Evidence
19 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-19).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-14' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-14' 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-14-afdl14-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-14' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-14' 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-14-afdl14-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-14' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-14' 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-14-afdl14-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-14' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-14' returned 53 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-14-afdl14-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]U.S. Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (official Navy organization document, HyperWar transcription), Service Force Pacific Fleet > Service Squadron Two section [other_primary]
- Locator
- Org-450501 index page, Service Squadron Two subsection, floating-drydock block: 'AFD 9 / AFD 13 / AFD 14 / AFD 15' lines (commanding-officer column blank)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The U.S. Pacific Fleet organization of 1 May 1945 lists 'AFD 14' under SERVICE SQUADRON TWO, Service Force Pacific Fleet - the squadron's floating-drydock group alongside AFD 9, AFD 13, and AFD 15. This is the official wartime organizational record establishing the dock in Navy service on the Pacific Fleet's battle organization as of that date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Dock crew under Lt(jg) E.L. Jackson (size unverified)
- Limitations
- Official organization listing naming the hull under its wartime designation. Establishes organizational assignment (Service Squadron Two) and Navy service on 1 May 1945; the document does not state a geographic station for the craft, and squadron assignment is not proof of location. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-01
-
[6]Carter, Rear Admiral Worrall Reed, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Department of the Navy official history, HyperWar transcription), Chapter VI [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-6.html, ship-repair paragraph following the ABSD-1 Pallikulo Bay discussion: 'YFD-21, and were soon to have two smaller ones, ARD-14 and AFD-14, with respective lifting capacities of 3,500 tons and 1,000 tons. The two latter types were single-piece steel craft.'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Carter's official Service Force history records the dock at Espiritu Santo: alongside the big sectional dock ABSD-1 and the timber dock YFD-21, the base 'were soon to have two smaller ones, ARD-14 and AFD-14, with respective lifting capacities of 3,500 tons and 1,000 tons. The two latter types were single-piece steel craft.' - establishing AFD-14 as a 1,000-ton single-piece steel floating dock assigned to the Espiritu Santo repair complex.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Limitations
- Official Navy logistics history naming the hull, its lifting capacity (1,000 tons), and construction type (single-piece steel). 'Soon to have' places assignment to Espiritu Santo in the post-December-1943 timeframe of the passage; the companion BBBO-16 passage confirms operational presence there by August-September 1944. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-02
-
[7]Carter, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription), Chapter XVI, Seeadler/Espiritu repair-facilities paragraph [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-16.html, Espiritu Santo facilities paragraph following the 23 August 1944 Tennessee/California collision account
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Carter's Chapter XVI (Western Carolines operations, covering the August-September 1944 period) confirms AFD-14 operational at Espiritu Santo during the base's peak repair season: 'The 18,000-ton floating drydock YFD-21 was also at Espiritu for servicing cruisers and escort carriers. Other facilities included the 1,000-ton drydock AFD-14, the 3,500-ton ARD-5, and three floating workshops - YR-47, YRD(H)-1 for hulls, and YRD(M)-1 for machinery.' The passage sits amid the Tennessee/California collision-repair narrative of late August 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-08 to 1944-09
- Population
- Dock operating crew; repair-force personnel at Espiritu Santo
- Limitations
- Official history placing the dock in operation at Espiritu Santo in the August-September 1944 window, in company with YFD-21, ARD-5, and three floating workshops. Confirms a ship-specific wartime station and mission. No asbestos or materials information; does not describe the dock's internal outfitting.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-03
-
[8]Carter, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription), Appendix - commanding officers of principal Service Force Pacific vessels [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-A.html, appendix table row: 'AFD-14 | Lt(jg) E.L. Jackson' (adjacent rows AFD-13, AFD-15)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Carter's appendix of commanding officers of principal vessels engaged in logistic work under Commander Service Force Pacific lists 'AFD-14' with commanding officer 'Lt(jg) E.L. Jackson' - the only named member of this dock's complement located in any source.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (appendix period)
- Population
- Lt(jg) E.L. Jackson; unenumerated dock crew
- Limitations
- Official-history appendix naming the commanding officer; the appendix covers the Service Force period broadly and does not date Jackson's tenure precisely. Crew size beyond the CO is undocumented. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-04
-
[9]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV, Section 2 - Campaign and Service Medals, Asiatic-Pacific area ship credits (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-16.html, Asiatic-Pacific ship list row: 'AFD 14: 31 May 45 - 30 Jun 45 | P34-1' (adjacent row 'AFD (L) 32: 3 Jun 45 - 30 Jun 45 | P34-1')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual credits 'AFD 14' with participation in operation P34-1, 'Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto,' 31 May 1945 - 30 June 1945 (Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal eligibility list). Campaign participation credit is awarded only for a unit's presence in the credited operation area during the credited window - establishing the dock was towed forward to the Okinawa Gunto area during the campaign's final phase.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-05-31 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Dock crew present in the Okinawa Gunto operation area
