Evidence
24 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-24).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-20' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-20' 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-20-afdl20-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-20' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-20' 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-20-afdl20-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-20' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-20' 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-20-afdl20-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-20' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-20' returned 55 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-20-afdl20-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Vol. III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 15 April 1945), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table p. 607-608 (Google Books scan mirrored at shipscribe.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3.pdf, printed pp. 607-608 (PDF pp. 626-627), AFD table row '7AFD20'; 'Navrepbase, San Diego, Calif.' location-group label spanning the AFD 19-25 block; table footnotes at end (footnote 7 = 'Military docks')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Bureau of Ships characteristics table lists '7AFD20' (superscript-7 flag: 'Military docks') as a 1-piece steel mobile floating drydock: nominal lifted capacity 1,000 tons; suitable for AM- and YN-type craft (minesweepers, net tenders); length overall 200'0", length on pontoon blocks 185'0", width molded 64'0", clear width inside wing walls 45'0", draft over blocks 14'6", maximum draft submerged ~27'3", light ~3'5"; construction start/finish 1943/1944; listed in the location-group entry 'Navrepbase, San Diego, Calif.' (Naval Repair Base, San Diego).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Establishes hull identity, type, dimensions, and construction years from the official register. The 'Location' column (builder/assembly-site entries elsewhere in the table) groups this hull under Naval Repair Base San Diego - an assembly/administrative-site group, not the fabricating contractor; the same label covers Chicago Bridge & Iron-built hulls (Morgan City, LA), so it cannot be the fabricator's plant. Contains no asbestos, materials, insulation, or crew information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-01
-
[6]United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (CinCPac/CinCPOA organizational publication; HyperWar verbatim transcription; NHHC-hosted edition returned 404 on access) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Service Force, Pacific Fleet > Service Squadron TWO > floating-drydock block; row '11 | AFD 20 | ..........' (leading numeral is the source-page reference, not a vessel figure)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- On 1 May 1945 the U.S. Pacific Fleet organization lists 'AFD 20' under Service Squadron TWO, Service Force, Pacific Fleet (commanded by V. Adm. W. W. Smith; flagship AG-31 Argonne) - among eleven small floating drydocks in the squadron listing (AFD 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 29, plus lengthened AFDL 7 and AFDL 32). The commanding-officer column for AFD 20 is blank ('..........').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Dock crew and serviced-vessel crews (wartime)
- Limitations
- Establishes squadron assignment in the wartime Pacific service-squadron organization, not the dock's physical station - the document gives no location for the unit. The blank CO cell does not establish that no officer was assigned. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-02
-
[7]RAdm. Worrall Reed Carter, USN (Ret.), 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Naval History Division/GPO, 1953), Appendix - commanding officers of floating drydocks; glossary of type designations [other_primary]
- Locator
- BBBO-A.html Appendix, 'Floating Drydocks' commanding-officer list, line 'AFD-20 - Carp R.E. Crow'; glossary entry 'AFD'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy logistics history's appendix 'List of Commanding Officers' - commanding officers of the principal vessels engaged in logistic work under Commander Service Force Pacific - gives for AFD-20: 'Carp R.E. Crow' (Carpenter R.E. Crow - Carpenter being a U.S. Navy warrant-officer specialty). Its glossary defines the AFD type: 'Mobile floating drydock. One-piece, steel. Length 200 feet. Nominal lift capacity of 1,000 tons. Suitable for docking YN's (net tenders) and AM's (large minesweepers). Used at logistic support anchorages.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Dock crew (warrant-officer-led detachment)
- Limitations
- Documents a wartime commanding officer and the type definition, not this dock's individual stations or movements - the appendix does not date Crow's tenure, and the May 1945 organization shows the CO cell vacant, consistent with either rotation or an unstated listing convention. A full-text scan of all 31 BBBO chapters found no narrative mention of AFD-20 (unlike sister dock AFD-17). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-03
