Evidence
19 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-19).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-21' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-21' 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-21-afdl21-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-21' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-21' 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-21-afdl21-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-21' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-21' returned 8 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-21-afdl21-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-21' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-21' returned 54 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-21-afdl21-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Naval Vessel Register, SHIPSDETAIL page for NO NAME (AFDL 21), NAVSHIPSO/NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2017-02-16 of nvr.navy.mil SHIPSDETAIL_AFDL_21_1800.HTML; vessel status, milestone dates, physical characteristics, program characteristics blocks (milestone date fields blank for this craft)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record: 'NO NAME (AFDL 21)', ex-AFD 21, SMALL AUXILIARY FLOATING DRY DOCK (N-S-P), class 'AFDL 1', UIC 14821. Builder 'Auchter, George D., Co.' Status: 'Disposed of by transfer to other Government Agencies, States. Schools, Sea Scouts, etc.', date status changed 1990-03-16; stricken 1989-03-31. Physical characteristics: 800 tons light displacement, steel hull/steel superstructure, propulsion 'none'; custodian category 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'; page last updated 2000-08-17.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-2000
- Limitations
- Authoritative U.S. Navy registry record retrieved via Wayback capture (live NVR detail page no longer serves this disposed craft). Establishes identity, builder, disposal status/date, and limited physical characteristics; overall length, beam, and accommodations fields are blank on this page, and all milestone dates except stricken are blank. Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-01
-
[6]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, AFDL-21 (ex-USS AFD-21) page, navsource.org/archives/09/28/2821.htm (page maintainer Gary P. Priolo) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class block, specification block, awards ribbon block, photo captions, commanding-officers table; companion index page navsource.net/archives/09/26/2621.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-craft archive page for AFDL-21 (ex-USS AFD-21): laid down by George D. Auchter Co., Jacksonville, FL; commissioned AFD-21, date unknown; redesignated AFDL-21 1946-08-01; decommissioned, date unknown; 'placed in service at Ship Repair Facility Guam, date unknown'; struck 1989-03-31; 'in commercial service at SUBICDOCK Corp. Philippines.' Photo captions document: AFDL-21 dry-docked in an unidentified dry dock (U.S. Navy photo from 'All Hands' magazine, August 1964); AFDL-21 at Ship Repair Facility Guam (contributor Gary W. Rogers, dated 1966-67); Manhattan (YTB-779) in the dock of AFDL-21 after bending a wheel on a breakwater in South Vietnam, date unknown; ex-AFDL-21 at SUBICDOCK, Subic Bay, Philippines, 2010; ex-AFDL-21 at PACDIM (Pacific Dock Integrated Maintenance Facility, a Cabras Marine subsidiary), Apra Harbor, Guam, 2012; and YRB-36 drydocked in ex-AFDL-21 at the Cabras Marine PACDIM facility, Guam, 2013-09-26. Awards ribbon block lists American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Officer list (contributors Hechler/Reeves): CDR Carl Raymond Armbrust USN 1950-July 1951; CAPT Charles J. Palmer USN (later RADM) July 1951-1953.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1990
- Population
- Dock crew at SRF Guam (1966-67 photo period); officers in charge 1950-53
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary compilation, not an official record - Guam SRF service, the 1966-67 crew photo, the 1964 All Hands photo attribution, ribbon list, officer list, and the 1946-08-01 redesignation date are unverified against primary instruments (deck logs exist 1944-1947, unretrieved). Internal spec discrepancy: this page's spec block lists 'lifting capacity 1,900 tons' while the companion NavSource page (09/26/2621) lists 1,000 tons; the 1,900-ton figure matches the lengthened-variant AFDL spec and conflicts with the 200-ft hull documented by NVR-class data and press (see gaps). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-02
-
[7]Carter, Worrall Reed, 'Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Naval History Division/NHHC official history), Appendix - List of Commanding Officers, Floating Drydocks section [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix, 'Floating Drydocks' block: 'AFD-21 Lt C.H. Leonard' (adjacent entries AFD-19, AFD-20, AFD-25, AFD-26, AFD-27)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy logistics history 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil' (Rear Adm. Worrall Reed Carter, USN Ret.), appendix 'List of Commanding Officers' of principal vessels engaged in logistic work under Commander Service Force Pacific, lists under Floating Drydocks: 'AFD-21 Lt C.H. Leonard' - placing this hull on the Service Force Pacific roster during WWII and naming a wartime commanding officer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- Dock crew under Lt. C.H. Leonard (wartime)
- Limitations
- Official Navy-history roster establishes ServPac assignment and a wartime CO name but does not state where AFD-21 was physically moored; the appendix covers vessels engaged in Pacific logistic work generally. Does not establish the dock's wartime station (see gaps). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-03