- Limitations
- Official Secretary-of-the-Navy campaign credit - the strongest located evidence of the dock's forward deployment. Establishes presence in the Okinawa Gunto operation area 31 May-30 June 1945 but does not name the specific anchorage (e.g., Kerama Retto vs. Buckner Bay) or describe towing arrangements. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-05
-
[10]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), Part IV, Section 2-18 - Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal (extended), Units Eligible (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards-IV-17.html, Units Eligible (A) Ships table row: 'AFD 14 | 2 Sep 45 - 18 Apr 46 | A' (Occupation service column; China Service column blank)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual credits 'AFD 14' with Navy Occupation Service Medal eligibility for 2 September 1945 - 18 April 1946 (area code A, Asiatic) in the official units-eligible list - establishing continued post-surrender occupation service in the western Pacific/Asiatic area through spring 1946, consistent with a China/Japan-area station supporting the occupation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-09-02 to 1946-04-18
- Population
- Dock crew on occupation duty
- Limitations
- Official occupation-service credit establishing the dock remained in the Asiatic occupation area through 18 April 1946. The 'A' area code denotes the Asiatic occupation zone; the credit does not name a specific port or country of station. The blank China Service column means the manual credits occupation service, not the China Service Medal, for this hull. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-06
-
[11]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter IX Floating Drydocks (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription), type-classification section; NARA Ship Plan Index 'AFDL-14' entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- bases-9.html Chapter IX 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' and 'Types of Floating Drydocks' sections; archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index 'AFDL-14' row; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm 'AFDL 14' row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Built as AFD-14 under the Bureau of Yards and Docks AFD-type 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' design - a mobile, military, one-piece welded-steel trough dock of 1,000 tons lifting capacity, 'fully self-contained, with diesel electric power plants' and limited repair facilities, intended for docking minesweepers, patrol craft, and similar vessels. Under the 1946 floating-drydock nomenclature revision 'the AFD's became AFDL's'; this hull's redesignation to AFDL-14 is verified by the National Archives Ship Plan Index (catalogs its plan under 'AFDL-14') and the shipbuildinghistory table listing ('AFDL 14').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- The class design description and the 1946 blanket AFD-to-AFDL reclassification are official Navy-history facts; their application to this hull is verified by two independent hull-named listings (NARA plan index, shipbuildinghistory). The specific redesignation date 1946-08-01 is verified at class level (sister-dock instruments) but this hull's individual redesignation document was not retrieved. No asbestos information in any cited source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-07
-
[12]National Archives and Records Administration, Ship Plan Index (Cartographic Records), entry 'AFDL-14 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index table row 'AFDL-14 | AFDL-14 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' (NAID links to catalog.archives.gov/id/63531026)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives cartographic Ship Plan Index catalogs a plan for 'AFDL-14' - Record Group 385 (Naval Facilities Engineering Command records), format Microfilm, catalog identifier NAID 63531026. A hull plan is a potential primary source for the dock's machinery layout, compartmentation, and construction details, including possible material callouts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1947 records
- Limitations
- The index listing is verified; the microfilm plan itself was not retrieved or read. Whether the plan contains materials or insulation callouts is unknown until surveyed. The NAID appears to cover a microfilm roll holding multiple AFDL plans (the same identifier serves AFDL-1 and AFDL-25). Presence in the index does not imply any asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-08
-
[13]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 by Ship Numbers (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs inventory) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, AFD block (lines listing AFD-15, AFD-18, AFD-19, AFD-20, AFD-21, AFD-25...AFD-30) - no AFD-14 or AFDL-14 row present
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947), by ship number, contains NO entry for AFD-14 or AFDL-14 - the AFD block lists AFD-15, AFD-18, AFD-19, AFD-20, AFD-21, and AFD-25 through AFD-30 only. The dock's wartime deck logs are therefore not in that inventory and may never have been accessioned or survived; unlike sister dock AFD-25, no deck-log series is cataloged for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1947 records
- Limitations
- The absence is verified against the complete inventory text. SL-44 covers only logs accessioned to NARA; wartime logs may exist elsewhere (e.g., squadron-level records, unprocessed accessions) or may not have survived. Absence of logs is a research-limitation finding, not evidence about the dock's service - which is independently documented by the awards-manual credits.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-09
-
[14]shipbuildinghistory.com 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table (Tim Colton compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm AFDL table row 14: builder field blank, '800 | 200 | Nov-43 | Transferred foreign 1947'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent secondary corroboration of the build/disposal record: the shipbuildinghistory.com U.S. Navy floating-drydock table lists 'AFDL 14 | [builder blank] | 800 | 200 | Nov-43 | Transferred foreign 1947' - 800 tons, 200 ft length, delivered November 1943, transferred to a foreign government in 1947. The compiler's table header warns that builder/location records for floating drydocks are incomplete.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Construction trades, unidentified builder yard, 1943