-
[8]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter IX Floating Drydocks (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- bases-9.html 'Types of Floating Drydocks,' 'Auxiliary Floating Dock,' and 1946-nomenclature paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Bureau of Yards and Docks official history describes the AFD type this hull belongs to: '1,000-ton one-piece steel docks designed by the Bureau, intended for docking minesweepers, patrol craft, and similar vessels,' trough type, 200 feet long and 64 feet wide with 45 feet clear inside the wing walls and 14.5-foot draft over the blocks, 'entirely of welded steel construction... fully self-contained, with diesel electric power plants, and contained limited repair facilities.' 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.' The same chapter documents the 1946 reclassification under which 'the AFD's became AFDL's' - i.e., AFD-20 and AFDL-20 are one dock, the AFD symbol folded into AFDL.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Limitations
- Type-level design and program description - does not name this hull, does not assign a fabricating contractor to hull 20, and gives no station. The 1946 reclassification statement is the official basis for treating AFD-20 and AFDL-20 as one hull. Contains no asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-04
-
[9]Tim Colton, shipbuildinghistory.com, 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' (secondary compilation; compiler warns the sector's builder records are incomplete) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- AFDL table, row: 'AFDL | 20 | | George D. Auchter | Jacksonville FL | 800 | 200 | 1944 | To the Philippines 1961 as YD 204, active'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary build table lists AFDL-20 as an 800-ton-lift, 200-ft dock built by George D. Auchter at Jacksonville, FL, delivered 1944, with disposition 'to the Philippines 1961 as YD 204, active.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record - builder and 1961 transfer year are carried as partially verified: the builder is corroborated by the uswarships.jounin.jp compilation and by the Auchter Company's documented wartime drydock program at Jacksonville (see corroboration row), while the 1961 transfer date conflicts in timing with the official NVR disposal (SAP cash sale effective 1980-03-01) - reconcilable as 1961 loan/transfer with the 1980 outright purchase, but unproven by a primary record. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-05
-
[10]U.S. Navy, Naval Vessel Register, inactive service-craft listing, 'NO NAME - AFDL 20' row (nvr.navy.mil, consulted via Internet Archive capture of 2016-09-27; the live SHIPSDETAIL page redirects to the NVR portal and the detail page was not reachable this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR inactive 'N' listing, row: 'NO NAME | AFDL 20 | 03/01/1980 | Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale case number assigned'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Naval Vessel Register inactive-ships listing records for hull 'AFDL 20' (entry name 'NO NAME'): status-change date 03/01/1980, 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale case number assigned.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1980
- Limitations
- Authoritative for the U.S. disposal mechanism and date (SAP foreign-military cash sale, 1980-03-01) and confirms the craft was never named. Does not name the recipient country - the Philippine destination rests on the secondary compilations and Philippine trade press. Does not state whether an earlier loan/lease (the 1961 secondary date) preceded the sale. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-06
-
[11]iOrbit News Online, 'Subic Drydock Corporation finishes PN's floating dock repair' (2022-07-27, Dante Salvana); salvtug.com photo caption 'Philippine Navy YD-204' (2022-07-23) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- iOrbit article body: 'The YD-204 (AFDL-20) project was completed and towed from SDC facility on July 23, 2022 and arrived safely at the Naval Shipyard, Port of San Felipe, Cavite City on July 24, 2022'; salvtug.com/news/article/75 caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Philippine trade press documents the hull in active Philippine Navy service as floating drydock YD-204: Subic Drydock Corporation completed an eleven-month repair of 'the YD-204 (AFDL-20)' - more than 240 metric tons of steel renewal, blasting and painting, and mechanical/electrical/equipment upgrades - towed from Subic Bay Freeport on 23 July 2022 and delivered to the Naval Shipyard, Port of San Felipe, Cavite City on 24 July 2022. A Philippine salvage-operator photo caption likewise identifies 'Philippine Navy's YD-204 / ex-US AFDL 1-class floating drydock (AFDL-20).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2021-2022
- Population
- Philippine Navy drydock crew and serviced-vessel crews
- Limitations
- Trade-press documentation of present PN service and hull identity - the repair contractor's own identification of the hull as ex-AFDL-20 is the strongest open-source linkage, corroborated independently by the salvage operator's caption. Not a government record; the mapping conflicts with a NavSource-derived secondary page that attaches the YD-204 designation to AFDL-21 (see correction row). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-07