-
[8]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II,' Chapter IX Floating Drydocks (official Navy history, HyperWar transcription), type-classification and Auxiliary Floating Dock sections; NVR '(ex - AFD 21)' line [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' paragraph (200 x 64 ft, 45 ft clear width, welded steel, self-contained diesel-electric) and 'Types of Floating Drydocks' (1946 reclassification table); NavSource 09/28/2821.htm (redesignation date)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Built as AFD-21, 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); the NVR 'ex - AFD 21' line confirms this hull's redesignation, and NavSource gives the specific date 1946-08-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- 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 21' line and NavSource's 1946-08-01 date; the individual redesignation instrument was not retrieved. 200 x 64 ft dimensions identify this dock as a standard 1,000-ton AFD, not one of the five 88-ft-lengthened 288-ft conversions - consistent with press and compilation data (1,000-ton lift) and against NavSource's 1,900-ton spec figure. No asbestos information in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-04
-
[9]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 by Ship Numbers (RG 24 deck logs); NARA Cartographic Ship Plan Index, entry 'AFDL-21 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, AFD block ('AFD-21 6/4/1944 6/29/1946') and AFDL block ('AFDL-21 7/1/1946 6/30/1947'); archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index AFDL-21 row; catalog.archives.gov/id/63531026
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units), by ship number, lists two deck-log runs for this hull: 'AFD-21 6/4/1944-6/29/1946' and 'AFDL-21 7/1/1946-6/30/1947' - deck logs covering June 1944 through June 1947 under both designations. NARA's cartographic Ship Plan Index separately lists a plan for AFDL-21 on microfilm, National Archives Identifier 63531026 (the shared AFDL roll).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-06-04 to 1947-06-30 (log holdings); construction-era plan set
- Population
- Dock crew (1944-1947 log period)
- Limitations
- The index listings are verified; the logbooks and plan sheets themselves were not retrieved or read. The deck logs are the primary unconsulted source for this dock's wartime station, movements under tow, crew, and early Guam assignment; the plan set is the primary unconsulted source for specified outfit materials. Presence in the list establishes holdings, not content. No asbestos content is implied by the listings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-05
-
[10]Sapnu, Ric, 'SubicDock acquires new drydock facility,' The Philippine Star (philstar.com), 2008-03-25; corroborating shipbuildinghistory.com auxafd table (Tim Colton compilation) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Philstar article paragraphs 2-6 (acquisition, Bravo Pier, dimensions, March 1990 Malayan Towage sale, Cabras parent); shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm AFDL-21 table row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Commercial service chain after Navy disposal: the shipbuildinghistory.com U.S. Navy floating-drydock table lists 'AFDL 21 | George D. Auchter | Jacksonville FL | 800 | 200 | 1944 | Sold 1990 to Subic Bay DY, now in Guam.' Philippine Star business reporting (2008-03-25) documents that 'Subic Drydock Corp. (SubicDock)... acquired recently the AFDL-21, a small auxiliary floating dry dock, and has installed it at Subic's Bravo Pier,' describes the craft as 200 ft long, 64 ft beam, 1,000-ton lifting capacity, reports it 'was sold to Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. in March 1990,' and notes SubicDock is 'a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabras Marine Corp., a US-based maritime services organization' of Guam.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1990-2008
- Population
- Commercial drydock crews, Subic Bay (2008 era); SALVTUG/SubicDock workforce
- Limitations
- Reputable press and compiler corroboration of the post-Navy chain, consistent with NVR's 1990-03-16 status-change date; the March 1990 'sale to Malayan Towage' is press/compilation framing - NVR's own status text says 'transfer to other Government Agencies,' and the disposal instrument was not retrieved. The same article's claim that AFDL-21 'was transferred to the Philippine Navy in 1961' is a documented hull-collision error - see correction row ev-07. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-06
-
[11]SALVTUG (Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp.) corporate site, 'Philippine Navy YD-204' article (2022-07-23); iOrbit News, 'Subic Drydock Corporation finishes PN's floating dock repair' (2022) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- salvtug.com article ('YD-204 / ex-US AFDL 1-class floating drydock (AFDL-20)'); iorbitnews.com article ('YD-204 (AFDL-20)'); collision source: philstar.com 2008-03-25 and olongapo-subic.blogspot.com AFDL-21 post
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Hull-collision correction: secondary and press accounts claiming AFDL-21 'was transferred to the Philippine navy in 1961, redesignated YD-204' (e.g., the Philstar article and derivative blogs) describe sister dock AFDL-20, not this hull. Malayan Towage/SALVTUG's own corporate site identifies the Philippine Navy's YD-204 as 'ex-US AFDL 1-class floating drydock (AFDL-20),' and iOrbit News coverage of the dock's 2022 repair states 'YD-204 (AFDL-20).' AFDL-21's documented record - continuous U.S. Navy custody through 1989 (NVR), a 1966-67 U.S. Navy crew photo at Ship Repair Facility Guam, and Vietnam-era service ribbons - is inconsistent with a 1961 foreign transfer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1961-2022 (collision claims); applies to record integrity
