Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-15' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-15' 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-15-afdl15-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-15' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-15' 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-15-afdl15-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-15' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-15' 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-15-afdl15-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-15' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-15' 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-15-afdl15-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Carter, Rear Adm. Worrall Reed, USN (Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Chapter XV 'Forager Logistics in General and Ammunition in Particular - Service Squadron Ten at Eniwetok' (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter XV, 'Principal Activities of Squadron Ten at Eniwetok' paragraphs - the repair-ship roster naming AFD-15; ship-count paragraph (daily average 488/283); Porterfield propeller-change sentence
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy fleet-logistics history places the dock at Eniwetok Atoll in July 1944 as part of Service Squadron Ten's repair establishment supporting the Marianas operation: 'The following tenders and repair ships were also present: Repair ship Hector; destroyer tenders Piedmont, Cascade, and Markab; repair ship landing craft Egeria; floating drydocks ARD-13, ARD-15, mobile floating drydock AFD-15, and floating workshop YR-30.' ServRon Ten had been at Eniwetok since 5 June 1944; during the first half of July a daily average of 488 ships were present (283 in the second half), and the atoll's floating drydocks 'performed much valuable service throughout the war' - the text instances a propeller change on the destroyer escort Porterfield in one of the docks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-06 to 1944-07 documented; book covers through war's end
- Population
- Dock crew and repair parties; crews of vessels docked
- Limitations
- Official Navy history naming this hull at a specific wartime station - the strongest located operational fact. Establishes presence at Eniwetok in mid-1944, not the full deployment period or later stations. The Porterfield docking example is not attributed to AFD-15 specifically ('one of the floating drydocks'). Contains no asbestos, materials, or crew-exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-01
-
[6]Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (Pacific Fleet Confidential Notice, Organization of the Pacific Fleet, Enclosure A; HyperWar transcription by Patrick Clancey); Commander Service Force Pacific Fleet, 'Organization of the Service Force, Pacific Fleet,' 9 Oct 1942 (transcription at researcheratlarge.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SERVICE SQUADRON TWO section, floating-drydock block: row '10 | AFD 15 | Lt. Cdr. W. L. Travis (USN-Ret.)' between AFD 14 and AFD 17; researcheratlarge.com/Pacific/1942OctoberServiceForce.html '(B) SERVICE SQUADRON TWO' function paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' (CinCPac confidential notice) lists 'AFD 15' under SERVICE SQUADRON TWO (Commander Service Squadron Two: V. Adm. W. W. Smith), with commanding officer 'Lt. Cdr. W. L. Travis (USN-Ret.)'. The row's left column carries numeric code '10' - a location code whose key is not preserved in the transcription; sister AFDs in the squadron carry codes 10, 11, 94.5, and 96. Service Squadron Two's documented general function was 'to provide non-military and non-logistic services to the Fleet,' including administration of repair ships and tenders and mobile salvage (ComServPac organization letter of 9 Oct 1942).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Dock officer and crew
- Limitations
- Official fleet-organization document naming this hull, its squadron assignment, and commanding officer as of 1 May 1945. The numeric location code '10' is present but undecoded - the transcription carries no key, so the 1 May 1945 station is NOT directly stated and is carried as a gap. The CO name differs from the BBBO appendix cadre (different document dates/purposes; no conflict asserted). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-02
-
[7]Carter, Rear Adm. Worrall Reed, USN (Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Appendix - commanding officers of Service Force units (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix, 'Floating Drydocks' table, AFD-15 row (between AFD-14 and AFD-17)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The BBBO appendix (list of officers in charge of service-force units) lists five officers for AFD-15: 'Carp O.L. Kleckner; Ens E.M. Smith; Lt(jg) R.H. Keidel; ChCarp K.N. Burchfield; ChBosn R.H. Eckholdt' - an officer cadre consistent with a working repair dock (warrant-officer-led), larger than the single officer-in-charge listed for most sister AFDs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (wartime reporting period)
- Population
- Officer cadre (5 named); enlisted complement unenumerated