-
[12]Olongapo Subic Drydocks blog, 'AFDL-21' entry (NavSource-derived data block); cross-checked against NVR inactive rows for AFDL-20 and AFDL-21 and Wikipedia 'List of equipment of the Philippine Navy' (YD-204 'purchased in 1980') [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Blog 'AFDL-21' post (2011-08-01), designation line; NVR inactive 'N' listing AFDL-20 and AFDL-21 rows; en.wikipedia.org 'List of equipment of the Philippine Navy' floating-dock row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A NavSource-derived secondary page (olongapo-subic.blogspot.com, reproducing the NavSource AFDL-21 data block) asserts 'Transferred to the Philippines navy in 1961, redesignated YD-204' for AFDL-21 - a hull-number collision with the AFDL-20/YD-204 mapping carried in the shipbuildinghistory table and Philippine trade press. The same block states AFDL-21 was 'Struck from the Naval Register, 31 March 1989' and 'Sold to Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. (SALVTUG), 16 March 1990' - matching the official NVR disposal for AFDL-21 (03/16/1990), not the SAP cash sale recorded for AFDL-20 (03/01/1980). The AFDL-20 mapping is adopted here: the NVR disposal mechanism (SAP cash sale) matches the documented 'YD-204 purchased in 1980' on the Philippine Navy equipment listing, and the repair contractor's own identification names AFDL-20; the conflicting secondary attribution is logged rather than silently merged.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1961-1990
- Limitations
- A name/number-collision guard, not a service record: it prevents the sister dock's post-war trail being merged into this hull's record. NavSource detail pages for both hulls were unreachable this session (HTTP 500/connection failure), so the NavSource-side attribution could not be examined at source; residual uncertainty is flagged rather than resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-08
-
[13]Royal Navy Research Archive, 'Admiralty Floating Dock No. 20' (compiled from Admiralty War Diaries and HMA ship Reports of Proceedings via Fold3) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- RNRA AFD20 page, 'Allocated to the British Pacific Fleet' and 'Post War' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Disambiguation: the Royal Navy's Admiralty Floating Dock No. 20 - a different craft, 380 ft, ~2,750-ton Clark Stanfield design, built at Devonport Dockyard 1941 - served X-craft and submarine maintenance at Port Bannatyne (HMS VARBEL) before being towed to the British Pacific Fleet: she was in the Indian Ocean in early May 1945 (Cochin-Darwin convoy WO.4A, arrived Darwin 22 May), reached Manus 30 June 1945, docked her first vessel there 20 August 1945, and post-war went to Sembawang Dockyard, Singapore. The 'AFD 20' in the 1 May 1945 U.S. Pacific Fleet organization and the Auchter-built 1,000-ton dock of this record are unambiguously the U.S. Navy hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Limitations
- A name-collision guard, not a service record for this hull - it prevents the British dock's history (Rothesay, Tirpitz-era X-craft work, the 13,000-mile tow to Manus, Singapore) being merged into the U.S. craft's record. Establishes nothing about asbestos aboard either dock.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-09
-
[14]Defense Technical Information Center index record, report AD0499552, 'A Zn Anode Cathodic Protection System on the AFDL-20' (1957-06-05); title and abstract verified via DTIC OAI metadata and index snippet - the report PDF itself was not retrievable this session (apps.dtic.mil returned HTTP 403) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTIC OAI record AD0499552 - title, publication date, and abstract text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A Defense Technical Information Center-indexed technical report names this hull: 'A Zn Anode Cathodic Protection System on the AFDL-20' (published 1957-06-05) - a six-anode (60-lb each) zinc galvanic system suspended around the hull periphery 'performed adequately for approximately 18 months in a sea water environment,' with maintenance required for anode removal 'during relocation of the drydock' and periodic hull-potential measurement. Documents the dock in U.S. custody, maintained and instrumented, through at least mid-1957.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1955-1957
- Population
- Maintenance personnel performing cathodic-protection work
- Limitations
- Ship-specific post-war technical record; the abstract does not state the installation site or the reporting command, and the full text was not retrieved. Documents the hull's material condition/maintenance regime circa 1955-1957 - consistent with, but not proof of, U.S. Navy operation until the 1961 secondary-source transfer date. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-10
-