- Limitations
- Resolves a published designation error propagated in press and blog compilations; the March 1990 Malayan Towage/SALVTUG sale in the same accounts is consistent with the NVR status-change date and is retained. The correction identifies which hull became YD-204; it does not itself document AFDL-21's 1961 location. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-07
-
[12]Cabras Marine Corporation official site (cabtug.com), 'USCG Cutter Assateague Dry Dock' release, 2017-01-14 [other_primary]
- Locator
- cabtug.com news release text (live page 404 at research date; content verified via indexed copy; Wayback capture 2020-09-18 exists at web.archive.org/web/20200918074424)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Operator-published record of Guam commercial service: 'CMC utilized its 1000T Floating Dry Dock, AFDL-21 to accommodate the docking of Cutter Assateague. CMC has invested in refurbishing and overhauling the AFDL-21, a former U.S. Navy Floating Dry Dock, to better serve ship repair needs of the military and commercial enterprises. The AFDL-21 received an All Boats Repair (ABR) accreditation from Military Sealift Command and is located at the CMC Ship Repair Facility in the Commercial Port of Guam F2 Pier' - documenting continued U.S. government-vessel work on the ex-Navy dock at Apra Harbor, Guam (USCGC Assateague drydocked 2017-01-13).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2017
- Population
- CMC Ship Repair Facility workforce; USCG Assateague crew
- Limitations
- The operator's own statement of its operations - primary for what CMC said it did, not independent verification; the MSC 'All Boats Repair' accreditation is as claimed by the company. Confirms 1,000-ton lift rating against NavSource's 1,900-ton spec error. No asbestos, hazmat, or materials information; 'refurbishing and overhauling' scope not itemized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-08
-
[13]National Transportation Safety Board, marine casualty docket DCA23FM041 (Piti, Guam, accident date 2023-05-24/25): 'Close-out memo regarding partial sinking of towing vessel Polaris' (signed 2023-12-11); Cabras Marine Heavy Weather Plan dated 2023-05-20 (docket exhibit); Polaris captain witness statement (docket exhibit) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NTSB docket DCA23FM041: close-out memo p.2 casualty description (AFDL-21 contact events); data.ntsb.gov Docket docBLOB ID 16323668 (Heavy Weather Plan AFDL-21 mooring section); captain statement ('the loose AFDL21')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal casualty record naming this hull: NTSB marine investigation DCA23FM041 documents that during Typhoon Mawar, 'About 2330 [2023-05-24], a floating drydock, AFDL-21, broke free from a nearby pier and made contact with the starboard side of Polaris,' and that the tug's crew subsequently 'tied up the Polaris to the pier and the floating drydock AFDL-21' before abandoning ship; the Cabras Marine heavy-weather plan in the same docket prescribes AFDL-21's storm mooring at Pier F2 with HMPE lines and chains and a ride-out tug staged outboard. Polaris partially sank (no injuries, ~$1.1M damage); NTSB closed the investigation as a natural-disaster casualty without a full report.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2023-05-24 to 2023-05-25
- Population
- Polaris ride-out crew (4, evacuated, no injuries); CMC facility personnel
- Limitations
- Authoritative federal casualty documentation naming this hull and fixing its mooring, breakaway, and collision sequence; the docket's investigative scope was the tug Polaris - it does not itself document the dock's sinking position, salvage, or scuttling (those rest on press and the court docket). Establishes no liability finding. No asbestos information; a 1944-built craft's material contents were not within the casualty scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-09
-
[14]Pacific Daily News (guampdn.com), 'Cabras Marine says it should not be held liable for Mawar damage at port; PAG says $18.5M needed to restore facility,' 2025-03-25; companion PDN report 'Port will respect judicial process in $18.5M damaged wharf case' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- PDN article paragraphs on the F3 sinking, removal order, total loss declaration, and 2024-04-15 scuttling; companion PDN article confirms court filing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Loss and disposition of the hull: Pacific Daily News reporting documents that the Cabras Marine floating drydock that broke free during Typhoon Mawar on 2023-05-24 sank alongside the Port Authority of Guam's F3 wharf, damaging sheet piles, concrete cap, and cathodic protection systems (PAG restoration demand ~$18.5M); that 'a few weeks after the drydock broke free and sank alongside F3, the port ordered Cabras Marine to remove the vessel'; and that it 'was declared a total loss by the company, towed to sea and scuttled on April 15, 2024.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2023-05-24 to 2024-04-15
- Population
- Salvage/removal crews (T&T Salvage engaged per trade press)
- Limitations
- Local reputable press corroborated by the federal docket (the limitation petition names AFDL-21 as the casualty craft) - the sinking, total-loss declaration, and scuttle date are consistent across sources; the scuttle position and any pre-scuttling materials/hazmat accounting are not documented. Reports describe 'a Cabras Marine drydock' - the identification of that dock as ex-AFDL-21 rests on the limitation petition and the NTSB docket naming AFDL-21 at F2. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-10
