton' rating is nominal lifted capacity, consistent with the 1945 Ships' Data register row. Does not document which vessels were docked in this period or any materials data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-04
-
[9]Rear Admiral Worrall Reed Carter, 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Appendix - Service Force personnel/craft roster - official Navy history, HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-A.html - 'Floating Drydocks' roster section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official history's floating-drydock roster lists 'AFD-13 Capt G.H. Lyttle' - corroborating the commanding-officer name carried by NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- Service Force period covered by the appendix (principally 1944-45)
- Population
- Commanding officer Capt G.H. Lyttle and dock crew
- Limitations
- Roster entry only - no dates of command, no statement of station. The same appendix also lists Capt G.H. Lyttle among officers associated with destroyer tender Dixie (AD-14); whether the commands were sequential or concurrent is not stated. Supports command identity only, not a commissioning date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-05
-
[10]Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, 'U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945 (Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy),' Appendix C: 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels from all causes, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945' - CNO official report, ibiblio text transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- table_c.txt - MISCELLANEOUS AUXILIARIES section, final row 'APD 13#Off Okinawa#16 September 1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The CNO official loss table lists under MISCELLANEOUS AUXILIARIES the row 'APD 13#Off Okinawa#16 September 1945' - read as AFD-13: the table's field note states the date is 'when damage rendered vessel unusable rather than date of actually sinking or grounding.' The 'APD 13' symbol is a transcription anomaly: USS Sands (APD-13) was demonstrably not lost (decommissioned at Philadelphia 19 October 1945, sold for scrap 1946), while AFD-13 is independently documented sunk off Okinawa on 16 September 1945 by NavSource and is the only auxiliary hull matching that date, place, and the miscellaneous-auxiliaries placement.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 16 September 1945 loss entry; table covers through 1 October 1945
- Population
- Dock crew present at the loss event; any casualties not stated in the table
- Limitations
- Transcribed data file, not a page image - the 'APD 13' reading may itself be an OCR/transcription error for 'AFD 13' in the printed appendix. Identification as AFD-13 rests on corroboration (Sands' documented survival; NavSource loss entry; CinCPac disposition report) rather than on the symbol as transcribed. The table's own convention makes 16 September the damage date, not necessarily the sinking date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-06
-
[11]Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas Report, Serial 0395 of 11 February 1946, World War II Command File, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center - Appendix III 'Typhoon Damage at Okinawa (Based Upon Progress Reports to 19 November),' transcription hosted at rpadden.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- rpadden.com/216dispatch/typhoon.htm - Appendix III 'Typhoon Damage at Okinawa' hull-damage table, AFD 13 row; source note at page foot
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official disposition appendix records: 'AFD 13 - Grounded - required tow to rear area for docking. Strip, abandonment. Decommissioned 11/24/45' - documenting the administrative fate of the hull after the September loss: still grounded at Okinawa in the November progress accounting, stripped and abandoned, decommissioned 24 November 1945. The appendix distinguishes AFD-13 and AFD-14 from already-relettered AFDL 32.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- Progress reports to 19 November 1945; decommissioned 24 November 1945
- Population
- Salvage crews of ComServDiv 104 processing the hulk; dock crew already evacuated
- Limitations
- Third-party transcription of an official report; the document and serial are identified in the page's source note but the transcription is unverified against the archival original. The appendix covers cumulative typhoon damage at Okinawa through 19 November 1945 and does not say whether the AFD-13 entry reflects fresh damage in the 9 October storm (Typhoon Louise) or the continuing disposition of the 16 September casualty - for a floating drydock 'sunk' and 'grounded' describe the same resting-on-bottom state. The decommissioning is administrative disposal of a wreck, not postwar service; none is claimed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-07
-
[12]Rear Admiral Worrall Reed Carter, 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Chapter XXX 'Okinawa' - official Navy history, HyperWar transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-30.html - closing typhoon paragraphs (book pp. ~397-398)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official history documents the storm environment of the documented loss: 'Storms struck on 16 and 28 September and on 9 October at this appropriately named "typhoon crossroads"' - placing a typhoon at Okinawa on the documented loss date of 16 September 1945 and documenting that ships were lost in the September storm (Service Squadron Ten flagship Ocelot 'previously damaged on 16 September').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 16 September, 28 September, 9 October 1945 storms
- Population
- Fleet units anchored at Buckner Bay/Nakagusuku Wan during the storms
- Limitations
- Documents the storm dates and general damage, not this hull - AFD-13 is not named in this chapter. Establishes that a typhoon struck Okinawa on the documented loss date; does not by itself prove the storm caused the loss, though no competing cause appears in any consulted record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-08
-
[13]NOAA/NCEI International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS v04r01), storm record 1945253N08157 - Typhoon IDA [other_primary]
- Locator
- IBTrACS v04r01 storm page, SID 1945253N08157 - track/intensity table
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- U.S. government best-track archive identifies the 16 September 1945 Okinawa storm as Typhoon IDA (1945253N08157; ATCF WP181945): formed 10 September, maximum intensity 70 kt/969 mb on 16 September, landfall at Makurazaki, Kyushu, 17 September 1945 - the storm crossing the Ryukyus on the date the official loss list records AFD-13 lost off Okinawa.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 10-20 September 1945 storm track
- Limitations