[15]O'Brien, J. T., and Kuchenreuther, D. I., 'Free Oscillation in Surge and Sway of a Moored Floating Dry Dock,' Coastal Engineering Proceedings 1(6), art. 52 (1957), doi:10.9753/icce.v6.52 (index metadata verified via Semantic Scholar; the ICCE PDF was unreachable this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ICCE Proceedings vol. 6, paper 52; title and abstract
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A peer-reviewed coastal-engineering paper names this hull: J. T. O'Brien and D. I. Kuchenreuther, 'Free Oscillation in Surge and Sway of a Moored Floating Dry Dock' (Coastal Engineering Proceedings, 1957) - field measurements of the moored AFDL-20, described as a floating drydock of 2,100 long tons displacement, spread-moored fore and aft with 1.5-inch die-lock chain about 260 feet long, compared against a 1:40 scale model and analytics.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1955-1957
- Limitations
- Ship-specific post-war engineering record; the abstract does not state the measurement site or sponsoring activity. Documents the hull physically extant and moored in U.S. hands in the mid-1950s. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-11
-
[16]National Archives, Special List #44 (by Ship Numbers) - holdings list of vessel logbooks [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List #44, ship-number sequence: 'AFD-20 4/1/1945 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA holds one deck-log holding for AFD-20: 4/1/1945-6/30/1945. The craft was therefore in service keeping deck logs by April 1945 - a shorter documented window than most sister docks (e.g., AFD-18 from April 1944, AFD-19 through June 1946). These logs are the best unretrieved lead for the dock's wartime stations, dockings performed, and crew.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-04-01 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- AFD-20 deck log entries (crew, stations, events)
- Limitations
- Holdings list only - contents not examined; the logs are not among the digitized deck logs published in the National Archives Catalog (checked 2026-09-20). Whether April 1945 is the start of log-keeping or a gap in holdings is unexplained by the list itself; if the unverified Samoa station lead (January 1945) is correct, earlier logs either were not kept or are not in this holding. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-12
-
[17]National Archives, Ship Plan Index (cartographic records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index row: 'AFDL-20 | AFDL-20 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NARA Ship Plan Index lists a plan for AFDL-20 on microfilm roll 385 (identifier 63531026) - a potential primary record of the dock's construction/outfitting specification, including any insulation-material callouts, and possibly the fabricating contractor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Index entry only - the plan itself was not retrieved; whether it names a builder or specifies insulation materials is unverified. Microfilm consultation required.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-13
-
[18]Wikipedia, 'Auxiliary floating drydock,' AFDL list entry for AFD-20, citing Fold3-hosted War Diary, 1/1-31/45, p. 1 (NARA war-diaries digitization) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- AFDL list, 'USS AFD-20/AFDL-20 ... served American Samoa' entry, ref [48]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A tertiary compilation (Wikipedia 'Auxiliary floating drydock') states 'USS AFD-20/AFDL-20 By Auchter Company served American Samoa,' citing 'Fold3.com, War Diary, 1/1-31/45, Page 1' - i.e., a Fold3-hosted NARA war diary placing this dock at American Samoa in January 1945 (Naval Station Tutuila, Pago Pago, was the operating U.S. base there). The underlying war diary was not examined (Fold3 is paywalled); the station lead is carried as unverified pending the primary document.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-01
- Limitations
- Tertiary source pointing at an unexamined primary record - plausible and consistent with the timeline (deck logs from April 1945; ServRon 2 assignment by May 1945), but the war diary itself (which command authored it, and what exactly it says) was not retrieved. Not treated as an established station.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-14
-
[19]AFD-type design description per Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases,' Ch. IX (welded-steel self-contained dock, diesel-electric plants, repair facilities); wartime service per Pacific Fleet organization and BBBO rows in this record [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' paragraph (type description); corroborating dimensions in Ships' Data 1945 row ev-01
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A crewed welded-steel craft of 1943-44 with a diesel-electric power plant, ballast-pumping machinery, limited repair facilities, and crew accommodation spaces was built during the peak years of wartime asbestos use in U.S. shipbuilding. Era-standard applications aboard such craft included machinery and exhaust insulation, pipe and valve gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, deck tile and insulating board in quarters and mess spaces, and brake linings on winches and cranes.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-2022
- Population