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation, not a primary record - carried at partial confidence. The November 1943 delivery, 800-ton displacement, 200-ft length, and 'transferred foreign 1947' disposition all rest on this table alone; the blank builder field is consistent with the compiler's warning that drydock builder records are incomplete. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-10
-
[15]Foreign Relations of the United States, The Far East: China, Volume VII (1947), documents on the naval-vessel transfer program (Executive Order 9843; PL 79-512; 8 December 1947 implementing agreement); NavSource AFDL-36 record for the program exemplar [other_primary]
- Locator
- FRUS 1947 v07, documents d776-d779 area (transfer arrangements under EO 9843); NavSource archive for AFDL-36 (Hay Tan, March 1947)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The operative U.S. foreign-transfer channel at the stated 1947 date was the China naval-aid program: Executive Order 9843 (April 1947) implemented Public Law 79-512 (July 1946), authorizing transfer of surplus naval vessels and floating drydocks to the Republic of China; FRUS documentation for the program lists floating drydocks among transfer categories, and the agreement was executed 8 December 1947. Sister dock AFDL-36 is verified as a 1947 ROCN transfer (renamed Hay Tan), establishing the program moved AFD-type hulls that year - but no located document names AFDL-14's recipient.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-1948
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - the FRUS documents do not name AFDL-14, and the 'transferred foreign 1947' disposition itself rests on a secondary table. China is the plausible and best-supported destination (the only 1947 USN program placing floating drydocks abroad that is documented; timing fits the dock's Asiatic occupation service ending April 1946), but the recipient is UNCONFIRMED and must not be asserted as fact. The full hull-level transfer list, if one exists in the FRUS series or NARA records, remains an open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-11
-
[16]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Ch. IX (design description of the AFD type); era asbestos framing per Corn & Starr (see ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-13) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' paragraph (diesel-electric power plants, self-contained, limited repair facilities)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference only: the AFD design carried a diesel-electric power plant, ballast/pumping machinery, and limited repair facilities within a welded-steel trough dock built in 1943 for the U.S. Navy - a period when Navy construction specifications and supply routinely included asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, millboard, and thermal insulation for machinery and piping. The dock's repair mission on era small combatants additionally placed its crew around hull-insulation suites that commonly contained asbestos.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1947 construction and service era
- Population
- Construction trades (unidentified yard, 1943); dock operating crew; crews of vessels under repair
- Limitations
- Design-level inference, not a hull record - the BuSandA history does not mention asbestos and does not name this dock. Asbestos presence aboard AFDL-14 is inferred from era construction practice and onboard machinery, not proven; a non-propelled floating dock had a far smaller machinery and inhabited-space footprint than a steam vessel, and its asbestos loading would correspondingly be lower. Establishes nothing about quantity, condition, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-12
-
[17]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this Navy-contracted floating dock was built - with wartime demand driving unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard government and contract hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and vessel crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this dock, does not address floating drydocks specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-13
-
[18]Batch-573 search ledger (this record): CourtListener web-UI opinions search 'AFDL-14' (0 results, verified); blocked queries 'AFD-14' / 'USS AFDL-14'; CourtListener API v3 (HTTP 403 anonymous denial); web-indexed sweeps [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-12 through sl-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-15
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep: CourtListener anonymous API queries were refused (HTTP 403), so the sweep ran via the public web UI. The exact-hull opinions search 'AFDL-14' executed successfully and returned 0 results. Follow-on queries 'AFD-14' and 'USS AFDL-14' were blocked - the connection began timing out after the first request (IP-level throttling) and was not retried per the backoff rule. Web-indexed court-record sweeps returned only name collisions (docket/case-number tokens matching 'AFD-14') and no opinion or pleading naming this dock.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Sweep partially blocked - the exact-hull 'AFDL-14' opinions query is verified clean (0 results), but the bare-hull 'AFD-14' and 'USS AFDL-14' queries could not run (IP throttling after the first request; API anonymous access denied). The web-indexed sweep is a weaker instrument. Absence of a located pleading is not proof no claim ever existed. No asbestos opinion naming this dock was found by any instrument that ran.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-14
-
[19]Batch-573 search ledger (this record): HyperWar OOB, BBBO chapters and appendix, NAVPERS 15,790 awards lists, NARA SL-44 and Ship Plan Index, shipbuildinghistory auxafd table, NavSource 14/03idx.htm, CourtListener and web-indexed litigation sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-01 through sl-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials schedule, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming AFD-14/AFDL-14 was found in the sources searched - the Pacific Fleet organization listing, Carter's official history, the Navy awards-manual credits, the NARA indexes, the shipbuildinghistory tables, and the NavSource index contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement, and no DANFS entry exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 self-contained Navy dock with diesel-electric machinery and repair shops is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and the foreign transfer means any retained material left U.S. Navy custody in 1947 without a located disclosure. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-14-afdl14-15