Evidence
17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-16' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-16' 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-16-afdl16-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-16' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-16' 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-16-afdl16-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-16' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-16' returned 11 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-16-afdl16-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-16' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-16' returned 52 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-16-afdl16-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Naval Vessel Register, SHIPSDETAIL page for NO NAME (AFDL 16), NAVSHIPSO/NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office, page last updated 2000-09-08 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2017-02-16 of nvr.navy.mil SHIPSDETAIL_AFDL_16_3359.HTML (also captured 2024-09-09 with identical data; live URL now redirects to NVR portal); vessel status, milestone dates, physical characteristics, program characteristics blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record: NO NAME (AFDL 16), ex-AFD 16, SMALL AUXILIARY FLOATING DRY DOCK (N-S-P), class 'AFDL 1', UIC 14816. Status 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale', date status changed 06/01/1982; custodian category 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'. Propulsion type 'none'; hull material 'steel hull, steel superstructure'. All milestone date fields (award, keel, launch, delivery, commission, in-service, stricken, out-of-service) and the builder, dimensional, and accommodations fields are blank. Page last updated 2000-09-08.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-2000
- Limitations
- Authoritative U.S. Navy registry record retrieved via Wayback capture (live NVR detail URL now redirects to the NVR portal). Establishes identity, class, UIC, disposal mechanism/date, and non-propelled steel construction. Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental information; the unusually sparse record leaves builder, dates, dimensions, and complement undocumented at registry level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-01
-
[6]Carter, Rear Admiral 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 XII, pp. 122-124; Appendix 'List of Commanding Officers' (HyperWar transcriptions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter XII 'Service Squadron Ten at Majuro' section, pp. 122-124 (HyperWar transcription of the official Naval History Division publication); Appendix commanding-officers table, Floating Drydocks section (BBBO-A.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy logistics history: 'Arrivals of ARD-13, the first floating drydock to be sent into the Central Pacific drive, and the smaller AFD-16 were events of considerable importance at Majuro ... AFD-16, which had lost its commanding officer by illness, was put under the same command as ARD-13 (Lieutenant Commander Travis) for operation and was located beside ARD-13. This proved fortunate, for by operating them as a team the efficiency of both docks increased.' The passage describes Service Squadron Ten's early service-craft arrivals at Majuro Atoll in early 1944; the volume's appendix lists commanding officers for other AFD-type floating docks (AFD-3, -9, -13, -14, -15, -17, -18, -19, -20, -21, -25 through -29) and for ARD-13 (LtComdr W.L. Travis) but none for AFD-16, consistent with the joint-command arrangement described.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- AFD-16 dock crew (size undocumented); ARD-13 crew under shared command; crews of docked vessels under repair
- Limitations
- Official U.S. Navy operational history naming this hull and placing it at Majuro beside ARD-13 under joint command in early 1944 - the strongest ship-specific record located. Establishes station, pairing, and command arrangement only; contains no materials, asbestos, crew-size, or construction information, and does not state the dock's arrival or departure dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-02
-
[7]Carter, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil' (Department of the Navy, 1953), Chapter XIII, p. 133, and Chapter XV, p. 150 (HyperWar transcriptions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter XIII 'Submarines Base at Majuro' section ('a floating drydock ... remained at Majuro until late in January 1945'); Chapter XV Eniwetok service-craft roster (ARD-13, ARD-15, AFD-15, YR-30 named - AFD-16 absent)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Deployment-timeline context: the same official history records that when Service Squadron Ten's main body moved forward to Eniwetok in June 1944, the submarine tenders Bushnell and Howard W. Gilmore 'and a floating drydock' remained at Majuro 'until late in January 1945, when the Myrna Island establishment was closed.' Chapter XV's July 1944 Eniwetok roster lists 'floating drydocks ARD-13, ARD-15, mobile floating drydock AFD-15, and floating workshop YR-30' - AFD-16 is not listed among the docks that went forward, consistent with (but not proving) that the dock remaining at Majuro was AFD-16.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-06 to 1945-01
- Population
- Dock and tender crews at Majuro, mid-1944 to January 1945
- Limitations
- The January-1945 Majuro drydock is not named in the text - assigning it to this hull is inference from (a) AFD-16's verified Majuro presence in Chapter XII and (b) its absence from the named Eniwetok dock roster in Chapter XV. The text supports 'a floating drydock stayed at Majuro' as fact; 'that dock was AFD-16' remains unverified inference. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-03
-
[8]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter IX Floating Drydocks (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription), pp. 218-219 and type-classification section; NVR '(ex - AFD 16)' line; NavSource AFDL-16 page (redesignation date) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' and 'Types of Floating Drydocks' sections; nvr.navy.mil SHIPSDETAIL_AFDL_16_3359 '(ex - AFD 16)'; navsource.net/archives/09/28/2816.htm (redesignated AFDL-16, 1 August 1946)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Built as AFD-16, 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. Under the 1946 floating-drydock nomenclature revision 'the AFD's became AFDL's' (Auxiliary Floating Drydock Little, under 10,000 tons); NVR confirms this hull as 'ex-AFD 16', and NavSource records its redesignation as AFDL-16 on 1946-08-01 - the class-wide action date.