-
[15]In re Petition of Cabras Marine Corp., as Owner of the AFDL-21, for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability, No. 1:25-cv-00008 (D. Guam, filed Mar. 24, 2025) - PACER docket via PACERMonitor/law360 public case listings [court_record]
- Locator
- PACERMonitor public docket listing: caption, case number, judges, filing date, complaint dkt 1, injunction/notice order dkt 13 (2025-03-31); law360.com/cases/67e1375b26f932bb8a1ec206
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Docketed proceeding naming this hull (non-asbestos): 'In the Matter of the Petition of Cabras Marine Corporation, as the Owner of the AFDL-21, for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability,' U.S. District Court, District of Guam, case 1:25-cv-00008, filed 2025-03-24 (Chief Judge Tydingco-Gatewood; referred to Magistrate Judge Bordallo) - an admiralty limitation-of-liability proceeding arising from the Typhoon Mawar casualty; an injunction and order for issuance of notice to claimants was signed 2025-03-31.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2025-03-24 onward (pending)
- Population
- Port Authority of Guam (claimant posture); Cabras Marine Corp. (petitioner)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage proceeding classified at its actual posture: a vessel-owner petition for exoneration/limitation filed in anticipation of the Port Authority's ~$18.5M wharf-damage claim - it is not an asbestos case, not an exposure finding, and contains no adjudicated facts about the hull's materials. The petition's assertions (no 'fault, neglect or want of care') are allegations of the owner, untested; case pending as of research date with outcome not located. Naming the hull in a caption is not exposure evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-11
-
[16]U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest Region press release, 'EPA Orders Cabras Marine to End Sloppy Hazardous Waste Management, Preventing Spills into Apra Harbor,' 2025-10-21 (announcing Administrative Order on Consent) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA news release paragraphs on the 2025-02-06 inspection findings, the 'ongoing issue... since as early as 2017' statement, and AOC terms
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Facility-level regulatory context (not the hull): U.S. EPA announced 2025-10-21 a Clean Water Act Administrative Order on Consent to Cabras Marine Corporation after a 2025-02-06 inspection of its Apra Harbor ship repair facility found sandblast debris escaping containment toward stormwater/the harbor and improperly stored oily/hazardous waste, an issue EPA traced to 2017. This documents waste-handling practices at the facility that operated ex-AFDL-21 until its 2024 loss, not the dock itself.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2017-2025 (EPA-stated issue period)
- Population
- CMC facility workforce (facility context)
- Limitations
- Facility-level environmental record, not hull evidence: the inspection post-dates the dock's 2024-04-15 scuttling, the order addresses shoreside waste management, and no media accounts or the EPA release mention the AFDL-21 hull or asbestos. Included as operating-environment context for the yard that ran the dock; establishes nothing about the hull's contents.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-12
-
[17]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-21-afdl21-14) [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 1944 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 and shipfitters around hull-insulation suites that commonly contained asbestos.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944 construction era; service through 1989
- Population
- Construction trades (Auchter yard, Jacksonville FL, 1944); dock operating crew; shipfitters and crews of vessels under repair at SRF Guam
- 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-21 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, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-13
-
[18]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-21-afdl21-14
-
[19]Batch-581 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 attempts (HTTP 429); PACERMonitor/law360 docket listings; web-indexed court-document sweeps; NVR; NTSB DCA23FM041; EPA; PDN/Philstar; NavSource; NARA SL-44 and ship-plan index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-01 through sl-uss-afdl-21-afdl21-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Litigation and asbestos sweep: fresh CourtListener API v4 queries for 'AFDL-21'/'AFD-21' were blocked (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota, ~1.8h and ~16h resets) and deferred per the backoff rule; web-indexed court-record sweeps located the non-asbestos limitation-of-liability docket (ev-11) and returned no asbestos opinion naming this dock. No asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials schedule, or hazmat disclosure naming AFD-21/AFDL-21 was found in the public sources searched - the NVR record, the NTSB docket, the EPA release, the press record, and the NavSource archive contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement, and no DANFS entry exists for this hull.
- 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 case-law search of this hull was possible; the web-indexed sweep plus PACER listings are weaker instruments. Absence of a located pleading is not proof no claim ever existed, and absence of a located asbestos record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 self-contained Navy dock is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials, and the 2024 scuttling proceeded without any located public hazmat accounting. 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-21-afdl21-15