- Limitations
- Names the dock's officer cadre as of the book's reporting period (wartime Pacific service); does not date the roster precisely or give the enlisted complement. Whether the five names are simultaneous staff or successive officers-in-charge is not stated. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-03
-
[8]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 by Ship Numbers (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, AFD block: 'AFD-15 3/16/1945 11/30/1945' (adjacent entries AFD-14 absent; AFD-18 4/2/1944-12/31/1944 and 2/1/1945-5/31/1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947), by ship number, lists deck logs for 'AFD-15' covering 1945-03-16 through 1945-11-30 - wartime through the first postwar months.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-03-16 to 1945-11-30
- Population
- Dock crew (unverified complement)
- Limitations
- The log listing is verified; the logbooks themselves were not retrieved or read - they are the primary unconsulted source for the dock's 1945 station, movements (under tow), and crew. Why the listed span begins March 1945 - after the documented mid-1944 Eniwetok deployment - is unexplained; earlier logs may exist under another listing or were kept by a parent unit. No asbestos content is implied by the listing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-04
-
[9]shipbuildinghistory.com 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table (Tim Colton compilation), AFDL row 15; uswarships.jounin.jp AFDL table, AFDL-15 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm AFDL table row 15; uswarships.jounin.jp/afdl.htm AFDL-15 row (stricken-date column)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Build and disposal record from secondary compilations: the shipbuildinghistory.com U.S. Navy floating-drydock table lists 'AFDL 15 | [builder blank] | [location blank] | 800 | 200 | Dec-43 | Struck 1983', and the uswarships.jounin.jp AFDL compilation carries a stricken-date column value of '1983/12/18' for AFDL-15 with the generic note that the craft was redesignated a small floating dock (N-S-P).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1983
- Population
- Construction trades (unidentified contractor, 1943)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilations, not primary records - the compiler's own table header warns that drydock builder attribution is incomplete, and the builder/location fields for this hull are blank. The 1983-12-18 stricken date is a single-compilation value unverified against NVR (live NVR page no longer serves this disposed craft; Wayback Machine offline this session - see search_ledger). Delivery month (Dec-43) is compilation-only. No asbestos information in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-05
-
[10]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter IX Floating Drydocks (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription); NavSource Service Craft Photo Archive AFD/ARDC/AFDL index (14/03idx.htm); NavSource AFDL-12 page (redesignation date 1946-08-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' and 'Types of Floating Drydocks' sections; navsource.net/archives/14/03idx.htm index row 'AFD-15 / AFDL-15' (unlinked); navsource.net/archives/09/28/2812.htm (AFDL-12 'Redesignated AFDL-12, 1 August 1946')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Built as AFD-15, a Bureau of Yards and Docks AFD-type 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' - a mobile, military, one-piece welded-steel trough dock of 1,000 tons lifting capacity, 200 ft long and 64 ft wide with 45 ft clear width inside the wing walls, 'fully self-contained, with diesel electric power plants' and limited repair facilities, intended for docking minesweepers, patrol craft, and similar vessels; BuSandA records that construction 'was distributed among five contractors, using six different plants, of which three were on the East Coast, one on the Gulf Coast, one on the West Coast, and one on the upper Mississippi.' Under the 1946 floating-drydock nomenclature revision 'the AFD's became AFDL's' (Auxiliary Floating Drydock Little, under 10,000 tons); NavSource carries the hull as 'AFD-15 / AFDL-15' confirming the redesignation applied (the class action is dated 1946-08-01 on NavSource sister-hull pages). She was never named - the NavSource index entry carries no name, and no DANFS history exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- The class design description and the 1946 blanket AFD-to-AFDL reclassification are official Navy-history facts applied to this hull via the NavSource 'AFD-15 / AFDL-15' line; the specific 1946-08-01 date is verified for the class action (sister hulls AFDL-1, AFDL-12) but this hull's individual instrument was not retrieved. Dimensions (200 ft) identify a standard 1,000-ton AFD, not one of the five 88-ft-lengthened 288-ft conversions. No asbestos information in the sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-06
-
[11]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-15-afdl15-08) [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 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