- 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 NVR 'ex-AFD 16' line; the specific 1946-08-01 date rests on NavSource (volunteer archive, not a primary record) but matches the class action. Secondary compilations list this hull in the 800-ton/200-ft group, i.e., a standard 1,000-ton AFD, not one of the five 88-ft-lengthened 288-ft conversions - NavSource's page generically displays the 288-ft lengthened-dock figures for all AFDLs (see gaps). No asbestos information in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-04
-
[9]U.S. Navy photo (Mare Island NSY aerial, 12-19 September 1946), courtesy of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum; caption transcription via NavSource photo archive pages 09/37/09372519 [museum_official]
- Locator
- NavSource image 09372519 caption ('Ships present include: ... AFD 16 ...'); cross-posted on navsource.org archives/09/28/2816.htm (AFDL-16 page), 09/37/3725.htm (Safeguard page), 04/091/04091.htm (Oklahoma City page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A U.S. Navy aerial photograph of the south end of Mare Island Naval Shipyard, taken between 12 and 19 September 1946, lists 'AFD 16' among the craft present (alongside USS Oklahoma City CL-91, USS Safeguard ARS-25, USS Avery Island AG-76, USS Quapaw ATF-110, USS Eldorado AGC-11, USS Barricade ACM-3, USS Fieberling DE-640, USS Alfred A. Cunningham DD-752, and Endicott YM-12) - placing this dock at Mare Island NSY, Vallejo, California, in September 1946, six weeks after the class-wide AFD-to-AFDL redesignation.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-09
- Population
- Mare Island NSY and service-craft personnel, September 1946
- Limitations
- The underlying record is an official U.S. Navy photograph with an official caption naming 'AFD 16' at Mare Island in September 1946; the caption text reaches this record through NavSource transcription (volunteer archive) rather than a retrieved NHHC original - hence partial. The caption uses the pre-August-1946 'AFD' designation six weeks after redesignation, consistent with captioning lag or un-re-marked craft. Establishes presence at the yard only, not the reason (yard-based service, maintenance, or lay-up are all possible). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-05
-
[10]shipbuildinghistory.com 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table (Tim Colton compilation); NavSource Naval History, AFDL-16 page (09/28/2816.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm AFDL table row 16; navsource.net/archives/09/28/2816.htm (milestones, disposition, specifications, ribbon bar)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-compilation corroboration: the shipbuildinghistory.com U.S. Navy floating-drydock table lists 'AFDL | 16 | | | | 800 | 200 | Dec-43 | Scrapped 1982' (builder and name columns blank; 800-ton, 200-ft standard-AFD group; delivered December 1943; scrapped 1982). NavSource's AFDL-16 page lists: 'Laid down, date and location unknown; Redesignated AFDL-16, 1 August 1946; Placed out of service, date unknown; Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; Final Disposition, scrapped, 6 January 1982' with generic class specifications (288 ft, 64 ft beam, 45 ft inside width, 1,900-ton lifting capacity). American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal ribbon entitlement noted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1982
- Population
- Construction trades at the unidentified builder yard, 1943
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilations, not primary records - and they CONFLICT with the NVR on disposition (see correction row ev-uss-afdl-16-11): NVR says 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale' effective 06/01/1982, while NavSource says 'scrapped, 6 January 1982' (apparent US-date-format misread of 06/01/1982) and shipbuildinghistory says 'Scrapped 1982.' The 288-ft/1,900-ton NavSource spec block is the lengthened-dock figure shown generically for all AFDLs; this hull belongs to the 800-ton/200-ft standard-AFD group per shipbuildinghistory. Delivery 'Dec-43' is secondary-only (NVR delivery blank). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-06
-
[11]National Archives and Records Administration, Cartographic Ship Plan Index (archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index), entry 'AFDL-16' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index row: Ship Name 'AFDL-16' | Hull Number 'AFDL-16' | RG 385 | Series Title 'Microfilm' | NAID 63531026 (index hyperlinks to catalog.archives.gov/id/63531026)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Cartographic Ship Plan Index lists a hull-specific plan holding for this dock: index row 'AFDL-16 | AFDL-16 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' - a microfilm file unit (National Archives Identifier 63531026) in Record Group 385, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (the Bureau of Yards and Docks successor agency that designed and built the floating-drydock fleet).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-era records
- Limitations
- Index-level verification only - the plan/drawing content was not retrieved or examined (no reproduction spend authorized). The file unit is shared across the floating-drydock program (the same NAID 63531026 appears on the index's AFBD and AFDL entries generally - verified for AFBD-1 through -7 and the AFDL-25 entry), so the hull-specific sheet coverage for AFDL-16 is unknown until the microfilm is surveyed. A plan set is a potential machinery/materials-layout source, not itself an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-07