- Meteorological context only - identifies and dates the storm but says nothing about the vessel; the storm-damage linkage rests on the official loss list date plus the documented storm track. In Japan the storm is known as the Makurazaki Typhoon.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-09
-
[14]Batch-572 designation correction - consolidated official-source comparison: Ships' Data register (NAVSHIPS 250-012) classification block and AFD13 table row; NavSource AFD-13 page and dry-dock index; BBBO chapters 6, 16, and appendix; CinCPac Serial 0395 Appendix III [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3.pdf classification list and table row; navsource index 09/28 index.htm; BBBO-6/BBBO-16/BBBO-A; rpadden Appendix III
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the supplied designation 'AFDL-13' is corrected to 'AFD-13.' The official wartime register (15 April 1945) lists the craft as AFD13 within the 'MOBILE FLOATING DRYDOCKS (AFD)' block (AFD1-6, AFDL7, AFD8-21, AFDL22-23, AFD24-31, AFDL32-33); the official history names AFD-13 at Purvis Bay; the CinCPac November 1945 disposition report lists 'AFD 13' (distinct from already-relettered 'AFDL 32'); and NavSource heads the page 'AFD-13' with no /AFDL-13 alias - an alias it does carry for sister docks that survived to the 1946 relettering (e.g., 'AFD-16 / AFDL-16'). The hull was lost 16 September 1945, before the 1946 AFD-to-AFDL relettering program, so no official AFDL-13 designation existed for it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946 designation period
- Limitations
- Correction is verified against official register, official history, official disposition report, and NavSource's index treatment. A secondary compilation (shipbuildinghistory.com) lists an 'AFDL-13' record with a 1975 Vietnam transfer - that lineage is not adopted and is logged as a disputed conflicting claim (see ev-12 and gaps). No source consulted shows the hull itself relettered.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-10
-
[15]Colton & Company shipbuildinghistory.com, 'U.S. Navy Floating Dry Docks' table (auxafd.htm) - secondary construction/disposal compilation [reputable_press]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm - AFDL table row 13
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DISPUTED CONFLICT: Colton's dry-dock table lists an 'AFDL-13' row - 800 tons, 200 ft, November 1943, 'to Vietnam 1975 as HQ-9600' - implying the hull survived the war, received the 1946 AFDL relettering, and was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy in 1975. This conflicts with the official loss record (sunk off Okinawa 16 September 1945, stripped/abandoned, decommissioned 24 November 1945) and with NavSource's index treatment (no AFDL alias for this hull). The claim is logged for completeness and not adopted: it is uncorroborated by any official source, and the Colton row carries no builder attribution for the AFDL-12/13/14 block.
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- Claimed 1943-1975 span; disputed
- Limitations
- Respected but unofficial secondary compilation; no primary citation given for the transfer. Possible explanations - hull misattribution (another dock becoming HQ-9600), or salvage/reuse undocumented in consulted sources - cannot be resolved without archival work. Per the batch instruction, no postwar service is inferred for this hull. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-11
-
[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
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this 1943 steel floating dock was fabricated at a Navy repair base - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard fabrication workers and service-craft crews (class/era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, this vessel type, or floating docks specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. A non-self-propelled dry dock's limited outfit (no boilers, no propulsion plant) narrows - but does not eliminate - the era-typical application set.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-12
-
[17]National Archives, Ship Plan Index (Cartographic) - index row for hull designation AFDL-13: microfilm holdings, National Archives Identifier 63531026 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index - AFDL-13 index row (microfilm 385, NAID 63531026)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's cartographic ship-plan index lists plan holdings under designation AFDL-13 (microfilm item 385, NAID 63531026 - the same roll indexed for the whole AFDL series, apparently a class plan book). Construction/fabrication drawings for this dock exist in federal custody under its postwar-style index designation and would show specified structural and outfit materials, including any insulation callouts.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943 construction-era records
- Limitations
- Index-level record only - no sheet-level retrieval performed; whether the plan set covers this hull specifically or only the class is unknown until the microfilm is surveyed. The index's 'AFDL-13' label reflects cataloging under the later designation scheme and does not establish that the hull was ever officially relettered (it was not - see correction row). Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding; it is a lead to primary documentation that could settle the question.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-13
-
[18]Batch-572 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS coverage check; Naval Vessel Register detail and filename attempts; NavSource archive and index; HyperWar BBBO chapters 6/12/16/30 and appendix; CNO King-report loss table transcription; CinCPac Serial 0395 transcription; Ships' Data NAVSHIPS 250-012; NARA ship-plan index; IBTrACS storm record; CourtListener API v4 and web UI; shipbuildinghistory.com; shipyards.json yard check; NavSource APD-13 (Sands) cross-check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-01 through sl-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/naval-document asbestos statement, or docketed case naming AFD-13 or AFDL-13 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this unnamed service craft (NavSource states so explicitly). NVR carries no detail record - hulls disposed before 1987 are not in the register and no SHIPSDETAIL page exists under either designation. CourtListener API v4 and web UI were rate-limited at research date (HTTP 429, 125/day cap; UI blocked) - the litigation check is logged as blocked, not as a verified negative; a scoped web search surfaced only unrelated 'AFD' acronym collisions (e.g., Austin Fire Department), no qualifying case.
- 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 - era-consistent materials are plausible for a 1943 steel craft, and no survey trail exists for a hull lost in 1945. The blocked CourtListener search leaves the litigation surface incompletely verified. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present, nor any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-13-afdl13-14