- Construction trades (Auchter Jacksonville / assembly site, 1943-44); dock crew (1945+); serviced-vessel repair parties; Philippine Navy crews (1961+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, plan sheet, or material list located for AFDL-20. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials on this hull; no quantity; does not establish remaining material aboard or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-15
-
[20]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 Navy-contracted steel floating dock was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard Navy and merchant-type 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 ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel 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-20-afdl20-16
-
[21]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403; description via product page)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: the Navy did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s, and standing policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place aboard WWII-era craft unless a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; establishes era timing only - nothing specific to this hull. For AFDL-20 the hull left U.S. custody by 1980 (and was heavily rebuilt in 2021-22 under Philippine contract, scope of which did not report hazardous materials), so the policy's bearing on present-day material aboard is doubly indirect. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-17
-
[22]Batch-580 search ledger (this record): Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III; Pacific Fleet organization 1-May-1945; BBBO HyperWar; BuDocks bases-9; shipbuildinghistory auxafd; uswarships.jounin.jp; NVR inactive listing; iOrbit/salvtug PN coverage; DTIC index; ICCE index; NARA SL-44 and Ship Plan Index; NavSource index; CourtListener; Wikipedia/Fold3 lead; RNRA AFD-20 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-01 through sl-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-16
- 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-20/AFDL-20 or its Philippine designation YD-204 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The 1957 DTIC cathodic-protection report and the 2022 Subic Drydock repair coverage document the hull's maintenance without reporting hazardous materials.
- 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 - the NARA ship plan (microfilm roll 385), the April-June 1945 deck logs, the Fold3-hosted war diary, and the unretrieved DTIC report full text are all unexamined and could change this finding. The 2021-22 Subic rebuild's scope (240MT steel renewal, blasting/painting) is typical of where legacy ACM abatement would appear if it occurred, but the reporting does not address it either way. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-18
-
[23]Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017 (1972) [court_record]
- Locator
- 441 F.2d at 1244 - reporter citation cross-verified across case-law databases; direct CourtListener pull deferred (API rate-limited, see search_ledger)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Doctrinal context for the vessel type (not this hull, not asbestos): the Fifth Circuit held in Keller v. Dravo Corp. 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' (441 F.2d 1239, 1244 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017 (1972)) - the doctrinal frame any personnel-injury claim involving this craft type would meet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1971-1972
- Population
- Shore-based shipyard worker (case posture)
- Limitations
- Not an asbestos case and not about this hull - class-level doctrinal context only. A Navy crewed craft under military command differs from the civilian shore-side dock in the case; does not determine the status of any hypothetical claim involving AFDL-20.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-19
-
[24]The Jaxson Magazine, 'The lost shipyards of Jacksonville' (George D. Auchter Company section); Wikipedia 'The Auchter Company' (corporate history) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Jaxson article, 'George D. Auchter Company' section (Panama Park drydock program, St. Johns River, closed February 1946)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroboration for the builder attribution: The Auchter Company (founded 1929 by engineer George D. Auchter) was a Jacksonville, Florida general contractor that operated a wartime shipyard at Panama Park on the St. Johns River building U.S. Navy auxiliary floating drydocks under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program; the yard closed February 1946. The shipbuildinghistory table attributes AFDL-19 through AFDL-23 to 'George D. Auchter, Jacksonville FL' - the same builder and yard as this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1929-1946
- Limitations
- Establishes that the named builder existed and ran a wartime Navy floating-drydock program at Jacksonville - corroborates, but does not itself prove, that this particular hull was built there; the hull-to-contractor mapping still rests on the secondary compilations. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-20-afdl20-20