- 1943-1945 construction and wartime-service era
- Population
- Construction trades (unidentified contractor, 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-15 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-15-afdl15-07
-
[12]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-15-afdl15-08
-
[13]Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017, 92 S.Ct. 679, 30 L.Ed.2d 665 (1972) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion at 441 F.2d 1243-44 (vessel-status holding); reporter citation cross-verified via multiple case-law databases (CourtListener API unavailable this session - see search_ledger)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation-posture context for the vessel type (not this hull, not asbestos): Fifth Circuit doctrine holds that 'as a matter of law, a floating dry dock is not a vessel when it is moored and in use as a dry dock' - Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239, 1244 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017 (1972), following Atkins v. Greenville Shipping Corp., 411 F.2d 279 (5th Cir. 1969) and Chahoc v. Hunt Shipyard, 431 F.2d 576 (5th Cir. 1970). Workers injured on moored floating drydocks were accordingly confined to Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act remedies rather than vessel-owner negligence/unseaworthiness theories.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1969-1972 (doctrine); applies to moored-dock operations
- Population
- Floating-drydock workers generally (type context)
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context for the vessel type only - an LHWCA/admiralty vessel-status ruling, not asbestos litigation, not naming this hull, and not an exposure finding. Relevant to how injury claims by drydock crews were channeled; the Keller court expressly declined an absolute rule that a floating drydock can never be a vessel. Citation verified against reporter text reproduced in case-law databases; a direct CourtListener pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-09
-
[14]Batch-574 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 attempt (HTTP 429); web-indexed court-document sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-10 and sl-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Litigation and name-collision sweep: fresh CourtListener API v4 queries for 'AFDL-15'/'AFD-15' were blocked (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota, ~2.7h reset) and deferred per the backoff rule; web-indexed court-record sweeps (site:courtlistener.com and RECAP storage) returned no opinion or docket naming this dock - returned documents were generic drydock-involving filings unrelated to the hull. The numeric hull designation is a low-collision search term and the dock was never named, so name-collision risk is minimal; no collision hulls identified.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Sweep partially blocked - the live CourtListener API quota was exhausted before any query ran, so no fresh docket-level search of this hull was possible; 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 used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-10
-
[15]Batch-574 search ledger (this record): BBBO Ch. XV and Appendix; CinCPac OOB 1 May 1945; NARA SL-44 and Ship Plan Index; shipbuildinghistory auxafd table; NavSource 14/03idx.htm; BuSandA Ch. IX; web-indexed litigation sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-01 through sl-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-15
- 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-15/AFDL-15 was found in the public sources searched - the CinCPac organization document, the BBBO wartime history and appendix, the NARA logbook listing, 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 asbestos-containing materials, and nearly four decades of postwar Navy custody are undocumented, so any retained material's fate is unknown. 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-15-afdl15-11
-
[16]NARA Special List 44 by Ship Numbers; NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index), entry 'AFDL-15 | AFDL-15 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index AFDL-15 line; sl-44-ship-number.pdf AFD-15 line; deck logs not digitized per NARA digitized-logs guidance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for AFD-15, 1945-03-16 to 1945-11-30 (Special List 44) - the primary source for the 1945 station and crew; (b) NARA cartographic Ship Plan Index holds a plan for AFDL-15 on microfilm, reel 385, identifier 63531026 - a potential materials/machinery-layout source; (c) BuShips/BuSandA contract records would resolve the builder assignment (AFD 12-18 are a documented attribution-blank block); (d) Naval Vessel Register records and postwar custody files would document the 1946-1983 career and the post-strike disposition.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1983 records
- Limitations
- Record-holding mapping only - no document-level retrieval performed (no reproduction spend authorized; wartime deck logs of this hull not digitized). Whether any of these holdings contains asbestos-specific information for this dock is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-15-afdl15-12