-
[12]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Ch. IX (design description of the AFD type); Majuro mission per Carter, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil,' Ch. XII; era asbestos framing per Corn & Starr (see ev-uss-afdl-16-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' paragraph (diesel-electric power plants, self-contained, limited repair facilities); BBBO-12 (repair mission at Majuro)
- 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 delivered 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 wartime mission at Majuro - lifting small combatant craft for underwater-hull and appendage repair alongside ARD-13 - additionally placed its crew in sustained contact with era vessels whose own insulation suites commonly contained asbestos.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946 construction and wartime-service era
- Population
- Construction trades (unidentified builder yard, 1943); dock operating crew; crews of vessels under repair at Majuro
- Limitations
- Design- and mission-level inference, not a hull record - neither Navy history mentions asbestos or names this dock in a materials context. Asbestos presence aboard AFDL-16 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-16-08
-
[13]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-16-09
-
[14]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-16-10
-
[15]Naval Vessel Register SHIPSDETAIL AFDL 16 (status 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale', 06/01/1982) vs. NavSource 09/28/2816.htm ('scrapped, 6 January 1982') and shipbuildinghistory.com auxafd.htm ('Scrapped 1982') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR Vessel Status block vs. NavSource disposition line and shipbuildinghistory AFDL row 16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Disposition correction: the Naval Vessel Register records this hull as 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale' with date status changed 06/01/1982 under custodian category 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES.' NavSource reports 'Final Disposition, scrapped, 6 January 1982' and shipbuildinghistory reports 'Scrapped 1982' - the secondary sources convert the NVR's June 1, 1982 sale into a January 6, 1982 scrapping. The NVR disposition (Navy sale to a non-government custodian) controls; whether the buyer subsequently scrapped the dock is undocumented.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1982
- Limitations
- NVR is the authoritative registry record and is adopted here: the dock was sold (not documented as scrapped) effective 1982-06-01. NavSource's '6 January 1982' is consistent with a 06/01/1982 date-format misread; the 'scrapped' characterization may still be true of the buyer's later action but is not established by any located record. Post-sale owner and final fate untraced.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-16-11
-
[16]Batch-575 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 attempts (HTTP 429); web-indexed court-document sweeps; BBBO Ch. XII showing APD-16 as a Majuro collision hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-16-10 through sl-uss-afdl-16-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Litigation and name-collision sweep: CourtListener API v4 opinion queries for 'AFDL-16' and 'AFD-16' were blocked (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota, ~17h reset) and deferred per the backoff rule; web-indexed court-record sweeps returned no opinion naming this dock. Collision hulls for any future search: APD-16 (a WWII high-speed transport that coincidentally also appears in the same Majuro passage of the official history), ARD-16 (a sister repair dock), and generic 'AFD' references (asbestos-for-defendant abbreviations and AFD fire-department acronyms) require hull-resolution before classification.
- 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 (HTTP 429, expected ~17h reset), 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-16-12
-
[17]Batch-575 search ledger (this record): NVR SHIPSDETAIL page; HyperWar BBBO Ch. XII/XIII/XV + Appendix; BuSandA Ch. IX; NARA Ship Plan Index; NARA Special List 44; shipbuildinghistory auxafd table; NavSource 2816.htm and index 14/03idx.htm; NHHC canonical DANFS URLs; web-indexed litigation sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-16-01 through sl-uss-afdl-16-14
- 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-16/AFDL-16 was found in the public sources searched - the NVR record, the two official Navy histories (Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil; Building the Navy's Bases), the NARA Ship Plan Index entry, the shipbuildinghistory and NavSource compilations, and the Mare Island photo caption contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement, and no DANFS entry exists for this hull (canonical NHHC URLs return 404). NARA Special List 44 (RG 24 deck-log index) lists logs for sister docks AFD-15, -18, -19, -20, -21, -25, -26, -27, -28, -29, -30 and AFDL-21, -29, -32 - but NO entry for AFD-16 or AFDL-16.
- 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 the dock's 1982 Navy sale to a private/institutional custodian means any retained material passed to a non-government owner 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-16-13
